"Frost Venom" high DPS kiting build

[melianor]

It doesn't work with 2-h staff. It is grayed.

I just tried equpping a 2-hand staff and i could use Magic Weapon just fine. Did you maybe try to appoint Magic Weapon skill to left/right mouse button? Because that does not work.

I can confirm that magic weapon skill can be clicked, assigned and used with both 1-hand and 2-hand weapons!

[Lord_Vega]

I've completely given up on diamond skin, as it doesn't scale worth anything. I'm up to belial in A2 Inferno, using this build. (yes I know I don't have a signature spell)

Basically fracture / mirror images help a lot with kiting. I'm at 27.5k damage and 47k hitpoints in my progression gear (25k / 37k in my MF gear), and I can kill reasonably fast. Venom hydra is a beast, I hope it isn't the next up for the nerf bat.

I am trying your build in act IV NM at the moment, and so far, it seems to work wonderfully for survivability's sake, even if things have slown down a bit in both the killing speed and AP regeneration, in comparison to my previous build.

I do notice, however, that with 3 defensive skills, I have many more options during a tough champ fight, and this will work wonderfully in Hell and Inferno too, I am sure.

Thanks for sharing!

[Azbaz]

I've completely given up on diamond skin, as it doesn't scale worth anything. I'm up to belial in A2 Inferno, using this build. (yes I know I don't have a signature spell)

Basically fracture / mirror images help a lot with kiting. I'm at 27.5k damage and 47k hitpoints in my progression gear (25k / 37k in my MF gear), and I can kill reasonably fast. Venom hydra is a beast, I hope it isn't the next up for the nerf bat.

Interesting choices. I've played around with Arcane Orb and Magic Missile with Temporal Flux, but I still can't kite elite packs properly in Act2 Inferno since most of them have either Vortex, Fast or Teleport (or a combination of the three). Also, a lot of the mobs in Act2 are very fast (like the fallen or scavengers) and still catch up to me even if I blast them with a 30% movement debuff. Diamond skin with Crystal Shell has saved me countless of times, but still I'm happy if I only die 5 times per elite pack. I'll try your Blizzard build with Mirror Images once I get home today to see if it works for me.

[Palaryel]

Here are the 3 builds I'm using in Inferno at the moment:

1. FrostVenom + Arcane build:
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculato...RSO!YUW!acZbZY
*select Snowbound rune on Blizzard of you have troubles with arcane power

2. Pure FrostVenom build:
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculato...jSO!YXW!cbZbZY
*use Illusionist or Unstable Anomaly passive over Astral Presence if you have no Arcane issues (could use Snowbound with Blizzard aswell)

3. Pure Arcane build:
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculato...RSO!YUX!aYZaZY

Explanation on the builds:
Teleport with Wormhole is a LOT more survivability over diamond skin, especially with those nasty vortex/waller/jailer elites (if youre fast enough, you can teleport 4 times during that 1 extra second). You MAY want Diamond Skin for some battles tho, like Belial for example.
Magic missile with charged blast got a huge damage potential, especially when paired with a lot of attack speed.
In build #1 Temporal flux can be exchanged for something else (Astral presence comes to my mind) if you like it.

Items:
1st and most important stat for any of the builds is MOVESPEED, a lot of it, 20-25% should be a minimum. That way you can kite even in a small room. A lot of items except boots add movespeed, some may be expensive tho.
For builds #1 and #3 you need attack speed, try to get about 1.90-2.0 attacks per second, more if possible. This is especially true for build #3.

Any boots that add movespeed (combined with Vitality/Intelligence/All Resistance/Magic Find | ideally with all of those together, but good luck finding them).
Pants - Innas Glory with Int roll would be iddeal for now, so far those are the only option for +movespeed on pants.
Rings/Amulet: Wanderlust set ring (thats another 6% runspeed there), ideally combined with the neck from that set (Spirit of Adventure), the set bonus is 100 Vit and added critical damage, also both the ring and the amulet contain huge Magic Find.
Helm: Mempo of Twilight for the attack speed, or maybe Tal Rasha's head piece if you got enough attack speed already
Chest: Tal Rasha's Guardianship with Int and Vit, preferably with sockets.
Bracers: Lacuni Prowlers, relatively cheap, adds movespeed and attackspeed, try to find some with Int or Vit
Hands: Ashearas Clasp with attack speed
Shoulder: I used Ashearas Vigilance to get the +30 All Resistance, but use something better if you have it
Weapon: Fast and high DPS, preferably with Int/Vit and socket. But if you find a cheap 1 hand weapon with 700-1000 DPS buy it even if the stats are crappy, it will pay for itself later
Off-Hand: If youre lucky or very rich get The Oculus, else get a good shield (I found one giving 1200 Armor; 7 CritRate, 14% Magic Find and some stats for about 100k). Do not underestimate the shield, 1k armor from shield is actually 1.65k armor after you use the energy armor spell.

[Narttram]

I am getting my *** kicked by the seconf phase of belial (snakes + himself).
Have been trying to switch wormhole for diamond skin or mirror image with no success, any advice?

[magicrectangle]

I am getting my *** kicked by the seconf phase of belial (snakes + himself).
Have been trying to switch wormhole for diamond skin or mirror image with no success, any advice?

Hell or Inferno, solo or group?

I just got past Inferno Belial yesterday with a few friends. The group was 2 monks and 2 wizards. Mirror images help a lot in the snake phase, as they not only tank snakes, but they absorb belial's missile attacks. I wouldn't drop teleport, because I found that to be a life saver in the final phase for avoiding meteor strike.

In the snake phase almost all attention is on the snakes. Drop your hydra on Belial and just focus on blizzarding the snakes.

You probably already have this for kiting, but make sure you have move speed on your boots.

[Kurki]

After reading the great original post I tried this build out for the end of NM and into Hell. Damage (Act 2 hell) is no problem, but I think my kiting technique is somehow flawed. When engaging champs/boss-packs, even those without Vortex and Teleport, my Blizzard (with Snowbound) doesn't seem to slow the pack down at all. They seem to run right through the Blizzards and out of range of my Hydra, and then I have to scramble quite a bit to set up again.

Can someone please explain how to properly engage Champs/Elites, step by step, under ideal circumstances (i.e. you see them at the edge of the screen but haven't aggroed them).

Many thanks.

[kallell kriptonite]

After reading the great original post I tried this build out for the end of NM and into Hell. Damage (Act 2 hell) is no problem, but I think my kiting technique is somehow flawed. When engaging champs/boss-packs, even those without Vortex and Teleport, my Blizzard (with Snowbound) doesn't seem to slow the pack down at all. They seem to run right through the Blizzards and out of range of my Hydra, and then I have to scramble quite a bit to set up again.

Can someone please explain how to properly engage Champs/Elites, step by step, under ideal circumstances (i.e. you see them at the edge of the screen but haven't aggroed them).

Many thanks.

Cast hydra, cast blizzard, run away, cast blizzard again, spam a few arcane missles, run, cast hydra, cast blizzard. OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER.

Not much diversity in wizard builds...or skill for that matter. Keep in mind, you will probably die a few times before you actually kill the champs/elites.

[magicrectangle]

Can someone please explain how to properly engage Champs/Elites, step by step, under ideal circumstances (i.e. you see them at the edge of the screen but haven't aggroed them).

I decided to answer this question with a video:



I chose worthing just because it is the most easily accessible 100% spawn champion pack I could think of. If you like I'll try to upload one for a more challenging pack.

Note that I never get hit in the video, because I never stop moving. Even when I get walled, I teleport. It isn't in the video but if I get jailed I mirror image (it breaks roots!) so that teleport's cooldown stays available.

That said, no matter how skillful you are sometimes you will get hit, so you need enough HP to take a hit or two (force armor helps). Bonus points because with the illusionist passive getting hit resets mirror image and teleport cooldowns, so you won't get hit again (not right away, at least).

[kblood]

Sorry I havent thrown an update out recently, took some time off of D3 for the holiday weekend, and then last night when I went to go finish up act 2, I got frikken hacked! Sad evening! Really hoping blizzard can roll me back soon here and get me up and running! Will update my progress once I get my **** back I guess.... :/