Diablo IV, Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 Forums - Diabloii.Net
Experiment with an aurakicker... discuss?
Okay, fellas. So I've got an advanced copy of the new Smashing Pumpkins CD [thank you, internet!] and this has put me in such a good mood that I'd like to share with you all my newest Assassin adventure: my aurakicker.
Let me say, above all criticism which I definitely welcome and would ask for ... this character is ridiculously fun to play. At first I was hoping for PvP potential, but public duel games are so frustrating anyway, fun in PvM is more or less what makes or breaks a character for me.
Right, so let's do it like this. First, I'm gonna tell you what skills I'm using. Then I'll tell you the equipment I use. Then I'll tell you what kind of results I'm getting.
When there are enemies around, the two skills I click between are Dragon Talon and Dragon Flight. Talon is sweet. Ki-ki-ki-ki-kick. Most monsters are out of the game at that point. Flight is cool too ... as a matter of fact, most monsters [especially smaller or less-resistant ones] fall from one of those telekicks. Both of these skills have 20 hard points invested. [That also means one in Dragon Claw and one in Dragon Tail, these are pre-requisites for Flight.]
The trap tree ... to be honest, I've only made it to level 76 [minimum to wear all my goodies] and now I'm playing through, I haven't leveled again yet as I've started back in act 1 of hell after a hard night of getting rushed then chaosed. As such, I've got absolutely nothing useful out of the traps tree yet. I do have in mind getting one into Blade Fury and one into Blade Shield, just for the novelty of these skills. They are both "one-point wonders" really in terms of their usefulness. That's it for the trap tree though... I decided from the beginning to avoid going the route of Death Sentry, but I've got plenty of time to change my mind I guess.
On the Shadow Tree you'll find the other three skills that have really come in handy. First of all, Venom is sort of the obvious one. This skill simply can't be understated in importance, considering that it applies something in the neighborhood of a thousand [base?] points of poison damage every time I get a kick in. Also, I'm using Fade. Not BoS, but Fade. There are three reasons for this. First, my equipment setup isn't particularly strong in resists or Damage Reduction. Second, the IAS boost from BoS really doesn't [or, rather, wouldn't] get us much in terms of breakpoints, considering our base figures and the fact that we're working with: dragon talon, already an extremely fast attack. Third, running around that fast is a good way for things to get out of hand in a hurry. The third skill that I'm finding useful is Cloak of Shadows. This one's a trip. Not much better to put a quick stop to a hail of arrows coming from just off the screen. The defense bonus can't hurt, either, as minor as it is. So to give numbers: I've got a point into psychic hammer as a pre-requisite to CoS. One point is in Claw Mastery as a pre-requisite for everything Assassin. One point in BoS. Right now I've got maybe a dozen hard points in fade. My build isn't big on plus-skills equipment, but I'm not afraid to put loads of points here ... the skill really is worth it, as far as I'm concerned, especially that nice little damage reduction bit. Venom is maxed.
My equipment is, obviously, where the term "aurakicker" sort of has to come from, is it not? I'm playing non-ladder, let me say that before I expose myself. To be honest, some of this stuff I sort of just pulled off of other characters that I am tired of playing with. In other words, almost none of this was bought or built with this assassin in mind. As such, I sort of hope that you all find some misfitting in here somewhere and have a recommendation that'd make more sense. I am open to suggestions! Let's get started.
This assassin kicks. There are exactly two pairs of boots in the game of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction that a kicker should consider end gear: Shadow Dancers or upped Gore Riders. Well, being that they're impossible to make on non-ladder and certainly a rarity in any case, I opted for upped Gores. All those little damage mods just make them too irresistable to me ... and the kick damage can't be beat. I have made different kickers of different flavors in the past, these boots always make the cut for those two reasons. Shadow Dancers are a fine option I'm sure.
Kicks mean melee. So I use a belt and gloves that reflect a melee build. Nothing complicated here ... Verdungo's and Dracs. All things considered, this build is not one that boasts comparatively all that much in terms of vitality. So the bump from Dungo's is a huge help. The life steal and [probably more importantly] chance to cast Life Tap from the gloves make fighting even undead enemies feasible without having to worry about getting wiped off the map.
Armor is where it gets fun. It seems to me that there are three or four options for a character like a kicker, which range in price from too much to forget about it, especially if you're playing on non-ladder and aren't terribly wealthy to begin with. Those options are: Enigma, Chains of Honor, Bramble, and maybe Fortitude. Well... another glance at the thread title should have you knowing precisely which I picked. I made a Bramble. They're actually fairly cheap to make... ohm is valuable, but people will usually cut you a good deal on Sur, just because there aren't many popular runewords made with them on non-ladder. Ral Ohm Sur Eth in a four-socketed armor and you've got yourself: enhanced poison damage, poison resist, fire resist, mana help, life for killing, and a THORNS aura. Now... you can make a pretty good argument that Thorns isn't a particularly viable aura in hell. To some degree this is true, but I'm still going to use this armor for four reasons. First, every little bit helps in terms of taking chips off an enemy. Second, it's a good party skill, particularly where your mercenary is concerned, I think. Third, if you ever do get into PvP, this aura might save your life by ending that of a pker. Fourth, it's an aurakicker. Thorns is an aura.
[I have considered putting this Bramble on a mercenary and finding another armor for my assassin. We'll see.]
The most expensive part of this build is definitely the weapon: a Last Wish phase blade. Let's see. It's indestructable and super-fast as weapons' base speeds go. Ignore Target Defense still works at least in PvM. 60% Crushing Blow stacks up with Gore Riders for a sum-total of 75% Crushing Blow. Hit Blinds Target is neat. You get chance to cast a bunch of cool stuff, all of which is helpful except for Fade, which is actually a bit lower than my self-casted Fade ... recasting is no problem, and in a pinch, the difference isn't that noticeable. And there's another Aura! Level 17 Might = 200% ED. And it's another party-friendly skill, too.
Most people would use a Stormshield, right? You get your damage reduction, a strength bump, some resists, whatever. I'm not interested. I'm using a Dream Troll's Nest. That's an item that has a shade over 400 defense, gives some resists, vitality and life, chance to cast Confuse [which is pretty cool to watch], and another Aura! Level 15 Holy Shock doesn't sound all that substantial, considering that at level 15, HS passes out a whopping 1-648 lightning damage per hit. Well... considering that each mouseclick with Talon generates five potential hits [and we are ignoring our target's defense!], that's more like 5-3240 lightning damage per click. Stack that on top of all the other things we've got going, and it's actually pretty useful. Plus that little sizzly sound the aura makes when it tags enemies in your vicinity is cool, reminiscent of bacon maybe.
An option would be to use a Dream helm to really make that lightning damage scream. I'm going to experiment with this, I promise. Dream is a potent helmet in a lot of ways ... and level 30 Holy Shock even without synergies or a Conviction aura [wait... merc??? there is potential here...] it's worth keeping in mind. But see... I've got this circlet that I really like. I really like it 'cause I found it. The stats go something like this: +2 Assassin skills, 4% life steal, all resists +14, fire resist +30% (or, if you prefer, 44/14/14/14 total), 15% IAS, +27 to Strength, 90% EDef, attacker takes damage of 2. [IAS and added fire resist from a jewel. May unsocket and put a 40/15?] I know it's not the best circlet ever, but I found it myself and I'm proud of it. So I like to use it. The strength bonus makes upped Gores a more realistic goal anyway. Unfortunately, this helm does not offer any auras.
Jewelry... pretty basic stuff here. Highlords is where it's at. Plus to all skills, fantastic. [Unnecessary, probably.] 20% IAS coupled with the 15% from my circlet puts us into 8/3/3/3/3 range. At this point I'd like to go ahead and point out that if using a Berserker Axe of some sort and not investing in any IAS beyond the 35% I've mentioned would put us in 10/4/4/4/4 territory... a difference of five frames, or just under two kicks. Plus the PB just looks cooler. You'll also need [not want, but NEED] a cannot be frozen mod. Hello, Ravenfrost! It adds dexterity which helps get us to the 136 necessary for a phase blade. It's useful. Okay... the second ring, I sort of suspect I'll get lambasted for my choice here... but please notice that nowhere else on this build is there any mention of mana steal. For that reason, tentatively, I've got a Manald Heal. There are alternatives. I'm looking for a rare or crafted alternative that maybe has some resists, some stats... something... anything to get rid of of Manald Heal. But it is important to have some mana steal going somewhere, otherwise those Dragon Flights will wear your blue orb down pretty quickly. Chugging potions is an option, but me personally, I'd rather not have to worry about it.
In the inventory I've got an Annihilus and an Assassin torch. Those are fairly important, mostly because they give good boosts to resistances [which we didn't emphasize with our equipment] and stats [to meet strength requirements for upped Gores and dexterity requirements for a phase blade]. The skill points don't wind up mattering much with this build... this isn't a max damage oriented character. And frankly I think it's sort of an insult to your character to need a bunch of +skills charms to kill efficiently. This Assassin doesn't really have that sort of problem... anyone who's played a kicker will tell you that skill points aren't all that mandatory. Good boots on the other hand are. Despite my lack of interest in having a bunch of charms, I've also got a couple Martial Arts GCs and a couple Shadow Disciplines GCs as well. I mostly have nowhere else to put them, but I'm being sincere when I tell you that they're really not all that helpful. Whatever else you want to put in your inventory, it's up to you ... resist small charms, lifers, whatever. Me, I don't bother too much with that stuff. Just don't bother with poison charms if you make a build like this one. You all know why.
On switch...... no surprises. CTA/lidless, or Spirit if you've got one. This is so standard, I almost don't care to mention it.
Okay okay okay. So here's where we stand.
Might aura
Holy Shock aura
Thorns aura
Fade
8/3/3/3/3 kicking
~1000 points poison damage per hit
Resists close to max
and a build that's functionally complete by level 76, and only that high because Dracs have such a high level requirement.
Once again, I really would welcome some criticism here. I can't say for sure how effective this assassin will be long-term. I have not pvp'd with her. I have not died with her [at least since getting the pieces put together... lvl 26 in hell chaos, maybe], and killing hasn't proved difficult. That is to say, I have not found anything I just can't take down. Hitting with physical damage, poison, and lightning at the same time mean that immunes aren't a big problem. But there's room to grow, I'm sure of it ... thoughts?
[I'd like to take a screenshot of my assassin with that Holy Shock aura going, and Fade. It's sweet. But I can't get my color modes to convert... so sorry.]
Okay, fellas. So I've got an advanced copy of the new Smashing Pumpkins CD [thank you, internet!] and this has put me in such a good mood that I'd like to share with you all my newest Assassin adventure: my aurakicker.
Let me say, above all criticism which I definitely welcome and would ask for ... this character is ridiculously fun to play. At first I was hoping for PvP potential, but public duel games are so frustrating anyway, fun in PvM is more or less what makes or breaks a character for me.
Right, so let's do it like this. First, I'm gonna tell you what skills I'm using. Then I'll tell you the equipment I use. Then I'll tell you what kind of results I'm getting.
When there are enemies around, the two skills I click between are Dragon Talon and Dragon Flight. Talon is sweet. Ki-ki-ki-ki-kick. Most monsters are out of the game at that point. Flight is cool too ... as a matter of fact, most monsters [especially smaller or less-resistant ones] fall from one of those telekicks. Both of these skills have 20 hard points invested. [That also means one in Dragon Claw and one in Dragon Tail, these are pre-requisites for Flight.]
The trap tree ... to be honest, I've only made it to level 76 [minimum to wear all my goodies] and now I'm playing through, I haven't leveled again yet as I've started back in act 1 of hell after a hard night of getting rushed then chaosed. As such, I've got absolutely nothing useful out of the traps tree yet. I do have in mind getting one into Blade Fury and one into Blade Shield, just for the novelty of these skills. They are both "one-point wonders" really in terms of their usefulness. That's it for the trap tree though... I decided from the beginning to avoid going the route of Death Sentry, but I've got plenty of time to change my mind I guess.
On the Shadow Tree you'll find the other three skills that have really come in handy. First of all, Venom is sort of the obvious one. This skill simply can't be understated in importance, considering that it applies something in the neighborhood of a thousand [base?] points of poison damage every time I get a kick in. Also, I'm using Fade. Not BoS, but Fade. There are three reasons for this. First, my equipment setup isn't particularly strong in resists or Damage Reduction. Second, the IAS boost from BoS really doesn't [or, rather, wouldn't] get us much in terms of breakpoints, considering our base figures and the fact that we're working with: dragon talon, already an extremely fast attack. Third, running around that fast is a good way for things to get out of hand in a hurry. The third skill that I'm finding useful is Cloak of Shadows. This one's a trip. Not much better to put a quick stop to a hail of arrows coming from just off the screen. The defense bonus can't hurt, either, as minor as it is. So to give numbers: I've got a point into psychic hammer as a pre-requisite to CoS. One point is in Claw Mastery as a pre-requisite for everything Assassin. One point in BoS. Right now I've got maybe a dozen hard points in fade. My build isn't big on plus-skills equipment, but I'm not afraid to put loads of points here ... the skill really is worth it, as far as I'm concerned, especially that nice little damage reduction bit. Venom is maxed.
My equipment is, obviously, where the term "aurakicker" sort of has to come from, is it not? I'm playing non-ladder, let me say that before I expose myself. To be honest, some of this stuff I sort of just pulled off of other characters that I am tired of playing with. In other words, almost none of this was bought or built with this assassin in mind. As such, I sort of hope that you all find some misfitting in here somewhere and have a recommendation that'd make more sense. I am open to suggestions! Let's get started.
This assassin kicks. There are exactly two pairs of boots in the game of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction that a kicker should consider end gear: Shadow Dancers or upped Gore Riders. Well, being that they're impossible to make on non-ladder and certainly a rarity in any case, I opted for upped Gores. All those little damage mods just make them too irresistable to me ... and the kick damage can't be beat. I have made different kickers of different flavors in the past, these boots always make the cut for those two reasons. Shadow Dancers are a fine option I'm sure.
Kicks mean melee. So I use a belt and gloves that reflect a melee build. Nothing complicated here ... Verdungo's and Dracs. All things considered, this build is not one that boasts comparatively all that much in terms of vitality. So the bump from Dungo's is a huge help. The life steal and [probably more importantly] chance to cast Life Tap from the gloves make fighting even undead enemies feasible without having to worry about getting wiped off the map.
Armor is where it gets fun. It seems to me that there are three or four options for a character like a kicker, which range in price from too much to forget about it, especially if you're playing on non-ladder and aren't terribly wealthy to begin with. Those options are: Enigma, Chains of Honor, Bramble, and maybe Fortitude. Well... another glance at the thread title should have you knowing precisely which I picked. I made a Bramble. They're actually fairly cheap to make... ohm is valuable, but people will usually cut you a good deal on Sur, just because there aren't many popular runewords made with them on non-ladder. Ral Ohm Sur Eth in a four-socketed armor and you've got yourself: enhanced poison damage, poison resist, fire resist, mana help, life for killing, and a THORNS aura. Now... you can make a pretty good argument that Thorns isn't a particularly viable aura in hell. To some degree this is true, but I'm still going to use this armor for four reasons. First, every little bit helps in terms of taking chips off an enemy. Second, it's a good party skill, particularly where your mercenary is concerned, I think. Third, if you ever do get into PvP, this aura might save your life by ending that of a pker. Fourth, it's an aurakicker. Thorns is an aura.
[I have considered putting this Bramble on a mercenary and finding another armor for my assassin. We'll see.]
The most expensive part of this build is definitely the weapon: a Last Wish phase blade. Let's see. It's indestructable and super-fast as weapons' base speeds go. Ignore Target Defense still works at least in PvM. 60% Crushing Blow stacks up with Gore Riders for a sum-total of 75% Crushing Blow. Hit Blinds Target is neat. You get chance to cast a bunch of cool stuff, all of which is helpful except for Fade, which is actually a bit lower than my self-casted Fade ... recasting is no problem, and in a pinch, the difference isn't that noticeable. And there's another Aura! Level 17 Might = 200% ED. And it's another party-friendly skill, too.
Most people would use a Stormshield, right? You get your damage reduction, a strength bump, some resists, whatever. I'm not interested. I'm using a Dream Troll's Nest. That's an item that has a shade over 400 defense, gives some resists, vitality and life, chance to cast Confuse [which is pretty cool to watch], and another Aura! Level 15 Holy Shock doesn't sound all that substantial, considering that at level 15, HS passes out a whopping 1-648 lightning damage per hit. Well... considering that each mouseclick with Talon generates five potential hits [and we are ignoring our target's defense!], that's more like 5-3240 lightning damage per click. Stack that on top of all the other things we've got going, and it's actually pretty useful. Plus that little sizzly sound the aura makes when it tags enemies in your vicinity is cool, reminiscent of bacon maybe.
An option would be to use a Dream helm to really make that lightning damage scream. I'm going to experiment with this, I promise. Dream is a potent helmet in a lot of ways ... and level 30 Holy Shock even without synergies or a Conviction aura [wait... merc??? there is potential here...] it's worth keeping in mind. But see... I've got this circlet that I really like. I really like it 'cause I found it. The stats go something like this: +2 Assassin skills, 4% life steal, all resists +14, fire resist +30% (or, if you prefer, 44/14/14/14 total), 15% IAS, +27 to Strength, 90% EDef, attacker takes damage of 2. [IAS and added fire resist from a jewel. May unsocket and put a 40/15?] I know it's not the best circlet ever, but I found it myself and I'm proud of it. So I like to use it. The strength bonus makes upped Gores a more realistic goal anyway. Unfortunately, this helm does not offer any auras.
Jewelry... pretty basic stuff here. Highlords is where it's at. Plus to all skills, fantastic. [Unnecessary, probably.] 20% IAS coupled with the 15% from my circlet puts us into 8/3/3/3/3 range. At this point I'd like to go ahead and point out that if using a Berserker Axe of some sort and not investing in any IAS beyond the 35% I've mentioned would put us in 10/4/4/4/4 territory... a difference of five frames, or just under two kicks. Plus the PB just looks cooler. You'll also need [not want, but NEED] a cannot be frozen mod. Hello, Ravenfrost! It adds dexterity which helps get us to the 136 necessary for a phase blade. It's useful. Okay... the second ring, I sort of suspect I'll get lambasted for my choice here... but please notice that nowhere else on this build is there any mention of mana steal. For that reason, tentatively, I've got a Manald Heal. There are alternatives. I'm looking for a rare or crafted alternative that maybe has some resists, some stats... something... anything to get rid of of Manald Heal. But it is important to have some mana steal going somewhere, otherwise those Dragon Flights will wear your blue orb down pretty quickly. Chugging potions is an option, but me personally, I'd rather not have to worry about it.
In the inventory I've got an Annihilus and an Assassin torch. Those are fairly important, mostly because they give good boosts to resistances [which we didn't emphasize with our equipment] and stats [to meet strength requirements for upped Gores and dexterity requirements for a phase blade]. The skill points don't wind up mattering much with this build... this isn't a max damage oriented character. And frankly I think it's sort of an insult to your character to need a bunch of +skills charms to kill efficiently. This Assassin doesn't really have that sort of problem... anyone who's played a kicker will tell you that skill points aren't all that mandatory. Good boots on the other hand are. Despite my lack of interest in having a bunch of charms, I've also got a couple Martial Arts GCs and a couple Shadow Disciplines GCs as well. I mostly have nowhere else to put them, but I'm being sincere when I tell you that they're really not all that helpful. Whatever else you want to put in your inventory, it's up to you ... resist small charms, lifers, whatever. Me, I don't bother too much with that stuff. Just don't bother with poison charms if you make a build like this one. You all know why.
On switch...... no surprises. CTA/lidless, or Spirit if you've got one. This is so standard, I almost don't care to mention it.
Okay okay okay. So here's where we stand.
Might aura
Holy Shock aura
Thorns aura
Fade
8/3/3/3/3 kicking
~1000 points poison damage per hit
Resists close to max
and a build that's functionally complete by level 76, and only that high because Dracs have such a high level requirement.
Once again, I really would welcome some criticism here. I can't say for sure how effective this assassin will be long-term. I have not pvp'd with her. I have not died with her [at least since getting the pieces put together... lvl 26 in hell chaos, maybe], and killing hasn't proved difficult. That is to say, I have not found anything I just can't take down. Hitting with physical damage, poison, and lightning at the same time mean that immunes aren't a big problem. But there's room to grow, I'm sure of it ... thoughts?
[I'd like to take a screenshot of my assassin with that Holy Shock aura going, and Fade. It's sweet. But I can't get my color modes to convert... so sorry.]