Wizard - Builds/Discussion - Page 110

On June 04 2012 15:37 Inflexion wrote:

I did a lot of math over the weekend and figured most of it out. I'll post most of my findings here.

The DPS reading on a weapon is very deceiving (it doesn't show the 'raw' damage of the weapon but it calculates the bonus stats some weapons have - for example, increased attack speed).

A common mistake a lot of people do is 'sort the weapon list by DPS and then just assume that the highest dps weapon is the best.' This is entirely INCORRECT. I'll illustrate with an example.

We will compare two items, one I just found on the AH and the other is the one I am currently using.



This is the weapon I am using corrently. So how do you determine the raw damage of this item?

(1387 + 1813 = 3200) / 2 = 1600

THEN you take the base weapon speed at 0.9 and multiply that to the 1600 to get the 'raw dps' of the item which is

1600 * 0.9 = 1440.0 (which is displayed on the weapon)

(Two handed maces all have base weapon speed of 0.9; Two handed staffs all have base weapon speed of 1.0; Two handed swords all have base weapon speeds of 1.10 - If you want to find the base speeds of certain 1 handers, just look for a 1hander with NO INCREASED ATTACK SPEED as a modifier and it'll say the attacks per second underneath the damage))

This means that whatever Intelligence bonues you have, increased attack speed item you have, crit, crit dmg, crit %, force weapon, spark flint, etc. will be multiplied to this raw damage of the weapon.

So why is this important to know? Because if you're a 2 handed AO/Venom hydra user, then you want to his as hard as possible per cast. If you look at your 'dps rating' shown in the details tab, this is entirely inaccurate reading of your TRUE dps. As a wizard, you will NEVER be able to stand there and continually dps for 5 minutes. That's what DPS is, Damage per Second. The dps rating shown doesn't take into account kiting, arcane power usage, cd management, surviving, play style, etc.



One will look at this item and automatically assume, "Hey, it has a higher dps rating; therefore, it is better than the first weapon." In 99% of AO users or wizards, this is the incorrect conclusion. Let's take a look at the raw damage of this item and find out why this is.

(1141 + 1534 = 2675) / 2 = 1337.5 (wtf? lol what coincidence, it is 1337 dmg... LOL)

Don't forget the BASE WEAPON SPEED of TWO HANDED MACES which is...... 0.9!!!

1337.5 * 0.9 = 1203.75

But wait, how come it says 1493.0 dps? It is because of the 24% IAS.

1203.75 * 1.24 = 1492.65 Weapon Displayed DPS

So which item is better?

Weapon 1 has raw damage of 1440.0 and Weapon 2 has raw damage of 1203.75. As an AO wizard or anything where you are kiting and casting a 1 time spell Weapon 1 will ALWAYS beat out weapon 2 (even though most think weapon 2 will have the advantage because of the higher 'displayed dps'. This is exactly why Dfgj is 100% correct in taking raw damage over > int, generally.

*The 1.12 attacks per second on weapon 2 is simply calculated by taking the base weapon speed of 0.9 * 1.24 = 1.12

*******************************

Do not be deceived and simply choose the highest dps item on the AH, and assume you'll be the best because you have the highest 'displayed dps'.

I am doing Inferno siegebreaker runs with 70k dps and 31k hp using MM with attunement, Venom Hydra, AO with Tap the Source, Diamond Skin, Force Armor and Force Weapon (I can grab 5 stacks and down siegebreaker in under 30 mins, which isn't bad) with Weapon 1 and have these items for IAS: amulet = 15%, 2 rings with 15% each, and helm with 12% (andariel's visage). I am also switching in mf gear before last hitting elites and siege breaker (tyrael + 100k hp templar is completely broken, as even if I die with my mf gear on - I have really low hp with mf gear; tyrael still one or two shots the last few hit points of the elite or siege breaker).

How much IAS you use is truly what your playing style is, how well you kite, reflexes, ability to dodge projectiles, etc.

Personally, I like to be at ~1.50 attacks per second. Doing so allows me to abuse chokes, and with 12% move speed it is perfect to kite and cast AO. When I kite through a choke, either tyrael or my templar is able to tank and choke them up (sort of like a vortex), with my attack speed I am able to UNLOAD all my arcane power into AO which is sick damage. Most of the time, if they get caught in the choke for a few seconds even, I drop venom hydra and spam close to 6-7 AOs and most elites lose 50%-70% AND this is AOE btw.

I also like to use MM with attunement for siegebreaker runs as there are times when I do run out of arcane power; I shoot about 2-4 MMs (which 2 shots trash anyways) and am able to cast more AOs and maximize is OPness.

Again, it is up to you when it comes to IAS. But with AO, get a high raw damage 0.9 base speed item. If you find it too slow, then get a 15% ias ring. If it is still too slow, add another 15% from the amulet, etc. It is always to get a high raw damage 2 hander in 0.9 or 1.00. That way, you can grab items to increase ias if you're too uncomfortable with the speed.

When it comes to 1hander/offhand (which is totally viable as well), I find that it is most useful when in parties and you have a tank and are able to for longer periods of time and can spam MM (seeker or charged blast etc.). I haven't dont much testing with 1hander/offhanders but maybe someone can shed some light on this?

EDIT:

I forgot the mention that my passives are Temporal Flux, Astral Presence and Glass Cannon. This build I am using is specific for solo inferno siegebreaker runs (it is the most efficient for me, at least). Fighting Diablo in Inferno is entirely different beast as boss fights require more suvivability, better escape tools, move movespeed, etc.

Also forgot to show you guys how I got my 1.50 attack speed with my 0.9 weapon.
amulet = 0.15, ring#1 = 0.15, ring #2 = 0.12, helm = 0.12, gloves = 0.14

1+0.15+0.15+0.12+0.12+0.14=1.68

1.68 * 0.9 = 1.512 Attacks per Second

On June 06 2012 17:42 Inflexion wrote:


I think your biggest issue you're going to run into is dealing enough damage to kill stuff fast enough. I was doing act 3 siegebreaker runs with 30k hp (and still am; well, I'm at 34k hp now) for the longest time. With force armor and correctly timed diamond skins, you should be able to survive 1-2 shots of spears or fireballs from the flying bird things.

If you are getting hit by projectiles and dying then work on strafing side to side while attacking in between casting animations.

This is the method I used to gear up for act3 siegebreaker runs (which then I farmed fairly effeciently and now I'm pretty decked out at like 90k dps and 35k hp with 350 res all - all from siegebreaker runs and then selling rares/blues in AH; for anyone looking to pimp out their wizard and those who didn't/don't abuse the chest runs, this is probably the best place to do so).

I'll taylor this for you a bit. This can be all done with under 750k.

1. Get a 2 hander with 0.9 speed. Look for the weapon with the highest #### - ####. At the moment, I see 1200 dps 0.9 attack speed maces for 200k. Just get any blue one (obviously +int +vit or socket is great but if not, just get what you can afford that is around 1200 dps).

2. Grab 2 blue 70 int, 15 ias rings. These sell for hella cheap, I believe something like 15k a piece.

3. Get the amulet with 100int, 15 ias. Uber cheap as well.

4. Get a helm with +int +vit with socket - put the %life gem in it. You can easily buy one of these helms for 100k.

5. Get cheap cheap cheap +vit gear for your templar (don't worry about his dps/res, just stack VIT). He should be using all regen/health skills. Many people neglect this but if you have a 100k health templar who can absorb 2-4 spears/fireballs/hits then it actually helps a lot. That's thousands of hits over the span of hundreds of runs that he can possible save you 30 sec a run by eating a projectile for you.

6. Get 12% movement speed boots. Should be able to get a decent pair for 100k-150k ish. THIS IS MANDATORY.

7. The rest of your gear should focused around +int (+vit where applicable and affordable). Following the steps above, you should be at about 35k-40k dps along with 30k+ hp which is enough to do the run effectively.

8. Get cheap +int MF gear (not weapon). you don't need vit on them or anything, just +int and MF.

Your skills should be MM w/ attunement, AO with tap the source, venom hydra, diamond skin with crystal shell, force armor, and force weapon. Passives are Temp Flux, Astral Presence, and Glass Cannon.

I start my run by creating game at kill the siegebreaker quest. When the game stats, take the WP to rakkis crossing. Tyrael instantly joins the party. Then take the WP to bridge of korsakk.

Head right along the right wall, hug the wall while killing everything in your path. When you encounter an elite, kite back the way you came. Make sure you maintain a full screen length away while kiting. Finding the "sweet spot" is important. You want to just be outside mortar range but inside the range where you're AO/MM can hit. When you get to rakkis, abuse chokes to unload huge AOs when tyrael+templar is tanking at a doorway.

Before any death of any elite, leave about 100k health, put on all your MF gear (except weapon) - you should be at about 150-200 mf with 0 stacks and then kill elite. ** This is where you SC2 skills come in; being a fast and precise clicker is important as you only have 1-2 seconds to completely switch to your mf gear. This route about 95% has 5--6 elites before siegebreaker boss, so by the time you get there, you'll have about 250-300 mf when you kill him. The 12% movement speed boots will allow you to outrun him, thus making it an easy farm after you acquire 5 stacks.

EDIT:

Forgot to mention, also invest in gloves with 10%+ attack speed. With the amulet, 2xrings, gloves and 0.9 weapon you should hit exactly 1.50 attacks per second, which I think is a fair value (this is up for debate as attack speed is dependent on playstyle and build).