Build/Combo/Something for mages to survive when soloing?

[Misa]

I'm lvl 31 currently, and I'm trying to solo with my Mage Xenilty, but she keeps dying at some part of LE. Is there anything to keep her from being squished like an insect? I'm not sure about going pally, as I'm trying to farm using her, and I'm not sure whether my mana can keep up if I'm a pally. Then again, I don't have much experience so I could be wrong. Anybody got solutions?

[Royce]

If you are going to solo, go pally, or max your defensive skills: BOV, weakness (not magic shield, just 1 there). Save your shield for times when BOV self buff is off. The only self combo is either ice skill followed by firestorm. Icestorm->firestorm is particularly effective since it's AOE. Try to clear trash with nightmare->lightning->icestorm(only 1 point needed)->firestorm(careful where you knock when in groups). Try to pull minibosses and bosses to fight alone.

[Misa]

Okay, it must be because I'm using a pvp build... Ersana said he could solo alien oasis fine with his pvp build though. Maybe it's my gear. Does anyone know a good build for solo pve farming?

[Royce]

Well if you're using a PvP build go for fast killing instead of defense, get an AOE staff, buff up and blast stuff before it kills you ;) I crush through LE on my 30 mage and that was originally a FN PvE support build.

[Misa]

Mkay, but what Aoe staffs are there for lvl 30? The problem is, I need good gear, and in order to get good gear I need to farm, but in orde to solo farm, I need good gear... It's a vicious circle...

[Royce]

Ice Blast staff is the way to go at 30 (not icebolt which is not AOE). Brain freeze is the best and is now pretty cheap since they nerfed FN.

[Misa]

What's FN? And I have a brain freeze ice wand and plan on getting the rest of the set, is that good?

[Royce]

That's good, the best level 30 stuff, but not for clearing maps solo. You're gonna want a staff for that.
FN is frozen nightmares.

[Otukura]

You're pulling and kiting? I switch from pure int mage to pally, and so far it's been much better...

[Misa]

Hmm, if I wanna be a pally, what stats should I go for at the lvl 30 range band? And also, what skills and gear?

[Misa]

*B-b-b-ump!* Is it good for pure int mages to buy pots? I'm lvl 34 currently. If so, mana or health? Or should I put some points into str? I keeps dying when I try to solo at LE.

[Ellyidol]

Solo with an int mage is definitely hard. In ao3, i can only solo up to blue aliens. Yellows one by one. Anything excessive i need to use elixirs or i die.

Pally is definitely easier to solo with, but expect to be chugging down on pots especially in the lower levels. :)

[Misa]

Dang it. I should go for a pally then... *sigh* I need to hve a lucky break to support it... I'm trash poor now. What equipment should I go for at lvl 34? And I don't think wanna dual spec, just go all pally. I'm assuming I should go with just enough str to equip my level's items and rest int? I'm not too sure on what skills to add for a pally though...

[Ellyidol]

I'm not too familiar with level 30s gear, but I think copperhead is level 35? Not sure really, yanis' thread always helps :)

Yup, enough strength to equip gear. Even if you go dual, it doesn't mean that your gonna stay int mage. You can play pally yet have dual stats, its actually better IMO since you get more to add to int.

Skills should be just the same as an int mage, mine are.

[Royce]

If you're going pally at 35, get as much zombie gear as you can, and use a trident, pitchfork or lizard lance. Zombie gear will give you decent regen (if you don't have it, you will spend a fortune on pots until you can get some Thoth/Isis gear, and those weapons break armor.

[Misa]

Thanks, but your answers made more questions:

If dual spec is better, how would it work for a lvl 34? Just divide the amount of stats I have by two, then put those into str and int? Or...? Dual spec has always been confusing for me.... Now even more so when it's for lower levels...

And should I buy pink gear at this stage? Or should I buy greens and purps? I'm running out of money...

[Royce]

Well basically you will want enough Str to wear the gear you plan to use (you could use stat boosting gear like a dual spec to minimize Str but you don't have to while leveling and it would require you to buy some expensive twink items to do it). If you can afford pinks, get em, particularly zombie as I said (2 M/s each piece), but if you can't, then go for mana regen greens (crusader I believe now has 1 M/s), or even oranges (crocs have 1 M/s).

[Misa]

What about skills? Anybody got a skill layout, one for a pure int and one for a pally for lvl 35, not a lvl 50 one? And which is better, nightmare or weakness? I'm trying to solo LE, so consider that when you think of a layout...

[TheLaw]

Considering yo're at 35, I'll recommend 3-3 Nightmare-Weakness. Both does fair amount of debuff.

[Misa]

Mkay, now how about the other skills...

[Royce]

A typical 35 PvE build I might use (and recommend for the pally), is:
5, 0, 5, 1
5, 1, 0, 3
3, 1, 5, 5

A build I've been experimenting with for a 35 PvE Int mage going for maximum AOE damage (experimental so use at your own risk ;) and meant to be used with voodoo master set) is like this:
4, 0, 5, 1
5, 5, 0, 0
5, 1, 3, 5
It's fun, you kill stuff really fast, and get a lot of wows and how do you do thats from other 35s ;)

[Windwolve]

Yup, noticed that too :p

[Palyna]

I used to be a paper doll when I was full int~ Always dying when facing too many yellow aliens. So i put 95 into str, and I feel much stronger when soloing. Although the damage is slightly lesser but I like it.

[Misa]

A typical 35 PvE build I might use (and recommend for the pally), is:
5, 0, 5, 1
5, 1, 0, 3
3, 1, 5, 5

A build I've been experimenting with for a 35 PvE Int mage going for maximum AOE damage (experimental so use at your own risk ;) and meant to be used with voodoo master set) is like this:
4, 0, 5, 1
5, 5, 0, 0
5, 1, 3, 5
It's fun, you kill stuff really fast, and get a lot of wows and how do you do thats from other 35s ;)


OMG! That pally build is exactly what I made for myself! Amaazziinngg! I just changed to a pally, but I still die and what's worse, I'm chugging lots of pots! I keep panicking when I'm about to die, and then I can't keep a clear head... Are there any tips/tricks for me to keep alive and destroy before they kill me?

[Fyrce]

Practice a skill series, maybe write it down. Practice, practice, practice. Also, run in when you have mana shield avail, then run away when you don't might help you. And coordinate that w/ your iron blood. Like Iron Blood in betw your shields or something.

I don't really have mages that are too squishy and I don't have a high level pally (didn't like the play as much as I liked my int mage), so I think there's a way. You'll just have to try it out. Maybe you have to split mobs apart more. Though I really like to kite boss and use AOEs to kill minions while also killing boss.

I also end up in multi-mage groups a lot and generally all heal. If not, particularly in LE, just say "heal for ice" and generally that makes all the mages spam heal as much as heal can be spammed. Helps a lot. In other areas, you can try "heal for stun," "heal for break armor," etc. No idea why just "heal" doesn't make mages heal more, but generally it doesn't.

Other thing to note is whether you are dying at low health (just remember to use hp pot) or at high health (you'll need to keep your hp almost perfect then). Noting this will determine whether you spam hp pots or just use them casually.

Pally build is more mana pot intensive. You might also consider having some INT and using a lower level wand/staff for a ranged attack for when range is a better option.

[Icicle Wind]

Well, LE is probably the toughest dungeons to solo before AO3 for all classes, so it's given you would fail more of less. To fail less, you should think more before acting. Even though mages are supposed to be nuke machines with little defense, you shouldn't expect pulling six mobs at once and survive. The little gorillas are especially annoying(not only that they freeze, but they do insane amounts of ranged damage and still has decent armor, much more dangerous than grownup gorillas to mages), I would think twice before charging into a pack of them even with BoM and BoV on.
And I hardly believe paladins would do much better than int build in LE+swamp due to the high armor, high damage of the mobs.

[FluffNStuff]

The real question should be why do you want to solo? Game is funner in groups, and you get experience faster.

[Misa]

I'm already over the xp limit for LE, and I heard it's a good place to farm for gold....