Remember to treat this as a base to work from…
Always adjust as needed for YOUR specific situation!
For more info, check out my YouTube video guide for the Arcanist as well!
the build basics
This basic information that is consistent across all of the DPS Builds has been moved!
Check out this page here for the Top Races, Mundus Stone, Food/Drinks, and Potions
champion points
IMPORTANT NODES
Backstabber/Fighting Finesse
Top priorities over the 4 shown if under the Crit Dmg cap
Force of Nature
Priority over the 4 shown if more Penetration is needed
Exploiter
Drop for Untamed Aggression if under 25% Off Balance uptime
Need help with the Penetration and Crit Damage caps? Check out these charts
TOP GEAR Setups
For a full list of the best DPS sets, check out my tier list
For more details on when to use what, check out top DPS sets video
setup #1: TRADITIONAL
TWO 5 PC SETS, 1PC MONSTER SET + MYTHIC, ARENA SET BACKBARRED
Most common setups for both Bosses and AoE Trash Encounters
(click the left/right arrows to cycle through examples)
Dual Wield Front-Bar Template
Standard Boss Example
Boss Example 2
AoE Heavy Boss Example
AoE Trash / Short Burst Example
AoE Trash / Ult Dump Example
Dual Wield Backbar Template (1.5 Bar Build Compatible)
Dual Wield Both Bars Template (1.5 Bar Build Compatible)
Non-Dual Wield Template
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AoE/ST
Deadly Strike
Sul-Xan’s Torment
Whorl of the Depths
Coral Riptide (if Azureblight, otherwise always active)
Ansuul’s Torment (if Azureblight, otherwise always active)
Yandir’s MightSingle Target Only (Trial Dummy)
Pillar of NirnShort Burst
Mechanical Acuity -
Most Common
Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet - S-Tier damage with no stacks or mini-game
Ring of the Pale Order - Great for healing solo or in a small group with no healers
More Situational
Thrassian Stranglers - S-tier for damage for some solo or small group encounters if getting enough killing blows
Spaulder of Ruin - Group buff option but no personal DPS gain
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Top Backbar Arena Options
Crushing Wall (Maelstrom Inferno Staff)
Caustic Arrow (Dragonstar Bow)
Thunderous Volley (Maelstrom Bow)
Spectral Cloak (Blackrose Prison Daggers)
setup #2: NO ARENA SETS
TWO 5 PC SETS (1 FRONT BAR + 1 BACK BAR) + 2PC MONSTER SET + MYTHIC
On Arcanist, this type of setup is usually for short burst scenarios
(click the left/right arrows to cycle through examples)
Short Burst Setup Example
Solo, Small Group, or Support / Short Burst Setup Example
Non-Dual Wield Front-Bar Template
SETUP #3: 1 BAR ONLY SETUP
AN ASSORTMENT OF OPTIONS FOR USING ONLY 1 SKILL BAR
(click the left/right arrows to cycle through examples)
Dual Wield Front Bar Template
Dual Wield Front Bar Example
Non-DW Front Bar Template
Non-DW Front Bar Example
Dual Wield Arena + Monster Set Template
Dual Wield Arena + Monster Set Example
Non-DW Front Bar Arena + Monster Set Template
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Oakensoul - Excellent for Damage and Survival but limits you to 1 skill bar
Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet - Can potentially outperform Oakensoul on non-heavy attack 1-bar setups if you already have most of the buffs from Oakensoul in your setup
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Spectral Cloak (Blackrose Prison DW)
Crushing Wall (Maelstrom Staff)
Caustic Arrow (Dragonstar Bow)
Thunderous Volley (Maelstrom Bow) -
additional gear setup NOTES
The 1pc monster set can also be run in the “shoulder” slot instead of the “head” slot - both options are equal
If running staves, Flame is usually the preferred options for both the front and the back bar, but Lightning has uses too
Configure the # of Medium/Light Armor pieces to your needs to fully penetrate for the content you are doing
Body and jewelry pieces are always interchangeable as long as you are keeping the weights that you want
Charged off-hand is preferred for Single Target focused encounters, while Precise tends to do better for AoE
skill bar setups
SETUP 1A - STANDARD ARCANIST
(click the left/right arrows to cycle through examples)
Staff Backbar (Most Common)
Bow Backbar (Great Single Target)
Two Handed Backbar (Less Common)
Flex skills are just examples - run what best fits your situation
Both Fatecarver and Ultimate morphs are excellent situationally
Two Handed backbar can still get solid results, but not the meta
SETUP 1B - 1.5 bAR LOADOUT
Great results, lots of flexibility, and easy to manage
Quick Cloak and Inspired Scholarship are each 30s long!
Both Fatecarver and Ultimate morphs are excellent situationally
If using a Staff or Bow Front-Bar, you could move Fulminating to the Back-Bar and slot a skill from that weapon line such as Elemental Blockade or Endless Hail
SETUP 3 - 1-BAR BUILD
Blade Cloak and Barbed Trap are your flex spots if you need something else
Both Fatecarver and Ultimate morphs are excellent situationally
CRUX BUILDERS AND SPENDERS
VIDEO GUIDES
Make sure to check out the video guide for full details and explanations
Also make sure to check out Ry’s updated parse for u40!
Thanks for stopping by
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A lot of work goes into these and the support really helps a ton!