Incinerate build improvement ideas??

Hi

After some tips on how to increase my dps wihtout sacrificing my life(much).

Incinerate witch, sitting at about 3443 tooltip dps.Which i realise is already quite high, but like anyone i want to squeeze every drop from it.



My tree at lvl 88

A few points.

-Haste would improve DPS but i cant accomdodate any more auras, i need the extra mana buffer for MoM to function.

-I'm already looking for a 21/20 added lightning, a 21/20 faster casting and a +15% cast speed stone lazhwar as opposed to a 12% cast speed.Also their is 5% spell dmg to be made up on the rathpith(also +5% cast speed if i roll that corrupt on it, yeah good luck).

-I'm at 65% block chance and while cybils would grant another 6% spell dmg for another 5% block chance, that 5% block chance will cost approx 4-5 skillpoints to get, ie, not worth it.

-I am aware that there are some cast speed nodes in that tree i could get but life is priority number 1, and i wont sacrifice it for dps unless the payoff is worth it (extra 3% cast =/= even a 6% life node to me)

-The coral ring is going to be hard to replace as i need EXACTLY the 48 dexterity it provides to run that lvl 21 GMP and i need that mana regen to sustain AA at lvl 20.I suppose a perfect ring would have cast speed/48 dex/high mana regen + stuff)

-The corrupted aureseize is non-negotiable.The auto elemental weakness it applies on attack is probably the biggest dps boost i have, and it's the highest roll elemental weakness on hit corrupt roll as well.

-The 6L setup i run (incinerate+ GMP+ Faster casting+ Added chaos +Added Cold + Added Lightning) really cant be changed as the interaction with The Taming and the auto elemental weakness cursing is invaluable, freezes/shock stacks/burns galore.Tested with Iron will, slightly worse dps, tested with Fire pen, hard to tell, worse if anything.

Any ideas??? Or have i hit a ceiling?Like i said, damage isn't a problem for me per'se (did my first 78 map courtyard last night and steamrolled) but i just want....more.

p.s. dont pay too much attention to the weird gem setup in the helm, just levelling those particular gems)

You don't really need Path of the Warrior. Compare to a simple +30 Str, +20 Life +20 Str is only a 5 life difference. I think you'd be slightly better off refunding the four nodes to grab that, and getting 3 or 4 of the life and armour nodes (by Marauder start). 18% to 24% increased armour at essentially no cost; I'm assuming there's a Granite on your belt somewhere.

Gloves: Use this for a level 10 CWDT with Enduring Cry + Immortal Call + Increased Duration.

Helmet: Get rid of that useless Arc and get a level one CWDT with Enduring Cry. Other two slots don't matter, and you can even unlink it if you want. This can go in any item.

Boots: Either dump the skeletons or link them with Spell Totem. It's an either or, and you need to decide. Just two skeletons once every 2,520 damage isn't going to mitigate much, which means that socket is wasted.

Dump Added Chaos Damage for Elemental Proliferation. This can not only increase the duration of your shocks and freezes, and thereby your overall survivability and damage, but it can cause your first three casts to fully freeze and shock stack all enemies in range. This is huge.

Passive Skill Tree:

1. Get the three flask nodes in the Witch starting area. Absolutely no reason not to get these.

2. In the Marauder area, get the other 1% increased max res nodes. Absolutely no reason for you not to get those.

3. Try to grab Inner Force. Huge increase to all auras you ever have on you, be it only yours in solo play or from all auras in a full party.

4. Get the +30 attribute nodes, this makes gearing a LOT easier. You specifically said yourself that you can't change out your coral ring because of the dexterity. A single point can let you get a lot more from that ring, so another "absolutely no reason not to get this" thing.

Edit:

About the CWDT setup - this is tricky and requires specific gems in specific places. The gems are actually cast in the order that they are linked, with the top left gem being first and the bottom right gem being last. I would put the level ten CWDT as: CWDT - Enduring Cry - Immortal Call - Increased Duration, so that you get one last Enduring Cry before Immortal Call procs and thereby get some more duration from it.

"

ScrotieMcB wrote:

You don't really need Path of the Warrior. Compare to a simple +30 Str, +20 Life +20 Str is only a 5 life difference. I think you'd be slightly better off refunding the four nodes to grab that, and getting 3 or 4 of the life and armour nodes (by Marauder start). 18% to 24% increased armour at essentially no cost; I'm assuming there's a Granite on your belt somewhere.

No, i dont use any granites



I need the 2 laviangas, especially for low regen/no regen map mods and for longer boss fights.

I only run clarity and discipline as auras.The boots and helm i run only for the es(helm) and the nice rolls on the boots.They are definetely both in need of upgrading but preferably for es variants, the armour i couldnt give a toss about.I think my armour rating is around ~500(piss weak) and i dont mind.

Lvl 21 AA and 65% block, 70% spell block, a hp pool of 4500 and a reserve mana pool of about 2700 (with MoM). Coupled with the instant life gain on hit cybils provides far outweighs a % style life leech(so slow!) and keeps my alive better then any armour would.

"

Natharias wrote:

Gloves: Use this for a level 10 CWDT with Enduring Cry + Immortal Call + Increased Duration.

Helmet: Get rid of that useless Arc and get a level one CWDT with Enduring Cry. Other two slots don't matter, and you can even unlink it if you want. This can go in any item.

Boots: Either dump the skeletons or link them with Spell Totem. It's an either or, and you need to decide. Just two skeletons once every 2,520 damage isn't going to mitigate much, which means that socket is wasted.

Yeah like i said on original post that weird arc arrangement in the helm is only there for leveilling those gems.

My cwdt setups need ALOT of work i realise, but tbh they are an afterthought for now, decoy totem and skellies provide good distractions and that's all i need atm.They certainly aren't there for their dmg.

"

Natharias wrote:

Dump Added Chaos Damage for Elemental Proliferation. This can not only increase the duration of your shocks and freezes, and thereby your overall survivability and damage, but it can cause your first three casts to fully freeze and shock stack all enemies in range. This is huge.

That's a big call, from memory added chaos applies about an extra 800 or so dps(EDIT 1000dps!).It's true it isn't influenced by the taming or ele weakness so if something had to go that would probably be it.I'll have to do some testing with ele proliferation, but mobs dmg isn't a concern;it's dmg to single targets that i want to bump.I dont know if EP is going to give me that, but i will test.Added chaos just seems to trump all other potential alternatives DPS wise (beats fire pen/iron will...??)

"

Natharias wrote:

1. Get the three flask nodes in the Witch starting area. Absolutely no reason not to get these.

2. In the Marauder area, get the other 1% increased max res nodes. Absolutely no reason for you not to get those.

3. Try to grab Inner Force. Huge increase to all auras you ever have on you, be it only yours in solo play or from all auras in a full party.

4. Get the +30 attribute nodes, this makes gearing a LOT easier. You specifically said yourself that you can't change out your coral ring because of the dexterity. A single point can let you get a lot more from that ring, so another "absolutely no reason not to get this" thing.

1.Really, the flask nodes??I thought they were filler nodes that no-one ever picked up?Keep in mind i use NO granite flasks/resist flasks etc.

2.I did consider those, but again, i'll lose 18% (3x6% life nodes) hp to get those.Might be worth considering....

3.Inner force not worth it, only run clarity, discipline and AA, and the buff discipline and clarity get from inner force doesn't compensate for the huge mana drain inner force imposes on an already thirsty AA.

4.Gearing for dex is my only problem, but spending 2 points on 2 +30 dex nodes to compensate for what that ring provides (+48) is a big call.Obviously if down the road i find the holy grail ring (with cast spd, mana regen, fire dmg % +hp, + mana, + stuff) i'll consider it but that might be a ways off.

I wondered about a second 'the taming ring', but would the dps it provide outweigh the cost of two skill points to prop up the loss in dex/hp and mana regen the coral ring provides?Don't know where the hell i'd make up another 60% mana regen, maybe goldwyrm's but then i lose the life roll on my boots coupled with the one on the ring(180ish hp loss total) :/.

Change GMP to LMP, it's generally accepted that LMP is superior because even though you do slightly less damage to melee range targets you end up doing way more damage to mid/long range targets. Then if you factor in the increased shocking of bosses since you do more damage per hit it really makes a difference. GMP is only superior when you hit all 5 beams on 1 target.


Also consider CWDT+lightning warp, it really increased my incinerators kill speed a survivability because it eliminates a lot of walking (which stops your incinerate stacks from reseting as often).

"

ScrotieMcB wrote:

You don't really need Path of the Warrior. Compare to a simple +30 Str, +20 Life +20 Str is only a 5 life difference. I think you'd be slightly better off refunding the four nodes to grab that, and getting 3 or 4 of the life and armour nodes (by Marauder start). 18% to 24% increased armour at essentially no cost; I'm assuming there's a Granite on your belt somewhere.

Why on Earth would you ever tell someone to drop a base life node?

It's the most asinine thing to do.

+10 life is much better than any % life node, as it drastically increases the effectiveness of all other % nodes you already have.

"

csjibbs wrote:

Yeah like i said on original post that weird arc arrangement in the helm is only there for leveilling those gems.

My cwdt setups need ALOT of work i realise, but tbh they are an afterthought for now, decoy totem and skellies provide good distractions and that's all i need atm.They certainly aren't there for their dmg.

That's why you should dump it. You should only use your alternate weapon set for leveling gems and maximize the amount of "active sockets".

You did ask how else you can improve your character, and dumping gems you're leveling is a wonderful way to do it.

If you think Decoy Totem is a good distraction, Rejuvenation Totem is infinitely better. It distracts enemies constantly since it provides healing and will heal itself as it takes damage.

As to skeletons, I never mentioned damage. I was talking about mitigation. Spell Totem means more will come out at a faster rate, and that means more mitigation, not damage.

"

That's a big call, from memory added chaos applies about an extra 800 or so dps(EDIT 1000dps!).It's true it isn't influenced by the taming or ele weakness so if something had to go that would probably be it.I'll have to do some testing with ele proliferation, but mobs dmg isn't a concern;it's dmg to single targets that i want to bump.I dont know if EP is going to give me that, but i will test.Added chaos just seems to trump all other potential alternatives DPS wise (beats fire pen/iron will...??)

If stacks stay, then keep ACD. If not, immediately dump ACD for EP.

If you deal 3,000 without ACD, you'll deal up to 60% increased for a total of 4,800.

If you deal 3,800 with ACD, you'll deal 3,800.

Not the actual numbers, but you see the difference. This is also assuming the stacks don't stay.

"

1.Really, the flask nodes??I thought they were filler nodes that no-one ever picked up?Keep in mind i use NO granite flasks/resist flasks etc.

Nice attitude, especially when you said this:

"

I need the 2 laviangas, especially for low regen/no regen map mods and for longer boss fights.

OMG! INCREASED FLASK EFFECT MEANS MORE MANA WHICH MEANS MORE CASTING!

Logic! It's amazing!

"

2.I did consider those, but again, i'll lose 18% (3x6% life nodes) hp to get those.Might be worth considering....

Since when did you need to drop nodes? I thought you were below level 100?

"

3.Inner force not worth it, only run clarity, discipline and AA, and the buff discipline and clarity get from inner force doesn't compensate for the huge mana drain inner force imposes on an already thirsty AA.

If you're running MoM/AA then you should have at least 250 mana regen, and that can easily go up beyond 300.

So don't even start on AA drain.

If this isn't the case, then there is a huge flaw with your character. 250+ mana regen is the most obvious way to make MoM effective.

"

4.Gearing for dex is my only problem, but spending 2 points on 2 +30 dex nodes to compensate for what that ring provides (+48) is a big call.Obviously if down the road i find the holy grail ring (with cast spd, mana regen, fire dmg % +hp, + mana, + stuff) i'll consider it but that might be a ways off.

You only need one to make it worthwhile.

Then you only need <20 dex on the ring or any other piece of gear. If you spend two points, then you can roll it with a completely different mod.

If it's mana regen, which it should be, that's up to 2.5 nodes right there depending on the roll of the ring. It pays for itself.

"

I wondered about a second 'the taming ring', but would the dps it provide outweigh the cost of two skill points to prop up the loss in dex/hp and mana regen the coral ring provides?Don't know where the hell i'd make up another 60% mana regen, maybe goldwyrm's but then i lose the life roll on my boots coupled with the one on the ring(180ish hp loss total) :/.

No. Look at what other rings can offer you. Personally, I'd grab a Perandus Signet if you can go with another unique ring. 60% mana regen? Huge intelligence boosts? Huge mana increases? It's priceless.

"

demivion wrote:

Change GMP to LMP, it's generally accepted that LMP is superior because even though you do slightly less damage to melee range targets you end up doing way more damage to mid/long range targets. Then if you factor in the increased shocking of bosses since you do more damage per hit it really makes a difference. GMP is only superior when you hit all 5 beams on 1 target.

I've bounced between LMP and GMP so much it's made my head spin but i've come to settle on GMP because -

For trash mobs the wide arc fan GMP provides is just like a scythe through the weeds, one spray and there gone, there's no need to sweep back and forth like i do with LMP's narrow arc.

I find too that proccing seems to be less dependant on dmg done with incinerate and more dependant on the 'chance' you to have apply it per hit, like the shock nodes from the tree(top left of the tree) + the quality bonuses on added cold/added lightning, + the bonus from the taming.THOSE seems to be the biggest determining factors if something get chilled/frozen/shocked/burned.And with high chances(35% chance to shock in total on hit atm) , coupled with a high hit per second(that's what incinerate is all about, low dmg, but applied very very quickly) those secondary affects and more importantly shock stacks build up VERY fast.

In terms of distance to target, my playstyle is to get up in their grill and the 5 beams generally do come into play, so that works in my favour too.

"

demivion wrote:

Also consider CWDT+lightning warp, it really increased my incinerators kill speed a survivability because it eliminates a lot of walking (which stops your incinerate stacks from reseting as often).

I did try that briefly but the constant zip zagging my head spin.I might try again with a higher level CWDT, cause yeah i've seen how it works with incinerate, ie doesnt break the buildup+plonks u right in front of ranged attackers, which seems cool.

"

Natharias wrote:

If you think Decoy Totem is a good distraction, Rejuvenation Totem is infinitely better. It distracts enemies constantly since it provides healing and will heal itself as it takes damage.

As to skeletons, I never mentioned damage. I was talking about mitigation. Spell Totem means more will come out at a faster rate, and that means more mitigation, not damage.

I never considered rejuv totem.That could be a good idea.I considered spell totem skellies as well but then i'd loss the ability to have either decoy/rejuv in play at the same time.Unless u think spell totem skellies > rejuv+ skellies?

"

Natharias wrote:

If stacks stay, then keep ACD. If not, immediately dump ACD for EP.

If you deal 3,000 without ACD, you'll deal up to 60% increased for a total of 4,800.

If you deal 3,800 with ACD, you'll deal 3,800.

Not the actual numbers, but you see the difference. This is also assuming the stacks don't stay.

As above with my quote to Demivon, stacks seem to stay.When killing trash, if they don't shatter upon death(from being frozen) they leave behind a shocked body.

"

Natharias wrote:

"

1.Really, the flask nodes??I thought they were filler nodes that no-one ever picked up?Keep in mind i use NO granite flasks/resist flasks etc.

Nice attitude, especially when you said this:

"

I need the 2 laviangas, especially for low regen/no regen map mods and for longer boss fights.

OMG! INCREASED FLASK EFFECT MEANS MORE MANA WHICH MEANS MORE CASTING!

Logic! It's amazing!

Whoa why the hostility?I wasn't being sarcastic when i said 'Really?The flasks nodes?' nor was it a rhetorical question, i was genuinely asking if that was a thing people spent points on?I mean if the nodes also gave +X to mana regen/max mana or some other benefit i'd be all for it but as it stands with my tree atm any potential point i spend has to be more worthwhile then a +6% hp node(of which i have an abundance of easy access too).I just can't see them being worth the points.

"

Natharias wrote:

"

2.I did consider those, but again, i'll lose 18% (3x6% life nodes) hp to get those.Might be worth considering....

Since when did you need to drop nodes? I thought you were below level 100?

I haven't used all my potential 6% hp nodes yet, there are still 2 more on the scion life wheel i am to use, and 3 more back at the marauder start area, so i either refund 3 from there to put into those resist nodes, or i level up to 91 and spend 3 on the resist nodes at the cost of having spent them on the hp nodes.

"

Natharias wrote:

"

3.Inner force not worth it, only run clarity, discipline and AA, and the buff discipline and clarity get from inner force doesn't compensate for the huge mana drain inner force imposes on an already thirsty AA.

If you're running MoM/AA then you should have at least 250 mana regen, and that can easily go up beyond 300.

So don't even start on AA drain.

If this isn't the case, then there is a huge flaw with your character. 250+ mana regen is the most obvious way to make MoM effective.

Again, if it were a one point wonder i'd go for it but three points(again, like i said before, is 3x6% hp nodes) is too much of an ask to slightly improve JUST AA

I like inner force, when i'm running hatred/haste AA and all sorts of crap on my melee char as it boosts them all but that's not the case here.I just think 18% hp>buffed AA.Also, i'm running AA at lvl 21 (with emp lvl 2) atm but plan to drop a corrupted lvl 21 AA into a +1 gems set boots (corrupted) + empower lvl 3 for a grand total of a lvl 25 AA.That's gunna be nigh impossible to sustain on the move with inner force.

"

Natharias wrote:

"

csjibbs wrote:

I wondered about a second 'the taming ring', but would the dps it provide outweigh the cost of two skill points to prop up the loss in dex/hp and mana regen the coral ring provides?Don't know where the hell i'd make up another 60% mana regen, maybe goldwyrm's but then i lose the life roll on my boots coupled with the one on the ring(180ish hp loss total) :/.

No. Look at what other rings can offer you. Personally, I'd grab a Perandus Signet if you can go with another unique ring. 60% mana regen? Huge intelligence boosts? Huge mana increases? It's priceless.

Perandus?Good idea.Might consider, it's cheap as well.It's going to suck refunding 2 hp nodes (to cover the dex loss) + the loss of the hp roll on the coral ring tho >_<

"

I never considered rejuv totem.That could be a good idea.I considered spell totem skellies as well but then i'd loss the ability to have either decoy/rejuv in play at the same time.Unless u think spell totem skellies > rejuv+ skellies?

If I have a life character or an ES character with Zealot's Oath, I always get Rejuvenation Totem.

My aura character can put up a 175 regen totem alone, assuming they don't have Inner Force or Holy Strength. It gives me 198.768 life regen (98.4 x 102% increased effect).

It may not seem like a lot, but it makes a huge difference.

"

As above with my quote to Demivon, stacks seem to stay.When killing trash, if they don't shatter upon death(from being frozen) they leave behind a shocked body.

Then I would personally keep the regular damage.

"

Whoa why the hostility?I wasn't being sarcastic when i said 'Really?The flasks nodes?' nor was it a rhetorical question, i was genuinely asking if that was a thing people spent points on?I mean if the nodes also gave +X to mana regen/max mana or some other benefit i'd be all for it but as it stands with my tree atm any potential point i spend has to be more worthwhile then a +6% hp node(of which i have an abundance of easy access too).I just can't see them being worth the points.

It's called sarcasm, not hostility, since you seemed to show it.

Getting to such a high level is no easy deal and the player should have some experience with the game.

Either way, those flask nodes are the absolute best in the game.

If you use a Ruby Flask, you get 13% max fire res instead of 10%. 3% max res? That's HUGE.

It's well worth losing 3x 6% life nodes, but again, you don't need to sacrifice nodes. Just get them on the next three level ups.

"

I haven't used all my potential 6% hp nodes yet, there are still 2 more on the scion life wheel i am to use, and 3 more back at the marauder start area, so i either refund 3 from there to put into those resist nodes, or i level up to 91 and spend 3 on the resist nodes at the cost of having spent them on the hp nodes.

Three more 6% life nodes will make [] much difference. 21% increased effect of auras from Inner Force will make [ ] much difference. I play an aura character that can provide 5% max elemental resistance right now, and that can bring it up to 6%. It can also drastically increase your benefit from my Haste/Discipline auras, which means more mana and damage for you.

"

Again, if it were a one point wonder i'd go for it but three points(again, like i said before, is 3x6% hp nodes) is too much of an ask to slightly improve JUST AA

I like inner force, when i'm running hatred/haste AA and all sorts of crap on my melee char as it boosts them all but that's not the case here.I just think 18% hp>buffed AA.Also, i'm running AA at lvl 21 (with emp lvl 2) atm but plan to drop a corrupted lvl 21 AA into a +1 gems set boots (corrupted) + empower lvl 3 for a grand total of a lvl 25 AA.That's gunna be nigh impossible to sustain on the move with inner force.

It's easy. My aura build only has about 60% mana regen from my tree at 77 and has 318 mana regen atm. It's easy to run AA, and I have it calculated for a Voideye version. That's +5 levels.

"

Perandus?Good idea.Might consider, it's cheap as well.It's going to suck refunding 2 hp nodes (to cover the dex loss) + the loss of the hp roll on the coral ring tho >_<

Perandus is a wonder. It can provide up to 60% increased ES, and you can have a ton of ES from using uniques only, which is another thing I'm doing on my aura build. I'll only have about 4,000 ES, but I'll be survivable.