I’ve got a bunch of questions about Soldier, and how we fit Skills in with Gear and Devotions. This is pretty general, and probably vague enough to be really annoying. Also, this pertains largely to characters that don’t have a whole stack of legendary gear - still making farmers.
Please have some forbearance as well; I am asking about generalities. If I ask questions or draw conclusions that seem overly generalized to you, just say so before piling up the sarcasm*.
I’ll start with one of my favorites; Forcewave.
I like FW for my S&B Soldiers. I’ve noticed that lots of you do not, tending to use FW with 2-handed weapons. Is the IT damage from Internal Trauma enough to make up for the lack of flat damage from a 1-h weapon?
The other component to this (as I see it, anyway), is that Shield builds can go Oleron’s while 2-H builds will probably favor Menhir’s.
This disregards gear and devotions, but I can get into that later.
*Mostly for your own good. I’m probably snarkier than you.
2H builds usually go for tremor , meaning you can spam Forcewave - making it your main attack ability.
S&B can’t use FW as a spammable skill. And afaik only S&B have access to items and sets granting - x,y sec reduced cooldown to it - making it a low cooldown side ability next to cadence for example.
So I guess it’s not a damage question but a build idea thing.
If you’re using Forcewave with S&B, then it’s best on a DoT build such as Octavius. Other similar things you could do would be Electrocute with M. Wyrmbone Mask.
The other component to this (as I see it, anyway), is that Shield builds can go Oleron’s while 2-H builds will probably favor Menhir’s.
Have you got those backwards? :rolleyes: Menhir’s is the Shield exclusive.
Choosing between these depends, Menhir’s Bulwark has some weird/negligible bonuses with the main ones sticking out being the % life reduction resistance, % damage absorption and flat Physical damage. It’s not a bad pick but I’ll gladly go Oleron’s Rage if I’m low on OA, even on S&B characters.
The build I’m thinking of right now is a Phys/DoT WB I’m running. Most other variations I’ve seen run a 2-H but with a more defensive Dev set. It gets… complicated for me.
I can see how Tremor/transmuted BA can be effective, But I think when we start putting these pieces together, Cadence/Internal Trauma is equally as effective. Of course, I’m not really a Crucible player, except using it as a benchmark and way to pick up some dev points early on.
In most of my builds, I focus on OA ^ DA & DoT :. DoT Crit & Kite. I still don’t fully grasp DA shred, I need to read more on it - specifically, how sources of DA shred stack and don’t stack.
Let’s talk about that bottom row of Skills
MC - Maxed
ST- 0, 1, or maxed
Veterancy - 1pt
DS - Max it
SoB - 0 or 1
I’ve written essays on OPWs before. I could write another one on false choices and game design. The tl;dr version of that should be that anything that is a ‘must invest’ should run on a different economy than skill points.
Same as resist reduction - x reduced DA (such as Flashbang/Biting Cold) does not stack with other sources of x reduced DA, highest is applied. -DA/-% DA stacks with other sources of -DA/-% DA and x reduced.
If you still have trouble with it, take a look at this collection of charts by Ceno.
Let’s talk about that bottom row of Skills
MC - Maxed
ST- 0, 1, or maxed
Veterancy - 1pt
DS - Max it
SoB - 0 or 1
I’ve written essays on OPWs before. I could write another one on false choices and game design. The tl;dr version of that should be that anything that is a ‘must invest’ should run on a different economy than skill points.
Don’t know an OPW is :rolleyes: Edit: Just hit me that OPW is probably “one point wonder”.
Your skill choices for the ones you mentioned or right, though I would prioritise Scars of Battle over Decorated Soldier, for example, If you can only max one and have to 1 point the other, then I would say Scars should be maxed.
Okay, so for DA shred, all I need with a WB is either Markovian’s, Vulnerability, or Blindside. OPW is indeed One Point Wonder! What, you don’t speak Diablo II-ese :P. Sorry, I should have spelled it out the first time.
I thought I’d seen more builds max DS than SoB. Guess I need to look at those build guides again!
Okay, claro. And thanks guys! Some of this is really obvious, some of it I just do not understand from the write-ups. Probably because I go somewhat braindead from reading IRS/DOL bulletins at work all week…
Anyway, back to the original topic. In general, I’m not kicking my own nuts by going 1-H Forcewave?
Or take Bloody Pox (1 pt) + Wasting (max) to shred enemy OA for 180.
In my opinion it’s better investition to increase effective DA for 180 than effective OA for 75.
Markovian’s and Blindside won’t stack (whichever is higher will overwrite the other). Vulnerability stacks with both.
I thought I’d seen more builds max DS than SoB. Guess I need to look at those build guides again!
Decorated Soldier’s draw is the % Elemental resistance and % Slow resistance (if you do Crucible, I believe this is nice to have :p).
Scars of Battle offers much more in my opinion in the Stun resistance, Freeze resistance is nice for dealing with Moosilauke, bigger chunk of Bleed resist than DS’s Elemental resist and the Armour Absorption frees up 1-2 component slots that would otherwise be locked to Scaled Hide/Living Armour/Sacred Plating.
Speaking of freeing up slots too, overcapped Scars alongside another source of Stun resistance like Conversion (modifier to Maiven’s Sphere), an ‘of Kings’ MI or something else will push it to around 70% minimum meaning you don’t need Leathery Hide on your headgear.
You would but it’s easier to make up the ~20% Elemental resistance with a Spellscorched Plating than it is to make up 32% Bleeding (closest you’ll come to this would probably be a Bloodied Crystal).
Nowadays, I find the majority of my builds end up with more Fire/Cold/Lightning resistance than Bleed too. Just my experience of course but Elemental/Fire/Cold/Lightning resistance on gear seems to be pretty bountiful.
Untransmuted Blade Arc just doesn’t do enough damage for bleed. Making it your main dps with phys works so well, though. Chaos also works. If you mean trauma spreading I think there are a few setups here that use it, especially since blade arc trauma duration sucks.
I meant Markovian’s Advantage. Both it and Blindside do x reduced DA which do not stack together, just as flat resist reductions do not stack together. -DA will stack which is why I said Vulnerability would.