Mazoch
02-10-2007, 11:42 PM
After all the recent drama following the 2/7 changes I figured a good way forward for those who want to stick with the class might be to compare notes and compare strategies.
Two reasons for the:
1) A lot of people are claiming that the class is currently unable to take on even simple opponents (two dots several levels under themselves) others feel that they are doing quite well in spite of the changes.
2) The time of screaming bloody murder is past. All that needed it now had a chance to cry in our beer a day or two. It's time to look forward. In order to supply valid and useful feedback to sigil on what we feel are the strengths and weakness of our class we all need to understand it as it works after eating our own bit 'o kryptonite.
To try and start off, here’s 5 different tips to soloing with a Disciple today:
- The magic level 18
For a lot of people short of 18, I think they a feeling the changes a lot more then players higher up. Prior to 18 you’re still lacking a number of very useful tools that imho help form the class into a more viable form. The second buff (The Crow 1) gives a large boost to AR, your first DOT, a nice help with our reduced damage and most importantly, clarity. Trade 3 Jin for a crit hit.
If your not 18 yet, take heart, there’s a few new abilities in your future that'll help you get by.
- Love thy clarity
Clarity before the patch was kinda redundant. With a 50-60% crit rate, why bother spending 3 jin for yet another crit. With the changes its one of our strongest abilities. Clarity means that you can get of a crit heal and a nice damage burt off when your really need it. The more I get used to clarity, the less I’m using cyclone and EoL.
- HoT 'n DoT's
With the reduction in dam and healing our combat style has changed from over running enemies with bulldozer like damage to something more akin to outlasting the opponent by applying consistent damage while making good use of self heals. This means that Heal and Damage over time becomes important tools to adding that extra that'll tip. Always try to use your negative bond, Blessed Wind and Knife Hand early in the fight and when possible renew them to keep the healing and damage coming.
- Boosting Blessed Wind or Knifes Hand
The benefit of Clarity is not just a matter of opening finishing moves; it also allows you to pick a move that will cause a crit hit in the first place. Attacks with secondary effect will also have the secondary effects increased by a crit.
For example, my blessed wind normally ticks for 36. If I'm activating BW with a crit, I now self heal for 55 pr tick. So when you use clarity always consider what skill your want to use with it. Combining BW with clarity allows you to increase the BW healing to almost pre-nerf levels.
- End drain is not our only negative bond.
It seems that almost everyone tend to use the endurance draining debuff. Often the damage bond can work better in my experience. While I don't have number on the pro's and con's as far as I can tell, the more damage your opponent is likely to cause the better the damage causing bonds is likely to work. In essence it will give you a second DoT. An interesting way to test it is to use the de-buff and let the mob attack you. Simply heal yourself and avoid doing any damage on your own. Each time the mob attacks you will see a small drop in the mobs health as well.
Two reasons for the:
1) A lot of people are claiming that the class is currently unable to take on even simple opponents (two dots several levels under themselves) others feel that they are doing quite well in spite of the changes.
2) The time of screaming bloody murder is past. All that needed it now had a chance to cry in our beer a day or two. It's time to look forward. In order to supply valid and useful feedback to sigil on what we feel are the strengths and weakness of our class we all need to understand it as it works after eating our own bit 'o kryptonite.
To try and start off, here’s 5 different tips to soloing with a Disciple today:
- The magic level 18
For a lot of people short of 18, I think they a feeling the changes a lot more then players higher up. Prior to 18 you’re still lacking a number of very useful tools that imho help form the class into a more viable form. The second buff (The Crow 1) gives a large boost to AR, your first DOT, a nice help with our reduced damage and most importantly, clarity. Trade 3 Jin for a crit hit.
If your not 18 yet, take heart, there’s a few new abilities in your future that'll help you get by.
- Love thy clarity
Clarity before the patch was kinda redundant. With a 50-60% crit rate, why bother spending 3 jin for yet another crit. With the changes its one of our strongest abilities. Clarity means that you can get of a crit heal and a nice damage burt off when your really need it. The more I get used to clarity, the less I’m using cyclone and EoL.
- HoT 'n DoT's
With the reduction in dam and healing our combat style has changed from over running enemies with bulldozer like damage to something more akin to outlasting the opponent by applying consistent damage while making good use of self heals. This means that Heal and Damage over time becomes important tools to adding that extra that'll tip. Always try to use your negative bond, Blessed Wind and Knife Hand early in the fight and when possible renew them to keep the healing and damage coming.
- Boosting Blessed Wind or Knifes Hand
The benefit of Clarity is not just a matter of opening finishing moves; it also allows you to pick a move that will cause a crit hit in the first place. Attacks with secondary effect will also have the secondary effects increased by a crit.
For example, my blessed wind normally ticks for 36. If I'm activating BW with a crit, I now self heal for 55 pr tick. So when you use clarity always consider what skill your want to use with it. Combining BW with clarity allows you to increase the BW healing to almost pre-nerf levels.
- End drain is not our only negative bond.
It seems that almost everyone tend to use the endurance draining debuff. Often the damage bond can work better in my experience. While I don't have number on the pro's and con's as far as I can tell, the more damage your opponent is likely to cause the better the damage causing bonds is likely to work. In essence it will give you a second DoT. An interesting way to test it is to use the de-buff and let the mob attack you. Simply heal yourself and avoid doing any damage on your own. Each time the mob attacks you will see a small drop in the mobs health as well.