Newby Warlock needs advice for 35-40

[RandomPlay]

<DIV>Hiya,</DIV> <DIV>After playing Guardian into the high 40's I started a Warlock a few weeks ago and just dinged 35.  Fun class.  My server is fairly low population and soloing as a caster is a very different experience than warrior - things die alot faster, including (perhaps especially) me.  Seems that 1-30 went by in a flash, but 30-35 has been much slower going.  Part of that is just higher levels take longer to finish, and part is probably the fact that I've been out of vitality pretty much constantly since around 30.  I've been told that once I hit 40 and get Bony Grasp and my 10 second training stun, soloing becomes alot easier, but I was wondering if some more seasoned Warlocks could give me some advice on getting to 40 as fast as possible from 35.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Any place better than Feerrott for soloing?</FONT>  I'd like to get the Robe of the Invoker, but if I could be earning xp and gp 2x as fast somewhere else, that's cool, too.  Seems like alot of mobs in Feer are 3-4 linked in an encounter, which until I get BG seem to end with me reviving more than I'd like.  I have been ok with duos using PF and the addition at 35 of another stun is helpful, but I'd prefer to fight single group ++ green to blue mobs or single yellow/orange solo mobs.  I miss the antonican stags around level 17.  As a Guardian I never really paid attention, as combat arts are not interrupted like spells, so being hit by 10 little mobs was the same as a single mob.  No longer, heh.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>When duoing, what do you find to be the best partner class?</FONT> So far I lean towards the summoner/conjurer/necromancer types, let their pet tank and we both nuke from a distance.  Pally also works well for absorbing damage on group mobs or dealing with encounters made up of lots of mobs, but scouts I've tried duoing with can barely get any damage done before solo mobs are dead and can't take enough hits to stand up to a group mob, and they don't have enough taunts to hold aggro off me to boot.  Priests seem unlikely, except perhaps templars who could be meat shield and healer at once.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>When grouping, do Warlock Dots and Debuffs stack with another Warlock's?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Anything else I should spend money on before Adept III of my level 37 nuke?  </FONT>All my spells are upgraded as high as I can afford, which means Adept III's for Dark Distortion, Steal Breath, and Noxious Bolt, with almost everything else at Adept I.  I chose BSS as my level 30 training skill.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Other than RoI which I can't wear til 40 anyway, any other warlock-friendly equipment I should keep an eye out for? </FONT>My gear is mostly orange - if anything I probably spend too much $ on it, as I am still a bit in the Guardian mindset where AC = life.  I've managed to pick up two items that add +5 to my Disruption skill.  I always use orange or red food and drink.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Any other tips or tricks?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks in advance, </DIV> <DIV>RP</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Kalel]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> RandomPlayer wrote:<BR> <DIV>Hiya,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Any place better than Feerrott for soloing?</FONT>  <FONT color=#ff0000>Rivervale is nice for solo XP as there is an arseload of 36-39 ish solo mobs running around right at the entrance. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>When duoing, what do you find to be the best partner class?</FONT> <FONT color=#ff0000>Nothing will hold agro off you so your best to tank the mobs with a Templar or Inquistor. I mostly Duo'ed with a Warden though and we were ok with me tanking ^^'s un until about 39 or so. Priest is your best bet for sure. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>When grouping, do Warlock Dots and Debuffs stack with another Warlock's? </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000>No.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Anything else I should spend money on before Adept III of my level 37 nuke? </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000>Nothing really until your into your 40's. Torment of Shadows is a really nice upgraded DoT at ad3. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>Other than RoI which I can't wear til 40 anyway, any other warlock-friendly equipment I should keep an eye out for? </FONT><FONT color=#ff0000>Tundra walkers is pretty much the best stuff until you can get some heritage items.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks in advance, </DIV> <DIV>RP</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

[fed]

I've always found that duo'ing with a pet class works pretty well. Especially if you but your proc buffs on the pet for that extra bit of aggro. You should try and find mobs that the pet can "just barely" survive while you and the pet person nuke it down.Also in the 30-40 range there are 3 spells you should upgrade. In order of importance those would be:-Nill distortion (37)-Curse of emptiness (39.6)-Ice Flame (35)You will still be useing all 3 of these spells at level 50. So it's a good idea to upgrade them now, and get the most bang out of your virtual buck.For solo'ing, i would stick with feer untill you get the starter for the invoker robe. This is a very nice item that will last you well untill after lvl50... After you get the starter and done the quest, it doesn't really matter where you solo. Just go anywhere that suits your fancy.About gear, try to get stuff with +int +power on it. AC doesn't mean squat since you shouldn't be getting hit in the 1st place. And if you ARE getting hit something is wrong... Personally i don't even look at the AC on items, i couldn't care less <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />On the subject of debuffs. The warlock with the best debuff will overwrite the other. However since his debuff is better anyway you will benefit from it as well. If you ever group with more then 1 warlock, just figure out who's debuff is best and have that person cast it. Or set up a thing where one casts one debuff and the other casts the dot with the debuff in it...

[Sensi]

<DIV> <P>This is my opinion, i'm a lvl44 warlock now so memories pretty fresh <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P> <P>Levels 35 & 36 are a bit of a grind, just keep dreaming of Nil Distortion at lvl37 which is a must for adept3 and is the best nuke you get. Personally i quite rate Steal Breath for adept3, the damage upgrade isnt impressive but it has a good debuff which is important to maximise your nukes. Although Frozen Manacles is pretty elderly at this stage it should still last long enough to let you get your curses on a mob and Steal Breath before it breaks. Ice Flame is also a good upgrade, its not a bad nuke and I still use it at lvl44. Paralysing Fear isn't the spell it used to be but can also be handy for taking on pairs or groups of 3, so long as you avoid any damage breaking it then it will last long enough for you to take out at least one of the mobs, so keeping the odds more even.</P> <P> </P> <P>I spent most of lvls 35 & 26 soloing stuff in EL in the NW corner, past the fence, most of the mobs there used to be heroic but got nerfed a while back. Things like Fear Feeders are pretty easy & if you like doing guild writs then most of the ones from the Mage's guild are for mob's round here. Also if you don't mind grouping and leave your lfg tag up chances are you'll get a Runnyeye group pretty quickly. RE can get pretty repetitive but there are loads of quests in there with some good rewards and a few nameds that have been known to drop Master chests. The xp mounts up pretty quickly with a good group anyway and you have the advantage that your invis will work most of the way round if you need to rescue a shard. When you get to 37 & Nil Distortion you'll get halfway through the level before you stop laughing at how much damage you're doing now, it also means you can take on the smaller, lower level lizardmen groups in the Feerrott (plenty of groups of 3xlvl37 _'s near entrance). You'll need to keep an eye on aggro from other mobs but the xp is the best I've found and there's always the chance of that robe dropping (i didn't find mine til start of lvl44 after killing a LOT of lizardmen). The lizardmen can keep you going right up to lvl43/44, once you get Bony Grasp you'll be able to solo the bigger groups with ease and the xp is very good for them. There's not much point bothering with any of the Heroic stuff, the rewards aren't worth the risk (except the pair of "Heroic" mobs at the bottom of the Eye of Thule temple steps, which are actually not very heroic at all).</P> <P>To be honest pairing up with anyone else to kill down arrow lizardmen groups is doing them a favour, you'll find you can kill them almost as quick on your own. Its worth starting the Stein of Moggok quest by level 40, you should be able to find people to kill the Bouncer's with so you'll have your Stein by the time you can use it at level 42. Another diversion from killing liardmen is the Flowing Black Silk Sash heritage ("The Teachings of Yoru"), take some time out to do the first parts in Antonica then keep an ear open for groups doing the rest of it as they often form in the Feerrott. Its another item you can't use til lvl42 but you will appreciate it then. The solo quest paths in Feerrott are also well worth doing, they come from the group of NPC''s near entrance (one's to East of path are evil, West are good). There's 3 or 4 parts to each of the quests, each part gives 2gp or so reward but the final item rewards are some nice armour, rings etc. with v.good INT bonuses.</P> <P>Talking of equipment I tend to go for AGI & STA kit when possible, the AGI to lessen my chances of getting hit/interrrupted and the STA to lengthen my life. I solo a lot & I dont find i tend to run out of power much, although with the proposed changes to the casting system it may be worth keeping any INT/WIS gear you acquire, such as those from the solo quest paths. If your soloing a lot I'd also recommend getting the imbued robe with the healing proc, especially with the groups of down arrow lizardmen because you'll find that as they hit you often fora little damage the heal proc's pretty regularly - its saved my life many times. I also rate the healing/regen potions, alchemists often sell these on the broker for a couple of gold, they take up an activate slot but again they can be a life saver.</P> <P>One other thing occurs to me which i'm suprised by how many warlocks I meet don't bother with, is make use of your temporary buffs on yourself when soloing or on the tank when group. Boon of the Shadowed may not look too exciting but it costs you nothing to cast and you may find the power regen proc lets you squeeze off that last vital nuke.</P> <P>On your other question, no DoTs, debuffs & buffs don't stack with other warlocks, which probably makes them the worst class to group with in some ways. Ideally you'd want a group of all different classes so all your buff's & spells are complementary, but then a group of 6 warlocks would have a pretty impressive DPS <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P> </P> <P>Sensine</P> <P>Level 44 Warlock</P> <P>Innothule  </P></DIV>

[Tanatus]

<P>Visit De'Morte Chamber ... its good exp and fast </P> <P>Lol my fried linked packs of mobs is your bread and bitter at ANY lvls. Pick pack with 2-3 mob linked together 1 arrow down even w/o Bony Grasp they are easy... On a pull you can root one with Paralizing Fear, Stun second with Aura of Darkness, Root third with Frozen Manacle... Return with second (that was stunned with Aura) kill it with BBS+Nox Bolt, Reroot one that was with para fear with same type of root, back to third one with Manacle.....</P>

[MilkToa]

<DIV>If you don't have the Bloodlines spell Ice Flame be sure to get a copy, it has a very short casting range and rather long recast time but does nice damage. For soloing you can try the northern coast of EL; there are lots of solo mobs there that should provide reasonable XP (both on shore and in the water).</DIV>

[Korpo]

<DIV>I'm 39 now, ever so close to 40, so here's my take on how I got through 35-40.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Better places to solo: Feerrott is great if you're trying to get the robe, but as soon as those lizards on the beach in Lavastorm turn orange, they're great exp and even better cash. Their meat sells for 25s or so, and they drop chests with trash worth 3.5g in them. You can make 20g/hr easy. You'll have to have Lavastorm access though, but I was a 50 alch long before I could even hit anything in TS, so I access quests aren't my thing.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Duoing: I duo with a conjuror buddy of mine. He sends the pet in on a ^^ mob, I stack dots and debuffs on the mob until it's about half dead or so, while he keeps the pet alive and stacks a few dots. When the mob is half dead, I throw Aura of Darkness and nuke the mob dead, hopefully faster than 9 seconds <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Stacking: No, it sucks.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Adept3s to get: I have Nil Distortion, Noxious Bolt, Curse of Emptiness, Ice Flame, Dark Distortion, Steal Breath, Aura of Darkness,  and Nul Absolution. I don't regret any of them. If you don't have enough cash to get all of those, I put them in the order I would get them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Equipment: Doesn't make a lick of difference to a caster. Your spells are your weapons and your roots and stuns are your armor. Always upgrade those first, and your gear second. When buying gear though, get as much int as you can in preparation for the upcoming changes, and as much power as you can so you can drop nukes. Those new pieces of gear that have +disruption are the best thing since sliced bread, I have a few of them and now I can hit reds pretty reliably. What do you have that gives +5? Get the level 40 food/drink, since the level 50 stuff won't give you any benefit over the 40 in terms of regen rate. I always eat sweets, like cashew fudge or chocolate covered apples, as they give a bigger power pool, but I may have to change to +int food when the changes go in. It depends on how the damage scales and if they put a 200 int soft cap on the damage bonus or something (I have 215 now).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Tips: Soloing those groups of three lizardmen or huuptics is a cakewalk. Get just barely within root range of the closest one, and make sure they're kind of laid out in a line pointing away from you, if you know what I mean. Start rooting the closest with Paralyzing Fear, and immediately switch to the next closest and queue up Frozen Manacles. Switch to the third one, which should be pretty close by now, and hit him with Flashfreeze and then Aura of Darkness. Nuke that one to death, then hit the one that you PFd with PF again, and the one with FM with FM again. Nuke the FM one to death. Now root the PF one with FM and nuke that one to death. You can do this with the groups of four as well, but it's tricky because you'll end up with one on you no matter what. You can throw Ice Flame at him and back up and nuke, but you're still fighting two at once.</DIV>

[RandomPlay]

<P>Thanks for the tips all.  </P> <P>Hadn't heard of upgrading Curse of Emptiness before, so that's one I'll start saving for. Just hit 36 and already have an Adept 1 of ND waiting for 37, with almost enough gold for an opal for it soon after.</P> <P>Still no robe of invoker, but I have started trying the PF/FM/stun combos and can now <EM>usually</EM> do the groups of 2-3 lizards in feer.  Groups of 4+ I still avoid.</P> <P>As to what I have that is +5 Disruption, it was actually two items.  One was a necklace I got around 31 that added +2 Disruption, which I just replaced with Necklace of Flowing Orbs (+11 int, and more power, health, and resists than the other) now that I can wear it at 36 - the disruption necklace was blue and had few other bonuses beyond the Disruption and +5 int.  The other +3 Disruption comes from an offhand totem (shield slot) item...forget the precise name, but haven't seen any on broker since....has +4 int, +3 Disruption, +2 (whatever that casting skill is that is used to master our buffs...alti-something maybe?).  Still orange to me and I found it for 59s on the broker.  Sweet deal.</P> <DIV>Thanks again,</DIV> <DIV>RandomPlayer</DIV><p>Message Edited by RandomPlayer on <span class=date_text>05-20-2005</span> <span class=time_text>09:54 AM</span>

[Tanatus]

<DIV>Wait till you hit lvl 40 ... the whole new world of soloing will opens to you ... but to make your teeths and claws sharp I suggest first start from something easy - Headhunters at IZ (not epic X2 group version but regular one). Once you master killing those you can say that you learn how to solo with warlock <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Korpo]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> RandomPlayer wrote:<BR> <P>Hadn't heard of upgrading Curse of Emptiness before, so that's one I'll start saving for.</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>Anything that debuffs the mob will increase how hard your nukes hit. An ad3 Nil Dist may show that it hits for 1100-1700, but it will usually be around 1300. If you debuff first, it'll be more like 1600. CoE will increase your damage from Nil Dist, BSS, Nox Bolt, everything, and is well worth the upgrade.</FONT></P> <P>Still no robe of invoker,</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>Not anything to really worry about. Grisly contract lets you regen a whole lot of power, and you can get GEBs and a nightblood ring fairly easily. If you get the drop, grats, if not, I wouldn't kill yourself over it.</FONT></P> <P>but I have started trying the PF/FM/stun combos and can now <EM>usually</EM> do the groups of 2-3 lizards in feer.  Groups of 4+ I still avoid.</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>:smileyhappy:</FONT></P> <P>As to what I have that is +5 Disruption, it was actually two items.  One was a necklace I got around 31 that added +2 Disruption, which I just replaced with Necklace of Flowing Orbs (+11 int, and more power, health, and resists than the other) now that I can wear it at 36 - the disruption necklace was blue and had few other bonuses beyond the Disruption and +5 int.  The other +3 Disruption comes from an offhand totem (shield slot) item...forget the precise name, but haven't seen any on broker since....has +4 int, +3 Disruption, +2 (whatever that casting skill is that is used to master our buffs...alti-something maybe?).  Still orange to me and I found it for 59s on the broker.  Sweet deal.</P> <P><FONT color=#ff0000>Ah, I think the totem thing is Burnbreath's Eye maybe. I saw one of those, not bad, but I already had some symbol of something that added +2 disruption and more int and some power, didn't really see it as an upgrade. I also have a Kris of the Neonate (dagger) that gives +1 disruption, and I've been looking at a pair of the sleeves that give +2 I think, but those are -3 subjugation, which means more root/stun resists, not worth it IMHO. I thought you were saying you had two items that were +5 disruption :smileysurprised:.</FONT></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>

[doktoren]

<DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>"You can get GEB and Nightblood ring fairly easy"  .. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>nightblood ring is off a level 40^^^ epic x3 mob</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>GEB requires killing, among other things, a level 50^^^</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>not exactly fairly easy to get if you ask me.. shrug.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>The lizards in Feerrott are absolutely awesome xp in the late 30s. You oneshot the first with nil distortion and just take out the others one by one.. while they waste time dotting you for 14 damage and hitting you for 20</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>Luniz</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>50 Warlock</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>Oggok</FONT></DIV>

[Orki who Pos]

<DIV><FONT color=#ffcc00>>When duoing, what do you find to be the best partner class?</FONT> So far I lean towards the summoner/conjurer/necromancer types, let their pet tank and we both nuke from a distance.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I allways duo with a warden (templars are atleast as good, and even mystics are likely to work since wards stops some interrupts),</DIV> <DIV>On the pull, cast a quick group cure or two to lock some aggro on the healer, they can tank the non ^^ heroics quite well. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>-Then just nuke till it drops. When a mob jumps you, you can also stun to prevent interrupts-</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For duoing the ^^'s and group x2's in feerott you probably need bony grasp at 40. (i did)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>>Priests seem unlikely, except perhaps templars who could be meat shield and healer at once.</DIV> <DIV>It's ALOT better than you think.</DIV>