Guide Stat Efficiency && Useful Techniques (PvP-oriented)

Introdusction
Hello, Mad here!
I've noticed, that most of the players on this server are new to pvp, so i decided to write this guide, instead of teaching every player one by one
I'll keep the things as short and as understandable as posible and forward example videos if i find some. (if not ill make one, shortly after this guide is finished)
If any of you got further questions feel free to ask and ill update the topic asap.

Some Technical Words
Cbf – Cannot be frozen.
Ar – Attack rating.
Dr – Damage reduction.
Mb - Maxblock or Mindblast.
Dmg- Damage.
Bp - Breakpoint.
cta - Call to Arms runeword
Bo - Battle Orders (barb skill, also provided by cta)
hp - Health Point
fhr - faster hit recovery
smc - small charm, smcs-> small charms
@ - all resistances
affix - prefixx or suffix, basicly an atribute that your item provides like str, mana, allskill etc...

First big topic: Stat Efficiency
Bo-able HP!
One of the first things you have to understand to proceed in stats guide is: what affixes give bo-able hp?
You might have noticed that, lets say your sorc got 1200hp and got ~200% on her bo. Now if you cast it you get lower than the expected 2400hp, something like 1900.
That's becouse a lot of your hp comes from affixes that are uneffected by bo multipyer and are just added afterwards.
To keep it short, the ONLY stat of your gear that gets multipyed is bare HP, like the one rubys give in armor types. So hp%(jah), life on lvl(tShako), viatality(dungo), allstats's vita(torches) etc.. are left out of the buisness.
Hard pointed vita is boable!!! meaning if you pace 1point into vita from stat points you get form lvl up, you get boable hp from it -> str, dex are stronger affixes on higher hp/vita chars, see later.
ALL OF THIS applyes to mana aswell!

How Stats Should Be Looked At!
The first pharagraph makes it clear how to compare HP oriented stats and how you should look at your effective hp from items in the future. For example we know, if you are a Necro and find and item(#1) with 20vita and another(#2) with 28hp, then #1 will give you 40hp and #2 ~58hp (both after bo) thus #2 is better.
Well proceed into a more complex teritory, how non HP based affixes give effective hp.
#1 The thing is, you are able to basicly transfer stats from other atributes to hard pointed vita. You make this by getting str or dex from items for the purpose to wear others or getting maxblock. For example: you make maxblock necro. you got 2amulets with about the same stats, but one got 25dex and the other got 41HP. which is better? Easily the Dex one. you get 2hp/vita on nec so it translates into 25less hardpointed dex and 25more hardpointed vita->50hp. And that's even boable!!!
#2 This is a bit tryckyer. how do you compare two items which got totally different stats? Basicly you have to look at where else are you able to pick up certain stats and what do you have to sacrafice for it. example: you want to switch out bloodfist on necro to trangs and switch your sucky-stat'd circ to tShako for better survival, but still keeping fcr BP. The point here is you not only need to keep the fcr, you most likely want to keep the fhr bp too. Where can you get that fhr then? your other gear slots are locked. SCs of course! The suffix that provides 5%fhr(u need 6 to get the 30%back) hits out the 20hp from your equipped ones. This means you lose 40hp from bloodfist, 120from smcs and gain ~144nonboable hp and 6%hp(allskill efects cta's bo lvl)from tShako if there where absolutely no used stats on your circ(example: you use it for maxblock, couse it gives 20dex, but you gonna fight sorc). So this wont worth it most likely :S.
#3 as i just talked about all-skill effecting cta's bo, consider placeing a mara's in place of one 20life smc if you are using a crafted amul. if you switch it out for Bo's before duels and back, you win a lot of hp.
#4 DR and maxrez. These are the greatest effective HP multipyers. This is really straight forward. if you are fighting a phys-damage opponent, look at DR like if it was a total mulipyer to your max, bo'd and everything HP. example: you got 4khp with your pala, then perf dungo gives 600+120 (+10fhr->40boable if you got fhr smcs)hp. (DR caps at 50%!!!! be careful with overstacking). Maxrez is even more brutal. with 75% rez you take 25% with 80% you take 20%, which means every 5% maxrez like Lo'd helms make you take 20%less damage->20% effective hp. Spur's give 33,3˙% more than Infernos etc..
you can do your own calculations now i gonna make a last bigger example for you:
Tyrael or Enigma?!?!
it's obvious, you pick both of them for the teleport dont you? but really, witch one is more effective?
lest's hit out the equal stuff first:

• def is roughly the same
• 2all skills (in TM's case you win 1 skill for loosing 2bo level -> 6% hp)
• teleport
• eni got more frw but i'll exclude this from the calc, 30%ftw can be still really important though
• i'll kick mf, dmg to mana, indust and RIP couse those are rather unimportant in pvp

this leaves us with:
Eni pro's: ~70Str, 8%dr, 5%hp, 14l/kill(dont underestimate this! it's monsterous vs druids DD, also you kill goleam or hoto-oak many times)
Tyrael pro's: 20all stats, cbf, open scoket, 20@ (allrez here is bloody unimportant though. smc prefixes can have resists. i never-ever needed any +from gear)

socket allows you to do many things. In my opinion you should ber it to get some dr, so ill calc with that. you can put some gg jool or get maxrez here but thats unlikely imo.
Going further makes it really dependant on the build you wanna acomplish. The most likely thing is though, that you are in need of STR, couse of monarch, coa, etc..
This means you use all the str Eni provides, if not so then it's oviously a weaker option.
#1 you make maxblock hammer:

• Tyrael part: 20dex 20str -> 40more hardpointed-vita, 20vita -> ~300 effective hp, cbf, 20 useless@
• Eni part: 70Str->70more hardpointed vita, 5%hp-> ~655 effective hp, 14l/kill

#2 you make regular vita necro (nn dex)

• Tyrael part: 20str -> 20more hardpointed-vita, 20vita -> ~120 effective hp, cbf, 20 useless@
• Eni part: 70Str->70more hardpointed vita, 5%hp-> ~350 effective hp, 14l/kill

kinda disappointing isnt it? basicly you pay 10+++bers for a perf Tyrael's to trade a bunch of effective HP for cbf(can be important though) and becouse it's blue!

Second big topic: Useful Techniques
Namelocking!
The most basic technique in the pvp scene. If you click on an opponent and keep holding the button, your character statrs fireing the equipped spell in the direction of your opponent, even if he teleported off screen, his location is registered by the game till #1you release the button #2he gets out of your loaded teritory(~3screens) #3you breake the lock with an invalid skill or teleport, etc..
The main reason this is used is that the game uses teleport on the saved location(directly on your opponent) if you switch out the equipped skill to it with a hotkey. Basicly you can teleport on him 2screens away instantly if you got him locked.
you can namelock with left or right button aswell. Right is straight forward you only need to press a hotkey to tele. Left can be tricky, you need to catch the opponent while holding stand still in case of using skills like berzerk and many more, then you press right(here is tele equipped) while holding left.
Some classes need tricks to namelock effectively, like hammerdin. If you namelock with hammer on left, you need to witch left to weapon thorw or some invalid skill, then switch right medi to tele and then jump.
Chainlocking means repeated namelocks without any breaks. Even recasting teleport instantly on your opponent.
Video from my favorite barb player DHA

Show-items button!
if you hold this hotkey it shows all items on gorund AND makes you unable to click on player names! this is extremely useful on characters like barb, where you want to ww directly on people, but not get ww-bug aka log following wws coused by clicking on your opponent.

c/t teleporting!
this means you use teleport while you have a window opened, like quest log or skill tree. this allows you to tele ~1/6 screen further, making you move faster and allows you longer Jumps. This technique is also really helpful if you are name-locked and want to brake it or you want to run from an opponent or you are just on a low fcr bp and want to catch up to someone.
Example vid under "Jump"

Jump!
Jump means you teleport right on a non moving opponent from a greater distance. Executing accurate jumps requires a LOT of practice and can lead to bein called a cheater ^^. They are deadly and really important in some matchups.
Enrycze's video on hammrdin with decent c/t jumps
My own video made on our server here


Using swirls(stuns)!
stun effects from skills like MindBlast, Smite etc.. are working different in pvp. rather than making you unable to do anything like those poor monsters, you "just" get a debuff with the following effect: ANY damage recieved puts you into fhr animation. this means if you get tickled by a normal fallen while having swirls, you gonne get fhr-locked. This means you can FHR lock someone in place for some more hits. Extremely helphul to use swirls vs e/s sorc's who take little dmg due to e/s so can't really be fhr'd.

Foh-smite!
This is a paladin only technique which relyes on the swirl debuff from smite and foh's long range instant damage. It's really hard to pull off, but once mastered... ^^
You telestomp your opponent->switch to smite+fana->namelock+hit smite->switch to foh+tele->foh->switch to thorw weapon->consume namelock with teleport->switch to hammer+medi->hammer the sh** out of your fhr-locked opponent
Hdin mix with a lot of jumps and foh-smites by me
Short hdin clip by me with clean foh-smites
short example vid by me
Video from my good old friend Rob

Summons!
Summons are your best friends! if you teleport your smmons gonna be put right on your character, this means if you teleport into some dangerous ability like a hammer form paladin, the summon gonna take the hit and not you(till it lives LOL).

Summon-lock!
Sometimes it's a good idea to namelock the summons of your opponent. They may wander away from him if he stands still and cats spirits(necro) for example. you can namelock the golem which wandered into your screen and telepoert on both of them if necro moves with teleport. This can catch your opponent off guard and allow you some exta hits. Only downside is if he does not move, just casts stuff into your direction, then you got nothing just a namelocked pet so you can't be agressive, better leave and re-engage in this situation, or just jump his face lol.

WSG!
This means weaponswitching-glitch(literally spamming weaponswitch hotkey as fast as you can). Doing so breaks fhr animation-> allows you to breake out of stun and get away. wsging really quicky mekes you desynch if you got enough movement speed! this is the greatest weapon in hands of the bowazons(excluding faith gmb ofc Kappa).
Not only good for bowa players. anyone can find an use to this vs trapsins or vs hdins(can see in video sometimes)

Blindspot(BS)!
Another thing against hammerdins. There are places in a hammercoud where the little plying mjölnirs can't reach you! The most inportant place is right under the hammer.
HvH video made by Rob

Walking Down!
Simply the best tactic against hammerdin. if you get namelocked and telestomped by a hdin, he gonna appeat right above your char, so the way down is clear. Hammers start they orbit clockwise upside the character after created. By walking down when the hammer-pal teleports on your name you gonna be in a blindspot where hammers do no damage.

Golem ignore-spear method! (by Azn Masty@Jsp)
• As explained above, a common method of defeat your opponent in NVN is to stomp on them to kill. This will allow you to counter that WITHOUT needing to re-tele.
• While golem stacking is effective, it is not 100% perfect. There is still a very small blind spot where the golem does not protect you.
• When your opponent stomps on you, instead of trying to spear directly through them and hitting their golem, aim your spears at a 45 degree angle. This lets you still hit your opponent while ignoring the golem that stacks them.

Bone Spirit Training (Spirit Trains) (by Azn Masta@Jsp)
• This is a common technique that gives the necromancer a “damage dealing” protective shield allowing them to maneuver and chase down and opponent without the fear of easily dying.
• It is done by shooting 2-3 spirits, teleporting on them, shooting 2-3 more, and repeating until you have a huge mass of spirits on top of you as you move around the map. As soon as you opponent tries to stomp on you, they will be bombarded by the huge mass of spirits allowing you to repeat this method again or simply finish them off with spear.
• This technique can also be done by shooting a line of spirits and then teleporting in front of it. When facing opponents that try to telestomp you, you can u trick them into thinking they can get an easy kill, however, as soon as they stomp on you, the trail of spirits will hit them. It is extremely useful vs. characters like WW Assassin or BVCs who need to get up close and personal to deal damage.

Invisible Bone Spirit (IBS) (by Azn Masta@Jsp)
• Bone Spirit, like many other projectiles, will become “invisible” after it reaches a certain point on the map.
• This can be used to your advantage if you have the ability to predict approximately where your opponent currently is or will be at.
• It is done by shooting spirits in a line while being a few screens back. If done properly, your spirits will still be there, but will appear invisible to your opponent. As they move around, they will inevitably fall into your trail of invisible death.

 

Not bad.

I'd add in: Inventory Teleporting for much faster teleport speed, Invisible hammers with a charge hammerdin, and Bone spirit Train.

 

?? i included c/t tele in the guide. reread ^^. also posted helping video on it.
i'll scip writing about invis hammers etc... it promotes massively boring and defensive gameplay. Noone came for that.

 

Nice guide bro , thanks

 

Nice guide man, gratz!

 

Necro Specific Strats. Some are repeated above.

I did not write this :0

What is Golem Stacking? How do you do it?
• Golem stacking is when you tele stomp on top of another character and the golem will take the initial hits for you until it dies (if there is no splash damage).
• This is extremely useful in NVN match ups as it allows you to safely stomp your opponent.
• In NVN match ups, a common counter is to re-tele on your opponent after they have done the initial stomp on you. This causes you to restack your golem on top of theirs and easily spear them down.

Golem-Ignore Spear Method
• As explained above, a common method of defeat your opponent in NVN is to stomp on them to kill. This will allow you to counter that WITHOUT needing to re-tele.
• While golem stacking is effective, it is not 100% perfect. There is still a very small blind spot where the golem does not protect you.
• When your opponent stomps on you, instead of trying to spear directly through them and hitting their golem, aim your spears at a 45 degree angle. This lets you still hit your opponent while ignoring the golem that stacks them.

Bone Spirit Training (Spirit Trains)
• This is a common technique that gives the necromancer a “damage dealing” protective shield allowing them to maneuver and chase down and opponent without the fear of easily dying.
• It is done by shooting 2-3 spirits, teleporting on them, shooting 2-3 more, and repeating until you have a huge mass of spirits on top of you as you move around the map. As soon as you opponent tries to stomp on you, they will be bombarded by the huge mass of spirits allowing you to repeat this method again or simply finish them off with spear.
• This technique can also be done by shooting a line of spirits and then teleporting in front of it. When facing opponents that try to telestomp you, you can u trick them into thinking they can get an easy kill, however, as soon as they stomp on you, the trail of spirits will hit them. It is extremely useful vs. characters like WW Assassin or BVCs who need to get up close and personal to deal damage.

Invisible Bone Spirit (IBS)
• Bone Spirit, like many other projectiles, will become “invisible” after it reaches a certain point on the map.
• This can be used to your advantage if you have the ability to predict approximately where your opponent currently is or will be at.
• It is done by shooting spirits in a line while being a few screens back. If done properly, your spirits will still be there, but will appear invisible to your opponent. As they move around, they will inevitably fall into your trail of invisible death.

Chain-locking Tele Stomp
• One extremely successful method of defeat your caster opponents is by constantly teleporting on top of them and spearing them down.
• Using any skill (usually spear is preferred) you can name lock on your opponent with the right click and quickly switch to teleport (using a hotkey). This will cause your necromancer to stomp on top of your opponent. Then as soon as you make the teleport, lock them down again with spear. If they escape, you already have the spear lock again, just repeat.

What is WSG?
• Weapon Switch Glitch (WSG). The default key for this technique is W.
• When you are in the middle of a continuous attack (Ex: locked by traps), If you switch to your other weapons by pressing W it resets the lock giving you time to escape
• By rapidly pressing W and running south, you can escape locks

 

nice build/guide! grat!
good technic's

 

thx! added new information to OP topic

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 17, 2016, Original Post Date: Aug 22, 2016 ---

updated with short example clip on foh-smite

 

Great guide as always Mad

 

You should add a descent desynch guide for hdins.
Most of the people here do not know why and how is this used and there's lots of complaints about "lag" instead of simply realising its a great tehnique in pvp used by many, many, many hdins.
Here's an example guide found on youtube for it :




Regards,
Devilsreject

 

updated OP topic with one more video: Hdin mix with a lot of jumps and foh-smites by me

 

Most useful thing ive ever read about diablo. I learned allot thank you 11 out 10 m8

 

Yes, the guide is really good. thanks for the info

 

Quest log or skill tree also is usable when placing arrows, bone spirits etc... even traps .You can add this too. Actually all ranged can be placed near opponents in order to hit opponent