Is this repeater-focused build any good?

[jackmcbarn]

This seems to be a reflexive answer, rather than one that considers the actual spell power changes that have been made.

Firstly, quoting BB crits (against which the mob didn't save) is really showing the best possible outcome, and doesn't factor in frequency and evasion.

With the spellpower changes made, empower adds exactly 56.25 damage to a blade barrier (75 * 0.75) on a non-crit. On a crit, assuming the full kinetic line and greater arcane lore, you have a 2.5x multiplier (this is assuming that kinetic lore doesn't affect bb, only arcance lore does, which I think is correct), or 141 damage [note that this is ~10% of the spell damage you listed, i.e. empower as a feat is now adding 10% damage vs. not having it]. Assuming 18% crit chance, this yields expected incremental damage of 72 where the mob doesn't save (36 on a save, 0 on an evaded save).

Blade barrier is the only arti spell you're likely to be throwing around that has empower on it, so you're purchasing this feat purely for that incremental 72 damage. And, as mob saves increase in epic content, you're less and less likely to see that incremental gain fully.

Also note that the more likely scenario is that a geared arti will have both tovens and lucid / archaic, and therefore will not have a 19ap investment into Force. Assuming a 9 pt investment instead (7/1/1), you're now looking at a crit multiplier of 2x including item, and crit likelihood of 13%. These numbers obviously make empower less useful.

My overall point is this: empower is definitely not a no-brainer feat for an arti, and has to be weighed up against what you don't take instead. I'd rather take any +1 DC feat instead of empower for example, because that will make BB's more likely to hit for full rather than half or zero damage, will add to cc capability with prismatic / tactical, and will add to rune arm damage (again via lower save frequency from mobs).

If I'm already taking SF and GSF Evocation, what else can I take that will increase DC?

[wax_on_wax_off]

If I'm already taking SF and GSF Evocation, what else can I take that will increase DC?

Past Life: Initiate of the Scholar.

I'd be taking these feats on a pure non-human artificer:
7 base: SF:Evo, GSF: Evo, Toughness, PBS, Precision, Quicken or Quickdraw (wf/helf choice), ?
5 artificer: Precise Shot, Maximise, IC:R, IPS, RS

The ? can be Quicken, Quickdraw, Empower, Augment Summoning, Construct Essence or a relevant Past Life feat, not sure if I missed anything other options.

Empower isn't a bad feat, it's just the last feat to grab on a pure arti and the first to swap out if something better comes along.

[TreknaQudane]

Artificers every where will shun me for this... But with the introduction if archers focus I've given up improved precise shot. Most of the content I run I usually have to toggle it off any way so as to not mess with aggro.

My Artificer currently has (@ 23)
Combat Archery
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Precision
Improved Critical: Ranged
Toughness
Mithral Body (Shadowdancer ATM)
Quicken
Maximize
Spell Focus: Evocation
Greater Spell Focus: Evocatio
Wizard Past Life Feat
Skill Focus: UMD

My Rune Arm usage is split between Lucid and Toven's ... Both of which have Attack +4 and Mobility on them.

[jakeelala]

how do you put mobility and +4 attack on a rune arm? +4 attack is +6 crafting mod.

Artificers every where will shun me for this... But with the introduction if archers focus I've given up improved precise shot. Most of the content I run I usually have to toggle it off any way so as to not mess with aggro.

My Artificer currently has (@ 23)
Combat Archery
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Precision
Improved Critical: Ranged
Toughness
Mithral Body (Shadowdancer ATM)
Quicken
Maximize
Spell Focus: Evocation
Greater Spell Focus: Evocatio
Wizard Past Life Feat
Skill Focus: UMD

My Rune Arm usage is split between Lucid and Toven's ... Both of which have Attack +4 and Mobility on them.

[TreknaQudane]

how do you put mobility and +4 attack on a rune arm? +4 attack is +6 crafting mod.

Not origonally.

It started as +4 Value leaving +1 for Mobility.

For a new one Id suggest major kinetic lore

[Loriac]

Past Life: Initiate of the Scholar.

I'd be taking these feats on a pure non-human artificer:
7 base: SF:Evo, GSF: Evo, Toughness, PBS, Precision, Quicken or Quickdraw (wf/helf choice), ?
5 artificer: Precise Shot, Maximise, IC:R, IPS, RS

The ? can be Quicken, Quickdraw, Empower, Augment Summoning, Construct Essence or a relevant Past Life feat, not sure if I missed anything other options.

Empower isn't a bad feat, it's just the last feat to grab on a pure arti and the first to swap out if something better comes along.

This is almost exactly the set up I went with on my arti, with quicken (as he's wf) and adamantine body as the ? feat.

One choice missed here is heighten, for reasons given below.

I think fleshie artis definitely have an advantage in not needing to waste a feat to have a moderate ac (some armors seem great for them, e.g. elocator's ac was boosted to be equivalent more or less to half-plate but in a medium armor category and has a displacement clickie). Additionally, if you want sp-based self healing, quicken is a must, which wastes another feat for wf.

The arti spell focus changes as you level I think; at early levels, you have a couple of great damage dealing nukes, in particular blast rod. Spec'ing for electric damage, and using say a flicker rune arm, you can put out a lot of aoe damage with your runearm and blast rod. However, the nukes don't really keep up with mob hp, with the medium game being dominated by blade barrier usage. At end-game, blade barrier also falls away; you can (and should) still continue to use it, but its effectiveness is lowered for reasons given elsewhere in this thread.

As such, empower is a great feat as you're levelling, but I'm really not sold on it once you are capped. Maximise may also be in this category; throwing prismatic strike and tactical detonation with maximise on seems inefficient to me, as the damage they do is dwarfed by your rune arm, and it blows through your sp much faster, leaving you overall less cc capability if you try to maximise damage.

However, the only competing feats would be the wizard PL one (which is excellent, and should be taken if available) and possibly heighten. Heighten is highly situational, in that it basically gives +1 dc to prismatic strike, but conversely prismatic strike is an amazingly good single-target cc ability (in large part because a mob has to make 2 saves to continue to be able to cause damage to you).