09-07-2004, 05:43 PM
Mind Blast. I've nearly always left it at 1 pt. More points are great, but I find 1 pt with +skills is enough to get by.
Fade or BoS. Really depends on what equipment you have available, and whether you're going c/c or c/s. I've played mostly untwinked hc c/c, and have always used BoS through NM then switch to Fade in Hell.
Shadow. Depends on what you want. The Warrior can do useful supplementary area damage with your build, will have better tank behavior, can be even more durable than the Master if you force it to use Fade, can be controlled to some degree, can be used for CoS, and almost never vanishes. The only real negative is that it takes a fair amount babysitting to be effective. The Master is much better in melee, is capable of using skills without you having them active--including the very handy DS, requires no hand-holding to be an effective tank, and is very fun to watch. OTOH, it will often use inappropriate skills, will periodically back out tanking duty to drop traps, disappears fairly often, and can't be prevented from using MB when you're party doesn't want it to. Personally, I favor the Warrior for elemental builds, but the Master's good enough in its own way that it's a matter of preference. I think the determining factor usually is whether one likes or dislikes the idea of puppeteering a minion.
Build. It's very likely you can get by with 1 pt in DC. With some +skills, its AR bonus easily outstrips Phoenix. The physical damage boost isn't that great, and you'll be able to deal with 95% of targets with your elemental skills. For alternate damage, I'd suggest 1 pt in Venom and Death Sentry. 50% phys damage aside, the latter in particular is a "don't leave home without it" for most Assassins. I'd also suggest 1 pt in Dflight. If you can get either of those for free on a useful claw, all the better.
Fade or BoS. Really depends on what equipment you have available, and whether you're going c/c or c/s. I've played mostly untwinked hc c/c, and have always used BoS through NM then switch to Fade in Hell.
Shadow. Depends on what you want. The Warrior can do useful supplementary area damage with your build, will have better tank behavior, can be even more durable than the Master if you force it to use Fade, can be controlled to some degree, can be used for CoS, and almost never vanishes. The only real negative is that it takes a fair amount babysitting to be effective. The Master is much better in melee, is capable of using skills without you having them active--including the very handy DS, requires no hand-holding to be an effective tank, and is very fun to watch. OTOH, it will often use inappropriate skills, will periodically back out tanking duty to drop traps, disappears fairly often, and can't be prevented from using MB when you're party doesn't want it to. Personally, I favor the Warrior for elemental builds, but the Master's good enough in its own way that it's a matter of preference. I think the determining factor usually is whether one likes or dislikes the idea of puppeteering a minion.
Build. It's very likely you can get by with 1 pt in DC. With some +skills, its AR bonus easily outstrips Phoenix. The physical damage boost isn't that great, and you'll be able to deal with 95% of targets with your elemental skills. For alternate damage, I'd suggest 1 pt in Venom and Death Sentry. 50% phys damage aside, the latter in particular is a "don't leave home without it" for most Assassins. I'd also suggest 1 pt in Dflight. If you can get either of those for free on a useful claw, all the better.