Question about the wizard class

Naeva - Sanctuary

My wizard is currently at lv 22, and I have chosen to follow the light armor build which I read about in another post on the forum since I thought it would be the easiest for me. I also read that the survivability for a wizard isn't the best but still I think mine is worse than that if it wasn't for the charm you get in the beginning I would have died several times already. I feel confused and is wondering if it is supposed to be like this or am I doing something the wrong way?

Ursa - Dreamweaver

wizard just take some time to get used to. play it more, don't quit, try to se what are the best combo skills, you'll find your groove.

lasttemplar

Cholla - Harshlands wrote: »

Another issue could be your tactics. Unless you can drop your opponents in just a few shots, you should usually spend some of your time running away, and waiting for your good skills to cool off. You should also put your mouse over your opponent's element (in the targeting display on top of your screen) to see which elements it is weak against. You usually should avoid using a monsters own element against it (do not attack water monsters with gush).

I beg to differ with your comment about gush not being used against water mobs. Its actually the only skill I would strongly recommend to use against a same element mob, simply because Gush slows and it has a very low channeling and casting time. These two characteristics greatly justify its use despite the reduced damage, at least until you can get Will of the Phoenix and Distance Shrink

And now for the OP, here are some tips:

1-Do NOT under ANY circumstances use or even learn Hailstorm at the lower levels. You may want to start considering to use it by the time you hit level 85. It will more often than not attract the attention of several mobs at once, which for you means run until they stop chasing you or die. Its a bad spell and you should NOT use it

2-You should always be aware of what mobs are aggresive (Will attack you if you get too close to them) and which are "passive" (Only attack you when you attack them). You should always plan how you kite and how you approach mobs very carefully so you dont get another mob to attack you at the wrong time (When youre already busy with a mob or when you are casting your buffs, for instance)

3-Absolutely always start attacking mobs from maximum distance. You need all the distance you can get so you can do as much damage as possible before the mob catches up with you (if at all)

4-If you are ever attacked by a mob you havent hit, you should always without exception run away from them (They eventually stop chasing you). It doesnt matter if you were one hit away from killing a mob or if you were at full health, you should only ever try to kill mobs youve hit first and from maximum range and only one at a time. Anything else is VERY bad for you and you should not even try to fight

5-Always have Stone Barrier cast on yourself and leveled as high as you can. This, if nothing else, will help with your survivability

6-Always keep a good stock of healing potions (Around 30-50) and keep them asigned to one of your quick slots. Use one whenever you think youll lose 50% of your health or more. Better safe than sorry. If you try to use it when youre very close to dying, it might not heal you quickly enough to prevent it

Mumintroll - Heavens Tear

lasttemplar wrote: »

I beg to differ with your comment about gush not being used against water mobs. Its actually the only skill I would strongly recommend to use against a same element mob, simply because Gush slows and it has a very low channeling and casting time. These two characteristics greatly justify its use despite the reduced damage, at least until you can get Will of the Phoenix and Distance Shrink

And now for the OP, here are some tips:

1-Do NOT under ANY circumstances use or even learn Hailstorm. It is a horrible spell with few advantages (If you can call them that) and lots of downsides. Its a weak AoE with bad cooldown and a very unreliable effect. It will more often than not attract the attention of several mobs at once, which for you means run until they stop chasing you or die. Its a bad spell and you should NOT use it

I would say in low levels. I'm using hailstorm quite often. Especially in instances. Is not as bad, as you can think. And I cannot wait to get my sage version of this spell. b:victory

HeavenIy - Heavens Tear

Naeva - Sanctuary wrote: »

My wizard is currently at lv 22, and I have chosen to follow the light armor build which I read about in another post on the forum since I thought it would be the easiest for me. I also read that the survivability for a wizard isn't the best but still I think mine is worse than that if it wasn't for the charm you get in the beginning I would have died several times already. I feel confused and is wondering if it is supposed to be like this or am I doing something the wrong way?

Maximize your damage; as a wizard leveling up I almost never got hit. I don't know why people complain about dying alot etc. lol

Make sure you always have one of the best weapons available; at your level that would be the level 20 sword you get for free from the supply stash.

Also make sure your pyro and gush are maxed out at the very least, along with your Stone Barrier (it doubles your physical defence)

Always start maximum distance from mobs and start with pyrogram. This is because pyrogram will still be in the air and the hit will be unregistered by the time you start channeling gush. This way you can get more hits in within a shorter time frame; damage per second is key.

You should be killing things before they reach you, the only thing that I can remember that gave me probelms was ranged mobs (especially the "I'm going to shoot you as I fall to the ground" bull ****) and for that you can always get some help etc.

GL and don't give up; max your skills and get a better weapon (even if you're LA it shouldn't be gimping your damage that badly)

Also once you get them; learn to use distance shrink and Phoenix to keep your distance

Mahdust - Harshlands

lasttemplar wrote: »

I beg to differ with your comment about gush not being used against water mobs. Its actually the only skill I would strongly recommend to use against a same element mob, simply because Gush slows and it has a very low channeling and casting time. These two characteristics greatly justify its use despite the reduced damage, at least until you can get Will of the Phoenix and Distance Shrink

And now for the OP, here are some tips:

1-Do NOT under ANY circumstances use or even learn Hailstorm. It is a horrible spell with few advantages (If you can call them that) and lots of downsides. Its a weak AoE with bad cooldown and a very unreliable effect. It will more often than not attract the attention of several mobs at once, which for you means run until they stop chasing you or die. Its a bad spell and you should NOT use it

I personally really like it, sure it does low damage on single targets, but i use it a ton in BHs when we have a good BM keeping aoe aggro. It doesn't do a lot of damage on singles, but if there's a big group around a BM, i always phoenix -> hailstorm.

2-You should always be aware of what mobs are aggresive (Will attack you if you get too close to them) and which are "passive" (Only attack you when you attack them). You should always plan how you kite and how you approach mobs very carefully so you dont get another mob to attack you at the wrong time (When youre already busy with a mob or when you are casting your buffs, for instance)

This is true.

3-Absolutely always start attacking mobs from maximum distance. You need all the distance you can get so you can do as much damage as possible before the mob catches up with you (if at all)

" "

4-If you are ever attacked by a mob you havent hit, you should always without exception run away from them (They eventually stop chasing you). It doesnt matter if you were one hit away from killing a mob or if you were at full health, you should only ever try to kill mobs youve hit first and from maximum range and only one at a time. Anything else is VERY bad for you and you should not even try to fight

Honestly you don't need to be so strict on this, once you get DS and phoenix you can kite a mob from just about any distance. Just be aware of if the mob is ranged or melee, if it's ranged then unless you can kill it in 2 hits get out of it's range. I also find myself taking on more than 1 melee mobs because phoenix is an aoe. Its okay to live by this, but if you're confident and you know how to kite then do whatever you want.

5-Always have Stone Barrier cast on yourself and leveled as high as you can. This, if nothing else, will help with your survivability

You should only have this on if you can't kill the mob before it hits you, otherwise you should be using glacial embrace. It helps a TON with mana regeneration and i use like 5x as much as SB

6-Always keep a good stock of healing potions (Around 30-50) and keep them asigned to one of your quick slots. Use one whenever you think youll lose 50% of your health or more. Better safe than sorry. If you try to use it when youre very close to dying, it might not heal you quickly enough to prevent it

True.

And btw, if you feel like you're taking too much damage when you get hit, you're doing everything right. The point is to kill the mob before it hits you, so you don't lose 1/8 of your hp.

MagicHamsta - Lost City

HeavenIy - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Maximize your damage; as a wizard leveling up I almost never got hit. I don't know why people complain about dying alot etc. lol


You should be killing things before they reach you, the only thing that I can remember that gave me probelms was ranged mobs (especially the "I'm going to shoot you as I fall to the ground" bull ****) and for that you can always get some help etc.

me so agree
(>.<)
being a wizard is easy~
except those darn archer mobs that shot you after they die...
b:sweat

well good luck to teh OP.
(^.^)

Naeva - Sanctuary

Thanx for many great answers, I still have much to learn about the wizard class


Which skills are the best to upgrade?, I have upgraded the first 3 every time it has been possible. I also have the first lv of the stone barrier should I upgrade it as much as I can?

Thrasymachus - Sanctuary

Don't let things hit you, even in LA, you have to learn to kite. All our DD skills are ranged, so you should make your best effort to always be at range when you fire them.

Target a mob way outside your range then hit your nuke spell, which at your level is either SR or DP. You'll run toward the mob until you get in range. If the mob starts walking toward you while you're running at it, abort. Wait for it to be standing still or walking away from you before you try to cast on it.

As soon as you see the blue channeling bar start filling up, hold down the S key and keep it down. As soon as you start to run (or swim or fly), hit your gush, keeping the S key down. Your toon should stop, cast gush, then keep running. Keep the S key down and alternate pyro and gush. Your toon will run -> cast -> run -> cast. This is kiting and should keep almost every melee mob from hitting you, and ranged mobs should only hit you once or twice.

If your toon starts to run toward the mob when you hit your spell as you're kiting, that means you're too far away, hit gush and let off the S key, when you see the blue channeling bar, hold down S again and continue kiting as ususal. If they start catching up, run for a little while while they're slowed before you cast gush again. AFAIK, you can't use macros and do this, so don't try to grind with macros.

Use your minimap and make sure you have the button pushed to make all the mobs show up as white dots on it (it's above your head, near the "best performance" toggle, I think). Plan your kiting route so you don't run into another mob or two. Don't hit if you see two (or more) mobs of the same type standing within one another's aggro radii, as you will aggro the other mob(s). If you do aggro more mobs, just run. You can try to select the new mob and gush him as you're running, which will certainly help you get away, but at this point, your primary goal should be to stay alive, which means running away from them till they reset. This is why planning your kiting route is so important, if you don't, and you run into other mobs, at best you've lost your original kill and probably took more damage than you otherwise would have, wasting both time and money in repair costs, at worst, you die, wasting more time and coin for repairs and possibly if you use pots to regen, as well as losing exp. Don't be zoomed all the way out on your minimap, I've found the next one in from all the way out, or the one after that, is best for planning routes.


It's almost never a good idea to just stand there and let any mob hit you while you unload on them, even if you can kill them before they kill you, as you take more damage than you need to. Don't stop kiting ranged mobs when they hit you. Otherwise, make sure your core skills are maxed, pyro, gush and SR, as well as GE, and do your best to stay on top of SB.

P.S. This is the most basic kiting strategy (well, actually, gush->run->gush->run is the most basic, but boring and lower dps.). Variations on this strategy can be employed to let you do things like kite and kill more than one mob at the same time. Skills you learn as you level up, like FoW and WoP will also let you change this strategy, and eventually abandon it in some situations. But you still have to learn the basic strategy to know when and how to adapt it. For example, I don't have to kite melee mobs at all anymore, just GS>pyro>Gush>pyro.WoP>gush>SR/pryo and most earth/wood/non melee mobs are dead, and I didn't have to move an inch, and only get hit maybe one out of every ten mobs I use it on. When I can level up GS for the longer slow, it will be even more effective since I can replace that first pyro with a SS. Water, metal and fire mobs have their own combos that are as effective. Still have to kite archers though, and it still makes sense to kite ranged magic mobs.

Ursa - Dreamweaver

lasttemplar wrote: »

1-Do NOT under ANY circumstances use or even learn Hailstorm. It is a horrible spell with few advantages (If you can call them that) and lots of downsides. Its a weak AoE with bad cooldown and a very unreliable effect. It will more often than not attract the attention of several mobs at once, which for you means run until they stop chasing you or die. Its a bad spell and you should NOT use it

you my friend are waaaaay off. Hailstorm is one of the nice spells a wizard can use. True, it only shows its power once is maxed but to say "NOT under ANY circumstances" tells me you're either a lowbie that has no idea how a wizard is played at 85+ or one that plays on a private server. Whatever the case, please think before you post or else you're going to get much shorter replies like "you're a moron" to your posts from other wizards.

HeavenIy - Heavens Tear

lasttemplar wrote: »

1-Do NOT under ANY circumstances use or even learn Hailstorm. It is a horrible spell with few advantages

Hey dude; you're a moron b:bye

Naeva - Sanctuary

So hailstorm is worth upgrading? there seems to be many opinions which skills you should and shouldn't use.

Thrasymachus - thanx, off to practies

lasttemplar

Ursa - Dreamweaver wrote: »

you my friend are waaaaay off. Hailstorm is one of the nice spells a wizard can use. True, it only shows its power once is maxed but to say "NOT under ANY circumstances" tells me you're either a lowbie that has no idea how a wizard is played at 85+ or one that plays on a private server. Whatever the case, please think before you post or else you're going to get much shorter replies like "you're a moron" to your posts from other wizards.

Its a safe bet that 85+ isnt the OPs immediate concern, or if it will even be a concern (No offense to the OP). But since it means so much to you, Ill edit my post later

That being said, Im not oblivious to the fact that I can be wrong. Yes, Hailstorm may have its uses, but they are so very limited they just dont seem all that worthwhile to me, and since you really didnt give me any solid details as to what makes Hailstorm so great, at lvl 85, maxed or otherwise, I see no reason to take back my statement. And even if I was to grant your claim, thats still at least 85 levels in which Hailstorm does not really shine. By 85, Hailstorm will have to be obscenely good to justify its pitiful existance before that point, and I seriously doubt it will

Im an adult. Teenagers calling me a moron over the Internet because my opinion isnt the same as theirs isnt really a huge concern to me. And if its adults, I may chuckle a bit about it, but thats about it

And, if I offended you, sorry. It wasnt my intention

Whiteleo - Lost City

My hailstorm lvl 1 b:bye
obvious i will max it later but why would i max HS while i have so many better skill to max ? like BIDS, BT , FOW , DS etc

PS : Pyro, Gush, SR, SS, GS, DB, BT ,FOW all maxed
PSS : i have all 3 79 skills which need 1mil SP for each skills, and now working on BIDS to max

CeliaZ - Sanctuary

Whiteleo - Lost City wrote: »

My hailstorm lvl 1 b:bye
obvious i will max it later but why would i max HS while i have so many better skill to max ? like BIDS, BT , FOW , DS etc

PS : Pyro, Gush, SR, SS, GS, DB, BT ,FOW all maxed
PSS : i have all 3 79 skills which need 1mil SP for each skills, and now working on BIDS to max

Because HS is not expensive at all, I have almost everything maxed now exept my ults and FoW...

Whiteleo - Lost City

CeliaZ - Sanctuary wrote: »

Because HS is not expensive at all, I have almost everything maxed now exept my ults and FoW...

for 7x 8x yes you r correct
but not for low lvl like OP , u know that we lack SP bad at low lvl

Mumintroll - Heavens Tear

Hailstorm in higher level you MUST have. Is absolutely insane in instances. When tanker BM has agro and fighting with multiple mobs. I'm doing normal damage with hailstorm around ~3800(if I remember correctly), in multiple targets. With sage version I can hit(every 3th hit) with another damage around ~+3000 together is ~6800 which is very nice.b:thanks So don't forget level up hailstorm at 75+.

Cryxtal - Sanctuary

I must say i use hailstorm way hell more than phoenix actually ! In instances like Frost, ur hailstorm's immobilise isssss superb. But it all depends where u are too, no one really uses phoenix in Frost unless u are smart enough to knock back mobs into the wall so they dont spread out leaving e BM still able to aoe them.

Even when it comes to 1 on 1 with mobs, ill use hailstorm as a starter sometimes. If u get an immobilise thats good, if not, u still got Gush / phoenix/ FoW.

Naeva - Sanctuary

I have been training the kite technique, It works well most of the time and I am slowly learning the best ways to do it. But lately I got really big problems when using the kite technique on wolf enemies:

1) I "nuke" (think its called that) them with Divine Pyrogram which I read in another thread was good to start out with.

2) I hold down the S button while the attack is channeling so my character runs as soon as it has cast the magic.

3) I stop at a good distance and cast gush which slows down the enemy, then I run again to get more distance.

4) At this time the wolf which is chasing me has almost half its HP left, this is where the problem starts. The wolf turns its back on me an run in another direction making space between us then it stops and start casting something which looks like bleed on me, my HP quickly falls and if I don't get help from someone or run like hell then I die. If I try to fight back in any way like casting gush I die while channeling.

This makes things very hard since I got a lot of wolf quests right now and I was wondering if there is a way to succeed without dying or joining a squad?

Wahida - Dreamweaver

Naeva - Sanctuary wrote: »

4) At this time the wolf which is chasing me has almost half its HP left, this is where the problem starts. The wolf turns its back on me an run in another direction making space between us then it stops and start casting something which looks like bleed on me, my HP quickly falls and if I don't get help from someone or run like hell then I die. If I try to fight back in any way like casting gush I die while channeling.

This makes things very hard since I got a lot of wolf quests right now and I was wondering if there is a way to succeed without dying or joining a squad?

Distance Shrink backwards when he is casting, this will put you out of his range. So he won't hit you. then gush and move backwards. <-- repeat.

Whiteleo - Lost City

Naeva - Sanctuary wrote: »

I have been training the kite technique, It works well ...
1)
2)
3)
4)
This makes things very hard since I got a lot of wolf quests right now and I was wondering if there is a way to succeed without dying or joining a squad?

1) start with DPyro , as soon as DPyro is cast , Gush, S key (dont' run too far away tho) then Gush

so.. DPyro > Gush > S > Gush > S > Gush until mob die.
u can do that too DPyro > Gush > Pyro > S > Gush > etc..

and important is you must be pure arcane , so that your damage will high enough to finish off mob before they reach u
not sure u already learn DS or not?, DS is also a must have spell too.
may be you can use HP pot if u don't wanna kite too long.
you must kill mob as quick as possible and mob shouldn't reach you.kiting take some time tho b:surrender

at 49, you will get a skill Gsnare ,that will be your first opener
that's kill is great for kite, u will love it b:dirty

CeliaZ - Sanctuary

Wahida - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Distance Shrink backwards when he is casting, this will put you out of his range. So he won't hit you. then gush and move backwards. <-- repeat.

This particular mob she is talking about is somewhat between lvl 20-26. She doesnt have distance shrink yet.

Naeva - Sanctuary

My wiz is only at lv 25 so I haven't got Distance Shrink yet.

Do I have to be Pure mage, when I started my WIZ I read that I could build my WIZ as a light armor if I wanted so I only wear light armor and put the stats: 3mag, 1 dex, 1 str, is it impossible to survive as a light armor mage?

Ursa - Dreamweaver

lasttemplar wrote: »

Its a safe bet that 85+ isnt the OPs immediate concern, or if it will even be a concern (No offense to the OP). But since it means so much to you, Ill edit my post later

That being said, Im not oblivious to the fact that I can be wrong. Yes, Hailstorm may have its uses, but they are so very limited they just dont seem all that worthwhile to me, and since you really didnt give me any solid details as to what makes Hailstorm so great, at lvl 85, maxed or otherwise, I see no reason to take back my statement. And even if I was to grant your claim, thats still at least 85 levels in which Hailstorm does not really shine. By 85, Hailstorm will have to be obscenely good to justify its pitiful existance before that point, and I seriously doubt it will

Im an adult. Teenagers calling me a moron over the Internet because my opinion isnt the same as theirs isnt really a huge concern to me. And if its adults, I may chuckle a bit about it, but thats about it

And, if I offended you, sorry. It wasnt my intention

Look, you didn't offended me, no need to apologize. What bothered me was the fact that you said "never, under any circumstances". Under lvl 85 hailstorm is almost useless. But everything changes after. OP has no use for Hailstorm yet, but this topic is not read only by lvl 20 wizards and what someone says can be taken as is by others. Some like me will try to explain it and be more moderate (sometimes). Others will just make you a moron and browse to next topic.

Thrasymachus - Sanctuary

Let's see, those are the wolves near the mines, iirc, right? So those'll be the spearmen and archers, right, as well as the wolfkin? I think that some of those are water element mobs, so you'll want to change up your kiting technique a bit if they are. Instead of DP, start with SR. Continue to use gush, even if they are water element mobs, for the slow, and alternate with pyro. If you like, you can swap a few gushes for pitfall, but I believe the slow is not as reliable or long as with gush. (I'm not sure about that, I only use my DoT skills against bosses.) In other words, use your elemental advantages.

Also, if you see a mob you're attacking start to cast or draw his bow on you, DON'T stop running away from him so you can hit him too. Our casting time is way too long to try to beat mobs to the punch on any but the first hit, especially if they've started first. Run, and pray to whatever deity you wish that you get outside his range before he finishes. This is easier to do when you get distance shrink, but if you've been kiting properly, you should be able to outrun the mob's spell most of the time. Archer mobs are the big exception, since it seems like they can hit you as soon as they get in range. You will learn to hate archer mobs because of this, and their miraculous ability to hit you as they're falling down. Put up SB when going against archers to try to mitigate the damage they WILL cause, and don't stop kiting them.

When playing solo, you're best bet is to play your wizard like a craven little coward. Hit things from behind, and run away throwing spells behind you until your victim is dead. Think of it as a victim, and not an opponent or an enemy. Don't give 'em a fair fight, don't give 'em the opportunity to hit you even once if you can help it, and DON'T sacrifice your HP for offensive damage. Their hit against you takes a bigger portion of your hp than your hit against them will, almost every time, so it's not a good trade.

Part of your description of your kiting is worrying me too, and that is where you say you run, then stop and cast gush. Once you've started running away, don't let off the "S" key, keep it held down. As you're running, hit your hotbutton for your spell or click it in the window. Your toon will automatically stop, cast, then keep running. Don't ever stop running away until the mob is dead. If you don't have to go on a bit of a walk to get your drops, you're doing it wrong. The other thing is that if the wolves that cast bleed have to run away from you first, that means you're letting them get too close in the first place. This can happen at your level when you start off with a nuke like DP or SR, especially against fast mobs like wolves. So instead of starting with a nuke, start with gush. It'll take you a bit longer to kill without that big hit up front, but it's safer if you can slow 'em with the first hit. Also, if you know you're gonna get hit with that bleed, and that bleed is enough by itself to kill you, try hitting your hp pot before the bleed hits, all while continuing to run away, of course. The increased hp recovery might be enough to save you.

And don't get too discouraged. Iirc, I had a bit of a hard time there as well. Mobs get easier, you get more spells to help you kite and kill things better as you level up, and as you learn to play your class well.

Naeva - Sanctuary

Thanx for all great advices, they really work well. Some training and updated advices have made it easier to survive against the mobs. Also as a wizard newbie I am slowly learning when to run instead of taking up a fight even though it can be tempting.

At first I was a bit skeptic about the kite thing but now I find it rather fun and challenging as I always have to look for mobs which gives me a safe escape route. You just have to think a little bit extra all the time, and don't be afraid to be a coward

CeliaZ - Sanctuary

Naeva - Sanctuary wrote: »

Thanx for all great advices, they really work well. Some training and updated advices have made it easier to survive against the mobs. Also as a wizard newbie I am slowly learning when to run instead of taking up a fight even though it can be tempting.

At first I was a bit skeptic about the kite thing but now I find it rather fun and challenging as I always have to look for mobs which gives me a safe escape route. You just have to think a little bit extra all the time, and don't be afraid to be a coward

So glad you are enjoying your wizard, which is the only way to get confortable with our fantastic class. Good luck with everything, if you ever have questions you know where to find us:)

Thrasymachus - Sanctuary

Naeva - Sanctuary wrote: »

Thanx for all great advices, they really work well. Some training and updated advices have made it easier to survive against the mobs. Also as a wizard newbie I am slowly learning when to run instead of taking up a fight even though it can be tempting.

At first I was a bit skeptic about the kite thing but now I find it rather fun and challenging as I always have to look for mobs which gives me a safe escape route. You just have to think a little bit extra all the time, and don't be afraid to be a coward

That's the key to being a good wizard right there. Wizard is the thinking man's (or woman's) class. Never go into a fight without a plan and at least one contingency. And don't worry about being a coward because you have to run away from mobs in order to kill 'em solo. You'll have plenty of opportunity later to play the hero snatching aggro from a cleric who healed too close to mobs or a boss later. In fact, IMO, that's the difference between a brave wizard and a cowardly one, not how they play solo. A brave wizard is one that knows and fully accepts the fact that in a squad, he's the disposable one, and will gladly die to save the cleric. You're only brave if you're taking risks for someone else's sake, so you can only be a coward if someone else needs your help and you don't give it to save your own sorry butt. When you're playing solo, there's nobody else to save, so taking unnecessary risks to get a kill isn't brave, it's just stupid. Of course, learning which risks are too great is part of learning to play your toon, so noobs who make mistakes aren't stupid, they're just learning.

I understand you're LA. If your wiz is on the same server your veno is, then you might think about restatting to arcane sooner rather than later. The damage difference grows as you level up, and since you have to kite anyway, you might as well have the extra damage. It won't make a difference in how many hits it takes to kill a mob until later levels, but that bit of extra damage can make a difference in instances where, if everything goes right, you won't be getting hit at all. I don't think there's much difference in expense until you have to start refining your gear. Just use quest gear and any decent drops you get, don't bother buying gear from CS or AH unless you find a really good deal. Yes, your hp and pdef will suffer, but if you can kite well, you won't be taking many hits anyway. If your wiz is on a pvp server, you might want to stay LA for the extra survivability in case someone decides to pk you, though I understand the Hamster leveled up as arcane on a pvp server and seemed to do alright.

Mosabi - Heavens Tear

Thras got it....

It really is the thinking man/woman's class I played a veno and an archer and i felt my IQ dropped by 100 b:surrender

Mahdust - Harshlands

Thrasymachus - Sanctuary wrote: »

That's the key to being a good wizard right there. Wizard is the thinking man's (or woman's) class. Never go into a fight without a plan and at least one contingency. And don't worry about being a coward because you have to run away from mobs in order to kill 'em solo. You'll have plenty of opportunity later to play the hero snatching aggro from a cleric who healed too close to mobs or a boss later. In fact, IMO, that's the difference between a brave wizard and a cowardly one, not how they play solo. A brave wizard is one that knows and fully accepts the fact that in a squad, he's the disposable one, and will gladly die to save the cleric. You're only brave if you're taking risks for someone else's sake, so you can only be a coward if someone else needs your help and you don't give it to save your own sorry butt. When you're playing solo, there's nobody else to save, so taking unnecessary risks to get a kill isn't brave, it's just stupid. Of course, learning which risks are too great is part of learning to play your toon, so noobs who make mistakes aren't stupid, they're just learning.

I understand you're LA. If your wiz is on the same server your veno is, then you might think about restatting to arcane sooner rather than later. The damage difference grows as you level up, and since you have to kite anyway, you might as well have the extra damage. It won't make a difference in how many hits it takes to kill a mob until later levels, but that bit of extra damage can make a difference in instances where, if everything goes right, you won't be getting hit at all. I don't think there's much difference in expense until you have to start refining your gear. Just use quest gear and any decent drops you get, don't bother buying gear from CS or AH unless you find a really good deal. Yes, your hp and pdef will suffer, but if you can kite well, you won't be taking many hits anyway. If your wiz is on a pvp server, you might want to stay LA for the extra survivability in case someone decides to pk you, though I understand the Hamster leveled up as arcane on a pvp server and seemed to do alright.

I've done just fine so far too. ^-^ Imo PvP shouldn't influence your decision on stats early on, it doesn't make a difference at all unless you plan on participating in it at early levels, which i think is a bad idea, LA OR Arcane, unless of course, you have imba gear.

MagicHamsta - Lost City

b:shocked
does that mean me am playing the wizard class incorrectly?
b:infuriated
lols