[Onslaught 0.11.0d] Trapmaster Shadow – Trap for Fun

This is my first build, and the first I’m using in Onslaught (a very challenge for me), firstly because I’ve started with nothing at all. I just wanted to give Onslaught a try and, meanwhile, to experimenting something new, and here we are with a trap based build! Actually you can have 2 approach: the first and the less liberal “only traps approach” where you never deal dmg by yourself, but using only traps (fire traps, bear traps, conversion trap Traps, Remote Mines, Freeze mines…you can also throw in a totem and minions); the second comes with a wide field of view, adding 1-2 additional skill gem as support for traps (aoe skill basically, bear trap is one of the best single target attack you can desire). Both approaches land on Fire Trap as first AOE skill and Bear Trap as the single target skill.

1.1 Why choosing a Shadow

Cool the name, cool the char, that’s why I pick him up. But you can consider also an important factor of the build: it’s almost dexterity based and Shadow is the one who can grab very useful dexterity nodes early one (compared with Templar and Witch, which are the characters’ tree we’ll touch during the tree growing), and only with leveled gems you can go on easily, especially early on in the game, where the dmg output is given by you skill level rather than passives or gears.

The build is focused on setting on fire everything your eyesight lands on with our beloved Fire Traps wich will inflict dmg from the exploding when triggered, from the ignited ground where mobs walks/stands on and from the dot that comes from the igniting chance. Coupling Fire Trap with freeze mine will highly increase both your survival and the dmg you deal to mobs which are frozen on a ignited ground. So fire/burn dmg nodes will be the ele nodes we'll take here and there, along with all the hp/fitness nodes needed for surviving. Huge hp/unique/bosses monsters will be taken down by Bear Trap that supported with Added Fire Damage which will increment the phys damage, dealing a lot of dmg. To increment the surviving chances minions and totem can be summoned in order to taunt enemies leaving you from the battlefield, but if you want to be a trapmaster it's not what you want to do, you just want to make the instance a deadly trap, relying only on traps. Conversion Trap is a badass gem, as soon as you get you want to level it as fast as possible, with this trap you'll any idea of using minions' gem: just throw a couple of them, what mobs Killing each other (maybe you can fast the process throwing a fire trap in the middle of the fight), kill the converted mobs with bear trap/freeze mine.
Curses can be used as well, I’d suggest Temporal Chain or Flammability for large groups (Temporal Chain will increment the time the monsters will suffer from the burning ground and the chances to avoid their attacks), Temporal Chain or Enfeeble for Bosses and Unique monsters.
Auras will be used too, Purity for ele resistance, Clarity for mana regeneration and/or Discipline coupled with body and soul for increased survivability or with Eldircht Battery for increasing the mana pool (still have to decide which suits best the build purpose).
Coupling this build with Phase Run (if it will ever come back to the game) will increased the fun factor exponentially: activate phase run, run fast between large mobs groups, so fast that they can’t see you, and throwing your traps while passing among them. No need to say more.

2.1 Pros and Cons

+ “Try to Reflect This” mode, dealing damage with traps keep you safe from reflecting mobs
+ Tank-oriented build, you can survive even the hardest hit of your enemy thanks to all the hp nodes taken
+ Using traps, totems and minions will keep you safe, because you won’t enter in a face2face

- Annoying, and maybe sometime dangerous, cooldown for traps
- Lots of mana requested, you will run out of mana very fast, especially early on in the gem when not with smart gears on
- The traps’ cooldown will reduce the number of skills you’ll equip: you will have about 2- 3 Fire Traps and 1-2 Bear Traps skill gem allocated at the same time

Fire Traps is your first second and maybe third skill you’ll use early on in the game, untill you'll grab other trap gems. Bear Trap linked with Added Fire Damage is a such a nuke I can’t think about any other support gems for it.
Early in the game just put on 2-3 fire traps, 1-2 bear traps and a minion gem, and spam those tree.
Later you will add the other traps you put your hand on, a Conversion Trap and a Freeze Mine are very helpfull and funny to use
Spell Totem + Summon Skeletons is OP distracting-EverCastingSkeletons skill, but i'll suggest to switch to conversion trap
Curse are up to satisfy the player needs
And Auras are for increasing the mana regeneration because is a very mana-drying buil (Clarity); Discipline for a burst of ES (that can be converted in mana)

3.1 Suggested Links on Gears

Chest: Fire Trap – Increased Burning Damage – Concentrated Effect – Fire Penetration - Chance to Ignit – (if I’ll ever catch a 6l I’ll think about it – but probably Increased Crit Chance/multiplier or a second Fire Trap)

Helm: Bear Trap + Added Fire Damage + Bear Trap + Freeze Mine

Weapon: Conversion Trap + Increased Duration + Increased Area of Effect

Shield: Temporal Chain/Flammability/Enfeeble (Pick up 2 at your choice) + Reduced Mana

Gloves: Clarity – Purity – Discipline – Reduced Mana

Boots: Spell Totem + Summon Skeletons + Minion Life/Damage + Minion Speed or better Trap + Attack gem + 2 support gem (i still have to figure out)

27 points used, apporx. lvl 25:


Here the path is forced, just follow it taking the most hp is possible, so when you reach the Assassination node just go down for the Fitness one, than go up to take the 3hp nodes and the second Fitness node

48 points used, approx. lvl 40


In the Witch tree we found a couple of interesting nodes to increase the fire dmg and nodes to increament the AOE radius (we'll take the second ones later)

60 points used, approx. lvl 50:


We're approaching the Templar tree, but here we'll focus in hp nodes, you should be in Merciless right now (We'll come back later to the Witch tree to take the Immolation notable and all the fire/burning dmg related nodes). So go up to take the Divine Toughness notable, the Pyromaniac natable and reach the third Fitness node (Weight Lifting) of the build. If needed you can sacrifice a 6%hp node for the Agility node

85 points taken, approx. lvl 70:


Here The build can be considered completed and we are a lvl 70, a pretty easy lvl to reach. It's useless to consider build with more than 100 points taken, when interested in a concrete output from the build...

After lvl 70 is up to you. Let's say you're pretty free to choose the path that suits you most:
- increasing crit chance can be one and there are 2 45% and a 60% increased crit chance node which are 2-3 nodes away from our Path
- going down from the Shadow tree and catch the other 3 passive for traps
- Increased survaival and going in the Marauder tree for increased hp and ele resistance
- you can spend a couple of nodes on mana (mana regen, increased maximum mana, reduced mana cost) to help with your mana pool
- or if your gear are overpowered you can increase the output damage taking all the fire/spell increasing damage nodes you want


4.1 Bandits Reward

Normal: help Oak for +40 to max hp
Cruel: kill all for +1 passive node or help Oak for 18% increased phys dmg of Bear trap
Merciless: kill all for +1 passive node (not a charge based build)

As we’ll take the Body and Soul notable, and the related nodes, our defense will be based on Armor/Energy Shield, Evasion is useless for the build. What you’ll be focused on is (in order of priority):

Chest/Gloves/Helm: +Hp, %Increased Armor/ES, %Increased Ele/Chaos Resistance, %Increased fire/spell damage
Boots: +Hp, % increased Movement Speed, %Increased Ele/Chaos Resistance
Rings/Necklace: +Ele resistance +Increased fire/spell damage +Mana Regeneration + Hp
Belt: +Hp + anything else will help the build (+ armor /Es, increased spell/fire damage, resistances)
Weapon: +1 for the linked skill (depends on what will you link), %Increased Spell Damage, %Increased Fire Damage, %Increased Ele damage,
Shield: %Increased Spell Damage, %Increased Fire/Ele damage, %Increased Ele/Chaos Resistances, +Hp

Normal:
Start picking up your first Fire Trap and secondly Bear Trap, if you can get a second fire trap early (I created my first shadow, killed hillock, saved the Fire Trap reward in the stash, deleted the char and created the second one, and found the third at twilight strand with this second char) will make your way through act1 fast and easy. Choose Clarity from Brutus (I picked up Summon Skeletons, damn me..) and a support at your choice from Merveil. Act 2 is very easy with mana flasks suited to your level. I can’t even remember which skills I picked up as a reward, firstly because they’re not useful for the build. If you can obtain somehow an added fire damage to link a bear trap with, you can 1shot everything (except vaal)
During all normal difficulty there is no need to worry about armour/es and ele resistance from gears (well it’s always better not to have them at 0%) just wear gears which are an improvement of your previous one, especially in the amount of +hp given

Cruel: still playing in normal

Mana..there isn’t never enough mana for us, so that sometimes I’m really thinking to go all the way in the Marauder tree, taking the +hp and %life regeneration nodes and then go for Blood Magic..
Anyway a nice paua and the clarity gem should do their job to keep your mana up and running.

Not a proper issue, but i still have to understand the true potential of freeze mine..so maybe the passive skill tree and the linking gem on gears may vary