Curse

Racthoh · Oct 04, 2007, 05:45 AM // 05:45

A few of my personal builds that have proven successful in either mode and throughout the elite missions.

Single Paragon, Normal Mode:
Aggressive Refrain
Go For The Eyes!
Defensive Anthem/Expel Hexes/Cruel Spear
There's Nothing To Fear!
Anthem of Flame
Wild Throw
Spear of Lightning
Signet of Return

Spear Mastery: 11 + 1
Leadership: 10 + 1 + 1
Command: 10 + 1

Fairly basic, I'll go over the elite choices and when you would want to use them.

Defensive Anthem
Generally you'll want to use Defensive Anthem in situations where your party is more caster oriented. If your team is more heavy on physicals, a lot of the effectiveness of this skill is lost. If you are newer to the paragon profession or just looking for something that will work in just about any area, the 50% block will be much appreciated from the softer targets.

Expel Hexes
Expel I reserve for the Fissure of Woe, Realm of Torment, and the Desolation mostly. Each area carries a number of troublesome hexes for physicals (Faintheartedness, Spiteful, etc.) that can wreck groups if they sit for their full duration. Vocal Minority especially; I hate losing my Aggressive Refrain.

Cruel Spear
Basically in the opposite group as the Defensive Anthem. In a party more physical heavy it never hurts to have multiple deep wounds.

Defensive Anthem Chain, Normal or Hard Mode:
Paragon Two :
Aggressive Refrain
Merciless Spear
Spear of Lightning
Defensive Anthem
Signet of Return
Go For The Eyes/Never Surrender (Areas where you're expecting longer encounters the extra emangement is helpful)
Anthem of Weariness
Anthem of Envy/They're On Fire! (In the presence of a fire ele + not as many physicals)

Spear Mastery: 10 + 2
Leadership: 12 + 1 + 1
Command: 8 + 1

In areas where I run two paragons it's generally because the added passive defense takes a lot of the workload off the monks. Be aware that paragon heroes are completely oblivious to Defensive Anthem; they'll use it even if they're currently affected by it. As a result you have to wait for your hero to use it before you do. Otherwise they'll overlap and much of the uptime is lost, and if you're loading two DA paragons I'm going to assume it's because you need the passive defense to succeed.

This setup I used personally for most of my Legendary Guardian, and whenever I get to bring my paragon hero with me to Urgoz.

I don't need to try mode, three paragons:
Paragon Three:
Aggressive Refrain
Go For The Eyes!
The Power Is Yours!/Song of Purification
Aria of Zeal
Lyric of Zeal
Wild Throw
Spear of Lightning
Signet of Return

Leadership, Spear Mastery, Motivation: 12
Command: Leftovers

My new setup since I got Hayda when I don't feel like doing any work. Casters never run out of energy, your softer targets are protected with the DA chain, the only way you're going to get beat is through a lot of armor ignoring damage. Generally we'll have the monks use Signet of Rejuvenation or Devotion to benefit from the +7 energy return from Lyric of Zeal. My typical setup is this + an SS hero or an Earth Shaker warrior.

Note this build is also effective if you're the only paragon and you want to play the Motivation role, however be aware that if you decide to carry There's Nothing To Fear! you will need to manage your energy with The Power Is Yours!.

Urgoz, The Deep, and DoA:
Aggressive Refrain
Save Yourselves! (At least 4 seconds)
Focussed Anger
There's Nothing To Fear!
For Great Justice!
Vicious Attack
Spear of Lightning
Signet of Return

Spear Mastery: 10 + 1 + 1
Leadership: 11 + 1
Command: 10 + 1

For Save Yourselves! to truly be effective, it has to be your only adrenaline skill, especially if you don't have a high enough rank in the faction titles. The number one priority of this build is to maintain the +100 AL with as little downtime as possible, which means all of your adrenaline will go towards this skill and you're going to maintain a constant double adrenaline gain rate. Simply put, if you're putting Save Yourselves! on your bar it's because you're expecting to receive a lot of hard hits. But that doesn't mean you can't also support the party with damage of your own, SY! will provide a lot of energy so you might as well put it to use.

If you choose to, you could use Spear of Fury. I personally don't like the aftercast delay and the additional adrenaline gain is not necessary for SY!.

In the times I've done Urgoz with this build, I've only run it when I cannot take my DA partner and we have a human warrior capable of managing Save Yourselves! (read, Dragon Slash warrior).

When it comes to DoA, I will play this paragon regardless. The amount of damage you will prevent allows for much wider margin of error, and in an elite mission that is always a plus. Should I carry a paragon hero, I will bring the motivation setup. Titan encounters and multiple group aggros can be stressful on your casters if you're enraging too many enemies.

Why run two, even three paragons?
Passive defense is a powerful tool, and if you're playing a primary paragon you are probably already aware of the benefits of using it. You can make mistakes, in some instances enough to handle multiple mobs of enemies with little effort. Party wide defenses, energy support, the armor level of a warrior and comparable damage to one too.

Koning · Oct 04, 2007, 08:21 AM // 08:21

wow nice one racthoh

I guess you can maintain AR with only TNTF in urgoz/deep/doa build? 1 sec margin of error

*goes back to FFF again...

BTW, I like anthem of weariness too instead of AoF, even when I'm the only para. Weakness helps alot against those later in the game physicals, but you can ofcourse also bring a necro with enfeebling blood

Etta · Oct 04, 2007, 08:59 AM // 08:59

Good stuff, Racthoh. I've been using 3 paragons team for sometime since I got Hayda as well. 2 commanders and 1 motivator, it works so well. Passive defense is indeed a thing of beauty, I dont bring warrior in my team anymore.

Ninian_Grace · Oct 04, 2007, 01:35 PM // 13:35

the first build looks insane. I'll have to try this tonight.

Racthoh · Oct 04, 2007, 02:14 PM // 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koning

I guess you can maintain AR with only TNTF in urgoz/deep/doa build? 1 sec margin of error

There have been few instances where I am the only paragon in our groups, but yes if you slip up for a second all you can do is get you energy back up to use Aggressive once it ends again. Generally in Urgoz/Deep I've been in groups with at least two paragons and the SY was on one of the warriors, and in DoA the only area we don't take multiple paragons is gloom. In which case, I just make a hero use one of the chants between fights.

Quote:

BTW, I like anthem of weariness too instead of AoF, even when I'm the only para. Weakness helps alot against those later in the game physicals, but you can ofcourse also bring a necro with enfeebling blood

From playing with an SS hero a lot, especially on hard mode, weakness makes such a huge difference. The anthem works nicely on spread out groups and when we're packing a group heavy on physicals who can trigger it.

Warskull · Oct 07, 2007, 04:16 AM // 04:16

You should expand your elites to include Cautery Signet. It can be useful in some condition heavy areas (specifically against the mandragors in Frostmaw's Burrow.)

Also your command is too high and your spear mastery is too low in your first build.

12+1+1 Spear, 11+1 Leadership, 6+1 command

If you want more command drop a point out of spear and take a major (paragons can get away with majors and sups.)

Darkpower Alchemist · Oct 07, 2007, 05:01 AM // 05:01

IMO, if using GFTE!, it's better to go with command of 10,AoF/ToF!/TnTF!/AR leadership 12 in order to meet minimally efficient breakpoints. With a command of 10 and a mastery of 12, criticals do plenty more damage than one would expect.

My current lvl 20 Paragon specs out like this: Leadership 11+1, Command 7+2+1, Spear Mastery 12

Racthoh has a solid 3 paragon team. Our trip through The Temple of The Damned showed me that.

Koning · Oct 07, 2007, 03:37 PM // 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warskull

Also your command is too high and your spear mastery is too low in your first build.

12+1+1 Spear, 11+1 Leadership, 6+1 command

I think you wanna meet the req's of your shield, which is 9 command generally.

I play with 11+1+1 spear, 11+1 leadership and 8+1 command.

And maybe if you don't have cruel spear in the first build equipped, you might want vicious attack for one of the spear attacks. Personally I never take wild throw (although handy in areas where enemies have block stances, raptors especially in GWEN) and take vicious for it when I don't have cruel.

Racthoh · Oct 07, 2007, 07:21 PM // 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warskull

You should expand your elites to include Cautery Signet. It can be useful in some condition heavy areas (specifically against the mandragors in Frostmaw's Burrow.)

Generally when I head into condition heavy areas, I'll play the motivation role myself with Song of Purification if I can't bring the hero. If you're frontloaded with conditions Cautery does get the job done better for sure. Areas like Shards of Orr for example, I prefer Song to rip blind from my physicals as it is applied quite frequently.

Personally taking out the Dreamroots and Mhenlo's LoD is enough to keep the Mandragor's from causing troubles.

Quote:

Also your command is too high and your spear mastery is too low in your first build.

I like the extra 8 AL, but I suppose I can drop it for more damage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koning

And maybe if you don't have cruel spear in the first build equipped, you might want vicious attack for one of the spear attacks. Personally I never take wild throw (although handy in areas where enemies have block stances, raptors especially in GWEN) and take vicious for it when I don't have cruel.

I think the only reason I don't have it now is that I worry about energy sometimes since the rest of my bar is energy skills. With TNTF on a 20 recharge now, there probably isn't a reason why I couldn't take Vicious Attack over Wild Throw.

Raptor's Critical Defense is an enchantment, if that is what you're referring to by the way.

Koning · Oct 08, 2007, 01:05 PM // 13:05

You're right

. I never play assasin so wasn't sure.

Warskull · Oct 12, 2007, 03:27 AM // 03:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racthoh

Generally when I head into condition heavy areas, I'll play the motivation role myself with Song of Purification if I can't bring the hero. If you're frontloaded with conditions Cautery does get the job done better for sure. Areas like Shards of Orr for example, I prefer Song to rip blind from my physicals as it is applied quite frequently.

Personally taking out the Dreamroots and Mhenlo's LoD is enough to keep the Mandragor's from causing troubles.

There is nothing that can keep up with Bsurge spamming monsters. Cautery signet does a lot to make your life less miserable vs poison/disease/bleeding spam (especially with AI monks.) As such I find a cautery signet para to be rather useful on the 4th floor of Frostmaw's.

Quote:

I like the extra 8 AL, but I suppose I can drop it for more damage.

I'll tell you what I tell all the other paras. You have 80 freaking armor already, you are already one of the hardest to kill SOBs on the team. You don't need the armor, go crazy put some spears in the other guy. I tend to run the following split on my def anthems. You nail the sweet break points and push your offense as high as you can. GFTE doesn't need a very high spec to be nasty either.

12+1+1 (sometimes +2) Spear
11+1 Leadership
6+1 Command

zwei2stein · Oct 12, 2007, 08:42 AM // 08:42

wow, i used that first build (cruel spear wariant and w res in slot 8) pretty much forever. glad to have it confirmed to be "good".

You should mention important feature of SS necro: Barbs and Mark of Pain. Nothing can withstanding it when you add this to physical offence.

Jetdoc · Oct 12, 2007, 07:23 PM // 19:23

Ouch...and with one update, Aggressive Refrain build in this thread is severly damaged.

Koning · Oct 12, 2007, 07:36 PM // 19:36

AR update sucks.

I'm also concerded about the energy management, GFTE and also watch yourself got changed. 4 seconds recharge, + and additional 4 adrenaline to build up. Save yourselves is charged before this new gfte or wy is charged now. Hell even anthem of fury.
Still not sure what to think of it (ofcourse it sucks in the first place), have to play more tomorrow.

wilebill · Oct 12, 2007, 08:05 PM // 20:05

Yup, been tested; cracked armor is indeed reapplied whenever a shout or chant ends on the Paragon, because AR is reapplied whenever that happens.

Better pull out the AR. GfTE ... I think the 4 second recharge means a 4 second effective blackout before it begins recharging up to its 4 strikes of adrenaline. Not sure from my brief test. Anyone else tried it since the update?

Peter Panic · Oct 16, 2007, 03:24 PM // 15:24

i tried the first build out, and it works great, but its a lil heavy on the energy management. I use a zealous spear and i still find myself out of energy after using 2 of the basic skills. ne suggestions?

Keithark · Oct 16, 2007, 04:05 PM // 16:05

You will pretty much need 2 paragons with the update both with a cheap quick ending shot so ar stays up GFtE anthem of flame, etc. I need to get my gon to EOTN and get the other hero so I can run 3 and try some things out with that..would like to try zergway in DoA..but doubt the rergen would be good enough..want to try though. Problem is to do that would need another real live paragon ai like to infuse when at 1/2 health and such

Arkantos · Oct 19, 2007, 08:23 PM // 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Panic

i tried the first build out, and it works great, but its a lil heavy on the energy management. I use a zealous spear and i still find myself out of energy after using 2 of the basic skills. ne suggestions?

Use Agressive Refrain before a battle. Keep using Anthem of Flame on recharge to keep it up and to get some energy gain. If you have to fight before you have full energy, try spamming the Go for the Eyes and AoF to keep up the energy. You shouldn't need a zealous spear.

Darkpower Alchemist · Oct 21, 2007, 01:56 AM // 01:56

Drop the zealous spear and go for furious. Furious is the best spear type for most adrenaline based paragon builds. AR'snerf is a heartbreaker, but not a gamebreaker.

Biofobico · Sep 14, 2008, 09:51 PM // 21:51

Sorry the stupid question but what's this skill?

Quote:

Expel Hexes
Expel I reserve for the Fissure of Woe, Realm of Torment, and the Desolation mostly. Each area carries a number of troublesome hexes for physicals (Faintheartedness, Spiteful, etc.) that can wreck groups if they sit for their full duration. Vocal Minority especially; I hate losing my Aggressive Refrain.

Thanks.