While my main mission at the moment is the final push with my untwinked 99er Necro, I decided to go for a break and mix in another build for change of pace. I've been fooling around with less commonly used builds for higher player settings such as Bowazon and trying to make it work for P7/P8 running. After finding this cute little orb, I figured it was time to try with Nova.
The only Nova Sorc I played a little bit in recent times was a self-wielding Infinity Vita build with Insight Merc. It's a solid and straight-forward setup, but I had always wondered how far she could go with an orb setup. So when I got the orb above I thought it could be good enough to build around, plus it seemed very nice for an Energy Shield variant, which I never really used so far. Nova Sorcs had seen some use around here recently for P5 Cow running (both @Gripphon and @NanoMist ran some with her for RFL) and while she's a good cow runner, I was interested in P7 lvl 85 area running. Again I chose P7 Pit as her main target as a lvl 85 area suited for a lightning damage character.
After rushing her through the game, fooling around with different setups and 2 respecs, this is the gear and build she ended up with:
Stats, gear and build
Gear:
Build:
Which gives her the following core stats at level 89 (after BC/BO):
This is how gameplay looks like:
EDIT: GoMule dump:
Build and setup considerations
There are quite few things to take care of with a Nova/ES build and ultimately it's a matter of prioritization how to deal with them. This was my order of business:
Huge pain in the ass of course, and I was kind of afraid Archer bosses with nasty rolls would tear her apart on a regular basis. Certainly it's not the best build to gain XP in later levels, because it's very hard to completely avoid deaths in the long run. At least if you always teleport right into the fray, which I do because otherwise runs would be slower, and that's not the goal here.
But I have to say, with a decent life pool of >1000 that gives her the necessary reaction time to escape, pop a purple, recast ES and re-engage from a safe position. Overall I'm happy with her survivability in general, I had feared it would be more of a problem.
Couple of further notes on gear choices:
Gloves: I haven't seen people use crafted caster gloves, but I've recently started to craft a lot of them. Main reason is I think they can be quite incredible for a Javazon with +2 Jav/20 IAS/3 MPK. While I'm out of luck in that regard so far, I got a few to work with. With +3 MPK, mana and mana regen, and with FCR not required from the glove slot, even just the basic stats they roll are very helpful for this build. I tried other options such as Bloodfist, Drac's, Magefist or Frostburn, but in particular when going Spirit shield the +3 MPK is nice to grab here.
Shield: An interesting slot with Lidless Wall and Spirit competing big time, and also related to glove and body armor choice. I have used a 5/5 faceted Lidless Wall most of the time with her and it's a great option. I bridged the resulting FCR gap with Magefist, resulting in a +2 MPK overall improvement over Spirit/caster gloves and a setup that's slightly stronger vs broken LIs due to the extra facet. However, I figured the +3 MPK gloves with Spirit are fine in terms of mana upkeep, while Spirit provides higher damage vs non-LIs. But the main reason I ended up with Spirit was its 55% FHR. Together with Arkaine's Valor this meant one SC got me to the 86% FHR BP, which somehow felt like a noticeable improvement over 60%.
Body armor: Arkaine's Valor is what I ended up with after fooling around with Viper, Fortitude, Gladiator's Bane, Que-Hegan's Wisdom and Enigma – all of them being good alternatives and each of them offering distinct features. Arkaine's Valor is a cool armor which I haven't used in ages (as someone who doesn't time travel, so far at least). While merely getting a weary smile from 1.07 afficionados around here, current patch Ark has a lot going for it. +2 skills and a socket for a facet meant it was better damage than my alternatives, iPDR is great and I like the 30% FHR as well.
What I don't have for comparison, unfortunately, is a +3 Nova Ormus. The extra skill is interesting to further increase damage, and while it lacks FHR or iPDR, its FCR grants some flexibility to get those (or other) defensive stats in other places.
200 FCR? With her weapon of choice that is out of reach, and running numbers roughly I somewhat doubt it would be an actual improvement. However, it is on my list to do with her, and be it only for the fun of total speed madness.
Conclusions
I enjoyed her a lot (and still do), nice character to try and take to higher player settings. The huge upside in terms of damage reduction from Energy Shield and dealing with its Achilles heel in the form of mana burn was fun to work with. Shout-out to @Grape who had built a Lightning/ES Sorc some time ago and whose write-up provided a very helpful starting point for this character.
She's still work in progress. With more remaining points going into Warmth, she could actually get away with a lower amount of MPK and include e.g. more MF. An Enigma setup could be interesting. It's slightly lower damage and FHR but that should be fine, though losing the iPDR here could hurt. In turn it saves many strength points, provides LPK, high MF and some %PDR, which could make a difference when mana burned. The Lidless Wall route could be worth exploring more. And I wanted to try and incorporate a 4-facet Monarch. So yeah, lots of things to try still.
Thanks for reading. Thoughts, suggestions or comments are most welcome!
The only Nova Sorc I played a little bit in recent times was a self-wielding Infinity Vita build with Insight Merc. It's a solid and straight-forward setup, but I had always wondered how far she could go with an orb setup. So when I got the orb above I thought it could be good enough to build around, plus it seemed very nice for an Energy Shield variant, which I never really used so far. Nova Sorcs had seen some use around here recently for P5 Cow running (both @Gripphon and @NanoMist ran some with her for RFL) and while she's a good cow runner, I was interested in P7 lvl 85 area running. Again I chose P7 Pit as her main target as a lvl 85 area suited for a lightning damage character.
After rushing her through the game, fooling around with different setups and 2 respecs, this is the gear and build she ended up with:
Stats, gear and build
Gear:
Code:
Griffon's Eye, 5/5 facet (+20/-24)
Arkaine's Valor +2/13 iDR, 5/3 facet
+2 Sorc/+2 Nova/20 FCR/+1 ES/energy/mana rare orb, 5/3 facet
3/10 FCR magic amulet
Spirit Monarch
+3 MPK/10 mana regen/24 MF/FR/LR crafted caster gloves
Arachnid Mesh
2x SoJ
Silkweave
Switch: CtA, Spirit
Inventory: 8x Sparking GC, mana/life SCs, 1x FHR SC
Merc (Defiance): Infinity, Fortitude, Andy
Code:
20 Nova
20 LM
20 TK
20 ES
14 Warmth (currently, remaining points go here)
1 Frozen Armor
Stats:
165 Strength for Ark
215 Energy
115 Vitality (remaining points go here)
25 Dexterity (base)
Code:
Nova damage 2411 - 3112 (2761.5 avg) at lvl 44
1075 life
2147 mana
105% FCR breakpoint
86% FHR breakpoint
8 Mana per kill
13 iPDR
-34 enemy lightning resistThis is how gameplay looks like:
EDIT: GoMule dump:
Code:
Name: Nova
Class: Sorceress
Experience: 1536352570
Level: 89
Naked/Gear
Strength: 165/169
Dexterity: 25/25
Vitality: 115/181
Energy: 215/234
HP: 398/524
Mana: 571/861
Stamina: 267/267
Defense: 6/2246
AR: 75/75
Fire: 60/20/-40
Cold: 65/25/-35
Lightning: 85/45/-15
Poison: 65/25/-35
MF: 24 Block: 2
GF: 0
FR/W: 30
FHR: 90
IAS: 0
FCR: 110
Fire Bolt: 0/0
Warmth: 14/24
Inferno: 0/0
Blaze: 0/0
Fire Ball: 0/0
Fire Wall: 0/0
Enchant: 0/0
Meteor: 0/3
Fire Mastery: 0/0
Hydra: 0/0
Charged Bolt: 1/22
Static Field: 1/22
Telekinesis: 20/41
Nova: 20/43
Lightning: 1/22
Chain Lightning: 1/22
Teleport: 1/22
Thunder Storm: 0/0
Energy Shield: 20/42
Lightning Mastery: 20/41
Ice Bolt: 0/0
Frozen Armor: 1/11
Frost Nova: 0/0
Ice Blast: 0/0
Shiver Armor: 0/0
Glacial Spike: 0/0
Blizzard: 0/0
Chilling Armor: 0/0
Frozen Orb: 0/0
Cold Mastery: 0/0
Sparking Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x1b4a5f2a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
+5 to Life
Sparking Grand Charm of Burning
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xd8a2945a
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
Adds 2 - 7 Fire Damage
Sparking Grand Charm of Shock
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xb7fcf9eb
Item Level: 83
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
Adds 1 - 2 Lightning Damage
Sparking Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0xce325637
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
+38 to Life
Snake's Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x243cb9e6
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+13 to Life
+12 to Mana
Sparking Grand Charm of Strength
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x4a3e827c
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
+4 to Strength
Serpent's Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x5e0d7967
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+14 to Life
+16 to Mana
Serpent's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xa9784c81
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Life
+15 to Mana
Serpent's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xddb36a37
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+8 to Life
+15 to Mana
Snake's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x84fad73f
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5 to Life
+11 to Mana
Sparking Grand Charm of Quality
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x857a6243
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
+2 to Maximum Damage
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x2a9d0f52
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x2a9d0f52
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x2a9d0f52
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Sparking Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x8b89ebd
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
Serpent's Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xdea85c40
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+13 to Mana
Infinity
Scythe
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 45 - 114
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 31
Required Dexterity: 31
Fingerprint: 0x5f55b669
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
283% Enhanced Damage
-47% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+44 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%
Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%
Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Serpent's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x83a6da0e
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+6 to Life
+17 to Mana
Snake's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x491aebe1
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Life
+9 to Mana
Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xb75a1887
Item Level: 10
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x2a9d0f52
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Sparking Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xec13b4fa
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x76586e02
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Griffon's Eye
Diadem
Defense: 212
Durability: 18 of 20
Required Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0x49c6528b
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
+1 to All Skills
+25% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-24% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+20% to Lightning Skill Damage
+160 Defense
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x472bcd23
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+5% to Lightning Skill Damage
Powered Amulet of the Apprentice
Amulet
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xf87a3b9b
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Lightning Skills (Sorceress Only)
+10% Faster Cast Rate
Arkaine's Valor
Balrog Skin
Defense: 1377
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 85
Required Strength: 165
Fingerprint: 0x6f21511d
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
+2 to All Skills
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage
+166% Enhanced Defense
+44 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
Damage Reduced by 13
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x8ec637d0
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage
The Stone of Jordan
Ring
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0xb690278c
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
Adds 1 - 12 Lightning Damage
+20 to Mana
Increase Maximum Mana 25%
The Stone of Jordan
Ring
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x6d38ef50
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
Adds 1 - 12 Lightning Damage
+20 to Mana
Increase Maximum Mana 25%
Arachnid Mesh
Spiderweb Sash
Defense: 129
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 80
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x6c7fb1cd
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Slows Target by 10%
+105% Enhanced Defense
Increase Maximum Mana 5%
Level 3 Venom (11/11 Charges)
Silkweave
Mesh Boots
Defense: 117
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 36
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0xa49a2d37
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+162% Enhanced Defense
+200 Defense vs. Missile
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
+5 to Mana after each Kill
Viper Hand
Bramble Mitts
Defense: 119
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 64
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xe0a4e2fb
Item Level: 96
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+89% Enhanced Defense
+12 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 10%
Lightning Resist +20%
Fire Resist +30%
+3 to Mana after each Kill
24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0xd9cc6e85
Item Level: 10
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Insight
Thresher
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 64 - 651
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 53
Required Strength: 142
Required Dexterity: 108
Fingerprint: 0xf4f33bb7
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
209% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
233% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+1 to Critical Strike
All Stats +5
+2 to Mana after each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%
Tir Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Armor: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Shields: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%
Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7
Preserver's Grand Charm of Greed
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xc3b6052c
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Defensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
12% Extra Gold from Monsters
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Greater Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 150%
Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%
Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%
Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%
Call to Arms
Superior War Scepter
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 38 - 65
Durability: 70 of 70
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xfc9ca7a2
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
285% Enhanced Damage
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+1 to Holy Shock (Paladin Only)
+6 to Battle Command
+6 to Battle Orders
+1 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune
Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%
Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 145
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0x22d8e829
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+31% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+107 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+6 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%
Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%
Ort Rune
Required Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Armor: Lightning Resist +30%
Shields: Lightning Resist +35%
Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Raven Heart
Eagle Orb
One Hand Damage: 2 - 5
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x142a7328
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage
+1 to Energy Shield (Sorceress Only)
+1 to Meteor (Sorceress Only)
+2 to Nova (Sorceress Only)
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 50%
+19 to Energy
+21 to Life
+31 to Mana
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xf5ee68fb
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage
Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 141
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 85 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0xd967f7d5
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+35% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+99 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+6 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%
Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%
Ort Rune
Required Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Armor: Lightning Resist +30%
Shields: Lightning Resist +35%
Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Mercenary:
Name: Gulzar
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Def-Normal
Experience: 78420808
Level: 89
Dead?: false
Naked/Gear
Strength: 197/225
Dexterity: 160/160
HP: 1990/2112
Defense: 1459/5003
AR: 2024/2024
Fire: 176/136/76
Cold: 181/141/81
Lightning: 181/141/81
Poison: 251/211/151
Fortitude
Great Hauberk
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 3213
Durability: 26 of 26
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 108
Fingerprint: 0x1b989f40
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+122 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +25
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune
El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7
Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7
Lo Rune
Required Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Deadly Strike
Armor: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Andariel's Visage
Demonhead
Defense: 331
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 83
Required Strength: 102
Fingerprint: 0x323f0cb
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
15% Chance to cast level 15 Poison Nova when struck
+2 to All Skills
+35% Increased Attack Speed
10% Life stolen per hit
+114% Enhanced Defense
+28 to Strength
+10% to Maximum Poison Resist
Fire Resist -5%
Poison Resist +70%
Level 3 Venom (20/20 Charges)
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x8a9a0243
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
Fire Resist +25%
Infinity
Thresher
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 72 - 846
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 142
Required Dexterity: 108
Fingerprint: 0xd3491066
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
301% Enhanced Damage
-47% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+44 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%
Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%
Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic ItemsBuild and setup considerations
There are quite few things to take care of with a Nova/ES build and ultimately it's a matter of prioritization how to deal with them. This was my order of business:
- Highest Nova damage I could achieve. The only downside of the skill is its somewhat mediocre damage, so maximizing that was my number one priority.
- Mana upkeep: Running with an Infinity Merc and without Insight gives you a considerable mana problem to solve, given Nova is not exactly cheap on mana, but there are solutions. Warmth at lvl ~20+ really does a great job. That together with an amount of 8+ MPK I found sufficient to run very comfortably and reduce potting to a minimum.
- -ELR: Apart from enabling an Insight Merc, the advantage of self-wielding Infinity is its massive -ELR, which is very helpful vs broken LIs. While a higher +skill setup such as this one does provide higher overall damage, I wanted to include facets where I could in order to have LIs not slow me down too much. (Given + damage is additive with LM, I only needed the -5 roll on the facets and used two -5/+3 ones to socket the orb and Arkaine's.)
- iDR: The way ES works, iDR is applied to the remaining 5% of damage that go to the life pool, so iPDR/MDR are both great stats in significantly reducing that. This is closely related to choice of body armor (see below).
- FHR: Technically as long as ES is active it shouldn't matter much, but somehow I found less than 60% is definitely problematic. I ended up really liking the 86% BP over 60% (though 60% should be sufficient).
- MF: Haven't focused on MF so far as I just wanted to check general viability and focus on making her powerful overall. I have MF only from gloves, but by now I would be comfortable including quite some MF via charms and maybe sockets. That being said, I don't see her competing with e.g. a P7 Pit Necro regarding MF efficiency due to her rather specific gearing needs – but certainly she is very competitive in terms of XP and rune finding from lvl 85 areas.
Huge pain in the ass of course, and I was kind of afraid Archer bosses with nasty rolls would tear her apart on a regular basis. Certainly it's not the best build to gain XP in later levels, because it's very hard to completely avoid deaths in the long run. At least if you always teleport right into the fray, which I do because otherwise runs would be slower, and that's not the goal here.
But I have to say, with a decent life pool of >1000 that gives her the necessary reaction time to escape, pop a purple, recast ES and re-engage from a safe position. Overall I'm happy with her survivability in general, I had feared it would be more of a problem.Couple of further notes on gear choices:
Gloves: I haven't seen people use crafted caster gloves, but I've recently started to craft a lot of them. Main reason is I think they can be quite incredible for a Javazon with +2 Jav/20 IAS/3 MPK. While I'm out of luck in that regard so far, I got a few to work with. With +3 MPK, mana and mana regen, and with FCR not required from the glove slot, even just the basic stats they roll are very helpful for this build. I tried other options such as Bloodfist, Drac's, Magefist or Frostburn, but in particular when going Spirit shield the +3 MPK is nice to grab here.
Shield: An interesting slot with Lidless Wall and Spirit competing big time, and also related to glove and body armor choice. I have used a 5/5 faceted Lidless Wall most of the time with her and it's a great option. I bridged the resulting FCR gap with Magefist, resulting in a +2 MPK overall improvement over Spirit/caster gloves and a setup that's slightly stronger vs broken LIs due to the extra facet. However, I figured the +3 MPK gloves with Spirit are fine in terms of mana upkeep, while Spirit provides higher damage vs non-LIs. But the main reason I ended up with Spirit was its 55% FHR. Together with Arkaine's Valor this meant one SC got me to the 86% FHR BP, which somehow felt like a noticeable improvement over 60%.
Body armor: Arkaine's Valor is what I ended up with after fooling around with Viper, Fortitude, Gladiator's Bane, Que-Hegan's Wisdom and Enigma – all of them being good alternatives and each of them offering distinct features. Arkaine's Valor is a cool armor which I haven't used in ages (as someone who doesn't time travel, so far at least
). While merely getting a weary smile from 1.07 afficionados around here, current patch Ark has a lot going for it. +2 skills and a socket for a facet meant it was better damage than my alternatives, iPDR is great and I like the 30% FHR as well.What I don't have for comparison, unfortunately, is a +3 Nova Ormus. The extra skill is interesting to further increase damage, and while it lacks FHR or iPDR, its FCR grants some flexibility to get those (or other) defensive stats in other places.
200 FCR? With her weapon of choice that is out of reach, and running numbers roughly I somewhat doubt it would be an actual improvement. However, it is on my list to do with her, and be it only for the fun of total speed madness.
Conclusions
I enjoyed her a lot (and still do), nice character to try and take to higher player settings. The huge upside in terms of damage reduction from Energy Shield and dealing with its Achilles heel in the form of mana burn was fun to work with. Shout-out to @Grape who had built a Lightning/ES Sorc some time ago and whose write-up provided a very helpful starting point for this character.
She's still work in progress. With more remaining points going into Warmth, she could actually get away with a lower amount of MPK and include e.g. more MF. An Enigma setup could be interesting. It's slightly lower damage and FHR but that should be fine, though losing the iPDR here could hurt. In turn it saves many strength points, provides LPK, high MF and some %PDR, which could make a difference when mana burned. The Lidless Wall route could be worth exploring more. And I wanted to try and incorporate a 4-facet Monarch. So yeah, lots of things to try still.
Thanks for reading. Thoughts, suggestions or comments are most welcome!
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