Well TATS are always a hot topic and I know it has been discussed to death, but for Dwarfs (and I mean Warsmiths when talking here) everything has changed with their upgraded Golem. So I would like to reopen the discussions First I would like to note that I am going to talk for a general pve and siege group pvp settng, not general day to day ganking. I am also talking about most cases, I know there are always special circumstances.
Previously in C3:
Before in C3 I was adamant that a Dwarfs would never be a proper tank and would never be a damage dealer and therefore we might as well try and maximise our damage output because that way we are contributing more in group pve (solo u had Big boom so didn’t matter) and on the siege field doing as much damage is best because once a nuker/archer has you targeted its all over for a dwarf. And therefore the only option to go for was: +4STR, +4DEX , +4WIT, -8CON , -4INT and a Blue Wolf set.
Now in C4:
In C4 everything has changed. In pvp the Golem is a real damage dealing contender, and in group pve he does very well too with only 15% exp loss. The Golem is also the corner stone for Dwarf soloing, give him vr4 and he can take a real beating from one or two mobs (since Big Boom is now useless). So where does this leave our old Dwarfy who is now just a Golem delivery vessel? (meat shield for the Golem and mob control with the two stun skills). Does he go max damage output at the risk of dieing in solo pve to help drop the mob slightly quicker as in the C3 build discussed above, or does he switch to a CON/DEX build. For the discussion I have chosen to switch and do +4CON, +4DEX, +4WIT, -8STR, -4INT and a Doom set. Here are my reasons.
Compared to the Golem the Dwarfs damage output will be much less (for comparison we are talking figure of around Dwarf Patk: 420 Golem Patk: 1400 both at level 66). Therefore holding aggro and surviving is key for me now, dex will assist in landing more stuns which is great also for regaining agro. Increased con will keep the dwarf alive longer so the Golem can go to work. It will also help in pvp letting the dwarf take more of a beating to let the Golem fight, ok yes people will go for the golem first but the golem can kite with his cannon and fast movement speed. Con will also help in sieges to keep him alive and keep siege golems up. To me this seemed the best overall solution. The +WIT is there to help reduce the chances of sleep landing. Ok yes -8STR is around 20% reduction on Patk, but the con build up combined with 25% Health SA given him approx 10k HP and 5kCP at lvl 66, about 5k more over all compared to the C3 build.
I am very interested in what you all have to say on this mater and how you other people/classes take a view on the effects on TAT choice because of the C4 changes.
Well I had problems holding hate anyway even with my C3 high STR TATS and was able to pull it back with stun. But with vr3 or over I found that as long as i kept the mob off the golem 30-40% of the time the hp he lost in the other 60-70 would have been recoverd. The same goes for the dwarf when the golem has the hate. For multi mobs, polearm is always the best way to keep the hate. So really either way, STR or CON, it does not make to much difference. But I think the high CON helps more in those oh no situations, and in pvp.
The problem with soloing and hate generated by the golem is unavoidable becasue the huge difference in Patk. I suppose if you have a high + weapon (like 8 or over) then the higher STR would give much better returns, but with a +3 AOBA it think +CON gives better returns, especially when combined with Doom and Health SA.
I was a +3 CON -3 STR a few weeks ago but swapped it for a +3STR -3CON as C4 came out. I use golem prety much all day along with TopA equipment. I have found that if I wait until the 4-5th hit before I use golem to attack the hate isnt drawn to the golem until the mob is dead. I do use Beast SS about 1/2 way thru the mob also not to pull agro off of me to soon. Works out well and I sav edenas on Beast SS also. You will probably be ok if you implement such a practice with your +8 STR..
im just pounding away really
true the golem has alot more pattack and alot less hp and def but even with vr3 i usually dont have to worry about it too much
generally instead of me getting a heal every few mobs i just heal the golem instead
im considering adding +4dex -4con to my +4str but its abit risky since the nuker mobs where i hunt hit for up to 500 damage which would be close to 2 magic crits to kill me
my usually tactic is to run in first and attempt a stun
if it lands bingo free vr heals for me and the golem if not me and the golem start playing mob ping pong
since i have a focus weapon when i crit i pull hate from the golem and it gets some hp back
when it crits it usually takes off close to half the mobs hp so i dont have to babysit it too much
and obviously im wearing bw
is there even a reason to get A grade armor?
I got NM set for the sole purpose of 79% less sleep/hold resistance. The reflect dmg with shield isnt bad either. I like the PDef also but the armr bonus is a must have if you PvP against robe wearers that root/sleep/run, works very very well..
But the most important factor in NM is it has Bunnies and cute flowers on the legs :)
Yeah I can see all your points for the STR route. At 66 I tend to do run in ahead of golem and get one hit then get golem in on the action at the same time got for a stun. At this point Golem is getting free VR, and hopefully both of us if stun comes of, and because I am fighting green mobs 3-4 volleys from me and golem and mob is dead. So really death while soloing is not an issue, even with 3 mobs on us we seldom have less than ½ our HP left.
But I would also like to think about the wider picture. In PvP will the optimum +Con setup (i.e with Doom and health SA) be better than +Str (i.e with NM or BW). See I am thinking a Con setup with NM to reduce roots and help with damage output because of the reflect and +4%Patk while still giving +2Con but I am not keen on the -2Dex, how much does dex affect stun chances?
But the most important factor in NM is it has Bunnies and cute flowers on the legs :)
That was the most amusing thing about the doom set, imho. Doom set: Bringer of Destruction, Doom, Chaos! The set of blackness, the set of evil! The set that the GODS THEMSELVES decreed, "This set is a set, cursed with the power of the fallen angels!"
And then the Dwarven Females go, "I'm gonna wear a Hello Kitty pouch on the front of mine!"