Help with my undefined build

First, I'm a newbie, so I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong thread. I understand this is the correct place to ask for advice about character building, right?

Second, I started my Scion without any build in mind, I plan on the go! :D Of course this has led me to regrettable choices (it's good there's an Orb of Regret), but now I feel I'm going in the right direction, but I would love to listen to what you, my friends, have to say about my progression.

My Scion is dual-wielding, using the following skills:

Offensive
1. Dual Strike -> Stun -> Cold Damage -> Endurance Charge
2. Cleave -> LoH -> Increased Critical Strike -> Innervate
3. Molten Strike -> LoH -> Fortify

Defensive
1. Riposte -> Additional Accuracy -> Weapon Elemental Damage
2. Ice Golem -> Life Leech -> Melee Physical Damage -> Added Lightning Damage
3. Arctic Armour -> Reduced Mana

Items:

Current Skill Tree:

Planned Skill Tree:

The gems are all socketed in the items.

The reason why I'm using Molten Strike is because it is very effective (at least to me) with LoH.
I've been using it since the beggining because I don't know if there is a better option, with similar AoE. I started to use Dual Strike recently, and it is currently my best DPS dealer, but it doesn't work with multiple targets. :/

I'm in a very bad situation regarding my survivability; at level 65 I can't survive a boss level 59 encounter, and many uniques too. Would it be because my items suck?

Well, I'll be very happy to know your opinion.

Thanks a lot! :)

The chest, helmet and boots have to be replaced.
Helmet: wearing it you do less damage than without it. It's an item you put on an animated guardian. Don't wear it yourself.
Chest: You don't have a crit build. Useless item for you.
Get items with life (and resists if yours aren't capped).

Reduced mana does nothing for arctic armour.

Golems don't deal much damage. It's no use trying to boost that. Link minion life and minion/totem resistance instead.

You should concentrate on one main attack. It's no use dragging three different attacks along. If you got survival issues you would be better going weapon + shield instead. Reave is a decent skill with aoe and low mana cost for that (there are several guides in the shadow builds list to get some info on gems and stuff).

Anyway your support gems for your melee attacks are bad. Multistrike and melee physical damage should be linked to your main skill (added fire and faster attacks are also good choices). You should focus on weapons with high physical damage as this can be scaled better on the tree than elemental damage.

How do you sustain mana? Maybe you dhould take Essence Sap in the tree.

Run hatred aura.

Thank you for your help Bada_Bing!

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

Helmet: wearing it you do less damage than without it.

Well, I can't believe I'm so stupid! All this time I thought I was taking 30% less damage! HAHAHA! I already changed the helm for one that is a lot better!

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

Chest: You don't have a crit build. Useless item for you.

This is something I still don't understand very well. I can't switch this armor because I still don't have a better one and I spent all my mats trying to craft one! :( but it is being useful, I'm always with power charges to spend, even with low critical chace... what am I missing?

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

Reduced mana does nothing for arctic armour.

Again, very stupid.

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

you would be better going weapon + shield instead

I spent a lot of points on dual wield nodes, too late to go back. :/

As for the other things you pointed, I made some changes and I got a big DPS boost with Dual Strike and Cleave! But I couldn't go further because my gear is very limited. Now I'm farming to get more mats.

"

Bada_Bing wrote:

How do you sustain mana? Maybe you dhould take Essence Sap in the tree.

I'm using a flask that refills 3 charges when I'm hit by a critical strike.

I found this sword:

Maybe it would help me? :)

The Voll's chest usually is used by dischargers as they need the quick charge generation.

For a normal melee build this is a horrible chest as it has no life, no resists, cuts your mana in half and the armour/es is mediocre. The crit chance you get through the charges ain't worth the trouble as you don't have a crit build: Your base crit chance is too low anyway and you don't have crit multipliers so in case you crit you don't get that much extra damage. Crit builds usually use daggers because of the crit implicit mod and start as shadow because of the dagger/crit nodes in that area.

Prismatic Eclipse might be helpful if you could use it as mere stat stick (getting the stats without attacking with it). The problem with dual wielding is that you need two good weapons instead of just one as your attacks usually alternate between the two weapons. It is a costly endeveaour if you are a beginner without some orbs stashed away to buy weapon upgrades.

You could try using double strike in case you get one (1) good weapon. That skill only uses your main hand weapon while the other weapon only contributes stats (prismatic eclipse ain't a bad choice for secondary weapon in that case). Double strike has no aoe so you might be forced to use melee splash along with it.