User:RTSFirebat/Builds

R/W - RTS's Modded Rampaging Thumper
Note: Build works best when aided by a Monk. Therefore this build works best in TA. Of course you may get lucky in RA and end up in a team with a Monk. But you can still go without a Monk, but chances of death are far greater.

I've always enjoyed the Rampaging Thumper Build, but of course it was nerf during the skill balance update. The end result is it still costs 25 energy but doesn't last as long as it use to.

I still wanted to continue to use it so I have been working on a modded Rampaging Thumper build. I found with a loss of health and some attribute towards Hammer Mastery and Beast Mastery the build is still usable.

Equipment

 * Zealous Hammer of Fortitude +30
 * Vampiric Hammer of Fortitude +30
 * Furious Hammer of Fortitude +30
 * Ebon Longbow of Fortitude +30


 * Additional Backup Weapons: Also you can have a +5 energy hammer or even a staff for emergency Rampage as One energy.


 * All armor items should be Radiant for additional energy.
 * Rune of Attunement
 * Rune of Clarity

Usage

 * With no Death Penalty (DP) you start out with 450 Health and 30 energy. So avoiding deaths is very important.


 * Due to the changes to Rampage as One, it cannot be kept up contantly like it use to. Rampage as One will last 13 seconds with 13 Beast Mastery. With proper energy management combined with 14 Expertise you should be able to use Rampage as One often, but not constantly.


 * Having this skill active at the right time is the key to this build. To that end use it is:

1. When combat begins 2. When you are going to spike your target with the three hammer skills. 3. Of course you can also use Rampage to outrun a fleeing target if need be and when you have energy to spare.


 * Once Hammer Bash is charged you can begin a spike at any time, ideally when your target is down to 50-60% health. Excute the spike in this order of skills:

1. Rampage as One - If its not up at the time, use this if possible before the spike, otherwise continue directly to step 2. 2. Hammer Bash 3. Crushing Blow 4. Irresistible Blow


 * The result is target will be knocked down and also take a massive amount of damage in a short period of time. Your pet will also be doing some damage at the same time, adding a bit to the overall damage output.


 * Timing is critical for this build as it is for most knockdown and interrupt based builds. The spike works best if its done by 2 or more Rampaging Thumpers at once.


 * Another possible spike is:

1. Irresistible Blow 2. Hammer Bash 3. Crushing Blow 4. Irresistible Blow - Followed up a couple of seconds later after Crushing Blow


 * Keep in mind that your pet also benefits from the attack speed increase of Rampage as One so it adds significantly to your damage output. Be sure to keep it alive using Comfort Animal as needed.

Variants

 * Wild Blow is a good alternative to Distracting Blow. When operating in a team with another Rampaging Thumper consider having one of each variant.
 * Bull's Strike can be taken instead of Distracting Blow to knock running or kiting targets.
 * Disrupting Lunge can be taken instead of Distracting Blow to interrupt and disable the target's skill for 20 seconds
 * Fertile Season can be taken instead of Distracting Blow to have more overall party health. It is especially useful on altar maps. If there are two Rampaging Thumpers on the team, then a Fertile Season chain can be set up to ensure maximum uptime.

Counters

 * e-Denial Builds - Skills such as "Fear Me!" work well against this.
 * Massive amount of Health Degen - via Hexes or conditions.
 * Spike Builds - Due to the low HP spikes can kill a Thumper quickly
 * Hexes such as Spiteful Spirit will leave this build unable to attack.

Tips

 * Try to keep Rampage as One up whenever the situation requires it. But don't run out of energy at vital times.
 * Spam Irresistible Blow as much as possible for added damage. But again be aware you need energy to use Rampage as One.
 * Punish any Monk who uses Guardian with Irresistible Blow.
 * Swap weapons between Zealous and Vampiric to increase your damage or energy regeneration as needed. Switch to the Furious Hammer when you want to recover both Energy and Health.
 * If your taking a lot of damage, consider Kiting or breaking away from combat temporily to recover. Most people will focus on trying to hit you while your pet continues to attack them.

A/W - Flurry Falling Spider Assassin
This is the build I've been using since the BoA Sin nerf... enjoy. Works well in Random Arena and Team Arena when supported by a monk.

Attributes and Skills

 * The Optional Slot can be Expose Defenses or Mark of Instability

Equipment

 * Radiant Armor
 * One pair of Zealous Daggers
 * One pair of Vampiric Daggers
 * Energy staff of any sort to use when placing "Expose Defenses" or "Mark of Instability" on your target

Usage

 * Select your target and use "Expose Defenses" on them, then begin your spike by quickly using your skills in the following order: Shadow Prison -> Black Lotus Strike -> Flurry (During the attack animation of BLS) -> Horns of the Ox -> Falling Spider -> Twisting Fangs


 * If you are using "Mark of Instability", then this order should be used: Mark of Instability -> Shadow Prison -> Black Lotus Strike -> Flurry (During the attack animation of BLS) -> Horns of the Ox -> Falling Spider -> Twisting Fangs


 * Make sure you attack using the Vampiric daggers to do additional damage during any of the above spikes.


 * The end result is your target will take a massive amount of damage, is knocked down, Poisoned, bleeding and suffer from Deep Wound.


 * While waiting for Shadow Prison to recharge you can use Flurry to continue attacking your target to finish them off or just general attacking.

Counters

 * General Anti-Melee
 * Spiteful Spirit and Empathy will kill you in seconds