Wizards Roll - more questions

[dtal311]

I have read some of the posts below about this topic but have more questions:



I am new to DDO. My highest level toon is a human wizard level 4.
I have a ranger and paladin and a cleric, all level 3.

For right now, I have enjoyed playing the wizard the most.
I chose a wizard knowing thay come into their own at around lvl 10 and the sheer power and versitlity of the class.

I do not solo with my wizard beucase I cannot afford the gear to do it and aside from that, he is not a very solo-friendly toon at this level.

My question is about game style and game play. Its obvious when I group that I am new. I get lost just trying to get to the quest locations : )

What is expected of my game play? Do I buff and hold back and use Damage spells to help wittle down mob hp? Should I just self-buff and fire away?

My usual slots right now are – Magic Missle, Burning Hands, Mage Armor, Scrotching Ray, Blur and False Life.
I have Extend and I typicly buff the main tank, cleric (if present) and myself with Blur and Flase Like and Mage Armor on my self.

This does eat up a good amount of SP.

I have bougtht scrolls and scribed spells – web, command undead (not very useful since the attacking skeleton does not seem to do any damage at all), fog, scare Burning Sphere (which sucks), Summon Monster II (again, sucks), Bulls Strength (just got have not used).

I do have wands that I have found so when I am out of SP I switch to a wand to help with either DPS or buffing.

What are others play styles at lower levels?
My prefernce is to be a damage dealiner more then a buffer? Is that ok? But, even with that desire, I know that I can only do so much damage even conserving SP for offensive spells.

BIG QUESTION: Should I re-roll and go towards being a Sorc if I want to be a Damage Dealer?

How does the wizzy roll change at higher levels too?
Thanks for the replies and any help,

Cabhal

[Aspenor]

Wizards aren't as built for dealing damage as sorcs. They have less mana and slower casting speed, but they make up for it in versatility, the ability to memorize any spell at any time.

So, my advice since this is your first character, is stick with wizard to high levels first. Get comfortable with all the spells and with identifying the uses for everything. Wizards are usually crowd control specialists since they can adapt their spells to the situation. I would focus on identifying the best uses for every spell in your arsenal.

Then after making a higher level wizard and more deeply understanding the mechanics of the game, roll a sorcerer. Choose all your favorite damage spells and buffs, and go to town. After playing a wizzie to high level you'll be astounded at the differences.

Overall, though, I think it's a good idea for a newer player wanting to play an arcane to start with wizard. You learn a lot about the game, the spells, and you'll know which ones are best for you when you make a sorc.

[WeaselKing]

IMO, the best advice for every sorcerer out there is to reroll as a wizard, so stick with what you got. I have a wiz that can nuke well when he needs to, then he can debuff a rednamed or set up some cc or heal himself and all other WF in party. A sorc generally can't manage to fit all that in and be effective at all of them. I think that the versatility of a wiz trumps a pigeonholed sorc any day of the week.

That having been said I agree with Asp, for most players it is wise to roll a wiz first, learn what spells you find effective and get a hold of your playstyle. Then roll a sorcerer once your wiz is higher level and use that wizard experience to your advantage. A sorcerer certainly has more nuking potential than a wiz but if you don't build your sorc spell list carefully you might come across mobs you are defenseless against because you don't have any spells that affect them. A prepared wiz shouldn't have this problem, I customize my list for every quest.

[unionyes]

When playing a wizzie, you do need to be more cautious with your manna than a sorcerer, because you have less. You also cast slower, so you need to make your spells count, as it is harder to spam fireballs, for example. It is, however, just as easy to lay down crowd control and let the melee's do the killing. You will also get more feats, so you can extend, heighten, max, and empower much sooner than a sorcerer can.

I have also played a wizzie up to level 8 a couple of times, but I always go back to my sorc for some reason. Differences I found with playstyle, for example in Durks my sorc fires a hypno out on the kobold swarms and then starts Niac'sing them one at a time. My wizzie would buff the rest of the party prior to going in the room, lay out hypno, and then watch the supercharged melee's killing away. Both are great contributions to the party, just different.

You should make sure you have all the manna you can have at that level. Make sure you have the best manna item you can find, and highest intel too. The Mental Toughness feats will boost your manna, and the enhancement chain that goes with it will boost you up too.

[Vienemen]

You have the tools needed already to contribute. Blasting aside, with just what you listed as available, I will blur everyone extended, and lay down the webs when the situation is needed. This will give you enough juice between each shrine with some remainder for on spot scorching rays. Stick with groups, wizzys at low levels shine most there imo. False life might be expensive to keep on yourself all the time at this level...might want to use it sparingly right now. Skip mage armor, find a clickie or just avoid mobs better...positioning is key in groups. Bulls str is another good one for your tanks till around lvl 7 when they get linen handwraps. Flaming Sphere is great for when/if you decide to solo, use it from scrolls though.

As far as re-rolling goes, if you want to blast, a wiz can do it, but I would say a Sorc has the advantage. If you want to do other things other than blasting, I would level up what ya got. Wiz can be at any time the best (or at least equal) crowd controller, debuffer, buffer for a group. At higher levels I am able to fill these 3 roles at the same time.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Keep you Wiz....at least until you are confident with the game and feel you know the spells well.

Buy every scroll you can and inscribe them.

If you buff the whole party, you'll be bored.....I hate buffing others.

I would recommend keeping buffing to a min at low lvl.

If you like nuking, take enhancements to max out your damage. But being a real nuker at low lvl is difficult....or at least it eats up SP quick.

don't get agro....wait until someone else gets agro then cast.
Save your damage spells for a big baddies.....Ogres....end bosses.

Personally, I like CC spells......web. Use when you see lots of baddies.
Hypotism.....same.

Command undead usually makes others upset.....they want to kill, not watch it run around for awhile.
But I like command undead for archers....especially if they are above you somewhere.....make them work for you, and at least stop shooting at you, and get other archers to shoot at them instead.

Even a low lvl Wiz posseses a lot of firepower.....but usually you need to save it for the big monsters IMO.

[dtal311]

Thanks all for the reply.

Vienemen, I also want to say thank you for your handbook. I have it printed it out and reference it often.

Does anyone find any use for the Fog spell in some situtations?

[Vienemen]

Been some time since I used fog cloud, I think they might have even changed the AI since I last used it. Technically should shut down archers for a time (blocks line of sight...maybe the 20% miss chance counts for ranged also). The AoE prob isnt large enough to get many of your targets in one casting. The concealment within applies to both friendly and enemy (20% miss chance). It has range over obscuring mist, I hope by now you have learned that is not a good use of a 1st level slot. An alternative would be glitterdust or just web.

Honestly there are more 2nd level spells I would like to have prepared than I have slots for. I would use half my level 3 slots for lvl 2 spells if it were an option (one that we should have anyways).

I am glad your able to use the handbook still being fairly new to the game. In all honesty it was written for the more experienced wizards. You finding it valuable at this stage in my mind just pays credit to your comprehension and ability to adapt.

I recently made a low level wiz to re-experience some of the early game and lower level less used spells to reevaluate some of my reviews...if you have opinions on the handbooks content I would like to hear them. PM or post in the handbook itself would be great. Best o'luck

V