High Elf tips for a new player

[Jacek 19]

Thanks mates

I posted in Gogo thread - should have done it in the first place.

Well...I'm a little reserved about editors...knowing my luck sth WILL go wrong...murphy law u know

Thanks for your help...

WIth the Ice HE it looks like we finally got the character we like...a lot...

the only problem is now my daughter also wants to play her...

cheers

[Jacek 19]

OK guys...

@moderators - I would like to ask u a favour -  could u please change the thread title to someting more appropriate, like fire / ice elf tips for a new player or maybe just elf tips for a new player...as inadvertently I hijacked it a little and turned into ice elf discussion thread 

- expulse magic & cascading shroud & shadow step -  shall I keep my eye out on rune consumption? How many runes shall I consume for these? is there any danger in "overeating"

- "lore issues"...ehh...we got shield of mirror and an increadible sword with 4 sockets...the problem is it somehow doesnt tickle our fancy and we prefer staff or some 1h wand / staff and more appropriate shield but we hate to miss on all those slots ...can u recommend any 2H staff or 1h staff and better looking shield? preferably downloadable from wiki ...

...or maybe on Silver / Gold it is possible to forget about this whole optimizing thing and go with a cool looking 2H staff?

- cascading shroud...would it make any sense to mod it like this: mist / intangible / steam? this is what I have in mind ... . Faint percent is really small...

- GI - replenish - this regeneration time reduction looks really tempting....otoh...will it be defficult to get 100% halved regen time?

from wiki: Replenish - Further decreases the regeneration time of all spells. (7% + 0.7% per CA level decrease) vs Arrant Pyromancer Expertise - The regeneration time for the aspect Arrant Pyromancer will decrease significantly. (10% + 1% per Combat Art level decrease) - is it more of the same thing...ie. will both basically let me cast / spam FF, GT and RN more often?

 

cheers

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

Jacek, you are familiar with the build that I posted here. Many of the questions that you just posed are answered there. The build is available in PDF format if it's easier for you to view that way. Yes, do not eat want too eat too many runes because it slows the regeneration time and it becomes hard to defend your character. There are some cool unique and yellow two-handed staffs that you can use. Also, I hope that you are lucky enough that Glacial Defender drops. It has good armor, some Damage Mitigation,  and expands the Combat Art Range.

If you follow my build suggestions, Cascading Shroud is not really needed. If you read through the build that I posted for a Devastating And Survivable Mystic Stormite Build and still have questions please feel welcome to ask either here or in that thread.

[Jacek 19]

Hello...here I go again

I read your guide - as I already said pretty damn informative and thotough

But still we're on the fence as to Replenish vs Life energy for GI...

How many pieces of equipment will we need to reach this 100% chance to halve regen? How high a clvl do we have to be to have this 100%? Let's say we will stop at clvl 100...wouldn't we be better off with this -regen bonus?

Will it be very hard to get this 100% and what level can we expect to attain this?

Constitution will be master 3rd - how hard will we be punished in gold / plat for not taking life energy?

Im asking as with very limited time on my hands I don't like the idea of starting over several times the same toon

cheers

 

[Hooyaah 2,823]

2 hours ago, Jacek said:

Hello...here I go again

I read your guide - as I already said pretty damn informative and thotough

But still we're on the fence as to Replenish vs Life energy for GI...

How many pieces of equipment will we need to reach this 100% chance to halve regen? How high a clvl do we have to be to have this 100%? Let's say we will stop at clvl 100...wouldn't we be better off with this -regen bonus?

Will it be very hard to get this 100% and what level can we expect to attain this?

Constitution will be master 3rd - how hard will we be punished in gold / plat for not taking life energy?

Im asking as with very limited time on my hands I don't like the idea of starting over several times the same toon

cheers

 

I select Life Energy to help insure the protection of our fragile lady. We select other things that speed regeneration time, like Chance to Halve Regeneration time. I like to play Multiplayer just to shop at Start Island where you generally will find better items. There are pieces of armor, weapons, and jewelry with "Chance to Halve Regeneration time" and it stacks nicely. If you get enough equipment with gold slots you can forge in the pendants you need for halved regen time. By level twenty or in that vicinity one should be able to achieve 100% and the combat arts will regen fast indeed. Then is the time (with Buffs active) to open your CA panel and see how fast your Combat Arts are regenerating. For one that indicates three seconds and you have 100% chance to halve then your effective regen time is only 1.5 seconds. This is about right for Raging Nimbus but for Glacial Thorns and Frost Flare you will need them to regenerate an an effective rate of about one second. Now you should be slaying Kobolds in masses and leveling up rapidly. Remember, the more quests you complete the more cool unique items will drop as a reward!

[Jacek 19]

Thanx...but I've yet to see these items with chance to have regen time...:(

We're 28 atm and I dont recall seeing them at all...

I need to pay more attention....but wait we have this 1h axe with approx 16 %  chance

 

Btw, is there a corelation between quests and better drops ie the more quests completed the better drops?

 

And this ring u uploaded....I completely forgot about it...I shall socket those

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

Yes, completing quests results in some unique or legendary items and this usually happens after a dozen or so quests. (Or, after some specific quests like the Blind Guardian Quest). There are ways to adjust the balance file to get more special items and such but there's fun in getting it on your own. You could save your current chest file in a special folder. Then drop the chest file from Tristan's Companion in its place. After you remove the rings you need you can put back your other chest file. I recommend saving a copy for safe keeping.

[Jacek 19]

I am quite unsure about something:

crystal skin provides a bonus of : "Chance to Reflect Magic Attacks (Combat Arts): +19.1%".

bronze mod says : "Glacial Mirror - Increases the chance to reflect incoming detrimental magical effects. (8% + 0.4% per CA level chance to reflect combat arts)"

Is it more of the same thing for a total bonus of 19.1 + 8 + what comes with eating more runes?

 

MS Expertise gold mod from Crystal Skin vs. Replenish silver mod from GI - is it exactly the same - simple % bonus to regen times? Or is there a catch? If it is just more of the same then according to tooltip it would be way more beneficial to take only MS Expertise from CS - 26.7% + 1.3% per CA level decrease vs. 7% + 0.7% per CA level decrease.

 

cheers

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

Eating more Crystal Skin runes increases the chance to reflect Magic spell attacks. There is more info about what C.S. does here.

If you want to take your character to high levels then I recommend selecting Frosty Breeze (Gold level bonus) because it adds wicked amounts of additional ice damage. If you have selected Mystic Stormite Expertise as your Bronze Grand Invigoration bonus you should be fast enough with your regeneration time as long as you closely monitor Combat Art rune consumption's effect on how it is affecting your regeneration time.

[Jacek 19]

Thank you

Now...it's not me...it's my bad twin brother asking...but since he insisted so much I gave in...

What exactly does HE have to change in this balance file so that HE gets slightly better drops...the only cool thing he got so far is level 30 Glaciar Defender...

He likes to kill stuff to get his loot but otoh he does not want to to spoil the game completely for himself. So this whole "adjustment venture" would be a minor tampering with the said file...

So, is there a point in slightly adjusting this file or it is better to leave it as it is and pray to RNGesus for better drops...:)

Just remembered it - life regeneration - Constitution needs to be mastered to have life regen during combat but what about life regen from Life Energy in GI - is it permanent, both in and out of combat or is it just out of combat HP regen?

Cheers

 

Edited December 28, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

Well Jacek, since it's for your brother, I fixed you up a little file for him. Please tell him to back up his original balance.txt file or have him leave it where it is and rename it balance (original).txt and then when you your brother wants to change back for any reason you he can delete the one below and rename the original back to balance.txt

Oh, and many of your queries are answered in the wiki, if you need to find out answers more quickly. Check here for Grand Invigoration. Now, to answer your question, Grand Invigoration, when active, constantly regenerates hit points. So, if you get hit by an errant projectile from an undead archer, your hit-points will regenerate even if you were not actively fighting in combat.

There is a thread about how to tweak balance.txt as well right here, if your brother prefers to check it out himself.

balance.txt

 

[Jacek 19]

Thank you....but sometimes wiki doesnt say it all...like this hp regen thing...GI says only it regens hp while in constitution it is written explicitely u need to master it to get hp regen in combat...

This cheater brother of mine is gonna try it out tomorrow...this .txt file

I really like this HE....the pyro I played while back was not so durable which is why I quit....but ice is fun...

The best part is different CA I mod to meet various ends like Area of Effect, cc, boss...pyro was not that versatile or maybe it is just me not so good at rpgs ...

Btw, we just hit 32...cannot wait to hit 35 to pick constitution as we messed up a little with armour and spell res...

MS focus and lore are high, DA focus just enough to get 3 points to fully mod GI and next Armour only to unlock constitution. 

First 3 CA to master will be ms lore, ms focus and constitution.

Cheers

 

 

 

[Jacek 19]

This slight modification to .txt balance file is more or less like having master enhanced perception?

With this balance adjustment does EP become obsolete? 

 

[Hooyaah 2,823]

I prefer Bargaining over Enhanced Perception because with Bargaining you can buy some really great jewelry with modifiers that are practically impossible to "find" with Enhanced Perception. What the adjusted balance file does is add a slightly higher probability that unique items will drop. Rare (yellow) items should drop at the same rate. Bargaining and Enhanced perception help with acquiring more rare items with better modifiers and more/better slots. There is another file that could be tweaked so that if you select Bargaining or Enhanced Perception it would be like having the skill mastered, but if "creative gaming enhancement" is pushed too far then it may take some of the fun out of the game.

[Jacek 19]

This whole creative gaming is not my thing...I like to kill mobs to get the drop I want...ahh....the thrill is there....grinding and waiting....more waiting...even  more waiting damn  it and then BUM there u have it

But ever since DIiLoD the RNG has been against me....and its been like this for the LAST TWO DECADES

So this little tweaking u did for me...ehh...ie for my cheater bro...lets just call it evening the odds

Thank u ...on behalf on my bro

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

You (and your brother) are certainly welcome. The amended balance file does a number of things. You will have a low-level amount of Bargaining with special offers and more items for sale, especially the ones for your character's use. So, you should see more items and jewelry with modifiers such as "Chance To Halve Regeneration Time. The pick up loot range is also expanded to match the actual area in which loot is collected. You also get a double reward after doing numerous quests and a slightly better chance for unique item drops. Have fun, my friend!

[Jacek 19]

Two hrs of grinding and I got ...

...3 parts of Faladal set

But the chest piece Im currently wearing suits me better

Also, vandours offer way more varied equipment

Thanx

Now - I would like to kindly ask few questions:

- we're planning to master MS fosus, lore and Constitiution first - shall be ok?

- we're clvl 37 atm, on silver - shall we rush to gold?

- what level is appropriate to hit gold?

- in silver - are there any quests we should do in particular? We liked this soldiers in desert quest with undead 

cheers

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Jacek

[Jacek 19]

My brother in law - the blasphemer who would say ice elves suck - he is currently doing a fire elf, clvl 40ish.

We did some testing in the desert area with all the scorpions - for me the toughest zone so far.

Well...his fire power /no pun intended/ is better then mine, not that much but still, but I can hold my own way way better

I also dug up my old pyro HE and fooled around with her a little.

A few impressions /my very personal and subjective/:

- ice HE is more versatile;

- ice HE is kind of late bloomer;

- dmg output /as compared to pyro HE/ seems to be a little smaller but overall - survivability + dmg + versatility- Ice HE beats Pyro HE hands down ;

- ice HE is more fun.

This is of course comparing toons approx. clvl 40 on silver 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Jacek

[Hooyaah 2,823]

You should be alright mastering Mystic Stormite and Constitution first but Mystic Stormite Lore "Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed, and unlocks modification points for Mystic Stormite." If you have the damage component paired with super fast CA regeneration then you are ready to slay bosses before they can take you out. As soon as you feel comfortable in your boss-slaying abilities you may rush for Gold. It may be a bit of a problem if you didn't select Ancient Magic and even one point is okay for now.

Don't miss the "Feed The Poor" quest, it gives you an extra skill point and an attribute point. You see them only after exiting and reentering the game. Otherwise, test out your boss monster killing abilities, and armor up for Gold, yet beware the Banshee! (For which you will need Expulse Magic).

Also, if you want to react to a particular post, see the small "sun emoji" at the bottom right of posts.

I agree with your preference for the Mystic Stormite, she's better protected and verily mighty indeed.

[Jacek 19]

We've taken 8 skills so far: MS Lore, MS focs, DA focus, Ancient Magic, Constitution, Armour, Concentration and Spell resistance. 

MS lore and focus at clvl. DA focus a few points just enough to unlock 3 mods for DI. all other at skill level 1.

From items: all skills +24.

 

 

[Hooyaah 2,823]

You are on track Jacek, my friend; keep 'em frosty.

[Jacek 19]

Now - back to the issue at hand 

- I read somethign about leaving focus skills at slvl 21 because of diminishing returns and some other complicated mathematical calculations / explaations my mind simply refuses to digest and absorb  the flu, ya know...

We are keeping focus and lore at clvl which is 42 now  - I hope its not gonna be much of a problem given u guys recommend keeping them at clvl...

The first two bosses - the golem and the octopuss - they came down big time and it was actually my daughter (6ish) who defeated them which is why we do need to rush to gold as now we can simply stand in a mob of 10+, 15+ orcs on silver in a cloud of raging nimbus and take ...no dmg . the only problem atm, slight problem, is the desert with all these little scorpions...they seem to be hitting like a truck...what's the deal? as these scorpions are the only creatures that can visibly hurt us?

And our equipment is not optimized at all:

- we stack + skills now running with +28 to all skills

- we have a CS buff suit that gives us +21ish to CS while only 1 rune memorized

- we wear what seems to be best at any given moment 

- no special attention to dmg mitigation or chance to halve reganeration now...but I believe these will shine later on?

- And we are also considering mastering Armour vs Constitution as 3rd option...in the long run - what do u think will reap more benefits?

cheers  

 

 

 

 

 

[lujate 578]

Those little champ scorpions hit HARD.

[Hooyaah 2,823]

9 hours ago, Jacek said:

Now - back to the issue at hand 

- I read somethign about leaving focus skills at slvl 21 because of diminishing returns and some other complicated mathematical calculations / explaations my mind simply refuses to digest and absorb  the flu, ya know...

We are keeping focus and lore at clvl which is 42 now  - I hope its not gonna be much of a problem given u guys recommend keeping them at clvl...

The first two bosses - the golem and the octopuss - they came down big time and it was actually my daughter (6ish) who defeated them which is why we do need to rush to gold as now we can simply stand in a mob of 10+, 15+ orcs on silver in a cloud of raging nimbus and take ...no dmg . the only problem atm, slight problem, is the desert with all these little scorpions...they seem to be hitting like a truck...what's the deal? as these scorpions are the only creatures that can visibly hurt us?

And our equipment is not optimized at all:

- we stack + skills now running with +28 to all skills

- we have a CS buff suit that gives us +21ish to CS while only 1 rune memorized

- we wear what seems to be best at any given moment 

- no special attention to dmg mitigation or chance to halve reganeration now...but I believe these will shine later on?

- And we are also considering mastering Armour vs Constitution as 3rd option...in the long run - what do u think will reap more benefits?

cheers  

 

 

 

 

 

You can eat more Crystal Skin and forge the runes as well. I would suggest for your current character level that you eat 10 - 12 now and twice that if/when you have 100% Chance To Halve Regeneration Time. Also, find and have active Relics for Poison resistance. Be sure you have some base armor resistance for all types of damage, fire, magic, poison, ice and physical. CS helps a lot with physical damage resistance. Glacial Defender is good for ice damage resistance. If you want a shield with good poison damage resistance go back and complete this quest: The Root Of All Evil.

[Hooyaah 2,823]

14 hours ago, Jacek said:

Now - back to the issue at hand 

- I read somethign about leaving focus skills at slvl 21 because of diminishing returns and some other complicated mathematical calculations / explaations my mind simply refuses to digest and absorb  the flu, ya know...

We are keeping focus and lore at clvl which is 42 now  - I hope its not gonna be much of a problem given u guys recommend keeping them at clvl...

The first two bosses - the golem and the octopuss - they came down big time and it was actually my daughter (6ish) who defeated them which is why we do need to rush to gold as now we can simply stand in a mob of 10+, 15+ orcs on silver in a cloud of raging nimbus and take ...no dmg . the only problem atm, slight problem, is the desert with all these little scorpions...they seem to be hitting like a truck...what's the deal? as these scorpions are the only creatures that can visibly hurt us?

And our equipment is not optimized at all:

- we stack + skills now running with +28 to all skills

- we have a CS buff suit that gives us +21ish to CS while only 1 rune memorized

- we wear what seems to be best at any given moment 

- no special attention to dmg mitigation or chance to halve reganeration now...but I believe these will shine later on?

- And we are also considering mastering Armour vs Constitution as 3rd option...in the long run - what do u think will reap more benefits?

cheers  

 

 

 

 

 

My build advice was/is to Master Mystic Stormite Lore and Focus first and keep it at character level until they are mastered at 75. You may master Armor Lore third if you wish. However, if you already have many points invested in Concentration and it's more than what you have in AL, go for Constitution. You should have three Skills Mastered as close to level 75 as possible. Were it not for putting points in Delphic Arcania Focus to trick out your GI and EM you would have three mastered skills at 75.