Wizard Meta Magics

[Tulmeel]

I don't want to start a fire storm, I know there are some disagreements, but what order is most useful for a pure wiz and why?

My elf wiz has extended now because that has been the most useful for buffs and low level spells.

The next Meta magic is the question. I gather that at a minimum empowered and/or maximum are required at some point. What about enlarged and hightened. I gather that enlarged is less useful than formerly because of the changes in AOE spell timing.(mores spell per unit time)

Incidently, she hasn't spent any enhancement points on wand work. The schools and points to enhance survival have seemed more important.

[gorloch]

Depends on what kind of spells you are trying to put off. I find maximize and empowered extremely hlepful when wanting to put out alot of damage in a short amount of time (mainly firewall, magic missle, and so forth). Of course I am playing a sorc so someone else might have a difference of opnion.

P

[PurdueDave]

If you asked me to pick 3 bonus metamagics and the order I'd take them it'd be...

extend (1)...most bang for the buck at low levels, can improve efficiency
maximize (5)...because at level 5 you can't heighten anything very far and it's faster than empower for turning spell points into damage
heighten (10)...just personal preference

[Nitestalker]

My level 14 wizard uses mostly extend. Where as extend is on all the time. He uses maximize in crtain situational times when damage is more important than reserveing the SP. He uses hieghten when doing PK or FoD to try to get it to land better, but then again he has spell penetration items, enchancements and feats to help with that too.

[Dkmafia]

I don't want to start a fire storm, I know there are some disagreements, but what order is most useful for a pure wiz and why?

My elf wiz has extended now because that has been the most useful for buffs and low level spells.

The next Meta magic is the question. I gather that at a minimum empowered and/or maximum are required at some point. What about enlarged and hightened. I gather that enlarged is less useful than formerly because of the changes in AOE spell timing.(mores spell per unit time)

Incidently, she hasn't spent any enhancement points on wand work. The schools and points to enhance survival have seemed more important.

Heighten - cheaper then casting it twice
Enlarge - used properly can avoid entire encounters and/or make impossible ones easy
Extend - HASTE!!!
Extend is always nice to have, but you can live without it. At the higher levels you generally rebuff or reach a shrine b4 normal duration wear off.

Rest suck except for arguably empower. Can be useful in some rare situations but no where near a necessity.

[Blind_Skwerl]

Depends on how you play. My capped sorcerer was heighten, empower, maximize, enlarge. worked good for lots of solo stuff. since the changes to cloudkill (drawing agro), and spells like solid fog and the seizure inducing hypno-bubble having shorter durrations, I swapped enlarge out for extend. Fits my playstyle better.

I think most will agree extend is quite handy, especially for low levels or if you have a multi-step buffing routine like my wizard/rogue does. Being able to do the dance every 14 minutes instead of 7 is a great timesaver to me.

P.S. - With level 7 spells being the current cap, you cannot heighten a FoD. You can empower or maximize it to increase the damage it does when the mob saves, but that's a huge waste of sp.

[Rilen]

My level 14 wizard uses mostly extend. Where as extend is on all the time. He uses maximize in crtain situational times when damage is more important than reserveing the SP. He uses hieghten when doing PK or FoD to try to get it to land better, but then again he has spell penetration items, enchancements and feats to help with that too.

Point of clarification - Heighten will do nothing for Finger of Death. Heighten will raise certain spells cast while it is active to the maximum spell level you are able to cast. Since FOD is already a level 7 spell and level 7 spells are the highest an arcane can cast at this point, it cannot be "heightened" per se.

Best,
Ril

[Harbinder]

ESCHEW MATERIALS!!!1

just kidding,

1. Extend
2. Maximize or Enlarge
3. Heighten

[Lillitheris]

1. Extend
2. Maximize or Enlarge
3. Heighten

Looks good.

And don't never ever even think about choosing Empower over Maximize, especially as a Wizard (longer cooldowns).
When you must deal out some serious damage, and quickly at that, you don't want to go with a 2nd tier option. MAXimize!

[Aranticus]

imo the use of enlarge has greatly decreased due to the new mob AI. i'll be respecing out enlarge for spell focus necro soon. the only thing that i ever use enlarge now is to use charm monster faraway so that u do not get agro when u throw the spell. as your lvl increases, so will the range of the spell so enlarge will get less and less useful. the only gripe i have? mobs can see much further then we can.... :(

[Dkmafia]

Point of clarification - Heighten will do nothing for Finger of Death. Heighten will raise certain spells cast while it is active to the maximum spell level you are able to cast. Since FOD is already a level 7 spell and level 7 spells are the highest an arcane can cast at this point, it cannot be "heightened" per se.

Best,
Ril

Who cares.. waste of mana anyway.

[sigtrent]

hmm its tricky...

Low Level
Extend
Maximize
??

High Level
Maximize
Enlarge
Heighten

My wiz has
Extend, Maximize, Heighten, Enlarge

At high level I tend to only use extend for haste or certain buffs. I often find it wastes as much mana as it saves casting spells that are going to get dispelled or wear off while we are waiting for something etc... And if you always leave it on its a waste on most CC or persistnat damage spells.

Maximize is always handy to have and late game its almost required to do significant damage. Empower is fine but if you want to trade output for mana, might as well go all out.

Enlarge is great. Just beause stuff will agro doesn't mean its not usefull to be able to snipe at stuff far away. FOD does not agro anything if it actualy works. Archer types will not generaly move if you drop a cloud or wall at them from distance. You can FOD stuff pearched way up high thats normaly out of range etc...

[negative]

1 - Extend
5 - Maximize
10 - Heighten

Even at level 14 I still extend all my buffs. Nothing like 28 min. Greater Hero's. And lets face it, the tanks never use the shrines anyways, so it gets it's full duration used.