[Version 0.10.7] gh0un´s Point Blank, Rain of Arrows Bowrauder

Maybe there is something wrong with the item-to-forum linking then. I don't see you linking Blood Magic, Reduced Mana, Purity, and Determination. It shows you having Devouring Totem. This may be why I was confused because in no linking do I see you using Reduced Mana and Blood Magic together.

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actormike86 wrote:

Maybe there is something wrong with the item-to-forum linking then. I don't see you linking Blood Magic, Reduced Mana, Purity, and Determination. It shows you having Devouring Totem. This may be why I was confused because in no linking do I see you using Reduced Mana and Blood Magic together.

You just need a single reduced mana and only a single blood magic support (or none, if you use the covenant trick, which i do).
Then, if it comes to using your auras, you jiggle around the reduced mana and blood magic support, turn on all your auras, and then you can remove reduced mana from your gear completely.

I will make a video about this so it becomes more clear, since it is kinda confusing if i write it down as a text.

Hey, I have started from the ranger side but I have a similar concept Rain of Arrow's build as well. Here is my take.

The only main difference is choosing to run pure physical with Broadstroke Heavy Quiver. By running pure physical I don't have to pump elemental damage effects which would only count for a portion of my damage. Also I run with Chin Sol as it is the best bow for a short range build. Not sold on Unwavering Stance for this build but I'll likely pick it up for added protection.

I run Frenzy for single target DPS and it really helps ramp up your character as a whole. Also Celerity is more of a personal choice as 8% faster movement speed helps me speed rush the game quicker.

I tried reading posts stating the Blood Magic trick with The Covenant. Once that exploit is fixed, however, 5 auras will most likely be the max, right?

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Healfezza wrote:

The only main difference is choosing to run pure physical with Broadstroke Heavy Quiver. By running pure physical I don't have to pump elemental damage effects which would only count for a portion of my damage.

Hatred and Added Fire are BONUS 60% damage, which scales off of your physical. Elemental damage "effects" are very, very worth taking, as well as both Hatred and Added Fire. Don't skip.

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actormike86 wrote:

I tried reading posts stating the Blood Magic trick with The Covenant. Once that exploit is fixed, however, 5 auras will most likely be the max, right?

An exploit? Well considering it is quite a significant "exploit" it should have been fixed already, right? It is a matter of a few clicks to change that, yet they have it like that for ages now. So I believe it will stay like that. It is merely clever use of game mechanics, nothing else.

Dont think the covenant trick is an exploit at all.
I would actually like the game to have many more of these neat tricks, kinda gives useless uniques a place in the game.

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VenatorPoE wrote:

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Healfezza wrote:

The only main difference is choosing to run pure physical with Broadstroke Heavy Quiver. By running pure physical I don't have to pump elemental damage effects which would only count for a portion of my damage.

Hatred and Added Fire are BONUS 60% damage, which scales off of your physical. Elemental damage "effects" are very, very worth taking, as well as both Hatred and Added Fire. Don't skip.

Oh of course use Hatred and Added Fire Damage, but I was more refering to Blackgleam over Broadstroke. Then again I could see how converting your damage to fire could ultimately gain you more DPS with elemental nodes (+ATKSPD) over the physical of Broadstroke. I'll have to look into it.

So the question remains if you use Blackgleam over Broadstroke...

Hypothetical

100 DPS Physical @ 1.00 Attack Speed

+20%phys vs +20%elemental

Blackgleam (+10ATKSPD 50% to Fire)

100 x 1.10 = 110

55 Phys + 55 Fire x 20% = 121

Broadstroke (+20% Phys)

100 x 1.40 = 140



All that being said it is BASIC math and there are many other factors but by modifying the base physical damage you could potentially add MORE added damage with % damage abilities and modifiers. Also you seem to get better increases off of elemental nodes, but at the same token there are less of them and you may have to travel to get them. So is the tradeoff worth it? I don't know... But if anyone wants to do the REAL math go ahead.

Also as a sidenote, it is easy to find decent +elemental damage jewellry as well.

Thanks for the guide, very interesting and informative.
I just have a couple questions :)

1. First of all, why marauder? why not ranger? is it for the initial tankiness/easy access to life nodes? Or because he can more easily access innerforce and catalyze nodes from templar?

2. When do you recommend switching over to RoA from groundslam/heavy stirke (what i'm using at the moment in the very early stages of the game). Is there a certain point on the passive tree?
Or should I just wait for a decent bow?
Note: I'm in hardcore.

Thanks :)

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Epictome wrote:

Thanks for the guide, very interesting and informative.
I just have a couple questions :)

1. First of all, why marauder? why not ranger? is it for the initial tankiness/easy access to life nodes? Or because he can more easily access innerforce and catalyze nodes from templar?

2. When do you recommend switching over to RoA from groundslam/heavy stirke (what i'm using at the moment in the very early stages of the game). Is there a certain point on the passive tree?
Or should I just wait for a decent bow?
Note: I'm in hardcore.

Thanks :)

I switched right at level 8 when i got RoA, because i already had found a nice bow and also blackgleam.
You should probably use a quiver with life and resistances until much later in the game, since you are on hardcore.
As to when you should switch, either if you find a very good bow, or if you have access to iron grip and a reasonably good bow.

To answer your first question, why ranger instead of marauder?
The ranger starting area has so many wasted passives for this build its not even funny.
Accuracy, evasion rating (equivalent armor passives are better and in regards to this, the starting area for both classes is almost mirrored, 3 armor passives vs 4 evasion, while the 3 armor passives are higher in value), terrible physical damage passives (except for a very few that you cant get anyways because they lead into dead ends for this build).
The only good thing is the 8% attackspeed node, and i was completely opposed to getting attackspeed early on because i knew it would make resource management that much harder (since i was using mana until i had a high lifepool and the 5L/6L).
Marauder is the correct class to start this build with, no wasted points at all.

If anything, you could argue the duelist.
The right side of the duelist has very efficient skillnodes now, and in order to get out of there and to connect to my current build, you just use 2 passive points, wihle you have access to 12 efficient passives.
Leather and steel is great, the projectile damage passives are pretty good, fury bolts is very good, the attackspeed nodes are very efficient.
Pretty much everything on the right side is very efficient for this build, and instantly connects to my current build.
I am currently trying to figure out whether i will skill towards the duelist area now, or towards buff effect.
For buff effect, i would have to use 5 passive points to just get there, then 3 to skill them, and then im kinda in a dead end.
Can i get more out of 8 passive points in the duelist area (+ the benefit of not being in a dead end after just 8 passives)? Maybe. Its really is a hard decision.
Many people would say go for buff effect, since i am running 7 auras, but i think they are herping on buff effect a little too much.
8 passives just to get there is not "for free", and being in a deadend makes it even worse (its not a complete dead end i know).
I am going to try out both variations when i have the levels, and just take the one that yields better results.

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All that being said it is BASIC math and there are many other factors but by modifying the base physical damage you could potentially add MORE added damage with % damage abilities and modifiers.

Blackgleam shits on broadstroke, its not even a contest.
Blackgleam shits on every quiver in the game when it comes to maximum damage (if you are using a physical damage bow).
The thing you seem to forget is: more weapon elemental damage support.
That support not only increases the elemental damage you get from your auras, added fire damage (and also your rings/amulets etc) it also increases the damage that is being converted due to blackgleam.
After your physical damage has been increased by all of the physical passives, it is converted to fire and then it is supported by more weapon elemental damage, and thus scales almost twice as good with elemental damage passives, and they are mostly higher in value anyways.
Due to added fire, hatred and blackgleam, over 90% of my damage becomes elemental damage and then scales twice as good with elemental damage passives due to more weapon elemental damage support.
As i said, its not even a contest.

What you can do to increase your damage even further, is to use hrimsorrow with this build.
It converts another 25% of your physical to cold damage.
I tried it out, and i am left with 4% physical damage after i equip hrimsorrow.
What this does is, that all of my physical damage is first scaled up by physical damage passives (of which i only have the most efficient ones: iron grip and rain of arrows implicit physical damage increase) and then it is converted to almost exclusively elemental damage, thus almost 100% of your damage then scales with elemental damage passives: at almost twice the rate due to more weapon elemental damage support.
There is no argument to be made about broadstroke, it sucks.
There is an argument to be made about hrimsorrow though, it was increasing my damage by a lot.

If you dont need the additional life/resistances on your glove, get hrimsorrow aswell.
I am not quite at that point, so i put hrimssorrow back in my stash for now, because i need the stats on my gloves.

Just wanted to say the OP thanks for this build. Your video commentary was also very helpful. I usually play ranged classes but I love the concept of a point blank projectile melee build. Definitely something different which appeals to me. Will try it for myself and see how it goes. Cheers.