HELP! Which of the 3 wiz paths should i take (necro, ing. sage or elementalist)

[mtwill01]

okay i really want to make a strong wizard but i have no idea which of the three paths i should take (elementalist, necromancer or the ingenious sage) and then which of the two master forms is best (pale master or archmage)? i could really use some help, im totally lost in the dark on this.

[locus]

None of them! Do a custom build None of the paths are ideal, imo (and you WILL regret being on a path later on, as the game picked not so ideal choices for you - for example they pick improved mental toughness and enlarge a lot (both bad choices)) and it's not hard to level as you go and there are general must haves for wizards, and not tons of different choices you can make. Something like this:


8-12 str
base dex
max int
max con
base rest

Feats: Maximize, Empower, Toughness, Mental Toughness, Extend, Heighten, Quicken (ymmv), Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Pen, Insightful Reflexes, and your choice of two Spell Focus feats (Spell Focus & Greater Spell Focus). The spell focus feats can be: both necros for pale master, and anything else for archmage (evocation for blaster builds, enchantment for crowd control builds). Pale Master and Archmage are your two prestige paths and the real decision point to make.

[Paleus]

One of the rumors that I'm hearing about Update 9 is that when a player is in the character creation screen if they select one of the class pre-set build paths an audio clip of Admiral Ackbar yelling "It's a Trap!" will play in a loop until you choose the customize option.

Forgo the pre-set build paths, look over the forums if you want a wizard build. That said, maxing intelligence and giving a healthy bump to con are good starts. Getting feats like toughness, maximize, quicken, heighten, and spell focuses in enchantment are also good starts. Necromancer and Archmage are both nice prestige paths, but if you are new you probably don't have access to warforge. That might incline you towards necromancer for self-healing later on down the line, but its a risky proposition for a new player as in most parties you'll be on your own for staying alive and probably could use their help as you learn to manage the game.

[noamto]

You can follow the builds here in this thread: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=232660
It contains reworks of the "paths" so as to make them actually useful, getting rid of useful feats and putting skill and ability points the right way. Just make sure you select "custom" and not an actual path, just follow the instructions in the posts. They also add in PM/Archmage.
You might consider also reading up a bit here on adding a few rogue levels since it can make the game much more easier if you have to solo.

[locus]

One of the rumors that I'm hearing about Update 9 is that when a player is in the character creation screen if they select one of the class pre-set build paths an audio clip of Admiral Ackbar yelling "It's a Trap!" will play in a loop until you choose the customize option.

Haha. This could get confusing on the rogue selection screen

Good point, the above. The paths are fairly old at this point, and most (none?) account for prestige class enhancements that have come out since they were made which, for wizard, require specific feats.

[lhidda]

okay i really want to make a strong wizard but i have no idea which of the three paths i should take (elementalist, necromancer or the ingenious sage) and then which of the two master forms is best (pale master or archmage)? i could really use some help, im totally lost in the dark on this.

I like sage/archmage best, because it is very versatile. But feel free to exchange feats/spells/enhancements/attributes at own will. Max int is recommended, and con is not a dumpstat.

Regards

[cheese9131]

can someone explain exactly what archmage does?

[TheDearLeader]

can someone explain exactly what archmage does?

Why yes, someone can.

[cheese9131]

iv already seen this, and im new to the game... i looked it at and it kinda looked horrible
i wanted details lol can you explain?? like it says you memorize a spell, just 1 spell for the whole game?? if so then the undead prestige is WAYYYY better...
i wanted to know things like that
can someone tell me

[rover223]

The archmage gives more mana, you can specialize in a school and get low cost specialized spells in the school but it does take points off your overall mana. I just did the archmage force missles and force blast to keep the mana higher. I'm not a wizzy specialist but I'm reasonably happy with the toon, but I prefer my more melee oriented classes to casters.

[cheese9131]

holy moly PEOPLE
HOW MANY SPELLS CAN YOU "MEMORIZE" FOR ARCHMAGE???? GIVE ME A NUMBER PLEASE

[doubledge]

holy Moly People
How Many Spells Can You "memorize" For Archmage???? Give Me A Number Please

Over Nine Thousand!!!!!!!!!!!one1

[TheDearLeader]

Over Nine Thousand!!!!!!!!!!!one1

My name is McPhail, and I endorse this statement.

[Entelech]

Okay...

You "memorize" spells just like any other Wizard, if you take Archmage. Same number of spell slots, everything.

In addition, you can opt to take certain spells from the school you choose to specialize in and get them as special powers.

Once you take a spell as one of these special powers, you no longer have any need to prepare it in a regular slot, it gets a LOT cheaper to cast, and it's always available. But the only way to get rid of it is to reset enhancements.

There are up to 5 spells from each specialty school (the one you picked), and if you're really determined you can pick up one or two from each other school as well, but this takes feats.

Take a deep breath, and step away from the CAPS LOCK key.

[sacredguyver]

holy moly PEOPLE
HOW MANY SPELLS CAN YOU "MEMORIZE" FOR ARCHMAGE???? GIVE ME A NUMBER PLEASE

LOL CAPS.

As a wizard, you can learn every Arcane spell in the game, provided you can find scrolls for them (many scrolls are not sold at vendors and must be found as loot or on the Auction House).

By character level 20, if you're a pure wizard (no multiclassing), you will have 5 Spell "Slots" for each spell level. By going to a tavern or similar area, you drag spells from your list into one of these slots and it will be "memorized" for use. You cannot use a spell unless it is slotted first. I've seen many wizards and sorcerers put all their spells onto hotbars (very large monitors) while others just stick with their favorites.

As an Archmage, you have the option to take Spell-Like Abilities, which are versions of a spell that can cast for very little SP and work inside a Beholder's Anti-Magic Field. The biggest downside to Archmage SLAs is that they reduce your overall Spell Point total, the cost being related to how powerful (or which tier) the SLA belongs to (so a tier 5 SLA is way more expensive than a tier 1 SLA).

[cheese9131]

sorry for caps
and ty guys