Monday, May 10, 2010

Hoplon

A couple of weeks ago, I did something that I have never done before in any MMO.  I got a second character to the level cap. In all other games, I have only managed to get one guy to the max level .  In WAR, I now have 2 (40, not RR max).  Introducing Hoplon, the Ironbreaker.




I've probably been working on Hoplon for at least a year.  During that time, I have mostly run with a shield.  That isn't the speediest way to level, especially when you solo quite a bit.  Thanks to the double XP from Mythic's billing apology and the Land of the Dead, I was able to push through those last few levels.

My intent with Hoplon is to be a traditional sword and board tank.   For his mastery, I am using a build featuring Oathstone and Punishing Knock.  Coming from my Engineer, it is actually a lot of fun to be tough to kill.  Even though he is still wearing Annihilator gear, he can take a lot of punishment.

Stat wise I have been concentrating on Wounds and Toughness, 965 and ~815 respectively. A focus on defense means that I won't be able to deal a lot of damage.  Often times I am just ignored by enemies, but that's alright.  I run around guarding, putting my 50% outgoing healing debuff on their healers, snaring, challenging and just being a general nuisance.  

My favorite part of being a tank is the shield.  Nothing better that seeing a Block message come up instead of damage.  Since my Renown Rank is still pretty low (RR 34), I am using a shield from the Land of the Dead.  It is pretty decent even with green souls.  Yea, I'm cheap when it comes to LotD currency.




Once I reach RR 38 I can use the influence reward shield from Empire Tier 4, or I can go with the scenario reward shield.  It is great to have options.  I really need to upgrade my weapon too, as I'm using a Rank 31 axe from the Land of the Dead.  I could by the improved version, but I'm not sure it is worth 20 gold scarabs.

Potion wise, I am just using a Liniment of War: Hunger.  It comes from the Golden Serrisa hybrid seed and gives me +60 wounds and +60 strength.  It may not be the choice for a tank, but it is something my Cultivation/Apothecary character can make.  I really do not want to rely on the AH for anything.

As for my defensive potion, I plan on using one to improve my Elemental resist.  With my current gear, my current resist is only 266!  Spirit and Corporeal are in much better shape. I would use one for toughness or armor, but my Butchering character is not maxed out yet. I need to get to work on a level 200 seed.

It's really nice to have more character options at 40.  When my guild needs a tank, I can help out in some situations.  Hoplon plays a lot different than my Engineer, so it is a great way to keep things fresh.  Speaking of which, my Rune Priest is rank 38, so soon I will have 3 characters at 40.