In the conclusions section of the Vitality AAR Warlock build I posted last week, I mentioned that I thought there should be some changes to the Mythical Abyssal Mask. The link to my build is below:
As it stands right now, this item is a good (but not great!) item for a Vitality AAR Warlock. Unfortunately, it is rarely (if ever) featured in a build posted to the forums.
If you are playing Vitality Drain Essence, then you’re better off using the blue Dreadwalker set to get full Aether to Vitality conversion, plus the skill bonuses. If you’re using BP, then you would use Dark One set instead and the same would go for using Devouring Swarm. Dark One set would be killer for classes using BP or DS in their skill set.
Although I proposed in my build thread to change the BP mod to allow for some AAR bonuses, I think the case could be made for simply adding the AAR bonuses to the existing item rather than removing something there already. Helms do exist that have support for 4 specific skills as well as item mods, so this could not be out of the realm of possibility.
To this end I suggest adding +2 to ARR, some flat Vitality Damage to AAR, have the helm convert 100% Aether to Vitality to AAR and most importantly, change the AAR beam to red visually! The item already has the 25% Aether to Vitality global conversion, so that fits the theme.
I would not remove the BP mods since going Warlock, you need more RR compared to going Spellbinder plus having to use another keypress balances out giving the extra RR to the skill. Alternatively, if you’re going Vitality AAR on a Spellbinder, you’re most likely going for the Clarivoyant’s helm since it’s +1 Arcanist/Necro. Making this change would give a Spellbinder a choice to go with this helm instead or stay with Clairvoyant.
The biggest thing I see with doing this change is that it makes Vitality AAR possible with 3 items versus the 5(!) it requires now, so that’s probably why nobody has put forth this build before (plus the damage is nothing compared to Aether/Lightning/Fire AAR!).
I agree that this would be bloaty, so my original suggestion was to just sub out BP for AAR mods like I posted in my build thread… doesn’t hurt to ask Z for more, right?
AAR has huge support for all other damage types and requires only a few items to make a viable build. Cold needs the Conduit, Fire needs only Hexflame and the Mark of Ulzuin, Aether has Clairvoyant set and Lightning needs 4 items, but is the most OP of them all.
Vitality AAR needs 5 and is worse than all those. AAR is a well-supported skill, that’s true, but I think for doing other damage types it’s not.
If anything, I would say to get rid of the Bloody Pox mods since there are other options for -%Vit RR that open up when you do that.
I think Devouring Swarm can definitely go. There’s tons of support out there for DS and relevant builds.
I think it would be cool have this be a DE/AAR/BP helm, for sure!
Yeah, you can, but that combo is suited for a Spellbinder based on their bonuses. That’s why I went the the Abyssal Mask and Bloodfury shoulders which have Occultist mods.
The other upside to doing this change to the Abyssal Mask is that there are more item options available to use… more diversity, you know?
Clairvoyant’s main trigger skill from full set is busted. If you need abysmal helm then you miss the set helm anyway so i think that balances out.
Although i never thought of it but currently Clairoyant is pretty much like Allegast where it is good at EVERYTHING with an absurd proc on top. Not to mention binders never worries about survibility. All this together makes the synergy crazy good to the point people can go full spirit and never worry about dying.
This is why only Aether AAR stands out right now, you don’t see mage hunters going full spirit or getting sub 5min kills.
That set is much like Allegast stacked with things it shouldnt all have. Then you’d have an abomination of a build where you dish out crazy dps while being safe from 80% of the game.
