When would you use these spells?

[Sira]

<DIV>I just reached level 25 and have found that there are many spells I don't use. I'm not sure if the spells are nearly useless or if I just don't understand their proper use. Please enlighten me.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Examples:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>When are any of these five spells better than direct damage (or running for your life)?</DIV> <DIV>1. Arcane Bindings</DIV> <DIV>2. Petrify</DIV> <DIV>3. Immobilize</DIV> <DIV>4. Clinging Darkness</DIV> <DIV>5. Fear</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What exactly is the advantage of these spells?</DIV> <DIV>1. Bind Sight</DIV> <DIV>2. Grisly Mark</DIV> <DIV>3. Splinter of Essence</DIV> <DIV>4. Essence Shift</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are these useful? How and when?</DIV> <DIV>1. Dispel Magic</DIV> <DIV>2. Cure Arcane</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've read posts on some of these spells, but none of them seem worth interrupting damage-dealing in combat for. Thanks for any help, particularly strategy tips.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Xalmat]

<DIV>1. Arcane Bindings</DIV>Crowd control. Use it to split two mobs so you can take on one at a time.<DIV>2. Petrify</DIV>Use it to decrease damage against your pet, and also to help your pet regain aggro whenever you inadvertently pull aggro off of it (saves your butt too).<DIV>3. Immobilize</DIV>See Arcane Bindings<DIV>4. Clinging Darkness</DIV>I can't think of a single practical use other than splitting mobs up somehow.<DIV>5. Fear</DIV>Crowd control, but somewhat less reliable than root.<DIV>1. Bind Sight</DIV>Beats me<DIV>2. Grisly Mark</DIV>Bebuffs mob WIS and STA, meaning you have less HPs to go through, <I>and</I> your spells get resisted less/do more damage.<DIV>3. Splinter of Essence</DIV>Mana regen.<DIV>4. Essence Shift</DIV>Mana regen.<DIV>1. Dispel Magic</DIV>I've yet to find a use for it.<DIV>2. Cure Arcane</DIV>I don't find much use for it, but if you get hit by a heavy DoT from a mage class mob, this spell will cure it. It's saved me before, but not often.

[Sira]

Thanks! Those remarks make a lot of sense. I'm curious what others think.

[Magu]

<span><blockquote><hr>Xalmat wrote:<div>2. Grisly Mark</div>Bebuffs mob WIS and STA, meaning you have less HPs to go through, <i>and</i> your spells get resisted less/do more damage.<hr></blockquote><span>You only have less HP to go through if you pull with it, as it reduces max HP, not current HP <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> And wisdom has no effect on spell resists, they removed that check a while ago, when LU13 was in beta <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><blockquote><hr>Xalmat wrote:<div>1. Dispel Magic</div>I've yet to find a use for it.<hr></blockquote></span>Can dispel reactive heals and regens on mobs or players... makes for very surprising duels at times <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Stun, Dispel, dead healer <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span><div></div>

[Uanelven]

Not sure why they felt the need to put bind sight in our book.   That was an old EQ1 Wizard spell.  Although (IIRC)  we had a pet only version.   Still pretty pointless though unless I'm missing something in this game. Fear is really useful in combination with your current root (Acane Bindings etc) spell.  Taking on multiples or getting adds and you will be using both of these regularly. Petrify was always my favourite spell.  Not sure if it is now (i imagine not) but it was 1 second caster and an absolute lifesaver.   A stun is as good as a heal for your pet too remember. You won't use splinter of essence a huge amount but in later levels and in groups,  you will likely get asked for hearts (higher level versions of this line) so be sure to upgrade and know where it is.   They are very useful for classes that suffer with power regen issues. <div></div>

[Uanelven]

<div></div><div></div><span><blockquote><hr><span><span> And wisdom has no effect on spell resists, they removed that check a while ago, when LU13 was in beta <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><blockquote><hr></blockquote></span></span></blockquote>Pretty sure what they removed was the the check of  Int vs Wis when calculating resists.   Wis is still involved in resists. </span><div></div><p><span class="time_text"> </span></p><p>Message Edited by Uanelven on <span class=date_text>01-03-2006</span> <span class=time_text>03:21 AM</span>

[Magu]

Not with mobs, I believe. They have no resists at all. All NPCs have zero mitigation against anything. Since wisdom merely adds a bonus normally, reducing a non-existent bonus wouldn't change a thing. <div></div>

[Yirabeth]

<span><blockquote><hr>Magus` wrote:<span><blockquote><hr>Xalmat wrote:<div>2. Grisly Mark</div>Bebuffs mob WIS and STA, meaning you have less HPs to go through, <i>and</i> your spells get resisted less/do more damage.<hr></blockquote><span>You only have less HP to go through if you pull with it, as it reduces max HP, not current HP <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> And wisdom has no effect on spell resists, they removed that check a while ago, when LU13 was in beta <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><blockquote> </blockquote></span></span><div></div><hr></blockquote>I *think* (could be wrong done that before...lol) that although it reduces max HP, they're left with the same percentage of health left therefore reducing overall HP during fight as well. Maybe *g* In any case it gives YOU that Sta/Wis therefore upping your hp to heal the pet (can do harder mobs?) and upping your resists --- nicer if it helped the pet but still nice <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> At the end  you get a nifty essence that you can destroy by the stackful and confuse your fellow players with when they get them instead *g* (can't use em til somewhere in the 40's I believe) I look at it as kind of a short term buff that relies on a mob to provide, kinda like our healing <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> ~Yira</span><div></div>

[Xalmat]

<blockquote><hr>Yirabeth wrote:<span>I *think* (could be wrong done that before...lol) that although it reduces max HP, they're left with the same percentage of health left therefore reducing overall HP during fight as well. Maybe *g*</blockquote>Nope, incorrect! Tested it several times myself, and I've seen a mob mysteriously go from 98% to 100% health when I cast Grisly Mark. Though it may seem like its getting healed, its actualy having its maximum HP reduced to less than what it was before <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />While mobs no longer mitigate, they still have a resist value, and once you drive this resist value below zero, you get bonus damage. You can test this concept with Chaos hex dolls and/or your pet debuff procs. Once a mob's mitigation value goes below zero, your spells will do slightly increased damage than listed. And as far as I know, WIS determines part of a mob's innate resist value in the same way that a player's WIS value determines his resist bonus.

[Yirabeth]

Well hmm yep that's what I want to happen...pull with hp reducer so the mob comes for me and beats me to a pulp before the pet can pull it off me..../rolls eyes *g* Probably won't start using this for pull..unless I pull with snare, follow up with this, then stun as he reaches camp...that's kind of an iffy proposition I think <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Maybe be okay on a single mob but not a multi mob encounter...time to play with it a bit <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> ~Yira <div></div>

[sirmamabe]

Bind sight is an almost useless spell.  But it is great to cast when your sharing invis with group members to help guide them to quest updates or around a zone.  I would rather have the pet speak spell in my book though. Isee <div></div>

[Yirabeth]

Thanks for the hint on what to use bind sight for, was directing a friend to a quest update while keeping her invised last night. She was good at following directions though..*g* Pet speak spell roxxored...great spell <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  Would be a nice fluff spell for us too I'd think...Daisy I'm sure would LOVE to tell people just what she's thinking sometimes *g* ~Yira <div></div>

[Arrowheart]

<DIV>Xalmat covered it pretty well so I won't comment about the others, just to expand a little on how I use the following myself:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Petrify (or other stuns in the same line) as mentioned is great for stunning a mob to reduce damage in general or give your pet time to regain aggro. I find it very handy when the heal timer is recycling to reduce/delay damage to pet till I can get next heal off.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In conjuction with using our stun for healing I find using our root (immobilize and others in same line) and pet backoff command useful for healing up your pet and sending it back in when its health is back under control. If its a caster mob our stun line can be used to minimize casting while you are doing this or make sure you move out of casting range if there is enough room to do so.</DIV><p>Message Edited by Arrowheart on <span class=date_text>01-03-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:17 PM</span>

[Merciful_Shadow]

<div></div><div></div><div></div> 1. Arcane Bindings    <font color="#ffff00"> Root = ghetto crowd control, use it... love it. </font> 2. Petrify     <font color="#ffff00">IMHO... If you are not using this spell line every fight when soloing, then you are not utilizing your pet to his fullest potential.     It decreases the damage he will take and increases the damage he deals out. </font> 3. Immobilize     <font color="#ffff00">Another Root = Another ghetto crowd control. </font><font color="#ffff00">Later upgrades to this line will add a fear effect when the root breaks</font> 4. Clinging Darkness     <font color="#ffff00">I prefer to use the darkness line of spells to pull. It's much better than using a nuke/DoT to pull (which can make it harder for your pet to attain and hold agro) or using your pet to pull because the pet can stun (which can mess up your timing) or your pet can use a blue AE that will agro additional mobs. The Darkness line is perfect for pulling, low damage = low agro and gives you a few extra seconds to cast a debuff or stun and give your pet a happy.</font> 5. Fear     <font color="#ffff00">More crowd control, use it when your root line is not ready</font>  1. Bind Sight    <font color="#ffff00"> Extends your LOS (Line of Sight) and look around corners without agro</font> 2. Grisly Mark     <font color="#ffff00">WIS/STA Debuff (Lowers mob's health pool and resistance to your spells) use in conjunction with Drawing of Souls (when you get it)</font> 3. Splinter of Essence     <font color="#ffff00">Mini-Manastone (This line becomes usless to you once you get Lich, but it's still very useful to hand these out to healers)</font> 4. Essence Shift     <font color="#ffff00">Exchange your pet's health for power</font>  1. Dispel Magic     <font color="#ffff00">Removes buffs from mobs (and other players in PvP)</font> 2. Cure Arcane    <font color="#ffff00"> Removes detrimental Arcane effects (Stifle, etc...)</font><div></div><p>Message Edited by Merciful_Shadow on <span class=date_text>01-03-2006</span> <span class=time_text>03:53 PM</span>

[Collab]

<DIV>The fear and snare spells are almost 100% worthless with the mobs having a limited aggro range before resetting.  They do not serve any useful purpose whatsoever.  If you need to use them for any reason, then you're doing something wrong.  Don't waste taskbar slots on them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Xalo</DIV> <DIV>60 Necromancer of Cerberus</DIV> <DIV>Neriak Server</DIV>

[Infecti]

<P>If you are not using fear and root/snare you are not doing your class right.</P> <P>countless times ive saved groups from adds with a fear/ root when its far enough away.  snare is for duoing heroic yellow named with my wizzy friend mostly, i have used it solo a few times before.</P> <P> </P> <P>Bind sight is for casting on a female group member before they hit the showers, it says it in the description i swear!</P> <P> </P>

[Aya]

<P>Actually Yira, the Grisly Mark line is great for pulling.  Pet pulls the mob off me as soon as I tell him to attack if I pull with Grisly Mark.  If I pull with darkness, I usually get hit once or twice (that was with the adherant, I haven't tried pulling with it since I got the thrall).  </P> <P>And fear/root is a great combo.  Adds happen... fear is a quick cast that sends it running slowly (seems to snare as well).  If you quickly follow with root, you have neutralized the threat for quite awhile.  Once root breaks, if you're not ready for it, its still feared (component of later necro roots) so you've got a chance to root again if you need to.  Plus, its not hard for the pet to pull aggro once root breaks.</P> <P>The only spells I don't have a use for are darkness and bind sight.  Althought I'll throw darkness in every once in awhile cause the visual effect is kinda cool.</P> <P>Daigan - 44 Necro - Permafrost</P>

[Psyrus2]

The darkness line is also great to proc lich at lvl 50 and above.  It's quick to cast, and I use it nearly every fight.  But im just a DPS wh*r#. <div></div>

[Sollum]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Merciful_Shadow wrote:<BR> <BR>2. Petrify<BR>    <FONT color=#ffff00>IMHO... If you are not using this spell line every fight when soloing, then you are not utilizing your pet to his fullest potential. <BR>    It decreases the damage he will take and increases the damage he deals out. </FONT><BR> <P>Message Edited by Merciful_Shadow on <SPAN class=date_text>01-03-2006</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>03:53 PM</SPAN><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>It's extremly rare for me to use this spell because - it takes 3 valuable seconds to cast which is too long for me imo, and it only lasts 2 seconds, so hardly seems worth the effort. My fights are cycling through the dots, nukes, HO's, life taps, etc in a rotoray pattern as they become available so there never is any time to fit Petrify in the cycle pattern. With all this being thrown at the mob, the DPS is reasonably fast enough to make the fight short lived to bother with Petrify. My pet can soon be healed after the fight if needs be, but he's pretty tough as I favour the fighter. (Im a 24 Necro btw).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If I'm missing something here then please correct me in the error of my ways.. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Tharangus]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Psyrus2 wrote:<BR>The darkness line is also great to proc lich at lvl 50 and above.  It's quick to cast, and I use it nearly every fight.  But im just a DPS wh*r#.<BR><BR><BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>It is amazing how some of the spells on my hotkey bar suddenly become more useful for this simple fact alone.  Sometimes I will spam my mark spell in a close fight to get an edge on dps.

[Jaso]

<span><blockquote><hr>Xalmat wrote:<div>1. Dispel Magic</div>I've yet to find a use for it.<hr></blockquote>Does dispel magic not dispel reactive heals off mobs? I tend to use it when they cast these or wards, and it seems to work, but I might just be imagining it.</span><div></div>

[Nefari]

<span><blockquote><span><blockquote><hr>Magus` wrote:Not with mobs, I believe. They have no resists at all. All NPCs have zero mitigation against anything. Since wisdom merely adds a bonus normally, reducing a non-existent bonus wouldn't change a thing. <div></div><hr></blockquote>I don't see how debuffing mobs would work then.  There's many cases where a debuff doesn't just increase dmg, but allows the spell to land.</span> <div></div>Look to mobs that are resistant to disease/poison, then look at how those spells land after a Brigand gets in the fight.  Mobs have mitigation/resists just like players from everything I have seen. I also use Grisly to pull quite often btw, seems make fights quicker and I don't get as many resists on mobs 4-6 levels above me. </blockquote></span><div></div>

[Gargamel]

Yep... I cast abysmal mark, and drawing of souls at the start of all my longer (^^^ heroic) mobs... cuts STR / STA / INT / WIS all by 50 (I'm lvl 5<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Ends up being a good bump, allows all members to do more dmg, against a weaker oppoent, who casts weaker spells and can resist less. Since it applies to all your allies, the effect is actually multiplied... I love the base stat reduction becuase it affects everything, not just a specific dmg type resist so ALL party members get a bump in effectiveness. <div></div>