Usable TD on an Endgame Xbow user?+ Xbows for Bosses

[Khurse]

Hey All

Well much to my surprise I'm enjoying the hell out of Xbow Articifer .
Did pure 20, not trying a 16/4 split in order to keep Reconstruct and Deadly Weapons.

But- I really liked TD for leveling, but wasn't able to get the DC very high (think my best attempt was about 98/99) to work even remotely well for mid reaper endgame.

Just curious if anyone has managed to get it into the DC 120 +/- range without Xbow DPS taking a hit.

Second question, currently using a Dino Repeater with the freezing thing, mostly solo so it works great for helping keep the trash in it's place.
Obviously doesn't work well for bosses though

So I'm making another Xbow, but was wondering- given the pause of Fusilade with a repeater, would it make more sense to make a Great Xbow for Boss Killing?
(Obviously won't have the Mechanic stuff that makes them so good)
Probably a SQ , but I've ignored Xbows for 15+ years , so not sure what's better than what.

Thanks!

 

[Asterphen]

I ran the R-O-B-O-T and I felt I had my TD effectiveness was ok, not good, and certainly not great. I was running with an 85 intelligence, and an evocation DC of 90. @Zvdegor runs with a DC of 103 for TD from his thread. I was missing curse bonus to int, 2 int from reaper helmet, 2 int from heroic completionist, 2 int points from gnome and drow racial past lives, 2 int from racial completionist, 3 quality int, 3 esoterica DC bonus, ring reaper boost to spell dc, so I know I have lots of room to grow for when I get back to the build again. I calculated that I can increase my int another 12 points, and my evocation dc another 10, but I am sure how to get much further after that. I also would be curious as to whether anyone is running with a DC over 110 and how they get it there. I would be curious as to how much difference it is running with a DC of 120 instead of 103. I know more DC is better, but how much better? I have seen the posts with DC casters of sorc and wizards with very high DCs, but I am curious as to whether an arty can pull of an evocation DC of 120.

 

[Asterphen]

I just read Heph's two builds real quick. It looks like the builds have evocatio DC of 110 and 115. So clearly evocation dcs higher than 105 are possible, but without a detailed list of the Int and DC sources, it might be hard to figure out the differences.

 

[Zvdegor]

Dont forget my build is a melee build so I did not take dc feats for evocation. IMO 95-105 Evocation DC is the limit what you can reach without any tradeoffs in your build. Above that you have to specialise yourself for Evo dc. (also you have to have Completionist heroic and racial)

but here are some of the sources you can use to push dc:

Feats

• spell focus +1dc
• greater spell focus +1dc
• epic spell focus
• spell spcialty +3dc (yes it is officially stacks comfirmed by devs)
• Arcane Initiate PL feat +1dc
• Embolden +2 dc
• Scion of Air, Earth, Feywild, or Shadowfell +4/+2 dc
• Sorcerer PL x3 for a +3 dc/life (only evocation)

these gives you +14-16 dc

Buffs

• Ship buffs (+2 stat and +1 DC amenities)
• Yugo pot (75 Yugo favor to unlock vendor)
• Stacking (Remnant turn-in potion)

My gearset is also optimized for melee playstyle so there can be made a few tradeoffs too

What you can do is max your Intelligence

• 20 base froma race
• levelups
• +8 tome
• feat bonus (Racial PL and Great Ability)
• Enhancement tree bonuses
• Epic Destiny tree bonuses
• gear ( Enhancement bonus, Exceptional bonus, Insighftful bonus, Quality bonus, Artifact bonus, Profane bonus and Alchemical bonus)
• and there are Festive bonus, Reaper helmet bonus and +2 bard song (which is competence bonus so not always stacks)

Gear

• Equipment bonus to dc
• Insight bonus to dc
• Quality bonus to dc
• Artifact bonus to dc
• GH augment +2dc
• Sacred bonus
• Filigree bonuses

and there are still some temporary ability and dc buffs you can use to increase even more your dc.

Hope it helps!

 

[Zvdegor]

A.:
IoD Evocation +6 augment + ML24 Gianthold +2 Evo Augment + MD insightfull spell focus mastery +3 spell DC ring (dropped by rares in wilderness) +Lunar +3 Spell dc and Solar +3 spell dc = +17 Evocation Spell dc

B.:
or Legendary Goggles of Dusk (slotted the ML 24 GH aug for a +2 stacking dc)

I made a new melee gearset and using oprion "A" at the moment. I believe on a range gearset it works similar compared to melee set.
Your items have stats for your range playstyle so have to slot spell dc as augments. The quality stat ring is very nice to have and eazy to farm rares at MD wilderness.

for +1 Evo dc you can curse your items and if you lucky enough yo'll get it.
push your Int as high as you can for more dc. (somewhere between 80-90)

Vecna or IOD 3 piece set +IOD artifact or MD ring Artifact + 4-6 MD items + fillers for preference and you have plenty of augment slots