Buff Arc... please?

Arc is an amazing skill for me. I always liked chain lightning, especially when done so that it feels satisfying. Arc very much feels satisfying with the added bonus of not having to target enemies to kill them (lazy me).

But it has so many flaws.
For the purposes of overall damage, clearspeed and boss killing capabilities, we shall compare this skill to the freshly buffed fireball. (YES i know they are completely different skills, but fireball was buffed by a lot, so heres me hoping the same to happen to Arc)

Damage/Cast speed:
Arc: 47-886 at gem level 20, base cast time 0.8 sec. The huge damage range is making the horrible base damage even worse to handle.
Fireball: 739-1109 at gem level 20, base cast time 0.85 sec. This skills average damage roll is above the maximum damage roll of Arc. Enough said I hope.

Clearspeed:
Arc: Limited targets (7 at gem level 20, 10 with uber enchant). I dont have to tell you how horrible that is for selfcasting.
Fireball: Yes, the normal AoE is laughably small. But Rolling flames makes this skill top tier for clearing with little investment.

Single target damage:
Arc: Quite possibly the worst single target spell out there. Horrible base damage, makes shocking basically impossible most of the time, and hefty cast time.
Fireball: Ignite. Enough said again. It even has a high chance to ignite already built in the skill. Still deals a decent amout of damage to ignite-immune enemies aswell.

However, I feel that simply buffing Arc's damage wont quite cut it. Maybe do something along the lines of "If Arc hits a single enemy and doesnt chain further, it gains a x%more damage bonus against the enemy/chains onto the same enemy with x%less damage after each chain, up to a maximum of x chains" Also increase its maximum chains by +3 at all levels. Nobody uses the gem to level with, ever.

TL;DR: Arc shit, please buff.

Make an mtx for it too as well please.

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13s_D4rK wrote:

Clearspeed:
Arc: Limited targets (7 at gem level 20, 10 with uber enchant). I dont have to tell you how horrible that is for selfcasting.
Fireball: Yes, the normal AoE is laughably small. But Rolling flames makes this skill top tier for clearing with little investment.

I just want to add that fireball has the Elementalist's Beacon of Ruin (prolif) to clear even faster via ignite proliferation.

But I also think arc's problem is not necessarily the clearspeed. It is the single target.

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Kaz2ndChance wrote:

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13s_D4rK wrote:

Clearspeed:
Arc: Limited targets (7 at gem level 20, 10 with uber enchant). I dont have to tell you how horrible that is for selfcasting.
Fireball: Yes, the normal AoE is laughably small. But Rolling flames makes this skill top tier for clearing with little investment.

I just want to add that fireball has the Elementalist's Beacon of Ruin (prolif) to clear even faster via ignite proliferation.

But I also think arc's problem is not necessarily the clearspeed. It is the single target.

Yeah, thats a thing aswell. Completely forgot about it. Even more depressing.

About Arc, the horrible base damage makes you having to cast arc 2 or more times on a blue pack, so the limited targets start to hurt really soon. And forget about breezing through rare +packsize maps like any other build, its just not possible. On top of that, the horrible single target. I did an arc character, and I struggled on beach hailrake. T2 Beach Hailrake

I've never played Fireball before but is it even possible to "shotgun" with the explosions of the blast with an LMP or GMP ?

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Moralta wrote:

I've never played Fireball before but is it even possible to "shotgun" with the explosions of the blast with an LMP or GMP ?

Yes, on walls/monsters. Used to work with frostwall before the nerf.

Yes, please buff Arc. I really do like the single target idea of the skill chaining onto the same target if no others are available.

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13s_D4rK wrote:

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Moralta wrote:

I've never played Fireball before but is it even possible to "shotgun" with the explosions of the blast with an LMP or GMP ?

Yes, on walls/monsters. Used to work with frostwall before the nerf.

Well then it's better than arc in every points then, a lot more potential at single targetting and maybe even more multi target damages than arc. I guess some rework are to be done there.

I have Arc melting everything you throw at it - But it takes investment.



Getting skyforth and another void battery pushes this skill to insane damage most people wouldn't believe.

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xSyK0TiC wrote:

I have Arc melting everything you throw at it - But it takes investment.

Getting skyforth and another void battery pushes this skill to insane damage most people wouldn't believe.

Come on. With gear like that every skill is ridiculous. Thats hardly an argument towards "skill is balanced".