Multi-elemental sorceress

moltovir · #1 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 07:31 AM

After finishing the game on Normal with my necro, I've started a new game to try out the sorceress. Since constantly spamming the same spell over and over is a little boring, I'm going to try a multi-elemental build: Meteor, Frozen Orb and a lightning spell as my main skills. I've checked the GB skills page to see the available lightning skills, and I'm not sure which one to pick: Thunderstorm or Chain Lightning? TH does higher damage and lasts longer, but CL costs less mana and can hit 9 targets simultaneously. What is, in your opinion, the best one? (please add arguments

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Now that I'm posting anyway, I can as well ask a second question

When I first played with my Necro, I found little to none wands or zombie heads, but dozens and dozens of sorceress' orbs, barbarian helms, amazon bows, assassin claws, ... Am I just an unlucky person or does the game have a lower chance of spawning Necro specific items if you play one?

Grimar · #2 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 11:34 AM

i would say that you should go metorb insted... that works better than all 3 elements.

i guess you have just been unlucky with your necro items

Darth Zenemij · #3 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 11:41 AM

Well Ithink i mostly found necro helms and wands...I don't think there were even any necro helma though...I think it was something like a helm or something like that

C Elegans · #4 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 01:06 PM

To answer the easiest question first: you were just unlucky with your necro, the ratio of class specific items is the same regardless what class you play yourself.

Now to your planned Tri-elementalist sorc, or Archmage as they are sometimes called. It is quite difficult to play Tri-elementalist in 1.10 unless you have extremely good items, like +10-15 to skills and rainbow facets all over. With the kind of gear the average player finds, you will dish out so low damage so gameplay will become very slow. If you still want to try a Tri-elementalist, I do not recommend Meteor at all since it is heavily synergy dependant. Instead, Firewall, Fireball or possible Hydra from the fire tree. Thunderstorm or Chain Lightning is a matter of taste. Personally, I'd go for CL since TS is passive and unpredictable, CL you target yourself. What you should choose depends on your playing style, what other skills you choose and what skills you choose to put more focus on. Since TS is passive, it is suitable as a backup skills for dual fire and cold immunes, to help out your merc. If you want a more active and efficient lightning skill you should choose CL. If I was to build an Archmage I'd pick Firewall, FO and CL and look for stuff like Mang Song Lesson, Arachnid Mesh, Shako, SoJ:s and skillers (grand charms with +1 to a skill tree).

moltovir · #5 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 01:24 PM

Thanks! Perhaps I'll just settle with a meteorb sorceress, I like playing a game 3 or 4 times but doing 1000 mephruns just go get this or that item doesn't sound that interesting...
I've kind of followed your guide (saving statpoints, using the frost nova + melee trick), and Act I was a piece of cake, but I've just arrived in Act II and those Bone Archers in the sewers are driving me insane. Me and my Act I mercenary get killed in ten shots and frost nova barely slows the archers down. The only good tactic I've found so far is blasting them with Ice Blast, but I don't want to spend more than 1 point in prereq skills so the dmg is very low (I need 3 castings to take down one archer), and I have to move in the archers line of sight before I can fire at them, giving them free shots at my unprotected sorceress. Should I put all my saved skill points (5) in Ice Blast, or do experience runs in Act I areas until I reach lvl 18 (Glacial Spike)?

Grimar · #6 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 01:42 PM

no i don't think so.

which lvl are you? i would just go on and get killed a couple of times, and save skill points. it's worth it

C Elegans · #7 (**permalink**) 03-12-2005, 03:06 PM

No, don't spend your saved skillpoints in Ice bolt. I usually use Frost nova and then melee them down, but if they are many you may need to use another skill. Get yourself a staff or orb with +Ice bolt or Fire ball. If you absolutely must, spend a few points in Fireball, not in Ice bolt. If you make a Meteorb, it doesn't matter very much if you spend some points now or later, and if you want to make a Tri-elementalist, you can use make a Fireball as your fire skill.

Deadalready · #8 (**permalink**) 03-13-2005, 10:42 PM

Personally I like to be able to fight without resorting to needing others' help so single element sorceresses aren't worth a grain of salt, especially when fighting the ever popular Fire and Cold immune monsters.

If I was to create another sorceress (I haven't played a proper one in a long time) I'd go with Cold and Lightning skills since lightning immune is comparitively rare and cold immune less common, also cold is one of the best skill trees for dealing with monsters.

The skills I'd invest in would be Chain Lightning, Frozen Orb(?) or Blizzard(?) and Blaze for dealing with certain monsters.

~

Still I think it's worth saving the points up for higher skills and three or more casts per monster is a small price to pay for power later on.

Noober · #9 (**permalink**) 03-14-2005, 03:57 AM

I wouldn't recommend CL + Blizzard + Frozen Orb (+blaze) since the synergies needed to make that effective are pretty much double what you will have at level 99.

C Elegans · #10 (**permalink**) 03-14-2005, 04:43 AM

For dual tree, CL/FO works well. I haven't tried CL/Blizzard, but I believe it would work fine too. However, I agree with Noober that for a Tri-elementalist, CL/FO/Blaze is not a very good choice since you will basically lack a skill that can do enough damage at Hell difficulty.