Which Builds are best at Killing Elites?

Have you ever been absolutely wrecking a dungeon when all of a sudden a pack of blue or yellow enemies not only stop you in your tracks but have your life flashing dangerously close to zero?  I have been there before and it sucks until you fiddle around with your armor, weapons, skills, and the general way you approach the game.  I’m here today to save you the footwork and help you decide which Elite Killer Build you should be playing.  My top ten Diablo 3 Elite Killing builds are as follows:

10. Corpse Lance Pestilence Necromancer

A Master of the Dark Arts

The Playstyle for this Necro build is bursty, to say the least.  Once you have summoned skeletons, and  began Corpse lancing, you will earn Bone Spear charges which are ideally used on tougher foes, such as elites.  

-Pestilence causes Corpse Lance for every Corpse you consume.

-Corpse consumption also buffs your next bone spear 3300% damage

-Corpse Lance deals and additional 3300% damage

Full build details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/necromancer-corpse-lance-build-with-pestilence-or-trag-ouls-set

9. Thorns Invoker Crusader

"The Crusade calls me so I go." -Crusader

The Thorns Invoker Crusader punishes anything that attacks you immensely with the use of Boyarsky’s Chip.  This does not quite equal a true Elite killer until you factor in the perk from the Invoker set which if used properly can wipe out a Rift Guardian or Pack of Elites with relative ease.

-Boyarsky’s Chip adds 16,000 Thorns

-Invoker set deals 15,000% of your Thorns damage to the first enemy hit by Punish

-The Furnace in Kanai’s cube adds 40% damage to Elites

Full build details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/crusader-invoker-thorns-build

8.  Chantodo/Vyr’s Archon 

"If my old masters could see me now!" -Wizard

This build is the generic wizard playstyle and setup of gathering and damaging enemies with black hole, controling them with slow time, and wrecking the enemies left and right when Archon form cools down.  The difference with this build is in the armor sets as the Combination of the Chantodo’s set and the Vyr’s set significantly increase your Archon capabilities and damage output; which, when used correctly, will incapacitate Elites in a heartbeat.

-Vyr’s set gives Archon the effect of every rune.

-Chantodo’s set expels a wave of destruction every second for 4,000% within 30 yards while in Archon form.  For every attack that you land while not in Archon form, you add an additional 4,000% more weapon damage to the initial wave of destruction.  Oh and that can stack 20 times!

Full build details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/wizard-vyr-archon-build

7.  Whirlwind Barbarian

“The ancients have blessed me.” -Barbarian

One of the highest-rated builds in the game will obviously be a solid killer for elites.  The rend and whirlwind buffs from the Wrath of the Wastes set pretty much make this build unstoppable.  Playstyle: Cast Rend.  Whirlwind what is not already dead. Repeat.

-Rend’s initial damage is increased by 500 and its duration lengthens by 15 seconds.

-Whirlwind and Rend’s damage is increased by 10,000%.

-Lamentation Belt allows Rend to stack twice on a single enemy.

Full build details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/barbarian-rend-build-with-wrath-of-the-wastes

6.  Masquerade of the Burning Carnival/Bone Spear Build

"All who oppose me...beware." -Necromancer

This build focuses on the new Necromancer set Masquerade of the Burning Carnival set and the Bone Spear skill which can be copied by your simulacrum.

-Masquerade set applies a 10,000% increase in damage to Bone Spear

-Simulacrums gain triple the 10,000% bonus

-Aughild’s set increases damage to Elites by 30%

Full build detailshere: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/necromancer-bone-spear-build-with-masquerade

5.  Mundunugo’s Spirit Barrage 

“The spirits smile upon me.”

One of my favorite builds in this list, the Spirit Barrage/Mundunugo’s build is a great Elite killing option for Witch Doctors.  The use of the Spirit Barrage skill which gains an additional rune by wielding Gazing Demise is hugely buffed by the set pieces in effect.  This build’s playstyle is kind of similar to an Impale Demon Hunter in that you utilize high movement speed and a primary attack to jump to an Elite pack, destroy it and move on.

-Big Bad Voodoo receives a buff from Mundunugo’s set that allows it to follow you longer which equals longer periods of raised attack and movement speed.

-You should already be running the Manitou rune on Spirit barrage which, when coupled with the set pieces, also receives the Phantasm rune

-Lastly, Spirit Barrage deals 20,000% more damage.

Full Build detailsHere: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/witch-doctor-spirit-barrage-build-with-the-mundunugus-regalia-set

4. Natalya’s Rapid Fire Build

“A beast for the slaughter.” -Demon Hunter

The Playstyle for this Demon Hunter is significantly more about range as you use both Rain of Vengeance and Rapid Fire.  Thanks to the Ring of Royal Grandeur,  more than one group of set bonuses is at play here with Natalya’s Vengeance and Aughild’s Authority equipped.  This build also benefits from Sin Seekers in the off-hand as it takes away Rapid Fire’s channeling cost.

-After casting Rain of Vengeance, all damage to enemies is buffed 14,000%

-Sin Seekers removes the cost of Rapid Fire.

-Aughild’s improves damage to and from elites by 30%

Full build details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/demon-hunter-rapid-fire-build-with-natalyas-vengeance

3.  Might of the Earth Seismic Slam Barbarian

What evil is this? Could it be what I have sought these long years -- a foe worthy of my blade?" -Barbarian

This ranged Barbarian build is a phenomenal Elite Killer.  What? Ranged Barbarian? Before you throw your computer across the room and rethink your entire life, don’t. Ranged Barbs are rare and this one WORKS.

-The ranged attack Seismic Slam is buffed by the Might of the Earth set an additional 20,000% damage

-Leap (also buffed 20,000%) causes Earthquake which is also 20,000% stronger.

-Every time you use Seismic Slam, you reduce the cooldowns of Leap by one second.

Full Build Details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/barbarian-seismic-slam-build-with-might-of-the-earth

2.  Aegis of Valor Crusader build

"Do not hesitate to strike down your enemies. Death is their salvation from evil." -Crusader proverb

Utilizing both Heaven’s Fists and Heaven’s Fury, the Aegis of Valor Crusader is a straight-up Elite death machine.  Shield of Fury and Bane of the Stricken act in harmony to beef up the damage dealt by Heavens Fury.  Meanwhile, both skills are being buffed by Aegis of Valor.

-Shield of Fury causes enemies to take more damage from Heaven’s Fury for each time they are hit by Heaven’s Fury.

-Every attack with Fists of Heaven stacks a, 5 second, 100% increase in damage for Heaven’s Fury that can be stacked three times multiplicatively.

-Heaven’s Fury and Fist of the Heavens both are boosted 20,000% damage.

Full Build Details here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/crusader-aegis-of-valor-heavens-fury-build

1.  Shadow’s Mantle Impale

'Once, I was hunted. Now...I am the hunter." -A Demon Hunter

My favorite build and the one I am playing now, the Shadow’s Mantle/Impale Demon Hunter is less traditional than the typical vanilla ranged style.  This build allows you to vault from group of enemies to group of enemies, using Fan of Knives for trash and impale to quickly dispatch Elites.

-Shadow’s Mantle adds 6000% damage if you are wielding a melee weapon.

-Shadow Power gains the effect of every rune and lasts forever.

-Impale’s damage is increased 75,000% on the first enemy it hits. PLUS having Holy Point Shot in the offhand adds 2 additional knives to each cast of Impale.

Full Build Details Here: https://www.icy-veins.com/d3/demon-hunter-shadow-impale-build

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