Evie weapon choice for duoing

• Khol wrote on 2012-03-14 19:53
  Hello there, here's my problem :
  
  My wife and myself generally play together on the game and we're trying to figure out which weapon she should choose for her Evie.
  
  I play a sword Lann and and she's playing Evie, which isn't lv 24 yet - she's just putting all her AP in Intelligence Mastery for now.
  
  Since we mostly play in duo - not exclusively, but pretty often - we're wondering if Staff would not the good choice since she would be able to heal me, where Scythe can only heal herself.
  
  There are several things we got to consider and we don't know :
  
  1) In the first maps we don't have any problems, but what's the survivability of a duo in the higher levels ?
  
  If later on in the game we'll always need 4ppl to beat a map, it won't matter anymore, we'll need other players to make it, so the choice won't matter. But if we manage to duo pretty well it would be nice and we got to figure out what's the best option : 2DDs or 1DD + a Mage/Healer..
  
  2) If she picks up a Scythe, will it be much harder for us to survive than Staff + Healing ?
  
  3) Can a Scythe Evie use golems ?
  
  4) What happens at lv 24 when you choose weapon ? The choice is definitive ? You can still use both weapons ? How does it work ? Couldn't find clear info about it.
  [SIZE="1"]EDIT : Just noticed I've put 2 "3)" xD[/SIZE]
  
  I'd say she should take the Scythe since she seems to like it more than Staff - playstyle & look, but she tells me she prefers using Staff it it makes a real difference in handling the maps just the two of us on later levels.
  
  What do you think ?
• Invertex wrote on 2012-03-14 20:01
  1. It's still possible to solo nearly everything with relative ease, with the exception of Raids and a select few battles. Really, anything is soloable if you put enough effort into it. You should be fine duoing until the mid 50s, which is when things get more challenging.
  
  2. Scythe has a harder time in general surviving and dealing damage, but I wouldn't say it'd be "much" harder for you two to survive. Healing isn't exactly that great (it's only 1.5k every 3 minutes at high ranks/stats), but Staff does have an easier time not taking any damage. Scythe still has all the tools needed to survive, however Scythe Evie's damage output is very slow and therefore means you'll do less damage overall, prolonging fights.
  
  3. Yes, Scythe has access to all Alchemy skills.
  
  4. You simply unlock the ability to use the second weapon, and you can freely switch between the two types of weapons. The only limitation is that certain skills (Take Lann's Slip Dash or Evie's Corona) will only apply to one of the two weapons. Therefore, most people decide to specialize in one weapon by focusing their AP usage on skills that benefit that weapon. I really wouldn't suggest a hybrid build this early though.
• Kaino wrote on 2012-03-14 20:03

  Quote from Khol;807710:

  Hello there, here's my problem :
  
  My wife and myself generally play together on the game and we're trying to figure out which weapon she should choose for her Evie.
  
  I play a sword Lann and and she's playing Evie, which isn't lv 24 yet - she's just putting all her AP in Intelligence Mastery for now.
  
  Since we mostly play in duo - not exclusively, but pretty often - we're wondering if Staff would not the good choice since she would be able to heal me, where Scythe can only heal herself.
  
  There are several things we got to consider and we don't know :
  
  1) In the first maps we don't have any problems, but what's the survivability of a duo in the higher levels ?
  
  If later on in the game we'll always need 4ppl to beat a map, it won't matter anymore, we'll need other players to make it, so the choice won't matter. But if we manage to duo pretty well it would be nice and we got to figure out what's the best option : 2DDs or 1DD + a Mage/Healer..
  
  2) If she picks up a Scythe, will it be much harder for us to survive than Staff + Healing ?
  
  3) Can a Scythe Evie use golems ?
  
  3) What happens at lv 24 when you choose weapon ? The choice is definitive ? You can still use both weapons ? How does it work ? Couldn't find clear info about it.
  
  I'd say she should take the Scythe since she seems to like it more than Staff - playstyle & look, but she tells me she prefers using Staff it it makes a real difference in handling the maps just the two of us on later levels.
  
  What do you think ?

  
  Well for starters, Scythe Evie's can use Golems-so you can't have to worry about that. Number two, survivability for a duo team is pretty good as long as it isn't "two" Evie's, the odds are somewhat low on that part from personal experience.
  Number three-no, once you get the option to use a scythe you can switch back at a staff at any time; so your wife could be adept in both.
  Finally number four, I would suggest your wife use a staff for a good portion of the beginning of the game until about...level 65; once she gets to that point then she can use both staffs and scythes. Although this isn't recommended since it'll cost a lot of time and effort to rank up her scythe skills along with it.
  
  Ninja'ed by Invertex ;-;
• Invertex wrote on 2012-03-14 20:07

  Quote from Kaino;807718:

  Ninja'ed by Invertex ;-;

  
  
  Sorry~
  
  Anyways, as a final point. Under normal circumstances, this game rarely ever gets to the point where it's exceedingly difficult to stay alive and win. Therefore, I wouldn't bother too much with choosing the "best" option in most cases. The game will be a lot more fun if you just pick something you enjoy using, and develop it.
• RebeccaBlack wrote on 2012-03-14 20:09
  Staff Evie is just better (more damage, easier survivability that is arguably better too, more supportive, etc).
  
  If she picks scythe, it really depends on how good she is. If she's just inherently really skilled, then sure, I'd imagine she'll be alright. Some places may take a failed run or two, but it's doable and scythes have solo'd a lot of the endgame bosses.
  
  Scythes can use golems and mana pistols.
  
  You aren't forced into one weapon or the other, but you'll probably want to pick one. Skills cost AP and may only work for one class, so if you split it up and go hybrid or try to use a weapon that you have minimal AP in, you may end up with a less than satisfying experience. Of course, nothing is ever binding, you can always change your mind and start adding AP in the class. The worst that can ever happen is that a bit of time is wasted and you'll have to collect AP/buy equipment for the new weapon you want to use.
  
  This is not a balanced game, I'll just put that out there right now. Some classes are very clearly better than others. In the worst of cases, some classes are worse than others in every single way. Staff Evie is definitely pretty good and is viewed as a top tier class. But remember, in the end, especially before endgame, skill is by far the most important role. Someone who is good with a "bad" class will always beat someone who is bad with a "good" class if the gear gap isn't enormous. If she thinks scythes are fun and she's very skilled with them, she might just get 1st consistently in endgame raids. It would be a stretch, but it's technically doable.
  

  You should be fine duoing until the mid 50s, which is when things get more challenging.

  Disagree. This depends on the skill level of the individuals, but most people will either run into problems at Blood Prince, Blood Lord, or some Hoarfrost Depths bosses, and all of these come before the mid 50's. Irukul is another one, but I don't recall how hard it is because by the time I did it in my late 50's, it was easy.
  
  EDIT: Just saw your location is France. You're playing the European version, right? Do your Evies have Healing Corona yet? Do they still use healing runes? Does Magic Arrow cost 5 stamina? There's a chance staff Evies aren't very good yet there. Last I heard they didn't have Corona or something, implying they might be missing out on a lot.
• Invertex wrote on 2012-03-14 20:14
  Oh sheesh, reading other people's responses keeps reminding me of other points. On the topic of gear...
  
  Another reason to specialize in one weapon is simply due to cost. Buying two weapons effectively doubles the amount of gold you need to spend every time a new weapon is needed. This is especially jarring once you get to Level 60, as each weapon can easily cost millions of gold. Doubly so for when you want to get a well enhanced and enchanted weapon.
  
  In this aspect however, both Staff and Scythe prices are fairly even.
• RebeccaBlack wrote on 2012-03-14 20:18

  Really, anything is soloable if you put enough effort into it.

  
  Tell this to a spear Lann with average gear trying to solo Thor's rage mode. He'll get pretty mad at you when you tell him he's just not skilled enough.
  
  So, not everything is soloable, but scythes should be able to solo a lot of things that some other classes may struggle with. Blink (the scythe evasion skill) is the kind of thing that gets really good as you learn how to use it and do the same battles over and over again, which you probably will at the end of the game.
• Khol wrote on 2012-03-14 20:27
  Thanks a bunch for your quick and constructive answers guys.
  
  

  Quote from RebeccaBlack;807726:

  EDIT: Just saw your location is France. You're playing the European version, right? Do your Evies have Healing Corona yet? Do they still use healing runes? Does Magic Arrow cost 5 stamina? There's a chance staff Evies aren't very good yet there. Last I heard they didn't have Corona or something, implying they might be missing out on a lot.

  
  
  I'm playing EU version, yes. I can't check it out right now since I'm at the office but I'll take a look tonight.
  
  Nice to hear than duo can do pretty much things in this game ^^
  
  So the Scythe is more demanding in mobility/dodge skill ? Harder to play efficiently ?
• RebeccaBlack wrote on 2012-03-14 20:41
  Scythes are harder to play defensively/evasively because staff Evie's mana amber can sort of be used as a panic/uncertainty button. A lot less is required in the way of spacing and some other things. However, being able to blink through things is sometimes really helpful and can be better in some situations where a staff Evie would just have to sit in their amber, possibly having it broken and getting hurt anyway.
  
  Anything in the game can be done in a duo at this point. It doesn't look like this is going to change in the foreseeable future.
• Khol wrote on 2012-03-14 23:53
  I see no "Healing Corona" in skills list so I believe it's the previous version you were talking about, RebeccaBlack.
• RebeccaBlack wrote on 2012-03-15 00:22
  Are her basic (left click) attacks melee attacks with her staff?
  
  If so, Europe's Evie hasn't been revamped yet. Until they are, they'll be the worst class. Scythes, however, should still be as good as they are here, maybe with a few missing skills that aren't terribly important. If she enjoys scythes, then I would say that the answer is definitely to go with scythes in this case. She could try to prepare for the future by sticking with staves... but it might be months and months before Evies get revamped, and she'd be stuck with a class that essentially runs around in circles and heals.
  
  So I just looked up a Vindictus Europe video of Evie to be sure... it looks like your Evie has already been revamped from the start, but for some reason doesn't have healing corona? I heard it from someone else too, so I don't think it's a mistake, unless it's been implemented now. Either they haven't given your Evie certain skills yet, or your classes are just a bit different from ours and it's hard to tell how good they would be without knowing each of the adjustments.
  
  This question might have to be asked on the Vindictus EU forums. Just be careful who you take advice from. Try to look for some of the best players and try to ask them instead, they'll probably know a lot more than the average high level person/forum visitor if their forums are anything like Vindictus NA's official forums.
• Khol wrote on 2012-03-15 00:42
  I see, I'll look it up.
  
  BTW her basic attacks are not melee, she's spamming some white magic projectiles. She's decided to go Scythe it seems, thanks a lot for your advices everyone ^^
• 0chocolachao0 wrote on 2012-03-15 08:37
  Rebecca, the EU version of Vindictus already has Thor and Karok. The Evie Revamp was way long ago.
  
  Oh and Khol, good luck with you and your wife on duoing! Scythe is a very fun choice!
• RebeccaBlack wrote on 2012-03-16 03:48

  Quote from 0chocolachao0;808760:

  Rebecca, the EU version of Vindictus already has Thor and Karok. The Evie Revamp was way long ago.
  
  Oh and Khol, good luck with you and your wife on duoing! Scythe is a very fun choice!

  
  It's kinda weird that Evie is missing some basic skills we've had since the revamp, though, like corona.
• whocares8128 wrote on 2012-03-16 16:09

  Quote from RebeccaBlack;809152:

  It's kinda weird that Evie is missing some basic skills we've had since the revamp, though, like corona.

  
  
  Maybe they wanted to remove this view of Staff Evie:
  

  ... a class that essentially runs around in circles and heals.

  
  
  Honestly, I never played Evie as a healer. Sure, I'd toss out some heals now and then, but I was running around in circles more often charging up a Magic Mine. I felt like that was the best thing to use in between waiting on Firebolt in most cases (pre-revamp).