Build idea - Defensive 8 person baal teleporter for exp runs der=0

fahartle

New member
Build idea - Defensive 8 person baal teleporter for exp runs

Hello all,
I've gotten discouraged with the lack of good hell baal leveling games after the ladder reset. I don't have sufficiently good gear to get my light sorc to survive in 8 person baal games and do it myself (trying to blind teleport to the throne)—she’s geared for magic finding anyway. So I'm wondering if it's possible to build a one-purpose wonder utility sorc that is nigh unkillable in hell, that can rush my characters and my friends easily through normal and nightmare, and then serve as a fast teleporter to all the relevant areas in Hell and solo tele Baal exp runs. I’ve never messed around much with Energy Shield or this type of build, so I could use some feedback!

This idea was inspired by Socialism’s hardcore mf sorc – thanks! And I know I’m just tweaking it a bit to suit my needs. Also, this idea is used on a setup with two or more sets of cd-keys (XP fast-switching, no hacks) so you can have two characters in a single game.

Here's my goals and assumptions...

1) Has to be a super cheap build as I'm just starting out. I want to rush a handful of my characters through the acts and then level them in hell myself. The foremost goal in this build is a fast teleporter that can blind teleport through Worldstone Keep in 8 person Baal Runs. I’ll then throw up a teleport and escape, and pop back in with my other characters or my friends to kill everything and reap the exp.
2) I want to be nearly impervious – just looking for speed and reliability for teleporting.
3) I’d like to be as merc independent as possible. One bad run-in with an Oblivion Knight and I know how fast he can bite it. I want to be able to make it to the throne room without him. Of course, he’ll be a Holy Freeze with a exceptional-insight, but need to function without him.
4) Capable in other hell areas as well: Maggots’ Lair, etc…
5) Don’t want to kill a thing in Hell! Damage is completely irrelevant. I’ll kill with other characters.

Skill idea
1 Ice Bolt, 1 Frozen Armor, 1 Ice Blast
1 Shiver Armor + remainder here (14 at level 90)
20 Warmth
1 Charged Bolt, 1 Chain Lightning, 1 Lightning Mastery (will this benefit me at all?)
1 Static (just to whack down and let my merc finish off normal/nm bosses for my rushees)
20 Telekinesis
20 Teleport
20 Energy Shield

Stats - With the bonuses on my gear, I’m thinking:
STR = 43 hard points here (+12 with Saracens taking it to 65 for silkweaves)
DEX = 130 hard points here (roughly 160 needed at high 80s level with whitstan’s – 30 from ravenfrost and saracen’s)
ENE & VIT = a big question for me – what’s a good ratio?

Gear – Here’s what I was thinking. Again, has to be cheap.
Weapon - Wizardspike
Armor - Vipermagi
Helm – Rockstopper for DR and resists (Vampire Gaze?)
Whitstan’s or Stormshield (Whitsans definitely easier to acquire but I’m not sure how much damage reduction is necessary)
Boots – Silkweave
Gloves – Magefists
Belt – Gloom’s trap
Rings – Raven Frost & 10 FCR ring (nice mods a bonus)
Amulet – Saracen’s

The gear would leave me with the following mods:
FCR = 110 (105 for the 8fr breakpoint)
Regenerate Mana = 55%
Increased Max Mana = 40%
Faster Hit Recovey = 30% (can use 6 FHR scharms to hit 60%/8fr breakpoint)
Damage Reduction = 10%
Faster Block Rate = 40%
Increased chance block = 55%

Fresist = approx. 162 (assuming mid-point in variable rolls)
Cresist = 158
Lresist = 158
Presist = 128

Questions?
1) Without saying--you’re not going to be able to kill anything--what do you think of this idea? Will she do what I want her to do? Survive long enough to find the throneroom in 8 person Hell baal runs?
2) What would you use for the four sockets (Helm, weap, shield, Armor). I’m thinking Pdiamond in the shield unless putting a shael in there and going from the 27 (6 fr point) to the 48 (5 fr point) would be more useful. But the Pdiamond in Whitstan’s would take all my resists to max except poison. I’m thinking about a 10 all res jewel (something findable or tradable) for the weapon, or maybe a Fal rune or another stat increaser? For What would you use for armor and helm? Shael for Faster hit recovey? Or would an Eth for Regen mana be better? Can always put in gems for stat boosters?
3) What’s a good ratio of energy to vitality considering my build?
4) I’ve got plenty of room for charms as she’ll only carry a tp tome – suggestions?
5) How important is Warmth (about 265% increase with 20 hard points and skill bonuses). Would maxing shiver armor be better? At lvl 21 I’m guessing it’s about 160% def bonus, which would take my 850ish defence up to 2200ish? Which would you max first? Or could I do without maxing teleport and max both shiver and warmth?
6) Would you go with Whitstans or Stormshield (though that’s a little pricey for me at the moment). With the extra dex and str needed for the big guy, I figure I’ll save 130 stat points by going with Witstans (53 req str versus 156 req str and 40 extra dex or so for max block). How important is the damage reduction?
7) Any gear changes you'd make? What about Guardian Angel for the extra resists?

Thanks a bunch for the lookie and advice, guys!!
 
If your going to max teleport there is absolutely no reason to max warmth, 1 point is sufficient, the only thing you have to worry about is mana burn, even with 30 warmth your going to use a mana/rejuv to replenish, but with 20 tele (free tele) mana burn wont do anything to you other than make your NRG shield worthless, you'll still be able to tele. Hes my thought though, if your going to make this char just for teleporting, why waste the time making this char, it cant kill, it can teleport good and survive better, but in all this time would't it make sense to die a few times teleporting a sorc build that you currently use (or could make) that would be a viable killing build? I blind teleport with my glass cannon of a lightning sorc, I die once in a while (this is b/c I'm on an 866mhz PIII that cant handle more than my merc and I on the screen w/out being very choppy). If your mind is setup I will say this, other than a enigma pally, this will be a very strong baal teleporter.
 
I've got a lvl 90 pure lightning sorc that I use for magic finding and key-running (countess, summoner). She can teleport fine for those tasks and is great for rushing other characters and friends through normal and nightmare. But to use her for this purpose would require big gear changes and she still dies pretty often in 8 person Hell Baal games (again, that's the final goal of this idea). I don't mind playing with a quirky build and I like the idea of being able to make a Hell Baal game with this character, one or two others of my own, and a few friends, and level very quickly. It took me ridiculously long to level my original light sorc because of all the "full" Baal games. I'd like to be one of the guys making the runs possible rather than yet another one looking for a ride...
 
Orb/TK handles this function very, very well; a dedicated build is unnecessary with enough FHR/FBR/FCR/blocking and 55%++ energy shield. Max warmth, as Anarchy said, is about as useful as the ice bolt-to-frozen orb synergy (it's not). To tweak the build for dedicated Baal teleporting, I'd go with 5-8 points in energy shield and 1-mana teleports after all +skills equipment. Very important not to -rely- on an insight defiance mercenary for survival, though using one as a defensive buffer is just fine.

Save yourself the heartache of no-kill-spell levelling and go with Orb/TK : ) This isn't a baseless opinion; it's based on empirical evidence and experience.

I tried doing the exact same thing years ago; it's seriously not worth the ridiculous amount of time you need to invest. I have multi CD keys and everything. I wouldn't even try it again unless I were gunning for 99, and to be honest, I've never had the stamina to get any of my dozens upon dozens of characters past level 93 or 94.

Side note; not sure why everyone's so in love with Raven Frost; casting animation isn't affected by cold and you shouldn't be walking/running with a build like this anyway. Use a 100 mana ring, or 100 mana 20 dex if you're desperate (that's what I used) for the stats. Ideally, mana/res.
 
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1. She should survive just fine, just go for the 42 FHR BP. Max Block with ES works wonders in safety. Just be careful of souls and there maybe breaking ES, in which case a Tgods is nice, but you will need 90 base str to bug it on.

2. Sockets fill in your gaps. A P diamond for res is nice, the others could even be ruby's or sapphires. Poison shouldn't be an issue, you could run -PR just fine. Or Sol's even, so what damage goes to life gets lessened.

3. Not to sure with ratio. If SC, I'd max Mana after getting ~500 life. If HC, I went with a similar concept with safety, and didn't even put 1 point into energy but reach 1k mana, but still try to aim for 1k life. Getting BO or not makes a difference.

4. Mana and Life charms. Try to get though 45+ Mana GC's, then you can go more Vita. Start with low ones, and replace as needed or when you can. FHR for any BP's, then res if your short.

5. Since you are not killing, warmth is fine. The defense bonus from the armors aren't worth it like the Mana regen. You'd have to start upping this for more def to make a difference.

6. Whistan's for sure. DR% isn't needed seeing as how you won't be taking much damage to life. Say 90% ES, 100 damage blow with SS, thats 10 that goes to life, then 35% off that, so 6.5 rather than 10, yeah, not worth the str needed and more dex. I think that math is right.

7. Your gear seems fine, but unless you want/needed the res from Rockstopper, try a Peasent Crown. Also you could put a FCR ring and Amulet, and switch Mages for Bloodfists or Frosties.

One important thing you left out was a Merc. Unless you don't want one, the only reason I see is IM, an Insight/Prayer merc will help you regen so much so fast. Then you wouldn't even need Warmth. Or you could try a Lawbringer act 3 Merc for the knockback on undead aka Doll's, Knight's and the like.

If you go Insight, you could drop Warmth for Orb, and essentially make an ES/Orber. With my old one in HC from last season, I'm confident I could teleport 8 player games and then still be able to kill stuff. Even moreso if I had BO.

EDIT - Pwned by the master himself.....
 
Great!! Thanks guys for the advice! Let me ask you a follow up if an orb/es sorc would be better than a lightning/lightning mastery/es sorc? Seems like I could use a +2 or +3 lightning ammy and raise my damage a bit at the same time. Is FO a better choice for some reason? Thanks again!!
 
FO is usually chosen because of the fact that is has one needed synergy, that being CM. You can pump Ice Bolt, but not to many people enjoy doing so. Since ES/TK can take 40 points if you max both, you aren't given much leeway for other skills.

You can go lighting skills, you would still want to max TK, or at least 16 for the 1:1 ratio, but unless if you have a decent amount of plus skills, your ES will be weaker from taking points from that to CB or something. I guess you could make a Chargedboltress, since thats 3 skills that need maxing I believe, and you could take a few from ES because of the +light skills.

I still prefer ES/Orber, is gives me more room to wiggle, in case you want to fiddle with warmth or teleport.
 
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