Exciting alternative warrior builds - suggestions wanted

[Garm The Green]

Hi there - thanks for your time, bit of a long post.

I have a "spare" warrior I'd like to "reformat" but I'm having trouble getting excited on a non-sampire build.
I'd really appreciate suggestions from the community that are achievable, effective and fun.

Currently in my roster I already have a Sampire who can do all the stuff Sampires excel at running Swords/Bushi/Tact/Resist/Necro/Parry/Chiv.
I also have a disco-tamer, ABC archer, a mule and a necromage.

> The warrior I am looking to "reformat" is currently built as a secondary Sampire, running Swords/Bushi/Tact/Anat/Necro/Parry/Chiv, all scrolled.

I'd been considering, but have broadly excluded:

• Throwers - but would need to change to Garg and it seems there no point based on this thread, as my ABC seems to do the same job.
• Whammies - I find my Sampire can already do all the stuff a whammy can whilst riding a swampy and not requiring regs (caveats may apply, but seem to be negligeable in my experience)

Stuff still in the mix:

• "Pure" Samurai or Paladin - high chiv/parry/heal (no necro) for content where leeching is less viable or cross heal is required
• Necrowarrior - high SS/Necro for animate dead etc
• Ninja warrior - using clones/forms, though I understand you cant use many desirable abilities whilst in forms - so DPS takes a major hit?
• Macing - the masteries seem cool and I like the idea of "free" hit fatigue even if I already have 120 swords ready trained/scrolled. Not sure what limitations this applies for PVM/PVP.
• Other?

Stuff I like (clearly no single template can excel at all this stuff) but it's an indicator that I want to build 100-120 resist spells in:

• Champ spawns
• High end PVM (solo peerless etc)
• Group utility (cross healing, area control)
• PVP capability/survivability
• Uncramped templates - not trying to fit everything in with 900 skill points and being reliant on short-lifespan legendary antique jewels with +50 skill points at 300-500 mill a pop

Stuff I don't like:

• I'm not interested in building a warrior tamer, or warrior bard as have tried these builds and didn't find them to my taste.
• Being reliant on regs - meaning slots are lost on suits, or regs need to be carried - but this can be achieved if the result is worthwhile
• Clashes between casting/melee DPS - I found that when I ran a whammy build previously I became frustrated by a significant casting rotation and upkeep - casting curse weap, consecrate, lightning strike, evasion/confidence/counterS, corpse etc. My experience was that casting spells/stances either impacted ability to simultaneously spam specials, interrupted swinging (necro spells) and generally requires a reasonable amount of FC/FCR in addition to LRC, again loosing focus of stats.

I really look forward to hearing your favourite off-meta templates and why you love them.
I hope I'm not asking for something which doesn't exist.

Thanks in advance,
Garm.

 

[Felipovisk]

I have experienced the same struggle you are having now. I had a thrower that i wanted to reformat and get more value from it as the same time i wanted to build an archer just like my thrower, so here is what i came up:

1 - i reformated my thrower to be a mystic/thrower/macer. The catch here is mace is in soulstone, so i can swap mace and throwing when i want. The idea behing this template is that i like the mystic/throwing combo as i like the idea of being able to swap throwing for mace and go as the mystic dexxer template that can RC for tanking purposes and use mace fighting with stagger.

2 - I made a Wraith archer with healing, so its what my thrower was.

Now there is warrior templates that i find interesting that could fit your rooster: a pure paladin with 4/6 casting and shield, a mystic macer or a fencer with ninjutsu.

There is lot of ppl that know a lot about those 3 templates. i like the pure paladin more then the dragoon because of stetics.I love to wear that full plate with order shield and build him as a knight. The macer mystic is another interesting one, the goal here is to cast RC to tank for you as you do damage. You will not have parry but you will run in stone form, perfect for xhealing. The paladin will be pretty good in those 'treasures of' events.

 

[Garm The Green]

Sound good, that's kinda where I'm headed to.
Potentially a Wraith Archer with healing (!) and a Pure(ish) Paladin with/without bushido?

I'm not sure on the details, but I think that gives me a:
- Disco tamer for Tamer things and team support (rune corruption+discord)
- Necromage for fun/area control (PVP?)
- Sampire for nearly everything
- Archer for pure DPS (exodus and blackthorn)
- Paladin for niche content/change of pace (dungeon treasures of etc)
- Mule
I'll have to buy the seventh slot for my PVP character.

Let me know how u get on.

 

[Merlin]

Here's some Warrior ideas for ya...

(Note, the values in left column are real skill, any numbers to the right of it are skill points I am getting from items. Skill highlighted in green is the mastery skill being used.)

Mace and Shield Paladin:


Wraith Archer:


Sampire #1:


Stealth Archer:


ABC Thrower:


Mystic Thrower:


Sampire #2:


"Zarpire" :

 

[ultima2005]

I often run non-sampire warrior builds. Here are some of my favorites.

High Skill Paladin

120 Swords, 120 Tactics, 120 Bushido, 120 Chiv, 100 Anatomy, 100 Parry, 100 Resist. I get +10 Resist from Aegis of Grace and the rest of the skills from jewelry. I generally use one weapon: a double axe with 100% LL, 81% ML, 50% SL, 50% HLD, and DI. Great all purpose template.

2/6 Protection Paladin

120 Weapon/Tactics/Anatomy/Bushido/Chiv/Parry. As the name implies, I run 2 FC, 6 FCR, and use protection. If I use maces, I rely a lot on stagger, which works well with protection. If I use swords, I generally will use either the Bushido Mastery or Parry Mastery spell Heighten Sense for 52% Parry.

4/6 Feint Paladin
120 Swords/Tactics/Anatomy/Bushido/Chiv/Parry. With 4/6 FC/FCR, I can use all the Chiv spells very quickly. I use the Swordsmanship Mastery. I obtain the 4/6 with Alchemist's Abomination, a 1/3 ring, and either the Scholar's Halo or Helm of Swiftness (only need a 1/1 ring with Helm of Swiftness). For a weapon, I use elemental Daishos -- these are fast, meaning I only need 15% SSI (which I get from my Cameo and Epaulettes), and they have feint, which is incredibly powerful. Also, Onslaught + Elemental Daisho actually provides pretty high damage.

 

[Garm The Green]

I often run non-sampire warrior builds. Here are some of my favorites.

Please believe me when I say, i have read your, Merlin and LordGod's posts thoroughly more than 10 times each!
They're super helpful.

I think the pain point is a I want both Healing for xheal and less reliance on mana when HLL is not an option (events/BT), i want resist for Fel/quality of life and Bushido/Parry for 300 skill point special move cost reduction.

I can't have it all.

Which is the least worst to lose??!

For me, resist (min.100) is a must.

I'm considering the below based on your templates and leaning towards (1) as (2) is a bit "jack of all trades, master of none".
I could put more skills on 2 through items, but they always come at a cost of losing other stats (LMC/DCI etc etc).
I also hate ressing using Chiv

I would do Merlin/LordGod's shield paladin, but I don't trust i can find the require "uber shield".

Also though i already have 120 swords trained, i am tempted to take macing for a change and it's unique benefits/masteries.

Miyamoto 1	Real	Bonus	Total
Swords	120		120
Bushi	120		120
Tact	120		120
Resist	120		120
Parry	120		120
Chiv	120		120
Anat			0
Heal			0
	720	0	720
Miyamoto 2	Real	Bonus	Total
Swords	120		120
Bushi	120		120
Tact	80	10	90
Resist	100		100
Parry	60		60
Chiv	80		80
Anat	80		80
Heal	80		80
	720	10	730

 

[ultima2005]

Please believe me when I say, i have read your, Merlin and LordGod's posts thoroughly more than 10 times each!
They're super helpful.

I think the pain point is a I want both Healing for xheal and less reliance on mana when HLL is not an option (events/BT), i want resist for Fel/quality of life and Bushido/Parry for 300 skill point special move cost reduction.

I can't have it all.

Which is the least worst to lose??!

For me, resist (min.100) is a must.

I'm considering the below based on your templates and leaning towards (1) as (2) is a bit "jack of all trades, master of none".
I could put more skills on 2 through items, but they always come at a cost of losing other stats (LMC/DCI etc etc).
I also hate ressing using Chiv

I would do Merlin/LordGod's shield paladin, but I don't trust i can find the require "uber shield".

Also though i already have 120 swords trained, i am tempted to take macing for a change and it's unique benefits/masteries.

Miyamoto 1	Real	Bonus	Total
Swords	120		120
Bushi	120		120
Tact	120		120
Resist	120		120
Parry	120		120
Chiv	120		120
Anat			0
Heal			0
	720	0	720
Miyamoto 2	Real	Bonus	Total
Swords	120		120
Bushi	120		120
Tact	80	10	90
Resist	100		100
Parry	60		60
Chiv	80		80
Anat	80		80
Heal	80		80
	720	10	730

I'd build it -- I'm interested to see how this works out for you. I would also try macing to see if you like it -- stagger and healing complement each other well. Stagger also helps balance out low parry. The only downside with macing is losing the Double Axe's whirlwind attack, though you can carry a whip for that.

If I were you, I would build the template you describe, and if you like it, begin the slow process of finding jewels that give you more skill bonuses without deviating from the basic stat necessities. Ideally, it would be perfect if you could find a way to incorporate +60 skills into the suit for 120 Weapon, 120 Bushido, 100 Tactics, 100 Resist, 100 Heal, 100 Anatomy, 80 Chiv, 60 Parry (780 total). This is difficult, though not impossible. For instance, my Sampire is 120 Swords, 120 Chiv, 120 Bushido, 120 Tactics, 100 Resist, 100 Parry, and 100 Necro (780 total). This character doesn't really have many stat drawbacks, either: 150 health, 182 stamina, 90 mana, 45 DCI/HCI, 100% DI on suit, 50% LMC, 35% SSI on suit, etc. It took me a while to build this suit, but it is possible. Good luck!

 

[ultima2005]

I'd build it -- I'm interested to see how this works out for you. I would also try macing to see if you like it -- stagger and healing complement each other well. Stagger also helps balance out low parry. The only downside with macing is losing the Double Axe's whirlwind attack, though you can carry a whip for that.

If I were you, I would build the template you describe, and if you like it, begin the slow process of finding jewels that give you more skill bonuses without deviating from the basic stat necessities. Ideally, it would be perfect if you could find a way to incorporate +60 skills into the suit for 120 Weapon, 120 Bushido, 100 Tactics, 100 Resist, 100 Heal, 100 Anatomy, 80 Chiv, 60 Parry (780 total). This is difficult, though not impossible. For instance, my Sampire is 120 Swords, 120 Chiv, 120 Bushido, 120 Tactics, 100 Resist, 100 Parry, and 100 Necro (780 total). This character doesn't really have many stat drawbacks, either: 150 health, 182 stamina, 90 mana, 45 DCI/HCI, 100% DI on suit, 50% LMC, 35% SSI on suit, etc. It took me a while to build this suit, but it is possible. Good luck!

I was asked to post my Sampire suit, and I thought it might be helpful.

Ring: +15 Necro, +15 Parry, +15 HCI, +25 DI, +10 SSI
Bracelet: +15 Parry, +15 Resist, +25 DI, +10 SSI, +6 Int
Helm: Mask of Khal
Neck: Studded Crafted with 5 HCI, 5 HPI, 8 Stam, 8 Mana, 8% LMC
Arms: Legendary Bone with 5 HPI
Chest: Balron Bone
Gloves: Feudal Grip
Legs: Imbued Clockwork Leggings with extra fire resist and mana
Shoes: Anon's Boots
Belt: Ozy
Sash: Spell Focusing
Shoulders: Lord Morphius' Epaulettes
Back: Despicable Quiver (Fire)
Earrings: Solaria's
Talisman: Cameo
Weapon: Elemental Double Axes with HLL, HSL, HML, HLA, HLD

There are obviously other ways to approach this kind of suit. You could use Mace and Shield Glasses and have DI rather than HLD on your weapon, meaning you don't really need jewelry with DI. You could use Insane Tinker Legs so you don't need SSI on both Jewelry slots. With macing, you could use a War Axe, which is a little less powerful than a hammer pick but only needs 25% SSI, which you can obtain via Insane Tinker Legs, Cameo, and Epaulettes -- with this setup, you can use a crafted imbued Jewelry set with +60 skills as well as +HCI and +DCI. If you’re using healing rather than Necro, you don’t need nearly as much fire resist, which also allows more freedom.

Hope this helps!

 

[gwen]

@Merlin, why use Chiv mastery in wraith archer template? What is good there? 15 mana?

 

[Merlin]

@Merlin, why use Chiv mastery in wraith archer template? What is good there? 15 mana?

Precisely. Even though I am not making much use out of the Chivalry mastery special abilities, the 15 mana goes further for me than using the Archery mastery. I don't end up using any of the benefits from the Warrior's Gift passive buff from the Archery mastery either since I'm already at cap for almost all of those mods. On this particular Wraith archer build, Total Mana and Mana Regeneration/Leeching is everything.

 

[Keith of Sonoma]

You might consider a Thrower/Tamer. I have a one that deals TONS of Damage. Has 5 slot pets killing AND uses soul glaives (55 SSI + 210 Stamina to throw at 1.25). Along with the ability to move at mounted speeds! The thrower doesn't hit quite as hard as an "ABC" Thrower but with the hard hitting 5 slot pet MORE than makes up for it. She also has Necro for her healing (like a sampire). It's a semi tough template to put together, but well worth the effort!

 

[Garm The Green]

I'm going to duplicate y update across both threads!

Thankyou for your super helpful response.

RE: Archer.
I've basically stolen your wraith archer build, but swapped focus for healing to allow easy ressing of team-mates and healing while running.
I plan to use this in exodus and for peerless and rarely, a champ...maybe doom (?)
The healing is probably overkill and I'll likely phase it out.
In the end, I couldn't go gargoyle and didn't see a huge benefit over this slightly more niche build.

RE: Warrior
I'm currently floating between your/LordGods Mace paladin build and utlima2005's various bushido paladins. They all sound great!
Ultima's are closer to my original characters build so I'm trying them first before pivoting to yours - I really like the sound of the macing + masteries, but not the need for an obtainable shield
I had a quick blast today and found it somewhat tricky to stay healed in comparison to my sampire, I'm not sure I enjoyed the challenge! However, I think that the macing masteries (esp extra HP) and/or true 4/6 casting would help this enormously by giving more "play". Also, it could be that this suit is fairly ancient, and a new suit would benefit immensely.


Many many thanks for your time and well considered responses.

@Keith of Sonoma thankyou, but currently, I cannot bear to train Taming again!

 

[Haraldur Tyrsson]

@Merlin I’m a bit curious on your “Zarpire” Template. What situations are you using that template? I enjoy the odd template and this one seems right up my alley!

 

[Stinky Pete]

[Ninjitsu] - My new template.

Skills: Swords 100 (120 with Captain John's Hat) Tactics 110 (120 with Soldier's Medal) Ninjitsu 120 Anatomy 120 Healing 80 Chivalry 90 LJ 100 Stats: Str 124 Dex 121 Int 10 Suit: 71/71/70/70/72, 70 DI, 55 LMC, 50 HCI, 35 DCI, 25 SSI, 25 HP, 40 Stam, 40 Mana (plus Tactics, Swords, NS, and MR)...

community.stratics.com

This is always a classic.

 

[Anon McDougle]

See these are all just variations of sampires why not a fisher archer or old school lumberjack how about a disco macer..

 

[Merlin]

@Merlin I’m a bit curious on your “Zarpire” Template. What situations are you using that template? I enjoy the odd template and this one seems right up my alley!

Admittedly, that is the one template I've played the least so far out of the ones I have listed. Mostly just because I haven't had the time to master it because I've been dabbing more into the PVP scene lately, and now this Fey Wrath event has started. I've slowly been piecing together the gear I need and making some adjustments in my test runs. Hopefully will have it finalized in the next month or so. Alot of people in one of the groups I play in do run with it though. A big part of the theory behind the build is using Mana Shield in place of Parry and using Attunement. Another aim is to also have 211+ Stam and 55 SSI to be able to use Halberds at max speed. I will give more comprehensive update once I get the hang of it better.