[3.6] Milky's Scorching Ray Totems (updating process)

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cmp66 wrote:

Just so I have this right, if I am walking into a fight clean (ex. farming uber lab) I have to to the following to get equivalent damage:

- cast 6 + X totems where X is the number of totem I want up to get the curses applied.
- cast at least one RF totem where the boss is
- cast SB and target the boss
- cast a SR totem and hope it targets the boss and not an add
- cast orb of storms to proc EO
- cast a lightning trap to proc EE if I still have AB.

basically.

- spam as long as he takes to get out of his hole, normally i end up with 8+curses

- right before the fight begins place SB + Decoy or scorching ray totem and OoS. A hasted (golems and conduit i think it was) izaro is usually more dangerous and you want the decoy. Normally his attacks are easily dodgeable.

- depending on his first move place rf totem. either he leaps to you position or he stays on the platform

- sr has no other target at the beginning and attacks the closest enemy first, no worry

- with AB throw traps when you are not in a dangerous position

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aykay317 wrote:

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KingCaracticus wrote:

Pretty much rip tbh, lost a ton of damage.

If you've been following the posts, RF totems gained a boost in DPS not lost with the changes in 3.0

Massive boost dude, lost 300k + dps in POB

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KingCaracticus wrote:

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aykay317 wrote:

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KingCaracticus wrote:

Pretty much rip tbh, lost a ton of damage.

If you've been following the posts, RF totems gained a boost in DPS not lost with the changes in 3.0

Massive boost dude, lost 300k + dps in POB

maybe read my top post in the guide first.

You cannot really compare 3.0 early beta and 3.0 beta now/live.

Compared to 2.6 its not that bad. It received heavy buffs over the beta and at the end it got nerfed again.

if you compare 2.6 with the early state of the beta it was buffed a lot
if you just compare the early state of the beta and the patchnodes its a heavy nerf

if you compare 2.6 with 3.0 its a nerf, but not that heavy or buildbreaking

I will play it in Harbringer as League Start.
For the first Content of game is the damage fully good.
When we hit the late Game, i can change but i think it a good league starter. With Soulmantel 4 link you can go like t8/9 easy ulab and atziri so you can easy good start ^^
So for Newbie Casuals its will be good speed and damage and for Semi-Progress it will be okay from Speed and Damage ^^ I only think for Hardprogress it will not the best but which of you will hard Progress ?
So all they write people that write rip only see 3.0 Early Beta to 3.0 Patchnotes in the Time many build go down from dps ^^ and when i get 400k DPS it will be fine for all content i dont need kill Sharper in 10 Seconds like the old Double Dipping shit.

So in my opinion it will one of the good Builds for 3.0 and a excellent League Starter.

There are few builds that can have a lvl 20 gem with lvl 49 (or a bit later, day 1 prices are higher than on day 2/3) and a 5link (4link + 1gem).

Like you said, that alone makes the start of maps a cakewalk regardless of the buffs.

it might suffer in red maps for map clearing, sure. But there are still only a handful builds that can push content like Atziri very early on. I regulary did atziri before entering my first map BEFORE soulmantle was useable in 2.6

I still expect enough dps to bring down guardians/shaper as soon as i reach them. The build has the advantage that it scales with mainly very cheap uniques, gemlevels and jewels (1alch-3c per dual property one early on). I don´t expect me to invest more than ~70c into the char to do any content comfortably, excluding linking the chest which is a rng festival (i probably stay on a 5link).

It gains tons of damage through different buff/debuff stacking, but at some point the damage scale potential is exhausted, thats the nature of many dots.

I have no issue with comments like "build is ded, rip", it just makes everything cheaper early on :)


For leveling i switched inc aoe with ele focus in a 4link setup, makes no noticable difference between 2.6 and 3.0 damage while leveling, the aoe is just a bit smaller which doesn´t hurt as long as we dont run maps

Yeah, I can confirm that it felt like the RF totem nerf was definitely active with Wave 4. I had to drop oos more frequently against rares and nasty blues, and I was surprised by that. The AoE definitely felt noticeably worse.

I think that the proper way to think about this change is not that the build was killed or that it was buffed over 2.6. In my opinion, the proper way to think about it was that the build is intact, but it was made significantly clunkier to play.

Before the 45% totem life nerf, RF totem was a "god-tier" league starter. Now I think it is "only" an extremely strong league starter.

Could you post links for scorching ray and what priority to link them in? I'm unsure how many links I'll use for it if I end up including it. I also may do it self-casted. If you don't mind, provide me some spell totem options and self-cast options and maybe what you think about it.

Thanks again Milky. It's crazy how much work you're putting in to make the guide usable for 3.0 start.

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LaserPanther wrote:

Could you post links for scorching ray and what priority to link them in? I'm unsure how many links I'll use for it if I end up including it. I also may do it self-casted. If you don't mind, provide me some spell totem options and self-cast options and maybe what you think about it.

Thanks again Milky. It's crazy how much work you're putting in to make the guide usable for 3.0 start.

So at lvl 40 i would switch to rf totems.

At that level you want:

- RF + Spelltotem + Burning Dmg + Elemental Focus (not aoe, you need the dmg more)

- searing bond + Burning Dmg + Elemental Focus in a +1 firegem sceptre.
Alternatively a 4link if you were lucky with swift affliction/demise or whatever its called in 3.0 :P

- purity of elements or fire

- flammability

- maybe a leapslam to jump over cliffs/rivers

- rallying or enduring cry if you choose berserkers War Bringer first (i probably rush for the dmg)


So just one 4link and one 3link.


Then you will reach Elemental overload and add Orb of storms. If you got a 3blue 3link add curse on hit + flammability

When you reach Elemental Equilibrium add a lighting/ice trap, can stay lvl 1.

With MoM Clarity makes sense, but i would probably switch it in with Purity once i reach the ironwood cluster.

The rest can be added later when your gear doesnt change too much and its worth linking it.


Scorching ray can be used selfcast earlier on (the resist debuff still works even without dealing dmg) or with just a spelltotem linked. Didn´t feel necassary until act 7 when i played on the beta yesterday, so you can wait until maps.

I am yet not sure which will be the most practical 4link setup, have to playtest that as well.

SR + Spelltotem + Efficacy + Burning dmg or Duration or faster casting seems the best. My main goal would be a high uptime on the debuff and dmg second.

every free socket should be used to level gems, with a priority on Active gems and Spelltotem (for scorching ray). Levels on active gems normally make a bigger impact than on support gems

I know your prob tired of this question but im kinda on the edge for choosing a build for tonight :) and just wanted to know for sure is this build still viable and a strong league starter?

ty Milkyslice for y work and explaining mechaniks of build

this RFT be my start build for 3.0

GL and HF )))