Artorias wrote on Apr 9
th, 2016 at 4:50pm:
PS: The game in heroic can still be a challenge. You guys may be triple completionists or something but people with few or no past lifes and no optimal gear playing on elite will definitely struggle trough some quests. As the abbot says: "let's see how you fare without your toys"
Most anything can be a challenge if you intentionally do it wrong or choose the hardest path. Warlocks are an easy button, sure, but there are plenty of other classes and builds that can do just fine as a first lifer in Heroic Elite.
Try rolling a 12/6/2 ranger/rogue/artie and running with repeating xbows. Level ups are 1 rogue, 2-3 artie, 4-15 ranger, 16-20 rogue. In the lower heroics, spend points for the AA acid or electric imbues and slot a level-appropriate RNG spellpower item to make random repeater a one or two shot killing machine.
Once you get enough enhancement points, reset the trees and take the relevant tier 5s in DWS and then start filling up AA for the elemental arrow imbues again. Once you get your 4th rogue level, get Fletching in the Mechanic tree. Put the rest into the AA imbues and spellpower.
This build requires very little self healing because mobs don't live long enough to get close in heroics. It has evasion, decent saves and can do traps. It has respectable amounts of ranged power and doubleshot, decent SA die, and solid imbue damage with the runearm imbues as a bonus. It has Sniper Shot, Head Shot, Merciful Shot, Leg Shot, Aimed Shot and Assassin's Trick for activated attacks that mow down entire lines of trash with IPS.
I solo'd the Amrath missions at level on heroic elite with this build on a first life SDK wearing the default SDK gear. Personally, I think this build soloed them easier than a Warlock.
As a bonus, this build can easily switch the enhancements around to take T5 in Mechanic and use great crossbows for Epic content if/when the relative DPS of the elemental imbues and repeaters starts fading.