Explosive Shot Build Update for Return of the Ancients 0.5 - Deadeye Still Fastest?
Summary
- The Explosive Shot/Grenade build remains a viable and fast league starter for the 0.5 patch.
- The Argan’s Medal support gem has been nerfed, significantly impacting reload consistency during clearing.
- Crafting changes limit items to one crafted modifier, which will reduce character power in the early stages of the league.
- Players are encouraged to prioritize Gemini crossbows early to mitigate reloading issues and adapt to the new reliance on league mechanics for gear progression.
Argan’s Medal and Reload Changes
The support gem Argan’s Medal, which previously granted a reload on every kill, has been changed. It now only provides a 25% chance to reload upon a kill. This adjustment makes the clearing process slower and requires more frequent manual reloading.
To compensate for this change:
- Prioritize obtaining a Gemini crossbow early in the league.
- Gemini crossbows possess an implicit modifier for “loads an additional bolt,” which improves the feel of the explosive shot weapon set.
- Continue using a Siege crossbow until a suitable Gemini base is acquired.
- Utilize grenades frequently during early clearing stages, as damage output may not be sufficient to rely solely on explosive shot while transitioning.
Crafting and Early Game Power
A significant change affecting all builds in patch 0.5 is the restriction on item crafting. Players are now limited to only one crafted modifier per item.
- Impact: It is no longer possible to stack multiple essence modifiers, prefix/suffix combinations, and high-tier damage mods on a single item early in the league.
- Consequence: Players will generally be weaker in the first few days of the league compared to previous iterations.
- New Strategy: Crafting will shift away from simple modifier stacking toward utilizing the new league mechanic. Expect to rely on fracturing mods and using Chaos Orbs to craft gear, rather than the previous methods of easily forcing powerful weapon stats.