Please don't gut mana stacking/archmage without fixing life and damage of other elements

Hi!

Just wanted to share my concerns about the anticipated incoming nerfs to mana and archmage (hopefully I am wrong!)

I play a recoup chronomancer, stacking aoe and freeze buildup. Cold spells don't really have enough damage without going full crit or auto-bomber comet as far as I could see, so I supplement that with archmage.

My gameplay loop is essentially putting down frost wall and blow it up with ball lightning and warp. It does not clear maps in 30 seconds, does not obliterate juiced bosses, but the damage is respectable.

Recoup is an awesome mechanic, but it requires a decent life pool in order not to be whittled down to 0 before it kicks in. Caster Chronomancer cannot really get a proper life pool whilst also getting damage at the moment. How this can be solved is by having roughly 57% damage transfer to mana, so that recoup can actually take effect without being insta gibbed.

I have around 2700 life which, with the mana transfer, equates to around 4200. This is with 160+life on all items (no shield) and 8% max life also on amulet. My mana is around 3400.

T15 maps with a damage mod here and there (not ultra rippy) felt quite dangerous when I only had around 2200 life and 45%ish mana transfer, but became manageable once I reached around 4000 combined EHP (life + mana transfer of DMG)

Thus mana stacking allows the chronomancer to deal some damage and enable its primary passive defence to actually come online.

If there were actual life nodes on the tree,it could be possible to get the life pool for recoup to be effective and possibly go crit (cutting out the freeze buildup), but alas there are no life nodes.

What I am trying to say, is that before possibly gutting mechanics, like the "cast on X" nerfs, please take into consideration the non-meta builds, and not just the 7.5k mana spark spamming stormweavers.

Also, whilst nerfing mana stacking and archmage may be warranted, such nerfs should only come when other avenues have been enabled.

Just my two cents. Game is fun though!

It's kinda been beaten to death but casters so I hope GGG has at least read some for the feedback from players who actually use Archmage rather than players who watched a youtube video showing a 200d build roflstomp bosses and maps.

Archmage outperforms not as a stand alone ability.

It outperforms because going MoM+EB+Everlasting Gaze simplifies the build.

Want more DPS? Add mana. Want more survivability? Add mana.


Sounds too good right? And I agree that it is - but what other options are there for casters?


Defense:
Grim Feast? Gonna be nerfed for sure.


Offense:

Crit?


Finally the boss 1 shots are not really archmage related problem, it's stuff like sigil of power, double shock and lightning conduit juiced with ambush. Sure Archmage is a factor in that skill rotation, but it's not a single skill issue.

I suspect Archmage bonuses and mana threshold may get tweaked and MoM get slapped around a bit with the nerf bat but I am unsure it's going to be an apocalyptic nerf - then again GGG has surprised me in the most unpleasant way before....

If you play completely, absurdly op stuff, you should expect it to not last long.