My first character is currently level 292, it’s a Wiz 1, Pyro 3, Ele 3, Sage 1.
I’m a PvE-only player.
What I like:
AoE damage
Spells / skills
What I truly hate:
Short duration buffs that need to be active all the time.
I’m considering, for my second character, either another damage-oriented mage or an Archer, but I’m completely ignorant regarding Archers, its classes and builds. So I accept any suggestions.
Is there an Archer not too focused on AA’s, with AoE skills and good for PvE?
I think you’d probably enjoy something like Sapper 3 > Fletcher 3 > Mergen or A2 > Sapper 3 > Falconer 3. Both have good AoE capabilities and aren’t focused on auto-attacks like some popular builds.
Of those, I only personally played A2 > Sapper 3 > Falconer 3 during the reset event and it was pretty strong and fun to play, with lots of AoE options. Falconers in general are an expensive class though, if that’s a factor. Circling: Expand passive alone costs 25 million to max.
Sapper 3 > Fletcher 3 > Mergen I haven’t played personally, but I’ve grouped with some and they seemed pretty nice as well, with plenty of AoE dmg from sapper and mergen and boss killing potential from fletcher.
Something with Sapper and Wugushi maybe will work for you. But archers usually have at least one short buff like Swift Step, Steady Aim or First Strike.
Archer 2 - Sapper 2 - Wugushi 3 - Mergen is full of AoE and have good bossing.
Good to know about the buffs! Are they at least situational, for example, only required when bossing (equivalent to Mage’s Surespell), or are they necessary all the time?
Wiz3 ele3 warlock2 seems to be more fiting for what you are looking for, this toon its all about AOE’s and high burst of damage and it does it very well, about the buffs part, quick cast, surespell and invocation have long durations (1min) aprox, so you dont have to be so worried about them. Its a popular build for a reason and as a personal experiencie i have no troubles soloing bosses/dungeons or Hg.
I honestly don’t know enough about Canoneers and Musketeers to give a sure answer. They do like they fit the AoE bill, but you should wait for the opinion of someone with more experience with those classes.
A random thought just ocurred to me; I asked about Musketeers and Cannoneers, and I know that there are bows, crossbows, guns, muskets, cannons… Since I’m a newish player without a lot of money, I guess it would be ideal for me to find an AoE-based build that only uses 1 weapon, instead of one that requires me to change between two…
I’ve checked the Wugushi, Sapper, Fletcher and Mergen skill trees; they all look full with AoE skills. Which one has better synergy between single and multi target? Being a PvE-only player, it’s important to consider both damages, I think…
I’m guessing a Cannoneer needs a main weapon and an offhand. Is a Musketeer able to only use muskets?
Oh, and I do understand that an Archer has to AA sometime… I just like using skills.
OK
bursty AoE
-cannoneer builds (spam skills drink potion, block penetration passive)
-mergen builds (requires +AoE attack ratio gear&buffs or falconer circling, great damage vs flying due to 2-Handed Bow passive)
-falconer3 (decent AoE at falcon3 with pre-emptive autocasted sonic strikes, good support option too)
Cannoneer must use crossbow+cannon, mergen must use 2H bow
~OK
requires materials to use skills
-sapper2/3 builds (traps are burst AoE except broom trap. Broom trap long duration and large size — broom trap, punji and stake stockades cannot hit flying)
-wugushi2/3 builds (DoT damage. Wugong gu, throw gu pot, jincan gu — gu pot and jincan cannot hit flying, poison cannot crit though wugong-gu-spreadpoison is able to crit)
No weapon restriction to use skills
~~
needs good investment
-arch2ranger3reiter3 (limacon buffed auto attack spam for sustained damage vs 2 targets, with filler AoE skills bounce shot & retreat shot, great mobility, best archer build to be a farmer. —to use retreat shot you must move away from the enemy, )
Must use crossbow + pistol
mediocre
Needs other class circles to cover AoE
-Musketeer (Covering Fire is the only decent AoE skill with great hitcount and damage).
-Scout3 filler split arrow (low AoE vs 3 targets. split arrow 5 overheat 10s cooldown, sacrifice 3 class ranks for 1 nice damage skill)
Musketeer must use rifle, scout must use crossbows&bows
Suggest Archer2 > sapper3 > x > cannoneer2.
Most reliable archer AoE on low CD is cannoneer Cannon shot (5s CD).
The only archer skill you have to use it Swift step buff (+critical rate attribute).
Best sapper skill is Broom trap (+attributes).
x = appraiser, rogue, falcon, archer3.
Cannoneer skills use a lot of SP. You must be prepared to use a lot of SP potions.
Another option is Bird build.
Archer2 > sapper3 > falcon3. Falcon is not great until you get falcon3. Pre-emptive strike auto-casts sonic strike on a 5s cooldown, it is a strong debuff and a decent AoE option. Circling & aiming are great party support.
Thank you everyone for the answers! By gathering information on Archers, Clerics and Mages, I think I’m finally becoming more confident in choosing my next character.
Archer 2 - Sapper 2 - Rogue 2 - Musketeer 2 in the video.
What is important for crits it’s the Rogue and Archer 2 actually.
Hackapell could help too, Calvary Charge make enemys more vulnerable to critical hits, and because they can use a sword off-hand they get 4 extra slots using a HG one for green gems. But the AoE would be so bad…
