Modern Day I/L Mage SP Build - Skipping Cold Beam

[Julliant]

I know many of you here support skipping Cold Beam in modern times because of the wide variety of monsters that we can train on with Lightning.

I'd like those who do to post why... The disadvantages of having Cold Beam, why is it useless, advantages and the reality of Lightning, advantages of Slow ETC.

Search function yes, but it only gives bits and pieces.

[au2k5]

hmm.

quite honestly, cold beam...just isnt an efficient training skill, exp wise. and i dont wanna hear that "OMG BUT I FREEZ" excuse. freezing dosent mean you train efficiently.

with the introduction of the retz maps, you're able to train there using lightning all the way to the mid 7x, from there, provided that you're working on ice strike first, the new mix golem map, or in SEA, yakuza girls.

slow is more of a utility skill, like seal. you wont use it as often as you think, but the times you do use it, it will help you outstandingly.

going to papulatus? slow is probably the most useful defensive skill there, as it works in conjunction with knock back (essential to soloing it) slow takes a lot of that pressure off of you when fighting.

thanatos in the lower lvls, zakum mobs on occasion, mobs that are greater than 6, deeming unfreezable in that moment, in conjunction with seal.

in the 2nd job, having only lightning gives you these training areas in GMS:

retz, wraiths, lorangs, coolies, hot sand.

places where cold beam is of effectivness:

cellions, fire drakes, coolies.

basically, for pure training, getting only lightning is the way to go, cold beam is more of a hunting skill...

[CountessZero]

Even though I didn't skip cold beam I've been mulling the pros and cons of skipping it in my head:

Pros:
With lightning you're mobbing all the time so that's faster levelling.

Cons:
There are less monsters weak to lightning than ice.
You're stuck at Florina Beach or damp forest all the time. And you WILL eventually get pissed off.
Lightning saps your MP so if you're fighting mobs of high-level nasties using magic guard too that's severe pot spam and really expensive.
You lose out on the freeze-tele-freeze-tele-repeat-zap move because you can't freeze things.
Bains will rape you at lvl 8x if you skip ice strike as well.
You have to put all your remaining points into slow (ewww)
You won't be able to fight macis in your 60's and 70's because they are not weak to lightning. And macis runs make life fun (in my opinion)

Cold Beam really is the most useful 2nd job wizard skill, aside from heal for clerics, I think. True it's only a single monster killer but if you're a good telecaster you can set up a mob of 6 immobile monsters to zap after you froze them. I spend most of my time training like that.

Good luck to anyone who does skip cold beam though. I mean that honestly. I've never seen it done and I'd like to see someone do it from 30 to 70 and see the results.

[au2k5]

Even though I didn't skip cold beam I've been mulling the pros and cons of skipping it in my head:

Pros:
With lightning you're mobbing all the time so that's faster levelling.

Cons:
There are less monsters weak to lightning than ice.
irrellivant point, monsters dont have to be weak to your element for it to be fast training.
You're stuck at Florina Beach or damp forest all the time. And you WILL eventually get pissed off.
forest of golem, and retz, much MUCH better than anything in florina. coolies and wraiths as well.
Lightning saps your MP so if you're fighting mobs of high-level nasties using magic guard too that's severe pot spam and really expensive.high levels like what? this is strictly training, you wont be using magic guard while training
You lose out on the freeze-tele-freeze-tele-repeat-zap move because you can't freeze things.again, that has nothing to do with training.
Bains will rape you at lvl 8x if you skip ice strike as well.thats a completely different subject, we're talking about cold beam, not ice strike.
You have to put all your remaining points into slow (ewww)tell that to me, rediscovered, xlazhar of bera.
You won't be able to fight macis in your 60's and 70's because they are not weak to lightning. And macis runs make life fun (in my opinion)irrelivant, off topic, and completely subjective

Cold Beam really is the most useful 2nd job wizard skill, aside from heal for clerics, I think. True it's only a single monster killer but if you're a good telecaster you can set up a mob of 6 immobile monsters to zap after you froze them. I spend most of my time training like that. so you spend time freezing 6 monsters, gathering them, then lightning them when you finish gathering them? sorry, thats the worst training method i've ever heard. especially against something you should be 1-4 hit killing.


Good luck to anyone who does skip cold beam though. I mean that honestly. I've never seen it done and I'd like to see someone do it from 30 to 70 and see the results. i dont have cold beam, rediscovered of bera dosent have cold beam, xlazhar, highest ice mage, and highest character in bera at his time, didnt have cold beam. RK addict of scania dosent have it. granmago, lvl 152 ice mage dosent have it. should i go on?

FREEZING ISNT EVERYTHING PEOPLE -.-

[santaclaz]

au2k5, you seriously need to calm down on your response to countesszero. notice that julliant (the thread starter) is not asking about "strictly training" as you automatically assume it to be. he's asking for the advantages and disadvantages about each skill. so many of your counter-arguments to countesszero's are irrelevant themselves to the topic on hand ("strictly training", "tell that to xlazhar... etc.")

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i'm pretty much a very cheap person. i barely use pots b/c i don't want to spend money on them, i just use my relaxer and sit it out. i don't buy my mage equips (except for the occasional weapon), i just find them (i had lvl 8 clothing until lvl 38 or so, when i found my lvl 38 armor). i picked ice b/c i can freeze, which means not getting hurt as much, which in turn means i don't have to spend as much money on pots.

i guess the main thing i have against lightning is this: it drains MP fast, not to mention the monsters will run into you, making you lose even more MP if you have magic guard on. so either you will be using lots of pots and thus will spend lots of money on pots, or you will spend alot of you time sitting in the relaxer. i obviously don't take as much priorty for super fast training, and am more concerned with money saving. heh

also i just like having many attacking skills at my disposal, makes the game less repetitive, as well as giving you more options. you can also show these skills off to noobs XD

[au2k5]

ever try training at retz? they barely do any damage.

reason why you chose is is, however, feasible.

and you shouldnt be using magic guard to train anywhere in the first place o.O

[CountessZero]

FREEZING ISNT EVERYTHING PEOPLE -.-

No but you're being an ass. I'm just stating my opinons. I know you're stating yours too but you're basically saying I'm wrong.

Regarding the freeze-tele-zap thing, again, that's HOW I DO THINGS. I'm not saying YOU have to do it, it's just a way of training I've found that works for me especially at cellions where they jump up and bite you in the bum if there's more than one of you on the map and the spawn is really high. Same with iron boars.

Jull asked for opinions. I gave mine. Don't be a git just because I'm not like you.

[au2k5]

No but you're being an ass. I'm just stating my opinons. I know you're stating yours too but you're basically saying I'm wrong.

Regarding the freeze-tele-zap thing, again, that's HOW I DO THINGS. I'm not saying YOU have to do it, it's just a way of training I've found that works for me especially at cellions where they jump up and bite you in the bum if there's more than one of you on the map and the spawn is really high. Same with iron boars.

Jull asked for opinions. I gave mine. Don't be a git just because I'm not like you.

how am i being an ass? the freezing isnt everything was a mere "pulling your leg" thing, you're the one taking so much breach to it. chill. lol

he's asking for the advantages and disadvantages about each skill. so many of your counter-arguments to countesszero's are irrelevent themselves ("strictly training", "tell that to xlazhar... etc.")

but then...

Good luck to anyone who does skip cold beam though. I mean that honestly. I've never seen it done and I'd like to see someone do it from 30 to 70 and see the results.

apologies for simply saying its been done?

geez

[santaclaz]

and you shouldnt be using magic guard to train anywhere in the first place o.O

i use MG b/c MP recovers alot faster for mages than HP does, not to mention MP recovers even during movement/fighting while HP requires you to be still. its just another way for me to save a little bit more money despite how litte i save from it... hahaha

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Good luck to anyone who does skip cold beam though. I mean that honestly. I've never seen it done and I'd like to see someone do it from 30 to 70 and see the results.

au2k5 that's not the only place or first place you used your "tell that to xlazhar... etc." argument. though i do agree this "argument" by countesszero isn't all that... great.. (lacks substance) lol

You have to put all your remaining points into slow (ewww) tell that to me, rediscovered, xlazhar of bera.

in the context of the quote right above, you aren't "simply saying its been done"

[CountessZero]

how am i being an ass? the freezing isnt everything was a mere "pulling your leg" thing, you're the one taking so much breach to it. chill. lol

Next time word it better then so I don't jump down your throat :P

Besides, my wiz is almost a pure icer, I only just recently began actually using my lightning and found it really tough. That's when I developed the whole freeze-zap thing. Tis fun. I learned it to a lower level friend of mine and he likes it too.

It'll be better when I'm done maxing tele though >_>