Does my pale master still need enchantment focuses for the end game?

[DDOisFree]

I have my second life Helf pale master up to 48 INT now, and with Greater spell focus Necromancy and Enchantment, but I dont have greater spell penetration or insightful reflexes.

In my third life I'm going to change to a human for the extra feat, which seems a lot more useful than a little extra HP from barb dilly (can even take an extra toughness on a Human and almost match a barb dillys HP).

Currently when fully buffed to 48 int with ship buffs and yugo pots, I have 44 necro, 44 enchant and 42 conjuration DCs (and 607 HP!), so I think it would be ok to change the enchanment focuses to insightful reflexes and greater spell penetration, and I can use the bonus human feat for Conjuration focus in the early game, and change it to Shield Mastery later on to use with my Skyvault Shield.

My full feat list for my third life would would be:

Starting stats - Human, 12 str, 18 con, 18 int.

Level 1 - Toughness, Conjuration Focus, Insightful Reflexes
Level 3 - Past life Arcane Initiate
Level 5 - Heighten Spell (With a +6 INT ioun stone for super nice Niacs ray + Web DCs)
Level 6 - Necro focus
Level 9 - Maximize Spell
Level 10 - Extend Spell
Level 12 - Greater Necro Focus, Swap Conjuration focus to Quicken Spell (Niacs ray will be useless by now)
Level 15 - Spell Penetration, Empower Spell
Level 18 - Greater Spell Penetration
LEvel 20 - Enchantment Focus

With ship buffs, yugo pots, and an epic diabolist robe, I will be able to maintain 48 int, 44 necro, 42 enchant and 42 conjuration DCs (-2 Enchant if I die and lose ship buffs though ).

That should be fine for end game content without needing enchantment focuses right? I also have 80% chance on raise dead scrolls which is very useful on top of my survivability, I've been raising and saving a few wipes for the last couple of days of grinding epic House C challenges (persuasion ring, spider mask, GH and +7 CHA / +1 EXP CHA equips give me 80% on raise dead scrolls ).

I need to stick to Human or Helf for 48 INT because I only have +3 INT and CON tomes, and need both Human adaptability INT, and Greater adaptability CON to make my INT and CON values even.

[Simplesimon1979]

You'll have to squize in sheild proficancy because IIRC it is a prerec for sheild mastery.

[DDOisFree]

You'll have to squize in sheild proficancy because IIRC it is a prerec for sheild mastery.

Oh, I'll have to drop Insightful Reflexes or Greater Spell Penetration then

I kind of need extend for displacement, hage, and auras so that needs to stay, but all the other metas are much more important and need to be taken first IMO.

Or I could do without Shield Mastery I suppose, and use a single enchant focus. I'll just be dropping greater enchant focus and going human to get insightful reflexes and greater spell penetration added which is worth it.

[Mrmorphling]

Atm 42 enchant is pretty fine if your spell penetration is up to par but things will likely change a lot with the upcoming expansion.

In the current endgame environment i wouldn't drop insightful reflex and i would aim for a 34ish spell penetrations so plan your SP feats accordingly to match your equip/past lives.

I'm not a huge fan of shield mastery as it forces you to 'burn' 2 feats as it requires shield prof too so, personally, i would drop the shield mastery you have listed for a SF: enchant.

[DDOisFree]

I'm not a huge fan of shield mastery as it forces you to 'burn' 2 feats as it requires shield prof too so, personally, i would drop the shield mastery you have listed for a SF: enchant.

Yes I'll do this thanks. My current spell penetration is dire, I have one Wiz past life and only one Spell pen feat because I stupidly thought that having the past life meant I could remove one of the feats.

With the two feats and past lives, I will have 28 spell penetration, with a +2 item 30, and then only 33 possible with the crazy expensive enhancements

[Maegin]

Think of it this way.

As a pm, your cc is instakill. if they're not alive, they cannot attack.

For everything else, there is discoball & mindfog, and web if your SR isn't what you want.

Shield mastery is amazing on a pm. Very worth it.

Take extend earlier and/or take empower last, imho. Long hage/displacements/auras are key to pm survival.

Take maximise earlier for those fw days, and save heighten for later when the content actually requires good dc's (i.e. when firewall wont work, usually around vale)

Till then, firewall/aura/slas/shield dr/blur/displace/hage is all ya basically need.

[DDOisFree]

Yea I'm thinking I need Extend a lot earlier too.

I'll take it at level 9 actually, and then take Quicken at 12 instead of Spell Penetration. I changed my OP to show this.

If I want to take shield mastery, what other feat is dropable for shield proficiency? The only one I see that would be valid to change is Insightful Reflexes, but I'm sure that Insightful Reflexes prevents a lot more damage than shield mastery would.

[Saiyren]

I took extend as my first available feat (level 3 or 4) because as a low level PM blur/heroism doesn't hurt to have last a longer time since you can't use lesser death aura yet to heal.
I didn't take SM my last life as a drow PM but my spell pen's were about 36's, as the previous people have stated, we're more about instakills. I did web alot which was great, otto's sphere worked about 75-80% on mobs. when all else, Circle of death and Wail

[wax_on_wax_off]

I'll be dropping empower as I heard a rumour that it is getting nerfed.

[Mangloid]

I Like going AM till 12 and then switching to PM. I can't stand zombie or vampire forms and the added SP is nice.

I personally prefer the following feat order on a Human with a wizard past life:

1-Toughness
1w-Maximize
1h- Mental toughness (AM and wraith form requirement. Keep it even after getting lich form for the odd times you want wraith form or switch to Spell Focus: enchantment)
3-Past life wizard
5w- Extend
6- Spell Focus: necro
9- Spell Penetration/Spell Focus: enchant (Swap out for shield focus with better gear if you choose)
10w-Heighten
12- Greater Spell Focus: necro
15- Insightful reflex
15w- Quicken
18- Greater Spell Penetration/Greater Spell Focus: enchant (Swap out for shield mastery with better gear if you choose)
20w- Empower

[DDOisFree]

Yea I'm gonna try out Conjuration Archmage at level 6 instead of Zombie form now, I'll take Mental Toughness for that and spec into cold and acid damage.

Niacs Ray and web are fricking sweet, early on but both need high DCs to be effective. And I can add acid blast and acid rain at the mid levels.

I got up to level 4 yesterday, I was 1 hit killing most elite level kobolds, and I survived kobold shaman lightning bolts! (Insighful reflexes and no level req GFL ring ).

[Faent]

Your DC's will be fine, but you want to start looking past the Robe of the Diabolist so you can get into an Epic Robe of Shadow. As mentioned, it is your Spell Pen you need to worry about. Look to the Magewright's Spectacles or a Vibrant Purple Ioun Stone to shore it. The latter may cost you a point of DC if you're using Litany (looks like you are), but that's ok. Pick up more WIZ and then FvS past lives to further shore it up. I'd start by aiming for hitting 31 Spell Pen. Currently, 34 is nice, but not necessary. Definitely get there if you can, however. And who knows what will be needed in new content. And yes, you can drop Empower.

[DDOisFree]

Ok so my new plan:

Level 1 - Toughness, Conjuration Focus, Insightful Reflexes
Level 3 - Past life Arcane Initiate
Level 5 - Heighten Spell (With a +6 INT ioun stone for super nice Niacs ray + Web DCs)
Level 6 - Mental Toughness + Conjuration Archmage
Level 9 - Maximize Spell
Level 10 - Extend Spell
Level 12 - Swap Conjuration focus to Necromancy Focus, Greater Necromancy Focus, and respec from AM to PM
Level 15 - Spell Penetration, Quicken Spell
Level 18 - Greater Spell Penetration
Level 20 - Empower Spell

I can have the single mental toughness instead of Enchant Focus to open up Archmage at level 6-12, and Wraith form at level 12. That will be fine. I've found that Niacs Ray and Web are very powerful so far with this spec, then I can use acid blast and acid rain with FW like my Earth Savant Sorcerer.