Wizard Pale Master Build for Solo Play

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Dude

Well-known member
I've gone crazy and decided that I want to build up one of my alts. My main is a Rogue 18/Artificer 2, which I really enjoy, but sometimes want to take a break and do something different. I'd like to try a Pale Master Wizard to see what it's like, but I'm not sure if I should stay pure or multi-class. The two builds I've looked at are:
I'm not tied to those, so what are people's thought's about these builds or a different build for a solo wizard?
 
seph1roth5

seph1roth5

Well-known member
I really enjoy pale master. I prefer to go pure wizard, but I know where traps are in most quests. I've gone 18/2 before when my group needed a trapper though, but with displacement/self heals I'd rather have more oomph than defenses.

Int->con, most points in PM, and then I usually get some in EK for defense.
 
RobShow

RobShow

Well-known member
Dude said:
I've gone crazy and decided that I want to build up one of my alts. My main is a Rogue 18/Artificer 2, which I really enjoy, but sometimes want to take a break and do something different. I'd like to try a Pale Master Wizard to see what it's like, but I'm not sure if I should stay pure or multi-class. The two builds I've looked at are:
I'm not tied to those, so what are people's thought's about these builds or a different build for a solo wizard?
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Heroic level is fine.
Epic level to solo Ruin and G. Ruin.
 
I

I dont Like gimps

Well-known member
I usually wouldnt entrust a liveless object to one of Kalibanos builds because his Builds are many things but enjoyable from a performance level
but his Wizzy is Okayish enuf I would make 1-2 Changes but overall u can roll with it well enuf without Suffering in a difficulty above Normal unlike his other builds
 
D

Dude

Well-known member
Thank you all. I'll give pure a shot. I think the 2 levels of rogue would make it easier, but I've sort of done that on all the builds I've tried, so this will be something extra new.
 
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magnus2882

Active member
RobShow said:
Epic level to solo Ruin and G. Ruin.
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Don't waste 2 feats on those. Focus on Neg Spell Power 1st, Spell Lore 2nd (mostly to crit your auras and slas), Spell Crit 3rd, and Neg Amp 4th.

You can get ALL the damage you need from Following that formula, and using Gloom Spear from MotE and Upgraded Dragon Breath (4 dots of neg energy and explode from within from DI ).

Unholy Avatar from PM is a MUST. You can hit undead with Necrotic Blast AOE when they are at full health and finish them off with Negative Energy Burst, or Dragon Breath or even Chain lightning... ANY AOE because the DOTS will be Negative energy and scale off of that.. Or simply run away and the dot from your original Necrotic blast will finish them... For the handful of mobs that are immune to Neg Energy like some golems and scarecrows.. hit them with arcane tempest, cyclone, or Greater Shout.
 
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magnus2882

Active member
Also consider going pure wizard... A PM's greatest asset is their capstone. Having 2 Auras and 300 Neg Amp allows me to survive doing Epic R8's and Leg. R4's.. Lots of builds can so traps
 
Lazuli

Lazuli

Well-known member
Dude said:
I've gone crazy and decided that I want to build up one of my alts. My main is a Rogue 18/Artificer 2, which I really enjoy, but sometimes want to take a break and do something different. I'd like to try a Pale Master Wizard to see what it's like, but I'm not sure if I should stay pure or multi-class. The two builds I've looked at are:
I'm not tied to those, so what are people's thought's about these builds or a different build for a solo wizard?
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It depends on what you want to play.

Pure wizard is more powerful than the rogue splash. You pay a high price for trapfinding, and other classes can trap: it's not your role. Although it's not a disaster to do it either.

PM generally has two ways to be played. One, a 100% dedicated CC/instantkiller. This type of build generally invests everything in DC and negative energy, and is pretty bad for solo play. But this build has very high DC and has a very defined role in the groups as the trash manager. If you are only going to play the character in groups, it is not a bad option. Many people enjoy this playstyle.

Another way to play PM is to make a build that sacrifices a bit of DC to have enough damage to solo comfortably. Your dps is still significantly lower than that of a nuker, since you are still a DC caster. But you won't hate yourself if you need play solo.

Depending on how you want to play your PM, your build should be different. It also depends on the difficulty you want to play. Really anything works at low difficulty.
 
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magnus2882

Active member
Lazuli said:
This.

I recommend having high negative spellpower, but don't rely all your damage on negative. Many mobs are immune to negative energy.
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many mobs are also immune to fire/acid/cold as well... VERY few mobs are literally immune to negative energy, for those handful that are, you have lots of options : Arcane Tempest, GShout, Cyclone, Acid Well.. etc... I can run 90% of the content without having to resort to using anything other than negative energy. Aside from that, about 80% of mobs in the game are VULNERABLE to negative energy - doing extra damage (purple numbers).
 
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magnus2882

Active member
Lazuli said:
It depends on what you want to play.

Pure wizard is more powerful than the rogue splash. You pay a high price for trapfinding, and other classes can trap: it's not your role. Although it's not a disaster to do it either.

PM generally has two ways to be played. One, a 100% dedicated CC/instantkiller. This type of build generally invests everything in DC and negative energy, and is pretty bad for solo play. But this build has very high DC and has a very defined role in the groups as the trash manager. If you are only going to play the character in groups, it is not a bad option. Many people enjoy this playstyle.

Another way to play PM is to make a build that sacrifices a bit of DC to have enough damage to solo comfortably. Your dps is still significantly lower than that of a nuker, since you are still a DC caster. But you won't hate yourself if you need play solo.

Depending on how you want to play your PM, your build should be different. It also depends on the difficulty you want to play. Really anything works at low difficulty.
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everything you said here I agree with EXCEPT this:
Your dps is still significantly lower than that of a nuker, since you are still a DC caster. But you won't hate yourself if you need play solo.
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Not true at all... Although, i'll admit that some casters can tip the scales and potentially do more damage due to arcane epic past live criticals, you forget or fail to mention that no other spell has even close to the insightful lore that negative energy spells can get. All in all, a PM can get about 90-92% the dps of a pure nuker.. so it would be incorrect to say a pm would do 'significantly' less damage.

Edit: Also, My PM is not built for DC's he is a NUKER.
 
Lazuli

Lazuli

Well-known member
magnus2882 said:
many mobs are also immune to fire/acid/cold as well... VERY few mobs are literally immune to negative energy, for those handful that are, you have lots of options : Arcane Tempest, GShout, Cyclone, Acid Well.. etc... I can run 90% of the content without having to resort to using anything other than negative energy. Aside from that, about 80% of mobs in the game are VULNERABLE to negative energy - doing extra damage (purple numbers).
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No mob is immune to Ruin/gRuin. That's great for a toon that doesn't have true bypass immunity (unnoly avatar is very limited). That is why I have high impulse, high negative, and not bad several elements. It must be said, while yes, there are immunities to all elements, if you don't focus on a single element, you will always have options.

There are quite a few more mobs than seem truly immune to negative. But I think it's great if that build works for you.

My PM is a DC caster. But with full autonomy.

In any case, as I said, there are several ways to build a PM wizard. Let the OP decide the style he likes best and build from there.
 
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magnus2882

Active member
Lazuli said:
No mob is immune to Ruin/gRuin. That's great for a toon that doesn't have true bypass immunity (unnoly avatar is very limited). That is why I have high impulse, high negative, and not bad several elements. It must be said, while yes, there are immunities to all elements, if you don't focus on a single element, you will always have options.

There are quite a few more mobs than seem truly immune to negative. But I think it's great if that build works for you.

My PM is a DC caster. But with full autonomy.

In any case, as I said, there are several ways to build a PM wizard. Let the OP decide the style he likes best and build from there.
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Again, I agree with most of what you said.. We may butt heads on the ' too many mobs immune to neg energy ', but other than that, like I said to each their own.. My DCS are really not too great on my pm... I think maybe 95 necro and 87 enchantment... but I don't do instakills.. As for focusing on one spell power - that would be a crutch.. Because i'm a nuker, and all my filigrees and gear are spell power and crit based, my neg spell power is sitting just over a 1000, with all the rest at about 850... that's high enough if I come upon a mob that resists my neg damage, I can use acid or force to take them out...
 
Lazuli

Lazuli

Well-known member
Different playstyle. My DCs are fully functional in r10. I don't underestimate your build, but as I said, depending on the playstyle the OP wants, the build will necessarily have to be different.

I don't underestimate your build. But you shouldn't underestimate other people's either just because they're different from yours.

In fact, Pale trapper isn't bad either, it's just that his niche is different from a pure wizard. There are sacrifices inherent to that splash.
 
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magnus2882

Active member
Lazuli said:
Different playstyle. My DCs are fully functional in r10. I don't underestimate your build, but as I said, depending on the playstyle the OP wants, the build will necessarily have to be different.

I don't underestimate your build. But you shouldn't underestimate other people's either just because they're different from yours.

In fact, Pale trapper isn't bad either, it's just that his niche is different from a pure wizard. There are sacrifices inherent to that splash.
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for the first time, I can't disagree with you here..
 
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