The Archon


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style="font-weight: bold;">Archon
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/93781/"> style="font-weight: bold;">Calling: Mage

Role: Support

Primary Attribute: Int



While support classes may not be the most popular souls in Rift, they
can be very powerful when played properly. Residing among the Mage
calling, the Archon is one of the best support souls in the game. A
powerful mix of draining enemies and buffing allies, the Archon can
easily be the difference maker in a close battle.


Pros

  • Increases effectivness of all other roles
  • Highly versatile in groups
  • Pairs well with DPS or Healing builds

Cons

  • Support soul DPS is weak
  • Requires superb timing to be most effective
  • Lacks survivability




Overview



With so many souls (and so many roles) available to each calling, style="font-style: italic;">Rift is able to
dedicate entire talent trees to aspects that many games can only hint
at. The Archon soul is predicated on debuffing enemies and turning
their power against them in the form of powerful buffs for their
allies. Think of them as the Robin Hood of style="font-style: italic;">Rift souls. Built
around a 5 minute cycle of auras that drain foes, weaken the mage and
then buff the party, the Archon requires constant upkeep by the player
and usually someone to watch their back when they are at their most
vulnerable.

Solo Play



As a primary soul there is absolutely no plausible reason to even
attempt to solo as an Archon. Even though they do put out surprisingly
good DPS for a support class; there is little consolation in knowing
you are the best of the worst. Players with their hearts set on playing
only as an Archon will need to have ultimate patience, or the good
sense to purchase a second role and solo as a Pyromancer.

Group Play



The Archon was designed around grouping and while 5 player groups may
not see a ton of upside during leveling content, the benefits will be
hard to live without at end game. The ability to increase every facet
of the group while simultaneously robbing opponents of their strength
makes the Archon excellent in both PvE and PvP, with players who excel
at the soul quickly finding themselves with a reputation that borders
on reverence.

Pairs Best With


Chloromancer

Mixing the power of the Archon with the healing of the Chloromancer can
make for one of the best utility classes in the game. With little
duplication of talents and few wasted points, the benefits are
immediate in this pairing. At 16 points spent, the Chloromancer adds
tons of healing, increased statistics and adds a considerable buff to
the casters DPS. Empowered Veil, Phytogensis and Synthesis are three
must haves in the talent tree.  

Dominator

The official game recommendation for the tertiary pairing for the
Archon is the Warlock, and while that is a solid choice with plenty of
upside – adding the Dominator will create the ultimate support build.
The Dominator is famous for its crowd control and Transmogrify is a
freebie that is added just for selecting this soul. A bargain pairing
at 8 points spent will also add a devastating mana siphon, a passive
damage shield with a 30 minute duration and a spell reflect to the
mix. 


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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