[Archived] Archmage Hexblast | 4M+ Ignite DPS | Budget Options League Start to Endgame

ugh stupid trigger nerf but block version not too affected , need to remove storm brand from trigger setup and support desecrate/bone offering with increased duration to make sure ur never without the offering.
kind of a bummer having to self cast storm brand but not end of world in this build as you have time between ignites, plus now can support brand with inc crit strikes as you have for better EO; ideally blind too but bit gem starved; i like cyclone + fortify + cull but could drop cull here, and have setup of cyclone/fortify/storm brand/inc crit strikes, that way both cyclone and storm brand boost chance of proccing EO.

Question do you need storm brand for EE? or does that anyhow proc from the hexblast hit wasnt sure?

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rozakk wrote:

ugh stupid trigger nerf but block version not too affected , need to remove storm brand from trigger setup and support desecrate/bone offering with increased duration to make sure ur never without the offering.
kind of a bummer having to self cast storm brand but not end of world in this build as you have time between ignites, plus now can support brand with inc crit strikes as you have for better EO; ideally blind too but bit gem starved; i like cyclone + fortify + cull but could drop cull here, and have setup of cyclone/fortify/storm brand/inc crit strikes, that way both cyclone and storm brand boost chance of proccing EO.

Question do you need storm brand for EE? or does that anyhow proc from the hexblast hit wasnt sure?

You do not need Storm Brand for Elemental Equilibrium if you do not have any added fire damage to spells from your gear. Hexblast hit should be chaos and lighting damage then.

However, I use it to proc all the other stuff on hit like Cover in Ash, Elemental Ovarload (on crit proc) and Arcane Surge from ascendancy. If you use cyclone, then you might be able to drop Storm Brand completely and proc these with cyclone. That would require you to be melee though and you would get arcane surge only from hexblast hits (it needs to be a spell hit), other procs would be fine.

Hi, this is very similar to my build gg bro.
i really dont understand how you reached 1.6k mana cost without using Fever mind.
i use Fevered mind and i reached 1487 mana

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bfhcorp85 wrote:

Hi, this is very similar to my build gg bro.
i really dont understand how you reached 1.6k mana cost without using Fever mind.
i use Fevered mind and i reached 1487 mana

Archmage support increases the base mana cost to 6% of your unreserved mana. I simply scale my max mana as much as I can which results in something like 500 base mana cost and that is further multiplied by mana cost multipliers of Hexblast linked support gems and a few passive points from the tree.

Fevered Mind was changed quite a lot in 3.11 and the new version is not worth it anymore, in my opinion. It is a shame, the old version would be insane for this build.

hey ive been playing your build its been great so far, atziri foible is a bit insane at the moment(more than cloak of defiance LOL) so thought i'd suggest trying out 'ungil's harmony' it gives some life, mana, some very useful dex (esp while you dont have the atziris yet!) and the high crit chance is actually super useful for proccing EO. i wouldnt blow any valuable oils anointing it or anyhting but i am definitely getting my cloak before an atziris at current prices. and just blew some chaos on a basic 6l; a 6l cloak will be next before atziris.

also highly recommend dance of the offered, cheap (~8c) and if youre going block its just better than the upgraded one honestly (unless omeyo also has agnostic)

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rozakk wrote:

hey ive been playing your build its been great so far, atziri foible is a bit insane at the moment(more than cloak of defiance LOL) so thought i'd suggest trying out 'ungil's harmony' it gives some life, mana, some very useful dex (esp while you dont have the atziris yet!) and the high crit chance is actually super useful for proccing EO. i wouldnt blow any valuable oils anointing it or anyhting but i am definitely getting my cloak before an atziris at current prices. and just blew some chaos on a basic 6l; a 6l cloak will be next before atziris.

also highly recommend dance of the offered, cheap (~8c) and if youre going block its just better than the upgraded one honestly (unless omeyo also has agnostic)

Thank you! Those are very good suggestions. I love the new boots especially.

I really did not expect to see the current prices. Skyforh boots were at most 2ex last league and 2c mid-league. Atziri's Foible was also much cheaper than it is now.

stun is such a problem for me in the league mechanic i actually went jugg instead of chieftain for now lol. skyforth is a nonstarter at that price, i'd much rather 6l my chest first and get a foible (probably 6l first). unless i find a way to get high stun avoidance otherwise i think im stuck with jugg. currently testing out necro instead of hierophant too, the offering boost is huge for ultimatums but my max hit is super low and sketchy, esp for harvest lol, so will need to refine that still, will post up a pob once i figure this out better

Is there any point using The Vigil anymore? The added armour might be handy but it looks like duration is less than just self-casting it now, so I figure there might be a better jewel for defense.

I'm thinking building tanky is going to be sensible this league. Ultimatums are a bit too intense for this build while setting up early mapping gear.

@GimbO

Hey man

I've been leaguestarting with your build and been having a rough time, but fun time atleast. I've tried to work my way around getting stunned and killed in Ultimatum and finally figured to try and get block capped.

Now im trying to use the Ancestral Call Support + Vigilant Strike, but I don't see how it fit in ? I am currently using a wand + shield, so it does not count as a melee weapon.

Any suggestions?

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Is there any point using The Vigil anymore? The added armour might be handy but it looks like duration is less than just self-casting it now, so I figure there might be a better jewel for defense.

I'm thinking building tanky is going to be sensible this league. Ultimatums are a bit too intense for this build while setting up early mapping gear.

I still use The Vigil, mainly because I play mostly with my brother so we both get fortify this way. I also like how the fortify is applied (General's Cry is much easier to hit than self-casting with Ancestral Call).

Self-casting is probably better now. You could just get another mana/life/burning damage jewel instead of the Vigil.

Yeah, ultimatums are rough. I'm still in white maps so it is hard to tell, but I think that even the not-tanky version will be fine once you get a big life and mana pool + stronger Mind over Matter from the cloak.

The "tanky" version also relies on several cluster jewels and it is really only meant for leveling something like 97-100. I don't think it will perform well for lower levels while you don't have the cluster notable Stubborn Student 4 times.

General advice to survive ultimatums is: never stop moving and spam your flasks. Stuns are a big issue too. I have updated the guide where I mention that getting the "65% chance to avoid being stunned if you've killed recently" is a very good idea for ultimatums. You can combine it with stun-avoid unveil modifiers on your rare gear and become essentially stun-immune.

I also looked at your character and I have noticed that you are not using a staff. I have already noticed the same thing with several people following the guide. Is there any reason for it? It is quite a cheap way to get a 6-link and that would increase your damage output quite a lot. And as it usually goes in PoE, the best defence is a good offence.