Come back to UO - Any template advice for PVE?

[Brookex3]

I am coming back after a long break from UO. I am searching for a fun template to just go out and kill things to make gold. Any good template idea? I don't mind if its a mage or melee. I like them both. I just want something that I won't struggle to much with. Thank you in advance

 

[Basara]

The way loot is now, it's easy to build a high resists suit with LMC, LRC, SDI and mana regen.

So, one fun farming template would be

Magery
Mysticism
Spellweaving
Eval
Inscription
Focus (not only mana regen, but acts like Eval for Mysticism)
Med Or Resist*

*As you scroll up the other skills, take the points from this last skill.

Some things, especially skills you aren't using the mastery for, can be on jewelry or other items (several +15 magery event spellbooks are out there, as you won't be able to immediately afford the 25-30 SDI slayers or 40-50% SDI non-slayer books from September 2017's event - there are also crafted spellbooks that can have +10 or better in 1-3 casting skills, plus any additional bonuses if a Scrapper's Compendium). One goal would be a 2016 Halloween's Katakotl's Ring, or its weak sister the Crystalline Ring from Prism of Light.

My caster with this template is 100 Inscription, 120x5, and 60 points in Med, from using a +10 Focus talisman, and having +20 Mysticism and +10 Med (and a wasted +10 Resist) on a Katakotl's ring (the ring, allows the casting skill to be chosen, but is fixed after the choice). You can do something similar with a Crystalline Ring (but the skills are Magery and Focus). My total suit, mostly cheap artifacts, loot that anyone can get, and a couple of reforged or imbued items, is overcapped on INT Bonus, LRC & LMC, all 70s resists even if I cast Protection, +16 Mana Increase, FC 2/FCR 4, 68-98% SDI (depending on book equipped), 27 or 28 Mana Regen, and about 10 HP Regen. Half the suit still pre-dates Stygian Abyss, so are fairly low items in comparison to current loot. Oh, and this suit has ZERO resists in the neck slot, from using a pendant of the magi.

Once you find out about masteries, the Skill Mastery you want for the template is Spellweaving.

 

[Brookex3]

Basara - What is the inscription for? What is it buffing on the template? I really appreciate the feedback

 

[Basara]

Inscription adds a +10% damage bonus to most damaging spells, and reduces the penalties from the spells Reactive Armor, Protection, and Magic Reflect.

As an example: with a water elemental slayer Scrappers compendium, (which puts me around 70 SDI, plus the bonuses for inscription and the slayer), I can use a single chain lightning to kill 7-8 water elementals with one spell. Without inscription, I can only kill about 5-6.

Anything to boost spell damage is a good idea, unless the target somehow reflects said damage. Plus, to make spell books with bonus properties, it requires having the casting skill (and its supporting skills as well) over 100 - preferably 120. That's most easily done when the Inscription is on your primary caster. You should never have inscription on a character that isn't your most proficient mage.