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Summary of Control Wizard?
sofademon
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 75
So, I was not in the beta weekend, but have been watching all the streams and videos I could get my hands on, and reading the forums.
I think the aggregate of the feedback so far is that the Control Wizard is
- Playable solo but the most challenging of the classes
-Difficult at low levels but improves with more encounter powers, spell mastery, and the addition of a companion.
-Feeling like it could use a little buff in the control aspect
-Perhaps could use a touch more AOE
Would you say that is a fair general assessment?
I think the aggregate of the feedback so far is that the Control Wizard is
- Playable solo but the most challenging of the classes
-Difficult at low levels but improves with more encounter powers, spell mastery, and the addition of a companion.
-Feeling like it could use a little buff in the control aspect
-Perhaps could use a touch more AOE
Would you say that is a fair general assessment?
Post edited by sofademon on
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At one point I tried to run through an area and jump into a dungeon to get them off just to see what the mechanic was. I had 5 melee Veteran(? not quite full bosses but alot of hit points, not sure what that would be designated as)) mobs and another veteran caster with about 4-5 of the fodder mobs thrown in. Got to the entrance and found I couldn't zone in, so I proceeded to repel/dodge and blast the hell out of them with a couple timely uses of the dailies and a few potions and came out victorious...It was absolutely awesome and I loved it. Had to stop for a few minutes and get a drink after that.
Another thing I am noticing in the grouping with wizards is the guardians thinking they have to gather up all the mobs and hold them in one place so they could tank them all. I am thinking this isn't all that necessary, since when the big boss came bearing down on me, I didn't feel the need for the tank to come rescue me, a few dodges, some TIMELY control, aka when the red circles appear and alot of MM/Repel/Ice spiking, I just felt like saying, "thanks guys, I got this, go ahead and wipe up the trash.."
It may have helped that I played a double dagger mage in GW2 and got used to alot of dodging and positioning, but I had an absolute blast and am planning on control wizard definitely taking up one of my character slots.
A few things:
First, while the CW does excel at locking down one single target, the actually-difficult bosses are completely immune to CC. So most of the single targets who your group would actually benefit from having locked down can't be locked down. This, along with Cryptic's love for throwing hordes of mobs at you as their go-to fight mechanic, means the only real role that a controller can viably fill in this game is AoE damage and AoE CC.
Second, if you were mass-repelling mobs and teleporting around instead of either letting your tank grab them and hold them still (stronger mobs) or simply killing them with AoE damage (trash mobs), I would probably be tempted to leave the party. However amazing you felt doing so, the tank isn't trying to steal your mob from you simply to "rescue you", he does so to hold them still and allow everyone in the party to focus on killing them for a much faster, more efficient run. The fact is, controllers like the CW are best for wiping up the trash, while strikers like the TR are far better than CW should ever be at single-target DPS. Tossing controls at a strong enemy who isn't immune is all well and good, but throwing mobs all over the place and taking aggro just to run around and do your own thing is not conducive to group play.
Yeah, basically. This is a very easy game so far.
I have played raids since EQ1 as tank/rogue and healer, I am familiar with the trinity and aggro, etc, there is a point it is almost extinct in newer games...It's boring.
I was able to fight multple mobs higher level than me that were immune to crowd control at the same time and win as a CW...and that was fun. If you can't think outside the trinity then by all means you are free to leave the group, but I would prefer to have fun. Guardians actually have easier times killing trash since they hit every mob in their melee arc with their default swing with no cooldown...maybe as I said in another thread, if the guardian would guard the teammates instead of being the central focal point of super efficiency in an easy game where super efficiency equates to boredom, then I will be over in the fun group and you can have your group.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/neverwinter/control-wizard-preview-guide
It was more challenging than the Guardian Fighter I played in the first beta weekend, but I can see real potential once you get past the steeper learning curve.
And did you ever consider that your fun comes at the expense of the fun of everyone else? Throwing mobs around and having them chase you all over prevents anyone else from having their own fun with them. I would be tempted to leave not because I would be pissed that you'd be lowering my precious efficiency, but because you'd be a selfish ******.
Awfully presumptive aren't we? I don't suppose you consider the tactical implications of repeling an entire group into a barrier and stacking them all in one spot so everyone can hit them with AoE? Of manuevering so that when you use said abilities you are pushing them nearer to the person chasing them, holding them in place while the fighter, rogue etc is trying to peel them off someone else? while keeping another mob busy in the meantime. We had runs were mobs were all over the place because they aggroed various people and we had half the room dead before the FIGHTER could gather them up (notice I didn't say tank). A well timed repel gathered them all up in one position so with a single lunge, he was in position to hit them all at once.
If the fighter was running in and gathering agro then by all means I would let him stand there and take his beating and just do DPS, but that isn't always the case or even the best tactic for the group/dungeon, etc.
We killed half the rooms before the fighter got in position as we had enough ranged firepower to do so....but Hey I must be selfish since I can alter my tactics to fit the situation and group make up.
But my original point was that the fighter doesn't have to tank everything all at once, other other characters are capable of keeping mobs busy, burning mobs down or healing themselves so we don't have to be stuck in the same old trinity situation where everyone has one role only and cannot step outside of that role.
And why would you think that I didn't consider that Repel has any tactical use? Because I said spamming it is bad? If I ever said that Repel has no value or should never be used, please quote me on that because I don't remember it. I do think you're greatly over-stating its use, though... It only throws enemies to the same place if they're already piled together, so I dunno how you could possibly gather all the mobs up with one Repel if they were so scattered as to need such a thing.
Also, if you read my posts, I specifically said that killing the weak mobs is what you should be doing. However, someone who can survive without either jumping all over the place or throwing mobs all over the place should be holding the stronger mobs who can't be insta-nuked, so that the DPS classes can much more easily and safely kill them. If that's exactly what you were doing, then I apologize for the misunderstanding, however nothing you said even slightly implied that until now, and in fact implied exactly the opposite.
I'd really like to see 'At Will' abilities like control snare while moving. If the CW can snare AND manuever, it would be the best class.
But ya, I think it feels a bit clunky and in need of more fluidness of abilities.
I finally got into beta, and played a wizard into the late teens. I agree, there were moments that I said "I need to teleport/move NOW but I was rooted in a spell animation. Overall, i like the class however. The initial story finding the crown was fine solo. The first couple of levels in the tower district were ugly, but overall playable. Things improved significantly at 16 with a man-at-arms in tow to tank a bit. My typical spell loadout was Ice Storm as a daily, Chill Strike in spell mastery slot, followed by Ice Conduit for more aoe (a useful minion killer) the lift control spell (Entrapping force? something force) and then repel. I messed with Icy Terrain a bit, but was not impressed. Maybe more useful in a group.
Erdan Loreweaver 60 CW 11.3 GS
Mika Hawklight 60 DC 11.5 GS
Rukia Stealthfoot 60 TR 11.5 GS
Ka D'Argo 60 HR 13.7 GS
Ivan Ironfist 60 GWF 11.6 GS