Hey Diablofans! I've been having a lot of fun crushing T5 (averaging <10 minute rifts) with this T6 viable (averaging 15-20 minute rifts) build. You can see my profile here and I'll explain the build piece by piece in this thread.
Introduction
If we're being honest with ourselves, fire is probably just the best element for most wizards. Getting access Magefist or Cindercoat with 3-piece Vyr+Ring of Royal Grandeur is extremely strong. In terms of raw damage, fire is going to yield the best result. That being said some of us have clocked 300+ hours in Reaper of Souls and haven't found a fire amulet (AHEM me), or really just want to try a different build. For a long time I ran arcane because of a decent Gesture of Orpheus and even though I was happy with it, eventually I was being outpaced by the group I run with. I limped into a fire build but after some experimenting it just didn't seem possible without a good Stone of Jordan or +Fire damage amulet. In my desperation I looked through my stash and discovered some good +cold damage and decided to give it a whirl. Two weeks and many rifts later, I love this build and want to get it out into the world.
This is a mandatory +2 Mirrorball build. If you don't have a good Mirrorball it's very difficult to be effective outside of archon. One of the problems with cold builds is that there is no good spender. I understand that frozen orb does reasonable damage, but after personal testing I think the AP cost is too high. Running Magic Missile with Mirrorball removes the problem of managing AP and creates space to use Black Hole.
As a side-note, the proc-coefficient of Glacial Spike is very high (.9*3) so it's well-suited for using a proc weapon (i.e. Thunderfury).
Black Hole brings a huge increase in damage and utility. Since the build uses only cold skills, Absolute Zero is the best rune choice because it also benefits from +Cold Damage and applies Cold Blooded. Black Hole also enables the build to use Strongarm Bracers very effectively because the displacement effect counts as a knockback.
This build is first and foremost a Vyr's Amazing Arcana 4-piece build. If you don't have the 4-piece set bonus, this build will not work. The rune doesn't actually matter since Vyr's Archon chooses which element to use based on your highest +Elemental damage stat; in this case, cold.
Sparkflint is a necessary buff to keep up with the massively increased enemy HP on high torment. The familiar attack also applies fire damage to your primary target for Elemental Exposure which is a reasonable damage increase against elites and rift guardians.
Similar to Sparkflint, Magic Weapon is just too strong of a buff to pass up. As a point of interest, Ignite and Electrify are both reasonable options for applying Elemental Exposure. I prefer to use my Thunderfury Proc for lightning and Sparkflint for fire, but I wouldn't fault anyone for using those runes when running in a group.
Energy armor is a necessary survivability increase for surviving high torment. Depending on gear variances it's user discretion for selecting Pinpoint Barrier or Prismatic Armor for the rune.
Provides a huge damage increase at all times. Experiment with spacing so you can always stay within 15 yards whether you're in Archon or not by watching how much damage you do. The freezing ability on Glacial Spike and the displacement on Black Hole can keep you safe while standing close to enemies.
Since Glacial Spike doesn't seem to apply this passive I use a weapon with cold damage to apply Cold Blooded. Even without the cold damage on weapon 10% damage seems too good to pass up since Black Hole and Archon both apply it.
Elemental Exposure is just fantastic for improving damage. There are a lot of creative ways to apply as many elements as possible but as long as you can get 2 or more it's probably good enough to use, especially in a group. Suggestions for applying as many exposures as possible:
Core element of the build. Without a good Mirrorball your damage outside of archon is too low for the build to be viable. If you don't have a mirrorball it's better to use Electrocute - Surge of Power + Arcane Orb - Frozen Orb for a cold build.
Archon is insanely strong but without the Vyr's set bonus it doesn't have enough utility to increase run speed in an impactful way. Some elites are too hard without Archon so it really is a necessary part of this cold build.
Having enough +Cold skills damage is the backbone of any build. If you can't break +50% skills damage in a given element it's usually better to switch elements until you can.
These items are absurdly powerful. Running 2 Unity with an invulnerable follower is actually just 50% reduced damage which makes surviving T6 much easier. Harrington's unique secondary triggers from any piece of the environment that opens like a chest, not just chests. This includes things like corpses, loose stones, and weapon racks. In areas like the Battlefields of Eternity this provides actual double damage for the entire rift.
Recommended Items by Slot
If you can't reproduce the gear exactly, no problem! You'll most likely have to reduce the torment level and see where you fit in, but any slot can be replaced if you have a reasonable alternative. Except Vyr. You have to have the full set of Vyr. Be aware that it's possible to work in a full Tal Rasha's Elements set if you have good enough rolls. I'd also like to mention that there are optimal stat rolls for each item but those rolls need to be high in order to run high torment. Additionally, if you use a Ring of Royal Grandeur it's very possible to get 2-piece Firebirds, which is fine but not ideal.
Neck: There are a lot of amulets with unique secondaries that are nice. If you find a good amulet with a nice secondary I recommend you use it. The main necklace stats you want are +Cold Skills Damage, Intelligence, Critical Hit Chance, and Critical Hit Damage. If you can't get an amulet with all of these, attack speed and average damage are okay.
I haven't tested every item on this list but I have a pretty good idea of how they would run. I have a feeling that combining Rimeheart, Winter Flurry, and Frostburn could have an explosive effect on clear speed but I don't have all of them so I can't test personally. It's also worth noting that even though I have all the correct pieces they aren't all enchanted perfectly, which means this build has a VERY high clear-speed cap. Please let me know what you think or if I left anything out, and good rifting!
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Hey Diablofans! I've been having a lot of fun crushing T5 (averaging <10 minute rifts) with this T6 viable (averaging 15-20 minute rifts) build. You can see my profile here and I'll explain the build piece by piece in this thread.
- Magic Missile - Glacial Spike
This is a mandatory +2 Mirrorball build. If you don't have a good Mirrorball it's very difficult to be effective outside of archon. One of the problems with cold builds is that there is no good spender. I understand that frozen orb does reasonable damage, but after personal testing I think the AP cost is too high. Running Magic Missile with Mirrorball removes the problem of managing AP and creates space to use Black Hole.As a side-note, the proc-coefficient of Glacial Spike is very high (.9*3) so it's well-suited for using a proc weapon (i.e. Thunderfury).
- Black Hole - Absolute Zero
Black Hole brings a huge increase in damage and utility. Since the build uses only cold skills, Absolute Zero is the best rune choice because it also benefits from +Cold Damage and applies Cold Blooded. Black Hole also enables the build to use Strongarm Bracers very effectively because the displacement effect counts as a knockback.- Archon - Slow Time
This build is first and foremost a Vyr's Amazing Arcana 4-piece build. If you don't have the 4-piece set bonus, this build will not work. The rune doesn't actually matter since Vyr's Archon chooses which element to use based on your highest +Elemental damage stat; in this case, cold.- Familiar - Sparkflint
Sparkflint is a necessary buff to keep up with the massively increased enemy HP on high torment. The familiar attack also applies fire damage to your primary target for Elemental Exposure which is a reasonable damage increase against elites and rift guardians.- Magic Weapon - Force Weapon
Similar to Sparkflint, Magic Weapon is just too strong of a buff to pass up. As a point of interest, Ignite and Electrify are both reasonable options for applying Elemental Exposure. I prefer to use my Thunderfury Proc for lightning and Sparkflint for fire, but I wouldn't fault anyone for using those runes when running in a group.- Energy Armor - Pinpoint Barrier
Energy armor is a necessary survivability increase for surviving high torment. Depending on gear variances it's user discretion for selecting Pinpoint Barrier or Prismatic Armor for the rune.Passives:
- Audacity
Provides a huge damage increase at all times. Experiment with spacing so you can always stay within 15 yards whether you're in Archon or not by watching how much damage you do. The freezing ability on Glacial Spike and the displacement on Black Hole can keep you safe while standing close to enemies.- Blur
Necessary survivability increase for high torment.- Cold Blooded
Since Glacial Spike doesn't seem to apply this passive I use a weapon with cold damage to apply Cold Blooded. Even without the cold damage on weapon 10% damage seems too good to pass up since Black Hole and Archon both apply it.- Elemental Exposure
Elemental Exposure is just fantastic for improving damage. There are a lot of creative ways to apply as many elements as possible but as long as you can get 2 or more it's probably good enough to use, especially in a group. Suggestions for applying as many exposures as possible: