HappyAssassin
Diabloii.Net Member
Fool's Claws: What to look for.
Okay, this isn't aimed at anyone in particular, but these forums seem to have 1000 posts of "is this claw good" showing every rare fool's mod claw that's dropped in the previous day. I figure we should have a post that covers what is actually good on a Fool's claw.
A little background. Fool's claws are primarily used by assassins who use Whirlwind. They must be the primary claw (either glove side after a weapon switch or equipped first) for their AR bonus to work. There are two types of "ideal" Fool's claw, one for a WW/Traps hybrid, one for a Ghost or Bramblesin that does not use traps.
There can be 3 prefixes and 3 suffixes on a claw. This means that there can never be (unfortunately) a claw with Fools, +2 Sin, Damage and 2 Sockets. Below are listed (in my opinion) the best combos of stats for each build. If a claw comes close to these, it is good. If it is considerably less good than the listed claws, a Fury is a better option 99% of the time.
Keep in mind that staff mods do not count towards prefixes and suffixes.
WW/Traps:
Witch Hunter's (+2 Sin (or +2 Traps, obviously this is less useful than +Sin))
Fool's
Mechanic's (2 Sockets)
Of Quickness (40IAS)
+3 LS Staff Mod
Runic, Greater Talon, Feral or Greater Claws base type.
Ghost:
Cruel (%ED)
Fool's
Mechanic's (2 Sockets)
Of Quickness (40IAS)
Of Self Repair
+3 Venom Staff Mod
+3 Mind Blast Mod
Ethereal Runic, Greater Talon, Feral or Greater Claws base type.
Notes:
Additional staff mods help out, but a Fools claw is likely to be switched out for other claws. For this reason, bonuses to Venom, Mind Blast, Shadow Master or Weapon Block are better than skill savers like Blade Shield or Dragon Flight.
+Venom is still useful on a WW/Trapsin, I don't list it because if the claw doesn't have LS it's not so good, whereas if it doesn't have Venom it's still fine. A claw with +2Sin and +Venom is a fine ghost claw, but not as good as a good Cruel %ED claw.
Knockback can be a useful mod on a Fools claw, but only for a vs. Melee setup. Knockback can knock a caster right out of your triwhirl, ruining your chance for a one catch kill. It's a useful mod (of the Bear), but not vital and it can even be a problem.
A claw with a base speed of 0 must have 14+ IAS to hit the last WW breakpoint for hit checks. Any less diminishes the value of the claw because it needs a speed socket, which robs it of the Um runes that would otherwise be socketed in it.
Examples:
I find a claw with the following mods:
248% ED
40IAS
Fools
+2 Mind Blast
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Feral Claws
Is this good? Yes, it is good enough to be worth using / keeping, even though it doesn't have the +Venom Staff mod and the ED is a little low.
I find another claw with the following mods:
+2 Traps
20 IAS
Fools
+2 LS
+3 Blades of Ice
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Suwayyah
Is this good? No, there is too little IAS and the base type is too slow. It's possibly worth keeping to trade, but it's not worth much.
I find another claw with the following mods:
+2 Sin
30IAS
Fools
+2 Dragon Flight
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Runic Talons
Is this good? Yes, it has useful mods and is a fast claw. Remember to check your claw speeds on the calculator. Most enigma based assassins use a Runic or Greater Talon Chaos and a 15IAS jewel in their helm. This 30IAS claw will still reach the 42IAS needed for trap laying with that 15IAS jewel.
I find another claw with the following mods:
40IAS
Fools
+3 Pheonix Strike
+1 Dragon Flight
1 Socket
War Fist
Is this good? No, it's not, and it's more or less worthless. Just because a claw has Fools doesn't make it a keeper.
I shop a claw with the following mods:
40IAS
Fools
2 Sockets (Larzuk)
Is this good? Yes and no, it's a pretty weak claw but it does give the speed and AR bonus needed. A Fury is better most of the time. Such a claw is not worth anything, but can be useful until you find a better one.
I find a claw with the following mods:
+2 Traps
40IAS
Fools
+3 LS
+2 Mind Blast
2 Sockets
Is this good? Yes it's incredibly good, it may not have + 2Sin or be Eth - Self Repair, but a claw like this will either turn a huge profit trading or contribute to a very well equipped hybrid sin. I include this to point out that while the ideal claws listed at the top will only exist in one or two cases (or as d2pk imports), claws almost as good as them are very exceptional and rare in their own right.
Okay, this isn't aimed at anyone in particular, but these forums seem to have 1000 posts of "is this claw good" showing every rare fool's mod claw that's dropped in the previous day. I figure we should have a post that covers what is actually good on a Fool's claw.
A little background. Fool's claws are primarily used by assassins who use Whirlwind. They must be the primary claw (either glove side after a weapon switch or equipped first) for their AR bonus to work. There are two types of "ideal" Fool's claw, one for a WW/Traps hybrid, one for a Ghost or Bramblesin that does not use traps.
There can be 3 prefixes and 3 suffixes on a claw. This means that there can never be (unfortunately) a claw with Fools, +2 Sin, Damage and 2 Sockets. Below are listed (in my opinion) the best combos of stats for each build. If a claw comes close to these, it is good. If it is considerably less good than the listed claws, a Fury is a better option 99% of the time.
Keep in mind that staff mods do not count towards prefixes and suffixes.
WW/Traps:
Witch Hunter's (+2 Sin (or +2 Traps, obviously this is less useful than +Sin))
Fool's
Mechanic's (2 Sockets)
Of Quickness (40IAS)
+3 LS Staff Mod
Runic, Greater Talon, Feral or Greater Claws base type.
Ghost:
Cruel (%ED)
Fool's
Mechanic's (2 Sockets)
Of Quickness (40IAS)
Of Self Repair
+3 Venom Staff Mod
+3 Mind Blast Mod
Ethereal Runic, Greater Talon, Feral or Greater Claws base type.
Notes:
Additional staff mods help out, but a Fools claw is likely to be switched out for other claws. For this reason, bonuses to Venom, Mind Blast, Shadow Master or Weapon Block are better than skill savers like Blade Shield or Dragon Flight.
+Venom is still useful on a WW/Trapsin, I don't list it because if the claw doesn't have LS it's not so good, whereas if it doesn't have Venom it's still fine. A claw with +2Sin and +Venom is a fine ghost claw, but not as good as a good Cruel %ED claw.
Knockback can be a useful mod on a Fools claw, but only for a vs. Melee setup. Knockback can knock a caster right out of your triwhirl, ruining your chance for a one catch kill. It's a useful mod (of the Bear), but not vital and it can even be a problem.
A claw with a base speed of 0 must have 14+ IAS to hit the last WW breakpoint for hit checks. Any less diminishes the value of the claw because it needs a speed socket, which robs it of the Um runes that would otherwise be socketed in it.
Examples:
I find a claw with the following mods:
248% ED
40IAS
Fools
+2 Mind Blast
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Feral Claws
Is this good? Yes, it is good enough to be worth using / keeping, even though it doesn't have the +Venom Staff mod and the ED is a little low.
I find another claw with the following mods:
+2 Traps
20 IAS
Fools
+2 LS
+3 Blades of Ice
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Suwayyah
Is this good? No, there is too little IAS and the base type is too slow. It's possibly worth keeping to trade, but it's not worth much.
I find another claw with the following mods:
+2 Sin
30IAS
Fools
+2 Dragon Flight
1 Socket (Larzuk)
Runic Talons
Is this good? Yes, it has useful mods and is a fast claw. Remember to check your claw speeds on the calculator. Most enigma based assassins use a Runic or Greater Talon Chaos and a 15IAS jewel in their helm. This 30IAS claw will still reach the 42IAS needed for trap laying with that 15IAS jewel.
I find another claw with the following mods:
40IAS
Fools
+3 Pheonix Strike
+1 Dragon Flight
1 Socket
War Fist
Is this good? No, it's not, and it's more or less worthless. Just because a claw has Fools doesn't make it a keeper.
I shop a claw with the following mods:
40IAS
Fools
2 Sockets (Larzuk)
Is this good? Yes and no, it's a pretty weak claw but it does give the speed and AR bonus needed. A Fury is better most of the time. Such a claw is not worth anything, but can be useful until you find a better one.
I find a claw with the following mods:
+2 Traps
40IAS
Fools
+3 LS
+2 Mind Blast
2 Sockets
Is this good? Yes it's incredibly good, it may not have + 2Sin or be Eth - Self Repair, but a claw like this will either turn a huge profit trading or contribute to a very well equipped hybrid sin. I include this to point out that while the ideal claws listed at the top will only exist in one or two cases (or as d2pk imports), claws almost as good as them are very exceptional and rare in their own right.
