[Feedback] Useless Monster Infrequents

[grey-maybe]

[Feedback] Useless Legendary Melee Weapons

Foreword
Back in 1.1.9.2 discussion thread there was a thing about “items one never uses”.
In this topic i want to bring some attention to the items that i never even considered to use (and dont know why anyone would) and that lacks even memetic value. (like Howl of the Vendigo that is awful but atlest has its weird niche) I wont mention things that just bad numerically because thats not the point, although numbers themselves are of course important and often decide item’ fate.

The quote above holds true for this thread as well, the only difference being taking into the account that a MI item while being not of any use in end game, can nevertheless be important for effective levelling. And another parametra is accessibility of given item.
By accessibility i mean both the drop chance, wielder(s) spawn rate and affix bias. For instance Blaze Herald has %fire damage on it (that serves no purpose, because its an aether weapon) which means its harder to obtain this weapon with aether affixes even though it is biased towards it.

I will also mention MI helmets separately, because i have a suggestion of some sort regarding all of them.

Take one

• Wendigo Barb
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Low
  Use in levelling: None
  Absolute garbage of the item. 1) No %acid&poison damage. 2) Useless +skillpoints. 3) No identity other than conversion, which is not of any until the endgame. And to begin with, this conversion is not that useful, unless one is doing acid caster. The -4 sec cd mod is nice, but thats it. Moreover, physical base partially goes to waste, because AA witchhunter cannot convert phys to acid on AA (not to be mention that the AA itself will be beronath).

• Wendigo Claw
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Low
  Use in levelling: High on paper, but due to low drop rate is redundant.
  It is certainly not bad, but drop chances could be increased. Also lacks identity, could use a mod to Markovan.

• Kymon’s Sanctified Blade
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: Low(ish)
  Thats so far from away from making Lightning EoR viable as it possibly can be. I dont even know what to add. Freeze res is really nice, but then the weapon has %elemental damage, that doesnt match the conversion. And the mod itself is a joke. +2 to Mirror hints templar… lightning templar, yikes. Not with current itemization for sure. Converting physical damage on soulfire also should be problematic.

• Sandclaw Slicer
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Very high
  Use in levelling: None
  I unironically dont know where to start with it, but i guess something should be said, that there’re 2 more one-handed MI’s that support BA: Pit Master’s Axe and Scorpius Bludgeon. Both are dreadful to put it mildly and do the same thing, but at the very least they support bleed. This one howerer does not.

Take two

• Servitor’s Corruptor
  

  
  
  Accessibility: High
  Use in levelling: None
  Conversion to Cadence affect only the third hit, given that chaos has Abom’s proc and that voidsrends talons exists, this conversion is absolutely redundant, so is the minor flat damage increase (which again applies only to the third hit.). Cdr is nice though.

• Pusquill’s Tail
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: Low
  Pretty much the same as Wendigo Barb. Belgo shears mod redundant by itself and then simply worse a lot than MQC’s mod. Not to mention, that it is an ANOTHER acid melee NB weapon. Maybe tweaking this weapon for witchblade would at least be something.

• Bargoll’s Heart
  
  Accessibility: High
  Use in levelling: Medium (?)
  WoP mod is good, but +2 to ABB… Maybe something to elemental Occ? Or like explore the ABB further.

• Bloodbriar’s Thorn
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: None
  That item is an attrocity. First of all, both RoS and Blitz are skills with both big %wd and CD. Which means that gain the most out of flat damage that goes into %wd or from inbuilt dots. What this item does? It gives inbuilt flat damage. Secondly, both Ros and Blitz are very mediocre skills. In order to work Blitz needs -cd and RoS either -cd or radius. Mods of this item would be okay-ish if it were a medal. But it’s clearly an amulet. Given that some green amulets give as much as +1 to mastery and a mod, this item looks inferior in every way possible.

• Lagoth’Ak’s Voidbinding
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Low
  Use in levelling: Low
  Aegis part - conversion is redundant to Voidsoul and chaos AoM is already as niche as it gets, so no use for leveling here. Other than flat damage it gives nothing to AoM
  Blackwater Cocktail - BWC is a dot skill. For spam it has one of the worst animation among all skills and the projectile itself is slow.
  Themite Mines - absolute w/e. Overlaps with Rag’Nadar’s Maw.

Hats
One of the reason why MI helmets are rarely used on casters is because they all dont have %cdr, unless one goes for Celestial prefix or Seer's/Magi's/Interrogator's (which all are a big cheese due to +skill points that they provide) . It creates unhealthy situation where difference between having this affix or not is huge. Not to mention, that it also makes other affix option absolete.
So here is my suggestion - replace %cdr on Celestial and Seer's/Magi's/Interrogator's prefixes with, say, flat elemental and total speed (or something thematic and useful along the lines, idk), same for and then add %cdr to some of the helmets.

• Packla’s Skins and Visage
  
  
  
  Accessibility: Abysmal due to low droprate and packla’s spawn locations
  Use in levelling: Low to Medium
  Both items are badbadnotgood. Firstly - no % damage and its not like mods compensate for it. Secondly, skillpoints are really w/e. On vitality savagery one would have troubles with reaching 24/16 breakpoint and same goes for PB. Thirdly, skillmods:
• Wendigo totem one is fine i guess, but quickly becomes absolete to target-farmable Dark One.
• Vitality savagery - good troll, 24 flat and 50 DA will certainly make it viable. Needs %WD and %as. Or at least amount of flat that is not laughable.
• Siphon Soulds - is it like 20th mod that gives vitality/bleed rr to it? Id try adding duration and aoe to it.
• Phantasmal blades - Values of bleed to low to use it over say Murderer’s Cowl. Probably not of any use until one gets their hands on Rancor and even then inferior to other options. The item could use %cdr added to it or -cd to PB.

---

• Korvan’s Casque
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: Low
  –10% vitality rr to swarm and duration can be used on leveling but the rest is not of any use. Physical Shamans have Bloodrager and Warborn’s Helm, needless to mention that Swarm is the most cancerous rr source for characters with not capped %cs. Physical BA has the same beforementioned Bloodrager and Warborn’s Helm. Vitality one is better using full bloodknight. + to Laceration is also pretty abundant, whereas + to BA is more rare.

• Incendiary Casque
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: Low
  Why does every single piece of fire itemization should have either Chaos or Fire resistance? FoI is too point hungry skill to ever consider using this item and mod is quite w/e because good luck having high OA on elemental Inq. Same can be said about fire strike’s mod. As soon as one gets any +to mastery helm this casque is not useful at all.

• Gargoyle Gaze
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Lowish
  Use in levelling: High
  The item is good for levelling ABB, no doubts. And yet in the endgame its inferior to Venomancer’s Guile even for hybrid cold/acid ABB (ive tried both). RoH mod is just w/e, it has very little levelling value. In endgame chillwhisper exists. I’d rather see acid RoH with 100% cold to acid conversion. Also %cdr could be added here.

• Chosen Mask
  

  
  
  Accessibility: High
  Use in levelling: High
  The mods are good but Purifier just cant afford item with no + to mastery and no %cdr.

• Chosen Gaze
  

  
  
  Accessibility: High
  Use in levelling: Low
  First of all, it has 572 spirit requirement which makes it useless for physical FW. Secondly, 60 flat to FW is a joke. Ascension mod would be sweet but no +duration/-cd, %cdr or at least + skillpoints to ascension.

• Ascended Diadem
  

  
  
  Accessibility: Medium
  Use in levelling: ???
  The only good thing about this item is +0.5 dur to Mirror. Then for some reason it has +skillpoints to 2 different ults. Not taking star pact while investing in Mirror doesnt make sense either. If one wants to make Stormcaller’s Pact viable over star pact, then add 8% cdr to it as a mod.

initially i thought that id be able to cover all of them in one take but apparently i underestimated their number greatly, so ill update the beginning of this thread when the next part is ready.
as for now, that’s it
okay, part two is done, which leaves me only with helmets. Will probably complete it in nearest few days

[fordprefect]

It is certainly not bad, but drop chances could be increased. Also lacks identity, could use a mod to Markovan.

I think mode on Cadence would be better since if you’re making a DW Bleeding Warder(don’t know why) you have two AA possibilities, DW savagery offers nothing except some OA and Slow Resist; Cadence has serious bleeding potential. And Savagery route would have AoE issue, Cadence atleast have a few targets on it. A mod according these issues would be better than Markovian mod.

[grey-maybe]

mod for cadence would be useless (if we are talking about adding flat bleed there), because a) it only applies to the third hit, as any mod to cadence does. b) that flat wont be multiplied by %wd. So the best way to support bleed cadence is just giving more flat damage (cough-cough, im speaking about you, jokedrinker)

[fordprefect]

mod for cadence would be useless (if we are talking about adding flat bleed there), because a) it only applies to the third hit, as any mod to cadence does. b) that flat wont be multiplied by %wd. So the best way to support bleed cadence is just giving more flat damage (cough-cough, im speaking about you, jokedrinker)

Hmm then maybe lifesteal and +targets modifier; markovian points can be swapped with fighting form etc. If it’s going to be a WPS then Zolhan will be more useful than Markovian. But I’m not an expert on bleeding builds so maybe you’re right.

[Gnomish_Inquisition]

Use in levelling: None

disagree, i’ve used it at least twice

[arivus]

Sandclaw Slicer

Saving point of that item is the +2 Laceration. I’m thinking it can be a decent item with Eldritch Gaze for Chaos BA.

[Retal_Abuser]

Chaos Blade arc with the usual high flat that chaos can stack ( Abominable Might + Dying God) wants to use a 2handed like Obsidian Juggernaut.

[Gnomish_Inquisition]

for 1h chaos BA pitmaster axe or kalis ka shield is better in my experience

[Stupid_Dragon]

I’ll also chime in on levelling part.

Wendigo Barb - grey’s estimate is more or less correct, it’s only worth minimal considerations if one doesn’t own FG and really, REALLY wants acid AA, because Dervish just fulfills that fantasy better. Even then I’d be looking at Rift Scourge Slicer first (which is also not great and could use the global vit to acid maybe). In theory I can transition from that into Wendigo Barb, but it doesn’t look as a good upgrade here.

Wendigo Claw - I’d say the levelling use is high if it’s a caster without the “on paper” remark because you only need it’s skillmodifier then, and grinding just one shouldn’t be a problem even with droprates like that. The intended use of a bleed AA is just whatever, lol.

Kymon’s Sanctified Blade - the levelling usage is not lowish but absolutely zero. Riftclaw Slicer supercedes it in every way as they are both basically for fire/lightning EoR rather than single element from the point of view of levelling.

Sandclaw Slicer - disagree, usage for levelling is fairly high. Not sure how bleed support makes Pit Master’s Axe and Scorpius Bludgeon better by default. If anything bleed support suggests Clean Sweep, which is awful for levelling because good luck with killing well-spread ranged units with 5s cooldown melee skill. That bleed support will outweight flat and %phys damage for the spam version isn’t obvious to me.

[fordprefect]

Wendigo Barb - grey’s estimate is more or less correct

I think acid AA has enough weapons and there is still MQC behind others(which I proposed for buff&soldier support). Some 84 lvl legendary items also support witch hunters aswell.

So, maybe this MI can have a niche place… which is imo Acid-Bleeding support. I know it’s a meme but if devs not going to delete it, making it somewhat useful is the only option. There are a few items that support this combination; so why not expand the possibility with an MI weapon?

I also can’t find any reasonable use of Servitor’s Slicer what do you guys think about this one? Maybe have some AoM use I can’t see?

[tqFan]

I also can’t find any reasonable use of Servitor’s Slicer what do you guys think about this one? Maybe have some AoM use I can’t see?

mad_lee just did it today

---

I theorycrafted even more meme fantasy Fire RoS with them: https://www.grimtools.com/calc/L2JRv4k2
(seems like I didn’t make augments and belt / pants affixes)

[fordprefect]

mad_lee just did it today

Oh nice, but it’s a very meme build. Okay so it has ring of steel use but does it have any use for tricksters? Since it doesn’t have any bleeding damage on it.

[tqFan]

Yeah, Nadaan has it, it’s not fair And Nadaan gives you more weapon damage.

Actually this could be a good leveling weapon but you can get it a bit too late in MC.
I was playing Trickster caster with it a bit and has a good balance of AoE / Damage
in contrast to cooldown PB which I didn’t like on Veteran in the first act for no AoE.

[gargabolo]

It seems to me the wendigo barb is a good item for a biting blades build, or is there one better?
also since a riftscourge slicer already has 100% conversion a 2nd one isn’t doing much, so the wendigo barb is still better then for the other slot?

[Stupid_Dragon]

It seems to me the wendigo barb is a good item for a biting blades build, or is there one better?

You have a point I guess.
Normally people don’t build around specific component skills anymore so I forgot it’s a thing.

also since a riftscourge slicer already has 100% conversion a 2nd one isn’t doing much, so the wendigo barb is still better then for the other slot?

Second one gives additional ~180 flat for SS as well as has acid base damage and higher %damage by the virtue of being a dagger.

I mean one can probably invent a specific situation when it would make sense, but that won’t change that the item just doesn’t tingle me with “I want to build around that”.

[grey-maybe]

You have a point I guess.
Normally people don’t build around specific component skills anymore so I forgot it’s a thing.

nope, MQC is far better than it.
not to mention that bitting blades are currently not worth building around.

[gargabolo]

I think Venomfang or plaguebearer + celerity will beat MQC for biting blades but they should replace attack bonus to make it more viable

[x1x1x1x2]

bitting blades are currently not worth building around.

And even if you do wanna push yourself to build around biting blades, a 2h weapon should be better because more weapon damage.

[arivus]

I would add these items to the list:

• Ascended Diadem
  At all times, it’s hard to skip 10% CDR from Star Pact to choose 4% OA+DA on Stormcaller pact for a lightning build, aether druid will go for Reckless Power instead of Stormcaller too and the item also gives +2 to Reckless Power. The case where the bonus is useful I think on Lightning Elementalist while levelling, but those build usually have it head slot filled on late-game like Ulzuin or Light’s Guardian. The only Lightning Trickster set also has its head slot filled.

• Ascendant Authority
  Don’t think that % Speed on GoE is good enough for levelling as other skills have better clear speed. Even for a fire GoE build like Pyran it’s a questionable use. Blightlord of course didn’t use this item. +2 to Celestial Presence is nice, but overall I think the bonus is lacking.

• Reaper’s Leggings
  Should be good Nemesis pants that support pet skill, but still loses to Bysmiel pants stat-wise. The Oleron’s Rage support there also looks random. Have the potential to support fire skelly, if it has +Flame Touch and Raise Skeleton or Will of the Crypt, instead of Oleron’s Rage.

[Gnomish_Inquisition]

Ascendant Authority
Don’t think that % Speed on GoE is good enough for levelling as other skills have better clear speed

only applies if for some reason every single person is about speed leveling or what’s the most efficient clear factor
as far as entertainment, actual utility, an general randomness/“play/build however player wish” it’s a really good item to use, either DW or 1h+oh, ex when using magi helm and not going for Barthollem/Death’s Vigil