Questions - mechanics of multiple projectiles and arrow skills

I will use xMP to refer to either of GMP or LMP. How far are projectiles from these counted as independent shots?

1. I am aware that Freezing Pulse with xMP allows multiple projectiles to hit the same target. As far as I know, Flame Totem has the same effect. Can someone confirm? If I link xMP to - say - Burning Arrow, then use it at close range on a mob with a large hitbox (for example Brutus), will multiple arrows connect? If only one connects, do the others pass through as though Brutus was not there, or will they vanish due to line of fire considerations?

2. Now suppose I have a skill with an on-hit multi-target effect (Lightning Arrow, Ice Shot) linked to xMP. I fire into a tight group of mobs, and two adjacent arrows hit two adjacent mobs. There is a third mob behind, within the chain/AoE range. Is it possible for LA from both arrows to chain to the same mob, and will the AoEs from my two Ice Shot arrows both hit that third mob in the group?

3. Confirm that the Ice Shot AoE (converted weapon damage) is, in fact, affected by weapon elemental damage modifiers?

OH. Spells shotgun and attacks don't. Learnt something new today, thank you!

Further questions.

1. Confirm that with a 0% Projectile Weakness curse at level 20, plus Piercing Shots the passive, I have a 94% chance to pierce?

2. Specific to Ice Shot: Added Fire and Hatred apply to the AoE portion of the skill as well. Yes?

3. As my projectiles are considered separately, a Life on Hit gem will proc once per monster per arrow including the AoE; this means it is possible to double count a monster for the purposes of life gain when it is hit by AoEs from two arrows. Yes? If so, what about double counting with the same projectile, due to the interaction with pierce?

4. Not on the subject of projectiles, an 8% hp node breaks even with the 40hp reward from the bandit quest at 500 base hp, is this right?

5. The "more" modifier on Projectile Weakness applies to the initial arrow hit. It does not apply to the additional skill effect (chain on LA, AoE on Ice Shot). Yes?

1) Yes.
2) The AoE portion is entirely cold damage. There's no physical there.
3) --Complicated/not sure.
4) Yes. Note that 1 skill point is slightly less than 8% life when you include travel costs on the tree.
5) The additional effect is also considered "projectile" damage and is multiplied.

Pneuma, do you have a view (or have you heard a generally accepted view) on how many projectiles from LMP and GMP respectively can reliably hit a boss when face tanking them (with, say, FP)?

My anecdotal playing time of late suggests GMP does more single target dps than LMP when face tanking, which may be counterintuitive to some.

Petrov.

Thanks Viper, appreciate the response. I'm actually in the loop on all that, what I was after more specifically was how many projectiles you can get to shotgun with lmp vs GMP generally. I appreciate for big bosses GMP will do more dps, but for, say, piety, it's not entirely clear whether or not you can get more GMP projectiles to shotgun than lmp projectiles.

I also appears to me that lmp projectiles are less closely bunched and, hence, may not shotgun as readily as GMP projectiles.


I ask because I'm trying to decide whether to run GMP or lmp in my 6l shiver/kaoms FP build.

Thanks again,
Petrov.

I can reliably shotgun all 3 LMP projectiles on Piety. Not sure about GMP.

And my question #3 in the second post was actually this: I have a non-xMP ice shot that pierces. I hit a monster with it (LGoH 1) and the AoE hits the second monster behind it (LGoH 2), then the projectile hits that second monster again because, y'know, ice shot and pierce. Does that count as LGoH 3? I think it should. I hope it does.