What was the point of the spell changes?

[lugoman]

What was the point of the u9 spell changes? I am assuming the damage nerf to firewall and the duration nerf of fw and others were implemented to stop kiting. It hasnt worked. I can still solo the same stuff I did, it is just A LOT more annoying. I am trying out the water savant so my fw is really pathetic. Epic DQ1 got a lot faster with all the fire mobs, but most others take longer now.

All the change seems to have done is taken the sorc's bread and butter (mass kiting with fw) and given it to wizards (mass kiting with wail/circle of death).

[HastyPudding]

What was the point of the u9 spell changes? I am assuming the damage nerf to firewall and the duration nerf of fw and others were implemented to stop kiting. It hasnt worked. I can still solo the same stuff I did, it is just A LOT more annoying. I am trying out the water savant so my fw is really pathetic. Epic DQ1 got a lot faster with all the fire mobs, but most others take longer now.

All the change seems to have done is taken the sorc's bread and butter (mass kiting with fw) and given it to wizards (mass kiting with wail/circle of death).

This is exactly what I hoped Update 9 would do: make people actually learn to cast spells without relying on firewall for 70% of their arcane career. There are other spells you can use other than wall of fire, believe it or not.

Update 9 basically gave sorcers (and wizards, to a lesser degree) the ability to cast offensive spells much more often, and to give more variety to the 'bread and butter' casters you described.

[Zachski]

If you're water savant, don't use wall of fire. Simple as that. Use Ice Storm, Freezing Sphere, and Chain Lightning instead.

[Qezuzu]

If you're water savant, don't use wall of fire. Simple as that. Use Ice Storm, Freezing Sphere, and Chain Lightning instead.

Don't forget Niac's Biting Cold.

[sirgog]

The point?

1. Making levelling casters fun (no more Carnifex/Master's Touch). Now you cast spells at low level.

2. Making casters useful at endgame again. Gone are the days when Resist Energy, Haste, Discoball and Mass Hold (and maybe Firewall) were 95% of caster endgame play. Now there's dozens of spells that are worth using.


Casters are now more fun to play at both very high and very low level, and running Epics/raids with more than one caster is no longer a handicap.

[Rodasch]

What was the point of the u9 spell changes? I am assuming the damage nerf to firewall and the duration nerf of fw and others were implemented to stop kiting. It hasnt worked. I can still solo the same stuff I did, it is just A LOT more annoying. I am trying out the water savant so my fw is really pathetic. Epic DQ1 got a lot faster with all the fire mobs, but most others take longer now.

All the change seems to have done is taken the sorc's bread and butter (mass kiting with fw) and given it to wizards (mass kiting with wail/circle of death).

mass kiting was a crutch, not the "bread and butter" of our class. It was done because it was the only way to kill enough monsters between shrines on one spell point bar, not because it was the fastest or most fun way.

try learning some new tricks, we've got so many wonderful new toys...It's a shame you're not enjoying them. I can actually finish quests and raids faster now than before u9 and have more spell points left over...and I don't even have wall of fire or mass hold monster in my spell list anymore.

[lugoman]

This is exactly what I hoped Update 9 would do: make people actually learn to cast spells without relying on firewall for 70% of their arcane career. There are other spells you can use other than wall of fire, believe it or not.

Update 9 basically gave sorcers (and wizards, to a lesser degree) the ability to cast offensive spells much more often, and to give more variety to the 'bread and butter' casters you described.

I have always used other spells. Fw kiting was just a tool in certain places where you needed to be efficient in sp.

[lugoman]

mass kiting was a crutch, not the "bread and butter" of our class. It was done because it was the only way to kill enough monsters between shrines on one spell point bar, not because it was the fastest or most fun way.

try learning some new tricks, we've got so many wonderful new toys...It's a shame you're not enjoying them. I can actually finish quests and raids faster now than before u9 and have more spell points left over...and I don't even have wall of fire or mass hold monster in my spell list anymore.

Quest and raids have never been a problem, I was referring to epic content. You still wont have enough sp to nuke your way through even with the changes.

[Rodasch]

Quest and raids have never been a problem, I was referring to epic content. You still wont have enough sp to nuke your way through even with the changes.

Yes, i actually do. Solo even.