you won't be screwed after noobie buffs. Ok so go with the great wolf toss an aclarity pot on it keep arrgo off the wolf. Now @55 you should have an arrest skill use it like this.
Root mob kite back, arrgo mob and wolf eats mob. Nice tatic for savings on shots or when you take on too much dmg. Thats just one idea to play around with and i'm sure you'll get others.
As for your tank you'll be fine with self buffs and cubic's up. Just use gsap's and enjoy the wolf dmg. In time you'll learn other idea's about how to make the wolf work better for you.
Also they work wonder's in Silent Valley and a tip for that place Tallum hvy+ great wolf+ gsaps and just hp cube you can go all day.
So re-cap get the wolf. your 55 goto forest of mirrors till 58ish then leave and head over to forest of the dead stay there till 74. Then goto hotspring for 3rd class item's then leave asap for varka once done with 3rd goto silent valley till 78-80 or 81. After 78 get clan goto hellbound
/enjoy
This class is easy to level with the extra dmg imo very low maintainance and if done or setup right you should rarely die and mostly stay full on HP.
If you have OE weapons and are going to use vanguard to solo get a buffalo.
If you have a buff pet and normal gear and do lots of parties get a wolf.
Umm, I don't really understand your 2. suggestion. If I have a buffalo and normal gear, I should get a wolf?
Anyways. Equipment wise I am using a +10 Great Sword w focus and BW heavy set. I may be able to afford a A-grade armor set, but I think it will take som time before I can get any weapon that isn't common.
My original plan was to exp in vanguardstance and use the buffalo. But, vanguard stance seems rather crappy. Loosing 50% armor and just getting passive 2h masteries.
Umm, I don't really understand your 2. suggestion. If I have a buffalo and normal gear, I should get a wolf?
Anyways. Equipment wise I am using a +10 Great Sword w focus and BW heavy set. I may be able to afford a A-grade armor set, but I think it will take som time before I can get any weapon that isn't common.
My original plan was to exp in vanguardstance and use the buffalo. But, vanguard stance seems rather crappy. Loosing 50% armor and just getting passive 2h masteries.
Vanguard power realays on the skills, not on normal swings, and its not 50% that you loose, in fact you loose the shield bonus and like 100 pdef and this will change in gracia +
With a +10 great sword you can go vanguard till S grade if you want, but vanguard is made for solo and after 62 no newbie buffs so a buffalo is very good to have.
Great wolf is a powerfull DD, but you need buffs for it and you need buffs for tanking too, so to have buffs or you join parties or you do have a box or will waste a hell lot of money on buffs scrolls/pots.
you want 78+ do as I mentioned it couldnt be anymore easier then what I said. You don't need heals and little VR herb,"nice but not required" + gsaps on you or the wolf if good for 78+. I did it then I do it now and I will do when I don't have a group when I wanna exp. Thats point period.......
Now drop the buffalo those are for warrior's they supplement heals for the lack of them not having really any. Also your healer tank drop the vangaurd in your case more dmg stacked with more dmg is not going to help you.
Also your DD is the wolf and must shield it. Once you get to silent valley you will not have to anymore.
Sell the wannabe gateway cow, while vanguard is good it's not great and doest not empower you with destro like skills in any way.
If you only plan on doing herb spots (solo field areas), get a buffalo, it will make sure you have good buffs most of the time, and also heal you.
A properly geared wolf is overkill for the gear you are describing, and if you plan on lvling past A-grade you will need buffs.
Wolf is for ppl that box support or is support themselves.
Sorry but listen to any of this though dood has a good point you don't need buffs at reall with a Tk.
the if geared right yes will be overkill on some mobs, but if you take it the places I mentioned you'll be fine. Silent valley has to be one of the best places for melee toons to grind + the fact nothing attack's your pet period.
what your going to go through is a bit slower of a grind leveling the wolf + you. Now A grd is a short grade who care's about it and the NPC buffs you never needed them even now at 55.
Don't believe me try it get a wolf = level with you and go self buffed and then get good at it.
with all this said if done right you should be in Silent valley till around 70-81 and using no shots and self buffed with Gsaps.
Forget gimpy idea's of needing more heals for lol vanguard and for thinking that places like forest of the dead need you to have full buff's you don't.
Need screens I got em need help i'm with it, but imo if you go with more heals,"which you don't need", and buff's that are only a small % better then your's and a accuracy buff which isnt worth it, with a blessed body buff you can get from a stick either 4or 5 then be my guest go for it.
Having a buffalo and a wolf is a good idea. Depending on where you hunt and with who, this will decide which pet is the most effective for your playing style, so experiment. I reached s grade before vitality or the newbie buffs to 62 came out, and I soloed a lot.
As said before choose areas where herbs drop. I spent most of my time in the fields of massacre/devasted castle before moving on to the forest of the dead. In adition to gsap pots, look at the giran market for cheap event scrolls and juices and save them for when you hit 63 and no more newbie buffs. When vanguard came out I tried it, and my opinion is that it is probably good for lower levels, but when you hit 76+ you are better off using a fb and your TK skills, shield bash wil be a favorite.
Going to go with the Buffalo. I did alot of testing around with both of them today and the buffalo just allows me to relax much more when I play. Which is one of the main reason why I play this game.
either way your going to have to protect buffalo. I just wonder if that buffalo will help you grind the same way in places like forest of the dead or silent valley.
but since your tests are on low level mobs I would imagine the idea is that it's one setup that will push your 99% solo time into the 70's and high 70's if so then good luck.
but if you find it doesnt work out right use the search button to find out what I was talking about :D
It's not that I can't see the power of a wolf pet. I really can and the exp is was very very fast. But... I don't mind slower and safer exp. With the double healing, I can handle myself pretty well. I did some tests in enchanted valley. With the Buffalo I could exp there on x3 hp mobs without any buffs what so ever and taking into account that the buffalo only has two buffs at lvl 55. I think I will do pretty well at 65 when it has VR4 and Haste 2.
If I was 5 years younger and didn't have wife, a kid and so on... I would have gone for the wolf for sure. :D
Okay... So I did a 180 degree turn and went with the wolf instead. It's going fine so far. I tried forest of the dead at 58, but it was pretty horrible exp compared to doing greens in the EV. Maybe it will getting once the mobs aren't yellow/pink.
Got some follow up questions tho:
The healing cubic:
Does this thing run out of power towards the end? Cause the frequency of "heals" are very much few and far between the last 5mins of it's exsistance. Almost feels like I should resummon it every 10mins.
Holy Armor:
This only protects against dark magic? Meaning caster mobs?
Tatoos:
Elf stats don't seem that bad, only change i've do is +wit -int for more cast speed. But, considering the wolf, should I maybe go -str +dex? Or just leave it as be? I don't want to gimp my Con since I have to carry a fair amount of stuff when I go out hunting and I enjoy higher stun resistance and decent hp amount.
The forest of the dead:
Why is this such a nice exp spot? Is there some quest or location I need to know of? Or is it because of skills like Hold Undead, Holy Armor and the cures?
Thinking of trying Giant's Cave, I seem to remember doing that with my DA some years back and it went pretty well.
Okay... So I did a 180 degree turn and went with the wolf instead. It's going fine so far. I tried forest of the dead at 58, but it was pretty horrible exp compared to doing greens in the EV. Maybe it will getting once the mobs aren't yellow/pink.
Got some follow up questions tho:
The healing cubic:
Does this thing run out of power towards the end? Cause the frequency of "heals" are very much few and far between the last 5mins of it's exsistance. Almost feels like I should resummon it every 10mins.
Yes, the cubic looses rate when near to fade.
Holy Armor:
This only protects against dark magic? Meaning caster mobs?
Holy armor will reduce the damage you receive from dark based sources. But it only turn ussefull buffed with unholy protection and when you are only facing those kinda mobs or have dark element protection in your armor.
Tatoos:
Elf stats don't seem that bad, only change i've do is +wit -int for more cast speed. But, considering the wolf, should I maybe go -str +dex? Or just leave it as be? I don't want to gimp my Con since I have to carry a fair amount of stuff when I go out hunting and I enjoy higher stun resistance and decent hp amount.
Nothing much to do, for pve you can nerf con a bit, think its better to wait till A grade and choose more dps or more con.
The forest of the dead:
Why is this such a nice exp spot? Is there some quest or location I need to know of? Or is it because of skills like Hold Undead, Holy Armor and the cures?
Thinking of trying Giant's Cave, I seem to remember doing that with my DA some years back and it went pretty well.
Seems theres a spot with vampires that rocks, but well, i never went in there.
dont really need tallum for the forest of the dead until you get to the vamp circle. By then you still would'nt need it.
If your broke like me at the time your going to want to get to get those cure's from the shops right in rune.
Best place to hunt for you in FoTD is near the bridge. So port swamp of screams run towards FoTD and past the bridge then hook a right turn. Also make sure your pre-buffed before making that right turn up the hill.
you choices are for a set up forest of the dead.
Any armor you can afford - Since shop cure work faster then casting
Weapon- Doesnt matter HP/focus 1Handed or Focus Bgrd 2hnd Focus 2hnd A grd also HP.
Last suggestion after 62 carry on you a BTB4 stick you can get one from Giran store. There's also a 5 version of that, but the 4 one should be more then enough.
I thought I read that the life cubic had a mp limit, which was why it seems to heal so much at first then slow or even stop, but I can't confirm this.
I believe the 2 best armours for FotD are either Tallum or Nightmare, depending on the mobs you are facing whether it is poison/bleeding or the root skill that some of the bone mobs have. If you are using a wolf I would suggest using a health weapon and just keep aggro off the pet.
I would suggest hunting the mobs around devastated castle if you are finding FotD too hard. For your level the ones near Disciples Necro may be suitable, they don't have stun. Think they are Doom Servant, Grave Predators and the Trees.
I don't find the cures slow, but I always have a magic haste pot with me. Simple macro of cast cure /attack does the job nicely.
I am doing giant's cave atm. But I think that will end when I run out of newb buffs. I'll go back to FoTD when I ding 61 and get some A-grade.
I am going for Dark crystal, why? because it looks farking awesome :D I can only afford a common set, which I already have, so it doesn't matter all that much.
Should be in A-grade in the next week or so. Until then, i'll just keep going in Giants cave.
I don't find the cures slow, but I always have a magic haste pot with me. Simple macro of cast cure /attack does the job nicely.
I am doing giant's cave atm. But I think that will end when I run out of newb buffs. I'll go back to FoTD when I ding 61 and get some A-grade.
I am going for Dark crystal, why? because it looks farking awesome :D I can only afford a common set, which I already have, so it doesn't matter all that much.
Should be in A-grade in the next week or so. Until then, i'll just keep going in Giants cave.
O.o if you only can afford a common set get majestic or nightmare... why? MORE DEF.
You find the cure bleed slow on TK? I thought they made it faster...
it is faster, but why waste mp when the shop cure still works much faster.The self cures are needed more for around the vamp circle since shop cure's do not work anymore.
it is faster, but why waste mp when the shop cure still works much faster.The self cures are needed more for around the vamp circle since shop cure's do not work anymore.
Doing giants cave atm and that means poison from the spider mobs. I use the antidote drops on my wolf instead and I just cure mine. Works great.
About the armor choice. Dark Crystal just looks way to good to pass up... :D
Been reading up on Gracia+ and it really looks like Vanguard will much much more viable then. New attack, no def. penalty and what looks like a pretty insane 2m buff, wonder how long duration it has. Think I will just stick to B-grade weapons for now. I don't really see the use for A-grade if it isn't for pvp. It would take a top A weapon with abit of +++ to pass my +10 kesh.
So far, I am really enjoying the class. Almost 60 now and it's really starting to shape up. Next big thing will be the 360 degree shield block, really nice.