WD Solo Inferno Guide

[Kylearan]

Hi,

someone wrote a WD Solo Inferno Guide on the b.net forums:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5149014804

Although I don't like the premise of that guide (rush to later Inferno acts ASAP in order to be able to farm), I found it very interesting nonetheless - especially the detailed descriptions of the boss attacks and mechanics.

My own solo HC witch doctor is still in normal, taking it slow (probably a dumb idea to play my first WD in HC, but I like the thrill ). I will do the absolute opposite of rushing with him; still the guide gave me a lot of inspiration.

-Kylearan

[Kevin]

I'm still reading the link, but I think my impression is going to be similar to yours. Don't agree with the core concept in that I get a lot of enjoyment from the journey and my aim is not to get to the grind as soon as possible, but do think there is some valuable information.

(probably a dumb idea to play my first WD in HC, but I like the thrill )

I don't think it's a dumb idea at all but some of that is because I'm liking the thrill as well. I just finished up nightmare on my HC doctor last night (I'm 52). My biggest softcore toon is L15 I think and just about done with normal Act 1. So I'm seeing all the content for the first time on a HC toon (or at least anything that wasn't in the beta was first seen with the HC doctor).

I'm fortunate that I haven't had to reroll yet either as the folks I tend to group with would be even farther ahead of me than they are (and all of them have had at least one reroll) I'm at around 40 hours of play time on the doctor and at least 6 hours of that is AFK in towns.

I think it's a fun way to play the game. If I had more time I'd be playing more softcore or my other HC toons because there is a lot of fun to be had with having no real consequences on a SC toon as well.

[Magicbag]

If I had more time I'd be playing more softcore or my other HC toons because there is a lot of fun to be had with having no real consequences on a SC toon as well.

My main is a 57 WD in softcore and I'm finding the guide very informative with dealing with Hell difficulty heh. Belial especially is terrible. I'm not as stubborn about pairing up with people to continue advancement though.
50+ attempts is not something I think I'd enjoy solo on any content.

[DeeBye]

That's a pretty great guide, and I was actually looking for a pure Splinters build for Act Bosses.

[DeeBye]

I started stacking +attack speed for my Splinters. It's incredible.

[DeeBye]

So I have been in Inferno Act 1/Act 2(lol) for a little bit, and I'm really starting to buy into this pure Splinters build. As much as Zombie Bears wreck stuff, you just cannot afford to use them in Inferno. Getting close enough to spam Bears is certain death.

My build right now is this, and I'm not totally sold on it.

You will absolutely be relying on Grasp and Wall of Zombies - both with the extra slow runes - and spamming Splinter Darts 24/7. Pierce the Veil and Spirit Vessel are essential passives here. I also took Fetish Sycophants, because when you are spamming Splinter Darts all day long it can add up to a lot of little Fetishes causing havok and acting as ad-hoc tanks for you.

Templar follower is the only option. You need a tank in front of you for Champ/Boss packs. I have a Garg as well, but as sturdy as he is in Hell - he can and will be 2-shot in Inferno. I'm not 100% sure I'll keep the Garg skill much longer because I think I might be better served using that skill slot for another defensive skill like Hex, Horrify, or Mass Confusion.

Soul Harvest is another skill I might swap for one of Hex, Horrify, or Mass Confusion. Soul Harvest only works when you get in close, and that's deadly. I really only use it as an afterthought for the healing from Siphon, but I probably would be better served using that slot for something else.

With this build, you need to stack Attack Speed%. I'm at 2.18 attacks per second, and I want more. I want a veritable laser beam of Darts firing out of my mouth.

A final note about Witch Doctors in Inferno - you will die, repeatedly. There are some Champ/Boss ability combos that you won't have any chance against no matter how good you think you are. Mortar/Shielding/Waller/Invulnerable Minions/Vortex/Teleporting/Arcane Enchanted in any combination will mess you up.

[Arethor]

I've been in Act 1 Inferno and agree with pretty much everything you've said. Last time playing my WD I brick walled at butcher with a 6 stack of Neph and didn't feel like swapping specs. I stopped after the buff ended and I've been on a Barb kick the past few days.

My build right now is this, and I'm not totally sold on it.

The build i've been using is actually very close to the guide's build. My build is this one. I think Spirit Vessel is a must have in Inferno with this build since it reduces the CD on Spirit Walk and Horrify and gives you the 1-time save. All in all this build provides a healthy dose of CC/control with a few outs in case you get caught in a bad spot.

Attack speed is very important to kill things quickly, but even a high damage 1-hander/Mojo combo can be useful without additional attack speed bonuses. Without one or the other though there is a good chance you'll run into the "enrage" timers of champ packs even if you can survive them.

The Templar is your best friend, but I could see there being a few points where DPS is more important and you might want to grab the Scoundrel or Enchantress. For example, on the Butcher in Inferno when he gets to ~ 25% hp there is basically no safe spots on the ground. The entire floor fluctuates constantly. Using this build (since i had a 6 stack Neph and was being stubborn) I couldn't survive long enough to kill him and couldn't dish out damage at a quick enough rate. With a build designed for that encounter I'm sure I could beat it, but I might go with the Scoundrel for additional DPS for the sub-25%. I'll have to test that once I give it another go.

I also agree that some combos are just not worth fighting as a solo WD. The spiderlings packs in the cave are especially nasty if you run into a champ/elite. I actually left/resumed 2 or 3 times because of nearly impossible champ packs that I was making no headway on and were blocking the way i had to go.

It's a challenge, but if you chain your CC and do your best to use safe positioning you should be able to handle most of everything that your gear allows.

[DeeBye]

The build i've been using is actually very close to the guide's build. My build is this one.

Yeah, I'll probably go with something like that build very soon. The only change would be the healing rune for Spirit Walk instead of the mana one.

Also, Neph only stacks to 5. Not 6.

[Arethor]

Yeah, I'll probably go with something like that build very soon. The only change would be the healing rune for Spirit Walk instead of the mana one.

Also, Neph only stacks to 5. Not 6.

I actually am using the healing rune, guess i just missed changing that.

The number on the neph icon is hard to read I could never tell which it was

[Frag]

A final note about Witch Doctors in Inferno - you will die, repeatedly.

Guess I shouldn't be playing one in Hardcore then. Thanks for the heads up.

[RTM]

As a witch doctor progressing through hell and eyeing Inferno (albeit slowly), I wonder how the attack speed nerf will affect the viability of these builds?

[DeeBye]

As a witch doctor progressing through hell and eyeing Inferno (albeit slowly), I wonder how the attack speed nerf will affect the viability of these builds?

I lost 9k damage on my pure splinters build (25k to just over 16k). Overall survivability is better with the other Inferno changes, but I think I need a new build.

edit: I also thought I noticed that DoT skills like Grasp of the Dead and Wall of Zombies was doing a lot more damage. It must be from this:

Damage Over Time (DoT) skills will now properly benefit from items with the +Critical Chance affix

[RTM]

edit: I also thought I noticed that DoT skills like Grasp of the Dead and Wall of Zombies was doing a lot more damage. It must be from this:

Damage Over Time (DoT) skills will now properly benefit from items with the +Critical Chance affix

I noticed that line in the patch notes and am anxious to check try out a high crit Locust Swarm build!