Cast vs. Channel

[Methais]

This is primarily about 302, but I guess could apply to 317 also.

I know using CHANNEL is better than using CAST, but I was wondering a couple other things:

Are you better off channeling in guarded, or casting in offensive? I can hunt in offensive right now and not get touched, but am just wondering what I'll wanna be doing later on (rift/OTF/Temple) when things can hit you in offensive a lot, since that hard RT from CHANNEL will probably be a killer in those cases...unless the rumors are true that clerics are invincible in most high level areas, regardless of stance?

Also, what exactly do you get when you successfully infuse more mana into the spell besides a bigger mana cost? I haven't really noticed any extra damage either way on similar end rolls.

[Gan]

Ive noticed greater damage channelling vs. casting and open handed vs. holding a weapon. Optimal is open handed and channelling.

I have yet to notice a difference between open handed channelling in offensive vs. open handed guarded or neutral. If I get time I'll look into it more when I take my cleric out.

[GuildRat]

Channeling in offensive...

A sickly, violet haze encompasses a glacial morph.
CS: +283 - TD: +210 + CvA: +25 + d100: +92 == +190
Warding failed!
You successfully infuse more mana into the cast.
The violet haze violently swirls around the morph, scorching the icy surface of a glacial morph.
The glacial morph is hit for 62 points of damage!
... 30 points of damage!

and in guarded....

You channel at a glacial morph.
A sickly, violet haze encompasses a glacial morph.
CS: +283 - TD: +210 + CvA: +25 + d100: +82 == +180
Warding failed!
You successfully infuse more mana into the cast.
The violet haze furiously swirls around the morph, striking at a glacial morph with small flashes of plasma.
The glacial morph is hit for 62 points of damage!
... 30 points of damage!
A glacial morph releases a low rumble before becoming completely still.
Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.

Not a whole lot of difference...even tho the end roll was 10 higher on the offensive cast. These were the closest 2 casts from my last hunt. I can test the cast/incant vs. channel on the next hunt.

[GuildRat]

Are you better off channeling in guarded, or casting in offensive? I can hunt in offensive right now and not get touched, but am just wondering what I'll wanna be doing later on (rift/OTF/Temple) when things can hit you in offensive a lot, since that hard RT from CHANNEL will probably be a killer in those cases...unless the rumors are true that clerics are invincible in most high level areas, regardless of stance?

As far as OTF goes, my gf hunts a capped cleric and gets her offensive DS up to 500+ in FGB. I don't think I've seen her die since she got into the FGB. She always channels 302/317 in OTF.

[TheEschaton]

I always channel, open handed and in offensive with my cleric in OTF. I feel like I've definitely noticed the difference between open-handed/weap (recently FIXSKLLed to a brawl/shield build), and cast/channel, and a minor difference in changing stance, mainly in the number of insta-kills I get.

Clerics do wtfpwn in higher level areas, the only thing you really have to worry about is being dispelled and maneuvers. I've been knocked down, disarmed (good to have spirit servant up just to pick up runestaves), forced to offensive, and survive easily...it's when the Seers start dispelling or the adepts/heralds break out motes and silver discs that I get killed. I'd suggest channeling open hand in def to begin in OTF, and then, as you get near-cap/cap, move to offensive stance.

I also wear 8x hcp brig, though.

-TheE-

[Gan]

On a side note about armor.

I've had a set of doubles padded to HCP and have compared the difference between FGB and doubles and have not noticed any difference in survivability, big difference in manueverability, and a huge difference in spell hindrance. Keep in mind that this is at level 35. I'm hoping it will remain constant as I get this character to higher levels.

[Khariz]

On a side note about armor.

I've had a set of doubles padded to HCP and have compared the difference between FGB and doubles and have not noticed any difference in survivability, big difference in manueverability, and a huge difference in spell hindrance. Keep in mind that this is at level 35. I'm hoping it will remain constant as I get this character to higher levels.

Hell my near-cap cleric wears 8x HCP Fulls for this reason. Could I wear higher armor class? Yeah. But why? I don't get hit by AS attacks, and the padding is the only thing that helps on the maneuvers, not the armor type.

[Methais]

Nice. I'm using a brawl/shield build as well. I'm probably gonna stick with doubles the whole way through cause I hate spell hindrance (I hunted Methais in 5x fulls all through the Rift, OTF and the Temple, I think before I hit rift I was using DCP doubles and for a short time FGB, mainly cause of the flare when fire mages die, and for when I was hunting sand devils way way back). I think I had more deaths from spell hindrance at the worst time than I did from anything else, barring fire mages and sand devils.

Anyway this is good news. Curious though...despite usually being a stupid thing to do, will you do even more damage if you have both hands open?

Also another thing...anyone know how heavily the crits on the 2nd hit of 302 are tied to the endroll? Or are they mostly just random like with 415?

[TheEschaton]

I know both hands being open definitely has higher damage on 312 (two orbs vs. one), but not sure on 302/317.

-TheE-

[Axhinde]

Yes, it helps with all three.