2020, 3 months new player. The endeavour to master a Dark Templar. Seeking more advice

Age of Conan Class Discussion
1

Greetings. I started with a Juggernaut Guardian, ended up replacing him with a DT. For the last 2 months i am researching and reading guides and getting guidance from New Player Help in game options as well. Long story short i am a dedicated DT and seek mastery of this class.

Here is the problem: It has so much potential in every aspect of the game with all the build varieties that you can’t decide for a dedicated ‘‘Fighting style’’ 5 specializations are worth it so to speak and 1 is certainly mandatory for PvP which works also solo PvE.

There is alot of Standardized Builds out there, wether Shield/ Talisman, Physical/ Magical. I moved away from standardized builds after i tried them because they limit you and understood that T3 craft/ Ibis/ T5 PvE set and AA perks will help you move away from the General tree and do a Hybrid depending on your Fighting Style and switch Perks depending on the encounter.

With that being said, this is my build history.

Build i used for leveling: 11f111741168811b9c111d411d8e11430114941243412494126f011364120491162411238116e81287c11fe8119a8128e412178121d8124fc1255c1129c

Maximum Seal of Chaos benefits used in many build variations:
11f11174113041168811cc6111d411df211e541155811c0011430114901243412494126f012048
It was a first timers introduction into DT mechanics and the capabilities of the Depravity tree.

This was a maximum Magical Health tap based build with Shield:
11f11174113041168811cc611b9c111d411df211e541155811bfe123d01268811430114941243412494126f01204911238116e811fe8128e4124fc1129c

This was a Talisman version trading some Depravity feats for Talisman Mastery/ Shadowed Blade: 11f111741168811b9c111d411df211d8e11e5411c0011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c

I must note that i was always out-tanked by highly geared tanks and mages because of low critical chance, low gear, and low AAs (no VoM) thus aggro switch was many times impossible and Goad plus Irritate plus Dooming Pressence plus Blood for Aid rank 5-4 or 4-3 didn’t help either at that time. Gear was mixed T1-T2-T3.

Raid build: 11f111741168811b9c111d411df211d8e114f811e5411ad011c00118141262411f1c122a011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e8119a8128e4124fc1129c

It did perform excelent during the encounters both in terms of DPS because of rotations and solo tanked Seruah T2. Rotation was: UB2 - DP - BFA to gain aggro, Hex Marked Soul ‘‘Pushed away by her - Rooted’’ Seal of Yog with CoA running 20-25% health loss, back to the fight Blood Pact - Dark Hand/ Drain Strength - Leech Life if necessary or Mystical bane to feed Mana and raise her shields when i still had aggro to allow for aggro switch. Never stopped hitting with Shadow Hexes as well and nobody died.

Complicated? I got used to it and like it. That’s the DT mechanics potential. It’s our objective.
I used this Build or similar ones across T2-T3 everytime with excellent results.

After all of this and some discussions i tried do go a more simple route for all types of tanking T2-T3:

11f61a8461ae861b4c6205c111741168811b9c111d411df211e5411ad011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe4119a8128e4124fc1129c With talisman i have 48% mitigation with T6 shield from Onslaught 58% mitigation.

Less complicated, just reliant on the right Covenants on. I still feel that i lost powerfull capabilities though but at least i will be capable to fulfill my objectives. There is one problem that remains: Low critical change/ no VoM out-tanked by many T4 geared tanks who have less mitigation then i do ‘‘till they die’’ but that’s more a matter of Group/ Raid tactics and it mostly happens via Raid Finder only which are chaotic in the first place.

Now, i try to think where i should move once i get VoM, increase AA perk potential and Critical Chance which i know i will do fine with just T3 equipment most i already have (Bought/ Dropable/ Craftable) and Ibis sword so i can ‘‘Main tank’’ in Unchained Old World dungeons in order to move into T4 and into harder versions of it the ‘‘Purist’’ way.

This is what i would want to work:
11f111741168811b9c111d411df211d8e11e5411ad01230411c00118181262411f1c11430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe4119a8128e4124fc1129c
or this:
11f111741168811b9c111d411df2114f811e5411ad011c001181812624122a011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe4119a7128e4124fc1129c
or anything similar since i find less use for Soul Barrier in time and i believe in the future i might use it for PvP only coupled with Ether Reap and Shield.

Another ting to add is that ‘‘Magical tanking’’ i prefer to do it with a Talisman for many reasons and i believe that a Talisman DT only benefits from Depravity tree instead of dropping it making him a better ‘‘Magical Tank’’ then going just straight Desecration - General Tree.

On the other hand i feel like Unchained mode will require more mitigation and protection to be able to leave the General tree entirely ‘‘Unless’’ i first have access to T5 gear and maxed AA perks for Physical or Magical encounters.

What do you think? I would like to hear the opinions of dedicated veteran DTs.

Thank you.

2

I think i could summarize the whole post as land of confusion ,which is a very good song btw.I suggest the Disturbed band cover while at it.It is quite normal though with 3 months in the game.I think the best advice at this point is to just play and keep checking what players that perform better than you do other than having more gear etc.

Other than that: Leech life is not an “if needed” thing.It is one of your best combos and the buff should always be up.DT is all about VoM and gear ,there is no escaping it.Standard builds are called that for a reason and re inventing the wheel doesn’t offer much.Not using general tree usually makes you march into underperforming builds that look good on paper.Those builds are only really viable while you overgear the encounters already by a lot and also the whole point of them is playing more offensively with max taps which sounds nice and all but in the end it does not bring anything new to the table.If you are going like that you need zone of gluttony instead of focusing on the covenants and still i wouldn’t recommend it.

The actual path is to just adjust your builds according to your gear and aim for the more offensive builds while keeping your mitigation above the required thresholds.Taking detours is nice if you enjoy it but don’t expect better performance out of them.

Heavy magical tanking is indeed better done with a tali in a CoI specc but again on the current state of the game you can just stay desecration focused for the most part and use specialized speccs for very specific encounters.As you gear up you will find yourself using those speccs less and less but they are a good stepping stone on the way to high end gear.

Unfortunately the builds that you would want to work are sub optimal and that’s being nice about it and as a new player i think it is better to stay away from them and that kind of build philosophy until you have a better grasp of the game and mechanics etc .Now if you enjoy it and you can make it work ,well knock your self out ,it is a game after all.

2 Likes
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Sorry but without gen youre mitigation is gonna be very low.

Hybrid build really isnt ideal.

1 Like
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I think you’re overcomplicating the class too much and probably even getting less performance out of it because of it. Covenant wise you pretty much always wanna use arms and invul only for prot fights that you can’t survive with arms.
Spec wise not going into general is always a mistake and it depends a lot on what gear/AA you currently have.
Like if you’re really struggling for gear i would go something like this:
11f61a8461c7861ae861cd861f326205c111741168811b9b111d411df211d8e11e541155811ad01230411c00123d01187c1174c11430114901243412494126f012048
Otherwise i don’t see the point of not going a tali spec that will look something like this:
11f61a8461c7861ae861cd861f326205c61f94111741130011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e81287c11fe8119a8128e4118de124fc120ad1129c
And if you really wanna use the kuth shield something like this:
11f61a8461c7861ae861cd86205c1117411430114941243412494126f01204811238116e81287c11fe8128e412178118de124fc12240120ad1129c115bc
or
11f61a8461c7861ae861cd861f346205c61f941117411430114941243412494126f01204811238116e81287c11fe8128e4118de124fc120ad1129c and you can put the final 5 points where you want (like getting the prot from general)

Rotation wise you’re overcomplicating it also. Overall you’ll be doing a life leech followed by bfa 4 and 5 and rotate those 3 combos. You’ll use 2 ranks (always highest ranks) of life leech to always have the buff up. Never start a fight with UB2 because it’s aggro is horrible and there’s a decent chance you’ll lose aggro. DP in general is better used after you’ve amased some VOM buffs and not right at the start. Use ritualistic bloodshed to keep your stacks up and you should be fine.

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Thank you for your advice. It appears i have to work a bit more on combo rotations.
Until now i was using ‘‘Debuff then Hard hitting combo rotation’’ gain aggro and start with life taps after this and always kept a ASfoF buff rank on the enemy.

After some trial i discovered that the life taps themselves help with aggro even if i thought that would switch aggro mostly because ‘‘Shields are up’’ so DPS dealers will gain it by hitting the sides. But either doesn’t work like that or simply the ‘‘healing done’’ even on yourself does generate aggro. Not sure, still trying to understand it.

Lesson learned. LL always up before anything else, ASfoF i used in group fights and raids, rarely solo but it appears it’s good for it to be hit before VoM triggers and BfA our fast combos. I suppose Unhallowed blight is also better to be hit before ASfoF but i get it that it should not be priority.

11f61a8461ae861b4c6205c111741168811b9c111d411df211e5411ad011430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe4119a8128e4124fc1129c
This build i had posted and currently using it, i got those MB combo feats and Hex Marked Soul mainly because of T3. Many trials with Desecration builds at T2-T3 and General tree feated without problems so far with the exception of the aggro problem but i guess after your advice i will do even better and i am getting VoM soon since my wards and resistances are already at 3 ranks plus Desicive strikes.

What someone in game told me is that in time you will start moving away from Protection in general ‘‘Gear wise’’ and using Improved Defensive stance or doing a second protection based build. I still believe with the right AA perks depending on the encounter i wont even need to switch Ironskin for Stoneskin.

Thank you again for the time you took it was helpfull and made me rethink alot of things.

6

Asfof is actually something i forgot about. Keep it up always but don’t use it at the start of a fight. What i would do at the start is an irritate + preloaded LL to get the life leech buff and 2 bfa for simple aggro generation. After that see when you can fit it in.

Also like most tanks, you will have to get a phys spec and a protection spec.

7

Solutions tried out and working perfectly. Finally accomplished my fighting style.

T2-T3 UC mode pieces mix match switching to Fallen Empire set from Unchained mode getting Ibis with Moonstone of Bels Mirth Austere Brilliant Diamond and Topaz of Divine Benediction. T3.5 Milites Templi set looks like it offers also more for me then Khitai added armor. I suppose it’s a matter of preference and combination with build and AAs.

All around talisman build: 11f61a8461c7861ae861b4c61cd86205c1117411688111d411430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c

48.6 mitigation will reach around 50 with the upgrades. With Kuthcheman shield it goes up to 57. More with the upgrades. Wards are rank 3 magical mitigation 28 maximum, Chromatic Warding will fill more gap. Shield is an addition i use for hard times. Never run out of Mana, obivously also not of Stamina.

I stay away from Ritualistic Bloodshed, personal preference i don’t like it plus team members are getting hit anyway so the stacks go up fast and with AAs it works well enough.
Goad i keep as an emergency to save co-tanks. I don’t like it and it will be replaced with Forced Engage.

If i go with 2 specs for Physical plus Magical it would look like this:

Physical 11f61a8461c7861ae861cd86205c111741168811b9c111d411430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c

Magical

11f61a8461c7861b4c61cd86205c111741168811b9c111d411430114901243412494126f0120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c

Not much difference really but i don’t feel like Devourer’s Might is so important. If i leave Vigor Leech - Ether Leech, as others do, i will do it once i have extra Mana tap capability from equipment. But i will not spend it on Touch of Death - Unholy Strength - Shadowed Soul. Personal preference i don’t like this tree even if the last one makes Shadow Hex very powerfull but just for a few seconds and it’s not like you can’t achieve enough stacks during a fight.

So in the end 11 points will remain unspent thus i can afford extra protection into a single build, otherwise, where to spend them? Sacrifical Fury since it’s better then Volcanic Rage and i use it often. -1 point. Desecrated Blood? Why not. Leaves us with 8 points still. Keeping Vigor Leech - Ether Leech leaves us with 2. So maybe increase Corrupt weapon or whatever.
7.5% Crits however from Desecrated Blood for just one type of combo finisher, not as mandatory especially with enough Critical Rating. I suppose that’s a matter of preference as well.

So i feel like i benefit more from a Physical build like this: 11f61a8461c7861ae86205c111741168811b9c111d411430114901243412494126f011364120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c
And a magical same with Stone Skin feated instead.

May as well try to outheal healers with Improved Martyrdom instead of Devourer’s Might, tried it, saved groups many times. But i am not a healer and both feats wont add much so 11f61a8461c7861ae861b4c6205c1117411688111d411430114901243412494126f011364120481162411238116e811fe8119a8128e4124fc1129c dropping goad maybe once i have Forced Engage.

There we go. Untill i have better protection so i can drop something from the general tree and maybe i spent them for Devourer’s Might since i keep the LL and ASfoF buffs up all the time or Improved Martyrdom Spec when i am off tank as funny as it sounds. Maybe once i have T5 gear.

T5-T6 is a different beast though and there i will require 2 specs for certain.

That’s it works for me, it’s my fighting style, solution found!

8

To be honest, it’s a mistake to skip Desecrated Blood and Ritualistic Bloodshed. Your choice, obviously, but you’re nerfing yourself. :wink:

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I agree goad is lame in the way its often miss-used, but youre not gonna get away with not speccing it if you aspire to raid t4 and up, you will run into situations where the common raid strats depend on using goad, aswell as getting back to aggro rotation after dying and getting ressed etc.

7,5% crit on bfa shouldnt be underrated as its your bread and butter combo, and as you know crits feed your vom-stacks.

2 Likes
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I wont disagree especially on the matter of Desecrated Blood. I guess i’ll see how that works later on. Well Goad is usefull i wish it was like Irritate non feated. Not sure how often will i find myself using it i guess till T4 i will know.
The only reason i stay away from Ritualistic Bloodshed is because i forget to push the button everytime, otherwise i wouldn’t mind it.
Thank you for the advice. I still have a long way ahead of me so, some things will change. They always do.

11

You need to understand that goad, irritate and forced engage work completely different.
Irritate is just an aggro burst ability.
Goad puts you at the top of the aggro table, but just barely so it’s usually good to combine it with something that generates quite a bit of aggro, so for example have a combo loaded to the last step, you goad, irritate and finish that combo, or at least just the irritate and that should more than secure aggro for you.
Force engage just forces your target to hit you for those 5 seconds, but doesn’t affect the aggro table at all.

1 Like
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Macro Bloodshed or don’t forget it ,there is no reason to start an encounter with sadism not at 10.Relying on your teammates getting hit is not that great.Also sacrificial fury looks good on paper however stopping whatever you are doing to cast a 1s cast time spell while tanking won’t do you much good ,essentially you are losing 2s of the buff doing no damage and it will prob time out before you finish your 3rd combo.Volcanic rage is much better.You got one thing right though ,those 11 points can be used flexibly and the same goes for the 4 points on devouring touch ,or even all of them ,although the first one gives you the most worth for a point there .You could run this for all raid tiers and gear levels and do fine:

https://goo.gl/RLuPxM

13

Exactly. I use AutoHotkey to keep it up. I made a script to press the button every 12 seconds, because sometimes the script pushes the key when the ability can’t be used (eg, if i’m stunned), so I can recover manually.

14

Thank you again for all the input i finally learned to stay in the fight as well with Rite of Blood without speccing Vigor/Ether Leech. As crits and hits rise currently and i am just a few points far from VoM i see alot of difference even undergeared. Couldn’t do that without investing into AAs first. Things become so easy now.
Once i get the hang of it more i’ll propably try to benefit from Ritualistic Bloodshed as well. Already tried it, it’s good.

15

Put it on a keybind you have easy access to. I have it on R personally.
Auto Hotkey/macro is possible, but to be honest I like to press it myself. If you use it every 10 sec instead of 15-18 there’s a chance you might run out of mana. Delaying it and not spamming it could help in this case. Again this is not that big of a deal, and not that common, but it may happen.

That being said I have just never really liked playing with macros in general so there’s that too.

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Indeed, also using a macro like this makes it very annoying when you want to type something in chat. It will keep forcing the “r” in your sentence :sweat_smile::+1:

2 Likes
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Macroing bloodshed is so lame. DT pretty much plays itself, so macroing ritualistic bloodshed removes one of the few interactive mechanics from the class.

Shame on all of you.

18

If you need to troll you also need to do better than this ^^

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Yea, it takes awesome skill to press a button every 10 seconds or so. :rofl:

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