Advice on strategy for a Wizard

[ziffiz]

Hello All,

Ive been on p1999 for 3 weeks and I am drawn to play a wizard. Its where I feel comfortable, have one over on Live. I know its a tough road in classic and thats ok.

Im 26 now and have soloed to this point. I would like to do some dungeon grouping as I have done very little even on live, but I dont have much experience with most dungeons.

Would it be worthwhile to try and find an upper guk group as a wizard (dark elf) or am I better off soloing in open zones which I am very familiar with. Not sure a wizard would get a group and especially someone who doesnt know the way to all the camps, etc.

I will add that im poorly geared, 8 slots open currently although I was given a few nice items by generous people as a low level. I feel this will only increase my difficulty in getting a group compared with a twink.

Thanks.

[kjs86z]

People don't like grouping with wizards.

I'd re-roll if you're wanting to play with others.

[Tecmos Deception]

People don't like grouping with wizards.

I'd re-roll if you're wanting to play with others.

Or join a guild where the people are cool, so they're willing to group even if you aren't the ideal group class.

[Grizzler]

I've lvled with a bunch of wizards since returning a couple weeks back. I would suggest hopping into a dungeon and not really worrying about knowing it all that well. Bring the map up and when you get a tell ask them where the camp is.

I've been in MM a lot and wizards have been invited to a lot of the groups I've been in. You shouldn't have a problem finding a group there unless everyone is full or needs something other than DPS. Not to mention, first 2 camps, Pond and GY, are very easy to get too.

[Troxx]

Unless you're with friends, you will probably have a hard time finding groups. Wizard sustained dps during classic is unfortunately just bad and most people know it :(

If you're in a group frequently plagued with down time or in a spot where you're always waiting on spawns, that down time will help level the playing field.

[Icetech]

Figure i will ask here rather than making a new thread.. I am also playing a wiz a bit.. just for solo fun. cause my SK is sucking at 20.. and making me nuts. :( Wiz is only 4 right now. 2 quick questions..

A: where should i go for like 1-15? I am HE and went to freeport but it really kinda blows and don't want to hang out in EC at 5.. steamfont? fob?

B: Is there any super cheap (have like 30p to my name) gear to watch out for for a wiz when leveling? thanks guys..

[Doctor Jeff]

B: Is there any super cheap (have like 30p to my name) gear to watch out for for a wiz when leveling? thanks guys..

Not really. Wizards benefit very little from items (unless its raw hp or mana) until the mid levels.

Use the money for spells.

[username17]

@OP, most people are going to discourage you from playing a Wizard because it's not the most effective class (by a long shot).
If you're committed to sticking with it I'd reach out to someone who mains a Wizard (/who all wiz 60) and ask them any questions you might have. You're likely to get a better response than 'reroll' that way.
Either way best of luck to you.

[Jimjam]

Lost staff of the scorned, pay 20-30pp.

Decent melee dps until the teens, where your spells really start to take off and encs you group with might have breeze to help you out further.

Later on provides a clicky group port spell too. Obviously too late for the melee now, but will be good for the porting.

Staff of Temperate Flux is a quest you can look into.

[Icetech]

Thank you :) And yeah i have actually been killing faster using the newbie dagger.. i will watch for that staff. And i know people seem to hate wiz's but i just want a porter and can't play a druid ever again.. root rot makes me cry.


Lost staff of the scorned, pay 20-30pp.

Decent melee dps until the teens, where your spells really start to take off and encs you group with might have breeze to help you out further.

Later on provides a clicky group port spell too. Obviously too late for the melee now, but will be good for the porting.

Staff of Temperate Flux is a quest you can look into.

[Icetech]

Not really. Wizards benefit very little from items (unless its raw hp or mana) until the mid levels.

Use the money for spells.

Thanks jeff..

[Ashintar]

Staff of Temperate Flux is a quest you can look into.

If you're serious about sticking with the wizard and don't have this staff, send me a tell in game and I'll be happy to help you get one.

[Icetech]

If you're serious about sticking with the wizard and don't have this staff, send me a tell in game and I'll be happy to help you get one.

Thanks ash.. and yeah i am going to play it til i go nuts and can't anymore:) but will get some lvl's before i worry too much bout gear..

[ziffiz]

Thanks for all the replies. I have leveled a wizard in the original classic era and I know the challenges and that doesnt deter me. People were not so focused on having the optimal group back then to my memory. I agree that the best idea is to find a good guild that is helpful. I will plan to solo primarily I guess until I reach a level where I meet guild level requirements and then join and get some jboots and do some raiding.

I was just hoping to experience some other dungeons at level but if groups consider wizards that bad that they wont group them I will have to wait until another day or another class.

[Cambiant]

Dude, you'll find groups pretty easy in the popular leveling places. CB, Oasis, Unrest, MM. My p99 experiences have showed me that the forum downers don't actually populate much of the server. Play to have fun.

[Grizzler]

Dude, you'll find groups pretty easy in the popular leveling places. CB, Oasis, Unrest, MM. My p99 experiences have showed me that the forum downers don't actually populate much of the server. Play to have fun.

I have to echo this same sentiment. Some folks may not group you, sure, but my experience has been that most groups will group just about anyone as long as their archetype is needed. (Heals, Tank, CC, DPS). I wouldn't worry to much about that. Head to the popular places or /who all <lvl> and see who is LFG or send tells to build your own group.

You shouldn't have problems getting groups, I've had many a wiz in my groups without any issue.

[kaluann]

Levels 26-29 is probably the hardest stretch for a wizard. Definitely go group in MM until 29 and then start quadding (unless you still want to group). Quadding is some of the best exp you'll ever see, 29-46ish goes by so so fast.

If you can't find a group and hate killing 1 mob then medding for 8 mins (I know I did), then you can always go do the bread quest in SK/NK. Its horribly boring but the exp is much better than what you can do solo killing.

Hit me up on Reims (52 wizzy) if you have questions. Everyone hates on wizards but I absolutely love mine. Stick to it!

[Expediency]

Wizard is the most discriminated against class on p99. Their damage cant compare to melee because of how many cheap weapons are on the market.

If you want to play a wizard, here are two pieces of advice:

1. Roll an alt of a class people want for groups, like cleric/war/monk/rogue/ench/shaman/bard so that when you cant find a group on the wiz, you have a backup.

2. Drop the twink items people gave you and join the guild <auld lang syne>. This guild does not use any twink items so, relatively speaking, you will be much stronger compared to your level 20 melee peers than you would be if they had an 80pp CoM weapon. If ALS is not for you, join any other leveling guild. People in your guild (whichever you join) are also much less likely to discriminate against you than random alts who are grinding their 4th char.

[skarlorn]

Honestly, I think wizards are more accepted than ever on p99. Odds are you are inclined towards soloing anyway, but if you play your class well and have a good attitude, you'll end up making friends in your level range who will always group with you - and that's the best strategy for anyone, even a group dependent rogue, war, cleric...

While having a grouper alt is a good idea, I highly encourage you to continue on the path you're called to. If you get to the end game and raid, your wizard may end up Legend status like a friend of mine who is capable of soloing stuff that only necros are capable of.

If you don't, you'll have a toon you love that can port yourself and your friends, and has decent outdoor solo potential.

Don't let the haters get you down. Use your roots and snares and backup cc, use your stun to stop those pesky casters, and most of all - be ready with evac!

[Ravager]

Get to level 29. Get your 3 group ports. 2 of them will take you near popular grouping dungeons.

Step 1) /who all cleric/warrior/enchanter/rogue
Step 2) /tell cleric/warrior/enchanter/rogue "MM/Paw group?"
Step 3) Collect your group.
Step 4) XP

It takes more effort that sitting around waiting with /LFG up, but it's also way faster the majority of the time.

[Kiithsa]

Don't let the haters get you down. Use your roots and snares and backup cc, use your stun to stop those pesky casters, and most of all - be ready with evac!

Really good advice here, wizards have more utility than most people realize. There are so many classes that can out-DPS wizards so you need to use your Root/Snare CC and stuns to show groups that you are still effective. You can really shine in dungeons with lots of casters that heal and gate, wizards get multiple stun spells and can manage casters really well. Evac is also very handy in case one does happen to gate on you. Basically if you rely solely on nukes, other classes will outperform you. So mix it up a little.

Kiithsa
60 Wizard

[ziffiz]

Thanks again for the responses and the encouragement. I dont plan on giving up the wizard. I just want to get involved in the community and there are some good suggestions. One of the reasons I decided to play here is that I expect the community to be better and if I solo all the time I would not be experiencing it. Im actually still paying for a live account.

I am lvl 30 now, and I can port,stun, snare, root, invis and lev so there is more to a wizard than just DD if needed. Ive played this class for years on live so I know it pretty well. I will head to some grouping areas and try to get in. To this point I have tried to stay near spots where evil races can sell which has kept me on Antonica, but with my various gates now thats no longer a concern.

[Jimjam]

Ziffiz:

It sounds like what you really want is to be able to form your own groups and take them to interesting places.

Wizards are actually pretty good at this.

Source: The Hobbit.

[Kuch7]

Wizards are crucial to the raiding scene as well; you can't get to Plane of Hate or Plane of Sky without them. Add in their DPS, caster management (stuns), ability to invis, ability to port and ability to GTFO with evac and they're one of the most underrated classes for guilds to have. They're also fun as hell if you enjoy the solo grind.

The only complaint I have is the lack of money-making ability at later levels. You'll be out-camped for the majority of cash spots.

My advice? Don't group. Research quadding. You won't make it past 40 without that skill. Buy SoW pots with porting money until you can camp for JBoots, and get your Staff of Temperate Flux in the meantime. Then start practicing on Aviaks in SK.

[mgellan]

Wizzies are a lot of fun, just try to go somewhere where you can solo or group as the mood takes you. See the Hunting Guide below for recommendations on where you can go.

Regards,
Mg (maining Jiraze 60 wiz)

[Troxx]

Don't let the haters get you down. Use your roots and snares and backup cc, use your stun to stop those pesky casters, and most of all - be ready with evac!


It's not about 'being a hater' - it's just math. Wizard damage potential is very strictly limited by mana regen bottlenecks in classic. At 60 without clarity, never missing a med tick, and using their most efficient nuke this equates to 15-16 sustained dps potential assuming you never have the opportunity to med beyond full. That's less than bard melee dps or shaman pet dps. It's less than a third of necro pet dps and a quarter of mage pet dps. With c2, bard song, and POTG ... even factoring in specialization you're still under 40dps sustained at level 60. At lower levels where nuke efficiency is significantly lower ... think 3-5 sustained dps at level 25 assuming no resists.

That's just math - and most people who play p99 understand that math.

Wizards are a niche class who's benefits are well known:
-burst is great for raids
-ports for self friends
-quad nukes for soloing
-only porting class to hate/sky
-evac (only 1 other class can do this)

Stuns and cc are shared with numerous other classes.

I just want him to know what he's getting into. Unless with friends he will have a hard time finding groups because a group would be better off adding literally any other class in most situations ... or just leaving that spot empty.

That's not hating, that's just the truth.

[skarlorn]

ya so you will definitely encounter lame people like that, but you will also encounter fun loving sociable adventurers for whom the game is more than just "maths"

send me a tell on any toon you see me on if you want to adventure :P

[Troxx]

Perhaps I should clarify.

This server is notorious for class discrimination. Sit in groups long enough and you will see it come through when it comes time to replace people who leave. Of all the classes that struggle - wizards have it the worst. Hell, even necromancers who bring a whole lot of everything to the table don't get invites easily. My point here is we've got a guy new to this server who has experience with the wizard class from live. Wizards on live from luclin onwards just get better - to the point that they are a premier dps class both for raid burns and for standard groups. Wizards here are very different. The new guy should know up front what his challenge will be and why it will be a challenge.

The argument that wizards bring a whole lot of "other" to the table is just disingenuous. 3/3 priests, 3/4 int casters, 1/3 tanks, and 1 melee class get root. 5 other classes get snare. Multiple classes can stun. These extra jobs aren't even jobs a wizard does better, it's just an optional extra they can do. Druids for example, do everything a wizard does for a group on top of a wide range of buffs and heals. The only thing a Druid does worse is flat out nuke - and the math already shows us that outside of a burn even the best nuking class can't put down consistent damage pull after pull. Mages have the benefit of a pet that puts out more sustained by itself than most reasonably well geared and buffed melee in their 50s ... their nukes are just extra icing on the cake that's still close to what a wizard can manage over time.

It's a niche class. If you enjoy it, by all means play it. If you want so solo quad - they're good for that. If you want to burn raid mobs - again, they are good for that too. If you want to get groups outside of charity invites or hunting exclusively with friends ... you might just find the life of the wizard to be lonely and frustrating.

For the record, I have/had plenty of wizard friends and have a nasty habit of inviting random people lfg even if we don't need them or their class isn't ideal. The social aspect is what I enjoy about eq - and sitting lfg for hours sucks.

[Jimjam]

Basically Troxx is right on the capabilities of a wizard.

As already pointed out they aren't useless; they are there to root, stun, dispel and provide the occasional burst or kite. Others can generally do it just as well, and in their defence, damageless roots synergise well with mez, and I miss them greatly when playing a ranger or druid.

It is nice to have a character that isn't going to be spending mana on heals/slows/etc so you can rely on them to have mana when ancillary utility.

While they sadly lack a damageless stun, they do have good variety in their stuns and also have a very nice/low aggro push nuke from 16.

Despite their (limited?) utility I can see why they are looked down on. Played lazily they are next to useless in a group. Played badly they at a liability in a group. Played well they are unnoticeable in a group.

[Cen]

My bard has been denied twice in groups because of a hatred of bards. One guy was on about how useless they are, but the other guy just seemed to have a more personal seething hatred of them in general. Both times it was a mage involved. Which sort of makes sense because those two classes dont work so well together at all.

I can imagine wizard discrimination is a nightmare

[Kuch7]

I just want him to know what he's getting into. Unless with friends he will have a hard time finding groups because a group would be better off adding literally any other class in most situations ... or just leaving that spot empty.

Most people don't have a calculator and a damage table set up by their desk. They might be better off, the real question is if they care or not. 99% of the time, groups aren't playing for efficiency; they're playing for fun. People usually don't care about efficiency to the point of class exclusion until higher levels (46+), and even then Wizards tend to be a welcome addition due to their ports and evacs. You're giving him an unrealistic perception of how the vast majority of EQ players operate.

Whenever I had a desire to join a group, I never had a problem finding one. This is especially true with the Wizard raiding scene, which is both much more fun and much more important than mid-level grouping. Find a good guild and you'll be fine. Like I said before, raids need Wizards more than they know.

[kjs86z]

Perhaps I should clarify.

This server is notorious for class discrimination. Sit in groups long enough and you will see it come through when it comes time to replace people who leave. Of all the classes that struggle - wizards have it the worst. Hell, even necromancers who bring a whole lot of everything to the table don't get invites easily. My point here is we've got a guy new to this server who has experience with the wizard class from live. Wizards on live from luclin onwards just get better - to the point that they are a premier dps class both for raid burns and for standard groups. Wizards here are very different. The new guy should know up front what his challenge will be and why it will be a challenge.

The argument that wizards bring a whole lot of "other" to the table is just disingenuous. 3/3 priests, 3/4 int casters, 1/3 tanks, and 1 melee class get root. 5 other classes get snare. Multiple classes can stun. These extra jobs aren't even jobs a wizard does better, it's just an optional extra they can do. Druids for example, do everything a wizard does for a group on top of a wide range of buffs and heals. The only thing a Druid does worse is flat out nuke - and the math already shows us that outside of a burn even the best nuking class can't put down consistent damage pull after pull. Mages have the benefit of a pet that puts out more sustained by itself than most reasonably well geared and buffed melee in their 50s ... their nukes are just extra icing on the cake that's still close to what a wizard can manage over time.

It's a niche class. If you enjoy it, by all means play it. If you want so solo quad - they're good for that. If you want to burn raid mobs - again, they are good for that too. If you want to get groups outside of charity invites or hunting exclusively with friends ... you might just find the life of the wizard to be lonely and frustrating.

For the record, I have/had plenty of wizard friends and have a nasty habit of inviting random people lfg even if we don't need them or their class isn't ideal. The social aspect is what I enjoy about eq - and sitting lfg for hours sucks.


/thread

[Lhancelot]

Most important thing for any lowbie wizard to do is build a solid reputation as a non-AFKing douchebag which is the stigma the class carries.

If the wizard has any personality, that goes a long way too. Just being a fun groupie will make people more inclined to invite you as a wizard.

The technical aspects that can endear you to a group as a wizard is:

1. Know you have more than just nuke spells. Use roots to help tanks hold aggro better or just for CC purposes if you need to root/park mobs since you have bad CC or no CC in the group.

2. Use DS if it proves to be more efficient damage over the course of your fights.

3. Don't nuke the mob when it's at 70%, this only makes killing the mob harder because you will yank aggro off the tank, and have the mob running all over the place chasing you meaning the melee in group miss hits on the mob. Nuke to finish mobs off.

I only met 1 wizard who did all of these things, and he was able to find groups in KC np at 50+. He also organized his own groups, so that helped.

[Maxed]

The only complaint I have is the lack of money-making ability at later levels.

Yeah you can't make money porting or anything.
:confused:

[Kuch7]

Yeah you can't make money porting or anything.
:confused:

I'm sure competing with Dial-a-Port and making 200pp an hour is fine at level 30. Compare that to 800pp an hour a competent mage makes with Seafuries at 46+, and porting doesn't get you very far financially speaking.

[Ravager]

I'm sure competing with Dial-a-Port and making 200pp an hour is fine at level 30. Compare that to 800pp an hour a competent mage makes with Seafuries at 46+, and porting doesn't get you very far financially speaking.

If you like to do sea furies on your mage, you really shouldn't encourage a wizard to come over.

Grouping in dungeons is quite profitable and way better than fighting 12 people for 6 spawns.

[Vexenu]

I used to quad Seafuries on my Wizard back when the island was less crowded. Every now and then you'd get a quad with gems on each cyclops. 500pp or thereabouts from a single quad - about 2 minutes of actual gameplay. Now that was good money. Too much competition for that these days, though.

I echo Troxx's sentiments about Wizards. Especially these days post-Chardok AOE nerf, you've got to be a masochist, a super hardcore raider or an inveterate and inexplicable lover of the Wizard class to play one to 60. They just aren't very good for much of anything besides dropping nukes on raid mobs. That's really it. They're most niche class in the game by a country mile. But in their defense, it's a pretty solid niche. A well-geared, level 60 raiding Wizard is a serious asset to any guild. But it's a hell of a long and boring road to get there.

[Kaezyr D`Shiv]

Once upon a late night Sebilis group, my group (started out mainly guildies) moved to Fungus King from NG. Then I, even as a 60 Wizard, had the opportunity to see the Myconid Spore King spawn, and drop Fungus Covered Scaled Tunic. I EVEN got to roll on said tunic!! Even being a wizard, despite everything everyone always says about wizards in groups, this new group with maybe only 1 guildy, didn't disclude me from the privelege of rolling on this highly sought after item.

Well, I lost the roll, and a monk alt (who already had one and had someone transfer it for him in EC on a mule) won the roll for it. (Thats P99 for you)

What can i say, your mileage may very. That said, i plan to try grouping in Sebilis again very soon as a 60 Wizard.

Will I, or any other wizard see a Fungus King group again? Your thoughts??

Btw, if you see me LFG in Sebilis pick me up please and thank you!!

[Lojik]

Get a flux staff. Might be questable at your level. It's great for tagging mobs for quadding and can also be used to to root park mobs out of LoS in dungeons.

[Sonark]

#wizardlivesmatter

[tiadashi]

I play every supposedly useless class in the game and dont have any trouble finding groups in fact I cant think of a time i was turned down ever when I asked a group that wasnt full -

Play whatever you find fun, let the spreedsheet people have fun their way thats what makes games so great 8)

[Squabbles123]

This game is 18 years ago. If you wanna play "hard mode", play hard mode. Don't let the forum folks convince you not to play Wizard if you wanna play Wizard.

I just started my Wizard myself, as a perma-death character (if I die, I delete), I expect its going to be a hell of a journey :)

[Kaezyr D`Shiv]

This game is 18 years ago. If you wanna play "hard mode", play hard mode. Don't let the forum folks convince you not to play Wizard if you wanna play Wizard.

I just started my Wizard myself, as a perma-death character (if I die, I delete), I expect its going to be a hell of a journey :)

lol I just recently contemplated playing a character like this. I am even tossing around the idea of playing a wizard alt again. what is wrong with me?!

[Squabbles123]

lol I just recently contemplated playing a character like this. I am even tossing around the idea of playing a wizard alt again. what is wrong with me?!

Small guild of like-minded folks if you wanna join and give it a go, just a side guild for this specific play style.

No twinking, if you die, you die, doesn't matter how, random race and character selection via dice rolls. Guild is <No Time To Rez>.

[Ravager]

Small guild of like-minded folks if you wanna join and give it a go, just a side guild for this specific play style.

No twinking, if you die, you die, doesn't matter how, random race and character selection via dice rolls. Guild is <No Time To Rez>.

Neat idea, but seems like it would be a pain in the butt to get retagged every time.

[Caiu]

I didn't have any trouble getting groups on my wizard a few years back until the 50's. Had to be a serious social butterfly and form lasting friendships with folks to get steady groups after that. However that's kind of the point of this game so basically don't be bad :P

[Kaezyr D`Shiv]

Neat idea, but seems like it would be a pain in the butt to get retagged every time.

Thats only a problem if you die. Get good!

Sorta kidding, but it is true. Be more cautious. If I were to make it to level 11 on a wizard like this I would definitely reconsider trying to strafe quad kite giant scarabs across the whole of EC.

[Kaezyr D`Shiv]

..No twinking, if you die, you die, doesn't matter how, random race and character selection via dice rolls...

This has really peaked my interest and something I was tossing around doing at one point.

Back when I played 4th Edition Dungeon and Dragons, I created an entire Random Character Selection via D20 dice rolls. Everything was random from Race/Class/Specialization of specific classes.

I have just recently started creating another Random Character Selection spreadsheet for P99 Character creation. Will update soon when I finish. My plan is to make everything random based on dice rolls (I would like to use D20, but may end up with some percentile die rolls), including Race/Starting Location, and even diety!

Be back with my results soon!

[Squabbles123]

Neat idea, but seems like it would be a pain in the butt to get retagged every time.

There are guilded mules in every starting city to talk care of this.