What is the purpose of Support Gem: Trap?



So I know people like to link to it and say "It's a Trap" in Global, but is there actually a purpose to this gem? Can it be used as a build? Can it be used as a defensive support?
It's generally used as a damage boost for skills you don't need to spam. For example, Vaal Spark or Puncture (helps extra with Puncture by letting you get full value from Point Blank/Chin Sol without actually being in melee range), or to proc Elemental Equilibrium with Multiple Traps/Ice Nova or similar. I have a vague feeling that some actual trapper builds use it in addition to native traps, but I couldn't say what or why.
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Spells make better traps than a lot of natural trap skills.

For example, consider the following, from my Rampage zero duration trapper: (I'm going to make a guide eventually)



This combination enables me to toss out 3 EK traps at a time for large burst damage, and to scale EK's damage further with the 'More' multiplier from the trap gem.
Theorycrafter/Build Creator for PORTAL guild
@BlightScourge -> guide @ view-thread/1382667 (Retired till Mjolner is fixed)
Lvl 94 Crit Mjolner Marauder
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zSavage wrote:
Spells make better traps than a lot of natural trap skills.

For example, consider the following, from my Rampage zero duration trapper: (I'm going to make a guide eventually)



This combination enables me to toss out 3 EK traps at a time for large burst damage, and to scale EK's damage further with the 'More' multiplier from the trap gem.


Hmm, that is interesting.

What about Attacks? And does Attack Speed on tree scale how fast traps cast attacks?


3 Ice Novas overlap in the middle for a "shotgun" effect.
Trap can be used by itself for a More damage multiplier on skills that aren't spammed (used to be used on Raise Zombie, not 100% sure if it still works).

I do believe there was a poison arrow trapper build that was build of the week at some point.
Last edited by olop4444 on Sep 21, 2014, 1:23:52 AM
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K0rrupted wrote:


What about Attacks? And does Attack Speed on tree scale how fast traps cast attacks?


Attack speed and cast speed of traps are not affected by modifiers to attack and cast speed.

They are affected by 'trap throwing speed' (you can get it in the tree and from some uniques).

This lets you use these gloves:


Which increases the damage of your traps without changing their speed (as long as the skill you're trapping with is a spell)
Theorycrafter/Build Creator for PORTAL guild
@BlightScourge -> guide @ view-thread/1382667 (Retired till Mjolner is fixed)
Lvl 94 Crit Mjolner Marauder
twitch.tv/savagewolves
There are builds that pretty much only rely on traps (hence: Trappers) and make heavy use of this support. The AOE potential is insane if you link skills like firestorm, ice nova or in some instances even shock nova or ball lightning. A recent build of the week also showcased using trap for puncture by connecting it with point blank (reducing the range the arrow has to travel from the trap to the mob to 0, maximizing damage).

You will need to invest into at least some trap passives, but all in all it allows for a very cheap and still quite powerful build.
Another use of the Trap gem is to supplement an Ancestral Bond build with nuke damage. You give up the ability to directly cast spell damage with that keystone. Traps and mines still work.
On my old trapper i used it with a 20% shock nova and ele prolif. Really great to trigger elemental equilibrium and shock at the same time :)
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There's a lot of clever things you can do with traps. Most of them use deerstalker for a "free" 5L from boots, and almsot all traps use sunblast for that 6second base duration and then explosion.

Fire Trap and lightning trap are good for aoe damage, but some spells like Cold Snap and firestorm make for solid trap skills.

I'm not sure if vaal Flame Blast works with a trap, I know the normal doesn't since you need to charge it. But it would be interesting with a sunblast belt + reduce duration and multi trap for 3 flame blasts going off at once.


I might try that for my next build, actually.

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