Curse

FengShuiBundi · Jun 29, 2005, 04:36 PM // 16:36

This is some simple advice to beginning elementalists in PvE who decide to specialize in Fire Magics.

I was doing the Bloodstone Fen mission with my lvl 20 Monk/Mesmer (yay for rushing past grind) in a group with two elemenalists among other things. They were both using fire magic because it works well in PvE.

Fire is good for it's AOE damage. Fire also has PBAOE (player based AOE), and those spells are quite damaging and have quick recharges. However they require the user to be adjacent to their target foes. As you should know, elementalist dont' have the best armor in the world. Especially before amnoon oasis.

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

As I was saying, one of the eles was at level 14 and not wearing great armor. He was using PBAOE spells

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

He would run up to the monsters and spam inferno, lava font, flame burst. Sure they took damage, however he took more. It's easy to heal, but a waste of energy.

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

I noticed that even before any of us incurred any DP, he was taking damage fast. I asked if he had bad armor, he said it was the best up to Bloodstone. He said he was using THREE MAJOR RUNES.

Don't use three major runes, please! That's 150 health off already. The increase is not much at that point in the game and frankly a waste of money.

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

He started dying, soon he was at -60DP and had roughly 100 health. Yet he persisted to use his PBAOE spells. We started telling him to stop as soon as we noticed he was taking damage too fast (after his first death). He claimed to be a "NUKER". No, he wasn't a nuker, he was a suicide bomber. He was a moron and couldn't understand that I was forced to use energy to keep his stupid character alive when he could have simply moved to the back lines.

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

I asked why he didn't bring meteor/meteor shower and firestorm. He replied "Becuz I am a nuker" 3 pips of degen from poison and he was screaming for a healing spell. I let him die.

I will let any ele die who brings PBAOE into a PvE mission/quest and cannot use it properly. ALL Monks should.

Please, if you want to use PBAOE spells, use them when PvEing by yourself or farming monsters. Otherwise, don't use the spells. Especially not in groups, especially with poor armor and 3 major runes.

This is not supposed to be a vent or a rant. I am simply trying to provide advice based upon my real experience to all beginning elementalists interested in investing points in Fire Magic abilities. It is a lot of trouble to heal you when you are taking 50+ damage per hit. Your role should place you in the back lines and dropping spells on them from afar, be it a water trident or a lightning orb.

Please, DON'T USE THE PBAOE SPELLS in group missions or quests.

Mak · Jun 29, 2005, 04:37 PM // 16:37

I thought PBAOE was point blank AOE; aren't all the AOE's player based.

Auntie I · Jun 29, 2005, 04:41 PM // 16:41

OK as an elementalist I agree with what you're saying. I know to stand back and fire Flare/Firestorm or whatever at the mobs. PBAOE does have it's place on those occasions when you get overrun though. With enough ranks in Fire you will damage the mobs faster than they will take you out. Hopefully your team mates are helping too!
Nuker = Ranged Damage Dealer (usually fire but can be air)

Mimi Miyagi · Jun 29, 2005, 04:50 PM // 16:50

Spells like Pheonix (for example) that will crush enemies around the caster, or other close in (PB) spells, work best about 2 seconds after the mob has been aggroed and busy chewing up the warriors or whatever meat shield your PUG has at the time. Once all of the monsters are comfortably busy/occupied, THEN the elementalist can run up, cast a spell, and run back - if so desired.

It's probably the hardest thing to teach new elementalists - that you don't have to deliver that nuke strike right away - it works just as well if you hang back and wait until the warriors are engaged, and you can survey the battle and pick your spots. Most of the time elementalists just rush up and start tossing fireballs everywhere, which is a sure sign of a noob.

Patience is key for an elementalist.

FengShuiBundi · Jun 29, 2005, 04:53 PM // 16:53

PBAOE does have it's place as I have already stated. Your example is fine as well, however it shouldn't be the staple spell set for an elementalist at a low level or in the end game missions. It's good for farming because you have control over who to farm and usually farm things that are lower level (Ettins).

The team does help out, obviously, as it is foolish to rely on one crazed elementalist to deal the damage required to take out a mob. However in order to keep the team alive, I have to heal. It is easy to heal the warriors because it is a matter of seeding one of them and occasionally putting on heals. (Silly warriors with their mending). Eles shouldn't be taking damage unless your team was overrun by a mob, in that case, they should do whatever they can to run off or kill an enemy.

I just don't see the reason to rely on it in missions and quests. It's foolish and can kill your whole team. The eles often freak out after they start losing life and lead the monsters back to me. That's not good. Not good at all.

DON'T USE THE PBAOE

Entropius · Jun 29, 2005, 05:07 PM // 17:07

I notice you mention fire elementalists.

Earth elementalists also have PBAoE: aftershock, often combined with whirlwind or earthquake, and crystal wave.

They also have armor of earth, boosting their armor rating above a warrior's. An ele with high-level armor of earth takes less than half damage from all sources.

Unlike the fire ele's you (rightfully) criticise, earth PBAoE nukers aren't glass cannons who run into things and then die. They can actually take a pounding. If your Armor of Earth ele is dying, heal him -- they actually took less damage than a warrior would have.

evrqst123 · Jun 29, 2005, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Whenever I'm playing with my monk and I play with players who take too much damage too fast every time, such as ppl with warrior secondaries who melee without regard for their hp, i just let them die. Its simply not worth all my energy to constantly keep one person alive. Then I cannot heal anyone else when they need it. That's usually when they realize they should rethink their build. Its especially bad if they don't have the best armor available to them.

Acan Vishnu · Jun 29, 2005, 05:17 PM // 17:17

A few guildmates and I run UW now and then, we use pickups to flesh out our group with whatever we're missing... usually we need elementalists to cover damage dealing. One thing we always insist on is that they not be using PBAOE's. Its just all too likely that the monsters will turn around and beat on the lower AL players, who will be dead in two hits or less if their not ready for it.

Warriors are designed to be consistant, they don't need to rely on enchantments or stances or much of anything else to be able to tank pretty well, but hey, they have those available to them if they need them anyway.

FengShuiBundi · Jun 29, 2005, 05:21 PM // 17:21

Entropius, I agree with you. Earth eles are more hardy than most warriors. I used one for the unlocking of Ele and Nec spells and in PvP. They are FUN to play. However I do find that Afterschock + whirlwind + xxx isn't as fun as stoning + enfeeble with earthquakes on the side. Distance damage + knockdown is much safer for the whole team and keeps you from running out of battle upon losing energy.

It's the fire eles that really bug me. The people who use earth magic, I find, are often better versed in the intricacies of GW and how to properly use eles.