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Death Sentry Assassin Diablo 2 Resurrected Build

Death Sentry Assassin Diablo 2 Resurrected Build

Amazing Starter/Beginner build for the Assassin class in Diablo 2 Resurrected

Early Ladder MF
Death Sentry Trapsin Build

For Diablo 2 Resurrected
 

Build notes:
July 28, 2021
-Build created

 

Build Overview

In Diablo 2 Resurrected, Trap-based Assassins (or Trapsins) are very powerful. They shine in all types of content and can achieve unbelievable clearing speeds (when properly geared - Enigma is a must if you want to speed-clear). One of the most versatile Trapsin builds is definitely the Death Sentry variant - it utilizes three types of damage (Lightning, Physical, and Fire) which makes it capable of dealing with immunities with relative ease. 

If you're looking for a solid starter build with very low gear reliance, here it is - the featured Death Sentry Trapsin is even capable of beating some of the Hell zones without gear, thanks to the amazing scaling of its Traps. 

You can also check our other  Diablo 2 Resurrected Builds

 

 Pros  Cons
 Not reliant on gear - you can easily run this Trapsin on a very low budget/self-found items   Rather low mobility early on 
 Versatile in terms of the damage it deals - can easily deal with most monster immunities   Can still experience problems when facing lightning-immune enemies 
 Great utility and good mobility in the end-game    You can't control your Traps directly - they choose their Targets on their own  

 

Skills

ATTRIBUTES
  1. Strength - All you want, in terms of Strength, is enough of it to equip everything you will want to use on your character. 
  2. Dexterity - Same as Strength - you only need enough Dexterity to meet gear requirements, unless you aim for the Max Block. 
  3. Vitality - You should put all your remaining points here - main stat. 
  4. Energy - Adding points to Energy is an extreme waste - don't do it. 
TRAPS

This skill tree is the main focus of this build. The abilities we take are extremely powerful and have some incredible properties (for example, they deal high AoE damage and "aim" themselves at approaching enemies). Moreover, Death Sentry, our main offensive skill, deals three types of damage which makes it great at dealing with enemy immunities. 

Skills:

  1. Fire Blast [X/20] - Throws a small incendiary device that explodes on impact, damaging all enemies within its small blast radius. This Skill actually synergizes with all our core Traps which potentially makes it worth investing skill points in. If you like to deal some damage yourself, feel free to spend some additional points here. 
  2. Shock Web [20/20] - A trap that electrocutes any enemy who treads on it. Shock Web is our synergy skill, so we max it out after we take care of our main offensive skills. 
  3. Charged Bolt Sentry [20/20] - A Trap that emits charges of electricity that shock any enemy who strays too close. It releases 5 charged bolts and shoots 5 times. Another synergy skill - max it out. 
  4. Lightning Sentry [20/20] - A powerful Trap that discharges great bolts of electricity, frying monsters when they come near. Shoots 10 times. One of our main offensive skills - max it out after Death Sentry. As its name suggests, it deals lightning damage. 
  5. Death Sentry [20/20] - A Trap that emits projectiles laden with a potent chemical catalyst, detonating the exposed cadavers of slain enemies. In simpler words, it's a corpse explosion in the form of a trap. It deals Lightning, Physical, and Fire damage which makes it extremely versatile. This is our main offensive skill - max it out first. 

SHADOW DISCIPLINES

This Skill Tree is a great source of utility - Shadow Disciplines allow us to improve our mobility and survivability in combat by a lot. 

Skills:

  1. Claw Mastery [1/20] - Prerequisite. Increases our Damage, Attack Rating, and Critical Strike Rating with Claw-type weapons. 
  2. Psychic Hammer [1/20] - Prerequisite. Damages an enemy and pushes it back from afar. This is the Diablo 2 version of Thor's hammer. Sadly - it's not too powerful. 
  3. Burst of Speed [1/20] - This is our main utility skill. It gives a high boost to movement and attack speed for a period of time. The Burst of Speed provides an extremely solid mobility boost - you should have it active at all times.
  4. Weapon Block [1/20] - A passive skill that gives us an increased chance to block when we're dual-wielding claws. This increases our defenses substantially; you should put all your remaining points here. If you prefer using shields, you don't need this one at all. 
  5. Cloak of Shadows [1/20] - Darkens the sky, affecting the defense of the Assassin and monsters. This Skill works in two ways - it increases our Defense, lowers the defense of monsters, and reduces the enemy's vision, making them less likely to spot and attack you. It makes ranged enemies not shot at you and monsters with special abilities not use said abilities (Fallen Shamans will not resurrect their comrades when you have this active, for example). The range of these effects is 20 yards. 
  6. Fade [1/20] - This increases all your elemental resistances for a period of time. It is a great addition to our utility toolkit and allows us to farm in certain areas earlier (as we don't need to stack as many resistances). 
MARTIAL ARTS

The only skill from the martial arts tree we're interested in is the Dragon Flight. It's very useful, so you might have to invest some points into the tree to get it. If you have the Enigma runeword in your Chestplate, you can skip this Skill tree entirely. 

Skills:

  1. Dragon Talon [1/20] - Optional. Prerequisite. 
  2. Dragon Claw [1/20] - Optional. Prerequisite. 
  3. Dragon Tail [1/20] - Optional. Prerequisite. 
  4. Dragon Flight [1/20] - Optional. Allows you to teleport to enemies and kick them. The teleport part is what we're interested in - it increases our mobility and allows us to simply teleport out of trouble. 

 

Items

First of all, the speed at which we can place Traps is determined by our Attack Speed, not Faster Cast Rate. This means that we want Increased Attack Speed, not FCR. Moreover, we want to get as many Skill levels (Assassin/Traps in this case) as possible to increase the build's overall power level. Resistances are also important, but they should never come before the offensive power. As stated above, a Faster Cast Rate is not necessary and should be avoided if possible. Defensive stats, like faster hit recovery, are a nice addition but you should not choose gear for them specifically. 

HELMETS

[Early] Lore (Runeword) - Very powerful and relatively easy to make, this Runeword will last you for a long time. It gives +1 to All Skills and high Lightning Resistance. Runes required for Lore can drop from Nightmare Countess. 

Lore

 

  • Defense: Depends on base Helmet 
  • Required Level: 27 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Helmet 
  • Durability: Depends on base Helmet 
  • Ort + Sol
    • +1 to All Skills 
    • +10 to Energy 
    • Lightning Resist +30% 
    • Damage Reduced by 7 
    • +2 to Mana After Each Kill 
    • +2 to Light Radius 

[Late] Griffon's Eye (Diadem) - An extremely powerful end-game helmet that improves your lightning-based damage by a lot. It not only increases all your Skills by 1 but also reduces the enemy Lightning Resistance and increases your Lightning Damage, which is simply amazing. 

Griffon's Eye

  • Defense: 150 - 260
  • Required Level: 76
  • Durability: 20  
    • +100-200 Defense (varies) 
    • +1 to All Skills 
    • 25% Faster Cast Rate 
    • -(15-20)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance (varies) 
    • +(10-15)% to Lightning Skill Damage (varies) 

WEAPONS

[Early] Magic Claws with + to Traps/+ to Assassin Skills/+to Lightning Sentry will give you a solid power boost early in the game. Claws like this are enough for the early ladder and can last you for a surprisingly long time. If you prefer to use two weapons, you could dual wield these for twice as many + Skills! 

Magic Claws

Claws like these are sold by Anya on the Hell difficulty, but they are very are so you'll have to reset her inventory a lot. 

  • Damage:  Depends on the Weapon
  • Required Level: Varies
  • Required Dexterity: Depends on the Weapon
  • Required Strength: Depends on the Weapon
  • Durability: Depends on the Weapon 
    • + To Traps 
    • + To Assassin Skills 
    • + To Lightning Sentry

[Late] Heart of the Oak (Runeword) - While not ideal for Trapsin, Heart of the Oak is still an extremely solid choice because of its +3 to all Skills. Also, it has a very high Mana Steal and gives a whopping +30-40 to All Resistances which is great for any build. 

Heart of the Oak

  • Damage:  Depends on base Weapon
  • Required Level: 55
  • Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
  • Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
  • Ko + Vex + Pul + Thul 
    • +3 To All Skills 
    • +40% Faster Cast Rate
    • +75% Damage To Demons 
    • +100 To Attack Rating Against Demons 
    • Adds 3-14 Cold Damage, 3 sec. Duration (Normal) 
    • 7% Mana Stolen Per Hit 
    • +10 To Dexterity 
    • Replenish Life +20 
    • Increase Maximum Mana 15% 
    • All Resistances +30-40 (varies) 
    • Level 4 Oak Sage (25 Charges) 
    • Level 14 Raven (60 Charges) 

[Late] Bartuc's Cut-Throat (Greater Talons) - Sadly, there's no Lightning-based counterpart to the mighty Firelizard's Talons which means that these are your best class-specific option. They will give you +2 to all Skills, a solid stats boost, and a 30% faster hit recovery. 

Bartuc's Cut-Throa

  • Damage: 24-44 (Base)
  • Required Level: 42
  • Required Dexterity: 79
  • Required Strength: 79
  • Durability: 69  
    • +150-200% Enhanced Damage (varies) 
    • Adds 25-50 Damage 
    • 30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • 20% Bonus to Attack Rating 
    • 5-9% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
    • +20 To Strength 
    • +20 To Dexterity 
    • +2 To Assassin Skill Levels 
    • +1 To Martial Arts Skills (Assassin Only)
SHIELDS

[Early/Late] Spirit Shield (Runeword) - If you prefer to use a shield instead of a second weapon, Spirit should be your first choice. It gives you some nice resistances, +1 to All Skills, whooping +55% Faster Hit Recovery, and solid magic absorb. 

Spirit Shield

  • Defense: Depends on base Shield 
  • Required Level: 25 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Shield 
  • Durability: Depends on base Shield 
  • Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn 
    • +1 To All Skills 
    • +25-35% Faster Cast Rate (varies) 
    • +55% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +250 Defense Vs. Missile 
    • +22 To Vitality 
    • +89-112 To Mana (varies) 
    • Cold Resist +35% 
    • Lightning Resist +35% 
    • Poison Resist +35% 
    • +3-8 Magic Absorb (varies) 
    • Attacker Takes Damage of 14 

[Late] Stormshield (Monarch) - A powerful defensive option that will allow you to come very close to (or achieve) Max Block. Stormshield is great if you like to have solid defenses. just remember that you will have to spend some additional points on Dexterity if you plan on achieving max block. 

Stormshield

  • Defense: 136-519 (Depends on your level)
  • Required Level: 73
  • Required Strength: 156
  • Durability: Indestructible
    • +3-371 Defense (+3.75/level) 
    • 25% Increased Chance of Blocking 
    • 35% Faster Block Rate
    • Damage Taken Reduced by 35% 
    • Cold Resist +60% 
    • +25% Lightning Resist 
    • +30 to Strength 
    • Indestructible 
    • Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 10 

AMULETS

[Early] Rare/Magic Amulet with + Assassin/Traps would be ideal, but chances of finding these are extremely low. Most likely, you will end up with a Magic Amulet with Magic Find, and/or Resistances. 

Amulet Amulet

  • Required Level: varies. 
  • In Magic Amulets, look for:
    • + to Traps. 
    • Magic Find. 
    • Resistances. 
  • In Rare Amulets, look for:
    • + to Assassin Skills 
    • Magic Find 
    • Resistances 

[Late] Mara's Kaleidoscope - Mara's provides a great combination of offense and defense in the form of +2 to All Skills and + 20-30 to All Resistances. In a build that wants +All Skills, it is an absolute must for the end game. 

Highlord's Wrath

  • Required Level: 67
    • +2 To All Skills 
    • All Resistances +20-30 (varies) 
    • +5 To All Attributes 

ARMORS

[Early] Stealth (Runeword) - Even though you don't really need the Faster Cast Rate from this one, the rest of the bonuses are simply too good to pass up. Stealth makes the early grind much easier (it regenerates mana and gives a substantial boost to the Faster Run/Walk which really ramps up clear speed). 

Stealth

  • Defense: Depends on base Armor 
  • Required Level: 17 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
  • Durability: Depends on base Armor 
  • Tal + Eth  
    • +25% Faster Run/Walk 
    • +25% Faster Casting Rate 
    • +25% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +6 to Dexterity 
    • Regenerate Mana 15% 
    • +15 Maximum Stamina 
    • Poison Resist +30% 
    • Magic Damage Reduced by 3 

[Mid/Late] Treachery (Runeword) - A very solid upgrade over Stealth. It increases All Skills by +2 and gives +45% Attack Speed which is simply amazing. If you are determined enough to farm the required Runes, you can make this one yourself. 

Treachery

  • Defense: Depends on base Armor 
  • Required Level: 45 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
  • Durability: Depends on base Armor 
  • Shael+ Thul + Lem  
    • 5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Fade When Struck 
    • 25% Chance To Cast Level 15 Venom On Striking 
    • +2 To Assassin Skills 
    • +45% Increased Attack Speed 
    • +20% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • Cold Resist +30% 
    • 50% Extra Gold From Monsters 

[Late] Enigma (Runeword) - This powerful Chest Runeword provides everything you might want from an item, including +2 to All Skills, Teleport (!),  +14 to Life after each kill, and a very nice boost to Magic Find. Without it, your Trapsin will be a mere shadow of what it could become as the mobility given by Enigma is unbelievable. 

Chains of Honor

  • Defense: Depends on base Armor 
  • Required Level: 65 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
  • Durability: Depends on base Armor 
  • Jah + Ith + Ber  
    • +2 To All Skills 
    • +45% Faster Run/Walk 
    • +1 To Teleport 
    • +750-775 Defense (varies) 
    • +(0.75*Clvl) To Strength (Based On Character Level) 
    • Increase Maximum Life 5% 
    • Damage Reduced By 8% 
    • +14 Life After Each Kill 
    • 15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana 
    • (1*Clvl)% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level)

RINGS

[Early] Rare/Magic Rings with Resistances, Magic Find, and Bonuses to Life are what you should be looking for early. You will most likely find tons of these - just pick the best pair and use them until you find a replacement. 

Magic Rings Rare Rings

  • Required Level: varies. 
  • In Magic Rings, look for:
    • Magic Find 
    • Attributes 
  • In Rare Rings, look for:
    • Magic Find 
    • Life Leech 
    • Mana Leech

[Late] Raven Frost - this powerful Ring provides Freeze Immunity which is extremely important to have on every build. One of the best rings you can have on any Diablo 2 Build. 

Raven Frost

  • Required Level: 76
    • +150-250 Attack Rating (varies) 
    • 15-45 Cold Damage 
    • +15-20 Dexterity (varies) 
    • +40 Mana 
    • Cold Absorb 20% (varies) 
    • Cannot be Frozen 

[Late] The Stone of Jordan - One of the most iconic items in Diablo 2 - you can find references to it in other Blizzard games. If you're after some more offensive power, this Unique Ring will give you just that. Stone of Jordan increases the level of all your Skills and your max Mana. 

The Stone of Jordan 

  • Required Level: 29
    • +1 to All Skills
    • Maximum Mana to 25% 
    • Adds 1-12 Lightning Damage 
    • +20 to Mana

GLOVES

[Early/Late] Rare and Magic Gloves with + to Attack Speed, Magic Find, Mana Leech, Life Leech, and Increased Gold From Monsters are your top early game picks. 

Rare Gloves Magic Gloves

  • Required Level: varies. 
  • In Magic Gloves, look for:
    • Attack Speed 
    • Magic Find 
    • Extra Gold From Monsters 
  • In Rare Gloves, look for:
    • Attack Speed 
    • Magic Find 
    • Mana Leech
    • Life Leech

[Late] Dracul's Grasp (Vampirebone Gloves) - A good all-around choice that increases your Attack Speed and gives you some extra survivability. Also, the +10-15 Strength bonus is very convenient as it allows you to save some attributes. 

Dracul's Grasp

 

  • Defense: 125 - 145
  • Required Level: 76
  • Required Strength: - 50
  • Durability: 14
    • +90-120% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +10-15 to Strength (varies) 
    • +5-10 Life After Each Kill (varies) 
    • 25% Chance of Open Wounds 
    • 7-10% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
    • 5% Chance to Cast Level 10 Life Tap on Striking
    • 20% Increased Attack Speed 

BOOTS

[Early] Rare/Magic Boots with Faster Run/Walk, Magic Find, Resistances, and increased Gold from Monsters are a good early-game option until you find something better. 

Rare Boots Magic Boots

  • Required Level: varies. 
  • In Magic boots look for:
    • Faster Run/Walk and Slower Stamina Drain 
    • Faster Run/Walk 
    • Magic Find 
    • Resistances
  • In Rare Boots, look for:
    • Resistances 
    • Faster Run/Walk 
    • Extra Gold From Monsters
    • Magic Find 

[Late] War Traveler (Battle Boots) - If you're after Magic Find, these Boots will be BiS for you. They also provide decent Movement Speed and extra STR/VIT. 

War Traveler

  • Defense: 120-139 
  • Required Level: 42
  • Required Strength: 95
  • Kick Damage: 37-64 
  • Durability: 48
    • +150-190% Enhanced Defense 
    • 25% Faster Run/Walk 
    • +10 to Vitality 
    • +10 to Strength 
    • Adds 15-25 Damage 
    • +40% Slower Stamina Drain 
    • Attacker Takes Damage Of 5-10 
    • 30-50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 

BELTS

[Early] Rare/Magic Belts with Faster Hit Recovery, bonuses to Life, and increased Gold from Monsters are a good early-game option until you find something better. 

Rare Belt Magic Belt

  • Required Level: varies. 
  • In Magic Belts look for:
    • Bonuses to Life 
    • Faster Hit Recovery 
  • In Rare Belts, look for:
    • Faster Hit Recovery 
    • Extra Gold from Monsters 
    • Replenish Life 
    • Bonuses to Life 
    • Resistances 

[Late] Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - A great offensive option that you should go for later in the game as it gives +1 to All Skills. 

Arachnid Mesh

  • Defense: 119-138 
  • Potion Slots: 16 
  • Required Level: 80
  • Required Strength: 50
  • Durability: 12
    • +90-120% Enhanced Defense  
    • Slows Target by 20% 
    • +1 To All Skills 
    • 20% Faster Cast Rate 
    • Maximum Mana 5% 
    • Level 3 Venom (11 Charges) 

CHARMS

  1. Grand Charms -  If you're lucky and you find Grand Charms with +Traps early, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, use any of these that offer useful bonuses - Magic Find, Resistances, Life, etc. 
  2. Large Charms -  You can find Magic Find, Resistances and bonuses to Life on these which makes them useful early on - if you find these, you should definitely use them. 
  3. Small Charms - With these, you should get your desired Resistances, bonuses to Life, or bonuses to Magic Find - whatever suits your needs, basically. 
  4. As for Unique Charms; if you can afford them - use them. 

MERCENARY

Equipping a mercenary early on can be extremely difficult as finding a 4-Socket Polearm (for Insight Runeword) can take a lot of time. If you manage to do that, however, you should definitely employ a Merc as it will help you on your ventures. Please note that the below-mentioned recommendations can turn out to be quite expensive, especially early on. 

We recommend picking up Act 2 Defiance Mercenary for extra damage mitigation bonuses. He should be equipped with: 

  1. Insight Rune Word in Ethereal Spear - This provides a Meditation Aura that increases our Mana Recovery Rate which is extremely helpful. 
  2. Fortitude Rune Word in Armor - This Runeword gives solid defenses that are necessary to keep your merc alive. 
  3. Vampire Gaze - An extremely solid and versatile headgear that will make your merc much more durable. 
  4. The rest of the Merc's equipment will mainly depend on your budget and drops - focusing on items with extra defense, life/vitality, life leech, or offensive mods (like crushing blow) is generally a good idea. 

 

END NOTE

This is our premiere Diablo 2 Resurrected build where we tried to include all of the important information on how to set up this character while keeping the guide as compact as possible. If we've missed something of importance, please let us know! 

If you have any Build requests, please post them in the Comments section below. We will be happy to cover your most requested builds in the future! Also, we hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. Also, we will be happy to receive constructive criticism that will help us improve our future work, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback. 

 

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment