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Post by scorcherofthorns on Oct 3, 2011 22:10:10 GMT -5
Despite getting my butt handled many times in numerous attents that all ended up with a deleted Glacier, I was so insulted by my failure to play this archetype that I came back with yet another Glacier who I now managed to get out of the tutorial zone!
Believe me that counts as an acomplishment!
As I expressed in previous posts, the problem I have with it is that it's a tank that attack from distance, and while that is a tactical advantage of an immense proportion, it feels (to me at least) it murders the very concept of a tank.
Yet driven by pure ego, I lunch myself once again into the business of playing one and I can tell you that no archetype, character class, or anything else, I have played before has defeated me so often as this AT.
The low level Glacier does very little damage and have no defenses, so I die again and again, so this time, I'm hooking him up with a vampire, a Djinn, and a Werewolf device until he is at least level 20, now is that cheating? Taking into consideration that I'm playing it so that I can combince myself that I can and I'm turning into devices.
Maybe that is a little cheating, but hell, maybe I wouldn't have played the other ATs if I wouldn't have done the same thing to them, so maybe it's not the Glacier that's kicking my butt but CO, in any event, I don't take the "I can't play it" thingy because it hurts my morale, yeah, I know, I'm quite a character.
But the thruth is this time is a final, and that Glacier it's going all the way to 40, and you either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way, but nothing and no one is going to stop me, no force on earth will, If the Grim Reaper comes to visit me, he's gonna have to wait till I'm 40!
Sorry about that guys I got inspired, but the point is, Glacier, HERE I COME!
Yours trully
Scorcher
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Post by not1stepbackwards on Oct 3, 2011 23:15:57 GMT -5
Go to Canada 1st to level up after the tutorial. The Glacier does suffer from low DPS at 1st.
At level 8 you get Invulnerability and from then on you'll only die if you do really hard things, like Serpent Lantern on Elite solo. I died twice soloing Resistance Elite and I remember getting scream-at-the-screen mad because dying happened so rarely at that point.
But save your Advantage points for Level 11. Get Snowstorm, Eye of the Storm, Rank 2. That'll serve you well until level 40. But you face a new problem...the game gets so easy you might find it boring.
After that, you up your Invulnerability and get Frost Bite advantage and...you know what, it doesn't even metter after. Just put its Superstats Con and End. I mention this because I know you're used to playing other classes where you needed to really mix SS with Con and Int and fancy things. The Glacier is easy, no need to overthink it.
I also think Glacier is a great base class for many of the transformation devices, so you'll probably end up using those more, now that you mention it.
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Post by maverickhunterx on Oct 3, 2011 23:19:03 GMT -5
Glaciers aren't all that bad. It's quite amusing that during impossible boss fights glaciers are the ones who are the last ones standing, outlasting even the freeforms. After seeing some of my friends try out other archetypes the glacier seems to be the tankiest of all tanker archetypes. The key into being a good glacier is to block, block, and block. If a glacier is unable to block, he's screwed. That is why I hate Crippling Challenge if I'm on the receiving end of it.
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Post by stratosphere on Oct 4, 2011 3:27:39 GMT -5
Glaciers aren't all that bad. It's quite amusing that during impossible boss fights glaciers are the ones who are the last ones standing, outlasting even the freeforms. After seeing some of my friends try out other archetypes the glacier seems to be the tankiest of all tanker archetypes. The key into being a good glacier is to block, block, and block. If a glacier is unable to block, he's screwed. That is why I hate Crippling Challenge if I'm on the receiving end of it. Absolutely agree with this! Glacier was my 1st character and very survivable. It just takes a different mindset to play one. I call it "slow and steady". You never will get great dps, but snowstorm and avalanche will clear most any room. Launch snowstorm then turtle up and watch them (slowly but surely) die. I am able to stand up to anything that doesn't have crippling challenge. I frequently end up in standoffs with the bloodmoon fallen heroes because they can't hurt me unless I drop blocking, but I can't hurt them while blocking. If you are a dps'r and used to killing 1 thing in 1 second, get over that with a Glacier, you will kill 5 or more in 5 seconds instead! Same result, different path.
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Post by Zydrate on Oct 4, 2011 9:59:31 GMT -5
I got Frost Breath rather than snowstorm. Is that bad? I just felt a Cone attack was easier to handle than Sphere.
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Post by not1stepbackwards on Oct 4, 2011 13:41:26 GMT -5
The other thing about Blocking is that it IS the energy builder for this Protector role AT, plus with the Ice Shield advantage, you actually get the Frost and Ice Cage effects on enemies. That's the great thing about the Glacier...it turns defense into offense with a Block that charges up your energy meter and freezes them, allowing you to prepare a big counter-attack. The Glacier's so well put together as a Tank. I got Frost Breath rather than snowstorm. Is that bad? I just felt a Cone attack was easier to handle than Sphere. I started out with Frost Breath, swayed by Poochie's Glacier guide's articulate argument, but I found Snowstorm works out much, much better in my experience, which is mostly solo PvE. But you must get the Eye of the Storm advantage. The long range and huge AoE of Snowstorm just applies constant damage, which seems to add up more than Frost Breath. You start noticing this when facing higher level enemies that smartly spread out more than the early Purple Gangers who just rush you (so your Frost Breath works just as well). There's an argument to be made for Frost Breath able to get the Crippling Strikes advantage for better Aggro. I can see that, but IMHO the only times I need to purposefully draw Aggro is when dealing with a major boss, who usually end up alone, and for such solo targets I use Ice Blast with Crippling Challenge, which is better. So net-net, Snowstorm with Eye of the Storm and Rank 2.
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Post by scorcherofthorns on Oct 4, 2011 21:06:55 GMT -5
Go to Canada 1st to level up after the tutorial. The Glacier does suffer from low DPS at 1st. At level 8 you get Invulnerability and from then on you'll only die if you do really hard things, like Serpent Lantern on Elite solo. I died twice soloing Resistance Elite and I remember getting scream-at-the-screen mad because dying happened so rarely at that point. But save your Advantage points for Level 11. Get Snowstorm, Eye of the Storm, Rank 2. That'll serve you well until level 40. But you face a new problem...the game gets so easy you might find it boring. After that, you up your Invulnerability and get Frost Bite advantage and...you know what, it doesn't even metter after. Just put its Superstats Con and End. I mention this because I know you're used to playing other classes where you needed to really mix SS with Con and Int and fancy things. The Glacier is easy, no need to overthink it. I also think Glacier is a great base class for many of the transformation devices, so you'll probably end up using those more, now that you mention it. Gonna give it a go tonight following that advice to the letter. Thanks
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Post by Malchiel on Oct 5, 2011 1:08:10 GMT -5
Actually, Frost breath becomes substantially better once you have shatter. It provides Glacier with a 100% energy return mechanic. You chill with Frost Breath and spam Shatter till everything is dead, or unchilled.
Your post suprises me, because Glacier is probably the easiest archetype to play, unless you never hit the block button. I got mine to lvl 40 basically just holding 4, then shift, rinse and repeat.
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Post by not1stepbackwards on Oct 5, 2011 2:31:05 GMT -5
I got mine to lvl 40 basically just holding 4, then shift, rinse and repeat. This, where 4 is Snowstorm and Shift is Block. You just maintain your huge AoE, then Block to regain energy, then repeat. It doesn't really apply to cases where you try to solo the Serpent Lantern bosses or Necrull (he seems to regenerate faster than you can take him down), on Elite, but the rest of the time it works. Your post suprises me, because Glacier is probably the easiest archetype to play, unless you never hit the block button. I made a new Glacier for PvP just now and I see where Scorcher came from. He's used to more aggressive characters that launch a big 1st strike, then using the energy builder to regain energy, then finishing off with another huge attack. So I was going in with the mindset of my Void and my Inferno, and I actually had to remind myself, "This is a Glacier...just block now." As soon as I got back into that groove, it was the good ol' days all over again.
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Post by williamgeorge on Oct 6, 2011 0:38:14 GMT -5
I got mine to lvl 40 basically just holding 4, then shift, rinse and repeat. This sounds like truely exciting game play! This is one of those ATs like the Behemoth that I like the idea of, and can think if a lot of backstory for. But I never take too far as my alt because of the slowness and limited options as far as practical attacks go. I want my mob killer move early, dammit!
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