So.. i have a Lighting/CL sorc on HC with all the goodies - Hoto, Eni, Mara, Infy etc.. but i don't like the kill speed on p8.
So I was wondering with the same/similar items could I play Nova with weapon and shield instead of wielding Infy and Energy shield.

Thing is I want this sorc to be hard enough to handle hits, wear Storm and Eni for DR, have enough resists so I wouldn't worry about jumping in the mobs and in the same time do enough damage to handle p8.

If I do this how should I distribute the remaining skills after Nova, Static field and Light mastery?
Should I switch Hoto with Crescent moon for the - light res? Or perhaps keep it and switch Shako for Griffon? This way I'll gain dmg/-res and fcr, but lose DR..

So lets hear some pros and cons.
Thanks

In my opinion a nova build is better suited for softcore, since doing damage requires you to get close to enemies. High risk for a fragile character such as sorc, even if you stack DR with stormshield/enigma/shako.

That being said, you will see faster clear speeds with crescent/griffs over hoto/griffs, both which are faster than hoto/shako. But this comes at the cost of less resistance/survivability/fcr
Unfortunately there is no "top" build to aim for here, it all lies on a spectrum of whether you want faster clearing, or greater peace of mind against the dangers you face. So it just comes down to your personal preference.
As for the remaining skill points if you skip the ES route, there's not any one spot to put them that will be gamebreaking. You can go thunderstorm to take advantage of the lightning mastery, or maybe enchant to help the merc.

Personally I would stick to Light/CL, I not run a nova build on hardcore, whether ES or vita. Especially P8. The required proximity to enemies just puts you at too much risk.
I get that you may be unhappy with clear speeds at P8, but i think the solution to that is lowering the player count, not lowering your resistances and getting closer to enemies. The leading cause of death on hardcore is impatience.

itll definitely work, but obviously youll do so much less dmg
the only skills i can think of you spending on is enchant & warmth for your merc
or you can max one of the cold armors but i think enchant & warmth is better
since your build is focused towards "tanky sorc" build
i think you should stick to shako for the dr
and hoto if your res isnt maxed out
etc

Ty for your input guys.
I've tested it with these items and it' was efficient on p1-3, but at p8 the light immunes(for example beatles in Wolderstone lvl2) were a real pain in the ass, so I went back to lighting/cl.
It'll probably be better with Crescent moon and Griffon, but losing the 10% dr might result in me dying, so i didnt went that far. Perhaps if I sock the Groffon with Ber to compensate the loss of dr.. i'll gain -55 light res, but lose 40all res, fcr and skills..
Might test this as well later on.

E: skills might be put in frozen orb or Glacial spike just for crowd control.

This post was edited by Mindfield on Mar 23 2024 04:00am

95 absorb and 20 base TK makes an ES sorc a tank. Dr% Is like Resistances, so it doesn't really matter. Don't believe me use the calculator and do the math.


http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html


Cm and griffon really makes the build. Using a Prayer merc using insight and cure is important. Check the calculator out!

Let's say I get hit for 250 damage, while I'm using a vipermagi 13mdr and 0% resistance. I will only lose 178 mana, 0 hp. Same thing but it's lite damage and I have -55 lite res. It's the same results! Use the calculator and test different damages vs your sorc.

Main issues mana curse, nasty psn and mana drain. Cure is our main help with all that, but always be careful.

I will admit that lite 12fhr skiller's are extremely helpful and expensive.

This post was edited by Rubert on Mar 27 2024 09:31pm