goatE
02-12-2005, 19:19
Goat's Guide to the zealot sorc.
This is my first guide. It probably sucks. If not, then yay me.
~ It came to pass that a small band of wanderers sent two scouts ahead, to determine the extent of the massing seige at Harrogoth. Finding themselves ambushed, the Sorceress and Paladin mounted their best against the ensueing hordes. Alas, the cold lands of the north had hardened the demon beasts against the sorceress's ever-keen command of the elements. The paladin, however, faired much better. Slaying dozens in one swipe, again and again, until all the beasts lay dead at their feet. The sorceress boiled with envy, and the paladin's remarks only emboldened her jealousy tenfold. In one act of vengeance she hurled at him an orb of icy death, freezing him in his place. "farewell knight.." she said, her voice low and hollow, as she took the scepter from the paladin's icy clutch.
This is basically just yet another melee sorc build. With a slight twist in that the runeword Passion will be used as the main weapon, for its + to zeal.
Keep in mind (if you're still reading) that this is extremely rough, but hopefully someone will find it interesting.
Stat Point Allocation:
Strength: You guessed it, enough for gear. If you're playing untweaked then plan ahead for gear you might think you will get later on. Maybe 150 or so. If you're playing with the gear you plan to use, then... you know the rest.
Dexterity: I would suggest enough for max block with the gear you'll be wearing. Of course there is some leeway here. That is, you could go with tons of vitality since you'll be leaching. You could go with split vitality/energy and utilize energy shield (again.. leaching will help.) However, keep in mind that you might find yourself coming up short on AR, even with enchant (more on that later.)
Vitality: Again, there's alot of play here. In any case you will want a healthy dallop of points spent here, even if you plan to use energy shield.
Energy: Depending on whether or not you plan to use energy shield as a means of defense. Your call.
Skill Point Allocation:
Alot of play here, as there are several ways you can go. I will list what I personally use, and suggest some alternatives. You can take it from there.
Enchant:20
There are probably some who would want to play this build "purile" with no enchant. But considering that you get a hefty 191% AR bonus at lvl 20, I find this skill of utmost usefullness.
Fire Mastery:20
Hey, if i'm going to use enchant, I might as well get the most out of it.
Frozen Armor: 20
I chose frozen armor because, despite its lackluster 125% bonus to defense, it can freeze melee attackers, allowing more time for you to drop the Z-bombs on them.
Chilling Armor:20
This is not only a synergy for frozen armor, but can also become usefull if you find yourself up against a great deal of ranged attackers. (I find it most useful because of the increased freeze length it gives to melee attackers.
The Rest: Prerequisites, teleport, static field, the rest I put into Shiver Armor for synergy purposes.
Alternatives: You may prefer not to use the armors, but rather go with energy sheild/telekenisis. Another way to go might be frozen orb/cold mastery (remember, only about 8 points after + gear items will suffice for cold master.) You might also instead pump warmth for damage to enchant. You may want a different method of damage, for which I would suggest Thunderstorm/light mastery for a decent amount of random lightning damage.
Equipment:
Again, this area has alot of play to it. Your call for the most part (with the exception, of course, being that you must have the Passion runeword to have zeal as a skill.) I believe alot of CB (crushing blow) would be nice, your average melee-er (zealer) style gear. You will probably find yourself low on AR even with enchant, if that is the case then you can pump using equipment as you see fit. I will list what I use, then some possible alternatives.
Helm: I wear shako, because I can. It doesn't make me a bad person. Even though it is not the melee-er's ideal helm, it gets me by and is a good all-around piece of equipment. You might choose to go with Guillham's for the CB, or with Crown of Ages or even a nice runeword helm (especially if you find yourself needing more resists, and you probably will.)
Armor: I wear Archon Plate CoH (Chains of Honour) which not only boosts my resists, but also has other nifty mods. Any good armor will do.
gloves: Soul Drainers. Why do I wear soul drainers instead of dracs? It has dual-leach, rather than just life. Also the chance to cast weaken I find is pretty nifty. You might prefer dracs. Or even steelrends if you want to pump your strength that high and need the extra damage.
Boots: Sandstorm Treks. I wear them for the huge poison resist, decent defense, and the + to str on the treks as well as the soul drainers ensures that I don't have to pump my strength quite as high as normally. You might prefer: Marrowalks (for the life tap charges?) or war travs (everyone loves war travs.)
Shield: I use StormShield. High defense, damage reduction, and a few other nifty mods. You might prefer: Spirit (runeword) monarch shield. Medussa's Gaze (life leach, nice defense, slows target, and chance to cast lower resist which will really make your enchant - if you used enchant- pay off.)
Belt: I use Verdungo's.. I like it... it works... You might prefer: Arachnid's mesh or possibly for the life leach, string of ears.
Rings: I use 2 Bul-Katho's wedding bands... You might prefer a dwarf star and ravenfrost. Possibly a wisp projector. Depends on your needs.
Amulet: Mara's... I needed the resists and it was there to help me. You might prefer highlord's for the deadly strike, or metalgrid if you can afford/find one. (alot of people underestimate metalgrid I think.)
Mercenary:
I chose to go with an act 2 Defiance merc. I found the defense bonus incredibly useful. I equipped him with a Reaper's Toll, Leviathon armor and Ethereal Crown of Thieves. I'm sure you can do better on your merc equipment. You might also prefer an act 5 barb merc, for its killing power and tanking ability, but I suggest act 2 because of the capabilities it has when it comes to runeword weapons with bonus auras for you (infinity or insight, for example.) If you're really feeling adventurous (since you are playing a melee build) why not take a rogue merc? Give her a Faith bow (will boost your damage by the fanatacism greatly) and keep her enchanted. Its all up to you.
Notes: A few points of interest. you will most likely want to get a cta (call to arms) on switch (this is common sense to most people.) Also, remember that passion not only gives you zeal but also another nifty skill, Berzerk. Which may or may not come in hand for some Physical Immune Monsters.
The rest is up to you.
Post Script: By the way i'm sure this build has already been discussed. Therefore, I give all credit to anyone who may or may not have written this before me, and do not take credit as being the originator of such a build. However if there is a build of this nature, I have never read it.
~ And in the frozen lands there was born a new breed. The sorceress, peeling the now-dead paladin's fingers from her new weapon of choice. Stepping over the hilltop and glancing down at the hordes of Baal's Minions. With a sneer the now-enraged sorceress plunged down upon them, fading into the fray as the sprays of blood gushered above her and around her. As the sun set, as the cold winds picked up their sullen serenade, a new sound was heard across the frozen tundra, as the sorceress howled into the barren dusk.
This is my first guide. It probably sucks. If not, then yay me.
~ It came to pass that a small band of wanderers sent two scouts ahead, to determine the extent of the massing seige at Harrogoth. Finding themselves ambushed, the Sorceress and Paladin mounted their best against the ensueing hordes. Alas, the cold lands of the north had hardened the demon beasts against the sorceress's ever-keen command of the elements. The paladin, however, faired much better. Slaying dozens in one swipe, again and again, until all the beasts lay dead at their feet. The sorceress boiled with envy, and the paladin's remarks only emboldened her jealousy tenfold. In one act of vengeance she hurled at him an orb of icy death, freezing him in his place. "farewell knight.." she said, her voice low and hollow, as she took the scepter from the paladin's icy clutch.
This is basically just yet another melee sorc build. With a slight twist in that the runeword Passion will be used as the main weapon, for its + to zeal.
Keep in mind (if you're still reading) that this is extremely rough, but hopefully someone will find it interesting.
Stat Point Allocation:
Strength: You guessed it, enough for gear. If you're playing untweaked then plan ahead for gear you might think you will get later on. Maybe 150 or so. If you're playing with the gear you plan to use, then... you know the rest.
Dexterity: I would suggest enough for max block with the gear you'll be wearing. Of course there is some leeway here. That is, you could go with tons of vitality since you'll be leaching. You could go with split vitality/energy and utilize energy shield (again.. leaching will help.) However, keep in mind that you might find yourself coming up short on AR, even with enchant (more on that later.)
Vitality: Again, there's alot of play here. In any case you will want a healthy dallop of points spent here, even if you plan to use energy shield.
Energy: Depending on whether or not you plan to use energy shield as a means of defense. Your call.
Skill Point Allocation:
Alot of play here, as there are several ways you can go. I will list what I personally use, and suggest some alternatives. You can take it from there.
Enchant:20
There are probably some who would want to play this build "purile" with no enchant. But considering that you get a hefty 191% AR bonus at lvl 20, I find this skill of utmost usefullness.
Fire Mastery:20
Hey, if i'm going to use enchant, I might as well get the most out of it.
Frozen Armor: 20
I chose frozen armor because, despite its lackluster 125% bonus to defense, it can freeze melee attackers, allowing more time for you to drop the Z-bombs on them.
Chilling Armor:20
This is not only a synergy for frozen armor, but can also become usefull if you find yourself up against a great deal of ranged attackers. (I find it most useful because of the increased freeze length it gives to melee attackers.
The Rest: Prerequisites, teleport, static field, the rest I put into Shiver Armor for synergy purposes.
Alternatives: You may prefer not to use the armors, but rather go with energy sheild/telekenisis. Another way to go might be frozen orb/cold mastery (remember, only about 8 points after + gear items will suffice for cold master.) You might also instead pump warmth for damage to enchant. You may want a different method of damage, for which I would suggest Thunderstorm/light mastery for a decent amount of random lightning damage.
Equipment:
Again, this area has alot of play to it. Your call for the most part (with the exception, of course, being that you must have the Passion runeword to have zeal as a skill.) I believe alot of CB (crushing blow) would be nice, your average melee-er (zealer) style gear. You will probably find yourself low on AR even with enchant, if that is the case then you can pump using equipment as you see fit. I will list what I use, then some possible alternatives.
Helm: I wear shako, because I can. It doesn't make me a bad person. Even though it is not the melee-er's ideal helm, it gets me by and is a good all-around piece of equipment. You might choose to go with Guillham's for the CB, or with Crown of Ages or even a nice runeword helm (especially if you find yourself needing more resists, and you probably will.)
Armor: I wear Archon Plate CoH (Chains of Honour) which not only boosts my resists, but also has other nifty mods. Any good armor will do.
gloves: Soul Drainers. Why do I wear soul drainers instead of dracs? It has dual-leach, rather than just life. Also the chance to cast weaken I find is pretty nifty. You might prefer dracs. Or even steelrends if you want to pump your strength that high and need the extra damage.
Boots: Sandstorm Treks. I wear them for the huge poison resist, decent defense, and the + to str on the treks as well as the soul drainers ensures that I don't have to pump my strength quite as high as normally. You might prefer: Marrowalks (for the life tap charges?) or war travs (everyone loves war travs.)
Shield: I use StormShield. High defense, damage reduction, and a few other nifty mods. You might prefer: Spirit (runeword) monarch shield. Medussa's Gaze (life leach, nice defense, slows target, and chance to cast lower resist which will really make your enchant - if you used enchant- pay off.)
Belt: I use Verdungo's.. I like it... it works... You might prefer: Arachnid's mesh or possibly for the life leach, string of ears.
Rings: I use 2 Bul-Katho's wedding bands... You might prefer a dwarf star and ravenfrost. Possibly a wisp projector. Depends on your needs.
Amulet: Mara's... I needed the resists and it was there to help me. You might prefer highlord's for the deadly strike, or metalgrid if you can afford/find one. (alot of people underestimate metalgrid I think.)
Mercenary:
I chose to go with an act 2 Defiance merc. I found the defense bonus incredibly useful. I equipped him with a Reaper's Toll, Leviathon armor and Ethereal Crown of Thieves. I'm sure you can do better on your merc equipment. You might also prefer an act 5 barb merc, for its killing power and tanking ability, but I suggest act 2 because of the capabilities it has when it comes to runeword weapons with bonus auras for you (infinity or insight, for example.) If you're really feeling adventurous (since you are playing a melee build) why not take a rogue merc? Give her a Faith bow (will boost your damage by the fanatacism greatly) and keep her enchanted. Its all up to you.
Notes: A few points of interest. you will most likely want to get a cta (call to arms) on switch (this is common sense to most people.) Also, remember that passion not only gives you zeal but also another nifty skill, Berzerk. Which may or may not come in hand for some Physical Immune Monsters.
The rest is up to you.
Post Script: By the way i'm sure this build has already been discussed. Therefore, I give all credit to anyone who may or may not have written this before me, and do not take credit as being the originator of such a build. However if there is a build of this nature, I have never read it.
~ And in the frozen lands there was born a new breed. The sorceress, peeling the now-dead paladin's fingers from her new weapon of choice. Stepping over the hilltop and glancing down at the hordes of Baal's Minions. With a sneer the now-enraged sorceress plunged down upon them, fading into the fray as the sprays of blood gushered above her and around her. As the sun set, as the cold winds picked up their sullen serenade, a new sound was heard across the frozen tundra, as the sorceress howled into the barren dusk.