Spell Progression

[Gnomad]

Adding the 50s changes things up a lot for lower-level wizards' training progressions. I'm thinking about the following for my level 40 bowmage:

Level 40:

425
537 + ranks over 2x
930

Level 50:

425
550
937 + ranks over 2x

I forget exactly how far over 2x spells he's getting, but it's not a ton. 550 feels like it'll be far more useful than 430 and worth prioritizing. 950 seems like the good next target since it'll make a nice opener to follow up with arrows.

Thoughts?

[bluecenterlight]

I'm not a bow mage so Whirlin is better qualified, but even as a bolting mage I would shoot for 430 before I aimed for 550.

My reasoning:

1) It's definite +15 Physical, Bolt, Ranged, and TD defense and some maneuver def, with basically a 100% uptime during hunts vs a once (possibly twice depending on lore)situational spell.

2) You are so close already having 425, and also gain extra AS from extra spells put into the 400s to get to 430.

Now I imagine ya want both spells because they are new and shiny (don't blame ya!) But dropping a little focus in the 900s to get 430 seems MUCH more practical to me. However the other side of the coin inolves 917 and 930. Whether you want to gate more reliably as you near 50 and how effective you'll want to be with Earthen Fury is a point of consideration, not to mention any 925 goals you may have (which also may/may not change with any revisions that spell sees.

So it all depends on your focus, but as it stands today as a bow mage I'd want 550 before 950 at level 50 simply because of the difficulty in fusion enchanting and the high mana costs of 950 at 50.

- Whill

[Whirlin]

You're not a conventional mage... MjE will not provide you the same benefit as it would a pure mage. You're going to need the bow AS from 425, and the DS from WIZ circles. Once you reach MnE=Level and WIZ>50, you can CONSIDER dumping an additional 10 ranks to unlock 550.

950 isn't just an opener... it's pretty much the only spell you'll cast besides haste. It's an opener and killer. But realistically, you're not going to have the mana pool to utilize it fully for a while. The minimum mana cost of the spell is 50, and super easy to overspend.

Also, not surprising at 2x spell research. That's pretty much the norm until air lore, armor use, and climbing/swimming are taken care of. Then those additional points can go towards more spell ranks, but gotta get that 'finishable' stuff out of the way first.

@92 spell ranks (your level 40)
427
540
925

@112 spell ranks (your level 50)
447
540
925

@132 Spell Ranks (60ish now?)
460
540
932

@162 Spell Ranks (75~)
475
540
947

[Raliver]

To jump off that, what would you recommend for a normal bolting mage in terms of spell progression? Currently 44 trains and working to keep MjE at level (44 ranks) and bring MnE up to leve (currently 40 ranks), with Wiz sitting at 930. I understand 950 won't be useable immediately, but what are recommendations on when to try to add that to the arsenal.

Also, on a related note, is there a point where more lore training is recommended over more spells while leveling? Currently over 2.5x spells and about .5x with lores (25 ranks air lore).

[Whirlin]

I wouldn't adjust my recommendations for spell training based on the new spells that are released. For a pure bolting mage, MjE is much more attractive than MnE. The same AS contribution, more DS contribution, and the CS implications for 502 & 516.

So it becomes an evaluation of MnE versus Wiz... and given that you're able to hit 2.5xish spell research, your DS is likely fine. The difference betweenn the two spell circles is about .75 DS per rank versus +.5 AS (I realize there's more, but at a super high level, that's it... even that is approximate, as I don't have wiki access atm, and am going off of memory).

Given that a pure Mage's DS tends to be fine, I'd prioritize the MnE for the additional AS. Once they're both at level, Since you're 2.5xish ranks, you'll still likely be able to unlock 950 around level 80 or so, once MnE is capped at 75 (I'd keep training til 77 as a post-cap goal)

As far as lores go... That's a bit more subjective. I'd personally probably start with 1x lores, but I'd take a break after hitting 55 air lore ranks (55 air lore ranks reduces all even-imposed RTs by 1 with 535). I'd hold off on 0x lores for the interim until I've hit 475 and unlocked 950, just to have everything covered, then go back to back-training in lores til I hit a total of 1x lores.

Just doing 1x lores the entire time is fine if you're planning on JUST fire the whole way up to 100, and doing air lore post-capped. But, I don't think there's much value in having <20 ranks in a lore. By adding the leveling buffer while finishing off MnE and unlocking 950, you'll be able to realize that benefit more quickly while you make up for that gap.

[Raliver]

Whirlin,

Thank you so much for your posts. I've been out of the game a long time and don't have the time I'd like to to read through everything to do comparisons on my own. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to give your opinions and whatnot.