> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 15:39:55 -0400
> From: mstokes <mstokes@...>
> Subject: Re: Out gunned
>
> > >
> > > Absolutly, as a wizard, you are the groups panic
> > > button. Fighting a steady
> > > stream of blues, a group that includes a cleric will
> > > almost have no use for
> > > us until the puller yells, "Oh Shit, I pulled
> > > something big guys, get
> > > ready" That is when we shine. With our burns,
> > > nobody can save the situation
> > > faster than a wizard.
> > >
> > I disagree. That's the situation where an Enchanter
> > really shines. Wizards can help, but not as well.
> > Our best bet in that situation is Evac.
>
> Enchanters are great for debuffing the mob (When they aren't resisted) But
> they really lack in doing damage to a mob. Keeping in mind that both
> wizards and enchanters are limited by the 6 Level cap rule, so we are
> talking low red, high yellows here, I would rather place my bets with a
> wizard than an enchanter. Wizards, can burn a mob to down to 1/3 - 1/2 of
> its life chaining DD's (Even if they are 1 circle down due to matching
> cold/fire resists) much faster than an Enchanter can Debuff the same mob
to
> a manageable state (Taking resists into account). Tashen, Slow, Weaken 1,
> Weaken 2, Dot, etc. Will about halve the damage dealt by the mob. Stuns
> work, but 2 enchanters in a group are needed to be completely effective,
> and again resists are an issue. Charm is out of the question, because
the
> last thing you want to do in a battle against a tough opponant, is to drag
> another possible hostile into the fray. Of course Everyone should have
> some form of root/ensnare handy to keep the mob from jumping us. Oh well
> boss is here gotta go :)
Wizards and enchanters are both valuable characters in most groups. Sure,
enchanters improve with 2 in a group, but so do wizards. (Having two nukers
in a group totally changes the tempo and style of fighting.) Having played
both and grouped with both, I'd have to say that enchanters are far better
at controlling bad pulls and trains, at mid (20+) and high lvls and have
vastly higher survivability than wizards (pet, buff, AE stun, charm, invis,
invis vs. undead, illusion for fighting faction benefits, etc.). This isn't
a case of being better or worse though. Battles with wizards are short.
Battles with enchanters are long. Both styles can be good.
If I may comment on your example, though, wizards attacking mobs within
their lvl range usually require 3 to 4 (usually 4) full hits to kill the mob
(and wizards get roughly 6 shots of their top-of-the-line spell on full
mana, sort of like a revolver). On a *chain burn*, wizards will pull the
mob on them usually on the second shot (if not the first) and from then on
have low probability of getting off two more shots before they are dead.
You can get away with doing this once in a while, but you will die playing
this way. A lot. And this technique will *never* work for you after lvl
30. It's efficient suicide. So you have to wait for the tank to build up
hate, or rely on your root line (which I personally loathe). Despite our
high damage and short casting times, we get to do a lot of waiting.
On a more nit picky note, tashan, slow (e.g. languid pace--decrease attack
speed about 45%), and a single strength debuff will about halve the damage
of most mobs. (And tashan isn't always necessary--i.e. know your mob.)
Whirl can also be good. But no matter, because enchanter battles are long;
time is almost never a problem. And enchanters aren't just about decreasing
damage, but distributing it most effectively. Ever have a tank getting
pounded into the last bubble of his health by an agro mob? If the mob is
low on health, a wizard may be able to save him. If not, you'd better have
an enchanter to perform a mind wipe thereby resetting the mob's agro list,
or a cleric to perform the resurrection.
Sign of a wizard saving a group from a horrible situation? Maybe one or two
tanks dead, and the rest fairly healthy. Sign of an enchanter saving a
group from a horrible situation? No one dead and everyone with about a
bubble of health left.
Anyway, I'd group with an intelligent enchanter or wizard any day.
-Brian
P.S. Don't charm a mob outside of the battle. Why bring one more in when
you already have plenty in front of you? If they're too high lvl to charm,
you can often call in your pet, or fear one, or AE mesmerize, or use some
other technique (situation dependent--i.e. don't fear in dungeons, heh).
Charm has its place, but it's not a cure-all.
P.P.S. If you're getting a lot of resists with your enchanter, you're doing
something really really wrong. You need to compare notes with other
enchanters and get it straightened out.