I've been seeing a lot of Archon related posts lately. I do plan on doing a writeup on Archon sometime soon so I'd like to get a better grasp of the community's thoughts.
Keep it constructive.
I'll be browsing older posts on the official forum, here and other sites while I'm on the train. Meanwhile, do post here and/or link relevant discussion topics.
Questions: 1. What is Archon to you? (Can be from a fantasy perspective or personal reason, mechanics-related, whatever you want) 2. What do you like best about Archon? Why? 3. What do you want to see changed? Why?
You can post suggestions, but that's not the point of this thread. I just want to check out opinions.
1. Archon to me is just an awesome skill that i like to use. Also an awesome unit in SC
2. What i like best is probably the combination of boosts it gives you from utility to mobility to toughness and damage.
3. I want to be able to customize the Archon skills. In my opinion, almost all of the wizard skills should have an archon form. Let's say that if you choose an arcane orb in your skill bar, then your archon will lob orbs instead of channel disintegrate. Another possibility i'd like to see is customizing the archon with crowd control skills. Like a cold archon using frost nova, blizzard and rof / fo. So basically make every wizard build viable in archon form too. That way, many new options for builds will become viable. I still think that a perma archon should be possible, i just don't know what the tradeoff should be... Probably something along the lines of an item that gives you perma archon but removes the improved archon rune (20% dmg) from the total Vyr set bonus.
1. I'd like it to be a really powerful spell, basically a god mode for 15 seconds to justify its huge CD. But right now it can only fulfill this role on lower difficulties, sadly.
2. It looks cool.
3. They need to buff its initial damage by A LOT, but reduce the 'on kill' damage buff. They also need to reduce its cooldown to make it more in line with big CD's of other classes. Then I'll consider spending an ability slot for it.
1. To me, Archon is the embodiment of power. It's very unstable, unpredictable, and destructive.
2. I like that you change forms to show the skill is in use.
3. I don't like that your skills change. I choose a certain build for a reason, which is why I no longer use archon. If archon was to enchance my current skills or effect me in non-skill related ways, then I would reconsider putting it back on the bar.
No it won't. First, because you still lose all the toughness buffs and CC immunity when Archon expires. Second, because its ICD is stupid. Third, because its stats suck. Fourth, because right now on PTR Archon is useless at higher difficulties. At least the 4th reason and one of the remaining 3 should be fixed to make people replace their Firebird's/Andy's helms with Swami.
1) Archon is like unleashing everything the wizard has pent up inside (like death blossom but on a different scale). So the combustion effect is really slick, you literally explode into the form.
2) I like how it isn't just a straight transformtion like WotB. The added damage per enemy killed is neat and adds a nice layer to te gameplay. You can pop it open on top of a bunch of searm trash mobs and get +120% damage almost instantly.
3) I think it's uptime and damage scalar need to be tweaked. Especially with the changes made to channeling spells and their ramp-up mechanic. In comparison the arcane laser feels lackluster since you have to sacrifice a skill slot to get to it AND you sacrifice your debuffs while in archon form, so that's a larger than expected trade off for something that should be an endgame skill.
On the topic of trade offs, comparatively to other classes similar skills thinking WotB & Vengeance with Archon you are pushed into predetermined play style. Put most simply you become a channeler or EB mechanic so if that's not the way you are geared to begin wig it doesn't make sense to slot Archon. Given that channeled spells now have access to damage ramp-up outside of archon and EB now has flash with only a 3 second cooldown there doesn't seem to be much reason to go archon for those builds either. Unwavering will offers the defense and resist bonus too.
Right now I use it because lightning builds on live don't do enough damage against single targets. But changes to electrocute (not loosing damage per jump) should go a long way to negating this (plus now there's flash/lightning storm and AT static discharge).
So this comes as a spew but I feel like the game is being balanced well EXCEPT with archon (the third and forgotten child as it were). So I guess the trick will be to make it good enough but not so good that it outperforms other builds. Off the top of my head I think the way to go would be elemental synergies, determine each elements most valuable aspect and have each corresponding archon form buff those particular stats. For instance the fire archons attack might apply a DoT burn effect to synergize with firebirds. Lightning might apply a storm armor affect with stun for more CC and passive damage. Cold could apply a similar AoE chill affect tht would pair well with Frostburns and Rimeheart to offer viable high damage endgame solutions. Each effect would be a passive so that with the Vyrs set you only get the effect of the rune you choose (the way it works with elements).
I think after the firebird set got redesigned, archon has no more space. As far as i think, the new build is going to be the fire arcane torrent + firebird.
I would prefer a change on the Vyr's set and not fir archon itself. Maybe it should have a 2 set items bonus: your health potions benefit from colldown % you have... this might be a compensation against firebird.
Questions:
1. What is Archon to you? (Can be from a fantasy perspective or personal reason, mechanics-related, whatever you want)
2. What do you like best about Archon? Why?
3. What do you want to see changed? Why?
1. God-mode button which should be used to clear elites or big packs.
2. The huge laser which penetrates anything.
3.Changes should focus mainly on the 3 passive spells that are used to back archon up. Though for archon itself it would be nice to see your LMB abbility actually give you a reason to be in melee range. Additionally I'd like to see a passive on archon (rune dependent) which is only active when the spell is on or off cooldown (one of the 2). This could be combined with a CDR cap (85% uptime archon is just wrong)
General note: Probably not a popular opinion but I think your spell choices should be limited to 1 per category, preventing us from taking both familiar AND magic weapon (though magic weapon should simply have its 10% damage removed and procs buffed).
Posted this on the official forum, as well.
I've been seeing a lot of Archon related posts lately. I do plan on doing a writeup on Archon sometime soon so I'd like to get a better grasp of the community's thoughts.
Keep it constructive.
I'll be browsing older posts on the official forum, here and other sites while I'm on the train. Meanwhile, do post here and/or link relevant discussion topics.
Questions:
1. What is Archon to you? (Can be from a fantasy perspective or personal reason, mechanics-related, whatever you want)
2. What do you like best about Archon? Why?
3. What do you want to see changed? Why?
You can post suggestions, but that's not the point of this thread. I just want to check out opinions.
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2. What i like best is probably the combination of boosts it gives you from utility to mobility to toughness and damage.
3. I want to be able to customize the Archon skills. In my opinion, almost all of the wizard skills should have an archon form. Let's say that if you choose an arcane orb in your skill bar, then your archon will lob orbs instead of channel disintegrate. Another possibility i'd like to see is customizing the archon with crowd control skills. Like a cold archon using frost nova, blizzard and rof / fo. So basically make every wizard build viable in archon form too. That way, many new options for builds will become viable. I still think that a perma archon should be possible, i just don't know what the tradeoff should be... Probably something along the lines of an item that gives you perma archon but removes the improved archon rune (20% dmg) from the total Vyr set bonus.
2. It looks cool.
3. They need to buff its initial damage by A LOT, but reduce the 'on kill' damage buff. They also need to reduce its cooldown to make it more in line with big CD's of other classes. Then I'll consider spending an ability slot for it.
2. I like that you change forms to show the skill is in use.
3. I don't like that your skills change. I choose a certain build for a reason, which is why I no longer use archon. If archon was to enchance my current skills or effect me in non-skill related ways, then I would reconsider putting it back on the bar.
2) I like how it isn't just a straight transformtion like WotB. The added damage per enemy killed is neat and adds a nice layer to te gameplay. You can pop it open on top of a bunch of searm trash mobs and get +120% damage almost instantly.
3) I think it's uptime and damage scalar need to be tweaked. Especially with the changes made to channeling spells and their ramp-up mechanic. In comparison the arcane laser feels lackluster since you have to sacrifice a skill slot to get to it AND you sacrifice your debuffs while in archon form, so that's a larger than expected trade off for something that should be an endgame skill.
On the topic of trade offs, comparatively to other classes similar skills thinking WotB & Vengeance with Archon you are pushed into predetermined play style. Put most simply you become a channeler or EB mechanic so if that's not the way you are geared to begin wig it doesn't make sense to slot Archon. Given that channeled spells now have access to damage ramp-up outside of archon and EB now has flash with only a 3 second cooldown there doesn't seem to be much reason to go archon for those builds either. Unwavering will offers the defense and resist bonus too.
Right now I use it because lightning builds on live don't do enough damage against single targets. But changes to electrocute (not loosing damage per jump) should go a long way to negating this (plus now there's flash/lightning storm and AT static discharge).
So this comes as a spew but I feel like the game is being balanced well EXCEPT with archon (the third and forgotten child as it were). So I guess the trick will be to make it good enough but not so good that it outperforms other builds. Off the top of my head I think the way to go would be elemental synergies, determine each elements most valuable aspect and have each corresponding archon form buff those particular stats. For instance the fire archons attack might apply a DoT burn effect to synergize with firebirds. Lightning might apply a storm armor affect with stun for more CC and passive damage. Cold could apply a similar AoE chill affect tht would pair well with Frostburns and Rimeheart to offer viable high damage endgame solutions. Each effect would be a passive so that with the Vyrs set you only get the effect of the rune you choose (the way it works with elements).
There, brain spew over, time to get back to work.
I would prefer a change on the Vyr's set and not fir archon itself. Maybe it should have a 2 set items bonus: your health potions benefit from colldown % you have... this might be a compensation against firebird.
1. What is Archon to you? (Can be from a fantasy perspective or personal reason, mechanics-related, whatever you want)
2. What do you like best about Archon? Why?
3. What do you want to see changed? Why?
1. God-mode button which should be used to clear elites or big packs.
2. The huge laser which penetrates anything.
3.Changes should focus mainly on the 3 passive spells that are used to back archon up. Though for archon itself it would be nice to see your LMB abbility actually give you a reason to be in melee range. Additionally I'd like to see a passive on archon (rune dependent) which is only active when the spell is on or off cooldown (one of the 2). This could be combined with a CDR cap (85% uptime archon is just wrong)
General note: Probably not a popular opinion but I think your spell choices should be limited to 1 per category, preventing us from taking both familiar AND magic weapon (though magic weapon should simply have its 10% damage removed and procs buffed).
But archon for me is a bad memory. I played wizard purely to farm paragon levels in vanilla diablo in patch 1.0.8 And ofc i played a archon wiz.
It was day in and day out on inferno mp 8-9 more or less only pressing 1 button with the ocational rebuffing
2. The omnipotent entity of pure power.
3. Just getting duration instead of damage increase on kill. Some more cc flavored ability in archon form would be sweet aswell.