How should I spend my skill points?

[Raazesk]

I'm a level 42 mage. So far I've focused only on INT.
Should I keep putting my points on INT, or should I put some one STR or DEX?
Thanks.

Here's my Stats:
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/Naythanial/IMG_0619.png
Without gear

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab162/Naythanial/IMG_0618.png
With gear

[kamikazees]

It depends on what you want. Do you want to have more armor and dodge, or more spell power and mana? Do you want to be able to wear str armor, or are you ok with int armor? I recommend full int, but it is a hard build to play. High risk, high reward.

[neko]

Hi Raazesk,

Cool colour transition you have in your signature!

As for your question, same as kamikazees, it all depends on your playstyles. Do you want a glass cannon (pure INT), Sherman tank (pure STR), or a blend of the two? It's all about trade offs, so, it's entirely up to you! There's no right or wrong answer.

The nice part of this game is that for just two plats, you can experiment/tweak as necessary.

[wvhills]

Go all int. If you have problems staying alive equip a bracer (an eye, doll, whatever) and a wand. That's what I do and I have 10k kills and 106 deaths (and most of those were lag while trying to rush to the bosses in swamps) so survivability isn't a problem. You could also get an armor ring if you really need it. Also, your mana regen should be pretty high now so make good use of mana shield. I spam heals in between my combo and lightning attacks but if I get in a tight spot and my health gets below half then I'll hit my mana shield (I save it for emergencies). This gives me time to get back to my party or fire storm the mob away. Put 1 skill point in mana shield, 1 in frost storm, max out lightning, firestorm, heal, BoM, and split the rest between BoV, nightmare and weakness. Spam BoM everytime it's available to keep your rage (and 70 crit), cast weakness when you get to a mob then nuke them with all you got! they can't hurt you if they're dead! :)

[Major]

Pure int all the way!!! Welcome to the community.

[KaotiicxDream]

Pure INT: The Nuking Mage
Pure DEX(or hybrid dex/int or Dual spec): Dexchantress
Pure STR(or Hybrid str/int or Dual spec): Paladin

Nuking mage gives very high aoe damage(area effect). Both Paladin and Dexchantress got lower aoe damage. Dexchantress will get higher dps from the normal attacks. Paladin will get good survivability with the strength gear.

My only mage (atm) is the Nuking mage. It works well for me ... anyway I'm only lvl 21..(In training under strong command).. It's much about playstyle.. I prefer Nuking mage ..

Hope this help ^^

[Raazesk]

kamikazees: I'm thinking that I want more armor, but I like my spell power. I don't know what to do.

neko: Thanks. As for my playstyle, I like to rush into the middle of the mob with my BoM and Mana Shield, and use firestrom, the ice one, and the lightning one, then run and heal, and just kite the rest.

robert7204 : I use a wand and bracer too, I don't like staves. And thanks for all the info!

Major: Thank you!

KaotiicxDream: Thank you, it does help.

[Otukura]

Oh, good good, a pure. Easier to explain.

my recommended skill build for that lvl:

1-6-6-1
6-1-6-0
0-1-6-6

Make either one of the two 0s a one, it's dmg vs survivability.

It sounds like you don't use combos...

I'd suggest ice storm, lighting, firestorm in quick succession. Ice storm followed by firestorm with a short delay in the middle is a combo, and deals extra damage.

If you want help with PVP, ask, it's one of the best parts of the game. I learned about it too late. Was never one for PVP in most other games.

[Raazesk]

Otukura: Thanks! You're right, I don't really use combos. I didn't know they did extra damage. . .
As for PvP, I'll probably check it out again, I haven't done it for a while. If I have any questions, I'll be sure to ask.

[kamikazees]

I really think people put too much weight on str for a mage, or "going pally." Surviving as a pure int mage really is not that hard until you get to Balefort Sewers.

I am a pure int mage but was a paladin from lvl 45 to 51. I had over 20k kills and 200 deaths when I got to Balefort Sewers. Unfortunately, I tried to keep using my staff there and got owned like 400 times. Yes, 400 times. It was sad, but I didn't want to give up my staff. For me as a staff user, there was a STEEP learning curve there.

I finally switched back to a wand/bracer and now I rarely die in BS. I will not likely go back to paladin. I use MM robe and cowl, and adept wand / flusher bracer. Defense is about 125 and I'm fine as long as I'm not tanking. I can even do Daily Quests solo. If I die now it's usually because I let cockroach get too close, or use firestorm over a grate.

I still miss the staff, and I'm working toward crafting a gemstone staff enchanted set. I'm hoping the +30 h/s from that set will let me go back to staff. I'm about 2/3rd the way there with materials!

The lesson I took from my experience is that a paladin may be able to survive anything, but is not good at killing everything. A staff user is good at killing everything, but is not good at surviving anything. A wand / bracer is a little from both worlds. I'm hoping an enchanted staff user is the best of both worlds. We'll see.

[Raazesk]

Kamikazees: Thanks for that very informative anecdote! And 30 h/s?! That's intense. Good luck with your enchanted staff set!

Today I repec'ed my points into all STR, then STR/INT. I didn't like either. I think I'm just goIng to stick with my pure INT.

[NeoQueen]

Kamikazees: Thanks for that very informative anecdote! And 30 h/s?! That's intense. Good luck with your enchanted staff set!

Today I repec'ed my points into all STR, then STR/INT. I didn't like either. I think I'm just goIng to stick with my pure INT.

Just my belated 2 cents. I run an all INT Mage and I love it. The health and mana regen is beastly and I can still deal out heavy damage because my skill points go into my AOE weapons. Also, when running in a full group I feel that it is better to have a healing Mage than a warrior Mage. I let the bears and birds do the heavy duty work and I clear the stragglers and keep the team healthy and revived. Fair trade off in my opinion.

[IStrobe]

I'm level 21 and I'm a pally and I can survive easy just use your 2 buffs when you can for the health regen and extra stat boost for 20 sec. I try and keep my int and str about even it's my first time doing a spilt build and I'm doing just fine. Try and use only pink equips for more stat boostage

[WhoIsThis]

I think that you should make a decision after you play some of the upper levels. You'll find that Alien Oasis 3 and the Balefort Sewers become progressively tougher, and it will be easier to get yourself killed.

If you are comfortable with it, I'd recommend staying as pure int. The damage output is unrivalled against mobs and it does substantial damage against bosses (in fact you will find yourself holding the aggro often even with pure dex birds of your level). The biggest weaknesses are death from a one hit-ko (Mynas, Cockroach, Overlord) and from deaths where you die so quickly that you won't have time to hit the pot button.

Otherwise, if you find yourself more dying often than you'd like, then respec to either hybrid int (70% int, 30% str), or a dual-spec pally (about 50-50). Hybrid int is more survivable and the damage output is not radically less. Furthermore, you won't need booster sets to wear end-game equipment of your level.

By contrast, pally will require booster sets, and the damage output is significantly lower, but you will have a very high K/D ratio. Pallies in the hands of good players rarely die.

Edit: As mentioned by others, stay the way that you are for now, and make a decision after playing the levels.

[Raazesk]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate your input, and I will keep all that you have said in mind while I figure out what I am to be.

[kamikazees]

Kamikazees:Good luck with your enchanted staff set!
Thought I would give you an update since I've been running now with my Enchanted Cowl, Robe, Gemstone Staff set all weekend. Here are my impressions:

This set is AMAZING for a pure int mage. It is the hands down the most damage a mage can do. Literally, there is no stronger build. I can see now why it costs almost 2 million to buy (I crafted mine for significantly less because I'm poor!). The 30 h/s is equally good. It lets me not worry about fighting regular mobs at all, mostly. I can even tank some... with a STAFF. There are still a few mobs that worry me, namely archers in Hideout, Stronghold, mages in Catacombs, and bosses. Firegrates are also still a problem, as are exploding barrels. Even so, there are no staff users more durable than me. The tradeoff is the 18 m/s (37 before), which is usually sufficient. I still use less mana pots than I did health pots before. And I'm dying less.

I will get the Enchanted Wand/bracer next. Unfortunately, that's another 2 million and I only have about 200k right now. I think the wand / bracer combo will allow me to not worry about ANY mobs (although still sweating firegrate criticals), at the cost of a few damage points. That will only be like 13 m/s though, so I'll use that set when I'm the only mage, or when there isn't a good tank. Hope this info helps you with your mage build!

[WhoIsThis]

Thought I would give you an update since I've been running now with my Enchanted Cowl, Robe, Gemstone Staff set all weekend. Here are my impressions:

This set is AMAZING for a pure int mage. It is the hands down the most damage a mage can do. Literally, there is no stronger build. I can see now why it costs almost 2 million to buy (I crafted mine for significantly less because I'm poor!). The 30 h/s is equally good. It lets me not worry about fighting regular mobs at all, mostly. I can even tank some... with a STAFF. There are still a few mobs that worry me, namely archers in Hideout, Stronghold, mages in Catacombs, and bosses. Firegrates are also still a problem, as are exploding barrels. Even so, there are no staff users more durable than me. The tradeoff is the 18 m/s (37 before), which is usually sufficient. I still use less mana pots than I did health pots before. And I'm dying less.

I will get the Enchanted Wand/bracer next. Unfortunately, that's another 2 million and I only have about 200k right now. I think the wand / bracer combo will allow me to not worry about ANY mobs (although still sweating firegrate criticals), at the cost of a few damage points. That will only be like 13 m/s though, so I'll use that set when I'm the only mage, or when there isn't a good tank. Hope this info helps you with your mage build!

Not a flawless set IMHO. It's a compromise, just like every other build. A good one no doubt, but with its flaws. Even with the proc, it's not consistent and the bracer + wand set offers better protection overall. Plus, there's the issue of mana regen. Enchanted just doesn't have enough, even with a ring. As I found out the hard way, this can be a serious flaw in PvP.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_qxqUJiD0__c/TccIHZiy-zI/AAAAAAAAAQY/Z_NV1P7xP7M/Enchanted%20Build%2056.png

Still, here it is for anybody that wants to see it.


I prefer the mega mage wand + bracer set for wand + bracer, as I don't want to worry about my mana and the survivability isn't that much better. Still, I'm probably going to buy a second mega mage wand and bracer just to craft it and see.

[Raazesk]

Kamikazees: Thanks for the update! It sounds like a pretty amazing set. And thanks for all your help.

WhoIsThis: Thanks for the picture.

[WhoIsThis]

How have things been in A03? You'll find that as you move up, there will be more aliens. The ones with the blasters can be really dangerous. Btw, if you need more pics for end game gear, don't be afraid to ask.

[Raazesk]

WhoIsThis: I haven't spent too much time in AO3. I've done the first level a few times - it's not so bad. I've tried the second and third, but they're a bit too tough for me.
And thanks. If it's not too much trouble, and if you have them, could you post a picture of the lv. 50 enchantress mystery gear?

[WhoIsThis]

I haven't completed the quest myself, but Yanis has:

http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb387/YanisW/YanisA56/IMG_1526.png

Commentary: Compared to other level 50 sets, the mystery gear has high damage but low armor. An alternative is the Keeper's Cosmos Set. I think that it is the best level 50 staff set.:

http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb387/YanisW/IMG_0995.png

Speaking of which, things will start to get difficult around level 3, Captive Audience, and 4, Intergalactic Combat. You'll need a bird to defeat the Galactic Overlord in level 5, This Ends Now! I'd recommend wearing a wand and bracer (shadow set is the best at level 50 due to its excellent damage and survivability).

[Raazesk]

WhoIsThis: Thanks for the speedy reply!