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+---- Thread: Sorceress Faq For V1.10 (beta) Part 2 (/thread-729.html)
Sorceress Faq For V1.10 (beta) Part 2 - Spitfire - 08-03-2003
* Telekinesis (clvl 6)
In-game Description:
"Uses the power of your mind to pick up items, use objects, and
knock back enemies."
=======================================
Chance of knockback/stun: 35%
Range: 16.6 yards.
Mana Cost: 7
=======================================
slvl Lit. Damage | slvl Lit. Damage
===================|===================
1 1- 2 | 26 26-27
2 2- 3 | 27 27-28
3 3- 4 | 28 28-29
4 4- 5 | 29 29-30
5 5- 6 | 30 30-31
6 6- 7 | 31 31-32
7 7- 8 | 32 32-33
8 8- 9 | 33 33-34
9 9-10 | 34 34-35
10 10-11 | 35 35-36
11 11-12 | 36 36-37
12 12-13 | 37 37-38
13 13-14 | 38 38-39
14 14-15 | 39 39-40
15 15-16 | 40 40-41
16 16-17 | 41 41-42
17 17-18 | 42 42-43
18 18-19 | 43 43-44
19 19-20 | 44 44-45
20 20-21 | 45 45-46
21 21-22 | 46 46-47
22 22-23 | 47 47-48
23 23-24 | 48 48-49
24 24-25 | 49 49-50
25 25-26 | 50 50-51
=======================================
Summary:
+ Can interact with objects from a distance.
+ Provides a useful synergy bonus to Energy Shield.
- Cannot pick up most items.
- Damage is minimal, and knockback is not guaranteed.
Comments:
With Telekinesis, you click on an object and the sorceress tries
to use the object from a distance, even through walls. Thus, you
can pick up items or search stashes remotely. TK is limited in
item retrieval, for it can only pick up the most common items --
namely gold, keys, potions, scrolls, and ammunition. You can use
TK to attack a monster, but it is not worth it since the damage is
very low. TK can stun a monster, but the chance of that happening
is 35% per cast, so trying to stunlock an enemy with TK, though
possible, is not reliable.
What Telekinesis can do:
* Pick up gold, keys, potions, scrolls (not tomes), and ammunition.
* Search barrels, bookshelves, coffins, dead bodies, racks,
stashes, urns, and the like.
* Open chests. Locked chests still need keys.
* Open and close doors.
* Activate and use shrines and waypoints.
* Access your private stash in town.
* Access town portals while in town.
* Attack monsters.
* Use or destroy quest objects. For objects that require a weapon
to smash them (e.g., Khalim's Will for Compelling Orb), you must
have that weapon equipped.
What Telekinesis cannot do:
* Pick up any weapons, armor, jewelry, gems, runes, charms, tomes,
or quest items. In other words, all the really good stuff.
* Recover your corpse.
* Talk to NPCs from a distance.
Telekinesis has one other use: it increases Energy Shield
absorption efficiency. The more base points you have in
Telekinesis, the less mana is used when Energy Shield takes
a hit. See Energy Shield below for more details.
Recommended Points:
If you use Energy Shield, up to 8 points.
Otherwise, 1 point -- you will need it to access Teleport!
* Nova (clvl 12)
In-game Description:
"Creates a powerful ring of lightning to shock nearby enemies."
===================================================
slvl Lit. Damage Mana | slvl Lit. Damage Mana
=========================|=========================
1 1- 20 15 | 26 183-252 40
2 7- 28 16 | 27 192-263 41
3 13- 36 17 | 28 201-274 42
4 19- 44 18 | 29 211-286 43
5 25- 52 19 | 30 221-298 44
6 31- 60 20 | 31 231-310 45
7 37- 68 21 | 32 241-322 46
8 43- 76 22 | 33 251-334 47
9 50- 85 23 | 34 261-346 48
10 57- 94 24 | 35 271-358 49
11 64-103 25 | 36 281-370 50
12 71-112 26 | 37 291-382 51
13 78-121 27 | 38 301-394 52
14 85-130 28 | 39 311-406 53
15 92-139 29 | 40 321-418 54
16 99-148 30 | 41 331-430 55
17 107-158 31 | 42 341-442 56
18 115-168 32 | 43 351-454 57
19 123-178 33 | 44 361-466 58
20 131-188 34 | 45 371-478 59
21 139-198 35 | 46 381-490 60
22 147-208 36 | 47 391-502 61
23 156-219 37 | 48 401-514 62
24 168-230 38 | 49 411-526 63
25 174-241 39 | 50 421-538 64
===================================================
Summary:
+ Hits everything within range.
- High mana cost -- spamming nova drains mana like no tomorrow.
- Has limited range -- fixed at about 7 yards.
- Does not benefit from synergies.
Comments:
Nova will hit all targets within about 7 yards of the sorceress
so it is a decent skill to attack a crowd of nearby monsters.
Although the damage on paper seems low, the total damage can
be very high if you manage to hit a large number of (20 or more)
monsters.
In v1.09, Nova was one of the strongest killing skills in the
game. In v1.10, Nova is much less effective. Monsters are
stronger and have much higher life now, making Nova a more
dangerous skill to use than before. Nova can still kill; in fact,
the damage is slightly higher than in 1.09. However, without
synergies to boost Nova's damage, other lightning skills are flat
out better at killing things.
Worst of all, Nova is still the mana guzzler. Continuous use
of Nova will quickly drain even a pool of mana well over a
thousand in seconds. You will need a very large pool of mana,
about 2000 or more (with help from items), if you intend to use
Nova as a primary attack spell.
Recommended Points:
20 if this is a primary attack. 1 point if you need it to access
Thunderstorm.
* Lightning (clvl 12)
In-game Description:
"Creates a powerful lightning bolt to lay waste to your enemies."
===================================================
slvl Lit. Damage Mana | slvl Lit. Damage Mana
=========================|=========================
1 1- 40 8.0 | 26 1- 424 20.5
2 1- 48 8.5 | 27 1- 452 21.0
3 1- 56 9.0 | 28 1- 480 21.5
4 1- 64 9.5 | 29 1- 516 22.0
5 1- 72 10.0 | 30 1- 552 22.5
6 1- 80 10.5 | 31 1- 588 23.0
7 1- 88 11.0 | 32 1- 624 23.5
8 1- 96 11.5 | 33 1- 660 24.0
9 1- 108 12.0 | 34 1- 696 24.5
10 1- 120 12.5 | 35 1- 732 25.0
11 1- 132 13.0 | 36 1- 768 25.5
12 1- 144 13.5 | 37 1- 804 26.0
13 1- 156 14.0 | 38 1- 840 27.5
14 1- 168 14.5 | 39 1- 876 28.0
15 1- 180 15.0 | 40 1- 912 28.5
16 1- 192 15.5 | 41 1- 948 29.0
17 1- 212 16.0 | 42 1- 984 29.5
18 1- 232 16.5 | 43 1-1020 30.0
19 1- 252 17.0 | 44 1-1056 30.5
20 1- 272 17.5 | 45 1-1092 31.0
21 1- 292 18.0 | 46 1-1128 31.5
22 1- 312 18.5 | 47 1-1164 32.0
23 1- 340 19.0 | 48 1-1200 32.5
24 1- 368 19.5 | 49 1-1236 33.0
25 1- 396 20.0 | 50 1-1272 33.5
===================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Charged Bolt: +8% Lightning Damage per Level
Nova: +8% Lightning Damage per Level
Chain Lightning: +8% Lightning Damage per Level
===================================================
Summary:
+ Fast and has good range.
+ Pierces enemies.
+ Very high damage when powered up by synergies and mastery.
- Low minimum damage.
- Casting speed is a bit slower than other spells.
(It is much faster than what used to be before 1.10).
Comments:
This is the best all-around attack skill in the lightning tree.
The lightning bolt travels fast, pierces through all targets
in its path, and has good range. However, the most important
part of this skill is the damage synergies involved. Lightning
provides and receives synergies from multiple lightning skills.
As a receiver, Lightning gets the highest damage boosts. With
heavy investment in its synergies, Lightning is the most damaging
skill in the lightning tree. If you want to develop Charged Bolt
and/or Chain Lightning, you need to invest in Lightning just to
boost those skills' damage higher. This works to your advantage,
as you will eventually build two or three powerful lightning
attacks that each have uses. In Lightning's case, it is great
as a long range boss killer.
Recommended Points:
20 if you plan to develop lightning attacks. 1 if you only
need it to access Energy Shield. Otherwise, none.
* Chain Lightning (clvl 18)
In-game Description:
"Creates a bolt of lightning that arcs through several targets."
===============================================================
Jump Radius: 13.3 yards.
===============================================================
slvl Hits Lit. Damage Mana | slvl Hits Lit. Damage Mana
===============================|===============================
1 5 1- 40 9 | 26 10 1-371 34
2 5 1- 51 10 | 27 10 1-386 35
3 5 1- 62 11 | 28 10 1-401 36
4 5 1- 73 12 | 29 10 1-416 37
5 6 1- 84 13 | 30 11 1-431 38
6 6 1- 95 14 | 31 11 1-446 39
7 6 1-106 15 | 32 11 1-461 40
8 6 1-117 16 | 33 11 1-476 41
9 6 1-130 17 | 34 11 1-491 42
10 7 1-143 18 | 35 12 1-506 43
11 7 1-156 19 | 36 12 1-521 44
12 7 1-169 20 | 37 12 1-536 45
13 7 1-182 21 | 38 12 1-551 46
14 7 1-195 22 | 39 12 1-566 47
15 8 1-208 23 | 40 13 1-581 48
16 8 1-221 24 | 41 13 1-596 49
17 8 1-236 25 | 42 13 1-611 50
18 8 1-251 26 | 43 13 1-626 51
19 8 1-266 27 | 44 13 1-641 52
20 9 1-281 28 | 45 14 1-656 53
21 9 1-296 29 | 46 14 1-671 54
22 9 1-311 30 | 47 14 1-686 55
23 9 1-326 31 | 48 14 1-701 56
24 9 1-341 32 | 49 14 1-716 57
25 10 1-356 33 | 50 15 1-731 58
===============================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Charged Bolt: +4% Lightning Damage per Level
Nova: +4% Lightning Damage per Level
Lightning: +4% Lightning Damage per Level
===============================================================
Summary:
+ Fast and has good range.
+ Affects crowds due to arcing.
+ Arcing radius is huge.
+ Can hit targets more than once as it arcs.
- Low minimum damage.
- Casting speed is a bit slower than other spells.
- High mana cost at higher levels.
- Weaker than Lightning against a lone target or two.
Comments:
This functions the same as Lightning with one important exception.
Instead of piercing targets, the bolt will arc from target to
target, and the arcing radius is huge -- up to 13.3 yards.
Chain Lightning can even arc back to hit a target more than once,
inflicting the listed damage per hit. As such, Chain Lightning
is more effective against several targets than against one.
Compared to Lightning, Chain Lightning does less damage and
costs more mana, making it worse than Lightning against single
targets. However, Lightning and Chain Lightning synergize
each other well. Chain Lightning is great for cutting down
mobs while Lightning finishes off the survivors.
Recommended Points:
20 if you plan to use Lightning and/or Chain Lightning as primary
attacks. 1 if you only need it to access Energy Shield.
* Teleport (clvl 18)
In-game Description:
"Instantly moves to a destination within your line of sight."
======================================
slvl Mana | slvl Mana | slvl Mana
============|============|============
1 24 | 11 14 | 21 4
2 23 | 12 13 | 22 3
3 22 | 13 12 | 23 2
4 21 | 14 11 | 24+ 1
5 20 | 15 10 |
6 19 | 16 9 |
7 18 | 17 8 |
8 17 | 18 7 |
9 16 | 19 6 |
10 15 | 20 5 |
======================================
Summary:
+ Teleporting can save you time or save you from death.
- Investing more points in Teleport give very little in return.
Comments:
Point, click, and you are there... provided there is ground to
stand on at your destination. You can even teleport through walls
or over gaps. Teleporting can let you escape from a group of
monsters, or let you save time by taking shortcuts through
obstacles. This is a must-learn skill!
Recommended Points:
1 point for every sorceress!
* Thunderstorm (clvl 24)
In-game Description:
"Summons a deadly thunderstorm that strikes your enemies with
bolts of lightning."
=================================================================
Mana Cost: 19
Radius: 11.3 yards.
=================================================================
Lit. Bolt | Lit. Bolt
slvl Duration Damage Delay | slvl Duration Damage Delay
================================|================================
1 32 1-100 4.4 | 26 232 261-360 1.4
2 40 11-110 3.9 | 27 240 272-371 1.4
3 48 21-120 3.5 | 28 248 283-382 1.4
4 56 31-130 3.2 | 29 256 294-393 1.3
5 64 41-140 3.0 | 30 264 305-404 1.3
6 72 51-150 2.8 | 31 272 316-415 1.3
7 80 61-160 2.6 | 32 280 327-426 1.3
8 88 71-170 2.5 | 33 288 338-437 1.2
9 96 81-180 2.3 | 34 296 349-448 1.2
10 104 91-190 2.2 | 35 304 360-459 1.2
11 112 101-200 2.1 | 36 312 371-470 1.2
12 120 111-210 2.0 | 37 320 382-481 1.2
13 128 121-220 2.0 | 38 328 393-492 1.2
14 136 131-230 1.9 | 39 336 404-503 1.2
15 144 141-240 1.8 | 40 344 415-514 1.2
16 152 151-250 1.8 | 41 352 426-525 1.2
17 160 162-261 1.7 | 42 360 437-536 1.1
18 168 173-272 1.7 | 43 368 448-547 1.1
19 176 184-283 1.6 | 44 376 459-558 1.1
20 184 195-294 1.6 | 45 384 470-569 1.1
21 192 206-305 1.6 | 46 392 481-580 1.1
22 200 217-316 1.5 | 47 400 492-591 1.1
23 208 228-327 1.5 | 48 408 503-602 1.1
24 216 239-338 1.4 | 49 416 514-613 1.0
25 224 250-349 1.4 | 50 424 525-624 1.0
=================================================================
Summary:
+ Cast and forget.
+ The lightning bolts are totally unavoidable.
+ Mana cost stays constant.
+ Strikes more frequently at higher skill levels.
- Can only attack one target at a time.
- You cannot control which targets are hit.
- Numerous prerequisite skills needed to access Thunderstorm.
- Damage is not very high.
Comments:
After casting this, the sorceress will have an electrical aura
for the duration of Thunderstorm. Thunderstorm's attack range
is 11.3 yards, roughly the distance from the sorceress to the
edge of the screen; once targets are detected, a bolt of lightning
will strike one random target within range. After a short delay,
another bolt will strike a random target, and so on until no more
targets are in range. The lightning bolts always hit. As points
are added to Thunderstorm, the duration and damage increases,
and the storm attacks more frequently. Since Thunderstorm acts
on its own, it is not very useful as a main attack spell because
it picks off random targets one at a time. The damage, though
unchanged from 1.09, is not high enough to severely hurt many
of 1.10's beefed up Hell monsters.
Without synergies, you cannot afford to max Thunderstorm anymore.
The points are better spent on other attack skills. However, if
the lightning tree is your primary attack element, and you have max
Lightning Mastery and points in every other lightning skill, then
Thunderstorm is a good one point wonder. With enough +skills from
items, Thunderstorm can last long enough to cast-and-forget, and
the damage is enough to make it worth using.
Recommended Points:
0 to 5 points.
* Energy Shield
In-game Description:
"Creates a magical shield that consumes mana instead of health
when you take damage."
=================================================
2 mana drained per damage point.
Mana Cost: 5
=================================================
slvl Duration Absorb | slvl Duration Absorb
========================|========================
1 144 20% | 26 1344 81%
2 192 25% | 27 1392 82%
3 240 30% | 28 1440 83%
4 288 35% | 29 1488 84%
5 336 40% | 30 1536 85%
6 384 45% | 31 1584 86%
7 432 50% | 32 1632 87%
8 480 55% | 33 1680 88%
9 528 57% | 34 1728 89%
10 576 59% | 35 1776 90%
11 624 61% | 36 1824 91%
12 672 63% | 37 1872 92%
13 720 65% | 38 1920 93%
14 768 67% | 39 1968 94%
15 816 69% | 40 2016 95%
16 864 71% | 41 2064 95%
17 912 72% | 42 2112 95%
18 960 73% | 43 2160 95%
19 1008 74% | 44 2208 95%
20 1056 75% | 45 2256 95%
21 1104 76% | 46 2304 95%
22 1152 77% | 47 2352 95%
23 1200 78% | 48 2400 95%
24 1248 79% | 49 2448 95%
25 1296 80% | 50 2596 95%
=================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Telekinesis
=================================================
Summary:
+ You lose less life when hit.
+ Shield absorbs most forms of damage.
- Up to 2 mana is needed to absorb 1 damage; hard hits drain
mana fast.
- Does not protect against life drain from poisoning or from
casting spells while affected by the "blood mana" curse.
- Numerous prerequisite skills needed to access Energy Shield.
Comments:
Though a potential life-saver, energy shield can be a mana hog.
Before you take damage from a successful attack, energy shield
will absorb a fraction of the damage. The mana drained per
damage point absorbed depends on how many points you invested
in Telekinesis. Below is the mana per damage cost formula:
cost = 2 - (base TK slvl / 16)
Cost begins at 2. Each point in Telekinesis reduces the cost
by 6.25% or 1/16th. Bonuses from +skill items do NOT apply --
only actual points invested in Telekinesis count. Below is a
small chart displaying the mana per damage cost at varying levels
of Telekinesis.
-------------------------------
TK | TK
slvl Cost | slvl Cost
----------------|--------------
1 1.9375 | 8 1.5
2 1.875 | 12 1.25
3 1.8125 | 16 1.0
4 1.75 | 20 0.75
-------------------------------
Now, lets take an example on how damage and absorption work.
The sorceress is hit by an attack that does 100 damage, and
she has level 4 Telekinesis and an energy shield that absorbs
40% damage. 40 damage is absorbed, so the sorceress loses
60 life. With a lvl 4 TK, the absorbed 40 damage is multiplied
by 1.75. The sorceress loses 70 mana from the hit.
In Hell, monsters can easily inflict more than a hundred points of
damage per hit, and if a high level energy shield is absorbing most
of it, you can easily lose hundreds of mana points for each hit
taken. There are few attacks that energy shield cannot protect
against: poison damage over time and life lost from skill use
while affected by the "blood mana" curse.
How to find your effective life with Energy Shield on:
Assuming 100% absorption, your effective life with energy shield
can be measured by the following:
max_A = life + (mana / cost)
Assuming unlimited mana, your effective life with energy shield
can be measured by the following:
max_B = life / ((100 - absorb%) / 100)
Comparing the results from the above two formulas, your effective
life with energy shield is the lesser of the two results.
if (max_A < max_B)
max = max_A
else
max = max_B
How to find your mana-to-life ratio:
You want at least enough mana to achieve effective life 'max_B'.
If you have too little mana, you may run out of mana first,
and your energy shield will drop. In this case, your effective
life is 'max_A'. If you have too much mana, you may run out of
life and die first. However, you need mana to cast your attack
spells, so you want some extra mana to cover that.
To make the most out of energy shield, you want mana and life
to drain in such a way that both reach zero at the same time.
Below is a formula that will determine the minimum mana needed
to achieve effective life 'max_B'.
mana = (life / ((100 - absorb%) / 100) - life) * cost
If you want a mana-to-life ratio, set life to 1 and solve for mana.
It can be difficult to amass a large enough pool of mana to attain
your mana-to-life ratio if you have high life and an energy shield
with a high damage absorption percentange. Assuming you cannot
boost life or mana any higher, below is a formula that will provide
your ideal absorption percentage:
absorb% = 100 - (life * 100 / ((mana / cost) + life))
In this case your actual absorption percentance should be equal
to or slightly less than the result if you want to maintain your
mana-to-life ratio.
Having written all that, there are some things that can affect
your mana pool and the effectiveness of energy shield. Vulpine
items can add mana back after you take some damage. Mana burn
bosses can suck your mana pool dry, sometimes even after one hit.
Then there are attacks that energy shield cannot protect you from:
poisoning and blood mana.
Recommended Points:
None or 1.
* Lightning Mastery (clvl 30)
In-game Description:
"Passive -- increases all damage caused by your lightning spells."
=====================================
slvl Percentage | slvl Percentage
==================|==================
1 +50% | 26 +350%
2 +62% | 27 +362%
3 +74% | 28 +374%
4 +86% | 29 +386%
5 +98% | 30 +398%
6 +110% | 31 +410%
7 +122% | 32 +422%
8 +134% | 33 +434%
9 +146% | 34 +446%
10 +158% | 35 +458%
11 +170% | 36 +470%
12 +182% | 37 +482%
13 +194% | 38 +494%
14 +206% | 39 +506%
15 +218% | 40 +518%
16 +230% | 41 +530%
17 +242% | 42 +542%
18 +254% | 43 +554%
19 +266% | 44 +566%
20 +278% | 45 +578%
21 +290% | 46 +590%
22 +302% | 47 +602%
23 +314% | 48 +614%
24 +326% | 49 +626%
25 +338% | 50 +638%
=====================================
Summary:
+ Passive -- always active.
+ More damage to lightning attacks. Damage is king, again.
- Does not work with Static Field.
Comments:
Like Fire Mastery, put a point into this at level 30, provided
you use lightning attacks. The bonuses in this tree are even
greater than those in fire. If you plan to develop viable
lightning attacks, this is a must max skill. None of the
lightning skills inflict enough damage on their own.
Unfortunately for you, Lightning Mastery will not increase
the damage of Static Field, so if Static Field is your only
lightning attack, mastery will not help you.
Recommended:
20 if you use any of the following: Charged Bolt, Nova, Lightning,
or Chain Lightning.
-----------------
- Cold Skills -
-----------------
NOTES:
* All chill and freeze durations are reduced to half in Nightmare,
and to one-fourth in Hell.
* You can only have one cold armor active at one time. If you
cast one armor then another, the armor casted most recently will
override any previous castings. For example, you cast Chilling
Armor first then Shiver Armor, Shiver will be the active armor.
Ice Frozen
Bolt Armor
| |
Frost Ice |
Nova Blast\ |
| | \ |
| | \Shiver
| | Armor
| | |
| Glacial |
| /Spike |
| / |
Blizzard Chilling
| Armor
|
Frozen Cold
Orb Mastery
* Ice Bolt (clvl 1)
In-game Description:
"Creates a magical bolt of ice that damages and slows your enemies."
===============================================
Mana Cost: 3
===============================================
Cold Cold | Cold Cold
slvl Damage Length | slvl Damage Length
=======================|=======================
1 3- 5 6.0 | 26 60- 74 41.0
2 4- 6 7.4 | 27 64- 79 42.4
3 5- 8 8.8 | 28 68- 83 43.8
4 6- 9 10.2 | 29 73- 89 45.2
5 7- 11 11.6 | 30 78- 94 46.6
6 8- 12 13.0 | 31 83-100 48.0
7 9- 14 14.4 | 32 88-105 49.4
8 10- 15 15.8 | 33 93-111 50.8
9 12- 18 17.2 | 34 98-116 52.2
10 14- 20 18.6 | 35 103-122 53.6
11 16- 23 20.0 | 36 108-127 55.0
12 18- 25 21.4 | 37 113-133 56.4
13 20- 28 22.8 | 38 118-138 57.8
14 22- 30 24.2 | 39 123-144 59.2
15 24- 33 25.6 | 40 128-149 60.6
16 26- 35 27.0 | 41 133-155 62.0
17 29- 39 28.4 | 42 138-160 63.4
18 32- 42 29.8 | 43 143-166 64.8
19 35- 46 31.2 | 44 148-171 66.2
20 38- 49 32.6 | 45 153-177 67.6
21 41- 53 34.0 | 46 158-182 69.0
22 44- 56 35.4 | 47 163-188 70.4
23 48- 61 36.8 | 48 168-193 71.8
24 52- 65 38.2 | 49 173-199 73.2
25 56- 70 39.6 | 50 178-204 74.6
===============================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Frost Nova: +15% Cold Damage per Level
Ice Blast: +15% Cold Damage per Level
Glacial Spike: +15% Cold Damage per Level
Blizzard: +15% Cold Damage per Level
Frozen Orb: +15% Cold Damage per Level
===============================================
Summary:
+ Long chill time at higher levels.
+ Low mana cost.
+ Receives excellent synergy bonuses.
- Slow shot speed.
- Low damage.
Comments:
Aside from killing monsters in early Act I Normal, this is only
useful as a prerequisite and/or passive damage booster to other
cold skills. Even with numerous synergy bonuses, the other cold
skills are better at damaging and/or slowing down monsters.
Recommended Points:
Up to 20 if you plan to use Frozen Orb as your primary attack.
1 point if you need it as a prerequisite to other skills.
* Frozen Armor (clvl 1)
In-game Description:
"Increases your defense rating and freezes enemies that hit you."
===================================================================
Mana Cost: 7
===================================================================
Freeze | Freeze
slvl Duration Defense Length | slvl Duration Defense Length
=================================|=================================
1 120 30% 1.2 | 26 420 155% 4.2
2 132 35% 1.3 | 27 432 160% 4.3
3 144 40% 1.4 | 28 444 165% 4.4
4 156 45% 1.5 | 29 456 170% 4.5
5 168 50% 1.6 | 30 468 175% 4.6
6 180 55% 1.8 | 31 480 180% 4.8
7 192 60% 1.9 | 32 492 185% 4.9
8 204 65% 2.0 | 33 504 190% 5.0
9 216 70% 2.1 | 34 516 195% 5.1
10 228 75% 2.2 | 35 528 200% 5.2
11 240 80% 2.4 | 36 540 205% 5.4
12 252 85% 2.5 | 37 552 210% 5.5
13 264 90% 2.6 | 38 564 215% 5.6
14 276 95% 2.7 | 39 576 220% 5.7
15 288 100% 2.8 | 40 588 225% 5.8
16 300 105% 3.0 | 41 600 230% 6.0
17 312 110% 3.1 | 40 612 235% 6.1
18 324 115% 3.2 | 40 624 240% 6.2
19 336 120% 3.3 | 40 636 245% 6.3
20 348 125% 3.4 | 40 648 250% 6.4
21 360 130% 3.6 | 46 660 255% 6.6
22 372 135% 3.7 | 47 672 260% 6.7
23 384 140% 3.8 | 48 684 265% 6.8
24 396 145% 3.9 | 49 696 270% 6.9
25 408 150% 4.0 | 50 708 275% 7.0
===================================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Shiver Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Shiver Armor: +5% Freeze Length per Level
Chilling Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Chilling Armor: +5% Freeze Length per Level
===================================================================
Summary:
+ Defense goes up.
+ Freezes enemies that hit you with melee attacks.
- Not as powerful as Shiver Armor.
- Freezing only affects attackers within melee range.
- Freeze time is short at low levels.
Comments:
The main use of this armor is to disable melee attackers that
manage to hit you by freezing them. While frozen, you can attack
them or run away. The freeze time is very short in higher
difficulty levels, but it can reduce the chance of a stunlock.
I don't recommend spending more than a point in this skill though;
there is another armor skill down the cold tree that is defensively
superior to Frozen Armor. Nonetheless, unless you are building
your sorceress solely for PvP/PK, you should invest one point here;
it can be a lifesaver.
Recommended Points:
1 point.
* Frost Nova (clvl 6)
In-game Description:
"Creates an expending ring of ice that damages and slows all
nearby enemies."
===========================================================
Cold Cold | Cold Cold
slvl Damage Length Mana | slvl Damage Length Mana
=============================|=============================
1 2- 4 8 9 | 26 84- 98 33 34
2 4- 6 9 10 | 27 89-104 34 35
3 6- 9 10 11 | 28 94-109 35 36
4 8- 11 11 12 | 29 100-116 36 37
5 10- 14 12 13 | 30 106-122 37 38
6 12- 16 13 14 | 31 112-129 38 39
7 14- 19 14 15 | 32 118-135 39 40
8 16- 21 15 16 | 33 124-142 40 41
9 19- 25 16 17 | 34 130-148 41 42
10 22- 28 17 18 | 35 136-155 42 43
11 25- 32 18 19 | 36 142-161 43 44
12 28- 35 19 20 | 37 148-168 44 45
13 31- 39 20 21 | 38 154-174 45 46
14 34- 42 21 22 | 39 160-181 46 47
15 37- 46 22 23 | 40 166-187 47 48
16 40- 49 23 24 | 41 172-194 48 49
17 44- 54 24 25 | 42 178-200 49 50
18 48- 58 25 26 | 43 184-207 50 51
19 52- 63 26 27 | 44 190-213 51 52
20 56- 67 27 28 | 45 196-220 52 53
21 60- 72 28 29 | 46 202-226 53 54
22 64- 76 29 30 | 47 208-233 54 55
23 69- 82 30 31 | 48 214-239 55 56
24 74- 87 31 32 | 49 220-246 56 57
25 79- 83 32 33 | 50 226-252 57 58
===========================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Blizzard: +10% Cold Damage per Level
Frozen Orb: +10% Cold Damage per Level
===========================================================
Summary:
+ Hits everything within range.
+ Chill time is long.
- High mana cost.
- Has limited range -- fixed at about 7 yards.
- Damage is low.
Comments:
This is much like the electrical Nova except it does cold damage,
and much less of it. For killing things, Frost Nova is no good --
the damage is too low, at least not without maxing its synergies
Blizzard and Frozen Orb, both of which are much stronger skills.
However, Frost Nova is very useful for one reason: it chills
everything, except cold immunes and some other monsters that
cannot be frozen, within about 7 yards of the sorceress, and the
chill time is long (enough) even at level 1. With Frost Nova,
the sorceress can slow down a large group of enemies to make it
easier to hit with area effect spells like Firewall or Meteor,
make it easier for the sorceress to run away from the group, or
in party situations, to slow down the monsters' attacks against
the party melee fighters. Later on, the sorceress will gain access
to Frozen Orb, which can easily chill a number of targets and
inflict far more damage. However, Frost Nova has two advantages
over Frozen Orb that may prevent it from becoming obsolete:
one, it has no prerequisites; two, it has no casting delay.
After casting timed spells, you can switch to Frost Nova, cast it
to slow down a large group of monsters, then switch back to your
attack spell. This is impossible to do with Frozen Orb because
it is a timed spell. Firewall/Frost Nova and Meteor/Frost Nova
are very effective spell combos. Frost Nova will slow down the
enemies, and Firewall or Meteor will finish them off.
Recommended Points:
None or 1.
* Ice Blast (clvl 6)
In-game Description:
"Creates a magical sphere of ice that damages and freezes your
enemy."
===================================================================
Freeze | Freeze
slvl Cold Damage Length Mana | slvl Cold Damage Length Mana
=================================|=================================
1 8- 12 3.0 6.0 | 26 407- 423 8.0 18.5
2 15- 19 3.2 6.5 | 27 435- 452 8.2 19.0
3 22- 27 3.4 7.0 | 28 463- 480 8.4 19.5
4 29- 34 3.6 7.5 | 29 498- 516 8.6 20.0
5 36- 42 3.8 8.0 | 30 533- 551 8.8 20.5
6 43- 49 4.0 8.5 | 31 568- 587 9.0 21.0
7 50- 57 4.2 9.0 | 32 603- 622 9.2 21.5
8 57- 64 4.4 9.5 | 33 638- 658 9.4 22.0
9 71- 79 4.6 10.0 | 34 673- 693 9.6 22.5
10 85- 93 4.8 10.5 | 35 708- 729 9.8 23.0
11 99- 108 5.0 11.0 | 36 743- 764 10.0 23.5
12 113- 122 5.2 11.5 | 37 778- 800 10.2 24.0
13 127- 137 5.4 12.0 | 38 813- 835 10.4 24.5
14 141- 151 5.6 12.5 | 39 848- 871 10.6 25.0
15 155- 166 5.8 13.0 | 40 883- 906 10.8 25.5
16 169- 180 6.0 13.5 | 41 918- 942 11.0 26.0
17 190- 202 6.2 14.0 | 42 953- 977 11.2 26.5
18 211- 223 6.4 14.5 | 43 988-1013 11.4 27.0
19 232- 245 6.6 15.0 | 44 1023-1048 11.6 27.5
20 253- 266 6.8 15.5 | 45 1058-1084 11.8 28.0
21 274- 288 7.0 16.0 | 46 1093-1119 12.0 28.5
22 295- 309 7.2 16.5 | 47 1128-1155 12.2 29.0
23 323- 338 7.4 17.0 | 48 1163-1190 12.4 29.5
24 351- 366 7.6 17.5 | 49 1198-1226 12.6 30.0
25 379- 395 7.8 18.0 | 50 1233-1261 12.8 30.5
===================================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Ice Bolt: +8% Cold Damage per Level
Glacial Spike: +10% Freeze Length per Level
Blizzard: +8% Cold Damage per Level
Frozen Orb: +8% Cold Damage per Level
===================================================================
Summary:
+ Freezes targets.
+ Does good damage (for a cold attack) at high levels.
- Slow shot speed.
- Can only hit one target at a time.
Comments:
At the very least, Ice Blast can be used to freeze an enemy where
it stands. While frozen, the enemy is helpless and if killed,
will shatter. Shattered enemies leave no corpse. Thus, it is
useful for wiping out monsters accompanied by a shaman because
the shaman will be unable to revive shattered monsters.
(Note: In 1.10 beta, Fallen Shamans can revive even shattered
Fallen, resulting in a monster visible only by its shadow on
the ground. I suspect this is a bug and will be fixed.)
If you use cold skills during your sorceress's early levels,
this will be your friend from early Act I to Late Act II Normal
during character levels 6-17. Use it to freeze a target, then
shatter it with your weapon.
The damage is small at low levels, but increases greatly as the
level increases. Ice Blast also receives good synergy bonuses
from other useful cold attacks. With heavy investment into
Ice Blast and synergies, Ice Blast can become one of the most
damaging cold skills, and it has no timer. Ice Blast also gives
a synergy bonus to Blizzard; which makes Ice Blast and Blizzard a
very effective combo. In any case, a strong Ice Blast is good
to squeeze out extra damage and/or freeze support between the
delays of timered spells.
Recommended Points:
20 if you plan to use Blizzard and/or Ice Blast as main attacks.
1 if you need it to access Frozen Orb.
* Shiver Armor (clvl 12)
In-game Description:
"Increases your defense rating freezes and damages enemies that
hit you."
==========================================
Mana Cost: 11
==========================================
Cold Cold
slvl Duration Defense Damage Length
==========================================
1 120 45% 6- 8 4
2 132 51% 8- 10 4
3 144 57% 10- 13 4
4 156 63% 12- 15 4
5 168 69% 14- 18 4
6 180 75% 16- 20 4
7 192 81% 18- 23 4
8 204 87% 20- 25 4
9 216 93% 23- 29 5
10 228 99% 26- 32 6
11 240 105% 29- 36 7
12 252 111% 32- 39 8
13 264 117% 35- 43 9
14 276 123% 38- 46 10
15 288 129% 41- 50 11
16 300 135% 44- 53 12
17 312 141% 48- 58 14
18 324 147% 52- 62 16
19 336 153% 56- 67 18
20 348 159% 60- 71 20
21 360 165% 64- 76 22
22 372 171% 68- 80 24
23 384 177% 73- 86 26
24 396 183% 78- 91 28
25 408 189% 83- 97 30
26 420 195% 88-102 32
27 432 201% 93-108 34
28 444 207% 98-113 36
29 456 213% 104-120 38
30 468 219% 110-126 40
31 480 225% 116-133 42
32 492 231% 122-139 44
33 504 237% 128-146 46
34 516 243% 134-152 48
35 528 249% 140-159 50
36 540 255% 146-165 52
37 552 261% 152-172 54
38 564 267% 158-178 56
39 576 273% 164-185 58
40 588 279% 170-191 60
41 600 285% 176-198 62
42 612 291% 182-204 64
43 624 297% 188-211 66
44 636 303% 194-217 68
45 648 309% 200-224 70
46 660 315% 206-230 72
47 676 321% 212-237 74
48 684 327% 218-243 76
49 696 333% 224-250 78
50 708 339% 230-256 80
==========================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Frozen Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Frozen Armor: +9% Cold Damage per Level
Chilling Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Chilling Armor: +9% Cold Damage per Level
==========================================
Summary:
+ Defense goes up, more than the other two cold armors.
+ Slows down enemies that had a chance to hit you, even if they
miss. This includes ranged attackers within melee range.
- Damage is negligable.
- Only affects attackers within melee range.
Comments:
This is an upgrade from Frozen Armor. Although it only chills
instead of freezing, Shiver Armor offers two major advantages
over Frozen Armor. One, Shiver Armor adds a greater defense
bonus. Two, attackers within melee range that try to hit you
are automatically chilled, even if they miss. They also take
damage from the armor when chilled, but the damage is negligable
later on when monsters have thousands of hit points. As with
Frozen Armor, the main use of this armor is to prevent stunlocks.
Out of the three cold armors, Shiver Armor provides the best
defensive bonus, and it is the most useful all around.
Recommended Points:
1 point if you have the prerequisites.
* Glacial Spike (clvl 18)
In-game Description:
"Creates a magical ice comet that freezes or kills nearby enemies."
===========================================================
Radius: 2.6 yards.
===========================================================
Cold Freeze | Cold Freeze
slvl Damage Length Mana | slvl Damage Length Mana
=============================|=============================
1 16- 24 2.0 10.0 | 26 313-333 5.0 22.5
2 23- 31 2.1 10.5 | 27 328-349 5.1 23.0
3 30- 39 2.2 11.0 | 28 343-364 5.2 23.5
4 37- 46 2.3 11.5 | 29 359-381 5.3 24.0
5 44- 54 2.4 12.0 | 30 375-397 5.4 24.5
6 51- 61 2.6 12.5 | 31 391-414 5.6 25.0
7 58- 69 2.7 13.0 | 32 407-430 5.7 25.5
8 65- 76 2.8 13.5 | 33 423-447 5.8 26.0
9 78- 90 3.9 14.0 | 34 439-463 5.9 26.5
10 91-103 3.0 14.5 | 35 455-480 6.0 27.0
11 104-117 3.2 15.0 | 36 471-496 6.2 27.5
12 117-130 3.3 15.5 | 37 487-513 6.3 28.0
13 130-144 3.4 16.0 | 38 503-529 6.4 28.5
14 143-157 3.5 16.5 | 39 519-546 6.5 29.0
15 156-171 3.6 17.0 | 40 535-562 6.6 29.5
16 169-184 3.8 17.5 | 41 551-579 6.8 30.0
17 183-199 3.9 18.0 | 42 567-595 6.9 30.5
18 197-213 4.0 18.5 | 43 583-612 7.0 31.0
19 211-228 4.1 19.0 | 44 599-628 7.1 31.5
20 225-242 4.2 19.5 | 45 615-645 7.2 32.0
21 239-257 4.4 20.0 | 46 631-661 7.4 32.5
22 253-271 4.5 20.5 | 47 647-678 7.5 33.0
23 268-287 4.6 21.0 | 48 663-694 7.6 33.5
24 283-302 4.7 21.5 | 49 679-711 7.7 34.0
25 298-318 4.8 22.0 | 50 695-727 7.8 34.5
===========================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Ice Bolt: +5% Cold Damage per Level
Ice Blast: +5% Cold Damage per Level
Blizzard: +3% Freeze Length per Level
Frozen Orb: +5% Cold Damage per Level
===========================================================
Summary:
+ Can freeze multiple targets with one shot.
- Freeze time is short.
- Damage is relatively low even at high levels.
Comments:
This is great attack spell in Normal, where the freeze time is at
full duration and monsters have relatively low life. Just fire
at a small group of enemies to freeze, then either fire more
until they shatter, or use your weapon or another spell to finish
them off. Glacial Spike loses its usefulness as an attack spell
by the time you reach Nightmare where monsters have more life and
the freeze time is reduced. However, Glacial Spike remains useful
for freeze support, either in party play or in spell combos.
With a merc or other party members, you can keep enemies frozen
with Glacial Spike until your friends break them to pieces.
For spell combos, you can cast a powerful timered spell, such
as Meteor or Blizzard, cast Glacial Spike repeatedly at monsters
to freeze them in place while the other spells do their job by
damaging and killing the frozen monsters.
Recommended Points:
1 point if you need Blizzard or Frozen Orb.
* Blizzard (clvl 24)
In-game Description:
"Summons massive shards of ice to destroy your enemies."
===================================================
Cast Delay: 1.8 sec.
6.2 shards per second.
Cold Length: 4 sec.
Radius: 4.6 yards.
Duration: 4 sec.
===================================================
slvl Cold Damage Mana | slvl Cold Damage Mana
=========================|=========================
1 45- 75 23 | 26 880- 935 48
2 60- 91 24 | 27 935- 991 49
3 75- 107 25 | 28 990-1047 50
4 90- 123 26 | 29 1055-1113 51
5 105- 139 27 | 30 1120-1179 52
6 120- 155 28 | 31 1185-1245 53
7 135- 171 29 | 32 1250-1311 54
8 150- 187 30 | 33 1315-1377 55
9 180- 218 31 | 34 1380-1443 56
10 210- 249 32 | 35 1445-1509 57
11 240- 280 33 | 36 1510-1575 58
12 270- 311 34 | 37 1575-1641 59
13 300- 342 35 | 38 1640-1707 60
14 330- 373 36 | 39 1705-1773 61
15 360- 404 37 | 40 1770-1839 62
16 390- 435 38 | 41 1835-1905 63
17 435- 481 39 | 42 1900-1971 64
18 480- 527 40 | 43 1965-2037 65
19 525- 573 41 | 44 2030-2103 66
20 570- 619 42 | 45 2095-2169 67
21 615- 665 43 | 46 2160-2235 68
22 660- 711 44 | 47 2225-2301 69
23 715- 767 45 | 48 2290-2367 70
24 770- 823 46 | 49 2355-2433 71
25 825- 879 47 | 50 2420-2499 72
===================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Ice Bolt: +5% Cold Damage per Level
Ice Blast: +5% Cold Damage per Level
Glacial Spike: +5% Cold Damage per Level
===================================================
Summary:
+ Shard damage is the highest for cold.
- Cannot target places with no ground below.
- Long casting delay.
- Fixed cold length, and it is short.
- Shards may miss. (Blizzard seems to hit more now.)
Comments:
When cast, this will create a patch of falling ice. Enemies that
stand under the ice usually take hits, and the ice hurts. Its
killing power ranges from good to excellent, depending on mastery
or synergy investment. Blizzard synergizes very well with Ice
Blast since both skills give damage bonuses to each other, and
Ice Blast can be used to attack between casting delays.
In 1.10, the shards seem to hit more often than before. Although
a miss is still possible, this does not happen very often now.
Blizzard is reliable enough that you can cast Blizzard on top
of your target or ahead of its path, and expect some hits.
Recommended Points:
20 if you plan to use Blizzard and/or Ice Blast as main attacks.
1 if you need it to access Frozen Orb.
* Chilling Armor (clvl 24)
In-game Description:
"Increases defense and discharges an ice bolt in retaliation
against ranged attackers."
=====================================================================
Mana Cost: 17
=====================================================================
Cold | Cold
slvl Duration Defense Damage | slvl Duration Defense Damage
==================================|==================================
1 144 45% 4- 6 | 26 294 170% 61- 75
2 150 50% 5- 7 | 27 300 175% 65- 80
3 156 55% 6- 9 | 28 306 180% 69- 84
4 162 60% 7- 10 | 29 312 185% 74- 90
5 168 65% 8- 12 | 30 318 190% 79- 95
6 174 70% 9- 13 | 31 324 195% 84-101
7 180 75% 10- 15 | 32 330 200% 89-106
8 186 80% 11- 16 | 33 336 205% 94-112
9 192 85% 13- 19 | 34 342 210% 99-117
10 198 90% 15- 21 | 35 348 215% 104-123
11 204 95% 17- 24 | 36 354 220% 109-128
12 210 100% 19- 26 | 37 360 225% 114-134
13 216 105% 21- 29 | 38 366 230% 119-139
14 222 110% 23- 31 | 39 372 235% 124-145
15 228 115% 25- 34 | 40 378 240% 129-150
16 234 120% 27- 36 | 41 384 245% 134-156
17 240 125% 30- 40 | 42 390 250% 139-161
18 246 130% 33- 43 | 43 396 255% 144-167
19 252 135% 36- 47 | 44 402 260% 149-172
20 258 140% 39- 50 | 45 408 265% 154-178
21 264 145% 42- 54 | 46 414 270% 159-183
22 270 150% 45- 57 | 47 420 275% 164-189
23 276 155% 49- 62 | 48 426 280% 169-194
24 282 160% 53- 66 | 49 432 285% 174-200
25 288 165% 57- 71 | 50 438 290% 179-205
=====================================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Frozen Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Frozen Armor: +7% Cold Damage per Level
Shiver Armor: +10 Seconds per Level
Shiver Armor: +7% Cold Damage per Level
=====================================================================
Summary:
+ Defense goes up.
+ Can slow down ranged attackers.
- Only ranged attacks trigger the ice bolts.
- Ice bolt damage is negligable.
Comments:
The ice bolts inflict low damage so the description is not as
useful as it sounds. They do chill so this armor can be used
to slow down ranged attackers, provided the ice bolts are not
intercepted by other monsters between the sorceress and ranged
attacker. The other benefit of this armor, increased defense,
is not as good as Shiver Armor, and it does not last as long at
higher skill levels.
Recommended Points:
None.
* Frozen Orb (clvl 30)
In-game Description:
"Creates a magical globe that sprays a torrent of ice bolts to
lay waste to your enemies."
===========================================================
Cast Delay: 1.0 sec.
===========================================================
Cold Cold | Cold Cold
slvl Damage Length Mana | slvl Damage Length Mana
=============================|=============================
1 40- 45 8 25.0 | 26 348-365 33 37.5
2 50- 55 9 25.5 | 27 362-380 34 38.0
3 60- 66 10 26.0 | 28 377-395 35 38.5
4 70- 76 11 26.5 | 29 392-411 36 39.0
5 80- 87 12 27.0 | 30 407-426 37 39.5
6 90- 97 13 27.5 | 31 422-442 38 30.0
7 100-108 14 28.0 | 32 437-457 39 30.5
8 110-118 15 28.5 | 33 452-473 40 31.0
9 122-131 16 29.0 | 34 467-488 41 31.5
10 134-143 17 29.5 | 35 482-504 42 32.0
11 146-156 18 30.0 | 36 497-519 43 42.5
12 158-168 19 30.5 | 37 512-535 44 43.0
13 170-181 20 31.0 | 38 527-550 45 43.5
14 182-193 21 31.5 | 39 542-566 46 44.0
15 194-206 22 32.0 | 40 557-581 47 44.5
16 206-218 23 32.5 | 41 572-597 48 45.0
17 220-233 24 33.0 | 42 587-612 49 45.5
18 234-247 25 33.5 | 43 602-628 50 46.0
19 248-262 26 34.0 | 44 617-643 51 46.5
20 262-276 27 34.5 | 45 632-659 52 47.0
21 276-291 28 35.0 | 46 647-674 53 47.5
22 290-305 29 35.5 | 47 662-690 54 48.0
23 314-320 30 36.0 | 48 677-705 55 48.5
24 319-335 31 36.5 | 49 692-721 56 49.0
25 333-350 32 37.0 | 50 707-736 57 49.5
===========================================================
Receives Bonuses From:
Ice Bolt: +2% Cold Damage per Level
===========================================================
Summary:
+ Sprays damaging ice bolts everywhere on the screen.
+ Damage is high, especially if the orb explodes inside a target.
+ Chill time is long at high levels.
- Short casting delay.
- Numerous prerequisite skills needed to access Frozen Orb.
Comments:
Frozen Orb is one of the most versatile spells available, and it
is a sight to behold. When cast, an orb is shot out. As the orb
flies, it sprays ice bolts in different directions. After a second
of flight, the orb explodes into sixteen ice bolts that spiral
outward. All the ice bolts spawned can easily fill the screen,
and they all chill for a long time and inflict moderate to heavy
damage. The orb will pass through any target. Although the orb
itself inflicts no damage, the target will take severe damage from
all the ice bolts spawned by the orb. To inflict maximum damage
to a single target, aim the orb so that it explodes inside the
target.
In 1.10, Frozen Orb does not explode anymore when it touches a wall.
Instead, the orb merely stops at the wall and continues to spray
ice bolts until its one second of flight time is up.
Recommended Points:
None or 20.
* Cold Mastery (clvl 30)
In-game description:
"Passive -- increases all damage caused by your cold attacks by
piercing enemies resistances to cold."
=====================================
slvl Percentage | slvl Percentage
==================|==================
1 5% | 26 80%
2 8% | 27 83%
3 11% | 28 86%
4 14% | 29 89%
5 17% | 30 92%
6 20% | 31 95%
7 23% | 32 98%
8 26% | 33 101%
9 29% | 34 104%
10 32% | 35 107%
11 35% | 36 110%
12 38% | 37 113%
13 41% | 38 116%
14 44% | 39 119%
15 47% | 40 122%
16 50% | 41 125%
17 53% | 42 128%
18 56% | 43 131%
19 59% | 44 134%
20 62% | 45 137%
21 65% | 46 140%
22 68% | 47 143%
23 71% | 48 146%
24 74% | 49 149%
25 77% | 50 152%
=====================================
Summary:
+ Passive -- always active.
+ Reduces cold resistance.
- Does not pierce cold immunes.
Comments:
Unlike the Fire and Lightning Masteries, Cold Mastery does not
increase your cold skill damage by directly multiplying damage.
Instead, it subtracts your enemies' resistance to cold by the
amount listed at your current level of Cold Mastery. In effect,
this does raise the damage of your cold attacks, but change is
hidden; you will not see any change of damage on the (lying)
character screen, but your cold attacks will cause more damage.
Against targets with little or no cold resistance, the piercing
offered by Cold Mastery is not as effective as damage multipliers
from some synergies. On the other hand, highly resistant enemies
can take more much damage if their resistances are pierced.
For example, a monster with 75% resistance normally takes
triple damage if resistance is cut to 25%. If you use cold
attacks, this is worth at least one point.
Currently, Cold Mastery has no effects on cold immune monsters.
Recommended Points:
Up to 20 if you use cold attacks. 1 will suffice though.
----------------------------
- Which Skills to Choose -
----------------------------
You will need to specialize in a few attack skills to be effective.
You can max out three skills by level 60-70, and four by level
80-90. Below is a list of recommended attack skills to use.
You should decide which two trees you want to use, then pick
one or two attack skills from each chosen tree, but no more than
three total. Next to the skill name is a reason to use it over
other skills within its tree.
FIRE
- Fireball -- Best all-around fire attack. Needs investment
in synergies and Fire Mastery to make it great.
- Firewall -- if you want high damage instantly with minimum
skill point investment.
- Meteor -- if you want crowd control and/or the most fire damage
over time (especially in boss fights).
- Hydra -- if you want safety over power. Needs max Fire Mastery
to be effective.
LIGHTNING (All need high Lightning Mastery to be effective in Hell.)
- Charged Bolt -- if you want a powerful multishot attack.
- Lightning -- if you want a fast, strong one-hit wonder.
- Chain Lightning -- if you want good crowd control.
COLD
- Ice Blast -- If you want a powerful, non-timered cold attack.
Needs investment in synergies to make it strong.
- Blizzard -- if you want the most cold damage for each hit.
Investment in synergies is highly recommended.
- Frozen Orb -- if you want a powerful, cheap, easy-to-use
20 point wonder.
In addition to attacks, there are a few skills so important that
every sorceress should invest at least one point into each. They
include the following:
- Warmth
- Static Field
- Telekinesis (only because it is a prerequisite to Teleport)
- Teleport