Skills Query - Survival, Craft Trap, Set Trap

[Pubeyzbbq]

Hi Folks,

I'm still looking at my Hunter build and wondered how much Survival, Craft Trap and Set Trap is used on the server? I know my Hunter traps DC has a contribution from the Craft Trap skill but wondered how useful it is besides that.
I also have no idea how useful Survival and Set Trap are on the server. Anyone have any ideas?
My main skills I'm looking at are:
Hide/MS/Listen/Spot = MAX
Tumble = 30
UMD = 13
Spellcraft = 15

[Snarfy]

Survival, as far as I can tell, seems to be more of an RP/DM-event skill. Practically speaking, when it comes to every day adventuring, even with minimal survival, say 10 - 12, you can mechanically track almost any monsters on any map.

Set traps is also a mixed bag. I play a character who has almost max'd set traps and I find them semi-useful in PVE. Events and RP, or PvP, I almost never get to use them(then again I don't exactly get involved in those things nowadays)... although, a well placed deadly tangle trap can be extremely entertaining in PvP situations

Your set traps skill will determine two things: the quality of traps you can set(the highest being 'deadly' traps. Epic traps have been nerf'd/disabled), and the level of difficulty in how other players are able to detect and disarm them. With a high set traps skill, the possibility of another player doing either against your traps is practically nil. Even with 20 - 30 invested in set traps, an opposing player will need at least 40 - 50 in the search/disable skills to detect and disable them.

In terms of PVE, the most common use I've found for traps is to place them at choke points in dungeons, and then lure mobs into them. Choosing the type of trap to use is fairly situational, and certain traps have more powerful effects than others(acid blob, and sonic are good for stunning, tangle trap for slowing, the rest for single target or AOE damage), but you will likely be hard pressed to kill any high level mobs, or have the secondary effects fire, due to the jacked up saving throws the servers monsters currently enjoy.

Just as an example, my near max'd set traps character would probably need to line a hallway in the Nashkel Mines with at least 5 - 6 deadly electrical traps in order to kill one duergar. Those traps have AoE damage and a reflex save DC, so I generally prefer to find a group of duergar huddled together, and then set 1 or 2 electrical traps between them as they wander around, in order to soften them up. Traps that use a DC fortitude save against stuns and the like tend to almost never work, thanks to the duergars high fort saves. Sadly, your set trap skill will not affect the DC's of any secondary effects of the traps you set.

Basically, IMHO, set traps is an all or nothing skill that you may only wish to invest in for RP reasons. They can be fun, but they are slow to use, and aren't very practical(unless you're solo'ing), especially considering the frenetic speeds at which group adventuring tends to move.

[Pubeyzbbq]

Survival, as far as I can tell, seems to be more of an RP/DM-event skill. Practically speaking, when it comes to every day adventuring, even with minimal survival, say 10 - 12, you can mechanically track almost any monsters on any map.

Set traps is also a mixed bag. I play a character who has almost max'd set traps and I find them semi-useful in PVE. Events and RP, or PvP, I almost never get to use them(then again I don't exactly get involved in those things nowadays)... although, a well placed deadly tangle trap can be extremely entertaining in PvP situations

Your set traps skill will determine two things: the quality of traps you can set(the highest being 'deadly' traps. Epic traps have been nerf'd/disabled), and the level of difficulty in how other players are able to detect and disarm them. With a high set traps skill, the possibility of another player doing either against your traps is practically nil. Even with 20 - 30 invested in set traps, an opposing player will need at least 40 - 50 in the search/disable skills to detect and disable them.

In terms of PVE, the most common use I've found for traps is to place them at choke points in dungeons, and then lure mobs into them. Choosing the type of trap to use is fairly situational, and certain traps have more powerful effects than others(acid blob, and sonic are good for stunning, tangle trap for slowing, the rest for single target or AOE damage), but you will likely be hard pressed to kill any high level mobs, or have the secondary effects fire, due to the jacked up saving throws the servers monsters currently enjoy.

Just as an example, my near max'd set traps character would probably need to line a hallway in the Nashkel Mines with at least 5 - 6 deadly electrical traps in order to kill one duergar. Those traps have AoE damage and a reflex save DC, so I generally prefer to find a group of duergar huddled together, and then set 1 or 2 electrical traps between them as they wander around, in order to soften them up. Traps that use a DC fortitude save against stuns and the like tend to almost never work, thanks to the duergars high fort saves. Sadly, your set trap skill will not affect the DC's of any secondary effects of the traps you set.

Basically, IMHO, set traps is an all or nothing skill that you may only wish to invest in for RP reasons. They can be fun, but they are slow to use, and aren't very practical(unless you're solo'ing), especially considering the frenetic speeds at which group adventuring tends to move.

That's exactly the sort of info I was looking for. Many thanks.