Dual setup for max effectiveness (solo/group) black widow dps pvp
Guide by jonix Last update at Jul 17th 2013, 11:55

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S.H.I.E.L.D. Assault 1
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First off, I didnt use all the points. Chances are you won't level all the way to 60.
Abilities I leveled to 20 are abilities you should max.
Abilities I leveled to 1, are 1 pt wonders.
Abilities I leveled to 5, are abilities i feel may deserve additional points depending on personal playstyle. (level them as you wish)

Moving on, for solo play I do not use the artifacts listed. In solo play, you can swap to +damage artifacts as drones scale very well in solo play with +damage (generic or physical). Also, Sudden slash's "bleed" scales really well with +damage as well.

Currently without any artifacts or medals my black widows sudden slash bleed ticks at 105 (5 ticks total). If I equip a + 83 damage HAMMER Ordnance artifact and +87 damage MODOK medallion (combined +170 damage) Each bleed ticks for 271 (+166 increase each tick, 830 damage total). Thus, each +1 damage yields +4.8 actual bleed damage. Sudden slash's "bleed" is also unaffected by group damage scaling reduction because it is considered a DOT. Making it a potent ability for bosses in limbo.

+damage on Drones is very effective ONLY in solo play. Each +1 damage yields ~.7-.8 actual damage. However, each drone gets the additional damage, considering endgame widows can easily get 40-60 drones per cast, each +1 damage yields about 35-55 damage per cast!

The problem is +damage on drones scales very poorly in groups because drones are affected by the scaling reductions in large parties. Essentially your drones damage will be reduced by upwards of 80%! Subsequently, each +1 damage will also be reduced by 80%. Thus, I suggest utilizing a different mechanic in which drones scale very well--proc %.

Many % proc items with status affects like "burning", "bleeding" and "poison" avoid the scaling reductions in group scenarios because they are considered DOT's. Drones proc coefficient is 1:1 meaning EACH drone benefits from each % chance to proc. (internal cooldowns do apply for cosmic items)

With the listed artifacts and medals, EACH drone will have a cumulative~40-50% chance to proc somesort of status affect. Some of these status effects are AOE's AND DOT's. This is VERY VERY powerful in endgame scenarios and much more effective than sticking with a purely +damage build.


Thanks for reading. If you found this post helpful, please vote and give me a "thumbs up". If you have any questions, feel free to ask on the guide, or in game (IGN Jonex).

Happy Hunting.