Arachnomancer Breakdown!

March 26, 2014

Weave a Web of Magic with our Newest Class!

What’s up, players? The “Friend of the Underworld” (AKA mysterious class designer) is here and back with a skill breakdown for the new class that will send chills up your spine: Arachnomancer! I like to call this the “Countdown Class,” and you'll soon find out why.

The original concept for Arachnomancer was to make a class that is - much like a real spider -  deadly, but squishy. You can deal massive amounts of damage, but you also take a lot of damage, and don't have a way to heal yourself. Arachnomancer is a Magical/Physical hybrid with a Rogue class base.

This means you will regain mana from all dodges and strikes you deal in combat and you get back a little HP for every dodge. The stats you'll want to focus on are Strength, Intellect, and Dexterity.

Auto Attack

(1.5 second cooldown, 75% weapon damage)

A rapid attack studied only by a reclusive few.

This is your regular Rogue-based auto-attack. You get back mana for every hit and crit, and that mana regen is really going to be helpful.

Rank 1: Venomous Fangs

(12 mana, 3 second cooldown)

A single spider bite will hurt, but multiple bites can be lethal. Bite your target with venomous fangs, causing a moderate DoT that can stack up to 6 times lasting 8 seconds with each stack. 

What’s a spider without venom or fangs? Venomous Fangs is a powerful DoT that does a good amout of damage, especially if you can get all 6 stacks on your target. Combined with other skills, it's pretty deadly.

Rank 2: Slingshot Web

(23 mana, 8 second cooldown)

Fire a strong web shot at your target that is guaranteed to crit. Applies Web Miasma, a moderate DoT lasting 10 seconds, if your target is suffering from Venom Fangs. However, you are left Webless, lowering your defenses by 20% for 5 seconds.
Slingshot Web is guaranteed to crit, but that’s just an additional strike for more damage. The real power of this ability lies in the Web Miasma DoT. Web Miasma does moderate damage, but requires at least 1 stack of Venom Fangs in order to activate and causes you to take 20% more damage. Is the extra damage worth it? Read on...

Rank 3: Foreboding Arachnid

(36 mana, 32 second cooldown)

Induces arachnophobia, sending your target into a state of Panic. Damage from all active DoT is doubled for 12 seconds. Also has a chance to stun your target for 3 seconds.
This ability is a killer. All active DoT (including DoT from your allies) are doubled for 12 seconds. The Panic effect will always activate on use, and it can’t miss. The stun effect has a 35% chance to activate – high enough to arguably make the extra damage you take during Web Miasma worth the risk.

Rank 4 Passives:

• Eight-Legged Freak – increases dodge rate by 18%.
• Attack-Your-Foe-Bia – increases crit chance by 10%

More crits for your auto-attack means more mana regeneration, and the dodge buff helps mitigate some of the extra damage you take from Web Miasma.

Rank 5: Toxic Adrenaline

(27 mana, 24 second cooldown)

A surge of toxic adrenaline gives you the strength to ensnare your target in steel-like webs. Applies Cocooned, reducing their defenses by 100% for 12 seconds. However, the toxin causes Poison Overload, reducing your defenses by 50% for 12 seconds.

You’ll take some extra damage from all attacks, but your target will take even more. Yes, this means Toxic Adrenaline’s effects will double the power of your already-doubled DoT. Let’s do some math here - multiply Foreboding Arachnid’s Panic effect with Toxic Adrenaline’s Cocooned effect and the power of all DoT will be quadrupled.

Rank 10 passive

• Arachne’s Favor - increases your STR and INT stats by 12%.

This passive skill serves to make your DoT even stronger: when you increase the base power of your abilities, they’ll be even more powerful when multiplied.

Final Thoughts!

Now you know why I call this the “Countdown Class.” Once you have both Panic and Cocooned on your target, it starts the countdown for your enemy’s demise, so spam all the DoT you and your allies can. Arachnomancer is primarily designed to take on bosses in group fights, and it is at its deadliest when it synergizes with other classes in battle. I know a lot of you love to brawl it out, and Arachnomancer can also be used in PvP, but be warned: Arachnomancy is by no means easy to master.

Talk to Riadne in Ravenloss to begin training.

You’ve probably noticed the obvious risks in this class. You have no sure way of healing, no skill to increase your dodge rate even further, and you are likely to take extra damage from opponents. However, this is all balanced by how powerful Arachnomancer can be.

It can be a tough class to master:  Arachnomancer requires timing, precision, critical thinking, and strategy to reach its full potential. You'll want to try varying enhancement builds for different kinds of battles to improve your survivability, especially for PvP, and consider the balance between your attack power and your stats.

You have to think of different skill combinations to use and when to use them. In short, you must plan everything before you make your move. All of this goes back to what I said earlier, this class is deadly but squishy like a real spider. Now are you up for the challenge of conquering Arachnomancer?

Now I command you all… get this class and master the unique power of Arachnomancy and taken down whatever stands in your way! And of course we'd love to hear about the different strategies you come up with!

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