[Class Build] Cipher: A beginner's guide to GUNMAGE

[Hayte]

Is it worth going bows over blunderbuss for 80% of the game though? I thought durgan refined Rain of Godagh Fields was definitely better than Stormcaller on a Cipher...at level 13-14. Theres an Alpine Dragon sitting on Sabra Marie so if you know how to cheese abuse that fight at low level, you could probably get it early but due to the army of adds, lots of people have trouble with this fight at level 12+. Both Rain and Lenas Er can only be acquired in act 3 and the game is literally over by that point. If playing with a 6 man party you will be running around with infinite prone/blind spamming engines of destruction by mid Act 3.

 

Maybe the bow option works best as a high level respec on a completionist run where you have squeezed as much juice from Blunderbuss as humanly possible and the only place left to make dps bigger is high speed bow strats. I think gauntlets of swift aim don't even appear in random loot containers until act 3. I haven't tried getting drunk on potions of deleterious alacrity for the entire game and I'm not sure how feisible that is.

[Livegood118]

For people's information I tried messing around with different bows on a Cipher at level 14 around Cragholdt and found that, universally (though anecdotally), a Durgan re-inforced Rain of Godagh field was the best weapon for generating focus (I didn't test stormcaller though).

 

Outlander's Frenzy rocks for Cipher focus generation early on in a fight because you've got high int. With it you can get 1.2 * 1.15 * 1.25 = 1.725 reduction in recovery for like 18 secs. 

 

Once you've got time parasite triggered (which, with any more than three enemies present, will effectively last for the rest of the fight) you can then switch on penetrating shot with a smaller penalty than you otherwise would have had: 1.2 * 1.15 *1.5 = 2.07 (-.2 penetrating shot) = 1.87 recovery penalty.

 

I can see though how before the above strategies become available that Lead Splitter + Vambraces + Penetrating Shot may be much more useful.

[AndreaColombo]

(using potions of daom all the time) It's very feasible from Act III on and you could probably pull it off for a chunk of Act II too.

Edited February 10, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[Abalon]

Tonight I shall get storm caller plus cloud piercer it must be done!!! Seems good hmmm... btw is fido a good name for my antelope?

[Boeroer]

How about "Antilopez"?

[Abalon]

Does fit his name of Carlos spicy pepper and his traveling antelope antelopez, how do you say antelope in spanish?

[Boeroer]

Anti-Lopez?

[AndreaColombo]

According to Google Translate, antílope

[Boeroer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXB-5MbKBgs

 

 

For all you iframe blockers: Boooring! 

Edited February 10, 2016 by Boeroer

[Abalon]

Picture didn't come through I was told Rangers get a new ability summon droggie wtb new expansion!!

[ottffsse]

Really solid guide btw!

 

I guess it does not matter which weapon you use since appropriate talents help guns while others help bows / you don't need certain pricey gun talents if use bows and get other damage and speed talents instead.

 

The question for 3.0 and I am asking those who played the updated beta: can you consistently at higher levels once you have say amplified wave is available generate 50 to better yet upwards of 60 focus points with a heavy gunpowder weapon shot or 60 focus points per 2-3x bow shots because if you can (with the focus gain buff and certain focus gain items) you've reached the threshold where you can "spam" those high level spells again, well maybe not spam but that ~55-65 focus gain range per say blunderbuss shot is the one to aim for.

 

And given that lead spitter can hit for around 150+ on higher levels I guess it is feasible with about a.40 damage to focus conversation rate, maybe even the base.35 but you won't hit all the time.

Edited February 13, 2016 by ottffsse

[Wolken3156]

I'm only using the Lead Splitter thus far, but typically I open up with Mental Binding and follow it up with a gunshot, this alone generates around 53 Focus for me to play around with. This is enough to make use of Amplified Wave but you really can only afford to use it once per battle, since it does eat up more Focus than the amount you generate.

 

But yeah, I can comfortably use 5th-level powers with minimal issue at the moment, at least with the Blunderbuss and Pistol. I haven't had too much experience with the other ranged weapons so far (I just... like guns), though the War Bow was alright when I was using during Act 1.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Wolken3156

[Boeroer]

"around" 53. Love it!

[ottffsse]

Well do you still have exceptional lead spitter? Because if it's superiorized and durganized ™ and you have unconquerable talisman on as well as draining whip maybe you can consistently break that level 6 spell 60 point threshold. That would be pretty awesome. I think in addition to the weapon lash kana's or another chanters fire enchantment lash would help too.

[Wolken3156]

Well do you still have exceptional lead spitter? Because if it's superiorized and durganized ™ and you have unconquerable talisman on as well as draining whip maybe you can consistently break that level 6 spell 60 point threshold. That would be pretty awesome. I think in addition to the weapon lash kana's or another chanters fire enchantment lash would help too.

I could definitely generate more. I don't even have the Unconquerable Talisman and I only have a Damaging 2 enchantment on the Lead Splitter.

 

Probably should mention I'm using a Hearth Orlan so her attacks actually crit very often which does aid a lot with Focus generation. I've actually come to prefer this over the Wood Elf.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Wolken3156

[Boeroer]

I think the wood elf's ACC bonus leads to more crits than the hearth orlan's crit-to-hit conversion of 10% (only if he's attacking somebody who already gets attacked by a teammate). However - if you combine the hearth orlan's racial feat with a marking weapon (or even Coordinated Attacks plus a marking weapon) on that teammate things get really interesting.

[MaxQuest]

I think the wood elf's ACC bonus leads to more crits than the hearth orlan's crit-to-hit conversion of 10% (only if he's attacking somebody who already gets attacked by a teammate).

 

Just for the sake of being exact:

If both racial bonuses are active (i.e. all conditions are considered as satisfied), orlan's hit-to-crit bonus will lead to a higher % of crits, with the exception when your effective acc is higher or equal to enemy_deflection. In that situation they will both be equal (i.e. you will get 5% extra crits from both racials). But since wood elf's bonus acc shifts all attacks resolution right by 5, you will also shift all misses and grazes to next category too. So for a ranged class with acc >= enemy_acc, wood elf race is a nobrainer.

 

Some math:

 

 

your_acc = enemy_def

default: [0-100]: 0-15-50-100-100 (0% crit)

hearth orlan: [0-100]: 0-15-50-100 (10% of hit (i.e 5 converted to crit) = 5% crit) (think of it like: 0-15-50-95-100)

wood elf: [5-105]: 5-15-50-100-105 (5% crit)

 

--------------

 

your_acc = enemy_def + 15

default: [15-115]: 15-50-100-115 (15% crit)

hearth orlan: [15-115]: 15-50-100-115 (15% crit + 10% of hit (i.e. 5 converted to crit) = 20% crit) (think of it like: 15-50-95-115)

wood elf: [20-120]: 20-50-100-120 (20% crit)

 

--------------

 

your_acc = enemy_def - 15

default: [-15-85]: -15-0-15-50-85 (0% crit)

hearth orlan: [-15-85]: -15-0-15-50-85 (10% of hit = 3.5% crit)

wood elf: [-10-90]: -10-0-15-50-90 (0% crit)

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by MaxQuest

[Boeroer]

Yeah - and Hearth Orlan's racial ability also works in melee, that's a plus. Whatever - they are both good.

 

Waht I really want to know (because I just defeated the Alpine Dragon at lvl 11 and it was an esc-and-reload-fest) if a wild orlan cipher with Psychic & Brutal Backlash would be good against the dragon. Because of the terrifying aura that hits every few seconds your racial bonus is always active - and the backlash should also trigger every time. Will it stun the dragon or is it's ACC too low? And wait... was that dragon immune to stun? Can't remember, it was 02:00 am... Sadly Arcane Dampener and Deprive the Unworthy don't take away immunities anymore. That much I can remember.

[Elric Galad]

This dragon is immuned to Stun and Paralysis.

My druid was so happy to discover this...

Hard CC effective against him are only Confuse/Charm/Dominate and Petrify (and some Prone in 3.0).

[Boeroer]

Ach damn! But maybe a good damage source?

[DreamWayfarer]

A question for the Builders among us:

 

If I plan to make my Cipher focused on the initial burst of damage of quick switching guns, or if I manage to reach 0 recovery on melee due to Durgan Steel and enchantments, would much be lost by leaving DEX at 10 and investing those points in other stats?

Edited February 14, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[MaxQuest]

would much be lost by leaving DEX at 10 and investing those points in other stats?

Think of it as: if you repeat the same action 'A' and have 20 dex, instead of 10 actions in 'dt' time, you would complete 13 actions.

If it's a tank you don't lose much from him idling.

If it's a cc/dps character... then it's for you to decide. But have to mention that a permanently missing, or laying on the floor cipher is of no big use either

So it's per before dex. (and con as low as you can safely afford)

Edited February 14, 2016 by MaxQuest

[DreamWayfarer]

 

would much be lost by leaving DEX at 10 and investing those points in other stats?

Think of it as: if you repeat the same action 'A' and have 20 dex, instead of 10 actions in 'dt' time, you would complete 13 actions.

If it's a tank you don't lose much from him idling.

If it's a cc/dps character... then it's for you to decide. But have to mention that a permanently missing, or laying on the floor cipher is of no big use either

So it's per before dex. (and con as low as you can safely afford)

With my current party setup, if the prority targets are still alive in the time it would take for my damage dealing cipher to complete 10 actions I probably did something wrong. And I also have a second cipher built for CC, with lower MIG instead of lower DEX.

 

EDIT: At least that is what I expect. I am still testing things.

Edited February 14, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[Boeroer]

When you reach 0 recovery DEX is quite unimportant for your weapon attacks - same with quick switching. It depends how short/long you like your casting time. However - I don't think it's gimping you if you take 10 DEX instead of 20. 

[tracek]

Thanks for the guide and all the comments. Good stuff for newbies like myself. 

 

One question though: is the guide relevant for version 3.0 (Beta)?