Non WF Artis

[Dwarfo]

I hear there is a feat you can take so that you become half wf - half fleshy, and can be healed with repair spells, is this worth taking on a fleshy arti? I depise wf and would like to make an arti, but not a wf one.

[RedDragonScale]

I hear there is a feat you can take so that you become half wf - half fleshy, and can be healed with repair spells, is this worth taking on a fleshy arti? I depise wf and would like to make an arti, but not a wf one.

Hell no! Get your UMD high enough to use Heal scrolls (easy to do on an Arti)!

[thunir]

I ran with this when Arties first came out, and dumped it quickly. You end up spending to many Ap's on recon to achive decent heals, it kinda takes away from the rest of your build. Also -25% healing amp on a low HP toon is very noticable.

GL

[Forgeborn]

Not worth it, in my opinion at least.

• Repair efficiency is only 50%
• -25% penalty to positive healing
• costs a feat slot to take

On top of that, artificers have UMD as a class skill, and have enhancements to augment UMD, it's easy to no fail heal scrolls. having to use reconstruct, a spell you only get at level 15, to heal yourself, is rather sp inefficient, being only 112 points without the augment line. At that same time, a heal scroll will hit you got 150 points, if you have just base human heal amp and ignored the scroll mastery line.

However, if you want to do it...
The feat is called construct essence, and requires 3 levels of artificer, it is an artificer bonus feat, so you can grab it at level 4 if you so desire.

[domandi]

I have it on my human arti and I actually like it. Now, humans get the extra feat so it is easier to fit it in. Artis get so many feats tho that it isn't a big deal using it on a non human.

Many people talk about using a scroll, but there are plenty of times where you simply won't have the time to swap to a scroll to use it. I am talking about those oh-s*** moments. A quickened recon for even 120ish hp can be a life saver. Not to mention that in many raids, the arti isn't standing with the melees to get the mass heals/cures. When you are there as dps, any time saved is a good thing. To top yourself off with a quick recon and continue with the pew pew. Not to mention the sp you save the healers from using a spell on just you.

There is also the cooldown on heal scroll. If you are getting beat on, you can still use the heal scroll and pop yourself with a recon to very quickly top yourself off. This isn't easy to do when you are running with 500+ hp.

Now, is it necessary? No. I am sure there are many people that get by just fine without it. I like haveing the extra survivability.

[djsonar919]

I have it on my human arti and I actually like it. Now, humans get the extra feat so it is easier to fit it in. Artis get so many feats tho that it isn't a big deal using it on a non human.

Many people talk about using a scroll, but there are plenty of times where you simply won't have the time to swap to a scroll to use it. I am talking about those oh-s*** moments. A quickened recon for even 120ish hp can be a life saver. Not to mention that in many raids, the arti isn't standing with the melees to get the mass heals/cures. When you are there as dps, any time saved is a good thing. To top yourself off with a quick recon and continue with the pew pew. Not to mention the sp you save the healers from using a spell on just you.

There is also the cooldown on heal scroll. If you are getting beat on, you can still use the heal scroll and pop yourself with a recon to very quickly top yourself off. This isn't easy to do when you are running with 500+ hp.

Now, is it necessary? No. I am sure there are many people that get by just fine without it. I like haveing the extra survivability.

I'm right there with you. When I did an Arti life with a human, I had Construct Essence and couldn't recommend it enough. It's perfect for "Oh ****!" moments. I don't think there would have been a way for me to solo Sins of Attrition on Elite or A New Invasion without having to pop Reconstruct. If I was scroll healing and waiting for a cool down, I would have died for sure.

[Calebro]

I don't think there would have been a way for me to solo Sins of Attrition on Elite or A New Invasion without having to pop Reconstruct. If I was scroll healing and waiting for a cool down, I would have died for sure.

Even when that Heal scroll was hitting for 262 pre-amp value? That's 340 from one scroll with only 30% amp.
With some decent heal amp gear, it will literally fill you from almost dead to full HP with a single scroll.

Compare that to a heal scroll used on the same character with ConEss and he gets 196 and still gets amp.
Compare that to a Recon scroll used by that character with ConEss who gets 131 and gets no amp.
Compare that to a Quickened Recon which gets approximately 170 and gets no amp.
No matter how you look at it, ConEss reduces all incoming healing, but allows for more sources, which basically makes it useful for a Quickened Recon and nothing else. It's blue bar viable, but it's much less efficient.

Spending a feat and a bunch of AP so that you can cast a single semi-useful self-heal, while reducing all incoming healing and making you harder to heal from all of those sources seems like a huge trap to me.
Maybe useful while leveling, but next to useless at cap IMO.

[domandi]

See, I disagree with you. Lemme try to explain why.

Yes, the healing you get from others/yourself takes a small hit. In the grand scheme of things people are always overhealing anyway. At no point, during raiding/soloing/grouping have I thought "darn, I wish that heal hit me for more". What I HAVE thought on many occasions is "whew, good thing I was able to instantly recon myself so I didn't die before the healer could get to me."

I don't disagree with your numbers. That is a hard fact. What I am trying to say is it doesn't really matter. A decently geared Arti will have ~1400 sp. Very rarely do I go though that much before I need to shrine. Even if I do, there is bauble/ross or other ways to get sp back. It is no trouble throwing out a recon to keep yourself up. Where the sp does matter is on the healers. If you can save them from even on heal/clw/raise dead then it was a good choice. What I am talking about is helping the group/raid as a whole. If I didn't have Construct Essense, then there would have been many other times when the healer or my own heal scroll wouldn't have worked in time.

Some would say that I might just need to be a better player. Avoid the damage, etc etc. Sometimes you just can't. Sometimes lag kills the tank. Sometimes I pull aggro(hey it happens). Sometimes Harry decides to meteor swarm me over and over cause he is feeling like a jerk. I will not be in range of the melee to get hit by that mass heal. So it is up to me to stay alive until the healers realize I am getting beat on. Let's also not forget that heal scrolling still takes a conc check. A quickened recon doesn't.

Now you talk about using up a feat. As a human, you have feats to spare. Not everyone goes the crafting route. It is easy to fit it in and not feel like you are losing anything. As a non human(non wf) I still think there are enough feats to go around that it isn't lost.

[Lifespawn]

I'm right there with you. When I did an Arti life with a human, I had Construct Essence and couldn't recommend it enough. It's perfect for "Oh ****!" moments. I don't think there would have been a way for me to solo Sins of Attrition on Elite or A New Invasion without having to pop Reconstruct. If I was scroll healing and waiting for a cool down, I would have died for sure.

infusions can't be failed with quicken on and i hit myself for 100+ every time some crits in the 300's construct essence is a trap currently

[domandi]

I am not sure what you mean Lifespawn.

No spell can be interrupted with quicken on. Are you referring to the potion aoe heals? Those are nice but they are slow.(of course faster with quicken). You also have to have the pots to use them AND the spell slot to use them.

If that isn't what you mean, do you mind clarifying?

I am not saying Con Ess is necessary, but it is far from a trap.

[Lifespawn]

I am not sure what you mean Lifespawn.

No spell can be interrupted with quicken on. Are you referring to the potion aoe heals? Those are nice but they are slow.(of course faster with quicken). You also have to have the pots to use them AND the spell slot to use them.

If that isn't what you mean, do you mind clarifying?

I am not saying Con Ess is necessary, but it is far from a trap.

what i mean is you can heal yourself with the infusions as well or better without wasting a feat on construct essence.

Who wouldn't carry around potions anyway? slots are not a problem either plenty of slots at the low levels these spells are.

[Calebro]

what i mean is you can heal yourself with the infusions as well or better without wasting a feat on construct essence.

Who wouldn't carry around potions anyway? slots are not a problem either plenty of slots at the low levels these spells are.

Yep. You're certainly going to have Max & Empower for your BBs anyway, so all that's required is a simple potion and you're set.
Or you could craft a few superior ardor clickies like I did. ML1 and you're good to go until cap.

[domandi]

Ok, I can see that working... I have a question tho. Don't you find the casting animation for the pot cures to be too long for those oh s*** moments? I find they take almost twice as long as a quickened heal/recon.

[wax_on_wax_off]

One thing that stands out to me is that the relatively small HP pool of fleshy artificers will minimise the cost of reduced healing efficiency.

Sure, a heal scroll will only hit for base of 150*.75 but with 30% human healing amp, ship buff and W&SMIV the formula becomes 150*1.75*.75*1.3*1.1=281. That's easily for just about all purposes.

Once that's established it's just a question of the value of quickened (or uninterruptible in the case of cannith dragonmarks) reconstructs. A few people have made some compelling arguments already.

In the end though I'd much rather just take Past Life: Healing Word if it's an option.

[itraylor]

I have Construct Essence and I love it. My Quicken Repairs hit me for 157 and 300+ on crits. Even being a fleshy I rarely get heals from healers so I find it nice to be able to heal myself. I hate using scrolls in combat to because that means I am not doing damage. I went Half Elf to do nice dps and the feat makes me more durable plain and simple. I am not feat starved and I consider it well worth it. Opinions differ as they often do but I love the feat. As far as the potion suggestion, I find it hard to target myself with the potions and often have to result in throwing it at someone near me. I am not sure if drinking the potion adds all of the benefits of the spell so there is that as well. Anyhow, I love the feat and couldn’t imagine playing without it.

[Tuney]

I'm finding the feat's usefulness is almost totally dependent on one's play style and one's 'love/hate' for scrolls as well as how one views emergency moments. As stated earlier Scroll healing is way better but in short reaction time requirement , the quickened recon may save you from droping a stone. Half-elves and Humans will mostly be able to make up for that lost 25%.

In a pure pug build , I'd would pick it up just so I could have a means to drop a 'decient' sized 'heal' on my self for one of the MANY reasons one can find in 'pear shaped pugs.'

[Dark-Star]

Go Warforged. As the PrEs stand now, unless you are making a human crafting bot, it is by far the best race for an Artificer.

[Calebro]

Go Warforged. As the PrEs stand now, unless you are making a human crafting bot, it is by far the best race for an Artificer.

I'm glad mine is an halfling. Come summer I can add Assassin PrE into the mix and have a Lit2 vorpal heavy repeater that bypasses DR, and I won't need to TR to do it.

[Crann]

I'm glad mine is an halfling. Come summer I can add Assassin PrE into the mix and have a Lit2 vorpal heavy repeater that bypasses DR, and I won't need to TR to do it.

Assassin Pre for Arty or for Halfling....I missed the preview of this one?

Coming from a Half-Elf without the Construct Essence feat....I'm not sure which way is best. I have been having very good luck alternating cure infusions/scrolls/wands.

I am addicted to Self healing divines/WF arcanes, and really wanted to get on board with WF being the ultimate Arty...and it may be. But for the moment I am trying to squeeze as much DPS out of the class as possible, and Helf seems the way to do it. I am enjoying the extra SA from Rogue Dilly, and the Healing amp and Human Versatility Boosts.

Maybe I am beating a dead horse trying to max out Arty DPS, when arty DPS isnt top tier anyway, but it has been fun trying.

[Chai]

I'm glad mine is an halfling. Come summer I can add Assassin PrE into the mix and have a Lit2 vorpal heavy repeater that bypasses DR, and I won't need to TR to do it.

My half elf will be able to do the same.

And if that racial PRE sucks Ill just switch to another.