How to cope with scorching ray

[Amabel]

We've been running a small group (2 or 3 characters - cleric, paladin and bard) and doing really well, but since hitting the level 5 quests are getting wiped pretty regularly.

It's always, always, always by scorching ray (usually from skeletons or fire mephits). We all just get blasted in a few seconds flat, and even if we pull back, go very slowly, kite a bit... the monsters never seem to run out of mana or slow down on the scorching ray.

Even resist fire from our cleric or off a wand doesn't seem to stop all that much of the damage.

Any suggestions? Are we missing something obvious?

[moorewr]

Sounds like you are running them on elite? If you are at that level you have bitten off quite a chore with three players...

Against scorching ray I suggest -

- quaff resistance to fire and protection from fire potions before the fight a/o wear resistance robes/shield
- sneak to get close to the arcanes
- sidestep* or tumble to the side (quaff potions of tumble if need be) as soon as you see the ray firing off. Maybe it will miss. When I PVP (I'm not very good) people leap out of he way of my rays all the time.

* I leave mouselook on - that way the side arrows or any of q-a-e-d will move you sideways



We've been running a small group (2 or 3 characters - cleric, paladin and bard) and doing really well, but since hitting the level 5 quests are getting wiped pretty regularly.

It's always, always, always by scorching ray (usually from skeletons or fire mephits). We all just get blasted in a few seconds flat, and even if we pull back, go very slowly, kite a bit... the monsters never seem to run out of mana or slow down on the scorching ray.

Even resist fire from our cleric or off a wand doesn't seem to stop all that much of the damage.

Any suggestions? Are we missing something obvious?

[transtemporal]

You're in luck. "Coping with Scorching Ray" is a DDO community course we run every second thursday in the Newbie forum. You can come and just listen or share your experiences with the group. Its a totally non-judgemental atmosphere where you can let out all your anxiety at this difficult time.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :) I find resist fire/protection from fire are pretty sufficent to the task, but the best defense is a good offense I say. Always kill the casters first in any fight. Charge them and ignore the melees until the casters are dead.

[Tavok]

Try getting some house P favor. The first tier of it (75 favor), gives you not only a bunch of other cool buffs, but 20 Fire Resistance for 30 minutes for a relatively cheap price. Until then, just have the normal fire resistance (10 until caster level 7, then it becomes 20). Also sneaking, or taking the casters out from a distance works good, along with tripping them if you can get up close.

[moorewr]

Try getting some house P favor. The first tier of it (75 favor), gives you not only a bunch of other cool buffs, but 20 Fire Resistance for 30 minutes for a relatively cheap price. Until then, just have the normal fire resistance (10 until caster level 7, then it becomes 20). Also sneaking, or taking the casters out from a distance works good, along with tripping them if you can get up close.

House P buffs are always the kiss of death for me. The moment I buy them I'm guaranteed my group will somehow waste the next 30 minutes without so much as entering the quest... Murphy's Law...

[Amabel]

Thank you all. Sounds like resistance and quick killing are the keys.

Do they run out of mana eventually?

[Istivan]

One of the errors in this game as I do not think the enemy casters run out of spell points. Most of them are not alive very long, but have not seen them run out either.

[The_Cataclysm]

One of the errors in this game as I do not think the enemy casters run out of spell points. Most of them are not alive very long, but have not seen them run out either.

They can't run out of something they don't have.

[Amabel]

Thank you guys - good to know this stuff. No wonder our kiting tactics have been unusually ineffective!

[Lethelyn]

....20 Fire Resistance for 30 minutes for a relatively cheap price....

It's actually Fire resist 30 for 30 minutes :P

Also, yes, Killing casters fast is the best means of protecting yourself. It's kinda sad that they don't have SP, but I suppose it's a decision they made because, if they did, it'd be a tad bit easier. Aggro, let them scorch the walls until they have no sp, then run in and melee. Problem Solved :P

[Mad_Bombardier]

It's actually Fire resist 30 for 30 minutes :PTavok is quite correct, House P buffs are only Resist Energy 20 that lasts for 30 minutes.

[Dariun]

Sounds like you are running them on elite?

Kobold shaman now use scorching ray on lvl 3 harbor quests on normal (I think lvl 2 on normal too, but definitely lvl 3).

I was doing WW part 3 on normal and was jumping down to the lower level where you land in the water and there is one shaman whom you cannot attack until you climb the ladder.

I took a resist fire potion (resist 10, which is the best a lvl 3 character should legitimately have) before jumping down but was still killed before I got up the ladder by a scorching ray/scorching ray/niac combo. Ugly stuff...

And trog spell casters are even worse...

[Humperdink]

Along with the 20 point resistances you get from House P buffs I would also purchase Protection from Fire potions from House K or House J. These give you an additional 60 points of damage defense on top of your resistances. They are minimum level 5 to use. Also you should realize they either absorb 60 points of fire damage and disappear or last 6 minutes and the protection effect falls off.

I haven't checked in a while, do we get a Reflex save check on Scorching Ray? If so, send in the character with the highest Reflex save, even better if they have Evasion since a successful saving throw will result in zero damage. Evasion comes with two levels of Rogue or nine levels of Ranger. Again, this depends on if player characters get a saving throw on that particular spell.

[Dariun]

I haven't checked in a while, do we get a Reflex save check on Scorching Ray?

No. It is a no-save damage spell (like searing light).

You can physcially avoid the ray (if you are very fast and have no lag), but you don't get a save.

[Ilontu]

Scorching Ray has no saving throw; it is a touch attack. Very few spells have double layers of protection (touch and saving throw, or multiple saving throws), and are always very powerful for their level when they do.

I will echo the wisdom shared thus far: take out casters ASAP, and have resists up. I have an axe/shield fighter who pulls out a two-hander whenever there's a kobold caster, because it's easier to hit the little things when they jump around.

I've also witnessed a TPK on the 3rd part of WW trying to climb up that ladder, but that was a lv 4 ave party on hard. A critical scorching ray can one-shot most classes if it rolls high on damage even on people of the appropriate level for the dungeon.

Just wait until you meet Mr Lightning Bolt. It's not quite as bad as scorching ray, until you realize it's hitting everyone in the party per casting. Trog Shamans that spam fireballs at their own feet and take out the party while hardly taking away any of their own HP are fun too.

Sometimes you will intentionally have a rogue tank something while everyone else attacks at range.

[tihocan]

When fighting hobgobelins witch doctors (which seem to be very fond of such rays), I usually just strafe around them when I see their "fire casting" animation. The ray usually misses me.

[transtemporal]

Scorching Ray has no saving throw; it is a touch attack. Very few spells have double layers of protection (touch and saving throw, or multiple saving throws), and are always very powerful for their level when they do.

Are you sure its a touch spell? You don't have to be in touch range to hit something with a scorching ray, unlike shocking grasp.

[ErgonomicCat]

Are you sure its a touch spell? You don't have to be in touch range to hit something with a scorching ray, unlike shocking grasp.

It's a ranged touch attack - ranged attack that ignores armor, shield, nat ac.

[MrWizard]

scorching ray is a line of site spell.

Meaning it has to have a clearpath to you and it is a direct line spell so you can move out of the way...

Simply strafing back and forth (left to right) as a cleric or caster or ranger will keep you out of harms way.

Use charm person or command undead to make the scorcher's your friends and hurt their own guys.
Chamr or command the fighters in the mob and they will attack the casters, the casters will aggro on them, and you will not get hit by scorching ray.

Make sure you go for the casters,,,,everyone,...first..... if you do not you will wipe it sounds like...so make that a priority in those few dungeons.

Bring healing potions....and actually use them.

If all else fails, play a rogue, hit sneak, and stand really far away from the combat and sneak to the chests.

[Laprion]

give caster npcs mana give cleric/sorcerer players mana drain where we can get mana off mobs

[Jakylpops]

Learn how to play in mouselook mode...it never ceases to amaze me when I see people standing there flatfooted waiting for a Flamestrike or Ray spell to drop on their heads when you get a pretty good warning of it by watching what the caster's raise up and turn red.

Just keep moving sideways...or move ANYWHERE in the case of a flamestrike, thankfully none of these monsters know how to lead a target.

[Dariun]

Learn how to play in mouselook mode...it never ceases to amaze me when I see people standing there flatfooted waiting for a Flamestrike or Ray spell to drop on their heads when you get a pretty good warning of it by watching what the caster's raise up and turn red.

Just keep moving sideways...or move ANYWHERE in the case of a flamestrike, thankfully none of these monsters know how to lead a target.

1. I find mouselook impossible to use.
2. You can walk sideways without mouselook.

[Yvonne_Blacksword]

Mouse look always messes me up...I am fine using the left mouse button to see the landscape and the wasd buttins to maneuver..

Jump, roll, move side to side...keep going once you have agro...
watch for it , use natural obstscles (pilliars, large piles of rubble, other MOBs.).
Never stand there and take it.

I still get hit sometimes...

Chock it up to fate.