Just a quick background, I really want to make a chaos focused character. My first was an Occulist, who turned into a pet class, and has been shelved. My second is a Warden, which I LOVE, but I’m about to complete Elite and want to take a break from the character.
I’d like some opinions on this build. Obviously I have not reached endgame yet and I’m not very familiar with gear. I want a ranged character and I can’t figure out a caster build, so I’m thinking of going with 2h ranged, probably using the Harbringer crossbow.
I cannot post links so no link here. Here’s the gist:
Witchfire and subskills
BoD etc
CoF etc
Doombolt
Possession
PB & Shadow Dance
Blade Barrier
Anatomy of Murder
I’ll put a link up when I can.
I have leftover points which I’m not sure where to put yet. Either blade trap/devouring blades or SoC/destruction. I’ve also thought of putting 1 pt in Summon Familiar and points into Storm Spirit for resists, though that can probably be gotten from gear and I need an AoE. I’m leaning toward SoC, though I feel like a ground based AoE would work better as a melee character. I know Bloody Pox is an option as well, but every time I’ve played with it, it seems really, really weak.
Devotions are filled in but aren’t final. I think there are a couple of questionable choices there that I would probably figure out as I go and adjust accordingly by what I need.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I’m looking forward to whatever suggestions. I might be open to dumping nightblade, but the only other real options that can synergize well with the large vitatlity component of the occulist skills that I see are shaman (already playing) or soldier (kinda already playing). I do not have AOM, so no necro and inquisitor atm.
Ok, so let’s start with a shot analysis of the Harbinger set:
It adds tons of chaos damage;
It buffs doom bolt;
It offers cooldown reduction.
Normally, such a set would appear to support a hybrid ranged/caster build with P-Blades + Doom Bolt on rotation…but here lies the problem. Actually, there is more than one problem so let’s look at them:
Both P-Blades and Doom Bolt (DB) are so energy intensive that you can’t actually use them at 26/16 without drinking energy potions every 20 seconds. Please remember that you will also use Blood of Dreeg and Pneumatic Burst every time they are off CD and your spirit gain/mastery level is not stellar. You will also be using a rifle, not a focus/tome, so no extra energy regeneration for you ! This is why the Harbinger set is usually used on Witchblades, not Witch Hunters. Cadence offers you a similar amount of WD% to 26/12 P-blades but costs little energy, allowing you to use Doom Bolt without paying attention to your mana levels or stacking Ectoplasms (which you don’t want to stack in the first place because you must go 2 x Runebound Topaz in order to survive the late-game);
Chaos damage can’t be decreased without sacrificing some vital slots. More explicitly, you either combine it with physical damage or you take a Dreeg Amulet or Necrosis. Both options leave you very, very weak from a defensive point of view.
You can’t get 24/16 P-Blades without Badge of Mastery. This is basically a lottery that also hurts your defences because BoM means no Mark of Divinity, i.e. no “circuit-breaker”.
The Harbinger set does not operate within the perimeter of the natural synergies found in the Witch Hunter class. Such synergy revolves mainly around Acid/Poison (double RR debuff) and Cold (again, double RR debuff).
Harbinger set =/= DoT. Playing a ranged build with no DoTs is borderline suicide. Cadence builds can make it work, ofc, but that is mainly because of how tanky the Soldier mastery makes you. There are little to no successful ranged builds that have 0 DoTs and simultaneously go for something else than Cadence.
You have no default attack. ABB is not a default attack and even if by some means you want to buff it, you will find out that all items that support ABB are either cold or acid/poison focus.
In closing, 2h Witch Hunter can work, but going Harbinger is sub-optimal and borderline suicidal in places such as the Crucible. If you want a 2h rifle/caster hybrid Witch Hunter you can go either Venomlance/Quillthrower ABB + DEE or Venomlance P-Blades + DEE (you can actually find this build 'cos I posted it).
If, on the other hand, you want a good chaos rifle build using the Harbinger set, go Witchblade, that is Soldier + Occultist, not Witch Hunter.
I’m not married to the Harbringer set. When looking through legendary weapons, it’s the weapon I saw that would fit a Chaos Witch hunter the best. I admit, I didn’t look at the whole set. I’m definitely not interested in a poison build because reasons…though I do have Quillthrower already lol.
I’m finding making ranged builds much more difficult than melee, but I want to find something very different from my Warder, which is facerollingly simple to play and was really easy to plan out.
I was also thinking of going pyromancer fire/chaos but I don’t feel like there are enough points to get everything I’d want in the build. I haven’t looked much at pyro builds yet though.
Pyromancer has a whole chaos set dedicated to them (i.e. Darkblaze) that converts fire and acid to chaos, but uses a pistol. If you want to use the Harbinger rifle with Fire Strike, you can take the head piece + amulet + belt and FS will be mostly chaos/physical. You won’t benefit from the -20% chaos RR the 4-piece gives you, but it uses the rifle. 12/12/1/12 in Fire Strike + Hell Fire mines is enough - you will have the points…