I've been having success with this build so I am sharing it for others to browse along with a partial guide for rotations. My main focuses are on single target/area of effect damage and Action Point generation. I also wanted to be able to have a build which is viable in PvE as well as PvP.Having already tried many of the more popular builds in The Library, I have settled with this one because I have found it to be the most successful for me. By applying feats and abilities which synergy together, I have been able to have better success in both the damage and control categories, with this build, than the others that I have tried. Libraries are places to go to in order to acquire written knowledge, so I pass this knowledge on to others to do with as would best suit them.In order to achieve a high amount of damage, Thaumaturge Wizards rely on stacking mitigation/defense reduction abilities on targets. Along with 24% Armor Penetration, these abilities can drop targets in to negative mitigation values. This negative mitigation state correlates in to a huge boost to damage output for the entire party against any target that has been affected.Mitigation values have been cited as the following:Bosses - 24% mitigation.Brutes - 20% or 22% mitigation.Strikers and Leaders - 16.2% or 18% mitigation.Minions - 14.4% mitigation.Controllers and Ranged Strikers - 12.8% or 14% mitigation.Source: Calculating Stats and their Effects.This build uses the following mitigation/defense reduction abilities: Armor Penetration, Conduit of Ice, Ray of Enfeeblement, Elemental Empowerment, Plague Fire Enchantment, and a High Vizier's set.I am a Human.
My preferred base statistics are Intelligence and Wisdom. I have no need for Charisma because I choose to slot in Eye of the Storm as a class feature. Eye of the Storm procs consistently while using encounters. More crits means more Action Point gain and more Action Point gain means more Oppressive Force.My preferred gear stats are Power, Critical Strike, Armor Penetration, Recovery, and Defense.A very moderate (beginner,) statistical goal for this build would be:3,000 Power2,000 Critical Strike1,000 Armor Penetration2,500 RecoveryFor the current end game, I recommend shooting for:24% Armor Penetration30-35% Critical ChanceAt least 3,000 PowerAt least 3,000 RecoveryThis is the order by which I prioritize my own statistics.I currently use a Plague Fire Enchantment on my weapon because it lowers targets defenses and applies damage over time debuffs which could potentially be helpful in proccing other abilities. After more testing, I have to submit to say that this is definitely the most critical weapon enchantment for this build because it synergies so beautifully for a Thaumaturge by applying additional mitigation reduction.Features, encounters, and dailies relevant to this build and their interaction with the Plague Fire debuff:
Storm Spell - 1 stack on the primary target of the proc.Chilling Cloud - 1 stack per cast. 3 stacks per full cycle. 1 stack on each additional target hit by the third strike.Ray of Frost - 3 stacks per tick on the primary target.Storm Pillar - 1 stack on each target hit by initial cast. No stacks are added by the damage over time from a full cast.Chill Strike - 2 stacks on the primary target.Chill Strike Mastery - 3 stacks on the primary target and 1 stack on each additional target.Icy Rays Mastery - 3 stacks on the primary target and 1 stack on each additional target, (requires double cast.)Icy Terrain - 1 stack per tick on each target.Ray of Enfeeblement - 1 stack on the primary target.Ray of Enfeeblement Mastery - 1 stack on the primary target per cast.
Repel - 1 stack on the primary target.Repel Mastery - 1 stack on the primary target and 1 stack on each additional target.Shield - 1 stack on each target affected.Steal Time - 1 stack per tick on each target.Sudden Storm - 2 stacks on each target affected.Arcane Singularity - No stacks.Ice Knife - 3 stacks on the primary target.Oppressive Force - 1 stack per tick on each target affected.I currently wear a High Vizier's set. After more testing, I have to submit to say that this is also a keystone addition for a Thaumaturge because it removes defense from targets with a single cast of Steal Time, adding further to the stacking mitigation reduction provided by this build. This ability is worth losing over 1,200 Critical Strike for. Combined with other mitigation reduction, this set will boost damage significantly. The debuff applied by the High Vizier's set stacks three times and lasts six seconds.Encounters and dailies relevant to this build and their interaction with the High Vizier's set debuff:
Chill Strike - 2 stacks on the primary target.Chill Strike Mastery - 3 stacks on the primary target and 1 stack on each additional target.Icy Rays Mastery - 1 stack on the primary target, (requires double cast.)Icy Terrain - 1 stack per cast on each target.Repel - 1 stack on the primary target.Repel Mastery - 1 stack on the primary target and 1 stack on each additional target.Shield - 1 stack on each target affected.Steal Time - 1 stack per tick on each target.Arcane Singularity - No stacks.Ice Knife - 3 stacks on the primary target.Oppressive Force - 1 stack per tick on each target affected. (Can stack more than three times. Four stacks per full cast. Can also add stacks on top of stacks already present on a target. By maintaining the stacks added, can add stacks indefinitely.)
Heroic Feats:
5/5 Controlling Action - I am interested in the fastest Action Point gain possible. Some players prefer Fight On.3/3 Weapon Mastery - Extra Crits means more damage and more Action Point gain.3/3 Wizard's Wrath - Boosts Steal Time, Oppressive Force, Arcane Singularity, and Sudden Storm* damage.3/3 Blighting Power - Boosts Conduit of Ice, Icy Rays, and Chill Strike damage.3/3 Arcane Enhancement - Boosts Steal Time, Oppressive Force, Arcane Singularity, and Ray of Enfeeblement.3/3 Prestidigitation - Helps to meet the Armor Penetration requirement. Boosts my group as well.3/3 Focused Wizardry - Boosts Steal Time, Oppressive Force, Arcane Singularity, and Sudden Storm* damage.* I fully assume that Cryptic will give Sudden Storm the proper bonuses from area of effect damage boosting feats. Sudden Storm does great damage any how.Thaumaturge Paragon Feats:
5/5 Tempest Magic - I'm not a Tiefling, therefore this is my best option.5/5 Destructive Wizardry - Boosts both single target and area of effect damage.5/5 Frozen Power Transfer - Boosts both single target and area of effect damage.5/5 Transcended Master - Boosts Icy Rays damage for PvP and single target PvE.5/5 Elemental Empowerment - Most importantly lowers defenses of targets when using Steal Time.1/1 Assailing Force - It's Assailing Force, a crucial source of mitigation reduction.Renegade Paragon Feats:
5/5 Critical Power - I am interested in the fastest Action Point gain possible.Features:Eye of the Storm - This feature procs often with this build and provides a ton of Action Point gain, and damage, via critical hits.Storm Spell - This feature adds a lot of damage and procs very often with this build.At Wills:Chilling Cloud - Adds a damage buff via Frozen Power Transfer, and does great area of effect damage on its' own. I use this as a filler during my rotations of encounters.Storm Pillar - Adds a damage buff via Destructive Wizardry. Should not be used as a filler, but only to proc Destructive Wizardry before a rotation of encounters.Dailies:Oppressive Force - This is a main source of damage for this build. Gains a major amount of synergy via feats.Arcane Singularity - Used in some situations, but is secondary to Oppressive Force.Ice Knife - Only used for single target damage and in PvP.Solo play slotting:Chill Strike Mastery, Conduit of Ice, Icy Terrain, Sudden StormI was taking too much damage by using the same encounters for soloing as I was for grouping so I swapped them for this set up. There's no real preferred rotation, honestly, aside from getting the mobs down and taking as little damage as possible. Chill Strike Mastery will benefit from area of effect damage boosting feats. Many times I still use my group slotting for solo play.Group play slotting with area of effect focus:Conduit of Ice Mastery, Steal Time, Icy Terrain, Sudden StormIn a group setting I have a bit more time to set up some sort of rotation. I try to hit as many targets as I can and only use Storm Pillar when I know that it will strike more than one target. Generally, I play it by... ear. This set up is still viable for solo play.
Chilling Cloud x3 > Storm Pillar x1 > Conduit of Ice > Steal Time >
Sudden Storm > Oppressive Force > Icy Terrain
Single target maximum mitigation debuff up-time slotting:Ray of Enfeeblement Mastery, Conduit of Ice, Repel, Chill StrikeAs for all single target situations, swap Arcane Singularity or Oppressive Force (as would fit your situation,) for Ice Knife. Alternate Repel and Chill Strike to guarantee that stacks of High Vizier's remain on the target.Single target/PvP slotting:Icy Rays Mastery, Conduit of Ice, Ray of Enfeeblement, Chill StrikeA very simple set up for single target damage. In PvP I recommend swapping out Storm Pillar for Ray of Frost and Arcane Singularity for Ice Knife. This set up can also be used to ensure maximum up-time of mitigation debuffs by using proper timing between casts of Chill Strike and a double cast of Icy Rays. This requires a good amount of Recovery, though.
Ray of Enfeeblement > Conduit of Ice > Chill Strike > Ice Knife > Icy Rays x 2 > Chilling Cloud to fill the gaps
Over the ledge slotting:Repel Mastery, Conduit of Ice, Steal Time, ShieldSometimes I just have to knock 'em off, or other shenanigans. I generally stick with Arcane Singularity at those times.Welp, dats it.I'll end with this link to my character sheet for viewing in order provide an idea of what statistics I aim for and I also welcome any in-game chat. Message me @Zahalu.Zero Neutral's Character Sheet (Link will ask you to log in because it is the Neverwinter Gateway.)
Comments
I stopped reading when you mentioned you use 2/2 2/2 set pieces.
Why would you stray away from the OPness that is HV?
Optimal stat priority - armpen -> crit and recovery to 3k -> power and defencive stats
Controlling action - useless feat.
Prestigiditation - useless feat in PvE.
Bitter cold replaced with transcended mastery - doubtful choise.
Eye of the Storm - if you go for frost thau - useless.
I can get Combat Advantage by simply moving to position.
Transcended Mastery is for better single target damage in PvE and PVP.
Getting more AP is never useless for me. Stacking AP quickly is one of my main goals in battle.
Critting more often is never useless for me.
Wear what you want to wear. I own full HV and full SW sets.
I don't follow that priority. Armpen is the last stat that I utilize once the others are at an appropriate level. Recovery, Crit, and Power go hand in hand and are my priority stats.
Armpen is important but, for me, not as important as getting Power, Crit, and Recovery to an appropriate level first. After that then the rest can go in to Armpen and/or Defense.
I'm not sure that suggesting that Armpen should be stacked to max over Power, Crit, and Recovery would make for a very viable CW. A low-end geared CW would would have 2k armpen, 1k crit, 2.2k power, and 2.2k recovery. I recommend 3k Power, 2.5k Crit, and 2.8-3k Recovery before spending points in Armpen for any one who is just beginning to gear up. At any rate, in the end most player's stats are similar, especially with an Ioun Stone/Cat.
You're right, and what you suggested is totally viable imo. I simply chose to give my Icy Rays more of a boost for when I PVP and single target damage.
I personally dislike buffs that last for 3 and 4 seconds because I can't seem to utilize them effectively in combat due to their very small duration. Nightmare Wizardry is a 20% chance at max rank and it only lasts for four seconds. Instead, I prefer the extra boost to Icy Rays when I need it.
I think that both options are viable and it really becomes the Wizard's preference.
Well, your build is not effective for end-game. There can be achieved far more damage output, which is essential for endgame.
Thanks for the opinion. Really, imo, every one should do what they are comfortable with. I am more comfortable with making sure that my Attack Rating is around 8.5k before pumping Armor Penetration. By doing so, I ensure that my damage is at a level suitable for actually applying the Armor Penetration. If I were in low-end gear and I only had stacked Armor Penetration, then I would be applying a sub-par Attack Rating to my Armor Penetration.
Aside from that, I have completed every dungeon in the game without a problem, barring the occasional failure of teamwork. Oh, and I do use Armor Penetration, it's a great statistic. However, there are players who ignore Armor Penetration all together and still complete end-game content.
That being said, I'm still holding out a little while longer before using my free respec. Just trying to gather all the info and make the best decision possible.
Again though, thank you for posting your build and how you like to play your character. About the criticism of your build I have the following to say...
I remember way back when I first started playing WoW and I purchased a Druid Staff for 200g with lots of Armor on it for my fire wizard. People kept telling me that it was a druid staff, but, I did NOT want to hear that. I just spent ALL my gold on it, lol. Well, eventually I changed to different gear and at some point much later I realized those people were right.
I guess the moral of the story is sometimes you just have to figure it out for yourself. So, I thank you for posting this as I embark on my journey to figure out how to spec my character as efficiently as possible.
Purchasing a Druid staff on a Mage was definitely a bad idea. lol. Maybe not so bad for a Vanilla Shaman, though. Live and learn I suppose.
When you go to respec, I suggest trying it on the test server first. Try out Sudden Storm, it has gained a lot of utility now that it can crit.
I think that we agree on both of our points. Armor Penetration is not required but it's a great boost. That is why I prefer to maximize my other more important statistics first.
A side note, only bosses have 24% mitigation. Other mobs top out at 14% mitigation iirc.
Ah here it is:
Bosses 24% mitigation
Brutes 20% or 22% mitigation
Strikers and Leaders 16.2% or 18% mitigation
Minions 14.4% mitigation
Controllers and Ranged Strikers 12.8% or 14% mitigation
One could argue that, as a CW, since we are usually on add control duty, that 24% Armor Penetration is often wasted since we never handle any mobs that have over 22% mitigation, often 18% mitigation, and usually 14.4% mitigation... but I won't get in to nit picking. Though, abilities can put these values in to the negative.
Source: Calculating Stats and their Effects.
Mate, no one is arguing with you about Armor Penetration. It's a very important statistic. I was merely pointing out that even without it, players can be successful. Whereas, with the other statistics that is not entirely true.
why slot higher enchantments when you can finish a dungeon without any enchantments at all? because we want to clear it faster right?
Have the gear and skills, but lack the friends to play with? Come and apply for Essence of Aggression. We have been here and strong since beta. (Immature, rude, and arrogant people will not be accepted)
No one is arguing that. Can we move on from it? :cool:
In pvp without companion using a full HV set, how does ur stats look like?
(you said u use rank 5's~,using rank 6's and some rank 7's atm and thinking of going full HV 1 more part left to farm)
Mostly curious about Crit/Recovery/Arm pen
My overall attack rating drops by over 500 points. My crit and armor penetration suffer when compared to mixing 2 pieces. I think that with higher rank enchantments I will be able to make up the difference. My power is even lower with full HV. It is possible to have great stats in that set, though.
Edit: added even more information.
To answer your question in full...
My stats with 2/4 Shadow Weaver's and 2/4 Champion Mage's pieces as I describe in the original post, I have, without my stone:
3,444 Power
2,516 Critical Strike
1,154 Armor Penetration
2,719 Recovery
1,389 Defense
9,552 Attack Rating
With the same enchants and jewelry with a 4/4 High Vizier's set:
3,760 Power
1,477 Critical Strike
822 Armor Penetration
2,719 Recovery
1,120 Defense
8,496 Attack Rating
2/4 Shadow Weaver's and 2/4 Champion Mage's with stone:
3,736 Power
2,991 Critical Strike
2,461 Armor Penetration
3,010 Recovery
1,389 Defense
9,552 Attack Rating
4/4 High Vizier's with stone:
4,051 Power
1,952 Critical Strike
2,129 Armor Penetration
3,010 Recovery
1,120 Defense
8,496 Attack Rating
Both are viable and I use each in different situations.
Thanks mate.
I don't have too much I have just under the 24% mark... Tooltip is showing 23.6% penetration at 2461 value... It's quite Cryptic.
I wish I had a treasure trove full of enchantments to share with the community
I could be the Robin Hood of enchantments.
Can I add your build to http://mmominds.com?
Thank you
Right now I'm trying to farm my T2 SW Set but I really don't increase any much in GS ... I seem to stuck at a 10255 GS -.- ... using 2x Pyrotechnic Band in my Ring slots, Excorcist's Necklace of Blessings on my Neck slot, Talisman of the Arcane Overseer's in my Off-Hand and Orb of the Magelord in Mainhand.
Stucking at:
3618 Power
1730 Crit
1577 Armor Penetration
1516 Recovery
1153 Defense
8126 Attack Rating
BTW: Do stones not affect the Attack Rating in any way? because it stays the same Attack rating in your description with and without stones.
The only thing else you should change is to either use the Main- and Off-hand from Gauntlgrym, Castle Never or Malabog's Castle (in that particular order). Besides that, what enchantments did you use?
Right now I'm only using Rank 5 Dark Enchantments for the ArP since I don't have really much AD and can't afford anything better
On my Weapon I'm planning to go for Vorpal while I wanna get Soulforged on my Armor
wow that's pretty expensive :S ... 2000 Zen would be around 750k AD
What's so good about that Companion? it does just say that it would share his stats with mine <.< does it have that Good stats? and what runes do I have to put in to get the best out of it ?