Wanted to make an explosive arrow build

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azraelb wrote:

1. There are 3 (main) ways to use EA:
- Pure explosion AoE build -> LMP or GMP, both AoE support gems + IAS gem
- Burn build -> NO LMP/GMP! because it lowers your dmg significantly, concEffect, burn chance + burn dmg, IAS gem, EP (if you dont get a 6L you have to swap something for elemental profilearation - e.g. using quillrain to be able to remove IAS gem)
- explosion/arrow hybrid -> GMP, weapon ele dmg, added lightning dmg (or chain/fork), IAS gem (here we do more or less a "normal" ele build with focus on shocking and only use the explosion as "finisher"

-> Lifeleech isnt a good thing for EA because you dont leech constantly. For the whole time of stacking and the delay you leech almost nothing then there comes the big boom and you loose most of the leech because of the 20% cap.
Better put a LoH on the frenzy you use while the delay.

2. Imho Templar or Witch arent that effective for the start (I'd prefer witch over templar because you could start with a lot of mana and mana regen to be able to use quillrain and you can get to EB and some IAS at shadow tree pretty fast)
Marauder is the worst classes for that (no IAS, no mana, no dmg for at least 20-30 lvls).
-> If you dont get the IAS from shadow or duelist and some frenzy charges you have to use quillrain in lategame. (= sucks big time)
You want a +2-3 to skills thicket/imperial bow with IAS and maybe even some lightning dmg to also do some direct dmg and shocks

=> duelist is the best class for that:
- most IAS
- mana+mana regen + most reduced mana passives
- projectiles dmg (does boost the arrow dmg AND the explosion, so if you want to wear e.g. wake of destruction for some additional direct dmg and shocking, projectile dmg should be your first choice over fire dmg...)
- near to Iron Grip for even more projectile dmg


Oh yeah and you definately need a lot of defense (or something/someone as tank/crowd control)! While e.g. a LA ranger killes monsters before they get close, you dont do any dmg at all for at least 2 full seconds (stacking+1 sec delay)!!!


@BRavich:
a totem is a bad thing for burning because it reduces the dmg per hit a lot.
You only have 3 firetraps per gem. I dont think you will kill a boss with that if it doesnt crit...

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haole wrote:

If you are going SC I suppose.. but you need the life in HC and you want resolute technique instead of crit chance and having to worry about accuracy. You DEFINITELY don't want crit reflection chance and you want your arrows to always stack and not miss. You also won't need burn chance with high quality EA and high quality Increased Burn Damage because with 30% burn chance and elemental proliferation everything will be on fire anyhow. Dont waste the gem space.