Lone wolf. How to Rogue solo in Arcane Legends? Help please.

[Christopher Kirk]

So, this is my first toon in AL's and I picked Rogue because I always play Rogues.

I dont mind the occasional partying sometime but for the most part I like to challenge myself by soloing in games.

After looking over the Rogue skills, I am thinking about Shadow Veil and Razor Armor(for AoE damage and +20 dodge).

For my other 2 skills I was thinking of Noxious Bolt for another Aoe and possibly Shadow Pierce for the health recovery and slight Aoe(+3 targets) + Pierce is a spammable skill for bosses.

I understand that with daggers equip, Rogue can Aoe slightly anyways.

I realize this build doesn't include Aimed Shot(which looks really amazing for single target) but I am looking towards mainly soloing maps by myself if possible. Would I need Aimed Shot for bosses?

Also, I was looking at Entangling Trap but compared to Razor and Shadow Viel it doesn't add a buff or debuff and the damage looked weaker(at least on paper)

So, I was looking at probably going Shadow Veil, Razor Armor, Shadow Pierce and then prolly Nox(over Traps)

What build would some of you veterans use if you was going for mainly soloing?

Thanks!

[GoodSyntax]

Well, I solo elites all the time, and I use the following skills:

Shadow Pierce (Unlock only)
Noxious Bolt (All Upgrades)
Aimed Shot (All Upgrades)
Shadow Veil (All Upgrades Except Combusting Decay)

Here is my guides on a bunch of different elite maps:

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?147373-Elite-Chronicles-Solo-Adventures-in-the-Elite-Maps-of-Arlor

[Christopher Kirk]

Thanks for the swift responce Syntax!

I've actually already read some of your guids(I'm wierd like that, spend more time reading about games than playing games lol) and they are great. Thanks for taking the time to make them!

So, I'm taking it that Aimed Shot is pretty dope and is the premium spam able damage skill for Rogues?

What about a 5 skill build:

Solo Mode-Sp, Sv, NB, Ra

Then switch out Razor for Aimed at bosses(or in party)

Is that idea very practical?

That dodge bonus(and added Aoe) looks so nice for solo...

Also what are your experiences with Trap in this game? On paper it looks more for Rooting mobs in one spot than actual damage or stun? Is that correct?

Also,mis the game pretty active as far as player base and guils and what have you?

Thanks for responding and helping a noob out!!!

[GoodSyntax]

Yes, Aimed is a necessity for Rogues!

If you want to go with 5 skills, I would suggest Razor for PvE or Medic if you have any interest in PvP. I use medic because I PvP once in a while, but I never swap skills in elite. You could swap out to razor mid run, but it is difficult to swap while surrounded by mobs.

Traps are great, but I've never been able to master them. Personally, I don't think they do enough damage to justify the long cooldown. The primary benefit is for the pull which happens on occasion.

The game is very active and my guild, Elite Runners has folks running elite maps 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In fact , this afternoon, I logged on to find 7 full elite parties, all running Tindirin maps.

Feel free to ask whatever questions you may have and I will try my best to answer them.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Christopher Kirk]

Hmm..yes after playing a few moments I see that swapping out skills(mid-combat) can be a bit of a pain in the powdered donut...

Yes, after reading Aimed Shots in game description, I can see where it is really nice, especially since it looks
Ike the crit bonus it provides applies to all sources of damage I deal(is I'm reading it correctly?)

So, lemme pose this question: as far as soloing maps, would you find the damage + dodge bonus from Razer Wire or the poison dot from Noxious Bolt to be more effective?

'Cause right now I'm thinking about Piercer, Veil, Aimed and then either one of the above 2...

Again thanks for the help!

[GoodSyntax]

Aimed Shot is crucial because of the Crit stacking and the massive damage it inflicts.

As far as soloing, I like having the Nox poison. It helps in any case where you have a lot of mobs that you ordinarily wouldn't be able to handle. All you need to do is keep Noxing, and let the poison do the work while you kite circle and strafe. It also is useful to damage shielded bosses (like Bael and Overgrowth) when no other attacks can get through. The biggest benefit of Nox is the cumulative and consistent damage, and most importantly, it isn't affected by armor! It will do the same damage no matter what.

[Christopher Kirk]

Jeez, this game REALLY need 5 skill slots!!! Lol

I've just started playing a bit(I actually found out about AL because my daughter downloaded it and asked me to help her kill something and I got hooked!). I like the fast pace, Diablo-ish nature of combat and such.

Just made my new toon. Guess what? I picked rogue. Too bad there's not male/female versions of each class, not that mind playing a female toon, it would just add more variety but it looks like there is a fair amount of armor/weapons to give characters a unique nature..

I'm gonna mess around with different skills and can always repec later if need be. I'm digging Shadow Pierce right now. I spent my first 2 points on the health and multi-target upgrades. Gonna look into trying out Nox next since I love Aoe.

I'm only level 5 atm but been going 2/4 str/dex since I like to go it alone a lot, I figure a few HP won't hurt and later on I can either repec to pure dex party damage mode or look into duel-spec(can you duel- spec in Al?)

Good to know there's an active player base, it's always nice to have other folks to jam with.

I'll prolly have more questions soon lol and thanks for taking the time to assist me! Very much appreciated.

[GoodSyntax]

I know it may sound counter-intuitive right now, but I would suggest going full DEX. Mix and match your gear to boost HP, DMG or Mana (you'll know what I mean about mana soon if you haven't already).

Unlike Pocket Legends (one of the other STS games), AL does not allow for dual-spec. It kind of minimizes the diversity of builds, but considering we have only 4 skills, and our roles are effective determined for us, I am fine with their decision.

Suggestions going forward would be to level in Brackenridge until you hit 16, then explore the other maps afterwards. Find a decent guild that can help you along the way. Get a few pets - I would recommend Loki as a cheap starter pet (he gives you the HP you are looking for and a +15% DMG bonus), and Malison as your first expensive pet purchase. Purchase gear only at the previous season caps, 15/16, 20/21, 25/26, 30/31, since they will be cheap and plentiful at these levels. If you intend to cap your toon, don't invest in top gears until you hit level 40, it simply isn't worth the considerable investment in a Tarlok set if you intend to move up.

Refer to this thread for quests as you move through the world, it is one of the best resources in this forum - http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?74963-Guide-Arcane-Legends-quests

If you are curious about pets and their abilities, Gluttony (author of the quests guide above) also has a guide that details every pet in the game - http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?74963-Guide-Arcane-Legends-quests

[Christopher Kirk]

I lucked up and got Aspen pet my first time in Gold Mines. Doesnt seem like the best for a Rogue but hey, its a free pet!

Plus Ive foound that with more pets I dont have to feed them I can just cycle them out while playing to keep them happy.

[GoodSyntax]

Shoot, you are doing well because I've never looted an Aspen egg!

[Alhuntrazeck]

If you're gonna level in the tombs, an old friend of mine, Alrisaia, has made an awesome build, known as the Razor Shield Blender. http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?110087-Alrisaia-s-Guide-The-Razor-Shield-Blender&highlight=razor+blender
Its very nice; only issues I have with it is no shadow piercer, so you'll be like a mage; very slow, also, no nox, but I think trap's DoT replaces it well.

Another good build is aimed nox shadow veil.

Tip about laying traps? He always told me to face the wall and drop them, so they fall in more or less the same pattern. I suggest using walls as choke points

[Zeus]

I know it may sound counter-intuitive right now, but I would suggest going full DEX. Mix and match your gear to boost HP, DMG or Mana (you'll know what I mean about mana soon if you haven't already).

Unlike Pocket Legends (one of the other STS games), AL does not allow for dual-spec. It kind of minimizes the diversity of builds, but considering we have only 4 skills, and our roles are effective determined for us, I am fine with their decision.

Suggestions going forward would be to level in Brackenridge until you hit 16, then explore the other maps afterwards. Find a decent guild that can help you along the way. Get a few pets - I would recommend Loki as a cheap starter pet (he gives you the HP you are looking for and a +15% DMG bonus), and Malison as your first expensive pet purchase. Purchase gear only at the previous season caps, 15/16, 20/21, 25/26, 30/31, since they will be cheap and plentiful at these levels. If you intend to cap your toon, don't invest in top gears until you hit level 40, it simply isn't worth the considerable investment in a Tarlok set if you intend to move up.

Refer to this thread for quests as you move through the world, it is one of the best resources in this forum - http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?74963-Guide-Arcane-Legends-quests

If you are curious about pets and their abilities, Gluttony (author of the quests guide above) also has a guide that details every pet in the game - http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?74963-Guide-Arcane-Legends-quests


Hit me up in game if you'd like. If you're interested, I don't mind giving you some start up gold to afford your potions and whatnot. I live in California, so I might be 2-3 hours behind you in time.

My IGN: Zeus

[Christopher Kirk]

Thanks you guys for kind words and help!

I got a new pet called Deary. Not sure how useful it is for Rogue but this is actually my daughters account so I kept it for her to look at. Btw, are these pets rare in game or am just getting lucky with drops?

[UndeadJudge]

Thanks you guys for kind words and help!

I got a new pet called Deary. Not sure how useful it is for Rogue but this is actually my daughters account so I kept it for her to look at. Btw, are these pets rare in game or am just getting lucky with drops?

Hehe they aren't rare. The best cheap pet for rogue is Horton - costs about 2k and gives some nice stats. Granite is also another choice, Loki as well.

[Slywannas]

Loki is beyond underestimated as a rogue pet in my opinion. I love the little guy.

[GoodSyntax]

I did an analysis on Loki a few seasons ago - he is one of the better Rogue pets, especially as you scale up in level and DMG stat:

http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?109281-Loki-The-overlooked-pet-for-Rogues

Obviously, he is subject to the largest buff wins issue, so if you are running with some form of DMG elixir, pick a different pet, but for most other times, I like Loki quite a bit.

[Christopher Kirk]

Yeah, I like the pet aspect in AL. Gives a nice carrot to chase.

Anyways, so far I've just been using Sp with multi-target and Lifegain couples with Noxious Shot.

Sp is kinda neat but I could see myself living without it, if need be(zipping around is nice but and the damage seems okayish, however, Noxious Bolt is simply awesome! Even the toughest mobs I've faced yet(Watcher Tombs I think it's called) generally die(or are very close to death) after 1 application of NB.

I wanted to ask about Shadow Strom Shot as it looks very cool and appears to be another Aoe(I love Aoe!!!)

I've got enough free platinum to mess around and respec if I really can't live with something but anyways, I tried 1 point in SSS just to unlock and the damage seems okay. How is it after upgrades? Im assuming it sucks since I can't find much around here to read on it lol.

Also wanted to ask about Entangling Trap and if the dot on it is substantial?

Thanks!

Edit: Woh! Razor Wire is sick!!! Especially for clearing trash.

Right. Ow I'm thinking of settling on Razor, Aimed, Veil and Pierce, at least for leveling. I REALLY like Noxious Bolt but Razor kinda operates in the same function except far more damage but on a cool down...

[extrapayah]

well afaik, the dot in trap (bleed) is what make enemies walk slower and easier to kite, so it is an essential upgrade if you're using trap

[Slywannas]

Wanna hear a joke? Shadow Storm Shot. Just to give you an idea on how many people actually use that and not Nox. As far as traps go, all upgrades but the explosion are needed, explosion is a waste of points. Not a big fan of Razor myself, but it is used by a lot of skinny woman toons.. As for me, I'd go like this:

Aimed 5/5
Nox 5/5
Veil 4/5 ( no explode )
Pierce 3/5 ( unlock, make it hit 3 and health back upgrade )

And your passives would then be

Dex, Str, Int 5/5
Crit 5/5
Damage 3/5 at level 41.

Damage bonus doesn't stack however, it just takes the highest variable. So 3 points in there just in case your pet rotation doesn't include a damage pet. Have fun playin', you chose the best class in my opinion ( played all 3 ).

[GoodSyntax]

Yeah - Shadow Storm Shot is a junk skill that nobody uses.

Personally, the only upgrade I would invest into Pierce would be HP return - the 3 hit upgrade causes more trouble than good, especially on tougher maps.

I agree on the Passives except for DMG, since most of the best Rogue pets include some form of DMG% buff, and Veil always nullifies any DMG passive.

At endgame, for a pure PvE Rogue, I would go with 5 skills - Pierce, Nox, Aimed, Veil and Razor. This gives you the flexibility needed to handle just about anything. If you have any interest at all in PvP, swap Razor for Medic.

Traps, while awesome, is only awesome if someone else in your party has it. It is a dangerous skill for solo Rogues, since it requires you to be in the middle of a mob cluster for it to be most effective. Personally, I never found the damage worthwhile from that skill, and the mana cost, cooldown and risk is simply to much to justify.

It sounds like you are well on your way with a solid PvE build - so I would stick with what you've got currently. Now, you should focus on farming, so you can save up enough to buy top-end gear and pets.

[notfaded1]

Yeah - Shadow Storm Shot is a junk skill that nobody uses.

Personally, the only upgrade I would invest into Pierce would be HP return - the 3 hit upgrade causes more trouble than good, especially on tougher maps.

I agree on the Passives except for DMG, since most of the best Rogue pets include some form of DMG% buff, and Veil always nullifies any DMG passive.

At endgame, for a pure PvE Rogue, I would go with 5 skills - Pierce, Nox, Aimed, Veil and Razor. This gives you the flexibility needed to handle just about anything. If you have any interest at all in PvP, swap Razor for Medic.

Traps, while awesome, is only awesome if someone else in your party has it. It is a dangerous skill for solo Rogues, since it requires you to be in the middle of a mob cluster for it to be most effective. Personally, I never found the damage worthwhile from that skill, and the mana cost, cooldown and risk is simply to much to justify.

It sounds like you are well on your way with a solid PvE build - so I would stick with what you've got currently. Now, you should focus on farming, so you can save up enough to buy top-end gear and pets.
This is true... also the spinning blades is ok up until higher levels when it's just a aggro pull onto you and doesn't do enough damage.

[Christopher Kirk]

Yup. Using Razor Wire now but I can def see where it can pull some aggro. I kinda miss Noxious Bolt for when I was alone on maps being able to charge it and kite packs of mobs to death or at least then them out to where I can hop in and finish them off with daggers and Pierce. I may switch back eventually.

And yeah, SSS sucks hard. I wasted 5 platinum on it lol, to find out its overall damage is about the same as the first tick of NB. It seems to be a poorly designed skill but if space time increases the damage a tad and gave it a stun(or something)it could be nice.

But yeah, for ow it's, Sp, Sv, As, Razor. Prolly gonna spec back into NB at a later date.

[Slywannas]

The only good thing in Razor as far as I'm concerned in all 5 upgrades is that 15% dodge boost one. But if you think about it, you can get that equal dodge boost from Mali's arcane. So that kinda renders the whole skills useless, and as Faded said, on higher levels it's nothing short of an aggro puller. Nox is better choice, an all-around PVP/PVE skill. :)

[Azepeiete]

Do not unlock anything on pierce plz. Save yourself hours of solo time.

I suggest going 5 aim 4 nox 1 pierce 4 veil no explode, and spam combo.


DO NOT RUN AROUND CHARGING PIERCE. PLZZZZZZ DO NOT CHARGE PIERCE.

On charging nox, i think it sucks. A whole hoard of people think its great. You can trust me or trust them, up to you.