[1.0.3] Vaine's Blood Magic & Critical Frenzy/LA Build

Oh and I use added lightning instead of added fire in my frenzy link.

I didn't mean on this exact build, I meant on the LA build in general. I know this is basically the opposing build, and I was just posting as an interesting comparison between dodge and IR. This is definitely lower on damage than your build, but it's waaay more survivable, nay unkillable, and keeping permanent shock stacks on everything is a really good boost to party damage. I'm not sure if your build can manage it through just crits, but maybe, and that would be pretty insane.

My old build was very similar to yours now, but it was easier to do with the old tree by just going through the center to pick up health and then blood magic down on the opposite side of the duelist tree, so I didn't really like the way it panned out now. It seemed to stretch too far and waste too many points. So mine is a bit similar to the old LA build, but it has even more survivability and more damage still.

Even so, if I was going to make a dodge build, I would still try to start as a scion, pick up those nice projectile starter nodes and the multitude of health up there, and then split left and right. It just seems like starting next to one of those superhighway lines and avoiding the fairly convoluted ranger starting area could yield some nicely saved points.

I might try to rig up a build later and see if I can come up with anything. One thing I'm sad about is that my build misses TWO whole frenzy charges. Although they're not popular, I'm a pretty big fan of The Blood Dance boots. The %Regen is crazy valuable with a good HP pool. This adds a good boost of hp on top of the life leech when just right clicking with frenzy, and the bonus damage/move speed per charge is just gravy. They're a little better in the static blows build of course because of the higher hp pool and the handy dex bonus considering I need to hit 212 for end game bows.

Static blows and the node behind it gives 20% chance to shock, I have 27% chance to crit, so yeah, I manage to keep shock stacks up. :) But indeed, my build isn't the tankiest around.

Just a quick question: what would you do if you would play at HC? Would you change a lot from your build? Like taking the 30% spell dodge?

How does blood magic work exactly with skills and items that add mana.

If I have +70% to my mana do I lose that +70% or is it translated to my HP?

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Brian9824 wrote:

How does blood magic work exactly with skills and items that add mana.

If I have +70% to my mana do I lose that +70% or is it translated to my HP?

You gain nothing from any kind of mana buffs like mana regen and max mana increases. The only thing that transfers is mana usage turns to health usage (including mana reserved).

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Just a quick question: what would you do if you would play at HC? Would you change a lot from your build? Like taking the 30% spell dodge?

I'm not sure if this build is viable in HC to be honest. Maybe...but it would take a lot of playtesting and extremely quick reactions, and just knowing the game extremely well in general. You'd have to recognize things like rare mods just by seeing the auras on them really quickly, but it might be possible.

The old marauder LA build or ranger immortal LA build were geared for HC, and mine follows in a similar vein. I'm pretty sure my build would be completely viable in HC with some tweaking. The truth is that the new dodge hasn't really been tested to the extremes to see how tanky it can become, so it's hard to say. This build is built as a damage monster which is survivable enough to only go down with really bad luck every once in a while once you have good gear, but that's probably not good enough for HC. I just built mine super tanky for fun even though it's not HC.

Hey vaine

quick update so far. Act 2 merciless in a breeze, soloplay or in groups (even easier).

My gear is.. very shitty and selffound, 'xept the bow and the boots.

Using Blood Rage combined with Blood Dancers make me incredibly durable.


I'm still looking for Maligaro's, a nice rustic sash, good WEDquiver and ofcourse a 5L or 6s5L chestpiece. Will come with time tho.

I even facetank Rogue Exiles with ease, it's like I have no probs at all yet. Resis are meh, but so what :D Everything dies within seconds to a hail of lightnings (not chained yet, chain leveld in X gear).

Glad to hear you're doing alright with the build Chronodroid. You're right PsychicMuffin, this build is based around the saying 'the best defence is a good offence', meaning that with enough damage, everything dies before I do. The only thing causing me trouble, like ever, are map bosses that CAN one-shot me if I'm unlucky.

Also regarding survivability; I intend to respec slightly and spec into vaal pact later today if I can obtain som regrets. I have a feeling nigh-immortality will ensue.. :)

This will also allow to me use the 3 flask slots for added mobility and dps in the form of diamond and quicksilver flasks.

Indeed, Vaal Pact is an option, but only if you skill out of the %Regens and don't use the 7 Frenzies to regenerate with the Blood Dancer Boots.

Got a question tho, since yesterday Merci Ledge dropped me this beauty:


Now I'd like to build in a "safety net" for tougher fights, soloplay or Merci bossfarms.
My Idea expands to distract mobs and directly counter desync in the following manner:

4Link: Cast when damage taken - Enduring Cry - Spell Totem - Summon Skeletons.
Edit: Also a nice variant taken from Boxsalesman:
4Link: Cast when damage taken - Enduring Cry - Molten Shell - Summon Skeletons

CDT uses the links in order, so I read, thus casting the Cry on our beloved Ranger while summoning a skelly totem. If you're desynced and thus get hit, you notice this on your healthbar, BUT now you have a synced skelly-army, and this helps (at least me) to position again and/or to /oos quickly. Skellies will give me enough time to shoot things down and the cry gives me phys reduction and res.

What do you think about this maneuvre?

Ah i forgot about the no regen aspect of vaal pact, i only thought of life recovery from flasks. Forget about that then. I like your maneuver, i might look into that for myself. About time i made my helmet 4L. :p only issue I envision though, is casting ad infinitum due to me taking a fancy to facetanking and thereby soaking a lot of damage. :/

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vaiNe_ wrote:

Ah i forgot about the no regen aspect of vaal pact, i only thought of life recovery from flasks. Forget about that then. I like your maneuver, i might look into that for myself. About time i made my helmet 4L. :p only issue I envision though, is casting ad infinitum due to me taking a fancy to facetanking and thereby soaking a lot of damage. :/

Well, glad to have helped a genius guy like you :)

Cast when damage taken: No mana used, no spell animations used. So you can run / attack or just do nothing at all and the spells will be cast at no cost.

But beware, your envision is indeed not untrue. This gem holds true danger when you face the omnipotent lightning thorns.

Many too-offensively linked CDT have been ripped apart by the sheer loop of damage -> CDT -> damage -> CDT as long as the damage you get thrown at is higher than the trigger amount of CDT gem.

this is what I'm talking about :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeDUzfkzQyc

But linking 3 defense / non-reflecting active skills will just result in no more deaths than onehits :)