non twinked melee diviner

[brendan]

I'm building a NON PET melee diviner from scratch with gear found along the way in a 2 player game with a haruspex.

Currently I'm at TitanCalc by stonedonkey - A Titan Quest Calculator - Diviner

We just entered act 3 and I'm still 1 shotting basically every normal mob with my AE Phantom Strike. I'm looking at maxing Dream Mastery currently, for 1 point in Temporal Rift, then maxing (in order) Phantom Strike, Lucid Dreams, Ravages of Time and Temporal Rift.

I have put almost every point into STR (a few into DEX) so I have decent defence. With maxed Ravages of Time I should be able to tank decently well, which I already kind of can.

I really really enjoy collecting groups of mobs then smashing them all with 1 blow that sends them flying into the air. I feel like Sauron from the start of the Fellowship of the Rings movie. One swing from my mace and half a dozen guys go flying!

I only really have two issues. One is the reuse timer on Phantom Strike (which is why I'm getting Temporal Rift, to fill the gap). The other is boss mobs who don't really notice Phantom Strike too much. I can tank semi decently though, so it's not too bad.

I don't know where to go with my points after that. Maybe Distort Reality, or Psionic Burn/Psionic Touch. Something to help with the really tough single targets would be good I guess since between Dream Stealer and Temporal Rift the general mobs should be getting smashed all over.

Any comments/suggestions that don't involve twinking or pets?

[Benaire]

Necrosis so you can tap life back making boss fights easier and lets your pretty much complete heal when you ae large groups

[Bubble181]

Get your trance up...ToW can still pretty much kill anything you encounter (including Draconians) before they can hit you more than once - and the lowered resists will start getting very noticeable aroudn now. Alternatively, ToC maxed will let you tank most bosses where you are right now. With a Viny growth socketed somewhere or some other +%health regeneration it's quite easy getting in the 30s or 40 health regeneration per second. Very nice at the place you're at, and, unless you get really lucky with your drops, the only way to get your hp/s up there.

[brendan]

The Haruspex will be using ToW so yeah I might raise ToC later on to aid in tanking. That combined with Ravages of Time should be really good.

I guess my main question was whether or not I should be raising some of the other skills whos effect seems dubious such as Premonition, Psionic Touch/Burn, Deathchill Aura, Dark Covenant/Unearthly Power, or Distort Reality.

[userextra]

Premonition give you offensive and defensive ability, a must if you are going melee. A must to max this skill and its upgrades.

Psionic Touch/Burn gives you some added damage every third hit. Not crucial but max it when you have the points to do so.

Deathchill aura and its upgrades reduces speed of mobs, reduces piercing and physical damage and reduces vitality resistance of mobs. One of the best auras, if not the best in the game. This is the best of what melee gets from the spirit mastery. Max this whole line. You can drop a point in the base skill and but up the rest of the line first if you wish.

Dark convenant and unearthly power solves your mana problems, although you wouldnt have any if you are using ToC. It also gives you +50% Damage, +50% Elemental Damage, +50% Vitality Damage at level 8 albeit for a limited period but damn good when tanking bosses.

Distort reality can be kept to one point but max its upgrade - temporal rift. Gives you 7 seconds of free pounding on normal mobs.

Seeing that health regen is not a problem (with some dmg-to-health mods) and dark convenant solving the mana problems, you might be more inclined to use ToW instead of ToC. Granted that you would miss the damage absorption but using you would leech life back so fast that it doesnt hurt all that much. My melee diviner is still only lvl 35 but my spellbreaker is lvl 68 so I do what it means to say that the best defense is the best offense. If you keep on hitting, you wont die.

Just my two cents.

[Creslyn]

As melee, the boost to OA + DA from Premonition will always be worth it, scaling with you as your base #'s improve. Psionic Touch only procs every 4th hit, but that's double damage when it's maxed, +30% with just one point. At least one point won't hurt. Probably say forget Psionic Burn, as that only applies to adjacent mobs (not the target you're actually hitting) and with PS and DR/TR you'll have all the crowd control you need.

For trances, I'd suggest ToE, not ToC. With a little help from either an artifact (ie Soul Shiver) and/or a feasting/devouring weapon, as well as the reduced resistances from the Haruspex's ToW and your Deathchill line (esp necrosis), you'll be getting more hp back than you think. Considering that PS and PT both boost your physical damage by % rather than adding another damage type, that also works nicely with ToE, and with both of you having access to Dream, it should work quite nicely.

[asdf1234]

I only really have two issues. One is the reuse timer on Phantom Strike (which is why I'm getting Temporal Rift, to fill the gap). The other is boss mobs who don't really notice Phantom Strike too much. I can tank semi decently though, so it's not too bad.

Any comments/suggestions that don't involve twinking or pets?

You might be able to find some -recharge gear but most probably the sacrifice (gear-wise) isn't worth it. In any case, I think your haruspex friend has better mileage of -recharge gears for PS like Tracker's Hood.

How do you feel about temporary pets? Outsider will make bosses easier for both of you. Personally, if you have no trouble using scrolls (like Sky's Rage, for example) temporary pets should be all right.

I'll consider ToC above of ToE for multiplayer. ToC helps the entire party. If your friend is a bow haruspex, then it's better for you to take ToW and he/she to do ToC. For me, even if he/she is a spear user, I'll consider taking ToW because you'll be PS-ing mobs first (Spirit Mastery is good at debuffing). The haruspex can cast Study Prey while the mobs are still in Dream Stealer stun/DR petrify and line up his PS, which is frankly, an overkill.

[Benaire]

The Haruspex friend is me and im using a spear we tend to stick pretty close when fighting thats why I told him that ToW would probably be a waste.

[Creslyn]

I'll consider ToC above of ToE for multiplayer. ToC helps the entire party.

ToE is a party buff as well, and while a point or two in ToC is useful (mostly for energy regen, which doesn't improve as much as the health regen) for recovering between groups, or before a boss, ToE will serve ably for hp recovery just about everywhere except Egypt (won't get much off all the undead with their high vitality/life leech resists, though Necrosis will help) and sections of Hades, as well as the 60% damage reflection helping with large groups/tougher mobs.

[The Rock-man]

ToE is a party buff as well, and while a point or two in ToC is useful (mostly for energy regen, which doesn't improve as much as the health regen) for recovering between groups, or before a boss, ToE will serve ably for hp recovery just about everywhere except Egypt (won't get much off all the undead with their high vitality/life leech resists, though Necrosis will help) and sections of Hades, as well as the 60% damage reflection helping with large groups/tougher mobs.

With ToW from your friend and Necrosis both on the skellys you leech a nice amount of health, as long as they are both maxed.