how to level into a INSANE Magick Archer Build?

[CrypticalCrimson]

starting from the beginning clean slate and returning from the xbox360 days so forgot how classing and builds work

[Grr. [SG CMD] Majah Lazah]

1-10 strider
11-00 mystic knight congratulation you are over every threshold and can be any class

[Q_taro]

If you want to specialize in magic, 1-10 mage, 11-200 sorcerer.

[Scrotumfiddler Phil]

Honestly, looking at the stat growth curve, leveling as a Ranger feels like you turn into a jack of all trades with good stamina.

[Guh~hey~hey~♫]

High stamina, good magic and magic rebalancer in your skill barre. Get yourself a skill band with both explosive volley and ninefold bolt.


The only thing that can hold down MAs is players that think "it's a caster that use magic, I'm gonna max magic then".

Wrong conclusion.

Min-maxing MA magic attack give it a pretty low magic boost compared to a more balanced build, because in DDDA most of your offensive capabilities, be it physical or magical, come from your gear (mostly weapon) and augments.

In the same time, min-maxing magic attack (basically playing mage till level 10 then sorcerer to level 200) also have a ill effect: It gives you the lowest health along, and that's the most important part, the lowest stamina growths...

Stamina is basically your ammo and fuel in DDDA. A max magic attack MA have an extremely low physical defense, an extremely low HPs pool and an extremely low stamina.... (around 3K in both).
MA survivability assets are his iframes (basically dodge rolls), keeping distances with physical threats (wont work against physical ranged attackers) and mobility (sprinting out of harms way).

This is contradictory with the 3 most important things that make a MA:
- Sprinting (mobility) consumme stamina. A low stamina build cant sprint all the time in combat while using special skills. Unless unless you like spending your time burning trough mushrooms and liquid vims making DDDA a turn based game (because of how often you'll have ot open your inventory).
- MA magic bow skills are all stamina-costly.
- Keeping 4 stacks of magic rebalancer up at all time, which give you a 200-freaking-% increase in magic attack and defense (so close to 20 times more than any min-maxing), require a lot of stamina.....
And you want to keep it up at all time (btw it also boost those stats for your pawns...).


MA is a DPS.... DPS isnt about biggest numbers, it's about sustainability of the damage output. Burst vocations are about biggest numbers (e.g. sorcerers, thus their maxed magic attack growth).
Same difference between machine guns and heavy artillery, sorcerer is the artillery, MA is the machine gun.

Min maxing magic attack give you, I'd say, something around 15% max (but it's probably lower than 10%), keeping a steady balanced build give you the possibility to shoot again.... for 100% more damages per extra shot....

TL;DR: min-maxing magic attack on a MA is just crippling your character with a mushroom addiction in exchange for a ridiculous damage boost, while also hard locking it in casters vocations (mage or sorcerer).

[Blackfrost]

Originally posted by CrimsonJoelton:

starting from the beginning clean slate and returning from the xbox360 days so forgot how classing and builds work

Most optimized Magick Archer build is:

Mage 1-10
Sorcerer 11-200

Rest comes from gear: Demon Periapts, Wyrmking's Ring, Blackwing Bow & co.
Usual suspects Augments: Acuity, Articulacy, Bloodlust...

Get Immolation and Thousand Kisses for dagger, Ricochet Hunter and Sixfold Bolt for bow.
GG.

[Epitome]

INSANE Magick Archer Build is
1-10 mage
11-200 magic archer

[CrypticalCrimson]

Originally posted by Guh~hey~hey~♫:

High stamina, good magic and magic rebalancer in your skill barre. Get yourself a skill band with both explosive volley and ninefold bolt.


The only thing that can hold down MAs is players that think "it's a caster that use magic, I'm gonna max magic then".

Wrong conclusion.

Min-maxing MA magic attack give it a pretty low magic boost compared to a more balanced build, because in DDDA most of your offensive capabilities, be it physical or magical, come from your gear (mostly weapon) and augments.

In the same time, min-maxing magic attack (basically playing mage till level 10 then sorcerer to level 200) also have a ill effect: It gives you the lowest health along, and that's the most important part, the lowest stamina growths...

Stamina is basically your ammo and fuel in DDDA. A max magic attack MA have an extremely low physical defense, an extremely low HPs pool and an extremely low stamina.... (around 3K in both).
MA survivability assets are his iframes (basically dodge rolls), keeping distances with physical threats (wont work against physical ranged attackers) and mobility (sprinting out of harms way).

This is contradictory with the 3 most important things that make a MA:
- Sprinting (mobility) consumme stamina. A low stamina build cant sprint all the time in combat while using special skills. Unless unless you like spending your time burning trough mushrooms and liquid vims making DDDA a turn based game (because of how often you'll have ot open your inventory).
- MA magic bow skills are all stamina-costly.
- Keeping 4 stacks of magic rebalancer up at all time, which give you a 200-freaking-% increase in magic attack and defense (so close to 20 times more than any min-maxing), require a lot of stamina.....
And you want to keep it up at all time (btw it also boost those stats for your pawns...).


MA is a DPS.... DPS isnt about biggest numbers, it's about sustainability of the damage output. Burst vocations are about biggest numbers (e.g. sorcerers, thus their maxed magic attack growth).
Same difference between machine guns and heavy artillery, sorcerer is the artillery, MA is the machine gun.

Min maxing magic attack give you, I'd say, something around 15% max (but it's probably lower than 10%), keeping a steady balanced build give you the possibility to shoot again.... for 100% more damages per extra shot....

TL;DR: min-maxing magic attack on a MA is just crippling your character with a mushroom addiction in exchange for a ridiculous damage boost, while also hard locking it in casters vocations (mage or sorcerer).

which leveling path should i take than :) ?

[zmanbuilder]

Originally posted by Epitome:

INSANE Magick Archer Build is
1-10 mage
11-200 magic archer

Starting as strider is fine too, but my mystic knight build is, mage 1-10 then mystic knight 11-200.

[CrypticalCrimson]

Originally posted by zmanbuilder:

Originally posted by Epitome:

INSANE Magick Archer Build is
1-10 mage
11-200 magic archer

Starting as strider is fine too, but my mystic knight build is, mage 1-10 then mystic knight 11-200.

i did strider first should i reset from the beginning ? [ only just got pass the hydra to the castle] or i can switch to mage like nothing and than do your path ?

[toasty frosting]

1-10 Fighter 11-200 Assassin is also really good.
MA is just a stupid vocation in general.

[Blackfrost]

Originally posted by toasty frosting:

1-10 Fighter 11-200 Assassin is also really good.
MA is just a stupid vocation in general.

True, but it's better for Ranger / Assassin / Strider / Warrior.
For Magick Archer it's better to just get the highest Magick possible since the magical skills outshine physical ones.

[Vin]

Originally posted by Blackfrost:

Originally posted by toasty frosting:

1-10 Fighter 11-200 Assassin is also really good.
MA is just a stupid vocation in general.

True, but it's better for Ranger / Assassin / Strider / Warrior.
For Magick Archer it's better to just get the highest Magick possible since the magical skills outshine physical ones.

^ this. i did pure magic. painful but worth it soo soo much.

[Q_taro]

Even if the defense is low, there is no problem as long as you kill it before it gets hit.
Also, if you use item shortcuts, even if you eat a lot of mushrooms and medicinal herbs, you won't have to open the menu each time, so the whole island will not be cut off.

[Blackfrost]

Originally posted by Q_taro:

Even if the defense is low, there is no problem as long as you kill it before it gets hit.
Also, if you use item shortcuts, even if you eat a lot of mushrooms and medicinal herbs, you won't have to open the menu each time, so the whole island will not be cut off.

Correct.

Unfortunately, if you're purely looking at optimization, Dragon's Dogma only has two builds:
Full Strength ( Fighter 1-10, Assassin 11-200 -> good for Fighter, Warrior, Assassin, Ranger, Strider ).
Full Magick ( Mage 1-10, Sorcerer 11-200 -> good for Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Knight, Arcane Archer ).

Every single point spent into a different stat is essentially a bad trade-off at best ( Stamina, HP ), or an entire waste at worst ( Defense, mixed offense ).
That's why mixed builds are considered noob-traps in optimized playthroughs.

https://dragonsdogma.fandom.com/wiki/Stat_Growths#Min-Maxing

The game is entirely playable even with a completely random build, but powergaming-wise it's not recommended.

@OP
I recommend checking Nihil's testing on Magick Archer, which pretty much confirms that a Full Strength or Full Magick build is better than an hybrid build.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvI1TaS2ks0

[zmanbuilder]

I did a min max build before for magic archer, it min maxed the fun out of the run too.

Now i'm going as a purist or pure mystic knight this time, and i'm having a blast.