Shade's Guide to the Nuke Mage

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2nd Edition, 1st Printing

By Shade, Wanderer of the Five Realms

Published by Arcane Media, Nexus Cycle 57, Year 2

Contents

[edit] Introduction

The Nuke Mage is a notorious character. Able to hold the power to level entire strongholds, clearing out all but the heartiest survivors and leaving nothing but bodies in their wake. Some people are jealous, afraid, or even angry that such abilities exist. Well.. I say nuke on! The Nuke Mage is invaluable as an asset and a hell of a trip to play. Here in this guide, you will learn how to make the most out of your Nuke Mage.

I myself have done a couple of full powered nuke attacks, most notably against Nyquist Guns in January and The Demons Next Door in their stronghold in March. I have made it my business to get the most out of my nuke mage, and through this I hope you will find some use out of my work.

Notes for 2nd Edition: As of this new edition, the role of the nuke mage has changed. No longer is the nuke mage in vogue. High body counts and displays of power are often frowned upon by the proletariat masses, considered pretentious to even display any want or need of a station higher than that of random head in the herd. The Merlins, Raistlins and Sorcerer Supremes are shouted down and told to be quiet. Typical ignorance in an age where we should all be enlightened. After all, we were all chosen for the struggle, were we not? Does that not mean that we are supposed to be special in some way? Why not show it?

That, and factions get resentful when one man kills a hundred of their own. Honestly, there is no way to get revenge for that. You can't kill the man a hundred times and his faction being leveled would be a hollow victory, especially if one can't one up the nuke mage with something equally spectacular. So nuke mages are reviled and feared.

It is not just a socialogical problem, however. Due to fears of attacks, people stay in their strongholds and don't congregate. Factions are less than willing to spend the resources, and individual players don't want to spend the time preparing, if not for themselves and most certainly not for someone else who is perceived to rob the glory from them in the attack. So a nuke mage is left alone to prepare, with hardly any support from his faction. There have been a few that made faction wide efforts, but those are rare.

So in this day and age, what does a nuke mage do? I still say he is relevant. No other class can reap so much destruction with so little, as long as preparations are made. I feel that with a stronger will and commitment from their factions, nuke magi can get the respect they deserve.

[edit] Part 1: Requirements

Thanks to the new rules, not just anyone can be a nuke mage anymore. There are a certain minimum level requirements just to make it work right.

For one, you have to at least be a Sorcerer. You can probably pull it off if you are another kind of spellcaster like a Shepherd or a Defiler, but only Sorcerers and their exits can transcribe spells. Transcribing spells is the most essential skill that a nuke mage has; without it they cannot produce the sheer amount of scrolls needed to pull off a nuke attack. Not only are scrolls lighter and cheaper to cast (because you already spent mana making them), but the scrolls are less of a drain on your MP pool if you know the spell yourself.

Next, you have to be a Tier 3 class character if you want to be a proper nuke mage. A Tier 2 could probably do it if they learn one of the weaker 10/100 AoE spells and becomes a mini nuke. However, characters won't be able to transcribe the bigger 20/200 AoE spells until level 21 (or unless you're a level 20 wizard with cosmic affinity) due to the sheer MP cost of transcribing the spell alone. Therefore you have to decide. Do you want to wait and spend less CP in the long run, or do you want to nuke now? It is up to you.

Theoretically, you could make a tier 2 nuke mage, but I find it more trouble than it is worth. You can wait a few extra levels and make a tier 3. It is more effective that way.

Or you can find The Lore of Haldon. That extra mana will help transcribe those big spells early in your career.

Me, I had my Death Cloud memorized during a time when the MP cost was light enough for a sorcerer to handle, so I didn't have to worry about that, but if it were up to me I would wait, get one or two big AoE spells and get the most out of my nuke mage.

[edit] Part 2: Your Weapon of Choice

First, your area of effect (AoE) spell of your choice. It is the heart of any nuke mage, defining their character and giving them that edge in battle. Without it, there is no nuke mage, period.

AoE spells are divided into two classes; the 10/100 (maximum 10 damage per target, 100 damage in total), and the 20/200 (same, but doubled).

10/100's

20/200's

Note the CP cost to memorize. It gets more expensive as you go into more exotic damage types. From experience, I found that the exotic damage types are well worth it. I also found that certain types are more effective in certain situations (for example, my Death Cloud is useless against undead factions, but my Hail Assault spell would work well against Infernal Behemoths). It really depends on what you want, but either way just go for one!

[edit] Part 3: Your Skillset

Without certain skills in your repetoire, you would be next to useless as a mage, much less one that levels buildings and kills hundreds. The more of these skills you have, the more refined your ability to be a walking weapon of mass destruction will be.

Second, you have to have the essential skills, for without them, you will not be able to nuke. These are the essentials:

  • Transcribe Spell: Without a source of scrolls, you cannot nuke properly. Wizards don't have enough MP and Magic Recovery potions are too hard to make. Get this above all other skills, even before your AoE of choice.
  • Ranged Combat/Spell Combat/Battle Magic skill tree: AoE spells are considered ranged attacks, so get these skills to increase your accuracy on the field.

Then there are your Mortal skills that will help you on the way:

  • Search: Nuke mages need to do a lot of gathering, for potions and ampthetamines. Get this to cut your time searching down significantly.
  • Strength: The more items you can carry as a nuke mage, the better, especially ampthetamines.

A Sorcerer skill or two that will come in handy:

  • Sorcerer's Might: This will be very helpful when you have to get that one last drop of magic out of you in the attack, or when you have to spend an all nighter transcribing scrolls.
  • Alchemy: Without it you won't be able to brew the immunity and greater invulnerability potions needed to keep you alive during the attack. Sure, you can go without them but I wouldn't recommend it...

Now this is where I diverge. I made a Wizard for my nuke mage, which I find is the most effective. You can nuke with the other classes. Here is what I recommend for Wizards:

  • Cosmic Affinity/Cosmic Mastery/Cosmic Oneness skill tree: The more mana, the better. Nuke mages go through mana like an SUV goes through gasoline, quickly, thirstily and without any regard for the environment. The more you can store the better off your nuke attack will be. It will also reduce your dependency on magic recovery potions, which are expensive as hell to make.
  • Nexus Affinity: Goes without saying. If it can make your spells cheaper to cast, why not?
  • Nexus Empowerment: So that your spells hit harder! This one's a no brainer.

But hey, not every nuke mage has to be a Wizard. I just find that Wizards are the most effective. What if you want to be something else? Elementalists aren't nearly as effective, but some of their skills can be helpful. Here are some Elementalist ideas:

  • Fly/Water Breathing: The Elementalist hasn't much to offer to a nuke mage. However, travel skills are helpful for taking that last little bit of AP and saving it for the big attack.
  • Earthquake: Because... it's an AoE spell. That's all, really, a good backup for the scrolls you have.

As for the Lich, they may not be the most powerful nukers, but they can take the most advantage of a nuke attack:

  • Animate Corpse/Horrid Enslavement: Just imagine. You or your buddy kills with your death cloud. Raise the dead from the attack, let the zombies add to the AoE confusion, and have your zombies kill and make more zombies, while you're AoE'ing your target a new one. A terrifying combination.
  • Vestige of the Wraith: Flying will help you get places on the cheap.
  • Terrifying Aspect/Aura of the Crypt: Whatever keeps them away from you will help take the pressure off.

[edit] Part 3a: The Lore of Haldon

Sometime in your magi career, you might consider learning The Lore of Haldon. It is a no brainer. 10 extra max MP for you and the prestige of being one of the few that found the complete original set of 50 lore fragments. As of this writing, I am at 46 and by the time this tome is published and mass distributed I shall have the whole set.

However, it is not an easy task. Only a few buildings have The Lore of Haldon, and they are mystical in nature (so sorry Valhalla, I have yet to hear of a place in Valhalla that had a piece of lore). Stygian towers, Clockwork towers, the Seven Towers of Virtue in Paradise and the Paradisian Vaults of Enlightenment are natural places to look.

However, none have the search odds as the dread uberlich Haldos's former home in The Necrotic Tower(also where you find the exploration badge 'End of Haldos'). There, you will find the lore you seek.

If you are worried about places to hide, I assure you this place is not as blasted and barren as it appears. The Ossuary Pits outside the tower can hide you as well as any forest. However, I suggest you hide at night or you will never hide at all, and I also warn you that Void Walkers like to roam the ruins and the pits, looking for scholars to prey on. Even with all these dangers, I have been able to survive for weeks before being found out there (though I feel lucky to get a few days of study before I am killed).

But trust me when I say it is worth it as a nuke mage. You'll at least get 59 max mp once you reach level 30. With the Cosmic Awareness/Mastery/Oneness tree, you increase that max mp to a Nexus shattering 104 MP IN TOTAL! Wouldn't it be nice to never have to drink an expensive magic recovery potion ever again?

Go get your lore!

[edit] Part 4: Your Spellset

This isn't just about your AoE spell, you know. Though they are just sweet little addons, learning these spells will help you get the most out of your nuke mage.

  • Eagle Eye: For ranged combat effectiveness, accept no substitute.
  • Turtle Shell: Any extra armour during the raid will help you immensely.
  • Visual Prestidigitation: The spell with the long words will give you more dodge, and the more dodge you have the better off you will be.
  • Dispel Greater Ward: It comes in handy when people ward off the area you want to nuke. At least keep one scroll of it on you.
  • Reveal: You might want to keep a scroll of it on you, but note that even hidden characters will get nuked, so don't worry too much about it.

[edit] Part 5: Your Shopping List

Part of a good, effective nuke attack is having the right equipment for the job. As a nuke mage, you have to pack light on your regular equipment (if at all) and pack heavy on your temporary boosters, because you will need every AP, MP and immunity that you can stuff in your inventory. This part of being a mage nuke is the longest and hardest. A good attack can take weeks to prepare, but is well worth it when you fumigate an entire stronghold.

Do you have your alchemy skill yet? Good. Here is what you need:

  • Potion of Greater Invulnerability: You are going to be attacked a lot and from all sides, so pack some invulnerability potions with you. Before 1.4, you used to be able to stack every invulnerable potion and become invincible, but that's not possible anymore, so just go for one GI. And don't worry, your attack should only last for its 10 minute duration.
  • Immunity Potions: If you can be immune to every attack your enemy can throw at you... do it! Any help is needed. Get as many immunity potion types as you can. Don't leave anything to chance.
  • Potion of Combat Clarity: An accuracy enhancer, this will help in your AoE attacks. If you combine this with Eagle Eye and Spell Combat/Battle Magic, you should never miss.
  • Potion of Magic Recovery: if your own internal supplies of MP can't last, get a couple of these. Expensive, but well worth it, and you won't have to use Sorcerer's Might during the most critical time of the attack.
  • Potion of Healing/Potion of Regeneration: Good with Sorcerer's Might, or good if someone somehow manages to hurt you. Carry one just in case.
  • Potion of Extended Invisibility: Optional, and great if you want to camp outside your target before the attack.
  • Dose of Amphetamines: This is what makes a nuke mage a nuke mage. Without it, nuke mage attacks would only be slightly effective. Whatever free space you have must go towards amphetamines. Sacrifice some potions, some equipment, and get the Strength skill if thats what it takes. Amphetamines are your top priority. Load with amphetamines to get the extra AP you need for your attack, and watch as you unleash a conflaguration of destruction while getting 'twitchy'. You can attack without them, but only so much. Did I mention you need amp? Get them!
  • Poison Potion: Suicide option.

And of course, you'll need spells. Scrolls are the best to have, if possible.

  • One scroll each of Eagle Eye, Visual Prestidigitation and Turtle Shell.
  • One Dispel Ward scroll, just in case.
  • One Shadow Wrap for emergency hiding.
  • One Destroy Door. You would hate to have your attack end because someone shut the door on you and you have nobody to open it, right?
  • Multiple AoE scrolls. I find that 35 to 40 scrolls of your AoE of choice is enough for one major nuke attack.

Out of all your activities, gathering takes the most time. Here are some time saving tips:

  • Take care of the alchemy first. Your components take space, and it's inconvenient to not have enough space because you gathered your amp first.
  • Make requests for what you want in your faction. Some may be able to help, saving you time.
  • Trade for what you want. You'll get excesses of items you don't need. Use them to get what you don't have. This works very well in your amphetamine gathering stage. You'll get excess First Aid Kits, so make friends with a medic and work out a FAK for amp trade deal.

[edit] Part 5a: On Amphetamines and the Limits of the Body

Before you go gathering enough Amp to overdose a hardcore junkie, please be aware that your body can only handle a certain amount of Amp in your system.

An experiment was done by The Backalley Pharmacists, where they used one Eternal Soldier and dosed them with Amp for months on end. Then he was unleashed on a major stronghold where he killed all the people inside with his sword. The reason he could do this was AP growth. The faction fed him Amp on a daily basis. Without worrying about a finite amount of Amp he had to carry on his person, they were able to pump his AP for those months until he reached over a thousand.

Or so rumour says.

Because of this, The Nine imposed a rule. You can take as much amp as you want, but only up to double your AP limit. So for a regular character, that 50 AP can be only pumped to 100 AP. For a character at the end of his or her advancement, 71 AP can only go up to 142 AP when overdosing on Amp.

For a nuke mage, that should be no problem. If you have strength, you can only carry up to 70 Amp anyways, which might get reduced due to your other equipment. But it also means you can't overdose a mage like the BAP did to their Eternal Soldier. That is ok. Unlike an ES, a mage is also restricted by his mana intake, so unless the faction has a small fortune in Soul Ice and mana recovery potions, such an attack done in the same way with a mage would be cumbersome.

[edit] Part 6: Target Planning and Selection

You can select any target you want, but to get the most out of your attack you need to select the right target. If you have a political agenda then it is easy enough, just find one that matches and go! The rest is just planning. However, you may want to keep a few things in mind. For one, make sure you have everything you need. Secondly, you want to pick a target that has enough people to kill, or else you waste your effort. If it's an unamped attack, about 30 or so people and amped you want over 100 in the same building.

If its an unwarded area, getting in is easy so you can do it on your own if need be. You just go with a standard attack. Areas like the Fortress of Raggitude (Valhalla, centred around 3,30) and The Northern Vault of Enlightenment (19,14 and 20,14 in Paradise) are good places to go for mostly unprotected numbers. The Southern Vaults (22,27 to 23,28, Paradise) used to be a prime hunting ground until overhunting and patrolling Zealots from nearby factions drove the users of the Vault away. Rumour has it that the northern Clockwork Tower in Paradise (17,2 and 23,3, Paradise) are good congregating areas, but that has yet to be investigated.

Now you just have to get there. Plan your route. Plan how much AP you need to get there. Better still, plan it so you can travel and camp outside the target until you are at full AP again. Get the most out of your AP, and use those extended invisibility potions you gathered earlier. The point is by the time the attack is ready to go off, you have as much AP as you can stuff in your character.

[edit] Part 7: The Attack

Showtime, grasshopper! You now have an attack to execute. You have gathered what you needed, sorted out all the details, made your travel plans and are ready to attack. Well, how does an attack go?

I tend to use a 6 to 8 hour timetable. It allows for travel time, potion usage, and AP recovery.

  • 8-6 hours from attack: Travel to outside the location. Drink extended invisibility potion if necessary and only if you have a spare.
  • 5-4 hours from attack: You can also use this time to travel if the target is close. Drink immunity potions, go invisible with extended invisibility potion if you haven't already done so or need to do it again.
  • 45 minutes from attack: Drink Combat Clarity Potion. Cast Visual Prestidigitation, Turtle Shell.
  • 5-1 minutes from attack: Consume all of your anthetamines. Drink Potion of Greater Invulnerability. Cast Eagle Eye.
  • Zero Hour: Enter target. Cast repeated AoE spells until the target is gone or you run out of AP/MP. Cast Eagle Eye when needed. Drink Magic Recovery Potions when needed, or use Sorcerer's Might. Roleplay is optional.

And that is what an attack looks like. If pulled off right, you should be able to kill close to one hundred characters in one sitting (how many are registered in your kill score is entirely up to your level).

[edit] Part 7a: The Team Effort

If the target is a stronghold with a decent ward, then you will need the help of your friends. In fact, it seems these days that nuke magi can't attack unless supported. This might be hard to do, but rest assured that it is well worth the effort.

Call on some faction mates to break the ward and slay any petmasters if need be. If you don't have a faction or can't call upon friends then do what I did once... hire another faction to do it! Factions like The Blood Hawk Brigade or any other mercenary faction will gladly do the dirty work for you... for a price, so spend some extra time gathering some payment and hire some mercs. I had to pay the Blood Hawks 15 gold ingots for wardbashing and petslaying services, but it is well worth the weeks searching for payment.

Hiring mercenaries is easy, since they will do what you say since you paid them. Factionmates... not so easy. You'll have to convince them, which is kind of hard because everyone wants the glory but nobody wants to play the support role. In an attack, you're asking your protection to stay completely in a support role so that you can take centre stage. For the support guy, that can be pretty dull.

So you have to sell them on the idea. An awesome attack, the preparation, make it look like it is a great endeavor. Make them feel needed and wanted. That will help. Bribe them with alchemy or favours. Do whatever you have to. Just as long as you can get them to follow orders and do exactly what you say to the letter, then you are ok.

The attack should be the same as described before, but with a few modifications:

  • Assign ward bashers. Depending on the size of the faction's ward, you may need three to six people. It is their job to kick down the door and nothing else. If the ward is destroyed and they have AP left, they are assigned to petkilling.
  • Assign one or two people with full AP to protect your back. That includes killing petmasters and any active players in the enemy stronghold.
  • Make sure your raiders (especially your protection) has immunity potions to your AoE spells. They will have to run interference and kill actives DURING your attack to make sure you are not hit. Also make sure they have greater invulnerabilty and combat clarity potions too.
  • All raiders must stay diciplined at all times! That means they can only attack actives and petmasters. In a 200+ stronghold that is no problem, but if the nuke mage wants to maximize his kills he must not have his raiding team kill inactives! Wait until the nuke mage is done, then turn the rest of the raiding group on the stronghold to mop up.
  • Optional: Assign one raider to be your pack mule. That includes carrying extra potions and Amp. You are limited by your weight restriction, but two people carrying all the gear a nuke mage needs is even better. Make sure the pack mule has at least 10-20 Amp (or more if needed) and all the potions you need. Have the pack mule hand over potions, then Amp just before zero hour to make sure you have the maximum amount of AP you can cram into your mage.

A lone effort is great. A team effort will get the most out of your mage. Be sure to do this when possible.

[edit] Part 8: Wrapping Up

You can use all the AP you have to kill, but where's the finesse of that? Before you end your attack, there are a few things you have to do to make it really aggrevating for your enemy. If you have any Lich friends, now is a time for them to capitalize. Otherwise, move on. If you can escape, do so.

Be warned though. Escaping isn't easy. Once word spreads that you just turned your target into a smoking, irradiated crater people will be looking for you, and they will find you. An attack that big will have Nexus Champions with the Tattoo of the Eye of Death coming from all over the Nexus to hunt you down. Even an extended invisibility will not guarentee your safety.

After you pull the attack, they will want to get revenge. They will come in, act indignant, try to come up with some lackwit response to your horrific actions in a vain attempt to humiliate and degrade you, then they will execute you to much fanfare. Don't give them the satisfaction of a poorly verbose execution. After you sorcerer's might yourself to near death nuking the place, drink the poison potion, take an AP to walk and let their Eye of Deaths find out that you're beyond their justice. It will frustrate the hell out of your enemies and deny them a chance to vent their anger at your attack, as it should be.

[edit] In Conclusion...

A nuke mage can be a very rewarding experience. Some say that the nuke mage is a powermoger, a powergaming class that is boring and takes little skill. Nothing can be further from the truth. The nuke mage takes preparation, planning and patience, and the power you weild is enough to influence events in The Nexus. Don't downplay or underestimate the abilities of the nuke mage, for they are the deterrent of many conflicts and the bane of so many enemies. From a strategic standpoint they are a great equilizers if used properly and given the time to prepare. If you are a person that likes a meticulous plan or loves to hold the power to kill hundreds at a time, you will find that the nuke mage can deliver.

Now go out there and get famous!

[edit] For Corrections, Suggestions and Revisions

For those that have their own tips, or see any errors, feel free to put it in the discussion section. This guide isn't set in stone, and though I've tried my hardest to refine the art of the Nuke Mage to a science, there is still some more improvement to be done. Feel free to add your two cents.

If it's about Nuke Mage bashing, you'll be promptly ignored and your comments will be deleted. If I wanted to hear about how much the Nuke Mage is ruining the game, I'd make a guide called 'Shade's Guide to B*tching about the Nuke Mage'. Thank you.

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