Fire Elementalist Staff or Wand? - Guild Wars Forums

superkevin · Nov 04, 2007, 05:49 AM // 05:49

What are the advantages and disadvantages of either going with staff or wand? Example: Rago's Staff or Rago's Wand + The KindleRock
What do you prefer and why? Thanks

tmakinen · Nov 04, 2007, 06:21 AM // 06:21

My elementalist used to have all kinds of stuff for different builds but I've noticed that (almost) all that you'll ever need is Kerrsh's Staff (or something similar tied to Energy Storage). As I switch builds all the time, having one universal piece of equipment instead of 15 different ones cluttering the inventory is epic win in my books, and what little efficiency I lose by that is negligible on the PvE side. Add to that a totem axe equivalent and a shield/focus of your choice and you've got all bases covered

strcpy · Nov 04, 2007, 10:08 AM // 10:08

There are combinations you can get on each that are exclusive to that combination.

You can get dual 20% HCT and HSR on a wand/offhand, you can only get +20% enchant duration on staves. Each one benefits certain builds and you are usually best off by having several different combinations.

For the most part all of them work quite well, the main difference is in either PvP or Farming. In PvP every little bit helps as those you go against are min/maxing everything. Many farming builds will *only* work with specific mods or bonuses on weapons. For most of PvE teamwork rules, even a bad team build of bad builds with bad weapons will wipe most areas of they can co-ordinate amongst themselves well.

Stormlord Alex · Nov 04, 2007, 10:40 AM // 10:40

For general PvE use, a 20/20 wand and 20/20 offhand can't be beat.
Churning out more spells than humanly possible >>> All for PvE.

free_fall · Nov 04, 2007, 04:12 PM // 16:12

I personally use a 5^50 (or the 5E while enchanted/20%HSR collector) wand and the 12/15/-1/30H off-hand.

I have a Rago's wand that my new ele has but I haven't been playing her much since I got it. I bought another one cheap and gave it to my nec's Sousuke - he seems to like it a lot.

Yang Whirlwind · Nov 05, 2007, 10:18 AM // 10:18

I agree with Stormlord Alex!

For Fire Magic I personally use a Destroyer Scepter (20/20) and Destroyer Focus (20/20).
For Air magic I use a Zodiac Staff (20/20 +5e +20%enchant)

The difference between Staff and Wand/Focus is this:
You can't get the 20/20+20/20 combination with a staff (no way to get the second 1/2-recharge/20%)
You can't get the +20%enchant for Wand/Focus.
So the choice should be made depending on what combination you're trying to achieve.

Hyper.nl · Nov 06, 2007, 07:57 AM // 07:57

For fire magic (SF nuker) I have good experiences with Koosuns Fire Staff, which offers +60 health and 20/20. If you happen to use meteor shower and other slow casting spells a lot, you may want to get a 20/20 wand + offhand instead. BUt personally I like the health bonus.

I Will Heal You Ally · Nov 06, 2007, 08:41 AM // 08:41

For fire magic I'd go with wand+focus or caster axe/sword+focus.

If you choose wand + focus go for wand 20/20 and focus HSR 20 with +30 health

Caster axe + focus = axe: +5energy 20% enchantment, focus HRS 20 with +30 Health... you really don't need any HCT cuz most of fire skills are fast casting.

Quaker · Nov 06, 2007, 03:29 PM // 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by superkevin

What are the advantages and disadvantages of either going with staff or wand? Example: Rago's Staff or Rago's Wand + The KindleRock
What do you prefer and why? Thanks

Basically, a wand (or other right hand) + focus (or other off-hand) allows you more flexibility in your choice of features. You could, for an extreme example, do an E/W, put some points in Tactics, and carry a shield if that suits your fancy.
Something like what Alex wrote (20/20 + 20/20) can (I think) only be done with a wand+focus. (Although you can come close with a staff with the proper mods)
You can mix and match different wands and focuses to get different features, whereas you'd need a separate staff for each.

However, in the long run, I tend to agree with Tmakinen. I don't play my Ele any more, but my Mesmer is a similar case. I have many wands/focuses and staffs I can use, but basically these days I only really use my Insightful Destroyer Staff of Fortitude (energy+5, energy+5(while health is above 50%), health+30, HSR20%) and switch to Kerrsh's Staff for a little health boost (energy+5, health+60, HSR20%).

For most Elementalist builds, the choice between staff or wand/focus is as much a cosmetic thing as anything else.

Nov 04, 2007, 05:49 AM // 05:49	#1
superkevin Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Everywhere Profession: E/Mo	Fire Elementalist Staff or Wand? What are the advantages and disadvantages of either going with staff or wand? Example: Rago's Staff or Rago's Wand + The KindleRock What do you prefer and why? Thanks

Nov 05, 2007, 10:18 AM // 10:18	#6
Yang Whirlwind ~ Retired ~ Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark (GMT +1) Profession: E/	I agree with Stormlord Alex! For Fire Magic I personally use a Destroyer Scepter (20/20) and Destroyer Focus (20/20). For Air magic I use a Zodiac Staff (20/20 +5e +20%enchant) The difference between Staff and Wand/Focus is this: You can't get the 20/20+20/20 combination with a staff (no way to get the second 1/2-recharge/20%) You can't get the +20%enchant for Wand/Focus. So the choice should be made depending on what combination you're trying to achieve. Last edited by Yang Whirlwind; Nov 05, 2007 at 10:22 AM // 10:22..

Nov 04, 2007, 06:21 AM // 06:21	#2
tmakinen Desert Nomad Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: www.mybearfriend.net Guild: Servants of Fortuna [SoF] Profession: E/	My elementalist used to have all kinds of stuff for different builds but I've noticed that (almost) all that you'll ever need is Kerrsh's Staff (or something similar tied to Energy Storage). As I switch builds all the time, having one universal piece of equipment instead of 15 different ones cluttering the inventory is epic win in my books, and what little efficiency I lose by that is negligible on the PvE side. Add to that a totem axe equivalent and a shield/focus of your choice and you've got all bases covered

Nov 04, 2007, 10:08 AM // 10:08	#3
strcpy Desert Nomad Join Date: Jul 2005 Guild: One of Many [ONE]	There are combinations you can get on each that are exclusive to that combination. You can get dual 20% HCT and HSR on a wand/offhand, you can only get +20% enchant duration on staves. Each one benefits certain builds and you are usually best off by having several different combinations. For the most part all of them work quite well, the main difference is in either PvP or Farming. In PvP every little bit helps as those you go against are min/maxing everything. Many farming builds will only work with specific mods or bonuses on weapons. For most of PvE teamwork rules, even a bad team build of bad builds with bad weapons will wipe most areas of they can co-ordinate amongst themselves well.

Nov 04, 2007, 10:40 AM // 10:40	#4
Stormlord Alex Grotto Attendant Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Beyond the Forest of Doom, past the Cavern of Agony... on Kitten & Puppy Island Guild: Soul of Melandru [sOm] Profession: W/E	For general PvE use, a 20/20 wand and 20/20 offhand can't be beat. Churning out more spells than humanly possible >>> All for PvE.

Nov 04, 2007, 04:12 PM // 16:12	#5
free_fall Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Oct 2005	I personally use a 5^50 (or the 5E while enchanted/20%HSR collector) wand and the 12/15/-1/30H off-hand. I have a Rago's wand that my new ele has but I haven't been playing her much since I got it. I bought another one cheap and gave it to my nec's Sousuke - he seems to like it a lot.

Nov 06, 2007, 07:57 AM // 07:57	#7
Hyper.nl Desert Nomad Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Defending Fort Aspenwood Profession: E/	For fire magic (SF nuker) I have good experiences with Koosuns Fire Staff, which offers +60 health and 20/20. If you happen to use meteor shower and other slow casting spells a lot, you may want to get a 20/20 wand + offhand instead. BUt personally I like the health bonus.

Nov 06, 2007, 08:41 AM // 08:41	#8
I Will Heal You Ally Krytan Explorer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: In my HoM Guild: Canthan Refugees [TOGO] Profession: E/Rt	For fire magic I'd go with wand+focus or caster axe/sword+focus. If you choose wand + focus go for wand 20/20 and focus HSR 20 with +30 health Caster axe + focus = axe: +5energy 20% enchantment, focus HRS 20 with +30 Health... you really don't need any HCT cuz most of fire skills are fast casting.