Thoughts on a Orb/Lightning Sorc & my Meteor/Orb Sorc
ModeratelyConfused
some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start out
with my mistakes:
1. I went for max blocking. I really should have put all those Dexterity
points into Vitality, except for the needed amount (which I believe is base,
with my equipment). Since I'm a caster, I shouldn't be in the fray of
things anyway.
2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56 Strength
points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended up ditching
it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I like
to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I haven't
finished him yet, and he likes to die.
4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
5. General Misallocation of Skill Points (AKA "Clicking without looking")
General Plan for Orb/Lightning Sorc:
Frozen Orb maxed, with a few points in Cold Mastery
Some lightning skill (Most likely Lightning or Chain Lightning, depending on
input), ditto for mastery.
The usual:
Point in Static, Teleport, and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
My setup, to be changed over to the new sorc, upon completion:
Tals Armor, Amulet, and Belt
Upped, P Diamonded Mosers
ChanceGaurds
WarTravs
Shako
Switch:
Ali Baba (Isted, whenever I get them)
Shield (Maybe Isted)
Merc:
Eth Superior Obedience Thresher
Eth Vampire Gaze
Corpsemourn, until I find/make something better.
Brian Kastel
"ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really notice
> some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
> start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
> lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start
> out with my mistakes:
Chain Lightning? You'll be very disappointed if you try that, I think.
> 1. I went for max blocking. I really should have put all those Dexterity
> points into Vitality, except for the needed amount (which I believe is
> base, with my equipment). Since I'm a caster, I shouldn't be in the fray
> of things anyway.
No argument there.
> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
> Strength points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended up
> ditching it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
You're going to get 2 Life for every point of Vit, so you gain 112 Life from
the ditching of Monarch. Big deal. You can more than make up for that in
charms, and any Lightning sorc is going to need +Skills, FCR, and resists,
and Monarch provides all three in abundance (except FR).
> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I like
> to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I haven't
> finished him yet, and he likes to die.
Cold/Fire sucks, IMO. That was the first combination I tried, and not being
able to touch the Countess was simply unacceptable.
> 4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
Holy Freeze merc slows opponents immediately. Being a cold sorc in itself
does not. A Blizzard Sorc can still use a HF merc.
> 5. General Misallocation of Skill Points (AKA "Clicking without looking")
>
> General Plan for Orb/Lightning Sorc:
>
> Frozen Orb maxed, with a few points in Cold Mastery
That's all you need.
> Some lightning skill (Most likely Lightning or Chain Lightning, depending
> on input), ditto for mastery.
Any lightning tree main skill will require a heavy investment to be useful.
That means maxed Mastery, maxed main skill, and at least one maxed synergy.
It's expensive, but the only way it will be worth it.
> The usual:
>
> Point in Static, Teleport, and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
You'll need both.
> My setup, to be changed over to the new sorc, upon completion:
>
> Tals Armor, Amulet, and Belt
> Upped, P Diamonded Mosers
> ChanceGaurds
> WarTravs
> Shako
> Switch:
> Ali Baba (Isted, whenever I get them)
> Shield (Maybe Isted)
If Ali Baba is on switch, then what is your main weapon? Also, where is
your FCR gear? Without FCR, your lightning sorc is going to flounder, you
can bet on that. You'll have a miserable experience. I suggest you design
your build around as many +Skills and FCR that you can, keeping resists
maxed, as well. It's pretty limiting, in some ways, but effective. I've
stated here many times that I have a Charged Boltress that kicks ass
anywhere in Hell. She is weak facing the Ubers, but she can even run Nilly
solo with little effort or risk.
> Merc:
> Eth Superior Obedience Thresher
> Eth Vampire Gaze
> Corpsemourn, until I find/make something better.
An Insight Thresher for your merc will also be a boon. My sorc has that,
and a few items with Mana regen, and Mana Burners do not even slow her down
when teleporting. I see the ball go empty, and yet she keeps going, as the
mana ball fills faster than the expenditure of casting. This also applies
to Charged Bolt casting, or any other spell without a high mana cost. The
only thing Mana Burn keeps her from doing is casting her secondary, which is
Blizzard.
HTH
ModeratelyConfused
"Brian Kastel" <be-ar-eye-ay-en-ka...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote
in message news:VD3Qf.65530$Fw6....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>
>
> "ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
>> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really notice
>> some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
>> start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
>> lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start
>> out with my mistakes:
>
> Chain Lightning? You'll be very disappointed if you try that, I think.
Ok, Lightning it is.
>> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
>> Strength points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended
>> up ditching it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
>
> You're going to get 2 Life for every point of Vit, so you gain 112 Life
> from the ditching of Monarch. Big deal. You can more than make up for
> that in charms, and any Lightning sorc is going to need +Skills, FCR, and
> resists, and Monarch provides all three in abundance (except FR).
Hmm, I ended up getting rid of it because I had terrible resists.
>> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I
>> like to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I
>> haven't finished him yet, and he likes to die.
>
> Cold/Fire sucks, IMO. That was the first combination I tried, and not
> being able to touch the Countess was simply unacceptable.
Yeah, this was my first Sorc build, so it was a learning experience
>> 4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
>
> Holy Freeze merc slows opponents immediately. Being a cold sorc in itself
> does not. A Blizzard Sorc can still use a HF merc.
Okay
>> Some lightning skill (Most likely Lightning or Chain Lightning, depending
>> on input), ditto for mastery.
>
> Any lightning tree main skill will require a heavy investment to be
> useful. That means maxed Mastery, maxed main skill, and at least one maxed
> synergy. It's expensive, but the only way it will be worth it.
>> My setup, to be changed over to the new sorc, upon completion:
>>
>> Tals Armor, Amulet, and Belt
>> Upped, P Diamonded Mosers
>> ChanceGaurds
>> WarTravs
>> Shako
>> Switch:
>> Ali Baba (Isted, whenever I get them)
>> Shield (Maybe Isted)
>
> If Ali Baba is on switch, then what is your main weapon? Also, where is
> your FCR gear? Without FCR, your lightning sorc is going to flounder, you
> can bet on that. You'll have a miserable experience. I suggest you
> design your build around as many +Skills and FCR that you can, keeping
> resists maxed, as well. It's pretty limiting, in some ways, but
> effective. I've stated here many times that I have a Charged Boltress
> that kicks ass anywhere in Hell. She is weak facing the Ubers, but she
> can even run Nilly solo with little effort or risk.
Doh, forgot to say I'm using an Occy on main. I'm sitting at 70% FCR at the
moment, and I've been pretty happy with that. I've got maxed resists in
Hell with my current setup, but we'll see how it goes. I only plan on using
her for key running, and MFing.
Brian Kastel
"ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
> "Brian Kastel" wrote...
>> "ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
>>> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really
>>> notice some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm
>>> going to start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on
>>> a good lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll
>>> start out with my mistakes:
>>
>> Chain Lightning? You'll be very disappointed if you try that, I think.
>
> Ok, Lightning it is.
>
>>> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
>>> Strength points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended
>>> up ditching it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
>>
>> You're going to get 2 Life for every point of Vit, so you gain 112 Life
>> from the ditching of Monarch. Big deal. You can more than make up for
>> that in charms, and any Lightning sorc is going to need +Skills, FCR, and
>> resists, and Monarch provides all three in abundance (except FR).
>
> Hmm, I ended up getting rid of it because I had terrible resists.
Well, a pDiamonded Moser's will give great resists, no doubt. But at least
the Spirit does have some good numbers, except for FR, as noted. Me, I keep
gambling coronets, but an earlier gamble nettes a +1 Skills, +RA hat, and
the rest I made up with GCs until my gear filled the blanks. Then I found
that Harly
Occy is great, once you get used to the teleporting. ;)
Here's my sorc's build, so you can see the way I went with this:
I should skip over stat allocation, because I went totally non-SOP on this,
but it is illustrative of the power of this build to consider how well she
does despite it.
LVL: 88
STR: 220 (266)
DEX: 125 (158)
VIT: 125 (197)
MC2: 60 (112)
My basic philosophy was to allow her to equip anything she found. And she
can. I even wasted a few points early on into Energy out of Mana supply
frustration, and I'm ok with that.
Life: 792
Mana: 691
Def: 1651
Resist All: 75 (Hell)
The equipment is as it stands right now:
pTopazed Harly
upped Vipermagi (Dreaming about Chains of Honor)
Rainbow Faceted Occulus (3/5 Lightning, the only I've ever found)
Spirit Aegis (because she can)
Crafted Caster Wyrmhides (30% FR/W, Increase Max Mana 5%, Regen Mana 5%, 17%
CR, 40% FR, and more)
Magefist
Tal's Ammy
Crafted Caster Ring (Regen Mana 7%, 27% CR, 9% resist others, and more: this
needs to be SoJ)
Nature's Peace (or a second SoJ)
String of Ears (This needs to be Arachnid's Mesh)
Inventory has:
Annihilus
Hellfire Torch (non-class-specific, so no +skills until I get a sorc Torch)
Gheed's
Cold skill GC
Lightning Skill GC
29% FR GC
28% PR GC
+31 Life LC (and about a half-dozen more just like it on a mule, which she
doesn't use.)
Merc has:
Eth Insight Colossus Voulge (Level 17 Meditation)
Duriel's Shell
Vampire Gaze
Summary of vital stats:
Total to Skills: 12
Total FCR: 110%
Total MF: 150%
Total FHR: 55%
Total DR: 10% + 11
Total MDR: 13
Total Mana Regen: 37% (+700% from merc's Insight)
Stat Allocation:
Lightning:
Charged Bolt: 20 (32)
Lightning: 20 (32)
Lightning Mastery 20 (32)
Energy Shield and all prereq's: 1
Static Field: 1
Cold:
Blizzard: 20 (32)
Cold Mastery: 7 (19)
Shiver Armor and prereq's: 1
Fire:
Warmth: 1
That's my Lightning/Cold sorceress. With the items I am seeking for her,
the total to +Skills would be +18, which would definitely help her survive
better in UT. I'm thinking CoH is out of reach, but that would make +19, or
level 39 main skills.
You can probably tell that I like her.
:)
Patrick Vervoorn
ModeratelyConfused <moderatel...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>"Brian Kastel" <be-ar-eye-ay-en-ka...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote
>in message news:VD3Qf.65530$Fw6....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
[Some good advice here, but I do want to add some remarks of myself]
>> "ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
>>> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really notice
>>> some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
>>> start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
>>> lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start
>>> out with my mistakes:
>>
>> Chain Lightning? You'll be very disappointed if you try that, I think.
>
>Ok, Lightning it is.
Actually, I rather like Chain Lightning. Not only does it look cool (all
those arcing lightning streams), it also does very respectable damage, and
autohits lots of monsters after the first one.
>>> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
>>> Strength points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended
>>> up ditching it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
>>
>> You're going to get 2 Life for every point of Vit, so you gain 112 Life
>> from the ditching of Monarch. Big deal. You can more than make up for
>> that in charms, and any Lightning sorc is going to need +Skills, FCR, and
>> resists, and Monarch provides all three in abundance (except FR).
>
>Hmm, I ended up getting rid of it because I had terrible resists.
None of my Sorcs leave town without a nice Spirit Monarch.
>>> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I
>>> like to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I
>>> haven't finished him yet, and he likes to die.
>>
>> Cold/Fire sucks, IMO. That was the first combination I tried, and not
>> being able to touch the Countess was simply unacceptable.
>
>Yeah, this was my first Sorc build, so it was a learning experience
I've successfully solo-ed a Cold/Fire sorc to Hell Baal. Search this group
for the adventures of ChillyBBQ. When she killed Hell Baal she had about
30-40 spare skill points. I've in the meantime invested about 23 of those
points in maxing Meteor (and it's prerequisites), and also put 1 hard
point in Blizzard.
So you can say many things, but Cold/Fire certainly does not suck.
>>> 4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
>>
>> Holy Freeze merc slows opponents immediately. Being a cold sorc in itself
>> does not. A Blizzard Sorc can still use a HF merc.
>
>Okay
I'd go for a Prayer one with an Insight stick: both aura's (Prayer from
the Merc and Meditation from Insight) synergize each-other as per the
Paladin Aura skill tab.
>> Any lightning tree main skill will require a heavy investment to be
>> useful. That means maxed Mastery, maxed main skill, and at least one maxed
>> synergy. It's expensive, but the only way it will be worth it.
Which is why a Dual Tree lighting sorc can only be combined with one of
the 20-point wonders. The Fire Tree doesn't really contain a skill like
that, but both Frozen Orb and Blizzard are quite viable.
>> If Ali Baba is on switch, then what is your main weapon? Also, where is
>> your FCR gear? Without FCR, your lightning sorc is going to flounder, you
>> can bet on that. You'll have a miserable experience. I suggest you
>> design your build around as many +Skills and FCR that you can, keeping
>> resists maxed, as well. It's pretty limiting, in some ways, but
>> effective. I've stated here many times that I have a Charged Boltress
>> that kicks ass anywhere in Hell. She is weak facing the Ubers, but she
>> can even run Nilly solo with little effort or risk.
>
>Doh, forgot to say I'm using an Occy on main. I'm sitting at 70% FCR at the
>moment, and I've been pretty happy with that. I've got maxed resists in
>Hell with my current setup, but we'll see how it goes. I only plan on using
>her for key running, and MFing.
For teleporting you want to get to 105FCR. Chain Lightning needs 117 FCR
for the next breakpoint, but also performs quite nicely at 105FCR already.
Also, do not underestimate the power of a maxed Nova for taking out Mrs.
Countess...
Regards,
Patrick.
szpakuu
<moderatel...@comcast.net> napisał:
> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really notice
> some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
> start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
> lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start
> out
> with my mistakes:
>
> 1. I went for max blocking. I really should have put all those
> Dexterity
> points into Vitality, except for the needed amount (which I believe is
> base,
> with my equipment). Since I'm a caster, I shouldn't be in the fray of
> things anyway.
Max blocking is good but not with monarch - better Withstan or Moser's
with PD.
> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
> Strength
> points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended up
> ditching
> it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
and Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers is very good
> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I
> like
> to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I haven't
> finished him yet, and he likes to die.
>
> 4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
>
good - he slows enemies - so more time to kill
> 5. General Misallocation of Skill Points (AKA "Clicking without
> looking")
>
> General Plan for Orb/Lightning Sorc:
>
> Frozen Orb maxed, with a few points in Cold Mastery
>
> Some lightning skill (Most likely Lightning or Chain Lightning,
> depending on
> input), ditto for mastery.
>
> The usual:
>
> Point in Static, Teleport, and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
>
> My setup, to be changed over to the new sorc, upon completion:
>
> Tals Armor, Amulet, and Belt
> Upped, P Diamonded Mosers
> ChanceGaurds
> WarTravs
> Shako
> Switch:
> Ali Baba (Isted, whenever I get them)
> Shield (Maybe Isted)
>
> Merc:
> Eth Superior Obedience Thresher
> Eth Vampire Gaze
> Corpsemourn, until I find/make something better.
Last ladder I had such sorceress. Its build is described here :
http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=562
Maxed chain lightning and lightning and lightning mastery is unnecessary.
It is fun to play such sorc - fast and deadly for nearly everything.
HF merc with Insight - and you are set.
--
Używam programu pocztowego Opery: http://www.opera.com/mail/
marknew...@yahoo.com
> "ModeratelyConfused" wrote...
> >>> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56
> >>> Strength points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended
> >>> up ditching it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
> >>
> >> You're going to get 2 Life for every point of Vit, so you gain 112 Life
> >> from the ditching of Monarch. Big deal. You can more than make up for
> >> that in charms, and any Lightning sorc is going to need +Skills, FCR, and
> >> resists, and Monarch provides all three in abundance (except FR).
> >
> > Hmm, I ended up getting rid of it because I had terrible resists.
Resists have been my problem with my enchantress as well. I have a
Harlequin Crest, but don't wear it because of my resists problem.
Instead I wear a Kira's Guardian in battle mode. I'd like to take care
of my resists elsewhere so that I can pTopaz the Harly and wear that.
But anyway I agree with Brian, Spirit monarch is virtually a staple
sorceress item. It's expensive in terms of points, but I believe worth
it. I mean +2 skills, resists, FCR? Everything a sorceress needs. Oh
and you said you were happy with the 70 FCR you had. I think you should
get yourself some magefists and whatever else you need to hit the 105
breakpoint and see how you like your fireball damage then (provided you
get an Insight stick for your merc). Also teleporting becomes _MUCH_
easier when you hit the 105 breakpoint. I used to think I'd never be
able to teleport to Hell Throne Room, but can now do it with relative
ease. Once I'm there the problems start though ;-)
> >>> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I
> >>> like to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I
> >>> haven't finished him yet, and he likes to die.
> >>
> >> Cold/Fire sucks, IMO. That was the first combination I tried, and not
> >> being able to touch the Countess was simply unacceptable.
> >
> > Yeah, this was my first Sorc build, so it was a learning experience
Well Brian is very knowledgable so I don't want to dispute, but I don't
think Cold/Fire sucks. There must be a reason the Fireball/FOrb sorc
became a cookie cutter. My Enchantress is obviously Fire/Cold and she
has no problems at all with the countess. I can take care of every bad
guy around her, and my merc takes her down in a matter of 2 to 4
seconds. I run her and the Summoner for keys constantly. If I had a
Natures Peace ring, I'd be tempted to try Nilly as well.
> Resist All: 75 (Hell)
This is the part that matters a lot to a sorceress IMO. Your Annihilus
and Hellfire Torch make a big difference there.
> Stat Allocation:
>
> Lightning:
> Charged Bolt: 20 (32)
> Lightning: 20 (32)
> Lightning Mastery 20 (32)
> Energy Shield and all prereq's: 1
> Static Field: 1
>
> Cold:
> Blizzard: 20 (32)
> Cold Mastery: 7 (19)
> Shiver Armor and prereq's: 1
>
> Fire:
> Warmth: 1
Two nights ago I started building a sorceress and at about level 6 I
had to make a decision on which build I'd follow. I really wanted to
try the Fireball/FOrb build as a MFer, but your post a while ago about
a Charged Boltress has been nagging me. So that's the way I went.
I've been concentrating on the lightning tree so far. No points in the
cold tree. I will put one point in Glacial Spike at 18 and then I have
a decision to make. I probably won't go Blizzard, so it will either be
Frozen Orb or Glacial Spike as my main cold skill. I use Frozen Orb for
my Enchantress and it's a nice normal monster killer, but takes some
time to kill bosses. I'd really like to try Glacial Spike because of
it's freeze effects, spammability, and splash damage. At the moment I'm
leaning to the safe route of what I know, Frozen Orb. Can anyone sway
me to Glacial Spike?
> That's my Lightning/Cold sorceress. With the items I am seeking for her,
> the total to +Skills would be +18, which would definitely help her survive
> better in UT. I'm thinking CoH is out of reach, but that would make +19, or
> level 39 main skills.
>
> You can probably tell that I like her.
Yes ;-)
My big problem is lack of items. I don't have enough to go between my
Enchantress and a new sorceress. So I'm hoping if I play her through
all the major quests that I'll find some dececnt stuff along the way.
Any tips to a new Charged Boltress player? Which is your boss killer
spell?
Hannes Brunner
> After playing my Meteor/Orb sorc for a while, I've begun to really notice
> some of the mistakes I've made, and some of her pitfalls. I'm going to
> start over with a new Sorc, and I'd like to have some input on a good
> lightning skill (Thinking of Lightning or Chain Lightning). I'll start out
> with my mistakes:
>
> 1. I went for max blocking. I really should have put all those Dexterity
> points into Vitality, except for the needed amount (which I believe is base,
> with my equipment). Since I'm a caster, I shouldn't be in the fray of
> things anyway.
>
> 2. For some reason I went with a Spirit Monarch. Approximately 56 Strength
> points wasted there that could have went into health. I ended up ditching
> it later for an Upped 2x Pdiamonded Mosers anyway.
I agree that max block with a Spirit Monarch is not the way to go. But
with the right shield, max block is certainly worth the investments in
dex. If you have troubles with resists, try a Sanctuary Tower Shield
(203 dex for max block @ lvl 80, but Sanctuary already has +20 dex).
Whitstans Guard is famous for its high block rate (153/80). An upgraded
Visceratuant requires a bit more dex (182/80) for +1 skill.
> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I like
> to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because I haven't
> finished him yet, and he likes to die.
Seems you don't have the right equipment for him.
> 4. Holy Freeze Merc. What the hell was I thinking? I'm Cold Sorc...
Holy Freeze is choice number one for an Meteor/Frozen Orb sorc. Not
because of the tiny cold damage he is dealing, but to keep monsters at bay.
> 5. General Misallocation of Skill Points (AKA "Clicking without looking")
Ok, finally a reason to rebuild your sorc ;).
> General Plan for Orb/Lightning Sorc:
>
> Frozen Orb maxed, with a few points in Cold Mastery
>
> Some lightning skill (Most likely Lightning or Chain Lightning, depending on
> input), ditto for mastery.
No need to decide on this one as you will have enough points to max out
Lightning, Chain Lightning and Lightning Mastery anyway. Other than with
FO, you have to invest in synergies for the lightning skills to be
effective.
> The usual:
>
> Point in Static, Teleport, and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
>
> My setup, to be changed over to the new sorc, upon completion:
>
> Tals Armor, Amulet, and Belt
A lightning sorc relies heavily on faster cast gear. This fact more or
less rules out any pieces of the Tals set. Except for the amulet maybe.
OTOH, full Tals set is quite nice for a FO/Meteor sorc.
> Upped, P Diamonded Mosers
> ChanceGaurds
> WarTravs
> Shako
> Switch:
> Ali Baba (Isted, whenever I get them)
> Shield (Maybe Isted)
Ok I see where your problem is. You want a cookie cutter MF sorc. Too
bad that those don't exist anymore since the 1.10 patch ...
> Merc:
> Eth Superior Obedience Thresher
> Eth Vampire Gaze
> Corpsemourn, until I find/make something better.
Stone in a bugged ethereal armor is probably the best affordable merc
armor, closely followed by Treachery.
---
Hannes
marknew...@yahoo.com
> Stone in a bugged ethereal armor is probably the best affordable merc
> armor, closely followed by Treachery.
You prefer Stone to Duress?
Hannes Brunner
Yes, on a non Holy Freeze merc when his task is mainly tanking. Because
it increases defense to a range where it begins to make a difference.
Only true for a bugged Stone armor with 4k+ defense though.
---
Hannes
Patrick Vervoorn
Tanking, as in he should stay put, but not tanking as he should blow
away/poke to death enemies?
I mean, looking at both runewords side-by-side, I see the following:
Duress
3 Socket Body Armor
Shael + Um + Thul
+40% Faster Hit Recovery
+10-20% Enhanced Damage (varies)
Adds 37-133 Cold Damage 2 sec. Duration (Normal)
15% Chance of Crushing Blow
33% Chance of Open Wounds
+150-200% Enhanced Defense (varies)
-20% Slower Stamina Drain
Cold Resist +45%
Lightning Resist +15%
Fire Resist +15%
Poison Resist +15%
Stone
4 Socket Body Armor
Shael + Um + Pul + Lum
+60% Faster Hit Recovery
+250-290% Enhanced Defense (varies)
+300 Defense Vs. Missile
+16 To Strength
+16 To Vitality
+10 To Energy
All Resistances +15
Level 16 Molten Boulder (80 Charges)
Level 16 Clay Golem (16 Charges)
So Stone is a Pul more expensive than Duress (I don't count Lum as
something with significant value). Duress has more resists (not that an
Act 2 Merc needs a lot of those), Dures has ED, Duress has some cold
damage, Duress has Crushing Blow.
The only thing going for Stone is it's very high bonus % to defense,
purely defensive. I rather like my merc gear to be offensive, much as I
play most of my characters: I don't like to build 'Glass Cannons', but if
I have the choice I will not sacrifice offense for an (in my eyes
unnecessary) boost to defense.
Of course HC has it's own set of priorities, so perhaps there a Stone merc
armour makes more sense...
Regards,
Patrick.
Hannes Brunner
Well my opinion is a bit influenced by the fact that I was unable so far
to get my hands on a bugged 3 socket ethereal armor. All attempts to
drill sockets with the cube ended up with only a single or four sockets.
Oh and for some strange reason Duress on a merc gives me a slight
feeling of a bit of a waste whereas Stone does not. As you pointed out,
Stone is even more expensive rune wise, so I really have no explanation
why this is the case.
---
Hannes
Patrick Vervoorn
Hannes Brunner <bruh...@web.de> wrote:
>Patrick Vervoorn schrieb:
Ah, I can understand that's a bit frustrating. I must say I also have a
few 4 socket ethereal bugged armours with 1000+ def left, but none with 3
sox. And since I managed to score two more Ums yesterday-evening (one from
Wally_Whirly's NM Hellforge, another by trading away two plain Druid
Elemental Skillers), and I have several mercs who are still Duress-less, I
think I need a few of those 1000+def, 3 socket, ethereal armors really
soon now...
>Oh and for some strange reason Duress on a merc gives me a slight
>feeling of a bit of a waste whereas Stone does not. As you pointed out,
>Stone is even more expensive rune wise, so I really have no explanation
>why this is the case.
:) Well, to make it even more simple: Duress for me is also a 'cheap'
alternative to Fortitude on about any melee build: Wally_Whirly was happy
to put his Duress Dusk Shroud on, and my Smiter also likes his Duress
Archon Plate a lot. I see no reason at all to exchange their Duress for a
Stone armor, and a Merc is even more a melee character!
Anyway, just put a non-ethereal Duress on one of your mercs, do some
end-of-act bossruns and see the difference. ;)
Regards,
Patrick.
marknew...@yahoo.com
> And since I managed to score two more Ums yesterday-evening (one from
> Wally_Whirly's NM Hellforge, another by trading away two plain Druid
> Elemental Skillers)
<hijack>
I have to ask something. In a recent thread on rerolling skillers, I
did a bit of statistical "research" by manually rerolling a grand charm
x amount of times, and another poster (Nobody I think) confirmed
through actuall deduction, that a skiller is produced on average once
every 19 rerolls (57 pgems). If I look at the trading values of
skillers, Um is probably more than average, with quite a few being
valued less than Pul. So for your 2 x 57 pgems, you got 1 Um. Doesn't
it seem a bit of a waste? Isn't it easier to just buy the skillers or
runes you want with pgems? Or do you occasionally end up with a great
skiller that will sell for a lot, or that you really want, and that
makes up for all the wasted pgems?
</hijack>
Patrick Vervoorn
Hmm, well, I just like to use skillers I rerolled my self. I haven't had
really good rerolls yet, though I did reroll 1 plain Pally Combat Skiller
a while ago. This should perhaps be tradeable for ~Ist.
Anyway, I've rerolled plenty of Sorceress Lightning/Cold/Fire skillers, so
I'm happy to use those. Also, I'm still hoping to once reroll a skiller I
can use with at least some +life bonus. ;)
But perhaps I should concentrate my reroll efforts on something else,
something more 'economically viable'... Jewels perhaps? SCs? (Hoping for
nice 3/xx/xx variants?) Gambled Magic Monarchs, hoping for a Jewellers
Monarch of Deflecting? Hmmm.
Regards,
Patrick.
marknew...@yahoo.com
> In article <1142000419.9...@e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>,
> <marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >Patrick Vervoorn wrote:
> >> And since I managed to score two more Ums yesterday-evening (one from
> >> Wally_Whirly's NM Hellforge, another by trading away two plain Druid
> >> Elemental Skillers)
> >
> ><hijack>
> >I have to ask something. In a recent thread on rerolling skillers, I
> >did a bit of statistical "research" by manually rerolling a grand charm
> >x amount of times, and another poster (Nobody I think) confirmed
> >through actuall deduction, that a skiller is produced on average once
> >every 19 rerolls (57 pgems). If I look at the trading values of
> >skillers, Um is probably more than average, with quite a few being
> >valued less than Pul. So for your 2 x 57 pgems, you got 1 Um. Doesn't
> >it seem a bit of a waste? Isn't it easier to just buy the skillers or
> >runes you want with pgems? Or do you occasionally end up with a great
> >skiller that will sell for a lot, or that you really want, and that
> >makes up for all the wasted pgems?
> ></hijack>
>
> Hmm, well, I just like to use skillers I rerolled my self. I haven't had
> really good rerolls yet, though I did reroll 1 plain Pally Combat Skiller
> a while ago. This should perhaps be tradeable for ~Ist.
Heh, well don't let me put you off, I was just wondering what your
thoughts on it were. From what I've seen, the economy on runes doesn't
equate 2 x Pul = Um. It seems more like Pul + lower rune = Um. Since
Pul is 35 pgems or less these days, I assume you should get Um for Pul
+ 10/15 pgems or something.
> Anyway, I've rerolled plenty of Sorceress Lightning/Cold/Fire skillers, so
> I'm happy to use those. Also, I'm still hoping to once reroll a skiller I
> can use with at least some +life bonus. ;)
See now that was part of my question. I know you like to use your
skillers, so understand that when I say sell, I really mean what you
could have bought it for instead of rerolling. It would be very
worthwhile rerolling if you got a +life skiller every so often that was
worth _far_ more than the pgems that you burned to get it.
> But perhaps I should concentrate my reroll efforts on something else,
> something more 'economically viable'... Jewels perhaps? SCs? (Hoping for
> nice 3/xx/xx variants?) Gambled Magic Monarchs, hoping for a Jewellers
> Monarch of Deflecting? Hmmm.
Sorry, out of my depth here, I've no idea what those go for.
Patrick Vervoorn
>> Hmm, well, I just like to use skillers I rerolled my self. I haven't had
>> really good rerolls yet, though I did reroll 1 plain Pally Combat Skiller
>> a while ago. This should perhaps be tradeable for ~Ist.
>
>Heh, well don't let me put you off, I was just wondering what your
>thoughts on it were. From what I've seen, the economy on runes doesn't
>equate 2 x Pul = Um. It seems more like Pul + lower rune = Um. Since
>Pul is 35 pgems or less these days, I assume you should get Um for Pul
>+ 10/15 pgems or something.
Oh? Well, I see plenty of people who try to trade Mal down for 2 Ums (no
go I think), but Puls aren't that useful, so trading down an Um for 2 Pul
is still the only option. I know I won't sell an Um for a Pul and a Lem or
something.
>> Anyway, I've rerolled plenty of Sorceress Lightning/Cold/Fire skillers, so
>> I'm happy to use those. Also, I'm still hoping to once reroll a skiller I
>> can use with at least some +life bonus. ;)
>
>See now that was part of my question. I know you like to use your
>skillers, so understand that when I say sell, I really mean what you
>could have bought it for instead of rerolling. It would be very
>worthwhile rerolling if you got a +life skiller every so often that was
>worth _far_ more than the pgems that you burned to get it.
So far, I think I could've been off cheaper by trading the pgems perhaps
for runes, and those for skillers, or pgems directly for skillers, but
I've had much more fun this way. I also have very little interest in
piling up mules full of pgems. I reroll stuff as I acquire another 3
pgems. Keeps the mules clean and empty. Lately, it seems the items for
pgems market seems to be a bit more viable: yesterday-evening I think I
managed to sell about half a char full of medium uniques for pgems. I did
check to see if you were only (for first pick) but didn't see you.
Anyway, the rate is which this is progressing, I can perhaps finally free
up some space on my mules for 'good stuff'...
>> But perhaps I should concentrate my reroll efforts on something else,
>> something more 'economically viable'... Jewels perhaps? SCs? (Hoping for
>> nice 3/xx/xx variants?) Gambled Magic Monarchs, hoping for a Jewellers
>> Monarch of Deflecting? Hmmm.
>
>Sorry, out of my depth here, I've no idea what those go for.
A Jewellers Monarch of Deflecting trades for lots (and lots?) of HRs.
Something in around the same class as a Jewellers <armour> of the Whale,
or a 3 socket/30frw or 80-100 life tiara/diadem.
Regards,
Patrick.
marknew...@yahoo.com
> In article <1142002341.3...@j52g2000cwj.googlegroups.com>,
> <marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote:
[snip]
> Oh? Well, I see plenty of people who try to trade Mal down for 2 Ums (no
> go I think), but Puls aren't that useful, so trading down an Um for 2 Pul
> is still the only option. I know I won't sell an Um for a Pul and a Lem or
> something.
Well, me neither. I have 2 Ums at the moment and wouldn't trade those
down because they're so useful. Perhaps that was a bad example.
> So far, I think I could've been off cheaper by trading the pgems perhaps
> for runes, and those for skillers, or pgems directly for skillers, but
> I've had much more fun this way. I also have very little interest in
> piling up mules full of pgems.
Ok, that's kind of what I was wanting to know. With limited time and
"wealth" I have to be careful about what I do with the stuff I find.
For example, I need another complete set of sorceress equipment for my
new Charged Boltress / Cold sorc I'm going to try out. Still wondering
whether to go Glacial Spike or Frozen Orb route yet. I believe I'll go
FO because GS isn't really a 20 point wonder like FO? You do need to
synergise some stuff to make it good?
> I reroll stuff as I acquire another 3
> pgems. Keeps the mules clean and empty. Lately, it seems the items for
> pgems market seems to be a bit more viable: yesterday-evening I think I
> managed to sell about half a char full of medium uniques for pgems. I did
> check to see if you were only (for first pick) but didn't see you.
That's because I was using the Enchantress on my other account to
search for another hot server. Yet again I've had no luck, and yet
again Greg managed to find a game. AND this time he wasn't too late!
The server walked while he was on it. I brought in the Smiter and he
used his Freezealot and the lucky bastard now has an Annihilus. I'm
still annoyed that after several days of trying I've still not managed
to even get on to any of the hot servers.
Patrick Vervoorn
<marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Patrick Vervoorn wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>> Oh? Well, I see plenty of people who try to trade Mal down for 2 Ums (no
>> go I think), but Puls aren't that useful, so trading down an Um for 2 Pul
>> is still the only option. I know I won't sell an Um for a Pul and a Lem or
>> something.
>
>Well, me neither. I have 2 Ums at the moment and wouldn't trade those
>down because they're so useful. Perhaps that was a bad example.
;) Depends on the runes. I think people try to make some quick bucks,
because I see plenty games named "O Mal N 2 Um". No way is that a valid
trade. Mal would go for Um + Pul or thereabouts. Some for Ist: No way is
that worth 2 Mals, Mal + Pul (+ perhaps Lem) would be fairer. Anyway, this
stops at Um, because Um is so useful compared to a Pul, that you cannot
trade an Um for 2 Pul + Lem, you have to offer 2 Puls.
Perhaps I should try to find some gullible folks in Europe to try the
above with perhaps. ;)
>> So far, I think I could've been off cheaper by trading the pgems perhaps
>> for runes, and those for skillers, or pgems directly for skillers, but
>> I've had much more fun this way. I also have very little interest in
>> piling up mules full of pgems.
>
>Ok, that's kind of what I was wanting to know. With limited time and
>"wealth" I have to be careful about what I do with the stuff I find.
Yeah, I can quite understand that.
>For example, I need another complete set of sorceress equipment for my
>new Charged Boltress / Cold sorc I'm going to try out. Still wondering
>whether to go Glacial Spike or Frozen Orb route yet. I believe I'll go
>FO because GS isn't really a 20 point wonder like FO? You do need to
>synergise some stuff to make it good?
Well, I managed to finish the game with 20 points in GS, and perhaps about
10 hard points in, uh, Frozen Bolt (the skill one lower than GS). 1 in
Cold Mastery, and boosted by the +skills on Snowclash.
But for a 20 point wonder perhaps Frozen Orb is better. You do need a few
more prereqs for Frozen Orb though...
>That's because I was using the Enchantress on my other account to
>search for another hot server. Yet again I've had no luck, and yet
>again Greg managed to find a game. AND this time he wasn't too late!
>The server walked while he was on it. I brought in the Smiter and he
>used his Freezealot and the lucky bastard now has an Annihilus. I'm
>still annoyed that after several days of trying I've still not managed
>to even get on to any of the hot servers.
Hey cool! How did said Anni turn out, stats-wise? If you got a high one,
and you can manage with lower stats, I think you can trade away a
high-stat any for a low stat any with plenty of 'adds' by the other
side... On the other hand: trading away a self-found Anni... I can quite
understand why that would not be an option... ;)
So it did finally pay-off! :) How was the battle with DClone? Easy I
suppose, especially after having done the Ubers?
Regards,
Patrick.
marknew...@yahoo.com
> In article <1142004687....@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
> <marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >For example, I need another complete set of sorceress equipment for my
> >new Charged Boltress / Cold sorc I'm going to try out. Still wondering
> >whether to go Glacial Spike or Frozen Orb route yet. I believe I'll go
> >FO because GS isn't really a 20 point wonder like FO? You do need to
> >synergise some stuff to make it good?
>
> Well, I managed to finish the game with 20 points in GS, and perhaps about
> 10 hard points in, uh, Frozen Bolt (the skill one lower than GS). 1 in
> Cold Mastery, and boosted by the +skills on Snowclash.
Well, most of my points are going into the lightning tree. Charged
Bolt, Lightning and Lightning Master all at 20 points. So I'll have
limited points to synergise with GS. It's tempting though as a
different style sorceress to the usual Frozen Orb.
> But for a 20 point wonder perhaps Frozen Orb is better. You do need a few
> more prereqs for Frozen Orb though...
Yes.
> >That's because I was using the Enchantress on my other account to
> >search for another hot server. Yet again I've had no luck, and yet
> >again Greg managed to find a game. AND this time he wasn't too late!
> >The server walked while he was on it. I brought in the Smiter and he
> >used his Freezealot and the lucky bastard now has an Annihilus. I'm
> >still annoyed that after several days of trying I've still not managed
> >to even get on to any of the hot servers.
>
> Hey cool! How did said Anni turn out, stats-wise? If you got a high one,
> and you can manage with lower stats, I think you can trade away a
> high-stat any for a low stat any with plenty of 'adds' by the other
> side...
No, unfortunately it was only 37% perfect according to the Anni
calculator on that server list website. An unid Anni fetches 5 Ists
which is _very_ tempting to do, then buy myself a lower Anni and some
additional stuff. That is if I ever get one.
> So it did finally pay-off! :)
Yup! It only took 4 days of searching ;-)
> How was the battle with DClone? Easy I
> suppose, especially after having done the Ubers?
Well as you know on both my UT runs I've seeded the Ubers with 1 player
because we were new to it. With DClone we both went looking for
Rakanishu in the Stony Field so when DClone spawned it was on 2
players. He took slightly longer than the Ubers, but not much, and
really was no problem with Life Tap and CB. The last bit of life did
take some time, but otherwise eventless really. It's always a rush
trying doing something new in D2 so it was fun anyway, and when that
gold charm dropped...
Brian Kastel
<marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote...
> Patrick Vervoorn wrote...
I've been wondering how my Boltress would stack up against the DClone. The
Anni I have was a trade. I had found a Heaven's Light that I was letting
Nobody use, and since he became the DClone expert, I asked for an Anni for
ownership trade.
Hey, he's the one with the Uber Smiter, not me. :)
Brian Kastel
<marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote...
The difference between the 70 and 105 breakpoints is quite noticeble,
indeed. I think the 105 is minimum for comfort, especially if she's going
to be doing Hell runs.
>> >>> 3. Cold/Fire based Sorc??? Way too many immunes for the runs that I
>> >>> like to do, and I hate having to revive my merc all the time because
>> >>> I
>> >>> haven't finished him yet, and he likes to die.
>> >>
>> >> Cold/Fire sucks, IMO. That was the first combination I tried, and not
>> >> being able to touch the Countess was simply unacceptable.
>> >
>> > Yeah, this was my first Sorc build, so it was a learning experience
>
> Well Brian is very knowledgable so I don't want to dispute, but I don't
> think Cold/Fire sucks. There must be a reason the Fireball/FOrb sorc
> became a cookie cutter. My Enchantress is obviously Fire/Cold and she
> has no problems at all with the countess. I can take care of every bad
> guy around her, and my merc takes her down in a matter of 2 to 4
> seconds. I run her and the Summoner for keys constantly. If I had a
> Natures Peace ring, I'd be tempted to try Nilly as well.
Well, thank you, but I am not all that knowledgeable. :) It was just my
opinion, and it was based on my first attempt at playing the game. There
are surely Cold/Fire builds that work well solo. Mine just did not,
probably due to inexperience, skill misallocation, etc.
>> Resist All: 75 (Hell)
>
> This is the part that matters a lot to a sorceress IMO. Your Annihilus
> and Hellfire Torch make a big difference there.
Very big. Prior to obtaining those, I managed resists with charms, rings,
and boots.
>> Stat Allocation:
>>
>> Lightning:
>> Charged Bolt: 20 (32)
>> Lightning: 20 (32)
>> Lightning Mastery 20 (32)
>> Energy Shield and all prereq's: 1
>> Static Field: 1
>>
>> Cold:
>> Blizzard: 20 (32)
>> Cold Mastery: 7 (19)
>> Shiver Armor and prereq's: 1
>>
>> Fire:
>> Warmth: 1
>
> Two nights ago I started building a sorceress and at about level 6 I
> had to make a decision on which build I'd follow. I really wanted to
> try the Fireball/FOrb build as a MFer, but your post a while ago about
> a Charged Boltress has been nagging me. So that's the way I went.
Oh boy...
> I've been concentrating on the lightning tree so far. No points in the
> cold tree. I will put one point in Glacial Spike at 18 and then I have
> a decision to make. I probably won't go Blizzard, so it will either be
> Frozen Orb or Glacial Spike as my main cold skill. I use Frozen Orb for
> my Enchantress and it's a nice normal monster killer, but takes some
> time to kill bosses. I'd really like to try Glacial Spike because of
> it's freeze effects, spammability, and splash damage. At the moment I'm
> leaning to the safe route of what I know, Frozen Orb. Can anyone sway
> me to Glacial Spike?
You won't need cold skills to do anything until you get to Hell, really,
except perhaps in fighting Mephisto. I put a point into Frost Nova (a low
prereq) and used that to slow mobs until I got my Act 2 HF merc to do the
job. I maxed CB first, LM second, and then split my time between Blizzard
and Lightning until both were maxed (after plugging a point into Cold
Mastery). I encountered frustrations with mana supply, but I think that was
more because I hadn't yet found the runes to make Insight, since it was at
the start of the new ladder. If I could have equipped her level 27 merc
with one, that would have saved a lot of frustration. :)
>> That's my Lightning/Cold sorceress. With the items I am seeking for her,
>> the total to +Skills would be +18, which would definitely help her
>> survive
>> better in UT. I'm thinking CoH is out of reach, but that would make +19,
>> or
>> level 39 main skills.
>>
>> You can probably tell that I like her.
>
> Yes ;-)
>
> My big problem is lack of items. I don't have enough to go between my
> Enchantress and a new sorceress. So I'm hoping if I play her through
> all the major quests that I'll find some dececnt stuff along the way.
> Any tips to a new Charged Boltress player? Which is your boss killer
> spell?
Blizzard and Charged Bolt in combination. First, I Static them down to 1/2
(Hell -- 1/3 in NM). Then, cast I Blizzard, spam CB, repeat and rinse.
Since Blizzard is timed, this works dandy. CB also works best at point
blank range, theoretically delivering much more damage much more
consistently than any other lightning skill. So I tele right up to the boss
and do this. This even works effectively on Hell Meph, now. On the Uber
runs I've taken her, spamming CB at point blank takes down Furnace of Pain
OK's in seconds. Someone else has to deal with the Quintuple-immunes,
though... :( not fair...
I may have a spare Vipermagi (low), if you're on USEast SCL. I also have
tons of rings, circlets, life charms, etc. Account name *DjinnMaker1, if
you are interested.
Another thing: crafting caster items, especially boots. There are really no
boots for a sorc; no FCR, or +skills. Silkweave increases max mana, but you
want to be careful of that. Don't let your mana get higher than your life,
otherwise you become susceptible to the Blood Mana curse, which can be
deadly. Crafting boots can net some really nice mods, like fat resists, MF,
FR/W, and mana regen.
marknew...@yahoo.com
> <marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote...
> > Well as you know on both my UT runs I've seeded the Ubers with 1 player
> > because we were new to it. With DClone we both went looking for
> > Rakanishu in the Stony Field so when DClone spawned it was on 2
> > players. He took slightly longer than the Ubers, but not much, and
> > really was no problem with Life Tap and CB. The last bit of life did
> > take some time, but otherwise eventless really. It's always a rush
> > trying doing something new in D2 so it was fun anyway, and when that
> > gold charm dropped...
>
> I've been wondering how my Boltress would stack up against the DClone. The
> Anni I have was a trade. I had found a Heaven's Light that I was letting
> Nobody use, and since he became the DClone expert, I asked for an Anni for
> ownership trade.
>
> Hey, he's the one with the Uber Smiter, not me. :)
Ping Nobody! How do you get on the correct server? I've spent days
trying going through hundreds of games and never had the luck. My
friend on the other hand seems to manage it ok. Is there a trick to
getting on the correct server?
Brian Kastel
>
> Ping Nobody! How do you get on the correct server? I've spent days
> trying going through hundreds of games and never had the luck. My
> friend on the other hand seems to manage it ok. Is there a trick to
> getting on the correct server?
Here is his web page regarding DClone hunting:
http://pages.infinit.net/filmore/AnnihilusGuide.htm
Very good read, and very good information. I am continually impressed at
the routine improvements of this evolving product.
Patrick Vervoorn
>> Well, I managed to finish the game with 20 points in GS, and perhaps about
>> 10 hard points in, uh, Frozen Bolt (the skill one lower than GS). 1 in
>> Cold Mastery, and boosted by the +skills on Snowclash.
>
>Well, most of my points are going into the lightning tree. Charged
>Bolt, Lightning and Lightning Master all at 20 points. So I'll have
>limited points to synergise with GS. It's tempting though as a
>different style sorceress to the usual Frozen Orb.
You can at least try a 1 pnt GS (boosted by +skills) until you're clvl30
and can start putting point in Frozen Orb. I was surprised how well it
killed. Also, my FO/CL/Nova sorc has, of course, a 1 pnt Glacial Spike,
and it's quite nice to use it for freezing mobs of monsters... So it might
still work, but it will not kill very good...
>> Hey cool! How did said Anni turn out, stats-wise? If you got a high one,
>> and you can manage with lower stats, I think you can trade away a
>> high-stat any for a low stat any with plenty of 'adds' by the other
>> side...
>
>No, unfortunately it was only 37% perfect according to the Anni
>calculator on that server list website. An unid Anni fetches 5 Ists
>which is _very_ tempting to do, then buy myself a lower Anni and some
>additional stuff. That is if I ever get one.
One can always dream.... I've never encountered Uber-Diablo, and I think
it's also a bit unfair only people who are either actively selling SOJs
(or by hunting the counter-websites) you can get to him. It'd be much more
fun if you could get the Anni using a series of quests like for the
Torches... I don't mind that it's hard, but I do mind Anni-hunts are
mostly done by people having lots and lots of (duped) SOJs.
>> So it did finally pay-off! :)
>
>Yup! It only took 4 days of searching ;-)
Hehe, well, still, it's quite difficult to find the equivalent value and
usefullness other wise playing Diablo 2 for 4 days. ;)
>> How was the battle with DClone? Easy I
>> suppose, especially after having done the Ubers?
>
>Well as you know on both my UT runs I've seeded the Ubers with 1 player
>because we were new to it. With DClone we both went looking for
>Rakanishu in the Stony Field so when DClone spawned it was on 2
>players. He took slightly longer than the Ubers, but not much, and
>really was no problem with Life Tap and CB. The last bit of life did
>take some time, but otherwise eventless really. It's always a rush
>trying doing something new in D2 so it was fun anyway, and when that
>gold charm dropped...
Yeah. Sounds like fun... ;) Anyway, congrats to your friend on his Anni.
What's he using it on?
Regards,
Patrick.
marknew...@yahoo.com
Yes, very good read indeed, I've come across it before. I play on
Europe SCL but not much is different except that the IRC channel is
less populated and the servers walk less often. My big problem is
trying to get onto the correct server once I know the IP. I created a
_lot_ games while trying, but had no luck. Perhaps your best chance is
right at the start because as the hot server gets more games on it, the
controlling servers will assign fewer people to that one. Got to get in
early I suppose.
Samiel
I do recommend a lot of FCR gear though (mine has 120 FCR, though I
think only 105 or 110 is needed).
20 Orb
5 Cold Mastery
This is fine for non-CI monsters.
I went something like:
20 CL
20 LM
20 Nova
You could probably go Lightning instead of CL and be fine. Nova isn't
a great killer, but it's fun to use!
I can give you my exact build if you like... when I get home...
Basically I use her to rush my other characters and she does fine in
Hell for the most part. Countess is fairly easy to kill as well and
the Summoner is no problem. She can even do Nilly, but has to be a
bit careful.
Her gear is not uber by any means...
- Samiel
marknew...@yahoo.com
> In article <1142007231.3...@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> <marknew...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >No, unfortunately it was only 37% perfect according to the Anni
> >calculator on that server list website. An unid Anni fetches 5 Ists
> >which is _very_ tempting to do, then buy myself a lower Anni and some
> >additional stuff. That is if I ever get one.
>
> One can always dream.... I've never encountered Uber-Diablo, and I think
> it's also a bit unfair only people who are either actively selling SOJs
> (or by hunting the counter-websites) you can get to him. It'd be much more
> fun if you could get the Anni using a series of quests like for the
> Torches... I don't mind that it's hard, but I do mind Anni-hunts are
> mostly done by people having lots and lots of (duped) SOJs.
Definately. The idea that it would get rid of duped SOJs is really
bizarre. It's quite obvious that people would just dupe more to get
DClone to walk more often. I'm starting to see why people complain
about Blizzard "logic".
> Yeah. Sounds like fun... ;) Anyway, congrats to your friend on his Anni.
> What's he using it on?
His traps assassin. He really enjoys playing that now.
Patrick Vervoorn
Samiel <sam...@samiel.com> wrote:
>I went Orb/CL and it's really not a terrible build.
>
>I do recommend a lot of FCR gear though (mine has 120 FCR, though I
>think only 105 or 110 is needed).
117 FCR for CL. 105 for the other spells. Next breakpoint is at 200 FCR.
[snip, build looks good]
>Basically I use her to rush my other characters and she does fine in
>Hell for the most part. Countess is fairly easy to kill as well and
>the Summoner is no problem. She can even do Nilly, but has to be a
>bit careful.
>
>Her gear is not uber by any means...
That's the same I use mine for, though her gear as slowly been upgraded
for mediocre to perhaps now quite good and expensive (dual SOJs, Chains of
Honor AP, perfect Spirit, Nighwings Veil, etc)
Very fun build to play.
Patrick.