Wand skill gems needed

TL:DR Please makes some more wand skills. There aren't enough unique skill options for wand attack characters.



Debated between the skill gem topic and here, but figured this was the better place as there isn't a specific skill in question. I was doing my typical beginning of new league theory crafting and debating on what build to make. Usually this involves looking at what is the currently overplayed set ups and avoiding them like the plague, going through the wiki and scouting for builds/skills that I've not yet tried or have new mechanics to explore.

There was one thing that stood out above anything else during this pass of build debates: There is a serious lack of skill gems usable by wand attack set-ups. There are seriously 5 non-Vaal skill gems usable by wanders and one Vaal skill.

By comparison wand build are way behind in options. The only type of weapon that falls behind Wands are fishing rods, if you consider those a real weapon :P The gap between Wands and the next lowest (bows) is 13 skill gems difference.

Axes: 34 (1-h), 33 (2-h)
Bows: 19
Claws: 31
Daggers: 31
Fishing Rods: 2 (universal skills usable with any weapons)
Maces: 36 (1-h), 34 (2-h)
Staves: 34
Swords: 38: (1-h), 32 (2-h)
Wands: 6

I understand that there are only so many ways you can make wands send out a blast that is unique, but the same could be said for bows, and yet there are over triple the amount of skills for bows as wands.

I think you are missing unarmed as a weapon option. That fact aside, I think the simple solution is to just re-flavor some bow skills to allow both bow and wand on them.

I was going to say it would be nice to a skill like lacerate (non-laggy skiill for me unlike some others) for wands but then I realized that's sort of like freeze pulse. Then I looked at the wiki and became confused because it didn't list freezing pulse under the wand skills even though it works with wands.

I do concur that some of the bow skills should probably be adjusted to allow their use with wands as well; stuff that isn't explicitly "arrow"-based would make sense; ice shot and shrapnel shot seem like good candidates. I'd ALMOST consider tornado shot, but given the current damage output balance issues with arrows, that might not be a wise choice. (e.g, TS wand meta would become a major thing) Maybe even blast rain might work?

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jack_aubrey wrote:

Then I looked at the wiki and became confused because it didn't list freezing pulse under the wand skills even though it works with wands.

That's because freezing pulse is a spell, not an attack. Spell gems can always be used regardless of whatever type of weapon you're using, because you don't actually deal damage with the weapon: most gems that specify an exact damage range (and don't mention "deals x% of base damage," etc.) are going to be spells.

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Sohala wrote:

I think you are missing unarmed as a weapon option. That fact aside, I think the simple solution is to just re-flavor some bow skills to allow both bow and wand on them.

Unarmed handily (pun intended) beats wands in number of skill though.

Unarmed can use 13 skills, or 12 if we don't count Vaal Cyclone. Goes down to 10 if we also take out counterattacks.

Still, if it's 10 skills then that's double the number of non-Vaal skills wanders have access to.

wands have Kinetic Blast. that should be enough explanation why there wont be new wand skills anytime soon

Kinetic Blast is THE BEST clear skill this game has. it cannot be beaten, there simply cannot be a skill that clears faster than it

so if new skill is not better than it, then it is worse - then why use it? this 'OP or turd' situation is what plagues POE since the power creep started.

skills, items and build choices no longer have any cost associated to them - only 'the power'. and if power is the only metric - why use something that is weaker?

so you wont get a new wander skill because GGG knows how stupidly strong KB is and then wont release something stronger. on the other hand there is no reason to waste resources on skill noone will use anyway (something weaker than KB)

same goes for Barrage. if you make new single target skill that is better than Barrage, noone will use it again and everyone will flock to the new one.

one-dimensional design.. power creep. this ruins build diversity in the long run. but power-hungry kids are happy