When you do, run with stun. It lasts a lot longer than the tooltip would have people think, as you probably already know. It launches 8 bats, about one per second, and ends up stunning an area for about 8-10 seconds, and works on bosses unlike stampede (IIRC?, I used to use it at first but don't remember it having any effect on bosses) and nearly all, if not all, elites. It is VERY strong.
Though once you have enough damage you can just time some NT's within your smokescreens and kill reflect damage without dying anyways, so long as you're in a solo game and they don't have ridiculous amounts of HP.
Still good point. Life on hit also useful affix to have more and more these days, as well as life steal, though lifesteal benefits even more from aoe attacks such as NT in most case scenarios.
I'll try to adress the 2 main points of this post.
1) SS. I take it. Then again, I am far from the OP's stats. I have 46k dps w/o SS, 114 with. In my case it makes perfect sense to roll with it.
2) Entangling is GREAT. I used to run with caltrops because I found the use of a snare invaluable in certain situations. Instead, I replaced caltrops with the bat companion effectively making ele arrow the attack I go to 90% of the time. Entangling now serves as my snare for those tight situations with fast mobs or when I allow a mob to get too close. Sure, it's damage is pretty low but the projectile speed is still faster than ele arrow so it can be nice to finish off a target. I run with the 4s snare rune.
The other problem with caltrops is that it depletes our all important discipline, which is almost always better spent on smoke screen, and the way demon hunters work, even if you have decent tank gear for now (I should know), is that you still kill them before they kill you, but it doesn't hurt to gain *free* damage, *free* snares, and *free* stuns, basically. Bats have a cooldown, but they cost nothing and buy time inbetween disc regen, prep cooldown etc, making them *an* ideal skill for a smoke screen build.
I mean you can drop it before a fight like redhood once you have that high damage, and turret and not die often, but it's not the road I'm walking right now. Maybe once I can actually tank everything, I'll trade bats for 10% crit chance caltrops or mortal enemy mark.
Prep and smokescreen seem too good to get rid of, even post-nerf to this day, though ultimately I bet anything people will be running bat companion, bait the trap caltrops, mortal enemy mark, with gloom shadow power to farm as quickly and efficiently as possible, but I don't think that day is here just yet, we'll have to see post 1.03.
Nether tentacles are strong. Theyare the highest single target and aoe target damage. People use hungering arrow with nether tentacles thinking "kill them before they kill you", using hungering because it is the highest damage (spam) hatred generator.
Nether tentacles hits slow targets more times, potentially. If you don't believe me, try using NT on shire flowers, and then use NT on shire flowers under a 80% caltrops snare.
Cull of the weak is amazing paired with entangling shot. Given the two points above, these skills have amazing synergy with Nether Tentacles. If you have high attack speed, high crit, or both, you've realized how little sharpshooter does for you. You're geared now, sharpshooter was great when you had 5% crit chance using a slow 2h crossbow, but those days, thankfully, are over. So gain 15% static damage with COTW, or gain an extra smokescreen with night stalker (if you have 38 max disc). If there are two targets, entangling hits for double normal damage anyways, *always* guaranteed, also out damaging hungering, especially since it buffs it's own damage (second shot+ beyond) by 15% damage.
Gain damage, gain a snare, why aren't we doing this? No further explanation needed.
"Nearly" every rune for entangling is viable:
Chain Gang: aoe intense areas (less viable)
Shock Collar: Recently buffed (stealth buff? pretty sure) to 58% weapon damage per second, for two seconds. If you pop one every two seconds it does optimal damage and keeps COTW buffed for NT. It's not really for spamming, but still great damage.
Heavy Burden: Once you have huge damage, this is potentially the best option because you can kill things before running out of hatred is an issue, meaning more time spamming nether tentacle and fewer applications of entangling shot.
Justice is Served: Benefits you more the faster you attack. It's very viable for me, since I use a bow and have a ton of attack speed.
Bounty hunter: Not yet viable. Would need more gear, but I don't think it's even close to worth it vs the other options right now.
Anyone else noticed this? Any problems with what I'm saying? Let me know whatcha think.
This is more geared towards geared demon hunters, who like myself have enough crit/attack speed that sharpshooter is pretty much irrelevent, and those who not only have high damage, but are building a survivability set and don't like dying in one hit from random spears etc.
I am currently rolling with listed stats:
92k dps
23.5% crit
96% crit damage
45k hp
400-600 resist all
2500 armor
I am still sporting a beckon sail and boj anglers, and have far from perfect gear in other slots, though most of my gear is still pretty sick, to be honest. Ultimately I plan to replace my dinky, full out attack speed+dex items with high armor, high resist all, high dex, etc, and obviously everything can still improve beyond that.
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Still good point. Life on hit also useful affix to have more and more these days, as well as life steal, though lifesteal benefits even more from aoe attacks such as NT in most case scenarios.
The other problem with caltrops is that it depletes our all important discipline, which is almost always better spent on smoke screen, and the way demon hunters work, even if you have decent tank gear for now (I should know), is that you still kill them before they kill you, but it doesn't hurt to gain *free* damage, *free* snares, and *free* stuns, basically. Bats have a cooldown, but they cost nothing and buy time inbetween disc regen, prep cooldown etc, making them *an* ideal skill for a smoke screen build.
I mean you can drop it before a fight like redhood once you have that high damage, and turret and not die often, but it's not the road I'm walking right now. Maybe once I can actually tank everything, I'll trade bats for 10% crit chance caltrops or mortal enemy mark.
Prep and smokescreen seem too good to get rid of, even post-nerf to this day, though ultimately I bet anything people will be running bat companion, bait the trap caltrops, mortal enemy mark, with gloom shadow power to farm as quickly and efficiently as possible, but I don't think that day is here just yet, we'll have to see post 1.03.
Nether tentacles are strong. Theyare the highest single target and aoe target damage. People use hungering arrow with nether tentacles thinking "kill them before they kill you", using hungering because it is the highest damage (spam) hatred generator.
Nether tentacles hits slow targets more times, potentially. If you don't believe me, try using NT on shire flowers, and then use NT on shire flowers under a 80% caltrops snare.
Cull of the weak is amazing paired with entangling shot. Given the two points above, these skills have amazing synergy with Nether Tentacles. If you have high attack speed, high crit, or both, you've realized how little sharpshooter does for you. You're geared now, sharpshooter was great when you had 5% crit chance using a slow 2h crossbow, but those days, thankfully, are over. So gain 15% static damage with COTW, or gain an extra smokescreen with night stalker (if you have 38 max disc). If there are two targets, entangling hits for double normal damage anyways, *always* guaranteed, also out damaging hungering, especially since it buffs it's own damage (second shot+ beyond) by 15% damage.
Gain damage, gain a snare, why aren't we doing this? No further explanation needed.
"Nearly" every rune for entangling is viable:
Chain Gang: aoe intense areas (less viable)
Shock Collar: Recently buffed (stealth buff? pretty sure) to 58% weapon damage per second, for two seconds. If you pop one every two seconds it does optimal damage and keeps COTW buffed for NT. It's not really for spamming, but still great damage.
Heavy Burden: Once you have huge damage, this is potentially the best option because you can kill things before running out of hatred is an issue, meaning more time spamming nether tentacle and fewer applications of entangling shot.
Justice is Served: Benefits you more the faster you attack. It's very viable for me, since I use a bow and have a ton of attack speed.
Bounty hunter: Not yet viable. Would need more gear, but I don't think it's even close to worth it vs the other options right now.
Anyone else noticed this? Any problems with what I'm saying? Let me know whatcha think.
I am currently rolling with listed stats:
92k dps
23.5% crit
96% crit damage
45k hp
400-600 resist all
2500 armor
I am still sporting a beckon sail and boj anglers, and have far from perfect gear in other slots, though most of my gear is still pretty sick, to be honest. Ultimately I plan to replace my dinky, full out attack speed+dex items with high armor, high resist all, high dex, etc, and obviously everything can still improve beyond that.