I can't do a pure mage build :(

I wanted it to have 50 Int, lots of Att for CSS, GSA and CHSM. But I'm frustrated because of the 45 Dex casting speed cap. If it doesn't have 45 Dex then it's considered a slow mage. What can I do???

First off there is no need for 50 int. All you need is 44 the only benefit of 50 is a bit more DMG and White Dragon Breath. And WDB sucks imo.

Also casting speed starts to improve at 30 you do not need 45, it just reachs max casting speed at 45. I run a pure mage build that only has 40 dex and it works well. The difference between 30 and 45 is only about a 1 second increase in cast time for most spells. So just make sure you stand furter away to cast to account for your slower cast times.

Also if you posted your build i'm sure people more experienced than I could give you some good pointers.

what about this http://tinyurl.com/89usyzg

It's not done yet, but I wanted at least 50 Vit and 44 Int (50). Minimum stats for an Enchanted weapon and a Moonlight Greatsword or Horn.

That could work, but with 45 Dex I would use a buffed high Dex scaling weapon. Bandit Knife looks good I still haven't tried it. 6 Att slots are fine for me.

WyrmHero wrote:It's not done yet, but I wanted at least 50 Vit and 44 Int (50). Minimum stats for an Enchanted weapon and a Moonlight Greatsword or Horn.

so you want a spellsword? what about this? http://tinyurl.com/7rt4oro

Ya, I use an Iato om my build due to the high amount of DEX, that I buff with CMW. I also use the MLGS, the horn and velka's rapier. And I use a back-up claymore. But mine is more of a warrior mage.

I'm at work or I would show you my build and stupid work has everything blocked....

If I remember I have the min STR requirement for all the weapons.

So should be 34 VIT, 19 ATT, 30 END, 16 STR, 40 Dex, 44 INT. and added the RoFoP for the extra END and VIT benefits. you still end up with over 1400 HP for a lower vit 120 Build. 50 VIT with out the RoFoP is only 1500 HP. Again this is a warrior mage so I combine Melee with Spells. If you want a pure build i would drop END for more ATT. As it costs you no stamina to cast, you just need to be able to roll away.

Did someone say Pure Mage?

http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?c=3945490322483641

Yeah, sacrifice some VIT, Wyrm... 50 is a "nice to have", but it's not necessary for a pure caster...

Well, this is your problem:

WyrmHero wrote:and a Moonlight Greatsword or Horn.

Pure mage = no melee. Especially not the heavy MLGS. My pure caster has Velka's Rapier as backup, but never needs it, because she has plenty of attunment. A last-resort melee weapon isn't a bad idea, but make it something light and that has little stats requirements. Like a Bandit's Knife, or a Rapier (Velka's!).

Also, I wouldn't recommend CMW. Even though you'll have a lot of Vit, you likely won't have any poise, and low defense. You'll want to avoid direct melee confrontation as much as possible. Rapiers are great because you can poke and roll immediately, which makes you very hard to pin down.

Take a look at this: http://tinyurl.com/7neu46q

That one looks great Blaine thanks. I'm still thinking about a buffed Ricards or Iaito. I don't want the 45 Dex to go to waste for casting speed only. Well maybe because I never have done an pure mage, even though it's my favorite class of every RPG. After DkS my love for spellswords have increased greatly.

Oh, you're right! I put Velka's out of habit, because I don't raise Dex on my Mage characters. But with that Dex, yeah, you could definitely switch to another Dex weapon. A spear or piercing sword will suit you just fine--just watch out for equip weight. If you must, get rid of the Black Knight Gauntlets first. I put them in there out of fancy! That'll give you more weight for a weapon, like the winged spear, which would be great.

http://tinyurl.com/85xvwnb