[CLASS BUILD] UPDATED - The Bleeding Arcanist 2.0

[NotDumbEnough]

Every play through I completely ransack the Dark Cupboard with at most 2 sparkcrackers. Bertenno is just a filthy casual.

[Campber]

On 2/5/2021 at 8:02 AM, Not So Clever Hound said:

EDIT: If you go full solo, you will have to respec to meet the Religion skill check for the Bleakrock Shrine permabuff on Crookspur. Otherwise, just bring Xoti along.

Regarding the shrine buff, how do you get that without losing the other buffs from things like Hylea's Bounty, Nature's Resolve, and Adratic Glow? I'm only given the option to 'Pray and Rest', which naturally gets rid of the aforementioned buffs, but doing it the other way around (Get shrine buff, then rest with food) gets rid of the shrine buff. 

Regardless, the extra +2 resolve from the shrine doesn't seem too necessary at this point, although that might change once I get to the DLC.

[Not So Clever Hound]

As soon as you start praying to this particular shrine, slavers will approach and threaten you. You can pass a Diplomacy 12 check to tell them that you'll just pray and leave. That way, you get the prayer bonus without the resting component that is attached to the other shrines.

+2 Resolve does not seem that huge it's true, but because high defenses have increasing returns, those +2 DEF and +4 WILL can go a long way in making you impervious to certain attacks  . That can be the difference between getting Grazed sometimes or consistently Missed all the time by an Arcane Dampener from a pesky ancient fampyr... just saying!

Edited February 9, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound

[dgray62]

I was thinking of trying a solo assassin/bloodmage run. Do you think that the stats you used for your Bleeding Arcanist build would work as well for a spellblade, Not So Clever Hound? I am thinking it would; you could even drop RES further, since you'll be able to rely on invisibility to stop aggro.

[Abuachumi]

to make yourself minor injuries is it mandatory to be looking for traps? Thanks very much. 

[Boeroer]

When you are not solo you can just knock yourself out with a spell like Necrotic Lance (out of combat preferably). 

[Not So Clever Hound]

On 3/13/2021 at 9:15 PM, dgray62 said:

I was thinking of trying a solo assassin/bloodmage run. Do you think that the stats you used for your Bleeding Arcanist build would work as well for a spellblade, Not So Clever Hound? I am thinking it would; you could even drop RES further, since you'll be able to rely on invisibility to stop aggro.

Hi @dgray62 absolutely but you can also go full glass cannon with min CON/RES and it works wonders, I'm in the middle of one such playthrough myself . It is extremely powerful, has nice synergies and can clear many hard encounters in mere seconds.

For this build Ninagauth Teachings can be very valuable, even if I'm partial to the beloved Vaporous Wizardy grimoire. You can use Blightheart for the generic corrosive lash, or the traditional Magrans Favor + Sun & Moon for Fire/Ice spells. And generally items that will increase your offense such as the High Harbinger's Robes since it's all about maximum offense + stealth/invisibility to survive. Early in the game you will still occasionally use your arquebus and gouging/arterial strike before you are fully stocked on Bloodmage nukes.

If you get Deltro's Helmet and use the Strand of Favor trick to prolong a high Lash from Chain Lightning self harm, be advised that this build becomes truly insane and can nuke groups with each enemy receiving 500-800 DMG per AoE hit on average... This is where I lost interest with this trick because it completely trivializes the game. But it is fun to see how far you can push DMG. Last point, with Crusted Swordfish as food, you don't even need the Scion of Flames etc. line of talent as with Assassinate your spells will reach very high PEN anyway.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound

[Haplok]

1 hour ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

Hi @dgray62 absolutely but you can also go full glass cannon with min CON/RES and it works wonders, I'm in the middle of one such playthrough myself . It is extremely powerful, has nice synergies and can clear many hard encounters in mere seconds.

For this build Ninagauth Teachings can be very valuable, even if I'm partial to the beloved Vaporous Wizardy grimoire. You can use Blightheart for the generic corrosive lash, or the traditional Magrans Favor + Sun & Moon for Fire/Ice spells. And generally items that will increase your offense such as the High Harbinger's Robes since it's all about maximum offense + stealth/invisibility to survive. Early in the game you will still occasionally use your arquebus and gouging/arterial strike before you are fully stocked on Bloodmage nukes.

If you get Deltro's Helmet and use the Strand of Favor trick to prolong a high Lash from Chain Lightning self harm, be advised that this build becomes truly insane and can nuke groups with each enemy receiving 500-800 DMG per AoE hit on average... This is where I lost interest with this trick because it completely trivializes the game. But it is fun to see how far you can push DMG. Last point, with Crusted Swordfish as food, you don't even need the Scion of Flames etc. line of talent as with Assassinate your spells will reach very high PEN anyway.

Disclaimer: My experience mainly comes from Turn Based mode, my Bloodmage advice not be true for real time.

That said, I wouldn't recommend dumping Con as a Bloodmage. Unless you're not planning on using Blood Sacrifice much. But then maybe another wizard subclass is better?

Bligtheart is good. Magran's Favor + Sun & Moon less so, personally I've used less and less Fire based spells as I progressed trough the game. Generally Minoletta's Precisely Piercing Burst (Piercing) outclasses them. Other key spell was Ninagauth's Freezing Pillar (Cold). For Turn Based also Ninagauth's Death Ray (Raw), but that's less useful in real time, I guess.

Engoliero the Espirs was a fun weapon to use in Turn Based. Not sure if it would work quite as well in real time.

 

As for 500-800 damage crits, I think those are only possible with a Ranger companion Takedow Combo or Paladin Inspiring Beacon? These are strong, but hardly game-breaking, I've thought. Many enemies are such terrible bullet sponges...

In fact nuking in Turn Based would feel kinda weak without those.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Haplok

[Not So Clever Hound]

Hi @Haplok thanks! A couple thoughts:

With all the +CON permabuffs available and of course Berath's Blessings, I found that actually even at minimum CON I could still have about 250 health by end game, which isn't great but not totally terrible either. When I truly need Blood Sacrifice, it's for a fight of attrition anyway so I could still potentially use PotFS + WoD.

Regarding Ninagatauth's Freezing Pillar and other pulsing spells, in RTwP they will break stealth/invisibility every time they pulse so for this particular toon I'd rather stick with  burst DMG spells - but of course Freezing Pillar is one of the strongest spells in the game. On a side note, I've realized that you can time a Delayed Fireball and a Blackflame for example to explode at the same time while opening from stealth, in which case they can both get the Assassinate bonus (!).

Finally with Deltro's Lash and Delayed Fireball I've delivered damage per target in the range I mentioned above, going fully Solo. For the few really hard fights in end-game I totally agree that it's not game breaking but it trivializes a lot of otherwise annoying encounters as you can one or two-shot 99% of enemies. In RTwP it is very strong with a ranged Assassin as this type of character works best with an opening from stealth then 1 or 2 follow up attacks from invisibility before resetting the fight.

 

 

[dgray62]

4 hours ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

In RTwP it is very strong with a ranged Assassin as this type of character works best with an opening from stealth then 1 or 2 follow up attacks from invisibility before resetting the fight.

Thanks for the detailed reply! I suspected you might be trying this, Not So Clever Hound, which is why I asked. Given this play-style I wonder if Haplok's suggestion, of going with vanilla wizard rather than Bloodmage, would be a good idea. This would give you the option of empowering the opening salvo as well. It seems that Bloodmage really isn't needed when you have the option as a Spellblade of escaping and resetting the fight. But the big advantage of Bloodmage seems to be the ability to spam Arkemyr's Brilliant Departure for the tougher fights. Perhaps it's worth it for this reason alone?

[Not So Clever Hound]

Hey @dgray62 I think you're absolutely right, it just depends on what you want to do in the playthrough.

Bloodmage and the cheezy associated tactics give you the flex to do anything you might want to do or not in the game including besting Hauani o Whe, with very limited drawbacks if you're playing like a hybrid Assassin. You likely won't be able to kill the big-4 Megabosses with regular Wizard/Assassin but you can take the 3 others (or none of them).

Evoker could also be relevant but super restrictive, IMHO not worth it.

I like to go Bloodmage because it's just foolproof. If I want to try something very different at some point or if I'm somehow stuck somewhere, a Bloodmage will always have a solution.

[Abuachumi]

I was improving the equipment you use, but I need several sapphires, and I only have 2 ... Is there no vendor to provide them?

Reading online, do you talk about loot random? ¬¬

Edited March 16, 2021 by Abuachumi
Typing error.

[dgray62]

There are set places in the game where sapphires occur as lot, such as one of the chests in Marahi's Metalwork, Arkemyr's vault, and the Hanging Sepulchers. They also appear as random loot, and can be found if you meticulously pickpocket. I believe that they also appear randomly in the Treasure Troves's inventory on Dunnage. If you use mods, there are also mods that make them appear regularly in other store's inventories.

[Raven Darkholme]

They SHOULD appear on gem merchant in Serpent's Crown, maybe just super rare?

Not 100% sure tho.

[Not So Clever Hound]

Indeed the merchant at the entrance of Serpent Crown sells all kinds of gems, just wait a full day and recheck her inventory if she hasn't got what you need. She should have it eventually. However she might be disappearing after you come back from He Wait's in Fire in the main story, IIRC.

The merchant of The treasure Trove /Dunnage also has gems appearing randomly in inventory. You should get what you need there if you wait/check enough times.

[Kaylon]

19 hours ago, Abuachumi said:

I was improving the equipment you use, but I need several sapphires, and I only have 2 ... Is there no vendor to provide them?

Reading online, do you talk about loot random? ¬¬

Sapphires, rubies and adra ban can only be looted.

[Not So Clever Hound]

12 minutes ago, Kaylon said:

Sapphires, rubies and adra ban can only be looted

I thought so about adra ban but didn't know about sapphires and rubies! It sucks. It should be noted however that certain unique ingredients let you bypass those pesky requirements to enchant to superb/legendary: Kraken Eye, Sea Dragon Scale, Porokoa's Eye, Magma Dragon Gizzard Stone etc. Those are even better used on 2H weapons that would otherwise need double the amount of ingredients to enchant.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound

[Kaylon]

1 minute ago, Not So Clever Hound said:

I thought so about adra ban but didn't know about sapphires and rubies! It sucks. It should be noted however that certain unique ingredients let you bypass those pesky requirements to enchant to superb/legendary: Kraken Eye, Sea Dragon Scale, Porokoa's Eye, Magma Dragon Gizzard Stone etc. Those are even better used on 2H weapons that would otherwise need double the amount of ingredients to enchant.

Yes, you have to plan ahead what items you want to enchant. Here's a topic about their known locations...

 

[dgray62]

I have found all of the gems, including Adra Ban, when picking pockets on ordinary victims, without the Berath's Blessing "Loaded Pockets" selected. It seems that gems have a small chance of being found, and you'll definitely get some rubies, emeralds, sapphires and/or adra ban if you do it often enough. Worth doing especially if you're playing an unmodded game in which sapphires and adra ban are highly limited. Also, the chief in the xaurip cave on the island south of Neketaka gives a randomly spawned high value gem when you kill him, including adra ban and sapphire. If you save before the fight and reload you can farm there whichever gem you need.

[Abuachumi]

Build very very funny and powerful. Thanks mate. 

[mjo2138]

@Not So Clever Hound 

 

1.When you start the no rest approach and buffs for this ? I imagine I could start it from the start of the game, right? How soon would you venture to get Nature's resolve, and other perma buffs? 

2. Why do you choose Eldritch Aim over spirit shield early game? I tried both, and it seems like the perception boost is actually better , because you end up killing mobs faster this way. I will still try it out! 

3. What weapon modals do you use early game? How often do you respec before 'powerplay' begins? 

I just finished my first solo run with a Swashbuckler on POTD +, and now it is time for a wizard. I opted for Bloodmage, because it just looks so much better.  Plus, I hated running out of resources on my previous run.   Thank you for the guide! 

[Not So Clever Hound]

6 minutes ago, mjo2138 said:

1.When you start the no rest approach and buffs for this ?

If you are happy to stay with Hylea's Bounty from the start, then you can start from Day 1 in Maje. If you want to use another resting bonus for some reason in the long run (e.g. Shark Soup, Captain Banquet) then start your no-rest buff gathering routine right after leaving Maje and resting with your desired buff. Or whenever. Just, beware of not getting Dawnstar's Blessing too early then, and of not getting Cruel/Aggressive disposition for Nature's Resolve.

9 minutes ago, mjo2138 said:

2. Why do you choose Eldritch Aim over spirit shield early game?

That's a fair point, that I did not go in as much detail as talking about potential early game choices and then the respeccing. Spirit Shield might be more impactful in Maje but the thing is, it competes with Chill Fog. And for me early game is all about trying to stay alive stacking chill fogs like it's my sole purpose in life. You can also pre-stack some chill fogs before starting a fight BTW...

13 minutes ago, mjo2138 said:

3. What weapon modals do you use early game? How often do you respec before 'powerplay' begins? 

The weapon modal of this build is Medium Shield. Turn it on, never turn it off. You should try and stealth/rush the Gladiator Sword for Skrim early on to boost DEF. Try to get a ring of DEF, buy the Cloak of greater DEF. Outside of testing around, you can optimize this toon with 1 or 2 respec. And powerplay starts at day 1 .

17 minutes ago, mjo2138 said:

I just finished my first solo run with a Swashbuckler on POTD +, and now it is time for a wizard. I opted for Bloodmage, because it just looks so much better.  Plus, I hated running out of resources on my previous run.   Thank you for the guide! 

Congratulations! And thank you! Solo Swashbuckler, noiiiice! How'd you end up beating the Guardian of Ukaizo? And yes, why be a wizard  when you can be a Blood Mage!

[Not So Clever Hound]

Also @mjo2138:

Late game and in the spirit of pure optimization, Duskfall and Furrante's Breastplate or Magnera's Chain are probably better alternatives to Griffin Blade and Miscreant's Leather for this build, because of increasing returns of defensive stats. And you do want to try and push your defenses into the stratosphere, so as to cast in peace.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound

[mjo2138]

@Not So Clever Hound

Thank for the detailed responses. I find that playing single player games can be isolating ,in sense that you cannot bounce ideas around in real time with others, so I appreciate the responses. 

 

1.  Nice- I think I will start with Hyela's Bounty , in that case. Did you ever run into underpen situations in your run? It feels like that shouldn't be an issue, however, because there are so many wizard spells available. 

2. That is a great point - Chillfog is very good, so it is better to kill mobs faster. Dumb question, but does the +50 graze to hit apply to DoT stacks of chillfog? In any case, I agree that the +PER and +Hit is great.

3. Thanks. For the Guardian, I just did Gouging strike . I got it to half health, but ran out of resources and healing potions, when it was bloodied. As a Devoted/Streetfighter, it was a bit challenging (hard to stay bloodied for too long before it becomes dangerous)

Basically, I found that using Charge (which targets deflection) removes Energized (so annoying!) from the Guardian , then, getting it down to Hurt status was alright, thanks to many interrupts (which drained my resources). The issue was using Sabres , the Guardian has 19 slash AR. If I try again, I will stack -AR malus (Blackened Armor, Fungal Poison, Flanked via summons, Beza's tooth) and maybe try Purging Volley (does it remove Brillant?? idk). Can't think of any other -AR items. Shattered Vengeance would be a good idea for the +dmg, as well as Gravehound Dog +10 vessel dmg. I will need to stack +Crit items and potions as well. In the end, with +2 quick item slots, and a Marux Amanth finish , I think I could do it without cheese, but honestly idk if it is worth it

 

I cheesed the Megabosses, except for the Megablob (Huani o Wheni?) , which I couldn't kill. It merges so quickly again! I might try using the gloves that cast Statis Shield, so then I can wreck it, or ust scrolls of Maelstorm (which I dont really wanna do)

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by mjo2138
I needed some coffee

[Not So Clever Hound]

1 hour ago, mjo2138 said:

Did you ever run into underpen situations in your run?

Not really, but it's always something to look at. I also did this one playthrough PotD but not upscaled IIRC. Anyway, as you say you have several ways to debuff AR and many damage types. And higher PL also improves Spell PEN.

1 hour ago, mjo2138 said:

does the +50 graze to hit apply to DoT stacks of chillfog?

Chillfog is not a DoT (i.e. one hit roll that ticks damage for a duration) it's a pulsing AoE or a hazard AoE, so every pulse is a hit roll that reapplies the blind and damage effect. Any accuracy or graze to hit etc. conversion buff that is not explicitly for weapon/melee attacks will help the pulses.

1 hour ago, mjo2138 said:

As a Devoted/Streetfighter, it was a bit challenging (hard to stay bloodied for too long before it becomes dangerous)

I can imagine, and that's why Gouging Strike is there. I'm a shameless gouging strike enthusiast myself. Nice find, indeed your Stun from Charge countered the Energized inspiration. On AR, don't forget the Mace modal which also debuffs by -1. Purging Volley should remove all existing inspirations/buff from the description but I'm not super familiar with this weapon.

1 hour ago, mjo2138 said:

except for the Megablob (Huani o Wheni?) , which I couldn't kill.

Yeah, it's a pain or straight-up undoable unless you have very specific abilities. I think @Kaylon had an epiphany with the Mechanical Marvel Arbalest and scrolls of Tornado..?

Edited December 9, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound