[3.16][HC][ON BREAK] Caustic Arrow Raider, DoT Focused | Tanky | 6k+ Health | All Content | In-depth

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Efulefu wrote:

Spoiler

Alright, I'll take my sweet time finding the right jewels, and 6-linking the Cane then :)

Also I understand about the weapon swap, I was just asking about losing a gem since I've only been able to 5-link the Cane I found for now, so if I were to transition anytime soon it'd have to be a 5 gem setup barring absurd luck on my part.

By the way, have you had a chance to check out the bow-based ED equipment? Like the crafted +1 gems, +2 support gems, with all the sweet chaos damage mods etc? Could that be better than a high-end staff on an unlimited budget? It seems like a lot of ED builds have been aiming for those kinds of bows to socket their attacks in.

I already explain the differences in crafting section:

Before you craft, you have to decide if you want to use a Staff or a Bow. The primary difference is that Staff can roll additional cast speed and can also use Vigilant Strike to generate Fortify buff - powerful defensive option. It's also easy to see which weapon setup you're using with a Staff/Bow combo.

Bows should be easier to roll and can use quiver for additional life/resistances if you're relying on them. Primary benefit comes from additional projectile speed from a quiver, since Essence Drain is really slow.

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JSquare wrote:

Spoiler

Sigh - RIP'd lvl 92. No idea what happened, was in an incursion, killed some enemies, ran out of time, character just randomly went from full health to 0 as I was being portalled out (ran out of time). Anyways, was a fun league to play this build. Lots of really good gear lost :P Vaal'd 13 lvl 20 CA's in the end, not one hit 21 ><

Good luck on the push to 100.

F.

This kind of death shouldn't happen honestly, i don't recall taking damaging during teleportation even before CA buffs. I guess you took some unlucky crit from extremely buffed rare or architect slam without having Kintsugi effect up. And holy crap you got unlucky with vaaling so much.

I'm slowly "pushing" 100, mostly playing few hours to not burn out from mindless grinding. It's really tiring for me, but i'll get there eventually. 10-15% xp every day, farming to upgrade gear, doing challenges makes it somewhat bearable.

I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

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DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

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Efulefu wrote:

Spoiler

Alright, I'll take my sweet time finding the right jewels, and 6-linking the Cane then :)

Also I understand about the weapon swap, I was just asking about losing a gem since I've only been able to 5-link the Cane I found for now, so if I were to transition anytime soon it'd have to be a 5 gem setup barring absurd luck on my part.

By the way, have you had a chance to check out the bow-based ED equipment? Like the crafted +1 gems, +2 support gems, with all the sweet chaos damage mods etc? Could that be better than a high-end staff on an unlimited budget? It seems like a lot of ED builds have been aiming for those kinds of bows to socket their attacks in.

I already explain the differences in crafting section:

Before you craft, you have to decide if you want to use a Staff or a Bow. The primary difference is that Staff can roll additional cast speed and can also use Vigilant Strike to generate Fortify buff - powerful defensive option. It's also easy to see which weapon setup you're using with a Staff/Bow combo.

Bows should be easier to roll and can use quiver for additional life/resistances if you're relying on them. Primary benefit comes from additional projectile speed from a quiver, since Essence Drain is really slow.

Oooh sorry I missed the extended crafting section in the guide! Thanks for taking the time to repeat the comparison for me x) And really good point with making it obvious which gem setup is equipped - I still get confused sometimes when I swap to my gem-levelling bow by accident!

Could there be situations where crafting chaos resistance penetration on the weapon outweighs any of the other mods? If I understand correctly X% extra damage should always be better than X% res penetration, and since the chaos damage and chaos penetration mods roll similar numbers... But I'm not sure I understand all the mechanics correctly ;)

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DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn, now I really regret missing the crafting section, I enjoy fossil crafting and just bought a good +1 arrow quiver yesterday hah!


On a side note HotGM is very funny with this build, you can't kill them but they can't even hit you...

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I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn nice quiver but just saw your RIP! Ughhh.. What a bullshit way to get trapped by the map. I'm not sure if the skill that enemy used is considered an attack.. in that case even with kitsu and your capped evade it still hit. So unlucky. I expect you'll still finish as #2 raider (maybe even #3 with your other char) as the closest behind is level 92.

didnt play this build this league and wish i did, looking forward to 3.8

keep up the solid guide and great work

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Efulefu wrote:

Spoiler

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DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

I already explain the differences in crafting section:

Before you craft, you have to decide if you want to use a Staff or a Bow. The primary difference is that Staff can roll additional cast speed and can also use Vigilant Strike to generate Fortify buff - powerful defensive option. It's also easy to see which weapon setup you're using with a Staff/Bow combo.

Bows should be easier to roll and can use quiver for additional life/resistances if you're relying on them. Primary benefit comes from additional projectile speed from a quiver, since Essence Drain is really slow.

Oooh sorry I missed the extended crafting section in the guide! Thanks for taking the time to repeat the comparison for me x) And really good point with making it obvious which gem setup is equipped - I still get confused sometimes when I swap to my gem-levelling bow by accident!

Could there be situations where crafting chaos resistance penetration on the weapon outweighs any of the other mods? If I understand correctly X% extra damage should always be better than X% res penetration, and since the chaos damage and chaos penetration mods roll similar numbers... But I'm not sure I understand all the mechanics correctly ;)

"

DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn, now I really regret missing the crafting section, I enjoy fossil crafting and just bought a good +1 arrow quiver yesterday hah!


On a side note HotGM is very funny with this build, you can't kill them but they can't even hit you...

When i've first used the classic build (back in 2.5 Breach league) crafting decay bows was a thing. While i knew what i was using majority of the time i sometimes would try weapon swapping before the animation finished, leaving me confused which weapon setup i'm using. With staff it's much easier to notice + Fortify is insane if you're willing to trigger it every 30 seconds.

Penetration only applies to hits, it doesn't affect DoTs. Only reductions like Despair's -X% chaos resistance work since they're applied directly to the monster.

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JSquare wrote:

Spoiler

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I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn nice quiver but just saw your RIP! Ughhh.. What a bullshit way to get trapped by the map. I'm not sure if the skill that enemy used is considered an attack.. in that case even with kitsu and your capped evade it still hit. So unlucky. I expect you'll still finish as #2 raider (maybe even #3 with your other char) as the closest behind is level 92.

For those who didn't see my death yet

I'm honestly sad. Not angry, just sad at all the RNG factors that killed me and could potentially prevent it.


If any of the factors was different, i would live. The death was fair, the RNG simply got me... again. This is not the first time i died in very questionable way. In fact, that's majority of my deaths recently.

I don't really care about the rank, level 100 is my goal since... Incursion i guess? Or Delve, i don't know. This time i truly wanted to hit it since Raider's rework is imminent. (unofficial info ahead)
GGG wanted to do rework this league, but withdrawn from the idea shortly before the release - that's why Raider had no changes at all this league. I also heard that in that rework more evade chance was removed from it... hence my character's name.

I'm not repeating the grind, i'll be doing tests with my melee bleed character instead. Also i might focus on making general guides that i've mentioned about in the past.

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DankawSL wrote:

For those who didn't see my death yet

I'm honestly sad. Not angry, just sad at all the RNG factors that killed me and could potentially prevent it.

How did other people see it already? Are you streaming? All your videos are "unlisted" so can't access them without direct link.

I submitted clip to poe-racing.com which is the primary site you use for checking the ladder. Includes link-out to rip clips if they're submitted and approved.

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DankawSL wrote:

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Efulefu wrote:

Spoiler

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DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

I already explain the differences in crafting section:

Before you craft, you have to decide if you want to use a Staff or a Bow. The primary difference is that Staff can roll additional cast speed and can also use Vigilant Strike to generate Fortify buff - powerful defensive option. It's also easy to see which weapon setup you're using with a Staff/Bow combo.

Bows should be easier to roll and can use quiver for additional life/resistances if you're relying on them. Primary benefit comes from additional projectile speed from a quiver, since Essence Drain is really slow.

Oooh sorry I missed the extended crafting section in the guide! Thanks for taking the time to repeat the comparison for me x) And really good point with making it obvious which gem setup is equipped - I still get confused sometimes when I swap to my gem-levelling bow by accident!

Could there be situations where crafting chaos resistance penetration on the weapon outweighs any of the other mods? If I understand correctly X% extra damage should always be better than X% res penetration, and since the chaos damage and chaos penetration mods roll similar numbers... But I'm not sure I understand all the mechanics correctly ;)

"

DankawSL wrote:

Spoiler

I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn, now I really regret missing the crafting section, I enjoy fossil crafting and just bought a good +1 arrow quiver yesterday hah!


On a side note HotGM is very funny with this build, you can't kill them but they can't even hit you...

When i've first used the classic build (back in 2.5 Breach league) crafting decay bows was a thing. While i knew what i was using majority of the time i sometimes would try weapon swapping before the animation finished, leaving me confused which weapon setup i'm using. With staff it's much easier to notice + Fortify is insane if you're willing to trigger it every 30 seconds.

Penetration only applies to hits, it doesn't affect DoTs. Only reductions like Despair's -X% chaos resistance work since they're applied directly to the monster.

"

JSquare wrote:

Spoiler

"

I also tried the quiver fossil crafting for the first time (serrated). I can finally confirm that it works AMAZING, 3/6 times i got +1 arrow:

Damn nice quiver but just saw your RIP! Ughhh.. What a bullshit way to get trapped by the map. I'm not sure if the skill that enemy used is considered an attack.. in that case even with kitsu and your capped evade it still hit. So unlucky. I expect you'll still finish as #2 raider (maybe even #3 with your other char) as the closest behind is level 92.

For those who didn't see my death yet

I'm honestly sad. Not angry, just sad at all the RNG factors that killed me and could potentially prevent it.

The list of all factors

The setting:
* Late night, i was tired and my awareness/reaction time dropped.
* I've been playing on autopilot for 2 hours now, emptied all my 45k sulphite in delve during that time at depth 260-300.
* T13 map, running to complete Einhar's mission. Considering i rarely ever drop below 50% even in T16s, a single crit multi mod shouldn't pose any danger at all. This again dropped my awareness.

The map:
* Crit chance+multi map, 384%/42% respectively.
* Fleet mod (monster MS/AS/CS speed)

The rare:
* Extra phys aura (30% extra phys dmg)
* Frenzy as damaged (mob had 0 frenzies)

The situation that led to death:
* I treat legion with caution until all rares die. I thought i already killed every single one of them and didn't notice last one hidden behind pillars. (low awareness)
* When i was looting and run through to pick up splinter, mob finally had line of sight and moved towards me. He started with his slam first of all things.
* After i finally noticed him and moved kill him (still didn't register he's a rare and is charging slam), he managed to cast his ability right in time thanks to Fleet mod. He also crit me thanks to map mod too.
* I don't know if it's an attack or spell, but i've had at least 52% chance to avoid it (spell dodge).

The damage recap:
(6612+113)*(100/80) = 8406,25 effective life (including Kintsugi bonus)
8406,25/1,7/1,3 = 3803,7 or more ability's base damage in T13.
It's honestly ridiculous amount of damage for a single ability. Now pair it with other rares that probably have few other auras... That requires a lot of mitigation to not get oneshot. I honestly wonder how melee builds are actually surviving out there (no, cyclone or any ranged "melee" doesn't count)

How could i prevent it:
* Aspect of the Crab which i always want to include in my build. It requires heavy investment into mana or EB. I had almost everything ready for long time except T2/T3 Elreon's veiled mod... which i finally unlocked 2 maps earlier. I wanted to some big crafting and include it in my build next day when i'm not tired. It would definitely save my life
* 50% reduced extra dmg from crits - vaal implicit. I had T2 corruption room in my temple and one spare Kintsugi... There was a chance for me to hit the mod. My previous double corruption transformed it into shaper rare.

If any of the factors was different, i would live. The death was fair, the RNG simply got me... again. This is not the first time i died in very questionable way. In fact, that's majority of my deaths recently.

I don't really care about the rank, level 100 is my goal since... Incursion i guess? Or Delve, i don't know. This time i truly wanted to hit it since Raider's rework is imminent. (unofficial info ahead)
GGG wanted to do rework this league, but withdrawn from the idea shortly before the release - that's why Raider had no changes at all this league. I also heard that in that rework more evade chance was removed from it... hence my character's name.

I'm not repeating the grind, i'll be doing tests with my melee bleed character instead. Also i might focus on making general guides that i've mentioned about in the past.

Those fuckers are usually the ones oneshotting me too in SC. It annoyed me enough to sidegrade/beef up my Malevolence version to include Grace and the Wind Dancer Timeless Jewel.
Still got oneshot by one today. *shrug*

But thank god im playing SC and dont care about pushing higher than 97. I squeezed out decent damage of caustic arrow. I prefered this build to farm UE over my Cyclone slayer bcs it has more survivability and fighting him feels more like a dance. :)

Thx for the build and the very detailed guide.

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tom333 wrote:

Those fuckers are usually the ones oneshotting me too in SC. It annoyed me enough to sidegrade/beef up my Malevolence version to include Grace and the Wind Dancer Timeless Jewel.
Still got oneshot by one today. *shrug*

But thank god im playing SC and dont care about pushing higher than 97. I squeezed out decent damage of caustic arrow.

Yeah, legion mobs damage is crazy, I'd swear half the RIP clips I've seen on Reddit was legion mobs. It made me respec my evasion character into iron reflexes and only approach legion with vaal molten shell lined up (with increased duration it's about 13 seconds), and still sometimes I'd be chunked through 80% damage reduction + all other reductions (like armor / resistances).

I don't even know why Immortal Call was changed, one of the very few tools to prevent squishies from being killed in sub 1 second was taken away to... buff endurance charge stacking characters that were already tanky?

Steelskin is "better than nothing" but it's short duration, and high strength requirement, and extremely low absorb values if you cannot rank it up due to lack of strength.

On a side note, I've been considering rolling a new character after playing toxic rain, would you think caustic arrow setup is better for clearing legion? Currently it feels like I can never manage to run from one end to the other and cover all the packs in between, but not sure is it due to shortcomings of myself as a player, or because the skill playstyle doesn't fit me.

How easy is it to open whole legion with caustic arrow? Does it suffer on open or confined maps?

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tom333 wrote:

Spoiler

Those fuckers are usually the ones oneshotting me too in SC. It annoyed me enough to sidegrade/beef up my Malevolence version to include Grace and the Wind Dancer Timeless Jewel.
Still got oneshot by one today. *shrug*

But thank god im playing SC and dont care about pushing higher than 97. I squeezed out decent damage of caustic arrow. I prefered this build to farm UE over my Cyclone slayer bcs it has more survivability and fighting him feels more like a dance. :)

Thx for the build and the very detailed guide.

I don't really have any problems with Legion. I was chunked to really low health (below ~25% hp) maybe twice or thrice. That's what defences do and Raider's 95% evade. This was simply very unfortunate turn of events. I don't think i ever got hit by that skill before, you avoid it naturally if you're kiting. Templars with their laser skill can be extremely dangerous tho.

I already mentioned earlier, i really dislike Wind Dancer. The downside basically makes you take unnecessary hits and causes you to be more vulnerable to crits. Vaal keystones should give you more defence and Karui jewel is also capable of giving similar level defence without any downsides. Maraketh keystone is stronger on builds with low-mid evasion investment.

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Viktranka wrote:

Spoiler

Yeah, legion mobs damage is crazy, I'd swear half the RIP clips I've seen on Reddit was legion mobs. It made me respec my evasion character into iron reflexes and only approach legion with vaal molten shell lined up (with increased duration it's about 13 seconds), and still sometimes I'd be chunked through 80% damage reduction + all other reductions (like armor / resistances).

I don't even know why Immortal Call was changed, one of the very few tools to prevent squishies from being killed in sub 1 second was taken away to... buff endurance charge stacking characters that were already tanky?

Steelskin is "better than nothing" but it's short duration, and high strength requirement, and extremely low absorb values if you cannot rank it up due to lack of strength.

On a side note, I've been considering rolling a new character after playing toxic rain, would you think caustic arrow setup is better for clearing legion? Currently it feels like I can never manage to run from one end to the other and cover all the packs in between, but not sure is it due to shortcomings of myself as a player, or because the skill playstyle doesn't fit me.

How easy is it to open whole legion with caustic arrow? Does it suffer on open or confined maps?

Every new league brings dangerous mobs. Synthesis' lvl 80+ memory zones with nearly every single one having 2+ damage mods and commonly 3 was just as deadly. In my case i had more troubles in memories than Legion.

I personally don't see a reason to ever pick up Iron Reflexes on any ranged character. You can avoid up to 3/4 of incoming damage with evasion+dodge+spell dodge while nullifying oneshots by stacking #% phys reduction and health pool.

Endurance charge on kill and Aspect of the Crab exists, pair with Basalt flask and you're sitting on 47% physical reduction. Evasion makes it possible to upkeep crab barrier at max nearly permanently, avoidance protects from multiple successful hits - something Iron Reflexes cannot do against elemental damage. That's as well rounded as defence as possible. Slap 50% extra crit damage reduction vaal implicit on top and you can't die unless you commit suicide by running into enemy skills.

Immortal Call was a gem that caused a lot of balance problems. It allowed you to survive impossible situations (like porcupines) and caused defences to not be necessary in some cases. I'm glad it's gone. People were scared about those changes but everyone very quickly adapted to it.

Steelskin doesn't need long duration, that 1 second is enough to react and save yourself in one way or another. Old IC had even shorter duration (~0.7 sec?) but nobody complained about it.

I can't talk about the difference between both CA and TR, i can only speak about the one i know. CA is capable to clearing majority of legion but requires a lot of investment in order to do so. Open maps/closed maps with corridors (like Courtyard) are generally better due to piercing and multiple arrows allowing to quickly cover whole area. With 3 arrows and no concentrated effect i was usually able to clear both sides of the legion except white mobs. You can do better in trade league obviously.