Quote (Ashwin @ Jun 25 2012 11:04am)

I used hung arrow (devour) and NT before 1.0.3

Using the same after 1.0.3

Sure it no longer hits multiple times on bosses (which means that it takes longer to kill them), but I still like it against elite packs and champion packs. Two reasons for this: First, I built my DH as a balanced build (vit/dmg/res) from the start (I didn't like the glass cannon idea) so I can survive 3-4 hits in A2 inferno from most mobs, which means NT does return considerable life (especially against huge packs). Second, NT pierces, which means, I can spam NT and have all the blues (or yellows) die. I tried ball lightning, but did not like it (was too slow imo). Another thing I notice, when monsters take damage, there is a slight animation, where they falter (or are knocked back) if you notice, so spamming NT also keeps ALL of them at a safe distance.

Quote (Azn Masta @ Jun 25 2012 10:10am)

with enough dps ball lightning actually makes them falter more due to more ticks

but yea... NT hurts way more and heals which for builds like ours... is way better

Quote (Ashwin @ Jun 25 2012 11:19am)

I don't have access to millions of gold (I played through the game from the start, instead of running chests or goblins or whatever the farming methods were), so my DPS isn't sky high. I try to find the best balance with whatever gear I find (or the meager stuff I occasionally buy from the AH) so for now, I'll stick to NT.

Possibly if I manage to get huge dps in the future, I might try out ball lightning again, but for now, I'll stick to NT. Oh, and my stats are 30k life, 480ish all resists and 61k dmg with sharpshooter (~35-36k without). I'm also working on increasing my crit chance rather than crit damage so I can give up sharpshooter. I have a feeling Blizz is going to put a cap on crit damage (or maybe decrease its effectiveness) in the near future, so I don't want to stack loads of crit damage and ease my way through the game only to feel gimped later (like how those IAS based glass cannons felt after 1.0.3).

Quote (Azn Masta @ Jun 25 2012 08:25am)

Vayne vs Ashe

Quote (Azn Masta @ Jun 25 2012 02:58pm)

You want 1 single target dps skill (devouring is stronger than bone explosion) and 1 AoE to be well balanced.

bone explosion is completely fine against mobs, but i feel devouring works best vs bosses. you dont need 2 AoE skills really

Quote (Azn Masta @ Jun 25 2012 09:13am)

Back 1.0.3 Patch
Nether Tentacle (NT) was used on 99% of DH build as their primary single target and AoE attack due to its ball lightning multiple "tick" effect combined with full 155% damage. The healing part was ignored since most DH's die instantly anyway after 1 hit

Post Patch
Post patch, I've found that while NT no longer ticks "multiple times" (which btw was not intended of the spell, it was a bug), it is still one of the most effective right click AoE attacks we have in our arsenal. Blizzard decided to nerf the damage of monsters and from that, emerges a new type of Demon Hunter. With the switch from pure glass cannon to tanky/resistance DH, our skill comp now adds in Shadow Power - Gloom (reduces all incoming damage by 65% and heals you back 20% of damage you deal)... The real pro of this build is that you can still retain high DPS (I get around 90K without sharpshooter), but tank 2-3 hits now instead of instantly dying (even in act3-4).

With my build, 45,000 Life, and 400Res all. I've discovered that NT heals a good chunk of life back and can keep you at full life all the time. In addition to having gloom/smokescreen as an "o shit" button for the rare occasion where its needed.

Conclusion:
NT used to be good due to glitch making it attack harder than ball lightning while still keeping ball lightning's ticking effect (Ball lightning hits each opponent 2x (77.5% per tick) also equaling to 155%.)
NT is STILL good due to its healing effect and flat 155% damage.

Only time Ball lightning is better than NT post patch is vs really big monsters like belial or azmodan.... Vs everything else... that heal and instant 155% > multiple ticks of 77.5% + bigger aoe imo. Vs small single target monsters, i use devouring arrow anyway.

Any feedback on this? Agree? Disagree?

Quote (manduki @ Jun 25 2012 04:33pm)

cluster bomb loaded for bear/grenadier/entangling shot justice served? (the one that gives 6 hatred)

works well for certain bosses and mob clearing.

devouring arrow + multi shot for some bosses with minions (tactical advantage)