[outdated] Caustic Arrow Solo Map MFer (20/300+)

Check out this guide for Permanent Elder influence; it's pretty crazy.

Magic finders can use this to permanently grant Elder influence for maps they're running - and it can also be used by non-magic finders to help map sustain.

I personally won't use it. I feel like it's an abuse of game mechanics, or an unintended aspect of the Atlas. In other words, it feels like cheating to me.

Also, I have fun moving the bubble of tentacles.

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Serleth wrote:

I personally won't use it. I feel like it's an abuse of game mechanics, or an unintended aspect of the Atlas. In other words, it feels like cheating to me.

Also, I have fun moving the bubble of tentacles.

From my perspective it's not too different from intentionally not completing certain maps in order to force nearly all maps of a particular tier to drop as the map you want.

For example, once Elder spawns, you can just whittle down Elder influence but not kill the Elder or his guardians (without using the perma-influence strategy). At some point, Elder influence spreads and you can choose to run only maps that have Elder or Shaper influence - Elder drops seem to be more valuable though, and the Elder portals seem to yield more mobs than Shaper influence does, which is the benefit of the perma-influence strategy; on the other hand, you give up on running Elder which, if you're lucky, can be very valuable.

I won't be using the perma-Elder influence strategy for awhile at least since I don't have a really fast map clearer to leverage this, plus I need the Elder kills for the challenge.
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>> Also, I have fun moving the bubble of tentacles.
Sometimes this can be pretty frustrating, particularly when you need to run a certain map or risk losing Elder expansion and it turns out that you don't have that map in stock.

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hankinsohl wrote:

From my perspective it's not too different from intentionally not completing certain maps in order to force nearly all maps of a particular tier to drop as the map you want.

Mm, but not completing maps seems like an intended mechanic.

The expansion was called War for the Atlas, after all, and if you can set it up so that Shaper can't fight the Elder... doesn't seem right to me.

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For example, once Elder spawns, you can just whittle down Elder influence but not kill the Elder or his guardians (without using the perma-influence strategy). At some point, Elder influence spreads and you can choose to run only maps that have Elder or Shaper influence

Yeah, exactly, but the War continues. This seems like an intended way to run more Elder maps without having to actually fight Elder, and I'm fine with that.

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Sometimes this can be pretty frustrating, particularly when you need to run a certain map or risk losing Elder expansion and it turns out that you don't have that map in stock.

I find this isn't really an issue until you get past T11, or you happen to get unlucky and the EI continues to spawn in the same general area. I ran out of Coral Ruins last league for that reason, and got pretty low on Infested Valley as well.

Right now I'm trying to get my last Memory Fragment and I just don't have the sustain at the moment (or the RNG) to get the T14/15s I need.

The deeper I get into a league though, the higher tier I can routinely push the influence and not be that concerned. Still too early in the league though to not be running out of T12+ maps pretty quick.

That said, I'm not SSF, so if I really want to press the issue, buying maps isn't a big deal, and the way Elder works for the zone level of the fights themselves (only cares what colour tier you're in), pretty easy to work it along the t11-t13 range typically and just buy the missing maps to proc the fight. I consider it basically the same as buying Guardian frags for Shaper runs.

I use this tree on hc. Safe enough for me. Auras clarity and blasphemy temp chains. 2nd curse from dot flask for damage. Also we need mana flask or vaal clarity.

Hey, just started this build.

What big skill tree points should i get first, since theres no leveling tree?

what are the important gg skill points?

thx

Just strike a good balance between life and damage as you're leveling.

Your order of damage nodes will be Entropy > Growth & Decay > Atrophy > Method to the Madness > Fury Bolts, then flesh out the rest of the tree prioritizing jewel sockets over Frenzy charges as you push towards 90+.

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With Soul of Arachnoxia: 10% chance to avoid projectile damage

Just a small mistake I noticed when looking at your guide. It's actually the soul of Thraxia that adds this buff. Great guide otherwise!

Edit: Could be the names have changed since you made the post. I see where you have "Master of the Blade" is actually Sebbert, Crescent's Point on the pantheon as well. sorry if this post is irrelevant!

Yeah it's just name changes that I didn't catch, therefore did not update in the guide.

Thanks for pointing it out

Grats on 40/40 Serleth!