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Kanai's Cube

• 

  • Reilena's Shadowhook

  

  Legendary Two-Handed Scythe

  • 1687.4 Damage Per Second
  • Primary Stats
  • • +946 - 1125 Intelligence
  • Secondary Stats
  • • Every point of Maximum Essence increases your damage by 0.5% and Bone Spikes generates 2 - 5 additional Essence for each enemy hit.
    • One of 7 Magic Properties (varies)

    • +(1439 - 1788) Physical Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Fire Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Lightning Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Cold Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Poison Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Arcane Damage

    • +(1439 - 1788) Holy Damage

  • + 3 Random Magic Properties
  Reilena's Shadowhook
• 

  • Tasker and Theo

  

  Legendary Gloves

  • 309 - 366 Armor
  • Primary Stats
  • • +626 - 750 Strength
    • +626 - 750 Dexterity
    • +626 - 750 Intelligence
    • Attack Speed Increased by 5 - 6%
  • Secondary Stats
  • • Increase attack speed of your pets by 40 - 50%.
  • + 3 Random Magic Properties
  Tasker and Theo
• 

  • Haunted Visions

  

  Legendary Amulet

  • Primary Stats
  • • +626 - 750 Strength
    • +626 - 750 Dexterity
    • +626 - 750 Intelligence
    • Sockets (1)
  • Secondary Stats
  • • Simulacrum now drains 1% of your maximum life every second and lasts forever. They can now duplicate Grim Scythe instead of Skeletal Mage.
  • + 3 Random Magic Properties
  Haunted Visions

Hi there!

Ac couple of things before we start:

- Always follow your zNec. You’re basically dead without his Land of the Dead with Frozen Lands rune. When you use Blood Rush, be sure to always span it for the maximum of 50 meters. It matters. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rest of the group.

- You gonna die. It takes some skill to not die a lot, but you still gonna die. Putting some paragon points into vitality helps to mitigate it.

- You can target elites/shock towers by simply hovering your mouse over them.

- When you’re starving with essence, cast mages when half empty.

What is this all about

This a LoD mage build, meaning that it’s a build for a glass-cannon necromancer that summons skeletal mages, suited for doing so-called rats (or rathmas). This is one of the most efficient ways to farm paragon points, on par with DH meta. It allows you to do GR110+ in under 2 minutes almost every time, not depending on proper maps. The party consists of 2 LoD mages, a zNec (a support necromancer) that spawn globes (they restore your resource) and freeze everything so that you don’t die and zBarb (a support barbarian) that pick up globes and gives you defence.

This is a build that most people I play with uses. It’s optimized for damage. There’s no real point in stacking CDR as you’re doing speed runs. Popping Land of the Dead once or twice per run should be enough. There is an issue with Simulacrum cooldown when you die and don’t cast enough mages to deal sufficient damage, but it’s mitigated by playing with another LoD mage.

Skills

Since our zNec takes Frozen Lands on Land of the Dead, we can take something more useful. People tend to use Shallow Graves because it extends the duration of the skill.

We take Harvest of Anguish on Bone Armor as it increases our movement speed and damage, thanks to Scythe of the Cycle.

We’re using Cannibalize Aura on Devour over other runes. It’s a quality of life thing and it restores extra essence, meaning we cast stronger mages.

Take Life Support on your Skeletal Mage to make them last longer.

Use Blood Rush with Metabolism to use it more frequently.

Take Reservoir on Simulacrum for extra damage.

As for passives, take Final Service (aka cheat death), Extended Servitude so that your mages last longer, Overwhelming Essence to cast stronger mages and Dark Reaping to restore extra essence after each kill (again, meaning stronger mages).

Items

We don’t take Circle of Nailuj’s Evol. This would lower our damage. You will be sitting at 10 mages most of the times anyways.

We prioritize Critical Hit Damage over Critical Hit Chance. That’s because our zNec applies additional Crit Chance. Put Physical Skills Damage increase wherever you can (helmet, bracers, amulet).

Your off-hand is just a stat stick, meaning you’ll be good no matter what you’ll get. It has to provide you defence. You are too squishy without it. Bonus vitality is a must. The other stats? High damage increase, increased Skeletal Mage Damage and Crit Chance. You also aim at Maximum Essence bonus (20, both for a weapon and off-hand). We use Singularity mages, which means that it will increase our damage.

I prefer Swamp Land Waders over Hexing Pants of Mr. Yan. I tend to stop for elite packs to better watch for affixes. If it’s not your thing, please take them.

Aim at as high legendary affix on Reaper’s Wraps and Requiem Cereplate as possible. It will give you more essence.

You preferably cube Tasker and Theo and wear St. Archew’s Gage. That will give you maximum pet attack speed increase. Please note that wearing (cubing) Tasker and Theo is your only way to increase attack speed of your mages. Attack speed from your items doesn’t do it, however It increases your damage and makes you cast mages faster.

Paragon Priorities

Put as many points into Vitality so you sit at like 700k HP. This will enable you to not die often. Prioritize Maximum Resource as it means stronger mages. put the rest of the Core points into Primary Stat for more punch.

Prioritize Critical Hit Damage over Critical Hit Chance. As I stated before, your zNec will apply extra CHC, meaning that we can focus on CHD.

Armor and Life over Resist All and Life Regeration. You lack armor as an intelligence-based character. Extra life will allow you to survive more. Life Regeneration is not needed, really. Take it out of other choice.

Put points intro Area Damage for extra damage. Take Life on Hit for extra survivability. You will sometimes be one-shooted by enemies and there's nothing you can do about it (well, you can dodge better, aka git gud). If you manage not to, then you wil recuperate faster.