Staff Evie: Why shouldn't they use smash/normal combos?

• babohtea wrote on 2010-11-30 03:55
  I mean, in all of the showcase solo videos f a caster Evie, the Evie seems to use only the magic arrow to clear... everything. Even so, staff weapon attacks are still quite high!
  
  Why don't they use smash? Should Staffers use Smash? Eventually you'll be able to rank the smash skills (just saying), and even still, the damage that the smash offers is quite nice when you consider that it costs no stamina. I mean, esp against normal mobs, 2+smash+magic arrow allows for more DPS than just pure magic arrow because of waiting for stamina.
  
  
  Then again, I'm level 14 (only). Can anyone fill me in as to why Staff Evie's don't use their normal attacks?
• Ruquion wrote on 2010-11-30 04:03
  [Image: http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7903/percentiletableeviestaf.png]

  
  Staff Evie's LLLLR does less damage than pretty much all the other weapon's LR.
  (And they're physical based)
• silentselene wrote on 2010-11-30 04:04
  I don't really know why myself. When I was using a staff, I used melee more often than the magic arrow. Maybe it was just that the melee attacks actually had physics to them, while Magic Arrow didn't knock back anything. It just feels...weak, even though it does much more damage.
  
  I prefer to use mostly melee, with a few arrows thrown in here and there. Staff Evy's melee attacks don't use stamina, and you regain stamina while doing it, so there's no downside. Just remember to stop when you see an attack cue from the enemy.
  
  edit: Then again, I had A Combat Mastery.
• sircusa wrote on 2010-11-30 04:29
  You're only meant to melee when you have no stam. Otherwise you should be using magic of course. Don't fool yourself, staff melee is really really bad and not to mention its rather slow to use on bosses. Also include the fact that you have no ability to dodge attacks (That little hop ain't gonna save you much) compared to everyone else so being up close can be really dangerous too.
• Juno wrote on 2010-11-30 05:58
  Once you get any substantial rank in either bolt spell, it's much faster than melee. Also, there's very little point to playing a melee Evie when Fiona/Lann do the same thing but don't suck at it. I think I used melee staff attacks until about lvl 9, and even then only while waiting for stamina. Now it's very rare that I use anything other than the second smash, and that's only to buy time for stamina regen.
• PandaSong wrote on 2010-11-30 06:06
  The only reason you should be using melee attacks is to get SP for Blind Arrow and while you regain your stamina.
  
  Seriously, lol, our Magic Arrow and Eagle Talon don't give enough SP, so use the smashes to fill it up as long as you're not slowing down your group. Use Eagle Talon r9 to clear (the "Attack" Eagle Talon mentioned in the Staff guide on here is your best friend) as well as Magic Arrow. Personally, I like Eagle Talon more because it does more damage, but that's just me. Firebolt also helps clear out the big bunches, don't be afraid to use it before the boss. :)
• Shanghai wrote on 2010-11-30 06:15
  I use melee attacks around Archers since they die easily from a LLLR combo. For everything else, magic all the way, unless I run out of stamina. Around my level(19 ish) your melee smashes will barely put a dent into a boss's HP, so it's just better to stand aside and wait for your stamina to recover than to deal about 1/10th of what Fiona or Lann could do in a melee combo attack.
• Intex wrote on 2010-11-30 06:27
  Mostly just for mobs to stun and/or wait for stamina recovery.
  Don't have a long spanning dodge so it's risky to get up close to bosses and start smashing when you don't do a substantial amount of damage.
  
  Better to stay back and keep alive than to move forward to chip some HP off at the risk of dying.
• Okitaru wrote on 2010-11-30 07:02
  ^Pretty much that, I do occasionally run in to use Talon/Firemine into somethings head though, but it's /technically/ magic, but I use it as melee for double hitting the mobs. with talon AND mine.
• TA wrote on 2010-12-01 03:26
  Staff Evie's normal attacks and smashes do soulcrushingly pathetic damage.
• paladin wrote on 2010-12-01 03:30
  Once your arrows get high enough ranks
  Why waste time being a melee fighter
  When you can be a magic cannon and waste everything thats still alive?
• Kenero wrote on 2010-12-01 04:11
  Staff Evie is so weak, it makes me cry...
  
  Because of that, when playing my Scythe Evie and get hit hard by lag to the point my melee attacks revert back to a staff, I cry... hard...
• PandaSong wrote on 2010-12-01 12:14

  Quote from Kenero;233917:

  Staff Evie is so weak, it makes me cry...
  
  Because of that, when playing my Scythe Evie and get hit hard by lag to the point my melee attacks revert back to a staff, I cry... hard...

  
  
  o_O A Staff Evy isn't that weak you know, I've maxed out the important stuff and I can tell you right now it doesn't take me that long to solo any of the bosses. Not to mention that I can one hit kill the things with Eagle Talon r9 to get past the mini bosses.
  
  *sulks* I should so never post in the morning before breakfast. Ignore anything I said above. D: THOUGH IT STILL STANDS TRUE TO THOSE THAT THINK WE ARE WEAK! D<
• heretic304 wrote on 2010-12-01 13:19
  I think Kenero meant staff attacks, not spells xD the second part kinda gives it away
• PandaSong wrote on 2010-12-01 13:28
  Lies. D: Though, I just realized... If you up Eagle Talon to r9, you'll still be able to use the mines. So even if you lag :) you'll at least have one damage spell that transfers between.