2H DK help

Alex_90 · November 2014

I'm playing a Nord DK with 2H weapon and medium armor but I have troubles. I'm around level 10 and I easy got killed.
1. In what stat should I put points?
2. Should I change medium to heavy armor?
3. What skills are usefull?
4. How to deal with bigger enemy groups?

Aett_Thorn · November 2014

At level ten, not much should be giving you a huge amount of trouble, but I'll try to give you some help:

1) Stat points should mainly be going towards health, with maybe a few going into stamina and magika as you go along. If you find yourself using both class and weapon skills a lot, a 3:1:1 split of health:stamina:magika should work.

2) Medium armor is fine if you want to be mainly a damage dealer. However, if survivability is an issue, pick up the class skill Spiked Armor. It will give you a short-term boost to armor to help you survive.

Question 3) and 4) are going to depend a lot on what you are trying to do. For instance, do you want to mostly be a weapon-user, a class-skill user, or a hybrid.

Nestor · November 2014

I play Heavy Armor and 1H/S on my DK. This was the build that had no issues with survivability. If I died, it was because I did something dumb.

When I had a character in 2H, I could not swing my sword fast enough to prevail. In other words, the increased amount of damage did not make up for the slower attack speed. I spec'd him to 1H/S and things got much better. There are supposed to be changes with the next update to make 2H better, so perhaps it will get better.

Now, your probably having issues with multiple mobs. So, here is what you do. In all the 3 mobs out there, one will always (usually anyway) patrol away from the other two. Wait for that, then use the Chain skill to pull him towards you. You will not trigger the other two mobs while take the one out. Then pull one of the two towards you and you can kill them, or mostly kill them before the other one gets to you. You can also use terrain to your advantage so that the other mob has to take the long way to get to you, but you can pull the one mob directly to you.

Alex_90 · November 2014

Maybe I'm little overreacting with this "easy got killed" but it happens with mini-bosses and I feel a little weak in general. Maybe it'll change with a new patch so I'll wait.
Right now I use this skills: Stampede (to open a fight), Stone Giant, Brawler, Igneous Weapons, and Spiked Armor. My ultimate is Magma Armor but I don't use it.
Nestor - but with a shield and heavy armor you're playing as a tank or dps? Because In Skyrim I'm playing a character 1h+shield and heavy armor but here I worry that I would have to be a tank in that scenario.

Nestor · November 2014

It all depends on the situation really. I tend to use the Invasion skill to get up close, interrupt and knock them down, then back up, give them a Searing Strike as I do for Damage over time, then use the Flame Whip until they start casting again, then use Invasion to knock them down and interrupt again rinse and repeat. With multiple mobs I will use Invasion on them in turn, then use Searing Strike/Flame Whip.

Whenever I say Invasion or Shield Charge you think Stampede if you stay with 2H.

So, I am giving out the DPS, but I am tanking in a way at the same time. Remember, I wear Heavy Armor on my DK, so I can take some damage.

Also, for your Ultimate, you want the Dragon Knight Standard, it's a Boss Killer. At higher levels it deals out about 1800 damage all on it's own, and basically eliminates their health regen. So, I use Invasion (morph of Shield Charge), then drop the Standard, wail on the Boss, and pretty soon the fight is over. You could probably use Stampede the same way as an opener, then drop the Standard. Of course I charge up Igneous Weapons before each fight, and I will even sometimes wait for the mana to regen after casting Igneous before I fight. The duration on Igneous (1 minute plus at higher levels) allows for that delay.

I only use the Magma Armor when I am using the Destro Staff. The Dragon Leap Ultimate is really best for PvP and Group Situations, and even then, I have not found that much of a use for it. I did not even put a point into the last time I respecced.

Also do you craft? Ashen Grip 5 Piece and Deaths Wind 4 Piece will add some nice buffs to your stats. You only need to learn two traits to make that set. You can use these sets for quite a while too. If you don't know them, see if a Guild Mate can make them for you. If your not in a guild, send me a PM in the game and I will brew you up a set so you can see how a crafted set can make a difference.

When you get to L15, start using a Destruction Staff as that is the best AoE you can get for taking out the trash mobs. Also it's good as a ranged weapon for those times you want to deal some damage from a distance before closing in.

spoqster · November 2014

For dealing with groups I can also recommend the Brawler morph of Cleave. It gives you a damage shield which is stronger if you hit more enemies. I use it on my VR9 Templar and it greatly helps me to handle Craglorn groups.

Other than that Spiked Armor is great and Obsidian Shard and Dragon Blood will be of great help once you hit level 20.

Most importantly, don't get your spirits down. Learning how to best adjust your skills and play style to deal with different tasks such as single target dps, overworld groups, bosses and other players is the most fun aspect of the game. Don't expect it to be a cakewalk, enjoy that the game is built in a way that you have to put your mind towards figuring these things out.