U22 SWF/evoker arti (theorybuild)

[Zoda]

I'm just throwing this idea out here, as I'll probably reroll my caster to try this the day u22 airs. I really enjoy playing my main as a melee/nuker fvs these days, and I think I can achieve something very similar on my caster as an artificer with the new feats.

Goals of the build are:
- solid melee ability backed up by nukes
- INT based reflex/damage/DCs (insightful reflexes feat and insightful damage spell)
- some cc via tactical detonation and lightning sphere
- working evasion
- soloability

16 artificer 2 monk 2 fighter
Bladeforged
STR 16 (or start 18 to get OC with +5 tome and drop CONto 14)
DEX 6
CON 18
WIS 6
INT 18 -> all levelups here
CHA 8

Feats: (take them as you can, I'm sure they can fit)
4 arti bonus: maximize, empower, quicken, heighten
2 monk: power attack, thf1
2 fighter: thf2, thf3
7 regular: single weapon fighting line (3 feats), evo focus, dwarven axe prof, IC: slash, insightful reflexes
3 epic: 2 evo focus + past life wizzy (or 2xcleave + OC if you want to play on blitz, not sure if working DC is achievable that way, also cleaving with SWF is uncomfortable)
2 destiny: PTHF, PTWF

Enhancements:
17 AP bf, get all PA, recon, some fort (will be needed for int yugo pots), fearsome presence, BF boost, weapon attachment
32-38 AP arcanotechnician: everything up to the +1 evo DC, not sold in lighting motes SLA yet, don't like the casting animation
13 AP kensai: haste boost 3, extra action boost 3
12 AP battle engineer: 1 INT, some damage
that leaves 6 AP if you are not taking lightning motes to play with

Destiny: not sure yet which one is the best option, I'm eyeing DC, DI and maybe LD (notice that the maybe is huge, because it'd force me to drop 3 DC)
Twist: Energy Burst (electric), +3 evo, +2 evo (1 twist frees up if played in DI)

note on destiny choice: if not played in DC, Tenser's or Divine Power clickies might be required to get high enough to hit.

Main weapon set::
Main hand: Thunder-Forged Dwarven Waraxe (1st degree burns + dragon's edge + mortal fear)
Offhand: Thunder-Forged Orb (150 elec Spellpower + dwarven evo focus + elec lore)

Evo DC: (not including active destiny - if it is draconic)
Int: 18 base + 7 levelups + 6 tome (yeah I actually got lucky with that) + 11 item + 3 insightful + 1 litany + 1 exceptional + 3 enhancements + 2 ship + 2 yugo = 54 (56 with lasting elixir pots)

DC: 10 base + 6 heighten + 3 sorc past lives + 4 feats + 1 aracnotechnician + 5 twists + +9 gear (6 weapon 2 slot 1 shadowscale) + 22 int = 60 (61 with lasting elixir)

That means 58 in blitz tops, max 64 in DI (61 in DI with feats set up for blitzing), 61 in cruasder

Not sure if it'll work, but as long as I don't have to play a shiradi wizard or a DI sorc, I'm entertained :D

Let me know what you think!

[Blackheartox]

If they keep single weapon fight feats as it is /which i hope they wont/, this might be a interesting build.
Dcs might lack tho in higher end content.
But all in all a nice build, could swap to 2 levels of palie if you have enough feats. Moar defense is always good

[serthcore]

Yo! I'm currently playing some variations of this on lamania.
I like /2paladin/2monk splash dumping str and overwhelming critical (lose 2 feats, gain 3 feats, for a total gain of +1 feat) and boosting cha.
You can still get haste boost and +3 boosts from batle engineer tree!
For ed's i like crusader (well, maybe because im a crusader devote heh) as it boosts both dps and casting a bit.
Defenses are good, only lacks of PRR (would need a few past lives to solve this), and the melee dps is very good.

[Zoda]

If they keep single weapon fight feats as it is /which i hope they wont/

I hope they won't leave them as they are as well.

[Nightmanis]

The last I saw the feats were designed to not work with daxes and bswords. Something about it being too powerful or some malarkey.

Then again 30% attack speed and 200% attribute damage with a dwarven axe with glancing blows would be pretty sadistic to watch.

[serthcore]

The last I saw the feats were designed to not work with daxes and bswords. Something about it being too powerful or some malarkey.

Then again 30% attack speed and 200% attribute damage with a dwarven axe with glancing blows would be pretty sadistic to watch.

They are working for now on lamania, and is nice dps indeed....


Bastards/Dwarven axes doesnt work with swashbucker stance pre though

[Nightmanis]

They are working for now on lamania, and is nice dps indeed....


Bastards/Dwarven axes doesnt work with swashbucker stance pre though

That may be what I was thinking.

If they work and continue to work I'm going to be a very happy camper...

[Loriac]

I was also considering how a SWF based arty would look once u22 hits.

One question: with 16 levels of arty, have you considered using runearms as a dps add-on instead of the orb? I last played artificer quite a while back, and I recall runearms being a major component of damage with the right feats etc. Since you're spec'ing for evocation in any case (along with max-ish Int), I would think that slotting in a top force runearm (presumably still archaic device?) would fit everything else you're doing quite well. Going this route you'd lose a bit on electric spellpower etc. Another solid choice used to be corruption of nature, which has very good acid damage (and if you go down this route, you'd respec Energy burst to acid damage).

I know that when I was playing my arty, the lightning spells were meh at high level, but I understand that there may be something bugged about lightning sphere (at least the ones thrown by the mobs in house C quests, which seem to stun without saves). Is that the major factor for itemizing so heavily into electric? The actual artificer 'nukes' aren't really that strong except for their cc secondary abilities.

[Zoda]

I was also considering how a SWF based arty would look once u22 hits.

One question: with 16 levels of arty, have you considered using runearms as a dps add-on instead of the orb? I last played artificer quite a while back, and I recall runearms being a major component of damage with the right feats etc. Since you're spec'ing for evocation in any case (along with max-ish Int), I would think that slotting in a top force runearm (presumably still archaic device?) would fit everything else you're doing quite well. Going this route you'd lose a bit on electric spellpower etc. Another solid choice used to be corruption of nature, which has very good acid damage (and if you go down this route, you'd respec Energy burst to acid damage).

I know that when I was playing my arty, the lightning spells were meh at high level, but I understand that there may be something bugged about lightning sphere (at least the ones thrown by the mobs in house C quests, which seem to stun without saves). Is that the major factor for itemizing so heavily into electric? The actual artificer 'nukes' aren't really that strong except for their cc secondary abilities.

I was considering using rune arm (I think I'd go with Toven's Hammer, as multiple more experienced arti players told me that it's shot is the best, and it also has the highest dps I think with the lit strike proc), but setting up gear without TF orb would be really hard, I'd basically force myself into Sage's Locket and either eDarkstorm Helm or eBracers of the Wind for lore, and I'd have to use a red slot for magnetism, then I'd have to slot recon somewhere as well since I was planning to put it on the orb's orange slot, and I'd also lose Meridian Fragment or dps augment from my main hand weapon's red slot.

As much as I'd love to use a rune arm, I think in the end, it does not worths it, although I'm hoping that we'll get some new rune arm options in u22.

[Arkadios]

THF & SWF lines are now exclusive, ie. Either one or the other.

Not sure how much it would affect your build but you wouldn't be able to pick up the THF feats anymore. (Thus less glancing blow damage).

[Zoda]

THF & SWF lines are now exclusive, ie. Either one or the other.

Not sure how much it would affect your build but you wouldn't be able to pick up the THF feats anymore. (Thus less glancing blow damage).

Yap, this build won't work on live now. Part of me is glad. Doubt it would function without that OPness.

[Nightmanis]

Yap, this build won't work on live now. Part of me is glad. Doubt it would function without that OPness.

It would still work, it just wouldn't be as effective as it would have been if the devs hadn't (somewhat) done the proper thing.

I'll save the arguments of how OP it could have been for another thread.