Wizard: Eldritch Knight seems too good

L

lppmor

Well-known member
I'm focusing my character on a pure Wizard now. I'm going with Archmage (with a few points into EK and Pale Master as well), and up to level 20 it was a blast because Arcane Blast is so good and also all those cheap metamagic.

However, in Epic levels I'm noticing maybe I don't need Arcane Blast anymore. My mana pool is larger, Meteor Swarm deals way more damage, Epic Strikes are cheap, etc..

So, I'm trying to dump Archmage and putting all points into EK instead. And even being a pure caster, OMG EK seems way too good to pass on. My effective HP is probably double now comparing to Archmage, medium armor, PRR, etc. Also, I thought EK would suffer in relation to spellpower.. but no, my spellpower is even higher as EK than it was as Archmage! (the only downside is having to melee hit to maintain the buffs)

So, my question: Is EK simply busted? Have your guys tryied to more or less compare the Wizard trees? Is EK really the way to go even as pure caster?
 
Last edited:
A

Arsont

Well-known member
lppmor said:
I'm focusing my character on a pure Wizard now. I'm going with Archmage (with a few points into EK and Pale Master as well), and up to level 20 it was a blast because Arcane Blast is so good and also all cheap metamagic.

However, in Epic levels I'm noticing myabe I don't need Arcane Blast anymore. My mana pool is larger, Meteor Swarm deals way more damage, Epic Strikes are cheap, etc..

So, I'm trying to dump Archmage and putting all points into EK instead. And even being a pure caster, OMG EK seems way too good to pass on. My effective HP is probably double now comparing to Archmage, medium armor, PPR, etc. Also, I thought EK would suffer in relation to spellpower.. but no, my spellpower is even higher as EK than it was as Archmage! (the only boring side is having to hit every 30s to maintain the buff)

So, my question: Is EK simply busted? Have your guys tryied to more or less compare the Wizard trees? Is EK really the way to go even as pure caster?
Click to expand...
EK is really the epitome of a hybrid build. By default, it is a solid nuker and solid melee tree. It lacks some defenses compared to a similarly geared fighter, though you usually have more reliable self-healing options. It also lacks some of the offensive casting support of a more dedicated caster build (Depending on the type, Ek will have less crit chance/damage, less CL/MCL, less DC support, or less additional damage boosts-stacking vulnerability, stripping immunity, etc.), but it keeps the base spellpower high to synergize with the imbue.

It's not busted though, just very well balanced as a hybrid tree. Due to the nature of DDO, players are encouraged to specialize in one or two aspects for the hardest content. However, since so much of the content is of a median difficulty, a poorly run EK will do fine, and a well run EK will stomp content-which it seems is exactly what you're seeing. In easier content, where the sheer first number damage is all you need, EK will perform as well as (or better than!) a dedicated caster build. I find Vile Chemist Alch and Warpriest/soul divines to be similar in this regard.
 
Q

Quartis

Member
EK surpasses the other wizard trees in low level because the first 2 or 3 cores give so much HP, dps & aoe dmg and doesnt require anything or spellpoints.
But as higher level (12+) Wizard focusing on spell casting, I dont know what one would want from the EK stuff. Now as high lvl wizard one has so many & powerful spells that melee is not required anymore.

Archmage improves various spellcasting, spellpoints and give more spells but lvl 12/18 cores are bad. They give a spell that one (could) have since Lvl 7/9, but require lvl 12/18, just feels bad alone also wizards have many spell slots anyway, that 1 max & current caster level are nice.

Pale Master gives many immunities, a pet and self heal but not many spells benefit from the tree.


Therefore I think EK is not busted but the other 2 options just dont feel as good.
 
SpartanKiller13

SpartanKiller13

Well-known member
lppmor said:
So, my question: Is EK simply busted? Have your guys tried to more or less compare the Wizard trees? Is EK really the way to go even as pure caster?
Click to expand...
EK's in a good place, PM is pretty solid, and Archmage is fairly eh. I don't think any of them are significantly OP.

Archmage's force SLA's are pretty ok for leveling, and the PK SLA is alright for like Deep Gnome builds, but otherwise that tree has been needing a rework for a while (it did get a quick balance pass which helped a lot, it's no longer completely terrible). Most of the core SLA's are useless or close to it. The +CL/MCL in cores 4 & 5 help a bit, as taking those will buff stuff like your meteor swarm a bit; but so much of the tree is just eh. There are a lot of Efficient Metamagic options though, which can be pretty nice for just leaving all your metas on.

If you want to do the most blast-casting damage as a Wizard, you probably still want Capstone/T5 Archmage with a bit of a dip into EK. For overall build though, I've definitely done T5 EK on a caster build just for the 15% HP. For instakill builds I really like PM capstone, but Archmage would be fine too.

As far as non-caster builds, EK is really good lol. The imbue having such flexibility makes it really strong for leveling - you don't have to struggle with immunities/resistances which plague other imbues. That is IMO the most busted part about EK.
 
Ptalon

Ptalon

Well-known member
Well here's my take on it.

As far as I can see, Arch Mage is horrible. The Evoker has some good SLA's, which I do want to figure out how to get the most out of... but the other SLAs are useless. (since they are almost al buffs, that you don't need to cast often.)

Pale Master is very good. If you like being an undead instant killer.

Eldridge Knight is very good. If your idea of a Wizard swings weapons around.

Anything else that you might see as powerful, is something that all Wizards have from their base class.... their spells.
Get the DC up and you can have fun.

I have managed to find a good combo that I enjoy. But I have never made one with high DPS.
I can survive. I can CC. And I can pound away for hours until I get bored and just instant kill the guy.

Sure wish I could clear a room like those Sorcs, Alchies or Barbarians can.

But alas.... I cannot. :(

(Used to be able to sneak, but they nerfed that too. *^&&^&))
 
C

cooloyo

Well-known member
if u doin higher reaper medium armor, PRR really dont mean much. the best defense is to not be close to the mods and ek give that up.

and remember u should compare a tree to every other tree in the game not just other wiz trees, so no i dont think ek is op
 
Last edited:
Br4d

Br4d

Well-known member
lppmor said:
So, my question: Is EK simply busted? Have your guys tryied to more or less compare the Wizard trees? Is EK really the way to go even as pure caster?
Click to expand...

It's complicated. It depends on associated trees and difficulty levels.

My opinion is that for a general all around Wizard play experience you're best in 41+ EK, 21+ Pale Master, 12+ Harper Agent. However I can see people preferring other variants based on what they want to do.
 
Jack Jarvis Esquire

Jack Jarvis Esquire

Well-known member
Maybe nobody really needs it? Not trying to diminish your point here, as I genuinely don't know if it's an issue for many, but I don't need it to sneak around at cap when I want to. That's on a barb, when I can get my skills high enough without it, so is it needed in Epics, etc. elsewhere?

if not, I guess that's why there hasn't been such a hubub. That doesn't mean it's removal is warranted though. 👍
 
The Narc

The Narc

Well-known member
Jack Jarvis Esquire said:
Maybe nobody really needs it? Not trying to diminish your point here, as I genuinely don't know if it's an issue for many, but I don't need it to sneak around at cap when I want to. That's on a barb, when I can get my skills high enough without it, so is it needed in Epics, etc. elsewhere?

if not, I guess that's why there hasn't been such a hubub. That doesn't mean it's removal is warranted though. 👍
Click to expand...
Lol again the jack of spades shows up, you already did try to dominish the value of his point when you used the descriptor “nobody” in your post, and then proceed to puff your chest out to brag about how your barbarian(with whatever past lives or gear you are baiting the post so that you can talk about that too, so save us all the fireworks). But hey you redeemed yourself after all the belittling text with a closing statement of how it may not be warranted.

As for the original OP, i am sorry to hear that a change in the destiny has cost you 20 ranks and impacted your fun, i hope you can find a way to make adjustments and get your fun level back to where it was or maybe reach the devs and have them fix this if it is a bug. Speak loud and be heard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top