[3.0] COLD CHAMPION SIEGE BALLISTA GUIDE - DPS... plenty - Meme Ballistas - Video(s) Inside

Pierce is less mana intensive... literally no downside compared to slower projectiles.
[2.2] The Vampire - Tanky 2H Axe Slayer Duelist - /view-thread/1611662
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Mannoth wrote:
Why not use the Pierce gem instead of Slower Projectiles? Same damage but no downside.


Thanks for pointing it out. Ill see what I can do about that now :)
twitch.tv/wabachaw
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Grimlocke_ wrote:
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Mannoth wrote:
Why not use the Pierce gem instead of Slower Projectiles? Same damage but no downside.


You don't seem to understand elementary Siege Ballista mechanics. I tested the skill thoroughly back when Lifting posted his ele guide in Talisman.

SB's projectiles cannot be either slowed or accelerated, meaning slower proj/faster proj have 0 effect on the skill itself, hence slower proj has no downside when linked to SB. SB's projectile range is based on a fixed number of units and extends well into adjacement screens.

SB's windup time can be shortened drastically by applying large amounts of attack speed (which is the main and the most important stat this skill scales from), effectively reducing the time the skill takes between acquiring the target and firing.

Once the target is acquired, SB fires in that direction even if the target moved, aka it is not locked-on but requires an attack to fire before aiming again, hence why, again, attack speed is the most important stat for these totems as it greatly reduces chances of totems missing.

To fully profit from this build, you first have to adjust your mindset to understand the general layout how this build works best, and that is as long-range heavy artillery playstyle and not your average shockwave/rf drop-in-the-middle-and-watch-everything-get-evaporated.

I wish there was a way to upgrade/empower IC from level 32 to lets say 60, it would make the whole thing a lot more interesting. Being forced to use it just so you wouldn't have to travel all the way to templar, feels meh.


You are hilarious. This discussion is just about the pierce gem having the same projectile damage increase (at level 20) as the slower projectile gem while simultaneously having a lower mana multiplier. It is not about pierce, slower projectiles or attackspeed (I don't even know where you got that from). Your incoherent rambling completely missed the point.
Current league chars: Bladestorm Champion SSF
Very interesting stuff.

I've been running a deadeye based build that more tried to scale phys and convert to elemental (link to tree and gear down below) using gems like phys to lightning and added fire. Currently in PHC trying to stretch to attack speed, crit and lastly been going over for attack speed and elemental damage seperately (like the Forces of Nature and Deadly Draw).

Currently my tooltip dps is at around 18k with 7 frenzy, 3 power charges and blood rage (current frenzy setup includes mana leech, pcoc, gmp), running Hatred and HoA.

I will def. give my build some tweaking and see what I can drag out of it, and I would love to see what your tree looks like and what paths you have taken, since I am very close to the duelist area.

Gear

The end-goal of the Drillneck is def. to have a 12% attack speed with a good phys to ele roll, or the extra arrow if I felt the need (4 arrows is plent with Deadeye) to replace the Jewel with a pure dmg based and still have 3 arrows. But with 5 corruptions this is the best so far.
The ideas I have is getting Starkonja's replaced for Rat's nest, getting ele dmg on rings while mainting resists and replacing Maligar's with higher attack speed gloves to help maintain resists.
I also have a 5l Belly to use for extra defense if I felt the need in higher level maps/atziri



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RichMoney wrote:
I was playing Ballista last league as phys, and made an elemental version for this league as well (as it seems the best way to scale it.

I haven't moved toward crit at the moment, but I really like my set up personally:
Gear and Links




My Current Elemental Non crit tree

I'm deadeye with Endless Munitions and Fast and Deadly. When I go crit, ill swap to powerful Precision.

When/if I go crit, I'll likely drop a herald and Alphas but still keep the full reservation with Wrath, Anger, HOT.


Where did you go first in the skill tree? Shadow area or rush to the totem keystone?
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Shaileen wrote:
You are hilarious. This discussion is just about the pierce gem having the same projectile damage increase (at level 20) as the slower projectile gem while simultaneously having a lower mana multiplier. It is not about pierce, slower projectiles or attackspeed (I don't even know where you got that from). Your incoherent rambling completely missed the point.


He clearly pointed out on a downside (if you are having mana problems with siege ballista, which is the cheapest totem skill around bare RF totems, then you are doing things wrong), while there is none other then 2-3 mana cost totem increase + 21+ gem difference (not important again since most people playing it will never even get level 20 gems).

My 'rambling' is exactly spot on and how the skill should be built upon, as during talisman, many players got disappointed for not doing what was suggested, due to the skill having wonky mechanics.

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Shaileen wrote:

You are hilarious. This discussion is just about the pierce gem having the same projectile damage increase (at level 20) as the slower projectile gem while simultaneously having a lower mana multiplier. It is not about pierce, slower projectiles or attackspeed (I don't even know where you got that from). Your incoherent rambling completely missed the point.


Why did you even bother posting?

I found Grimlocke_'s info rather pertinent, it concurs to some of the test I did in the previous league.

And I'm fairly sure that a full physical SB build with IC wouldn't be worth, dps wise, even if a character would reach 1600 dex.

The bow base is weak, the damage per dex point is weak, and if one throws 8 SBs to kill a fullscreen, that's even more useless of a build.

I just don't understand how GGG decided on this wonky mechanics and poor targeting design, while ranged attack totems benefit from the fast traveling speed of other projectile based abilties, with no issues.

GGG could fix the SB by taking away the pierce, giving it innate chain or some sort of aoe at the 'travel destination', similar to sunder.

Right now, I don't consider SB an efficient 'turret' to play with, if 30-40% of projectiles can whiff off the target.

Hell, even the BF totems have some issues because of bladefall targeting & projectile 'rain' spread. But it's more reliable than the SB targeting, considering that pell totem HP being nerfed/stripped to shit.
Last edited by CopiumTV on Mar 24, 2016, 4:50:41 AM
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Keisuke102 wrote:


Where did you go first in the skill tree? Shadow area or rush to the totem keystone?


I did most of the pathing first and just used 2 totems (with 200+ dex) and lightning arrow or something similar until around 50+. I like to get the framework of my builds on the tree upfront generally.
CharanJaydemyr:some people need to really rethink how they spend their money....I will trash this item if I ever find it on principle...I've seen much cleverer "troll" items get turned down, so I guess GGG gave up trying to enforce that one. Not GGG's finest hour.
poeurl.com/bD4E
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Grimlocke_ wrote:

He clearly pointed out on a downside (if you are having mana problems with siege ballista, which is the cheapest totem skill around bare RF totems, then you are doing things wrong), while there is none other then 2-3 mana cost totem increase + 21+ gem difference (not important again since most people playing it will never even get level 20 gems).

My 'rambling' is exactly spot on and how the skill should be built upon, as during talisman, many players got disappointed for not doing what was suggested, due to the skill having wonky mechanics.


I am going to weigh in on this here because I have been playing this a lot (obviously)

I would not say that if you have mana problems playing Siege Ballista you are doing it wrong. At the rate I go right now I frequently recast my totems non stop moving forward and with nodes like Totemic Zeal, Placement Speed on the gem quality and on the bow itself you can easily spend mana quicker than your regen.

Even if you run clarity (which I am), this can still be a problem in maps with less recovery modifiers so being able to go from 49 mana per SB with Slower Projectiles and 38 mana per SB with Pierce is amazing.

Cannot discredit how good it is making a spammable skill 20% cheaper overall
twitch.tv/wabachaw
i'm respecing from voltaxic LA as champion to this build as champion, played ele noncrit ballista last league and it was insanely powerful.

btw waba why arent u using WED on your rings/amu? that would be a huge dps boost wouldnt it?

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