Lvl 55 Sewer vs. Lvl 60 Nuri Staff?

[Kelstrick]

I finally reached 60 and I’m looking to upgrade my gear. While I like the look of some of the Nuri gear, I’m somewhat concerned about the huge hit (-7 to -10) to Armor on swapping the staff.

Anyhow, for those who like to play with their “big stick” (so to speak), I was curious if you made the switch and did the improvement in Damage, Int & Crit make up for the lack of Armor? (See stat comparison below)

My plan is to stick with the mantra from the Enchantress guide of "never trade armor for other stats" and stay with my old, “slightly used” Mega Mage Gemstone Staff unless someone has experience that proves otherwise. (I know sometimes that paper builds don’t perform as well in reality, so I’m looking for a sanity check on my strategy…)

Sewer Queen's Gemstone Staff Level 55 162-200 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 12 Int, 6 H/s, 6 M/s, 16 Armor
Enchanted Gemstone Staff Level 55 164-202 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 14 Int, 8 H/s, 18 Armor
Mega Mage's Gemstone Staff Level 55 164-202 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 12 Int, 8 M/s, 18 Armor

Reptilian Staff of Charmin' Level 60 175-213 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 20 Int, 5% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 9 Armor
Nuri's Reptilian Staff Level 60 174-212 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 22 Int, 5% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor
Glyph Staff of Charmin' Level 60 175-198 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 20 Int, 5% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 9 Armor
Nuri's Glyph Staff Level 60 174-197 Damage, 1.1 Speed, 22 Int, 5% Crit, 5 H/s, 5 M/s, 8 Armor

[Moogerfooger]

Have to look at skill damages too. I am in kind of the same boat, just hit 60 with my mage and am kind of underwhelmed at the stats of some of the gear.

I don't have a MM Gemstone Staff anymore, but here are the skill damages for the lvl 60 Nuri Glyph Staff. I unequipped everything else, including helm and vanity. Spells at lvl 6...could you post the numbers for the MM Staff? I am all INT, as well.
Lightning: 291-422
Fireblast: 304-418
Drain Life: 334-478
Heal: +132-270hp

[Kelstrick]

Sorry for the delayed reply. Here are my skill stats (all lvl 6) with MM staff equipped only. Please note I'm a classic Str/Int Mage (93 Str/210 Int with no gear) so we're not a perfect match, and looking at the numbers I'm not even in your ballpark! (Looks like if nothing else this question has made me seriously consider respecing to Pure Int!)

Ok, maybe I'm in the parking lot while you're on the field at the ballpark so at least we're at the same game?

Lightning: 261-373
Fireblast: 270-367
Drain Life: 300-424
Heal: +116-235hp

If I were Pure Int, I believe the skill stats would be somewhat closer (is there a back of the envelope calculation we could run, I'm thinking I would close the gap by at least 10 points by moving 92 stat points into Int) which leads me to seriously consider not giving up the 10 Armor that the switch from MM to Glyph would drive? (Even though I think the look of the Glyph Staff rocks!)

I appreciate the help on this academic drill!

[WhoIsThis]

It's not base damage that the new sets improve on nor armor.

It's the crit.

[Kelstrick]

I hear ya on the improvement to Crit. I suppose what I'm looking for is a 5% improvement in Crit in combination with a 6 to 8 improvement in Int worth the hit to Armor? (BTW, if its not, what improvements would make you think twice about giving up 10 Armor?)

I've only been playing since mid-June, so my instincts tell me no (especially given how hard the mobs hit in Nuri's), however I thought I'd ask just to ensure I wasn't missing something.

Given that so far nobody has rolled in with, "Kels, I'm a Nuri Map Clearing Machine using my fancy Glyph/Nuri Staff of whatever" I think I have my answer.

[Otukura]

It's not base damage that the new sets improve on nor armor.

It's the crit.

And an AOE attack/fire proc.

[Moogerfooger]

You could probably be all right with either, to be honest...like WhoIsThis and Otu have said, the Nuri gear has better crit and most probably (although not as big as it looks due to you having some Str and me none) slightly better skill damage and an AoE attack/fire proc, and the MM has better base damage and armor. Nuri's has better h/s to maybe offset the loss of armor to some degree, while the MM has better mana regen. Personal choice that depends on your play style, in the end

[friedkimchi]

The lvl 60 set seems balanced with 30 crit and decent enough h/s, m/s. Not too sure about how much armour you lose though.

I'm still sticking with my enchanted staff/wand bracer set till the other new map and drops come out.

[WhoIsThis]

The lvl 60 set seems balanced with 30 crit and decent enough h/s, m/s. Not too sure about how much armour you lose though.

I'm still sticking with my enchanted staff/wand bracer set till the other new map and drops come out.

None. You get 110 armor with the glyph charming staff set, compared to 105 with enchanted gemstone staff.

That said, 110 armor is hardly adequate for Nuri's Hallows. I'd have to say wand and bracer is best for PvE because most enemies hit so hard, unless you are using an elixir, in which case use the staff.

@Kelstrick:

Truth be told, I don't recommend staying with hybrid int. The slight gain in survivability isn't enough to offset the losses in damage compared to pure int. Alternatively, if you have a hard time surviving in Nuri's, consider pally.

[Kelstrick]

@ Otukura, thanks for the insight on the AoE fire proc. Thats an important piece of the puzzle I was missing! Unfortunately, I couldn't find it listed on Yanis' awesome list of Nuri Pinks. Does both the Glyph Staff of Charmin' & Nuri's Glyph Staff have the AoE fire proc? (I'm assuming the Reptilian Staff of Charmin' & Nuri's Reptilian Staff don't have an AoE since their damage is significantly higher than the "premium" pinks)

@WhoIsThis, based upon your comment & seeing Moogerfooger's skill stats, I think I'll finally take the plunge to Pure Int this weekend.

All, thanks for the advice and feedback. I truly appreciate your insight and guidance!

[WhoIsThis]

The Charming has the AOE and burn proc for sure. I own the level 60 set. IIRC the Nuri's one does too.

[Tamino]

Premise: I didn't played Nuri with my mage yet, only with bear. My impression? Nuri mobs attack is strictly time-dependant - the hardest attacks (debuffs?) don't start from first contact but a few instants later. As a consequence, quickly dispatch enemy groups is the best way to protect yourself, even better than armor. The Mage's gold rule "Never trade armor for other stat" don't hold anymore in Nuri. IMO, to be confirmed when I bring my mage there.

[wvhills]

I just started leveling my mage in nuri's and I don't have as much trouble surviving as I did with my bear.
I used to use a sewer queen staff set but upgraded to the enchanted staff set. If you alternate ur use of BoV and mana shield and always let the tank go in first the mobs are usually dead before they can do any real damage.
I'm at work right now and can't get in game to verify but I believe my firestorm maxes out at 438 and my heal at 260 something. I'm a level 56 pure with enchanted set. It seems like the big advantage to glyph is the crit and regen.