DrK skill build question

[dpeterlin]

Hey guys,

Just for a little background, I'm a lvl140 Hybrid Drk with max beholder, zerk, stance 20 and 1 in rush.

I'm pretty sure I have my mind made up already, but I'd like to toss this out there to see if anyone sees any flaws in it that I'm just missing.

There are 3 optons I have been debating on. Finish off Stance, get MW to 20, or max Rush. I'm leaning towards maxing out Rush.

I've been mostly training at Skeles and MW20 won't change my killrate. I rarely Bf just because finding them is such a pain so that's not really factored into this decision.

Getting stance maxed would be an improvement but I can't help but feel like the last 10 points would mostly go unnoticed. Especially considering the majority of my bossing is done on another character.

Leaves me with Rush, which tbh I've been looking forward to maxing, which is why I think I'm neglecting something in order to rationalize maxing it. Improved range should move me around the map faster, meaning faster killing, meaning more exp, something none of the other options offer.

Thoughts? Opinons?

[Dual]

MasPan agrees with you. Rush on a DrK with Zerk equals NIIIIIIIIIIIICE.

[KhainiWest]

Finish off stance because it goes from 10% to 5% of the time. It makes skelegoning easier so when you get hit by a beam, which you will in some cases you arent forced to walk back over and get hit again. I wouldn't worry about maple warrior until stance/rush is maxed.

[ImagineAll]

Personally I'd say max stance. As stated above, it could very well be the difference between taking one hit or two. MW really isn't necessary considering everyone and their uncle has it; any time you'll need it during bossing at least one person will have it. Rush -I'd say it's a viable option. Personally I wish I'd maxed it rather than putting points into Aura. However, you're still forgetting Achilles. Undoubtedly one of the most under rated skills in the game. It is a highly helpful skill while bossing and makes for a great pot saver while training.

TL;DR? Finish off stance, max Achilles, and then max rush.

[Kitteh]

MW really isn't necessary considering everyone and their uncle has it

The problem with that line of thinking is that if everyone thinks that someone else will have it, no one ends up having it. A free-rider problem, if you will :goggle: Besides, if you train solo often like I do, you can't rely on other people for MW. Having MW9 only can be a pain.

I personally got Stance to 25, maxed out Aura, then raised Rush and Achilles a few times. You don't need to max out Rush to get the most benefits, as 100% range Rush is still very useful, though you can have the extra 20% range if you wish.

I've noticed Aura gets in the way of potting at times, making it harder to prevent overpotting. It has, however, saved my ass a few times and if you're good at dodging attacks, brings your pot usage down to near nothing.

A word of warning for Achilles: you might not find as much benefit as you might expect to. For skele training, it will bring down blasts only by about 500 damage (3400x.85=2890), and by 700 at Chief Oblivion Guards, so a bulk of the damage will still be there. In the end, you might still be using a similar amount of pots.

[ImagineAll]

Aura is most effective when you have high HP. It can be a pain otherwise. Achilles is obviously most effective at bosses such as HT where the damage reduction is more significant. Also when you can take 2-3 hits (as a washed DrK) before having to pot because of Achilles you're essentially saving yourself one pot every few hits.

The classes I typically train with tend to be mages, so MW is a skill of more importance for them and most have it maxed early on. Part of partying is benefiting from the skills your partner has.

The only skill that will significantly help you while training is rush. Achilles, Stance, and even MW are more for bossing. I still stand-by what I said before. Stance>Achilles>Rush.

[KhainiWest]

Aura is most effective when you have high HP. It can be a pain otherwise. Achilles is obviously most effective at bosses such as HT where the damage reduction is more significant. Also when you can take 2-3 hits (as a washed DrK) before having to pot because of Achilles you're essentially saving yourself one pot every few hits.

The classes I typically train with tend to be mages, so MW is a skill of more importance for them and most have it maxed early on. Part of partying is benefiting from the skills your partner has.

The only skill that will significantly help you while training is rush. Achilles, Stance, and even MW are more for bossing. I still stand-by what I said before. Stance>Achilles>Rush.

I never thought of maxing achilles first, wouldnt rush be better for bosses such as big foot as well, what's a good 'stopping' point for rush?

Personally I'm getting 10 MW because my wife needs it to wield her timeless bow without adding more strength. So I'm getting 10 mw and then was going to max rush, you think I should max achilles or stop rush at 10/11? Either way I have 6 rush and 7 mw. Best approach?

[ImagineAll]

I never thought of maxing achilles first, wouldnt rush be better for bosses such as big foot as well, what's a good 'stopping' point for rush?

Personally I'm getting 10 MW because my wife needs it to wield her timeless bow without adding more strength. So I'm getting 10 mw and then was going to max rush, you think I should max achilles or stop rush at 10/11? Either way I have 6 rush and 7 mw. Best approach?The importance of rush at bosses such as BF is solely to keep it pinned in the corner. Provided you're doing it right even level one should be sufficient.

Achilles made a big difference for me at BF and being able to cross HT tail without dying. Pot cost was just one of those added bonuses.

Rush gains range in incriments of four SP. Personally I feel level 16 does the trick if you want to get a big increase but don't feel like maximg it yet.

In your case I'd suggest getting your MW to 9/10 and then boost your rush up to 8. If you don't feel that's enough bump it up to 12 and then begin maximg Achilles.

As you can see others have a difference of opinion than I do. When it all comes down to it's what's more preferable and practical for you individually. I made my decisions on skill builds based on some advice from friends (Syc0phant mostly. Great mentor and friend) and experimenting with the different skills.

[Kitteh]

How much hp do you have, Imagine? Just wondering, because with or without Achilles most DrKs wouldn't have enough hp to pass through the tail, or tank a zerked BF hit, so it's a moot point to mention it. And I'm sure when you BF, you're not doing it with a mage standing right beside you to give MW.

My point is that what build to take can all be situational, and on how much hp you've added, who you train with, etc. In most cases, though, higher Rush and MW would give far more benefit than maxed Achilles for training, regardless of build.

BTW, lvl14 is the 100% mark for Rush.

[ImagineAll]

How much hp do you have, Imagine? Just wondering, because with or without Achilles most DrKs wouldn't have enough hp to pass through the tail, or tank a zerked BF hit, so it's a moot point to mention it. And I'm sure when you BF, you're not doing it with a mage standing right beside you to give MW.

My point is that what build to take can all be situational, and on how much hp you've added, who you train with, etc. In most cases, though, higher Rush would give far more benefit than maxed Achilles for training, regardless of build.A little under 28k. And I brought it up as it was relative to me. Hence why I stated that it all comes down to personal preference. Also when you're at HT and zerking the legs, good luck doing that without Achilles, or BFing and being capable of taking a touch hit without dying. Even HP washed as extensively as I am needed Achilles.

And for the record: I do keep my bishop with me whenever I solo bosses.

Also taking into consideration the size of the platforms of skeles, rush isn't as big of a deal as it's made out to be. Level 12-20 is as good as maxed there. Guardians are a bit of a different story, but whatever.

Like I said though, this is just my opinion. You're not limited to, or expected to do the same as I am. *shrug*

[Kitteh]

Well, if we're talking personal experience, I haven't managed to train with a Bishop for the last few months, meaning a majority of my 15x was basically solo training, mostly at Chief Oblivion Guards. In my case, a lack of MW19 was a big hindrance, especially for 2hitting whatever I was training on, and higher Rush let me gather more mobs and raised my chances of 2hitting at the same time.

In any case, it's cool that you got that much hp. I'm almost kicking myself for not having done so earlier when it was easier to wash, but whatever. ~19k hp is good enough for just about everything except the obvious places, and that's okay. Just saying that extensively HP washed characters are much more rare than unwashed, so it's more practical to mention builds that are more useful for the latter.

[dpeterlin]

Well, if we're talking personal experience, I haven't managed to train with a Bishop for the last few months, meaning a majority of my 15x was basically solo training, mostly at Chief Oblivion Guards. In my case, a lack of MW19 was a big hindrance, especially for 2hitting whatever I was training on, and higher Rush let me gather more mobs and raised my chances of 2hitting at the same time.

This is mostly what I'm thinking about. I play some weird hours so the majority of the time I will be training solo. While weighing that in I've still got some time before MW pushes me to 2 hits on COGs or even 1 hits on skeles. So I think just skipping it for a while won't hinder my training too much.

Honestly Achilles hasn't been a real thought for me. I am washed (a lvl away from 27k) so my pot usage, atlast at skeles, is ridiculously low. I can tank a hit from BF while staying zerked so no need for Achilles there either. I realize I will be switching to COGs at some point soon if I'm gonna continue training solo, but for now I think I'm content w/o it.

I'm looking more for increased experience gains rather than saving myself some money. You can buy more pots, you can't buy more exp. Atleast that's my current philosophy. I think someone mentioned it earlier. Builds mostly depend on your situation.

Shoot, late for work...I'll finish up later

L >MasPan :P

[Dual]

Having higher level Rush allows you to actually deal significant damage to a mob as you group them together, thus raising the chances that you will kill in a smaller number of hits. It also increases movement speed tremendously when you have monsters to rush to. I believe Bread said that max rush allows him to even hit monsters that are barely on his screen.

You don't need Achilles since you're washed, and Adding more to Stance isn't as helpful due to the availability of BF and other bosses when compared to places like skeles or Oblivion 4. Rush will allow you to build mobs faster as well as kill them in fewer hits most of the time. Get it maxed.

[Kalovale]

High level Rush = better chance of 2hitting/1hitting. (Rush's duration is neglected since you'll be rushing mobs either way)

[Kitteh]

A thing to keep in mind about Rush is that even though it looks like a stab, it's really following the slash/stab ratio, meaning that you're gonna be hitting the min of your range more often than your max. Be ready for inconsistency :goggle: