ultimate fire weapon

Let's lay the stacking issue to rest.

The calculation above showing that there's a 36% chance of an effect is absolutely correct.

That breaks down as a 32% chance of having a single effect (50% reduction in recharge or casting time) plus a 4% chance of having a double effect (75% reduction).

The simplest way to see that is to use the calculation above for the 36%, to note that the square of 20% is 4%, and to subtract 4% from 36% to get 32%. Other proofs also exist elsewhere in this forum.

The underlying assumptions are:

1. Casual empiricism shows that the 2 different 20% chances stack. Besides, when things don't stack, Anet usually says so.

2. The stacking isn't just 20% + 20% = 40%, because if it were, there would never be a double effect -- and people have noticed a double effect (i.e., the 75% speedup). The only other reasonable alternative is the one outlined above.

as of right now my fire ele is using...
crafters fire wand
Halves casting time of Fire Magic spells (Chance: 20%)
Energy +5 (while enchanted)

and a green item called Lian's Lantern (that dropped for me, i didnt buy it)
Fire Magic +1 (20% chance while using skills)
Health +30

there is also a crafter that gives the same off hand as the above green.
I prefer the energy + 5 while enchanted over the + 5 ^ 50 one, mostly due to the fact that im always attuned and pretty much always have an enchantent on, and there is a greater chance of me being under enchantment than being over 50 % in health.

This stuff is in Factions fYI.

Quote:

i cant find a ragos staff anywhere! where are they? that is like one of my fave ele weps
:-{

You can get it to drop from farming Sorrow's Furnace; otherwise, you'll have to buy it from another player.

You guys know that you can craft pretty much every weapon with the different mods that you want. There is a crafter out there for everyone. Instead of focusing on the "best" over all weapon. Focus on the weapons build that compliments what your using the most. We can't really tell you what's best. It depends on your fighting style. Another thing is you don't always need to go green hunting. Its a waste of money in my book. The weapons maybe do (exageration to get a point across) 2 more damage, and have one more mod then the crafting weapons. If your looking for "status" then go for it, but other wise just check out the weapon smiths in factions and the first game and experiment around a bit untill you find what works best for your fighting style.

Like i said earlier, i use the 20% half cast/20% half recharge wand and the 20% half cast/20% half recharge side arm and find it works great. But if your not going for speed and want power, dont buy a green with the +1 to fire(20 %) just use Gylph of Elemental Power. For what you get in comparision to the energy cost, rechage time, and cast time, its well worth it in my openion. Some people might disagree because it takes up a slot, but give it a try and see what you think. (+2 to elemental stats for next spell cast )

As you can see, I use a Rago's flame wand with a 20/20 collector's artifact that I got in Factions, although I don't remember exactly where the collector was. This combo works for me better than the Ragos/Milius Eye combo did. I guess I could probably find a better wand at a collector, but I'm one of those people who likes to show off his greens.