should i play wizzy first?

[pandarider123]

I had a 3rd life WF sorcerer back in 2009 and loved him...then my computer broke and now im getting new one 2 years latter..im sure ive gotten rusty and alot has changed in ddo. Should i play a WF wizard to get use to new spells and spells i forgot..to get the hang of things then TR into a WF sorcerer (which i love) or should i just get head first..also the wizards past life feat sounds nice..so opnions on what i should do..im leaning to the wizard first to get hang of things..

[Enoach]

Wizard is a good choice to get the flavor of all of the spells available and how effective they are at different levels.

The Wizard Past Life Passive and Active Feats are also good to have on a caster type. Realize that the Active Feat will eat into your Feat list of 7 Feats for WF Sorcerer - so plan accordingly. Reason I mention that is that Sorcerer PrEs now require a Spell Focus Feat for higher levels and the Wizard Past Life Feat does not qualify as a replacement. Some Sorcerers have dropped Extend from their list to fit in the SF feat, simply because it no longer benefits AoE damage spells.

Some other changes that have occurred, while your away - SP cost on spells is no longer 10/15/20 etc. Many single target spells have had their SP costs reduced.

However, once you get to your Sorcerer Life I'm sure you will enjoy the PrEs even more.

[pandarider123]

i heard they have element savants..but i dont plan on picking them as it weakens the other elements...my goal is to have stronger sorcerer and get use to the spells..as i ill mostly use it for quests but will pvp with guild..the feats i planned on taking on second life was

1.toughness
2. empower
3.maximize
4.extend (for buffs)
5.hiegten
6.enlarge spell
7.spell penertration

with great gear my hp would be around 380 and my sp around 2800 and my charisma around 34

any advice would be apprecaited i was a great caster back in 2009 and saved partys all the time but just not that familr with game..

[Enoach]

The Savant does weaken the opposing element - However, I would do some reading up on them. You may find that they help you more at the higher levels. Keep in mind that Spells Like Wall of Fire don't last as long as they once did, and have been replaced with Ice Storm and Acid Rain for the heavy hitting.

If you go wizard with your first life you will gain +2 to Spell Penetration as a Free Feat (Passive). You can use that to get you closer to the 30 Spell Penetration recommended or forgo the Spell Penetration feat and use that slot as a place to add in the Wizard Past Life Feat getting you +1 to all of your DCs.

Also, many Ray type spells no longer benefit from Enlarge as their ranges have been doubled. So if using Ray type spells was the primary reason for Enlarge that slot you might also reconsider.

[pandarider123]

firewall wasnt good end game as devils mostly immune to fire..but have they gimped firewall..becuase firewall as boss mid levels agaisnt all th undead..my goal is to be a great dpser endgame..so going ice savant might be good? back in 2009 i was ice/electric speced anyways..

[morticianjohn]

Just go straight sorc. You'll be fine and you probably should go water savant as fire spells are pretty weak end game. Though keep in mind that if you plan for it you could level up as one savant and switch later.

[pandarider123]

so i can go fire savant for mid game agaisnt all the undead..then end game switch to water savant? ialmost know nothing of any of the spells after 2 year break...would just going straight sorcerer be a good iea? back in 2009 i was able to get to level 20 in a week..so wouldnt be long before i could recarnate anywys

[tinyelvis]

You will probably be really unhappy with straight sorc. I would suggest going water or air. Get used to using your SLAs, your new super spells at capped level (i.e. chain lightning, Freezing sphere), and learn to be fast and proficient at stacking your electirc surge and niacs biting with a curse. Quickly performing the last skill set can mean the difference between success in a raid, say the shroud, or a party crash.

Learn the new enhancement lines next. Depending on your play style you will want to branch out into more elements than your main. Most commonly new players choose at least two lines and those are typically ice and electric. However, as you build knowledge, you may find many good reasons to add enhancements to additional lines. I am a big fan and user of acid rain for example, as well as electric surge and niacs on all of my casters, and setup enhancements to support these spells.

So long as you buff your main spells with at least a superior clicky, you will be more than fine. It takes a bit of new game knowledge to build a decent earth or fire sorc. And a good bit of those end game currently are very mediocre.

[LordMond63]

I would say you've got a good idea here.

A wf Wizzie is perhaps the single most forgiving combination of race and class in the game and, as such, is a great way to reacquaint yourself with the game. When you combine the wf 'natural' resistances and immunities with the ability to self-heal, you've got a winner.

[pandarider123]

so i shouldnt go air avant..just put into electric andair enchament..or should i go airsalvant..if i do wouldnt that hurt the damage of electric spells? but ya probably going to go wizzie to get aquinted with the game and its changes but when i go and recarnate into a sorcerer..i have no clue if i should go savant or not..alot of people say the negativses outweight te good

[tinyelvis]

I would suggest not going wizard. The wizard class currently is for fresh off the boat new players or for people who want to be pale masters. Based on your comments I don't think either of these applies to you.

An air or water sorcerer is a good place to start. See other comments above.

[pandarider123]

im not fresh off the boat i just really dont want to hae to go thru the spell changethe heafty fee and every 3 days is annoying.. since i dont reemember what spells are good..and what are bad.

[madmaxhunter]

im not fresh off the boat i just really dont want to hae to go thru the spell changethe heafty fee and every 3 days is annoying.. since i dont reemember what spells are good..and what are bad.

That's why I'm doing Wizzy first. Ran fvs and made several mistakes that were costly.

[Quetzacoala]

im not fresh off the boat i just really dont want to hae to go thru the spell changethe heafty fee and every 3 days is annoying.. since i dont reemember what spells are good..and what are bad.

Or you can simply use a Blood of Dragons at a higher level when you have decided what spells work and what do not. It allows you to swap as many spells as you want for an hour for free. You can get one as a reward for getting 150 Argonesson favor.

[pandarider123]

ya i rally know ho to power level so starting as wizzy might be smart choice..guess when i get into game can get a guild that will help me with the savants an new content

[pandarider123]

blood of the dragon? that must of been a new thing added while i was away becuase when i was playing i didnt hear of a item like that

[Quetzacoala]

blood of the dragon? that must of been a new thing added while i was away becuase when i was playing i didnt hear of a item like that

Yeah, it is a nice item. If you do not have the patience to get the favor for it, you can also purchase it from the store.

[pandarider123]

fit i hope my new computer can handle game since it has a chipset..but good to know they got itemslike this so i dont have to worry so much when leveling sorcerer

[tinyelvis]

Well, one nice thing about a wizard is that it makes a great past life.

[pandarider123]

ya thats one reason why i want to play wizzy

[morticianjohn]

ya thats one reason why i want to play wizzy

If you like playing sorc more than wiz and want the wiz past life then it is best to start with wiz as the first life is the shortest. However, I think the wiz past life isn't that important for a nuking sorc. The spell pen often doesn't apply to damage spells and sorcs generally don't have the feats to take the past life feat for +1 to DC (which admittedly can be useful but there are many spells which don't have a save so there is a workaround).

What it boils down to is which class will be more fun for you? If you liked sorc more than wiz before I dont think the game has changed enough to change that for you.

[tinyelvis]

If you like playing sorc more than wiz and want the wiz past life then it is best to start with wiz as the first life is the shortest. However, I think the wiz past life isn't that important for a nuking sorc. The spell pen often doesn't apply to damage spells and sorcs generally don't have the feats to take the past life feat for +1 to DC (which admittedly can be useful but there are many spells which don't have a save so there is a workaround).

What it boils down to is which class will be more fun for you? If you liked sorc more than wiz before I dont think the game has changed enough to change that for you.

What sorc doesnt have the room for wiz past life feat? What are they taking instead? It is one of the best feats they can take.

[pandarider123]

ya the past life feat isnt the best..but i know my first go around on sorcerer i made alot of mistakes on spells and build..after two year break i think it be a good idea to learn the spells..from what i see with the savant line they added about 5 spells..will give me time to talk toa good guild learn build advince..i level pretty quick...i also plan on TR becuase there added exp makes playing my sorcerer longer..but to the above comment..how does plus one dc help evocation spells?