Fellow wizards, how to remain an asset in groups?
 

I know, I know; wizards should be quadding. But what about those times when all the good quad locations are camped, or you just feel like grouping instead? How do you make yourselves an asset to the group--and not a fifth wheel. I ask because this is the way that I often feel when grouped. Sure, I nuke, root, stun, etc. as required, but eventually my mana tank hits "e" and I'm forced to sit and med, nuke once in a while, but otherwise be perpetually at 10% mana. Meanwhile, waves of melee damage are just scrolling by while I look on in quiet envy. So does anyone have tips on what I might do extend my usefulness? For example, how should grouping wizards nuke? Just spam our most mana-efficient nuke 1-2 a fight (ex., Coinflag, IC)?

First off, I try to never go below ~40% mana because the true power in a wizard is the ability to nuke down fast. If you get a few too many adds, it's invaluable CC in the absence of a mezzer. Root adds. Make use of Immobilize. Also, wizards can pull tricky mobs like SKs or the top of the spec tower in Oasis with Eye of Zomm. It's unfortunate that rogues can just spam backstab and out DPS a wizard in their sleep, but we do have utility.

ive been thinking about this and i have come to the conclusion that the appropriate role is to DS the tank and nuke down large groups. by this i dont necessarily mean to AE them, but instead to save your mana for when a bad pull could turn into a potential wipe.

when your tank is expecting a fight to last for 5 mins but you end it in 45s, then that opens up the ability to pull another camp/more mobs.

It's interesting you brought up the DS as I had that question tonight. I was DS'ing him, but unless I missed a spell or two, it only does 2 dmg. Not sure if it was even worth it.

I thought this exactly. We get the level 4 O'Keils Radiation, and don't get an upgrade until Velious. According to the wiki, OKR does a max of 10 points at level ten. Is this amount of damage even worthwhile? I mean, a tank gets hit, what, eight to ten times (less?) over the course of a fight when you're chain pulling blues. That's one-hundred points of damage for fifteen mana, a dynamite ratio, I'll admit... hmm, maybe I'll start doing this.

That's a really good point; always have a significant mana reserve for emergency burn-down situations. As far as Eye of Zomm goes... I have never messed with it, though I recall wizards pulling with it in classic.

In short: Damage shield the tank; have roots/stuns ready to go, and be sparring with nukage = valuable wizard :).

Great advice, folks. I understand that I'll never have the output of a rogue (or warrior, or monk, or... ), but it's good to know that there are effective ways of grouping as a wizard. Man, I've been a slacker wizard all this time :p.

In groups on my wizard I'm able to use my highest damage nuke one to two times per mob and still stay above 50% mana. Personally I prefer to use my stun line nukes over just my normal direct damage nuke, I find that the more an enemy is stunned the less damage the tank takes. One of my large nukes takes out about 35% of a mobs health (pit mob in mistmoore, the finely plated women) I don't tend to nuke until mob is 50% hp. I tend to keep getting invited back to groups but I think people are just warming up to wizards again. Which makes me kind of sad because this sit aggro makes me want to strip my wizzy and put his gear on my mage hehe. Then I remember that my Enchanter can charm a pet that deals at least 2x the damage of a mage pet and I get sad about it. But then I remember the competition for wizard gear in raids is less than mages but mage pets look terribly fantastic.

Wizard can be CC and even pull if wily enough.

Your one, class defining job. ....


Wow. You fail.

Ok good wizard 101:
Bind sight is your most powerful spell. Abuse it. Know exactly whats happening, chain sight around zones for pullers, let them know named are up, repops etc. You can easily do your job with assist/tab/nuke/sit/combat log without watching a fight. Bind sight is my favorite spell in the game, its nearly as good as having SEQ, and combined with fraps is f*cking amazing for catching cheaters and intentional trainers.

Evacuate is your 2nd most powerful spell. Who cares if you end up in WK instead of with a dead cleric in crypt.

Stuns are amazing on wizards. Nothing should gate, CH, charm or ice comet, ever.

Your CC is incredible. Stuns, flux staff, atols/bonds. A chanter charming with a good wizard will never take a hit from their pet. Take the load off chanters/clerics by CC'ing. A pull inc with an extra caster and GC to blow means pre cc'd mobs. Be proactive.

Your DS is the most useless inefficient shit in the world, I dont know who ever has a spell gem for that crap.

Having reserve mana to blow shit up is ok, but lets be honest. when shit is hitting the fan 9x out of 10 you are better off AE snaring 2 or 3 times and kiting while you or someone else roots mobs.

Also eyes, eye splitting is excellent. Scout, pull, have pretargets selected to root and root with cycle previous target key.

Also, a wizard DPSing conventionally does far less than a monk, pulling, while letting the monk do nothing but dps once a camp is split is leagues more efficient.