Runes of Magic US / AU

Welcome to the Champion/Rogue. This combination can be played as either DPS or tank or somewhere in between. The DPS route offers some flexibility where you hit Shield Form and transform into a tank-ish role. However, I chose a dedicated tank build and that is what this post will address.

Initial reactions when Champion was first introduced included wondering whether they could match the knights’ defensive stats without plate/shield. Turns out, the answer is pretty much yes. I hit 300k HP and 500k Pdef full buffed, and my gear is not the best. Mostly the difference comes from Shield Form & Runecraft – Fortify that together add up to a bigger boost than the knight’s Enhanced Armor buff. Knight will still end up with better survivability, but the difference is not too steep, Champ gets more offense, and the necessity of statting HP/Def keeps Champ offense from being too overpowered.


Getting Started
All the general new player advices apply: start your housekeepers as soon as you can, get a Holy pet and level it, get at least 1 TP bonus furniture for house, and spend some time raising weapon skills.

For the early levels, you will want to focus on offensive abilities mostly – assuming that you will be primarily questing or solo. Much of the skill use advice & TP assignment suggestions here are meant for later when you have a regular group doing challenging instances. You will have the opportunity to reset talent points later, although it’s not exactly easy, so don’t stress too much over it.

You can level rogue first or champion first or roughly together. Once you start hitting around lvl 50 or 55 though, Champion needs to be leveled first. Some of the Rogue general abilities are incredibly important, so you want that level that as much as you can.

You should be dual wielding. Hammer goes in main hand. Yes, 2h lets your skills hit harder. But dual wield gives additional item to stat, additional hits to trigger Chain Drive & Forge, and additional rage gain. Your offhand hits provide pitifully small damage however. This leads to ignoring damage on offhand weapon & just getting a fast dagger with stats. I have not tested extensively with dagger vs. hammer, but I go dagger currently.


On to Statting
To meet my Pdef goals, I found that 3x Pdef stats per item was an absolute minimum. I started out statting only 3, then had to add more part way though. So 4 is probably a more reasonable number.

Stamina and Strength are fairly interchangeable thanks to Shield Form. I use the max points in shield form, so 80% of STR becomes STA. STR has the nice advantage of switching offense to defense as needed, but STA gives you more raw HP/Def per slot. I usually end up using 3-4 STA per piece and 1-3 STR.

Patk is nice because it gives you more raw offensive power than STR (unless using Hero Potion). Also, it doesn’t go away when you turn on Shield Form. I’ve been using 1-2 Patk per piece, but probably will go to 3-4 now that I’ve reached my current HP/Def goals.

Finally, +HP stats are OK. Usually I put 1 per item, and I’ve liked the result.

Dexterity you might think is good: dodge, accuracy, Shadow Stab component, and useful on the rogue side when you play that. But it’s actually not worthwhile – not useless either, but not worth statting. There’s +Accuracy gear, the amount of dodge is just too small to matter, and I can’t wear chain on rogue anyway.

Notice something above: there are 5 rather good options (str, stam, def, patk, HP). That's more than most classes (ex. mage: int, matk, stam, HP) and that lets you use a lot of strange combinations of stats. Str/Def, yes please! Str/Stam, you bet! Str/HP, Def/Patk, and Stam/HP also occasionally make it onto some of my gears. This has 2 effects: cheap if you want cheap, or use ONLY the highest tier stats for non-budget.

For runes you will need Hatred 2x, and as high a rank as you can afford. Raid, Wrath and Fatal are good for your main weapon. Beyond that, it’s about the same as statting. I use Block & Aggression on everything, then fill in the rest with Enlightenment, Ferocity, or Madness. Some have suggested Revolution, and that’s not a bad option, but I prefer these instead.

Update: I'm finding with this setup that I'm mostly a tank. That's exactly what I wanted, but it would be nice if the DPS mode was nicer. To do that, I'll be slowly swapping some of HP/Stam/Patk to Str. I still believe Def is required if you want a top tier tank. With this plan the most desirable stats will be Str/Patk, Str/Stam, and Str/Def. May need to augment with some Stam/Def and Patk/Def in order to get enough Def. The end result should be equivalent tank mode but better DPS mode. Also, Potential is a fine rune - didn't list that before.


Other gear considerations
I'm currently wearing full Tinc set and 3/4 of the KBN hard mode set (finishing it when able). World boss armor set is clearly better than Tinc, but I'm not rushing since what I have is reasonably good.

You will want to clean tier armor as much as your budget allows. T6 minimum - it's only 3 additional bumpers over T5 if you do it when originally statting the piece. Accessories I don't go higher than T6 though - since no defense involved, the return on tiering is less. Weapons I chose to T10 dirty stat the main and T6 clean stat the offhand - offhand same reason as accessories, mainhand I wanted damage more than stats. Update: T11 main now - it's nice.

Shell & EoJ gear works for filler if there's a gear slot that you won't be filling with best gear for a while.

For accessories I chose the Kulech Precision set (patk, accuracy, crit). The set with dodge/parry is fine if you're wanting more tank ability. Cloak you probably want shells or mems and you have the same choice between DPS and dodge/parry. I haven't been too impressed with dodge/parry: Mitigation generally beats evasion for a tank. You'd rather give your healers a steady stream of (manageable) damage to deal with than "nothing, nothing, nothing, wow that's a big hit".

Plussing neck & 2 rings to 16 will give you a huge boost in offensive power via crits.


Skill use
Different tactics for different situations. Listing some common ones here.

Tanking with maximum agro: Here you want Agro first, damage second. You will be in Shield Form. If you have time to prepare before fight (boss), you will want to start with a rage potion, item, or skill, then:

Rune Energy Influx -> Throw -> Shock Strike -> Rune Pulse/Shadow Stab.

-or-

Rune Energy Influx -> Shadow Pulse -> Throw -> Shock Strike -> Rune Pulse/Shadow Stab (if long range to start).

Rune Energy Influx is the short term buff that can more than double all agro gained. Sure, it costs time to cast it, but the effect is worthwhile since Agro is your primary goal.

Throw is in here because it’s basically a freebie – damage and no global cooldown.

Shock Strike is your highest agro ability thanks to the bonus with Shield Form.

Rune Pulse is only to be used with Chain Drive. It will be available most of the time, but if not then Shadow Stab is your next best option. Just keep spamming these 2 abilities until REI/Shock/Throw become available again.

As a potential modification to the above rotation, you could turn on Rune Overload somewhat after the fight starts (assuming it is going to last a while). The problem I have had with that is that the rage generated in combat usually isn’t enough to support both REI/Shock Strike and Rune Overload. If you can make the rage work, it would be a nice improvement.
Update: Or work in Heavy Bash instead of Shock Strike. It costs 5 less rage and debuffs target's patk/pdef (no agro bonus though). In further experimentation either HB or SS can be made to work, just be careful not to overdo it and lose Rune Overload.

Tanking with maximum damage: When your goal is to do damage, the rotation becomes different. You’ll probably start with Throw -> Shadow Stab -> Shadow Stab until rage is high enough to pop Rune Overload. Of course, if Chain Drive pops up, then Rune Pulse replaces Shadow Stab. From there, just ride the bubbles (Rune Overload), Throw when it's up, and spam Rune Pulse/Shadow Stab as much as you can. In a long boss fight, you might start with agro rotation (previous section) then switch to this once you're in no danger of losing agro.

Tanking Multiple Targets: You have several options here, and they may be dictated more by rage availability & cooldowns than anything else.

Death Arrives -> Rune Overload: This is the favorite of mine. An area around you gets hit repeatedly over ~15 secs (or whenever rage dries up). Rune Overload without Death Arrives can work in some situations, but usually it is short for me. You can walk around and continue with other attacks while this goes on. 5 min cooldown for Death Arrives, 1 minute for Rune Overload.

Rune Overload without Death Arrives can be good if you have a steady source of rage, but I find this rare.
Kinetic Burn: An area around you gets hit repeatedly for 6 seconds. This one has higher DPS output than Rune Overload, but fixed duration and you cannot use other abilities while it is going. Being stunned/knocked down during Kinetic Burn can interrupt it. 1 minute cooldown.

Agitated Whirlpool: You become the most agro, but zero damage. Good in some situations, but not so much when other people have only tiny amounts of agro (beginning of encounter). 5 minute cooldown.

My TP assignment recommendations (for high level & tank build)

• Runecraft - Solidify: Max (50)
  
• Runecraft - Fortify: Max (50)
  
• Finishing Hammer: Max (50)
  
• Last Line of Defense: Max (50) - not as important, but it's cheap
  
• Shield Form: debatable, but probably Max (50)
  
• Rune Pulse: Max
  
• Shock Strike: Max
  
• Rune Overload: Max if able
  
• Shadow Pulse: 60+, Max if able
  
• Rune Energy Influx: 55+, max after other skills
  
• Runecraft - Diversion: 55+, max after other skills
  
• Kinetic Burn: 55+, max eventually
  
• Rune Growth: 50+, max eventually
  
• Vacuum Wave: 25+, just a bit for siege
  
• Overrule: points optional, used for siege
  
• [Rogue] Shadow Stab: Max
  
• [Rogue] Nimble Hands: Max
  
• [Rogue] Throw: Max
  
• [Rogue] Agility: Max (50)
  

Update: As time goes on I'm using Shock Strike less. Mostly because those I group with aren't as difficult to hold agro over now. Rune Overload and Shadow Pulse (for siege) have both passed it in my personal priority now - but for a newer player the original may still hold true.

Siege War:
Balloon farming is OK, but you’re not the best class for it: Throw, Shadow Pulse & Shadow Stab is what I use to quickly one-shot stuff.

For most PvP, I use Shield Form. This reduces your attack, but increases HP/Def quite a lot. It also gives you access to Remodeled Body (Phoenix Redemption skill). Not going Shield Form would give you extra attack and let you ride horse easily, but I prefer the survivability.

Use frog potion from your housekeeper or goblin title ability after Shield Form to make yourself a smaller target & less recognizable. The robot is just too much.

C/R built this way can do quite well in siege once your gear level meets or exceeds your opponents. Basically you are a tank with high damage output. Vaguely like some R/K and W/K. Light melee classes are often easy pickings: very skilled/geared rogues will still kill you, but many are laughably easy. Scouts may stun/root you briefly, but then your range abilities kill faster than they kill you. Magic casters can kill you fast, but if you sneak up on them they die fast too. Tanks are long slow slugfest whose outcome is often determined by outside players, traps, or gear level. Healers if well geared can be frustratingly hard to kill, but they can't hurt you much either - kill their friends first if can.

Shadow Stab is my most used attack skill. Throw every time you can (no GCD!). Shadow Pulse to hit them at range. Rune Pulse occasionally. Rune Energy Influx after combat if you’re without a healer (it’s super slow, but every little bit helps). Remodeled Body when you're about to die.

A fun tactic when attacking a trapped area is to hit Death Arrives + Rune Overload & just charge in. Bring friends to back you up. You do a bit of damage to the area and provide the necessary distraction for your teammates to clean up.

Update: The 70 elite is really, really good in siege. After gaining some experience & gear I'm becoming a top killer in the guild. And opposing Champs are probably the most feared tank class, so it's better than I originally thought.


Improving beyond this guide
I consider this a work in progress. My intention is both to benefit those playing Champ, and to search for ways to improve for myself. Some likely areas for improvement below.

Macros and/or DIYCE scripts. Champ has a lot of room for gain from even the simplest of these. Imagine a button that casts Rune Pulse if Chain Drive is up and Shadow Stab otherwise. Or perhaps Throw if it’s off cooldown, followed by some other attack (since Throw has no global cooldown). I just have not developed these for myself yet.

Skills I haven’t fully tested:

• Rune Growth seems only *maybe* useful in DPS mode. Would need to test whether the loss of 1 attack per 15 sec is worth the attack power gain. Also, would require TP.
  
• Imprisonment Pulse could be useful in siege. The rage requirement is a drawback though, and would require TP.
  
• Fearless Blow seems to be plenty of damage. But the cooldown, target HP restriction, and rage requirement led me to not max it. Interested how it compares to Shadow Stab when maxed.
  
• Heavy Bash has a nice debuff. If it were a long boss fight and easy to lock agro at start, this could be a good strategy. But you have less damage (and agro) while applying it.
  
• Blind Stab does horrible damage, but I wonder if the debuff could make it worth using in siege vs. a melee opponent.
  

Suggestions for improving this guide are welcome.

Rhale 77C/75R/54M
Artemis - Valhallaguild

A footnote regarding Champion in the future: Currently Champion is without any item set skills, lvl 60/70 elite skills, and has some major skill bugs. If these were to be addressed, Champion could gain a lot.

Who knows what developers might do with Item Set Skills & elite skills. Personally, I'm hoping for a reliable area effect skill. Doesn't have to be big damage, but need something without the rage requirement and/or long cooldown of the current skills.

The main bugs currently are Shadow Pulse doing zero damage while in Shield Form (click button, lose Energy, start cooldown, animation triggers, target suffers zero damage & doesn't agro). And Rune Pulse according to its description should cause additional agro if used while in Shield Form - it actually causes agro equal to it's damage, same as non-Shield Form and none additional. Rune Overload had been cancelling buffs for a while, but this was fixed recently. (Update: looks like Shadow Pulse was fixed in a recent maintenance as well. Now doing dmg while in Shield Form.)

400+ views and no replies, not even to correct spelling/grammar or otherwise nitpick something. Makes me sad...

Anyway, what's new since this was written:
Bugs with Rune Overload cancelling buffs and Shadow Pulse doing no damage while in shield form are now fixed. Rune Pulse however still gives no agro bonus if used while in shield form - contrary to the skill description.

No sign of the promised item set skills for dwarves. But the level 60/70 dwarf elites were finally implemented. C/R gets Smoke Diffusion at 60: Pay 50% health to invis party members within range for 5.0 seconds. I have not yet investigated whether this also clears them from mob agro list - if it does, the skill might be worth something. Otherwise, I can't imagine ever using it. Level 70 is Shadow Explosion: Buff of indefinite duration, +50% patk and -50% healing received. Very awesome skill.

I'm playing in siege regular and quite happy with how C/R does. Big kill scores. Considering whether to tier up a good 2h or not. Would only be used in siege & farming easy mobs if it changes 2-shot to 1-shot kills - tanking instances you need the extra stats and 2nd Hatred from offhand weapon. Siege is kind of debatable: gain damage, lose stats - is it worth it?

Also, my previous thoughts on Vacuum Wave have changed. The only time I really want it is against healers in siege. And they resist it too often to be worth much.

Quoted

Any armor sets you'd promote C/R get? What kind of accessories do you use, Tank or DPS ones?

Section added. Thanks for the feedback.

Hi Mizetto, yeah I always copy everything before I hit submit on a post. Usually have to log in again and paste it back.

An interesting vid, I found some things to comment on:

Mix of this season's items vs. older. Example: Dim Light = New, Boots = old. Leather gloves look old but have crit going for them at least.

Looks like you went Enlightenment/Potential/Block/Aggression all the way. Block/Aggression seems like a no-brainer, but I'm not so sure on Ferocity vs. Enlightenment/Potential (assuming you can get equal tiers of both).

You've put a lot more Str stats than I have. Are you one that pretty much always uses Hero potion? If yes, that makes sense in the "beats Patk when not in shield form" sense. The amount of Str to stat vs. Stam/Str/Patk is a really interesting question IMO, and I can think of good reasons on both sides.

Overall looks like you have more patk than I, but hard to know how much because of buffs. Which housemaid buff did you have on in the video? Also seems like you have about 15k less Def when in shield form - 450k vs. 465k, pretty small difference actually.

I don't see much accuracy on your gear, just the 1 ring. How bad are the rogues/scouts in siege? My Tinc gear & KBN boots kind of naturally give me a bunch, but I don't have an easy comparison to see how much it's actually doing.

Noticed you using Rune Growth in the video. That one seems to me like I'd only really want it in DPS mode, and even then I'd have to give up 1 attack every 15 sec to use it. Probably worthwhile, but not as big a boost as the attack numbers look. And I'm almost always in tank mode or else killing trivially easy stuff, so I haven't put any TP in it at all. Can be used in tank mode of course, but giving up agro/DPS to gain a bit more survivability.... only sometimes worthwhile.

Oh cool, people finally posted here, lol. My comments about several things...

Gear sets: I wear Tinc set & Kulech DPS jewelry. Just finished the Kulech set a few days ago. World boss & Aoth sets are clearly better in my opinion. But not by a big enough amount that I'm going to put in the effort to do the upgrade. Still working on KBN hard set.

Mizetto already commented about Str/stam and str/patk (DPS) on endgame gear being able to tank. I believe he's right, but I've statted too much stam/def to know from experience. Would probably throw a few Str/Def into the mix to make the tank part more viable. Also would need to do a lot of Hatred/Recon swapping or tier up 2nd weapon to make it work. I'll probably go more this direction slowly as I stat new gear.

As it is, I'm mostly always tanking. KBNh 1st last night tanking with the 70 elite up (-50% healing received). Ended up doing about 60% dmg of the top rogue. And I'm using t10 tosh hammer - not found OD KBN one yet.

About the runes.. Let's simplify it a bit and say just Potential vs. Ferocity, because you can do Enlightenment+Ferocity. Assume X for both (maybe Ferocity harder to get at X? I haven't looked). Potential X = 48 all attributes. Ferocity X = 66 Sta, 429 HP. So Potential gives attack in normal mode - something that Ferocity doesn't. If we just look at tank mode and assume max shield form, then Potential = 86 sta, 10 str, 48 dex. Finding only the difference you get 329 HP from Ferocity vs. 46 Def, 20 patk, 48 Dex from Potential. Hmmm..... After breaking it down that far, I guess I'd be happy with either one about the same. If you were going for the DPS/tank full switch, then you'd clearly choose Potential.

Comparing to other tank classes: I wouldn't want to be a Knight right now. Sure, they can tank fine. But the damage while doing it is so small. As long as Champ is adequate survivability, I'd choose the higher DPS every time. Wd/W I can't comment on - not familiar enough with them. W/K is good on the damage side, but I suspect not enough survivability for the very highest content (anyone seen them actually do it?).


Rhale - 75C/71R/35W
Artemis - ValhallaGuild