New Player? - Here's why I prefer Arc Traps (Saboteur) Over Arc Witch

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EmptyJar wrote:

arc witch nowadays isn't a noobtrap and it's a cheap build to set it up even in ssf

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FearGX wrote:

What should I play? I am finding Arc Witch squishy and I die alot. I am very newbie though and some of my gear is still complete garbage.

What is a good build for the new Betrayal league where only Rare items you'll still be relatively okay?

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Enki91 wrote:

Alright i'll take the bait.

Spoiler

While I think Arc Trap Saboteur is a perfectly fine build if you enjoy the playstyle, it's just not right to say that's the way Arc is meant to be played when all other possibilities, not just selfcast have been proven to work very well. I got enough feedback and achievements with my build to confidently back that up in case of selfcast.

Honestly, in the gameplay part of your video I can't see anything that selfcast can't do as good, if not better. Beyond bosses for example, which you said would completely annihilate selfcasters usually die on spawn with scaled Inpulsa explosions, and if not they die within the next cast. Yes even in properly rolled or 8mod corrupted T16 maps.

Your clearspeed is also nothing exceptional in comparison. Your trap throwing time is 0.41s, my build is balanced around 5 casts per second or 0.2s cast time, 0.4s due to Spell Echo with enough damage to clear the entire screen within one skill use, or even multiple screens if ignite conflux and monster placement align well. Add to that the mobility difference and your build loses here, although for fairness layouts have a huge impact on this.

I do agree that single target can be higher as trapper, then again looking at Arc Trap Uber Elder kills in patch 3.4 it doesn't seem much faster while survivability is substantially lower, and I have some improvements planned for next patch to close the single target gap even more on a low budget.

The evasion argument is completely invalid in case of your build because you neither have any meaningful amount of flat evasion nor any evasion investment in the tree. My char has triple the evasion of yours and I still wouldn't call it a meaningful amount. Blind however is valid, but it's an option in my build aswell that admittedly not many take. What's not valid about Blind is the implication that it would do anything against spells or synergize with Phase Acrobatics. Both evasion and Blind affect chance to hit, the direct counterpart of accuracy and spells aren't affected by that.

Effectively your build has Dodge/Spell Dodge with Mind over Matter, Life/Mana Regen and Blind at close range as defensive concept, my builds focus is on Mind over Matter with lots of damage reductions and reliable leech with some backup regen. Just checking the calcs, your build takes substantially more damage for the hits that get through, up to double the damage in some cases, and the 40%/30% specific Dodge chances won't reliably prevent this all the time.

Let's end this with an explanation why you see so many Arc Selfcasters. Based on feedback, the popularity doesn't just come from the build itself but rather the whole write up and the build being set up to force players to learn game mechanics to succeed, something that many new players valued highly. Another reason is all the time I put into replying to everyone not just in forum or on stream, even in game and in other games where people had recognized me.

This thread honestly just seems like a disrespectful attempt to take your own piece of that, and that with a build that already has many established guides out there.

Now sorry for the somewhat harsh tone, but I had to set the record straight in respect to all the new players who see this thread and get misleaded because well, they just can't know better yet.