Advice on WW/Trap assassin please!

[Jocular]

I was hoping this wonderful community could let me pick their brains on how to improve WW damage. I'm only in planning stages, but I've got nearly everything I need (except for an Ohm, so we'll see when the character actually starts check out my trade thread at the SP trade forum... ). But I'm having difficulty deciding between using shadow discipline skillers over +max damage charms. I really am having a hard time figuring out whether or not extra venom damage is more or less helpful than physical damage.

What's you guyses' opinions?

My gear set-up is going to be:

Guillame's (socketed with a 15% IAS jewel) thanks @Gynli!
Maras
CoH
String of Ears
Primary Claw: Soon-to-be pretty sweet Chaos in a +3 LS/+3 MB Runic talon
Off-hand: Bartucs
Rings: life steal ring with strength/mana, mana steal ring with life/mana.
Boots: Gore
Gloves: Trangs
Charms: I don't know!
Switch: CTA + Splendor

Mercenary: Blessed Aim, but should I use might?

Skills:
20 Venom
20 LS
1 Dragon Flight
and the rest into LS synergies, as well as 1 point into every Shadow Discipline skill.

I've got 2 shadow discipline GC's, 4 trap GC's, and enough +max damage charms that I'd have no problem removing all my skillers and replacing them with max damage. Should I go 3 trap skillers, and the rest max damage? I want my WW to be strong enough to deal with /p1 at least with okay speed. I know it's not going to be as powerful as a barbarian, but I'm hoping that it'll be somewhat strong?

Thanks.

 

[DaveW]

I'll weigh in here with my 2 cents worth, altho there are more knowledgeable Assasisn experts in the SPF (I'm looking at our moderator for starters :wink) This is my skill layout:

20 Fade (I'm HC so resists are important, as well as PDR)
20 Venom
20 Claw Mastery (+AR and +damage as well as increased chance of Critical Strike)
20 DS (rest of points to LS synergy)
1 DF (to bring merc to me)

Str to equip gear, dex for gear (both get added to with Bartucs) rest of stats into life. I can't remember what gear I quested with as after I made her a Guardian, I outfitted her with MF for the Pits. Mainly Tals 3 piece set (armour, belt and mask). Don't underestimate Tals Crest: the resists, +life, +mana and life/mana steal were made for a WW Assassin, if not any melee char. (A Bowazon with Tals Crest is awesome.)

I guess you want Trangs gloves for the added poison damage? and Cold resist? Forget it. Go with LoH. Hmmm, I see CoH as your armour. Then fade will not be so important. Then max both LS and DS but keep Venom and CM. Your skill layout suggests to me that you want to get less involved melee-wise. Amirite? Dude, the WW Assassin will never rival the WW Barb. But she can handle Hell p1 with ease. As long as she whirls and leeches, she can take care of business. Even Hell p3 is within her grasp, with a wee bit of patience.

Battles look like - CoS, DS x 2, WW, DS, WW, check loot. GL Jocular.

 

[Jocular]

Hmm, I think I see what you mean. No reason to half-ass the hybrid and rely less on the very reason this build should be fun. I think I'll change the gearing plans from Trangs for LoH, Maras for Highlords, the trap skillers for maxers, and the blessed aim merc to might. And as for skills:

20 claw
20 venom
20 LS
20 DS
1 DF
and the rest into fade.

Maybe in the long run I'll swap out CoH for Fortitude. Hmmm, but then I'd have to get more resistances from charms...Also, do you think it's better to have Shadow skillers or max damage charms?

Thanks for the input, I feel more confident on how to move forward on this.

 

[DaveW]

Actually I don't think Shadow or max damage skillers will help. +life, + AR and u good to go.

 

[T72on1]

Check out my Sept WW Assassin. It worked very well, so I'd build him that way again. Char dump is in this post.

In short, Fortitude, Highlord's, Trang's Gloves, rest is pretty straightforward. Sharp GCs in inventory. I went with shaeled Shadow Killer as second weapon, but upped Bartuc's probably has a lot for it going as well. Or a second Chaos . Merc with Reaper's, Fortitude and Andy's.

I went with maxed SM, which is a fun ally in my opinion. Also some points in WB, about 10 in Fade. DS is there for the CE, so no need to synergize it much.

O yes, be prepared to repair your weapons a lot. Especially in the case of Chaos, if there's some mods on the Claw, it's very expensive. So don't pay for it, just use the cube recipe.

 

[maxicek]

I haven’t played a WW Assassin PvM for 10 years it seems...
https://www.purediablo.com/forums/threads/matriach-pris-whirlwind-trap-assassin.650956/

I actually have a max damage and a max venom WW Assassin in planning. My feeling is pick either physical or Venom, not both. So:
Fortitude + Claw Mastery + Maxxers
Bramble + Venom + Shadow Skillers

Skills
1 Dragon Flight if not using Enigma
1 in all Shadow Skills.
20 (Venom / Claw Mastery)
20 LS
20 DS
Rest in LS synergies

I don’t think, unless you have very good gear, either Variant will be strong enough on their own. Well it will be doable, but very slow. DS and LS will make it fun.

 

[T72on1]

My ww sin was actually doing just fine on p5 iirc.