Wizard build

[CaT]

Dear Swords,

I am hoping successful wizards (yes Jan, I am looking at you too!) will take some time and post a few ideas about their build and gear in this thread.

I started playing an archmage this life and while still very young I am enjoying it so far more than my palemaster.

My warforged 34pt build is as follows: 14 STR, 8 DEX, 16 CON, 18 INT (+level-ups), 6 WIS and 12 CHA.

Skill points are used for: balance, concentration, haggle, hide, move silently, spot, UMD, a couple on jump and tumble.

Feats:

1 – Insightful Reflexes (buffs up the most important save in the game)

1 (wizard) – Spell Focus Conjuration (Extend until level 5, but at 5 Heighten+Spell Focus Webs rock)

3 – Past Life: Arcane Initiate (earliest I can take it to improve my DCs)

5 (wizard) – Heighten (again higher DCs)

6 – Mental Toughness (needed for archmage and Shroud of the Wraith if I would ever like to reset)

9 – Toughness (earliest I can take it and needed for Shroud of the Lich if I ever want to reset)

10 (wizard) – Spell Focus Necromancy (insta kills and needed for palemaster if I want to reset)

12 – Spell Focus Greater Necromancy (I can reset and use Wrath form if archmage is not appealing)

15 – Spell Penetration (insta kills on drows can be painful without it plus needed for Epic)

15 (wizard) – Quicken (earliest I can take it and despite Concentration I prefer to have it)

18 – Greater Spell Penetration (needed for Epic Spell Penetration)

20 – Maximize Spell (nothing else to take here)

The feats above allow me to play an Archmage focused on Death and Control, but can also reset and go the Palemaster route though with the recent changes I might as well stay out of Undead forms at the very least in elite quests with light damage spell casters.

Enhancements: minimum needed for Archmage IV (primary Necromancy – secondary Conjuration with Web SLA and maybe Arcane SLAs), Spell Penetration II, 1/1/7 Cold/Electric, few Force/Repair, Improved Metas, Capstone, Toughness and some other fluff.

The gear is a mess right now though I have GS goggles for CHA skills+6 and GS cloak conc op plus other nice things like Spell Penetration+Archmage Ioun Stone, Darkstorm Helm, Torc, Skiver, Rahkir ring and Epic Ornamented Dagger.

I hope more would share their builds and exchange ideas about their choices/strategies so we can improve our game play. Thanks and I look forward to some insightful posts!

[Legend]

Hi mate

My Archmage is pretty much the same build as yours, spell focus necro along with the archmage conj line for SLA: Web (very handy) only difference being I did not go for Insightful and not the option for Wiz past life so went for Empower and kept Extend for now, epic levels will be epic spell pen and epic toughness.

I also have my PM, I do think the PM is more durable than the WF AM and has better damage output so I do prefer to play but both nice, don’t think I would have a build to swap from one to another, the gear is very different I use for each.

Stats: Max Int and Con (who cares about the rest) all points then in Int.

Skill Points: Balance, Conc, Diplo, Haggle, Repair and UMD

For my archmage I just went all out on the acid damage line, not much is immune to this so works well when not using dc spells, (I did the PM quite a bit different), i do still carry niacs and eldars and do tend to stack these and Dragon bolt when needed.

Gear

Head – Minos (handy low lvl item with 2 must have abils)
Neck – Torc (a must) – will make epic when can
Trinket – Epic Treasure Hunters (but will go for the +3 insightful Int trinket if loot)
Cloak – Epic Envenomed w/GFL in slot
Rahkir’s Belt
Ring 1 – Epic Shamans Band (just for the spell pen 9, 8 no good imo)
Ring 2 – Rahkirs w/+2 con (PM set def not worth it, even on a PM)
Gloves – Greensteel sp gloves w/ Blindness, Disease, +50sp, +100sp
Boots – Tier 3 Epic Rock Boots (for the acid spells)
Gloves – Greensteel Conc Opp +45hp
Docent – Epic Diabolists (the new stone heart with +8 Int or +3 Except Int is very viable now, I would prob use if other abils on that docent not on other key gear), then go for trinket to suit what Int missing.
Goggles – Epic Spectacles of Spirit Sight w/+1 con slotted
Main Hand – Epic Staff of Arcane Power (got arcane lore on acid covered on boots so no real need for GreenBlade+1)

other handy gear is really Bauble, Twisted Talisman and Ring of spell storing, I hate swapping loads of gear to better fulfill a specific role in certain quests so tend to just run as is with all my toons whilst trying to get all bases covered.

btw, Epic Ornamental Dagger is trash now, Skiver +1 would be better route to go, perhaps +1 could be shield with some nice abils, but a few optiosn with the new items depending upon what want build to do, staff of the necromancer is also nice.

 

[Ryan]

Hello Cat.

Nice to see a new Warforged in the neighbourhood.

Mantraxx my current Sorc TR was a AM in his previous life. I dont remember exactly how I built him tbh, but Im sure i took Toughness quite early as I spent much of the early levels swinging a Maelstrom and later a Carnifex..

I also think I took Maximise earlier as well for DoTs.

I took Conj for the Web SLA in the late teen levels and Heighten once I got Instakills

This is all iirc

Quicken is a must and will sometimes mean the difference between life and death when casting Recons.

Like Legend, I find my PM to be more survivable but hey, you’re a Warforged Arcane now. You will go where others fear to tread. Terror will be your vanguard and destruction shall lay behind. On the field of battle your presence will strike fear into the very souls of you enemies as your dark arcane powers crackle and surge aound you.

I will be really interested to hear how a Warforged PM gets on as Ive oft considered TRing one of my Sorcs into one.

Good luck on your TR Cat. Im sure it’ll be great fun.

Oh, whilst I think of it, if youre going acid spec then the Wand of Corrosion (or what ever its called) is nice and gives a 48 boost, a Docent of acid and a Diabolist docent for conj boost (nice kit for lowbie use)

[CaT]

Thank you Legend and Ryan for your suggestions. Anyone else?

[Sinaefay]

With Nalfey being a drow archmage, my goal was to be able to use heal scrolls without fail at level 20. With the addition of epic levels, that changed both feats and gear. When Nalfey hits 20 again, he will have the following feats:

1: Toughness
1B: Extend Spell
3: Arcane Initiate
5B: Spell Focus: Enchantment
6: Mental Toughness
9: Maximize Spell
10B: Spell Focus Necromancy
12: Greater Spell Focus: Necromancy
15: Spell Penetration (Was skill focus umd, but with epic levels I changed it to spell pen)
15B:Heighten Spell
18: Greater Spell Penetration (was spell pen, but with epic levels I changed it to greater)
20B: Quicken Spell (not very needed in most quests up to this level)

Nalf will be focused on cold (wont have maxed lines though) with force and fire as well (1 pt in each, so 3 each). Spell pen will be maxed, of course. He will have necromancy as main focus, and enchantment as secondary, with hypnotism and force bolt as only SLAs.

 

My plan for gear was to go with the following:

Goggles: Magewright Goggles

Helmet: Greensteel – Min 2 with +45 hp

Necklace: Noxious Embers (gr arcane lore, lsr maximize 3/day)

Trinket: Litany of the Dead

Cloak: Epic Envenomed Cloak, Green Augment Slot: Greater false life

Belt: Rakhir’s Sash

Ring: Epic Ring of Elemental Essence

Ring: Rakhir’s Ring

Gloves: Gloves of the Glacier / Seven-fingered gloves

Bracers: Greensteel – Conc Opp +150 sp/+5 cha skills

Armour: Frozen Tunic

 

Then came the expansion and the current gear Im aiming for Nalf is atm:

Goggles: Magewright Goggles (+6 int, spell pen IX, conc +10, enh conc +5) or Epic Kundarak Delving Goggles – Blindness Immunity, Disable Device +15, Search +15, Spot +20, Open Lock +15, +1 exc con [colorless slot]

Helmet: Greensteel – Min 2 +45 hp

Necklace: Noxious Embers (gr arcane lore, lsr maximize 3/day) or Epic Torc of Prince Raiyum-de II – Greater Spell Penetration VIII, Wizardry VI, Transform Kinetic Energy

Trinket: Litany of the Dead

Cloak: Cloak of Flames (Superior Combustion IX, Superior Fire Lore,Epic Combustion VI, Heightened Awareness IV, Fire Absorption 20%, Fire Shield (Hot), Inherent (10) Fire Resistance, +1 exc con (Empty Colorless Augment Slot), +2 luck (Empty Blue Augment Slot)

Belt: Belt of the Sun Soul – Constitution +7, Insightful Wisdom +2, Concentration +15

LH Ring: Epic Ring of Elemental Essence – +90 Combustion/Glaciation/Magnetism/Corrosion, Inherent Resistance 5 to Acid/Cold/Fire/Electric, Archmagi, Greater False Life (Empty Yellow Augment Slot)

Gloves: Epic Gloves of the Falcon – Spot +15, Dexterity +7, Heightened Awareness +2, +1 exc int (Empty Colorless Augment Slot), Proof against poison +6 (Empty Yellow Augment Slot)

Boots: Cannith Boots of Propulsion/Firestorm Greaves/Kundarak Delving Boots/Boots of the Woodsman

RH Ring: +6 cha +1 wis of +2 insight int (ToD Ring)

Bracers: Greensteel – Conc Opp +150 sp /+5 cha skills

Robe: Spidersilk Robes – +8 Intelligence, Armor Bonus +9, Potency, Wizardry IX, Resistance +6, Concentration +15, Toughness [ML:22]

Weapon: “Something (Skiver in meanwhile) & alchemical weapon (looted dmg and lore stick in meanwhile) / Twilight of Magic / Alarphon’s Staff

 

That’s the main gist I think.

[CaT]

Thank you Jan for your long post. I need to find some time to re-read it especially the gear part. I will make some time to post my gear though it is not updated for U14.

[Author]

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