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.
Keep it up, its helpful. - Avs
ReplyDeleteWow, that buff you get is so expensive to cast. v.v
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great blog, very helpful.
ReplyDeleteDelayed Blast will go through a shield as long as the initial cast is not resisted. :D
ReplyDeleteGreat post, keeping this open. Sat on 28 right now and the info here will have me toying with ideas for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteThank you very very much
ReplyDelete