BadDaddy8

Join Date 06/2009

In-depth Oak build

Hey there. This is an Oak build I've been using with moderate-good success for about 3 months now. Since I've adopted it, I've never played a game where I felt like I lost because of the build; rather I've lost plenty of games due to poor teammates, poor teamwork, cockiness on my part, or simply being out-played by better players. Before you look it up, I've played 120 games, and won 45% of them. (I've played about 90% of those games with Oak.) However, through the first 60, before I adopted this build, I'd won about 25% of them.

Anyway, I wanted to give some of the rationale behind the build. First of all, pretty much ALL of Oak's abilities are really good; just like UB and LE, but alas, there isn't room to take them all. I've read many posts that devolve into a bickering match over which skills are better, and why the poster is stupid for not including them. Through my first 60 games I did try to squeeze all of Oak's uber abilities into one character, and got my arse handed to me because of it. I was consistently getting wrecked by Reg, UB and LE. Why? Oak starts out with the 2nd most DPS, 2nd highest HP, and 2nd highest Armor, plus he is a general. He has an interrupt, a shield, AE, healing and minions. Why isn't he the most powerful DG? Because Demigod isn't really about being well-rounded, it is about doing lots of damage as fast as possible, before your opponent has time to react. So that's what this build tries to do. And it does that by focusing on two abilities: Spirits and Penitence.

Anyway, here is the build and I'll explain it afterwards:

To Start:

Favor Item: Blood of the Fallen (Swift Anklet does work pretty well too, but BoF is just better.)

First Purchase: Monks, Totem of Revelation (Why not? You can't buy a pot or scroll and the vision really does help.)

Skills:

Level 1: Spirit Ward I

Level 2: Divine Justice I

Level 3: Soul Power I

Level 4: Penitence I

Level 5: Penitence II

Level 6: Spirit Ward II

Level 7: Penitence III

Level 8: Spirit Ward III

Level 9: Save

Level 10: Penitence IV, Spirit Ward IV

Levels 10-14: 2 Surge of Faith, 2 Divine Justice

Level 15: Soul Frenzy

Level 16-20: Rally, Surge of Faith III, 2 Soul Power, Last Stand

While I adapt skills from levels 11-20, based on the game, levels 1-10 are always the same (sometimes I flip 2-3.) So, obviously, no Shield. As I said, it's a great skill, but there is just no room for it. The most important thing with this build (with any DG, really) is being able to do a ton of damage before your opponent realizes how fast they are dying.

Take Spirit Ward at 1 because you don't have the mana to repeat cast Penitence or Shield anyway. 2-3 take your essential passive skills, but at this point it isn't worth it to put more than 1 point in either one. If you're hurt, take Divine Justice first; if there is an enemy DG that you think you can drop, take Soul Power. After this your priority is always Penitence then Spirit Ward until they are both maxed at 10. After 10, if catas are out, take Surge of Faith first; if you find you can drop enemy DGs but are getting hurt doing so, focus on Divine Justice first. Then it's really up to you. You can also go with Morale after 15, but this build is about using your minions to help you kill, not relying on them.

Your purchases should go like this:

Monks, ToR (see above)

Siege Archers

Velmish Faceguard (if you're back at shop and can't afford it, get Banded Armor and Scaled Helm instead to stay competitive, you will sell them soon)

Hauberk of Life

Bishops, Siege Demolishers (whatever the level IV archers are called)

Second Mana helm, Theurgist's Cap or Plenor Battlecrown

After that, it's up to you. Obviously, Unbreakable Boots are awesome, and Gloves of Fell-Darkur are good with this build. Narmoth's Ring is also great if you can afford it, and your team can spare the gold for team upgrades at that point.

The basic strategy is this. Find a key flag in a creep lane (Health if it's on the map, like Cataract) and camp it. Creeps are everything to you, they replenish your spirits, they heal you and your minions; don't spend too much time chasing down flags. As Alex Baldwin says in GlenGarry GlenRoss: ABDW- Always Be Dropping Wards. Especially if you are leaving your lane. You are at the most vulnerable when you have no spirits, so even if you won't be engaging for a minute, make sure your army is full. If you do die, your first priority is to get a Ward down. After that there are three rules: Penitence, Penitence, Penitence. Seriously, if Penitence isn't the single best ability in the game, it's in the top 3 with Bite and Spit. It is relatively cheap, has a near instant cast time, quick cool-down, interrupts, does hefty damage, slows and, most importantly, increases the damage your opponent takes from everything. It's absurd how good it is. It is your bread and butter. Hit them with it as soon as they get in range, hit them with it as soon as it cools down, hit them again as they flee to finish them. With a little practice, you will get numerous kills this way: Enagage an enemy Tank DG, UB, LE, etc. Penitence them to start, try to get them below 2/3 health, and hopefully use some mana and potions. Then, when they have worn you down a bit, to say 1/2 health, turn and flee. Most dumb players will follow you, thinking if you are running you must be out of mana or potions or are just scared. Right about the same time your Penitence cools down again, your priests should be just about to heal you. Target them while you are still runnning; Oak will turn and cast before they realize it is a trap, and then attack. All of your fleeing minions will converge, you'll start taking chunks out of them with your axe, and right about then your priests will heal, you'll be close to full, and they'll be below half on the wrong side of the map getting pounded by all your minions and they will decide it's time to run. Except of course, your spirits are the fastest units in the game, they are slowed from Penitence and just as they might be getting back out of range, your Penitence cools down again and they die.

Anyway, if you've made it this far, it's because you like the in-depth strategy that goes with this game, and I hope you found something in here that wil make you a better Oak player. He really should be more successful than he is, so go kill some Unclean Beasts!

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Surge of Faith on lvl 5 is most important thing to not miss, as i think. You missed that. It really helps for Divine Justice you took.

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SoF is really good, but the whole point of this build is killing DGs, not creeps, because that is what matters. SoF at 5 is useless; you can't cast it and Penitence more than once each, and having that second or third Penitence is so much more valuable. Your minions are your AE for the first few levels, you chew through creep waves like butter. SoF becomes important when you hit 11 and catas are out, before that it is just another point not put towards Penitence and Spirit Ward.

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I play a similar Oak build, but forgo Divine JusticeII(sometimes in place of SoF III), Last Stand(I never plan on dying), and SoulPower II(really not much better than SP I) in favor of Shield I, II, and III. With Shield III you should NEVER die as long as you have a tp scroll and you can assist teamates in trouble as well. I also think your purchases leave you a little too squishy... Nimoth Chest, Banded Armor, and Scale Mail should always be almost mandatory considering how slow Oak is. Of course a lot of what doesn't show in a build is exactly how a person plays it, maybe I'm more aggressive than you.

I AM interested in trying to go heavy penitence and pushing back my surge of faith until later... I always seem a little mana-light and this might be a better order.

Quoting BadDaddy8,

reply 2

the whole point of this build is killing DGs, not creeps, because that is what matters.

This is where I would really disagree with you. The three most important things in this game are:

A- Don't Die

B- Lane Control

C- Don't Die

Killing DG's is a nice bonus, but if you master A, B, and C you will win regardless of whether or not you kill your opponent.

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I agree with all your points. As far as Last Stand, I almost never actually get it, it's just that the build has 19 skills, and 1 point of LS is better than 1 point of Morale, Shield, etc.

As far as Shield goes, I sometimes get it late, but I really don't find it to be a game-changer until III, and even then, well, I guess I just am going with the best defense is a good offense. This is a VERY aggresive build, and while you're right, not dying and lane control decide the the outcome of the game, this build controls the game by making enemy DGs realize they can't stand and fight, they take damage too fast. I have numerous times gone toe to toe with UB and LE of at least two levels higher (and players of similar skill levels) and forced them off a flag because I just make them take damage a lot faster than I do. The flexibility you get from having a solid melee attack, very mobile minions and a devastating ranged attack makes you great for harassing DGs you can't quite take down.

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OK, your opinion, i wont argue, but i trust in my build more. and i did try with that penitence, but SoF+penitence I is better than just penit. II (in killing demigods also!) Plus, as i said, killing creeps with SoF gives you more mana & health then without it (therefore also easier for you to kill enemy demigod, plus SoF is aoe, so if you hit 2 demi its better than just 1 with penit II)

and:

also true, but i would go DJ more than 1 point.

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SoF has its perks, but it is incomparable to Penitence. Penitence has a 0.2 second cast time, SoF has like 1.5 or more. Penitence slows, SoF does not. Penitence increases the amount of damage they take from everything, which is the whole point here, SoF does not. Penitence costs less per point of damage (all that matters is your target DG, creeps are irrelevant , till later, when I do get SoF, and by the time I'm ready to hit that 2nd DG, my Penience will be cooled off.) Penitence has a better range, which is one of Oak's weaknesses. And, maybe most importantly, Penitence is an interrupt, so you can stop their teleports, hammer slams, etc. Penitence actually can help you run away, as it casts so fast and slows your pursuer. Your priests give you health, your helms give you mana, so the little bit of extra you get with SoF is nice, but just icing on the cake. If you're relying on that, you're dead anyway.

As far as the armor suggestions: This build is kind of a glass cannon. If I play dumb early game, it can be hard to come back (although I sometimes pull it off to my surprise.) But if you can surprise them with a few early kills, i.e. your Penitence is doing more damage than most Oak builds are at level 5 and 7, you can really be unstoppable mid to late game.

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Sorry. SoF has a 1.0 cast time. It just seems like an eternity when you are used to casting Penitence all game. By the time I get SoF late game I barely use it because it is so slow. I only pull it out when a lane is just bogged down with creeps and they are getting annoying. Otherwise, I just save my mana to spam Penitence.

I don't think my build is the best Oak build around, but I do suggest to those players who rely on Shield and SOF, try a Penitence heavy build once or twice. You might be surprised how many more DGs you can drop and establish complete lane control by level 5-6.

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you got me wrong, i use both peni and SoF, but just not rushin wit penitence. and you are not the only one who is using penitence heavy and actually asap! (top players do it quite often), but they also take SoF asap! and some other stuff in build are different.

go look for some earlier posts about oak builds, there are somewhere in comentaries oaks builds used by very good player (aggressive style), so youll get the point. i can say now only that your reasoning of penit without SoF being stronger than both peni and Sof is wrong.

for example you said

Penitence slows, SoF does not.

yes but sof increases mov and att speed of you, your minions and your allies! (+10% mov sp & -7% enemy mov sp is better that -10% en mov sp. +other benefits!)

Penitence increases the amount of damage they take from everything

yes, but difference between Pen I & PenII is 3%!, while sof with +10% att sp (of your minions too) will give you more damage overall

to me mana is not that big problem, it is harder than having just penitence, but not that big, and really killing is easier with Sof.

(and of course i use penitence as interrupt!)

etc, etc.

you dont have bad build (mine is quite different though) but Sof really pays off

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Bobex-

Thanks for the tips. Played a few games last night getting SoF at 5 and, to a point, agree with you. Also trying to incorporate some of Guerdian's suggestions though, i.e. going more health and armor heavy on purchases forgoing mana, damage and speed, I did struggle to keep enough mana to stay in the field as long as I like. But with the Unbreakable Boots and the Vlemish, it was just enough if I used it wisely. I may try to incorporate another of Guerdian's suggestions and get Shield after 10, because I'm not commited to any of those skill points I spend after ten, they just rounded out the build.

So yeah people, get SoF at 5.

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Bad,

That's a nice minion build but SoF increase the amount of damage that you're spirits do for far longer than pen. Anymore than 1 point of Soul Power is a waste though since it does nothing but increase your hit damage by 20. I would also recommend throwing in at least 1 point in shield.

I would recommend trying the Ring of Divine Might if you are looking for damage.

If you've seen my other posts, i typically voice my opinion against shield but it is damn useful for not only yourself but your teammates as well.

As far as minions + SoF goes:

Look for my post here for a breakdown of the numbers:

http://forums.demigodthegame.com/367086

I also find that unbreakable boots aren't worth it for an Oak. Mana can be easily controlled with Vlemish + Plenor and you have more cost effective HP + armor items that could be purchased. Usually i like to have the following throughout a game: Vlemish + plenor and: Banded, scale, Nimoth, hauberk, Groffling depending on how far along the game is. Against minion builds i'll throw in armor of vengeance as well.

Personally my favorite builds are:

Assasin

Shield I, pen I, hold, shield II + pen II, Sof I, hold, shield III + pen III, soul power, hold, Penn IV + SOF II, then spirits up to IV (but not V) SOF III, and whatever would be best for that game.

Hybrid:

This is my favorite build but i dont get to use it as much.

Pen I, DJ I, Shield I, Penn II, Sof I, Soul Power I, Penn III, Spirits I, Hold, Penn III + SoF II, spirits II, III, IV, SOF III, Shield II, III etc.

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lol i see you've already changed your mind about SoF @ 5.. but just to reaffirm..

I play a very timid oak until I go shopping around lvl 7.. then I go all out. I get 2 helms to spam penitence and surge.. I'm surging creep waves to move onto the next target faster, or penitencing an enemy demigod just to hit him. And I have the mana to support it. I don't use spirits and instead use shield.. but that does allow me to stay in longer or assist my teammates. Still you can do ridiculous damage with surge / pen even without spirits. Best part of surge is it affects your teammates as well. You ALL move faster and attack faster.

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