How to make a build - quick start guide (2.0 updated)

One thing you might want to mention is skill point effectiveness.

For example, there's critical chance clusters offering 100% and 105% increased global critical chance; however the 105% cluster takes 5 points, while the 100% cluster only takes 4 points.

At first glance the 105% increased global critical chances sounds more, but at the cost of 1 extra skill point; you're basically gaining 21% increased critical chance per point, while the 100% cluster gives 25% increased critical chance per point, while also giving 5% critical strike multiplier.

But the calculation doesn't just end here! You don't have to always take the full cluster, the 105% cluster can give you 60% critical chance just for 2 points! While on the another hand, the 100% cluster can give 60% critical chance and 20% critical multiplier for just 2 points too, often you won't be right next to it, unless you already grabbed coordination or spell power.

This bring us to the third stage to watch out for when calculating skill effectiveness, build distance. 105% and 100% for 5 points are nice, but they won't be nice anymore if you have to travel there to grab it; sometimes, even just 1 or 2 points matter. For example, if you need two points just to get to the 105% cluster, that makes your critical strike chance effectively 15% per point; that's something to think about. At this stage, sometimes those with higher stats per cluster is useful, which is why I listed it as first thing to consider, gives build flexibility.

The forth stage of skill point effectiveness involves the use of equips; for example 20/20 increased critical damage multiplier gem gives 149%; while 20/20 increased critical strike gem only gives 125%. A skill point for the common critical multiplier is 10%, while for critical strike is 15%: this makes it a lot better to just invest into critical chance nodes and use increased critical damage gem, rather than invest into critical damage nodes and use increased critical chance gem.

And finally there's the last stage, the build effectiveness or the performance. You can stack a lot of critical chance, up to 95%, but if your accuracy is shit (for attackers), most of the critical roll won't do anything. In the end you will have shit damage (because focusing so much on critical) performance. On the other hand, even if you're able to stack critical chance to 95%, accuracy also 90% or higher; you will still do only average damage; because you sacrificed so much +% damage nodes that your 250%+ critical damage is about the same as people who just stack +% damage nodes, and -1 support gem on your main skill.

summary:
Skill Point Effectiveness:
(1) Stats per points clustered
(2) Stats per points scattered
(3) Stats per points traveling
(4) Stats per points including equips/gems
(5) Overall strength as a whole build, performance compared to a different approach but similar build concept

Can I just quote you instead?

For mana, there's another option : Reduced mana cost, with 64% reduced mana cost on my cyclone mjolner build it's pretty strong : 59 mana for : Cyclone - multistrike - faster attack - life gain on hit - blind - increase area of effect( kinda useless here ^^, but have nothing to put on my Tabula rasa instead ).

I've tried to make my own builds instead of copying builds from other players. I think it's very easy. Just keep checking the passive skill tree and see what kind of things you need/want. Very simple and nice because you have hundreds of ways to build your own character.

The flask thing changed with release, didn't it? Just caught that today. Party kills do return flask charges now, so finding a way to manage mana with a culler or crazy DPSer in group is now less significant an issue.

Reworked that and added a couple quotes from different guys on the passive tree. Cleaned up Jauer's spelling and grammar for the purpose too.

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Kirielis wrote:

The flask thing changed with release, didn't it? Just caught that today. Party kills do return flask charges now, so finding a way to manage mana with a culler or crazy DPSer in group is now less significant an issue.

Wouldn't agree on that.

How do I survive? - life, armor, evasion, CI, auras, block, dodge, ...
How do I kill? - skill, supports, damage nodes, auras, ...
How do I keep killing? - reduced mana nodes, mana regen, blood magic (gem), ...

A build that cannot answer these 3 questions or, to be specific, that relies on Mana flasks after Level 30 (or 50), isn't a real "build" to me.

Nice guide. I'm a fresh player (Downloading now) and I'm going to think and experiment on stuff for now.

Thanks for the nice read.

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Kirielis wrote:

A build that cannot answer these 3 questions or, to be specific, that relies on Mana flasks after Level 30 (or 50), isn't a real "build" to me.

Hi, wondering why exactly? Is it because flasks sorta plateau around 30 and can't keep up on their own, leaving lots of downtime where you're running around trying to gain charges with your default attack? This is happening less and less for me in races, which I've decided is a sign of progress.

Bump for this good work. Also this thread is in the wrong subforum. Should be in gameplay help and sticky.

Great thread Kirielis. :)