Pale Master Guide

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Originally Posted by Fanaval

Enchantment Lore from Drow line is very important for the +1 enchantment DC at lvl 3. Can't you drop Energy of the scholar and spell critical IV to have points to spend in Enchantment lore?
If you can take a +1 enchantment dc from enhancements you can skip bard active past life and take for example extend. (or whatever you like)

What do you think? It is feasible?

Thank you for your very good guide +1 rep.

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Sorry for taking so long to respond (hate that the new forums don't notify you of posts anymore).

Honestly I didn't realize that the enchantment lore gave +1 dc at lvl 3. I personally love the idea of trying to find the extra 3 ap's.

Just played around online, and swapped the enhancements to be as follows:

Wizard: Pale Master (41 ap): Core line VI (6ap), Neg. Healing Amp III (3ap), Neg Spell Crit IV (8ap), Necro Focus (2 ap), Intelligence II (4 ap), Improved Shrouding (2 ap), Efficient Metas: Quicken III (6 ap), Bone Armor III (3 ap), Cloak of Night III (1 ap), Deathless Vigor III (6)

Wizard: Archmage (30 ap): Archmage specialization: Necromancy IV (4ap) for access to Enervation as a SLA and +1 necro DC, Spell Critical III (6 ap), Spell Penetration I (2 ap), Energy of the Scholar I (2ap), Intelligence II (4 ap), Efficient Meta – Maximize III (6 ap) and Heighten II (4 ap), School Mastery - Necro (2ap),

Drow (9 ap): Spell Resistance II (2ap), Intelligence II (4ap), Enchantment Lore III (3ap)


Great suggestion, Thank you!

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Originally Posted by Fanaval

But there is a problem: Enchantment is still low compared to necro post update 19. It is really good to invest in enchantment? Someone have tried this in game? Mass hold is effective? Bestow curse is needed to debuff? And MOST IMPORTANT bestow curse is still fully functional? (Pre update 19 it did a minimum debuff no matter if the will save was done. NOW?)

I have read many people that was unsatisfied because enchantment (and CC) are now uneffective because DC are not enough to pass the absurdely high saves of monsters. (And it appears that in the endgame all the monsters have not weak saves).

If someone can answer this question do a favor to the community because it is important to know if it is a good thing to invest in enchantment.

Thank you.

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Against most mobs (not shadai-kai) my holds work pretty well with a enchant dc of 62 (soon to be 63), I still make heavy use of debuffs (mostly out of habit) -- I won't say it is 100% effective but mass holds are good enough to make a difference.

I feel the investment is worthwhile (for what it is worth).

I'll try to get some testing EE runs in over the next few days and see if I can nail down just how high the saves really are.

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Originally Posted by EllisDee37

My pale trapper build goes with enchantment AM for the hold monster sla and +1 enchant dc. He's primarily necro, but it's nice to have that extra enchant dc for running guild raids.

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If it wasn't for the Enervation SLA (that I cast way too often), I would seriously consider going Enchantment over Necro to bring the DC's more in balance. However, I use that SLA way to often to give it up -- both are valid options though. I will update the guide to bring this forward as a viable option as well.

Its is great to have some flexibility/options

Thank you!

FYI -- just discovered a bug with Enchantment DC's. The Spell Focus II effect on the Stormreaver's Tablecloth is stacking with the Necro V on my Nether Orb, but it is not stacking with my Enchantment IV on my Lootgen caster stick.

I am only showing a 62 enchantment DC, where I should be showing a 64. Breakdown is below:

Enchantment DC = 10 base + 9 spell level + 33 int mod + 1 spell focus + 1 greater focus + 1 wiz past life + 1 bard past life + 1 drow destiny +1 ship + 4 item + 2 tablecloth (not stacking)

DC showed 62 enchantment with or without the tablecloth on. Odd as it is stacking with necro, illusion, conjuration, transmutation, evocation.

Can anyone else confirm if this is working for them (maybe my +4 item is bugged)

A little note on race:

In the elf tree is feywild tap. It is a clicky you can use on yourself or any party member, that gives temporary SP, 10% incorporeal and -2 will (latter mostly has no effect since undead form gives immunity to a lot of will based effects) while the spell points last. At rank 3 it is 5 charges per rest, with a 2 minute cooldown.

The temporary spell points are pretty awesome. The formula for it is 24 + 6 per level, so, at level 28, this is 192 SP. Per charge. 5 times per rest, so that's 960 total for that enhancement. And you can use it on other party members, so even if you are good with your blue bar, you can still help out the party. It requires 10 points spent in the elf tree to take, plus the prereq of enchantment lore (identical to the drow enchantment lore, including the +1 DC at rank 3).

So I think it is worth consideration, and you still get elf arcanum for another 3 spell pen and 100 SP at rank 3 (lot cheaper in AP too). It costs 15 total AP to get both full feywild tap and arcanum, so that's a bit more than you'll probably be spending in other races though.

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Originally Posted by Andoris

Can anyone else confirm if this is working for them (maybe my +4 item is bugged)

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Enchantment focus is typed strangely, which is also (probably) why enchantment focus items stack with ship buffs.

This is a known issue for enchantment focus, at least among the playerbase.

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Originally Posted by ZeebaNeighba

A little note on race:

In the elf tree is feywild tap. It is a clicky you can use on yourself or any party member, that gives temporary SP, 10% incorporeal and -2 will (latter mostly has no effect since undead form gives immunity to a lot of will based effects) while the spell points last. At rank 3 it is 5 charges per rest, with a 2 minute cooldown.

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Happy to include it as an option, thank you for the suggestion. Even though it is a huge amount of SP, the loss of 2 dc (3 for enchantment) is more than I would recommend for EE content, as you will easily go through those extra spell points in debuffs, and/or failed spells. It is a great option if you don't run EE regularly though.

Thanks for the feedback

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Originally Posted by EllisDee37

Enchantment focus is typed strangely, which is also (probably) why enchantment focus items stack with ship buffs.

This is a known issue for enchantment focus, at least among the playerbase.

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Good to know -- I guess I need to check my tooltips more often, and make sure they are matching my math.

Thanks for the heads up

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Originally Posted by Andoris

Happy to include it as an option, thank you for the suggestion. Even though it is a huge amount of SP, the loss of 2 dc (3 for enchantment) is more than I would recommend for EE content, as you will easily go through those extra spell points in debuffs, and/or failed spells. It is a great option if you don't run EE regularly though.

Thanks for the feedback

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Actually elves get the same enchantment DC enhancement that drow get. It's even a prerequisite for feywild tap.

~1000 SP is a lot of failed spells or debuffs though. At -2 DC, under the assumption that you recast 10% more because of failures (which may not always be true, for example your party may finish off a mob before your finger gets back off cooldown), that would mean you were casting 10k SP worth of spells with DC's as a drow...that doesn't sound even close to accurate. Though I am well aware that an untimely save can mean more than just having to burn the SP for another cast.

Debuffs are trickier to argue, but some of them can come quite cheap through archmage: hypnotize and enervation are 1 SP and 10 respectively, and have an average debuff of -3 and -5 saves, respectively, which more than makes up for 2 DC's. Even the actual enervation spell can be cast about 40 times off a thousand SP, and energy drain half that. Crushing despair goes 50 times.

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Originally Posted by EllisDee37

Enchantment focus is typed strangely, which is also (probably) why enchantment focus items stack with ship buffs.

This is a known issue for enchantment focus, at least among the playerbase.

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I thought it was that the ship buff was changed to a morale bonus. It doesn't stack with spellsong trance, and spellsong trance stacks (afaik) with everything except that ship buff.

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Originally Posted by ZeebaNeighba

Actually elves get the same enchantment DC enhancement that drow get. It's even a prerequisite for feywild tap.

~1000 SP is a lot of failed spells or debuffs though. At -2 DC, under the assumption that you recast 10% more because of failures (which may not always be true, for example your party may finish off a mob before your finger gets back off cooldown), that would mean you were casting 10k SP worth of spells with DC's as a drow...that doesn't sound even close to accurate. Though I am well aware that an untimely save can mean more than just having to burn the SP for another cast.

Debuffs are trickier to argue, but some of them can come quite cheap through archmage: hypnotize and enervation are 1 SP and 10 respectively, and have an average debuff of -3 and -5 saves, respectively, which more than makes up for 2 DC's. Even the actual enervation spell can be cast about 40 times off a thousand SP, and energy drain half that. Crushing despair goes 50 times.I thought it was that the ship buff was changed to a morale bonus. It doesn't stack with spellsong trance, and spellsong trance stacks (afaik) with everything except that ship buff.

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The issue is not just that you have to recast spells, over and over, due to low dc's but that you are losing the time of the cool down as well. Mass hold fails, well that's 6 more seconds that the mobs are beating on the party for 300+ per swing. In many cases a failed spell can lead to party deaths, and/or a general feeling of uselessness on the part of the wizard (trust me, it was that feeling that lead me to shelve my caster from U17 until now). An aggressive debuff strategy can somewhat mitigate that, but that is very mana intensive, and somewhat inflexible to changing events (it takes time to properly debuff--again seconds lost).

The other issue with elf is the large AP investment needed to get max ranks of Arcanum and Feywild Tap. If you want both of those you are looking at a minimum of 17 ap spent, leaving only 22 ap for archmage (need 41 in pale master if you want the capstone). With only 22 AP you are not going to have School Mastery, Efficient Heighten, and the Tier IV sla (enervation).

As an Elf (using the Feywild Trap.. err I mean Tap strategy) your spell DC's look like this:

Necro: 65 versus 68 for Drow; Enchant: 61 versus 63 as Drow; All others are 2 DC lower. A crushing despair or two will negate the DC gap for Enchantment at the cost of 24 (20 base + 6 quicken). For other schools you are either going to need a Crushing Despair, followed by a heightened Crushing Despair (another 4 seconds and 49 spell points), or follow up with a single target debuff (bestow curse and/or Energy Drain) for another 56 spell points, versus the 10 spell points that the Enervation SLA would cost.

In the end you will still likely have more SP, even when you factor in the extra cost in re-cast spells and debuffs -- however, the time lost casting those debuffs/recasting failed spells in the heat of combat it quite excessive and can lead to party deaths (including your own) and/or general feeling of uselessness as by the time you get them debuffed and/or a spell lands, the rest of the party has blown through the mobs forcing the realization that you are just being dragged along.

If I am going to give up a bunch of DC for an ability, I would likely prefer to go with EllisDee's Pale trapper as that would at least give flexibility to the party. Secondly the extra spell points gained by going elf are not really needed. I rarely need to drink a pot, and when I do it is usually due to a failure to pay attention on my part. To be fair, I do run with a bunch of SP regen items (Bauble, Twisted x2, Vile, etc), but most of those are not that hard to get.

I think Elf is viable, and even superior if you are running primarily EH content, but I can't recommend it for a EE focused build. The lost casting time is a killer.

Updated guide with your suggestions and added breakdowns for Spell DC's and Spell Pen. Please let me know if I missed anything.

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Originally Posted by Andoris

The issue is not just that you have to recast spells, over and over, due to low dc's but that you are losing the time of the cool down as well. Mass hold fails, well that's 6 more seconds that the mobs are beating on the party for 300+ per swing. In many cases a failed spell can lead to party deaths, and/or a general feeling of uselessness on the part of the wizard (trust me, it was that feeling that lead me to shelve my caster from U17 until now). An aggressive debuff strategy can somewhat mitigate that, but that is very mana intensive, and somewhat inflexible to changing events (it takes time to properly debuff--again seconds lost).

The other issue with elf is the large AP investment needed to get max ranks of Arcanum and Feywild Tap. If you want both of those you are looking at a minimum of 17 ap spent, leaving only 22 ap for archmage (need 41 in pale master if you want the capstone). With only 22 AP you are not going to have School Mastery, Efficient Heighten, and the Tier IV sla (enervation).

As an Elf (using the Feywild Trap.. err I mean Tap strategy) your spell DC's look like this:

Necro: 65 versus 68 for Drow; Enchant: 61 versus 63 as Drow; All others are 2 DC lower. A crushing despair or two will negate the DC gap for Enchantment at the cost of 24 (20 base + 6 quicken). For other schools you are either going to need a Crushing Despair, followed by a heightened Crushing Despair (another 4 seconds and 49 spell points), or follow up with a single target debuff (bestow curse and/or Energy Drain) for another 56 spell points, versus the 10 spell points that the Enervation SLA would cost.

In the end you will still likely have more SP, even when you factor in the extra cost in re-cast spells and debuffs -- however, the time lost casting those debuffs/recasting failed spells in the heat of combat it quite excessive and can lead to party deaths (including your own) and/or general feeling of uselessness as by the time you get them debuffed and/or a spell lands, the rest of the party has blown through the mobs forcing the realization that you are just being dragged along.

If I am going to give up a bunch of DC for an ability, I would likely prefer to go with EllisDee's Pale trapper as that would at least give flexibility to the party. Secondly the extra spell points gained by going elf are not really needed. I rarely need to drink a pot, and when I do it is usually due to a failure to pay attention on my part. To be fair, I do run with a bunch of SP regen items (Bauble, Twisted x2, Vile, etc), but most of those are not that hard to get.

I think Elf is viable, and even superior if you are running primarily EH content, but I can't recommend it for a EE focused build. The lost casting time is a killer.

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You make good points there, as I'm much more experienced with a caster druid than pale master. I haven't played PM in a while (not since a while before the enhancement pass), and druid has a few differences. Instakills are the number 1 thing you want stuff to fail saves against as it's life or death right there, and druid has a lot less focus on it, and earthquake will eventually get the opponent on their rear even if they make the initial save, unlike disco ball or other wizard CC. I do think there are more efficient ways to debuff (shaken is -2 saves without needing saves for example) but it does still cost SP.

Lots of great information. If I have to choose one Pale Master thread to point people to, this is it.

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Originally Posted by Andoris

Gear:
Trinket: Litany (alchemical resistance ritual)
Head: Fire Resist 45 Crown of Resistance +10
Neck: Green Steel: Pos/Neg/Water +10hp, +150sp, +2 con skills, +4 int skills, +6 wis skills; +6 wisdom
Goggles: Intricate Field Goggles +3 insightful intelligence (Green: Heavy Fort /Yellow: +1 exp Int)
Bracers: Health +10 Bracers of Dodge 10%
Body: Shroud of the Abbot
Cloak: Stormreaver’s Tablecloth (Yellow: +15 spell craft)
Ring: Guardian’s Ring (yellow: 250 spell points)
Ring: ring of shadows (yellow: vitality) / Ring of the Djinn
Boots: Sages Shoes / TOD boots / Cannith Boots of Propulsion
Gloves: Master Illusionist (EE version)
Belt: Belt of the Seven Ideals (Green: Good Luck+2 /Yellow: +15 heal)
Weapons: +8 Impulse 132 Scepter of enchantment IV (Red: 138 Lightning), Nether Orb +5 necromancy focus (Red: 138 nullification)
Quiver: Quiver of Alacrity

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I really hope there's some better itemization for Pale Masters in the U20 raid and when the cap increases to level 30. That's an ugly patchwork of gear.

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Originally Posted by Carpone

Lots of great information. If I have to choose one Pale Master thread to point people to, this is it.


I really hope there's some better itemization for Pale Masters in the U20 raid and when the cap increases to level 30. That's an ugly patchwork of gear.

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Thank you for the praise!

As for items, I completely agree. The gear works, but was a struggle -- it was somewhat amusing, however; to find that the best armor I could find at lvl 28, was a ML:14 robe from a Raid released in 2007. Only upgrades I can see (within the current gear available) would be to replace the helm with a +10 resist w/green slot and to upgrade the +4 enchantment stick to a +5 one ideally with Electric damage (btw if anyone on Ghallanda has one of those for trade, let me know).

Lets hope that U20 brings some better named gear.

In the quest to continually expand upon the guide I decided to do an in-depth review of some of the spells that a Wizard may want to use. I avoided a review of spells that have the primary purpose of dealing damage as they are self-explanatory (and quite boring imo). The review below is intended to help players realize that one of the greatest strengths of the Wizard is their large and flexible spell selection, allowing them to fill an invaluable role in any party. As always, I welcome feedback and suggestions. It is likely I missed something, but with your help, we can make this an amazing resource.

Crowd Control:

1. Holds – Enchantment - These spells are the reason why the dps in the party loves you. They may despise you for insta-killing mobs left and right, but when you kick off a mass hold, their eye gleam with joy. Remember that helpless mobs take 50% more damage (likely much more due to Sense weakness, No mercy and other enhancements). As much fun as insta-kills are, nothing is more cost effective than helpful to a good party then 20 mobs held in place as the blitzing melee litter the ground with the mobs entrails. Throwing a mass hold at the spawn point in Lines of Supply and seeing 20+ mobs stand there with blue hoola-hoops on always brings a smile to my face. I don’t typically bother with the single target versions, but the mass holds are always in my spell list. Examples: Hold person/monster, Mass hold person/monster, Halt Undead
2. Dance – Enchantment 7/8 - Incredibly useful as a persistent area-effect control (Otto’s Sphere of Dancing) and as single target no-save control (Otto’s Irresistible Dance). Irresistible Dance works on nearly all (living) orange names, and is indispensable in managing fights with those mini-bosses
3. Web – Conjuration 2 - Persistent crowd control and very few mobs are immune to it. Add it to your spell list early and use it forever.
4. Fogs – Conjuration 1-6 - Not really crowd control per se, but a great buff for the party. Fogs have the benefit of granting a 20% concealment bonus is not negated by True Seeing (or most red/purple named bosses), drastically reducing incoming damage in those situations. I recommend Cloudkill as your primary fog spell, as it has the least impact on other players visibility.
5. Flesh to Stone – Transmutation 6 – This is another fun spell to use for single target control. Unfortunately, it targets one of the stronger mob saves (fortitude) and is not from a typically pumped school. Transmutation DC’s are likely 8-11 lower then Necromancy DC, so in almost all cases that you would want to use this spell, a Finger of Death would do better.
6. Charms – Enchantment - These are very situational as usually it is faster/better to hold the monster and just kill it. However, there are occasions where it can be useful (Air Elemental's in Fleshmaker). Just if you use a Charm spell, make sure you have dismiss charm on your hot bar. I am a fan, however; of Dominate Monster. Typically, you will have level 9 spell slots to spare and Dominating an EE mob can be a lot of fun. Note, that in epic content charms only last about 12-15 seconds, regardless of spell duration. Examples: (Mass) Charm Person/Monster, Suggestion, Symbol of Persuasion, Dominate Person/Monster
7. Stuns – Evocation -The various stunning/dazing spells are only typically used in content where you are unable to break mobs spell resistance (EE Drow content) or low levels before you get mass holds (Electric loop). Spells like Greater Shout provide a good CC option for those situations; outside of those specific instances you are almost always better to use a hold. Examples: Sonic Blast, Electric loop, Shout, Symbol of Stunning, Greater Shout, Power Word: Stun

Death Spells:
These spells are the reason you likely rolled up a PM in the first place. They are fun to cast, and are the best form of control you can use against trash (if mobs are dead they can’t hurt anyone :p ).

1. Finger of death – Necromancy 7 – This is your go-to death spell. Single target, fast cool down and precision targeting. It also has one of my favorite spell animations in the game.
2. Circle of Death – Necromancy 6 – First area of effect death spell. This spell has the added benefit of being able to throw it at a group of mobs at range. Downside is that it is another double save spell (Ref+Fort).
3. Wail of the Banshee – Necromancy 9 – Not nearly as cool as it was prior to MotU, but still a very effective spell (not that they fixed it). Should be in every PM’s spell list.
4. Phantasmal Killer – Illusion 4 – The first death spell you get and useful even at cap. It is unfortunate that it has two saves (Will+Fort) but if you are running Master Illusionist gloves you will have a significant Illusion DC, making this a good spell to use when the other death spells are on cool down. Only big downside to the spell is that it takes up a precious level 4 spell slot
5. Undeath to Death – Necromancy 6 – Acts as a Circle of death, but targets undead (Will save). With the mass numbers of undead in the game, this spell is almost always in my spell list.
6. Trap the Soul – Conjuration 8 – This is an all-time favorite of mine, as it bypasses those annoying deathwards and doesn’t care what the target is (living, dead – doesn’t matter). Unfortunately, the spell caps at 30HD, which makes it worthless for EE content. It is my favorite death spell to use in EH Fot (and to a less extent CitW), and is great while leveling – but until turbine increases the HD cap on the spell it will be of only niche use.
7. Banish/Dismissal – Abjuration 5/7 – I personally never really bother with this spell, but it can have its usage while leveling (Vale). I typically have better uses for a lvl 5 or 7 slot then a creature specific kill spell – I much prefer to just kill them with a Finger or Circle.
8. Power Word: Kill – Conjuration 9 – No save death spell, if only it didn’t have a 5 min cool down. Still worth slotting (what else are you going to use that level 9 spell slot for?) and can be handy if you get that special mob that just won’t die.

Debuffs:
These spells have the goal of reducing target saves, allowing for a higher chance of spells and/or effects of landing. You want to keep a focus on both spell point efficiency and elapsed time from decision to the action taking effect. In most cases debuffs will be cast will all meta-magic abilities off.

1. Level drain - Necromancy 4/6/8/9 - These spells are your primary debuff, mobs take -2 to saves for every level drained, and the hit point loss (especially on EE orange named mobs) is so extreme, that these spells double as your highest damage dealers. Primary usage is to case a level drain on a mob at the start of the engagement (unless you are confident that your kill spell will land), and then follow up with your death spell or move on to the next target, depending on the situation. Examples: Necrotic Ray (1 level), Enervation (1d4 levels), Symbol of Death (P-AoE, 1 level), Energy drain (2d4 levels)
2. Fear Effects – Necromancy 1/2/4 - Fear spells get a bad rap, due to the annoying problem of feared mobs running in terror, forcing the party to track them down. However, at higher levels they have a use by causing the shaken effect (-2 to all saves) when the mobs succeed on their save. Ideal use is to low level fear spell (Scare is a good one) and make sure heighten is turned off. Just be prepared that if you actually succeed in landing the fear spell, it is your responsibility to take them down (quickly). Examples: Cause Fear, Scare, Fear
3. Will save specific – Enchantment 1/4/5 - Area effect defuffs typically cast prior to casting a mass hold or dancing ball. Will save reduction is usually quite significant with a large AoE. Examples : Hypnotism (-3 will, no save), Crushing Despair (-5 will, no save; -2 all others if mobs fail will save), Mind Fog (Persistent, -10 will, Will save negates)

Utility Spells:

1. Gust of Wind / Cyclonic Blast – Evocation 2/5 – Great for getting rid of Dancing Balls, Fogs and Walls of Fire. I nearly always carry Gust of Wind for getting rid of annoying dancing balls – highly recommended.
2. Break enchantment - Abjuration 5 – Every wizard should either slot this spell or carry scrolls of it. It can be targeted on players to get rid of debuffs (Crushing Despair, hamstring, etc) requiring a caster level check, or on areas to get rid of persistent effects (Blade barriers, Cloudkill, annoying dog goo out of LOB) with no check. Typically I just carry a stack of scrolls, but I wouldn't fault anyone for slotting this.
3. Fireball – Beyond its use as a low level nuke, this little gem has great use even at end game. A fireball can open a breakable door that typically requires a strength check (which is likely quite low on a wizard) and is a great counter for webs that are entangling your party. Add to the fact that I almost always have more lvl 3 slots than I know what to do with, makes fireball a staple in my spell list.
4. Knock – Transmutation 2 - With your high intelligence score you can open most of the doors/chests in the game. Also it is great fun to unlock a chest right before the rogue finishes his animation to open the lock.
5. Invisibility / Mass Invisibility – I can’t even begin to count the situations where casting invisibility on the party makes the quest run faster/easier. If you are not slotting one of these spells, you should be carrying mass invisibility scrolls.
6. Feather fall – Situational, but useful for situations when you want the entire party to land together. I really only use this for Fall of Truth, to ensure the Reaver gets initial aggro while the party is falling.

Here is my standard spell load out. Some spells are memorized due to available room and to ensure I don't forget to take them when needed (eg. Missile spells for the times when I decide to swap over to Shiradi), other are their solely out of personal preference. There is no one right way to configure your spell. Spells marked with an asterisk (*) are must haves (imo).

Comments and questions are welcome

Level 1: Hypnotism, Protection from Evil*, Jump*, Magic Missile, Expeditious Retreat* (if no quiver), Night shield* (if no clicky), Feather Fall
Level 2: Blur, Knock, Web*, Resist Energy*, Gust of Wind, [sometimes] Spawn Screen
Level 3: Displacement*, Rage*, Haste*, Fireball, Halt Undead (SLA), Chain Missiles
Level 4: Negative Energy Burst*, Death Aura*, Dimension Door*, Ice Storm or Firewall, Phantasmal Killer or Crushing Despair, Enervation* (SLA) (Scroll: Fire shield)
Level 5: Niac's Biting Cold, Eladar’s Electric Surge, CloudKill, Mind Fog, Ball Lightning (Scroll: Teleport, Break Enchantment*)
Level 6: Circle of Death*, Death to Undeath*, Chain Lightning, Necrotic Ray*, Disintegrate, (Scroll: Greater Heroism*, Shadow Walk, True Seeing)
Level 7: Greater Teleport, Finger of Death*, Mass Hold Person*, Otto's Sphere of Dancing*, Waves of Exhaustion (Scroll: Mass Invisibility*)
Level 8: Symbol of Death, Otto's Irresistible Dance*, Polar Ray, Black Dragon Bolt, Trap the Soul
Level 9: Power Word: Kill, Mass Hold Monster*, Energy Drain*, Wail of the Banshee*, Dominate Monster or Meteor Swarm

Great work! Very in depth! Keep it up!

P.S. Next up: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...20monk%20druid :P! :P!

The link in your sig isn't working for me btw(***just trying 2 help!!***) Cheers! :P! :)!

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Originally Posted by whereispowderedsilve

Great work! Very in depth! Keep it up!

P.S. Next up: https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...20monk%20druid :P! :P!

The link in your sig isn't working for me btw(***just trying 2 help!!***) Cheers! :P! :)!

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I am still playing that build (with some modifications) however, the new gear is giving me fits (haven't incorporated any U20 stuff yet). Also, the current ridiculous power that is QP these days, makes me think that I might want to TR into more monk levels.

I will post up the current build (he is very EE capable as is, [currently 13 rog / 6 monk / 1 druid]), later this week.. but note that he is still a work in progress (personally if I kept the current focus it would be 13 rog/6 monk/1 cleric for the wand and scroll mastery)

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Originally Posted by Andoris

In the quest to continually expand upon the guide I decided to do an in-depth review of some of the spells that a Wizard may want to use. I avoided a review of spells that have the primary purpose of dealing damage as they are self-explanatory (and quite boring imo). The review below is intended to help players realize that one of the greatest strengths of the Wizard is their large and flexible spell selection, allowing them to fill an invaluable role in any party. As always, I welcome feedback and suggestions. It is likely I missed something, but with your help, we can make this an amazing resource.

Crowd Control:

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Great guide Andoris, a lot of work I'm sure. I wanted to add a few things to this particular post that may be helpful.

-Necro spells can be used as debuffs as well. As an enchantment specialist I use WoB in the tough content for two things- there's a chance to kill a few and it will give negative levels to those that survive. I usually follow up with a Quickened Mass Hold Monster. Also if I'm prepping a CC/Kill zone I'll put up a Symbol of Death for AoE negative levels in the middle of an Otto's Dancing Sphere to reduces the will saves of the monsters. This can be combined with the more conventional Hypnotism/Crushing Despair/Mind Fog rotation depending on the DC of the caster and the difficulty of the content.

-I'm primarily a Pale Master with a secondary focus in Enchantment Archmage. The SLA's are cheap easy debuffs and CC. I use Hypnotism as an AoE debuff prep for Dancing Ball or Mass Hold. I use the Hold Monster SLA in certain situations like an EE ogre is bearing down on the cleric and about to deliver a triple strike of death. Or to help melee along as we all love to tee off on the blue glowy monsters frozen in place. :)

-Charm/Suggestion/Dominate works for the full stated duration in Heroic levels only. In Epic levels it's reduced to 6-10 seconds. This holds true for Charm/Suggestion/Dominate/Symbol of Suggestion. The only CC of this type I've seen that is sustainable is the Shadowdancer ability Shadow Manipulation. That said, if things go really bad in tough content, those 6-10 seconds can be the difference between wipe or not. In those emergency situations I cast a Quickened Mass Suggestion, as odds are you will catch at least some monsters and the agro will transfer to them. This gives you a small window for important follow up actions like a Dancing Ball, WoB, raise the healer, etc.

-A good number of orange named bosses have deathward which prevents instant death and negative levels. Enchantment debuffs still work though. I use SLA Hypnotism followed up by SLA Hold Monster.

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Originally Posted by Humperdink

-Charm/Suggestion/Dominate works for the full stated duration in Heroic levels only. In Epic levels it's reduced to 6-10 seconds.

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Epic quests?

I ask because when I farmed up addy dragon cloak to placeholder for a tablecloth, I found that dominate monster worked great on the wolves in Sunset Ritual even on "epic" level challenge. Pretty sure I ended up doing 25s, but may have been 24. Either way, that's technically epic level and dominate on those wolves lasted forever and a day.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it works differently in quests.