05-27-2006, 11:08 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-19-2007, 11:04 AM by FraterPerdurabo.)
The PvM and PvP Wind Druid guide by Frater Perdurabo
Versions:
0.1: Just wanted to paste it here to see what it would look like. Unfinished. I'm just editing it here since my Office is screwing up and I have to write in notepad >.<
0.2: Just have Necromancer and Sorceress strategies to go. Then it'll just be embellishment and minor addons (just some explanations to summons in PvP and that kind of stuff). Also, I don't like the layout, so I'm going to change that once it's finished (in volume).
0.3: Should be ready soon ~~ Just a few more additions.
1.0: Huoh, should be ready now. I have written up the bulk, it just needs to be arranged.
1.1: Added some stash contents and PvP strategies, hoping to write something up on TvT soon.
1.2: Completely rewrote strategy vs. Javazon and added a few embellishments (Y)
1.3: Some minor additions to gear, merc, Smiter and Sorc strategies.
Strenghts:
Versatile PvM
Versatile PvP
5000+ life at level 90+
7000+ unblockable physical damage
3000+ unblockable cold damage (*passive*)
Does not need resistance equipment
Valuable player in team duels
Has good chances against most builds in 1on1
Weaknesses:
Slow FCR frames
Tornados hard to aim
Inferior to close up melee and far away ranged
Druid breakpoints:
http://users. t k k.fi/~tgustafs/hitrecovery.html
Make sure you look at the breakpoints for Druid in human form, wielding a 1handed mace class weapon. I will touch on these later on in my guide.
edit: Fixed the link. Just remove the spaces before .fi
Skills:
20 Cyclone Armor
20 Twister
20 Tornado
20 Hurricane
1 Raven (prerequisite)
1 Summon Spirit Wolf
1 Summon Dire Wolf (prerequisite)
1 Summon Grizzly
1+ Oak Sage (All of your remaining points will go in here, but only go past 1 after you have finished the Elemental Tree)
Optional skills:
1 Poison Creeper
1 Carrion Vine
Some of these skill choices can actually be ignored by proper choice of equipment (I'll go into this later), but it does not really make a difference. At level 90 you will have 102 skill points (12 from quests, 90 from levelups). 80 will go to elemental tree, 4-6 to summons, all the rest into Oak Sage.
Stats:
A large part of your stat point allocation will be dependant on your choice of equipment. This is what I put and at level 95, I am happy with allocation. If you are going to do PvM only, leave DEX at base. Depending on how rich you are, you are going to choose your stats. If you are poor, leave STR at base, and instead get elemskillers with +6 STR. If you are rich, put 40-50 STR and use elemskillers with 40+ life instead. Of course, in the end, it's all down to your choice of equipment. I'll touch down on charms later on.
STR: 40
DEX: ~140 (you need max block with +dex off your equipment. Choose what you are going to use and distribute stats accordingly)
VIT: rest
ENE: none
Equipment:
The choice of equipment for a Wind Druid can be varied much. Although I will try to add in different variations, I will mostly refer to the item builds that I thought worked for me the best.
I shall refer to this as the default build, and it shall be used in PvM at all times, and in PvP against *most* casters. The aim of this set is to achieve as much damage as possible, while keeping above the 99%FCR breakpoint.
Helmet:
1)
Delirium
3 Socket Helms
Lem + Ist + Io
1% Chance To Cast Level 50 Delirium* (morph) When Struck
6% Chance To Cast Level 14 Mind Blast When Struck
14% Chance To Cast Level 13 Terror When Struck
11% Chance To Cast Level 18 Confuse On Striking
+2 To All Skills
+261 Defense
+10 To Vitality
50% Extra Gold From Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 17 Attract (60 Charges)
On it's own, this is useless, but if made in a helm that gives +3 tornado and +3 hurricane, you will get a handy +5 to your main skills. Very useful in PvM and versus casters. The curses are minor addons. The 1% chance to morph is a nuisance, but you can quickly get out of your rediculous form by changing acts. When in Delirium form, you cannot use Tornado, recast Cyclone armor, or Hurricane. You will still have what was left of your previous casts. You can summon minions. Cons: Useless mods for PvP and no sockets.
2)
A godly rare Druid pelt. It should have a base of either +2 Druid skills, or +2 Elemental skills, with additional bonuses to Tornado, Hurricane. If you get this with 10% base FHR and 2 sockets, you have your hands on a godly piece of equipment. Also, at least 1 free socket. Cons: No +all skills, so no bonus to BO.
3)
Magical Druid Pelt. As opposed to Delirium and a rare pelt, it is possible to get +3 Elemental skills, +3 Tornado and +3 Hurricane. This is the most damage orientated item. Once again, base FHR and 2 sockets are things to look for. Cons: Only adds damage, so no bonus to BO, or summons (unless you have summoning mods on it).
You should go for any one of those 3 above. Changing between them will not make a difference to your build, it's just a matter of personal preference. The 3rd option, magical pelt has the most potential.
Many people tend to use Shako for a helmet. I am against Shako for many reasons.
1) It does much, MUCH less damage than the alternatives suggested above.
2) Extra life? Delirium gives +10 Vitality, which is not quite as much as as Shako, but will do nevertheless. You
will not be hurting for life with this build.
3) Extra mana? Your druid will not run out of mana once build is finished.
4) Extra stats? +2 is neglible.
5) 10%DR? You will not need DR vs *most* casters (exceptions will be handeled below), nor in PvM.
Shako is a decent substitute while you are still getting the other helmets, but try to stay away from it.
Amulet:
+3 Elemental skills
+100 life (or other handy mods that you may prefer)
Weapon:
Heart of the Oak
Hands down the best weapon you can get for PvM. Resists do not really matter, but it's so cheap that you might as well get it will +40 all resi. I do not suggest making this in an ethereal flail. Discussed below.
Armor:
Enigma
NO ALTERNATIVES. Almost every single mod on this armor is extremely useful.
Shield:
Spirit runeword
Get a superior Monarch with 15% enhanced defence, a bunch of Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn runes, and reroll the runeword until you get 35%+ FCR. This is absolutely vital.
Gloves:
Trang Oul's Claws
You need these for the 20%FCR. The alternative is:
Magefists
I prefer Trangs because of the cold resists.
Belt:
Arachnid Mesh
You need this for the 20%FCR, however, it has godly stats on it anyway.
Rings:
2xStone of Jordan
Damage and mana.
Boots:
Sandstorm Trek
Try to get them with +15 VIT and +15 STR, and if possible, ethereal. You will need these mainly in order to equip Spirit Monarch, because of it's high STR requirement. 20% FHR and FRW are nice mods, but not vital vs casters and PvM.
Alternative boots:
War Traveler
Just an alternative. I perfer Treks over these.
Weapon + Shield on switch:
Call to Arms
Call to Arms for Battle Orders. Shield will be Spirit runeword again. Stats do not matter, as it's the +2 all skills that you are interested in because it will boost your BO.
Mercinary:
Act2 merc with either Defiance or Holy Freeze. I would go for Holy Freeze, since the Druid has such low defence that Defiance really won't boost it much. What's handy about Holy Freeze, is that it also slows down cold immunes. Hurricane won't do that.
Helmet:
The helmet does not really make a difference, so the choice is yours. However, I would go for either:
eVampire Gaze (nice leech and DR%)
or
eGiant Skull 2sox (sockets, more defence, knockback)
Weapon:
eReaper's Toll AMNed
Armor:
eStone with high defence
or
eShaftstop UMed
Don't bother with any of the expensive runewords, such as Infinity, Pride, or Fortitude. The purpose of your merc is to be a good tank, while you do the killing. Reaper's AMNed gives 21% life leech, and your merc can literally tank Chaos Sanctuary in Hell, in an 8 player game. He will only die because of Iron Maiden. The other reason that you need Reaper's Toll for is because of Decrepify. The Venom Lords in Chaos Sanctuary have high physical resistance, especially Ventar the Unholy (the unique one), and he often spawns with Physical Immunity. Reaper's has a 33% chance of casting Decrepify on strike, and Decrepify removes Physical Immunity, meaning that you will get the opportunity to take him out (Ventar the Unholy occasionally spawns with Cold Immunity as well, he's a major pain).
DEFAULT INVENTORY:
Tome of Town Portal
Annihilus Stats > Resists > Experience. Get AT LEAST 18+ stats.
Druid Torch Stats > Resists once again. Get one with 20 stats, because they are so cheap.
7xElemskillers As I mentioned above, if you are rich, get them with life. If you are poor, get them with STR, DEX and FRW. FHR is not required for this setup.
8x20 life SCs. Try to get them with additional mods. Most preffered would be 3 small charms with +20 life and 5%FHR, but other welcome mods are Lightning resist or +allresist.
Now let's look at this setup.
Level 50+ Tornado (7000+k unblockable physical damage)
Level ~50 Hurricane (3k unblockable cold damage *passively*)
5000+life with BO and Oak Sage
Teleport
The result is that this build can fulfill all of your PvM needs. It can rush, MF, solo Hell Chaos Sanctuary on 8 players and is helpful in party games, such as Baalruns because of his Oak.
STASH CONTENTS:
Stormshield "Eld" (7% extra block) or Stormshield "Ber" (8%DR) I recently found alternatives for getting max block, so I Ber'd my Stormshield, for max DR% (35+8+8).
Shadow Dancers +25 DEX (needed in order to achieve max block)
2xElemskillers (with mods, if possible)
3xSCs 5%FHR (no need if you already have charms with at least 14% FHR in your inv, i.e. Elemskiller 12%FHR and sc with 5%FHR)
Additional SCs with 20 life (in PvP you will not have Tome of TP in your inv)
Spirit Sword with 35% FCR (occasionally needed for extra FHR)
2x10%FCR rings with nice mods, such as life. (needed when not using Spirit)
Amulet +2 Druid 19%FCR with mods. Get this bad boy if you are filthy rich.
Amulet +2 Druid 11%+FCR with other mods (needed when not using Spirit) Get this, if you cannot afford the one above.
Raven Frost +20 Dex if you put fewer points into Dex or are a higher level.
Rare Druid circlet. Now this circlet is the most vital thing to you PvP.
Godly example would be:
+2 Druid skills (vital, obvious)
20%FHR (nice bonus)
20%FCR (vital, because in PvP, you will be using Stormshield, so no more 35%FCR from Spirit. With this you will have
20% from circlet, 40% from Hoto, 20% from Arach, 20% from Trangs)
+~20 STR (STR is required, because you will be using Shadow Dancers instead of Treks, so more STR is required to wield
Stormshield)
+~20 DEX (nice bonus to blocking. you save extra skiller space, i.e. you can have skillers with life, instead of DEX)
+2 sockets (just to put the cherry on top of the cake)
I would not recommend Shaeling your Circlet, instead, I would go for a rare jewel with nice mods. Currently in my Circlet, I have a jewel +8 STR +8 DEX +7%FHR. Use this jewel to make up for anything that you may be lacking, such as a little bit of extra STR, some DEX needed off max block, or a little bit off your FHR bp.
Optional:
Dwarf Star abosrb
Wisp Projector 20% absorb
These are for you if you don't mind absorbing. Just remember that in Good Mannered duelling you are only allowed 1 absorb per resistance, and in HELL ONLY. Absorbing is not allowed in Nightmare. Also, some people claim that Druids are not allowed to absorb at all. Just clarify the rules with your opponents before you start, in order to avoid confusin later on.
Thundergod's also counts as 1 element, so you are not allowed to wear Thundergod's and Wisp Projector at the same time (not that I would recommend it anyway).
PvP 1on1 strategies
I haven't actually duelled every single build out there (mostly because they suck and people don't make them for PvP), so don't ask me for advice against them. As soon as I learn anything new, I'll post it here.
Bowzon:
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit wolves, so they will find it hard to namelock you or get you with strafe.
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Bowzons make short work of any build without max block. Multiple Shot with knockback is a pain, but you should be able to take them pretty easily. If the Amazon has low FHR, then she is a piece of cake. If she has decent FHR, just keep tornadoing her. If she has not reached the last IAS breakpoint, you will beat her easily, because she will go into Dodge and Avoid animations too often. If you keep getting beaten, get better FHR, such as substitute HOTO for Spirit Sword. Make sure you still stay within the 99%FCR beakpoint, so that +2 Druid amu with FCR will be useful.
Javazon:
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak ONLY
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Charged Strike on these guys can be extremely lethal, namely, it can kill you in 1 hit. The idea to teleport around them in circles. Their javelins are extremely easy to avoid in such a fashion. Once in a while, take the opportunity and spam a few Tornados. Try to avoiding teleing on top of them, hit them from afar instead. Once you get the hang of this, it's quite easy.
Whirlwind Assassin with dual Chaos runeword.
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These guys are easy, basically weaker versions of a WW barbarian. The annoying thing is that they use dual claw block, which also blocks elemental damage. Just tele near (not on them) them and spam Tornados. If they are dumb enough to Whirlwind into your Tornado, then they are dead meat in a matter of hits. CAREFUL! Some of them hit you a few times, until they activate Open Wounds, then play defensive. This actually makes them slightly more difficult, but just keep teleporting after them and attacking with Tornados. In the end, you should prevail.
Trapsin (Can also be a Trap + WW hybrid)
Use: Spirit shield + Spirit sword + Dancers + Circlet + FCR amu.
Alternatively: Doom + Circlet + Spirit Monarch + FCR amu + Treks
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 174/99 (99/99 with alternative setup Doom)
Have enough scs in your inventory to reach the 174% FHR breakpoint. If you are dueling a hybrid, stick to Storm + Circlet + Dancers, for max block.
This is the most difficult build for the Wind Druid to beat. Playing offensive won't work out. As soon as you tele near enough that her traps will start shooting at you, she will start spamming Mind Blast. FHR does not really matter here, since even though when the druid recovers, his cast rate frames are too slow for him to tele away. The only way that I have been able to beat good Trapsins is by playing defensive. Literally meaning, teleporting around randomly and spamming Tornados, hoping that the Trapsin will tele on them. However, I duel to have fun, and doing that I find very lame and unenjoyable, so I refrain from it. Some Druids use the runeword Doom against Trapsins, because it will slow down their IAS, and they will become targets when recasting traps. If you go for Doom, remember, that you will have to make up for the lost FCR. I would then suggest Circlet + Spirit + FCR amu. I have not tried this, but theoretically, trapsins would also be easier, if you reached the 163% FCR breakpoint (40 HOTO + 35 Spirit + 20 Trang's + 20 Arach + 20 Circlet + 10 FCR ring + 18%FCR amu [Expesive as hell] or 8%FCR amu with 10 FCR ring).
Kicksin
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + Bear
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
This build is a joke in PvP. The kicks will knock you back, but will not Stun you, which will be advantageous to you. A few Tornados and down they go.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with Grief + Beast
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak and Grizzly
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Now this is the easy build. Summon Grizzly. Most of them will Leap (so you go into knockback) and then tele onto you and whirlwind. When they Leap, spam a few tornados and tele away. Usually, they will appear next to you, just as you are about to tele away, so you should be able to escape before they will manage to WW you. Repeat. Let them be on the offensive. Now, if you do not manage to escape in time, they will WW straight through you. DO NOT BE AFRAID! As you tele, the bear will tele on top of you, meaning that he will take half of the WW. Combined with max block, the barbarian only has a 12% chance of hitting you. Still it's not worth it taking chances, so try to get hit as little as possible. Do not fear their poison, it will only last 0.4 seconds (noobs use poison SCs, but those shall be extremely ineffective against you). If you get hit by Open Wounds, do not panic, just keep playing in the same fashion.
Occasionally, during laggier times, they will make a big leap. Here's your chance, tele close to where he is about to land, and spam Tornados there. Barbarians are actually your targets, when they are in WW, so if they are about to make a long one, teleport just out of reach and spam Tornados, without them being able to hit you. Usually, when you stay close to them, the noober ones will WW straight away, without teleing. Just keep your distance and spam Tornados.
Many Barbarians, if low on health, will keep Whirlwinding in the same direction, away from you. What they think is that since they are low on health, you will tele on top of them, to finish off. Do *NOT* do that. If they get a lucky WW, they can completely turn the tables against you. Instead, tele over them and start attacking from the other direction.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with Grief + BOTD, or BOTD and Beast.
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak and 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Because of BOTD's high life leech, they will replenish A LOT of life from your Grizzly, so use wolves instead. Other than that, it's the same as before.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with 2xDoom
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Doom + 2x10FCR rings + 19%FCR amu
Summon: Oak and 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99 (99%FHR may be difficult to achieve. Try skillers with 12%FHR and 5%FHR SCs)
These guys are incredibly difficult. They will drastically slow your FBR and FHR rates (FCR remains untouched), so even if you block one hit, they will hit you with the next. Key is not to get hit, play very defensively, and use Doom yourself.
Wind Druid
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Spirit Sword + Treks
Summon: Oak + Wolves (optionally, you can also summon Poison Creeper, if you have invested in it, but I don't think that it really makes a difference)
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These duels are actually very boring. They basically consist of both of you teleing around, trying to predict where the other person is going to tele and spamming in that area. You can try namelocking the other druid, but it may all go horribly wrong if you tele into his tornados. If you see him standing still and spamming, just tele behind him and let it rip, but against more skilled opponents, this won't happen. Alternatively, you could use Doom, but you may be hurting on FHR then yourself, since you are no longer using Spirit.
Werewolf with Fury/Werebear
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. These guys are weaker, inept versions of a Barbarian. A few Tornados and down they go. They have a really small chance of hitting you, because of max block. If you are fighting a Fury Werewolf, he will keep switching targets all the time (because of Spirit Wolves), meaning that you are free to Tornado him to death. Nothing to these duels, about as easy as kicksins.
Hammerdin
Use: Delirium (or your rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks (If you have trouble reaching the 99%FHR breakpoint, use Dancers instead)
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Most Hammerdins underestimate Wind Druid. The key to these duels is patience. You do not need your max block/damage reduction equipment, since Hammer damage is magical (hence the name). Now as you know, a hammer hits an opponent, deals damage to it, and keeps on going until it's time is finished. This is not the case in these duels. When a Spirit Wolf is hit by a hammer, it will absorb the hammer. Now, having 5 Spirit Wolves literally means that you can take 5 hammers without receiving any damage whatsoever. Your summons will tele with you, so you can tele next to a hammerdin, take 5 hammers (use that time productively) and tele away again.
The really easy ones will just stand around, spamming hammers. Do not run at them, just tele next to them and in 2-3 Tornados they should be dead. Be careful, even though the hammerdin is dead, his hammers are still about, so tele away safely, or just sit tight at his corpse.
Most hammerdins will spam a few hammers, then tele, spam a few more hammers, repeat. While they are teleing, they are your pray. Just as he has swapped locations, tele next to him and Tornado him to death. If he has 75%FCR and crap FHR, you can just pound him to death. if he has 125%FCR, good FHR and high DR, you will have to be more careful. Spam a few, tele away, replenish lost Wolves and Oak, and tele in again.
The most difficult ones are hammer/auradins. Most of these guys don't tele, but they move around at incredible speed. These guys are tough and the strategies above do not apply to them. They usually play defensive. The key here is not to tele, or tele as little as possible. Just run around, near their field of hammers and spam tornados. Not this will actually put them in the weaker position. If you see that they are running to a new place because they are avoiding your hammers, take the opportunity, tele next to them and finish them off before they can fill the area with hammers.
The key to duelling hammerdins is keeping an eye on your summons. If you have 1-2 Wolves left, be ready to get to a safe place and recast. If they chase you, use it to your advantage.
Zealer
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. 2-3 Tornados and most of them will go down. They will not be able to hit you effectively because of multiple targets and max block. Nothing to these duels. If you want practice, find a game called something like "Zeal Duel" and get them all to ally against you. Even in a 7on1 situation, you should prevail. Just tele around and take them out one by one.
Smiter
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Unlike to most classes, Smiters are pretty easy with a Wind Druid. Just stay at a distance and spam Tornados. If they are dumb enough to charge through your Tornados, they will die an instant death. If they actually get close to you, both of you have a 50/50 chance of winning (if both at equal health), so avoid such situations and just pick them off at range, or when they are attacking. I would recommend teleing around in circles, while they charge at you. Make sure you do not stand in one location for longer than is absolutely necessary (just spam a few tornados and tele away), because they may have desynched, in which case you will be easy prey.
Some BM Smiters use Life Tap. If you get cursed, just tele far away and unsummon your minions, then avoid him until Life Tap goes away. If you are into clan/private duels, it won't be a problem, since Life Tap is BM.
FoH
Use: Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks (Dancers if more FHR required for 99% breakpoint)
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. Most of them use Stone instead of Enigma, so they are an easy target. Just remember to recast Cyclone armor after each hit, then tele up to them and Tornado them to death. An easy duel.
Bonemancer
Use: Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks
Summon: Oak + 5 Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Once you get the idea of these guys, they are pretty easy. Basically, if the necro gets a chance to target you with his bone spirit, he has a good chance of killing you, if you don't intercept him immediately. All you have to do is have as many minions as possible, that way they will be the targets of Bone Spirit. Necros will counter your minions with Teeth. Teeth do very little damage, barely enough to take your minions out. Just namelock the necro when he is teleing around and Tornado him to death. Quite easy once you get the hang of it, just make sure that you recast minions often enough. If the necro has low resists or FHR, he is dead meat.
Regular Cold/Lightning/Fire sorceresses (without ES)
Use: Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Treks (Dancers if you need extra help getting to 99%FHR)
Summon: Oak
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These aren't usually too difficult. The best way to take them down is to namelock, wait for a good opportunity, then tele right next to them and spam away. If they don't have ES, you sometimes even deal massive damage to them with Hurricane. Be careful of their high damage and avoid whatever they shoot. Recast Cyclone Armor *after every single hit that you take*. Especially lightning sorcs can deal huge damage in one hit, that will completely drain your Cyclone Armor and do some damage as well. It helps if you have 75 resist to the element that you are countering, but it's not vital.
It is not advisable to summon when duelling against sorceresses. Light sorcs can use it against you (Chain Lightning) and Fire sorcs do splash damage. Just stick to your Oak and recast it whenever it dies.
NOTE: Occasionally, people duel sorcs with absorb gear. In Europe, the generally accepted Good Mannered duellig means that you either duel in Hell, and 1 absorb item per element is allowed, or you duel in Nightmare and no absorb is allowed. If you want (and you are duelling in Hell), you can change one of your SoJs for either a Raven, Dwarf or Wisp, but I do not usually find it necessary.
Cold/Lightning/Fire sorc with Energy Shield
Use: Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Treks (Dancers if you need extra help getting to 99%FHR)
Summon: Oak
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Incredibly tough. With a high level Energy Shield, maxed out Telekinesis and good damage, these guys can tank more Tornados than you can tank their element, so it's not advisable to go up against them in such a fashion. These are duels that you should avoid in public games. Sure, it's BM to drink health potions during a duel, but for ES sorcs, mana is the same as health, and then can just keep drinking, refilling their shields. It's quite pointless.
When duelling in leagues and in private games, where you have regulations against such things, namelock, spam a few Tornados, tele away and recast immediately. Eventually you should be able to wear them down.
Versions:
0.1: Just wanted to paste it here to see what it would look like. Unfinished. I'm just editing it here since my Office is screwing up and I have to write in notepad >.<
0.2: Just have Necromancer and Sorceress strategies to go. Then it'll just be embellishment and minor addons (just some explanations to summons in PvP and that kind of stuff). Also, I don't like the layout, so I'm going to change that once it's finished (in volume).
0.3: Should be ready soon ~~ Just a few more additions.
1.0: Huoh, should be ready now. I have written up the bulk, it just needs to be arranged.
1.1: Added some stash contents and PvP strategies, hoping to write something up on TvT soon.
1.2: Completely rewrote strategy vs. Javazon and added a few embellishments (Y)
1.3: Some minor additions to gear, merc, Smiter and Sorc strategies.
Strenghts:
Versatile PvM
Versatile PvP
5000+ life at level 90+
7000+ unblockable physical damage
3000+ unblockable cold damage (*passive*)
Does not need resistance equipment
Valuable player in team duels
Has good chances against most builds in 1on1
Weaknesses:
Slow FCR frames
Tornados hard to aim
Inferior to close up melee and far away ranged
Druid breakpoints:
http://users. t k k.fi/~tgustafs/hitrecovery.html
Make sure you look at the breakpoints for Druid in human form, wielding a 1handed mace class weapon. I will touch on these later on in my guide.
edit: Fixed the link. Just remove the spaces before .fi
Skills:
20 Cyclone Armor
20 Twister
20 Tornado
20 Hurricane
1 Raven (prerequisite)
1 Summon Spirit Wolf
1 Summon Dire Wolf (prerequisite)
1 Summon Grizzly
1+ Oak Sage (All of your remaining points will go in here, but only go past 1 after you have finished the Elemental Tree)
Optional skills:
1 Poison Creeper
1 Carrion Vine
Some of these skill choices can actually be ignored by proper choice of equipment (I'll go into this later), but it does not really make a difference. At level 90 you will have 102 skill points (12 from quests, 90 from levelups). 80 will go to elemental tree, 4-6 to summons, all the rest into Oak Sage.
Stats:
A large part of your stat point allocation will be dependant on your choice of equipment. This is what I put and at level 95, I am happy with allocation. If you are going to do PvM only, leave DEX at base. Depending on how rich you are, you are going to choose your stats. If you are poor, leave STR at base, and instead get elemskillers with +6 STR. If you are rich, put 40-50 STR and use elemskillers with 40+ life instead. Of course, in the end, it's all down to your choice of equipment. I'll touch down on charms later on.
STR: 40
DEX: ~140 (you need max block with +dex off your equipment. Choose what you are going to use and distribute stats accordingly)
VIT: rest
ENE: none
Equipment:
The choice of equipment for a Wind Druid can be varied much. Although I will try to add in different variations, I will mostly refer to the item builds that I thought worked for me the best.
I shall refer to this as the default build, and it shall be used in PvM at all times, and in PvP against *most* casters. The aim of this set is to achieve as much damage as possible, while keeping above the 99%FCR breakpoint.
Helmet:
1)
Delirium
3 Socket Helms
Lem + Ist + Io
1% Chance To Cast Level 50 Delirium* (morph) When Struck
6% Chance To Cast Level 14 Mind Blast When Struck
14% Chance To Cast Level 13 Terror When Struck
11% Chance To Cast Level 18 Confuse On Striking
+2 To All Skills
+261 Defense
+10 To Vitality
50% Extra Gold From Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 17 Attract (60 Charges)
On it's own, this is useless, but if made in a helm that gives +3 tornado and +3 hurricane, you will get a handy +5 to your main skills. Very useful in PvM and versus casters. The curses are minor addons. The 1% chance to morph is a nuisance, but you can quickly get out of your rediculous form by changing acts. When in Delirium form, you cannot use Tornado, recast Cyclone armor, or Hurricane. You will still have what was left of your previous casts. You can summon minions. Cons: Useless mods for PvP and no sockets.
2)
A godly rare Druid pelt. It should have a base of either +2 Druid skills, or +2 Elemental skills, with additional bonuses to Tornado, Hurricane. If you get this with 10% base FHR and 2 sockets, you have your hands on a godly piece of equipment. Also, at least 1 free socket. Cons: No +all skills, so no bonus to BO.
3)
Magical Druid Pelt. As opposed to Delirium and a rare pelt, it is possible to get +3 Elemental skills, +3 Tornado and +3 Hurricane. This is the most damage orientated item. Once again, base FHR and 2 sockets are things to look for. Cons: Only adds damage, so no bonus to BO, or summons (unless you have summoning mods on it).
You should go for any one of those 3 above. Changing between them will not make a difference to your build, it's just a matter of personal preference. The 3rd option, magical pelt has the most potential.
Many people tend to use Shako for a helmet. I am against Shako for many reasons.
1) It does much, MUCH less damage than the alternatives suggested above.
2) Extra life? Delirium gives +10 Vitality, which is not quite as much as as Shako, but will do nevertheless. You
will not be hurting for life with this build.
3) Extra mana? Your druid will not run out of mana once build is finished.
4) Extra stats? +2 is neglible.
5) 10%DR? You will not need DR vs *most* casters (exceptions will be handeled below), nor in PvM.
Shako is a decent substitute while you are still getting the other helmets, but try to stay away from it.
Amulet:
+3 Elemental skills
+100 life (or other handy mods that you may prefer)
Weapon:
Heart of the Oak
Hands down the best weapon you can get for PvM. Resists do not really matter, but it's so cheap that you might as well get it will +40 all resi. I do not suggest making this in an ethereal flail. Discussed below.
Armor:
Enigma
NO ALTERNATIVES. Almost every single mod on this armor is extremely useful.
Shield:
Spirit runeword
Get a superior Monarch with 15% enhanced defence, a bunch of Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn runes, and reroll the runeword until you get 35%+ FCR. This is absolutely vital.
Gloves:
Trang Oul's Claws
You need these for the 20%FCR. The alternative is:
Magefists
I prefer Trangs because of the cold resists.
Belt:
Arachnid Mesh
You need this for the 20%FCR, however, it has godly stats on it anyway.
Rings:
2xStone of Jordan
Damage and mana.
Boots:
Sandstorm Trek
Try to get them with +15 VIT and +15 STR, and if possible, ethereal. You will need these mainly in order to equip Spirit Monarch, because of it's high STR requirement. 20% FHR and FRW are nice mods, but not vital vs casters and PvM.
Alternative boots:
War Traveler
Just an alternative. I perfer Treks over these.
Weapon + Shield on switch:
Call to Arms
Call to Arms for Battle Orders. Shield will be Spirit runeword again. Stats do not matter, as it's the +2 all skills that you are interested in because it will boost your BO.
Mercinary:
Act2 merc with either Defiance or Holy Freeze. I would go for Holy Freeze, since the Druid has such low defence that Defiance really won't boost it much. What's handy about Holy Freeze, is that it also slows down cold immunes. Hurricane won't do that.
Helmet:
The helmet does not really make a difference, so the choice is yours. However, I would go for either:
eVampire Gaze (nice leech and DR%)
or
eGiant Skull 2sox (sockets, more defence, knockback)
Weapon:
eReaper's Toll AMNed
Armor:
eStone with high defence
or
eShaftstop UMed
Don't bother with any of the expensive runewords, such as Infinity, Pride, or Fortitude. The purpose of your merc is to be a good tank, while you do the killing. Reaper's AMNed gives 21% life leech, and your merc can literally tank Chaos Sanctuary in Hell, in an 8 player game. He will only die because of Iron Maiden. The other reason that you need Reaper's Toll for is because of Decrepify. The Venom Lords in Chaos Sanctuary have high physical resistance, especially Ventar the Unholy (the unique one), and he often spawns with Physical Immunity. Reaper's has a 33% chance of casting Decrepify on strike, and Decrepify removes Physical Immunity, meaning that you will get the opportunity to take him out (Ventar the Unholy occasionally spawns with Cold Immunity as well, he's a major pain).
DEFAULT INVENTORY:
Tome of Town Portal
Annihilus Stats > Resists > Experience. Get AT LEAST 18+ stats.
Druid Torch Stats > Resists once again. Get one with 20 stats, because they are so cheap.
7xElemskillers As I mentioned above, if you are rich, get them with life. If you are poor, get them with STR, DEX and FRW. FHR is not required for this setup.
8x20 life SCs. Try to get them with additional mods. Most preffered would be 3 small charms with +20 life and 5%FHR, but other welcome mods are Lightning resist or +allresist.
Now let's look at this setup.
Level 50+ Tornado (7000+k unblockable physical damage)
Level ~50 Hurricane (3k unblockable cold damage *passively*)
5000+life with BO and Oak Sage
Teleport
The result is that this build can fulfill all of your PvM needs. It can rush, MF, solo Hell Chaos Sanctuary on 8 players and is helpful in party games, such as Baalruns because of his Oak.
STASH CONTENTS:
Stormshield "Eld" (7% extra block) or Stormshield "Ber" (8%DR) I recently found alternatives for getting max block, so I Ber'd my Stormshield, for max DR% (35+8+8).
Shadow Dancers +25 DEX (needed in order to achieve max block)
2xElemskillers (with mods, if possible)
3xSCs 5%FHR (no need if you already have charms with at least 14% FHR in your inv, i.e. Elemskiller 12%FHR and sc with 5%FHR)
Additional SCs with 20 life (in PvP you will not have Tome of TP in your inv)
Spirit Sword with 35% FCR (occasionally needed for extra FHR)
2x10%FCR rings with nice mods, such as life. (needed when not using Spirit)
Amulet +2 Druid 19%FCR with mods. Get this bad boy if you are filthy rich.
Amulet +2 Druid 11%+FCR with other mods (needed when not using Spirit) Get this, if you cannot afford the one above.
Raven Frost +20 Dex if you put fewer points into Dex or are a higher level.
Rare Druid circlet. Now this circlet is the most vital thing to you PvP.
Godly example would be:
+2 Druid skills (vital, obvious)
20%FHR (nice bonus)
20%FCR (vital, because in PvP, you will be using Stormshield, so no more 35%FCR from Spirit. With this you will have
20% from circlet, 40% from Hoto, 20% from Arach, 20% from Trangs)
+~20 STR (STR is required, because you will be using Shadow Dancers instead of Treks, so more STR is required to wield
Stormshield)
+~20 DEX (nice bonus to blocking. you save extra skiller space, i.e. you can have skillers with life, instead of DEX)
+2 sockets (just to put the cherry on top of the cake)
I would not recommend Shaeling your Circlet, instead, I would go for a rare jewel with nice mods. Currently in my Circlet, I have a jewel +8 STR +8 DEX +7%FHR. Use this jewel to make up for anything that you may be lacking, such as a little bit of extra STR, some DEX needed off max block, or a little bit off your FHR bp.
Optional:
Dwarf Star abosrb
Wisp Projector 20% absorb
These are for you if you don't mind absorbing. Just remember that in Good Mannered duelling you are only allowed 1 absorb per resistance, and in HELL ONLY. Absorbing is not allowed in Nightmare. Also, some people claim that Druids are not allowed to absorb at all. Just clarify the rules with your opponents before you start, in order to avoid confusin later on.
Thundergod's also counts as 1 element, so you are not allowed to wear Thundergod's and Wisp Projector at the same time (not that I would recommend it anyway).
PvP 1on1 strategies
I haven't actually duelled every single build out there (mostly because they suck and people don't make them for PvP), so don't ask me for advice against them. As soon as I learn anything new, I'll post it here.
Bowzon:
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit wolves, so they will find it hard to namelock you or get you with strafe.
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Bowzons make short work of any build without max block. Multiple Shot with knockback is a pain, but you should be able to take them pretty easily. If the Amazon has low FHR, then she is a piece of cake. If she has decent FHR, just keep tornadoing her. If she has not reached the last IAS breakpoint, you will beat her easily, because she will go into Dodge and Avoid animations too often. If you keep getting beaten, get better FHR, such as substitute HOTO for Spirit Sword. Make sure you still stay within the 99%FCR beakpoint, so that +2 Druid amu with FCR will be useful.
Javazon:
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak ONLY
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Charged Strike on these guys can be extremely lethal, namely, it can kill you in 1 hit. The idea to teleport around them in circles. Their javelins are extremely easy to avoid in such a fashion. Once in a while, take the opportunity and spam a few Tornados. Try to avoiding teleing on top of them, hit them from afar instead. Once you get the hang of this, it's quite easy.
Whirlwind Assassin with dual Chaos runeword.
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These guys are easy, basically weaker versions of a WW barbarian. The annoying thing is that they use dual claw block, which also blocks elemental damage. Just tele near (not on them) them and spam Tornados. If they are dumb enough to Whirlwind into your Tornado, then they are dead meat in a matter of hits. CAREFUL! Some of them hit you a few times, until they activate Open Wounds, then play defensive. This actually makes them slightly more difficult, but just keep teleporting after them and attacking with Tornados. In the end, you should prevail.
Trapsin (Can also be a Trap + WW hybrid)
Use: Spirit shield + Spirit sword + Dancers + Circlet + FCR amu.
Alternatively: Doom + Circlet + Spirit Monarch + FCR amu + Treks
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 174/99 (99/99 with alternative setup Doom)
Have enough scs in your inventory to reach the 174% FHR breakpoint. If you are dueling a hybrid, stick to Storm + Circlet + Dancers, for max block.
This is the most difficult build for the Wind Druid to beat. Playing offensive won't work out. As soon as you tele near enough that her traps will start shooting at you, she will start spamming Mind Blast. FHR does not really matter here, since even though when the druid recovers, his cast rate frames are too slow for him to tele away. The only way that I have been able to beat good Trapsins is by playing defensive. Literally meaning, teleporting around randomly and spamming Tornados, hoping that the Trapsin will tele on them. However, I duel to have fun, and doing that I find very lame and unenjoyable, so I refrain from it. Some Druids use the runeword Doom against Trapsins, because it will slow down their IAS, and they will become targets when recasting traps. If you go for Doom, remember, that you will have to make up for the lost FCR. I would then suggest Circlet + Spirit + FCR amu. I have not tried this, but theoretically, trapsins would also be easier, if you reached the 163% FCR breakpoint (40 HOTO + 35 Spirit + 20 Trang's + 20 Arach + 20 Circlet + 10 FCR ring + 18%FCR amu [Expesive as hell] or 8%FCR amu with 10 FCR ring).
Kicksin
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + Bear
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
This build is a joke in PvP. The kicks will knock you back, but will not Stun you, which will be advantageous to you. A few Tornados and down they go.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with Grief + Beast
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak and Grizzly
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Now this is the easy build. Summon Grizzly. Most of them will Leap (so you go into knockback) and then tele onto you and whirlwind. When they Leap, spam a few tornados and tele away. Usually, they will appear next to you, just as you are about to tele away, so you should be able to escape before they will manage to WW you. Repeat. Let them be on the offensive. Now, if you do not manage to escape in time, they will WW straight through you. DO NOT BE AFRAID! As you tele, the bear will tele on top of you, meaning that he will take half of the WW. Combined with max block, the barbarian only has a 12% chance of hitting you. Still it's not worth it taking chances, so try to get hit as little as possible. Do not fear their poison, it will only last 0.4 seconds (noobs use poison SCs, but those shall be extremely ineffective against you). If you get hit by Open Wounds, do not panic, just keep playing in the same fashion.
Occasionally, during laggier times, they will make a big leap. Here's your chance, tele close to where he is about to land, and spam Tornados there. Barbarians are actually your targets, when they are in WW, so if they are about to make a long one, teleport just out of reach and spam Tornados, without them being able to hit you. Usually, when you stay close to them, the noober ones will WW straight away, without teleing. Just keep your distance and spam Tornados.
Many Barbarians, if low on health, will keep Whirlwinding in the same direction, away from you. What they think is that since they are low on health, you will tele on top of them, to finish off. Do *NOT* do that. If they get a lucky WW, they can completely turn the tables against you. Instead, tele over them and start attacking from the other direction.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with Grief + BOTD, or BOTD and Beast.
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak and 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Because of BOTD's high life leech, they will replenish A LOT of life from your Grizzly, so use wolves instead. Other than that, it's the same as before.
BVA/BVC Barbarian with BerBerCoA + Verdungo with 2xDoom
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Dancers + Doom + 2x10FCR rings + 19%FCR amu
Summon: Oak and 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99 (99%FHR may be difficult to achieve. Try skillers with 12%FHR and 5%FHR SCs)
These guys are incredibly difficult. They will drastically slow your FBR and FHR rates (FCR remains untouched), so even if you block one hit, they will hit you with the next. Key is not to get hit, play very defensively, and use Doom yourself.
Wind Druid
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Spirit Sword + Treks
Summon: Oak + Wolves (optionally, you can also summon Poison Creeper, if you have invested in it, but I don't think that it really makes a difference)
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These duels are actually very boring. They basically consist of both of you teleing around, trying to predict where the other person is going to tele and spamming in that area. You can try namelocking the other druid, but it may all go horribly wrong if you tele into his tornados. If you see him standing still and spamming, just tele behind him and let it rip, but against more skilled opponents, this won't happen. Alternatively, you could use Doom, but you may be hurting on FHR then yourself, since you are no longer using Spirit.
Werewolf with Fury/Werebear
Use: Circlet + Stormshield + Shadow Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. These guys are weaker, inept versions of a Barbarian. A few Tornados and down they go. They have a really small chance of hitting you, because of max block. If you are fighting a Fury Werewolf, he will keep switching targets all the time (because of Spirit Wolves), meaning that you are free to Tornado him to death. Nothing to these duels, about as easy as kicksins.
Hammerdin
Use: Delirium (or your rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks (If you have trouble reaching the 99%FHR breakpoint, use Dancers instead)
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Most Hammerdins underestimate Wind Druid. The key to these duels is patience. You do not need your max block/damage reduction equipment, since Hammer damage is magical (hence the name). Now as you know, a hammer hits an opponent, deals damage to it, and keeps on going until it's time is finished. This is not the case in these duels. When a Spirit Wolf is hit by a hammer, it will absorb the hammer. Now, having 5 Spirit Wolves literally means that you can take 5 hammers without receiving any damage whatsoever. Your summons will tele with you, so you can tele next to a hammerdin, take 5 hammers (use that time productively) and tele away again.
The really easy ones will just stand around, spamming hammers. Do not run at them, just tele next to them and in 2-3 Tornados they should be dead. Be careful, even though the hammerdin is dead, his hammers are still about, so tele away safely, or just sit tight at his corpse.
Most hammerdins will spam a few hammers, then tele, spam a few more hammers, repeat. While they are teleing, they are your pray. Just as he has swapped locations, tele next to him and Tornado him to death. If he has 75%FCR and crap FHR, you can just pound him to death. if he has 125%FCR, good FHR and high DR, you will have to be more careful. Spam a few, tele away, replenish lost Wolves and Oak, and tele in again.
The most difficult ones are hammer/auradins. Most of these guys don't tele, but they move around at incredible speed. These guys are tough and the strategies above do not apply to them. They usually play defensive. The key here is not to tele, or tele as little as possible. Just run around, near their field of hammers and spam tornados. Not this will actually put them in the weaker position. If you see that they are running to a new place because they are avoiding your hammers, take the opportunity, tele next to them and finish them off before they can fill the area with hammers.
The key to duelling hammerdins is keeping an eye on your summons. If you have 1-2 Wolves left, be ready to get to a safe place and recast. If they chase you, use it to your advantage.
Zealer
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Walk
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. 2-3 Tornados and most of them will go down. They will not be able to hit you effectively because of multiple targets and max block. Nothing to these duels. If you want practice, find a game called something like "Zeal Duel" and get them all to ally against you. Even in a 7on1 situation, you should prevail. Just tele around and take them out one by one.
Smiter
Use: Circlet + Storm + Dancers + Spirit Sword
Summon: Oak + 5 Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Unlike to most classes, Smiters are pretty easy with a Wind Druid. Just stay at a distance and spam Tornados. If they are dumb enough to charge through your Tornados, they will die an instant death. If they actually get close to you, both of you have a 50/50 chance of winning (if both at equal health), so avoid such situations and just pick them off at range, or when they are attacking. I would recommend teleing around in circles, while they charge at you. Make sure you do not stand in one location for longer than is absolutely necessary (just spam a few tornados and tele away), because they may have desynched, in which case you will be easy prey.
Some BM Smiters use Life Tap. If you get cursed, just tele far away and unsummon your minions, then avoid him until Life Tap goes away. If you are into clan/private duels, it won't be a problem, since Life Tap is BM.
FoH
Use: Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks (Dancers if more FHR required for 99% breakpoint)
Summon: Oak + 5 Spirit Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Easy. Most of them use Stone instead of Enigma, so they are an easy target. Just remember to recast Cyclone armor after each hit, then tele up to them and Tornado them to death. An easy duel.
Bonemancer
Use: Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Treks
Summon: Oak + 5 Wolves
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Once you get the idea of these guys, they are pretty easy. Basically, if the necro gets a chance to target you with his bone spirit, he has a good chance of killing you, if you don't intercept him immediately. All you have to do is have as many minions as possible, that way they will be the targets of Bone Spirit. Necros will counter your minions with Teeth. Teeth do very little damage, barely enough to take your minions out. Just namelock the necro when he is teleing around and Tornado him to death. Quite easy once you get the hang of it, just make sure that you recast minions often enough. If the necro has low resists or FHR, he is dead meat.
Regular Cold/Lightning/Fire sorceresses (without ES)
Use: Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Treks (Dancers if you need extra help getting to 99%FHR)
Summon: Oak
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
These aren't usually too difficult. The best way to take them down is to namelock, wait for a good opportunity, then tele right next to them and spam away. If they don't have ES, you sometimes even deal massive damage to them with Hurricane. Be careful of their high damage and avoid whatever they shoot. Recast Cyclone Armor *after every single hit that you take*. Especially lightning sorcs can deal huge damage in one hit, that will completely drain your Cyclone Armor and do some damage as well. It helps if you have 75 resist to the element that you are countering, but it's not vital.
It is not advisable to summon when duelling against sorceresses. Light sorcs can use it against you (Chain Lightning) and Fire sorcs do splash damage. Just stick to your Oak and recast it whenever it dies.
NOTE: Occasionally, people duel sorcs with absorb gear. In Europe, the generally accepted Good Mannered duellig means that you either duel in Hell, and 1 absorb item per element is allowed, or you duel in Nightmare and no absorb is allowed. If you want (and you are duelling in Hell), you can change one of your SoJs for either a Raven, Dwarf or Wisp, but I do not usually find it necessary.
Cold/Lightning/Fire sorc with Energy Shield
Use: Spirit Monarch + Hoto + Delirium (or rare/magical pelt) + Treks (Dancers if you need extra help getting to 99%FHR)
Summon: Oak
Run/Walk: Run
FHR/FCR: 99/99
Incredibly tough. With a high level Energy Shield, maxed out Telekinesis and good damage, these guys can tank more Tornados than you can tank their element, so it's not advisable to go up against them in such a fashion. These are duels that you should avoid in public games. Sure, it's BM to drink health potions during a duel, but for ES sorcs, mana is the same as health, and then can just keep drinking, refilling their shields. It's quite pointless.
When duelling in leagues and in private games, where you have regulations against such things, namelock, spam a few Tornados, tele away and recast immediately. Eventually you should be able to wear them down.
![[Image: Sig2Vectorcopy.png]](http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c368/Winman4000/Sig2Vectorcopy.png)
