Age of Conan Demonologist Guide

Age of Conan Demonologist Guide
by Hawke post: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=66746

Keep in mind that the following is from my observations, and I will ammend or add after receiving solid information. Remember this is a work in progress.
Is all of this the gospel truth?
Yes and no. The feats and spells listed here are true. The tactics and how to use them are either my way of doing things or if posted by another theirs. There is no one way of playing a demonologist. Which is what makes them pretty cool to play.

Who is the Demonologist?
You can read the instruction manual, or look it up from the community of AoC pages, but quite simply... We dish out damage. And supposed to be quite a bit of it at both range and up close.

All other classes do damage, what makes us special?
That is true. There are other classes that can do what we can, and better, and get secondary skills, that we cannot. I.E. heal, tracking, enhanced stealth, armor, etc. What makes us different is our lore for you RP folks, we receive a pet (more on this later), and our spec trees allow for us to be unique from one another. What makes us unique is our damage shield. It doesn't work like armor, and we have to think as we move. Also, we (as I once thought) were to be the AoE Kings and Queens of Hyboria. This does not seem to be the case. At least not yet.

Why aren't we the AoE Kings?
There was a patch that increased our cool downs of all AoE spells to 3 seconds. With an upcomming patch, we will have that reduced to 2.5 seconds. But not only that, but our minimum damage is way too low compared to our max damage, so our damage variance is very unpredictable. I.E. one strike you could do 900 damage on a normal hit, and the one following only do 300 damage. A small strike like that can put a close fight into a dead Demonoloist.

Where can I find a list of Bugs and Problems?
That can be found at the top of this board stickied.
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=41954
And of course by the author of the bug list this is useful too http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthr...d=1#post902715

Spellweaving, what is it?
Beginning at level 50, Spellweaving allows you to basically conduct a ritual to gather more power to enhance your current spells. This is done through 6 stages and each stage will increase your power and your vulnerability. You can activate and deactivate spellweaving by clicking on the Icon.

Spellweaving makes me vulnerable?
This game is about consequences for your actions. Calling on that kind of power gives you a few vulnerabilities. When you click it on, you will be rooted in place. You cannot move, you cannot drink potions, and you cannot be disrupted. You are stuck. When you click it off, you are able to move immediately, but might be hit with a DoT and you will still have a debuff on you active. Every other stage you go through your resistance to physical attacks is reduced to -10% up to -30%. Your spells also cost more mana and even stamina during this process. When your stamina hits zero, you take on damage. A LOT of damage. And yes, you can die. A recent patch makes you immune to knockback.

Why would I want to use Spellweaving with that many negatives?
Spellweaving is situational. It is helpful with boss fights, and provides 5 spells to assist you in your endeavors. Please see this link for the list (until I get more info) http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpos...0&postcount=27 .
The damage increase isn't as much as I would like for the tradeoff of being killed easily by a level 1 Pict, but so long as the tanks keep agro, you should make fights a little easier. Keep defense and offense would benefit from this as well.

Are there any Spellweaving videos?
I have one actually. If you pause over the highlights, you can read what each buff/debuff does.
Smaller version - http://identitycpu.com/forums/Spellweaving.wmv
Larger Version - http://identitycpu.com/forums/Spellweaving_Large.wmv

I know I can do damage, but can I do any Crowd Control?
Yes, but limited. Baseline spells you get one single target root, one pbaoe root and one stun. That's it. The root, Storm Chains, lasts like 12 seconds (17 at level 75) or so depending on your level, and can break, but they are unable to turn and face you. After the root is cast (2 second cast time), that player gets a 40 second root immunity. You also get a 3 second stun (around 4.5 seconds at 65ish and 5.5 seconds at 75)that when cast (1 second cast time) and a 40 second stun immunity is granted to them, but the cooldown is 45 seconds, so it works out if you are solo, they will be unable to take any action. Hands of the Underworld is something else you can use. It's a PBAOE short range root and gives you +20% run modifier and lasts 9 Seconds (25% at 65). This will give you time to do something else. Fight or Flight.

What about Crowd Control and my Feats?
Havoc and Conflag specs both get some CC ability. For Conflag, the only one I am aware of is Gate of Hell, which acts as a 10 second root that puts a nice DoT on the target. Havoc gets a few more. Wicked Bolts (level 50) let's you knockback a target (45 second cooldown). It does minimal damage, but it does allow you a few seconds of breathing room. Very useful. After you place 5 points in that you can get Thunderclap. Thunderclap works like waves of flame being a cone attack that reaches 6 meters out. Lasts for 10 seconds and has a cool down of 40 seconds. Basically while you are "chanting" it, anything in the cone up to around 6 meters away take damage every couple of seconds and have a chance of being knocked back.
The last spell is possession. This is a ... finicky spell where if it fails, it stuns the target, but if it succeeds it will work as a pet for you for a limited ammount of time. How long? Around 10 seconds. Don't forget the mob you cast this on, 'cause he won't forget about you.

Do we get anymore useful spells?
Damage, a couple of CC, damage add spell and a run spell, that's pretty much it. Hands of the Underworld takes 1 second to cast and the animation lasts longer than the cast time. But it lets you run 20% (25% at 65) faster for 9 seconds and a 2 minute cool down. Useful for running down your prey. Pop a stam potion before you run though. Or you can use it as a PBAOE root and make your getaway.
You get a lot of buffs. 7 buffs (8 at 65 but has -50% holy immunity) that are received as you level, and Draw Forth the Heart when you kill a minion with it, and you get Demon War going Conflag (along with short term buffs) And Spell Lore of Skelos going Havoc and Tome of Erlik feat in the General Tree.

You mentioned pets, is it like WoW?
Actually a bit. Like that little imp in WoW giving your team a health boost, the same holds true. Every 10 levels or so you get a new pet. Each pet has a "buff" to it that helps the team. They come in the following order:
1. Mana Buff
2. Health Buff
3. Mana, Health, Stam regen (the most useful)
4. Reflect damage shield (excellent when combined with Conflag specs)for melee, ranged and magic attacks
5. Bonus damage of 1% magic and melee (Also is armored in appearance)

The pets all look the same each level except level 70. You are able to shrink them so they aren't blocking your vision from a wing coming into your camera angle when in caves or tight locations.

I see some with a female demon and some male, what is the difference?
That difference is the sex of the Demonologist. Males get the Succubus (Female demon) and Females get the Incubus (Male demon).
The Incubus looks pretty cool, with that big sword though.

Are pets useful beyond the buffs?
My opinion? No. Pets do not hold agro, at all. They also don't do much damage. If you told your pet to attack a mob 5 levels under it when you were stealthed, your pet might either die, or may take half the damage off the mob after a full minute of combat has transpired. As soon as you come out of stealth that mob will attack you and ignore your pet.

Why do some Demonologist not bring their pet out?
I can only speak for myself, but I don't see the need for a small buff, and everyone to know what class I am from literally a virtual mile away (AoC is good like that). I play on a PvP server so letting people think I am a ranger (with my xbow out) or casting lightning spells thinking I am a Tempest of Set is fine with me. Surprise is your ally, especially in PvP here. If they don't know what you are, they won't know how to kill you the quickest.

I'm not getting any new spells every level, is this normal?
Very. Our spells, even when not upgraded to the next rank, they scale upwards with damage.

Can I plan my feats not in game?
Yes. You can go to http://feats.goonheim.com/demonologist to help you plan your feats. There are other applications out there, but ensure they are accurate with the feats.

I only have IE6 are there other Feat Planners?
Yes, try going to this thread, there are a large number of feat planners available. http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthr...eat+calculator

What is the difference between the Havoc and Conflageration Trees?
The Conflag tree focuses more on DoTs, buffs, and adding damage effects on your targets, alive and dead. The Havoc like too has extra damage, but focuses on the pet more, and crowd control like effects along with the ability to regain mana on casting spells.

What feats are there in the Havoc line?
Something was already written up by AdomTheImmortal and can be found here: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpos...89&postcount=1

Are there any guides for Havoc Demo's?
Check out Morkai's guide. It gives a good overall view of Havoc specs and will put you on the right track http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpos...36&postcount=1

What feats are there in the Conflag line?
Nothing in print yet. For the time being hit the N key and mouseover them, or go to the Feat Planner above.

Is there a reliable list showing the spells?
There does seem to be. Keep in mind that the "spells" shown, some are had by investing in the feats.
http://www.hybes.de/abilities.php?cl...logist&lang=en
Also the Grimoire by Baal-Molekh can be located here http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=82711

If I only wear cloth, how can I survive a fight?
This is where things are fun. You receive seven buffs with your Demonologist baseline spells (8 with Demon Heart and its -50% holy). One of these buffs handles increasing your Armor Rating, another handles a "damage shield" where it hurts an enemy as they hit you. The final one which really does the most protection is your Protection of Set. This is a Damage Mitigation shield and it takes a little explaining for you to get the jist of it. It used to last 5 minutes and now it is an hour in duration.

As all other spells, these buffs scale with your level. For the sake of argument, lets say that the tool-tip for Protection of Set says that you will Absorb 100 damage per attack, and a total of 1000 damage in 25 seconds.

Now lets say X mob hits you for 200 damage. You will instantly mitigate 100 damage and your health will drop 100 points as well. With your Protection of Set spell, you will have 900 points of protection remaining and will refresh in 25 seconds back to 1000.

This 25 second timer happens every 25 seconds. If you start a fight at 10 seconds into the timer, the buff will refresh in another 15 seconds. Which might be why some fights seem to hit less than others.

Protection of Set looks good, can it be improved?
Yes! In the general feat tree, by investing points in Quickened Iron where you can reduced that timer of 25 seconds to 15 with three points. And the feat of Crimson Shield will improve the maximum amount of damage but not the mitigated damage.

Is PvE Difficult?
Depends on hard you make it for yourself and what you consider difficult. Can you one shot enemies? No, of course not. Usually takes 3-4 castings to kill something. Fortunately, we get AoE to help with that and we can do it for 2-3 critters comfortably. Thanks to Protection of Set (see above for details).
Your basic pull should be like this, no matter your spec:
Pull 2 or 3 mobs with your AoE spell, then cast a single target spell (hate to waste time and might as well do some damage). Then AoE again, and while that is casting select the mob with the higher hit points and cast your single target spell and that should be it. Not hard at all.

What do I do if it hits the fan?
If something goes wrong, you must keep a cool head. Remember you possess a PBAoE root, and a stun that only takes 1 second to cast. You also get a 2 second cast root. Now this only affects one target, but it eases the beating you are taking. Recasting Protection of Set does help.

That is your baseline spells. For your specialization, use those. Use your knockbacks, your AoE roots, even Possession (Havoc line). If you have to burn through all of them and live, no worries on the cool down.

I am Havoc/Conflag Spec'd how do I pull?
Same way as above. You get a few more toys to play with on either spec. Use your AoEs, that is what they are there for.

Do Demonologists die easy in PvP?
Will you die in PvP? Oh yes. Will you die everytime? No. Not even close to everytime.

PvP will occur in a number of ways. Basically it is broken down to 2 categories: You either initiate or you don't. Pure and simple. Like with most classes in AoC, if you start the fight, you have a very good chance of winning it. Be it 'cause of lag, or the person isn't being attentive, they are slow at the keyboard, fighting a mob, whatever, the scales of victory tips in the favor on those who start a fight.

Does this mean those who don't start the fight are going to die?
Not always.

Here is why. You have to keep a cool head. Cloth wearers who don't will die. If you aren't dead in 1-2 hits, you have a chance. First thing is to pop a Health potion and maybe a Stam Potion. Second thing is locate your aggressor. When you identify who they are... then you get busy. Depending on the class, you want to take action.

What I am listing here is for Havoc spec'd Demonologists who are 50+.... the idea is still the same for all spec'd.

Ranger- Running out of their range is the same as running out of your range if they are Bow spec'd. If they have a crossbow, then that will be possible, otherwise, close the distance and fast. Cast storm chains on them, run behind and start wailing on them. When storm chains ends, Stun them. If they aren't dead yet, use Wicked Bolts, and you have another 2 spells to cast, and that should be good. If you get knocked back, use terrain to protect you while your health gets up... make them come to you.

Melee- I know, all classes are different, but for the ones who primarily melee you want to pop a potion when you get up (chances are their first attack will knock you down, especially if they are noobs). After doing the above, of drinking your potions, You have two choices: Storm Chains or HoU. Remember, they are left with a 60 second immunity timer to roots. So if you can use the Chains. Wail on them, and when the chains break, use Wicked Bolt, keep casting, and then when they get up, use Thunderclap. I know, why not use that first? Chains will be your lifeblood, if the fight lasts longer than a minute, you will be able to root them again, and quickly, giving your Protection of Set time to reset itself. If you can break their damage mitigation, they should be hosed.
Remember, most soldiers have an extreme knockback resistance... so if you can't knock them down, you may need to continue the kiting.

Assassin- Ok, these guys are melee, but there is something extra for them. Once they are out of stealth, they are easy to take down. The problem is, if they get a sneak attack off, you are done. Plus with their poison, your mana will go away quick. Best thing to do is to keep moving so they can't hit you with their positional while stealthed. Cast Living ThunderStorm but don't target anything.. If he gets close to you, he will pop out of stealth. You can also use waves of flame, or Living Firestorm (conflag) and stay near the center while using AoE to pop em. Once out of stealth, treat him like a melee.

Healers- These guys are a pain for anyone. But, like the Barbarian and Conquerer, we have tools to dispose of them. First off, don't get eager and preload spells. You know, double clicking for it to immediately be cast again.. Don't do it. The trick is to kill them quickly.
If they get first strike on you... use a Heal and Mana potion... Trust me on this.. If the fight lasts more than 20 seconds, you are going to be out of mana before you know it. Cast an offensive spell then cast your Stun. Mostly because preists don't like to waste the initial heal of their HoTs (heal of time). Then cast another offensive spell, and IMMEDIATELY use Wicked Bolt. Cast twice more and they should be dead. If they are not, you have to keep trying again, and again, and again. Your heal potion and Protection of Set should keep you alive, but if not, run behind them, or take cover... Root them when you do. Rooting a healer (except one) will be just as effective as you are rooted.

Bear Shamans- Much like the Assassins were to Melee, the Bear Shamans are to Healers. A pain. The trick to these guys is if you cannot kill them quick, you have to kite them. They will get in close and knock the crap out of you with their 2 handed weapon. Keep your distance! Thunderclap may or may not work depending on their gear. So use your Storm Chains, stun, Wickid Bolt, and keep him away from you while pounding on him.

Mages- Whoever gets their Crowd Control bursts off first, may win. Treat mages like healers, and they will go down fast. Ignore the pets, but never get in close to a Necro... never. Stay 5 meters away lest you get hurt, bad. Hmm come to think of it, same holds true for Tempest of Set... don't get close.

What exactly is Possession?
This is a feat in the Havoc tree. You must be level 60 to receive and is both good and bad. This spell needs 5 seconds to cast... Yes 5. And when complete, one of two things will occur...

PvE- If it fails, the target is stunned for 5 seconds. If it succeeds, you will have a temporary pet (old pet is sent hell) for about 5 to 10 seconds. It is not attackable until the spell wears off.

PvP- It can be used here, just depends when and how much can you tank before it goes off. If it fails, target will be stunned for 5 seconds... Which is good... I suppose, but they get a 40 second stun immunity timer.

If it succeeds, the target will be stunned for 10 seconds and move towards you. Woah now! That's pretty good, even for a 5 second cast time. Problem is, you don't know which will happen. The good thing is that it is on a seperate immunity timer. That's right. Target is immune to charms for 60 seconds. How is this good? Let me break it down for you purple dino style...

-Attack with your favorite spell
-Cast Possession while they are still in shock and trying to identify the target (they shouldn't heal yet if a priest)
-You now have between 5 and 10 seconds of free cast time.
-If you have 5 seconds, cast your primary spell and a short timed spell (like the instant lightning) or cast twice. If you have 10 seconds, cast your primary spell 3 times with your instant in there twice.
-Now just before it ends, you cast your stun. You will have roughly 3 seconds (5.5 level 75) and you have enough time for one attack spell (or 2) and then you use wicked bolts to knock back and attack again as much as you can.

What happend here is that optimally, you could have your target unable to engage for roughly 18-24 seconds depending on your level. A lot can happen in that time period...


Keep in mind that when the spell fails in PvP, they will have that stun immunity timer.

Here is another scenario for you. Your prey takes off running, you are chasing him. You cast possession, he gets out of range as you begin casting, then your target if possessed, will move towards you, and you can start wailing on them as they get into range.