Summary
- A comprehensive review of 13 different character builds taken from level 1 through to Tier 15 maps.
- Evaluations cover clear speed, single-target damage, playstyle, defensive layers, and viability for future patches.
- Common themes include the effectiveness of “Plant” builds for leveling, the defensive superiority of Arashta in hardcore, and the clunkiness of certain two-button mechanics.
Cold Chronomancer
- Clear: Utilizes Cold Infused Ice Nova and Snap. Snap generates Cold Infusions and proliferates, allowing for multiple infusions per cast.
- Single-Target: Uses Frost Bomb (with Spell Echo and Overabundance) and Frostwalls.
- Critique: Frostwall feels clunky; it deals 80% less damage in the first 0.5 seconds and can unintentionally block movement. It struggles against mobile bosses. The build transitions better once gear allows for a shift toward Frost Darts.
Spark Stormweaver
- Mechanics: Relies on Overstorms (using passive tree and Overabundance for a +2 limit) combined with Unleash to cast three at once.
- Critique: Did not use Cast on Crit to avoid potential nerfs. Lacks early damage but scales well. Suffers from high base mana costs requiring frequent potion usage.
Plant Bloodmage
- Clear: Uses Entangle, Crashing Vines, and Thunderstorm to water the plants.
- Single-Target: Uses Bone Storm to apply Impale Stacks, consumed by Ravenous Swarm and Living Lightning.
- Critique: Ranked as the strongest and easiest build for the campaign. Note that while currently strong, Blood Mage Leech is slated for a nerf, though early game survivability remains high due to Remnants.
Lightning Arrow Deadeye
- Critique: The run was hindered by a bug preventing additional arrows on Lightning Rods, which significantly lowered single-target damage. Being stationary makes it poor against small, mobile targets. Ice Shot with Snipe is expected to perform better in upcoming patches.
Ice Strike Invoker
- Mechanics: Uses Ice Strike and Frozen Locust for clear; Ice Strike and Tempest Spell for single-target.
- Critique: The slowest run (9.5 hours). The build felt squishy due to a hybrid ES/Evasion setup without physical mitigation. While Holo Palm is strong for leveling, it falls off in late-game. Glacier Cascade is recommended as a safer, ranged alternative.
Lightning Spear Amazon
- Mechanics: Lightning Spear for clear; Primal Strikes (which consumes shock to summon spirits) for single-target.
- Critique: Excellent coverage but low early-game damage. It is potentially “broken” if paired with persistent shock grounds, but the current build lacked top-tier single-target DPS.
- Mechanics: Uses Eternal Rage to generate rage, allowing for frequent use of Furious Slam, Rampage, and Meteor abilities.
- Critique: Felt squishy. Melee slams are slow and leave the character vulnerable to being stunned during animations.
- Mechanics: Luna Salt to freeze; Shred to create/pull Ice Fragments; Luna Blessing for additional cold damage and clear.
- Critique: Luna Salt has high freeze build-up but suffers from low DPS. The build relies heavily on Herald of Ice explosions for clear and struggles in higher-tier maps without significant gear upgrades.
Plant Druid
- Critique: Similar performance to the Plant Bloodmage. Experimenting with Branching Fissure on Entangle did not yield noticeable differences in clear speed.
Spark Disciple (Arashta)
- Critique: A Hardcore-focused run. This build is highly durable due to Arashta’s physical mitigation and superior Energy Shield (ES) mechanics, including faster recharge rates. While damage is slightly lower than the Stormweaver version, it is considered one of the strongest Hardcore ascendancies.
ED Contagion Lich (Kill Stored Glitch)
- Critique: A solid, reliable build. It allows for high ES pools and offers decent clear and single-target damage. It is easy to play and remains a stable choice across patches.
Stormcaller and Shockchain Arrow
- Mechanics: Stormcaller summons a bolt of lightning; Shockchain Arrow consumes the resulting shocks to emit a shockwave.
- Critique: The delay on Stormcaller (roughly one second) makes the playstyle feel clunky. It relies on Freezing Salvo and Ice Tipped Arrows for single-target support.
Lightning Bloodmage
- Mechanics: Uses Overstorms to generate lightning infusions; Arc consumes infusions for increased damage and chain frequency.
- Critique: The Amber Fuselet/Overstorms combo is potent in the campaign but falls off in maps. The build suffered slightly in this run due to the inability to find high-level skill gems.