Enchant Essence

[2Sage]

Is hunting mainly with 519 a bad way to gather essence? I only got 16000 over a 2 week period so I'm getting half the cap. Probably about 12 hours play time a week. I just happened across someone on the officials saying they maxed in under 6 hours using 515/901. I'm already canceled so I can't try right now but do you think I'll see a substantial increase if I switch to mainly bolts? Not 515/901 as I find that annoying, but maybe the new 903?

I have no water lore but I have the other skills and lores that help. The char is capped so stats are fine. So its not that unless water really matters that much.

I would only seem to absorb for a few pulses after hunting. By the time I'd be down to about numb it was over. That seems pretty lame, no? Where is everyone else at with all this?

Also, I am not really following the pour/channel cycle and average time per cycle thing. I thought it was +1 at a time now so how is any one step of 1x to 2x etc ever more or less than 5?

[Winter]

I have a few wizards so I'm able to test a few builds and as far as I can tell Harness power is the largest factor in collection speed. I fix skilled a capped wiz from 100 harness power 81 water/22 fire 200 EMC to 250 harness power 22 fire and 30 water 200 EMC and collection time was almost cut in half. That wiz went from 23 x15 minute hunts to 13x 15 minute hunts rapidfiring steam/major shock under both builds.

A Lvl 100 wiz with 3x harness power, 202 EMC, 143 water, 22 fire and 5 air rapid firing major shock takes 12x 15 minute hunts to reach cap.

Collection time is currently pretty rough for anyone under 100 imo, if they changed creature kills to grant absorbed essence instead of granting bonus static into your unabsorbed pool it would put collection time closer to that of sorcerors.

[drumpel]

Uphunting helps, too.

I went from hunting my level 72 wizard of like around level creatures to hunting 4-5 levels over and it helped a bit. Cut down his weekly max time by 2-3 hours. With uphunting 4-5 levels, it usually takes about 10 hours for him to max his weekly essence. This wizard in particular, he only hunts with 917 and 502

Skills are:
EMC - 78 ranks
EL:A - 89 ranks
EL:W - 59 ranks

Currently as is, this is a giant step forward over how the essence gathering was first pushed out upon wizards. I had hunted him the first week of the release, over 40 hours, and he just reached the ability to do a +25 enchant (4800 essence). If left unchanged means I would have had to put in around 125 hours of hunting a week to max his weekly essence.....

Thankfully it's a lot better now, but we're still at the mercy of however the GMs are going to fuck us over. Last I heard, they felt we could max too fast and they wanted to tweak it more and make one final corrective update to how the new enchant will work....but, it's been what, 3+ months now since they said that.

[Methais]

Is hunting mainly with 519 a bad way to gather essence? I only got 16000 over a 2 week period so I'm getting half the cap. Probably about 12 hours play time a week. I just happened across someone on the officials saying they maxed in under 6 hours using 515/901. I'm already canceled so I can't try right now but do you think I'll see a substantial increase if I switch to mainly bolts? Not 515/901 as I find that annoying, but maybe the new 903?

I have no water lore but I have the other skills and lores that help. The char is capped so stats are fine. So its not that unless water really matters that much.

I would only seem to absorb for a few pulses after hunting. By the time I'd be down to about numb it was over. That seems pretty lame, no? Where is everyone else at with all this?

Also, I am not really following the pour/channel cycle and average time per cycle thing. I thought it was +1 at a time now so how is any one step of 1x to 2x etc ever more or less than 5?

The biggest factor is just killing like leveled things. I'm pretty sure mana spent doesn't matter at all anymore. Or if it does, it's trivial and not worth giving a shit about.

[Maerit]

Don't worry about spending more mana. Just hunt and kill. It will take you around 1000-1200 kills of like-level to get the essence maxed per week. Warcamps, Reim, and any other area where you can hunt swarms will help speed it up.

[Winter]

The biggest factor is just killing like leveled things..

For static collection that's the biggest factor but there's a cap on the amount of static you can hold and a cap on the amount of essence you get per pulse and both are modified massively by skills. The difference in collection time for a capped Wizard and lvl 35 wizard is absolutely enormous.

[Methais]

For static collection that's the biggest factor but there's a cap on the amount of static you can hold and a cap on the amount of essence you get per pulse and both are modified massively by skills. The difference in collection time for a capped Wizard and lvl 35 wizard is absolutely enormous.

Lores play a factor, but mana spent having 0 impact anymore though was my main point.

[drumpel]

Finally changed my younger wizard over to the new enchanting system.

I spent almost all my essence on a couple of items and I was left with 200-300 essence (do +3 enchant).

I went out, killed 4 creatures and on my pulse I had between 300-400 essence (do +4 enchant).
Continued to kill 3 more creatures and on my pulse I had between 400-500 essence (do +5 enchant).
Decided to rest for the hell of it instead of pressing on. Secondary pulse for any essence that may have carried over left me still between 400-500 essence (do +5 enchant).
Went back out, killed 1 creature and rested for pulse - now I have between 500-600 essence (do +6 enchant).
Continued on with my hunt and mowed through another 12 creatures over 4-5 pulses and now I have between 1000-1100 essence (do +11 enchant).

It feels like with my current level 73 wizard and his hunting level 74 creatures, he's getting around 100 essence for every 4 kills.
Skills:
Elemental Mana Control.............| 180 80
Harness Power......................| 228 128
Elemental Lore - Air...............| 189 89
Elemental Lore - Water.............| 161 61

Just thought I'd share.

[Izzy]

Anyone know if/how group hunting affects essence generation? Is getting the killing blow important, or is being involved in the kill sufficient?

[drumpel]

Anyone know if/how group hunting affects essence generation? Is getting the killing blow important, or is being involved in the kill sufficient?

Quoted from Naos post ( http://forums.play.net/forums/GemSto...zard/view/1086 ):

Wizards will find that slaying a creature of an appropriate level will contribute to the total mana spent against that creature as if they had spent mana casting spells. The amount is dependent on the relative level of the creature to the player. Mana spent casting offensive spells at these same creatures will contribute to the total mana spent against that creature as a bonus on top of the contribution for slaying the creature. If the player's contribution to killing a particular creature is less than half of all player contribution to that kill there is only a chance that the kill will be eligible in this manner.

So, if you don't do at least 51% of total damage to the creatures, you're not guaranteed to earn essence, but there is some kind of a chance you can.