[3.6] Herald of Viper Assassin - Melt all Content! - [BUDGET FRIENDLY] - 2 MIL+ DPS

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K4r4k4s4 wrote:

I playing this build as Trickster. Defences in this ascendancy really not something to rely about, but he offers good mobility and extra attack speed. I using Cyclone to stack poison and thanks to Trickster cyclone using 0 mana and flying like tornado.

Maybe later I'll add sample video.
My PoB tree with some changes https://pastebin.com/eHND1sTy

pros for Trickster with Cyclone:
-better clear speed
-much better stacking poison and getting life on hit vs hordes on monsters i.e. delve
-more fun rolling around

cons:
-probably worse vs tough stationary bosses, but you can swap to another skill, Reave or Double Strike to stand still
-sometimes Cyclone just fails (stuck in obstacles) and u get killed instantly

With Wasp Nest and elder gloves with poison support you get 100% chance to poison. There is no really point to use Assassin here and not so needed boots with Fortify, u can get good boots with ms, res and life. BTW Occultist can provide much better defences and damage, Scion with ascendancies of Occultist & Guardian/Inquisitor/Juggernaut can be a cool choice too. Necromancer doesn't give as much as tri-curse of occultist.

Honestly, I just wanted to not copy other people's builds much. I've seen HoA builds built with Cyclone, a ton of Occultists and whatever else. I just wanted to take the build a different and more direct approach which is why I made this build in this direction. Nothing wrong with the other style of builds out there.

I do mention this in the guide. I am just too damn hipster for my own good lol. I want to be different and if it still works, then I am satisfied. Cyclone and Rain of Arrows are common ways to get the stacks. A perfect example is you already mentioning that you use the Cyclone variant. I've seen that so many times already and wanted to be different. I didn't want to be one of those other builds. This is also why I chose Assassin. If you look at it in an optimized sense, then yes, Assassin is obviously not the best or even too viable to use here, but "HIPSTER" mode kicks in and makes me want to be different. It isn't like there is nothing about the Assassin that doesn't help this build though.

At the end of the day, you play how you want though. I am just here to supply a template for the people. You can play it how you want. :)

Glad you're enjoying the build though. Play it how you want.

Good luck!

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K4r4k4s4 wrote:

I playing this build as Trickster. Defences in this ascendancy really not something to rely about, but he offers good mobility and extra attack speed. I using Cyclone to stack poison and thanks to Trickster cyclone using 0 mana and flying like tornado.

Maybe later I'll add sample video.
My PoB tree with some changes https://pastebin.com/eHND1sTy

pros for Trickster with Cyclone:
-better clear speed
-much better stacking poison and getting life on hit vs hordes on monsters i.e. delve
-more fun rolling around

cons:
-probably worse vs tough stationary bosses, but you can swap to another skill, Reave or Double Strike to stand still
-sometimes Cyclone just fails (stuck in obstacles) and u get killed instantly

With Wasp Nest and elder gloves with poison support you get 100% chance to poison. There is no really point to use Assassin here and not so needed boots with Fortify, u can get good boots with ms, res and life. BTW Occultist can provide much better defences and damage, Scion with ascendancies of Occultist & Guardian/Inquisitor/Juggernaut can be a cool choice too. Necromancer doesn't give as much as tri-curse of occultist.

Tried as Assassin then changed to Trickster after reading your post, i must say that i enjoy Trickster A LOT more !

So I beat uber elder and it was the most difficult elder I had. Maybe I just slow and ping is not good too, or gems not optmal, but IMO elder/shaper fight is too difficult with this build (but still doable)… Crawler tends to be stupid and lazy in bossfight, main problem is when you begin dodge boss' shit, crawler stops attack and just walking around. The AI is dumb, though in Uber Elder fight he knows exactly whom to attack when phase changes, but in Shaper fight he can stupidly attack portal but not the mobs… Sometimes I feel helpless on Guardians with bad mods, which may be far more difficult than shaper fight. Virulence stacks wearing off too quickly when bosses warp around and crawler often just stops attacking in half sceen distance. When phase changing we loosing all DPS. Offering, frost bomb, manual curse doesn't really help in those fights too. Cwdt+desecrate+offering is somewhat ok.

About gems. Pierce support is mandatory, without pierce crawler feels like absolute garbage and barely deal with bosses if boss spawning adds. But sometimes pierce can be switched with Vile Toxins for massive 1 target DPS boost, but only if no adds around and if you can constantly apply poison stacks which wears off quckly, much faster than Virulence stacks.

If you playing Assassin, consider switching Ele Damage with Vile Toxins permanently because Viper Strike poison duration 4 sec and with Assassin's Noxious Strike it's getting doubled (probably).

Coloring also is a nightmare. I spend tons of chromatic and jewelers and didn't roll 2R2G2B before beating Uber Elder, lol.

Also forget about some league challenges like Encounters III they cannot be done with agony crawler.

The most irritating thing with this build when mob with bubble-shield appears… every time I ask myself why even bother with that crawler if normal cyclon (or anything) plays much smoother.

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K4r4k4s4 wrote:

SNIP

This build is definitely not for everyone, but there can definitely always be updates and improvements on the build, for sure. I personally didn't have too much problem with Uber Elder. Yeah, the AI is pretty dumb sometimes, but you can control it slightly with positioning. This is why I think Convocation is so important for this build. Sometimes it acts as a "reset" button from the AI's stupidity since it brings them next to you which will make it easier for the AI to target something closer to you or what you are aiming it for.

Play the build how you want to play it, for sure. :)

I definitely know there are better versions of HoA, but I just personally wanted to take a completely different route due to my hipster ass nature. X_X The bubble-shield mobs are definitely annoying for any projectile based build, for sure. Just gotta run into the bubble and then use Convocation to bring your Agony Crawler within it. Can't really do anything about that, unfortunately but that is with other builds too.

I just wanted a unique build to use and go a different way about it. Other skills in the game and just other versions of this build would definitely be more efficient, but if you want to try a twist and something different, then this build is right up that alley.

Thanks for stopping by and giving the build a try.

Good luck and enjoy your pathing.