Build Guide
This build works amazingly well for high tiers of greater rifts - utilizing combinations of cold skills that slow, rockets with high damage, and skills + items that increase damage to slowed targets.ACTIVE SKILLS:
-Sentry (Spitfire Turret) -Your main source of damage. Spitfire Turret shoots multiple rockets at nearby enemies for 120% weapon damage (increased 100% by Ballistics passive)
-Companion (Wolf Companion) -Doesn't matter what rune you use, with Marauder's 4set bonus you get the whole zoo. Grants slowing of enemies and 30% damage boost among other benefits for short period of time when cast.
-Cluster Arrow (Maelstrom) -Your main attack to boost through items. Deals large amount of initial damage, plus shoots up to 5 rockets that hit for 450% weapon damage each (increased 100% by Ballistics passive)
-Multishot (Arsenal) - Another source of huge damaging rockets. Shoots 3 rockets for 300% weapon damage each (increased 100% by Ballistics passive)
-Elemental Arrow (Frost Arrow) -Provides an additional source of 'chilled' slow effect to up to 10 targets and dealing a decent amount of damage.
-Vault (Tumble) -Purely a mobility skill. Tumble allows more Vaults to be cast in a short period of time.
PASSIVES:
-Ballistics -Increases rocket damage from Sentry, Multishot, and Cluster arrow by 100%
-Cull of the Weak -Increases damage by 20% to slowed or chilled targets (almost all enemies will be hindered, so free 20% damage)
-Custom Engineering -Allows a 5th turret to be placed (assuming you have Bombadier's Rucksack) for more attacks + rockets. Alternative for lower tiers that dont require as many sentries could be Steady Aim (20% damage increase if no enemies within 10 yards)
-Ambush -Allows a massive damage burst for first few hits.
GEAR:
Marauders 6 set bonus (this is required - and the best way to obtain 6 set in my opinion):
Head: Marauder's Visage
Shoulders: Marauder's Spines
Torso: Marauder's Carapace
Legs: Marauder's Encasement
Feet: Marauder's Treads
Ring 1: Ring of Royal Grandeur(requires socket)
Rest of the gear:
Amulet: Hellfire Amulet - will probably be the best option should you be able to roll a decent one. If not, any of the 'defensive' amulets will do the trick allowing you to strike off a few affixes from elite packs. Main thing you want here is Dex, Critical Hit Chance, Critical Hit Damage, and socket.
Ring 2: Unity -Using a Unity on yourself and follower will halve all damaged recieved should your follower be using the Relic that allows him not to die. If playing in a multiplayer game, Stone of Jordan is a viable option. Grab a socket here as well.
Belt: The Witching Hour -Best damage belt in the game, although rare. Hellcat Waistguard is another viable option due to attack speed + elite damage.
Wrists: Reaper's Wraps -Will provide extra hatred from health globes, though not really required as hatred shouldn't be much of an issue. Slave Bonds now rolls with 5 primary affixes, enabling a more defensive bracer with both vitality and all resist (instead of having to choose between the two)
Gloves: Tasker and Theo - The pet attack speed bonus on these gloves is invaluable. By far best in slot, also extremely rare. Magefists are a viable second option. increasing the damage of rockets from Spitfire Turret and Multishot.
Weapon: Etrayu - This bow now rolls will Cold Damage % making it superior. Kridershot will allow for a more player-active playstyle with Elemental Arrow. If neither are an option, any high damage crossbow such as Manticore or Hellrack will do the trick.
Off-Hand: Bombadier's Rucksack - Best in slot, allowing 2 extra sentries. Would not recommend anything else.
Legendary Gems:
-Enforcer - Increases the damage of your pets by xx.xx% damage. This includes the Zoo as well as Sentry damage itself.
-Bane of the Trapped - Increases the damage of movement impaired enemies by xx.xx%. This includes slowed and chilled enemies from your cold skills.
-Bane of the Powerful - Increases damage by 20% for xxx seconds after killing an elite pack. As a bonus also increases elite damage by 15% at rank 25.
Few differences is that I have SoJ instead of unity and kridershot (only because I haven't found Etrayu with good rolls)
also, bonuses to sentry damage -- does that effect the spenders Or rockets? Or simply the auto shots?
Cold is currently judged to be the best element because the strongest rocket based cluster arrow is cold, their rocket being also cold. EA being cold as well helps a little. But really only the element of cluster arrow should ever count in your element pick. Same for damage on gear sentry is 1 and damage to cluster second.
is there a break even point for stuff like that when one outweighs the other? And say you have bonus damage to sentry. Does that make your damage from anything sentry shoots increase? Or simply the sentry auto shots?
Polar station auto shots are cold, but even with % damage to cold their damage wont ever beat spitfire with ballistic used multiple times per every ability and shot your sentry does. M6 DH can stack very little elemental damage, therefore you have to use it for what ever does the majority of a sentry damage. Its either Cluster maelstorm or shooting star. Cold is more popular in part due to atreyu giving cold the possibility to have an extra elemental damage slot. If there was a fire cluster arrow that shoot rockets, fire could probably be on top again. If there was a physical % damage bow or crossbow shooting star would probably be as popular as cold is now.
EA kind of makes up for the CC lost for not having Polar Station by the help of higher fire ratio and ability to split, rather than its damage.
Its min maxing. Bullshit numbers for math sake -- but its basically like ability a) does 100% cold damage, therefore 120%, but ability is a rocket and does 100% fire damage, yet ballistics makes that number now 200%.
The reason its a "cold" build, is that cluster arrow which is by far the biggest damage nuke, shoots out cold rockets, which do 450% damage X all your modifiers on top of the 550% initial burst damage on top of the % based lifesteal...
Gloves: Marauder's Gloves
Shoulders: Aughild's Power
Bracers: Aughild's Search (Cold%, Dex, Vita, CC)
The Elite Damage and Defensive bonuses from Aughild's set are far better than Slave Bonds with 5 affix roll. Also, If you can't find a Witching Hour or one of the great defensive Amulets you can use the following as well for even more Elite Damage and Defensive bonus
Amulet: Blackthorne's Duncraig Cross (Dex, CC, CD, Socket)
Belt: Blackthorne's Notched Belt
In all that gives you a 25% Elite Damage and Defensive bonus, more Vitality, and some extra Melee/Ranged damage reduction. This combination will help you get through higher difficulties until you can find the required listed gear.
Offense, put points in CC, CD (whichever you need more of first) and CDR. I find the Cool Down Reduction helps to get sentries out quicker. Save ATS for last
Defense, you should put your points in AR, Life% and then LR. With Dex now giving armor I would put points in it last.
Utility is whatever you want really, LoH is great for survivability, and Area Damage helps with packs. I would max those two out first before putting points into RCR and GF.
Head - dex, cc, cluster arrow dmg, socket
Shoulders - dex, sentry damage, reduce cooldown, defensive stat
Chest - dex, sentry damage, defensive stat, 3 sockets
Gloves - dex, attack speed, crit chance, crit damage
Bracers - cold skill damage, dex, crit chance, defensive stat
Belt - dex, defensive stat, attack speed, crit hit damage
Pants - dex, defensive stat (2), 2 sockets
Boots - dex, movement speed, cluster arrow damage, defensive stat
Ring - (Ring of Royal Grandeur) dex, attack speed, crit chance, socket
Ring - (Unity) dex, crit chance, damage against elites, socket. (Stone of Jordan) cold damage, dex, elite damage, socket
Amulet - dex, crit chance, crit damage, socket
Weapon - dex, damage %, defensive stat -or- attack speed if needed for breakpoint (Use Ramalandi's Gift for socket)
Quiver - dex, defensive stat, crit chance, attack speed, sentry damage, max disc for secondary
Note: I'm not agreeing with his assessment, as I don't have either of the items he is referencing.