Solo Brigand AA Sta line

[Xamyr]

<font face="Arial">Hi all, this is my post in these forum.I have a Brigand 34 and i have some doubt about aa choice. I go mainly solo and i found the major problem is the amount of damage i take. For this reason i thought that the sta line could be a good choice. All people said to me i should go STR/WIS but...The sta line is more for tanking purpose i understand for all the taunt skill and that is something i am not interested in.All i need to know from someone more experienced is if for mostly solo playing (and some grouping ) which line i should choose: STR/WIS, STR/STA or is the same?Thx for the helpX.</font><div></div>

[Lord Hackenslash]

<P>hi there, I play a level 70 brigand stamina line all the way. i think its a great choice personally cause like you said its tough to take the hits when soloing. at this point i get 13% extra health from it and about 500 mitigation as well. keep your defensive stance up to date and your self mitigation buff up and you will dps like a scout but take hits like a tank. at level 70 i have 4k mitigation self buffed and 7200 hp and i still parse 900 - 1k </P> <P>try it out and decide what kind of player are you. yes with str wis you will do more dmg but stam will give you more survivability. fyi my spec is as follows</P> <P>stam 4 8 8 4 8</P> <P>and i am currently working on str which will be</P> <P>str 4 4 4 5</P> <P>also from your class aa lines enhance hardened is a must extra resists help when fighting most enemies</P> <P>good luck</P> <P>Nightwhisker </P> <P> </P>

[The-Fourm-Pirate]

Stamina line is an extremely good choice for a solo or 1 group Brigand. You don't lose much DPS from it until you get into raiding due to the short length of solo fights. A stamina specced Brigand can also tank heroics (and a select few epics) as good or better than any fighter tank.

[Xamyr]

meanwhile thx for the answers <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />i have just a doubt now, about the template. I am interested in defensive aspect of stamina line and not in the tank aspect ( taunt i mean). For this reason i thought a bit different template, something likeSTA 4 4 8 8 8 and STR 4 4 4 5 orSTA 4 4 5 8 8 and STR 4 4 4 8what do you think?X.<div></div>

[Thepiper]

Im currently sta/wiz have 8450ish hp with a shield and 8200ish without, 4k mit and 54% avoidance unbuffed, i choose higher avoidance and dropped alot of Mit since the combat changes.  I can match any other scout apart from asssasin's (due to there mainly in the MT group so get better group buffs) for dps since Wiz aa line carry's most of the dps and i can increase my crit chance with items.  Its alot more fun with the sta aa line since i can solo alot easyer and i can tank every heroic instances going and can still enjoy raiding. 

[Torran]

For soloing, you may want to consider:STA 4 4 4 8 8STR 4 4 8 5 0The extra defense helps if you don't mind losing some of the crit chance. But in the end, go with whatever suits your playstyle best.

[Keleran]

I went STR/STA, but kept 5 points for AGI to get Walk the Plank.  For soloing, it's a very handy skill to have.  Of course, this requires a good 1H rapier to be effective.  But paired with a shield, you can tank pretty well, I'm pretty happy with it. <div></div>

[Skargr]

<P>Can I ask why nobody seems to take AAs into the Brigand tree? Seems everyone sits in the general tree instead. </P> <P>I'm also seeing this with my Shadowknight - am I missing something such as level requirements or are the general trees so much better than those designed specfically for the class?</P>

[storym99]

At 52 I currently have STR/WIS 4-4-4-8 in both and use a 1h slash and offensive stance.  I mainly solo/quest and group when I can, no raids.The def bonus in str makes up for some I loose with offensive stance, but now considering changing after this thread.Do you guys solo with the Off or Def stance ?alsoIf I switch to STA/WIS, will it make a Large improvment in my solo ability over STR/WIS?ThanksVansen NoPantsOasis<div></div>

[Firam]

<div><blockquote><hr>Torran wrote:For soloing, you may want to consider:STA 4 4 4 8 8STR 4 4 8 5 0The extra defense helps if you don't mind losing some of the crit chance. But in the end, go with whatever suits your playstyle best.<hr></blockquote>That's actually the exact setup I went.  I'm on PvP though so I went for Safehouse in the brig tree after that... great fun. =)  I went down the Potency tree until I had enough points to respect to Safehouse then switched.But as far as the Rogue tree, I highly highly recommend the setup above for any non raiding brig.  You really cant beat all the defensive/taunt bonuses it gives.  I can tank high yellow named ^^^ in a small group with no problems.  The survivability in PvP is fantastic as well.  I usually group with a warden so I'm taking all the defensive bonuses and still have my offensive skills pumped far over normal in defensive stance.As far as soloing, green named ^^^ are no problem, and low blue ^^^ are very doable as well.  I'm about 50% mastered for my level and only have one piece of fabled gear.</div>

[Skargr]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Firamas wrote:<BR> <DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Torran wrote:<BR>For soloing, you may want to consider:<BR><BR>STA 4 4 4 8 8<BR>STR 4 4 8 5 0<BR><BR>The extra defense helps if you don't mind losing some of the crit chance. But in the end, go with whatever suits your playstyle best.<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>But as far as the Rogue tree, I highly highly recommend the setup above for any non raiding brig.  You really cant beat all the defensive/taunt bonuses it gives.  I can tank high yellow named ^^^ in a small group with no problems.  The survivability in PvP is fantastic as well.  I usually group with a warden so I'm taking all the defensive bonuses and still have my offensive skills pumped far over normal in defensive stance.<BR><BR> <HR> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>I'm a level 20 Brigand who solos mostly but also groups.  In what order would you recommend going for the above setup? All Sta and then hit the STR tree or a mix of both?</P> <P>Could I also ask which traits people go for in the main?</P> <P> </P>

[Firam]

<div><blockquote><hr>Skargrim wrote:<div></div><blockquote><hr> Firamas wrote: <div><blockquote><hr> Torran wrote:For soloing, you may want to consider:STA 4 4 4 8 8STR 4 4 8 5 0The extra defense helps if you don't mind losing some of the crit chance. But in the end, go with whatever suits your playstyle best. <hr> </blockquote>But as far as the Rogue tree, I highly highly recommend the setup above for any non raiding brig.  You really cant beat all the defensive/taunt bonuses it gives.  I can tank high yellow named ^^^ in a small group with no problems.  The survivability in PvP is fantastic as well.  I usually group with a warden so I'm taking all the defensive bonuses and still have my offensive skills pumped far over normal in defensive stance.<hr> </div></blockquote> <p>I'm a level 20 Brigand who solos mostly but also groups.  In what order would you recommend going for the above setup? All Sta and then hit the STR tree or a mix of both?</p> <p>Could I also ask which traits people go for in the main?</p> <hr></blockquote>For a mostly solo or small group brig I'd recommend going straight down the STA tree, then going back for the 4 extra points in DPS.   You could go full DPS first then finish out the line, but I really like the last ability.  Then go down the STR tree, 4 at a time, go back for the last 4 points in defense, and cap off with the last point in crits.  This is the route I took and I don't regret it a bit.  I've been tempted to switch to a higher DPS setup but I don't raid and it wouldnt make sense to sacrifice the huge defensive gains for a little bit of extra DPS.  I have some very nice fabled dual wields in my bag but I've never used them... my imbued blade of bixies works just fine and I like the idea of a brigand who tanks like my bruiser used to =)</div>

[Skargr]

<P>Fantastic - thanks for the swift and informative response.</P> <P>One more question though - does nobody use the Brigand-specific tree?</P>

[Firam]

<div></div>When you've put 50 into the regular one, yes, you do. =)For PvP Safehouse is always a good time.  Great utility other places if you know what you're doing with it as well.  I like the potency line as well.<div></div><p>Message Edited by Firamas on <span class=date_text>01-04-2007</span> <span class=time_text>07:08 AM</span>

[Skargr]

<DIV>Ah ha! I thoiught there was a total cap of 50 AA - I didn't realise the Brigand version opened up after 50.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for the clarification.</DIV>

[Skargr]

Ah you need a shield for the Stamina line - is it possible to keep on solo/group with dual wield and if so which AA line should I go for? <div></div>

[Wytie]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Skargrim wrote:<BR> <DIV>Ah ha! I thoiught there was a total cap of 50 AA - I didn't realise the Brigand version opened up after 50.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for the clarification.</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>cap of 50 per tree but you can put points into any tree at any time <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Rui]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Skargrim wrote:<BR>Ah you need a shield for the Stamina line - is it possible to keep on solo/group with dual wield and if so which AA line should I go for?<BR><BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>STR and/or AGI if you're determined to stay dual-wielding - It's certainly possible to do so. STR gives a very good boost to damage and is only reliant in you using a sword (and only in your primary hand, can use any secondary iirc), so that's very dual-wield compatible, and the AGI offers damage and abilities dependent on you wielding a rapier, again, you can use whatever in the off-hand. Generally, though, if you want the best DPS, STR/WIS os AGI/WIS will give you it rather than dual-wielding, and the best defenses clearly involve the STA line and it's round shields.</P> <P>Just clarifying the AA tree issues - As other posters have said, you can put points into either tree at any time - However, the Brigand tree upgrades abilities you don't even HAVE until your 40s or later, often quite early in the tree, and it doesn't increase the basic abilities of your character as much as the Rogue lines, so investing in it early in your career is extremely questionable. Note too that once you've put points in a line, you can never get them back, only rearrange them within the tree (i.e. Rogue or Brigand) that they're already in.</P>

[Skargr]

<blockquote><hr>Ruinx wrote:<div></div> <blockquote> <hr> Skargrim wrote:Ah you need a shield for the Stamina line - is it possible to keep on solo/group with dual wield and if so which AA line should I go for? <div></div> <hr> </blockquote> <p>STR and/or AGI if you're determined to stay dual-wielding - It's certainly possible to do so. STR gives a very good boost to damage and is only reliant in you using a sword (and only in your primary hand, can use any secondary iirc), so that's very dual-wield compatible, and the AGI offers damage and abilities dependent on you wielding a rapier, again, you can use whatever in the off-hand. Generally, though, if you want the best DPS, STR/WIS os AGI/WIS will give you it rather than dual-wielding, and the best defenses clearly involve the STA line and it's round shields.</p> <p>Just clarifying the AA tree issues - As other posters have said, you can put points into either tree at any time - However, the Brigand tree upgrades abilities you don't even HAVE until your 40s or later, often quite early in the tree, and it doesn't increase the basic abilities of your character as much as the Rogue lines, so investing in it early in your career is extremely questionable. Note too that once you've put points in a line, you can never get them back, only rearrange them within the tree (i.e. Rogue or Brigand) that they're already in.</p><hr></blockquote> I was wanting dual-wielding for looks more than anything. Do most brigands go one hand and shield then? On the AA thing - I thought you could respec for a small fee?<div></div>

[Rui]

<DIV>Most Brigands I see are dual-wielding or using a 1h with nothing else (i.e. WIS line), I just don't think it's a very good idea to dual-wield unless you're always grouped myself. It does look good, though, and that's more important than most things! Personally I like the weapon + shield look, and that helped convince me to do STA. I'm really glad that I did, too, given the number of fights I've won recently with about 2% health left (including ones with blue ^^^). I'm almost always soloing, though, and when I'm not soloing, I'm tanking in a duo, so...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You can respec for a small fee, but only to move points around WITHIN either the Rogue tree or the Brigand tree. For example, if you have 30 points spent in the Rogue tree, and 25 points spent in the Brigand tree, and decide you wanted more points in the Rogue tree, so you respec the Brigand one, you'll get a nasty surprise, because you'll only be able to re-allocate those 25 points in the Brigand tree, rather than spending them in the Rogue tree.</DIV>

[Rabbitt]

<DIV>here's a question, what can be gained from EACH of the various lines?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't mean what gets a little better.  I'm not interested spending my AP points to get a little better in anything.  I want to ADD the ability to do something I couldn't do without the AP.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>someone posted (I am paraphrasing) that STA gives you a much better shot at soloing ^^^ heroics.  Is this true?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have no problem with "survivability", because as a solo'r I only pick fights I can win.  so "survivability" by itself is not very appealing.  but solo'ing heroics that I could not without the AP's is VERY appealing.  what do the other lines bring?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>back in the EQ1 days, working hard on doing everything possible to max my rogue's DSP, I'd get comments in LDoN groups that killing went faster with my rogue working his magic.  Is there an AP line that is going to get me noticed (by me or my group) for ANY reason (noticably better DPS, super useful utility, or somethign else I can't guess at???</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Again, gaining the ability to solo ^^^ heroics is definitely worth pursuing IMO.  I'd luv to be among the top parsed DPS but I'm 6 months from 70, not raiding at all atm.  I do solo (too) frequently, tank duo's, and (single) group as much as possible.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So what AP line is going to benefit me the most?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>thanks!</DIV><p>Message Edited by Rabbitt73 on <span class=date_text>01-05-2007</span> <span class=time_text>02:57 PM</span>

[Firam]

<div><blockquote><hr>Rabbitt73 wrote:<div></div> <div>here's a question, what can be gained from EACH of the various lines?</div> <div> </div> <div>I don't mean what gets a little better.  I'm not interested spending my AP points to get a little better in anything.  I want to ADD the ability to do something I couldn't do without the AP.</div> <div> </div> <div>someone posted (I am paraphrasing) that STA gives you a much better shot at soloing ^^^ heroics.  Is this true?</div> <div> </div> <div>I have no problem with "survivability", because as a solo'r I only pick fights I can win.  so "survivability" by itself is not very appealing.  but solo'ing heroics that I could not without the AP's is VERY appealing.  what do the other lines bring?</div> <div> </div> <div>back in the EQ1 days, working hard on doing everything possible to max my rogue's DSP, I'd get comments in LDoN groups that killing went faster with my rogue working his magic.  Is there an AP line that is going to get me noticed (by me or my group) for ANY reason (noticably better DPS, super useful utility, or somethign else I can't guess at???</div> <div> </div> <div>Again, gaining the ability to solo ^^^ heroics is definitely worth pursuing IMO.  I'd luv to be among the top parsed DPS but I'm 6 months from 70, not raiding at all atm.  I do solo (too) frequently, tank duo's, and (single) group as much as possible.</div> <div> </div> <div>So what AP line is going to benefit me the most?</div> <div> </div> <div>thanks!</div><p>Message Edited by Rabbitt73 on <span class="date_text">01-05-2007</span> <span class="time_text">02:57 PM</span></p><hr></blockquote>you "dont care about improving survivability" and mention that you arent interested in "spending AA points to get a little better in something" but you want to "gain the ability to solo ^^^ heroics"uhhhhhhhhh... what do you think the STA/STR lines do? =)  it improves your ability to tank, by making you a little better at a few things (HP, DEF, taunt, block %, crits, etc)survivability and the ability to solo ^^^ are directly linked, you cant get one without the other</div>

[Lifesnatch]

<P>STA line is great expecially on the PVP server that group taunt just owns and hell the 4.2mit and 52%aviodance self buff owns not to mention i got like 7850hps give or take what resits are needed (selfbuffed)</P> <P>Also i can tank any raid mob in old T7 zones not to mention anything in castlemistmore but i yet to tank anything in the new raids zones wich would be silly sence we have the best geared tanks in the guild so nice letting them take the hits ^_^ but raid buffed i can get about 14khp </P> <P>Anyways have fun with it fun line and still break 1kdps on any fight ^_^</P> <P>Vinci, Leader I Like Pie</P> <P> </P>

[x82nd77]

<DIV>If I wanted to add 1-4 points (not sure how many would be needed for soloing) to the Walk the Plank line how would you balance that with the Str/Sta lines accordingly?  If I dont have Walk the Plank how would that effect being able to solo ^^^?</DIV>

[Keleran]

I went the following route:Base - Picpocket (1)Str - 4/4/4/8Sta - 4/4/4/4/1(<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Agi - 4/1Basically the difference in having Walk the Plank means you can keep the mob continuously stunned for a bit longer while working their back.  If you solo a lot or end up being the tank in groups, it's very handy to have.  Solo, it lets you get in all your debuffs and attacks before you have to take much damage, which is handy.  In groups, changing your positioning to do your back attacks ends up making the mob spin a couple of times, which can be a bit confusing for group members.  Walk the Plank lets you remain in the same spot and still hit all your back attacks.Your mileage will vary with this build.  In raids, you won't be doing as much DPS.  I normally swap to DW in raids and groups when I'm not the tank, and use 1h/shield the rest of the time.  It allows a lot of flexibility for me, since I tend to solo/tank more than I raid.  Always take into account what you spend the majority of your time doing, and how effective you want to be at the other times as well.<div></div>

[Callim]

<DIV>Have yet to see anyone suggest the following, so thought I would toss it into the mix.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The Sta line is great if you plan on tanking in groups, but for a truely <STRONG>solo </STRONG>brigand, like the OP has asked about, a huge portion of those AA's spent go to waste on taunts in one form or another, all you really get as a solo player is the increase in hp, and increased blocking via using a shield, and the shield enhance from the final AA.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Instead, consider going down the wisdom line, and getting the final AA there, which inceases your defense skill, and parry skill, by a ton.  This will shoot your avoidence way up.  Additionally the offensive skill enhancements means you can solo in defensive stance with little hit to your damage or hit rating.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also in wisdom, fill out the +20 percent double attack + 1 riposte AA.  Each point in it gives 1 percent riposte from the front, and 1 percent parry from all other quarters.  This adds up, and is the only way for a brigand to get some measure of aoe avoidence.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I find that with this skill maxed at 8, I lose avoidence by then equiping a shield!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>After getting that in wisdom, go down your strength line and max out defense, ending your 50aa's with 4 in crits.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In the end, this will net you something like +30 defense skill, +15 parry skill, +8 riposte, +8 parry from rear and sides, and +15 to all offensive skills letting you use defensive stance for another 20+ defense and parry skill, and thats just at 53 which is where my brigand is, these should scale up even more by 70.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Turb]

STA also gives you a nice mit boost, and +block is good (as is using a shield) because blocks are uncontested.

[x82nd77]

<P>Just wanted to get some feedback on my set up. I have spent literally the last week at work going though ever thread trying to find a good solo/sometime group build. Chose the sta line because with soloing green heriocs I would think the extra health and mit would be a huge help as a chain wearer. I dont think I will auto attack to long even with ^^^'s so the wis line didnt make sense, I am rarely behind the mob during solo so the agil line didnt cut it.  I was SOO tempted to go INT insted of STA for the FD and hate reducer, but 10% didnt seem like that much considering I am going Alchi as well and will use IB for a poison. </P> <P>Sta  4 4 8 5 1</P> <P>Str  4 4 4 8 0</P> <P>Any thoughts or opinions or things I should do different as a mostly solo - sometime grouper?</P>

[Firam]

<blockquote><hr>psheets wrote:<div></div> <p>Just wanted to get some feedback on my set up. I have spent literally the last week at work going though ever thread trying to find a good solo/sometime group build. Chose the sta line because with soloing green heriocs I would think the extra health and mit would be a huge help as a chain wearer. I dont think I will auto attack to long even with ^^^'s so the wis line didnt make sense, I am rarely behind the mob during solo so the agil line didnt cut it.  I was SOO tempted to go INT insted of STA for the FD and hate reducer, but 10% didnt seem like that much considering I am going Alchi as well and will use IB for a poison. </p><hr></blockquote> Rarely behind the mob during soloing?  As a T7 brig this is my opening CA flurry... I'll use generic CA names so it's not tier dependent... 4s stun dispatch debilitate 6s root/lock assault double up the assault+root (note the mob is now locked for another 6s here) DoT backstab DoT backstab #2 rake quick backstab+interrupt (last of the backstabs, mob is still locked, can throw a Mastery BS in here too) desperate thrust cheap shot (3s duration with AA) quick thrust (haste debuff one, running out of CA! =p) front poke (parry debuff one, jump over to execute it) stealth+stealthed attack (dont use the CA version that puts you in stealth, "Stealth" has a 0s reuse timer and is faster) sneak attack This is a theoretical 15 second (realisticly 12-13s with timing and lag) stun/root lock during which the mob is incapable of most if not all useful actions.  You will get off basically every CA you have.  The dispatch+debilitate will massively amplify all damage.  The mob will then turn to you and trigger your sneak attack for massive damage and you'll keep throwing off CA's as they refresh and finish tearing it down.  You will more than likely outright kill a green ^^^ with this, mid-high blue ^^^ should be around 20-30% depending on the RNG rolls and strength of mob. Now, this applies to a L58+ brig.  Not having double up really only loses you about 2s of the stun lock plus one extra CA trigger.  Being T5 or lower and not having dispatch or debilitate is what will really hurt, as you won't be doing massively amplified damage during that flurry.  Regardless, you will tear the face off low green ^^^ with this at any tier. If you've specced AGI for some reason and have Sailwind, you'll chain arts faster and this only becomes juicier. <div></div>

[Damari]

If you snare, then throw, you can take 3-5k off the target before it closes.  Far more efficient than opening with stealth or stun.

[JoeBob9000]

Where do I go to reset my AAs?

[Bootstwadd]

<P>Mage building in N Freeport...down the elevator and across the centre bridge thing.</P> <P>I switched over to STA (4/4/4/<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and STR(4/4/4/<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and I gotta say I love it for soloing more so than Wis / Str...and Agi / Wis...</P> <P>But again, it's all about how you wanna play, and how you wanna look.  Me, I just wanna live longer.</P>

[Firam]

<blockquote><hr>Damari wrote:<div></div>If you snare, then throw, you can take 3-5k off the target before it closes.  Far more efficient than opening with stealth or stun.<hr></blockquote>Yep, true.  If you have the room to do this you can definitely kite a mob with little problems.  A double snared mob will never catch you, you can theoretically take anything down without getting hit as long as the snares aren't breaking.  If it breaks, then go into the stun/lock sequence I listed above.  Just keep recasting snares as they break, and make sure you're using the best pouch and ammo for your tier.  You can also do the stun/lock flurry, then snare before it breaks, back off, and kite.  Again, requires a lot of room to move around and is really only good for certain outdoor zones.<div></div>

[Thinwizzy]

<P>I have been thinking about doing the sta/str line as well.  I had a few questions about which abilities to max out.  I would assume that the dps ability in the sta line would be one to max, but after that I can't decide on maxing the parry in the str line, or the crit chance.</P> <P>Also, on a slightly different note, where can I find a decent enough roundshield to make the change worth it?</P>

[Firam]

<blockquote><hr>goose1123 wrote:<div></div> <p>I have been thinking about doing the sta/str line as well.  I had a few questions about which abilities to max out.  I would assume that the dps ability in the sta line would be one to max, but after that I can't decide on maxing the parry in the str line, or the crit chance.</p> <p>Also, on a slightly different note, where can I find a decent enough roundshield to make the change worth it?</p><hr></blockquote>If you're gonna go defensive might as well do it all the way... max the defense in the STR line. As for the roundshield, I always used mastercrafted.  Starting at T4 or so there are also very decent legendary ones.  Significant lack of fabled roundshields so dont even bother.  Honestly you just need to have a decent one equipped to trigger the AA bonuses, mastercrafted is easy to get and more than adequate compared to the alternatives. If you're on PvP the L55 roundshield reward is fantastic and usable all the way to (and through) L70.<div></div>

[ghorz]

<cite>Damari wrote:</cite><blockquote>If you snare, then throw, you can take 3-5k off the target before it closes.  Far more efficient than opening with stealth or stun.</blockquote> Well. That's the second best advice I ever found on the brigand forums. Meanwhile my brigand is 46, I went agi line in the first place and found sololing very hard until I learned about the notorious "sta 44488 str 44850". That helped me so much. <p>And now this. Thanks, man. I always wondered why the heck we get snare, I never found a use in that (unless throwing it out for fun because all my other abilites were on cooldown). I like throwing axes at stuff and never had the idea to snare the MOB first.</p><p>Damari, you are my man.</p><p>~Uzzadh Coinfist, dwarven brigand on Runnyeye</p>

[DaLurk]

<cite>ghorz wrote:</cite><blockquote>Damari, you are my man.</blockquote>Take a ticket and wait in the queue behind others please. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Turb]

<p>Apparently the final skills will soon cost 2 pts not 8 pts, and will bestow titles on you.</p><p>You need 20 pts in the line to get the last skill.</p><p>So you could go 4-4-4-8-2 in STR and STA for example and still have 5 points left to distribute.</p><p>On first glance, this may make STR-STA a nicer dps choice for people who want Traumatic Swipe.</p>

[Kegofbud]

Close, but you'll need 22 pts to trigger the final skill for 2 more points I believe. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[NorrinRadd]

I went STR-STA and I have 1 question,are the Shields that are classified as Roundshields the only ones you can use in the STA Line or is the Buckler classified as a Roundshield as well?

[DaLurk]

<cite>NorrinRadd wrote:</cite><blockquote>I went STR-STA and I have 1 question,are the Shields that are classified as Roundshields the only ones you can use in the STA Line or is the Buckler classified as a Roundshield as well?</blockquote>Roundshields only, no Buckler <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[x82nd77]

<p>I am going to throw this out for critisism... what if with the new changes to the ends of the AA lines going with STA/WIS?</p><p> Basicily I would go with the off hand free and would loose 8 points in the STA line for not having a round shield on, but I would get formation and coule.  </p><p> How would such a radical idea work vs say STA/STR line which everyone takes as far as def and attack? Would this be worth the loss of 8 points for the 2 great end abilities?</p>

[Hadanelith]

<cite>Skargrim wrote:</cite><blockquote> Ah ha! I thoiught there was a total cap of 50 AA - I didn't realise the Brigand version opened up after 50. Thanks for the clarification.<p></blockquote></p><p>That's not how it works either, hehe.</p><p>Both trees are open from the time you hit Level 10 onward, under the newest set of EoF rules. The reasons you hear people talking mostly about the Rogue tree are numerous, but the short version is that 1) Alot of the people posting here have been around from the start of the Sky expansion or longer, and thus they know the most about the Rogue line or simply already have/had it maxed, and 2) For MOST classes, the KoS line is the preferable line to max first, or at very least max one line before dabbling elsewhere. The ONLY exception I can think of, off the top of my head, is ShadowKnight - the Reaving ability from the EoF line is so ridiculously powerful in the solo and group settings that there's no good way to justify NOT getting it ASAP; the mechanical reason is that you can heal yourself for up to 40% of your HP in a single cast using this line if the conditions are right. But with this, I digress.</p><p>For DPS Scouts - all the non-Bardic Scouts - KoS is where you want to spend your points first. Period. They offer far more in terms of marginal benefit per point (yes, even when you consider having to spend at least 9 points before you get to any of the "really" good abilities) than any EoF line. In some cases, particular playstyles or terms of personal preference, there may be a rare exception to this rule; a good example is a newbie Ranger who sees the recast reduction in his arrow-summoning ability and wants to get it ASAP to cut down his ammunition costs. After that however, highly advised that he moves into his KoS Agility line for Point-Blank and ranged crits.</p><p>All you have to keep in mind really is this: You have 100 points total to spend. The first 50 are easier to get than the last 50, and the the last 20 or so are the especially hard ones to get for most people. You can only spend a maximum of 50 points in each Tree. If you want to buy endline abilities in 2 Lines from each Tree, you'll be looking at a total expenditure of 24 points per line in KoS and 21 points per line in EoF (this fact can help you prioritize in some situations).</p><p>My greatest best suggestion to you is simply to learn your class first and foremost, and think before spending your points.</p><p>-Hadanelith Raswrolski / Mossda Odis'Ossda, Kithicor Server </p>

[eyes007]

<cite>x82nd77 wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I am going to throw this out for critisism... what if with the new changes to the ends of the AA lines going with STA/WIS?</p><p> Basicily I would go with the off hand free and would loose 8 points in the STA line for not having a round shield on, but I would get formation and coule.  </p><p> How would such a radical idea work vs say STA/STR line which everyone takes as far as def and attack? Would this be worth the loss of 8 points for the 2 great end abilities?</p></blockquote><p>You know what? I've been thinking this very same thing hehe</p><p>My bruiser is set up with 2 sets of gear, dps and tanking. The lines I have chosen are very much tanking lines BUT have great potential to do some massive damage, it's what enables me to hit 1400dps in groups or at raids (of course gear and having mega strength helps alot hehe).</p><p>I have been thinking that if I wanna tank, I already have a fabled one hander that I bought ages ago for lvl57 when I was going the wis/str lines (before the LU32 changes made DW more attractive)<i> </i>and fabled shield from my early 40s when I tired out the sta/str lines (im currently only 54 but working my way up!) so I have the gear, and the dps mod (like 57% or something) you get from equipping a roundshield gives you decent dps so you're not hitting like a pally <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> AND if you want to go dps, de-equip the shield, cast the double attack buff and you're away laughing, of course you lose the dps mod when u de-equip the shield but the double attack should counter it quite alot.</p><p>The thing I'm not too sure of is that both sta or wis lines need the str line to make it even stronger, is it worth the loss?</p>

[Illaren]

<p>i acutally do use the sta and wis lines together.  works very nicely for me.  during groups/solo i run with a shield on (unless i'm not tanking...which is few and far between) and on raids i hit my macro to unequip my shiled and hit my offensive stance.  instantly throw me into a nice dps build, easly break 1.3k dps per fight, and if/when i pull agro, hit hotkey for shield equip and defensive stance then tank the epic mob while the tanks try to get agro back <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p> now if only we could still de-agro tanks with beg for mercy....that used to be so much fun :/</p><p>oh incedenlty, with the sta line i sit at 8k hp self buffed, 54.5% mitigation, and about 45% avoidence, solo all kinda neat stuff that way.</p>