I had an lvl 74 Explosive Arrow build before the EA-nerf back in closed beta and I doubt that this skill/build is "really" viable in lategame anymore.
It is really good for starters beacuse you dont need expensive high dps weapons to be rather good but it cannot compete with other builds at all wich do 5 to 10k DPS with very good weapons (or even more then 10k) and dont even have a stupid 1 sec delay, no stack-time and lower mana costs...
Other than your build I concentrated mainly on IAS to get 5 attacks/sec with quillrain to be able to deal a full stack of fuses in 1 sec to the monsters and after that I concentrated on fire dmg. (didnt took so much defense because of Default mode but used an skelleton totem for crowd/boss control)
After the nerf, the explosion is now affected by projectile-modifiers, so only using quill-Rain will result in 50% less damage, lmp will reduce the dmg even more.
Singletarget dmg is ridiculous and there isnt a single (singletarget bow) skill wich works well with a fire-dmg specc and/or quill rain.
Tried elemental arrow but it really sucked because of quill rains 50% less dmg and quill rains HUGE mana cost...
If possible in any way you should get rid of the fire dmg nodes for more Projectile dmg because projectile dmg boosts every kind of dmg if it is dealt by an projectile attack. This means it will boost your phys base dmg as well as your elemental base dmg on bow or gear as well as the explosion's dmg.
Mana costs with quillrain and EA is just insane - after that build I really love EK's "low" mana cost^^ - my 5+ att/sec EA did cost me 300+ Mana/sec. Very hard to get that much mana without EB, Clarity and lots of mana regen passives/gear - I dont think this is possible if you want some good life and life regen...
Now quill-rain is one of the worst weapons for EA imho (or perhaps the worst weapon in general). Best would be a Thicket bow with IAS, +2 bow skills and perhaps even some nice base phys and fire dmg, but every bow with +2 bow skills and higher attackspeed will do it for the start.
It is working... but dont expect something really powerful like an LA or FP or LS or Sweep or Cleave or Wand-build... or in other words.. almost every build is a lot better than EA once you find a really nice weapon/wand...
yeah as I level I start to realize that others could do much damage without delay, Im trying to level this toon till 70 if it doesnt turn out anygood, Ill go back with my main toon, but yeah this is a very fun build to use, lets see if this could be any viable after 80
This is mainly what I'm banking on right now. I don't think the build is as competitive as some (many) of the others, but it's certainly fun as hell. It's more than just a 1-A build without adding fourteen other superficial abilities to the mix.
It's fun as hell, innovative, and moderately competitive. At the very least, if it doesn't work out, it's only a couple of points I have to shift to attain a Lightning Arrow build.
I had an lvl 74 Explosive Arrow build before the EA-nerf back in closed beta and I doubt that this skill/build is "really" viable in lategame anymore.
It is really good for starters beacuse you dont need expensive high dps weapons to be rather good but it cannot compete with other builds at all wich do 5 to 10k DPS with very good weapons (or even more then 10k) and dont even have a stupid 1 sec delay, no stack-time and lower mana costs...
Other than your build I concentrated mainly on IAS to get 5 attacks/sec with quillrain to be able to deal a full stack of fuses in 1 sec to the monsters and after that I concentrated on fire dmg. (didnt took so much defense because of Default mode but used an skelleton totem for crowd/boss control)
After the nerf, the explosion is now affected by projectile-modifiers, so only using quill-Rain will result in 50% less damage, lmp will reduce the dmg even more.
Singletarget dmg is ridiculous and there isnt a single (singletarget bow) skill wich works well with a fire-dmg specc and/or quill rain.
Tried elemental arrow but it really sucked because of quill rains 50% less dmg and quill rains HUGE mana cost...
If possible in any way you should get rid of the fire dmg nodes for more Projectile dmg because projectile dmg boosts every kind of dmg if it is dealt by an projectile attack. This means it will boost your phys base dmg as well as your elemental base dmg on bow or gear as well as the explosion's dmg.
Mana costs with quillrain and EA is just insane - after that build I really love EK's "low" mana cost^^ - my 5+ att/sec EA did cost me 300+ Mana/sec. Very hard to get that much mana without EB, Clarity and lots of mana regen passives/gear - I dont think this is possible if you want some good life and life regen...
Now quill-rain is one of the worst weapons for EA imho (or perhaps the worst weapon in general). Best would be a Thicket bow with IAS, +2 bow skills and perhaps even some nice base phys and fire dmg, but every bow with +2 bow skills and higher attackspeed will do it for the start.
It is working... but dont expect something really powerful like an LA or FP or LS or Sweep or Cleave or Wand-build... or in other words.. almost every build is a lot better than EA once you find a really nice weapon/wand...
I've reached 81, was soloing 66-72 maps pretty well.
The damage thresh-hold is rather high.
I ended up one doing a one shot to myself from reflect even with 5.6k hp last week or two since I was playing and not paying attention clearing fast. lol.
I don't know how you reduce damage with LMP.
Mine was 32% damage, offset was -30% damage.
I had close to a total of 100% damage increase from explosion, not to mention -80-90% (-150%) fire vul if dual cursed.
This build is extremely solid late game especially with its gear cost compared to other.
EDIT:
-------------
If anyone is interested, I still have my character on softcore and can record some end-maps solo or such, or any other tactics. (before I delete/remake) Still taking a break as of this posting however.
im now level 75 ..so far doing maps i am wrecking most things.. i am doing so much damage and with 5.88 Atkspeed i just put 5 explosive arrows.. then spam ice shot with gmp to slow them down,, died once in a map due to reflect xD but still not having problems end-game..
my gear is as follows
Spoiler
My Build (more fire damage but less hp than ktbanh's build)
im now level 75 ..so far doing maps i am wrecking most things.. i am doing so much damage and with 5.88 Atkspeed i just put 5 explosive arrows.. then spam ice shot with gmp to slow them down,, died once in a map due to reflect xD but still not having problems end-game..
my gear is as follows
Spoiler
My Build (more fire damage but less hp than ktbanh's build)
Wow nice items, anyone or class or build with that items and gem quality could wreck things ><
doesnt prove the viability since its soooo expensive having most gems at 20
I am planning on going with this build but with a marauder base.
I know it seems pretty viable for HC but to what extent?
I really want to be doing Eng-game maps and wouldn't want to waste all the time and effort put into this character to die...
How far has anyone else gotten and when you died (If you did die), was it because of a minor mistake that could be avoided (almost effortlessly) or was it inevitable and just a matter of WHEN you would die?
I am planning on going with this build but with a marauder base.
I know it seems pretty viable for HC but to what extent?
I really want to be doing Eng-game maps and wouldn't want to waste all the time and effort put into this character to die...
How far has anyone else gotten and when you died (If you did die), was it because of a minor mistake that could be avoided (almost effortlessly) or was it inevitable and just a matter of WHEN you would die?
Thank you.
for me in terms of viability on farming maps I think other builds are a lot better like FP,LS,LA etc, but when it comes to fun factor Il vote for this one, so fun to see arrows explode after a few sec clearing mobs, BUT if you have items like the guy above then this would own almost any maps
So playing your build with alot more fire % nodes in softcore and seems amazing if you can bankroll your toon like feel like a hero in a party.
One question has anyone tried much to do with life leech?
think explosive / lmp / fire pen / conc / life leech?
havnt seen alot of point in ignite as almost anything is dead within the duration
Also can you run down your links for us man atm I'm kinda lost as to optimal links for bear trap/fire trap
poison arrow i guess and flammability are you trying fc/id/iao or just not necesary at higher levels?
Also has anyone tried running enduring / blood rage with this spec?
