χαίρε, πειρατές και μάγισσες,
I've been looking around the forums for a while, and consistently the one thing that I find most people building strangely or neutering in favour of a different weapon is the Voodoo Doll.
Frankly, this is really a splinter in me boots. So here I'm gonna lay out the Doll, with a full explanation, and my current build.
αντιο αας,
Ravenwing
I've been looking around the forums for a while, and consistently the one thing that I find most people building strangely or neutering in favour of a different weapon is the Voodoo Doll.
Frankly, this is really a splinter in me boots. So here I'm gonna lay out the Doll, with a full explanation, and my current build.
Before I get into this debacle, I do want to point out that I am a very long time Doll and Staff user; my original pirate maxed Doll before they were level 25, and this time round, I did it even earlier than that. Doll also happens to be my main go-to weapon for many bosses where I'm lookin after new pirates in my guild, because of its incredible versatility.
So, I've had a very long time to play with my doll and find out what really works and what doesn't work.
So, I've had a very long time to play with my doll and find out what really works and what doesn't work.
First up is a simplified explanation of all the skills.
Increase the number of targets you can affect by one per point. Starts off with one.
Now, the Doll is really useful for its pseudo-area of effect. On the contrary, to balance that utility, is the dampening effect per each target attuned.
This dampening effect weakens the more targets you have, but is still incredibly sharp the first two or three.
In addition to this, as I will cover more of later, are the bonuses from different type of dolls. Most attack dolls will have an attune bonus, and most heal dolls will not.
It is for this reason that I recommend placing two points into Attune, for 3 targets total. You get a mix of more available targets, and with an attack doll, you crowd control is just as effective as it would have been five points without sacrificing as much damage, while with a heal doll your three targets will receive more consistent and reliable healing, which is very important later on against ghosts, Smasho, and other deadlier bosses.
Now, the Doll is really useful for its pseudo-area of effect. On the contrary, to balance that utility, is the dampening effect per each target attuned.
This dampening effect weakens the more targets you have, but is still incredibly sharp the first two or three.
In addition to this, as I will cover more of later, are the bonuses from different type of dolls. Most attack dolls will have an attune bonus, and most heal dolls will not.
It is for this reason that I recommend placing two points into Attune, for 3 targets total. You get a mix of more available targets, and with an attack doll, you crowd control is just as effective as it would have been five points without sacrificing as much damage, while with a heal doll your three targets will receive more consistent and reliable healing, which is very important later on against ghosts, Smasho, and other deadlier bosses.
This is the primary damage dealer, also unlocked at the start. It charges very quickly and is a very consistent level of damage. I recommend placing at least two points into it, as it is your first most reliable set of damage.
This is your secondary and more effective damage dealer, but at about twice the cooldowb as poke. This one should get about three points at minimum.
Now we're really getting to the main points of flexibility. You can be a healer, and put more points into Heal and Cure, or you can skip Heal for an offensive only doll.
I typically switch between two dolls, so I placed three points into Heal, to make it more effective with the Heal bonuses on those dolls.
I recommend placing at least one point into Heal, even if your plans are to be offensive only, since with looting you can heal any pirates that have been knocked out without them needing a tonic. That saved tonic could then be used to revive you! Additionally there are sometimes health regeneration bugs, which can be healed by a friendly doll.
I typically switch between two dolls, so I placed three points into Heal, to make it more effective with the Heal bonuses on those dolls.
I recommend placing at least one point into Heal, even if your plans are to be offensive only, since with looting you can heal any pirates that have been knocked out without them needing a tonic. That saved tonic could then be used to revive you! Additionally there are sometimes health regeneration bugs, which can be healed by a friendly doll.
Now, here is where I typically see people making mistakes. They place four or five points into curse for the extended duration, which nearly never has any utility. However, Curse, by itself, is a 30% increased damage taken. I placed one point in here as 30 seconds is typically a long time for a boss to live, but if you want more security, you can place two for a solid minute of Curse.
Either way, Curse refreshes every 30 seconds, so even with one point there is a zero downtime.
Either way, Curse refreshes every 30 seconds, so even with one point there is a zero downtime.
Now, the problem with Damage over Time in Pirates Online is that it is rarely effective enough to kill on its own, and is merely more useful for preventing health regeneration. For that instance, if you are a PvP player and want to prevent enemies from simply healing through your Doll with Determination, Scorch is worth a point.
However, in nearly every other instance, I found it lacking and not nearly as effective as Poke and Swarm.
However, in nearly every other instance, I found it lacking and not nearly as effective as Poke and Swarm.
Much like Heal, this depends on the Doll type you are building. It is also still worth a point just for friendly healing, but it is not as required as the near-mandatory point in Heal.
I placed three points into this, however, for better general utility.
I placed three points into this, however, for better general utility.
This is about as useful as Scorch. In PvP, it can restrain a player with a strong sword, allowing a gun finish or a staff charge, but for general PvE elements, too many bosses are immune to Grave Shackles, and there is no reason to really restrain your typical enemies.
I also placed no points into this one.
I also placed no points into this one.
This is your third and highest damage dealer, with a longer cooldown. The benefit of self heal makes this an excellent panic button when you suddenly take a bunch of damage, and its damage alone is very worth putting five points into.
For any Staff user, this is a tremendously useful skill, as it directly increases your voodoo pool. However, the doll by itself rarely uses more voodoo than you currently have, and so for staffless or staff-light players, Focus will not be worth any points.
I personally put four points into Focus.
I personally put four points into Focus.
This one is more useful than it appears to be, and it is the Doll’s version of Parry.
At maximum level it offers a 10% to resist any enemy Voodoo attacks, including Staff, and can prevent you from being Cursed or Shackled; it also offers some protection against Jolly Roger’s Soul Storm and other voodoo attacks, making it a very useful survival tool versus him.
I recommend at least three points in here, and I personally put in five.
At maximum level it offers a 10% to resist any enemy Voodoo attacks, including Staff, and can prevent you from being Cursed or Shackled; it also offers some protection against Jolly Roger’s Soul Storm and other voodoo attacks, making it a very useful survival tool versus him.
I recommend at least three points in here, and I personally put in five.
“Aue, but Ravenwing,” you say, “I followed this here recommended point allocation and I still got some points left over!”
You're right. All the recommended points I have given you is about 18 points. (If you're a word-skippin cheat, here is the basic 18 point recommendation.)
For the other 12 points, you can distribute them according to your play style. If you use Staff a lot, remove three points from that total and place them into Focus, then distribute the last 9.
A damage oriented build should finish off Poke and Swarm, upgrade Curse for a longer duration, and finish off with Focus for heavy casting and Spirit Ward for protection.
A healing oriented build should finish off both Heal and Cure, and is one of the few times I recommend placing more than two points into curse, as a better support option.
For PvP, pop some points into Scorch, Grave Shackles, a couple into Focus, and max out Spirit Ward.
A mixed or utility build, which I run, boosts Heal and Cure to 3, Poke and Swarm to 4, then sorts out the remaining as desired. See my build for an example.
You're right. All the recommended points I have given you is about 18 points. (If you're a word-skippin cheat, here is the basic 18 point recommendation.)
Attune - 3
Poke - 3
Swarm - 3
Heal - 1
Curse - 1
Scorch - 0
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - N/A (variable)
Spirit Ward - 3
Poke - 3
Swarm - 3
Heal - 1
Curse - 1
Scorch - 0
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - N/A (variable)
Spirit Ward - 3
For the other 12 points, you can distribute them according to your play style. If you use Staff a lot, remove three points from that total and place them into Focus, then distribute the last 9.
A damage oriented build should finish off Poke and Swarm, upgrade Curse for a longer duration, and finish off with Focus for heavy casting and Spirit Ward for protection.
Attune - 5
Poke - 5
Swarm - 5
Heal - 1
Curse - 2
Scorch - 0
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 3
Spirit Ward - 5
Poke - 5
Swarm - 5
Heal - 1
Curse - 2
Scorch - 0
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 3
Spirit Ward - 5
A healing oriented build should finish off both Heal and Cure, and is one of the few times I recommend placing more than two points into curse, as a better support option.
Attune - 4
Poke - 3
Swarm - 3
Heal - 5
Curse - 3
Scorch - 0
Cure - 4
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 2
Spirit Ward - 3
Poke - 3
Swarm - 3
Heal - 5
Curse - 3
Scorch - 0
Cure - 4
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 2
Spirit Ward - 3
For PvP, pop some points into Scorch, Grave Shackles, a couple into Focus, and max out Spirit Ward.
Attune - 3
Poke - 4
Swarm - 5
Heal - 1
Curse - 2
Scorch - 2
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 1
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 3
Spirit Ward - 5
Poke - 4
Swarm - 5
Heal - 1
Curse - 2
Scorch - 2
Cure - 1
Grave Shackles - 1
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 3
Spirit Ward - 5
A mixed or utility build, which I run, boosts Heal and Cure to 3, Poke and Swarm to 4, then sorts out the remaining as desired. See my build for an example.
Now is where I talk about Doll Types.
There are four, technically, but discounting basic Quest Reward “crude” dolls (which are similar to Mojo dolls.
Skipping the reading?
There are four, technically, but discounting basic Quest Reward “crude” dolls (which are similar to Mojo dolls.
Mojo dolls are typically the Utility/PvP dolls you'll find. They aren't weighted towards damage or healing, and offer different skills. Most of them I find are about as useful as the typical passives found on other weapons in general, so I recommend finding one that either covers up a skill weakness (Wind Guard if you didn't invest in Dodge, for example), or something that offers a good skill.
My recommendation for these are the Black Magic dolls for PvP, or a Warlord doll for utility.
My recommendation for these are the Black Magic dolls for PvP, or a Warlord doll for utility.
Bane dolls are dolls suited for attack. They offer high damage and damage skill boosts, and less healing. Probably the best of these is the Forbidden Doll, from Hollowed Woods. The Tyranny doll is also a good choice for boss fighting, with a Swarm and Curse boost.
Other dolls may have higher attack, but in terms of raw damage, especially with the guidelines previously set, do not match up. The Tomb King doll, for example, has 52 attack and a hefty Swarm bonus. However, it also boosts Grave Shackles, a more PvP oriented skill, and Spirit Guard, which reduces defence for other players, requiring a specific build.
Other dolls may have higher attack, but in terms of raw damage, especially with the guidelines previously set, do not match up. The Tomb King doll, for example, has 52 attack and a hefty Swarm bonus. However, it also boosts Grave Shackles, a more PvP oriented skill, and Spirit Guard, which reduces defence for other players, requiring a specific build.
Spirit dolls have much better healing and bonuses for other pirates, with a lower attack as a consequence. For these, the best are the Adventurer dolls for healing; it offers Spirit Mend, and boosts Heal and Focus.
However, for an Utility player, there also exists the Gorilla doll, which is fantastic as its Monkey Panic temporarily increases your attack to that of a Bane doll, perhaps better, giving an even mix between healing and offense.
However, for an Utility player, there also exists the Gorilla doll, which is fantastic as its Monkey Panic temporarily increases your attack to that of a Bane doll, perhaps better, giving an even mix between healing and offense.
Skipping the reading?
UTILITY: Gorilla, Warlord, (Warmonger)
PVP: Black Magic, Tomb King*
DAMAGE: Forbidden, Tyranny
HEALING: Adventurer, Treasure Hunter
PVP: Black Magic, Tomb King*
DAMAGE: Forbidden, Tyranny
HEALING: Adventurer, Treasure Hunter
Personally, I switch between two dolls, but likely will shift again for when I get my Gorilla doll, from one point away from Cure, and one point into Attune.
(Image Soon)
Do note that the Forbidden Doll’s attune bonus is broken, and that Cure may be subtracted to add one to Attune.
(Image Soon)
Attune - 2 (4 because of Forbidden Doll)
Poke - 4 (7 because of Forbidden Doll)
Swarm - 4
Heal - 3
Curse - 1
Scorch - 0
Cure - 3
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 4
Spirit Ward - 5
Poke - 4 (7 because of Forbidden Doll)
Swarm - 4
Heal - 3
Curse - 1
Scorch - 0
Cure - 3
Grave Shackles - 0
Life Drain - 5
Focus - 4
Spirit Ward - 5
Do note that the Forbidden Doll’s attune bonus is broken, and that Cure may be subtracted to add one to Attune.
αντιο αας,
Ravenwing