Best Solo Tactician Builds?

[daveyfunk]

I'm not talking end game as there are many options when you reach end game, but what do people feel is the best solo build from start to finish?

I'm thinking contenders would be...

Gloomstalker variant
Warlock variant with darkness - Sorlock or Lockadin
Cleric variant with mix of wizard or sorc - possibly ice/lightning variant with wet
Monk variant
Necro wizard...although I feel you'd get wiped early

What do people think is strong throughout the game?

Edit: I'll add votes for builds/classes here

Bard 3
Gloomstalker 2
(playthrough video from Youtuber "Baldurs Gate 2" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75xaMVQVIx0)
TB Monk 5
Warlock/Darkness variant 1
Sorcadin 1
Champion/Berserker/Thief 1
Barb 1
Lockadin 1
Spore Druid 1

[Mander]

Originally posted by daveyfunk:

Originally posted by Mander:

Another possible choice I am toying with on paper, is an archfey warlock with pact of the sword. An archfey warlock can only be attacked once per turn after level 6, thanks to misty escape.
Use pact of the sword to find the biggest weapon you can and have proficiency on it (I would suggest Sussur Greatsword Asap for the further debuff with silence, to transition in ACT III to the sword of chaos ).
I would use these eldritch pacts:

Agonizing Blast
Repelling Blast
Beast Speech
Fiendish Vigor
Otherwordly Leap
Lifedrinker

And would focus on spells with crowd control. Add 2 ability improvement AND great weapon master as feats.

Add Potent Robe, Bonespike Gloves and Boots and Pearl of Power Amulet to do:
1) Augmented damage on eldritch blast
2) Double melee attacks each turn (Plus Great Weapon Master)
3) Can only be attacked once per turn thanks to misty escape (+ superior mobility)
4) With the bonespike boots and gauntlets, you can put a character prone and your attacks ignore physical resistance.
5) You control the field with CC, to better kill them in melee.
6) With eldritch blast + repelling, everything you can’t kill this turn, you send back.

Other than massive bosses with a fckton of life points, I’m having a hard time imagining a “hard counter” with this setup.

Sounds interesting. I'd maybe suggest a change of choosing devils sight in place of repelling blast and using darkness. That's OP in itself and if you're going for a melee based build it pairs perfectly and makes you OP from start to finish. You get adavantage on enemies outside of the darkness with EB but I think this could be a glitch though. I wouldn't see the benefit of going further than level 6 with Archfey? So many routes you can go down with the other 6 levels - Paladin , 2 fighter for action surge, 6 levels fighter for 2 feats and fighter subclass, sorc, bard

Mmhhh... good idea.
But I would switch devil sight instead of fiendish vigor and use a drow for darkness as a racial ability. With the amount of CC spells an archfey warlock can learn, the combo you pointed out is potent, but there is no need to spam it: you can focus on CC via spells and find there too powerful combos (guaranteed crits with hold person / hold monster for starter)
And I suggested full warlock because not all eldritch invocations are unlocked at the same time: lifedrinker is unlocked only at level 12, but the benefit it brings is hard to ignore. Adding your charisma modifier to the damage you deal can make a lot of difference…
Also, at level 6, you can only dip in 3 eldritch invocations… a little too constraining, for my tastes.

[daveyfunk]

Originally posted by Mander:

Originally posted by daveyfunk:

Sounds interesting. I'd maybe suggest a change of choosing devils sight in place of repelling blast and using darkness. That's OP in itself and if you're going for a melee based build it pairs perfectly and makes you OP from start to finish. You get adavantage on enemies outside of the darkness with EB but I think this could be a glitch though. I wouldn't see the benefit of going further than level 6 with Archfey? So many routes you can go down with the other 6 levels - Paladin , 2 fighter for action surge, 6 levels fighter for 2 feats and fighter subclass, sorc, bard

Mmhhh... good idea.
But I would switch devil sight instead of fiendish vigor and use a drow for darkness as a racial ability. With the amount of CC spells an archfey warlock can learn, the combo you pointed out is potent, but there is no need to spam it: you can focus on CC via spells and find there too powerful combos (guaranteed crits with hold person / hold monster for starter)
And I suggested full warlock because not all eldritch invocations are unlocked at the same time: lifedrinker is unlocked only at level 12, but the benefit it brings is hard to ignore. Adding your charisma modifier to the damage you deal can make a lot of difference…
Also, at level 6, you can only dip in 3 eldritch invocations… a little too constraining, for my tastes.

I only just thought centring your build around CC the arcane affinity equipment would really make it OP. Warlock has hold person and hold monster and so you'd build up your spell DC with each weapon attack and no enemy would be able to resist your CC with that (+7 additional to your spell DC). You'd essentially whack away to damage and build up your spell DC and then can lock enemies out of combat

EDIT: Arcane Acuity