05-29-2012, 10:41 AM
I would like to see what everyone is doing. More importantly, why they are doing it. A simple list of skills does not tell the story of how someone plays. It would also be relevant to see what class of weapon (bow, crossbow, hand crossbow/shield, dual hand crossbow, melee weapon/shield, dual melee weapon) you most-typically use.
Weapon
I have mostly used bows. On occasion, I have use a crossbow when the DPS was dramatically higher, but I happily sacrifice a little damage for the faster attack speed. I would like to use dual hand crossbows for the fastest attack speed, but I have never found two decent ones that were close to the same DPS. I think I have only once found one that was decent :\
Active Skills
LMB: Entangling Shot/Justice is Served. I have found I am not overly fond of any of the four Hatred-generating skills. I took Justice is Served to maximise the Hatred generation, allowing me to focus on my other skills. Entangling Shot seemed the lesser of four evils, as it provided a double-debuff, with Slow and a damage boost (from Cull the Weak). The Slow effect almost feels redundant, however, since half the Demon Hunter's skills Slow enemies. I use this on single, weaker enemies (eg Fallen), or thrown out periodically amid Hatred-using skills, to keep Hatred around half-full.
RMB: Elemental Arrow/Frost Arrow. This is my work-horse skill. Solid damage for moderate Hatred cost, Elemental Arrow quickly became a favourite of mine. Frost Arrow is, frankly, an over-powered Rune. It does more damage than the other Runes and it Slows enemies and it splits into additional projectiles that target enemies off the original line. This skill quickly slaughters regular groups and provides solid damage on Elite groups.
1: Smoke Screen/Lingering Fog. This skill almost feels essential for the class. I rarely use it, but sometimes I run into Elite groups that I know I would not have taken down without this. Lingering Fog is the only Rune that actually provides a meaningful benefit and, even post-nerf, longer duration is still longer duration. The ability to take the heat off for even 1.5 seconds when swarmed by, say, Jailer/Mortar Scavengers is that fine line between life and death. I honestly would like to switch out to something I can use more often, but I cannot see how I would handle those nasty groups without it.
2: Companion/Bat Companion. I like the fire-and-forget aspect of this Discipline-using skill. It almost seems too good when similar skills on the Wizard have a five minute timer. The extra damage it provides is, frankly, meaningless and it often tags mobs I did not want it to, but there is one reason I cannot switch it out: the bonus to Hatred Regeneration. It allow me to spam Elemental Arrow and, so long as I am kiting, I never come close to running out of Hatred. When I have the luxury to stand and fire, I pull out absurd damage before I need to stop, and recover fast enough that it is not dangerous. Similar to Smoke Screen, it often feels like I am wasting a slot, but every time I switch it out I immediately find my Hatred drains too fast for my liking. I have not found an alternative that added anything I felt my build needed, either.
3: Sentry/Spitfire Turret. Sentry is fantastic. Solid damage, allows you to kite while applying damage, and allows solid DPS when you can fire at the same time. I drop Sentries when there are large mobs. I drop Sentries when Elites appear. When facing something nasty (eg Extra Fast, Vortex or Jailer), I use Sentry to apply a large percentage of my damage while I focus on kiting the enemies back and forth across the Sentry's range. I use Spitfire Turrent as it seems to provide the best DPS; the other options I have used so far all felt inferior, though the higher-level Runes sound like nice alternatives.
4: Rain of Vengeance: Dark Cloud. Similar to Sentry, this is my means of applying damage while kiting tough Elites. I pop this, then Dark Cloud ensures the damage remains focused on the mobs I am kiting. The total damage is pretty solid, and the cooldown is not as not as bad as I would have thought. Most mobs only require one use to thin-out (removing Minions, or weakening all members of a Champion group), though I have had one nasty group that took three bursts (Extra Fast: I had no time to stop and shoot, so this and Sentry did all the damage). I have tried changing it out a few times to something I can use more freely, but the benefits of this are so good I keep coming back.
Passive Skills
Steady Aim. I keep swapping this slot all the time, because I cannot find anything I especially like. Steady Aim is essentially the current place holder, rather than being used for any particular reason.
Cull the Weak. This has been the crux of my play-style since the moment I unlocked it. Entangling Shot and Frost Arrow now essentially provide a debuff ensuring that all shots coming after them do more damage. 15% does not sound a lot, but I often see 100 extra damage in mid-Nightmare; I can imagine it only becomes better as time goes by.
Brooding. Initially, I did not like this. By Act II/Nightmare, I had so much health (>10K) that it was churning out a fairly good regen amount. Most of the time, this (and my Templar companion) handle my healing. Combined with Smoke Screen, it goes a long way to helping me get through the potion cooldown timer in even horrid situations. I would suggest the skill is unlocked too early, as you need more levels to appreciate how good it is.
Weapon
I have mostly used bows. On occasion, I have use a crossbow when the DPS was dramatically higher, but I happily sacrifice a little damage for the faster attack speed. I would like to use dual hand crossbows for the fastest attack speed, but I have never found two decent ones that were close to the same DPS. I think I have only once found one that was decent :\
Active Skills
LMB: Entangling Shot/Justice is Served. I have found I am not overly fond of any of the four Hatred-generating skills. I took Justice is Served to maximise the Hatred generation, allowing me to focus on my other skills. Entangling Shot seemed the lesser of four evils, as it provided a double-debuff, with Slow and a damage boost (from Cull the Weak). The Slow effect almost feels redundant, however, since half the Demon Hunter's skills Slow enemies. I use this on single, weaker enemies (eg Fallen), or thrown out periodically amid Hatred-using skills, to keep Hatred around half-full.
RMB: Elemental Arrow/Frost Arrow. This is my work-horse skill. Solid damage for moderate Hatred cost, Elemental Arrow quickly became a favourite of mine. Frost Arrow is, frankly, an over-powered Rune. It does more damage than the other Runes and it Slows enemies and it splits into additional projectiles that target enemies off the original line. This skill quickly slaughters regular groups and provides solid damage on Elite groups.
1: Smoke Screen/Lingering Fog. This skill almost feels essential for the class. I rarely use it, but sometimes I run into Elite groups that I know I would not have taken down without this. Lingering Fog is the only Rune that actually provides a meaningful benefit and, even post-nerf, longer duration is still longer duration. The ability to take the heat off for even 1.5 seconds when swarmed by, say, Jailer/Mortar Scavengers is that fine line between life and death. I honestly would like to switch out to something I can use more often, but I cannot see how I would handle those nasty groups without it.
2: Companion/Bat Companion. I like the fire-and-forget aspect of this Discipline-using skill. It almost seems too good when similar skills on the Wizard have a five minute timer. The extra damage it provides is, frankly, meaningless and it often tags mobs I did not want it to, but there is one reason I cannot switch it out: the bonus to Hatred Regeneration. It allow me to spam Elemental Arrow and, so long as I am kiting, I never come close to running out of Hatred. When I have the luxury to stand and fire, I pull out absurd damage before I need to stop, and recover fast enough that it is not dangerous. Similar to Smoke Screen, it often feels like I am wasting a slot, but every time I switch it out I immediately find my Hatred drains too fast for my liking. I have not found an alternative that added anything I felt my build needed, either.
3: Sentry/Spitfire Turret. Sentry is fantastic. Solid damage, allows you to kite while applying damage, and allows solid DPS when you can fire at the same time. I drop Sentries when there are large mobs. I drop Sentries when Elites appear. When facing something nasty (eg Extra Fast, Vortex or Jailer), I use Sentry to apply a large percentage of my damage while I focus on kiting the enemies back and forth across the Sentry's range. I use Spitfire Turrent as it seems to provide the best DPS; the other options I have used so far all felt inferior, though the higher-level Runes sound like nice alternatives.
4: Rain of Vengeance: Dark Cloud. Similar to Sentry, this is my means of applying damage while kiting tough Elites. I pop this, then Dark Cloud ensures the damage remains focused on the mobs I am kiting. The total damage is pretty solid, and the cooldown is not as not as bad as I would have thought. Most mobs only require one use to thin-out (removing Minions, or weakening all members of a Champion group), though I have had one nasty group that took three bursts (Extra Fast: I had no time to stop and shoot, so this and Sentry did all the damage). I have tried changing it out a few times to something I can use more freely, but the benefits of this are so good I keep coming back.
Passive Skills
Steady Aim. I keep swapping this slot all the time, because I cannot find anything I especially like. Steady Aim is essentially the current place holder, rather than being used for any particular reason.
Cull the Weak. This has been the crux of my play-style since the moment I unlocked it. Entangling Shot and Frost Arrow now essentially provide a debuff ensuring that all shots coming after them do more damage. 15% does not sound a lot, but I often see 100 extra damage in mid-Nightmare; I can imagine it only becomes better as time goes by.
Brooding. Initially, I did not like this. By Act II/Nightmare, I had so much health (>10K) that it was churning out a fairly good regen amount. Most of the time, this (and my Templar companion) handle my healing. Combined with Smoke Screen, it goes a long way to helping me get through the potion cooldown timer in even horrid situations. I would suggest the skill is unlocked too early, as you need more levels to appreciate how good it is.
May the wind pick up your heels and your sword strike true.