As I find myself nearing A grade, I am looking at my choices. I already know I'm going with tallum heavy (It's my own personal choice) rather than majestic, but I'm not set on what weapon I want to use.
I think I want an Infernal Master, but if I do that I don't know if I want to go Focus or Haste. I like the idea of greater attack speed, but at the same time I have become addicted to crits.
I'm hoping some of the other A-grade destroyers out there would share their thoughts on the two SAs.
I would take into mind the changes to our skills in CT1. Might want to consider going with a health SA.
I use Tallum Heavy and IM with Focus for PvE and some PvP. For most PvP I've been switching to Doom Crusher with Health.
For nuker PvP I use Doom Crusher with Health and Doom Heavy armor. The only nuker that is painful is Necro and then only if Anchor or Curse of Doom lands (man it stinks to not be able to use skills ...). Of course, if you get slowed it is also hard to win.
I haven't yet found the best setup for PvP, but lately I'm leaning more towards 2H blunt with Health SA and Doom Heavy. With this setup I have way more survivability (~11K HP+CP vs 9K). I like the combination skills of Hammer Crush/Stun Attack and Crush of Doom. I'm going to mix in Fatal Strike and see how that goes. By chaining these skills I max out chance to keep opponent stunned and can dish out a lot of damage.
The added DPS from Tallum Heavy and Focus SA certainly helps but I can't stun. For me, the stun has proven to be the decisive factor in most combat lately. The extra HP helps out with nukers since it gives me survivability to about 3 more nukes. Then, as mentioned previously, in CT1 HP becomes way more important with Destroyer skills. I've even begun thinking the unthinkable: remove -CON tats and switch to +CON!
I actually do not have any tattoos yet. I haven't been doing a whole lot of PVP, so I've not had to consider them (some of you may recall I asked opinions before: I just never made up my mind) yet.
I've been trying to anticipate the changes to frenzy in my hunting pattern, weaning myself off of it so I don't know that I will need to change anything.
I suppose that I'll be hitting A grade just about the time CT1 goes PTS, but I don't know yet. So, like all things, I wait.
Thank you for your opinions everyone. Seeing the diiferent thought processes will certainly help me make up my mind.
I think you should at least get yourself a +str -con tat. I think the amount of hp/cp lost is well worth the boost to the dps. I was going to try to craft myself a heavens divider to play with but I went with a dragon hunter axe - I am really glad I went with the 2 H blunt. The deciding factor for me was cost of the weapon. After looking at how much the craft attempt was, and how much the SA crystals were going for on Gustin, and then adding on the cost of the mammon BS putting the SA crystal on - I knew it would impossible for me to afford doing all at once. Knowing that I decided to give the 2 H blunt a try and man, I gotta say, I love having 2 stuns available now. A lot of people can say the boost to crit rate is well worth it, but they can't crit if they are stunned.
What weapon are you currently using? If your using a GS w/Focus and are going to be hitting A grade around the time of CT1 going to the PTS I would definetly wait it out. Using a B grade sword for the first couple levels of A grade isn't going to hurt you that much. That way you may get a handle on the changes to our skills, and can make the decision from there.
I'm currently using tallum heavy for both pvp and pve on both sub and main. Mostly because other sets suck for blade dancers in both facets of game play. If I'm doing a lot of aoe I'll change over to BW heavy for the boosts to patk and run speed. I imagine a fair amount of my play style is going to change upon the release of CT1. I've even considered going with light armor for my titan. It's all going to be touch and go until I can actually see how they are changing the game with the upcoming release.
I am in BW Heavy with a Great Sword(Focus). I am more than willing to wait out the changes and get a handle on them, but I am starting my preparations for A-grade gear now. I have most of my Tallum ready (just need to unseal the smaller parts and get a helmet), and a lot of materials ready for my craft attempt.
Through AOE, I hope to get a level 12 SA crystal from the event, but if not... eh, I'll find another way to get it.
I'm a Destroyer (73). I use NightMare set +2 CON -2STR, and I use a 2 handed Dragon Slayer with SA Health. I've tattood myself for +5 CON -5DEX, and +4STR -4DEX in worth. When using the Battle Roar, my HP goes up to 11,997 HP.
I use the Skill Doom Crush, usually.
The skills being capped in CT1, Frenzy etc, sucks.
In PvP Orcs, even thouhg LARGE HP possibilities, alike myself, are slow..... the HP does go down over time (having to use haste pots and run after an archer, where he hits me 4 times vs me his 1). It does go down, and a destroyer will start to lose, expecially without stun attack. Orcs become scary when under 30%. It's like there last chance to conquer, their crazy side. to never be near an Orc who is injured, lol. Capping skills for Destroyers makes us weak in PvP. Archers and Necros are no longer the only threat.. almost everyone is, lol.
The more HP yer Orc has, the better. You got to keep in the fight, and you got to keep using yer most destructive fighting skills to win the day. By the time you run after and catch up to yer shittless scared foe, yer Doom Crush or stun should be enabled again for usage. ;)
**IN CT1, if you want to maximuze a destroyer, to overcome the frenzy cap, and still be scary as hell and win most fights... you want to hold multiple weaponds, and use them all in PvP combat.
I use all A Grade. I use a Bow, a double hander, and a Blunt/ shield. My destroyer with so much CON, can hold all the weapons and wear heavy armour.
When I go up against enemies... Stun> Doom Crush> Fatal Strike (the skills bypass taking stun effect off). Then I will hit my enemy with blunt until, if lucky, I can try to stun them again without them running away..... and they will run away a bit. At that point you should be near finishing them. If they do run, use the bow a few times. If they live... still.... then you are in some trouble. You must then run after them slowly.....(have haste pots in inventory). You got to try to catch up to them with a stun again.
In my frequsnt PvP experience, non class can win me over.... I have a real tough time with Archers, if I don't kill them in the first volley.. I have trouble with Necros Nukes, they pack a wollop to my incredible HP. Human Warriors and fighters are fun, they almost stand a chance, some can be challenging almost. Again all other races I tend to conquer very fast as their HP is low, like Elves... Dwarves have more HP, but no skills, and they are kinda slow too.
Go with what a destroyer learns, they are ment to weild many different types of weapons, so so that. It's pricey to aquire all the weps, but you are almost flawless if you can buy them.
Poles were good before, not so much in CT1, and frankly you wont need them for good PvP, its a waist. Blunts and Two-Hanaders will give the shock factor.
-9 dex O.o And, uhm, your description of PVP sounds like you're doing it only in very confined areas, since I cant think of a reason why an archer couldnt kite you to death with your -9 DEX. Arena fights?
Also, Earthquake will disarm in CT1, so poles are not bad for PVP either.
OK I have to ask... Why NM armor? You get a lot more HP with Doom and it is cheap enough to allow me to have both Doom and Tallum. What other benefits for NM to justify the huge added cost?
o.O no no no.... never go - Dex, dont you think a destroyer is slow as it is?? my destroyer is set up for AOE +3 dex -3 con, +2 dex -2 str.
and with those tats i AOE good, staying alive in pvp just fine with BR i got 9.9k hp (i got DHA with health), and if i wanna solo singel target, i can do so just useing CH buffs. but i never solo on my titan. AOE is SO much cheaper :P
but to go back to the main question, go focus about same dmg pr sec, but cheaper, and you will benefit big time doing frenzy/zealot/rage
Its worse than we think, the Nightmare set is +2 con -2 DEX not str. So your destroyer is at -11 dex (can you even move?)
As for the original topic, for lvling purposes, tallum heavy is actually a good set. Also consider a +str - con tat, since you will not be pvping much while lvling. If you get to higher lvls and decide to pvp I recommend balancing your stats with no tats what so ever and getting Nightmare. I now its -2 dex, but with buffs you basically can not be rooted..it works rather well(and with a health SA, even without +con tats people run out of MP trying to kill you).
Well, I use NM heavy when I pvp simply because not being able to get rooted or slept is very nice, the -2 dex isnt that bad, but any more than that and I become just a time sink to kill. Making the destro slower with anything over that would be CRAZY.
Using inf master with focus atm, good for pve and I recommend all destros to go this way and then if you want pvp on 76+ just get a health heaven divider
You seriously think it will take only 2-3 weeks to have S80? When it took almost the whole Interlude for TOP A weapons to appear... And good luck with the LVL 14 soul crystal mate, they wont be around that easily either.
no, but not planning to have it too long, some people can get gear faster than other. Its all about making spoil groups in the right areas and some quests ^^
I was one of the first to have a soulbow on my server and that was shortly after they were ingame
Let us know when you get the S80 and lvl 14 soul crystal, I'm curious. As Charmille says, it's hard to think the stuff will be showing up quick. But, we could be wrong.