do you guys use staves?

[Adam]

Staff of the magi and healing are also very good, but that's probably obvious. Especially with the never failing recharge scrolls.
Staves do not make you gorged so CLW staff can be more useful than potions.

[Pete Mack]

Staffs: Teleport self I use until dl 50 or so. Banishment is fantastic. Speed is critical for most clssses--and hoard speed pots for the final fights. Beyond that... not much.
Wands: just about any low level attack wand; replacing with better when they become available. Wand of TO is hugely powerful, especially when backed by escape scrolls. Stunning.

[Sphara]

Depending on a character ofc, I use them a lot.

Wands: I carry any attack wand at some point, gradually dropping them if in need of inventory space. TOP TIER: Annihilations, TO, Stone-to-Mud, Drain Life, ball-wands.

Rods: If I do not have a spell counterpart, I carry some of these to the very end. Like TO, Detection, TreasureDetection, Mapping rods. I try to minimize turn count, so Healing, Speed and Restoration have too long time to charge for me to use them. If my inventory starts to get full, attack rods are usually first to go. Curing rod usually gets ditched around DL50, depending on resistances.

Staves: I DO carry these. To to point I get encumbered. Tele, Map, CLW early. Banishment, Holiness, Destruction staves are items, I basically ALWAYS make room in inventory for. Especially if I have plenty of means to recharge. Staff of Power depends on char ofc.

EDIT
@Sky: Maybe I misunderstood, but sudden early Drain Life wand does break the game in means of dealing damage, as long as it stays intact There aren't bad undead/demon uniques within the early game. Remind me if I forgot something.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Depends on class, situation, equipment found, depth, etc., etc., etc. So, yes, my @s use staves as I find appropriate.

[Monkey Face]

I tend to use staves of mapping until I get a better source of dungeon mapping (Star, Clairvoyance, etc.). Having a mapped dungeon can help you find the nearest exit and/or the best way to get away from/avoid something.

[Darin]

I tend to be pretty much a no-selling packrat, so I use devices, scrolls, etc. as I find them, even if I *could* use a spell to do the same just because I can save spell points (waste not, want not). But for certain classes, the devices are the only form of detection/mapping until one finds badass egos/artifacts to do the same.

Specifically, I find that Slow works pretty reliably (wand or rod). The damage attack devices I use at range, but my expectations for all of them tend to be low.

As for staves, they are indispensable in the early game for most classes. Early on I never find enough scrolls to light/map/detect stuff, and not every class can do that at all. I even use that minor healing staff if I find it early enough. And the best thing about the Staff of Teleportation is that it is in the store; I can never find enough scrolls in the dungeon/Black Market.

[mrfy]

i normally carry TO until far late into the game, but other than that it's just drain life and Annihilation.
Dragon breath is useless; by the time it shows up, it's just a waste of an action.

Depends on the character class, but I usually carry wands of TO and Slow Monster (works well with the 4.2.x version against uniques and high-level monsters.

2. i use a few rods. Slow, Healing (if i am grinding really hard and i wind up having a half dozen), Detection/Treasure if i dont have the spell, TO, restoration if im really desperate for sustains, although it doesnt really work for the morgoth fight. Magic Map is great if you dont have the spell (priest / paladin), but then again most artifact lights will do this anyway. Playing randarts, Arkenstones and Stars are plentiful.

I prefer wands of Slow Monster to rods. Can recharge as needed and no time waiting for the rod to recharge. Same with TO. Sometimes you need to TO multiple enemies.

I carry Rods of Detection, Light (early on until the mid-game for use against light-sensitive undead and to light up long hallways), Recall.

3. staves are absolutely useless.
My top 3 staves are:
summoning (good for calling uniques at low depth)
banishment
power

all the other attack staves (such as Slow) tend to wake huge swathes of mobs which is not a good idea. They affect very few uniquest or even bigger mobs, and even then they have limited effect. The best thing about Teleportation is that you can sell it, when otherwise a scroll is far better - never fails, cannot be drained, weights less.

Your assertion that all attack staves such as Slow Monster wake mobs is false, to my knowledge.

I disagree that staves are absolutely useless. I usually carry teleportation, unless I can get a 0% fail spell that does similar. Scrolls can't be read when confused or blinded btw.

Banishment, Power, Holiness can be useful. I don't like Destruction or *Destruction* due to the damage it causes to items in the dungeon. I'd rather kill the monsters and get their drops.

At the moment my Blackguard is also carrying Rods of Cold Balls, due to the damage they can do to 'M's and others who are susceptible to cold attacks. I'll carry similar devices if they help cover a hole in my arsenal.

[Sky]

clickbait-ey thread title but really, i hardly ever use devices. Allow me to explain.

1. if i get a OOD wand way too early, i'll hoard it and use it against something annoying like smeagol or wormtongue (if i have no speed) or one of the uruk uniques. Sure, Drain Life is great against those guys, but it's not a game changer against anything else.
i normally carry TO until far late into the game, but other than that it's just drain life and Annihilation.
Dragon breath is useless; by the time it shows up, it's just a waste of an action.

2. i use a few rods. Slow, Healing (if i am grinding really hard and i wind up having a half dozen), Detection/Treasure if i dont have the spell, TO, restoration if im really desperate for sustains, although it doesnt really work for the morgoth fight. Magic Map is great if you dont have the spell (priest / paladin), but then again most artifact lights will do this anyway. Playing randarts, Arkenstones and Stars are plentiful.

3. staves are absolutely useless.
My top 3 staves are:
summoning (good for calling uniques at low depth)
banishment
power

all the other attack staves (such as Slow) tend to wake huge swathes of mobs which is not a good idea. They affect very few uniquest or even bigger mobs, and even then they have limited effect. The best thing about Teleportation is that you can sell it, when otherwise a scroll is far better - never fails, cannot be drained, weights less.


i want to hear from the devices aficionados as to what they do with their wands/rods/staves. Do YOU carry a dozen rods of frost bolts to kill hydras?

I understand that this is because i maximize the hurt of my characters, while someone who prefers stealth may need a different approach.
Discuss.