ArPen and Crit role in a CW

arinathos · May 2014

Hey everyone!
I've perused the CW threads pretty extensively, but I still have some questions on the role of Armor Pen and Crit in a wizard build.

1) A number of the threads have shown that a number of the hard hitting powers of a CW aren't affected by armor penetration. In other classes (my GF and HR), I've gotten ArPen up to the 24% level, but I'm unsure whether a CW needs that level of ArPen. Any thoughts?

2) Currently have Crit value to 23%, but Eye of the Storm seems to proc frequently regardless of crit value. Should I be getting rid of crit value and dumping more into power (currently at close to 4900 on my CW right now)

Thanks!

abaddon523 · May 2014

The answer to the first question is unclear. It depends on what abilities you like to use. Armor penetration is the best investment when it is working...but when it partially works the math becomes unclear.

The answer to 2) is that yes, you should get rid of crit and dump it into power. Eye of the Storm makes just about any crit redundant.

ripyourlipsoff · May 2014

I don't know Arp seems to only effect like 7 of our spells! I can't seem to find that list I read...

crazymikee · May 2014

Stack Power & Recovery, to around 3.4k+ ea, then put any remaining bonus as armor pen, leave crit below 1k because eye of the storm gives us more crit then someone with 30% crit chance lol

gameisfreetowin · May 2014

I disagree that crit is useless. Yes stack power, but crit plays a role even with EoS b/c it's proc isn't as consistent as everyone states it is. I've played more hours on my CW than I'd like to admit and I used to waste valuable seconds I could be AoE DPS in a dungeon on waiting for EoS to proc before I would use daily/encounter cycle. I still won't use certain encounters w/out EoS proccing first but I can CoI or IcyTerr w/ good chance of crits. I still wait for SoeA, OppForce, and tabbed chill strike only w/ EoS but when the cooldowns are over I can StealTime proc EoS 80% of the time. My point is the other 20% is still there and AoE DPS is higher with more consistent dmg output. So not being afraid to use (or waste if no crit chance) an encounter while waiting for proc is extremely valuable, but that will be a convenience to focus on after you get these stats:
Power - 7k+
Armpen - 2-2.3k (depending on stone)
recovery - 2.8k-3.3k
lifesteal - b/c high end doesn't need DC

then look at adding crit and enjoy even high dps output vs. 7.5k-8k power and 18% crit chance

ianthewizard2012 · May 2014

So how much Critical Strike is the minimum that a Spellstorm Mage should have?

niadan · May 2014

You do not avoid crit, you just do not choose it over power and arp (to softcap). Power gives more dps than crit when the choice is between these two stats. I personally gem all offensive slots with power and try to choose the highest base power accessories. The crit that you will get naturally from gear plus eots should yield you around 50% crit chance overall on a parsed run. Thus you will not have to wait on eots procs to max dps.

kozi001 · May 2014

Armor pen is a mystery to me!

My thumbrule is 18%(-20) on preclear and raise to 24% to boss.
But I see CWs who run with 500-1000 Arp and doing very good dmg. (pre mod3)

Maybe puting 1k Arp to Power is that good or they are just faster runner than me idk.

atarcan · May 2014

kozi001 wrote: »

Armor pen is a mystery to me!

My thumbrule is 18%(-20) on preclear and raise to 24% to boss.
But I see CWs who run with 500-1000 Arp and doing very good dmg. (pre mod3)

Maybe puting 1k Arp to Power is that good or they are just faster runner than me idk.

I agree. 2/4 of skills in my rotation doesn't benefit from arp. So I tried lowering arp to 1.4k from 2k, increasing power by that amount. Didnt do the math but my damage does not seem worse, clearing content feels even faster. Maybe it's infact because of power rework idk but I'm happy with the result so it doesnt matter i guess.

theosymphany · May 2014

Not easy questions to answer:

I've written a discourse on Crit vs power here. If you're not MoF or Renegade you really don't need a whole lot of crit.
http://laggygamerz.com/forum/index.php?/topic/342-crit-power-and-dps-the-numbers-guide/

Armor penetration is required for damage mitigation. While it is true that a great deal of CW skils don't benefit from ArP most of the essential ones for PvE do.

Furthermore it's a little known fact that the effectiveness of the debuff you get out of High Prophet/Vizier set, Plague fire, terror and elemental empowerment depends directly on your ArP.
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?646931-Armor-pen-is-required-for-max-effectiveness-of-some-debuffs-(HP-HV-PF-Terror-EE)

Not straight forward answers I know, but you need to understand the game mechanics to know what you are willing to compromise.

ironzerg79 · May 2014

I would invest in Arm Pen up to about 20-24%. Not all our powers benefit from ArmPen, but almost all of our hardest hitting, top encounters (Sudden Storm, Shard, Steal Time) do benefit. Most of the cases now are pretty fringe.

I then gem for all power. I take what recovery and crit I get from my gear, but the rest goes into power. Right now, I'm at about 7600 power, and the differences it has made with the M3 revamp has been pretty spectacular.

ArPen and Crit role in a CW

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