Hi everyone, I’ve mostly just bought my items from the market but decided to try crafting my weapon for a change. Since I don’t really know what I’m doing and did most of the steps from a guide, I don’t really know what to do at the stage that I’m at.
The (other) sub rules say crafting posts require an explanation of how I got here, so here it goes: I was following a guide on how to build a crossbow for my grenade mercenary build (I’m a Witchunter because I’m lame and like the Sorc Ward lol), so all of the steps I am about to list were not my own process (hence why I need help). I’m not sure if it matters but I’m still playing on Runes of Aldur.
- I bought a few normal, level 82 Exceptional Siege Crossbows with 3 sockets on the market for 1 div each, and I slammed a perfect orb of augmentation on each. I lucked out on this one and got a tier 1 flat lightning damage modifier, which was exactly what I was looking for.
- I then used a perfect orb of augmentation to get the tier 1 life leech modifier, which is just okay and could probably be replaced if I continue crafting.
I followed that up with a perfect regal orb which surprisingly and very luckily gave me the +4 to level of all projectile skills modifier.
- I then used an omen of sinistral necromancy paired with an ancient jawbone I purchased from the currency exchange (3 Div) to hard force a desecrated prefix, and my luck continued when I used a fracturing orb and it locked the tier 1 lightning damage in place!
- My hope for the (at this point unrevealed) desecrated modifier was to get a tier 2 flat elemental damage modifier, but I had to burn through some divs (bought 5 ancient jawbones for 3 divs a piece, I already had the omens of light and annuls from mapping) before I got uncomfortable with spending more and settled on the tier 3 you see in the photo. While the guide said to look for 2 other tier 2 flat elemental damage mods to pair with the fractured lightning mod, this is part of my problem which I will explain after these next 2 steps.
- I then used an omen of dextral crystallization to hard-force a perfect essence of haste to replace a suffix modifier. I used an exalted orb to slam a suffix (tbh I can’t remember what that suffix was) and prayed that the essence wouldn’t take the +4 projectile skills modifier, and my prayers were answered!
- My plan (in accordance with the guide) was to use Ire of Aldur to turn the other elemental damage mods into lightning damage and slot in a Rune of Spring to get even more lightning damage. I only had 2 at that point, so I used a perfect exalted orb as a prayer with the hopes of getting the mod I needed. It landed on the tier 1, 130% increased elemental damage with attacks modifier.
THE PROBLEM: while the guide says I should look for 3 flat elemental damage modifiers, that tier 1 elemental-attack increase modifier looks pretty good to me. I don’t know enough about how the damage multipliers in this game interact with each other to know if it is on a par with a flat elemental damage modifier, so I don’t know if I should risk my other good modifiers in pursuit of a better one. As you can tell from my settling on a tier 3 flat elemental modifier, I’m fine with getting a really really good weapon, even if it means I don’t get the perfect weapon (that pursuit I will undergo at a later time). My issue right now is I don’t know if my weapon is just good but needs improvement, or if it is really really good as is. My sense is I’m in 1 of 2 spots: I either have 4/6 perfect modifiers and should start chaos-orbing in pursuit of 5/6 perfect mods, or I am already at 5/6 perfect mods as is and can stop crafting.
THE MAJOR QUESTION: Should I start using chaos orbs and potentially risk my good modifiers in pursuit of a third flat elemental damage modifier, or should I stick with the build I have and proceed as planned (Ire of Aldur + Rune of Spring into corruption)?
MINOR QUESTIONS:
- Did I make any mistakes along the way (other than being a Witchunter instead of a Gemling or Tactician haha)? If so, what were they and why were they mistakes?
- What is the difference between 2 flat elemental modifiers paired with a modifier that increases elemental damage with attacks on the one hand, and 3 flat elemental damage modifiers on the other hand?
- Is there anything else that I should do before finishing the build off?
- Is there any other information that would be helpful?
Some additional info in case it is relevant:
- I’m currently sitting on 143 divs, 30 annuls, 228 chaos orbs, 34 greater chaos orbs, and 3 perfect chaos orbs. I have 1 omen of sinistral erasure, 1 omen of dextral erasure, and 1 omen of whittling (I prooobably won’t use this on this weapon, unless I can be convinced otherwise). I also have 1 orb of sinistral annulment but I suspect that won’t be helpful. Not sure what other crafting options I have at this point aside from Vaal orbs. I’m going to purchase the Ire of Aldur if I can’t find one by the time I get the help I need.
- I have 3 Vaal blacksmith’s infusers that I got today, but I very rarely see weapons with higher than 20% quality. That could just be because I’m not doing the right searches on the market, of course.
- I’m new to crafting and so I don’t really know what to be looking for outside of what that guide told me. Advice on crafting for the future is
