Orb of Fire - Best Approach?

[Flyingaxe]

Orb of Fire seems to be one of the most difficult monsters in Zot, particularly for summoners. It seems to chew through anything I throw at it.

1. Whats the best approach for dealing with them in general?
2. For summoners, what's the best attack?

[greepish]

General approach: Haste, use god tricks.

For summoners: Moar summons xD Shadow creatures gets pretty rediculous in zot, and large abominations are always good, don't worry about the int loss at all. Also, what's your god?

[Blade]

For summoners, the best low-level orb of fire containment spell is Shadow Creatures. The best one period is Summon Dragon with renewable MP; just get a constant herd up around you and you're nigh-invulnerable.

[TwilightPhoenix]

Shadow Creatures can get you Orbs of Fire to fight against Orbs of Fire.

If you manage to catch one asleep, stabbing works for stabby characters.

For Conjurers, blasting it with the strongest spell(s) you have is the best option. For example, my recent caster could 2-3 shot them by throwing Orb of Destruction and then spamming Ice Storm as the Orb hit the Orb.

For ranged attackers, use Silver ammo.

For melee, load up the fire resist and mutation resistance and go to town.

For everyone, running always works.

[Flyingaxe]

General approach: Haste, use god tricks.

For summoners: Moar summons xD Shadow creatures gets pretty rediculous in zot, and large abominations are always good, don't worry about the int loss at all. Also, what's your god?

I'm playing a MuWz with Sif Muna as God. I have Shadow Creatures, but unless I get a Dragon or Draconian, they get killed just as easily as all the Haunt summons. For everything else in Zot, so far at least, I can keep casting Haunt to keep the monsters at the edge of LOS and then regenerate and cast Shadow Creatures until I get something good, then I let the Haunt summons die and send in the Dragon or Draconian. But the Orb of Fire will clear the Haunt summons out of the way in the same turn I cast them. I forgot to Haste at the first one I fought, so I'll have to try it next time.

For summoners, the best low-level orb of fire containment spell is Shadow Creatures. The best one period is Summon Dragon with renewable MP; just get a constant herd up around you and you're nigh-invulnerable.

I just checked and Summon Dragon is at Terrible with the Staff of Wizardry, might be a little better with a ring, but probably not realistic. Summonings is at 13 I think.

[greepish]

Haste is everything. More summon spamming, more channel spamming, more survival. You really need that for orbs of fire.

[mageykun]

Silver ammo doesn't sear OoFs anymore.

Pulling them them one by one, then hasting (and laying on any other relevant buffs) and laying in full mele or full auto ranged works, but can be slow and requires weathering fireballs and mutations. Basically, don't hold back. These things are what you've been saving your expensive abilities for, or that lucky wand of haste.

There's also the technique of teleport roulette- where you try to bypass the orbs of fire and go strait for the orb. Stack up on any stealth boosters and resists you can, pile on all the defensive buffs you can, go invisible... and then teleport. Keep teleporting till you get close enough to dash for, apport, scoop up and/or cut through to the orb. Then bail. It certainly has it's risks, but there are people who do it.

[evilmike]

Silver ammo doesn't sear OoFs anymore.

It does.

[pratamawirya]

Silver ammo doesn't sear OoFs anymore.

No, they still do. Fire Orbs are chaotic, and silver ammo still deal extra damage to chaotic creatures.

[mageykun]

*wizmode testing*

I am blessedly misinformed. Whoo! Silver rawks. I don't know if the change got reverted, or if someone just lied to me at some point, but I'm happy to have that option back on the table.

[TehDruid]

Fight fire with fire! Only don't.

Have an amulet of res. mutation or else you're bound to have some horrible mutations to put up with (like slowness, rapid deterioration, berserkitis 2-3) for the Orb run, in case you don't have cure mutation pots, if you're going for it. By the way, even with an amulet of res. mutation you still have some pretty good chances of obtaining 2-3 mutations if you're a bit unlucky. And of course, try and never pull more than one of these or an ancient lich with it.

On another note, moths of wrath are not to be underestimated. Berserking Tiamat and some members of her pack of Draconians in Zot:4 isn't cool I'm telling you.

[sir_laser]

How's your other skills? Care to put up a dump?

[Kate]

*wizmode testing*

I am blessedly misinformed. Whoo! Silver rawks. I don't know if the change got reverted, or if someone just lied to me at some point, but I'm happy to have that option back on the table.

The recent(ish) silver changes were to reduce the damage bonus a bit, and make it not deal bonus damage to corporeal undead (it affected liches and zombies and skeletons etc, but not ghosts and shadows and wraiths etc) - it's always affected chaotic creatures.

[AtT]

Just show him your orbs and while he's distracted spam the pants off shadow creatures.

[tormodpwns]

Honestly for melee characters, with rF+++ and rMut (not hard to find, even if you have to swap for vanilla rings of fire/protection from fire), orbs are the smallest threat in Zot. Sure it takes a while to kill them but you'll probably take no more than 40 damage meanwhile, and maybe one mutation if you're really unlucky.

[mageykun]

Best way to deal with an Orb of Fire: lure it back up the stairs out of Crawl and back into Nethack.

Just think of it! Fire resistance is easily attained, permanent, and obscenely effective. Mutations would be treated as a polymorph- which can be completely blocked, or controlled, with a single piece of jewelry. 20 AC is a bad thing- worse than a starting adventurer. And you could sear the bageebus out of it with a silver sabre. Or heck, dual wielding silver sabres!

Seriously, I've had dreams about this. Those relentless, pulsing orbs of flaming stubborn malice inspire a lot of hatred and a deep urge for vengeance.

[Stormfox]

Or if you're masochistic, lure it into ADOM, where there's no such thing as a "good" mutation. For bonus points, play a drakeling in one of the old versions with the speed overflow bug.

[o_O]

Just be hasted and toss some conjurations at it, freezing cloud and basic foobolt spells are 100% zot rated if you can cast them at reasonably high power.