Help in categorizing build skills, please

[Ax2Grind]

In short, what I'm after is the grouped skill choices that separate builds, from some of the following (ignoring masteries):

Cold:
Ice Bolt/Ice Blast/Glacial Spike/Blizzard/Frozen Orb
Frost Nova/Blizzard/Frozen Orb
Frozen Orb/Ice Bolt
Frozen Armor/Shiver Armor/Chilling Armor

Fire:
Fire Bolt/Fire Ball/Meteor/Inferno/Hydra
Warmth/Inferno/Enchant
Blaze
Fire Wall

Lightning:
Charged Bolt/Lightning/Chain Lightning/Nova
Static Field
Telekenisis
Teleport
Energy Shield
Thunder Storm

With this information, I assume pure page builds would use the first group of each section (italicized), since they have the most synergies to boost damage. Hybrids, though, wind up using skills with few or no synergies - or so I would think. Among those listed outside, with varying synergy levels:

Cold/Fire:
Frozen Orb (Ice Bolt) and Meteor (Fire Bolt/Fire Ball/Inferno)
Blizzard (Ice Bolt/Ice Blast/Glacial Spike) and Fire Ball (Fire Bolt/Meteor)
Blizzard (Ice Bolt/Ice Blast/Glacial Spike) and Fire Wall

Cold/Lightning:
?

Fire/Lightning:
?

Then there are the various tri-elementalists, with no or low synergies. Here are most of those listed outside:

Cold/Fire/Lightning:
Blizzard, Meteor and Chain Lightning
Blizzard, Meteor and Thunder Storm
Frozen Orb, Enchant, and Energy Shield
Frozen Orb, Fire Ball, and Thunder Storm
Frozen Orb, Fire Ball/Hydra, and Nova
Frozen Orb, Fire Wall, and Thunder Storm
Frozen Orb, Fire Wall, and Chain Lightning

As you can see, the guide outside lists pure builds and variants, a handful of triple use builds that were/are probably better in Classic, but only three dual element setups - all cold/fire variants. With the exception of Static Field, a one-point wonder, I'm expecting responses to the effect of 'lightning doesn't offer much without synergies and no one uses Thunder Storm.' Let me know if I missed anything.

Really, though, are there no viable dual hybrids using lightning? Making some of these builds over and over again can get pretty boring, even though I've rarely even played a Sorceress, but I'm asking because I want to.

[yelopen]

People do Orb/Lightning sometimes.

Since Orb doesn't need synergies as much as other skills do, you max Orb, a few in CM, and use the rest for lightning, CL, lightning mastery, synergies if there are any points left.

[Ax2Grind]

People do Orb/Lightning sometimes.

Since Orb doesn't need synergies as much as other skills do, you max Orb, a few in CM, and use the rest for lightning, CL, lightning mastery, synergies if there are any points left.

For instance, should most skills have at least 50% of their synergies to be effective? Poison and Plague Javelin are good examples for Amazons, since it's been tested that a thirty-skill-point or so distribution in almost any manner would make either or both effective in hell, saving the other ten for another skill. Of course, with Sorcs, if you do this twice you can have enough left over to max another skill (synergy or otherwise).

Which skills are good enough without synergies? I'm assuming FO, maybe Meteor, which is why both are so popular when used properly.

[yelopen]

For instance, should most skills have at least 50% of their synergies to be effective? Poison and Plague Javelin are good examples for Amazons, since it's been tested that a thirty-skill-point or so distribution in almost any manner would make either or both effective in hell, saving the other ten for another skill. Of course, with Sorcs, if you do this twice you can have enough left over to max another skill (synergy or otherwise).

Which skills are good enough without synergies? I'm assuming FO, maybe Meteor, which is why both are so popular when used properly.

Its pretty much only FO actually, thats why most hybrids are based around it. It only has one synergy + CM, and the synergy adds what 2% a level? So its less significant and its a fine immune killer without it. Most other moves should have at least half of their synergies to be effective I'd say. I guess Meteor might be ok with less synergies because it has awesome damage.

[Ax2Grind]

Its pretty much only FO actually, thats why most hybrids are based around it. It only has one synergy + CM, and the synergy adds what 2% a level? So its less significant and its a fine immune killer without it. Most other moves should have at least half of their synergies to be effective I'd say. I guess Meteor might be ok with less synergies because it has awesome damage.

Since I was looking for a spot to put Eschuta's Temper, it would make sense to me to create a Fire/Lightning hybrid due to it's properties. Frankly, I would've thought it done by someone else already, but how about this:

Fire: 81 skill points
Fire Bolt
Warmth
Inferno - 10
Blaze
Fire Ball - 20
Fire Wall
Enchant
Meteor - 20
Hydra - 20
Fire Mastery - 6

Lightning: 29 skill points
Static Field
Telekenisis
Nova - 20
Teleport
Lightning Mastery - 6

Fire Ball, Meteor and Hydra all have synergies which give the same damage bonus, the only exception being Meteor's average fire damage, which is why Inferno is at exactly ten points. Three fire skills are maxed with a majority (barely more than 50%, actually) of their synergies bonused, and one lightning skill maxed with each mastery at six. Coupled with skill raisers, Eschuta's and a decent Ormus' Robes, the masteries should be fine, since they aren't true synergies.

Basically, I'd give up half the Inferno and all the Fire Bolt (save one for pre-requisite) to get a vicinity group attack from another elemental tree, something the Fire Skills lack, which means this might actually work. Of course, there's probably a more balanced design somewhere in here. Any thoughts?

[Noite Escura]

Lightning spells aren't that great with only a few skill points. I guess the best would be Charged Bolt(though I haven't tested it really). Focus on Meteor or Hydra, you don't need two spells at the same tree that don't synergize each other. Someone said once that with the right equipment evrything is viable. Maybe even this...

[MageChick]

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I have to agree that 2 spells in the same tree that don't synergize is a waste. Either do fireball+Meteor or Hydra+???, but not both. What's the point?

[sirpoopsalot]

Firewall is another somewhat less common un-synergized skill to use with hybrids, but a lot of people are turned off because it's allegedly hard to target (it's not, when used with teleport and a melee-merc).

20 in FW, 1+ in FM will give you a very reasonable backup skill once you add +skills gear (IIRC, mine does ~4k dmg per second), and you'll still have 70+ points to invest in a synergized main skill.

[Ax2Grind]

I chose Nova because it has no synergies, already has its pre-requisite, none of the other three main skills can be used as a proximity spell (Meteor takes too long to hit a monster/s that may be on top of you, Fire Ball is directional - forcing you to target and move in opposite directions - and Hydra is placement, which you try to move away from when being attacked by melee monsters, also causing the guardian heads to miss too often) and finally because monsters immune to fire are a bit more prevalent, usually meaning you'd be surrounded by a bunch that Nova could easily take care of with Static Field and the merc. Thunder Storm and Charged Bolt are the only other two, and because TS targets a single random monster it simply wasn't the sole lightning skill I wanted to rely on. In choosing Hydra, I wanted a skill that could lower a monster's health from around a corner without being crowded by the time Meteor landed (like Necromancer skills, you can't target enemies without direct LOS), and with half the synergies there I thought it prudent planning to simply take a pure fire mage and cut it up a bit. Apparantly, I should cut it a bit further.

I can understand losing the Hydra, but gaining Charged Bolt? I think that means twenty into CB with at least ten into Lightning, all while gaining six more into each mastery for the following:

Fire: 65 skill points
Fire Bolt
Inferno - 10
Blaze
Fire Ball - 20
Fire Wall
Meteor - 20
Fire Mastery - 12

Lightning: 45 skill points
Charged Bolt - 20
Static Field
Telekenisis
Lightning - 10
Teleport
Lightning Mastery - 12

The problem is if I'm inundated with ITFs I have to rely more on Teleport, thereby requiring more non-attack mana and quicker targeting in a chaotic event. If my mercenary dies I should probably just run like hell and not attack at all since I won't have the time (planning on using a Holy Freeze for slowing and cold damage to fill out the attack variation).

It's more balanced, I'll give you that, but only as far as skill points go. I lose two technical forms of attack which force a totally different strategy when dealing with certain situations (I'm not the 'get in front of them and keep pressing the button' kind of player, as you can tell).

So, what about this enhanced design?

Edit: I almost forgot. Fire Wall is a good skill to use with Blizzard, for example, since a lot of targets would be slowed, maximizing the wall's potential. This opposed to Meteor, which requires synergies to be more effective and is less FOV than a wall. Fire Wall, however, wouldn't work as well without cold and is more of a fire add-on when dealing with three elements. If I used it with Lightning it would probably be my only fire attack versus a reduced main lightning tree setup, and - when dealing with immune to lightning creatures (like those fast-running rangers with spears that overwhelm a pure lightning Amazon) - a completely stationary area of damage probably isn't the best use of that spell, even with a Holy Freeze merc.

[Noite Escura]

Believe me you don't want to be surrounded in Hell. Nova won't have the power to put enemies into hit recovery unless heavily twinked, meaning they will be whacking you all the time. May I suggest another thing? Don't add to Inferno. It will only improve your Meteor afterburning, which Mastery will also do. But only mastery will add to Fire Ball, which is crucial for Meteor to work. They must be used together.
This would be basically a Meteorb, with CB instead of Orb (Metebolt?)

[Ax2Grind]

Believe me you don't want to be surrounded in Hell. Nova won't have the power to put enemies into hit recovery unless heavily twinked, meaning they will be whacking you all the time. May I suggest another thing? Don't add to Inferno. It will only improve your Meteor afterburning, which Mastery will also do. But only mastery will add to Fire Ball, which is crucial for Meteor to work. They must be used together.
This would be basically a Meteorb, with CB instead of Orb (Metebolt?)

Under this logic, since Lightning Mastery gives twice the damage bonus Lightning does as a synergy to Charged Bolt, I should only max:

Fire Ball
Meteor
Fire Mastery
Charged Bolt
Lightning Mastery

With remaining points into pre-requisites and incidentals this turns out to be... a rather boring design. Maxing each mastery just doesn't seem necessary since they're not synergies and get the same bonus from +skills as skill points. Two directional skills with one clubber... bleh, could've done this in classic.

What's the point of synergies if you only use them by chance? Well, if no one can suggest another fire/lightning hybrid then I suppose this will do for testing. Let me know soon, I'm going to be sticking the skill points into it now. She's only CLvl9, so plenty of time to speak up.