Looking For A Decent Off-Meta Arcanist Solo Build

Zilophos

I'm looking for a decent off-meta build to replace my current setup. The one-bar stamina build I've been using is starting to get kind of boring. I'm thinking of switching to a magicka two-bar solo setup, but all the builds I've found online are all using the same boring meta sets and skills. I dont really have enough knowledge to put together my own so I'm hoping someone has some suggestions. Ideally something niche that will still hold up okay in solo content but is fun to play. Using the new Scribing skills would be a plus.

Soarora

I just use the meta and it works out fine, but I replace backbar camo hunter with zenas and the mages guild fire aoe with cruxweaver and sometimes the class aoe with ele sus. Due to the nature of Arcanist having so much damage loaded into fatecarver + ceph flail I’m not sure how many different builds really work.

Zodiarkslayer

Hi. Magicka Arcanist is cool, fun in Solo mode and reasonably powerful. You stay at range with either a Staff or a Bow.

You'll need a crux builder, ofc. I recommend Writhing Runeblades. Even though it isn't an S tier option, you'll find it isn't the damage that is lacking, but rather the missing passive heal that arcanists mostly have gotten used to. But it is going to cost Magicka and has good damage for a ranged spammable.
You can utilise the scribing system to build yourself a different crux builder, but that is a grind I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It involves the infamous class scripts. I am just pointing out the possibility.

Anyways. Deadly Strike is really good for MagArc for the known reasons. I use Order's Wrath as the second set, because Magicka characters need both light armor options for sustain and still get some sort of boost to crit damage.
The most important part for a solo build is healing, which is obviously best with the Ring of the Pale Order. But Reconstructive Domain in combination with Evolving Runemend can be an option, too, if you do not want to miss out on Velothi-Ur bonus. In that case I sometimes use Pragmatic Runecarver without the cruxes, when a heavy attack comes in or I have been eating too much damage and need a short respite to recover health. Aborting the beam is always possible.

It's a very different way to play Arcanist and I like it very much. Maybe it is something for you too. Theoretically you can use this build with Bows and still stack Stamina. Arcanist is that flexible.

BasP

Generally speaking, I find the Scribing skills a bit underwhelming. I suppose you could turn Wield Soul into a decent Crux builder for a solo MagArc though if you really want to incorporate Scribing into your build. When you add Shock (or Magic) Damage, the Class Script and the Vitality Script you'd get the skill below, for example.



I went with Vitality because it'll increase the damage shield from Pragmatic Fatecarver, which seems handy for soloing (and the other buffs I could choose from weren't that great either). If you don't use the Velothi-Ur Mage amulet and need a source of Minor Force, you could also use Ulfsild's Contingiency (Flame Damage, Lingering Torment, Force) instead of Barbed Trap.

When it comes to sets, Order's and Deadly are nice, as has been suggested. Pairing Runecarver's Blaze with Deadly also works pretty well for an Arcanist. Perhaps you could go with something like this, and switch the Velothi amulet for the Ring of the Pale Order when you need more passive healing (or use Iceheart instead of a Mythic).

tsaescishoeshiner

For fun casual solo play, I think Traveling Knife with pull and Create 1 Crux would let you pull enemies in to you and then blast them.

Or you could run Elemental Explosion with Create a Crux combined with Tome-bearer's Inspiration and Cruxweaver Armor. Then you would get 1 Crux from Inspiration, one from getting hit while casting Ele Explosion, and then one when Ele Explosion finished casting. So you make a big boom then have 3 crux for Fatecarver or Tentacular Dread. I've been having a lot of fun using Ele Explosion on my quest char, and it works for Arc 1-2 well.

Depends how casual of a solo build you want. For soloing tough world bosses and stuff, might want a bit more oomf. These would be fun with Scribing, though. I think Arcanist has one of the better class scripts.

Zilophos

Thanks for the suggestions so far...

Elemental Explosion sounds cool. When it comes to sets though, I'm not really interested in sets like Order's Wrath and Deadly Strikes. As far as I'm concerned those are meta sets. A lot of publicly available solo arcanist builds use those. They feel a little stale after a while since all they do is boost numbers.

I think what I'm more interested in is finding sets with unique effects that you wouldn't initially think would work for a solo build in general, but do and are fun.

El_Borracho

You could probably go with an old off-meta Templar build that used Soulshine and pair it with Berserking Warrior. Fatecarver and Flail would proc Soulshine's damage boost. Flail, Deadly Cloak, and LA with daggers would build your crit with Berserking Warrior. Might run into trouble losing stacks on the beam. Or go with War Maiden to up your damage on the beam.

BasP

Zilophos wrote: »

I think what I'm more interested in is finding sets with unique effects that you wouldn't initially think would work for a solo build in general, but do and are fun.

I'm afraid I don't have any great suggestions, even after looking at all of the Light and Medium sets on eso-sets.com and testing a couple of them on the PTS. (I even tried Trinimac's Valor to see if Pragmatic Fatecarver would proc it. It does, but both the heal and damage will be lackluster in more difficult content, and Overland mobs will probably die before the proc even goes off.)

So if you don't want to use stat boosting sets, I think you'd just be best off with proc sets that increase your DPS. Especially if you intend to use the Ring of the Pale Order when soloing. I thought that Cinders of Anthelmir looked pretty nice when I tried it on the dummy, and I like the sound effect of Runecarver which I mentioned earlier. There's also Pillar of Nirn, of course. Another option would be Overwhelming Surge - the proc doesn't look or sound impressive, to be honest, but at least the effect will be nice for your Magicka sustain. Lastly, I believe people think Mad Tinkerer is a fun set.