Archmage guide

[minmay]

So...let's strip off positive sustains, on one of the most sustain driven classes in the game, to remove a negative Magic status.

Casting Disperse Magic on yourself doesn't remove your sustains, or even your temporary beneficial effects. Just the detrimental ones.

[SageAcrin]

Huh.

Didn't know that. It's not really explained in the description, and I never bothered to code dive that particular skill because I thought its workings were obvious.

Neat. Still, as mentioned, magical dangerous effects are pretty minor in general.

[Parcae2]

Good points, all (especially the one about cooldown reduction items being very rare). I guess the takeaway is that there are multiple ways to build a successful AM. That's a good thing!

The one thing that I would still respectfully quarrel with is your assessment of Arcane Shield. I cannot imagine any circumstance under which I would ever think, "Well, that's enough shield, we're done here."

These days I mostly play Nightmare, Insane, or the ID, so that might have an effect on my calculations.

[SageAcrin]

These days I mostly play Nightmare, Insane, or the ID, so that might have an effect on my calculations.

Oh, yes, there actually is a meaningful distinction between a 1000~ barrier and a 4000~ barrier in those areas.

I think it's a bit more than needed still, for Nightmare, but I haven't been working too hard on my Nightmare/Roguelike runs just yet. Too busy with DoomRL for the moment, but I think I'm running out of steam on that. Insane and ID, though, definitely.

[Tigerle]

What about all the other ways you can self-damage with elements and trigger Harmony?

It's not like they don't exist on other characters(Devouring Flame, for example.). It's not a new trick; Pick up an L1 skill that you don't care about and use it to self-trigger.

It doesn't even get used that much with this trick, though. I wouldn't worry about it much.

There is a different to other skill set, where you hit yourself with Lvl1 damage:
You dont need to target yourself! If you activate flameshock or blastwave with lvl5 and burning wake with lvl5 you are standing in your own fire when you hit your enemies. You don't lose a turn for hitting yourself. With wildfire, hitting yourself is a side effect, which you will use for triggering harmony. And there are not as many possibilities.

[Elroniel]

In regards to your information about a Stone/Earth based build, what tress would be the best to spend excess class points in?

I'm currently running a Skeleton Archmage, going for the Stone/Earth route. I luckily found the Wrap of Stone, the cloak that boosts Stone and Earth (If I remember correctly), so in that case, should I still spend a category point on boosting Stone?

I've read through your guide completely but I'm relatively new to the game and even more green when it comes to magic characters, since I've had drastically more success with Antimagic based characters.

[SageAcrin]

A: You should only consider adding a second category point to Stone if you find another way to boost it. 1.5 base isn't enough to get the extra turn of cooldown reduction, but 1.6 should be. Wrap of Stone on an Earth/Stone oriented Archmage is an all-game equip, so the second category point's not a bad idea in that case.

B: Basically anything I listed in the support skills are good. A tribeam setup, Disruption Shield, Illuminate, Blur Sight, Fireflash, that sort of spell. I highly recommend Illuminate(as it is one of the few spells that can be boosted by a Greater class of staff at the same time as Physical) and Fireflash(backup area blasting for Earthquake).

Flameshock and Freeze are lower priorities because you already have a good Stun skill in Earthquake, but they can be worth picking up. Focus on Earthquake first, though-it's probably the best Stun skill in the game. Just don't hit yourself with it.

[Elroniel]

Excellent, I was already looking at Illuminate for the same reasons, as I just nabbed a greater something staff, and noticed the buff to light as well as physical.

And on a slightly different note, I managed to grab the unlock for Stone Alchemy from the escort; should I invest a cat point here, or is it worth it in a build like this?

(And thanks for the quick response!)

EDIT: Should I worry about Armor Pen. since virtually all of the used spells in this build are physical damage? Or is that even used since they're spells?
EDIT:: Also noticed that adding the Cat. point -did- boost stone to 1.6, but it did not change the tool tip from a 4sec CD reduction, it only adjusted the resistance changes (on Body of Stone).

[Earwicker]

And on a slightly different note, I managed to grab the unlock for Stone Alchemy from the escort; should I invest a cat point here, or is it worth it in a build like this?

Stone Alchemy is generally great, the problem I see here is that skeletons also have great racial talents you probably want to heavily invest in, and you may end up strapped for generic points.

[Elroniel]

Yeah, I've heard as much about Stone Alchemy ... and I was worried a bit about generics since I went Skellie and most of them seem mandatory, except maybe the first one.

[Infinitum]

You could eschew going for an escort tree and spend the points saved in Armor Training (for mail armor) - the extra hardiness comes in handy in order to utilize Stone Skin, and it isn't like the Archmage/Skelly trees have a dearth of useable talents.

EDIT: Or hell, purchase Staff Combat and go nuts with the Big Knocker; who said Arcane Blades should hog all the close combat fun?

[Elroniel]

Wait, where can I get armor training on an Archmage? Is there a trainer somewhere I can pay, or an escort that grants that tree?

[PureQuestion]

He's in Last Hope.

[Mewtarthio]

Pretty much every store in Last Hope except the library and inscription shops, actually.

[ahahaha]

One thing I really want to point out is that time shield is REALLY good now. Instead of being damage smearing (spreading out the damage later), it instead converts damage into healing.

And also, Cornac is way easier/stronger to play than any of the other races. I find the xp boost puts you on top of every encounter whereas Skeletons are always lagging and status effects will kill you. And Cornacs can also unlock temporal at level one, giving you time shield at lvl 4 and unlocking Wildfire at level 10. It's an extraordinarily efficient build.

Seriously, time shield is amazing with Aegis and Meta. (I went Temporal, Wildfire, inscription, Meta. Another advantage for Cornac)

Once you have quicken spells your time shield's cooldown is = to it's duration so you are always shielded!