Titan Quest Fans Forum

Titan Quest - Anniversary Edition => Gameplay => Guides AE => Topic started by: CrocMagnum on 08 February 2018, 14:52:59

Title: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 08 February 2018, 14:52:59
THREAD OUTDATED NEW GUIDE: HERE (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=744.0)

Titan Quest Ragnarök: Rune Skills for Beginners

Content

I] Intro
II] Rune Presentation
III] Rune Class Combinations
IV] Rune Skills
V] Rune Build Compendium
VI] Hall of Contributors
VII] Conclusion

I] Intro

Finally the Croc has come back to Sparta! 8)

Hello, dear Community! I felt compelled to write this guide since I couldn't find a faq on the Net giving a simple rundown of the Rune Skills. It's high time. I know I can count on the dedicated players of this friendly Community (Edit: Oh Yeah! They did answer the call^^). So when needed I will edit this thread and credit you, folks. If you smell what the Croc is cooking…

II] Rune Presentation

Rune, the new Mastery available with the Ragnarök DLC, is like no other. It is a beautiful breath of fresh air in Titan Quest. But Rune being so original, you might sometimes scratch your head trying to figure out the use of some skills. Fear not, friend! This is what this guide is all about.

What makes Rune stand out from other Masteries?

- Rune is the only class that grants you bonuses to Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity and Health. When the Mastery is maxed (32 Skill Points) you earn:

# 32 STR
# 64 INT
# 48 DEX
# 640 HEALTH

- Rune gives you NO bonus to Energy,

- Rune has no Energy Reserved Skills. This may be a choice in game design to address the fact that Rune does not increase your Energy Stat (when climbing up your Mastery),

- Despite what I said above, Rune is a surprisingly efficient Mastery as far as Energy Consumption goes, go figure,

- Runemasters have no living Familiars, but they have Summons: friggin' Stones!

Yeah! Me too I miss the good old Familiar that you could rub behind the ears. But last I checked sane people don’t speak to stones nor do they play fetch with them. ^^ Unless you:

- Croc: "Go fetch my Olive Branch, Menhir! Go!"
- Menhir: "BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!"
- Croc: "Well done, Menhir! You’re a good puppy!"

Joke aside read my comment below about the 2 Stone skills. They’re quite unusual.

III] Rune Class Combinations

First there is a Titan Quest Ragnarök Calculator available at kirmiziperfect: Titan Quest AE + Ragnarök Calculator (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/)

- Runemaster (Single Class)
- Rune + Defense = Runesmith
- Rune + Earth = Stonespeaker
- Rune + Rogue = Trickster
- Rune + Storm = Thunderer
- Rune + Warfare = Berserker
- Rune + Nature = Skinchanger
- Rune + Spirit = Shaman
- Rune + Hunting = Dragon Hunter
- Rune + Dream = Seidr Worker

IV] Rune Skills

Rune Weapon > Magical Charge > Energy Drain > Transmutation

Rune Weapon: this skill tree is a charge type ability that you can assign to your LMB (left mouse Button) or RMB. It works like Onslaught from Warfare Mastery. As a whole Rune Weapon is an essential skill tree.

Magical Charge: increases your Elemental Damage and Damage Retaliation in flat numbers (not %),

Energy Drain: grants you Energy Leech (in flat) / Attack Damage converted to Health in % (Yummy!) / Reduced Offensive Ability (debuffs Monsters in % too) / Slows Monsters (in %). 

Transmutation: converts a % of your Weapon Damage into Elemental Damage. This is a one of kind new skill in Titan Quest. Transmutation is also a game-changer, on Normal just putting 1 point into this skill will increase your damage noticeably. EDIT: since Update 1.54 Transmutation is now permanently active (but still requires Rune Weapon).

Note: Rune Weapon does NOT work with Staves.

Sacred Rage > Frightening Power

Sacred Rage: % Damage Absorption / +Energy Regen / +10% Total Speed / -% Recharge / 50% Slow Resistance!
Frightening Power: % Reduction to Enemy's Health / % Reduced Damage for 3.0 Seconds / Chance of Fear

Sacred Rage is a kind of panic passive skill that triggers when your Health dips below 40%. The main skill buffs you, while Frightening Power -its synergy- debuffs Monsters.

From experience this skill can save your life, and sometimes it won’t (and will die miserably ^^).

Note that the synergy creates a visible red circle around you when it activates: this a good indication that you should drink a red potion or leave the area immediately. ^^

Runeword: Feather

This is a passive that increases your Offensive Ability (in flat numbers) and most importantly reduces the Strength Requirement for All Weapon in %. SHIELDS INCLUDED!!!

This is a very good passive. Also do not mistake this skill with Armor Handling from Defense Mastery, the latter reduces Strength Requirement for Armors and Shields! In other words "Runeword: Feather" does NOT reduce Requirement for Armors!

Rune of Life

% Bleeding Resistance / % Vitality Resistance / +% Strength / +% movement Speed

Rune of Life is an active aura that buffs you or your Allies (Familiars too) for a whopping 10 minutes (600 seconds) regardless of level. This is a solid buff because all the granted bonuses are in %:

Not only Rune of Life is awesome but it stays on like forever. Remember that “the movement Speed” is great when farming or trying to reach distant areas.

Rune of Life has no cooldown! You can cast it liberally on you and your Familiars.

Thunder Strike > Unleash

Rogues have Knives, now Runemasters have Thunder Strike and it’s natsy! You fire 5 projectiles in an arc that deal Elemental Damage and Stun. The Synergy -Unleash- adds Electrical Burn Damage, Skill Disruption and has a chance to confuse Monsters.

Here’s what Firebrand -a Titan Quest Fellow Member- said about Thunder Strike in his Runic Elemental Shotgun Guide (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=235.0")

Quote
Thunder Strike. It is incredibly good against hordes, and just as incredibly good against bosses, who are likely to get hit by most if not all projectiles, provided you're close enough. Combine it with Seal of Fate [note: a Debuff] (and don't forget to warm up with a few Runic Weapon shots) and you'll one-shot virtually anything that's not a final boss.
 …
Now Thunder Strike shoots five projectiles, as its description says. However, if you're dual-wielding thrown weapons, it will net you five projectiles for each weapon you're holding! That's a lot of daggers or axes at the same time. And Reckless Offense [note: this skill allows Runemasters to dual wield weapons] itself pays off as well, I found.

Like many of the skills of Rune Mastery, Thunder Strike only show its worth when you unlock its synergy, Unleash.

You cannot reduce the cooldown -fixed 7 seconds- of Thunderstrike no matter how many Skill Points you pour into the Skill. So “- Recharge” from items/artifacts are your best friends.

Note: since Titan Quest Anniversary Edition, "- Recharge" is capped at 80%.

Runic Mines > Freezing Mines

Runic Mines: Cooldown: 9 seconds / Duration: 10 seconds / Effect: Elemental Damage (flat)
Freezing Mine: Frostburn Damage (flat) / chance of Freeze / Slow

Runic Mines is a curious Spell which you will learn to love or hate depending on your play-style and the Monsters you’re facing.

The base skill, Runic Mines, surrounds you with a few booby traps which stay on the spot for a few seconds. You cannot choose where to throw them, they emerge just around you.

Without investing into its synergy -Freezing Mines- this skill is underwhelming. Freezing Mines ads some welcome: Frostburn Damage, Slow and a chance of Freeze.
 
The trick to use this skill effectively is to lead your targets into your traps. Some Monsters are very likely to fall for that ruse, especially those nasty melee Monsters who hunt you down.

Ex: Automatoi (golden constructs) are easy prey for your Runic Mines, just dance them around to lead them to your minefield.

Menhir Wall > Guardian Stones

By watching at the skill tree you might think Guardian Stones is just the synergy (an enhancement) of Menhir Wall, well this is quite far from the truth. When unlocked, both skills have their own Icons and can be summoned independently. So you can have both Menhir Wall and Guardian Stones at the same time on the Battlefield!
 
So why did developers put it like it was a synergy? Maybe because both skills are Stones? Or maybe because it is more pretty on the skill tree? :P Anyways the visual aspect is anecdotal, what counts is how those Skills work and if they are any good for us:

Menhir Wall

Lifetime 10 sec / 150 Health (LV1) / 25% chance of 1 Second of Stun (regardless of Level)

This is a summon designed to distract Monsters. It deals no damage but has a chance to Stun Monsters (25% chance to Stun).

The Stun chance only triggers when Monsters try to hit the Menhir Wall! So if Monsters aim at you then the Stun won’t work, which is a bummer.

When you cast the Menhir Wall between you and Monsters (recommended), your arrows and other projectiles can go through this wall and hit enemies.

You can obstruct terrains with Menhir Wall (at choke points, doors, etc)

Note: you can also cast Menhir Wall through various terrains (for what it's worth)

Guardian Stones

Summons 3 Stones which last for 45 sec / They deal damage every 4 seconds / 4 minute cooldown (Ouch!)

LV1: 200 Elemental Damage! / they have 1000 HP! / deal Stun / deal 33% Reduction to Enemy Health!

Guardian Stones are multi-target! (2 targets)

First Guardian Stones -unlike Menhir Wall- CANNOT go through terrain. Also be watchful when you cast it in enclosed areas (doors and choke points): if badly cast you can possibly summon 2 Stones instead of the normal 3. So in order to avoid this always throw them in the middle of a room.

This is one monster of a skill that has only one drawback but a serious one: the cooldown of this skill is 4 minutes (240 sec)! Apart from that the damage output of these 3 stones is surreal, those who never tried this skill have no idea:

- The Giant Limos (Act I Side Quest "Trapped in the Ruins"): I killed that Limos in less than 10 seconds!! With just Guardian Stones and a few knives thrown into the mix. Without charms, relics nor Debuffs whatsoever.  Between you and me: that was TOO fast. ^^

The 3 Gorgons: same deal. If you lead them near the Guardian Stones, they will fall in no time,

And if you add the Runic Mines into the equation (see above) it gets even more crazy.

Conclusion: do not underestimate Guardian Stones! To give you another perspective for this Skill just remember that Guardian Stones are as powerful as the Outsider from the Spirit Mastery! Both Summons have actually a lot in common:

# both are unlocked at the highest level of their respective Mastery (LV32),
# both are temporary Summons,
# both deal Elemental Damage and Health Reduction in %. This is what makes those Summons so devastating,
# both have a very long cooldown (Outsider: 6 min / Guardian Stones: 4 min)

The only real difference is that Guardian Stones are static whereas the Outsider is a walking apocalypse.

Note: since Cooldown Reduction now caps at 80% you can expect to reduce the cooldown of Guardian Stones from "4 minutes" to "48 seconds" at best.

Runeword: Explode > Runeword: Burn

Runeword: Explode: 120° Arc of Attack / 2.5 Meter Radius / Damage (flat) / Fire Damage (flat) / Stun
Runeword: Burn: 2.5 Meter Radius / Multiple Fragments / Burn Damage over 3.0 Seconds

Note: the chance to trigger increases with Level

I don’t understand this skill...Seriously I need the opinion of the Community on this one.

EDIT: Veterans heeded my plea. ^^ Here's what Malgardian, Firebrand, Vio and botebote77 said about "Runeword: Explode" and its synergy. My Goodness! This is actually a pretty good Skill:

Quote
Malgardian: I personally like Runeword: Explode on my Elemental Archer as it's a nice replacement for Scattershot if you're not using hunting. At least in normal its damage is quite good, so that you can kill a few enemies at once.

Firebrand:There's one thing I'd point out about Runeword: Burn, and that is that it has an area of effect whenever it triggers. All damage it and its synergy deal indeed work well together with Earth, but personally I think the real deal is that it makes your attack (and yes, that includes every property of your attack) affect multiple enemies.

And that's an incredibly useful bonus, even if the extra physical, fire, and burn damages are negligible. You have attack damage converted to health? Neat, now you heal double or triple the amount. You have energy leech? Say hello to a full energy bar! Flat elemental damage? Flat elemental explosion, more like. What's a better thing than slowing melee monsters charging at you? The answer is slowing a whole group of melee enemies charging at you! (Hint: You can have all four of those of those just from the Rune Weapon tree.)

Another little thing is its subtle synergy with Reckless Offense: the chance for Runeword: Explode to trigger applies to both projectiles shot by Reckless Offense. And I think it's a nice touch.

Vio: And yes, Runeword: Explode makes your main attack an AoE much like Ternion's Arcane Lore does.

botebote77: runeword:explode also works on melee...it's effective actually because at melee range, mobs gather around you closely and when it procs, you hit multiple monsters... there are no projectiles on melee weapons though so there are also no fragments

Reckless Offense

Effects: Allows Dual Wield / % chance to hit with both weapons / +100% Total Damage

This is a passive skill that allows you to dual wield weapons. Take note that this skill is not limited to throwing knives or darts, you can dual wield swords, maces or axes too.

When the skill activates you also get the following bonus: +100% Total Damage. Vio, Bless his Soul ^^, added this:

Quote
Vio: Reckless Offense, like other Dual Wield skills, gives a chance to use a special animation (throwing three projectiles quickly or doing four hits in melee) while also granting its damage bonus. The bonus only applies when the attack triggers. As always, really.

You will need to invest a few Skill Points and have +Skills (granted by items) to really benefit from this excellent skill.

Runeword: Absorb

"Enchant a shield or a staff with the ability to absorb the energy of enemy…"

Effects: -% Shield Recovery Time / % Absorption of Spell / Energy Leech Retaliation per Second (flat damage)

Thanks to Veteran Vio the use of this Skill has been finally understood:

Quote
Vio: Runeword: Absorb is the tanky alternative to Reckless Offense. It gives you Energy when you get hit, which in turn fuels the Energy-hungry shield. So it is quite good in combination with other damage mitigation or/and -% Energy Cost.

Seal of Fate > Aftershock

Seal of Fate: 3.0 Second Duration / 4.0 Meter Radius / Elemental Damage (flat) / % Reduction to Enemy's Health / 2.0 second(s) of Stun / +100% Damage to Devices

Aftershock: 4.0 Meter Radius / 4 Second Duration / Bleeding Damage / Reduced Armor / Reduced Resistances / % Chance of Impaired Aim / 4.0 second(s) of Skill Disruption / 20% Slow

Seal of Fate: the main skill is a decent debuff against Monsters. Good but doesn’t hold a candle to its lovely synergy,

Aftershock: now we’re talking! This beauty debuffs Monsters hard, it reduces their Resistances. Also the % Chance of Impaired Aim is a boon against Archers!

The only real drawback of "Seal of Fate > Aftershock" is the relatively limited area of the debuff (4 meters). The debuff zone does NOT increase not matter how many Skills Points you put into the skills. So this is mostly single target (Bosses, Heroic Monsters, dense mobs, etc). Even so you’ll be happy to have it because Monsters go down noticeably faster when they are under the effect of “Seal of Fate > Aftershock”.

Energy Armor

An aura that buffs you and your Allies (Familiars too). 5 Meter Radius / 25 Seconds cooldown. After a certain threshold of Damage is absorbed "Energy Armor" will vanish.

Effects: Damage Absorption (flat number but very high when the skill is maxed!) / Resistance to Physical-Piercing-Bleeding-Stun!!

A worthy skill. Some might complain that you have to cast it regularly but honestly this no big deal. Because those Resists are a Godsend. Personally I always cast "Energy Armor" and "Rune of Life" at the same time. When both are up I feel safe.

Now when Energy Armor is taken down by Monsters (which will happen I can assure you) then I can narrow down what kind of Damage I’m taking. This skill, like Rune of Life, is invaluable.

The casting radius of Energy Armor is limited to 5 meters, but from the moment you've cast it on your nearby Familiars -it works on them too- the Spell will latch on to them even when they rush afar to kill stuff in Aggressive Mode. The Spell will also vanish after the listed Damage has been sustained.

No more room. Read the rest here (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=318.msg2904#msg2904).

V] Rune Build Compendium

- [Rune+Earth] Runic Elemental Shotgun Guide by Firebrand (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=235.0")

- [Rune+Defense] Runesmith Build Advice started by Hal900x (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=275.msg2464#msg2464")

- [Rune+Rogue] Tempet Tricks’ Trickster journal by MedeaFleecestealer (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=143.0")

...

- [Rune+Nature] Skinchanger Petmaster by botebote77 (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=182.0")

VI] Hall of Contributors

- Firebrand for his sharp comment on "Thunder Strike" and his very insightful Runic Elemental Shotgun Guide,

- Malgardian for his clarification on "Runeword: Burn" and the fact that it works with bows! Thank you, wise guy!  8)

- Firebrand (again ^^) for explaining the multiple synergies available with the "Runeword: Burn" Skill,

- Vio for figuring out Reckless Offense/Runeword: Explode /Runeword: Absorb. Hats off to you, Mister Number Cruncher! ;D

- Firebrand good things always come in 3! ;D For detailing his way to counter the high cost of "Energy Armor",

- botebote77 for his info on "Transmutation" since v1.54 / the fact that "Energy Drain" has an impact on "Throwing Knives" / that the tooltip of"Rune of Life" has been corrected on Ragnarök Calculator / then his Skinchanger Petmaster Thread (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=182.0")

- the good people at kirmiziperfect for their Titan Quest Ragnarök Calculator available at: Titan Quest AE + Ragnarök Calculator (https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titancalc-anniversary-edition/)

VII] Conclusion

I sincerely hope the guide helped. I felt Beginners who might want a basic rundown of the Rune Mastery might need a faq like this one. Rune Mastery is still relatively undocumented right now. I humbly hope you enjoyed the read. 

Finally thank you Reader for taking the time to browse the whole Guide, The Croc says you deserve a little something, what about a Haïku Poem? ^-^ :

Rune Dissected
Mighty Winter Spells Ragnarök
Big Tears to The Croc
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Pazuzu on 08 February 2018, 15:20:27
I thought reckless offense had only a small chance to deal 100% extra damage with each attack.

Seal of fate is a good skill for normal, because its damage is very high when you max it and it has a short cooldown, if you spam that and thunder strike you wont even need to attack manually. Its only drawback is that after normal act 3 you start to notice that the damage alone is not enough, you need to cast it and then attack.

Rune is an interesting mastery, i personally didnt like runesmith very much, because with runes you need tactical gameplay and cannot be a crazy tank that runs in and destroys relying on defense alone. Im now in act 4 normal, the damage is ok because of decent weapons, i will try your suggestion about menhir wall and the other stones. I think if you want a pure tank runesmith wont cut it, there are better options such as warfare hunting dream and nature, but its still an interesting combo with defense. I have yet to try runes with another mastery, so i cannot comment on that.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 08 February 2018, 17:11:47
Thanks for your comment, Pazuzu. And sincere sorry for the belated reply, I was doing some serious editing on post 1. ^^

If you're 100% sure about Reckless Offense, I' will gladly edit the guide.

Now if other veterans could clarify the mechanics of Reckless Offense, I would be eternally grateful.

Until then, I'm going back to my sarcophagus. Have a nice day/night. :)
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Malgardian on 08 February 2018, 18:48:56
I personally like Runeword: Explode on my Elemental Archer as it's a nice replacement for Scattershot if you're not using hunting. At least in normal its damage is quite good, so that you can kill a few enemies at once.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Firebrand on 08 February 2018, 18:57:20
Thanks for the summary! It was an interesting read. I'm glad if I made a little impact at least.

There's one thing I'd point out about Runeword: Burn, and that is that it has an area of effect whenever it triggers. All damage it and its synergy deal indeed work well together with Earth, but personally I think the real deal is that it makes your attack (and yes, that includes every property of your attack) affect multiple enemies.

And that's an incredibly useful bonus, even if the extra physical, fire, and burn damages are negligible. You have attack damage converted to health? Neat, now you heal double or triple the amount. You have energy leech? Say hello to a full energy bar! Flat elemental damage? Flat elemental explosion, more like. What's a better thing than slowing melee monsters charging at you? The answer is slowing a whole group of melee enemies charging at you! (Hint: You can have all four of those of those just from the Rune Weapon tree.)

Another little thing is its subtle synergy with Reckless Offense: the chance for Runeword: Explode to trigger applies to both projectiles shot by Reckless Offense. And I think it's a nice touch.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 09 February 2018, 13:42:39
A thousand thanks for your quality input. ^^

I've edited post 1 with the clarification about the "Runeword: Burn" Skill.

Of course Malgardian and Firebrand have been quoted and credited for their analysis.

Finally I've corrected a few typos and some spelling errors.

Rune Mastery Guide, you're looking good! 8)

Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Vio on 09 February 2018, 15:44:18
Reckless offense, like other Dual Wield skills, gives a chance to use a special animation (throwing three projectiles quickly or doing four hits in melee) while also granting its damage bonus.

And yes, Runeword: Explode makes your main attack an AoE much like Ternion's Arcane Lore does.

Finally Runeword: Absorb is the tanky alternative to Reckless Offense. It gives you Energy when you get hit, which in turn fuels the Energy-hungry shield. So it is quite good in combination with other damage mitigation or/and -% Energy Cost.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 10 February 2018, 13:53:56
Cheers, Vio! These clarifications were greatly needed. ;D

Naturally you've been quoted and credited. Enjoy.

But I'm not sure I understand what you said about Reckless Offense. The only thing I need to know is this:

Is the +100% Total Damage granted by the Skill a General, All-Time Bonus OR a bonus that only triggers when Reckless Offense triggers (as I wrote in the guide).

Thanks in advance and sorry for the hassle. ^^

Also I’ve added 4 notable facts into the Guide:

Rune of Life can be cast on Familiars too,

Rune of Life has no cooldown!,

Energy Armor: The casting radius of Energy Armor is limited to 5 meters, but from the moment you've cast it on your nearby Familiars -it works on them too- the Spell will latch on to them even when they rush afar to kill stuff in Agressive Mode. The Spell will also vanish after the listed Damage has been sustained,

Guardian Stones are multi-target!! (2 targets)
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Vio on 10 February 2018, 14:22:41
The bonus only applies when the attack triggers. As always, really.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 10 February 2018, 14:28:59
The bonus only applies when the attack triggers. As always, really.

Thank you, Good Sir! \o/

The Edit has been done.

Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 11 February 2018, 15:20:15
So I finally took the time to look for Rune Builds on the boards. I haven't found a gazillion of them (yet), but still I indexed those I found. If you find any other build please do chime in this thread. And sorry for the delay:

- [Rune+Defense] Runesmith Build Advice started by Hal900x (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=275.msg2464#msg2464")

- [Rune+Rogue] Tempet Tricks’ Trickster journal by MedeaFleecestealer (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=143.0")

- [Rune+Rogue] Trickster, Transmutation, and stats started by CircularReason (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=299.0")

- [Rune+Nature] Skinchanger Petmaster by botebote77 (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=182.0")

---

YES!! It seem all the sections of this Guide are fully fleshed out. The Croc is so happy he wrote his (first) Haîku Poem:

Rune Dissected
Mighty Winter Spells Ragnarök
Big Tears to The Croc

EDIT: Ha! I put the Haïku on Post 1. :P
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 13 February 2018, 15:45:47
Hello! Today I addressed an oversight that was still lingering on the guide. But to my dismay there is no more room on post 1!  :'( :P

This edit is quite critical because I forgot to talk about a very important quirk of the "Energy Armor" Skill.

Since there is no more room on Post 1, a link will direct here. So about what I added today:

A] Energy Armor Part II

You can’t possibly talk about Energy Armor without bringing up its "terrifying"^^ Energy Cost Progression. Beginners might not realize this when Energy Armor is only Level 1. But from the moment you've raised the Skill, you'll have one nasty surprise:

LV1 Energy Armor: 40 Energy Cost
LV8 Energy Armor: 684 Energy Cost
LV10 Energy Armor: 1538 Energy Cost!
LV12 Energy Armor: 3460 Energy Cost!!!

So what does that mean? It implies that if you raise this Skill, you'll usually won’t have the required Energy Pool to cast it! How to counter this serious limitation? There are actually a few ways to make this skill work for you:

1) Green Items

some of them are dedicated to increase your Energy Pool in %. Look especially for greens like Plato’s Rings and later Socrates Rings,

2) Blues/Purples

Credits goes to Firebrand for the majority of the following list, thanks for the help, mate! ^-^:

# Cartouche Ring (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/cartouche-ring): is an easy drop from Normal, -10% Energy Cost Reduction,

# Seal of the High Priest (ring) (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/seal-of-the-high-priest): drop in Act II Epic and Act II Legendary, -30% Energy Cost Reduction,

# Polaris (amulet) (https://www.tq-db.net/search/polaris): a super item overall, it is listed here for its -15% Energy Cost Reduction,

# Golden Shield of Pelaron (https://www.tq-db.net/search/pelaron): -20% Energy Cost, around 250 Energy Bonus (random), +10 Energy Regen/second

# Chakram of the Moon (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/chakram-of-the-moon): +300 Energy Bonus,

# Völva's Hardened Wraps (https://www.tq-db.net/search/wraps): DO NOT miss these boots! They are very good, even more so if you're a Runemaster (+1 to all skills in Rune Mastery!), -20% Energy Cost,

# Arcadion Judgement (mace) (https://www.tq-db.net/search/arcadion): -20% Energy Cost,

# Lykaion Malleus (mace) (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/lykaion-malleus): -15% Energy Cost,

# Nubian Spear (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/nubian-spear): -15% Energy Cost,

# Spear of tuthmosis III (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/spear-of-tuthmosis-iii): -15% Energy Cost,

3) Relic

There's one Relic that reduce Energy Cost in %:

# Essence of The Golden Fleece (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/essence-of-the-golden-fleece): reduces Energy Cost in %,

4) Artifacts

They are lots of Artifacts which reduce Energy Cost. Here's one which is easy to get and easy to wear too (low level requirement):

# Tooch of The Fool (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/touch-of-the-fool): easy drop from Normal, "-15% Energy Cost" Reduction (LV15 Requirement)

5) Skills

Depending on your Mastery, some Skills are dedicated to reduce Energy Cost, here are some:

a. Nature

# Nature: by itself Nature gives you the most Energy of all Masteries: 512 Energy (if you climb up the Mastery to Max LV32),

# Tranquility of Water: gives you a chance to benefit from a "-50% Energy Cost" Reduction,

# Sanctuary: when Briar Ward is up, Sanctuary -the last synergy of Briar Ward- grants you a guaranteed "Energy Cost" Reduction which varies depending on the level of Sanctuary (LV1: -10% / LV8: -24%,

b. Warfare

# Battle Standard: when your Battle Standard is up you benefit from guaranteed "-50% Energy Cost" Reduction!,

6) Energy Attribute: investing directly into the Energy Attribute is a solid choice too. Indeed since the Anniversary Edition putting a single point into Energy (or Health) nets you 40 Points (by comparison it was 25 Points in original Titan Quest). So unlike good old Diablo 2 where putting points into Energy was a big no-no (for most builds), assigning 10 points into Energy (or more) is a solid option in Titan Quest AE.

EDIT: read the following post by Firebrand detailing his way to counter the high cost of "Energy Armor", this is just the next post below mine hey (here (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=318.msg2911#msg2911)) :P
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Firebrand on 13 February 2018, 19:05:16
A few words about the energy cost of Energy Armor.

You can have a few items in your inventory dedicated to casting Energy Armor; those included the list in the post above. However, personally I found a method that I think is much less of a hassle and works more seamlessly.

With my Stonespeaker, I use my secondary weapon set for Energy Armor. My primary is two Chakrams of the Sun; when Energy Armor goes down, after battle's over, I switch to secondary, wait for energy to recharge, use Energy Armor, and switch back to primary. Due to the inherent energy gained from investing skill points into Earth, I didn't need to put attribute points into it at all (in fairness, though, I use a few more items with energy cost reduction, but if you're using Rune, both Völva's Foot Leather and Polaris are excellent choices even not counting the cost reduction).

The obvious choice is the Golden Shield of Pelaron. Other than the massive energy cost reduction and energy bonus, this also boosts your energy regeneration, so it might be a good choice to switch to in the breaks between battles to save some energy potions if you're not finding enough (plus you can cast Energy Shield sooner). The weapon I use currently for this task is Chakram of the Moon for its fixed +300 energy bonus, but I believe there might be better alternatives (Arcadion Judgement, Iris, Lykaion Malleus, Nubian Spear, and Spear of Tuthmosis III are the only five one-handed weapons with energy cost reduction, and the spears are usually less plausible for a Rune character for the lack of dexterity).

Overall, it's my preferred method - no need to keep extra items in your inventory, to enter the character screen and switch them around. Just switch weapons, wait a bit (or drink a potion if you're impatient), apply Energy Armor and go back to fight. (If you're using a throwing weapon or are brave enough with a melee one, you can attack some enemies with your backup to take advantage of Rune Weapon's massive energy leech to fill up your energy bar as well.)
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 14 February 2018, 14:34:30
Kudos for giving players more options, Firebrand. With posts like yours and the previous help from the Members this guide is getting better and better.

Of course I’ve added your items in my previous post, nodded to your latest message and credited you once more. You actually seem to like that, don't you. ^^

To make it easier for the Readers I've added links to the critical items you mentioned, except for Völva's Foot Leather which is not in the tq-db.net.

Also I removed the Conqueror’s Mask Artifact, because:

1- The Level 45 Requirement is quite steep for Beginners,
2- this is quite a poor choice for an Artifact, even for a Conqueror, seriously where was my mind at ::)

Finally I edited the previous post to make it a bit easier on the eyes.

NOW I think I can go back to Cryonic Storage.^^
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Firebrand on 15 February 2018, 07:05:03
My mistake, in the Titan Quest database they go by Völva's Hardened Wraps. (Some items seem to be named differently in the game and in TQVault, does anyone know why?) Pretty amazing item, if you ask me, either way.

Little thing on Golden Shield of Pelaron: Other than the energy cost reduction, it also provides a flat bonus to energy (the database says +250, but it's random), and also +10 energy regeneration per second (which doesn't help you cast Energy Armor per se but it sure helps recovering your energy afterwards).
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 15 February 2018, 16:59:46
My mistake, in the Titan Quest database they go by Völva's Hardened Wraps. (Some items seem to be named differently in the game and in TQVault, does anyone know why?) Pretty amazing item, if you ask me, either way.

Little thing on Golden Shield of Pelaron: Other than the energy cost reduction, it also provides a flat bonus to energy (the database says +250, but it's random), and also +10 energy regeneration per second (which doesn't help you cast Energy Armor per se but it sure helps recovering your energy afterwards).

Remarks duly noted, Friend. 8)

Needless to say I've added your comments about the Golden Shield of Pelaron and Völva's Hardened Wraps.

Also good catch on these Wraps: I was just wowed by those crazy boots, they're clearly genius. They kinda remind me of: Athena's Battle Greaves (https://www.tq-db.net/equipment/athenas-battle-greaves).

Note: the Völva's Hardened Wraps don't show up on their dedicated page somehow, so I've linked to the "Wraps" category, the "Völva's Hardened Wraps" show up on the lower right corner just so you now.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 16 February 2018, 15:30:55
I'll add a few things but i don't know if you've already mentioned these (your guide is too long i didn't read everything :)  )

from 1.54 changelog:
- Transmutation is now permanently active (but still requires Rune Weapon)

outsider is still better than guardian stones because it uses a weapon and it deals mix physical and elemental.. so it benefits more from bonus to all pets and auras like CotH, blade honing, etc.. it's also not stationary

runeword:explode also works on melee.. it's effective actually because at melee range, mobs gather around you closely and when it procs, you hit multiple monsters.. there are no projectiles on melee weapons though so there are also no fragments

transmutation converts physical.. and elemental conversion happens before pierce conversion so pierce damage and transmutation don't go well together

by eyetest, magical charge and energy drain affects throwing knife (rogue skill).. only eyetest though so you decide if you include it.. but the energy leech from energy drain is very noticeable

rune of life description should be fixed now.. clear cache might be needed

now if you're thinking of including me in your credits, you already did (indirectly) so no need :)  .. when you said the good people at kirmiziperfect for their Titan Quest Ragnarök Calculator, 2 are actually members in this forum.. 1st is pain who is also global admin.. 2nd is JollyGreenFox, i don't think he's a member yet.. talked to him a bit on reddit, seemed like a nice guy and the few errors i can understand because he's also self-taught.. 3rd is yours truly :)
edit: and oh yeah stonedonkey for the original
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 16 February 2018, 16:57:47
...your guide is too long i didn't read everything :)  )...

Pffft! You lazy boy, how dare you! I’ve put a lot of heart into this guide. ^^

More seriously I can’t really blame you, the faq is relatively long-winded.

from 1.54 changelog: -Transmutation is now permanently active (but still requires Rune Weapon)

Acknowledged.

rune of life description should be fixed now

Indeed. So my comment about the "Rune of Life "tooltip being erroneous on the calculator has been obviously removed.

...now if you're thinking of including me in your credits...


No worries. You earned it: a seat in the Hall of Contributors. :))

Just note that Post 1 has barely any more room left, so I'll do my best.

EDIT: I made it, barely. I had to prune some of the text on post 1 a bit. But i'ts ok.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 16 February 2018, 22:44:17
No worries. You earned it: a seat in the Hall of Contributors. :))
lol i said no need.. i was serous
Pffft! You lazy boy, how dare you! I’ve put a lot of heart into this guide. ^^
i understand.. i still won't read everything though  ;D
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 21 February 2018, 01:06:39
suggestion: since you started this, why don't we make a guide for each mastery then rank each skill/skill tree ala Poinas style.. but we make it like a group work.. then admins can decide where to move them later if we ever got this done.. I'm willing to start with rogue since it's my favorite.. legowarrior already started with nature (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=248.0) .. it just lacks my suggested ranking.. i also made a mini guide on storm as a reply to his thread.. you do earth too Croc :)
edit: or firebrand if he's willing

anybody up for this? and admins, is this good for this forum?

PS: i suggested skill rankings because iirc, Poinas included his own in his original guide i think.. but I'm hesitant because just because a skill is ranked 5/5 doesn't mean it's a must for every build

edit: I'm picturing this as the possible AE/R version of Poinas' guide.. many skills are different now.. throwing knife is different now.. wood lore is different now.. distortion wave is different now.. circle of power is different now.. CDR cap would affect the skill rankings.. also the DA nerf?
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 21 February 2018, 14:00:34
Hi, dear botebote77! I commend the idea. But seriously mate are you trying to kill me or something? Allow me explain :P:
 
- First Poinas Guide for All Skills is LEGENDARY ! When I started writing the "Rune Beginner’s Guide" I had no pretention to write something as thorough as Poinas’. To this day the level of excellence of his guide quite unmatched as far as faq writing goes,

- you noticed I didn’t give ratings for Skills. indeed in my view since the Anniversary Edition they is no such thing as a bad Skill anymore. In AE you can make most skills work somehow,

- writing a BIG guide like that would need to try E-V-E-R-Y Skill extensively. If you remember, Poinas –Bless his Soul^^,  tried a gazillion of builds on various Difficulties, it takes an aweful lot of time to do this,

- Also the valour of a Skill depends on your build, this is why sometimes Poinas gave several ratings to the same Skill!, 

- Then there’s the matter of time, I took several days off to write and update -to death^^- this Rune Guide. It was "Carnaval" holiday in Belgium 2 weeks ago (just so you know),

So sincere thanks for thinking about me for this humongus task, but time constraints don’t allow me to do this.

Conclusion: Your idea about an updated Titan Quest AE Skill Guide is totally justified, the fact that it should be a collective work is a clever proposal too. So I humbly think:

1-  those who would step up for this task should be Veterans having a solid experience with Immortal Throne and the Anniversary Edition (to have a clear vision of the Skill evolution),

2- Each Veteran should concentrate on 1 or 2 Masteries at best (if possible),
 
3- this future Skill guide should also point out to the changes between Immortal Throne and the Anniversary Edition,

I’ve done the Rune Guide ;D.  Also if the Community wants to include this into a global Skill Guide I already give the go-ahead. But if you do, please don’t forget to credit the players who helped make this guide better.


 
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 21 February 2018, 19:24:33
hehe surely none us should be compared to Poinas.. but if many of us contribute, surely we can come up with something close.. 1 or 2 masteries per vet sounds about right.. i can do rogue and storm.. you do 1 more mastery :)  ..  it would be fulfilling.. if it's just the 2 of us, let's just forget about it.. but if many volunteer, i think we can do it 8)

edit: if i play my bonecharmer again, i can actually do hunting.. i have tried hunting as a melee, ranged, and mage so I'm qualified i think.. it'll just take a while but given about a week or 2, i can do 3 masteries i think

edit 2: I'll start with rogue and post it in rogueAE and see how it goes.. it's just a matter of compiling the threads if we actually do all masteries
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 21 February 2018, 20:28:41
- writing a BIG guide like that would need to try E-V-E-R-Y Skill extensively. If you remember, Poinas –Bless his Soul^^,  tried a gazillion of builds on various Difficulties, it takes an aweful lot of time to do this,
let me correct that for you.. Poinas tried a gazillion of builds on all 3 difficulties :))

edit: writing about rogue atm and it'll take me about 3 nights i think.. heh but I'll do this anyway.. although the hunting, I'm not sure now.. but i can contribute at the very least
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: legowarrior on 21 February 2018, 22:52:22
I would love to see the break down on the rogue.  Every time I play one, I feel like I have to make a choice between knives and traps.  Both seem to benefit from Max points.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 22 February 2018, 15:07:18
botebote77, I told you I have no time nor the will write another faq. If I could I would've gladly done it.

Do you realize in what kind of undertaking you've stepped into?

- Every Mastery Guide will have to follow a set guidelines to make the Global Guide consistent as a whole,

- Someone will have to establish these rules,

- Someone, poor guy ^^,  will have to correct the spelling errors and standardize the whole text to make it conform to the agreed upon model,

- The poor guy is probably you, by the way, since you stepped up :P

That's a lot of work and AFAIK real life is getting in my way (I repeat: I took several days off to write the Rune Guide) so gather you team and if you can pull off this (big) one, take the Rune Guide, it's all yours.  :P So:

(https://tof.cx/images/2018/02/22/36ce470449e8ee0b74393c0d8a7e6b92.png)





Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 22 February 2018, 19:32:06
hehe cool down dude.. ok, your rune guide will do.. this is not a job for one man.. so my open invitation to other vets still stands :)

btw, i discovered something about menhir wall and guardian stones on whether they count as pets or not

https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=213.msg3011#msg3011
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: corian on 23 February 2018, 13:38:03
Hello guys!
I've read about making an "all skill guide"....I can't help with that, i'm not so veteran, but i've seen poinas guide isn't anywhere on the forum (or at least i haven' been able to find it), so i've been looking for it in google and found it on GD place
I leave it here  :)
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 23 February 2018, 15:10:01
Hello guys!
I've read about making an "all skill guide"....I can't help with that, i'm not so veteran, but i've seen poinas guide isn't anywhere on the forum (or at least i haven' been able to find it), so i've been looking for it in google and found it on GD place
I leave it here  :)

Thank you corian. Talking about Poinas and all that I forgot to link to his great guide. Pfft! I'm so distracted. ^^

Also your link doesn't work for some reason. Maybe this has to do with my antivirus? Anyways for the players who might need the guide, Nigtmare also posted a mirror a few months back:


# Poinas Guide for all skills: Pre-AE (https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=46.0)


... btw, i discovered something about menhir wall and guardian stones on whether they count as pets or not

https://titanquestfans.net/index.php?topic=213.msg3011#msg3011

Sigh! Wish I had the room to post this find on post 1. Maybe I'll have to make a V2 of this Rune Guide one of these days. ;D
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 23 February 2018, 21:42:48
i didn't know there was a Poinas link in this forum.. but many things have changed now and sadly, his guide isn't accurate anymore :-\

the menhir wall and guardian stones, i just thought it's a useful info that's why i made a link here.. if you want to add it, you have a page 2 and it still has space right? maybe you could squeeze in a sentence in post 1 like: for more on stones, check page 2

but if you really want to make a rune guide v2, why not just make another guide for another HEH I'll just shut up and take your guide :-X  i haven't even finished my rogue guide.. i also seemingly lost desire to continue :-\  maybe one of these days.. or if someone else volunteers to write a guide for another mastery

edit: i have killed everything in TQ except the boss monster named CrocMagnum.. but i think I'm making progress  >:D
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: Firebrand on 24 February 2018, 03:32:53
I could be up for a guide in Earth, but personally I don't know how much of a good choice I would be for you guys.

I'm a bit busy these days, so I'd need a lot of time to do this. I also don't know if I'd consider myself a veteran, I'm sure I haven't played nearly as much as some other people on these forums. I'm also a bit biased and my opinions would be skewed, I have very limited experience with a lot of playstyles, for example the Stonespeaker is my first character who has half-decent resistances and even that's only so because of the resistances from all the great items I equipped for other reasons.

Overall, I could try, sure. But you people might be better off with someone else.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: botebote77 on 24 February 2018, 04:21:15
if you think you're not good enough because you're not as good as Poinas, don't worry none of us are.. that's why i called for this as a group work.. if many players chip in, there's a chance we can come up with something good.. just like this rune guide by CrocMagnum.. i only played earth twice.. one as elementalist but that was years ago in TQIT.. then as a stonespeaker which i haven't gotten past normal.. and I've also deleted it.. so I'm sure you can do better than me with earth.. anyways, i was thinking something like this:

Introduction blah blah blah which i hope could be done by someone with good writing skills

1) Rune Mastery Guide by CrocMagnum
2) Rogue Mastery Guide by botebote77
3) Earth Mastery Guide by Firebrand

and so on.. then each redirects to a link.. that's just my suggestion but perhaps there is a better way of compiling.. i want to do storm too because rogue and storm are the 2 masteries i have played the most.. it's my favorite in TQIT.. i still need a few more days with rogue but we're still a long way to go because we still have to wait for others vets to step up :)
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: wolpak on 16 October 2018, 18:01:46
Necroing this because it's all about the Rune.

Did some testing with Runeword:Explode and Burn as well as Thunderstrike.  Both work with staff attacks.  That's definitely interesting and Thunderstrike looks pretty cool as it's a ternion attack with 5 projectiles.  Sadly, Runeword:Explode does not work with Ternion which would make Shaman a pretty sick, Gandalf like staff user.

Also, Runeword: Explode and Burn work nicely with scattershot.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: wolpak on 16 October 2018, 18:45:10
One more note on Rune and Reckless Offense...

While testing things out, I noticed that Reckless Offense appears to sometimes proc two attacks and sometimes proc three attacks.  It seems like each attack is checking to see if there is a proc.  And since procs can only happen once per attack, it seems like your first attack is proccing a second attack and then your second attack is proccing your first attack.
Title: Re: Rune Skills for Beginners [Ragnarök Guide]
Post by: CrocMagnum on 17 October 2018, 16:39:35
Thank you for your quality input, wolpak!

You know! Your comment is 1 of the 4 reasons ^^ justifying a V2 of the Rune Skill Guide. :P

Since Sir efko just gave me the go-ahead, a thousand thanks by the way, I'm going to do it shortly.

What needs to be done:

- further comment about Menhir Wall (credits Tauceti),

- further comment about Reckless Offense (credits wolpak),

- Update the Build Compendium,

- Update the Hall of Contributors obviously.

That's a good start. ^^







SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal