by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Books have often been society’s only bastion of light for passing along knowledge that would otherwise be lost to time or convoluted by the oral tradition. In order to provide new and old adventurers with as much knowledge of what to expect on their journey in Sanctuary, we created this tome of knowledge – Ars Arcanum. We will regularly feature a Legendary weapon or armor piece, discussing its stand-alone powers and capabilities, as well as how it may synergize with new builds or other items.

I’d like to take this week to look at a class-specific item that was introduced as in Season Three for Wizards. As noted previously, the bracers slot is one where much utility can be gained from a cavalcade of interesting choices. Ranslor’s Folly enables a powerful opportunity for Wizards to gain some crowd control from a skill that was stripped of its glory after the death of the Critical Mass playstyle (which, as you may recall, was all about crowd control).

Why is it good?

The Legendary power on Ranslor’s Folly operates as a pull, which would be super great if you could also wear Strongarm Bracers at the same time. Alas, you cannot, but this doesn’t instantly relegate these bracers to the trash pile. The ability to control enemies and prevent them from wandering where you don’t want them to cannot and should not be taken lightly. Not only does this gameplay allow for better Meteor strikezones (slotting this as an interesting choice for Wizards in the Tal Rasha’s Elements set), it also provides some utility for parties where support Wizards may be able to leverage Delsere’s Magnum Opus and keep enemies trapped in their bubble mazes.

You may be thinking, “Don’t Wizards have Black Hole? Why not just use that?” Cooldowns, my friend. Cooldowns. Black Hole is a skill with a relatively decent cooldown while Energy Twister not only received some buffs in its casting, placement, and usage, but its main limitation rests in the amount of Arcane Power you’re willing to commit into casting it all over.

The major consideration, though, is does it pull often enough. That’s up to you to decide. There is a bit of a wait before the enemies are sucked in, but as long as you’re playing smartly, it should still benefit you overall.

Who is it good for?

Non-Wizards need not apply.

Where can I find it?

As I mentioned above, this is a Season Three exclusive item right now, so only Wizards participating in the latest season can find this. It’ll drop anywhere once you reach Level 70 and can also be gambled from Kadala.

The Fluff

Ranslor, the chief crafter to the High Vizjerei, was concerned that the power contained within these bracers would prove too much for even the most seasoned warrior, so he scoured waterfront taverns for unfortunate souls to test them. After several catastrophic failures, he was so certain he had solved the problem he tried them himself. The bracers were found by his assistant in a pile of ash.

I like the story painted here. The flavor text almost exists as a warning to those who may try to use these on their character. Not only are you dealing in powerful magic, you also have to actually be rather cognizant of where you place your Energy Twisters, since tons of enemies will soon be arriving at that location. Panic and place them too close to you Wizard and you may just make your situation far worse than it previously was! Now you know what the folly was.