-
The Raid Tempest of Set
Ahoy!
This thread is supposed to give a short introduction to playing the Tempest of Set. The guide focusses on raiding.
The guide is not the one, true word of Set, as HE has many voices, and tells many lies. It is just one dogma in a multitude of dogmas.
If you've got something to add or find something which is unclear or even plain wrong, I'd be happy for you to post here or sent me a PM. Any questions or suggestions for additional information are of course welcome, too.
Khaletohep
-
Introduction
The Tempest of Set's functions in a raid are
- healing,
- dealing damage,
- debuffing, esp. enemies' energy resistances, and
- buffing others, esp. increasing their damage output.
The class is most similar to the Priest of Mitra, but slightly better at dealing damage (especially against many opponents) and slightly less good on crowd controls and healing.
The playstyle presented here needs quick fingers, but not that much accuracy. You may call it random button smashing, and I wouldn't object, but Set might get angry about you insulting his servants.
-
Feat builds
Feat Build: Thunder/Lightning AoE damage
The build
This build is best used for raiding T1 and T2. It gives you a lot of AoE damage and great survivability.
http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v1_11c3...8f563927638ef0
You can switch "Thunder Storm" with "Static Blood" if you want, and thereby loose some buffing power to increase your survivability.
Pro and contra
Pro:
- very good damage output
- very good survivability
- very good damage buffs to your group
- mana leech for your group
Contra:
- weak crowd control
- no aggro control
- mana issues versus single targets
Cast rotation
With this feat build, you should always try to stay near the tank, either standing behind him or (if that's not adivsable, e. g. Arbanus) somehwere besides him. Your damage spells deal great AoE damage, but have somewhat limited reach, so you have to throw yourself into the melee.
These spells should always be running with this feat build:
- Storm Field (DAMAGE! Lots of it.)
- Storm Crown (buffs damage output, instant cast)
- Healing Lotus (Healing. Boring. Necessary.)
- Life of Set (Healing. Damage. Surprising amout of damage.)
Use these spells whenever their cooldown runs out:
- Idol of Set (place near enemies - deals damage, buffs your and your team's damage output)
- Summon Auro of Nebthu (damage, similar to Storm Field)
- Blood Mana (gives mana to your and your team for all magical damage done, very good to "refuel" Necros and Demos)
- Vital Shock (deals some damage, renews health, mana, stamina and energy. Not a lot, but quickly cast and well worth it)
If the tank is on less than 90% HP, use
- Vitalizing joint (a lot of healing, but can only be cast on somebody every 60 seconds - so don't use it when not needed, or you'll block even other ToS's Vitalizing joint with this!)
- Celestial gaze (ONLY if you're wearing gear with at least +1000 heal rating, a waste of time and mana else)
The time not needed to recast these spells should be filled with spells in this priority:
- Curse of Set (debuffs your opponents and greatly increases your team's damage)
- Call Lightning (damage, also buffs your damage)
- Lightning Sparks (damage)
- Charged Blast (damage)
- Life of Set (doesn't do additional healing if used more often than every 15 seconds, BUT still does damage!)
You'll notice that almost all of your buttons will deal or increase damage in one way or another. That may be surprising on a class sometimes mistaken for a "healer", but the "Tempest" in "Tempest of Set" hints at the true nature of this class: You're a damage dealer with some healing added to that. It's all the healing those whining tanks will get (and all they need), as this is Age of Conan, not Age of Healthcare.
Which of the "filler" spells you actually cast is not that important - more important is that you keep casting all the time. There should be no single moment where you're just idling around. A tempest doesn't stop, it attacks, ravages, roars.
-
Feat Build: T3 raiding
The build
This build reduces the emphasis put on large scale AoE damage, as that is not needed in Toth Amon's Stronghold. Instead, you'll need the feat "Thundering Voice" included in this build.
http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v1_11c3...8f563927638ef0
Pro and Contra:
Same as before, but "Thundering Voice" included.
Cast rotation
You'll need to do the same things as before. "Thundering voice" is needed (or at least useful) for fighting Arbanus and the Keeper of Secrets. Your raid leader will tell you the details.
Thundering Voice is also useful outside of raids, of course. You can use it to pull caster mobs to your group, what hardly anybody else can do. Wait for the mob to cast a spell, and then use Thundering Voice. This will block his casting ability. As this only lasts for some seconds, it would be smart to stay ranged and just stop attacking for a short time, but mobs are programmed to attack you with whatever they have. So, the silenced mage mob will draw its dagger and advance on you... and into your tanks melee range.
-
Alternative Advancement
Some words on Alternative Advancement perks:
Decisive Strikes: Great. Increases Crit, which in turn increases damage and healing (yes, heals can crit)
Pressing Strikes: Good. Increases +Hit and +Critical Damage, which in turn increases damage.
Steadfast Faith: Only needed in T4 and some Hardmode Dungeons. Mandatory in those. Else, take...:
Prelate at Arms: Increases the damage of mages in your group by a small amount. Effect is neglible, but better than nothing. Honestly, I don't usually care enough to switch this in.
Empowered Mending: Increases the crit chance and crit damage of Vitalizing Joint. Effect is neglible, but better than nothing.
Coils of the Serpent: Another damage spell. As if the Tempest of Set didn't have enough already. Favored by many, great range, good damage, but seriously... the next one is better for raiding purposes:
Idol of Dark Rejuvination: Surprisingly good feat. Gives you a healing totem. Use as follows:
- Place totem near tank.
- Watch buff in your HUD increase from x1 to x4.
- Place targeting marker so that it includes a.) the totem and b.) the tank. Fire the spell.
- Watch everybody in range being healed by a hugh chunk of health. Healing is about 1484 + Heal Rating/3. With a heal rating of 3000, you'll heal about 2484 points. That's a lot.
-
Equipment
Equipping a character is too complex an issue to even remotely cover in this guide. Some words on that though, anyhow:
First set of equipment
Buy or craft a full set of "Reinforced oiled leather". That is level 80 blue light armor. Fill all slots with "Jasper Beads", a green quality level 50 gem, or "Omnific Marquise Pushparagam", a blue quality level 80 gem, if you have too much money to spent. Sounds stupid? Looks stupid? Without a doubt. But works great.
For rings, buy 2x Dreamer's Keepsake, which is a blue level 80 crafted ring. Best ring until T3 or T4 loot. Fill slots with "Omnific Marquise Pushparagam", a blue quality level 80 gem.
You get an epic necklace for finishing your destiny quest, a cloak for killing Vistrix and weapons by doing the following.
Do some T1 and T2 raids to learn your character, then start doing 6-person-dungeons. Even some blue quality Kithai gear is superior to T1/T2 raid gear for you, but you'll need some raid gear first - and the experience.
First epic weapons to aim for
If you don't have a "good" weapon, consider buying 2x Codex of Mystic Virtues on the tradepost, a blue level 73 talisman with Con, Mana Reg and Damage. It's nothing to brag about, but two of those are better than some weapons I've seen people show up in T1 raids, and they typically sell for less than 10 S. These will last you to what you should be going for next:
As a ToS there are two great epic weapons you can get from quests in Black Ring Citadel (T2 raid dungeon).
Get these as follows:
- Finish your destiny quests.
- Visit Conan and Khalentes, until you get a quest to get a Dragon Tooth from Vistrix' Lair.
- Join a T1 raid. Learn using Teamspeak/Ventrilo, adjust your graphics settings to whatever your computer can handle and get accustomed to 23 people running around like beheaded chicken.
- Finish the dragon tooth quest and follow up quests, until you're sent into Black Ring Citadel.
- Visit Dexitheus in Conan's Castle. Get the quest "Army at the Gates of the Abyss". If he doesn't give you the quest, ask people to share it with you.
- Visit Tuktopet in Keshatta city, near the central respawn point. Get the quest "Fangs of the Ring".
- Join a T2 raid, either Wing 1 for "Fangs of the Ring" or Wing 2 for "Army of the Gates of the Abyss". Either gives you a great weapon.
Most steps can be skipped by somebody just sharing the quest with you, which is possible at level 80, and directly joing a T2 raid.
Kithai and, Ardashir Fort and House of Crom
You can go for damage and/or healing equipment. I'll focus on healing equipment here.
Aim for these items:
- Mantle of Valka's Wrath. Drops in House of Crom, Vile Natity.
- Sage's Wrist-straps of Yag. Bought from Children of Yag Kosha at rang 4.
- Sage's Sandals of Yag. Bought from Children of Yag Kosha at rang 4.
- Sage's Braids of the Eldritch. Drops in Cavern of Malice. OR: Archpriest's Coils of the Underworld. Drops in Pillars of Heaven.
- Sage's Sash of the Eldritch. Drops in Kang Pagoda.
- Sage's Gloves of the Eldrith. Drops in Celestial Necropolis. OR: Summoner's Gauntlets of Imperial Assent. Drops in Coppice of the Heart.
- Scholar's Regalia of the Exiled. Bought from Scholars of Cheng Ho. No rank needed, but 196 HM Tokens. Why? Best combination of +heal and +crit.
- Headdress of the Grand Monarch. Drops in Ardashir Fort.
- Tail of the Vaaghasan. Bought from Tamarin Tigers.
The epic healer cloak and ring sold by factions are not worth the effort. In fact, they're worse in many respects than much easier to get items. Use your Dreamer's Keepsake until something better drops in a raid or you get enough road symbols to get them from a quest.
-
(reserved for secret tips on how not to die)
-
You're the man, Cheers for these guides
-
-
Great guide. Thanks for writing it.