Builds: eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Builds CLASS STATS ON WIKI: eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Classes Live on Twitch: twitch.tv/fextralife 💖 Become a Fextralife VIP fextralife.com/Be-a-vip/
@@MrStarLicker gandalf used like 3 spells in 10 hours of movie. Doubt that is a great term to name a pure mage build. Most obvious one would be merlin.
And yet sometimes, it's actually cheaper to use a slightly stronger attack. Like when you hit an enemy with a pebble, and it almost kills them, so you can have to fire a second, but a slightly more expensive spell would of killed them in 1 hit, n cost less than 2 pebbles. But try telling that to my afk brain when I'm in spam mode 😂 that'd require actually stopping to think, much rather spam pebble, then chug estus flasks.
Another useful spell that goes under the radar is ambush shard. It hits from behind so it's a safer way to take down enemies with shields than having to get in closer to bait the shield drop. It also doesn't trigger the dodge of enemies that juke your glintstone shard while advancing.
Edit: Fromsoft removed these two weapon arts interaction with spells after patch 1.03! Ash of War: Royal Knight's Resolve is even better than Determination for buffing spell damage. Cost the same FP cost but is a 80~100% damage buff compared to 60%. You get it from Volcano Manor. I put it on the Misericordi dagger and man, what a life changer.
@@michaelbeard4883 yeah, you could feasibly get it, but then you're getting into some later level stuff at level 50, which isn't what this build is trying to do
Also, pro tip: if you're up against a dodgy enemy and you can't hit them with the pebble, try rock sling. Its slower and costs more but those dodgy bastards dodge a bit too early for rock sling so it's slowness becomes its strength. And to make up for the distance they cover while casting it usually staggers them a bit.
Agreed, same reason to use glintstone blade, that delayed cast is great at cheesing cocky enemies who like to roll under your pebbles like they're trying to troll you
Didn't the Determination buff for magic get removed in patch 1.03? Just asking so this can be updated at some point, or for anyone looking at this guide for the early game. If I'm wrong, please downvote to oblivion. Thanks!
Whenever I respec and switch builds, Fextralife makes a video about that build. I am legit scared at this point because I decided to switch to pure mage and saw this video while fast traveling to grand library.
Can you please change the title or add some type of update? I followed this guide and spent some time getting everything only to find out Determination was bugged and no longer boosts magic damage.
Not bugged, FromSoft changed how Determination works so it doesn't affect spells anymore, it only affects the weapon it is cast on. At least that is what i have heard.
Determination is nerfed with patch 1.03 and can't be applied on staves as you mention here. "Patch 1.03 : No longer applies the buff to weapons held in the other hand. Preventing the damage increase to benefit weapons that cannot have this Ash of War applied, nor Sorceries or Incantations."
For those watching this now and you haven't read the patch notes for 1.03, *the ash of war: determination will no longer buff your spell damage* this has been updated in the crystal mage guide.
Thankfully the spell selection opens up dramatically passed the midgame. I haven't really used pebble for quite some time. It takes way too long to find good alternatives, though.
I would like to recommend a dagger weapon you can get very early on called Misericorde, it has an insane critical hit at 1.40, its awesome for playing a shadow mage if you get it to just +10 which isnt hard to do and then it hits over 1100 damage on a backstab so you go around backstabbing as many enemies it works on such as humanoid and switch to staff once they know you are there, its gotten me through the game easily so far as a combination and greatly reducing FP cost. Make sure to slap a magic ash of war into it so it gives int scaling
doing the same thing right now, i had my doubts cus of the low base damage but i tested and it makes a lot more critical damage than any other weapon i had
CohhCarnage (Twitch Streamer) Recently showed a video on how equipping a staff in the Off-hand with a "Boost Sorcery" Effect also effects the casting of that type of sorcery in the main hand. So if you are confident with dodging instead of blocking then i reccomend doing that. Instead of using it in the main hand.
It's so annoying that if you want to play as a pure mage you WILL have to use glintstone pebble from start to finish. And all the spells you'll be using basically all at the start of the game (pebble, carian slicer and greatsword, rock sling and bow)
One consideration as a situational substitute for pebble is magic glintblade, it stalls the hit so enemies that dodge spells constantly dodge the CAST but usually not the HIT, have killed several difficult enemies with it Edit: and it only costs 12 fp which isn't too bad, especially if u charge it all the way
Not to mention that it’s great for attacking enemies that haven’t noticed you yet. You can usually queue up several blasts before the first one hits. Also good for shield enemies as you can queue up a shot then reposition yourself so the shot hits them from behind.
Yeah good item no doubt. Took me a little while to get as it's a rare drop, but no more than an hour or so. I also had to put 4-5 levels into endurance as to not become heavy but is worth the investment imo for the INT buff
Please retest your Determination skill. I am playing with patch 1.04.1 in effect & I see no damage bost to my spells when I cast/activate Determination then cast a spell from my left hand while the buff is still going on in my right hand. I think FromSoft must have gotten rid of this feature, although I tried looking for it in the patch notes, but I couldn't find Determination mentioned, but I could have just missed it. I would love if you could confirm or deny my suspicions throw a test of your own.
Patch 1.03 : No longer applies the buff to weapons held in the other hand. Preventing the damage increase to benefit weapons that cannot have this Ash of War applied, nor Sorceries or Incantations. :(
Ash of Determination only buffs the weapon it is attached to (in your case the dagger), it wont buff your spells that you sling with your staff (it was changed via patch).
I'm currently a level 120 mage, I've put almost 70 hours into my mage run, and Glintstone Pebble does NOT need to be a staple of your gameplay. I have not used it since I was around level 40. There are plenty of ways to make variety work just fine. It is true that it has some of the best damage/cost ratios in the game, but who cares if it is boring as all hell? Just experiment around with different spells that look cool to you and learn which ones are good against which enemies, look for niche uses of spells and have fun. In spite of not being as optimal as other spells, some of my favourite spells that I used in important battles to great success are: Glintstone Cometshard, Night Comet, Shattering Crystal, Cannon of Haima, Star Shower/Stars of Ruin, Carian Greatsword and Meteorite. Some of these really do have terrible damage/cost ratios or are completely outclassed by other, more "meta" spells, but one can of course make them work and they are a ton of fun to use.
Also swift glintstone shard can be used while running and in the air. It also has a lower fp cost so paired with no cost determination, it's my bread and butter. Yes I've used spells in the air like I'm the shit. Yes it looks very cool
Glintstone Arc is absolutely clutch for castles and dungeons. I’m tight corridors you basically send a blade of death that fills the whole corridor and it doesn’t stop on walls or most obstacles… it will clip through corners and some cover, letting you just mow down enemies in the tight spaces without needing to aim or anything. Arc is amazing. It’s fast, great for groups, dominates corridors and it really shines against zombies and foot soldiers.
The wiki page mentions that this build is outdated and no longer works from patch 1.03 onwards. Why is this not mentioned in the title or description? 🤔
Awesome videos and content. Truly Appreciate it! Just found your videos and then your Wikis. O my goodness, you have some very well made wikis and content. Thanks! Playing a Samurai up to 38, then got a bit frustrated, and started up a Mage (Astrologer) and it feels like easy mode. So many of the things I had issues going toe to toe with melee wise at well above the level of the content. Then come in with a mage at the beginning and taking down giants and trolls, and now got the meteorite staff and working on gear, already up to 25. I really need to work on the melee style I guess, but crazy what I am taking down without much of a sweat.
Dude! Your Ashes of War (Determination) tip is a game changer for a pure mage build. I just slaughtered the Wolf Boss in the academy! Thank you very much!
Yeah, it wasn't so much a bug as it was developer oversight. It was probably always meant to just buff right hand armament only, but for some reason buffed both hands which then also affected magic attack.
So pro tip on determination. Let me know how you guys like it. I run a light weapon, but I make sure to run one that I don't have sufficient stats for as well. If you use determination on a weapon that you are not proficient in, it'll activate still with no fp cost! It seems that the animation is sightly faster as well, as it's not truly activating. The goal is to have a weapon that keeps you at medium weight but you cannot proficiently use. This way you can use determination as much as you like without worrying about fp cost. You're not swinging it no way. Happy hunting 😉😉
@@Splifyznuts correct. Basically make sure it has the red x. Requirements are 1. Red X, not proficient weapon. 2. That weapon keeps you at medium weight. 3. Your weapon can actually run determination. I'm using urumi, the whip, at the moment
So, the great (and also pretty funny) part about the meteor staff is that you can get it without fighting any bosses. It's in a ruin in Caelid. It has remarkably low stat requirements (I think astrologer starts with 16 int) so you only need a couple levels, which you will most certainly have by that point.
Prisoner's starting spell is better than glintstone imo. A.I. reacts to spell casting not the actual spell itself and because it's delayed you can usually set up like 5 before the A.I. even approaches you.
PSA on staves: staves that boost particular sorceries will apply their bonus even when you cast the spell with the (better scaling) staff in your other hand! Lusat's staff, which boosts ALL sorceries, however, only applies its bonus to spells cast with it. For maximum damage you can cast with Lusat's and passively boost with Prince of Death's, Meteorite, etc. In terms of FP efficiency, this way of boosting spells makes Lusat's even less appealing for general gameplay, but there are situations in which dps is king, and screw the costs.
I heard that Lusat increases FP consumption of spells (I have no confirmation of this yet) Try the Academy Glintstone staff. It also gets to S scaling, looks cool and got no debuffs.
beyond helpful! Im level 132 and never knew about those talismans or even thought to run that dagger with determination! but cant wait to see 100 build and see what end game staff to use, Its been a debate between Azur & Lusat
Ash of War: Royal Knight's Resolve is even better than Determination for buffing spell damage. Cost the same FP cost but 80~100% more damage compared to 60%. You get it from Volcano Manor.
Neither of those staves are worth it outside of using them when your FP is free with Physic buff. Meteorite and Boss staff are the only real staves needed.
Honestly one of the better spells as it draws out the dodge from mobs, bosses and invaders, cast it, they dodge and then it hits them, been great to use so far
I'm definitely doing a mage for my 3rd playthrough! (did the dual strength weapons jumping first, gave up after the academy, now blood dragon and I love the bleed and rot! This mage is definitely the ranged build I will need to try for the 3rd playthrough! Learning to use FP per enemy sounds like a challenge indeed!
I basically made the same build, but instead of pebble I use Glintstone blade. The one Prisoner starts. It actually does pretty good damage per cost, and another perk is that it's way easier to hit enemies. Some are set to dodge when you cast, so the delay make sure they get hit.
Was wondering why I hadn't heard of Determination being suggested over the Jellyfish Shield (which is a lower 20% boost yet for 30 seconds) and was fearing I was missing out, but then learned Determination has been fixed in a patch and no longer works this way.
Man I'm almost level 80 in game and just now learning you can hold that bow spell to do more damage... it's little things like that I miss that can make me so much better... thank you
I prefer adula’s moonblade then the glint arc. It has good reach as well. I will try the determination ashes. I actually use bloodhound steps which can really dodge anything. Really a lifesaver for quick bosses or enemies.
Me too, but this is a lvl 50 build (I doubt a lot of people have that at lvl 50). It'll likely be included in the lvl 100 build. Also, if you're higher level, then don't bother with determination. Swap it out for the superior 'Royal Knight's Resolve' that you get in Volcano manor.
@@dreadroberts5627 honestly I prefer to have a shield and staff in the left hand, and the Moonveil Katana and a melee weapon with bloodhound's step, or a beast torch in the right hand. With 3 weapons and a shield and 20 Endurance, there's no room for any royal Knight weapon. Plus after determination was nerfed to no longer buff spells, I doubt the royal version will buff spells either.
Another tip (I guess): There's a better version of Determination at Mt. Gelmir, inside one of the Imp Rooms in the Manor. If it works in a similar way...
It would be better if the damage increase was more tho im pretty sure it only gives you 10% increase to damage while costing 50% more to cast i like carian regal scepter personally
I can't use the staff using this setup when on Torrent because I can only use the right hand. Do you change the staff back to the right hand every time? Am I missing something? Thanks!
Rhis is a dope video, very informative for me where I just picked up the game again n had forgotten tbat I started a magic character like a year ago who is level 65. LoL I gotta say that Radicon magic speed increase was pretty damn mininal when you showed it side by side haha.
Awesome. My mage build is level 40 and is very similar to this, but Determination would be a great addition to it! Although I really like my Glintstone Sword too…
I am using frost Wakizashi in right hand with parry on it, and that 1.40x crit dagger as switch for crits and determination. Still got meteor in left. But I'm somewhere between spell blade/mage. NG+ will get another Wakizashi to dual wield. I feel this way it's a pretty versatile build that's comfortable up close and far away.
Ive been running bloodhounds step on rogiers rapier ever since i got the two. (spellsword build) It Doesnt give you any more offense efficiency but is perfect for creating distance and just looks so awesome especially in boss fights.
Damn, I been swapping back n forth between Moonveil and bloodhound claws (just can't manage to cheese that night sentinal, or kill him fairly even at Lvl 120, so havn't got the Ash of war) but using it on the rapier sounds really badass.
Getting Rock Sling early in the game basically re-balances the entire early game. It melts the early bosses and makes the beast sanctuary rune farm much easier.
I'm kinda surprised you didn't make a build focused on shields/greatshields, with the guard counter mechanics. I've been running your barbarian builds, but transitioned into Black Iron Tarkus, with a greatshield and greatsword, with most bosses you can just stand your ground and trade hits, or see them bounce off your shield
If you don’t have it, get Comet Azur spell from Primeval Sorcerer Azur and Cerulean Hidden Tear from the Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss. I one shot Radahn soon after getting these. And when I say one shot I mean I used one spell, once. The spell being Comet Azur. Since then I’ve one shotted two more great rune bosses and a plethora of other bosses and I’m only level 63.
while I love the guide I highly discourage people from actually following this, I think just using one spell completely kills the fun of a magic build, there is literally soo many fun spells in the game, are they as effective? clearly not, but you will have more fun than just using the bland beginner spell IMO.
The determination trick is AWESOME! whoa, I had no idea this worked for spells. Some of my favorite midgame spells, in addition to the ones you listed, have been ambush shard, the starlight spell, and the magic glintblade. Ambush is nice for any shielded enemies. Light spell is better than a torch, and gives you a free hand. Costs a slot and a minor amount of FP, but lasts quite awhile. I've seen the tops of caves before where stuff is supposed to fall in you. Really underrated. Lastly, magic glintblade is kind of just busted. Activating a full stamina bar of them before a boss even starts usually takes them super super low right out the gate. Being able to cast at range, then have them gap close and get hit, while you dodge, is incredible. Lastly, as a bonus, I wanted to say I use glintstone cometshard as my "better than pebble" thing. It's still buffed by Roger's gloves, it pierces through enemies, it has good speed, REALLY good damage, and like 30% further distance than pebble. A lot of times, if most of your spells, like rock shard, or pebble aren't one shorting an enemy, just use this and your good
While I prefer lantern for it's use and forget ease, Starlight does light up the area more from what I can tell and that can be valuable with all the dark places in caves and such. On another note, Rogier's set only benefits 'skills', not spells. So only the glintstone pebble ash of war (maybe a unique one as well I don't know about), so sadly very very niche and next to useless.
I have something that might be a challenge for you what about a melee brawler build? Right now i'm starting on a new character going to see what i can do with this build myself i managed to get Bloodhound step via cheese and it pairs nicely with fists as for everything else i have no idea yet lmfao Strong Arm Alchemist build!
If you dual wield the Meteorite Staff (off-hand) + Lusats Glintstone Staff (main hand), the dmg boost from Lusats Glintstone Staff applies to Rock Sling ONTOP of the Gravity dmg boost from Meteorite staff. My rock slings were going from 1200 dmg to 1500 dmg with this setup when I upgraded them. I have not tested if you lose the Determination buff if you swap to another offhand, but theoretically you could be throwing Rock Slings out at an increased 80-85% dmg. If you use Marika's Sorceal Talisman as well as Primal Glintstone Blade Talisman, this should offset the higher FP costs of using Lesats + Determination. Rock Sling Meteorite Staff = 1200 damage Meteorite Staff + Lusat's Glintstone Staff = 1500 damage Meteorite Staff + Lusat's Glintstone Staff + Determination = 2200? damage
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
Builds: eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Builds
CLASS STATS ON WIKI: eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Classes
Live on Twitch: twitch.tv/fextralife
💖 Become a Fextralife VIP fextralife.com/Be-a-vip/
I just get the game andt its epic
You should make like a Gandalf build🙏🏻🙏🏻
Call the 3rd phase Gandalf
@@MrStarLicker this vid or a new one?
@@MrStarLicker gandalf used like 3 spells in 10 hours of movie. Doubt that is a great term to name a pure mage build. Most obvious one would be merlin.
Anyone watching this after 1.03 - It needs to be updated. Determination no longer works this way, Greater Shard is now cheaper and has more range.
Yup Determination doesn't do anything.
Are you saying to use greater shard instead of pebble?
@@TheDarkDiver No, definitely not a replacement, but they did make it better in 1.03
I see. So it wasn’t working as intended. Caster get a slight nerf then?
Thank you for this! I was wondering how the patch had affected this build.
“You gotta use the least FP to deal most the dmg”
Me: spams pebble
And yet sometimes, it's actually cheaper to use a slightly stronger attack.
Like when you hit an enemy with a pebble, and it almost kills them, so you can have to fire a second, but a slightly more expensive spell would of killed them in 1 hit, n cost less than 2 pebbles.
But try telling that to my afk brain when I'm in spam mode 😂 that'd require actually stopping to think, much rather spam pebble, then chug estus flasks.
pew
Rock sling was an absolute godsend in the early game, hell even late game it’s one of the more effective spells in the game.
Fr Fr it's helped me a bunch.
FYI it also does strike damage, so the best spell for the Crystalian mini-bosses that are everywhere
Mine hits like a noodle..
@@timothychilson2458 up your int
Plus it also breaks stance in enemies, so if you hybrid at all, or you play with friends. Crits baby, crits.
I decided to drink everytime you said staff. I'm 2:30 minutes in and I think im gonna die before the end of this video
HA!
Another useful spell that goes under the radar is ambush shard. It hits from behind so it's a safer way to take down enemies with shields than having to get in closer to bait the shield drop. It also doesn't trigger the dodge of enemies that juke your glintstone shard while advancing.
I would highly recommend ambush shard to anyone in Stormveil Castle. It makes it quite easy to kill the birds before they can drop fire barrels.
Can also use it while running away from them.
That was my main damage spell for a while. I loved its' range!! But then I got the magic bow 😂
@@nater218 eh, pebble is sufficient for the feather bois
@@nater218 try gravity well instead, they'll force drop any birds and insta stagger them
I'm level 128 but you've still given great tips I didn't even know about. Thank you
theres rune farms yk
Edit: Fromsoft removed these two weapon arts interaction with spells after patch 1.03!
Ash of War: Royal Knight's Resolve is even better than Determination for buffing spell damage. Cost the same FP cost but is a 80~100% damage buff compared to 60%. You get it from Volcano Manor. I put it on the Misericordi dagger and man, what a life changer.
I think it’s because it’s a lvl 50 build
@@michaelbeard4883 yeah, you could feasibly get it, but then you're getting into some later level stuff at level 50, which isn't what this build is trying to do
the real tech is always in the comments
@@michaelbeard4883 it's complete different for everyone lol some people beat the game at LVL 50 and some beat it at LVL 150
@@Rift04 this video isn't for those people though. You can tell in how he says to use the meteorite staff until late/end game.
I must say it's absolutely mad how you're able to pump out as many guides as you do. I strongly look forward to your Lv100 Mage guide. Keep it up!
@@freedmfe8934 yeah but with all the builds they've done, it's pretty awesome.
Bear in mind that this guide is outdated. For example, Determination will not buff the weapon (staff in this case) in your other hand.
THIS BUILD IS NO LONGER RELEVANT
patch 1.03 made it so determination does NOT buff spells anymore
Also, pro tip: if you're up against a dodgy enemy and you can't hit them with the pebble, try rock sling. Its slower and costs more but those dodgy bastards dodge a bit too early for rock sling so it's slowness becomes its strength. And to make up for the distance they cover while casting it usually staggers them a bit.
Agreed, same reason to use glintstone blade, that delayed cast is great at cheesing cocky enemies who like to roll under your pebbles like they're trying to troll you
They read input so it ends up being stupid
Didn't the Determination buff for magic get removed in patch 1.03? Just asking so this can be updated at some point, or for anyone looking at this guide for the early game.
If I'm wrong, please downvote to oblivion. Thanks!
Yup, it got removed.
Update: Ash of War Determination no longer works with spells as of patch 1.03. Damn it!
Whenever I respec and switch builds, Fextralife makes a video about that build. I am legit scared at this point because I decided to switch to pure mage and saw this video while fast traveling to grand library.
Can you please change the title or add some type of update? I followed this guide and spent some time getting everything only to find out Determination was bugged and no longer boosts magic damage.
Not bugged, FromSoft changed how Determination works so it doesn't affect spells anymore, it only affects the weapon it is cast on. At least that is what i have heard.
Determination AoW neffed after 1.03 - the video needs to be updated.
Determination is nerfed with patch 1.03 and can't be applied on staves as you mention here. "Patch 1.03 : No longer applies the buff to weapons held in the other hand. Preventing the damage increase to benefit weapons that cannot have this Ash of War applied, nor Sorceries or Incantations."
You guys dont sleep!! thanks for the awesome guides
Carian slicer is another really good spell for places like caves. Really low FP with pretty high damage
why is your FP bar so small? i’d say get bare minimum 25-30 mind if you’re going main sorcerer
For those watching this now and you haven't read the patch notes for 1.03, *the ash of war: determination will no longer buff your spell damage* this has been updated in the crystal mage guide.
Thankfully the spell selection opens up dramatically passed the midgame. I haven't really used pebble for quite some time. It takes way too long to find good alternatives, though.
I would like to recommend a dagger weapon you can get very early on called Misericorde, it has an insane critical hit at 1.40, its awesome for playing a shadow mage if you get it to just +10 which isnt hard to do and then it hits over 1100 damage on a backstab so you go around backstabbing as many enemies it works on such as humanoid and switch to staff once they know you are there, its gotten me through the game easily so far as a combination and greatly reducing FP cost. Make sure to slap a magic ash of war into it so it gives int scaling
doing the same thing right now, i had my doubts cus of the low base damage but i tested and it makes a lot more critical damage than any other weapon i had
Just slap Glintblade phalanx from Rogier's rapier on it and you get a very nice stance-breaking defense spell.
Ash of war determination no longer applies to weapons in your other hand
Well we can kiss Determination goodbye. Didn't know it was a bug. Would be nice to have something like it for staves like we did for Dark Souls 3.
I also use ambush Shard against enemies with shields a lot. If you lock on to them, it casts from behind them so isn't blocked by their shield.
Shield you say? Hoarfrost stomp, hoarfrost stomp, hoarfrost stomp =D
@@Omni0404 bro frost stomp is stupid good lol. it's so satisfying to use too.
I don't see any difference with determination or without it
This got patched. Determination doesn't work like this anymore. glhf
I've been waiting for this. Thank you so much :) This is my life now this is where I live.
make an evolution of this
CohhCarnage (Twitch Streamer) Recently showed a video on how equipping a staff in the Off-hand with a "Boost Sorcery" Effect also effects the casting of that type of sorcery in the main hand. So if you are confident with dodging instead of blocking then i reccomend doing that. Instead of using it in the main hand.
It's so annoying that if you want to play as a pure mage you WILL have to use glintstone pebble from start to finish. And all the spells you'll be using basically all at the start of the game (pebble, carian slicer and greatsword, rock sling and bow)
One consideration as a situational substitute for pebble is magic glintblade, it stalls the hit so enemies that dodge spells constantly dodge the CAST but usually not the HIT, have killed several difficult enemies with it
Edit: and it only costs 12 fp which isn't too bad, especially if u charge it all the way
Not to mention that it’s great for attacking enemies that haven’t noticed you yet. You can usually queue up several blasts before the first one hits.
Also good for shield enemies as you can queue up a shot then reposition yourself so the shot hits them from behind.
Pebble for exploration and glintblade for bosses. The glintblade has poise damage too and will stagger bosses when you hit it several times
6:15 burger King heads 😂🍔👑
Imp Head (Cat) is a great option before Queen's Crescent Crown. It was literally the first piece of gear that dropped for me, so very early game too.
Yeah good item no doubt. Took me a little while to get as it's a rare drop, but no more than an hour or so. I also had to put 4-5 levels into endurance as to not become heavy but is worth the investment imo for the INT buff
Determination is not working anymore?
Please retest your Determination skill. I am playing with patch 1.04.1 in effect & I see no damage bost to my spells when I cast/activate Determination then cast a spell from my left hand while the buff is still going on in my right hand. I think FromSoft must have gotten rid of this feature, although I tried looking for it in the patch notes, but I couldn't find Determination mentioned, but I could have just missed it. I would love if you could confirm or deny my suspicions throw a test of your own.
Patch 1.03 : No longer applies the buff to weapons held in the other hand. Preventing the damage increase to benefit weapons that cannot have this Ash of War applied, nor Sorceries or Incantations. :(
@@toomanylies7716 thank you, i appreciate you telling me this. I didn't know that this was patched back in 1.03.
For sure this game does keep you awake late at night! Thank you for your awesome videos Fextra!
You have the 12, str and 18 dex so why not moonveil?
Can't wait for the level 100 video for this build
Lol there 10 people just watching in anticipation for your next video
Ash of Determination only buffs the weapon it is attached to (in your case the dagger), it wont buff your spells that you sling with your staff (it was changed via patch).
Is that true, I do believe you. All my test after patch 1.04.1 have shown the same thing.
I'm currently a level 120 mage, I've put almost 70 hours into my mage run, and Glintstone Pebble does NOT need to be a staple of your gameplay. I have not used it since I was around level 40. There are plenty of ways to make variety work just fine. It is true that it has some of the best damage/cost ratios in the game, but who cares if it is boring as all hell? Just experiment around with different spells that look cool to you and learn which ones are good against which enemies, look for niche uses of spells and have fun. In spite of not being as optimal as other spells, some of my favourite spells that I used in important battles to great success are: Glintstone Cometshard, Night Comet, Shattering Crystal, Cannon of Haima, Star Shower/Stars of Ruin, Carian Greatsword and Meteorite. Some of these really do have terrible damage/cost ratios or are completely outclassed by other, more "meta" spells, but one can of course make them work and they are a ton of fun to use.
It stays fun if you say pew with every cast
Also swift glintstone shard can be used while running and in the air. It also has a lower fp cost so paired with no cost determination, it's my bread and butter. Yes I've used spells in the air like I'm the shit. Yes it looks very cool
Yea I dropped regular shard when I got this. So nice !
The Imp head helmet is also a really good early gaming option with its +2 Int
It took me so long to find one on my mage. But I fully agree, I still have that helmet on!
Can’t wait for the level 100 version of this! I have a similar build but adding the dagger/spells should make things a bit better.
Take a drink every time he says Staff.
Too good
Glintstone Arc is absolutely clutch for castles and dungeons. I’m tight corridors you basically send a blade of death that fills the whole corridor and it doesn’t stop on walls or most obstacles… it will clip through corners and some cover, letting you just mow down enemies in the tight spaces without needing to aim or anything.
Arc is amazing. It’s fast, great for groups, dominates corridors and it really shines against zombies and foot soldiers.
Determination no longer works for mages
Correct.
I know you're busy good sir but I am so ready to see the lvl 100 version with the update
Does determination still work after the latest patch?
No not with the staff
The wiki page mentions that this build is outdated and no longer works from patch 1.03 onwards. Why is this not mentioned in the title or description? 🤔
Awesome videos and content. Truly Appreciate it! Just found your videos and then your Wikis. O my goodness, you have some very well made wikis and content. Thanks!
Playing a Samurai up to 38, then got a bit frustrated, and started up a Mage (Astrologer) and it feels like easy mode. So many of the things I had issues going toe to toe with melee wise at well above the level of the content. Then come in with a mage at the beginning and taking down giants and trolls, and now got the meteorite staff and working on gear, already up to 25.
I really need to work on the melee style I guess, but crazy what I am taking down without much of a sweat.
Dude! Your Ashes of War (Determination) tip is a game changer for a pure mage build. I just slaughtered the Wolf Boss in the academy! Thank you very much!
Does this still work or not?I tried this and can see zero difference in the damage
@@oph1066 doesn’t work anymore since the latest patch.
Dagger with determination doesn't work for me. Won't buff my spells. Was it nerfed?
Yes
Yeah, it wasn't so much a bug as it was developer oversight. It was probably always meant to just buff right hand armament only, but for some reason buffed both hands which then also affected magic attack.
Thanks for the determination hint. I've been using clayman's harpoon and it's surprisingly good to keep distance when forced to melee.
So pro tip on determination. Let me know how you guys like it. I run a light weapon, but I make sure to run one that I don't have sufficient stats for as well. If you use determination on a weapon that you are not proficient in, it'll activate still with no fp cost! It seems that the animation is sightly faster as well, as it's not truly activating. The goal is to have a weapon that keeps you at medium weight but you cannot proficiently use. This way you can use determination as much as you like without worrying about fp cost. You're not swinging it no way. Happy hunting 😉😉
When you say not proficient in , you mean like a weapon that has a higher strength req than what you have?
I think when you do that the buff doesn't last as long, but your point still stands tbh
@@Splifyznuts correct. Basically make sure it has the red x. Requirements are 1. Red X, not proficient weapon. 2. That weapon keeps you at medium weight. 3. Your weapon can actually run determination. I'm using urumi, the whip, at the moment
@@Niixxee sounds good thanks
So, the great (and also pretty funny) part about the meteor staff is that you can get it without fighting any bosses. It's in a ruin in Caelid. It has remarkably low stat requirements (I think astrologer starts with 16 int) so you only need a couple levels, which you will most certainly have by that point.
Prisoner's starting spell is better than glintstone imo. A.I. reacts to spell casting not the actual spell itself and because it's delayed you can usually set up like 5 before the A.I. even approaches you.
can be bought in lakeland.
Same with rock sling.
PSA on staves: staves that boost particular sorceries will apply their bonus even when you cast the spell with the (better scaling) staff in your other hand! Lusat's staff, which boosts ALL sorceries, however, only applies its bonus to spells cast with it. For maximum damage you can cast with Lusat's and passively boost with Prince of Death's, Meteorite, etc.
In terms of FP efficiency, this way of boosting spells makes Lusat's even less appealing for general gameplay, but there are situations in which dps is king, and screw the costs.
Demi-human Staff got to S-scaling at level 17/18. Using it now, but I might use Lusat's staff once I've upgraded it to
S-scaling as well.
I heard that Lusat increases FP consumption of spells (I have no confirmation of this yet)
Try the Academy Glintstone staff. It also gets to S scaling, looks cool and got no debuffs.
beyond helpful! Im level 132 and never knew about those talismans or even thought to run that dagger with determination! but cant wait to see 100 build and see what end game staff to use, Its been a debate between Azur & Lusat
Lusat hands down
The Rennala's one😉
Ash of War: Royal Knight's Resolve is even better than Determination for buffing spell damage. Cost the same FP cost but 80~100% more damage compared to 60%. You get it from Volcano Manor.
Glintblade staff. It doesn't have the extra cost and the sorceries it buffs are the most useful ones
Neither of those staves are worth it outside of using them when your FP is free with Physic buff. Meteorite and Boss staff are the only real staves needed.
The thumbnail artwork for these build videos are great. Who does them?
Would recommend the magic glintblade spell aswell (prisoner starts with it). Really useful for mounted combat and bosses that roll around a lot
Honestly best spell I've used so far and I've found a lot of others ones. Only lvl 43 though
@CrazyCatx Turtle Pope (church of vows)
Honestly one of the better spells as it draws out the dodge from mobs, bosses and invaders, cast it, they dodge and then it hits them, been great to use so far
thx mate :)
I'm definitely doing a mage for my 3rd playthrough! (did the dual strength weapons jumping first, gave up after the academy, now blood dragon and I love the bleed and rot! This mage is definitely the ranged build I will need to try for the 3rd playthrough! Learning to use FP per enemy sounds like a challenge indeed!
lmao doing the same but I beat the game with strength and dex
I basically made the same build, but instead of pebble I use Glintstone blade. The one Prisoner starts. It actually does pretty good damage per cost, and another perk is that it's way easier to hit enemies. Some are set to dodge when you cast, so the delay make sure they get hit.
Was wondering why I hadn't heard of Determination being suggested over the Jellyfish Shield (which is a lower 20% boost yet for 30 seconds) and was fearing I was missing out, but then learned Determination has been fixed in a patch and no longer works this way.
Man I'm almost level 80 in game and just now learning you can hold that bow spell to do more damage... it's little things like that I miss that can make me so much better... thank you
Determination was patched unfortunately, but none less, it is still a great build.
Drinking Game: Take a shot everytime he says FP
I prefer adula’s moonblade then the glint arc. It has good reach as well. I will try the determination ashes. I actually use bloodhound steps which can really dodge anything. Really a lifesaver for quick bosses or enemies.
Me too, but this is a lvl 50 build (I doubt a lot of people have that at lvl 50). It'll likely be included in the lvl 100 build. Also, if you're higher level, then don't bother with determination. Swap it out for the superior 'Royal Knight's Resolve' that you get in Volcano manor.
@@dreadroberts5627 honestly I prefer to have a shield and staff in the left hand, and the Moonveil Katana and a melee weapon with bloodhound's step, or a beast torch in the right hand. With 3 weapons and a shield and 20 Endurance, there's no room for any royal Knight weapon. Plus after determination was nerfed to no longer buff spells, I doubt the royal version will buff spells either.
@@Trojianmaru This was posted before the patch
I just noticed he censored a boss name, great job though, caring for others without spoiling too much
We need a lvl 100 version 🥺🥺
Another tip (I guess): There's a better version of Determination at Mt. Gelmir, inside one of the Imp Rooms in the Manor. If it works in a similar way...
Volcano manor after you jump down the hanging cages is royal knight resolve
@@michaelespinosa9168 exactly. It's a 80% buff instead of 60% like this one.
@@blueveil3277 What is it called?
@@raptordcuo6879 Royal Knight Resolve
Really good guides man. Keep it up. Maybe Bloodblade for the first 100 lvl build? 👀
THANK YOU. I call them Burger King heads and people have no idea what I am talking about. lol
BTW Rykard's Rancor = death sorceries boosted by Prince of Death's Staff?
I noticed you have practically no melee DEX build here on YT yet.
I know there is Moonveil, but that's kinda INT hybrid weapon.
Look at Lusat's Glintstone Staff, pretty easy to get and way better, strange it hadn't been mentioned.
It would be better if the damage increase was more tho im pretty sure it only gives you 10% increase to damage while costing 50% more to cast i like carian regal scepter personally
I can't use the staff using this setup when on Torrent because I can only use the right hand. Do you change the staff back to the right hand every time? Am I missing something? Thanks!
Rhis is a dope video, very informative for me where I just picked up the game again n had forgotten tbat I started a magic character like a year ago who is level 65.
LoL I gotta say that Radicon magic speed increase was pretty damn mininal when you showed it side by side haha.
Awesome. My mage build is level 40 and is very similar to this, but Determination would be a great addition to it! Although I really like my Glintstone Sword too…
No reason you can't use both. Dagger+0 with determination for boosting spells, and Glintstone Sword for stabbing
I’m still using the sword. The sword is ace!
I am using frost Wakizashi in right hand with parry on it, and that 1.40x crit dagger as switch for crits and determination. Still got meteor in left.
But I'm somewhere between spell blade/mage.
NG+ will get another Wakizashi to dual wield.
I feel this way it's a pretty versatile build that's comfortable up close and far away.
just use dagger for determination only and switch to main sword if things get too close
I'd swap to glintstone icecrag as soon as you can since it feels like an upgrade to glintstone pebble.
Ive been running bloodhounds step on rogiers rapier ever since i got the two. (spellsword build) It Doesnt give you any more offense efficiency but is perfect for creating distance and just looks so awesome especially in boss fights.
Damn, I been swapping back n forth between Moonveil and bloodhound claws (just can't manage to cheese that night sentinal, or kill him fairly even at Lvl 120, so havn't got the Ash of war) but using it on the rapier sounds really badass.
Getting Rock Sling early in the game basically re-balances the entire early game. It melts the early bosses and makes the beast sanctuary rune farm much easier.
I'm kinda surprised you didn't make a build focused on shields/greatshields, with the guard counter mechanics. I've been running your barbarian builds, but transitioned into Black Iron Tarkus, with a greatshield and greatsword, with most bosses you can just stand your ground and trade hits, or see them bounce off your shield
I think his paladin/crusader build does this.
Have you tried the “Visage Shield”? It’s been in my chest but I been wanting to try it out. But too scared to use tears to swap stats
So Determination is useless now for this build, so any good replacement?
please give us the endgame one!!
If you don’t have it, get Comet Azur spell from Primeval Sorcerer Azur and Cerulean Hidden Tear from the Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss. I one shot Radahn soon after getting these. And when I say one shot I mean I used one spell, once. The spell being Comet Azur.
Since then I’ve one shotted two more great rune bosses and a plethora of other bosses and I’m only level 63.
Everyone has seen the reddit posts. Thanks for sharing for the millionth time
@@mitchell6428 time for your Ritalin?
Sure wish I had found your site a 100 hrs. ago. Fantastic advice, thank you!!!
while I love the guide I highly discourage people from actually following this, I think just using one spell completely kills the fun of a magic build, there is literally soo many fun spells in the game, are they as effective? clearly not, but you will have more fun than just using the bland beginner spell IMO.
The determination trick is AWESOME! whoa, I had no idea this worked for spells.
Some of my favorite midgame spells, in addition to the ones you listed, have been ambush shard, the starlight spell, and the magic glintblade. Ambush is nice for any shielded enemies. Light spell is better than a torch, and gives you a free hand. Costs a slot and a minor amount of FP, but lasts quite awhile. I've seen the tops of caves before where stuff is supposed to fall in you. Really underrated.
Lastly, magic glintblade is kind of just busted. Activating a full stamina bar of them before a boss even starts usually takes them super super low right out the gate. Being able to cast at range, then have them gap close and get hit, while you dodge, is incredible.
Lastly, as a bonus, I wanted to say I use glintstone cometshard as my "better than pebble" thing. It's still buffed by Roger's gloves, it pierces through enemies, it has good speed, REALLY good damage, and like 30% further distance than pebble. A lot of times, if most of your spells, like rock shard, or pebble aren't one shorting an enemy, just use this and your good
A lantern is also better than a torch, frees up the hands, and no need to use a spell slot.
While I prefer lantern for it's use and forget ease, Starlight does light up the area more from what I can tell and that can be valuable with all the dark places in caves and such. On another note, Rogier's set only benefits 'skills', not spells. So only the glintstone pebble ash of war (maybe a unique one as well I don't know about), so sadly very very niche and next to useless.
I’m stuck on whether to put determination on my sword as standard or quality lol
Thx Cass !! (On twitch tv regularly. )
I have something that might be a challenge for you what about a melee brawler build? Right now i'm starting on a new character going to see what i can do with this build myself i managed to get Bloodhound step via cheese and it pairs nicely with fists as for everything else i have no idea yet lmfao
Strong Arm Alchemist build!
If you dual wield the Meteorite Staff (off-hand) + Lusats Glintstone Staff (main hand), the dmg boost from Lusats Glintstone Staff applies to Rock Sling ONTOP of the Gravity dmg boost from Meteorite staff. My rock slings were going from 1200 dmg to 1500 dmg with this setup when I upgraded them. I have not tested if you lose the Determination buff if you swap to another offhand, but theoretically you could be throwing Rock Slings out at an increased 80-85% dmg. If you use Marika's Sorceal Talisman as well as Primal Glintstone Blade Talisman, this should offset the higher FP costs of using Lesats + Determination.
Rock Sling
Meteorite Staff = 1200 damage
Meteorite Staff + Lusat's Glintstone Staff = 1500 damage
Meteorite Staff + Lusat's Glintstone Staff + Determination = 2200? damage
Shame determination no longer works on spells, but I do like the sound of double staff casting.
My mage build is lvl 100 and man I'm fuckin loving Canon of Haima !!
What there’s math involved dammit I’m sticking to my faith paladin.