d2jsp
Log InRegister
d2jsp Forums > Diablo II > Diablo 2 Discussion > Strategy & Guides > The Breathazon (1.13c Pvm [cross]bowazon) > Challenging Pvm Gameplay For The Bowazon
12Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll
Member
Posts: 10
Joined: Mar 8 2011
Gold: 0.00
Mar 8 2011 09:22pm
Versatility's PvM "BreathaZon" Guide (1.13c)



Hello everyone, Versatility here. This being my first post (and guide created) on d2jsp, I thought I would share my character build in the game, the "BreathaZon." As a D2 player for only one and a half years, I found myself fascinated by D2's PvM gameplay. I've tried all of the cookie-cutter builds and I found myself getting increasingly bored at how easy PvM is with these builds. There has been one character, however, that has always enticed me... the Amazon (specifically the [Cross]Bowazon). Growing tired of the typical "Windforce," "Buriza Do Kyanon," "Brand," and "Faith" bowazons, I thought of an effective yet challenging way to express the power of the Bowazon with a highly underrated bow. This build is SOLELY PvM.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview
Skill Allocation
Stat Allocation
Gear
Mercenary
Things to Remember...




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Overview

The BreathaZon is basically a "brick cannon" (a tankish glass-cannon) in the respect that she can life leech at an amazingly high rate and shoot for what seems an eternity. Although comparably slower than the Faith or Buriza Do Kyanon [cross]bowazons, her survivability is quite dazzling and adds to the "challenge factor" that is lacking in most PvM builds.


Code
Starting Attributes for the Amazon

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 25
Vitality: 20
Energy: 15

Hit Points: 50
Stamina: 84
Mana: 15

Each Character Level

Life +2
Stamina +1
Mana +1.5

Attribute Point Effect

1 Vitality point gives 3 Life
1 Vitality point gives 1 Stamina
1 Energy point gives 1.5 Mana



Goals to Achieve
  • 95% Increased Attack Speed (or more)
  • 20% Life Leech (or more)
  • Knockback
  • Hidden % Damage (more information under Gear)
  • Mana Leech


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Skill Allocation

Max Strafe*
Max Multiple Shot*
Max Jab (more information on this later)
Get Lv. 17 Valkyrie (depends on your choice of Passive GCs)
Get 80% Pierce (depends on your choice of Passive GCs)
Get 55%/60%/55% in Dodge/Avoid/Evade respectfully (depends on your choice of Passive GCs)
Get 70% Critical Strike (IMPORTANT, as this skill is the backbone of any Bowazon)

* Strafe will be used as a defensive skill while Multiple Shot will be used as an offensive skill. People say that either Strafe or Multiple Shot should be maxed and not both. I find Strafe more effective in small cramped areas, such as the beginning of Chaos Sanctuary, because of the Pierce skill. However, Multiple Shot has a larger radius and can hit multiple objects that aren't even on your screen. Besides, it's not like you have anything else to place it in.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Stat Allocation

Strength: Only enough points into this to hit 132 with a Giant Skull (2os, +26 str or higher)
Dexterity: EVERYTHING ELSE
Vitality: NONE**
Energy: Do I really have to say it? Okay... NONE.

** No points into Vitality? That's right, good sir! The objective of a BreathaZon is to provide itself enough defense within its offense that life naturally comes to it through Life Leech. Besides, you should have 700+ life with BO.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gear

The most important part of the BreathaZon. Some of this gear is relatively easy to obtain; some of it is not so easy. The gear listed will obtain all the goals we want for this build, and more.


Weapon: Breath of the Dying Colossus Crossbow w/ 13%+ ll (You can use a BoTD Hydra Bow for better speed and etc, but I thought it would be more of a challenge with a slow crossbow. This weapon is underrated to the extreme, one of the reasons why I chose this for the BreathaZon - it adds to challenging gameplay. Imo, this is a must for the BreathaZon as it provides a huge amount of life leech, hidden % damage calculation, mana leech, prevent monster heal, - % target defense, and a hearty +30 to all attributes. The higher the %ED, the better. Don't let the BoTD CC fool you, it is decent for PvM!)

Helm: Giant Skull (2os; +26 Str or more) socketed w/ x2 15IAS/15RES or x2 15ED/15IAS (This provides a critical feature of the BreathaZon knockback. It also provides the amount of Strength needed to achieve the 131 requirement of the BoTD CC. The small amount of CB is useful, too.)

Armor: Fortitude (All of the essences of the PvM Bowazon are in this armor. This is a must.)

Gloves: Laying of Hands (20 IAS, 350% Damage to Demons!? and a hearty helping of fire resist.)

Belt: Nosferatu's Coil w/ 7% ll (The strength, life leech, and 10 IAS makes this belt a cozy addition for the BreathaZon. Slow targets isn't too shabby either.)

Rings: Ravenfrost + Wisp Projector/Ring of Your Choice (Ravenfrost has many great mods needed for any bowazon, including the infamous CBF. Cold damage is also used to slow down monsters a tad before they get to you. I chose Wisp Projector for the lightning sorb, as I find it a life saver when I am going against Willowisp monsters such as "Burning Souls" and "Gloams.")

Amulet: Cat's Eye or Atma's Scarab (I prefer the use of Cat's Eye because of the 20 IAS, dexterity boost, and FRW. However, the use of Atma's Scarab*** works well versus Physical Immunes*** that appear in Hell with the casting of Amplify Damage and a nice poison resist boost and a hearty AR bonus.)

Boots: War Traveler or Gore Riders (I prefer the use of War Traveler's because of the + Str/Vita and the +15-25 damage that calculates to be a nice boost. However, Gore Riders have a nice helping of CB which can be useful.)

Switch: 6 BO CTA Matriarchal Pike/Spear w/ +3 to Javelin & Spear Skills (Now this weapon, imo, is pure sex. Although it is not an ethereal weapon, this is the primary use for the Jab skill I talked about earlier. Not only can you repeatedly BO, this weapon has 40 IAS, life leech, and a total of +5 (with BC) to Jab. The difference between the Pike and Spear is the speed - I use Pike for the extra damage because I don't have any problems with the speed. I only use this weapon to kill bosses, such as Hell Diablo, with the use of the Inner Sight and Decoy skills. The higher the %ED, the better!)

Inventory: Annihilus, Amazon Hellfire Torch, x6 Passive GCs with Str/Dext/Life, and x5 3frw/20l SCs or x5 5res/20l SCs.


*** If you run across a Physical Immune and you don't have Atma's Scarab, the best thing to do would be to use Magic Arrow. Since the BoTD [cross]bow is completely physical damage, the use of Magic Arrow proves to be quite useful when taking down those annoying Physical Immunes.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mercenary

The BreathaZon is perfectly able to survive in Hell, although even more challenging, without the use of a Merc. However, I find it extremely beneficial to use one of the two merc options below:


"Faith" Act I Rogue Cold Arrow Merc: This merc is most likely the best Mercenary to fight alongside the BreathaZon. The "Faith" runeword provides the Fanaticism aura which increases you, your merc's, and your party's attack speed and damage. Seeing how the Colossus Crossbow is slow in speed, the use of the Fanaticism aura provided by Faith provides to be very beneficial in Hell, especially Act V. This Mercenary should have:
  • Faith Crusader Bow/Hydra Bow/Diamond Bow (the higher the Fanaticism level, the better - try to get at least Lv. 13)
  • Eth Bugged Archon Plate Fortitude
  • Eth Delirium or Giant Skull (I prefer Delirium for the crowd control if at anytime there are mobs near me, which there hardly ever is.)

"Pride" Act II Might/Defiance/Prayer Merc: The Pride runeword gives the coveted Lv. 16-20 Concentration aura, which boosts any Bowazon's power by significant amounts (but it doesn't increase attack speed). Use the Might merc to get higher damage, Defiance merc for more defense (not really suggested), or the Prayer merc for more life regeneration (not suggested). Do NOT use the Blessed Aim merc, as its aura overrides the Amazon's Penetrate skill. This Mercenary should have:
  • Eth Pride Cryptic Axe (the higher the Concentration level, the better - try to get at least Lv. 18)
  • Eth Bugged Archon Plate Fortitude
  • Eth Delirium or Andariel's Visage (I prefer Delirium for the crowd control if at anytime there are mobs near me, which there hardly ever is.)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Things to Remember...

  • The BreathaZon relies on knockback and life leech as a source of defense within offense. You should be able to kill anything easily before it gets to you.
  • When you fight versus Willowisps, make sure that you utilize "Decoy" and have your Valkyrie up and BO'd. Wear a Wisp Projector for sorb. Because they are typically speedy and hard to identify, make sure that you are CONSTANTLY attacking. Move around if you need to. These are considered to be one of the hardest monsters to a Bowazon for the simple fact that their Lightning Damage & Mana Drain > Glass Cannons. Be careful when you fight these monsters. If you have a Faith merc, make sure that it is a safe distance away because its Fanaticism aura will prove loyal to you. Do NOT stand behind your decoy or Valkyrie! A delirium-wielding merc proves to be most effective for this scenario.
  • Remember, your resistances are low... so stay away from any Elemental monsters.
  • The 6 BO CTA Matriarchal Pike/Spear will not require much gold to repair after use (if you choose to use it). Remember to use the "Inner Sight" and "Decoy" skills with Jab for the best results, especially versus bosses like Hell Diablo.
  • Use Strafe for cramped areas.
  • Use Strafe or Guided Arrow if you wear Atma's Scarab because only the middle two arrows in Multiple Shot will cast the small radius of the Lv. 2 Amplify Damage.
  • This build was designed to make Diablo PvM gameplay an "enjoyable" challenge. Of course there are much more stable builds for the [cross]bowazon, but this one provide a different approach to the old styles utilized in Diablo 2. Have fun!




Thanks to JadedArrow for testing and using this build.
If there are any questions or suggestions, feel free to tell me!
Donations are gladly accepted =)
Member
Posts: 1,246
Joined: Jul 6 2010
Gold: 0.00
Mar 8 2011 09:27pm
i skimmed this, and as a pvm based character i do infact find it interesting.
the matriarchal pike cta was one of the most interesting ideas ive seen for a weapon.
i think it would prove fun to play :) gj
Member
Posts: 1,206
Joined: Jul 16 2009
Gold: 15.00
Mar 8 2011 09:27pm
Reminds me of an old Burizon.
Member
Posts: 10
Joined: Mar 8 2011
Gold: 0.00
Mar 8 2011 09:31pm
Thanks for the compliment, godhelios =). Burizons are fun, I just thought that a "BreathaZon" would be a more challenging approach. Any commentary would gladly be appreciated.
Member
Posts: 20,486
Joined: Mar 29 2010
Gold: 39,473.41
Mar 8 2011 09:35pm
Not basing ur guide, but anything works in pvm if you slap a torch and an anni on to it,

This post was edited by bioshocker on Mar 8 2011 09:36pm
Member
Posts: 1,206
Joined: Jul 16 2009
Gold: 15.00
Mar 8 2011 09:36pm
Quote (bioshocker @ Mar 8 2011 08:35pm)
Not basing ur guide, but anything works in pvm u=if you slap a torch and an anni on to it,


Incorrect
Member
Posts: 20,486
Joined: Mar 29 2010
Gold: 39,473.41
Mar 8 2011 09:38pm
Quote (D1eoX @ Mar 8 2011 09:36pm)
Incorrect


And how's that? I can get a buncha load of runewords and stroll through pvm untouched, ur just trying to flame me again retard. We all know very well how d2 pvm now works
Member
Posts: 1,206
Joined: Jul 16 2009
Gold: 15.00
Mar 8 2011 09:39pm
Quote (bioshocker @ Mar 8 2011 08:38pm)
And how's that? I can get a buncha load of runewords and stroll through pvm untouched, ur just trying to flame me again retard. We all know very well how d2 pvm now works


Single Ele sorc w/o infinity = pwned in PvM
Member
Posts: 20,486
Joined: Mar 29 2010
Gold: 39,473.41
Mar 8 2011 09:40pm
Quote (D1eoX @ Mar 8 2011 09:39pm)
Single Ele sorc w/o infinity = pwned in PvM


Just stop finding those reasons, even then without infinty , mercs, lower res wands, pvm is a joke, unless the player himself wants to make it challenging
Member
Posts: 1,206
Joined: Jul 16 2009
Gold: 15.00
Mar 8 2011 09:41pm
Quote (bioshocker @ Mar 8 2011 08:40pm)
Just stop finding those reasons, even then without infinty , mercs, lower res wands, pvm is a joke, unless the player himself wants to make it challenging


This is why we can't have nice things Bioshocker.

This post was edited by D1eoX on Mar 8 2011 09:42pm
Go Back To Strategy & Guides Topic List
12Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll