Level 100 Spirit Disciple! And a few thoughts looking back. (Some tactics)

[HratLi]

Greetings Folks!

I just wanted to let everyone know I've finally reached 100!

Biggest turning points:
- When I spent the few weeks toget fitter up to 80. The damage increase was incredible.
- The introduction of Handwraps.. Parry is AWESOME.
- My Parry V, StrV socketed 95 handwrap. Once I got this it all started happening. I was doing a LOT more damage (even over my level 85 wraps), and was a parrying fool.

(NOTE: This is as almost exclusively an unquilted SpiritD, I only have some levels of Healer for the buffs, Druid for Nature's Fury/Petrify, and 2 levels of warrior for parry, no other high level combat classes).
One-on-one I can tank most things pretty well (even Mhedon for a while). I can take on mithrils one at a time easy coming out with full health. One add however and it start slipping I might make it out with 1/3-1/2 health. 2 adds and I'm dead. Not just mithrils, but any mob that can hit me. This gets me thinking. Dodge and Parry are REALLY influential finally. In light of this, that we NEED some effective way of selecting engaged monsters. For example, I try to switch targets if I draw aggro half way through a monster and parry/dodge a lot of the multistrikes and special attacks, all the while using chains on my primary target. But if they are big or overlap, I keep clicking and nothing happens, targetting 'sticks'.

Fighting as a monk is really a careful game. Lots of target switching, and capitalizing on opportunities because we do so little damage per hit, we just have to optimize. Time the use of foresight (AFTER the ranged attack, but before they engage with the big attacks). Time the attacks so that you kick it off again just before their big attack recycles if you are still fighting the same monster. This is something that most people don't have to worry about, but as lower damage fighters we have to be careful since our fights drag on to possibly a recycle or two of our chains (meaning the fight lasts about 1.5-2minutes on average, up to 5 minutes on named).

'Optimal' while solo is drawing one high level monster while finishing off another while 'engaged' on the new add, and hotkey attacking the old one (see above). Unlike the 'farming' tactics of a lot of other classes. We can't tank them all. We can't do the damage to put them down. And the time difference of killing a higher level as oppossed to the health difference between that and the lower level mob I found it better to go after the biggest thing I can damage consistantly (meaning more than 20 pts of damage a hit).

So in summary, Tactics Count. Use foresight wisely, it takes the biggest teeth out of a lot of monsters. Switch targetting to 'soak' some of the special attacks. Get some handwraps. Bump your strength, anyway, anyhow you can. (My current SpiritD build is 50% Str, 25% Evasion, 25% UA). Our 1-on-1 nature makes us hard to group with. It frustrates a lot of groups to not get the huge multi-bonuses, attempts at doing so usually end up with us dead, so be careful. ESPECIALLY with the new Stupid Aggro.

-HratLi

[evilkarl]

Congrats Hratli.

Strength is definately the key to making the the SPRD work. I dropped all classes on my main on blight except sprd, 20 monk and miner and was able to solo most things without spirit form except I fell to a red vex I think my strength was around 1200 or so from 100 miner+str V techs.

[HratLi]

I am adding classes to my SpiritD to supplement it now. How do you get along without parry though? I couldn't fight half the things I do without it! Druid to 16 and Warrior to 2 is something I would suggest for every Monk/Disciple.

-HratLi

[evilkarl]

I was able to survive without parry some how.

Just ashame I couldn't use silver strike :P

[HratLi]

Hehe... I can survive without parry, but why? [:D]
Seriously, sometimes I feel I parry more than I dodge or evade. Might be worth a shot!

-HratLi

[imported_Twelvebagger]

Greetings Folks!

I try to switch targets if I draw aggro half way through a monster and parry/dodge a lot of the multistrikes and special attacks, all the while using chains on my primary target. But if they are big or overlap, I keep clicking and nothing happens, targetting 'sticks'.





-HratLi

While I agree that we could use a "next taget" command, you could consider using setscale for the larger mobs, it does make it easier to switch readily.

[HratLi]

Wait... I thought it was removed... I didn't even bother trying it!

-HratLi

[NinjaX]

what does setscale do ? how do you apply it?

[imported_Twelvebagger]

Setscale is a command that you have to manually enter into your commands_player file (been a while, I believe that's the file), should be located in resources folder (??)

Anyways, the function of it is that it allows you to modify the size of various objects. So, for instance, if you had 20 dead golems in a pile at your feet, you could set up a macro that would loot one and shrink it to the size of an ant, so that you can easily select the next one to loot.


I'm not sure if setscale is still in game, but last I checked it was.

[HratLi]

It's still there, at least for now. I have that shrink/loot macro and it's TeH B0mB!

Do a search on these boards for /setscale (hopefully you'll find the actual helpful article that explains it as opposed to the flame war that went on because of it). It's one of those commands that is infinintely useful, but unfortunately due to poor programming practices might have some exploitation potential.

"NEVER trust the client. It's in the hands of the Enemy" -John Carmack

-HratLi