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Old 09-05-2010, 06:24 AM
Noleafclover Noleafclover is offline
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Default Mage Leveling Guide and tips

A few mage tips:
*many of these tend toward the min-maxing end, so if that's not your playstyle you may not be interested*
*I've used IFF to mean if and only if, this tends to be a sign a min-maxing tip is coming up*
*unless noted, every tip refers to soloing*

-Oh yeah, I spose I should put this first. Generally, don't use anything but fire pet solo. If you're somewhere you need earth, you are probably better off moving. We just don't do well with adds and you're nerfing yourself.

-And oh yeah, another obvious one that belongs second. Don't nuke, except for either your lv. 1 or lv. 4 nuke. Advantage of your lv. 1 nuke - less aggro. Advantage of your level 4 nuke - 7 more damage for the same mana and cast time. Generally, lv. 4 nuke is slightly better.
The reason you use one of these per mob is to gain full experience for each kill (otherwise your pet "eats" 75% of it)

-And oh yea, there's no reason other than chain-summoning to dismiss your pet instead of reclaiming it.

-Oh, if the pet will live a while, get a max level pet. However, you may want to, instead of burning mana casting summon repeatedly at the very start of your night, use most of the pets health killing a mob or three while you med.

-And oh yeah, lapis luzili is 12 and 16, malachite is 4 + 8 and 20-49 (correct me if I'm wrong, pretty sure)

-For any class, IFF you plan on raiding, put stat points into stamina first, and the remainder into your class's stat (here Int). To compensate for raid mobs' relative lack of health, many AE. Later, you will find it extremely easy to maximize int, and will focus on +hp and +mana items.

-If you wait until a med tick to cast pet heal the first time, then cast it within the first second or two after it refreshes, you should get all your med ticks for the fight (and continuing after the fight if you continue to heal up before engaging another).

-Mage pets dual wield at 24 with weapons and 39 (ONLY MAX LV PET) without. A great place for pet info (skills and how to tell whether your pet is max level) is the P99 companion's fire pet chart.
Or if you prefer to keep a reference sheet or word/notepad doc, the corresponding levels are : 4 - 6 ; 8 - 9 ; 12 - 13 ; 16 - 17 ; 20 - 20 ; 24 - 23 ; 29 - 26 ; 34 - 29 ; 39 - 33 ; 44 - 37 ; 49 - 41
and the corresponding formulas are - proc = level + 1 (although chart shows something different for lv. 34 pet only) and shield = level + 2.
Also, a quick and easy way to remember the levels is 4 = caster +2 (anomaly), 8-16 (first 3 spell levels) caster +1, 20 (anna molly) = caster, 24-34 (next 3 spell levels) = prev. + 3, 39-49 (next 3 spell levels) = prev. + 4.

-At lv. 20 and through your early 20s until it becomes tedious, try to stick to the level 8 heal IFF you're following my rule about waiting on a med tick to begin your healing cycle.
The lv. 20 heal is mana-inefficient for the entire duration of it's use compared to the lv. 8, but this is eventually overtaken by the facts that - a) lv. 8 pet heal becomes a pain to use shortly after, or simply doesn't keep up and b) you are more likely to miss med ticks.
(At lv. 20, you're getting 1.5 healing for 1 mana, vs. 2 to 1. Over time you're looking at saving 1 of every 4 mana by using lv. 8 pet heal, extra missed med ticks aside... lv. 21 the 20 is 1.52 to 1, etc.)

-It's debated when chain-summoning pets becomes preferable to heals, but most say lv. 39. Chain-summoning WILL lower your pet's dps at 39, and at any other time between 24 and then because of the lack of dual wield. However, your pet has at 39 a substantial amount of HP that makes up for this fact (by making it mana-inefficient to heal. note that all pets post 20 cost 200 mana except for the lv. 24 pets) by reducing your med time or allowing you to toss in real nukes.


-IFF you have a torch it can be good between 16 and 24 to dismiss and resummon a near-death pet post battle (not quite chain-summoning) since weapons do nothing for your pet.
Either take this tactic frequently, or not at all because if you take it only occasionally, you lose max level pet for a little mana-efficiency.

-Whether you are chain-summoning or just using this method, if you can toss a pet one heal (or the mob one nuke) to keep it alive and then reclaim it post-combat, you're in the black on mana.

-When you begin chain-summoning at 39, occasionally use the above method when the opportunity presents itself - close fight between pet and mob.

-Nuking really doesn't speed up your kill rate. Frequently you'll find yourself with excess mana because of this fact. Practice your abjuration, if you solo a lot (I didn't and at 49 I've spent about 4 hours semi-afk practicing to get my abj to 140). Possibly your divination. Summon yourself levi rings to move faster and with more ease. Summon dimensional holes, and mod rods for friends or just random people in the zone.

-For chain-summoning, I carry a 10-slot filled with malachite. But yeah, that's a little excessive.

-When you're chaining, run away from the fight. This way you can chain a pet without having to cast too early and waste his health- you have time for the mob to reach you. It's doable, for ex., at seafuries or spectres, to get a pet well under 1 bubble every time he is dismissed.

-Your lv. 16 and 20 pets, as well as some other spells, are sold only in OoT. Many useful summons are sold only in Ak'anon or Erudin Library. Your lv. 24, 34, and 49 fire pets, are research only (as well as lv. 49 air and, if you want it due to foci, lv. 49 water). This is pretty much the breakdown.

MORE NEWBIE-ORIENTED TIPS:

-When you travel to OoT for your lv. 16 and 20 pets, bring enough money for spells. Alllllll the spells you want from OoT (look at the companion's list). It's quite a trip, thank me later. If money is tough, I've heard you can get a lv. 10 rabid grizzly bear in Qeynos hills every 7 min (outside timer) for a 10p quest turnin. I also recommend selling CB belts, and gargoyles in OoT (believe doable @ lv. 16, on heresay) who drop a 10p eye about 1/3 the time. While you're here, you may want to go directly across from sister isle (out from the dock) to the oracle's spawn spot and check if it's up. If he is, he'll be wearing the robe, and you may be able to find a sympathetic high lv. mage killing seafuries nearby who will run over and kill it for you. 200p (its value in ec) isn't all that much to someone killing seafuries, esp. considering time selling it. Your spells are sold at the island you will hit if you turn right from the docks. Careful of cyclops.

-re: gearing up for those whose first char this is. First of all, make sure you have handmade backpacks (or large sewing kits, if you're especially weak - they weigh .04) for your non-summoned spots. You're not that gear dependent, although it is nice to have a twink mage to be able to go afk and come back with enough mana for 2 yellows (bubbles).
But -
If (when) you buy jewelcrafted items, check the p99 companion jewelcrafting tradeskill drop down. The price list will help you not get rooked. Allow the jewelers a markup, since jewelcrafting is expensive to raise, but remember that this is most likely a trivial combine for them, and that you are new so while not ENTITLED to charity, able to find people who are sympathetic and get a good deal. In that vein, buy the 7str/7int necklace for 250 or so. Carry more loot and get more int. Yeayea.
Evil eyes in Gorge of King Xorbb drop a 3int bracer. Should be easy enough @ 29. Same for WK Ogres (less sure on this) who drop 5int earrings. Same for focus items in najena (I don't recommend going earlier, since max HP is only helpful in tight spots unless you're chain summoning, and najena can get shady). Savant's cap (3int) and the 20mana bracers should be easily attainable at 29 if you see unrest fireplace open. Gatorscale sleeves drop at ancient crocodile (doable @ 34? 29? idk) in UGuk, and many times people will have an excess amount of these since it is the common drop, and you can get them for as low as 100p or even free (btw, alllll these numbers don't reflect market value). At 34, priest of Najena in unrest drops a key turned in for (eventually) mystic cloak - 5int 5svm cloak.
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  #2  
Old 09-05-2010, 06:24 AM
Noleafclover Noleafclover is offline
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Mage leveling guide:
*For the most part, this guide is indifferent to money value. Safe, fast exp is more enjoyable to me; and money is more attainable the higher you are*

level |place |mob |mob level

1-8 |EC |whatever |1-10: Bum buffs. You'll be at this for like 45 minutes. You might step on some toes, but be polite, it'll be over and you'll be self-dependant soon enough. Or, do whatever you like [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] It will go fast.

8-12 |CB slaver huts |orc legos |9-12: Don't be scared takin reds unbuffed, just remember to heal and not nuke aside from 1 lv. 1. If you go as left as possible from the zone-in up until the point where you come to the backside of the moat, you're in the general best area. But over by castle can be good too, just don't run along the backside of the moat if mobs are spawned.

12-16 |WK fields Eastish of QHills |scarecrows| 14-16: Five of them, they roam, most on one side of the large field. They stun, but I like them because they are easy to get single and are just the right amount. On the generic 7min outdoor timer. If you're evil, beware Tiny (I think?) Miller (lv. 35 good ogre).

16-22 |EK directions |Gorge Hounds | 16-18?: Lot to say. Directions: As you zone in, follow shore or path left to fake dru rings/bandit camp (bandits right of path). MOST gorge hounds are to the right of the path (as you face wall/dru/bandit), either above fork near bandit camp or below fork. There are so many of these in a small area, you will want to pull onto/past the path and watch for adds, or pull even closer to the wall for complete safety. Beware the evil eyes that you spawn while killing gorge hounds (at least pre-20). Kill griffawns and dark stalkers too.
You may be tempted to do crag spiders in EK. It's a more popular camp. These have a ton of health, hit hard, and poison (wrecks fire) - they are more of a necro mob, but if you can line up a buyer for spider silk or plan on tailoring yourself, they may be worth the slow exp.

22-29 |SK KFC/cent village | Aviaks/Centaurs |18-30: KFC is great, but overcrowded. It's almost due south of ZL. If it's not overcamped, kill everything that moves until some start to go light blue, then stick to the top tower more (although it won't be enough for you). Centaurs is a little less desirable, since chargers are lv. 30 and the cents are now social. Its almost due east of NK (slightly south). Best to be sharing the camp with one or two others who can lull in some way and will help you out occasionally with that, or have it to yourself so you can stick to safe pulls.
A plus here is that both places have vendors. KFC's is behind the top of the tower, Centaur's is one of the "Meadowgreens" in a circus tent thing.

29-39 |Unrest Basement |Everything: So. High Zone Exp. Modifier. Outdoors. Easy escape. ONE two-pull. ONE wanderer. Named mob in basement. Nameds at FP upstairs if it's open. FP is viable exp still for most of the range. You feel like king of the zone. At 34 (29 duo'd, don't let its level fool you, it heals at 40 and is quite a PitA), priest of Najena drops the key for mystic cloak quest which when turned in gives you a droppable letter to sell if you have yours. The beautiful thing about priest is that it's alone, and that because it has a 4-hr or 2-hr or w/e spawn, it's cloak is worth a pretty penny.

39-44 |Kedge Front room | 6 or 7 fishies: Ridiculously high ZEM. These little fishies will be pushovers (once split) to the extent where you don't chain-summon even though I told you to, 'cause you're always full mana. You'll have 10 min of afk time.
Here's the catches - You're going to have a hell of a time splitting it, if you didn't take the camp from someone. Wait for fishies to swim away, Set your pet on guard near the fallen pillar, and when the 1 who pats up aggroes, don't try it unless it's less than 3. Ideally 2. Just reclaim pet right as you zone out.
2nd - When the named spawns, he's kind of a pain. You need to keep full mana if the higher level one who is his PH is about to spawn. You don't want to lose your split and have to do it again.
3rd - It's buggy, pet attack DOES NOT WORK *unless the pet is inside the mob's model*. Try to get them to prox aggro your pet for the split (again), and expect to take some hits on the pull once it's split. Bring your bind wound skill, you'll take damage.

44-48 |Oasis/Feerrott/OoT |Spectres, and maybe Cyndreela or DW gobbies: Tough to get the Oasis camp, and even the feerrott camp. The OoT camp, to my understanding, is 4 specs sitting together. So you will have to be on your chain-petting game and if possible break up the spawn. Despite difficulty getting the camp, this is really the best way I've found. The money here is also excellent.
Re: Cyndreela/DWs -Cyndreela's (feerrott) pretty good exp but she seems to chain-cast lifetap, so she can be a PitA. DWs (oasis) can be tough to single, but if you pull directly out from one of the outside ones, you may only get 2 (one WILL aggro through wall) on the first pull. They are underwater behind the ramp up spec isle, and same level as spectres.

48-50 |OoT AC/Seafury |cyclops' and Seafuries: OK, remember what I said about being more about exp/enjoyable/safe camps? Well, you're lv. 48 now, so we can skip the exp part. Those spectres are light blue, and you may as well stop and smell the platinums. Or camp Jboots and kill the roamer cyclops there. Or *gasp* group. I'll post alternates, but if you do take this route, try to play off-peak. That almost goes w/o saying for most of these spots, but certainly for kedge/specs/seafuries.
Pre-49, seafuries will be a slow kill and you'll chain a pet every mob. Adds will be intense. So yes. 48 will suck. Do J-Boots imo.
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Last edited by Noleafclover; 09-05-2010 at 06:34 AM.. Reason: Now 23.5% less of a wall of text
  #3  
Old 09-05-2010, 06:26 AM
Noleafclover Noleafclover is offline
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So that's that for now. The formatting sucks, I ramble, some of it's either overly min-maxing or obvious, and I have yet to post alternate routes or why I don't like places like Sol A or .. wherever else is popular that I can't think of right now 'cause I'm pretty tired of it. I wanted to get this up here, but it's definitely a work in progress - feel free to contribute in PMs or on this thread.

If anyone wants to edit/format and send it back my way, I'll repost.
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  #4  
Old 09-06-2010, 01:16 AM
gintu01 gintu01 is offline
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Mage Guide

/pet attack
/cast 1 (preferably the lvl 1 nuke as this is enough to give you full exp)
/afk

Had to do it!
  #5  
Old 09-06-2010, 01:19 AM
RKromwell RKromwell is offline
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A where to go guide is nice but what about spells, where to find them at low levels. I tried playing both a wizard and a mage not to long ago and the search for spells about made me crazy.
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  #6  
Old 09-06-2010, 03:58 AM
Noleafclover Noleafclover is offline
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Heh, it's in there, you prolly just lost it in the wall of text. Quoted below (also, as it says elsewhere, you need lapis luzili for 12 and 16 pets instead of malachite - I found myself in West Karana with no lapis as a dark elf, was not fun =p)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Noleafclover [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
-Your lv. 16 and 20 pets, as well as some other spells, are sold only in OoT. Many useful summons are sold only in Ak'anon or Erudin Library. Your lv. 24, 34, and 49 fire pets, are research only (as well as lv. 49 air and, if you want it due to foci, lv. 49 water). This is pretty much the breakdown.
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Old 09-06-2010, 04:52 AM
RKromwell RKromwell is offline
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Ack! Reading fail, sorry sir.
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  #8  
Old 09-06-2010, 01:33 PM
Ingrum Ingrum is offline
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Awesome post good sire!
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  #9  
Old 09-06-2010, 06:24 PM
Noleafclover Noleafclover is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gintu01 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
Mage Guide

/pet attack
/cast 1 (preferably the lvl 1 nuke as this is enough to give you full exp)
/afk

Had to do it!
Yeah pretty much :0 Got bored though.

Thanks Ingrum!

No worries RKrom, it's horribly formatted and rambles.
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Old 09-06-2010, 06:30 PM
Bubbles Bubbles is offline
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Remove any mention of kedge, sending ppl there expecting it to have less than 20 ppl in the zone can almost be considered griefing at this point. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
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