iz 2 stronk, but iz also 2 week, but iz also 2 OP n UP. Also, arts r amazin but dont fit DD style but also fit well. great job though. i actually didn't play it yet though, so I shall subscribe!

Good mod, especially liked the skills animation
The free move skill "blink" can be abuse with trinket that do stuff on skill, I belive should limit use to 1 and disable use in posititon 4.
If "STANCE_ELEMENTALIST_CRIT" buff should really increse crit to 60%,70%... Should be "combat_stat_multiply" 60 or "combat_stat_add" 0.6 (I belive it's way too much crit chance) and I belive should have this too "remove_on_battle_complete" : true.

Heya, thanks for the feedback.

It increases the baseline crit chance by the percentage listed. So if it says +60% crit, it actually means (base crit) * 1.6

I'll look into the remove_on_battle_complete thing.

What would you replace it with?

Eternal candle is way too strong it basically makes the arcanist himself immune to stress since you can abuse switching modes and blink in order to heal 16+ stress per round and the -3 speed can easily be negated with time warp which also stress heals your whole team.

Nerf incoming. Thanks.

I reduced the stress heal from 8 to 4. Let me know how that goes. Being able to stress heal via stance swap seems fine to me since it exchanges opportunities, but 16 is too strong, and can be exploited during recovery phases.

This is a repost from the comment section.

"I have a lot of issues with this Class because ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ do I want a mage class so badly! I am not really here to say the class is terrible or anything. I am more going to give some suggestions but by no means do you have to listen to me, I just want mages in my Darkest Dungeon.
(Suggestions)" - Cinder

There are a few mage class mods iirc. Mine included.

"1:The class should be either split into multiple classes or be focused on a specific element type, Arcane, Ice, or Fire. Mages are uptight asshats, we do not mix with hybrids! One element per mage. You named it the Arcanist so Arcane would be the right choice."

You're welcome to make your own class mod. In WoW, especially Classic, TBC, and WotLK, mages used all 3 schools together, even when specialized. That's what this mod draws inspiration from.

"2:Blink should be a move anywhere and everywhere with a cooldown. Makes no sense you can only move one position when we are talking the length of a person. Mages can teleport my dude."

Not possible in code, my dude.

"3:You are mixing way too many roles into one class. Fire mage can be your frontline role, with skills focused on dealing more damage the closer the enemy is to you. Arcane can be your support/glass cannon, with abilities that get stronger the more he casts them in a row + buff for you and your friends. Frost long range + defensive role, can be focused on dealing more damage based on how slow the enemy is, crits if the enemy has a speed of 0. OR if it is too much of a hassle to create different mage classes you could do one set of skills ice and the other fire. One offense and one defense, mages arent really a support type. We like to make things go boom!"

Most vanilla DD classes have 2-3 damage abilities, then the rest is support.

"4:Dont use the torch are a resource to fuel skills, if anything you should be using enemies/corpses/buffs/debuffs/provisions...pretty much anything else except torchlight. The reasons is because torches are limited and are used for curios, the torch, bosses/fights, and lets not forget the map/rooms. Basically it is a resource used by too many things and a class that devours a limited resource is just painful. Maybe you could create a special provision for the mage that amplifies his abilities for one battle, kind of like the dog treat for houndmasters."

If you crit with this mage, he gives you more torch than he spends. Study his mechanics. It's possible to crit a lot with this guy.

That said, this is the one thing I'd be open to changing. I want more feedback on it, though.

"5: Final gripe and this is the one that really hurt me the most...Arcane Knowledge...why isnt there a second form that is an elemental? this made me cry so badly...here i was expecting a second epic form and i got nothing. you hurt me my dude...i was expecting something like the archon mode from Diablo 3 or just a different sprite."

Because that's not the character design.

It sounds like this mod doesn't tick every box on your wish list. That's fine, and I don't expect it to please everyone.

My response is simply to make your own class mod. I'm sure you'll be happier with it.

Do not spam my comments again. They're for more urgent reports (bugs, etc).

Before I give any criticsm I just want to say that I do love this mod, and I think youve done a great job. Its one of your best works, and is surprisingly well rounded over all, I find that this mod has always been at least moderately balanced in his over all kit. To that I commend you, because while I do have some critiques, I don't think that he is too over powered a character, well...except in one respect, but that is explained below. I am a big fan, and as you know, a long time analysis of your work. I hope this helps you in your ongoing efforts.

1st, I find that the fact that Dragon's Breath can bypass Stealth heavily limits the usefulness of the frozen nova. This is of course not counting when he is grouped with heavy push/pull teams in a ruins run, where it has some usefulness as a stall tactic. However, I think removing the stealth bypass on Dragon's Breath would encourage players to utilize his entire kit more often, because as it stands with about a dozen runs done with The Arcanist, I think Ive used the Frost Nova twice and I really want to.

2nd, this has more to do with how he works in the farmstead specifically, because he honestly is absolutely op in there when you have the prismatic shard (I think thats what its called but Im unsure). I know it is unfair to request a nerf to a character solely because he dominates one dlc mode, but I found that when paired with The Jester, The Arcanist can kill the Sleeper in 3 hits, and can easily take a team to the end game without a great deal of difficulty. My suggestion is reduce the bonuses provided by his stand alone farmstead trinket.
Again, I understand if you dont decide to nerf his kit for this reason, but I just found that his potential in the farmstead to be just insane compared to the base characters, or even any of my other modded ones.

3rd, if I understand correctly, the prismatic item set allows you to use the time warp to both give the team a speed buff but also returns one action to The Arcanist. That seems a bit strong for something that doesnt have any real drawbacks to it. Perhaps consider adding a debuff to the set that balances this skill out, like a heavy reduction to The Arcanist's base speed as to reference that he is 'running out of time' and prevent him from snow balling too hard while still ensuring the bonus is effective. If I am mistaken on this than I apologize, and please disregard this segment.

4th, consider altering Dragon's Breath positions to 2nd, and 3rd, instead of 1st, and 2nd. My main reasoning behind this is that Frostfire Bolt is weaker when used in 1st position, but that rarely seems to matter when Dragon's Breath can still work from that position.

5th,consider perhaps altering blink to instead move the user 1 forward instead of 1 back. This may sound a bit ridiculous but my main reasoning is back to the way Frostfire Bolt works. Since you always have a free way to move back 1 position there is never a real reason to ever be stuck in first position. However, if you were to change the skill to move forward 1 instead it would mean players would need to be a bit more careful in positioning, but would also have an effective means of recovery if they were pushed to the back.This would in turn make the debuff to Frostfire a more impactful mechanic.

Originally posted by NikiGotUrSpine:

Before I give any criticsm I just want to say that I do love this mod, and I think youve done a great job. Its one of your best works, and is surprisingly well rounded over all, I find that this mod has always been at least moderately balanced in his over all kit. To that I commend you, because while I do have some critiques, I don't think that he is too over powered a character, well...except in one respect, but that is explained below. I am a big fan, and as you know, a long time analysis of your work. I hope this helps you in your ongoing efforts.

1st, I find that the fact that Dragon's Breath can bypass Stealth heavily limits the usefulness of the frozen nova. This is of course not counting when he is grouped with heavy push/pull teams in a ruins run, where it has some usefulness as a stall tactic. However, I think removing the stealth bypass on Dragon's Breath would encourage players to utilize his entire kit more often, because as it stands with about a dozen runs done with The Arcanist, I think Ive used the Frost Nova twice and I really want to.

2nd, this has more to do with how he works in the farmstead specifically, because he honestly is absolutely op in there when you have the prismatic shard (I think thats what its called but Im unsure). I know it is unfair to request a nerf to a character solely because he dominates one dlc mode, but I found that when paired with The Jester, The Arcanist can kill the Sleeper in 3 hits, and can easily take a team to the end game without a great deal of difficulty. My suggestion is reduce the bonuses provided by his stand alone farmstead trinket.
Again, I understand if you dont decide to nerf his kit for this reason, but I just found that his potential in the farmstead to be just insane compared to the base characters, or even any of my other modded ones.

3rd, if I understand correctly, the prismatic item set allows you to use the time warp to both give the team a speed buff but also returns one action to The Arcanist. That seems a bit strong for something that doesnt have any real drawbacks to it. Perhaps consider adding a debuff to the set that balances this skill out, like a heavy reduction to The Arcanist's base speed as to reference that he is 'running out of time' and prevent him from snow balling too hard while still ensuring the bonus is effective. If I am mistaken on this than I apologize, and please disregard this segment.

4th, consider altering Dragon's Breath positions to 2nd, and 3rd, instead of 1st, and 2nd. My main reasoning behind this is that Frostfire Bolt is weaker when used in 1st position, but that rarely seems to matter when Dragon's Breath can still work from that position.

5th,consider perhaps altering blink to instead move the user 1 forward instead of 1 back. This may sound a bit ridiculous but my main reasoning is back to the way Frostfire Bolt works. Since you always have a free way to move back 1 position there is never a real reason to ever be stuck in first position. However, if you were to change the skill to move forward 1 instead it would mean players would need to be a bit more careful in positioning, but would also have an effective means of recovery if they were pushed to the back.This would in turn make the debuff to Frostfire a more impactful mechanic.

Thank you for the post. This is the best reasoned & most polite feedback you've given. My responses are below.

1) Good thoughts. Done. Personally, I like the damage bonus & immobilize on Frost Nova, so I use that a lot. But hey-- I'm open to change, and there's more than one way to play this guy. I'm happy to help make an ability more unique to encourage more ability variation.

2) Nerfed prismatic shard. Its buffs have been reduced to 10% damage buff, and 20% penetration buff.

3) Done. Hefty speed nerf (-5). Also, I adjusted the likelihood of his health damage. It should be 25% now, up from 10% per use, but 7 health damage instead of 15. This will require further feedback.

4 + 5) Both points here benefit each other, so I'll address them together. This mod is an homage to the WoW mage class from ages ago. The way abilities are set now, they respect their source of inspiration. In WoW, Dragon's Breath was strictly a close-range cone ability. It will remain so here. Also, we're not roasting an ally in rank 1 with dragon fire. That's important.

They will remain as they are. There's been a lot of feedback over sensitivity to their positional use (Frostfire Bolt was once disabled in rank 1, for example), and they've reached a content point while respecting their source.

Summary) Thank you for your feedback. This has been the best post you've ever made with regard to the Arcanist. I appreciate it.

Originally posted by Caedwyn:

Originally posted by NikiGotUrSpine:

Before I give any criticsm I just want to say that I do love this mod, and I think youve done a great job. Its one of your best works, and is surprisingly well rounded over all, I find that this mod has always been at least moderately balanced in his over all kit. To that I commend you, because while I do have some critiques, I don't think that he is too over powered a character, well...except in one respect, but that is explained below. I am a big fan, and as you know, a long time analysis of your work. I hope this helps you in your ongoing efforts.

1st, I find that the fact that Dragon's Breath can bypass Stealth heavily limits the usefulness of the frozen nova. This is of course not counting when he is grouped with heavy push/pull teams in a ruins run, where it has some usefulness as a stall tactic. However, I think removing the stealth bypass on Dragon's Breath would encourage players to utilize his entire kit more often, because as it stands with about a dozen runs done with The Arcanist, I think Ive used the Frost Nova twice and I really want to.

2nd, this has more to do with how he works in the farmstead specifically, because he honestly is absolutely op in there when you have the prismatic shard (I think thats what its called but Im unsure). I know it is unfair to request a nerf to a character solely because he dominates one dlc mode, but I found that when paired with The Jester, The Arcanist can kill the Sleeper in 3 hits, and can easily take a team to the end game without a great deal of difficulty. My suggestion is reduce the bonuses provided by his stand alone farmstead trinket.
Again, I understand if you dont decide to nerf his kit for this reason, but I just found that his potential in the farmstead to be just insane compared to the base characters, or even any of my other modded ones.

3rd, if I understand correctly, the prismatic item set allows you to use the time warp to both give the team a speed buff but also returns one action to The Arcanist. That seems a bit strong for something that doesnt have any real drawbacks to it. Perhaps consider adding a debuff to the set that balances this skill out, like a heavy reduction to The Arcanist's base speed as to reference that he is 'running out of time' and prevent him from snow balling too hard while still ensuring the bonus is effective. If I am mistaken on this than I apologize, and please disregard this segment.

4th, consider altering Dragon's Breath positions to 2nd, and 3rd, instead of 1st, and 2nd. My main reasoning behind this is that Frostfire Bolt is weaker when used in 1st position, but that rarely seems to matter when Dragon's Breath can still work from that position.

5th,consider perhaps altering blink to instead move the user 1 forward instead of 1 back. This may sound a bit ridiculous but my main reasoning is back to the way Frostfire Bolt works. Since you always have a free way to move back 1 position there is never a real reason to ever be stuck in first position. However, if you were to change the skill to move forward 1 instead it would mean players would need to be a bit more careful in positioning, but would also have an effective means of recovery if they were pushed to the back.This would in turn make the debuff to Frostfire a more impactful mechanic.

Thank you for the post. This is the best reasoned & most polite feedback you've given. My responses are below.

1) Good thoughts. Done. Personally, I like the damage bonus & immobilize on Frost Nova, so I use that a lot. But hey-- I'm open to change, and there's more than one way to play this guy. I'm happy to help make an ability more unique to encourage more ability variation.

2) Nerfed prismatic shard. Its buffs have been reduced to 10% damage buff, and 20% penetration buff.

3) Done. Hefty speed nerf (-5). Also, I adjusted the likelihood of his health damage. It should be 25% now, up from 10% per use, but 7 health damage instead of 15. This will require further feedback.

4 + 5) Both points here benefit each other, so I'll address them together. This mod is an homage to the WoW mage class from ages ago. The way abilities are set now, they respect their source of inspiration. In WoW, Dragon's Breath was strictly a close-range cone ability. It will remain so here. Also, we're not roasting an ally in rank 1 with dragon fire. That's important.

They will remain as they are. There's been a lot of feedback over sensitivity to their positional use (Frostfire Bolt was once disabled in rank 1, for example), and they've reached a content point while respecting their source.

Summary) Thank you for your feedback. This has been the best post you've ever made with regard to the Arcanist. I appreciate it.

Well thank you, I appreciate the compliment to my feedback. I am not a wow player myself so I admit to lacking the proper context for the abilities, but as I mentioned beyond the first two points, I find the character as a whole really well rounded and see no qualms with not applying the 4th and 5th segments, especially if they would infringe on the source of your design. And don't worry, Ill keep doing my best to give you proper feedback, and will hopefully improve my skills in critical analysis just as youve improved your skills as a modder.

I will be doing a few more runs in the farmstead to test the shard and will be working more with his set to see how these changes affect their functionality, though if I am being honest, I doubt Ill have any really solid critiques related to these going forward, they appear well balanced from the outset.

So, Every time I have a Arcanist in my party on any dungeon, even during a boss dungeon, I know for a fact that its going to be easy. Reason is because he hits too hard even with your torch being at ZERO.
Like, I feel why would I not need to use any other skills besides frostfire bolt and dragon fire. Frostfire bolt can one shot any backline units on 1st tun, I don't feel the need to use any other skills. Frostfire bolt can hit any enemy position no matter where you stand on your party formation. It literally HAS no weakness, why bother with using any other skills. it still crits so often with torch being at zero. Dragon breath is just op, I can hit 2 enemies, and watch it crit once or twice ......2 shots at most to kill any tanks consistanly. There is just no struggle with this guy. =/ I don't know how you going to nerf him, but it needs nerf.....

If you're only using Frostfire Bolt & Dragon's Breath, you're not going to do incredible damage. You're not even using the Arcanist to his full potential.

Arcanist's base damage is the same as the Arbalest. That means he depends on multipliers to make his damage significant, just like the Arbalest. He also has the same crit progression on Frostfire Bolt as the Arbalest does on Sniper Shot.

He gets a bonus to crit from his stance swap, some bonus damage from being in torchlight. So his average strikes can be higher. With a mark, Arbalest generally pulls ahead.

I'm not going to nerf him since your post is more emotional than rational. Produce evidence, a clear argument with reason, and if it's sufficiently built, I am very happy to make changes.

Ive been recently returning to more thorough test this mod, and so far the past updates have really made the Arcanist really come to his own. I dont think he really needs any further major alterations to his kit, as in most circumstances he sits as a powerful, but well balanced character over all. There are some minor alterations that Id like to put forward after doing some additional testing, but nothing really major, and if you decide not to implement them I think this character will still sit as a fun and enjoyable part of any player's game.

The first suggestion is yet again regarding the Prismatic Shard and the character's over all power in the Farmstead. As it stands, he is still incredibly powerful here, to the point where I have to wonder if Prismatic shard deserves a further minor debuff. I think the 20% pen might still be a bit too high on its own given his abilities' inherent boosts in high torchlight. However, I believe reducing it any lower may make the item too weak when compared to his other options. My suggestion as to how to make it feel more balanced is to increase the stress penalty to reflect this items power. I believe this would pull his ability to fight in the end game farmstead more in line with the rest of the cast while still making him a stand out in the earlier sections.

And secondly, I have a minor recommendation regarding the buff to Frost Nova. I personally approve of the damage buff it provides, but I find that 30% may be too high in its current state. The main issue is that one can use Frost Nova, then spend 1 turn to switch to his support form, then take the next turn to return to his elementalist and have a hyper buffed guaranteed crit move. This has led to me being able to drop bosses in the champion bracket with him providing over 80% of the damage with minimal difficulty (against Hag, Siren, and Swine). In my opinion, there are two ways you could nerf this buff. First, you could simply reduce the bonus to about half, making it more of a bonus effect that makes quickly dropping annoying enemies alot easier, and gives the player more the freedom to approach the situation as they see fit without being too overpowered. The other option is making the damage buff only apply to the following turn. This would be a decent way to allow the player to have a powerful heavy hitting move without it feeling cheap. In addition I think this option would encourage more strategic planning in the player, encouraging them to use it as a set up on a problematic unit on which they will follow through upon.

As I said before, these two are the only real issues I could find, and it took me some time to really see how they could be improved without sacrificing the integrity of the character and the specific elements that would be altered. I think that even without these being changed the character is fantastic; these are however the only things that if I had the capacity, I would make an alteration to. Beyond these I think the character is as close to perfect as one can reasonably ask of you.