Help for Halfling Shadowblade

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bio_hazard
Wyrmic
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:08 am
Location: California

Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#1 Post by bio_hazard »

I only recently tried a shadowblade, and this is now my most advanced character ever outside of the Arena. Unfortunately, that's not saying much.

http://te4.org/characters/5351/tome/9c5 ... 1cc000edf0

I just finished <Home Sweet Home>, reaching Level 20 in the process.

I've finished all the beginning dungeons I can get to (I think), all of the <into the darkness> dungeons except Daikara (down to L3, plus a giant town on L1 I haven't opened yet), and I'm down to L5 of Dreadfall. Is there a next logical step? I generally feel pretty good- my deaths (I'm playing adventurer) have been poking my head in too early at Halfling Ruins and bad ambush parties on the world map. I also bit it once to a skeleton master archer who pinned me.

I've got some questions on what to do next. I think at this point I'm more interested in unlocks than necessarily trying to make this character a winner. Finally got Reaver with this guy, and hoping to unlock undeads soon.

General Inventory advice?

Is there anything in my inventory (besides the million infusions/runes) that I should leave in my new home? I'd love to free up some more weight to give me more flexibility in some of my gear (i.e. so I don't have to wear so much + encumb gear)

Anything I should try to pick up in the stores? My belt and gloves seem unremarkable, and I keep hoping I might get another good dagger. Of course when I play a mage or fighter I find at least 2 artifact daggers by now, but none so far....

What should I do with the category point? I'm thinking to use it for the extra infusion slot (spent the CL10 point on the Stealth tree). What would be the priority for a 4th infusion? another Healing/Regen seems like the obvious answer, but I wonder about phase, vision, shielding, movement? Invisibility?

What's a better plan for class/generic points- continue to max out things on the Stealth Tree, or other offensive or defensive talents?

Thanks!

lukep
Sher'Tul Godslayer
Posts: 1712
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Canada

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#2 Post by lukep »

My advice (take it with a grain of salt, as I don't know your playing style very well, etc...)

Progression: I would do Ruined Dungeon, Hidden Complex, Daikara (and temporal rift), then on to either finish halfling ruins or dreadfell.

Inventory/equipment: I usually keep almost everything in the fortress, except for wands, and sometimes activatable equipment. That being said, I would switch to your slime covered dagger over your mystic one, for the 30% global speed reduction on hit. For stores, check them out, but don't be too disappointed if you come up empty.

Class/Generic/Category points: I haven't played much as a Shadowblade, but they can do either stealth or attack/defence well. I usually go for a second healing/regeneration infusion with my second (or first) category point on other classes.
Some of my tools for helping make talents:
Melee Talent Creator
Annotated Talent Code (incomplete)

bio_hazard
Wyrmic
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:08 am
Location: California

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#3 Post by bio_hazard »

lukep wrote:My advice (take it with a grain of salt, as I don't know your playing style very well, etc...)

Progression: I would do Ruined Dungeon, Hidden Complex, Daikara (and temporal rift), then on to either finish halfling ruins or dreadfell.

Inventory/equipment: I usually keep almost everything in the fortress, except for wands, and sometimes activatable equipment. That being said, I would switch to your slime covered dagger over your mystic one, for the 30% global speed reduction on hit. For stores, check them out, but don't be too disappointed if you come up empty.

Class/Generic/Category points: I haven't played much as a Shadowblade, but they can do either stealth or attack/defence well. I usually go for a second healing/regeneration infusion with my second (or first) category point on other classes.
Thanks- I didn't realize Slime slowed, so that's pretty awesome advice right there!

I don't really have a play style yet, especially with this class. Or, I guess the play style is just try to not get dog-piled, either luring bad guys into corridors where I mix up basic attacks and offensive talents, or now that stealth is (sort of) working, try to pick them off one or two before everyone else becomes aware. I usually have 3/4 sustains on- Shadow Combat, Blur Sight, and Stealth/Auto Stealth.

Postman
Archmage
Posts: 335
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:34 pm

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#4 Post by Postman »

Get Essence of Speed as fast as you can. It's the basis of most of Shadowblade builds. You can add to it Blinding Speed and Momentum later

madmonk
Reaper
Posts: 2257
Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:21 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#5 Post by madmonk »

I might just try this and it occurs that with a Yeek and its speed stuff from its racial tree counting in...

Getting it to survive might be interesting :lol:
Regards

Jon.

lukep
Sher'Tul Godslayer
Posts: 1712
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:32 am
Location: Canada

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#6 Post by lukep »

Not sure if this bug was fixed, you might have trouble with a Yeek Shadowblade. As for speed stacking with Essence of Speed, it looks very powerful.
Some of my tools for helping make talents:
Melee Talent Creator
Annotated Talent Code (incomplete)

bio_hazard
Wyrmic
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:08 am
Location: California

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#7 Post by bio_hazard »

Thanks- although predictably I died soon after posting so will have to remember that for my next char. got the Infinite Dungeon unlock, found the hidden compound but apparently messed up the quest since I immediately killed the arena master. Went to the Temporal Rift in Daikara and died pretty quickly there...

Dwarf_Hammer
Halfling
Posts: 104
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 8:39 pm

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#8 Post by Dwarf_Hammer »

I'm currently playing a level 25 shadowblade (roguelike):

http://te4.org/characters/4906/tome/1eb ... 1cc000edf0

I'm a hit-and-run speedy fighter, so I can't offer any advice on playing a stealthy shadowblade.

My dungeon order, so far (iirc): Trollmire --> Nargos Lair --> Arena at Derth --> Lumberjack village --> Heart of Gloom --> Trapped quest --> Scintillating Cave --> Kor'pul --> Rhaloren Camp --> Sandworm Lair --> The Maze --> Storm at Derth --> Old Forest --> Lake of Nur --> Hidden Compound --> Ruined Dungeon --> Golem Graveyard --> Daikara --> Urkis

What I'm going to do next: Temporal quest --> Old Halfling Ruins --> Mark of the Spellblaze --> Ancient Elven Ruins --> Dreadfell

Edit: :(

bio_hazard
Wyrmic
Posts: 233
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:08 am
Location: California

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#9 Post by bio_hazard »

Dwarf_Hammer wrote:I'm currently playing a level 25 shadowblade (roguelike):

http://te4.org/characters/4906/tome/1eb ... 1cc000edf0

I'm a hit-and-run speedy fighter, so I can't offer any advice on playing a stealthy shadowblade.

My dungeon order, so far (iirc): Trollmire --> Nargos Lair --> Arena at Derth --> Lumberjack village --> Heart of Gloom --> Trapped quest --> Scintillating Cave --> Kor'pul --> Rhaloren Camp --> Sandworm Lair --> The Maze --> Storm at Derth --> Old Forest --> Lake of Nur --> Hidden Compound --> Ruined Dungeon --> Golem Graveyard --> Daikara --> Urkis

What I'm going to do next: Temporal quest --> Old Halfling Ruins --> Mark of the Spellblaze --> Ancient Elven Ruins --> Dreadfell

Edit: :(
Uh oh. :(

Yeah- that is a pretty different build. Not even a point in Dirty Fighting?

When you say "speedy hit and run" are you hitting once then backing off before it can retaliate, or are you getting in lots of attacks then running away somewhere safe when you need to rest?

Dwarf_Hammer
Halfling
Posts: 104
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 8:39 pm

Re: Help for Halfling Shadowblade

#10 Post by Dwarf_Hammer »

bio_hazard wrote: Uh oh. :(

Yeah- that is a pretty different build. Not even a point in Dirty Fighting?

When you say "speedy hit and run" are you hitting once then backing off before it can retaliate, or are you getting in lots of attacks then running away somewhere safe when you need to rest?
Yeah.

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