My goal was to make a viable rogue party as I’m a sucker for the cloak and dagger style of play. After studying up a bit on the basic game mechanics I decided to give it a go. Not only did my party do well on normal, I discovered they could own hard.
NOTICE: Though the Rogue party is a viable setup you must know one thing. You probably will have some difficulty on NORMAL, more so on HARD when first starting. The first levels can be demanding, even for seasoned players (Hard). You will have to strafe and circle the mobs / Use all your ranged equipment before going melee / Quick-Save and Reload to get through mean fights. That said, when you get past the early stages of the game the party will grow stronger and stronger. This may be daunting for some, but I assure you that you’ll feel rewarded once you get further down the road. Stick with it, be cool, and pretty soon you you’ll be a satisfied rogue with all the benefits; loot, ladies (or lads), treasure, freedom.
Basic Mechanics
Front Row Rogues (FRR)
MAX DEX = MAX Evasion (Rest VIT "ideal", or STR & VIT).
SKILLS: Dodge for Both / Daggers for one, Unarmed Combat for other.
TRAITS: Evasive for Both / Agile for Daggers Rogue, Fist Fighter for Unarmed Combat Rogue.
RACE: Best - Lizardman & Human / Worst - Insectoid & Minotaur
Explained: We are Rogues, we do not take damage; we avoid it! Your FRR is not there to DPS, they are only there to tank “Evade” the dmg. So max DEX, and I recommend putting rest in VIT, or equal VIT & STR. Dump skill points in their two respective skills- but always remember to boost Dodge whenever you feel your FRR are taking too much dmg. I didn’t put anything in STR, but for some reason they hit very hard & fast, never missing. You will be surprised just how insane they can become; the Attack Speed of all four Rogues will become so crazy that many enemies will simply be stunned in mid-attack, never even making an attack, which normally just misses anyway! Dodge will eventually grant you the ability to use Light Armor without penalty; use this! But gear that grants Evasion is better than Protection gear. Evade is key. You'll quickly discover that ”Evasion Tanks” are immensely worthwhile; especially since they are not prone to many of the debuffs that come with ”Protection Tanks” (Poison Especially) – you’re simply not getting hit after all!
Back Row Rogues (BRR)
MAX STR = Ranged Dmg (Rest VIT, no exceptions)
SKILLS: Max Throwing Weapon for one / Max Missile Weapon for other.
TRAITS: Athletic for Both / Head Hunter (Minotaur) for Throwing Rogue, Skilled for Missile Rogue.
RACE: Best – Minotaur & Human / Worst – Insectoid & Lizardman
Explained: NO! You do not need DEX for ranged weapons. Your ranged attacks either hit or they don’t; DEX is not a modifier to ranged attacks. STR is your dmg output on your ranged attacks (Attack Power) – so everything must go into STR. Rest simply goes to VIT as a buffer for the enemy AoE attacks later in the game. I recommend having one Minotaur BRR for the Throwing Rogue, and a Human for the Missile Rogue. Athletic will give them both better dmg output, Head Hunter will give the Throwing Minotaur more Attack Power per found Skull (Incredible powerful the more you find) , Skilled for the Missile Rogue simply helps reaching the higher tiers of Missile Weapons faster (lvl 32 Volley will make you smile with glee)
To sum up:
FRR (Tanks): The Dagger Expert / The Unarmed Expert
BRR (DPS): The Throwing Expert / The Missile Expert
---
My ideal party:
FRR: The "Tanks"
Nosolee Daggerdance Dagger Expert
Race: Lizardman. Traits: Agile & Evasive.
Stats: Max DEX, Rest VIT. Skills: +2 Dodge / +1 Daggers.
Level up: Dodge is primary, Daggers when you are "Evading Well"
Gusta the Brawler Unarmed Expert
Race: Lizardman. Traits: Agile & Fist Fighter.
Stats: Max DEX, Rest VIT. Skills: +2 Dodge / +1 Unarmed Combat.
Level up: Dodge is primary, Unarmed when you are "Evading Well"
BRR: The DPS
Bullseye Betty Throwing Expert
Race: Minotaur. Traits: Athletic & Head Hunter.
Stats: Max STR, Rest VIT. Skills: +1 Throwing Weapons.
Level up; Max Throwing Weapons!
Kourin the Archer Missile Expert
Race: Human. Traits: Athletic & Skilled.
Stats: Max STR, Rest VIT. Skills: +7 Missile Weapons.
Level up; Max Missile Weapons!
---
Tips:
* Level 1 start area - turn around and push rock button; grab the Lurker Boots and give them to your Unarmed Expert to boost his Evasion.
* Your Unarmed Expert can carry the Torch in one of his free hands.
* Your Dagger Expert should Carry a Shield.
* Save the Light Armor you find (Dodge will unlock proficiency)
* Save often, the beginning can be a little hard until you get high Evasion with your FRR.
* Strafe and Circle Hard Difficulty Enemies when possible.
* Always collect your projectiles and thrown weapons after use.
SpoilerShow
* The Skill +5 Book should go to your Throwing Expert (to reach lvl50 Throwing before endgame)
Try it!, and let me know how you enjoyed it!
