Question: Hell difficulty equipment...

[Elric of Grans]

I got into Act II/Hell earlier and have been debating whether or not I have any hope in Act II with my current equipment.

I have 22K Life, 2200 armour and resists vary from 20-100. This seemed fine in Act I, but perhaps I may struggle in Act II (there was a bug jump here in other difficulties)?

A bigger concern, however, is my DPS. My current bow (the best I have found) does 200 DPS. By late-Act I this seemed to barely be keeping me ahead, and The Butcher was just painful to grind: he never once hit me, but I was barely scratching him with anything I did.

Do I need better gear to go forward? If so, should I go back to Act I and farm, or would I be better trying to farm the start of Act II? Even if I wanted to use the AH, I have no gold whatsoever because I use the artisans heavily. If I wanted to; I really do not.

[Lissa]

A better weapon will help, but you shouldn't need any other gear. 22k life is alright along with the 2.2k armor and the resists. See if you can grab a 300 to 400 DPS bow off the AH. Also, I know you're using a shield, but you'd be better served in the DPS department either getting a second hand xbow or getting a quiver as attack speed really helps up DPS significantly.

[Roland]

I got into Act II/Hell earlier and have been debating whether or not I have any hope in Act II with my current equipment.

I have 22K Life, 2200 armour and resists vary from 20-100. This seemed fine in Act I, but perhaps I may struggle in Act II (there was a bug jump here in other difficulties)?

A bigger concern, however, is my DPS. My current bow (the best I have found) does 200 DPS. By late-Act I this seemed to barely be keeping me ahead, and The Butcher was just painful to grind: he never once hit me, but I was barely scratching him with anything I did.

Do I need better gear to go forward? If so, should I go back to Act I and farm, or would I be better trying to farm the start of Act II? Even if I wanted to use the AH, I have no gold whatsoever because I use the artisans heavily. If I wanted to; I really do not.

Anything above 2k character screen DPS should be sufficient. Slow, perhaps, but sufficient. If you're below that, though, you're probably going to struggle. The huge jump in difficulty between acts really doesn't hit very hard until Inferno, although it starts to show a bit in Hell.

I'm not sure if you'll find anything worthwhile on the Artisan. The gaps between crafting items are massive. I used him exactly once while leveling my Demon Hunter, and that was to make a magic Belt somewhere in Act II Normal I think (hadn't found a good one since the beginning of Act I). The rest of the time I was either too low level to use anything I could craft, or by the time I could it was so far below what I had already acquired as to be useless.

[Elric of Grans]

I'm not sure if you'll find anything worthwhile on the Artisan. The gaps between crafting items are massive. I used him exactly once while leveling my Demon Hunter, and that was to make a magic Belt somewhere in Act II Normal I think (hadn't found a good one since the beginning of Act I). The rest of the time I was either too low level to use anything I could craft, or by the time I could it was so far below what I had already acquired as to be useless.

That has largely been my experience too. Blizzard needs to plug those gaps if they want the Blacksmith to be useful.

My DPS is sub-2000. I will look into raising it. The Hand Crossbow I am using is also, coincidentally, the strongest bow (at all) I have found; I have not yet found any decent stats on Quivers either. If I get my hands on a decent Quiver, I will see what that does to my DPS. If I can, I will look at switching between Quiver and Shield on an as-need basis.

[Mavfin]

My DPS is sub-2000. I will look into raising it. The Hand Crossbow I am using is also, coincidentally, the strongest bow (at all) I have found; I have not yet found any decent stats on Quivers either. If I get my hands on a decent Quiver, I will see what that does to my DPS. If I can, I will look at switching between Quiver and Shield on an as-need basis.

I'm in Act I, DH, level 54, with 2500 DPS, 2500 armor, and 26.8K health, just to give you comparison numbers. I'm doing fairly well, except for the boss packs/mob types that are of course giong to give a DH fits. Vortex? Leaper? Yeah. I get them down, but it's a struggle, and I'm not HC, so I may die in that. I get better every time, except for the Invulnerable Minion one that I assumed was just 'Shielding' till I read it.

[RiotInferno]

One thing that helped me survive quite a bit in Hell was switching over to a 1-Hand xbow and a shield, and Hell was really when skill selection started to matter for me.

Feel free to PM me for my battle tag, I might (I don't remember what I've vendored / AH'd ) still have some of my lower-level gear laying around, and if so, you're welcome to it.

[Roland]

One thing that helped me survive quite a bit in Hell was switching over to a 1-Hand xbow and a shield, and Hell was really when skill selection started to matter for me.

Feel free to PM me for my battle tag, I might (I don't remember what I've vendored / AH'd ) still have some of my lower-level gear laying around, and if so, you're welcome to it.

I've got tons of bows I can't give away at 25k gold. Let me know if you're interested and I'll hook you up Elric. They're just taking up inventory space, and they're all >500 DPS base, with +Dex, +%life steal, and socketed.

[Elric of Grans]

I went Hand Crossbow/Shield in early Act I; it made an enormous difference to survivability. I have tried dropping the shield a couple of times, but almost immediately come back.

Thanks for the offers, but I spent all my gold upgrading my Blacksmith for the next tier of gear, which includes a bow. Once I gain another level (to use it) and somehow farm enough gold to craft one (I swear I got better gold drops in Normal), I will hopefully have something up to snuff.

Slowly continuing through Act II while I work on it. Still using almost entirely using Nightmare-tier equipment (bought a 250DPS bow from a vendor the other day that is Hell-tier). There is definitely something screwy about the drops; no wonder everyone in Inferno is complaining. I am sure I had better luck in Diablo II, and gear meant far less in it.

[RiotInferno]

Well if there's anything I can do to help, feel free to look me up

[Elric of Grans]

*groan*
Rakanoth/Hell. Every time he teleports, one-hit-kill. A preemptive Smoke Screen seems the only possible solution the class has, but he uses the same preparation animation for all his attacks, and the order does not seem to be consistent either. As such, the only possible solution seems to be a preemptive Smoke Screen before EVERY attack, and Preparation to keep your Discipline up. In other words, as best I can tell, the only possible way to fight this guy is to exploit the single most broken build in the game. Surely, that cannot be right? If my gear just not up to snuff?

I currently have:
Block: 17%/1500 damage
Dodge: 26%
Damage Reduction: 50%
Resistances: 25%
Life: 29K
DPS: 4K

I can currently cut off around 1/2 his life before he manages to one-shot me. Is there an alternative, or do I have to just suck it up and exploit the cheese?

[Roland]

*groan*
Rakanoth/Hell. Every time he teleports, one-hit-kill. A preemptive Smoke Screen seems the only possible solution the class has, but he uses the same preparation animation for all his attacks, and the order does not seem to be consistent either. As such, the only possible solution seems to be a preemptive Smoke Screen before EVERY attack, and Preparation to keep your Discipline up. In other words, as best I can tell, the only possible way to fight this guy is to exploit the single most broken build in the game. Surely, that cannot be right? If my gear just not up to snuff?

I currently have:
Block: 17%/1500 damage
Dodge: 26%
Damage Reduction: 50%
Resistances: 25%
Life: 29K
DPS: 4K

I can currently cut off around 1/2 his life before he manages to one-shot me. Is there an alternative, or do I have to just suck it up and exploit the cheese?

He never gave me any issues in Normal, Nightmare, nor Hell. I'd say it's either gearing, tactics, or both. Keep him at medium range and dodge his breath attack, and you should be fine. I've heard if you stray too far away he teleports to you and hits you for a ton of damage. I always kept him at about 20 yards or so, and never had a problem with him. I've never used Smoke Screen, either.

[Elric of Grans]

I had no trouble with him in Normal/Nightmare, but his teleport attack absolutely knocks the crap out of me. Considering how hard I have geared for defence (I can stand toe-to-toe against mos mobs), one-shotting just should not happen. I just tried standing close to him, as you suggested, but he was still doing the teleport/one-shot attack. I really hate to be a complainer, but I am getting so sick of this game. I want to like it, but there is too much crap like this that takes all the fun away.

[Roland]

I had no trouble with him in Normal/Nightmare, but his teleport attack absolutely knocks the crap out of me. Considering how hard I have geared for defence (I can stand toe-to-toe against mos mobs), one-shotting just should not happen. I just tried standing close to him, as you suggested, but he was still doing the teleport/one-shot attack. I really hate to be a complainer, but I am getting so sick of this game. I want to like it, but there is too much crap like this that takes all the fun away.

Want me to hop on and 3-shot him with you?

[Elric of Grans]

I would love a hand to skip him. I just tried switching all my skills to ones with Stun effects, in case I can just stun-lock him out of that attack. Never once saw any stars above his head, so I can only assume he is immune!

[Elric of Grans]

With Roland's help, Rakanoth crumbled before he got that far through his attack sequence. He then carried me through the rest of Act IV with very little trouble (I swear, I would not have hesitated to quit the game and start again with a couple of those Elite groups we met). Apparently, enemies do not live long enough to hit you when you have enough DPS. Meh, where is the fun in playing the game properly?

It was interesting to see a different build playing alongside. I will definitely test a few tweaks on my build after seeing what Roland was doing.

[Roland]

With Roland's help, Rakanoth crumbled before he got that far through his attack sequence. He then carried me through the rest of Act IV with very little trouble (I swear, I would not have hesitated to quit the game and start again with a couple of those Elite groups we met). Apparently, enemies do not live long enough to hit you when you have enough DPS. Meh, where is the fun in playing the game properly?

It was interesting to see a different build playing alongside. I will definitely test a few tweaks on my build after seeing what Roland was doing.

Yeah... that Invunlerable Minions / wahetever / whatever Fallen Angel pack was less than fun, especially followed by the Illusionist / Extra Health / whatever meteor-dropping sorcerer guys that I had to solo right afterwards. I'll admit it got a little hairy a couple times, but such is the power of mods. Sometimes they can just wreck you, even if you're far out-geared for the situation. Also, getting frozen by multiple Izual frost bombs and then immediately smacked by half a dozen fallen angels in succession did not cooperate with my life total. Sloppy play on my part, but thankfully Big D was a piece of cake.

Glad to lend a hand, and hopefully those wonderful upgrades we found along the way will carry you onward. Experiment with skills and see what fits your style. I'm probably one of the only DHs who uses Bola Shot - I kinda pride myself on that - but Sentry has its uses, especially for boss battles. Just remember: everything's tied to your weapon, so if you have a crappy weapon ALL your skills are going to suck.

[Quark]

Rakanoth? On Inferno even Force Armor Wizards get one-shot. They resort to a petty trick - using a skill/rune that absorbs a hit every once in awhile when you're below 35% health. Go in with less than 35% health, teleport fast after he teleports, and let Hydra do all the work.

[RiotInferno]

Roland,

I'd be interested in seeing your build, and how is Bolas working out for you?
Inferno has made me re-evaluate my skill selection, and previous skills that I thought weren't good, are looking better and better. Bolas is one that I always had a hard time with though. I don't really see the point of a non-spammable Hatred generator. (or is it spammable, and I've totally missed the boat?)

[Roland]

Roland,

I'd be interested in seeing your build, and how is Bolas working out for you?
Inferno has made me re-evaluate my skill selection, and previous skills that I thought weren't good, are looking better and better. Bolas is one that I always had a hard time with though. I don't really see the point of a non-spammable Hatred generator. (or is it spammable, and I've totally missed the boat?)

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/de...deV!cabZca

There's some room for improvement, but this is what I'm using. I keep debating going back to Volatile Explosives, but so far the increased damage is proving worthwhile. The extended timer can be a PITA at times, especially since I tend to get impatient and just Impale them before it goes off, but it does allow some interesting tricks (some day I'll have to record a video showing it off). Basically, you can load up a single target with a few Bola shots (it is entirely spammable, it just does paltry damage until the actual explosion) and then take them out with Impale. This makes them a walking time bomb, as when they die all the stacked Bola shots go off at once. Using this method I can clear small (due to the horrid radius - thus Volatile Explosives being my Rune until I hit Inferno and needed a damage boost) groups of mobs instantly. It takes some practice, good aim, and plenty of patience, but it's a neat little trick that's very satisfying when you pull it off. Of course, with Multishot around it's almost moot, but it's a good way to clear a small group without spamming MS and draining your Hatred, or regaining hatred after spamming MS to soften them up.

Impale - Impact is a bread & butter skill. It's a nice Hatred sink, with great single-target damage for elites, bosses, or anything you just want to nail down quick before it becomes too much of a threat. The stun procs about as often as you'd expect, and it's absolutely essential when kiting. There are plenty of mobs in Inferno who will keep pace with you even with 12% movement boots, and even with the reduced timer on stun (it's probably only a half-second duration in Inferno) it can often mean the difference between taking a hit and keeping your distance. Excellent for picking off single minions when facing challenging elite packs, especially for run & gun tactics. It often buys me time when Caltrops doesn't (or can't because I'm out of Discipline).

Caltrops - Jagged Spikes is another skill I've used almost throughout my career. I would have been using it from the moment it unlocked if I had known then that its damage component is continual, not once-fire like the stun Rune. Excellent for softening up mobs in doorways, hallways, or anywhere you can funnel them through a choke point. The slow is useful, but nowhere near as powerful in Inferno (like everything else). It does stack, though, so up against bosses it can be a huge DPS boost - drop your Sentry, pump out as many Caltrops as you can, and let it rip through the enemy's life pool. Combined with Numbing Traps it allows for some damage reduction - not very noticeable in Inferno, to be honest, but with enough defensive gear it could mean the difference between kiting and being able to take a couple hits. I don't believe it procs Life on Hit, but then neither does Sentry.

Companion - Bat took the place of my woeful Spider. I was originally using Cull the Weak with a Crossbow, and so figured the added slow would help keep loose minions away from me, and increase my DPS. Bat is so much better than anything else (as is the case with many of the DH skills, IMHO - one or two skills / Runes just stand out so far above the rest) because it fuels some of your primary skills. It allows me to spam Impale or Multishot an incredible amount of times, and regen it quickly enough that I don't have to constantly spam Bola Shot just to fire off 2 or 3 MS / Impale. I tried the Boar and didn't care for the AoE. The Spider takes too long to engage enemies (and really, so does the Bat, but who cares?) The Wolf I've never actually tried, but its damage is mediocre at best, it has a duration (which means if it goes down when you're low on Discipline you're not going to be recasting it, especially if it's the difference between another Sentry / Caltrops and another Wolf), and if its AI is anything like the others it won't engage nearly well enough to be worthwhile. Leave the pets to the Witch Doctor. Just give me my Hatred and stay out of my way.

Sentry is an excellent skill all around. Like Caltrops it drops at your feet, so you have to plan where you want to put it before (and during) a fight, but otherwise it's a constant DPS stream. It's fire rate is based on yours, so hand crossbows or bows + stacked IAS make it pretty solid. I've been using Guardian Turret, and while I'm not bowled over by it I'm not completely put off, either. Of course, it's not like there's many options anyway. Spitfire Turret is nice for the added DPS, but in Inferno you'll hardly be near your Sentry long enough for it to matter (and if you are it's either against an Act boss, or the mobs aren't enough of a threat for the added DPS to matter much). Aid Station is pathetic. Its heal rate is as slow as anything else, it's only 1% (which is abysmal), and like Guardian Turret the bubble is small. The only time you'll be standing in it long enough for it to matter is when the fight is over. That's what Templar Heals and Brooding are for (and even Brooding is unimpressive on its own, and useless in a fight). Vigilant Watcher is near-pointless: against an Act boss you should be able to manage your Discipline so you don't have to worry about it going down at a clutch moment, and anytime else you won't be near it long enough for the duration to matter at all, and if you are the mobs will be dead long before the Sentry is. Chain of Torment I've not tried, but I hear the range on it is just as abysmal as everything else (if not worse), so I wouldn't even bother, and again - you won't be near it to use it. Guardian Turret is the only other useful Rune, and even then it only gets use about 20% of the time (solo). If they either increased the range significantly or increased the damage reduction significantly it'd be much better - i.e. double the bubble, or take the DR to 25%. I love the skill, I just hate the Runes - but that plagues the entirety of the DH as a whole.

Multishot is your main damage-dealer for any group. It pierces through almost (if not completely) everything - yes that includes Waller walls, doorways, etc.), it seems to stack damage if multiple arrows hit (although not 1-for-1, and there is a cap, or both), and with Fire at Will it's completely spammable. I use it to tear through groups of mobs, and with my damage and attack speed it works wonders. It never gets used against bosses, and rarely against Elites (focus-fire one target at a time is a much better way, as it's your only form of damage mitigation outside of kiting), but against everything else it's spammed like mad. Solid piercing stacking damage in a wide AoE cone? Yeah, I'll take that. Strafe is too low damage, too crippling in mobility, and costs too much (channeled, like Rapid Fire), Cluster Arrow is weak damage for the cost (and smaller AoE), and Rain of Vengeance... just doesn't fit my style, I guess.

Passives should be self-explanatory, but basically when I switched to a Bow I dropped Cull the Weak for Archery. 15% more DPS all the time, as opposed to just slowed mobs? Much better. I would only use it with Crossbows if I could up my crit chance enough through items to be worthwhile (and stack an Emerald in the weapon). Brooding is mostly for when I'm recovering after a fight, and for longer duration kiting against elites and bosses. Otherwise, it's completely useless - it heals too little, too slow, and is interrupted anytime you take damage (including Reflects Damage). Then again, almost everything else in the Passives completely suck - just flat out, "why did they think this was even worthwhile" horrible terrible SUCKAGE. Numbing Traps came about in Inferno as an experiment. With enough defensive gear, like Guardian Turret it helps mitigate damage, but you still have to kite plenty so don't go thinking it's going to save you from anything. It helps when you're forced to stand and fight (Waller, Jailer, etc.), but aside from that it's situational and not strong enough to save you 9 times out of 10.

Anyway, that's my build. I may tinker with it slightly in the future, but the core skills aren't changing. The only Skill I'd consider swapping is Companion, and that'd be for either Vault (don't know what Rune), or Preparation - Battle Scars (seriously, why do 90% of our Runes have to be such complete garbage?) for the instant health. Of course, it won't keep me from getting one-shotted, whereas more Hatred allows me to thin mobs down faster, so in the long run I just don't see either of them being better than Companion - Bat.

[RiotInferno]

Thanks for the detailed post.
I spent most of my levels from the 40s-60 running Multishot ( Suppression Fire ) / Preperation ( Punishment ), but that all changed when i got Nether Tendrils.

I'm thinking of going back to MS, as it fires faster then NT, and I don't know if the life link helps me that much ( I know speaking against NT or SS as a DH is heresy )

How often does Brooding work for you? 1% doesn't seem like much, and I always seem to get tagged by something in Inferno, and if doesn't kill me, I can usually grab a health globe.

The build looks interesting! I might have to give bolas a try again at some point.