D2R Lightning Sentry Assassin Build Guide for Season 8

Diablo II: Resurrected players have different playstyles. Some people want to get up close and personal with the enemy by choosing the Barbarian or the Paladin, while others prefer spellcasters like the Sorceress or the Druid to keep enemies at bay.

However, what if you want a speedy character that is perfect for a complete beginner? Is there a build that has the potential to kill enemies even on higher difficulty levels? There are plenty, actually, but the one we are going to discuss here is the Lightning Sentry Assassin.

Popularly known in the D2R community as the "Trapsin," this build utilizes deadly traps that can zap enemies or make them explode. If this sounds interesting to you, we invite you to join us as we unravel the mystery of the D2R Lightning Sentry Assassin!

Why Choose the Lightning Sentry Assassin?

The Lightning Sentry Assassin is a bonafide trapper who is able to utilize a couple of devastating traps to destroy enemies. Chief among them is Lightning Sentry — a device that unleashes a deadly bolt of lightning to nearby enemies. The resulting lightning bolt can pierce through enemies, which is why laying down several of these traps is needed if you want to maximize damage.

Another important part of the Trapsin's kit is the Death Sentry. This trap makes the corpses that you see on the screen explode for huge amounts of damage. This is akin to the Necromancer's Corpse Explosion, albeit done automatically once you have laid the Death Sentry down.

While most skills in the game are affected by Faster Cast Rate, how quickly you set those traps up is actually influenced by your attack speed. That is why Burst of Speed is also a core part of the Lightning Trapsin even though the skill is not necessarily leveled to the max.

In addition, the weapon for this D2R Assassin build is not tied to claws at all. You could certainly use claws if that is what you prefer, but the good news is that you are not forced to. This opens up avenues for certain D2R runewords that provide more value than claws, such as Crescent Moon or Infinity.

Playstyle

For those who are not familiar with Lightning traps and whatnot in Diablo II: Resurrected, there is a limit to how many traps you can lay down at a time. More specifically, you can have up to five traps on the ground. Setting up a sixth trap immediately after the fifth will only replace the first one you have laid down.

That said, the ideal number of lightning traps you should put on the ground is four and then follow it up with a single Death Sentry. The latter is best placed in the middle of the screen so that it won’t have any problems blowing corpses up.

It is also worth noting that you have to space out your Lightning Sentry for better coverage. This is because the said trap only has a limited range, so you want to make sure that every monster on the screen gets zapped by the lightning bolts.

Remember that your trap-laying speed is tied to your attack speed. This is why it is imperative that you keep an eye on Burst of Speed, making sure that it is up at all times. For best results, use Battle Command first (from Call to Arms) to raise the level of Burst of Speed.

This Lightning Sentry build has some amazing skills that provide utility when the going gets tough. Cloak of Shadows will cause enemies to stop in their tracks, which is great if you want to get out of harm’s way. It also has the added benefit of reducing the defense of nearby monsters, causing them to take increased damage from your traps.

Moreover, when you are surrounded by groups of enemies, you can utilize Mind Blast to your advantage. This skill is mainly used for its five-second stun, but it can convert the feeble-minded too! Mind Blast is incredibly good against monsters in densely populated areas, including the Chaos Sanctuary, Throne of Destruction, and the Secret Cow Level.

Stats

• Strength: 95 is adequate, 156 if using Spirit shield
• Dexterity: None, 79 if using claws
• Vitality: Spend all remaining points here
• Energy: None

Stat allocation for the D2R Lightning Sentry Assassin really boils down to your equipment preferences. For instance, if you are using the Infinity or Crescent Moon runewords, you do not need to spend any points on DEX. But, should you wish to dual-wield claws to truly feel like an assassin, you could allocate up to 79 points to dexterity depending on the type of claw you are going to use.

Despite laying down multiple traps in quick succession, investing in Energy is not required. Therefore, any attribute points you have left after spending them on STR and DEX should be dumped on Vitality to improve your chances of survival.

Skills

• 20 points on Lightning Sentry
• 20 points on Death Sentry
• 20 points on Charged Bolt Sentry
• 20 points on Shock Web
• 20 points on Fire Blast
• Put 1 point on the following skills:
  • Claw Mastery
  • Fade
  • Psychic Hammer
  • Cloak of Shadows
  • Mind Blast
  • Weapon Block (if dual-wielding claws)
• Spend remaining points on Burst of Speed

The focus of this Diablo II: Resurrected Assassin is Lightning Sentry and Death Sentry. All other traps that are highlighted above are only maxed out because they provide synergy, and therefore, more damage to your primary skills.

After that, there is some room for flexibility when it comes to the remaining skill points that you have. Cloak of Shadows and Mind Blast are tools that you can utilize whenever you are in a bind. But, if survivability is not an issue, you can certainly spend those two extra points elsewhere.

Although some people would argue that Fade is not necessary for this Lightning Sentry build, it is pretty helpful for just one skill point. Fade is just too hard to pass up, primarily because of the resistance bonuses it provides.

Of course, any unspent points should be allocated to Burst of Speed. This Assassin skill enables you to set up traps quickly, thus improving map-clearing efficiency.

Now, if you have seen other D2R Trapsin builds before, you have probably noticed that our version does not have Shadow Master allocated. The reason for this is that Shadow Master shares your five-trap limit. Since the traps that they use are inferior to yours, then it just does not make sense to get this skill other than the clone soaking damage for you.

Breakpoints

Your D2R Assassin's attack speed greatly influences how quickly you can lay down your lightning traps. However, calculating attack speed is a bit difficult in this game because a lot of factors have to be taken into account, including the type of weapon you use, the skills that you want to cast, and if Burst of Speed is enabled, etc. If you want to hit the attack speed breakpoints to improve your efficiency, you could use this handy IAS calculator.

As for Faster Cast Rate, you still need to raise this up a little bit to reduce the animation frames of Teleport (from Enigma). 65% Faster Cast Rate is fine, but 102% is better. Achieve a higher FCR value if you can.

Improving Faster Hit Recovery is not mandatory for this D2R Assassin build, but it certainly helps you survive against the minions of Hell. Aim for 48% FHR because this is the most achievable without compromising damage and other stats.

Lightning Sentry Assassin Gear Recommendations

Among D2R builds, the Lightning Sentry Assassin puts a heavy emphasis on increasing attack speed to ensure that several traps can be set up in a jiffy. Besides that, reducing the enemy's resistance to lightning damage is of utmost importance, especially if you want to go in and out of farming areas quickly.

Helmet

Back in the old days of Diablo II, the lightning resistance reduction granted by Griffon's Eye was bugged and did not work against monsters. Fortunately, this has been resolved in D2R, making this unique helmet the prime choice for the Lightning Sentry Assassin.

Aside from that, Griffon's Eye grants 25% FCR, +1 to all skills, and up to 15% lightning damage. You can take things up a notch by inserting a Rainbow Facet: Lightning unique jewel to further reduce the enemy's lightning resistance.

Body Armor

Treachery is a D2R runeword that is often used by Act 2 Mercenaries to increase their attack speed significantly. However, it is an even greater runeword for this Lightning Sentry build as it raises Assassin skill levels by two. Furthermore, you can take advantage of the level 15 Fade buff that it provides, saving you one skill point that you can spend on Burst of Speed.

Similar to other D2R builds, the endgame body armor for this one is Enigma. Having the ability to use Teleport to arrive at your destination quickly is just too hard to beat.

Now, Enigma requires two expensive runes, namely the Jah Rune and the Ber Rune. If you need them immediately, our D2R store has a healthy stock that you can purchase for a cheap price!

Weapon

Despite being an Assassin, you do not need to use claws here. This gives you the freedom to use other weapons and runewords like the Crescent Moon. By inserting the Shael, Um, and Tir runes into a three-socketed sword, you will have a weapon that can reduce enemy lightning resistance considerably.

If you are going for the Crescent Moon, we suggest that you put the aforementioned runes into the Crystal Sword. This is because this base weapon has the lowest STR requirement among other swords that have three sockets.

A good alternative to the Crescent Moon is Infinity. This is another D2R runeword that significantly reduces the enemy's resistance to lightning damage. The runes needed to create this runeword (Ber, Mal, Ber, Ist) are expensive, so you may want to stick to Crescent Moon if you do not have the budget for this one.

Take note that if you are going to use Infinity yourself, you need to replace the weapon for your mercenary to avoid conflict. Additionally, you should use a four-socketed Scythe for its low attribute requirements.

Now, if you really want to use a couple of claws to fulfill your desire to be a true Assassin, then you should grab those that have +3 to Lightning Sentry and some attack speed to boot!

Switch Weapon

• Call to Arms for Battle Command and Battle Orders

Shield

You can wear a shield only if you wield the Crescent Moon. Anyway, the Spirit Shield has everything that this build needs. It has +2 to all skills to make your traps more potent, 35% FCR to make Teleport a lot smoother to use, and 55% FHR that enables you to quickly get back up your feet when you are hit by the enemy. Spirit also provides 35% lightning resistance, which is helpful in addressing the huge resistance penalty of Crack of the Heavens.

Shield Swap

Spirit Shield is always a nice complement to Call to Arms simply because it raises the level of Battle Orders and Battle Command. However, there is another shield that you can use, particularly when you find yourself struggling to sustain mana.

Phoenix is a runeword that is created by inserting two Vex Runes, in addition to the Lo Rune and Jah Rune, into a shield with four sockets. This allows you to take advantage of Redemption Aura, which redeems nearby corpses to restore your health and mana. Only switch to Phoenix if you need to top up your resources because it will cause corpses to disappear, making Death Sentry useless.

It should go without saying that both Spirit and Phoenix require at least a Monarch Shield because of the runes needed to create them.

Gloves

Attack speed plays a huge role in the success of the build. Thus, the best gear for Lightning Sentry Assassin in this slot is a pair of gloves that contain attack speed and other useful bonuses.

Boots

Because you are utilizing some D2R lightning skills to destroy the forces of evil, you will encounter monsters that are immune to lightning damage at some point. They become increasingly common as you venture into Act 4 areas in Hell Difficulty, such as the infamous Chaos Sanctuary, for example.

To ensure that your traps are still effective against them, you will need to put Crack of the Heavens in your inventory. This is a sunder charm that decreases enemy lightning resistance to 95%, making them susceptible to lightning damage.

The problem is that Crack of the Heavens has a huge downside, where it also reduces your lightning resistance up to 90%! Take note that this is on top of the resistance penalty imposed upon you while playing in Nightmare or Hell Difficulty!

To address that, you have to wear boots that have at least 30% lightning resistance. Other bonuses to look for include HP, Enhanced Defense, and MF.

Amulet

Mara’s Kaleidoscope is an easy way to increase your lightning resistance. What's more, this unique amulet increases the level of your skills by two, making your traps even more deadly.

While Mara’s Kaleidoscope is already quite amazing, the bonus to elemental resistance it provides might not be enough. If this is the case, you could opt for a rare amulet that has more than 30% lightning resistance. You might want to grab one that increases Assassin skill levels while you're at it.

When you have sufficient resources to buy an expensive item in D2R, we will definitely recommend Highlord's Wrath. This unique amulet increases your attack speed by 20%. It even has +1 to all skills and 35% lightning resistance as well!

Rings

Without a high attack speed, you will be excruciatingly slow at putting down traps on the ground. This is further exacerbated if you go against enemies that deal cold damage because they have a chance of freezing you. To prevent this from happening, you should wear Raven Frost in one of your ring slots.

Being a Trapsin, you need a good amount of mana to utilize your skills. The Stone of Jordan is a popular unique ring that increases your maximum mana considerably. In addition, the SoJ grants that ever-useful +1 to all skills.

Belt

Did you know that the Arachnid Mesh is the only unique belt in Diablo II: Resurrected that has FCR and +1 to all skills combined? It is no wonder why it is widely used in the game because these bonuses are just too hard to pass up!

Charms

• Hellfire Torch: Specifically with +3 to Assassin Skill Levels
• Annihilus: +1 to All Skills and +20 Attributes
• Gheed’s Fortune: to improve your Magic Find
• Grand Charms: +1 Traps, + to Life
• Small Charms: + to Life, Lightning Resistance %
• Crack of the Heavens: Sunder charm mainly to break the monster's immunity to lightning damage

Mercenary

Hire an Act 2 Mercenary and have them wear Andariel's Visage and Fortitude. The weapon that your mercenary uses depends on your main weapon. If you wield Infinity, have them utilize Insight for that Meditation Aura. Otherwise, equip them with Infinity for that lightning resistance reduction.

Here is the ideal gear for your Mercenary:

• Weapon: Infinity OR Insight (depending on your weapon)
• Armor: Fortitude
• Helmet: Andariel's Visage with Ral Rune (+30% to Fire Resistance)

Tips and Strategies

• Trap Placement is Key: While it is tempting to just stack the lightning traps on top of each other, you are better off spacing them out a bit to ensure full-screen coverage.
• Having Problems with Mana? Use Phoenix: The Phoenix Runeword grants the ability to activate Redemption Aura. Put Phoenix as your second shield and swap to it whenever you are low on health and mana.
• Always Have Burst of Speed Up: It is crucial to your success to have Burst of Speed active at all times for that huge boost in attack speed. If you recall, attack speed is more important for the Trapsin because it influences how quickly traps can be deployed.
• Utilize Utility Skills to Survive: Besides your Lightning Sentry and Death Sentry, Cloak of Shadows and Mind Blast should be used religiously as well. Frequent utilization of these skills will greatly improve your survivability.
• Do Not Take Shadow Master: Contrary to what other D2R Trapsin builds say, taking Shadow Master is a detriment to your overall efficiency. This is because the traps that the clones put on the ground contribute to the five-trap limit; not to mention that their traps are significantly weaker than yours.

Final Thoughts

Diablo II: Resurrected might seem easy early on, but believe us when we say that monsters become even more frightening as soon as you reach the higher difficulty levels. Instead of being in the thick of things, the Lightning Sentry Assassin is a build that is easy to recommend to complete beginners.

This is because you can set traps from a safe distance, thus keeping yourself out of harm’s way. Both the Lightning Sentry and the Death Sentry have considerably good range, which means that enemies that you see on the screen will surely get electrocuted within seconds!

Unlike other Diablo II: Resurrected Assassin builds, this one does not force you to wield dual claws, though the option is there if you want to. With incredible survivability thanks to Cloak of Shadows and Mind Blast, it is no surprise why the Lightning Sentry Assassin is one of the best D2R builds in Season 8!

So, are you going to play the Lightning Assassin Sentry in Diablo II: Resurrected? If so, please share your experiences in the comments. Perhaps other interested persons can learn a thing or two!

If you need to get your items without spending countless hours farming them, be sure to pay our D2R store a visit. We are happy to serve you!

PROS

• Beginner-friendly
• Can start with budget gear
• Clears huge packs of monsters easily
• Good survivability for an Assassin build
• Slays Uber Bosses with the right equipment

CONS

• Endgame gear requires a heavy investment
• Must have Crack of the Heavens to deal with monsters with lightning immunity
• May not be the ideal build for P8 Hell Difficulty