HSN: 705 update

[Peppwyn]

Disintegrate (705) can now be cast as disintegrating bolt, a new bolt based attack. It requires 20 ranks of Sorcerous Lore, Necromancy to unlock this ability and the caster must be a stance greater than guarded. If you CHANNEL (or INCANT with the channelincant flag set), it will always use the warding version of the spell. In addition, both versions of the spell, have the ability to temporarily weaken weapons, shields, and armor for 60 seconds when the target is struck. The percent chance is based upon a seed 6 summation of the caster's Sorcerous Lore, Necromancy ranks. Affected weapons have 25% less damage factor, shields reduce the target's block chance by 5% and cause them to suffer -20 to offense with shield maneuvers, and armor is reduced by 1 Armor Group. The effect stacks and the duration renews each time the lore benefit triggers.

http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/GemStone%20IV%20Announcements/Important%20Announcements/view/2192

[Whirlin]

Just saw this... another buff all around, layering additional debuffs with the sorc spells... they're definitely making Sorcs heavy debuffers!

[Peppwyn]

Does anyone play a bolting sorc? Even with the 705 update I don't see a reason to not use warding. Seems like they are really making a play to make sure combat takes longer and longer. Debuffing is great, but if I don't kill something in two casts I get annoyed.

[rolfard]

Sorcerers train spell aiming more commonly and now have another reason to. As a young sorc i often had to choose hunting grounds purely for low td. This expands options for those young hunters.

[Whirlin]

With a strong, viable, low cost bolt spell, the synergies with 708, balefire, demons, etc... the benefits of spell aiming are really stacking up. While it may not ALWAYS be a primary attack method, having the option available has never looked better.

[Allereli]

Does anyone play a bolting sorc? Even with the 705 update I don't see a reason to not use warding. Seems like they are really making a play to make sure combat takes longer and longer. Debuffing is great, but if I don't kill something in two casts I get annoyed.

I bolt bandits.

[Astray]

The debuffs are fucking brutal.

[Taernath]

Pretty cool.

[Whirlin]

With all of these debuffs in mind... I'm wondering if we're going to start to see a hunting ground with a lot of incredibly high HP critters, with heavy armor, and relatively low defenses, but high crit resistance. I feel like they're plotting SOMETHING with all of this.

[Peppwyn]

I use 708 a lot in Nelemar, and sometimes with bandits ... but pretty much ever other thing I cast is warding.

[Astray]

Oh wow, those debuffs stack too.

[Allereli]

The debuffs are fucking brutal.

These creatures just got stronger:

Bog spectre ‎
Dhu goleras ‎
Festering taint ‎
Phantasma ‎
Seraceris ‎

[rolfard]

https://static.shortoftheweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/brutal_relax.jpg7525

[Astray]

These creatures just got stronger:

Bog spectre ‎
Dhu goleras ‎
Festering taint ‎
Phantasma ‎
Seraceris ‎
Wraith ‎

I don't think it applies to critters. Wait, do critters have lore skills?

[Whirlin]

I don't think it applies to critters. Wait, do critters have lore skills?
Lores are just to unlock the bolt version, both were buffed with the ASG debuff.

[Astray]

Lores are just to unlock the bolt version, both were buffed with the ASG debuff.

Reading fail. Thanks!

[caelric]

Does anyone play a bolting sorc? Even with the 705 update I don't see a reason to not use warding. Seems like they are really making a play to make sure combat takes longer and longer. Debuffing is great, but if I don't kill something in two casts I get annoyed.

While it may not be the 'best' way to do things, this definitely makes a primarily bolting sorc an option. Between bolt 705, 713, web bolt 118, and 111, there are now (in my opinion, of course) enough options for a bolting sorc to do just fine. You'd probably want to invest in 513 scrolls, and have some wands made with some other bolt types, and the lore req to use all those bolts is high, at least for a lower level sorc (20 ranks of necro lore for bolt 705 and 20 ranks of spirit lore for web bolt 118), but certainly not unreasonable.

Key question: 20 ranks of necro lore to unlock, but is there a DF increase with more ranks? Probably not, since increase necro lore increases the debuf chance, but it would be good to at least ask.

[Androidpk]

I'm happy with this new change. I've been wanting to make a bolting sorcerer (713) and this will make it easier. Only thing I don't care for is the necro lore requirement, doesn't make sense to me.

[Malisai]

Lores are just to unlock the bolt version, both were buffed with the ASG debuff.


I dont think this is true.

From the post:

"In addition, both versions of the spell, have the ability to temporarily weaken weapons, shields, and armor for 60 seconds when the target is struck. The percent chance is based upon a seed 6 summation of the caster's Sorcerous Lore, Necromancy ranks. Affected weapons have 25% less damage factor, shields reduce the target's block chance by 5% and cause them to suffer -20 to offense with shield maneuvers, and armor is reduced by 1 Armor Group. The effect stacks and the duration renews each time the lore benefit triggers."

So while both versions get the debuff, it still requires necro lore to actually get the debuff to apply in either version. As it uses seed 6 (OUCH), its not really something you can count on, but a nice little thing every once in a while.

[caelric]

As it uses seed 6 (OUCH), its not really something you can count on, but a nice little thing every once in a while.

True, but there are lots of sorcs maxed out on necro lore IOT maximize their necrojuice acquiring.

[Kronius]

True, but there are lots of sorcs maxed out on necro lore IOT maximize their necrojuice acquiring.

I'm one of them, and I've not had it proc all that often to really even notice it, unfortunately. Summ 6 is what 16% @ 202 ranks of necro lore? The bolt spell, in my opinion, is a bit underwhelming against anything wearing armor.

I would have liked to seen Balefire get a reduced mana cost via demon lore if they wanted to improve sorcbolts.

[Whirlin]

I'm one of them, and I've not had it proc all that often to really even notice it, unfortunately. Summ 6 is what 16% @ 202 ranks of necro lore? The bolt spell, in my opinion, is a bit underwhelming against anything wearing armor.

I would have liked to seen Balefire get a reduced mana cost via demon lore if they wanted to improve sorcbolts.

I don't know what you would expect! I think ANY AS/DS based attack won't be as effective against critters in plate compared to pretty much any warding spell.
Let alone a 5 mana sorc bolt that's based off of a level 4 wizard bolt spell.

[Kronius]

I don't know what you would expect! I think ANY AS/DS based attack won't be as effective against critters in plate compared to pretty much any warding spell.
Let alone a 5 mana sorc bolt that's based off of a level 4 wizard bolt spell.

As someone whose only bolting experience was with Balefire when I was GoS, my expectations were higher? I would have like to have seen DF increases w/ lore instead of a debuff, but hey, can't have it all. I was satisfied with sacrifice changes, as long as they don't go nerfing to "Balance", I'm cool.

[Malisai]

There are downsides with using 705 as a bolt spells, mainly that it now uses the normal bolt spell mechanics. However, the best thing is that the bolt options is an addition to the spell. As a result, nothing was taken away. So if folks dont like it, they can just use the CS version of 705.

The nice thing on it is the debuff. Its a nice little something something that happens, but not often enough to count on. Honestly I would have liked to see it on seed 1 as having it on seed 6 means you basically have to be capped before you get a decent chance to see it.

Honestly though, I see 702 and 705 more like weapon flares. its obvious that the devs are doing their best to incorporate lores/skills into our spells without just going straight damage increases (which we honestly dont really need).

Im excited to see what else is next.

Although Im disappointed they skipped 704...i had this tiny little bitty hope that it would be a self cast maneuver defense...

[caelric]

Although Im disappointed they skipped 704...i had this tiny little bitty hope that it would be a self cast maneuver defense...

Yeah, no real hope of that. Even if there are no other changes/additions to sorc spells, though, this has really been great, especially when rolled up with the sacrifice changes

[Malisai]

Iv got to say, iv been very impressed with how much dev we have been getting in general. Even though Mal doesnt have any necromancy (RP choice), I am loving the changes we are getting.

[subzero]

Im excited to see what else is next.

Although Im disappointed they skipped 704...i had this tiny little bitty hope that it would be a self cast maneuver defense...

I'm curious to see if they finally do something with Disease. And if they ever finish/allow curses to be combined (got a feeling that door has been closed, but who knows with these guys).

[Malisai]

I'm curious to see if they finally do something with Disease. And if they ever finish/allow curses to be combined (got a feeling that door has been closed, but who knows with these guys).

They teased something that looked like some sort of self cast benefit for 716.

[Allereli]

Are you asking if creatures are able to utilize the lore ability? Yes. We pretty much always code lore benefits to work for creatures too, usually with them being trained about 0.5x in any relevant lore.

GameMaster Estild


http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Sorcerers/Sorcerer%20Spells/view/2802

[Soulance]

I thought I was noticing it more in OTF but maybe that's something different. They've been blocking my spells more.

[caelric]

http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Sorcerers/Sorcerer%20Spells/view/2802

Good info.

[Allereli]

The bolt version is now cast with evoke instead of being stance based

http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Sorcerers/Sorcerer%20Spells/view/3333

[Androidpk]

Awesome

[caelric]

Also:




KEITHOBAD
Does 705 DF improve with necromancy? That would make sense. Though it does already get some other lore benefits, I don't think the DF boost would overpower it.


It does now.

GameMaster Estild


DF improvments at the standard rate for Necro Lore on the bolt version only (Estild later clarified that it was the bolt version only)

Also, I confirmed in game, and with 180 ranks of necro lore, my 705 bolt is hitting harder than it used to.

[Androidpk]

Also:



DF improvments at the standard rate for Necro Lore on the bolt version only (Estild later clarified that it was the bolt version only)

Also, I confirmed in game, and with 180 ranks of necro lore, my 705 bolt is hitting harder than it used to.

Does it hit harder than the CS version?

[caelric]

Hard to compare the two. Warding margin has significantly greater effects than AS/DS margin. In other words, a 150 end roll on a CS spell is of much greater effect than a 150 endroll on an AS/DS calculation.

[Fallen]

Well that's fucking something right there. Balefire's DF is improved with Demonology lore, so it makes sense.

[Androidpk]

Well that's fucking something right there. Balefire's DF is improved with Demonology lore, so it makes sense.

It's too late, Silvean saw your jab and he's coming to burn your house down.

[Silvean]

It's too late, Silvean saw your jab and he's coming to burn your house down.

I'd have to use a fucking bolt spell to do it.

[Androidpk]

I'd have to use a fucking bolt spell to do it.

Hopefully you have some fire lores! :lol:

[Silvean]

Hopefully you have some fire lores! :lol:

Seed 10 chance to kill his pets.

[Fallen]

It's too late, Silvean saw your jab and he's coming to burn your house down.

Well, I was saying it to imply he had a point, but then I noticed that Balefire enhanced the spell's DF, so I changed it.

THANKS DICK

[Vorpodu]

Why doesn't 705 have a small percent chance of an instant kill like 302 and 1106? It would make perfect sense for the spell.

[Fallen]

Why doesn't 705 have a small percent chance of an instant kill like 302 and 1106? It would make perfect sense for the spell.

It technically does. The "Disintegrate" crit. It's exceedingly rare, but it exists. I think it may be tied to achieving a certain crit threshold on the chest or abdomen, but I can't rightly remember. It is also supposed to have custom death messaging.

* SoanSo has been disintegrated!