Proper skills for a DPS pet

Fleece - Heavens Tear
Fleece - Heavens Tear Posts: 6 Arc User
edited March 2010 in Venomancer
Hello everybody. I am currently using a Dark Wanderer as a DPS pet. At the moment, I have Bash, Flesh Ream, Roar and Tough. Roar/Tough originally came on it, and I am looking for skills to replace them.

What two skills would be good for the last spots? I plan on using this pet in groups as well as solo, so debuffs are not out of the question. I won't be placing elemental bashes on it, as I'm raising a Lv.2 scorpion for that (because it has a higher attack score).

Any opinions or comments are welcome.
Post edited by Fleece - Heavens Tear on

Comments

  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Other than Flesh Ream (which i would have myself done, and may come in handy if you like open world PvP) i think you did a good job skilling your pet.

    For best dps the option is pretty simple, keep Bash and replace the rest with elemental attacks. This should ensure you may be able to hit for as much as four times 200% damage on any given 8 sec period, although damage output may be affected by any mob's specific resistances. This is probably the "smart" or more conventional way to skill a dps pet.

    If you want a good debuff replace Flesh Ream with Howl, which some posters strongly argue will provide a better damage increase than even an elemental Bash. Another good choice would be Threaten which you could replace for Roar and will greatly improve your pet's survival, as well as come in handy in squad work. Finally there's Shriek although it's use may be difficult to time and is much more situational than the other two skills i've mentioned.

    The important thing to do is to narrow down what role you'll be using your pet for and to work from there.
  • tweakz
    tweakz Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Flesh Ream - Not great for [?] mobs/ bosses which you'll experience more of in higher levels / areas as it get's reduced dmg on them. If you wanted to attempt soloing Djinn in 3-1, you wouldn't want Flesh Ream on it. Flesh Ream's duration often exceeds the duration of a battle when grinding making most of the potential dmg from it wasted. For squads where you'll be using it for longer term battles, a skill like Howl may come in more handy. One thing to note is that some clerics will have and use Elemental Seal which can reduce up to 35% mdef depending on level. It also takes almost 2 hits worth of time (on a Dark Wanderer) to execute without doing direct dmg itself.

    Threaten only works on a single mob and for less time than it's cool down (Don't trash Tough for it). It also wastes atk time for no dmg. Threaten would be best if the mob has a chance of hitting you in a situation like in luring. In many of those cases though, the target would likely kite making a ranged pet better (which allows you distance to back up and prevent kiting). That makes tight spot luring of phys mobs (rare situation) about the best use for this skill. I suppose it could also be used if you were tanking Stygean with it and wanted to buy some time to Sage Soul Degeneration -> Amplify Damage -> Ironwood.

    The most unquestioned skill you could probably stick on it would be Claw for the +30% atk at Lvl 80. Though, that may be until they replace it as the best DPS pet.

    I'm personally considering Toxic Mist for mine since it would work better on mobs already weak to our mag attacks.
    Be kind: Help the GMs to depopulate the servers.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    tweakz wrote: »
    . In many of those cases though, the target would likely kite making a ranged pet better (which allows you distance to back up and prevent kiting).

    Really man, do you get some sort of comission every time someone gets a ranged pet? OP's query has nothing to do with either tanking or luring but it's about a high dps which you yourself use.

    Also, that's some efficient grinding you do if you're nuking same level mobs in under 9 secs and is Claw really a good recomendation considering it's near impossible to get?
  • tweakz
    tweakz Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    MANray_ - Sanctuary wrote: »
    Really man, do you get some sort of comission every time someone gets a ranged pet? OP's query has nothing to do with either tanking or luring but it's about a high dps which you yourself use.

    Really man, don't you get tired of trolling? Sorry, but was trying to suggest actual uses for your poorly suggested skills.
    Also, that's some efficient grinding you do if you're nuking same level mobs in under 9 secs and is Claw really a good recomendation considering it's near impossible to get?

    It's in HT's AH today, and I have it on 3 pets. -Far from impossible.
    Be kind: Help the GMs to depopulate the servers.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    tweakz wrote: »
    Really man, don't you get tired of trolling? Sorry, but was trying to suggest actual uses for your poorly suggested skills.



    It's in HT's AH today, and I have it on 3 pets. -Far from impossible.

    Come on, you acussing me of trolling is like the pot calling the kettle black. Half of my poorly suggested skills you endorsed yourself without reservations, Shriek you didn't mention at all and Threaten this is far from the first time you've been ambiguous about it's use.

    As for Claw this is a repeat of your recommending the full set of Herc skills for a Plumpfish. You obviously remain oblivious of the situation regarding most people's access to ingame resources if you can so gingerly use your own example as if it was in any way representative of the general player base.

    Here, why don't you relax watching a music video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkqXIpl7a2w
  • FoxyCleo - Raging Tide
    FoxyCleo - Raging Tide Posts: 290 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    wth are you fighting over?

    btw i dont see much use of 4 dd skills on a pet, even on a dd one. it would require a ton of micromanagement, and who wanna do that on really long fights? yeah, thought so.
    get a nice debuff and a nice high bash, and you're set.

    venos already have their hands full giving sparks, debuffing the mob with ironwood and amp and maybe throw a venomous once a while. it's not necessary to make it even more of a timing mess by having to use 4 dd skills on your pet.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    FoxyCleo - Raging Tide wrote: »
    wth are you fighting over?

    btw i dont see much use of 4 dd skills on a pet, even on a dd one. it would require a ton of micromanagement, and who wanna do that on really long fights? yeah, thought so.
    get a nice debuff and a nice high bash, and you're set.

    venos already have their hands full giving sparks, debuffing the mob with ironwood and amp and maybe throw a venomous once a while. it's not necessary to make it even more of a timing mess by having to use 4 dd skills on your pet.

    Just keybind all skills on a side of the keyboard and use your cell phone for weight...

    Personally, i'd rather have the debuffs than the raw damage.
  • Vitenka - Dreamweaver
    Vitenka - Dreamweaver Posts: 4,125 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Four bash variants is some serious damage.

    But then, howl is very very nice. Threaten I've not tried, shriek I can never get the timing right on (but is lovely when it works)

    Fleshream? Not so great. Not terrible by any means though.
  • Amafox - Sanctuary
    Amafox - Sanctuary Posts: 5 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    could someone explain to me exactly what's wrong with flesh ream on a ? boss? Does its damage get reduced (like our damage?). It's strange that only FR's damage would be gimped but not normal attacks or bashes.

    one concern for a DPS pet is avoiding aggro stealing on a boss fight. My marksman with bash 4 quickly steals aggro from a barb in TT, I end up turning it off until hp is 25%. I've also experimented with unsummon/summon to wipe aggro.

    A flesh ream on the other hand, if it works, might add damage without too much aggro.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I wouldn't use Flesh Ream on any (?) boss unless i was tanking it with my pet. Even Snowhares can steal aggro if spamming skills. I have no knowledge of any reduction for Ream's damage (in PvP it is in fact quite the opposite) but it's usually not considered a dps skill because it will over time deal something around half the damage an elemental bash would. This is mostly because of it's cooldown since the DoT is only one sec behind a bash's cycle.
  • Lythiaana - Dreamweaver
    Lythiaana - Dreamweaver Posts: 156 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I currently have a 59 Scorpion that you started with at lvl 2, with Lvl 1 FR, Bash, and Howl. I haven't got the time to level it up, and I'm lazy to level up its skills for now, since I'm trying to keep my Herc up to my level. But are these decent? And I was wondering what's the 4th skill I should add. I really want to use it as a DD pet in instance runs or things that I won't use my herc to tank for.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I really wouldn't recommend working on a pet you find hard to level, especially at the current leveling pace. Your skills are good, while Ream may not be the best PvE skill it does allow your pet to become competent in PvP. As you've already got Howl the 4th choice depends on your playstyle. An elemental bash like Thunderbolt would add damage, while Threaten would help with survival and add a useful debuff.
  • Lythiaana - Dreamweaver
    Lythiaana - Dreamweaver Posts: 156 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Maybe I should add an elemental bash, since I do mainly use it for PvE. My main veno is currently lvl 74 and I plan to stop leveling at 79 to grind while sucking exp away with my genie. At that time, I might just be bored enough to get into the cube and level my scorpion b:laugh

    Which elemental bash should be recommended? Since venos are wood, would fire be good, since fire is good against metal....I think. I get my elements mixed up a lot.
  • MANray_ - Sanctuary
    MANray_ - Sanctuary Posts: 2,311 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I myself would go for metal since it's an element we otherwise lack (Frost and Blazing provide a bit of water and fire damage in their DoT components) and Earth i get already from a genie skill. Some people suggest Toxic Mist to increase the advantage we have over mobs weak to Wood.

    There seems to be no consensus on this issue atm, with most people just getting whatever they can find cheapest in AH or appeals to them the most.
  • buttkiss
    buttkiss Posts: 1 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    The four best skills are BOTH of the def lowering, shriek, and threaten. I know the phys lowering skill doesn't seem necessary because we have Ironwood Scarab but that uses chi so if you can't afford to lose any (like if ur skills need them, which high level ones do like parasitic nova-TWO sparks) get the pet skill.

    Trust me, I have a high level veno and had another account a while ago with a high level one and to be the ultimate DPS and have best DPS pet, you need those four skills. It really is nice at higher levels.

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