crusader or sk aa tree... which one first?

[Goot]

My sk just turned 10 so I can start to accum aa points.  However, I don't know which tree is best to work on first, the crusader or sk?  What is the general consensus?  Also, I don't have EoF yet so I know I can't work on the sk tree.  This will also help me decide if I should get EoF now or wait till RoK comes out. Oh, and I'm an erudite sk.  Should I put some points into the crusader stam line or still focus on int (4-4-8 or whatever the std is). Thanks!

[PFCGriff]

I would personally go towards the reaving line first. So while workin on it you'll be adding some lifetaps to acouple of your normal attacks to help out until your get reaving. Then I would get 448 in for the spell crits. Remember that if the spell crits then the heal crits also.

[Axxon]

<p>I would suggest 448 in INT first.  After that its a matter of personal preference, I suppose.  When I began with AAs, we did not have an SK tree - it came in the middle.  I filled out my crusader line first anyway, just because I wanted to finish it first.  448 in INT, STA and WIS worked well for me as it did many others from what I have read.  I put my extra points in the bottom of the WIS line to get the group buffs and mitigate my defensive stance penalties for those times when I am actually in defensive stance.  Not often, but it does happen.</p><p>After that, I concentrated on the Reaver line and went it until I got Reaver.  Now I am working on the Hate line in the SK tree...my AAs are somewhere in the mid-70s.</p><p>If I had it to do over again, I do not know if I would have completed the Crusader tree first or not.  I can say this - I really like the STA line for Hammer Ground.  Having an AOE stun/knockback is very nice.  But definitely do INT 448 first in my opinion.</p>

[Dogm]

4 4 8 INT first,    then Reaver,  then whatever you want.

[melaine_dvarvensplitter]

<cite>Dogmae wrote:</cite><blockquote>4 4 8 INT first,    then Reaver,  then whatever you want.</blockquote>Yup what Dogmae said <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Galn]

Just a thought.. the reaver line gives yo some immediate benefits and the INT line you pretty much need to spend 8 points before you really start getting some spell crits. Thats why I went Reaver first, then INT, then STR line, since I went a full dps build.

[Hamervelder]

The stamina line also gives you a bonus to melee crit.  I went all the way down the sta line, 8/4/6/8/1, and 8/4/8 int.  Then I maxed out the Reaver line, and now just putting various points in the other SK trees as I see fit.  I started out by maxing out the str line and going int, but found that going sta/int balanced out better overall.

[Beldin_]

Ahkz@Butcherblock wrote: <blockquote>Just a thought.. the reaver line gives yo some immediate benefits and the INT line you pretty much need to spend 8 points before you really start getting some spell crits. Thats why I went Reaver first, then INT, then STR line, since I went a full dps build.</blockquote> Yeah, but the first points are very quick made now. If you go reaver first you will however need 30 points until you start with more damage, so for my playstyle that would be rather have max crit with around level 20, or just start to get crit around 30 and have max at 35.

[Deaudlus]

My SK just turned 33 last night.  I started at lvl 10 with INT line for the spell crits (4-4-<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  I filled that out a few days ago and I am now working on the reaving line (I have 3 points into it so far).  I went with the INT line first because I thought it would make the most impact the fastest.  I use a macro to swap out my 2 hander or 1h+shield for a symbol to cast legionares smite and it often crits (Because of the spell crit for INT line) in the 320+ range.  This is not bad at all for a lvl 33 and a ability on a 20 sec cool down.  When I am tanking I usually cast it first thing (or use it to pull when I am not body pulling) because its almost like having another taunt.  Anyway, I would suggest 4-4-8 INT first then start reaving.  What you can do if your in a hurry for AA is if you have a main with a good bank roll, buy some collections.  There are some on the broker where the rare is ungodly expensive and there are some that are really pretty cheap.  Buy some cheap ones and you can billed AA fast.

[Verlaine]

<cite>Deaudlus wrote:</cite><blockquote>My SK just turned 33 last night.  I started at lvl 10 with INT line for the spell crits (4-4-<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  I filled that out a few days ago and I am now working on the reaving line (I have 3 points into it so far).  I went with the INT line first because I thought it would make the most impact the fastest.  <span style="color: #33ccff">I use a macro to swap out my 2 hander or 1h+shield for a symbol to cast legionares smite and it often crits </span>(Because of the spell crit for INT line) in the 320+ range.  This is not bad at all for a lvl 33 and a ability on a 20 sec cool down.  When I am tanking I usually cast it first thing (or use it to pull when I am not body pulling) because its almost like having another taunt.  Anyway, I would suggest 4-4-8 INT first then start reaving.  What you can do if your in a hurry for AA is if you have a main with a good bank roll, buy some collections.  There are some on the broker where the rare is ungodly expensive and there are some that are really pretty cheap.  Buy some cheap ones and you can billed AA fast. </blockquote> How do you setup a macro to do that.  I know it is offtopic, but just curious, I could not get my macro to work.  1 was equip symbol in secondary, 2 cast legionares smite 3 equip shield.  My problem is that it equips the sheild too fast so b4 the spell finishes my shield is on, I see the animation for the spell landing, but it does no dmg.  Any ideas?

[Grace]

<cite>Verlaine wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Deaudlus wrote:</cite><blockquote>My SK just turned 33 last night.  I started at lvl 10 with INT line for the spell crits (4-4-<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  I filled that out a few days ago and I am now working on the reaving line (I have 3 points into it so far).  I went with the INT line first because I thought it would make the most impact the fastest.  <span style="color: #33ccff">I use a macro to swap out my 2 hander or 1h+shield for a symbol to cast legionares smite and it often crits </span>(Because of the spell crit for INT line) in the 320+ range.  This is not bad at all for a lvl 33 and a ability on a 20 sec cool down.  When I am tanking I usually cast it first thing (or use it to pull when I am not body pulling) because its almost like having another taunt.  Anyway, I would suggest 4-4-8 INT first then start reaving.  What you can do if your in a hurry for AA is if you have a main with a good bank roll, buy some collections.  There are some on the broker where the rare is ungodly expensive and there are some that are really pretty cheap.  Buy some cheap ones and you can billed AA fast. </blockquote> How do you setup a macro to do that.  I know it is offtopic, but just curious, I could not get my macro to work.  1 was equip symbol in secondary, 2 cast legionares smite 3 equip shield.  My problem is that it equips the sheild too fast so b4 the spell finishes my shield is on, I see the animation for the spell landing, but it does no dmg.  Any ideas?</blockquote>Are you 'in combat'?

[Deaudlus]

<cite>Verlaine wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Deaudlus wrote:</cite><blockquote>My SK just turned 33 last night.  I started at lvl 10 with INT line for the spell crits (4-4-<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.  I filled that out a few days ago and I am now working on the reaving line (I have 3 points into it so far).  I went with the INT line first because I thought it would make the most impact the fastest.  <span style="color: #33ccff">I use a macro to swap out my 2 hander or 1h+shield for a symbol to cast legionares smite and it often crits </span>(Because of the spell crit for INT line) in the 320+ range.  This is not bad at all for a lvl 33 and a ability on a 20 sec cool down.  When I am tanking I usually cast it first thing (or use it to pull when I am not body pulling) because its almost like having another taunt.  Anyway, I would suggest 4-4-8 INT first then start reaving.  What you can do if your in a hurry for AA is if you have a main with a good bank roll, buy some collections.  There are some on the broker where the rare is ungodly expensive and there are some that are really pretty cheap.  Buy some cheap ones and you can billed AA fast. </blockquote> How do you setup a macro to do that.  I know it is offtopic, but just curious, I could not get my macro to work.  1 was equip symbol in secondary, 2 cast legionares smite 3 equip shield.  My problem is that it equips the sheild too fast so b4 the spell finishes my shield is on, I see the animation for the spell landing, but it does no dmg.  Any ideas?</blockquote>Well, the way that I do it may not be the same as the way others do it and it may not be idea but I will try to explain it.  What I do is I actually have multiple macros.  This works for me because I pretty much always use my skills in the same order. I have 2 sets. One set for when I am soloing or DPS'ing in a group (Using a 2 hand) And one set for tanking (using a 1h+shield) My first macro is simply -Equip shield, Legions smite-.  That one doesn't get swapped out because I use it if I am tanking with a 1h+shield or DPS'ing with a 2 hander.  DPS'ing / Soloing = Because when I am dps'ing I pretty ALWAYS use painbringer after I cast legions smite (To get my melee attack going) I have a macro for pain bringer.  It's -equip 2 hander, painbringer- So after I use my smite macro (Which equips my symbol) as soon as it lands I use my painbringer macro (which removes the symbol and equips my 2 hander.  Even if the skill happens to be down it will still equip the 2 hander so if smite gets resisted I just hit the painbringer macro again to equip the 2 hander.  You just have to make sure not to use the macro that equips your 2 hander before smite lands or else it gets canceled out. Tanking = Pretty much the same setup but a couple of things get switched. First I manually equip my 1h+shield. I remove the pain bringer macro that equips my 2 hander and just put the normal painbringer on my hotbar in the same spot as the macro was.  Then I remove my normal dot taunt (Sorry, can't remeber the name, something decay I think.  The one on a 10 sec cool down)  and replace it with a macro that is -Equip 1hand,Decay-.  Because I usually cast smite, then decay it works perfect.  And since the taunt is something you pretty much use all the time anyway while tanking it a key that gets used alot. And just like the painbringer macro, even if the skill is still on cool down it will still swap to the 1h. So pretty much when I hit my smite macro it swaps in the symbol for the shield and then when I hit my taunt it swaps my shield back in.  DISCLAIMER - This system works really great for me but there is one problem.  If you are DPS in a group and the tank goes down and you need to pick up aggro in a hurry the macros can kind of screw you up if you switch to a 1h+shield mid fight..  If you don't remember that painbringer is macro'd to equip a 2 hander then when you hit it its going to remove you shield and one hander and put your 2 hander on.  You can swap macro's mid fight but generally if you have to pick up aggro in a hurry its because of an emergency and its tough to worry about swapping macro's when your group is getting pwned in the face.  Sorry if that sounds confusing, feel free to ask any questions you might have.  There may be a way to do it with a single macro but I have yet to find it.

[Galn]

Shalla@Valor wrote: <blockquote>Ahkz@Butcherblock wrote: <blockquote>Just a thought.. the reaver line gives yo some immediate benefits and the INT line you pretty much need to spend 8 points before you really start getting some spell crits. Thats why I went Reaver first, then INT, then STR line, since I went a full dps build.</blockquote> Yeah, but the first points are very quick made now. If you go reaver first you will however need 30 points until you start with more damage, so for my playstyle that would be rather have max crit with around level 20, or just start to get crit around 30 and have max at 35.</blockquote> First reaver ability adds to the proc chance of Unholy Weapon, first 3 points. Points 4-6 add a lifetap to Grim Coil, or add healing amount to the ward... where did you get that it takes 30 points to start getting some damage? Reaver is about healing, not damage. INT line takes 1 point to start, 4 in the stat bonus, 4 in Legionaires smite, then you start adding spell crit chance over the next 8 points. I didnt start seeing a difference until I had quite a few points in the spell crit AA, but did notice the healing early on. I guess it really depends on if you want to add defence or offence.