Single mages in the long run (in General)

Hi All, I'm coming to the conclusion that single mages are going to lose out in the long run.

At the moment, AMF is the enchantment of choice in the higher levels of play, and is usually being trained somehwere around 50% (two minion team, 1 dedicated AMF enchanter) or 33% (Three minion team, with 1 deciated AMF enchanter).

Either way, those levels of enchantment are going to equal, if not best, the DD level of a single mage. With only the HP/FB CBF mages training around 50% of thier xp (or slightly more if they want to take a HP hit) as they don't use any E/O enchantments or evasion.

Assuming that an AMF roughly equal to your DD level gives around a 50% effect, your potential damage is halved before you hit the MgS s or CBF s of your opponents. Then there's armour, protection and Endurance to take into account.

Yes, when fighting someone with a dedicated AMF minion, the second time you fight them that minion will most likely be dead, and not cast thier massive AMF, but that doesn't help when people attack you.

Although Decay would seem like the ideal DD spell, ignoring most damage reducers, it takes a massive reduction in ability (not to mention a backlash that's based on the casting mages HPs..) from AMF.

Compare this to physical damages before AC/Protection/Endurance reducer.

EC.

As damage is weighted towards the lower end of the strength scale, Etherial Chains is only debilitating when it maages to reduce strength to zero. Given that it reduces around 60% of it's level in strength, thats equivalent to nulifying a ToA.

Maybe Cause Fear should be bought back, but like AMF, without reflected damage and without a 44% cap.

*Shrugs*

Time to save cash and look out for a damaging weapon.

Glad to see you're coming round to it GL. One of the big benefits for going tank - even partly tank - is the lack of EC in the game at the moment. Most of those people with large AMF's would be a fool to lose it, given how many mages are out there so changing at higher levels may not be a good idea. But my char Raven's EC is one of the top 20 in the game (it was number 15 but I haven't been playing Raven much this week). Let me tell you, Raven's EC is small - it only hits for about 10k. Looking at the physical stats of the higher level tanks that's nothing. With so few large EC's around tanks are going to find it easy going for a while. And playing catch-up may not be an option for a lot of people.

Plus the ability to wield a big sword and cut your opponents to shreds seems to have been one of the few things to have not changed in the time I've been playing the game....

I guess there's always next month's changelog to look forward to..... =)

:) Changelog, the spice of life!

How about this for a propsed strat;

1: Enchanter, AMF + Protection. Wearing a Tattoo. A familiar one would be best, and a mage one wins out over a ToJ. With no weapons, this would appear behind the 'chanter. ToF maybe, for extra attack and to wipe out those nasty low HP meatshields.

2: Tank, HP + Str + Dex. Wearing a CBF and MgS. Using either a BTh or BoNE for VA. and a E/Axbow.

Versus mages you have a large AMF + the CBF/MgS. Versus archers/ToA tanks you have CBF splash in melee. Versus other CBF tanks, well, biggest equip wins. ;)

Maybe change the ToF to a ToS for potentail damage versus other CBF tanks, if the familiar lasts that long.

Alternatively, you could also put EC onto the enchanter .With the CoBF/Mage shield combo you don't have to worry quite so much about keeping your AMF high.

The tank is going to be melee-centric with that set up, so is going to be weaker in ranged. You're going to need extra damage - I would recommend ToS. MM obviously isn't as useful in ranged as FB but as you've said a few times recently FB is currently going the way of the dinosaur.

At least until the next round of changes...


The most important thing I think, and something that I've always been a fan of, is keeping things simple. If a tank is going to be successful it's going to be because he is strong and fast. The more that is because of basic stats the better. The ToA and ToE are great for what they do but I suspect reliance on them for future strats will be a bad idea.

Mmm, lowering AMF to include EC would leave you more vulnerable to CoC. Although seekers would take care of that.

If AMF can realy be ignored due to CBF/MgS, keep it a single tank minion, Use xbow + Seekers for CoC.

But you'ld be missing out on Protection...

:/

I don't think ignoring AMF is a good idea in the long run, but certainly the mage shield/cobf combo is a pretty good replacement for part of it. So long as the money is available you can block fireball to quite a high level, and the reduced damage the shield lends itself to, both through AC and the DD reduction, is very attractive.

On the whole though, I suspect a ToE and AMF may be a better option. So long as nerfing doesn't come along any day now....

Yeah, But for a tank (if a CBF blocks other CBf s splash) a CBF is necessary. Which would excluded the use of a ToE...

:/

Only 34 CoBF's in the game and four of those are currently rental regulars. Nasty damage when that splashback hits though, and as most of the upper level players have one, then I guess they're becoming something of a necessity for a tank heading upwards....

To ToE or not to ToE that is definitely some other question indeed. I'm heading for the pub very very soon......... I think I need it!

make that 35 CoBF's in game. One spawned while we were discussing it here.


I hate the growing list of the times I've missed rares in store...

=)

I used to think ToA was the required item for Tanks. I think that a ToA is now the required item for archers, with CBFs being the required item for melee tanks. (unless it doesn't stop your opponents CBF splash - in which case melee is dead.)

:)

ToE's are essential for Mages.

It's a shame there's nothing else a mage can use alongside a Tattoo apart from Gloves, boots and helm, without taking a magic loss...

And then there's just a normal shield.