CI 2xClaws Frenzy/Flicker Assassin

I've tried a couple of classes, as caster I have templar with lightskills, and a ranger phys+crit+evade, but I got all dissapointed when playing melee, tried 2x1hander duelist with frenzy, was shitload of fun until it just became unplayable, and CI got my interest quite at the beginning as well. Also funny that I missed how great claw nods are!

It's also quite fun because I just saw an quite similiar build in page 1 asking for advice, but anyway, mine is a bit more different and crit-orientated!


Here the Full build:




So it's basically max Energy Shield, some Evasion, Frenzy-charges+Buffs, Life/Mana leech with claws, CI + Ghost reaver + Vaal Pact and because its on the way: a tick of mana, Aura buffs + buff/debuff duration and some resistance on the way.

Here the summed up stats:





Before I start making lvl 20,40,60,80 Builds I wanna have some feedback first!



Thats about the tree.


Skills I Intend to go for:

So I havnt really used many of these skills, especially Etheral Knives and Whirling blade, so it would really help giving me tips about these, and which support gems fit to the skills and this build!

Offensive:



Curse:


Auras:




So thats about it atm.


Please feedback on the tree as well as on the different skills!

Much appreciated, thanks !

Am lvl 17 and found out that ethernal knives wont work with that build at all so removed it.


Feedback is ready to be received! :P

I don't think you can spend 120 points.

And second thing.... do some maths.
Crit in it's current state is worthless as a DPS buff. Except few specific builds.

Think about this. You spent 8 points for around +200% crit and +20 multiplier, right?
With claws you will have 6,5 % crit from claw +200% * (6,5%).
Let's say around 20% chance for +170% dmg multiplier.

It should be overall +14% dmg increase from crits, right? long term

As opposite to this
If you spent that 8 points on claw dmg boosts. Let's say you went: fitness - dexterity - dexterity - claw dmg * 5
+28% pdmg and acc + spd

and this will give you +28% dmg increase only from pure p.dmg bonuses, without counting spd and acc. And p.dmg is important if you want lech life

better that way?

It's sad to always hear crit is so bad, but I suppose if you focus on it a lot it can get pretty strong and therefor leech enuff life aswell.

crit is only bad, if you dont build specificly for it, you cant just get half way and expect to do well.

since crit is a chance on hit effect. the higher the chance on hit you get, the better your performance will be. also since crits will apply status alignments, it is best used with elemental damage as well.

for a claw based build, crit isnt going to be something you need. and crits wont do much for a claw attack unless you add elemental damage to it.

where as a dagger build which has global crit built into it, plus adder's touch gives crits will poison your targets, this is a well worth reason to build up your crits. same with a power siphon build with wands since wands have the highest base crit chance in the game.

also since you are a shadow and you are so close to all those ES delay nodes, I suggest you pick them up just so that you'll reduce your ES cooldown to a little less than 3 seconds. this will allow you to do hit and runs while still having ES to buffer your damage. especially if your going CI.

you wont need frenzy as an attack since you have blood rage, it'll provide all the frenzy charges you'll need, but instead you might want to use it just for bosses where you cant get frenzy charges from minion deaths.

for a single target skill I would go with dual strike, or double strike, depending if you meet the requirements or not, and the weapons you obtain.

the dual wield block I would avoid unless you had plan to get more. this isnt too useful especially if you are doing what I mention above to just hit and run. instead you'll want the more damage so that when you do hit, it'll hit hard.

also I would get at least get 1 cluster of accuracy, since you will need it to hit hard. since you have quite a bit of dex, you wont need too much, but a bit will help a lot. especially the dead eye cluster.

Thanks for the feedback!


Yes I'm going to use claws, probably not going for crit now but pure physical damage.

If I use frenzy as skill I can level up + add support gems, although frenzy charges from Blood Rage are cool and very useful for like using FLicker Strike effectively, but on say bosses I think the additional speed from frenzylvl and dmg from gems are quite useful I suppose, and as you said, to keep the Charges up.

At the moment I'm using Dual Strike, is double strike better? Like one uses both weapons, the other only main. Can't decide.

I only went for the 2x 2% Blockchance for the 12% Attackspeed, I could indeed take the +30% physical damage. Probably better in the long run, is it?



I've removed 2x 10 dex nodes, Double Chance to avoid Projectiles, 2x2% Blockchance, 12% Attackspeed, 4% phys dmg and 15% crit with claws

and added instead: the 30% pyhs dmg at start point (right above block+ATS), +30% energyshield recovery, added deadeye (+36% accuracy with the 2x 8% on the way)

Can't link skilltree atm, but its the skilltree form my 3rd post without crit + the above changes.



Thanks for the feedback again, any other/more much appreciated!


Any tips for the skills?

ps: just noticed I have 1 life but its full, so additional melee damage on full life-gem is just perfect, with increased phys dmg gem its +60% dmg right from the start (lvl 1 gem) :-)

if your gonna do pure physical, dual strike is better.

double strike will do 70% less damage for your main hand but strikes twice, the reason this would be better is if your using a shield, so you only have 1 weapon, also if your using elemental and critical strikes, because since it is 2 seperate attacks it will apply shock stacks twice if you got a critical strike. or it'll double the effects of your elemental damage from auras and your added elemental gems.

also the best way to plan out skills I find is like this

you have 5 keyboard bound spells and 3 mouse bound spells, (really 2 since the middle button isnt very easy to hit, but if you can then more power to you)

so your 2 main attacks are going to be on your mouse button, left and right, the way i like to do it is single target on your left and aoe on your right. unless your mana/blood magic management is poor, then just keep left button as normal auto attack.

then you'll have at least 1 movement or escape tool (whirling blades does a good job in your case), 1 curse (2 if you have whispering doom), a buff (blood rage in your case), a boss helper (viper strike does a good job), and the final ability is just whatever you like that will help.

okay here is the reworked build




anything else you can think off is bad or could be made better?
I will after this post also edit first post with new tree and edit summed up stats.



About Skills.

I will probably use Frenzy on LMP, get discipline in the middle button (most efficient way to use it, since you dont need to press it but once to activate ^^), right button AoE you say, but which AoE as assasin shadow? Is there a good AoE actually? Suggest me something :-) I thought of like the firetrap, but that won't give me lots of damage since I'm physical melee built, Anyway, one slot free for an AoE, 5 Left.

So dual strike RMB I think or Whirling Blade, 1 a curse (LifeLeech/ManaLeech curse or enfeeble or so), 2. Whirling blades/dual strike, 3 Flicker strike, 4 bloodrage, 5 Evasion or Clarity-aura


So actually it seems like my skilltab is full anyway :P Unless there is something brilliant to exchange? I wouldnt mind a big AoE Spell for sure :P


What for support gems would you btw. Suggest for Whirling Blades, Flicker strike and Bloodrage? Can I increase the hitbox/radius of WHirling Blades?


Until now, thanks for the tips! Much appreciated.

AoE is probably Lightning Strike. There isn't much else which works with claws.

If you're running low on slots to launch your skills from, then try this:
1. Map long-term buffs (auras) to slots
2. Cast them.
3. Map something different and combat-usable to those slots.

The auras will remain running until you die or log out/in again, at which point just repeat those 3 steps.

"Map" means "Put"? :P But thats interesting, thanks^^

Dunno if lightning strike is the way to go, but from what I've read, there is almost no AoE skill if any that would fit.