[2.2 Video Guide] Beginner's Build: Dual Flame Totem, Blood Magic Chieftain [Atziri & HC/SC Viable]

Is Empower a suitable substitute for Fire Penetration? Or is it invaluable?

Hm, it gives you 3% more fire pen when it is level 3... no.

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the_Arkain wrote:

Hm, it gives you 3% more fire pen when it is level 3... no.

Well if that was a response to my question, I meant is Empower a good replacement for Fire Penetration. Like to use instead of it.

Is this build still viable after 10% less damage in LV20 gem nerf?

I looted this wand tonight.



I'm not sure what to craft on it.

Should I add Fire Damage, or Casting Speed? (or something else)

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Should I add Fire Damage, or Casting Speed? (or something else)

The wand has already 3 prefix, and Add Fire is a prefix as well. So you have no choice, but Casting Speed is probably better anyway.

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Is this build still viable after 10% less damage in LV20 gem nerf?

Absolutely. You just have to replace Added Chaos by the new support gem Controlled Destruction, and your DPS will stay the same. Even a little bit higher.

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Is Empower a suitable substitute for Fire Penetration?

Level 2 Empower, certainly not. Level 3 or 4, difficult to say, since the wiki hasn’t been updated with the new fire damage values of the gem (they have changed a lot in 2.1).

I know that from level 20 to 21, it’s +11%, and from 20 to 22, +23%. So if you start from a Level 20 FT with infernal mantle adding +1, you will go from 21 to 23 (level 3 Empower) or 21 to 24 (level 4).

Is that better than Fire Pen? Level 3 most probably not. Level 4, maybe, or not far. You should be somewhere between +35% and +40%. A 20/20 FirePen has 35% penetration, which means +35% against non-resistant mob. But it’s higher against resistant mob, so personally I would keep Fire Pen even in this case.

On the other hand, a level 4 Empower will be certainly better than Faster Casting, maybe even a level 3. But then you would need 3 red slots, which will be quite expensive.

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LordAdagio wrote:

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Should I add Fire Damage, or Casting Speed? (or something else)

The wand has already 3 prefix, and Add Fire is a prefix as well. So you have no choice, but Casting Speed is probably better anyway.

I'm able to craft Fire damage, and it says on poeaffix.net that Fire Damage is a suffix also. Am I looking at the wrong thing?

The options I have are:

15-19% Fire Damage or 9-11% Casting Speed. Not sure if the specific numbers make a difference or not.

Is there a way to put Proj Speed on it, if so would that be an option?

Ah yes, sorry I was thinking to adding flat fire damage (to spells). But you are right, increased % fire is an option.

Well, it depends on you current total modifier for cast speed (gear+support+tree), compared to your current total increased damage (spell+elemental+fire+totem). Usually, +10% cast speed is roughly equivalent to +20% damage. And since you already have this nice +105% spell on the wand, cast speed 9-11% is very likely better than 15-19% fire. But to be sure you must compute. That's not easy since there is no recap of total increase damage on the character sheet.

Projectile speed, no, I don't think you can craft it.

Can anyone provide an example of a good wand that would be an upgrade to Apep's? Or what stats I should be looking for in a rare wand? Thank you!

LOL @ the title...

Beginners build when you can't buy half the skill gems as a witch..