Witch Multiclass Question

[dgray62]

Having already created and enjoyed playing several builds for my MC (vanilla monk, fury/helwalker ascetic and goldpact/evoker arcane knight), I am planning a Witch run, and had a questions regarding its design. On the barbarian side, the berserker subclass seems like a no brainer for the upgraded inspirations, improved hit-to-crit rate, and the easily avoided downside. But I was unclear about the cipher side of this multiclass. I probably would have picked Soulblade originally, but post-nerf it seems that this is a rather disappointing option. I am seriously considering Ascendant, but it seems, on paper at least, to be poorly designed for a melee multiclass. I say this because the soul whip damage bonus is reduced by half (to 10%) when you're not in the ascended state, when you really need the boost, and then is seriously boosted to 30% when your in the ascended state, when you no longer need it since you'll likely be spamming cipher powers then. Would an Ascendant/Berserker witch work out better than it seems on paper, or would it be best to use a plain cipher with no subclass?

I am also planning on running this as 2H melee build, using WotEP initially and then Engoliero do Espirs late game for the AOE madness on kills. I'm doing this for variety, as I used a Magran's Favor-focused fire build with the Arcane knight and don't want to repeat this. I'll also use the devil of caroc breastplate to avoid the confused affliction while frenzied.

Any advice on designing a fun MC Witch would be most appreciated.

[Boeroer]

What nerf of the Soulblade are you referring to? Keep in mind that Soulblades not only get Soul Annihilation and -5 shred costs, but also gain +1 Concentration and +10 max focus per (melee) kill which can synergize very well with the Barb's on-kill effects (Bloodlust, Bloodthirst etc.). I like this combo best with Whispers of the Endless Paths. It applies raw damage to all in the cone (dmg numbers vary though, first target gets hit hardest most of times) which helps to do kills on multiple enemies quicker. If you build your Witch with highest Resolve, grab Psychovampiric Shield and Borrowed Insticts and put on deflection gear you can also pick Offensive Parry. It's not as reliable as with a full-on-deflection character, but enemies will still miss every now and then (especially when blinded etc.) or when you disengage. And if that happens you are basically generating focus from the parry on the fly, allowing you to utilize Soul Annihilation or casting another power more often.

Ascendant+Barbarian is a very strong combo because at first you can cast faster during Ascension (due to Frenzy and potentially Bloodlust) and then later of course the combo of Blood Thirst + damaging spells is ridiculously good. Especially with spells that have short casting time but longish recovery (which then falls down to 0). See Mind Lance. But also the longer casts still profit from Frenzy+Bloodlust. Amplified Wave is a very good power here since it not only damages but also keeps the enemies down once you can spam it. 

Beguiler is often an overlooked option when contemplating about melee witches. But Beguiler is always strong. Imagine a Berserker/Beguiler Witch themes around fear and torror with the Willbreaker (+Body Blows), Secret Horrors (Frighten/Sicken), Spirit Frenzy (Stagger) and Brute Force. It is a beautiful package theme-wise but also in terms of synergy and power. You gain a lot of focus from casting big AoE deceptions - and I mean a LOT. Even the most impactful deceptions such as Ring Leader don't cost you much if anything at all as long as you hit enough enemies. Cast right from stealth the Beguiler-rule applies and you get back a lot of focus, often more than spend. Powers like Phantom Foes and Secret Horros are especially great for opening a fight and filling up your focus. You can then utilize those focus points for a buff or even to cast disintegrate (wil trigger Bloodlust and Blood Thirst when it kills). Body Blows + Stagger + Sicken will lower enemies fortitude by 45 points(!) making it easy to land all fortitude-based powers such as Disintegrate. But with Brute Force you can also target that -45 fortitude as if it were deflection. Still not low enough? Well Phantom Foes can bring down enemies deflection as well. Allthewhile the frightening will unlokc the special enchantments of the Willbreaker. Wear the Whitewitch Mask because nothing fits the theme better.  Spread Carage and fear, you howling maniac!  Also it's easy to do the following with this setup: cast Whisper of Treason on an enemy (get back 5 focus) and then Disintegrate (it's possible to cast in on charmed enemies - if you cast Secret Horros first you'll have more focus and lowered his will and fortitude). Then off to the next. Disintegrate will not turn the enemy back but instead he will keep fightng for you. When he dies from the DoT he will trigger Blood Thirst. Meanwhile swing away and weave in some Secret Horrors, Phantom Foes and the likes. Also Mental Binding is very good to stack the crit chance with the Berserker's crit chances. It also gives you back good focus if you hit enough enemies.

Those are all viable combos. I guess you just need to decide how you want to play that guy. Melee-heavy with the occasional buff: Soulblade. Focused o casting: Ascendant. Hybrid (with rad theme) : Beguiler. I guess you can tell which my favorite is.   

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Boeroer

[dgray62]

Thanks again for the advice, Boeroer. I hadn't even considered the Beguiler possibility, but I like it, and I see that it would fit the "witch" theme very nicely I'll sketch out a provisional build, and see how I might put this together. Do you think a beguiler with WotEP initially and then Engoliero do Espirs would work well, or would this be best with a ranged build?

[Boeroer]

I think a Witch (Berserker/Beguiler) would work best with a Morning Star (first Saru Sichr, then The Willbreaker). But I consider the Morning Star to be the most useful weapon choice most of times, and maybe others might object.

But the synergy of Spirit Frenzy + Secret Horrors + modal + Brute Force is just too good in my opinion. If you have a party member who already uses a Morning Star then you can use something else of course. For example Endre's Flig of Obedience or that soulbound mace which is very strong with Blood Thirst (against kith) and also very good with stun on crits (see Berserker crit conversion).

Instead of Berserker one could also use Furyshaper. The terrifying totem is very strong. You'll lose PEN and melee crit chance - but on the other hand gain a very potent summon. If you like Disintegrate and Silent Scream (both not caring much about AR since raw dmg) I would consider this. If you like hitting stuff with a weapon more then Berserker I guess. 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Boeroer

[dgray62]

12 hours ago, Boeroer said:

I think a Witch (Berserker/Beguiler) would work best with a Morning Star (first Saru Sichr, then The Willbreaker). But I consider the Morning Star to be the most useful weapon choice most of times, and maybe others might object.

But the synergy of Spirit Frenzy + Secret Horrors + modal + Brute Force is just too good in my opinion. If you have a party member who already uses a Morning Star then you can use something else of course. For example Endre's Flig of Obedience or that soulbound mace which is very strong with Blood Thirst (against kith) and also very good with stun on crits (see Berserker crit conversion).

Instead of Berserker one could also use Furyshaper. The terrifying totem is very strong. You'll lose PEN and melee crit chance - but on the other hand gain a very potent summon. If you like Disintegrate and Silent Scream (both not caring much about AR since raw dmg) I would consider this. If you like hitting stuff with a weapon more then Berserker I guess. 

A Furyshaper/Beguiler multiclass seems like a perfect fit for the "witch" paradigm, and I like the Spirit Frenzy + Secret Horrors + Morning Star modal + Brute Force synergy. It sounds like a lot of fun. I think I'll try this, thanks!