a couple spell questions...and other stuff...

[tekkor]

Hey everyone. New player that started last night. I believe Im playing Matis (still dont have the race names all down pat yet)...im in the forest area one. Anyway...got my character Krysteka up to the following so far:

Fighting: 20
Magic: 12
Crafting: 8
Harvesting: 12

My ogal is to get everything to at least 20 before going to mainland...of course Fighting will probably be a bit higher by the time I get the others caught up.....

Anyway... a couple quick questions:

- On spells I of course have the heal other and the acid spells (have acid damage 2). I also picked up Stun which I heard was basically a mezz and worked good. I used it some and see how it will be useful especially in a group situation.... my understanding on it is once I cast Stun the creature cant move and attack but neither can you or the Stun is broken correct?

- Based on the way stun works how is Sleep different? My understanding is Sleep works much like Stun except that on Stun your teammates can hit the creature and it wont snap out of it. On Sleep if they attack the creature wakes up. Does Sleep also have the requirement of you the caster cant move?

- Fear spell. How does that work? is it usefull. From reading the description I get the impression that it is like other games where basically for a period of time the creature will turn and run away from you? Is it the same in that you cant move after you cast it?

- I noticed the Aura spells. One for regenerating HP and another for regenerating I think Stamina? Are these useful and does anyone have them and can comment on them?

- On excavating....I got the Gentle extraction ability...I also see the one ability that allows you to repair or prolong the life of the prospect site.... can you combine these stanzas together or does that not work or serve a purpose..In that I mean can I extract then in the same Stanza string repair to prolong the life of the spot or do you just run the prolong thing after extracting? In looking at it I seem to get the impression the only thing the prolong and repair to avoid explosion abilities are useful for are if you have a buddy with you so they can repair/prolong while you extract. Am I understanding it right?

That's it for now.

Thanks for any info or feedback.


- Krysteka (on NA server)

[moriant]

I can only really comment on Stun.

When cast on a critter Stun seems to do 1 of 3 things.

1 - fully resisted (no effect, similiar to a damage spell being fully resisted)

2 - the stun lands, but does not link. In this case the critter is still stunned for about 2-3 seconds and then you will get the message 'critter is no longer stunned'

3 - the stun lands AND links. At this point you will see a little glowing symbol appear above you indicating the link. The link will last until you run out of SAP, you move/cast, OR the critter will eventually break it. After the link is broken the critter will recover in about 2-3 seconds.

It is possible to cast stun over and over on a critter and keep it continually stunned even without getting/establishing a link (effect 2).

[korin77]

Ok Some answers, as much as I can....

Yes you can't move on spells like stun, and its true that players can attack it. Sleep is like you described but Im not sure if you are required not to move. I am familiar more with blind, which requires players not move, it prevents the monsters from attacking but if you use ranged or spells it breaks the blind. I am not sure if stun and sleep are the same way.

Fear does exactly that, the monster runs away for a period of time. It can run out of range so if your purpose is to fear kite it, you will have to chase after it. It is very dangerous as it can agro other of its kind and they can all come after you. Fear does not require you to stand still after it is cast. Great for running away if you put fear on your staff.

The auras are not spells, they are abilities. They give you a higher regen rate for a short period of time, but they have a long refresh time. Personally I think upping your metabolism etc is better for regening then those auras.

You can't combine those two stanzas. One is an extraction plan and one is a care plan. The extraction plans are for actually retreiving mats. The care plans are sort of like skills you can use on the spot to prevent a source from disappearing or exploding. After you use a care plan, you should hit the extraction again so you can keep extracting. You are not required to kneel down to extract but need to be within range. It is possible to move back out of the way of the explosion if you know its going to happen... Watch the source line and the source mode for clues. When you are a newbie it seems you can't possibly use a care plan and extract after cause you run out of time. This will change when you get the increased source time skills added to your prospecting.

[chuangpo]

Originally Posted by tekkor

Anyway... a couple quick questions:

- On spells I of course have the heal other and the acid spells (have acid damage 2). I also picked up Stun which I heard was basically a mezz and worked good. I used it some and see how it will be useful especially in a group situation.... my understanding on it is once I cast Stun the creature cant move and attack but neither can you or the Stun is broken correct?

That is correct stun is a link spell, meaning once you cast it (providing it sticks) it will stay in effect until you move, cast, attack or if you run out of sap. If you do any of these things, the spell will last for another 2 or 3 secs and then break. There also seems to be a timer on some of the spells although I couldn't tell you what exactly that is. also, some link spells (like root) seem to be broken more if your buds attack via melee.


- Based on the way stun works how is Sleep different? My understanding is Sleep works much like Stun except that on Stun your teammates can hit the creature and it wont snap out of it. On Sleep if they attack the creature wakes up. Does Sleep also have the requirement of you the caster cant move?

You are correct. IE, why waste time with sleep?

- Fear spell. How does that work? is it usefull. From reading the description I get the impression that it is like other games where basically for a period of time the creature will turn and run away from you? Is it the same in that you cant move after you cast it?

VERY useful. Using the kiting method, a lone magic user can effectively solo creatures that a fighter of comparative level couldn't even TOUCH. Cast fear then two missile spells then fear, two missile spells, rinse and repeat. This is a link spell as described above. Essentially, the enemy will run away from you as fast as possible. It's pretty humorous really.

- I noticed the Aura spells. One for regenerating HP and another for regenerating I think Stamina? Are these useful and does anyone have them and can comment on them?

Haven't played with these yet. But i would imagine that a group of magic users with this turned out could keep a party alive for awhile a while. It's all about minimizing downtime...

- On excavating....I got the Gentle extraction ability...I also see the one ability that allows you to repair or prolong the life of the prospect site.... can you combine these stanzas together or does that not work or serve a purpose..In that I mean can I extract then in the same Stanza string repair to prolong the life of the spot or do you just run the prolong thing after extracting? In looking at it I seem to get the impression the only thing the prolong and repair to avoid explosion abilities are useful for are if you have a buddy with you so they can repair/prolong while you extract. Am I understanding it right?

Can't help you here. I would suggest going down to the Players Guide section and read the Magic and harveting guides. well worth your time, trust me.

-Chuangtzu
Defender's of Zorai

[gralen]

Originally Posted by tekkor

- On spells I of course have the heal other and the acid spells (have acid damage 2). I also picked up Stun which I heard was basically a mezz and worked good. I used it some and see how it will be useful especially in a group situation.... my understanding on it is once I cast Stun the creature cant move and attack but neither can you or the Stun is broken correct?

Mostly correct, you can walk (but you increase the chance the link will break and eventually it will break while walking) but no perform other actions. You may be able to get a second spell (acid or other) off before the critter hits you. Stun is best used when grouping and has poor value when soloing.

Originally Posted by tekkor

- Based on the way stun works how is Sleep different? My understanding is Sleep works much like Stun except that on Stun your teammates can hit the creature and it wont snap out of it. On Sleep if they attack the creature wakes up. Does Sleep also have the requirement of you the caster cant move?

Sleep (and all linking spells) requires a link for it to continue working and has the same limits as described above. Rumor has it that sleep can actually cause the critter to leave battle completely (not temporarily as with fear) but I have not seen this myself.

Originally Posted by tekkor

- Fear spell. How does that work? is it usefull. From reading the description I get the impression that it is like other games where basically for a period of time the creature will turn and run away from you? Is it the same in that you cant move after you cast it?

Fear is a linked spell so see above. However, even if you cannot link, a successful cast will always cause the critter to run at least for a short distance. Acid + Fear = mage's best friend as you can usually get at least one acid spell off while the critter runs away and then cast another fear on it to make it run away; lather rinse repeat until the critter dies or you run out of sap.

Originally Posted by tekkor

- I noticed the Aura spells. One for regenerating HP and another for regenerating I think Stamina? Are these useful and does anyone have them and can comment on them?

Useful but wasted skill points if you plan on teaming with good healers. For a group of pure fighters, the HP and stamina auras would be beneficial.

Originally Posted by tekkor

- On excavating....I got the Gentle extraction ability...I also see the one ability that allows you to repair or prolong the life of the prospect site.... can you combine these stanzas together or does that not work or serve a purpose..In that I mean can I extract then in the same Stanza string repair to prolong the life of the spot or do you just run the prolong thing after extracting? In looking at it I seem to get the impression the only thing the prolong and repair to avoid explosion abilities are useful for are if you have a buddy with you so they can repair/prolong while you extract. Am I understanding it right?

You are correct, care plans and extraction plans cannot be combined. If you have long enough source times you can use care plans on your own sources. Check the foraging forum for more information.

[vguerin]

Originally Posted by tekkor

Anyway... a couple quick questions:

- On spells I of course have the heal other and the acid spells (have acid damage 2). I also picked up Stun which I heard was basically a mezz and worked good. I used it some and see how it will be useful especially in a group situation.... my understanding on it is once I cast Stun the creature cant move and attack but neither can you or the Stun is broken correct?

- Based on the way stun works how is Sleep different? My understanding is Sleep works much like Stun except that on Stun your teammates can hit the creature and it wont snap out of it. On Sleep if they attack the creature wakes up. Does Sleep also have the requirement of you the caster cant move?

- Fear spell. How does that work? is it usefull. From reading the description I get the impression that it is like other games where basically for a period of time the creature will turn and run away from you? Is it the same in that you cant move after you cast it?

All the afflictions have their own unique capabilities, the most important thing is you knowing which tree they belong in. The "blue" afflictions are defensive afflictions, the maroon colored ones are offensive afflictions. This is very important to distinguish as mobs may be immune to one type or the other. After you know this, then you can choose the ones from the particular tree that most assist your playing style. Fear works pretty much as you stated, all afflictions MAY lose link if you move but moving does not BREAK the link. I often cast my linked affliction and manuever where I need to be in thee group to be safe and effective. If I cast a link to run (soloing), the link typically breaks after a few steps but I got the headstart I needed.

Sleep is best used for ADD, when you "sleep" a mob to allow your team to finish their current fight. If the mob is engaged while he is "slept", it will break the sleep link.

- I noticed the Aura spells. One for regenerating HP and another for regenerating I think Stamina? Are these useful and does anyone have them and can comment on them?

Aura's at lower levels add a minimal effect, but aura's do work and provide extra regen ability to those within the radius. The cooldown time is fairly long so it needs to be used smartly.

- On excavating....I got the Gentle extraction ability...I also see the one ability that allows you to repair or prolong the life of the prospect site.... can you combine these stanzas together or does that not work or serve a purpose..In that I mean can I extract then in the same Stanza string repair to prolong the life of the spot or do you just run the prolong thing after extracting? In looking at it I seem to get the impression the only thing the prolong and repair to avoid explosion abilities are useful for are if you have a buddy with you so they can repair/prolong while you extract. Am I understanding it right?

- Krysteka (on NA server)

I hope that anything you have concerning harvesting is answered in a section of my harvesting guide... Good luck Homin...

Ultimate Harvesting Guide

[tekkor]

Thanks for the information. From this info it seems Sleep is a bit of a useless spell. Strange.... I mean it should have something that sets it apart from Stun shouldnt it? Perhaps a fast cast time or longer duration even if you move or something shouldnt it?

Regardless I have Stun and I can see it will be useful for sure when I finally make some friends and group up on the mainland (a girl in a strane land with no friends )

On extracting question thats what I figured. I guess I need to get the prolonged extracting ability also I guess.

[korin77]

From all the descriptions, sleep is very useful. Sleep can last til the mob wakes up. Very useful for mob control. Stun is to be used only to keep the mob from doing something while you fight it. You would cast sleep on extra mobs, but would cast stun on the main mob during a fight.

With one of these affliction spells, my party was able to kill something way way higher than we were.