Dlorak's Brute build.

[Dlorak]

Why you should use the brute:
I've been running this build and set the record for earliest boss kills with it... proof!
http://www.questrpg.org/top25/top10BossKillers_TrainedBrute.html
http://www.questrpg.org/top25/top10BossKillers_EvilCat.html

The idea is to pour into STR (+4.6/level before equip!!) then walk the hit-line. Always JUST be able to hit your foes, do as much damage as possible and use DEF's HP and dodging abilities to score some extra damage reduction so you can wail away for longer than most.

This is a PvE build.

Advantages:
- Huge HP means fighting further from town.
- Hit for consistently solid damage.
- dodge 20% + consistently.
- almost always fight over your rqrLvl!
- tweaked for bosses.
- not locked into one weapon type.
- simple, relatively small variance combat.

Disadvantages:
- no massive damage from crits or big skills.
- no skill points for heals.
- High potion consumption.
- Huge DEF players will still dodge you, too.
- demand for your equipment is high.


The stat build:
3STR
2DEF

I wouldn't sacrifice strength for anything. Your damage is too important.
Your DEF is critical too, but you can sacrifice a tiny amount and put it into FOC if your hit rates start getting too problematic.

skills:
1 CONTACT (+2FOC on hit rolls)
0.6 BRUTE  (+1STR +1DEF -1FOC -1INT)
0.4 QUICK FEET (+1.5DEF on dodge rolls)

1.0 brute is too much. The full investment in contact still causes you to miss sometimes vs the big def monsters, and giving up too too much FOC starts to cause troubles.

grinding style:
- use "attack" on as many of your quickbar slots as it takes to finish a single battle. Press that hotkey. Presto! dead foe!
- heal with potions out of combat.
- ideally, you will be so incredibily equiped (yeah, right) you'll be fighting where you get (yourLevel+5) itemLvlRqr drops and only lose 40-80% of your HP.
- Don't tempt fate and go to far. I'm first on the death-list (http://www.questrpg.org/top25/top10deaths.html) because I tried to go too far too soon. The rare fight where you go under 20% HP is okay, but don't make a habit of anything less than 20% remaining. You WILL die

Equipment:
- keep your DEF up. Essential or you will stop dodging as much as is required to stay out ahead of your foes.
- HP, although it will give you extended fighting distance can't be too much of your mods. Being dodgey will be better on your wallet and extend your distance about the same amount. Leave huge HP to the mages with holy skill.
- STR is always good.
- FOC helps, but don't over do it or your contact will be wasted. I try to get +0 FOC so my character doesnt get 'addicted' to a big FOC mod for hit rates.

[fingolfin]

While I don't mind your build at all, I do disagree with this-

Why you should use the brute:
I've been running this build and set the record for earliest boss kills with it... proof!
http://www.questrpg.org/top25/top10BossKillers_TrainedBrute.html
http://www.questrpg.org/top25/top10BossKillers_EvilCat.html

Boss fight are not a good judge of the success of a build. The people at the top of the lvl list fight on the edge of the rubber band as Dlorak likes to say, which means they must find their own gear, usually below their lvl. The slower leveling folk get the benefit of hand me downs from those higher lvl players. This allows players to continually have strong gear right at their current lvl, a luxury the higher level players are not afforded. Once you get near the top you lose the ability to purchase gear from people significantly higher then you, as there are none. The high level people will be the first to beat the bosses yet their, lets call them little brothers, will attempt to move in and steal the show. There are other ways to prove how successful a build is, boss fights is not one of them 

[Dlorak]

pfff jealous much?   
(yeah it is a totally valid point though).

[fingolfin]

Yes, yes I am

[Acdc]

dude i have done thsi build from the start its great in the begining and dude u barely beat my record i had no shoulders or and yogs sigil and now......its horribly slow i can fight mobs 40lvls higher then me but i have 16000health i get 4-7fights in per health bar most of the time 4 cause i seem to get lots of mobs with high def who match mine -.- but im fighting mobs 40lvls higher then me and im getting .5exp and im only lvl 205 its slow going <.< wait did u beat my evil cat to >.>

[Acdc]

:O cheater <.<

* Acdc pee's in dlors hat

[Dlorak]

dude i have done thsi build from the start its great in the begining

im fighting mobs 40lvls higher then me and im getting .5exp and im only lvl 205 its slow going.

hmm yeah. In the long run this build might have to respec once %-based attacks (from the weapon skill trees) start to pay off. I think it might get a little weak after 200... I think a respec make sense somewhere between 200 and 300, but I haven't crunched the numbers.

dude u barely beat my record i had no shoulders or and yogs sigil and now......

wait did u beat my evil cat to >.>

No shoulders?? No wonder I got ahead.
I beat evil cat with plenty of potions, and even more luck.

[fingolfin]

plenty of potions? I thought we could only use one potion

[Dlorak]

i used a whole potion every try... 250k of juice doesnt go as far as you'd think vs that stupid cat.

[Acdc]

it does if u put enough into quickfeet when i healed almost everyother time i would dodge 3/4 attacks and gain 1500hp and thats enough to attack again and repeat

[Acdc]

ok so i figured out what to do at higher lvls with this build when the cheeper respecs were put in i tryed a couple things what seems to work best is half ur lvl in contact 100holy seems to be fine and ur lvl weapon skill and its easy going i went from fighting mobs 40-50lvls above me to fighting mobs 100lvls above >.>

[Helios]

Acdc is right because you may be able to kill bosses at lower level with the build 3 str and 2 def, but my bro Zero killed the Evil Cat and Trained Brute at 130 i believe,and he uses 3 def and 2 str plus he doesn't use brute, therefore it makes a slight difference if it makes a difference at all  ;P

[Reaper09]

I agree with Dlorak. I do Precision and Brute every skill point that i had. It works great(for fighters). Well, ya, I know, Quick Feet is good too(but i don't use it). I even went to the witch to get my stats reset(even know it was 22k, but that's not the point). But I 1 billion % agree with Dlorak!

[hoya999]

lol what did u do reaper, decide to go through every post in the last 3 months or more (since the last post on this thread was over 3 months old when u added to it) and decide to post on the ones that interested u like they were current threads? all the threads ive seen today except for the last post wins thread have had u as the last poster, and a lot of them were replies over a month after the last post lol.

[Ice]

I've been doing a very similar build, doing 1 brute per level. My damage is very consistent I can fight monsters higher than me. This build seems to excel on fighting mobs about 80% of your level, I have to pot perhaps once per 20fights I make 10% exp per min at level 200+ (stayed the same way from 100-216 so far) and my money income is massive.

[TenaciousD]

Ok I've been a 3str/2def build since the reset and finally decided to respec and try out dlorak's build. The first 50 levels I did 3str/1def/1foc but have been 3str/2def since.

First off, yeah I dodged a lot, but I had to drop back quite a ways from where I was fighting. Damage output stunk, no healing, it was a very slow grind.

So here is my skill point build with a 3str/2def I used before and respec'd back to, I fight much farther out, don't spend a ton on pots and train faster, still getting .5/.6 a fight at level 268.

1/level: weapon skill. Yes this means you respec when you change weapons. The ONLY downside to this build.
Contact: you want to raise your contact 25 points every 75 levels, or .33 per level. I just do it at the beginning of every new 75 levels.
Holy: same as Contact.
All other points left: Brute

so far this build is cherry for pure str, i use kraken eyes pots, heal outside of battle with holy and use the pots for mp refills. This may fizzle out at higher levels but it is gold right now for me.

Enjoy!