Arcane or Light?

kaznar

i've read a good bit on the forums, and i was wondering what people's opinions are about how fun they find the different types of venomancer (and how they play them). i am omitting heavy armour fox tank because i'm personally not interested in playing a venomancer as a tank class.

would i be wrong to assume that the full magic build using arcane robes would stand back and cast spells while hardly ever using fox form, and that light armour would be in melee range fox form with a tanker pet?

i'm really trying to find that niche' to go towards i guess. i don't want to be a gimped wizard or glorious blademaster that has a pet, but there is some appeal to venomancer that makes me have to make one.

comments?

Obsessed - Heavens Tear

Light armor venos generally are still casters and dont use foxform. Just use the armor for extra defenses.

Akasera - Sanctuary

You're right on full magic, wrong on light armor. Light armor, which I play as, still plays as a caster 95% of the time. The purpose of the build is to provide extra protection and survivability, particularly in PvP, and preserving the flexibility of the foxform tree, at the cost of the pure DD ability of the arcane build. Essentially, the only times I go fox for attack purposes are on magic resistant mobs, or when I happen to have closed to within melee range on a robe, which doesn't occur that often anyway. Otherwise, light and arcane venos tend to operate more or less the same. If you don't plan to PvP much, robe is the easy choice IMO; you will grind faster, have a better pet heal to keep your personal tank up, and will more often be attacked by magic since non-heavy venos attack at range, though are more vulnerable to a surprise spawn on your back.

kaznar

well, hm. in the end game, it really seems like theres only really PvP (if you can find a decent faction to join) - so i guess that should be taken into consideration. personally, i prefer PVE, but PVP does it have its hidden appeal. it raises another question though: where do you end up on vitality?

following the Comprehensive Venomancer Guide's build for Light Armour:

STR = (Your level + 4)
AGI = (Your level +4)
MAG = (Your level x 3)
VIT = 7+, depending on leftover points.

wouldn't that be +3 MAG, +1 STR, +1 DEX every level and would starve you on VIT for hp (which i thought you needed for survivability in pvp)? i have experience with lots of other mmo's, but i just started playing this one so i'm all for learning more about it. i just want to be able to make educated decisions and not have to ungimp my character later for mistakes made early.

p.s. thanks for the quick replies, keep em coming!

Obsessed - Heavens Tear

yes and no, it would starve the vit stat technically, but light armor refinments add more hp then arcane armor, so end game it does get a bit more hp, or relatively close to the same.

Either way, end game pvp veno build is a Heavy armor, magic caster tbh.

LloydAsplund - Sanctuary

I know some people that went full magic veno, meaning putting enough strength for items' requirements and rest into magic for the best damage. This build lets you grind fast meaning, you level up fast. When you get to a high enough level, lets say, level 80, they would spend a few million (not a lot at that level especially for a veno) for stat resets. Then reset their stats into a light amour build (adding more strength and dex) for TW or PvP.

Akasera - Sanctuary

Yes, it's essentially 3 MAG, 1 STR, and 1 DEX per level. Your HP will suffer in the early-mid game; however, many high level light armor pieces carry vit and/or HP bonuses, moreso than robes, plus there's refining. Also, light venos get much more benefit from foxform with the defense multiplier, very useful for giving time to respond and adjust to new threats, like one of those blasted archers suddenly sniping you (the primary reason I prefer light).

kaznar

ah, so either way you go - the play style and survivability will be the same? i'd rather have something that's different and fun to play, but is still functional.

fast leveling really does not matter much to me. (ex. i'm doing a cleric with only training healing skills and leveling with a good friend of mine so things go really slow). i might have to find some of you on sanctuary to bug when i can get logged in later if you don't mind

wikkid86

kaznar wrote: »

i've read a good bit on the forums, and i was wondering what people's opinions are about how fun they find the different types of venomancer (and how they play them). i am omitting heavy armour fox tank because i'm personally not interested in playing a venomancer as a tank class.

would i be wrong to assume that the full magic build using arcane robes would stand back and cast spells while hardly ever using fox form, and that light armour would be in melee range fox form with a tanker pet?

i'm really trying to find that niche' to go towards i guess. i don't want to be a gimped wizard or glorious blademaster that has a pet, but there is some appeal to venomancer that makes me have to make one.

comments?

You would be just a little wrong by assuming Arcane(Pure Mage) Veno would just stand back and cast but there's many functions and roles one can do and play as almost any Build and Set. As Pure Mage you will be amplified in Magic Attacks, Techniques, and a few Supportive moments by healing others pets etc.

As a Pure Mage you don't only have to stay in Human, you could use Foxform to decrease the chance of a death when being attacked, later on you'll have a choice to make of this, either more P.Def percentage added while in Foxform or a short extra boost in movement speed, with each of these 2 choices you will receive a "bonus" of immunity to movement speed debuffs or negative effects(another way of saying DOT and movement speed debuff).

Also, there's 4 skills to the right side of a Venos Skill sheet before you head into the main Foxform skills. The 4 skills are listed "Purge, Amplify Damage, Degeneration, and Crush Vigor. Although Purge and Amplify are used the most while in Foxform as Pure Mage, the other 2 might come in handy depending of the occasion and challenge.

I don't really understand why people think Venos won't be good for Zhen, part of their job as Pure Mage is to inflict Magic DMG, Pure Mage are also equipped with AOE Skills, rather than normal Cast, Cast, Cast combo. At first to use the AOE you would be closer than usual since these skills wont be maxed ASAP. This means you could choose on the battlefield, either run to the group where a lot of fights are and help by casting your AOEs than work around that area by attacking the singles who are straying from the area, or other way around. Another thing you could do, since you will obtain DOT, Movement Speed Debuff, and Stun attacks is to set your objective fully on clerics, archers, mages, then send your pet in after them, stun them or use a debuff to slow them and they will be running.

LhRag - Sanctuary

i use light armor, my hits may not be as hard as pure mage builds, but its good enough to kill mobs, most of the time they dun respawn so fast anyway

kaznar

thanks for all the comments everyone. i think i might stat up for +3 MAG / +1 STR (every two) and save the extra points for the first chunk of levels just to see if i do okay with that. if not then i can always change over to light armour after looking at skills and toying around for a while.