New to game and Brigand...need some help with AA's [Archive]

View Full Version : New to game and Brigand...need some help with AA's

Apiar

05-19-2010, 02:43 PM

New to EQ2 and playing on the PvP server. So far, I'm finding it difficult in PvP at level 50 with about 60 AA. Most classes smash me while I peck awat at their health. I know this has a lot to do with the other players AA's and twink status.With that said, I'm looking for some help for an AA set-up that is all about DPS for PvP. I have the str and agi lines. Are there any other must haves? Thanks!

Dareena

05-20-2010, 12:38 PM

Hmm... Yes, the PvP world is all about having the maxed out AA count of x1.5 your character level. Also everyone is at least in Mastercraft and Expert abilities. Or worse.Having said that, how do you respond? While I don't play on the PvP server, I do play the Battlegrounds system a lot and have made various upgrades based on that fact. The following list below is a few suggestions I can make.----------1) Make sure that you've upgraded your poisons in the Brigand tree. I'd suggest using Vitality Breach red poison for staying power and Gracelessness purple poison to help your hit rate (while lowering incoming scout dps). You should be already upgrading your tree for get the duration extension for your debuffs, so it's not like the poison upgrades are costing you anything.2) Since you can't use the level 62 Stupefying blue poison yet, I'd suggest that you use the snare proc poison. I can't remember its name. By slowing down your opponents, you can kite out with your ranged throw while you reposition. (At higher levels, this is also where I use the TSO Scout AA end line for a ranged deaggro attack. Also I release my Band of Thugs while moving.) While we're at it, do you have your two class granted snares on your hot bar?3) Taunts are our friend. The Brigand single target taunt is a free interrupt. As if this isn't enough, it dispells the duration based stoneskins that Crusaders and Clerics can use. It's very important to keep your Aggression skill maxed out for using this ability and our Shenanigans quasi-Rescue ability. (Shenanigans is a nice damage spike against a target that's already meleeing you.)4) Lower your target's defensive scores. Make sure to use Gouge as much as possible. I've personally made a macro that automatically applies our Mug single target defense debuff as a secondary effect to the Gouge button. Depending on the situaiton, you may not want to use Desperate Thrust. That's a judgement call one.5) The TSO AA tree is your best friend at your current level. As of your 71st AA, you can start to upgrade the Scout line there. Max out the Defensive Stance upgrade and the Cheap Shot reuse choices. Also make sure to get the end line ability. (It's a ranged attacks, make your opponent drop target, and also counts as a melee attack for setting up your auto attack while you move back into melee.) Most PvE people would never use the Defensive Stance upgrades, but its free mitigation add on is significant and really does make a noticeable difference.6) Have you upgraded our self buff through the Brigand AA tree? It's one of the starting options there and it adds a noticeable amount to our three resist scores. For 5 AA points, it's a great investment.7) By 55th, you'll have access to Dispatch and Double Up. This will radically affect your game play strength.8) Do you have the level 35th +DPS self buff Mastered out yet? It's an ability from the Bloodlines add on and people can make Experts of it if they have access. The Research time frame is only 7 Days and the ability never upgrades, so it's a great choice.9) Have you checked out Beg for Mercy yet? Most Brigands never use it, but I've become a real fan. Through the Brigand AA, you can add a +Mitigation benefit to the buff. Also if you are using a Master version on yourself, then you are actually preventing 4% the incoming damage from the next 3 sources. As if this isn't enough, each of those incoming 3 hits forces your attacker to drop target.----------As you can see from my list above, I'm basically suggesting that you run around in Defensive stance while debuffing an enemy's defense so that you'll still hit them. Between the base +18% Armor Effectiveness from our Def Stance and the +Mitigation AA upgrade, it's a strong contender for PvP action. Combine that with a couple +Weapon Skill wrist adornments and our various defensive debuffs and the loss of out going dps should be far less than your increase to survivability.Also I'm kind of torn about your AA selections. In PvP, the Str end line ability of -50% Ability Reuse is very powerful. Yet at the same time, the +10% Max Health from the Sta line is also very powerful. While I personally use both at 90th, I'd almost tell you to not completely fill out the Str line at lower levels. I'd fill in the minimum AA required to max out the +Critical score, but nothing more. If you're having trouble surviving, slowing down someone's refresh timers isn't as important.Make sure you that you've place your Character Trait upgrades into +Physical Mitigation (instead of +Resist scores) and the +Max Health abilities. Mastercraft armor and the +Resist add on to our self buff should be enough at your level. Your main issues are likely physical mitigation and health, which should be your areas of focus.

Apiar

05-20-2010, 02:15 PM

Thanks a lot for the info. Good stuff there and most of it I haven't thought about. I do make sure to upgrade my skills to at least expert through a guild mate. Sounds like I need to really work on AA's as my gear is at least competitive since I have been leveling an armorer to be able to make myself mastercrafted gear. I was thinking ahead of some of what you said and added the adournments to my gear for +weapon damage. Now to try the defensive stance shift!

Bloodclaws

05-20-2010, 02:31 PM

I've got to chime in here. I guess I agree with most of what he suggests. I wouldn't never ever ever run in defensive stance if I was you though. To win as a brig in pvp, the first 5 secs is by far the most crucial. You have to hit fast and hard. Thats it, thats the name of the game.Also, picking the right targets in large fights will greatly increase your survivability and success.Additionally, if you want to be uber twitch mode in pvp, I'd suggest using hotkey macro's for all of your abilities. Thats right, I don't point and click anything. Everything from the wimpiest frontal to my ranged and snares are all being cast by the left hand when I fight. As a positional class, and a melee dps at that, it is of utmost importance to maintain full mobility and try to be faster than the other guy in every situation. The only way to truly do this consistently is through macros. Hell, I have about 80% of all my attacks linked to two keys. No joke. You always want your aoe's, ranged, and stuns/snares on separate keys. The vast majority do not play this way and quite frankly scoff at the idea. But I assure, to maximize your twitchyness, its the only way. If your on Nagafen, pm me and I'll let you know my macro casting orders and such. It takes practice, but once you get it down, you'll never look back. Trust me.

Dareena

05-20-2010, 03:56 PM

I would have to agree that the first few seconds are the key. Yet in the Battlegrounds where we're all running around in Toughness (damage reduction) gear at 90th, you can't just win within seconds. Well... You can maul someone (especially mages and scouts) almost instantly if you get the jump on them and they are foolish enough to not wear Toughness gear. It's like taking a hot knife through butter. But those types of people are the exception and not the rule.My PvP experience is all BG based. The goals in those scenerios are team based and focus on both survival as well as killing. We all know that the other enemy is coming and we all have to be on our A game. In those situations, I find that I can last longer against tanks by being in my upgraded Def Stance. Often the same is true for going against other scouts since most of them are permanetly locked into Off Stance (which makes them easy to hit). While Off Stance would be a better choice for hunting mages due to the interrupt procs, I personally find it safer to live in Def Stance.However I will also note that I'm getting an additional +8% Accuracy from the SF Wisdom ultra end line ability. Between that and a couple of weapon skill adornments, I really don't see any personal problems with my dps output under the BG standards. But if you're below 81st and don't have access to this ability, then I could see running around in Def Stance as being situationally problematic.