Does anyone else feel that high-level mages have a severe disadvantage in PVP?

[RunBeagleRun]

It just seems like we really are at an extreme disadvantage. Whenever I try PVP on my level 130 royal, everyone has a dark silver shield and/or anti magic field, and since I can't cast spells I'm forced to switch to my crescent weapon, which is severely nerfed by antimagic.

I have 60 magic and 40 intelligence and I rarely die to black phantoms, but when I try invading I get clobbered.

Any advice on how I can get my edge back? Before NG+ I was doing well, but as I said now everyone has the equipment to counter magic. I want to get my character tendency to pure black so I can get the mephistopheles quest, but I've had no luck killing other players.

I'm not ranting and I don't think FROM should have changed anything about it, because at lower levels I was at an extreme advantage, now I guess the tables have been turned though... So any advice from magic users who have encountered this challenge as well?

Thanks!

[Sferzar]

I say invest on a Moon +5 weapon and brush up on your melee skills for now. Either that or deceive people into believe you aren't a magic user and then nuke them.

[jedbeetle]

Originally Posted by RunBeagleRun

It just seems like we really are at an extreme disadvantage. Whenever I try PVP on my level 130 royal, everyone has a dark silver shield and/or anti magic field, and since I can't cast spells I'm forced to switch to my crescent weapon, which is severely nerfed by antimagic.

I have 60 magic and 40 intelligence and I rarely die to black phantoms, but when I try invading I get clobbered.

Any advice on how I can get my edge back? Before NG+ I was doing well, but as I said now everyone has the equipment to counter magic. I want to get my character tendency to pure black so I can get the mephistopheles quest, but I've had no luck killing other players.

I'm not ranting and I don't think FROM should have changed anything about it, because at lower levels I was at an extreme advantage, now I guess the tables have been turned though... So any advice from magic users who have encountered this challenge as well?

Thanks!

Dark silver shield ain't no thing. It blocks a few, sure, but at the cost of all their stamina, with minimal stamina loss from you. Move in with a blade after hitting 'em a few times.
It depends a lot on the soul level difference also. I can actually beat some characters 10+ levels higher. Guys with lots of skill and the northern regalia are always a challenge.
Death cloud is always good, also. Stay away from firestorm, unless you think you might need it in a pinch in a 3-on-1.
Boost your magic as much as possible. Don't ignore the cling ring, giants strength ring for better armor, or your own vitality.

My weapon of choice is a crescent Kilij +5. I also have the kris blade + 5, for when i'm up against non-magic opponents at range, and a rune shield +5 for when I'm fighting magic users.

I also wear a ring of magical sharpness when I can, and use the insanity catalyst - goal is to maximize magic damage so that it bypasses all manner of magic defense. And that fast crescent weapon will take your enemies by surprise. A moon or crescent shotel + 5 will also prove to be an unpleasant surprise for many opponents since it bypasses shields a little.

and dodge a lot. Generally stay the hell away from people, unless you plan on moving in and moving out quick, or you're sure your enemy has compromised stamina at the moment (death cloud, took lots of magic hits with a shield up).

Anyways, I am level a 120 mage and I defeat pretty much all invaders, but I get pretty well owned half the time by people I invade, especially if they are not alone. The popular strategy for melee users is to take you by surprise, or roll in quick with a 1-2 kill.
run away to recoup only if you're sure you have a good lead

[Luminous_Reaver]

If finishing the fight before you can even break a sweat counts as a disadvantage.

[Obsidian]

I'm with you as far as being at a disadvantage when invading. I always find myself losing the PvP encounters when invade, but if I'm being invaded, I consistently come out on top.

You can always just blast firestorm sixteen billion times like other mage's do when I'm in a PvP battle with them.

[RunBeagleRun]

I never resort to firestorm in pvp. Unless I'm in an area where it's being spammed on me repeatedly, I stick with soul ray, homing arrow, and warding as my spells. Firestorm is just too cheap for pvp, and kind of anti climactic... and it gets interrupted easily with its long cast time.

[DarkFocus]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

I'm with you as far as being at a disadvantage when invading. I always find myself losing the PvP encounters when invade, but if I'm being invaded, I consistently come out on top.

You can always just blast firestorm sixteen billion times like other mage's do when I'm in a PvP battle with them.

same here I think when you invade someone it makes you do less damage so I switched to the babys nail and just plague people when invading now.

[MisoSowee]

Bringing fire spray is a wonderful way to zone in on those dark silver shield users.

[jedbeetle]

Originally Posted by RunBeagleRun

I never resort to firestorm in pvp. Unless I'm in an area where it's being spammed on me repeatedly, I stick with soul ray, homing arrow, and warding as my spells. Firestorm is just too cheap for pvp, and kind of anti climactic... and it gets interrupted easily with its long cast time.

Yeah, a skilled opponent will avoid/interrupt firestorm with ease.
Wrath of God I've found to be very hard to avoid, on the other hand...
I carry firestorm around for large NPC enemies that I don't want to mess around with (big club guys in 5-2, various black phantom npcs) and those occasions when I am severely outnumbered, but prefer poison cloud and death cloud in those slots for a real pvp fight.

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

You can always just blast firestorm sixteen billion times like other mage's do when I'm in a PvP battle with them.

I find it funny when mages wave their wands around to no avail, when I have anti-magic on.

[RunBeagleRun]

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

I find it funny when mages wave their wands around to no avail, when I have anti-magic on.

>.< Arggh and the animations are reallly annoying. I hate that for every action your character is stopped in there has to be a long, dramatic animation. Like when I try to roll in the poison swamp: my character pauses and does this wierd animation and I'm like "Ok I get the idea, you can't roll, can we move on now?" Or when someone is antimagic-ing me and I press the cast button.

The animations look ok, they're just annoying when you're in the middle of combat and you have to stop just so the character gets his point across. It kind of breaks immersion... Oh well.

And stop using anti magic! We magic users need kills too...

[Obsidian]

Originally Posted by RunBeagleRun

>.< Arggh and the animations are reallly annoying. I hate that for every action your character is stopped in there has to be a long, dramatic animation. Like when I try to roll in the poison swamp: my character pauses and does this wierd animation and I'm like "Ok I get the idea, you can't roll, can we move on now?" Or when someone is antimagic-ing me and I press the cast button.

The animations look ok, they're just annoying when you're in the middle of combat and you have to stop just so the character gets his point across. It kind of breaks immersion... Oh well.

And stop using anti magic! We magic users need kills too...

Oh, oh, oh! And when you're out of magic, and they just look at their catalyst all like, "Well, I don't know what's wrong with this thing" and they shrug their shoulders! I'm all like, hey character, don't be such a d-bag... you KNOW what's wrong, now eat your friggin' spice!

P.S. I just made an all magic based character and I've decided it's a much easier way to play the game as opposed to my strength/dexterity based character.

[MisoSowee]

Magic is THE easy mode of Demon's Souls.

That's why I made multiple melee characters being finishing up and deciding to main my mage.

[DeBurgo]

You can try not broadcasting your mage status by only wearing the kind of stuff a high-dex/mobility character might wear, ditching the monk's hat/silver coronet, and only switching to your catalyst when you're in range. Maybe even abstain from using a crescent weapon, as the aura that accompanies that might give you away.

If you can get in range and stay in range, you can usually interrupt their miracle casting, unless you get screwed by lag.

[MisoSowee]

Mages should all be usings scraping spear anyways.
IF I CAN'T BEAT YOU I'LL CHARGE YOU FOR FIGHTING ME! >:[
*hands over repair bill*

[Arutha]

My mage isn't exactly high level.. only SL 70, about to finish the first playthrough. But yeah, I have some problems in PVP. I usually go in with firestorm, homing soul arrow, soul ray and poison cloud. Homing soul arrow always misses unless they're already mid attacking me, in which case I'm probably dead. Soul ray is easy as balls to dodge. The only thing I consistantly hit with is firestorm, and it never kills them in a single hit unless it throws them off an edge.


(I will say however, that the hypermode mages using morion/clever rat's are freaking beasts. I unknowingly invited one to my 1-4 game yesterday, thinking he had ran out of food. He proceded to kill the blue dragon and earn me a trophy in about 10 soul rays. What a beast.)


Edit: Oh, and then we proceeded to 2 shot False King with dual firestorm. it was amazing.