[CLASS BUILD] The Witch Doctor (mid-ranged dps monk disabler)

[Blades of Vanatar]

Forget the builds.... His background stories are what I crave. Great stuff dude!

[chickenhed]

I can't get enough of these builds. 

 

I both love you and hate you though. I restart this game too much as it is. So many fun builds....

[Boeroer]

[dambros]

What would you change to make this build focused towards soloing PotD? I think maxing CON and lowering INT/DEX a bit is s start, but what else?

 

I think surviving would have to be either via kiting or stacking healing, right?

[Boeroer]

I don't think that more CON is needed. But more RES to prevent interrupts will help - some more points in PER would also be nice for the early game. So maybe take away some points of MIG and INT, also DEX (when RES is higher and after taking Two Weapon Style you can put it to 10). So basically a more balanced stat spread. Self Healing is also useful here.

 

I would go into melee, maybe catch some disengangement attacks. Don't get myself suppounded. As soon as I had >6 wounds or so I would retreat, cast The Long Pain and Swift Strikes and use Torment's Reach and Force of Anguish (depends on the enemy) until no wounds are left. With Boots of Speed + Long Stride you can kite everything even when you are blinded or hobbled. When I'd run out ouf wounds I would keep on firing flying fists if there are not too many enemies left. If there are, I would go back in, gain some more wounds, retreat and repeat.

 

I would also maybe not choose the hater talents, but more useful ones for soloing. I mean the additional damage is nice and good for a dps party build, but as a solo guy you might want to take something else like Veteran's Recovery, Bear's Fortitude and so on. Eating a long disable will be your death. Maybe things like Graceful Retreat, Fast Runner and a Cape of Withdrawal (= +32 defense against disengagement attacks) would be nice for this special guy, because all that retreating can be painful if all disengangement attacks crit you.

 

But basically it would be "back and forth, back and forth". The cape of the cheat may also be nice for this build: Escape 1/encounter can be pretty useful when you get surrounded.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Boeroer

[dambros]

Thanks for the explanation. I will give it a try and see how it goes.
I guess I'll do this inbetween my wizard run so I can see which is better/mor fun.

 

Well, I got to Maerwald and it was painfull, I had to reload over 30 times to clear the Caed Nua hall... after many tries I finally got some lucky rolls on the animat not getting insta killed and fan of flames hitting hard. Let's see how it will fare in chapter 2 now.

Edited July 30, 2016 by dambros

[Boeroer]

Report how it works - I only did some hich lvl bounties solo with it (which was easy - even with this more party based build). I am curious how it performs solo during midgame.

[Jojobobo]

Thanks for the explanation. I will give it a try and see how it goes.

I guess I'll do this inbetween my wizard run so I can see which is better/mor fun.

 

Well, I got to Maerwald and it was painfull, I had to reload over 30 times to clear the Caed Nua hall... after many tries I finally got some lucky rolls on the animat not getting insta killed and fan of flames hitting hard. Let's see how it will fare in chapter 2 now.

You're doing Caed Nua wrong if you play like that solo. Either stealth it or do it so the Shadow is in between you and the Phantoms and pick them off with Rymrgand's Mantle (which, if you rest once in Valewood like a sane person when you get there because of the fatigue, will be waiting for you in the Black Hound Inn second floor when you get to Gilded Vale so long as you've reloaded at some point) equipped and a long ranged weapon (Durance's Staff works well, with a bow or something to get them in range of the staff as they can dawdle). You need to move to the left on the entrance, I find just to the left of the base of the arch of the entrance (after agro-ing the shadow and phantoms) usually leads to a nice situation.

 

I did this second try on my latest playthrough (which was a pretty damn poor Act I build, it's in for the long game), not after 30! The stealthing, from what I've seen and heard, is even easier - but going completionist as far as I can solo didn't really fit this build.

 

I think this build would work find solo. It's extremely strong ranged with a potential for a butt-load of monk kiting, and with Kaylon we've seen you can easily kite the Alpine Dragon for days with a kity build. I think the main downside with the build if you do need to take 6 wounds, which can kill you in the boss fights, but you can take Mortification of the Soul to make this easier if needs be.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Jojobobo

[Reent]

did they change something? I mean... i did it with animat+fan of flames all the time - in ironman runs... without respeccing anything, this time i changed my build to max the stats needed to kill them fast and took talents to enhance the damage against spirits and the damage of FoF... i needed 5 tries

i mean, it was a chanter normally with the dmg aura... but i had 3 dex normally...

 

this build seems pretty OP for many situations in solo (high mobility so you get the enemies to line up for the bugged torments reach... sounds hella fun, the more adds a boss has the fast he dies)

[dambros]

I don't now if something changed, but it was not that hard on my paladin which I did on the first try. I always aggro the mobs, run to the left of the stair right after the entrance and place the animat in a way only the shadow aggros me while the phantom goes to the animat. The problem was the animat dying before I could cast the second scroll, then I was perma stun. Sometimes only 1 phantom was left with 10 hp and he was able to perma stun me to death. After many tries I got some lucky rolls on the scroll and cleared everything with only 2. I even tried using combusting wounds without success (and of course I always have the ice mantle).

[Dr <3]

I'm doing a solo run with a flame godlike run, and incurred in the same problem, they permastunned me also if i had max con & str and i just was't able to activate even the self heals to kill them with retaliation. I did it after some reloads thoug.

Some tricks are:

- stay in the "middle" of the short corridor in the left of the entrance , with animati before you. When he dies, the shadows are usually in line and they attack only 1 at time, it helps a bit

- before fan of flems cast a nature Mark scroll

- eventually respect for 4 survival and get +10 vs spirits bonus

[Boeroer]

The trick is to summon a distraction, run past behing the throne, wait until combat ends and start a conversation with the steward.

[Reent]

The trick is to summon a distraction, run past behing the throne, wait until combat ends and start a conversation with the steward.

The trick is... take Chanter, learn the pathing, take enough resolve... and you can kite them to death (did it a few times to test it with a naked chanter who had 3 resolve, so additional challenge because of the interrupt)

you can do that lvl 1, no animat needed.

or... you can do the FoF trick, because of the dmg aura there is about no chance to fail it (okay, if you have bad hits you can summon a phantom too)

 

Jeah ok, its a monk, i can skip the ghosts - not like chanter, chanter have some problems with the spiders (my builds at least) and have to go back to get some camping supplies - not good if phantoms are waiting for you :D

[Boeroer]

Well, my trick works without kiting & fighting, and class or build don't matter - so I win.

[Jojobobo]

Not relevant to the build, but I recently found out the "summoning a distraction" technique works for Raedric's Keep too. Scale the wall, agro the guard and run round the corner and summon to keep him occupied, then if you've timed it right the with the archer you can get an in to the area with Beratherite Robes. Then, either kill Nedmar for his key, or if you have high enough Mechanics you don't need to kill anyone at all - allowing you to reach Raedric. Raedric gives XP, and you can fighting him to whenever you want, and loot his sweet castle - independent of how sucky your solo build is Act 1 (for me on my latest build, pretty sucky).

[dambros]

The trick is to summon a distraction, run past behing the throne, wait until combat ends and start a conversation with the steward.

Well, over 20 tries doing this and they will always follow you. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

 

Also with sugar I could reach the throne and lose aggro, but the statue won't talk to you.

Edited July 31, 2016 by dambros

[Boeroer]

You have to use a bit higher move speed (camping bonus or/and Fast Runner and sugar e.g.). The AI doesn't follow you for long if you have higher move speed. If you have the same or lower, they will follow you forever.

 

The dialogue should get triggered when you walk around the throne. The combat has to end first. Works for me. At last time a few days ago with kiting solo chanter.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Boeroer

[peddroelm]

took a glimpse at the long pain ability

 

The long Pain 3.05: 

summons dual ranged fists. (12m) that attack with fast weapons attack speed. (crush damage type)

 

BDR 16-24    +8 ACC lvl 7,8,9  

BDR 18-27  +12 ACC lvl 10,11,12

BDR 21-31  +16 ACC lvl 13,14,15 

BDR 24-36  +20 ACC lvl 16       

 

Similar to the bonus from transcendent suffering ACCURACY bonus on those ranged weapons DOES NOT apply to the ability hit-checks (TR cone hits, stunning fists, force of anguish, skyward kick fortitude,..).  So for the really hard checks (prone a dragon) accurate weapons remain unbeatable .

 

+5ACC marksman only works for the projectile hits and not apply to the ability hit-checks (TR cone hits, stunning fists, force of anguish..)

 

Turning Wheel lash doesn't work (as stated in description, melee only). Enervating blows don't work, melee only as per description.

Torment's reach works.  Lightning strikes lash does work(MUST). Chanter burn aura lash DOES work.

 

Will trigger apprentice sneak attacks in the appropriate conditions.

(ALL DAMAGE BONUSES AND LASHes VERY RELEVANT DUE TO THE HUGE BDR) 

 

Overall a very hard to ignore perk (borderline overpowered). It adds tremendous flexibility to every monk build without the need for extra weapon set. Keep the monk in the first line next to a hostile that feeds it wounds while he demolishes the back line with truck like hits and special attacks..

 

Flagellant's Path is a travel ability with its own BDR - it doesn't care at all about the equipped weapon.

Edited November 23, 2016 by peddroelm

[peddroelm]

ok took a couple more glimpses since the combat performance at low levels was less than expected. 

 

Long Pain - attacks as fast as fists, once activated BUT has  HUGEMONGOUS activation cast + recovery. A build focus on this ability should focus on ways of getting around that. Perhaps high dex, perhaps drop plate ..

 

With plate armor on , 10 DEX, many battles would end before my monk could activate and make use of it. Damage is not very impressive at low levels - it gets huge at high levels when the multipliers to base damage kick in. I'm not yet sure what could be done to speed up the process besides high dex.

 

Since it is not a weapon attack that does damage I cannot measure the duration (would need frame counting for that).

 

Perhaps activating at start of combat by friendly fire for wounds is an option for some fights ? Don't know what attack speed mods would do to help not weapon attack ability cast recovery duration ..

Edited December 2, 2016 by peddroelm

[Boeroer]

They must have changed that. When I played that build it didn't take a lot of time to summon The Long Pain. Not longer than casting Parasitic Staff or Spirit Lance.

[Antycat]

I guess the top two choices would be monk or druid, they both seem really like what I'm going for. Your build looks really good, Boerer, I'll play around with it today.

[pippo]

Can I play this build with Zahua?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Is there a particular reason not to use wood elf with this build? Does the distant advantage not function with long pain? Wood elf monk would be hilarious.

[Boeroer]

It works with wood elf's Distant Advantage. It's a good choice, too.

 

There are three reasons why I chose boeal dwarf:

 

1. It's one of the char models which doesn't look too stupid with the Maegfolc Skull.

 

2. Do you remember the annoying little fast bushfolks in Diablo II? I wanted a char that looks like those.

 

3. I wanted to combine the racial ability of the boreal dwarf (+15 ACC against wilder and primordial) with the Bartender's Ring (+20% damage to vessel & spirit) and some hatte talents (+25% dmg) so that I have bonuses against all enemies (except kith) no matter if I'm ranged or melee. Because I switched a lot from melee (no wounds) to ranged (enough wounds for Long Pain and some special attacks) Distant Advantage (wood elf) and also Marksman would not always apply.

 

But the main reason was the looks.

[Boeroer]

Can I play this build with Zahua?

Huh? I totally missed that question, sorry. Sure you can, no problem!

My builds aren't set in stone anyway. If you don't miss the main trick of the build you can change it in many ways.

I see the builds more as inspirations than as strict recipes.