Newbie needs help to choose a build

Hi,

I'm very new here at this game (I have experiences in other similar games). I was quite overwhelmed at the beginning with the passive skilltree. To try out the game I chose a build almost randomly and played through act 1-4 on normal. The build I chose (focusing on summoning skeletons/minions) seems to be not very playable against single bosses.

So now I tried to find a build for myself with which I can play through all 3 difficulties. My problem is, there are too many builds here. All of them need specific equip etc which I don't have yet. I haven't really understood/used the market yet (I decided to collect all currencies for a while before really going into that subject).

Do any of you have some advice for a playable build I can use soloing? If possible where you survive for a while and have a skill for groups and bosses. I don't mind if it is not the strongest build for endgame. But I would like to get further in the game and keep stashing some currencies to outfit the next "proper" char.

Thank you,
Sacharissa

Well, a summoner can a bit tricky to play from the get-go because most summons don't scale very well in early game, the only skill that works good from the start are Raging Spirits. Later, your other minions start scaling better and you stack the stats that allow them to survive, but it takes time. A big help early on at keeping pets alive are uniques Shaper's Seed and Skullhead.

Ok, that aside, if you don't want to trade much yet it's probably best to use some class and skill that require minimal effort to get basic functionality. A marauder is generally a good starting choice, it's easy to get a lot of life, regen, endurance charges, some armor and his ascendancies are generally very good. You can just grab a strong 2H weapon, some skill you like, Warchief totem to help with tough enemies and Enduring cry to keep charges up, pick an aura and a blasphemy curse - 100% good to go.

Thanks for the first answer! I will have a look at some builds there.
More ideas anyone?

Summoners can work. Use Summon Raging Spirits for clearing, since SRS is pretty good at getting rid of trash when linked right, and use Zombies for boss clear. It is hilarious how fast a half-dozen Deadites can burn down bosses if they have even a modicum of scaling to them. As Raics said, a couple of low-cost uniques easily obtained for peanuts on the market can really help a summoner. Shaper's Seed is amazingly nice in the early game stages for ensuring you're not constantly resummoning zombies. I don't personally care for the summoner playstyle as much - too much fiddling with critter positions and not enough instantaneous aggression for me - but it can be done pretty inexpensively, especially with the new Baron helm.

As for other builds? Marauder 2H works, Earthquake doesn't need much to get going. Pizzablast (Flameblast) is a classic no-money performer. Scorching Ray CWC Firestorm is a lot of fun, though it requires a bit more set-up to get properly going and is a bit more fiddly. Still burns things down very nicely and requires a lot less links than people think it does for getting into middie mapping.