Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sorcery IV
The three of us have been somewhat off and on this last few days so I'm not quite the level I'd like to be. Nonetheless I have plenty of more titillatingly tasty information for my flying saucer friends. In this issue of Sorcery I will talk about level 25-35 abilities and revisit some familiar spells for yet another dive into tips and tricks for PvP and PvE.
Pay heed and even you could be as rich as us one day!
At level 28 and 31 you get a few more spells. The sexiness of one level 28 spell in particular is not immediately apparent...
Aether's Hold
Aside from doing a modest amount of damage, this spell will throw your target into the air for four seconds, rendering them unable to do anything. But it has a reasonably long cast time (2.8 seconds), a two minute duration and four seconds doesn't really seem like much of a window to do anything, right? I mean, it's great if you want to snare something that's melee in more style than Root for a quick getaway, but it's pretty underwhelming.
Aether Flame
Enter Aether Flame: an ability you'll pick up three levels later at 31. This spell can only be cast at things in the "Open Aerial" state, which means Aether's Hold and other class spells -- yes, Sorcerer isn't the only class that can do it. It's instant cast and has a 0.5 second cooldown (which is shorter than its animation) so you can spam it to your hearts content while the creature is floating in the air. When you first get this spell, you'll be hitting for about 450-500 damage per cast and will be able to get it off about four times before the spell expires. If you run forward as you cast each flame, you'll get +10% magical damage from the movement bonus.
Sounds decent? It gets better. As you level you will have access to +attack speed gear. This gear won't speed up your spells but what it will do is speed up the after-cast animation your character does before it lets you move or cast your next spell. Get up to +20% of this gear and a decent enough ping and you can fire seven Aether Flames during one Aether's Hold. I shouldn't really be going this high in this issue, but at 37 you get an additional AH-only ability that does even more damage and ends the AH effect.
The best use of this spell, aside from taking down monsters quickly of course, is to burst someone down without them being able to react -- this immediately would scream HEALERS to the PvP-inclined sorcerer but it also means any class you anticipate being able to seriously inhibit your ability to win within the next few seconds, such as someone trying to get a CC on you, someone prone to running, someone with a key ability about to cool down, etc. In addition, if somebody else uses their AH equivalent to throw an enemy up into the air, you can use Aether's Flame freely on their target. If on ventrilo, announce when you are about to use AH for full group synergy. And if you're a gladiator reading this, don't knock them down until the end of the AH! Let us get some pew pew lazers in!
There are two drawbacks to the spell: one, for its full effect, you need to be able to cast at your target unmolested. In a group PvP setting this may be easier said than done. Two, it appears to have two resist checks: one for the damage and one for the actual AH effect. If either of these components resist, your target won't get AH'd. In addition there appears to be a hidden AH resistance that raises with level; some abilities raise your resistance to it.
Boon of Clairvoyance
I have run into so many Assassins that don't realise we have this ability. Still, skilled scout classes will use Hide anyway in order to delay your reactions and get the advantage. Make sure to have this ability accessible for a speedy cast.
Zikel's Wisdom (Stigma)
I haven't seen this on the TB, but then I haven't exactly been religious about checking that tab. Perhaps it's for Asmodians only? Anyhow, this is essentially the [Talisman of Ephemeral Power] of Aion, for you WoW folks. Strike that -- for you old school WoW folks. With a 15 second duration and a 30 second cooldown, this effectively gives you +150 Magic Power as long as you remember to use it. The fact that you only have it up half the time isn't necessarily a drawback; you can use this when you need burst the most or when casting your most heavy damage spells in succession. +300 power is equal to about +25% spell damage. Remember that power caps out at about 1200, so if you're above 900 power, consider a different stigma or a different gear set.
Curse of Weakness (Stigma)
I should probably play with this stigma, as on paper it seems somewhat underwhelming. If your opponent doesn't shield or heal, this Curse will kill them after twenty spell casts on its own. That sounds great, and if this damage goes through shields it would definitely be worth considering. However if it doesn't go through shields, it won't do much against Sorcerers and Spirit Masters which practically gain their entire HP bar worth of damage absorption through shield when used in PvP. Clerics can simply dispel it. Other classes just don't use magic abilities enough for it to really shine.
That said I really need to purchase and toy with it. What if it works on PvE bosses -- an entire 5% of their health bar whenever they cast? Would Templar fall faster due to their high HP pools? Due to our high damage, would Clerics be more concerned about healing themselves rather than dispelling when facing one of us? I will get back to you on this ability.
Robe of Cold
The damage is nothing to write home about but that's not why you want this spell. If you thought we were overpowered versus melee already, this spell will just have you shaking your head. This is the perfect PvP robe to use, especially in a group PvP setting where it's a lot more difficult to keep tabs on all of your melee opponents. However, in settings where there is constant PvP or your burst is especially important, the other two robes may well take precedence.
"Aww hell, how am I gonna beat her now"
Boon of Iron-Clad
This is where duels and practice in PvP pays off. This spell may have a short duration but it basically means that besides sleep and tree, you cannot lose control of your character. Against some classes it's obvious when this should be used. Sorcerers? When they're casting Aether's Hold or about to Frozen Shock. Rangers? When they've placed their equivalent as a trap. For others, it's a little more guessy. Against Assassins and Gladiators you'd want to cast this as soon as they get in range of you after you've been kiting them around a little, or in anticipation of an Ambush. Practice really does bring out the best of this spell. Make sure you bind this to an easy-to-reach key.
Wind Cut Down (Stigma)
I haven't had a chance to try this spell yet. It looks fantastic: about the same damage as Flame Harpwn and it puts a bleed on the target, all in a quick cast package and an element that we don't have any other spells in. Its 16 second cooldown isn't too bad and the bleed passes through shields. According to comments, the bleed is two ticks of about 300 (power modified) damage at level 31. Very nice -- the thing is, it's a stigma ability. By the time you get this ability you've unlocked your third Stigma slot, but about now is when you need to start choosing what you really need. An AoE stigma's coming up. What will you ditch for it?
Tranquilising Cloud
By the time you get this spell, you've got lots of damage abilities already. Inferno does as much damage as your 2000DP ability so it's time to think about what else that DP can be spent on. Though expensive, this spell fits the bill. Be careful of using in a PvE setting due to its massive range; you could sleep monsters that weren't attacking you in the first place, which will annoy them. In a PvP setting however, this is essentially a Sleep Storm with an epic cooldown: insanely effective if you use it at the right time. Sleep a group then go to town on their healer or their squishies.
Inferno
I was excited about Aether's Flame and when level 31 came, so did I. But this spell stole the limelight: It's essentially an Aetheric Spell/Pandaemonium Focus that uses mana instead of DP and has twice the cast time. In fact in my testing, it does slightly more damage <.>.
It also looks incredibly cool.
The mana cost is somewhat hefty so make sure you cast Lumiel's Wisdom (if you still use that stigma) beforehand. The best time to use this in PvP is when your opponent is around half health (or whenever it's safe to use it if the situation is a bit prickly) for an ridiculously high chunk of burst they won't recover from.
Fire Burst (Stigma)
I found this Stigma last night and can't wait to equip it when I hit 34: Ice Sheet is getting the fuck out of here. With its twelve second cooldown granting us the ability to cast it multiple times per fight, this stigma could be called our first true AoE ability. It's quite good too: The damage of Flame Bolt hitting everything in a 5 meter area. In PvE this has its obvious use, although be careful of breaking CC or using it too quickly for the Tank's liking. In a group PvP situation you similarly need to be very careful of breaking your own or somebody else's CC but if that is not an issue, jackpot. Get a few sorcerers with this spell and watch chaos ensue.
Finally, a few notes on some old favourites.
Lumiel's Wisdom
Chances are this is sitting in your bank while you roll with Tree and Ice Sheet. Might I recommend getting it back out at level 30? Venturing into the Flame Temple instance for the first time, I really wished I had; my mana dropped faster than a fat man strapped to a rocket aiming down. On my second run I made sure I came with this stigma equipped and my mana problems went away.
Delayed Blast
I haven't done extensive testing but I think this spell goes through shield. So if you've CC'd a mage and plan on going to town on their shield, make sure to skip Delayed Blast until you're ready to play or it'll break the tree before you're ready for it to. Of course, this also means you should cast it on a Mage or Sorcerer if they're a low health but have just thrown up a shield (cast Flame Cage as in this situation as well as it also goes through shield).
Stone Skin
While this ability is up, aside from not taking direct damage, you will also resist stumble, stun and similar effects. A Templar's Inescapable Judgement will fizzle, another sorcerer's Frozen Blast won't stun you, a gladiator's knockdown will only knock down their confidence, etc. However if a spell is only partially absorbed by your shield, the status effect will still kick in, for example if Frozen Blast finishes your shield off and a few points of damage get through.
Freezing Wind
Tried and tested, I have yet another use for Freezing Wind. When fighting another Sorcerer, I previously noted in my PvP video that it's a bad idea to get in melee range for Freezing Wind. I was wrong: if the occasion arises, run up and cast Freezing Wind... then immediately Blind Leap away. Not only did you get some unrequited chunky damage in, there's a good chance your opponent is going to momentarily flounder around trying to FW you back, giving you precious time. In either case you'll get the full effect of Blind Leap's untargetting.
Ice Sheet
Since the debuff is applied instantly to anyone passing through it but stays for the full duration even if they leave the area of effect quickly, it's fantastic to cast on the ground infront of you when you're trying to run away from a mob of enemy players.
By level 31 you've probably noticed that your bars and hotkeys are starting to get somewhat packed. Well you have cause to despair: there's a lot more room you're going to need to make.
Pay heed and even you could be as rich as us one day!At level 28 and 31 you get a few more spells. The sexiness of one level 28 spell in particular is not immediately apparent...
Aether's Hold
Aside from doing a modest amount of damage, this spell will throw your target into the air for four seconds, rendering them unable to do anything. But it has a reasonably long cast time (2.8 seconds), a two minute duration and four seconds doesn't really seem like much of a window to do anything, right? I mean, it's great if you want to snare something that's melee in more style than Root for a quick getaway, but it's pretty underwhelming.
Aether Flame
Enter Aether Flame: an ability you'll pick up three levels later at 31. This spell can only be cast at things in the "Open Aerial" state, which means Aether's Hold and other class spells -- yes, Sorcerer isn't the only class that can do it. It's instant cast and has a 0.5 second cooldown (which is shorter than its animation) so you can spam it to your hearts content while the creature is floating in the air. When you first get this spell, you'll be hitting for about 450-500 damage per cast and will be able to get it off about four times before the spell expires. If you run forward as you cast each flame, you'll get +10% magical damage from the movement bonus.
Sounds decent? It gets better. As you level you will have access to +attack speed gear. This gear won't speed up your spells but what it will do is speed up the after-cast animation your character does before it lets you move or cast your next spell. Get up to +20% of this gear and a decent enough ping and you can fire seven Aether Flames during one Aether's Hold. I shouldn't really be going this high in this issue, but at 37 you get an additional AH-only ability that does even more damage and ends the AH effect.
The best use of this spell, aside from taking down monsters quickly of course, is to burst someone down without them being able to react -- this immediately would scream HEALERS to the PvP-inclined sorcerer but it also means any class you anticipate being able to seriously inhibit your ability to win within the next few seconds, such as someone trying to get a CC on you, someone prone to running, someone with a key ability about to cool down, etc. In addition, if somebody else uses their AH equivalent to throw an enemy up into the air, you can use Aether's Flame freely on their target. If on ventrilo, announce when you are about to use AH for full group synergy. And if you're a gladiator reading this, don't knock them down until the end of the AH! Let us get some pew pew lazers in!
There are two drawbacks to the spell: one, for its full effect, you need to be able to cast at your target unmolested. In a group PvP setting this may be easier said than done. Two, it appears to have two resist checks: one for the damage and one for the actual AH effect. If either of these components resist, your target won't get AH'd. In addition there appears to be a hidden AH resistance that raises with level; some abilities raise your resistance to it.
Boon of Clairvoyance
I have run into so many Assassins that don't realise we have this ability. Still, skilled scout classes will use Hide anyway in order to delay your reactions and get the advantage. Make sure to have this ability accessible for a speedy cast.
Zikel's Wisdom (Stigma)
I haven't seen this on the TB, but then I haven't exactly been religious about checking that tab. Perhaps it's for Asmodians only? Anyhow, this is essentially the [Talisman of Ephemeral Power] of Aion, for you WoW folks. Strike that -- for you old school WoW folks. With a 15 second duration and a 30 second cooldown, this effectively gives you +150 Magic Power as long as you remember to use it. The fact that you only have it up half the time isn't necessarily a drawback; you can use this when you need burst the most or when casting your most heavy damage spells in succession. +300 power is equal to about +25% spell damage. Remember that power caps out at about 1200, so if you're above 900 power, consider a different stigma or a different gear set.
Curse of Weakness (Stigma)
I should probably play with this stigma, as on paper it seems somewhat underwhelming. If your opponent doesn't shield or heal, this Curse will kill them after twenty spell casts on its own. That sounds great, and if this damage goes through shields it would definitely be worth considering. However if it doesn't go through shields, it won't do much against Sorcerers and Spirit Masters which practically gain their entire HP bar worth of damage absorption through shield when used in PvP. Clerics can simply dispel it. Other classes just don't use magic abilities enough for it to really shine.
That said I really need to purchase and toy with it. What if it works on PvE bosses -- an entire 5% of their health bar whenever they cast? Would Templar fall faster due to their high HP pools? Due to our high damage, would Clerics be more concerned about healing themselves rather than dispelling when facing one of us? I will get back to you on this ability.
Robe of Cold
The damage is nothing to write home about but that's not why you want this spell. If you thought we were overpowered versus melee already, this spell will just have you shaking your head. This is the perfect PvP robe to use, especially in a group PvP setting where it's a lot more difficult to keep tabs on all of your melee opponents. However, in settings where there is constant PvP or your burst is especially important, the other two robes may well take precedence.
"Aww hell, how am I gonna beat her now"Boon of Iron-Clad
This is where duels and practice in PvP pays off. This spell may have a short duration but it basically means that besides sleep and tree, you cannot lose control of your character. Against some classes it's obvious when this should be used. Sorcerers? When they're casting Aether's Hold or about to Frozen Shock. Rangers? When they've placed their equivalent as a trap. For others, it's a little more guessy. Against Assassins and Gladiators you'd want to cast this as soon as they get in range of you after you've been kiting them around a little, or in anticipation of an Ambush. Practice really does bring out the best of this spell. Make sure you bind this to an easy-to-reach key.
Wind Cut Down (Stigma)
I haven't had a chance to try this spell yet. It looks fantastic: about the same damage as Flame Harpwn and it puts a bleed on the target, all in a quick cast package and an element that we don't have any other spells in. Its 16 second cooldown isn't too bad and the bleed passes through shields. According to comments, the bleed is two ticks of about 300 (power modified) damage at level 31. Very nice -- the thing is, it's a stigma ability. By the time you get this ability you've unlocked your third Stigma slot, but about now is when you need to start choosing what you really need. An AoE stigma's coming up. What will you ditch for it?
Tranquilising Cloud
By the time you get this spell, you've got lots of damage abilities already. Inferno does as much damage as your 2000DP ability so it's time to think about what else that DP can be spent on. Though expensive, this spell fits the bill. Be careful of using in a PvE setting due to its massive range; you could sleep monsters that weren't attacking you in the first place, which will annoy them. In a PvP setting however, this is essentially a Sleep Storm with an epic cooldown: insanely effective if you use it at the right time. Sleep a group then go to town on their healer or their squishies.
Inferno
I was excited about Aether's Flame and when level 31 came, so did I. But this spell stole the limelight: It's essentially an Aetheric Spell/Pandaemonium Focus that uses mana instead of DP and has twice the cast time. In fact in my testing, it does slightly more damage <.>.
It also looks incredibly cool.The mana cost is somewhat hefty so make sure you cast Lumiel's Wisdom (if you still use that stigma) beforehand. The best time to use this in PvP is when your opponent is around half health (or whenever it's safe to use it if the situation is a bit prickly) for an ridiculously high chunk of burst they won't recover from.
Fire Burst (Stigma)
I found this Stigma last night and can't wait to equip it when I hit 34: Ice Sheet is getting the fuck out of here. With its twelve second cooldown granting us the ability to cast it multiple times per fight, this stigma could be called our first true AoE ability. It's quite good too: The damage of Flame Bolt hitting everything in a 5 meter area. In PvE this has its obvious use, although be careful of breaking CC or using it too quickly for the Tank's liking. In a group PvP situation you similarly need to be very careful of breaking your own or somebody else's CC but if that is not an issue, jackpot. Get a few sorcerers with this spell and watch chaos ensue.
~~~
Finally, a few notes on some old favourites.
Lumiel's Wisdom
Chances are this is sitting in your bank while you roll with Tree and Ice Sheet. Might I recommend getting it back out at level 30? Venturing into the Flame Temple instance for the first time, I really wished I had; my mana dropped faster than a fat man strapped to a rocket aiming down. On my second run I made sure I came with this stigma equipped and my mana problems went away.
Delayed Blast
I haven't done extensive testing but I think this spell goes through shield. So if you've CC'd a mage and plan on going to town on their shield, make sure to skip Delayed Blast until you're ready to play or it'll break the tree before you're ready for it to. Of course, this also means you should cast it on a Mage or Sorcerer if they're a low health but have just thrown up a shield (cast Flame Cage as in this situation as well as it also goes through shield).
Stone Skin
While this ability is up, aside from not taking direct damage, you will also resist stumble, stun and similar effects. A Templar's Inescapable Judgement will fizzle, another sorcerer's Frozen Blast won't stun you, a gladiator's knockdown will only knock down their confidence, etc. However if a spell is only partially absorbed by your shield, the status effect will still kick in, for example if Frozen Blast finishes your shield off and a few points of damage get through.
Freezing Wind
Tried and tested, I have yet another use for Freezing Wind. When fighting another Sorcerer, I previously noted in my PvP video that it's a bad idea to get in melee range for Freezing Wind. I was wrong: if the occasion arises, run up and cast Freezing Wind... then immediately Blind Leap away. Not only did you get some unrequited chunky damage in, there's a good chance your opponent is going to momentarily flounder around trying to FW you back, giving you precious time. In either case you'll get the full effect of Blind Leap's untargetting.
Ice Sheet
Since the debuff is applied instantly to anyone passing through it but stays for the full duration even if they leave the area of effect quickly, it's fantastic to cast on the ground infront of you when you're trying to run away from a mob of enemy players.
By level 31 you've probably noticed that your bars and hotkeys are starting to get somewhat packed. Well you have cause to despair: there's a lot more room you're going to need to make.
It's Mau Time - Welcome to Ranger
Two of my co-authors have started pushing their columns lately, and since FB originally started as a Ranger-centric blog, it's about time I posted Ranger-centric stuff.
I'm still learning the class myself along the way, and hopefully the things I found out so far will help some of you. So today, I will begin by addressing some general Ranger concerns that I've found while playing the game.
The best thing about being a Ranger - I get to be a dog in cutscenes.
The auto shoot problem
A problem which has apparently been in the game since its Korean release nearly a year ago, and I personally don't see any hope of them changing it. It's the kind of situation where you get told "if you don't like it, reroll". If you've played a Ranger past level 10, you will know what problem I am talking about.
Whenever we open combat with a special ability, auto shoot will not come back on. There is a simple solution to this - simply put the Attack/Chat button on your hotbars. I know, this kind of defeats the purpose of it being an "auto attack", but with no hope of a fix on the horizon, you're best better off putting that button there and getting used to it.
Traps need reagents
Entry level traps need Tripeed Seeds, and the higher level ones need Tripeed Fruit. As you level up, they start requiring more than one, so your best bet is to keep a stock of more than 1o on you at all times. Traps may not seem very useful at first, but once you get Snare Trap and Aerial Shot at 31, you'll want to keep them seeds handy, especially if you're PvPing. Gladiators, Sorcerors and Assassins also get some kind of aether hold ability around that level as well, so if you run around with any of those classes, be sure to keep Aerial Shot handy.
Tripeed Seeds and Fruit can be bought from most General goods stores, under the Job Supplies tab. I've noticed not all General stores have the Job supplies at 10 to 20, but at 20 and up all the General vendors have them. You can also purchase the Worg souls from this tab.
In that same vein, also please remember to always stock up on ammo.
Mana consumption
You don't have to worry about mana at all from 10 to 25, but once you get Stunning Shot's chain ability, Rupture Arrow, you're gonna start noticing your mana draining. Throw in having to keep your self-buffs up, especially in group areas and instances, and you're gonna have to need mana breaks almost as often as a healer.
This is why you always need to be stocked up on Odella Powder for Mana Treatment. Mana Treatment requires two Odella Powder, so always be sure to buy it in bulk. As with ammo and the Tripeed Seeds, Odella can be bought from any General goods vendor.
That's all I got for you folks today, hope that was vaguely helpful. Unfortunately I don't have a pretty picture to use with the post, as I am posting from Lewin's dinky old laptop.
Next up: Self-buffs and when to use them
I'm still learning the class myself along the way, and hopefully the things I found out so far will help some of you. So today, I will begin by addressing some general Ranger concerns that I've found while playing the game.
The best thing about being a Ranger - I get to be a dog in cutscenes.The auto shoot problem
A problem which has apparently been in the game since its Korean release nearly a year ago, and I personally don't see any hope of them changing it. It's the kind of situation where you get told "if you don't like it, reroll". If you've played a Ranger past level 10, you will know what problem I am talking about.
Whenever we open combat with a special ability, auto shoot will not come back on. There is a simple solution to this - simply put the Attack/Chat button on your hotbars. I know, this kind of defeats the purpose of it being an "auto attack", but with no hope of a fix on the horizon, you're best better off putting that button there and getting used to it.
Traps need reagents
Entry level traps need Tripeed Seeds, and the higher level ones need Tripeed Fruit. As you level up, they start requiring more than one, so your best bet is to keep a stock of more than 1o on you at all times. Traps may not seem very useful at first, but once you get Snare Trap and Aerial Shot at 31, you'll want to keep them seeds handy, especially if you're PvPing. Gladiators, Sorcerors and Assassins also get some kind of aether hold ability around that level as well, so if you run around with any of those classes, be sure to keep Aerial Shot handy.
Tripeed Seeds and Fruit can be bought from most General goods stores, under the Job Supplies tab. I've noticed not all General stores have the Job supplies at 10 to 20, but at 20 and up all the General vendors have them. You can also purchase the Worg souls from this tab.
In that same vein, also please remember to always stock up on ammo.
Mana consumption
You don't have to worry about mana at all from 10 to 25, but once you get Stunning Shot's chain ability, Rupture Arrow, you're gonna start noticing your mana draining. Throw in having to keep your self-buffs up, especially in group areas and instances, and you're gonna have to need mana breaks almost as often as a healer.
This is why you always need to be stocked up on Odella Powder for Mana Treatment. Mana Treatment requires two Odella Powder, so always be sure to buy it in bulk. As with ammo and the Tripeed Seeds, Odella can be bought from any General goods vendor.
That's all I got for you folks today, hope that was vaguely helpful. Unfortunately I don't have a pretty picture to use with the post, as I am posting from Lewin's dinky old laptop.
Next up: Self-buffs and when to use them
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saucy PvP
Tora and Sada weren't online and I was sick of waiting, so I just ran out to the abyss to hunt some furbacks. Fortunately I remembered to turn fraps on this time. This was recorded a few days ago; the same area is swarming with furbacks now :P. Unfortunately we've had an Aion break over the weekend and so I don't have much more footage than this. I'll make sure to remember to fraps everything we find this week ^^.
Sorcery III
Today we're going to be talking about the aspect of Aion you either love or hate... the professions. Specifically, the ones that are good for us aether cannons. The three best for us are:
Alchemy
Handicrafting
Tailoring
Sewing Tailoring is clearly a kickass profession for Sorcerers. You can fill all your armour slots using tailored gear, plus your head and belt slots (which are technically accessories, not armour). The side benefit of this profession is that you can craft leather armour equally well, expanding your possible money making avenues, though they use practically the same materials as cloth armour. What really makes this profession stand out is that it is only one of two professions that only requires one crit to create a blue item.
In both Handicrafting and Alchemy, to create a blue item (excluding recipes that require a boss drop or the like), you must first create a white item and have it crit into a green. You then use that green item in another recipe, which creates another green, but can crit into a blue. So you essentially need a double crit. In tailoring, you simply craft green gear and it has a chance to crit into a blue. Armoursmithing is the only other profession which does this.
There's also Cooking, which gives food buffs. The only other thing cooking can make are candies which essentially are just muck-around items that transform you into creatures for shits and giggles. If that sounds like your thing, cook away!
You can get all professions up to 399 if you have the time and inclination, however you can go above 399 in two professions only... so make sure to check out the 400-450 recipes to see what appeals to you most. You can always just start a profession to see if it appeals to you; there's no commitment apart from time if you stay below 400. Another factor of deciding which to level plus 400 are titles; you get special titles when you max a profession. In general most of the Elyos ones are decidedly shit compared to the Asmodian ones, but for sorcerers Elyos titles aren't too bad. In the end it's not really something you can revolve your entire decision around. There are plenty of titles in the game.
At level 50 you get access to sexy but expensive Daevonian armour quests that reward extremely good items. So good that they aren't even on the armoury at the moment. At one point you'll need a crafted item for the quest... a very expensive Heart of Magic. And not just any old heart -- you need it to crit. Only those of us who bothered with a profession can enjoy this money sink ;). You don't need to worry about which profession if you have this in mind as all professions can craft the Heart of Magic.
I'm currently leveling Handicrafting and yes, it can be quite boring to level. When I hit 170 I made a point of stopping, gathering some actual crafting materials and making some items to sell; the fun of creating your own gear, the tasty possibility of crits and getting lucky blue items makes it all worth while. :)
Come on! Buy my expensive but well crafted stuff!
It won't fit in the TB :(
Finally, a note: nothing is Bind On Pickup with professions. If someone else in your legion has Tailoring, everyone has tailoring (assuming the guy is fine with spending his time on guildies). In addition, all professions can craft siege engines and the item required for the incredible level 50 gear.
Next issue of Sorcery: Level 25-35 ability ins and outs
Alchemy
- Orbs and Books
- Manastones
- Potions
- Scrolls
Handicrafting
- 2x Ring slots
- 2x Earring slots
- Necklace slot
- Head slot
Tailoring
- 5x Armour slots
- Head
- Belt
In both Handicrafting and Alchemy, to create a blue item (excluding recipes that require a boss drop or the like), you must first create a white item and have it crit into a green. You then use that green item in another recipe, which creates another green, but can crit into a blue. So you essentially need a double crit. In tailoring, you simply craft green gear and it has a chance to crit into a blue. Armoursmithing is the only other profession which does this.
There's also Cooking, which gives food buffs. The only other thing cooking can make are candies which essentially are just muck-around items that transform you into creatures for shits and giggles. If that sounds like your thing, cook away!
You can get all professions up to 399 if you have the time and inclination, however you can go above 399 in two professions only... so make sure to check out the 400-450 recipes to see what appeals to you most. You can always just start a profession to see if it appeals to you; there's no commitment apart from time if you stay below 400. Another factor of deciding which to level plus 400 are titles; you get special titles when you max a profession. In general most of the Elyos ones are decidedly shit compared to the Asmodian ones, but for sorcerers Elyos titles aren't too bad. In the end it's not really something you can revolve your entire decision around. There are plenty of titles in the game.
- Alchemy Expert
Elyos: +44 Maximum HP, +2% Atk Speed, +4 Wind Defense
Asmodian: +36 Maximum MP, +2 Magical Accuracy, +3 Magical Res
- Handicrafting Expert
Elyos: +2 Flight Time
Asmodian: +8 Accuracy, +3 Evasion, +2% Atk Speed
- Expert Tailor
Elyos: +52 Maximum HP, +3 Flight Time, +3% Flight Speed, +6% Speed
Asmodian: +8 Magic Boost, +2% Flight Speed, +2 Flight Time
- Cooking Expert
Elyos: +1 Physical Att, +8 Magic Boost
Asmodian: +36 Maximum HP, +36 Maximum MP, +5% Speed
At level 50 you get access to sexy but expensive Daevonian armour quests that reward extremely good items. So good that they aren't even on the armoury at the moment. At one point you'll need a crafted item for the quest... a very expensive Heart of Magic. And not just any old heart -- you need it to crit. Only those of us who bothered with a profession can enjoy this money sink ;). You don't need to worry about which profession if you have this in mind as all professions can craft the Heart of Magic.
I'm currently leveling Handicrafting and yes, it can be quite boring to level. When I hit 170 I made a point of stopping, gathering some actual crafting materials and making some items to sell; the fun of creating your own gear, the tasty possibility of crits and getting lucky blue items makes it all worth while. :)
Come on! Buy my expensive but well crafted stuff!It won't fit in the TB :(
Finally, a note: nothing is Bind On Pickup with professions. If someone else in your legion has Tailoring, everyone has tailoring (assuming the guy is fine with spending his time on guildies). In addition, all professions can craft siege engines and the item required for the incredible level 50 gear.
Next issue of Sorcery: Level 25-35 ability ins and outs
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Aion 1.6 Patch Notes
Chances are you've already heard about the upcoming 1.6 patch but there's no harm in spreading the word. Some nice chap translated the Korean Test Server's 1.6 patch notes into english.
Some highlights:
Full patch notes here.
Some highlights:
- Gathering Metal Ore and Aether will now periodically give you a debuff preventing you from gathering, which can be removed by entering a CAPTCHA. A novel way of nerfing bots...
- A new interface showing your instance lockouts and your group member's lockout information.
- Spirit Master summoned pets can now fly.
- Elemental Resistance received a nerf; hooray mages!
- You can no longer run out of range of player spells after they've started casting.
Full patch notes here.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sorcery II Addendum
Since publishing issue II of Sorcery, I've come across some more little interesting uses and situations for the spells I covered. Enough to warrant an addendum post!
Crowd Control
Sleep and Tree may be the kings of CC, but in PvP they are deminished: both only last for eight seconds on a player. This means that they need to be more tactfuly cast. For example, at the start of a fight in order to start the fight with a delayed blast ticking away and a powerful spell winding up. Root appears to last longer in PvP, but I haven't tested this for sure. Root certainly is an epic pain in the rear when it's cast on me, that's for sure.
In addition, when cast on a flying player, CC doesn't pause their flight timer. With Sleep->Tree->Sleep->Root->Sleep, you've performed a massive hit to your opponent's flight bar. Brilliant if they're trying to run, or you're fighting over the open abyss.
But what's really special about Sleep and Tree? They only break if the target takes damage. Tree another sorcerer and go to town on their shield; the CC will only break when the shield is broken or the CC ends.
It's also great for comic relief. Didn't know the tree scaled...
Delayed Blast
As mentioned above, it's great to cast on a CC'd player to improve your initial burst and get the damage edge. It's true that Tree/Sleep's elemental defense increase will nerf its damage, but that only gives DB an additional use: to break the CC. After casting DB you can follow up with a high damage nuke spell without fear of its damage being reduced into nothing; DB will end the CC before the nuke hits.
Winter Binding + Blind Leap
I stated that WB has a long animation, and this is true. However there is a point where before you can start moving again, you can use Blind Leap. This seems to cut the time you need to wait in half. It's risky to use two escape abilities at once but if you really need to stay out of melee range and don't have Root or similar available, this combination can save your hide.
And seriously, practice backleaping.
Ice Sheet
A stigma ability I failed to mention. It's our "second" AOE ability (if you count WB as the first), though on a three minute cooldown and with a small radius. Still, it's instant cast. It's a great spell to cast on a stationary ranged class (preferably one that already has been slowed or stunned); the damage is mediocre but the "FIRE OSHI-" instinct kicks in and your opponent will often prioritise moving out of it rather than doing something effective. If fighting against melee it has less of a use, but you can cast it between you and them if you need a slow in a snap. You might even try kiting them around it :).
Frozen Shock
Typically after casting Ice Chain you'll cast FS because it's chained or just because it's a nice ability to use in general. Consider saving it for when a healer or ranged class is at a point where you have a decent chance of nuking them to zero; the stun gives you plenty of time to wind things up and prevents them from moving out of range or healing or otherwise preventing your onslaught. To that end, it's best to either open with Ice Chain and then save FS until you're ready, or not cast IC at all if you anticipate needing FS before IC would cool down.
Freezing Wind
I've been mucking around with FW more and I've got to say, it's one of my favourites now. It's essentially a melee range flame harpoon with its castbar in reverse; instant cast with a 2 second cooldown. The huge thing about this is that with it, Sorcerers do the highest burst AND the highest DPS when in melee range. Yeah, read that again. Don't believe me? The next time you're in a group and your group mate is under attack, run up to the guy. Cast FW followed by a cast-time spell or chain, then repeat, eg:
Freezing Wind -> Flame Harpwn -> Freezing Wind -> IC+FS -> Freezing Wind -> Flame Harpoon -> Freezing Wind -> FB+Blaze -> Freezing Wind ... etc
They won't last long enough for the full chain. Or you won't, cause you're suddenly in melee range and they're not stupid. But then, if you're playing a Sorcerer, you're already open to taking risks ;). The other drawback to this is that it FW is quite mana expensive so you can't really keep it up in a PvE setting without resorting to potions or rest.
Finally, as an instant cast spell, it's great for casting on fleeing players if you can get in range. Backleap helps a lot there.
Next issue of Sorcery: Sorcerer professions
Crowd Control
Sleep and Tree may be the kings of CC, but in PvP they are deminished: both only last for eight seconds on a player. This means that they need to be more tactfuly cast. For example, at the start of a fight in order to start the fight with a delayed blast ticking away and a powerful spell winding up. Root appears to last longer in PvP, but I haven't tested this for sure. Root certainly is an epic pain in the rear when it's cast on me, that's for sure.
In addition, when cast on a flying player, CC doesn't pause their flight timer. With Sleep->Tree->Sleep->Root->Sleep, you've performed a massive hit to your opponent's flight bar. Brilliant if they're trying to run, or you're fighting over the open abyss.
But what's really special about Sleep and Tree? They only break if the target takes damage. Tree another sorcerer and go to town on their shield; the CC will only break when the shield is broken or the CC ends.
It's also great for comic relief. Didn't know the tree scaled...Delayed Blast
As mentioned above, it's great to cast on a CC'd player to improve your initial burst and get the damage edge. It's true that Tree/Sleep's elemental defense increase will nerf its damage, but that only gives DB an additional use: to break the CC. After casting DB you can follow up with a high damage nuke spell without fear of its damage being reduced into nothing; DB will end the CC before the nuke hits.
Winter Binding + Blind Leap
I stated that WB has a long animation, and this is true. However there is a point where before you can start moving again, you can use Blind Leap. This seems to cut the time you need to wait in half. It's risky to use two escape abilities at once but if you really need to stay out of melee range and don't have Root or similar available, this combination can save your hide.
And seriously, practice backleaping.
Ice Sheet
A stigma ability I failed to mention. It's our "second" AOE ability (if you count WB as the first), though on a three minute cooldown and with a small radius. Still, it's instant cast. It's a great spell to cast on a stationary ranged class (preferably one that already has been slowed or stunned); the damage is mediocre but the "FIRE OSHI-" instinct kicks in and your opponent will often prioritise moving out of it rather than doing something effective. If fighting against melee it has less of a use, but you can cast it between you and them if you need a slow in a snap. You might even try kiting them around it :).
Frozen Shock
Typically after casting Ice Chain you'll cast FS because it's chained or just because it's a nice ability to use in general. Consider saving it for when a healer or ranged class is at a point where you have a decent chance of nuking them to zero; the stun gives you plenty of time to wind things up and prevents them from moving out of range or healing or otherwise preventing your onslaught. To that end, it's best to either open with Ice Chain and then save FS until you're ready, or not cast IC at all if you anticipate needing FS before IC would cool down.
Freezing Wind
I've been mucking around with FW more and I've got to say, it's one of my favourites now. It's essentially a melee range flame harpoon with its castbar in reverse; instant cast with a 2 second cooldown. The huge thing about this is that with it, Sorcerers do the highest burst AND the highest DPS when in melee range. Yeah, read that again. Don't believe me? The next time you're in a group and your group mate is under attack, run up to the guy. Cast FW followed by a cast-time spell or chain, then repeat, eg:
Freezing Wind -> Flame Harpwn -> Freezing Wind -> IC+FS -> Freezing Wind -> Flame Harpoon -> Freezing Wind -> FB+Blaze -> Freezing Wind ... etc
They won't last long enough for the full chain. Or you won't, cause you're suddenly in melee range and they're not stupid. But then, if you're playing a Sorcerer, you're already open to taking risks ;). The other drawback to this is that it FW is quite mana expensive so you can't really keep it up in a PvE setting without resorting to potions or rest.
Finally, as an instant cast spell, it's great for casting on fleeing players if you can get in range. Backleap helps a lot there.
Next issue of Sorcery: Sorcerer professions
Shenanigans in Morheim
We (RoF, our legion) did some rifting last night; or to be more precise, we all did the teleportation quest at once and ended up next to the Morheim fortress. After an aborted attempt that saw us back at our kisks, we settled into a controlled and coordinated descent down the mountain valley path, violently arse-reaming every Asmodian soul unfortunate enough to stand between us and the desert, our goal.
The descent was fairly smooth. We would gank everyone we ran into and periodically turn around to kill/disperse the Asmodians grouping up behind us. Eventually we had disrupted the zone's regional channel enough to warrant an ad hoc group of defenders waiting at the base of the mountain, which we clashed with. Unfortunately for us, every time we killed someone, they were replaced by two or three more. We saw upwards of 30-40 red dots on our radar and didn't expect to last much longer.
But... last we did. For six minutes we stood on that one ground as both the forward asmodian zerg and the one on our rear grew rapidly in number, pincering us from both sides. Our healers are fucking insane. It took minute for our first death and even then, we lasted for quite a while before succumbing to the insane zerg. My best estimate is that by the end, about one hundred Asmodians were on us. That's not an exaggeration. We also killed a lot of people -- my daily counter was in the mid hundreds but some of those were from the earlier attempt and our descent. I estimate about 140 Asmodians lost their lives in that 6 minute neo-style brawl.
Fortunately for us, I frap'sd the entire thing. Unfortunately for me, Adobe Premiere hates me... I wasted so much time trying to get a decent flick going. I just resorted to going back to WMM in the end :P. Click on the below vid once it's playing to go to the youtube site (or just click here) to see it full size in HD.
The descent was fairly smooth. We would gank everyone we ran into and periodically turn around to kill/disperse the Asmodians grouping up behind us. Eventually we had disrupted the zone's regional channel enough to warrant an ad hoc group of defenders waiting at the base of the mountain, which we clashed with. Unfortunately for us, every time we killed someone, they were replaced by two or three more. We saw upwards of 30-40 red dots on our radar and didn't expect to last much longer.
But... last we did. For six minutes we stood on that one ground as both the forward asmodian zerg and the one on our rear grew rapidly in number, pincering us from both sides. Our healers are fucking insane. It took minute for our first death and even then, we lasted for quite a while before succumbing to the insane zerg. My best estimate is that by the end, about one hundred Asmodians were on us. That's not an exaggeration. We also killed a lot of people -- my daily counter was in the mid hundreds but some of those were from the earlier attempt and our descent. I estimate about 140 Asmodians lost their lives in that 6 minute neo-style brawl.
Fortunately for us, I frap'sd the entire thing. Unfortunately for me, Adobe Premiere hates me... I wasted so much time trying to get a decent flick going. I just resorted to going back to WMM in the end :P. Click on the below vid once it's playing to go to the youtube site (or just click here) to see it full size in HD.
Shining Slash: Brands
As I've mentioned in the past, co-ordinating a group's attacks is vital to success in both PvE and PvP. The combined firepower of 24 people on one Cleric is going to bring him down before any other Healers in the vicinity even have time to start casting. But how are you going to make that elusive magic happen? Yelling over Ventrilo doesn't do the job, isolating people with Inescapable Judgment helps, but the final word in getting people to hit the same bloody target is Branding.
While leading a group of any kind, or as the vice captain of a raid, you can mark targets with Brands: bright, obvious icons that stick above the player or mob you put them on until you "unbrand" them. Calling for people to kill the "yellow two" actually gives them a blatant target to hit.
In dungeons, marking targets is the obvious way to go, as it provides dps with a clear kill order, practically guaranteeing that your party will focus fire each mob down in turn, allowing for much easier Tanking and Healing, as well as throwing the dps an easy way to physically select their targets. It also can be used to mark dangerous mobs like patrols, so people can keep an eye on them, or targets for CC (the Zzz Brand is not only funny, but logical!).
In group PvP, it provides the same utility, but as PvP tends to move a lot faster, the prime uses of Brands are to mark up the enemy Healers for quick takedowns, and to mark your own Healers/Tanks, so people know who to stay within range of if they want to live, and who to run to when in danger.
Utility aside, there is one element of skill in Branding, and that is speed. The faster you can do it, the more effective it is. In Nochsana the last two days, I've pulled like lightning (haha, because Inescapable Judgment is a lightning bolt...), leaving barely seconds between most fights. I'm only Branding the primary dps target (Zot is good with CC, and generally trees then sleeps the secondary or tertiary target, or the Nochsana Doc if we're fighting one, since they dispel CC on other mobs), but I still have to be quick about it. As such, I use keybinds.
In your keybind options, you can set any key you want for any Brand. Not only that, but you can set keys to select Branded mobs. I use my Num Pad (1 through 9) to Brand targets, and I use Ctrl-Num Pad (1 through 9) to select the same targets. This is quick, easy, and allows marking of up to nine targets; more than enough in most fights.
Basically? Get some practice using them. If you're leading a group, get used to marking for dps or CC, and if you're not, then why not go bind some keys to select specific Brands that your leader is fond of using, so you can select your target in the blink of an eye. Either way, learn to love them, because you'll be using them in every situation imaginable while in a group.
While leading a group of any kind, or as the vice captain of a raid, you can mark targets with Brands: bright, obvious icons that stick above the player or mob you put them on until you "unbrand" them. Calling for people to kill the "yellow two" actually gives them a blatant target to hit.
In dungeons, marking targets is the obvious way to go, as it provides dps with a clear kill order, practically guaranteeing that your party will focus fire each mob down in turn, allowing for much easier Tanking and Healing, as well as throwing the dps an easy way to physically select their targets. It also can be used to mark dangerous mobs like patrols, so people can keep an eye on them, or targets for CC (the Zzz Brand is not only funny, but logical!).
In group PvP, it provides the same utility, but as PvP tends to move a lot faster, the prime uses of Brands are to mark up the enemy Healers for quick takedowns, and to mark your own Healers/Tanks, so people know who to stay within range of if they want to live, and who to run to when in danger.
Utility aside, there is one element of skill in Branding, and that is speed. The faster you can do it, the more effective it is. In Nochsana the last two days, I've pulled like lightning (haha, because Inescapable Judgment is a lightning bolt...), leaving barely seconds between most fights. I'm only Branding the primary dps target (Zot is good with CC, and generally trees then sleeps the secondary or tertiary target, or the Nochsana Doc if we're fighting one, since they dispel CC on other mobs), but I still have to be quick about it. As such, I use keybinds.
In your keybind options, you can set any key you want for any Brand. Not only that, but you can set keys to select Branded mobs. I use my Num Pad (1 through 9) to Brand targets, and I use Ctrl-Num Pad (1 through 9) to select the same targets. This is quick, easy, and allows marking of up to nine targets; more than enough in most fights.
Basically? Get some practice using them. If you're leading a group, get used to marking for dps or CC, and if you're not, then why not go bind some keys to select specific Brands that your leader is fond of using, so you can select your target in the blink of an eye. Either way, learn to love them, because you'll be using them in every situation imaginable while in a group.
patch 1.5.0.7
If you're stuck on the NCSoft launcher trying to connect to the patch download server, or if the launcher is downloading too slow for you're liking, there's a direct download link to the patch right here.
Many thanks to the original poster of this link on AionSource.
Many thanks to the original poster of this link on AionSource.
[art] 10k hits thank you!
Cupid because he's a ranger. Get it? Get it? *shot*Our stat counter has clocked in just over 11k hits as of yesterday morning, and our feed has about 30 subscribers! Thank you all for the continued support and we hope you will keep coming back for more; this blog is only just starting!
And a shout-out to our fellow Aion blogs and bloggers, feel free to let us know if you have us on your blogroll, so we can likewise link back to you!
This is the first art post I've made that has no lyrics, haw. C-C-C-Combo Breaker!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Gankfest / Grindfest
I get intimate with Fraps and Movie Maker.
View them on YouTube for full HD yummyness (click the embedded vid twice) and their full descriptions of what's going on.
View them on YouTube for full HD yummyness (click the embedded vid twice) and their full descriptions of what's going on.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nochsana Training Camp loot
I'll throw this up here, as the blog seems to be getting quite a few queries with those keywords.
While we initially thought that the General didn't drop any loot, we were obviously mistaken. Our Cleric was very happy to get an upgrade from him when we killed him today. ^^
The fact that he dropped any loot at all may be due to a timer issue, as we cleared out the place a lot quicker this time. We will definitely be looking into this in the coming days, as it is a very worthwhile place to go back to every day - 55% of level 25 xp is nothing to turn down. It locks players above level 29 though.
Edit: We went in again on Friday and downed him, but he didn't drop any loot this time. We took about 6 minutes longer than the first attempt on live. General advice - just don't go in expecting loot, especially if you're PUGging.
I had a look on AionArmory for the boss, but it doesn't list him as dropping any loot. After a bit of creative searching, it seems AA does have the item entries for them, just... not listed as him dropping them.
Best of luck to you, whatever class you are!
While we initially thought that the General didn't drop any loot, we were obviously mistaken. Our Cleric was very happy to get an upgrade from him when we killed him today. ^^
The fact that he dropped any loot at all may be due to a timer issue, as we cleared out the place a lot quicker this time. We will definitely be looking into this in the coming days, as it is a very worthwhile place to go back to every day - 55% of level 25 xp is nothing to turn down. It locks players above level 29 though.
Edit: We went in again on Friday and downed him, but he didn't drop any loot this time. We took about 6 minutes longer than the first attempt on live. General advice - just don't go in expecting loot, especially if you're PUGging.
I had a look on AionArmory for the boss, but it doesn't list him as dropping any loot. After a bit of creative searching, it seems AA does have the item entries for them, just... not listed as him dropping them.
Best of luck to you, whatever class you are!
Sorcery II
Now that we have some basics on the various stats we can run into (there are more towards endgame, but I'll get to that), I shall now take the task upon my shoulders to communicate the best uses behind your lowbie sorcerer spells. I am currently level 24 now so I guess this post will touch upon the first, most immediate half of the sorcerer arsenal.
It's not pink, it's a shade of red
You are of course wondering. "But Zot," you say, "the spells already have descriptions on them! What could you possibly add?" You are of course right, dear reader. Add a chuckle in there for effect. But certain spells may not seem entirely useful, or you may not realise the full awesomeness behind them. Allow me to edjumacate.
Note: I mention CC. If you don't know what this is, it stands for Crowd Control and refers to disabling a player or creature to the point where it is useless. Examples are sleeping a monster or freezing a melee monster away from the group.
Root
You start with this spell but probably just used it to try to kite before you got Ice Chain, then turning your back on it, only using it when you're trying to escape or catch an enemy. This spell only has a one minute cooldown, so don't be afraid of using it whenever an unslowed monster makes it up to you alive and isn't almost dead (use it before the monster gets within range of you though, as if the monster starts casting something, it will go off no matter how far you get away from him. an aion 'feature' xD). It's also an excellent CC for melee monsters or players; just root them in place for 20 seconds, it's like an instant sleep. At higher levels this is less useful versus players due to the availability of dispel potions.
Stone Skin
Aside from a massive health pool and CC, this is our only defense against ranged classes and pesky assassins. It's also the only thing between us and death when somebody gets the jump on you. Keep it up on you at all times when not in a city! And don't refresh the shield until it's down to its last minute of duration, in case you need to refresh it when it's needed but you just wasted it a minute ago.
Sleep and Curse of Roots (stigma)
Your two "main" crowd control spells, these completely lock out a monster for their duration (PvP duration is 8 seconds). The main difference between the two is that tree (curse of roots) has a 1.5 second cast versus sleep's 2 second and a longer cooldown. The two don't share a cooldown so with these two spells you can lock two monsters out (though the tree will break before it is off cooldown so be ready with a root, slow or tank). In PvP it is thus best to cast tree due to its quicker cast time as you are more likely to get it off. Speaking of PvP, these spells are excellent for gaining your bearings; simply cast it on any other class and you can regain your senses, especially if you've just had someone get the drop on you. Against Spirit Masters, always CC their pet!
Note that both spells raise the elemental resistances of your target. This means that they'll take less damage on the first spell you cast at them, so either wait for it to wear off, get someone else to break it or don't open with your highest damage abilities. It's important to nail that resistance distinction: Elemental resistance resists a portion of magical damage, Magical resistance resists spells entirely.
Flame Cage and Erosion
Back in the magey levels you received Erosion, a decent Damage over Time (DOT) spell. That will eventually wither and die as you level up as it has no extra ranks for sorcerers (only SMs). What sorcerers get instead is Flame Cage which is pretty much the exact same thing, except with fire damage. Cast it when something is almost dead and running out of your range, or when the monster you're fighting is expected to live for at least nine seconds more after you cast it -- if it dies earlier, the spell is not as efficient and you're wasting mana. Using either Erosion and FC triggers a short cooldown on the other, so at lower levels you can actually get both dots up. This is particularly useful when doing the level 18 elite areas as the monsters last long enough to get the two spell's full benefit.
Dots typically look arse when you look at the tooltip. "Only 30 damage!" you say. You need to add it up. If left to run for its full duration, a level 16 Flame Cage does 424 damage. Congratulations, you've just done 424 damage with an instant cast spell!
Robe of Earth, Robe of Flame
There is a Robe of Cold too, but let's stick to the <=25's. You'll pick up Robe of Earth early on and thank Aion for that. Natural Mana Treatment is your passive mana regeneration stat and it's always working. There's no "five second rule" or anything. RoE helps keep your mana rolling. You will pick up Robe of Flame eventually and I'm happy for you, Ima let you cast it, but Robe of Earth is one of the best robes of all time. Cast RoE if your mana goes down too fast for your liking. Blind Leap
Nyerk yeah. This is one of my favourite spells. It's free, it's fast and it doesn't have much of a cooldown. It's the perfect spell to cast when a monster's getting close to you; simply leap and you'll barely notice the ability lockout while it's cast... you're back to casting damaging spells almost instantly. But that's not all! You've pulled a monster and you want to get it back to your tank? Turn around and leap forward into the fray. You'll want to get used to turning+leaping. It's a valuable asset to catch up to anyone or anything, or to further escape from something you're running from.
There is a trick to it of course. In order to change the direction you're facing in Aion, you must use a movement key; turning while in a midair jump doesn't cut it. So you need to nudge your direction key in the opposite direction to that which you want to move in (or turn around while holding your right mouse button), then hit Leap. Note also that you need to account for lag; if you're a lucky 50 pinger you won't need to, but if you're in the mid 200's (like me) you'll need to pause for a fraction of a second between turning and leaping or you'll leap in some random direction off to the side.
Winter Binding
Firstly, this thing may be instant but it takes time to for the animation to run through and you can't move while doing so. This means you need to time it to go off before things get up to you, preferably. If you can't, well, casting it's better than nothing ^^. Another thing to note is that it has a massive 15m radius. If casting in the wilderness you will probably freeze some random monster and it'll chase you in eight seconds. If cast in an elite area, I hope your group is the type to laugh an accidental wipe off. This massive radius is a boon in PvP however; you can get near the front lines of a group and freeze them all in place, giving people time to escape from melee or burst down someone before they can retreat for healing. It's also good for catching runners in smaller scale PvP if you're near them. Finally, it's perfect for using against Rangers or Assassins that use hide. It's the first AOE ability you get (and the last for quite a while) and it does the trick of knocking them out of hide. You can see where they're moving for a few seconds after they hide; make use of that to judge where they're going to place your WB.
Delayed Blast
Chances are the first time you saw this spell, it confused the pants off you. What the hell is the use of it? Well, go out right now, cast it on a monster and follow it up with Flame Harpwn. You'll notice that DB triggers as your harpwn hits the target for incredible burst damage. Follow that up with a quick FB->Blaze for extra splodey fun or IC->FS to screw up any healing your target might be attempting. In PvP this is one of your best tools against healers but the burst comes in handy against all classes. You'd be amazed how much someone panics after they take such a massive hit.
In PvE this spell is useless to cast during a fight. Where it shines is before the pull while soloing: it does not alert a monster until the damage component comes into effect (or the spell is resisted ... stack up on MA :P). Thus an excellent rotation is open with DB followed quickly by Ice Chain. The two should go off at roughly the same time, essentially giving you chunkier Ice Chain damage. Note that if you're soloing monsters you should avoid casting FS after DB->IC as Delayed Blast has a 30 second cooldown. When you move onto your second monster, open with IC->FS then reset your rotation back to DB->IC for your next. Efficient use of cooldowns for the win!
Freezing Wind
Right at the apex of this issue comes level 25's Freezing Wind spell. It's essentially an instant melee-range high damage burst spell, perfect for finishing off monsters or players. It's also great to cast while you're trying to gain some distance from something that has closed in, assuming it won't break any snares. But don't be tempted and actually run up to something that's attacking you to use it. Exceptions to that rule are classes that aren't any better off in melee range, which pretty much just means Spirit Masters (don't run up to rangers; they have traps, and other sorcerers have Freezing Wind!).
Absorb Energy, Mana Treatment and Lumiel's Wisdom
With these three spells (and Robe of Earth) you should never truly run out of mana. It can take some getting used to but you need to get into the habit of using mana regeneration spells as soon as they are off cooldown (obviously Absorb Energy and Lumiel's Wisdom take precedence here as they don't require reagents). Lumiel's Wisdom in particular can be hard to get used to, but if you do keep it up every time it's off cooldown, you effectively make everything you cast 25% cheaper. I recorded a grinding session which I'll youtubeify eventually in which I was at or below 10% mana for the entire duration without pausing or resting.
But at lower levels, stock up on potions or prepare to rest a lot
And finally, a brief note on Illusion Gate
With only a one minute cooldown, feel free to use this spell around your city to get a fast trip back to the obelisk for free. ^^
An addendum to this issue containing further tips and tricks is located here.
Next issue of Sorcery: Sorcerer professions
It's not pink, it's a shade of redYou are of course wondering. "But Zot," you say, "the spells already have descriptions on them! What could you possibly add?" You are of course right, dear reader. Add a chuckle in there for effect. But certain spells may not seem entirely useful, or you may not realise the full awesomeness behind them. Allow me to edjumacate.
Note: I mention CC. If you don't know what this is, it stands for Crowd Control and refers to disabling a player or creature to the point where it is useless. Examples are sleeping a monster or freezing a melee monster away from the group.
Root
You start with this spell but probably just used it to try to kite before you got Ice Chain, then turning your back on it, only using it when you're trying to escape or catch an enemy. This spell only has a one minute cooldown, so don't be afraid of using it whenever an unslowed monster makes it up to you alive and isn't almost dead (use it before the monster gets within range of you though, as if the monster starts casting something, it will go off no matter how far you get away from him. an aion 'feature' xD). It's also an excellent CC for melee monsters or players; just root them in place for 20 seconds, it's like an instant sleep. At higher levels this is less useful versus players due to the availability of dispel potions.
Stone Skin
Aside from a massive health pool and CC, this is our only defense against ranged classes and pesky assassins. It's also the only thing between us and death when somebody gets the jump on you. Keep it up on you at all times when not in a city! And don't refresh the shield until it's down to its last minute of duration, in case you need to refresh it when it's needed but you just wasted it a minute ago.
Sleep and Curse of Roots (stigma)
Your two "main" crowd control spells, these completely lock out a monster for their duration (PvP duration is 8 seconds). The main difference between the two is that tree (curse of roots) has a 1.5 second cast versus sleep's 2 second and a longer cooldown. The two don't share a cooldown so with these two spells you can lock two monsters out (though the tree will break before it is off cooldown so be ready with a root, slow or tank). In PvP it is thus best to cast tree due to its quicker cast time as you are more likely to get it off. Speaking of PvP, these spells are excellent for gaining your bearings; simply cast it on any other class and you can regain your senses, especially if you've just had someone get the drop on you. Against Spirit Masters, always CC their pet!
Note that both spells raise the elemental resistances of your target. This means that they'll take less damage on the first spell you cast at them, so either wait for it to wear off, get someone else to break it or don't open with your highest damage abilities. It's important to nail that resistance distinction: Elemental resistance resists a portion of magical damage, Magical resistance resists spells entirely.
Flame Cage and Erosion
Back in the magey levels you received Erosion, a decent Damage over Time (DOT) spell. That will eventually wither and die as you level up as it has no extra ranks for sorcerers (only SMs). What sorcerers get instead is Flame Cage which is pretty much the exact same thing, except with fire damage. Cast it when something is almost dead and running out of your range, or when the monster you're fighting is expected to live for at least nine seconds more after you cast it -- if it dies earlier, the spell is not as efficient and you're wasting mana. Using either Erosion and FC triggers a short cooldown on the other, so at lower levels you can actually get both dots up. This is particularly useful when doing the level 18 elite areas as the monsters last long enough to get the two spell's full benefit.
Dots typically look arse when you look at the tooltip. "Only 30 damage!" you say. You need to add it up. If left to run for its full duration, a level 16 Flame Cage does 424 damage. Congratulations, you've just done 424 damage with an instant cast spell!
Robe of Earth, Robe of Flame
There is a Robe of Cold too, but let's stick to the <=25's. You'll pick up Robe of Earth early on and thank Aion for that. Natural Mana Treatment is your passive mana regeneration stat and it's always working. There's no "five second rule" or anything. RoE helps keep your mana rolling. You will pick up Robe of Flame eventually and I'm happy for you, Ima let you cast it, but Robe of Earth is one of the best robes of all time. Cast RoE if your mana goes down too fast for your liking. Blind Leap
Nyerk yeah. This is one of my favourite spells. It's free, it's fast and it doesn't have much of a cooldown. It's the perfect spell to cast when a monster's getting close to you; simply leap and you'll barely notice the ability lockout while it's cast... you're back to casting damaging spells almost instantly. But that's not all! You've pulled a monster and you want to get it back to your tank? Turn around and leap forward into the fray. You'll want to get used to turning+leaping. It's a valuable asset to catch up to anyone or anything, or to further escape from something you're running from.
There is a trick to it of course. In order to change the direction you're facing in Aion, you must use a movement key; turning while in a midair jump doesn't cut it. So you need to nudge your direction key in the opposite direction to that which you want to move in (or turn around while holding your right mouse button), then hit Leap. Note also that you need to account for lag; if you're a lucky 50 pinger you won't need to, but if you're in the mid 200's (like me) you'll need to pause for a fraction of a second between turning and leaping or you'll leap in some random direction off to the side.
Winter Binding
Firstly, this thing may be instant but it takes time to for the animation to run through and you can't move while doing so. This means you need to time it to go off before things get up to you, preferably. If you can't, well, casting it's better than nothing ^^. Another thing to note is that it has a massive 15m radius. If casting in the wilderness you will probably freeze some random monster and it'll chase you in eight seconds. If cast in an elite area, I hope your group is the type to laugh an accidental wipe off. This massive radius is a boon in PvP however; you can get near the front lines of a group and freeze them all in place, giving people time to escape from melee or burst down someone before they can retreat for healing. It's also good for catching runners in smaller scale PvP if you're near them. Finally, it's perfect for using against Rangers or Assassins that use hide. It's the first AOE ability you get (and the last for quite a while) and it does the trick of knocking them out of hide. You can see where they're moving for a few seconds after they hide; make use of that to judge where they're going to place your WB.
Delayed Blast
Chances are the first time you saw this spell, it confused the pants off you. What the hell is the use of it? Well, go out right now, cast it on a monster and follow it up with Flame Harpwn. You'll notice that DB triggers as your harpwn hits the target for incredible burst damage. Follow that up with a quick FB->Blaze for extra splodey fun or IC->FS to screw up any healing your target might be attempting. In PvP this is one of your best tools against healers but the burst comes in handy against all classes. You'd be amazed how much someone panics after they take such a massive hit.
In PvE this spell is useless to cast during a fight. Where it shines is before the pull while soloing: it does not alert a monster until the damage component comes into effect (or the spell is resisted ... stack up on MA :P). Thus an excellent rotation is open with DB followed quickly by Ice Chain. The two should go off at roughly the same time, essentially giving you chunkier Ice Chain damage. Note that if you're soloing monsters you should avoid casting FS after DB->IC as Delayed Blast has a 30 second cooldown. When you move onto your second monster, open with IC->FS then reset your rotation back to DB->IC for your next. Efficient use of cooldowns for the win!
Freezing Wind
Right at the apex of this issue comes level 25's Freezing Wind spell. It's essentially an instant melee-range high damage burst spell, perfect for finishing off monsters or players. It's also great to cast while you're trying to gain some distance from something that has closed in, assuming it won't break any snares. But don't be tempted and actually run up to something that's attacking you to use it. Exceptions to that rule are classes that aren't any better off in melee range, which pretty much just means Spirit Masters (don't run up to rangers; they have traps, and other sorcerers have Freezing Wind!).
Absorb Energy, Mana Treatment and Lumiel's Wisdom
With these three spells (and Robe of Earth) you should never truly run out of mana. It can take some getting used to but you need to get into the habit of using mana regeneration spells as soon as they are off cooldown (obviously Absorb Energy and Lumiel's Wisdom take precedence here as they don't require reagents). Lumiel's Wisdom in particular can be hard to get used to, but if you do keep it up every time it's off cooldown, you effectively make everything you cast 25% cheaper. I recorded a grinding session which I'll youtubeify eventually in which I was at or below 10% mana for the entire duration without pausing or resting.
But at lower levels, stock up on potions or prepare to rest a lotAnd finally, a brief note on Illusion Gate
With only a one minute cooldown, feel free to use this spell around your city to get a fast trip back to the obelisk for free. ^^
An addendum to this issue containing further tips and tricks is located here.
Next issue of Sorcery: Sorcerer professions
server maintenance? say it ain't so!
Alas, it seems Wednesday 11.30pm is when Aion servers come down for maintenance. I was unfortunately afk to witness the apparent 1 minute notice before server shutdown notice, but I hear from many sources that many lulz were to be had.
(and of course by lulz I mean mass QQing)
Today I have some general advice and observations for our readers, take heed! Unfortunately, Elyos-only. I promise I will play an Asmo one day, when the servers are not full of them. But for now...
Deadly fence in Tolbas Village
As the caption in the image says, stay away from that fence in Tolbas Village. Getting stuck in it will put your character in a constant state of movement, rendering you unable to use Return or the unstuck option. Your next option once you get stuck is to either put in a petition and wait 9 hours, or the following failsafe method.
I'm sure most of you would have experienced this by now - the dreaded gold spammer. In our session today, I got at least 5 whispers from 5 different spammers. The right-click dialog is a bit limited too - in order to block that person, you have to type /block (name). Most gold spammers will have random keymashings for names, so doing that each time you get a spam message may get a bit old eventually.
Instead, you can stop yourself from showing up on /who lists. Simply type in /anon.
I really hope NCSoft patches in a better gold spammer report system.
/hiphop
(and of course by lulz I mean mass QQing)
Today I have some general advice and observations for our readers, take heed! Unfortunately, Elyos-only. I promise I will play an Asmo one day, when the servers are not full of them. But for now...
Deadly fence in Tolbas Village
As the caption in the image says, stay away from that fence in Tolbas Village. Getting stuck in it will put your character in a constant state of movement, rendering you unable to use Return or the unstuck option. Your next option once you get stuck is to either put in a petition and wait 9 hours, or the following failsafe method.
- Have someone duel you and bring you down to low health.
- Have that same person drag a random mob down to the fence, into your melee range. Try to get the mob on the opposite side of the fence to where the guard is standing, as the guard will try to kill the mob if it's near them. They will then have to stop attacking that mob.
- You will then have to melee it hard enough so that it will attack you, and kill you. (Templars and Gladiators have this easy as they can just taunt)
- You can then safely release and get out of the fence. Hey, you pay the Soul Healer fee, but better than waiting in there stuck for 9 hours, right?
I'm sure most of you would have experienced this by now - the dreaded gold spammer. In our session today, I got at least 5 whispers from 5 different spammers. The right-click dialog is a bit limited too - in order to block that person, you have to type /block (name). Most gold spammers will have random keymashings for names, so doing that each time you get a spam message may get a bit old eventually.
Instead, you can stop yourself from showing up on /who lists. Simply type in /anon.
I really hope NCSoft patches in a better gold spammer report system.
/hiphopWednesday, September 23, 2009
Sorcery I
What is a sorcerer without knowledge? I'll tell you. Nothing. Do yourself a favour, my soon-to-be-clued-in sorcerer friend. Heed the advice found within, for it contains the built up raw energy and aetheric power that can only come from a dedicated sorcerer with blog access and lots of free time. Without further ado I introduce my sorcerer column: Sorcery. Because who needs smarts when we have magic?
Flame Harpoon? Mo' like Harpwn
Within this column I will endeavour to touch upon all the theorycrafting and knowledge the budding sorcerer needs, dispensed at my somewhat hardcore pace. The basics, the advanced, all will be covered in time. So what to start with? How about...
Stats!
Rather early on, you're going to have to choose between two items with different stats. Be prepared! Only a handful of stats are worth taking as a sorcerer. Many stats look good but are in fact completely useless. Other stats only take precedent when in great number. At low levels these generally can be ignored - go with whatever gear shows lots of 'green' numbers on them when compared to your equipped item - but you will eventually want to start looking into improving your edge, starting in the early 20's. Don't worry, Aion's stat calculations are very simple.
Should I use an orb or a book?
Books attack from a range; Orbs do more damage, but can only attack in melee range. But this isn't really the aspect of orb vs. book that you should consider.
Books have more magical accuracy. Orbs have more magical boost. These two stats are in balance point for point, for example if a book has 500 accuracy and 450 boost, an orb of the same quality and level would have 450 accuracy and 500 boost. Orbs however, have a little something extra: loads of additional stats. You'll notice a level 20 orb will vastly out-stat a level 20 book.
Don't be decieved by this. The reason the orb has more stats is to compensate. Point for point, Magical Accuracy is vastly more valuable a stat than Magical Boost. Were the choice only +50 MA or +50 MB, it would be obvious: take the MA. Hence the additional orb stats to sweeten the deal. This technically makes the two the same but as a rule I still tend to float towards the book. It can be difficult to raise MA, the value of which I cannot put enough emphasis on, while it's easy as all hell to raise MB and HP.
The best
Aim for these stats above all others!
For example, if you have 400 accuracy and your opponent has 500 resistance, you have a 10% chance to be resisted... which is more crippling than it may sound. Keep this stat up! You may need to experiment to find your sweet spot. Consider using a Book instead of an Orb; books have more innate magical resistance. Manastones can also be +MA, though they arrive at higher levels.
As a rule, make sure your Magical Accuracy is above your own Magical Resistance by a few percentage points, but you will find huge benefit from just socketing them no matter what your MA is currently. For example, at level 36, I am able to grind on level 40 mobs quite comfortably and if any players resist my spells it is only because they vastly outlevel me.
The okay
They help but...
Mobility
Keep up or fall behind. If your opponent is faster than you, you're gonna have some serious problems fighting them. Likewise, if your opponent can stay in the air longer, they'll be much faster than you for a time after you land (... or fall). Don't socket +flight time mana stones though, they're best used for the first three main stats.
Nublet
Don't ever aim to get any of these stats on purpose! Especially Magic Attack and Magic Crit, which both sound misleadingly good.
But Zot, there's not much +HP cloth gear! Almost all gear I see has mana on it!
Yeah, I noticed. The simple truth is that it's difficult or impossible to roll with just +HP cloth gear. Don't even try; you'll be gimping your other stats by not upgrading from your low level +HP shoulders to a brand new +MP piece. Instead, devote at least half of your gear sockets to +HP manastones.
Next issue of Sorcery: Rotations or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Delayed Blast.
Updated 9/10/09 :)
Flame Harpoon? Mo' like HarpwnWithin this column I will endeavour to touch upon all the theorycrafting and knowledge the budding sorcerer needs, dispensed at my somewhat hardcore pace. The basics, the advanced, all will be covered in time. So what to start with? How about...
Stats!
Rather early on, you're going to have to choose between two items with different stats. Be prepared! Only a handful of stats are worth taking as a sorcerer. Many stats look good but are in fact completely useless. Other stats only take precedent when in great number. At low levels these generally can be ignored - go with whatever gear shows lots of 'green' numbers on them when compared to your equipped item - but you will eventually want to start looking into improving your edge, starting in the early 20's. Don't worry, Aion's stat calculations are very simple.
Should I use an orb or a book?
Books attack from a range; Orbs do more damage, but can only attack in melee range. But this isn't really the aspect of orb vs. book that you should consider.
Books have more magical accuracy. Orbs have more magical boost. These two stats are in balance point for point, for example if a book has 500 accuracy and 450 boost, an orb of the same quality and level would have 450 accuracy and 500 boost. Orbs however, have a little something extra: loads of additional stats. You'll notice a level 20 orb will vastly out-stat a level 20 book.
Don't be decieved by this. The reason the orb has more stats is to compensate. Point for point, Magical Accuracy is vastly more valuable a stat than Magical Boost. Were the choice only +50 MA or +50 MB, it would be obvious: take the MA. Hence the additional orb stats to sweeten the deal. This technically makes the two the same but as a rule I still tend to float towards the book. It can be difficult to raise MA, the value of which I cannot put enough emphasis on, while it's easy as all hell to raise MB and HP.
The best
Aim for these stats above all others!
- HP
- Magic Boost
- Magic Accuracy
For example, if you have 400 accuracy and your opponent has 500 resistance, you have a 10% chance to be resisted... which is more crippling than it may sound. Keep this stat up! You may need to experiment to find your sweet spot. Consider using a Book instead of an Orb; books have more innate magical resistance. Manastones can also be +MA, though they arrive at higher levels.
As a rule, make sure your Magical Accuracy is above your own Magical Resistance by a few percentage points, but you will find huge benefit from just socketing them no matter what your MA is currently. For example, at level 36, I am able to grind on level 40 mobs quite comfortably and if any players resist my spells it is only because they vastly outlevel me.
- Magic Resistance
The okay
They help but...
- Concentration
- MP
- Evasion
- Attack Speed
Mobility
Keep up or fall behind. If your opponent is faster than you, you're gonna have some serious problems fighting them. Likewise, if your opponent can stay in the air longer, they'll be much faster than you for a time after you land (... or fall). Don't socket +flight time mana stones though, they're best used for the first three main stats.
- Movement Speed
- Flight Speed
- Flight Time - not so important as Potions can keep you in the air almost indefinitely, especially after you acquire level 30 wings
Nublet
Don't ever aim to get any of these stats on purpose! Especially Magic Attack and Magic Crit, which both sound misleadingly good.
- Physical Defense - same issue as evasion, less easy to aim for as a cloth wearer
- Magic Attack - only affects your orb/book's damage!
- Magic Crit - only affects your orb/book's crit rate!
- Attack
- Physical Crit
- Accuracy
- Block
- Parry
But Zot, there's not much +HP cloth gear! Almost all gear I see has mana on it!
Yeah, I noticed. The simple truth is that it's difficult or impossible to roll with just +HP cloth gear. Don't even try; you'll be gimping your other stats by not upgrading from your low level +HP shoulders to a brand new +MP piece. Instead, devote at least half of your gear sockets to +HP manastones.
Next issue of Sorcery: Rotations or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Delayed Blast.
Updated 9/10/09 :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
A new beginning
Warning: this post is in point form, as I've been up since 5am this morning (go GMT +10) and have been on the pc for 17 hours straight. Bear with me.
- Managed to log in 7 minutes after 5am, with no trouble at all. Thumbs up to the NCSoft team for making the launch process so smooth!
- We three powered through the first 10 levels, skipping all the cutscenes but no quests. There are benefits to having already played through this in the beta.
- Hit Verteron just a little before 11am, where we had a break for lunch.
- In the evening we hit 17 and waited on a few guildies so we could do the elite Krall area. Chieftain Kraka down! But no bow for me yet. :(
- So far have been rather unlucky with greens for my class, but Lewin and Zot haven't been lacking at all. :P Hopefully my luck will change tomorrow.
- We had originally set our goal for the end of today to be level 15 when we logged off, so logging off at level 19 far exceeds expectations. It's the next 31 levels that are going to be tougher...
Official Aion Website Live
NCSoft has launched their fresh new website, just in time for launch. Among other things, the new site also includes a full suite of official Aion forums! There's one for Nezekan too, so hit it up, oceanics.
You can log in to the site using your Aion username and password and then select your character to post from. This not only allows you to post on the forums but also allows you access to the rest of the site's integrated services, including the Aion equivalent of the WoW Armoury, a massive effort that even allows people to leave comments on your character. The armoury shows everything from your name and class and the gear you're wearing to your abyss points and rank, and even a 3D view of your character.
There's also a Server Statistics page, which unfortunately is a dead link at this time. Oh how I desire to see some numbers. :( All in all, a good effort. NCSoft really put their all into making something. I hope this continues as we launch into what is hopefully years of fun and lulz.
Update: Nezekan server statistics! Asmos aren't overpopulated by much after all...
You can log in to the site using your Aion username and password and then select your character to post from. This not only allows you to post on the forums but also allows you access to the rest of the site's integrated services, including the Aion equivalent of the WoW Armoury, a massive effort that even allows people to leave comments on your character. The armoury shows everything from your name and class and the gear you're wearing to your abyss points and rank, and even a 3D view of your character.
There's also a Server Statistics page, which unfortunately is a dead link at this time. Oh how I desire to see some numbers. :( All in all, a good effort. NCSoft really put their all into making something. I hope this continues as we launch into what is hopefully years of fun and lulz.
Update: Nezekan server statistics! Asmos aren't overpopulated by much after all...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Worgy fun
Arf.While running around OB as a worg, I got a lot of whispers asking how I became a wolf. I also seemed to be one out of two people on the server who knew about worg form. (the other being another ranger in my guild, sup Sus) So, worry not, I am here to enlighten you about worg form.
You can start turning into a worg at level 20. The transformation requires an item, and is not a learned skill, which is probably why not many people knew about it. Several (but not all) General Goods vendors stock it, under the Job Supplies tab.
And unfortunately, it is Ranger and Assassin only.
Here is a breakdown of the item in question.
Worg Soul level 1
Worg Soul level 2
Worg Soul level 3
I previously posted that the Worg Souls had different level requirements, but AionArmory's information is apparently wrong. The General Goods vendors in Vertaron and Eltnen both sell level 1 and level 2 Souls, and you can get level 2 Souls at level 10. So there is no level requirement, and level 1 and 2 increases movement speed by 30%.
While Elyos get turned into Worgs, Asmos get to be Karnif.
While in worg form, you cannot perform any of your human abilities, and this of course includes gliding/flying. You can, however,
- talk to NPCs - this includes vendors and the trade broker, as well as quest givers
- learn skills from skill books
- eat/drink and consume potions
- gather
- melee for whatever your weapon's white damage is
The transformation can be canceled at any time by simply right clicking on the button and selecting "cancel buff".
Considering how much it costs though, you may want to use these sparingly as you level up. But at max level I'm sure the cost should be no problem at all.
And just for fun - the worg model doesn't have a proper jump animation, so when you jump, your little worg limbs will be flailing for dear life. Good times! I hope they never change that.
What the coming week brings
Oh thank the godsLadies and gentlemen: Aion comes Tomorrow. A quick glance to that countdown to the right reveals the exact number of hours to go, lest you still be confused as to what time Sunday Noon PST is. If you haven't created your characters proper yet, preselection is still open -- hop on up and make your characters! If you're afraid of your reserved name being taken, follow this quick list.
- Create a new character and tinker until you find something you like. Memorise all the sliders and options you've chosen, then cancel back to the character creation screen. This can be done even if you've created both of your preselection characters.
- Delete your reserved name character. A six minute countdown will start until it is deleted proper; note what time it is on a nearby clock or something.
- Create a new character and restore all the chosen sliders and settings to how you wanted them: you have six minutes but I found this more than adequate. Enter your reserved name and periodically click the 'check name' button.
- When the six minutes are up, it will report that the name is available. Create your character! This method cuts down the availability of you reserved name down from minutes to seconds. Best for the truly paranoid, or the truly common.
Pretty much sums it up for meAt Sunday 12pm PST / Monday 5am AEST / Monday 7AM NZST / More, Headstart begins. If you have preordered Aion, your beta key is good for connecting during this time. You've got full unrestricted access to Aion: it's essentially release day for preorderers. This period lasts for two days for NA players and five days for EU players.
On Midnight 22nd for those playing the NA version and Midnight 25th for those playing the EU version, Aion is officially released: anyone can start playing. An interesting exception about this is that Australia gets it at Midnight 21st, a half dayish before the Americans. At this point, if you've preordered from a store, you need to high tail it down and pick it up. You have a 24 hour grace period in which to do this before your beta CD key stops working, so get moving!
However, if you've done your homework and preordered over Steam or directly from NCSoft, you're fine. Just keep playing ^^
Oh and enjoy your exclusive preorder items!Clearly your preorder has paid off at this point... but we're forgetting about our items! You have a wealth of free items (and I do mean wealth; some of this stuff will save you a lot of Kinah) depending on your purchase. In general, basic preorders get
- Black Cloud Hat (gives boosts to HP, MP, magical resistance, and evasion)
- Lodas' Amulet (gives a +20% experience boost)
- Ancient Ring of X
- Black Cloud Wings (+40 seconds of additional flight time; available at level 30)
- Black Cloud Earring (+72 HP and +72 MP; available at level 20)
- Special character title ("Settler of Aion") with stat boost
- Color dye (Rich Purple) to tint ten in-game items
- Two additional character emotes (Boogie and Hip Hop (lol))
NOTE: You will need to follow these steps for each new character you create in order for it to receive the items.
1. Log into NCsoft Account Management.
2. Click the Game Accounts link.
3. Choose your Aion game account listed on the Game Accounts page.
4. Click the Apply In-Game Items link in the Actions section.
5. Select the server your preferred character is on and click the Next button.
6. Select the character you wish to receive the items and click the Next button.
7. You will then see a list of all the items or item packs that may be applied to that character. Click the checkbox next to the item pack(s) you wish to apply to that character and then click the Next button.
8. Review the confirmation page and then click the Apply the Items/Item Packs to this Character button.
You will then get a message saying that the items/item packs were successfully given to that character. You should have these items when you log into the game - simply pay a visit to your in-game mail box.
Note that you can only do this when the game goes live. I have heard conflicting reports (both from NCSoft!) over whether they will be available at headstart or not.
FinallyPreviously, GameGuard disabled the Steam Overlay when playing Aion, unless you are running Vista 64 bit. Now that NCSoft has made the phenomenally good business decision to can GG, indications are that anyone can now add the steam overlay to Aion; big news as it's one of the best ways of communicating with friends while playing games (short of Ventrilo of course).
You may have noticed that aion forums have been steadily gaining in popularity the closer we get to launch. The AionAus site in particular has really taken off; threads regularly number in the thousands of views, while Aionsource's realm forums have been somewhat slower on the uptake. I'm not certain of NCSoft's plans concerning forums... they may just leave them for the community, but I think they will release their own suite to the masses, including realm forums. AionAus will most definitely persevere should this occur as it is a specific sub-set of the Aion community but any realm-specific forums would likely suffer. You can expect the bulk of the forum-going population to turn up after release as people settle in and want to know their community better.
You cannot expect the same of headstart, though. Anyone currently interested in Aion has already preordered and almost all will be playing come headstart. The list of people who decided to forgo preordering and all of the perks that come with it - including an earlier release date and powerful ingame items - and instead line up at midnight outside a retail store two days later would be rather small. The retail release population blip will barely register. What we can instead expect is a steady and gradual population increase from release day onwards as the word spreads. Many gamers know the value in waiting a few weeks or months after an MMO's launch to let the developers hammer out the kinks. I prefer the opposite: we will be taking part in MMO history with a title to prove it and if you're as much of a gaming geek as I am, this will mean quite a bit in a year or so.
Come on WoWers, I bet you wish you earned this shit while you couldBut there will be kinks. Preselection was the tip of the iceberg, folks. There has never, ever in the history of MMOs been a single one released smoothly and without flaw. Take it in stride and don't stress out when the inevitable failures bubble to the surface; it'll blow over.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Shining Slash: Open Beta Edition, Part 5!
Featuring Tanking stats in Aion!
I've been intending to make a post on the gear choices a Templar will make from a Tanking perspective for some time, but have had insufficient information at my disposal. That has changed. Since experiencing more of the game in OB, and spending time scouring the web for information on various stats and their effects in game. See, Aion doesn't give much up to the casual observer. Mousing over stats in your character pane will tell you how much of that stat is gained from gear, and that's about it. No readouts on crit percentage gains, block chance, damage reduction. As such, large amounts of testing have been done by various players, and from one French player in particular, we now know the following:
Avoidance stats are dealt with interestingly. When you're hit by a blow, the game rolls for your Evade chance. If that roll fails, then it rolls for Parry. If the blow gets through again, it rolls for Block. If Block fails, the hit lands for full damage (minus physical defense).
Furthermore, Evade, Parry and Block all give 1% chance per 10 points. I don't know about you, but I had over 1200 Block value at level 25, with a few manastones in that direction, giving me, theoretically 120% Block Chance. Of course, two things bring that idea low:
If all that is true, then, my mind asked, what if you removed Parry from the equation? With some quick math, it appears that:
Definitely worth noting (although hard to do anything about) is that physical defense reduces incoming physical damage by 1 point for every 10 points of phys. def. An Assassin hits you for 500 twice, once with each Dagger. You have 1000 physical defense, and so you take 100 less damage on each hit, resulting in 800 damage all up rather than 1000. Plate has huge amounts of phys. def. on it, with low Magical Resist numbers (while Cloth has the opposite). What I found interesting was that Shields don't tend to give physical defense (I haven't seen one that does, but I'm hoping), meaning that without sufficient Block to carry you over your opponent's Accuracy rating, your Shield is nothing but a liability.
I've said it before, but here's a quick tip. Against opponents in PvP with high Accuracy, you can't expect to have good avoidance chances. As such, use Steel Wall Defense while trying to mitigate damage, then switch to your Greatsword for actual hits! Your Shield is obviously also useful for stuns and the such, but without Steel Wall Defense up (1000 extra Block, still capped at 50% to the best of my knowledge) you can't expect any reactive abilities to come up.
With all of that said, I'm writing a column for Templars. Gladiators and Chanters, who actually use reactive Parry abilities, have great use for Parry as a stat, and so should still stack it by all means. This is especially true as Gladiators have the same physical defense as Templars, meaning that they essentially mitigate the same amount of damage. The differences lie in the greater innate HP of a Templar and the vast number of Tanking abilities (for Enmity and defense) that Templars get.
Finally, I haven't found any real use for Attack so far, despite the fact that it would increase Enmity generation. With my largest apparent Enmity ability being Provoke, which does no damage, and with no solid word on whether or not even Provoking Severe Blow/Provoking Shield Counter actually increase their boosted Enmity based on damage done. Damage does Enmity on its own, yes, but if you're struggling with Enmity gen, then you should probably pull less, talk to your dps, take less damage (and so require less healing), make sure YOU are pulling, and not someone else, OR:
socket for Crit.
As one of us may post about in detail later, Crit is excellent up to about 440 rating. If you desperately need more damage or more Enmity, it looks like Crit is the way to go until you're at 440 or so. Attack might help then.
With Live slouching towards us, I'll find myself caught up in the whirlwind of leveling, crafting, Rifting and standing in Sanctum showing off my collector's edition wings. As such, expect a short break from Shining Slash until (at latest) Thursday this week. Perhaps I'll see some of you on Nezekan, whether friend, or furback foe.
Enjoy your weeks, Lewin out!
I've been intending to make a post on the gear choices a Templar will make from a Tanking perspective for some time, but have had insufficient information at my disposal. That has changed. Since experiencing more of the game in OB, and spending time scouring the web for information on various stats and their effects in game. See, Aion doesn't give much up to the casual observer. Mousing over stats in your character pane will tell you how much of that stat is gained from gear, and that's about it. No readouts on crit percentage gains, block chance, damage reduction. As such, large amounts of testing have been done by various players, and from one French player in particular, we now know the following:
Avoidance stats are dealt with interestingly. When you're hit by a blow, the game rolls for your Evade chance. If that roll fails, then it rolls for Parry. If the blow gets through again, it rolls for Block. If Block fails, the hit lands for full damage (minus physical defense).
Furthermore, Evade, Parry and Block all give 1% chance per 10 points. I don't know about you, but I had over 1200 Block value at level 25, with a few manastones in that direction, giving me, theoretically 120% Block Chance. Of course, two things bring that idea low:
- Evade is capped at 30%, Parry at 40% and Block at 50%. No matter how high your stats, they cannot go higher without the use of specific abilities.
- Accuracy, a very common stat, reduces the target's Evade, Parry and Block point for point. My 1200 Block against someone with 1000 Accuracy would only be 200 Block: 20%.
- Evade caps at 30%, being 30% total damage reduction in a purely physical damage fight. 70% of damage slips through.
- 40% of 70% is 28%, thus capped Parry and Evade proceed to allow 42% of hits through, mitigating a total of 38.4% of damage so far.
- 50% of 42% is 21%, so with all avoidance stats capped, 21% of all hits get through unmitigated. Assuming 65% damage reduction on a block, 13.65% of all damage is mitigated by Block, and 52.05% damage is mitigated all up.
If all that is true, then, my mind asked, what if you removed Parry from the equation? With some quick math, it appears that:
- 30% Evade lets 70% of all hits through, to be mitigated by Block 50% of the time, so you Block 35% of the time with 0% Parry.
- With max DR on your shield, that mitigates 22.75% of all damage through Blocks.
- Total DR comes to 52.75%, with 35% of all hits doing full damage.
Definitely worth noting (although hard to do anything about) is that physical defense reduces incoming physical damage by 1 point for every 10 points of phys. def. An Assassin hits you for 500 twice, once with each Dagger. You have 1000 physical defense, and so you take 100 less damage on each hit, resulting in 800 damage all up rather than 1000. Plate has huge amounts of phys. def. on it, with low Magical Resist numbers (while Cloth has the opposite). What I found interesting was that Shields don't tend to give physical defense (I haven't seen one that does, but I'm hoping), meaning that without sufficient Block to carry you over your opponent's Accuracy rating, your Shield is nothing but a liability.
I've said it before, but here's a quick tip. Against opponents in PvP with high Accuracy, you can't expect to have good avoidance chances. As such, use Steel Wall Defense while trying to mitigate damage, then switch to your Greatsword for actual hits! Your Shield is obviously also useful for stuns and the such, but without Steel Wall Defense up (1000 extra Block, still capped at 50% to the best of my knowledge) you can't expect any reactive abilities to come up.
With all of that said, I'm writing a column for Templars. Gladiators and Chanters, who actually use reactive Parry abilities, have great use for Parry as a stat, and so should still stack it by all means. This is especially true as Gladiators have the same physical defense as Templars, meaning that they essentially mitigate the same amount of damage. The differences lie in the greater innate HP of a Templar and the vast number of Tanking abilities (for Enmity and defense) that Templars get.
Finally, I haven't found any real use for Attack so far, despite the fact that it would increase Enmity generation. With my largest apparent Enmity ability being Provoke, which does no damage, and with no solid word on whether or not even Provoking Severe Blow/Provoking Shield Counter actually increase their boosted Enmity based on damage done. Damage does Enmity on its own, yes, but if you're struggling with Enmity gen, then you should probably pull less, talk to your dps, take less damage (and so require less healing), make sure YOU are pulling, and not someone else, OR:
socket for Crit.
As one of us may post about in detail later, Crit is excellent up to about 440 rating. If you desperately need more damage or more Enmity, it looks like Crit is the way to go until you're at 440 or so. Attack might help then.
With Live slouching towards us, I'll find myself caught up in the whirlwind of leveling, crafting, Rifting and standing in Sanctum showing off my collector's edition wings. As such, expect a short break from Shining Slash until (at latest) Thursday this week. Perhaps I'll see some of you on Nezekan, whether friend, or furback foe.
Enjoy your weeks, Lewin out!
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