THE CI KNOCKBACK REAVER: Written February 2nd, 2014. EDITS: Feb 3rd, PVP video updated
EDITS: Feb 4th, MAX AOE VERSION WITH CARCASS JACK video updated! EDITS: Feb 23rd, MAX KNOCKBACK (GEM + FENDING PASSIVE) updated, with video! EDITS: Mar 6th, PATCH 1.1.0 NEW SKILL TREE REVISIONS EDITS: Sept 3rd, PATCH 1.2.0 MAJOR SKILL TREE REVISIONS UPDATED GLAMOUR SHOTS (SERAPH ARMOR SET):
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SUMMARY:
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This is a tactical build for dual wielders, especially the glass-cannon types who love stacking attack speed and crit.
Although it is Chaos Inoc, it can be adapted to HP builds, especially to the popular low-life Crown of Eyes builds.
1.2.0 PATCH UPDATES:
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Patch 1.2 has introduced significant buffs to the dual-wield nodes as well as one-handed melee weapons, in particular the sword nodes. Knockback nodes have largely been unchanged. The reave skill gem has been modified so that the base unstacked AOE has increased but each stack's aoe bonus has decreased. Overall, I feel that this makes gaining stacks much easier with the new reave. Thankfully, the knockback gem itself has been largely been left alone.
1.1.0 PATCH UPDATES:
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1.1.0 made several keystones harder to reach from the duelist, namely Unwavering Stance and Vaal Pact. However, several new and improved clusters of sword physical damage nodes are now readily available. As such, it is my impression that scaling pure physical damage % rather than critical strikes is the stronger investment on a per-point basis. This remains to be tested, and I will update this guide with changes should they arise.
THE SYNERGY OF REAVE + KNOCKBACK + INCREASED AOE GEM:
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Reave starts out in melee range. With 8+ attacks per second, you will very quickly build up the stacks. With each stack, your range is farther and farther. This synergizes perfectly with the knockback support gem, because unlike with heavy strike which causes you to miss followup attacks due to the knockback (unless you stutter-step), reave allows you to expand your reach, which guarantees followup hits despite the knockback.What you will see is the enemy getting literally pushed back alongside the expanding Reave aoe.
In short, reave and knockback have a cascading effect: each reave cascades with each knockback which cascades with the next stack of reave.
After months of losing duels against melee, I saw a trend in the melee skills that are most effective in pvp. Heavy strike is OP due to its guaranteed knockback, which prevents the dude getting hit from landing any hits. However, heavy strike also limits the attack potential of the melee user. As we know, the multistrike support gem is one of the greatest assets of most melee builds (with the exception of cyclone). But, with heavy strike, multistrike absolutely sucks. Thus, my rationale was to find a skill that could maintain the dps of multistrike, while still achieving knockback to prevent the opponent from hitting me.
REACTIVE FROST WALL:
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Another element in pvp that I've witnessed is the popular reactive frost wall (frost wall on CWDT) that ranged users love. Hell, the explosive arrow rangers even rely on their frost walls to stack explosions when fightning against melee opponents. Why is reave good for this? Because reave (with enhanced AOE) can reach the opponent being blocked by the frost wall. Additionally, reave+knockback can knockback every opponent with the exception of cyclone. Cyclone has knockback immunity.As such, one trick that I've developed against cyclone opponents is to plant yourself in a corner of a map. When frost wall proc's, the perpendicular walls usually guarantee an effective pushback of the cyclone, while still allowing you to hit with the reave.
Why Chaos Inoculation?
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In PvE, you will be knocking back every single melee mob. This means that you will mostly be avoiding damage intake, with the rare flicker mob or ranged mob scratching you. As such, you will constantly be in the therapeutic window of uninterrupted energy shield recovery. The reave+knockback makes the robust yet delayed energy shield recovery shine.
PASSIVE TREE (1.2.0 UPDATED) - dual wield dagger CI version
Killing all bandits is essential because this is a level-100 build. Every point counts. 8% attack speed and 18% physical damage is really not worth the 20 regret investment. (also, I am CONSTANTLY tweaking the tree... e.g. adding fending, adding witch aoe, switching from phys% to crit%, etc.)... So, personally, I prefer the flexibility of killing all bandits.
With that said, if you had to choose otherwise, I would recommend getting the 8% attack speed reward. Attack speed directly scales the knockback. More hits = more knockbacks, whilst more physical damage is not correlated with knockbacks at all.
REQUIRED GEAR:
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Soultaker. You need the soultaker for one purpose, the pre-emptive strike. As a Chaos Inoculant, we do not have the luxury of blood magic. We also want to run 1 or 2 auras. Mana regen sacrifices a lot of gear affixes and passive points that could be otherwise spent on dps. You need to be able to blindly cast reave pre-emptively. As such, the free mana cost of a 6 linked reave is only sustainable pre-emptively through wielding a soul-taker. But, here's the interesting part! You don't need a good-rolled soultaker, nor a legacy. Because reave is not an axe skill, a crappy soultaker won't be any different from a legacy GG version. The soultaker is essentially your shield that provides the juice for pre-emptive reaves.
OPTIONAL GEAR: Carcass Jack for MAXIMUM AOE!
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WHY DUAL-WIELD?
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Because of soultaker. duh.
Go mainhand sword for pvp (block penetration).
Go mainhand dagger for pve (more consistent crit).
CRIT VS PHYSICAL DAMAGE (1.1.0 UPDATED)
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Pre-1.1.0 = crit wins: You will be using multistrike with reave. As such, you will have very fast attack speed. What better use of that attack speed than having more chances to crit. I spec'ed into pure melee phys % damage versus crit multiplier with crit chance, and crit always came out on top.
Post-1.1.0 = physical damage wins over stacking crit. The new sword physical damage nodes in the 1.1.0 tree are way too good to pass up. As such, you will have almost no room for investing in crit. Unless you are using a 10.00+ crit chance dagger, I recommend min/max-ing in pure physical% dps nodes.
PUNCTURE SYNERGY
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You will be forcing your opponent in pvp to move. Knockback = movement. Puncture first followed by a volley of AOE-reaves will guarantee the mobile damage of puncture.
SHOCKWAVE TOTEM
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On CWDT, shockwave totem (when it's not 1 shot) consistently helps you knockback any enemies you might have missed. Consider it a backup knockback source.
6 link reave: Reave + Increased AOE + Multistrike + Melee Phys + Melee Full + Knockback 4 link puncture: Puncture + Increased duration + Crit damage + Melee Phys 2 link frost wall: CWDT + Frost wall
FENDING (THE KNOCKBACK PASSIVE)?
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I tested with the absolute maximum knockback setup currently possible. Q20/L20 knockback gem + the "Fending" passive (as well as both +15% knockback distance nodes).
The consistency in knockback is definitely noticeable. The bonus in knockback distance (which adds to 40%) is also noticeable. The mobs literally jerk backwards! I even tested without knockback gem. FENDING ALONE DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSISTENT KNOCKBACKS (even at 91% chance to hit with 10+ attacks per second)!
Here is the video demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkuInvhdwwI&feature=youtu.be
THE EXTREME MAXIMUM AOE VARIANT:
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UPDATE: 2/4/2014: THE MAXIMUM AREA OF EFFECT CARCASS JACK VARIANT:
I have tested the maximum possible AOE of reave. Carcass jack + witch AOE node (blast radius) + templar AOE node (amplify) + Increased AOE gem.
I covered nearly the entire screen at max 8 stack. However, dps dropped by more than 50% due to the loss of crit nodes. After some testing in pvp, I don't think achieving the additional +60% to AOE was worth the dps loss. And, I didn't do any better against my nemesis, Google.
Hi i'm completely new to PoE :)
I saw your knock-back AOE video, I feel that's how I'd like to play the game ^- ^
Not very sure:
1)-Basically I will follow your v1.2.0 skill tree. (dual wield 2x dagger?)
2)-Get Reave skill gem from reward? KnockBack and IncreaseAoE stone will I get them from rewards for sure? or I need to hunt them / buy/ trade to get them?
3)-Need Level to about 70 and find the best Soul Taker axe (so 1 axe, 1 dagger?)
4)-Gems to hunt:
6 link reave: Reave + Increased AOE + Multistrike + Melee Phys + Melee Full + Knockback
4 link puncture: Puncture + Increased duration + Crit damage + Melee Phys
2 link frost wall: CWDT + Frost wall
5)Levelling with Reave? does using the skill give more exp to it or its the same as long I equip it on me? I am level below 10, now using bow + zombie + fire trap
appreciate your time to clarify for me thanks in advance ~
