• Home
  • Ars Arcanum: Bane of the Stricken

Ars Arcanum: Bane of the Stricken

by - 9 years ago

Books have often been society’s only bastion of light for passing along knowledge that would otherwise be lost to time or convoluted by the oral tradition. In order to provide new and old adventurers with as much knowledge of what to expect on their journey in Sanctuary, we created this tome of knowledge – Ars Arcanum. We will regularly feature a Legendary weapon or armor piece, discussing its stand-alone powers and capabilities, as well as how it may synergize with new builds or other item


 

This week on Ars Arcanum were going to be taking a look at the new Season 4 Legendary Gem, Bane of the Stricken. This gem was added into the game as a way for players to have less trouble with those pesky Rift Guardians and their insane health numbers. So we will be talking about how it effects some of the current popular builds and which classes are benefitting the most from it. This gem also gives a pretty special nod to one of Blizzpro’s podcasts.

Bane of the Stricken

Why is it good?

Bane of the Stricken is a great gem to have when you feel like your build is lacking in single target DPS. With the 25% damage to Rift Guardians/Bosses and the extra damage an enemy takes from each attack, this gem is perfect for boosting your single target damage and is extremely useful for pushing Greater Rifts. Now lets talk a bit about some of the classes that are taking advantage of it this season.

Wizards

With the new and improved Vyrs set, Wizards are able to generate a lot of DPS and burst damage while in Archon form when stacking the buff from the new Chantodo’s set.  This build when played and built right is very efficient and fun. With the addition of BotS, Archon Wizards are able to dish out a ton of single target damage and are doing pretty well in Greater Rifts. If you’re a fan of the Wizard I highly recommend trying this build out.

Crusaders 

Everyone has been going crazy over the return of the Hammerdin. With the new Seeker of the Light set, Crusaders are able to dish out some serious AoE damage since the 6 piece bonus increases the damage of Blessed Hammer by 750%. This set paired with Gabriels Vambraces for the reduced wrath cost of BH and the affix on BotS give this build a huge boost in single target efficiency. If you were a fan of the Hammerdin from Diablo II, you’d be crazy to not give this a try.

Demon Hunters

DH’s are another class that gets complimented very well by BotS with their current meta. The Natalya’s set is the popular choice for Season 4 and is a very AoE/multi-target focused build that lacks dedicated single target DPS. Bane of the Stricken helps alleviate that need for single target DPS and also buffs their AoE damage from Rain of Vengeance with it’s default affix. All in all BotS is very useful for DH’s and very hard to pass up.

Monks

Monks are in a bit different of a situation when it comes to BotS. With the Uliana’s Seven Sided Strike/Exploding Palm build, they already have a ton of single target and AoE damage potential. This just helps them do even more of that and is the icing on the cake for players running this build. The Uliana’s build paired with Lion’s Claw and BotS causes SSS and EP to excel in both AoE and single target encounters.

 

This is just a really solid Legendary Gem overall and fills the need for single target DPS or can make the rich even richer like we see with the Monk. This gem can easily be the difference between finishing a Greater Rift within the time limit or not finishing.

 

 

Who is it good for?

Bane of the Stricken can be good for any class or build that needs some extra single target damage. With that said currently the Wizard, Crusader, Demon Hunter, and Monk are benefiting from it the most.

 

Where can I find it?

This gem is a Season 4 exclusive so it can only be found on a seasonal hardcore or softcore character.

 

 

The Fluff

After the defeat of Malthael, Diadra the Scholar wandered the world. She studied the gem cutters of Xiansai, and brought their secrets back to Westmarch. Bane of the Stricken is the first gem to come out of her Westmarch workshop.

Hmmm I wonder what they’re referring to? Seriously though @Neinball, @ltlunatic, and @Leviathan have done a fantastic job with the Westmarch Workshop podcast and it’s always a fun time to listen to. Congratulations guys! Even though this gem was originally suppose to arrive last patch, it at least still made it’s way into the game.

 

So how do you guys like Bane of the Stricken? Do you think it’s good or overrated? Do you use it in your build? Let us know in the comments below!

Also, next week will be the start of a two part Ars Arcanum series that will be covering two items from the Monk’s Seven Sided Strike build. With one coming next week on the 8th and the second one coming on the 15th. One more thing, don’t forget to tune into Westmarch Workshop tonight at 9PM EST!

 

 


hotstreak

-


Comments are closed.