Deleting Endgame with Arcanist Brand (VD/Desecrate) Day 16 Final Update ft. Queen (We Will Rock You)

Hey there PoEBuilds, last update on this char! ... I do not have the voice of a certain memegod so I had to go with the OG Queen soundtrack ;)

This concludes my first spank-the-endgame build of Harvest and what I hope can be a template for future leagues! Honest assessment: Arcanist Brand was rightfully dead in the water as a main skill due to its harsh, artificially imposed penalties (the fixed, intentional activation delay on summoning a Brand, for example) and the heavy-handed nerfs to Brand Duration and Recall hit the overall feel of Brands too harshly. This does mean that any buffs in the future could bring this to A-tier.

(For newcomers: Please watch the Day 0 video of concept/explanation here - a lot of FAQ in the comments as well: https://youtu.be/aGi4OVC5kVQ)

Thankfully, weedcrafting (harvest crafting) itself has allowed easy power spikes and utility for every build - and this one benefits HUGELY.

============= Resources ===============

VD Arcanist Brand Damage Calculator/Estimator v1.01 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L0wdbBJbg8jaqIPlfZUpEpAEbzpp3aqdnXa-AdVGYbk

============== PoBs =================

Day 0 (video: https://youtu.be/aGi4OVC5kVQ)

https://pastebin.com/f6igZH4r

^ I would recommend investing more into the Brand Clusters than I did in this version. Back then they were expensive AF before the Cluster Jewel changes.

Day 2 (video: https://youtu.be/v_JOBYA8gK8)

(same PoB but with the 7L+ helm.)

Day 5 (video: https://youtu.be/qILw4rOoco0)

PoB: https://pastebin.com/v1GPxiEj

^ Likewise, go with Brand Clusters over westerly nodes.

Day 16 Final (most of this video):

https://pastebin.com/b6CV7WQj

^ Do note I do not run Herald of Ash at all usually - the build naturally explodes and clears well, so slot it in yourself if you want the flashy MTX explosions. I use Aspect of the Spider instead for bosses and general safety.

Day 16 (Malachai's Artifice) (lose 600 EHP for 37% more Single Target DPS):

https://pastebin.com/qU6RU9JB

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See next comment for more ways to push the build if you somehow want to! (About 40% more DPS can be squeezed out).

========== CHANGELOG SINCE DAY 5 VIDEO ============

1. Most importantly and FREE: Dropped the Lithomancer and summon a Primal Crushclaw instead - these have a WHOPPING 1400% HP compared to 800% and are tanky as f*, plus they look really badass. Credit: Hakusai from Discord who confirmed they are Desecratable.

2. Moved from the defensive ES-on-hit Watcher's to a double-DPS one. Double Zealotry is cheaper (7-10ex), we use a Zealotry + Precision one.

3. AWAKENED SPELL CASCADE - this jewel was a 18ex investment (14 ex now) and is WORTH EVERY PENNY - not only does it increase your raw output and mapping efficiency, it decreases ramp up time on single target by a crazy amount. (check with the DPS calc)

4. Shoved off the Cold Res on the helmet for +3% spellcrit, and dropped the 70 life for +1 AoE. These are disgustingly cheap to do right now and both are reversible processes. I will detail it if anyone asks.

5. Dropped a ton of points in the west area to start up another Cluster Jewel patch - this adds even more QoL and scales explosions even harder.

6. Harvest crafted a mixed T1/T2 hunter belt for more EHP and use of a cool abyssal for some phys gained as fire.

7. Taken up Avatar of Fire for explodey scaling, which also ensures WoC does fire exposure for fewer points - and also allows you to do Phys reflect maps again.

The DPS calculator has also been finalised and released! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... (make a copy to use it)

Thank you to everyone who's followed this journey and as usual, please fire all your questions here! We will take a break and construct the next semi-meme build.