constantius
08-25-2008, 12:42
Hi, this is a guide I just wrote to instruct new Demonologists on which Feats I think are useful, and the order I think they should be invested. It starts off with a general Playstyle discussion, Feats allocation is covered in the second post linked here.. This build is for leveling purposes on a PVP server, with some PVP abilities thrown in as they become available. The main focus is AOE grinding and mana efficiency. There is some wiggle room, there are some points that you can get in different orders (at this time).
First off, I hate leveling with single target damage. We are an AOE class, we should use AOE. When I level, I spam health pots a *LOT.* They only cost about as much as you get from a single mob, and as every time you're using them you kill at least 3 mobs, why not? I don't AOE grind from level 1, but eventually you will realize when you have the power and spells available to you to start AOEing.
Basically you should size up the area before you run in. Watch out for Archer/Ranger type mobs, they hurt a lot until you close into melee and they stop shooting arrows. The benefit of these mobs is their melee damage sucks, but once they start they don't go back to arrows. Be careful of body pulling more mobs when you run in to do this though!
Sprint through the mobs (don't worry about exhaustion, I'm never seen my spell get pushed back while exhausted) to round them up, pausing next to Archers so they follow you. Casters you unfortunately can't do much about, so generally you will have to stop next to them and AOE down what you've gotten so far. Alternately you can range pull with either Shockstrike or Shockblast. Starting with Shockstrike means 1 mob will die fast, which lessens the damage you take.
Start alternating Shockblast (SB) and Inferno of Amber (IoA) as soon as possible. You will notice that because of a "flash" on the icons after their cooldown is up, you can't cast SB with no downtime if you cast it, then cast IoA, then try to go back to SB. You have several options here.
1) Just wait, it's only half a second.
2) Use Shock. It helps to kill one mob as fast as possible to keep the incoming damage low.
3) Use a CC, like Wicked Bolt (50+), Fiery Torment (45+, or 30+ after they change it), Hands of the Underworld (50+), or even Storm Chains. These accomplish the same effect as Shock spam, reducing your incoming damage. I would especially recommend going into CC mode when you see the "Empty Protection of Set" debuff on your char, because no matter how well you were tanking before, you're about to die when you see that.
4) Use a longer casting spell. Chaos Blast (70+), Thunderclap (60+), Hellfire Stream, or something of that nature. The first 2 augment your AOE well, and it's well worth it to slow down your SB/IoA spam to throw these spells in there. Hellfire Stream is more of a filler if you're trying to kill your main target fast and Shock is down (after every other SB/IoA combo).
5) Remember to get out of melee range if you use a root! They can save your ass, but not if you keep standing next to what you rooted. You can root casters too, instead of getting out of range though you just run behind them, since rooted targets can't turn, they won't be able to keep casting on you. This is very useful pre 45-50, since the only CC you have is Storm Chains, but casters still hurt like crazy!
On potions and food. You shouldn't need mana or stamina pots, but health pots are a must. Stock up on around 40 of these every time you run low, and whenever you pull a good sized pack of mobs, use one. Wait until their hits take off initial HP for the burst of the health pot (a few hundred HP, depending on the pot level). DON'T wait until you are at half HP though. Every second you have that pot running is more HP gained, and more survival time. Especially if you are fighting a tough pull, waiting to lose much more than the initial burst of your pot almost always means death. I usually keep a stock of HP and Mana food (~15 each) and use them when I know I will be grinding or killing mobs for an extended period of time. Focus on food that adds a lot of total HP and mana food that adds a lot of mana regen. I only use stamina food that I find on the ground to save inventory space (it's better than throwing it away, eh? And lets you sprint more).
If you want to pull more mobs after you've gotten situated, take the time to target them while SB or IoA is casting. Since they are ground targeted AOEs, there's no reason you need to target any of the mobs you are killing. I like to pull with Shock or Hellfire Stream, though occasionally I will use Shockstrike for very far mobs, since it has the longest range of our spells.
Before I get into the feats, remember that there's no reason you have to see what you're going to hit with your AOE to cast it. As soon as you click the button, left click on the ground to start casting, you don't have to wait for the green circle at all (it's fine if you deselect your target, of course). Also remember that AOE has no line of sight, you can cast it around walls.
Finally, pay attention to your Protection of Set debuff. You will NOT be able to tank anything without damage absorb in your shield. If you see the empty shield debuff pop up, react immediately. If your HP pot isn't on cooldown yet, use one. This will not be enough to keep you up vs. more than 1-2 mobs (and not long against 2 mobs). Hopefully you will have CC that isn't on cooldown or at least a stamina pot that you picked up. Spam your CC and start running. You won't be able to get more than 1 AoE off vs. a decent group of mobs before dying, if that. Melee mobs do tend to be really bad at hitting you if you just run away from them, so using what stamina you have and kiting them around until your shield refreshes is highly recommended. You will probably HAVE to have an HP pot running to do this without dying though.
by fant0m @ US forum
First off, I hate leveling with single target damage. We are an AOE class, we should use AOE. When I level, I spam health pots a *LOT.* They only cost about as much as you get from a single mob, and as every time you're using them you kill at least 3 mobs, why not? I don't AOE grind from level 1, but eventually you will realize when you have the power and spells available to you to start AOEing.
Basically you should size up the area before you run in. Watch out for Archer/Ranger type mobs, they hurt a lot until you close into melee and they stop shooting arrows. The benefit of these mobs is their melee damage sucks, but once they start they don't go back to arrows. Be careful of body pulling more mobs when you run in to do this though!
Sprint through the mobs (don't worry about exhaustion, I'm never seen my spell get pushed back while exhausted) to round them up, pausing next to Archers so they follow you. Casters you unfortunately can't do much about, so generally you will have to stop next to them and AOE down what you've gotten so far. Alternately you can range pull with either Shockstrike or Shockblast. Starting with Shockstrike means 1 mob will die fast, which lessens the damage you take.
Start alternating Shockblast (SB) and Inferno of Amber (IoA) as soon as possible. You will notice that because of a "flash" on the icons after their cooldown is up, you can't cast SB with no downtime if you cast it, then cast IoA, then try to go back to SB. You have several options here.
1) Just wait, it's only half a second.
2) Use Shock. It helps to kill one mob as fast as possible to keep the incoming damage low.
3) Use a CC, like Wicked Bolt (50+), Fiery Torment (45+, or 30+ after they change it), Hands of the Underworld (50+), or even Storm Chains. These accomplish the same effect as Shock spam, reducing your incoming damage. I would especially recommend going into CC mode when you see the "Empty Protection of Set" debuff on your char, because no matter how well you were tanking before, you're about to die when you see that.
4) Use a longer casting spell. Chaos Blast (70+), Thunderclap (60+), Hellfire Stream, or something of that nature. The first 2 augment your AOE well, and it's well worth it to slow down your SB/IoA spam to throw these spells in there. Hellfire Stream is more of a filler if you're trying to kill your main target fast and Shock is down (after every other SB/IoA combo).
5) Remember to get out of melee range if you use a root! They can save your ass, but not if you keep standing next to what you rooted. You can root casters too, instead of getting out of range though you just run behind them, since rooted targets can't turn, they won't be able to keep casting on you. This is very useful pre 45-50, since the only CC you have is Storm Chains, but casters still hurt like crazy!
On potions and food. You shouldn't need mana or stamina pots, but health pots are a must. Stock up on around 40 of these every time you run low, and whenever you pull a good sized pack of mobs, use one. Wait until their hits take off initial HP for the burst of the health pot (a few hundred HP, depending on the pot level). DON'T wait until you are at half HP though. Every second you have that pot running is more HP gained, and more survival time. Especially if you are fighting a tough pull, waiting to lose much more than the initial burst of your pot almost always means death. I usually keep a stock of HP and Mana food (~15 each) and use them when I know I will be grinding or killing mobs for an extended period of time. Focus on food that adds a lot of total HP and mana food that adds a lot of mana regen. I only use stamina food that I find on the ground to save inventory space (it's better than throwing it away, eh? And lets you sprint more).
If you want to pull more mobs after you've gotten situated, take the time to target them while SB or IoA is casting. Since they are ground targeted AOEs, there's no reason you need to target any of the mobs you are killing. I like to pull with Shock or Hellfire Stream, though occasionally I will use Shockstrike for very far mobs, since it has the longest range of our spells.
Before I get into the feats, remember that there's no reason you have to see what you're going to hit with your AOE to cast it. As soon as you click the button, left click on the ground to start casting, you don't have to wait for the green circle at all (it's fine if you deselect your target, of course). Also remember that AOE has no line of sight, you can cast it around walls.
Finally, pay attention to your Protection of Set debuff. You will NOT be able to tank anything without damage absorb in your shield. If you see the empty shield debuff pop up, react immediately. If your HP pot isn't on cooldown yet, use one. This will not be enough to keep you up vs. more than 1-2 mobs (and not long against 2 mobs). Hopefully you will have CC that isn't on cooldown or at least a stamina pot that you picked up. Spam your CC and start running. You won't be able to get more than 1 AoE off vs. a decent group of mobs before dying, if that. Melee mobs do tend to be really bad at hitting you if you just run away from them, so using what stamina you have and kiting them around until your shield refreshes is highly recommended. You will probably HAVE to have an HP pot running to do this without dying though.
by fant0m @ US forum