8th Level Sorc SPell Choice. What did you chosse?

[Brummbar]

Hi all,

Wanted to chime in here and find out what the masses are using as the 8th level spell?

I almost toon Sunburst, I almost hook Horrid Wilting....but...



I just hit level 16 this weekend and took 'Greater Shout' .

Anyone have much experience with this spell? Explain how it's best used.

I build my Sorc to control the battlefield, not kill with AOE stuff.

[Halpo]

kinda stinks used to give auto crits while stunned but they nerfed it.

[Averroes]

It does a small amount of damage, and is a fort save or 6-second stun. 12 seconds extended. Cone AOE -- probably the same as cone of cold, although I've never hit more than 4 or 5 targets with it that I can think of. So maybe more like the Fear AOE.

Recommend turning off max/empower before using it, as the damage is a waste of time either way.

It's basically soundburst with a harder-to-control AOE and slightly more damage. No save on the damage either.

No SR check -- that's what makes it useful.

[Aspenor]

Greater shout is nice for the AoE stun effect, which is one of the only arcane AoE fortitude save CC spells in the game.

make sure to turn off max/emp though

[Angelus_dead]

kinda stinks used to give auto crits while stunned but they nerfed it.

It never gave auto crits.

When it was first introduced in module 2, there was no save on the stun. That part was nerfed.

[Angelus_dead]

I just hit level 16 this weekend and took 'Greater Shout' .

Anyone have much experience with this spell? Explain how it's best used.

Yes, the level 8 spells aren't very good, and Greater Shout is close to the best. The other reasonable choices are Sunburst (for nuking vampires, especially if you like Necropolis quests) and Polar Ray (for inefficient DPS on devils like Arraetrikos).

Greater Shout is fine crowd control for enemies like Eladrin and even sometimes Bearded Devils. It's an AOE fort save, which you don't have already (unless you count Stinking Cloud). And the best part is that it ignores Spell Resistance, which is otherwise an obstacle to CC those kinds of outsiders.

The big problem with Greater Shout is the DDO metamagic UI: before you can cast Greater Shout you need to turn off Maximize and Empower or you'll waste a lot of mana (on top of what is already an expensive spell)

[sirgog]

...Polar Ray (for inefficient DPS on devils like Arraetrikos).

Polar Ray is the #1 DPS spell on any high-save foe that isn't immune to cold (like Arraetrikos). Particularly foes with evasion (like Harry on hard or elite). It gives a good bang for the buck in damage per mana too (only spell that can beat it is Magic Missile, non-empowered, non-maximised, cast by an arcane with 40% force spec)

Against foes that fail saves frequently, it is indeed an inefficient DPS spell - Cone of Cold is far superior most of the time. I still believe Polar Ray is the best of a mediocre bunch, however, as anything that can be stunned by the Shout can generally dance, making Discoball generally superior as CC.

[MrCow]

I chose Sunburst out of the 8th level spells and love it for vampires/wraiths/shadows/specters. It also is a boon if you ever get 2 or more rogues in a group and the monsters can be blinded or just to use the blind effect to slow down a large mass of things.

I honestly haven't played with any of the other 8th level spells because I have found enough uses for Sunburst for me to keep it in my spell selection.

[Desteria]

Started with iresistable dance and while fun found i never used it becuase of its; extreamly short range, if it had better ranger it would be VERY ncie for some of the uber beholders with crazzy high saves but as it is 'i must be standign beside you' range it really just never got used...
I atm have polar ray for specificaly nukign HIGH save/evation red names, like The Pit fiend, if i cna ever get my gloves/bracer combo it will become mroe eficent then CoC is as well I believe, havent realyl run the numbers yet sicne the gloves/bracer never drop from sulu when my sorc is there, my tanks whach 2 pairs a run drop i swear...
I dotn run with Greater shout beacsue I HATE cyclign metamagics on and off, and i noramly run EMp/Max and castign gtr shout with then on makes it prohibitavly expensive CC thats last a very short time.

[geoffhanna]

I took a level of rogue

[SlipperyPete]

I originally chose polar ray but the only place I found myself using it was on the pit fiend when running on hard or elite. While it did its job the amount of hit points Aritrikos (sp?) has it's simply more efficient to bring reliable DPS and keep them up and running at 100%. In all other situations cone of cold and otolukes (sp?) were more efficient.

Sunburst has taken over that slot. While the damage is nothing to get excited about the blindness and 50% (pretty sure it's 50) reduction in movement rate on a mass mobs certainly has CC benefits. Rogues will love you for it as well.

Will probably try sounburst next if I switch out but so far I'm finding sunburst to be the best choice out of a fairly weak selection.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Whats the difference from being stunned with a hammer and being stunned from greater shout/soundburst?

Why does one produce autocrits while the other doesnt?

[transtemporal]

I took gtr shout, but I'm pretty sure SR was triggering... might be wrong.

It was mildly effective on the eladrin but web is far superior for the same purpose, and even compared to a 2nd level spell like soundburst, it was pretty unimpressive. I swapped for polar ray which, as everyone has said, is completely inefficient for anything other than high-save non-cold immune creatures.

[MrWizard]

irresitible....

if in anyway I can stun, fascinate, or get near a real bad dude, all I got to do is pass SR and he dances, end of story.

Great for non red party wiping bad guys. Clerics love the combo.


Man, does my cleric miss holy smite...the old way

[Arleon]

I took Polar Ray and I've stuck with it(one of my more favourite spells from PnP.) When ever the level cap increases I'm sure it'll get more love as it is only slightly stronger than CoC or Otiluke's. I tried Incendiary Cloud and was disappointed, way to weak. Sunburst looks like it'll be my choice for lv17. Hopefully they either add some more or retool the existing and really hoping the lv 9 spells won't be as mediocre(I want my 32d6 Meteor Swarm.)

[sirgog]

I took Polar Ray and I've stuck with it(one of my more favourite spells from PnP.) When ever the level cap increases I'm sure it'll get more love as it is only slightly stronger than CoC or Otiluke's. I tried Incendiary Cloud and was disappointed, way to weak. Sunburst looks like it'll be my choice for lv17. Hopefully they either add some more or retool the existing and really hoping the lv 9 spells won't be as mediocre(I want my 32d6 Meteor Swarm.)

Lvl 17, I'm taking Greater Shout, I think.

Polar Ray for now.

[Lillitheris]

Otto's Irresistible Dance.

None of the others seemed all that useful to me. Irresistible Dance is just what it says it is. Makes those nasty orange named monsters rock to the beat!

[Pyromaniac]

Had otto's for a while, tried greater shout for a while, currently sitting on polar ray. All of them are medicore compared to what I hoped for from a new level of spells.

If the long awaited potency boost to level 8 spells comes along, we may get more utility out of polar ray. With lower level spells we got potency to boost them because of the mobs inflated hp, with lvl 8 we lost that love from the devs. The current raid loot to boost polar ray takes up 2 slots and is underpowered relative to the other items in the hound/vision raid.

There really aren't any great 8th level sorc spells, so you can't really go wrong.

[muffinlad]

Basically, they are all mediocre, except for symbol of death, which flat out sucks (Symbol of Bat killing).

I think more people would take Charm Monster Mass if they could, but that spell is still broken.

Anyway, Polar Ray is my choice. My second one will be CMM if they fix it, if not, Greater Shout.

muffinsorcer