Tips for new 2H Bloodrager?

[Flip]

Been awhile now since I played the game, first time was as an Azata Sylvan Sorc and was a blast (literally!) Want to try a Melee spec now and thinking Bloodrager looks good, thinking of 2H Glaive since they appear to be a dime a dozen in the game.

My main issue is that I remember when I hit Act IV with my sorc, all my martial characters, bows + Melee became useless as they couldn't hit a damn thing so had to switch over to magic characters due to very high AC of characters. So since I am going Melee focused this time I want to plan ahead for this so I don't run into the same issue.

Mythic not fixed yet, thinking Angel, Gold Dragon or Legend.

So any tips would be welcome! Thanks in advance and happy friday!

[The1Kobra]

Here's my tips on doing a Bloodrager:
I like going for the dragon bloodline and use the Steelblood archetype. This will allow you to use heavy armor and you get some AC from dragon. It won't help with hitting but it will make your character more tanky.
Despite the fact that it costs a BAB, I'd dip 4 levels of dragon disciple, the extra STR will help with your hitting power.
Dipping 1 level of demonslayer will give you +2 AB vs all demons, and there are a lot of them in Wrath.
If you're lawful good, dipping 2 levels of paladin will give you CHA to saves, which will help out a lot. Total build, you're looking at: 13/4/2/1 Steelblood/Dragon Disciple/Paladin/Demonslayer, or just 15/4/1 Steelblood/Dragon Disciple/Demonslayer

You get +3 AB from your bloodrage at L11 Bloodrager. Unfortunately you don't get Lethal stance as a bloodrager, otherwise you could get AB from that. You can cast true strike which can help vs the really high AC enemies, especially in combination with the vital strike feats.

Your other build options are:

Reformed Fiend instead of Steelblood. Requires you to go Tiefling, which isn't bad since there is a STR/CHA bloodline there (Pitborn, though it has an INT penalty). You miss out on the heavy armor and higher AC but they do get +1 AB per 5 levels vs evil while in a bloodrage, so that's another 3 AB.

You could opt for a Bloodrider as well. Getting an animal companion won't help vs high AC stuff but it can help in other cases. Could go 11/4/5 Bloodrider/Dragon Disciple/Demonslayer, 5 demonslayer means +4 on your favored enemy bonus vs demons and you can get a much wider animal companion selection.

Going for Shatter defenses can also help, but that relies on you being able to disable them. It can be a workable combination with dazzling display, though.

[corisai]

1) Supports for melee party. Bard/skald (!), cleric domains, paladin mark, arushae, probably freebooter and so on. Around end of Act3 your party would be able to hit anybody always with a few exceptions (bosses) if build properly.

2) As I understand - there is no bloodrager but Primalist. Everything else is very inferior.

3) Playing angel without lvl10 spells is a meh for me. Dragon is a meh on it's own (very weak). Legend would make your melee MC absolute beast (honestly here is a zero gain too as any proper unfair-viable melee build would already kill anybody in Act5 per a single full attack).

[Koveras]

Primalist. I'd grab the abyssal bloodline and the serpent bloodline. The serpent bloodline is particularly helpful because it increases your weapon's reach -- it can get pretty ridiculous if you're using enlarge or legendary proportions with a reach weapon AND the serpent bloodline...it practically turns your melee weapon into a ranged weapon. I wouldn't bother putting more than 10 points into charisma to start. You don't get more than level 4 spells by level 20, and you only get your first one at level 4 from what I recall. You can get charisma from hats or some such. You can also dip 4 into dragon disciple if you see fit for an extra bite attack (serpent bloodline has a bite attack as well) extra armor and strength.

[Flip]

Thank you all for the tips, very useful.

I am not looking to make the most powerful, I don't mind being less powerful if it's fun and dragons are fun. The Dragon/Steelblood sounds good to me.

I will only use Story Companions, not custom, I will only play on Normal so they will be fine.

But again the worry is about hitting things in Act IV. I cannot remember since it's been awhile but you can build a party around Shaken/Shatter to remove the Dex bonus to AC? Or a talent that basically gave shaken when you killed something or used Dazzling and then followed up with Shatter to give Flat Footed?

The bard would be great but since I am limiting myself to pre-made companions I don't believe there is a bard? Could one of them be multiclassed into one?

[corisai]

Originally posted by Flip:

I cannot remember since it's been awhile but you can build a party around Shaken/Shatter to remove the Dex bonus to AC?

You should have any Dazzing Display bot around Act 3 :) Your supports usually have nothing to do during combat (especially divine casters)...

Also it's VERY helpful to have a char capable target touch AC instead of full AC. Sword saint <3

Originally posted by Flip:

The bard would be great but since I am limiting myself to pre-made companions I don't believe there is a bard? Could one of them be multiclassed into one?

AFAIK usually Seelah is multiclassed into bard as her stats for paladin are ... mediocre. Loosing Smite Evil is not a big problem once you stacked other modifiers (domains, Arushalae could provide a party-wide buff against her favorite enemies too) and skald is simply awesome in all-melee party.

[Conquista]

does bloodrager rage stack with skald songs beside court poet

[Flip]

Seelah could be made into a passable skald you say?

[jutschi78]

Well, i would prefer a full skald, because that very nice capstone ability (free haste, no ac malus, everyone can cast spells), but if you can live without that capstone, Seelah do a good job as 2lvl Pala/18 lvl skald. She can cast without penaltry in mithril full plate and wearing a shield. Concentrate on buff spells, and she can sing, buff, fight and, if build with right feats and rage powers, tank.

She can be turned in a bard too, but if you want cast spells without turn off ur amor, you need to use medium mithril amor or get feats to lower the arcane spell miss chance, while wearing amor. If you concentrate on melee skald could be better than bard. I think your MC bloodrager, Seelah Skald and Regil (dont forget shatter defense and mythic finesse on him), could rock the house. Get Cam in with the 2 mythic abilities, that makes turn all spells with at keat 5 mi utes duration into 24 h spells and select all buffing spells (barkskin, mass resists energy, frigthful presense, animal groth, mass bear endurace, bless and so on) and use Daeran (without raging sing) for mass heal and blast spell (with the right items concentrate either on fire or elctrixy with legendary element). Nenio or Woljif can close the gab with missing arcane spells, but sellah as skald can cast the most important arcane spell - haste - anyway. And your MC maybe too, if you select the right mythic path.

Since buffer Bards/skalds dont need a high Cha (12 is enough with a +4 cha headband), Camelia could be turned in a Bard/skald at lvl 3 (you really should grab iceplant at lvl 2). But i think she is more useful as full shaman or shaman 18/barbarian 2 (that arvetype, that gives wis bonus to ac). But with the bard talents and using heavy shields she could be a tanky bard (crane style, mythic finesse, shatter defense, archmage amor with mageamor potions or scrolls - as bard she has a skillpoint more for use magic device)

With a +6 headband of cha, Lann and Wendu could do the Bard/Skald job, but i think both NPC do other jobs better

[Flip]

That's excellent advice thanks, I like the sound of Seelah as a skald, I think full tank on her at Normal is a total waste, with my Sorc my Bear could tank no problem so Seelah as Skald I imagine should be sufficent to fulfil tanking role in addition to skald.

Any tips for good feats to take a Dragon Bloodline/SteelBlood Bloodrager? Again would be thinking of going Glaive.

WHile I like Camelia's abilities, playing a good character I generally don't get to keep her too long, perhaps Ember as an alternative since she also gets iceplant.

[Mr. Hanky]

just keep swinging

[jsaving]

If you struggle to hit enemies in Act 4, then you likely aren't using party-wide to-hit buffs like inspire courage and especially mark of justice. Shatter can play an important role as well, as long as you understand how to trigger it and are willing to plan the builds of your melee characters around it.

Bloodrager is a strong class but if you struggle with AB, you want to make sure to choose a stance whose to-hit bonus will stack with, rather than being supplanted by, inspire courage.

[jutschi78]

Iceplant on ember is a waste imho. She should stay in the back. Sure, you can get a high ac with ember (1lvl nature oracle, iceplant+ring, archmage amor etc), but i think she should concentrate on touch attack spells, buffing/debuffing hexes.

Since barkskin is quite good, you can take Daeran with 2nd nature mystery (take the wolf too), turn Lann into a Druid or take Aru +the additional spellslot mythic ability.

For bloodrager: power attack, weapon focus, dazzling display and outflank are musthaves imho. The rest is personaal taste. Combat reflexes + the coop feat,that let attack you, if an alley hits with a crit is nice (outflank and that feat are good choices for azata super power of sharing coop feats). The cleave or vital strike feats with mythic feats to improve them are solid choices too.

Second bloodline is a very strong mythic ability for a bloodrager as well as unlimited rage.

[Flip]

Originally posted by jsaving:

If you struggle to hit enemies in Act 4, then you likely aren't using party-wide to-hit buffs like inspire courage and especially mark of justice. Shatter can play an important role as well, as long as you understand how to trigger it and are willing to plan the builds of your melee characters around it.

Bloodrager is a strong class but if you struggle with AB, you want to make sure to choose a stance whose to-hit bonus will stack with, rather than being supplanted by, inspire courage.

Yeah my team was not optmized for it at all in all honesty. I had I think, my main Sorc, Ember, Daeran, Lann, Arue and Wojek + Bulwark Bear & Azata Dragon.

Act 1 - 3 Lann was king of all. Then Act IV it's like he forgot how to shoot the bow. I use every + hit buff I had on Daeran + the usual, haste etc but was still to low to reliable hit on anything below like a 16. I think I had them up to +30's by that point with buffs, not great. So I am keen to avoid the mistakes of the past this time around.

[Flip]

Originally posted by jutschi78:

Iceplant on ember is a waste imho. She should stay in the back. Sure, you can get a high ac with ember (1lvl nature oracle, iceplant+ring, archmage amor etc), but i think she should concentrate on touch attack spells, buffing/debuffing hexes.

Since barkskin is quite good, you can take Daeran with 2nd nature mystery (take the wolf too), turn Lann into a Druid or take Aru +the additional spellslot mythic ability.

For bloodrager: power attack, weapon focus, dazzling display and outflank are musthaves imho. The rest is personaal taste. Combat reflexes + the coop feat,that let attack you, if an alley hits with a crit is nice (outflank and that feat are good choices for azata super power of sharing coop feats). The cleave or vital strike feats with mythic feats to improve them are solid choices too.

Second bloodline is a very strong mythic ability for a bloodrager as well as unlimited rage.

Thanks good tips! I love Azata, was one on my previous playthrough so wanted to try something else but tbh the Teamwork feats & Dragon are always hard to resist!

[jutschi78]

And dont forget to debuff. Dazzling display, dirge of doom, frightful presense + shatter defense, Embers evil eye hex and/or Cams hampering hex, archarchon Aura, flanking, Wolfif deliberating strinke to lower ac (works with touch attack spells, if you fulfill the condition for sneak attack).

Some op. Bossew have so high AC, that only touch attacks works (or spells withreflex dc), so have one or two chars, that are good on that (Ember and Woljif from the start, Nenio and Daeran can turn into those, Sosiel und Cam can touch with harm)