How To Create A Trickster Rogue

Trickster Rogue Class Description

The Trickster Rogue in the Neverwinter MMORPG is a character class focused on deception and damage when confronting enemies. Trickster Rogues do can do a lot of damage to unsuspecting enemies and excel at misdirecting their enemies. They can’t withstand much punishment but can deal a lot of damage. Trickster Rogues will make an ideal character for someone who wants to dance around the center of conflict, misdirecting their enemies, and then striking at them when they least expect it.

Trickster Rogue Class Role Specifics

The Dungeons and Dragons 4e role that Trickster Rogues fit into is the Striker, also known as DPS (Damage Per Second). Trickster Rogues specifically focus on concentrating their efforts on a single powerful enemy. They favor offense over defense, using powers that first trick foes and then striking them with deadly force from an unforeseen direction.

Their primary method of defeating enemies is through misdirection, such as using their ability to present an illusory self while sneaking around to deliver a powerful attack. Trickster Rogues should focus on the toughest enemy first, then move on to the easier and less deadly minions. This is a vital tactic to use or the Trickster Rogue can become quickly overwhelmed.

Creating a Trickster Rogue

When you create a Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter, keep in mind the primary abilities that make a good Trickster Rogue:

1. Dexterity – This will determine the accuracy and power of your deadly attacks. The more damage a Trickster Rogue does, the less chance enemies have to catch up.
2. Constitution – I consider Constitution a must for a Trickster Rogue. Your Hit Points determine how much punishment you can take and the Trickster Rogue does not have great defenses.

Picking a Race for your Trickster Rogue

Next, you will need to select the race of the character you want to play. A couple of good choices for Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter are Halflings and Wood Elves. These races may give you a slight advantage just starting out with their stat boosts. However, as you level, you can easily mitigate any advantage you may have had through assigning leveling points, feat points, and magic items. So don’t worry too much about what stats the race gives you.

Instead, choose a race that makes you happy, then look at the racial abilities they may offer as secondary, and lastly look to the ability bonuses the race may offer.

Rolling Dice for Ability Scores

You will roll virtual dice to determine starting ability scores. When you roll up your character, you can roll all you want. So make sure you keep rolling until you get the best stats possible for your Trickster Rogue. Dexterity should be maxed out, and Constitution should also be very high. If you can, try to get your character’s Charisma at a good score. Your other ability points will affect your character some, but not much, and not as importantly as your two primary abilities.

When you level up these abilities throughout your career as a Trickster Rogue, you should put 1 point in Dexterity and 1 in Constitution every time.

Items and Gear

The items and gear in the game definitely help fine tune your Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter. As a Trickster Rogue you are can wear medium defensive armor; however, to be a successful Trickster Rogue your focus should be on your weapon. It is your primary tool of your trade so you want to make sure you keep it upgraded at all times to the highest possible damage. Also try to focus on items that grant Recovery and Power. Recovery will increase the speed you recover action points. This will allow you to use your nasty damaging Daily Powers more often. Power will increase the potency of your powers so they are more effective. With careful planning you’ll be able to kill enemies with one shot, minions at your level, and take down an enemy boss very quickly. This will be the key to a successful Trickster Rogue.

As a Trickster Rogue your purpose is to stay alive (out of the direct fight) and sneak in behind the most powerful enemies, hit them hard, and then slip away. Make sure you are always stocked up on healing potions. They are relatively cheap and easy to use in the heat of combat so use them liberally. A Trickster Rogue should not be the focus of healing so you need to be ready to heal yourself. Plus, you can do it while you wait for your next opening or for a power to reset. Don’t wait too long to take a healing potion. When you get to half your hit points, make sure to take a healing potion. Remaining at the edges of battle, if you are playing your Trickster Rogue correctly, you will be able to pick your moments to move in and take out even the worst enemies.

You can also get short term buffs through collectibles you will gather in each of the public areas. Make sure to use these collectibles and turn them into the Bounty Boards to get items to use for short term bonuses. These will always relate to the area you are in so use them while you are in the area.

Also try to stockpile any potions you run across for the boss fights. Taking a few potions for a fight can mean the difference between a miserable, drawn out failure and a quick resounding success!

Playing a Trickster Rogue

When you are playing a Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter you should never lead the charge into battle. The quickest and easiest way to get killed is to be hasty as a Trickster Rogue. Be careful as you move through dangerous areas and do not take any erroneous damage that can be avoided such as traps and burning areas. Trickster Rogues can disable traps so make sure to do so if these traps are going to be in and amongst a fight such as a boss battle. Otherwise, just use your skills to avoid them.

The best strategy I found when playing a Trickster Rogue to use your powers of misdirection and stealth to sneak up on an enemy and use your most powerful attacks on the leaders first. Then drop a decoy and jump out of the fray. While the enemies are distracted you can finish off any tough enemies. Make sure to take out the harder enemies first because they will destroy your decoy quickly. The minions of the encounter may slash away at it for some time before it is destroyed. Once the hard enemies are defeated then you can clean up whatever weaker enemies remain.

If for some reason you cannot sneak up on your enemies, use ranged attacks and the terrain around you to attack from the greatest distance. This will force the enemies to run to you. While they are coming toward you, you can mow them down with your ranged at-will powers. In this situation you will want to take out the minions first. The reason for this is if for some reason you are exposed, it is much easier to dodge out of the way of one attack than many attacks.

It is quite effective to start a challenging encounter by using the most damaging Encounter or Daily power that you have. This softens up your enemies and may even kill some. Once the combat is going use everything you can to build up your action points quickly so you can use your Daily Powers as soon as they are charged. It is more important for Trickster Rogues to use their Daily Powers as often as possible so that their DPS (Damage Per Second) increases.

You definitely need an understanding of Stealth in Neverwinter when you’re playing your Trickster Rogue. In most MMO’s when you enter Stealth you are undetectable or difficult to detect. It is the same in Neverwinter; however, the time you can remain in Stealth Mode is very, very limited. I was frankly very disappointed by this fact. You will only have a few seconds in Stealth Mode and it is used to just set up your most powerful attacks, not for actually sneaking around. It’s cool and traditional Dungeons and Dragons to get the big damage from attacking out of stealth, but a terrible blow to the class and the game to limit stealth so severely.

Companions of your Trickster Rogue

As you learn to play your Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter you will learn what you like and what you don’t. You will get a feel for your character and what may be a good complement to your style. This is where your companion choices will come into play.

Companions are the last thing these basic or Heroic guides will talk about. Heroic is level considered 1-20 in Neverwinter. Somewhere in your mid to late teens you will be able to afford a companion. There are many different ones to choose from but only a few real roles that they will serve. Check out DDM’s Realm companion guide for more information: Best Companions for Your Character in Neverwinter

I found that the best one for my Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter was a Healer. They worked well to save on potion costs and could heal through the abuse a Trickster Rogue takes from having weak defenses. It also worked well because the healer could stay alive while acting as another decoy to your enemies and made it very easy for my Trickster Rogue to pick off enemies at will.

The other choice would be a Controller companion. Having a companion that stuns, freezes, confuses and distracts enemies for a Trickster Rogue also makes it easy to use powers to their best ability. The extra damage this type of companion can offer will really speed things along. Though if you make a misstep or two you can quickly find yourself in dire straits. When you can afford two, this could be your second choice. Run around with your Controller companion until you get to a boss or tough area then switch to your healing companion. This technique worked really well.

It will really depend on your style of playing with your Trickster Rogue. Another Striker (DPS) can help you mow through enemies. If you like to take your time, a Defender might suit you well. When it comes down to what companions are best suited for a Trickster Rogue, the first would be a healer, and the second should fit your play style.

Grouping as a Trickster Rogue

When you are playing a Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter, you will want to group with others for a lot of different reasons. Play your Trickster Rogue well and you can insure the group’s success. All classes can be played poorly but a well-played Trickster Rogue will really help a group dominate the bosses of the quest they are running.

When a Trickster Rogue is in a group they will want to follow just behind the leader of the group. This way they can help to spot traps but do not get the attention of enemies.

1. The Trickster Rogue’s main job is to deal damage without getting hit themselves. The second part is key to a well-played Trickster Rogue.
2. A Trickster Rogue should also let the party know of any traps and disable those that are in an area where fighting may take place or is currently under way.

It’s important to know that a well-played Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter should never get the attention of the party’s enemies. This is probably the hardest thing to do and where many Trickster Rogues fail and become a burden to the group. The healers shouldn’t have to chain heal you. The controllers shouldn’t have to save you and defenders shouldn’t have to constantly pull enemies off. Trickster Rogues should never be the first to strike a powerful target, but they will often be the last.

Remember to keep an eye out on your other party members, especially the healers and controllers. If they get the attention of enemies then they will make great targets for you. Take care of them quickly to help the group succeed. This way they can get back to their primary jobs instead of trying to save their own hides.

Player Versus Player as a Trickster Rogue

Disclaimer of Bias: First off let me say that Dungeons and Dragons has never been, nor never should be, a game based on single player versus player battles. The whole point of Dungeons and Dragons is to bring players together in a group, not have them fight each other. To this end, each role in Dungeons and Dragons is meant to be part of a whole cohesive unit and when you break that up, each piece cannot be balanced due to the role they fill. Being able to kill something is a very narrow view of what makes a character. That is just one thing in a long list of things that makes any Dungeons and Dragons game and group successful. Player versus player is a bit blasphemous, in my opinion and goes against the true spirit of Dungeons and Dragons. However, group versus group battles are more reasonable and have a better chance of succeeding in balance. I will talk a little about both below.

Trickster Rogues in player versus player combat are devastating. Because of their damage potential and the ability to easily evade attacks from other classes, they are quite formidable. Their stealth powers work handily against other players and can get to their targets easily. Few can truly stand up against a well planned and executed attack from a Trickster Rogue.

However, if a Trickster Rogue gets stunned or trapped in combat they are quickly defeated by any other class. So never, ever stop moving or you will be easily defeated.

In group based player versus player combat, a Trickster Rogue can be equally effective taking out the most dangerous of enemies. As long as Trickster Rogues wait for the battle to start before they slip in, they will do well. Just don’t be the first into the fray because a whole other group will make very short work of a Trickster Rogue.

Overview of a Trickster Rogue

All in all a Trickster Rogue in Neverwinter can be a lot of fun to play. They are a very active and tactical class to play. If you like to sneak into the fray after the battle has already started and wreak havoc on your enemies, a Trickster Rogue may be just what you want to play.

Trickster Rogues have the biggest damage in the game but they are also quite frail when it really comes down to it. They should never be at the center of battle but will often jump in at just the right moment. You need to remain active and aware as a Trickster Rogue. Through the use of feats and Paragon abilities, you will be able to fine tune your Trickster Rogue into the specific kind of character you want for Neverwinter.