Earth Savant + F2S

[Raiderone]

Oh didnt knew, that some acid spells have conjur school... hmmm, interesting. But Ill probably drop extend, than bonus from air savant to displace+haste would be nice.

Practially all Acid Spells are conjuration. Which makes me like Earth Savant more and more. Plus better SR for FTS and not sure about Stoneskin (dont really need it to be longer, a better DR would be nice).

Burning Blood is probably the only spell that isn't conjuration focus (Necromancy). And it's a very nice spell (acid and fire damage boosts).

I'm waiting for another day and half to test Earth Savant due to the Reincarnation timer, which I think should be removed or shortened on Lamannia.

So I'll test Earth Savant with both Spell Focus Conjuration and GSF Conjuration.
Too bad not many items are well suited for a Earth Savant. Epic Diabolist Robe is nice, considering the Superior Conjuration Focus.
It's just too bad a Charisma +7 Diabolist Robe/Docent couldn't be created.

I'll go all Acid and Fire Enhancement lines with some Cold (8%,85% and 40%).

Just wish Acid Rain was longer than 8 seconds. 12 to 15 Secs would be fantastic!
Melf's really nice...except on immune targets (of course)

[xTethx]

and run around with no heavy fort.. Doesn't sound like the best plan.

Would need more parts of the abisha set then just the helm to fit heavy fort somewhere. So while thats probably a good slot for cha with the set... It's not an easy one.

I remember somewhere notes saying the full 5 piece set is being changed to add +3 dc to conjuration. Havent gotten a response from a dev yet if it was typo or not. Ofc on a sorc that will be hard as ballz to fit in.

[Raiderone]

I remember somewhere notes saying the full 5 piece set is being changed to add +3 dc to conjuration. Havent gotten a response from a dev yet if it was typo or not. Ofc on a sorc that will be hard as ballz to fit in.

Wanted to let you all know that most of these issues have been addressed for Update 9. The Epic Envenomed Cloak's Greater Poison Guard DC was fixed (to 28, in accordance with the description), as well as the issues with the Epic Telekinetic effect. The problem with Epic Telekinetic was actually not the DC- as some of you seem to have noticed, it was actually that the proc rate was exceptionally low. Basically, the effect was set to have a very small chance to go off on critical hits, when per the description it should have been happening on all critical hits. I'm assuming that wasn't intended, and it is fixed now.

As for the Epic Might of the Abishai set bonuses, a change/fix was made here as well. Testing showed that the +3 bonus to evocation caster levels was working, but not the +3 to conjuration caster levels. The second effect has actually been changed to a +3 increase to your conjuration spell DCs instead, as this was seen to be a more beneficial bonus.

Here's Genasi's Quote on Epic Chrono Set bonuses...

[Shade]

I pug a ton. I've got different styles of toons I can switch to because in today's model, very few serious runs (we're not talking Hound or Shroud normal here) are "take first 11".

They are, in fact:

TOD: 1 kiter, 1 off timmy tank, 1 light monk, etc.
eVON6: 1 arcane who can solo base 1, 1 bard, etc.

Specific and specialized. What you're describing here as your end-game thoughts is exactly the kind of thinking the rest of the world is pondering and once U9 hits, if the LFMs in general are just as or more specific, then this spell pass didn't really make a bunch of spells "useful".

I can't describe it better, but all these changes to make other things options don't really make them options if the sorc can't compete with the Barb or Rogue in terms of DPS and the player mentality/shift can account for that. Sad but true. There's only certain things our little human brains can process ...
- players don't perform to the math potential of spreadsheets ... few players hit consistent spreadsheet-preformance esp. on clickie or boost-based builds
- if cycling 20 spells all with long cooldowns is math-wise better than spamming wail constantly, it won't matter if it's too irritating complex for the average player at all ... net loss
- if worrying about both DPS and defenses keeps Sorcs and Rogues at top tier DPS but still considered squishie and a liability ... no improvement
- if plenty of spells are "usable" but the role in end game raids is "flesh to stone and buff only" ... then all that work and development of new spells and mechanics is useless to a chunk of players and toons

Plenty of groups will still run "first 11", though usually on hard/normal. Once a player has a reputation and is known (or the characters) it won't be a problem for THEM. "Oh, I've run with that dude's Wizard/Rogue/Sorc - he's got like 500 HP unbuffed, near 600 going ... he can handle the aggro". That's an exception though.

The "big picture" you're talking about is, in many ways, whatever the community ends up looking at as the actual "only picture". People have 3-manned VON6. That group can take 9 level 20 human commoners and still 3-man it (well, except for dungeon alert) ... if they feel like it. With the way timers work, most people don't want to risk failure for a raid on hard/elite. If the end result is "you can run Partycrashers with whoever you want, but the only thing we need multiple of in VoD elite is non-rogue melee DPS" ... net loss for the larger community ...


... and the spell pass will have failed at making a wider set of spells and tactics truly useful ... not because the reduced SP costs and boosts to damage work on in a spreadsheet ... that they don't work the same once they hit the player base.

First I want to point out your 2 very specific requirements for those raids are very much unique to your server..
You will almost never see an lfm like that on Khyber. Well you may see some noobs wanting a light monk occoasonally, but rarely will you see anyone mention the intimidate thing or the von6 thing.

How players learn to do things early on, tends to get set in players minds.. Copied, and thus followed.. Because it is easy, and because thats the only thing they know. I call it the sheep mentality. It's something thats very hard to break. Not because it is at all required, but its like you said - thats the only way the players learned how to do it, and thus thats why they're sticking too.

Logically if you really understood the mechanics of the raid, youd fully understand taking a light monk, or not.. Will not make any difference on 99% of the runs..

Or von6. Just because some uber players CAN solo bases.. Do you really think thats a wise strategy to attempt things with zero redudency?

It lacks any real logic of backups.. Yet thats how your server does it. Because thats how they learned to do it, and has worked in the past.

Sheep mentality.

The mentality may change a bit in U9.

But it won't change much. As for players to make use of, and understand a much wider variety of spells, and thus strategies is as you said.. Likely beyond there abilities.

So while some new ideas or strategies will be formed, the overall diversity of whats thought to be "the standard" , won't really change. As it's very much a social thing, rather then a mechanical thing. Because even if players believe things have changed a bit, if they also believe stronger that the "new way" won't work, they will make it not work. And if the "new way" involves many more spells to be used, thats simply beyond many players abilities as well.

So in a sense, this update will greatly increase the difficulty of the game for caster. Which to me I love.. But for most players, Im not sure it will change much. Casters still will remain the "only take 1 or 2" in a raid type class I bet.

[voodoogroves]

Sheep mentality.

The mentality may change a bit in U9.

That is exactly my point - both my hope and my fear. I know these things can be run differently - I've done it. We all have ... but the PUG mentality is mob mentality.

The POTENTIAL exists for play to shift to be more open. The reality may be that LFMs get even more specific to only singular strategies for most late-game pugs. Boo.


What's the line from Men In Black?

A person can be smart, but people are dumb, stupid, etc. Something like that.