Alternative DC Alchemist

[Tilomere]

Taking build down due to update 46 patch 2 nerfs.

[DrawingGuy]

This is also giving up a few key things that are nice about alchemist:

- Elemental Bypass. Being able to use your spell damage on anything and everything plays a big role in your DPS. Playing standard Tiefling will give you Fire bypass, but not as quickly or effectively as you can get with T5 bombadier (or like Sorcs can get).
- Flash Freeze, Flesh to Gold Mass, and Glue Bomb are all quite amazing CC spells. While they may not work on the key target of Reapers, they work on more target types and last longer than Mass Hold does.
- Inferno of Creation is an amazing AOE vuln stacker. Some quick debuff vials (voltaic burst and caustic overload combo gives an AOE -5 PRR/MRR and elecitric/acid ambition) or a single Elemental Combination will then have you applying 3x AOE vuln with every multivial and other crimsonite spells. You can take a group to 20 vuln in seconds.
- You're losing a max caster level from Alchemical Studies (requires level 16 Alchemist)
- Turn to Frog is life. Instakilling any stragglers is quite strong, and this is a 5s CD spell that works on living, constructs, and undead.

In regards to the problems:
1) Reaper CC is indeed the bane for alchemist. You do have two confuse spells, and running up with a glue bomb + confuse should keep anything from hitting you or the party unless someone is kissing the reaper already to make them an option for confusion targeting. If you confuse and keep your distance, they typically just float in place. The advantage of how long Alchemist CC lasts is you can go in and freeze/gold everything then take out the reapers and still have everything waiting for you when the reapers are dead.
2) I have a bigger issue hitting players with heal pots than monsters with anything else. As long as you are not throwing into walls or objects, it typically will always hit. The vials hitting monsters in front of your target I consider to be a good thing as it gives the flexibility to line them up for a multivial to kill targets along the way for a better spread, or just jumping to drop them down into a group.
3) Proper rotations to flip between Verdanite for CC and Pyrite for bursting not only gives a +5-8 DC (depending on your enhancements) to your CC and frogs, but a -50% spell cost reduction when bursting. On bosses just toss a restorative of some type every 10 seconds to reset your Pyrite (this not only saves you on SP, but gives 130 spell power). I went from SP being a struggle to rarely needing to use my clickies, and then only if something went south or I was too lazy to use rotations.
4) This is true, though I'm guessing you haven't been pugging as a Bard very much and know you either have to tell people to wait or just watch them not bother. Augments, potions, and clickies along with the power creep of items covering almost everything you want means few people even need buffs. I would take a feat that would let me share my buffs in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't multi-class over it.

Ultimately the trade-offs you are making would have me ask "why not just play a Sorc or bard/sorc?". This would work as an Alchemist past life if you were really struggling with Reapers (12+ an alchemist can just 1-2 shot them low-to-mid skulls through heroics and most of epics anyways). Or just run with a Monk, or a tank, or any other caster that can CC a reaper. My only real struggle is Vengeance reapers combined with Dooms/bosses/or other unCCable targets. Most of Alchemist spells are splash AOE, and being limited to just your low damage level 1/2 spells is rough.

[Pilgrim1]

Half my CC issues went away when i got a legendary salt off hand for my alchemist. It solves so many problems.

The other half of my CC issues went away when i speced for fire and realized that i could cast ranged aoe blind (cindersmoke) followed up with stunning all blind targets (flashbang).

For reapers you can also color spray them if your gnome (meh), or sleep powder them (meh meh). I would really think twice about reducing your transmutation DC (tho glue bomb works great). Flash freeze, flesh to gold, frog, flashbang, glue bomb, mass frog, and hypnotic combination are all really strong abilitys. O, dont forget vein freeze to.


The build you have posted seams like it will be fine for getting past lives and charging through epics. It might even be slightly better for that then a classic alchemist, but I think your going to run into some issues when you try to push your toon as far as you can go.

[mr420247]

Necro barbarian with mass pk come on this is not u

Or pally lock maybe

[Tilomere]

Necro barbarian

I'll totally roll one with you! We can double pk and frog barbarian everything! Updated OP with game bug that screwed build up.

[Tilomere]

Updated OP, took down bugs, put up a soundburst build, but with Flash Freeze instead. Heh. Thx Toon! I'm sensing I'm going to like this one...

[Tilomere]

Added AP/ED point spread picture, updated gear for leveling, added note if iconic was DG to take Alc at 9/18 to make PL an alchemist and for BaB for feats. Also made notes on feats for those without PL:Wiz or Completionist and updated spells and skills. Last, updated intro to show how it can be adapted to any iconic class past life you want.

Added note about LGS Death auras and for leveling this from 1 with any regular race.

come on this is not u

Redid build for 7k crit cleave at level 15 with a soundburst build (mass freeze). You're right. Now its me.

[adrian69]

Saw a 2 of these the last few days getting wrecked in R4 LTS at cap. I should have considered it was a Tilomere build. Nah, Sor'jek hat the love and thunder going on for them

Looks good though for a mc option