37 réponses à ce sujet

[Gya]

I didn't have Hear of Pride, though. That might have speeded things up. The point about healing or barrier buffs is important too, I didn't have any help there either.

Ouch... I have no idea how you managed with a pact belt and no healing... impressive! The heal on hit benefits can't be exaggerated

No enhanced storm pact belt anywhere for me though, so I won't be able to try that out with heart of pride. Since each energy barrage hit also triggers gathering storm IIRC, it does sound really good for survivability, but I've not had much issue with barrier cooldown due to clean burn, elegant defence and master cooldown amulet. Basically because I'm always spamming an ability even if the enemy is immune, barrier cools down fairly quickly anyway. Deaths are actually pretty rare thanks to heal on hit and energy barrage.

I managed to find an enhanced winter pact belt, so I timed how long it took to clear the saarebas room in the deep roads, and it almost halved the saarebas killing time. The overall room clear took almost the same time, only 20s or so faster with the pact belt, because not having it on allowed for some Leeroy Jenkins-ing, rather than having to play carefully. Definitely worth it for bosses. I imagine an inferno pact would make things even faster.

[PapaCharlie9]

Ouch... I have no idea how you managed with a pact belt and no healing... impressive!

Not really. I had to reload a lot. I kept getting one-shotted from full health and full barrier -- I ran into a lot of Barrier Breaker traited enemies. Which makes me think that heal on hit wouldn't have helped that much. At least, not without also having max health buffs.

It's an interesting trade off. Even if you drop down to Enhanced Pact, does the added damage buff make up for the FT and accessory slots you have to give up to buff health and heal on hit? I mean, would you give up Walking Bomb proc for heal on hit, if there was no other choice?

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Not really. I had to reload a lot. I kept getting one-shotted from full health and full barrier -- I ran into a lot of Barrier Breaker traited enemies. Which makes me think that heal on hit wouldn't have helped that much. At least, not without also having max health buffs.

It's an interesting trade off. Even if you drop down to Enhanced Pact, does the added damage buff make up for the FT and accessory slots you have to give up to buff health and heal on hit? I mean, would you give up Walking Bomb proc for heal on hit, if there was no other choice?

 

Any tips on dealing with Barrier Breaker enemies effectively as a mage ? Other than killing them as fast as possible obviously. Does Guard on Hit Masterworks counter Barrier Breakers ?

[ottffsse]

Any tips on dealing with Barrier Breaker enemies effectively as a mage ? Other than killing them as fast as possible obviously. Does Guard on Hit Masterworks counter Barrier Breakers ?

At range: put them in a lightning cage or veilstrike them, or horror them. After that place a firemine. Your hp pool is so low that guard on hit won't do anything. If you have trouble staying alive use both heal on hit AND fade cloak/ walking fortress masterwork. Against qun stalker lightning cage or veilstrike and drop a ice / flame array around yourself for good measure just in case. If they get close fade cloak or fade step away as one flame array might not kill them yet and they are fast. if you have bear sigil you can do all sorts of nasty things to them like lightning cage + walking bomb + energy barrage very quickly. or pota+fire mine+veilstrike if you are a rift mage. if that is not enough use aegis of the rift (I never bothered with aeigis). after barrier is up you can also just fade step into them and place a freeze array and a flame array if you want to deal with them at close range.

 

yeah I remember the shock trooper, I had lightning cage against them, and cycled barrier with elegant defence and fade step for defence and maneuvering.  

 

With fade step + ring of doubt you are pretty safe mostly because you always go into stealth (almost) after a fade step. And can safely recast barrier and lightning cage or any combo setup from a distance again after that. I somehow feel lightning cage lasts longer than pota, I like it more personally. 

[Bayonet Hipshot]

At range: put them in a lightning cage or veilstrike them, or horror them. After that place a firemine. Your hp pool is so low that guard on hit won't do anything. If you have trouble staying alive use both heal on hit AND fade cloak/ walking fortress masterwork. Against qun stalker lightning cage or veilstrike and drop a ice / flame array around yourself for good measure just in case. If they get close fade cloak or fade step away as one flame array might not kill them yet and they are fast. if you have bear sigil you can do all sorts of nasty things to them like lightning cage + walking bomb + energy barrage very quickly. or pota+fire mine+veilstrike if you are a rift mage. if that is not enough use aegis of the rift (I never bothered with aeigis). after barrier is up you can also just fade step into them and place a freeze array and a flame array if you want to deal with them at close range.

 

yeah I remember the shock trooper, I had lightning cage against them, and cycled barrier with elegant defence and fade step for defence and maneuvering.  

 

With fade step + ring of doubt you are pretty safe mostly because you always go into stealth (almost) after a fade step. And can safely recast barrier and lightning cage or any combo setup from a distance again after that. I somehow feel lightning cage lasts longer than pota, I like it more personally. 

 

Due to his sheer awesomeness, I hereby nominate Ottffsse for the position of Grand Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, since he is far superior at magic compared to Fiona or Vivienne.

[ottffsse]

Due to his sheer awesomeness, I hereby nominate Ottffsse for the position of Grand Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, since he is far superior at magic compared to Fiona or Vivienne.

haha thank you . Statement™ if I had to make one half seriously "I would hopefully make more a Dumbledore than a Sauron in my conveyance of (cough cough) "MAGIC™" practice(s). As you all know I do not mind the exploitationration of certain mechanics of the game to get the most damage per buck, so quite naturally if you want to use blood magic, go right at it dear apprentices (as long as there is mutual consent of course). Treat your familiars and fellow students like you want them to treat your dearest grandparents though. But get this straight now: demons are not your friends, and neither are spirits; if you sincerely think they are, we will send you one way to the fade, you will be happiest there, I guarantee it. If you happen to be one poor sick sick bastard who never knew a mother's love, please conduct any experiment on yourself first, or on that red lyrium infused Dragon we keep in the basement just for you to play with. Or go to Par Vollen, maybe you will discover something really great there. As a good  friend once said "follow your own compass, be your own captain." Anyways, just know that whatever seeming heights of MAGIC™ you think you've reached, know that there is an entity, a force out there watching you, analyzing and studying you, also gaining power and ability with every step you take in your quest for your own mastery of this MAGIC™, plainly put, the foundation of many things:  F_A = -F_B : if you zap your familiar a thunder clasp today, don't expect to wake up with your hair long and straight tomorrow morning."

[PapaCharlie9]

if you have bear sigil you can do all sorts of nasty things to them like lightning cage + walking bomb + energy barrage very quickly.

The whole post is great, but this line is very important. Mana limitations put a damper on my damage output. The Sigil of the Great Bear would have made it possible to follow up a CC spell, like Veilstrike, with more than one attack ability.

Cooldown was also a limitation, but that was pretty much by choice. I had a Superior Cooldown Amulet in inventory, but the Amulet of Physical Immunity was more useful versus leaping attacks and the dragon.

[Gya]

It's an interesting trade off. Even if you drop down to Enhanced Pact, does the added damage buff make up for the FT and accessory slots you have to give up to buff health and heal on hit? I mean, would you give up Walking Bomb proc for heal on hit, if there was no other choice?

In Trespasser, absolutely. The number of barrier breaking enemies and damage output means that often fadestepping away and using energy barrage for healing is far easier than having to kite enemies and splitting up packs.

The first stage against Saarath is hilarious, he won't come up to the ledge so once his back up is dead, you can cheese him with energy barrage/stonefist/dispel spam. His stupid glowing ball attack and that irritating slowdown debuff all his attacks have makes facetanking him a real pain.

The second stage is... much harder. There's no cover and he spams flame AoE all over the floor. And those flame wraiths are brutal. That, and I keep forgetting to discharge the anchor. I hate anchor meltdown. Ugh.

[ottffsse]

In Trespasser, absolutely. The number of barrier breaking enemies and damage output means that often fadestepping away and using energy barrage for healing is far easier than having to kite enemies and splitting up packs.

The first stage against Saarath is hilarious, he won't come up to the ledge so once his back up is dead, you can cheese him with energy barrage/stonefist/dispel spam. His stupid glowing ball attack and that irritating slowdown debuff all his attacks have makes facetanking him a real pain.

The second stage is... much harder. There's no cover and he spams flame AoE all over the floor. And those flame wraiths are brutal. That, and I keep forgetting to discharge the anchor. I hate anchor meltdown. Ugh.

In the solo all trials I did that upgraded fire resistant tonic is the one I always took for that final fight because of that bs. It still works with all trials enabled. Time to use one also before that wave with the rage demon and those wraiths. I think confusion grenades work too to deal with the demon waves if you so choose.

[Gya]

In the solo all trials I did that upgraded fire resistant tonic is the one I always took for that final fight because of that bs. It still works with all trials enabled. Time to use one also before that wave with the rage demon and those wraiths. I think confusion grenades work too to deal with the demon waves if you so choose.

Yeah just did it with the fire resist and spirit resist, made it much more straightforward, but without lyrium tonics it takes so long! 8 minutes of wondering where that fat idiot is going to land. Ugh.

 

EDIT: 

 

Uploaded both the Saarath solos. Yes, my internet is that bad it took 2 days to upload 2 videos. The damage output is much better using a cold staff and winter pact belt (since I don't have inferno pact). I used the same build as before, but swapped veilstrike for aegis of the rift for the second fight for convenience, but it would probably have been faster using mark of the rift.

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

[PapaCharlie9]

Makes you wish Ice Armor gave Fire Resistance. Why don't they see these totally logical things?

[Bayonet Hipshot]

Makes you wish Ice Armor gave Fire Resistance. Why don't they see these totally logical things?

 

Bioware ? Being logical ? Perish the thought.

[Gya]

Makes you wish Ice Armor gave Fire Resistance. Why don't they see these totally logical things?

Haha that's a really good point, and now I'm wondering why I didn't think of it earlier...

At the very least, it should leave your inquisitor looking a bit soggy.