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1. Ilkori's Kicksin Guide v2.0 | 7/05/2004 11:44:12 PM PDT
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Page 1: Ilkroi's Kicksin Guide v2.0
Page 2: In-depth look at Skills and Equipment.
Page 3: Equipment Setups.
Page 4: The Kicksin's Guide to Fade.
Page 5: Technical Details.


Looking for a New Ladder kicker? Look in this link, two builds will work very well for the upcoming ladder: http://www.battle.net/forums/thread.aspx?FN=d2-skills&T=102355&P=1

This guide was originally for PvM. That is still the primary focus, but there is some info about PvP. For simple build info, scroll down to the third post.

v2.00 Posts 1-3 were reworked for Version 2, so see the table of contents for the new layout. Posts 3 and 4 are still partially under construction, and will probably be under construction until I actually get a chance to finish them.

v2.01 Added an alternate set of equipment for leveling.

My guides are always a work in progress, so please give whatever feedback you feel is appropriate (including typo fixes).


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Post 1 - Basics and Playing Tips
. Introduction
. . Pros and Cons of Kickers
. Skelleton Build
. . Skills and Stats
. . End-Game Gear List
. . Mid-Game Gear List
. Playing the Game (PvM)
. . Leveling (1-50)
. . Playing Tips

Post 2 - More Detailed Kicker Info
. Common Misconceptions
. Detailed Stuff
. . Goals and Stats
. . Overview of Subclasses
. . Detailed Skill List
. . Detailed Weapon Listing (with IAS needed)

Post 3 - Builds using BoS
. . Cookie-Cutter Build
. . Kicker-Trapper

Post 4 - Builds using Fade <Coming Soon>
. . Max Fade
. . Low Fade

Post 5 - Technical information on kickers
. . Links
. . Useful information on Assassins
. . Small Charm Equivalency
. . Abbreviations used throughout the guide
. . Recognition


INTRODUCTION

I appreciate feedback so feel free to respond to this guide.

Kickers are an enjoyable class of assassins, and have more flexibility than most cookie-cutter builds. The most common variant uses Weapon, Shield, and Burst of Speed. Rare builds use Fade rather than Burst of Speed. This set of guides will go from general to specific. If you don't deal well with the abstract part, then simply follow one of the guides that includes all gear and skills (found near the end). Regardless of what choice you decide to use, there will always be someone who disagrees with you. The truth is, each variant will have strengths and weaknesses; your playing style and budget should be the determining factors in making your build. PvP is a whole different ball-game. I don't really play PvP, so please don't ask me which setup would work best, since I honestly couldn't tell you.

As a kicker, you will be able to dispatch a single large target faster than any other class in the game. This could become your primary Diablo Clone killer, and for good reason. This works by taking advantage of crushing blow and the incredibly fast attack speed. Although Strafe is faster (on average), it is a ranged attack and will do less damage with crushing blow. Compared to other assassin builds, kickers will be better at bosses, and overall slightly weaker against groups. To make up for that crowd-killing speed difference, death sentry is included as an integral part of the build for those wishing to play through the game.


Here are the Pros and Cons of kicker builds:

PROS
-Fastest 1-enemy killer in the game (very little competition)
-Assassin 1-point wonders
-Rapid leveling in early game
-This can be built cheaply (for PvM)
-Does multiple types of damage for many setups
-Third-fastest attack in the game (Strafe and WW are the only faster attacks)
-Relatively simple; no charges required

CONS
-Slower with large groups of medium enemies
-Relies on a few pieces of equipment

Note: All the variants listed in this thread are capable of the above. Beyond that, each one has specific strengths and weaknesses.


SKELLETON BUILD
This is the setup used by every single kicker out there. Beyond this are the various subclasses which focus on different aspects of assassins. Using something other than what is suggested here is usually a poor idea, and will most likely be weaker than simply taking this advice. The third and fourth posts have complete setups.

20 Dragon Talon
20 Venom
1 BoS - or enough to get the maximum frames with your chosen weapon
1 one-point wonders:
-Martial Arts (Dragon Flight)
-Shadow (BoS, Shadow Master, Cloak of Shadows)
-Traps (Blade Fury, Death Sentry)
1 all prereq's

Stats are the same as every other melee build:
Str - enough for equipment (Usually boots)
Dex - enough for equipment and max block
Vit - everything else
Nrg - base

Standard Gear
With the exception of your weapons, this is the list of final gear used by kickers. The best gear is listed first, with other options in parentheses.

  • Shield (if using one) - Stormshield (Tiamat's, Blackcloak, Rhyme)

  • Helm - Guilame's Face (Giant Skull, Shako, Crown of Ages)

  • Armor - Chains of Honor (Duress, Enigma, Lionheart, Guardian Angel, Smoke)
    Chains of Honor provides a HUGE source of resistances, in addition to skills, strength, and a little bit of damage reduction. Duress is the other option for PvM, and may be more powerfull if you can get your resists and skills elsewhere.

  • Gloves - Dracul's Grasp (Trang's, Rare, Crafted Blood, Steelrends)
    Use Dracul's for PvM, Trang's for PvP.

  • Belt - Verdungo's (String of Ears, TGod's, Arachnids)

  • Ladder Boots - Up'd Gores (Shadow Dancers, Up'd Goblin Toe)
  • Non-Ladder Boots - Rare/Crafted Myrmidon Greaves (Sandstorm Treks, Marrowwalks with high str)
    -Safety crafted uses Myrmidon. I only play Ladder, so use common sense when figuring out what boots to use for non-ladder. Kick damage, resists, hit recovery, run/walk speed, and str/dex are your most important attributes (basically in order). All further boot suggestions will be ladder-oriented.

  • Amulet and Rings - Mara's and Ravenfrost + secondary ring
  • Secondary Option - Anglic Amulet + Angelic Ring + Ravenfrost
    Amulet and rings are really to supplement anything not provided by the rest of the equipment. Other rings options include any of the uniques, rare rings, or crafted blood. Unique amulet options include Atma's Scarab, Metalgrid, or Sarcen's Chance. IAS can be found on Highlord's or Cat's Eye. Rare/Crafted items work here also.

  • Charms - The best charms for a kicker are +20 life small charms with secondary mods. Resists and attack rating are the two best secondary mods on a charm. Max damage charms don't do anything for a kicker, so you don't need to trade for those. An annihilus is a great charm to have, but don't bother carrying one around with you if you plan on hunting Diablo Clone.

  • Weapons - There are lots of options here, and different ones can be used for different situations. Black is very cheap, Fleshripper is the most cost-effective, and Stormlash is the most powerful for late game.. A full list of weapons is listed later with their strengths and weaknesses. Please realize that the weapon choices are much different if using Fade (and usually more expensive).


    Low-Level Gear
    There are two ways to approach leveling gear - twinked and untwinked. If you are playing untwinked, it is more than possible to play, though twinking (equiping items from mules) will always be your fastest choice. Having said that, there are two ways to equip the low level gear. The first is how I level kickers, and the second is how Wizadept levels his. Both work great, with mine being slightly more offensive, and his slightly more defensive.

    Option A
    Before level six I simply use gear I find on the ground. Since nothing can really hurt you until A1 Catacombs, I use two claws and go pure offense. At level 6 I equip most of Sigon's gear (everything but the armor) and play with my best claw and the shield, or just two claws (shield on switch).

    The Angelic Set becomes available at 12, and I use armor, rings, and amulet through Nightmare. The weapon remains rather useful until level 30-40, but it loses its use past that. This set provides lots of AR, 1 to skills, some MF, and some life.

    Level 30ish is when I equip the gloves, belt, and boots from the IK set. Gloves and Belt are kept until upgraded to Verdungo's and Dracul's. At level 25, War Boots become available, and it is best to use a pair of those (hopefully with FRW) until you can use your Gore Riders.


    Opion B (Wizadept's leveling gear)
    Arctic Set parts starting at level 2. You should have the full set equipped by level 8, which is when the bow will start being useful. (Low damage on claws, but not enough leech for kicks).

    At level 15, Ithras Set kicks in, and you are invincible on normal difficulty from that point forward. Setup from level 16 up is:
    full Ithra's Set
    Malice scissor katar
    Twitchthroe Ith'd
    Sigons Boots
    Manald/Cathans rings
    Pelta Lunata

    At level 25 switch to 20 frw war boots for faster killing power. Level 29 equip pdiamond'd Whitstan's Guard

    I tend to wait in Normal difficulty leveling a bit for some items to start kicking in for NM, mostly Orphans Set.


    Mid-Level Gear

    Most of your end-game gear options aren't usable until level 60-72. Because of that, here are a few suggestions for what to use between 30 and 60ish.

    Weapons

  • Level 35 - Black Flail - Cheap, and high crushing blow.

  • Level 42 - Bartuc's Cuthroat - Cheap, and the stat/skill bonuses are nice, this is the mid-level choice of a kicker/trapper.

  • Level 54 - Crescent Moon Phase Blade - The static field helps quite a bit with crowd control, and this is one of the best options until you hit Fleshripper or Stormlash.


    Armor

  • Level 47+ - Duress - The runes can be used at level 47, but the actual level requirement may depend on the base armor. Duress dusk shrouds can be used at level 49. All exceptional armors can be used at level 25, so Duress requires 47 from the Um rune. This can also be used as your final armor if you can't afford CoH.

  • Level 41+ - Lionheart Mageplate - This can be used at level 41 for any exceptional armor. With all the stat bonuses, this has a huge boost to kick damage. If Lionheart is in a Dusk Shroud, it can be used at level 49.

  • Level 12 - If using Option A for leveling, then the Angelic Armor works until you get CoH. However, Duress is a better armor.

    Other Gear

  • Level 34 - Guilame's Face - This will stay to be your final helm, but it's available at level 34. Don't forget that socketing it can change the level requirements. The rest of the set is also useful.

  • Level 47 - Gore Riders - Ironically these are also your final boots if you are on the ladder. Upgraded they have a level requirement of 72.

  • Level 38 - Tiamat's Rebuke - Great shield for a kicker since it adds a bunch of elemental damage. The resists aren't bad either.

  • Level 29 - String of Ears - My kicker is still using this until I get a 15% Verdungo's. This can be used with a good pair of crafted gloves instead of the IK combination.


    PVM STRATEGY

    Levels 1-50 are easy, your first real trouble will be at the beginning of Hell.

    The Leveling Process

    This is the standard leveling procedure for levels 1-50 highlighting skills and a few equipment options. Past level 50, follow the General Playing tips. These levels are a cake walk. Everyone hates these levels, but the assassin takes them better than most. Take advantage of your speed, and new skills each level. Put points into prereqs, and add any extra points into Dragon Talon (remember to save for the three lvl 30 skills). One of the nice things about this process is that it does not change between kick variants, since most of their final equipment doesn't come into play until after level 50.

    Level 1 - Start using claws. Dual-wield and whack stuff. Upgrade claws as fast as you can. Swap to your leveling weapon once claws become inadequate.

    Level 2 - your first point should go into claw mastery (it's a prereq, so leave it at 1). I start by putting points into strength, though some prefer to boost vitality first.

    Level 6 - Burst of Speed and Blade Sentinal - These two skills are what let you cruise through the low levels. Burst of speed will be your main aura for leveling. Blade Sentinal is a useful crowd control skill through acts 1-3 (and some in 4). As a general rule of thumb, stop using Blade Sentinal once it takes more than 3 hits to kill monsters with it. It will become somewhat useful again when you get venom.

    Level 6 or 60 Str - Sigon's is available

    Level 12 - Cloak of Shadows - Best crowd control skill in the game. Start kicking once your mana can support itself. Angelics are also available

    Level 15 - Irathra's is avalable

    Level 18 - Blade Fury and Shadow Warrior. Shadow Warrior is only a temp until you get the Master, but use it anyway. Blade fury is a must for act 4, and is useful in a few other places (such as the back of the line in the maggot layer).

    Level 24 - Kill Ancients and get Dragon Flight. DF is your new best mode of transportation; now you and your merc can get into the middle of the fray faster than anyone else. This is especially helpful when fighting ranged enemies, and for keeping your merc/shadow near you as shields.

    Level 25 - War Boots (high damage) are available

    Level 30 - Venom, Shadow Master and Death Sentry. From now on, you will be putting a skill point into venom at every level-up. Extra points from quests can go into Dragon Talon.

    Level 30 to 34 - Equip IK Gloves, Belt, and Boots in addition to Guilame's Face; Ditch sigon's set (keep shield) Note: If you are leveling with Baal runs, it may be worth your time to skip the IK boots and go straight to Gores at level 47.

    Level 42 - Bartucs

    Level 47 - GORE RIDERS!!

    Level 49 - Venom should be maxed. The next skill to be maxed is Dragon Talon.

    Level 50 and Beyond:
    You have essentially finished the PvM build by around level 50. From here playing style depends on which route you wish to follow as a kicker. Equip mid- and end-game gear when it is available.


    General Playing tips

    Cloak of Shadows will "blind" almost all your enemies, allowing you to fight only 2-3 at a time without interference from archers or other ranged enemies. Mind blast also helps since you can stun or convert enemies.

    Dragon Flight to the group you are attacking. This teleports your merc and Shadow also.

    After you kill a monster or two, lay down a death sentry to help kill surrounding monsters more quickly.

    Once you get Dracul's, you become almost invincible. You can survive most of Hell with only 1000 life (I solo'd with 1100 using a relatively weak setup).

    Last edit: 07-05-04

    Page 1: Ilkroi's Kicksin Guide v2.0
    Page 2: In-depth look at Skills and Equipment.
    Page 3: Equipment Setups.
    Page 4: The Kicksin's Guide to Fade.
    Page 5: Technical Details.