[3.16 - RETIRING BUILD] VD Brands: S-Tier Bosser, A-Tier Map! -- MURDERED BY GGG_INTERN SOMEWHERE--

This build is awesome. I haven't had too much time to play with it yet but I think it's the best all-around build I've played since starting in metamorph. Thanks for sharing.

I play on ps4 and wanted a tankier shield based character so I had to make a few changes. The ps4 simply can't handle volatile dead with high cast speed. It can't even handle desecrate + spell cascade with high cast speed. Fortunately, detonate dead works fine and only needs 5 corpses per activation. You lose ~18% DPS on paper but I don't think all corpse explosions with VD can overlap so it's probably less.

The ps4 has 4 face buttons and I don't like using more than that while mapping. 2 brands and leap slam only leave one left but I need to cast bone offering and recall. I tried putting them in the channeling setup and it works amazing. You get even better uptime of bone offering than with the trigger craft because the recall ensures there will be corpses around you.

Wave of conviction + power charge on crit is a very quick and easy way to get max charges for tanky stuff like metamorphs.

Maligaro's virtuosity gloves provides insane value if you aren't willing to go staff and invest in crit.

The vertex helmet is great. Huge ES, lets you use a lvl19 desecrate, and it trivializes the cost of the desecrate setup; which in combination with low level DD/VD, allows the build to easily work early without -mana cost stuff.

Temporal Chains aura is necessary. BRANDS LAST 40% LONGER ON ENEMIES. I have 8+ second brands on bosses. Also, proximity slow is one of the strongest defenses in the game and when combined with hinder it makes it very difficult for enemies to hit you. If you want to have a laugh run temp chains aura, hinder aura from singularity uniq scepter, and maim aura from blood and sand.

Hi ! Your build looks interesting but i cant find any PoB with the staff version on the main page of this thread.

And what kind of cane of Kulemak do you recommend ?

Do you think we can level a char with this build with a self cast version ?

Do not level this build. Do Arma brand or VD/DD spellslinger until at least 90

I'm enjoying this great build.

One question.
In the video you posted, ES and LIFE are recovered quickly.
Looking at Path Of Building, I believe that there is almost no recovery with blocks or ESLeech.

Bone Offering now has life regen and can't recover quickly
What methods of recovery should I have in place to enjoy Tanky play?

"

YAGARANDE wrote:

I'm enjoying this great build.

One question.
In the video you posted, ES and LIFE are recovered quickly.
Looking at Path Of Building, I believe that there is almost no recovery with blocks or ESLeech.

Bone Offering now has life regen and can't recover quickly
What methods of recovery should I have in place to enjoy Tanky play?

Life gain on hit and ES gain on hit from shaper mods and watchers eyes

Looks like AB is getting the nerf bat in 3.17. It's a shame too, as I'm considering this build next league. I hope it's still powerful enough.

AB nerf plus the desecrate nerf (which is actually a well thought out nerf/tweak on its own). Sadly I’ll probably got DD ignite next league as I think may be lacking now.

"

jeremy_u_s3 wrote:

... the desecrate nerf (which is actually a well thought out nerf/tweak on its own).

Decent boost in shaper/simu's/the more troublesome content with diluted desecrate pools and it's a buff for DD or VD corpse explosions in lots of scenarios. If you'd have offered me this specific change as an optional change last league I'd have had to stop and consider it.

Depending on the specifics of its interaction with alt quality desecrate (not sure that'll be made clear before league start, probably need to trial and error test it) it ranges from a manageable small nerf to a potential buff for this specific setup. It does make alt quality desecrate even more valuable however they interact, so not ideal for SSFers/GSFers like myself.

It's an interesting change... though a few too many buffs where it was weak and nerfs where it was uber strong for something that probably should have had health shaved from the top IMHO.

Throw in the cast speed buffs (damage buff and QOL buff), the changes to added fire/flat (buff) and even with the arcanist nerf the build is looking pretty healthy. As things stand it'll be more than strong enough to blitz through everything next league.

The big caveat was Bex's reply to Jung's Reddit thread..

"

"Hey teacher, don't forget we have homework due today"

.. after Jung ranted about all the things that were still OP, including ignite DD.

Pretty much guarantees we're getting further nerfs not already mentioned in the patch notes, so it'll all come down to what those look like.

So far 100% viable and still very strong, with relatively minor ups and downs to damage (probably a damage nerf, but not even certain if it is given the way the higher flat and cast speed could scale way more than I'd imagine without POBing) and only buffs mechanically.

Currently the question is how high some of the self cast stuff has been buffed to see if any of those have become 'more busted' rather than if this is still viable... combined with a what other nerfs are buried in the patch notes.

GGG obviously didn’t like this build seeing as how it is the only arcanist brand main in the entire fucking game.

"

IceColdPorkSoda wrote:

GGG obviously didn’t like this build seeing as how it is the only arcanist brand main in the entire fucking game.

Ahh we had a good run mate.

Hahahha pack it up boys! I am declaring the build officially DEAD!!

It's so ironic - as you said, Arcanist Brand was used on 2 builds (this one primarily and EoW Inquis in 3.15/3.16 I think). Putting a trigger damage nerf on Arca Brand is hella weird since 99.997% of builds use Arca Brands for Hextouch/Marks/Utility rather than actual damage.

I definitely did not see a nerf coming from THIS direction! XD

I usually understand GGG's nerfs but Self-Buff casts = Nerf Arcanist Brand just sounds like some intern somewhere applying 'trigger nerfs' to everything.

That said, Prim's builds aren't over :) I will be running a hot favourite oldschool classic next league that's almost as fun to play (some would say one of the wackiest builds of all time!)

Also - Overreaction - yeah the build took a huge whacking but once you have the currency (especially if Awakened Spell Cascade could just calm the fuck down) it still trucks bosses while remeaining really tanky. I just wouldn't ever consider it a start of league build.

To all the contributors of the thread who've helped make this build great, I salute you. One day, maybe, a league, two, three down the line, a few years...

Arca Brand VD-DD will return :)

(p.s. TBH I did some Phantasmal Desecrate Experimentation and the damage buff was as big as 32%, so losing 50% damage after this means the build still outputs some 80% of what was discovered this league - but it does eat a 5L now.)

To be clear - the build still will function but I cannot in good faith actually rank it S- or A-tier any more. It's probably a B+-Bosser and B-tier map clear with how much you have to invest to get it going (well, Explodeys will still carry map clear, as will Leadership) and I don't really consider that a solid build considering how much you have to master and learn it.

For old-timers, please only return to the build if you have absolutely run out of content to do or builds to make. Path is a great game and many builds exist, I would hate that you hold on to this out of pure sentiment. If any item or interaction comes to save this build, you'll be the first to know.

My predictions for this league: SNIPER'S MARK LEAGUE WITH THAT NEW SUPPORT. GGG DONE GOOFED ;D