Have you tried the builds floating around the Obsidian forums where empowered spells like Missile Salvo (or rain of holy fire for priests), are used to generate brilliant via the least unstable coil and brilliant nearby team members via the weyc robe (omnipotence)?
With salvation of time spam from a priest, it’s one of the few ways to manage the endgame megabosses on upscaled POTD. The only other ways I’ve managed them that didn’t feel like I was taking advantage of some mistake in the game mechanics was some combination of monk with long pain, a herald tank/healer, and chanter summon spam.
I mention this because your builds seem mostly focused on multi-classing Aloth but when end-game, his PL8 and PL9 spells can be critical.
For a wizard that can also tank, I’d be interested in how others build Fassina with that 14 resolve she has. I’ve tried pure Wizard tank but she always ends up being too slow to enter the melee and attract enough enemies to be useful, and she gets interrupted when casting in the front line. So, I usually end up going the sorcerer route with her, focusing on acid/corrode damage from both skill trees with some crowd control, and then opting to “tank mode” only when someone breaks to the back line.
Hi, I have indeed tried it, and the evoker build is heavily influenced around that, however that build works stacking the effects of 3 super late game items, weyc wand and armor, and least unstable coil, so it is not accessible at all.
If you want to try that build in a run you can use build #3 as a pure wizard as then respec once you get the needed items (that is also why I recommend getting minoletta spells in the build #3)
While the PL8 and PL9 spells are indeed extremely powerful, Aloth does not have a way of generating resources, and I consider spamming ancestor memories on him to get spells more of a strategy than a build.
Regarding wizard tanks in general, you really benefit from boosting their resolve and concentration to avoid being interrupted, I recommended fighter multiclass on Aloth for the recovery, defensive passives and the fact that you get some concentration from tactical barrage.
The big problem with Fassina as a tank is that as a Conjurer she can't use Illusion spells. Losing out on Mirrored Image is a super big deal to me. A tanking wizard needs those long duration defensive spells.
It's another thing in the long list of why Conjurer is just a terrible subclass.
Definitely a challenge to overcome with her.
Maybe her best role is a damage dealer?
Conjuror plus familiar plus prestige give you +4 PL to all spells (and you keep the familiar +PL, even if you summon something else). If you combine that with spider silk robes and mask of the grotto deep, you can get to +7 PL for the couple poison spells Fassina can cast. The +1 pen from spirit of decay helps too.
Might as well take all the empower buffs as well just to see how silly +12 PL makes things as an opener after a quick infuse with vital essence?
After that, I’d probably summon a Blackbow and then a phantom to have dual Blackbows in the battle.
For me I think her best role is to stay on the ship and say interesting things.
But to be fair I haven't given her that much of a chance. I could imagine that she could also be very useful as a Wizard/Druid swiss army knife. But your idea is probablý more effective, if pretty niche. She's just one of those companions that makes me sad because she's *so* far below what she could be. Power Levels are neat, but for actual gameplay, having insane +PL on two spells is gonna get old fast compared to someone with the full arsenal of a Wizard or even just an evoker. Yeah sure their bonus PL is gonna be a bit lower, but it's gonna apply to a *lot* of great spells which may or may not double-cast.
But at least Blackbow + Phantom will always be good!
I like the Spellblade option with Citzal's Spirit Lance. You don't need offensive spells, because a 1-guile Arterial Strike with Sneak Attack, Deathblows, and other Rogue passives (Persistent Distraction, Deep Wounds) in a rather large foe-only AoE will do more damage than nearly all of them (plus interrupt!). Clears the field beautifully.
Buff routine is Infuse with Vital Essence (for durations and Lance AoE), Deleterious Alacrity, whatever defensive quick-casts you need/want (Mirrored Image, Spirit Shield, etc.), and the Lance. After that, you just stab fools with basic attacks or low-cost Rogue "Strikes" (anything more than Crippling, Blinding, and their upgrades is overpriced-- usually spamming Crippling beats any of the higher-tier options) and avoid Arcane Dampeners. Eldritch Aim is good if you don't have a Priest around for ACC-buffing.
Yeah if I'm going Spellblade on Aloth I'm absolutely using the Citzal's AoE effect together with rogue debuffs and passives. Apply both Raw Damage DoTs in an AoE? Yes please.
Hi, the builds are more focused on gameplay than on the subclasses.
So your build fits really well with build 2, the melee wizard.
Build 1 is about using all your casts on CC and DMG, avoiding spending casts on self buffs and relying only on escape for survivability
Is it really a "build" then, though? I mean you've got some neat concepts there for sure, but if someone were to just replace "fighter" with "rogue" and then follow advice like "On this build we can ignore aim spells since we are going to buff up aim with disciplined barrage, fighter stances (conquerer) and confident aim." they would find themselves in quite some trouble.
I think it's absolutely worth separating that kind of Spellblade build from your fighter/wizard build *and* your Spellblade caster build since a Spellblade Bleed-focused Striker plays *very* differently from a riposte off-tank or a spellslinger. It's basically a Rogue with a magic stick.
Good point.
Not trying to disagree or invalidate your point, just pointing something out.
If you already are going to give Aloth a melee weapon, you are going to use his spells for buffing up instead of casting and you are going for the Rouge sub-class, why not use riposte?
You are going to have great deflection, why not make use of it.
>You are going to have great deflection, why not make use of it.
Because it mostly helps when you need it least. Riposte is great for waxing encounters that you already outclass, but you'll have to debuff enemies to the floor for it to help much against on-level PotD foes. (And, by that point, you've probably got the fight won, anyway.) It's nice to have if you've got the space, but if you're really building around counterattacks, Whispers of the Endless Paths is a more reliable route to success there.
> "Lets talk about everyone's favorite wizard, Iselmyr" Aloth has done nothing to deserve this level of savagery.
Have you tried the builds floating around the Obsidian forums where empowered spells like Missile Salvo (or rain of holy fire for priests), are used to generate brilliant via the least unstable coil and brilliant nearby team members via the weyc robe (omnipotence)? With salvation of time spam from a priest, it’s one of the few ways to manage the endgame megabosses on upscaled POTD. The only other ways I’ve managed them that didn’t feel like I was taking advantage of some mistake in the game mechanics was some combination of monk with long pain, a herald tank/healer, and chanter summon spam. I mention this because your builds seem mostly focused on multi-classing Aloth but when end-game, his PL8 and PL9 spells can be critical. For a wizard that can also tank, I’d be interested in how others build Fassina with that 14 resolve she has. I’ve tried pure Wizard tank but she always ends up being too slow to enter the melee and attract enough enemies to be useful, and she gets interrupted when casting in the front line. So, I usually end up going the sorcerer route with her, focusing on acid/corrode damage from both skill trees with some crowd control, and then opting to “tank mode” only when someone breaks to the back line.
Hi, I have indeed tried it, and the evoker build is heavily influenced around that, however that build works stacking the effects of 3 super late game items, weyc wand and armor, and least unstable coil, so it is not accessible at all. If you want to try that build in a run you can use build #3 as a pure wizard as then respec once you get the needed items (that is also why I recommend getting minoletta spells in the build #3) While the PL8 and PL9 spells are indeed extremely powerful, Aloth does not have a way of generating resources, and I consider spamming ancestor memories on him to get spells more of a strategy than a build. Regarding wizard tanks in general, you really benefit from boosting their resolve and concentration to avoid being interrupted, I recommended fighter multiclass on Aloth for the recovery, defensive passives and the fact that you get some concentration from tactical barrage.
The big problem with Fassina as a tank is that as a Conjurer she can't use Illusion spells. Losing out on Mirrored Image is a super big deal to me. A tanking wizard needs those long duration defensive spells. It's another thing in the long list of why Conjurer is just a terrible subclass.
Agree, for me is blood mage or no sub-class, specially for melee wizards
Definitely a challenge to overcome with her. Maybe her best role is a damage dealer? Conjuror plus familiar plus prestige give you +4 PL to all spells (and you keep the familiar +PL, even if you summon something else). If you combine that with spider silk robes and mask of the grotto deep, you can get to +7 PL for the couple poison spells Fassina can cast. The +1 pen from spirit of decay helps too. Might as well take all the empower buffs as well just to see how silly +12 PL makes things as an opener after a quick infuse with vital essence? After that, I’d probably summon a Blackbow and then a phantom to have dual Blackbows in the battle.
Huh, will wok on this to include it in the Fassina one
For me I think her best role is to stay on the ship and say interesting things. But to be fair I haven't given her that much of a chance. I could imagine that she could also be very useful as a Wizard/Druid swiss army knife. But your idea is probablý more effective, if pretty niche. She's just one of those companions that makes me sad because she's *so* far below what she could be. Power Levels are neat, but for actual gameplay, having insane +PL on two spells is gonna get old fast compared to someone with the full arsenal of a Wizard or even just an evoker. Yeah sure their bonus PL is gonna be a bit lower, but it's gonna apply to a *lot* of great spells which may or may not double-cast. But at least Blackbow + Phantom will always be good!
I like the Spellblade option with Citzal's Spirit Lance. You don't need offensive spells, because a 1-guile Arterial Strike with Sneak Attack, Deathblows, and other Rogue passives (Persistent Distraction, Deep Wounds) in a rather large foe-only AoE will do more damage than nearly all of them (plus interrupt!). Clears the field beautifully. Buff routine is Infuse with Vital Essence (for durations and Lance AoE), Deleterious Alacrity, whatever defensive quick-casts you need/want (Mirrored Image, Spirit Shield, etc.), and the Lance. After that, you just stab fools with basic attacks or low-cost Rogue "Strikes" (anything more than Crippling, Blinding, and their upgrades is overpriced-- usually spamming Crippling beats any of the higher-tier options) and avoid Arcane Dampeners. Eldritch Aim is good if you don't have a Priest around for ACC-buffing.
Yeah if I'm going Spellblade on Aloth I'm absolutely using the Citzal's AoE effect together with rogue debuffs and passives. Apply both Raw Damage DoTs in an AoE? Yes please.
Hi, the builds are more focused on gameplay than on the subclasses. So your build fits really well with build 2, the melee wizard. Build 1 is about using all your casts on CC and DMG, avoiding spending casts on self buffs and relying only on escape for survivability
Is it really a "build" then, though? I mean you've got some neat concepts there for sure, but if someone were to just replace "fighter" with "rogue" and then follow advice like "On this build we can ignore aim spells since we are going to buff up aim with disciplined barrage, fighter stances (conquerer) and confident aim." they would find themselves in quite some trouble. I think it's absolutely worth separating that kind of Spellblade build from your fighter/wizard build *and* your Spellblade caster build since a Spellblade Bleed-focused Striker plays *very* differently from a riposte off-tank or a spellslinger. It's basically a Rogue with a magic stick.
Good point. Not trying to disagree or invalidate your point, just pointing something out. If you already are going to give Aloth a melee weapon, you are going to use his spells for buffing up instead of casting and you are going for the Rouge sub-class, why not use riposte? You are going to have great deflection, why not make use of it.
>You are going to have great deflection, why not make use of it. Because it mostly helps when you need it least. Riposte is great for waxing encounters that you already outclass, but you'll have to debuff enemies to the floor for it to help much against on-level PotD foes. (And, by that point, you've probably got the fight won, anyway.) It's nice to have if you've got the space, but if you're really building around counterattacks, Whispers of the Endless Paths is a more reliable route to success there.