Curse

Dr Strangelove · Nov 22, 2006, 01:38 AM // 01:38

Blast, why do my posts keep not showing up for 5 minutes?

Dr Strangelove · Nov 22, 2006, 01:56 AM // 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

We are not arguing that single target blind is better than multi-target blind. However, putting E/Me means losing so much /Mo stuff that I ask myself, why not just run a Me/E and get the same results and more?

Sometimes HP spam is the best way to stop your team from dying. Sometimes blinding everything is better. It all depends on where you're going. The uber rez is nice, but really, how often do you need the two skill slots you used on it in PvE? At any rate, Me/E doesn't have the energy to cast blinding flash + epidemic for very long at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

I'd say, go with other non-elite Energy management. For example, Power Drain.

Power Drain at 10 inspiration give you 21 for the succesful interrupt. Minus the cost of the spell itself, that's 16 energy every 25 seconds, given that you manage to interrupt a target as soon as it recharges, which is kinda hard. That comes to 16/25 = 0.64 energy/second, or .64 * 3 = 1.92 pips

Auspicious incantation at 10 inspiration used on a 25 energy spell will give 42 energy every 55 seconds. Minus the cost of the spell, that's 37 energy every 55 seconds. 37/55 = 0.673 energy/second, or 0.673 * 3 = 2.02 pips. Additionaly, if you use glyph of renewal on auspicious instead of the spell in question, i.e. recharging a spell for an extra 30 seconds, you can gain a bit more in an emergency.

Power drain is nice for the interrupt, and better on a primary mesmer, but as far as actual energy management goes, auspicious is the clear winner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

I would stick Windborne Haste on it simply because you can apply it on another ally. Frequently you don't need the speed boost, but somebody else needs one.

Ah, good point, was just thinking of the best self speed boost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

And to your last comment, you don't sound like you've played an Elementalist in a GvG.

My finger's stuck on the Heal Party button all the time. One of the prime reasons to run an Elementalist, IMO, is for the Heal Party spam.

My comment about not having as much utility if you run blinding surge? You can't spam heal party for very long without your elite energy management... Surge is nice on teams with a paragon, as paragon tend to be pretty nifty at party defense so you don't need HP as much, but otherwise, ether prodigy is much better.

LightningHell · Nov 22, 2006, 02:57 AM // 02:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove

Sometimes HP spam is the best way to stop your team from dying. Sometimes blinding everything is better. It all depends on where you're going. The uber rez is nice, but really, how often do you need the two skill slots you used on it in PvE? At any rate, Me/E doesn't have the energy to cast blinding flash + epidemic for very long at all.

Of course. Me/E's usually use Blinding Surge, not Flash + Epidemic.

Quote:

Power Drain at 10 inspiration give you 21 for the succesful interrupt. Minus the cost of the spell itself, that's 16 energy every 25 seconds, given that you manage to interrupt a target as soon as it recharges, which is kinda hard. That comes to 16/25 = 0.64 energy/second, or .64 * 3 = 1.92 pips

Auspicious incantation at 10 inspiration used on a 25 energy spell will give 42 energy every 55 seconds. Minus the cost of the spell, that's 37 energy every 55 seconds. 37/55 = 0.673 energy/second, or 0.673 * 3 = 2.02 pips. Additionaly, if you use glyph of renewal on auspicious instead of the spell in question, i.e. recharging a spell for an extra 30 seconds, you can gain a bit more in an emergency.

Power drain is nice for the interrupt, and better on a primary mesmer, but as far as actual energy management goes, auspicious is the clear winner.

By 0.1 pips, mind.

The other consideration is the flexibility of your Energy management. You have to sacrifice a spell to use your Energy management, and you must have over 35 energy to be able to use your combination to the fullest extent.

Quote:

My comment about not having as much utility if you run blinding surge? You can't spam heal party for very long without your elite energy management... Surge is nice on teams with a paragon, as paragon tend to be pretty nifty at party defense so you don't need HP as much, but otherwise, ether prodigy is much better.

Whoops, didn't see that part. And I am arguing for Prodigy. <3 Prodigy.

Dr Strangelove · Nov 22, 2006, 03:23 AM // 03:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

By 0.1 pips, mind.

The other consideration is the flexibility of your Energy management. You have to sacrifice a spell to use your Energy management, and you must have over 35 energy to be able to use your combination to the fullest extent.

It becomes a lot more than .1 pips when you consider the time you spend searching for a target trying to find a spell to interrupt, and lost energy from missed interrupts. Besides, power drain sucks on eles for the same reason it sucks on monks-it's just a pain to stop what you were doing and search for something to interrupt.

Secondly, you don't sacrifice a spell when using glyph of renewal. That's the whole point. If you're in trouble, you can sacrifice a spell and get some free energy, but you don't have to.

True, you do need over 35 energy, but worst case scenario you can switch to your +30/-2 regen set, or just use auspicious on a less expensive spell. At any rate, my original point was that going /me can be good for a few select builds for energy management. Whether you choose to use power drain or auspicious, you're still E/me.

jesh · Nov 22, 2006, 06:50 AM // 06:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightningHell

....
I would stick Windborne Haste on it simply because you can apply it on another ally. Frequently you don't need the speed boost, but somebody else needs one.
....

That's exactly why I use it.. Gale on the target aggressor and Windborn on the target works great for nasty physical enemies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove

It becomes a lot more than .1 pips when you consider the time you spend searching for a target trying to find a spell to interrupt, and lost energy from missed interrupts. Besides, power drain sucks on eles for the same reason it sucks on monks-it's just a pain to stop what you were doing and search for something to interrupt.

And that's what makes it awesome on heroes. XD

LightningHell · Nov 22, 2006, 07:26 AM // 07:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesh

And that's what makes it awesome on heroes. XD

And Koreans. Their monks interrupt me every damn time - that is if they're taking Power Drain.

And yes, it is good for a few select builds. I wouldn't for a perma-spot in ICE/QQ/iQ/WM run those "few select builds" though.

Dr Strangelove · Nov 22, 2006, 04:49 PM // 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesh

And that's what makes it awesome on heroes. XD

Yeah all my heroes who need emanagement take power drain or leech sig. They're insane with it. Sadly, they suck with almost everything else. (Ever given Zhed ether prodigy? It is NOT pretty).

Equinox L · Nov 24, 2006, 08:29 PM // 20:29

In a random arena, I walk around, and attack from the behind. It's funny to walk the suckers die.

Anyone here got Nightfall?

How do I get Avatar pic?

menelik_seth · Nov 26, 2006, 12:42 AM // 00:42

For PvE:

Strictly from a dmg POV (ignoring any utility spells I might need); I go fire/geo when I want AoE dmg; and air/water whenever I want to spike. And it really depends on the area and the nature of what I come up against. I'll give a few examples:

In areas where there are a lot of melee/rangers that like to cluster: I go E/R, I bring along Brambles, Unsteady Ground, Earthquake and keep all the foes steadily bleeding and on their rears.

In areas where there are a lot of casters that like to cluster, or areas where the spaces are confined, I bring Meteor Shower and other standard nuking spells.

If I am after a certain boss, or in an area that is generally fast paced and the combat is fast and furious than I'll either go air spike or water/illusion (Phantasm/Shatter Stone/Accumulated Pain/Vapor Blade) for some surprisingly whopping dmg.

I generally like to have fun with my Elementalist and switch up builds a lot to find interesting ways to kill foes

For PvP:

I'm not much help here as I don't PvP much; but the few times I did GvG I found myself ditching Orb as it was kited a lot.

I also preferred to hide out of sight or those pesky rangers/warriors; so I took non-directional spells like L. Hammer, L. Strike, L. Surge, Enervating Charge, etc. and assisted the team with utility spells such as blinding flash.

A note on energy management:

Personally, I find energy management to be more about rhythm and pacing; knowing when to spike and when to hold out on casting. It's more or less about casting efficiently; as opposed to button-mashing and wondering where all my mana went. So I don't really stress out with dual attunements or elite energy management spells like Ether Prodigy; unless I am playing to my secondary.