test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Query On Control
therumancer23
Member Posts: 75 Arc User
I've been playing Control Wizard since launch and once I hit Tier 2 I started getting a lot of HAMSTER from people I group with. I decided to put this up after someone I was with made a sarcastic comment (after a dungeon victory) and put me on ignore apparently because I sucked so bad or whatever.
The basic issue I'm having is people screaming about "uncontrolled mobs", the problem is that with a Control Wizard you basically have very limited CC powers. You have a single target lockdown, arcane singularity which people really like but which they don't seem to grasp being a daily power, and everything else is pretty much stuns slows and roots. If your next to the mobs you can drop Steal Time which does okay damage, and does a stun for a second or so, or things like Icy Terrain which slow and eventually put down a root, and things like that, none of which are going to control epic hordes of mobs that way you could in say "City Of Heroes" or "Everquest", yet at the same time it seems that's what some people seem to be expecting for some reason.
To be brutally honest, it seems to me that Neverwinter suffers from being balanced against an earlier design state of the game, where players could move while they were attacking, making kiting a lot more viable, and the various slow and root abilities substantially more useful as a result.
At any rate, having grouped with other CWs I don't see them doing much differently than I do, but I figured I'd put up a message to see if I was somehow missing something. DPS has been a bit of an issue too I suppose, but then again I seem to be stuck eternally at 9.2k gear score (Focal Mage set) with upgrades never wanting to drop, where I see people claiming upwards of 12k gear score as a matter of routine.
Any information/tips would be appreciated.
The basic issue I'm having is people screaming about "uncontrolled mobs", the problem is that with a Control Wizard you basically have very limited CC powers. You have a single target lockdown, arcane singularity which people really like but which they don't seem to grasp being a daily power, and everything else is pretty much stuns slows and roots. If your next to the mobs you can drop Steal Time which does okay damage, and does a stun for a second or so, or things like Icy Terrain which slow and eventually put down a root, and things like that, none of which are going to control epic hordes of mobs that way you could in say "City Of Heroes" or "Everquest", yet at the same time it seems that's what some people seem to be expecting for some reason.
To be brutally honest, it seems to me that Neverwinter suffers from being balanced against an earlier design state of the game, where players could move while they were attacking, making kiting a lot more viable, and the various slow and root abilities substantially more useful as a result.
At any rate, having grouped with other CWs I don't see them doing much differently than I do, but I figured I'd put up a message to see if I was somehow missing something. DPS has been a bit of an issue too I suppose, but then again I seem to be stuck eternally at 9.2k gear score (Focal Mage set) with upgrades never wanting to drop, where I see people claiming upwards of 12k gear score as a matter of routine.
Any information/tips would be appreciated.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
And I totally disagree with you. We got lots of control. Just need to learn how they work together and make use of it.
Right now I use tabbed ice strike and choke to permanently keep one mob out of combat indefinitely, then mix in steal time to stun adds and I still have one more encounter I can have set up to do various things whether it's damage or more control. Then of course our daily pops up quite fast with all the controlling going on giving even more control options.
I think between all our powers we are able to hold, stun, or otherwise detain mobs pretty well.
The average GWF and GF complains about wizards doing tens of thousands of damage with AoE knock-backs, disrupting enemy casts, and gaining AP for a CC cycle, while doing single target knock-backs into walls making mobs untargetable.
The average CW doesn't realize that Tabbed Ray of Enfeeble is the most powerful single target damage boost for a group in the game currently.
CC means CROWD CONTROL. If people are complaining about 1-2 mobs, they need to relax and learn to play... The wizard controls dozens of mobs, or its not worth it. The exception being Healing Mobs, and exceptionally damaging mobs, ie casters.
The thing other classes do not understand is that controlling one mob is essentially the same work as controlling 50...
In T2, the CW is THE single most important party member, even more so than a DC. When the DC goes down, only a CW can control things to allow for the DC to come back up.
This is 100% correct, but also why I'm 100% bored with CW. Every single fight over and over casting the same set of spells in between yelling at the Cleric to stop 'helping' by knocking everything all over right after I've bunched them up in preparation of using them to regain AP so I can do it again.... ugh!
I don't disagree with you. But if you find it boring as a CW, it probably will be even worse with other classes. Plus I don't know of any other class besides a DC that is critical to the current end game. With all the huge single target dps of a TR, it still means nothing if the party cant control adds.
For example, I'd advise against using Ray of Frost on a mob on the pile. Don't do that. It doesn't work well. Use it on an add that nobody has engaged yet. Freeze them. Then turn and do something else, because freeze breaks more quickly if damage is involved. Or at least, it seems to.
Matter of fact, I'll go test it right now.
Edit: Confirmed. 3 Target dummies in Trade of Blades. Orb of Imposition. 22 Wisdom.
If I ray of frost a target to freeze, then switch targets, I can completely freeze the second target before the first freeze wears off.
If I ray of frost a target to freeze, i can land 2 complete Magic Missile combos on a second target before the first freeze wears off.
If I ray of frost a target to freeze, I can begin 1 magic missile combo on the same target. The freeze breaks sometime during the combo. After hit 1. Sometimes it breaks on hit 2. Sometimes it breaks on the finisher.
Other than that I think the general public falsely believes the CW is able to take care of all the adds. While in reality we heavily rely on one single daily spell which isn't up all the time, the other controlling spells are mostly single target and short durations.
With all due respect, that is completely false. With Singularity, Steal Time, Shield, tabbed Chill strike, and Conduit or Icy Terrain, a CW can not only control a dozen of adds, but also destroy them. The more adds the better. On 8+ adds, your shield can pretty much fill your entire AP for a back to back Singularity. There is no need for Ray of Frost, no need to Ray of Enfeeblement, no Sudden Storm, no Repel, no Avalanche of crapiness, none of that. I am not saying to only use the powers I mentioned. But for 90% of the time, running a T1/T2, I found that the above combination is the most efficient in terms of CC and dps.
I run castle never every day and I easily lock-down all adds in the corner away from my team as we move from room to room. It's very rare that I have to use a potion because the adds are always under control.
The first thing I do when entering a room is cast singularity in the corner. I then pop my shield which restores half my AP. Next I cast steal time and icy terrain to keep them in place, I then cast entangling force (on tab) to restore the other half of my AP. By this time Icy terrain and steal time have worn off so I cast singularity again and repeat.
Always make sure you have fully restored your action points before moving into the next area so you can immediately get into this pattern. Singularity might be a daily, but you can easily cast two at once if there are enough adds!