questions for wizard mains please

[Boutus]

Hi, i've made melee characters up until now, but i've made a wizard, but I need some advice on things.

One - why do we have a spell book as secondary weapon and a staff as primary? When I use either, I can still cast spells. Do I need both? Or if I go into dungeon without spell book, does it mean I cant cast spells?

Two - how to best deal with pvp? I just got killed by a druid and as I am usually melee, I just had no idea how to combat it and died very quickly. How should I deal with pvp as wizard?

Three - any tips for wizard play would be greatly appreciated.

[Boutus]

bump

[Warmanreaper]

Im not a wizard main anymore but i was before F2P, Staff gives u melee and a slower cast speed, Tome is JUST casting, is faster, and usually has more damage w it. (I remember prioritizing SB or Orb as Wiz, optionally the crystal sword is the hybrid, and is a flex pick for both styles)

You don't need both, its an efficiency thing to get u used to weapon swapping tmk.

PVP is about knowing matchups, i'm bad at it since returning post F2P but its about knowledge (game knowledge, not the stat lol unless ur wiz etc) and numbers (gear).

Tips for Wizards would be uhh... Cast during ur jump to keep momentum so u dont slow down so much, do NOT enter melee range, Flight >>>> Fight if it lets them get to you, unless you KNOW they tanked tons and are almost fatal. Your elemental spells do have bonus properties on mobs, i.e fireball for Frozen skeletons is bonus damage. The Skill curve spells such as Haste and Invis are good if you can use them properly, but bad if you can't. They can help you get out of some situations such as haste speeding away while using unarmed speed, or invis to get rid of mob aggro in a pinch for survival, or to turn them on a different player. (Also can be used for other misc shenanigans.)

This stuff is probably basic info nowadays, but nobody commented so I tried my best to give the knowledge I used when I use to play Wiz.

[Boutus]

Originally posted by WarmanreaperYT/TTV:

Im not a wizard main anymore but i was before F2P, Staff gives u melee and a slower speed, Tome is JUST casting, is faster, and usually has more damage w it. (The crystal sword is the hybrid)

You don't need both, its an efficiency thing to get u used to weapon swapping tmk.

PVP is about knowing matchups, i'm bad at it since returning post F2P but its about knowledge (game knowledge, not the stat lol unless ur wiz etc) and numbers (gear).

Tips for Wizards would be uhh... Cast during ur jump to keep momentum so u dont slow down so much, do NOT enter melee range, Flight >>>> Fight if it lets them get to you, unless you KNOW they tanked tons and are almost fatal. Your elemental spells do have bonus properties on mobs, i.e fireball for Frozen skeletons is bonus damage. The Skill curve spells such as Haste and Invis are good if you can use them properly, but bad if you can't. They can help you get out of some situations such as haste speeding away while using unarmed speed, or invis to get rid of mob aggro in a pinch for survival, or to turn them on a different player. (Also can be used for other misc shenanigans.)

This stuff is probably basic info nowadays, but nobody commented so I tried my best to give the knowledge I used when I use to play Wiz.

Thx.

Ye the biggest issue im facing with wizard is defending myself when other player attacks. With my barb I just bash them in, but can't do with wizard.

[effusivemind]

One - Magic Staff boosts magic dmg by 4 whereas Spellbook boosts magic dmg by 2. this increase in dmg gets applied to each missile in Magic Missile meaning your MM gains 20 extra dmg from casting it with Magic Staff over Spellbook before factoring in the target's MDR. that's a lot.

when I run Magic Staff / Spellbook I essentially only use Magic Staff with MM. in general I'm almost always using Spellbook when fighting players cuz you have 10 more move speed with Spellbook out versus Magic Staff.

don't be fooled by Crystal Sword, read the tooltip careful. the magical dmg there gets added to the sword attack, not spells.

Two - if you get good with using spells players will be dead before they get to you. druids shouldn't be able to get next to you without taking dmg. if they go rat form you kill them with Fireball splash dmg. if they go panther they die to two Ice Bolt headshots, which are pretty easy to land with panther's hitboxes. read the shapeshift description they're squishy. if they go bear dodge the bash and then they should immediately die to MM, they will not be able to avoid it.

you have to get comfortable with using your spells, and knowing their strengths. then it will be obvious when to use them.

killed a rat today using Zap. the class requires a lot of skill to play optimally but it's very rewarding.

it sounds like your questions were in the context of solos, there's something important you need to understand if you haven't picked up on this with other classes. you need to know the spawns on each dungeon and where the PvP hotspots are, cuz this will inform when you crouch. you should aim to always get the initiation on players. wiz is not a passive class, once you feel confident about landing spells you should actively seek out other players.

you also have to develop a sense of which areas are good to fight in and which are not. wizs thrive when you have the high ground, when you're taking fights in open spaces or long hallways.

Three - don't be too hard on yourself while learning. until you get use to kiting I would recommend not playing without Arcane Shield, Ice Shield, and Reactive Shield. CNG Blade and Red have decent wiz videos on YT. watch how they handle players. I would also recommend visiting CNG's Twitch when he's streaming, he answers questions in the chat.

I would also suggest finding good teams to play trios with. in trios players can become very distracted by what your team is doing and landing spells is significantly easier. even new wizs can absolutely destroy players if you play smart.

this last point is for further down the road if you decide the class is for you but worth keeping in mind cuz I haven't seen any other wizs talking about this. prioritize questing. when you eventually unlock all the squire gear, you can stack knowledge from it and along with one green piece (that gives knowledge and memory capacity) you can actually use Spell Overload in <25 GS dungeons.

from there moving into 25-124 GS you should aim to eventually always play either 10 spell (which just means equipping both Spell Memory skills along with 5 spells for each) or Spell Overload.

GL

[Boutus]

Originally posted by effusivemind:

One - Magic Staff boosts magic dmg by 4 whereas Spellbook boosts magic dmg by 2. this increase in dmg gets applied to each missile in Magic Missile meaning your MM gains 20 extra dmg from casting it with Magic Staff over Spellbook before factoring in the target's MDR. that's a lot.

when I run Magic Staff / Spellbook I essentially only use Magic Staff with MM. in general I'm almost always using Spellbook when fighting players cuz you have 10 more move speed with Spellbook out versus Magic Staff.

don't be fooled by Crystal Sword, read the tooltip careful. the magical dmg there gets added to the sword attack, not spells.

Two - if you get good with using spells players will be dead before they get to you. druids shouldn't be able to get next to you without taking dmg. if they go rat form you kill them with Fireball splash dmg. if they go panther they die to two Ice Bolt headshots, which are pretty easy to land with panther's hitboxes. read the shapeshift description they're squishy. if they go bear dodge the bash and then they should immediately die to MM, they will not be able to avoid it.

you have to get comfortable with using your spells, and knowing their strengths. then it will be obvious when to use them.

killed a rat today using Zap. the class requires a lot of skill to play optimally but it's very rewarding.

it sounds like your questions were in the context of solos, there's something important you need to understand if you haven't picked up on this with other classes. you need to know the spawns on each dungeon and where the PvP hotspots are, cuz this will inform when you crouch. you should aim to always get the initiation on players. wiz is not a passive class, once you feel confident about landing spells you should actively seek out other players.

you also have to develop a sense of which areas are good to fight in and which are not. wizs thrive when you have the high ground, when you're taking fights in open spaces or long hallways.

Three - don't be too hard on yourself while learning. until you get use to kiting I would recommend not playing without Arcane Shield, Ice Shield, and Reactive Shield. CNG Blade and Red have decent wiz videos on YT. watch how they handle players. I would also recommend visiting CNG's Twitch when he's streaming, he answers questions in the chat.

I would also suggest finding good teams to play trios with. in trios players can become very distracted by what your team is doing and landing spells is significantly easier. even new wizs can absolutely destroy players if you play smart.

this last point is for further down the road if you decide the class is for you but worth keeping in mind cuz I haven't seen any other wizs talking about this. prioritize questing. when you eventually unlock all the squire gear, you can stack knowledge from it and along with one green piece (that gives knowledge and memory capacity) you can actually use Spell Overload in <25 GS dungeons.

from there moving into 25-124 GS you should aim to eventually always play either 10 spell (which just means equipping both Spell Memory skills along with 5 spells for each) or Spell Overload.

GL

excellent thank you.

[Maiex]

Originally posted by Boutus:

Originally posted by WarmanreaperYT/TTV:

Im not a wizard main anymore but i was before F2P, Staff gives u melee and a slower speed, Tome is JUST casting, is faster, and usually has more damage w it. (The crystal sword is the hybrid)

You don't need both, its an efficiency thing to get u used to weapon swapping tmk.

PVP is about knowing matchups, i'm bad at it since returning post F2P but its about knowledge (game knowledge, not the stat lol unless ur wiz etc) and numbers (gear).

Tips for Wizards would be uhh... Cast during ur jump to keep momentum so u dont slow down so much, do NOT enter melee range, Flight >>>> Fight if it lets them get to you, unless you KNOW they tanked tons and are almost fatal. Your elemental spells do have bonus properties on mobs, i.e fireball for Frozen skeletons is bonus damage. The Skill curve spells such as Haste and Invis are good if you can use them properly, but bad if you can't. They can help you get out of some situations such as haste speeding away while using unarmed speed, or invis to get rid of mob aggro in a pinch for survival, or to turn them on a different player. (Also can be used for other misc shenanigans.)

This stuff is probably basic info nowadays, but nobody commented so I tried my best to give the knowledge I used when I use to play Wiz.

Thx.

Ye the biggest issue im facing with wizard is defending myself when other player attacks. With my barb I just bash them in, but can't do with wizard.

Movement speed is the most important stat in the game, so prioritize agility and high movement speed boots. If a melee gets too close, put your weapon away (Fists out) and run, the only way theyll catch u is if they have higher movement speed and also pull fist out. You can also run phantomize and/or flamewalker. Leaving a trail of flames to stop melee from pushing, or, phantomize to become immune to physical damage, and walk all over them with it. Spellbook is probably the best as it has the lowest movement speed reduction and gives magical power. I've never seen a good warlock run anything else. For base kit, use longsword or falchion as your first weapon, then spellbook second. You can also use summon hydra to block doorways. Also, idk how new you are, but never back pedal, always move with a, d, or w. If you are casting spells, always jump right before casting, you carry momentum forward for a second and allows you to cover more distance

[effusivemind]

Originally posted by Boutus:

excellent thank you.

YW