Melee Mage - Build for Hard Mode

[ildafkam]

Hi I was wondering if anyone share a detailed build for a melee mage with me. Thanks!

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

 

For solo play?

For a party?

What else, or who else, is in the party if applicable?

All of that makes a big difference in what you end up doing.

 

Also, are you planning on being a martial character doing melee DPS, or are you talking about being a tank and simply dropping spells around you?

 

So many ways to build it and use it.

 

I just finished a caster-party play through and I definitely found Mages able to be tanks, and of course, heavy DPS from range.

 

A wizard tank, for example:

 

Int, Per, Res maxed out with some Dex

Arcane Veil + Hardened Veil

Weapon & Shield Style

Superior Deflection

(And lots of other options for defense as you please)

Dazzling Lights (Daze), Chill Fog (Blind), Slicken (Prone), Spirit Shield (buff)

Bewildering Spec (Confuse), Bulwark vs Elements (buff), Blackened Sight (Blind), Mirrored Image (buff)

Llengrath's Displaced Image (buff), Repulsive Visage (debuffs)

Confusion (Confuse), Ironskin (buff), Flame Shield (retal, buff)

Call to Slumber (Prone), Envervating Terror (Weak & Terrify)

Gaze of Adragan (Petrify)

 

Or, say you wanted to be a martial melee and close range DPS wizard, less focused on tanking.

 

Max Might, Dex and Int.

Conc Parasitic Staff, Jolting Touch, Ghost Blades, Sunless Grasp

Combusting Wounds, Blackened Sight, Fetid Caress, Vital Essence, Merciless Gaze

Arcane Dampener, Draining Touch, Alacrity of Motion

Call to Slumber, Torrent of Flame

Martial Power, Death Ring, Gaze of Adragan

 

Again, depends on what you're doing. You can be either way, just depends on spells you choose to use, which you can swap all the time.

 

The biggest difference will be to determine if you are going to tank and drop spells around you, or be melee (like actually use a melee weapon), or be a bit of both?

 

Very best,

[Nobear]

Heya,

 

For solo play?

For a party?

What else, or who else, is in the party if applicable?

All of that makes a big difference in what you end up doing.

 

Also, are you planning on being a martial character doing melee DPS, or are you talking about being a tank and simply dropping spells around you?

 

So many ways to build it and use it.

 

I just finished a caster-party play through and I definitely found Mages able to be tanks, and of course, heavy DPS from range.

 

A wizard tank, for example:

 

Int, Per, Res maxed out with some Dex

Arcane Veil + Hardened Veil

Weapon & Shield Style

Superior Deflection

(And lots of other options for defense as you please)

Dazzling Lights (Daze), Chill Fog (Blind), Slicken (Prone), Spirit Shield (buff)

Bewildering Spec (Confuse), Bulwark vs Elements (buff), Blackened Sight (Blind), Mirrored Image (buff)

Llengrath's Displaced Image (buff), Repulsive Visage (debuffs)

Confusion (Confuse), Ironskin (buff), Flame Shield (retal, buff)

Call to Slumber (Prone), Envervating Terror (Weak & Terrify)

Gaze of Adragan (Petrify)

 

Or, say you wanted to be a martial melee and close range DPS wizard, less focused on tanking.

 

Max Might, Dex and Int.

Conc Parasitic Staff, Jolting Touch, Ghost Blades, Sunless Grasp

Combusting Wounds, Blackened Sight, Fetid Caress, Vital Essence, Merciless Gaze

Arcane Dampener, Draining Touch, Alacrity of Motion

Call to Slumber, Torrent of Flame

Martial Power, Death Ring, Gaze of Adragan

 

Again, depends on what you're doing. You can be either way, just depends on spells you choose to use, which you can swap all the time.

 

The biggest difference will be to determine if you are going to tank and drop spells around you, or be melee (like actually use a melee weapon), or be a bit of both?

 

Very best,

 

I haven't played around with a melee wizard, but those sound fun to try. The only thing I would add to the second is, Conc Parasitic Staff is great, but Spirit Lance does even more DPS. I'd be tempted to get Arcane/Hardened Veil even for a second row reach DPSer, but I suppose that's debatable.

 

Keep in mind that weapon talents work for summoned weapons as well. Parasitic Staff is a quarterstaff, and has the benefit of becoming Per Encounter at high level. Spirit Lance is a pike, and will give you more max DPS but will always be Per Rest. Each benefits from the respective weapon focus talent, as well as Two-Handed Weapon Style.

[ildafkam]

Thanks for that - Malveaux! Just what I was looking for

 

(was thinking in the context of a party setup rather than solo; and more as a melee dps rather than tanky build. )

[MalVeauX]

Thanks for that - Malveaux! Just what I was looking for

 

(was thinking in the context of a party setup rather than solo; and more as a melee dps rather than tanky build. )

 

Heya,

 

So a melee Wizard is absolutely possible. You have a lot of choices though. You could go with a more durable Wizard, with damage reduction armor, that is a little slower, but more durable. Or you could focus on output, and go with light to no armor to benefit from the speed, and focus on Dex to increase speed even more. And then you could use certain buff or enemy condition spells to make yourself more durable or avoid things. So you could use the defensive stuff found on a tanky wizard, and let your melee damage output be your main damage focus. On that note, if you do go with melee, I would focus more on getting high accuracy to get more crits which will increase overall average damage more than just increasing might.

 

Ideally he would use a reach weapon and be 2nd row, with support spells.

Or you could open every fight by making them prone, or blind, or whatever you want.

 

Very best,

[Nobear]

 

Thanks for that - Malveaux! Just what I was looking for

 

(was thinking in the context of a party setup rather than solo; and more as a melee dps rather than tanky build. )

 

Heya,

 

So a melee Wizard is absolutely possible. You have a lot of choices though. You could go with a more durable Wizard, with damage reduction armor, that is a little slower, but more durable. Or you could focus on output, and go with light to no armor to benefit from the speed, and focus on Dex to increase speed even more. And then you could use certain buff or enemy condition spells to make yourself more durable or avoid things. So you could use the defensive stuff found on a tanky wizard, and let your melee damage output be your main damage focus. On that note, if you do go with melee, I would focus more on getting high accuracy to get more crits which will increase overall average damage more than just increasing might.

 

Ideally he would use a reach weapon and be 2nd row, with support spells.

Or you could open every fight by making them prone, or blind, or whatever you want.

 

Very best,

 

Speaking of which, I discovered that Bulwark of the Elements makes those Shade + Shadow fights trivial. I am collecting potions with the same buff to give to my other ranged, and I just might use them in the Lighthouse fight if I have trouble without them.

[ildafkam]

I guess one issue which might deter me is the frequency with which you have to rest.... I would be interested to hear how anyone who is playing/has played a melee wizard feels about this!

[MalVeauX]

 

 

Thanks for that - Malveaux! Just what I was looking for

 

(was thinking in the context of a party setup rather than solo; and more as a melee dps rather than tanky build. )

 

Heya,

 

So a melee Wizard is absolutely possible. You have a lot of choices though. You could go with a more durable Wizard, with damage reduction armor, that is a little slower, but more durable. Or you could focus on output, and go with light to no armor to benefit from the speed, and focus on Dex to increase speed even more. And then you could use certain buff or enemy condition spells to make yourself more durable or avoid things. So you could use the defensive stuff found on a tanky wizard, and let your melee damage output be your main damage focus. On that note, if you do go with melee, I would focus more on getting high accuracy to get more crits which will increase overall average damage more than just increasing might.

 

Ideally he would use a reach weapon and be 2nd row, with support spells.

Or you could open every fight by making them prone, or blind, or whatever you want.

 

Very best,

 

Speaking of which, I discovered that Bulwark of the Elements makes those Shade + Shadow fights trivial. I am collecting potions with the same buff to give to my other ranged, and I just might use them in the Lighthouse fight if I have trouble without them.

 

 

Heya,

 

Yeap, almost all of the "spirits" in the game deal cold damage. So any armor enchanted to reduce cold damage will be helpful. Add to that a potion or spell of bulwark of the elements, and you essentially no longer have to fear spirits and can casually kill them. They take more damage from fire & corrode, so enchanting to those elements is good, along with of course, slaying of spirits.

This similar logic from knowing your foe can help you in most fights. Shades/Shadows/Spectres/Phantoms in general are the worst I find and most threads revolving around them are similar, they are just hard enemies, if you're not prepared for them. They deal nasty damage, paralyze, and worse yet, teleport and go after your squishies real fast.

 

I actually just cleared the light house with my martial group. Each play through I tend to enchant everything with cold damage reduction, fire lash on weapons, and from there, I just make sure and have the appropriate potions from crafting or buying. It makes things easier.

 

Very best,

[VahnXIII]

https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/78849-class-build-the-dynamite-melee-wizard-or-tnt-105/

 

This is the build I based my wizard off of. All I can say is with 2 wizards in my party (PC and Aloth), the game became much easier. 4 Arcane assaults per encounter is very helpful to stack AoE damage at no spell cost. At level 9 having unlimited Slicken and other CC spells on 2 wizards made for an extremely easy time with CC for any fight. Simply lay down a ton of CC, use Parasitic Staff to go melee and restore endurance and cast higher level spells to full effect. 

 

Melee wizard is extremely challenging but fun. Having 2 can quickly trivialize many encounters especially in the late game.

[ildafkam]

Thanks for the link, Vahn - exactly the kind of detailed guidance I am looking for; really helpful  !

[VahnXIII]

Thanks for the link, Vahn - exactly the kind of detailed guidance I am looking for; really helpful  !

Cheers. Have fun.