Book of Heroes

This is a general build article. I am also working on “Farming Major Spirit Runes or burning through 52 Energy per character as fast as possible”. Research Note: 52 Energy assumes 42 Energy Bar and 10 points from “Dungeon Banking” (see old BoH Forum post).


Archived for Research (80Archive)


Research Note: Builds change as BoH releases versions and your character changes. At Might Rating 2K, 4K, 8K, 12K & 16192, you definitely want to re-evaluate your abilities (Thanks GioRGiO for posting your 15K Stats).

I am currently running a “Storm Fracture” War Mage with a few Red Gems in Max Health (War Mages have the worst armor, cloth), but the rest in Magic. Unlike Shadow Walkers and Justicars, there is no reason to have both Melee and Magic gems since all v1.4 War Mage abilities are Magic based. My character is using Axe/ Shield with Haste -40%. CJ prefers a Staff (Typist's Note: No comment. ). Update: I am now using a Tier 9 Staff when fighting Triple Groups if I have twice the minimum Might Rating for the Raid.

Generic Abilities (12 points)
Ice Fracture rank 3= 50% reduction in Ice Resist. In v1.4, even if the enemy has 0% Ice Resist, this ability lowers it. So a 0% Ice Resist becomes -50% causing the enemy to take 50% bonus damage from Ice Attacks. Better than Inner Focus rank 3 when going for speed, but even better *with* Inner Focus against Dungeon Boss. De-Buff
 
Fire Fracture rank 3= Fire version of Ice Fracture. De-Buff
 
Inner Focus rank 3= +50% Bonus Damage for Magic & Melee. With the Semi-Soft Stat Cap of +225 Bonus Damage [ see post (  viewtopic.php?p=4238#p4239 )], that is another +112 Bonus Damage (or more). Better than Blessing of Might which only give points to Magic Stat not Magic Bonus Damage. Buff.
 
Research Note: In v1.4 Combo Inner Focus - > Combustion - > Fire Fracture does more damage then the same character casting Combustion - > Fire Fracture - > Inner Focus. Always cast Inner Focus first to maximize Combustion damage.
 
Hasten rank 1= Haste 10%. Due to Haste -40% Semi-Soft Cap [ see post (  viewtopic.php?p=4238#p4238 )], strong combo against Dungeon Boss. Skip if not yet Haste -30% (casting penalty). Also skip if monster groups (if Might Rating is 5,000 or higher). Around 8,000 Might Rating, you can keep Hasten rank 1 or move the point to Time Void rank 3. Buff.



Time Void rank 2= Group Interrupt. You can never have too many interrupts. De-Buff
 
 
Abilities for Monster Groups (6 points)
Ice Storm rank 3= Slow Enemy for 30% or -23% enemy DPS (Tier 3 Slow De-Buff). Combo with Frozen Shard rank 2 (Tier 2 Slow De-Buff), Haste -40% (Semi-Soft Stat Cap) & Hasten rank 1 (Total Haste -50%) to get 4 attacks for every 1 attack a Dungeon Boss gets. Slow De-Buffs of the same Tier do not stack, they just reset the timer. Minor Frost Runes from the Temple are Tier 1 Slow De-Buff, so you want Frozen Shard rank 2 (Tier 2 Slow De-Buff) and Ice Storm rank 3 (Tier 3 Slow De-Buff) to get the most out of these abilities. Ice Storm rank 3 will get you the best Slow De-Buff. You want the best Slow De-Buff when facing a Triple Group. Usually you will be using Ice Storm and Frozen Shard against a Dungeon Boss, so Frozen Shard rank 2 will work for maximum Slow. Frozen Shard rank 1 would only reset Minor Frost Runes and Frozen Shard rank 3 would only reset Ice Storm rank 3. Magic De-Buff & Attack.
 
Flaming Pyre rank 3= 80% chance per enemy of a Flaming Pyre (Tier 2 fire Damage Over Time). The DOT breaks Icy Grasp rank 1. Before v1.3 the definitive War Mage spell. With Dragonmoor (Flame Creatures take extra damage from Ice Storm, but Frozen Vale Creatures still highly resistant to Flaming Pyre. see old post [  http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthrea ... ost2158479 ]) and the v1.3+ Ice Storm, War Mage could go with Flaming Pyre or Ice Storm. Combo with Fire Fracture rank 3 and/ or Inner Focus rank 3, weak vs. individual, medium vs. Dungeon Boss, strong vs. Triple Group, medium vs. Onslaught Boss. Magic Attack.
 
Abilities for Dungeon & Raid Bosses (7 points).
Combustion rank 3= v1.4 does 350% weapon damage in 4 seconds (87.5% DPS) with a chance for a Critical Hit. With Haste -40%, if you are lucky, you can cast Inner Focus, Combustion then stall with Defend for 1 to 1.2 seconds then cast Icy Grasp rank 1, stall with Defend for 1 to 1.5 seconds, Buff character, De-Buff enemies, and have Ice Storm rank 3 strike the same time as Combustion rank 3. I am happy with the Combustion rank 3 going off within 0.5 seconds of Ice Storm rank 3. Due to Cool downs, Inner Focus rank 3/ Combustion rank 3/ Icy Grasp rank 1/ Ice Storm rank 3 combo works well against Dungeon Boss, but not so well against Onslaught Boss. Magic DOT.
 
Ice Grasp rank 1= Medium Stun. Never have too many stuns. With strong v1.4 Magic (175- 225 Bonus Damage) a fast attack. Magic Stun & Attack.
 
Frozen Shard rank 2= Slow Enemy 20% or -16% enemy DPS (Tier 2 Slow De-Buff). Faster than Incinerate rank 1. see Ice Storm rank 3 for more about Slow De-Buffs and choosing Frozen Shard rank 2 instead of 1 or 3. Magic De-Buff & Attack.
 
Researcher’s Note: Toxic Blade/ Poison Cloud & Wound/ Circle of Blades had the same problem as Frozen Shard/ Ice Storm. However, a client bug in Onslaught caused Venan to solve the “Never get Toxic Blade rank 2 (Tier 2 nature DOT) or Wound rank 2 (Tier 2 physical DOT)” problem.
 
Incinerate rank 1= Useful when Frozen Shard is in cool down and against Dungeon Bosses. Better than Basic Attack since most War Mages have zero or low points in Melee Rating. Magic Attack.
 
 
 
With any Might Rating, a good group attack sequence is Ice Storm rank 3, Inner Focus rank 3, Fire Fracture rank 3, Flaming Pyre rank 3, Ice Fracture rank 3, Ice Storm rank 3. The first Ice Storm rank 3 (Tier 3 Slow De-Buff) slowing down the enemy, while you cast everything else. Use Time Void rank 2 as needed. Defeat the last monster with Icy Grasp/ Frozen Shard or Incinerate depending on which De-Buff is still running (Ice or Fire Fracture).
 
For high Might Rating, a good group attack sequence is Ice Fracture rank 3, Ice Storm rank 3, Fire Fracture rank 3, Flaming Pyre rank 3, Inner Focus rank 3, Ice Storm rank 3. If you are very lucky, you will get Critical Hits with the first Ice Fracture/ Ice Storm and not even need the rest of the sequence. This is especially useful in Dragonmoor. If a group has low Health after Ice Fracture/ Ice Storm, then skip Fire Fracture and go straight to Flaming Pyre to finish them.
 
Exception: High Might Rating, in the Frozen Vale, then use Ice Storm rank 3, Fire Fracture rank 3, Flaming Pyre rank 3, Ice Fracture rank 3, Inner Focus Rank 3, Ice Storm rank 3. By skipping Ice Fracture, and going straight to Ice Storm, you slow them down, while the first Fire Fracture/ Flaming Pyre has a good chance of taking out the group. Enemies in Frozen Vale are resistant to Fire and very resistant to Ice. Another advantage in the Frozen Vale with Ice/ Fire Fracture is they De-Buff the enemy. Unlike Inner Focus that Buffs the character and can be removed by “Gaze of Despair” (Monster version of Radiant Light).
 
For a Dungeon Boss, a good sequence for any Might Rating is Inner Focus rank 3, Combustion rank 3, Defend, Icy Grasp rank 1, Ice Fracture rank 3, Fire Fracture rank 3, optional Hasten rank 1, Defend, Defend, Ice Storm rank 3, Frozen Shard rank 2, and Incinerate rank 1, optional Flaming Pyre rank 3 (useful for low Might Rating War Mage but disrupts later Icy Grasp rank 1).
 
Research Note: In v1.4 Combo Inner Focus - > Combustion - > Fire Fracture does more damage then the same character casting Combustion - > Fire Fracture - > Inner Focus. Always cast Inner Focus first to maximize Combustion damage.
 
All free (found) Minor/ Major Runes are good. If you already have Ice/ Fire Fracture cast, use the matching Minor/ Major Rune for more damage. Exception, if your War Mage is going against flame creatures in Dragonmoor, they take extra damage from Frost Runes and extra, extra damage from Critical Hits with Frost Runes (see old post [  http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthrea ... ost2158479 ]). If you want to buy Minor Runes at the Temple, get Spirit Runes. They are the best value for your 650 silver (see old post [  http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthrea ... ost2146899 ]). During contests like the 2012 August Glenfort Games, Major Spirit Runes are awesome, especially vs. Onslaught Boss.


For Very Very High Might Rating [almost 16K], see GioRGiO's post ( viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1074&p=4381#p4381 )

Tags: v1.4BoHBuild, BoHBuild, AdvancedFAQ, BasicFAQ

Slow De-Buffs of the same Tier do not stack, they just reset the timer.

I mentioned this in game once and I "think" it was beekeo who told me that this is a bug.

Eventually, it will be changed so that the slows will never stack. Resetting the timer seems to be the intended behavior.

Aryantes wrote:

Slow De-Buffs of the same Tier do not stack, they just reset the timer.

I mentioned this in game once and I "think" it was beekeo who told me that this is a bug.

Eventually, it will be changed so that the slows will never stack. Resetting the timer seems to be the intended behavior.

Perhaps augement each other is a better terminology.

Minor Frost Runes, Frozen Shard rank 1 & Ice Storm rank 1 are all Slow +10%.
Frozen Shard rank 2 & Ice Storm rank 2 are both Slow +20%.
Frozen Shard rank 3 & Ice Storm rank 3 are both Slow +30%.

If a action is Slow +10%, and the enemy already has a De-Buff Slow +10%, the action resets the timer. If the enemy does not have a De-Buff Slow +10%, the action starts one.

By choosing Frozen Shard rank 2, and Ice Storm rank 3, you guarantee that the first use of Minor Frost Rune always starts a new Slow +10%, first use of Frozen Shard rank 2 starts a new Slow +20%, and first use of Ice Storm rank 3 starts a new Slow +30%. Technically they do not "stack", but the total affect is De-Buff +60% if you use all three.

If you choose Frozen Shard rank 3 & Ice Storm rank 3, using Frozen Shard rank 3 will start a De-Buff Slow +30%, then using Ice Storm rank 3 will reset the timer on the De-Buff Slow +30%. For a total affect of De-Buff Slow +30%.

Toxic Blade rank 2/ Poison Cloud rank 1-3 & Wound rank 2/ Circle of Blades rank 1-3 had a similar problem until resently:

Toxic Blade 1 & 3: Strategy: Damage Over Time (BoH v1.2)
Wound 1 & 3: Strategy: Damage Over Time (BoH v1.2) ( http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthrea ... ost2175889 )

Now Poison Cloud nature DOT is different from Toxic Blade rank 2 nature DOT. If Venan did the same to Frozen Shard/ Ice Storm, then Minor Frost Rune, Frozen Shard rank 1 & Ice Storm rank 1 would total affect De-Buff Slow +30%, while Minor Frost Rune, Frozen Shard rank 3 & Ice Storm rank 3 would total affect De-Buff Slow +70%.

Thats what I'm saying.

If I understood beekeo correctly, it means that the 'intended behavior' is for them to overwrite each other, so that only one level of a slow can ever be active at once on a monster.

so maximum 30% slow at any given time.

Aryantes wrote:Thats what I'm saying.

If I understood beekeo correctly, it means that the 'intended behavior' is for them to overwrite each other, so that only one level of a slow can ever be active at once on a monster.

so maximum 30% slow at any given time.

So a Minor Frost Rune (+10%) will overwrite the Ice Storm rank 3 (+30%), leaving you with a Slow 10%?

Or the Frozen Shard rank 1 (+10%) will extend the timer on the Ice Storm rank 3 (+30%) giving it the De-Buff affect of Frozen Shard rank 3 (+30%)?

BjofCJandBj wrote:So a Minor Frost Rune (+10%) will overwrite the Ice Storm rank 3 (+30%), leaving you with a Slow 10%?

Or the Frozen Shard rank 1 (+10%) will extend the timer on the Ice Storm rank 3 (+30%) giving it the De-Buff affect of Frozen Shard rank 3 (+30%)?

Good question. Didn't ask details, but you might be able to find out more information.

The answer I got was something like "enjoy it while it lasts, we will change it eventually" hehe.

I would guess they will make the 10% slow not extend the 30% slow, and just trash the effect. unless they have in-game mechanics already to partially refresh a duration based on its relative effectiveness.

Subject:
8,000 Might Rating "Storm Fracture" War Mage

BjofCJandBj wrote:Research Note: Builds change as BoH releases versions and your character changes. At Might Rating 2K, 4K, 8K, 12K & 16192, you definitely want to re-evaluate your abilities (Thanks GioRGiO for posting your 15K Stats).

My War Mage is currently 8,700 Might Rating and using a Tier 9 Staff 1.3 Speed.

I have made changes due to the higher Might Rating:

Generic Abilities (12 points)
Ice Fracture rank 3 (same)
Fire Fracture rank 3 (same)
Inner Focus rank 3 (same)
Hasten rank 1 (same)
Time Void rank 2 (same)


Abilities for Monster Groups (5 points)
Flaming Pyre rank 3 (same)

Ice Storm rank 2 (was Ice Storm rank 3)= To maximize Slow Affect (see above post in topic) Frozen Shard/ Ice Storm must be different ranks. At my current Might Rating, I do more damage, so I removed a point from Ice Storm and put it in Frozen Shard. Triple Groups still are slowed 20%, but increased Magic Bonus Damage makes Ice Storm rank 2/ Flaming Pyre rank 3 as effective as Ice Storm rank 3/ Flaming Pyre rank 3 was before against Groups.

Research Note: Venan fixed the same problem with Toxic Blade/ Poison Cloud and Wound/ Circle of Blades. Depending on how, and if, they fix the problem, I may get Frozen Shard rank 3/ Ice Storm rank 3 in the future.


Abilities for Dungeon & Raid Bosses (7 points).
Ice Grasp rank 1 (same)

removed Combustion (was Combustion rank 3)= At my increase Might Rating, combat does not last 4 game seconds. I removed Combustion and put two points in Incinerate. I am still trying to decide between Icy Grasp rank 2, or Time Void rank 3. Currently running a 24 ability point War Mage.

Frozen Shard rank 3( was Frozen Shard rank 2)= Triple Groups are less of a problem at my current Might Rating. So I removed a point from Ice Storm (see above explanation) and put a point in Frozen Shard. Frozen Shard rank 3 has a very short cool down, making it much more useful against Raid Bosses. In addition, Frozen Shard is faster than Ice Storm, allowing me to Slow 30% Raid Bosses in less time.

Incinerate rank 3 (was Incinerate rank 1)= Combat is shorter at my current Might Rating. So I removed Combustion (see above explanation) and put two points in Incinerate. Incinerate rank 3 has a short cool down, making it much more useful against Raid Bosses.



A good Boss sequence start is Inner Focus rank 3, Ice Fracture rank 3, Frozen Shard rank 3, Ice Storm rank 2.

Sometimes followed by Frozen Shard rank 3, Icy Grasp rank 1, Fire Fracture rank 3, Flaming Pyre rank 3, Frozen Shard rank 3, Incinerate rank 3, Frozen Shard rank 3
Sometimes followed by Fire Fracture rank 3, Incinerate rank 3, Flaming Pyre rank 3, Incinerate rank 3.
Use Icy Grasp rank 1 and Time Void rank 2 as needed.

Tags: v1.4BoHBuild, BoHBuild, AdvancedFAQ, BasicFAQ

Subject:
9,550 Might Rating "Storm Fracture" War Mage

Overview:
At 9,550 Might Rating, Reset abilities to Frozen Shard rank 2 and Ice Storm rank 3

Tier 1
3/3 Incinerate
2/3 Frozen Shard
3/3 Flaming Pyre

Tier 2
1/3 Icy Grasp
3/3 Ice Storm
3/3 Inner Focus

Tier 3
3/3 Fire Fracture
3/3 Ice Fracture
1/3 Hasten
2/3 Time Void

Body:

BjofCJandBj wrote:Subject:
8,000 Might Rating "Storm Fracture" War Mage

BjofCJandBj wrote:Research Note: Builds change as BoH releases versions and your character changes. At Might Rating 2K, 4K, 8K, 12K & 16192, you definitely want to re-evaluate your abilities (Thanks GioRGiO for posting your 15K Stats).

My War Mage is currently 8,700 Might Rating and using a Tier 9 Staff 1.3 Speed.

I have made changes due to the higher Might Rating:

My War Mage is currently 9,718 Might Rating and using a Tier 10 Axe 1.1 Speed/ Tier 10 Shield or a Tier 10 Staff 1.3 Speed.

Once you can get into "Forgotten Sentinels" you tend to run "Forgotten Sentinels" and "Vale of the Ice Dragon" more than "Cursed Keep" since "Curse Keep" has monsters resistant and highly resistant to fire attacks. Fire attacks are all damage unlike Ice attacks. In "Vale of the Ice Dragon" Reduced damage Ice attacks can still be useful due to Slow/ Stun/ Interrupt additional effects. In "Forgotten Sentinels" both Fire and Ice attacks tend to do the same damage.

The only change I have made from my 8K Might Rating "Storm Fracture" War Mage is to change back to Ice Storm rank 3 and Frozen Shard rank 2. Many Mobs/ Triple Groups can be taken out with a critical hit from Flaming Pyre rank 3, or normal hits from Flaming Pyre rank 3 and Ice Storm rank 3. Thus Ice Storm rank 3 gives my War Mage a higher Kills Per Minute (KPM) in Real World Time.

Tags: v1.4BoHBuild, BoHBuild, AdvancedFAQ, BasicFAQ