Looking for advice from 51+ Archer

[seebrown]

Hi, all!

I'm currently level 42, and I'm beginning to rethink my empowerment choices. Based on guides I've read, I had decided on the following, and have been slowly working my way there...

(based on 44 points total at level 89)
Aimed Shot - 5 cool down, 5 damage
Power Shot - 5 cool down, 5 damage
Multi-Shot - 5 cool down
Nature's Mist - 5 cool down, 5 duration
Piercing Shot - 5 cool down, 4 damage

...with Aimed-, Power- and Mult-Shot currently being closest to completion on my archer.

I am mainly a solo PvE archer (which basically defines my play style). What I'm finding is that although Aimed Shot and Power Shot do the most damage in a single shot, they don't do enough damage even though they are both +5 Damage empowered. My current strategy is...

1. Power Shot or Multi-Shot for the pull (depending on how many monsters I'm aiming for)
2. Kiting with Poison Shot, Bone Shot, and Venomous Shot
3. Stop and tank with Aimed Shot, Power Shot (again, now that it's cooled down) and/or regular attack until monster #1 is dead
4. Repeat 1-3 on remaining monsters

This makes it difficult for me to kill any mobs over 3 without pot/stone spamming. I'm currently leveling in and around Goblin Camp since all of the repeatable quests are nearby.

What I'm thinking is that I should have saved all of my empowerment points so that at level 51 I could basically add to every kiting/AOE skill and be a solo kiting monster. The skill break down would be as follows...

Poison Shot - 5 cool down
Bone Shot - 5 cool down, 4 damage
Venomous Shot - 5 cool down
Multi-Shot - 5 cool down, 5 damage
Nature's Mist - 5 cool down, 5 duration, 5 damage

Would this build work at higher levels? Is it too hard to continually kite at higher levels because of chances to run into other mobs? Do Aimed and Power Shot get any better???

I'm thinking that this kiting build will be very weak until level 51, at which point it would Multi-Shot for the pull (with massive initial damge), then kite with Nature's Mist and remaining DoTs, then Multi-Shot again, kite with DoTs again, etc.

I'm a little disappointed that at level 42, Aimed and Power Shot are so lame with how many empowerment points I've invested in them...

[OnOsharp]

Im not really good in builds :3 so ill keep my opinion for myself. But i got on thing to say ^^. Don't add duration to Mist, thats a complete waste. If you shoot mist again the timer of the poison will restart. And the duration of mist is allready pretty long i think. :)

I hope i could help a bit with this :)

[nixmahn]

if u are solo PvE, do not put any points into duration for natures mist, it is better place in damage instead.


When u get NM at 51 all u will be doing is kiting at least a dozen (2 dozen or more with dex/end build + scrolls, i am 25 spr/ rest str) mobs at once with spaming NM until u reach lvl 60 (go to lower level of 50 abyss to see).


About Multishot
At 60, mages get nova and u will be put aside (so will multishot). Full cool down on multishot is good for AOE parties and KQ's (basically giant honeying/spider will be the last time u use the skill alot), the casting time makes it all most useless for solo AOE (unless u can take a lot of hits or it takes a while for the mob to catch up to u).


Powershot/Aim shot
Depends on what build u are, I have a lot of str so it is a good investment for me against single targets (mainly magical ones and mobs that resist our DoTs)

[gryphkat]

You dont need to empower the single target DOTs at all. You'll only be using them to pull (sometimes, not often) after you reach 51 and get Mist. Yes, they are useful to a solo archer before 51, but you have far more important things to use those points on, in the future.

(And btw, going off your description, you're doing things backwards. Pull with the DOTs. They have the longest range, and the DOT will be working from the time they start toward you. Hit the mobs with a DOT then Power, then if you have time an Aimed. Then get moving, and start your kiting with the rest of your DOTs. By the time you've done all that, the first DOT will have cooled again. They'll go down quicker, and you'll use less pots cause they have a harder time reaching you, if you use the skills in that order. If you get through that entire sequence, and it's still not dead, stop and hit them with Power and Aimed again, and unless it's a boss, it will likely be dead before it lands a hit.)

Damage/CD are the way to go for Mist/Piercing. After 51, your kiting will be done with Mist. You do NOT need to empower duration on Mist, whatsoever. You can use it every 3 seconds when you fully empower CD, it renews the poison debuff every time you hit them. Trust me, they will be dead LONG before the poison wears off, unless you somehow have drastically reduced aim, or stop shooting them completely.

Empowering Damage/CD on Power and Aimed shot are mainly for PVP purposes, and you can probably do without the CD on Aimed. I do just fine with it that way. It is handy to have them empowered outside PVP for dungeons, Bosses, and KQ, anything with high def/hp. I PVP so it was a no-brainer for me.

For future reference, once you get to 75 and have Piercing available you will probably never use Multishot again. I also cooled my Multishot, it helped a lot right up until I got Piercing shot. I used it constantly for AOE parties from 20-75. However, the points are now wasted, and I will probably reset those skill points in the future. I haven't decided if the cost outweighs the benefit of having it for those 55 lvls yet.

[seebrown]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, everyone! I'm most likely going to get a stat reset scroll when I hit 75 (a year from now at the rate I'm going, LOL).


Hit the mobs with a DOT then Power, then if you have time an Aimed. Then get moving, and start your kiting with the rest of your DOTs. By the time you've done all that, the first DOT will have cooled again.

My shortest DoT CD time is 15 seconds, so this doesn't work. You didn't empower your single-shot DoTs? Hmm...

[gryphkat]

I never really noticed it taking longer than the time it took me to kill one or two mobs by kiting them. I could almost always get a second hit in with each DOT if I needed to. The key is to stop trying to tank them. Stop whenever your Power and Aimed cool to snipe them, then start running again. You may take one or two hits, but not enough to kill you, or require frantic potting. Invest in an entire stack of T1 speed scrolls. T1s are cheap, and low power, but they still give you slightly higher to equal speed with mobs, all the way into 8x.

The CD on the DOT lasts as long as their duration. So like with Mist after you cool it, just keep hitting them with it as soon as it cools, and the DOT never wears off. No need to empower CD.

Damage from the single shot DOTs is insignifigant vs the damage from Aimed and Power as you continue to upgrade them. The difference is in the damage bonus you get as each skill is upgraded. Unlike Mages, our CD never gets higher as we upgrade, but our damage multiplies exponentially.

And yes, I hit lvl 85 two days ago, and my single shot DOTs have always been completely unempowered. I never even considered it as an option. I have no skill points saved atm, and still haven't completely cooled down my Aimed shot. Cap raises again soon, and new skills for archers will be released that I will WANT to have points saved to use on, so I'll also be buying a point reset to take the CD points off my Multishot to use elsewhere, when I get to that point.
It's all about thinking ahead to what will be most useful when you get to the point where you have all the skills for your class.

Your idea may be useful for you NOW, but you'll regret it intensely when you get to 51 and dont have the points you need to do CD/Power on Mist the moment you get it, and again when the same thing happens with Piercing.

[Hemmes]

As a mainly soloing Archer, i put 5 points in CD and damage on aimed shot.
Thats the first skill i use on any mob so in my eyes well spend empowerments. I first pull them with aimed shot then use poison and bone while running away from them.

Im not a big fan of multi-shot except for KQ's so i wouldnt spend points on that. ^_^

[mavricgabriel]

Aimed Shot - 5 cool down, 5 damage
Power Shot - 5 cool down, 5 damage
Nature's Mist - 5 cool down
Piercing Shot - 5 cool down

i have 14 pts left for future archer skill

85% of my lvl is pure solo. (12% to 86:D)

[themichael]

I say go:
Power/aim shot: Max cool and power.
and Mist/peircing: Max cool.

Im currently 67 with max cool and power on aim
and max cool on mist
I have also invested max power into multi shot But now i regret it since i only use it in kqs.

Take it from an archer that has soloed 75%-80% of his lvls and thats even b4 51.
The only pts I really go out of my way to join are Kq and Dungeon pties. since Its very difficult to solo a boss mob :D

[BLUESTAR☼INC.]