"Pushed" ToB Build
(NOTE: Still in development.)
Royal
SL 125
V: 40
W: 40
E: 17
S:
D:
M: 40
F: 40
RH1: Kris Blade + 5
RH2: Morion Blade
LH1: ToB
LH2: Stormruler
Hyper Mode Build (Insanity Catalyst)
Royal
SL 124
V: 50
I: 40
E: 20
S:
D:
M: 50
F: 16
RH1: Insanity Catalyst
RH2: Storm Ruler
LH1: Morion Blade
LH2: Talisman of God1
1 Can be switched out for Kris Blade.
Insanity Catalyst vs. "Pushed" ToB
Now, assuming we are working towards a SL 120 PvP bracket, I think it best if we focus on the "Pushed" ToB concept. Most Pure Mage builds follow this anyway, and those who use the Insanity Catalyst usually do so because they don't know the alternative. A brief comparison:
Insanity Catalyst
- Incredible spell power.
- Greater effects with Light Weapon1.
Talisman of Beasts
- Incredible spell power2.
- Extra Magic defense due to high Faith.
- Ability to use God's Wrath/ other Miracles effectively.
- Lesser effects with Light Weapon1.
- Costs twice as many stat points as when using Insanity Catalyst.
1 Light Weapon usually doesn't matter for Pure Mages, as they have little reason to use Melee weapons.
2 As long as the Magic and Faith stat are equal, the ToB will outdamage the IC.
Alright. So, the rest of this post is assuming we'll use the "Pushed" ToB. Magic defense is very important for Mages, who use many items that lower it (i.e Kris Blade, Monk's Head Wrappings). The ability to use Miracles effectively is also a nice bonus; God's Wrath can be used in place of Firestorm when the player is surrounded, and will deal good damage along with knocking the opponent down. It is also more reliable than Firestorm.
Stat Placement
It is widely accepted that all Magic-based builds should begin with the Royal Class. This would put the starting stats at:
SL 1
V: 8
I: 12
E: 8
S: 9
D: 12
M: 13
F: 12
(NOTE: Luck was not mentioned as it will ALWAYS remain at Base: 7)
Most Pure Mage builds have agreed levels of certain stats. Some of these include:
Intelligence 40: It is widely accepted that 40 is the highest Intelligence should be increased. This is because Mage's gain the maximum amount of spell slots (6) at 40, allowing the most versatality in which spells are used and bringing maximum MP to 280. Also, after 40, each stat point is only worth about 4 MP. This would translate to 4 stat points per one extra cast of Soul Ray. Not a good deal. It's much more practical to moderate your MP during battle and use spices when neccessary.
Endurance ~15: This is often considered the lowest possible Endurance needed to dodge in PvP.
Strength/ Dexterity Low: Pure Mages have little need for Melee weapons, as they focus on offensive Magic. Shields are usually not an issue because the Mage doesn't have high enough Endurance to block consistently. Therefore, these stats should be low.
Magic 403: Must be at least this high, or spells won't deal enough damage to kill opponenets in PvP.
Luck 7: Should always be kept at base (7).
3 When using a "Pushed" ToB, Faith should equal Magic, meaning both should be at approximately 40.
(NOTE: ALL of the above points are up for debate.)
Equipment
As mentioned earlier, Mages have little use for Melee weapons. Most slots are, therefore, used for equipment that increases spell power.
Common Weapon Choices:
- Talisman of Beasts: Allows the casting of both spells and Miracles.
- Kris Blade +5: Increases spell power when equipped.
- Moon Weapon4: Any Magic-scaling Melee weapon. Used as a last resort.
- Morion Blade: Grants a higher bonus than Kris Blade when HP is below 30%.
4 Usually there is some debate about whether to use Crescent or Moon upgraded weapons. It is a general rule that if 10 or less stat points have been spent on Strength/ Dexterity and Magic is below 50, Moon will overpower Crescent. Since Pure Mages have low Strength/ Dexterity and we are using the "Pushed" ToB (Magic will be below 50), Moon will always overpower Crescent.
Common Armor Choices:
Head:
- Silver Coronet: Increases maximum MP by 20%. When used with 40 Intelligence, maximum MP increases from 280 to 336.
- Monk's Head Wrappings: Increases spell power.
- Increases spell power.
- Lowers Magic defense.
- Blocks vision.
- Makes it clear to opponents that you are a Magic-based build.
Armor:
- Black Leather Set
- Moderate defense.
- High Poison Resistance.
- Lightweight.
- Old King Doran's Armor Set
- Good defense.
- High Fire defense.
- Moderately heavy.
Rings:
- Cling Ring: lose less HP in Soul Form.
- Foe's Ring: increases attack power as a Black Phantom.
- Increases spell power.
- Increase Melee power.
- Ring of Magical Sharpness: Increase spell power.
- Increases spell power.
- Lowers Magic defense.
- Clever Rat's Ring: Increases attack power when HP is below 30%.
- Increases attack power when HP is below 30%.
- Allows "Nuking" when in effect.
- Risky to use, as it requires low health.
Spells and Miracles
Spells
- Soul Ray: a simple, fast-traveling ranged spell. Good for interrupting heals and can deal solid damage against builds with middle-to-low Magic defense.
- Fireball: a ranged spell. Deals high damage against the majority of builds and has impressive splash, making it hard to dodge. The downside is it travels a little slower than Soul Ray, which makes interrupting heals difficult.
- Ignite: a strong, close-quarters spell. Easily deals more than twice the damage of Fireball, as well as causing opponents to stagger. The splash damage and high casting speed make it very hard to dodge if the enemy is close enough, though a miss can leave the caster vulnerable to backstabbing.
- Homing Soul Arrow: a strong, mid-range spell. Deals incredible damage, almost guaranteed to either kill or crack Second Chance with a direct hit. It is, however, easy to dodge, though one wrong step by an opponent can leave them open to be hit full-force. This spell can also be used when a heal is needed, as some opponents who don't know any better will stay away until the spell fires, giving time for maybe one or two heals.
- Firestorm: an incredibly high-damaging spell. If it connects, it can easily deal over 1000 damage, either cracking Second Chance or outright killing an opponent. In enclosed spaces, two hits may be possible, depending on how far away the first hit knocked your opponent. The main disadvantage is unreliability; often you will be hit before the spell really gets going, interrupting the cast. This problem can be solved by using Firestorm only when you have enough space, or just using it after a backstab when your opponent can't retaliate.
- Poison/Death Cloud - both Poison and Plague, on top of inflicting continuous damage to opponents, reduce the effectiveness of healing items by half. Plague also reduces stamina regeneration, giving the caster a powerful advantage over melee builds. Often opponents will stay away until the cloud wears off; this allows the caster to either block a narrow passage or hide inside the cloud if heals are needed. The reduces visibility may also allow another spell to surprise the enemy.
Miracles
- Second Chance
- God's Wrath: since this build also has high Faith, God's Wrath does impressive damage, though the real beauty of it is knocking down your opponent. It can also be used when the caster is surrounded in place of Firestorm, leaving space for other spells.
(NOTE: The generic Pure Mage has 6 spell slots, allowing for many different combinations. Different sets and their effectiveness are up for debate.)
(NOTE: All of the above information are formatted as choices. They are up for debate on which options to choose and why.)
Lol…I'm all typed out for now, though it's strangely satisfying. I've been answering questions with this stuff for as long as I've played Demon's Souls. It gives me peace of mind to have everything all together. I will continue with this post soon.