Trying out Duelist/Ranger Life/armour crit melee build

-EDIT-
New Duelist build (although starting as Ranger, can be used either as Ranger or Duelist)


I posted a build I WAS planning to make:
http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/456850/page/1/#p4041809

This is a melee build that has a tree balanced between offense and defense. Now I got some responses coming for experienced player (or so it seems).

They basically tell me that this kind of melee builds are not viable for end game and as a melee you are basically forced to go all defense and hope for some offense.

Do you realize that inexperienced players are probably not aware that melee defense (as in life and armor) in PoE's end game is broken. Typically a newbie that starts a melee character will balance defense and offense which is quite logical and supposed to be a wise idea.

Now in the end they will be punished for thinking in a logical way, because they did not choose to go full defense.

This really needs to be fixed, you REALLY need to revert the life nerf and actually buff it after doing so.
Also, I think your ideas on the armor mechanics don't make any sense. It works well against small hits but not against big hits. I read somewhere that the theory behind this is that armor is supposed to work against needles but not against thinks that hit like a truck.

COME ON: This is a fantasy game, if monsters hit like trucks why doesn't armor protect against trucks? The armor is magic for crying out loud!

As an inexperienced player you are supposed to play to learn.None can teach you.Consider your first character as a dead meat lategame,that happens to most of the people,not only in this game.
They will not buff HP again,that means to confess they did a terrible mistake.
They will not rework armor mechanics,because of no will or knowledge how to do that correctly.
Play it that way or leave it.

"

torturo wrote:

As an inexperienced player you are supposed to play to learn.None can teach you.Consider your first character as a dead meat lategame,that happens to most of the people,not only in this game.
They will not buff HP again,that means to confess they did a terrible mistake.
They will not rework armor mechanics,because of no will or knowledge how to do that correctly.
Play it that way or leave it.

great mentality for a game that advertises itself with a large amount of builds that you can play (going with what you just said it would mean to miss out 1/5 of the builds in this game
- life: melee | ranger / ES: melee | ranger | caster)

IMHO you can play a rather balanced character, BUT you have to learn which mechanics work the best:
-Endurance charges are a must for a melee char IMO, and they get even better with immortal call (short time immunity to physical damage)
-Life regen, life leech/life gain on hit are also more important tahn you would think as a nwe player
-Curses (Warlords mark gives you huge leech and endurance charges/Temporal chains greatly slows the mobs/Enfeeble makes a HUGE difference in damage (works great with armor))
-Totems (life regen or decoy totem are huge imrovements for survivability)
-Have a escape skill!!! (leap slam or whirling blades can work like a charm, if possible connect your GTFO skill with life gain on hit)
-If possible try to get the reduced crit damage nodes near the marauder
-Block chance is great as well (if you can get it)

I have a 2-handed sword duelist (who obviously can't block), and he can do maps without problems (maps of roughly his level!), since he compensates the lack of block with tons of armor and mobility (iron reflexes + granite flask with +100% to armor for good damage reduction; Leather and steel + movement speed boots + unwavering stance + leap slam to GTFO if needed). He uses the life regen totem and Warlords mark (and of course Enduring cry)
My duelist build: Link

And a Staff Templar (dual curses + good staff block) who i'm still working on. He has no problems so far in Act 3 merciless (i'll see later how he works in maps, but TBH i don't fear them at all).
the Templar build: Link
(i'll take the endurance charge nodes soon(as i said i'm still working on him), as well as more life and life leech; in terms of offence heis still missing Lava lash)

I personally would call both builds balanced.

"

torturo wrote:

As an inexperienced player you are supposed to play to learn.None can teach you.Consider your first character as a dead meat lategame,that happens to most of the people,not only in this game.
They will not buff HP again,that means to confess they did a terrible mistake.
They will not rework armor mechanics,because of no will or knowledge how to do that correctly.
Play it that way or leave it.

This is nonsense, you only have to learn stuff that is not obvious. Armor and life are obviously defensive stats, nobody should have to learn and find out it is broken and they should NOT pick armor and ALL life nodes they can possibly get.

"

Sony_Black wrote:

IMHO you can play a rather balanced character, BUT you have to learn which mechanics work the best:
-Endurance charges are a must for a melee char IMO, and they get even better with immortal call (short time immunity to physical damage)
-Life regen, life leech/life gain on hit are also more important tahn you would think as a nwe player
-Curses (Warlords mark gives you huge leech and endurance charges/Temporal chains greatly slows the mobs/Enfeeble makes a HUGE difference in damage (works great with armor))
-Totems (life regen or decoy totem are huge imrovements for survivability)
-Have a escape skill!!! (leap slam or whirling blades can work like a charm, if possible connect your GTFO skill with life gain on hit)
-If possible try to get the reduced crit damage nodes near the marauder
-Block chance is great as well (if you can get it)
.

I found this quite funny because I don't like Endurance charges and want to use Determination instead and I do not want to fully focus on life leech/regen but rather take some of that and use Vitality to support it.

Guess those alternatives are no alternatives after all.............

You either have to expand your effective life pool with life regen / life on hit / life leech (some combination of those + supporting passives)

Or prevent the loss of life while face tanking with temporary buffs like endurance charges and possibly immortal call.

You can possibly get by without temporary buffs or life leech/life regen by going close to capped shield block and soft capped evasion or huge amounts of armor, over capped resists, using a mix of long lasting and instant flasks to expand your EHP. Possibly a granite or resistance flask with +%evasion or +%armor(though this Is a temporary buff so I guess that is out). But I would hardly call such a character balanced...it is pretty much pure defense. And for sure eventually you are going to take a hit, possibly a few in a row, so a large starting life pool is a must.


I don't believe you are going to make a character that does very good damage that will just take hits on the chin innately, while neither using life regain from attacks nor any form of temporary buffs. You are going to have to use the buttons/skills provided to make your character strong.

"

Startkabels wrote:

This is nonsense, you only have to learn stuff that is not obvious. Armor and life are obviously defensive stats, nobody should have to learn and find out it is broken and they should NOT pick armor and ALL life nodes they can possibly get.

Yes,agree,it's nonsense.Can you change it?

"

TheShadowX wrote:

great mentality for a game that advertises itself with a large amount of builds that you can play (going with what you just said it would mean to miss out 1/5 of the builds in this game
- life: melee | ranger / ES: melee | ranger | caster)

Yes,he must play according to rules of broken mechanics and imbalance,that's what I said.What's so unclear?

"

torturo wrote:

"

Startkabels wrote:

This is nonsense, you only have to learn stuff that is not obvious. Armor and life are obviously defensive stats, nobody should have to learn and find out it is broken and they should NOT pick armor and ALL life nodes they can possibly get.

If everything is obvious for you and you know everything,I can't get why the fuck did you bother to open this thread.?Use your knowledge and make a vital and well balanced character.It is absolutely possible.

I did not say everything is obvious to me and I know everything, what I tried to tell you is that stats like armor and life should speak for themselves. That is also how they are supposed to be designed and even a child can understand that armor protects you and life keeps you living. Why should we learn about the fact that armor does NOT protect you and life ONLY keeps you living when picking all the life nodes possible?

And being forced to go full defense is not balanced.