95es/117fcr Infinity Nova Lighter Guide - Topic

Member

Posts: 25,141

Joined: Dec 12 2007

Gold: 300.00

Jan 10 2010 03:55pm

With this guide I will explain how to build an excelent character effictive in both PvP and PvE.

-Table Of Contents-

1. Pros And Cons
2. Abreviations & Terms
3. Breakpoints To achieve
4. Skill & Stat Distribution
5. Gear Selections & Explanations
6. Leveling & PvP Strategies

-1-

Pros

First and, in my opinion, the most important part: This char is VERY fun to play.
The obvious advantage of having a conviction aura active at all times without the use of a mercenary.
As stated before they can easily be employed in both PvP and PvM.
Nova casts fast enough to lock most chars even with decent Fhr.

Cons

Bloodmana and mana burn can be an issue in PvM.
As with most sorcs Chargers, depending on their fhr, can be very hard to beat.
Lower mana than the traditional Hoto/Spirit Lightning sorc build

-2-

PvP= Player vs Player
PvM/E= Player vs Monster/Environment
BP= Breakpoint
Fcr= Faster Cast Rate
Fhr= Faster Hit Recovery
SvS= Sorc vs Sorc
Dmg= Damage
Res= Resists
Mdr= Magic Damage Reduction
Ed= Enhanced Defence
Psn= Poison
Cta= Call to Arms
Bo= Battle Orders
lvl= Level
Fb= Fireball
BvC= Barb Vs Caster
BvB= Barb Vs Barb
PnB= Poison And Bone

-3-

Sorc Fhr Bps 5 / 9 / 14 / 20 / 30 / 42 / 60 / 86 / 142 /280

The Bp you will want to hit here is 86%. These sorcs tend to lack Fhr due to the absence of a spirit shield but I will explain how to make up for it.

Sorc Fcr Bps 9 / 20/ 37 / 63 / 105 / 200

For Fcr there will be a setup to achieve the 105%. With the gear I use this setup gives more mana.

Sorc Lightning / Chain Lightning Fcr Bps 7 / 15 / 23 / 37 / 52 / 78 / 117

This build uses 117% fcr for Lightning. With the gear I use this setup gives less mana but more life.

-4-

Stats

Strength: Enough to use your gear.
Dexterity: Using a 2 handed weapon doesn't allow for Max block so nothing is needed here.
Vitality: I dont recommend putting any points in here as the life from your gear will be enough to keep you alive.
Energy: Being and ES build all remaining points will be dumped in here.

Skills

Cold Tree:

This really depends on the gear you have available. I use a memory with Chilling Armor Points so i just prebuff with that. If you dont have anything like that you can add points to get which ever Ice shield you like. (Yes this build allows for that)

Lightning Tree:

1 In all prerequisits
20 Telekinesis~ Improves Energy Shield's Dmg absorbtion
20 Nova~ 1 of 2 Main Attacks
20 Lightning~ 1 of 2 Main Attacks
20 Lightning Mastery~ Improves all lightning Dmg
xx Energy shield~ I have 10 points in here but I recomend adding enough points to acheive 95% Es
Remaining Points are up to you. At lvl 93 I have 9 solid points in Thunder Storm (Up to 3k dmg that I dont have to aim & also stuns). If you are going to be doing mostly SvS I recommend Charged Bolt.

Fire Tree:

1 Point in Warmth with the help of your gear will regenerate mana very quickly.

-5-

Helm

Griffons Diadem (7Fhr/15Res jewel)~ Really not much choice here. In regards to the 7/15 jewel; I've found that the fhr and resists help this build way more than the Dmg from a facet ever could.

Armour

I use a 35res/13mdr Upgraded Viper Magi (7Fhr/15res Jewel). Again, there really isn't much choice here. If you dont want to add that much str just dont Upgrade it. Same deal here regarding the jewel.

Gloves

Mage fists~ You will need the fcr from these and the mana regeneration they provide is substantial. Frosties will give you more mana ofc but provide no fcr with is important for achieving the 117% Bp

Belt

Arachnid Mesh~ Pretty self explanatory. Try to get a high ED but it really doesn't make much of a difference.

Boots

Crafted Mana Boots~ You will need 10fhr on these and try to get as much +mana & +%mana as you can.

You could also use Sandstorm Treks if you're worried about Psn dmg which can be annoying for an Es sorc but I personally have never been hurt enough by poison that i felt the need to switch any gear.

Weapon

Any Low Req Infinity (I use an Eth Infinity Scythe but I dont recomend Eth if you plan on using the Cyclone Armour charges on it.)~ Try to get as much -enemy res as you can.

Rings

1 Stone Of Jordan~ 1 skill point and massive mana boost. Nuff said.

1 Rare Fcr Ring~ For this I recomend getting as much mana as possible. You can even use a 10fcr/120mana magic ring. I use a 10fcr/39life/91mana/Res ring.

Amulet

Crafted Sorc amulet with 2sorc skills & At least 12Fcr. Mana, Life and Strength are all useful bonuses.

Charms

4 12Fhr/Lightning Grand Charms~ This will help make up for the lack of Fhr in the gear.
5 Lightning/Life Grand Charms~ Get much life on them as you feel you can afford.
3 5Fhr/mana Small Charms~ Get as much Mana as you feel you can afford.
7 Life/mana Small Charms~ Mana is the Priority here. Life is important as well but if you have the choice between 20/16 and 19/17 go for the 19/17.
Sorc Torch~ Stats are the priority over Resists.
Annihilus Charm~ Again Stats are the priority.

Switch Items

Cta flail or Crystal sword~ Get as much Bo as possible

Lidless Wall~ I know what you're thinking "what a noob shield"... Trust me, the extra skill point from spirit is NOT worth the loss in mana from statting strength for a Monarch.

Stashed Items For prebuffing

9es Memory Staff is a MUST~ Extra skills on this are a bonus. Try getting one with chilling armour so that you dont need to add points there.

Stone of Jordan.

With the gear I have listed that is all you will need to reach the 40 points (95%) in Es.

-6-

Leveling

Uber leveling is really the only way to go. I, personally, Only ever take my chars to lvl 93 so I would Uber halfway into lvl92 then do all my ancients and I'm pretty much there. Other people prefer to save their ancients quests for later lvls.

PvP Strategies

This sorc is very versatile & has something for almost every occasion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hammerdin~ For these you will be using lightning exclusively. Stay back and fire lighting at them. If they come towards you just stay back. If they charge away spamming hammers try to arc around their path to avoid the desynced, invisible hammers.

Smiters~ These guys can be tricky. I usualy try to get close enough to put them on the edge of my nova and Fhr Lock them while staying outside of their smite range. If they charge the best thing to do would be to tele away far enough to break their Namelock on you then come back in and nova. It's really a toss up with smiters.

FoH~ Nova has taken care of FoH pallys with out any issues so far. Just get in close and Fhr lock them.

Chargers~ These guys almost impossible due to the Infinity/nova sorc's nature. No shield and relatively low defence makes it very hard to beat them. The only way I've ever beat them is if I get a good Fhr lock. If anyone has any input as to how to go about tackling this situation I would love to hear it.

Zealers~ These are pretty much helpless against casters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Javazons/Bowas~ Unlike many other Sorc builds I've tried my nova sorc has had little to no trouble with Zons of any kind. Their dodges make it extremely easy to Fhr lock and once you get close enough do this all your oponent will be able to do is sit and watch helplessly as you Nova them to death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fb Sorcs~ These guys are arguably the best at SvS so you will have a fair bit of trouble with one who knows what their doing. the best advice I can give you is to play keep away but stay close enough that your lightning can hit because Fb has better range. Nova wont be of much use here as a Fb sorc can also Fhr lock you.

Light Sorcs~ Vita Light sorcs are hit and miss. They do a ton of dmg but die easily due to the conviction aura. Nova is a good weapon here as long as you only come in close for short 1 or 2 Nova attacks to avoid giving the Light sorc enough of a chance to hit you.
Es/Light Sorcs will take a while to kill but be patient and just keep wearing them down with lightning till they are at a low enough life that you can swoop in and finish it with nova.

Orb sorcs~ Orb Just doesn't do sufficient enough Dmg to kill a 95% es sorc. They should be a piece of cake.

Blizz Sorcs~ I've seen other Nova builds that recommend steering clear of these but so far I've had no trouble with them unless they use mods. Blizzard is easy enough to avoid. Just keep hitting them with lightning and you should be fine. I've seen alot of Blizz sorcs try this "I'll just blizz on myself and stand here cus nova is short range" These guys are clearly easy targets as long as you dont nova them.

Melee sorcs~ HA!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wind Druids~ Lightning them. If they tele away to recast cyclone or oak chase them and hit em with nova.

Fire Druids~ Treat these the same as a Wind druid but dont get close to nova when they recast. That Armagheddon can be a killer.

Shapeshifters~ These guys need to be Really damn good to kill you even WITH mods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BvCs~ These guys are no fun... To be totally honest, If a good one wirlwinds you chances are you're a goner. But honestly... Isn't that why they're called BvCs? I just generally try to stay away and lighning them.

Wolfbarb~ I pity the fool

BvB~ I pity the fool

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PnB Necro~ Never had much trouble with these guys. Es sorcs have always been one of the few downfalls of the Bonenecro. I've had mixed success staying away and lighting them as well as getting in close and using Nova. What ever you decide to do though make up your mind quick because if you stay away and then decide half way through the duel to go in and nova you're going to get hit by alot of spirits all at once.

Nova necro~ Easy enough. You're faster than they are and have a long distance attack. just stay out of reach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trapsins~ Fade and mindblast can make for a long and difficult duel. Nova isn't of much use here since most trappers just sit in their traps and mindblast when you approach. I usually just tele around avoiding their traps and hitting them with lightning now and then.

Kicksins~ If a kicksin hostiles you. Laugh.

Ghost sins~ I haven't duel many of these but I tend to treat them like a BvC with lots of Psn Dmg...

Hybrids~ See trapsin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that concludes my Es Nova/Lighter Guide. Please post if you have any comments, constructive criticism, or if there's anything you notice that I've missed. I'm more than willing to refine the guide and add any useful information offered.

I hope you enjoyed reading and that it inspires you to try it out.

-Autocrat

This post was edited by Autocrat on Jan 10 2010 04:04pm