Through Norm with a Trapper

[Dagni]

but 3.3 yards is still good enough to cause some major mass destruction against tightly packed enemies

Yeah, but by the time Frenzytaurs are *tightly* packed, your body is littering the floor. :) Actually, I haven't used the new range against Frenzytaurs yet, but it should be alright. The big difference, I think, is that with the old range more often than not you could hit everyone in one particular group at once, so you wouldn't have to worry about uninjured stragglers as often. Indeed, Fire Blast was kinda anti-CE, because when you got the first corpse, you might well also get the last. :P

Pumping BoS is out of the question since I need every point I can spare in the trap tree, didn't even look at the discipline tree before I had maxed FB. So no Leaf for me.

Oh, I wouldn't dream of pumping BoS either. No, I meant that the slower cast speed is a negative, but it can be outweighed by the improved damage. Without any other item ias, or +skills, a 'Steel' scimitar gives 9 frame Fire Blast at slvl 20, for 85.5-113.5, or 99.5 avg dmg. A 'Leaf' short staff gives 12 frame Fire Blast at slvl 23, for 124.5-159.5, or 142 avg dmg. So the scimitar is +33% faster, but the staff does +43% dmg, just slightly more damage over time.

I've begun pumping Shock Web now, ...

Hmm, I'm not sure if Shock Web is any good now or not. Before, if you threw a bunch of them at the same target, it would still only take damage from one of them. I.e. it wouldn't stack. Fire Blast gives it a ton more spikes, but the spikes are all so tiny, I don't know if that really makes much difference.

- Dagni