Respec to Water Savant worth it?

[darthhento]

Darthwolf is a human Air Savant with ice secondary and just got Telvi's ring. So I'm wondering what are the benefits damage wise of him respeccing to Water Savant?

The loss:
Wind Dance (wings)
Knockdown Immunity
Electric Loop SLA (love it for stunning)
Lightning Bolt SLA (1-2k dmg 8sp)
caster levels in Chain Lightning
meteor storm becomes somewhat useless

The gain?

[-Zephyr-]

Water vs Air is just flavor imo. Water has better single target DPS, air more AoE DPS if I remember correctly.
Water relies a bit less on good DCs thanks to polar ray, ice storm. Air has more survability thanks to wings, knockdown immunity.

I tried both, liked both, kept switching behind them depending on my mood.

[wax_on_wax_off]

Yes, totally worth it.

Meteor swarm doesn't change at all as it isn't effected by caster level.

The thing that I really like about water savant is that I can have 7/1/1 in lightning and acid enhancements. Chain Lightning/EES and Acid Rain/Acid Fog/BDB are my respective spells which give a really nice spread when combined with the usual cold spells. Meteor Swarm is my only force spell.

[Isharah]

The gain:
Base CL26 Polar Rays
Inherent resist for shadow tanking
Fort save-based SLA (Frost lance)
23 MCL for Otiluke's (vs. 18 MCL for Ball Lightning)


Went air on my sorc, had decent evoc DC and the evades on epics/high-level raids annoyed me so much. :S

[darthhento]

The gain:
~snip~
Went air on my sorc, had decent evoc DC and the evades on epics/high-level raids annoyed me so much. :S

Have 41 Evo DC so it's really not a problem, the only things I see evading sometimes are drow archers and rakasha from the new chain.

Acid line is tempting but I'm not sure if I can squeeze it in AP wise...

[Isharah]

Have 41 Evo DC so it's really not a problem, the only things I see evading sometimes are drow archers and rakasha from the new chain.

I had 43 and was still getting evades on Harry on Hard, and have quite a difficult time with succubi in elite Amrath. Solid fog does help with this, but if it's just that I'd rather go water and shoot spells off the bat. Ice is more reliable damage, spells also have higher MCLs than air. Very worth it if you don't mind losing that wind dance utility.

Only downside is unlike air, your main mob spell caps at level 23. But this shouldn't be among your biggest problems.

[Tid12]

As said above, its really a flavor thing. Ice is less dependant of DCs and Polar Ray benefits more from savant/3-piece abishai set/arcane augmentation IX.

BUT, and it is a big but, knockdown immunity simply makes me love air.

I just finished TRing my Fire Savant and those times i was knocked down i was REALLY close to die. In epics, a cometfall (EDQ2, random casters), a trip, most likely will means death.

As for evades, Solid fog + Waves of Exhaustion (-3 to reflex saves) on bosses will make it with your 41 DC (bringing the total to 49 DC). For big group of mobs, solid fog + 15 sp web with a charge of lesser heighten and a couple of spells.