Glaive. Best class without multiclassing and not 2h fighter?

[Varitus]

Very curious to try this, but very hard to pick a starting class... any advice, help? All I see for glaives are a lot of multiclassing and I'm not a big fan of it. Rather stick to one specialty and dive into it fully.

[Super Cosmic Space Magnet]

Well, what sort of gameplay do you want? Are you looking to be a big melee dps, or a support class that uses a glaive to chip away in combat while doing other things? Also, is this your first playthrough?

[Adeptus Stark]

2H fighter class is great though IMO. Lots of damage and fun.

Glaive is cool because there's a ton of enchanted ones in the game, and have reach.
Glaive has a book that you can find for a free +1 to hit and damage. (Tome of the Minotaur: Sermons from the Labyrinth)
If you are often large from a spell or class ability, get the Cleve feats and pwn face.

[Varitus]

Originally posted by Super Cosmic Space Magnet:

Well, what sort of gameplay do you want? Are you looking to be a big melee dps, or a support class that uses a glaive to chip away in combat while doing other things? Also, is this your first playthrough?

I'd prefer to be on front lines and smack the poop out of enemies! And not my first run. Staying on the char creator screen for an hour now contemplating what to pick. Maybe skald demon dancer, but that feels more like some messed up bard.

[Super Cosmic Space Magnet]

Regular Skald is an excellent choice. You do reasonable damage in melee while providing massive buffs to the party. I genuinely like base Skald better than its derivitives, and if you go Azata you get bonuses to your songs as well as superpowers for melee. I like to think Azata is made for Bards if you're a Desnan, or Skalds if you're a Callistran. For some other ideas though~

Gendarme with Glaive can live out all your Lu Bu fantasies! Particularly awesome with Marching Terror from Act 1.

Crusader Cleric on Angel path for amazing melee and vaporizing everything with the incredibly overpowered merged spellbook. Alternatively you can go regular Cleric, and choose Shelyn as your deity for Glaive proficiency (though you might be stepping on Sosiel's toes a bit there).

Demonslayer Ranger lets you be a powerful mounted glaive-fighter while choosing a pet, rather than being horselocked like the Gendarme. Maybe a glaive-wielding elf riding an Elk? Mad Dog Barbarian works for this too, riding around on a boar/wolf with all the trip bonuses is savage.

[Varitus]

Great ideas! Thanks!!

[Super Cosmic Space Magnet]

My pleasure! Good luck on crusade, and have fun!

[mk11]

Halfling Beast Rider on Leopard.

May not be the best but is super cool little fellow with great big weapon and a mean beast. Lovely scene when you get appointed to lead the crusade.

Lots of possibilities if you go Demon, Trickster or Legend.

[mk11]

Originally posted by Tom:

2H fighter class is great though IMO. Lots of damage and fun.

Glaive is cool because there's a ton of enchanted ones in the game, and have reach.
Glaive has a book that you can find for a free +1 to hit and damage. (Tome of the Minotaur: Sermons from the Labyrinth)
If you are often large from a spell or class ability, get the Cleve feats and pwn face. :cozypoechris:

Note that the book and weapon training from fighter shouldn't stack.

[Juicy Beefcake]

I know you said no level dips, but could I sell you on 1 level dip?

I started playing the midnight isles roguelite mode to fart around with new builds without messing around in my campaign save.
I'm currently exploding things with a fauchard-sword saint-demon-vital striker. I took a 1 level dip at level 9 into loremaster to get the greater vital strike but its all sword saint otherwise. It could use a glaive instead of fauchard, it would just crit less.
Sword saint has a toggle ability that automatically maximizes any attack roll and Demon has a really neat telefrag movement ability so play goes like:
1. teleport to enemy
2. mythic vital strike an enemy for max damage
3. enemy explodes and cleaving finish explodes something nearby
4. cast a quickened level 1 touch spell to get a bonus attack with spell strike (which will also probably cleaving finish)
5. repeat until boss
6. activate demonic rage before boss and then keep on vital striking

[Tyrendian89]

Primalist (Bloodrager) works quite well - becomes really stupid with Soulshear... I had at least half a dozen Mariliths following me around for most of Act IV and V...