Melee Spellcasting for Longcast Damage Dealing Spells?

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Hey guys, 

 

So I'm wanting to play an Arcane Knight (Bleak Walker/No-Subclass) with a blend of extra tanky spells to supplement my Paladin defenses and offensive/enfeebling spells to give me ways to target other Defenses like Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. I was hoping that people could share some of their experiences playing melee casting classes - basically, how jarring was it to switch from casting Fireball on a pack of Xaurips to using Black Flames on a single Drake? What's a good Dexterity milestone to aim for to help cut down on those pesky cast/recovery times, and is there any gear that'd help with that?