I am now in Elite lvl 60 in Homestead. I was playing all time with AAR but longer I play with it the less I like the game. All I do is Olexras freeze after I use Devastation (what is good part) but I have to wait if there loot drops. Meanwhile I cast AAR but that spell is doing single target only.
I was playing in party with 58lvl guys they were faster in movement and they were jumping into pack of mobs too (that make them super fast) and clear speed was great too and they were melting bosses in few seconds while with AAR + Devastation it takes multiple times longer and I am moving much slower.
I look for advice if Panettis Replicanti Missiles will make me clear screen faster? I am now paying for respec 500 ore per point therefore I am asking what to do with it…
Generally AAR requires a lot of investment from both points and gear to become effective. PRM will probably suit you better until your gear gets better. AAR isn’t meant for clearing rooms.
Change. What the poster above say is all true but, imho, AAR atm is not worth to be picked even in late game, unless you really like the playstile it offer.
As for an advice for your build, I didn,t playued that much in multiplayer so I can’t comment too much as it make the game harder. That being said, without changing too much, using Callidor’s tempest instead of AAR could help you a bit.
For your lvl, having only one mastery isn’t common :p… it’s doable, but having a second mastery will help you.
I don’t have experience with Panneti’s Replicating missible, but it’s a AOE skill, and a ok-ish single target skill. And it takes quite a lot of points too, although the skill and the first modifier (distortion) have the greater impact on the damage of the skill, I heard. So maybe switching AAR for Panneti’s Replicating missible and it’s first modifier might help you!
I get great results with AAR on my Warlock, way better than the returns I get from PRM. Even transmuted, I can kill BoC bosses with the right build. What is concerning about AAR is that the linked skill increases the damage of AAR by negligible amounts. It needs a good look at, as that’s likely the reason that AAR is debatably bad.
AAR is really mediocre. And I got a decent setup. They don’t keep up with melee builds. The skill they’re using where they rush right into mobs is shadow strike and blitz. Yeah, if you’re teaming with Blademasters, they’re going to leave you in the dust every time, no matter how good your AAR build is geared.
AAR would make a decent pairing with a reflect/retaliation warder tank though. AAR can clean up the trash mobs that escape retaliation damage, and you’ll be able to safely unload all your DPS on bosses because they’ll get the aggro. I teamed with a warder tank for a few runs of BoC last night and we rekt it!
The stats posted are with all buffs, including Maiven’s Sphere & Aether + Chaos ward. Not including badge of mastery. With badge of mastery + the -250 DA debuff, and another proc that gives -80, I’m approaching close to 3000 DA on mobs. The DPS listed is for AAR. Devastation is around 28Kish.
You’d get much better results from AAR with Iskandra’s set than Clairvoyant’s. You wanna focus more on increasing the aether portion of the damage than the fire. I actually get even better results than that by using my aether chaos build and converting all of the fire damage to chaos with blood orb of ch’thon. Also, your spirit is very low.
Most of the gear I got raises both Aether and Fire, so its not like I’m having to choose between 1 or the other.
I went demolitionist purely for the survivability that flashbang provides. That and thermite mines mostly. I don’t currently have any Iskandra’s pieces or I’d consider using them. If the chaos focused AAR build is more effective, I might try it, just not with this build.
How much are your beam ticks for on the high end with your chaos version? The most I get are 12-13k ticks. Those are x2.0+ crits. That’s not enough damage IMO. I feel like I should be doing double that for the skill to really justify the energy cost.
I split by points 45/45 phy/spirit, and didn’t get much from gear. My spirit is only low because I didn’t put every point into it. But if I did that I’d be even squisher than I am now. On a build that’s barely survivable as it is in a lot of fights. I tried to balance DPS and survivability with gear, point spread and devotions. But in Grim Dawn, sub 10k HP and under 2000 DA is technically a glass cannon. But I’d rather my glass be tempered a little bit. But I still get shattered in 1 shot by wreck machines like “The Iron Maiden”. I got clubbed like a baby seal for 11500 by her.
On dummies, I’m getting 25-27K crits after de/buffs. I generally have little issues with survivability unless it’s against certain enemies, which I just kite. I posted the build here under the Apocalypse Now title. But yes, I’m definitely within the glass cannon range.
I was only saying that “mechanically” this skill is not for everyone, despite how much dps you can squeeze out of it… I agree that a well planned AAR build will definitively kill single enemies faster than a PRM one, but the latter is an AoE skill so there’s no much sense comparing how much damage those skill does…
I’m getting a little more than what I posted after debuffs. There was some confusion over which ticks were the ray or procs, but 20kish is about what I’m doing to dummies. But I’m not doing that much to bosses, and the 12 to 13k might even be on the high side vs some fights
Well, all the skills in the game are not made for everyone. My build is not even an AAR build, it just happens to utilize it. Generally a build is worth as much as the ability it has to kill and survive a boss. When you take each skill out of context, then any of them will look bad. It’s about how they mesh with other skills. The build I use doesn’t need PRM for AoE, and AAR is the bottom of the attack priority. It serves its purpose is all I’m saying.
You must be running an warlock if you’re using the blood orb of ch’thon? Warlocks are going to take advantage of chaos much more that a sorcerer. Sorcerer’s are not going to an easy way of regenning those HP the blood orb costs to use… Would make more since as to why chaos would work better for you. Plus you’d be messing with your conversions if you went with the clairvoyant’s set as it converts chaos to aether damage… Typically the clairvoyant’s set is more DPS, while inskandra’s set is survivability. Chairvoyan’t set has more % damage increases and OA, while iskandra has more armor and DA.
AAR can be a decent skill with the proper gear, but will lack screen clearing speed by itself. Callidor’s Tempest is currently the fasting for “clear speed”. It does decently early on but really needs an Agrivix’s Malice relic to shine. Going with an AAR build, it sounds like you’re doing it right with OFF/devastation and then AAR. Craft a warp stone and put it on your weapon. This will give you the SS/blitz skill and allow you to jump into packs. It doesn’t do as much damage or hit as many targets, but you gives you the mobility. Just warp in, hit OFF and devastation. Just make sure you have mirror ready to go if you jump into packs… The arcanist doesn’t have that single skill that really shine (maybe CT…), it is more a sum of the parts. You need to utilize multiple skills to get the class to shine and that can be difficult. PRM requires toooooo many skill points to make it work and still isn’t the strongest. TSS is random and hard to aim to make it a reliable skill. The next patch the devs have already said PRM and TSS will be getting buffs so maybe they become useful and also making AAR less desirable…
There are definitely more powerful (faster killing) classes out there. What is your 2nd mastery? Arcanist’s make a great support class if you truly don’t like AAR…
I have tried PRM though. Maxed it out. It is good spell if there are 4 mobs. If there are 3 or less AAR is better. With PRM I was not able to win on elite difficulty boss in Darkvale Gate. After 30 tries I switched back to AAR with Devastation and died only once. PRM is good for clear speed mobs in pack, but not suitable for boss fights. And for going through story PRM is just not good enough.
I have no 2nd class. I was thinking to take something with healing spell as going through story (mainly bosses) are good hp potions and Mirror of Ereoctes.
I will try “warp stone”.
To Scote: what class can you recommend to me if I forget about mage class?
My frustration: In fact I was thinking about leaving this game as I am absolutely surprised how unfair/tedious mage character is. Its because it has no teleport or whatever movement spell and with combination with no way to heal, because hp potion and mirror are on cooldown, only thing he can do is to wait to use spells again, die or run for life like a chicken. He just can not fight due cooldowns. Its bull****.
I red that Grim Dawn has to be more like Diablo games, that Grim Dawn is ARPG but with that cooldowns its more like mmorpg without mmo. I am very disappointed due that expectations.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying he should use it, but understand that just because he has access to a skill doesn’t mean he’ll be using it to its full potential. A move shouldn’t be judged based off a set of masteries that don’t back it up properly. I’m well aware his build is sorcerer.
I am now in Ultimate and even I have few items lvl 30 I have np. How I solved it? Not to be dependent on hp flask or Mirror so much solutions is to invest all points in to Conversion. On Ultimate difficulty most items drops are lvl 70 and I started to play Ultimate with lvl 66 and with Conversion I had no much problems. Actually it was much easier than Elite difficulty. And when I found boots with 19% to movement speed + Mark of Traveler enchant that Arcanist starts to be pretty cool :).
Ultima difficulty is much more fun than those before which were pain due waiting. Its my first character so maybe I just played Arcanist all time wrong. I am now in Twin Falls just hit lvl 71. I have died even once in fight with Cronley; and there were more bosses I havent died at all; maximum two times in Laboratory boss due his arrows. I am helping to regen AAR lvl 21 with Sacred Talisman from quest from Lost Elder. I have no mana issue.
That is skill tree I have actually with Devotion points as I havent them before as I didnt know I have them. I am thinking to take Elemenatal Balance and Fabric of Reality after. I will try to play with it a bit as I dont know how good Elemental Balance is. Arcane Balance seems like beast as well, maybe its worth to lvl it to max for 140% damage to all.
So thx again for ur time and gl!
… and I go to beat next boss… hopefully I will get legendary for Arcanist mage :), I found on lvl 70 Soulbinders Chain so now I have to wait 4 lvl to use it… yup, its cool, I know…
Nice, if you’re now in act three with a pure arcanist, you’re doing pretty good. You’ll be missing out on a lot of attribute’s, hp and energy that comes from a second mastery… But you have more points to use on skills in the one mastery you focus on… if you can make that balance work, then awesome…but it can be hard…
If you’re looking for a non-caster type, solder, nightblade or shaman are your opens to pair with the arcanist. Shaman has some nice synergies. Nightblade has Shadow Strike which can be abused with time dilation (hour glass devotion) for some INSANE damage, but that may go away or tweaked some in the next patch… Demo or Occ will support the caster themes… kinda depends on what you want to do…
Elemental balance is nice if you have the OA to support it. The + frostburn will help your OFF some, but the % is small. The biggest thing you’ll get from it is the crit damage, which can be big!! But you have to have the OA to support it… No OA=no crit=wasted + crit damage… Arcane Will does help, but the 140% damage doesn’t scale that well late game when you have bonuses over 1200-1500% already… But if you haven’t gotten to that point yet it will definitely help!
One point into Callidor’s Tempest and its transmuter, wraith of Agrivix is nice if you’re jumping into packs or just general swarm protection, the knockback will push mobs away from you (doesn’t work on heroes/bosses though).
