Is the lidless the nuts?

[denverpoker]

In poker the very best hand is refered to as the nuts. I just starting expansion about 48 hours ago and was able to acquire one by trade. Thank god for muling gems from classic.

The equipment between expansion and classic is so completely different it is like a different game. This shield combines three of the classic pieces that were always sought ought by sorcs. Sigon shield, only way at all to get plus skills for sorc on shield; wall of eyeless, for fast casting; frostburns, to increase your many. WOW

Now I have been reading guides and posts and it seems like this is one of the shields that lots of sorcs use. Is there a better one.

FINALY MY QUESTION

This came with an empty socket as well. Now do these always come with an empty socket or did somebody do socket quest? Can I do socket quest on this?

What to put in the socket? If gems the only choice to me is perf diamond, always got to have resistances. Currently I use unique grim with 40% resist all. Now is there something else like I should use like rune or jewel? There is no link to jewels on this site which I can find, its broken. I would appreciate any advice on this. This is my very first piece of uber gear and want it used properly.

The only potential issue is getting something that gives faster block or max block. Thats another issue. Thanks for your help.

[parkerbsb]

If you were planning on socketing that sheild I would suggest UM rune it gives a little more resistances. They don't come with 1 socket so someone used their socketing quest on it, no you can't add another socket.

Spirit is slightly better IMO (it's a runeword). The downfall of spirit is you'd need 150ish str to equip it and it is already socketed.

Finally what I'd suggest is have a Whitstan's guard on your weapon switch. It has the highest block rate of any sheild in the game and is quite cheap to get. Lidless in areas with lots of magic damage, Whitstans on areas with lots of phyical attackers (go for max block with the whitstans if you don't like dying).

Hope that helps

[denverpoker]

If you were planning on socketing that sheild I would suggest UM rune it gives a little more resistances. They don't come with 1 socket so someone used their socketing quest on it, no you can't add another socket.

Spirit is slightly better IMO (it's a runeword). The downfall of spirit is you'd need 150ish str to equip it and it is already socketed.

Finally what I'd suggest is have a Whitstan's guard on your weapon switch. It has the highest block rate of any sheild in the game and is quite cheap to get. Lidless in areas with lots of magic damage, Whitstans on areas with lots of phyical attackers (go for max block with the whitstans if you don't like dying).

Hope that helps

I appreciate the advice. I cant go the spirit route, no way can i make the str requirement. I'll look for the Whitstan's as well.

If I socket resistance ill definately go for the UM rune. Any other ideas for socketing? I was thinking block rate, damage reduction, fcr, fhr, or mana stuff.

[parkerbsb]

Well I guess it would depend on what you need more, if you are planning on going max block with lidless you are not going to have many points in vita. IIRC it's somewhere in the 240 range for max block at level 99. So don't do that unless you really don't want to switch.
Mana should not be a problem, and to be truthfully honest if you are PvM faster hit recovery and block are not that important, you have teleport so just get the heck outta there!

From my expirences in Hell, most monsters deal elemental damage as well as phyical, so you are better off with higher resists, and more life.

Really it all depends on your build and other items.

[BodomSaint]

If you were planning on socketing that sheild I would suggest UM rune it gives a little more resistances. They don't come with 1 socket so someone used their socketing quest on it, no you can't add another socket.

Unless you're pretty rich (which i doubt since you just started out) i'd never ever socket an Um rune into a shield, since all it gives above a PDiamond is a tiny 3% res all, at the cost of something much much much rarer than a PDiamond

Spirit is slightly better IMO (it's a runeword). The downfall of spirit is you'd need 150ish str to equip it and it is already socketed.

A major downfall imho, since you have to abandon the max block route, it's just too much of a dex investment with 156 points invested in str (the 'lightest' 4 socketed shield is the Monarch which needs 156 str to equip) as well as cutting the points normally going into vita. IMHO Spirit is rather a Runeword for richer chars (those being able to reduce str investment by other gear) and/or for prebuffing (Call to Arms comes in mind, a RW granting every character that uses it with Battle Orders)

Finally what I'd suggest is have a Whitstan's guard on your weapon switch. It has the highest block rate of any sheild in the game and is quite cheap to get. Lidless in areas with lots of magic damage, Whitstans on areas with lots of phyical attackers (go for max block with the whitstans if you don't like dying).

Hope that helps

I think all that switching might become tedious very fast, but maybe thats just me, i also hate prebuffing with equipment from my stash.

Whistan's is indeed a very viable choice for max block.

Personally, i really like Moser's Blessed Circle (Unique Round Shield) since it has 25% res all and 2 sockets. With two PDiamonds thats 63% res all, once upgraded to Luna (watch out, quite expensive on it's own) it even has a decent Block%

[Sessily]

Well I guess it would depend on what you need more, if you are planning on going max block with lidless you are not going to have many points in vita. IIRC it's somewhere in the 240 range for max block at level 99.

Er, try somewhere in the realm of 387. ;)

[parkerbsb]

It's that high for max block on a lidless? WOW that is really high, thanks for clarifying that tho.
As to switching, is hitting "T" that difficult, remember you have 2 weapon/sheild setups.
I have Occy/Spirit on my primairy slot (for MF'ing and better kill speed), when I'm in trouble I hit "T" (IIRC it's "W" on standard keyboard setup) for my Whitstans/Wizspike (75% resists and max block).

I dislike pre-buffing in all forms, as to the Um, well what can I say if you want better resists, even 3% better it's worth the extra cash.

Finally the debate between Lidless and Spirit has been well documented so I'm going to leave that alone.

[mxxerr]

I think it depends on the build of your sorceress. I have a mf sorceress and she never used Lidless or Stormshield. IMO, sorceress doesnot need max block unless she is a melee sorc.

My sorceress used to use a 3-p-dimond shield untill I found a Moser for her. Now she used 2-P-diamond Moser (+63 resist all) all the time