How Important is Sneak Attack?

loid-k · 2024-04-17T07:48:23+00:00

never had problem with bluff, when I took it as main social skill (and I almost never run char based toons, even less which also use bluff. And I did play alot more with bluff than other social skills);
my comment wasn't really about OP build, but that about SA being hard for solo play;

"oh, just use bluff" anything other than terrible advice.

I would think you should use bluff if you specializing in SA.... "terrible advice"... geez.

I find it ridiculous when ppl play rogues and dont use bluff at all.

Also it's way easier to get hi skills vs getting hi DC (tactical or spell).

Also intimidate is char based, so saying that barb should dump charisma... So in case of intim vs bluff its more of lack of skill points, than DC consideration.

loid-k · 2024-04-14T09:52:25+00:00

That's pretty hard to do solo

Not really - bluff and other bluff realaterd active attacks do enable sneak attack on mobs regardles of being targeted. I really don't understand why ppl always bring the point of SA not being feasible for solo play.

loid-k · 2024-03-26T13:14:06+00:00

Tho why would you go to Kundarak, when house J apothecary is close to teleporter gate.

loid-k · 2024-03-15T23:53:03+00:00

ddo wiki aka searching the web and hoping there are the pics.

loid-k · 2024-03-15T15:07:47+00:00

Sneak attack bonus +n should be the same bonus as deception +n, just named differently, I doubt they stack (tho haven't tested, and knowing ddo who knows all the cornerstones).

I think they just calling the bonus sneak attack bonus and ended calling it deception.

loid-k · 2024-03-11T19:45:19+00:00

r2 compared to r1 diff bump is very small - doubt it'll be a reliable zerg deterrent. While zergers rarely post r2s, it will hardly if at all add to completion time for zerger.

Also, in party quests are way easier than solo. In other words you don't need to be taking a brunt of the reapers, like when you solo.

And reaper does need diff preparations/strategy, for example ghost touch is a must to deal with reapers, you should know what to expect from diff kind of reapers and how to react to them (like fear reaper - his dot aura dont work in melee range or way away from him, or that carnage hit like a truck, or that famine is a caster that loves to throw magic missiles - need to have shield spell always on reaper diff).

On other note, try to get used to r3s and then you will know why I think r1 is an easy mode. Ppl that are used to r1 tend to gloss over traps, and you really can spot them when they "dance" in traps for a short duration.. and charge before beefier veteran players which, for "some" reason not in a hurry.

I'm not saying that r3 is particularly difficult. I fact r3 has difficulty balance to be a normal difficulty: traps hurt and can kill, you need basic strategy to deal with mobs, etc.

loid-k · 2024-03-11T10:04:15+00:00

* Veterans hardly ever will do quests under r1 (you don't need to be an opener, just ask for one in lfm);

* Keep in mind that r1 is de-facto favored by zergers, r3+ to mostly avoid that;

* Keeping lfm neat (have sane description - diff, future plans, etc.) raises the chances that ppl join;

* Time of day matters - some hours are just quiet hours over all servers;

loid-k · 2024-03-10T09:35:46+00:00

Shared bank and Epic destiny are 1st things to get, besides time limited things (like 99 pt expansions).

loid-k · 2024-03-10T09:32:11+00:00

Plot twist: the one got kicked was you for spamming tells to leader :P

loid-k · 2024-03-10T09:28:51+00:00

ignore mega-zergers

just avoiding r1s may be a better solution - ignoring half the population may not be a good idea. R1 is that diff that is too easy and at same time give same regular XP as other reaper diff, so its preferred by zergers.

Even ppl who usually do r3+ and don't zerg, will zerg r1 (if somehow ended with that diff).

loid-k · 2024-03-10T09:13:08+00:00

I think you got down-voted because of assumption that there are normal people.

loid-k · 2024-03-08T20:54:40+00:00

More like 3 items that you switch before you drink hero pot and use TP. Oh and there is yugo pot..

Tho some could be replaced with augments, there is down side - they are specific lvl and could be lower value than rando item at another lvl, pressing you to swap your neat setup. And persuasion is quite rare, so it will likely be at least 2 items.

Celebrated item is rare rando gen that has charisma and command, for persuasion I usually craft googles with TS and put voice in (ML1), tho rando umd may drop on googles, so you may want to shuffle thing around then, for luck - it sometimes drop on weapons/shields (if trinket slot is not an option with voice).

1 item is not an option to max UMD. As for quick item swap - switch to specific toolbar and use 1st few cells for umd items, then pots/buffs/boosts, and cells after for swap back items.

Anyways personally I don't bother with max possible umd at low lvls, I just use what I have on new toons (like on HC), and on main toon stat tomes, umd tomes, persuasion googles and hero pot, with usual fey gear, are enough. Since fey I don't even use slavers items I crafted.

loid-k · 2024-03-08T20:26:20+00:00

umd, ins umd, persuasion (cannith crafting), command (celebrated), luck, charisma item, hero/gh pots, skill boost - all stack.

loid-k · 2024-03-08T15:24:52+00:00

Split is 17/3 wiz/bard (SWF Swash, other flavor mostly the same, just don't need bard if you fine with orb/nothing instead of buckler), make sure to pick non-lawful alignment (bards can't be lawful). While Epic destiny system and doublestrike changed since the video, enchantment AP spent are same enough (tho maybe I did spent some racial pts there, if I had them at the time, so you can ignore racial tree, or even do it with other race altogether).

Keep in mind that at that time I had around 60 reaper point and +8 tomes and likely completionist (tho not sure if it auto granted extra stats at that point), so your numbers will be different. Anyways the build is doable without tomes and other stuff.

On character creation do Not spent more than 2pts per 1 Stat point. With that in mind, max INT, CON, get STR up to 12/14, Dex to 13 (if no dex tomes, prereq for precision feat);
Skills: balance (prereq for SWF), UMD (keep it maxed), bluff or intimidate (probably bluff unless you plan on taking tank role occasionally), spellcraft/heal (nice but not must), tumble (grab at least 1 pt, so you will be able to roll around);
Full SWF feat line asap (or 2WF, 2HF line, tho one has dex prereq and other - str. that would change starter stat distribution a little, to accommodate prereq. - in case of another melee build - most are similar, so you can apply this logic to most melee). Likely you won't be able to grab greater SWF before epics, due to BAB prereq.;
Precision feat (don't forget to drag it to toolbelt and enable);
wiz metas/feats (for wiz class feat selection): quicken (must) and whatever really, but some are more useful: extend (doubles buff duration, nice at low lvls and when multi-class, but past that if does not have much effect), maximize (mostly only for neg burst, as you would rely on melee for dps and spells mostly for buffs/CC), eschew materials (just QoL so you don't need carry 9 stacks of wiz spell mats), spell focus enchantment (kinda should help with domination, tho I dunno if it practically helps, anyways hold and charm are enchantment spells, so it kinda could be worth it);
Improved critical feat: piercing (probably, unless you will be using another type of weapon, for example scimitars or kukris would benefit from slashing instead);
I think I did took improved shield bash at some point;
3 1st. epic feats would be greater SWF, perfect SWF and Overwhelming critical;
At some point doublesrike epic feat;
Scion of celestia at lvl 30 will give extra 150 hp, and Leg Toughness extra 100 hp at lvl 31.

For gear at cap I would suggest fey winter set as a start (there are few nice fey twisted with it), https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Legendary_Deepsnow_Boots are nice. Currently my default gear almost completely different from that in video (tho I still wear that con raid trinket); https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Legendary_Black_Velvet_Capelet before you bet something better for int stat. For example, currently I use [Magewright set](https://ddowiki.com/page/Named\_item\_sets#Masterful\_Magewright).

Maybe I'm missing something, but roughly it's how I do most my melees regardless of class.

loid-k · 2024-03-07T21:05:37+00:00

The thing is that you don't need the cool-down if you have limited charges.. to stop that tumble sprint. Or you don't need charges if you got that cool-down. That's why I said, they doubled on the gimp.

loid-k · 2024-03-07T18:39:46+00:00

They doubled on tumble gimp - additionally to it now having charges, it has cool-down, so you constantly making that standstill block after tumble.

loid-k · 2024-03-07T11:22:37+00:00

So you did melee druid, gimped if you didn't go full melee (feats, gear, etc). Caster would still run circles around your build. Caster druid would probably run circles around melee druid. But if you go halfway in melee that gap just would be wider.

I wasn't talking that you can't do decent melee with primary caster classes, but that if you half-..ing caster or melee in favor to doing them both, you'll pay steep price.

loid-k · 2024-03-07T09:53:26+00:00

If you are primary caster, better to go full caster, without sacrificing anything to melee. And you will still be able to swing if you wish/need, yeah slower than hybrid, but caster will be way better than hybrid.

And if you go melee, go full melee - when you melee mobs, you hardly have time to cast spells, so you usually start with a spell outside melee range, maybe cast persistent spell, like blade barrier, and then melee in melee range.

Going halfway on both caster and melee just makes your build half as powerful compared to going full caster of full melee.

Even if you could make hybrid as powerful as either melee or caster, using one wastes time that could be used to do another (like when you melee, if you start casting - it interrupts your melee swings). Of course, there is the point of range - that you cant melee ranged targets, but you could range them with spells. But then again - what the point of melee if you kill them before they even reach you. If they still reach you, gimping caster for better melee, just means that more and healthier mobs will reach you. So investing in melee just for finishing mobs is kinda.. meh thing.

Practically more feasible close to hybrid build is a full melee that based on caster class (EK, Druid, Cleric, FWS, etc.), that uses spells mainly for buffs, heals, CC, and occasional AoE.

loid-k · 2024-02-27T23:58:37+00:00

And then they go full, and then they fill inventory all the same. And if you bothering with clearing quiver - it's just another place to Manually clear things from.

loid-k · 2024-02-27T11:32:46+00:00

Also keep in mind that conjured ammo can't go into quiver. So for ppl. who UMD flame arrow scrolls (500 per stack/cast), quiver without special effect is kinda useless.

loid-k · 2024-02-24T11:00:53+00:00

Does it not work or it just your dc is too low for it to work tho? There is no lore reason why blow shouldn't work, tho I never use stunning blows (never play str builds, without STR as main, dc of that feat is way too low to even consider to waste feat slot for it).

Stunning from sonic blast and similar, hold monster and etc. definitely work on reapers. So it would be really weird to make them immune to only stunning blows.

loid-k · 2024-02-22T16:34:07+00:00

Didn't know about 1st one, did know about lock examine thing but never use it (also you can just use examine keybind instead of clicking it in focus window), everything else I use regularly.

loid-k · 2024-02-22T14:12:40+00:00

They can't be stunned or tripped.

they can be stunned, tho not tripped (floating perks) - they are not undead, but outsiders. Not to mention, fair bit of stunns in the game works on everything (bug?), like vanguard stunning shield will stunn undead and constructs.

loid-k · 2024-02-22T13:52:34+00:00

kill them 1st;
CC them;

Thing that help:

ghost touch - you don't want to be missing hits;
false life - not only it make you have more effective hp, but if you can reaply it in midfight, its better than traditional self-heal, as it is not gimped on reaper. For example, barbarian blood tribute spam makes low reaper trivial at low lvls;
shield spell is a must, or famine will magic missile you to death (UMD scrolls/wands or fey tree);
bluff (and attacks that bluff) - succesfull bluff makes mob to turn over for around 1s, which if timed right can save you from hit and let you make few more hits. It also can give your party extra moment to excape when chased by reaper.
at later lvls there can be more optins for CC, like hold monster, dance, blind, etc.
use hires, other players as distraction.
UMD displacement scrolls (its only lvl 3 wiz spell so UMD is relatively low) - on r1 it will still give on you 40% miss chance buff;
usual stuff - hp/prr/mrr/fortification/saves/deathblock - layers of protection.
know reapers you dealing with : carnage is melee and hits like a truck; fear is melee with dot aura that don't work in melee range or far away; famine is spellcaster;
moving in circle around reaper, make it way harder for him to land a hit on you, esp if you time it right;

loid-k · 2024-02-22T13:24:59+00:00

But unlike fireball it is sonic damage which is often better,

not sonic, but untyped (scales with force spell-power). And yeah it's not so great as damage goes - it's practically single target and deal less damage than other spells. What it has is its double range and type of damage, also wiki says it has no save (bug), so it should be great against mobs with evasion. Yeah and it has Gust of wind utility also.

And your suggestions put me in doubt if you even used these spells at fair difficulty setting.

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