FoK/Spike Traps/Caltrops Set Idea

Demon Hunter
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I apologize in advance for the length…TL/DR is basically give multipliers to our spike trap items and have a set that function similar to the old S2/M2 Fan of Knives build.

Edit: After reading Bassdude’s Post below I’ve decided to rework some of the set. So some of the stuff below has changed…

I’ve put this idea in a couple of places on this forum but I think it gets lost in the forum being spread around in different topics so I want to start this thread with some of the gist of the build idea and then ask for folks input as in if they’d play it, what kind of multipliers it and the items that support it should get, if it needs new items added or just “fixing” the already existing items that would support it and things like that.

Anyway, here goes.

The main point of the set would be to give us a “nuke” (nuke in that it would clear a whole lot of mobs with a reasonable set up and with one burst) set.

The idea itself is to gather mobs using caltrops, lay down spike traps, and detonate them with a Fan of Knives cast.

(Editted) I think a way to give us a pull mechanic is with the caltrops skill. Either with an item or part of the set bonuses possibly the 4 piece bonus, caltrops would pull enemies in when triggered. As an example, when a caltrops is triggered the triggered creature is trapped and nearby enemies are pulled toward the trapped target. I’ll see if I can rework the 4 piece bonus to reflect this. But the idea is to give the caltrops the same ability Leonine Bow gives bolos but with a 100% chance.

Mainly the sets bonuses would look like this…

2 piece- Fan of Knives gains every rune and uses all Hatred.
4 piece- (Just a place holder and I’m hoping you folks can come up with something better) You gain 15% damage reduction for every Spike Trap you have deployed (edited) and caltrops pulls enemies toward the triggering enemy.
6 piece- Fan of Knives does XXXX% more damage and Spike Traps do XXXX% more damage per point of Hatred used to detonate them.

Item changes would be…

Trag’oul’s Coils- No change.
Chanon Bolter- Your spike traps lure enemies to them
The Demon’s Demise- The blast from Spike Trap will damage all enemies again after 1 second and does XXX% more damage.
(Edited)
Cloak of the Dark Night- You also drop a spike trap when you drop a caltrops.
Blitzbolter (crafted hand crossbow)- caltrops gain the Tortuous Ground and Carved Stakes runes
Archfiend Arrows (crafted quiver)- Spike Traps gain the Scatter rune

The set pieces themselves would be…
Amulet
Chest
Shoulders
Gloves
Pants
Boots

Anyway, this is the main premise of the build. I really hope you guys can help me flesh it out a bit more. Maybe help me with some specifics like actual damage multiplier numbers on the items and what not or if you think the set is a terrible idea, tell me that too.

Thanks to all of you who made it through the wall of text.

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I think that in a future patch we will be getting a Gem of * Grandeur. At level 25 set piece requirements are reduced by 1 as with the RoRG and the primary will be an aura of some kind. An Aura of Attraction would work with your concept. The higher the gem level the wider the area of effect.

Maybe Spike Traps could pull and RoV could be the Nuc.

I use a similar concept with my S6 this season, try to group 2 or 3 elite packs and mobs then trigger the meteor shower buff.

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I was using a build using LoD from level 70 through Destroyer in the Journey until I could find a Yang’s and DML and Gunes. Was running T10 with a little effort but completed The Thrill conquest even before I completed chapter 4 for the Headrig’s Gift.

Good thing too, because it took quite a few hours of play time to get my first Yang’s and DML.

Edit: Last night while messing around with this build, I thought of something.

We’re getting sets with Angelic themes, or at least the monk and crusader did. Well the idea of a set that allows you to dump all your hatred with one button push would make perfect sense for a Hope themed set.

Demonhunters are supposed to find a balance between Discipline and Hatred, but you lose all your hatred you’re left with only Discipline and beyond that Hope.

None of this probably makes any sense and it’s probably just me falling in love with my own ideas but man it was a cool thought. lol

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The ‘nuke’ idea sounds good, i.e. I gather you mean when you employ into a trash mob it hits the lot of them? (it wont instant kill at higher levels well over 110).

It’s possible the weapons with spike trap might be the next set? I guess we watch…If the next DH green set is a traps based build, caltrops are also traps so they might need to be boosted as well I think? (also Cape of the Dark Night comes with a high percentage increase on caltrop damage?).
A zero cooldown in a green set so the spiketraps can be used perpetually is a good idea because it would be the main damage weapon with FoK and caltrops (and necessary for hitting trash above 110).
With a new Green set they could increase the damage of fan of knives, caltrops and spike traps. Raise FoK on Lord Greenstones, same on the spike trap weapons(and bracers) and add the caltrops to another for increase.

The reason I added this was because your pull idea is great too and it could be added to caltrops or traps.

Your idea is really good. I geared my complement to yours (hopefully), more around a possible green set which at this point none of us know what it might contain. They may even have something like ‘all runes of spike trap and caltrops’. Who knows? I hope they remember to add the damage reduction in the process of the new set.

The reason I think there will be a minimum of two secondary skills in the new set, is because the new Monk and Sader sets work very effectively with two.

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Thank you for the compliment.

Adding caltrops to the idea is a great addition. I don’t really know what our next set will be but a trap set does make lots of sense.

Something else they could do as far as changing items is the crafted quiver Archfiend Arrows. Giving it a spike trap or caltrop secondary is also an option. Where you could forego LGF in exchange for putting Dawn in the cube and use the quiver with Demon’s Demise if you want to focus more on the damage output of the traps over the initial damage of LGF.

Principally we’d have two builds for this hypothetical new set. One where a lot of your damage comes from Fan of Knives and the other where caltrops and the spike traps are boosted and you’re only using Fan of Knives to detonate the spike traps not as a main damage dealer.

Just a thought.

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The thought is good if they chose to extend the skills out definitely. The DH is a really versatile class. It had the most usage apparently with multishot. I cannot see them including multishot in the new set. It already has Marauders and UHE as well as a few legacy builds. I hope they do not include rapidfire either so the traps (spike & cal) are the two main untouched ones ( add strafe and FoK).

I like the combo idea, where the player is not limited in choices - FoK, traps or caltrops (and strafe if they want to really extend it out).

The old FoK & Strafe build was fun.
I agree too the FoK used to be really good when it was earlier days in the Strafe builds. Strafe is also a possibility for the new build.
They could theoretically add the traps / caltrops in a similar fashion to your suggestion where they drop automatically on strafe. If they increase the damage of all of those four they become valid for your suggestion for any combination of possible builds.

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It may just be me, but I’m just not a big fan of the “run around and group stuff up” and then kill…same as how I’m not a fan of “run around until major skill is off cooldown” and then kill…it’s probably why I’ll never be that good at WW barb (I can’t get the hang of spear/pull) or necro…

My preference is ripping through rifts/etc killing all demons and monsters and leaving a swath of destruction behind me…I love unleashing volleys of MS and then finding orbs on the next screen…

DH needs a “pssst, over here” skill to group up mobs…ya know, cuz we stealthy and sneaky like that.

tho tbh I have a primal LGF that would like to see the light of day at some point :slight_smile:

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I like doing that to, but the problem with our skills, like multishot or clusterarrow is the damage is static and in Really High Grifts, static damage is a hindrance unless the damage per shot is so over the top that it just rips through mobs grouped up or not.

I mean, even with those skills, in high grifts you still have to group stuff in the High Grifts so that area damage will eventually kill the group.

My goal with this set idea was, since we have to group up enemies when the Grift level is high enough anyway, is to have a set that rewards that play with a “nuke” instead of witling the mobs down a bit at a time. I mean it would still take two, three or four “cycles” to say clear a large group in say 130 to 145 and up but it would allow DH’s to be in the meta as a trash killer in those Grift Levels.

Not that I’ve ever played that high. I haven’t even beat a 120 yet, though I am working on a 117. But even at 117 with UE, my favorite set, I’ve got to gather mobs. I figure if I have to group mobs up anyway, then a “nuke” build would be a pretty good idea. It would play similar to the wizard meteor build, not that I like that we would have to play like a wizard but the two classes do have a pretty similar mindset.

But definitely, I see where you’re coming from. I’ve got a primal LGF too and if S2/M2 was still a thing, I’d probably use it. It’s basically why I came up with this idea. To give us back the S2/M2 playstyle.

On a side note. That mistake I made years ago that made me decide to stop visiting the DH forum on the old site? It was that I reported the thread about S2/M2 because I thought the people in it were discussing a bug concerning DH pets resetting the Sharpshooter Passive. They came up with a work around that would stop that from happening so the build was playable. Turned out they weren’t discussing a bug but that the pets were never meant to reset Sharpshooter to begin with.

This idea is an effort to make up for that.

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