My Archmage Guide

[Dastion]

For those of you who haven't ventured over there yet, I spent much of yesterday doing some final touches on my AM guide in the Guides Forum before it was made public.

Rather than just link you to WARDB or another site I knew would be opening today, I went ahead and left my guide "as-is" for the most part since I had included graphical explanations of most spells as well as my opinion. But I will be going back over it and making use of the new Spell link feature.

I also hope that Garth has enabled image tags as I had some good shots for it :)

Since most people can't post in the guides section, feel free to ask any questions here, though preferably just where they pertain to my guide as I'd rather consolidate the actual Q&A stuff to that thread :-)

http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56014

Edit: Added a few screenies and I am in the process of updating all of my ability listings with the new spelllink feature, I left in my description of what the spell "looks" like and my commentary, but mostly took out the technical info.

[Rommie]

I think you did a seriously good job covering the major bases with the Archmage.

I feel like there's one more revamp coming of the AM as well, because some of the abilities don't make much sense in their current form.

The main thing to me is that this guide is written from someone who's played the class enough to know what they are talking about. (I've seen you in game, so I already knew that, but Joe Reader wouldn't) It's easy to play Armchair Archmage from the view of another class and come to some ridiculous conclusions.

I'll throw a question at you: What's the most important stat for an AM - Willpower, Intelligence, or Toughness?

[Dastion]

I think you did a seriously good job covering the major bases with the Archmage.

I feel like there's one more revamp coming of the AM as well, because some of the abilities don't make much sense in their current form.

The main thing to me is that this guide is written from someone who's played the class enough to know what they are talking about. (I've seen you in game, so I already knew that, but Joe Reader wouldn't) It's easy to play Armchair Archmage from the view of another class and come to some ridiculous conclusions.

I'll throw a question at you: What's the most important stat for an AM - Willpower, Intelligence, or Toughness?

Honestly? Toughness. When I was leveling, I would keep an intelligence set around since I didn't need much Willpower to solo, I just wanted to kill quickly. But in RvR it's more about your survival. You won't be dealing much damage, and healing is more skill that potency. I routinely run with a 16 Asuryan 9 Isha build and easily top the healing charts. Toughness, currently, greatly improves your survivability if you keep at at good levels.

[Antonio El Rojo]

Its sort of disappointing to hear that the Archmage does low damage. I mean just how "bad" is that damage? How does it compare to Shaman?

[Tancred666]

Yeah from your guide it was made to seem like Archmages do really low damage and can pretty much just heal themself until their target dies from dots.

Maybe Im just suffering from WoW syndrom and their horrible way to balance classes lol

[Dastion]

Honestly, right now that tends to be the issue. In order to deal any noticeable damage you have to stack up all of your DoTs (you get 3 baseline). Your DD and Channel DD's damage aren't that great. In fact, the DD does 66% of the damage of the Shaman's exact copy and the Channel DD and Life Transfer DD (Healing Mastery) do 75% of the Shaman versions.

As a point of reference, currently, at 40 with full points in their respective lines. Radiant Lance deals 199 damage. Balance Essence (your "healing" replacement for Radiant Lance if you spec there) deals/heals only 150. The Shaman's answer to Balance Essence (I'll Take Dat!) deals/heals 199 with full points.

Now, keep in mind that even an AM/Shaman can easily have over 5k HP at rank 40, with tanks having 1-2k more. So both career's damage is rather pitiful at the moment, it just so happens that the AM's is worse since they don't have anything like Gork Sez Stop and their shared DD spells are weaker (This could potentially be an oversight with the recent Time to Kill patch where a lot of skills were lowered in damage)

Rest assured that we are do some changes soon, really the career has received very little attention. The only notable things that were done to the AM specifically were the Mechanic change (to effect both sides), and one patch where we had our abilities shuffled around because up until level 18 your only useful damage spells were Radiant Lance and Law of Conductivity. At that time, Radiant Gaze was a 2 sec cast, 10 sec duration very very low damage DoT that reduced chance to critical by 5% and stacked 5x (only the debuff portion stacked, not the dmg), we didn't have Transfer Force, Drain Magic dealt barely any dmg and took 2 secs to cast, and Searing Touch was at 18.

So, every time the AM has gotten attention it's been good. But, honestly, right now they are focused on getting content in the game and ready for launch. Careers can always be balanced, and will be, throughout the life of the game. Not having integral parts of the game is more important, though I'm impatient to see what they have in store for us.

[Kaeldor]

Thanks Dastion, I thought you'd do a great guide.

Unfortunately that convinced me to beginn playing a Shadow Warrior at first. I knew AM wouldn't be DPS kings, but that sounds way to passive as a playstyle for me. Also, I loved the Drain mana part about the TT AM, and yeah .. it's just not that attractive in game so far.

So if there aren't any major changes before the game goes gold, I'll play the SW and look how the AM developes. Many thanks for the guide!!:D

[Dastion]

Thanks Dastion, I thought you'd do a great guide.

Unfortunately that convinced me to beginn playing a Shadow Warrior at first. I knew AM wouldn't be DPS kings, but that sounds way to passive as a playstyle for me. Also, I loved the Drain mana part about the TT AM, and yeah .. it's just not that attractive in game so far.

So if there aren't any major changes before the game goes gold, I'll play the SW and look how the AM developes. Many thanks for the guide!!:D

Gotta call'em as I see'em. The career is still fun, just not fleshed out enough. You have your mechanic gimmick of a fast heal if you dps, but you don't deal enough damage to warrant it or all of the draw backs such as lack of any unique heals, more resistricted shielding spells, ect.

The Shadow Warrior is fun, like I said, all careers are fun in their way. Try each out on your own. I'm often blunt and to the point, but I don't mean to make the career sound bad. The Shaman suffers from many of the same issues, but his being around longer means he is a bit more fleshed out.

[Kaeldor]

Gotta call'em as I see'em. The career is still fun, just not fleshed out enough. You have your mechanic gimmick of a fast heal if you dps, but you don't deal enough damage to warrant it or all of the draw backs such as lack of any unique heals, more resistricted shielding spells, ect.

The Shadow Warrior is fun, like I said, all careers are fun in their way. Try each out on your own. I'm often blunt and to the point, but I don't mean to make the career sound bad. The Shaman suffers from many of the same issues, but his being around longer means he is a bit more fleshed out.

I don't think the carrier sounded bad at all, just in the end I like doing damage the most (I've always enjoyed straight RDPS the most so far (WoW Mage). And I want to spare my guild a half-assed wannabe DPSler. Just a personal thing.

I just liked the AM most from the fluff etc. So I hoped I could still play one, as a secondary healer kind of the thing. So I'll wait a bit and see how the AM tunrs out to be. I just feel that I'll enjoy the playstyle of the SW more atm. And I'm thankful for a straight guide, to finding out later that most of it is hype or wrong.

And of course I'll try out the AM!! Just not at first.

[Tancred666]

Thanks for your honesty. Im still probably going to play one this weekend (Ive wanted to be one since the first cancelled MMO was announced lol) and see how it is. Though Ill be making as many things as possible.

I dont like being a pure anything, but I also hate losing just because I chose the wrong class.

[piercey]

Nice guide, can't wait to put it to practice this weekend! :-)

[Rommie]

Something you have to take into account is that the Archmage plays differently in the 1-12 rank range (7-12 really, you level so fast and get your basic spells) than into the higher levels. It's a decently strong class early on, and if the devs can find a way to carry that feeling through the higher ranks they'll have a winner.

When you get to the Tier 2 scenarios and open RvR areas, the other classes start getting all their neat abilities while the AM doesn't keep growing. I know I've felt behind all the way to Rank 40 in the different areas with the current AM build. It's only when you get to 40 that it gets a bit better, as you can't get out-leveled anymore.

I hate to see people play the 1-12 AM, think it's great, then hit the wall and get discouraged. I'm planning on a Witch Hunter alternate because I know the mid-game is going to be a bear with the current Archmage, and I'll need the sanity break. That's why I'm *really* hoping for one more update before launch to improve the class.

[Kaeldor]

One question then, are the devs aware that the AM needs some work, or do they have a "working as intedend" stance at the moment?

[Alesthes]

Well, first of all thank you Dastion for the accurate and honest analysis.

That said, if I look at the news you are briging I have to say they sound quite underwhelming.
The game will be out in less than a month, basically going gold now, and the Archmage career still looks far from polished and balanced, even after months of testing.
The mastery paths are much more linear than I honestly expected. My greatest expectation was to finally see a game were careers would not pidgeon hole you in one role, but it seems that's not the case here, even if that was the promise. I mean, even the developpers of "that other game" by Blizzard have learned in time that classes should be able to cover more than one role in game (so that they now basically made every single healer class capable to specialize deeply into at least one different non-healing role). It gives flexibility, variety and a bigger reward after you spent time levelling a character. By what I see here and in other career forums that's not going to be the case in WAR, at least not now. Basically at the moment if I want to play a High Elf I cannot be a decent offensive magic user, and if I want to wield a sword I can only be a tank. It may be ok for many, but personally it bothers me.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to bash the game and even less to praise another one, if you get me. I have rather great expectations on WAR. But I expect it to come out as one of the best MMORPG on the market, otherwise the hype will be short lived (like it was for AoC) and the game won't go far. At a first look after the NDA lifting, in terms of polish and gameplay variety of many careers it seems we aren't still there...
Tell me if I am seriously mistaken, but that's my first impression after reading the stuff coming out since yesterday...

Thank you again for the helpful info, anyway. I'll keep following the situation here on the forums and see what happens...

[Dastion]

My honest opinion on our Mastery paths is that they should each have a way to use both aspects of your mechanic. They should *focus* on the intent of that path while having alternate options for other parts.

The best example I can give of this is the "old" Path of Isha. It's a line that focuses on healing. Despite this, you get some Force building spells in Balance Essence and the Old version of Funnel Essence. I loved this concept because I felt like I had the option to replace two core "base" Force AM spells (Radiant Lance and Searing Touch) with "healing" options. Not only was I upping the value of my heals, but I was getting Force options to use in that spec. THAT is my idea of how the AM and Shaman lines should work. With perhaps the top tier skill in that line being a spell that focuses on the path's intent (which it does, technically, it just sucks). Just as the RP/Zealot lines allow them to both heal and damage, while choosing the HOW, I like the concept of the AM/Shaman lines doing similar. Just simply let the "how" be spread across a healing, offensive, or utility focus rather than DD, Over Time, or AoE.

The other paths do not come anywhere close to this. In Asuryan I'd love to see a Phoenix themed heal that harms anyone near your ally, ect. Stuff like that. It would really make the AM/Shaman paths unique and not just Heal/Dmg/Utility The lines currently have such little emphasis on "mixing it up", rather, Mythic just thinks that if you spec Damage then by doing damage your Mechanic will boost your heals. Which is true, but not quite enough.

[Xain]

Nice read. Ill stick to my decision to play an Archmage.

[serratemplar]

Don't be discouraged by Dastion's criticism of the class and the way it works: by being critical and specific of a sytem you can best understand it and then fix it...or at least work with it. I've only had my hands in beta a week but I've given half the classes in the game a run and Archmage is still by far my favorite, both for mechanic and look (character and spell effects). It's a lot of fun, and the knowledge that fixes for us are on the horizon makes me that much more excited. We are really good healers, so I understand why our damage is lacking...though I wouldn't mind that being buffed, that's not what concerns me. Saphery Shield, for instance, really should be castable on anybody on our side (not just someone in the party)...and the buff as well, frankly. I'm not clear on why that made that decision, but perhaps that will come out now that the NDA is down and the devs are talking.

Again, great work, Dastion; thanks for all your devotion!

[Cedia]

Thank you for the guide, and I'd be curious on your take of the Archmage contrasted against the Rune Priest.

Is the RP able to DPS more without having to deal with the High Magic mechanic? Does the RP have better survivability? My experiences say yes, and that makes me sad, since I feel that High Magic adds another layer to the game that makes the RP far less engaging to play.

[Kaeldor]

...It's a lot of fun, and the knowledge that fixes for us are on the horizon makes me that much more excited.


That's interesting. Have the devs said something like that? And yeah I also overcame my initial negativity after reading Dastions guide at first. I'll also give the AM the first shot.

...We are really good healers, so I understand why our damage is lacking...though I wouldn't mind that being buffed, that's not what concerns me. Saphery Shield, for instance, really should be castable on anybody on our side (not just someone in the party)...and the buff as well, frankly. I'm not clear on why that made that decision, but perhaps that will come out now that the NDA is down and the devs are talking.

While I can understand that 100%, it's not what they advertised for healing classes in WAR. They said it's not about "a heal and a heal and a heal". But to make that true they would have to give the AM some kind of punch. From the vids the playstyle looks almost 100% like a WoW priest at the moment: If you get attacked you don't fight back, but run around healing yourself until somepne comes and help you.

Now, I don't expect the AM to be a DPS powermachine, but if you spec down Asuryan you should get decent DPS.

[Dastion]

Thank you for the guide, and I'd be curious on your take of the Archmage contrasted against the Rune Priest.

Is the RP able to DPS more without having to deal with the High Magic mechanic? Does the RP have better survivability? My experiences say yes, and that makes me sad, since I feel that High Magic adds another layer to the game that makes the RP far less engaging to play.

Currently, this is quite true.

Normally I'd call for this thread to be locked, since my Guide was moved to this Forum. But I spoke to Garth and he'll be moving it to the Careers Guide forum once it is up and running, so in the meantime I'll check both and update the link.