Previous Thread
Expand All
Collapse All
Ignore Author
Reply
Very lost on the channeling business, but I'll try it on rats to see what's what. When i have time anyway.
by the way, when someone says "warding," for instance "You ward these guys very well," what do they mean. I don't recall warding anything. I blast em with 702s, disintegrate em, cast storms on them, break their limbs.... does "Warding" simply mean "Cast sorcerer spells."
The term throws me off since I'd never want to ward an enemy from anything if I'm trying to kill em. Ward sounds like a defensive word to me, but I know its some category of skill or spell. I'm still trying to catch up with the game. I've been in less than a week after an absence of years, and my last time in the game was after another absence of even more years, so I've a lot to catch up on and initial knowledge I've never quite digested as well.
For starters, warding means "you managed to hit them with a CS based spell like 702, 705, 719". Maelstrom is maneuver/level based, and has no visible roll and does not work on the CS system, so it isn't warding. In other words, if you ward well, it means you hit frequently with CS based spells. You know how if you miss with 702, it says "Its warded off!". Thats missing a warding spell.
Channeling is a verb you use with a handful of spells in the game. Instead of typing CAST RAT, you type CHANNEL RAT. It incurs not just 3 seconds of cast RT, but also three seconds of HARD RT. The benefit is that it does significantly more damage. This damage, in turn, is modified by the number of hands open and your stance.
As a runestaff user, you have one hand open by default. Unless you need to get out of the room, it is ALWAYS in your best interest to channel the spells you can channel (702 Mana Disruption and 705 Disintegration). When channeling from guarded, I literally NEVER see the weakest two hidden damage results (a weak blow and a light strike) and virtually never see the 3rd weakest (a nice hit), even on endrolls like 102. If you have a stunned and/or disabled target and you are safe, there is nothing to prevent you from stowing your weapon, going full offensive, and channeling MD at a target for a serious increase in damage.
Channeling is a verb you use with a handful of spells in the game. Instead of typing CAST RAT, you type CHANNEL RAT. It incurs not just 3 seconds of cast RT, but also three seconds of HARD RT. The benefit is that it does significantly more damage. This damage, in turn, is modified by the number of hands open and your stance.
As a runestaff user, you have one hand open by default. Unless you need to get out of the room, it is ALWAYS in your best interest to channel the spells you can channel (702 Mana Disruption and 705 Disintegration). When channeling from guarded, I literally NEVER see the weakest two hidden damage results (a weak blow and a light strike) and virtually never see the 3rd weakest (a nice hit), even on endrolls like 102. If you have a stunned and/or disabled target and you are safe, there is nothing to prevent you from stowing your weapon, going full offensive, and channeling MD at a target for a serious increase in damage.
<< Very lost on the channeling business, but I'll try it on rats to see what's what. When i have time anyway. >>
When using channel with 702, your stance (offensive is best) affects the damage if you have at least one open hand, which you usually will if you use a runestaff. Foolishly having two open hands increases the damage even more. If you have an open hand, even a guarded stance channel does more damage than a guarded stance cast.
When using channel with 705, being in a more offensive stance affects the damage, but having an open hand does not matter.
Stance has no effect on either spell if you cast instead of channel. So why would a runestaff user ever use cast instead of channel for spells 702 and 705? The only difference is that the RT with channel is "hard" and the RT from cast is "soft." Hard RT prevents you from taking any action for the duration of the RT. Soft RT just prevents you from casting another spell (or using a wand or other magic item) for the duration of the RT. Runestaff users are usually better off using channel.
When using channel with 702, your stance (offensive is best) affects the damage if you have at least one open hand, which you usually will if you use a runestaff. Foolishly having two open hands increases the damage even more. If you have an open hand, even a guarded stance channel does more damage than a guarded stance cast.
When using channel with 705, being in a more offensive stance affects the damage, but having an open hand does not matter.
Stance has no effect on either spell if you cast instead of channel. So why would a runestaff user ever use cast instead of channel for spells 702 and 705? The only difference is that the RT with channel is "hard" and the RT from cast is "soft." Hard RT prevents you from taking any action for the duration of the RT. Soft RT just prevents you from casting another spell (or using a wand or other magic item) for the duration of the RT. Runestaff users are usually better off using channel.
<<<So why would a runestaff user ever use cast instead of channel for spells 702 and 705?>>>
Expedience, usually. For instance, when finishing off non-corporeal undead that tend to vanish quickly after dying. Or when facing something that's too dangerous to stance down, and you want to keep your options open. In most other situations, however, channeling is the way to go. Sometimes I'll toss up a Wall of Force, put the staff away and go bare-handed offensive for maximum Mana Disrupt carnage.
~ Heathyr
Expedience, usually. For instance, when finishing off non-corporeal undead that tend to vanish quickly after dying. Or when facing something that's too dangerous to stance down, and you want to keep your options open. In most other situations, however, channeling is the way to go. Sometimes I'll toss up a Wall of Force, put the staff away and go bare-handed offensive for maximum Mana Disrupt carnage.
~ Heathyr
>Expedience, usually. For instance, when finishing off non-corporeal undead that tend to vanish quickly after dying. Or when facing something that's too dangerous to stance down, and you want to keep your options open. In most other situations, however, channeling is the way to go. Sometimes I'll toss up a Wall of Force, put the staff away and go bare-handed offensive for maximum Mana Disrupt carnage.
When I'm hunting something that can put me in RT, the last thing I want to do is add my own to the stack.
When I'm hunting something that can put me in RT, the last thing I want to do is add my own to the stack.
