DiabloFans

Build Guide

Introduction

Oh, hello! Glad you could join me, I think wizards are pretty pretty cool and have been playing a wizard since the beta. While this is something that I should probably not be proud of, my only real regret is spending the grand sum of the money I earned on the RMAH to buy exactly two 40’s of Mickeys, drinking them, and then bitching in US Wizards chat about Blizzard removing venomous hydra. RIP in peace, Ricky Rattler.

Apologies for the lack of videos or fancy pictures, but I’m too damn stupid to figure out how to make any of that. So here are a lot of words.

My favorite ability has always been Archon, and while it has seen some love in the recent seasons, it had never quite reached the Maximum Fun levels we are currently looking at. This build is heavily inspired by the fun and fast Flash-fire build from last season, but switches out Woh-rasha for Farchon, while still employing the same trickery for going fast. And this build is all about going fast.

If you have played Flash-fire, you’re familiar with the basic concept. If not, what are you, not playing a wizard all the time? That’s just crazy talk. Killing elite packs triggers In-geom, which reduces all your cool-downs by ten seconds, for fifteen seconds. Keeping this buff active means your short cool-down skills, such as explosive blast, frost nova, and teleport, all become spammable. Using a Goldwrap combined with a Boon of the Hoarder makes you virtually immortal.

This build, like Flash-fire, is an engine that is fueled by killing elites. The more you kill, the faster you kill, which in turn makes you kill more, and then go faster. The difference here is that while Flash-fire has a ceiling, Farchon does not. Flash-fire really only requires that you keep the In-geom buff active, while Farchon rewards you for every time you trigger it. Each elite pack you kill reduces the cool-down of Archon allowing you to basically never have to be out of Archon once you get cooking. This build makes Torment X feel like ten-ply, buddy.

Rift bosses dying the moment they spawn because you have double Archon 100 stacks? Yep
Teleporting around a corner and killing an elite pack before you even hit a button or auto-attack? Yup
Consistent 2-3 minute Torment X rift clears, all while carrying three leechers? Yap
Good times.

Advantages over Flash-fire

• No Woh-rries. Seriously Zoltan, I know you’re proud of your job at the Home Depot key-making department, but that doesn’t mean that you have to flick Blackhand Keys out of the Cube faster than a frat boy flicks ping pong balls out of beer pong cups every time I come to you for a fancy new spell-stick.
• Not as button smashey. Sorry folks, I play Diablo 3 the way Jay Wilson intended: sad, alone, disappointed in itemization, and not using macros. I consider the arthritis in my tender young hands to be a badge of honor. It hurt to type that, but only a little bit.
• Faster. I have no anecdotal evidence to back this up.
• Fun-er. I have loads of “I say so” evidence to back this up.
• Say-ge what? You won’t be able to fit Sage’s into this build, but that’s just one less thing to worry about in this hectic world, am I right?
• Flash-fire is sooo last season. You don’t want that bitch Katy with a Y giving you the stink-eye all day because you’re wearing the same ensemble two seasons in a row, do you?

Items

All of the armor is pretty much required. You must have the legendary powers from The Swami, Fazula’s Improbable Claim, Goldwrap, In-geom, Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac, Royal Ring of Grandeur, Chantodo’s Resolve, and Firebird's Finery. You need around 55-60 percent cool-down reduction, so use a Diamond in your helm, Evocation passive, Gogok of Swiftness, and CDR on your gloves, rings, and weapons. Any more certainly doesn’t hurt. Cool-down reduction is your most important stat, followed by Crit Chance.

Where you have wiggle room is on your second ring, amulet, and bracers. I prefer Nemesis Bracers, and strongly recommend them, as killing elites is what keeps you fast. Warzechian and Lacuni Bracers make you literally fast, but you’re not going fast, so stick to Nemesis.

As much as I hate to admit it, Endless Walk is still the strongest ring and amulet combo. The damage reduction from the passive is huge, and as you’re rarely not going fast, is what you benefit from the most.

Other items I used, and work totally well enough:

• Moonlight Ward and Stone of Jordan (just make sure your %Fire damage is more than your %Arcane) More raw damage, but also more squishy. Being dead is a serious hindrance to going fast, and you really don’t need the extra damage.
• Halo of Karini and Halcyon’s Ascent. Just for funsies. Still worked, although somewhat disappointed in Halo of Karini.
• Wyrdward and Hellfire Amulet. Stupid and dumb, you don’t need to stun something that dies .01 seconds later. Still worked.

Abilities

The only curve ball you may notice is using Diamond Skin – Sleek Shell over the oh so popular Frost Nova – Deep Freeze/Bone Chill. Since this build does not use Halo of Arlyse, and you spend the vast majority of your time in Archon form, you do not get the benefit of it being cast when you take damage. You are at your most vulnerable when not in Archon, and Diamond Skin gives you a few extra moments of not being dead to get a few Chantodo stacks. But why Sleek Shell, you ask? Because fast.

For passive skills, the only must haves are Evocation and Audacity. I prefer Dominance over Blur, simply because the rate you kill stuff always keeps it refreshed. Conflagration helps with crits, but you can use Glass Cannon as well if you’re feeling spicy.

Strategery and Trickerations

• You do not need to hit twenty Chantodo stacks, ever. Ten is nice, and five is plenty. It is better to get right back into Archon if it is off cool-down than to screw around getting stacks.
• When fighting yellow elite mobs, kill the minions first. You do not gain the benefit of In-geom if you leave the minions alive, and it is easier to kill them while you have the elite damage bonus from Firebird's Finery active. However, if doing this gets in your way of going fast, screw it and move on to the next pack.
• You are at your most vulnerable at the beginning of a rift. Contradicting advice from the d o double g, don't worry about making fat stacks of Gogok and Chantodo's right off the bat. Grab a few stacks of Chantodo's off of the first mobs, hit Archon, and go. You'll start going adequately fast after your second Archon cast.
• Do not waste time killing trash. Most of it will die as you pass along anyway.
• If Archon is off cool-down, cast it. Don’t save it for the next pack, your teleport is faster in Archon form, and what have I been saying about going fast?
• Attack speed is good. Not as good as cool-down reduction or critical chance, but still good.

Q&A

Q: How many Souls/Death Breath an hour can you get?
A: I don’t know, a lot? A bunch? Probably a bunch.

Q: How can you fit Sage’s into this to get more Death Breath?
A: You don’t.

Q: Fine, but then it isn’t better than Flash-fire
A: Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. You’ll be clearing rifts in two minutes, you’ll survive.

Q: How important is it to pick up gold?
A: It’s how you don’t die. Equip a pet.

Q: What if I haven’t picked up gold in over five seconds?
A: You are going to die. You’re not playing Hardcore are you? That’s unfortunate.

Q: Do I need amazing gear rolls for this?
A: Not really, actually. As long as you can swing the combos, it will work.

Q: Do you think you’re funny?
A: Not even my mom thinks I’m funny.

Final Thoughts

• Shielding mobs can kick rocks.
• All Act V maps suck (except graveyard, <3)
• Barbarians are dumb.
• Around thirty hours and 550 paragon levels, and I still have not gotten a Wand of Woh. Ok.
• Death Breaths’ should be auto-pickup Blizzard pls.
• Find me in game at method527#1706 and call me great. Or an idiot. Whatever. Or if you have any questions about going fast.