Do any of you ever use DC-based wands?

[sephiroth1084]

This is a serious question.

1. To date, in the live game, have any of you ever used DC-based wands with the intention of having them augment your other abilities, hoping or expecting enemies to fail their saves?
2. Have any of you invested in Wand Heightening enhancements in Live?
3. Have any of you picked up wizard past lives in order to bump your wand DCs by 2/life?
4. Ultimately, does anyone actually want the Wand Heightening enhancements at all?

I'm hoping to run this as a poll, so please address the questions in a useful manner.

[bartharok]

Nope, havent seen the need.

[sephiroth1084]

Keep the replies coming, folks. Really hoping some dev sees this and takes note of the responses.

Actually curious to see if anyone has enjoyed employing this tactic. Theoretically, with the Wand Heightening enhancements and 3 past lives, DC-based wands like Charm Person and PK could have a shelf life of a few levels, but I'm skeptical.

[blerkington]

Hi,

Good idea for a thread, thank you.

I have never, ever even considered spending AP on those enhancements. Even as a new player it didn't seem like a good idea.

The effect of increasing the DCs is negligible, and there is always something better to spend points on.

Perhaps this enhancement made sense back in the dim, dark past when DCs and the level cap were both very low. But in the game as it is now, it's just useless.

Thanks.

[fmalfeas]

Let's run the numbers. Best case scenario, even. But first, some info on wands.

A wand (by the numbers) cannot hold a spell higher than 4th level. So for our theorycrafting wand, the spell level is 4.
A wand (by the numbers) uses the lowest casting stat modifier possible for the spell level. So for this wand, the stat is 14, or +2
A wand is unaffected by spellpower from enhancements or gear, and cannot be affected by your metamagic feats.

So, our Wand of Theorycrafting has a DC of 10+4+2 or 16, a caster level of 7, and a minimum level of 7.

Next we'll assume 3 wizard past lives, for +6.
Then we'll assume 3 Wand Heightening enhancements, for another +3.

This, with rather impressive investment for the idea, gives us a DC of 16+6+3, or 25. 19 if first life.

Now, this wand will do lowish damage if a damage wand, regardless of DC, compared to an actual cast spell.

The question remains though, at what level does a DC of 19 or 25 become too low? It's certainly of absolutely no value in epic content, and I doubt it would do anything at all in Inspired Quarter either. Are we looking at Pre-Gianthold for it to work out? Sands maybe?

And I'm assuming Normal difficulty. On elite, I doubt it would be much good past Marketplace.

[Onetunge]

I have 3rd live wiz currently on lvl7. I use a lot of wands, but they are wither self buffing ones or ethernal no save damage dealing ones. I never used DC based wands. I imagine they would be usefull only on lower lvls because high lvl wands are rare if not non-existent all together.

[Archangel666]

Nope.

[Dandonk]

1) I have used a wand with DC. Once. Several years ago, before I knew better. Since then, offensive wands have been vendor trash.

2) No

3) No

4) No

[lhidda]

4x no

but I true reincarnated my wizard 2x to get more spell penetration and for the active past life feat.

[Munkenmo]

This is a serious question.

1. To date, in the live game, have any of you ever used DC-based wands with the intention of having them augment your other abilities, hoping or expecting enemies to fail their saves?
2. Have any of you invested in Wand Heightening enhancements in Live?
3. Have any of you picked up wizard past lives in order to bump your wand DCs by 2/life?
4. Ultimately, does anyone actually want the Wand Heightening enhancements at all?

I'm hoping to run this as a poll, so please address the questions in a useful manner.

I tried running around with PK wands during an arti life to see how effective they'd be.

I gave up within an hour and wrote it off as the terrible idea I always thought it was. (said character did have 3 wiz lives, but bot for the wand dc's)

[Apoxia]

I used a PK in Elite VoN 1 at level once and it hit. Must have been a fluke.

[sephiroth1084]

The replies of, "used it and it sucked," are especially useful.

[stretchcore]

Only use I've ever had for them is using fireball wands to break down doors and save SP. at low levels (usually up until harbour) I will sometimes use the eternal wands on trash mobs, for much the same purpose. Otherwise the DC's are much too low as they are, and the small improvement isn't worth the investment.
Example: Cacophonic verge rarely works to stun past level 7 or so, depending on the target.

[Indoran]

very seldomly and on very specific circumstances like low level (level 4 or such with a web wand for example)

NOT something I consider to do beyond level 6

[Xyy]

With some extra lovin', the Arti captstone can hit 40+ DC on applicable items. However, spell pen is atrocious

[Daemoneyes]

This is a serious question.

1. To date, in the live game, have any of you ever used DC-based wands with the intention of having them augment your other abilities, hoping or expecting enemies to fail their saves?
   No
2. Have any of you invested in Wand Heightening enhancements in Live?
   No
3. Have any of you picked up wizard past lives in order to bump your wand DCs by 2/life?
   No
4. Ultimately, does anyone actually want the Wand Heightening enhancements at all?
   No

I'm hoping to run this as a poll, so please address the questions in a useful manner.

............................

[Derailment]

I'm using http://ddowiki.com/page/Itemampened_Cacophonic_Verge for breaking boxes, probably not answer you looking for, but technically it's DC-based wand.
P.S. Happy link

[sephiroth1084]

Ah, yes, how are the epic wands? Same experience overall with those?

[Azaghan]

No. Never. Not at all.

This wand heightening stuff could maaaybe make some sense for PnP DnD, but it is absolutely worthless in the inflated enviroment of an MMO. If they would remove this line altogether, it would be one less TRAP for new players.

[sephiroth1084]

No. Never. Not at all.

This wand heightening stuff could maaaybe make some sense for PnP DnD, but it is absolutely worthless in the inflated enviroment of an MMO. If they would remove this line altogether, it would be one less TRAP for new players.

That's kind of what I'm getting at.

Well, that, or SERIOUSLY buffing the ability, with things like using your own Int on top of applying a few bonuses or some such.

But, mainly, I'm trying to demonstrate that: A) the people that have tried them, found them to be useless, B) no one really uses them, C) no one wants them. That way perhaps we can have them expunged from the game, and replaced with something people actually want (and hopefully also remove needless prerequisites for Wand & Scroll Mastery).