Eldritch Knight is Unplayable

[Seyton]

Without EKs core cantrips like Green-Flame Blade, Shadow Blade and Booming Blade, the entire subclass is entirely useless. Its like releasing Wizard and not having Magic Missile or druids without wild shapes.

And while I know mods can add in cantrips, they are all largely buggy and unreliable.

Surely it would not be insurmountable to fix an entire subclass by releasing a few cantrips which necessarily need to be in the game for it to work.

[Xanshi]

Originally posted by Revan619:

Originally posted by Xanshi:

There are multiple different items that give you haste, there are scrolls, there are multiple different items that give you misty step, you dont need heavy armour on a caster at all and even then if you are really bad at making a correct build then you can use raphael's heavy armour as it doesnt require proficiency.

Jack of all trades tend to be bad. You have four people. Try separating rolls rather than having everyone awful at doing a little bit of everything.

You kinda miss my point. I just pointed out some examples why spells can be useful on fighter. They are valid reason why people chose to build their character that way.

[Ranpo]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Seyton:

Its like releasing Wizard and not having Magic Missile or druids without wild shapes.

Wild Shape sucks, even as a Moon Druid. It's only good for early game (levels 2-4), then its viability begins to drop off hard. Only reason it's useful in BG3 is because Larian homebrewed being able to transform into an Owlbear.

Meh its ok, could be a lifesaver if your caster druid is low on health, just wildshape.

[Isseus]

Oh, you mean like Arcane Trickster that doesn't have Mage Hand Legerdemain? Because the AT Mage Hand is 1/short rest combat summon that you can't pick locks or disarm traps with.

[steelcoresoviet]

Post level 5 it's stictly better to multiattack than to use any of those cantrips.

You do lose out on booming blade etc on AO with war caster, but that's a rare case.
I personally do not find the EK lacking.

[Silyon]

My first run was as a straight Eldritch Knight. No multiclass so should have had peak potential. To say I was underwhelmed was an understatement, and that was due almost entirely to spell selection and War Caster only letting you use Shocking Grasp on reactions. Only having level 2 spells for the majority of the game is simply not that impressive, especially when the best ones you can take are Shield (unnecessary b/c Heavy Armor exists and you can get Adamant Splint so early), and Misty Step.

But this is also me coming from Pathfinder, where Eldritch Scion was boss. ymmv

[wendigo211]

I wouldn't say it's useless, but it's definitely the weakest of the Fighter specs. If you want a Fighter/Mage in this game make a Sword Bard 6/Wizard 6. You have:

• The same spell slots as a level 12 Wizard and can learn all your spells with scrolls.
  
• Extra attack/action from Sword Bard 6
  
• Medium armor proficiency
  
• Flourishes, which are similar to Battlemaster abilities.
  
• Fighting Style (although limited to duelling and two-weapon fighting)

It's basically a Bladesinger, which is what you play in 5e if you want a Fighter/Mage.

[OnlyOffensive]

why bard wizard and not sorc, i mean wizards are INT and both bard and sorc CHA

[Silyon]

Originally posted by OnlyOffensive:

why bard wizard and not sorc, i mean wizards are INT and both bard and sorc CHA

Sorc can't scribe scrolls.

[FunkyMonkey]

Originally posted by wendigo211:

I wouldn't say it's useless, but it's definitely the weakest of the Fighter specs. If you want a Fighter/Mage in this game make a Sword Bard 6/Wizard 6. You have:

• The same spell slots as a level 12 Wizard and can learn all your spells with scrolls.
  
• Extra attack/action from Sword Bard 6
  
• Medium armor proficiency
  
• Flourishes, which are similar to Battlemaster abilities.
  
• Fighting Style (although limited to duelling and two-weapon fighting)

It's basically a Bladesinger, which is what you play in 5e if you want a Fighter/Mage.

Champion better than Eldritch knight? What makes you say that?

[OnlyOffensive]

Originally posted by Silyon:

Originally posted by OnlyOffensive:

why bard wizard and not sorc, i mean wizards are INT and both bard and sorc CHA

Sorc can't scribe scrolls.

And wizard cant metamagic. Which is pretty insane too and works on bard spells aswell. I mean you get less spells, but more dmaage better DC. Who needs scribe scrolls when you can do twinned haste or stoneskin or do ranged heroism etc

[Agony_Aunt]

Originally posted by Seyton:

So up and to this point you've been playing a heavily gimped fighter

By the time you do EK 7 Wizard 3 its the end of Act 2, by the time you're 11/12 you've basically finished given how short Act 3 is.

Nothing gimped about fighter. Build as a fighter, and from the ogres pick up the headband of intellect for when you cross class into Wizard, which will be somewhere soon into Act 2.

You'll get to level 11 near the start of Act 3, assuming you didn't make it before then, and Act 3 is far from short if you do everything on offer there.

[Quillithe]

I haven't tried it, but I still feel like the best plan for an EK is to get that arcane acuity helm and an off-class control spell or two with the wizard picks (or eventually 1 lvl wizard?)

Swing around, hitting whoever you really want to disable, action surge and then they have disadvantage and you have massive DC.

Concentrating on a spell then (I think) draws more attacks to your heavily armored fighter, and he has proficiency on con saves (and possibly war caster with all the feats AND Indomitable) so you probably won't break concentration anyway.

Of course it's probably still weaker than Battle Master since enemies don't pick up their weapons again and just try to punch you, but that's not really EK's fault.

[Silyon]

Originally posted by OnlyOffensive:

Originally posted by Silyon:

Sorc can't scribe scrolls.

And wizard cant metamagic. Which is pretty insane too and works on bard spells aswell. I mean you get less spells, but more dmaage better DC. Who needs scribe scrolls when you can do twinned haste or stoneskin or do ranged heroism etc

Wizards get non-metamagic boons from their school specializations as well, many of which are as good as if not better than Sorc metamagics. Having Evocation spells not hit friendlies at all is always amazing in cRPGs, especially ones with questionable pathfinding. Abjurationists get insane DR and can block hits on the tank or other squishy members. Necromancers heal off of damage dealt. See where I'm going?

Plus there's a few spell scrolls of otherwise unique spells you can find in Act three. Scribe them, you can use them forever after instead of just being one-shots. But otherwise, it's preference. I prefer Sorc myself.

[Dillon]

Originally posted by Ranpo:

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Wild Shape sucks, even as a Moon Druid. It's only good for early game (levels 2-4), then its viability begins to drop off hard. Only reason it's useful in BG3 is because Larian homebrewed being able to transform into an Owlbear.

Meh its ok, could be a lifesaver if your caster druid is low on health, just wildshape.

Calling 5E's iteration of wild-shape bad is just not an opinion I can agree with.

It's one of the most powerful and versatile mechanics in the entire system; it was broken before they buffed it. The ability to give yourself hundreds of free hp as a bonus action and still match attacks per round with a fighter is absurd. And that's before you get the myrmidons and things start getting really crazy.

Are you sure you're thinking of the same system? Moon druid was universally considered broken in tabletop too; the owlbear is just extra gravy.

[Aria Athena]

Originally posted by Quillithe:

Of course it's probably still weaker than Battle Master since enemies don't pick up their weapons again and just try to punch you, but that's not really EK's fault.

They don't? I always assumed they would, so after disarming them I was picking it up myself.