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Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the Spear user:Warden. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
TheWardenis a hybridWarrior & Ranger Buildthat uses Spears and Bows to vanquish its enemies. The reasonWardenscan do this effectively is because both Spears and Bows useFinessefor their damagingAttribute, allowingWardensto deal maximum damage with both weapon types. This is also made possible by pumping points intoWarfare, which increases all Physical Damage from any source. Since it only costs 1 AP to switchWeaponsyou don’t lose a whole lot of damage per turn, especially since you can useAdrenaline,HasteorFlesh Sacrifice.
Warden Attributes and Equipment
As mentioned above theWardenfocuses onFinessein order to increase damage with Bows and Spears.Witsare also useful toWardensbecause it increasesCritical Chance, andWardenswill have around 200%Critical Multipliermid-game which is better than manyBuilds. There are no hard an fast rules here, butWardensshould work on pumpingFinessethrough out Act 1 and then consider adding some points intoWitssometime in Act 2 (Finesseshould be maxed or closed to maxed by then).
Wardenscan utilize any type ofArmourwhich means they will have a good balance of Physical and Magical, which works well for thisBuild. BecauseWardensare capable of fighting at range or close combat, this will give them some flexibility to decide how to engage based on the enemies they are facing.
Wardensshould look forArmourwith bonuses toFinesse,Warfare,WitsandCritical Chance, in that order.HuntsmanorScoundrelare also not bad if you may get them without sacrificing anything else. SlotMasterwork Runes of Powerinto yourArmourandFire Rune of Powerinto your Necklace.
As forWeapons,Wardenswill need a good Spear and a decent Bow (I recommend a Bow over a Crossbow becauseWardensneed to move a bit more than otherRangertypes). Bows are easy, but Spears can be difficult to find. TheSpear of Braccus Rexis a good early game Spear located beneathFort Joythat can get you going.
It’s going to be hard to find a Spear with the perfect bonuses, but you are looking for the same ones as onArmour. Always take the one with the highest damage if you can’t decide. If you’re Spear has aRune Slot, you’ll want to slotMystical Masterwork Runesinto them if you can.
Warden Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aWarden.
Wardensdeal damage with two differentWeapontypes so focusing on the common denominator, Physical Damage, is key. This is achieved by maxing outWarfareand then placing points intoTwo-Handedto capitalize on highCritical Multiplierand added damage to Spear attacks. In Act 1Wardenswill want 2 points intoHuntsman, 1 intoScoundreland the rest intoWarfare.
In Act 2Huntsmanwill go up to 3, and then all other points will go intoWarfareuntil it is capped and then all remaining points will go intoTwo-Handeduntil it is capped.Two-Handedwill not only increase your damage with Spears, but also Bows because of theCritical Multiplierincrease.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
ThisTalentwill help to increase yourCritical ChanceandAccuracywith both Bow and Spear. This is a solid first or second choice.
I like thisTalentfor thisBuildbecause you will need to move around a bit in order to get full use of melee and ranged skills. This will help you get up high when shooting, and get to your target when poking.
Opportunist
This will allow you to deal more damage when in melee combat. You can take this one earlier if you find that you don’t needThe Pawnthat much.
Far Out Man
ThisTalentwill increase the range of your Bow attacks by 2 meters, which is helpful when shooting. You may not need thisTalent, depending on how you play, however.
Picture of Health
Always a decentTalentfor characters with high amounts ofWarfare. Consider taking this one if you don’t needFar Out Man.
Warden Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Wardenswill use a mix ofHuntsmanandWarfareSkillsto deal damage. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Huntsman Skills
First Aid– Just an all around great skill for removingStatus Effectsand healing a solid amount. Also only costs 1 AP which is super nice. Has a short range, so get up high to help improve that if you need to use it on a teammate.
Tactical Retreat– This skill has so many uses with thisBuild. Use it to get up high to get increased damage with Bow attacks, or to jump into the fray when you are ready to melee. Also grantsHaste, which rocks.
Ballistic Shot– This is extremely powerful because it adds 5% damage for every meter you are from your target. This skill is a great way to take down a target in a single Bow shot from up high. Probably the best all aroundBowskill there is.
Sky Shot– Not as good asBallistic Shot, but still pretty good. Can give you a height advantage when you don’t have one. SinceHuntsmandoesn’t have a ton ofSkills, this is another one that’s just good to keep on your bar because you may need it.
Marksman’s Fang– I typically use this skill on enemy summons or targets that have highArmourbut low health. Can hit multiple targets and is just all around really good.
Barrage- This skill deals decent damage for 3 AP (180% vs a basic attack). The nice thing about it is that you can target multiple enemies. Good for finishing many weak enemies.
Reactive Shot- You can drop this into an area with a bunch of enemies and then leap into it withPhoenix Diveto make enemies walk into it and attack you. Be sure to land near an enemy so you also hit them with anAttack of Opportunity.
Warfare Skills
Battle Stomp– A great AoE with aKnockdown. you may use this on enemies above or below you, which works great with this sort ofBuild. Use only when you can get theStatus Effect.
Blitz Attack– A great gap closer that hits up to 2 targets. Only deals 70% damage to each target though, so keep that in mind when using. You can even use this at point blank to hit 2 targets if you need.
Whirlwind– A tremendous AoE that deals full damage to each target struck. Try to make sure you hit at least 3 targets when using this or save it for a moment when you can.
Phoenix Dive– Tactical Retreat will probably get you up high at the start of the fight and Phoenix Dive will probably get you into the middle of the action after exhausting your Bow attacks.
Challenge– As of February 1st, 2018 this Skill now only costs 1 AP, making it viable for this Build if you put 3 points into Warfare. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 15% for 1 turn.
Thick of the Fight– A great skill that buffs ANY type of damage for 2 turns dependent upon the number of enemies around you. You can always use this when in melee and then Tactical Retreat up high and then unload with Bow attacks.
Onslaught– This skill does insane damage. Deals 250% damage vs a single target, all but ensuring their death. Save this for the hardest targets in a fight to eliminate them quickly.
Final Tips
When playing aWardenI advise starting battles with your Bow as enemies usually begin a good distance from you. UseTactical Retreatto get up high and try to hit a far away target withBallistic Shotto deal good damage. Then end your turn. On turn 2 use 2 more bow attacks trying to pick off far away targets like archers or mages.
The strategy here is that turn 1 and 2 you unload with a Bow on targets that are not likely to group up. Then turn 3 switchWeaponsandPhoenix Diveinto the battle. AoE withWhirlwindorBattle Stompor useOnslaughton that tough target that has high health orArmour. After you’ve exhausted your melee skillsTactical Retreatup high and finish off any remaining targets with Bow attacks, which will now be off cooldown.
A couple of the reasons this combination works very well, besides the shared damage type (Physical), is that bothHuntsmanandWarfarehave very few damaging skills compared to elemental-typeBuilds. MostWarrior Buildssupplement their skills withPolymorphfor this reason, butPolymorphusesStrengthand we useFinesse, so we useHuntsman. Also,Huntsmanonly has really one goodSource SkillinArrow Storm, and using a Spear allows to use Skills like:OnslaughtandThick of the Fightto help supplement that.
A couple things to note here are that it will cost you 1 AP to swap to either Bow or Spear, so keep that in mind. However, the game charges you 1 AP per Weapon or Shield, so we minimize this amount by using two Weapons that require both hands, similar to the way theElmental Championworks with Staves. Also note that Spears have a full 1m range over that of any other melee Weapon so they can strike from further away andWhirlwindhas larger AoE.
Lastly, if you really like thisBuild, consider trying it out inLone Wolf, because it works AMAZING. Having 6 AP per turn makes thisBuildeven more effective because: 1) you’ll hardly notice the 1 AP to swapWeaponsand 2) you’ll churn throughSkillsmuch faster, making the additionalSkillsmuch more noticeable against otherWarriororRanger Lone Wolf Builds.
You really have the best of both worlds between anArcherand aWarriorand you sacrifice minimal damage to achieve this. Swap outThe PawnforExecutionerif you do this.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
