I'll look into those bracers, although I'll probably have a hard time finding a group for that now that I'm lvl 6. Turbine really needs to work on their Compendium, that thing is useless, just a static list. I can't even look up stats or anything... not all DDO players own the D&D books! Ranged... yeah maybe I'll keep a crossbow next time I find one. It was fun swinging the Muckbane around in Catacombs the other day though, but with my wimpy Wizard STR I had no fear of ever getting any aggro. Making cash in DDO - since there's no actual economy and the AH seems to be insanely inflated, am I pretty much screwed until I'm high-level and able to sell stuff myself at insanely inflated prices?
Economy wise, make sure you start selling to the specific brokers in the various houses...not the general guys in the marketplace. They pay MUCH more. The bracers in question are "armored bracers", and you can find them at level 6 that are equal to the WW bracers I believe.
Have I not noticed the house brokers? I usually just find some vendor (any type) in whichever ward I'm in... guess I'll take some time and take an NPC Tour next time I login...
If you can't buy D Door scrolls, do they drop as loot?
Also, do mages get to pick a new spell when leveling up or do they only get to pick at first level? [My main is a cleric, but I am having fun with a WF Pally/Mage, haven't trained for 3rd yet]
Oh another question: I've acquired three items that give extra SP. Do these stack or am I only getting whatever the max single +SP item is giving? I'm still on a trip so I can't login and check.
Talyn did you use the default wiz build or did you follow another build? Thought I would just dabble in a caster alt see how much I can suck at it haha. I saw several with 18 int rest stats all 10 except Con wich was at 12 I think.
Dunno if that is good or not. Turbine build has 17 int and 12/13 I think in DEX. Then I don't know what feats to pick.
I'm just about certain I used the default build, but I don't remember. I plan to use the wizard as my main, so the whole "unlock a 32 point build" thing is a little distressing if I'll end up having to re-roll the wizard to get a better build out of him.
Unlocking 32pt builds basically means you'd have +1 more in your best stat. Slightly annoying, but not exactly a gamebreaker.
My wizard's main damage is his greataxe, so can't help ya on that part.
Wands are fine at lower levels. As the levels increase, you may not use them other than for when you wouldn't have wasted sp to cast anything at that time anyway. Beats selling them. Maybe.
If you don't feel you're pulling your weight, at the worst just throw firewalls or a dance spell, cast the proper Resists on those who need them, and keep the party Hasted and Blurred. Throwing a displacement on the tank during fights is nice, too. Point is, when in doubt, use your sp to buff other people, and they'll love you for it.
Oh another question: I've acquired three items that give extra SP. Do these stack or am I only getting whatever the max single +SP item is giving? I'm still on a trip so I can't login and check.
Yeah I found out the hard way they don't stack after I took another +SP quest reward from a long quest chain. /frown
What I've been doing recently is bringing along Magic Missile, Scorching Ray and Fireball for my damage spells, then loading up Blur, Resist Energy, Heroism, Strength of the Bull (I think that's the name?) and Haste for buffing purposes, and I always get "thank you" over VOIP for those, so I figure that's the best way to go.
Dinged 7 last week so I've had a chance to use Fire Wall a time or two, that one's fun! I definitely have to choose the casting time wisely, because I become an automatic aggro magnet afterward.
A lot of wizards in DDO play their class BADLY (Sorcs are even worse) in a group.
In a group, as a wizard, your job is not to kill every mob the party encounters.
As an instakill/nuke wizard In most fights you are probably better off just sitting back, taking a chill and watching the fighters do their jobs. It's the BIG fights, the ones that could wipe the party, where the wizard and sorcs should be stepping in. Not wasting mana along the way, especially at the high levels.
At the low levels save those maximized empowered scorching rays till the group NEEDS them to survive against that nasty monster the warriors are barely scratching. For the most part a good group will mow through any non-orange/red monsters in the dungeon. The oranges and reds are where the casters should be stepping up the heat.
At the very lowest levels this is even true. As an example: The Butchers Path.
Through the normal corridor encounters the Wiz/Sorc really should be saving their mana, not going nuts trying to kill every critter. They should be waiting for the 'choke point' fights at the doors and tunnel ends where dozens of nasty little kobolds (especially the shaman!!!) are waiting. Then cutting lose with maximized burning hands or empowered (dpending which of those feats you took at level 1) and roasting a bunch of the badguys at once with 1 or 2 shots. Then not casting anything again till the next bottleneck. This allows the party to survive the dungeon and conserves the wizards power pool till it's needed most.
Played properly a wizard should never run out of power. Especially in a group with a cleric that knows what they're doing and took DV as an enhancement.
As a crowd control wizard you will be a bit more involved but your spells use a LOT less mana because they don't need to be maximized (or even extended generally), just heightened. And you will generally be tossing far fewer of them per fight. 1 or 2 hypnos will lock down an army... then the party can pick them apart one at a time. Timely charms can make a dungeon much easier.... etc. Glitterdust is great for big fights too as it affects nearly every critter in the game, even at the highest levels.
I generally bring a mix to the table... playing crowd control when needed and having 1 or 2 big booms to toss out when needed as well. I rarely run out of spellpoints before we reach the next shrine. A big part of that is knowing when to cut loose and when you need to restrain yourself.
Oh read your necro post further down about loot and selling...
Anytime you get decent items that you don't need but aren't good enough for the auction house sell them to a BROKER rather than a vendor. Brokers pay far more than a vendor would for an item. So if the vendor is offering 1000 gold for an item a broker will probably give you 1400 or so.
Broker locations:
Weapons: House Deneith (low level broker in Marketplace)
Armor: House Kundark (low level broker in Marketplace)
Jewelry/Clothing: Marketplace (currently in the rusty nail tavern near STK)
Anything the brokers won't buy take to the newbie tavern in the harbor (not dinghy, the first one you go to as a newbie). He pays a slightly higher rate than the vendors elsewhere in the game.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online. Sig image Pending Still in: A couple Betas
Most casters out there are just not team players anymore, I think mod 4 really started fostering this and mod 5 just emphasised their uberness. Now many of them are having a hard time adjusting back to being a team player.
No ones saying don;t have fun with your character, but utilise all your spells not just the insta-kill ones, and don;t be afraid to try new things. Experiment and play around with your spells instead of just following the flavor of the month. For example, I still cannot understand why so many casters still insist on trying to PK Beholders, PK allows 2 saves and has a good chance to draw aggro if it doesnt work. Personally I like feebleminding Beholders, it doesn't aggro on a failed save, allows one save and basically neuters beholders so the melees can walk right in and have some fun also.
I am really dissapointed by a large majority of the Arcane community in DDO, for the most part the are selfish and unimaginative. Of course there are exceptions......
<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Elnator</i> <p>Played properly a wizard should never run out of power.</p></b></blockquote>
With all the buffs some groups want, a wiz can easily run out of juice. The group members often don't even have one resist (fire, acid, etc) item (or potion) on them, EVERYONE wants Greater Heroism whether they need it or not, etc. Within the first minute of an instance, a wiz can be down half his sp just from buffing people.
Having said that, your statement would often be correct even for that scenario since "a properly played wizard" would tell people "no" if they want every buff under the sun and don't need it.
The only AoE buff (or group buff, whatever DDO players call them) I currently have is the protection from evil one. I'll Blur the whole group, I might lesser Heroism everyone, but I only give the +STR buff to the fighter-types so far, and I've only been hasting usually one or two melee-types (the battles don't last long enough to do more). Once I get the group buff versions of those, it won't be as big a deal, but for now, I'm being picky about who gets what buffs. It saves SP for me and, if they won't get a benefit from a specific buff, no sense in having it.
My lvl 16 Sorc does not have many group buffs. The ones I use are: Haste, Stoneskin, Displacement, Jump and Greater Heroism. Even then, the only reason I have these spells is because "I" want/need them.
I do not have Resistences and protecion spells nor insta-death spells such as Finger of Death or Phantasmal Killer.
My Sorcerer has a pretty unorthodox build which supprts my play style. All I need is to finish my two bracers to gain Greater Disruption Guard and Slay Living Guard then I'll be unstopable! Muahahahaha...
<p>Played properly a wizard should never run out of power.</p></b></blockquote> With all the buffs some groups want, a wiz can easily run out of juice. The group members often don't even have one resist (fire, acid, etc) item (or potion) on them, EVERYONE wants Greater Heroism whether they need it or not, etc. Within the first minute of an instance, a wiz can be down half his sp just from buffing people. Having said that, your statement would often be correct even for that scenario since "a properly played wizard" would tell people "no" if they want every buff under the sun and don't need it.
Typically speaking? That's exactly correct.
Between potions and house P buffs party members should be taking care of their own resists and buff needs (other than a few situational ones) I also often take care of many 'wizard buffs' even for myself, with wands I find. Like stoneskin, resist energy, protection from energy. I don't even buy the wands. Between ones I find and ones the party finds and gives to me I have never had to buy a wand other than repair wands (I play warforged wizzy) with which I heal myself.
I don't give out blurs because, frankly, most parties don't need it. Sure it's 20% less damage but in most situations it's 20% that isn't really necessary... if it is, I'll usually let the bard blur if one is in the group, theirs is just as good and their mana pool is a lot less strained than a wizards since they aren't tossing nukes around. That or I'll use a wand, I have 3 or 4 actually, all from loot.
I don't give out stoneskin, hardly at all... unless there's an absolute need for it. Most times the only person that needs stoneskin in a group is the caster (that would be me).
Another thing to remember:
If for some reason you DO need to hand out loads of buffs make sure the cleric can DV you or tell the party you aren't buffing. Sure you can burn half your mana handing out buffs but if you have a cleric who has DV he can easily pump you back up to full power before you roll (or while you're rolling, as DV can be cast 'on the run').
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online. Sig image Pending Still in: A couple Betas
The only AoE buff (or group buff, whatever DDO players call them) I currently have is the protection from evil one. I'll Blur the whole group, I might lesser Heroism everyone, but I only give the +STR buff to the fighter-types so far, and I've only been hasting usually one or two melee-types (the battles don't last long enough to do more). Once I get the group buff versions of those, it won't be as big a deal, but for now, I'm being picky about who gets what buffs. It saves SP for me and, if they won't get a benefit from a specific buff, no sense in having it.
Haste is AOE
I cast haste ONCE before big fights. If the melee classes can't be arsed to be in range of the AOE then I can't be bothered to make sure they get it. I call 'gather for haste' then wait a few seconds and fire. Anyone who didn't get to me in time doesn't get haste.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online. Sig image Pending Still in: A couple Betas
Comments
Economy wise, make sure you start selling to the specific brokers in the various houses...not the general guys in the marketplace. They pay MUCH more. The bracers in question are "armored bracers", and you can find them at level 6 that are equal to the WW bracers I believe.
Have I not noticed the house brokers? I usually just find some vendor (any type) in whichever ward I'm in... guess I'll take some time and take an NPC Tour next time I login...
If you can't buy D Door scrolls, do they drop as loot?
Also, do mages get to pick a new spell when leveling up or do they only get to pick at first level? [My main is a cleric, but I am having fun with a WF Pally/Mage, haven't trained for 3rd yet]
<p align=center><a target=_blank href=http://www.nodiatis.com/personality.htm><img border=0 src=http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/20.jpg></a></p>;
Oh another question: I've acquired three items that give extra SP. Do these stack or am I only getting whatever the max single +SP item is giving? I'm still on a trip so I can't login and check.
Talyn did you use the default wiz build or did you follow another build? Thought I would just dabble in a caster alt see how much I can suck at it haha. I saw several with 18 int rest stats all 10 except Con wich was at 12 I think.
Dunno if that is good or not. Turbine build has 17 int and 12/13 I think in DEX. Then I don't know what feats to pick.
.. .... .- - . - .-. --- .-.. .-.. ... .-- .... --- .-. . .--. --- .-. - .-.-.-
--------------------------------------------------------
Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
I'm just about certain I used the default build, but I don't remember. I plan to use the wizard as my main, so the whole "unlock a 32 point build" thing is a little distressing if I'll end up having to re-roll the wizard to get a better build out of him.
Unlocking 32pt builds basically means you'd have +1 more in your best stat. Slightly annoying, but not exactly a gamebreaker.
My wizard's main damage is his greataxe, so can't help ya on that part.
Wands are fine at lower levels. As the levels increase, you may not use them other than for when you wouldn't have wasted sp to cast anything at that time anyway. Beats selling them. Maybe.
If you don't feel you're pulling your weight, at the worst just throw firewalls or a dance spell, cast the proper Resists on those who need them, and keep the party Hasted and Blurred. Throwing a displacement on the tank during fights is nice, too. Point is, when in doubt, use your sp to buff other people, and they'll love you for it.
I hate that damn Alltel commercial! Everytime I play my wizard now I think of that stupid commercial and the way they say wizaaad.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, I envy you.
.. .... .- - . - .-. --- .-.. .-.. ... .-- .... --- .-. . .--. --- .-. - .-.-.-
--------------------------------------------------------
Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
They don't stack.
REALITY CHECK
Yeah I found out the hard way they don't stack after I took another +SP quest reward from a long quest chain. /frown
What I've been doing recently is bringing along Magic Missile, Scorching Ray and Fireball for my damage spells, then loading up Blur, Resist Energy, Heroism, Strength of the Bull (I think that's the name?) and Haste for buffing purposes, and I always get "thank you" over VOIP for those, so I figure that's the best way to go.
Dinged 7 last week so I've had a chance to use Fire Wall a time or two, that one's fun!
I definitely have to choose the casting time wisely, because I become an automatic aggro magnet afterward.
A lot of wizards in DDO play their class BADLY (Sorcs are even worse) in a group.
In a group, as a wizard, your job is not to kill every mob the party encounters.
As an instakill/nuke wizard In most fights you are probably better off just sitting back, taking a chill and watching the fighters do their jobs. It's the BIG fights, the ones that could wipe the party, where the wizard and sorcs should be stepping in. Not wasting mana along the way, especially at the high levels.
At the low levels save those maximized empowered scorching rays till the group NEEDS them to survive against that nasty monster the warriors are barely scratching. For the most part a good group will mow through any non-orange/red monsters in the dungeon. The oranges and reds are where the casters should be stepping up the heat.
At the very lowest levels this is even true. As an example: The Butchers Path.
Through the normal corridor encounters the Wiz/Sorc really should be saving their mana, not going nuts trying to kill every critter. They should be waiting for the 'choke point' fights at the doors and tunnel ends where dozens of nasty little kobolds (especially the shaman!!!) are waiting. Then cutting lose with maximized burning hands or empowered (dpending which of those feats you took at level 1) and roasting a bunch of the badguys at once with 1 or 2 shots. Then not casting anything again till the next bottleneck. This allows the party to survive the dungeon and conserves the wizards power pool till it's needed most.
Played properly a wizard should never run out of power. Especially in a group with a cleric that knows what they're doing and took DV as an enhancement.
As a crowd control wizard you will be a bit more involved but your spells use a LOT less mana because they don't need to be maximized (or even extended generally), just heightened. And you will generally be tossing far fewer of them per fight. 1 or 2 hypnos will lock down an army... then the party can pick them apart one at a time. Timely charms can make a dungeon much easier.... etc. Glitterdust is great for big fights too as it affects nearly every critter in the game, even at the highest levels.
I generally bring a mix to the table... playing crowd control when needed and having 1 or 2 big booms to toss out when needed as well. I rarely run out of spellpoints before we reach the next shrine. A big part of that is knowing when to cut loose and when you need to restrain yourself.
Oh read your necro post further down about loot and selling...
Anytime you get decent items that you don't need but aren't good enough for the auction house sell them to a BROKER rather than a vendor. Brokers pay far more than a vendor would for an item. So if the vendor is offering 1000 gold for an item a broker will probably give you 1400 or so.
Broker locations:
Weapons: House Deneith (low level broker in Marketplace)
Armor: House Kundark (low level broker in Marketplace)
Jewelry/Clothing: Marketplace (currently in the rusty nail tavern near STK)
Anything the brokers won't buy take to the newbie tavern in the harbor (not dinghy, the first one you go to as a newbie). He pays a slightly higher rate than the vendors elsewhere in the game.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Agree with EL
Most casters out there are just not team players anymore, I think mod 4 really started fostering this and mod 5 just emphasised their uberness. Now many of them are having a hard time adjusting back to being a team player.
No ones saying don;t have fun with your character, but utilise all your spells not just the insta-kill ones, and don;t be afraid to try new things. Experiment and play around with your spells instead of just following the flavor of the month. For example, I still cannot understand why so many casters still insist on trying to PK Beholders, PK allows 2 saves and has a good chance to draw aggro if it doesnt work. Personally I like feebleminding Beholders, it doesn't aggro on a failed save, allows one save and basically neuters beholders so the melees can walk right in and have some fun also.
I am really dissapointed by a large majority of the Arcane community in DDO, for the most part the are selfish and unimaginative. Of course there are exceptions......
<blockquote><i>Originally posted by Elnator</i>
<p>Played properly a wizard should never run out of power.</p></b></blockquote>
With all the buffs some groups want, a wiz can easily run out of juice. The group members often don't even have one resist (fire, acid, etc) item (or potion) on them, EVERYONE wants Greater Heroism whether they need it or not, etc. Within the first minute of an instance, a wiz can be down half his sp just from buffing people.
Having said that, your statement would often be correct even for that scenario since "a properly played wizard" would tell people "no" if they want every buff under the sun and don't need it.
The only AoE buff (or group buff, whatever DDO players call them) I currently have is the protection from evil one. I'll Blur the whole group, I might lesser Heroism everyone, but I only give the +STR buff to the fighter-types so far, and I've only been hasting usually one or two melee-types (the battles don't last long enough to do more). Once I get the group buff versions of those, it won't be as big a deal, but for now, I'm being picky about who gets what buffs. It saves SP for me and, if they won't get a benefit from a specific buff, no sense in having it.
My lvl 16 Sorc does not have many group buffs. The ones I use are: Haste, Stoneskin, Displacement, Jump and Greater Heroism. Even then, the only reason I have these spells is because "I" want/need them.
I do not have Resistences and protecion spells nor insta-death spells such as Finger of Death or Phantasmal Killer.
My Sorcerer has a pretty unorthodox build which supprts my play style. All I need is to finish my two bracers to gain Greater Disruption Guard and Slay Living Guard then I'll be unstopable! Muahahahaha...
p.s. I love using Intimidate!
Typically speaking? That's exactly correct.
Between potions and house P buffs party members should be taking care of their own resists and buff needs (other than a few situational ones) I also often take care of many 'wizard buffs' even for myself, with wands I find. Like stoneskin, resist energy, protection from energy. I don't even buy the wands. Between ones I find and ones the party finds and gives to me I have never had to buy a wand other than repair wands (I play warforged wizzy) with which I heal myself.
I don't give out blurs because, frankly, most parties don't need it. Sure it's 20% less damage but in most situations it's 20% that isn't really necessary... if it is, I'll usually let the bard blur if one is in the group, theirs is just as good and their mana pool is a lot less strained than a wizards since they aren't tossing nukes around. That or I'll use a wand, I have 3 or 4 actually, all from loot.
I don't give out stoneskin, hardly at all... unless there's an absolute need for it. Most times the only person that needs stoneskin in a group is the caster (that would be me).
Another thing to remember:
If for some reason you DO need to hand out loads of buffs make sure the cleric can DV you or tell the party you aren't buffing. Sure you can burn half your mana handing out buffs but if you have a cleric who has DV he can easily pump you back up to full power before you roll (or while you're rolling, as DV can be cast 'on the run').
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
Haste is AOE
I cast haste ONCE before big fights. If the melee classes can't be arsed to be in range of the AOE then I can't be bothered to make sure they get it. I call 'gather for haste' then wait a few seconds and fire. Anyone who didn't get to me in time doesn't get haste.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas