I recently had a nice spear drop, so I revisited my N/P build ideas. Most of them focus on applying conditions. As such, I’ve toyed with Virulence and Discord for my elites, both of which work very well. This build, however, focuses on Degen.
N/P
Blood 11 + 1 + 3 (15)
Spear 12
Soul Reaping 6 + 1 (7)
Mark of Fury (hex) – good source of adrenaline
Life Transfer [e] (hex) – Major Degen
Life Siphon (hex) – Minor Degen
Slayer’s Spear – Should be 1st spear attack, applies Deep Wound
Spear of Fury (Kurzick) – nice damage and gives Adrenaline if foe suffer from a condition
Barbed Spear – Applies Bleeding
Blazing Spear – Sets foe on fire
Optional (I’m using Order of Pain for added damage, but a rez could go here or another skill listed below)
Overall Degen (going down the list)
8 + 3 + 3 (bleed) + 7 (burn) = 21 degen (also a deep wound)
Degen is capped at -10, but all is applied, so major regen would need to be applied to overcome this amount of degen. Alternatively, spreading this degen out among many foes, as a ranger would do, is helpful, though a ranger is more capable of doing this.
Consider bringing Well of Ruin (curses), Well of Suffering (death) or Parasitic Bond (curses) for added degen of 1-2 pips, but know that fewer points will go in these attributes. Also, consider bringing Well of the Profane for extra pressure as it undoes and stops monk interference regarding enchantments. Keep in mind that this skill costs 25 energy and you’ll want to put at least 5 points in Death Magic to keep it from failing 50% of the time.
With Discord or Virulence in mind, you switch your points in Blood to Death Magic. Consider taking any/all of the following DM skills: Putrid Bile (for AoE at death + degen), Rising Bile (hex and AoE at teath), Rotting Flesh (applies disease), Taste of Pain (self heal). Also, consider Signet of Corruption (Kurzick) for nice energy management and Necrosis (Sunspear) for a cheap non-elite mimic of Discord.
I like to hex my target, usually someone in the back line since my spear has range, with Mark of Fury, then use my spear attacks to apply conditions/gain adrenaline. I follow up with one of the above hexes (usually Putrid Bile), Virulence, then spam Necrosis until they pop.
Enjoy