The solo ability of the Wizard

[Fina]

Very poor. Is the Wizard suppose to be a group only class? I have trouble soloing green's/blue's sometimes whereas let's say a Fighter can solo ^^'s greens with little problem!! What is the deal with this? THE FACTSOur roots rarely stick and when they do they only last about as long as our stuns or break immediatley.We only have two roots at level 30 and two stuns.Resist, fizzle, ResistPlease fix our soloing ability.JurusenaiBlackburrow30 Wizard.

[gnomeat]

<DIV>I don't know.. I have ok gear, and app IV or adept I for all of my nukes... but even pre patch, and much more now, soloing isn't very hard at all...yeah. you can get some resists but not nearly as much if you land your debuffs.... we can handle solo mobs and even single ^ mobs.. at least the ones in the adventure pack... I am able to tear 3 or 4 solo mobs before any other class can go through one or two.. I don't know what kind of gear/spells you have but soloing as a wiz really shouldn't be/ isn't very hard... even with root issues etc... I will say though that from 28 or so to 37 it is much harder than after you are 37+.. after that we get a big dps upgrade, and we get a few more up till 40 when we start getting buffs again...</DIV>

[adamflanagan]

<DIV>i dont have a problem soloing yellow/orange MOBs. depending on the type i can even take reds... i would really recommend upgrading your roots to adept 1. ive got frozen manacles at adept 3 and i do not regret spending 8gp on the coral. make sure your gear is at least white to you and your spells are at least app4 and you should have no problems.</DIV><p>Message Edited by adamflanagan on <span class=date_text>03-07-2005</span> <span class=time_text>09:50 AM</span>

[mewba]

<DIV><FONT color=#ffffff>And take a look at your subjugation skill, affects roots.  Mine usually holds through the dot and first two nukes before breaking, sometimes longer.  With the HO factored in that's half a white or under mob usually.  Some of my friends who say root didn't work well enough had given up on it early and never raised the skill.</FONT></DIV>

[Torgr]

<blockquote><hr>mewbank wrote:<DIV><FONT color=#ffffff>And take a look at your subjugation skill, affects roots. Mine usually holds through the dot and first two nukes before breaking, sometimes longer. With the HO factored in that's half a white or under mob usually. Some of my friends who say root didn't work well enough had given up on it early and never raised the skill.</FONT></DIV><hr></blockquote>I took your advice and checked my subjugation skill. At lev 34 mine is 173 buffed. Skill was probably raised due to all the root breaks and recasts. All my casting skills are at min 170. All my gear is orange. Thats all of it, every last piece of jewelery and armour and weapons. My roots still rarely last long enough to get off a second nuke or DoT. My frozen manacles spell is Adept 1. I would seriously like to know why yours last so long. I get that maybe once in ten fights. 4-5 times out of ten Im' down to 25% health after suffering several fizzles and interrupts and the rest of the times I'm running for my life hoping the stupid cat will take the agro. Throw in the occasional death and thats why my wiz is in forced retirement. BTW thats on blue mobs. All I can say is its a real good thing old Gandalf didnt live in EQ2. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[bad]

<DIV>At 28 I changed my solo style from starting with root, to:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>BOF (dont have to take damage while the long casting time)</DIV> <DIV>Freeze (to stop mob)</DIV> <DIV>Frozen Manacles (to root)</DIV> <DIV>Debuffs (dont break root too often)</DIV> <DIV>- If root stills hold - I HO with Tongue twist and BOF, Tongue Twist because it doesn give damage - hence root holds through the long BOF cast time once more)</DIV> <DIV>HO DD till end if short fight</DIV> <DIV>Another Freeze and Frozen Manacles if fight last longer than as Freeze recast time</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I met a 25 Wiz once that used both Frozen Manacles and the old root Arcane Bindings - cast both and root could be more safe (maybe FM first though since FM has a damage included). </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I never use melee.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Often I hardly get hit at all, but I seldom pick higher than white mobs. AGI gear will help a soloing Wiz too. Choosing INT only for gear, training and tactics and you will find soloing more difficult I guess. Drop INT and get good drink seems more important for solo power. Also keep Wiz stat up, to it helps the spells land.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Even though not the best, Wiz debuffs make the DDs much better, from BOF = 270 to BOF 450 for me at most. After patch I use Freeze and Ice Spike still - because of the short cast time, the stun, and the damage. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wiz solo is intense - kill or get killed in no time at all. Loose the upperhand and die. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Humi 28</DIV> <DIV>Najena</DIV>

[AngelR]

<DIV>Hmm... using Tongue Twist to start the HO.  Interesting, hadn't thought of that.  I guess I'll play with it to see if not doing the extra damage outweighs not breaking the root.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I like to save Freeze (I actually use the L20 training version) until after my first nuke in the HO.  For a few reasons:  a) usually root holds long enough for BoFi to cast, b) completing the HO (at least on yellow or lower solo mobs) means the mob is dead, so I like the stun to ensure that last nuke is gonna land, and c) if the "uncommon" HO comes up, it isn't wasted (or you don't have to cast a mana-sucking long-casting AE to complete it).  Of course, if root breaks early you gotta whip out the stun or BoFi is probably gonna be interrupted... I've rolled the dice a few times and let my fate rest on the attack value of the mob, and while I haven't died in a few levels I've certainly been in the orange more than I care to admit. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  I HAVE been trying to pick up as much AGI as I can (up to 88, I think, maintaining 106 or so INT)... it seems to help.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>EDIT:  I, too, would like to second the "no melee" concept.  You do paltry damage if any at all, and are only helping the mob out by letting it riposte you.  Contrary to what I've heard some folks say in game, you WILL still parry with your attack off.  You'll notice that soon as you cast that first spell and go into combat mode, you draw your weapon, even if you aren't swinging it.</DIV><p>Message Edited by AngelRat on <span class=date_text>03-08-2005</span> <span class=time_text>08:51 AM</span>

[adamflanagan]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> badat wrote:<BR> <DIV>Often I hardly get hit at all, but I seldom pick higher than white mobs. AGI gear will help a soloing Wiz too. Choosing INT only for gear, training and tactics and you will find soloing more difficult I guess. Drop INT and get good drink seems more important for solo power. Also keep Wiz stat up, to it helps the spells land.</DIV> <DIV> <HR> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>what exactly does INT affect? i havent noticed a difference with damage. does it effect fizzles/resists?<BR>

[bad]

<DIV>As it is today INT affects the power pool only, that im pretty sure of.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Spell quality (app, adept master) may affect:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- power used on that spell (e.g. app4 deals same damage as app3 but use less power, i think i read somewhere)</DIV> <DIV>- damage dealt (buffs also affect greatly here)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>By expericence resists seems to be affected by spell level (e.g green spell against red mob is resisted a lot)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think skills (like minstration and such) affect fizzles (like you level, get a new spell and it fizzles often a lot until your skills are raised). Dont know if you fizzle more by just upgrading spell from e.g. App1 to Adept1 directly.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anybody have more precise info on this?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Humi 28</DIV> <DIV>Najena</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[khelektasare]

At lvl 29 I solo pretty well against orange and yellow solo targets and some ^ and ^^ green. I generally Start with ball of fire (Adept III), Freeze (Adept III), Frozen Manacles (Adept III), Icy Coil (app IV), [H.O. Start] Plasmatic Pulse (App IV), and whatever finisher I need. Then start with Blazing Intimidation to stun and root...Frozen Manacles Adept III is worth its weight in gold... BoF and Freeze are nice, but app IV or Adept I should be fine.<p>Message Edited by Cthulhu522 on <span class=date_text>03-08-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:58 PM</span>

[Asvinn]

<DIV> <P>While it is true that all classes can (to some extent) solo, there's no doubt that some do it better than others. I have played several classes but wizard is by far the most difficult class to solo with. It's not impossible, it's just very difficult as our class was never really meant for extensive soloing. </P> <P>I think it's a </FONT>matter of specialization vs. versatility: Wizards are simply not a very versatile class, nor should we be. We are not generalists but specialists: We specialize in doing damage. We do different kinds of damage of course, all with their own pro's and con's - but in the end damage is what we do best. Sure, we get a few buffs and some useful non-damage spells (like evac, invis and a handful of mezzing and rooting spells). But when all is said and done, we will NEVER be able to do crowd control like an enchanter - and we will also NEVER get the overall utility of the scout classes.</P> <P>This is not a bad thing (not being a whiner here :smileytongue: ). A good wizard is an extremely valuable part of any group (big or small) as our firepower makes fighting so much faster and easier. When it comes to dps wizards are (or should be) kings and queens of the world. But that also means trading most of our defensive skills for offensive ones. Specialization means that we're very good at what we do but it also comes at a cost.</P> <P>So I would not recommend the wizard to the player who wishes to solo a lot. Sure it's possible but once you get past lvl 20 chances are, you'll die a LOT solo'ing as a wizard. And dying all the time just isn't fun. We are (in my humble opinion) simply to specialized a class to be effective solo'ers. If someone wants to solo extensively, I would recommend one of the more versatile classes: The scout-classes, the summoner - or possibly paladin/shadowknight. Being a wizzy is great fun but not the best class for soloers :smileywink:</P> <P>Eudon, 28 wizard</P> <P>(Btw: I know very little about warlocks but as they are also sorcerers, I would imagine that most of the above apply to them as well)</P> <P>  </P></DIV>

[maxpower8]

<DIV>At lvl 29 wizard i have found that i can solo very well.  I can take lvl 34 (red) solo mobs in EL with out a problem and none of my spells are above app IV. I start with frozen manicles, then do all my DOTS then frozen manicles again. if root breaks while casting DOTS then i use freeze to stop the mob and cast frozen manicles again, if i get through all the DOTS i cast frozen manicles then BOF and burning intimidation(with stuns the mob) and if its not dead usually i cast another root and wait for DOTS to finish it off. </DIV> <DIV>to summarize: root, dots, root, nuke/stun, roots</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>this works well for me so far, but you have to make sure you are not doing any ^ or ^^  I have yet to be convinced of any class soloing ^^ that are not green. maybe blue if lucky. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>but that all just my opinion</DIV>

[Asterra]

How about I point out a few disparities for Wizard soloability at level 50. A Wizard's capabilities at this level amount to the following:1) Single mob encounters - You don't find mobs higher in level than 49, and precious few of those. Obviously, a level 49 mob with no arrows over its head is not going to be much of a challenge for a Wizard or for any class.2) Single mob, double-up encounters - A level 50 Wizard can handle perhaps a level 45^^ mob, with a fair bit of luck, but he'd best have evac ready. It would be a long fight, with better than half of the time spent attempting to maintain roots on the mob. And in spite of the recent increase in damage Wizards received, he would be essentially out of mana by the end of the fight.3) Multiple mob encounters - A level 50 Wizard can handle three level 43 mobs, with a fair bit of risk. Higher levels are a dramatic increase in risk because of the exponentially higher total damage needed, and anything more than three mobs is practically doomed to failure.The Warlock's incredible DPS, AE, fear and powertapping abilities mean that Warlocks can kill level 50^^ or level 48 group encounters with very little trouble. I have seen it myself, many, many times. The recent nerf to Devastation has very little bearing on how well Warlocks can handle ^^ mobs, and absolutely NO bearing on how group encounters go. Considering that Warlocks and Wizards are supposed to be counterpart classes, this disparity is simply astonishing. The idea has been mulled over that Warlocks are perhaps intended to be superior soloists and AE damagers, but this doesn't wash especially well considering that they also do FAR superior direct damage over extended periods of time.

[Straylig]

<DIV>Also, don't discount Ring of Cold.  When it lands, it's a 36-second unbreakable root and when it breaks the mobs are movement-impaired for a while.  On the occaisions where I solo, I use Ring of Cold as my starting root and if it works, I change my tactics accordingly.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>(I'm still working on that [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] Subjugation skill though...heh.)</DIV>

[Rs]

<DIV>All valid points however, group mobs were never intended to be solo'd.  Yes, my Warlock, Bezerker and Guardian friends do it all day long.  Yes, that irritates me because I can rarely succeed in taking on a ^^ mob.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>With solo mobs, even with the new mobs added on 3/8, I can still easily take yellow con mobs. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The big problem is the root breaking or resisting.  Nearly all my spells are Adept I and BoF is Adept III.  At level 26 if I had a more reliable root or a second root option that would be very helpful.  Things go south when the mob gets in melee range and I can't do anything about it.  ^^ mobs that is.   </DIV>

[IllusiveThoughts]

<DIV>right now at 33, just dinged last night, I dont find much trouble soloing, I rarely get hit at all.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>you have to be selective in the mobs you fight, take on white's and blues and you should have no issues.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>since getting tether (4s cast is usless) i still cast it as a secondary root and for the movement speed impairment.  because if tether breaks and im right at the boundary of stun range spell line, i can get off a frozen manticle before the mob hits me.  and move out to the limits of the stun spell range again and repeat, previously i'd get hit and usually interrupted being that close to the mob before i could get off a frozen manticle.</DIV>

[ailees]

Testing solo in Rivervale, I tried a wolf at entrance. Blue mob. Root, icy coil, root break, mob on me. Stun fizzled. I took barrage and crushing blow (not sure for crushing blow, may be was another spell) waooo, 800 HPs gone. I could root again and move, and kill (thanks adept 3 BOFl) but it is very dangerous, and this is only a stupid easy BLUE MOB that my monk friends solos easily.Well, that's the price for being the best DPS in game against solo mobs. Of course this means there are some tasks I can't do : I found quests in nektropos, 2 of them are for EL mobs. Right now i'm 38 and both quests need me to kill blue double arrow mobs : grimmin watchers or enraged lashers.I've been with this quest for more than 5 levels, I think I'll finish it when 45 ! nobody wants to hunt those mobs, and in no way I'm able to hunt them.P.S. and YES, i know we are not the best DPS in the game, even in a one group fighting one mob, but almost. And it is not the subject.<p>Message Edited by ailees on <span class=date_text>03-13-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:09 AM</span>

[Aeva]

37 wiz here, I do not soloI simply am not fond of watching the Red bar grow so fastyes I could solo, I can take yellow and orange solo mobs when all goes good (won't attempt a group mob unless it is 12 levels below me), the problem is it only takes 1 resist for all to not go good and I die far far to fast for anything to not go perfect in a solo fight.to me it is better to work on a green quest or sit LFG for a couple hours than ensure a healthy growth spurt of the accursed red bar.<p>Message Edited by Aevarr on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>12:54 PM</span>

[Queen Of Swed]

<DIV>Asterra speaks very true.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I so regret choosing the wizard instead of warlock.</DIV> <DIV>Warlocks are far superior soloists and i cant really see anything they cant do as well as a wizard.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>O well, i made a wrong choice, im not gonna start a warlock all over again in this game, so i will most likely start playing WOW instead. Been waiting way to long for the wizzes to be fixed...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Queen of Sweden</DIV> <DIV>Lvl 44 Wizardess</DIV><p>Message Edited by Queen Of Sweden on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>05:03 AM</span>

[Lady Uaelr]

<DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Lev 39 Wizz here.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>After reading all of these posts I have to say everyone is right. What we need is a ward/damage shield type of spell. Even in a group the wizzard is most likely to die immediately. Wizzards need to be very careful with DPS and taking damage from MT. If aggro is taken you are most likely dead. Keep this in mind if your tank is lower level than you-- in a bad situation sometimes tank is too late to taunt mob off of you or is unable to because their taunt is too low level.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Freeze adept does not work on higher level mobs even at adept 1. I stopped using it at 32 due to so many resists. I will pull it back out and see if it works again. Usually I get "target too powerful message" and that is the worst. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Immoliation at 39 is great I have seen anywhere between 1100- 1300 dmg- but it takes so long to cast sometimes. I think if they made the roots hold a little longer and gave us a ward/damage shield and decreased some of the recast timers wizzards would be great to solo. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Actually, there is a spell called Concurrence- (I think it is the upgrade to Accord)- if they turned this into a damage shield it would be great. I have found that both of these spells do not do anything beneficial. I have both at adept 1 and they have never helped me. Personally, a 5% chance for power to increase upon being hit successfully is worthless. When you get a barrage of 800 or 1,025 you know that you are almost dead and there will be crushing blows immediately afterwards that will stifle you. At this time you can not cast evac spell and you can not cast manacels > dead. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>BTW....I would not spend money on adept 3 until end game and that's around 45. Save your money for a horse-- it helps you run away from the mob if needed. You will not use Ball of Fire after 35 or 36. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Unless you mine the rare it is not worth buying adept 3: my thoughts only.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>At level 39  int=210</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Power= 2023</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>HP= 1892 (this is about the same as a assassin level 28-32 I think). This says it all, with this amount of hit points at my level I would never think about doing a yellow or orange. I can solo blue (no double up) and white (no double up) with some complication at times. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Even with a blue hatecaller level 36 it is difficult to solo. Although you have immoliation your roots do not hold long enough for you to cast it. Also, same issue with depart (evac spell) your roots do not hold long enough to finish cast.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Assessment: Wizzards are not effective at soloing, great at duoing and ok in groups as long as they stay next to healer or behind MT to avoid taking aggro (remember this when you get ice comet). </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond>Intromission and Surge of Flames will save the day-- remember that!!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Garamond color=#ccffff><STRONG> Good Luck- Don't get upset if you die alot just keep plugging away and eventually SOE will fix the class and make it as GREAT as it can possibly can.</STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Garamond color=#ccffff></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Garamond color=#ccffff>Tell all your wizzard friends to post how they feel. If we all post our issues they will listen.</FONT></STRONG></DIV></DIV>

[IllusiveThoughts]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> ailees wrote:<BR>Testing solo in Rivervale, I tried a wolf at entrance. Blue mob. Root, icy coil, <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>next time dont use dot's</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>its not about how fast you kill the mob or debuffing it, the whole point is to keep it from hitting you.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>if you want to be 100% safe, start off with root, then stun, then cast tether, then wait for frozen manticles to refresh</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>move out to the limits of ball of flames/fire, and fire one off, spam frozen manticles when root breaks and mob will eventually get into frozen manticle range, root goes off, mob gets rooted, presto no dmg taken by you</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>haul your butt back to stun range, slap another tether on, wait for frozen manticles to refresh, fire off the stun and recast frozen manticles</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>then move out to limit of bof (which has a further range than stun/root) and wait for frozen manticles to get close to refresh, fire off bof, spam root, if it doesn't break great fire off a ice spike.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>you guys just have to tweak your play style.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I NEVER use dots when solo, they break root waaaaaaaaay too much.  and re-rooting doesn't help because the next tick of the dot could break it, thus your screwed with no roots left.  always use straight up dd/stun.  If you use the above method you should NEVER get hit,  minus a rare root resist, but tether will be up and it should give you enough leeway to run in a big circle till frozen manticles refreshes to fire it off again with out taking too much death causing damage.</DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text>I mean seriously people, i'm doing this on my laptop that has a bad case of motherboard induced lag, that can cause me to die if I try to run, and yet even with the lag issues I can still solo and not get hit.  When I try this on a buddy's pc who does not have such lag, its a [Removed for Content] cake walk.</SPAN></P> <P>Message Edited by IllusiveThoughts on <SPAN class=date_text>03-14-2005</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>08:50 AM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by IllusiveThoughts on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>02:14 PM</span>

[Vulking]

<DIV> <DIV>Illusive Thoughts wrote:</DIV> <DIV>__________________________________________________ _______________________________________</DIV> <DIV>next time dont use dot's</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>its not about how fast you kill the mob or debuffing it, the whole point is to keep it from hitting you.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG>if you want to be 100% safe, start off with root, then stun, then cast tether, then wait for frozen manticles to refresh</STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV>move out to the limits of ball of flames/fire, and fire one off, spam frozen manticles when root breaks and mob will eventually get into frozen manticle range, root goes off, mob gets rooted, presto no dmg taken by you</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>haul your butt back to stun range, slap another tether on, wait for frozen manticles to refresh, fire off the stun and recast frozen manticles</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>then move out to limit of bof (which has a further range than stun/root) and wait for frozen manticles to get close to refresh, fire off bof, spam root, if it doesn't break great fire off a ice spike.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>you guys just have to tweak your play style.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG>I NEVER use roots when solo, they break root waaaaaaaaay too much</STRONG>.  and re-rooting doesn't help because the next tick of the dot could break it, thus your screwed with no roots left.  always use straight up dd/stun.  If you use the above method you should NEVER get hit,  minus a rare root resist, but tether will be up and it should give you enough leeway to run in a big circle till frozen manticles refreshes to fire it off again with out taking too much death causing damage.</DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text>I mean seriously people, i'm doing this on my laptop that has a bad case of motherboard induced lag, that can cause me to die if I try to run, and yet even with the lag issues I can still solo and not get hit.  When I try this on a buddy's pc who does not have such lag, its a [Removed for Content] cake walk.</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text>__________________________________________________ _____________________________-</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text>OK im confused... </SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>You start off by giving one method of tackling a mob by using roots,  then you go on to say you never use them.  </SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text>Which is it?  Which is best, can you clarify?</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P></DIV>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>mmm Immolation! Just hit 39 and i've spent all weekend killing Nightbloods that con white and yellow to me. I end each fight with more than half my power, i get hit nonce! I'm still messing around with my options because it seems there are quite a few different ways to kill them without being hit...but here's what i was basically doing for an hour last night...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Pull with Heat Stroke to safer location</DIV> <DIV>Frozen Manacles (Adept III) gets mashed until target gets into range</DIV> <DIV>Freezing Wind (if root breaks have blazing intimidation que'd to stun then reroot with Tether or FM)</DIV> <DIV>Icy Coil (if root breaks have blazing intimidation que'd to stun then reroot with Tether or FM)</DIV> <DIV>Tether AND Frozen Manacles (or just Frozen Manacles if Tether was used)</DIV> <DIV>Immolation (if root breaks have blazing intimidation que'd, followed by immediate Frozen Manacles or Tether)</DIV> <DIV>at this point they're usually at or just above half health, 2nd tick of immolation hasn't even gone off</DIV> <DIV>Reroot if Immolation broke the Tether or Frozen Manacles, Ball of Flame or Fire i forget, the bigger one (Adept I) or a Westfends and an maybe Ice spike to finish him off IF he runs towards me, or wait 1.5 seconds until the 3 DoT's take off his last 100 health. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>(i don't actually know if icy coil and fw are stacking or not but casting them both hasn't gotten me in any danger)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The thing is Frozen Manacles is a faster cast, so if you're always as far away from your target as you can be you'll land it before they get to you. I cycle through my roots and my stun carefully, wait when i have to ect. Pay attention to what DoT's you got goin and how much time is on them, that'll determine how long he'll stay rooted for (it helps lol) so you can plan your next move accordingly. It's gotten 2x easier since someone pointed out to me how Tether was REALLY working, so that has helped in my root management lol. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I dunno what the above poster must look like while fighting creatures, sounds like a Wiz with his head cut off. :smileywink:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I root alot, and often, like every 3rd spell. FM Adept III is my only Adept III...it has been grey forever, still works like a charm so i dunno what everyones on about.... Tether is awesome, lemme fill ya in if ya didn't know. When Tether gets cast it acts as a root (a really good one)....little icon shows how long it satys for i forget, like 25+ seconds. Anyway when it's "root" time is up you'll notice yer little wizard throwing out more chains?, that's the additional 4 second movement impairment! You know how much time 4 seconds is? Enough time to cast another Frozen Manacle or Blazing Intim (give ya another 4 seconds) and ANOTHER Tether! </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anyway, many different ways to solo easily. I've been doing it for 39 levels and i don't think once i've ever felt as if i "couldn't". </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Try HARDER. :smileytongue:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now if everyone's talking about ^ ^ greens and stuff...well.....then disregard everything i've said.. :smileyvery-happy:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Oooohh btw, i got my snake tanking specific creatures repeatedly...quite entertaining i must say! Not sure if it's a bug or not though....  <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>very soloable wiz,</DIV> <DIV>/bow</DIV><p>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:02 AM</span>

[Lady Uaelr]

<DIV>Hi Freehold, </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So tell me if this sound right:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>frozen manacles>tether>blazing intimidation>icy coil>freezing wind>frozen manacles>tether>immoliation>frozen manacles>ball of flames + ice spear HO.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also, tell me about this pet thing. How do you make it tank-- are you doing anything to make it happen? and when it hits how much dmg does it do?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>BTW -- for those of you that don't know Freehold- he is a very good wizzy. smileyhappy:</DIV>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>Hey Uaelrea, thanks for the compliment!</DIV> <DIV>/blush</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well there is really no need to cast Tether right after casting Frozen Manacles for that first attack IMO. Use that root time to cast your first DoT debuff, if it stays rooted then go for icy coils. If the root sticks after those 2 dots are on, the chances he's going to break in the next tick are VERY high, so you want to get another Frozen Manacles or tether off before he moves. Both of those should be recharged and available to you to use, if they're not then use your stun. If none of those are available, you've done something wrong or gor a reeeaaaaallly bad roll, cuz rarely am i caught out there getting hit, let alone fighting for my life. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>oh and the pet thing is weird, i'm thinkin maybe it's a bug now <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  ....i'll test my theory when i get home tonight.... i killed a few creatures with Fraps running and pet tanking, but the video is a gig in it's current format muhahahaha. I'll show ya if you're around later tonight Uae, it's very funny!  (Edit: He doesn't do any noticable damage, but he takes alot lol) :smileyvery-happy:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>/bow</DIV><p>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:38 AM</span>

[Lady Uaelr]

<DIV>Hi Freehold, </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Is fraps the parser you use?  Ok...so the pet does not tank but takes hits.  How many dmg does he take?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>BTW-- it does not appear to be a bug. I have actually heard of pets doing that.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Freehold how often do you keep your pet cast and since when?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You are not commanding it correct..it just does what it does on it's own.  Is it possible that the longer you keep this pet cast with you it learns and begins to assist?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tell me what you think and if anyone else has experienced this with familiars please let me know.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>Hehe, i spend alot of time with my pet. :smileywink:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I can make him tank, repeatedly, the same type of mob over and over and over and over. Everytime, anytime, all the time. Fraps is a simple tool for recording video, i just fought a couple of critters and recorded the battles to show some guildies...i thought it very odd. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>He doesn't do any damage, but he takes alot. I can watch him take a beating for about 2 minutes or so, but i have been trying to pull agro BACK off of him by nuking the living heck out of the target, to no avail, so i'm not really sure how much he's taking. Muhahaha, better than most tanks i've encountered. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I use Combat Stats for parsing ingame, it only works when i engane cuz it reads off of text, but it's accurate for me...others running it can make a difference if ytou really want to compare. (If a Warlock leads with Nil's before i start combat, my parser won't pick up his damage, for instance)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>On another pet note, lol, i had left my pet out unattended in front of my group for about an hour right? Well one of the people in our group caught agro from something somewhere and decided to run it back towards us, lol. Well they showed up, with train, and we said KEEP RUNNING, so they did. Then the weirdest thing happened, my pet followed the last bear in the train, didn't attack him or anything, just followed him. We let the person who got the agro run it off, and when the bears came back and passed us on their way back to their spawn point, guess who was following them? Yep! Traitor! My snake had been adopted by them bears....and followed the one bear everywhere he went. I went invis and followed him for a while, just to see what if anything would/was going to happen. Nothing happened lol (i shot video of this weirdness aswell..my snake living with bears in the forest...). When everyone got together we killed the bears, my snake magically disappeared and reappeared 30 meters away, to the place i left him before he made friends with bears. Weird. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Edit: I'm commanding him correctly. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  I've yet to hear of another wiz who is able to make his pet tank every time, albeit on the same type of mob in the same area. Show me one (1).  <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <P>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <SPAN class=date_text>03-14-2005</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>11:10 AM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>11:15 AM</span>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>You play the same hours as me don't you Uae? I get home tonight around 9 if ya want some help, i'm on Teamspeak too...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Edit: I'm gunna hafta report this pet thing tonight, aren't i lol...:smileyindifferent: :smileytongue:</DIV><p>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>11:20 AM</span>

[Lady Uaelr]

<DIV>Don't report it....it is better that the pet do something than nothing. I have not kept pet out at all becuase I thought it was a wasted concentration slot. I will keep it out tonite and for a while and see what happens.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When I click guard me or attack it says "I am sorry master I can not do that". </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What does it say when you tell it to guard you, or guard here or attack?</DIV>

[Lady Uaelr]

<DIV>BTW I will be in Rivervale tonite, If you want to farm a little. I do Level 40 lamias and field frights but with tank. I can not handle a lamia by myself only a level 38 and that is with 1 bubble left.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I would like to try nightbloods with you though and apply your strategies.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>No, the pet IS useless lol. On rare occasions (1 out 50+) of /yelling and he'll take a beating for me while i run away, but that's rare. I have him out in hopes of him MAYBE stealing agro in case i get into serious trouble and have to run. But the chance is so minute it's not something i ever plan on ya know what i mean? He's really only out because i need someone to talk to while out there. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> It just so happens i was in a particular area killing particular thingsand using different methods to get it done. Well one of the methods i had tryed gave me most unexpected results. So i did it again, and again, and again, and again. About 2 dozen times, then i recorded it...then i thought how i must be the only noob who knows how to do this. /shrug  I'm sure someone will pop in here soon who knows how to do it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The pet doesn't gaurd or attack, he ONLY follows. That's it. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Kilferf 'U]

<DIV>Okay sounds good. I hunt the Nightbloods...dunno what levels they are, but i can kill about 8 of them before the next ones start spawning, perfect timing if nobody is around. :smileyvery-happy: And ooohhhh the loot!!!!! haha</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I also find i kill things easier alone, unless the tank is near my level and knows how to play his char. If a possible partner can't keep agro better than i, i misght aswell be alone. None the less i can show you how to kill these bugggers (and anything else conning white or yellow or orange) fairly easily, but most importantly - safely. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV><p>Message Edited by Kilferf 'Uhn on <span class=date_text>03-14-2005</span> <span class=time_text>11:54 AM</span>

[IllusiveThoughts]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Hammarus wrote:<BR> <DIV> <DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN></P><SPAN class=time_text>OK im confused... </SPAN></DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN><SPAN class=time_text>You start off by giving one method of tackling a mob by using roots,  then you go on to say you never use them.  </SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text>Which is it?  Which is best, can you clarify?</SPAN></P> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P></DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>it was a typo, i meant to say i never use dots when soloing, they break root too much, I can solo all day and not get hit, you will find that when you start using dots root breaks more often, and wont hold for the full duration because of the chance the dot has to break root.</P> <P>so for soloing its a bad idea (although not efficient) to use them.  the whole concept is to NEVER GET HIT.  most solo mobs can take a well geared wiz down in 3-4 rounds.  so each hit lowers your chances of success, therefore you have to modify your play style to the safest possible.</P> <P> </P> <P>what we do know is dots break root, and each tick of the dot has a chance to break root.  what happenes when root breaks we start eating dirt.</P> <P>nukes break root, but the only good thing about our long range nukes (like ball of fire and ball of flames) is that if we are at the furthest range from the target mob, i'm talking one step back and the message "too far away" appears you can spam frozen manticles and the mob wont get into mele range to hit you, and since the mob isn't dotted you can move all the way back out to max range for ball of fire/flames, wait for refresh, and nuke again.</P> <P> </P> <P>the nice part about this senario is if root doesn't break on the ball of fire/flames, you can toss off a few ice spikes until it does and spam frozen manticles, then move back out to max range and repeat.  you want to spam the root button because the max range for frozen manticles is shorter than bof/ice spike, so when the mob first breaks root you will get the message too far away, but if your spamming the root key it'll cast soon as its in range, and if you had tether up the mobs movement is impaired thus allowing even more leeway to re-root it before it gets into mele range, and thus you never get hit, and get to use your health for power transfers, and you have no fear of death.</P> <P> </P> <P>there are other schools of thought that slap a few dots on there and pray root holds, but they often get hit more often and spend more time regenning health and power, and also have a higher chance for failure.  we are glass cannons, and as such we should not allow ourselves to get  hit ever.<BR></P>