Early leveling:
2 goats horn weaponswap on single target in act 1
2swords with 1.55AS or better to leap slam faster.
support gems are very flexible you can't really go wrong with anything, i put many gems in there as options to use. unleash feels real good at 38, early archmage possible too but i don't find it necessary and scaling the fire dmg works well <20 respecs.
Late leveling:
Make sure you go MoM around BA and eternal blessing on your 50% aura for more survivability, can also add arcane cloak now with open sockets.
Vortex of projection, ball lightning of orbiting are both good options for archmage builds.
LEVEL 90 NOTES
- arcane surge is better dps than inspiration support so if your mana is fine switch to that (the ascendancy only gives level 1 arcane cloak)
- enfeeble is better than punishment as your curse in helmet if your damage feels fine without it
- run either grace or purity of elements depending on if you need elemental resistances. grace is going to be much better early on for dealing with porcupines
- buy wands at level 72 and then 83 from the gambler since this is when t2 and t1 cast speed become available.
once you have wands similar to the ones in pob stop spending gold and save for recombinations later.
- regular frostblink can be used along with wintry blast for an instant dash
- onslaught flask is ideal over quartz if you dont have the onslaught benchcraft yet
CRIT SWAP LOADOUT NOTES
- make sure you have the shock immunity mastery taken in the power charge wheel
- swap out invert mastery for exposure if you have the exposure implicit on gloves. otherwise dont use your passive point there yet
- crafted crit chance on wands
- hyperboreus belt can solve crit issues early but a stygian is better for survivability and solving resistances
- if you cant get lightning leech corruption on kitavas thirst you should either keep using a Valako's sign or get the implicit on gloves
NOTE: cold leech also works on helmet/gloves
- power charge corruption is better for damage but usually expensive early league
- enfeeble over elemental weakness if you want more tankiness
T17 BLOCK + CRIT LOADOUT NOTES
- spell echo is dropped off of frostblink to make dodging boss mechanics and other stuff easier but you can swap it back in over regular frostblink if desired
- at this point you should have mana catalysts on your foible
- svalinn is way better than a rare shield but I expect itll be expensive as hell
- red nightmare is also a great upgrade for more block but im not sure if itll be cheap or not
- you can drop the leech nodes with enough block and it might feel fine (have not tested in t17s)
- if you want to run all modifiers in t17 you will need to buy a temporal chains balance of terror for the action speed slow modifier
UBER BOSSING LOADOUT NOTES
- make sure arcane cloak is manually pressed not automated or you will lose half your dps
- the 2 sapphire flasks are for uber shaper you can swap them around for another diamond or other res flasks depending on the uber boss
- power charge helmet kitavas is best for damage. you can drop the instant leech nodes top right if not needed for more damage as well
- this setup drops spell echo off of frostblink to make dodging mechanics easier but you can swap it back in
OTHER NOTES
- elemental reflect can be solved with the lesser pantheon and elemental mastery but this wont work if you are not shock immune
UNIQUE ITEM PURCHASE PRIORITY
1. Kitava's Thirst
2. Dream Fragments
3. Valako's Sign
4. Wyrmsigns (if needed. can also work as a pseudo 5 link)
5. Atziri's Foible
7. heallthy mind
8. Anathema = Unnatural Instinct
9. Clarity Watcher's Eye
10. Cloak of Defiance (6 linked)
11. Light of Meaning (lightning damage is best, mana is okay for the cost)
CRAFTING SECTION
Wand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82T-YcOh0Vk
Block Shield:
1. Buy fractured life on trade, the tree prints bases so its cheap this league (item level 84+)
2. use loathing essences until t1 spell block
3. finish with prefix lock + veiled chaos and an exalt slam (foulborn is decent). make sure to block energy shield recharge rate with benchcraft
Cluster Jewel:
Alchemy Orb + Scour, slam when you have 2 notables and an open suffix
Doryani's Lesson is best but you can get life leech on helmet and use any suffix notable