cast speed or elemental/spell damage on sceptre for arc witch what is best?

So I was crafting some theoretical scepters in path of building and for example in one case cast speed gives more "total dps" but a lower "average hit" than for example increased lightning damage/spell damage, what is best here should we always focus on "total dps" or also take "average hit in consideration?


picture here with example of 11% cast speed vs 19% lightning dmg on the same sceptre:




was thinking it would be good with heavier hits since we dont always stand in place and cast how much we want, but have to keep moving and dodging, atleast vs endgame bosses, or should we basically *always* go for whatever gives more total dps, even if the "average hit" is lower in that case?


hope this makes sense, thanks for any help !

Cast speed is better for boss fights because you can cast and then dodge more easily. Especially so if it gives you higher dps.

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Cast speed is better for boss fights because you can cast and then dodge more easily. Especially so if it gives you higher dps.

I see, thanks for answer! but just wonder how we can dodge more easily, higher cast speed for example doesnt affect my shield charge that I use to dodge boss attacks etc? thought only movementspeed/attackspeed matters there,

but maybe a higher castspeed per second lets us transition faster from casting arc to using shieldcharge or something like this? just a bit more detail here would be great :D

and you are 100% sure we can completely ignore the +average hit damage in this case basically? just nice to know before going for expensive weapon upgrade :D

thanks!

It doesn't affect the speed at which you evade, but it affects the time you need to finish casting before you can move.

Theoretically, the magnitude of the hit could influence the magnitude of the shock, but considering it's a small difference the shock likely won't make a difference either.

In general, total dps is the number that is interesting for offensive optimisation, with speed having slightly higher value than greater hits because of convenience. The greatest demerit to casting speed are higher mana costs per second, but that should be well within the range your build can handle.