Which artifact is more needed?

[TheLimonTree]

So while I know you can get your second artifact fairly quickly, I was still wondering if one spec is more dependent on it than the other. I plan mostly to be in havoc for questing and such, but expect to be tanking dungeons quite often and don't want to end up being a terrible tank because I haven't gotten the artifact yet.

[Echil46]

I'm not in the alpha, but, I think maybe you should pick the Vengeance Artifact ? I mean, you only have 10 levels to kind of learn how the spec is played, so if you really plan on being a tank at 110, you should probably focus on it. As I understand it, you level up your artifacts, so it would be weird to level the Havoc glaives during the pexing phase, then put them aside and use untouched tank glaives.

Well I plan on being a tank, I'll start with the tank glaives.

[Amerissis]

So while I know you can get your second artifact fairly quickly, I was still wondering if one spec is more dependent on it than the other. I plan mostly to be in havoc for questing and such, but expect to be tanking dungeons quite often and don't want to end up being a terrible tank because I haven't gotten the artifact yet.

You don't get any other weapon, so you will need your artifact for every spec you play.

[Zenny]

Take whatever you plan to focus on at max level, tank dps will be tuned at around 75% of DPS numbers so questing will go almost as quick (you will be able to pull more mobs as a tank offsetting the slightly lower DPS). On the flip side, Havoc has plenty of sustain and healing as well so questing will be smooth on that too. Assuming tuning is done correctly I can't see the leveling speed between the two to be massively different.

[TheLimonTree]

You don't get any other weapon, so you will need your artifact for every spec you play.

Yeah, I was more asking if I pick Havoc artifact first, and then do a dungeon before I get the veng one, am I basically half a tank for not having it yet, as I'm not sure how quickly you get them both.

[Amerissis]

Yeah, I was more asking if I pick Havoc artifact first, and then do a dungeon before I get the veng one, am I basically half a tank for not having it yet, as I'm not sure how quickly you get them both.

Well, when you have the Havoc artifact, you'll be DPS and can't tank in a dungeon. Your Vengeance spec won't have a weapon, so you can't use that spec. If you want to tank in a dungeon, you'll have to spec Vengeance and get that artifact first and level/DPS in your Vengeance spec until you get the Havoc artifact and can switch spec (at 110).

[Sitron]

I started out as Havoc, and I think I were able to do the Vengeance artifact quest somewhere around lvl 105. Not sure if thats how its going to be when everything's all sorted though.

[TheLimonTree]

Well, when you have the Havoc artifact, you'll be DPS and can't tank in a dungeon. Your Vengeance spec won't have a weapon, so you can't use that spec. If you want to tank in a dungeon, you'll have to spec Vengeance and get that artifact first and level/DPS in your Vengeance spec until you get the Havoc artifact and can switch spec (at 110).

Can't even switch specs and use the glaives from the starting area?

[Amerissis]

Can't even switch specs and use the glaives from the starting area?

Not sure, but if you can, they will become weak soon once you level.

[gcsmith]

much better to get tank glaives, more than good enough to level

[Felancelan]

I say start vengance, with all the mobs scaling to be your level anyway might as well pick up how to play, plus you will be getting more artifact power as you level.

That said havoc seems to have good sustain atm, alot more mobility too. Demon Hunters are in a weird place because they get talents as they level up, every other class gets their max talents at 100 still.

Both seem to rely on their artifact but vengance seems to rely on their artifact more, one major trait being a leech to their fire damage.

[BubbaDuke]

Can't even switch specs and use the glaives from the starting area?

You'd probably get shat on trying to use those glaives at 110. There is a huge ramp up of power from 100->110.

BUT, you can get the Vengeance glaives pretty easily from what I've read, and the only thing you'll be lacking is artifact knowledge, which you should acquire just from playing that spec.

[Akurenia]

^Yea you can do the Vengeance questline with Havoc spec/Havoc weps. I did it yesterday and almost died a few times since the mobs in there hit hard but it's nothing too major.

[Magistrate]

I'm pretty sure you can use the DPS glaives in tank spec, you just wont have the benefit of the right stats or artifact traits.

[Vanyali]

I'm pretty sure you can use the DPS glaives in tank spec, you just wont have the benefit of the right stats or artifact traits.

They're locked to spec. You cannot use them if you're not that spec.

[Raetary]

I'm pretty sure you can use the DPS glaives in tank spec, you just wont have the benefit of the right stats or artifact traits.

you cant, the artifacts are spec locked.

[Deleted]

Atm on the alpha, maxing out your artifact is a huge grind. It takes forever to gather artifact power which unlocks different traits and even some abilities, and you are obviously balanced around having this shit. This makes for having an offspec a pain, because you obviously wont be upgrading your off spec, hence you are miles behind anyone else who does this.

Tldr: You kind of have to pick the artifact depending on what you plan to play as.

[TechGnosis]

Amerissis is wrong about not being able to get your second weapon until 110, you can do it as early as 102 as I recall. The main issue your going to have is the weapon basically acts like talents. Obviously your going to be lacking survival / dps (depending on which one is your main / secondary) on your secondary for a while. I was highly concerned about this as I wish to level with a few friends as tank, but because I miss two raids a month, I have to have dps as my primary role. Normally I would be lacking in a fair bit of dps as my weapon wouldn't be leveled up, but Blizz recently addressed this in a post by Watcher.

Max-level players in this build may notice an important new Artifact feature. The researcher/scribe NPC in your Class Hall will offer you a quest to retrieve a set of tomes from around the world. Once these are recovered, you can instruct your researcher to work on deciphering these tomes. Each step of research will require some Order Resources (which are primarily obtained through World Quests), and will grant increased "Artifact Knowledge."

Increasing Artifact Knowledge permanently increases your rate of Artifact Power gains, and this bonus applies to all artifact weapons your character may possess. (And no, Artifact Power items obtained at a lower Knowledge level won't automatically update, so hoarding items for future use won't benefit you.) This system is key to the pacing of overall artifact progression, and to making it easier for players to maintain multiple artifacts if they so desire. For example, at Knowledge Level 7, you would be earning Artifact Power at over triple the base rate. Thus, if you wanted to switch to a spec you hadn't yet tried at that point, you'd find yourself very quickly able to get that artifact up to par with your primary one.

As your scribes progress through their translation and research, you will fill in pages of a great tome in your Class Hall that provides more backstory and information about your artifact (this is not yet fully hooked up for some classes). Finally, in the live game, the speed at which your researchers can work will increase as the expansion progresses, allowing latecomers or alts to catch up on their artifact progress.

The tuning of the experience and Knowledge curves is still in flux.

[Deleted]

Amerissis is wrong about not being able to get your second weapon until 110, you can do it as early as 102 as I recall. The main issue your going to have is the weapon basically acts like talents. Obviously your going to be lacking survival / dps (depending on which one is your main / secondary) on your secondary for a while. I was highly concerned about this as I wish to level with a few friends as tank, but because I miss two raids a month, I have to have dps as my primary role. Normally I would be lacking in a fair bit of dps as my weapon wouldn't be leveled up, but Blizz recently addressed this in a post by Watcher.

I fail to see how this will help us at all. If you increase the rate at which you gain artifact power, you will just use that increased amount on your current artifact, untill you are maxed out. If you start over and start upgrading your secondary artifact, you will just be even further behind on your first, and now your secondary artifact.

The only way I really see this helping would be 1) You max out your weapon quickly, and therefore you can spend any excess amount of AP on your secondary artifact. This is dull though, as it removes a lot of incentive to go out and do shit, if you no longer can gain any more perks. 2) For every X amount of artifact power (let's say 100), you get 10 to spend on your secondary artifact. This way you could continue working on your main artifact without feeling like a complete gimp when switching to your secondary artifact. And you wont have to feel bad about spending artifact on your secondary weapon, unless you need that tiny bit extra to reach a juicy artifact perk

[Raiju]

If you're going ot level by questing the the havoc artifact first but just don't spend your artifact power you get on it - it's all in consumable item form. Vengeance is painfully slow quest leveling.

Put your leveling relics into havoc, at 99/100 put the best ones you get into vengeance and pool your artifact power into vengeance.