By TheSaintlyCloser⁵ᵗʰ
Full-time Guide To The Omni-Self and Part-time Financial Adviser
ID# 10910
Budget player: That's a weird term isn't it? It implies that someone else doesn't have a budget, which is just silly. Everyone has a budget.
I think the term "budget player" is designed to keep people with disposable income from believing they can compete at the highest level. Which I think has been proven to be inaccurate.
Another definition of a "budget player" might be someone that considers themselves to have only one suit of gear. They might only buy a new item if they sell the item in it's slot. They may not even consider switching an item out to try and beat someone they lose to regularly. This article is for them but it would be nice if it helps anyone.
(My own idea of the best way to be "competitive on a budget" is deciding what items I can't live without!)
For awhile it was just resistances, then Weaken foe dodge%. If you Missed the Boots Of Clarity, you were hurting in competition. We did get some more -dodge% items, so they aren't as big a deal anymore. Some more epic resist, or something like "Stun Resist" could easily be the next items to tip the scales, though more +damage gets my mps too.
The Golden Rule:
Absolutely anything, is better than a wasted slot.
Do not be too good to look at the free options. If you can counter some of your opponent's slots, and benefit from all of your own, you're on the way to a win.
Step one of conquering an undefeated opponent, is to look at resistances. Both what they are resisting, and what you can resist.
You may have to waste a fight or two here. You're going to have to find out what they resist of damage types besides the ones you're using right now. Without that knowledge, it's going to be pretty difficult to switch to a better option. So throw on some other types, hit DUEL, and see what/how much, gets through.
Once you figured out what damages you both can and can't make use of, (Which will almost always leave some empty spots in your suit), the next step is optimizing the leftover spots.
The first part is simple. For budget players, the first, cheapest, and best counter to massive damage, is going to be proper use of resistances and Xdamage%. It’s the next best place to get a big hit after + damge. However, Xdamage just multiplies base damage, and you increase base damage by increasing your stats. So, a useless slot making use of some +Strike% is not a terrible idea either. (Or +Block% on Defense) You'll also want to avoid the opponent resisting your core on these big hits, so going coreless is an option here.
I have found some wins by sacrificing the core counter. The core counter reduces base damage and subtracts an amount of same type +damage. It is the basic gear countering strategy, and what most would expect you to do. They may well be resisting both naturally opposing options. In this case, forget weakening their base damage, maybe switch to an option they aren't countering, that resists their other +damage instead. Or do neither and stack more +damage of your own, it al depends on the interactions between you and your opponents gear.
Don't ignore Stun and Stun resist. A stunned player can't attack you, and there isn't a lot of stun resist available.
Now, there's also some newer mechanics out there, like Auras, Regeneration, Bleed, Bloodsucking, Super Life Force Extract, and Nightmare.
Most are still just damage, but some of them might be confusing for you to pick one slot over another at first. Some of them will damage the opponent and bring life back to you, doubling their effectiveness, in some fights. Most can also be resisted, dodged, don't apply on every hit, and seem to have some individual rules.
An "Aura" can damage your opponent even when you miss. That's exciting! As Auras "Power creep", their use against higher budget players with higher movement stats could be incredibly valuable. They're already a lot better than a wasted slot, but will only get stronger, so keep your eyes on those too.
TheSaintlyCloser⁵ᵗʰ is here to help, so if you have a question about a particular opponent or scenario, look me up in game or on Facebook. If you just want to talk gear, I'll happily listen to your thoughts as well.
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