Casters: Stormlord experiences

Belomar · Apr 2, 2004

Well, being one of a handful of ML10 Stormlords on this server, I thought I should share my experience with this MA path with you all. As most people know, choosing between Stormlord and Convoker is not that easy; they're both rather subpar, at least in comparison to Perfector (for PvE, less useful in RvR) and Battlemaster (Grapple, Bodyguard, Throw Weapon, all useful in open RvR). Both Convoker and Stormlord are next to useless in roaming FG vs FG RvR -- the cast times of the various abilities is much too long to allow them to be cast against decent groups (some things like the BT pet might be useful, though I am not sure the pets are speeded?).

So, if roaming RvR is out, what do you use them for? To me, it seems that Stormlord is most suited for keep warfare and zergs, whereas Convoker is better suited for soloing and small groups. All the Stormlord abilities are more or less static and storm-oriented, so they are beneficial (or detrimental) to the masses (rather than the group-oriented nature of most other MA lines).

Now, about the Stormlord ML10 ability, it kind of sucks. It is called Arcing Power and makes the next damage spell you cast AoE. It has a 10(!) second cast time, 5 minute reuse timer, gives a one-shot AoE buff for 1 minute 15 seconds, and does not work with bolts, debuffs (so no AoE nearsights or body sorcs AoE debuffing ice), or single-target roots. For me as a Spirit Cabalist, I get to cast an AoE version of my base lifetap (which could be handy) -- with falloff -- or an AoE version of my base DoT. Gee, I've been a Matter Cabalist before, enough mezz breaking already!

So, Convoker or Stormlord? This depends, in my opinion, on whether you see yourself camping keeps and zerging (Stormlord), or soloing (Convoker) during the times you don't play in full groups. For myself, I still have some testing to do in RvR, but I am most likely respeccing to Convoker.

Note that these are just my own personal thoughts and I am sure others disagree with me.

Raven · Apr 2, 2004

so stormlord ml10 is free group purge for the enemy then

Belomar · Apr 2, 2004

Yes.

Actually, it only seems to work with DDs (and lifetaps), not DoTs, so I don't even get to play Matter Cabalist!

Lethul · Apr 2, 2004

ml10 stormlord doesnt work on pets either

that would have been fun

must abilitys suck, nothing more to say

HerculesPluto · Apr 3, 2004

dunno if convoker will be any better, soloing with cloth aint pretty

both specs sound shit on paper to me, they should just give us loads of VP type abilitys to obliterate stuff, an insta bolt range aoe stun

being the ml10 thing obv.

Im really enjoying being able to make SHIT wood and put some funny looking stones about the place as a convoker atm

the higher ML pets might be a bit of a laugh tho i spose.

Filip · Apr 3, 2004

i picked stormlord out of that assumtion that all convoker spells was 13 sec cast time like the storms ..

now i hear that convoker ml 9 is instant pbaoe 2k range ....

if thats rigth i gonna respec rigth on the spot ... but i would like to get some more info about how much does the pets raise in lvl ? dam ? any1 abel to give me info ?

Bellona · Apr 3, 2004

convoker > stormlord imo

Clipse · Apr 3, 2004

I'm the other Ml10 Stormlord hihi. The ml10 ability Arcing Power......fuk knows what this is...I havent noticed anything with it...my PB doesnt seem any special after it, or my nukes......

As for the first 9, purely for Keep takes......there is nothing special about Stormlord a all.....It makes my wonder wy Mythic even bothered with it.

It encourages room fights..and even then everything goes down to fast for them to really benefit anyone.

Belomar · Apr 3, 2004

Well, I am no Convoker, but I was present on the ML10 raid when we made good use of the ML9 PBAE pet buff. Every time one of the three Convokers present had it up, the theurgs would get full power and spam pets, and then the buff would be used. In almost all cases, the boss lost a big chunk of health (and the theurgists accordingly got aggro and died

).

Speaking of the advantages of Stormlord, the storms can be quite useful in some PvE encounters as a way to get aggro (for good or bad). Also, the DD storm does hit epic mobs much more easily than your normal spells.

noaim · Apr 3, 2004

Any idea what damage the DD storm does and how long the storm lasts? And can you set it with GT or does it drop where you stand when casting? Just curious if its worth going beyond ML5.

Aloca · Apr 3, 2004

Belomar said:
Well, I am no Convoker, but I was present on the ML10 raid when we made good use of the ML9 PBAE pet buff. Every time one of the three Convokers present had it up, the theurgs would get full power and spam pets, and then the buff would be used. In almost all cases, the boss lost a big chunk of health (and the theurgists accordingly got aggro and died ).

Speaking of the advantages of Stormlord, the storms can be quite useful in some PvE encounters as a way to get aggro (for good or bad). Also, the DD storm does hit epic mobs much more easily than your normal spells.

1 word: Animist..

Lethul · Apr 3, 2004

noaim said:
Any idea what damage the DD storm does and how long the storm lasts? And can you set it with GT or does it drop where you stand when casting? Just curious if its worth going beyond ML5.

it drops where you stand, has 15s cast time, 5 min recast, does stack. Its the only reason to go above ml5 as stormlord

Belomar · Apr 3, 2004

Oh, and the damage is something like 80-200 (and crits on top of that) depending on the con of the mob. I think someone even scored a hit on Draco with it (not me).

Filip · Apr 3, 2004

Every time one of the three Convokers present had it up, the theurgs would get full power and spam pets, and then the buff would be used. In almost all cases, the boss lost a big chunk of health (and the theurgists accordingly got aggro and died ).

what im curious about is if the pets just get a bigger to hit chance (RvR/PvE) or if they really hit harder on players ...

a lvl 7 stun pet hit the players okish .. so if convoker ml 9 just add to hit chance then it is useless ... but if the pets really do hit harder then i respec faster than you can find the rigth way to spell allakazham

noaim · Apr 3, 2004

Belomar said:
Oh, and the damage is something like 80-200 (and crits on top of that) depending on the con of the mob. I think someone even scored a hit on Draco with it (not me).

I think they changed the storm to rvr only later on tho (says so on toa-site at least)

But if its decent damage maybe its worth getting.

Jox · Apr 3, 2004

Belomar said:
Well, being one of a handful of ML10 Stormlords on this server, I thought I should share my experience with this MA path with you all. As most people know, choosing between Stormlord and Convoker is not that easy; they're both rather subpar, at least in comparison to Perfector (for PvE, less useful in RvR) and Battlemaster (Grapple, Bodyguard, Throw Weapon, all useful in open RvR). Both Convoker and Stormlord are next to useless in roaming FG vs FG RvR -- the cast times of the various abilities is much too long to allow them to be cast against decent groups (some things like the BT pet might be useful, though I am not sure the pets are speeded?).

So, if roaming RvR is out, what do you use them for? To me, it seems that Stormlord is most suited for keep warfare and zergs, whereas Convoker is better suited for soloing and small groups. All the Stormlord abilities are more or less static and storm-oriented, so they are beneficial (or detrimental) to the masses (rather than the group-oriented nature of most other MA lines).

Now, about the Stormlord ML10 ability, it kind of sucks. It is called Arcing Power and makes the next damage spell you cast AoE. It has a 10(!) second cast time, 5 minute reuse timer, gives a one-shot AoE buff for 1 minute 15 seconds, and does not work with bolts, debuffs (so no AoE nearsights or body sorcs AoE debuffing ice), or single-target roots. For me as a Spirit Cabalist, I get to cast an AoE version of my base lifetap (which could be handy) -- with falloff -- or an AoE version of my base DoT. Gee, I've been a Matter Cabalist before, enough mezz breaking already!

So, Convoker or Stormlord? This depends, in my opinion, on whether you see yourself camping keeps and zerging (Stormlord), or soloing (Convoker) during the times you don't play in full groups. For myself, I still have some testing to do in RvR, but I am most likely respeccing to Convoker.

Note that these are just my own personal thoughts and I am sure others disagree with me.

Your experience have a value, so why are you giving it away for free... to everyone? In real life people pays extreme amounts of money to listen to guys with experience in the area that they are interested in.

But its nice with people who share their experience for free^^

The only thing you gain; some credit amongst casual players.

The things you lose; Your advantage, which have more value than the credit from the monkey-farm.

Filip · Apr 3, 2004

:eek2: ehhhh jox ..... this is not work ... G.A.M.E ...ggaaammmeeeee.....

Trubble · Apr 3, 2004

In 1.67 convoker clearly beats stormlord: The pets can be used in PvE. Powertrap clears a full powerbar. Pet empowerment works on theurg pets.

Pets will get nerfed to not work in PvE in 1.68. Power traps will be reduced to take 10-14% power. And rumor has it on Pendragon test server that ML9 ability will be changed to work on controlled pets only (which is a change to expect really). The scorpion tailring will be changed, so it wont work on uncontrolled pets, thereby the one method there is to give brittle guard speed will go away.

So if you can be a high ml convoker now, go for it. But brace yourself for nerfing.

Belomar · Apr 3, 2004

Ehh, I'm sorry, what are you on, Jox? This is a community for a game. People share their experiences to improve the game play of everyone. My knowledge of Stormlords is not some trade secret I should keep to myself, it is my way of contributing. What do you think sites like VoS (which I am sure you've used a lot, like most DAoC players) would look like without people submitting information?

So you say that I gain "some credit among casual players"? What does this mean? Hardcore players won't care? And what exactly is my advantage? In my mind, my advantage is that I am ML10, and the above comments won't help anyone achieve that (and I would not withhold information on how to do any of the ML encounters just because I want to "guard my secrets").

Filip · Apr 3, 2004

omg... just thougth a bit more about the Jox post ... jox ... daoc is bad for you ... imho stop playing it ..

The only thing you gain; some credit amongst casual players.

soooo .... your goal is to gain respect from ppl who are not casual players ... ei "elite" ppl form daoc ? ...

The things you lose; Your advantage, which have more value than the credit from the monkey-farm.

again very easy to see the "importance order" of ppl in the game for you ..

it is clear that this is a RL value for you.. respect is something every1 seeks, in some form or another ... some forms are bad .. like . you want respect from Hells Angels .. not a good choice in life..

you wanna value your self out of the "daoc" respect you get .... bad for you ..

i acknowledge that this is a slap in the face for you ... but .. imho the attitude you show is really bad for you in RL ...

Jox · Apr 3, 2004

hehe, was kidding ofc

Take it easy^^

:drink:

Trubble · Apr 3, 2004

Jox said:
Your experience have a value, so why are you giving it away for free... to everyone? In real life people pays extreme amounts of money to listen to guys with experience in the area that they are interested in.

But its nice with people who share their experience for free^^

The only thing you gain; some credit amongst casual players.

The things you lose; Your advantage, which have more value than the credit from the monkey-farm.

I think you are missing the point. This forum is only interesting if valuable information is posted here...

Trubble · Apr 3, 2004

Trubble said:
The scorpion tailring will be changed, so it wont work on uncontrolled pets, thereby the one method there is to give brittle guard speed will go away.

... crocodile tearring that is.

Ralgedi Smurf · Apr 3, 2004

I devided to go for Convoker since im mostly solo and small groups, but tbh i find both lines pretty weak, on paper atleast

I would rather ml lvl my BB so it can get heal/power filed

[NO]Magmatic · Apr 3, 2004

Well being one of the few ML10 convokers on this server (self-ego-boost, ml11 ability, trying to get mlxp for it)...

I cant seem to grasp where the convoker is for solo'ing came from... 90% is static rvr, or doesnt even help you in rvr... Why on earth we got 'summon wood' or 'summon warcrystal' is beyond me... I got a few traps, although nice, do require camping... I got a see stealthers node type thing, requires camping, I got a pet buff... I'm a wizard (dont have pets)... And I can summon a crystal titan, that cant move... Oh and focus summon a battlewarder (cant move either)... Both do ok damage and all, but, why would anyone stand close to one? (their amusing in pve, but that gets nerfed next patch, duh)...

Tbh, both storm and convoker have their uses, but neither are suited for helping a solo caster... And neither are really suited for roaming rvr... Even the brittleguard isnt usefull in roaming rvr because it doesnt keep up with the group (it doesnt get speed)... Only thing good about brittleguard is that its about a 2s cast... So its easy to get one up... But do you have time for that in rvr?

All in all, I doubt any of the caster's ML will change the way roaming rvr gets done... At least a mentalist can chose warlord (wasnt it?)...

If you camp something, mg, keep, whatever, then it gets a whole lot more intresting though, you can do some nifty stuff then, both in storm & convoker... Take the convoker speed-debuff for example, no speed for a minute after walking through the ward, thats nice if you put it at the correct spot when attacking a keep...

Belomar · Apr 3, 2004

Brittle guard seems mighty useful for a soloer, and since I play a petclass, I think the pet boost could be useful. Also, soloing (which I quite enjoy to do) is not an orthogonal concept to camping.

I am sure dropping a speed warp close to ATK to make life difficult for those silly Mid and Hib groups who insist on zooming past ATK could be amusing too.

Ralgedi Smurf · Apr 3, 2004

when i solo i often camp abit, so the convoker stuff would be ok havent tried it yet are only ml2 sofar

the PN is a great hiding place, semi hard to target and you can ambush meny from there

Garbannoch · Apr 5, 2004

not easy as a caster to choose between two crap MLs since both are completely sub-par if compared to other ML trees (perfector, banelord, battlemaster, warlord)

in hib most ML10 mages have chosen stormlord; even most animists are (or will respec to) stormlord since the pet boost ability does only work on controlled pets (1.68) and therefore useless to pet spam classes like animists and theurgs. In PvE the brittle guard is nothing but an animated bladeturn - since I am not a convoker i don't know whether in RvR you actually have to kill the brittle guard first or if it works like in PvE (guard dies when caster gets attacked).

Both stormlord and convoker are 99% useless in roaming fg RvR but at least stormlord has its uses in stationary fights (keep takes, relic raids, AMG room

). Also some useful stuff for PvE in stormlord e.g. str/con debuff field and DD storm (which will be removed from PvE in 1.68 iirc)

The ML10 ability is completely useless for my class/spec. I usually never use an aoe spell in first place and definitely not one where i have to cast a self buff first for 5 secs or so - also mana eld has already an aoe version of the snare dd. Only use I can see is for a lifetap - but again also only in zerg fights cause in fg vs fg you dont have time to cast the buff.

Major problems with stormlord atm are:
- cast time of storms is WAY too long or alternatively make it so that storms can be placed via groundtarget
- reuse timer is too long (reduce to 2 mins)
- the vortex thing is useless - you cannot move storms in a controlled way (or am I doing something wrong?)
- ML10 ability must be changed to affect all spells incl debuffs, dot, bolt, nearsight, etc

old.Sko · Apr 5, 2004

Garb, if you qc ML ability like speedwarp etc it lands in 2 seconds. So convoker/stormlord has his uses in fg rvr. Downside, to plant a node/storm you waste qc.

Lethul · Apr 5, 2004

Garbannoch said:
lots of text..

another nice thing would be to make the storms gtae, then you actually could use them at seiges and the move storm/focus storm would be more valuable to

Casters: Stormlord experiences

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