Shadow - How to make a viable build

Welcome! Thanks for joining me here today, I'll be your instructor, Rabbit. Please hold your questions until the end of the presentation, thank you.

Now, let's get started. Why are we here today? That's simple, we want to create a passive tree build with a Shadow!

First off, there are several things to keep in mind:

• You get 1 passive skill point every time you level.
  
  • Currently, game content spans levels 1-60.
    
    • The recently announced end-game includes content up to level 70.
  • This means you can reasonably expect to reach level 70, but you need to be end-game ready by level 60.
• You get 1 passive skill point for 2 different quests during each difficulty, you also have an option during one quest to get Life, Mana, Resistance, or an additional passive skill point.
• This means that your character should be end-game ready by the time they have 71 skill points (59 level ups, and 12 quest points)
• You will never reach level 100, so creating a build utilizing all 111 points that the online tool allows you is inappropriate.

The current end-game of Path of Exile is hard. There are many monsters that will hit you at least once. Thus, it is your best interest to design a character that is capable of surviving one or more hits!

Another thing to keep in mind is the method that the game calculates your damage. Without getting too much into the details, if an item, passive, or ability has the keyword "Increases" consider it adding to your damage multiplier. If the keyword is "More" consider it to multiply your existing damage.

Everyone loves bullet points!
DO:

• +Do increase your offense and defense!
• +Do spread out your offensive points between physical damage, elemental damage, and attack speed!
• +Do pick up accuracy so that you can actually hit things! (Spells have 100% chance to hit! No need for accuracy there!)
• +Do make a balanced build utilizing only 60-70 points!
• +Do look for synergies between skills!
• +Do post your build using [ url] tags! An unclickable build is a bad build :(

DON'T:

• -Don't go purely into offense or defense!
• -Don't stack purely into one statistic!
• -Don't post a build using all 111 points!
• -Don't forget that skills cost mana, have a plan!

Now, let's get into the specifics, shall we?

The shadow is an excellent starting point for players that want a fast character. The shadow starts near several attack speed and movement speed nodes.

Generally a shadow would do best wearing intelligence/dexterity armour, and picking up passive skills that boost evasion and energy shield. Several shield nodes are nearby, as well as the Chaos Inoculation keystone.

Here are some example Shadow builds:
-none currently :(


I'll now open up the floor to questions...


Yes, you, back there, go ahead....

"The shadow is an excellent starting point for players that want a fast character. The shadow starts near several attack speed and movement speed nodes.

Generally a ranger would do best wearing intelligence/dexterity armour, and picking up passive skills that boost evasion and energy shield. Several shield nodes are nearby, as well as the Chaos Inoculation keystone.

Here are some example Ranger builds:"
mh?

Here's a build:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQYBA96juQUJyBoFqptVCRU5OAvqr3MRDujLGe2egBrryz0fTmoPIa479isT_iMs18ILL0-dhi-jDIMv1U9iMOlmEja4SjA3BhmfP55fTUCjGtRBRTwYSUc4nEomSxlLDIa6WLU_T1q3a9VeM2g9X5u5iGC1M6FjOr_IY_J6j2YSqO5oxUAZahqa9muL-EBsTyBibtjt_p1lGKWICWYl-z4jqPc8b3udMLjXi78K34eeSQfk6IMjxx9hH7Yk2CuwphHs6EB07fcjILm2RguQoap8BKEImb_Dq0kfnMVEzfQKmBSMPPm_hzM_auGkb9jpbwx94EtstuIy-3W9IbtWzcpmY_2YbdP1ObqP8_NWbu0lMkujWapNv3_34g==

Basically, boost minions and stay back throwing traps and cold snap. I don't know how minions hold up at end game. But i'll find out.

Also, i'm not sure if this build will have enough survivebility.

Any ideas are welcome.

Cheers

"

+Do spread out your offensive points between physical damage, elemental damage, and attack speed!

I'm not sure why that is. Won't it make sense (from a min-max perspective) to specialize, damage-wise?

"

sah a écrit :

"

+Do spread out your offensive points between physical damage, elemental damage, and attack speed!

I'm not sure why that is. Won't it make sense (from a min-max perspective) to specialize, damage-wise?

And what would you do with maxed, say, lightning damage to a monster with huge lightning resistance? And if that monster is unique?

"

sah a écrit :

"

+Do spread out your offensive points between physical damage, elemental damage, and attack speed!

I'm not sure why that is. Won't it make sense (from a min-max perspective) to specialize, damage-wise?

The problem is that the more you specialize, the less the points help you.

For instance, if you have a 140% bonus physical damage weapon (not at all uncommon at end game), and 200 strength, a "6% increased physical damage with melee weapons" passive would give you 2.1% increased physical damage, and not do anything to your elemental damage. So if a significant portion of your DPS is in elemental damage, the increase is almost negligable. If you put that point into 4% increased attack speed, it would increase your DPS by 4%.

That sounds reasonable. I was coming at it from a Diablo2 perspective, where you had to max out 90% of the skills you were committing to.

Already posted in another thread:

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAQYAAQJxYATgVGYFqptVCqgxHQ3wYAUOJuRFF4eVhxfvGN4Yum2EG85OTSGu8LUkWJ8tJSEJNyiCm_gqEXRmLN2ady_VT2I1tSrrNrhKMDqr8ic_nl9NQbyyWklHOJxM-2JBWrdr1VrVbVddrW-vZRFytWfuCepu2O3-cuhoeXL2CH9zzxaldQ8h_3cAFgl8hsoZfPbQmn-qyB6AyTPVhJgm84XKd62HnkkHi78K34wqiHaNqPiSlYSSLpY6prSXnMOJmS1ht5o64s2cxUTNn8ZUlKRe4aGpCn88qgU6VrYk2Cu2RguQvSG7VsOrSR_ErOZMxx9hH8c_0KTK3NwZzPmRSM3KZmPUfDGL3a4V3t6__ajgS2y24MEXIORNukrk6IMj6o7qmO3ZeEjudu7P8kM_fvcjILn3ZjtJ

I manage chaos with this using lightning strike and ice spear totem

I just began playing a couple days ago so my experience with practical skill selection is shameful, but I would like any feedback on the direction of my shadow.

The only part I am not solid on is how well a Shadow does with Blood Magic. I am fairly certain this will be highly gear dependent (if this works at all) so I've tried to offset that with Soul Raker and a lot of +life / +regen. I plan on using traps, claws and as much life steal as I can get.

Manaless Claw Build (71 pt.)

Update:

I've been doing some reading and have altered the build to focus more on Elemental damage. Of course realizing that physical damage is very lackluster that tears Soul Raker and claw/phys damage nodes to pieces. Without that I'm open to use any fast weapons with high elemental damage and a shield if I choose. I can now stack evasion and ES and have the stats for that gear. I'm going to leave my (probably horrible) previous build up so others can see my build mature and evolve, for whatever that's worth.

Manaless Elementalist Build (71 pt.)

"

sah a écrit :

"

+Do spread out your offensive points between physical damage, elemental damage, and attack speed!

I'm not sure why that is. Won't it make sense (from a min-max perspective) to specialize, damage-wise?

Yes. His advise isn't sound ( no offense)
For example with CI,( or lots of life leech) you can use Bloodrage, and taking attack speed nodes would be a complete waste.
Also taking both physical dmg nodes and ele dmg is just silly. Physical damage accounts for a very little portion of my damage ( as it should, specializing in ele dmg).
If I took a few phys dmg nodes, my dps would barly move, and I'd be out a few skill points.
Where as everytime I took ele damage, my dps went up about 6-8%.
Lighting Strike is one skill that scales with both. But it's counter intuitive IMO for shadow. And you need a lot of strength for higher lvl Lighting strike. Again, counter intuitive.
His" guide" is a copy paste that can be found in all class threads.

A valid point is don't specialize only in dps and neglect defense ( or visa versa), but I would think that goes without saying.