There's always something fun about playing Classes "the wrong way", and creating builds based around such. Since the official forums' community is pretty well dead, I've decided to sign up on the forums here in order to brainstorm with some of you folks.
So, the task at hand is simple; create a totally Melee-oriented Necromancer build.
Now, obviously such a build will revolve around Bone Armor and the Inarius set. However, part of me is also thinking that the Trag'Oul set could also play a role in building such a set.
So, what are the rules for this "Melee Necromancer build"?
Well, since it's all self-imposed restrictions, I suppose it's up to each person to decide for themselves. However, I think the most broad definition would be minimal use of ranged skills (I think using one as a Resource-spender would be near mandatory, although I'm certainly working on an idea that relies entirely on a Primary), and not relying too heavily on Pets (if your pets are killing everything, then really, what's the point in such a build?).
Now, with that out of the way, let's dive into my own work-in-progress build...
First and foremost, Grim Scythe is your Primary. If you have any illusions of playing a "Melee Necromancer", then that much is a given. To this end, I recommend using the entire Inarius set, with the exception of the legs, which I substitute for Depth Diggers (increasing the damage of Grim Scythe). I also advise using Leger's Disdain as your Rubik's Cube Weapon, as it further increases the damage of Grim Scythe, with the intention of wielding Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang if you want to go 1hander (you could easily swap these in that case). For a 2hand build, however, I'm currently at a loss for what the most conducive weapon would be (even though, in my heart of hearts, I really WANT to roll with a Corrupted Ashbringer).
For Skills, I'm currently using the following Setup:
2. Blood Rush (currently with 2-piece Trag'Oul set, as Inarius set is currently incomplete)
3. Devour w/ Devouring Aura
4. Frailty w/ Aura of Frailty
Passives:
Fueled by Death
Life from Death
Stand Alone
Spreading Malediction
I'm a man of simple tastes, and perhaps I've been spoiled by spending too much time on the Crusader or Witch Doctor, but I quite like having fewer "active" abilities; hence I've filled two of my slots with "auras". Since this build relies heavily on consuming Corpses (not so much by necessity, as I just wanted to put them to a non-ranged use), I chose to use the first two Passive slots for taking advantage of that fact. I may replace Fueled by Death (movement speed) with Swift Harvesting (attack speed), but for the time being, it suits my purposes well enough.
Aura of Frailty effectively gives you a 15% damage increase (it appears to affect bosses as well as common mobs), and the Dislocation rune for Bone Armor is, in my opinion, the single best "Stun" in the game, as it hits a 25-yard radius around you with only a 10-second cooldown. I fully anticipate this will be nerfed in the near future, so abuse it while you can.
Because Leger's Disdain presumably requires you to actually GENERATE Essence (as opposed to merely *using* a Generator), I've elected to use Decrepify, which gives you a pretty reliable 40% damage reduction, as well as a way to "pull" those pesky ranged enemies while trapped in a swarm of enemies.
So far, the build is proving fun, but is definitely missing "something". The build works in much the same way a "melee Demon Hunter" does; you can still kill enemies in a weaker setting, but you're definitely not going to be pushing content with it. At least, I'm not at such a state yet. My hope is that Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang will turn the tide a bit more, or that perhaps Blizzard might support the playstyle with a Set or a few Legendaries (Frostmourne!!!) to legitimize the build.
Still, this is all just from my own perspective.
What do you guys think? Try to get your own spin on the idea! Even if it's not truly "competitive", doing off-the-wall builds is surprisingly fun, and I feel like there *might* be potential for a legitimate play-style here!
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There's always something fun about playing Classes "the wrong way", and creating builds based around such. Since the official forums' community is pretty well dead, I've decided to sign up on the forums here in order to brainstorm with some of you folks.
So, the task at hand is simple; create a totally Melee-oriented Necromancer build.
Now, obviously such a build will revolve around Bone Armor and the Inarius set. However, part of me is also thinking that the Trag'Oul set could also play a role in building such a set.
So, what are the rules for this "Melee Necromancer build"?
Well, since it's all self-imposed restrictions, I suppose it's up to each person to decide for themselves. However, I think the most broad definition would be minimal use of ranged skills (I think using one as a Resource-spender would be near mandatory, although I'm certainly working on an idea that relies entirely on a Primary), and not relying too heavily on Pets (if your pets are killing everything, then really, what's the point in such a build?).
Now, with that out of the way, let's dive into my own work-in-progress build...
First and foremost, Grim Scythe is your Primary. If you have any illusions of playing a "Melee Necromancer", then that much is a given. To this end, I recommend using the entire Inarius set, with the exception of the legs, which I substitute for Depth Diggers (increasing the damage of Grim Scythe). I also advise using Leger's Disdain as your Rubik's Cube Weapon, as it further increases the damage of Grim Scythe, with the intention of wielding Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang if you want to go 1hander (you could easily swap these in that case). For a 2hand build, however, I'm currently at a loss for what the most conducive weapon would be (even though, in my heart of hearts, I really WANT to roll with a Corrupted Ashbringer).
For Skills, I'm currently using the following Setup:
- Grim Scythe w/ Frost Scythe (may switch to Cursed Scythe)
= Decrepify w/ Wither
1. Bone Armor w/ Dislocation
2. Blood Rush (currently with 2-piece Trag'Oul set, as Inarius set is currently incomplete)
3. Devour w/ Devouring Aura
4. Frailty w/ Aura of Frailty
Passives:
Fueled by Death
Life from Death
Stand Alone
Spreading Malediction
I'm a man of simple tastes, and perhaps I've been spoiled by spending too much time on the Crusader or Witch Doctor, but I quite like having fewer "active" abilities; hence I've filled two of my slots with "auras". Since this build relies heavily on consuming Corpses (not so much by necessity, as I just wanted to put them to a non-ranged use), I chose to use the first two Passive slots for taking advantage of that fact. I may replace Fueled by Death (movement speed) with Swift Harvesting (attack speed), but for the time being, it suits my purposes well enough.
Aura of Frailty effectively gives you a 15% damage increase (it appears to affect bosses as well as common mobs), and the Dislocation rune for Bone Armor is, in my opinion, the single best "Stun" in the game, as it hits a 25-yard radius around you with only a 10-second cooldown. I fully anticipate this will be nerfed in the near future, so abuse it while you can.
Because Leger's Disdain presumably requires you to actually GENERATE Essence (as opposed to merely *using* a Generator), I've elected to use Decrepify, which gives you a pretty reliable 40% damage reduction, as well as a way to "pull" those pesky ranged enemies while trapped in a swarm of enemies.
So far, the build is proving fun, but is definitely missing "something". The build works in much the same way a "melee Demon Hunter" does; you can still kill enemies in a weaker setting, but you're definitely not going to be pushing content with it. At least, I'm not at such a state yet. My hope is that Trag'Oul's Corroded Fang will turn the tide a bit more, or that perhaps Blizzard might support the playstyle with a Set or a few Legendaries (Frostmourne!!!) to legitimize the build.
Still, this is all just from my own perspective.
What do you guys think? Try to get your own spin on the idea! Even if it's not truly "competitive", doing off-the-wall builds is surprisingly fun, and I feel like there *might* be potential for a legitimate play-style here!