High Elf Wiz - Did I make a mistake

[Biaxil]

<p>I just started playing EQ2 a week ago and I created a High Elf Wizard.  I played EQ 1 from 2000-2002 and I recall High Elves having high intel.  I just realized though, that not only do Erudites and Dark Elves (Dark Elves should have the same intel as High Elves tome cuz they used to be the same thing), Ratongas are even 3 starting points higher than High Elves as well.  I find this a slap to High Elves.  With them being the rulers of wisdom, its like they are doomed to being the top "Nurses" of Norrath.   </p><p>     Is there an actual benefit to being a High Elf Mage class, does Wisdom help out Wizzies in any way at all.  This is especially important to me, being that I call Nagafen home and am finding darkies running in packs, hitting me up while I'm soloing in Anton. I like being an elf, but not so much so to the point that I with even skills to other races, I will not be as powerful of a Wiz as the other INT races.  I just hate Rerolling out of stubborness but I will if i have to.</p>

[Dextera]

Race matters zero to none at 70.

[Biaxil]

Dextera, whys that.  At an extreme are you saying that a lev 70 gnomish warrior could match that of an Oger Warrior?

[Kaycerzan]

He's saying that by 70 if you're looking for gear with your primary stat, a difference of 10 or even 20 in base racial stats isn't going to make a difference. Given the exact same gear yeah, they'll still be 20 ahead. But against 600 stat, or mitigation %, or whatever, the difference will be negligible. The only considerations to race really, are 1) who's bottom you want to stare at all day, and 2) heritage / racial skills gained later on.

[iceriven2]

<cite>biaxil wrote:</cite><blockquote>Dextera, whys that.  At an extreme are you saying that a lev 70 gnomish warrior could match that of an Oger Warrior?</blockquote>Exactly The racial stats mean nothing in the mid to later game.  Only time having 3 more int is useful is the 1-10 game.  I play a wood elf Wizard.  I can do the same damage if not more then most Wizards in my guild, who are high elves, dark elves and erudites.  Basically they designed the game so race doesn't matter in the class you play.  A troll Wizard can do just as good as an erudite, A Ogre Templer can be just as good as a high Elf one.   So the only mistake u could have made is choosing a race you don't really want.

[Biaxil]

Thanks, I understand what you are saying.  You are saying that at the highend, percentage wise it makes very little difference.  I just want every edge in combat, but I also like my High Elf enough so I guess I will stay with it.

[Aurorelle]

<p>My level 60 High Elf wizard has int in excess of 500, so 3 points here or there is irrelevant. </p><p>Bear in mind also that stats are soft capped, so since you can reach the int soft cap, having yet more int is not that useful.</p><p>More to the point, she looks a lot better than a ratonga, so screw the 3 int <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>If I could choose a race again, I would likely pick Fae or Arasai though, simply because glide is sooo addictive.</p><p>Otherwise, I dont think race matters at all.</p>

[slippery]

Erudites and a few other races do have a slight advantage in max power by having a racial trait that increases max power by a couple percent though.

[Pyreflame]

As others have said, the technical difference is negligible at the higher levels, so just play what you feel like playing. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I have no issues cranking out the dps, and my choice should be obvious. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Enob]

The answer is yes, you made a mistake but not for those reasons.  As many have said the differences in racials and stats are fairly minimal with truly one exception.  Glide.  Many players think that the passive slowfall that the fairy races get is it.  Many players that play fairies don't even get glide as their first racial because they just don't understand its utility and application.  If you have never played as a Fae or Arasai then you honestly do not know what you are missing.  It is quite literally a game changing experience.  Locked door? Jump right over it.  River in your way? No problem.  Need to get to that castle wall? Hah!  Kingdom of Sky?  Jump island to island with ease.  The WORLD is your playground.  Body pull that named from the top of the tower without clearing the bottom, sail down that mountain to save minutes off your travel time, jump off any griffon/carpet and gently float to your destination instead of crashing like a rock.  Many people erroneously think it can only help as a slow fall or to go down ledges quickly.  In reality it helps you scale many many walls, statues, and towers that non-fairies can not even travel to.  It opens your game up immensely and puts you in much more control of your environment. On top of that they have +5% run speed that stacks with everything and other racials that can cater to a wizard like int.  Honestly, sincerely, do yourself a favor and reroll something with wings.  Many players (males especially) have an issue with playing a fairy and they are severely cheapening their gameplay experience because of it.

[Enob]

Just reread your post where you said you play on a PvP server.  GO REROLL FAE OR ARASAI NOW.  Sorry for caps but do it and don't look back, it's imperative.  I said in my last post how game changing being a fairy can be on a PvE server.  As a fairy you can just feel those kill farmers grinding their teeth as they cannot follow you.  Just left in the dust.  It will save you from being griefed time and time again.  And the true money is when someone does try and follow you.  If you've never felt the satisfaction of soloing on a pvp server and watching someone chase you off a ledge only to faceplant on the bottom and lie there as you defile their cold, rotting corpse then you really are missing out.  It not only will save your life defensively countless times but is also an amazing offensive tool when used correctly.  When I played on a pvp server I rolled with a group of 4 Fae.  Find a nice lofty place in view of well traveled areas and set up shop.  EVERYONE on a pvp server is alert and paying attention to their surroundings but an aerial bombardment they will NEVER see coming.  EVER.  People aren't used to being surprised on PvP servers and this kind of attack just wreaks carnage on the opposing team.  Whole groups are slaughtered faster than they can scatter like cockroaches. So I say again, GO REROLL FAE OR ARASAI, dang.

[Supernova17]

<cite>slippery wrote:</cite><blockquote>Erudites and a few other races do have a slight advantage in max power by having a racial trait that increases max power by a couple percent though. </blockquote> Elves get the +3% max power traits too, at least Wood Elf's do, would assume it would be the same for High Elf. But anyway, I play a Wood Elf Conjuror, no regrets. I hate playing races that are too tall, too short, animal or ugly. I've always been an Elf, and missing a few extra INT points means nothing to me these days. To put it into perspective at 70 with 600 INT, an extra 5 INT wouldn't change the damage on your spells, or if it did it would be by one point of damage. Play a race you like, not just a stereotype "this race is the best for this class". Fae Wing Cloaks FTW, don't even need to be a lame Fae/Arsai to glide =P

[Enob]

Actually that is a very common misconception.  Fae Wing Cloak and the Gnomish Parachute Pack are NOT GLIDE.  Fae/Arasai have the passive ability to fall slowly and it is not a racial tradition.  Glide is one the Fae/Arasai Racial Traditions and it allows you to jump straight out for a distance and then begin your slow descent.  Think of the jump Princess Peach had in Super Mario Brothers 2 for the NES.  That is EXACTLY what Glide is.  Again, Fae Wing Cloak and Gnomish Parachute Pack DO NOT HAVE GLIDE.   These cloaks will not allow you to jump rivers, jump locked gates, or even jump anything at all.  They cannot be used to ascend walls and structures unless you are already at a place higher than them to fall down onto.  These will only let you descend.  On top of that you must sacrifice a valuable slot of gear to use them.  And you have the problem of accessibility.  The Fae Wing Cloak is only available in The Emerald Halls, a level 70 raid zone that the vast majority of pickup raids will not attempt.  And this guy's on a PvP server, how many raiding guilds are clearing EH on those servers with the population and class restrictions.  I know the guilds are there and clearing it sure but not nearly in the numbers that you'll see on the PvE servers.  Not to mention the weeks to months of /played time that it would take a new player (particularly with the slow leveling of a PvP server) to achieve this cloak.  This leaves the Gnomish Parachute Pack which is made with tinkering, requires level 26 to equip, only lasts 30 seconds (many shortcuts take longer than 30 seconds to fall), and is consumable with only 5 charges per Pack.  Combine this with the PvP server crafter shortage where you will get charged an arm and a leg for copies of this cloak and it seems like a very impractical idea. Either way these cloaks are NOT GLIDE.  They will allow you to take a few shortcuts but those shortcuts are just the tip of the iceberg, a small taste of what lies in store for the real Fae and Arasai.  The vast majority of these types of shortcuts cannot be made by any other race under any circumstance.  Period.

[Dextera]

<p>Holy hell. If you choose your race on the mere attribute of Glide, you have something extroadinarily wrong with you. Race is nothing but aesthetics during the endgame. At most you'll be missing out on the +3% power of a racial trait. Anything you're missing out on is neglible. Choose which race you like best, it will NOT matter in the end.</p><p>With that being said, he does play on a PvP server, so Glide has it's uses there. Imo, if you want to experience a fulfilling EQ2, I recommend rolling on a PvE server. Unfortunately that's a different issue entirely.</p>

[knightofround]

Sorry, but I'd have to agree with this guy. If you (statistically speaking) want to max out any non-tank class, you need to choose a class with wings. Once you get glide there's really no coming back. You can xp so much faster by taking shortcuts and running with the +5% runspeed...it doesn't sound like alot, but it is. It is also has many applications to pulling, and is incredibly useful versus mobs that gflux or do knockback. On top of that, you get a racial unlocked AE deaggro spell, which is possibly the best one of its kind in the game. (I'm not sure how the froglok one compares to it). AND, you get the +% power pool trait as well. Yes, most races are (equally) useless by the time you get to 70. But Fae/Arasai are on a slightly higher teir of their own.

[Angre]

<p>Ohh and there is nothing cooler that playing a butterfly/fairy chartacter in these games...</p><p>You have all of these powerful looking ogres/trolls and intelligent looking elves/erudites...shady looking swashbucklers and assassins. Then you have a fairy with rainbow colored wings. I recommend rerolling to one now and placing a rainbow bumper sticker on your car to let everyone know you play one in game. <img src="/smilies/e8a506dc4ad763aca51bec4ca7dc8560.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Biaxil]

I believe it, maybe someday I will try it, but I like my High Elf Wizzy, I'm not into fairies, I have to get up there like all the rest and get the better gear, and I just couldn't play on PvE.  Even though the rulres are out of wack, to mo on PvE, there's just no hope cuz I can't ever hit someone else.  I get ganked a lot right now on Naggy but im an old school EQ1 guy fromm 2000 and I was a badass there, so maybe its karma, but its all fun.

[enrond]

I have a HE wiz, same as i played in eq1, yeah we have slightly less int than other races, but atm int is almost useless to me, so remember at some point,  proc gear, BoE, crit %, cast/recast timer redux, and hell even stamina or hate redux become more important <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />