9.4.13 The Outrider Profession

BASIC INFORMATION
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Armour type: Chainmail

Balance type: More balance than equilibrium.

Statpacks : Dexterous, Athletic, Strong, and Sturdy.


SKILLSETS
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Trailblazing: 
Utility and defensive skills like bounty, barkskin, vitality, mark, campground. Also has the Outrider-only toxins spread across the skillset.

Wyrmriding: 
Where most of the outrider's offence comes from. Main bashing attack (spear stab) is here. They get to summon an icewyrm and ride it around (being mounted on one increases STAB damage). The wyrm has some utility skills (icewall, flight, hoist) and also has an instakill (shatter). A channeled "insta"-kill also exists for the outrider here (gorge). Has blacken and icecoat in here to allow the outrider to give their spear/trident additional effects (PK only)

Hunting: 
Almost entirely PK-oriented. Hide, traps, all the other pets come from here. Also has the related axe and bow skills here. Thornspray. Pets can be surged for a different attack at an eq cost, comboable with axetoss, stab and longslash (the only ones that matter).

Main combat strategies:
The viability of surging pets on every attack depends greatly on the statpack used, and whether or not you are wearing a diadem (15% faster eq).

1) Affliction/damage route - Some of the outrider toxins (trailblazing) are nightshade cures and can't be purged. This includes recurring freezing (chiltran).

Nausea (also nightshade; either by using a blackened spear [wyrmriding], your #1 pet's autoattack or botulinum toxin) combined with xeroderma (also nightshade) and chiltran (periodic cold damage), as well as the amount of bleeding generated from the many frequent pet and spear/trident attacks and add up to quite a lot of accumulated bleeding.

Batter or longslash can be used where appropriate to increase bleeding and deliver afflictions. Bloodfreeze does damage based on how much the target is bleeding.

2) Limb damage/shatter route - Shatter is an instakill that relies on the target having at least 3 levels of hypothermia, which is an outrider-only affliction. If not protected by caloric salve, and with the frostheart (wymriding) debuff is on the target, every attack that chills or freezes will cause 1 level of hypothermia (i.e. deepfreeze causes 2 levels with 1 cast).

By going for limb damage, the target will most likely be applying restoration rather than caloric. Having icecoat (chills, cold damage) on the spear/trident and using chiltran (recurring freezing) is the foundation of this method. 

Going for limbs isn't the only way to get a shatter kill, but is the one requiring the least effort/timing/skill. Alternatively, traps with salve afflictions combined with axetosses also with salve afflictions can be used to overwhelm the target to prevent them applying caloric.

Artifacts made for this profession:
- Bracers of the Wyrm: 500 credits
   - Increase damage done by Wyrmriding cold attacks by 15%.
   - Attacks increased: icecoat, iceblast, bloodfreeze, and deluge.

See Also: HELP HUNTING, HELP WYRMRIDING, HELP TRAILBLAZING, HELP DUNESTRIDERS, HELP SENTINELS, HELP PROFESSION LIST