Basically, my question is how would it play different from any other wizard?
italofoca got it correct, regarding spending less mana to attack.
My take on his explanation: The normal Wizard uses mana each time he attacks. The Arcane Archer, who relies on his bow or crossbow to deal damage, will only cast spells at the start of a fight (Magic Weapon, defensive buffs) and only when enemies get chances to hurt him (Slow Time, Teleport)- thus, he casts less spells and saves more mana.
The other difference would be in rate of damage dealing. Even if I were to focus a lot of talent points into buffing my Magical Weapon bow attacks, I strongly suspect it won't do as much damage as a "conventional" magic attack spell with the same or a reasonable amount of buffs for the latter.
For example: Arcane Archer build vs. Disintigrate build, same number of talents points for both, "equal" amount of buffing for their attacks. The Disintigrate build will deal more damage per spell than the Arcane Archer's arrows per attack. Result: Disintigrate will finish fights quicker, while the Arcane Archer has longer, more continuous and riskier fights.
On the other hand, by the end of the fight, the Disintigrator Wizard will have less mana left behind and perhaps spend time resting to regain it, while the Arcane Archer will probably have more and will be able to continue adventuring sooner.
I admit it's way too early to be speculating on builds, and it would all be moot if the Wizard can't use ranged weapons (I really don't want to use a wand if I were to try this build). I have no clue if this build will work or it would be too weak and gimmicky to survive Diablo 3's harsh environments. I can only hope it's fun and different enough to be worth it.
Assuming the last class isn't some sort of Arcane Archer...
I got this idea for a Wizard spec when I saw the Magic Weapon spell in the Conjuration tree.
Magic Weapon: Imbue your weapon with magical energy granting it increased damage.
Blizzard's putting a lot of versatility in each class, but I realized that you could put a bow or crossbow in the Wizard's hands instead of the more usual staff or sword.
I don't think it's an easy build to make. The new Autostats will make it difficult to equip the harder-hitting bows as you'll be allocating stats away from Dex or Str. Going up and down the Wizard skill tree, there's not much to directly enhance your damage dealing by arrow or bolt: Penetrating Spells, Weapon Mastery, Slowing Strikes, Armor Piercing.
Furthermore, it focuses you away from the big damage dealing stuff mages do: direct-damage spells.
On the other hand, you do have access to a lot snare, root, defensive and movement abilities, such as Teleport, Slow Time, Frost Nova, etc., making you a hard character to pin down or hurt- good for a ranged attacker. Your damage dealing will be less reliant on your mana supply, letting you stay in the fight or continue more steadily than conventional wizards.
Ultimately, this is a build for those who like to go down the less traveled path, and its difficulties and risks might be worth the fun.
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My take on his explanation: The normal Wizard uses mana each time he attacks. The Arcane Archer, who relies on his bow or crossbow to deal damage, will only cast spells at the start of a fight (Magic Weapon, defensive buffs) and only when enemies get chances to hurt him (Slow Time, Teleport)- thus, he casts less spells and saves more mana.
The other difference would be in rate of damage dealing. Even if I were to focus a lot of talent points into buffing my Magical Weapon bow attacks, I strongly suspect it won't do as much damage as a "conventional" magic attack spell with the same or a reasonable amount of buffs for the latter.
For example: Arcane Archer build vs. Disintigrate build, same number of talents points for both, "equal" amount of buffing for their attacks. The Disintigrate build will deal more damage per spell than the Arcane Archer's arrows per attack. Result: Disintigrate will finish fights quicker, while the Arcane Archer has longer, more continuous and riskier fights.
On the other hand, by the end of the fight, the Disintigrator Wizard will have less mana left behind and perhaps spend time resting to regain it, while the Arcane Archer will probably have more and will be able to continue adventuring sooner.
I admit it's way too early to be speculating on builds, and it would all be moot if the Wizard can't use ranged weapons (I really don't want to use a wand if I were to try this build). I have no clue if this build will work or it would be too weak and gimmicky to survive Diablo 3's harsh environments. I can only hope it's fun and different enough to be worth it.
I got this idea for a Wizard spec when I saw the Magic Weapon spell in the Conjuration tree.
Blizzard's putting a lot of versatility in each class, but I realized that you could put a bow or crossbow in the Wizard's hands instead of the more usual staff or sword.
I don't think it's an easy build to make. The new Autostats will make it difficult to equip the harder-hitting bows as you'll be allocating stats away from Dex or Str. Going up and down the Wizard skill tree, there's not much to directly enhance your damage dealing by arrow or bolt: Penetrating Spells, Weapon Mastery, Slowing Strikes, Armor Piercing.
Furthermore, it focuses you away from the big damage dealing stuff mages do: direct-damage spells.
On the other hand, you do have access to a lot snare, root, defensive and movement abilities, such as Teleport, Slow Time, Frost Nova, etc., making you a hard character to pin down or hurt- good for a ranged attacker. Your damage dealing will be less reliant on your mana supply, letting you stay in the fight or continue more steadily than conventional wizards.
Ultimately, this is a build for those who like to go down the less traveled path, and its difficulties and risks might be worth the fun.