The first thing to understand about Arcanist is what you are actually capable of, which is a bit more complex than with some other classes. You’re not a healer, but you do have the option to heal. You’re not pure DPS compared to a Thaumaturge, but you can pump out some damage. No, your greatest strength lies in debuffing, debilitating, and generally swapping roles as necessary — because you can do a lot of stuff.
Core abilities
Ruin iconRuin: The non-elemental Ruin line makes its appearance once again, and astute players will notice right away that it has a ridiculously low attack potency of 80. Compare that to most damage spells starting higher, and you’ll swiftly realize that Ruin is there to fill out the spaces when you’re not using more useful stuff.
Tips for Arcanists
Your priorities on solo fights are pretty simple: pull with Miasma, hit Bio, then hit Ruin while your Carbuncle of choice does its thing. If you or Carby run low on health, bust out Physick. You won’t find many targets that really require Virus, Aetherflow, or Energy Drain while out on your own unless you pull two things by accident. It’s actually pretty easy to juggle two targets at once; wait until one is nearly dead, then let Carby and DoTs finish off the first target while you pull ahead and hopefully continue your EXP chain.