02-15-2004, 11:31 PM
It's one of the most balanced skills in the game. It's one of those skills that shows the ol' blizzard genius shining through.
Limitations of the skill are simple: very high mana cost at high slvls, and you can only hit one enemy at a time. There are several ways around the first -- get a higher damage weapon, add more mana leech, use potions, use redemption or meditation. Most characters will be able to use vengeance at low to mid levels without investing into energy.
The second problem is more interesting -- there really is no way to "fix" this limitation. You hit one enemy at a time, and that's pretty much it. However, the advantages do somewhat make up for this.
The advantages are obvious and very powerful -- excellent damage, and many different types of damage. Simply put, nothing is immune to a swing of vengeance. Enemies with little or no resistances/immunities take simply disgusting ammounts of elemental damage.
The second, somewhat "hidden" benefit of vengeance is how well it works with conviction. Conviction is another of those skills that, for lack of a better word, is uber l33t. It works so much better in reality than it looks on paper. At high skill levels, it makes it damn near impossible to miss (-90% enemy defence!) and greatly increases your elemental damage (-150% enemy resistances!).
As already mentioned, try leaving vengeance at low skill levels, at least until late in the game. Pumping conviction gives excellent returns, doesn't add to the mana cost, and helps any spellcasters in your party tremendously. Adding to the resistance auras will also increase your damage AND gives the hidden benefit of increasing your max resistance by 1% for every two skill points invested.
My current avenger is taking just that route -- vengeace is at slvl 1 and will remain there for quite some time. Conviction is getting pumped at the fastest possible level, after which my individual resist auras will get pumped to about 10. Holy shield is at 10 and is enough to get me max blocking for the moment. I'm planning on maxing holy shield and getting a defiance merc to play the part of a semi-"defiant avenger." But we'll see how that goes.
So, basically, yes, vengeance is a mana-guzzler; however, by leaving it at slvl 1 and pumping conviction and the synergies, you can solve that problem and still reap the benefits.
gekko
Limitations of the skill are simple: very high mana cost at high slvls, and you can only hit one enemy at a time. There are several ways around the first -- get a higher damage weapon, add more mana leech, use potions, use redemption or meditation. Most characters will be able to use vengeance at low to mid levels without investing into energy.
The second problem is more interesting -- there really is no way to "fix" this limitation. You hit one enemy at a time, and that's pretty much it. However, the advantages do somewhat make up for this.
The advantages are obvious and very powerful -- excellent damage, and many different types of damage. Simply put, nothing is immune to a swing of vengeance. Enemies with little or no resistances/immunities take simply disgusting ammounts of elemental damage.
The second, somewhat "hidden" benefit of vengeance is how well it works with conviction. Conviction is another of those skills that, for lack of a better word, is uber l33t. It works so much better in reality than it looks on paper. At high skill levels, it makes it damn near impossible to miss (-90% enemy defence!) and greatly increases your elemental damage (-150% enemy resistances!).
As already mentioned, try leaving vengeance at low skill levels, at least until late in the game. Pumping conviction gives excellent returns, doesn't add to the mana cost, and helps any spellcasters in your party tremendously. Adding to the resistance auras will also increase your damage AND gives the hidden benefit of increasing your max resistance by 1% for every two skill points invested.
My current avenger is taking just that route -- vengeace is at slvl 1 and will remain there for quite some time. Conviction is getting pumped at the fastest possible level, after which my individual resist auras will get pumped to about 10. Holy shield is at 10 and is enough to get me max blocking for the moment. I'm planning on maxing holy shield and getting a defiance merc to play the part of a semi-"defiant avenger." But we'll see how that goes.
So, basically, yes, vengeance is a mana-guzzler; however, by leaving it at slvl 1 and pumping conviction and the synergies, you can solve that problem and still reap the benefits.
gekko
"Life is sacred and you are not its steward. You have stewardship over it but you don't own it. You're making a choice to go through this, it's not just happening to you. You're inviting it, and in some ways delighting in it. It's not accidental or coincidental. You're choosing it. You have to realize you've made choices."
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"