Hyperactive Archon (10s Downtime Archon!) - Wizard - Diablo III Builds (2024)

Build Guide

I use this build since before patch 2.1 (since May, actually) on my non season wizard. I find it still fun to play with and decided to share

This build is not focused on efficiency, but on fun. Archon is the most awesome wizard skill. The problem is it's cooldown.

The focus here is to reduce the cooldown as most as possible.

How to use it

Basically you'll have a bunch of buffs, a teleport (for mobility) and one atack skill to use during your downtime. You'll aggro all you can during that time and than transform into Archon when you are ready. The Torment difficult you should aim is the one you are able to finish in 20 seconds all the mobs you aggroed, if you are playing solo. If you are playing in a party, you'll do fine in higher difficulties.

Active Skills

• Force of Wave (Heat Wave) - You will have only one attack skill. This is my choice. I like this skill when I'm doing Fire Wizard. But you have to choose a skill you'll be able to cast until Archon is ready. If you run out of Arcane Power before that, all you'll get left is running and teleproting. Keep that in mind. Feel free to get any other skill of your preference here.

• Archon - Activate Archon in the middle of a group of mobs, so they take the explosion damage of the Combustion rune. When you are in Archon form, don't forget to activate Slow Time and keep spamming the Blast (number 1 skill) when there are people nearby. I like close combat, so I use the left mouse button skill a lot!

• Energy Armor (Prismatic Armor) - This gives you a lot more toughness. And toughness is always needed.

• Magic Weapon (Force Weapon) - Increases your damage by 20%. You want power, don't you?

• Familiar (Sparkflint) - More 10% damage. Power overwhelming!

• Teleport (Wormhole) - During your downtime you'll want to aggro and move around. This will help you.

• Evocation - Reduce all cooldowns by 20%. A must! We want to reduce the cooldown to the maximum possible, to have the minimum downtime for Archon.

• Blur - Will improve survivability. If you think it's easy enough, you can change it to Conflagration, that'll increase critical hit chance..

• Audacity - Deal +15% damage to enemies within 15 yards. Most of the time.

• Glass Cannon - Increase +15% damage, but take +10% damage. If you need more survivability (in Torment V and VI you will need) change it to Unstable Anomaly, it will help you survive some critical situations.

Items
This is the most important part on this build, since this build is highly item dependent.

• Vyr's Amazing Arcana - Crucial for this build! With this set your Archon gains the effect of all rune. Power overwhelming! Enough said.
Chest - Vyr’s Astonishing Aura - I always recommend looking for 3 socketed chest piece. That way you can balance your damage and toughness (adding intelligence, vitality or resistance, depending on your need).

• Gloves - Vyr’s Grasping Gauntlets - It already comes with critical hit chance, yay! It is very important to look for Cooldown Reduction. Enchant it on Myriam. She's your friend!
• Legs - Vyr’s Swaggering Stance.


• Captain Crimson's Timmings - Why is this important, you ask? It reduces cooldown of all your skills by 10%. You'll see in the end how important it is.
Pants - Captain Crimson's Thrust - Like chest pieces, look for 2 socket slots, for same reasons.

• Belt - Captain Crimson's Silk Girdle.


• Aughild's Authority - This set is not really necessary for this build to work, but it fits and gives you a good damage reduction and extra damage against elites, so I recommend it.
Heml - Aughild's Spike - You need a socket on the helm to fit a Flawless Royal Diamond that'll give you more 12.5% cooldown reduction. I also recommend a helm with Critical Hit Chance property.

• Bracer - Aughild's Search - Look for bonus elemental damage (fire). Very important to improve damage output. Again, crit hit chance is always good.


• Born's Command - It gives you more life and +10% CDR. We are always looking for that, aren't we?
Shoulderpads - Born's Privilege - Get more CDR on those. Remember Myrian, the Mystic? She'll help you

• Sword - Born's Furious Wrath - You may need to craft a few swords until you get a good one, but it's important to have a great weapon. You'll need a socket for a Flawless Royal Emerald. +130% Critical Hit Damage really improves overall damage. And you must get cooldown reduction. Weapons can give you up to 10% CDR.


• Source - Firebird's Eye - "Why the hell are you telling me to use this source? Mirrorball is so much better than this crap!". Well, let me explain. You'll spend more time in Archon form than anything else. This is the orb that gives you the most elemental damage bonus. We won't benefit from any skill bonus, so we should increase our damage output through elemental damage bonus. That's why I chose this orb. It can give you up to +20% fire skill damage. That's also why I have chosen Fire Archon, because I can get more fire skill damage bonus than any other elemental. Ok, what else you need? Oh, of course, cooldown reduction. Orbs can have that property too. They can also get up to +10% critical hit chance, wich is always nice to have.
• Ring 1 - Ring of Royal Grandeur - Without this ring, nothing of this would be possible. It reduces the requirements of the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1. With this, all these 4 beautiful sets fits perfectly! Try getting cooldown reduction on it too. If it already came with this property, you can enchant it to replace Life Per Hit for critical hit chance or critical hit damage.
• Ring 2 - If you are lucky enough to get a Stone of Jordan with bonus fire damage, reroll something for more cooldown reduction on the mystic. But if you are like me, don't worry. A yellow (rare) ring with cooldown reduction, critical hit chance and critical hit damage properties will be great (and cheaper to enchant).
• Amulet - Anything with fire elemental damage cooldown reduction (always a must) and critical hit damage/chance will do. Just remember that rare amulets are limited to 15% elemental bonus damage while legendary amulets can give up to 20% (with exception of Moonlight Ward, that can give up to 25% damage bonus to arcane skills. You can decide to switch some items and go for arcane archon... or lightning archon... or whatever).

Keep in mind that you won't benefit from any skill (except familiar) bonus an item could give while playing with this build. So you can reroll on the Mystic any specific skill damage bonus for more life, armor, crits, or whatever. Anything will be more useful, really.

Concluding, if you got these two sets (Captain Crimson's Timmings and Born's Command) and cooldown reduction in all possible items (shoulder, amulet, gloves, orb, rings, weapon) you'll have around 70% cooldown reduction on your character sheet (I'm not even considering you got maximum rolls, I'm being realistic). For Vyr's, you have Archon rune Pure Power, that reduces your Archon cooldown from 120 seconds to 100 seconds. So, 70% cooldown reduction means you have 30 secons cooldown for Archon. Cooldown starts counting the moments you cast the spell and Archon has a duration of 20 seconds. With simple math you just realized that you will have only 10 seconds (in this example) downtime for Archon! That means you'll spend double the time in Archon form than as a mere Nephalem Wizard!

Feel free to comment about any considerations/recommendations for this build. Let's upgrade this Archon together! It is not the most powerful wizard, but it is a fun playstyle!

Have fun! ;D