Fire caster druid problem at level 22. Help with gear wanted

[Ultinoob]

Hi folks

This evening we did a couple of quests. Namely against the demon queen pre raid and spies in the house. In both quests I got ganged up on by mobs and died. The mobs seem to need a lot of spells to die.

I am a fire based druid and cast firestorm and flamestrike as aoe spells. But in these quests it seems like I need to cast them 5 or six times before the mobs die.

I am level 22 now and I think it is my gear that is wrong. When we get to level 29 I ususally can solo r1 just fine. But maybe that was on my main who has more epic past lives and therefore more ac.

I have 448 fire spell power and 43 crit chance (missing 6 from epic past lives). I am in draconic so I have 35 spell critical multiplier. I use empower and maximise on both spells.

I just checked my ac and it is 50. which gives me 34% defense chance at level. I think this might be the problem. I have no protection item, am not using a shield but an orb so no shield bonus and I have no natural armor. I should probably try and raise this.

Gear:
Belt: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Black_Satin_Waist
Boots: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Blackfeather_Boots
Bracers: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Legend...ed_Castigators – flamecleansed set
Cloak: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Legendary_Hallowed_Trail – flamecleansed set
Gloves: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Attunement_Gauntlets
Goggles: https://ddowiki.com/page/Itemusk_Lenses
Helm: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Arcsteel_Brim
Necklace: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Pendant_of_the_Azure_Sky
Ring 1: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:The_Shattered_Onyx
Ring 2: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Blind_Devotion
Trinket: Vibrant purple ioun stone
Armor: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Legend...ssed_Vestments – flamecleansed set
Mainhand: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Sceptre_of_Impulse
Offhand: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Orb_of_Flame

Questions:
1) So what are your gear for level 20 to 29 for a fire druid?
2) Any ideas on how to improve this?
3) did they fix the “thick hide” so it now stacks?

[Michele]

If I'm not wrong you miss some dps bonus, like quality spell power, exceptional spell power, exceptional spell lore, esoteric initiate bonus better DC, and 10% spell critical damage from Epic Elder's Knowledge set.

This is my equipment at level 20 and I still have to adjust it because I never played with the epic elder's knowledge set yet.

I strongly suggest you to make your druid Ice focused because Ice flowers has only 2 seconds cooldown and I use it without any metamagic feats.
Try to use salt ray first you are dealing with single targets because they become helpless.

- Armor ml 20: order's garb (esoteric initiate set) with exceptional spell power +8, exceptional spell lore +3%, fortification +94%, physical sheltering +19 (blue slot: resistance save)

- Belt ml 16: black satin waist with quality spell focus mastery +1, quality wisdom +1, mythic bonus to spell power +3 (green slot: evocation)

- Boots ml 17: sunken slippers with quality intelligence +1, lesser displacement 25%, insightful potency +32, quality potency +15, mythic bonus to prr/mrr +1 (yellow slot: illusion)

- Bracers ml 15: aetherband with spell penetration, insightful spell penetration, magical efficiency (green slot: electric resistance 20)

- Cloak ml 15-23: wisdom prefix, spellsight suffix, insightful wisdom extra (green slot: acid resistance) (yellow slot: fire resistance)

- Gloves ml 1: dusk palm with dodge +1%, mythic bonus to spell power +3 (yellow slot: fire resistance 5)

- Goggles ml 15: dusk lenses (esoteric initiate set) with potency +60, insightful potency +30, mythic bonus to spell power +1 (yellow slot: cold resistance 20)

- Helm ml 13: intelligence +7 prefix, spell focus mastery +3, insightful spellsight +7 extra (green slot: constitution +7) (yellow slot: dexterity +7)
- Helm ml 22: intelligence +10 prefix, spell focus mastery +4, insightful spellsight +9 extra (green slot: festive constitution +7) (yellow slot: dexterity +7)

- Necklace ml 20: Epic elder's focus

- Ring left ml 20: the shattered onyx with insightful intelligence +3, profane spell focus +1, insightful resistance +2, insightful dodge +3% (blue slot: sapphire of defense +24)

- Ring right ml 1: ring of magical attunement with umd +1, reaper bonus to spell power +3, mythic bonus to spell power +1, slaver’s mythic bonus to spell power +3 (yellow slot: the master’s gift)

- Trinket ml 20: Epic gem of many facets

- Weapon primary ml 20: epic sceptre of impulse with impulse +111, insightful impulse +55, kinetic lore +16% (red slot: exceptional wisdom +1)

- Weapon secondary ml 20 (druid): epic sceptre of combustion

[mikarddo]

Trinket: Dragon's Eye ML20 is very nice. 195 spell points means you can drop the Ioun Stone, and exceptional spell power and spell lore means you dont need to use the Esoteric set with the loss of MRR that gives.

Boots: Sunken Slippers ML15 adds quality potency and less displacement for both more offensive and more defensive power. Use an augment for 30% run speed (until you get the quiver).

Offhand: Epic Immaculate Orb is very nice w/ +20 alchemical spell power and +30 to all 5 elemental resists but I admit not knowing if you can fit that one in.

[mr420247]

What about instead of the scepter of impulse you used the positive spell power one for your healing spells

Maxed out heals will should keep you alive alot longer as long as your not getting 1 shot

And maybe the empower heal feat if you don't already have it or if your twisting rejuv or any other healing from eds

[Ultinoob]

What about instead of the scepter of impulse you used the positive spell power one for your healing spells

Maxed out heals will should keep you alive alot longer as long as your not getting 1 shot

And maybe the empower heal feat if you don't already have it or if your twisting rejuv or any other healing from eds

I have positive spell power and crit chance allready.

Maxing out heals is a great idea. thx. Don't think i will be taking empower heal.

[Ultinoob]

If I'm not wrong you miss some dps bonus, like quality spell power, exceptional spell power, exceptional spell lore, esoteric initiate bonus better DC, and 10% spell critical damage from Epic Elder's Knowledge set.

You are right about the two last ones. But i get artifact dc from flamecleansed. Exceptional bonus i can only get from dragons eye and esoteric and i am not using a cloth armor. so that leaves dragons eye. Man i really need to get that item. Quality spell power i need to get somewhere you are right about that.

This is my equipment at level 20 and I still have to adjust it because I never played with the epic elder's knowledge set yet.

Thx for that. Yeah i gotta adjust for elders set too. But the way i see it if i am using trinket slot for dragons eye i need to have elders on cap and necklace. which means i loose 5% spell cost reduction and fire spell power. I need to look into the gear puzzle some more.

I strongly suggest you to make your druid Ice focused because Ice flowers has only 2 seconds cooldown and I use it without any metamagic feats.

But isn't flamestrike almost exactly the same spell? And both have a max caster level of 15, which means they are not that great at epic levels. But maybe i should try a ice druid again soon.

[mikarddo]

- Helm ml 13: intelligence +7 prefix, spell focus mastery +3, insightful spellsight +7 extra (green slot: constitution +7) (yellow slot: dexterity +7)
- Helm ml 22: intelligence +10 prefix, spell focus mastery +4, insightful spellsight +9 extra (green slot: festive constitution +7) (yellow slot: dexterity +7)

- Necklace ml 20: Epic elder's focus

- Trinket ml 20: Epic gem of many facets

- Weapon secondary ml 20 (druid): epic sceptre of combustion

You didnt mention what you have crafted on the Gem.

It sems to me that you could craft SFM + more on that (make one ML20 and one ML22), swap the Elder Focus to Elder Cap and use the Pendant of the Azure Sky. Maybe even change offhand to Epic Immatriculate Orb with a LGS heal amp item to swap in when needed.

[Ultinoob]

So i made another gearset. It misses spell focus mastery which is kind of a bummer.

Belt: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Black_Satin_Waist
Boots: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Sunken_Slippers
Bracers: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Castigators – flamecleansed set
Cloak: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Trail – flamecleansed set
Gloves: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_R...sted_Gauntlets
Goggles: https://ddowiki.com/page/Itemusk_Lenses
Helm: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Elder%27s_Cap
Necklace: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Elder%27s_Focus
Ring 1: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:The_Shattered_Onyx
Ring 2: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Blind_Devotion
Trinket: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Dragon%27s_Eye
Armor: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Blessed_Vestments – flamecleansed set
Mainhand: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Sceptre_of_Impulse
Offhand: CC magnetism with parrying and 2 augments – natural armor and protection.


I don't see how i can fit both flamecleansed (artifact to fire), dragons eye (exceptional to universal) and elders set (artifact to universal) and still get spell focus mastery from an item.

Maybe i could use https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Macabre_Sceptre in offhand and loose a whole lot of ac from shield bonus and augments?

[Ultinoob]

I think this is the best compromise:

Belt: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Black_Satin_Waist
Boots: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Sunken_Slippers
Bracers: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Castigators – flamecleansed set
Cloak: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Trail – flamecleansed set
Gloves: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Attunement_Gauntlets
Goggles: https://ddowiki.com/page/Itemusk_Lenses
Helm: elders cap
Necklace: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Pendant_of_the_Azure_Sky
Ring 1: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:The_Shattered_Onyx
Ring 2: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Blind_Devotion
Trinket: Gem of many facets with elders and cc spell focus mastery
Armor: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Blessed_Vestments – flamecleansed set
Mainhand: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Sceptre_of_Impulse
Offhand: CC with parrying and 2 augments – natural armor and protection.

[mikarddo]

I don't see how i can fit both flamecleansed (artifact to fire), dragons eye (exceptional to universal) and elders set (artifact to universal) and still get spell focus mastery from an item.

Maybe i could use https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Macabre_Sceptre in offhand and loose a whole lot of ac from shield bonus and augments?

Another possibilty could be this one:
https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Staff_of_Inner_Sight

That means you dont need the Dusk Lenses so you get to use something else in that slot. If you want that could be crafted SF Evoc and Ins SF Evoc thus getting very good evocation while still getting +3 SFM from the Staff.

However, the use of both hands it very likely too costly so its probably not a real choice.

[mikarddo]

I think this is the best compromise:

Belt: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Black_Satin_Waist
Boots: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Sunken_Slippers
Bracers: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Castigators – flamecleansed set
Cloak: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Hallowed_Trail – flamecleansed set
Gloves: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Attunement_Gauntlets
Goggles: https://ddowiki.com/page/Itemusk_Lenses
Helm: elders cap
Necklace: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Pendant_of_the_Azure_Sky
Ring 1: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:The_Shattered_Onyx
Ring 2: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Blind_Devotion
Trinket: Gem of many facets with elders and cc spell focus mastery
Armor: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Blessed_Vestments – flamecleansed set
Mainhand: https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Sceptre_of_Impulse
Offhand: CC with parrying and 2 augments – natural armor and protection.

As far as I can tell you would be better off with the Dragons Eye and a CC Helm with SFM than the Gem + Elders cap. But its pretty close.

[Ultinoob]

As far as I can tell you would be better off with the Dragons Eye and a CC Helm with SFM than the Gem + Elders cap. But its pretty close.

Ok. I trust you did the math. Gaining 15 spellpower and 1 crit chance over 15 crit multiplier. Yeah it does sound right. Also it is in one slot and not two.

Thing is i don't have dragons eye yet, so i think i will use the option i proposed.

I wan't the dragons eye

[Tsutti]

I am a fire based druid and cast firestorm and flamestrike as aoe spells. But in these quests it seems like I need to cast them 5 or six times before the mobs die.

Fire Seeds is also aoe just a very small aoe, and if you can find some light spellpower the Sunburst spell does a lot of dmg now. I think looking for Fire Seeds opportunities on tightly bunched mobs (especially if you can CC first so they stop moving, Burst of Glacial Wrath @ level 24 or Earthquake or Greater Color Spray if you took it from Feydark and can make the illusion dc work) and adding Sunburst + Sunburst SLA into your rotation might help some, in addition to other stuff mentioned in the thread.

[Michele]

Anyway in Spies in the house quest at R1 difficulty a mob dies with quickened salt ray + creeping cold without metamagic (or sla with full metamagic) + maximized greater creeping cold + ice flowers without metamagic.
Against many opponents grouped in the same spot I cast earthquake + ice storm + ice flowers without metamagic every 2 seconds.

In epic levels I suggest you to play ice druid.

In heroic levels I could understand if you decide to play a fire druid due to the Cloak of flames being very powerful.