Wizard PotD build please

[Augusto]

i was min maxing but now that patch 2.0 is going to come out soon perception is going to be more useful for casters (because of accuracy) i dont want to min it, i was thinking about this stats:

 

16 Might

8 Con

15 Dex

10 Per

18 Int

10 Res

 

what do you think guys i need to start a new character as soon as possible

[Nobear]

For 2.0 I'd dump Con and Res if your wizard will stay in the back row doing either DPS or CC. Accuracy is good, but it's really good. I'd want more than 10 for sure.

 

For a second row Spirit Lancer, you might want something different, but for ranged I don't see why you couldn't dump Con and Res. Wizards have good situational defensive spells. No need to sacrifice other things to make them super hardy all the time, even on PoTD.

[HoopleDoople]

If Perception is changed to give an accuracy bonus that forces every optimal ranged character to dump Resolve and Constitution. Assuming that you are playing a ranged Wizard, I'd recommend something like:

 

18 MIG

3 CON

16 DEX

20 PER

18 INT

3 RES

 

Your race will be Wood Elf to get Distant Advantage and higher PER and your culture will be the White that Wends. PER will be by far the most important stat for a Wizard as it allows their CC to be ungodly good. Slicken is powerful enough without frequently landing crits. INT is next most important to maximize your AoE radius. MIG and DEX are both important but not as critical. I personally would opt for higher MIG to maximize spell damage, but you could swap it to 17/17 or 16/18 without it making much difference.

 

Of course you're more than welcome to take something less than optimal for roleplaying or challenge purposes. As long as you aren't dumping the crucial stats you'll be plenty powerful enough to succeed.

[Kadish]

Hi,

I'm planning to start a new game on PotD with the human wizard. I want to spread stats in range of 9-19 (NPC companions like) for RP purpose.

I know that perfect attributes would be like that: 18 3 19 16 19 3 (wood elf). But how should I distribute it with these requirements (9-19)?

a) 17 9 12 12 19 9

b) 16 9 13 12 19 9

c) 15 9 14 12 19 9

Which one would be the best? Maybe something other? 12 PER is for a decent dialogue checks base. Is it better to have STR>DEX (vs high enemy DR) or DEX>STR (faster CC) or STR~DEX? 

[AndreaColombo]

Imo for a Wizard MIG is more important than DEX; you'll be opening every encounter with Deleterious Alacrity of Motion as soon as you get 3rd level spells anyway.

 

Wear a robe and make it Durgan-enhanced as soon as you get to that point for a nifty 0% recovery penalty and you won't need much else.

 

Resting at Caed Nua can grant you a +3 DEX bonus that lasts for three rests if needed (it can be easily carried to all boss fights, including the final one.) Even starting out with 10 DEX, you can easily get to 18 with Ring of Thorns + Caed Nua + Rauatai Sweet Pie.

 

 

That said, Caed Nua offers the same bonus to MIG as well so you can get 18 (even 19, in fact) MIG from a starting point of 10 too. The difference is made by the Durgan enchantment and the Deleterious Alacrity of Motion, really.

Edited September 23, 2015 by AndreaColombo

[KDubya]

Hi,

I'm planning to start a new game on PotD with the human wizard. I want to spread stats in range of 9-19 (NPC companions like) for RP purpose.

I know that perfect attributes would be like that: 18 3 19 16 19 3 (wood elf). But how should I distribute it with these requirements (9-19)?

a) 17 9 12 12 19 9

b) 16 9 13 12 19 9

c) 15 9 14 12 19 9

Which one would be the best? Maybe something other? 12 PER is for a decent dialogue checks base. Is it better to have STR>DEX (vs high enemy DR) or DEX>STR (faster CC) or STR~DEX? 

 

 

I think most dialogue checks are wanting 16+ so a 12 is not going to get you anything.

 

I like high perception, intellect and high might in order to get the most out of my spells which I use sparingly. Speed from dex is the one I'd keep at base. I'd go 17 Might, 9 con, 10 dex, 17 per, 16 int and 9 res. even with limiting your spell casting you still get alacrity per encounter at 13 for a perma 50% speed boost so I get by with less dex.

 

If you are going to rest every fight then you'd want more dex and less perception as you will just cast more in case you miss or graze.

[pi2repsion]

Wear a robe and make it Durgan-enhanced as soon as you get to that point for a nifty 0% recovery penalty and you won't need much else.

Or wear a Berathian Priest Robe (the ones you pick up 6 of for disguises) for a 5% recovery penalty, 2DR, and good looks, something that can be done much earlier in the game and will later on save the Durgan steel for other uses.

[AndreaColombo]

^ I just can't like going around with so much naked skin

[pi2repsion]

^ I just can't like going around with so much naked skin

Reasonable enough. Thank God the game doesn't feature clothing-dependent frostbite in White March.

[Kadish]

Great thanks Andrea, KDubya, pi2repsion. As for the 12 PER- it's quite a good base extendable by gear (2-3), inn (3) etc. Although greater value has probably much greater potential.

[Vorad]

 

Wear a robe and make it Durgan-enhanced as soon as you get to that point for a nifty 0% recovery penalty and you won't need much else.

Or wear a Berathian Priest Robe (the ones you pick up 6 of for disguises) for a 5% recovery penalty, 2DR, and good looks, something that can be done much earlier in the game and will later on save the Durgan steel for other uses.

 

I second this. Also on the stats just aim for max Perception with elf + background and max Intellect. The rest is personal taste really. You need to land your cc, you need to maximize the chance of that cc landing and you need to hit as many as possible in return so max Perception and then max Intellect.

[the_dog_days]

Perception is more important than dexterity. Dexterity alters action speeds, while perception effects accuracy of both spells and attacks.

[pi2repsion]

Perception is more important than dexterity. Dexterity alters action speeds, while perception effects accuracy of both spells and attacks.

And I'd say that while both are important, I consider dexterity more important than perception, as it is fairly easy to buff accuracy (Paladin Aura, Priest spell, Wizard spell, and/or accuracy gauntlets) but impossible to buff action speed, and action speed determines your spell throughput.

 

So my ideal min-maxed blaster wizard is a 18 mig, 3 con, 19 dex, 16 per, 19 int, 3 res elf from old Valia.

Edited September 24, 2015 by pi2repsion

[Wolken3156]

Wizards are the most reliable source Interrupts though. A maxed Perception Wizard with the Blast talent and using Wall of Flame can generate a crazy amount of Interrupts. Also, Deleterious Alacrity of Motion affects Action Speed, so personally I think Per > Dex. Both stats are important either way though.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Wolken3156

[pi2repsion]

Wizards are the most reliable source Interrupts though. A maxed Perception Wizard with the Blast talent and using Wall of Flame can generate a crazy amount of Interrupts. Also, Deleterious Alacrity of Motion affects Action Speed, so personally I think Per > Dex. Both stats are important either way though.

I quite agree that interrupts are important and that DAOM is a wonderful spell, but DAOM doesn't affect Action Speed, only Attack Speed. That means it cuts down on the recovery time when casting a spell but not the casting time, while dexterity cuts down on both. Dexterity is the only thing that cuts down on casting speed.

 

The choices of dex vs per for a mix-maxed blaster wizard (when mig and int are maxed) is 19 dex/16 per (27% action speed, 6 accuracy, 18 interrupt) and 16 dex/19 per (18% action speed, 9 accuracy, 27 interrupt). So I choose the 19 dex version, as the 9% extra action speed is worth more to me than 3 accuracy and 9 interrupt extra. If I want even more interruption, there's always the talent for +15 more. When DAOM is up, that gives a 27% shorter casting time and a 77% shorter recovery time. And that's before you start wearing +dex equipment or gain +dex resting bonuses.

 

 

EDIT: Removed surplus math section.

Edited September 24, 2015 by pi2repsion

[KDubya]

 

Wizards are the most reliable source Interrupts though. A maxed Perception Wizard with the Blast talent and using Wall of Flame can generate a crazy amount of Interrupts. Also, Deleterious Alacrity of Motion affects Action Speed, so personally I think Per > Dex. Both stats are important either way though.

I quite agree that interrupts are important and that DAOM is a wonderful spell, but DAOM doesn't affect Action Speed, only Attack Speed. That means it cuts down on the recovery time when casting a spell but not the casting time, while dexterity cuts down on both. Dexterity is the only thing that cuts down on casting speed.

 

The choices of dex vs per for a mix-maxed blaster wizard (when mig and int are maxed) is 19 dex/16 per (27% action speed, 6 accuracy, 18 interrupt) and 16 dex/19 per (18% action speed, 9 accuracy, 27 interrupt). So I choose the 19 dex version, as the 9% extra action speed is worth more to me than 3 accuracy and 9 interrupt extra. If I want even more interruption, there's always the talent for +15 more. When DAOM is up, that gives a 27% shorter casting time and a 77% shorter recovery time. And that's before you start wearing +dex equipment or gain +dex resting bonuses.

 

 

EDIT: Removed surplus math section.

 

 

 

What would you use for stats in the case of the OP where he doesn't want anything dumped lower than a 9? You have a lot more Wizard experience than I do and I'm curious.

 

 

On a related subject do you find any downside to having a 3 con and a 3 resolve? Is there no real consequence due to a combination of - the con malus is a percentage applied to a small number; the lack of endurance is remedied with the 2nd level endurance spell;  the bad deflection and concentration are easily fixed with spells; and finally the enemy doesn't really target guys in the back even if there not CC'd.

[gkathellar]

Isn't there an argument to be made the Perception, Dexterity, and Intelligence are all greater than Might? I mean, sure, another 9% in damage is cool, but Perception helps your CC and critical hits connect, and Dexterity affects cast speed, and Intelligence is just obvious as a priority.

[pi2repsion]

What would you use for stats in the case of the OP where he doesn't want anything dumped lower than a 9? You have a lot more Wizard experience than I do and I'm curious.

Good question. Hadn't really given it a thought. I'm tempted to say that if I did this in the first place, then I'd pick stats more for conversation options than for any other reason. But that would also raise the obvious question of whether to pick stats for conversation options, where I knew the difficulty in advance, or stats such that I could, knowing what they were in advance, perform appropriate rest/food boosting to meet requirements. I'd end up with very different stat requirements that way. And, it must be mentioned, that if I really get into a roleplaying mood, then I might decide to shaft conversation stats simple because it feels rather contrived to stack up on them because I know they give lots of conversation options, and go for something else entirely to see how the game played when I didn't have access to the often superior conversational shortcuts.

 

So something like:

 

Human Ocean Folk, an ex-Raider from the Deadfire Peninsula - a person quick of mind and body, who prefers solving problems with logic rather than force.

10 Mig

9 Con

19 Dex

13 Per

18 Int

9 Res

 

This is obviously a better controller than blaster, but given the constraints, it is a very good controller. For a more boring conversation + blasting with the same constraints, 19/9/9/16/16/9.

 

On a related subject do you find any downside to having a 3 con and a 3 resolve? Is there no real consequence due to a combination of - the con malus is a percentage applied to a small number; the lack of endurance is remedied with the 2nd level endurance spell;  the bad deflection and concentration are easily fixed with spells; and finally the enemy doesn't really target guys in the back even if there not CC'd.

As you note, the downsides are minor - at least so long as you play with a full party. I imagine that the downsides would be much more severe if attempting to solo the game.

 

 

The downside to 3 con is, as should be expected, being very squishy during the first few levels of the game, especially if visiting the Temple of Eothas with just a few companions rather than a full party. Infuse With Vital Essence is an essential spell during the early game from level 3-6 and remains valuable in dangerous encounters throughout the game, but from around level 7 or so the wizard has enough hitpoints, spell defenses, and crowd control to avoid being hit in most encounters and strictly limiting how much he is hit in the rest, with enough of a buffer to live while Corrosive Siphon (or healing spells from a priest/paladin) tops him up.

 

That being said, getting constitution bonuses from gear is highly recommended - but then again, wizards acting from the rear ranks don't really need to stack up on anything but stat bonuses, so that's hardly a hardship.

 

 

The downside to 3 resolve is triple; The concentration penalty is harsh in the very early game when one is unable to control encounters or don't have a full party - but fortunately there's a spell, Spirit Shield, to help with that. The low deflection is not much of a problem - yes, it makes the wizard quite easy to knock out in the very early game when combined with the 3 constitution, but after the early game it makes little difference; The wizard either doesn't suffer many deflection attacks in the first place because it is one of the fights where everything is under control, or he buffs up with defensive spells.

 

It is for the same reason that a rear rank caster wizard doesn't need to wear a +5/+9 deflection or +5/+9 will/reflex/fortitude ring/bracer/cloak - they help only marginally in the rare situations when the wizard doesn't have the situation under control, so it is much better to wear equipment boosting primary stats, which help always. (Not that there's anything wrong with wearing the defensive clothing until stat boosting is available).

 

The third downside is the greatest by far: not getting resolve options in conversation. Resolve is probably the strongest stat for conversations, beating the other two top conversation stats of perception and intelligence by allowing shortcuts through sheer bloodymindedness. On the positive side, this leads to investigating the other conversation branches, so...

 

E.g. by end of the game, a wizard could wear:

 

+2 mig chest

+3 con belt

+3 dex ring

+3 per cloak

+2 int helm

spellpower bracers (+10%, so equivalent to 3 1/3 points of Might)

and the Ring of Selonan and some nice boots (e.g. +15 health)

 

(Or a 3 mig helm/2 int chest, or... well, many other combinations.)

Edited September 24, 2015 by pi2repsion

[MadDemiurg]

I think 3 con and res are not viable from the start, however you can retrain later. I'd say at the beginning of the game dex is of pretty low value since you don't have much stuff to spam anyway (an argument for dex can be made when soloing). For endgame 3 con and res are perfectly viable, you'll probably wipe out/CC enemies faster than they can retaliate anyway.

Edited September 24, 2015 by MadDemiurg

[pi2repsion]

Isn't there an argument to be made the Perception, Dexterity, and Intelligence are all greater than Might? I mean, sure, another 9% in damage is cool, but Perception helps your CC and critical hits connect, and Dexterity affects cast speed, and Intelligence is just obvious as a priority.

In terms of combat game mechanics, I'd rank Intelligence as the first priority, due to increasing the AOE radius allowing you to affect more enemies and to use AOE that isn't FOE-only more liberally without hurting your own people. (The duration bonus, while nice, is less important as most wizard spells with durations have fairly long durations.)

 

I'd rank Dexterity second, because outside the very early game, what limits the wizard in combat is not his number of spell slots but how quickly he can cast his spells. (This is assuming a wizard who rests often as the game makes possible, not one that tries to conserve spells to rest seldom. For such a one dexterity might be worth less compared to might and perception.)

 

Might versus perception is harder; If the wizard is more of a blaster type than controller, then I'd say Might is better, because for damage purposes a 3% damage increase beats 1% accuracy shifting the miss/graze/hit/crit intervals. But if the wizard is more a controller than blaster, then Perception is clearly better.

 

Finally there's the question of defenses - if one dumps con and res and have high dex and int, then one might be better off with high mig and medium per than the other way around. Not a big issue, but something to remember.

 

And of course, it must also be taken into account what the rest of the party is contributing. Is the wizard under the effect of a constant Zealous Aura? Will there be a priest to cast Devotions of the Faithful?

Edited September 25, 2015 by pi2repsion

[pi2repsion]

I think 3 con and res are not viable from the start, however you can retrain later. I'd say at the beginning of the game dex is of pretty low value since you don't have much stuff to spam anyway (an argument for dex can be made when soloing). For endgame 3 con and res are perfectly viable, you'll probably wipe out/CC enemies faster than they can retaliate anyway.

They are certainly viable from the start, as I have done it on POTD without any great difficulty. (Though admittedly the wizard did get knocked out frequently in the early levels in chapter 1.)

 

You are right that it would be much easier to go with higher constitution at start and then retrain to different stats later, if you are fine with changing the fundamental stats of your character along the way.

Edited September 24, 2015 by pi2repsion

[stiven]

> 15 Dex

> 10 Per

Whyyyyyyyyy? Dex is useless, for caster which cast from behind, and wear no armor, but cloth. Perception in other hand is the most useful stat for caster after Might, and INT, since it directly affect difficulty of "save rolls" from your caster spells. 

[Boeroer]

DEX is not useless. Faster cast is superimportant, especially if you're doing CC. For squishy backline mages my approach is PER>INT>DEX>MIG>RES>CON. Low CON and RES even work in melee mages since your deflection and DR buffs are so good.

[Teioh_White]

Dex can be pretty great for anyone, really. It primarly competes with might as the two DPS booster stats, and if you have to choose between them, a good way to see is look at what your average damage is doing over the course of a fight. If you're average damage(post DR+Lash) is doing more than your weapon/spells base damage, you want dex. If it's doing less than the base, you want might.

 

Also, that's just for damage, and casters have a number of non damage spells which might does nothing for, but dex still helps. There's the issue of limited spells, of course, but the further you go in the game the more that ceases to be an issue, and the end, it'll be a non factor. Or if you don't mind resting, of course.

[pi2repsion]

One thing that should perhaps be noted, is that for players that don't autopause on ability use, might is probably considerably better than dexterity overall, as they are not going to be getting the most out of the combat-frames saved by higher dexterity where spellcasting is concerned.