|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 11:39:24 GMT -5
I finally have Tulwar! It should last me a long time!  But my SP drain is back to 8 percent  |
|
|
|
Post by En1gma on Dec 20, 2016 11:53:43 GMT -5
Crit percentage isn't as valuable as other things, IMO. Flashing Blades is a neat ability, but there are other, more pressing needs. Between Flashing and Flanking, I would prefer Flanking, as it benefits everyone. Flashing is good late game tho.
Crippling Strikes is great because of everything it does at level 6. You get a Dodge, Damage, and an AP debuff all in one, and at 6, it becomes an effective AoE
|
|
|
|
Post by crimsonking on Dec 20, 2016 14:26:15 GMT -5
I'd second that. I stated elsewhere that I am a big fan of team buffs like FU.
The value of Crippling Strikes is mitigated by your overall ability to curse AP and Dodge though. Cursing damage by a few points is irrelevant, and if you got Anguish at 10 and Pinning Shot at 5 that should be more than enough in terms of AP and Dodge curses, so you don't need to put those points into CS but can push other Talents of which Kincaid as so many good ones. Either go for throwing knives or raise your crit chances.
|
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 14:33:43 GMT -5
Crit percentage isn't as valuable as other things, IMO. Flashing Blades is a neat ability, but there are other, more pressing needs. Between Flashing and Flanking, I would prefer Flanking, as it benefits everyone. Flashing is good late game tho. Crippling Strikes is great because of everything it does at level 6. You get a Dodge, Damage, and an AP debuff all in one, and at 6, it becomes an effective AoE Crippling Strikes is an AoE? Wow. Hmmm, I have to reconsider then. But now I am reveling in Kincaid's power. He hits so hard with Tulwar - even without any the armor debuff from Selen or damage buffs from Vincent yet. I am getting 500-plus crits already. |
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 14:35:42 GMT -5
I'd second that. I stated elsewhere that I am a big fan of team buffs like FU. The value of Crippling Strikes is mitigated by your overall ability to curse AP and Dodge though. Cursing damage by a few points is irrelevant, and if you got Anguish at 10 and Pinning Shot at 5 that should be more than enough in terms of AP and Dodge curses, so you don't need to put those points into CS but can push other Talents of which Kincaid as so many good ones. Either go for throwing knives or raise your crit chances. I will definitely stop everything and start leveling Flanking Unity from next level (29) onward. I started encountering accuracy issues a few levels ago, and it looks like the game gets easier if I have at least one accuracy buffer in a group. |
|
matrim
Star Hero
[ Patreon ]
Posts: 708 
|
Post by matrim on Dec 20, 2016 14:57:46 GMT -5
I think CS is great on Kincaid. The problem is that it pretty much requires 6 talent points to realize it's potential. SoS is 1 talent point and AoE ready, you can then move on to other things. 5 talent points for a 1 AP + dodge curse is a high price to pay, especially if AP cursing is already covered. I personally do Darting Steel after raising his buffs because it insures 100% accuracy on anything I encounter (it's the best parry/dodge curse in the game) and that is valuable. Also, being able to pump out some ranged damage while staying on that exact square I need him to be on is why I like Kincaid more than Vraes, personally.
|
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 16:05:35 GMT -5
I think CS is great on Kincaid. The problem is that it pretty much requires 6 talent points to realize it's potential. SoS is 1 talent point and AoE ready, you can then move on to other things. 5 talent points for a 1 AP + dodge curse is a high price to pay, especially if AP cursing is already covered. I personally do Darting Steel after raising his buffs because it insures 100% accuracy on anything I encounter (it's the best parry/dodge curse in the game) and that is valuable. Also, being able to pump out some ranged damage while staying on that exact square I need him to be on is why I like Kincaid more than Vraes, personally. But don't you need to raise Darting Steel significantly for it to be effective? As well as sink points into Thrown? |
|
matrim
Star Hero
[ Patreon ]
Posts: 708
|
Post by matrim on Dec 20, 2016 16:29:41 GMT -5
Nope and nope. I have base throwing skill on Kincaid and it hits 85% (I curse the mob with ToS 8 -11 dodge I think and have TB10 and FU8) and even at low levels it takes away 2-4 of both dice, which is substantial. Taking away those dice can bring a 50% hit rate to a 90% (talking 8 less dice to roll here).
|
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 16:34:15 GMT -5
Nope and nope. I have base throwing skill on Kincaid and it hits 85% (I curse the mob with ToS 8 -11 dodge I think and have TB10 and FU8) and even at low levels it takes away 2-4 of both dice, which is substantial. Taking away those dice can bring a 50% hit rate to a 90% (talking 8 less dice to roll here). I see. I am still loath to give up 500-pus crits coming frequently at level 29. It's so exhilarating, and this is what made me so hooked on DPS characters in MMORPGs |
|
matrim
Star Hero
[ Patreon ]
Posts: 708
|
Post by matrim on Dec 20, 2016 16:40:22 GMT -5
Ultimately it is just what I do. I don't necessarily do the optimal thing every time. If dual wielding is working for you maybe developing flashing blades for a crit buff to see more big numbers is worth it.
|
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 16:46:30 GMT -5
Ultimately it is just what I do. I don't necessarily do the optimal thing every time. If dual wielding is working for you maybe developing flashing blades for a crit buff to see more big numbers is worth it. I always listen to others and then adjust things to my playstyle and the current circumstances. Kincaid as a skirmisher is something I will try in the future, but currently I now feel I have enough ranged with 3 nukers, and every fight has been a cake since the Selen re-spec. Perhaps next time I will try Kincaid with thrown knives if I am not running with as many ranged easy mode characters. Speaking of Kincaid, I am just in love with his power and versatility. He can do massive damage himself, is near-invulnerable to melee damage, grants useful group buffs, and can even AoE. What does Vrase bring to counter other than superior ranged protection? I tend to prefer strength-based warrior or barbarian-type of characters over dex-based dual wield characters even as melee damage dealers, but at the moment I find it hard to even try Vrase! |
|
|
|
Post by wascalwywabbit on Dec 20, 2016 17:04:02 GMT -5
One point in Storm of Steel is always helpful, especially if you haven't invested in Crippling Strikes. Easy way to increase his presence on the battlefield. Thanks; I will do that then. By the way, Matrim (I think) said melees should invest only in one main melee strike heavily. And he specifically recommended Punishing Blades over Frenzied Blows for Selen. So how does Crippling Strikes v. Flashing Blades compare for Kincaid? I will choose Flashing Blades anyways for this game, because I have enough debuff power as is. But I'd like to know for future parties where I won't have as much debuffs. Flashing blades is a buffing attack which raises your chance to hit and crit with all of kincaid's subsequent attacks. It works like the offensive side of CF, but you need to damage a target with it first, and then you have it active for a couple turns before you need to use it again. I've even used it with DS. You use buffing and cursing attacks as much for their buffs and curses as for their attacks, so sometimes you may use more than 1 effectively for them. |
|
phaze
Exemplar
Posts: 368
|
Post by phaze on Dec 20, 2016 17:07:05 GMT -5
Nope and nope. I have base throwing skill on Kincaid and it hits 85% (I curse the mob with ToS 8 -11 dodge I think and have TB10 and FU8) and even at low levels it takes away 2-4 of both dice, which is substantial. Taking away those dice can bring a 50% hit rate to a 90% (talking 8 less dice to roll here). Of note, Throwning daggers have high accuracy and you also typically have cursed enemies with strickening and maybe flash freeze? Just adding some context. I personally aim for accuracy and two debuff curses to ensure near 100% hit rates. I loath missing. Plus, at Ep 4 I ran into a very cranky orcin warlord that required CA, EA, PS, FU, and DS to hit with Kincaid at like 30%. I like to be prepared for all battles. There are some battles that definitely require more accuracy. |
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 17:49:41 GMT -5
Nope and nope. I have base throwing skill on Kincaid and it hits 85% (I curse the mob with ToS 8 -11 dodge I think and have TB10 and FU8) and even at low levels it takes away 2-4 of both dice, which is substantial. Taking away those dice can bring a 50% hit rate to a 90% (talking 8 less dice to roll here). I personally aim for accuracy and two debuff curses to ensure near 100% hit rates. I loath missing. Yes, I learned the importance of debuffs and buffs the hard way. Who else offers accuracy buffs other than Kincaid and Vincent? |
|
|
|
Post by achilles73 on Dec 20, 2016 18:02:41 GMT -5
Update: I became utterly sick of missing so much, so I got BOTH Flnking Unity and Thundering Blades when I hit level 29.
|
|
