danbus
26-10-2006, 03:49
Let me start by saying I am a die-hard pvp bowzon fan and I enjoy owning and being owned. That is all.
This guide is dedicated for a zon that can clear cows solo w/8 players and pvp with any class. Alot of people say "bowzons have been nerfed". As true as it may be, that is a legit excuse for saying "since GA doesn't pierce anymore, bowzons are useless in pvp". I personally have found that bowzons are still effective in dueling. Now it just takes more skill to effectively use such a class.
First off, lets cover the items. This is such budget build that requires no Swiss SoJ account.
Required items for pvp:
1. Twitch
2. Death gloves and sash
3. 30 FRW boots
4. Howltusk
That's it for the required items. These items should be easy to obtain with some trading or MFing. 1) Twitch is the zon armour of choice for 20IAS, dual +10 str/dex, 20 FHR. 2) Death gloves/sash are also optimum choice due to mods needed and easy availability. They provide 30 IAS, 8 LL, 15 res all, and cannot be frozen (a must vs sorc). 3) 30 FRW is a must to retreat/relocate as quickly as possible. 4) Knockback comes with a handy "stun" animation which works 50% of the time.
Recommend items for pvp:
1. 100+ dmg 20ias* goth bow
2. + max dmg, light/cold res, +dex rings
3. +1 or +2 zon, + max dmg, light/cold res, +dex ammy
4. boots with light/cold res
* - required mod
My reasoning for using a 20 IAS goth is because since GA was fixxed, min dmg just isn't cutting it anymore and you need 20 IAS to get the next break point. My ideal zon should maximize dmg. I would rather have 1000 dmg and 1 life than 1000 life and 1 dmg. Bowzons in pvp aren't mean to tank anything. Basically, the only thing that WON'T kill you in 1 hit in pvp is another zon. Rings will give res needed to battle sorcs/pallys while giving damage and the same goes for ammy, but allow "free" skill points. Res should be geared toward lighting JIC a TS sorc comes by. TS doesn't miss, can't be dodged, avoided, or evaded. Even though cold mastery eats up cold res, JIC you happen to get hit by a shard, it won't hurt as much. Blizz/orb can be dodged, avoided, and evaded.
FYI: 1 dex = 1% more dmg
Recommend items for cows:
Sigon gloves/belt/shield
Tarn
SoJs (if you can) OR +life, +mana, +1 to mana per kill rings
eyeless
+1/2 zon, +life, +mana, +1 to mana per kill ammy
Having extensive cow lvl experience, mana and skill points RUN this place for a furyzon. Sigon will allow 30 IAS, a belt for any pots needed, excellent block, and +1 to all skill points, however eyeless will allow less dependency on mana pots. Any + skill items will allow greater killing potential against cows since every point increased dmg and amount of light bolts. Life items are a bonus in case cows surround you, which should never happen with proper herding. Cowing should be a simple process and each game shouldn't take more than 5 mins with proper herding and people. Should you have a conv pally with you, cows shoudln't take no more than 3 mins.
Skill placement:
20 GA
20 Lighting Fury
5+ slow missle
1-3 multishot (optional)
1 decoy
6 Dodge
7 Avoid
6 Evade
51% Critical Hit
50%+ Pierce
3-5+ Penetrate
1 Valk
Since you are a hybrid you will mostly be doing cows to lvl. Lighting Fury, if you have never seen it, is like watching fireworks the first time in your life, just beautiful. It will be your means of killing cows, being everyones' favorite person to have in a cow lvl, or just something people haven't seen in awhile. Max GA will allow less mana cost and more damage. Can't beat that with a bat. Slow missle is for Fireball sorcs/necros/zons/cow king or any LE monster. Decoy can be used strategically for ALL players. Valk for tanking lose arrows. Pierce and critical hit should be 50%, after that you get diminishing returns. D/A/E are 6/7/6, any after are diminishing returns as well. Penetrate should be at your discretion, in the event you cant hit cows, add more. Multishot can be used to stun tele sorcs or catching zons.
Stat placement:
85 str
225+ dex
enough vit so a hell cow cant kill you in 1 hit
no points in energy
Goth bows require 95 str, twitch allows 10 points free. More dex equals more dmg. Dying by a hell cow in 1 hit is embarrassing :embarassed: . You shouldn't be getting hit if herding properly, but it's JIC. Items should provide adequate mana usage/comsumption.
COWS and HERDING:
Cow lvl is where you shine and you are like a celebirty. You can choose to use valk as meat shield, but she can mess up your hearding sometimes. I don't like having people around when I cow since they don't know how to herd for me. Only person/people who should be around are conv pallys/lower resis necros and 1 herder. Best combo is a conv pally who knows how to herd for you.
The herding shape that works for me is the P shape. Start by running through a group of cows, make the loop around, be run back to where you started. If done successfully, the cows should form a "V" shape. Now fire toward the center cow and watch the cows fall in domino fashion. Repeat. If you have some MF, you will find STACKS of items, some most people will grab. On your belt you should have 1st row rejuvs, 2nd red pots, 3rd & 4th mana pots. If you see a item, GO for it. If you have enough life you can take a hit or 2 and still get the item. Since you have DAE you can run through a sizable herd and grab that brown ring safely. Rejuvs are best used when in stun effect and lag. Let it be known that you will NEVER kill the king seeing that he's Limmune. Even if you switch to bow, you don't have enough power to take him down. Another reason why people like fury zons, they never have to worry about you killing the king. Should you happen to by around king, use SM to shorten the range of the bolts.
PVP!:
Against any of these classes, you have the advantage of range. Your GA should be able to hit people off screen with proper aiming and distance.
Versus Barb - It's a game of catch. Since he wolf and you are the fox with a bow, you got the advantage of shots before having to dodge. Now if they have a lance/polearm, you must take EXTRA care. Range of 5 is NO JOKE. These guys will pose as the most dangerous of babas (it's sounds funny saying it outloud) and must be dealt with by use the 5 Ds of bowzons: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. *If you've seen it, you know it's funny.* The trick is to get as many shots off as possible before the baba comes within WW range. If you THINK, FEEL, KNOW that you will be killed before getting a shot, DODGE! The direction to go when the baba does his ww depends on the baba. If you against an average speedbaba, he will start the ww a tad before he hits you. At that point you must run in the diagonal direction he came from.
Example - baba comes at you from 9 o'clock, run toward 10-11 o'clock. At that point, depending on how far he WW'd, get 1-3 shots off, repeat.
To tell if you are up against a GOOD baba is when he 1) doesn't WW until you shoot and does it in SHORT ww bursts OR 2) runs PAST you and WWs in short bursts in the dodge direction I stated. When that time comes, DONT SHOOT. Use ANY direction you can think of without repeating your steps. You must provoke him into WW. If he never WWs, don't fire as that will prove fatal. Patience and timing are key in a battle with speedbaba. Only good thing is EVERY shot will hit and will have 50% knockback effect. Use your best judgement whether or not to keep firing due to knockback. Barbs with a shield will take longer to fight, but will have less range and speed.
Should then decide to leap, just run away till you cant see them anymore and let loose. Simple.
Versus Sorc - it's ALL dependant of what kind you are facing.
Orb/TS with FCR will be the most dangerous as they have an auto hit attack, dangerous multi hitting attack, and can manuever to and away from you in a heatbeat. VERY DANGEROUS!! There aren't that many godly orb/ts sorcs that I have seen, but if you do come across one, don't expect to win easy. They will do 1 of 3 things to kill you. 1) tele up to you, let TS hit you, orb, and tele away, 2) tele in a circle or semi circle around you while ts hits, and orb and keep on tele'ing around you or 3) tele past you and let TS kill you. If you do not have at least 50 LR and/or decent life, TS is a 1 hitter quitter for bowzons. Your job is to aim where the sorc is GOING to tele and run away when she orbs. Your dodge direction is dependant on how close the orb is casted to you and the direction it's going.
Example1 - sorc is standing at 9 o'clock on the edge of your screen and orbs toward you just run away, simple.
Example2 - sorc is standing at 9 o'clock within melee range (or just a tad farther) and orbs toward 1 o'clock, you should run toward 8 o'clock, simple.
After dueling orb sorcs for awhile, it's about eye coordination and focus. You should almost NEVER be hit by orb unless vs 2 orb sorcs. Fire ONLY when clear of orb shards and when sorc is tele'ing.
Blizzard sorcs are MUCH easier. Most will not have TS since their synergies will yield more killing power. After blizz has been casted, it takes about 1 second before you get hit. With 30 FRW boots, dodging is easy peazy lemon squeezy. Simple dodge direction is to move from that area and fire, repeat.
Fireball sorcs are TOO easy. Once they come within range of SM it's game over. SM ranged is ALMOST at the edge of the screen.
_______ about that much from the edge
Don't even TRY to fire until they have SM on them. When they tele up to you, just SM. Fire, dodge, repeat.
Haven't tested SM on hydra or blizz sorcs.
Versus pally - all easy except shielded charger and FoH
Hammerdin MUST get close to you, he will likely charge to cover ground and begin hammers. Take a few steps back fire a shot or 2 and repeat. Not sure if SM effects BH.
FoH must get closer enough to have conv on u and begin casting. He too might charge and switch to FoH. With him blocking or getting knocked back, he will not be able to cast. SM has no effect on FoH. Once he has lock, keep firing in hopes to kill him since you won't be able to run away.
Chargers are the WORST opponent to face. If you get hit you will either die, get caught in knockback and die, or get away. If they get within hitting range, RUN! Run in zip zag fashion and try to find black spots to avoid getting hit. Once you have cleared enough distance, begin firing.
A PURE PallyVzon will always win. They have max HF and charge. You can only hope they dont have sheild and knockback keeps them away. Once HF hits...you might as well start hitting esc to come back.
Versus Necro - I have never faced a poison necro but SM does reduce their range of nova. So no challenge there. If up against Bspear or bspirit they will either decrep you or prison you. Fire until they get close enough, dodge spirits/spears when you must, and when they get close enough use SM. If you get decreped, you MUST hit them with SM, otherwise you cant run from spirits. If you get prisoned, SM and use multi shot to hit necro and walls until you can break free.
Versus zon - against a java/spear zon use SM and fire away and run
Vs bowzon is different. A good bowzon duel will last 1000+ arrows. Basic plan is to shoot at the edge of the screen in the direction of the zon. Fire a few shots and relocate. Use valk as meat shield. If you cannot see your opponent on map use decoy and relocate to a position in which the opponent see the decoy and not you on the map. Kinda like a trick, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Multishot range is about 2-2.5 screen range and GA is about 1.3 screen range. Should you see a zon trying to get a better position, try spamming a few multishots to score a few kills. Since goth bows do nice max damage, this should wittle away some life easy. Should a bowzon venture too close, SM and fire away while dodging.
That about sums it up about my hybrid pvp zon build. Please comment input, ideas, feedback, anything please.
THANKS!!
This guide is dedicated for a zon that can clear cows solo w/8 players and pvp with any class. Alot of people say "bowzons have been nerfed". As true as it may be, that is a legit excuse for saying "since GA doesn't pierce anymore, bowzons are useless in pvp". I personally have found that bowzons are still effective in dueling. Now it just takes more skill to effectively use such a class.
First off, lets cover the items. This is such budget build that requires no Swiss SoJ account.
Required items for pvp:
1. Twitch
2. Death gloves and sash
3. 30 FRW boots
4. Howltusk
That's it for the required items. These items should be easy to obtain with some trading or MFing. 1) Twitch is the zon armour of choice for 20IAS, dual +10 str/dex, 20 FHR. 2) Death gloves/sash are also optimum choice due to mods needed and easy availability. They provide 30 IAS, 8 LL, 15 res all, and cannot be frozen (a must vs sorc). 3) 30 FRW is a must to retreat/relocate as quickly as possible. 4) Knockback comes with a handy "stun" animation which works 50% of the time.
Recommend items for pvp:
1. 100+ dmg 20ias* goth bow
2. + max dmg, light/cold res, +dex rings
3. +1 or +2 zon, + max dmg, light/cold res, +dex ammy
4. boots with light/cold res
* - required mod
My reasoning for using a 20 IAS goth is because since GA was fixxed, min dmg just isn't cutting it anymore and you need 20 IAS to get the next break point. My ideal zon should maximize dmg. I would rather have 1000 dmg and 1 life than 1000 life and 1 dmg. Bowzons in pvp aren't mean to tank anything. Basically, the only thing that WON'T kill you in 1 hit in pvp is another zon. Rings will give res needed to battle sorcs/pallys while giving damage and the same goes for ammy, but allow "free" skill points. Res should be geared toward lighting JIC a TS sorc comes by. TS doesn't miss, can't be dodged, avoided, or evaded. Even though cold mastery eats up cold res, JIC you happen to get hit by a shard, it won't hurt as much. Blizz/orb can be dodged, avoided, and evaded.
FYI: 1 dex = 1% more dmg
Recommend items for cows:
Sigon gloves/belt/shield
Tarn
SoJs (if you can) OR +life, +mana, +1 to mana per kill rings
eyeless
+1/2 zon, +life, +mana, +1 to mana per kill ammy
Having extensive cow lvl experience, mana and skill points RUN this place for a furyzon. Sigon will allow 30 IAS, a belt for any pots needed, excellent block, and +1 to all skill points, however eyeless will allow less dependency on mana pots. Any + skill items will allow greater killing potential against cows since every point increased dmg and amount of light bolts. Life items are a bonus in case cows surround you, which should never happen with proper herding. Cowing should be a simple process and each game shouldn't take more than 5 mins with proper herding and people. Should you have a conv pally with you, cows shoudln't take no more than 3 mins.
Skill placement:
20 GA
20 Lighting Fury
5+ slow missle
1-3 multishot (optional)
1 decoy
6 Dodge
7 Avoid
6 Evade
51% Critical Hit
50%+ Pierce
3-5+ Penetrate
1 Valk
Since you are a hybrid you will mostly be doing cows to lvl. Lighting Fury, if you have never seen it, is like watching fireworks the first time in your life, just beautiful. It will be your means of killing cows, being everyones' favorite person to have in a cow lvl, or just something people haven't seen in awhile. Max GA will allow less mana cost and more damage. Can't beat that with a bat. Slow missle is for Fireball sorcs/necros/zons/cow king or any LE monster. Decoy can be used strategically for ALL players. Valk for tanking lose arrows. Pierce and critical hit should be 50%, after that you get diminishing returns. D/A/E are 6/7/6, any after are diminishing returns as well. Penetrate should be at your discretion, in the event you cant hit cows, add more. Multishot can be used to stun tele sorcs or catching zons.
Stat placement:
85 str
225+ dex
enough vit so a hell cow cant kill you in 1 hit
no points in energy
Goth bows require 95 str, twitch allows 10 points free. More dex equals more dmg. Dying by a hell cow in 1 hit is embarrassing :embarassed: . You shouldn't be getting hit if herding properly, but it's JIC. Items should provide adequate mana usage/comsumption.
COWS and HERDING:
Cow lvl is where you shine and you are like a celebirty. You can choose to use valk as meat shield, but she can mess up your hearding sometimes. I don't like having people around when I cow since they don't know how to herd for me. Only person/people who should be around are conv pallys/lower resis necros and 1 herder. Best combo is a conv pally who knows how to herd for you.
The herding shape that works for me is the P shape. Start by running through a group of cows, make the loop around, be run back to where you started. If done successfully, the cows should form a "V" shape. Now fire toward the center cow and watch the cows fall in domino fashion. Repeat. If you have some MF, you will find STACKS of items, some most people will grab. On your belt you should have 1st row rejuvs, 2nd red pots, 3rd & 4th mana pots. If you see a item, GO for it. If you have enough life you can take a hit or 2 and still get the item. Since you have DAE you can run through a sizable herd and grab that brown ring safely. Rejuvs are best used when in stun effect and lag. Let it be known that you will NEVER kill the king seeing that he's Limmune. Even if you switch to bow, you don't have enough power to take him down. Another reason why people like fury zons, they never have to worry about you killing the king. Should you happen to by around king, use SM to shorten the range of the bolts.
PVP!:
Against any of these classes, you have the advantage of range. Your GA should be able to hit people off screen with proper aiming and distance.
Versus Barb - It's a game of catch. Since he wolf and you are the fox with a bow, you got the advantage of shots before having to dodge. Now if they have a lance/polearm, you must take EXTRA care. Range of 5 is NO JOKE. These guys will pose as the most dangerous of babas (it's sounds funny saying it outloud) and must be dealt with by use the 5 Ds of bowzons: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. *If you've seen it, you know it's funny.* The trick is to get as many shots off as possible before the baba comes within WW range. If you THINK, FEEL, KNOW that you will be killed before getting a shot, DODGE! The direction to go when the baba does his ww depends on the baba. If you against an average speedbaba, he will start the ww a tad before he hits you. At that point you must run in the diagonal direction he came from.
Example - baba comes at you from 9 o'clock, run toward 10-11 o'clock. At that point, depending on how far he WW'd, get 1-3 shots off, repeat.
To tell if you are up against a GOOD baba is when he 1) doesn't WW until you shoot and does it in SHORT ww bursts OR 2) runs PAST you and WWs in short bursts in the dodge direction I stated. When that time comes, DONT SHOOT. Use ANY direction you can think of without repeating your steps. You must provoke him into WW. If he never WWs, don't fire as that will prove fatal. Patience and timing are key in a battle with speedbaba. Only good thing is EVERY shot will hit and will have 50% knockback effect. Use your best judgement whether or not to keep firing due to knockback. Barbs with a shield will take longer to fight, but will have less range and speed.
Should then decide to leap, just run away till you cant see them anymore and let loose. Simple.
Versus Sorc - it's ALL dependant of what kind you are facing.
Orb/TS with FCR will be the most dangerous as they have an auto hit attack, dangerous multi hitting attack, and can manuever to and away from you in a heatbeat. VERY DANGEROUS!! There aren't that many godly orb/ts sorcs that I have seen, but if you do come across one, don't expect to win easy. They will do 1 of 3 things to kill you. 1) tele up to you, let TS hit you, orb, and tele away, 2) tele in a circle or semi circle around you while ts hits, and orb and keep on tele'ing around you or 3) tele past you and let TS kill you. If you do not have at least 50 LR and/or decent life, TS is a 1 hitter quitter for bowzons. Your job is to aim where the sorc is GOING to tele and run away when she orbs. Your dodge direction is dependant on how close the orb is casted to you and the direction it's going.
Example1 - sorc is standing at 9 o'clock on the edge of your screen and orbs toward you just run away, simple.
Example2 - sorc is standing at 9 o'clock within melee range (or just a tad farther) and orbs toward 1 o'clock, you should run toward 8 o'clock, simple.
After dueling orb sorcs for awhile, it's about eye coordination and focus. You should almost NEVER be hit by orb unless vs 2 orb sorcs. Fire ONLY when clear of orb shards and when sorc is tele'ing.
Blizzard sorcs are MUCH easier. Most will not have TS since their synergies will yield more killing power. After blizz has been casted, it takes about 1 second before you get hit. With 30 FRW boots, dodging is easy peazy lemon squeezy. Simple dodge direction is to move from that area and fire, repeat.
Fireball sorcs are TOO easy. Once they come within range of SM it's game over. SM ranged is ALMOST at the edge of the screen.
_______ about that much from the edge
Don't even TRY to fire until they have SM on them. When they tele up to you, just SM. Fire, dodge, repeat.
Haven't tested SM on hydra or blizz sorcs.
Versus pally - all easy except shielded charger and FoH
Hammerdin MUST get close to you, he will likely charge to cover ground and begin hammers. Take a few steps back fire a shot or 2 and repeat. Not sure if SM effects BH.
FoH must get closer enough to have conv on u and begin casting. He too might charge and switch to FoH. With him blocking or getting knocked back, he will not be able to cast. SM has no effect on FoH. Once he has lock, keep firing in hopes to kill him since you won't be able to run away.
Chargers are the WORST opponent to face. If you get hit you will either die, get caught in knockback and die, or get away. If they get within hitting range, RUN! Run in zip zag fashion and try to find black spots to avoid getting hit. Once you have cleared enough distance, begin firing.
A PURE PallyVzon will always win. They have max HF and charge. You can only hope they dont have sheild and knockback keeps them away. Once HF hits...you might as well start hitting esc to come back.
Versus Necro - I have never faced a poison necro but SM does reduce their range of nova. So no challenge there. If up against Bspear or bspirit they will either decrep you or prison you. Fire until they get close enough, dodge spirits/spears when you must, and when they get close enough use SM. If you get decreped, you MUST hit them with SM, otherwise you cant run from spirits. If you get prisoned, SM and use multi shot to hit necro and walls until you can break free.
Versus zon - against a java/spear zon use SM and fire away and run
Vs bowzon is different. A good bowzon duel will last 1000+ arrows. Basic plan is to shoot at the edge of the screen in the direction of the zon. Fire a few shots and relocate. Use valk as meat shield. If you cannot see your opponent on map use decoy and relocate to a position in which the opponent see the decoy and not you on the map. Kinda like a trick, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Multishot range is about 2-2.5 screen range and GA is about 1.3 screen range. Should you see a zon trying to get a better position, try spamming a few multishots to score a few kills. Since goth bows do nice max damage, this should wittle away some life easy. Should a bowzon venture too close, SM and fire away while dodging.
That about sums it up about my hybrid pvp zon build. Please comment input, ideas, feedback, anything please.
THANKS!!