View Full Version : Elemental backup for Fury: Rabies or Fireclaws?
Hey. I'm currently level 76 (so I have about 12 or so levels I can really figure on caring to get after this) and have 16 skill points sitting around, so I've got ~28 to consider. I have maxed HoW, Lycanthropy, and Fury, and put points into Werewolf until I got diminishing returns on IAS.
Now, I could soak up most of the rest of my points into Werewolf just to get the AR boost, but I don't know if it's worth it. Plus, after that any skill I start pumping wouldn't get far.
Whereas if I take what I've got now, I could put 19 points into Rabies and 9 points into Poison Creeper, OR, 2 points for Fire Claws pre-reqs, 20 points in Fire Claws, and 6 points to spread out among Fire Claws synergies.
Right now I only get +2 all skills and +2 shifting skills (Jalal's) and I don't know how many more I'll be counting on (maybe some from an ammy, or if I ever get a Chains of Honor).
Running some calculations, I can get ~4k poison damage but over a long 13 seconds with Rabies, or if I go FCs then I can get ~700 fire damage per hit and of course hit more often. But I know you can hit Rabies and then switch back to Fury. However if it's a Physical immune you'll want to be beating and beating - in which case FCs would be better. BUT, there are more physical + fire immunes than physical + poison immunes.
So I dunno, I could go either way. I just don't want my wolf & his merc to be gimped by every physical immune they come across.
You could also use a weapon switch like Baranar's + Tiamat's, or make the IK-maul + 2 or 3 set pieces your standard gear.
best way all around to break immunities.. sorta waat my gf uses with her kicker, just use atmas scarab/ravens and a merc with decrepify. You'll be proc'ing amps and decreps all over the place.
stuff like azure, baranars, etc works to a small degree but not enough to be really effective means of dealing with a pack of PI's in hell, you want something that works effective and consistent every time and breaking their immunities allows you to leech too which is survivability. I'd save the points for dire wolves and griz or carrion vine
I have been using Baranar's for a long time on a variety of characters now and it works fine for dealing with PIs. Amping a Stone Skin boss can fail breaking the immunity or leave it at such high resistance that killing still takes forever. PIs are going to be a slowdown in any case.
Verashiden
07-08-2008, 16:32
best way all around to break immunities.. sorta waat my gf uses with her kicker, just use atmas scarab/ravens and a merc with decrepify. You'll be proc'ing amps and decreps all over the place.
stuff like azure, baranars, etc works to a small degree but not enough to be really effective means of dealing with a pack of PI's in hell, you want something that works effective and consistent every time and breaking their immunities allows you to leech too which is survivability. I'd save the points for dire wolves and griz or carrion vine
Are you kidding me?
MOST PI mobs in hell are undead based unless you hit a stone skin boss with unnaturally high physical resistance. Azure Wrath enables you to damage undead physically despite the immunity (Sanctuary Aura). Add the massive magic damage and the speed on the weapon and you have a sloution for most PIs in hell.
Also, amp is just "as effective" as those means. You forget the when breaking immunities, effects that lower resistance work at 1/5 effectiveness. So even with Amp procced they'll have ~80-85 physical resistance, ~90-95 with Decrep.
Trying to diss my pimp stick, what's wrong with you? :P
Well, if the solution is instead to look for a different weapon, what then to do with my skill points? Does Werewolf *really* need to be maxed as most guides mention? Yes, my attack rating bonus will increase, but my Fury is already a 6-frame attack so... I'd hate to waste 12 skill points from this point forth just to get more AR.
Are you kidding me?
MOST PI mobs in hell are undead based unless you hit a stone skin boss with unnaturally high physical resistance. Azure Wrath enables you to damage undead physically despite the immunity (Sanctuary Aura). Add the massive magic damage and the speed on the weapon and you have a sloution for most PIs in hell.
Also, amp is just "as effective" as those means. You forget the when breaking immunities, effects that lower resistance work at 1/5 effectiveness. So even with Amp procced they'll have ~80-85 physical resistance, ~90-95 with Decrep.
Trying to diss my pimp stick, what's wrong with you? :P
settle -.- I guess I didn't notice that since it seems to kill pretty fast once it procs. where does it state that?
Well, if the solution is instead to look for a different weapon, what then to do with my skill points? Does Werewolf *really* need to be maxed as most guides mention? Yes, my attack rating bonus will increase, but my Fury is already a 6-frame attack so... I'd hate to waste 12 skill points from this point forth just to get more AR.
I already said Dire wolf and carrion are good options for survivability
Verashiden
07-08-2008, 18:28
settle -.- I guess I didn't notice that since it seems to kill pretty fast once it procs. where does it state that?
I already said Dire wolf and carrion are good options for survivability
You know I <3 you, Jary :D.
And it should be in the stats forums somewhere. Lemme see if I can look it up for you. It works on the same principle as why Conviction from Infinity only breaks like... Fallen immunities in Hell.
I don't have enough skill points to fully synergize Dire Wolf and I know they get slaughtered in hell. Also I've not heard great things about Carrion Vine.
So far nobody's commented on the choice between Fire Claws and Rabies...
<3
Dire wolf is amazing, carrion vine is amazing. There now you've heard =)
Dire Wolf's synergie is that it adds the +% life to your summons, so by maxing it out alone you may not have the +%damage or +%AR/defense but you're guaranteed a grizzly bear with a great amount of life for tanking. Its highly recommended in several guides actually.. if you've read the Hunterelementalist or TownDump Werebear guide and several others its very useful as a distraction and for tanking mobs.
Also, you seem to be geared around damage.. using HoW, so you're expecting to kill fast. Carrion vine is gold in PvM bro, if you invest a good 10 points into him you can get a good +10-11% life added per corpse it eats. As you kill, you get mini-juv's, that simple. Also, your Dire wolves/griz will protect it from getting targetted as much too, keep in mind. Safety in numbers is important. I used carrion vine on my summoner and FC Bear, and I almost never have to worry about healing I can just focus on killing and he'll do the work for me.
Thanks for the explanation. :D
So then it looks like I should spread the rest of my points...
1 raven
1 spirit wolf
1 poison creeper
20 dire wolf
1 grizzly
rest in carrion vine
np, I really think that's a good route to go, I'm pretty sure that's what I'd do.. in fact, pretty much IS what I'm doing with my Titan Bear atm lol. Rabies crashes games.. and FC just takes too friggin many points for it to be effective, I think its a good option for you.
If you wanna play around with your skills to get an idea: http://www.d2items.com/skills.php?class=dru
Yeah I used Chippy Dip's to do some calculations.
I think I could've shaved a few points from Werewolf and still gotten a 6frame attack but oh well. Right now my Bear really DOES tank hell and Wolves are only at like 15, I'm amazed. So when things are going well, I've got a 5-strong party (me, Might merc - though I'm contemplating a switch to Holy Freeze), HoW, Bear, and Vine. Never imagined myself having such a squad as a fury druid.
Death order usually goes Vine, HoW, Bear. Since getting them neither I nor my merc have died (just doing Hell quests and such). I'm happy with that.
I'm wearing a Stone and I attempted to use some Clay Golem charges to add to my party but even at level 16 those guys are paper thin.
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