IW vs Pyro

[Zamurph]

gavent played since pre-awakening, and haven't played a Sorc since 40 cap or so, which one is more valued post awakening? Are IWs still just Ice Stack slaves or do they actually deal damage now?

[Fabulous]

Since ice stacking is now a premium debuff, IW are taken in raids mainly for their ability to maintain an almost permanent ice layer (+20% damage amplification). Their damage is good; according to some sources, they're classified as tier 1.5 DPS on foreign servers. In addition, IW is valuable in phase 1 of IDN for their ability to disable the Punishers. Pyros are designed to have more damage because they don't have this supportive capability. I hope that as teams finish up their gear and become less dependent on composition, we'll start to see more Pyro and IW taken together, since they occupy two different roles.

[Axxon]

Here Some pros and Cons if it can help you or others (those are from Pyro point of View)

Pyromancer PROS :

- Very High Burst Damage
- The new ''filler spell'' between Burst Combo is probably the most damaging skill of her kit : Hot rod (Depends how much the boss moves and how big the DPS window is)
- Better Defense than most classes (+40% Damage reduction with 10 seconds downtime).
- Top tier DPS with the potential of being best DPS among sorceresses
- BOOM

Pyromancer CONS :

- Have to be melee for almost all of her spells to do the best damage
- Easy to Learn, but quite repetitive Combo
- High-Risk High-Reward gameplay (even at just 152k dmg, I see it when I'M the one making the lifebar go down)
- Very Long Cast Times compared to other Sorcs imo.

Ice Witch PROS :

- Got a permanent +20% Dmg that stacks with EVERY DEBUFF to compensate for her lower Dmg
- No Real Combo, ''Small set-up then cast anythin you like'' gameplay
- Tankiest Sorc and more than above average tankyness among all classes, making it an easy Class to pick up for new players (Ice barrier, +40% Elemental shield, +10% Reduction at lvl 90)
- Pretty Spell Effects and lots of Ice breaking sound.
- Constant Damage, it never stops
- Very low Cast times except for one Spell.

Ice Witch CONS :

- No Real burst damage, you will never see high numbers of damage like the other Sorcs due to how their kit works.
- Not Recommended for low Spec PC, ice effects are heavy and lower FPS if your PC is low spec.
- About no mobility at all and requires timing as a moving boss will lower your DPS alot.
- Requires more gearing and more work than other classes to see Decent Results but Ice Stack = Always Welcomed in parties even if undergeared a bit.

[Zamurph]

Thank you for the feedback! Still having a little trouble deciding. But I'm glad to see that Pyros aren't frowned upon anymore and that Ice Witches aren't used as nothing more than a buff.

[Shuupuff]

LOL back in the pyro shaming days tsktsk #pyromadtetrace