Allods Online Forum

Hey, everyone! It's Krafty and this is my entry for the Broken Chains edition of the Pimp My Build contest. I have been playing Allods since July 2010 when my game-hopping boyfriend introduced me to it. Never had I ever played an MMO before, was completely clueless on what to do, and had probably never been so hooked on a game before in my life. I JUST CAN'T QUIT YOU, ALLODS!
Krafty is a DPS Scout in the guild Monsters Inc. People are constantly asking me why I do not go tank spec. The reason?! I am HORRIBLY afraid of ruining someone's good time. To me, tanking is just too much responsibility, and I carry my clumsiness with me in game. So, for me, damage is the way to go. Originally, I chose an Elf Paladin for my first character and, aside from my seriously hot toon, I hated everything about playing that character. She probably made it to level 7 before I went over to the dark side (Empire, obviously) and chose a scout. I LOVED it from the start and never went back... well... except when I decided to make all those reincarnations. Even now, I am leveling a scout reincarnation. Whomp whomp.
Personally, I think the reason I took to this class so well is because it was very easy to learn how to play one. As a DPS, you don't have to worry about tanking or healing; frustrations that would likely have driven me bananas. However, with the Unity and Energy buffs (along side your DPS, of course), you are still an essential part of the team.

6.0 Changes:

Many people that know me in game understand how much I dislike PVP, so obviously I am going to be sharing a PVE build in this thread. PVP frustrates me; there's too many variables and I just get flustered and usually end up dying. It's not pretty. Then I get mad that I died, so I try to avoid it where I can. I am not going to go into crazy detail about each skill and why I chose it because then things get long and boring.





Main DPS Skills:
Steady Shot/Intuitive Shot: At lower levels, you will only be able to work with Steady Shot, and as you progress into the game, Intuitive Shot becomes available. Intuitive is a more devastating version of Steady shot and both of these skills reduce the cooldown of Double Shot by 33%. As this is one of your main forms of attack, I would highly recommend getting rank 3 on these skills.
Double Shot: Double Shot plays a big role in the DPS of a scout, so rank 3 is essential.

Enchanted Arrows:
Tranquil Arrow: This arrow does not inflict any damage, but will apply stacks that slow the enemy. The rank of this skill determines how many stacks and the percentage in which the enemy is slowed (higher ranks = high stacks/percentages).
Incendiary Arrow: Incendiary Arrow inflicts damage over time to the target. Higher rankings deals more damage, so it is worth it to get this to rank 3 and it is also beneficial to reapply the effect to the opposing force once the timer has run out as it will deal higher damage from the initial tick, which you just do not get from simply refreshing the timer.
Precise Arrow: Each ranking of this Enchanted Arrow unlocks a new skill to use (Precision Shot to the Legs/Throat/Arms) and all skills share a cooldown. Precision Shot to the Legs performs a knockdown, Precision Shot to the Throat causes silence, and Precision Shot to the Arms will disarm the target. I only take this one to rank 2 because 1. I run out of room on my hotkeys, 2. There are better talents to spend the points on, 3. Disarming is more for PVP and we already went over the fact that I am not about PVP.
Tesla Arrow: Used to be better but is still pretty awesome. Not only does this inflict tons of damage, but it is a small radius AoE (5 yards), so it works really well for those pulls where you want to inflict damage to a bunch of conveniently grouped up mobs.

Conditional Skills:
Ranging Fire: This shot applies the Under Aim Effect which increases the damage done from your Steady, Intuitive and Double Shot. Each stack of this effect increases the damage by the above mentioned attacks by 3% and it can stack a max of 8 times.
Finishing Shot: So if you're not a scout, you're probably doing a double-take at the talent grid right now. No, this does not appear on the grid itself. It is a skill acquired from learning Ranging Fire. Finishing Shot packs a big punch and could very well have been grouped in the "Main DPS Skills" section, but since this skill is governed by Ranging Fire, I decided to classify these two separately. Not only does each stack of Ranging Fire increase the damage dealt by Steady/Intuitive/Double Shot, but it also increases the damage dealt by Finishing Shot. It is best to wait for 8 stacks of Ranging Fire before loosing this bad boy.

Area of Effect:
Rain of Arrows: With the Scout revamp from a patch prior to 6.0, Scouts were finally given a true AoE skill that inflicts amazing damage. Couple this skill with Telekinetic Pull (either from a Psi in your party or a reincarnation skill) and Caltrops and you've got a whole lot of damage soup!

Soft Control Effects:
Caltrops: This throws an AoE handful of spiked balls on the ground that can knock an enemy down multiple times for the duration of the effect. You can also get rubies for this skill that will inflict damage on targets within in area, but I usually do not grab them since it can break true control effects. Usually, I will take this skill to rank 3, but that is completely up to the Scout. Rank 2 should be sufficient.
Recoil/Somersault: I get each of these to rank 1 because for the most part I just use this as a soft control effect. If I need to interrupt a skill my target is performing, I will just run up and bounce off to stun them for a bit before continuing my assault. Again, this is a Scout preference thing. If you want just rank 1 Recoil, that's fine. If you don't want either, that's your prerogative.

Dragon Tear Skills:
Blade Storm: I would love to have this rank 3, but I ran out of talent points for it and since I am a ranged scout, it is probably better that way. This teleports you to any random enemy within a 15 yard radius and inflicts damage on that enemy. The amount of attacks performed varies depending on where you rank it (max is 8 hit at rank 3). You are immune to control effects when you use this ability and it consumes 4 Tears of the Dragon. The better quality Tears of the Dragon you have equipped, the better damage this skill does.
Onslaught: Onslaught increases your movement and attack speed and decreases cooldown and energy consumption for any skill that depends on a weapon's speed. The effect lasts for 20 seconds and all shots can be fired while moving within that time. This skill requires 6 Tears of the Dragon and the higher the quality the tears, the faster your movement and attack speed. I ranked this to 3 because it is amazing when you're in a pinch and need to run and shoot at the same time!

Buffs:
Intensive Training: A buff that restores energy and mana (12 energy and 1% mana every 8 seconds at rank 3) to all party members. Wardens have a similar buff in which more mana and less energy is restored, but I feel it's safe to say that most people would agree that the Scout's regeneration buff is the only true regen.

Ruby Grids:

Uncanny Accuracy: I pick up all three of these little gems because who wouldn't want an additional 9 points in Proficiency?
Art of Death: Whaaaaaaat? 9 points in Brutality on the same grid and easily accessed from the Proficiency ones? Yes please! I'll take all three of those as well!
Fencing Master: Okay, so I know these are more geared towards Melee Scouts, but personally, the less I can be hit, the happier I am. Getting all three of these rubies gives you a 15% chance to parry. It also gives your weapons a 3% damage increase in melee combat.
Sword against Sorcery: This gives you the ability to parry AND dodge magical attacks! Win/Win!
Unity: Unity grants a friendly target the Encouragement effect which increases their total health by 15% and also gives an additional 15% per party member within a 100 yard radius. Mainly this skill is used to buff a tank in PVE.




Terminator: Ummm... who wouldn't want to increase the damage from their finishing shot by 15%? Grab these three.
Serrated Arrows: This trio increases the damage from your Double Shot by 18%. How could you even say no to these?
Will to Live: A tripack of stamina and healing received? Sign me up!
Secret Knowledge: Burning through some knowledge! Snatching this ruby cluster increases the damage of your Incendiary Arrow by 15%. It says it also increases the periodic damage of Tesla arrow by 60% but Hello typo! What periodic damage?
Light Arrows: Scooping up these three awesome jobbers reduces the energy cost of your Steady Shot and Intuitive Shot by 21%! 21% is kind of an odd number, but I'll take it!
Destructive Shots: Increase your Rain of Arrows damage, by 36%, with these rubies. They also lessen the cooldown of Rain of Arrows and Tesla Arrow by 30% (yeah right...)
Quick Recharge: Instantly fletches three enchanted arrows of each type. I am in love with this skill so much, it is disgusting. While the cooldown could be better, 2 minutes still isn't too terrible a wait to use this skill again.
Swift Fletching: I do not think I could function without these rubies considering how quickly I burn through Enchanted Arrows. Gathering all three of these allows you to regenerate arrows 100% faster, which means you can actually do this in combat while running around without having to worry about interrupting the fletching of arrows. Fantastic! If you're not big on using Enchanted Arrows or you like to waste a crapload of time, by all means, skip these rubies.
Subtle Fingers: Okay, the name of this ruby alone just sounds so filthy. I would like to petition for the developers to change this. Is it just me? Yes? Oh well, anyways this duo decreases the energy cost of Double Shot, which is a must have because who wants to blow all their energy on using their fingers not-so-subtly? Eww...
Enlarged Quiver: SEVEN ENCHANTED ARROWS! YOU GET 7 INSTEAD OF 3! SEVEN!!!!!!!
Medicinal Herbs: 40% health restoration? Don't mind if I do!
Ammunition: Can you tell that I have a love affair with Enchanted Arrows? As described above, this gives you a chance (45% with all three of the rubies) to restore one Enchanted Arrow of the same type that you just shot. Any higher a percentage and this could make Switch Fletching obsolete... I'm just kidding, Swift Fletching! I love you, too!
Marksmanship: A trifecta that increases the damage of your Steady/Intuitive Shot by 12%. Since this is a big part of your dps, it would be very beneficial to pick up these rubies.
Eagle Vision: Every ranged scout shout have all of these. I have no idea how you would function as a ranged scout without them. Eagle Vision increases the distance on your ranged attacks (up to 30% at rank 3) and increases their damage by 6%.




Battle Hardening: 15% armor increase by selecting these three rubies.
Rapid Heartbeat: This is the first batch of rubies I start a path to, because regenerating that additional 5 energy every 6 seconds helps so much. It doesn't sound like much, but it makes all the difference.
Athlete: There are three of these strewn about the Uncanny Accuracy grid, and snatching the three of these increases your vigor by 9%.
Piercing Blows: You need all the luck you can get, and these three rubies will give you 9 more points worth!
Escape Artist/Quick March: Escape Artist is a skill earned from a special scroll awarded to you for completing a world mystery. It is a skill that removes MOST movement impairing effects. Afterwards, you are immune to movement impairing effects for 5 seconds. Picking up the Quick March ruby will give added benefits to Escape Artist by increasing your movement speed by 80% for 5 seconds. The cooldown of Escape Artist is only 40 seconds, making it a nice little skill to have should you need to escape from a tricky situation.
Accumulated Heat: This seems to be more of a preference ruby. If you want to add a little bit of passive DPS, Accumulated Heat is the way to go. Using Vicious Blow/Reflex Action (melee skills) or Steady/Intuitive Shot gives you a 22.4%/26.4% chance to apply the Intense Pain effect which inflicts damage over time.

Rotations:

General Rotation:
So, if you've read any other scout guide on these forums, you can probably just skip this part. Most scouts use similar rotations: Incendiary, Ranging Fire, Double Shot, Tesla, Intuitive, Explosive Shot (Kanian Racial); rinse and repeat the ones that are off cooldown, use the skills that finally come off cooldown, aaaaaand finish it off with the appropriately named Finishing Shot when your target reaches 8 stacks of the Under Aim effect. Start again! Weee! Scout is easy peasy!

AoE Rotation:
Now that Scouts actually can do some pretty decent AoE, I'll toss this little tidbit in. For pulls in astral/raid where there are many minimal HP'd mobs, you can do a lot of DPS with your AoEs. Especially helpful is having the Spiked Balls ruby located in the Steady Shot Grid and Explosive Shot for added AoE damage. You can receive the Explosive Shot ability from being a Kanian or grabbing the Page from the Book of Secrets from the Item Shop which allows you to learn all racial abilities for your class. If you have a Psi in your party or as a reincarnation, having Telekinetic Pull is also very helpful for an AoE rotation. Personally, I start with Telekinetic Pull to gather all mobs together and throw down my Caltrops to keep them from scattering all over the place. Now that they're grouped and contained, I toss in Rain of Arrows followed by Explosive Shot and Tesla. For added damage, pop each mob with Incendiary Arrow and use Tesla and Rain of Arrows as they come off cooldown.

Conclusion:

Pretty much PVE Scout in a nutshell. The influence of this guide aside, playing a scout is an all around great class; it is easy to learn how to play, fun in PVP, and an amazing DPSer in PVE. It is versatile in that it can perform different roles in gameplay via a melee or ranged build by either tanking or DPSing, respectively. All we need now is the ability to heal an entire party and then we will be able to take over all of Sarnaut! If you have any questions, comments, or constructive criticism for the build, please feel free to leave a reply.