[2.2.0] Voltaxic Poisonous Quills [End Game Mapping Build]

Hello, great build and very in depth on the explanations, love reading a guide done well and with a lot of care. And thanks for answering all these questions!

So I started out doing a Chin Sol Point Blank Shrapnel Shot build in Talisman Softcore and I recently got a Voltaxic Rift drop and now I want to switch over. I am wondering about utilizing Drillneck and Shrapnel Shot's "arrows always pierce" for the 100% increased projectile damage without any extra nodes or gear requirements. I would also keep the Point Blank keystone for the 50% more projectile attack damage at close range and use the AoE of Shrapnel Shot to clear mobs. Now, Shrapnel Shot has terrible AoE compared to pretty much every other skill with the AoE label but I have been doing pretty good so far just Quicksilvering up to mobs and attacking and moving on pretty fast.

I haven't even 6S my Voltaxic yet, but I am thinking of trying out this Drillneck Shrapnel Shot idea as a transition step into your build here. Despite wanting to keep using my Drillneck I am guessing that a decent rare quiver with lightning damage, elemental damage, and crit chance will out class it, especially if I am using Barrage. I am just wondering if you have any thoughts on the idea of Point Blank or trying to incorporate Drillneck. Having not much experience with projectile type attacks, is the Fork from Rigwald's Quills really required?

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ShadyMcGrady1 wrote:

Hello, great build and very in depth on the explanations, love reading a guide done well and with a lot of care. And thanks for answering all these questions!

So I started out doing a Chin Sol Point Blank Shrapnel Shot build in Talisman Softcore and I recently got a Voltaxic Rift drop and now I want to switch over. I am wondering about utilizing Drillneck and Shrapnel Shot's "arrows always pierce" for the 100% increased projectile damage without any extra nodes or gear requirements. I would also keep the Point Blank keystone for the 50% more projectile attack damage at close range and use the AoE of Shrapnel Shot to clear mobs. Now, Shrapnel Shot has terrible AoE compared to pretty much every other skill with the AoE label but I have been doing pretty good so far just Quicksilvering up to mobs and attacking and moving on pretty fast.

I haven't even 6S my Voltaxic yet, but I am thinking of trying out this Drillneck Shrapnel Shot idea as a transition step into your build here. Despite wanting to keep using my Drillneck I am guessing that a decent rare quiver with lightning damage, elemental damage, and crit chance will out class it, especially if I am using Barrage. I am just wondering if you have any thoughts on the idea of Point Blank or trying to incorporate Drillneck. Having not much experience with projectile type attacks, is the Fork from Rigwald's Quills really required?

Glad you like it :)

I can't comment too much on Shrapnel Shot because I have tried it for 5min and didn't like the area clear speed. I was thinking about Point Blank myself, I'll definitely try it out once I get to 95, need that one passive point.

Drillneck could actually work well with Barrage too, I haven't tested it though. The idea is to make Barrage hit more mobs without giving it Less Damage from Chain or Fork gems, that's why I used Rigwald's Quiver. But pierce could work too, you will just loose one dmg support gem. I know Pierce becomes increased damage, so you can look at it that way, but for example Rigwald's Quiver can give you 50% Projectile Damage "for free" along with Fork. If I really wanted to play without Rigwald's Quills I would rather have great rare quiver and use Chain because of how "smart" it is, almost vacuum cleaning everything in 1 or 2 shots, while with Fork or Pierce you need to position.

to make this build more hardcore viable i feel like atziri's step's are necessary. rat's nest can go since it provides no hp, the quills quiver also provides no health but it is necessary for pack clear. you can better your elemental dps by supporting enhance on your wrath and herald of thunder (or at least your wrath). i would ditch the 3 crit nodes by acrobatics and the projectile nodes at ranger and go for the health nodes by the scion start as well as pick up the better crit nodes that include 8% multi for the same investment. you have to spend a total of 2 more points but i think its a better investment and i would go there before picking up the last frenzy node. it also leaves you with more points to spend after 94 (first world problems) you can also pick up the 4% hp nodes in the middle of duelist.

i would much rather have some sort of pierce set up on this build for pack clear because drillneck is just a better quiver. it also would yield more dps in the end run. i dont know if a lvl 20 pierce gem and 10% from drillneck with a total of 79% would make it worth it. but the life and attack speed alone would be better for hardcore. killing mobs in the center of packs or in the back of packs would be much smoother. this build cannot spare the points to go into the pierce tree though. 89% projectile damage has to be better than added chaos damage.

this build has solved an issue i find with bow players. the inability to kill most bosses. =D imma make hardcore work for this build

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cautioncones wrote:

imma make hardcore work for this build

Let me know how it turned out, I am really interested in Drillneck variant, I would probably test it out soon just to see how well pierce performs. And about HC, I don't want to give any comment or suggestions simply because I never played HC, and I guess ripping with this kind of gear would be a disaster.

I don't really understand your suggestion about enhance support, Wrath quality gives AOE, while HOT could be a bit beneficial, but not worth it in temp league in my opinion.

Edit i meant empower

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cautioncones wrote:

Edit i meant empower

Good idea if you have enough INT, it's already a struggle with 155 requirement at lvl 20.

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Daidelos wrote:

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cautioncones wrote:

Edit i meant empower

Good idea if you have enough INT, it's already a struggle with 155 requirement at lvl 20.

i had 170 with some gear. its a little bit of a pain. but just get a bunch on your neck and everything else falls into place. you can also invest into a 30 int node if you cant gear your character just that second

Ever thought about using snakebites in your build? You can switch out the poison gem for increased crit damage or something else.

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blame1 wrote:

Ever thought about using snakebites in your build? You can switch out the poison gem for increased crit damage or something else.

I'm not a fun of them, I like to stop and check items from time to time or answer to chat, Snakebite promotes super fast playstyle without much stopping (with 7 FCs at least). I also have a lot of Int and Lightning Resistance (damn you Coil) on gloves, so I would not change that. Plus Poison gem is amazing with levels and quality. But you can build around those for sure, especially if you don't go Lightning Coil route.

I am a ranger, level 75, and am loving this build. I am playing the standard format using a corrupted drillneck that is leeching lightning damage. This is one of the best quivers for standard. This build clears mobs extremely fast and does not need pierce. What I do see is the accelerated poison damage. Do you think it would be worth 4 nodes to get fatal toxins? one would gain + 10% to hit and 125% damage with poison... LOL - after running a couple tier 9 maps, I slay faster than poison so the 4 passives would be wasted.... The real secret of this build is the belt and flask (Vinktar) combo. Granted, I am running tier 9 and 10 maps, blood rage active, I can pop Vinktar without a shock immunity flask, and still leech faster than damage taken.