hmm... allthough a lot of basic hints and tips are set up in the Holy book of sticky-thread, peeps seem to avoid it like the pest and rather ask us ingame or do the general "I crave help" posts.
As much as I love helping out people ingame, designing their path and putting the "Made in Dengwan" sticker on their tank, I know some want a final "this is where you put your IP's" thingy.
I would love for some input here, in order to modify it towards excellence.
Your Links to use:
AODB - item-database
Auno - Item-database
(Auno and AODB has different tools but are both great)
Anarchy Arcanum - if you wonder about how to make something, SL things or RK things, here's the place. Also contains Dynaboss locations and ql.
The sticky! - The bible of Enfs.
Here goes:
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STARTUP GUIDE FOR THE ENFORCER
What you need to know about IP-spendage, Weapons, Armor, Implants:
Should your answer not be here, it *will* be in the sticky thread.
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IP's *aren't* unlimited. It's adviced to choose your "path" at an early stage in levels. Those who believe they've trashed their characters when changing IP-allocation at level 10 or so and starts IPR'ing (resetting points put to a skill), need not worry. You spend a fragment of your total IP's on those levels.
In the eyes of an IP-adolf where you save your pvp-twinkage for later, these skills are good to raise:
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LVL 1 - 50
- Intelligence/Strength/Stamina/Agility - MAX
- Your Primary weapon skill - MAX
- Secondary Weaponskills - If you need brawl. Max it.
- Fast attack - comfortable to have a FoB, but it's power in Init change and Crit grows in higher level. Suggest you wait, unless your weapon has FA as secondary skill.
- Evade Clsc/Dodge Ranged/Melee init. - MAX (Duck *can* wait as the majority of Mobs are tied to Clsc/Ranged weps at lower levels)
- Computer Litteracy - Depending on guild-status with towers/Belt/NCUs. If needed, keep IP's to max.
- Sense/Psy - 50-60% Mind the melee init.. if it says base skill too low.. you know you have to raise it some
- Body Dev/Nano Pool - MAX (yes.. nano pool as well)
- Runspeed - 50%
- Treatment - MAX!
Nanoskills:
*IMPORTANT* -> you change implants... Have a look at your nanoskills when you level. don't waste the IP's untill you know it will let you upload a nano. Suppose you, at level 38 max BM to get that new Essence in.. and you change implans to see that you've spent more than needed on this skill.
I advice you go from QL30 (premade) to QL70 at level 40 or so.
This is again, depending on weaponchoice.
your primary nanos are these:
- Weapon-nanos/FA (Focused Anger): PM/SI
- Essence: BM/MC
- Mongo: BM/PM
- Challenger/Rage: BM/MM
note: Int maxed means less IP's in nanoskills. Solitus will have an easier start than Atrox IP-wise.
Choosing which to put IP's into first is a hard choice and depends on the weaponpath you've chosen.
Mongo Slam is obvious for all. (no need to stress with Bash untill after lvl 60)
At level 50, most enforcers are on QL 70 implants. (1.char-players)
Armor:
I advice Carbonium because it adds NCU and Nanopool, 2 vital things for an enforcer. You, the tank, need this.
Using Omni Pol or Flowers is more a style-thing rather than a logical choice (at least OP)
for backwear I suggest you take a trip to the Temple and get the Tank armor from the Guardian or the Exarch robe. Both will see you through the levels.
Nifty items
- Omni have the luxury of having Augmented OT-rings. These add 0-10 PM depending on QL and is a great help when it comes to Mongo.
- Assault Tank from Biomare dungeon (or, as we call it, foremans) in The longest road (coords 1940 x 775, Drops off Bodyguards in the far end of the dungeon when you reach the "medical complex")
- Special Gloves from Nelebs dungeon adding all sorts of weaponskills. Also a good drop of bracers there
- Grab all the things you can get from the temple while you can, such as damage-adding items ++ There are a lot of good things to get from SL as well. Take a trip and explore.
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1-hand dual enforcers (upping 5 or more Weaponskills) spend a lot of IP's on specials and Multi Melee. This can cripple you somewhat at lower levels IP-wise, unless you are careful.
1st priority: Challenger and Weapon nanos (Rage comes with the flow)
At that level, you should be able to upload these nanos:
Essence of the Brave Challenger 211 BM/MC
Brave Challenger to Titan 201 BM/MM
Arctic Cloak 184 BM/MC
Thicken Skin 177 BM/MC
Berserk Rage 153 MM/BM/MC
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Lvl 50-100:
In this range, you notice how nasty the Nano-Ip's are and I, again, remind you that int maxed helps out a lot.
- Intelligence/Strength/Stamina/Agility - MAX
- Your Primary weapon skill - MAX
- Secondary Weaponskills - If you need brawl. Max it.
- Fast attack - You need a FoB. Keep it at a decent level.
- Evade Clsc/Dodge Ranged/Melee init. - MAX
- Duck Exp/Nano resistance - 50%
- Computer Litteracy - Work your way towards that 6x. 361 is the skillreq on the lowest ql, I believe
- Sense/Psy - 50-60%
- Body Dev - Max
- Nano Pool - think "with this nanopool, what can I fit into battle.. 2-3 mongos?... 1 chall and 1 mongo?"
- Runspeed - 50%
- Treatment - MAX!
at this point, I bet most people've been involved in pvp one way or another. Some fall for the temptation to max evades, runspeed, NR, Nano-init at this point.
Should you discover that you want to use another weapon... well.. most weapon-types have their dead-periods.
2HB, for instance, have a void between 90 and 140-160 where it's normal to want something else.
as you pass lvl 70-80, you probably have changed to 125 implants.
Closing in on 100 I suspect you allready know how to spend your IP's.
It's probably wise to mention tho, that you needn't worry about Mongo Smash yet. Bash will come around 70 with the implant change to 125, Smash isn't untill 135+ usually.
at 100ish, you will have to decide if you want to push IP's into Essence of Titan, or stay with Cyclops a little longer. If you are Atrox, stay with cyclops untill 100+.
in the 70's you should also be able to toss the Weapon buffs requiring 295 PM/SI and Focused anger (284 PM/SI).
Armor:
OP elite is black and stylish... evenso, it's not the best choice. Carbonium, MK1 (Level req 91. from Smugglers den) or CAS are the alternatives I suggest.
Nifty items:
- If you haven't gotten the Assault tank yet, GO GRAB IT!
- 2HB enforcers, keep in mind that the Bonehammer is waiting for you in Cyborg barracks in Greater Tir County (also some nice cyber armor if you like yellow plasteel-look. lvl 71 req)
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100-150
Ip-spendage should be in the blood by now.
The tank-role of the enforcer becomes even more clear as you get higher mongo. Carbonium and CAS are still good options up to higher levels.
At 146, you are able to equip MK2 armor (from Smugglers Den) and some of you might be able to get a hold of Dragon armor or a HPO.
Backwear, I suggest Albrecht or overtuned Heavy tank.
Nifty Items:
- The enforcer ring (from "This axe belongs to jack")
- Inner Sanctum drops several nice items - FBR, Bloodmarks etc.
- Symbiants. Starting to look for Head/eye/Chest symbiants might be a good idea at these levels.
- Silken legchopper gloves. Drops from jack
- Smelly Butcher Gloves. Drops from Tarasque. nice wepskill adds
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Perks: (SL - accounts)
Perks is the add you give to your allready raised skills, be it weaponskills, HP, AC or other things. You open the Perk menu by pressing "Shift + P".
Enforcerperks open up for a wide specter of tactics and gives you the oppurtunity, even more, to choose a "style". Remember, it takes 72 hours after you reset a perk untill you are able to do so again. The most "essential" and used perk amongst enfs, is "Form of Troll" adding large ammounts of HP + in time a nifty AC effect. Several people use more HP, or go directly at Bioshield and Weapon-skills.
My reccomendation are these priorities :
1: Bioshielding.
2: FoT (HP) *or* colossal health
3: Weaponskill
4: Basic stats
Some choose to put 2 into Genious perk for the 1200 Nano-add you get. Not a bad option. Others do treatment to the max at 110-120ish to get those 200 imps in and then reset them back to something elseperks gives a lot of oppurtunities
Perk planner is a good tool to check out when you design your style
Should you be an explorer, choosing the first "Cartographer" perk would be a good thing. You will recieve a teleport perk taking you to omni ent. this effect has a 4 hour recycle.
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Aggro management:
The aggro system is constantly changing but I believe it's found its become a little more stable now
At the moment, Enforcers have a taunt line, mongo, different aggro-enhancing devices and damage to rely on when it comes to maintaining aggro. at lower levels, the Agression multiplier works pretty well, and Psychology is a relatively cheap skill to raise. However, should you not have the IP's for this, a "Da taunta" or a "Library of Foul language" works even better (but are even harder to get your hands on at lower levels)
Finally, Mongo works (well.. CH works better atm, but oh well)
note: The taunt-items aren't required to be equipped in the util-slots to be used, even if they fit there. Hardly any item, unless it adds something to your stats are needed to be equipped to be used. I have seen many people using the Foremans tank which is highly unneccecary. just right click it to activate the shiled.
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summa summarum, this should keep you going for some time.
I asked in the Doctor-forum, what tank would they preffer. An Enforcer, a GA-fixer or a Soldier.
The reply varied some, but all in all, The experience and quality of the tank is what made him good, not the class.
What you choose to become, is what you will become in AO. What you will face in your role as tank, damage dealer and frontline-fighter in battles is: A good enforcer dies a lot.
This points to our role, as tanks, the intention behind the enforcer. As we, on higher levels are blessed with high damage, HP and the highest NR/runspeed in the game, I think it's nothing but fair to say that we are the last to leave the battlefield. See your team safe, trust your doctor, know how and when to taunt. Eventually, you will be respected as a good enforcer and fighter.
I quote Kissys' tagline:
"Mongo won't save you, but it may just save your team!"
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Additional information:
FoB=Flurry of Blows (Buyable in "Attacks", " tools" and "devices"- booth in all shops)
Carbonium Armor: You will need to purchase "Carbonium Platings" from the shop in order to get this made. It is, however a cheap armor to buy from other players)
Omni-Med suit *is* wearable by clan, but only purchasable in omni stores.
Check on www.aodb.info for "hasparry" if you are unsure if you should raise it or not. Some weapons just don't parry :-)
Deng