Core requirements
The advanced setup is A, and the budget setup is B.
- Traps
- Lightning Sentry 4 + Death Sentry 1
- Speed
- A 55 / B 85 IAS · A 110 FCR
- Defense
- Keep Fade active · Cannot Be Frozen
- Immunities
- A Sunder + Infinity · B Fire Blast 20
Attributes
Total attributes with equipment · hard points shown separately
| Strength | A 156 · B 65Total with equipment |
|---|---|
| Dexterity | A·B 136Total with equipment |
| Vitality | All remaining pointsHard points |
| Energy | 0No hard points |
Attribute calculations and equipment changes
Strength
A Spirit Monarch; B uses Natalya's Soul. Meet requirements without disabling gear on weapon swap.
Dexterity
Meet Crescent Moon Phase Blade's 136 requirement; maximum block is not the goal.
Vitality
After meeting equipment requirements, put all remaining attribute points into Vitality.
Energy
Use equipment mana/recovery and potions. Keep any Energy granted by equipment.
Skills
Level 90 · 101 hard points
Main skills and synergies
Supporting investment
Prerequisite · support 1 point each
Includes 12 quest points; equipment skill bonuses are excluded. Unlisted skills have 0 points. A and B use the same allocation.
Investment order
At levels 1–23, invest in 
Fire Blast and 
Wake of Fire for leveling, then respec at 24–30 to 
Lightning Sentry·
Death Sentry.
- Lightning Sentry20
Charged Bolt Sentry20
Shock Web20- Fire Blast20.
Fade10·Death Sentry6 and 1 shadow support points.
Equipment skill bonuses and allocation notes
The table and image show 101 hard points. Add equipment bonuses to all skills, class skills and skill tabs separately; synergies use hard points.
A and B use the same base tree. Do not mix the equipment or point swaps of optional variants into the base allocation.
A·B Shared · Level 90
Open this allocation in the simulator ↗
Equipment
A / B: compare modifiers and replacement requirements.
| Slot | Advanced A | Budget B | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon | A Runeword Crescent Moon | BRuneword Crescent Moon | Traps benefit from the wearer's enemy resistance reduction |
Weapon choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsPhase Blade · Shael/Um/Tir Finished weapon: 20% IAS · -35% Enemy Lightning Resistance B · Setup requirementsPhase Blade · Shael/Um/Tir Finished weapon: 20% IAS · -35% Enemy Lightning Resistance | |||
| Shield | A Runeword Spirit | BRuneword Rhyme | A: fixed 35 FCR · B Covers resistances and Cannot Be Frozen |
Shield choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsMonarch · Tal/Thul/Ort/Amn 35% FCR B · Setup requirementsGrim Shield · Shael/Eth 25 all resistances · Cannot Be Frozen | |||
| Helm | A Griffon's Eye | B Runeword Lore | A Improves both trap laying and Teleport |
Helm choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirements15% IAS jewel · 25 FCR · enemy lightning resistance reduction B · Setup requirementsOrt/Sol All Skills 1 · Lightning Resist 30 | |||
| Armor | A Runeword Enigma | BRuneword Treachery | B has no Teleport |
Armor choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsMage Plate · Jah/Ith/Ber Teleport · All Skills 2 B · Setup requirementsMage Plate · Shael/Thul/Lem 45% IAS · Assassin Skills 2 | |||
| Gloves | ARare gloves | BRare gloves | IAS increases trap-laying speed |
| Belt | A Arachnid Mesh | B String of Ears | B prioritizes survival |
Belt choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirements20% FCR · All Skills 1 B · Setup requirements10–15% Damage Reduced | |||
| Boots | A Aldur's Advance | B Natalya's Soul | Movement and missing resistances |
Boot choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsFire Resist 45 or higher B · Setup requirementsAt least 20 each cold/lightning resistance | |||
| Amulet | ACrafted amulet | BRare amulet | A Total 110 FCR reaches the 102 breakpoint |
| Ring 1 | A Raven Frost | BManald Heal | B Rhyme supplies Cannot Be Frozen |
Ring 1: choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsCannot Be Frozen B · Setup requirementsRegenerate Mana 20% | |||
| Ring 2 | ARare ring | BRare ring | A Maintain 10 FCR for Teleport |
Mercenary and weapon swap
| Slot | Advanced A | Budget B | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenary | A Act 2 Might  Runeword Infinity(ethereal Thresher)Runeword Fortitude Andariel's Visage(Ral) | B Act 2 Prayer Runeword Insight(elite polearm)Runeword Treachery Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest | A Conviction · B Meditation |
| Weapon swap | ARuneword Call to ArmsRuneword Spirit(Monarch) | B Staff with Teleport charges | Warcries before starting; regroup the mercenary after long travel |
Upgrade order
- Crescent Moon, Rhyme, Lore and an Insight mercenary
- Stabilize with Treachery, IAS gloves and Fade
- Obtain the FCR package: Griffon's Eye, Spirit 35, amulet 20, Arachnid Mesh and ring 10
- Improve movement with Enigma
- After Infinity, add the Sunder Charm and lightning resistance
Playstyle
- Before combat
Activate Fade and bring the mercenary. Burst of Speed would overwrite it and remove its resistances, so the base setup does not use it.
- Ordinary packs
Cloak of Shadows → 4 Lightning Sentries → 1 Death Sentry. Once the first corpse appears, increase Death Sentries to 2.
- Bosses
Place 5 Lightning Sentries in line with the boss and throw Fire Blast. Do not insist on Death Sentry against a boss without corpses.
- Handling immunes
A handles lightning immunity with Infinity, the Sunder Charm, Crescent Moon and Griffon's Eye. B throws level 20 Fire Blast at lightning immunes and explodes corpses made by the mercenary. Skip enemies that are also fire immune.
- B Farming areas
Start with the Hell Pit, Cows and outer Chaos Sanctuary. Avoid lightning/fire dual immunes and the Worldstone Keep when filled with souls.
- Transition requirements
Lightning Sentry and Death Sentry can be used from level 30. B is complete after level 54, when Crescent Moon can be equipped. Meet Hell resistance needs first.
Mechanics and notes
Attack speed and cast rate
Trap laying uses IAS; Teleport and Mind Blast use FCR. With a Phase Blade and Fade, A 55/B 85 IAS meets the 9-frame trap-laying breakpoint. A 25+35+20+20+10=110 FCR reaches the 102 breakpoint.
Modifiers that currently affect traps
The wearer's enemy elemental resistance reduction began affecting traps in 2.6; elemental skill damage bonuses followed in 2.7. Crescent Moon and Griffon's Eye are not merely display modifiers.
Synergies and corpse explosions
Lightning Sentry's damage synergies are Shock Web and Charged Bolt Sentry. Death Sentry is used for area corpse explosions, not synergy. Every 3 hard points in Fire Blast adds 1 shot.
Strengths, limitations and farming style
Strengths
Strong budget crowd control and corpse explosions
Broad coverage through lightning, fire and physical explosions
Limitations
Corpse-free bosses are slower than area farming
Gear trap-laying IAS and Teleport FCR separately
Additional variants
Dual claws
Two high-end +Lightning Sentry claws (2 total) use Weapon Block and a separate IAS/FCR setup. Simply removing Crescent Moon and Spirit loses resistance reduction and 35 FCR; treat this as a separate setup.
Burst of Speed
Use only when Hell resistances remain at 75 without Fade. Do not turn off Fade merely for speed.