Author Topic: Titan Quest Weapon Master Binary Slayer Guide by Warmonger Smurf  (Read 6538 times)

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Introduction
Howdy, folks. It’s time to talk about Slayers. Not just any Slayers, but those deadly dealers of damage both direct and distant, the Weapon Masters. I’m talking about walking death machines bristling with blades and bow alike, capable of slashing down mobs before they even knew what hit them.
The principle is quite simple. Dish out as much damage as you can to as many targets as you can as quickly as you can. Sounds like fun, non? Of course it does. Problem is, it’s a little rougher in practice than it is in theory. Any rough-and-tumble frontliner can tell you, nothing’s more annoying than getting shot while you wade through the meleeing masses, much less those archers and mages that like to run around while you’re trying to beat them silly. Think archery’s the solution? It’s great at dispatching distant foes, but once they get into arm’s reach, you have to run screaming to avoid certain doom.
That means the word of the day is versatility. You need to be able to pick off your ranged foes before the meleers get to you, then tear the hapless mobs to pieces when they get up close and personal. Here is where the Weapon Master shines; through some careful planning and a little tactical know-how, the binary Slayer makes short work of any mob in the game.
Tactics
Being a Weapon Master means using both your bow and your blades to take out your mobs. Get friendly with your weapon switch button and practice the timing when switching back and forth. The quicker your reflexes get, the more potent you’ll be.
There are three primary tactics that you’ll be using throughout the game, and the key to using them effectively is knowing when to employ each one.
Stand and Deliver
This is the most basic of all your moves, and the tactic that’ll get you through almost all of Normal and Epic difficulties. It’s really quite self-explanatory; start off with your bow, hold down Shift, keep a finger on W, and start shooting. You’ll draw aggro from your target mob and pick a few (or a lot) off before they reach you. If they actually make it to you, switch weapons and start swinging. More often than not, your attack speed should be high enough to take them out before they can even swing at you.
Hopscotch
This little ditty is used most often against caster bosses, but it’s quite effective against caster mobs as well. The root of the idea is that enemy projectile speed is generally pretty low compared to your own. Fire at your target, and before their projectiles get to you, sidestep and resume firing. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Good Old-Fashioned Kiting
Many’s the time I’ve strolled into a room only to find piles upon piles of ranged and melee mobs in a fanned-out formation. Standing still’s a sure bet for extinction, so do what all good projectilists do and duck around a corner. Once they have a taste of your blood, they’ll try and follow, lining themselves up in neat lines and patches – perfect bow fodder. You can use this tactic against melee mobs, too; just retreat just a bit, turn around, and start swinging as they reach you.
Stats, Skills, and Equipment
Playing a Weapon Master is more than just a simple Str/Dex formula for stat allocation and a long-term build to shoot for. It takes planning and a degree of precision through the stages of the game. Let me break it down to you in terms of level ranges…
How the Hell Did I Get Myself Into This?
(Levels 1-10, Helos to Megara)
Welcome to the wonderful world of Titan Quest. Probability states that if you’re reading this, you’re already pretty well acquainted with the game, so I won’t bore you with the details. Getting from Helos to Megara’s pretty much a sleepwalk.
Get this in your head and make it stick: you are a front-line fighter first, an archer second. That means getting your Warfare skills up and running first. Max Weapon Training and get a few points into Onslaught before you start climbing up the mastery tree, since they’ll make the biggest difference early on. As you ascend, throw a single point into all the skills you’ll be maxing eventually; +skills items will take care of the rest for now. Don’t forget to assign Onslaught as your left-click attack for both of your weapon sets; firing off a few rounds before the mobs get to you will warm up Onslaught for you before you get down and dirty with them.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=0&m1=0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&m2=16-6-0-4-1-1-1-0-1-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
As for stats, go heavy on Strength. The reason you’re climbing up the Warfare tree rather than maxing out skills is so that your stats rise quickly and evenly. You’re still going to need Dexterity to use the good bows, but Strength gets you into the good armor.
Suggested equipment: Anything and everything that adds +% attack speed and +% damage is your friend for the entirety of Normal difficulty. At this stage of the game, you really don’t have to worry too much about dying if you have reasonably up-to-date armor.
Head: Helot’s Rage, Theban Crested Helmet, Labyrinthine Helmet
Body: Wayfarer’s Regalia, Theban Cuirass, Labyrinthine Cuirass
Arms: Theban Bracers, Labyrinthine Bracers
Legs: Greaves of Marathon, Theban Greaves, Labyrinthine Greaves
Weapons: Heartpierce, Hairsplitter, Fell Blade
Bow: Ram Bow, Chillwind
Rings: Storm Eye, Brimstone
Amulet: Moonclaw, Paean
Artifact: Deathrattle, Shroud of Eternal Night
Those Minotaur Horns’ll Look Nice on My Mantle
(Levels 11-18, Megara to the end of Greece)
By now, you should be getting into the rhythm of what to kill with a bow and what to kill with a swift blow to the head. There aren’t that many challenges waiting for you in the latter parts of Greece, so just keep on plugging.
Get Warfare up to 32/32 and start putting points into your skills. Remember what I said about being a frontliner first: max out Onslaught and put a few extra points into Dual Wield to increase your chance to proc. The Minotaur and the Telkine shouldn’t give you any trouble if you’ve played your cards right, just stay sharp and keep swinging until they drop.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=0&m1=0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&m2=32-6-0-8-3-1-1-0-1-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-1-1-0-0-0
Suggested equipment: You may have noticed by now that I’m suggesting using sets for these early levels. The reasoning behind this is twofold; in the early stages of the game, the set bonuses actually outweigh mixing and matching, and, well, let’s face it, the game’s not much of a challenge at this point, so you may as well look good while playing through it. Just remember, if you’ve found an equipment combo that’s working better for you than what I’m suggesting, keep on using it until it gets outdated!
Head: Obsidian Helm, Ramses’ Headdress
Body: Obsidian Breastplate, Ramses’ Coat
Arms: Bracers of Atlas, Obsidian Bracers, Ramses’ Coil
Legs: Ardent Greaves, Obsidian Greaves, Ramses’ Greaves
Weapons: Petroclus’ Shortblade, Soul Carver, Obsidian Crescent, Ramses’ Scepter
Bow: Horns of Cyprus, Nomad’s Hunting Bow
Rings: Blood Stone
Yo Mummy’s So Fat…
(Levels 19-27, Egypt)
Welcome to balmy Egypt, where the palms are in full foliage, the Nile’s always refreshing, and the enemies are slow and easy to kill. You should be having a ball by now. Concentrate on Warfare just long enough to get the skills you want amped up powerful enough for your liking, then start funneling points into Hunting for (you guessed it!) more stat points. By now, you should have two boss-killer skills in your portfolio: Call of the Hunt and Battle Standard. Apply them liberally.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=0&m1=10-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&m2=32-6-0-8-3-1-6-0-3-0-1-0-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-6-0-0-0
Keep on going with a 2:1 Str/Dex ratio for now. You’re still going to want to keep your Strength high for equipment, but you’ll want more and more Dexterity as you start inflicting more and more piercing damage. Luckily, Hunting offers plenty of both.
Suggested equipment: Remember what I said about sets? I just remembered a third reason. Fighter equipment gets pretty thin around these levels, leaving you with few options when it comes to armor. It’s right around this time that a lot of experienced players switch off to rare equipment (coughSabertoothcough) that they’ve been storing up from higher-level characters. Don’t be daunted by the light selections; your skills will be more than enough to carry you through Egypt without any stress. And in case you were wondering, yes, Paean and the Shroud of Eternal Night should still be on your character.
Head: Lazarus Helm, Mede Cap, Imperial Helm
Body: Lazarus Platemail, Imperial Armor
Arms: Lazarus Bracers, Imperial Bracers
Legs: Lazarus Plate Greaves, Persian Greaves, Imperial Greaves
Weapons: Quicksilver Bludgeon, Juque, Bonesaw, Yin, Yang
Bow: Tendon Ripper, Scythian Touch
Rings: Ring of the Shang, Band of Domination
Like a Masochistic Typhon, You’re Olympus-Bound
(Levels 28-33, Orient and Olympus)
Ah, the Orient. Beautiful bamboo forests, scenic views of the Great Wall, and more Tigermen than you can shake a stick at. You might start to notice a few cracks in your armor now and again; this is a weakness that all Slayers must live with. Health potions are never out of style, just concentrate on dishing out more damage than you’re taking. And for the love of God, remember the fundamental tactics when you’re fighting Typhon – if you see the meteors, make a break for it, and if you see thorns, don’t be a hero!
Keep getting up on that Hunting mastery until you hit 24/32. Once you’re there, stop for a second and put a few points into a few of your new best friends: Study Prey, Exploit Weakness, and Find Cover. The first two round out your boss-killing array while the last is the third of the passives that will keep you alive in the long run.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=0&m1=24-0-0-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-0-1-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&m2=32-6-0-8-3-1-6-0-3-0-1-0-3-0-0-0-0-0-3-6-0-0-0
Suggested equipment: Arm and Leg armors are nothing to write home about, but Diekenes’ Shade and the Somatophylakes Plate are ridiculously powerful for this stage in the game. Again, if you find equipment that works better for you, stick to it; I wore Athlon straight through Epic Egypt for the XP bonus. Also, since you’re starting to really build up steam with your piercing damage, switch over to swords that really bump that aspect of your damage range.
Head: Diekenes’ Shade, Athlon
Body: Somatophylakes Plate
Arms: Gauntlets of Implacable Will
Legs: Diekenes’ Iron Boots
Weapons: Ajax’ Iberias, Spartan’s Wit, Sword of Ohm’ehns, Ketos’ Chomp
Bow: Shredwind, Barrage, Dreadwind
Amulet: Shifting Beads
Artifact: Shadow Veil

(Levels 34-41, Hades)
Hades is chock full of annoying beasties. From the stunning effects of the Troglodytes to those shifty Machae archers, the time has come to switch up your tactics a bit.
Remember that bow? You know, the one in your weapon switch that we’ve kinda just relegated to a backup weapon to be used when you’re too lazy to walk all the way over to those skeleton archers? It’s time to start making that baby sing. Put the finishing touches on the Dual Wield line, then bring Hunting all the way up and get a point into each skill in the Marksmanship tree. Then, max Volley. It makes all the difference between rolling your eyes in irritation and laughing with glee when it comes to those packs of Keres, Melinoa and Machae.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=5&m1=32-0-0-0-1-1-0-0-1-0-0-1-1-0-1-1-0-0-0-1-6-0-0&m2=32-6-0-8-6-1-6-0-6-0-1-0-6-0-0-0-0-0-6-6-0-0-0
Suggested equipment: Now that you’re really starting to come into your own as both a meleer and an archer, your +% attack speed gear should be coming less from your weapons and more from the rest of your equipment. Speed things up on both fronts, and you’ll quickly become a killing machine for the rest of the difficulty level.
Head: Ares’ War Helm, Tracker’s Hood
Body: The Khan’s Hunting Harness, Mantle of the Secretos, Armor of Achilles, Tracker’s Armor
Arms: Warrior’s Bracers, Phobos, Tracker’s Gloves
Legs: Warrior’s Buskin, Nebuchadnezzar’s Greaves, Athena’s Battle Greaves, Conqueror’s Buskin, Tracker’s Legguard
Weapons: Despair, Thorny Maul, Doxa Kalo, Griefmaker, Cerberus’ Bite
Bow: Teucer’s Warbow
Rings: Alke, Adroit Loop, Mark of Ares
Amulet: Aeon, Crimson Gem of Cytorius, Pendant of Immortal Rage

Play It Again, Sam
(Levels 42-55, Epic)
Well, you did it. You slapped Hades around like he owed you money, maybe even ran through the Overlord’s Passage a few times. Are you ready for the next level? The big leagues? Yeah, I thought you were.
Gameplay’s a lot like Normal, but with a lot more shooting things. With more points into Puncture and Scatter Shot, you should be able to clear out Epic Greece almost entirely with your bow. And the piercing damage, oh, the piercing damage. Get to work maxing out all those skills in the Hunting mastery that bring the pain when it comes to piercing – Study Prey, Exploit Weakness, and Art of the Hunt. If your bow’s too slow, then invest some points into Wood Lore rather than Find Cover or Dodge Attack; won’t hurt my feelings none.
A couple of points of interest. First of all, large, slow mobs (like Arachnos, Gorgons, and Formicids) LOVE getting shot. It’s their favorite thing in the world. Whenever you need a good laugh, just start shooting them. Secondly, keep an eye on your resistances. Don’t get so caught up in killing the crap out of things that you lose sight of your durability. And don’t get too overconfident; just because Greece and Egypt are a hoot doesn’t mean Typhon can’t still stomp you if you’re not careful.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=14&m1=32-0-0-0-1-12-0-0-1-0-0-8-6-0-8-10-0-0-0-6-6-0-0&m2=32-6-0-8-6-8-6-0-6-0-1-0-6-0-0-0-0-0-6-6-0-0-0
This is an interesting time for stats. Take a careful look at your Strength – are you over 500? If you are, then now’s a good time to leave it alone for a bit and start funneling points into Dexterity. And you might notice that now that you’re using Marksmanship on a regular basis, your energy seems to be dropping quickly. A few points (no more than 4!) into Energy makes the mana use manageable.
Suggested equipment: This is it; the brass ring, the bee’s knees and the cat’s meow. Epic is when you should be getting into your endgame gear or at least start farming for it. Anything useful to a Slayer is going to be equippable from levels 42-50. You’re looking for high +% attack speed, +% damage, and +% pierce damage. As your bow skills ascend, you’ll be mowing down mobs like pedestrians in GTA, and if any poor suckers get close enough, they’ll be shredded by your bloody blades.
Body: Armor of Anubis, Odysseus’ Armor, Ferrus Gnosi, Mantle of Sa’jun, Wyrmskin Harness
Arms: Conqueror’s Bracers, Bracers of the Argonauts
Legs: Barbarian’s Spiked Greaves, Greaves of the Argonauts, Legguards of the Flameborn
Weapons: Mindrazor, Stymphalian Talon
Bow: Apollo’s Curved Bow, Atalanta’s Bow, Bladestring
Rings: Apollo’s Will
Amulet: Myrmidon’s Pendant, Aphrodite’s Favor, Cerberus’ Collar
Artifact: Blood of Ares, Symbol of the Polymath
Don’t Stop Believing
(Levels 56+, Legendary)
Congratulations. You’re in the All-Stars now. You’re also about to be really dead really quick unless you’ve got yourself a solid handle on your gameplay. Legendary takes reflexes of lightning, nerves of steel, and balls of turanite. If you haven’t already, max out your three defensive skills (Dodge Attack, Find Cover, and Ignore Pain) and bring Puncture and Scatter Shot all the way up. You want those mobs riddled with holes by the time they get to you if they get to you at all.
You’ll also start running across some severely pierce-resistant mobs, like the Terra Cottas in Chang’an and those really annoying crabs in Hades. Grit your teeth, keep Study Prey on your right-click, and power through.
Trying to write a full-on guide for Legendary is like trying to talk a blind man through a minefield. I’ve taken you as far as I can. The rest is up to you. Good luck, and kick some ***.
http://www.titancalc.com/TitanCalc.asp?mastery=Slayer&master1=7&master2=3&sa=21&m1=32-0-0-6-1-12-0-0-8-0-0-8-12-0-8-10-0-0-0-12-6-0-0-0-0&m2=32-6-1-8-6-8-6-0-6-0-10-0-6-0-0-0-0-0-6-6-0-0-0-0-0
Statwise, you’ll want to just keep on piling points into Dexterity. When you get mobbed, you want to see yellow numbers flying with every swing of your swords. OA and DA are necessary to stay alive, so let your gear handle your Strength and keep your agility up.
Suggested equipment: Hey, look! You’re taking damage! A lot of it, at that. You’re going to have to make some tough decisions now, buster. Start sacrificing that juicy DPS for some good resistance gear. Remember, you can’t lay down the proverbial smack if you’re face down in a Chang’an gutter. Now’s a good time to start looking to your OA and DA to really plaster your enemies with criticals and dodge some incoming attacks yourself. Your bow’s going to have to downshift from mob-clearer to foe-softener, so keep your finger on the weapon switch. All the equipment listed previously will help you do just that; start mixing, matching, and plotting out what you need to stay alive.
Closing Thoughts
There are a few random things to keep in mind when you’re playing a Weapon Master, and I’ll leave you to mull them over.
– You want enemies to come to you, not the other way around. I know War Wind looks great, but you just don’t have the skill points to devote to it.
– War/Doom Horn is a great skill. I’m not going to lie. But the fact is, if you need to retreat, you’re doing something wrong. Killing your enemies should be a one-step process, not two.
– Don’t use Ancestral Horn when a Scroll of the Maddened God or Behemoth will do. You don’t have the skill points or the energy to make it worthwhile.
– Your attack speed cap is 199%. I like to keep mine around 170%-185%, just so that Ardor and Call of the Hunt have something to do.
– I like run speed as much as the next guy, but not enough to invest in Trail Blazing. That extra 50 energy reserved is about 12 more arrows that you could be firing while you’re entrapped.
– Treat Dactyls like bosses. Let your scroll-summoned crony get up in his grill, lay down Study Prey and Call of the Hunt, and pray to Zeus you kill him before he kills you.
– One point in Battle Rage won’t kill you, but it’ll kill plenty else.
– As of the writing of this guide, Triumph is broken. If this is ever fixed, for the love of all that is holy, max the ever-loving crap out of it.
-Guide by Warmonger Smurf

https://www.kirmiziperfect.com/titan-quest-weapon-master-binary-slayer-guide-by-warmonger-smurf/
« Last Edit: 14 August 2018, 12:03:53 by MedeaFleecestealer »

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