DC Casting Alchemist Apothecary

[Pilgrim1]

~snip~

Thanks for sharing your gear list.
Since your going poison have you thought about using dead keeper set instead. You would need to use clouded dreams to get your crit back, but its very posible to make a gear set with that. deadkeeper set also has light armor so you could use that to up your MRR cap.
I have in the past been quite challenged by reapers, this epic life im going to use legendary salt in my off hand to help CC them.


Have you considered going fire instead of poison? Fire allows emperian magic for 10% more universal crit chance. I'm also having good luck with cindersmoke.

[slarden]

Thanks for sharing your gear list.
Since your going poison have you thought about using dead keeper set instead. You would need to use clouded dreams to get your crit back, but its very posible to make a gear set with that. deadkeeper set also has light armor so you could use that to up your MRR cap.
I have in the past been quite challenged by reapers, this epic life im going to use legendary salt in my off hand to help CC them.


Have you considered going fire instead of poison? Fire allows emperian magic for 10% more universal crit chance. I'm also having good luck with cindersmoke.

You are right! I need to redo my gear with dreadkeeper - I forgot about the 15% exceptional + 10% artifact bonus combo. I use some fire already so can take a look at empyrean magic as a way to possibly get to/near 100% crit chance. Am really liking poison but will take a harder look at fire.

[ChemE]

You are right! I need to redo my gear with dreadkeeper - I forgot about the 15% exceptional + 10% artifact bonus combo. I use some fire already so can take a look at empyrean magic as a way to possibly get to/near 100% crit chance. Am really liking poison but will take a harder look at fire.

The dreadkeeper set use Blackmail which is medium and the grey leathers which is light. Both have negative healing amp so I am using the dreadkeeper robes which adds a little more dps. Does anyone know if the stygian wrath was fixed today?

[ChemE]

It was a little rocky getting here but at 29 with full sharn gear and everything else, dvs over a hundred, 1000 poison spell power and 89% poison crits, this thing is near sorc strength on my sorc lives. 4000 so and 1200 hp to boot.

[slarden]

The dreadkeeper set use Blackmail which is medium and the grey leathers which is light. Both have negative healing amp so I am using the dreadkeeper robes which adds a little more dps. Does anyone know if the stygian wrath was fixed today?

Not yet but I believe lynabel said it was fixed internally and would be in an upcoming patch. The most recent patch was only changes to support the recent announcement on free content according to the devs.

[slarden]

The dreadkeeper set use Blackmail which is medium and the grey leathers which is light. Both have negative healing amp so I am using the dreadkeeper robes which adds a little more dps. Does anyone know if the stygian wrath was fixed today?

I am looking at the robe also - 70MRR isn't so bad with the high reflex save and the 20% force absorb in the necklace - but want to understand my potential for getting one shot with such a low MRR.

[DrawingGuy]

I've been using the Esoteric setup myself. I like what I run with, and while I know it is sacrilege to Slarden to not run full HAMP 100% of the time (hot keying triple hamp affirmation for the 1k HP procs or for heals works well imo), will list it here anyways:

Armor: Legendary Order's Garb
Goggles: Legendary Dusk Lenses
Helm: Legendary Hardened Hide
Necklace: The Zarash'ack Ward
Trinket: Slave Lords Crafted: WIS 17 / 27% Force Lore / Spellsight 22 / Quality Int 4
Cloak: Legendary Cloak of the City Champion
Belt: Silverthread if Poison, Burnscar if Fire/Acid, Thrummingspark if Cold/Electric
Gloves: Legendary Sunstone Gauntlets
Boots: LGS Crit Damage (haven't tested if Nullification Crit Damage applies to poison as I didn't stay Poison spec long enough to bother) / LGS Unconscious Range if the buffer is needed
Bracers: Legendary Aetherband
Ring 1: Legendary Shattered Onyx
Ring 2: Legendary Celestial Sapphire Ring

Main: Nightmother's Sceptre
Offhands:
-- LGS Affirmation: 1k HP proc or heals
-- LGS Salt when no other CC for Reapers
-- Legendary Stygian Wrath with +10 Insightful WIS for Poison DPS or just for Mass Frog
-- LGS debuffers (Ooze/Ash/Dust)


I haven't really thought about how to fit in Dreadkeepers. My setup can plug and play any element. In regards to Poison vs Fire:

Poison:
Pros:
+ Between Stygian and Dreadkeeper, highest crit chance potential
+ Synergy with heals with Silverthread
+ If running with an Undead Wizard, you can pop on Undeath Salve and heal each other.
+ One of the only two elements with a Breath Attack for Alchemist (Poison Breath attack)
+ Stone of the Savant gives +20 MRR and MRR cap while using obrs, giving you 90 in Esoteric and 70 in Dreadkeepers, and works well with a Stygian Orb main.

Cons:
- No level 2 debuff potion spell
- Consider Heartstopper to be the weakest of the Level 3 damage spells
- No level 4 debuff potion spell
- All Reapers are Poison Immune meaning all initial hits are wasted removing immunity and need alternates sub-12
- Stygian competes with LGS offhands


Fire:
Pros:
+ Synergy with Sorcers. Fire is one of the most common Sorc type, and their debuff they use on bosses is giving you 15% more DPS too
+ Cinder + Flash combo for full damage
+ Spells and debuffs through all spell levels
+ Gold Breath is fire + force based
+ Empyrean Magic is easily maintained
+ Tiefling race for more fire Spell Power and early level immunity removals as well as +5% more damage with fire. Or synergy with Tiefling Scoundrel past life grinds
+ 9% crit chance with Energy Criticals
+ Spiral swap for 50 Fire SP and 20% Exc Crit for Fire (only a 20/5 gain, but still something if you are minmaxing)
+ Remove immunities for Draconic Incarnation abilities

Cons:
- No real good Fire (or Ice/Acid/Electric for that matter) set bonus that plays well with INT
- No Insightful Fire Lore items
- More target types have immunity or absorption (though I consider the Reaper poison immunity to be a bigger downside)


Personally I prefer Fire. Removing immunities for Draconic and better fire spells in general for Alchemist has made it feel stronger despite the loss to crit potential. Part of that may be due to my not using Dreadkeeper during my Poison run, but I don't see that extra 10% crit chance being the edge to win over the pros of Fire. I also find I heal for plenty even with Silverthread loss (problem has always been the unquickened throw giving your intended target plenty of time to mess up the pathing along with the general issue of potion throw clunkiness... not the heal amount).

[Pilgrim1]

Dont forget you can use echo of the tome of strahd to get +5% insightful spell lore (also golden orb of death). You can also get 5% cold on a filigree.

Of course geting insightful lore of any type requires you to give up your off hand witch means no legendary salt or ash.

[Tilomere]

Why don't you go bladeforged, use the arti set for int/dcs, and then it is 1 feat for adamantine body. Otto's ASF reduction in weapon/artifact for 20% ASF reduction and 2/4 pieces of set, and racial ap for 15 more gives plate with 0 ASF. Then use any ASF reduction augment in a crystaline ward shield. Arti set also has mrr + ins. mrr + shield mrr, doubled vs. reflex.

BF gives you quickened recon, and you can still life salve yourself for non-quickened heal. Since recon is a transmutation spell, you will even add a few more to cap in magistar.

Edit: nvm life salve description or ability is bugged and can't be used on yourself!

[DrawingGuy]

While Golden Orb and Strahd Tome is 5% more crit to everything, I do question if it would beat out Ooze or Ash for DPS (unless someone else is applying). But for those that don't have LGS, it is a good option. I would go with the Golden Orb of Death for the 20% elemental absorb along with the 5% crit.

I tested LGS Negative Crit damage - it DOES apply to both Nullification and Poison. That means Poison builds can fully take advantage of their 100% crit potential. Fire and the other elements can reach up to 96% currently on a pure alchemist. Personally I sit at 74% with Empyrean stacks, 79% with Golden Orb.

[slarden]

While Golden Orb and Strahd Tome is 5% more crit to everything, I do question if it would beat out Ooze or Ash for DPS (unless someone else is applying). But for those that don't have LGS, it is a good option. I would go with the Golden Orb of Death for the 20% elemental absorb along with the 5% crit.

I tested LGS Negative Crit damage - it DOES apply to both Nullification and Poison. That means Poison builds can fully take advantage of their 100% crit potential. Fire and the other elements can reach up to 96% currently on a pure alchemist. Personally I sit at 74% with Empyrean stacks, 79% with Golden Orb.

Great news on the LGS crit damage - was banking on that. Orbs have some nice incentives for alchemist - if I used LGS it would probably only be very situational. Golden orb is always a great choice, but I'll likely go stygian to max out the poison crit.

Why don't you go bladeforged, use the arti set for int/dcs, and then it is 1 feat for adamantine body. Otto's ASF reduction in weapon/artifact for 20% ASF reduction and 2/4 pieces of set, and racial ap for 15 more gives plate with 0 ASF. Then use any ASF reduction augment in a crystaline ward shield. Arti set also has mrr + ins. mrr + shield mrr, doubled vs. reflex.

BF gives you quickened recon, and you can still life salve yourself for non-quickened heal. Since recon is a transmutation spell, you will even add a few more to cap in magistar.

Edit: nvm life salve description or ability is bugged and can't be used on yourself!

Great creative ideas. I am actually looking at bladeforged for a final life but it would be with the dreadkeeper set and legendary sinsoul docent - mithral plating for evasion. With stone of the savant and mithral plating I would have 120 MRR cap which I think is plenty with evasion and possibly even epic reflexes. 120 MRR gives 54.55% mitigation and 180 MRR gives 64.29% mitigation. That extra MRR Just isn't worth giving up evasion to me. Orb is highly incentivized for an alchemist so I don't see using a shield.

[mr420247]

Curious did you ever test tier 1 insidious spores is the dps any good with max crits and could a tiefling scorch remove the rust immunity or any way to do that

[Gizah]

Are there update for maximize dc and dmg?

I decided to roll an alchemist! I think trasmu based for cc but i want make dmg. So what do u think about dragoborn or tielfing (have all races pl) for max dmg as possible and based trasmu for cc obviusly!

[Torkzed]

Slaver crafted boots and trinket with 27% fire and force lore (gold breath, energy burst, epic force slas and spells), +4 quality int and +4 quality con (opted it over the +5 quality boots which overlap with the goggles). It also gives me sheltering to max out my mrr at 90 and wizardry, spellcraft, concentration

Is the bit about "max out my mrr at 90" a typo? I know legendary esoteric set gives a +20 but that would put max MRR at 70 for robes? Or am I missing something? Thanks!

[mikarddo]

Is the bit about "max out my mrr at 90" a typo? I know legendary esoteric set gives a +20 but that would put max MRR at 70 for robes? Or am I missing something? Thanks!

Look at Stone of the Savant for another +20.

[Torkzed]

Look at Stone of the Savant for another +20.

Ah, thanks!