Pre Raid Gear Check

[Catas]

Ok guys looking for some advice... new to L20 and have trash gear... looking for pre-raid gear suggestions I have seen alot of posts about gear from the raids but not much for Non-Raid items... any help will be appreciated

http://my.ddo.com/character/argonnessen/catastrofy/

Cata

[aradelothion]

You've got some stuff on you that aren't necessary on a Wiz, especially if undead (Silver Flame Talisman - self cast prot + redundant with belt/cloak, Reaver's Ring - self cast GH). We're gonna need to know a bit more though:

- Are you VIP? If not, which packs do you own? (Aside from Necro)
--- Do you have the Expansion?
- Pale Master?
- Interested in Cannith Crafting?

[sirgog]

Firstly I'd swap in the feat Toughness. In itself it's only 22hp at your level (27 at cap) but it also unlocks cheap enhancements for another 20hp. Raids have a lot of unavoidable damage in general and you don't want to just die when something points a Chain Lightning at you.

Secondly I'd find a Greater False Life item. Amrath has a series of belts that cover Con 6 and Greater False Life that drop in side quests. (Especially if you are a Pale Master you do not want to use that belt as it reduces all negative energy healing by 20%).

Next I'd ditch the Dexterity item and the armored bracers and the Reaver's Ring. These do not do much at all for you (Greater Heroism will cover fear immunity except in beholder situations). Look for a Resistance 5 (or higher) item to replace the ring, and spell focus bracers.

Finally I'd upgrade those goggles to the quite easily attained Magewright's Spectacles (from the Cannith Manufactuary explorer area). +6 Int and Spell Penetration 9 and other things. Don't worry about the set bonus on them as it takes a while to get the rare unbound component needed to unlock it.


Once those are covered, I'd say you are set for all raids on Epic Normal except maybe Caught in the Web, and the easier ones (VON5, DQ2) on EH.

[Catas]

Arad >>>> VIP yes have the expansion... not pale master ... cannith crafting might be interesting.

Thanks for the assist

[sirgog]

Arad >>>> VIP yes have the expansion... not pale master ... cannith crafting might be interesting.

Thanks for the assist

While crafting is worthy of long-term consideration, your tradeable resources (plat, etc) are better spent on getting the following at the moment:

- +3 Insightful Int Spidersilk Robes (min level 22, best caster armor in the whole game; this will also obsolete your Resistance 5/6 item)
- Tier 2 greensteel accessory (short term), tier 3 (medium term)

[Munkenmo]

Have you been to Eveningstar yet?

the commendation turn ins for the war wizards would be an ideal upgrade to your current bracers / necklace (in raids you'll more than likely get deathward provided when it's needed)

You could likely find a con + greater false life belt on the AH, and i would personally start searching for one.

A +3 int set of spider silk robes would be a good option for you.

and like sirgog mentioned, the upgraded goggles from cannith explorer zone are an easy way to get spell pen ix, though spell pen ix is also common on random gen weapons now.

[sirgog]

and like sirgog mentioned, the upgraded goggles from cannith explorer zone are an easy way to get spell pen ix, though spell pen ix is also common on random gen weapons now.

Not below ML 23 it isn't. I suggested those goggles for now because the OP is wearing +6 Int goggles at the moment and those goggles cover the 6 Int too.

[Necrofred]

I've got a few suggestions that may help a bit I suppose. My wizard is a palemaster, so I've never geared an archmage but looking at your slots here are a few suggestions that may help a bit.

Bracers: Drop the armored bracers and try to get some lesser/regular convalescent of superior parrying bracers either from loot or via the ah. A lot of times these can be fairly pricey, but if you're patient enough you'll eventually find an affordable pair. After about a week of checking I snagged a convalescent pair for about 80k I think, though this was a pretty lucky find. These aren't minimum level 20--just something to consider for later on. I think the lesser version is minimum level 21.

Robe: Sirgog's choice is right on I would say for your robe slot. Shout out to Sirgog your palemaster guide helped me out immensely in gearing my own wizard.

Goggles: Magewright spectacles. +6 intelligence, 15 concentration, and spell pen 9 all in one slot. Considering the ease of acquisition no reason not to slot these.

Belt/ring: You can get a health +6 of greater false life item usually on the ah as well. Whichever you end up with you this nets you 30 more hp. Since +6 seems like it'll odd up your con score, you can search for health +5 of gfl too to save some plat for now. This also frees up an equipment slot for other things too.

Epic ring of elemental essence would do wonders for your general spell power and could give you the option of changing your trinket slot to something else if you desired. This could take a bit to get the ingredients to craft and isn't optimal, but I think its a good general choice item to have.

Gloves: Trade the ogre gloves for purple dragon knight at level 21 if you want to slot strength via gloves. More healing amp and +2 more constitution is nice.

Necklace: Nonraid I suppose war wizard's can at least be a hotswap item for the extra sp you can keep it on permanently if you enjoy the spell focus mastery 1 on it. I don't see the need for a permanent deathblock item unless you solo and don't have the tangleroot goggles.


These are just general gear suggestions that you can acquire quickly to improve your ability to get raids going and your greensteel started. There are much better options out there I'm sure, but almost all of these can be obtained within a few hours at most. Hope this helps a bit.

[Catas]

Thanks for the help guys... this gives me a few good items to work on... I will have to look into the GReensteel stuff though... I have no clue how that crafting works it seems confusing as hell


Catas

[Necrofred]

A buddy linked this to me and it gives you an idea of all the possible effects you can just start with what you want to put and it helps you fill in the gaps. It even gives you a list of materials needed and step by step process of how to make your chosen greensteel item.

http://perfectweb.org/ddo/crafting/n...e_crafting.php

[Partydeluxe]

I personally prefer this greensteel planner:

http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~delalle...roud/index.php

I think it gives a much better overview of all the possibilities. But to each his/her own

[Inouk]

To be clear, you stated you aren't a pale master, but not if you are an archmage. Are you an archmage or have you simply not taken a prestige enhancement? If the latter is the case there is probably a lot of build advice that could help also.

[Catas]

Honestly I didnt do any Prestige during the leveling of this guy... been trying to find some good info on the benefits/problems of doing either Archmage or Palemaster... I know this wiz isnt built very well but i can still solo some Epics but i would like to get a solid build... figured i would just keep going with what i had while working on gear but... as always... any and all help would be appreciated


Catas

[sirgog]

Honestly I didnt do any Prestige during the leveling of this guy... been trying to find some good info on the benefits/problems of doing either Archmage or Palemaster... I know this wiz isnt built very well but i can still solo some Epics but i would like to get a solid build... figured i would just keep going with what i had while working on gear but... as always... any and all help would be appreciated


Catas

Just go Archmage to start with. While Pale Master changes the entire way your character plays, Archmage will take what you already do and make you significantly better at it.

Pale Master is quite a different playstyle as you start to want to be hit somewhat.

[Catas]

Any suggestions of a Archmage build to look at for insight? Everything i seem to find is based around Warforged... This guy is Human and i dont think im ready for a TR yet lol considering i just got to 20

[sirgog]

Any suggestions of a Archmage build to look at for insight? Everything i seem to find is based around Warforged... This guy is Human and i dont think im ready for a TR yet lol considering i just got to 20

Just copy a WF build to start with but remember you can't selfheal like toasters can.

Almost everyone that plays a fleshie wizard goes Pale Master for that reason, however.

[squishwizzy]

Ok guys looking for some advice... new to L20 and have trash gear... looking for pre-raid gear suggestions I have seen alot of posts about gear from the raids but not much for Non-Raid items... any help will be appreciated

http://my.ddo.com/character/argonnessen/catastrofy/

Cata

For some reason I can't view your page. So here's my blind advice:

If you got trash gear, your first upgrade will be to named items. The Magewright's Set and the Cannit Boots of Propulsion are great items to have (especially the boots)

Robe? Dragon-touched out of Reaver's Refuge. +8 armor bonus (I think), and three slottable attriburtes. I usually put Deathblock on my robes so that and two other attributes.

If you are not a PM, a Minos Legens doesn't hurt. Toughness and heavy fort are always a wizzy's best friend...because mobs WILL be coming after you.

Greensteel Concordant Opposition item would be something to shoot for. This is more for solo-work where it works to your advantage to have mobs beating on you to gain back SP. Granted, it is tough on the equipment, but somewhat helpful. In raids it may not help you much. You can also go greensteel with a smoke item, or a SP item, or an HP item. It really depends on what space you have available.

I'd also farm Ioun Stones out of the Dreaming Dark quest, and upgrade them - it it relatively easy to farm. You can get a semi-dencent CON item, or an INT item, or a Ioun stone that absorbs spells...all in the trinket space.

Look for a ring of the Archmagi, which will be a semi-rare drop in a lot of quests, but can be definately gotten from random loot. This gives to a 200 SP boost.

The rest you can fill in with Cannith Crafting if you have the crafting levels to pull it off. From here, you can feel pretty sure that you can get into a raid with a decent amount of HP, a decent SP pool, and with a lot of items covered on the defensive side. Then, at that point, you can start farming for epic gear and non-epic endgame named items.

[squishwizzy]

Just copy a WF build to start with but remember you can't selfheal like toasters can.

Almost everyone that plays a fleshie wizard goes Pale Master for that reason, however.

Carry lots of CSW pots, run in PUGs with healers (avoid BYOH runs), and stay at the back of the pack. Range as much stuff as you can, as far away as you can, and maintain a healthy SP pool. Wear items with heavy fort, and have a decent HP pool as well.

Another thing to do is to cast stuff and constantly move especially in boss fights. You get their attention, you're basically toast.

It can be done. But you have to be careful how you engage mobs.

[Catas]

OK last question for a bit from me... If you guys could take a look at this build and offer suggestions Id appreciated it... I haven't decided yet if I will be going the Ice/Electric route (i'm currently running Electric/Acid and and comfortable with it) ... Some of the things i'm not sure of would be:

1) Empower or Extend
2) Quicken or Improved Mental Toughness or a 3rd Spell Focus (Evocation)

As always thanks for the info and help

Human Archmage
Level 20 True Neutral Human Male
(20 Wizard)
Hit Points: 212
Spell Points: 1960

BAB: 10/10/15/20
Fortitude: 10
Reflex: 16
Will: 12

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(32 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 10 13
Dexterity 8 10
Constitution 16 18
Intelligence 18 30
Wisdom 8 10
Charisma 12 14

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Balance 1 11.5
Bluff 1 2
Concentration 7 31
Diplomacy 3 13.5
Disable Device n/a n/a
Haggle 3 13.5
Heal -1 0
Hide -1 0
Intimidate 1 2
Jump 2 10
Listen 0 11.5
Move Silently -1 0
Open Lock n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a
Repair 4 10
Search 4 10.5
Spot 0 11.5
Swim 0 7
Tumble n/a n/a
UMD 3 13.5

Level 1 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Empower Spell
Feat: (Human Bonus) Insightful Reflexes
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Improved Concentration I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation I
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I

Level 2 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Glacial Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence I

Level 3 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Enhancement: Deadly Ice I
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks I
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation II
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation II

Level 4 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Improved Concentration II
Enhancement: Wizard Wand and Scroll Mastery I

Level 5 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Maximize Spell
Enhancement: Human Adaptability Intelligence I
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation III
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II

Level 6 (Wizard)
Feat: \cf2 (Selected) Spell Focus: Enchantment
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage I

Level 7 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence II

Level 8 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration I
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery I: Enchantment
Enhancement: Enchantment I - Hypnotism

Level 9 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar III
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage II

Level 10 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Spell Focus: Necromancy
Enhancement: Wizard Spell Penetration II

Level 11 (Wizard)

Level 12 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
Enhancement: Wizard Improved Maximizing I
Enhancement: Wizard Intelligence III

Level 13 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Improved Concentration III
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation III
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage III
Enhancement: Archmage Secondary Spell Mastery I: Necromancy

Level 14 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar IV

Level 15 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Heighten Spell
Feat: (Selected) Spell Penetration
Enhancement: Improved Concentration IV
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage IV
Enhancement: Archmage Spell Mastery II: Enchantment

Level 16 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting II
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting III
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks II
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks III

Level 17 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation V
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation V
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation VI

Level 18 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Greater Spell Penetration
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation VI
Enhancement: Frost Manipulation VII
Enhancement: Storm Manipulation VII
Enhancement: Wizard Archmage V

Level 19 (Wizard)
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting IV
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting V
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks IV
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks V

Level 20 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Quicken Spell
Enhancement: Wizard Master of Magic
Enhancement: Charged Spellcasting VI
Enhancement: Deadly Shocks VI