Trapper for reset?

[ilkori]

I'm with Jek on this one - if you're going to have a switch, then CB is more potent than raw damage. Traps do raw damage, you'll want something percentage based. ITD is great, but if you can't get it, then look for AR% bonuses on equipment, or -% enemy defense. Items like Malice/Soul Drainers/Stone Crusher with -enemy defense per hit are also good to look for.

[edit]
As for Cloak/BF, I leave Cloak at level 1, but as I mention there are quite a few +shadow skills from my setup. I think it was around +7 all skills, then the rest were +traps based.
[/edit]

My setup before was dual bartucs and 1 pt in Venom for extra damage on my BF and on my shadow. The damage was only about 1k (with Venom) at level 89, but it fit my needs.

Also, as Jek said, it'll be difficult to get all your mana back with BF alone. I'm an avid blue chugger myself.


It takes a little bit of equipment to keep your mercenary alive, but not much. Get something with high defense (if you can), PDR (Shaft/Vamp Gaze work), and hand him a big weapon with some life leech. It can take a little work to get him to level, bit I think it's worth the effort.

 

[phlegmatic]

Hey again guys and thanks for the input. I believe I have gotten more familiar with the "trapper-style" of playing the game. I must confess that I did not make much use of MB or Cloak before or at least not to the extent that is essential to survive when it get's hot around the ears.
I am at level 70ish at the moment and it is so much fun! I haven't arrived at hell yet though so I don't really know how I will be able to handle mobs that are extra fast AND LI's. The extra-fast ones almost kill me at nm as it is now but I have ~60 statpoints to make use of, hehe. You know the little mobs of small kiddies from act3 that can spawn at baal-runs, they are my worst nightmare!

However, I feel that a Nat-assin/Phoenix-striker is killing immunes much faster than FB kills LI's for example, but the bility to stay alive of the trapsin is indeed superior. My phoenix-strikers have all had big trouble until they were able to wear full Nat's and the trapsins don't have that problem at all, but they are slower killing off immunes. Again, I am not sure I am right here, I keep reading that trappers are so fast for killing/boss-killing and all, yet I am having problems with Lister at nightmare? Merch. dies a lot and the shadow warrior I'm using is at slvl 4 or so, she is pretty much dead in one hit. I know that is my problem - I don't have anyone to tank for me.

<edit: some minor corrections.>

 

[jrichard]

phlegmatic,

How's your merc equipped, how are you equipped and what level are your traps? I ask because taking out the baal minions in NM is one place where most of my trappers excel as they are leveling and questing. Even in large games, by that time my traps are more than powerful enough to make the minions a cakewalk.

jrichard

 

[phlegmatic]

Hola,

my merch has the following items and he is at lvl 60

Helmet: The Mask of Horror
All resistances 10

Weapon: The Battlebranch[ethereal]
Damage: 42-91
7% Life leech

Armor: Boneflesh
Defence: 234
5% Life leech
25% of Open Wounds

As you can see he has "average" equipment, I hope to find either Tal's Mask or Gaze but Tal's is more likely, it drops a little here and there.

As for my skill-levels, they are the following, including +skills:
Fireblast: 18
Shock Web: 8
CBS: 18
Lightning Sentry: 24
Death Sentry: 5

My shadow warrior was actually at slvl 2 when I just checked!

 

[phlegmatic]

I must admit, now when I've got better res. and better items both for me and the merch, things are much easier. I can solo baal with little problems but lister and baal himself still annoy me. However Lister is mean to most characters.

May I ask how long it usually takes for you guys to take down baal in a private game with no other players? I'm not sure how long it takes for me but I still get the impression the phoenix/MA-sin is faster, but one aspect that could play a part in this theory is that as a trapper, you are not involved the same way. Thus you get the feeling that it's slower than it really is.

 

[inkanddagger]

I'm playing a fire trapper up the ladder, keep an eye out for CalculatorWatch

I have a point into dtalon because I figure it is an effective boss killer with a correctly socketed item switch (2 eth runes, goblin toe boots)

I am also maxing MB - it works wonders in pvm and is completely amazing in PvP with fire traps - I don't know how many of you remeber the hilarious beauty of the WoI + MB strategy: but if you have ever been hit by a smiter with a torch on then you have a pretty good picture of what being in constant stun lock looks like. It's a cheap build to make, requires almost no investment in str or dext, can work in pvp or pvm. The build is all about speed and technique, and a personal ability to stay on top of things. Assassins are great because they have a "rush" feel to them.

anyways guys - if you see me say Hello!, and if it's in PvP say Wow!

 

[zeskelnec]

My untwinked trapper is Lvl 79.
I followed JRichard's guide. IT was really easy in normal and nightmare.
now FB 20, SW 11, CBS 20, LS 20, DS 1, BoS 3, SM 9 , pumping SW.
But now in hell, it's hell. The council uniques are always FIre and Light resist so i'm stuck. These gloams in glacial cave are awful to kill.
This build relies very much (too much) on + skills items and gears, specifically to increase the power of your shadow and your speed to lay traps and bomb FB. With +4 currently to all used skill, i'm too low. The shadow master is lvl 13 and dies rapidly. My HF merc should tank better with Blackhorn's face, bonehew amn-hel, shaftsop but he often dies. Or what is wrong with the play style ? AS far as I read some of the posts in this thread I should deal OK, 4 LS + 1DS + FB in between, but I'm low on resist gear.

However it's fun and I die much less than my untwinked Zealot.
I'm raising a TS-DTail-Phoenix combo, lvl 29, i have already by chance +9 skills, it will be muled with my trapper's bartuc and Firelizard's. But the real test is hell.
Hope you continue with trapper anyway if you find good gears.