Need advice - returning player & switched character

Discussion in 'General Archive' started by Please_enter_a_name, Oct 5, 2018.

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  1. Hey guys, I saw a similar thread like this one where the OP asked for advice on how to go about on building his character. He also mentioned he was an attack speed freak so people gave him an idea towards that goal. He got a decent amount of feedback and I actually would like some help too. I made a different thread because i'm actually a DPS freak and even though that seems pretty straight forward, I need help because I feel overwhelmed with all the new things added.

    Things to know:



    1. I switched to a Spellweaver(53), from a Ranger(55) - If you're wondering why, it's just personal preference, I enjoy playing both but I want to focus on one
    2. I have no preference when it comes to 1h/2h, feel free to post builds for both :)
    3. I do not plan to PvP yet, so no need to refer to builds towards that.
    4. I am familiar with the crafting system
    5. My gems are mostly flawless/sacred, but they're unrefined.
    6. I use VERY old items, ones without base stats(refer to picture below)

    Some of you might be asking, dude you are familiar with crafting system then what's the issue? Well, I need an idea of what combination of sets' synergize well together, sets that I can still acquire.. unlike the most commonly used Dragan set.

    Objective:

    1. Build a high DPS with acceptable a/s Spellweaver
    2. Solo high difficulty dungeons/events

    I know this takes a lot of time and work to accomplish. I do not expect to achieve this in a few months.

    As of now, i'm leaning towards a build revolved around either Bearach set, Bloodmoon set, or Karabossa 1 hand set. However, I have no idea what to use when it comes to armor sets and jewelry.

    Here's a picture of my stats - don't laugh plz :p ..

    [​IMG]

    Day 4, update:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2018
  2. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    You can always look through the show what you have thread for the most recent few months to get an idea of what's popular.

    2h sets pretty much revolve around Bearach+Sigi+Dragan or Herald+Witch Seeker+Grimmag's Robe. There's a few other varieties in there with the Bloodmoon staff, but most folk who want to go for the last option end up with Herald instead.

    1h sets mostly involve the premium Cube set.

    As for jewellery, I frequently see M'Edusa amulet or the Kranparus one from the winter event. Belts are often Bearach, Witch Seeker Strap, or Belt of Zeal. Rings are often Rings of Death from Mortis, Bloodtooth, Tear Holder, and whatever is the name of that Cube ring. Adornments are usually the Tenebrous Spider Adornment or else the Sigi one.

    These aren't the only options out there, but they are the popular ones. Mix and match and make use of whatever comes your way in the meantime. :)
     
    Please_enter_a_name and ΣMiwel like this.
  3. ΣMiwel

    ΣMiwel Forum Ambassador

    I'd expand this.

    When it comes to 2h, currently theoretically (because it all comes to your playstyle) the best possibility for the SW is Bear's set + Grimmag's set + Grimmag's Robe. It's directed at balancing the elemental damage between fire (destruction from q1), ice (FS is quite strong without any sets, with its mana regen) and lightning (bear's set). Then, the additional mana will increase your damage output at bosses (especially compared to sigris set). However, I'm saying theoretically the best, because while it looks very good on paper, it simply does not fit my (and many others') playstyle and it's might quite risky in terms of survivability (eg. loss of sigris ice missles and probably a few other crowd-control skills, the latter due to lack of exp tree points).

    Bloodrune can reach the best statistics at resting conditions, but you're losing q4/q7 possible buff. On the other hand, you're getting (almost) everything the set has to offer from just one item, having the other slots completly not bound to anything (this means ability to use 3/4 offensive dragan with 3/4 witch seeker for example, as well as a few other possibilities).

    Bear's set gives you the single most efficient single-target skill in the game... unless you are fighting Bear or Sigris (see Elemental Affinity on the wiki for more info on that). This, combined with enchanced chain lightning that you can use pretty well at horde clearing... or you can just throw in the Sigris set and enjoy virtually infinite lightning strikes - until you come to the boss, that is. (q8 set's buff doesn't stack at targets immune to freeze, like bosses)

    Herald's set relies on a temporary kick-up buff that is quite hard to maintain, especially at bosses, but hey, it's a +150% to damage (it sums up with other %increased damage bonuses from enchantments, essences, etc.). All in all, counting in the impossibility to maintain the buff all the time, it is no better than Bear's set, but once again, it all depends on your playstyle - not the set theoretical dps.

    Dragan's offensive set (3/4 elements) is, nowadays, almost a must for any 2h damage build. Just to remind you, the set consists of Helmet, Gloves, Boots and Ring (you can't use two rings as 2 elements). Should you build a 2h, you will have to choose the 3 items for your final build (temporarily it's even adviced to get 4/4 the next event, unless it is going to interrupt something you will already have) that will fit with the rest of the chosen items.

    About 1h... building a damage 1h is a challange in the present time, but it's possible and it won't be that far behind the 2h builds in the end. So, if you feel like you're up for a challanging yet unconventional build, 1h is the way.

    Here, we'd have to discuss both the weapon and the offhand item. I'll try to make it short so that you don't get bored :p

    Starting with offhand, you can use the Dragonwing Codex for the stable extra critical hit rate or the Gwenfara's book, were you interested in temporary buffs.

    If you somewhy wanted to build your "dps 1h" with an orb, you could go for the cube set ("grimmag's lost orb", some more of the set items adviced for the extra critical damage) or the Enigma (Riddle nowadays).

    Regarding the 1h weapon, the main possibilities are Gwenfara's weapon (quite a nice temporary bonus), Karabossa's or Magotina's weapon (combined with some more elements of the twin queen set (*)), "Grimmag's lost staff" (to add to cube set - the shorter teleport cooldown could also come in handy), Dragonwing Staff (only if you are using book from the SotD set, for the little fireballs instead of magic missles), Starlight (again - mana=boost to DPS at bosses, so quite a nice 1h choice), or the Arachna's weapon.

    I hope it is going to help :)


    * - since you wrote
    I'd like to remind you that you can mix white and black set and still get bonuses, thus the black adornment (and if you wanted also a black cape if you were to use an orb) is almost a must in any 1h new-moon set setup.
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.

  4. Thank you for the feedback guys!

    I am planning to build in such a way were I can utilize multiple elements to take advantage of the elemental resistance of each boss. However, I don't have Dragan's offensive set, not yet at least. My playstyle revolves around FS so I like the idea of combining Bearach's and Grimmag's set. This way I can still use FS, while utilizing fiery destruction and lightning strikes when necessary. Although I prefer meteor over destruction because of the slow animation on the destruction. If I can manage to get Witch Hunter seeker's build, I might opt for the Q8 set instead. Obviously the dps will be inferior compared to current builds, but this is one of the few options I have, at least until Dragan returns.

    Regarding 1h, I think I will lay that off for now because it requires much more investment to get it to work.

    I didn't know this until recently lol.



    Also, the "show what you have" thread for mages is kinda inactive unfortunately.


    Anyways, I have a few ideas to work on, so thanks again guys :)
     
  5. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    Oh yes, it usually is quite dead there. My SW is too much of a messy work in progress for me to want to show, so you'd only find ancient screens from me there. :D

    Now, that said, Miwel buys into that elemental affinity stuff a lot more than I do. For mobs and minibosses (yes, including inf 3), I don't give a crap about affinity and just bash them with FS until it drops dead. You can away with this once you've built decent ~20k dmg, 80% crit and as close to maxed crit dmg as you can. Therefore, as far as I'm concerned, the only time affinity really matters is at the bosses.

    The two of us have quite different playstyles, so if you read enough of our old posts you'll soon see there is no way on earth we would ever agree on what is the "best build" for a mage. For me, i like the Herald set. First thing I must do is bust this myth...
    Actually, at bosses where I only have a single target to hit, maintaining Herald set buff 100% of the time is the easiest thing to do... once you know what combo to use. Maintaining the buff with mobs when I am speed clearing lower difficulties is where it is impossible. However, in order to pull off 100% uptime on Herald, you need a few things...
    1. Mana/mana reduction
    2. Patience to practice your skill combos till you can execute them in your sleep if you need to
    3. A non-laggy machine to play on
    For #1 - These skill combos chew through your mana like crazy. I have 243 mana and 7% mana cost reduction, which helps in sustaining this. In addition, I still take the 2 point talent on Meteor to reduce its cost.

    For #2 - You need to know how to use Mind Control 5 point talent and Singularity 5 point talent synergy properly. You also need to have confidence that if you stand in your Singularity you won't drop dead. If you are afraid of standing in your Singularity, then this build is not for you. The basic version of this combo that you need to pull off is as follows:
    Meteor [proc Herald buff] -> Mind Control -> Singularity (within the 1 second of MC - remember to STAND in your Singu] -> spam damage from FS or LS, can also throw in your Guardian for a little extra dps -> Teleport when you need to refresh mana -> continue spamming damage from FS or LS -> Repeat at the end of ~9 seconds when your buff is out.

    Feel like getting fancy? Use this version instead for extra mana:
    Meteor -> MC -> Singu, TP -> damage -> TP -> damage -> Repeat

    For #3 - This just comes from the unfortunate first-hand experience since I played on hand me down laptops for ages. If your machine is not capable of running the game without lagging, you will not be able to pull these combos off properly. If the lag is really bad, MC will stop functioning altogether, if it's only kind of bad, Singu cooldown reduction won't give you 100% refresh like it's supposed to.

    In any which case, I have no interest in trying to talk people into using a set that does not suit their playstyle. If you want to put in the effort into building the items and the proper skill rotation, Herald set can be amazing. However, as I often i end up advising people... just take Sigris set and Bear set if you want to be a 2-button brainless spam SW - all you need is ice missile and lightning strike till the cows come home. Don't pick a set just because someone on the forum advertised that it's great, pick the one that will actually work for you.
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  6. My playstyle is actually the exact same as yours lol. I already utilize singularity + MC combo even without the Herald set(PC can handle.) I also prefer Meteor over Destruction because of the slow animation as I mentioned before, so Herald set is kind of ideal for my playstyle. However, I really enjoy boss fights and I like having maximum DPS while fighting them.

    I really haven't made a final decision yet and I have a lot of time to consider my choices since i'm a long way from getting either of the sets lol. Especially the fact that I play in Agathon where the majority are spanish speaking; I have to progress slowly alone.

    My main struggle is building around those sets without Dragan's set(Helm+Boots+Ring.) I like the new Witch Hunter set but the drop rate for that seems quite low.

    I'm currently prioritizing crafting a 2h, helm, adornment and gloves to maintain gold while upgrading the most crucial parts. Hopefully i'll have at least 2 of those when I acquire one of the sets. I'm sitting on 70k materis at the moment as well so soon enough i'll have something to work with. :)


    Thanks for the info once again :)
     
  7. ΣMiwel

    ΣMiwel Forum Ambassador

    And this is the whole problem with the q7 setup. I don't know a single 2h mage that could stand still in singu in inf2/inf3 all the time when solo... and only builds of 70k+ hp could do it in inf1. When you've got a tank, you can do it in q3, q7, q9, maybe q5... but for sure not in the other q's. And one more thing: what singu can't finish up for you in maps, you get from the Lifetime Thief wisdom talent.

    That's entirely not the truth. It's the noobs' way to play. It's kinda like a ranger without the q7 set (or with but when out of buff) keeped spamming EA in PvE and used no PS.
    1. Ice missile is useless against bosses. It can't charge the buff there, so one has to play the other way.
    2. LS (even when almost infinite in m1 and m2) can't sweep out everything (in inf2/inf3) when solo before the mobs reach you... actually you have to use crowd control.
    I could go on, but it's by no means a brainless setup... the only setup that kind of lets you play thoughtless is the Q7 set at ranger, but even that is more effective when played with at least a bit of thinking (on what to do when the buff is out).
     
  8. I'm a big fan of magic missile so I don't see myself getting Sigris set. Magic missile provides me with sustainability both in mana and health, while also doing decent damage. I would have to switch out spider cape+adornment combo to make sigris work and I actually have an idea with spider set.

    Build 1: Herald set, Grimmag's Starry robe, Witch Hunter Helm+Shoulders+Belt, Spider boots+cloak+adornment, Mortis + Cube ring and amulet(or a diff amulet). This build provides a decent mana pool and with the spider set(3) I get to have the stacking buff as well.

    Build 2: Bearach set, Witch Hunter Helm+Shoulders+Torso, Gloves(not sure) and the rest same as above.

    I think Herald set is better rounded than the Bear set in this situation, what do you guys think? Any replacement suggestions?


    Here's updated stats btw, I sacrificed other stats for improved damage and attack speed:
    [​IMG]

    EDIT, just got this:
    [​IMG]

    :) high rolls baby
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2018
  9. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    We already had 2 Dragan events this year. I wouldn't bet on a 3rd one, so best to build without it for now. And unless you have the kind of luck my significant other has, you will probably have to buy pieces of gear using Drakens. (He told me he has gotten every single piece of gear to drop thus far since we came back to the game almost a year ago and hasn't bought anything. Meanwhile, I've had to purchase majority of my Witch Seeker set since I haven't been lucky despite doing more runs than he does.)

    Give me a good DK and I can stand in my Singu at all bosses on difficulties. Solo play is a lot more tricky since Guardian can't fully tank on higher difficulties - but with a few CDR runes and Lifetime Thief you should be fine, although you singularity time drops from 100% to 70-80%, if you're good. (I would expect that by the time a player is able to solo on Inf2/3 they probably have decent wisdom and runes built up.)

    There are a lot of tricks to the "stand in your Singu." After all, nowhere in there did I say you have to stand in the middle and never move. :D The interesting part about how singularity functions is that the armor break and the CDR it provides is identical regardless of whether you stand in the middle or the edge. The slow and the damage are the only parts that are on a gradient, and those are useless in today's meta. And for me, that small detail is enough to solo the majority of bosses on inf 2/3.

    Aye, it is the noob way. But a noob using Bear set is less irritating than a noob on Herald set for one very simple reason - you don't need to learn how to use Mind Control properly when using Bear set. There is nothing more irritating than a noob Mind Controlling a target the entire team was trying to kill. xD


    This is very similar to what I have going, so I can say it will work well. The backbone of Herald+Grimmag+Witch+Spider is highly effective. Some items can be swapped around depending on situation (eg. when playing on lower difficulty, I use Belt of Zeal for extra run speed since I will one-shot everything anyways.)

    Congrats on your ring drop! That's quite lucky, I have yet to get a decent Ring of Death myself.
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  10. I just found out about this Belt of Zeal. Did you bother to upgrade the tier at all? Or is it just for the unique bonus?

    Haha thanks, it took me 4 extensive grinding days to get. I got like 200k both solo and grouped in Leaderboards just from farming the knight lol. Btw, there's a hidden achievement for killing the Death knight 100x.

    Good luck with yours :)
     
  11. Archane

    Archane Forum Apprentice

    I don't really do the whole guild thing especially with all the spanish speakers but i am on agathon so if you need some help and im on just send a message. My dk on agathon is Sirparzival
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  12. Why thank you kind sir; will add you to my friend list. :)

    --- MERGED ---

    Woah guys, look what I just crafted!!
    [​IMG]
    It didn't take many purple tries to get as well! Man now I can't wait to get my Herald weapon lol
     
    Last edited by moderator: Oct 20, 2018
    bLaind and silverseas like this.
  13. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    I wasn't lucky in terms of base stats with the purchase, and also haven't had the luck in terms of crafting to make something good enough to pristine craft onto the Belt. Then and again, if I am using it in the lower levels, it's not like I will notice that missing damage. So yes, I am just using it for the unique bonus right now.
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  14. Welp, I need your help lol.

    I just crafted these:
    [​IMG]

    Do you think I should craft them into my gloves now or try and go for 4x gold? I'm kinda tempted to craft them now since there's "plat" lines coming and this one can only get like an extra 5% atk speed.


    EDIT:
    [​IMG]
    Lol, got excited.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2018
    bLaind likes this.
  15. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    Lol, sorry. Been working too much these last few days to log in and answer. Honestly, when it comes down to crafting, I find people are split into 3 camps: the totally clueless who don't actually craft, the ones who will use whatever they can find, and the perfectionists. I belong to the second camp, so I crafted all my items at 3/4 gold lines then improved them gradually towards 4/4. I have a few people on my friend list who are perfectionists and in the time I have generated all my gear and moved into being capable of solo farming almost anything in the game, they have just crafted their first item and can't really do stuff above fatal still. xD
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  16. Lol, I had the same idea. It's easier to progress when you can start solo farming fatal+ and you can achieve that with 3/4 gold line items. I guess I belong in the second camp too :p
     
  17. cdeepal

    cdeepal Forum Baron

    Step 1 - All T6 uncrafted Uniques with the weapon Crafted 3 golden lines and Transferred to Unique.
    Step 2 - Craft everything 3 golden lines (any golden lines) and transfer them into Uniques. Weapon possibly into 4x golden lines.
    Step 3 - Craft everything 4 golden lines (any golden lines would do) and transfer them into Uniques. Work on Weapon 76.2+% and 51%+
    Step 4 - Craft perfect 99.5% or better golden lines and transfer them.

    I am very close to complete step 3 and starting on step 4 now.
     
    Please_enter_a_name likes this.
  18. trakilaki

    trakilaki Living Forum Legend

    You better stop or you will regret it :p

    Your Steps 2-4 are outdated ... with the new R the crafting will be changed drastically.
    1. No need for crafting 3 golden lines on item as the new meta is crafting random legs from exo items. With this random crafting you will get 3x golden lines with a snap of your fingers ... just like that. Not just that, but aiming for 3x golden lines will get you 4x golden lines with random crafting in no time at all. That is covering your steps #2 and #3
    2. Crafting perfect items will be really really ... I mean really hard or almost impossible with the introduction of platinum lines. Still ... crafting perfect item now is not worth it because those items after the new R will be more powerful.

    So what they did?
    They introduced platinum lines so they can slow down the powerful players and power them down. Soon every noob in the game will have 4x golden lines in all items.
    But there is a catch :D
    Golden lines are no more golden ... they look good because they are colored as golden but in fact those are white lines with the new meta. That is a trick ... a simple human psychology. You color something to appear to be something that it is not ... and you give false pleasant feeling to the unaware person. In example the food industry is using it all the time ... they are scamming people with labels like "100% natural" when in fact there is nothing natural in the product ... or they are selling you a Honey without any honey in the product - 100% Corn Syrup ... etc.

    The bottom line - save your gold as you will need it and stop crafting. ;)
     
  19. silverseas

    silverseas Count Count

    I did wonder about the changes to the workbench. Seems the "random" craft is OP. I haven't sold all my gold line half-crafted items yet, but if the TS version comes to the live server, I will probably just sell everything I've hoarded because I won't need it anymore.
     
  20. couda22

    couda22 Forum Commissioner

    Item tier has a high impact on the chance to get 4 gold lines from the crafting of 4 pink items. It seems that at least T5 items give good chance to craft 4 gold enchantments. But the thing is that it is random crafting. It is not a big problem to get 4 gold enchantments, but it is a problem to get 4 gold DESIRED enchantments.

    Regarding platinum enchantments - they are possible for pink items only. I believe that pink item with 2 platinum lines will be super rare. So it will be very very hard and expensive to craft legendary item with 4 platinum lines.
     
    trakilaki likes this.