05-31-2012, 05:20 AM
Weapon
I started off using almost exclusively crossbows for the higher DPS. I've since switched over to Bows for the higher attack rate, and combined with Archery it gives me pretty close to Crossbow DPS (and really, what else am I going to spend the passive on? Our passives SUCK
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Active Skills
LMB: Bola Shot - Imminent Doom. I switched from Volatile Explosives to Imminent Doom when I hit Inferno because I needed the added damage, and when you can only fire one shot before you have to kite for 2+ seconds the added timer delay doesn't matter much at all. I'm thinking about switching back, however, not that my base DPS is just shy of 18k. Volatile Explosives are very nice for packs (almost essential, IMHO, but that's a playstyle preference), and I haven't seen much else worthwhile. Acid Strike is absolute rubbish - the 3 Bolas fire in a trident-like spread, and each Bola can only hit one enemy, meaning that if you're up-close only one Bola hits the target while the rest pass right through for no damage. Complete. Utter. Garbage. I never much cared for Hungering Arrow, and the explosion radius of Volatile Explosives just made Bola Shot too good of an AoE to give up all the way through to Inferno Act I. As I said, though, Imminent Doom was more of a placeholder, so I'm thinking of switching back to Volatile Explosives.
RMB: Impale - Impact. High-damage single-target? Check. Good chance for stun? Check. Spammable with Companion - Bat and a little bit of added Hatred Regen? Check. Excellent on Act bosses (especially those that can actually be stunned), and super effective on trash mobs in a champ pack for that almost-on-demand stun. Not only does it effectively allow me to whittle down groups, it allows me to gain kiting distance from the one (or two, or three if I'm really pinched) mobs that break free of my Caltrops and get too close to comfort. Never leave home without it. It's a must-have skill in my bar.
1: Caltrops - Jagged Spikes. OMG is this skill awesome. 60% slow on a PB-placed AoE trap (with a long duration before it disappears when not triggered)? Hells yes. 45% CONTINUAL (and that's the key word here) weapon damage? OMG hells yes. Easily got me through to Inferno Act I, and is incredible at choke points due to its static nature and continual slow + damage. Combined with Cull the Weak for added punishment (up to Inferno, anyway). Originally had it as Hooked Spines, but that was only because I thought the damage was a once-fire when tripped, ala the stun. When I actually tried it and realized it was continual damage I never looked back - period. 20% more slow is nice, but continual damage while slowed is better, especially when you can lay 4 or 5 in a line while kiting.
2: Companion - Bat Companion. Originally Spider Companion for the added slow (occasionally useful for stragglers that escape the Caltrops), and especially Cull the Weak. Tip from SirDiealot led me to the Bat, and I've never looked back since. Cull the Weak is great up through Hell, but in Inferno it's just not worth it over things like Archery (if you have a Bow), Brooding, and Numbing Traps. Tried the Boar - didn't care for it (I have better AoE skills). Haven't tried the Wolf, but the damage just isn't high enough to be worth it, especially when I burn through Discipline like mad dropping Caltrops + Sentry while kiting. If it was 100% weapon damage it might be a different story, but even then it's hard to argue with massive Hatred regeneration. Flat-out the best Companion skill.
3: Sentry - Guardian Turret. Started out as Spitfire (which was AWESOME). Moved up to Aid Station in Inferno, but found it virtually worthless except for post-fight healing (when I didn't want to waste a pot cooldown). Currently set at Guardian Turret and finding it just as worthless. You simply cannot tank as a DH (nor should you necessarily), and even with Caltrops + Numbing Traps the very basic core mechanic makes this skill worthless - you have to be in the bubble, standing still. You quite simply cannot kite at such a short range. If Aid Station and/or Guardian Turret were not distance-based (or covered the screen, at least) they would be perfectly viable (and balanced). As it is, they're utter crap, so I may just move back to Spitfire Turret (despite the paltry damage boost, it IS a boost, and it's noticeable on Act Bosses). Vigilant Watcher isn't worth anything - if it doubled the duration it MIGHT be, but as it stands there's no reason to take it. Just manage your Discipline with a modicum of effort. Chains of Torment SOUND interesting, but I'm not sure the damage is worth the cost, especially since I don't know the range (although if it's anything like Aid Station / Guardian Turret, it'll be just as worthless as those).
4: Multishot - Fire at Will. Used to have Spike Trap, especially with the damage boost / longer cooldown, but switched to this (on account of SirDiealot) and haven't looked back. VERY spammable with this rune (making it, IMHO, the most damage / Hatred efficient setup for Multishot), and absolutely killer on trash mobs. Useless on single targets, but that's not what it's designed for. Great for choke points as it shoots through some walls (if you're close enough to the doorway, anyway). Like all my other skills, I find it very hard to give up.
Passive Skills
Archery. Without a Bow I might do Cull the Weak, but I'm not sure. Honestly, we don't get very many useful Passives. Thrill of the Hunt was my first, and I used it for quite awhile. I may switch back to that if I had a Crossbow (50% higher crit damage? Really? Does that even mathematically compare to 15% flat damage increase?)
Brooding. This came in somewhere in Hell, I think. Practically useless, but it helps when kiting for those clinch kill-or-be-killed fights, especially when I could actually travel through my Aid Station for a second or two (and that's an eternity). Haven't found anything better to replace it with. Sad.
Numbing Traps. Tried this in Inferno. Not sure if it's worth it, but given how much I use Caltrops it seemed fitting. 25% damage reduction is NOTHING in Inferno, but I suppose it helps more when grouping (which I rarely ever do). As I said, we get pretty shitty passives, so the only thing I might change it for is Sharpshooter, but even that's a stretch.
I started off using almost exclusively crossbows for the higher DPS. I've since switched over to Bows for the higher attack rate, and combined with Archery it gives me pretty close to Crossbow DPS (and really, what else am I going to spend the passive on? Our passives SUCK
)Active Skills
LMB: Bola Shot - Imminent Doom. I switched from Volatile Explosives to Imminent Doom when I hit Inferno because I needed the added damage, and when you can only fire one shot before you have to kite for 2+ seconds the added timer delay doesn't matter much at all. I'm thinking about switching back, however, not that my base DPS is just shy of 18k. Volatile Explosives are very nice for packs (almost essential, IMHO, but that's a playstyle preference), and I haven't seen much else worthwhile. Acid Strike is absolute rubbish - the 3 Bolas fire in a trident-like spread, and each Bola can only hit one enemy, meaning that if you're up-close only one Bola hits the target while the rest pass right through for no damage. Complete. Utter. Garbage. I never much cared for Hungering Arrow, and the explosion radius of Volatile Explosives just made Bola Shot too good of an AoE to give up all the way through to Inferno Act I. As I said, though, Imminent Doom was more of a placeholder, so I'm thinking of switching back to Volatile Explosives.
RMB: Impale - Impact. High-damage single-target? Check. Good chance for stun? Check. Spammable with Companion - Bat and a little bit of added Hatred Regen? Check. Excellent on Act bosses (especially those that can actually be stunned), and super effective on trash mobs in a champ pack for that almost-on-demand stun. Not only does it effectively allow me to whittle down groups, it allows me to gain kiting distance from the one (or two, or three if I'm really pinched) mobs that break free of my Caltrops and get too close to comfort. Never leave home without it. It's a must-have skill in my bar.
1: Caltrops - Jagged Spikes. OMG is this skill awesome. 60% slow on a PB-placed AoE trap (with a long duration before it disappears when not triggered)? Hells yes. 45% CONTINUAL (and that's the key word here) weapon damage? OMG hells yes. Easily got me through to Inferno Act I, and is incredible at choke points due to its static nature and continual slow + damage. Combined with Cull the Weak for added punishment (up to Inferno, anyway). Originally had it as Hooked Spines, but that was only because I thought the damage was a once-fire when tripped, ala the stun. When I actually tried it and realized it was continual damage I never looked back - period. 20% more slow is nice, but continual damage while slowed is better, especially when you can lay 4 or 5 in a line while kiting.
2: Companion - Bat Companion. Originally Spider Companion for the added slow (occasionally useful for stragglers that escape the Caltrops), and especially Cull the Weak. Tip from SirDiealot led me to the Bat, and I've never looked back since. Cull the Weak is great up through Hell, but in Inferno it's just not worth it over things like Archery (if you have a Bow), Brooding, and Numbing Traps. Tried the Boar - didn't care for it (I have better AoE skills). Haven't tried the Wolf, but the damage just isn't high enough to be worth it, especially when I burn through Discipline like mad dropping Caltrops + Sentry while kiting. If it was 100% weapon damage it might be a different story, but even then it's hard to argue with massive Hatred regeneration. Flat-out the best Companion skill.
3: Sentry - Guardian Turret. Started out as Spitfire (which was AWESOME). Moved up to Aid Station in Inferno, but found it virtually worthless except for post-fight healing (when I didn't want to waste a pot cooldown). Currently set at Guardian Turret and finding it just as worthless. You simply cannot tank as a DH (nor should you necessarily), and even with Caltrops + Numbing Traps the very basic core mechanic makes this skill worthless - you have to be in the bubble, standing still. You quite simply cannot kite at such a short range. If Aid Station and/or Guardian Turret were not distance-based (or covered the screen, at least) they would be perfectly viable (and balanced). As it is, they're utter crap, so I may just move back to Spitfire Turret (despite the paltry damage boost, it IS a boost, and it's noticeable on Act Bosses). Vigilant Watcher isn't worth anything - if it doubled the duration it MIGHT be, but as it stands there's no reason to take it. Just manage your Discipline with a modicum of effort. Chains of Torment SOUND interesting, but I'm not sure the damage is worth the cost, especially since I don't know the range (although if it's anything like Aid Station / Guardian Turret, it'll be just as worthless as those).
4: Multishot - Fire at Will. Used to have Spike Trap, especially with the damage boost / longer cooldown, but switched to this (on account of SirDiealot) and haven't looked back. VERY spammable with this rune (making it, IMHO, the most damage / Hatred efficient setup for Multishot), and absolutely killer on trash mobs. Useless on single targets, but that's not what it's designed for. Great for choke points as it shoots through some walls (if you're close enough to the doorway, anyway). Like all my other skills, I find it very hard to give up.
Passive Skills
Archery. Without a Bow I might do Cull the Weak, but I'm not sure. Honestly, we don't get very many useful Passives. Thrill of the Hunt was my first, and I used it for quite awhile. I may switch back to that if I had a Crossbow (50% higher crit damage? Really? Does that even mathematically compare to 15% flat damage increase?)
Brooding. This came in somewhere in Hell, I think. Practically useless, but it helps when kiting for those clinch kill-or-be-killed fights, especially when I could actually travel through my Aid Station for a second or two (and that's an eternity). Haven't found anything better to replace it with. Sad.
Numbing Traps. Tried this in Inferno. Not sure if it's worth it, but given how much I use Caltrops it seemed fitting. 25% damage reduction is NOTHING in Inferno, but I suppose it helps more when grouping (which I rarely ever do). As I said, we get pretty shitty passives, so the only thing I might change it for is Sharpshooter, but even that's a stretch.
Roland *The Gunslinger*