Technically speaking, Etched Sigil was never used for channeling builds. It was used to activate the spenders that dealt the real damage.
We’ve never had true channeling builds be viable since back when Torment 6 was maximum. Back then, you could actually make Ray of Frost work pretty well…
Weapons like these are just way too overbudget. Can’t agree. The key here would be adding Wizard shoulders/Sources like “After casting Meteor, Energy Twister, or Explosive Blast, deal 200% more damage.” or other legendary to bridge the damage discrepancy when Deathwish is gone.
Can’t agree with this either. I think Deathwish would be required for a pure-channeling build that deals it’s damage primarily though ROF, AT, or Disintegrate. I want a pure-channeling build. It’s my favorite type of build.
Otherwise, summed up the issues nicely.
I know it is not gonna happen, but…
My thought was that eventually Nilfurs Boast (the legendary boots that buff Meteor) can be reworked and the damage bonus to Meteor could be placed somewhere else, which would bring Meteor Channelling down by a significant amount, but that would also fix Etched Sigil - eventually.
Meteor needs a weapon of its own (that isn’t a staff) in order to be anything now. It also needs more resource reduction or another way to cast it alternately… the mana cost is pretty prohibitive on it, even with the 50% reduction staff.
It could very well on the Atrophy Wand that can be crafted by the Blacksmith.
Or on one of the various Legendary Swords that don’t have a Legendary Power yet, like Monster Hunter, Wildwood, Bonesaber of Zumakalis, etc.
Then the Damage Bonus from Nilfur’s Boast could get removed and put on that items.
It doesn’t, technically. You could totally pump up Vizer to 500% and Smoldering to 500% and a built Meteor; you just wouldn’t be able to do LoN with a missing multiplier.
If we talk about a 1H weapon for Meteor, then Nutcracker would be my favorite… I think a nice Mace would be more fitting for Meteor than some puny wooden stick or slim sword.
Smoldering Core is a 2handed Staff, bu if Nilfurs Boast multiplier would get put on a 1handed Sword or a Wand (and adjust the multipliers), you could put Vizer in the cube, equip the 1h Wand or Sword, and then also equip an Off-Hand, …
It certainly is a possibility.
Sure, you could do that. But I kind of wish Tal’s would be the go-to meteor set. But this would involve redesigning Tal’s. It’s probably easier to put in a new source.
The whole point of moving Nilfur Boast Special Affix to a Weapon (prefereably a 1handed one) is to nerf Meteor Channeling so that Etched Sigil can keep its current bonus.
The discrepancy in power between Meteor and other skills that can be proced by Etched is so large - at least in parts - because of Nilfur’s Boast, since that are boots. All other skills that can be proced by Etched have their multipliers on weapons or other off-hands (with Energy Twister being the exception).
So if you kill Nilfurs Boast, then Etched theoretically could keep its current form. That is the idea.
This is deeply flawed thinking, tbh. You need to reconsider this 
It’s been stated before, but they should consider buffing the meteor damage modifier of the Tal-Rasha orb, but keep it a non-legendary affix so it can’t be cubed. Then they can either introduce a new weapon for meteor or change Fragment of Destiny so that it’s second damage modifier is global (which would also serve to buff meteor). Lastly buff smoldering core so that it can serve as a contender for the cube weapon slot against the grand vizier (that’s assuming that the 4th slot is temporary).
I wouldn’t mind Tal-Rasha being redesigned a bit so that it would be more meteor oriented. But honestly I don’t think a redesign would be necessary to achieve that.
I seriously doubt they would put it on a crafted item. More likely a new item. None of the remaining ones really make sense. Starfire did, but they used that one already.
As far as channeled spells… Slorak could be redesigned for Disintegrate and Blackhand Key for Ray of Frost. Dunno about Arcane Torrrent.
Which would be bad, so… let’s not do that. Meteor needs to have a 1h and Source. Especially a Source - probably one with bonus AP/crit so we can sustain Meteor bombing.
The problem I have with Tal’s is that it’s a 4 Element set, which really kills our choice of skills. I don’t mind Tal’s, but I don’t want it to be the ONLY way to play Meteor. LoN at least needs to be a possibility.
Firebirds is in theme, but I don’t know if they would redesign it AGAIN…
Think about it this way. If they kill Nilfur’s Boast and put the Legendary Affix on a 1h Weapon with adjusted numbers, then they also could buff Etched Sigil in its current form, which would bring ALL Etched Sigil builds higher in power instead of overbuffing Meteor.
That can work, especially since there are not many other Off-Hands for this builds that could compete with it for this build.
Or are you saying keep Nilfur’s Boast and on top of that put a large Meteor multiplier on the Firebirds Eye?
That sounds like too much weapons (plus two Offhands: Etched in its current form and the Firebirds Offhand) that buff Meteor. Even when you can not equip all of them, but it just sounds like too much.
But I can see the point for increasing the Meteor damage on Firebirds, although that would compete with Etched for a Meteor Channelling build.
Yeah, that is probably the only downside to it.
Although, in season you still first had to find the plans…
Smoldering Core is never going to compete as long as Vizier has 50% cost reduction. It costs flippin’ 40 AP, remember?
Again, very flawed thinking; you are aware there is a kanai’s cube, right?
My wife almost exclusively plays LoD meteors (with occasional excursions to make locus work on the WD) and she was not happy about the Etched Sigil change. Her favorite part of the whole build is the channeling. If the channeling and the meteors are the problem, buffing the channeling skills themselves, would be an acceptable swap. As has been suggested above, maybe make Deathwish and Etched Sigil excursively buff the channel spells, add damage to the items that buff the spell that already exist, and add something to the channeling belt. That might do it.
Sure, but it also takes away Deathwish.
Currently in the Meteor Channelling build, you have Deathwish and Etched equipped and The Grand Vizir in the cube. Now, if Niflur’s Boast gets turned into a 1handed weapon, you either have to unequip Deathwish, replace The Grand Vizer in the cube with this new 1handed weapon or drop this new 1handed weapon (aka the Nilfur’s Boast bonus).
Then, Etched Sigil can be buffed, which would make all Etched builds stronger and not overbuff Meteor.