Arcane Orb

Active Skill · Secondary · Wizard

5 Runes
From level 5

Effect

Cost: 30 Arcane Power

Hurl an orb of pure energy that explodes on contact, dealing 435% weapon damage as Arcane to all enemies within 15 yards.

Runes

5 Runes

Obliteration

from level 11 · Arcane damage · Proc coefficient 0.655

Increase the speed of the orb and its damage to 700% weapon damage as Arcane, but reduce the area of effect to 8 yards.
Arcane Orbit

from level 20 · Arcane damage · Proc coefficient 0.0093

Create 4 Arcane Orbs that orbit you, exploding for 265% weapon damage as Arcane when enemies get close.
Spark

from level 32 · Lightning damage · Proc coefficient 0.1

Lob an electrified orb over enemies that zaps them for 349% weapon damage as Lightning and increases the damage of the next Lightning spell you cast by 2% for every enemy hit up to a maximum of 15.
Scorch

from level 45 · Fire damage · Proc coefficient 0.067

Launch a burning orb that deals 221% weapon damage as Fire. The orb leaves behind a wall of Fire that deals 734% weapon damage as Fire over 5 seconds.
Frozen Orb

from level 55 · Cold damage · Proc coefficient 0.067

Create an orb of frozen death that shreds an area with ice bolts, dealing 950% weapon damage as Cold.

The proc coefficient scales the chance of on-hit effects (e.g. legendary powers, gems, Life per Hit) for each hit of the skill. Game files, version 2.8.0.

Arcane Orb

Arcane Orb is a spender that hurls an orb of energy which explodes on impact, spreading arcane damage in a radius. As reliable area damage it works well for catching groups, and its runes cover nearly every element, making it a flexible damage core for many Wizard builds.

Frozen Orb is a popular pick for cold setups, since it deals high cold damage in a shredding zone and pairs nicely with chill-based synergies like Cold Blooded. If you want maximum single-target and boss damage, Obliteration focuses the orb into a smaller but far harder-hitting impact. For defensive range control, Arcane Orbit spawns four orbs circling you that punish charging enemies. Arcane Orb thus adapts to both the damage profile and the desired element of your build while always remaining a dependable spender.

Spark and Scorch

Two elemental variants have not come up above yet:

Spark (level 32): an electrified orb dealing 349% weapon damage that also boosts your next Lightning spell by 2% per enemy hit, up to a maximum of 15. Arcane Orb becomes a set-up for another Lightning spell.
Scorch (level 45): a burning orb dealing 221% that leaves a wall of Fire behind – the wall deals 734% weapon damage as Fire over 5 seconds. Most of the damage therefore comes from the wall.

For comparison: Frozen Orb reaches 950% Cold damage, and Obliteration 700% with only an 8-yard radius. In practice, Frozen Orb is played almost exclusively.

Triumvirate and Wizardspike

Triumvirate (source): your Signature spells increase Arcane Orb damage by 300–400% for 6 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. A free Signature spell like Spectral Blade between orbs keeps the stacks up.
Wizardspike (dagger): every attack has a 25% chance to hurl a Frozen Orb, and Arcane Orb damage rises by 300–350%. This fits the Frozen Orb rune.

Delsere's Magnum Opus

The set includes Arcane Orb in its bonuses: hits cast Slow Time on the target, you take 75% less damage while Slow Time is active, and with 6 pieces enemies inside the bubble take 20,000% increased damage from the orb. Typical partners are Teleport, Storm Armor, Magic Weapon and the passives Power Hungry, Galvanizing Ward and Illusionist.

by eRnstl