Whats better +dam% for spells, or higher spell levels

[fRACTAL 0]

personally I'd go fer the first, but its hard to get it very high, (although my mage does well, 3500 damage with level 10 fireball.... So what are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!

~Doom

[myles 2]

Um..... Both?

[Timotheus 416]

Eventually this will have a trade-off point. I don't know where it lies exactly. But this is from my experience with a ( ) Dark Elf:

 

when the added level in poison mist is getting a large diff (say 20%) with a ring or smith rune with +XX% poison damage, stop investing runes/ammys with +to spell. +to all spells is only useful in early levels. When you get to gold, just trade. Your benefits from items with high +CA will be on a higher level compared to plain using those +all CA when you can socket those with +%dmg. Generally you don't use that much Combat Arts anyway, so focus items on CA bonusses. At least that's what I use on my DE's.

 

My 2 €-cts

[Sylph 0]

so... what's it for say.. a Melee BM?

 

Pass on teh dutch timo ^^

Sylph

[gogoblender 3,072]

personally I'd go fer the first, but its hard to get it very high, (although my mage does well, 3500 damage with level 10 fireball.... So what are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!

~Doom

hmmm...good question...and one which I have considered for a while now.

Would socketing a TON of magic damage socketables work?

 

Is Fireball modded by

 

1-Magic + x%

2-Magic Damage + X%

 

?

 

I'm curious now, and in fact...now I want to start a bm LOL!

 

 

gogo

[fRACTAL 0]

Well heh, my level 50 mage uses all noib smithed +spell damage instead of CA runes...

Thanks to w00t.

and he rocks 0.7 sec regen

~Doom

[Timotheus 416]

Yup that's another thing to consider. Regen. Uhm the rule how I use +ca vs +%dmg is: when +1 to ca gives lower damage return than +% I take the ring or smith rune. However, +ca makes you benefit from a lot more than one damage type, so for a BM GM would rise as well. Or stoneskin. That's also a thing to keep in mind:

 

How badly does your char need OTHER benefits from the item?

[gogoblender 3,072]

I like your take on this Timo.

There is no absolute answer it seems. A line of damage increase that may have done wonders when first starting off with it begins to taper off as the roi becomes smaller. What's necessary to run that uber optimized toon, is to know all the different and varied ways in which you can increase the damage then test to see which choice at that particular time gives the greater benefits.

 

 

gogo

[Timotheus 416]

Agreed.

 

Don't really have a unique and singular take tho. It also depends on the other skills you are using. I'll take the char I was talking about as an example: My barely niob DE has no ballistics, so a very low regen is pointless for him, since he can't cast faster. Thus, I've used quite a bit of runes to pump PM. A lot of my equipment is aimed at raising Testosterone. Well he needs the extra levels, since he's a rune eater. That's what you get from changing from melee to caster. *sigh* He definetly needs some drastic rebuilding.

[FrostElfGuard 9]

personally I'd go fer the first, but its hard to get it very high, (although my mage does well, 3500 damage with level 10 fireball.... So what are your thoughts on this?

Thanks!

~Doom

hmmm...good question...and one which I have considered for a while now.

Would socketing a TON of magic damage socketables work?

 

Is Fireball modded by

 

1-Magic + x%

2-Magic Damage + X%

 

?

 

I'm curious now, and in fact...now I want to start a bm LOL!

 

 

gogo

 

My bet is that fireball is modded by (and only by)

 

 

3-Magic Spell Damage + X%

 

or

 

4-Fire Spell Damage + X%

 

 

 

I used to socket damage rings in my BM's armour and weapons. I didn't realize that "Magic Damage" increased only elemental magic damage from my melee attacks (which I had quickly learned I shouldn't do.) Now, I socket deadly.

[Rotluchs 82]

My bet is that fireball is modded by (and only by)

 

 

3-Magic Spell Damage + X%

 

or

 

4-Fire Spell Damage + X%

 

well, more like

 

3.) magic(al?) spell damage + xx %

 

AND

 

4.) fire spell damage + xx %

 

IF fireball still does fire and magical spell dmg, which it does iirc ...

 

the yellow + xx % to all damage types thingy.. modifier.. should also work,

 

and afaik the + magic or fire dmg xx % mod* as well -

 

though I'm no longer entirely sure about that last modifier, I've forgotten so much already since I don't play frequently anymore sigh.. somehow I think it could be nonsense I posted just right now, forget it then.. but, try it out first

(*not the one that clearly states it only improves weapon based dmg, this one doesn't.. but the + x % fire dmg bonus on thodran rings should)

Edited December 7, 2007 by Rotluchs

[Schot 407]

Yup, Fire Damage: +xx% is applied to both melee or spell damage. I often use Aarnum's Adorning Wrath rings for that reason.