Dread Knight Creation Guide by Hexonyx

Archetype: Defensive Fighter Primary Attributes: DEX, CON, STR Continents: All

---

The Dread Knight’s primary role is to absorb damage. Dread Knights are warriors that use Dark Magic. A Dread Knight will need to properly use her stances, lifetaps, fear spells, special attacks and tactical maneuvers to fulfill her various group roles.

Dexterity, constitution, and strength are the Dread Knight's primary attributes. Dexterity helps the Dread Knight evade or mitigate damage. Constitution gives him plenty of life points and higher resistances. Strength enables the Dread Knight to do enough damage to keep the attention of enemies.

Building a good Dread Knight takes some careful planning at the character creation screen and requires you to learn a handful of tactics in the lower levels.

Selecting the Right Race

Dread Knights of all races start with the same attributes, but the choice of race can affect how many points the Dread Knight automatically gets placed into its prime attributes.

Starting attributes:

STR	CON	DEX	VIT	INT	WIS
35	50	40	35	25	25

Each character gets 20 attribute points (AP) per level, starting at level 10. 6 of your AP are placed for you automatically--one per attribute (STR, CON, DEX, VIT, INT, WIS). 4 points are assigned to attributes based on your race if you are not a human (humans are kojani, mordebi, qaliathari, and thestran). You can place 10 (14 for humans) wherever you want to within soft caps of 5 per level.

Additionally, characters get racial bonuses to their soft caps. These are called preferred stats and allow characters of a race to flesh out in a way that reflects the traits of the race. Non-human races get 4 bonus points to soft caps (usually two or three attributes only) while human races get 6, 1 for each attribute. Thus, a human can be more balanced, while a non-human becomes more specialized.

The table below shows the attribute scores at level 50 before gear and buffs for the Dread Knight based on the race selected. We've highlighted the best results for each of the primary attributes for you. It is possible to reach the soft cap for three attributes as a human, but those soft caps may be lower than those attainable by other races.

Racial Abilities

The other important factor to consider when picking the race for your Dread Knight is racial abilities. With their short durations and long recasts, racial abilities are less important than attributes in the selection process, but they can be used to pick between races that are otherwise equal. The racial abilities are listed below.

Thestran: Inspirational Commands
You will have 3 inspirational commands at your disposal: Inspirational Presence, Inspirational Wisdom, and Inspirational Tactics. Each command is a group buff that will add either 2% to mitigation, a 3% reduction to mana cost of all spells, or a 2% increase in damage. You may only maintain one command at a time, however you may have all 3 effects active at the same time. Recast is instant.

Human Ingenuity: + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

---

Lesser Giant: Strength of Torsheim
For the next 30 seconds after this ability is activated, you will increase your max hit points by 50%. Hit point regeneration increases for 60 seconds. Recast is 30 minutes.

Large Race: 2% bonus to mitigation
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

---

Vulmane: Spiritual Bond
This ability will apply an effect to every member in your group, allowing 35% of all damage done by them to return to you in the form of health for 20 seconds. Recast is 15 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

---

Kojani: Spirit of Jin
This ability will immediately restore 45% of energy and hit points to the target. This ability has a diminishing effect on any target that has benefitted from this ability (used by another player) in the last 10 minutes. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

---

Orc: Fury of Ghalnn
For the next 7 seconds after this ability is activated, you will receive a 10% increase to damage and 100% of all the damage you do will return to you in the form of hit points. Recast is 15 minutes.

Large Race: 2% bonus to mitigation
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Quarrying

---

Qaliathari: Swiftness of the Sands
For this next 10 seconds, you will evade all melee attacks and spells. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

---

Dark Elf: Spawn of Haelufir
This ability allows you to summon forth a small drake for a short duration. The type of drake you summon will be based on class and level. Each type of drake will have a variety of effects at their disposal, ranging from group auras, to breath attacks. The higher level drakes will also learn spells that are sympathetic with their associated class. Recast is 30 minutes.

Elven Wisdom: 2% reduction in mana cost
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

---

Kurashasa: Symbiotic Armor
When this armor is active you will be protected by a proc (a process that fires under certain conditions). In addition to a rune that mitigates 25% of all types of damage, you have a chance to apply an effect to all enemies within a 20 meter point-blank radius when you attack, cast a spell, or receive damage. Anyone affected by this debuff will become snared and slowed. Recast is 30 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

---

Level 1-10 Tactics

Abilities and Stances from Levels 1-10

The Dread Knight starts as powerful as any other Protective Fighter, and equally solo-capable from levels 1-10. The early levels are a great time to learn some of your base skills, your role in low-level groups, and obtaining a full set of starter armor.

When you first enter Telon as a fresh and eager Dread Knight, you begin with one stance: Ebon Blade. Ebon Blade is a high damage stance that increases damage by 10% but also increases Endurance costs by 5%. Along with Ebon Stance you begin life with one Dread Knight ability, Vexing Strike. Get used to this ability as you will carry it with you for your life up to level 50 where it maxes at Vexing Strike VII. Vexing Strike is a combat ability that adds a bit of damage on top of your normal melee hit, and also increases your Dreadful Countenance.

Now Dreadful Countenance [DC] is a class defining Dread Knight passive ability. DC can increase up to DC level 5, which is attainable later in your life. At each level DC increases the fear of your target and other enemies nearby.  DC will only increase to level 1 at this early stage, which gives you a 5% increased chance to critical hit along with a Resistance Debuff on your single enemy.

After Level 1, your Dread Knight will gain abilities every two levels. Level 2 will come quickly, and reward you with two more Dread Knight abilities, Torture I and Devour Strength. Torture will again stay with you through your Dread Knight life capping out at Torture VII at level 50. Torture is your first Damage Over Time [DoT] spell, and reliably ticks of damage for 24 seconds on your single target. In addition to the DoT, Torture I increases the hate your target feels for you, helping you control agro for low-level grouping. Devour Strength I is a two part ability in that it steals your target for 10 Strength and Vitality and applies those stolen attributes to your character for 5 minutes, even after combat is over. Devour Strength also builds over your life, capping at Devour Strength VI at level 50.

After Level 2, your Dread Knight is most successful in combat if an enemy is pulled from maximum range with your DoT, then hit with Devour Strength to debuff the target and increase your damage ability. This technique works well for solo and grouping, and is replaced eventually by Shadow Step at Level 10.

Level 4 grants the Dread Knight with Malice I, which is very similar to Vexing Strike, and is a combat ability that does 150%of a normal melee strike, and increases DC when successful. The advantage of Malice over Vexing Strike is apparent when in a group or at minimum duoing with a friend. Malice gives an additional damage bonus when used while a friend is adjacent or across from the Dread Knight, effectively attacking the enemy from two opposing sides. Level 4 also gives you Dark Ward, which reduces incoming damage by 25% for the next 4 attacks or 60 seconds whichever comes first. This ward is of great use, and should be fired off every time it refreshes while in combat. This will reduce downtime and increase survivability while solo and grouped.

With your DoT then debuff pulling technique, combined with your damage ward, and direct damage abilities, you should find leveling comes easy and quick through level 10. Creatures are easily handled at 2-dot white or yellow, and the occasional 3-dot blue, allowing for quick experience, good drops, and easy questing.

At Level 6, you receive your first “Finishing Move” in Wrack I, which dishes out a crippling 400% melee damage hit. Chains and Finishers are an integral part of Vanguard, and for your Dread Knight can greatly ease your abilities to group, hold agro, and kill quickly while soloing. Wrack I is triggered off a critical hit while in combat, and is only available for a short time after that crit. In addition level 6 gives you your first Fear spell, Frighten I, which gives a taste of another Dread Knight part time ability, that of Crowd Control [CC]. Frighten allows the Dread Knight to “split” monster pairs, by sending the second MoB running for 10 seconds. This is helpful when more then one enemy must be fought initially or if an add is encountered. Beginning at level 6, the Dread Knight is able to increase the effects of Dreadful Countenance to level 2! Causing an increase of 7% chance to critical hit, additional resistance debuff to your enemy, and spiritual damage does 5% more to your enemy.

Level 8 reveals an upgraded version of Vexing Strike, and your first taunt, Provoke. Level 8 is when grouping becomes much easier, as a direct taunt [Provoke], added to your hate gain from Torture and your damage should help you tank with moderate success. The Harrow I ability is also gained at this level, and is another class defining skill for Dread Knights, and is your first Life Tap. Harrow is positional, in that you must be behind your enemy for the ability to work, and when successful does 200% damage of a melee hit and returns that damage as health back to you. Before a Dread Knight receives Shadow Step, Harrow is really only used when in a group and either not main tank, or if you lose agro and the enemy turns its back on you to attack a friend. Bleak Foeman [BF] is the last ability at level 8, and is a damage mitigation/utility type spell. BF raises the Dread Knights Block ability by 100% (doubles ability) until the next successful block. BF has numerous uses when grouped and solo. BF turns off attack putting the Dread Knight in a passive stance. When grouped and not the main tank, BF can be used to lose agro and allow the tank to gain it back. BF can be used while main tank to block an incoming attack, thus mitigating incoming damage, but remember you must re-attack after BF goes off. BF also works when you are running from an enemy and you are trying to run away until the creature returns home.

Level 10 is when you come of age as a Dread Knight, gaining most of the abilities that you will learn throughout your life. First and foremost is Shadow Step [SS], which is probably my favorite Dread Knight ability. SS “warps” the Dread Knight once in range, to directly behind the enemy. SS is the perfect set-up to use your new Harrow ability, starting off combat with a quick warp then 200% melee damage to your enemy. SS recovers rather quickly and can be re-used during combat, but be warned, rogues and other positional group mates will get a bit irritated if you keep warping and turning the enemy 180% every minute or two.

Level 10 also sees upgrades to Devour Strength and Torture, along with your first Word of Doom[WoD]!!! WoDs are long re-use abilities that deal serious spiritual damage to your enemy. This first WoD—Althen—deals a painful 246-262 damage to your foe. In addition the Dread Knight receives their first rescue ability at level 10, Scourge, which forces your enemy to attack you instead of your defensive target. Scourge along with Provoke are your bread and butter as a grouping tank to control agro. The last ability gained at this stage, is your first Symbol, the level 10 Symbol is Suffering, and is a minor damage shield, which causes your enemy to take melee damage on every successful attack against your person. Level 10 also grants the Dread Knight the second of their three stances, Armor of Darkness[AoD]. AoD lowers damage done by 10%, adds 10% damage mitigation, and adds 30% hate per attack. While this stance is great and often used while tanking in groups, AoD has been found to be useful while solo, sometimes allowing the Dread Knight to survive combat against tougher creatures that would kill the Dread Knight in the Ebon Blade stance.

Tanking
Once the Dread Knight hits level 8 and gets Provoke, your tanking career and practice should begin. The trick on aggro control is to remember or realize that in Vanguard, agro is directly related to damage taken by the MoB. Every taunt used by a Dread Knight will have a “Hate #” which is comparable to damage amount done. Think of your taunts as additional attacks that you need to make, that when added to the damage you are doing, will be more then the highest damager in your group.

I have found it easiest to tank as a Dread Knight as being the puller. Get the damage started early, along with hate increasing skills. Talk with your group mates, if you don’t group with the same few people frequently, explain your tactics and needs as a tank. Let them know you will pull, and would like to have the first few seconds of the encounter to gain hate using taunts, damage, and DoTs. If your group can’t control themselves and constantly are pulling agro from you using their heavy hitter abilities right off the bat, then no matter what you do you will struggle. Don’t be so quick to blame the class or the mechanics of the game, as there are many Dread Knights out there that are high quality tanks that perform above their groups expectations.

Equipment
From levels 1-10, Vanguard provides all races and classes with an ability to gain a full set of basic armor. This armor helps in filling out your equippable slots, but when compared to vendor sold or player made equipment is severely lacking. It is my belief that once you can afford it a level 10 Dread Knight should have a full set of player made tin or vendor bought armor. These upgrades will have a noticeable effect on your survivability both solo and grouped. This goes for weapons and shields also. Remember damage=hate, so the higher DPS weapon you can swing the more hate you will produce. I am an advocate of sword and board [1-handed weapon + shield] when grouped and 2-handed weapons when solo grinding or questing. Develop your own beliefs and methods, but remember player crafters are an integral part of Vanguard and their products will be of a quality to keep them in game as a valuable option for gaining high quality armor and weapons.

To Wrap It Up
The last few paragraphs gave details on the Dread Knights skills and abilities with some tips on when and how to use these abilities. As each of you create your Dread Knight, you will learn to play to your own strengths and mitigate your own weaknesses. The most important thing is to remember that there is no set way to use abilities, or to tank in a group, but through time the most effective ways for you to play your Dread Knight will emerge through use. There is no right race to play for Dread Knight, with all races having their strengths and weaknesses, and the game being new enough that attributes and abilities will fluctuate giving one race an advantage only to take away that advantage as the game is tweaked. The important things is to give your Dread Knight a chance, pick a race that appeals to you for role playing reasons, or looks, or is near a city where your friends are starting.  

Other Dread Knight Resources at Ten Ton Hammer

• Dread Knight Class Guide
• Dread Knight Spells and Abilities
• Know Your Role: Defensive Fighters
• Guide to Vanguard Statistics
  

---