[1.0.1.0] PRM Invoker Sorceress

Grim Dawn Classes, Skills and Builds
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1

Introduction
From the recent update 1.0.1.0 and I’m currently interesting in full set of Invoker. Convert Aether to Fire(15%) and Lightning(45%) and high CDR caster.
Along with making build challenge with no specific greens. Finally finish it.

PRM_Sorc.jpg873×719

Grimtool
Full build, General setup : http://www.grimtools.com/calc/r2BAdDNA
Defensive setup+reduce lightning effect : http://www.grimtools.com/calc/JVlJ95NO
Old offensive setup (wanna try Blind Sage) : http://www.grimtools.com/calc/p253MPZ5 // It’s ok for vanilla(main campaign), but in Nemesis fight and Crucible. It is completely get wrecked.

Note : From the picture, I use Leathery Hide component for helm because I don’t want to remove it and craft Prismatic Diamond. I often switch my sorceress styles. It’d waste my mats.

About Skills
Flame Touched : A lot of flat OA and Fire&Lightning bonus
Blast Shield : Very good defensive proc. It’s like a caster get extra huge shield for 4 secs.
Thermite Mines : Stackable -34% both fire and lightning resistance. So sweet RR
Flashbang : Best CC against boss and mobs

IEE : Only for crits and slightly energy regen + 1 point of wonder bonus
Mirror : Immortal for 3 secs. With high CDR this is very useful
Maiven’s Sphere : Very good defensive aura. Conversion is for reduced CC effect for some kiting.
OFF : 1 point of wonder and our stopper CC. Also it is to bind a devotion with.
PRM : It is our main build skill.
Devastation : Very good dmg source with additional AoE clearing and awesome dmg againts single target too.
Inner Focus : Get +%OA
Arcane Will : 1 point of wonder
Nullification : 1 point of wonder and it’s one of the best Arcanist’s skill. To remove buff from enemy and debuff from self.
Mental Alacrity : 1 point of wonder
Star Pact : Good exclusive aura for the build.

About Devotion [ul]
[li] Behemoth & Chariot of the Dead & Tortoise are defensive trio for survival.[/li]
[li] Widow is for stack -X% lightning resistance to amplified our dmg.[/li]
[li] Rhowan’s Crown is for unstackable reduced 30 elemental resistance.[/li]
[li] (general setup) Tempest is additional lightning dmg source [/li]
[li] (defensive setup) Dryad when combine with high CDR, it can restore about 10% health every 2 secs.[/li]
[li] Other is to fix and boost things like resistance and OA, DA, HP, Energy etc.[/li]
[/ul]

My Opinion
I get many defensive skills,devotions and procs due to this caster has low life regain method. Only procs, skills, potions make it sustainable in hard fight.

I understand that PRM is design to be good at AoE clearing. But in fact after I try several gladiator crucible runs. I’d say it’s worse than my last AAR sorc build. I need to “stand and shoot” little dmg PRM. The resistance reduction areas are so small. AoE clearing in other builds is better.

So the performance makes me disappoint in PRM concept a bit. AoE isn’t as effective as it could. Single dps is rather poor. Especially at long range AoE clearing isn’t do any advantage from close range. In close range, dmg source those around self is better from my experience in BWC sorc, Full set of Ulzuin, Rings of elemental balance and swirling around procs.

Elemental Seeker’s from Blind Sage. I think PRM may fits Blind Sage. Yes it is, but I need to sacrifice many good devotion routes. The result of this Tier 3 constellation even it has just been buffed. It’s still bad. Too close radius, low damage, don’t make profit to overall performance as Tier 3 should be. Losing RR from poor radius Arcane Bomb in Widow, extra lightning from Tempest and defensive procs seems too bad for getting Blind Sage.

I’d say playing Vortex of Souls Firestrike is like PRM with far better performance.

Video (Currently using mobile internet, I’ll upload on Monday while I connect to WiFi)
Fabius Fight - about 50-60 secs // beware of his blade barrier. You could kill yourself.
Mad Queen Fight - about 60 secs // nullification to her aura, then keep Mirror when she try to hit you with her hands

Leveling Guide

  1. Basic method. You can either play Crucible DLC to get some lv and devotion then play veteran or start veteran immediately.
  2. A single mastery is enough to clear veteran or normal. Play any skills you like. Both Arcanist and Demolitionist are newbie friendly and don’t need to know very much in deep mechanic. It is just throwing your skills then dodge any incoming dmg. Simple and easy. You can start with any of them.
  3. Getting 2nd mastery in Elite or higher. Focus in single or two dmg type.
  4. Go to Ultimate. Not different much for caster or range. You just do the same. Dodge N’ Skill.
2

Only 25k DPS and survivability below desired. IIRC my PRM (back in 1.0.0.8) was at 18-20k with Paragon set, Shroud of Illusion and some of the AAR items, not even using Invoker set. So the buffs only amount to this much.

Is star pact really better than reckless power, considering you get devastation as well?

The look of your devotion panel makes me even more sad about PRM. Like, “what, that’s all?”

3

I tested offensive setup(mentioned in third the GrimTool link) which has around 39k dps. Kill time isn’t far from this latest setup. It can be tanky at a moment but don’t last long.

I died in gladiator crucible around 100-120th wave by mobs or nemesis. Killing trash mobs around me slower than full ulzuin’s sets and my last pure aether AAR. It died too fast than my other subject. (using offensive setup)

So I ended up just like 25k dps but can be tanky and able to beat nemesis like fabius as a milestone before further test in gladiator crucible. Trash clearing felt the same as offensive. So I suggest 14k dps loss isn’t affect much for overall dps(Anyway, thanks for 2 devastation lol)

PS. I converted about 60% aether to Fire(15%) and Lightning(45%). With full invoker set there’re few rooms for aether and skill points btw. I think switch main dmg to fire&lightning which demo is good at will be better.

4

I was trying to evaluate that dagger and the invoker on a test character and got to 36K DPS / 40K PRM crits. http://www.grimtools.com/calc/m236jENR Its playable, but is all glass and very little cannon.

Druid is for stormcallers pact.

5

PRM as a main spell gonna suck what ever you do. :rolleyes:

6

Believe it or not it is, CDR from star pact lovers your devastation CD and thus devastation with star pact active has same if not higher dps value than devastation with reckless power.
Not to mention star pact value when it comes to CDR of defensive skills like mirror or blast shield.

To OP: Nice build but unfortunately PRM is still so underdeveloped that it pays more to boost devastation and relay heavily on it than to invest in PRM line. Even CT with same gear gives much satisfying results.

7

Does CDR apply to devotion skills right now? They iterated on that and I don’t know the current status.

8

Only thing that is changed afaik is shared devotion CD for skills like Blade spirit, termite mines, WD, etc. Rest should be the same so it should imo.

9

Dual decree Aether SB Prm is the only prm I have, dps max at 51k up and melts vanilla without devastation;) Perhaps at expac will see elemental at its full potential :wink:

10

Still Im sure that classic aether setup with offhand+2x devastation is ahead of it, due to the fact that it offers bit higher RR and 2 devastation’s (devastation dps goes easily to 30k).

11

if only devastation is allowed on a non offhand build:rolleyes: but nevertheless I am quite satisfied with the kill times without it:cool:

12

This is similar to my Aether Lightning Sorc

Although the problems have been stated by JoV already. Your main skill does little damage and the build is too dependent on devastation, although Anastera’s Helm certainly helps but the main skill performing poorly is always a minus point imo

13

Yes. When I place my cursor to the skills and procs. Cooldown is reduce by my CDR.

Like Turtle Shell is 16.5 from 4 sec. Blast Shield is 7.7 from 14 sec, Devastation 9.9 from 18 sec.

I hope my feedback may help dev to developed this 4 nodes skill better somehow. :smiley:

At first I planned on using TSS nuke by the eastern set, but the resistance and bonus rather poor. It cause so many problems. So I end up devastation again :cry:

14

video added :slight_smile:

15

Nice build. I have a very similar build but focus on removing the cold part of elemental damage through Warpfire and focusing purely on Fire/Lightning damage instead and loading up procs such as Ulzuin’s Helm/Ulzuin’s Pyroclasm/Warpfire/Wyrmbone Gauntlets.

I might try your build and see how they compare, though I’m still working on a couple of pieces of gear myself. Any reason you haven’t tried to squeeze and extra two points into overcapping PRM, or just stretched too thin?

16

I choose to convert aether part because it has more flat value than cold and I can’t raise my bonus aether high when focusing on elemental. Also both of my devastations have massive flat damage I could rely on. (lol I’m curious about why maxed 4 node skill < 1 maxed active and 1 proc skills :cry: )

I’m interesting in Ulzuin’s Pyroclasm too, but it gives bonus on demolitionist which I had only 4 skills.

About PRM, I have only +8 bonus points. So 24/16 is my max investment.

17

I played many different PRM builds, and I think the best overall is the boring Battlemage with a shield and Soldier shield skills.
Tooltip is lower than other combos but you gain DPS by not having to move much, and you don’t drop dead immediately vs. foes like Iron Maiden or Fab.
That char could clear Glad reliably but it was slow (~30m) and couldn’t keep the 10x multiplier in hard rounds.

I think PRM just needs a rework on how the middle 2 skills in the line work, they are quite bad. Or add some transmuters without penalties (similar to Fire Strike) that allow you to fine-tune the damage types better.
Or just keep boosting its damage until it becomes competitive with other skills. It has gotten buffs continuously over the last few patches, but it’s still on the weak side.
As the skill already has issues with high Energy cost and mixed damage types, there’s no reason why it should do subpar damage even when you deal with all of that.

(Panetti’s Wand is still completely useless for the build too. I just want it to actually replicate missiles like the name implies so I can throw missiles everywhere. :))

18

I want homing missiles (which make all waste projectiles become 100% effective) :wink:

It’ll be very OP :stuck_out_tongue:

19

Hear our prayers Zantai please… PRM is still mediocre at best, we want moar damage especially on its elemental form :cry: