GoS build

[eeky]

I'm lvl 39 and tried a pure build thats not working to well and am wondering on another build that will work real well in camps. I also haven't played a bard forever..
Stats: Normal (Bonus) ... Enhanced (Bonus)
Strength (STR): 86 (18) ... 86 (18)
Constitution (CON): 50 (0) ... 47 (-1)
Dexterity (DEX): 71 (15) ... 71 (15)
Agility (AGL): 82 (26) ... 82 (26)
Discipline (DIS): 88 (14) ... 88 (14)
Aura (AUR): 100 (25) ... 100 (25)
Logic (LOG): 94 (22) ... 94 (22)
Intuition (INT): 86 (18) ... 86 (18)
Wisdom (WIS): 66 (8) ... 66 (8)
Influence (INF): 81 (20) ... 81 (20)

current build is
Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 138 39
Shield Use.........................| 141 41
Brawling...........................| 180 80
Physical Fitness...................| 117 29
Dodging............................| 62 13
Harness Power......................| 152 52
Elemental Mana Control.............| 96 22
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 124 32
Mental Lore - Telepathy............| 10 2
Climbing...........................| 70 15
Swimming...........................| 20 4
Trading............................| 178 78

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 19

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 35
Thanks

[Stretch]

Drop the shield use.

Drop the dodging.

Get 425.

Win.

[eeky]

Won't I need a shield for more defense in camps?

[phantasm]

THE MAN SAID DROP THE FUCKING SHIELD USE.

I think using the shield and having shield use are two seperate issues, you can still have the shield, but just drop the shield use, k?

[eeky]

I don't want to fix skill into something thats not going to work for me in camps thats why I'm trying to be sure so I don't end up waiting a year to play this charcter. As it is it's not working for me out of camps so I'd rather not blow a fixskills

[phantasm]

Well using a 6x shield would give you about 80 DS in guarded, if you dropped the shield use, you would still get about 50 DS.

[Lumi]

I'd actually go the other way - drop brawling to 1x and jack shield use up to 2x.

Drop Harness Power down to your level. You have better ways of getting mana. Speaking of which...

Drop your 22 ranks of EMC and pick up 24 ranks of MMC. 1013 + blue/crystal wands == win.

2 ranks of Telepathy Lore...whyyyyyy? Drop those two and get yourself up to 1x Manipulation. At your level, you're only 4 ranks shy of max effect for 1030 with a 1-handed instrument...which you can hold in your right hand while holding a shield in the left.

2x Trading? At level 39? Really? I can only assume that's an RP decision. Drop your 78 ranks of Trading and that gives you enough TPs to pick up the extra MinE 6 spell ranks you need for 425 (which points to spare), which is a Really Big Deal. You're in a crappy no-man's land for CS right now, you're over level 25 but don't have 425 yet. Get eeeeet!

Alternatively, you could drop 5 bard ranks and still have 1030, and use that to get you to 425.

I'm not sure how many TPs you'd have left over to work with if you did all of the above, but I'd work on Air Lore as well. Get yourself a nice tower shield with only medium shield penalties.

Edit: I'd seriously consider dropping the Trading ranks AND dropping down to 30 ranks of bard spells, and going all the way up to 430. The extra DS will definitely help in the warcamps.

If you're not using small statues, 102, 103, or 202, I highly recommend getting as many of them as you can in imbed or scroll form.

[RichardCranium]

http://www.forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?t=35543

[eeky]

http://www.forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?t=35543

Couple more questions.. Like lumi said is there any reason to 2x brawl over 1x? I'll be going GoS so I won't be using voln fu. Hopefully I won't be going out of guarded. Another thing is like Lumi said is mastering a 1h instrument and using a shield (with or without training for it) or would holding an instrument in my right hand negate any defense I'd get from brawl?

[Lumi]

Couple more questions.. Like lumi said is there any reason to 2x brawl over 1x? I'll be going GoS so I won't be using voln fu. Hopefully I won't be going out of guarded. Another thing is like Lumi said is mastering a 1h instrument and using a shield (with or without training for it) or would holding an instrument in my right hand negate any defense I'd get from brawl?

The advantage to 2x brawl over 1x brawl is more parry DS when in guarded stance. However...

Holding anything that isn't a brawling weapon in your right hand negates all brawling skill.

If you followed my suggestion, you'd be getting all your DS from shield use skill, as opposed to getting all your DS from brawling skill.

I'm pretty sure you get more DS from 2x shield use with a big shield in your left hand than you get from 2x brawling (assuming guarded stance in both cases...the more offensive your stance, the more it shifts in favor of the shield).

If you get just 20 ranks of Air lore, you can use 1009 as a large shield with only medium shield penalties. At 50 ranks, you get another phantom size reduction.

I was 2x brawl/1x shield until I capped, for two reasons. First, I used Fu quite a bit, for fun. Second, I just never considered that for the exact same TP investment, I could 2x Shield and 1x Brawl, and see a pretty significant DS gain (when I made he switch, I saw about an 80 DS jump in guarded, as I recall, and it definitely bumped up my offensive stance DS, which becomes more and more important as you level). If I were doing this from scratch, I'd definitely be going 2x shield/1x brawl.

[eeky]

I'm short on points. Would 1x shield and brawl work for now or just go 2x brawl until I have the points?

[Lumi]

I'm short on points. Would 1x shield and brawl work for now or just go 2x brawl until I have the points?

Eh, both of those options make me twitchy, personally. If you ever get caught out of guarded stance, or if you get knocked down even in guarded, I think you'd be in trouble if you had nothing but 2x brawling or 1x shield going for you.

What's the rest of your revised plan look like that you can't fit 2x/1x in?

[eeky]

Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 138 39
Brawling...........................| 178 78
Physical Fitness...................| 138 39
Harness Power......................| 136 38
Mental Mana Control................| 102 24
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 136 38
Mental Lore - Telepathy............| 10 2
Climbing...........................| 90 20

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 30

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 39

I was just waiting to decide what to do about shield and brawl. Even with outside spells I get pretty hit easy by grims in guarded. I am also very willing to go physical. I basically want somthing that will work well in camps and to be able to fry quickly when I'm not, well that and not get tore up.

[Lumi]

Skill Name | Current Current
| Bonus Ranks
Armor Use..........................| 138 39
Brawling...........................| 178 78
Physical Fitness...................| 138 39
Harness Power......................| 136 38
Mental Mana Control................| 102 24
Mental Lore - Manipulation.........| 136 38
Mental Lore - Telepathy............| 10 2
Climbing...........................| 90 20

Spell Lists
Minor Elemental....................| 30

Spell Lists
Bard...............................| 39

I was just waiting to decide what to do about shield and brawl. Even with outside spells I get pretty hit easy by grims in guarded. I am also very willing to go physical. I basically want somthing that will work well in camps and to be able to fry quickly when I'm not, well that and not get tore up.

Okay, that definitely helps me evaluate, danke.

Still with the two ranks of Telepathy...? O.o

Out of curiosity, if you drop 9 ranks of bard songs and go down to 1x brawling, does that give you enough TPs to 2x shields? Is there enough left over to get 20 ranks of Air Lore?

[eeky]

Oops missed the telepathy. Yes it does with 110 tp's left over which I could put back in bard spells or raise my armor to 50. I'm assuming I should lose the bard spells?

[Lumi]

Oops missed the telepathy. Yes it does with 110 tp's left over which I could put back in bard spells or raise my armor to 50. I'm assuming I should lose the bard spells?

I would do that, ya. I would then make it a point of getting back up to 1x bard spells ASAP, but I think for right now, you're better off having the 2x shield, 1x brawl, and 50 armor ranks (puts you in AsG 15, which you'll be wearing...for the rest of this char's life :)).

[eeky]

Has anyone tried with no brawling? Since disruption is the main attack your pretty much bringing a 1h instrument out for every attack. I'm thinking camps here with lots of swarms. Would it work or is it a death sentence?

[Lumi]

Has anyone tried with no brawling? Since disruption is the main attack your pretty much bringing a 1h instrument out for every attack. I'm thinking camps here with lots of swarms. Would it work or is it a death sentence?

It's certainly a possibility. You're right, if you spend all your time holding an instrument, then yes, the brawling is doing you no good. You could drop the 1x brawling and try to pick up some Dodging, which would factor in while holding the instrument.

[eeky]

Ok so I've been doing GoS and dying alot and mana is a problem even trying to use blue wands and gems. Actually I do ok unless I get knocked down,webbed or put in offensive. Generally it's all three at once. These are my songs I've been singing.
song of fortitude
song of luck
song of shield
Song of Valor
Sonic Armor
Song of Power
Song of Mirrors
I can't afford armor so I've been using my sonics. Probably gives me more defense anyways. Anyone have any hints? I take down fortitude, luck and shield when resting since recasting them doesn't take alot of mana. I just need to get in and out of camps before anything renews.
Thanks

[Lumi]

Ok so I've been doing GoS and dying alot and mana is a problem even trying to use blue wands and gems. Actually I do ok unless I get knocked down,webbed or put in offensive. Generally it's all three at once. These are my songs I've been singing.
song of fortitude
song of luck
song of shield
Song of Valor
Sonic Armor
Song of Power
Song of Mirrors
I can't afford armor so I've been using my sonics. Probably gives me more defense anyways. Anyone have any hints? I take down fortitude, luck and shield when resting since recasting them doesn't take alot of mana. I just need to get in and out of camps before anything renews.
Thanks

Getting webbed/prone/stanced is how everyone dies in warcamps. You're not doing anything terribly wrong if that's happening to you, except maybe not knowing when to retreat.

I'm guessing you're trying to solo in the warcamp. This makes things harder, for sure.

At level 40, for a pure, using 1014 is probably not worth it, especially if you're having mana issues. You really can't find a set of 4x brig? =(

What's your renewal time look like?

[eeky]

5.50 minutes and I wear aug chain. Just cost to much atm for me to buy. I've been spending it all on orbs... I probably should wait for the room to fill up so much but I'm trying to get enough so I can fry at least then I get out.

[Lumi]

You should not be spending so much on quartz orbs that you can't afford armor :(

A set of 4x augmented chain shouldn't run you much more than 200k. Do you have FWI access?

Edit: There's a set for sale in the landing for 50k right now.

[eeky]

I got some. Does wonders for my mana. THanks