[X] My Assistant

I was under the impression that the difficulty and rewards of the Item World varied depending on the quality of the item being cleared.

Which would explain why I was only able to go up to the 80th level on an Average Rapier, while clear all 111 levels of a Flimsy one on Cake.

EDIT: Actually, I suppose the misunderstanding was due to my typo. Stupid me. -.-

Yes, they do. Item quality definitely determines both those things.

I don't see supportive spells being consistently useful enough in my build to warrant that. It would only put a further drain on mana, which I need to kill things.

How often do you find yourself having to cast Cures? Because I run Haste, Shadow Veil, and Shield, I NEVER cast it on difficulties lower than Heroic. Regen II keeps me at full HP all the time (even while fighting two bosses at once on Hard), and I always cast it for free with Channeling. There's no way I could get away with that with no supportive spells running. I get a lot of efficiency out of having all 4 ranks of IA, but with just 2, you could run Haste, at the very least, and probably Shield or SV as well, without a really serious drain on your mana. Remember, a mage doesn't spend all that many turns to clear each round, which means you're really not spending all that much mana on auto-cast spells.

Besides, at the very least, Haste is wonderful against legendaries and bosses, regardless of your combat build. If you let your supportive prof fall behind, it won't be as effective as it should be.

My point was more that they're not nearly as useful now as they will be when I'm up at your level and the bonuses are monstrous. It'll be a decent investment later, but I'm realistically never going to have enough hath to get all four levels of IA. Still, I'm interested to see if anybody else agrees with you.

Yes, they do. Item quality definitely determines both those things.
How often do you find yourself having to cast Cures? Because I run Haste, Shadow Veil, and Shield, I NEVER cast it on difficulties lower than Heroic. Regen II keeps me at full HP all the time (even while fighting two bosses at once on Hard), and I always cast it for free with Channeling. There's no way I could get away with that with no supportive spells running. I get a lot of efficiency out of having all 4 ranks of IA, but with just 2, you could run Haste, at the very least, and probably Shield or SV as well, without a really serious drain on your mana. Remember, a mage doesn't spend all that many turns to clear each round, which means you're really not spending all that much mana on auto-cast spells.

Besides, at the very least, Haste is wonderful against legendaries and bosses, regardless of your combat build. If you let your supportive prof fall behind, it won't be as effective as it should be.

So then Innate Arcana is not as useful for melee roles? Since it takes us many more turns to kill all mobs, even with a 2H with high bleed.

So then Innate Arcana is not as useful for melee roles? Since it takes us many more turns to kill all mobs, even with a 2H with high bleed.

No, that's not what I was getting at. I was just reminding him that it's less costly than he may have assumed. It's true that, over the course of a particular arena match, a mage will spend less mana on auto-casted spells than a melee will, but don't forget that the mage is also spending dozens of mana per round on damage spells.

I guess it's time I check up on my progress.


Average Diamond Longsword of Balance(Level: 187)
Average Silk Cap of the Raccoon(Level: 191)
Fine Diamond Plate Cuirass of Protection(Level: 192)
Superior Silk Pants of the Cheetah(Level: 189)
Fine Silk Shoes of the Raccoon(Level: 189)


Average Steel Plate Gauntlets of Dampening(Level: 50)
OR
Average Silk Gloves of the Raccoon(Level: 192)

Am I on the right track? Because the more I level up the more it feels like I'm getting weaker not stronger (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cry.gif)
Btw, which glove should I use? Should I consider changing to DW??

Just wondering if there's a way to increase your derived accuracy...Ive been trying to increase it ever since I started playing, and it's been stuck at 76% since the beginning. It's rather annoying, because even at 76% accuracy, I still end up missing about 7 out of 10 shots...I've even gone through stretches of about 10 or more turns without getting a single hit.

Also, I'm also wondering what the best weapons set up is for the dual wielding proficiency.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

((I was told that to help with my missing streaks, I should use "weapons of balance" So, that may or may not help me...I don't know yet, because I can't afford anything at the moment...Currently only have 200 credits...))

Am I on the right track? Because the more I level up the more it feels like I'm getting weaker not stronger (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cry.gif)
Btw, which glove should I use? Should I consider changing to DW??

You're equip is all right, but your primary attributes are mess up, raise STR,END,DEX,AGI to your level, don't worry about letting INT and WIS behind.

As for your gloves try to see for your self what's better, but since you already have 1 plate, try also a chainmail.

@Haggus: weapons with "balance" suffix have more attack accuracy bonus, and that helps you, to miss less.

This post has been edited by cmdct: Mar 14 2010, 13:42

Just wondering if there's a way to increase your derived accuracy...Ive been trying to increase it ever since I started playing, and it's been stuck at 76% since the beginning. It's rather annoying, because even at 76% accuracy, I still end up missing about 7 out of 10 shots...I've even gone through stretches of about 10 or more turns without getting a single hit.

Also, I'm also wondering what the best weapons set up is for the dual wielding proficiency.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

((I was told that to help with my missing streaks, I should use "weapons of balance" So, that may or may not help me...I don't know yet, because I can't afford anything at the moment...Currently only have 200 credits...))

Just bad luck. You can increase your accuracy through having + physical attack accuracy. Anyway it's all explained here: http://ehwiki.org/wiki/Character_Stats

I guess it's time I check up on my progress.


Average Diamond Longsword of Balance(Level: 187)
Average Silk Cap of the Raccoon(Level: 191)
Fine Diamond Plate Cuirass of Protection(Level: 192)
Superior Silk Pants of the Cheetah(Level: 189)
Fine Silk Shoes of the Raccoon(Level: 189)
Average Steel Plate Gauntlets of Dampening(Level: 50)
OR
Average Silk Gloves of the Raccoon(Level: 192)

Am I on the right track? Because the more I level up the more it feels like I'm getting weaker not stronger (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/cry.gif)
Btw, which glove should I use? Should I consider changing to DW??

I agree with cmdct's advice: raise your END, DEX, STR, and AGI to be equal to your level by letting your WIS and INT fall behind. Those two stats have very little value for a melee fighter.

One thing that I'd suggest fixing is that you should shift some of your AP out of EXP Boost and into Weaken and Haste. I found Weaken to be extremely useful against Minibosses when I was your level, and having 5 AP in it instead of 1 doubles it's duration. Also, Haste is by far the best supportive spell, since it effectively reduces your long term damage taken by up to 25% (higher supportive prof means better %), by letting you take your turns faster than the monsters. I notice also that your supportive and (especially) your deprecating prof is way behind your level. You should work on getting both of those up to at least 3/4 of your level, since they'll start becoming significantly more important to you quite soon (for Ring of Blood and multiple miniboss rounds arena).

As for gear suggestions, I'd go with the Silk gloves. I've always preferred low Interference, so that my Weakens and other deprecating magic don't get interfered with quite so often. Not to mention that lower burden speeds up your attacks, and you don't lose as many proficiency points with low interference.

Since you say you've been having a bit of a harder time surviving recently, you might want to switch to a Rapier+Shield combo, rather than a longsword. With a decent 2-4 turn PA rapier, and a 20% block or better shield, you'll benefit from a huge increase in defensive ability without losing all that much offensive punch. You miss out on Domino Strikes, but PA and Counter Attack makes up for a lot of that. I happen to have just such a rapier and shield in my shop right now, if you're interested.

I also notice that you have two unspent aura points. Why is that?

*snipped*

Well, I'm always tight on MP, so I'm currently limiting my spell spamming to mainly Shield and sometimes Cure. That's why my stats are also that messed up. (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Experimenting (IMG:[invalid] style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) . 2 free aura points coz no more aura slots and cannot upgrade them yet.

As for haste, the last time I used it, it lasted only 22 turns, which turns out to be a pretty big MP drain. As for minibosses, they don't really hurt me much right now actually, so weaken isn't really on my list atm. Should that change?

On the topic of IA for melee:
I use Shield, Haste, and SV, though I usually only leave Shield on when I'm grinding it out in GF or IW. Its essentially free 50+ points of extra physical absorb (IA4 + natural regen). I get 90+ Action Speed with Haste, so I'm often faster than a lot of mobs. SV is the least important of the three, since I've got enough of the other avoidance stats to pick up most of the slack. I wish we could get the ability to turn autocasts on/off in battle, I'd rather turn SV off than lose all three due to low mana.

1HS is way slower compared to 2H (especially if you've got an awesome weapon and can proc DomStrikes every other turn), but Block is immensely powerful as a method of preventing damage, even more so if coupled with Evade. I went through over 100 levels as 1HS and its still the setup that can get me the farthest in an endurance grind.

On the topic of IA for melee:
I use Shield, Haste, and SV, though I usually only leave Shield on when I'm grinding it out in GF or IW. Its essentially free 50+ points of extra physical absorb (IA4 + natural regen). I get 90+ Action Speed with Haste, so I'm often faster than a lot of mobs. SV is the least important of the three, since I've got enough of the other avoidance stats to pick up most of the slack. I wish we could get the ability to turn autocasts on/off in battle, I'd rather turn SV off than lose all three due to low mana.

1HS is way slower compared to 2H (especially if you've got an awesome weapon and can proc DomStrikes every other turn), but Block is immensely powerful as a method of preventing damage, even more so if coupled with Evade. I went through over 100 levels as 1HS and its still the setup that can get me the farthest in an endurance grind.

Weapon quality doesn't really influence DomStrike chance does it? My current weapon has 20% increased hit chance (I get 18%) and according to STATS, my DomStrike chance is only 20-ish%.

The wiki is up-to-date, as far as i can tell.

Black (200 hath)
* +50 % bonus to gained EXP
* +25 % Power
* +10 % Magic Points
* +5 % bonus to Dark Elemental Rating
* +3 Strength, Agility and Intelligence

White (200 hath)
* +50 % bonus to gained EXP
* +25 % Power
* +10 % Health Points
* +5 % bonus to Holy Elemental Rating
* +3 Dexterity, Endurance and Wisdom

Rainbow (500 hath)
* +77 % bonus to gained EXP
* +77 % Power
* +50 % Health/Magic/Spirit Points regeneration
* +2 % bonus to Fire, Cold, Elec, Wind, Dark and Holy Elemental Ratings
* +2 to all Primary Attributes

Hum, that's interesting, and a lot expensive too.

But what's better, getting both Black and White aura, or Rainbow aura instead?

Weapon quality doesn't really influence DomStrike chance does it? My current weapon has 20% increased hit chance (I get 18%) and according to STATS, my DomStrike chance is only 20-ish%.

No. DomStrikes is only affected by your STR, DEX, and 2H. What you're seeing is most likely a statistical anomaly, since DomStrikes has a base 40% chance to proc. It won't proc if there's nothing to hit and the chance of hitting more the mobs not directly adjacent isn't all that high.

Also, Haste is by far the best supportive spell, since it effectively reduces your long term damage taken by up to 25% (higher supportive prof means better %), by letting you take your turns faster than the monsters.

This is exactly why I wondered about haste being generally useful for casters. The full boost would mean getting five turns for every four turns the monsters have. Therefore it would only be useful in situations where you expect the match to last more than four rounds, i.e. bosses and higher. Melees kill things more slowly so it would be more useful for them.

But what's better, getting both Black and White aura, or Rainbow aura instead?

For 400, you get +3 to all stats, +100 EXP, and +50% power if you get white and black.
The main advantage of getting Rainbow is that your regen goes up. That's really helpful if you spend a lot of time in HV.

This post has been edited by Panuru: Mar 14 2010, 20:45

This is exactly why I wondered about haste being generally useful for casters. The full boost would mean getting five turns for every four turns the monsters have. Therefore it would only be useful in situations where you expect the match to last more than four rounds, i.e. bosses and higher. Melees kill things more slowly so it would be more useful for them.

It's not a question of how many turns you take, but of how many turns the monsters take for each of yours. If you're casting a higher tier AoE spell, that takes greater than unit time, so there's a chance of getting double hit by any survivors if you haven't used Haste. Also, the speed increase doesn't cap at 25%. I can currently get +69 action speed if I use a staff with a bit of supportive prof bonus. With a base action speed of 144 and 26 burden that corresponds to reducing my action time from 162 to 93 (for unit time actions - I believe other times are reduced in proportion). That's about 43%.

Having said that, I only cast Haste right away if I'm playing on a higher setting, where I can't guarantee killing everything with one or two spells. On Normal it isn't worth it until sufficient minibosses start turning up for it to start hurting.

For 400, you get +3 to all stats, +100 EXP, and +50% power if you get white and black.
The main advantage of getting Rainbow is that your regen goes up. That's really helpful if you spend a lot of time in HV.

I see, I didn't though on that, well start to save C and hath.

Yes, they do. Item quality definitely determines both those things.
How often do you find yourself having to cast Cures? Because I run Haste, Shadow Veil, and Shield, I NEVER cast it on difficulties lower than Heroic.

Holy crap you must be bleeding MP. I only play on Normal, but I can easily get by with only Haste. I would add SV if I was playing on harder difficulties, but adding Shield seems like overkill.

Holy crap you must be bleeding MP. I only play on Normal, but I can easily get by with only Haste. I would add SV if I was playing on harder difficulties, but adding Shield seems like overkill.

4 ranks of Innate Arcana helps a lot.

rounds arena).

As for gear suggestions, I'd go with the Silk gloves. I've always preferred low Interference, so that my Weakens and other deprecating magic don't get interfered with quite so often. Not to mention that lower burden speeds up your attacks, and you don't lose as many proficiency points with low interference.

So do you mean that with low interference we can get proficiency points faster?