JanusJones
18-06-2005, 00:53
Hey all! Just got into a seriously thought-provoking discussion in the "WWS vs PIs" thread regarding Brand + Marrowwalks on a Strafe-a-zon. I've come up with three different gear setups, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, and wanted to share them.
Setup #1: High Speed, mediocre physical damage
This setup will hit 2 fps for the fastest Strafe in the game, but unfortunately requires the use of a Matriachal bow as a base weapon (with a base damage range of 20-47 - 25 lower max damage than it's slower, deadlier, and more popular big sister: the Grand Matron Bow). On the upside, the fact that it only takes 60% IAS to hit 2 fps frees up some gear slots for boosting damage.
Bow: Brand in a Matriarchal Bow (+3 skills preferably, but as people often forget, boosting Bow skills doesn't do too much for Strafe in terms of damage - if you only have a +2, it ain't such a big deal).
Amulet: Highlord's (+skills, IAS, and Deadly Strike . . . ooooh, sexy! You can also go for Cat's Eye if you prefer, but I like me some Deadly Strike, yes I do . . .)
Belt: Nosferau's/Siggard's (whatever the name, the mods are the same - the +strength will help you meet prerequisites, the IAS will boost your speed, the life leech will help you survive, and the slows target mod will help you pin enemies down so your Bone Spears will hit!)
Armor: Fortitude (was there ever a question? This will help make up for the Matriarchal bow's bad base damage by boosting you up TONS!)
Helm: Crown of Ages OR Andariel's Visage (your call, and ultimately depends how wealthy you are and what your other equip includes. If you go with gloves that have no IAS [like Drac's Grasp], you'll need to socket two 15% IAS jewels in the CoA or one in the Andy's. If you have 20% IAS on the gloves, however, you'll only need an extra 10% - one jewel for the CoA [leaving a free socket if you have a perfect one!] or one for the Andy's. Stealskull with a 15% ias jewel is also a sexy option if you go for 20% ias gloves - especially with its MF chance! Giant Skull could also be used with 2 jewels, but it has a huge strength prereq and Crushing Blow is nerfed on ranged attacks - moreover, Brand all ready gives Knockback so that mod is also useless. Mavina's circlet will also give you a base 30% - allowing you to socket whatever you like! It also looks MUCH cooler than a lot of the other options, so I definately reccomend it.)
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp/Hellmouth/Lavagout/Soul Drainers/Laying of Hands/Steelrend/Mavinas/IK Gloves/Bloodfist/Crafted Gloves (LOTS of options here, each with it's own advantages. Hellmouth, often overlooked, has % chance of casting Firestorm and Meteor [and as any good Strafer knows, % chance on hit stuff works like a charm with Strafe!], Fire Absorb, and some extra fire damage. Drac's Grasp is probably my favorite for the Open Wounds, Strength [handy for meeting prereqs on armor and bows!], and the all-important Life Tap on hit [which will save your merc a thousand times over!]. IK adds dex and IAS [when paired with the belt]; Lavagouts have Fire Resist, Fire Damage, and Enchant for some extra AR. Mavinas have cold damage and dex, while Laying of Hands is a GREAT option if you're a serious demon hunter [pit runs and mephi, anyone?]. Bloodfists have great mods and work fantastically well when upped, and of course Crafted gloves always offer a slew of possibilities depending how well they're rolled. It's up to you - as long as your choice allows for your character to hit 60% IAS so that you reach the 2 fps breakpoint for Strafe.)
Ring1: Ravensfrost (duh! :uhhuh: AR, Dex, Can't Be Frozen. A must have!)
Ring2: Ravensfrost/Bul Kathos/Dwarf Star/Carrion Wind/Wisp Projector (you can't have too many Ravensfrost! On the other hand, BK will boost your passive skills nicely and add some life and leech. Dwarf Star is for Andy's Visage wielders who need some Fire Absorb to offset its nasty fire resist penalty. Carrion Wind has saved my Windforce Strafer from strafelock deaths a million times - the chance to cast Twister will stun enemies who get close. Wisp is for the Lightning absorb, the chance to cast Lightning on hit [great for mowing down packs!] and the charges of Druidic Spirits - HOW will really boost your damage [is you can keep it alive].)
Boots: Marrowwalks (the only option for a BRAND wielder. Try to get your hands on a pair which has a high +strength and +dexterity mod - this will help with prereqs and also boost your damage!)
Setup #2: High physical damage, slower rate of fire
This setup goes for the higher damage GMB as a base for Brand, and only requires 15% IAS to hit the 3 fps breakpoint - a very nice one, considering the damage output!
Bow: Brand in a Grand Matron Bow
Belt: Nosferatu's Coil (here it is again. Okay, since you don't need any more than 15% IAS you are free to put almost anything in here: Razortail, for instance, is another nice option for the handy-dandy pierce, which can save you some skill points. However, I want to stress the importance of the 10% slows target here: this is a big help when you're firing Bone Spears off. However, do as you like - this is more or less a free slot! Other groovy options are Verdungoes, String, IK Belt, etc. . . . the list goes on and on.)
Ammy: Highlord's (this alone will get you to your IAS breakpoint; plus, the skills and Deadly Strike are gravy! However, you could go for Atma's Scarab for the Amp Damage on hit, or possibly even Mara's for the resists and extra +skills. Once again - more freedom here given that there are fewer requirements for IAS.)
Ring1/Ring2: See the last setup - this isn't going to change much.
Boots: Marrowwalks, of course!
Helm: Your choice! (once again, the lack of a desperate need for IAS will free up your gear choices considerably. I suggest any of the obvious choices: Vampgaze, Stealskull, CoA, Valk Helm, Kira's Guardian, Griffon's Eye [nice in combo with Highlord's and Wisp], Mavina's [great helm in combo with the gloves or belt!], Blackhorn's Face [an oft-overlooked helm, especially nice for both Lightning absorb - no more Gloam worries - and Slows Target, which is BEEFY with a Brand wielder!], Crown of Thieves [+25 Dex, +50% life, 11% life leech - what's not to like?], Guillarme's Face [Deadly Strike and +strength], Natalya's [Dex, Strength, Resists, looks cool . . . what a helm!], Tal Rasha's, and even . . . Biggin's Bonnet! It has 30% enhanced damage - something a lot of folks forget - up it and it's a respectable, if odd-looking and laugh-provoking, helm!)
Gloves: Once again, open to choice! (check the previous section for various options. Remember, the one thing you NEED is 15% ias - you can get it from gloves if you don't get it anywhere else, but it's easy enough to get 15% from anything you wear.)
Armor: Fortitude (I know I'm putting this down as the only option, but the Enhanced Damage from this is DISGUSTING . . . in other words, great! If you can't afford it, be creative - there are lots of great armors out there. Even Duriel's Shell is swanky - resists, +strength, and Cannot Be Frozen!)
Setup #3: High physical damage, 2 fps rate of fire
This build will offer a lower total damage than that of the second, but it WILL hit the 2 fps breakpoint with a Grand Matron Bow. It is HEAVILY gear-dependent, however, as you need 120% IAS to hit the 2 fps mark with a GMB.
Bow: Brand in a GMB
Helm: Mavina's, Andy's (only two options here. Either of these, socketed with a 15% IAS jewel, will get you close - Mavina's will hit 45% while Andy's only 35%.)
Ammy: Highlord's/Cat's Eye (one or the other - both have 20% IAS.)
Armor: Upped Twitchthroe/Natalya's/Griswold's/Black Hades (the last three options need to be 3 socket armors with three 15% IAS jewels for 45% IAS. Twitchthroe with a 15% IAS jewel gets you to 35%, which is all right if you go for Mavina's as a helm.)
Belt: Nosferatu's (all right, I'll stop singing its praises. Here you NEED it for IAS, though.)
Gloves: Choice (as long as it has 20% ias, you can slot it here. Lavagout and Laying of Hands are two of my favorite choices.)
Boots: Marrowwalks
Rings: See previous options.
The important thing here is to hit 120% IAS: my suggestion is Mavina's helm (45% with jewel), Lavagouts (20%), Nos's (10%), Highlord's (20%), and either Twitchthroe with an IAS jewel (35%) or Natalya's armor with two IAS jewels and an UM (30%).
Mercs:
Once again, many options here. It has to be an Act 2 Merc for an aura, but either Might (for the extra damage) or Holy Freeze (to pin your enemies down) are available.
Armor: Fortitude (for damage, of course!). Also Chains of Honor is great for a Might merc to help amp your damage further.
Weapon: Several options here. Reaper's Toll will cast Decrepify, amping both your damage and his and slowing targets down so they are more easily hit by Bone Spears. If you all ready have a lot of "curse on hit" gear (Drac's and Atma's, for instance), you may want to pass on Reaper's Toll, however, as only one curse can be active at a time. Arioc's Needle is good for upping damage further on a Might merc. If you're looking to have your merc do a lot of killing on his own, EBOTD is never a bad decision. Pride is probably the best choice of the lot, as it gives another damage boosting aura to your merc: Concentration. Especially if you choose a Holy Freeze merc for pinning enemies down, go for Pride if you can afford it: that way you'll have both damage and slowing effects stacked.
Helm: Options abound. CoA is, as always, awesome. For those with less cash, go for something with good leech so your merc doesn't buy it - Tal Rasha's, Stealskull, and Vampgaze come to mind. +skills will also help out a Might merc quite a bit, so don't hesitate to load on a Shako here.
Okay - SKILLS! I'll make this brief, as it doesn't need to be too long:
Strafe: 1 point. This depends on gear, but if you hit at least level 6 with your best gear on (the level needed for a 10-hit Strafe) you don't need much more than this. You can max this, but the damage return is unimpressive given the initial 3/4 nerf.
Penetrate: MAX. Strafe relies on AR, and you can never have too much as a result.
Pierce: 1+ points. This is a funny one. If you invest more than a point, be sure you don't go too far - it has very rapidly diminishing returns (only 3% or less per level after level 6). If you're wearing Razortail, don't bother with more than one point - it's a waste! Razortail covers your piercing issues nicely.
Critical Strike: 1+ points. Once again, the issue here is diminishing returns. Make sure you don't pump too many in unless you REALLY like spending a skill point for a 1% chance of a Critical. Around level 7 is where you want to be (with +skills gear) - after that it's an increase of +2% a level - hardly worth it IMHO.
Dodge/Avoid/Evade: These need to be at least, with +skills gear, 4/5/4, respectively. After that, once again, you face diminishing returns. Also, being locked up in a dodge animation can severly cut down on the time a zon spends killing :lol: .
Valkyrie: MAX. I know, I know, there's a lot of debate here. However, I reccomend maxing Valk for one reason: tankage. With a Might merc, she'll also do decent damage, and will keep the monsters occupied for the short amount of time necessary for you to mow them down. She'll also keep some of the heat off your merc, which will save you costly ressurections in town.
You will notice that this leaves you with tons of points to spare! After this, it's all up to you - if you want a bit more punch from your Strafe, max it. If you want another skill for killing with, go ahead and make a hybrid with Lightning Fury or just max two elemental skills - I suggest Fire Arrow and Exploding Arrow, since the arrows fired from Brand all ready explode on hit (and the fire damage will stack). Really, though, you won't need a secondary elemental attack: the magic damage from your Bone Spears, chucked out at a lightning-fast Strafe rate, should be enough to take on any Physical Immune.
Thanks for reading, and happy hunting kids! :thumbsup:
Setup #1: High Speed, mediocre physical damage
This setup will hit 2 fps for the fastest Strafe in the game, but unfortunately requires the use of a Matriachal bow as a base weapon (with a base damage range of 20-47 - 25 lower max damage than it's slower, deadlier, and more popular big sister: the Grand Matron Bow). On the upside, the fact that it only takes 60% IAS to hit 2 fps frees up some gear slots for boosting damage.
Bow: Brand in a Matriarchal Bow (+3 skills preferably, but as people often forget, boosting Bow skills doesn't do too much for Strafe in terms of damage - if you only have a +2, it ain't such a big deal).
Amulet: Highlord's (+skills, IAS, and Deadly Strike . . . ooooh, sexy! You can also go for Cat's Eye if you prefer, but I like me some Deadly Strike, yes I do . . .)
Belt: Nosferau's/Siggard's (whatever the name, the mods are the same - the +strength will help you meet prerequisites, the IAS will boost your speed, the life leech will help you survive, and the slows target mod will help you pin enemies down so your Bone Spears will hit!)
Armor: Fortitude (was there ever a question? This will help make up for the Matriarchal bow's bad base damage by boosting you up TONS!)
Helm: Crown of Ages OR Andariel's Visage (your call, and ultimately depends how wealthy you are and what your other equip includes. If you go with gloves that have no IAS [like Drac's Grasp], you'll need to socket two 15% IAS jewels in the CoA or one in the Andy's. If you have 20% IAS on the gloves, however, you'll only need an extra 10% - one jewel for the CoA [leaving a free socket if you have a perfect one!] or one for the Andy's. Stealskull with a 15% ias jewel is also a sexy option if you go for 20% ias gloves - especially with its MF chance! Giant Skull could also be used with 2 jewels, but it has a huge strength prereq and Crushing Blow is nerfed on ranged attacks - moreover, Brand all ready gives Knockback so that mod is also useless. Mavina's circlet will also give you a base 30% - allowing you to socket whatever you like! It also looks MUCH cooler than a lot of the other options, so I definately reccomend it.)
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp/Hellmouth/Lavagout/Soul Drainers/Laying of Hands/Steelrend/Mavinas/IK Gloves/Bloodfist/Crafted Gloves (LOTS of options here, each with it's own advantages. Hellmouth, often overlooked, has % chance of casting Firestorm and Meteor [and as any good Strafer knows, % chance on hit stuff works like a charm with Strafe!], Fire Absorb, and some extra fire damage. Drac's Grasp is probably my favorite for the Open Wounds, Strength [handy for meeting prereqs on armor and bows!], and the all-important Life Tap on hit [which will save your merc a thousand times over!]. IK adds dex and IAS [when paired with the belt]; Lavagouts have Fire Resist, Fire Damage, and Enchant for some extra AR. Mavinas have cold damage and dex, while Laying of Hands is a GREAT option if you're a serious demon hunter [pit runs and mephi, anyone?]. Bloodfists have great mods and work fantastically well when upped, and of course Crafted gloves always offer a slew of possibilities depending how well they're rolled. It's up to you - as long as your choice allows for your character to hit 60% IAS so that you reach the 2 fps breakpoint for Strafe.)
Ring1: Ravensfrost (duh! :uhhuh: AR, Dex, Can't Be Frozen. A must have!)
Ring2: Ravensfrost/Bul Kathos/Dwarf Star/Carrion Wind/Wisp Projector (you can't have too many Ravensfrost! On the other hand, BK will boost your passive skills nicely and add some life and leech. Dwarf Star is for Andy's Visage wielders who need some Fire Absorb to offset its nasty fire resist penalty. Carrion Wind has saved my Windforce Strafer from strafelock deaths a million times - the chance to cast Twister will stun enemies who get close. Wisp is for the Lightning absorb, the chance to cast Lightning on hit [great for mowing down packs!] and the charges of Druidic Spirits - HOW will really boost your damage [is you can keep it alive].)
Boots: Marrowwalks (the only option for a BRAND wielder. Try to get your hands on a pair which has a high +strength and +dexterity mod - this will help with prereqs and also boost your damage!)
Setup #2: High physical damage, slower rate of fire
This setup goes for the higher damage GMB as a base for Brand, and only requires 15% IAS to hit the 3 fps breakpoint - a very nice one, considering the damage output!
Bow: Brand in a Grand Matron Bow
Belt: Nosferatu's Coil (here it is again. Okay, since you don't need any more than 15% IAS you are free to put almost anything in here: Razortail, for instance, is another nice option for the handy-dandy pierce, which can save you some skill points. However, I want to stress the importance of the 10% slows target here: this is a big help when you're firing Bone Spears off. However, do as you like - this is more or less a free slot! Other groovy options are Verdungoes, String, IK Belt, etc. . . . the list goes on and on.)
Ammy: Highlord's (this alone will get you to your IAS breakpoint; plus, the skills and Deadly Strike are gravy! However, you could go for Atma's Scarab for the Amp Damage on hit, or possibly even Mara's for the resists and extra +skills. Once again - more freedom here given that there are fewer requirements for IAS.)
Ring1/Ring2: See the last setup - this isn't going to change much.
Boots: Marrowwalks, of course!
Helm: Your choice! (once again, the lack of a desperate need for IAS will free up your gear choices considerably. I suggest any of the obvious choices: Vampgaze, Stealskull, CoA, Valk Helm, Kira's Guardian, Griffon's Eye [nice in combo with Highlord's and Wisp], Mavina's [great helm in combo with the gloves or belt!], Blackhorn's Face [an oft-overlooked helm, especially nice for both Lightning absorb - no more Gloam worries - and Slows Target, which is BEEFY with a Brand wielder!], Crown of Thieves [+25 Dex, +50% life, 11% life leech - what's not to like?], Guillarme's Face [Deadly Strike and +strength], Natalya's [Dex, Strength, Resists, looks cool . . . what a helm!], Tal Rasha's, and even . . . Biggin's Bonnet! It has 30% enhanced damage - something a lot of folks forget - up it and it's a respectable, if odd-looking and laugh-provoking, helm!)
Gloves: Once again, open to choice! (check the previous section for various options. Remember, the one thing you NEED is 15% ias - you can get it from gloves if you don't get it anywhere else, but it's easy enough to get 15% from anything you wear.)
Armor: Fortitude (I know I'm putting this down as the only option, but the Enhanced Damage from this is DISGUSTING . . . in other words, great! If you can't afford it, be creative - there are lots of great armors out there. Even Duriel's Shell is swanky - resists, +strength, and Cannot Be Frozen!)
Setup #3: High physical damage, 2 fps rate of fire
This build will offer a lower total damage than that of the second, but it WILL hit the 2 fps breakpoint with a Grand Matron Bow. It is HEAVILY gear-dependent, however, as you need 120% IAS to hit the 2 fps mark with a GMB.
Bow: Brand in a GMB
Helm: Mavina's, Andy's (only two options here. Either of these, socketed with a 15% IAS jewel, will get you close - Mavina's will hit 45% while Andy's only 35%.)
Ammy: Highlord's/Cat's Eye (one or the other - both have 20% IAS.)
Armor: Upped Twitchthroe/Natalya's/Griswold's/Black Hades (the last three options need to be 3 socket armors with three 15% IAS jewels for 45% IAS. Twitchthroe with a 15% IAS jewel gets you to 35%, which is all right if you go for Mavina's as a helm.)
Belt: Nosferatu's (all right, I'll stop singing its praises. Here you NEED it for IAS, though.)
Gloves: Choice (as long as it has 20% ias, you can slot it here. Lavagout and Laying of Hands are two of my favorite choices.)
Boots: Marrowwalks
Rings: See previous options.
The important thing here is to hit 120% IAS: my suggestion is Mavina's helm (45% with jewel), Lavagouts (20%), Nos's (10%), Highlord's (20%), and either Twitchthroe with an IAS jewel (35%) or Natalya's armor with two IAS jewels and an UM (30%).
Mercs:
Once again, many options here. It has to be an Act 2 Merc for an aura, but either Might (for the extra damage) or Holy Freeze (to pin your enemies down) are available.
Armor: Fortitude (for damage, of course!). Also Chains of Honor is great for a Might merc to help amp your damage further.
Weapon: Several options here. Reaper's Toll will cast Decrepify, amping both your damage and his and slowing targets down so they are more easily hit by Bone Spears. If you all ready have a lot of "curse on hit" gear (Drac's and Atma's, for instance), you may want to pass on Reaper's Toll, however, as only one curse can be active at a time. Arioc's Needle is good for upping damage further on a Might merc. If you're looking to have your merc do a lot of killing on his own, EBOTD is never a bad decision. Pride is probably the best choice of the lot, as it gives another damage boosting aura to your merc: Concentration. Especially if you choose a Holy Freeze merc for pinning enemies down, go for Pride if you can afford it: that way you'll have both damage and slowing effects stacked.
Helm: Options abound. CoA is, as always, awesome. For those with less cash, go for something with good leech so your merc doesn't buy it - Tal Rasha's, Stealskull, and Vampgaze come to mind. +skills will also help out a Might merc quite a bit, so don't hesitate to load on a Shako here.
Okay - SKILLS! I'll make this brief, as it doesn't need to be too long:
Strafe: 1 point. This depends on gear, but if you hit at least level 6 with your best gear on (the level needed for a 10-hit Strafe) you don't need much more than this. You can max this, but the damage return is unimpressive given the initial 3/4 nerf.
Penetrate: MAX. Strafe relies on AR, and you can never have too much as a result.
Pierce: 1+ points. This is a funny one. If you invest more than a point, be sure you don't go too far - it has very rapidly diminishing returns (only 3% or less per level after level 6). If you're wearing Razortail, don't bother with more than one point - it's a waste! Razortail covers your piercing issues nicely.
Critical Strike: 1+ points. Once again, the issue here is diminishing returns. Make sure you don't pump too many in unless you REALLY like spending a skill point for a 1% chance of a Critical. Around level 7 is where you want to be (with +skills gear) - after that it's an increase of +2% a level - hardly worth it IMHO.
Dodge/Avoid/Evade: These need to be at least, with +skills gear, 4/5/4, respectively. After that, once again, you face diminishing returns. Also, being locked up in a dodge animation can severly cut down on the time a zon spends killing :lol: .
Valkyrie: MAX. I know, I know, there's a lot of debate here. However, I reccomend maxing Valk for one reason: tankage. With a Might merc, she'll also do decent damage, and will keep the monsters occupied for the short amount of time necessary for you to mow them down. She'll also keep some of the heat off your merc, which will save you costly ressurections in town.
You will notice that this leaves you with tons of points to spare! After this, it's all up to you - if you want a bit more punch from your Strafe, max it. If you want another skill for killing with, go ahead and make a hybrid with Lightning Fury or just max two elemental skills - I suggest Fire Arrow and Exploding Arrow, since the arrows fired from Brand all ready explode on hit (and the fire damage will stack). Really, though, you won't need a secondary elemental attack: the magic damage from your Bone Spears, chucked out at a lightning-fast Strafe rate, should be enough to take on any Physical Immune.
Thanks for reading, and happy hunting kids! :thumbsup: