https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/3e4geb0whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2j1i1YM6qI
The best taintlock setup is now the best S tier above ES or other slower builds. The solution to the issue of tainted being weak to immunes, and bind demon having weaker boss DPS, was to simply combine both: Use 2x summon tainted and 1x bound demon with amp.
So now we've got the best of both worlds.
Skills:- 20 Summon Tainted
- 20 Blood Boil
- 20 Blood Oath
- 20 Engorge
- 20 Demonic Mastery
- 1 Bind Demon
- 0 Consume (can get it from Baalos anyway, if you ever did cast it)
- 1 Hex Siphon
- 1 Sigil Lethargy
DPS setup:- Mang Song's Lesson (Defender's Fire)
- Enigma
- Ars Tor'Baalos (Facet)
- +3 Demon / 20 FCR / 2x socket magic circlet (2x Facet)
- +2 Warlock / 15 FCR crafted amulet
- Magefist
- 2x Opalvein
- Arachs
- Resist Boots
- Fire sunder, torch, anni, life/res scs, skillers in desired open inventory/cube amount
- CTA+Spirit swap (eth monarch)
- A2 prayer or might merc with infinity, cure and either CoH or greyform/skin of the flayed one + protector's stone
Swap gear to prebuff (optional):- 2x Sojs
- +3 ammy
- Extra skillers to fill inventory
- +6 tome (measured wrath is an easy +4 substitute)
- +6 dagger (just use the +5 mang song unless you're nuts)
The critical setup is to bind a
trash mob white venom lord in a P8 TZ96 game, in a 'cursed' TZ. Then simply roll him until he's holy freeze + cursed. This only needs +19 skills from items and 1 soft point into the skill, no need for a unique/superunique. While multiple shots and lightning enchanted would be nice, they aren't worth the skill points needed, and even 1 point demon is not only effectively immortal, but could be hitting for 15-20k physical.
Summon tainted with this setup hit about 26k fireballs without prebuff, about 36k with prebuff. You lose 1/3 of their damage by using a bound demon of course, but this is very important to help the kill speed vs fire immunes. Amp damage alone winds up being +70% or so DPS against fire immunes. For contrast, consuming a tainted might only give ~10% dps vs non-immunes, ~27% vs immunes. While significant, and with the nice QoL of max life and movespeed, consume simply isn't worth it compared to the power of 2x tainted, nor the necessary amp vs fire immunes. And since the bound demon itself can attack for a big chunk, it also helps kill immunes.
I've tested setups with 3x tainted, or no tainted and 1 consume 1 bind 1 defiler, or 2x tainted defiler, or so on.
The 2T1B is definitely the superior taintlock setup, and has none of the weaknesses. You can kill bosses, even ubers or immune heralds, something pure boil/bind struggles without corpses. You can clear immunes quickly, something pure tainted struggles.
This build should be something you can work towards with poverty gear pre-enigma. I ran P8 chaos games last ladder with a boil lock by just shopping a tele staff and recharging it every game, burning through my farmed gold. With some blade warps its not too tough. It will be more crucial for a non-infinity build to have the amp merc, because if all you have is basic sunder no conviction, tainted will only hit immunes for 5% damage: you NEED to be killing them with amp+boil. Leaf staff or something better like ondals, authority armor, measured wrath, any +1-3 helm/ammy options, magefist, are all pretty easily obtainable gear that would put you online.
Why is this build so bad? You were praising Manga's Song in another forum thread and then switched to Obsession? I think this build is top-notch. And Manga's Song looks absolutely stunning in a Warlock's hands. And the idea of forging a Demon Lord with Freeze Aura is awesome.