Is there any way I can "practice" making a build before I do my respec?

The answer to this question is not only Yes, but Yes, and you should. The problem with respecs is that you only get so many, so don't attempt them without planning them out first. I mean, you can always purchase a respec from the store or off Wentworth's, but who wants to waste money on that?

Here is what I use to plan my builds:
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php

Go to that site listed above this line and you can download Mid's Hero Designer. This is a cool program because not only can you plan your builds, but you can post the builds in these forums for other player's benefit and/or critiques. If you are unsure of a build and want advice, or if you came up with something that is the pinnacle of awesomeness, you can easily use Mid's to post your build in the forums for others to check out.


The other thing people frequently use for planning their builds is:
http://www.cohplanner.com/planner
I used to use Suckerpunch's, but I don't anymore just because I like Mid's better, basically. The advantage to Sucker's is that you don't have to DL it to use it.


The other thing I strongly suggest that players do is to go to the test server and practice by doing their respec there before they actually do their respec in-game. The test server is a cool way to play with your builds without any consequence if you mess it up. You can respec the toon, run a scanner to see if it works, and get realistic feedback before you commit to it in-game. Also, there is no credit card processing on the test server, so you can buy as many respecs as you want there for free. It will look like you are going to pay for it, but you won't. Like I said, they don't even have payment processing over there on that server. To set up the test server on your computer, go to this web address:

http://help.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/ncsoft.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1679&p_created=1109715421&p_sid=LX1j3Kwj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9NzI4LDcyOCZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jYXRzPTAmcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD10ZXN0IHNlcnZlcg**&p_li=&p_topview=1

Going to that site will lead you step-by-step through the process. You will also notice a blue link towards the bottom of that page which will teach you how to copy your characters over to that server, which you'll need to do if you want to practice your respecs there.


These are some great tricks to helping you with your respecs.

The test server is your friend! Remember, you can give yourself 2 billion inf if you transfer a toon to the test server enough times too just like the unlimited respec thing. Plus you can change anything about your toon that you wish without fear of screwing up your live build until you get it right. This is a must have imho. Especially with I15 being an open access to all for Closed Beta.