How many Spell Types to Maintain?

[zDaywalker]

My better half has started playing DDO as a wizard and is getting really worried about gear and maintaining all the different stats for her different spell types. As I run Acid Warlocks almost exclusively, I haven't been terribly much help, but I'm trying to assist her with setting up some practical limits around how many and what spell types she should maintain.

The bulk of the gear she gets with spell power boost is on weapons, rings and armor, so she could juggle five different spell types. Being a Pale Master, negative/null is a must, but beyond that, how many different spell types should she reasonably be trying to maintain? Are there any she should just forget about? She isn't warforged so Repair/Reconstruction seems low priority and there are few Arcane Positive/Devotion, Light/Radiance and Sonic/Resonance spells so my inclination is to steer her clear of those.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

[Discpsycho]

Welcome to the forums!

Disclaimer: I usually play melee builds. While I've taken an Eldritch Knight up to 30, my caster wizard is only level 21 so I'm not exactly an authority.

Personally, I run as much Negative gear as possible, slotting Equipment (Necromancer's Bracers) + Enhancement (Silverthread) + Insightful (Stygian Wrath). I'm currently using Wild Flame primarily for the Evocation boost, but pretty much always had one or two supplementary elements covered by weapons. Everything else is covered by a Potency item (currently Pansophic) or a multi-spellpower item (eg, Ring of Elemental Essence), which scales more slowly than other spellpowers but becomes acceptable ~ level 7-10. I used mostly fire (fireball) and electric (lightning bolt) until I got PM T5

As a pale master, she'll soon be able to kill at least half of enemies with necro spells. There's usually overlap between things that are immune to negative spellpower and things that are immune to kill spells - undead and constructs being the main ones - so she'll do fine with one or two elements that aren't worthless against those (eg, fire, acid)

[Xgya]

Generally, every spell power you can think about besides Negative can be obtained through Universal spell power items.
The Ravenloft scepters come to mind here.

If you must have more than one, or you can't find good universal spell power items, the the general idea is to find one or two good spells you can use against things you wouldn't use negative energy (so, constructs and... constructs, really).
what that element is can vary from one level to the next - you'd want one for your best non-negative attack spell, and that's pretty much it.
Just be careful if you pick Fire. Those spells tend to pack a good punch, but Iron Golems are the most common golem type, and they absorb it.

There's some semblance of synergy between cold and negative for casters (read: the Stygian wrath orbs exist), and cold isn't absorbed by any of the 3 most common golem types, but the focus should still remain on the highest non-negative spell you have.

[Enoach]

The wizard is the one of the classes that can benefit from having a full golf bag, but it isn't practical to specialize in everything

Suggestions:

1. Gear to your primary spell power and school
2. Gear to a secondary spell power and school
3. Look to Universal DC, Spell power and Arcane Augmentation for everything else
4. If you are wanting to have a specialty that you use on occasion, such as Transmutation (flesh to stone, curse or knock)

Example for myself:
1. Primary Spell Power: Negative
2. Primary Spell School: Enchantment (I play more as a controller)
3. Secondary Spell Power: Acid (taking advantage of Past Life Spell power)
4. Secondary Spell School: Necromancy (for the stuff that needs to die now)
5. Universal Gear for everything else
6. I have an Thunderholm Orb specifically set for Transmutation Focus - Done for Raids where curse + flesh to stone are the best controller.

[mr420247]

Necro and fire max secondary swaps acid and ice for immunes mobs weak to the dmg last lightning maybe just for chain lightning on constructs or just axe em

Acid well blast only good spells but well is op for those evasion mobs with low fort depends if u go fire or acid drac which i might for new ice hat reaper farms

[Varr]

The wizard is the one of the classes that can benefit from having a full golf bag, but it isn't practical to specialize in everything

Suggestions:

1. Gear to your primary spell power and school
2. Gear to a secondary spell power and school
3. Look to Universal DC, Spell power and Arcane Augmentation for everything else
4. If you are wanting to have a specialty that you use on occasion, such as Transmutation (flesh to stone, curse or knock)

Example for myself:
1. Primary Spell Power: Negative
2. Primary Spell School: Enchantment (I play more as a controller)
3. Secondary Spell Power: Acid (taking advantage of Past Life Spell power)
4. Secondary Spell School: Necromancy (for the stuff that needs to die now)
5. Universal Gear for everything else
6. I have an Thunderholm Orb specifically set for Transmutation Focus - Done for Raids where curse + flesh to stone are the best controller.

OP, I like this a lot as a run down. It is my opinion that on easy content it doesn't matter and on very hard content the Wizard class is a supped up garbage man. Primary role to execute control and death to all the garbage between bosses. Spell power is more for helping the bossing to the grave. And Negative will be your cheapest way to layer in DPS when you want assuming Pale Master and SLA's.

From 9/14...........**** Necro Damonz!! lol, well appropriate as it is at least about wizards......necro that is.