max block?

[OJ-simpson]

do sorc need max block on hc?
i just started playing hc and i cant afford a stormshield (yet) if i use another shield i'd have to pump like 250+ into dex for max.... so is it worth having max block or just rest into vita? (its a pvm / mf / blizz sorc)

[PhatTrumpet]

They must not have Whitstan's Guard on softcore...

[tooie1]

do sorc need max block on hc?
i just started playing hc and i cant afford a stormshield (yet) if i use another shield i'd have to pump like 250+ into dex for max.... so is it worth having max block or just rest into vita? (its a pvm / mf / blizz sorc)

It's a personal preference, I've made both max block and no block sorc's and both have done fine. I think i'd like to make a sorc using an ethereal Spirit Monarch next.

The Wiz/Whistans/Viper combo is cheap and effective.

People tend to be very passionate about max block (and orb vs. blizzard for that matter)

[OJ-simpson]

i actually noticed that...

when i play sc i never put points in dex for max block(just req for wizspike) however my frend says max block is better than no dex.... i dont know really :\ prob will go with wizspike req....

[SilverDin]

I was used to 75% block sorcs.. then I started playing a 50% block sorc.. little more life.. less block... it's a balance I can live with.

[NEUROSHOCKED]

All my sorcs are 75% max block. They only char I don't put in dex is my E-Shield sorc :lol: Plus you can hear lovely blocking sound instead of your sorc screaming in pain. :lol:

[Stimm]

My sorceress has max block and still manages to have 1200 life 1000 mana without bo. You do not need a stormshield , honestly you only need a whistans or an UP'd Visc defender and a synergized eshield and you ll do fine.

As this is your first hc character I would go block with whistans. You will have crap gear , crap charms so block will probably save your butt. Just for Gods sake dont use a lidless. For every person who uses a lidless Stinger kills a puppy

[Stimm]

do sorc need max block on hc?
i just started playing hc and i cant afford a stormshield (yet) if i use another shield i'd have to pump like 250+ into dex for max.... so is it worth having max block or just rest into vita? (its a pvm / mf / blizz sorc)


Also Storm is one of the heaviest dex req shields to get block on IIRC its 223 @ 99 not too mention the str req. Conversly its 203 @ 90 for upd visc and even less for whistans

[Nerf-Herder]

block rules -- keep it at 75

[Matt]

Well, if you have not already started her, I would suggest an orb/tk sorc, with max block....

Between max block and ES//TK, you will have to TRY and die on hell mephisto. (using decent gear and bo, I can probably sit there for like 57 hours before he does any damage to me) Basically, I like orb because its very, very non synergy dependant, leaving you with lots of points to dump into the other useful skills, conversly, with blizzard, you need lots of synergies, and you are left with little to no ES/TK, and lower level other skills, such as static and teleport and warmth.

So, my suggestion is:
MAX BLOCKING!
Make an orb sorceress, without that lame ice bolt synergy, and then just max TK, 1 orb, 1-10 teleport, 1-5 warmth, 17 cold mastry, everything else into static. (seriously, I maxed static on my current sorc, nothing like having everything at half health before it can get within 10 yards of you, mephisto will be at half health by the time he tries to hit you, it really does make a difference, and will make you much safer, due to no need to tank to static.

So, max blocking, max resists, 63%FCR breakpoint, non-synergized orb for killing mephisto is fine, and a nice energy shield.... VERY safe and effective build for killing mephisto.

Sure, he will die 2 to 5 seconds slower with orb and blizzard, however, you dont need to tank him to keep him in your blizzard, and if you use the moat trick, you will have just lost any time bonus with blizzard anyways, and if you dont have nice gear for your merc, he wont last long at all to tank for you...

So, in addition to no real speed bonus on killing him (all things conscidered) with blizzard, by going with orb, you end up with MANY more extra skill points to enhance your sorceress in other ways. I feel the blizz/orb is really personal prefrence when given optimal setups, however, with a weak equipment selection, orb is simply superior in every way (in my opinion...) in terms of survivability, and you really dont lose much if any killing speed.

-Matt

[sunshine]

Just wondering. what's wrong with lidless? And for those that advocate whitstan's, what was your highest hcl sorc?

[thamuzdevil]

I advocate whitstans.

Lidless sucks on hc (low block). lidless has been described as the 'cookie cutter shield of sc' because (IMO) you will die much easier if you use it in hc.

I always use whitstans, unless i can afford a SS and can afford to put all the points in dex and str (which i never do, btw)

so...








GO WHITSTANS!

EDIT: I just started HC recently, and I just started a serious orb sorc even more recently. This sorc is the safest build I have ever made. Only level 76 right now, mf runs in hell, nothing has even posed a danger for me. She uses whitstans with a pDiamond, tals ammy and belt, viper (low % too :(), chancies, nagels, nats boots (of all crap things to have for boots... youd figure mf with +res huh?) and (once again, of all crap things) a peasant crown. Why dont I have better stuff? I havent traded anything I have found yet for better stuff ^^ found a nice gheeds the other day which made me happy, she needed one (144/14/39). My highest sc sorc was in the 90s (multiple sorcs in the 90s, all used whitstans except a few that used lidless, and i had the hardest time teleing with them because i didnt invest the dex needed for max block with it)

so anyway, i know my sorcs, and im very happy with my build. 20orb/20mastery/20telek/1static/1warmth/1energy shield/24 teleport after +skills.

[MoUsE_WiZ]

Lidless offers:
-no resists
-no block

Upped mosers offers:
-very good block
-crazy resists

whistans offers:
-crazy block
-low str req
-it's very cheap

My highest HCL sorc = 87 iirc, gloam death while I was talking to someone while I should have been teleporting without bothering to wait for BO ^^

[tooie1]

Just wondering. what's wrong with lidless? And for those that advocate whitstan's, what was your highest hcl sorc?

Are you trying to troll Stinger? If not, be prepared for his wrath when he reads this thread.

Here's the arguement:

Lidless has no block. Sure, the skills, FCR, Mana, etc are nice but one mistake in HC and that's it, be it fanat Frenzytaurs, whatever. The stats aren't worth it, especially in Hell. (Stinger's version is MUCH better, I don't do it justice)

If you want the skills, go for the upped Viz, reasonbly easy to reach max block.

I'm not sure what your angle is with the "What's you highest level sorc in HC" question. I've had Whistan's/Lidless/Rhyme/SS sorcs all at 85+, some with max block some with no block. Mainly get bored with leveling at that point. If you have a level 99 Lidless sorc, more power to you.

[Stimm]

Just wondering. what's wrong with lidless? And for those that advocate whitstan's, what was your highest hcl sorc?


I wont repeat what everyone else has said about lidless, I will add that my highest was 96 last season using whistans and would be still alive if ladder 1 was still going

[OJ-simpson]

starting a new sorc, cuz my other one died at 67 :(

so this time im gonna go with the whistan and the orb matt suggested. and is tk telekenisis? why max that or is tk something else?

-edit-

will my resist be ok if i use pdia'd whistan?

[Stimm]

starting a new sorc, cuz my other one died at 67 :(

so this time im gonna go with the whistan and the orb matt suggested. and is tk telekenisis? why max that or is tk something else?

-edit-

will my resist be ok if i use pdia'd whistan?

TK does in fact stand for telekenesis. What TK does is makes your energy shield more efficient. This is an example so dont quote the numbers. At lvl 1 TK if you take 100 damage your mana will drop 200 points. However if you get it lvl 16 that ratio goes to 1:1 ( 100 dmg taken , 100 mana goes off ) maxing it takes the ratio down to .75 so 100 dmg taken 75 mana is used.

To answer your edit now. A PDia Whistans / Wizspike and med res viper (25% res)armor will get you 19 + 75 + 25 +20 for 2 anya quests = 139 or 40 res all in hell act 1, add 10 if you get hell anya. Wiz and med Viper can be bought with pgems in the HC trading forum quite easily. With a couple rare rings / amulet with res you could easily get max or near max res in hell

Lastly what killed you? Once you get to 45 you can lvl on your own in nm mf runs easily. At 45 you ll have everything but the wiz spike - spectral shard is a great substitute till then. You can run nm Andariel (soj queen) then move onto nm meph once you get a good mana pool or run pindle /elrict and shenk both ways will level you very quickly. You can move onto hell Andariel at 70 then Meph at 76 or so at which point you should have orb / tk / warmth or teleport ( max 1 of these leave the other at lvl1) all maxed and cold mastery or icebolt maxed and leveling the other

[Aerath]

TK - ES synergy, iirc.

[weedkilz]

Yes TK is indeed a synergy to Es and You will want to get this to at least 16, although I just max it, the more you have, the better really. You probably know that ES takes some of your dmg and makes it go to your mana rather than your life bulb making it fairly useful. However, TK actually reduces what goes to your mana so basically some dmg you take dissapears, which is very sweet when you throw in maxed resists, max block and even some DR. I have two orb sorcs with maxed TK and they are both rocks...By FAR the best sorc build I have ever tried....I just wish I had the new runeword with meditation so I could take all the points in warmth and put them into orbs synergy as I already had maxed TK, orb, CM, and around 12 in tele (24 after skills for 1 cost...VERY NICE)....

Oh and Lidless SUUUCCCCKKKKS

there :lol:

[OJ-simpson]

Lastly what killed you?

the one and only nihlathak :( my brain was messed up that day cuz i had a dental surgery and the doctor gave me this drug which affected my body basically..... so i was thinking properly

[thamuzdevil]

Ahh, the glory of Generic Lortabs. Don't ever take 3 or more if you want to function in any manner, let alone playing HC DIABLO 2!

[Pezeteros]

I yesterday began playing d2 again, feeling the urge to do some low level battling after quite some time, and since i hadn't played again in this ladder session I needed to start again a main farmer character. Since I moved to HC, my main char has always been sorc, and it was always max block.

Both in 09 and previous ladder I did the same thing. I began playing untwinked and work my way towards building my char. I get my hands on a whitstads and use it and max block. since playing without items/charms is hard I get advantage of the low stat investment this shield requires for max block to pump the rest in vita. This sorc gets to do all the dirty job, till mephisto or someone else drops a nasty stormshield. Then it is rebuild time. By then you'll have your hands on the items and charms that will ensure that your life after spending all those stats for SS isn't left terribly low.

Actually I don't like very much the idea of 1 element sorc myself, since you rely just on your merc to kill anything cold immune (slow killing) and once you meet anything Cold/Physical Immune you can't kill. But I guess you can live with that variant for the 1st sorc, if she spends most on time on mephisto, especially since she will be more fragile and she can but good use of that extra safety. As for myself since I dont have lorg term plans for diablo and just want to fund a couple of pk chars, I may even skip on the rebuilding part.

The feeling of safety you get from a max block sorc, especialy with SS is incredible. As for lidless it was only good for the call to arms switch for me.

[rotor_001]

Lidless is a piece of crap, no joke so is this new overhyped runeword spirit. never used ss on a sorc cause of the str req. my sorcs stop at 45 or 60 str(magefist/frosties and rhyme). my sorcs are usually laughed at by the 1337 people on bnet. Then I do the same runs faster with my gear then they do with their full tals and lidless. that means that some skill still exists in this game :D

[Jedi]

pretty simple: block is always a life safer.

have 75% of all attacks blocked or get 5 hits by enchanced monsters with u having 200 life more. overall u gain more with block!

btw pvp is always max block except if u use a 2hander.i think those chars are maxed out for best effect in general (any pvp char will give monsters a hard time) - just a hint.

regards Jedi