Kindly request a Pale Master U9 build

[AtomicMew]

Any serious arcane will want to TR at least once, IMO. The wizard past life and active past life are just too good to pass up. Both are equal to ~2 feats each and so one TR will save you essentially 3-4 feats. Don't plan for a 32 point build, plan for a 34 or 36 point build.

[Malky]

Wise words here (and true...) tho before TRing you usually need a first life to TR from and that's what the OP asked for.
Both human and elf builds posted here are workable, with the human having it a bit harder on the spell pen side (yes mass hold does really have a SR check now, it might be unnoticeable on a multi-TRed wizard but first life ones will hit a wall if unprepared)

[danlan]

Spending AP on efficient maximise is wrong. Noxious embers+ ornamented dagger gives 2 min 40 s free maximise;
Spending AP on efficient heighten is doubtful either.

Don't spend ap on one elemental line is wrong. You need to insta-kill/cc AND nuke on red names/bosses to help the party/solo. Though undergeared wizard may find it difficult to accompolish both (or neither).

[Ertay]

Spending AP on efficient maximise is wrong. Noxious embers+ ornamented dagger gives 2 min 40 s free maximise;
Spending AP on efficient heighten is doubtful either.

Debatable. Note that the lesser maximize effect on both does not actually work as a free maximize, its a 25sp discount as long as maximize is active and applied. This means that with metamagic enhancements and gear, you get free maximize+empower+quicken. I wouldn't actually go that far into metamagic enhancements (maybe on a nuker sorc), but it really makes for some nice cheap dps as long as you keep the clickies going.

Don't spend ap on one elemental line is wrong. You need to insta-kill/cc AND nuke on red names/bosses to help the party/solo. Though undergeared wizard may find it difficult to accompolish both (or neither).

Agree with you there. As the elemental enhancements are extremely frontloaded (first point is 20% bonus, each after this 5%), I like to go with at least 1 point in each elec and cold for their respective dots, and more in fire for levelling, where wall of fire still rocks.

[Malky]

Noxious embers is an abbot drop
Ornamented dagger is an event item, that event prolly won't come back before next year

OP asked for a first life wizard PM build to create now and he's new to DDO... he won't have those items anytime soon.

Funny thing is that i see quite some people criticizing here, but very few actually proposing an enhancement layout to the OP.

Once you're geared up (torc,conc/opp, abbot/mabar robe, dq bracers, shroud hp item [2 items means 20+ completions to cleanse one of them]) you can safely lower the efficient maximize enhancements since you will have much less of those "oh ****!" moments where self-healing drains a ton of sp and DA will provide most of your healing reliably, like when you've levelled your toon. There's a hard period when you start running epics with a PM until you're geared enough, and those enhancements partly cover the fact that you don't have that gear yet.

Getting those items won't take a week or two, what do you want the OP to do during that time ? run with an enhancement layout that is fine for when he'll be geared up, but that is completely sub-optimal without that gear ? bad, bad advice.

In the same way, lots of veterans have levelled their arcane pre-u9 when mass hold didn't have a SR check, it does have one now and first life wizards are better be prepared for that or they'll hit a harsh wall when trying to CC elite amrath & some epics where SR is a concern.

Now, before criticizing, do the OP a favour and post something that will help him level his first life PM & play it effectively at cap instead of just spilling information that will cripple his build for months following him capping the toon at the very least.


Sometimes a picture is better than a thousand words, here a SS of me after a solo elite dq2, see the remaining sp and the fact that my bauble (lucky drop ) is still up. Now show me your first life PM without good surviving gear accomplishing this and we'll talk.
(Yep my reflex save shows i don't actually have insightful reflexes on that toon due to a mistake in feat order selection i ended up having to take mental toughness instead wraith form can be useful at times but i'd rather have a much better reflex save instead. Gonna be fixed after TR)

[Malky]

Note that the lesser maximize effect on both does not actually work as a free maximize, its a 25sp discount as long as maximize is active and applied.

Almost, it's a sp discount based on your current maximize overcost value. I noticed this when using the dagger clickie : without the ring of thelis my empower overcost is 14sp (only capstone) and my maximize overcost is 11sp, when i'm using the clickie i still have a 3sp (14-11) overcost due to empower being more expensive to me than maximize.

Not 100% sure about it but i don't think it affects other metamagics tho, only maximize&empower (dunno for empower healing).

[Ertay]

Almost, it's a sp discount based on your current maximize overcost value. I noticed this when using the dagger clickie : without the ring of thelis my empower overcost is 14sp (only capstone) and my maximize overcost is 11sp, when i'm using the clickie i still have a 3sp (14-11) overcost due to empower being more expensive to me than maximize.

Not 100% sure about it but i don't think it affects other metamagics tho, only maximize&empower (dunno for empower healing).

I stand corrected, thank you!

[Plutonian]

+1 for that Damned Malkavian

[PsychoJester]

I'm thinking of a second life as Pale master (and i wish to go Elf for it) of my fvs.
Can I see your basic spellbook?
Never used a wizzy before

[Alucinor]

This has been a great thread, very informative and much food for thought for another first-life PM here. I am definitely going to have to rethink my original max-two-elemental-lines plan.

A couple questions of my own:
Having started as a Drow instead of Elf, I'm guessing I'll need to take Greater Spell Penetration to have a chance at beating SR later on. Would you recommend dropping GSF:Enchant, Empower, or Extend? I hate to lose any enchant DC, but I figure with the higher starting INT, my DC without GSF:Enchant would be the same as an elf's with it.

Question about event-based gear: Is it safe to assume that the events should repeat annually? I hate the thought that some gear is beyond my reach because I wasn't playing at the time; will Mabar most likely repeat around Halloween and Crystal Cove next year on DDO's 6th birthday?

Thanks!