SLA questions while playing an arti

[scottyboy1979]

Hey just wondering if anyone had more info about the sla enhancements in the arcano tree for arti. I usually play battle engineer but been nuking a lot more and think those spells might be worth it , ie. Blast rod, electric motes, etc. My question is what are their dc? Do i have to heighten them to 6 level? Are they the same as the spell dc wise but cheaper points? Does the master artificer feat affect them as well by boosting them up max levels? Finally are they worth it? Currently have 1000 spell power with points and toggles, dc around 80 for my lev 30 arti, and for the most part like it just want to make stuff right when i pick enhancements and feats thanks!

[SpartanKiller13]

Hey just wondering if anyone had more info about the sla enhancements in the arcano tree for arti. I usually play battle engineer but been nuking a lot more and think those spells might be worth it , ie. Blast rod, electric motes, etc. My question is what are their dc? Do i have to heighten them to 6 level? Are they the same as the spell dc wise but cheaper points? Does the master artificer feat affect them as well by boosting them up max levels? Finally are they worth it? Currently have 1000 spell power with points and toggles, dc around 80 for my lev 30 arti, and for the most part like it just want to make stuff right when i pick enhancements and feats thanks!

Heighten will add 2-4 to DC's (it raises spell level from 2/3/4 to 6, adding DC at a 1:1 ratio). I don't know that it's worth it, but if you have a spare feat...

Metamagics are free on SLA's. SLA's are cheaper than the actual spell as well, but usually have a longer cooldown.

You're casting the spells, so something like Arcane Empowerment (which buffs spellcasting items) won't benefit it. The +4 Int will add +2 to DC's though.

In general if you're a nuker SLA's are the best option in DDO. They're cheap and get free metamagics (Max/Empower/Intensify = 300 spellpower just from those) which allows you to conserve your blue bar a bit.

[PsychoBlonde]

It's been my experience that the arti SLA's are kind of lackluster. They work, but they're a single damage type, do low damage even with all the boosts ever, and the cooldowns aren't great. They're not bad in combination with a rune-arm (you should ALWAYS be using your rune arm on an arti).

You can always give a caster build a try, I've seen it done.

[Roland_D'Arabel]

It's been my experience that the arti SLA's are kind of lackluster. They work, but they're a single damage type, do low damage even with all the boosts ever, and the cooldowns aren't great. They're not bad in combination with a rune-arm (you should ALWAYS be using your rune arm on an arti).

You can always give a caster build a try, I've seen it done.

I am seeing the opposite.

Currently in heroics (level 14 atm) playing a full on casting artificer: maximize empower heighten quicken all of the slas rotating through lightning motes sla, blast rod sla, blast rod spell, lightning sphere sla and static shock sla with maxed intelligence, and as much lightning spell power and lore as I can get and I am laughing with glee at how quickly I mow down mass groups of mobs and reapers.

Monster saves from the daze effect on the lightning sphere and static shock happen about 50% of the time but nothing is saving against the damage aspect of the spells. The only time I switch to anything else is when I encounter lightning immune mobs, but usually my playing partner monk takes care of those anyways.