Practical Guide to Skills and Spells
Druid Updated 1/23/07
Contributed by Riel and Neraka
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Druid Class
Strengths
- Spells cost fewer sp in general than wizard and psionic equivalents
- Powerful druid spells: earth evocation (web), smoke evocation (blind), earth invocation (heal), ooze evocation (lag), invoke ash (resist to necro), invoke water (resist to fire), invoke dust (combat blink without sp drain), invoke magma (fireshield without astral cost)
- No need for spellbooks or memorization
- Most druid spells can be cast in combat: the notable exception being lightning invocation.
Weaknesses
- Lacking some traditional cleric skills (cure blind, bless)
Compensation: include monk or paladin in your class path or else carry around a lot of cure blind potions
- Slow/hinder makes all druid spells take longer than a round to cast
Compensation: cast invoke ash invocation and up your svs with equipment
- Elemental shield and spellshield both block most of druid’s evocations.
Compensation: always cast water evocation first when fighting a shaman, always cast water evocation or air evocation first when fighting a monk or paladin.
[ # ] [ Proficiency Name ] [ Type ] [ Cmplx ] [ Lrnd ]
1 dagger WEA 1% 1%
2 flail WEA 1% 40%
3 hand to hand COM 1% 15%
4 hook WEA 9% 0%
5 lore MYS 30% 0%
6 mace WEA 1% 10%
7 magical items MYS 5% 10%
8 nunchaku WEA 14% 0%
9 scan TEK 40% 0%
Dagger
Max
Vastly more common of the two weapons used for the skill backstab.
Flail
Optional
You should practice either flail or mace for bash-type damage. There is a high level flail which dispels but it can only be used by positively-aligned. Other high level flails are more expensive than same level maces.
Hand to hand
Max
This is sometimes useful especially coupled with monk’s martial arts. When disarmed by a player or a mob especially while blind would be disastrous if you don’t have hand to hand practiced. However, weapon damage is almost always better than hand to hand. One exception would be when the mob is resistant to weapon-type damage.
Hook
Optional
This is the lesser common weapon used to backstab. The weapon itself is far less common than dagger at lower levels but there are several high level hooks which is easily accessible to all classpaths.
Lore
Max
Though it can only identify items of a limited level according to % practiced as well as user’s level unlike the spell “Identify” that can identify just about anything, it is faster and can be used on items on the ground. At level 180 you can identify anything that can be identified with the spell “Identify” with Lore.
Mace
Optional
Mace inflicts bash-type damage. One should practice either flail or mace for access to this weapon damage-type. Though there are no exceptional maces at this time, if you will not be of a good alignment (the requirement for the use of the exceptional flail) the high level Mace of Elements both does decent damage and is relatively easy to obtain.
Magical Items
Some practices
This skill determines how often magical items works or fails. In combination with multiply magic it should be maxed but otherwise 60% should be enough.
Nunchaku
Do not practice
There are very, very few weapons of this type. Practicing this would be more for show than use.
Scan
Some practices
Very useful skill to have especially in the wilds where track does not work; the number of rooms scanned is based on % learned.
[ # ] [ Spell Name ] [ School ] [ SP ] [ Cmplx ] [ Lrnd ]
1 air invocation ELE 54 2% 30%
2 ash invocation ELE 146 40% 0%
3 air evocation ELE 117 28% 0%
4 ash evocation ELE 170 50% 0%
5 dust invocation ELE 117 28% 0%
6 dust evocation ELE 97 20% 0%
7 earth invocation ELE 160 22% 0%
8 earth evocation ELE 60 5% 35%
9 fire invocation ELE 109 25% 0%
10 fire evocation ELE 109 25% 0%
11 ice invocation ELE 107 24% 0%
12 ice evocation ELE 153 43% 0%
13 lightning invocation ELE 92 18% 0%
14 lightning evocation ELE 94 19% 0%
15 magma invocation ELE 133 35% 0%
16 minerals invocation ELE 88 16% 0%
17 magma evocation ELE 206 65% 0%
18 minerals evocation ELE 131 34% 0%
19 ooze invocation ELE 107 24% 0%
20 ooze evocation ELE 293 43% 0%
21 radiance invocation ELE 65 7% 0%
22 radiance evocation ELE 78 12% 0%
23 smoke invocation ELE 65 7% 0%
24 steam invocation ELE 97 20% 0%
25 salt invocation ELE 190 58% 0%
26 smoke evocation ELE 65 7% 0%
27 steam evocation ELE 151 42% 0%
28 salt evocation ELE 88 16% 0%
29 vacuum invocation ELE 340 40% 0%
30 vacuum evocation ELE 439 75% 0%
31 water invocation ELE 97 20% 0%
32 water evocation ELE 243 70% 0%
Air Invocation
Do not practice
The druid form of levitation like all druid invocations are only castable on self. It allows one to float a few feet off the ground and prevents one from slipping as well as allows one to travel across water. It is a utility spell that does not need to be cast in combat and is usually cast with equipment. The 30% given as a base is plenty.
Ash Invocation
Max
Ash invocation (resist to necromancy) is one of the four defensive spells druid gets. Unlike the other defensive spells this one is of high complexity and therefore more likely to fail at low %s and more costly when it fails.
Air Evocation
Optional
This is Druid’s damage-spell which cannot be shieldblocked. If your path does not have a spell with higher damage (if you are or will be a monk) this would be your general damage spell. As with everything needed to be cast in combat, if practiced at all it should be maxed.
Ash evocation
Optional
This is Druids’ version of momentary darkness. Since it costs an astral it is cheaper to use a smoke bomb if you have the skill throwing. Do note however that you can not throw when webbed.
Dust invocation
Some practices (30-50%)
Druid’s version of combat blink is just another defense when the other defenses fail to trigger. It will not increase the number of defenses you have (either 1 or 2 depending on your fighter class). Unlike combat blink, dust invocation does not drain sp every tick. However, it also does not have the AR bonus, which combat blink has.
Dust evocation
Do not practice
This will very rarely be of use. It causes the affected person to leave a trail of dust. One thing to note is that the target of this spell needs to not be levitating.
Earth Invocation
Max
Druid heal is the healing spell with the lowest sp to hp ratio. It is however a 4-second spell so can only be cast in combat with a spell-delivery amulet. Like the spell ‘heal,’ druid heal is not hindered by web filter. If you do not have a spell delivery amulet, your alternatives are minerals evocations or cure critical (not available for monks). Similar to the priest/shaman spell ‘heal,’ earth invocation is not hindered by web filter.
Earth Evocation
Max
Druid web is in general better than wizard web or psionic web. It has low sp, reagent and spell-casting time costs and lasts for a long time. However, unlike the other two versions of web, druid web is completely blocked by spell shield and elemental shield.
Fire Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid sanctuary is one of the druid’s utility spells. Sanctuary lowers the damage received by 20%. It is usually more effective to wear an item with sanctuary but for those times you do not wear a sanc-item you should be able to cast sanctuary within a few casts.
Fire Evocation
Max
This is Druid’s form of fireball and the highest 3-second damage spell of this class. However like fireball fire evocation can be shield blocked. This spell is best used against mobs that don’t have a shield. It could also be used against minotaurs, who have the fire vulnerability. Fire evocation does less damage than flamewind (4-second spell), but slightly more damage than the wizard version of fireball (3-second spells) and significantly more damage than the bard version.
Ice Invocation
Some practices (40%-50%)
This is Druid’s form of shield. It adds additional AR to all body areas. Like other invocations it may only be cast on self. Since it does not need to be cast in combat, some practices will be enough. However, one plus to this spell is like most invocations it can be cast in combat so you can spell up mid-fight.
Ice evocation
Optional
This is druids’ form of frost. Inflicting less damage than iceball, frost has the additional affects of lowering agility and possibly causing lag to the opponent. If practiced it should be maxed because it is used in combat. If you are or will go bard, it is best just to use the bard version.
Lightning Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid haste is one of the druid’s utility spells. Haste allows the player to have one extra attack. It is usually more effective to wear an item with haste but for those times you do not wear a haste-item and when you want the extra acc from the castable form of haste you should be able to cast it within a few casts. This is the most notable Druid affect spell which can NOT be cast in combat.
Lightning Evocation
Optional
Druid lightning bolt is generally worse than the wiz and bard forms of the spell due to its longer casting time (3 seconds instead of 2) and greater reagent cost but if you have no other spell with lightning damage it would be good to practice. If practiced at all, it should be maxed.
Magma Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid fireshield is one of the druid’s utility spells. Fireshield sometimes inflicts a small amount of damage on the opponent when the opponent lands an attack on you. It is usually more effective to wear an item with fireshield but for those times you do not wear a fireshield-item you should be able to cast it within a few casts. Unlike the priest/shaman version of this spell, it does not require an astral. Fireshield does not work against mobs.
Minerals Invocation
Do not practice
Druid enhanced strength just like the wizard version is almost completely useless once strength is maxed. Due to its low complexity, it can be cast pretty well without being practiced.
Magma Evocation
Max or Some Practices
Druid circle of fire is of a high complexity spell which costs less in reagents and sp than the wizard version. It does damage to and gets rid of sneak of all those passing through (affects players only in PK-rooms). For players, like other fire spells, it frags outside of LPK. For a druid who casts this spell, if they need to pass through the flames as well just cast water invocation to minimize the damage inflicted to self.
Minerals Evocation
Optional
This Druid’s version of cure critical is the only Druid healing spell that can be cast on others as well as on self. It can be cast within a round unlike earth invocation which can only be cast within a round if one has a spell delivery amulet. It heals much more than the monk’s highest healing spell ‘cure serious’ but unlike the other healing spells, it requires one earth reagent per cast. It also heals more than ‘cure critical,’ available to paladins.
Ooze Invocation
Some practices (40%-50%)
This is Druid’s form of stone skin. Similar to shield, stone skin gives added AR to all body areas. Like other invocations it may only be cast on self. Since it does not need to be cast in combat some practices will be enough. However, it can be cast in combat if need be like most Druid invocations, so you can spell up mid-fight.
Ooze Evocation
Max
One of Druid’s best pk spells, when cast on others ooze evocation creates lag for the opponent. However, due to its high sp cost this is not a spell to be spammed. Two-second spells like lightning bolt will be come 3 seconds and hence will not overcast when oozed. When cast on self, ooze evocation causes the caster to slip and fall ending combat and resting. This spell does not seem to work on mobs.
Radiance Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid detect invisibility is one of the druid’s utility spells. It allows one to see through the ‘invisibility’ and the ‘improved invisibility’ spell. It is usually more effective to wear an item with the spell but for those times you do not wear a detect-invisibility-item you should be able to cast it within a few casts.
Radiance Evocation
Do not practice
This spell (reveal) is almost never useful and can also be duplicated with the bard version in song form.
Smoke Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid invisibility is one of the druid’s utility spells. It renders the player invisible to all players and mobs which don’t have ‘detect invisibility.’ This spell affect is lost after entering combat. It is usually more effective to wear an item with ‘improved invisibility’ but for those times you do not wear an invisibility-item you should be able to cast it within a few casts. It is useful to travel through the wilds while invisible because most agro mobs in the wilds can not detect invisibility.
Steam Invocation
Low practices (20%-30%)
Druid pass door is one of the druid’s utility spells. It allows one to walk through most doors unless it has the tag pass-proof. It is usually more effective to wear an item with the spell but for those times you do not wear a pass-door-item you should be able to cast it within a few casts.
Salt Invocation
Max
Druid cure disease can be cast in combat which is a great plus. Note that it is a 4-second spell. If you want to cast it in combat it should be maxed. The one shortcoming of this spell is that it can not be cast on others.
Smoke Evocation
Max
Druid Blind is generally long lasting and takes more cure blind casts/potions to remove. However wizard blind and flash bombs are better against faeries and psionic blind is easier to land. It also is unable to break through spellshield and elemental shield. On the plus side, Druid Blind costs very little sp to cast.
Steam Evocation
Do not practice
This is one of the spells that can break through spellshield. The others are air evocation and water evocation. However, it takes 4 seconds to cast and costs a lot of sp relative to its damage. A situation where this spell would be preferred over other evocations is unknown to the writers of this guide at this time.
Salt Evocation
Max
Druid cure poison can be cast in combat which is a great plus. Since it will be cast in combat it should be maxed. However, if you are a faerie you would be immune to poison and so if you practice it at all would be your choice. Salt evocation unlike salt invocation (cure disease) can be cast on others.
Vacuum Invocation
Do not practice
Druid blink is in general worse than wizard blink. It costs more to cast and only works in the wilds when you specify a direction. When you specify a direction, it will transfer you 40 rooms in that direction. Unlike the wizard version, it can not be used to blink around an area. A plus is that it can be used to get out of pk, if you are on the VMap. It will transport you even if you are in combat.
Vacuum Evocation
Optional
This is an area spell that costs an astral and is almost never used. When cast in a room, anyone in the room with no stamina or very low stamina will die instantly. It is sometimes useful against hunters.
Water Invocation
Some practices (40%-50%)
This is druids’ specialized defensive spell which gives resistance to fire. Like other invocations it may only be cast on self. Since it does not need to be cast in combat (though it can be) some practices will be enough.
Water Evocation
Max
This is the only spell in the game that inflicts water-type damage. It is currently the best damage spell a druid has and can not be shieldblocked though it costs a lot of sp and also is a 4-second spell. It is best used in rooms over water because it draws water from the environment itself. It could be used fighting feys who have a vulnerability to water. It is also used to break through elemental shield.