Master of Flame
Feat choices and loadouts
Ever changing game
In the modules 8, to 11 due to the gears and enchants that were considered top at that time, a player had to make a choice.
You could go either as a debuffer with some damage or mostly as a Damage dealer.
It was hard with the then gears to build critical, recovery and armor pen and decent power.
With the module 12 changes to enchants and the new gears with much higher stats of both module 12 and 13
it is possible now to have a proper Hybrid CW that can do great damage and keep the debuffs up at the same time
so we can help our self and our teams better.
Also, Loadouts, allows us to adjust and change for any situation so now, there isn't any real distinction between a MoF or SS or between main/secondary DPS, full debuff or hybrid. You can be anyone that you like according to your group needs.
Bellow, you will see a feat selection for every need and play style.
MODULE 14 Hybrid/DPS Builds
In Module 13 and at high-end dungeons its recommended to use, what we call a Hybrid Build. Hybrid in the CW case means we focus a bit less on debuffs and a bit more on damage so our output in damage can rival that of a pure DPS while helping our teams with buffs and debuffs, best of both worlds.
A lot of players ask, "what is the best build?". That question doesn't apply to us easily so it's better to change it to, "What is the best build for each situation?", because this is how the game is now. With the use of Loadouts, almost every class must have few builds that we can adjust to the group, content, and role we want to run.
This is my recommendation as far as to when to use what build. Keep in mind it's not "binding" it just offers a bit more to you and your party without that meaning that other options are bad.
For AOE, - Run as Renegade/oppressor, Aoe Build or Oppressor/thauma AOE build
The choice of which of the 2 is depended on whether the party can provide Combat advantage or not. If the party has a class that can provide Combat Advantage (GF, HR, SW), then Oppressor AoE is preferred. If not then Renegade might work better.
Boss Fight, Single CW, Secondary DPS - Run as Renegade MoF if the party cant have Combat advantage, Oppressor MoF if the party has combat advantage. Single Target builds.
Renegade will provide both Superior buff and DPS. Even with Combat advantage fixed it allows to correct positional mistakes or in some cases when you cant be positioned to flank at all. If the group tho has CA from another source, then Oppressor will be better as the debuff will be the same but you also get to deal extra damage.
Boss Fight, Single CW, main dps, Run as Oppressor MoF, Single Target build.
With this build, you need to make sure you always have Combat Advantage. The Oppressor can offer better DPS output and still utilize the buffs /debuffs for the team.
Boss Fight, Double CW, Main DPS as Oppressor/thauma, second as Renegade/thauma, both Single Target builds.
Since Shatter strike can now be buffed and debuffed Its better to switch to OPP as main dps. Opp should be played by the one who has better knowledge of DPS and the gears to supported it while the second should be Renegade. Both CW will do great damage as they buff each other and will end up in a very fast and smooth boss fight.
Feat explanation
In every build (and in every class), if you pay attention you will notice there are 2 kinds of feats.
Primary Feats
Feats that we must have no matter what. Those feats offer the most dps for any other near them or are used in important combos.
Secondary Feats
Feats that are based on our preference and gears. Those feats become important when we miss an aspect in our builds. For example, Chilling advantage gives 10% critical. Useful if you need critical, useless if you don't. Also sometimes can be used to advance in a particular tree.
As you see, you can alter some feats without much worry and adjust them to your IL and gears,
but there are others you absolutely must have.
You will notice at the feats that I show multiple green ones in some cases. That means you need to pick one and not both. My selection is the one with the points on (5/5 or 4/5).
Feat for Module 13 Loadouts
Renegade/opp AOE setup
Use this build to maximize damage in Aoe Fights. With these feats and the right encounters, you offer to your team both Constant combat advantage, Fury procs for 30% more damage. 24% debuff to everything your daily touches and very good dps. An added benefit is the mullitprocing of Aura of courage for even more damage and faster runs. Marked as green is Chilling advantage and that feat should be used in case you don't have high critical as it will give you an additional 10%.
Oppressor/Thauma AOE
When you run with another CW or with a class that can provide reliably Combat advantage, Oppressor has great damage in AOE. 5/5 in Icy veins ensure that chilling presence will give the max 96% damage boost on frozen targets and Frigid winds will provide an additional 10% debuff. Shatter does a huge hit on mobs once they are frozen and in conjunction with the renegade Combat Advantage and fury buffs, it yields extremely high damage in AoE. Combustive/Chilling
Renegade/oppressor Single target.
Good build to use for players that have issues handling chill stacks, in difficult situations. It also provides greater uptimes with the debuff of combustive action for a bit more relaxed play style. Best used when we have multiple mobs spawning on some slower kills and we want to mass debuff everything. Combustive action /chilling presence are recommended. Marked as green is Chilling advantage and that feat should be used in case you don't have critical yet as it will give you 10% more
Renegade/Thauma Single target.
This build provides more dps while still buffing and debuffing. Best suited for Higher Item Level Wizards with very good recovery and for expert teams that kill fast. Here we will use swath and chilling presence. The use of Ray of frost is recommended or Icy terrain to handle chill stacks better. Marked as green are, Spell Twisting in case you don't have high enough Recovery/Recharge speed and Chilling advantage and that feat should be used in case you don't have critical yet as it will give you 10% more.
Oppressor/Thauma Single target.
This build provides the best dps while still buffing and debuffing. Best suited for Higher Item Level Wizards with very good recovery and for expert teams that kill fast. The use of swath and chilling presence is recommended as well as Ray of frost. Marked as green are, Spell Twisting in case you don't have high enough Recovery/Recharge speed.
If you are Human race, the extra 3 heroic points are best allocated, like bellow:
AOE
Single
Additional Feat Details.
As you may have noticed, some feats are always marked red which means those are primary feats and always must be selected at max rank, but what does makes them so special? Bellow, you will see some of the feats with explanations about what makes them really good.
Toughness
Increases your maximum Hit Points by 3/6/9% (Actually 9.89% ). More hp = more damage from Aura of Courage and better survivability.
Blighting Power
Your Cold powers deal an additional 2/4/6% damage to targets affected by Chill. Its actually 6% per rank and a total of 19.1% DPS
Learned Spellcaster
Increase the amount of bonus damage Intelligence gives you by 1/2/3/4/5%. At 5 points, this feat gives 5% dps that then gets multiplied by your current Int.
(1+ (Current_Int -10)/100 )*Feat_rank= %dmg_increase
or in case of 30 int and 5/5 we have
(1+ (30-10)/100) *5 = (1+20/100)*5 = 1.2*5 = 6% more damage.
Focused Wizardry
Your single target powers deal 10/20/30% more damage and your Area of Effect powers deal 30/20/10% less damage.
Best to use ONLY with single target builds as is aoe it reduces your damage and Aura of Courage hits that come from AOE encounters.
Bitter Cold
Targets take 1/2/3/4/5% more damage for 6 seconds after being affected by Chill. This effect does not stack. Essentially a 5% debuff, to whatever you apply a chill power.
Icy Veins
When you activate an Encounter power all foes within 15' of you have 1/2/3/4/5 stacks of Chill applied to them. I would not suggest having 5/5 as 1/5 or 2/5 will virtually have the same effect and that lets you with 3 points to add somewhere else depending if its used in aoe or single target builds.
Tempest Magic
When your target is below 30% max Hit Points you deal an additional 1/2/3/4/5% damage. In reality its a 6% per rank, multiplicative damage buff which means 6%^5 or 33.8% dps when below 30%
Nightmare Wizardry
When you crit a foe you have a 4/8/12/16/20% chance for you and your allies to gain Combat Advantage against it for 12 seconds.
A useful feat to have as positioning is not always possible, easy or in time. Combat Advantage damage is by default at 15% and can be further increased by Charisma, boons and combat advantage stat. When dealing critical hits, it becomes Critical severity. Also, the new tiger companion needs Combat Advantage to reliable apply and keep the debuff at 100% uptime.
