Havel's Ring or Boulder Heave

[icon_of_sin]

I need to choose between Havel's Ring or Boulder Heave

Does the +15% weight which havels ring gives you make much difference to what you can equip and stay under 70% load?

Is Boulder heave anything special, and is it really good at staggering oponents with greatshields?

[Quist]

Choose havels ring the spell is not that great

[Elwarc]

Boulder heave is not the greatest tbh. It is a pyromancy that does physical damage and when boulder hits the ground it breaks into small stones that cover a small area and do a bit damage.
Unfortunately the cast time is pretty slow and the range is pretty short. So unless you wanna go for a pyromancer build and need an option to do physical damage, you won't need it.
I am not sure about the staggering of shields though

[Redshift]

Havels first, you won't regret

[Hezz]

tbh, I took Boulder Heave first on my Pyromancer, and I'd do it again.

It takes a little practice, but once you know how the spell works and when to use it, it's pretty amazing, both in PvE AND PvP (though mostly PvE). For one thing, it'll make your life very easy against any enemies that like to hide behind a shield, as Boulder Heave breaks their guard almost every time, even if it isn't a direct hit. It's also good for spanking NPC invaders or Knight-like enemies, because it knocks them on their ass, allowing you to chain-boulder them. Also, unless an enemy gets i-frames when they're knocked down (not all do), then if you hit them with a direct hit, it'll also do extra damage from the splash damage when the boulder hits the ground. It's also very nice to have for fire-resistant enemies like Demons, since it doesn't do fire damage (though one could argue dark spells are better for this, but you won't have access to dark spells before you get access to Boulder Heave)

In PvP, its harder to use, because of the wind up time and short range, but it's not supposed to be a primary spell for PvP, it's a combo spell. I like to go Iron Flesh into Sacred Flame into either Boulder Heave or Chaos Fire Orb, depending on how good I feel I can time the boulder. If I land the boulder, I can then follow THAT up with a Chaos Fire Orb. It's also good for gank spanking in some areas. For example, hang out near a death drop in Anor Londo, wait for them to make their way to you, Iron Flesh + Boulder Heave = gank squad off the cliff.

Honestly, it's a very good spell, it's just difficult to use right, but once you get the knowhow on using it right, it's rock solid, pun fully intended.

EDIT: Not dissing on Havel's, mind you. It's a very good ring. It's just not for every build. If using it can get you below 30%, or allow you to use the gear you want without going above 70%, it's useful. Anywhere in between and you might as well not even bother with it.

I also like how unexpected it always is in PvP. It's so satisfying when someone doesn't notice the windup animation on Boulder Heave (less obvious due to no fire effects) and does a jump attack into my boulder...

[RPGamer1984]

Havel's

[Groshen88]

You need both for 100% eventually anyway

[Mr. Kitty Saves The World]

Boulder Heave is cool, but it's not the most practical. It has a ♥♥♥♥ ton of knockdown force, though. I don't think it's possible to take one and not fall down. Other than that, it's not that amazing. Short range, damage is decent, but not spectacular; it's mostly for the knockdown.

[HardAppleCider]

Originally posted by icon_of_sin:

I need to choose between Havel's Ring or Boulder Heave

Does the +15% weight which havels ring gives you make much difference to what you can equip and stay under 70% load?

Is Boulder heave anything special, and is it really good at staggering oponents with greatshields?

The ring will give you access to builds that are impossible without wasting a ton of points, example using a greatshield while being under 70%.

The spell sucks... so...

[BlazeRomulus]

Havel, the spell is fun but kinda slow on cast.

Granted you're a pyromancer spitting boulders/kidney stones and that's awesome but still.

[RE-L124C41]

You can find the +1 and +2 versions of Havel's ring in the game, so just get Boulder Heave.

[HardAppleCider]

Originally posted by Blame!:

You can find the +1 and +2 versions of Havel's ring in the game, so just get Boulder Heave.

Wait... what??? Where?

[Brovah]

Havel's ring.

[oldirty`]

Originally posted by HardAppleCider:

Originally posted by Blame!:

You can find the +1 and +2 versions of Havel's ring in the game, so just get Boulder Heave.

Wait... what??? Where?

NG+ and NG++

[Burusagi]

You can only get the +1 version after you've beaten the game.

Unless you are specifically creating a dedicated Pyromancer character, the ring is always the better choice in your first playthrough with a character.

[HardAppleCider]

Originally posted by oldirty`:

Originally posted by HardAppleCider:

Wait... what??? Where?

NG+ and NG++

Oh :/ well I'd you get Havel in NG you can get the spell in NG+... sooooo....