Warhammer Online Class Guide: Archmage RvR Abilities, Tactics and Morales

While an archmage can be played in many different ways, and each mastery has very specific skills that benefit it, there are a few abilities and tactics that you will want to at least be comfortable using no matter what. Perhaps your most useful skill, no matter what you choose, is Blessing of Isha (20). This powerful heal will restore a significant portion of your allies' health. Whether you play as a healer or a damage dealer, you will want to find ways to work this in periodically, as it is your most useful heal. Make sure you have Dissapating Hatred (7) and Walk Between Worlds (12) readily available to detaunt encroaching enemies. Shield of Saphery (14) and Cleansing Light (16) are unique abilities that you should be ready to use, even if you have not put mastery points in Isha.

For the first 20 levels as an Archmage, your most important abilities will be Healing Energy (1) and Lambent Aura (3). Use Boon of Hysh when necessary, but it is a slow cast and easily set back, so you will want to use your first two heals more often, as they leave you less exposed. Your first mastery ability, Balance Essence (Path of Isha:5) is very useful if you plan to play as a hybrid, otherwise, it is worth taking only if you do not need the mastery points. Funnel Essence (Path of Isha: 9) on the other hand, is an amazingly powerful ability, especially for a healing-focused Archmage, and should picked up in most, if not all Isha mastery builds. Magical Infusion (Path of Isha: 13) is a contentious ability, and not all Archmages believe it stands up as the x13 ability. Pick it up if you need the extra healing, and skip it if you don't.

The Path of Asuryan is all about dishing out damage, and that makes picking abilities fairly straightforward. Radiant Lance (1), Law of Conductivity (2) and Searing Touch (5) are all great mainstays, and are good at building up Force so that you can unleash a quick Blessing of Isha when necessary. All of Asuryan's mastery abilities are useful. Fury of Asuryan (Path of Asuryan: 5) is useful, but if you don't take it, you can easily make up the difference with non-mastery spells. Feel the Winds (Path of Asuryan: 9) seems lke it would fit better in Vaul, but it is well worth taking, as the spirit debuff makes your spells do significantly more damage. Finally, Cleansing Flare (Path of Asuryan: 13) is a little weakened by its long cast time, but it is still a powerful skill and well worth taking if you go this far into Asuryan.

The path of Vaul is all about debuffs and weakening your opponents, and some of its skills are better than others for this end. Early on, you will use the same things that the other masteries do, depending on what your play style is. Make sure you make good use of Radiant Gaze (4) however, as it debuffs your enemies' damage a good amount. Once you get Rain Lord(18) move it to an easily accessible slot and use it often. The same goes for Law of Gold (35) which you should use as often as possible to shut down enemy casters. In terms of mastery skills, Scatter the WInds (Path of Vaul: 5) is useful if you are focused largely on nuking, otherwise it is only somewhat useful in slowing down enemy healers. Law of Age (Path of Vaul: 9) however, is fantastic, and should be picked up and used as often as possible, as it increases the damage of your entire team. This goes double for Mistress of the Marsh (Path of Vaul: 13) which is terrific for slowing down enemies and defending keeps.

While RvR tactics, like all your choices in the game, will depend on what mastery you choose, there are a few you should consider no matter what path you take. Empowered Lores (15) is useful no matter what your build, especially if you have focused upon crit, and Discipline (19) is useful if you intend to do any healing at all (and once the changes go through, it will increase your DPS as well). Isha's Encouragement (21) likewise is useful no matter what path you take. For those following the path of Asuryan, Divine Fury (13) is a must as is Master of Force (33). For those following Isha, Balanced Mending (Path of Isha: 3), Master of Tranquility (27) and Desperation (39) are fantastic tactics to take. For the Path of Vaul, your options are open, based on how you play your Archmage, but the tactics in the mastery itself are most useful.

For your rank one morale, Divine Favor is perhaps the most useful all around, though you may consider using Isha's Ward from time to time. For your rank 2 morale, you are not given many good choices, as Rampaging Siphon requires you to move in close, and Blinding Light is somewhat lackluster. Rampaging Siphon is probably your best bet, as it can turn the tide of a battle if used correctly. For your rank 3 morale, Divine Protection is unbeatable, and for your rank 4 morale, unless you have taken the morale at the top of the mastery tree, Alter Fate is fantastic.