Started a Phoenix Striker.
:yep:
Since we're trying to avenge the death of Pb_pal's Karna, I'll keep the "no points in the trap tree" restriction.
Ooh, you're really making it tough for yourself. Blade Fury (4-point wonder to use against extremely dangerous bosses) and Death Sentry make the late game a lot easier.
So could anyone give me a rough idea of where I should be spending my skill points? I mean I know at least one point in everything in the shadow disciplines tree other than venom, and probably enough hard points in mind blast to get a good stun length, especially given that there are no guarantees that I'll be getting any +skills from items. Should I be spending any more hard points in the shadow disciplines tree (cloak of shadows, fade, shadow master)? And beyond phoenix strike, how do I spend my points in the martial arts tree?
For me, one point MB has always been sufficient. You spam it in dire situations, until merc/shadow/converted monster tanks, or you spam it to push a boss back into massive flames.
No extra points in Cloak of Shadows. You can't afford that, and it's even counterproductive at times (because you can't recast it until it has timed out).
Given the item situation in this tourney, being prepared to sink a few points into Fade is probably good. Watch the diminishing returns.
Some players like Shadow Master (she does a heck of a lot more damage) but I prefer the Shadow Warrior for HC play, because she is more predictible. And if you can get her to cast Fade, she is usually a better elemental tank than the Master. Since you won't use the traps tree, there are probably enough points for a decent level in your preferred Shadow.
MA tree skills is easy for me: Max PS and Claws of Thunder, about 10 in Fists of Fire, 1 in all kicks (for the utility of group knockback (DTail) and teleport to enemy (DFlight)).
2) How does phoenix strike work anyways? Is the idea that charge 1 gives me fire, charge 2 gives me lightning, and charge 3 gives me cold? OR is the idea that charge 1 gives me fire, charge 2 gives me fire+lightning, and charge 3 gives me fire+lightning+cold.
It's the former.
Charge 1 is your big boss killer, and main damage dealer vs tight mobs. For spamming it (it's the stacked flames from several Meteors that really ups the damage, especially against bulky enemies), I recommed holding down the mouse button on an enemy and toggle between PS and Attack hotkeys.
Charge 2 is your weapon against FI monsters, and against spread out enemies (think flayer blowdarters and such)
Charge 3 is crowd control. Freezes most monsters for a long time, even on Hell difficulty. Don't bother with the damage here.
3) Am I using any "finishing moves" or just normal attack to release the charges?
I mainly use Attack, mostly because it has the same speed as Phoenix Strike. Easier to get a rhythm going that way. I did this even with my dual claws PS Assassin.
4) Since its, to say the least, unlikely that I'll be getting dual S/U claws, what kind of weapon setup am I looking at? 1-handed + shield or 2-handed? Do I care about the physical damage component of my weapon?
Again, because of item restrictions, you'll probably need a shield or two, both for resists and blocking.
Physical damage (other than Crushing Blow) on the weapon matters little, but if you have any mana steal at all and is using a normal unique, it's probably worth upgrading it for better mana steal.
You will want your weapon to be fast and have a range of >1 (so you can hit enemies 'over the shoulder' of your tank(s)). Flails and War Axes have the longest range among one-handers.
5) What are my likely str and dex needs?
STR 75 for the easy-to-find Sigon's Guard is good goal. Let's you also use most decent and common other armor pieces and weapons. DEX: depending on shield and other gear, enough for 50% blocking is what I usually aim for.
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