I know there are tons of threads and topics with questions regarding race, stats and leveling specs etc, but many of them are old and I just want some feedback about a couple things before I get started.

I'll most likely be doing some casual PvE / PvP. At this point I don't see myself getting too into one thing or going hardcore as I don't have the time. Given that, I hope to have some flexibility in my set up so I have options and can have fun doing whatever. I've read a little bit about Instrument/Slash/Stealth specs, and that seems to be a good fit for me.

I have decided I'll be making a slash Highlander for sure, as I don't have an interest in fully auto training and I don't think thrust snare combo is worth the hassle and other draw backs involved. That aside here are my questions:

Starting Stats: Which one and why?

10 str / 10 con / 10 charisma (I am leaning towards)

10 con / 15 charisma

10 str / 15 charisma

Are a few points in dex/qui going to give me a noticeable difference in Evade chances? I've kinda wrote those stats off in my mind...should I?

Auto Train Stopping Point:

I think AT to a certain level is reasonable. What level are the different cut off points for specializations?

For example, AT to X level opens up Y spec.

Thank you in advance for any feedback. It's much appreciated.

I do think slash highlander is a good combo for a minstrel!
I won't go into AT, its a lot of calculation that really depends on what you prefer.
Strength will be good for leveling, it increases your weaponskill to make sure you won't miss to much, since you got heal and mana regen as a minstrel, the regen part of the fight is not much of an issue.
So if you don't plan on being a hardcore RvR guy, I would suggest avoiding any point in con.
Charisma is a stat that raises with your level, it impacts your DD damages mostly and if you plan on doing any autotrain then don't put any point in charisma as it won't impact as much by the time you have high enough DD that 5% more damages makes a difference you will have enough charisma that 10 or 15 points more wont impact it much.

My suggestion is to have 10 str 15 dex or 15 str 10 dex. You would land at 80/70/65 or 85/70/60 at 50 it is 95/70/88 or 100/70/83.
Dex is good for blocking (level 18 slash style is on-block too).
As a highlander you wont block as much as a saracen or a briton, but as I said you want your pet to dps with you and you have your regens.

I always like to have a lot of quickness though, to land more hit during the stun phase, so I would suggest another option:
15 strength and 10 quickness as slash main hand are somewhat slow.
My minstrel would be a Briton Slash with 10 strength and 15 quickness

Hey,

This is a difficult question to answer since gameplay is not just stats. But lets just compare stats for the moment with some formulas from Camelot Herald which should be applicable on Uthgard.

Strength - 10 pts strength translates to ~2.67% dps / swing damage for slash weapons and 1/2 of that for thrust weapons since thrust is based half of strength and halft dexterity, strenghts also directly increases the weight limit
Dexterity - 10 pts dex are 0.5% block and 0.25% evade
Charisma - 10 pts charisma increase damage for ~3.5% and the power pool by 10 (not completelly sure about that)
Quickness - 10 pts qui increase evade by 0.25% and swing speed of the weapon by 2% which translates in ~1.6% more dps
Constitution - 10 pts increase hp for ~38 hitpoints on a lvl 50 minstrel

Race Differences:
Slash - Needs strength -> Highlander highest starter strength = 70
Thrust - Strength/Thrust -> Saracen highest combination = 130/2 => 65
Defense - Block/Evade -> Saracen has highest stats with 30 more in dex and 20 in quickness than highlander => 1.5% block and 0.75% evade
Charisma - All races have the same

Slash vs Thrust

Slash is purely depended on strength stat and will be the highest melee stat possible on a highlander. Lvl 29 Amethist Slash has the best To Hit Bonus from the any timers with good damage. Lvl 21 Snare Style needs side position.

Thrust is strength and dex and will not come as high in combination as pure strength on highlander. On the other side, you just get the half effect from a strength debuff. Lvl 44 snare style is a follow up on a detaunt which has no to hit or damage bonus. From positional prereq easier to pull off, on the other side needs 2 styles (takes longer), great possibility to miss but longer snare duration.

Auto Train:

Is choosen depending on the spec you wanna reach at the end, as well your resilience against a painfull leveling experience. AT specs are mostly preference and are trying to get the least amount of remaining points with most amount of utility.

0 AT - 50 inst / 26 stealth / 34 weapon
12 AT - 50 inst / 25 stealth / 35 weapon
36 AT - 50 inst / 2 stealth / 44 weapon

Majeric wrote:Defense - Block/Evade -> Saracen has highest stats with 30 more in dex and 20 in quickness than highlander => 1.5% block and 0.75% evade

I think highlander has 50 starting qui so only 10 less than saracen

Yes, highlander has 50 qui, saracen - 60 both.

And this story with 1,5% more parry/evade? Dont care about!
It will be interesting for a Class with high advanced Evade. Mins has Evade 2 only. For a Friar with Evade 5 or for an Infi with Evade 7 thees 1,5 % will be somehow significant.
And parry and block... you have parry/block if you swinging a weapon. A Minstrel has most time any of drum-things on. And +dex for more blockchance is nothing - the shield and parry skill is important for block parry chance, dex is in the formula devided by 100, so - peanuts!

The thing wich will kill you in RvR is magic damage and poisons. So - better more konst, then dex.

Besides of that - the 29 slash is the best 1 H open in the game, and slash has a good, easy to land side snare, so slash is better, than thrust.

And slash has more and better drops and OTDs for level and as the end temp weapon.

And highlander has better racial resistentes.

Highlander Minstrel is better then saracen.

Generally
- Slash-Minstrel has wonderfull skil - at least 29 (or 34 no AT till 44 with 9 times AT without stealth) weapon, 50 instru, stealth - depend of usage, but I would take at least 25 (26 no AT till 33 full AT), because wall-fights are very funny. This skill gives you a huge variability of play style. And you doesnt need really any AT. Well, I took AT tll 36 or 38, but duuno if it was worse the lost abilities on my way to lvl 50 and fun in BGs.

-Thrust has only one valuable skill - 50 Instru, 44 Thrust, wich means - AT needed at least till 36(?) and no steath possible. No wall climbing. So only a group or pet minstrel. And you can as saracen (a bit) quicker demezz and ae-mezz.

So, I would play, as a new mins a slash highlander, take 3 times AT - is very easy - and have the end skill

50 Instruments, 25 Stealth and 35 Slash.

Start points I ll put 10 str (more WA, More DMG), 10 qui (hardest to cap stat and good for peel, for rupt etc) and 10 const for more life, more endu.

Dex makes no sense , as you cannt rich any breaking points for cast and dex for more parry, block is a nonsense without parry and shield skills.
Charisma would be nice, but % of +damage is low and for power there are enough abilities and pots.

Requin wrote:I think highlander has 50 starting qui so only 10 less than saracen

You are right quickness is just 10 points.. my bad

Hasbulat wrote:Yes, highlander has 50 dex, 50 qui, saracen - 60 both.

Wrong Saracen has 80 dex, 60 qui

Hasbulat wrote:And this story with 1,5% more parry/evade? Dont care about!
It will be interesting for a Class with high advanced Evade. Mins has Evade 2 only. For a Friar with Evade 5 or for an Infi with Evade 7 thees 1,5 % will be somehow significant.
And parry and block... you have parry/block if you swinging a weapon. A Minstrel has most time any of drum-things on. And +dex for more blockchance is nothing - the shield and parry skill is important for block parry chance, dex is in the formula devided by 100, so - peanuts!

How you interpret the stats is your thing. Formula for Block chance is statet at http://camelotherald.wikia.com/wiki/Block. There is nothing devided by 100 and as explained, every 10 points over 50 dex increase the block chance by 0.5%. You can do the math yourself.

The distribution of stats as well as the spec is highly depended on your preferred gameplay and requirements (solo, group, etc..).

Hasbulat wrote:Dex makes no sense , as you cannt rich any breaking points for cast and dex for more parry, block is a nonsense without parry and shield skills.

Uthgard has no breaking points implemented for spell casting and just caps at 40% of original cast time (search for post from Blue / i have not verified this myself). Dex is used to 50% in the thrust damage calculation. Block is working without parry and shield skills (not exactly sure what you mean with "block is a nonsense...").

Majeric wrote:Block is working without parry and shield skills (not exactly sure what you mean with "block is a nonsense...").

I mean, pushing dex for notable increasing of the block chance by class, wich has no shield skill, wich doesnt go in master of blocking is suboptimal. The same with dex for parry. You will get a significant effort if you have synergy with your parry skill and perhaps RA s. Mins has other priorities by RA. and no Shield or Parry skill.

He is trying to have fun in the game, level easily and reach level 50, do some RvR. Nothing too hardcore.
For that some additional dex is good for leveling solo, even if just for the first 20 levels doing kill tasks.

Yes, sure, I agree. I went to 10 str, 10 kon, 10 qui and was happy with, also on my way to lvl 50, mainly solo.
No the Mins is soon RR 5. And I dont feel now, I miss anything.

My minstrel on live was highlander 10 str 10 cha 10 con 39 slash 44 inst rest stealth, no AT.

Respecced to 50 inst 29 thrust 31stealth at RR9 iirc.

If you want to melee, consider a composite weapon spec of 50 (or 51). If you dont, consider saracen with +10 or +15 dex for faster casting.

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Estat wrote:My minstrel on live was highlander 10 str 10 cha 10 con 39 slash 44 inst rest stealth, no AT.

And your Minst was really a badass....doubled if Slan was with you