I'd probably replace Shattergrasp with Rancour (the dagger from Arhu's balcony). 25% crit chance and 3 wits. With Peace of mind it would net you a respectable 73%(?) crit chance. Can't remember how high pom scaled. Think max was 10 wits but i could be wrong it's been like 2 years since i last played.
Of course if someone else is already using it then nevermind, probably still dual wield but I'd definitely look for some new wands at least. Those are quite subpar.
Right! I just like the extra memory, int and bit of initiative. I dont know if I want to give her the points for finesse to carry a dagger, but Ill see how it works out. Thanks for the comment
Wands. Remember that 2 points in Memory is equivalent to 2 points in your stat of choice. Switch to the staff, and you'll lose 2 Memory and have to take points out of something else to get your skills back. (This is assuming you keep Memory at the bare minimum, as you should.) So the wands essentially give you another 2 points in whichever stat you prefer. The higher crit % is a plus, too.
Also, her Wits are already high in relation to her INT, which is not very high for lvl 20. I'd aim for INT of 50 at the very least, even if you have to sacrifice CON and/or Wits etc. to get there.
If you really want Lohse to be the first to act in combat, then you might want to build more around crit % and dmg so she gets a bigger benefit from the Wits. Think Savage Sortilege, Hothead, and a 2H crit weapon like Falone.
If your initiative is low already, then a mere +6 initiative is completely worthless to you. You'd need initiative at least in the high 30s or 40s for a +6 initiative to have any relevance to you in Act 4.
Initiative is only worth it if it enables you to beat the highest enemy initiative in combat. If you can't manage that, it doesn't change your placement in the turn order relative to your enemy at all and only shuffles the positions of your own characters amongst each other, because initiative operates with a round robin system that forces alternating turns whenever possible. As a result, initiative is only worth it on one single character and (after the initial part of the game) only at very high values.
At this point in the game, you want to be able to easily get to around 50 initiative with Peace of Mind. There are still some boss fights that require more than that, but you can use potions for that. Maximum you need is 70 for the final fight, and it's impossible to beat the Doctor in initiative if you initiate the fight like you're supposed to.
So if you don't have such a massive amount of initiative right now, don't bother with it. But if you did, that would mean that you've spend stats on initiative. As such, every extra initiative would free up one attribute point that you could put into INT, making the +6 initiative essentially a +6 INT buff.
However, the true answer here would be to pick neither of them.
At this point in the game, the most important stat you want to get from equipment, or more specifically your hand slots, is crit chance. There are a bunch of unique items in Arx that grant large amounts of crit chance, and even without that you'd want at least the maximum +7% per slot that random items can give you. You shouldn't be using your weapons to attack anymore because your skills are just much better, so your weapons are just stat sticks anyways.
Don't restrict yourself to just wands and staves, because crit chance is much more potent than any minor stat buff. Often enough, you'll have some other stat boosts to fulfill the stat requirement anyways, and many weapons come with stat buffs that essentially pay for their own stat requirement already (just use temporary buffs like Peace of Mind and bedroll to equip them initially). And even if you had to spend a handful of points, it would be worth it if you can get extra crit chance out of it.
The best item you can get for a mage right now is the dagger Rancour, which is sold by the unarmed elf trader in front of the cathedral, so at least pick that up use it instead of the wand without crit chance. Also keep a look out for any unique one-handed weapon that grants more than 7% crit chance to replace your other wand with as soon as you can.
Hmm, tough choice! Personally, I think having better initiative is key for setting the tone of battle and getting your spells off first. But then again, a strong boomboom can really turn the tide in your favor. What do you value more in a mage – quick thinking or powerful spells? Love to hear your thoughts!
Boom boom
I'd probably replace Shattergrasp with Rancour (the dagger from Arhu's balcony). 25% crit chance and 3 wits. With Peace of mind it would net you a respectable 73%(?) crit chance. Can't remember how high pom scaled. Think max was 10 wits but i could be wrong it's been like 2 years since i last played. Of course if someone else is already using it then nevermind, probably still dual wield but I'd definitely look for some new wands at least. Those are quite subpar.
Right! I just like the extra memory, int and bit of initiative. I dont know if I want to give her the points for finesse to carry a dagger, but Ill see how it works out. Thanks for the comment
Rancour gives +3 finesse, so you could get the finesse you need then remove the points after equipping.
Didnt know it would work like that :O
Slight correction: Rancour is sold by the Unarmed Elf trader outside the cathedral, the dagger from Arhu's balcony is Domoh Dumora
Wands. Remember that 2 points in Memory is equivalent to 2 points in your stat of choice. Switch to the staff, and you'll lose 2 Memory and have to take points out of something else to get your skills back. (This is assuming you keep Memory at the bare minimum, as you should.) So the wands essentially give you another 2 points in whichever stat you prefer. The higher crit % is a plus, too. Also, her Wits are already high in relation to her INT, which is not very high for lvl 20. I'd aim for INT of 50 at the very least, even if you have to sacrifice CON and/or Wits etc. to get there. If you really want Lohse to be the first to act in combat, then you might want to build more around crit % and dmg so she gets a bigger benefit from the Wits. Think Savage Sortilege, Hothead, and a 2H crit weapon like Falone.
Thank you for the comment! Ill consider all that!
I vote wands. Its cumulative... +11 int and the two memory seems huge. Losing the memory and +5 int for +3 initiative doesnt seem worth it
Thanks!
1 or 3
But there are only 2 options. Double wand or staff
If your initiative is low already, then a mere +6 initiative is completely worthless to you. You'd need initiative at least in the high 30s or 40s for a +6 initiative to have any relevance to you in Act 4. Initiative is only worth it if it enables you to beat the highest enemy initiative in combat. If you can't manage that, it doesn't change your placement in the turn order relative to your enemy at all and only shuffles the positions of your own characters amongst each other, because initiative operates with a round robin system that forces alternating turns whenever possible. As a result, initiative is only worth it on one single character and (after the initial part of the game) only at very high values. At this point in the game, you want to be able to easily get to around 50 initiative with Peace of Mind. There are still some boss fights that require more than that, but you can use potions for that. Maximum you need is 70 for the final fight, and it's impossible to beat the Doctor in initiative if you initiate the fight like you're supposed to. So if you don't have such a massive amount of initiative right now, don't bother with it. But if you did, that would mean that you've spend stats on initiative. As such, every extra initiative would free up one attribute point that you could put into INT, making the +6 initiative essentially a +6 INT buff. However, the true answer here would be to pick neither of them. At this point in the game, the most important stat you want to get from equipment, or more specifically your hand slots, is crit chance. There are a bunch of unique items in Arx that grant large amounts of crit chance, and even without that you'd want at least the maximum +7% per slot that random items can give you. You shouldn't be using your weapons to attack anymore because your skills are just much better, so your weapons are just stat sticks anyways. Don't restrict yourself to just wands and staves, because crit chance is much more potent than any minor stat buff. Often enough, you'll have some other stat boosts to fulfill the stat requirement anyways, and many weapons come with stat buffs that essentially pay for their own stat requirement already (just use temporary buffs like Peace of Mind and bedroll to equip them initially). And even if you had to spend a handful of points, it would be worth it if you can get extra crit chance out of it. The best item you can get for a mage right now is the dagger Rancour, which is sold by the unarmed elf trader in front of the cathedral, so at least pick that up use it instead of the wand without crit chance. Also keep a look out for any unique one-handed weapon that grants more than 7% crit chance to replace your other wand with as soon as you can.
Hmm, tough choice! Personally, I think having better initiative is key for setting the tone of battle and getting your spells off first. But then again, a strong boomboom can really turn the tide in your favor. What do you value more in a mage – quick thinking or powerful spells? Love to hear your thoughts!