- May 11, 2022
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After recently concluding that I prefer to build Sorcs using Fire (Fireball) and Lightning (Charged Bolt) skills, I of course went ahead and played another Cold Sorc, just to see if I could do something different from what I've done before. I've been working on this character on and off for a couple weeks in between MF runs and recent forays in LK runs. She completed Hell difficulty last night, so say hello to my 12th Pat/Mat:
Matriarch elsa wanted to test how well a fully synergized Frost Nova would work, so that involved maxing Frost Nova, Blizzard, and Frozen Orb.
A build reliant on Frost Nova is not very fun until you or your merc can equip 'Insight'. elsa was heavily reliant on blue pots early on. I tried to equip as much +mana per kill stuff as I could before I got to 'Insight', but still couldn't keep pace with the amount of mana being spent. There were many trips back to town to refill the ol' belt. Oh well. I can drink beer like a fish. Me and elsa, we both have our vices
Once my merc got her first 'Insight' bow, life became much easier and much more fun. The tail end of Normal, and all of Nightmare, was a cake walk. Fling the odd Blizzard or Frozen Orb out ahead of you, make liberal use of Static Field, then teleport into the thick of things and spam Frost Nova. Quick and easy
Arriving at Hell difficulty, I had a choice to make: Skip cold immunes altogether (what I did with my previous Blizzard Sorc); or get a backup plan. I opted for the latter, and this is where things get a bit silly.
I first considered using Nova as my backup attack, as I could probably afford to max Nova, and put a few extra points into Lightning Mastery, by the time the build was done. Frost Nova, Nova, what a good match that would be! Ultimately, I decided that was boring.
Idea #2: Pump up Static Field so I can whittle down cold immunes HP from a safer distance, and then use _something else_ to finish the job. "Wouldn't it be great if a Sorc could use Corpse Explosion?" Hey, I think I have a Corpsemourn sitting in a stash somewhere...
And so it was decided, to heck with the repair costs, I would find a way to make the CE from Corpsemourn work. It sometimes took a bit of time leading monsters closer to corpses, because Corpsemourn only offers lvl 5 charges of CE, a relatively small radius, but it really worked quite nicely overall.
Additionally, I had a Demon Machine as my weapon switch, so at times when I didn't have corpses left to work with and had to deal with pesky cold immunes, me and my merc both let it rain with flaming arrows until we won out.
There were very few trouble spots during this play through. I did have to quit and restart the game a couple times to get more favourable monster spawns (eg, Frozen River, WSK) but other than that it was a rather smooth sailing. Nihlathak was somewhat of a headache, but we got him eventually. My battle against the Ancients was pretty funny. Talic and Madawc went down fairly quick to a combo of Blizzard, Frozen Orb, and Frost Nova. Finishing off Korlic took quite a bit longer, even if it wasn't difficult. Static Field took a chunk off his HP, and then I switched to my Demon Machine and started firing away. Fire a few arrows, teleport away from his leap attack, keep firing. We went back and forth across the screen for several minutes before Korlic gave up the ghost.
Baal was rather stingy with his drops:
Finally, I think elsa looked pretty sharp with this gear! I had to socket my Nightwing's with a P Topaz to get the colour to match better with the armor and shield:
Matriarch elsa, level 79, final skills, stats, gear, etc.:
Skills
Frost Nova: 20 (24)
Blizzard: 20 (26)
Frozen Orb: 20 (24)
Cold Mastery: 9 (13)
Static Field: 15 (19) {probably got a bit carried away with Static Field...}
1 pt to Telekinesis, Teleport, and all prereqs for Blizzard / FO
Stats
Strength: 170 (190)
Dexterity: 65 (103)
Vitality: 210 (232)
Energy: 35 (62)
Gear
Helm: Nightwing's Veil
Amulet: Saracen's Chance (+22 all res)
Weapon: Wizardspike
Shield: 'Spirit' Monarch
Weapon switch: Demon Machine
Armor: Corpsemourn
Gloves: Frostburn
Belt: Snowclash
Boots: Infernostride
Rings: Rare rings with resistances, life, dexterity
Assorted charms for resistances, life, etc.
Merc: Amplisa, level 79 Rogue (Fire / Exploding Arrow)
Helm: Rockstopper
Bow: 'Insight' Blade Bow
Armor: 'Smoke' Dusk Shroud
I rather enjoyed this playthrough of the game. Probably not the best planned build, certainly not the strongest, and I had to play in and out of a lot of tight situations (at least a handful of deaths) but that tension actually made it more fun.
Matriarch elsa wanted to test how well a fully synergized Frost Nova would work, so that involved maxing Frost Nova, Blizzard, and Frozen Orb.
A build reliant on Frost Nova is not very fun until you or your merc can equip 'Insight'. elsa was heavily reliant on blue pots early on. I tried to equip as much +mana per kill stuff as I could before I got to 'Insight', but still couldn't keep pace with the amount of mana being spent. There were many trips back to town to refill the ol' belt. Oh well. I can drink beer like a fish. Me and elsa, we both have our vices
Once my merc got her first 'Insight' bow, life became much easier and much more fun. The tail end of Normal, and all of Nightmare, was a cake walk. Fling the odd Blizzard or Frozen Orb out ahead of you, make liberal use of Static Field, then teleport into the thick of things and spam Frost Nova. Quick and easy
Arriving at Hell difficulty, I had a choice to make: Skip cold immunes altogether (what I did with my previous Blizzard Sorc); or get a backup plan. I opted for the latter, and this is where things get a bit silly.
I first considered using Nova as my backup attack, as I could probably afford to max Nova, and put a few extra points into Lightning Mastery, by the time the build was done. Frost Nova, Nova, what a good match that would be! Ultimately, I decided that was boring.
Idea #2: Pump up Static Field so I can whittle down cold immunes HP from a safer distance, and then use _something else_ to finish the job. "Wouldn't it be great if a Sorc could use Corpse Explosion?" Hey, I think I have a Corpsemourn sitting in a stash somewhere...
And so it was decided, to heck with the repair costs, I would find a way to make the CE from Corpsemourn work. It sometimes took a bit of time leading monsters closer to corpses, because Corpsemourn only offers lvl 5 charges of CE, a relatively small radius, but it really worked quite nicely overall.
Additionally, I had a Demon Machine as my weapon switch, so at times when I didn't have corpses left to work with and had to deal with pesky cold immunes, me and my merc both let it rain with flaming arrows until we won out.
There were very few trouble spots during this play through. I did have to quit and restart the game a couple times to get more favourable monster spawns (eg, Frozen River, WSK) but other than that it was a rather smooth sailing. Nihlathak was somewhat of a headache, but we got him eventually. My battle against the Ancients was pretty funny. Talic and Madawc went down fairly quick to a combo of Blizzard, Frozen Orb, and Frost Nova. Finishing off Korlic took quite a bit longer, even if it wasn't difficult. Static Field took a chunk off his HP, and then I switched to my Demon Machine and started firing away. Fire a few arrows, teleport away from his leap attack, keep firing. We went back and forth across the screen for several minutes before Korlic gave up the ghost.
Baal was rather stingy with his drops:
Finally, I think elsa looked pretty sharp with this gear! I had to socket my Nightwing's with a P Topaz to get the colour to match better with the armor and shield:
Matriarch elsa, level 79, final skills, stats, gear, etc.:
Skills
Frost Nova: 20 (24)
Blizzard: 20 (26)
Frozen Orb: 20 (24)
Cold Mastery: 9 (13)
Static Field: 15 (19) {probably got a bit carried away with Static Field...}
1 pt to Telekinesis, Teleport, and all prereqs for Blizzard / FO
Stats
Strength: 170 (190)
Dexterity: 65 (103)
Vitality: 210 (232)
Energy: 35 (62)
Gear
Helm: Nightwing's Veil
Amulet: Saracen's Chance (+22 all res)
Weapon: Wizardspike
Shield: 'Spirit' Monarch
Weapon switch: Demon Machine
Armor: Corpsemourn
Gloves: Frostburn
Belt: Snowclash
Boots: Infernostride
Rings: Rare rings with resistances, life, dexterity
Assorted charms for resistances, life, etc.
Merc: Amplisa, level 79 Rogue (Fire / Exploding Arrow)
Helm: Rockstopper
Bow: 'Insight' Blade Bow
Armor: 'Smoke' Dusk Shroud
I rather enjoyed this playthrough of the game. Probably not the best planned build, certainly not the strongest, and I had to play in and out of a lot of tight situations (at least a handful of deaths) but that tension actually made it more fun.