[Archmage] Playing the mechanic

[navis]

So, I recently started playing AM and am a total noob at healing but I find the class to have one of the best mechanics so far... By far the funnest healer IMO, the High Magic really makes things interesting by adding the benefit's to the opposing schools. However getting to t3 things seem to change and clearly it's not easy or smart to continue playing any sort of hybrid spec (because all healing is needed to survive).
However even when specing all healing I find that having the opposite school (damaging abilities) still available to take advantage of running with full Tranquility most of the time.. At times you can really get lots of dots on a focus target in order to get a Kill but then have a insta-group heal ready. I enjoy this much better than the RunePriest Rune of Breaking mechanic - but that one has it's merit too..
I'm still trying to figure out what will be best as I level up to max. Tier 2 is definately super fun with this class, it's not a easy class but once you figure out a few combo that either DPS->HPS or HPS->DPS, forces you into a longer chain of events in order to be effective.
I'm trying to find the best way to provide good heals but still take advantage of the Force bonus, is that wise?

[Thalmus]

Well I think you are right to use the mechanic leading into a fight so if you are dps then loading up your force by throwing some hots or if heal spec then your tranquility by some dots but I think that kindof goes out the window during the fight itself when AP management takes over as a priority when working through your cycles.

[gungnir08]

I'm still trying to figure out what will be best as I level up to max. Tier 2 is definately super fun with this class, it's not a easy class but once you figure out a few combo that either DPS->HPS or HPS->DPS, forces you into a longer chain of events in order to be effective.
I'm trying to find the best way to provide good heals but still take advantage of the Force bonus, is that wise?

I mean, you can certainly try. If that's what you think is fun, then more power to you.

In my experience, if I'd try to heal and do damage at the same time, I wouldn't have much luck with either. That's the prevailing opinion with respect to hybrids in general in this game. One of the largest reasons for this is the multiple attribute dependency that hybrids tend to have, where you end up splitting stats between two primary damage/heal stats (here it's Intelligence and Willpower respectively) to the point where you can't do much on either side of the spectrum as overall stats get higher and higher in general.

Scarcity of spec points also plays a role in this, but I've blathered long enough, I think. If playing AM as a hybrid is fun for you, then there's no reason not to at least try.

[greenstoned]

its actually pretty hard to make it work in the later tiers, even as dps you are better off stacking intel and relying on lifetaps for your heals

like topo said one of the problem is being forced to stack both willpower and intel

the other is as dps u need divine fury to get serious numbers going on, which will reduce your healing

from a dps point of view, the mechanic can still be usefull for instant rez, instand group heal, altho small numbers, around 500 per person in t3, and better numbers on the absorb shield. i guess u could also cast the instant hot and the mechanic bonus will nullify the divine fury penalty, but its still gunna be low due to lack of willpower.

from a healer point of view, i have no idea how you could wisely use the mechanic. i dont do heal archmage

[gungnir08]

Where healing is concerned, the wisest (read: only) application of the AM's mechanic that I know of is using five points of Tranquility to instant cast Cleansing Flare to bounce a melee train back, or something.

Yeah, it isn't great.

[greenstoned]

ive never been a huge fan of it tbh, punt distance is small, easily nullified if targets are punted in a slope, and will trigger immunity for em. i prefer wind blast in most cases, since cleansing flare is pretty much a free immunity to cc deal for your targets

[gungnir08]

Well, the problem with Wind Blast is you'd have to risk running afoul of any targets that may disrupt or block the knockback. Besides, I'd argue that a healing AM has no reason to risk being that close to a melee train in the first place.

Cleansing Flare at least offers some semblance of security in that you don't risk personal harm if it fails to do what you need it to do. I agree with its poor knockback distance though, but it certainly has situational use (drop MotM, let the train run through it, and then knock them back into it, ideally). My main point was that, as far as I can recall, that is the only real use a healing AM has for the AM's mechanic.

[Illiyara]

Yup, cleansing flare is the only real use for high magic when healing. You could also use it on transfer force, but that becomes increasingly useless too, and I'd only do that if I have time and AP to spare.

The mechanic is useful for dps AMs, who can insta res or empower SoS, but even then it's far from an impressive, class-defining mechanic in the endgame. On live, it was periodically complained about, and there were many suggestions for remakes. I think AM was next on the list after SM for such a remake when retail servers went down.

I really hope such a remake can happen on RoR, a change that could make the Empowered Lores tactic actually viable in a true hybrid build.

[Kali14]

I could tell you but I don't because enemies can read this:)

[bangkokeight]

like a lot of classes the frustrating thing about an AM at least imo is the lack of effectiveness in the third path. Leach healing/dps was at one point a fun way to play. I remember pre 1.36 regularly seeing AMs top dmg and top healing in scs.. a few of their names still play on RoR (Llondo springs to mind)..

however they were playing back then the current state of the AM means there really does not seem to be a third way.. people either go all out glass cannon or (and this always baffles me on an AM) full healtard...

One suggestion to make a leach heal spec work would be to move arcing power further up a try but also to make it proc of either all the AM dots or at the very least the dots in that tree.

Part of me seems to recall this being the case on at least one patch back on live, in that transfer force also procced the additional 25% if you had arcing power slotted.. however i am told it didnt.. and i do consume the occasional bttle of vodka so who can say for sure..

anyway, just my two satang