Maximum Storm

Everyone knows the standard Storm combo. Impact + Storm + MP Charge + Maximizer(?) For endless stormage. Staff for more power, or md for more range.

But ever since the release of Lv150 skills, there's actually a more efficient to storm now. Rather than spending 3sec casting MP Charge, you can spend 3sec casting Magic: Finale (save). Not only will this finish off all of the monsters remaining in your storm, but it'll also lure in all the monsters at the outskirts of the Finale's range. So not only will this Finale add a 7th "tick" to your storm, but it'll also keep your enemies from getting spread out!

Spoiler: Extra Details:

Spoiler: Combo

In order for Finale (save) to actually use 0MP, there has to be at least one skill after it in the combo. The last skill in your combo will automatically cost 1600MP more than usual, so make sure that your last skill never gets activated.

Spoiler: Range

Using md's with Storm or Finale will pretty much halve the damage, but double the radius of effect.
Because Area = πr^2, doubling the radius of your attacks actually quadruples their area of effect. If you use an MD with Finale, it'll hit all enemies within 20m of you.

But that leaves the question... How can you recover 300 or 400 MP per combo without ever using MP Charge?... Well, there are 4 ways you can recover MP without "charging":

Spoiler: Mana Recharge

Not to be confused with MP Charge, Mana Recharge is a Lv1 Support Skill that restores the entire team's MP gradually over time based on the user INT stat. It is the only one of the 4 methods I know of that will single-handedly make you, and your entire team, MP-sustainable.

There are a few downsides though:
1. It costs either 10 skill points, or 3mil gold, to acquire it or its stargem.
2. It will reduce your own personal damage by 20%.
3. You have to recast it every time you get hit, if you get hit. So you'll have to find a way not to get hit.

Spoiler: How not to get hit

It really depends on the enemy. Fast, weak mobs can be insta-killed by Storm (Swift) to keep you safe.
Slow, stronger mobs might make you want to use Storm (Smite).
Really strong enemies might require excessive effort, like Shield Cannon + Impact (cons) + Finale (smite) to stun and take out before getting hit. At that point, your efficiency starts to depreciate.

However, there are several benefits as well:
1. Huge MP restoration
2. MP restoration for the entire team
3. If you spend 10 skill points on Mana Recharge, then Brave Aura only costs 10 more, and it will also increase your entire team's damage by 20%.
4. Pretty colors.

Spoiler: Quickdraw and Decoy

Quickdraw:
Lv10 Quickdraw gives back an average of 50MP per time you use MP. So if you're using MP twice within a 400MP combo, it'll refund you an average of 100MP. Not entirely sustainable, but every little bit helps, I guess.

It costs mages at least 15-20sp. 10sp for Quickdraw, 5sp for its Long Range prerequisite, and possibly even 5sp more for Bow Mastery if you haven't already gotten that for Sneak Attack. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it for mages.


Decoy is the next skill, and only costs 10sp more after Quickdraw. This can help you regain mp via ampr. However, there are a lot of things to consider:
1. Ampr
2. Attack speed
3. Accuracy
4. Not killing the enemy before you start casting Finale

Overall, results may vary.

Spoiler: Sober Analysis

Sober Analysis lets you recover MP automatically during battle. It is based on your natural MP restoration and your max MP. In my personal experience, Lv10 Sober Analysis has only recovered 100MP per combo, and is widely regarded as a useless skill.

Overall, Mana Recharge is the best, because it provides sustainable MP restoration (for the whole team), can be bought for 3mil gold, or provides access to Brave Aura, which every good mage needs anyway.

 

Mana Recharge is horrible for recovering MP, worse than just using AMPR. If you wanna recover MP just use MP charge or attack normally.

If you have problems with MP charge and being vulnerable, you can use this combo:

Magic Wall > Sanctuary (Save) > Impact (Smite)

This would create a safe area to recharge MP for you and friends

 

Appreatiate your afford, just want to update your something

1. With maximize, storm user need no cast maximize everytime releases storm. Example with 20mp, a storm or storm combo(impact>storm) cost only 4mp, thus you can continue cast 4 storm and cast mana charge with maximize only after fifth storm. But none will do this as well because storm will have about 2-3 second effect, of cast storm immediate after storm, the previous storm remove.

2. There is diffrerent between storms combo and finale, storm combo is Damage first then only come with 3 second cast but finale is 3 second cast then only damage, storm combo is rarely get interrupt unless the mobs too close or the impact can’t kill the mob near you. But finale will lure the mob first when casting, within 3 second basically all the mob able to reach you or cast interruption skill to you, and if you fail to kill the mob with finale, it’s difficult for you to cast second finale. So its a risk to use finale mob farming unless you have a great teamwork party or a high damage merc to cover.

3. Finale damage calculation is different, the circle outside damage is lower compare to the middle one, in the condition of SAVE which 20% damage only, it’s difficult to kill
The mob unless is low level
Mob. But for now except Cassy, old farming spot no longer satisfy the production class anymore.

 

The point of the Finale is not to kill, it is to lure. Your storm can't kill anything if the enemies get too spread out Md finale brings in all the enemies so you can kill the entire map with your next storm.

 

Honestly speaking, your saved finale will probably still kill all mobs (if you dont get flinched). The next part of your combo will not cast if the prime target has been killed.

 

OIC, but please remember some mob have long range skill, they may cast their skill first before you did.