Non-ES No-Block End Game Low-Life Melee [1.1.X Updated]

The Demigod of Madness.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8aV9h7mlY&feature=youtu.be

This end-game build relies on high quality rare and unique items. Gem quality and being an attentive player is desirable.




The build is versatile, enables enjoyable clearing of high level maps and stands its ground against most bosses and mods (except 'Desync'). Its skill tree layout is best achieved by Duelist, while it is also available to Marauder, Scion and Templar with minor loss of usability (it's mostly gear - duh). The build is very strong and gear-dependent, it is meant primarily for solo PvE play in Softcore:





Single-target and AoE damage are not too differentiated in this build, you just constantly teleport across the maps (fast Lightning Warp + Blood Magic) cast Elemental Weakness, Vulnerability or Enfeeble depending on the map and your skill setup and chain explode/stun things at a very high speed. Totems, Molten Shell, Life Leech and Lori's Lantern will let you stand your ground against most bosses (don't forget to switch auras and curses).

GG.

Do you have a video of this?

At this point I don't. I've never done any videos, so it may take me a while to do it.
The best part of it would actually be me - shaking from adrenalin and not blinking (!) - on like a 78 lvl map.

I've added a video of solo against lvl. 77 Piety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc8aV9h7mlY&feature=youtu.be

The Knockback on heavy strike seems to lower the DPS...have you tried dropping bloodrage and using Frenzy?

-And any possibility of you switching Heavy Strike with a flicker strike and telling me the DPS difference?

-I feel the jumping around with flicker could stop you from getting hit as often.

1) About Knockback on Heavy Strike: it's not that bad: against large groups of mobs I hold position and keep swinging and if there is a more or less stable flow of enemies the DPS is dealt continuously (not to mention that a lot of mobs will die from 1 hit in solo). Against bosses: with those that can be knocked I hit a wall eventually. If not, I would still rather have Heavy Strike since it has the highest physical damage/DPS - and in this version of the build I don't use life leech gem and can only cap my leech with physical life leech from Blood Rage and Heavy Strike combo. P.S. for more enemies an Enduring Cry may be phased in instead of, say, a Molten Shell if it's not too crazy of a map.
2)With Frenzy (same other support gems as in build description) and 3 frenzy charges + blood rage (on low life) and hatred I have about 40k DPS (lvl 18, all gems - 20% quality). Which is less than Heavy Strike (perhaps even if we count in minor DPS interruptions with hold position, which are rare). Most importantly the overall physical DPS is significantly lower hence lower survivability, which is especially troublesome in lower regen maps. There's one frenzy charge close on the tree but I doubt it would change the picture drastically, unless you go all out frenzy charges.
3)Flicker strike (level 12, no quality) has 5.4k damage per flick and 0.11 attack time (same auras, supports, 3 frenzy charges and blood rage) hence the DPS is about 5.4*9=48.6k. It's very nice (albeit blurry) in low 70's maps with groups, since mob attention is spread around and you can go unhindered and unscathed. On higher level (75+) maps with a lot of mods (solo or group) you just don't want to lose control of your positioning (in groups you have heavy strike on hold position that stuns and knocks back and gives good life leech, in solo - you explode and stun things with infernal blow). Even having reduced duration Lightning Warp won't be enough to regain positioning in some cases (think about large packs of AoE mobs like Aristocrats or many multiple projectile ranged mobs) - you will also have lower life leech from physical. With blood rage or frenzy to regain charges you may very well end up in a big crowd of white mobs for a 0.1 second too long, while otherwise you have the choice of not going. I must note however that having quality on flicker strike will proc the Kongor's Onslaught quite a bit more often.
4)Blood Rage - is one of the corner stones of this build (along with Lori's Lantern, multistrike and a lot of life, note: good 6L armor with defensive triggers and about 2k unreserved life work quite well also), it is the gem that will benefit you most from quality on it in this case as it gives you >50% increased attack speed on Low Life (which in turn goes very well with Multistrike's more attack speed) as well as physical life leech on low life for survivability. The version of the build presented here also runs the Ming's Heart specifically to mitigate degen from this skill.

Awesome build concept.

Did you take the attack speed from Kraityn or the damage from Oak in Cruel?

Thank you. I took +life and 2 skill points. At some point I was also using the Gifts from Above ring and two-handed crit passives to get Consecrated ground and way more Onslaught - it's not low life related but definitely a way to play such a char in a "burstier" fashion (also more party friendly and good against bosses imo).

Right now I'm trying to make a low-life end-game wander around the Lantern ring, Blood rage, without Kaom's, but with dodge, defensive triggers and this:

The skill tree has been updated for 1.1

Pure glass canon build. Great!

I'd love to see a mirrored axe with build