Blade Sentinel

Blade Sentinel is an Assassin Skill in Diablo II.

Lore
This skill allows the Assassin to throw a razor-sharp device that flies back and forth between the Assassin and its target, slicing any hostile creatures in its path.

Synergies

 * Gives synergy to :
 * Blade Fury: +10% Damage per level
 * Blade Shield: +10% Damage per level
 * Receives synergy from :
 * Blade Fury: +10% Damage per level
 * Blade Shield: +10% Damage per level

Blade Sentinel is best described as a support trap, rather than as a primary source of damage. Unlike other traps, additional Sentinels do not effectively stack with each other, so single-target damage is low, and a single trap will often function just as well as five.

However, unlike other traps, the damage dealt by Blade Sentinels scales with melee damage; additional damage equal to 3/4 of the user's Weapon Damage is added to this skill. Furthermore, while the Character Screen does not display it correctly, bonus damage given by the skill itself is also boosted by off-weapon damage bonuses, including Strength and Dexterity, as well as auras, passive skills, and other sources of damage, like Fortitude or Phoenix.

This makes Blade Sentinels an effective way for an assassin to deal damage to multiple enemies at once, especially in circumstances where standard sources of splash damage are rendered ineffective. A fire assassin, for example, might normally be slowed by a pack of fire immune monsters; Blade Sentinel can help the assassin to kill them more rapidly, for a relatively low skill point investment.

An important note is that Blade Sentinels function well with poison charms, but poorly with Venom. Dealing small amounts of damage to multiple targets can result in most damage dealt simply being regenerated away. Even a single poison charm can prevent this regeneration, allowing damage to accumulate over time, with a single Sentinel easily capable of poisoning entire groups of enemies. Venom prevents this, capping poison duration at 0.4 seconds, allowing enemies to regenerate, often more than the damage provided by Venom.



Skill Progression
Mana Cost: 7

+3/4 Weapon Damage