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Nexus Clash :: View topic - Tentacles, imps or Hounds?
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:44 am Post subject: Tentacles, imps or Hounds?
Character is already at level 8. Fairly sure I want to go for a Wyrm Master but I am unsure what pets I want to get besides the Wrackwyrm. I am aware that a Dark Opressor would probably be better for a hth caster but a billion ways to screw with soak is kind of boring.
I like Master of Pack nether hounds too much to pass up. They really seem core to any wyrm master build, even if they're rather pricey. After that you just tack on some defense with the imps and Translucency. Dropping Translucency and trying to grind for Impish Mischief is definitely possible too. They're kind of worthless without one of the child skills. You could substitute the imps for tentacles as well (also pretty terrible without the child skill). Acid Dart in T2 seems a little odd. An unboosted auto hit can't do much. Strength or Swim seem like they would go pretty well in its place. Maybe Minor Glyph Erasure.
Acid Spells also offer a higher Armour Degradation chance, and it gives me a way to use my MP semi productively while in raids during tier 2 and it is CP cheaper than boxing or blood claws so it isn't too bad. I don't need it to be perfect or effective it is just there to help me out until I get Metamorphic Unguis. If I am going to get imps I think I will get them before hounds or tentacles. Impish Mischief is a slight source of MP so I would give it highest priority after the Wracky because I can just revive it with the MP gained for longer raids.
Hounds are good all-rounders. They're expensive but powerful, so you can travel with them more efficiently than (say) imps. They're good on defense because of high damage (harder to soak) and HP (can take a few aura hits). Their main strength is raiding, where they are almost certainly the WM's best pet for killing stuff. In addition, hounds are actually two pets - nether and hell - which is some free diversity. Nether hounds can be completely immunized against and hell hounds do relatively little mundane damage. Hounds disappear when the WM is killed.
Imps have their obvious utility abilities and weaknesses. As Lejes mentioned, Interpose Thrall covers one of the hound weaknesses. They do little damage, but can steal a lot of MP and completely ruin armor with enough numbers. Far enough into my build, I plan on raiding with 30+ imps and loosing them before the fort goes down just to destroy everyone's mundane/enchanted armor.
Tentacles do low damage and have low HP and MP. Acid tentacles are still really good on raids, but they're easy to soak against on defense. The flip side is that they don't consume AP moving, so you can maintain a ton of them in your SH while still moving around doing stuff. They're extremely weak against auras because of their low HP, so pair them up with Wraiths or Ghouls from faction members on defense.
I will say this about my experience as a pet master so far: diversity seems to be important to pet shields. You want to avoid a pet shield that is defeated by just one potion or just one tactic. To an extent, this means there will be no one optimal build because the best overall defense for a faction will come from a combination of diverse builds.
Yes, I was going to comment to the fact that the cheap 30 cp pet might be very useful sometimes. Imps are lovely in that regard, as they can nearly work as an enhanced sensor for you, detecting hiding targets which you cannot find unless you spend lots of ap searching.
Wrackwyrm...I nearly went their way, until with more thought I realized they were versions of the old NW fossil monstrosity which already back in NW days I regretted buying them (keep in mind FM were worse because they required the investment of several skeletons)
Tentacles are lovely and charming to mess with people, if that is your fancy take them by all means.
My personal choice? basic Imps +Master of Pack nether hounds. Imps give you detection, and upgraded hell-hounds give you destructive power.
Contrary to liches who really have to consider how much MP they spend with pets in combat, because their only option is bleed themselves for more ( unless they have MP providing items), WM have the power to simply take MP away from their targets, which means you will be less concerned about having to use a more efficient and mobile pet (Wrackwyrm), since you will often summon pets on the spot using MP from your targets.
Master of Pack nether hounds are that option which is not so MP efficient but is powerful.
So, the order's a bit mixed up at the moment, but that's the general gist.
A. Acid dart doesn't have much particular worth.
B. You do not need Twisted Leap if you can make potions. Consider that, if you horde your potions of flight, that you can effectively get yourself Twisted Leap when it matters. Yes, movement skills are good, but it still can't get you through oceans or over void.
C. You might want to hold off on poison, it's only particularly useful when you run across actives. You're better off ditching Acid Dart and Poison and using 10 exploration badges to get Soul Vampire for some easy ices, or to buy yourself glyph/erasure spells or Psychometry.
D. Impish mischief early if you're using Imps. They allow you to hunt easier and recharge your MP.
E. The choice of tentacles, dogs, and imps is pretty much based on your gameplay style. Nether Hounds are incredibly powerful pets despite the price, but tentacles can refresh themselves if they score kills (making them wonderful for both offense and defensive raids.) Imps, once you get all of their skills, act as both extra health and mana for you, on top of acting like Enhanced Senses. They may not be strong on offense or defense, but they keep you going. _________________ Eistibus - Shadow Shaper (Wizard, Eternals)
PolterGhost - Still Human (Divine Herald, Garden of Petra)
Zecheriah - Battle Butler (Wyrm Master, Scarlet Devil Mansion)
B. You do not need Twisted Leap if you can make potions. Consider that, if you horde your potions of flight, that you can effectively get yourself Twisted Leap when it matters. Yes, movement skills are good, but it still can't get you through oceans or over void.
The real power of Twisted Leap is halving your pets' travel costs. You still have to weigh it against flying potions, but if you have a horde that's low on AP from a raid, Twisted Leap can help get them home without despawning. _________________ Naughty | Nice | Can't Decide
B. You do not need Twisted Leap if you can make potions. Consider that, if you horde your potions of flight, that you can effectively get yourself Twisted Leap when it matters. Yes, movement skills are good, but it still can't get you through oceans or over void.
The real power of Twisted Leap is halving your pets' travel costs. You still have to weigh it against flying potions, but if you have a horde that's low on AP from a raid, Twisted Leap can help get them home without despawning.
If I had realized what was optimal for myself before grabbing skills, I likely wouldn't even have the alchemy tree just for the sake of getting spells and Twisted Leap, and perhaps giving myself an extended focus in shadow dancing. _________________ Eistibus - Shadow Shaper (Wizard, Eternals)
PolterGhost - Still Human (Divine Herald, Garden of Petra)
Zecheriah - Battle Butler (Wyrm Master, Scarlet Devil Mansion)
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