Classes/Valewalker
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Description
The Valewalker, a melee/caster hybrid class, is often called a paper tank or cloth tank, for it's distictly un-tank-like armor. The class is a list caster with armor buff, and it's own abs buffs, which must be recast every 20 minutes. Evade V and Parry skill round off a good frontal defense, though from behind they live up to their nicknames.
The Valewalker's only weapon choice is the Scythe, which is a two-handed slash-damage weapon. The Arborial Path spec provides an instant self-haste base buff lasting 30 seconds, reusable every 2 minutes, although many Vales prefer that they get a concentration haste buff from a freindly druid, and just forget about recasting the silly thing.
The primary Direct Damage spell is a lifetap, which returns 50% of damage dealt. As a caster, this class does not receive benefits from Focus (e.g. Focus Staves), nor a Quickcast ability, but the class also doesn't suffer a pure caster's power regeneration penalty, once below 50% power. Like any cloth caster, the Valewalker DOES benefit from Acuity buffs.
WARNING: This class is completely awesome and will ruin the game for you when playing other, less super sweet classes. Roll at your peril.
Character Creation
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Scythe damage is entirely Strength based.
Lifetap damage is entirely Intellegence based.
Both Quickness and Dexterity affect weapon (swing) speed, to-hit and Evade skill, while Dexterity also affects casting time and Parry skill.
Specializations
Scythe This classes' only choice of weapons, note that an effective Scythe skill beyond 50 (including the +Scythe bonuses from Realm Rank and any Item Bonuses) will continue to increase style damage, but base weapon damage doesn't increase beyond 50 skill.
The Scythe skill includes AOE effects (on the third style) off of parry (at 21 skill), evade (at 39 skill), and side positional (at 29 skill) styles. Note that while the monster must be parried or evaded, it's not necessary for the VW to do the parrying or evading themself.
Scythe also includes a useful rear stun positional at 44, and the Nature's Shield 'stance'-style at 25 skill which will block nearly every arrow shot at the VW. Lifetap up some aggro against archers, target one and choose Nature's Shield at a distance, and laugh.
Arborial Path (Valewalking spec) There is no apparent benefit from an effective Arborial skill beyond 50 levels. Up to 50 skill points, more Arborial Path skill provides more consistent, greater lifetap damage. Self buffs at 43, 38, 34, 31 or 30 are usually good skill levels to aim for.
The disease offensive proc apparently does not work against most PvE mobs.
Parry Some points here are necessary to take the best advantage of the weapon chain off of Parry, and improve defense.
Suggested Specializations
50 Scythe/34 Arb/26 Parry al la Meleewalker, provides the entire rear-chain and highest style damage, at the expense of some self-buffs and melee self-haste. 50/26/34 or 50/15/40 are other flavors, with very erratic lifetap damage and significantly weaker self-buffs.
44 Scythe/43 Arb/23 Parry is a balanced combination of skill including a rear positional stun and the 25% abs buff proc, and a respectable amount of parry skill.
39 Scythe/34 Arb/40 Parry offers NO rear-chain, moderate style damage, with great self buffs and parry skill. 39/38/37 provides a better self-haste, or 50/15/40 are other flavors, with very erratic lifetap damage and significantly weaker self-buffs.
29 Scythe/50 Arb/31 Parry offers NO rear-chain/debuff/evade AOE effect, modest style damage, but exceptional self buffs (33 abs) and strong parry skill. But hardly worth the points when this is combined with any +Arb items or realm bonus, since over 50 effective Arb offers no measurable bonus.
PvE Utility
As an assist tank, beyond some heavy damage, the class suffers from a taunt style with no to-hit bonus. While soloing it is better to use evade followed by parry reactionary styles, this saves endurance and gives you overall better damage than trying to use the taunt and missing valuable reactionary opportunities. Well played, and well equipped, a VW can tank against a single high con monster easily, though they get in trouble against multiple foes. The best play style is acting strictly as an assist tank, allowing the lower damage but higher defense main tank to keep the monster's attention while executing positional styles. Of course AOE styles will also draw the attention of some otherwise-unharmed enemy mobs. (Note: Valewalkers DO get Protect and Intercept.)
Oddly, it's been observed that Mastery of Focus realm ability may LOWER the chance for higher level monsters to resist the Scythe style damage effects, suggesting the Valewalker Scythe styles operate as spell effects. This would be consistent with observations that most lower-level scythe styles are quite horridly resisted by higher-con mobs. Of course MoFocus also drops the higher level mobs' ability to resist the final level 45 lifetap, so MoFocus 2 is very strongly recommended.
