Curse

Entropius · Jun 24, 2005, 03:54 AM // 03:54

Disclaimer: My character is a 20 El/Mo in the Crystal Desert with relatively limited PvP experience.

I used Aura, like most low-level characters, in the first 8 levels or so, until it got scooted off of my skill bar for more useful things.

However, I've recently had two experiences that have somewhat changed my mind.

1) I played a protection monk that was highly effective until my enchantments started getting dropped, and I kept getting killed by break enchantment on my healing breezes

2) I got Ether Renewal and started playing around with it.

With no added skills, and assuming 350% regen, Aura gives you nearly 5 health per second, or 2 and a half pips of regen, for the cost of 10 energy per 60 seconds (the equivalent of half an arrow of mana degen) and a slot on your skill bar. You also can pay that 10 energy whenever you feel like it; you can cast it before the gate opens in PvP and regenerate the energy, for instance.

You also wind up getting the healing when you need it: usually you need healing the most when you're spamming spells the fastest.

Concerning the two points up above:

1) Enchantment removal is a real pain in the rear. Many builds rely on enchantments: attunements, armor of earth, and whatever the party monk may be throwing your way. The more "buffer" enchantments you have in your effects list ahead of the ones that really matter (armor of earth), the less likely you are to get what you really need stripped.

2) Aura synergises with Ether Renewal in three ways.
First, it gives you more kickback from ER since you have more enchantments active.
Second, it gives you more benefit since under Ether Renewal you're casting more spells. Assume that you have Aura, an Attunement, and Ether Renewal active; then any spell you cast gives you 12 energy back, which when used for spells will give you 42 life. By letting you burn through energy faster, ER lets you get more benefit from Aura.
Third, it is itself a very quick-cast spell. Often under ER you're trying to spam spells as quickly as possible to get the benefits. It casts in a second total (counting aftercast), giving you a net +2 energy and +15 life, and giving you 35 more life if you already have it active. When you're out of other spells to cast, renewing Aura while under ER can be a beneficial thing to do. Plus, if Aura has dropped, it'll appear after ER on your skill bar, insulating you from removal.

The drawback to including Aura, of course, is the use of a skill slot. This means that it's no good in convoluted builds that require lots of skills. It also means that you'll have fewer attack spells to spam while ER is active, so you can find yourself waiting on skills to recharge and will have to stop casting. As mentioned above you can always just cast Aura in that situation, but wouldn't you rather throw another attack spell?

The ideal skillset to use Aura and ER, then, has an attack skill set that is (naturally) more energy-limited than cast-rate or recharge-limited (skills like Stoning and Flame Burst). You want to be able to spam spells constantly while under ER, and you'll have the energy to do it.

Is Aura useful in an Ether Renewal build? Seems like by using the huge mana boost from ER in conjunction with other enchantments (an attunement, aura, itself, and maybe an armor) you can cast high-energy spells rather quickly and, by doing so, get a significant boost of life. Aura will also let you protect those other enchantments, in the case of a build that relies on those other enchantments to survive. Losing Aura won't kill you like losing Armor of Earth, and it's quick to recast.

(I am, by my own admission, relatively new at this game. Please don't tell me I'm wrong without explaining why.)

Keure · Jun 24, 2005, 05:17 AM // 05:17

I actually have a character that does just what you say above.

I have an air ele that uses aura of restoration + armor + renewal + attunement as I don't need all that many attack spells in the first place, given their low recharge times.

I like stacking aura of restoration on top as a buffer enchantment (like you said above) because it does nothing critical.

I think people are down on aura because it doesn't do anything critical - I favor it more as a buffer enchantment than anything else. If my E/Me has to do something else, it gets knocked off the skill bar.

silvertemplar · Jun 24, 2005, 09:01 AM // 09:01

Generally i've found it very hard to use aura to heal NOW [as in, someone is targeting you]. Casting 5 energy spells [15 hp heal] simply can not keep up with the damage being thrown your way. The 15+ energy spells are too slow to cast [you must take into account a 5 second casting time to get 75+hp healing is not exactly my idea of healing].

In most cases, my Aura mainly just "tops" up my health [in other words, im generally "safe" or "not being directly targetted" ]. The fact that enchantments are removed overshadows things like BACKFIRE.... In PvP, the first thing my Mesmer puts on an elementalist is -backfire- [i don't even bother removing aura] . Nothing dies faster than an Elementalist spamming low energy fast spells like flare.

I've found more use in direct healing spells like Ether Feast or Illusion of Weakness or Soul Feast [need corpse] which can throw out 100+ healing when you actually need it. Heck even Troll Urgent seems even better, since you can run while getting healing [cant cast and run..sometihng as a mage i want to do often :P]

Of course Aura is probably a good spell to use as a "decoy" to place it on you just so some monk/mesmer can waste their time removing it.

PS OF course if you use sometihng like Troll/Orison/Ether Feast ON TOP of Aura even better :P

Rajamic · Jun 25, 2005, 07:55 AM // 07:55

Even with one of the Elem's best spells to use for both it's own practicality and the healing you can do (Lightning Orb), it just doesn't have the oomph.

Lightning Orb is a 15/2/5. With the extra casting animations, that 2 casting time becomes just shy of 3 seconds. At 12 Energy Storage, 15 mana spells give 52.5 (probably 53) HP. 53 / 3 second cast = 17 2/3 HP/sec. That's about the same rate at which a strong Monk's Healing breeze goes, except it's a 1 second cast (much harder to interrupt), costs less mana for even one cast, let alone the 3 castings of Orb you'd need (which can't be spammed that fast), and and doesn't require any other action to be effective.

Monks can heal. Necros can self-heal (and minorly support a healer). No one else should bother, unless they don't have faith in their monks.

Tellani Artini · Jun 25, 2005, 08:30 AM // 08:30

Aura of restoration, if you see it as health gained per energy spent, is a really, really bad deal. You'd get more health per energy at the same attrib level casting orison on yourself with no divine favor.

Entropius · Jun 25, 2005, 02:52 PM // 14:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tellani Artini

Aura of restoration, if you see it as health gained per energy spent, is a really, really bad deal. You'd get more health per energy at the same attrib level casting orison on yourself with no divine favor.

Actually not.

Aura of restoration costs 10 mana and lasts for 60 seconds. Unaided, over those 60 seconds I will regenerate 80 mana. When that mana is used to cast spells, Aura will kick back 280 life.

10 mana for 280 life isn't bad. (Orison, meanwhile, gives me 120 life for 10 energy.)

Furthermore, considering that I will cast Ether Renewal twice during that 60 second duration, and further assuming that I cast four spells during each Ether Renewal with Aura, Ether, and one other enchantment active:

1) Because I have Aura active, Ether Renewal is more effective, giving me (for all four spells) an additional 16 energy and 60 life.

2) All told, Ether Renewal will give me 48 energy (three enchantments, four spells). That 48 energy will, of course, let me cast an additional 48 energy worth of spells ... getting an additional 168 life.

Since I cast Ether twice per 60 seconds, the net gain from one cast of Aura (60 sec) is thus:

280 life for the spells I cast with my natural energy regen
336 life for the spells I cast with my Ether Renewal energy
120 life and 96 energy for the life I gained with Ether Renewals because I have an extra enchantment active.

Now, this is a horribly naive analysis, since much of this time I'll be at full life and the lifegain will be wasted, and since it's a "trickle heal" rather than a "omg, I'm dying, I need 150 life in the next 2 seconds or I'm dead" heal it's no good for certain situations. That's the main flaw in Aura.

However, energy efficiency isn't it. It's one of the most energy efficient heals out there.

Quote:

Lightning Orb is a 15/2/5. With the extra casting animations, that 2 casting time becomes just shy of 3 seconds. At 12 Energy Storage, 15 mana spells give 52.5 (probably 53) HP. 53 / 3 second cast = 17 2/3 HP/sec. That's about the same rate at which a strong Monk's Healing breeze goes, except it's a 1 second cast (much harder to interrupt), costs less mana for even one cast, let alone the 3 castings of Orb you'd need (which can't be spammed that fast), and and doesn't require any other action to be effective.

The problem here is that you're ignoring the other things that happen when you cast Lightning Orb, i.e. "That thing over there dies." -- or, in my case, heals on other players.

It's not as if the spells you're casting while Aura is active don't do anything!

Nobody says that Divine Favor sucks, and quite often when I'm healing I envy all those primary monks that heal for 100 with orison. Think of Aura like Divine Favor: a bonus heal when you do something else.

I play an Infuse Health healing build. This means that I need as many self-heals as I can get, and that I need them to require little effort so I can restore my life while continuing to heal others. Along with Ether Renewal, Aura and Vigorous Spirit do this -- and incidentally feed the Ether Renewal.

Subjectively, I healed for a Elona run last night, and got several compliments on my healing -- so something must be working.

Dreamsmith · Jun 25, 2005, 10:09 PM // 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entropius

Now, this is a horribly naive analysis, since much of this time I'll be at full life and the lifegain will be wasted, and since it's a "trickle heal" rather than a "omg, I'm dying, I need 150 life in the next 2 seconds or I'm dead" heal it's no good for certain situations. That's the main flaw in Aura.

However, energy efficiency isn't it. It's one of the most energy efficient heals out there.

It's not actually all that energy efficient if, as you say, most of that "lifegain" is in fact zero because you're already at maximum health most of the time.

If there is a worse healing spell in the game, I'm not sure what it would be. It's not useful when you don't need it, and it doesn't heal enough to be useful when you do. Thus, it's pretty much useless 100% of the time.

Seth Oriath · Jun 26, 2005, 12:34 AM // 00:34

I use Aura of Restoration because it heals me after I'm trying to cast a spell, which is when I'm most vulnerable. A monk can take up the slack, but this skill is for that purpose. And I'm one that believes in helping your monk by helping yourself stay alive, so anything that I can do to heal myself during critical situations (such as when casting a spell) is beneficial.

Drakron · Jun 26, 2005, 12:56 AM // 00:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamsmith

If there is a worse healing spell in the game, I'm not sure what it would be. It's not useful when you don't need it, and it doesn't heal enough to be useful when you do. Thus, it's pretty much useless 100% of the time.

Exactly, most E dump their payload at the start of the fight and are getting healed when they are not damaged at all or if they are being damaged changes their spells are interrupted as well is high meaning no healing.

The moment the E need healing is mid-end battle as their energy is low and the most they can throw are 5 or 10 energy spells, at that time they need constant healing and seeing how big energy spells also have long casting they dont have neither the time or the energy to rely in Aura for healing.

Deathlord · Jun 26, 2005, 04:11 AM // 04:11

I still use aura of Restoration and currently my elementalist is at thunderhead keep. I have no other decent elite skills therefore I combine it with fire attunment and ether renewel, then spam flare once all 3 enchantments are up. I currently already get 17 HP for each enchantment, (x3) for a nice 51 hp per flare, add that with the 17 hp gained from aura of restoration, you just gained back 68 by using one flare, spam a few more and you're back to full healths. Also, let's not forget that you also get 12 energy for each flare. So in TOTAL.

HP + 68/Flare
MP + 8ish/Flare
If you're being hit by one or two monsters, that should probably keep you alive long enough for either the rest of the party to get them off you or to just kill them. Aura of Restoration is overall still a decent non-energy consuming enchantment and although it's not always used, it's still quite helpful.

Entropius · Jun 26, 2005, 04:53 AM // 04:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakron

Exactly, most E dump their payload at the start of the fight and are getting healed when they are not damaged at all or if they are being damaged changes their spells are interrupted as well is high meaning no healing.

The moment the E need healing is mid-end battle as their energy is low and the most they can throw are 5 or 10 energy spells, at that time they need constant healing and seeing how big energy spells also have long casting they dont have neither the time or the energy to rely in Aura for healing.

Ether Renewal negates that argument, though -- I *always* have energy.

I'm also a healing El/Mo at the moment using Infuse Health, so I can always use more health gain. If one of our tanks gets pounded for 350 damage, I can bring them back to full in one spell and then go back to casting orisons/breezes on people for small hits -- incidentally filling my health back up.

Then if someone else gets whomped, I'm back to full and ready to Infuse again.

Entropius · Jun 26, 2005, 05:00 AM // 05:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamsmith

It's not actually all that energy efficient if, as you say, most of that "lifegain" is in fact zero because you're already at maximum health most of the time.

For a nuking Elementalist, maybe. Even so, if it's only 20% efficient, 20% of 736 health/10 energy is a lot.

However, I am a healer using Infuse Health. If I'm at maximum health, then the rest of the party must not be in trouble -- because otherwise I'd Infuse them and then start gaining life from AoR. If they're near full health, and I'm at full health, then by definition I've done my job as a healer.

Drakron · Jun 26, 2005, 04:04 PM // 16:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entropius

Ether Renewal negates that argument, though -- I *always* have energy.

Ether Renewal is a elite skill, you have to find it and you can only have one elite at your skill bar and it is a elite version of Aura of Restoration.

Since you play a E/Mo you dont see that many Elementars take as secondary class Mesmer so they can use Arcane Echo and Echo [elite] since that allows then to deploy their heavy damage spells in seconds ... people that play Elementars usually play then as nuke spellcasters and not as monks (that seens to be a popular option now)

Also it does not negate the argument because you are using a Elite skill to complement a normal skill, also you only get that Elite at the desert meaning you cannot use it until after you done about 3/4 of the game.

Besides your whole following argument is about how you play a E/Mo that naturaly have healing abilities from the secondary class, the argument about Aura of Restoration is that its heals when we dont need healing and when we need healing we need it fast.

Illusionists · Jun 26, 2005, 04:49 PM // 16:49

Aura of Restoration won't save you because of its slow-healing process.
Healing Breeze , however,, can save you.

The only place I see Aura of Restoration is to be a fill-in enchantment for Ether Renewel.

Keure · Jun 26, 2005, 07:58 PM // 19:58

Interesting tactic with using Infuse Health to hurt yourself, then fill up on health from AoR/Ether Renewal, basically making sure the healing from AoR is actually used.

Come to think of it, maybe it could be nice with an E/N who uses only Curses from the Necromancer lines. In between life-sacrificing spells the elementalist chain casts nukes (thinking of Lightning Strike - Enervating Charge/Lightning Javelin/Chain Lightning - Lightning Orb) or whatever to fill his/her health back up. Then you will have Ether Renewal 1/3rd of the time, gaining a ton of life per cast and eliminating energy problems.

Rajamic · Jun 26, 2005, 08:18 PM // 20:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entropius

Nobody says that Divine Favor sucks, and quite often when I'm healing I envy all those primary monks that heal for 100 with orison. Think of Aura like Divine Favor: a bonus heal when you do something else.

What you are suggesting with this is using Divine Favor to heal with a Protection Monk. It's just not enough without someone else healing.

Using Aura with Ether Renewal might actually work. I won't deny that. But the reason it works is Ether Renewal, not Aura. You'd be in an almost identical situation if you ran Vigorous Spirit. It's another cheap, long-lasting enchant that heals when you do stuff.

Entropius · Jun 26, 2005, 09:04 PM // 21:04

Indeed, it's the combination with Ether Renewal and Infuse Health that makes it worthwhile. Aura doesn't seem that good on a nuking Elementalist with no energy engine, but it does serve me quite well in combination with my other skills.

The comparison with Vigorous Spirit is apt, however. The two are very similar. I use both, since if one autoheal + Ether Renewal-fuel enchantment is good, two are better!

Aura heals for significantly more, though, especially when you factor in the high-cost spells that you can cast with Renewal-fuelled energy supply.

@Keure: I looked into that, but what sacrifice skills would you use? I don't have a Necromancer, so I don't really know what sorts of things are effective with them, but as I see it the problem is that you need both 1) enchantments and 2) quick-cast skills to use with Ether Renewal. The advantage to the healing build is that your enchantments, your spam skills (for Ether Renewal), and your stuff-that-you-do-with-all-your-energy are pretty much the same.

Sounds interesting, though. What Necro skills were you thinking of?