Staves vs Wand? I figured it out.

MagesRequiem · 10-13-2007, 07:47 PM

Alright, i'm not the highest leveled Mage out there (yet) but i'll share some of my knowledge with you on the whole "Staff vs Wand" debate. Normally, I went with Wands. Why? Because of the 1% extra critical and also because the M. Damage was slightly higher. However, I just recently went into CP (Collapsed Prison) where all the mobs there are a dark red for me.

I can only last one to two hits from a Weakened Ogre or a Harkan. King Colls annihilate me in one shot even with scrolls and buffs. Anyways, I managed to find a group as soon as I got in. We had one Cleric, two Fighters, and another Mage. Just to let you all know I am a level 32 Mage, nearly level 33. Anyways, while we were fighting the other Mage was pulling.

She was using a Staff. Every time I saw her cast a spell she always hit (she might've missed but I wasn't always paying attention to that). However, when I decided to take over on the pulling I noticed that I would miss quite often. And yes, I even had a "power" scroll on. But I was still missing. I asked her why she choose the Staff and she said that she choose it because it had a lower chance of missing.

I told her that it wasn't as nearly as powerful as a Wand and that you could make up the accuracy difference simply by using a "power" scroll. Obviously, I was wrong. So I went out and bought myself a Zest Staff from Smith Karls. I'm not too fond of the way the Staves look but I had to give it a try. When I went back out I noticed that I hit a lot more often.

In fact, I don't think I ever missed once. Of course, I did use a "power" scroll as it is necessary when fighting monsters that are much stronger than you. So if you're going to choose between Wands or Staves, here's what you should think about. Would you prefer to be doing a little bit of extra damage and miss a lot even with the use of a scroll?

Or would you prefer doing not quite as much damage but hitting practically all the time especially when using a scroll? I would definitely choose Staves over Wands especially if you can find one with a high INT bonus. Hopefully this will help you in your decision of whether you want to use a Staff or a Wand.

Elrohier · 10-13-2007, 08:01 PM

Hmm... I went staffs intill 20 then switched to a wand to see the difference. I dont miss that often. And I dont use a scroll often either. I will probably never really chose between them, but use whats better for me at the moment. Plus I like how most staffs look. Not all mind you.

MagesRequiem · 10-13-2007, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by Elrohier

Hmm... I went staffs intill 20 then switched to a wand to see the difference. I dont miss that often. And I dont use a scroll often either. I will probably never really chose between them, but use whats better for me at the moment. Plus I like how most staffs look. Not all mind you.

You won't miss often with or without scrolls with either Staves or Wand unless you're fighting monsters who are dark red to you. Which is what you'll need to be doing if you want to even have any chance of trying to level up quickly at level 30+.

.o0O0O0o. · 10-13-2007, 08:06 PM

some of the green or named wands (ZK) have good aim (103). You get the best of both world, damage and aim

MagesRequiem · 10-13-2007, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by .o0O0O0o.

some of the green or named wands (ZK) have good aim (103). You get the best of both world, damage and aim

Yeah but those are hard as hell to come by and are incredibly expensive. If I can find one, I will buy one. But unless you can find/purchase one, Staves are the better choice.

.o0O0O0o. · 10-13-2007, 08:10 PM

Yea, if you can find one around 25-30silver would be a good deal, but they are out there.

Elrohier · 10-13-2007, 08:11 PM

What tier power scroll do you use?

MagesRequiem · 10-13-2007, 08:14 PM

@.0oOoOo0.: I can not spell your name nor will I ever try again. I'm just to call you O from now on. Anyways, I know they're out there but i've looked a lot. I've spent hours looking in both Elderine and Roumen for one. I figured the only way I can even get one now is by kicking the Zombie Kings ass myself. I'll still keep looking though.

@Elrohier: I only use Tier 1 as of now. I can not find any Tier 2 Power Scrolls nor can I make any myself as scroll materials are rather hard to come by without farming them myself which I generally try to do.

**Yosei** · 10-13-2007, 08:23 PM

I do staves most of the time, they tend to have better AIM and M.damage. I already have nice crits, so the crit rate doesnt matter to me. BUT some of the rare higher leveled wands are nice too. So I do both.

**Lilian** · 10-13-2007, 09:26 PM

Staves do NOT have higher m.dmg unless you compare a green staff to a white wand. Or perhaps unless the staff has +int but the wand doesnt. All they have going for them is the aim.

I personally never missed "alot" when using an aim scroll and a wand. Going into CP at lv30 shouldn't be considered "normal" conditions anyway. You're not supposed to be hitting mobs that are designed for lv50 weapons. >.>

Anyhow, the core point still does stand, being simply that if you want more aim, go for staff. if you want more crit and dmg, go for wand. When it comes to GREEN items this issue is no longer valid because the stats are random in those, which means a staff can do more dmg than a wand potentially.