Delsere’s Magnum Opus is the newest Wizard set, added in Patch 2.2.0. Focused on turning the utility-oriented skill Slow Time into a synergistic skill of destruction, many players have found they can integrate aspects of this new set into a Tal Rasha’s Elements build. We’re looking at an equally thematic and effective take on the “DelRasha’s” build today with Corvid#2114’s Bubble Trouble Wizard!

About the Build:

The Delsere’s Magnum Opus set is designed to take a skill normally reserved for utility play and flipping it on its head to bring damage to the table. It’s pretty satisfying to drop a few of these massive bubbles on the map and watch your enemies melt while they shamble hopelessly toward you. The Meteor skill, in and of itself, benefits supremely from the enemy debuffs Slow Time provides and it was only a matter of time before players began to combine Tal Rasha’s Elements and its death from above gameplay with the Delsere’s set.

Don't burst my bubbles, bro.

While there’s plenty of top end combo builds out there that branch off this style of play, we’re focusing on the more thematic approach that EU player Corvid#2114 sent in. Why stop at Slow Time when you can cover the screen with a variety of bubble-themed skills?

The Skills:

There’s a major theme in this build and it’s “bubbles everywhere!” Between multiple Slow Time casts and a few other thematic abilities, you’ll be able to keep up a truly bubbly countenance.

Active Skills:

• Arcane Orb (Frozen Orb)
  • Fits the theme; a “bubble” that you throw
  • Synergizes naturally with the Delsere’s Magnum Opus set, reducing the cooldown of Slow Time
  • Cold element activates one Meteor option of Tal Rasha’s Elements
• Black Hole (Supermassive)
  • Fits the theme; a “bubble” that sucks in and traps your enemies
  • Synergizes well with Slow Time, keeping enemies at bay and frequently locked down
  • Lightning element activates one Meteor option of Tal Rasha’s Elements
• Energy Armor (Force Armor)
  • Fits the theme; this “bubble” protects you at all times
  • Helps combat a Wizard’s inherent squishiness on multiple levels
• Magic Weapon (Force Weapon)
  • Powers up all your abilities, ensuring you’re maximizing your available damage
• Slow Time (Time Warp)
  • The main theme – this is the bubble, and you’ll be casting lots of them!
  • Integral to any Delsere’s Magnum Opus build, offering both damage and utility
  • Stacking either Fire or Arcane bonus damage will activate another Meteor from Tal Rasha’s Elements
• Teleport (Safe Passage)
  • The trusty Wizard go-to for an escape
  • Safe Passage buys you a little more time if things truly turn ugly

Passive Skills:

• Blur
  • Beefs up the build to keep it in the action longer
• Illusionist
  • Helps keep the cooldowns managed on both Teleport and Slow Time
  • Adds a little more mobility to the Wizard by granting you movement speed whenever you’re casting one of these two handy utility spells
• Evocation
  • Reduces all your cooldowns, which is particularly helpful for keeping Black Hole available
• Unstable Anomaly
  • A safety net for when things go awry, granting you a reliable second-life

The Items:

There are a few stiff requirements in this build by virtue of the need to include two sets. However, there’s room for some flexibility with your weapon, ring, and bracer slots to suit your tastes.

Corvid's still hunting an Ancient Sunkeeper to experiment with in this build. Looking great so far!

Recommended Items:

• Delsere’s Magnum Opus (4-piece bonus)
  • Recommended pieces include Shoulders, Legs, and Boots
  • Turns Slow Time into a sizeable damage dealer
• Tal Rasha’s Elements (6-piece bonus)
  • Recommended pieces include Gloves, Chest, Amulet, Source, and Belt
  • Provides the extra oomph this build needs to progress into higher level Greater Rifts
  • Stacks nicely with Delsere’s Magnum Opus especially when integrating multiple elemental options between Slow Time, Arcane Orb, and Black Hole
• Ring of Royal Grandeur
  • Necessary to acquire the set bonuses from both Delsere’s and Tal Rasha’s

Complementary Items:

• Leoric’s Crown
  • When socketed with a Diamond, provides substantial Cooldown Reduction for skills like Black Hole and Teleport
• Crown of the Primus
  • If you’d prefer to go more Slow Time focused, vastly increases the utility of the skill by providing every rune
  • Great as a more support-oriented option

Recommended Legendary Gems:

• Bane of the Trapped
  • You’ll keep the bonus damage up from this Legendary gem through ample use of your Slow Time ability
• Molten Wildebeest’s Gizzard
  • As all Wizards know, they are super squishy and the Rank 25 shielding ability from this gem helps keep you in the action
• Bane of the Powerful
  • Clear times are pretty quick from pack to pack, allowing you to capitalize on this gem’s benefit

Recommended Stats:

• Cooldown Reduction should be a priority, as you’ll rely on Teleport and Black Hole to keep you out of danger and enemies at bay
• Due to the nature of Delsere’s Magnum Opus, pick one +% Elemental Damage and stick with it; this changes what type of damage your Slow Time will do. Corvid prefers stacking +% Fire damage as a way to proc the Fire Meteor from Tal Rasha’s Elements
• Armor should be your primary Toughness stat to stack, as it complements Intelligence users well and you’ll want to combat your inherent squishiness

Why We Like This Build:

The combination play between these two sets just works, which is why it’s become such a popular build amongst Wizards. What we really dig about Corvid’s build, though, is the extra step taken to combine skills thematically. One realizes pretty quickly how literally well-rounded Wizard skills are when you look at all the ways you can incorporate spheres into your play. Corvid does this thoughtfully and effectively, resulting in a fun iteration on a popular build with room to refine.

It's hard to be witty about this one — let's just appreciate how great a screenshot this is.

Tell Us What You Think!

How many of you out there run a variation of “DelRasha’s?” Does Corvid’s Bubble Trouble build come close to your take? What tweaks would you make to this build to improve it? We’d love to know in the comments section, so join us and share your thoughts or send your own build in here!

Next week, we’ll brood over a new build with the Demon Hunter. See you then!