New to Amazon, advice welcome

Amazon
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Been playing a long time, but, still have newb game understanding, and have never played an Amazon until a few days ago.
99% of my play is solo, self found… and I clear all content everywhere.
I just hit Clvl42, which means I can equip Titans (found with other characters).
I have a Rhyme shied, and a, The Ward shield in stash… and a Spirit if that makes sense.
Titans is going to eat a lot of stat points into Dex… and, not sure where my “life” will end at that point.

Currently, I am a BowaZon… with the following gear;
Lore helm.
Stealth armor.
Death’s (set items) gloves and upped-belt.
SilkWeave boots (think I like Natalya’s better)
Some magic/yellow - resist/AR rings/amulet.
Kuko Shakaku Bow.

I guess what I am wondering, is, when do I respec to JavaZon?
Currently, the BowaZon build is having no issues (Nightmare, Act1… lol) and requires no mana management due to Kuko offering up free exploding arrow.

I have all my end-game gear assembled, (or, at least bases and runes) but, getting there is, a… conundrum.

Want to go JavaZon, but aI’m fraid I will be severely mana limited… and, would stay BowaZon till the last possible moment to avoid mana management… if that is what makes sense…

Currently running an Ac1 cold Merc, who also has Kuko.

i have a Hone Sundan (spelling?), and a decent 3os PoleAxe… if I need go to Act2 Merc.
Have most runes… If I have to use them.

Watched some u-tubes and looked at some guides and what not, but they all fail to mention how mana dependent the build is.
Until I could equip Kuko (free Explosion arrow) I was loosing my mind stacking/storing/managing mana pots… PITA.

Advice is most welcome.

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Well, Kuko bow on me and the Act1 Merc got us through Nightmare Duriel… was a struggle.
Respect’d to Jav with Titan’s and Rhyme in a bone shield… that is so ugly I went shopping for any 3os shield to make an Acient’s Pledge, than withing minutes of making ancients pledge, remembered I had a ‘the ward’ on a mule.
That works.
Mana consumption is off the charts, so, hired an Act2(freeze) Merc in hopes of equiping an Insight I picked up some time ago.
Not enough strength.
Tossed on a Duriel’s shell… not enough Dexterity… ARG!
Had a Griswalls (+20 strength) on a mule, grabbed that, tossed in a perfect Emerald (+10 dex) and some random AR/max-damage/resist jewels I had on another mule.
YAY.
Mana is no longer the driver of the bus.

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I don’t think you mentioned this, but are you leaning towards a bowazon or javazon long term? I see it’s 3 days ago so maybe you’re way ahead now?

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Thanks for weighing in.
I went Javazon, and just hit level 80… currently running Act3 Hell.
I ditched the Act2 Freeze merc and hired his cousin with Might, and, was finally able to get him to a level where he could use an eth G.Thresher-Infinity, that i found on the ground in a “free” game a long time ago.
So, loosing the Insight makes me mana starved again.
Currently, I borrowed a Phoenix shield and Plague sword from my Wind Druid to swap to to remove curses and regenerate mana/life.
I was failing miserably to kep my Act2 Merc alive, so I used an Acara’s to respec, and get a lvl27 Valkerie. She has been a game changer. The Merc lives now.

My current dilemma’s are;
1.
Do I continue running Titan’s, or equip a +4 skills T.Stroke I have.
T.stroke lacks replenish, so, there is that…however I do have a +3 t.Stroke on a mule I could throw in the cube I suppose.

Currently run a Mosers with 2 facets in it, but wonder if the Phoenix I have would be better main hand? The Phoenix is a 358%ED roll.
I have 56% chance to block with Mosers, and 36% with Phoenix, so, I think this one is in the books.
Although, I do have 20 stat points in hand.

My resists are atrocious… I mean current holiday deal makes it hard to guess, but I’d say I’m in single digit resists… fire has got to be in the red.
Makes me want to get my “the Ward” off my mule and run a Fortitude… but, I really like Enigma for tele out of certain death situations, and for yanking the Merc out of trouble he has gotten himself into.
I do have a couple StormSheilds, and all 3 of my Larzuk… well… only 2, cause I need to add sockets to an eth Archon to make Forti for my Merc.

Man, I can ramble on.
With all of that gibberish, any advise/wisdom you have I will listen.

ETA;
I play online, but 99% of the time Solo, so, She needs to be able to do it all/self-sustain.
I have 70 light sunders if that might benefit.
Souls will likely 1 shot me tho… so… hmmm

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So, playing solo, I found the sunder to be very useful.
I thought the -15 res on T.Strokes has got to be good as well, so I respec’d to get my dex up and threw on a T.Strokes.
Having a smaller pool of Jav’s to throw, without replenish made me rethink my game play. Now conservatively using Lightening Fury as an initial room/mob wrecker, then cleaning up the survivors using lightening strike.
Now, seems lightening strike does not get mentioned much regarding Javazon, but I am really finding it to suit my play style very well… cleaning up stragglers (it’ll bounce and find/eliminate monsters half way across the screen saving me chasing them down), or even for engaging small/spread groups.
So, toss a T.Stokes with LF into a room/large pack, then clean up melee style, but with LS your melee has very usable AoE.
Being a melee guy at heart, this is most enjoyable, I’m getting the clear speed of ranged LF, and still get to smack guys… all while conserving Jav’s as a result.
Was running Chaos and Baal yesterday, and rarely used more then 50 Jav’s for Chaos, (using close to 100 for Baal) doing full clears this way.
Yes, using Charged Strike for big tough guys and Diablo/Baal.
Really liking this character.

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Staring to 2nd guess my Valerie… she was most useful/helpful while leveling up, collecting/obtaining gear, but, now, she seems like wasted points.
I rarely think to myself, I should get the Valk for this mission… and when I do get her… she doesn’t keep up… so…
Maybe if I could get a DClone, or, was running Ubers… I would more appreciate her.
But, Charged Strike is so Powerful… is she needed?
I’m going to use a Token farmed from other char’s to dump the Valerie, and put points into synergies for Charged Strike and lightening Strike…

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So, I respec’d, took all points out of the Valkyrie tree and put them into synergies for Lighten Strike, Lightening Fury and Charged Strike.
Starting to think Dodge Avoid and Evade don’t matter much either…
She’s level 92 and is a wrecking ball.
Lightening resist is an abysmal 4%. so, if I’m going someplace Souls are likely to be, I throw on ThunderGods and WispProjector… good to go.

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Java is fun because she wrecks everything in the game. Valk is a waste of points, 1 point decoy is a wonder however. You can strategically place her to draw aggro for a bunched up LF target. Razortail is superior to thundergods. You can have 100% pierce with razortail and I think level 9 in pierce. Each time, a javelin pierces, number of bolts are multiplied. You give away damage by not using razortail. Try also to get 55ias in total for faster throws. You can gamble for 20ias/+3 to javelin gloves if you wish to further optimize. Gamble rare rings. Best you can get is 6% mana leech, 1 maek, 90 mana + resists.

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Thanks… run RazorTail full time for the 100% pierce you note, TGods only if Souls are going to be an issue… with the TStokes I have 55IAS.

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Then next huge dps upgrade would be any ormus robes. On a java, who receives measily +1% damage per synergy point, +15% light dmg from ormus equal multiple java skillers. It’s even better if you socket a rainbow facet with -% resistance mod. Don’t socket 5%/-5% unless ormus is a perfect +15% light dmg.
Hustle armor is better than stealth. You can wear one and ditch highlords for +2 to ama amulet and other mods.

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I was wondering about Ormus, I do have a 15 lightening one on a mule… and have at least 1 socket quest remaining.
I am out of rainbow facets… but could afford one from what I see on Traderie.
Currently wearing an Enigma, but, only use tele occasionally, and prefer walking/running… mostly play solo, so no one to “keep up with”.
I have a +2 crafted ammy, but Highlords seems better… maybe I need to put the +2 back on and give it a better/longer try.

Thanks for your help.

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I grabbed the Ormus from my mule (not faceted… yet, traded for a facet and can do if I want)… when I wear Ormus, I loose 560 defense, +2 skills,45&frw, and ~50 strength.
That strength loss means I cannot equip Monarch shields (Phoenix 76str missing)… or ThunderStrokes (19 strength missing)…
I don’t know man…
I am cruising around without respec’n now, and there is no doubt she kills harder/faster… but… arg… not sure I want to fully commit… to pulling 76 stat points out of life…
Friend lent me a Monarch with 4 - 5/5’s in it… that is crazy as well, which makes me wonder if I go broke and trade 4 more facets and fill one of the Monarch’s on a mule… and facet my Ormus… she’ll be an absolute monster… but, I’ll be at ~1700 life if I move the points over…
Arg.

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Socket’d the Omus, tossed the 5/5 fact in it, respec’d so I could wear the Monarch with 4 facets in it… she is an absolute wrecking ball.
Her resists are garbage, but with Phoenix Shield on swap life isn’t too bad.
Finally understand why people like an eth Titans as well, had one in stash but preferred TStokes until now.
Will toss on Enigma and TStokes for group play, but for solo (which is 99& of my play) she is out of control.

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Glad, you’ve discovered java style. She is all about killing everything faster than stuff can get near her.

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Finally figured out, that, if I toss a Jav at monsters, then chase/run-after the Jav, it does wayyyyy more damage… it’s crazy… it’s insanity.

Ya, I have a lot of learning to do on that front, but, slowly getting there.
That shield, gonna have to make one of those now… friend is big into trading/crafting, I’ll have to see if he can help me out… I have some stuff of value, so… fingers crossed.

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Goodness, she has -65 enemy lightning resistance all on her own when i wear T.Strokes.
Act2 merc does not keep up without teleport.
Starting to think Act5 Merc… on other Characters/Mercs I have Crescent Moon (Static Field), LawBringer (Decrep/Sanct), AzureWrath (Sanct/Elemental), Plague(Cleansing), Grief(Duh) and LastWish(Might/LifeTap/Crushing)… GFace with a cham and an eth Arreat’s Face… would like to stick a cham in the Arreat’s but I am out of socket quests…
Gonna go play around

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Well, he doesn’t keep up either, Plague was… worthless… Cresent Moon… ehn… LawBringer… kinda ok-ish… LastWish… fade and lifetap once in a blue moon was cool… but… once in a blue moon so…
Back to Act 2 merc, going to try freeze dude this time.

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I like the freeze dude much better… he still sucks at TZ Travincal, so no change there, otherwise I like this guy.
Found and eth Monarch of Blocking, 15% faster block and 10% increased chance… 222 defense…
Is that worth anything?

Phoebe is closing in on lvl96 pretty fast.
Depending on TZ i will swap to Enigma and Titan’s… and she’s a train
my default is… faceted Ormu’s (+20 lite skill and -5 enemy lite resist) and T.Strokes (-15 enemy lite res, 15ias, 1-511 lite damage and +3 to lite bolt, which is synergy to both charged strike, fury, AND light strike…) she is an absolute wreaking ball !
Getting used to the “keep moving after you throw deal”, and the patterns associated…

i will say, lightening strike is a very overlooked skill… she’s better at melee than my rather well decked out Tesladin… who is on another level than my Zealot/Smiter…
She rocks the melee.

She’s Cray Cray.

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I really need to stop adult beverage’n and posting.

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made focused thread…