Anyone tried playing as pure caster from the start?

[lppmor]

Currently on live, wizards/sorcerers can't play as pure casters from the start, so they usually choose to start with a greataxe and change to scepters/daggers at higher levels, when the sp pool plus SLAs are enough to allow effectively droping melee. For example, I like to change my play style at lvl 12.

Seems that one of the main goals of the whole spell changes is to allow low level casters to play as casters from the start, with no need to melee.

So, my question is: Have anyone tried grabing two scepters with potency/lore/power from the start, and not meleeing at all in the low lvl quests? How was the experience?

[dkyle]

My first character was a Sorc, and I didn't realize what master's touch was, or why I'd want it.

All my damage was spell damage, and I solo'd until around level 4 or so, then grouped to 8 before realizing what a terrible gimp he was (thanks, Turbine, for giving me a path with Diehard). Haven't touched him since except as a mule.

It was certainly rough, but this was after F2P started, so I relied on eternal wands. I also distinctly remember being excited when I turned in Vials of Pure Water and got a wand of Burning Hands! No wonder they're so valuable!

So in short: being a pure caster has always been possible, just not easy, nor the best way to do things.

[richieelias27]

Long long long ago, before hirelings, before dungeon scaling, before the destruction of the marketplace tent, back when you had to run WW just to enter the marketplace, I created my currently capped Drow Sorc as a pure caster with moderate CON. There was no such thing as Master's Touch back then. It may not be "as easy", but playing a caster sorc is absolutely doable from level 1, and always has been.

I'd also like to note that I mostly solo in DDO, so I was mostly soloing that caster character back when soloing was actually difficult.

I expect the current changes will make soloing as a caster just as easy as with a melee character or easier.

[WielderofGigantus]

So, my question is: Have anyone tried grabing two scepters with potency/lore/power from the start, and not meleeing at all in the low lvl quests? How was the experience?

Until I read this post, I wasn't aware that there was another way to level a pure caster.

I'm a Sorc, I nuke stuff. If I wanted to hit something with a stick, I'd roll a barbarian.

[fuzzy1guy]

I have seen no changes that would make me consider NOT using a greataxe and masters touch at low levels.
Greataxe is primary. Any spells you have are backup. Or buffs.

It's just faster and more efficient. still.

[richieelias27]

SP regen + a 50% (or more) reduction in the cost of many spells means it's probably faster or just as fast to Niacs everything since you now will never (completely) run out of mana.

[lppmor]

I have seen no changes that would make me consider NOT using a greataxe and masters touch at low levels.
Greataxe is primary. Any spells you have are backup. Or buffs.

It's just faster and more efficient. still.

Yes, that's exactly as I play my low level casters too. They are very effective, but if people are having a great time in Lamannia playing as a pure caster from the start (specially solo) I really would like to hear

[Thorzian]

I have seen no changes that would make me consider NOT using a greataxe and masters touch at low levels.
Greataxe is primary. Any spells you have are backup. Or buffs.

It's just faster and more efficient. still.

yup. 5 years ago i "casted" my way to firewalls. never again. even with an 8 strength masters touch and a big f'n stick are the best way to get to 6 and start fireballing. use your spells for buffs and heals if you're wf.

[fuzzy1guy]

Yup. my first caster, first toon ever.. Cast their way up the ladder.. Because i didn't know any better way.

Nothing that has changed would make that any less painful and slow.

Even with some good twink gear passed down. It's still much faster and easier to swing that greataxe. Or falchion. I like those.

Lowbie cc and smack away. Or electric loop leadin for medium size groups and smack away.

Seems silly. Seems wrong. But it works better than trying to cast your way thru low levels.

[shagath]

I've done this in live(my first 2-3 lives) and with lamannia U9. It's not very effective in live so I'm going mostly with masters touch for first 4 levels(used to go 7-8 levels). In U9 lamannia on the other hand using spells from level 1 was VERY effective.

If you want to try this out fast.. make a sorc and choose burning hands and acid spray for level 1. Spam those two without metas and you'll see. 4sp per spell.

Btw, in live a spell that makes this work is electric loop(spell level II) with +75% clickie and no metas but it's not very effective with level 1 spells.

[richieelias27]

Good twink gear very much favors melee.

Anyway, I still contend that for a newer player without access to a full assortment of twink gear for levels 2-8, casting will be just as fast and safer starting with level 1 with the new updates. Especially once they get access to 2nd and 3rd level spells (At which point it will definitely be faster, regardless of twinkie status).

[Atree]

Have you read the following thread?
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=311754

[yawumpus]

Wizard (especially wizard/rogue) no. Tried to play a wizard/rogue as a rogue and learned how much fail that was.

Sorcerer: blast away. You naics should be just enough on normal to blast everything. One shot of naics certainly beats slashing away with a greataxe. Note that you learn sp budgeting from day one, so this is good. Also consider a hireling to try to save a little mana.

[Jaid314]

i did on my first wizard. you do have to be a bit more cautious with SP (i prefer burning hands over niac's, just gather up a big ole pile o' enemies and roast 'em).

but then, i've also run my 9 strength drow wizard with a carnifex and outkilled all the real melees. so, yeah... melee is probably better :P

[Thrudh]

Currently on live, wizards/sorcerers can't play as pure casters from the start, so they usually choose to start with a greataxe and change to scepters/daggers at higher levels, when the sp pool plus SLAs are enough to allow effectively droping melee. For example, I like to change my play style at lvl 12.

Level 12? Egads, man...

(1) You certainly can play as a pure caster... It's hard to solo at low level, but it can be done, and you're perfectly fine as a low level pure caster in a group
(2) Using melee until level 12 is just plain ridiculous. Pure casters start becoming competent around level 5-8...

Sure, using Bull Strength and a greataxe works okay for levels 1-4, but you don't HAVE to do it, and it's certainly not optimal all the way to level 12!

[shores11]

Currently on live, wizards/sorcerers can't play as pure casters from the start, so they usually choose to start with a greataxe and change to scepters/daggers at higher levels, when the sp pool plus SLAs are enough to allow effectively droping melee. For example, I like to change my play style at lvl 12.

Seems that one of the main goals of the whole spell changes is to allow low level casters to play as casters from the start, with no need to melee.

So, my question is: Have anyone tried grabing two scepters with potency/lore/power from the start, and not meleeing at all in the low lvl quests? How was the experience?

Yes, I mainly play casters wizards or sorcerers just my cup of tea. All but one of my wizards is pure class except my 18/2 wizard/rogue. All of them have never laid a melee point of damage to any mob from level 1 to level 20.

All caster all the way...

[Thrudh]

I like to use clickables like Superior Inferno and such... Lower min levels to use those than Potency items...

Niacs is a great spell for one-shotting critters. Charm is very good.

SP conservation is key...

[Noelemahc]

I'm doing it now on live pre-update 9 on a TR. I have a couple eternal wands and use Burning Hands, Acid Splash, and Niac's Cold Ray until level 3. Level 3 I dropped Niac's, picked up Sorc past life, turned Maximize on, and I'm destroying stuff. I'm also doing it faster than some melee do. Took me less than an hour, including time it took to run and get pots, back and forth between korthos and tr bank, etc.

Honestly those spells are pretty powerful at low level. The only thing that changes in update is being able to spam them more, but as it is I take down groups of mobs no problem without running out of sp until the end of the quest, let alone a shrine. While the sp cost reduction and maybe echoes of power is a nice change, it's really not necessary. Playing an arcane as an actual caster at lower level is still viable.

I know this because I did the great axe method on my wiz on her first life and hated it, and did the caster method on all the other arcane lives I've leveled up and it was faster for me. It's also more fun to actually nuke stuff instead of swinging a great axe. I have 6 other chars that leveled up with a great axe, tired of using it already.

[steelblueskies]

sigh. had a thread i started in these forums, for lam build 1. titled something like spellpass useless greataxe still cuts the cake. it was trying the first handful of levels of a tr wiz>wiz on lam . eternal wands recharge fast, so outstrip personally cast spells while level < cl of wands. greataxe is still faster and easier.

so casting from sp bar at low levels < casting from lots of eternal wands < greataxe , with regards to speed and effectiveness in most situations. and lord help us if you try in a party. dungeon scaling made spell and wand output those early levels way too low for competitive efficiency at a scaled 1/6 health. with full party levels of health, you become an accessory again.

[richieelias27]

sigh. had a thread i started in these forums, for lam build 1. titled something like spellpass useless greataxe still cuts the cake. it was trying the first handful of levels of a tr wiz>wiz on lam . eternal wands recharge fast, so outstrip personally cast spells while level < cl of wands. greataxe is still faster and easier.

so casting from sp bar at low levels < casting from lots of eternal wands < greataxe , with regards to speed and effectiveness in most situations. and lord help us if you try in a party. dungeon scaling made spell and wand output those early levels way too low for competitive efficiency at a scaled 1/6 health. with full party levels of health, you become an accessory again.

The eternal wands (for arcane) are absolutely not better than the spells you can cast yourself at level 1. Especially considering that the same wand increases the damage of your 1st level spells (not the wand) by 20%

So, the fact that your experience showed the wand as more effective than your native spells says you're not doing something right as a caster.