Magus: havoc (sniper) or Changing (dot aoe)

[Vorloj]

Hi all dears,

i'm levelling a Magus (as title says) and i'm a fork: havoc or changing?

I really love spread dots and aoe dots on enemies but i can see that, except a huge amount of damage, i don't do really anything useful. Yes lot of damage, many kills but with dots i can't kill istantly an enemy that is capping (for ie).

I've read many old post where people says that changing is nearly useless except horde at defend keep but i would know if at end game is the same. I'm only lv 17 now so i have to change mandatory to havoc or if there is a possibility to spread my dots with a sense for my faction.

EDIT: Ah yes my idea is a build centered around pandaemonium and dissolving mist. Is viable? (if dots aoe are useful ofc)

p.s. sorry for my english, isn't my native language, i'm Italian

Thanks all

[Caduceus]

Both builds are viable, but here's some general points about both specs:


Havoc:
- Long-range, so less reliant on gear and group support
- Very strong single-target damage, thus can kill things alone (though always try to assist someone!)
- Most effective in small engagements, scenarios or when part of a single-target group in a 24-man warband (running a single-target group usually requires a high degree of organisation though).


Changing:
- Medium-range, so somewhat reliant on gear and group support
- Strong AoE pressure, but lack of burst and single target damage means you will struggle to kill things alone. You need allies applying AoE together with you to kill things.
- Most effective in large engagements, like keep and fortress sieges, and large RvR fights.


Havoc is the more forgiving spec of the two, and in my opinion better for new players. Long range will give you an easier time keeping yourself safe. The fact you can take down targets even in mediocre gear means you'll be getting more direct feedback in your gameplay, which usually translates in more fun and less frustration.

With that said, play what you enjoy most.

[b00n]

hi,

in short: solo/6man havoc wb: changing.

the best thing i was doing was do setup on BOs and nuked with big aao.
Regards

[SepticDisaster]

I’d suggest having a spec saved for both, that way you can run whichever one suits your current play situation. You can always run to the keep or to IC and swap specs as needed.

[Rhinochild]

iirc while leveling my magus I found changing most effective - though note, I did 90% of my leveling in scenarios. At some point around r31 I think I swapped over to havoc - when you can get Indigo Fire, Bolt of Change and Chaos Unleashed, it's time to unleash the chaos.

Also note which minions are most effective for which spec. For changing you're going to want a flamer most of the time for the dot tic increase while in havoc you want the pink horror for the elemental resist debuff and range increase.

[SepticDisaster]

What do you guys like to use as a Havoc burst rotation? I’ve been playing Havoc spec a bit more lately and I’m still trying to iron out a steady rotation. I’ve tried stringing Baleful-Withered-Mutating-Insanity-Violet-Indigo but I’m not necessarily in love with it. Any suggestions?

[Cqengi]

Gotta adapt the rotation according to how much LOS/range time you have. If in open field or they don't react to your damage and try to LOS, then go for the full setup with baleful > withering > (ele debuff from pet) > boc > mbf > svf > ifoc.

For any havoc build I highly advise to slot in the daemonic withering tactic (+15% damage suffered on target affected by withered soul, engi mirror to co-ordinated fire).

For a quick rotation on a squishy with this tactic you can use withered > (ele debuff) > mbf > svf > ifoc. Only use this opener if youre certain withered won't be cleansed immediately, otherwise use baleful beforehand (allows for more reaction time by enemy though).

[SepticDisaster]

Thanks for the input! I agree with you on the Withered Soul tactic, it’s very useful in so many different situations (oil, stage 2 and 3 city, etc). What’s your take on Surging Power? I’ve been debating on whether or not to continue using it.