Staffs vs. Wands

[Shinobi51190]

My mage is level 20 and I'm about to do the advancement quest with him. I was thinking whether to pick the staff or the wand, but after looking at their stats, it looks like the wands really suck. With the other classes you can see a big difference between the damage of different weapon types, but it looks like the wands only do at the most 13 more damage than the staffs. The only real advantage I see is the +1% critical advantage, but I don't really think that's worth the sacrifice of aim and speed. Are the numbers on the damage of the wands messed up or are they correct, making the wands seem virtually useless?

[Neightking]

Not that it matters much to anyone but me, but I prefer the wand. I look at as it may not be an gigantic increase in damage or critical but it is an increase none the less and the aim issue is remedied by the use of a power scroll. This choice has worked well for me for the 31 levels past 20 that i have made. Hope you come to a conclusion soon and happy hunting.

[warlordofthesea]

i rather use wands. since they are also faster and some wat more dmg but just get a boss wand and it rules but it really doesnt make much of a diffrence at all

[aruna]

I'm at 22 lvl right now and i own a wand as well as many other mages in the game. I was reading different posts before i made the decision, and i see, that many players stick with wands more frequently rather than with staffs.

As for the damage, so i'm satisfied with it and i'm happy about that tiny +1% of critical damage, on the field i feel sometimes that i hit only criticals for about 3-4 times while killing a monster. I feel that number of criticals increased greatly.

Of course, if you have money in the game you can easily shift from staff to wand and back. Not a problem. But, personally i like my wand :)

[MineralAccident]

Wand. Period.

[lordalden]

Wand. Period.

Not necessarily. Aim takes a greater role for damage over time in higher levelled areas like Uruga. The extra aim is nice, and a Green Staff still matches nearly in damage, and the 1% crit drop isn't that bad, considering you'll be hitting significantly more.

[MineralAccident]

Not necessarily. Aim takes a greater role for damage over time in higher levelled areas like Uruga. The extra aim is nice, and a Green Staff still matches nearly in damage, and the 1% crit drop isn't that bad, considering you'll be hitting significantly more.

Not quite true. I've killed mobs all the way through the Forest of Slumber and have never had an issue with aim using a wand, thus not impacting my damage much at all. And with an aim scroll the problem is nearly non-existent.

Sacrificing the extra damage and crit rate doesn't really make sense in my eyes.

[Tzunami5]

I think an issue still being discussed is the relationship between aim and evasion. Nobody is quite sure yet how much more accurate the extra aim will make your spells. I'm a lvl 35 mage right now, and I prefer staves when hunting in CP or some other high level area since I miss so much in those places. But I guess it's really up to preference at the moment.

[fundude93]

its also a matter of opinion...some people just like the looks better


i like the wands better, but i never did try the staff equivalent yet...but i've gotten my wand to +9, so i doubt it'll do that soon

[lordalden]

Not quite true. I've killed mobs all the way through the Forest of Slumber and have never had an issue with aim using a wand, thus not impacting my damage much at all. And with an aim scroll the problem is nearly non-existent.

Sacrificing the extra damage and crit rate doesn't really make sense in my eyes.

That's probably due to a level discrepancy, in that you're a much greater level than me. I'm level 30, and go to AEW and Orcs at Uruga with my static party. My hit rate was about 45%(based on hits/misses ratio) before I switched my weapon, at Level 30, USING an Aim Tier 1 Scroll, on Orcs.

After changing to a ZK Staff, from a +7 Wand, not only do I now hit about 65% of the time without an Aim Scroll, this discrepancy is furthered to about an 87% hit rate with one. My friend in the static, a level 30 WizMage, using a Wand, hits about 58% based on what I've noticed from damage dealt without an Aim scroll.

The discrepancies in level make up for a lot, and to be quite frank, that you can steadily hit things in the FoS, says that you're only giving that advice as a high level mage. From levels approximately 25-40, you're fighting things you WILL miss more readily, if somehow that was forgotten in the mix here. So the Staff is still a steady choice, and as I said, a loss of 1% crit can be made up in a number of ways. My crit now matches what it was at level 29 using my previous wand, and will actually go higher now that I'm filling out a Glow Wolf Liscense(as right now, filling an Orc one would take far too long).

[MineralAccident]

That's probably due to a level discrepancy, in that you're a much greater level than me. I'm level 30, and go to AEW and Orcs at Uruga with my static party. My hit rate was about 45%(based on hits/misses ratio) before I switched my weapon, at Level 30, USING an Aim Tier 1 Scroll, on Orcs.

After changing to a ZK Staff, from a +7 Wand, not only do I now hit about 65% of the time without an Aim Scroll, this discrepancy is furthered to about an 87% hit rate with one. My friend in the static, a level 30 WizMage, using a Wand, hits about 58% based on what I've noticed from damage dealt without an Aim scroll.

The discrepancies in level make up for a lot, and to be quite frank, that you can steadily hit things in the FoS, says that you're only giving that advice as a high level mage. From levels approximately 25-40, you're fighting things you WILL miss more readily, if somehow that was forgotten in the mix here. So the Staff is still a steady choice, and as I said, a loss of 1% crit can be made up in a number of ways. My crit now matches what it was at level 29 using my previous wand, and will actually go higher now that I'm filling out a Glow Wolf Liscense(as right now, filling an Orc one would take far too long).

As a level 25-40 mage, you shouldn't be in Uruga/AEW unless you're being plvled anyways. That's why you miss a lot, you were not meant to be fighting those monsters. Sure you CAN if you like, but you're going to miss a lot.

If you stick to monsters closer to your level, you will never have a problem with aim. And once you break 40-50+, your ability to consistently hit only goes up, as my killing monsters in the Forest of Slumber is roughly equivalent to you attempting to kill things in Uruga/AEW.

But if you're going to stick to your point of a low level attempting to fight Orcs and such, yes, that little bit of extra aim will matter more then extra damage, but that's only because you should not be fighting those mobs.

[lordalden]

As a level 25-40 mage, you shouldn't be in Uruga/AEW unless you're being plvled anyways. That's why you miss a lot, you were not meant to be fighting those monsters. Sure you CAN if you like, but you're going to miss a lot.

If you stick to monsters closer to your level, you will never have a problem with aim. And once you break 40-50+, your ability to consistently hit only goes up, as my killing monsters in the Forest of Slumber is roughly equivalent to you attempting to kill things in Uruga/AEW.

But if you're going to stick to your point of a low level attempting to fight Orcs and such, yes, that little bit of extra aim will matter more then extra damage, but that's only because you should not be fighting those mobs.

Not true. Throughout the fights, when I didn't have my ZK Staff on, I was still contributing a good 800 damage per fight, granted we were a more laid back group, and still are(in that we rest before we use stones, etc, so we make pure profit as well a good exp for both our tank/cleric, and we of the lower levels over time) so you can't say that my damage was so terrible or that I shouldn't be fighting them, when my contributions to the fight itself were stalwart enough to warrant my being there.

And yes, your Aim only goes up, but are you forgetting that what's out now isn't the only thing that'll ever be out? As new areas are released, level caps raised, etc, the scaling of monster avoid/defense will only go up as well. What's being fought now CAN be killed by a group of 35's or under for the most part, and killed with great efficiency. But things in MMO's always escalate higher, so by 70, can you say when you fight mobs for good exp gain per hour, that Aim will be a total non-issue without having experienced that yet?

[MineralAccident]

Not true. Throughout the fights, when I didn't have my ZK Staff on, I was still contributing a good 800 damage per fight, granted we were a more laid back group, and still are(in that we rest before we use stones, etc, so we make pure profit as well a good exp for both our tank/cleric, and we of the lower levels over time) so you can't say that my damage was so terrible or that I shouldn't be fighting them, when my contributions to the fight itself were stalwart enough to warrant my being there.

And yes, your Aim only goes up, but are you forgetting that what's out now isn't the only thing that'll ever be out? As new areas are released, level caps raised, etc, the scaling of monster avoid/defense will only go up as well. What's being fought now CAN be killed by a group of 35's or under for the most part, and killed with great efficiency. But things in MMO's always escalate higher, so by 70, can you say when you fight mobs for good exp gain per hour, that Aim will be a total non-issue without having experienced that yet?

Actually, if you're doing only 800 damage per mob, that is terrible. xD You would be much better off in CP. I won't argue that you can do higher level mobs, of course you can, it's just not efficient and saying so to newer players is misguiding, especially for mages.

All I'm saying is that, as things stand, Aim is not an issue with wands as long as you stick to monsters in a reasonable range from your own level.

[lordalden]

Actually, if you're doing only 800 damage per mob, that is terrible. xD You would be much better off in CP. I won't argue that you can do higher level mobs, of course you can, it's just not efficient and saying so to newer players is misguiding, especially for mages.

All I'm saying is that, as things stand, Aim is not an issue with wands as long as you stick to monsters in a reasonable range from your own level.

It's not efficient? You must not have seen it then. I make about 3s per level, spend nothing, and level every hour and a half or so. At CP I make less money, and level at about the same speed, even in a sprint grinding party.

[MineralAccident]

It's not efficient? You must not have seen it then. I make about 3s per level, spend nothing, and level every hour and a half or so. At CP I make less money, and level at about the same speed, even in a sprint grinding party.

If you've found a party that was able to grind in Uruga efficiently then I am impressed, but at the time being, that is a rare thing.

[lordalden]

If you've found a party that was able to grind in Uruga efficiently then I am impressed, but at the time being, that is a rare thing.

Well, it started a long time ago with Chip and Dusty in my avatar, and they were duoing here for a long time, then me and Crash jumped in and bam, we're game. Ha ha.

[MineralAccident]

Well, it started a long time ago with Chip and Dusty in my avatar, and they were duoing here for a long time, then me and Crash jumped in and bam, we're game. Ha ha.

I will concede then that if you can manage a leveling output like that at your levels with ease, that is efficient. You're lucky to have found that, and yes, in that case a staff would be more useful.

That's well above average though, which is why I suggest a wand instead since most players have an average experience. Plus, once you reach 40+, your aim won't be much of an issue and again, wand is the better bet once again. That's my opinion at least.

[lordalden]

I will concede then that if you can manage a leveling output like that at your levels with ease, that is efficient. You're lucky to have found that, and yes, in that case a staff would be more useful.

That's well above average though, which is why I suggest a wand instead since most players have an average experience. Plus, once you reach 40+, your aim won't be much of an issue and again, wand is the better bet once again. That's my opinion at least.

Well, it also depends once they open new areas, too. The scaling of enemy evade will probably come into effect in the late 60's I'm wagering.

[Space]

I prefer staff.

When it comes to weapon change, they are basically more-or-less the same (as in a person with a staff could easily beat a guy with wand if the strategy of the staff person was even slightly greater than the one using wand and vice-versa) so I just go by what looks cooler.

[Velix007]

Lol apart from all the stuff u guys are talking about aim...damage...u will always have better staff mastery im currently a lvl 30 and I have lvl 3 staff compared to a mere lvl 1 wand mastery

[cfl_taka]

It's not efficient? You must not have seen it then. I make about 3s per level, spend nothing, and level every hour and a half or so. At CP I make less money, and level at about the same speed, even in a sprint grinding party.

sorry to say.
but 3s per level...really a bit too less
may be i should ask how much time u needed to level up once?
and how many damage u can do per hit?

btw, about ur godly 800 dmg per mob at uruga, just really enough to scream for SOS and i think most level 5x mage will agree with that.

as a mage, the main Damage Dealer in a team, u should able to deal most of the damage. well, i didn;t count actually, but mobs at uruga feel like having at least 3.5k hp, 800 dmg...... ur not even doing 1/4 and where did the rest 3/4 gone? dun tell me something like team work, the only work for mage is DAMAGE.

so in return, staffs just help u hit a bit better when ur skipping 20 levels or even more, but doesn't mean u can kill there.

may be u feel great when u in a team
but u better try to solo a harkan @ CP to feel ur real power
if u think harkan is a bit too weak for u, then try weaken orge, king coll, vampire bat...etc
if all of them are too hard for u, try a zombie at MT first.....

and at final, the damage that a wand could do is far much more at 60 and 70.
just check them at uruga npc
about the mastery, i dun see staff's mastery adding more dmg than wand's mastery.
and the most important is......$$ is easy to gain when ur level 40+
3 silver?..... is just a lol......
$$ will not be the part u focus on, the only thing u want to know is how fast u can kill, the faster u kill, the more the drops, and more u earn

i am just a noob mage with level 54, many mage i have seens are doing far much better than me

Fedora @ Apoline

[lordalden]

sorry to say.
but 3s per level...really a bit too less
may be i should ask how much time u needed to level up once?
and how many damage u can do per hit?

btw, about ur godly 800 dmg per mob at uruga, just really enough to scream for SOS and i think most level 5x mage will agree with that.

as a mage, the main Damage Dealer in a team, u should able to deal most of the damage. well, i didn;t count actually, but mobs at uruga feel like having at least 3.5k hp, 800 dmg...... ur not even doing 1/4 and where did the rest 3/4 gone? dun tell me something like team work, the only work for mage is DAMAGE.

so in return, staffs just help u hit a bit better when ur skipping 20 levels or even more, but doesn't mean u can kill there.

may be u feel great when u in a team
but u better try to solo a harkan @ CP to feel ur real power
if u think harkan is a bit too weak for u, then try weaken orge, king coll, vampire bat...etc
if all of them are too hard for u, try a zombie at MT first.....

and at final, the damage that a wand could do is far much more at 60 and 70.
just check them at uruga npc
about the mastery, i dun see staff's mastery adding more dmg than wand's mastery.
and the most important is......$$ is easy to gain when ur level 40+
3 silver?..... is just a lol......
$$ will not be the part u focus on, the only thing u want to know is how fast u can kill, the faster u kill, the more the drops, and more u earn

i am just a noob mage with level 54, many mage i have seens are doing far much better than me

Fedora @ Apoline

Obviously you've not paid much attention here. I was level 28 when I was doing that. I'm doing over 1200 now at level 30, and will do more now as 31, with an upgraded Magic Burst. As for the damage dealt from a 60 Wand vs. Staff, and in the 70's, that wasn't disputed. The AIM was. Pay attention, almost everything you've mentioned so far was already answered, or not in question to begin with, as they were taken as common sense knowledge. ~_~ I appreciate you wanting to involve yourself, I am glad for it, but please do so in a knowing position.