Pyromancer/Cyromancer Build

[eliotn]

Post your favorite builds for unlocking the Pyromancer/Cyromancer achievements.

[Frumple]

Alchemist.

That is all.

>_> <_< >_<

Yeah, anyway. Alchie's the big one. Default bomb or frost infusion, plus appropriate staff channeling. Then archmagi and AC-proc heavy arcane blades -- I actually finished off the last bit of pyromancer with a dual-wield AB several versions back. They do a nasty chunk of fire damage when flame's all they have. Wyrmics used to be able to cheese the cyromancer cheevo like a boss (get some regen, sit in front of a honey tree with icy skin on, hold down wait.), but since icy skin retaliation damage no longer counts (I guess retaliation damage in general doesn't?), they're less optimal at that. You'd still get a bit spamming the breath around, though. I guess necros can throw out some cold damage nowadays.

Other than those, about all you can do (sunpas/ano-whatsits have some fire damage, as do slayers and corruptors, but it's fairly marginal) is prioritize on-hit fire/cold damage or conversion when you're running other stuff. You can do that without having to make much in the way of concessions, and if everything you do is chipping in bits and pieces, it adds up fairly quickly.

Get meta with it, y'dig?

[lukep]

probably belongs in the "mages" spoiler subforum, but here goes:

Either: bomb-build alchemist. 5/5/5/1 in the bomb tree, 1-5 in frost infusion, 1-5 in fire infusion. just play normally, and you will get towards the unlock quite quickly, as you are dealing all fire (or cold) damage.

Pyromancer: Fire mage. Build an archmage with 5/5 in Flame, 3/5 in manathrust, and 1/5 in lightning (to keep rotation of beams), as well as good investment in the rest of the fire skills. It can be quite viable even without Wildfire.

[supermini]

Best way to unlock it, I've found, is to play an alchemist in Arena mode. It plays fast, you level fast.

[SageAcrin]

If Alchemists aren't your thing, an Archmage/Arcane Blade that relies on the standard Fire tree can work towards it, and many classes will make significant impacts(Wyrmic probably will, I think Mindslayer can if you like Pyrokinesis/the Thermal Aura spike, Corruptor can do a fair deal of damage in fire with Shadowflame and Fearscape as well.), and practically any class can make a little bit of fire impact.

Cold damage is pretty hard to do without Alchemist, though.

My favorite way is to go into the Nameless Dungeon(the place with the orbs) and just touch the wrong orb over and over until I either rack up enough damage from bombing all the enemies to death, or one of the orbs decides to summon an Archlich.

No, really, the latter happens eventually. It's kinda hilarious. Not a suggestion I make for characters you intend to clear. Gets your Cold/Fire damage up fast though!

[greycat]

Wyrmic is a strong choice for cold damage too. Max icy skin and let things hit you, while you breathe cold on them and hit them with ice claw and so on.

[Frumple]

Icy skin specifically doesn't count toward cyromancer anymore, so far as I'm aware. It might be cold retaliation (and presumably fire) in general. It used to be the work of a honey tree, a nap, and a weight on your wait button for a wyrmic to unlock cyromancy

[kyuubee]

Icy skin specifically doesn't count toward cyromancer anymore, so far as I'm aware. It might be cold retaliation (and presumably fire) in general. It used to be the work of a honey tree, a nap, and a weight on your wait button for a wyrmic to unlock cyromancy

couldn't you just load an old version :3
it's not a right thing to do though

[Frumple]

Oh, certainly you could, so far as I'm aware. But if you're going down that path (and I won't say you shouldn't: I encourage bypassing content unlocks ), mage_cryomancer = true is much faster

[HousePet]

I used Necromancer to get my cold damage up.
Cryonecromancer is fun once you have the unlock as well.

[kyuubee]

Oh, certainly you could, so far as I'm aware. But if you're going down that path (and I won't say you shouldn't: I encourage bypassing content unlocks ), mage_cryomancer = true is much faster

there is a difference between using every possible in-game means, including version advantage, and direct altering game files, i consider the latter to be cheating while the first may be bad but it is not cheating

[omni]

Meh, until you realize the unlock system was primarily implemented for two reasons:

1. Hide complicated/unfamiliar content from players until they're familiar with the game. E.g. anorithils spoiler existence and their crazy resource system, necromancers and their all too easy self murdering.

2. To provide a sense of progression and accomplishment.

The first reason there is so new players aren't overwhelmed learning so many new things at once. Alchemists play surprisingly like traditional mages ('I cast fireball!'), and are overall more easily played optimally than your archmage. It's an easier pill for a new player to learn Tome and its indiosyncracies on bulwarks or alchemists than on cursed or skeletons.


The second reason is to provide happiness- if you're contemplating putting a golf ball on the wait key near a honey tree, the unlock system isn't likely providing you a sense of progression nor happiness. It's become a source of annoyance to circumvent.

If you don't need the learning, and you aren't getting the happy from the restriction, it aint worth your time

Just my $.02

[lukep]

Meh, until you realize the unlock system was primarily implemented for two reasons:
[...]
Just my $.02

I'd like to add a couple other reasons that I felt:

- encouraging different playstyles. I would never have played a damage-focused rogue without the Marauder unlock to give me a concrete goal. It also can help encourage exploration and risktaking if you are not spoiled.

- the feeling of POWER! playing a mage with Wildfire was much more satisfying after playing several with just the fire tree, wishing for more options.

[supermini]

Pyromancer: Fire mage. Build an archmage with 5/5 in Flame, 3/5 in manathrust, and 1/5 in lightning (to keep rotation of beams), as well as good investment in the rest of the fire skills. It can be quite viable even without Wildfire.

If you're going to use a full rotation of beams (which is completely unnecessary unless you're going for essence of speed), I suggest putting 5 points in them. If you're going to cast a spell every 3 turns, it's very inefficient to not max it. Repositioning yourself is preferable to casting level 1 lightning.