Fire/Lightning Builds?

[skygoneblue]

Are there any builds that use fire and lightning?

I was thinking about going with the Chain Lightning (and synergies) route with Firewall, or even using the Fireball and Meteor route with Thunderstorm or Nova.

Any ideas? Past experiences?

[melianor]

Fire/Lightning builds are certainly among there rarer ones, since you have more skills that require synergy to be effective.

Like you sid yourself. Chainlightning/Firewall would be viable. Firewall does not necessarily need the full power of Fire Mastery so you could do something like this:

20 Lightning
20 Chain Lightning
20 Lightning Mastery

20 Firewall
8+ Fire Mastery

Nova and Thunderstorm without Lightning Mastery is not really adviseable. Not enough damage with out Mastery!

20 Nova
20 Thunderstorm
20 Lightning Mastery

20 Firewall
8+ Fire Mastery would work though.

If you are not planning on playing in 8-player Baal games and usually play alone or with just 1-2 other player you could try this.

1-6 Fireball (1.5-2k damage)
20 Meteor (5.5k damage + ground damage that can last 15sec at high lvls)
1 Fire Mastery

20 Lightning
20 Chain Lightning
20 Lightning Mastery
or
20 Charged Bolt
20 Lightning
20 Lightning Mastery

You could split the Masteries equally aswell i guess. With about +10-12 skills added you will do the fire damage posted above and that is already enough for 1-3 player games.

Elemental skill calculators:
http://stud4.tuwien.ac.at/~e9325732/skillcalc
http://www.d2items.com/skills.php

[Soepgroente]

By the way, fire wall only requires 1 point in mastery if you have about +10 skills.

[skygoneblue]

Thanks Melianor! The more I thought about it, the more that the Chain Lightning and Firewall build made more sense (for exactly the reasons that you listed).

One quick question though, would it be more valuable to drop points into Charged Bolt for the synergy and then let skills raise the mastery?

20 Charged Bolt
20 Lightning
20 Chain Lightning
1 + Lightning Mastery

20 Firewall
1 + Fire Mastery

Then Warmth, Shiver Armor, Static Field, etc.

I suppose that Lightning Mastery would raise the Chain Lightning damage level more per point than the synergy would, but pumping the synergy, you get the best of both worlds when you have your skills raised.

Thanks again man! :clap:

[melianor]

Welcome and look here skygoneblue:
http://stud4.tuwien.ac.at/~e9325732/skillcalc

You get more damage for Chain LIghtning when you use the setup i posted.
20 Lightning
20 CL
20 LM

Also Lightning itself will gain more damage. Only when you have less points (meaning 40 and lower) to distribute in the Lightning tree it will make sense to put less points in mastery and more into synergy like with 40 pts

20 CB
15 L
5 LM
will give you higher CB damage than
20 CB
20 LM

[skygoneblue]

Thanks again. I tried taking a look at that calculator, and I am having a bit of trouble trying to figure out that "Optimum" button. Every time I use it, it just adds one to the Mastery level and calculates it. Does it actually work to calculate your best choice with the selected skills somehow?

[melianor]

Thanks again. I tried taking a look at that calculator, and I am having a bit of trouble trying to figure out that "Optimum" button. Every time I use it, it just adds one to the Mastery level and calculates it. Does it actually work to calculate your best choice with the selected skills somehow?

Forget about the optimum button. I always try it out myself, by adding/subtracting from synergies or masteries and looking at the value i get. Also dont forget to select the +skills you will finally have since adding/subtracting those change alot in how you have to distribute synergies and mastery points.

This calculator might be easier to handle and gives the same correct damage display:
http://www.d2items.com/skills.php

[skygoneblue]

Thanks Meli!

[GenXCub]

Mel, even though it still links to the d2items page, it's now located at www.d2skills.com. Perhaps the mods wouldn't have an issue with that link since it doesn't contain the reference to selling items.