Casters Are Dead.

[Mr_Ed7]

Caster should stabilize, and wait for the Favored Soul's to level and then they can find you in the new content and get you back up.

[tinyelvis]

Because they [the devs] perceived casters as still being too unbalanced to the other classes?

That is kinda it, but not quite. You see, the designer has to set things up so that the well played, well spec'd, and well equipped toon is challenged. The reason is that in community games like this, strategies, and toon setup knowledge quickly spread. It does not take long before the whole community has the knowledge and then what was at one time an impossible challenge is soon mundane for most everyone.

I believe that the balance is currently set to the short term potential of casters. Maybe at present only a small percentage of the community is performing at that level, but it wont be long before the vast majority reaches that level.

P.S. I think that casters will actually see some nerfing occur, for imo there are some very tough capabilities currently available.

[Harncw]

My main (a sorc) hard a hard time in the battelfield
I was a little disheartened, but I think the methods will be figured out...

I think we just need time... content has been out for what 2 days now? course we gonna get our butts handed to us...

Keep in mind these quests are supposed to carry us through levels 17-20

Right now just let the DPS and their support clerics carry the load... a month or two from now we should know more.

[bobbryan2]

if I have to explain my point to someone like you who is so off on your thinking. Then my point was made.

Your point was made.

You still rock in the vale and orchard.

High five!

[bobbryan2]

My main (a sorc) hard a hard time in the battelfield
I was a little disheartened, but I think the methods will be figured out...

I think we just need time... content has been out for what 2 days now? course we gonna get our butts handed to us...

Keep in mind these quests are supposed to carry us through levels 17-20

Right now just let the DPS and their support clerics carry the load... a month or two from now we should know more.

Except... the content has been out for about 5 months on the test server. Melees aren't getting their butts handed to them. Neither are clerics. (I know... I play all types)

Furthermore.. the enemies we're fighting have been around for even longer. (Like 2 years) The strategies surrounding devils and orthons are pretty widely known already.

And lemme just say... you don't bring sorcs around in the shroud to finger Orthons. (I realize they can... but that sure ain't why you bring them)

[Arianrhod]

Sounds like caster experience is about what it should be (based on how things work in D&D) vs. high level devils. However, it would be better if there were more variety of enemies. Maybe throw in some roving bands of non-devil adventurers to be vanquished along with the devils - they probably wouldn't have quite as much SR. Maybe even a few (shudder) undead, elementals and the like. Stuff casters are good against.

[Yurtrus]

your too uber for me.. Glad we have people like you on the server that know it all. Wow.. it's a wonder anyone makes a character that is not like yours. I know.. you should post your specs on your toons and we can all build them just like you. LOL..

Enjoy the game.. I plan on it. Just hope I don't have to ever quest with people who think like you do.

Hey everyone.. Don't let this guy get you down.. Enjoy the game with whatever toon you play and we will muster through together.. Let him play the game by himself.. Seems like that is what he is best at.

[bobbryan2]

your too uber for me.. Glad we have people like you on the server that know it all. Wow.. it's a wonder anyone makes a character that is not like yours. I know.. you should post your specs on your toons and we can all build them just like you. LOL..

Enjoy the game.. I plan on it. Just hope I don't have to ever quest with people who think like you do.

Hey everyone.. Don't let this guy get you down.. Enjoy the game with whatever toon you play and we will muster through together.. Let him play the game by himself.. Seems like that is what he is best at.

What exactly do you know about my playstyle? Other than that I think casters have the hardest time in the new content than any other class?

That 'is' what this thread is about. At least my posts are on topic... and not saying that sorcs are fine cuz they're good in the orchard.

[Harncw]

you don't bring sorcs around in the shroud to finger Orthons.

I'm not really sure what you are going on about...
Maybe I need more coffee...

I don't finger the orthons in the shroud personally... I usually web and sometimes dance them, and let the DPS deal with them. That ok with you?

Point I'm trying to make to the OP, is just give it sometime, your caster should look more promising after you get his primary stat to max, get a few more levels under his belt, maybe pick a spell school for a feat... get a few items (someone said gtr school focus is out now)

[Goldeneye]

Casters: Someone has to cast haste, and heal the WF!

[bobbryan2]

Point I'm trying to make to the OP, is just give it sometime, your caster should look more promising after you get his primary stat to max, get a few more levels under his belt, maybe pick a spell school for a feat... get a few items (someone said gtr school focus is out now)

People 'have' gotten to level 20. Maxed their casting stat. Gotten spell focus feats. (gtr spell focus has been out since the beginning of the game.)

You keep playing this, 'wait and see card.' I'm just saying that's unnecessary considering how long this content has been available.

[moorewr]

As others have said: this is about what you should expect (in D&D) against devils. I'm having some success with heightened web, acid fog does its job (slows everything and kills tieflings) and I'm helping the party as well with stoneskin, blur, and haste. So, what with the fog and web making everything aggro on me my arcane is useful to the party, but maybe not as useful as my intimitank.

Effective does not equal fun, but yeah, we can become effective. Just don't expect more than a couple kills in a 90 minute quest.... and expect to DIE...

[Kraak]

He wrote everything that I meant to say with the tone I meant to use, why type it twice?

Aesop - it would be no different than if he wrote:

/signed

What's wrong with that?

[talyor]

I am not a hundred percent sure but i remember reading somewhere that the new explorer area has a positive effect on the mobs in essence granting them a permanet greater heroism which would account for the greater difficulty in landing spells with saves out there.

[Kraak]

To the OP - I guess the only thing I would suggest is using the "right spell for the right save". I was picking off the casters with destruction without too much problem. But never really tried it on a high con mob, unless I popped them with energy drain once or twice. What about the useless spell PK? People have typically tossed it en lieu of only "needing one instakill spell". I personally haven't tried it yet in the new content, but it may help to pick your instakill based on the mob's lowest save.

So in a sense saves might matter? We'll see how it goes.

[Borror0]

[...] the designer has to set things up so that the well played, well spec'd, and well equipped toon is challenged.

Interesting. We must be playing a different game because I have not yet seen DDO challenging the "well played, well spec'd, and well equipped toon".

Putting that point side, your statement is incorrect. A game designer has to design the game for a far larger pool of players than the "well played, well spec'd, and well equipped toon". Those are a very small minority, and it would be unrealistic to expect to be playing on Normal. The Elite difficulty setting is in the game, so they can use it if they want to challenge those players! The Normal setting is, or at the least should be, balanced for the averaged skilled players with average gear and an average build.

What's wrong with that?

Aesop is only poking fun at me. I'm usually more verbose and tend to bring up even the smallest disagreements.

[lexinator]

Most people won't even let more than 1-2 casters in raid groups these days and you think they have it easy?

Exactly. I was surprised to see this. People are asking me to log on as my Fighter over my Sorc.... Because they already have a caster....

Turbine, please lower the DC's on mobs. As it is, I not only kill faster, but take less damage as a high AC/Med DPS build.... Even with glancing blows.

[Monkey_Archer]

I really havent noticed it being that bad for casters.... obviously the days of soloing everything and leading the kill count are far from over, but casters were never supposed to be that powerful IMO...

Some of the new quests can be horrible for a cleric (at least until people start capping and know the quests better) and for this reason alone, a good CC caster or intimitank has never been more valuable

Im enjoying playing my main caster (only toon ive really played so far besides my cleric) of course, having evasion a min2 greataxe and a good vorpal might have something to do with it

Battle casters ftw... finally its true

[Kintro]

I'm debating switching from Illusion focus to Necromancy (Fear (-2 saves) + Symbol of Pain (-4 saves) + Waves of Exhaustion (-3 str save) + Web, Contagion (maybe, for bosses)) or Enchantment (Mind Fog, (Mass) Hold/Charm, Dancing Ball, Symbol of Stunning).

Also worth considering is Glitterdust, it has a Will save and isn't subject to SR.

I suspect it'll be a few days/weeks of respeccing before I play my sorc.

[Pyromaniac]

The first day I absolutely hated playing my completely geared out sorc. Day 2, I flagged my sorc for the raid but once again it wasn't a fun experience vs playing a melee.

This is once again, a melee oriented mod. Casters are forced into the CC/buffing role for the most part which is exactly the opposite of how I like to play a caster. My style is either DPS or instakill, but my casters love to kill mobs. I would do some CC, but now its a full time job.

My CC is more than effective, with heighten and a 39 cha (until my last stat point where it would be 40). But cc isn't fun.

I've seen some utility from casters hitting Wail a lot, but that's about it as far as killing. Level 17 on my sorc is terrible.

My caster will likely be retired because Turbine just loves melee and designs the game that way. Reading the players handbook made me laugh because it referred to sorcs as the damage dealer of the party - not in DDO for a long time now.