Sorceress – Charging the Sceptre of Domination
The primary weapon of the Sorceress, the Sceptre of Domination, has three versions to the basic attack. Clicking will provide a single target, high-speed but low damage attack. Holding the mouse down for a little less than a second will increase the damage of the spell but retain the single-target aspect. Holding down for a little longer charges the weapon completely and releases a high-damage, area-of-effect (aoe) exploding force that can knock back smaller enemies. Here is an in-depth look at when each of those attacks is appropriate.
Fully charged attack
When facing a large wave of walking enemies, the fully charged attack is almost always the best choice. With good timing, the damage output from repeated fully charged attacks is easily comparable to that of the high-speed basic attack. The fully charged version just adds the area damage on impact. I open just about every wave with several of these shots before I start varying my approach. One enemy which seems greatly affected by the full charge is Elementals (Earth Lords, etc.). These creatures are more susceptible to the exploding damage than others.
There are times, however, when this attack will not be as effective. First of all, it’s easily blocked by teammates, decoys, guardians, and mine carts. The other two attacks take less time to cast, so if they’re blocked it’s not costing as much time, and are obviously the better choice if stationed in the rear. Secondly, if the charged attack misses, it is a full second or more of wasted time with no damage. I rarely use a charged attack on single small targets, and almost never use it for flying creatures.
Half-charged attack
With good timing, the half-charged attack can increase your single target damage against many enemies. It is important to release the attack immediately upon reaching the half-charge in order to set up the next attack, not waste time, and to maximize damage output. I use a half-charged attack against Trolls, Ogres and heavy single targets (aside from Elementals).
This attack is the least effective against large waves. Even if you’re killing enemies, it is possible that you are doing more damage than necessary for a specific target, meaning one of the other options could have been much more effective. I use this attack infrequently and only for specific purposes.
Basic attack (no charge)
The basic attack has multiple roles. First, I use it against kobold sappers and runners, which are fast, small enemies, and on any flying enemies as well. Using basic attacks without charge reduces the time wasted if an attack misses. Spraying a barrage of smaller attacks at these targets ensures success as most of them die in one or two hits anyway. The second use for this attack is to provide damage when I’m busy focusing on other things. Sometimes I am making decisions of what to build, who to attack, where to be, or anything else, and I don’t want to focus on landing charged attacks, so I fast-click attack in the general direction of enemies in order to keep my damage going.
It is important to note that basic attacks are all but worthless against many of the giant enemies. Never use it against Earth Lords, Mountain Trolls, or Mr. Moneybags. Even if these creatures are nearly dead, basic attacks barely affect their health bar.
It’s likely that, by now, you’ve already developed your own attack strategy and weapon use. But for those who haven’t, or are looking for something to potentially increase their damage output, these techniques could be just what you need. This is Noisy Cricket, off to go kill some orcs.
Basic attack –> on shielded mobs, removing shields by spamming your basic attack makes the entire wave A LOT easier to be killed with traps.
Also half charged attack takes care of a lot of air units and is most likely the best way to kill bigger air units. The smallest air units should be killed by barrage 😉
Lastly, emphasize, the knock-back of the fully charged attack is huge!
P.S. you didn’t discuss the upgrades/charm ability 😉
Good points, I still prefer the basic attack for all flying things, ’cause I tend to shoot at them from a LONG ways away and it’s easy to miss. Just a preference thing I guess.
I completely forgot to put the knock-back in there, and it really is a big part of the attack. Thank you for adding that!
I didn’t address the charm and upgrades ’cause I was writing more about the charge itself, and less about the entire weapon dynamic. It’s obviously a huge part of it, just not for this article. 🙂
Thanks again for the input!