Movement for the Squishy Classes

[Phelaia]

So...as of Mod 16, those of us who main squishy Wizards, Warlocks, Rangers, and Rogues can no longer rely on Lifesteal to sustain ourselves. What to do, what to do? What to do indeed...No need panic like Piglet, for I shall divulge a few tips on how to live without Lifesteal.

Ever since beta, my Wizard and my Rogue have never had more than 2-3% Lifesteal back when it was a thing. Yes, I have completed as far as Master Spellplague on 2-3% Lifesteal on my Wizard. It IS possible to play these classes without Lifesteal, but you must learn the dance.

First thing first: Know the SIZE of the red patches on the floor. They come in several different flavors: a small pie, a large pie, a line (breath of a dragon).

Second thing: Always keep an eye on WHERE your tank and healer are, and stick close to them. Never ever out run your tank by teleporting into a ball of 20 zombies just to drop that Icy Terrain. A single zombie might not hit you that hard, but when 20 of them all hit you at the same time, you will go down in one collective hit. So WAIT for your tank to charge ahead and establish aggro, WAIT for the ball of adds to form, then walk in to drop that Icy Terrain or Smoke Bomb. In the case of backspawn, kite the adds that are shooting you in the back to your tank, and let your tank attack it to wrest aggro from you.

How to deal with patches of red: If the red is a small pie, WALK out of them, and do not waste your stamina on a string of teleports. If the red is a line such as a breath weapon, walk SIDEWAYS to get out of it, and it should take you no more than 2-3 steps. This is particularly important in Malabog or Valindra's Tower during the "bacon phase," as people often teleport out of one strip of bacon and right into the next strip of bacon. If the red is a large pie, now you teleport/roll, and one teleport/roll will land you just outside of the large pie. Moral of the story: keep walking, and teleport only when you really need to.

When you don't have a tank or a healer with you: ok, this is when side-stepping becomes really useful. Think of yourself as a shark, and the monster as prey. Pick a direction and start side-stepping, and keep side-stepping to direction. Yes, you will start walking in a circle as you cast your spells, but you will notice that the monsters start gathering into a little ball, which is perfect for your AOE spells.

Specifically for wizards: You have loadouts, so use them to their full potential. Thaumaturge is great for clearing groups, while Arcanist packs a real punch on single targets. Be prepared to switch to an appropriate loadout right before a big fight. If you're been playing Thaumaturge, considering trying out Arcanist while you're questing or leveling. You might like it.

So at the end of the day, what keeps you alive is not so much one's reflexes. What will always keep you alive is being cautious, know your basic footwork, and letting your tank help you.

[tornnomar]

As a Rogue main, its never become more important to 'roll' outta the way of the wonderfully deadly red circle/patch on the floor. Gone are the days of being able to 'eat' the attack. Unless you slot ITC, but its stoooooopid long cooldown means its used as a lifesaver only.

[Phelaia]

To all fellow wizard players, this is an illustration of what I was talking about in the post above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4scChOZWrt8

There's no need to bunny hop like that. Walking sideways will suffice. Teleport is for when you really need to get out of dodge.