About Spell Levels

[FeuPhoenix]

Hi all, first post here and I'm posting a question. This can't be good. =)

Anywho, I was going through some guides on the mage, and the popular advice given was to keep Magic Missile and Fire Bolt at Level 1, and empower them for reduced cooldown times, for spammy goodness until Lvl 50s.

My observation, however is this: When doing this, the mob usually has enough time to get within melee range and start smacking you, compared to when you have higher level spells and thus able to kill the mob before he can even move a step. So which is generally better?

I understand that the lvl 1 MM and FB combination does excellent damage against boss monsters (where he should be smacking Fighters and Clerics, not the Mage), but I'm not too sure how it works when grinding and farming. I'm playing the game mostly for non-PvP purposes, unless I find myself in a guild (not in the near future, that's for sure).

Or am I getting something wrong?

[Ivramire]

The reason they are kept at the first levels is because the higher levels do only marginally more damage for a higher SP cost and longer cool-time. That's why everyone uses the first level. They're just more efficient.


You may empower MM for 1 SP point which will save a lot of SP in the long run, but empowering their cooldown in entirely optional. Need to use filler-spells like the two decline when you get the stronger Fireball and more spells.

[FeuPhoenix]

I understand that the MM1 is more efficient than its later levels (the table in Shade's guide was very helpful in this) but my concern is that more spells have to be cast in order to kill a random monster, which means a longer total casting time compared to having high level spells which might kill a random monster in a single salvo. This longer total casting time translates to more time that the monster has to smack you, and you could take more damage as a result.

That's how I feel that at least some levels be invested in spells for purposes of grinding...

[Ivramire]

^That might be the case in most other games, but the increase in damage over the tiers for FB and MM is too small to really notice. Compare the increase in damage over tiers for MM and FB to other skills increase, and you might see that is actually quite...pitiful xD


The much shorter cooldown for the level one MM and FB easily offsets the resisted damage from the higher tiers.

[Hessah]

Hmm I don't think I kept Firebolt at level 1. I didn't know that was the recommended LOL! I've been upgrading it all.

I think it's normal for mobs to catch up to you. Or at least I've taken it as normal, I don't usually kill them before they reach me unless I get a few lucky crits in.

Using level 1 spell may mean you need to cast another spell an extra time, but if you use the highest level to start off with, each skill have a (roughly) 15 sec cool down time, if you can't kill it by the end of your chain of skills, you're left with all the skills in Cool Down and a mob chasing you.


I see a.L reading this thread XD He'll probably recommend for you to use MM1 at the beginning then finish the mob of with a higher level spell. But that's always been too much coordination for me...

I just alternate MM1 with all the other skills that I've got...

[Blaaaaaaaah]

Usually we also kite a little bit with lightning bolt (and lightning blast at later levels) so that keep the distance between you and the mob a little longer. That should be taken into account as well~ But of course, if you're in a map where you can't kite without running into other monsters... well, yeah.

I don't think whether you use level 1 or the highest level matters, as long as it suits your play-style preference. Doesn't hurt to try and experiment, pretty much whatever floats your boat.

You just save money by not trying the higher level option. xD But if you're rich, that's not a problem, haha.

You could also use level 1's when you need to spam and then a higher level MM/FB to finish off the mob (just keep in mind both levels will go through the same cooldowns, so if you use a higher level MM, your level 1 MM will go through the longer CD too).

Edit: I'm slow.

[Ivramire]

Increasing FB from the first tier triples the cool-time *__*


MM1 is usually used as a filler-spell anyway and Fire-Ball almost always replaces Fire-Bolt. Even the first level of F-Ball has the same cool-time (15 secs) as the higher-levels of F-Bolt but hits for much more damage.

[a.L]

I use both Fire bolt and Fire ball. :/

With Fire bolt [08] and Fire ball [01], I remember fire bolt still did a little more damage.

[EdwardWarlock]

I use both Fire bolt and Fire ball. :/

With Fire bolt [08] and Fire ball [01], I remember fire bolt still did a little more damage.

It does, but it is easily replaced by Fireball at later levels. Max Fire bolt does like 942 (+309) if empowered, and a normal level one Fire Bolt in your 7x does around +500 damage, with a 5 second cool down (versus 12 seconds at max). So would rather flick two fire bolts at twice the speed (and total over 1000 damage), or one that may miss and leave you in a 12 second cool down for about 900+ damage? The choice is yours....It's great at 48 because it does more damage than a level one Fireball, but Fireball soon takes over (at level 2) as your toughest single damage spell. If you have the money later, just reset the points (on Fire bolt's damage empowerment) to have an advantage at all levels. Otherwise I don't recommend it, because it will not help in the long run, and an empowered Fireball does way more damage.

[Triumph]

In your later levels, the mob will usually get to you in time anyways, so a higher level spell may result in killing faster, yes, but will consume much more SP and have a much longer cooldown.

Secondly, MM1 and FB1 spam are generally recognized as filler spells. You will get an excellent spell named Magic Blast at level 49, which will become another one of your spammed spells. It has good damage, low SP consumption, and fast cooldown. You will generally want to have around two to three filler spells; MM1 and FB1 usually suffice, but Magic Blast also become a useful spell in your arsenal.

Thirdly, in later levels, people will generally prefer to use AoE spells, such as Frost Nova and Inferno, to kill multiple mobs at once. Consequently, you will find yourself more of a DD slave than anything, without any real need to spam the upper tier spells. The lower level spells will suffice to eliminate any mobs that survive your barrage.

In the later game, you will have 7 single target spells to use. One lower level elemental (Magic, Ice, Fire, and Lightning) along with one higher elemental (Magic, Ice, Fire, and Lightning). I say 7 because your Ice spells will share a cooldown with one another.

Trust me when I say this, but there is absolutely no need to invest into upper level spells. The only single target active spell I urge you to upgrade levelwise is Fire Ball. Magic Blast is optional—I personally did it—but this one I merely suggest. Fear and Drain Mind you should upgrade too, but these come when most users are generally experienced with using their character.

If you have any further questions, I recommend consulting the Wiki. Most commonly asked questions are generally answered there, but feel free to post additional questions if you have them.