Part 1 can be found here:
Part 3 can be found here:
(Ongoing edits on a regular basis! Additions and changes to almost all sections...
Updates:
2015/01/16: added info and comparison discussion on
Unicorn vs.
Zapacorn vs.
Pegasus builds to the
Hunter section.
Hunter section moved to Part 2, and
Tips, Scenarios moved to Part 3, due to size issues.
2015/01/12: better quick tags/links for ease of navigation, along with some improved formatting.
2015/01/10: guide has been split into 2 pages (the full guide seems to exceed max characters). Includes revised standard builds, example builds, and the new
Tips, Scenarios section.
Table of Contents
Gods:
General Hunter Qualities:
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+ High single target damage
+ Strong late-game |
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- Squishy
- Um...squishy?
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Standard ADC hunter builds focus on most of the following: attack speed, power, penetration, critical damage, and lifesteal. CDR items rarely make an appearance, as their main damage usually comes from their basic attack. Some gods have great escapes, and some (like
Artemis) just really
suck at running away. In these cases, consider things like
Greater Sprint.
All standard meta builds start with
Devourer's Gauntlet, for its power and lifesteal for sustain. However, in the Assault mode, stacking items like that are banned. The closest item to that is
Bloodforge, and so I will substitute all builds by using that.
It appears that, due to the internet + maths, the
standard crit build is now considered
obsolete in many cases. Here is the basic build order, for reference...FYI,
total gold cost is 14,930.
I'm going to describe the main qualities of the
3 new meta builds side-by-side, for easier reference. They are:
- Unicorn build (originally created by Krett)
- Zapacorn build (credited to either BaRRaCCuDDa or Zapman, and obviously named after one of the two...I'll let you guess)
- Pegasus build (also created by Krett).
Build Lists and Quick Stats
Discussion:
For an in-depth video analysis with links to his data, check out Krett's YouTube breakdown here:
The Unicorn Build
The Unicorn (I guess its horn is a symbol for penetration) employs a higher amount of penetration items at the expense of critical damage, and is focused on getting as much as possible out of
Qin's Sais' passive by 1) getting it online early, at #3 in the build order, and 2) increasing attack speed. This means its biggest damage increase comes online first. It's also the cheapest of the 3, so it can be completed before the others, giving you a relatively stronger mid-game.
With regard to that penetration, it focuses on flat penetration, and is very effective vs. objectives (towers, phoenix). It's also great for hunters that use their damage abilities a lot (e.g.
Neith). Against enemies, it's most effective against bruiser builds (some protection, but not a complete tank build).
With no crit items, you're not dealing with RNG, and so you can expect reliable, steady damage. And that potential boost to lifesteal from
Asi means that in a boxing match against a low damage tank, you should be able to easily take them on and outlast them.
Of special note,
Brawler's Beat Stick's passive makes this a great anti-healer build. This isn't to say you can't slot this in another build, though.
Finally, I should mention there's a variant to Unicorn, called Execorn. The only change is that you slot in
The Executioner instead of
Asi. The main effect is that you'll have less sustain/lifesteal, but stronger penetration at full stacks. BaRRa says that he only prefers it on
Anhur.
The Zapacorn Build
As this build has almost the same gold cost as the traditional crit build, but has higher DPS overall, this can be considered to be its superior replacement. As you might note from the Quick Stats section above, it's pretty much middle of the road with all of its stats.
Since it has crits to go along with the protection reduction/penetration, it ends up being the best of the 3 builds against tanks. It's also pretty good against objectives.
This build maxes out attack speed at the time it gets
Qin's Sais at #4, so its power spike happens a bit later than the Unicorn, but earlier than Pegasus.
The most specific time that the traditional crit build might be better than Zapacorn would be against a somewhat squishy team, while using a god with a strong steroid (e.g.
Artemis or
Rama.
The Pegasus Build
The Pegasus build ends up with the highest DPS by far, at least with regard to squishier gods. As they get tankier, the difference in DPS, at least in comparison to the Zapacorn build, decreases to the point of being negligible.
Penetration in this build is perhaps the weakest of the 3, as it has low actual penetration (relies more on reducing protections via
The Executioner. This also means it's the weakest of the 3 at destroying objectives.
However, it is the only build that employs
Deathbringer (at #6). So when you have a full build, the combination of
Qin's Sais' and
Deathbringer's passives means you're going to tear through other hunters, assassins, and most mages. The biggest problem is that it costs significantly more than the other builds (almost 2,000 more than Unicorn!!!).
This build is great if you foresee a long, bloody match against a relatively squishy team. Might consider getting
Watcher's Gift in the early going to help with the gold issue.
Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses:
I'll make this section into a podium: 1st place, 2nd, and 3rd. I
think I'm pretty accurate here...
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Squishies
- Pegasus
- Zapacorn
- Unicorn
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Bruisers
- Unicorn
- Zapacorn
- Pegasus
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Tanks
- Zapacorn
- Unicorn
- Pegasus
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Objectives
- Unicorn
- Zapacorn
- Pegasus
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Anti-Heal
- Unicorn
- DNF
- DNF
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Ability Strength
- Unicorn
- Pegasus
- Zapacorn
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Mid-Game
- Unicorn
- Zapacorn
- Pegasus
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Late Game
- Pegasus
- Zapacorn
- Unicorn
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To summarize otherwise...
Use
Unicorn when:
- There is a strong enemy group-healer (e.g.
Ra, 
Hel, 
Guan Yu, 
Sylvanus)
- Your team has 4+ physical gods, and the majority of the enemies are building at least 1 protection item
- You plan to spam your abilities from afar, rather than get up close
- Your team is dominating and you think there's a good possibility the match will end early
- You like to complain about RNG
Use
Zapacorn when:
- You're most comfortable with the standard crit build
- The enemy team has a lot of tanks
- You want a good balance of effectiveness against all types of enemies
Use
Pegasus when:
- The enemy team is mostly squishies
- You have lots of $$$ and/or the game looks like it's going to last a while
Another important thing to consider is the god you have. Gods with some form of attack/damage steroid (e.g.
Artemis,
Rama,
Xbalanque,
Ullr) benefit a bit more from crit items. Gods with no steroid, but have good damage abilities or protection shredding (e.g.
Anhur,
Neith) work a bit better with the unicorn build, perhaps with a slight deviation (consider
Jotunn's Wrath in place of
Brawler's Beat Stick or
Asi).
Alternate, Situational Items:
There usually isn't a lot of deviation for most hunter builds (at least that I've seen), but why not? Break the meta.
Offensive Items:
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Power and penetration, with 25% CDR. Useful for gods (or players) that like to spam their abilities...good for certain ults (like Rama's nuke ult,  Astral Barrage). Probably a good choice for Anhur and Neith too, since they're pretty ability-dependent.
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I never use this, but this is a different approach to Fatalis. Power and health, plus your basic attacks (which you should be using) will slow the enemy by 30% for 2 seconds...helpful for the entire team to jump on the poor bastard.
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If you're confident in your aiming abilities, and your god has a good escape, this might help you stick on a retreating enemy, and the move/attack speed increase doesn't hurt. Only really functional if you don't plan to get Greater Sprint.
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Defensive Items:
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Situational, alternate mobility to  Warrior Tabi if there are 4-5 physical gods (and most are squishy). The physical protection really can help, and the added attack speed synergizes well with hunters.
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Situational, can work if there are 4-5 magical gods. Also provides power, so there is that...
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Magi's Blessing |
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Situational, can save your butt if you're facing a lot of enemy CC. Maybe bordering on essential for a god like Artemis who has no true escape.
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Situational, useful if there are 4-5 physical enemies. Power and physical protection, with a type of penetration aura for when you're up close and personal. Would assume it would be better in the late game, when you're blasting away.
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Example Builds:
Note: Since the standard builds are described above, I'll provide a couple of unique situations to show why I'll choose a specific template, and how I might deviate from it.
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God & Situation |
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Build
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Comments
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My team has a healer, enemy team = 3 mages (1 healer), 1 guardian, 1 assassin |
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Jotunn's Wrath
Warrior Tabi
Brawler's Beat Stick
Qin's Sais
Bloodforge
 Void Shield |
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Unicorn template, sort of, for ability damage, as well as anti-healing. Neith uses her abilities a lot, so Jotunn's Wrath provides 25% CDR and some penetration to support the Unicorn idea. Assuming the healer is doing their job, as well as the fact I can use  Unravel, I'm going to get Jotunn's 1st, and delay lifesteal as long as possible. If I get Brawler's 3rd, I really need to try to maximize my ability use to disrupt healing as much as possible. Void Shield's protection and penetration aura support the Unicorn, while giving some survivability against the 4 magical enemies.
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Quick Tags:
I've formatted this group a bit differently...3 categories: Basic Attack, Healing, and Nuking.
Basic Attack Gods:
Healing Gods:
Nuking Gods:
General Mage Qualities:
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+ High damage (some single target, some AOE)
+ Most have good minion wave-clear |
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- Super squishy
- Escape ability is often weak
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Standard mage builds focus on power, penetration, CDR, and lifesteal. The mage class has both the highest number of individual gods, as well as the widest variety of abilities, including group healing capability, long-range attacks, mid-range attacks, CC, and mobility. Barring the basic attack group (sort of...), all are extremely ability-reliant.
Mages are often the first choice for minion wave clearing (e.g.
Ra,
Anubis,
Eset,
Kukulkan,
Poseidon, and
Vulcan). Depending on if you're wave pushing or freezing (more on this in the
Tips section under Location Scenarios), it may be best to prioritize clearing the wave before targeting enemy gods.
*note* It is no mistake that I've put
Chronos in 2 groups, or that
Chang'e isn't in the Healer category. Explanations forthcoming.
Basic attack mage build:
*note* Chronos
can fit in this group, if you plan on using
Wheel of Time's Section IV (35% magical power contribution to basic attacks) a lot. Just note the slightly different build suggestions for him in particular.
Item #1:
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Start with mobility, planning ahead by choosing penetration over  Shoes of Focus's CDR.
For Chronos, though, consider starting like a traditional mage, with  Chronos' Pendant, based on his somewhat long CD on his 2nd and 3rd skills. If you do, play him like a traditional mage until you start getting the basic attack items.
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Item #2:
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Power, attack speed, and a form of stacking, increasing penetration. By the time you get this, you'll need to hold yourself back from diving in...don't get too cocky!
For Chronos' Item #2, get  Shoes of the Magi if you got Chronos's Pendant first.
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Item #3:
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First lifesteal, to help with sustain and teamfighting. If there's an enemy healer, consider  Divine Ruin instead.
For Chronos' Item #3, if you haven't gotten it yet, get  Demonic Grip and switch your playstyle up accordingly.
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Item #4:
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Huge power boost, which will also feed your lifesteal and help your boxing capability. If there are multiple tanks, consider  Obsidian Shard before this.
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Item #5:
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Additional move speed, huge attack speed increase, and the passive's sticking ability for those basic attacks. Locking this in at 5 now, because once you get the huge power boost from Tahuti, that's when you really want to start sticking on the enemy until they're dead.
For Chronos, his  Accelerate renders this item unnecessary. Maybe get Obsidian Shard or a protection item instead, depending on enemy composition.
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Item #6:
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Second lifesteal item, so that you can box with anyone. Also, the passive proc, with all of the magical power you've built, will pack a good punch.
As an alternative, if you're facing tankier teams, go for Obsidian Shard if you haven't gotten it by this point, or a protection item.
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Healing mage build:
*note*
DO NOT REROLL. If you reroll, your team's healing is likely gone. If you prefer a different god, see if anyone is willing to trade. If not, learn how to heal. You'll need to do so at some point anyway, and there's no better time than now.
If you roll a mage in this category, your best bet for your team to have success is to
play the role of healer. This means:
- Prioritize leveling your healing ability as quickly as possible...I'll cover examples of this more specifically in the Tips section, under General Tips/Skill Prioritizing.
- Spam that heal
- Don't waste your mana on anything but a killing blow...conserve for heals!!! (That is, unless you're the ONLY mage, and they need you for minion wave-clear)
- Don't die. Not being facetious here. You die, the rest of your team is likely to follow. Instead, be the General (Sergeant?) for your little squad...pull them back if they're extending themselves (VRR..."RETREAT!"), warn of incoming ults, whatever. Watch the whole field and communicate.
Item #1:
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25% CDR to begin means quicker heals. MP5 means less running out of mana. Combine this with  Shoes and Meditation before leaving the fountain for the first time.
This is before Shoes of Focus because you should be staying back anyway, and shouldn't need the move speed that badly. If there are 4-5 physical enemies, strongly consider  Breastplate of Valor instead.
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Item #2:
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Max your CDR, and gain mobility.
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Item #3:
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Make your heal as effective as possible, and add to your survivability with additional move speed and health...consider bypassing this if you're  Aphrodite, since she's a 1-target healer.
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Item #4:
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You should have plenty of mana by now that you can fully use your arsenal of abilities. This provides a big increase in power, while also adding to your healing strength.
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Item #5:
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Huge health increase for survivability. Alternatively, if you're dealing with enemy guardians or other CC, Magi's Blessing might save your bacon.
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Item #6:
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Power and penetration. Now you are a force in your own right.
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Nuking mage build (Items 1-5):
Nuking Mage Item #6/Utility Items:
Item #6 is for utility, and doesn't
HAVE to be #6. You might buy before
Rod of Tahuti if the situation calls for it. Here are some suggestions:
Utility Items:
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Give your guardian some CC support. Significant slow on hit. Great for AOE abilities, such as:
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Enemy healer? Main reason you'd get this is for anti-healing, and is the magical equivalent to Brawler's Beat Stick in that regard. Keep in mind, these effects don't stack. Also provides a bit of power and a good % of lifesteal. Most effective for gods with AOE or DOT (damage over time) effects, like Chang'e,  Nu Wa, Poseidon,  Zhong Kui, etc. (thanks to Hrafi for reminding me to put this here!)
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Don't use this much, personally. Provides good power and mana. Every 60 seconds, it procs extra damage. The 60 second cooldown for 15% damage (to max health) seems too long, and you shouldn't need the extra 300 mana if your team is doing what they should and buying  Salvation. I guess some swear by this, though.
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Defensive Items:
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Power and physical protection. Good counter item for multiple crit-build assassins/hunters, as it prevents multiple crits in a row.
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Magi's Blessing |
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Pure survivability item. A bit of both physical and magical protection, and a 350 health boost. Mostly, though, it's a counter to CC. Absorbs a hard CC every 45 seconds, and the rest of the time, reduces the effect's time by 40%.
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10% CDR, and good magical protection. Good against a heavily magical team and you want to spam that ult.
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If team compositions are so unbalanced that you're constantly getting pressured, even on the back lines, I don't know...maybe this would be worthwhile. I don't think I've ever gotten Urchin on a mage, though.
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Very situational. If there are 4+ physical enemies, I'd consider this on a god like  He Bo that does most of his damage up close, and doesn't have a good escape. Could definitely help with survivability.
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Power and magical protection, with a penetration aura. Situational against a heavily magical team, when you're a god like He Bo that gets up close to do the most damage. The penetration aura also helps other magical teammates do more damage.
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Example Mage builds:
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God & Situation |
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Build
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Comments
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Quick Tags:
Gods:
General Warrior Qualities:
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+ Flexible build styles
+ Great initiation/escape abilities |
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- Either bursty or low damage
- Have to get in close to be effective
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Warrior builds usually employ CDR, as their abilities are what define them. Perhaps more than any other class, their item choices determine their strengths and weaknesses. Tanky builds focus on protection, while bruiser builds target power and penetration. With the exception of
Osiris and
Vamana, their base attack speed is slow, so they don't focus so much on attack speed. Some have great mobility, some have strong CC. They're all over the place.
The first 3 items in my warrior builds usually look similar. Others might start out
Reinforced Greaves,
Sovereignty,
Hide of the Urchin, etc. I might consider Sov in special circumstances (
Ares in particular, with a team healer), but below is how I generally start.
Item #1:
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As you're learning, I don't often start out with mobility. Gaia is my go-to starting item for guardians and warriors, for its great sustain and magical protection. Only exception is if there are 0-1 magical enemies. If there are 2 or more, Gaia it is. Alternatively, if your team has a healer, the other side does too...maybe consider  Pestilence...or if you're planning to build tanky, Hide of the Urchin. Still hard to separate from that HP5/regen, and it IS noticeable when you don't have it.
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Alternate Watcher's Gift Starter Kit:
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Watcher's Gift is great for extra $$$, while providing some sustain. Pair with the talisman for enhanced sustain and magical protection. Finish off with Meditation and, if you want, buy a couple of potions...or just save it.
If you don't need the magical protection, replace the talisman with Cursed Blade + Salvation, for move speed, physical protection, and team support.
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Item #2:
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This one makes a lot of sense to me. Main mobility AND decent physical protection at the same time. The attack speed boost is a bonus. AAAND, on top of that, you get an aura that reduces the enemy's protection and power. I seriously think this item is underused. If no physical protection needed, think about  Ninja Tabi or Warrior Tabi for your mobility. Why not Breastplate of Valor for both protection and CDR? I think the next item is more functional in the long run.
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Item #3:
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25% CDR, with added power and penetration. Essential for all warriors, except maybe Osiris.
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And here's where things change up, depending on the team's needs.
Tank Items:
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Great protection for both magical and physical damage. Staple of any balanced tank build.
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Situational, for when facing multiple enemy ADCs. Physical protection, and give them a taste of their own medicine, just by tanking it like a man-god.
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Consider this one when there are 3+ physical enemies. I'm thinking of this item on a god like  Odin in particular, as his best damage (the 2 + 1 combo) can absolutely destroy someone, but then leaves him without an escape. If your team is doing really well and getting kills on a regular basis, the passive proc can help with sustain.
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No protection, but 400 health is good. Adds a bit of power, and adds a CC (slow) to your basic attack. Very functional for a tank.
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If there are enemy healers and 2+ magical enemies, this is a good one to have for its aura of decreased healing.
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High magical protection and a bit of power. There are probably better items to get, though.
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Lots of health and magical protection. I just never get this one myself.
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Example Warrior Builds:
Quick word on
Guan Yu: Like
Sylvanus, he is unique in his class for his group heals, hence his differing build. Since his recent buff (decreased cooldown for the heal), he can spam heals all day (well, until he runs out of mana, which happens QUICKLY.) If you roll him, you're likely the main healer. Don't screw your team over and build for damage. Instead, get that CDR maxed, ask people to
kindly get
Salvation early to help your mana, and keep your team alive.
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God & Situation |
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Build
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Comments
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Bruiser, 4+ magical enemies |
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 Stone of Gaia
 Hydra's Lament
The Executioner
Bloodforge
 Rage
Deathbringer |
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Early protection, moving into damage. His cooldown on his main ability  Sickle Strike is relatively short, so Jotunn's is maybe not necessary...Hydra's will suffice for the CDR, and since he'll be basic attacking, the added damage from the passive works well. His abilities have great CC, to help keep them close to you for a flurry of basic attacks. Somewhat similar to an assassin's build.
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Quick Tags:
And that's the end of section 2. The first and last parts can be found here!
Titan's Bane
Runic Shield
Rod of Asclepius
Ethereal Staff
Gem of Isolation
Bancroft's Talon
Healing Potion
Polynomicon
Pythagorem's Piece
Agni
Crescent Moon Dance
Wing Gust
Janus
Unstable Vortex
Whirlwind
Mysterious Fog
Zeus
Chain Lightning
Soul Reaver
Hastened Fatalis
Hercules
Witchblade
Shifter's Shield
Mail of Renewal
Raven Shout
Lunge
Ring of Spears
Improved Blink
I'm starting to watch a bit of video on
Thanks! I appreciate any and all comments, and it's nice to get a bit of positive feedback.
Sorry I didn't cover things like effectiveness against Gold Fury/Fire Giant...it's because my guide was specifically created with the Assault mode in mind.
That said, check out this link...
Reddit - New Hunter Builds
The guy at the end of the thread talking about these different builds said that the Zapacorn build was a superior one to Unicorn for the added crit against objectives like these. Zapacorn should be strong against objectives late game (
One other thing to keep in mind with Zap is that, if you want, you can adjust the build in the middle...instead of building
Hope this is helpful!
I saw the math video, but I don't remember too much of it, and the wi-fi here is kind of bad.