(Split off from Arcanist needs CPR [sic] and Builders vs Zantai in the hope of gathering productive feedback for IEE specifically.)
Iskandra’s Elemental Exchange seems to be overwhelmingly used as a one-point wonder to access the generous crit bonus from Elemental Balance. Quoting from another thread:
I feel IEE is generally in an awkward spot: it’s a passive for elemental weapon damage which finds no applicable skill in Arcanist, and once you look beyond, both the skill and the mastery lose their appeal as secondaries.
IEE Woes
In practical terms:
- Tri-elemental weapon setups are fairly uncommon, and seem to prefer other skill lines and masteries for general utility (notably RR).
- Single or dual-elemental weapon setups seldom have enough conversion to make IEE worth the investment.
In terms of utility, compare the IEE line with:
- Inquisitor Seal/Arcane Empowerment + Censure (as seen in e.g. Arcanor, Spelldrinker, Malakor builds)
- Field Command/Squad Tactics (e.g. Runebinder, Malakor)
- Solael’s Witchfire + Curse of Frailty (again Runebinder)
- Presence of Virtue line (here are some thoughts by @adoomgod)
These comparisons are apples to oranges, of course, but their point is to show what’s in the basket of different masteries and try to understand why Iskandra’s own fruit salad ends up being less appealing. (Runebinder in particular stings: it grants an auto-attack that seems custom-tailored to IEE, and still people find it ineffective.)
Item support should also factor in these considerations: currently, the only IEE modifier is on a pet item, so there’s room for improvements.
Potential improvements
Some straightforward buffs to the skill line could be:
- The obvious: higher damage values.
- Extended elemental DoT duration.
Absent from other masteries, useful and thematically relevant. For single or dual-elemental setups, increased duration would also make it easier to reapply the right DoTs in time despite the 33-66% chance to get the wrong type. - Attack speed.
Boring, but always desirable for weapon-based setups.
Longer-term, we might want to consider more ambitious changes. Brainstorming:
- DA reduction, to further take advantage of Arcanist’s high OA from Inner Focus?
- Physical damage reduction, mirroring Nullification’s elemental damage reduction?