Cold Sorceress Equipment? also block or vitality?

[Organic_Pear]

Yup im making a cold sorc

20 Ice Bolt
20 Ice Blast
20 Glacial Spike
20 Blizzard
20 Cold Mastery
1 Teleport
1 Telekinisis
1 Static Field
1 Frozen Orb
1 Frost Nova
1 Frozen Armour


yup with the rest of the points going into Frozen Orb (If I level that high)

Gear

Deaths Fathom or Occy (Fathom if I can afford)
Lidless Wall or Stormshield (depending on if 105 fast cast breakpoint usefull?)
Ormus Robes
Arachnids Sash
Magefist
Imp Shank
10% fast cast rings or soj depending on cast rate importance
Maras, Tal Rashas or rare amulet depending on cast rate
Nightwings Viel or Shako



Main questions

1. Is max block or vitality better? Obviously if I went lidless wall I would be getting vitality. But if I got stomshield max block is an option. For some reason to me it feels like a more efficient way to spend points rather then measly 10 life for 5 skill points.... anyways just checking here

2. Faster Cast Rate which is a good amount to aim for? Is 105 going overboard because I think I would have to sacrifice to get to it....
Is the 63% faster cast rate almost as efficient?

3. Is strength usually left at base with sorceress or is it raised do to the lack of str boosting gear.... I am probably going to use stormshield so

10 str starting + 19 Str (anni) + 18 (imp shanks)+(from one faster cast rate ring How much can u get?)=

probably around 55-60 strength with item boosts

Im going to need around either 133 with a -req ss or 156 with cold facet or cham ss so what base str do most cold sorcs go for?

Or would it be better to just forget about storm shield and stop worrying about strength and just use whitstans guard????

^ I'm really wondering a lot about that please answer

So yes any tips you can give me or anything would be appreciated

[melianor]

1. Both ways are viable and work nicely. To me this is still a matter o preference. Max-block will offer a bit more security in terms of survivability. So if you want to perfect your build with allkind of protection options, head for max-block with Stormshield.

2. For casting Iceblast and Glacial Spike between Blizzard 63% FCR is enough. YOu can have soemthign on switch to use for 105% FCR and use that setup for Teleporting. Teleporting is significantly faster at 105% and also lessens the chance to be hit since you will get away faster.

3. Stats distribution usually goes liek this with any Sorceress build, except ES.

Strength: enough for gear fo choice
Dexterity: 0 or enough for max-blocking with your Shield of choice
Vitality: all other points
Energy: 0 or something btw 50-100 (depending on how much mana/energy you get from your gear

Witeh an ES (Energy Shield build) you will typically use no points in dex and put everythign else into Energy, and the rest into vitality.

Stormshield is still certainly a vry nice choice for a Sorceress!

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Personally its not my preference at all, since my playstyle allows me to foget about PDR, so my shield of choice is still upg. Visceratuant for max-block, since i am not the type to waste over 100pts into str for a sorc build.

[Organic_Pear]

1. Both ways are viable and work nicely. To me this is still a matter o preference. Max-block will offer a bit more security in terms of survivability. So if you want to perfect your build with allkind of protection options, head for max-block with Stormshield.

2. For casting Iceblast and Glacial Spike between Blizzard 63% FCR is enough. YOu can have soemthign on switch to use for 105% FCR and use that setup for Teleporting. Teleporting is significantly faster at 105% and also lessens the chance to be hit since you will get away faster.

3. Stats distribution usually goes liek this with any Sorceress build, except ES.

Strength: enough for gear fo choice
Dexterity: 0 or enough for max-blocking with your Shield of choice
Vitality: all other points
Energy: 0 or something btw 50-100 (depending on how much mana/energy you get from your gear

Witeh an ES (Energy Shield build) you will typically use no points in dex and put everythign else into Energy, and the rest into vitality.

Stormshield is still certainly a vry nice choice for a Sorceress!

-----
Personally its not my preference at all, since my playstyle allows me to foget about PDR, so my shield of choice is still upg. Visceratuant for max-block, since i am not the type to waste over 100pts into str for a sorc build.



in your sig I noticed that a upgraded visceratuant might be a good choice saving a lot of stat points from strength??? Then again if you are a cold sorc u will probably want to ues nightwings...( but u could use shako instead and go with a low str build, just enough for ormus 77 str which u can probably achieve with not to many points in str at all

??? what do u think about this?

[melianor]

in your sig I noticed that a upgraded visceratuant might be a good choice saving a lot of stat points from strength??? Then again if you are a cold sorc u will probably want to ues nightwings...( but u could use shako instead and go with a low str build, just enough for ormus 77 str which u can probably achieve with not to many points in str at all

??? what do u think about this?

Thats not my signature ;) I just wanted to seperate my objective view form the subjective one.

If you can get hold of Nightwings Veil i would use it! Since your str req will be high then anyway there is absolutly nothing to say against using Sotrmshield.

Since Cold Mastery reduces resistances and does not add extra damage, getting all kind of +xx% cold damage sources for your Cold Sorceress will make her even more powerful!

[TheGreatDivorce]

That equipment setup looks like it would have negative resistances in Hell. I'd say instead of Lidless and Stormshield, use a Sanctuary with 65+ to all resistances and consider using a CoH if you can afford one. You'll easily max resists with that. Even without CoH, my Sanctuary gives me full resists; minus poison in Hell and that will let you live longer againster other Sorcs' and elementals. I don't use Stormshield because most Sorcs' usually don't let melees get into melee range. But if you go PvM, then definity get SS with block.