I couldn't find a thread for leveling builds yet so I figured I'd make one.
I think it'd be cool for people to post their leveling builds all in one thread. If you have a build you plan on using while you level up to 60, post it here!
I have a few running through my head but here's my current favorite:
This can be completed at lvl 33 so I can use it for most of nightmare and hell.
Arcane Orb w/ arcane nova - Leveling is all about killing big groups of enemies quickly. I really enjoy arcane nova with a 20 yard range.
Ray of Frost w/ cold blood - Good for champion packs and bosses or any time I'm low on Arcane Power.
Arcane Torrent w/ Disruption - I like this for smaller groups of enemies. Also, I figure it will be good for tougher enemies that last a bit longer thanks to the Disruption rune. Arcane Torrent + Arcane Orb = happy pants.
Storm Armor w/ Power of the Storm - I needed an Arcane Power reduction skill and this one also adds a bit of thorns. I'd say that's a win-win.
Wave of Force w/ Impactful Wave - This is another 2 for 1 skill. Not only is it pretty good AoE damage, it's also a stun for when things get hairy.
Teleport w/ Wormhole - Not only is this a good escape skill, it's also great for going through empty parts of a dungeon. A must have for a leveling build imo.
Glass Cannon - Damage is always good, duh. Astral Presence - More AP will always be needed with Arcane skills. Power Hungry - This is great to reduce the downtime inbetween packs.
Post your leveling builds or comment on someone elses! Let's get ready for the release! (and hope that they don't change the skills around again)
Interesting build. However it seems you're using the Ray of frost mostly to slow targets. If you changed it to Magic Missile and switched your passive to Temporial Flux, all 3 attack spells are now arcane and you get the slow effect on all of them.
At level 31 you can use penetrating blast rune on MM, but at 42 you can switch to Attunement if you need more AP.
Good suggestion on if we find out that nightmare/hell hits too hard for this build and more kiting is needed. I think a big thing about leveling builds is to find a good foundation and then to modify it while we play the game if we find it's lacking in some way. If things get too difficult (possibly around hell), I was thinking about adding blizzard to help me kite. I'd probably replace Arcane Torrent, that wouldn't be a big loss.
For the foundation, I picked Ray of Frost instead of MM for 3 reasons.
1.) I'm a little worried about going for a single element build in case they have enemies with high resistances to a certain type. Having a frost spell in my build will help avoid that.
2.) I wanted a single target spell to focus down an important enemy quickly.
3.) I needed a spell to do when I'm out of energy but ray of frost is way better than the signature spells. It should be noted though... that the skill calc is incorrect. The rune doesn't make ray cost 0 AP, it makes it cost 12AP. Thanks to Power of Storms though, it will cost 9 and even with no help from my gear, I would regen 12AP/sec.
I have a theory that we can't stay in one place for longer than about 6-8 sec especially in inferno unless we are prepared for kiting which I'm ok with but would like to avoid. With this in mind I recently devised 2 new builds for my wizard which use only two offensive skills. One for killing, second mostly for fun. I don't use generators. When I need AP I will do kiting. Anyway:
Main points of both builds:
- high AP pool (up to +40AP) for faster AP regen
- some passive and active AP regen (+2 passive & +around 2 active per mob hit per sec = at least 4/sec but usually should be more like 10). This is thanks to Disintegrate + Conduit mostly, passive from Astral Presence.
- use of Prism rune with Diamond Skin which gives me 6 sec of almost free Disintegrate use
- some passive damage increase (from 10 to 25 %)
- huge armor increase to be able to withstand at least some punishment from range attacks
- teleport on 8 sec cooldown to not to have use kiting but just to change possition
- slowdown as I think 8 sec may be 2 sec to long period between teleports so I want to slow mobs as much I can
- poison hydra to create pool of acid between points I teleport to. Melee mobs should walk on green pupu most of the time though it is mostly for fun. Hydra won't require using of AP for 15 sec and Prism will reduce casting cost to 25AP only
- Diamond skin will let us withstand some punishment of all kind and to not get our skills interrupted in critical times
- Volatility will make killing of multiple mobs fun and you won't have to hit all of them all the time just concentrate fire on one till he blows up and kill his close m8s
- for Inferno build, I use Pinpoint Barrier and Critical mass but it is vital to have high crits at that point in game. Otherwise better to stick to previous build. If you have good crits then Critical Mass will reduce w8ing time for teleport and diamond skin significantly which in turn let you use less AP with your skills (Prism), change your position more often (as inferno mobs will be fast) and you will be covered with diamond almost all the time (lets hope that diamond skin will last 6sec after game is released). We will loose some dmg but often crits should compensate at this point
Let me know your thoughts. I would like to improve it without integrating generators in the build. I am prepared a little more for good gear every difficulty level.
Edit: I don't write about build for Normal diff as we don't have full range of skills then
I like your build roz, I think it will work. It's a neat build without a signature spell.
The one negative thing I could find is that it might be a bit slow for a leveling build because it lacks solid AoE, imo. I guess it depends how much HP creatures have in Nightmare/Hell but I'm guessing the explosions wouldn't be enough to kill packs quickly.
Blizzard or Meteor instead of hydra might be better. Some sort of targeted AoE that weakens the mobs so that you can get chain explosions. I wish the blizzard runes weren't unlocked so late, but Molten Impact with meteor would be nice starting at lvl 29.
I like your build roz, I think it will work. It's a neat build without a signature spell.
The one negative thing I could find is that it might be a bit slow for a leveling build because it lacks solid AoE, imo. I guess it depends how much HP creatures have in Nightmare/Hell but I'm guessing the explosions wouldn't be enough to kill packs quickly.
Blizzard or Meteor instead of hydra might be better. Some sort of targeted AoE that weakens the mobs so that you can get chain explosions. I wish the blizzard runes weren't unlocked so late, but Molten Impact with meteor would be nice starting at lvl 29.
If AP regeneration was good enough we could also use http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13600 on lower levels. This is lvl 39 build now (quite early NM).
- Power of Storm will give us more benefits than any other AP generator at this level.
- Some dmg will be done just by getting hit which won't be a problem on NM that much especially with Diamond Skin on.
- Disintegrate will trigger multiple Electrify effect which will add to dmg
- Electrify and Paralysis will make many mobs just sit there and w8 for us to kill them or run out of AP
But it may just work with good AP regen gear. Can't wait to try them.
Edit: I was thinking about blizzard actually but it is not as fun and in general hydra crating a lot of aoe pools on monster patches may work as well. But consider hydra being replaceable by Blizzard and any other aoe spell which is a long lasting aoe so it does not cost too much AP. Meteor is a big nono here unless it can always crit and you use Liquefy rune, but its aoe range may be to little. So hydra, blizzard, meteor with Liquefy, well maybe even Familiar with Dartling rune (hihi, more stuns in last build) or any other rune, all should work. Well like you said if dmg will be enough, otherwise it won't work.
I think it'd be cool for people to post their leveling builds all in one thread. If you have a build you plan on using while you level up to 60, post it here!
I have a few running through my head but here's my current favorite:
http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13499
Thoughts:
This can be completed at lvl 33 so I can use it for most of nightmare and hell.
Arcane Orb w/ arcane nova - Leveling is all about killing big groups of enemies quickly. I really enjoy arcane nova with a 20 yard range.
Ray of Frost w/ cold blood - Good for champion packs and bosses or any time I'm low on Arcane Power.
Arcane Torrent w/ Disruption - I like this for smaller groups of enemies. Also, I figure it will be good for tougher enemies that last a bit longer thanks to the Disruption rune. Arcane Torrent + Arcane Orb = happy pants.
Storm Armor w/ Power of the Storm - I needed an Arcane Power reduction skill and this one also adds a bit of thorns. I'd say that's a win-win.
Wave of Force w/ Impactful Wave - This is another 2 for 1 skill. Not only is it pretty good AoE damage, it's also a stun for when things get hairy.
Teleport w/ Wormhole - Not only is this a good escape skill, it's also great for going through empty parts of a dungeon. A must have for a leveling build imo.
Glass Cannon - Damage is always good, duh.
Astral Presence - More AP will always be needed with Arcane skills.
Power Hungry - This is great to reduce the downtime inbetween packs.
Post your leveling builds or comment on someone elses! Let's get ready for the release! (and hope that they don't change the skills around again)
At level 31 you can use penetrating blast rune on MM, but at 42 you can switch to Attunement if you need more AP.
http://d3db.com/tool/calculator/wizard/13499
For the foundation, I picked Ray of Frost instead of MM for 3 reasons.
1.) I'm a little worried about going for a single element build in case they have enemies with high resistances to a certain type. Having a frost spell in my build will help avoid that.
2.) I wanted a single target spell to focus down an important enemy quickly.
3.) I needed a spell to do when I'm out of energy but ray of frost is way better than the signature spells. It should be noted though... that the skill calc is incorrect. The rune doesn't make ray cost 0 AP, it makes it cost 12AP. Thanks to Power of Storms though, it will cost 9 and even with no help from my gear, I would regen 12AP/sec.
Anyone else have a leveling build to share?
NM & HELL (when I have low crits from my gear) - http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13580
INFERNO (when/if I have high crits from my gear) - http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13581
Main points of both builds:
- high AP pool (up to +40AP) for faster AP regen
- some passive and active AP regen (+2 passive & +around 2 active per mob hit per sec = at least 4/sec but usually should be more like 10). This is thanks to Disintegrate + Conduit mostly, passive from Astral Presence.
- use of Prism rune with Diamond Skin which gives me 6 sec of almost free Disintegrate use
- some passive damage increase (from 10 to 25 %)
- huge armor increase to be able to withstand at least some punishment from range attacks
- teleport on 8 sec cooldown to not to have use kiting but just to change possition
- slowdown as I think 8 sec may be 2 sec to long period between teleports so I want to slow mobs as much I can
- poison hydra to create pool of acid between points I teleport to. Melee mobs should walk on green pupu most of the time though it is mostly for fun. Hydra won't require using of AP for 15 sec and Prism will reduce casting cost to 25AP only
- Diamond skin will let us withstand some punishment of all kind and to not get our skills interrupted in critical times
- Volatility will make killing of multiple mobs fun and you won't have to hit all of them all the time just concentrate fire on one till he blows up and kill his close m8s
- for Inferno build, I use Pinpoint Barrier and Critical mass but it is vital to have high crits at that point in game. Otherwise better to stick to previous build. If you have good crits then Critical Mass will reduce w8ing time for teleport and diamond skin significantly which in turn let you use less AP with your skills (Prism), change your position more often (as inferno mobs will be fast) and you will be covered with diamond almost all the time (lets hope that diamond skin will last 6sec after game is released). We will loose some dmg but often crits should compensate at this point
Let me know your thoughts. I would like to improve it without integrating generators in the build. I am prepared a little more for good gear every difficulty level.
Edit: I don't write about build for Normal diff as we don't have full range of skills then
The one negative thing I could find is that it might be a bit slow for a leveling build because it lacks solid AoE, imo. I guess it depends how much HP creatures have in Nightmare/Hell but I'm guessing the explosions wouldn't be enough to kill packs quickly.
Blizzard or Meteor instead of hydra might be better. Some sort of targeted AoE that weakens the mobs so that you can get chain explosions. I wish the blizzard runes weren't unlocked so late, but Molten Impact with meteor would be nice starting at lvl 29.
If AP regeneration was good enough we could also use http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13600 on lower levels. This is lvl 39 build now (quite early NM).
- Power of Storm will give us more benefits than any other AP generator at this level.
- Some dmg will be done just by getting hit which won't be a problem on NM that much especially with Diamond Skin on.
- Disintegrate will trigger multiple Electrify effect which will add to dmg
- Electrify and Paralysis will make many mobs just sit there and w8 for us to kill them or run out of AP
But it may just work with good AP regen gear. Can't wait to try them.
Edit: I was thinking about blizzard actually but it is not as fun and in general hydra crating a lot of aoe pools on monster patches may work as well. But consider hydra being replaceable by Blizzard and any other aoe spell which is a long lasting aoe so it does not cost too much AP. Meteor is a big nono here unless it can always crit and you use Liquefy rune, but its aoe range may be to little. So hydra, blizzard, meteor with Liquefy, well maybe even Familiar with Dartling rune (hihi, more stuns in last build) or any other rune, all should work. Well like you said if dmg will be enough, otherwise it won't work.
Lvl 27 - includes some kitting and bombs instead of hydra
http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13615
Lvl 34 - includes some kitting and mines instead of hydra and better AP regen then lvl 27 build
http://d3db.com/tool...or/wizard/13616
But wow, I think that still DH will be more fun.