Noob here, Aero questions

Zyren

Hi! So I just created and I'm enjoying getting myself lost in Hallifax anytime I walk anywhere. Slowly learning my stuff, and I've been trying to plan ahead towards what I want to specaliize in. My biggest question, is aeromancy or aerochemantics. I've found a few posts about the later, apparently at the skill's release, that suggests its fun as well as strong, but it doesn't seem like anyone is one these days.

Which would you recommend I pick, and why? I doubt I'll get much into player combat, so I'm more wondering which is more fun/useful/interesting outside of that.

Hope this was the right forums to ask in, thanks!

Qistrel

The Chem skills are all pretty cool, but suffer from you needing to collect large amounts of elemental essence in order to use your things.

There are a lot of Geochems in Mag, to the point that it can often be hard to find a Geomancer that used normal Geomancy. So there are people who can put up with the essence thing. The other mage guilds seem to have less chem (possibly because their chems are not steampunk cyborgs toting magnum blasters).

Zyren

I've noticed that many skills I currently have access to, have almost no effect on npcs. Do any of the aerochem skills effect npcs? 

I also suppose I should mention I'm taking psionics into prolly telekinesis. If the skills synergize at all in some way.

Lerad

The only things that affect NPCs are damage abilities. All classes only have pretty much their main "damage" ability to affect NPCs with. Nothing else will.

Saran

Oh, just to add in. While yeah gathering essence is one option (and the "free" option) each guild should also have a special vendor that sells a substance that you can use instead of essence.

A benefit for Aeromancy would be that you can "condensate" making the room "cloudy" and activating your level 50 perk for lucidian giving you a little damage buff.

Along with this you would be able to meld those rooms, which has some handy benefits. 

* You can teleport to your "meld" as long as it is up (so it could be a shortcut back to a hunting area)

* You get an influence bonus while in your meld

* And I believe there are some demesne effects for Aeromancy that heal you and the like which would also help with bashing or the like.

With the staff from aeromancy you can also choose between which damage type you want it to focus which can be handy for bashing. Aerochem has two different attacks one that electric which also consumes a reagent with every use, and the normal one which is 50/50 electric/asphyx.

Qistrel

Your attacks that work on npcs would be Elementalism's Blast and Aeromancy's Staff, or alternatively Aerochemantics Beam Generator and Focal Tip.

Though I've been saying for years they need to let us use psiblade on npcs. Because it would be cool.

Ushaara

Since you say that you probably won't get into combat, I would say Aeromancy is probably more suitable than Aerochemantics.

Aerochem has some nice abilities, and great flavour, but aside from a boost to electric damage and some fire damage mitigation, all the abilities are really geared more to pvp.

With Aeromancy on the other hand, you get a guild unique beast (thunderbird), passive healing, passive curing, an influence buff, and as Saran pointed out the very useful teleport to your meld from cloudy room.

Psionics with telekinesis is a good choice, as you will get forcefield which is great for bashing.

Twytch

Despite the -chem and -wood abilities being more geared towards PvP than the traditional mages and druids, one of the reasons why they (the latter) are still more common is because demesnes still provide a significant boost to a PvP group's combat ability. 

Zyren

Qistrel said:

Though I've been saying for years they need to let us use psiblade on npcs. Because it would be cool.

Can we get that to be a thing? Because I also would -really- like to focus on that aspect of the character over the others. Just seems extremely cool, and I don't see how having a neat bashing option would upset any balance.

Qistrel

The problem most people would have is that it gives mages and monks access to a 100% psychic bashing attack.

Cyndarin

Twytch said:

Despite the -chem and -wood abilities being more geared towards PvP than the traditional mages and druids, one of the reasons why they (the latter) are still more common is because demesnes still provide a significant boost to a PvP group's combat ability. 

I don't know how true this is anymore, mages are pretty scarce these days. There tends to be one from each org that sticks to mage (Munsia, myself, etc) and the others seem to flex out of go chemantics. 

Mage is awesome but it's extremely immobile. 

Zyren

Just make psiblade do 50% cut / 50% psychic to npcs? / everyone

then we can run around stabbing things with our mind like we should!

Qistrel

Maligorn

But in the split second WHAT??!!

Twytch

I actually wouldn't mind if damage abilities are all made usable against mobs (I'm biased, since I want Sun rays in Astrology to do pewpewpew). Grinding is grinding, might as well make it less tedious with more choices.

Falaeron

Celina said:

Twytch said:

Despite the -chem and -wood abilities being more geared towards PvP than the traditional mages and druids, one of the reasons why they (the latter) are still more common is because demesnes still provide a significant boost to a PvP group's combat ability. 

I don't know how true this is anymore, mages are pretty scarce these days. There tends to be one from each org that sticks to mage (Munsia, myself, etc) and the others seem to flex out of go chemantics. 

Mage is awesome but it's extremely immobile. 

The opposite seems to be true in Hallifax

Rolsand

Aeromancy is more common 

Qistrel

Has been an upswing of in Mag lately, we got Vladimere and Gero, and a couple of younger mages too.

Tylwyth

Maligorn said:

But in the split second WHAT??!!

Magnets beat her since they can't have a pwoerful female that actually does something. Well not when it's psylocke()they'veh ad her beaten by sabertooth "because" so, they just had something stupid happen.

Zyren

Follow-up question!

Are those artifact whips super worth it? Will they do that much damage over my beam generator?

Tekora

In most cases, yes, the artifact whips are pretty much superior to any other class-based bashing item. The only one that trumps it is the Wand of Wonder.

Tarkenton

And then not really. Wand hits harder, on a slower equilibrium balance. Of all the wonder items I had, choosing to split my max wand into a cornucopia and sell the other pieces wasn't a tough one.

Twytch

In any case, I think it should be noted that getting whips or a wand is in no way a requirement in order to bash well. In fact, if I'm remembering correctly, you're playing a class that's pretty good at it.

Lerad

Actually, since the stats overhaul, whips are only really good for giving access to damage types you don't have. Which is, of course, great, given there are creatures that can be very weak to certain damagetypes and thus give you a huge increase in damage output for bashing. 

The flat damage is supposedly roughly equivalent to staffcasting, or so I heard, which means it should be just a normal bashing attack otherwise.

Zyren

I use the beam generator, not the staff. What are the best damage types for serious hunting?

Tarkenton

Divinus or fire for the vast majority.

Zyren

Can you use Hexangle, Pentangle or the like on beam generators?

Tarkenton

Pretty sure yes.