<~brynch's 1.11 Pvp Vitabolter Guide~> - Topic

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Nov 6 2006 10:57pm

This is my comprehensive 200%fcr Vita Fireballer guide, or as I call it, a “Vbolter” (Vita-Bolter)

This guide is based on my beloved sorceress; Syx
I designed this guide to be comprehensible to both new players, as well as experienced pro’s. While this guide can be understood by all, I would not recommend it to a new player. It requires top-end items as well as a lot of practice and overall skill.
In the guide, I will tell not only what items I recommend, but I will show pictures of the items my sorc actually uses.
It is very possible to make use of this build even if your items are not that great. Don’t be discouraged by mine; I’ve been playing for a long time and I have access to just about any top-end gear. Try your best to get as close to (or better than) the things I use, but like I will talk about later in this guide, skill is the most important aspect of playing not only my Vita-Bolter, but any sorceress.

Terms you should know before reading this guide:

FCR: faster cast rate
FHR: faster hit recovery
FBR: faster block rate
F R/W: faster run/walk speed
STR: strength
VIT: vitality
DEX: dexterity
SvS: sorceress vs sorceress
PvP: player vs player
PvM: player vs monster
BvC: barb vs. caster barb.
BP: breakpoint
ES: energy shield
CS: charged strike
WW: whirlwind
TS: thunder storm
HoTO: heart of the oak (item)
CTA: call to arms (item)

Why make a Vita-Bolter?

To start, I’d like to say that a fire sorc in general is easily one of the best PvP characters available. They are fast, they have tons of power, and they have the ability to teleport rapidly in order to stay alive.
A good fire sorc, when played with skill, can overcome most opponents, no matter what build you decide to use.

I take the fire sorc to another level with my Vita firebolt style of play.
I have played dozens of different sorc types, anywhere from lightning to cold to fire, as well as many different builds and breakpoints.
I ended up with this build after practice with all different types of sorc’s for a few reasons;
- speed : there is no casting delay on a fire sorc’s skills (other than hydra)
Also; a sorceress’s FCR breakpoints are much higher than that of other classes. They cast and teleport extremely rapidly.
-power : a 200%fcr fire sorc can easily reach 20,000 damage. If you aim for a lower breakpoint, you can get upwards of 28,000. However, I will not be discussing this in my guide. In my experience, having speed is much more important that having extra damage. 20,000 damage is PLENTY.
- versatility : A fire sorc has the ability to overcome any opponent. Many classes have weaknesses to certain classes, but the fire sorc is an exception. While you may have some difficulty defeating a class or build based on personal play-style, there is nothing you can’t overcome with practice. In the end, if you are more skilled than your opponent, you will win the fight.

Basic Information

Things to know:

Sorc Cast rate is based on “FCR” (faster cast rate)
This is what decides the rate in which we cast our spells such as fireball/bolt and teleport.

FCR Frames
0% 13
9% 12
20% 11
37% 10
63% 9
105% 8
200% 7 <- this is what we will be exploring in this guide.

Faster hit recovery is also very important to a sorc.
When you get hit, there is a delay before you can begin moving again. Having more FHR will reduce the down-time after taking a hit.

FHR Frames
0% 15
5% 14
9% 13
14% 12
20% 11
30% 10
42% 9
60% 8
86% 7 <- this is the breakpoint that is used with this build
142% 6 <- I GREATLY encourage you to reach this if you can. I cannot. (which should tell you something)
280% 5
1480% 4

Faster block rate:
I will not discuss FBR in this guide.
Since this deals with using spirit as a shield, it would require entirely too much to reach max block, and is a nonfactor. Don’t even bother.

Other important information:

Your sorc starts out with the following stats:
40 Life
74 Stamina
35 Mana
10 Strength
25 Dexterity
10 Vitality
35 Energy

Each time you level up, your sorc receives the following bonuses:
+1 Life
+1 Stamina
+2 Mana

For each point in vitality, your sorc will receive + 2 life.

For each point in energy, your sorc will receive + 2 mana. (however, with this build, you will not be using any points in energy.

Skills:

20 fire bolt
20 fire ball
20 meteor
20 fire mastery
1 teleport
1 cold armor of your choice
1 warmth
1 in each prerequisit
*the rest* - your choice. You can invest these in the lightning tree to get TS if you’d like. I pumped hydra.

The part you’ve been waiting for…
Items

Helm:

For a 200%fcr sorc build, you MUST use a 20%fcr rare circlet. In choosing your circlet, you have a lot of choices. These can be very pricey
As far as mods go, here is what you should look for, in order of importance:
20%fcr -> +2 skills -> 2-OS -> +str -> +all resists -> +single resists -> life -> mana

Socket this with a jewel that gives +7%fhr/all resists. If you can get a godly jewel that gives fhr/all resist/str, then you are doing well.

Here is what I use:
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5323/zorchelmmu3.jpg

Ammy:

For this build, you MUST have an amulet that gives 15% or more FCR.
You can use a duped ammy, such as an Armageddon fletch; I, however, and a legit player. I’d prefer to use a godly legit ammy that, while is not as good as a fletch or otherwise, earns you style points.
For mods, here is what is what you need in order of importance:
15%+ fcr -> +skills -> +str -> resists -> life -> mana

Here is what I use:
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5268/zorcammyzb2.jpg

Weapon

Hoto.
-Why hoto?
-40%fcr is a must for this build, and hoto also adds an awesome 3 to all skills, *40* all resists, and good mana bonuses.

-why not eschutas?
-I’ve played with both, and I prefer hoto greatly. I find that the damage from eschutas is not nearly as important as the resists that you get from hoto. Keep in mind that this is a vita build, and stacked resists are key.

Here is what I use:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8932/zorcweapbf4.jpg

Shield:

Spirit monarch.
This shield just has everything. Based on the mods it gives, it should require some much higher runes to make. Fortunately for us, it’s nice an cheap (most of the time)
It gives 2 skills, 35% fcr, 22 vitality, 112 mana, and *55%fhr*

Here’s the order of importance in mods:
35%FCR *must* -> mana -> sorb

Here’s what I use:
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2174/zorcspiritku4.jpg

Armor:

Vipermagi.
This is the only armor in the game that gives 30%fcr, therefore we must use it in order to reach our goal of 200%.
Upgraded, you should try to get the highest defense viper within your price range. Generally 1000+ defense is more than suitable.
Socket this with the best str/all resist jewel you can find

Here’s what I use:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/429/zorcarmores9.jpg

Rings:

The two best rare FCR rings you can get your hands on.
Generally, aim for a ring with 10%fcr and 20str. Those are the most important aspects.
Here are mods you need in order of importance:
FCR -> str -> resists -> life -> mana

I take great pride in my 2 rings:
Ring1: godly rare
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/9329/zorcring1fw6.jpg
ring2: godly crafted
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/5627/zorcring2fs6.jpg

Gloves:

Magefists.
Fcr, mana regen, + fire skills. What more do you want?

Belt:

Arach.
20%fcr, which is necessary for the build
+1 skills, mana.
With defense, just try to get the highest % that you can afford. It’s pretty insignificant

Here’s what I use:
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5376/zorcbeltxq4.jpg

Boots:

Sandstorm Treks.
Str, vit, fhr, psn resist. Best boots in the game for a caster (barring .08 dupes)
In order of importance…
Str -> vit -> eth -> %def -> psn resist
*NOTE*: 15/15 non-eth treks are BETTER than 15/14 eth treks. Period.
Eth makes barely any difference. It’s just a nice upgrade if they are PERF only.
Anything less than 15/15 treks is ridiculous.

Here’s what I use:
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/5576/zorcbootsgs3.jpg

ON SWITCH:

Cta / spirit monarch

Cta:
In order of importance…
BO -> battle command -> battle cry -> ED
Crystal sword -> flail -> all else
(why crystal sword?)
- because your hoto will be a flail. Using a crystal sword will keep you from the occurrence of some obvious confusion.

What I use:
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/8513/zorcctaiq8.jpg

CHARMS:

Torch:

Sorc torch.
Mods in order of importance:
All stats -> all resistances
Aim for 20 stats on this atleast.

Here’s what I use:
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9959/zorctorchuu6.jpg

Anni:

Mods in order of importance:
All stats -> all resists -> % exp
Aim for 20 stats on this atleast.

Here’s what I use:
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/3861/zorcannizu7.jpg

Fire Lifers:

The key to the vita-bolter is the fire lifer.
If you can only afford average lifers, that’s ok. If you cant afford lifers at all, I suggest you make an ES based sorc instead.

It may not seem like a few life points matters, but in heavy SvS duels, it really makes the difference
get the best that you can afford

here’s what I use:
40/40/40/39/39/39/39/38/38 fire lifers.
Example:
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4743/zorcliferou6.jpg

Small Charms

You will be using 9x life sc’s, and 1x 5fhr sc in order to reach the fhr bp.
I greatly suggest you get 20life sc’s, and all your sc’s should give resists.
In order of importance..
20life -> single fire/light resist -> single cold resist -> all resists
Or
5fhr -> single fire/light resist -> single cold resist -> all resist

Get the best that you can afford

Here’s what I use:
5x 20life/11light resist sc’s
4x 20life/11fire resist sc’s
1x 5%fhr/5all resist sc

After all that, you should have…

- around 20,000 fire ball/bolt damage
- between 2700-3300 life (I have 3200)
- base str/dex/energy
- maxed and stacked resistances (I have massively stacked resists.)
- 200%fcr
- 86% fhr

Dueling Tips and Strategies:

In General:

Were you wondering why I call this the “Vita-Bolter” instead of the “Vita-Baller”?
Well, it’s simple.
Seeing as how we’re building a “vita” sorc, we wont have nearly as much mana as we would, had we made an ES sorc.
Thus, we use firebolt instead of fireball because of the mana cost. Fire ball requires 22 mana per shot (approx.). Fire bolt requires a mere 3 mana per shot. Easy.
Fire bolt is just as useful in most situations are ball. It does slightly lower damage, but it is unnoticeable. It has the same speed, and same effect on individual targets.
There are times when you are forced to use fire ball, and I will go into detail on that when I get to specific classes.

In general, you use teleport as your main means of survival. While yes, you will have enormous life and resists, you cannot rely on that. As a sorc, you cant tank. The life/resists are backup, in case you do get hit.
LEARN to anticipate.
LEARN to dodge via teleport.
You have 200%fcr. You should be able to tele circles around any class, and avoid their strikes as you cast your own directly at them.
This takes practice.

VS. Fire sorc’s:

This fight is based 70% on skill and 30% on gear. In the end, if you’re better with your sorc, you will win the fight.
The KEY to this fight, is being able to teleport rapidly to avoid your opponent’s fireballs, while casting your own ACCURATELY at them.
The first important thing in this fight is aim. You have to have amazing aim in order to hit a sorc that is teleporting around you at 7 frames per second. When you become good, you will be accused of using auto aim (AA). Just laugh and say “thanks for the compliment”.
The second important thing in this fight is anticipation. You must anticipate where their fireballs are heading. Dodge any fireballs that are coming at you, and once you reach a place in which you have some time, cast your own.

If you and the other sorc get close enough to each other to namelock, do it.
Namelock them, and fire. If they do the same, walk down, and then teleport behind them and resume namelocked fire. This works 100% of the time.
If they do the same to you, just teleport away when they begin walking.
Whoever does the walk/tele first will win the close-quarters fight.

VS. orb sorc’s

This is a pretty easy fight. If you’re good, their orb wont even hit you.
As they cast, tele DOWN and AWAY from them. Never be in range.
As you tele down and away, cast your firebolts directly at them.

Never let them get on the same screen as you.
Do NOT try to do a standoff. What will happen is; you cast firebolts while they cast an orb. They will be hit, but the direct hit of an orb on you will kill you in 1 hit.
If you allow this to happen, you lose 100% of the time.
Just don’t allow them to hit you, and you’ll be fine.

VS. blizz sorc’s

Another pretty easy fight for a fire bolter.
Stay off their screen, and be weary of stray blizz’s.
As long as you don’t allow them to cast a blizz right on your name, you will be able to win the fight.
Sometimes, you will unexpectingly tele into a blizz field. You’ll probablyy die.
Just say “G again?” and 5-1 them.

VS. lightning sorc’s

This is a medium-difficulty fight. It is very much like fighting a fire sorc.
Follow the steps I provided above for fighting vs fire sorc’s. just don’t let them hit you while you cast.
Your fireballs hit harder than their lightning, and it’s easier to aim/cast. Lightning has a slower casting time than fireballs.
Anticipate -> avoid -> cast -> kill.
If you can tele right behind them, do it.
Since you cast faster, namelock them and pummel them with fireballs.
You will win this close-quarter fight 100% of the time if done right.

VS. Bowzon

This can be a hard fight.
Vs a skilled and exceptionally geared bowzon, you will probably only win 50% of the fights.
You might get lucky with this fight and go 5-0, or you might get unlucky and go 0-5.
Practice makes perfect.

Here’s what u do:
You can either;
Stay at range and dodge their shots. Cast in their direction. This doesn’t always work because bowzons generally have stacked F R/W, so they can dodge your fireballs.
Or
You can tele right on their face, and cast. They will generally dodge the first few, but 1 hit will always kill them. The key is getting right on top of them, and forcing them into a FHR/DODGE stun until they finally get hit.
This is the more effective method.

VS. CS zons

This is a pretty easy fight.
There are no big secrets to winning this. Just namelock and spam fire bolts. It will take them 2-4 hits to kill you, and you can ALWAYS get them into a fhr/dodge stun before too many hits from CS.
If you tele right on their name and spam on them, you can generally achieve flawless victory. (full HP after fight)

VS. BvC

This is a hard fight. Probably the hardest.
This fight takes a lot of practice. The biggest KEY in this fight is anticipation.
Anticipate where they are going to tele/ww, and get out of that spot.
I can usually tele right as they are, so they tele/ww, I tele to the other side of them, and as they ww I fire at them.

Barbs have a LOT of life and resists, so it will usually take quite a few hits to kill a good one, but if you can stay out of their WW’s, you can eventually take them out slowly without getting hit.

VS. WWsin

Medium difficulty fight.
Unlike with barbs, you cant really dodge wwsins. They tele right onto you with dragon flight, and then WW. Fortunately, they do far less physical damage than barbs.
The best way to kill them is to just namelock them and sit while you spam fireballs.
It will always take them more than 1 WW to kill you, and they cannot take very many hits. Just spam them while they ww back and forth on you, and you will come out victorious 80% of the time.

VS. trappers

This is a hard fight.
Unlike other fights, you cant namelock a trapper, simply because you cant get close enough.
The only way to fight a good trapper is to sit outside the range of their traps and fire accurately at them.
This takes a lot of practice

Some other options:
Generally you can take several hits. You can try to tele on their name and spam namelock firebolts on them, but if they mindblast you, you’re done.
Or
You can anticipate where they are laying traps, and tele around their field and onto them. Some trappers cast traps in front of them, in your direction. So just tele quickly around to the other side and namelock them without getting hit.
This works often, but since they have claw/claw block, they will often be able to keep from being hit for quite a while.

VS. hammerdin

This is a medium difficulty fight.
The key is to stay out of their line of fire.
A hammerdin will always try to tele on you and cast their hammers. Hammers come out directly to the south of the pally, so just tele slightly in a different direction and namelock them.
Repeat this until they’re dead.

Some paladins play very defensively, and just cast hammer fields and tele around, hoping that you’ll follow them into some random floating hammers.
Just stay ahead of them, and cast in their direction.

Vs. Charge/Smite pallies

This is an easy fight, unless the pally uses sorb. Fortunately, GM duels prohibit sorb, so you wont have to worry about this. If you’re in a public game vs a sorb pally, just remember that they are a pub. Sorb is for noobs, period.

All you have to do to win this fight is namelock and hold. Most smite/chargers don’t have enough stacked resists or life to tank fireballs, especially with fanatasism on.
You can hit them with 4 firebolts before they can hit you once. Generally they die from this.
If they can take extra hits, simply tele away from them and cast at them. Repeat this, and you cant lose. They cant get close enough to you to hit, or they die.

If they desynch a lot, just stay further away. It’s quite easy to avoid hits from a charger.

VS. Windy Druids

This is a medium difficulty fight.
Vita-bolt sorc’s are susceptible to tornados because of the physical damage. We don’t have any damage reduce.
Fortunately, windy druids have slow fcr and fhr.
The key to this fight is the use of fire BALL, not fire BOLT
Why?
- because of the splash damage.
Windy druids have summons, so firebolts just wont be able to hit them.

So what you do is;
Name lock them and cast a constant stream of fireballs.
A windy druid CANNOT hit you unless they are right on top of you. When they tele onto you, your 200%fcr fireballs will crush them 100% of the time.
The only time you will lose this fight is if they get the first hit.
Just don’t allow for that to happen.

VS. pnb necros

This is a medium-hard difficulty fight.
They are like fire or lightning sorc’s, but their attacks cannot be resisted/absorbed. Also, they have “guided” attacks known as bone spirits.
Follow the same exact steps to killing a fire sorc.
Necros have low amounts of life, so they are generally an easy kill unless they can dodge.
Like in SVS fights, it’s all about aim and anticipation.

IF the necro uses summons, just turn on fireball instead.
It’s funny because PNB necros with revive think they are more powerful because they cant be hit. Unfortunately for them, we have splash.
Make them look silly with fireball. They’ll run back to the cold plains and spend 5 minutes reviving more dark archers.

This guide is always a work in progress
I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it taught you something about your sorc.
Peace,
Brynch

This post was edited by Brynch on Nov 6 2006 11:10pm