DAOC - Grab Bag : DAOC News

Another weekly dose of As for your Qs. Enjoy!

Q) What affects hit/miss when using a critical strike style; primary weapon skill level, critical strike skill level, or both? I ask this because after the last 2 patches (or a bad respec choice), I am missing a lot more than usual using Creeping Death.

A) Neither of these factors will affect outright miss rates, as that is determined by factors like level, to hit bonus on the style and weapon/armor enchantment. Your skill levels for weapon and CS will affect your ability to penetrate defenses such as block, parry and evade.

Q) Does "bonus to duration of spell" affect DoT's? I know it used to affect how long a pet would be ML9, but can you essentially get another tick or two out of a DoT with this bonus?

A) Yes, it does.

Q) Archery Question Overload: I am fully aware of how pre-Archery archery damage functioned, but I've seen little info regarding how Archery damage works now. I've seen some partial info on the Herald, but I'd really appreciate full details that are both complete and accurate:

1. Is there a damage cap like regular spells, and if so, what is it?

Yes, archery has a damage cap. The easiest way to determine your damage cap is to shoot a very low level player or monster, such as one right outside the capitol cities.

2. Does Dex increase the damage range and is it linear?

Yes and Yes.

3. Is Critical Shot subject to the RvR 50% damage cap or is it exempt?

Crit Shot, the archery shot, is not the same as a critical hit from any spell or melee attack. Only critical hits, which are additional damage on top of the original shot, are capped at 50%. The actual shot, Crit Strike, is simply a normal shot that can also crit.

4. Is archery damage affected by the Avoidance of Magic RA?

Acid, Poison, Heat and Cold shots are, the rest are not unless using a Legendary Bow.

5. Which resists affect archery damage for which shots?

There are three buffs in the archery spell line that let you choose your damage type between Slash, Crush and Thrust. If no buff is used, shots default to slash damage.


Q) I am closing in on RR5 with my Champion; I use The Moment of Zen as my main weapon. I have heard the -20% ABS debuff from MoZ "nerfs" the damage from Badge of valor, is this true?

A) While that might make sense based on the delve for Badge of Valor, it’s not actually true. Not only will the ABS debuff not nerf your damage from Badge of Valor, it will actually increase it further.

Q) Does +duration on items affect the duration of theurgist pets? All of my research gives conflicting information.

A) Yes. +Duration will affect the length of time a Theurgist pet will last. The same is true for Animist pets.

Q) I recently started adding points into Aug Dex on my hunter. I noticed the other day after getting the next level of Aug Dex, and getting buffed by a nice shaman buddy, my Dex was over 400! I did not know this was possible! Where is the roof on Dex? When does Dex pretty much stop effecting hunters? I have never had a toon reach higher then 400 on any stat.

A) 400 in a stat is not uncommon for some archers to hit. As for dexterity over 400, there is a lot of debate among the community as to its actual benefits. While you may still see slight increases in damage and speed over 400, it’s generally accepted that 400 is a good stopping point for many players, as the cost to benefit ratio becomes very minimal when the stat gets that high.

Q) I've heard MoS4 on my Nightshade would be a good choice. I currently have MoS2. Everyone knows that the higher the MoS an archer has, the further away he can see assassins. Is the opposite true for assassins? Does one assassin with MoS4 see other assassins before an assassin with mos2 does?

A) No, MoS does not affect detection for assassins, only movement speed.

Q) Does turning XP off give other group members more XP when PVE'ing mobs?

A) Using “/XP off” will have no effect on the experience gained by other members of your group.

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Here's a Tip sent in from one of our helpful players:

As it turns out, the folder C:Program Files\Electronic Arts\Labyrinth has a bit over 4GB of files. As luck would have it, a single sided DVD holds 4.7GB. The media costs as little as 60 cents each.

As every patch stabilizes, burn a DVD of the directory. Make sure you have not filled it up with screenshots, however.

You now have an easy reinstall of DAoC on a new PC or a reformat of your existing machine.

As your .ini files are stored elsewhere, your may want to save them off as well.

No one enjoys having to reinstall Catacombs, Darkness Rising, Labyrinth and a huge update when there is a low cost, easy alternative.

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