Blood Magic

Not many Marauders go with Mana, but yes using the BM support gem is logical in that case.

Yet, it doesn't change the fundamental problem that the 250% cost multiplier is abnormally high for the benefit given from a support, and that Marauders and Templars can use this support no problem. What about Duelists (which we know are somewhat gimped in comparison to other clases) and Rangers? Most of those classes just go for BM keystone anyways, at least those that stack up on lots of life.

Frankly, I've never seen a build that utilized a BM support gem to this date. By changing the cost multiplier to a more reasonable state, it would make this support gem a lot useful and desirable.

the 250% turns into 200% on level up. duelists have nice amount of regen nodes next to them, and you can get leeching from gear or another support or even life on hit (support and gear). many players see this connection fast and its what makes things "free" to use via blood magic.

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Mark_GGG wrote:

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Islidox wrote:

Frankly, I've never seen a build that utilized a BM support gem to this date. By changing the cost multiplier to a more reasonable state, it would make this support gem a lot useful and desirable.

The support is used quite a lot form what I've seen, and is certainly quite powerful. It provides the benefit of the keystone without any of it's drawback - you still have all your mana, thus allowing you to run auras more easily and use that for other skills. That's a big advantage. It needs another, very significant, drawback to remain balanced, and the multiplier supplies this.

if an aura costs 100mana to reserve or 240life and you have 5000life and 1000mana which is worse?

if you have 5% life leech and an attack costs either 20mana or 50life which is costing you more?

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Mark_GGG wrote:

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Islidox wrote:

Frankly, I've never seen a build that utilized a BM support gem to this date. By changing the cost multiplier to a more reasonable state, it would make this support gem a lot useful and desirable.

The support is used quite a lot form what I've seen, and is certainly quite powerful. It provides the benefit of the keystone without any of it's drawback - you still have all your mana, thus allowing you to run auras more easily and use that for other skills. That's a big advantage. It needs another, very significant, drawback to remain balanced, and the multiplier supplies this.

Perhaps I'm just shocked at the 245% cost multiplier pricetag. Only Spell Totem and Ranged Attack Totem have a cost anywhere near this, and then some. (Chain and GMP with 200%) I really wanted to use this as a way to put an aura off the mana globe while retaining attack skills on mana. Obviously this isn't quite the way this support is supposed to be used, but I wish it were. I would probably need an extra 1k life on top of 2k to even consider using it with Grace.

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namad wrote:

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Mark_GGG wrote:

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Islidox wrote:

Frankly, I've never seen a build that utilized a BM support gem to this date. By changing the cost multiplier to a more reasonable state, it would make this support gem a lot useful and desirable.

The support is used quite a lot form what I've seen, and is certainly quite powerful. It provides the benefit of the keystone without any of it's drawback - you still have all your mana, thus allowing you to run auras more easily and use that for other skills. That's a big advantage. It needs another, very significant, drawback to remain balanced, and the multiplier supplies this.

if an aura costs 100mana to reserve or 240life and you have 5000life and 1000mana which is worse?

if you have 5% life leech and an attack costs either 20mana or 50life which is costing you more?

The life is costing you more, because life's purpose isn't normally to cast skills. Its to allow you to tank damage. Whereas mana's only purpose is to cast skills.

You can use that life to take damage or cast a skill, you can't do both.

If you're using an attack that costs 50 life, at one attack per second, you're giving up 50 life per second, in order to not worry about mana.

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Islidox wrote:

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Mark_GGG wrote:

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Islidox wrote:

Frankly, I've never seen a build that utilized a BM support gem to this date. By changing the cost multiplier to a more reasonable state, it would make this support gem a lot useful and desirable.

The support is used quite a lot form what I've seen, and is certainly quite powerful. It provides the benefit of the keystone without any of it's drawback - you still have all your mana, thus allowing you to run auras more easily and use that for other skills. That's a big advantage. It needs another, very significant, drawback to remain balanced, and the multiplier supplies this.

Perhaps I'm just shocked at the 245% cost multiplier pricetag. Only Spell Totem and Ranged Attack Totem have a cost anywhere near this, and then some. (Chain and GMP with 200%) I really wanted to use this as a way to put an aura off the mana globe while retaining attack skills on mana. Obviously this isn't quite the way this support is supposed to be used, but I wish it were. I would probably need an extra 1k life on top of 2k to even consider using it with Grace.

I see it as most useful for the purpose you stated, only the other way around, Use blood magic for your main attack, and load your mana up with auras.

In closed beta, I had a level 63 maurader, and used a total of 4 BM support gems, mixed with some life gain on hit (where needed) I had lightning strike as the main attack, Heavy strike for singles, shield charge for getting out of jams.

with some careful placement, and some reduced mana costs gems, I was running 5 auras, still had enough mana left to curse/cast warlord's mark and I had about 3500 life left (after some reserves with BM)

i had an incredibly high life regen per minute (as it was back then). and my DPS was around the 2k mark with LS.

My build was made to not die... and rarely did happen... either major lag spikes, or unreal boss combinations that usually wiped entire parties... I would go as well.. just last and after putting up a hell of a fight/doing something stupid.

I am currently working on rebuilding him right now.. a little harder with changes done in OB, but so far so good. the BM support gem is fine as is (from my point of view)

I had posted feedback on this thread in the beggining, stating my disagreement with the cost.


That was back then when one main skill supported by blood magic would be enough. The way to play the game has changed substantially. You now need to absolutelly spam more skills that cost much more than they used to. Thats why this gem is dead.

Now, at least 2-3 of the 5 item types that allow gems have at least one active skill the player needs.

Not that the player needs, but it would be a waste not to have. Such as Totem, Minions, Traps, Curses. There is too much that is important to have, that cannot realistically be supported by mana after the benefit of Auras has been applied (eliminating the mana).

So the Blood Magic Support Gem as the get of out jail free card for auras cannot cope with the newly found need for multiple active skills being supported by other gems, etc.

Furthermore, I recognize that the current threshold of power and character progression requires atleast 4 support gems, plus the active skill to be effective.

This means that realistically, only someone with a 6 linked weapon or armor could benefit and even then, by sacrificing either Minions, Curses, Traps, Totems...

The conclusion is that the EFFECTIVE OPPORTUNITY COST of Blood Magic Gem as support has been increased by 2-3 times, due to the addiction/balance/efficiency of alternative types of active skills that are every bit as necessary, such as Totems, Minions, Traps, Curses, according to the specifics of each build.


Blood Magic Support usefullness has been narrowed even further, to the realm of simplistic builds that only use one main attack skills and fill everything else with auras, while still being gimped with a 6 linked armor/weapon.


On the other hand, comparativelly, the actual Blood Magic Keystone or Eldritch Battery Keystone as energy resources have seen an increase in their effectiveness. Either one of the two being strictly necessary, depending on how much one catters to Marauder/Duelist area (life/life regen/survivability) or Witch/Shadow area (crits/elementals)

Either one builds more offensively, or more defensivelly and then decide the resource, but this Blood Magic Support is now underpowered.

At this point, not even reducing the cost multiplier would fix it, because the problem is the multiple amount of socket slots being exchanged.

So by taking Blood Magic Keystone or Eldritch Battery, one ends up getting 2+ socket slots to improve other NECESSARY skills by 30-50% for each one.

Its a no brainer in terms of what is the absolute superior choice.