15 réponses à ce sujet

[MadDjinn]

Is it just me, or do I need multiple mages (or spec Merrill as a BM/fake sustain the rest) just to get some basics in there?

I like using Elemental weapons, Heroic Aura, Arcane Shield (maxed for party coverage), but when I try this with some other sustains (Anders healing powers, Merrills nature attacks, etc) the pool just disappears and normal casting is almost impossible.

Ie, I tried specing Anders for healing/sustains in act 2 (my Bethany died) and he ended up with 28 mana left in his pool. (level 13, split magic/will ~29 each) That's going to be hard to cast any actual healing spells.

40% for his special sustain (to be able to group heal/revive) pretty much kills any thoughts of doing more sustains.

Should the sustains be more manageable (percent wise), or go back to DA:O straight cost?  It seems to me that getting the same effects with 100 mana vs. 1000 mana seems horribly wrong.  The other option is to scale the effects based upon the actual mana used for the %.  So the level 20 Anders gets a much beter regen rate for the party than the level 10 Anders.

At the moment, I've had to use both Merrill and Anders to cover the Shield/Aura/E. Weapons so that both can actually cast a spell.  Which is problematic as I want Merrill to throw spells.  I also don't like the concept of switching Merrill to BM with high con and 'cheat' the sustains on a tiny mana pool just to get the basics.  (her BM sustain takes 50% anyways, so there's only 50% more to go.  Unless you can go over 100%?)

I've also found some of the same issues on warriors.  My Fenris has such a tiny stamina pool as he's running Battle Synergy/Turn the Blade (both full upgrades) to help the others.  

The only one not suffering the sustain death is my DW rogue: upgraded Lacerate is the only sustain. This also puts me in a rough position since my DW rogue has almost twice the DPS as everyone else and about the same armour. (Fenris has ~20 more armour)


Thoughts?  Or should I stop thinking the sustains are worth using?

[aznricepuff]

The point of sustains is that you aren't supposed to be able to keep a bunch of them on and still be able to use active spells (otherwise you might as well make all sustainables passives). I find I can usually run 2 sustains and still have enough mana/stamina left for actives, which seems like a fair number to me. You need to decide which is more important: sustainables or actives?

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

Yes, most are brutally expensive. My mage only runs Rock Armor and Anders runs Panecia + Heroic Aura.

[MadDjinn]

I don't mind some of the sustain costs. 10% for elemental weapons is ok. 20% for Arcane shield, etc.

I'd agree that it's generally a choice, but to lose a % vs. a set number (which could be higher than normal active costs given the length of time) makes a little less sense. My 100 mana mage is spending 10 mana on elemental weapons, but your higher level mage is spending 50 mana for the same thing?

I'd almost like to see the sustains cost a lot more than actives - straight mana wise, and further into the trees, so that lower level characters with small pools can't use them yet. Arcane shield for a low level mage should only really cover them. get 100 mana set aside and then you can cover everyone else in the party.

Otherwise yeah... Merrill goes BM style with a tiny pool and high con and you can make her the sustains mage (3 sustains for another 50%) and then just use health for every other active. Small fix might be to ensure sustains use the current pool, to ensure BMs lose health for their sustains.

[nicodeemus327]

Use active abilities first then switch on your sustains.

[MasterSamson88]

I mostly keep sustains off my characters. Aside from Anders who always has Pancia and Heroic Aura on because he's just default healer.

Aside from him my basic party consists of Merrill and Varric. Varric tends to have his speed sustain on a lot but that doesn't cost him too much. And Merrill usually has nothing on unless we're backed into a corner and she's out of mana. In which case I turn on Blood of the First or Wrath of the Elvhan.

[Rhys1984]

sustains are for switching into once youve zapped people a bit.

also blood magic turns health into mana, so thats always helpful too.

[Siven80]

Dont start combat with sustains on.

Use abilities first, then put sustains on and so in effect the use no stam/mana.

[MetallicaRulez0]

I have to bring both Anders and Merrill with me to keep Arcane Shield/Rock Armor/Valiant Aura/Elemental Weapons active. I gave up on Anders group heal aura, since from what I could tell it didn't do anything at all. The big group heal is nice, but not "I have 40% less total mana for good abilities" nice.

[Zoe Dedweth]

Put points in Willpower - I had anders on about 60 willpower, He could keep his class sustain, elemental weapons, arcane shield, Heroic aura running and still have enough mana left to cast heal, crushing prison, both the magemarks and barrier.

[Clonedzero]

yeah, my mage only used arcaneshield and used the rest of his mana to blast stuff apart.

[Lord Shitzu]

There's really no point in taking all sustains, or in keeping them all on all the time.

For instance, why keep Panacea on all the time? All it does it let you cast the AoE heal, and I've found that I usually have more than enough time to switch Panacea on and then cast the AoE heal and turn it right back off.

Oh but it also increases health regen? Yeah, in like a 6m radius, I dunno about you but I don't keep my ranged and support characters right next to my tank and melee.

Also, I think Arcane Shield is a waste of ability points/mana, it was nerfed before release and the tooltip is wrong, it only gives the mage 15% defense/resist and only 5% to each ally if you get the upgrade (turn it on and check your character sheets), which does not seem worth the sustain cost at all, Heroic Aura is better in pretty much every way.

[SuicidalBaby]

Lord ****zu wrote...

There's really no point in taking all sustains, or in keeping them all on all the time.

For instance, why keep Panacea on all the time? All it does it let you cast the AoE heal, and I've found that I usually have more than enough time to switch Panacea on and then cast the AoE heal and turn it right back off.

Oh but it also increases health regen? Yeah, in like a 6m radius, I dunno about you but I don't keep my ranged and support characters right next to my tank and melee.

Also, I think Arcane Shield is a waste of ability points/mana, it was nerfed before release and the tooltip is wrong, it only gives the mage 15% defense/resist and only 5% to each ally if you get the upgrade (turn it on and check your character sheets), which does not seem worth the sustain cost at all, Heroic Aura is better in pretty much every way.

Truth!

try opening with big control spells, like pull of the void with grav stacked on top, followed by any AoE. best to drop fatigue + walking bomb right after grav then focus fire.... and then you wont need silly little sustains anyway. a quick upgraded wintersgrasp will hit the whole pile.

panacea is dumb. vengence is Anders crack. ****** that boy off and give him a primal tree to decimate all. + heal, crushing, barrier, glyph of paralyze upgraded owns rogues.

it is smart to have one primary sustained running to have the edge in first strike damage. that and youre not wasting time in combat. Set up proper and fights dont take long enough to worry about anything but loooting.

1st run was nightmare, use vengence people.

Modifié par SuicidialBaby, 14 mars 2011 - 07:08 .

[SuicidalBaby]

but more to the OPs question, think of it as mental focus. It takes concetration to maintain an aura.

[MadDjinn]

yeah, I assume it's about mental focus, I'm just less impressed that it's % based than a large mana cost.

I have noticed arcane shield is a bit less than the text says, but I'll gladly add 5% to a few defensives stats on my whole party for 20% mana cost. Same for Elemental Weapons/ upgraded Heroic Aura.

I actually do use Panacea more often than not in a fight, at least for this play through. I've got a DW Hawke, Merrill and Fenris. Both my hawke and Merrill have the ability to teleport. (back to back and Merrill's special talent) so if I'm running low on heals/group heals I just jump them to Anders for healing. (to allow Fenris to tank and get the spells)

For 40% mana though, Panacea should just work on the party, not be an AoE. It's way to costly to be worth it as is.

/oh for the vengence mode Anders comment - not playing him that way this round.

Modifié par MadDjinn, 15 mars 2011 - 04:02 .

[SuicidalBaby]

Which is why its a waste. Vengeance tree will heal Anders and allow him to use everything faster. I mitigate with barrier and just use normal heal. Didn't have an issue at all on nightmare once I started doing it. Anders might pull threat occasionally, goad/taunt work well enough to keep him alive. 

Anders:
Self: Hp <50% Deactivate Vengeance
Self: hp < 50% drink health poultice

The "Healer" is a lie.  Hybrid your mages so they don't get stuck without any options.

Modifié par SuicidialBaby, 15 mars 2011 - 05:40 .