| Speedazon Guide
By Double_Trouble 1.05 Speedazon Guide
1.0 Introduction ===
1.0 Introduction
With the debugging of Twitchthroe in the 1.04 patch a whole new world
of possibilities opened up for Speedazons. Specifically, there is a
greater diversity of viable choices at the top end than ever before. I'll
be covering the 3 best exceptional bows (Double, Rune and Gothic) as well
as the Chu-Ko-Nu exceptional crossbow in presenting my findings.
I'll also be including honorable mention of Witherstring (unique
Hunter's Bow and fastest ranged weapon in all of Sanctuary) as well as
Doomslinger (unique Repeating Crossbow) in this Guide. Now while these
unique weapons aren't that useful to a mid-level or high-level Speedazon
working through Nightmare or Hell Difficulty, they can be extremely useful
for a babyzon just starting out and aspiring Speedazons in Normal
Difficulty since they have no level requirements and low minimum attribute
demands.
Incidentally, for those who don't particularly care to learn the
mathematics supporting my findings, you can skip over section 1.4 entirely
and just go straight on to section 1.5 where the pros and cons of the
various weapons are discussed in plain english.
===
1.1 The Optimized Speedazon
IAS Weapon (+20) For the remainder of this Guide the above will be referred to as a +50 Rig
since this is the combined speed bonus of the entire 'weapon system.' It
should be noted that not every weapon combination can take full advantage
of the speed conferred by a +50 Rig and accordingly one of the above
pieces of equipment will likely be swapped out for something else, usually
Blinkbat's Form (PvP) or Greyform (PvM). Other substitutions are also
possible such as swapping out Goldwrap with a Cold Belt for increased
chill/freeze duration (Frostmaiden strategy) and so on. These 'inferior'
combinations will henceforth be referred to as a +40 Rig, noting that
the 'inferior' part merely refers to the reduced total speed bonus and not
necessarily the overall benefits to a fully equipped Speedazon. Indeed for
some weapon combinations the choice of a +40 Rig is a much
better option in terms of total capabilities. These differences will be
explained in more depth at the appropriate points below.
An exception to the Optimized Speedazon Rig is Witherstring, which is a
GIAS Weapon (+40). This means that with full supporting speed enhancing
gear (Twitchthroe, SIAS Gloves, Goldwrap) Witherstring effectively has a
+70 Rig instead of a 'mere' +50 Rig.
===
1.2 Weapon Speed Data for Amazons
Witherstring Base Mod: +10 Animation Frames Bows Chu-Ko-Nu** *Note: **Useful Tip for Doomslinger (unique Repeating Crossbow): Incidentally, for the remainder of this Guide I'll be referring to the
normal attack/strafe speed combined with the weapon and supporting
equipment types in the following format:
+50 Double 8/2
This means that a +50 Rig (IAS weapon, SIAS gloves,
Twitchthroe, Goldwrap) is being combined with a Double Bow, thereby
producing an animation speed of 8 frames per normal attack and 2 frames
per strafe arrow. Note that the +50 does NOT include the weapon's
Base Speed Mod (which in this case is +10 for being a Double Bow) but
instead refers to the combined Readiness/Alacrity magic suffixes of the
complete Speedazon Rig being worn (in this case a +50 Rig).
Incidentally for those who didn't know, Diablo II runs on a 25 frames
per second internal clock system which is independent of your computer's
processing speed. This means that (for instance) a 10 frame attack will be
repeatably executed 5 times every 2 seconds during a click'n'hold until
either your ammo, mana or patience runs out.
Additionally, the way that Strafe attacks are animated is slightly
important, although it won't be making a great deal of impact within this
Guide. The first arrow fired when Strafing animates at the normal attack
speed, but all subsequent arrows/bolts are fired at the special Strafe
Speed. This is what produces the 'machinegun effect' we are all so
familiar with. So continuing with our +50 Double 8/2 example
from before, if Strafe is used against 4 targets then the shots will be
fired on frames 8, 10, 12 and 14 after the mouse click. Obviously having a
faster attack/strafe speed will reduce the duration of strafelock (a good
thing!), sometimes significantly. This can be of particular importance
when dealing with very large crowds and higher levels of skill investment
in Strafe when strafelock may become a tactical concern.
One of the things which should be bothering you right about now is the
fact that the Chu-Ko-Nu has fractional frame rates for strafe,
unlike the bows. This is because at certain higher end speed ratings there
are two alternate animations used for strafing with crossbows. The reason
why this is not immediately apparent in play as a staggered line of bolts
flying is due to the small size of the crossbow bolts themselves. Since
the crossbow bolts are smaller than a single area tile (unlike arrows) it
is possible for them to be animated in an off center position in tiles to
create the illusion of being fired at a uniform rate. So a 2.5
frame strafe animation would look something like this (apologies for using
ASCII art):
...~ .... .... ~... .... ...~ .... .... ~... .... ...~ .... .... ~... .... ...~ .... .... ~
As you can clearly see, the number of 'frames' alternates between 2 and
3, but the distance between bolts in flight (the ~ symbols) has the appearance
of being constant. What this means is that a +40 Chu-Ko-Nu 9/2.5
using Strafe on 4 targets will shoot on frames 9, 12, 14 and 17 after the
mouse click.
One point which must be stressed in regards to Strafe is that
the skill description is WRONG with regards to the maximum number
of arrows that can be fired at each skill level. The correct number of
targets that can be fired upon is Skill Level +3, not
(Skill Level x2) +3 as is advertised on the skill tree.
This important discrepancy was discovered during the experimental testing
of Strafe.
===
1.3 Suggested Best Equipment Combinations
Okay, given all of this information, what can we conclude?
First of all, a +50 Rig is not at all optimal for Gothic Bows or
Chu-Ko-Nu and for exactly the same reasons in both cases. There is just NO
advantage to be found in using a +50 Rig instead of a +40 Rig in
combination with these weapons. Furthermore, the use of a +40 Rig
allows the use of alternate equipment choices such as Greyform (PvM),
Blinkbat's Form (PvP), rare belts with cold damage modifiers (Frostmaiden)
or other possibilities.
A +50 Rune 9/2 is an excellent compromise between speed and
damage (detailed further below) and aspiring Speedazons should be aware
that there is a very definite difference between the +50 Rune 9/2
and +40 Rune 10/3 breakpoints. The +50 Double 8/2
combination wins the speed contest among exceptional weapons, although at
a slight cost in damage potential over time relative to the other weapon
classes.
+70 Witherstring 7/2 of course beats everything in the speed
department, but its damage output is so low (3-9) that it is quite
worthless in Nightmare and Hell Difficulty games (unfortunately ...).
Perhaps Diablo II: Lord of Destruction will have a
decent exceptional and/or elite unique counterpart to Witherstring (and
Doomslinger) but this remains to be seen. Another (remote) possibility is
that the Swiftness (+30) and Quickness (+40) speed suffixes might be
available on Amazon Class Specific Bows in the expansion pack (but don't
hold your breath ...).
===
1.4 Weapon Class Comparisons
Now, with all other things being equal (DEX, slvls, enhanced damage
mods, etc.) we can compare our preferred weapon classes on a Per Second
basis of damage output since everything else will work on a conveniently
equal multiplicative footing. So if we factor in the speed differentials
into the damage we'll see something rather interesting emerge. The first
is that on a damage over time basis the Double Bow is actually closer to
the Rune Bow and Chu-Ko-Nu in damage potential than it would at first
appear because of the speed differential. Run computations and this is
what you get:
+50 Double 8/2 (11-26 dmg): Normal Attack 3-Arrow Strafe (assume all arrows hit) ---
+50 Rune Bow 9/2 (14-35 dmg): Normal Attack 3-Arrow Strafe (assume all arrows hit) ---
+40 Gothic Bow 10/3 (10-50 dmg): Normal Attack 3-Arrow Strafe (assume all arrows hit) ---
+40 Chu-Ko-Nu 9/2 (14-32 dmg): Normal Attack 3-Arrow Strafe (assume all bolts hit) To summarize then, on a per second basis the base weapon damages will
fall out like this when rounding to nearest integers (Normal min-avg-max) / (Strafe min-avg-max):
Double Bow: 34 - 58 - 81 / 69 - 116 - 162 Now here's the catch (you knew one was coming didn't you?) ... the
above is assuming that the frame of reference (the Speedazon) remains
constant, which will actually NOT be the case (at least, not if you've
planned your development right). Specifically, an amazon using a Double
Bow needs only 58 STR while a Rune Bow requires 73 STR, and so on.
Presumably these 'excess' attribute points would have been invested in DEX
instead of STR, meaning that the 'weaker' weapons are actually developing
better damage output than the above chart actually shows, thanks to
slightly higher relative dexterity. Later on in your bowazon's life this
differential will become increasingly small as the magnitude of change
between 215 and 200 (7.5%) is not as great as that between 415 and 400
(3.75%).
Still ... to put some hard numbers to the above data, let's
assume an amazon with 95 STR (for the Gothic) who has just reached 300 DEX
(or 200 DEX + slvl 21 guided arrow, which amounts to the same thing in
v1.04 and v1.05). For comparison purposes then, the other 'reference'
amazons would have invested all of their extra STR expenditure into DEX
(and remember Twitchthroe includes +10 STR). Again, damage per second
rounded to nearest integers (Normal min-avg-max) / (Strafe min-avg-max):
+50 Double 8/2 (347 DEX): 154 - 258 - 363 / 307 - 517 - 726 Ah, but what about lower levels of DEX? Is there actually a 'shift' in
the damage distribution? Again, assuming a 95 STR (for the Gothic) but at
150 DEX, what happens when the other 'reference' amazons have been
investing in DEX instead of STR? Again, damage per second rounded to
nearest integers (Normal min-avg-max) / (Strafe min-avg-max):
+50 Double 8/2 (197 DEX): 102 - 172 - 241 / 204 - 343 - 483 Whoa! Major Difference in damage distribution levels!
Note: ===
1.5 Conclusions on Weapon Classes and Suggestions
The Gothic is no longer the absolute dominator of the bow class as the
Rune Bow comes in at a *very* close second in terms of average damage
potential. Gothics can still claim to have the best maximum damage
however, although the odds of having continuous high damage results are
increasingly slim over time (ie. don't depend on the max damage to kick in
all that often). Gothic Bow users are strongly advised to stick with a +40 Rig
since there are no benefits to upgrading to a +50 Rig. Strictly in
terms of damage potential, the Gothic Bow doesn't really surpass the Rune
Bow for average normal attack damage until reaching the 150-200 DEX range.
It is important to note that because of the speed differential Rune Bows
will actually do more average damage over time while Strafing at all DEX
levels. Rare Gothic Bows are relatively available in trading since there
is a large pool of weapons in the community and they are widely seen as
the best choice for imbues by Charsi. This means that rare Gothic Bows are
being 'manufactured' all the time by players in higher quantities than any
other bow type, and they are almost always being picked up from monster
drops.
The Rune Bow lies in a very special 'sweet spot' in terms of
capabilities since a +50 Rune 9/2 sits favorably above a few
important breakpoints. Thanks to its high minimum damage rating and
excellent average damage output, the Rune Bow actually has the best
balance of sheer speed and consistent kill power. A most unexpected
finding is that as a Weapon Class the Rune Bow should consistently surpass
the average damage output of Gothic Bows while Strafing, an important
factor when attacking high hit point monsters over longer durations (Izual,
Hephasto, Diablo, et al.). +50 Rigs are strongly recommended for use
with Rune Bows, otherwise switch to a +40 Rig and a Chu-Ko-Nu or
Gothic Bow. Rare Rune Bows are slightly harder to come by since the number
of people imbuing Rune Bows is smaller than that for Gothics. The true
potential of the Rune Bow has been known for some time however so there is
a developed market for these weapons, although a smaller one than for
Gothics.
The Chu-Ko-Nu is (somewhat surprisingly) still a very viable option for
an aspiring Speedazon. This weapon strikes an interesting balance between
the Rune and Double Bows, although it is somewhat 'inferior' to both in
terms of weapon qualities (ammo count, max dmg over time, etc.). It is
however important to note that unlike the Rune and Double Bows, the
Chu-Ko-Nu tops out with a +40 Rig which means it can be combined with
other amazon strategies much more easily (Frostmaiden for example). So
while the Chu-Ko-Nu may not win any of the 'Best In' categories, it
certainly makes for the most versatile high speed/high damage option in
terms of enabling additional tactics through alternative supporting
equipment choices. Rare Chu-Ko-Nu are roughly as numerous as Rune Bows and
have been viewed as valuable trade items for a long time, although not as
valuable as rare Gothic Bows so they may be cheaper to come by when
trading.
The Double Bow actually has enough speed to be within reach of the
damage potential possessed by the Rune Bow and is an extremely close
competitor for the Chu-Ko-Nu, making it a very nice alternative for the
dedicated (or just plain addicted ...) Speedazon. While not
quite as powerful as the Rune or Gothic Bows, its extremely high rate of
fire at 8/2 frames with a +50 Rig opens up other interesting tactical
possibilities, potentially even outweighing its inherently lighter damage
dealing capability depending on a player's preferred tactics, style and
equipment. Besides, a +50 Double 8/2 spamming mid-level
Multishot simply has to be seen to be believed. Rare Double Bows are
nearly impossible to come by since prior to v1.04 their trading value was
basically junk status. Even now most players do not see these weapons as
being particularly valuable and so monster drops of Double Bows are
frequently ignored as worthless. It is only very recently that the
community has created a demand for these weapons and even then they are
only sought after by the most addicted of Speedazons. The market for
Double Bows is therefore very small and only a tiny minority of players
will be dealing in them when seeking trades.
Generally speaking, later on in a Speedazon's life the Gothic and
Chu-Ko-Nu will tend to become the preferred weapons to use when venturing
into Hell Difficulty. This is primarily because of the reduced
requirements and versatility of the +40 Rig versus the +50 Rig
since it allows for improved resists and may have other advantages. Still,
there will always be mavericks who will be addicted to their beloved Rune
and Double Bows (much to the continuing consternation and confusion of the
Barbazons ...).
Duelazons have very different requirements for Player versus Player
situations and accordingly should prefer to use either Gothics or
Chu-Ko-Nu with +40 Rigs. This is because the +50 Rig may be a
little too expensive in terms of equipment slots, although this is more a
matter of taste and playing style. More advice on these issues in section
1.7 below.
===
1.6 Speedazon Fanatics
When partying beside a Paladin with the Fanaticism Aura, simply add the
Fanaticism speed bonus to your total nominal speed mods. For ease of
reference, here are the most useful combinations of Speedazons and the
Fanaticism Aura:
+70 Witherstring 7/2 + slvl 3 Fanaticism (+20) =
+90 Witherstring 6/2
+40 Double 9/2 + slvl 1 Fanaticism (+14) =
+54 Double 8/2 +40 Rune 10/3 + slvl 2 Fanaticism (+18) =
+58 Rune 8/2 +40 Gothic 10/3 + slvl 1 Fanaticism (+14) =
+54 Gothic 9/3 +40 Chu-Ko-Nu 9/2.5 + slvl 4 Fanaticism (+23) =
+63 Chu-Ko-Nu 8/2.5 Obviously it doesn't take a large investment of Skill Points by a
friendly Paladin to get an appreciable boost in firing rates for a
Speedazon (so start wheedling girls!), particularly if said friendly
Paladin is wearing a few +Skills items (which they quite often do). The
only potential problem is that the range on the Fanaticism Aura is
actually somewhat short at a 7.3 yard radius (which is about a half screen
diameter) and unfortunately it doesn't increase. This means that any
Speedazon Fanatics will tend to be quite 'cuddle-prone' with their
Fanatical Paladin partners, even moreso than when getting into a party
mood with Concentration Paladins.
Who says blondes aren't more fun? ===
1.7 PvP Implications of Speed
Since PvP Bowazons rely on block/lock to bring down their opponents,
damage per arrow becomes more important than damage over time. The
simplest method of comparison then is to figure the average damage for
your current equipment setup and then refer to the following chart.
Remember that in v1.04 and thereafter, Guided Arrow's damage bonus counts
as 'extra DEX' (per se).
Average Damge per Shot (inventory screen) : DEX required to stun lock
(hp) in PvP
50 avg dmg : 234 (1k), 400 (1.5k), 567 (2k), 734 (2.5k) 60 avg dmg : 178 (1k), 317 (1.5k), 456 (2k), 594 (2.5k) 70 avg dmg : 139 (1k), 258 (1.5k), 377 (2k), 496 (2.5k) 615 (3k)80 avg dmg : 109 (1k), 213 (1.5k), 317 (2k), 421 (2.5k), 525 (3k), 630 (3.5k) "Well that's nice ... but what do those numbers mean?" I hear you cry ... Well, what it means is that if a Duelazon was fighting a 3k hp barbarian with a bow that had an average *physical* damage of 70 (look at the weapon damage in the inventory screen, not the character screen to calculate) and had a DEX of 515 (including items) and a slvl 21 Guided Arrow (+100% dmg) then the barbarian would stand an even chance (50/50) of getting stunlocked on each Guided Arrow hit because of the average damage level. This is of course assuming that Critical Strike does *not* take effect, so higher levels of Critical Strike will improve the chances of stunlock dramatically over 50/50 in the bowazon's favor at the indicated levels of average dmg/DEX. Conversely, if you're using a 'lighter' bow than the above average damage listings, simply double your average physical damage and divide your Critical Strike percentage in half to find your odds of achieving stunlock. Again, say if a Duelazon was fighting a 3k hp barbarian with a bow that had an average *physical* damage of 35 (looking at the weapon damage in the inventory screen, not the character screen to calculate), had a DEX of 515 (including items), a slvl 21 Guided Arrow (+100% dmg) and had a Critical Strike chance of 54% (slvl 9) then the barb would be stunlocked by 27% of the Guided Arrow hits. Not great, but certainly better than nothing. Okay, that's nice ... but so what? Well, what that means is that depending on your opponent (and your amazon's build strategy), you might be able to get away with using a 'lighter' yet faster bow and *still* stunlock your opponents with Guided Arrow hits, which will be coming even faster than if using a 'heavier' weapon! Depending on the specifics of your amazon, it may be worthwhile to move 'down' (or 'up' depending on your point of view) from a slower Gothic to a faster Chu-Ko-Nu (or Rune or even a Double Bow) for dueling particular opponents, especially the 'lightweights' in the vitality/life department. Why? Because the higher rate of fire offensively compensates for stacked Fastest Hit Recovery items better, meaning that you have a better chance of maintaining stunlock (quite possibly for the rest of your target's life ...). Keep in mind however that since Gothics and Chu-Ko-Nu receive no additional benefits to attack speed by going with a +50 Rig, Twitchthroe can be swapped out for Blinkbat's Form in most +40 Rigs for PvP with these weapons. This then introduces an interesting tradeoff between increased mobility/defense (Blinkbat's) and increased attack speed/offense (Twitchthroe plus 'lighter' and faster weapons) in PvP situations. Ah ... decisions, decisions ... === 1.8 Credits - Trucidation. 'nuff
said ... - I'd like to express my gratitude to the Bowazon Forum at the Amazon Basin for putting up with my nonsense for as long as they have, despite my dedication to the corruption of Goth Chicks everywhere. Same goes for the 'old-time' regulars in the Statistics Strategy Forum and Amazon Strategy Forum over at diabloii.net, I never would have known all this without you. - I also want to thank the many testers at the Lurker's Lounge who validated the weapon speed formula. Without their dedicated work this Guide would be nowhere near as useful. - Finally I want to thank the hardworking and (publicly) much maligned employees of Blizzard and Blizzard North. Guys, we only gripe so much because we love what you do. We don't want much, but we'll be willing to settle for perfection if that's okay with you. Remember the Coffeegrrl ... Baroness Double_Trouble - 1.05 Rock'n'Roll Speedazon (USWest) |