You Must Choose: Sorcerer or Wizard?

By Ralsu

You're playing Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO) and your party has one slot left. Your neighbor plays a cleric (whew!). You found a rogue. Your warrior and another supplies the meat and damage. You just added a barbarian. One slot left. You want a caster. You check the LFG (looking for group social panel) and see a sorcerer and wizard of the same level. What will you do?

The Case for the Sorcerer
Sorcerers are kings of raw damage. When I think of casters, I think of damage. With a higher pool of spell points and faster cast times, that sorcerer will do a lot more for my party. We'll kill faster, which means we'll progress faster. And that means more XP. We won't hit the middle of the dungeon and find that our caster is out of spell points and has to melee feebly or shoot a bow with all of the accuracy of cyclops.

Simply put, sorcerers are faster, more prolific, and more efficient than wizards. I'm picking up the sorcerer from the LFG, and my party will be better for it.

The Case for the Wizard
Wizards are so versatile; they can do almost anything. They can buff (boost the party's capabilities through the use of spells), do crowd control, and even offer some damage. The beauty of wizards is that they are not limited in what they can do. A smart wizard select spells carefully and conserves spell points. While a sorcerer is busy nuking with Ball Lightning and burning through spell points, a wizard can lay down the appropriate crowd control spell and let the heavy hitters do their jobs. Nevermind that a wizard can be slower in casting. A good player will anticipate the needs of his party and get the job done. Once we hit a rest shrine, the wizard can swap spells to fit our needs.

Simply put, wizards are more capable, more useful, and more adaptable than sorcerers. I'm picking up the sorcerer from the LFG, and my party will be better for it.

The Case for Either
A caster is a caster. Sorcerers can do most anything wizards can if they are smart about it. Wands can help a sorcerer get access to more spells. It all comes down to player skill and personality. If the player behind the caster is skilled, either class can get it done.

Simply put, sorcerers and wizards are only as good as the people who play them. I'll take either one so long as the player is skilled.

The Case for Neither
I don't see the need for a "squishy finger-wiggler" in this case. DDO doesn't require a perfect party of archetypes. The role of a caster can be filled by a rogue or bard with a high UMD. Or I can just take another melee character for faster kills without having to worry about a death every time the person takes damage. For that matter, I could take another cleric and have a party of capable fighters with plenty of healing.

Simply put, leave the sorcerer and wizard on LFG. I'll take another class, and my party will be better for it.

---

This week is Week of the Arcane Master at DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer. We've got reviews of 5th level arcane spells, guides to advanced spellcasting tactics, and Custom Builds that focus on the arcane arts. What we want to know is this: If your party has only one slot empty with no casters, do you prefer a wizard or a sorcerer?

VOTE IN OUR POLL! For my last slot in a party without a caster, I want: Sorcerer! A sorcerer's deep pool of spell points means that she can do some heavy damage for the party. Wizard! A wizard's versatility means that he can do more for the party. Either. So long as the player has skill, each class has something to offer. Neither. I'd rather have another melee or healer. VOTE HERE