51 Mage Build/Guide to beat 51 Bears

[Impact]

Sorry, but I really disagree with the 1 Frostbite. At 1, Frostbite has such a short freeze debuff, and at 6, not only does it have a longer debuff than its cooldown, it also has an additional debuff (Hit% and something else.. I forget). You wouldn't need that extra freeze debuff from Icestorm if you have a 6 Frostbite..

And do not waste Firestorm trying to knock the opponent back out of range. There is a range glitch plus the issue of Global Cooldown Time, and the bear WILL hit beckon. Just go with the Frostbite first.

Not to bash your guide, but I'm just stating a few pointers.

Edit: Also, the staff set is a big no no. You already drop down super low from beckon + SMS + stomp with a wand set, you'll get so screwed on with a staff.

Yep, no matter how gud u are will ranges a bears beckon is like 14m....

[Vvriter]

Yep, no matter how gud u are will ranges a bears beckon is like 14m....

If a Bears beckon is 14m, then I've seen Firestorms knock back even more than 14m.

[DivineMoustache]

The point of long range firestorm is not to knock back beckon out of range per say, but to make it easier to avoid CB and crippling slash, the two banes of every mages existence. Good guide bro!

[Vvriter]

The point of long range firestorm is not to knock back beckon out of range per say, but to make it easier to avoid CB and crippling slash, the two banes of every mages existence. Good guide bro!

Exactly. Thanks mate!

[Laar]

The point of long range firestorm is not to knock back beckon out of range per say, but to make it easier to avoid CB and crippling slash, the two banes of every mages existence. Good guide bro!

Good point. You got me.

And about your earlier point about having staff against a bear, its still not good. You and I both know bears have a bunch of damage, and if you say you have to match it, then what? They still have a ton dodge and armor, and they would out tank you while beating you down. Sure, it's only just 20 more armor points, but it helps. And besides, you're only losing -20 damage, and you still have a ton of damage to work with (Drain with wand as a pure mage is up to 430+ damage). Seeing as you can't run away since you have to utilize your debuffs, you need that tank. Even with a Blessing of Vitality, bears still have a ton more tank UNBUFFED. Theyre gonna take you down "slowly" (idk if it's going to be slow), and in that time, you need to damage the bear, and to last long enough, you need that bracer and wand.

[Vvriter]

Good point. You got me.

And about your earlier point about having staff against a bear, its still not good. You and I both know bears have a bunch of damage, and if you say you have to match it, then what? They still have a ton dodge and armor, and they would out tank you while beating you down. Sure, it's only just 20 more armor points, but it helps. And besides, you're only losing -20 damage, and you still have a ton of damage to work with (Drain with wand as a pure mage is up to 430+ damage). Seeing as you can't run away since you have to utilize your debuffs, you need that tank. Even with a Blessing of Vitality, bears still have a ton more tank UNBUFFED. Theyre gonna take you down "slowly" (idk if it's going to be slow), and in that time, you need to damage the bear, and to last long enough, you need that bracer and wand.

When I say you have to match their damage, I mean you have to atleast get the highest damage you can possibly achieve without degrading most of your other stats (EX.20 DMG for 20 Armor in this case). There's a reason why I implemented nightmare in this build, just for the dodge and armor debuffs. At this stage both you and the Bear will not have armor buffs, (making you both squishy) which is why having High Dmg is crucial. At this stage of the fight, most Mages lose because they try to either tank or run away, when in reality you should be trying to nuke/kite the bear 6-8m style as it is to you 3-4m style. This is why most bears use the Sewer King Bow instead of the Fury Fighter Sword/Axe & Shield...for DMG, and believe me, besides DMG, the FF gear has way better stats than the SK Bow (You can combine with other shields/wings as well for even better stats). You already have enough armor as it is, your survivability is fine without a Bracer, just as a Bear's survivability is fine without a Shield, and not only is your survivability stable, but with a staff it's also improving your damage (This is also a reason why I picked 67 Dex, to maximize the dmg since Dex rings have the best stats dmg-wise). "and in that time, you need to damage the bear, and to last long enough, you need that bracer and wand."No...what you need is pure damage because every hit counts seeing how bears still have decent dodge while under the effects of debuffs, with more armor you are just lingering your demise, and aren't you the one that told me CDs are important? You're just giving the bear opportunities to use that high dmg combo they love so much..."Smashed".

[Laar]

You say making us both squishy, which you say is a good reason to use damage over armor. Well, bears use bows with a mix of STR gear, while you're just mainly damage without buffs. Bears still have massive damage without buffs, and are still really tanky. What's worse is that you don't have much sustain unbuffed, so it makes matters worse. You have enough damage, well over 200 to be specific. A mere 20 damage isn't going to help you much, you already have the damage to beat a bear. You need more sustain, especially when unbuffed.

[Vvriter]

You say making us both squishy, which you say is a good reason to use damage over armor. Well, bears use bows with a mix of STR gear, while you're just mainly damage without buffs. Bears still have massive damage without buffs, and are still really tanky. What's worse is that you don't have much sustain unbuffed, so it makes matters worse. You have enough damage, well over 200 to be specific. A mere 20 damage isn't going to help you much, you already have the damage to beat a bear. You need more sustain, especially when unbuffed.

When I said making us both squishy I was referring to the Bear and Mage fighting, not the comparisons between 20 armor and 20 damage, but since you've brought that up, what do you think a Bear with no buffs + debuffs (Another reason why nightmare is a good choice) is? He's damage without buffs. Also, he isn't as tanky to me as he may seem to you because I implemented nightmare in my build, another pro>con. You say "What's worse is that you don't have much sustain(armor I assume) unbuffed", but with nightmare in my build - neither does the Bear. This is why Damage is essential, because after their Ironblood fades away, as well as my BoV it becomes a "whoever can get a nuke in wins" type of fight, and that's also another reason why 2 Ice's is better, because this grants you two chances to nuke (as said previously), as well as an escape route if fully successful (Everything hits, which is a most likely chance with nightmare in build). And on that note, a mere 20 Armor won't help you as much as damage, especially when unbuffed because you have an arsenal of skills made for survivability/defense already (MS/Heal), you do not want to fully rely on your blessing for a decent Damage output, this is why Staff > Wand/Bracer at this level.

[Laar]

Ok, you have Nightmare. That's hardly throughput the whole fight, it has a fairly long cooldown, and nightmare barely lasts a few seconds. Same thing with Weakness, and during that long cooldown time that bear will wreck you. 20 points of armor helps quite a bit though.

[Fear]

Ok, you have Nightmare. That's hardly throughput the whole fight, it has a fairly long cooldown, and nightmare barely lasts a few seconds. Same thing with Weakness, and during that long cooldown time that bear will wreck you. 20 points of armor helps quite a bit though.

The dodge debuff last long enuff for a good long nuke

[Laar]

Ok, you have Nightmare. That's hardly throughput the whole fight, it has a fairly long cooldown, and nightmare barely lasts a few seconds. Same thing with Weakness, and during that long cooldown time that bear will wreck you. 20 points of armor helps quite a bit though.

The dodge debuff last long enuff for a good long nuke

Nope. Otherwise I would've had Nightmare a long time ago.

[Fear]

Nope. Otherwise I would've had Nightmare a long time ago.

nope? wut -.- dodge debuff (i always confuse the names) -> drain -> light -> ice -> fire. do it after u heal hs and is at 5-8m range. should be enough to make the bear at least back off you and regen. if it didnt have the debuff duration to that nuke. why is it even a skill....

[Vvriter]

nope? wut -.- dodge debuff (i always confuse the names) -> drain -> light -> ice -> fire. do it after u heal hs and is at 5-8m range. should be enough to make the bear at least back off you and regen. if it didnt have the debuff duration to that nuke. why is it even a skill....

This.