:: PvP Trap Assassin Guide ::
Hey all, this is basically a guide that I've come up with based on my experience as a trap assassin. I'm not going to tell you what gear you need to use, or how you need to duel. The purpose of this guide is to show you what I've been doing as a sin, and how it's allowing me to own just about every time of character. As with any dueler, you will not be able to beat everyone, there will always be a type of character out there that can woop you silly, but from my experience, there's a very small handful out there that can beat this build.
First, lets start with stat distribution:
Stats:
Strength: Retorical / Just enough to hold gear. My Str: ~110 (I'll explain why later.)
Dexterity: This is where it gets tricky. Depending on the gear you have, you may need more to ensure 60% WB. (Weapon Block).
Vitality: Obviously everything else goes into this.
NO ENERGY. If you put a single point into energy, you should be ashamed of yourself, and may god have mercy on your soul.
Equipment:
Headgear:
You have a few options here. I normally go with Shako, for the +skills, and extra mana needed. Also gives DR, which you will appreciate. Up to you really, you could also use Griffon's Eye for -% enemy lite resistance. Which is another alternate choice, based on the gear you have available.
Body Armor:
No question here. You're going to need resistance, and a lot of it, especially if you're a duel claw wielder like I am. So, go with Chains of Honor. Very nice resistance, and +skills. A lot of people think Enigma would be better, but believe me, with this build, you won't need to teleport.
If you can't afford CoH, then I suggest maybe Vipermage with an Um rune. Works just as well, and you still get the +1 skills. Vipermage can also be upgraded.
Ring/Amulet:
Again, this is your choice. I use Mara's Kaleidoscope for the +skills and resistance. A lot of trapsins use a +3 Trap amulet, but I prefer to have my +skill gear to go towards ALL skills, not specifically traps. You'll see why later.
Rings, go with Stone of Jordan, obviously. I normally go with one Soj, and a Ravenfrost for those pesky sorcs and melee mods.
Weapon:
As stated before, I'm a duel claw sin, so naturally you'll want +3 Trap claws, and if at ALL possible, also have +3 Lightning Sentry on them. These claws are very rare, but totally worth it. Make sure to Shael these babies for your much needed IaS.
If you can't get these, maybe use Bartuc's. DO NOT use a Claw / Shield method. DR and 75% chance to block with a shield is nice, but not as nice as a 60% chance to block duel claw ratio. Again, I'll explain everything together, and at once.
Belt/Boots:
For belt, obviously go with Arachnid Mesh for the +skills and increased mana mod.
Boots are entirely up to you. With my strength I was able to use Shadow Dancers, or SandStorm Treks for the Vit. Shadow's are nice for the Run/Walk, and FHR. Not to mention the +skill placement for your Weapon Block.
Gloves:
I normally go with Frostburn Gauntlets for the 40% mana increase mod. You'll need mana for your traps, because Lightning Sentry (LS) costs about 20 mana per trap. 5 traps x 20 mana = 100 mana per set. That's a lot for a sin.
Skill Distribution:
1 Fire Blast
20 Shock Web
20 Charged Bolt
20 Lightning Sentry
20 Death Sentry
1 Mind Blast
1 Fade
1 Burst of Speed
Remaining Points should go into Weapon Block. If you have my gear, you'll be able to achieve 60% block at level 90. And then have 9 points remaining for whatever you want. I would suggest possibly a Shadow Master to confuse the enemy, and take hits for you.
I cannot stress enough, how important Weapon Block is to a trapper. Not only does it block melee damage, but it also blocks elemental damage. That opens up the door for a lot of possibilities.
My Assassin:
Gear:
Shako ~ Um
Chains of Honor
2x +3 Trap Claws ~ Shael
On [W] Switch: Infinity
Mara's Kaleidoscope
Sandstorm Treks
Arachnid Mesh
Stone of Jordan / Ravenfrost
Frostburn Gauntlets
10x Trap Charms
Anni Charm
5/res Small Charms
Stats:
Strength: ~110
Dexterity: 70
Vit: Remaining Points
Energy: 0
My Strategy:
Here's my plan. With this gear, you will be able to achieve maximum resistance, maximum block rate, and still have 12,000 Lightning Sentry trap damage. Sounds pretty nice, right? That's not even the half of it.
You have to consider the fact that people are going to absorb you. It's just a part of the game. Its the only thing trappers have to fear. However, if you look at my gear choice, you'll see what I've done to avoid this.
This is key:
Using Infinity to slay my enemies, has given me a huge advantage. Infinity runeword can give up to -55% to enemy lightning resistance, and the best part is...a level 12 Conviction aura. At level 12, Conviction drops an enemies resistance by 85%! That's a ton of resistance people. That alone is enough to give you a huge jump in damage, even if someone is absorbing you. You'll lay them out with a few hits.
You can also use Call to Arms as well, but you'll have to switch that around from your stash if you need. You'll be happy you put a point into Fade, because even though you have maximum resistance, you'll be able to stack the resistance with Fade. So not only will you have good resistance, but you'll have a 60% chance to block whatever is coming your way.
See why you don't need to teleport? It's a waste of mana and time. Just avoid as much as you can, and set your traps accordingly, if they get hit, it's over.
Well I hope this guide gave you a little insight as to what I've done here. I'll admit, there are times where I still get creamed, mainly from Amazons because I can't get near them in time to trap them, but other than that, you won't have much trouble clearing your enemies.
Have fun with this build, and good luck to you.
-Trapped
Hey all, this is basically a guide that I've come up with based on my experience as a trap assassin. I'm not going to tell you what gear you need to use, or how you need to duel. The purpose of this guide is to show you what I've been doing as a sin, and how it's allowing me to own just about every time of character. As with any dueler, you will not be able to beat everyone, there will always be a type of character out there that can woop you silly, but from my experience, there's a very small handful out there that can beat this build.
First, lets start with stat distribution:
Stats:
Strength: Retorical / Just enough to hold gear. My Str: ~110 (I'll explain why later.)
Dexterity: This is where it gets tricky. Depending on the gear you have, you may need more to ensure 60% WB. (Weapon Block).
Vitality: Obviously everything else goes into this.
NO ENERGY. If you put a single point into energy, you should be ashamed of yourself, and may god have mercy on your soul.
Equipment:
Headgear:
You have a few options here. I normally go with Shako, for the +skills, and extra mana needed. Also gives DR, which you will appreciate. Up to you really, you could also use Griffon's Eye for -% enemy lite resistance. Which is another alternate choice, based on the gear you have available.
Body Armor:
No question here. You're going to need resistance, and a lot of it, especially if you're a duel claw wielder like I am. So, go with Chains of Honor. Very nice resistance, and +skills. A lot of people think Enigma would be better, but believe me, with this build, you won't need to teleport.
If you can't afford CoH, then I suggest maybe Vipermage with an Um rune. Works just as well, and you still get the +1 skills. Vipermage can also be upgraded.
Ring/Amulet:
Again, this is your choice. I use Mara's Kaleidoscope for the +skills and resistance. A lot of trapsins use a +3 Trap amulet, but I prefer to have my +skill gear to go towards ALL skills, not specifically traps. You'll see why later.
Rings, go with Stone of Jordan, obviously. I normally go with one Soj, and a Ravenfrost for those pesky sorcs and melee mods.
Weapon:
As stated before, I'm a duel claw sin, so naturally you'll want +3 Trap claws, and if at ALL possible, also have +3 Lightning Sentry on them. These claws are very rare, but totally worth it. Make sure to Shael these babies for your much needed IaS.
If you can't get these, maybe use Bartuc's. DO NOT use a Claw / Shield method. DR and 75% chance to block with a shield is nice, but not as nice as a 60% chance to block duel claw ratio. Again, I'll explain everything together, and at once.
Belt/Boots:
For belt, obviously go with Arachnid Mesh for the +skills and increased mana mod.
Boots are entirely up to you. With my strength I was able to use Shadow Dancers, or SandStorm Treks for the Vit. Shadow's are nice for the Run/Walk, and FHR. Not to mention the +skill placement for your Weapon Block.
Gloves:
I normally go with Frostburn Gauntlets for the 40% mana increase mod. You'll need mana for your traps, because Lightning Sentry (LS) costs about 20 mana per trap. 5 traps x 20 mana = 100 mana per set. That's a lot for a sin.
Skill Distribution:
1 Fire Blast
20 Shock Web
20 Charged Bolt
20 Lightning Sentry
20 Death Sentry
1 Mind Blast
1 Fade
1 Burst of Speed
Remaining Points should go into Weapon Block. If you have my gear, you'll be able to achieve 60% block at level 90. And then have 9 points remaining for whatever you want. I would suggest possibly a Shadow Master to confuse the enemy, and take hits for you.
I cannot stress enough, how important Weapon Block is to a trapper. Not only does it block melee damage, but it also blocks elemental damage. That opens up the door for a lot of possibilities.
My Assassin:
Gear:
Shako ~ Um
Chains of Honor
2x +3 Trap Claws ~ Shael
On [W] Switch: Infinity
Mara's Kaleidoscope
Sandstorm Treks
Arachnid Mesh
Stone of Jordan / Ravenfrost
Frostburn Gauntlets
10x Trap Charms
Anni Charm
5/res Small Charms
Stats:
Strength: ~110
Dexterity: 70
Vit: Remaining Points
Energy: 0
My Strategy:
Here's my plan. With this gear, you will be able to achieve maximum resistance, maximum block rate, and still have 12,000 Lightning Sentry trap damage. Sounds pretty nice, right? That's not even the half of it.
You have to consider the fact that people are going to absorb you. It's just a part of the game. Its the only thing trappers have to fear. However, if you look at my gear choice, you'll see what I've done to avoid this.
This is key:
Using Infinity to slay my enemies, has given me a huge advantage. Infinity runeword can give up to -55% to enemy lightning resistance, and the best part is...a level 12 Conviction aura. At level 12, Conviction drops an enemies resistance by 85%! That's a ton of resistance people. That alone is enough to give you a huge jump in damage, even if someone is absorbing you. You'll lay them out with a few hits.
You can also use Call to Arms as well, but you'll have to switch that around from your stash if you need. You'll be happy you put a point into Fade, because even though you have maximum resistance, you'll be able to stack the resistance with Fade. So not only will you have good resistance, but you'll have a 60% chance to block whatever is coming your way.
See why you don't need to teleport? It's a waste of mana and time. Just avoid as much as you can, and set your traps accordingly, if they get hit, it's over.
Well I hope this guide gave you a little insight as to what I've done here. I'll admit, there are times where I still get creamed, mainly from Amazons because I can't get near them in time to trap them, but other than that, you won't have much trouble clearing your enemies.
Have fun with this build, and good luck to you.
-Trapped
