mage question (in General)

Ok so being a solo mage (w/ a HoC firing in the first round of ranged) vs. ranged archers is frustrating. DX bonus for archers allows them to get double (tripple?) hits in the first round for amazing damage where mages are stuck with 1 static launch. Can mages score double and trip hits if you boost DX (which so far I have not witnessed)? Or is it impossible to do so, and if so... how do you fair against ELBs? Do you have to have a Wall or Tank help absorb some damage?

Your best bet against most of them is evasion. Anyway, dexterity hits are only a max of 2 per round, no triples. Mages only deal damage, not linked to dexterity or strength. A wall or evasion tank might help against ELBs. But an effective wall costs a lot of money...

evasion is what Karn suggested... but it just seems silly that both mages and archers rely on ranged attacks and 1) HoC has a penalty for mages, not archers (- DD), 2) Archers get static a static upgrade rate on what most argue are the most powerful weapons in the game, mages get a limited upgrade range with AG/NSC and 3) that archers have the ability to score double hits and mages can't.

oh and not to mention the anti-mage gear out there, EH + MgS = wompin' mage reduction *gulp* Anti-archer gear anywhere?

(btw I'm not complaining at all, I'm having fun with my fireballs... ya I said balls... but I'm just seeing some interesting things as I'm growing with the game and wanted some incite :)

Well, tanks need to put in money on their weapons in order to boost their damage. I believe its 4 times the x to have their damage increased by twice (without increase in strength). Mages can spend that money into armor or on the AGs and CoI. Single mages can be very powerful if you use evasion and a ToE. That would help to evade most physical attacks and also reduce damage from AMF, GA, DD and physical damage. But 2 minions would do better, one enchanter and another mage. All good gears on the mage and ToE on the enchanter training any EO or ED.

ok, the evasion thing is starting to click... archers have to train archery to be effective so they can't roll with evasion, so mages must do evasion as a necessity kind of like archers do archery.... that helps a LOT.

thnx for all the replies Kong, Karn >:)

Yup, so there is a sort of balance. The only problem comes in with the use of a ToA and BGs for archers...

not to mention the lack of anti-archer gear compared to mage gear out there :O

lets see DBs.. and all elven stuff other then EH... but yea i guess the choices stuck... like show me a power shield for a mage?

^not sure what you mean by all the other elven gear. I see DB's being semi anti-archer, still not damage reduction just PTH... but they don't carry a specific multiplier that are strictly anti-archer. DBs are multi-faceted. I might be getting in the deep end with all this now...

elven gear increases evasion that archers cant use :) but yea they can use it for dex bonus too

heck ya, dex is huge with elven gear, also less trained exp in an already advantageous 1/5th training cost for full effectiveness. Thus more exp in other categories. Evasion is a big investment for mages compared to archery for archers (from my gathering)

trained exp in an already advantageous 1/5th training cost for full effectiveness. <---archery... *crax open another brewsky*

woops, add Rune of Balrog (grrrr) Flame to the list.... although it is fireball specific.

Lostling: that is not entirely true.

Ok, the DB's I give you. But the elven gear? Most mages cannot afford to wear elven gear - not in terms of money but in terms of damage. Anything they put on reduces their damage output.

For example, if you use Elven Gloves, then you lose AG's (or NS if you're a CoC/decay mage).

Sooka: everyone pretty much agrees that there is a dichotomy between the power of the average tank and the average mage, with the scales tilting in favour of the tank/archer. However, there is some debate as to where the real problem is (ie - are mages too weak, or is it just that a ToA/BG tank/archer is too powerful? How can this be rebalanced? Should it be? etc).

But yeah, it will be interesting to see what happens this upcoming changemonth.

Cheers,
muon.

also don't forget mages just train exp in DD spell hp and evasion archers need exp in archery, hp, st and dx plus ita a lot more expensive to build up a archer. i have to say if people actually stick with their mages and people start hitting 3mil mpr i think you'll find the extra exp mages can plug into evasion, hp and dd spell will in the long out do the archer and its ability to continue uopgrading its weapon the ToA helps to give the archer some continuity albeit i am refferring to when many people start hitting 3mil and greater mprs

try comparing a single TOE mage vs a single TOA archer at lets say 1mill MPR with lets see 100 million to spend... now you tell me who will win out ?

Whichever strat I choose would win.... you could build a 100 million pair of dbs for the ToE mage and guess what.... the archer cant hit you unless he ups all his + on his weapon with that 100 mil. Oh but wait, if he does that... he will be hitting for 20 damage a hit, oh the irony of it.... There are ways around it if people are willing to spend the money on it and stop thinking single minded .

Now tell me mages are underpowered.... try it out I dare you... A 100 mil DB is (+212) Est. now the same 100 mil in an elb yields about (+220) now if you have any decent Evasion that completely negates all of the pth from the bow.... and if hes lucky he hits you merely with Dex.

Now Tell me that Mages are underpowered or tell me your not willing to spend the money on a strat, so you took the (Easy Way Out) with a mage and are now complaining about less than uber damage all because you are not willing to spend some cash >.<

* The underlying tone in what I have just said is not meant to be harsh in any way shape or form... I just felt it was about time to kick some people in the bum and tell them how things are.

well put it this way... i did not say mages were way under powered but just that you do not have as much ways to own people compared with an archer... what i would really like to see is a powershield that helps mages in someway... shouldnt BOM and MGS be enuff?

ez draco some of us don't even know how to say 100 mil.... let alone 20... lol. So how many mages are there currently who have a 100 mil pair of DBs ... and how many are there with much less than half that? Hmmm the bell curve is greatly biased and although your reasoning makes sense, it is still higher-than-though. So it's basically come on archers, have your fun now but JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET A PAIR OF 100 MIL DBS!!! GAME OVER MAN GAME OVER.... please.

I'm happy with the answers with this thread, *closed* >:)

Well lets see, what do you spend money for a mage? AG's up to 4 mil... CoI if you dont use a tattoo up to about 5 mil, Mcm up to about 6 mil if your really iffy about AMF.... that leaves what 18 mil per ncb if you dont buy BA if not more? Well just dump that all into a nice pair of DB's and you won't have much of an issue there. But most people like their money and just sell it for profit anyways so guess most people can't make a mage strat work without CB2 input.