Good Newcomer build

[thomasj]

Hi, I registered on this forum a while ago but never really got around playing the game much. So now I am about to start

Can anybody recommend a good newcomer build/class which :

1. Is not too item dependant
2. Is good at "farming" bosses for items for my future builds
3. Melee/Caster. Doesn't matter really. But from similar games I had a preference for casters, but I would like suggestions to both please.

Thanks.

[Graphtina]

oarcle has many +elem buffs and a good area of efect attack (terion)
a bow using hunting char or a defense melee. Try to avoid hybrids thought as they tend to be harder to use effectivly

[krigart]

Well I started not too long ago myself. tried most of them and ended up with my Oracle. She ROCKS Other then that just read thru the forum sections on every mastery and pick what you like and you will probably love it. I know I did

[thomasj]

Thanks for the responses. Two for Oracle! Think I need to search a bit for the Oracle then

[Jin]

Do pay attention to the date of the posts you'll read then, they've been nerfed in a patch. They're still very good, though.

As far as act 3 epic goes, I can only recommand a trap user (Brigand, Dreamkiller and Illusionist, in that order of effectiveness) as a 99-100% gear independent character. You might not like the gamestyle, though, and will probably be better off with a true caster, which you say is your preference.

[Barnacle_Ed]

Assuming you don't have the expansion, check out the following...


For melee, Conqueror. Arguably the most powerful melee build in the game, capable of taking big hits and hitting back harder. Definitely a good starter.

For bows, Brigand. Good crowd control and high DPS (even with subpar gear) make it a pretty beginner friendly class. The only downside is the lowish HP, but your traps, poisons, and other tricks should make up for that.

For a caster, Oracle is a good pick. You get a series of powerful spells and pets to help you tank damage. Not to mention you get a few nice buffs, so gear is (somewhat) less needed. Again, HP is an issue here, but you have pets and stunning moves to keep enemies away from you.


EDIT: by the way, avoid hybrid classes (classes that combine a casting and a melee mastery, like Earth + Defense) and pet builds (builds that focus almost exclusively on pets, like Spirit + Nature) for a starting build...they're rather difficult.

[Matseb2611]

I fully agree with Barnacle Ed's suggestions.
Just to add on top of that Templar and Harbinger are also very easy gear independent, newb-friendly melee classes.