similar to the OP guide, once again awesome work thank you very much for a very interesting read.
A question about frozen power transfer, do you find skipping the feat because time doesn't allow you to complete the 3cast rotation? or is it because the buff (which does appear for me as a buff afte the third strike) doesn't actually improve the damage?
Both honestly. Even if it was working properly, I still would not use fpt because spell twisting doesn't give me time for the third cast.
If you do not have time for the third cast, would there be any advantage to using MM instead of CC for the Arcane stacks?
For single target fights most definitely and I am using it as my secondary at will. It is still a case of you only get the arcane stack on the third cast though.
Im just offering constructive criticism and proposing you give a little more love to alternatives. Specifically Sudden Storm/Chilling Control and the Chilling Presence offhand feature.
I suppose you do call it your "almost everything" guide so perhaps thats your disclaimer. :P
Again, excellent work. Thank you very much!
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
Im just offering constructive criticism and proposing you give a little more love to alternatives. Specifically Sudden Storm/Chilling Control and the Chilling Presence offhand feature.
I suppose you do call it your "almost everything" guide so perhaps thats your disclaimer. :P
Again, excellent work. Thank you very much!
If you use icy veins, why would you use chilling control is my question? There isn't any point which is why I don't recommend it. In order to use chilling control, you need to use sudden storm and in order to hit stuff with sudden storm, you need to be in range for icy veins so you may as well not use chilling control if you use icy veins.
I don't understand why you can't use icy veins if you have chilling control slotted!!
You can only build up to 6 stacks of chill. Chilling control gives you up to 5 stacks of chill when using sudden storm, icy veins gives you up to 5 stacks of chill on any encounter power. There is no reason for using both. If you use chilling control, you might as well drop icy veins and use frigid winds and then open with icy terrain+sudden storm. If you use icy veins, there is no point to using chilling control because icy terrain by itself will give you all 6 stacks, let alone the fact that you will get 5 or 6 from any other encounter power (5 if its an arcane, fire or lightning encounter, 6 if its a cold encounter).
Yes, you can take both, but there isn't any point to taking both which is why I recommend 1 or the other. I prefer icy veins because it doesn't force you to use sudden storm and essentially turn those 5 feat points into dead feats the moment you aren't and furthermore, its the stronger feat between the 2. This is because it will constantly refreeze stuff if you using icy terrain.
I do not use Icy Veins. I use Sudden Storm and Chilling control. This gives me 5 feat points to put elsewhere. I see Icy Veins as the redundant feat, not Chilling Control.
Maybe thats where the confusion lay. I agree, it makes no sense to use both.
I also agree Icy Veins is the stronger feat. By alot. But, it requires one to go 3 deep into Oppressor. Chilling Control allows one to take an additional feat altogether. So you essentially get Chilling Control + another damage feat. The caveat being you are pigeonholed into using Sudden Storm. Which happens to be a fantastic encounter. One of our best in fact.
Also, I do believe the refreezing you speak of is not intended. I may be wrong but I dont think so.
Its just a suggestion. Consider it. Or dont. lol
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
I do not use Icy Veins. I use Sudden Storm and Chilling control. This gives me 5 feat points to put elsewhere. I see Icy Veins as the redundant feat, not Chilling Control.
Maybe thats where the confusion lay. I agree, it makes no sense to use both.
I also agree Icy Veins is the stronger feat. By alot. But, it requires one to go 3 deep into Oppressor. Chilling Control allows one to take an additional feat altogether. So you essentially get Chilling Control + another damage feat. The caveat being you are pigeonholed into using Sudden Storm. Which happens to be a fantastic encounter. One of our best in fact.
Also, I do believe the refreezing you speak of is not intended. I may be wrong but I dont think so.
Its just a suggestion. Consider it. Or dont. lol
I did try it out once and as I said, it comes down to personal preference. I prefer being able to stand in the middle of monster packs in dungeons and feel safe at the same time, icy veins allows me to do that. At the same time, I find that if you use both spell twisting and focused wizardry, then disintegrate gives you more damage then sudden storm due to reducing CDs as well as the bonus 30% damage. If I was not using focused wizardry, I would probably be using sudden storm. Also, remember the constant refreezing of monsters allows you to take advantage of the 96% damage bonus from chilling presence a lot more than you otherwise would be able to.
The reason I moved away from sudden storm and chilling control (I did use it until mod 7) was because where are you going to put those extra 5 points? If you are renegade, you are going to go for spell twisting anyhow, but if you thaum, its a toss up between frigid winds and frozen power transfer. You cannot get the bonus from FPT and frigid winds only gives you damage against frozen targets. By the time you get the damage buff against anything, everything is already dead and as you cannot freeze bosses, frigid wind is useless in that arena.
I also really like sudden storm and its a very good alternative, I feel it may find use again if they introduce addfest dungeons but until that happens, the disintegrate route is at least on par and in most cases even the better route to go. The benefit of sudden storm at the moment is limited to VT and speedrunning eGWD. Also, if addfest dungeons do return, at that point I would drop focused wizardry all together for SS.
At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference. You can go the 1 route or the other, I listed both options in my list of encounter powers, but I have gone back and expanded on the description of sudden storm in the theory section. At the moment I am trying to work out when to use ftf on MoF, as I am currently playing a MoF thaum build.
@flyingleon Combustive Action's debuff does not only apply to smolder and fire damage, but all damage from every source against the debuffed target.
YOU just said disintegrate for example which is not a fire spell will get increased damage 40% if you have swath of destruction +combusitive action if you cast a daily first ?
romotheoneMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 729Arc User
Test it and see for yourself.
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
I am in the process of updating the mount section for mod 9, as I get a hold of insignias to test I will give my opinion on each insignia bonus, I have covered 2 so far.
active companions Lightfoot Thief or new companion Dworf from the campaign
I have yet to test it, I have been too busy farming CN to acquire insignia's to test insignia bonuses to actually do the campaign, but I will get back to you on that once I have more information
I am in the process of updating the mount section for mod 9, as I get a hold of insignias to test I will give my opinion on each insignia bonus, I have covered 2 so far.
Warlord’s Inspiration is being changed (read: nerfed).
Also, minor thing - in the artifact section, you mention the DC sigil can be picked up after you have a DC to level 70, rather than level 60.
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
I am in the process of updating the mount section for mod 9, as I get a hold of insignias to test I will give my opinion on each insignia bonus, I have covered 2 so far.
Warlord’s Inspiration is being changed (read: nerfed).
Also, minor thing - in the artifact section, you mention the DC sigil can be picked up after you have a DC to level 70, rather than level 60.
Ill update my guide when I get home. Also, I need to get a hold of the other insignias to test them lol. I am betting with the nerf, the prices will plummet and I will actually be able to afford them to test.
thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
Cryptic is making testing insignia's difficult for me by changing how they behave on the live server, it will take me a while to get exact descriptions of a result as the way they behave keeps getting changed. Sorry all
Cryptic is making testing insignia's difficult for me by changing how they behave on the live server, it will take me a while to get exact descriptions of a result as the way they behave keeps getting changed. Sorry all
Someone made a lovely webpage with all the bonus descriptions. Ill need to find where I saved the bookmark...
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
Cryptic is making testing insignia's difficult for me by changing how they behave on the live server, it will take me a while to get exact descriptions of a result as the way they behave keeps getting changed. Sorry all
Someone made a lovely webpage with all the bonus descriptions. Ill need to find where I saved the bookmark...
I have it linked in my guide, it has the descriptions as provided by cryptic, but as far as my testing shows, EVERY SINGLE TOOLTIP IS WRONG!
I use blue as the bonus isn't amazing and it isn't worth the AD to upgrade it. If you have the AD to spare though, you are welcome to take it all the way to level 40, there just isn't much point.
Thanks for your great work, Fabricant. I'd like to add that you can apply double smolders even with CP and SoD slotted, by using FI on those without chill stack and quickly chill them. This works wonder for Orcus where you just tab ice terrain, deal dps from afar and debuff twice as much. Combustive action also do the same with other daily, but the condition to achieve double smolder seem harder, maybe you can do more tests in this area.
It's really appreciated. More detailed info on Control Wizard are always welcome.
Just before Module 8 I have tried exactly this build : SS Ren with Elemental Empowerment (Appendix 2: Other Builds I have tested) After 4 weeks, my conclusion was : Spell Twisting is required when you are SS Renegade. It's when you always wait for your cool down that you realize, spell twisting is too good, and it's needed with any good build.
Thanks
For now.
Builds with Steal Time on tab are not so viable anymore in CN - _ -
In fact, I think that Steal Time needs a re-haul for the spell mastery slot, and so does Icy Terrain.
Change the feat options, make so that Steal Time adds both Chill and Arcane if on Spell Mastery, reduce it's animation, but increase it's recovery time to compensate, so that it actually feels nice making a proper rotation before everything's dead.
Currently, AoE builds are not very useful which is extremely bad for CWs, especially when a TR can outrun you and cast a single Smoke bomb and kill everything. GG
True Neutral
Left the Game due to heavy Damage Control & Missing Spanish Language
Fab, you may want to add the overload enchants from strongholds. Specifically the ones for when you fight demons or dragons.
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
edited March 2016
Updated with combat logs for class features, the drow racial bonus and the MoF support build in the appendices. Tbh, this guide is now so bulky that it is more of a reference tool than an actual guide.
And a hell of a good "reference tool" at that. MUCH appreciated!
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thefabricantMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 5,248Arc User
edited April 2016
This guide is now out of date and is likely to remain out of date for the next 2-3 months. It is 76 pages long and will take a lot of effort to update it. If anyone is willing to help me gather information to make the task easier, you are welcome to do so and will be included in the acknowledgements. Updating the OP (and the guide itself) to reflect this.
Comments
I suppose you do call it your "almost everything" guide so perhaps thats your disclaimer. :P
Again, excellent work. Thank you very much!
Yes, you can take both, but there isn't any point to taking both which is why I recommend 1 or the other. I prefer icy veins because it doesn't force you to use sudden storm and essentially turn those 5 feat points into dead feats the moment you aren't and furthermore, its the stronger feat between the 2. This is because it will constantly refreeze stuff if you using icy terrain.
Maybe thats where the confusion lay. I agree, it makes no sense to use both.
I also agree Icy Veins is the stronger feat. By alot. But, it requires one to go 3 deep into Oppressor. Chilling Control allows one to take an additional feat altogether. So you essentially get Chilling Control + another damage feat. The caveat being you are pigeonholed into using Sudden Storm. Which happens to be a fantastic encounter. One of our best in fact.
Also, I do believe the refreezing you speak of is not intended. I may be wrong but I dont think so.
Its just a suggestion. Consider it. Or dont. lol
The reason I moved away from sudden storm and chilling control (I did use it until mod 7) was because where are you going to put those extra 5 points? If you are renegade, you are going to go for spell twisting anyhow, but if you thaum, its a toss up between frigid winds and frozen power transfer. You cannot get the bonus from FPT and frigid winds only gives you damage against frozen targets. By the time you get the damage buff against anything, everything is already dead and as you cannot freeze bosses, frigid wind is useless in that arena.
I also really like sudden storm and its a very good alternative, I feel it may find use again if they introduce addfest dungeons but until that happens, the disintegrate route is at least on par and in most cases even the better route to go. The benefit of sudden storm at the moment is limited to VT and speedrunning eGWD. Also, if addfest dungeons do return, at that point I would drop focused wizardry all together for SS.
At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference. You can go the 1 route or the other, I listed both options in my list of encounter powers, but I have gone back and expanded on the description of sudden storm in the theory section. At the moment I am trying to work out when to use ftf on MoF, as I am currently playing a MoF thaum build.
Also, minor thing - in the artifact section, you mention the DC sigil can be picked up after you have a DC to level 70, rather than level 60.
I'd like to add that you can apply double smolders even with CP and SoD slotted, by using FI on those without chill stack and quickly chill them. This works wonder for Orcus where you just tab ice terrain, deal dps from afar and debuff twice as much. Combustive action also do the same with other daily, but the condition to achieve double smolder seem harder, maybe you can do more tests in this area.
Builds with Steal Time on tab are not so viable anymore in CN - _ -
In fact, I think that Steal Time needs a re-haul for the spell mastery slot, and so does Icy Terrain.
Change the feat options, make so that Steal Time adds both Chill and Arcane if on Spell Mastery, reduce it's animation, but increase it's recovery time to compensate, so that it actually feels nice making a proper rotation before everything's dead.
Currently, AoE builds are not very useful which is extremely bad for CWs, especially when a TR can outrun you and cast a single Smoke bomb and kill everything. GG