Explosive Arrow Marauder (Updated for Release)

Is this build good for Rare hunting in SC/Merc?

Wow this is crazy. I had not seen this thread, but I am running a build VERY similar to this. I had the impression that it was not widely used or anything. Is it?

I had a 5 Link Quill rain, and right now I am using a Silverbranch bow.



The amount of damage you get to Explosive/Poison arrow is pretty significant from 2 extra levels. I can't decide if I like using the Quill Rain or this bow more.


Edit: My first go at this build was using EE, since the physical hits of explosive arrow... if you have some lighting/cold dmg to your attack, will proc the resist debuff for fire. Although, I specced out of it, because the only time it's really worth it is for single target monsters.

This is because monsters in packs will always be getting the fire BUFF, because your arrows don't go off at the same time on all the monsters when shooting with LMP, etc. So the first arrow that goes off will give all the other mobs around it fire resist....

Edit: That's the setup I use for my AoE damage... clearing packs etc.

For Single target on my chest I would use Explosive Arrow + Concentrated Effect + Chance to Ignite + Faster attacks + Fire Pen

I am running quite a similar build. It currently looks like this

Passive skill tree build

As you can see i've focused a lot on pure fire dmg. I'm only lvl 67 but it's working out great so far (SC), I might respec similarly to yours once/if I hit a wall I guess.

I have 80/80/80/-60 resists, and use EA with life on hit, LMP, increased area of effect and concentrated effect. Combined with Flammability (and often even without it), basically packs just blow the hell up. If I get 6L some day I'll add in a faster attacks, getting in 5 charges with over 4aps will be very, very quick.

I also use poison arrow 15% for the lulz, and spam x2 bear traps with added fire dmg for single targets. Flame totem to shift aggro and it actually does rather passable dmg (especially if it has the attention of a rare mob and I throw a couple of bear traps on it)
Also using a Meginord's Girdle so I can spam flasks constantly, and Molten Shell for extra survivability and sometimes Fire Trap.

Oh and the rather high cost of spamming EA like that with LMP is countered by the life on hit.

Might experiment some with your EE ideas if I need quicker clear speed on higher lvl maps later on but for now this is working out for me.

OP have you tried Burning Arrow by chance and if so have you had any good results from it?

I mean it has all the good stuff it seems your build focuses on. Isn't the burn damage more important than the explosive damage to you?

I'm guessing the difference is the AoE of spreading the burning status to other enemies is why you like it?

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mibuwolf wrote:

OP have you tried Burning Arrow by chance and if so have you had any good results from it?

I mean it has all the good stuff it seems your build focuses on. Isn't the burn damage more important than the explosive damage to you?

I'm guessing the difference is the AoE of spreading the burning status to other enemies is why you like it?

I think it's more to so with quill rain halving the damage for most skills EA is the rare exception.

Nvm. I tried seeing if BA would do ok, but it really doesn't seem so.

this is what im using and i just started cruel diff: also have not put a point in BM yet need advice if my gear it okay for it;




also would lifeleech(ll) work with worth EA?
yah i dont ahve quailty gems yet, should i work on getting atleast EA first then gear or try to get all quailty gems then move to gear?

well i also made a CI LS shadow after making it found it out was also gear depended have really moved much on him, he lvl 60+ i think.. so i try to farm mecriless.

Welp, just died at 51 because i one shot myself to a reflect pack off-screen on the way to Merciless Ledge. Nonetheless this spec is pretty solid with Quill Rain. It went pretty well up to this point.

Killed Piety on Cruel and started Merciless with 30% Fire, 80% Cold and 80& Lightning. Didn't really care about the 30% Fire because there is no real fire damage in Act 1, so I thought. Big burst damage is just so dangerous in hardcore.

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mibuwolf wrote:

Nvm. I tried seeing if BA would do ok, but it really doesn't seem so.

Yeah, you need physical damage as well to make BA work.

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drakon3rd wrote:

also would lifeleech(ll) work with worth EA?
yah i dont ahve quailty gems yet, should i work on getting atleast EA first then gear or try to get all quailty gems then move to gear?

well i also made a CI LS shadow after making it found it out was also gear depended have really moved much on him, he lvl 60+ i think.. so i try to farm mecriless.

I use life leech with EA and it works really well.



I'm not using Quill Rain though right now, but I have.

My Poison Arrow is 326 dmg per second(still leveling up the Q EA that I got in there), but in the bow it jumps up to 484. I just shoot a PA then start unloading EA. Poison Arrow does a pretty significant amount of dmg then EA just blows everything up.