Why is +40 Skeleton Mastery & +40 Skeletal Mages still weak? Compared to Poison/Bone

[core1000]

Why is +40 Skeleton Mastery & +40 Skeletal Mages still weak? Compared to Poison/Bone ?

1) Why is +40 Skeleton Mastery & +40 Skeletal Mages still weak? Compared to Poison/Bone ?

Skeleton Mastery
passive - increases life and damage
of raised skeletons and revived creatures

Current Skill Level: 40
Skeletons: Life: +320
Skeletons: Damage: +80
Magi: Life: +320
Magi: Improved Missile Damage
Monsters: Life: +200 percent
Monsters: Damage: +400 percent

Raise Skeletal Mage
(Skeleton Mastery has been factored into calc)
cast on the corpse of a slain monster,
this raises a skeleton mage that
fights for you

Current Skill Level: 40
Life: 381
Life: 408 (N)
Life: 443 (H)
Defense: 800
15 skeleton magi
Mana Cost: 47

Below is the table of necromage missile's damage according to the relative skill level listed in the above table. Level 59 in this table corresponds to level 40 Skeleton Mastery and level 40 Raise Skeletal Mage 40+((40-2)/2) = 59.

Relative Skill Level 59
Poison Damage 337
Poison Duration (Sec) 600
Cold Damage 221-224
Cold Duration (Sec)* 59
Fire Damage 391-395
Lightning Damage 59-615

* Note: Freezing is cut 1/2 in Nightmare and 3/4 in Hell.


Poison Nova
(With Level 1 Poison Dagger, Level 20 Poison Explosion as its synergies)
emits an expanding ring of concentrated poison

Current Skill Level: 40
Poison Damage: 3468-3571 over 2 seconds
Mana Cost: 20

[TiredDaemon]

The average damage of fire/ice/lightning is ~280 per blast.
15 mages X 280 damage: 4200 damage.

There are other points you can argue, poison nova can affect more monsters at once. Poison is highly resisted. PN is easier to spam, mages are good for taking damage away from the necromancer, blah blah.. But if you just care about the damage, the damage is comparable.

[core1000]

The average damage of fire/ice/lightning is ~280 per blast.
15 mages X 280 damage: 4200 damage.

There are other points you can argue, poison nova can affect more monsters at once. Poison is highly resisted. PN is easier to spam, mages are good for taking damage away from the necromancer, blah blah.. But if you just care about the damage, the damage is comparable.

How about killing speed?

[Damadreas]

Read title. Nuff said. Stick with the revives/rs :D :D :D Muuuch better. SCREW MAGERS. TEH R DA SUX0R

[Kyo]

Not sure why these comparisons keep cropping up. IMO their 2 different trees and each skill set each has their own pro's and con's.

Your probably right and a pure statistical level PN can probably win on pure damage alone but that because it a direct offensive spell.

Whereas Mages is a minion base skill and it job preferablly is to help out in the damage department by concentration in numbers, they are part of your undead army in protecting you. Therefore the way i think of it. Would i have a great crowd control spell PN or would i have a army behind my back.

Hehe i am bias towards minions due my overlord background but i suppose each has their own weapon of choice.

slvl 40 wow. Is everyone reaching that level so easily, what your secret? :D

[Mad Mantis]

Mages are very good. Skeletons are very good. Poison is very good. All have their ups and downs. The fact that both builds exist should tell you that both are effective.
And besides killing speed there is also something called fun. Most people usually have this item equipped when they make a build. Fun is what matters most. Not supreme effectiveness. We are NOT Zons or Barbs.

IMO these threads are useless.

[Kyo]

Mages are very good. Skeletons are very good. Poison is very good. All have their ups and downs. The fact that both builds exist should tell you that both are effective.
And besides killing speed there is also something called fun. Most people usually have this item equipped when they make a build. Fun is what matters most. Not supreme effectiveness. We are NOT Zons or Barbs.

IMO these threads are useless.

My sentiments exactly.

[memememe173]

and there seems to be alot of them latly...LET'S START LYNCHING!!!!!

[toolthegod]

ok, what about curses? are you useing any? or do you just think your mages will do all the work for you? You got high lvl mastery and mages. I love this kind of build. What lvl are you? are you in hell or nm? Or do you even have a build like this? Are you just looking at some website and doing the math?

*grabs a rope* :creep:

[GenXCub]

Also remember that having your points in Mages and not a level 40 poison nova means that you're not blowing tons of Mana... thereby changing your stats and gear selection to a more frail, casting type build.

[TheKbob]

How dare some one say revived are good... *eye twitches*...

The King of Mages is a build that relies on Mages. It would be a big suggestion that if you are going full Mage only that you get lower res and learn how to use Bone Prison quickly and efficiantly.

As for summon high archy:

Skeletons>Mages>Revived.

Revived = 3 minutes and they won't teleport to stay with you like skeletons do. if you get outside of their "life range" or too far away from them, they die.

~Kbob

[Lithan]

Revives are fun but cannot be trusted. Like teenage girls.

[TheKbob]

Revives are fun but cannot be trusted. Like teenage girls.

:lol: :clap: :thumbsup: :drink:

All for you my friend. All for you!

~Kbob

[Necrochild313]

[Poison Duration (Sec) 600


That just really blows, shame that poison doesn't PMH like it did in 1.09.

Then again, maybe it does, if it does, it'd be freakin awesome. There's speculation over this.

[Kirsty]

if you don't want the poison mages, just unsummon them and summon a new bunch. It takes a bit of time to arrange your summons properly, but it's well worth it, especially to counter resistances and immunities of your monster opponents per area.

[assmuffin]

Mages are very good. Skeletons are very good. Poison is very good. All have their ups and downs. The fact that both builds exist should tell you that both are effective.
And besides killing speed there is also something called fun. Most people usually have this item equipped when they make a build. Fun is what matters most. Not supreme effectiveness. We are NOT Zons or Barbs.

IMO these threads are useless.

Barbs are supremely effective? :D

I don't think Skeletons/Mages were meant to be quick killers. They were never like that and most likely Blizz didn't mean their power boost in 1.10 to make them the best. I made a Overlord for the fun of playing as one (and also lagging the other people in the game), not so I can kill everything in about 10 seconds. People in the game thank me that Baal's minions don't rush up and destroy them. Also, nobody ever said you have to pick one. Go skeletons and poison. Might not be as effective as pure poison, but you won't have trouble with Poison Immunes.