Pure caster/mage build?

Hi all,

I've really enjoyed my Blades/Heavy Armor/Fire build in R12 and R13, and it takes a lot to kill me now. It makes for exploring VERY fun.

However, at heart, I'm a mage/caster type, who likes nuking from afar, and burning up reagents. I tested an Air/Light Armor/Death build today, and though I did fine with single targets, any adds and I was toast.

Has anyone had any luck with a pure caster/ranged DPS build? If so, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!

PS: Perhaps a ranged DPS using bows instead of magic might work?

 

There was mention of a viable mage build in another thread, however apparently it takes some skill to do so: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/pure-mages-are-currently-viable-but.17718/

Nothing much has changed in R13 as far as I can tell. I tried my hand at a mage build this release and failed miserably, so I'm probably not quite hard-core enough to manage it.

Maybe next release.

 

So far I have only been able to survive using melee. Stand still and auto whack whack whack. Hardly any fun at all. I much prefer playing ranged but at this point I could not find any realistically playable way to do so.

 

I haven't had the courage to try again at my pure mage build. Thus far it seems hybrid builds are being forced upon us. Since you will need to grab defensive skills from multiple combat and magic trees to get your survivability. I do not want to play a plate wearer, but it's the only way to survive thus far.

Also, with encumberance coming, will my mage be doomed with low strength?

 

I would think thats what friends are for.

find a tanky friend to distract the enemies while you rain fire from a safe distance

 

I am pure mage with chain chest (and cloth everything else). I use heavy armour skills so I get 0 slugs, I have rather high strength (for hps so I survive). Other than that I am currently using Mind Lock and Death. Death Magic scales with intelligence so you need to invest lots of points in intelligence.

That being said, unlike plated melee, you have to be very active when you play, you still can die really quickly and every second matters. I managed to finish Challenge dungeon at the end of R12 with Wand and magic. It was not easy though Death magic is viable for PvP as well, though you need to add some slowing abilities to catch up with ranged fighters, death ray is not really cool and its range is limited.

 

I tried out a pure mage build (in augmented leather armor) right away when I created a new deck, but it still has low survivability rate Quickly switched back to hybrid archer/mage build (with copper chain mail and extra points in various skills to reduce my fizzle rate down from 45% to 15% ). I still have 6 slugs though (reduced from the original 12), since I am unwilling to give up the extra protection from physical attacks afforded me by the rest of my copper chain mail set

I didn't get a chance to craft the new explosion potions (purple explosions?!) or caltrops, but they might help a little...

At least standing still when casting spells or firing arrows finally pays off for me (at least in PvE) (I look forward to testing this out in the next PvP tournament....)

 

Thanks for all the helpful feedback.

 

Like @Heskel said, mages currently need friends to survive. I suspect that future releases will present more defensive abilities/spells for the casters, so things will eventually even out. Meantime, I'm doing the same as you: experimenting with the melee/armor/magic combos simply because I stay alive long enough to explore the world.

I do look forward to testing out some pure magic builds, though.

 

Currently lvl 29. I started in plate, with 2 founder's cutlasses. I started with putting points into the strength, and carry skills. I then put a lump of points in focus. I then started accumulating points in the magic skills. Fire/Death works well for me. Seems like every few levels, I go to the trainer, and drop a few more sword skills, and add some to magic.

I did move down to augmented leather right before 20, and fizzles are much improved. You do know you can buy an augmented armor set for less than repairing one of your old pieces.

Nearing 30, I will start pumping focus and intelligence, and pull anything not defensive out of the sword line. There are defensive skills in the offhand weapon branch. At some point I will try using augmented cloth, and consider some defensive skills there. I want to have available some close in magic damage skills, some ranged skills, and a couple of AoE magic damage skills. At this point I still don't want to be worrying about reagents, so the heavier magic skills I will be shy on. I would think that at later levels one could afford to carry enough reagents to use some of the better magic skills, and have trained down the fizzle rates to make them viable.

Something of a plan, YMMV. Playing with Plate chest piece and cloth everywhere else might be a good middle ground.