The Easiest of the Easy Beginner Build Guides [1.1 SotV UPDATED]

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Ratsneve wrote:

"Why ME! I've got a flat tire and I need help!" <- Geico commercial.

ZiggyD...I thought your beginner easy character was a Duelist and I was on my way starting him up again... Now it looks like the easiest of easy builds is the Ranger and I've got 13 pages to read through here. Are you still following and endorsing this thread content? It is now into November with PoE at version 1.0.1 and I'm getting foolishly anxious to start a new game--but absolutely hated reading someone's early comment/suggestion to leave us beginners alone and let us keep falling on our faces trying to figure this all out, quitting, or going insane trying!

Okay, I'm going all the way back to page one of this thread and there is only one other thread I've started on this board so far. If we can't keep this terribly difficult for me learning curve simple enough mentioning 'BM' and other abbreviations I don't understand yet will only keep me constipated. :)

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ManageGlow wrote:

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Endurack wrote:

ZiggyD, I have been really interested in your videos for a few weeks now and I am very happy with all of them. You honestly make me want to keep playing even though I keep dying >.> (Level 50 is my curse, 3 of them all die in A3 Cruel)

Anyway, my most recent character was your higher damage LA build. I was having SERIOUS mana issues the entire time I played, and I knew once I got to blood magic it would go away, but the problem was I was level 49 and not even close to BM. So, I saw this asked a few times in previous posts, I actually scoured the entire thing, and aside from page 4 where someone uploaded a build they suggested (it didn't load correctly for me so I actually can't see what to do) there is no mention of how to level the character.

I am asking if you could PLESAE PLEASE upload a leveling progression for each build, or at least the high damage LA one? It would help me so much, I want to play this character, but when I can only fire off 5 shots before I am chuggin flasks, and then over half the time I am running around with no mana because my flasks are empty makes it really difficult.

So, perdy perdy please can you help me rush to BM?

You can skim through his survival guide videos on his youtube channel, he is playing the LA BM build for the video guides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9eL6CBgQOE&feature=player_detailpage#t=585

^ The video where he is respecing skill tree, and eventually picks up BM. He opens his skill tree at around the 8:50 mark.

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PleasureMan wrote:

Hey, first of all, thank you for a helpful guide. I started off with this build and have since been levelling it alongside a summoner witch following rathik's guide, both characters now in Merc A2. But as I get closer to maps, I keep thinking about what endgame should look like in this build. You've mentioned several times that this build could be updated for endgame pretty easily, suggesting that the player go mana and drop RT. Would you mind giving a little more detail on how you would accomplish that and why? I assume that eventually RT turns into a substantial DPS loss with enough +acc gear available to get chance to hit close to 100%, but why drop BM? Auras? If so, would you run Grace or Hatred? And as an earlier commenter asked, would it be viable (or more viable than switching to mana, assuming you would be doing this for the purpose of running auras) with a Reduced Mana gem and Mortal Conviction to run one on BM? Moreover, assuming you went mana, would you link a BM gem to Frenzy and LA (I prefer that variant), and if not, how would you sustain the cost? Mana Leech?

Assuming that my guesses are correct (pretty big assumption), how would you modify the skill tree for endgame? I'm assuming that regardless of any fundamental changes it would be worthwhile to drop Diamond Flesh for Elemental Adaptation (+2 ele maxres, also a two point investment covered by the Diamond Flesh refund). How much crit would you go after if dropping RT? The Pressure Points cluster near the Ranger start area would be efficient, as with the two AS/Crit Chance nodes in AotE next door, and it wouldn't be too far out to pick up the Heartseeker cluster in the eastern Ranger section (the net effect of these additions being +100% crit mult and +80% crit chance w/ bows across 10 points, as well as the EV bonus per Frenzy charge and a single Dex node). Would auras be significant enough that a dip into the Sovereignty cluster in the far northwest could be worthwhile? Moreover, in your opinion, what in the current build can/should be sacrificed for a proper endgame LAer?


Sorry to ask so much; I'm just not familiar enough with the game yet to be sure what to expect in maps and how to build a character better suited for them. Anyhow, if you get around to it, I'd be interested to hear what your idea of an endgame version of this basic build would look like (or merely an endgame version of an LA Ranger in general).

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Dicypher wrote:

Hey Ziggy. Level 72 in Nemesis here, using the LA / Frenzy. Im really loving the way this build is working so far, the only tiny-bit I dont like is the lack of phys. dmg reduction. Normally on these kinda-squishy builds I want to use Grace, but not possible with BM ofc. But Im around 27% phys. reduction, and I feel everything hit me very hard until my CwDT lvl 4 procs after the first few hits.. Anyway I can get it higher? My gear-wise armor/eva is pretty solid, could maybe look for armor/eva increasing rings/amulets, but not sure what I could do otherwise.

Im keen to your reply on PleasureMan, if its even remotely possible to drop BM so I could get some auras going. :)

And thanks again for this awesome build.
EDIT: PS. U reckon its viable running

? I love the regen and increased dmg%when low, but Im considering mby dropping these if I get my gg boots? Thou I really love them for now, farming piety.

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Ratsneve wrote:

Thanks ZiggyD. I'm part way through Act 1 again following your guide. I've noticed some interesting things.

1. I like to 'stop and smell the coffee' covering every corner and killing every creature in a map before moving on or returning to town--you on the other hand are done with a map in 5 minutes. :)

2. I pick everything up and stop and take a look at the stuff when the inventory gets full. There I tend to drop everything not suited to my character as far as armor and weapons are concerned and keep and/or use stuff to modify or identify or keep for something later on or keep for the stash in town--you do the same but in a fraction of the time since you quickly skip over so much you don't need.

You are a wonder going at like a 78 rpm record while I'm like the 33 and 1/3 rpm record. :)

I'm at level 6 following your walkthrough and currently waiting to see what items you pick up in town. Fun and success will be measured on getting past Merveil and how much strategy I get tied up doing in Act 2 and 3 Normal.

3. In your walkthrough will you be trying to reach Blood Magic ASAP? We'll see.

Thanks.