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37 replies   1814 views

What should I do to make this better?

You may select 1 option

Total votes: 10
2

Description

So I've been playing around with an
Enchant
xbow sorc for a bit now and she absolutely smokes most everything. While killing time yesterday I saw an old video by Macrobioboi that suggested using the act 1 fire merc with a
Kuko Shakaku
, Wisdom, and Treachery while you play a support sorc. I thought that might be fun to combine with my xbow sorc and now my merc works as backup artillery. Unfortunately she seems to be quite frail. I'm wondering if the piercing and CBF from Wisdom warrants a lack of LL on the
Helm
, since
Fade
never seems to proc; is Treachery the right option just for the ias and fhr, is it worth finding a
Pul
to up the kuko for increased damage? Does anybody have any suggestions to boost her survivability without destroying her artillery strikes? Thanks in advance. =)
Wendy
Wendy
Description by Azmenar3764
5

Can be used to make Runewords:

7
So I've been playing around with an
Enchant
xbow sorc for a bit now and she absolutely smokes most everything. While killing time yesterday I saw an old video by Macrobioboi that suggested using the act 1 fire merc with a
Kuko Shakaku
, Wisdom, and Treachery while you play a support sorc. I thought that might be fun to combine with my xbow sorc and now my merc works as backup artillery. Unfortunately she seems to be quite frail. I'm wondering if the piercing and CBF from Wisdom warrants a lack of LL on the
Helm
, since
Fade
never seems to proc; is Treachery the right option just for the ias and fhr, is it worth finding a
Pul
to up the kuko for increased damage? Does anybody have any suggestions to boost her survivability without destroying her artillery strikes? Thanks in advance. =)
Wendy
Wendy
Answeredby BoringTitle3 months agoGo to post
I use an act 5 merc with plague. Though Headstriker/unbending will/lawbringer/voice of reason/crescent moon will
all do in a pinch.

Having something to act as a distraction helps to group up enemies. A1 rogue accents enchantress rather than compliment.

(The lower res proc's are just icing on the cake.)

Anyway, I found act 2 merc would just randomly wander off and die way too much, and moved far too slowly with poor kill speed, so I switched.

Offers of perfect amethysts,
Hel
runes, tokens, and keys are also welcome.
7
User avatar

marl71 126

Americas PC
Her level is kind of low, so her life and resistances are pretty low. Do you have Call To Arms? That will help a lot

One all-in-one solution is Chains of Honor (leech, res, DR, damage). Or a budget solution is
Skin of the Flayed One
(leech) with something socketed for resistances. If you add life leech, I would up the bow, although maybe it's not a high benefit/cost ratio

Alternatively you could put on any life leech
Helm
as a temporary solution while you level and find/trade for more gear. It will cut down her damage, but it's a quick fix that might help her survive longer
7
User avatar

Schnorki 3785Moderator

PC
Ignoring the obvious "ewww, A1 merc" for a sec:
You could try giving her a Hustle armor.

A1 mercs shouldn't get hit all too often. Their AI is largely designed around making them run from everything. A
Fade
proc when struck - while theoretically perhaps not bad, albeit probably also not great - is hence a tad counterintuitive. Hustle would give you 5 less IAS, true, but you'd still leave her at the same breakpoints in the end so no loss there regardless. At the same time, she'd gain
Evade
and - more importantly - a solid boost to run speed which would be in full support of her AI, allowing her to not only
Dodge
faster/better but also get back to actually shooting stuff quicker.

You could of course just try for leech instead but tbh, A1 merc dmg (esp when reduced to only the phys part) is so comparatively bad that it still quite possibly won't be nearly enough. Even more so because whenever they do get hit and need to leech, they stop shooting to run, meaning they still won't leech cuz they refuse to just tank through stuff.
7
A general thought to this: I always use mercs that suit to my hero.

Am I playing a distance fighter and need a tank? A2 or A5.

Am I able to tank or have lots of minions as meatshield? A1 or A3 are possible.

Thus said, I would swap to an A2 (Infinity) or A5 (dual Plague) merc. Both may increase your fire damage by a good margin. The barb merc is the best (merc) tank in the game.

ElSolDolLol

For low items I also accept: Perfect Amys,
Ral
,
Hel
, Tokens, Keys. Please don't offer runes lower than
Pul
(with the named exceptions).

NO PM OFFERS PLEASE! BE FAIR AND WRITE INTO THE THREAD :)
7
Not sure how much you're looking to drop on this project, but you might consider Phoenix? The aura will deal with the health problems, the -Fire res will significantly increase her damage output, and the Ignore Target Defense will help you take advantage of the
Pierce
from Wisdom. As far as
Exploding Arrow
goes, she can use the skill herself (and often will). A Fires Explosive
Arrows
/
Bolts
bow is not an absolute must like it is for the Sorc herself.

I would also second the Hustle suggestion. Helps her flee, gives her
Evade
, and hits your breakpoints with a
Matriarchal Bow
.

All trades are Switch only :)

Active most nights on Switch (Friend Code: 8500-1494-0819) from 0200-0500 UTC+00:00

Thank you 2.4 for making all of my wildest dreams come true!
7
OP
DasNarf wrote: 3 months ago
A general thought to this: I always use mercs that suit to my hero.

Am I playing a distance fighter and need a tank? A2 or A5.

Am I able to tank or have lots of minions as meatshield? A1 or A3 are possible.

Thus said, I would swap to an A2 (Infinity) or A5 (dual Plague) merc. Both may increase your fire damage by a good margin. The barb merc is the best (merc) tank in the game.
Thank you for the insights. Unfortunately Plague, let alone two, is outside of my available resources atm as I'm still fairly poor. I was running a desert merc before, and he was really good at standing between me and anything. But I found that he rarely did anything because most stuff explodes almost instantly with my xbow unless it's only one or two enemies. So I wanted to play with something else. This is fun, and viable.

Offers of perfect amethysts,
Hel
runes, tokens, and keys are also welcome.
7
Aelanwyr wrote: 3 months ago
and the Ignore Target Defense will help you take advantage of the
Pierce
from Wisdom
As far as I know ITD doesn't work on mercs.
Azmenar3764 wrote: 3 months ago
Thank you for the insights. Unfortunately Plague, let alone two, is outside of my available resources atm as I'm still fairly poor. I was running a desert merc before, and he was really good at standing between me and anything. But I found that he rarely did anything because most stuff explodes almost instantly with my xbow unless it's only one or two enemies. So I wanted to play with something else. This is fun, and viable.
Fair enough, I support that Spirit! :)

ElSolDolLol

For low items I also accept: Perfect Amys,
Ral
,
Hel
, Tokens, Keys. Please don't offer runes lower than
Pul
(with the named exceptions).

NO PM OFFERS PLEASE! BE FAIR AND WRITE INTO THE THREAD :)
7
DasNarf wrote: 3 months ago
Aelanwyr wrote: 3 months ago
and the Ignore Target Defense will help you take advantage of the
Pierce
from Wisdom
As far as I know ITD doesn't work on mercs.
That's an oof if true. I see on the Amazon Basin that it doesn't work against mercs, but D2 has so much spaghetti code that I could see that being the case.

All trades are Switch only :)

Active most nights on Switch (Friend Code: 8500-1494-0819) from 0200-0500 UTC+00:00

Thank you 2.4 for making all of my wildest dreams come true!
7
OP
Aelanwyr wrote: 3 months ago
Not sure how much you're looking to drop on this project, but you might consider Phoenix? The aura will deal with the health problems, the -Fire res will significantly increase her damage output, and the Ignore Target Defense will help you take advantage of the
Pierce
from Wisdom. As far as
Exploding Arrow
goes, she can use the skill herself (and often will). A Fires Explosive
Arrows
/
Bolts
bow is not an absolute must like it is for the Sorc herself.

I would also second the Hustle suggestion. Helps her flee, gives her
Evade
, and hits your breakpoints with a
Matriarchal Bow
.
I love this suggestion and really wish that I was rich enough to afford a Phoenix for my pally, let alone one to just yeet at a silly merc trial. I think that I may work towards obtaining a Hustle on a new ladder character for this though. Probably try the Phoenix on an offline edited character though, because that does sound cool...

Offers of perfect amethysts,
Hel
runes, tokens, and keys are also welcome.
7
As far as I know the "Prevent Monster Heal" affix that does not work for Merc (or
Iron Golem
)
The "Ignore target defense" affix works normally for Merc (or
Iron Golem
). But Remember that it only affect normal monsters (non-champion/super/unique)

Time Zone: GMT-3
Non-Ladder | Softcore | Expansion
7
Azmenar3764 wrote: 3 months ago
Aelanwyr wrote: 3 months ago
Not sure how much you're looking to drop on this project, but you might consider Phoenix? The aura will deal with the health problems, the -Fire res will significantly increase her damage output, and the Ignore Target Defense will help you take advantage of the
Pierce
from Wisdom. As far as
Exploding Arrow
goes, she can use the skill herself (and often will). A Fires Explosive
Arrows
/
Bolts
bow is not an absolute must like it is for the Sorc herself.

I would also second the Hustle suggestion. Helps her flee, gives her
Evade
, and hits your breakpoints with a
Matriarchal Bow
.
I love this suggestion and really wish that I was rich enough to afford a Phoenix for my pally, let alone one to just yeet at a silly merc trial. I think that I may work towards obtaining a Hustle on a new ladder character for this though. Probably try the Phoenix on an offline edited character though, because that does sound cool...
If you do throw it together in a editor, let me know how it goes! The suggestion was pure theorycraft (I use an A2
Prayer
/Insight/Cure on my
Demon Machine
-tress, personally); I'd be curious to know how it works out in practice.

All trades are Switch only :)

Active most nights on Switch (Friend Code: 8500-1494-0819) from 0200-0500 UTC+00:00

Thank you 2.4 for making all of my wildest dreams come true!
7
OP
marl71 wrote: 3 months ago
Her level is kind of low, so her life and resistances are pretty low. Do you have Call To Arms? That will help a lot

One all-in-one solution is Chains of Honor (leech, res, DR, damage). Or a budget solution is
Skin of the Flayed One
(leech) with something socketed for resistances. If you add life leech, I would up the bow, although maybe it's not a high benefit/cost ratio

Alternatively you could put on any life leech
Helm
as a temporary solution while you level and find/trade for more gear. It will cut down her damage, but it's a quick fix that might help her survive longer
She's the same level as her sorceress mistress. So nothing to do there until i sink more time into her. :) I do have a
Skin of the Flayed One
laying about, no CoH yet. Need a
Ber
and
Um
to make that, as well as a suitable base.

Offers of perfect amethysts,
Hel
runes, tokens, and keys are also welcome.
7
I use an act 5 merc with Plague. Though
Headstriker
/Unbending Will/Lawbringer/Voice of Reason/Crescent Moon will
all do in a pinch.

Having something to act as a distraction helps to group up enemies. A1 rogue accents enchantress rather than compliment.

(The lower res proc's are just icing on the cake.)

Anyway, I found act 2 merc would just randomly wander off and die way too much, and moved far too slowly with poor kill speed, so I switched.
This post was marked as the best answer.
7
Another fun idea:

If you happen to have a
Cham
rune, make a Mist bow for your rogue.

This nets you 2x 100% piercing attacks, the rogues' freeze should bring some safety to both of you and the huge resist bonus would max out the rogues' resists... put in a
Matriarchal Bow
with either Treachery or Hustle she would hit the 9 fpa breakpoint (second highest possible).

So all you have to care of is good positioning, and then its like "double railgun" play. :D

ElSolDolLol

For low items I also accept: Perfect Amys,
Ral
,
Hel
, Tokens, Keys. Please don't offer runes lower than
Pul
(with the named exceptions).

NO PM OFFERS PLEASE! BE FAIR AND WRITE INTO THE THREAD :)
7
If I absolutely had to use an act 1 merc though. I would probably use Edge or Hustle.
Tal
-rasha's head and chest.

Eventually upgrading to Faith seems like a nice idea, however max attack speed on Xbox sorceress (
Demon Machine
) is really easy to get.
7
Demon Machine
needs 8 IAS for max fpa, so any
Fanaticism
is a waste imho.

ElSolDolLol

For low items I also accept: Perfect Amys,
Ral
,
Hel
, Tokens, Keys. Please don't offer runes lower than
Pul
(with the named exceptions).

NO PM OFFERS PLEASE! BE FAIR AND WRITE INTO THE THREAD :)
7
DasNarf wrote: 3 months ago
Demon Machine
needs 8 IAS for max fpa, so any
Fanaticism
is a waste imho.
Agreed, but I also think 2 Plague is a waste, better off with 1 Plague offhand and a Grief on act 5 merc.
7
Dual Plague or Plague+Grief are both good options, depending on your needs.

One is for improving merc damage (especially combined with Treachery!), the other for higher chance of LR procs. :)

I'm using a dual Plague merc with my WoFSin, and the curse procs quite regularly. Using one Plague was remarkably worse.

ElSolDolLol

For low items I also accept: Perfect Amys,
Ral
,
Hel
, Tokens, Keys. Please don't offer runes lower than
Pul
(with the named exceptions).

NO PM OFFERS PLEASE! BE FAIR AND WRITE INTO THE THREAD :)
7
Guess I will list me build:
Flickering Flame
Duriel's Shell
(debating on
Tal
rashas with
Cham
)
Demon Machine
+
Shael

Metalgrid

Razortail

Aldur's Advance

Magefist

Nature's Peace

Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band


Switch:
Call To Arms
Spirit

In Cube:
Hexfire
and +3 fireskill talisman.

The merc is using Lawbringer (which I switch out for
Arcane Sanctuary
farming) and Kingslayer, ethereal
Great Hauberk
with 4
Perfect Topaz
and
Tal
rashas
Mask
.

I had it using Plague, everything still dies just about as fast... (p1) so I gave them to my
Rabies
Druid and necromancer.

Fire sunder makes a huge difference compared to lod where Plague x2 or Infinity would have basically been mandatory.
7
OP
BoringTitle wrote: 3 months ago
Guess I will list me build:
Flickering Flame
Duriel's Shell
(debating on
Tal
rashas with
Cham
)
Demon Machine
+
Shael

Metalgrid

Razortail

Aldur's Advance

Magefist

Nature's Peace

Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band


Switch:
Call To Arms
Spirit

In Cube:
Hexfire
and +3 fireskill talisman.

The merc is using Lawbringer (which I switch out for
Arcane Sanctuary
farming) and Kingslayer, ethereal
Great Hauberk
with 4
Perfect Topaz
and
Tal
rashas
Mask
.

I had it using Plague, everything still dies just about as fast... (p1) so I gave them to my
Rabies
Druid and necromancer.

Fire sunder makes a huge difference compared to lod where Plague x2 or Infinity would have basically been mandatory.
I like it. Might have to make some adjustments to mine if I can find the right pieces. (i.e.
Duriel's Shell
)
Currently using:
Flickering Flame
Demon Machine
+ 37% ED 13-47 FD jewel
The Rising Sun

Skin of the Vipermagi
(for resists) :(
Hellmouth
with
Magefist
in stash for prebuff
Razortail

Sandstorm Trek

Dwarf Star

Carrion Wind

Flame Rift

1x burning grand charm
torch & anni
resist and FD charms
Memory on switch for ES and static as required
Jewel with ED and Fire Damage
Jewel with ED and Fire Damage

Offers of perfect amethysts,
Hel
runes, tokens, and keys are also welcome.
9

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