[3.5] Death by a Thousand Cuts - Frost Blades & Blade Flurry Raider
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huyakf1997 wrote:
Hi i'm pretty new to this build so i have some question.
First, it says in the skill : main ( off) hand crit strike chance. So what's the skill actual crit chance ? Main hand + off hand crit or just 1 of them.
Second, when lvling should i focus on crit or until mid-late game ? I mean use inc crit in molten strike setup so i can make use of ice bite. ( i only use molten strike ).
Also so if i want some extra defence will AA, HoA, assasin's mark work ?( my pc is crap so i usually stand still facetank bosses, abyss monsters).
Looking forward to hearing your reply soon. XD
Really nice build u have there. I really love it.
You use both hands to attack, so it's both of them, individually, each attack.
For leveling, just use Added Cold Damage instead of Ice Bite. Ice Bite is only good once your tree starts coming together and you have maximum number of Power Charges (7 or 8).
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ZebberZ wrote:
Also while leveling do you travel up the tree first or bottom?
I go toward Constitution first to get my strength sorted out. Then up to Shadow area for int.
Last edited by CynthiaCrescent#4617 on Dec 18, 2017, 1:17:04 AM
Is there a reason why dying sun is not use for the 2 extra projectiles?
This is a good question. I'll take this time to talk about opportunity cost of having a Dying Sun.
Pros: More balls
Cons: 1 fewer flask slot, larger AoE for ball spread, messing with Wise Oak penetration, expensive
While 2 extra molten balls are good, it doesn't scale up linearly. The 1st extra 2 (from the 1st Wilfire) is 66% more damage from 3 to 5. The 2nd extra set (from the 2nd Wildfire) is a 40% more going from 5 to 7. Put Dying Sun into the mix only nets you 28% going from 7 to 9, in reality this is even less because it messes up our Wise Oak balance.
Furthermore, increased AoE makes our Molten Strike spread out more, making it more likely to not hit the single-target we wanted, as that's what we're using the skill for the in the first place.
So to summarise, I wouldn't actually mind having a Dying Sun, but the truth is it's not worth it. Every other Flask we use either gives more damage than it (Diamond) or give critical defensive utility as well as their damage boost. If you're trying to kill Phoenix or something, however, it's not bad to replace Atziri's Promise with it.
In the current End game skill tree on the guide, you're taking Vaal Pact.
Is that intended or is it a display problem, because I don't see the point of taking vaal pact when we don't leech (not from nodes, not from gear). This build is relying on life gain on hit, right ?
My other question is, what gem links from elder/shaper item do you think would be the most useful for frost blades if we place it on helmet/gloves/boots ?
In the current End game skill tree on the guide, you're taking Vaal Pact.
Is that intended or is it a display problem, because I don't see the point of taking vaal pact when we don't leech (not from nodes, not from gear). This build is relying on life gain on hit, right ?
My other question is, what gem links from elder/shaper item do you think would be the most useful for frost blades if we place it on helmet/gloves/boots ?
You have 1.2% of Attack Damage leeched as Life from the Soul Raker node in the claw cluster, along with 0.8% mana and 50% increased life leeched per second.
I just dropped in to the thread to say thanks to the OP and everyone that has given useful information for this build or any other similar variants of the build. I used a ton of information from this guide to help me figure out what I actually wanted to do with my build in particular. I have also played many variants including high dps rare ele claws, touch of anguish and wasp nest's. I ended up going with more of the mathil style skill tree build, but changed a couple of his gem choices and whatnot. I am currently breezing through all red maps with minimal effort. These frost blade/molten strike builds are the real deal.
My current gear has me at 5.6k life
I'm curious as to why you're using the added lightning damage craft on your catacalysm two stone ring. I dont think it affects either frost blades or molten strike in any way, does it?
Also while leveling do you travel up the tree first or bottom?
It's flat dmg... of course it adds damage lol. I went to the bottom to the jewel sockets first, then traveled up top to get crit.
Hi! Thanks for your work on the build - it looks great.
I started with a Frost Blades but due to hard time on bosses i am looking to adapt to your build. I wonder if using 2x TOA is fine for it or Wasp Nest is your endgame weapon?
Hi! Thanks for your work on the build - it looks great.
I started with a Frost Blades but due to hard time on bosses i am looking to adapt to your build. I wonder if using 2x TOA is fine for it or Wasp Nest is your endgame weapon?
Touch of Anguish are good claws for this build. I picked Wasp Nest only because it's cheap. End game weapons should be good rare claws, though those are obviously far more expensive.
Lovely guide, I've been using this to compliment/mix together and take parts from each guide which I find suitable to my own playstyle. I specifically love some of your gem links and thats where my question comes in. I got Shroud of the Lightless (37% elemental penetration) few days ago, and I've got it to 5link +1 abys socket and tried to get 3 red and 2 green. However, I ended up with a unlucky blue socket, e.g. 3 red, 1 green and 1 blue socket. I am using Increased Critical damage in that blue socket currently, and I would like you hear if you got a better suggestion. (It's for frostblades only, I could use concentrated or elemental focus for moltenstrike). And the reason why I still got a blue socket, is because after 3 exalteds worth of chroma I still didn't get the last red. thanks for your guide.
