[Magus] Looking for THE build

[Crumbs]

For those that want to use the best ST magus build/rotation.

To start with: Firestorm. Firestorm is amazing now. It’s an excellent finisher, and better than anything engi could hope for. It deals higher damage per tick than your 10sec Instant surging violet fire (it won’t say so on the tooltip, but it does). You can also use it more often, you can use it on the move, you can use it through walls and you can clip it into rotations. It actually has a default 100ft range. It says 80, but the aoe itself adds an extra 20 feet. You can also use it to slow down not-so-fast tanks and stuff.

Gear: Intelligence > Crit > whatever you prefer. You need at least 1k INT, 20-30% crit is O.K but you want 40%+ to even come close to competing with sorc damage. Aim for 1100+ INT if possible.

Tactics: Daemonic withering, Chaos Unleashed, Endless Knowledge (unless 1050+ INT ), Surging Power -or- Instant Pet.

How to DoT: Use baleful as your disrupt sensor, if the target keeps disrupting your baleful then he’s not someone you want to open on unless he’s almost down. If baleful DOES land, then use withered soul... at times you’ll have withered soul disrupted, that’s too bad. The 15% damage tactic is still a core tactic for any real dps. Don’t use other dots.

Rotation: use BoC, Perils of warp, Surging Violet fire, 1s firestorm - and on the 2nd tick of firestorm, use IFOC.

Magus Tips: Never begin your rotation by first setting your pet to attack, you will make your target immediately aware that you plan to attack him.
In fact, have your pet always set to full passive, that way your soft cc will always work if you get jumped - get used to being in full control of your pet. Only allow your pet to attack just before you finish your BoC cast, so that -everything- lands at the same time. In regards to glean magic - use it to assist sorcs and your own IFOC, nothing more.

Magus Mechanics: Damage stacks are the only thing that give magus meaning, it is VERY easy to lose them. do not lose them, but don’t throw your life for them. The best way to make use of your pets is to always be aware of where the enemy is, and how close they will be in the next few seconds, when you’re at 8x stacks you deal good damage. Sometimes you can just blast them whether they’re close or not. You gotta be good at judging what’s around you every second.

Also don’t just rock up and start shooting away, get up to at least 5x before you cast BoC

On the recieving end, Boc, perils, surging and firestorm land within 1s. Dealing thousands if they all land and crit, possibly killing them in one go, if not, use IFOC right on firestorm’s second tick. Always strive to land this rotation as perfectly as possible. There are many variables that can change its outcome.

Some will argue that that rotation can’t be done in that timeframe, but there is a way to get it in, and if you want to know you can speak to me in game and I’ll show you.

[Sulorie]

Why would I dump 100 points into intel to raise it from 1050 to 1100?
And why do you spec renown points into intel, as this is the only way to get to 1050 without intel tactic?
Wasting renown on normal attributes is a waste unless you are rr70+ with enough points to spend.

[Crumbs]

Because 1100 is better than 1050.

You’re not using RR to get there. You use RR to max Crit and then INT, or defensive stats if you really want them.

The only two stats you need to be successful as a havoc magus is INT and crit. Nothing more, you don’t need deft, you don’t need defensive stats. Engi rifleman builds run with -80 toughness, and stats split between ws and bs, magus gets it good.

You cant get everything, so of course you’re not likely to reach 1050+ without endless knowledge easily, unless you know how to mix and match several sets to bring it up.

[Tesq]

Why would I dump 100 points into intel to raise it from 1050 to 1100?
And why do you spec renown points into intel, as this is the only way to get to 1050 without intel tactic?
Wasting renown on normal attributes is a waste unless you are rr70+ with enough points to spend.

i do that too on my magus due def gear but off spec, i think is gear dependand and what stats you wanna get. Mine still work in progress tought

[Sulorie]

You cant get everything, so of course you’re not likely to reach 1050+ without endless knowledge easily, unless you know how to mix and match several sets to bring it up.

I ask because you need the tactic with 3 int bonus with set mix to cap stats.
Without renown intel you sit at about 950 intel without tactic.

[Nidwin]

@Crumbs

I've a couple of questions and/or remarks about your posted build and single target gameplay. Just for discussion and no insults meant on my side.

1. It's a 40RR50+ build so not suited for new Magus players looking for a starting single target build.

2. I'm still pondering about keeping your pink horror in passive mode at start. Your gameplay is elemental damage heavy in opening and the pink horror has an elemental debuff on %/chance. The faster your pink horror can start hitting your target the higher the chances that elemental debuf can pop?

3. If you slot Surging Power shouldn't you try to include Surge of Insanity in your rotation e.g. just before SVF?

4. Perils of The Warp is a 2s cast and as you already have 9 points in Path of Changing I would "personally" opt for a Rend Winds and Surge of Insanity combo.

5. You seem to like IFOC but I can't see you mentioning Glean Magic for the spirit debuff. I also think that if you opt for Rend Winds + Surge of Insanity combo, over Perils of The Warp, Glean Magic spirit debuff becomes a must. Just my opinion of course.

6. I do understand the attraction of our big nasty bolt BOC, but I still would only take it as second choice "opener" for a single target rotation if MBF get's disrupted. But that's a personal choice of course, either it's own.

[RuffRyder]

I'd agree to max out your offensive stat on a dps class with using tactic (EK, BF, etc.), although some ppl rather choose another way to go with tactics that give other boni, but in my experience after hitting the softcap you don't get much more out of stacking and it's not worth the cost even as glass cannon.

[Crumbs]

@Crumbs

I've a couple of questions and/or remarks about your posted build and single target gameplay. Just for discussion and no insults meant on my side.

1. It's a 40RR50+ build so not suited for new Magus players looking for a starting single target build.

2. I'm still pondering about keeping your pink horror in passive mode at start. Your gameplay is elemental damage heavy in opening and the pink horror has an elemental debuff on %/chance. The faster your pink horror can start hitting your target the higher the chances that elemental debuf can pop?

3. If you slot Surging Power shouldn't you try to include Surge of Insanity in your rotation e.g. just before SVF?

4. Perils of The Warp is a 2s cast and as you already have 9 points in Path of Changing I would "personally" opt for a Rend Winds and Surge of Insanity combo.

5. You seem to like IFOC but I can't see you mentioning Glean Magic for the spirit debuff. I also think that if you opt for Rend Winds + Surge of Insanity combo, over Perils of The Warp, Glean Magic spirit debuff becomes a must. Just my opinion of course.

6. I do understand the attraction of our big nasty bolt BOC, but I still would only take it as second choice "opener" for a single target rotation if MBF get's disrupted. But that's a personal choice of course, either it's own.

All good ask away

1. This is a max ST dps build for magus. new or not, the closest you build to this, the higher your ST damage. Also if he’s a new magus, the first thing he should do is be un-new so that he’s not limiting himself to things that are “xxxx” friendly. Regardless this build is good for new magus because it forces them to learn how critical it is to have good positioning, and fast survival/offensive thinking. It will be tough for a while, but it shapes you into something better.

2. It immediately gives notice to the player that you plan to attack them, and if they’ve fought you more than once, then it will prove this more. Not going to kill that BW or whoever if he knows you’re on him and starts LOSing and making the fight take longer than it should.

3. The reason I don’t list those is bc of their range, which is one of magus’ biggest advantage and should always be used as one in this spec. It’s not designed for being summoned at 80-90, then having to abandon it shortly after because enemy is too close. 80ft is very close. Often you’ll see magus summon from even further than 125ft range, to account for the likely change of enemy position, and so that they have their stacks ready.

4. Peril will land at the same time as BoC at 120ft, Peril’s Instant damage is second only to BoC. Surge of insanity should be used when peril is on CD but the range makes riskier, riskier yet when you need to emergency pull back(often). Rend should not be used unless you have no other available Instant cast and that’s the best you got, it’s slow, and splits its critical damage into 3 pieces, it can never be a singular large burst.

5. If it’s more important to keep at range then IFOC has to be used without glean magic, and even without it deals more damage than a flickering red fire/svf, this is your true finisher, the time between activation and hit is faster than any of your other Instant abilities. You’d use glean+other dots if you’re trying to create bigger sustained damage. (something you should try to avoid in this spec). If you’re in range for SOI then yes use glean, but cast it before any of your Instant damage.

6. BoC deals more instant damage than mutating, this is of great value to this build. Also, it will never be disrupted, that solid 2k + damage is always there. You’ll never get that reliability from Mutating, Mutating is also far shorter range, you can start casting BoC as a target is approaching, or running away. You can’t fit Mutating anywhere else in the rotation because it takes too long to cast... Unless - you have morale2 focused mind, then you’d replace Perils with it.

[Tesq]

yes that build main advantage is the range but the weaknest disadvantage is the mobility; if the enemy press the magus/engi your dmg gona basically drop a lot. That build is usually build very offensivly which lead to really count on other ppl. I discarded it for that reason , probably it can shine more in a premade vs premade but for everyday pug sc a magus in change spec especially if build with flame kiss/rend wind can live easier. Engi does not have these problems, because destru have no gap closer like wl pounce or more rCC than order so it's slight shine better on him.

classes like wh/wl basically close the gap in range way too fast for be handle in that build, especially if your tanks like to put pressure and you like to play more as a whole snowball then change it offer exatly what you need. (especially to deal with zapping pet around being able to move by flamer pet is really helpfull).

havoc give you extra advantage vs BW/sw because they have hard time enter in a threatening range since you start hit before them.

Basically havoc heavy builds are average better to counter rdps while change builds does for sure a better work with respond to what enemy melee do and offer more build flexibility especially because most of change builds are light of tactics and you have more freedom of builds. But overall if you still want kill power , havoc still beat change tought.

[Crumbs]

I'd agree to max out your offensive stat on a dps class with using tactic (EK, BF, etc.), although some ppl rather choose another way to go with tactics that give other boni, but in my experience after hitting the softcap you don't get much more out of stacking and it's not worth the cost even as glass cannon.

The thing about softcap is that it’s not worth it point for point. But you’re also pushing the very limit of burst and dps (in this case), if you can avoid getting killed, then it’s all the more worth it. It is especially suited to this spec as it is natural to constantly attempt to avoid damage through range or good kiting/los. Seeing 3k+BOCs + added damage and disrupt bypass makes it very much worth it. You should be taking as much INT as you can get in this spec