I have decided to go with the Ecliptic Sword for my C grade weapon. I would like to know what skill would be best to put on it. I'm going for Maximum damage, which brings me to this question.
Which skill listed will make my DE nuker do more damage?
Magic Power: When using magic, increases MP consumption by 15% and M atk by 112.
Magic power will help you make bigger numbers in your combat log, but will cost you 15% more mana every time you use it... note this is ALL spells and not just damage ones.
In the long run it will LOWER your damage output because the MAtk given does not constitute 15% more damage output, and it WILL cost you 15% more mana.
This is especially true for a Dark Elf who has PILES of INT and Matk.
Magic Power is more useful for lower Matk classes like hybrids or possibly even Spellsingers in order to allow better 2-hit possibilities.
The ONLY time magic power is useful for a nuker is when it will push you into 2-hit land when otherwise you would not be able to... You will be hard pressed to find something considered solo-able and that drops herbs that a Spellhowler cannot 2-hit without this SA.
Empower will slightly help your damage output and is for Spellhowlers a slightly better choice as the SA does no harm...
In some ways it just isn't worth putting this on. You understand this will add tiny amounts of damage and cost you a level 8 crystal?
The best thing you can do for yourself is sell the ecliptic and buy the best C weapon you can find with acumen on it.
Faster casts and faster B2M means you will put out LOADS more damage than the ecliptic can ever help you with. Yes, even with the lower matk on the weapon...
Understand that a mysterious sword (low x2 C mage weapon you can put acumen on) is a WONDERFUL option for the Spellhowler... its very cheap to buy, 66% the bsps cost per nuke, and since you are a spellhowler anyway, it isn't like you will have a hard time 2-shotting.
Note you can buy TWO mysterious swords and try to overenchant one for the price of a single ecliptic.
I agree with the other posters. You're much better off getting acumen SA to increase the speed at which you put out the power you already have. This will be more helpful since it will allow you to get another spell off before something makes mince meat out of your soft DE hide. If you want more power per nuke then try doing it either with the demon set or with tattoos or even both if you really want. But as the slowest casting nuker in game you definitely need something to improve casting speed.
lol, i always thought that all nukers go for acumen.. :(
All the good ones do. The bad ones go for empower, magic power and sls / focus to melee. Yes, I've seen a meleeing sorc on my server. Yes that sorc is now 77+. Yes that sorc still makes me roflmao very very often when I see it play.
There is generally a reason why thousands of nukers go with /acumen weapons: it's because that's what works best. Sometimes trying to think too much outside the box when thousands of other people precede you is just a waste of brainpower.