LizardIRL has been playing Last Epoch at a high level for years. He has invested a huge amount of time learning the game, theory crafting builds and making educational content. By the time LE Multiplayer launched, he already had thousands of hours driven by his competitive nature and desire to improve. His builds and min/maxing rules have shaped the meta, establishing him as a top build maker and theory crafter. LizardIRL livestreams his Rank 1 Arena pushes and has dominated both SC and HC ladders. Learn about the Skills, Gameplay and Passives for the Hail of Arrows Marksman Build.
Skills
Hail of Arrows
Hail of Arrows is your Damage Skill. The deadly Cold DoT rain it leaves on the ground does insane Damage, has a huge AoE and long Duration. Be sure you buff it with your other abilities and aim to force enemies into it while they chase you.
Shift
Shift is your main Movement Skill. Use it to move around quickly and time it properly to prevent incoming damage with Shadowslip. This setup also generates a Shadow with Lasting Presence and buffs your next Hail of Arrows Damage with Deadly Ambush and Braskula's Hesitation.
Dark Quiver
Use Dark Quiver to generate Black Arrows. Umbral Resolution, Archer's Focus and Heavy Arrows work together to massively enhance the Damage of your next Hail of Arrows.
Decoy
Decoy is a very powerful Support Skill that Taunts enemies while it's active. Taunt is an amazing defensive mechanic that helps funnel enemies into your next Hail of Arrows. If foes get too close, use it as a panic button to grant yourself Haste.
Smoke Bomb
Use Smoke Bomb to Create Shadows to be consumed by the Umbral Resolution on Dark Quiver. Thick Smoke leaves a persistent Slow on the ground that makes kitting enemies easier.
Passives
Passives provide powerful effects that dictate the playstyle of a Class and its Masteries. Remember that you can allocate Passives on the first half of all Masteries regardless of the one you chose.
- Take all the Glancing Blow, Dexterity, Dodge and Health related Nodes.
- Thief's Quiver is crucial for sustain; grab it as soon as possible.
- Elemental Arrows and Elemental Barrage fit the playstyle of the build perfectly. Combining both Nodes with Coated Blades is crucial for scaling the Damage of the build. Coated Blades increases the Mana cost of your Hail of Arrows substantially, don't allocate points in it if you can't sustain Mana early on.
- Grab Master Archer to increase your Hail of Arrows area.
- Invest 5 points into Pursuit and Reflection for the Movement Speed.
Make sure to complete the Campaign to get all your Passive Points.
Gameplay
This Marksman wants to position itself far away from its enemies while setting up its deadly combo. Make sure you are familiar with enemy mechanics to know when to use your Support Skills to stay alive. Pay attention to the telegraphs of your enemies and stay out of their range.
Skill Usage/Rotation
- Start the rotation with Smoke Bomb and let it create Shadows.
- Immediately follow with Dark Quiver to start summoning Black Arrows.
- Grab a Black Arrow from the ground when Smoke Bomb has created at least 2 Shadows.
- Use Shift to generate a 3rd Shadow (3 max) and to buff your next Hail of Arrows.
- Aim and fire Hail of Arrows. Thanks to Umbral Resolution, it consumes all 3 existing Shadows, granting it insane Damage multipliers.
- Repeat the rotation once Hail of Arrows expires and your Mana has recovered.
- Be careful and patient when performing the combo. Enemies can punish you hard if you screw up.
Mapping
- You might not need the full combo to clear trash mobs while mapping. Performing the rotation with less than 3 Shadows is faster, figure out how much damage you need and don't wait for unnecessary Shadows.
- When enemy density is high, use Decoy and redirect their aggro. Wait for them to group while you run towards the objective then fire Hail of Arrows. Place it on choke points to funnel enemies into the deadly rain.
Bossing
- Take advantage of Hail of Arrows's duration and focus on avoiding Boss mechanics while it's active.
- Use Decoy to distract the Boss. Take advantage of this window to reposition and perform the DPS rotation.
- Shift can save you from incoming damage. Time it against dangerous telegraphed Boss attacks.
Advanced Skill Tips
- The total amount of active Shadows appears on a dedicated tracker on your buff bar. Keep track of how many Shadows are active at a time easily with just a quick glance at the indicator.
- Shift on top of a Black Arrow from Dark Quiver to speed up the DPS rotation.
- Shift can cross small terrain gaps and fences. An expert player can benefit immensely from this to gain distance from its enemies.
- Always have at least one Silver Shroud active, so the Concentration buffs stay active. Use Smoke Bomb to generate one when needed.
Learn more about how to maximize your gameplay in the Build Scaling section of this guide.
