Possible Archmage Use -

[Montegue]

So, in thinking about how to work my Archmage after the spell patch, I have to wonder -

Is it worth it to buy up to Archmage IV, get the extra spell points, but not the Spell Like Abilities? It would add a ton of spell points to your total, and given the lower spell point costs across the boards, I wonder if (rest to rest), more damage might be achieved by simply using the extra bonus points towards normal spells.

You only get so many opportunities to cast on a mob or a group of mobs before they get brought down by melee. in truth, the most efficient way to deal damage would be via AoE.

I'm not good at theory craft, but the idea occured to me and I was curious about how more experienced DDO Wizard players might take such a suggestion.

[Indoran]

My archmage (level 17) atm use spell like abilities to throw heightened web for 3 sp and control the battlefield... i am not using any other AM spell-like ability.

As offensive spells I am using firewall, polar ray, finger of death and wail of the banshee most of the time...

[MindCake]

Is it worth it to buy up to Archmage IV, get the extra spell points, but not the Spell Like Abilities?

Yes of course.
If you think the SLAs aren't worth the cost don't take them, d'oh.

Personally, I don't think any level 4/5 SLA is worth the cost at the moment.
Evocation and Enchantment may be worth it up to level 3. (After U9, IMHO Evocation won't be worth it at all.)
Enchantment and Conjuration are quite worth it up to 2nd level.
1st level Enchantment: hypnotism is well worth it. If you can, take it. Will be significantly less awesome after U9, but still useful.

[Faent]

1st level Enchantment: hypnotism is well worth it. If you can, take it. Will be significantly less awesome after U9, but still useful.

All Enchantment-specced Archmages will be dependent upon this SLA post U9. It's an automatic -3 to Will save. You can't not take it post U9.

[Aashrym]

All Enchantment-specced Archmages will be dependent upon this SLA post U9. It's an automatic -3 to Will save. You can't not take it post U9.

Define 'dependent'. Bards and sorcs are the ppl who might need the debuff for CC and even then it's only in some content. They both would need it more than wizards. On an archmage it's more of a gravy toy.



Pre U9 hypno was a good CC spell. The hypno SLA was OP.

Post U9 hypno outlives it's usefulness as a spell. The cost of heightening it for a 6 second mezz is too much and the debuff can be achieved through higher level spells. If we get the ability to apply meta's to specific spells then an non-heightened hypno might still be worth it for the debuff for characters who need the higher level spells slots.

Post U9 the archmage enchanter still pays cheap for it heightened so it's still worth the cost.

Web and Otto's Resistable are still worth it to take SLA's. My current archmage enchanter has IV for SP and hypno, web, and otto's. And that other one I rarely use.