My PVP Mauler - Need Overview.

[SyCoMiDgEt]

Hello, Im currently working on getting a 100% geared/badass Druid Mauler going. I have only used shapeshifting once, and i was a fury/rabies druid, and it dropped games (haha). Anyways here is what i had in mine. Most people base there characters around a level 90 Build = 101 skill points, im basing mine around a 95 = 106 skill points.

Skill points in Shapeshift:
1 Werewolf
20 Lycan (The more life the marrier)
20 Werebear (Awesome damage help/defence)
20 Maul (No, Really? Haha)
1 Shockwave
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62 Points

Skill points in Summoning:
20 Oak Sage (Going for that amazing life!)
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82 Points

Skill points in Elemental:
1 Prereq.
20 Cyclone Armor
1 Twister
1 Nado
1 Hurricane
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106 Skill points

Now your probably going, what is he doing with that cyclone armor, and whats the twister/nado/hurrican for. Well with that right there, Cyclone armor is absorbing 400 damage roughly (this includes my +skill points, tested in single player)

Thats 400 damage that i can just hold off, while i hit them a few times charging up my maul.

Not to mention, With my gear/+skills/6bo/SCs ill be sitting on about 8k health!

My Gear, is some what typical. Maybe.

Weapon: Griswolds Redemtion - Socketed With 3x 40 ED/15 IAS Jewels, and 1x Shael. This gets me my 4 frame rate.

Armor: Im sadly, but surely thinking about using a Fortitude. Possible A CoH, I need help deciding

Belt: Verdungos, Whats not to love with Verdungos?

Gloves: Most likely Dracs, despite the fact that they have life tap on them. Im still going to use.

Boots: Gore Riders, or My Perf Eth Treks? Help please.

Helmet: Need Help....can afford anything!

Rings: 1 Raven Frost/1 Angelics (Yes? No?)
Ammy: Angelics (Amazing AR bonus)

Sheild: Dont exactly know my sheilds, other than pally sheilds. So Help.

Inventory: DTorch, Anni. TONS of 20 Life SCs and 20 Life/5 Resist SCs

Let me know what you all think. Thanks

[Jary]

I've made a few PvP maulers in the past.

Right off the bat, I'ma just tell you CA is a big mistake. First off, if you were to get the highest %absorbed, I did a lot of playing around with this but you actually get a higher % dividing the majority amongst the wind skills (I just go hurricane) with ~8-10 in CA. If you go 20 in CA you will not get the most absorbance, same goes for if you were to put one in CA and 20 in Hurricane/Nado. There's a balance.

Regardless... don't do that anyways.

Instead, you're gonna want 20 HoW, 20 Oak, 5 points up to grizzly. You need spirit wolves to protect yourself from hammers & desynchers; They also disrupt Fury/Zealers initial attacks-- you need that small time to land a few hits to get maul going, otherwise you prolly wont win, getting maul charged up is critical in Melee. Also, Grizzly Bear is useful to have to tank fireballs and plays a pretty good distraction. Ravens.. again, block animation, slows players down, a must have. You need all the help you can get as a Mauler, 'cause you're gonna be the underdog..er bear, in just about every duel.

Gear looks all right. I'm glad you're somewhat wealthy, otherwise I'd almost say don't bother lol. Not to be a dick, but this is deffinitely a very demanding build to pull off, unlike a bonemancer where you can toss on a few vanillas & enigma, run out and kill ppl with :)
Suggestions:
- Weap: jeweled Griswolds is good. I actually ran same setup, with grief as backup. Both work well but Gris is a better all around choice IMO, you need the speed to be effective against the quickness other duelers have these days. Btw, jeweled Gris hits 5 fpa, not 4.
- Helm: up'd Cerebrus Bite 'Shael' is your best helmet. The OW is very helpful, especially at higher levels it becomes more and more effective. In some duels against Barbs, WW-sins, Fury druids, etc it becomes really important when they're losing a good 100+ life every 8 seconds.
- Armor: Fortitude is your only choice. COH is amazing PvM, but not a very good PvP armor. The defense is amazing, you wanna shoot for 13k+ after chilling armor if you can, it becomes helpful in certain duels.
- Amulet/Rings: Highlords wrath, 2xRavenfrists (as perfect as you can get). Although I love the AR, if you can't do damage, you cant win right. ~35% DS makes a huge difference, combined with Gores every other attack is doing double. Lightning resist also brings you well over 75% which otherwise would be a weakspot. Fire resist you're gonna have to make up on your own, dont mainboard it but keep some hate in your inventory. A dwarf star and.. bah, what's the ammy.. anyways, should be enough against fire sorcs to give them hell.
Gloves: I'd advise against Dracs. Try them out... I LOVE the gloves in PvM, but unless they proc at the last second against a WW barb they're not as effective as you'd think. First choice would be Rends, as much %Dmg/defense you can get. If you go that route, keep in mind your FHR must be balanced out by charms or belt. The other route, almost as good is magefists... nothing bad to say, I used them you get at least 200+ life and 30% FHR!! Not to mention some min. damage, deffinitely somewhat helpful since maul doesn't add any of that :)
Boots: Gores
Shield: Stormshield 'Ber'. You really wanna go this route if you can, unless you REALLy need the resists.. but judging by your inv I don't think so. It allows you to use much better belt options..
Belt: You want a gg crafted blood belt or rare belt shooting for 1) 50+ life 2) FHR 3) strength 4) some resists

GOod luck. :thumbup: Hope you have as much fun as I have, its deffinitely a fun build to try. Keep in mind you wont win them all, but when you do its that much more fun :)

[SyCoMiDgEt]

I kind of had the thought of using this gear for a

Fury WW..

id hit 4 frame attack speed...
damage isnt extreme, like 2.4-2.8k i bet. but its sure fast!

[Jary]

Well... erase that idea fast :yes:. eBotd Zerker hits 3x the damage and at a wider radius with extreme stat bonuses, too. grief hits even more damage with less range both at the same speed.

EDIT: You could use the weapon to make a mean Flaming Rabies wolf. You'd most likely go Enigma/Bramble, Arachnid, Jalals though. If you're interested in a variant like that, check with Verashiden or the guide in the stickies.

[vknez]

and plays a pretty good distraction. Ravens.. again,


Gloves: I'd advise against Dracs. Try them out... I LOVE the gloves in PvM, but unless they proc at the last second against a WW barb they're not as effective as you'd think. First choice would be Rends, as much %Dmg/defense you can get. If you go that route, keep in mind your FHR must be balanced out by charms or belt. The other route, almost as good is magefists... nothing bad to say, I used them you get at least 200+ life and 30% FHR!! Not to mention some min. damage, deffinitely somewhat helpful since maul doesn't add any of that :)


I guess you mean bloodfist

[Jary]

Rofl. Sry, in my old age I'm starting to lose it here :P

[Verashiden]

Well... erase that idea fast :yes:. eBotd Zerker hits 3x the damage and at a wider radius with extreme stat bonuses, too. grief hits even more damage with less range both at the same speed.

EDIT: You could use the weapon to make a mean Flaming Rabies wolf. You'd most likely go Enigma/Bramble, Arachnid, Jalals though. If you're interested in a variant like that, check with Verashiden or the guide in the stickies.

Grief PB has lower max damage than EBotDZ >.>.

Grief hits more consistent damage though.

Geez, you're old age is getting to you, Nub :P. You need to hibernate some more or something.