Through Norm with a Trapper

[Dagni]

Well I guess that nerf was necessary considering how much the damage potential increased.

Well, I think I would've preferred somewhat less damage in return for the old range. Part of it is just that I have to get used to the new range, at first I was missing some of my targets that I expected to be hit.

What is the best claw I could actually buy? Are the bonuses to Fire blast gone by the time you can get +2 Trap skills? How about +1 trap skills?

Fire Blast can NEVER be shopped for because by the time you can get Hand Scythes, the first claw with +skills, it is already to late for level 1 skills. Even if Katars could get +skills, I don't think that +1 trap skills would show up in time.

Another good Runeword early is Leaf for the +3 fire skills. But even in a short staff, you will be spamming quite a bit slower - unless you pump BoS a ton.

I don't know how I'm going to cope with Duriel. If it's true that he now also ignores minions and mercs, then I'm in real trouble.

If nothing else works, I'd just throw down 5 traps (of whatever type you decide on), then run away until the traps are exhausted, rinse and repeat.

I was thinking of getting Death Sentry since it's Corpse Explosion also deals physical damage (right?), and I figured dual immunities, such as Fire/Lightning, would be more common. But then again, this might not apply to normal monsters, and I doubt the CE is useful against Bosses

Well, with +12 or more to Trap Skills, I figure that with just one point in Death Sentry the CE radius should be good enough. So unless more points actually increases the damage of the CE in 1.10, I'll use DS without pumping it, and only for the CE, not the lightning damage.

As far as Fire/Lightning immunes, how are you going to even get the first corpse if it is an entire group? If it's a boss, actually CE might work well, if you can hit it with all of its minion's corpses. Me, I might just avoid Fire/Lightning immunes like the plague, but if you are going to fight them, one point in Blade Sentinel or Blade Fury with a good weapon switch probably could do the trick eventually, or get the first corpse for the DS. And if you're willing to spend the points, 20 in Venom would probably make Blade Fury or Sentinel quite effective against the dual immunes.

- Dagni