I finally won with Thalore Bulwark

[dukereg]

Whew, I finally won!

I went back to Bulwark, the first class I ever tried and the one I find 10 times easier to play than any other. Thalore made me even more tanky. Elfie Abrahms(http://te4.org/characters/105200/tome/7 ... c980052ba0) focussed on shield talents and first three of Battle Tactics tree, along with Rush and Blinding Speed. For generics I did the expected Bulwark stuff except I skipped antimagic to use magic sustains from escorts, a shield rune and the first 2 Vile Life talents. Prodigies were Irresistible Sun and I can carry the world! for extra damage.

She is mobile, tough as hell, does a few thousand damage with her active abilities and evaporates groups of enemies whenever Irresistable Sun is available. Geared up for resists, physical damage and critical chance.

I died 3 times before the boss fight:
Once as level 20-something from carelessness at mark of the spellblaze.
Again fighting overtanked Archmage/Sun Paladin Blinkworm in farportal at level 49.
Again fighting one of the bosses in the slime tunnels who Fearscaped me at level 50.

Now I should have died in the boss fight, and maybe lost the game. See I took this terrible, terrible online advice of running around closing the portals first. So by the time I got to the 4th, I was being chased by crazy undead and had to get around a mob of dragons to close the last one. By then it turns out Aeryn was dead of her inability to tank as well as I was told. Bosses decided to come on over and cast shit at me. I was about 50 health and probably would have had to try to take them 2 on 1 after dying or psychoporting/movement infusing away.

Instead the game crashed. Thank you DarkGod, you helped a man out when he needed it.

Anyway, I reloaded and did what I had done the rest of the game: turn on defence/offence/speed buffs, rush the one who looks like a squishy caster, unload abilities, stand there regenerating and whacking away at them and using things as soon as they came off cooldown. Aeryn tanked the bone-shield axe murderer much better with me stunning and dazing the invisible caster guy all the time. The entire fight I took less than 10 steps apart from a couple of rushes at the phase door guy. Used regen infusions less than most of the game. The portal minions didn't arrive in time to help. It was fun.

Now I'm off to die against Atamathon.

[Red]

You... You...

You poor, poor man/woman/child/horse/whatever. You actually think Darkgod cares. Well, let me tell you this-he cares. He cares about watching us suffer, and the only reason he might have shown mercy today is to make your tears all the sweeter when he crushes you beneath his heel.

That being said, congrats on the win! My first ever playthrough (got to Bill then died. MLG Pro ) was on a Bulwark too, though my first win was on a Sun Paladin. And good luck on Atamathon and Linaniil! Atamathon might not be as tough as you think (I got him on that first win Sun Paladin), but Linaniil hits like a spike-shod train on steroids. She managed to one-shot a level 50 defense built Ghoul Sun Paladin, AKA the single tankiest thing in the game without being an Aegis-abusing Archmage or having Unstoppable. Point being, you'll die horribly, but die honorably. *Salutes Duke*

[whirlwind17]

You poor, poor man/woman/child/horse/whatever. You actually think Darkgod cares. Well, let me tell you this-he cares. He cares about watching us suffer, and the only reason he might have shown mercy today is to make your tears all the sweeter when he crushes you beneath his heel.

Do you mean Doarkgod is not ideal character?Because it seems, you contradict with dukerig idea.

[Doctornull]

Whew, I finally won!

Good work!

Now I'm off to die against Atamathon.

If you dispel his reflect damage sustain, like with Gloves of Dispersion or the Spellhunt Remnants, you actually may have a decent chance of killing him.

[Red]

I'm sure Darkgod is ideal. I'm just not sure what that ideal is, though I am rather certain it's best not to find out. Just like I don't know how the play of the Yellow King goes, but I know it's a bad idea to watch it.

[dukereg]

Well I went and activated a big golem. I was looking at his abilities and thought "most of this stuff only helps if I try to run away. I'll TANK him!". So I did. Got him to 50% health. Thought it was going to be a cakewalk. Then he took most of my life away with... something? and I teleported and ran for the exit. Came back and he's standing by the stairs with 10 turns of massive damage reflection on. I don't have Gloves of Dispersion or the Spellhunt Remnants.

On the other hand, I think of it as a post-win challenge battle for people who are good at the game, so I don't feel too bad.

PS I suspect DarkGod knew my ToME addiction was fading due to lack of payoff, so he gave me this win to prolong my suffering as I try to win with a Shadowblade.

[Red]

Thought it was going to be a cakewalk.

There's your problem. Unless you're running cctobias's Meteor Madness Arcane Brawler or something similarly OP, Atamathon will only be cake in the way a four ton explosive is cake. I only won with perseverance (constantly running away and praying I got enough rest to heal and reset CDs) and good planning (being lucky enough to have Ring of the Dead on me).

Still, it'll be a challenge for your next winner, and every one after.