Foreword: Due to my spasms, which I suffer from if I play any game extensively, I can’t play “piano builds”. I do play gunners / riflers and one AAR char. The aim is to have from 4 to 6 skills. LMB, RMB and +4 skills max.
The main topic: Let’s talk about skills, which are friendly towards dual wielding gun play and rifle play. Those are mostly (but not only) Default Attack Replacers, I believe. I don’t take any damage conversion into consideration as a main focus.
1a) Cadence (natively for Physical builds)
1b) Cadence is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
1c) Cadence is very unique skill and it is a DAR, so WPS work with it, during the time of the duration of the Deadly Momentum node, any attack is enriched.
2a) Fire Strike (natively for Fire and Physical builds)
2b) Fire Strike is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
2c) Fire Strike is point hungry though, and has two secondary effects (Explosive Strike and Brimstone), Static Strike is a booster. Fire Strike is a DAR, so WPS work with it.
3a) Amarasta’s Blade Burst (natively for Cold and Acid builds)
3b) Amarasta’s Blade Burst is comfortably usable for 2H ranged builds, for DW ranged builds the skill is usable, but I would say not recommened, because ABB will use only main hand, so most of the time (if ABB cooldown = 0 all the time), the second gun never will be used. It is literally better to have a strong offhand in the second arm, and the DW Ranged playstyle is not meeting the general mechanics of the Amarasta’s Blade Burst
3c) Amarasta’s Blade Burst is not a DAR, so WPS don’t work with it, but WPS do work if the ABB has cooldown and the “in-between” shots are basic attacks
4a1) Savagery (natively for Lightning builds)
4b1) Savagery is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged bulids
4c1) Savagery is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Savagery is a self-charging skill, so the best utilization of the skill is in a continuous fight. The charges vanish, if you don’t attack (with the skill)
4a2) Primal Strike (natively for Lightning builds)
4b2) Primal Strike is usable ONLY with 2H ranged builds! It is the skill usage condition
4c2) Primal Strike is not a DAR, so WPS don’t work with it. Primal Strike is considered one of the best levelling skills in the game, iirc
5a) Righteous Fervor (natively for Physical, Fire and Acid builds)
5b) Righteous Fervor is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged bulids
5c) Righteous Fervor is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Righteous Fervor is a self-charging skill, so the best utilization of the skill is in a continuous fight. The charges vanish, if you don’t attack (with the skill)
6a) Onslaught (natively for Cold and Chaos builds)
6b) Onslaught is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
6c) Onslaught is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Onslaught generates stacks, but not for the skill itself, the Onslaught stacks could be “consumed” with another cooldown based skill, which is not a pet and it is not a debuff. You can’t use another DAR skill to consume Onslaught stacks. You can use full potential of the Onslaught (the skill as a DAR and consuming the stacks), or you can use it purely as a DAR
7a) Touch of Chaos (natively for Chaos builds)
70) whole “Rah’Zin’s Torment” set must be equipped for the skill enablement / usage
7b) Touch of Chaos is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
7c) Touch of Chaos is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Every shot is ToCH shot [if energy is not depleted]
8a) Runic Bolts (for Cold, Lightning, Fire builds)
80) A “Runebinder’s Spellthrower” item, 2H ranged crossbow must be equipped for the skill enablement / usage
8b) Runic Bolts is usable ONLY with 2H ranged builds, because the skill is present on a 2H crossbow
8c) Runic Bolts is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Runic Bolts is a self-charging skill, so the best utilization of the skill is in a continuous fight. The charges vanish, if you don’t attack (with the skill)
9a) Troll Rage (for Physical builds)
90) A “Mistborn Talisman” item, a relic must be equipped for the skill enablement / usage
9b) Troll Rage is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
9c) Troll Rage is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Troll Rage is a self-charging skill, so the best utilization of the skill is in a continuous fight. The charges vanish, if you don’t attack (with the skill)
10a) Beronath’s Fury (for Physical, Cold, Lightning and Fire builds)
100) A “Shard of Beronath” item, a weapon component must be equipped for the skill enablement / usage
10b) Beronath’s Fury is comfortably usable for DW ranged and 2H ranged builds
10c) Beronath’s Fury is a DAR, so WPS work with it. Beronath’s Fury is a self-charging skill, so the best utilization of the skill is in a continuous fight. The charges vanish, if you don’t attack (with the skill)
Conclusions:
I do believe there are some skills on items, which can be used with guns and are not part of this post.
Primal Strike can’t and Amarasta’s Blade Burst isn’t designed to be used with DW Ranged builds.
Some masteries (Occultist, Nightblade, Arcanist, Inquisitor and Necromancer) don’t have any DARs (usable with guns).
Many gun and rifle friendly skills support more than one damage type, so if possible, it is recommended to convert the “different” damage type to the “desired” one.
Some damage types (vitality and aether) haven’t native DARs or skills, usable with guns. You need to convert damage type globally or specifically for the skill, which will be used with guns / rifle. Or the option is to pick any item-based DAR and “overlook” the native inclinations.
Constellations - picking the Hydra (for all gunners) and Kraken (for 2H riflers), picking the constellation of your damage type, which lowers monster resists. All other constellations are, I would say, dependant on what you are lacking the most.
Questions:
- Would you use Onslaught just as a DAR, completely ommiting the stacks? Does it make a sense to pick up the skill, because it is the “DAR”?
- In a short paragraph, could anyone tell me the “story” behind “nerfing” the ABB, especially for gunners / riflers? I know the skill was awesome, now, it is not that “great”, and maybe not used at all…
- Fire Strike is massive skill for a point investment. What would you max first? The skill itself? Explosive Strike or Brimstone? I noticed nobody put that much points into Static Strike…
- Would you equip an item just for having a WPS, if attacking with DARs? Meaning - in the case you have no WPS in both of your masteries, e.g. Witch Hunter?
- Which DAR to choose, if the mastery combo has the luxury of TWO DARs?
- Having enough life (15 K at least) isn’t that easy for some mastery combos. How do you resolve this? Via items? Constellations? Or via “Ascended bonuses”?
