I see both sides. It initially feels like it will be a grind to find a specific desired rune. But combined with the fact that you don't have to fight for dropped items and there is a great AH to sell/find runes, I think it will not only be a blast to hunt for them but it won't be as tedious as it seems.
IMO- for the people who love the aspect of interchangeable skill on the fly and for the people who desire a more concrete way of building a characters identity, this rune system seems to be a solid middle ground. I support it.
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- DKR_87
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With Astral Presence, Storm Armor w/Gold Rune (-7 AP costs), and Familair (4.5 AP regen/sec), I'm regenerating AP at 19/sec.
With 120 AP pool, I can cast Ray of Frost (22AP/sec) for 40 seconds for 16461.5 damage total over that time.
I can cast Dis exponentially longer, but I would never be sitting casting for 4 minutes straight.
For 40 seconds, I could do 8440 damage total over that time.
RoF does twice as much damage in the 40sec AP lifespan, but after 4 minutes of Disintegrating a monsters face off,
it does 25320 damage total over that time.
So for 'shorter' bursts of channeling, as you put it, I'm going with RoF.
However, I should make mention of RoF being a single target only spell. Disintegrate, according to you guys right?...pierces enemies so those damage numbers I'm reporting...you could do double those or triple those if there 2-3 monsters around. I just don't expect them to always (or even occasionally) be a single file line.
My thoughts,
DKR
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Disintegrate - Crimson - 188-234 dmg/sec
Ray of Frost - Crimson - 369-434 dmg/sec
I've been seeing that selection a lot, am I missing some advantage to Dis versus RoF ?
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Along with most of you, I have been trying to study the wizard's skills and rune possibilities in conjunction with complementing passive abilities. After a few days of it, and after noticing so many different 'highly suggested' builds, I have a few questions regarding your opinion on the general theory and concept behind skill/rune selections. Please forgive my ignorance if any questions are redundant or just plain stupid.
1. I've been seeing indications of 120 Arcane Power as the starting amount for Wizards. Is that correct? (Leaving out any passives/actives that increase AP pool)
2. What is the default regeneration rate of Arcane Power in Diablo 3?
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3. For heavy AP casters, is having a cheap signature spell to regenerate AP a necessity? Is Familiar with 270 AP/min sufficient, even coupled with Astral Presence passive?
....Or is having a skill that decreases AP costs by X amount more attractive?
4. If playing exclusively with others (no soloing), could one afford to roll a 'weaker' wizard and concentrate on damage-dealing spells and AP-regenerating spells while passing up on armor/defensive skills? Would it not be advantageous to have a very powerful, although weak, wizard at the back of the pack doing massive damage?
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5. In summary, what are your guidelines and suggested necessary components of the following build types:
- A 'glass cannon' wizard dealing massive damage
- A 'support class' wizard capable of debuffing enemies and controlling battlefield
- A stronger, up-close and personal wizard that is balanced with both damage output and defense
DKR
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Frost Nova-Crimson-It increases 110% damage taken, AND freezes them still...so they're still 'standing perfectly still' for the meteor. Enemies frozen (for 4 seconds) receive that additional damage increase.
WoF - Alabaster - Has 1 second longer stun & incurs direct damage to them from the spell itself. (More than Frost Nova), so it might just be a good substitute.
I should note, however, the problem with Meteor Shower is that it's probably more fitting for a boss fight. Trying to hit enemies running around would be silly and impossible. Good thread!
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Do you feel better after responding to this thread about how you won't respond to this thread?
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Gotta love the Ray of Frost though, right?
Pretty powerful.
DKR
EDIT : Again, when used in conjunction with a skill such Frost Nova/Slow Time, (no AP cost) you'll be more confident and more accurate with your castings of Meteor. If they're frozen/stunned/slowed then Meteor would work and do MASSIVE amounts of damage.
Read "it would ONLY work with those skills" *
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Arcane Torrent's Disruption rune effect only increases damage 120% with skills that deal Arcane damage. It would definitely go great with Disintegrate, as you noted. The effect last 6 seconds. (120% Increase dmg) so here's some math that I"m thinking of. After you cast AT on a target, you probably only have about 5 seconds left of the 120% increase.
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Disintegrate-(Crimson Rune) -- 188 - 234 Arcane damage per second. The average is 211/sec. Obviously, it increases over time, but best case scenario and for the sake of discussion, we'll take the averages/sec.
211 damage X 120% increased dmg = 464 damage
464 damage X 5 seconds = 2321 Arcane Damage total
Arcane Torrent cost - 20 AP
Disintegrate cost for 5/sec - 100 AP
TOTAL - 120 AP cost to take advantage of Disintegrate's powerful damage potential
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Meteor - Indigo - (Meteor Shower)- Unleash a volley of 14 smaller meteors that strike for 139 - 189 Fire damage.
Again, take the average of each meteor - 161 damage.
161 damage X 14 meteors = 2296 damage total
Meteor cost - 60 AP
TOTAL - 60 AP to do the same damage, without any % damage increases, for CHEAPER.
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Frost Nova - Crimson Rune - Enemies take 110% more damage while frozen or chilled by Frost Nova. An explosion of ice freezes nearby enemies for 4 seconds and causes 28 - 50 Cold damage.
THEN USE
Ray of Frost - Crimson Rune - Damage increases slowly over 1.5 seconds to inflict a maximum of 369 - 434 Cold damage per second.
Again, taking the average per/sec, 401.5/sec
401.5 X 110% increase damage = 843.15 damage
843.15 X 4 seconds = 3372.6 damage total.
Frost Nova cost - 0 AP
RoF cost for 4 seconds - 116
TOTAL - 116 AP to do more damage at same cost (just about) as ArcTorr/Disint combo.
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Or swap out RoF with Slow Time (I wouldn't, I appreciate the stun effect from RoF) and take advantage of the 140% increase in damage !!! When Frost Nova/Slow Time 'capture's' enemies, then Ray of Frost starts looking better than Disintegrate. And Meteor stands on its own.
Just my thoughts,
DKR
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I agree with most of that. I'll be making changes to my notes at home!
DKR
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The idea behind this build is not to be in forefront of damage dealing, but rather use certain skills to control the battlefield in cooperation with your party. This is a 'party-required' build. These skills, in my opinion, will help debuff the enemy and help your party members exploit their weaknesses.
Mirror Image - Indigo - More duplicates would help scatter enemies' attention.
Summons 6 illusionary duplicates that have 25% of your Life each.
Ray of Frost - Golden - A cheap, powerful debuffing skill.
Reduce casting cost to 3 Arcane Power per second. Project a beam of frozen ice that blasts 142 - 167 Cold damage per second to the first enemy it hits, slowing the target's movement by 40% and attack speed by 30% for 5 seconds.
Slow Time - Indigo - Following this spell, ray of frost would slow the enemy down to a crawl.
Slow Time effects cling to enemies for 14 seconds after they have left the bubble. Invoke a bubble of warped time and space for 10 seconds, slowing the movement and attack speed of enemies by 35%. This bubble also slows the movement of enemy projectiles by 90%.
Meteor - Obsidian - This deals damage, but will help slow the enemy down, making the easy targets for party members.
Transforms the meteor to ice that deals 298 - 408 Cold damage on impact and freezes the ground, causing 40 - 60 Cold damage over 3 seconds. The movement of enemies in the area will also be slowed by 60%.
Arcane Torrent- Crimson - A great support skill, this will help part members cut through those debuffed mobs/or bosses
Targets hit by Arcane Torrent become Disrupted for 6 seconds, causing them to take 120% additional damage from any attacks that deal Arcane damage. Hurl a barrage of arcane projectiles that deal 107 - 181 Arcane damage per second to all enemies near the impact location.
Energy Armor- Indigo - To provide some cushion for expensive AP skills.
Rather than reducing your maximum Arcane Power, it is increased by 40 while Energy Armor is active.
Passives
Astral Presence - Increases your maximum Arcane Power by 20 and Arcane Power regeneration by 2 per second.
Evocation - Reduces all cooldowns by 20%.
Temporal Flux - Whenever you deal Arcane damage, enemies are slowed by 24% for 2 seconds.
OR -
Power Hungry - Gain 30 Arcane Power whenever you are healed by a health globe.
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This is a just a fun, half-baked build idea for anyone wanting to play a wizard as an up close and personal fighter. The idea is to be in the center of it all and unleash an insane amount of AoE damage but maintaining the defenses to stay alive.
Frost Nova - Crimson
Enemies take 110% more damage while frozen or chilled by Frost Nova.
Wave of Force - Indigo
Enemies hit have a 100% chance to cause a smaller Wave of Force that does 46 - 53 physical damage and knocks back enemies caught in its wake.
Explosive Blast - Alabaster
8 consecutive explosions cascade off you that each cause 50 - 67 physical damage.
Arcane Orb - Obsidian
Create 4 Arcane Orb(s) that orbit you, exploding for 162 - 222 Arcane damage when enemies get close.
Slow Time - Crimson
Enemies caught in the bubble of warped time take 140% more damage.
Defenses - I'd argue Diamond Skin would provide the most amount of defense, but the Offensive skills would require extensive AP reserves. It's a toss up here...what do you think?
Diamond Skin - Golden - Reduce Arcane Power cost of all spells by 14 while Diamond Skin is active.
Diamond Skin - Indigo - Increase duration to 21 seconds.
Energy Armor - Indigo - Rather than reducing your maximum Arcane Power, it is increased by 40 while Energy Armor is active.
Passives
Galvanizing Ward - (If Energy Armor is utilized) Increases the duration of your armor spells by 120 seconds. As long as an Armor spell is active, you gain 32 Life per second.
Evocation - to 'explode' often
Astral Presence - Increases your maximum Arcane Power by 20 and Arcane Power regeneration by 2 per second
-OR-
Power Hungry - (Depending on health globe drop rate) Gain 30 Arcane Power whenever you are healed by a health globe.
While in the middle of a mob, unleashing the Frost Nova will increase damage to monsters by +110%, I'm thinking this will maximize the WoF and ExB. The Arcane Orb seems appropriate for a close-quarters wiz, and with a Slow Time bubble, any enemies within take +140% damage. Again, this might be a tedious, difficult build to work with, but a fun one!
DKR
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The desired effect for this build is to maximize damage while maintaining a steady supply of AP to fuel the spells.
Magic Missile - Indigo Rune
Fires 8 missiles that do 20-31 Arcane Damage. While I have provisioned some AP regen/increases to this build, if AP is too easily depleted I'd switch to a Golden Rune to gain 14 AP each hit of MM.
Arcane Orb - Crimson Rune
297-406 Dmg
Meteor - Crimson Rune
469-631 Fire dmg on Impact, then 63-94 Fire dmg over 3 seconds
Arcane Torrent - Crimson Rune
107-181 Dmg, then takes an additional 120% dmg from any skills dealing Arcane Damage. This would be especially good for tougher enemies and bosses. Imagine ArcOrb and Meteor +120% !!!!
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I'd have to get into the game and see which of the next two skills is more advantageous.
Slow Time - Crimson Rune
+140% dmg to anything in the bubble. With their movement slowed 35% I could destroy anything with that impressive +140% boost to damage.
OR....
Familiar - Crimson Rune
I'm unsure of how easy it will be to 'catch' enemies in the time bubble, so it might be difficult to gain that +140% dmg boost, so a constant +40% dmg boost might be a good idea. Thoughts??? Or just replace with direct-damage-dealing spell?
Energy Armor - Indigo Rune
Increase Defense by 20% and Increases AP by 40 while Energy Armor is active. (120s)
-- Passives --
Glass Cannon - Provides a great 20% boost to damage while lowering armor/resistances 10%
Astral Presence - Increases your maximum Arcane Power by 20 and Arcane Power regeneration by 2 per second.
Power Hungry - Gain 30 Arcane Power whenever you are healed by a health globe.
OR .....
Prodigy - Every time you cast a Signature spell, you gain 5 Arcane Power.
What passive would be better? Thoughts?
Final Thoughts:
To meet the remarkable AP costs I've runed EA with Indigo and taken the Astral Presence passive. What are your thoughts on the drop rate for health globes? Gaining 30 AP from each globe is attractive, but that obviously depends on HOW OFTEN they drop...would it be wise to take Prodigy and recoup lost AP by casting Magic Missile? (once I've maxed out and MM is free AP cost...) It would be doubly effective if a Golden Rune was used on MM instead as well...that would be 19 AP each hit of MM.
Thanks. Criticisms? Opinions?
DKR
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Truth is though, they constantly update their site with pictures and info. I've been dragging that stuff over here for this community. I enjoy this community more, but wish the site had the frequent updates that IncGamers does.
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