Difference between revisions of "Sacred 2:Azrael, Harbinger of Justice, Rocker's Guide to the Celestial Dual Wield Seraphim"

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[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/ancientmagic.gif[/img][[Sacred 2:Ancient Magic|Ancient Magic]]- Ancient Magic is for those of you who like inflicting a bit more damage on your enemies.  It increases the damage our your entire Celestial aspect, which is really nice.  At mastery (if you decide to master it) it lowers opponent's resists, so your attacks will start to cut through even the toughest enemy.
 
[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/ancientmagic.gif[/img][[Sacred 2:Ancient Magic|Ancient Magic]]- Ancient Magic is for those of you who like inflicting a bit more damage on your enemies.  It increases the damage our your entire Celestial aspect, which is really nice.  At mastery (if you decide to master it) it lowers opponent's resists, so your attacks will start to cut through even the toughest enemy.
  
[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/haftedweapons.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Hafted Weapons|Hafted Weapons]] or [img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/swordweapons.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Sword Weapons|Sword Weapons]]- these two skills are often overlooked when dual wielding.  Although they don't stack with dual wielding, they unlock modifiers on weapons that can make them awesome.  This is recommended for a little bit more melee madness.  A great article written by Antitrust about picking dual wielding and a weapon skill can be found [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Twin_Boneslicers"]HERE[/url].
+
[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/haftedweapons.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Hafted Weapons|Hafted Weapons]] or [img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/swordweapons.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Sword Weapons|Sword Weapons]]- these two skills are often overlooked when dual wielding.  Although they don't stack with dual wielding, they unlock modifiers on weapons that can make them awesome.  This is recommended for a little bit more melee madness.  A great article written by Antitrust about picking dual wielding and a weapon skill can be found [[Sacred 2:Twin Boneslicers|HERE]].
  
 
[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/enhancedperception.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Enhanced Perception|Enhanced Perception]]- Are you crazy about loot?  Then step right up and pick Enhanced Perception!  it increases your chance to find valuables which means better items will be dropping more frequently, allowing you to outfit yourself in the newest trends and styles!
 
[img]http://www.sacredwiki.org/images/Sacred_2/Skills/enhancedperception.gif[/img] [[Sacred 2:Enhanced Perception|Enhanced Perception]]- Are you crazy about loot?  Then step right up and pick Enhanced Perception!  it increases your chance to find valuables which means better items will be dropping more frequently, allowing you to outfit yourself in the newest trends and styles!
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[b]Combat Art Slots[/b]
 
[b]Combat Art Slots[/b]
  
CA Slot 1- Combo of Radiant Pillar then Pelting Strikes
+
* CA Slot 1- Combo of Radiant Pillar then Pelting Strikes
  
CA Slot 2- Combo of Hallowed Restoration then Pelting Strikes
+
* CA Slot 2- Combo of Hallowed Restoration then Pelting Strikes
  
CA Slot 3- Hallowed Restoration by itself not in a combo.  (It can glitch sometimes inside a combo, so I don't risk it)
+
* CA Slot 3- Hallowed Restoration by itself not in a combo.  (It can glitch sometimes inside a combo, so I don't risk it)
  
CA Slot 4- Dashing Alacrity by itself
+
* CA Slot 4- Dashing Alacrity by itself
  
CA Slot 5- Your choice!  Some things I've put in this slot have been Pelting strikes, Radiant Pillar, Assailing Somersault, Baneful Smite, and Assailing Somersault then Baneful Smite.  I encourage you to go out and try new combinations of CAs :)
+
* CA Slot 5- Your choice!  Some things I've put in this slot have been Pelting strikes, Radiant Pillar, Assailing Somersault, Baneful Smite, and Assailing Somersault then Baneful Smite.  I encourage you to go out and try new combinations of CAs :)
  
 
[b]Playstyle[/b]
 
[b]Playstyle[/b]
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[b]Buff Suits[/b]
 
[b]Buff Suits[/b]
  
With the new emphasis on buff suits, buffs have become enormously strong, while still retaining low regen penalty times.  How is this accomplished?  Well, the best article is written by the HolosBrothers (Furian and Loco) and can be found [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:HolosBrothers_Guide_to_Buff_Suits,_How_to_achieve_max_buff_benefits_without_the_regen_penalty"]HERE[/url] Basically the concept is socketing a second armor set with loads of +Combat Arts and runes, equipping the armor, casting the buff, then reequipping your original armor.  It allows you to retain all of the boni from the pumped up buff, but keeps the regen time the same as it was without the armor.  Exploit? No. Cheat? No. Makes your life easier? YES!
+
With the new emphasis on buff suits, buffs have become enormously strong, while still retaining low regen penalty times.  How is this accomplished?  Well, the best article is written by the HolosBrothers (Furian and Loco) and can be found [[Sacred 2: HolosBrothers Guide to Buff Suits, How to achieve max buff benefits without the regen penalty|HERE]]. Basically the concept is socketing a second armor set with loads of +Combat Arts and runes, equipping the armor, casting the buff, then reequipping your original armor.  It allows you to retain all of the boni from the pumped up buff, but keeps the regen time the same as it was without the armor.  Exploit? No. Cheat? No. Makes your life easier? YES!
  
 
[b]Expert Touch[/b]
 
[b]Expert Touch[/b]

Revision as of 15:30, 4 September 2010

[center][color="#000000"][size=7]Azrael, Harbinger of Justice[/size][/color][/center]

[center][size=4][color="#000000"]By Ryanrocker1217[/color][/size][/center] [center][img]92805227.jpg[/img][/center]

"In the days of old, before the dawn of a new era; a blight of injustices ravaged the land of Ancaria. Greed, Rage, Pride, and Jealousy had corrupted the minds of the high priests long ago. This sect of individuals took on the name of the Inquisition; an organization of terror whose only goal was to satisfy their own selfish desires. Worship of long forgotten fiends and demons resulted in certain magical seals being broken; allowing horrible abominations like Testa, Kuan, Ker, and a multitude of Sakarra demons to break loose. Although the situation looked grim, five renegade spellcasters combined their powers and awakened the ancient protectors of the land: the Seraphim. These heavenly angels formed under the leadership of Azrael, the Harbinger of Justice. Under her command the Seraphim and their allies set forth to destroy those who inflicted injustices and to bring their light to the rising darkness. Legends tell of how heroic Azrael charged into battle, and [i]this [/i]is her story…"

1 Introduction

2 Attributes

3 Skills

4 Combat Arts

5 Gear

6 Gameplay and Tips

---[i]Combat Art Slots[/i]

---[i]Playstyle[/i]

---[i]Item Modifiers to Look For[/i]

---[i]Buff Suiits[/i]

---[i]Expert Touch[/i]

[b]7 Credits and Thanks[/b]


[size=4][u][b]#1 Introduction[/b][/u][/size]

Hey there everyone and thanks for reading my new Seraphim guide :) Although I named her [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azrael"]Azrael[/url], she is also known as the Archangel of Death, the Grim Reaper, The Fourth Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, and She Who Rides the Pale Horse. Your probably wondering how this build came about so I'll lay out the basic concept. I had played a dual wield, BFG, Celestial/Rev Tech caster, and pure Rev Tech seras. I was searching for a build that could combine some of my favorite aspects of the seraphim, such as the dual wielding, Radiant Pillar, Cleansing Brilliance, and flexibility of skill picks. So I set out to create this build, which has been tested in singleplayer to level 150 using a 10% modded experience file, and is currently at level 41 in ClosedNet. This is a fun to play Seraphim build for people of any playstyle and allows for much customization on the players part. I hope you enjoy :)

[size=4][u][b]#2 Attributes[/b][/u][/size]

[img]stamina.gif[/img]Stamina 1 point at every level.

[img]vitality.gif[/img]Vitality After level 50, 1 point at every level.

For the explanation of these attribute choices, soldat's has written the best reasoning for picking stamina over everything else, so I will quote him.

"why stamina? why not int for casters or str/dex for weapon users? because anything other than sta is misleading. an often overlooked property of Combat Arts is their modification scaling based on ca level. the only way to effectively raise these modifiers' values is to raise Combat Arts, which means incurring a higher regen penalty. sta reduces penalties, so much so that I strive to find +sta on gear and make it a high priority. even over vit. str/dex/int does not allow for rune consumption, only to raise damage without respect to ca level. example- archangel's wrath mod explosive. if left at ca level 1[realistic...maybe 20], the chance for Area of Effect is less, but damage is increased through the proper weapon attribute, str or dex. if pumping sta, you can increase the damage of aw, while indirectly raising the chance for Area of Effect until it is 100%. a caveat...once you reach the point of penalty because you've eaten too many runes past what your focus dictates, raising str/dex/int will benefit you more than sta, but that is for advanced players with intimate knowledge of their character and her gear and specific playstyle."

[size=4][u][b]#3 Skills[/b][/u][/size]

Ah, here's where we get into the meat of the build. Skills are what define a character, so it is important that we pick skills that not only flow together, but make your seraphim fun to play.

Level 2- [img]tacticslore.gif[/img] Tactics Lore- Tactics lore is your 1st main damage skill as a dual wielder. It provides an increase in damage and critical hit chance, regardless of whether you're wielding axes or swords, so your weapons can only get better using this skill. As an added bonus, it will be our main source of modification points for our Exalted Warrior aspect. At mastery it provides a big jump in critical hit chance as well as damage. Keep this at character level.

Level 3- [img]armorlore.gif[/img] Armor Lore- Armor Lore is an essential skill for any character (with a few extreme exceptions) and it will be a great asset to our Seraphim. Because we wade into melee range alot, all the heavy hits will be on us, and Armor Lore helps to absorb that damage. It improves resists, lowers the regeneration penalty from armor, and allows us to equip armor high above our character level. At mastery the armor bonus increases by a good amount and the regeneration penalty lowers even further. Keep this skill at character level.

Level 5- [img]dualwield.gif[/img] Dual Wield- Dual wielding is what makes this character. Picking this skill allows you to equip 2 weapons and hack or slash your way through mobs. It increases your attack value, speeds up your attacks, and allows you to equip weapons high above your own level. At mastery it provides a sweet double hit chance, which will make any character's life easy. Keep in mind that this skill needs 5 points in Tactics Lore to unlock. Master this skill 4th.

Level 8- [img]celestialmagiclore.gif[/img] Celestial Magic Lore- Celestial Magic Lore finishes off the other damage half of the build. This is where your Seraphim starts to take shape. It gives a boost to damage, critical hit chance, and casting speed for the Celestial Aspect; pretty neat huh? At mastery all these bonus increase even further. As an added bonus, this skill will provide us with modification points for our Celestial Aspect. Keep this skill at character level.

Level 12- [img]combatdiscipline.gif[/img] Combat Discipline- Good old Combat Discipline. I used to never pick this skill on consoles because it wouldn't recognize your attack speed and made every combo really slow. But, after making the transition to EU PC, I try to include this skill in all of my builds. With simply one point in this skill it lowers the regen time of Combos by 10%, allows for 3 combat arts in a combo, and increases the damage. At mastery it lowers the regen time by 20%, allows for 4 combat arts in a combo, and boosts the damage even further. Keep in mind that this skill will need 5 points in Celestial Magic Lore to unlock. Master 7th.

Level 18- [img]celestialmagicfocus.gif[/img] Celestial Magic Focus- Celestial Magic Focus is a supporting aspect of this build. It decreases the regeneration time of combat arts in the celestial aspect and increases the level without penalty, which means that you can read more runes without losing their full affect. Even cooler, it will help us to get some more modification points. We will only be keeping this skill at 21 points, because that is where diminishing returns kick in, so you will get the most bang for your buck at skill level 21.

Level 25- [img]exaltedwarriorfocus.gif[/img] Exalted Warrior Focus- Exalted Warrior Focus is another supporting aspect of the build. It decreases the regeneration time of combat arts in the Exalted Warrior aspect and increases the level without penalty, which means that you can read more runes without losing their full affect. As a extra, it will help us to get some more modification points. We will only be keeping this skill at 21 points, because that is where diminishing returns kick in, so you will get the most bang for your buck at skill level 21.

Level 35- [img]constitution.gif[/img] Constitution- Constitution is another skill I try to have in all of my builds. It increases your hitpoint pool, allowing you to survive longer without health potions, and increases the regeneration outside of combat, which is very nice in between fighting enemies groups. The mastery bonus is even better though: all of your out of combat regeneration gets changed to in combat regen, which means your a pumping health machine! Master this skill 5th.

Level 50- [img]toughness.gif[/img] Toughness- Toughness is a very good skill for the later difficulties, Platinum and Niob. I know some people may disagree with my choice of this skill, especially because this build doesn't use a ton of damage mitigation gear. It increases your base armor across the board, which has good synergy with Armor Lore, because Armor Lore increases your base armor. It also provides a percentage of damage mitigation, meaning that a specific amount of damage is completely ignored before taking into account any armor/defense checks. I believe the wiki table might be wrong, because I think I had around 15% damage mitigation at mastery instead of 9% it says. Anyways, the reason I pick this skill is because 15% damage mitigation, is still 15% damage mitigation. In niob when a guardian hits you for 10,000 damage, 1,500 of that damage is completely wiped out before it even touches your amor and resists; which IMO is pretty cool. Master this skill 6th.

Here's where the fun begins on the players part. Level 65 is a free skill pick, which means that any skill you put here will be fine, and the build will still run as intended. However, I do have some suggestions about which skills to look at and which ones can help this build. The choice is completely up to you :)!

[img]ancientmagic.gif[/img]Ancient Magic- Ancient Magic is for those of you who like inflicting a bit more damage on your enemies. It increases the damage our your entire Celestial aspect, which is really nice. At mastery (if you decide to master it) it lowers opponent's resists, so your attacks will start to cut through even the toughest enemy.

[img]haftedweapons.gif[/img] Hafted Weapons or [img]swordweapons.gif[/img] Sword Weapons- these two skills are often overlooked when dual wielding. Although they don't stack with dual wielding, they unlock modifiers on weapons that can make them awesome. This is recommended for a little bit more melee madness. A great article written by Antitrust about picking dual wielding and a weapon skill can be found HERE.

[img]enhancedperception.gif[/img] Enhanced Perception- Are you crazy about loot? Then step right up and pick Enhanced Perception! it increases your chance to find valuables which means better items will be dropping more frequently, allowing you to outfit yourself in the newest trends and styles!

[img]spellresistance.gif[/img] Spell Resistance- Spell Resistance, was the skill I ended up going with on my Seraphim. I would recommend this skill to anyone who enjoys having a little more defense on their side. It helps block attacks from fen fires (I hate them, they've wiped out 3 of my hardcore characters) and will help you if you like the cursed forest (which is one of my favorite quests). This skill increases your resistance against spell attacks and their associated criticals.

[img]combatreflexes.gif[/img] Combat Reflexes- Combat Reflexes is also a nice pick. It has the same affects as Spell Resistance, but it is against weapon based attacks and criticals. I would pick this skill if you are planning on staying away from the blood forest and want some more defense.

[img]concentration.gif[/img] Concentration- Concentration is for those who want to run both buffs at the same time. It will really on be of use in the swamps, but if you plan on XPing there, this is a good choice.

[size=4][u][b]#4 Combat Arts:[/b][/u][/size]

[size=5][b][center]Exalted[img]Sera_Asp_01.png[/img]Warrior[/center][/b][/size]

Battle Stance- Battle Stance is our main buff. This should be on at all times, except when Cleansing Brilliance is on. By itself it increases attack and defense values, while increasing your damage. Sounds good right? The modifications make it even better. Premonition increases your attack values even further, Flexibility adds a chance to dodge weapon attacks, and Retaliation activates close combat reflection- which means you can stand around and let enemies hit themselves :D

Modifications (Use 1st, 2nd, and 3rd modification points)

  • Premonition - Further increase attack value. (12.5% + 2.5% per CA level increase)
  • Flexibility - Chance to evade weapon attacks. (20% + 0.2% per CA level chance)
  • Retaliation - Small chance to reflect close combat damage. (~20% chance, increases slightly with each CA level)

Pelting Strikes- Pelting Strikes is our main damage attack combo, along with being our bosskiller. It makes a chain of attacks (around 5 or 6 with dual wielding) and will auto-target any surrounding enemies. The attack animation is very nice to watch, it reminds me of some intricate dance. We will mod it so that it has a chance to double hit, will reduce the opponent's defense making them harder to hit, and for an increase in critical hit chance. Succession and Precision are very good together, sometimes double hitting with a critical.

Modifications (Use 4th, 5th, and 6th modification points)

  • Succession - Chance for double hit. (20% chance)
  • Enfeeble - Temporarily reduces the target's defence value. (100 + 1 per CA level decrease (guess))
  • Precision - Increases the chance to land critical hits. (9.9% + 0.1% per CA level chance)

Dashing Alacrity- Dashing Alacrity is our utility semibuff. We will try to keep it on at all times in the later levels. It increases both your run and attack speed, and will break rooting affects. We mod it to increase our attack speed even further, and to make it last almost as long as the regeneration time+cooldown.

Modifications (Use 7th, 8th, and 9th modification points)

  • Bloodlust - Further increases attack speed. (10% + 0.3% per CA level)
  • Delay - Increase the duration of Dashing Alacrity. (50% increase)
  • Impatience - Reduces the cooldown of Dashing Alacrity. (33.3% decrease)

Assailing Somersault- Assailing Somersault is a fun combat art to use. I really only use it to fool around, and do cool attacks on weaker enemies. We mod it so that we can fly through the air farther, make it into an Area of Effect attack, and for a chance to stun our opponents.

Modifications (Use 10th, 11th, and 12th modification points)

  • Spurt - Extends the range of Assailing Somersault. (33.3% increase)
  • Impetus - Inflicts damage not only on the target but also on nearby opponents. (~2.25m area)
  • Concussion - Chance to stun the target. (15% + 0.1% per CA level chance)

[size=5][center][b]Celestial[img]Sera_Asp_02.png[/img]Magic[/b][/center][/size]

Radiant Pillar- Radiant Pillar is the second part of our Area of Effect attack. Modded, it will bring all enemies into melee range, will cover the entire screen, and will start to inflict deathblow. Doesn't get much better than this ;)

Modifications (Use 1st, 2nd, and 3rd modification points)

  • Hypnosis - Attracts opponents to the center of the pillar. (~6.75m area (guess))
  • Brightness - Increases the area of effect. (33.3% increase)
  • Ordeal - Inflicts twice as much damage when the opponent's health has fallen below a threshold value. (threshold is 25% + 0.5% per CA level of max health)

Hallowed Restoration- Hallowed Restoration is our ultimate healing/protective utility throughout the game. With our first mod point, we turn it into a in-combat health regen tool. It basically will give you the affect of constitution mastery for 10 seconds. Prevention and Antidote are just the icing on the cake, allowing for you to shrug of root and DoT attacks.

Modifications (Use 4th, 8th, and 9th modification points)

  • Recuperation - Temporarily increases the hitpoint regeneration effect. (20hp/s + 40hp/s per CA level healed)
  • Prevention - Temporary protection from damage over time. (Note: this modification breaks Root effects, 100% chance; the in-game description is incorrect)
  • Antidote - Reduces the duration of all impediment and wound effects. (1-1/(1+(200+5*calvl)/1000) percent decrease; ~17% at CA-level 1, 20% at CA-level 10, ~31% at CA-level 50)

Cleansing Brilliance- Cleansing Brilliance is our one time buff for the swamps, or anywhere that T-Energy creatures and undead run rampant. It is actually a permant Area of Effect attack, damaging those specific creatures. We mod it so that enemies attack in slow motion, undead are smacked even harder, and we can hit a larger area with our light.

Modifications (Use 5th, 6th, and 7th modification points)

  • Distract - Reduces opponents' attack speed within the area of effect. (20% + 0.2% per CA level decrease)
  • Purify - Increases damage against undead creatures. (66.7% increase)
  • Illuminate - Increase the area of effect. (26.7% increase)

Baneful Smite- Ah, Baneful Smite, another one of my fool around combat arts. It makes an amazing debuffer when modded correctly, or can be used to fry weaker enemies for fun. It has almost no range restrictions so if you see an enemy in the distance - zap away! We mod it to render an enemy useless, make them unable to hit us, and to inflict magic DoT on them.

Modifications (Use 10th, 11th, and 12th modification points)

  • Disarm - Opponent temporarily loses his weapon. (50% chance)
  • Confuse - Reduces the target's attack value. (150 + 2 per CA level reduced (guess))
  • Electrocute - The magic damage will definitely induce it's secondary effect. (magic DoT, same amout as direct magic damage)

[size=4][u][b]#5 Gear:[/b][/u][/size]

The gear for this character is very important. Without the right gear, bosses will be alot tougher and harder to kill. I recommend finding and getting these pieces off minibosses, before going out and trying to take on the campaign bosses.

[b]Attack Suit:[/b] Our attack suit will consist of the entire [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Revelation_of_the_Seraphim"]Revelation of the Seraphim[/url] set, minus the wings. The reasoning for this is because of the LL% set bonus which will allow us to knock down even the toughest boss. For the wings of our battle suit we will be using the [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Wings_of_Revenge"]Wings of Revenge[/url], a very nice set piece which gives us run speed, +defensive skills, and allows us to hit our enemies practically all the time.

[b]Visibility Range Suit:[/b] This is a little thing I've started to do with my builds recently. Getting a really high map revealed. Not only is it fun exploring places you've never really seen before, it also raises you base chance to find valuables. This suit should be tailored specifically for visibility. Socket in visibility rings and amulets wherever you can. The pieces you'll need for an awesome Visibility Range suit are below- [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Helmet_of_Benevolence"]Helmet of Benevolence (Helmet)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Holy_Protection"]Holy Protection (Armor)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Shoulders_of_Guilt"]Shoulders of Guilt (Shoulders)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Wristguards_of_Dusk"]Wristguards of Dusk (Arms)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Niokaste%27s_Grip"]Niokaste's Grip (Gloves)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Sash_of_Sacrifice"]Sash of Sacrifice (Belt)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Sofia%27s_Protection"]Sofia's Protection (Legs)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Endijian%27s_Boots"]Endijian's Boots (Boots)[/url] [url="http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Wings_of_Revenge"]Wings of Revenge (Wings)[/url]

As an added bonus, 3 of the items in our suit give us a set bonus that gives us even more visibility range! The Twilight of the Gods set bonus is here- [img]twilightbonus.gif[/img]

[size=4][b][u]#6 Gameplay and Tips[/u][/b][/size]

After all that wall of text, you're probably yelling at me saying, "Cool beans Ryan, but HOWWWW do you play her?" Well hopefully this section can help answers those questions of yours.

[b]Combat Art Slots[/b]

  • CA Slot 1- Combo of Radiant Pillar then Pelting Strikes
  • CA Slot 2- Combo of Hallowed Restoration then Pelting Strikes
  • CA Slot 3- Hallowed Restoration by itself not in a combo. (It can glitch sometimes inside a combo, so I don't risk it)
  • CA Slot 4- Dashing Alacrity by itself
  • CA Slot 5- Your choice! Some things I've put in this slot have been Pelting strikes, Radiant Pillar, Assailing Somersault, Baneful Smite, and Assailing Somersault then Baneful Smite. I encourage you to go out and try new combinations of CAs :)

[b]Playstyle[/b]

The play style for this build is simple in essence but can be easily changed to fit anyone's style of play. Basically you have your Area of Effect attack, which is Radiant Pillar then Pelting Strikes. This combo works really well because all the enemies are sucked into melee range from the pillar, so then you can hack up your opponents with pelting. And, while you're attacking them, they continue to take damage from the pillar and deathblow starts to kick in, sometimes obliterating entire mobs. Your second combo is used for when your nervous about stronger mobs and harder bosses. By using Hallowed Restoration, then Pelting, you give yourself in-combat healing for 10 seconds that can stack! Especially when combined with Life Leech, you are extremely well protected. Hallowed Restoration by itself is used when sprinting through the campaign and mad dashing from point A to B. Dashing Alacrity, should be used whenever you need a boost to attack and run speed, or when your rooted and need to get away. Like I said, the last slot can be used for whatever you want. Personally I like sticking in Pelting Strikes by itself for bosses. Don't forget your buffs! Make sure you always have on battle stance, or in the higher difficulties you could simply die because of it. Only use Cleansing Brilliance for areas that have lots of undead or T-Energy creatures like the swamps.

[b]Item Modifiers to Look For[/b]

The following modifiers are great assets to this build if you can find them on jewelry, or weapons.

  • Deathblow%
  • Regen per hit
  • Run Speed%
  • Attack Speed%
  • Life Leech%

[b]Buff Suits[/b]

With the new emphasis on buff suits, buffs have become enormously strong, while still retaining low regen penalty times. How is this accomplished? Well, the best article is written by the HolosBrothers (Furian and Loco) and can be found HERE. Basically the concept is socketing a second armor set with loads of +Combat Arts and runes, equipping the armor, casting the buff, then reequipping your original armor. It allows you to retain all of the boni from the pumped up buff, but keeps the regen time the same as it was without the armor. Exploit? No. Cheat? No. Makes your life easier? YES!

[b]Expert Touch[/b]

Expert touch was NOT taken in this build because it uses too many combinations of two separate aspects.

[size=4][u][b]#7 Credits and Thanks[/b][/u][/size]

Thanks to soldats for the attribute write-up, Antitrust for his article on Sword Weapons and Dual Wielding, Furian and Loco for the buff suit guide, Vanclaf for the formatting inspirations, Clan [D.a.r.k] for the shopper and smith support, and to all those who made this a fun ride. Thanks for reading the build!