User:Mac Dre/Elementalist
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[edit] Dremac's Elementalist Guide
I'm just some dude who's been playing NexusWar for a long time. I've maxed every class and I've played in factions of all sizes and locations and styles. This article is merely my thoughts about the Elementalist class written down for all to see.
The Elementalist is the nexal's "petmaster." His counterparts are the angelic Lightspeaker and the demonic Wyrm Master. His alternates are the nexal pure-caster the Wizard, and the nexal undead caster the Lich.
The Elementalist is traditionally seen as an extremely mobile and adaptable spellcaster, a good choice for characters who want a nexal spellcaster but aren't prepared for the mobility drawbacks of a Wizard or the raid-focused nature off the Lich. Elementalists are the nexal's jack of all trades, excellent support characters, and truly awesome utility raiders.
[edit] Pros and Cons
This does not take into account the announced but unimplemented final four elementalist skills
[edit] Pros
- With Flight and Water Breathing a Valhalla based Elementalist has mobility that most every other class in the game drools over for a mere 60 cp.
- The ability to summon multiple Greater Elemental pets, which are absolutely devastating in defensive or offensive raiding.
- Earthquake, a bludgeon typed AoE that does higher per target damage than any cast AoE
- The most mobile infuser in the game
- An extremely effective nexal utility raider
[edit] Cons
- Does less damage than a Wizard
- Easier to kill than a Lich
- No MP increasing skills
- No Damage or Defense Increasing skills
- The only petmaster class that cannot summon certain pets while others are out
- The only class that is not only possible, but likely, to have a negative soak
[edit] How to Play an Elementalist
[edit] Do a Little Bit of Everything
A specialist elementalist is a poorly played elementalist. You have the talent to be decent in one on one combat with a weapons tree and buffing spells, a fair hunter with pets to find hiddens and reveal to catch invisibles, the capacity to pick up either earthquake or cast AoE to do massive damage, and when you're out of ap you should summon at least one greater elemental, which is statistically the equivalent of having an extra tier 2 character along.
On a raid you are not a "tank" or a "basher" or an "aoe-r" or a "brawler" you are all of the above (or at least you are if you play the class right). Rather than sticking firmly in a role and never diverging from it be prepared to step up an fill in whatever your faction needs on that particular raid. Your team will love you for it and you'll find yourself enjoying the game more.
In addition many mortal skills are put to better use by an Elementalist than other classes because they don't have to spend the ap moving that others do. A Structural Engineering Elementalist can hop into the sea, speed to an enemy stronghold, box it in and quickly swim home. A Surgery Elementalist without a Medbay can swim to a hospital, load up on FAKs, an jet back. A Elementalist skilled in Psychometry can quickly sweep a coastal infusion ground at almost no cost to himself to check for counterinfusion. Give those skills your other classes dismissed a second look when you're planning your elementalist.
[edit] Stake your Claim to the Coasts
What does your faction need? If you're an elementalist it's a half dozen ap away. Sure a void walker or divine champion can get there for less ap, but you don't always need to go to the same square every day, and neither of those other classes can infuse the square as well as an elementalist can.
If you're looking to pick up some extra infusion ground the elementalist is by far the best nexal class for the job. The entire cost of St. Germaine, not to mention the islands, the basin of the caldera, foghaven, the shores of the river alph, these areas that might be remote to others are not to the elementalist. The only place where an Elementalist is comparable to the rest is in water-less Stygia.
Additionally, it's amazing how many demons and angels you can catch napping on the Valhalla islands. Find them and let them know that St. Germaine belongs to the Elementalists.
[edit] Use Your Elementals
An Elementalist is not complete without at least one of the 60 cp pets.
Holocausts are tied with Stone Champions for highest base damage and project a damage aura that will burn anything that touches them for 4 damage. Their immunity to fire damage makes them excellent for taking out Infernal Behemoths with Burning Aura and tanking Wyrm Master pets. The downside is they have the least hit points of any of the greater elementals, their damage type is easily immunized against, and they have the lowest attack rate of the greater elementals (tied with Stone Champions).
Hydrodragons are the least sexy of the greater elementals. Their accuracy, hit points, and defense are all average. Their damage type is mundane, and rather low, combined with their average accuracy Hydrodragons have the worst damage/ap ratio against soakless characters.
Hurricanes have the highest attack chance, highest defense, and can attack flying characters. With their electric damage they seem custom made for taking out Eternal Soldiers that the Elementalist finds hiding on the water. While they are electric immune, this doesn't come up a whole lot. The drawback is that any paradise faction is going to be easily immune to their damage type if they are active during a raid.
Stone Champions have the highest hit points and tie for the highest damage of the greater elementals. However they also have the fewest magic points, the lowest accuracy (tied with holocausts) an the worst defensive rating. Additionally, they are the only greater elemental that moves for 2 ap/square, thus crippling them as long range hunters. Their greater hp means they can do more through a Clockwork Cloud or Aura of the Crypt than any other elemental, and as specialist aura breakers they can be excellent late summons on raids.
A popular hunting combination is Hurricane/Holocaust for the highest damage, highest accuracy, defensive aura and ability to hit fliers all tied up in the same package. A popular raiding combination is the Holocaust/Stone Champion for high damage/good aura breaking ability. You will also see Hydrodragon/Hurricane combinations for those who want the insurance of the Hydro's mundane damage type in case they run up against a character with boatloads of immunity potions. I have never seen an elementalist that uses the Stone Champion/Hydrodragon combo and based on what I wrote above you can probably guess I don't recommend it.
[edit] You are the Nexal Chameleon
Almost any Sorcerer build can be made into a decent Elementalist. They are not particularly geared towards any weapon tree, although finding ammunition is easier for them than other sorcerer-exits. They have pets that carry a lot of their load for them thus freeing them up to cast utility spells like Reveal and Dispel Greater Ward. An Elementalist can stock up on ingredients and supplies better than any other nexal class, get to a target with more ap, do decent ward-bashing, unload some decent AoE and finally use their powerful pets to clear nearly any target.
Of all the factions based around one class, the Salty Dogs, a faction based on evil Elementalists has been by far the most successful. This should demonstrate to you how Elementalists can adapt to fit any role, and work with a team better than most other classes. As an Elementalist no matter what action you choose to take you'll be able to do it with style and energy that most other nexal classes lack. Take advantage of that.
[edit] Comparison
Nexal classes aren't getting the full blown comparison as the extra work of comparing them to two alternatives makes it more confusing than helpful. Here is the short version.
Elementalists are the most flexible, but least individually powerful of the nexal spellcasters, they excel at mobility, infusion, and scrounging, and can do very well in all other fields.
Liches combine a significant degree of flexibility with a significant degree of power. They are exceptional raiders and petmasters and the toughest of the nexal spellcasters to take down.
Wizards are the most inflexible class in the game, but also one of the most powerful. They can enchant extremely powerful items, fight as very powerful battle mages, or become a hybrid of the two.
You really can't go wrong with a Valhalla based Elementalist. Outside of Valhalla the needs of your individual faction and playstyle will dictate which of the sorcerer exits is best for you, but no matter where your elementalist calls home they will have no trouble being a very valued member of your faction or raiding team. While I am personally biased in favor of Liches, Elementalists are another class that I love to play.
[edit] Conclusion
Elementalists might be the most fun of the sorcerer exits. While they are not the most powerful or the most intimidating individually, they excel as the glue that keeps a faction together. Elementalists can be a lot of fun for very little work (other than clicking "move" a lot, which I admit can get old) and thus make an excellent class for someone who wants to try a spellcaster but isn't ready to be weighed down by the demands of a Wizard or a Lich, or who simply wants to be free to explore the Nexus.
The awesome freedom of Water Breathing really is one of those things you have to use yourself to understand the joy of. I rate it the third most fun skill in the game. Combined with flight, greater elementals, a wide variety of spells, infusion, and full use from mortal skills, a well made elementalist will never have to look long to find a home.
Last Updated by Mac Dre 03:59, 29 December 2007 (CST)
