Class Commentary And Assassin Notes

Preface: Now, I'm not as big into Wynncraft (no time... school) as I used to be, so I don't know what pre-existing strategies work and if what I say doesn't. This is a commentary on how I feel the classes are meant to be played, how I play them, etc.

This thread is how I see the classes meant to be played and may be viewed as a guide, though it shouldn't be. I guarantee I miss things, and any constructive feedback is appreciated.

In short, most of this is little more than my opinion. By no means is it the end-all of anything.
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Ramblings will be split up by class.

Spoiler: Warrior

The Warrior is my least played class. Due to this, mine isn't high level and even more of what I say here is stated only by knowing the numbers.

-ROLE-
Team: The Warrior seeks to sit on the front lines and soak damage. Literally able to cut paths through crowds, you thrive against hordes due to every skill you have doing AoE damage or having some form of crowd control.
Furthermore, never forget the usefulness of a team-wide strength and defense buff.
Solo: The Warrior has to be more wary of single mobs; a few shots won't hurt, but ranged damage adds up.

-WHAT TO LOOK FOR-
Team: If there's a mob, run at it. Keep a close eye on your health bar; someone has to take the damage, just make sure you're not taking too much.
Seek out clusters of mobs. Bash has a huge AoE, Charge will get you there faster, and War Scream if you or your teammates need a little breathing room.
Solo: Small groups die easily to Bash and normals. Be wary of single ranged mobs; strafe until you can land an Uppercut, and if you can't risk taking any more damage than you are, Charge in and Uppercut it anyways.
Cluster mobs when grinding whenever possible. Bash, again, has great AoE damage, and if things get sticky, War Scream will buy you potion time.

-POSITIONING-
Team: Wherever face-tanking needs to be done. You should be a walking wall. If you're low, strafe to the side and let Bash do damage.
Solo: You can tank hits, so don't be afraid to take a few. Avoid being surrounded, and War Scream if your opposition is attacking you from more sides than your field of vision covers. Bash, AGAIN, has a great AoE, and Charge into Uppercut can become a well loved way to pick off mobs you don't successfully strafe.

-SPELL COMBOS-
Charge >> Uppercut: Gap close vs ranged mobs
War Scream >> Potion/Charge: Push back and heal and/or get out

Spoiler: Archer

Ah, my main class... Wynn's glass cannon still does tons of damage. Only complaint about it as of now is that Arrow Shield is a bit lame due to its mana cost.

-ROLE-
You're spurting damage. Bomb Arrow took a dmg reduction, but it's still powerful. You still deal plenty of damage. Be weary of other ranged attackers.

-WHAT TO LOOK FOR-
Team: Either look for a high priority target and go to town on it with Arrow Storm, or soften up an area with a Bomb Arrow. Watch your back; keep Arrow Shield up if mana permits.
Solo: Archer's biggest nightmare is getting flanked. If there are mobs on multiple sides of you, focus on one edge and blast your way to the other. Focus on ranged mobs: Escape's speed boost trivializes most of the threat from melee mobs. You can always bomb the horde. Having an out from Arrow Shield is good, but it'll likely proc too often to maintain.

-POSITIONING-
Team: Avoid the front lines. Your kit allows you to deal massive damage from a distance; keyword "distance." Don't be so far that you're irrelevant in a fight, but keep a close eye on anything that hits you.
Solo: Be aware of where you're running. Escape gives you both godly mobility and a quick jump out of a bad place, but Arrow Shield is also an EXTREMELY powerful out. Bomb crowds, Arrow Storm to lock down fast mobs, and never let yourself get surrounded. Start from one end, work your way down.

-SPELL COMBOS-
Arrow Shield >> Arrow Storm: Lock a target down and give yourself an indicator if something else tries to nail you while you're occupied
Escape >> Bomb Arrow: If you're fast, you can clear the area you land in if you make a bad jump

Spoiler: Mage

I noticed I saved the classes I most like to discuss for last...

-ROLE-
Team: Mages are extremely versatile on a team. They heal, they can contribute some damage from a distance, and Ice Snake's slow allows escapes and lockdowns. Keep just as close of an eye on your allies as your opponents.
Solo: With nobody to back you up, be prepared for long fights. You have fantastic sustain, but provide yourself no buffs.

-WHAT TO LOOK FOR-
Team: If someone needs healing, heal them. If that's you, Teleport and then Heal. If the tanks are doing fine, contribute a little extra damage with Meteor. If you need to run, Ice Snake. With your normal attacks' good range and natural AoE, you can also poke mid-range.
Solo: A few hits won't mean a thing to you. Meteor is your big damage, though since most wands have high attack speed, strafing and poking should become an effective way to get by while conserving your mana. Look for small groups of mobs, and avoid fighting in tight enclosures; Teleport failing to work has been my bane many times. Heal when necessary, and use Ice Snake if you'd rather walk away (or to make landing Meteor easier)

-POSITIONING-
Team: Just behind the front lines is a great place to be. You can risk getting hit once or twice, but let the tanks do the tanking and Heal them while you're there.
Solo: There really isn't many bad places for a Mage. You can Teleport out of being surrounded, Ice Snake what you won't Teleport away from, and only really need to watch for corners. Don't get trapped where you can't teleport.

-SPELL COMBOS-
Ice Snake >> Meteor: Make sure it lands...
Teleport >> Teleport >> Heal: Self explanatory

Spoiler: Assassin

Since the Gavel update, this class has a learning curve. It's my favorite class to use... when I'm not messing up constantly.
Different format for this section.

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Assassin is weird in both team and solo play. It thrives on positioning and can effectively change the terrain of the battlefield.

Assassins must always be aware of their positioning. They have huge sustained damage and amazing battlefield control, but they get punished harder than any other class for being out of position. Vanish is the least reliable escape, thus they must not only do their best to avoid falling out of position, but make sure they know where the next "in position" location is.

How I feel Assassin's spells affect positioning and battlefield control:

Smoke Bomb is FANTASTIC for both. They soften up enemies, but more importantly, they slow them. If you're careful about where you spellcast, you can choose which mobs you want to deal with out of a crowd. The others are then softened up and easier pickings for later.

Multihit is no longer a burst-kill. Instead, it now brings to light one feature that annoyed many assassins I know; the launch at the end. If they make it through Smoke Bomb, use Multihit to throw them back and make them go through Smoke Bomb again. Multihit should be used as a disengage or a forced reposition for mobs. Again, positioning. Not only do you have wondrous control over your position, but you do have the ability to control mobs, in a sense. This is extremely potent but difficult to use effectively. Learn to use it.
Remember the Force upgrade? You can throw the mobs into a river, into a hole, in front of a Warrior...

Vanish is supposed to be your out. It'd be incredible... if it didn't break when you get hit. With ranged attackers being ever the more prominent, a stray shot can put you right back in the unfavorable place you were. If you can keep it up, though, it's pretty much a guaranteed getaway (unless you're in a tiny room or something, idk).
You can also use it to get into position. Run through everything unseen and maybe even take some time to see what's where and decide where you want to be.

As an Assassin, you have three tools to get and keep control of the battle itself. Yes, you do a lot of damage, but it isn't burst. Again, I can't emphasize enough how powerful being able to shape the battlefield is. With the ability to deal high sustained damage and control what you fight when, Assassin brings a lot to the table.

On a team, keep the mobs on the front line. Sneak in the back, pick off ranged mobs, and get out. Slow down mobs that try to go around the Warriors. Throw anything that gets by them back in front of them. Keep an eye on the battle as a whole; you own it.

When going solo, try not to use Multihit unless something fast gets too close. Smoke Bombs will allow you to keep control of what you fight and when and leave you enough mana to Vanish if you need it.

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Spoiler: Footnote

Please, before you reply with anything along the lines of "Okay, but ... class is OP/crap now/whatever," think about the utility of each spell before the damage, then think about the damage. Archer has high burst damage and always has, a team-wide speed buff on top of this. Warrior brings strength and extra damage mitigation to the table for his team from an otherwise pitifully situational spell. Mage has little damage and great sustain, but this sustain affects other classes that deal more damage than it. Assassin has THREE abilities that affect positioning.

For those who read all of that, thank you for your time, and I'd be happy to hear any feedback/comments/insight you may have.

 

If only ice snake actually worked rn :(

 

Ikr? I'm not sure why the slow and the freeze are broken, but it's close to a useless spell because of that currently.

 

Im only using it for mana regen rn haha... thats all its useful for

 

Something notable: Arrow Storm does huge kb. The escape-bomb arrow combo can be backed up when you spin in a circle with arrow storm after you land. It's especially effective since the mobs become briefly frozen when you land, allowing them to have a short distance away from you, giving you time to use the arrow storm.

 

I'd be a little worried about missing a mob due to rotation speed and/or disorienting myself, but I'll try that sometime. It makes sense, but it also may be a little mana heavy at that point.

 

ice snake works...

 

No it doesnt...

 

I only cast it when I'm trying to heal and it makes me cast that 3 times instead.

 

oh jeez i h8 when that happens

 

I have a few more combos I use:
Archer: Escape > Arrow Shield > Potion > Ground Pound (Escape + Shift)
It basically freezes the fight around you and prepares you for fighting. It gives you time to heal and breathe.

Mage: Ice Snake > Teleport (Optional x2) > Spam Basic Attack
Freeze them with ice snake (Once it gets fixed), blind them and deal damage with teleport. Make sure to teleport through the enemy so you're behind them, then just hit them a bunch. Mana steal works good here.

Warrior: Uppercut > Charge OR War Scream
Once uppercut throws them back down; catch them with the next spell. Bash is tougher to time but does more damage when timed right.

 

Intel and timing holds the key ;)

 

yes it does
i fought a mage a few days ago and got slowed
and i used my dark wizard as well it seems to slow mobs

 

for archers, they can spam arrow storm to get back their mana, for mages... well im pretty sure most mages have max int. But for warrior and assassins, mana is a huge problem. For assassins, their multihit and smoke bombs takes up a lot of mana, in addition to that it uses your mana extremely fast. And for warrior, you basically has too low HPS(or hit per second) and thus has low mana steal rate. how do u make it more effective?

 

It works in duel but not against mobs

 

Some assassins rely on their raw dmg or intel. Warriors most probably rely on raw dmg as well and mana regen.

 

Smoke bomb isn't your kill. Use it to split mobs so you have an easier time with your normals. Assassin shouldn't spam any spells, especially multihit.

Warriors shouldn't be doing much either. Bash hordes, war scream if things get sticky, and charge as a gap closer.

tldr; Neither class should be doing archer/mage level spell spamming anyways

Focus on normals, and slower weapons have higher base dmg to compensate anyways. You can always built int if you need a little more mana to work with.