GUIDE on everything for bird at lvl 55+

[NoobianOfAlterra]

Hey this is my amateur guide :highly_amused: on all the skill point and stat point allocation and all the set up of equips in the sewer for just BIRD classes.

Lot’s of people are farming hard now in anticipation of the expansion (me) and has reached 55 or are desperately trying to get 56. After taking my time and enjoying all the great aspects of the game, I have reached 55! :highly_amused:
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/19fb5e99-1.jpg?t=1312886807


The most important things for your character is your skill build, your equips and how you play as to not be classified as ‘noob’. I will make a gameplay guide later, for the timebeing this is just skills, stats and equips.

First we’ll start with the skill build of the player.
As a bird you’d want amazing dps and all the firepower you can get, so the most common build you see is pure dex bird. But some people has different builds to suit there type of gameplay. The question is, which one is the right one for you?


Dexbird (main dexterity): The most common and effective build for a bird, with super high single target dmg and debuffs that gives bosses headaches, but are skinny and smell like roast duck.

Warbird (main strength): High survivability but significantly lower in damage, this build is most common at lvl 30-40

Intbird(main intelligence): The least common of the 3 builds, intbirds are sometimes considered useless, but can work wonders if you know what you’re doing, amazing at lvl 55 with enchanted set. Though even more feeble then dexbirds.



Hopefully you have chose your build! Now is how to put the stat points.
Again, there are 3 choices to put the stat points:


All points in one stats
Dual spec (half half the stats, require booster gear)
Hybrid (173 stats in the main stat, rest goes in the secondary stat)



For more info on dual spec, check out this amazing guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?19405-Dual-Spec-Guide-%2855%29.).

Now comes the skill points, All builds have pretty much the same skill point allocation, similar to:
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/ba105d57.jpg?t=1312887665

Thorn root will be maxed at lvlv 56. This is a pure PVE build. All skills are maxed except for restore and meditation (add points if you want in pvp) and avian scream, because of it's short range and the stun is already there at lvl 1.


Another important thing with skills is how you place them. My preferred placement is:
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/19fb5e99-2.jpg?t=1312891806

The skills are all grouped with categories, far right are debuffs, middle is self buffs and cruel blast combo, and the rest are skills to use while waiting for main skills to cool-down. Place them however you like but be familiar with them! Practice until you know where they are blindfolded :loyal:.

Next are the equipments. There are amazing guides around here for ALL the lvl 55 gears,

Dex: Physiologic's guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?19819-Complete-Lv-55-Archer-Gear-List)
Str: Ellyidol's guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?20759-Level-55-Warrior-Gear-List&p=222132#post222132)
Int: MysticalDream's guide (http://www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?20454-Level-55-Enchantress-Gear-List)

But what do you use in combat? It depends very much on your playstyle and the situation.

For Dexbird:

Defense/bad group:
ALL Drainer set, no matter recurve or autobow or talon, all amazing

General mob clearing:
If you are in a great group and can blast away without fear of being overmobbed, use these. For mobclearing it depends if you prefer a talon or recurve or autobow. The best all attack talon set up for mob clearing is IMO:

Raid roach/customized talon set

^ If you can't afford that, go with:
Bagman leather, helm and talon, and RR wing (bout 35k). It does amazing crit though low armor, so take care when using it.
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/20fc141a.jpg?t=1312893191
As for recurve and autobows, the best is still custom and raid roach sets, though you could go for a mix of Henchman/Bagman/Underling if you can't afford it, eg.
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/5f6927c0.jpg?t=1312893138

Now the equips for intbird. As said before, it is your choice to either dual spec (recommended), hybrid or pure int (highly not recommend)

For general mobclearing, you'd want the best armor, m/s, h/s while still able to have high spell damage, so the most suitable set up would be either full SQ gear:
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/84d39631.jpg?t=1313603838
Or a combination of adept and flusher/scraper gear.

Or if you are in a group you really trust, the best set to use would be the enchanted set, basically like SQ but more dmg and versatility but less armor and other defensive capabilities. If you can't afford it or are saving money for new gear, stick with SQ or add some MM pieces.

But you might think, why go intbird? The answer is it's higher spell damage. Here:
Full SQ set up (dual int/dex):
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/a842b32a.jpg?t=1313606137
Full SK set up (full dex):
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m596/jerry162162/068f6004.jpg?t=1313603890

I do know that those 2 aren't the highest dmg sets for int and dex, but I have yet to get my hands on enchanted and custom sets :miserable:.

10 dmg difference may not seem high, but the difference of dmg apply to all skills, and the int example was using int gear instead of dex gear.
So basically when using intbird you give dps, hit and crit for more spell dmg. m/s and mana pool reserve.

Warbird will be added soon! :)

NOTE: All the above pics are taken WITHOUT any self buffs.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY GUIDE!
9/8/11-Guide made
17/8/11-Added intbird equips

[OverkillED]

Good guide!
+1 reputation point

[NoobianOfAlterra]

Good guide!
+1 reputation point

Thanks so much! Please tell me if there's any suggestions? :)

[Yvonnel]

www.spacetimestudios.com/showthread.php?16244-Comprehensive-Archer-Skills-and-Equipment-Guide

[Doubletime]

Nice work. I can see you put a lot of hard work into it. One thing that I will comment on is that there is sometimes a perception that one skill sequence fits all. It is very difficult to have one sequence of skills for every situation. You really have to look at who is in your party and what tactics are being used and adjust your skills to allow for the most effective team work. For example, if your party is being lead by a good bear who is beckoning clumps of mobs to a wall, you want to allow this to happen before using a schattering scream/blast shot combo. You get more mobs caught by the aoe damage this way. If there is a mage in the party, you want to use thorn wall on the beckoned mob very early because most mages use lightning as a first main aoe attack since it has the shortest cool down and can be used again quickly. By thorn walling early, it ensures the lightning attack is a nature strike combo (one of the most powerful group damage attacks in the game). If there is no mage you will want to use both your shatter/blast combo followed by avian scream as it can be a powerful aoe attack as well on groups. The break armor, blinding shot, and repulse shot also do a lot of damage but only target individual targets, so you would use those very early (if you get in front of the bear) or very late after the aoe attacks on the group of mobs to pick off survivors. Spamming skills just doesn't maximize your bird's true abilities to do lots of damage very fast.

On individual mini-bosses and bosses, you want to use break armor very early as it allows the trailing attacks by party members to hit. It also can stack with other birds and can quickly reduce a mobs armor to where everyone is able to land effective attacks. Thorn root reduces dodge and is good for this as well. Blinding shot reduces the mobs ability to hit you back. Thorn wall is good for the combo with lightning, and your combo as well. Remember, your job isn't just to damage the boss, but to also debuff so that the rest of the party can do damage as well. Repulse shot should be reserved for moving mobs either toward a wall or away from you. Or it can be used to keep a target pinned to a wall. Using it randomly can cause as many headaches for party members as a bear who just stomps everything or a mage who uses firestorm without any thought as to blowing the group of mobs all over a room. Also keep in mind that your blast shot can often take down enemy mana shields (exception that comes to mind is the keeper) so make sure that you use blast shot on those bosses that have shields early and often so your teammates can land damage as well.

Focus and Evade should be activated every time they cool down to keep your buffs active as much as possible (assuming you are in combat or about to enter combat).

So think about what each skill does and how it compliments the others in your party. Don't try to make one sequence fit every situation. No mage -- then thorn wall becomes less important as there will be no nature strike (although it is still a good aoe attack on groups). No bear beckoning groups, use your single attacks to pick off individual targets until you have enough aggro to bring a group around your chacter to then use your aoe attacks. The key to being a really good bird is knowing whick skills to use and where.

Just my two cents on trying to maximize your bird.

[NoobianOfAlterra]

Edited some mistakes and added intbird equips :)

[kas3closed]

Very good thread im on 54 now im half str and half dex so now i know what skill points to use

[13lacklegionz]

Hmmm.. I'm a dex bear but I used underling helm + drainer armour and recurve or autobow before expansion for ms because drainer has zero.

Nice guide.

[Neffy]

Very good guide. I prefer daggers because I'm typically in good teams so boss fighting is all I need to worry about! :)