BMG tips

[English lad]

Hi all,

Back again after a year away, and trying something a bit new in the form of a battlemage.

I know there have been a few successful BMGs over the years, but a quick search of the PK forums revealed one thing being very prevalent in most successful BMG pks, that being the use of reflective shield. Obviously this is not so successful any more due to the changes made, and I was wondering what sort of tactics people have made use of since these changes on successful BMGs.

Jibber has obviously had a couple of very successful ones of late, but I'm really looking for something that will not rely on cabal or qrace abilities, not that those won't be nice if i get them, but those should be the icing on the cake - not something i rely on.

Likely to be good aligned, as pretty much all my chars have been so far, and i don't feel like learning a new class at the same time as adjusting to a new align.

Tips either here or by PM, all is good.

Thanks

EL

[corpsestomp]

Use the in-game affects list. You will love it.

Get extra dex equipment, you're going to have slow on you quite often.

Terra shield, at a certain level and proficiency, will follow you. Master it when reasonable.

Lots of your spells get better with proficiency, some which aren't worth mastering until you have slow for the huge regen.

Master cancellation, it is arguably the most important spell you'll have.

Learn what spells to use while ranking. You do NOT need to be fully spelled up if you're not tanking. It's a waste of mana to have force field on all the time.

You can tank reasonably well due to all the defensive spells you have, it's a decent way to master both defensive and offensive spells.

There's a good chunk of spells you can master inside. Read helpfiles on them.

[jibber]

Jibber has obviously had a couple of very successful ones of late' date=' but I'm really looking for something that will not rely on cabal or qrace abilities, not that those won't be nice if i get them, but those should be the icing on the cake - not something i rely on.[/quote']

I hate that everyone thinks I rely on those things. None of my battlemages' PK/RP has relied completely on qrace or cabal abilities. It's a common misconception because people hate it when they're qskills or fighting a nexus battlemage...

I played Jenaosae, an elf battlemage in Knight (before Sigil I had a decent PK record, too) and I have played several other battlemages that did will before they got into their desired cabals....

But, if you want to play a battlemage solely dependent on their skills/spells and not a cabal, I suggest you don't even try to be part of a cabal like all of my characters strive toward.

[Mindflayer]

Savant is a killer cabal for a battlemage. Elf sigil BMG should be illegal Anume.

[Kyzarius]

I hate that everyone thinks I rely on those things. None of my battlemages' PK/RP has relied completely on qrace or cabal abilities. It's a common misconception because people hate it when they're qskills or fighting a nexus battlemage...

People say this because you most recently killed a lot of people by spamming the undead skill as a bmage, and then made a point IC'ly of rubbing it in everyones face that fought you. Using the effects of this skill and the undeads passive bonus' to their greatest advantage.

A case and point would be how as Londil you had a very hard time killing me (eventually you got me, but it took forever), because of an immunity to said undead skill.

not damnig you for it myself, (how dare you UTILIZE the abilities you EARNED) just identifying the possible origin.

Back on topic....

Knowing your opponent and when to use what shield is crucial, focus on AC as a bmage, it is your strong point. Be aware of landscape, if you cross water for example. Spell maintanence is of the utmost importance. Using the internal AFF system or highlights in your client (or both!) can really improve your game. Knowledge of consumables (healing!), like an invoker, is important. Heavy weapons make for better eldrich weapons, use identify to your advantage comparing them. Never udnerestimate the power of Rust. I always see people complain about clap/flashfire not working, but they never use rust....

[jibber]

A case and point would be how as Londil you had a very hard time killing me (eventually you got me' date=' but it took forever[/b']), because of an immunity to said undead skill.

not damnig you for it myself, (how dare you UTILIZE the abilities you EARNED) just identifying the possible origin.

Thing is, a lot of people got me, and I got a lot of people. I made sure very well that such a skill was on whoever I was fighting as often as possible, since it's my right to use it. But I've only had ONE undead that could use such a skill..

What about all my other bmgs? Jenaosae? People got me, and I got other people. I did very well with her. Regardless.. when people point out skill of someone else JUST BECAUSE of abilities like this.. well, kinda urks me.

Oh, and you killed me once too, I think, didn't you? Regardless, me killing a halfling blademaster praetorian avatar WITHOUT using such a skill is proof that I can kill people without such awesome pwn 1killj00 one button press skills.

[Kyzarius]

Oh, and you killed me once too, I think, didn't you? Regardless, me killing a halfling blademaster praetorian avatar WITHOUT using such a skill is proof that I can kill people without such awesome pwn 1killj00 one button press skills.

yeah our battles where down to the one mistake. I think that day you ran through the eridani and lost earth shield, then I hit you with the crit strike lag attack.

[Mindflayer]

The best was Grum versus Valkynrsa. Valkynrsa's poison stunned Grum, but his blood guard got the finishing blow while he was stunned and captured the battlemage. Epic.

[jibber]

On topic, though..

1.) Attrition. This is the #1 most important thing as a battlemage. You will heal faster, and usually out-damage your opponents faster.

2.) Area. The area you fight in is also VERY VERY important. Usually an area without water would be -best-, and an area with a lot of turns and twists is sublime. I've killed many people because thunderclap just ruined their day. Also, make sure you're always outside depending on who you're fighting. Never fight outside against an invoker.

3.) TIME. A biggy here. The time of day that you fight your opponent is BIG. 9-3oclock is best, getting the biggest and best sears as well.

4.) WHO you fight. You're going to have the most problems with berserkers and warriors, hands down. I've never really had problems with clerics or healers or even shamans, but decked warriors and berserkers will RUIN your day. If you're not in a cabal, and that big bad decked warrior wants you dead.. just simply don't fight him. (unless of course you have some other advantage up your sleeve..)

5.) nymph hearts, red and white staffs, green potions, bright red potions, Golden Flowers, ankhs and glimmering staffs, floating wands, ... make sure your consumables are caught up everytime you fight. If you don't have the consumables, don't fight.

6.) A good dancer. Best dancers in this game are: Divine Reckoning (good/evil/neutral and MAGIC) Shark's Maw (evil and BLUNT) Rib of Shudde Me'll (good/evil/neutral MAGIC) Master Forgeman's Hammer (neutral and BLUNT), notched axe (good/neutral and BLUNT), Soulblight (evil and MAGIC), and blood filled voulge (evil/neutral and MAGIC).

I'm sure there's others that have been added since, but those are good ones to look for.

ALSO MAKE SURE YOU TRAIN THE SPELLS AS YOU GET THEM. GOOD ONES TO TRAIN ARE: word of recall, sear, meteor swarm, control blades (these go up with use, actually, while the spells is active), dancing blade (MASTER MASTER MASTER.), air shield, terra shield, force field, reflective shield, blur, and even mana lock!

[Mindflayer]

Some good advice in there

[f0xx]

Some good advice in there

Indeed.

And just because you killed Londil, doesn't mean much really

K. is a great player, BLMs don't really seem like his class though. That ability IS strong. VERY strong. And you were using it prior to anything else which is the reason of Val's power, but that does not mean it is the only reason though.

When an experienced player plays his expertise class (and BMG are undoubtedly one of your expertise classes) and has a strong Qskills like the undead one, then of course you can not expect anything less than a whole world of pain and trouble.

I've tried fighting Val with a number of characters of mine, and while I haven't died once, I got my *** wooped, always.

As for the topic, Jibber already covered (almost) everything.

I will add a few more and will reveal that a higher proficiency in certain spells will allow you to cast those spells without covering the requirements they usually need.

Sear is a key spell. Learn to use it. There is an item that will allow you to cast 2 of them in one round. Even if one doesn't die from it, the blind is next to uncurable and almost 100% sure to land.

Meteor is wicked.

As a BMG, I've found dirt kick to be my biggest annoyance.

As jibber said, your biggest strength is attrition. Careful with slow though, it eats A LOT of your move. I would suggest investing some train sessions in movement.

One VERY important thing, not certain about slow, but haste does not really seem affected by saves. It is a very very important spell if you are up against an attrition class.

Soulblight is THE best weapon to dance, unless you are fighting a magic resistant race.

Good luck.

[mmajunkie]

Mmmmm, bmages. Don't listen to jibber telling you to fear those big nasty melee muscleheads :-D My bmages kill melee knight elders and warmaster elders (Senrail was a very good kill for me considering he was a feral warmaster elder)

[jibber]

I've killed big bad-asses too. I didn't say fear them, I basically said don't fight them unless you have the advantage because they're the biggest problem you'll have.

[f0xx]

Mmmmm' date=' bmages. Don't listen to jibber telling you to fear those big nasty melee muscleheads :-D My bmages kill melee knight elders and warmaster elders (Senrail was a very good kill for me considering he was a feral warmaster elder)[/quote']

The fact that you kill someone doesn't mean he is not the bane of your class. It just means you do well with that class. Better than your opponent with his own.

[mmajunkie]

/facepalm seriously?

Foxx: Maybe if it was one kill. But I've killed those types repeatedly. Melees are not the bane of a battlemage. Decked melees are harder to kill, but it is not a one sided fight at all. The true bane of a bmg is a shaman or anyone else that can drain your mana or beat you at the attrition game.

Battlemages are designed to take down melees. That's why they are ac dependant, have defenses that do not rely on dirt kick, etc. Reflective shield, their pinnacle spell, is designed for melee fights, not mage/communer fights.

Jibber: You said don't fight them unless you have some sort of advantage. What advantage? I killed a decked warmaster elder magic resist ranger as an uncabaled human bmage. I had no advantage. I actually think I might have been dancing my magical sword at the time too, but I'd have to look at the log. Your damage output against a shield blocking enemy who can heal themselves and throw out mega-damage one hitters is much harder than a melee fight. Undead vs mage/communer may be a little different, but I've never played one so idk.

edit: I was in fact using a magical dancer vs a magic resist race.

"Soulblight" the Bringer of Darkness bobs in the air as it heads towards Jaspurr.

Your deadly scythes fade into reality and begin to rotate quickly.

The Bone Bow of Anduin's pierce wounds you.

[f0xx]

Battlemages are designed to take down melees. That's why they are ac dependant' date=' have defenses that do not rely on dirt kick, etc. Reflective shield, their pinnacle spell, is designed for melee fights, not mage/communer fights.[/quote']

Reflective shield is not only useless against smart warriors/zerkers, but will also harm you against them.

Also lets not speculate how they are designed. BMGs' strength comes from the fact that they basicly are melees, but they can stack much more AC and saves than the usual melee can, due to the fact that they do not need hit/dam.

Blur, blades and terra shield are basicly a joke when you compare them to parry/dodge (won't even talk about shield block and two handed). That is why they have all those AC boosting spells, to compensate the many, but not that much reliable defensive spells. Wether you are going to take one MUTILATE or three hits is basicly the same thing.

Dirt might not affect the performance of those 3 defensive spells mentioned above, but they are already not very reliable anyway, and if you are blind your ability to parry is hampered greatly too.

I killed a decked warmaster elder magic resist ranger as an uncabaled human bmage.

And that proves what exactly? You can post the battle and we can look at the log and see who did mistakes and who played well. What I am trying to say is that the fact that YOU play BMGs well and your opponent made mistakes then does not mean smart melees will not be some of the hardest fights for a BMG.

PS. I defeated Jaspurr three times with my invoker too. Does that mean that magic resistant ranger is an easy fight for an invoker too? No, it only means that Jaspurr did certain mistakes and I (or you in that case) took advantage of them.

[mmajunkie]

Foxx why do I always have to pick apart your arguments? Seriously, you obviously have never played a successful battlemage.

I am not speculating at all, I know how they are designed. Who were your successful bmages at 50 foxx? I've had four.

Just because there is a way around reflective shield (now) does not mean it wasn't designed for the purpose I said it was. There is normally ways around MANY key class spells/skills. That's called balance. Something great is created and a defense is created against it.

Warriors get 8 attacks when dual wielding and can use any weapon. Bmage gets three weak attacks (2 blades, 1 weapon which you don't get many to choose from, and no enhanced damage) and one POSSIBLY strong attack (dancer) That's half the attacks of a warrior and 2/3 the attacks of a ranger and non-raged zerk. Not to mention if any of those melees get hasted.

So to label them as "basicallly are melees" is pretty damned foolish.

I never said that smart decked melees were not hard fights. I said they weren't the bane.

Those defenses are incredibly reliable Foxx...how many battlemages have you played again? They are not a joke at all.

The key to ANY fight is capitalizing on the mistakes of your opponent Foxx...so that's a pretty weak argument in and of itself. I never once said Jaspurr was an easy fight. You really need to take a closer look at these posts before you make your myriad of weak arguments against them.

Battlemages will run over a sub-par decked melee and will have a hard, but winnable, fight against decked melees. An especially harder one vs decked cabaled melees when you are not cabaled.

[H&R]

A zerk can totally devastate a bmg. Especially a zerk with the same hometown Although, the zerk can also get his *** handed to him if he isn't careful.

[mmajunkie]

mino zerk w/ decent avg magic axes and the ole charge/flee is a bmg bane for sure LOL

[H&R]

Sure, I was thinking more about rage + haymaker though.

[mmajunkie]

If it lands it can be a chore, but manageable. Their dmg output is a different story. Hopefully they are decked hit/dam so can can get the dispel and fire off a good sear and a slow.

Also one of the "benefits" of having a small pbase like you all do here is that statistically...how many zerks with haymaker bonus are you gonna have to fight?

[f0xx]

Meh, I give up. He has played 3 successful BMGs, so my opinion matters not

[mmajunkie]

Your opinion is one thing. But don't act like it's fact unless you've played multiple battlemages of different races and cabals and have some real experience with their ins and outs.

edit: Other misinformative things in your bmg posts-

"There's an item that will let you cast sear twice in one round" There is no item that will allow you to cast sear twice in one round. There is an item that will cast sear at one certain hour every day if you are in combat when that hour hits. It has no bearing on your ability to cast the spell.

"Sear blinds almost 100% of the time" Sear is nowhere near 100% efficient in landing blind

You suggested people should put trains into movement? I would vehemently disagree with this. 20-30 moves is not going to make or break you (you're talking like 3 rooms of movement).

Put them into hp and learn how to be efficient with chasing/slow. Arguably it's a matter of playing style, but never ever put trains into movement.

[f0xx]

Pfft, was gonna write a long post proving certain points, but there really is no use because I don't know a thing about BMGs and the "all-knowing-master-of-BMGs" WILL prove me "wrong" once again

[mmajunkie]

I think you've saved a lot more than just my time by not writing such a post. Personally, I'd love to see you try and prove that sear is somewhere near 100% efficient in landing blind or any other of your "points"