Feylock: The Reaper's Bane

[Epicsoul]

U67 Feylock: The Reaper's Bane

First and foremost, thanks to my friend and guild mate Ying for the many nights of optimization discussions and for developing the build guide. Also, thanks for field testing with me by duoing every R10 in the game with this passion project.​

Warlocks are a fun and versatile class in DDO, offering a unique playstyle that combines powerful attacks with strategic decision-making. The intrinsic Eldritch Blast, with its various shapes, serves as an all-in-one attack mechanism that lends itself to an enjoyable experience. The limited spell slots force players to make tough but rewarding choices. Additionally, the thematic Pacts adds a layer of flavor and customization, while the high spell critical damage from Tainted Scholar makes Warlock's DPS workable in higher content.

But as much as I love the Warlock, the recent nerfs to DPS casters begs the question, can a Warlock still be good at cap? My answer--hell yes: Feylock Build Guide

Edit: Updated Build Guide

Purpose of the Build
With the nerf to Dragon Breath, this build reimagines Warlock. It aims to maximize the potential of the Warlock class in the existing DDO environment. While Warlock may not be considered ‘meta’, it can still perform solidly when built correctly. This build excels in crowd control and provides steady, reliable damage to tackle enemies effectively. By incorporating healing, instakills, and utility spells, this build becomes a formidable force, particularly in Reaper 10 content. This build takes full advantage of available past lives and synergizes various abilities and destinies to create a well-rounded and powerful Warlock capable of excelling in high-level content.

Build Highlights
Pact Choice: Fey Pact

• The limited number of sonic-immune or resistant mobs makes the Fey Pact a strong choice. The Fey Pact's abilities complement the build’s focus on crowd control and damage.

Race Selection: Tabaxi

• Run Speed: Enhances mobility, addressing one of Warlock’s weaknesses.
• Deflect Arrows: Incredibly useful defensive capability for casters.
• Evasion in Racial Tree: Allows the build to forego the Shadowdancer destiny, freeing up options for other destinies.

Main Destiny: Shiradi Champion

• Reason: Although unconventional, Shiradi Champion synergizes well with this build. - Fey Lights and the Mantle enhance the build’s effectiveness, providing strong utility and crowd control.
• Fey Lights: Adds a damage and strong crowd control Epic Strike.
• Nerve Venom: Additional crowd control that procs often from Eldritch Blast.

Supporting Destinies:

• Fatesinger: Provides bonuses to sonic damage.
• Primal Avatar: Adds valuable utility, including healing SLAs.

Build preview video:

If you have questions or find an error, you can contact us on Discord: Epicsoul (Epicsoul#3214) or Ying (.korshay). None of us is as smart as all of us.

 

[ashou]

Very cool, thanks for posting, I've got 2 Tabaxi lives to knock out and will try your build!

 

[Ying]

It's been fun to play, even with Evard's Black Tentacles killing us more than Doom Reapers have.

The Shiradi Champion Mass Chaos epic moment needs work. The charm duration scales in R10 so it only lasts ~4 seconds. And it has a spell pen check, which no other epic moment has. So at the moment, it's effectively useless. But Nerve Venom is good enough to stay in T5 Shiradi compared to other options.

Fey Lights epic strike damage is underwhelming, even with the testing I did with Maximize, Empower and Intensify which aren't part of the recommended build. But the crowd control it offers is solid, so we lean solely on Eldritch Blast damage. The T4 Fey Lights upgrade needs to also increase the damage done.

We've got some ideas that need testing about how the build will get updated with two more levels from Myth Drannor. We'll share those once we know more Myth Drannor details. The gear likely won't change until the MD raid loot is known. We did evaluate Eladrin Chaos Mage (the iconic) as a possible race, which would require a Lesser Heart +1. Right now, the AP cost in the tree is too high and the T4 spring spell doesn't strip sonic resistance/immunity. So unless those change, it's going to remain Tabaxi in the future.

 

[Ying]

We added it to the build, but it'll probably be overlooked given how much info is included:

The 5% universal insightful spell crit chance from the Pomura's Momento augment does not stack with the insightful radiance crit chance from the Resplendent Fury. Considering all other universal spell crit sources stack with specific spell crit chance sources, this is a bug. And it's lame.

 

[Fisto Mk I]

008 Filigree - Eye of the Beholder/The Inevitable Grave (rare)
008 Filigree - Eye of the Beholder/The Inevitable Grave (rare)

02 Filigree - Eye of the Beholder/The Inevitable Grave (rare)
02 Filigree - Eye of the Beholder/The Inevitable Grave (rare)

I see only one copy this filigree in your build...

The 5% universal insightful spell crit chance from the Pomura's Momento augment does not stack with the insightful radiance crit chance from the Resplendent Fury. Considering all other universal spell crit sources stack with specific spell crit chance sources, this is a bug. And it's lame.

Seems Pomura's Memento really provide Potency chance, not universal... and it can be wai, unfortunately. Some old stuff, marked as provided USP, provide Potency really irc.

 

[PraetorPlato]

We added it to the build, but it'll probably be overlooked given how much info is included:

The 5% universal insightful spell crit chance from the Pomura's Momento augment does not stack with the insightful radiance crit chance from the Resplendent Fury. Considering all other universal spell crit sources stack with specific spell crit chance sources, this is a bug. And it's lame.

I think this is technically WAI. Pomura's isn't 5 universal spell crit chance, it's "Insightful Spell Lore V," or "5% insightful spell critical chance." In other words, it's the potency-equivalent of insightful spell crit chance—5% insightful to each typed lore. On full items, the effect reads "all of your spells gain a 5% insight bonus to their chance to critically hit", which is admittedly ambiguous, but leans towards potency. It's also pretty clearly meant to be almost, but not quite, as good as elemental crits—9+5% vs 13%. I agree it could probably be changed to be fully stacking to help alignment casters, but I think this is WAI as is.

 

[Ying]

I think this is technically WAI. Pomura's isn't 5 universal spell crit chance, it's "Insightful Spell Lore V," or "5% insightful spell critical chance." In other words, it's the potency-equivalent of insightful spell crit chance—5% insightful to each typed lore. On full items, the effect reads "all of your spells gain a 5% insight bonus to their chance to critically hit", which is admittedly ambiguous, but leans towards potency. It's also pretty clearly meant to be almost, but not quite, as good as elemental crits—9+5% vs 13%. I agree it could probably be changed to be fully stacking to help alignment casters, but I think this is WAI as is.

That's not how Artifact Spell Crit Chance works elsewhere. The universal Artifact Spell Crit Chance from 3pc bonuses stacks with specific Artifact <Element> Spell Crit Chance like the Fire/Ice/Acid/Lightning on the Chained Elementals set. Same goes for spellpower stacking.

 

[Ying]

I see only one copy this filigree in your build...

Fixed.

 

[Fisto Mk I]

Fixed.

Fixed in USP section, still 2 copy in INT section, so 48 Int, 106 Spellcraft. 8)

 

[PraetorPlato]

That's not how Artifact Spell Crit Chance works elsewhere. The universal Artifact Spell Crit Chance from 3pc bonuses stacks with specific Artifact <Element> Spell Crit Chance like the Fire/Ice/Acid/Lightning on the Chained Elementals set. Same goes for spellpower stacking.

Yeah, but I think the real bug is that the elder's set tooltip should read "Artifact Universal Spell Crit Chance" or "Artifact Universal Spell Lore" (instead of "Artifact Spell Crit Chance") to match the "Exceptional Universal Spell Lore" on items. Spellpower stacking is (for the most part) correctly called out as Universal when it's universal, and otherwise adds to each individual spellpower.

 

[EinarMal]

We did evaluate Eladrin Chaos Mage (the iconic) as a possible race, which would require a Lesser Heart +1. Right now, the AP cost in the tree is too high and the T4 spring spell doesn't strip sonic resistance/immunity. So unless those change, it's going to remain Tabaxi in the future.

I think if you went that route the idea would be to swap to cold, draconic/magus better single target damage ruin etc.. Entirely different build I guess.

 

[Ying]

Yeah, but I think the real bug is that the elder's set tooltip should read "Artifact Universal Spell Crit Chance" or "Artifact Universal Spell Lore" (instead of "Artifact Spell Crit Chance") to match the "Exceptional Universal Spell Lore" on items. Spellpower stacking is (for the most part) correctly called out as Universal when it's universal, and otherwise adds to each individual spellpower.

Ideally, yes, it would be labelled universal. But that's the thing about DDO: The only consistency is inconsistency.

I think if you went that route the idea would be to swap to cold, draconic/magus better single target damage ruin etc.. Entirely different build I guess.

The GRuin version is very different, and gearing for it right now is a complete nightmare. I ran that prior to U66. Cold sucks as a Warlock -- the spells are underwhelming and the mobs that are immune are annoying AF.

Fixed in USP section, still 2 copy in INT section, so 48 Int, 106 Spellcraft. 8)

Thanks, fixed.

 

[Epicsoul]

I think if you went that route the idea would be to swap to cold, draconic/magus better single target damage ruin etc.. Entirely different build I guess.

Entirely different build, yes. But, the element bypass in the T4 Iconic opens up some options for different Warlock builds.

 

[EinarMal]

Ideally, yes, it would be labelled universal. But that's the thing about DDO: The only consistency is inconsistency.


The GRuin version is very different, and gearing for it right now is a complete nightmare. I ran that prior to U66. Cold sucks as a Warlock -- the spells are underwhelming and the mobs that are immune are annoying AF.


Thanks, fixed.

That’s why I suggested for the iconic that can strip cold that would be a better combo than sonic.

 

[EinarMal]

Entirely different build, yes. But, the element bypass in the T4 Iconic opens up some options for different Warlock builds.

Yea not saying it’s better but if you wanted to go iconic it makes cold much more viable. I think the Magus strike is pretty solid if you go T4, with draconic as well should be pretty strong. Get to take advantage of frozen wanderer.

 

[seph1roth5]

It's been fun to play, even with Evard's Black Tentacles killing us more than Doom Reapers have.

The Shiradi Champion Mass Chaos epic moment needs work. The charm duration scales in R10 so it only lasts ~4 seconds. And it has a spell pen check, which no other epic moment has. So at the moment, it's effectively useless. But Nerve Venom is good enough to stay in T5 Shiradi compared to other options.

Fey Lights epic strike damage is underwhelming, even with the testing I did with Maximize, Empower and Intensify which aren't part of the recommended build. But the crowd control it offers is solid, so we lean solely on Eldritch Blast damage. The T4 Fey Lights upgrade needs to also increase the damage done.

We've got some ideas that need testing about how the build will get updated with two more levels from Myth Drannor. We'll share those once we know more Myth Drannor details. The gear likely won't change until the MD raid loot is known. We did evaluate Eladrin Chaos Mage (the iconic) as a possible race, which would require a Lesser Heart +1. Right now, the AP cost in the tree is too high and the T4 spring spell doesn't strip sonic resistance/immunity. So unless those change, it's going to remain Tabaxi in the future.

Did they change feylights to accept maximize/empower/etc.? I remember bugging them about it but when I tried it out after they added damage I wasn't able to add any damaging metas.

I'm just finishing up a fey/cone warlock on my main. I THINK I'm in shiradi some, but mainly in fatesinger for the sonic vulnerability and greater shout. None of the t5s in any tree were very exciting. If i were using aura it would be much easier to use cut the screens..

I honestly don't remember what epic strike I'm using lol. Don't forget machrotechnic either, that sonic hammer is pretty nice. OH, I'm using machro's epic strike. Too bad the mantle's meh, no offense at all.

 

[Epicsoul]

Did they change feylights to accept maximize/empower/etc.? I remember bugging them about it but when I tried it out after they added damage I wasn't able to add any damaging metas.

It currently does not on live servers, but it was working on the recent lamannia.

 

[Ying]

Yea not saying it’s better but if you wanted to go iconic it makes cold much more viable. I think the Magus strike is pretty solid if you go T4, with draconic as well should be pretty strong. Get to take advantage of frozen wanderer.

Magus is an excellent tree. Time Stop is the best epic moment in the game. But let's not forget that sonic has a unique 30% vulnerability in the Fatesinger tree. It's one of the reasons that we went fey pact with this build, to mitigate the nuker nerfs that have hit warlock more than other nukers. And the light/sonic gearset gets all the right bonuses, unlike the cold/force gearset.

The Eladrin iconic also suffers from AP costs that are too high. In order to get to the T4 Chaos Control II just so you don't zot yourself with a wild surge, it costs you 21 AP minimum. And that doesn't include 14 element you're leaving on the floor, and doesn't include the Fey Step or charges. If iconic AP costs get revisited, or the prereq chains get relaxed, then it will be more desirable to spend an LR+1 heart for the immunity strip T4.

Did they change feylights to accept maximize/empower/etc.? I remember bugging them about it but when I tried it out after they added damage I wasn't able to add any damaging metas.

I haven't checked on live. From Lam U68 preview 1:

Edit to add: I don't know why imbedded images from Discord keep breaking after a period of time, but I've added it back in for now.

 

[Ying]

You can join @Epicsoul and I on @Griglok (Karatemack)'s "Fixer Upper" show this Monday 8pm eastern on Twitch ddostream to discuss this build.

 

[Epicsoul]

Want to see the build in action? Here's a short video:

There are two deaths captured in this video, and both are due to a friendly fire bug from Evard's Black Tentacles. You can find more information about this annoying bug in this forum thread: https://forums.ddo.com/index.php?th...-queen-you-were-killed-by-misadventure.11752/