“There are none that exist who have so obsessively studied the enigmatic and destructive nature of the arcane. While many Wizards are driven mad through their studies, those who emerge stable under the weight of this power wield a force barely imaginable in awe and effect.”
– Arcanery Instructor Varilos Phyren
Our primary goal with the Wizard update is to further capture that fantasy of reckless power and mastery of the elements. The numbing cold, the sounds of electricity crackling around you, the heat of flames anxious to consume everything in sight.
This pass includes updates to (almost) every single spell for the Wizard kit along with brand new spells through level 50. The core abilities have all been replaced with new, more destructive versions. We have increased the number of Direct Damage spells from 16 to over 30, including the introduction of some long-awaited AOE’s. The codex will be filled with more consistency and balance between the elements throughout all level ranges, providing options and choices for each playstyle.
Some of our new spells include:
Blazing Tempest: “Summon a swirling storm of flame above your target, searing them with Fire damage every 3 seconds for the duration of the effect. The final tick of damage will restore 2 Fire Focus to you.
Shattershock: “Hurl a bolt of charged mana at your target, blasting them with Shock damage. Consumes 3 Shock Focus.”
Frostifor: “Channel a torrent of frozen shards that hammer your target with Cold damage every second for up to 4 seconds. Each tick of damage restores Mana.”
Ckru-Venoth’s Inferno Lance: “Forge Ckru-Venoth’s lance of molten mana above your target and bring it crashing down, searing them with Fire damage. Consumes 3 Fire Focus.”
Mol-Thrane’s Storm Arrow: “Wreathe your arm in crackling mana and launch Mol-Thrane’s arrow screaming into your target, blasting them with Shock damage. Consumes 3 Shock Focus.”
Veyrule’s Icy Comet: “Shape swirling frost into Veyrule’s icy comet and hurl it into your target, striking them with Cold damage. Consumes 3 Cold Focus.”
The Focus system has also undergone some significant changes. In the previous iteration of the system, almost every spell dipped into the Focus pools in some way. This made the class feel locked into specific rotations, and any deviation from those rotations ended up in a loss of damage.
Going forward, we have made Focus something that you use in a more targeted and deliberate way. The biggest, flashiest spells will often consume Focus to pack a bigger punch. Many other offensive spells have been changed over to use cooldowns rather than Focus costs and will help provide consistent damage while also restoring Focus or Mana based on your choices. Mana costs have also been reduced on most of your offensive spells, allowing you more flexibility to leverage those big spells when you need them.
Mastering the careful use of Focus and Mana will help Wizards to stay competitive in longer encounters, or further leverage control over their damage output.
All of this is coming in November’s update, along with the Wildbloods. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback!
- Fusoya