PVP Build recommendations

[Foster]

Hi.

Because most topis are PVE or crying about FM in PVP :-), I'd like to start a new topic with you PvP builds, recommendations and tips. Most of builds which we can find are out of date.

I think most of us are HM10+, so we can count with HM skills.

Thx.

[Gratus]

This would be the standard build. FMs have the (mis)fortune of changing their build with almost every matchup.

 

Customization:

 

• Flame Palm (LMB). Usually spec the left tree for flame orbits. If you're running a heavy burn build (maybe against FM, WL, Summoner if you don't have HM impact), the middle tree would be viable as well. I don't feel like this skill is necessary if you're missing the points, which is why I didn't include it in the standard build.
• Frost Fury (Ice F). Middle or right tree. Personally, I rarely use either since I'm already short on skill points.
• Dual Dragons (F). Spec all the way down for highest damage. Great nuke, often used to finish a combo/the fight. You lose your frost orbs when you use this, however, so use with caution. Most often used against ranged classes ("PvE" matchups).
• Second Wind (Tab). Your main escape and one of the most important skills. Usually daze (right tree) or grab escape (left tree). I find the knockback (middle tree) inferior to daze so I never use it. I use daze against everyone but Summoner and FM. You could also use grab escape against BD in higher levels of play, since they're usually safe from being hit by it.
• Fire Storm (Tab). Spec stage 2 Tier 3 for the parry effect. Very convenient against BDs and BMs (for example Q+Tab would negate 5-point), Sins (if they try being foolishly aggressive after SS or tab escape) and FMs (vulnerable to parry in general). Using this you do put your aerial on CD, though.
• Frost Armor (Tab). All stages are viable. Left tree usually works best as a surprise. If you're fast you can immediately chain CC into the knockback. Middle tree is the most standard. Works great against many matchups to create distance, or to use as an offensive measure to freeze the opponent and get behind his back (for example Ice tab a bit after KFM SS, then release right after he has charged you). Be careful, though. Your opponent might 'chase' you after you exit Frost Armor. Right tree usually for matchups where you need the heal (WL, Sum, FM maybe).
• Impact (1). Stage 1 HM Impact is usually superior, but Stage 2 Impact can be useful against FM (Frost Tornado doesn't seal stage 2 Impact + burn), WL (burn + range), Sum (burn) and Sins (range).
• Dragonchar (2). Usually stage 2, HM version if possible. Stage 1 (against summoner) and 3 (range matchups) are also viable.
• Dragonwhorl (3). Stage 1 was popular against summoners before, don't like it myself.
• Phantom Grip (4). Stage 1 Tier 1 for longer duration. Stage 1 Tier 5 if you find it hard to grip from short range and you can make use of the block seal. Multiple Blaze can work against KFM if you can freeze them in place. I think the normal grip is way better, though.
• Aerial Phantom Grip (4). You can spec it all the way down if you feel like the CD reduction would be helpful.
• Ice Coil (Ice Z). All stages are useful. Left tree is good for applying chill when using RMB would be risky or unusable altogether. It's also good for freezing opponents in place when they have 2 chill stacks (damage + SS bait). Frost Burst is great for starting combos or stalling. Often used against spin classes (goes through spin) or sins (if you can accurately predict their movement). Right tree gives you a lot of chi. Due to the huge amount of ticks it burns through 5-hit resists and freezes opponents in place quite handily.
• Ring of Fire (Fire Z). Can be unspecced in matchups where double aerials are unlikely (Sum, maybe FM).
• Inferno (Fire X). You can just invest 2 points in this skill if you're out of points for other necessary skills.
• Snowball (Ice X). Stage 2 against classes that use defensive skills (BM block, KFM counter, Assassin decoy, Summoner seed shroud, Warlock block, SF elbow smash). Stage 3 (Frost Tornado) against classes that use offensive-defensive skills (BM blade strike, KFM elbow smash, Destroyer spin, FM impact, BD spin) and/or for the frost orb it generates (SF, FM).
• Divine Veil (Ice C). Preference. Stage 2 veil is great for matches where the projectile block matters a lot, but you also move a fair bit (BM, Sin, Des, FM, BD, SF, Sum).
• Frost Sheath (Ice V). You can spec it further down if you want the chi recovery.

My personal builds for HM11 with all HM skills (change from time to time, round to round, not set in stone):

• vs. BM
• vs. KFM
• vs. DES
• vs. FM
• vs. SIN
• vs. SUM
• vs. BD
• vs. WL
• vs. SF

[Leodore]

My battleground builds (I typically hold a middle to high gold rank), they focus primarily on CC, aoe, multiple opponent dmg, focus restoration, escapes, and ways to deter your enemy and gain distance. This is also not a ping crucial build, and has alot of flexibility for spontaneous thinking and action based pvp, rather than combos and such (combos as an FM are very difficult to do unless you have very low ping, and with the chaos going on in 6v6, you rarely get to do a combo anyways). 

 

HM1   https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=Hy7yilTbg

HM3   https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=SyuBsxa-g

HM5   https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=rJYUixaWx

HM7   https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=ryldog6-g

HM9   https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=ByVKjl6Wx

HM11 https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=S1LijeaZl

HM13 https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=Sy7ajl6Zx

HM15 https://bnstree.com/tree/FM?b=rkXAseaZx

[KurooSakura]

On 11/15/2016 at 2:02 PM, Gratus said:

 

 

 

• vs. FM
• vs. SUM

Why do you use Blazing beam against FMs and Sums? :^) 

[Gratus]

22 minutes ago, KurooSakura said:

Why do you use Blazing beam against FMs and Sums? :^) 

Less timeouts

[KurooSakura]

On 11/19/2016 at 7:12 PM, Gratus said:

Less timeouts

Divine Veil and Petal storm protects against them though, while dragonchar goes right through? 

[Gratus]

On 22.11.2016 at 11:13 AM, KurooSakura said:

Divine Veil and Petal storm protects against them though, while dragonchar goes right through? 

Sure, but you're not gonna have the chi to spam dragonchar through their projectile protection and do any meaningful damage.

[SoulsHunter]

5 hours ago, Gratus said:

Sure, but you're not gonna have the chi to spam dragonchar through their projectile protection and do any meaningful damage.

I usually use cold snap to get chi when they use range shield, sometimes they will even get out of their shield themselves. Because frost soul allows three casts which can cover all the area inside their shield.

[KurooSakura]

13 hours ago, SoulsHunter said:

I usually use cold snap to get chi when they use range shield, sometimes they will even get out of their shield themselves. Because frost soul allows three casts which can cover all the area inside their shield.

what this guy said ^ 

 

 

[Gratus]

On 24.11.2016 at 2:25 AM, SoulsHunter said:

I usually use cold snap to get chi when they use range shield, sometimes they will even get out of their shield themselves. Because frost soul allows three casts which can cover all the area inside their shield.

Against FM you'll only shoot yourself in the leg by doing that since they'll heal to full HP.

 

You can't burn Summoner through Petal Storm, and they can dandelion your damage anyways. You'll be very vulnerable in a situation like this.

[SoulsHunter]

7 minutes ago, Gratus said:

Against FM you'll only shoot yourself in the leg by doing that since they'll heal to full HP.

 

You can't burn Summoner through Petal Storm, and they can dandelion your damage anyways. You'll be very vulnerable in a situation like this.

Nope, cold snap is an aoe skill, it does not count as range projectile attack so FM will not heal to full health. Sum dandelion would not parry it. I even use it very often against assassin that likes to ss and decoy. Decoy will not parry cold snap too and they used up their ss to run away XD

[Gratus]

5 minutes ago, SoulsHunter said:

Nope, cold snap is an aoe skill, it does not count as range projectile attack so FM will not heal to full health. Sum dandelion would not parry it. I even use it very often against assassin that likes to ss and decoy. Decoy will not parry cold snap too and they used up their ss to run away XD

FMs have 2 long iframes, and all resists produce that 1% hp recovery.

 

Party dandelion does proc it, but that's not what I'm talking about. Normal dandelion gets a proc off of dragonchar. Using cold snap against sin is also fairly dangerous, since they have a long-range Q and party decoy. You'd be better off with Coil or Frost Burst.

[SoulsHunter]

28 minutes ago, Gratus said:

FMs have 2 long iframes, and all resists produce that 1% hp recovery.

 

Party dandelion does proc it, but that's not what I'm talking about. Normal dandelion gets a proc off of dragonchar. Using cold snap against sin is also fairly dangerous, since they have a long-range Q and party decoy. You'd be better off with Coil or Frost Burst.

I guess this is just my preference. I like to bait them to use their frame. So that I know I can fight in peace. With frost soul we have 3 cold snap, literally no cooldown in a pvp fight. I can use them whenever I see a chance since their party iframe cooldowns are long, the most they can avoid is only the first cold snap. To me it is defintely worth it. But if the new skill tree design really gets implemented no more 3 times cold snap :(