Things I don't understand.

[Purcupile]

<div><p>I actually started this message while reading a discussion regarding Torpor, then decided to make it stand alone.  So if there are references in here that seem disjointed please refer to the thread regarding Torpor and MT.</p><p>There are things I don't understand.  Level 50 Mystic so I don't have Torpor yet...just reading ahead a little bit.</p><p>Riposte...don't know what that word means.</p><p>I don't have any alts, so the only experience I have is from the Mystic perspective.</p><p>What is auto-attack?</p><p>There are things that many of you mention seeing during a fight that I have never seen.  Example...Banditman mentioned a bow with a slow swing...where do you see that? </p><p>The only way I can tell that the MT isn't holding aggro is when a MOB leaves him and begins to attack me.  Should i be looking at something else?  If I try to read what is going on in the window it speeds by to fast to read.</p><p>It has appeared to me during groups...no experience with raids yet...that the Mystic is constantly involved in the fight in the sense that I am warding, and warding and healing and a debuff and more warding...I don't have time to be standing around like I observe other classes doing.  It has always appeared to me that the only other member of the group that is constantly involved is the MT.  The others classes are often messaging or waiting...for what i don't know, but their power bar is rarely going as low as mine.  This also applies to the MT whose power bar while not as low as mine is off on his way to another MOB and I'm starting a new fight at 25-30% power...with often disasterous effects.  The point of this is...am I casting too much?  Should I be more laid back? </p><p>Well that is probably enogh to get a discussion started.</p><p>Purcupile</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div>

[mystt]

<div></div><div></div><p>Purcupile,  I will explain a few things, they are a pretty good way to look at when you are playing your mystic.</p><p>"Riposte...don't know what that word means."  Riposte is an attack that is not intiated by the MT (or Main Tank).  So this means XYZ mob swings at you, the MT see the monster (aka Mob) swinging and does a move to block the attack and in one motion also attacks the mob.  I hope you understand.</p><p>"What is auto-attack?"  Auto-Attack is either pressing the "`" key on your keyboard and not using Combat Arts (fighter spells) or HO's (dial thingie you see when fighting).  Auto-Attack is just letting your character swing with no strategy or thinking behind it. </p><p>"Banditman mentioned a bow with a slow swing...where do you see that? "  Bandit is very knowledgable, he is referring to the time between each arrow shot.  The Delay of the Bow.</p><p>Ok on your chat windows.  TO cut down on spam, you need to separte your window with either TABS or separate them totally.  Turn off the "Others Hits" and stuff like that.  Things you need to see are:  There can be more, but off the top of my head these are important. Well "your damage" is not but I want to see what I am doing <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Your DamageThings Hitting youNarrativeChat - all chatSystem MessagesTradeskillsYour Spells</p><p>If you are always low on mana,  look a power regen,  what you are using to heal,  is the fighter in offensive mode, and a higher level monster,  these are all important, and something that you will learn more about at later levels.  Agro (aka Hate) is something that we were talking about in the other thread, however, all those comments while some may be good for single groups, the bulk are for raiding situations.</p><p>Read more of the threads, you will do well to listen to a lot of these Mystics,  we have all been where you are, dont want to ask a question becuase someone will "flame" you, or you think it is a "dumb" question.  Well, you may get some of that, but I am sure that most of the information you get is good and has a good basis behind it.</p><p>Hope, I helped you out some. </p><p>Message Edited by mystt on <span class="date_text">01-06-2006</span><span class="time_text">01:09 PM</span></p>

[Purcupile]

<div></div><p>Incredibly helpful...I spend so much time reading these forums and sometimes I'm just guessing at what someone meant in their post.</p><p>Thanks, maybe others who have things they don't understand will add to this thread.</p><p>Purcupile</p>

[mystt]

<div></div>Glad I can help.

[Banditman]

<div></div>As far as chat being hard to read, I've done the following:I have two windows, one in the lower left corner of my screen, stretching halfway across.  The other in the lower right, stretching halfway across.  The left window is my "default" chat location, and is set to Group chat.  The right window is set to /say chat.  Each window can hold about 7 or 8 lines of text.Each window has two tabs.Right window, Tab 1 (default viewable):  My damage and damage done to me.  Note, I have my misses turned off completely.Right window, Tab 2 (default hidden):  All other combat text.Left window, Tab 1 (default viewable):  Group chat, Guild chat, Raid chat, /say, /emoteLeft window, Tab 2 (default hidden):  All remaining text.  (system, narrarative, /shout, /auction, etc)Ok, now, power problems.First off, at L50, you've had the opportunity to choose a bunch of traits.  A couple of those traits are +5 to in combat power regen.  Those need to be taken.  No choice unfortunately.  There is a Veteran reward called a Reforming Stone that will allow you to re-choose all your traits and Master spells.  If you didn't choose these traits, use a Reforming Stone and choose them.Now, at L50, you're capable of completing the Golden Efreeti Boots quest.  With the right help, this can be done in about 5 hours, but more realistically it takes about a week playing a few hours a day.  GEB's provide another +5 to in combat power regen.  Charly Ashlash in Lavastorm starts this quest, and there is a very good walkthru on ogaming.You should also be using, minimum, Adept 1 level spells.  Better if your heals and Wards are Adept 3 or Master level.  The power cost for an Apprentice 1 spell is exactly the same as a Master 1 spell however the Master will be nearly double the heal.  Again, higher quality spells are more efficient.Further, what are you drinking?  Player crafted food is far, far superior to anything you can buy, or God forbid, summon.  More specifically, player crafted drinks.  T5 drink is running between 1 and 2 gold per hour of duration currently, and well worth it.  This speeds up (dramatically) your power recovery when combat ends.Look at your tank, inspect him.  What is his mitigation?  Avoidance?  If your tank has low mitigation (less than 50 percent against an even con opponent) he's making you work harder than you should.  Truly, at L50, you should have a tank over 60 percent mitigation unless you run across one of the few Brawlers who actually tank.Consider the tank versus the content.  Are the mobs Orange to the tank?  If so, he's gonna get rocked and you can expect to burn a lot of power.  The difference between a Yellow and Orange mob (from the tank's perspective) is huge.Finally, consider your own efficiency.  Are you using a 600 HP heal to repair 200 HP?  Stop that.  Tanks are supposed to be hurt.  When you cast a Heal in an Experience group, it should NEVER put your tank at 100% health.  NEVER!  If it does, you've over healed.  My personal comfort zone for a heal is 70 percent health, high yellow health.  Higher than that and I'm probably wasting power.<p>Message Edited by Banditman on <span class="date_text">01-06-2006</span><span class="time_text">05:31 PM</span></p>

[Baccalarium]

<div></div><div>Level 58 mystic in mostly treasured gear here.   No regen items other than a manastone and a bit of crafted drink.  I did select power regen as character traits every chance I got.    Anyway,  I'm usually not holding up the group for power on general XP,   now if the group is trying to work named mobs and epics  I may well be the first to run low on power.    </div><div> </div><div>General rule of thumb I've heard is that when things are running smoothly everyone in the group should loose about the same amount of power in the battle.   If I'm regularly running lower on power than the rest of the group then I figure I need to back off on something.   Often I'm trying to throw in a bunch of debufss that just aren't needed, or maybe tossing in dots where there's plenty of DPS in the group.   Other cases I've started chaining wards and if I let up on them I find the tank can actually get hit several times without much danger.   In fast XP I drop single target wards on the MT pre pull,   Scream of the Ancients group debuff to improve some of the other casters abilities and cut hp of the off mobs,   If the ward expires on its own wait till the tank gets hit  to the yellow or so, and recast.   Most XP groups this is all I really need to do.   If I cast dots or melee some it doens't really matter if there's real DPS in the group, as long as I keep an eye out to protect group from random or lost agro.</div><div> </div><div>In battles where the tank isn't taking a lot of damage if you don't let the single target ward expire and dump its heal on the tank you are looseing a lot of efficiency.     Admittadly its fun to make the tank think he's never getting hit,  but if you have to slow the group as a whole down because of the power cost,  its not really worth it.</div><div> </div><div>P.S.  if anyone other than the main tank in  the group takes non-lethal damage,   don't heal em.   Drop the badger and let them know its their job to get near the badger if they want the heals.    This leaves your important spells available to cover the MT or the unexpected.  (of course this is situational,  but often an efficient way to handle a bit of splash damage or momentary loss of agro control.)</div><div> </div><div>But looks like I need to talk some folks into running around lavastorm.   Perhaps even before I worry so much about the amulet sword of Ro.    Thanks for the info.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

[Purcupile]

<div></div><div>Wow!  I have learned more in the several responses to my question than I have in the last 2 months of just muddling through things.  Some of these ideas I knew, but didn't know why it was so.  I can only think that these answers have been equally helpful to others who are trying to learn as much as they can as they have been to me.  Thanks again.</div><div> </div><div>Oh, yeah I do have a question...addressed to Banditman's reply.  You say player crafted food and drink.  I have been buying my food and drink from the broker...is that what you are referring to?  And it seems to me, that as a healer it doesn't make a lot of cents, hehe... to buy food, since it is my understanding that it regenerates my health which I can do myself...now I do carry some T6 food with me for instances when we are going from one MOB after another with little rest in between, thus keeping my power reserved for spells.  Is there another advantage to the food?</div><div> </div><div>One other thing I do...when in a group I do not use melee or any fighting spells, as I reserve my power for what I am supposed to be doing, and as long as melee is activated I will not regenerate power nearly as rapidly as when it is off.  Is this strategy sane?</div><div> </div><div>Purcupile</div><p>Message Edited by Purcupile on <span class="date_text">01-07-2006</span><span class="time_text">07:20 AM</span></p>

[Baccalarium]

<div></div><p>Food helps in as much as if you end a fight with both power and health regenrating you get effectively much more regen as if you converted a bunch of power into health so that it was full,  and then waited for the power to regen.   That said I carry food, but often don't eat it as my health isn't getting hit by anything other than my manastone most the time,  and small hits are getting healed by the occasional drop of the badger.</p><p>In combat regen (as opposed to out of combat regen) takes over soon as you do anything.   Avoiding melee doesn't help you.  Soon as you cast a heal or ward or debuff you'll still be "in combat"  and the higher out  of combat regen rates will end.  </p><p> </p><p> </p>

[Purcupile]

<div></div><p>Thanks Bacc   Speaking of Manastone I just completed that quest last night.  I realize that I completed it later than many, but I completed it solo as much of what I have done, but I have read and heard about Manastone for so long that I was surprised at waht appeared to me to be...not that significant amount of power regeneration.  Is there ways to increase that or is that all we get period?</p><p> </p><p>Purcupile</p>

[bouhh]

<div></div><p>it is significant over the course of a long fight. cast it at the beginning and each time it is available to you. there is also</p><p>a 'manastone 2.0'. the vessel of fyr'un, which gives 411 power, but as the recast is a half an hour, it is utterly useless</p><p>except for emergencies. hope this helps.</p><p><img alt="Your Signature" src="http://www.eqsig.com/sig/2560.png"></p>

[Finora]

<div></div><div></div><div>Just to add a note about the food, the player made food does have stat increases on it. Much of it pretty useless to a mystic, but I personally have used the +power, +wisdom, and + agility foods at various times of playing (depending what kind of group I was in or if I was soloing). While the increases might seem small, everylittle bit can help. And really, who can pass up another 11 wisdom just for eating a candied nut?</div><div> </div><div>(of course I am also a 60 provisioner so can make my own foods, and one might say I am biased a bit.)</div><p>Message Edited by Calendri on <span class="date_text">01-07-2006</span><span class="time_text">06:56 PM</span></p>

[Purcupile]

<div></div><p>I think you're biased...a bit.  Thanks I did know that...well, I had to know something to get this far.  I had pretty much ignored the food recently as I indicated above, but that gives me another reason to readdress the food issue.  I am I correct that drinks don't have the added attributes like food does.</p><p>I am sure most of you are thinking..."how did that idiot ever get to level 50?"  Well the best answer to that is I read these forums all the time and have learned so much from most people who, like you who take the time to share your knowledge and experience.</p><p>By the way, what a huge difference in having both spell windows open.  I didn't lose power once yesterday as I was able to use my wards much more efficiently.  Thanks for that too.</p><p>Purcupile</p>

[Cyanrav]

<div></div><p>No such thing as a stupid question Purcupile, but Lady knows, there is such thing as a stupid answer :0) Good luck, and knock em dead :0)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Cyan</p>

[Banditman]

I typically use food which gives me + to maximum power.  I think there is something in T6 which gives +179 to max power.

[Eepop]

<span><blockquote><hr>mystt wrote:<div></div><div></div><p>"Riposte...don't know what that word means."  Riposte is an attack that is not intiated by the MT (or Main Tank).  So this means XYZ mob swings at you, the MT see the monster (aka Mob) swinging and does a move to block the attack and in one motion also attacks the mob.  I hope you understand.</p><hr></blockquote>While this explains Riposte it doesnt exactly explain how it figures into how slowing your tank with Torpor can be a good idea.The answer is that monsters also get Riposte, raid mobs particularly like to Riposte alot.  Every time someone tries to hit that mob, a roll is made to see if it is riposted. That riposte can be alot of damage when it comes from a raid mob.  So slowing the tank can actually lower the amount of damage he is taking, by reducing the amount of swings he is taking (and thus how many can be riposted).  It also lowers how much damage he does, but in a raid, the tanks DPS is going to be a tiny fraction of the raid's total DPS.</span><div></div>

[Banditman]

The reason here is that raid mobs are typically orange.  Orange mobs are much more resistant to everything, including melee damage, which means ripostes."Back in the old days" a riposte from a mob came back UNMITIGATED.  In raids, an unmitigated hit was nearly always fatal, creating certain situations where the MT didn't autoattack at all.

[Purcupile]

<div>Yesterday I was using one of my new spells Chimerik and I noticed that each time I cast it, as soon as I completed my cast there was a small but noticeable spike in the health of the mob I was casting on, then it quickly backed off to where it was before the spike.  The MOB was getting hit pretty hard and often so I couldn't tell if the spike would have been maintained and it was being brought back down quickly by all the hits it was receiving.  Then I watched as I cast other debuffs like Howl of the Ancient (I think)...same thing occurred.  I guess I could cast this on a MOB I am soloing and not follow up with any melee or spells and see what happens.  I will do that tonight, but wondered if you know that this is normal or not.</div><div> </div><div>Purcupile</div><div> </div>

[Purcupile]

<div></div><p>Another thing I don't understand.</p><p>In reference to food and drink.  I see comments like store bought food and people made food.  I buy most all of mine from the broker...is that considered "store-bought"  or "people-made"?  And if store-bought is not from a broker, then where is it bought?</p><p> </p><p>Purcupile</p>

[Dragonreal]

<div></div><div></div><p>broker is crafter made, other merchants (barring the fence) would be store-bought</p><p>and for your chimerik question.. I'm guessing that's a stamina debuff and the hp spike you see happens because you reduce the mob's max hp amount to equal to or less than the amount of damage that's been dealt to the mob so far</p><p>If I'm wrong about chimerik being a sta debuff disregard that portion of my post heh =)</p><p>Message Edited by Dragonrealms on <span class="date_text">01-09-2006</span><span class="time_text">06:10 PM</span></p>

[Baccalarium]

<div>Yes stamina debuffs are confusing,    they reduce the mobs max hit points.</div><div> </div><div>For silly example a mob that has 100 hp,   your puller does 19 damage to it then you cast a sta debuff that drops hits hp by 10%, </div><div> </div><div>On pull, the mob had 81 of 100 hit points or  85% so the mobs health bar looked 85% green.</div><div>After your debuff the mob has  81 of 90 hit points or 90% so the mob's health bar jumps up to 90%. </div><div> </div><div>The stamina debuff in this case didn't hurt you,  the mob still only has 81 hit points,  but just confuses you because the health bar went form 85% to 90%.</div><div> </div><div>If instead you had pulled with the stamina debuff and then someone hit for 19 damage,</div><div> </div><div>On pull the mob would have had 90 of 90hp  and would have appeared to have 100% health.</div><div>The hit would have taken the mob to 71 hp of 90 hp and then would have appared to have 79% health.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

[Karlen]

<font color="#ffff00">>>>If instead you had pulled with the stamina debuff and then someone hit for 19 damage,<<<<font color="#ffffff">How much aggro does a stam debuff create?  Is it practical to have the mystic do the pulling in a group? Group ward, stam debuff, stam debuff, single ward on tank -- would this be a good way to start a fight?  I spend most of my time soloing and always start off with two stam debuffs.</font></font><div></div>

[Eepop]

disclaimer: your milage may vary...My tank is a berserker and is generally pretty crazy about aggro generation.  As such he pulls with taunts and such, and generally stuff that isnt doing crazy up front damage.  I have got it down to time it to have Ancients land just before the encounter reaches us.  If we are trying to kill fast, I start dropping chimerik on off targets (the main target is already taking alot of heat from everyone else, so it wouldnt help much on that one).<div></div>

[Banditman]

With a tank you trust, it is entirely possible for a Mystic to be a puller.  I'd suggest the AE "of the Ancients" line instead, with the tank grabbing aggro using an AE taunt as the mobs come in range.  Even against a single target mob, the debuff to resistance is more valuable than a debuff to STR.Further debuffing is rather futile, since the entire encounter will be dead in about 15 seconds.Against a group of mobs I find it best to simply follow up on an off target with your AE DD once the tank grabs aggro.Against a single mob nuke, disease dot, nuke is about all you'll have time for.Obviously, this advice holds only for Heroic encounters.  Raids are completely and totally different.<div></div>