User:Evil4Zerggin/Templar 1.2

1.2 Templar needs some help. As if it weren't already obvious, I'm going to lay down why.

We'll ignore Scion for comparisons because of its central starting location.

It's inconsistent

Start pattern

Every other class has the same starting pattern: choice of two pairs of nodes (or the rarely-used tax node escapes), followed by a choice of choice of two triplets for each of those, ending in a notable.

Witch:

Shadow:

Ranger:

Duelist:

Marauder:

But not Templar:

+30 Attribute nodes

As if that weren't enough, take a look at this:

Every other pair of +30 Attribute nodes is attached to the same tax node. Why not this one?

Elementalist

This notable gives +12 Intelligence. Every other node on the tree gives a multiple of 10 to attributes. What's up with that?

The start sucks

The melee branch at start is terrible. The increased melee/melee weapon physical damage has the lowest magnitudes of any class---at least the Marauder gets 15% on its first node, and a choice to take not completely terrible attack speed nodes (though that side is still weak IMO). The problem with melee weapon physical damage is that the modifier is already very saturated. Your attack skill + Multistrike can already give +100% or more damage, and there are much higher magnitude nodes elsewhere on the tree. 12% is the average of non-notables and Cleaving gives +30% physical damage, while others give better side benefits. Therefore taking +10% melee weapon physical damage nodes is wasteful. Marauder also has a serious problem in this respect, both in terms of the starting area proper and the hybrid weapon clusters to the south.

So really you're pretty much forced to take the Mana Regeneration side (and you miss out on 14 ES relative to Witch on that first node). Okay, you do that, and you get some decent elemental damage or area nodes followed by a notable one node before other classes. That's great, except what comes next? Toll nodes. Inside the starting area. No other class has to put up with this crap.

Escaping the start sucks

Celestial Walker

If you choose Celestial Walker, you pretty much have to leave the Templar area because the road to Elementalist consists of many lackluster 8% Mana and single-element nodes. Maybe you can get by with the increased fire nodes if you're some sort of burn proliferation build.

Except... even if we ignore that first tax node, it still takes seven toll nodes to get to Witch's Elemental Dominion via the inner toll road. Every other pair of adjacent classes needs only six. You could pay three toll nodes to make it to the Power Charge or the Purity of Flesh cluster (good luck getting to the Witch sector in a reasonable number of nodes even after that though), or four to reach Athleticism. In contrast:

• Witch only needs one to reach her Power Charge and has three different and excellent clusters by which to accomplish that. Failing that, Cruel Preparation is only one more toll node away.
• Shadow only needs one to reach either charge, and the Life option (Life Drinker) requires only one more.
• Ranger only needs one to reach Herbalism by shield or melee, and the Frenzy Charge by bows. Only one more is required vice versa.
• Duelist reaches his charges in one toll node if dual-wield for Frenzy and if two-handed for Endurance. One-handed can get to the Golem's Blood cluster in one toll node.
• Marauder can reach his Endurance Charge in one node if one-handed. Otherwise he is probably closest to the Templar's situation.

Amplify

If you choose Amplify, you can continue to Discipline and Training, which is great... except it's also seven toll nodes from that side to Marauder or four to reach Athleticism. The Faith and Steel cluster sucks so the only way to reasonably avoid this is the Catalyze cluster.

Basically, use WED or get rekt trying to escape the Templar starting area.

The notables suck

There's five good notables in the Templar starting area that can be reasonably reached:

• Amplify
• Catalyze
• Celestial Walker
• Discipline and Training
• Faith and Steel

Of these, only Amplify and Celestial Walker I would call the best of their type. Catalyze gets beaten pretty directly by Trickery (Shadow), Coordination (Shadow), and Acceleration (Duelist). Discipline and Training is very good, though still slightly exceeded by Soul Siphon (Shadow). Faith and Steel might be considered for Chaos Inoculation or hybrid builds, but I think it's rather niche.

The other six all get rekt. Prestidigitation is in an awkward position. The rest are clearly worse than some other starting area notables:

Templar notable	Other class notable
Elementalist 12% increased Elemental damage +12 to Intelligence	Trickery (Shadow) 20% increased Elemental damage +20 Intelligence 20% increased Critical Strike Chance
Secrets of the Order +20 to maximum Mana +20 to Intelligence	Deep Wisdom (Witch) +20 to maximum Mana +20 to Energy Shield +20 to Intelligence
Enforcer 18% increased Physical damage with Two-Handed Melee Weapons +20 to Strength	Quickness (Shadow) 20% increased Physical damage 5% increased Movement Speed +10 to Dexterity Butchery (Marauder) 20% increased Physical damage with Two-Handed Melee Weapons +20 to Strength
Crusader 18% increased Physical damage with One-Handed Melee Weapons +20 to Strength	Quickness (Shadow) 20% increased Physical damage 5% increased Movement Speed +10 to Dexterity Aspect of the Panther (Ranger) 16% increased Physical damage with One-Handed Melee Weapons 6% increased Attack Speed with One-Handed Melee Weapons +12 to maximum Life 4% increased Movement Speed Strong Arm (Marauder) 20% increased Physical damage with One-Handed Melee Weapons +20 to Strength
Precision 10% increased Accuracy Rating +20 to Dexterity	Finesse (Ranger) 8% increased Attack Speed 20% increased Accuracy Rating +20 to Dexterity Versatility (Marauder) 20% increased Accuracy Rating +20 to Dexterity +20 to Intelligence

Do other classes have some subpar notables too? Sure. But not six.