[1.2] Oldschool, cheap and noobfriendly "Sword&Board" Marauder

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adiosmuchachos wrote:

Pdps mobs can't do shit against 14k armour and 65% block (I'm close to ranger shield nodes now)
I capped my res easily. Though I can see that spells are biggest problem in higher maps. Namely incinerate mobs in big group killed me once.

(...)

I wonder if this ammy

is going to save me better form high dps spells ?

Yeah sure, I also mention it in the guide. It helps a lot against heavy spellcaster bosses (against regular mobs, you shouldn't need it at all).
I used to carry it around in my inventory and use it in those fights, but I noticed most spell bosses can also be beat with a combination of potions, dodging (leap slam away from crazy stuff) and life leech.

Again: this build is not "invulnerable afk tanking everything". At least not with the gear I used (You could with Aegis Aurora, Stone of Lazwhar and Rainbowstrides, I guess).

You still have to play and think, but it feels very stable and safe.

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Qintaro wrote:

Hello, after skill tree reset I tried this build. Im lvl 61 now and for me this build don't work well but its probably cause my shity gear. Anyway I will try survive and keep farming for better items.

I'd like to help but have little insight in your character.
But yeah, usually the answer is: get better gear. ;)

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arcon97 wrote:

I see everyone get Resolute Technique in seemingly every build, with accuracy increase from swords would a build not using RT work if say I built in some crit multipliers? I am just wondering why GGG would make RT so good that every build/style seems to find it necessary.

I actually played him up till Level 80 with Accuracy, not Resolute Technique.
I used stuff like this before:

...and a helmet with another 300 accuracy on it.
Gave me ~90% to hit and saved ~7 passive points (in the old skilltree).

Then I finally got my Bringer of Rain, equipped it and encountered massive issues in keeping up Accuracy, life and resists at the same time.
I simply did not have jewelry and gloves with high resists AND high accuracy, so I had to spec into RT.

Generally, RT is the easy way. It completly solves one problem, you never have to think about it again.

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Lyesainer wrote:

Started to follow this build for an alt on the new leagues. I have a few questions, maybe they've been asked somewhere in the thread but i didn't feel like reading through all the comments. Excuse me, if it's redundant:

1. I've never used Reave, but i was wondering if there's any "tactical" advantage of using it over Infernal Blow, or it's just a matter of taste? Not judging the skill, just wondering, since i've leveled an IB tank to 70+ and it was just great, i am curious about Reave since i haven't used it, but i wanted to know.

2. I didn't see Tempest Shield mentioned anywhere in the supporting skills... A shield tank build without Tempest Shield? Why?

3. I know that the idea of the guide is to be cheap, noobfriendly etc, but could you mention some items to be keeping an eye out for?

1. Better mana efficiency, better range. Reave is very much suited for a 1H skill.
2. Tempest Shield is mentioned and OP says we simply don't need the extra 4% block, as the OP did not experience any difference between having 65% block and 75%.
3. Aegis Aurora, Bringer of Rain, an epic rare 400 DPS mirror-worthy sword. For end-game you could pimp your dps a bit by using physical damage jewelery.

Unrelated to the above: Currently I am leveling my SnB Marauder and I am using the skill Searing Bond to great effectiveness on Cruel. It's just another ~300 dps on top of my 700. I just cast it behind me and dive into the fray. The effect is kind of like Righteous Fire, with the exception that the effect ends when the totem is slain. In that case I just recast it further back, away from the melee.

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Peterlerock wrote:

I actually played him up till Level 80 with Accuracy, not Resolute Technique.
I used stuff like this before:

...and a helmet with another 300 accuracy on it.
Gave me ~90% to hit and saved ~7 passive points (in the old skilltree).

Then I finally got my Bringer of Rain, equipped it and encountered massive issues in keeping up Accuracy, life and resists at the same time.
I simply did not have jewelry and gloves with high resists AND high accuracy, so I had to spec into RT.

Generally, RT is the easy way. It completly solves one problem, you never have to think about it again.

OK thanks for taking the time to help me and everyone on this thread. Time to just suck it up and take RT.

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horizon21 wrote:

1. Better mana efficiency, better range. Reave is very much suited for a 1H skill.
2. Tempest Shield is mentioned and OP says we simply don't need the extra 4% block, as the OP did not experience any difference between having 65% block and 75%.
3. Aegis Aurora, Bringer of Rain, an epic rare 400 DPS mirror-worthy sword. For end-game you could pimp your dps a bit by using physical damage jewelery.

Unrelated to the above: Currently I am leveling my SnB Marauder and I am using the skill Searing Bond to great effectiveness on Cruel. It's just another ~300 dps on top of my 700. I just cast it behind me and dive into the fray. The effect is kind of like Righteous Fire, with the exception that the effect ends when the totem is slain. In that case I just recast it further back, away from the melee.

I see. I'll give it a go, it certainly is interesting, even if it's for the novelty only. Range-wise, IB with melee splash can clean a whole room in one go, so that's not much of an issue. However, mana is most certainly a problem. However, one really major strength of IB is that it actually destroys corpses, so those mighty annoying undead resurectors on some maps can't spam you to hell with billions of zombies. Really nice to just go in and blow up all their minions and watch them try to kill you with their silly attacks... :)

As for Tempest Shield, i guess 4% is not that much... but then again, in this kinda games eventually it's all about min-max, and 4% can be big. Anyways, it's a huge mana drain and this time around i'll probably stay away from it, even it does look kinda awesome aesthetics wise.

In terms of items, i was thinking of Aegis Aurora and Rainbowstride. That spellblock amulet is also quite nice imo, some caster mobs really used to trash me on merciless, with my last tank. Using Aegis Aurora would imply relying on ES too tho, which apparently is not the point of this build. Hmmm

Of course nothing in this guide is written in stone.
Almost everything depends on your preferences, wealth, playstyle,...

Infernal Blow may be superior, I don't know, I never tested it for long.
As I wrote in the introduction I'm not a fan of massive visual effects on screen, makes my eyes hurt if I play longer. ;-)
Reave is a fine AoE skill. Don't worry.
And if you don't like it, drop it. No problem, it's not like you are forced to use it. ;-)

Tempest Shield:
You can have 4% Block for 2 skillpoints or for 40% mana.
Even considering minmaxing, I'd take the 2 skillpoints solution every day.

If you are rich enough to afford Aegis Aurora and a 400 DpS onehander, I'd strongly advice you to skip some damage nodes and grab another Block cluster (to get 75% block with about the same DpS).

In this game, so much depends on your gear.
I have a nice shield with 36% Block, saves me a couple of Block Nodes. You probably don't have one, so you may have to spend more points on block.
If you want to use "Crest of Perandus" with 40% block, saves 2 more block nodes at the price of losing up to 2000 armor, go ahead.

I'm very sure especially you rich guys will be able to build marauders twice as effective than mine, but that's not really the point.
I just wanted to show the way that got me into mapping territory, and it will most likely get you there too.

I've never been rich, even with 2 heroes on STD league... I've never even found 1 single exalted orb, and i have two heroes up to level 80. Guess i am unlucky :P

What troubles me with Reave is that it's a dex skill. Do you have enough dex to keep it upgraded?

If you check the skilltree, you see that half distance is spent walking on Dex nodes (between Ranger and Duelist).
You also grab several +20 Dex nodes (Water Dancing, Acceleration, Weapon Artistry, Finesse).
That's why I choose this tree.
If Reave were no Dex skill, I would have walked to Templar instead of Ranger.

In the beginning, Dex is an issue (Int too), you maybe don't have enough to constantly level it, but later on, you have enough to get it to Level 20.

To all who are levelling a SnB Mara. Your efficiency is highly dependent on the weapon you are using. For example, I am level 48 now and I've been using since level 24. It is high time I changed that sword, but I can't afford to. As a result, I am forced to party because I can progress on my own only with great difficulty. My resists are 73/75/75/-20. It makes no difference. So far I've died 5 times, then again I like to dive into the fray with reckless abandon :)

46 now, my sword is not much better:


Sitting at ~1000 DpS and can clear everything (in the middle of act 2 cruel atm) without any problems.

It should be noted that I am used to the performance of the now nerfed Spectral Throw, and to the twinked leveling method of using Facebreakers with physical damage jewelery, along with a Meginord's girdle.
My dps at the moment is around 8-900 with hatred and using a blood magic gem. My effectiveness compared to a Searing Bond build is negligible. In fact, I'm being carried by SB characters while doing Docks runs.
However, I suspect that as all FOTM builds, SB will be nerfed and those guys will suffer :(