Post Cap Question

[Sherlock]

I'm struggling with my CM/Dodge so hopefully I can get a bit of guidance. Basic understanding of my hunting style. I hunt Nelemar (Mostly 3rd floor with the occasional 2nd floor bounty along with bandits) and am a halfling typically never encumbered (thank you encumbrance potions!). I usually just steam everything sometimes I use immo.

I currently have 60 ranks in CM (Disarm 5 ranks) and 40 ranks in Dodge. I was thinking of grabbing another 40 ranks in CM in order to get Cunning Defense. Typically I don't get hit from standard attacks. I'm slightly worried that the 20 ranks in Dodge are more advantages than the 40 ranks in CM. I have been getting knocked a bit especially when it comes to Cut Throat and charge. Not really dying but making hunts less smooth.

Does anyone have any experience with what makes the most sound sense?

Here's my current training (Yes I'm a couple of ranks away in Armor it should be fixed soon.)

 Skill Name                         | Current Current
                                     |   Bonus   Ranks
  Armor Use..........................|      62      13
  Combat Maneuvers...................|     160      60
  Physical Fitness...................|     201     101
  Dodging............................|     140      40
  Arcane Symbols.....................|     302     202
  Magic Item Use.....................|     302     202
  Spell Aiming.......................|     302     202
  Harness Power......................|     403     303
  Elemental Mana Control.............|     302     202
  Spirit Mana Control................|      50      10
  Elemental Lore - Air...............|      50      10
  Elemental Lore - Earth.............|      50      10
  Elemental Lore - Fire..............|     172      72
  Elemental Lore - Water.............|     210     110
  Perception.........................|     201     101
  Climbing...........................|     160      60
  Swimming...........................|     201     101
   
Spell Lists
  Major Elemental....................|             101
   
Spell Lists
  Minor Elemental....................|             101
   
Spell Lists
  Wizard.............................|             101

[Zarston]

Iwould prioritize the CM over dodge in the current state of the game. Wizards struggle with maneuvers more than DS, and with dodge ranks you're prioritizing DS (at least until they implement more SMRv2 rolls). When you're training CM for defense, I like to go with a variety of skills at 2/3 ranks over 5 ranks in one. This counts double as a pure since the maneuver points are so expensive and you have so few points to work with.

If you're getting wrecked DS wise, most likely you're suffering more from DS pushdown from either ambush or being outnumbered. If it's the former there's nothing you can do but shake your fist at RNG, but if it's the latter consider grabbing some ranks of MoC. Not only would you be offsetting FoF, but you would get new uses out of some of your bolt spells.

[malmuddy]

I agree with Zarston on prioritizing CM over dodge. I think dodge only helps with DS and the SMRv2 rolls, which I don't believe cutthroat and charge fall under.

One thing to add is that you may also benefit from doubling in perception. Straight from the wiki, "Perception factors into a myriad of diverse skill checks. It is a factor in dodging Creature maneuvers" I can say anecdotally that I felt the difference in avoiding bandit traps was huge from when I went from 1x perception to 2x as a capped wizard with no CM at the time.

[Sherlock]

I completely forgot about perception. If I dropped all my Dodge ranks I could bring up CM to 100 ranks which would give me Disarm(5) and Cunning Defense(5). Zarston's recommendation of doing 2/3 ranks of certain CM's is good as well but it feels weird looking at 3/5 ranks.

I could also end up being fully 2x in perception on top of the CM changes as well which could additionally help in maneuvers.

[Methais]

If you're mainly hunting Nelemar 3rd floor, just open with ewave and everything should be dead by the time they can move.

[rolfard]

Open with 512

[Methais]

STFU dude, you suck as a Wizard you die like every other day in Confluence I’ve seen you. Ewave is lore dependent and it’s not a reliable opener.

For every death in the Confluence I'm usually at least a million richer than I was when I entered.

Seems like a fair trade.

PS: Ewave is level based before anything else

PPS: In b4 rekt.

[Maerit]

Open with 512

Has anyone checked if 512 will prevent the corrosive acid maneuver that lurks use in SoS?

PS - my recommendation is CM as well, and do no more than 4/5 ranks in things since that final rank is incredibly expensive for much less return. I found that the maneuvers that I can train in which often cause problems are disarm (duh) and feint. Feint happens to slow me down sometimes. It doesn't usually result in a death, but it has put me into RT in the middle of a swarm when I definitely don't want to be in RT.

Cunning Defense is the only mitigation (aside from 1705 and 1611) to help prevent from the other maneuvers you cannot train in (charge, cut throat, tackle, bull rush).

You can fit 5/5 cunning defense, 3/5 feint and 4/5 disarm into a training build with 1 CMAN point left. Too bad you can't have 102 ranks in CM because then you could have 4 ranks in all of them.

[Methais]

Has anyone checked if 512 will prevent the corrosive acid maneuver that lurks use in SoS?

It shuts down other maneuvers, so probably.

[Methais]

This.

Methais just relies on his crazy post cap’ness to get by. SAD.

How long did it take you to figure out how to circumvent your latest ban?

How long do you think it'll take you to get rekt this time?

cwolff has taken Backlash's retard championship from him. Will you become the #1 contender? I know you're already working hard at it. But will it be enough?