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Quote from Aftershock416»

Could you explain the reasoning behind the use for Cosmic Strand? It seems to me, with the Illusionist passive, that there are several other sources that would serve you much better. I understand that improves mobility, but in higher grifts, wouldn't more damage or survivability be a better choice?

Other than this, it's a very good build. +1

Thanks!

I think Cosmic Strand will be the best option because of the increased mobility, not only in between packs, but when in combat. You can dodge more attacks and if you happen to Teleport in a location that becomes compromised quickly, you can reposition without having to get hit again. CS also improves the uptime of your Safe Passage, especially on RG's that don't attack too quickly (but can wreck you with just a few hits).

Other wizard sources are possible, namely Orb of Infinite Depth, but this also requires a skill swap. I've included this in the Alternates section.

Quote from Agefirotos»

How easy would it be to drop unity to play with a friend. And if I do that what should I replace it with, convention of elements ?

For group, CoE and Oculus Ring are good options. I've updated the guide to list this.

Quote from tothan»

Hi Cratic. I've got two questions.
1) Do you still play this build? If so, have you changed anything?
2) Ranslor's Folly still hasn't dropped for me and that why I may underestimate it but wouldn't it be better to use APD and Crown of the Primus in the cube? You would then have:
10% increased speed,
15% more damage for enemies in bubbles
and the effects of other runes.

I started out the season with this build, and was easily able to get GR70+ with it. I've been testing out a Hybrid no-channel/channel variation. I'll post a guide for that build once we get it nailed down. It plays very similar, mostly manually casting the twisters.

Edit (1/30/2016): Tested Primus a bit more. You can gain an APoC roll when wearing it, but this is not the best since you'd need to use RoRG and give up a ring slot. Cubing Primus and slotting Unity, CoE, or Oculus would be the better way to fit it in.

Both Primus and Nemesis are good options if you're dropping Ranslor's. These are also great options for group play.

Another good swap might be wearing Witching Hour, and cubing Shame of Delsere instead. This would give you an extra AS and CHD roll.

Updated guide with link to the Hybrid no-channel/channel build I've been testing out. Playstyle is very similar. It's pretty fun too - check it out:

• http://www.diablofans.com/builds/73302

Updated guide with Aether Walker as a recommended option based on the latest solo Twister meta. I had tested AW on the PTR but couldn't get past GR80 without killing the elites, hence the furnace. I assume as you acquire better gear and get to the point where you need the perfect rift anyway, AW becomes more viable at the top end.

I have to admit I couldn't get it to work back then, but I do love the playstyle. MM:Seeker + Mirrorball is also a good combo with the AW.

I'd love to try out a non channeled setup similar to the meta (which is basically what this build is when you swap in AW) - so I'm including AW as a recommended item.

Quote from tothan»

Thanks for writing down the changes as it is difficult to tell the difference (because the guide is long). There should be a feature for seeing the diffs between subsequent updates.

What do you think of the fire version of this build?

Thanks! I'll work on editing the build so it is shorter, and easier to read.

From a pure DPS perspective, the fire version is good, but won't get quite as high as the raging storm rune, even with the extra elemental damage. The double damage from Raging Storm is still better than the RCR you might get from Cindercoat. Having to cube RoRG (with DMO) also means you are out a ring slot, which is a big hit.

Dropping the generator and picking up OID with EB is likely the only way you'd be able to get the defense required for higher GR, and thankfully the RCR would allow you to do that, easier than the arcane version. See an example of this setup I did on the PTR here:

• https://youtu.be/3jOk71Htsls

The damage from OID is multiplicative (@1.2X), but still would not get the fire quite as high as a raging storm setup.

Dropping Magic Weapon and swapping in Flame Blades would also be an option, but I'm thinking it would be less optimal, since you'd have to stop casting Twister to regain the buff. MW:Conduit or FN:Deep Freeze or possibly MW:Deflection or DS:Enduring Skin (if you're going shielding) would likely still be better for this skill slot.

I tested fire twister DMO on the PTR and got it into the mid-70's. I bet if you optimized such a setup, you might be able to push close to GR80 with it.

Fire does have a lot of utility and ele% items, which allow it to work out fairly well with an LoN setup. Check out this video @GR75 by HaOaH:

• https://youtu.be/8Act61HTcgA

Updated affixes secton. Shifted RCR roll off weapon to ring2 and/or source. AS / %Dmg will give better damage overall IMO. AD is still adequate for weapon. Also modified recommended ring roll to prefer AD over INT or +Avg Dmg.

Also updated with color coding to easily show both high and low AS setups.

Quote from tothan»

I thought it triples your AP gain from Shame's but it unfortunately does not...
And one more question - why do you suggest skipping channeling pylons? Is it a joke? : )

Shame won't triple unfortunately, but the extra missiles from Mirrorball have full chance to proc APoC and Conduit, in addition to the primary missile. This means with say, the Seeker rune, you have 100% proc coefficient X3 hits. This is very good for the RG or finishing off a single elite.

With AW since you already have greatly increased mobility, using MM:Seeker makes the RG fight more fluid. In a perfect match you'd want an RG with pets (and wouldn't need the signature as much), but sometimes the adds don't spawn quite in time to sustain the Twisters throughout the entire fight.

Unless you happen to hit a channeling pylon near the RG spawn (or you're wearing nemesis), there isn't really a reason to click them. Map should be dense enough to sustain casting, especially at 30-35% RCR with Conduit and APoC. If the map isn't full enough for this purpose, you'll likely just need a different rift to progress.

Skipping a pylon means you can possibly get different pylon spawns as you move through the rift. Conduit, Speed, or Power pylon would be much more beneficial. Illusionist already resets slow time and teleport, so there really is no other benefit to clicking them.

Updated Guide: Swapped out Shock Pulse rune to use Power Affinity instead of Piercing orb. Power affinity has a higher proc coefficient than piercing orb, and can return extra AP. While it won't proc as often on groups of mobs as piercing orb, we're tailoring our signature for the worst possible scenario, which is on a single elite or RG. Power Affinity wins out in that situation.

The loss of a ranged attack is not as good for some RGs (thinking Voracity) but should be better for most others, since you'll be close up a lot of the time.

Also updated follower setup. Running double heal instead of Inspire since healing is needed more than the 1.4 AP/s. Make sure you are stacking CDR and AS on all follower items that can support them.