Questions about Fireblast and Shockweb

1. Is the max speed of these skills 9 frames (like the other traps)?

2. Does Shockweb do any damage at all to stationnary targets (stunned or affected by CoH)?

3. Does SW throw these if you have them active, or will she go melee?

4. Anyone know how bad the next delay on SW is?

I'm leveling a grenadier assassin, but most info i find about them is PvP, not PvM oriented. In normal FB has been a blast , clears with relative ease. I'm planning max DS (more explosions ), and wondering what lightning skill I'd use to add to the mix. From a build point of view, I'm planning to use Shockweb (cause it fits the grenadier idea), and for synergy to both FB and SW, Charged Bolt Sentry looks best (also as a boss killer).|||1. Yes.

2. Yes, but I think it still has to be on one of the patches.

3. She'll throw them.

4. Not too bad, but too long for pvp.

If tele stomping + foot throwing like FB, it might work.|||This one's not for PvP. I started this as a lightning trapper, maxing FB first as it gives nice bonusses, and I got pretty impressed at the damage of the skill, so I changed my build to a Grenadier, as it seems to need less skillpoints overall to be effective. You can also run and throw potions and have them land at the same time. Run at a pack an ram shift, you'll throw from smaller distances (time between throw and impact goes down as you approach), and all the bombs will come down at the same time (like 2 or 3).

ATM, my build idea is the following:

max FB

max SW

max CBS

10 DS

one in all shadow skills (except venom/BoS/fade)

Which gives me a fully synergised FB and SW (as synergised you can get by lvl 80 anyways), max bolts good damage CBS and max shot DS.

Gear (semi-twinked, I'm going up in life ):

2x 3 traps claws (wsm -30), spirit PB/sigons before that

Treachery (45 IAS for 9 frame traps, fade)

Lore hat

boots, gloves, rings, ammy for filling up resistance holes mainly, stats or more +skills would be nice too. Probably cubed (prismatic ammy recipe, crafting).

merc (A2HF):

Insight pole

Tals mask (the most usefull item I found this patch, together with a pair of bloodfists)

some armour (probably lionheart)|||Quote:








2x 3 traps claws (wsm -30), spirit PB/sigons before that




dont your two +3 trap claws have a lower rlvl than a phase blade spirit? not to mention the dex requirement. guess it depends on the base claw...|||Spirit is clvl 25, +3 traps is higher (at least on greater talons, and I need a -30 WSM weapon for 9 frame traps). I'll probably respec around lvl 40 anyway (got 1 or 2 skillpoints in the wrong place allready), so str and dex requirements are not that important.|||phase blade is 54 a 3trap GT would be 45.|||Indeed, pre lvl 45 the IAS will be from BoS, after that from treachery (one of the reasons I need a respec anyway). So I'm making the full swap from W/S with max block to C/C around that lvl, just to keep it simple.



Edit:

Baal running ATM (lvl 35), and it's pretty easy going acually. Minions are a breeze, as you can get some CBS and DS around and SW on the spawn ground before they spawn, making any minion but lister himself go into hitrecovery quite often. That keeps them tightly packed for my bombs. Baal goes down fast to a couple wellplaced CBS with bombs in between.

Skills atm:

10 FB

8 CBS

9 SW

2 Bos

2 DS

+ some prereqs

need some suggestions on TS/DT build for PI?

hi,

for this ladder i started building my martial arts assassin again (every ladder i do with different variations). this time i want to stick with bartucs with a max/ed jewel in it. (chaos rw was in my mind but decided on bartucs this ladder)

equip will be:

- 198ed bartucs with 40ed/11max (maybe um for OW)

- jade talon 2/2/47 (if need will sock it with @res jewel)

- fortitude armor

- raven frost

- rare mana leech ring / maybe second raven frost

- trang gloves

- belt: undecided but most probably thundergods or some crafted stuff for OW or wilhelm belt for dual leech or trang belt

- upped gores

- guailaumme (if need will sock it with @res jewel/um)

- highlords

- torch + anni + martialarts/life skillers + a few 10maxers + sc s are whatever i require

merc will be act 2 might

- eth gladiators bane

- eth cryptic axe obedience

- andy (ral)

problem: where is my elemental damage? i dont have any good source for it except poison. for switch i decided to use 2 venom prebuff claw (also need it for burstofspeed) so switch is not open either.

venom is the only elemental damage source for now. in this case any Physical and Poison Immune monster is actually immune to my assassin

also my build will finish at lvl93 so spending points on elemental skills is quite hard for me. even 93 is a high level, lvling beyond 93 is nearly impossible.

questions:

- small elemental damages like raven frost/highlords/tgods or small charms with elemental damages would be enough?

- trang set with 2 items (already using glove, with belt) give fireball lvl 18 (171-196fire), is it worth it? because except for the set bonus mod i dont need any mod on trang belt. fcr wont be a problem with trang 20fcr and fortitude 25fcr for 42fcr bp

- any small minor tweak i forgot?

thanks



consider the issue for first monster kill, afterwards hopefully death sentry will take care of details

and i wish stormlash was a claw.....

|||1) No. If you want a good source of elemental damage, you have to use skills.

2) Unsynergized, it'd be very weak.|||what's your current skill set? for me i have an eth baranar's star/tiamat's rebuke on switch to bf or kick with.

for now, the easiest way to deal PIs in your case is to replace merc's obedience with reaper's toll..|||Quote:








what's your current skill set? for me i have an eth baranar's star/tiamat's rebuke on switch to bf or kick with.

for now, the easiest way to deal PIs in your case is to replace merc's obedience with reaper's toll..




max tiger strike, dragon tail, claw mastery, venom

1pt in all shadow disc.

deathsentry and bladefury

rest goes to preq and weapon block

my first plan was to use reapers but decided on obedience. i am currently leveling her, i have to check if tiamat&gimmershred (have those) works well with blade fury

another question, from a source i remember that fistoffire reduces the physical damage percentage (increases fire percentage) of dragontail by %3 every skill level. couldnot find the source again, is this true?

thanks|||You don't need either venom or mastery maxed. I'd suggest that instead, Death Sentry gets maxed.

Tiamat and similar do add to Blade Fury, but the damage is affected by the 3/4 penalty.

And yes, the synergy is true.|||You also want a different damage source than fire ideally. PI will die with fire damage, but FI monsters won't, and at that point you'll have to kick them to death. If you get lightning/cold damage you solve problems with PI and FI monsters.|||A PI monster takes no damage from DTail.|||True, and fire immunes take no damage from the splash, which is why both are a problem. So the damage to deal with PIs would ideally not be fire based, but lightning, cold or poison, which also help against FI monsters.

TS/DT MA Assassin

Hey guys, now that I can do MF a tad better with my sorc I decided I want a melee char that can solo the game and possible hit any area in hell *maybe even in higher player settings* - on bnet ofc, ladder, and be capable to survive / kill decently fast.

I am considering assassin class because they have loads of great tools, and most MA skills don't have synergies hence gives a flexibility on build. I am consulting wildjinn guide found here http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=540, and decided to go with C/S variant.

What I want to ask is:

a) how viable is this build in game with little twinking - meaning I don't want to have to ask for help to complete a quest, run an area or boss etc

b) the author does not mention much or at all about CB / OW / DS / CS on gear. Are those mods desirable / helpfull for such a build?

c) many monsters in hell are fire immune which means the splash from DTalon won't happen a lot of times, will PS with CoT or BoI synergysed be enough to dispose of those packs in a decent manner of time?

d) will the AR% bonus from the main skills / finisher - TS, PS / CoT / BoI, DT be enough to have decent hit in hill without being forced to use specific gear bits / charms to make up for it? I am positive I read in another guide that Dtalon has insane AR bonuses, but nothing about the rest of skills :>

Thanks!|||Hmm..mixed messages. :P

I thought it was about DTail, especially with the link, but mentioning Talon threw me off, especially since Talon is the high AR one. oO

With some tweaking (strong boots mostly.), it can work.

Due to the lack of speed, CB probably won't be big. OW takes too long for this purpose, and DS doesn't work for kicks. Still, the mods on something like Gores would be good though

On top of not splashing Fire Immunes, a PI monster will take zero damage. PS / other elemental charges will take alot of skills to be useful, and won't work in tandem. However, you can convert immunes, kill the rest and use DS to kill the remainder. Due to the points involved, a hybrid would b too weak to make it work.

I think the AR is usually high enough, but definitely see about the raven + some ar charms here and there. I don't think it'd be so low that you'll need angelics or anything like that.|||Mmm, makes sense. Still I was positive that you can charge up both CoT and PS and release them both? Or is that incorrect. And if it does work, will that dmg be enough to clear normal packs in hell? Thanks! :>

About OW / DS / CB etc, I was thinking those mods are applied when you hit with claw as well not only with the kick? And since you have very fast attack speed and you spend 90% of time charging up skills, maybe they will work? At least the way I see it :>|||All 3 can release, but it's the damage that'd probably be low. If you have + skills, it can maybe work out.

When you use a claw to charge with TS, all 3 mods will work. When you kick with DTail, only CB and OW trigger, but DS won't work with kicks.|||For good boots, imbue/craft a few pairs of ethereal myrmidion greaves untill you get a self repair mod. Since it's raw damage you want, you need the boots with the highest nrs.

Other things that add to kick damage:

- Str (gets added in TWICE)

- Dex

- Off-weapon %ED



For your charge-ups, you'll be hitting at 7fps max, which isn't really fast compared to skills like zeal or jab, so expect limited effect from ctc and CB. Typically, you're also targetting the least dangerous monster around for charging up (ie a minion iso the boss), so this will further limit the charge-ups usefullness.



Basically, you need to focus your kick damage, as that will decide your explosion damage, which will damage all monsters nearby. Your chargeups only damage one monster at a time, and for minimal damage as it is, so the biggest overall damage increase will come from upping your kick damage.

So you've got max TS, max DTail and either BoS or fade. This should get you to hell where you'll also need an extra attack for physical or fire immune monsters. Usually CoT or PS, which you can release with either your kick or normal attack. Which leaves you with around 20 skillpoints to play around with. Either more damage for your secondary attack, DS, shadow,...|||Why eth? You don't need the defense.|||For the lesser strenght req. Only boots that I would use 200+str on are upped gores, and they are not that suited for the build. Shadow dancers are nice, but the also have lesser strenght req. Not that it really matters, more strenght is more damage, but it dwarfs compared to the bonusses from tiger strike, so in this setup I'd try to keep str down for life. OTOH, without tiger strike as charge-up, I'd advocate going for the max strengt...

And then it hits me, that it's SUPERIOR with the lessened str req. Sorry for the confusion :s .|||O.o Upped Gores have a str req of 156.

If you're going to go the 200+ with a regular myrmidon, go for the extra 10 since it won't matter enough.

Hybrid vs Ghost WW

How much damage difference is there between the WW of Ghost and a Hybrid sin?

And if the damage difference is pretty big, how is a Ghost-oriented hybrid? ( 20 points in claw mastery and giving up 1 synergy of the traps )|||The biggest difference is in traps.

The Ghost's WoF / Ls won't get very high, but the Hybrid usually gets 3-5K ish, depending mostly on GCs and gear.

The difference in WW isn't very big, but is noticeable.

The Ghost has more AR, damage, and venom than a Hybrid will. This could easily be a 1-2K difference in damage (composed of physical and venom differences).

A hybrid can go with maxing mastery, but usually needs very good gear. The biggest benefit for them would be the DS%, which can add a pretty big bonus for physical oriented hybrids. These are expensive to make since they rely on good claws.

Claw Mastery can be done, but other options are better if giving up a synergy. Venom adds more damage more easily, and MB can be used if you do any team play or end up chasing very often.

kicking ias/speed confirmation please

So I am building a kicker (was really fun last season), and I just wanted to double check my ias so that I have the right sockets in my gear.

Gear:

COH

Guillames (socket not sure?)

Stormlash (shael prolly)

maras

upd gores

tgods

raven/some mana leech ring

dracs

stormshield (um'd prolly)

(and probably anni/torch)

So I think I am going to socket a shael in my Stormlash. The weapon is -10, +30 ias on weapon, +20ias shael = -60

I believe that this gives me kicks at 8/3 without BoS

With just the shael stormlash, I think i need to use burst of speed (but would rather fade), which even with a level 1 BoS (w/ +skills ~7) should put me at 7/3.

I am mainly trying to figure out a socket for my helm(and shield maybe). Since I plan to uber, I wanna stack res as much as possible, but I would love it if I could get a 7/3 without sacrificing res (fade). For example, if I socketed a 15ias/15@ in both my shield and helm.. is that enough? Just a 15/15 in the helm? etc.

My question is, how much more ias do I need to get 7/3 without BoS? (I did search, and my brain isnt reading ias table today for some reason, and not sure how up to date the info was that I found)

thanks!|||Quote:








So I think I am going to socket a shael in my Stormlash. The weapon is -10, +30 ias on weapon, +20ias shael = -60

I believe that this gives me kicks at 8/3 without BoS

With just the shael stormlash, I think i need to use burst of speed (but would rather fade), which even with a level 1 BoS (w/ +skills ~7) should put me at 7/3.






IAS doesn't work the way you described. Use the ias tables in the sticky to find needed IAS for 7/3 kicks for any weapon.

Without BoS you'd need 95% IAS (30 (stormlash) + 20 (sheal in stormlash) + 45 from gear).

Without extra IAS on gear, you need lvl 1 BoS if you shael the stormlash, or lvl 3 BoS without the shael.



So basically, you'd need shael in your stormlash, and 3 IAS jewels (shield, helm and armour) to get 7/3 kicks without swapping any gear.|||Quote:




So I think I am going to socket a shael in my Stormlash. The weapon is -10, +30 ias on weapon, +20ias shael = -60




The only time you'll use IAS and WSM like that is for Whirlwind.

With DTalon, WSM stays the same, no matter what IAS you have.



That said, I'd recommend staying at 8/3. The difference isn't big enough to try and get the 95 IAS.|||Quote:








The only time you'll use IAS and WSM like that is for Whirlwind.

With DTalon, WSM stays the same, no matter what IAS you have.



That said, I'd recommend staying at 8/3. The difference isn't big enough to try and get the 95 IAS.




Haha, well a barb is my main right now... using WW so that's probably added to my confusion. Sheesh, I just can't wrap my head around math today. Sigh

Thanks guys.. I guess I will probably stay at 8/3 and if I wanna do the 7/3 then BoS it is.

New to assasins

Been thinking about making an assasin, though don't know which build to go for.

There seems to be alot of acronyms I am not known with.

Whats the "best" build? Fast killing speed, survivability etc.

Items is not an issue |||Trapper is probabaly the best choice. It's very cheap, but it can get pricey (as all characters can) when you get to the endgame gear. Very safe, effective. And it kills packs of monsters better than any other Assassin builds.

Kickers are the most fun, can be a little dangerous. Can also clear packs of monsters, but a little slower than a Trapper is capable of. The Kicker shines against single monsters. Specifically bosses. A kicker can drop a boss in a matter of seconds, trappers are slower boss killers.

Kickers rely on Crushing Blow and fast kicks to drop a monsters health based on %'s and not total damage. So it stays effective throughout the entire game.

Trappers rely on +skills towards the end of the game, but a lot of this you can get from shopping +trap skills claws, and gambling trap circlets/ammys.

I have personally played both builds untwinked through Hell. In Hardcore no less, so once you get the tactics down and know where to pick your spots, they are both very viable.

This guide by Ilkori http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=405240

Is like the Kicker bible. It explains pure kickers, Kick/Trap hybrids (my personal favorite) and all things in between. It's a great read.|||Not to hijack the thread but I am new to assassins as well. What about the claw builds? Are these skills non-viable: Tiger / Cobra / Phoenix strikes and the elemental stuff (Fists of fire, Blades of Ice, Claws of Thunder)?

I like the idea of the 3 hit combo but only if it is reasonably viable for hell.|||Quote:








Not to hijack the thread but I am new to assassins as well. What about the claw builds? Are these skills non-viable: Tiger / Cobra / Phoenix strikes and the elemental stuff (Fists of fire, Blades of Ice, Claws of Thunder)?

I like the idea of the 3 hit combo but only if it is reasonably viable for hell.




I always suggest Kickers and Trappers for the sole reason that later on they go on to "bigger and better things." Kickers, are right up there with Summoners/Smiters in their effectiveness at dealing with Ubers.

Trappers, especially if you get an Infinity/Enigma later in the game, are great for MF'ing areas and bosses.

The only claw sins I ever play, are untwinked for the fun of actually playing through the game. Even when extremely decked out I find their uses limited. This might be my personal opinion, but I've never seen a Claw using assassin clearing Hell Chaos or Baal efficiently.

You may be able to get it done, but nowhere near as quickly as the other builds. But if it's just the fun of playing through the game that you are after, they are definitely viable.

I also think it's a little more gear dependant than the other builds. You will need a nice claw like a Bartucs or better. The other builds can be completely built around gambled/shopped items, cheap runwords and easy to find set items (Guillaumes). A kicker though, will need a good pair of boots. If you can get Gore riders you are set for the entire game. You can find cheap alternatives like rares with good kick damage that will work though.

I find Kick much more fun than claws though. Try your claw build, with the new respec feature if you don't like it you can always change your build later on depending on what gear you find for her.|||my $0.02:

build an ilkori'sin (aka: a kick/trap hybrid).

most effective pvm slaughter machine evarrr!!11!!

you don't need funky gear to make it work either, here are some gear suggestions:

hat: guillaumes face

ammy: something with +skills and resistances (maras is awesome, rare +2'sin/minor res is fine)

armour: Treachery, Lionheart, Skin Of The Vipermagi, Duress are all hell viable.

belt: string of ears, verdungos, bladebuckle, nos coil, some nice rare with fhr, res, stats, life.

weapon: anything decently fast with some crushing blow. Black Flail is a proven performer, best possible is a Stormlash.

rings: one ravenfrost and who really cares for the other one. some mana leech is useful.

glove: Dracs are the preffered glove, look for leech, life, stats etc on others (bloodfists are an awesome standby)

shield: Whistans, Gerkes, Sanctuary (Ko+Ko+Mal runeword), Stormshield, Mosers......

boots: up'd gore riders are the preferred boot, 2x up'd Goblin Toes are also serviceable.

skills:

enough in d-talon for a 3 or 4 kick volley.

1pt dragon-flight, Shadow Master and Venom

max: lit sentry, death sentry, charged bolt sentry

spares: Shockweb.

stats:

str: enough for gear

dex: enough for max block with the shield of your choice

vit: as much as possible

energy: base.|||Previously I'd have said Kicker but now Ghost. Really fun and fast to play and even without Death Sentry she slays. Also, if you get tired to PvM there's always a chance to PvP with her.|||Ghosts in PvM aren't nearly as reliable as a K/T.|||Quote:








my $0.02




Thanks for your posts Meph and Sass, I'm going to respec my MA sin to a K/T hybrid. 2 questions though:

I have a pair of Ethereal shadow dancers (perfect dex roll). Would these be comparable to upped gores?

Does kicking use durability? If I'm going to end up breaking my shadow dancers, I'll just up my pair of gore riders that my paladin runs around in.|||Kicking won't use durability, but getting hit will as normal, so just be careful if you use them.|||the gores offer a little crushing blow which is their main attraction. the OW is superfluous with Dracs.

2x up'd Goblin toes are a pretty nifty PvM kick boot.

imho: 'dancers are PvP boots. gores outdamages them over time.

What to socket in Nat set.

I know this has probably been asked before but what do you think I should socket in my Nats set. She is a phoenix strike sin. I do not need any more ias and my resists in hell are 32 fire and 60 and above on the other ones. Thanks for any input. DJ|||Sounds like you need res. Um / Jewels should fix that.|||Definitely max out your resists before anything else. Are you having issues with leech? If not, I imagine facets or magic find will help you out.