Howdy All! I've been on a 6 year hiatus and came back to a WAR, please critique my current skills. I don't know if Brawling is really necessary anymore with THW? I'm in Full Plate, and I want to open ambush and hit critters consistently with it, also I'm new to all these stance CMANs any help would be very appreciated, and I don't know where I was really going with my CMANs they were new at the time for me. I don't have to RP with them, I just want to hunt, and hunt well! Thanks!
XXXXXX (at level 53), your current skill bonuses and ranks (including all modifiers) are:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 241 141
Combat Maneuvers...................| 210 110
Two-Handed Weapons.................| 210 110
Brawling...........................| 210 110
Multi Opponent Combat..............| 120 30
Physical Fitness...................| 210 110
Dodging............................| 198 98
Arcane Symbols.....................| 90 20
Magic Item Use.....................| 90 20
Survival...........................| 50 10
Perception.........................| 90 20
Climbing...........................| 120 30
Swimming...........................| 96 22
First Aid..........................| 90 20
Training Points: 0 Phy 150 Mnt (564 Mnt converted to Phy)
(Use SKILLS BASE to display unmodified ranks and goals)
Skill name Mnemonic Ranks
Specialization I wspec1 3
Weapon Bonding bonding 5
Combat Mobility mobility 1
Truehand truehand 2
Surge of Strength surge 5
Parry Mastery pmastery 3
RAZORS7
DVDMORSE
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 02:27 AM CST
Generally speaking, your training looks ok to me. No, brawling is in no way necessary. But is your warrior in a society? I assume not CoL because I do not see any harness power training, and I think you left before GoS started. Is he in Voln? If so, the brawling is very useful against the undead. I also tend to like having more perception personally, but you seem to have the main things covered. The only thing I might suggest is taking the armor use down to 2X to raise perception and maybe dodging up to 2X, and then build the armor back up when you have extra points.
For CMans, I think five ranks of surge is a waste. Just keep one rank for that little boost once in a while, and there are other, more useful Cmans for the rest. Does your warrior have guild skills, and if so which ones? I find feint really useful, so if you do not have it through the guild you may want it as a Cman.
For the sake of comparison, if it is useful, here is my polearm warrior. He;s a little higher level at 68, but the comparison still might work. He's uphunting Fire Mages on Teras with no problem, so he is doing very well:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 246 146
Combat Maneuvers...................| 238 138
Polearm Weapons....................| 240 140
Brawling...........................| 240 140
Multi Opponent Combat..............| 105 25
Physical Fitness...................| 238 138
Dodging............................| 240 140
Arcane Symbols.....................| 140 40
Magic Item Use.....................| 138 39
Survival...........................| 170 70
Perception.........................| 169 69
Climbing...........................| 130 35
Swimming...........................| 128 34
First Aid..........................| 170 70
Cmans:
Skill name Mnemonic Ranks
Charge charge 4
Specialization I wspec1 3
Weapon Bonding bonding 5
Combat Mobility mobility 2
Trip trip 5
Punch Mastery punchmastery 2
Griffin's Voice griffin 3
Obviously you do not want trip or charge because they are for polearms. He also has all guild skills mastered except for batter, so that helps as well.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
For CMans, I think five ranks of surge is a waste. Just keep one rank for that little boost once in a while, and there are other, more useful Cmans for the rest. Does your warrior have guild skills, and if so which ones? I find feint really useful, so if you do not have it through the guild you may want it as a Cman.
For the sake of comparison, if it is useful, here is my polearm warrior. He;s a little higher level at 68, but the comparison still might work. He's uphunting Fire Mages on Teras with no problem, so he is doing very well:
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 246 146
Combat Maneuvers...................| 238 138
Polearm Weapons....................| 240 140
Brawling...........................| 240 140
Multi Opponent Combat..............| 105 25
Physical Fitness...................| 238 138
Dodging............................| 240 140
Arcane Symbols.....................| 140 40
Magic Item Use.....................| 138 39
Survival...........................| 170 70
Perception.........................| 169 69
Climbing...........................| 130 35
Swimming...........................| 128 34
First Aid..........................| 170 70
Cmans:
Skill name Mnemonic Ranks
Charge charge 4
Specialization I wspec1 3
Weapon Bonding bonding 5
Combat Mobility mobility 2
Trip trip 5
Punch Mastery punchmastery 2
Griffin's Voice griffin 3
Obviously you do not want trip or charge because they are for polearms. He also has all guild skills mastered except for batter, so that helps as well.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
RATHBONER
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 05:46 AM CST
Have a look through the stances on the wiki. If in Voln, being able to warcry undead at cap is huge (Griffin) but it doesn't matter a lot at your level. I think at your level its more a case of working out which stance you want, rather than dropping something to get it fully trained right now, but certainly worth experimenting to see if one fits your style.
Having brawl is a nice variation, but its not like fu for undead. I reckoned it was 50:50 whether undead were better taken with fu or weapon, but its 99% weapon now. (and I use a shield, its probably 99.9% for THW users) Its great if you want to help someone else but it just doesn't cut it as an efficient solo technique any more. My main use for brawl now is setup for coup (much better odds of stunning without killing and having the time to coup before the stun wears off) and the 1% where its efficient are the occasional extreme DS critters that I can't hit at all with a weapon.
For open ambush, you'll probably want to train some ambush. About 23 ranks at cap is reckoned to be the maximum benefit, but its higher training at lower level (benefit probably caps at CMan skill+ ambush skill = 400). If you are getting satisfactory results, there's no need to train it, but if you think you ought to be better, train some ambush.
30 ranks MOC is all I had at your level, but its more valuable now. Look for opportunities to push to the next threshold(s) for extra swing(s) as you level. (35 and 60 unfocussed, 55 and 90 focussed)
You might want to take your armor ranks to 150 to get 5 ranks support, but otherwise stick at 140, at least till you are back to 2x.
If you haven't got feint (via tricks) and berserk from the guild, they are major holes in your skills, but if you have got a reasonable amount of guild training done, you have a solid setup already.
Having brawl is a nice variation, but its not like fu for undead. I reckoned it was 50:50 whether undead were better taken with fu or weapon, but its 99% weapon now. (and I use a shield, its probably 99.9% for THW users) Its great if you want to help someone else but it just doesn't cut it as an efficient solo technique any more. My main use for brawl now is setup for coup (much better odds of stunning without killing and having the time to coup before the stun wears off) and the 1% where its efficient are the occasional extreme DS critters that I can't hit at all with a weapon.
For open ambush, you'll probably want to train some ambush. About 23 ranks at cap is reckoned to be the maximum benefit, but its higher training at lower level (benefit probably caps at CMan skill+ ambush skill = 400). If you are getting satisfactory results, there's no need to train it, but if you think you ought to be better, train some ambush.
30 ranks MOC is all I had at your level, but its more valuable now. Look for opportunities to push to the next threshold(s) for extra swing(s) as you level. (35 and 60 unfocussed, 55 and 90 focussed)
You might want to take your armor ranks to 150 to get 5 ranks support, but otherwise stick at 140, at least till you are back to 2x.
If you haven't got feint (via tricks) and berserk from the guild, they are major holes in your skills, but if you have got a reasonable amount of guild training done, you have a solid setup already.
OM1E5GA
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 09:05 AM CST
I'll take a closer look this evening to see if I have anything else to add to what the others already said. I did want to note, though, that the brawling will help prevent your defenses from dropping too far in the event you get disarmed.
Starchitin
A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.
Starchitin
A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.
RATHBONER
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 09:36 AM CST
>I'll take a closer look this evening to see if I have anything else to add to what the others already said. I did want to note, though, that the brawling will help prevent your defenses from dropping too far in the event you get disarmed.
Plate, redux, bonding. 25 offensive stance DS for that training isn't making much difference, but if it is important to you, add 1 rank of TWC. (TWC adds defense for open handed brawl, per rank its trivial but just 1 rank to activate the baseline is worth it if you are relying on empty handed brawl for DS)
Plate, redux, bonding. 25 offensive stance DS for that training isn't making much difference, but if it is important to you, add 1 rank of TWC. (TWC adds defense for open handed brawl, per rank its trivial but just 1 rank to activate the baseline is worth it if you are relying on empty handed brawl for DS)
DVDMORSE
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 08:40 PM CST
>Having brawl is a nice variation, but its not like fu for undead. I reckoned it was 50:50 whether undead were better taken with fu or weapon, but its 99% weapon now.--Rathboner
I disagree, Rath. Well, I agree it's not as effective as Fu was. But it has definite uses. One of the best features is that the fastest you are going to swing a two-handed weapon is five seconds, whereas UAC can be done in two or three. If you happen to be in a place where you need to stance dance, that can be very useful. I had a good time in soul golems taking a swing with my lance, a punch, and then stancing up--two attacks, whereas no way was I going to get in two swings the the lance. No, I generally do not use it in place of a weapon, but it is still useful, especially to someone with an open hand due to a polearm or two-hander.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
I disagree, Rath. Well, I agree it's not as effective as Fu was. But it has definite uses. One of the best features is that the fastest you are going to swing a two-handed weapon is five seconds, whereas UAC can be done in two or three. If you happen to be in a place where you need to stance dance, that can be very useful. I had a good time in soul golems taking a swing with my lance, a punch, and then stancing up--two attacks, whereas no way was I going to get in two swings the the lance. No, I generally do not use it in place of a weapon, but it is still useful, especially to someone with an open hand due to a polearm or two-hander.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
PFLATS
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 09:30 PM CST
Voln UAC is still great for:
>SMITE TARGET
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
>SMITE TARGET
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
MAZEIKISJ
Re: THW Help
01/24/2017 11:23 PM CST
>SMITE TARGET
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
That's how I roll.
-james, bristenn's player
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
That's how I roll.
-james, bristenn's player
| You think to yourself, "FFF-" |
| A giant white bunny hurls a powerful lightning bolt at you! |
| You evade the bolt by a hair! |
RATHBONER
Re: THW Help
01/25/2017 08:25 AM CST
>SMITE TARGET
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
I don't like the low rate of success, both for killing in the first place, and looting when the kill does work, with this tactic. I'll smite for someone else but it doesn't work solo (at least with weaponry, with punch head and quickstrike smite I can do this with a monk)
>If you happen to be in a place where you need to stance dance, that can be very useful. I had a good time in soul golems taking a swing with my lance, a punch, and then stancing up--two attacks, whereas no way was I going to get in two swings the the lance.
I hardly ever stance dance since I discovered bellow (hat tip to Sasathi for that one). Once the critter is stanced and in RT, I'm in offensive and staying there. Soul golems I used feint for the purpose (you might well get 6 lance swings in between soul golem actions if you punctuated swings with feints), critters that can't be feinted, I use bellow to put in RT. I'd give a mino one shot to get it to stance itself, bellow and then finish it off. The exception is some top level variants on grizzled critters, which I find can be too high level to put into significant RT, where I do sometimes find UAC stance dancing useful due to the faster attack speed. I can fit dancing a 3/4s punch inside a 6s action time critter, but not a 5/6s swing.
>AMBUSH TARGET HEAD
I don't like the low rate of success, both for killing in the first place, and looting when the kill does work, with this tactic. I'll smite for someone else but it doesn't work solo (at least with weaponry, with punch head and quickstrike smite I can do this with a monk)
>If you happen to be in a place where you need to stance dance, that can be very useful. I had a good time in soul golems taking a swing with my lance, a punch, and then stancing up--two attacks, whereas no way was I going to get in two swings the the lance.
I hardly ever stance dance since I discovered bellow (hat tip to Sasathi for that one). Once the critter is stanced and in RT, I'm in offensive and staying there. Soul golems I used feint for the purpose (you might well get 6 lance swings in between soul golem actions if you punctuated swings with feints), critters that can't be feinted, I use bellow to put in RT. I'd give a mino one shot to get it to stance itself, bellow and then finish it off. The exception is some top level variants on grizzled critters, which I find can be too high level to put into significant RT, where I do sometimes find UAC stance dancing useful due to the faster attack speed. I can fit dancing a 3/4s punch inside a 6s action time critter, but not a 5/6s swing.
DVDMORSE
Re: THW Help
01/25/2017 01:56 PM CST
>>I hardly ever stance dance since I discovered bellow (hat tip to Sasathi for that one). Once the critter is stanced and in RT, I'm in offensive and staying there.
No, I do not stance dance a lot either. Right now my polearm warrior is hunting fire mages, and stance-dancing would make for a very short and unhappy hunt. :) But it does still have uses in some situations, and thus I do still find brawling useful. As I noted in my first post, it is by no means essential, but all of my warriors still have it because it can come in handy sometimes.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
No, I do not stance dance a lot either. Right now my polearm warrior is hunting fire mages, and stance-dancing would make for a very short and unhappy hunt. :) But it does still have uses in some situations, and thus I do still find brawling useful. As I noted in my first post, it is by no means essential, but all of my warriors still have it because it can come in handy sometimes.
--David
"At a moment like this, I can't help but wonder, 'What would Jimmy Buffett do?'"
PFLATS
Re: THW Help
01/25/2017 04:17 PM CST
>I don't like the low rate of success, both for killing in the first place, and looting when the kill does work, with this tactic. I'll smite for someone else but it doesn't work solo (at least with weaponry, with punch head and quickstrike smite I can do this with a monk)
It works wonders for me with a maul, although I don't usually stress about the looting. If I am trying to get loot, I'll wait for the critter action, bellow or feint, smite, ambush.
I dunno what to tell you; between this and your issues with Carn's Cry in the other thread, we clearly have very different experiences playing warriors.
It works wonders for me with a maul, although I don't usually stress about the looting. If I am trying to get loot, I'll wait for the critter action, bellow or feint, smite, ambush.
I dunno what to tell you; between this and your issues with Carn's Cry in the other thread, we clearly have very different experiences playing warriors.
