General PvP and solo sword-and-shield DT build
Hi guys.
Traditional power build
A tali spec
I wanted to share my general, run-around PvP build that I also use for Open-world PvP, minis and PvE soloing etc.
The focus of my build is to maximise tapping from all damage sources and to reduce the number of abilities to enable the DT to focus on outputting combos. Basically, charge! and combos.
I tend to use LL protection gear, as it gives good overall critigation, armour, protection, strength and constitution that I use along with the LL crit gear head and legs. Before getting epic LL legs with crit, can supplement gear with some Tiger gear and PvP amulets etc. to improve crit rating.
PvP shields are great, even for general solo PvE. Getting the right sword for the job is a matter of choice. PvP swords do not give enough strength boost (to my mind), but give good PvP crit rating. However, using a purple DT PvE raid sword is also viable in PvE and PvP, owing to the good stats.
I have not raided much so my gear is mostly faction and PvP gear and PvP lvl 3 shield, with a lvl 3 PvP sword and a T1 DT raid sword.
Me Build: Jansensen, Gunderman fighter - Fury PvP
Notes on the build:
Desecration side:
Ritualistic Bloodshed:
The rationale behind these two points in this feat is that the DT Sadism counter provides the greatest benefit for these two measly points.
Further, with Rit Bloodshed, I can gain Sadism stack while soloing, and it is also useful if you are the only tank. (Sadism only stacks when others in the team are hit.)
10% magical health tap, 15% weapon damage increase and other buffs are just excellent for PvP, soloing (when you need that extra edge) and can be used to sustain your sadism stack in minis when two teams are not engaging.
Sadistic soul buff (uses sadism stack to pulse AoE damage) is actually useful without a team by having this feat, and pulses for about 500 damage with 10 stacks.
The AA feat Veteran increases the duration of your stack, which is handy, and another AA feat increases the damage for stacks 6 and higher.
Rit Bloodshed use must be micro managed, alongside soul barrier, and you will often have a nice stack going only to have it fall over when you do not have mana left.
You can choose to forgo soul barrier if you have good gear, or to micro manage soul barrier to maintain mana. You need about 500-700 mana available to maintain a full sadism stack against the cumulative mana penalty from Rit Bloodshed. Similar mana cost at full stack as Dark Hand.
One note is that Sadism stack may make you lazy to use lifeleech and aSfoF, owing to good tapping values, but you will lose these when your stack collapses. Thus, if used with Lleech and aSfoF, it makes DT very tough in solo PvE.
I wouldn't exchange these two points for two points in desecrated blood to boost BfAid combo crit rating by 5%. Can just use Tiger gear, but remember tiger gear does not have strength boost, only constitution.
Talisman mastery:
I have not selected talisman mastery feats at all because shields give good bonuses and I wanted a standard build that would give me more survivability, hence no talisman.
And I like my shields.
Tali DTs are very viable and brutal fun, but need quite a high degree of skill (for me) to be effective. I like to just go in swinging and use procs and melee hits to do my damage. Personal choice.
I don't use talis, But I do have a number of talis in my inventory, when I am feeling cocky.
Dark burden:
I found this a must to catch clothies and casters. Handy for when they think they can flee. Second point a must to make useful in PvP.
Covenant of Arms:
I use this as my standard covenant buff. I switch this to Covenant of invulnerability when taking spell damage.
Improved Dread Fury:
I like this feat, not because of the damage bonus, which is not much, but rather the 2,5% magical damage tap value boost it gives. With Cabalistic hunger, this value sits passively at 5%.
I use Improved Dread Fury as an alternative to get to higher tier desecration feats without selecting talisman mastery feats (wasted if I use my shield).
Devouring blood frenzy
The value of health gained from this feat is too small and it is not really worth it.
Dooming presence:
I love this feat. One point for a great AoE fear combo that hits hard. It is an end-tier desecration feat, for those who complain it is OP, and easily comparable to other classes’ end-tier feats (BS for e.g.).
Depravity
I don’t use seal of chaos. It is a tanking build must. I used to use it, but changed my PvP/solo build and now rather focus solely on increasing my passive and active tap values from all sources. That is why I have no points in the crystal ether or consuming bulwark feats that affect seal of chaos.
This means I can just concentrate on outputting combos without having a gazzilion buttons for all my abilities.
I used to use dark hand, but the conflict between me using soul barrier and Reaper of Malacdor and then the mana needed for DHand made me reassess my use of mana.
With my pact of Malacdor and soul barrier (which I switch on and off as needed), I would rather conserve my mana to generate crit procs for VoM from my pacts than to have DHand healing spell.
Side note: Non-soul barrier build .
If you choose to forgo soul barrier, with good gear, you can also place these points into Hex-marked soul and filling out the dissipate ether feat to get more mana from ether reap.
This makes the Rit bloodshed sadism stack much easier to maintain.
Hex-marked soul:
I have not taken this one point feat, but it is very useful when tanking or fighting a caster. 8 seconds of awesome magical protection.
I am conflicted, but I don’t use it because I have focused on Cov Invulnerability.
Invulnerable soul / Covenant of invulnerability:
This is a good DT feat, even after the nerf last year. Gives good protection. The crit boost after using Seal of Yog is useful in most fights, especially PvP minis where spells fly and you can wade into the thick of the action, cast the Seal and still do good damage even without your Covenant of Arms running.
Cabalistic hunger:
I like this feat owing to the 2,5% passive increase to magical damage tap values (with Improved DF is 5%).
The Zone of Gluttony boosts magical health tap values to good levels, making the DT very tough in a static fight, with VoM running high from procs, if you are toe-to-toe with another player or just doing solo PvE or tanking (this is not a tanking build) easier instances.
I use this feat, but you can change it to DHand, if you prefer to use spells. I prefer the increased tap values.
Vile gluttony:
A useful feat to trigger VoM, but is static. It is affected by DT’s AoDF, but still deals minimal damage. No real benefit except to trigger VoM.
I don’t use it.
Mind shatter:
I would argue a must for PvP DTs as a second, and better, AoE stun when DT is crowded or while mind wrack cone stun is on cool down and you really need a stun.
Drain strength:
I like this feat, as it reduces enemy damage, but I had to choose between this and Mind shatter, and I really need a second stun, especially in minis.
I don’t use it.
And that is my rationale behind my build.
Sword + shield, good buff variety for different situations, few spells and abilities, more passive bonuses and high tapping values.
I have tried to make it so that the DT can focus on keeping his fingers on the combo buttons, while increasing all unholy damage (without using a tali) and then increasing the taps from physical and magical damage.
I use this build to try to reinforce the type of DT gameplay that I enjoy, meaning tapping life off my damage, focusing on chaining combos, toe-to-toe fighting, charging in without thought.
This also why I focused on solid tanking gear in the form of LL prot gear. 1/2 of classes use spells for damage and, owing to ranged spells, I felt I needed more protection.
I use the LL crit gear head and legs, crit on weapons, and crit from shields to maintain a sufficient crit value.
Rit Bloodshed for my sadism stack is useful, but requires a bit of micro management.
With this build, beside your soul barrier, it is pretty much the only thing you have to micromanage.
In PvP, I have found that this is tough enough and useful against all classes. Use those stuns and dark burden and good damage output to quickly make them hesitate for another engagement with you.
For open world PvP, I can change one buff, covenant Arms to Cov Invul depending on the type of damage opponent deals, and then jump straight to fighting.
Seal of Chaos variation
Please comment or criticise.
P.S. (my second PvE tanking only build, just for interest)
I don’t use it much, except in raids and Khitai dungeons. Not very polished tanking build either. I be nooby tanky.
Stances and combos for PvP and PvE
I always run around in normal stance. I usually only go into frenzy to finish a fight I am winning or when I am not being targeted in minis or when I stun a player who has already used anti-CC. I quickly change back to normal by selecting frenzy again.
Build has no specific benefits to frenzy or defensive and, with good enough gear, you don’t need the 7% bonus to mitigation and rather need the 10% more damage you get from not using defensive stance.
Combo addendum:
I use Sweep for a quick AoE combo to gain crits for VoM if mobbed. I use Slam as a very quick little combo if I want to try to proc PoMalacdor and other unholy damages. Useful to try for crit for VoM.
I also use quick, single-direction archetype DoT combos as well. I don’t use the non-DoT archetype combos as DT class combos hit same directions and do much more damage.
In PvE, I generally use the highest-level combos, LL5, Unhallowed blight3, aSfoF4, BfA4 (yes, not 3-direction 5), mystic bane 4 and 5, and then DoT archetype combos that hit from top when shields are on the sides.
In PvP, I tend to use single-direction combos of lower levels, LL2&3, aSfoF3, mystic banes2&3, BfA4 (more nimble than BfA5), UB3 and archetype DoT combos.
