The Void Arcer - CI Crit Arc Build - Many dps [updated for 1.3.0]

Hello, this is the continuation and expansion of my earlier budget CI Crit Arc build (here), with the end goal of dual wielding Void Batteries, although any two rare wands, or Doryani's Catalysts even, will do.

Haven't gone back to this build in a while, as since the introduction of Heralds - which provide you with extra dmg added to your spells (but which we can't run because of Discipline) -, and because of general emerging superiority of life builds following the flask buffs, there wasn't much point in playing it. However, with the recent nerf to the ICD gem (which we couldn't run because of our 4L setup), and overall buffs to tree pathing with the introduction of the new Templar starting area and an addition of dual wield nodes close to the Witch, the future of this build looks suddenly a lot brighter. So I made some updates. Cawl.

---Quick info---

- lvl 90
- 90ex overall cost (80ex of which are two Void Batteries)
- Arc(4L): 30-36k dps(Light Pen), 40-46k(ICD); 62-63% Crit Chance
- 7-7.2k ES, 1.4k Mana, 172 mana regen per s
- 75/75/81 res
- Needs The Vertex, but not 5L/6L


--Tree--


--Gear--
Spoiler




Dps+ES+Stats Amulet I sometimes use:
Spoiler


Budget rare wands I used to use:
Spoiler

DPS with those: 19.6k(Eye+Light pen), 23.3k(Dps Amy+Light Pen), 26k(Eye+ICD), 30k(Dps Amy+ICD)

--Gem Setups--

4L(Vertex): Arc+Spell Echo+Light Pen+Empower
4L: Reduced Mana+Discipline+Clarity+PoL
4L: Cwdt(lvl6)+Cold Snap+Ele Prolif+Summon Skeletons
4L: (Replaceable)Ice Spear+Faster Casting+PCoC, Vaal Haste
3L: Light Warp+Reduced Duration+Faster Casting
3L: Blood Rage, Ass Mark, Vaal Discipline

--Stats--

Offensive stats:
Eye of Chayula+Light Pen - Run this most of the time. Feels the smoothest and safest

Dps Amy+Light Pen - Good for party play

Eye+ICD - just for dps comparison

Dps Amy+ICD

Genocide+Suicide setup without Discipline, but with Heralds

Genocide+Suicide+ICD

+Atziri Flask


Defensive stats:
With Eye of Chayula

With Dps Amy


--Video--

Gorge speed clear - 3:24 including a Vagan mission :-). Run with the dps amulet.

Shipyard Clear - Really ends at 6:20, rest is just looking for stray mobs. Shows you why it's handy to have Ice Spear, and that this build is not the most well rounded out there.

---^^ Everything above this line has been updated. Hurray \o/. Rest of the guide is semi-updated (but still awesome).


1.3.0 Changes to the build:
New Tree! - http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgMA37DfioIQ6QIHpUuuAuMbJUmy2VssnG0ZBUIRUEGWNbmus9D1pytMs1Aw214RD36vTC2smI0ZFLBE-3RV99fgEoIeO-NfKoRIm6HZX4hCiihca49G3YzBxWQJw20dFCy_f8bsGI5k-tKGrn5ZEZaP-nC796ZmnhcvFdcOSOv12RO2-sAaFkBk51ZjY0Nd8mSdL2-3MYV9Vdby4XDVfjO29_IdjHaApEcGidOkkSsKnjzb53BSE54RL-w4X2oqC4w2gpvz6u0gmju2hu08fEuWdNWmaPJ8DqdVW6A=

You get about 10-15% more dps and 7-8% more ES. Also slightly more mana and slightly more mana regen. Overall a nice buff to this build.

1.2.0 Changes to the build:
Pretty much the same dps - more crit (44->60%) and dmg increase from tree, but less cast speed and less Arc dmg.
Slighty less ES (6.6 vs 6.7), although would be the same or better without ES gear nerfs.
More mana reserved by auras.
Probably higher overall clear speed thanks to stronger immediate shocks and being able to shock mobs more often due to the higher crit chance.

As to the game play, the biggest change is the use of Assassin's Mark curse as a main mechanism for power charge generation instead of Ice Spear. Which is very welcome since the Ice Spear spam was one of the things I liked the least about this build. However, with this comes a slight annoyance of being left without enough mana to cast for a split second on some occasions. This could conceivably be changed by better gear that is now possible to get through master crafts, though.


Well, enjoy, if you can...!




How it works

Skills

Movement: Lightning Warp+Reduced Duration+Faster Casting
(Spell Echo doesn't work with Lightning Warp :( )

You can queue up the cast of your other skills once the first phase of the warp completes, and they are gonna be cast immediately once the second phase ends and be aimed at the place you clicked while still at the original location. Useful to remember while keeping your charges up with Ice Spear.


Offense: Charges: Ice Spear+Faster Casting+Power Charge on Critical+GMP

No longer necessary to use Ice Spear since you can generate power charges using assassin's mark. Might be handy to keep it as a back-up for bosses you can't immediately kill. Even so, only 3-link now needed.

Spoiler
(You don't wanna use Spell Echo in this case since if the first cast of your Ice Spear doesn't crit, neither does the second one, introducing greater uncertainty)

Having a lot of cast speed makes the Ice Spear spam a lot easier to go down, nevertheless, at least for me, it remains a somewhat annoying necessity. While keeping the charges up is not very difficult thanks to your high movement speed, in indoor maps you will still run out from time to time. It is possible to link Pcoc directly to Arc and use diamond flasks to get the initial charges going, however, as your damage goes up, you find out all the mobs die before you really get any. Obviously, it also lowers your Arc damage, so would recommend this option only to the laziest of players :). Best option: Map with someone who uses Conduit <3



Main: Arc+Spell Echo+Critical Damage/Light Pen+Empower

No change here from your classic Arc builds. Except, of course, for the option to use Increased Critical Damage support gem, that will give you about 40% dps increase at lower multiplier levels and about 25% dps increase when you are able to get the multiplier from tree nodes and an amulet later on. Judge that against your other choice of having 35% lightning penetration. From my current position, they seem to be equal at clear speed, with Light pen having superior reliability, but Crit Dmg being perhaps more fun (also, see curses). I bet on Light Pen being better as you go on, though.

1.3.0 Update: With the nerf to the ICD, Light pen is now the only viable option.

Support: Blood Rage

Free 15%(25 - See Spell Echo) increase in cast speed for any CI caster.

Curse: Conductivity/Elemental Weakness/Critical Weakness

Now using an unlinked Assassin's Mark. Cursing has become extremely important since it's your main source of power charges for most of the time. Get one with quality, obviously.

For curse immune maps: Ice Spear+GMP+Faster Casting+PCoC (you replace Vaal Haste with GMP)

Spoiler
Depends whether you are using Critical Dmg or Light Pen support gems. Currently using the
combination of Conductivity and Critical Dmg, since Critical Dmg gives you more damage against non light resistant monsters than Light Pen, and Conductivity gives you more dmg against light resistant ones than Critical Weakness. The situation would reverse though, if the majority of the mobs in a map were the resistant kind. Haven't tested Elemental Weakness yet, since it only gives you any benefits over Conductivity when it has quality, and even those (10% more pen) might not outweigh the extra chance to shock Conductivity gives you.



Defense: See Offense

But seriously...

Auras: Reduced Mana+Clarity+Discipline+Purity of Lightning

With the aura nodes you get from the tree, you get to run three auras while having enough mana, and mana regen, to cast stuff. In my opinion, using PoL is an absolute necessity, even, and especially, in ele weakness and -max maps, since really the biggest threat to your survival is to hit a big group of ele reflect mobs and not have your lightning resistance at least capped. Having an extra 5% max res (getting +1% from aura nodes) also makes it that, in conjunction with a topaz, you don't have to care about reflect in normal maps.

Cast when Damage taken: CwDt+?+?+?

As I see it, there are two paths open before you, two cunning plans to solve your defense
problems: 1. Go high lvl CwDt and use it with Cold Snap (which can freeze map bosses for seconds when it crits) + Summon Skeletons (Masters of distraction, last a long time) + ?. I have been using Molten Shell, although it is pretty shit really and can kill you when against reflect mobs. 2. Go low lvl CwDt with Immortal Call+Enduring Cry+Increased Duration.

Update: Using low lvl CwDt with immortal call, cold snap and ele prolif. All red setup of CwDt+Enduring Cry+Immortal Call+Inc Duration would be preferable, but difficult to achieve on int boots.

Other: Vaal Discipline, Arctic Armor

Vaal Discipline is very handy, go use it now! Also helps in burning ground maps. As to the AA, currently I can only run it at lvl15 due to the dexterity requirement, and only run it against certain monsters, because I don't quite have enough mana regen for it and it ever so slightly slows down my clear speed with there being some delay on my Lightning Warps after some heavy Arc spam.

1.2.0 Update: With the aura nodes reduction it has become impossible to run AA (although I never could be bothered to run it anyway, honestly :-)

1.3.0 Update: With some gear upgrades, it has become possible for me to run AA again. Don't quite have high enough dex though, so I still can't bother.

Skill musings

Spell Echo - Due to it being double cast, it takes more time to cast your main skill, and therefore it gives you less control over what you are doing. Take this into account when fighting bosses that require you to quickly move out of danger. Also, Spell Echo is a multiplier, so any cast speed increase you get is gonna be 1.70 times more effective. The way spell echo works: (Your cast speed from tree+gems+items+charges*spell echo multi)+spell echo increase.


Gear

Essential: Doryani's Invitation

This belt is a must, since it's gonna be your only source of leech. Allows you to play much more offensively, and really, it pretty much makes playing this build fun. Until you've had it, it's pretty meh. All of its other stats are great as well.

Essential Survivability Item: Eye of Chayula

Takes a whole amulet slot, but you need it.

Update: Have been experimenting with a rare amulet that gives me more dps, ES and enough stats to lose one +30str node on the tree. With double Void Batteries the damage is high enough not to get stunned often, although I still prefer the Eye. The rare amy is probably better in parties, though. Try it out.

Key Synergy: The Vertex+Voidbringer

What you are getting here is an additional 1.3 mana multiplier in exchange for 6% Crit Chance. That doesn't sound like much, about what you would get with a Increased Critical Strikes gem in a 5L. Luckily, there are some other advantages to both items. The Vertex's high evasion rating is gonna make you surprisingly tanky, while it's chaos resistance anticipates the switch to Low Life. Voidbringer gloves are a more questionable choice, even as the 80% increased mod isn't hurting you that much. What you will find though, is that with the amount of damage you do, the energy shield gained on kill is like having a second Doryani's belt and makes you able to facetank virtually any mobs as long as some of them are dying. Which is a theme I like. Plus, getting a 200ES+ gloves is not that easy. (Secretly though, I simply like the idea of using this stupid, but cool looking item ;)

Key Damage Boost: Void Battery x 2

The math is simple: 9x50-2x60=330. 330% increased spell damage (366 with a tree node). Don't forget about another 5% of crit chance. Up to 40(66)% increased cast speed. The only problem with the wands is that they make any skill and build that uses them look good, hehe.

While having two Voids is awesome, unless this build is your child, and you want to protect him from all the ills of the world (by providing him with borderline nuclear weaponry), you might settle for two rare wands with Spell dmg+Light dmg, Spell crit and Cast speed. With some solid rares you will do 2/3rds of the damage, but for 1/10th of the price. Doryani's scepters are a cheap and quite satisfactory option as well.

Freeze Immunity: Dream Fragments

As your standards for your build and your clear speed go higher, getting occasionally frozen and having to unfroze yourself with a flask gets more and more annoying.


Otherwise, apart from capping your resists and so on, you need to get some mana regen on your gear. Aim for at least 100%.


Gear musings

The Vertex+Voidbringer vs 5L/6L dps

Assuming the gems used are Arc+Fast Cast+Echo+Light Pen+Empower for the 5L, and the same, but without Fast Cast for The Vertex, assuming the current (see my current gear+tree at the top) cast speed increase from gear, items and skills, the 5L comes off with about 0.8% less damage. You are also gonna lose the crit chance from Voidbringers, so the final damage will be 7.9% lower.

Formula:
Spoiler
1/1,21*(1+X+0,49)/(1+X) X being current increased cast speed (tree-42, wand-19, blood rage-15, echo-69 = 143); 0,49 being 20/20 Faster Casting; 1.21 being 2 levels of arc dmg


Assuming a 5L that is using Arc+Echo+Light Pen+ICD+Empower, it will do about 5% more dmg than our Vertex 4L. Assuming running Maligaro's instead of Voidbringers (which provide almost exactly the same dps) we gain +30dex (allowing us to lose a +30dex node), but lose ES on Kill and about 800 final ES.

A 6L will provide more dps in all the cases, although running with unchanged auras and so about only 300 mana remaining unreserved is somewhat ungainly.

Tree

Just follow the damn tree! It's perfect. Obviously, if you have, or don't have, the stats on gear, get, or lose, any +30 stat nodes. Similarly, if you are still using a shield, don't go for the dual wield nodes.

And that is pretty much the build. You probably shouldn't follow it, and play a life version instead, but, if you are a CI fan, like me, maybe you'll like it.

-- 1.3.0 Low Life extreme dps extension of the build --
Spoiler

Right, so in case you wanted even more damage - as you would -, you could get Shavs and go low life. This is how I would go about it:

1. Get Shaaaaavs (No shield, so Solaris really wouldn't work)
2. Get Lioneye's Paws (for stun immunity and stats)
3. Get an amulet with Crit Multi and/or Crit Chance
4. Get a diamond ring with mana regen and preferably triple high res

Use this tree: Tree - It's lvl92, although you might do it with a lower lvl char as well if you didn't mind losing some crit dmg/regen/etc nodes.

Next, to get to low life, run Haste and Herald of Thunder on life. They will reserve 97%, so you will need at least lvl19 Blood Magic and Reduced Mana. The auras you run on mana stay the same.

But, of course, with the extra cast speed from Haste, extra crit multi from tree and amulet, extra flat lightning dmg from HoT and extra spell dmg from Pain Attunement there come some downsides:

1. You will need 153dex to run lvl20 Haste. With perfect Lioneye's and taking one +30dex node on the tree, you will be at 124dex. Will depend on your amulet whether you will reach 153.

2. Now with your normal boots gone, your only resists come from Doryani's Belt (35fire, 35cold max), Dream Fragments (30cold max) and Shavs (40light max). Together with lvl20 Purity of Lightning and 42% increased aura effect, that will leave you (with 35light res Shavs) at:

23light
72fire
42cold

to be yet filled.

Ideally you will want your Diamond Ring to have at least 42cold, ~35fire and 23light, so that your amulet only has to have fire res and that way can have both Crit Multi AND Crit Chance. On the other hand, you might want and need mana regen on your ring - which is a suffix as well. In that case, your amulet will have to sacrifice the Crit Chance.

(As a side note, you can't run Purity of Elements instead of Purity of Lightning, you really need the +max res PoL gives you against reflect. You can, however, chose to run PoE instead of Haste and that way solve both the problems - at the cost of some dps, of course.)

3. With two extra auras you would want to use now, you will start running out of gem slots. This is how your new gem setup should look:

4L(Vertex): Arc+Echo+Light Pen+Empower
6L: Reduced Mana+Discipline+Purity+Clarity, Vaal Haste/Ass Mark, Vaal Discipline
4L: Cwdt+Cold Snap+Ele Prolif, Blood Rage/Ass Mark
4L(Voidbringer): Reduced Mana+BM+HoT+Haste
3L: Light Warp+Reduced Duration+Faster Casting/Ass Mark
3L: Arc/Ice Spear+Echo+PCoC

As you can see, you are just about one gem slot short. To be able to use Ass mark (which you will still use to generate power charges), you will need to do without either: Vaal Haste, Blood Rage or Faster Casting on your Light Warp. Which one of these that might be will probably depend on your personal preference, playstyle and and so on.

4. Finally, needless to say, your ES without a shield and with 0 ES boots won't be terribly high, so your amulet should ideally have flat AND %inc ES, and your ring flat and Elreon crafted %inc ES as well.


That's pretty much all I can think of on this topic. Never tried it myself, so if anyone decides to go this way, I would be excited to hear about his experience and possibly listen to his tips - even though deep down I would still know that I am right ;).
Last edited by Cabesi#0949 on Mar 17, 2015, 3:55:18 PM
Usually, people put THEIR DPS in the title. Not theoretical DPS.

Unless you list it as "theorycrafting" it's a false claim since you haven't actually reached it. Otherwise I could "theorycraft" all I wanted and throw around bogus DPS claims that I haven't actually reached yet.
[2.2] KuteKitteh's CI EA Regen Tank - Durable w/10k ES, instant clear, EZ-Atziri, affordable!: /1625757
"
KuteKitteh wrote:
Usually, people put THEIR DPS in the title. Not theoretical DPS.

Unless you list it as "theorycrafting" it's a false claim since you haven't actually reached it. Otherwise I could "theorycraft" all I wanted and throw around bogus DPS claims that I haven't actually reached yet.


Oh, I am completely shameless about putting the 100k figure there just to make people click it :). But that doesn't mean it isn't true. In fact, you are just making it worse by concentrating on the fact that an unreached figure was posted, instead of focusing on whether the numbers hold up or not, you bandit! If people actually cared about what's true and what isn't true, then they wouldn't have to rely on easier to determine, but nevertheless false, dichotomies like reached/unreached figure in their value judgements.

Other than that, it is quite true I might have missed something in my calculation, or some unexpected hick-up might occur, so in that respect, the number is obviously less solid. I have hopes someone is gonna find out soon enough.
"
Cabesi wrote:
Oh, I am completely shameless about putting the 100k figure there just to make people click it :). But that doesn't mean it isn't true. In fact, you are just making it worse by concentrating on the fact that an unreached figure was posted, instead of focusing on whether the numbers hold up or not, you bandit! If people actually cared about what's true and what isn't true, then they wouldn't have to rely on easier to determine, but nevertheless false, dichotomies like reached/unreached figure in their value judgements.

Other than that, it is quite true I might have missed something in my calculation, or some unexpected hick-up might occur, so in that respect, the number is obviously less solid. I have hopes someone is gonna find out soon enough.
I don't care whether or not the number is valid. It's blatant attention-grabbing theorycrafting in disguise.

If you're at 25k DPS, call it 25k DPS. If you have a theorycraft build that hits 100k, then put "theorycraft" somewhere so people know it's theoretical. Simple rules to keep your ego from swelling past your capabilities.

Boasting about DPS values after reaching them is one thing, even if those DPS values can only be gotten with 300ex of gear/gems that few people have. Boasting about DPS values that you haven't even attained yourself is just... I don't even know. It's as stupid as boasting about your imagination.

It's as legit as me posting a 400k DPS Loath Bane + Shav + CoE + RF build. That's called theorycrafting, not building.
[2.2] KuteKitteh's CI EA Regen Tank - Durable w/10k ES, instant clear, EZ-Atziri, affordable!: /1625757
Last edited by KuteKitteh#5381 on Jul 23, 2014, 12:33:00 PM
"
KuteKitteh wrote:
"
Cabesi wrote:
Oh, I am completely shameless about putting the 100k figure there just to make people click it :). But that doesn't mean it isn't true. In fact, you are just making it worse by concentrating on the fact that an unreached figure was posted, instead of focusing on whether the numbers hold up or not, you bandit! If people actually cared about what's true and what isn't true, then they wouldn't have to rely on easier to determine, but nevertheless false, dichotomies like reached/unreached figure in their value judgements.

Other than that, it is quite true I might have missed something in my calculation, or some unexpected hick-up might occur, so in that respect, the number is obviously less solid. I have hopes someone is gonna find out soon enough.
I don't care whether or not the number is valid. It's blatant attention-grabbing theorycrafting in disguise.

If you're at 25k DPS, call it 25k DPS. If you have a theorycraft build that hits 100k, then put "theorycraft" somewhere so people know it's theoretical. Simple rules to keep your ego from swelling past your capabilities.

Boasting about DPS values after reaching them is one thing, even if those DPS values can only be gotten with 300ex of gear/gems that few people have. Boasting about DPS values that you haven't even attained yourself is just... I don't even know. It's as stupid as boasting about your imagination.

It's as legit as me posting a 400k DPS Loath Bane + Shav + CoE + RF build. That's called theorycrafting, not building.


You just don't have a sense of humor :,(.
+1 Void Battery update. Also fixed some inaccuracies.
KuteKitteh has a point, people aren't interested in liars which is exactly what you are.

Your other lying guide thread from 1 month ago has only managed 2 pages, and most of it is you bumping it up yourself while this one is all you trying to lie through your teeth if we're not counting KuteKitteh's or my post.

If you look at other people's guide threads, some of them even have shit DPS and/or aren't even efficient builds yet they are able to attract more attention and posts than your 2 threads that I've seen simply because they aren't liars.

So stop trying so hard to lie, all it does is suggest that you're ashamed of your build/dps to begin with. Why should anyone be interested in something the OP is ashamed of?
"so you can see who has more PvPenis" - Chris Wilson
"Everyone can at least be exposed to Leo's PvPenis" - Chris Wilson
Last edited by Kenzorz#6970 on Jul 26, 2014, 4:54:34 PM
"
Kenzorz wrote:
KuteKitteh has a point, people aren't interested in liars which is exactly what you are.

Your other lying guide thread from 1 month ago has only managed 2 pages, and most of it is you bumping it up yourself while this one is all you trying to lie through your teeth if we're not counting KuteKitteh's or my post.

If you look at other people's guide threads, some of them even have shit DPS and/or aren't even efficient builds yet they are able to attract more attention and posts than your 2 threads that I've seen simply because they aren't liars.

So stop trying so hard to lie, all it does is suggest that you're ashamed of your build/dps to begin with. Why should anyone be interested in something the OP is ashamed of?


Heh, good of you to bump both my threads for free then.
+2 Void Battery update. Oh nooo, the numbers are getting closer and closer to what I predicted! Will added wealth bridge the impenetrable gap between a build and a "theorycraft"? Is the world gonna come to its end? Next episode of this thriller is coming to your screens soon (featuring David Hasselhoff in a guest appearance)!
Last edited by Cabesi#0949 on Jul 29, 2014, 9:27:57 PM
drop eye of chayula and use cast when stunned with cold snap + ele prolif + increased aoe = more dps and more survivability

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