TheDOMINATOR
01-02-2008, 11:36 PM
The Cold Inferno Sorceress
Table of Contents
1) Introduction
2) Skills
3) Stats
4) Gear
5) Mercenary
6) My Personal Set-Up
7) PvM & PvP Strategies
8) The Final Outcome
Section 1: The Introduction
The Cold Inferno Sorceress, the InfernOrb Sorc for short, is a variant of the Sorceress that utilizes one of the most overlooked skills in the game as her main attack: Inferno, in tandem with Frozen Orb. Defensively, she turns to Shiver Armor, and for sticky situations or for speed she looks to Teleport. The Cold Inferno Sorc is meant specifically for PvM play, but can be a viable PvP character as well, if the right gear is attained and if her controller (you, the player) possesses quick thinking and a fast hand. However, if you are looking for a rock-solid, powerhouse of a PvP’er, you will not find it in this build.
Before I start to go into the details, a couple of things need to be pointed out. First off, there are very limited “wasted” skill points spent on this build (meaning points being spent on pre-reqs). The build’s skills that it uses in its primary skill tree – the Fire Tree – have no pre-req skills whatsoever and thus no points wasted. This is uncommon with many character builds. Secondly, unlike most Sorc builds, this one requires no FCR. Inferno is continuous and Orb has a casting delay, so – except for Teleportation purposes – FCR is unnecessary. Lastly, in the current patch (Patch 1.11b) there is a bug with Inferno: the skill does half of its listed damage. While that fact is a set-back, Inferno is still a powerful skill.
Section 2: The Skills
Skills are everything with the InfernOrb Sorceress and her only hope of surviving in the game’s later stages. If her skill choices are not brought up to the appropriate level or if they are utilized incorrectly, she has no hope for success. Here is the basic outline for skill point placement.
MAX these skills, in this order:
Inferno
Warmth
Frozen Orb
Fire Mastery
Note: the last two, Frozen Orb and Fire Mastery, can be flip-flopped. Fire Mastery can be MAXed first if you prefer – or Frozen Orb can be MAXed first. I, personally, prefer to MAX Orb first, so that’s what I listed. Personal preference is present here.
Other skills that might not be MAXed:
Ice Bolt – Put whatever you do not wish to spend in Shiver Armor here. It’s Frozen Orb’s one and only synergy, so Ice Bolt undoubtedly deserves some points in it.
Teleport – 1 point here is sufficient for those sticky situations or for when you’re just in a hurry to get from one place to the other.
Cold Mastery – 1 point at minimum should be spent here and maybe more depending on what you’d like to do with it. Again, personal preference.
Shiver Armor – All or most of your remaining points go here.
This build can be completed at Level 89, but getting to higher levels is recommended.
Explanations
Inferno: You might be thinking “Why Inferno?” Well, that’s exactly what I thought at one point, too. But then I just sat down one day with the Sorc’s skill tree tab(s) up on my screen and looked at them for a while and studied them. I began to imagine the possibilities. Then, a couple of months later I had an InfernOrb Sorceress with an Inferno that shot completely across the screen and beyond (18+ yards), doing several thousand Fire Damage per second. Although in the build’s earlier levels Inferno can seem lacking (to say the least), once I got it to a suitable level (Level 30+), which was somewhat easily attainable, I was pleasantly surprised.
Frozen Orb: This skill is Inferno’s best friend. Freeze ‘em and Flame ‘em – that’s what I like to say. Cast one or two of these bad boys into the middle of a mob of unsuspecting monsters, and let your Inferno rip while the crowd is chilled with the color blue.
Teleport: Does it need an explanation? Practically every Sorceress utilizes it, and the Cold Inferno Sorceress is no exception. It can save your character’s life in a tough situation, or it can make your character’s life much easier by saving time when getting from one destination to the other.
Shiver Armor: The boost in Defense and its tendency to chill melee attackers when you are surrounded is what makes this skill useful to the build. With either 1 point or with 10 or 20, Shiver Armor is a must and can, like Teleport, save your character’s life in those sticky situations.
Section 3: Stats
Strength: 75-100, which will be enough to wear all the best gear.
Dexterity: Base.
Vitality: The rest.
Energy: Base.
Section 4: The Gear
Almost as important as her skills, and maybe even just as important, is the Cold Inferno Sorceress’s gear, which will play a major roll in her virtual life and decide whether she has a somewhat easy-but-challenging time against her foes or a tough time against them. Here is a compiled list of acceptable and suggested gear.
Weapon
Best Option:
Leaf ’ed Staff with pre-existing mods of +3 to Inferno and increases in skill level to Frozen Orb and/or Fire Mastery. These 2-socketed Staffs can be purchased right from Akara in Act 1, and even in Normal mode, but those for sale in Normal mode will only have the +3 to Inferno mod on them, which is okay to get you through to Nightmare.
Leaf (Tir+Ral) Staff with the pre-existing mod of +3 to Inferno
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
+3 To Fire Skills
+3 To Fire Bolt (Sorceress Only)
+6 To Inferno (Sorceress Only)
+3 To Warmth (Sorceress Only)
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+ (2 Per Character Level) +2-198 To Defense (Based On Character Level)
Cold Resist +33%
There are no other options here, due to this Rune Word’s huge accessibility (Ral+Tir) and the fact that it can be worn by as early as Level 19. Also, there is no other weapon or weapon + shield combination(s) in the game that has the ability to do +9 to Inferno.
Body Armor
Best Option:
Skin of the Vipermagi. It’s got +1 to all skills, decent resists, and even FCR. It can’t get much better than that.
Other Options:
Enlightenment Rune Word (Mage Plate / Pul+Ral+Sol). This isn’t a bad choice, but the Vipermagi armor might be better. This Rune Word, however, has +2 to Sorc skills, enhanced Def, fire resistance, and an additional +1 to Warmth. Plus, the runes required are all fairly common.
Ormus’s Robes. It’s got increased damage to your Fire and Cold (and Lightning) skills, FCR, mana regeneration, and +3 to a random Sorc skill. If it turns out to be Inferno, Fire Mastery, or Frozen Orb, Ormus’s Robes isn’t a bad option.
The Spirit Shroud. A last resort, really. The +1 to all skills and cannot be frozen mods are decent, so it is worth mentioning.
Gloves
Best Option:
Magefists. They speak for themselves – FCR, mana regen, and +1 to fire skills. There are no other options here. Magefists are easy to find after a few Normal/NM Meph runs alongside the fact that they’re the best possible gloves for this build.
Boots
Best Option:
Silkweaves. They’ve got FRW, increase in mana, and really good Def. Quite possibly they’re the best option as far as boots go for the InfernOrb Sorc.
Other Options:
Waterwalks. With FRW, increase in life, and increase in MAX fire resistance, they make a solid second option to Silkweaves.
Crafted Caster Boots. Along with the chance to get up to 4 random rare item mods, Caster boots will get a definite increase in MAX mana, regeneration in mana, and +10-20 mana. If the other 4 mods rolled are decent, a very good pair of boots can be created from this.
Belt
Best Option:
Arachnid Mesh. With +1 to all skills, FCR (not needed, but nice to have nonetheless), and increase in MAX mana, this belt really cannot be beat. The best belt around for any Sorc.
Other Options:
Gloom’s Trap. Increase in MAX mana, mana stolen per hit, and +15 to Vitality make this a definite possibility.
Head Gear
Best Option:
Nightwing's Veil. With +2 to all skills, +8-15% to Cold Skill damage, some cold absorb--among other things--it deserves its place as the best helmet for this build.
Other Options:
Harlequin Crest Shako. It’s got +2 to all skills, loads of increase in life and mana, DR, and some +MF% on the side. Second only to Nightwing's.
Peasant Crown. With +1 to all skills, FRW, and +20 to both Energy and Vitality, this helmet could be a viable option.
Circlet with +1-2 to either all Sorc skills or Fire Skills. Also, look for increase in resistance modifiers along with sockets in these Circlets.
Amulet
Best Option:
Mara’s Kaleidoscope. It does +2 to all skills along with resistances that top the Rockstopper helmet, and increase in attribute levels. Mara’s cannot be beat.
Other Options:
The Rising Sun. With +2 to fire skills, excellent fire absorb, and life replen, The Rising Sun makes for a viable second option.
Magic +3 to fire skills amulet. More or less, a last resort, but can work if it receives a decent second mod.
Rings
Ring 1: Ravenfrost
Ring 2: Dwarf Star
Note that when socketing any of the above items, the most ideal item to socket the said gear with would be a Fire Facet unique Jewel.
Section 5: The Mercenary
There are two possibilities here: the Holy Freeze Aura Merc of Act 2 or the Barbarian Merc of Act 5. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but either one can work equally as well in most situations. It just depends on your personal preferences.
The Holy Freeze Aura Merc: He can chill nearly every enemy on the screen for you while rushing into melee combat. However, you, as the InfernOrb Sorc, will already be chilling your opponents with your Frozen Orbs, so the Holy Freeze Aura that this Merc provides isn’t absolutely a necessity, but can be a nice addition, not to mention the fact that this Merc’s cold Aura chills Cold Immune enemies. Also note that, while the Holy Freeze Aura Merc can be a decent tank, isn’t exactly the best tank.
The Barbarian Merc: This Merc is a more than viable tank, especially when decent gear with + to life and resistances are equipped on him, and will rush right into battle as the Act 2 Merc will. While this Merc doesn’t have an Aura to aid you, he’s the best tank Merc that the game has to offer.
Section 6: My Personal Set-Up
I'm currently at Level 85 and don't see myself gaining levels or obtaining new gear anytime soon (taking a bit of a break with my Cold Inferno Sorc), so here's some key screenshots of some things of interest with my own InfernOrb Sorceress, Crystal_Inferno.
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1429/screenshot001ei6.jpg
Here's my most prized possession: my Leaf staff. If only it had that additional +3 to Frozen Orb mod on it, it would be perfect. Until then. :P
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5863/screenshot002jd8.jpg
My Nightwing's with a Cold Facet in it. If I ever find one, I'd like to replace that with a Fire Facet, but the Cold Facet will do for now.
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1966/screenshot003vb8.jpg
My stats with NO Battle Orders, Battle Command, etc. casted. And remember, this is at Level 85.
Not too bad, eh? :P
Section 7: Strategies
First, note that Inferno should be set as the right-click and Frozen Orb should be set as the left-click. This way, Inferno can be cast in an empty space on the screen and sprayed over the oncoming enemies in sweeps from one side of the screen to the other, or it can be held over one enemy until the enemy is dead.
This is what this build is all about: PvM, however, the Cold Inferno Sorceress is a somewhat viable PvP opponent, and the basic strategy remains the same, or very similar. When fighting a boss monster which has a small group of minions, the Freeze ‘em and Flame ‘em strategy – as I like to call it – works very well. The second you see a group of enemies like this approaching, switch to Shiver Armor, cast it, and then switch back to Inferno. Then, holding down Shift (or not, it works either way), cast 2-3 Frozen Orbs directly at the boss, thus forcing the boss monster to take the most damage while chilling it and its minions, damaging them as well. Then, once every enemy in the group has been chilled, cast Inferno and sweep it from side to side until most or all of the enemies have fallen. If any enemies still remain, cast another 2-3 Frozen Orbs to finish them off. Remember, if any monster has survived and is still coming closer, have Teleport ready so you can move away quickly and cast more Frozen Orbs. This basic strategy works in almost every situation – not just versus bosses + minions.
Section 8: The Final Outcome
Once you’ve gotten your Cold Inferno Sorceress up to around level 85, the final outcome will be a powerful, Hell-viable character sub-class truly unique that uses a wide array of skills for every possible situation. While the InfernOrb that I have created is by no means the “best” or most powerful variation of the Sorceress, it is a strong build and all-around fun to level up and play. With this build, Baal won’t stand a chance in Hell.
Credits / Acknowledgements / Etc:
I would just like to point out that I – myself – solely came up with this build on my own. I found out that this build works through self experimentation and research. No part of this guide is plagiarized, and if a build very similar to this already exists, I don’t have knowledge of it, but otherwise I truly think this is a unique and unexplored build.
I would also like to point out that this guide would not have been possible without the help of Veneteaou.
Table of Contents
1) Introduction
2) Skills
3) Stats
4) Gear
5) Mercenary
6) My Personal Set-Up
7) PvM & PvP Strategies
8) The Final Outcome
Section 1: The Introduction
The Cold Inferno Sorceress, the InfernOrb Sorc for short, is a variant of the Sorceress that utilizes one of the most overlooked skills in the game as her main attack: Inferno, in tandem with Frozen Orb. Defensively, she turns to Shiver Armor, and for sticky situations or for speed she looks to Teleport. The Cold Inferno Sorc is meant specifically for PvM play, but can be a viable PvP character as well, if the right gear is attained and if her controller (you, the player) possesses quick thinking and a fast hand. However, if you are looking for a rock-solid, powerhouse of a PvP’er, you will not find it in this build.
Before I start to go into the details, a couple of things need to be pointed out. First off, there are very limited “wasted” skill points spent on this build (meaning points being spent on pre-reqs). The build’s skills that it uses in its primary skill tree – the Fire Tree – have no pre-req skills whatsoever and thus no points wasted. This is uncommon with many character builds. Secondly, unlike most Sorc builds, this one requires no FCR. Inferno is continuous and Orb has a casting delay, so – except for Teleportation purposes – FCR is unnecessary. Lastly, in the current patch (Patch 1.11b) there is a bug with Inferno: the skill does half of its listed damage. While that fact is a set-back, Inferno is still a powerful skill.
Section 2: The Skills
Skills are everything with the InfernOrb Sorceress and her only hope of surviving in the game’s later stages. If her skill choices are not brought up to the appropriate level or if they are utilized incorrectly, she has no hope for success. Here is the basic outline for skill point placement.
MAX these skills, in this order:
Inferno
Warmth
Frozen Orb
Fire Mastery
Note: the last two, Frozen Orb and Fire Mastery, can be flip-flopped. Fire Mastery can be MAXed first if you prefer – or Frozen Orb can be MAXed first. I, personally, prefer to MAX Orb first, so that’s what I listed. Personal preference is present here.
Other skills that might not be MAXed:
Ice Bolt – Put whatever you do not wish to spend in Shiver Armor here. It’s Frozen Orb’s one and only synergy, so Ice Bolt undoubtedly deserves some points in it.
Teleport – 1 point here is sufficient for those sticky situations or for when you’re just in a hurry to get from one place to the other.
Cold Mastery – 1 point at minimum should be spent here and maybe more depending on what you’d like to do with it. Again, personal preference.
Shiver Armor – All or most of your remaining points go here.
This build can be completed at Level 89, but getting to higher levels is recommended.
Explanations
Inferno: You might be thinking “Why Inferno?” Well, that’s exactly what I thought at one point, too. But then I just sat down one day with the Sorc’s skill tree tab(s) up on my screen and looked at them for a while and studied them. I began to imagine the possibilities. Then, a couple of months later I had an InfernOrb Sorceress with an Inferno that shot completely across the screen and beyond (18+ yards), doing several thousand Fire Damage per second. Although in the build’s earlier levels Inferno can seem lacking (to say the least), once I got it to a suitable level (Level 30+), which was somewhat easily attainable, I was pleasantly surprised.
Frozen Orb: This skill is Inferno’s best friend. Freeze ‘em and Flame ‘em – that’s what I like to say. Cast one or two of these bad boys into the middle of a mob of unsuspecting monsters, and let your Inferno rip while the crowd is chilled with the color blue.
Teleport: Does it need an explanation? Practically every Sorceress utilizes it, and the Cold Inferno Sorceress is no exception. It can save your character’s life in a tough situation, or it can make your character’s life much easier by saving time when getting from one destination to the other.
Shiver Armor: The boost in Defense and its tendency to chill melee attackers when you are surrounded is what makes this skill useful to the build. With either 1 point or with 10 or 20, Shiver Armor is a must and can, like Teleport, save your character’s life in those sticky situations.
Section 3: Stats
Strength: 75-100, which will be enough to wear all the best gear.
Dexterity: Base.
Vitality: The rest.
Energy: Base.
Section 4: The Gear
Almost as important as her skills, and maybe even just as important, is the Cold Inferno Sorceress’s gear, which will play a major roll in her virtual life and decide whether she has a somewhat easy-but-challenging time against her foes or a tough time against them. Here is a compiled list of acceptable and suggested gear.
Weapon
Best Option:
Leaf ’ed Staff with pre-existing mods of +3 to Inferno and increases in skill level to Frozen Orb and/or Fire Mastery. These 2-socketed Staffs can be purchased right from Akara in Act 1, and even in Normal mode, but those for sale in Normal mode will only have the +3 to Inferno mod on them, which is okay to get you through to Nightmare.
Leaf (Tir+Ral) Staff with the pre-existing mod of +3 to Inferno
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
+3 To Fire Skills
+3 To Fire Bolt (Sorceress Only)
+6 To Inferno (Sorceress Only)
+3 To Warmth (Sorceress Only)
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+ (2 Per Character Level) +2-198 To Defense (Based On Character Level)
Cold Resist +33%
There are no other options here, due to this Rune Word’s huge accessibility (Ral+Tir) and the fact that it can be worn by as early as Level 19. Also, there is no other weapon or weapon + shield combination(s) in the game that has the ability to do +9 to Inferno.
Body Armor
Best Option:
Skin of the Vipermagi. It’s got +1 to all skills, decent resists, and even FCR. It can’t get much better than that.
Other Options:
Enlightenment Rune Word (Mage Plate / Pul+Ral+Sol). This isn’t a bad choice, but the Vipermagi armor might be better. This Rune Word, however, has +2 to Sorc skills, enhanced Def, fire resistance, and an additional +1 to Warmth. Plus, the runes required are all fairly common.
Ormus’s Robes. It’s got increased damage to your Fire and Cold (and Lightning) skills, FCR, mana regeneration, and +3 to a random Sorc skill. If it turns out to be Inferno, Fire Mastery, or Frozen Orb, Ormus’s Robes isn’t a bad option.
The Spirit Shroud. A last resort, really. The +1 to all skills and cannot be frozen mods are decent, so it is worth mentioning.
Gloves
Best Option:
Magefists. They speak for themselves – FCR, mana regen, and +1 to fire skills. There are no other options here. Magefists are easy to find after a few Normal/NM Meph runs alongside the fact that they’re the best possible gloves for this build.
Boots
Best Option:
Silkweaves. They’ve got FRW, increase in mana, and really good Def. Quite possibly they’re the best option as far as boots go for the InfernOrb Sorc.
Other Options:
Waterwalks. With FRW, increase in life, and increase in MAX fire resistance, they make a solid second option to Silkweaves.
Crafted Caster Boots. Along with the chance to get up to 4 random rare item mods, Caster boots will get a definite increase in MAX mana, regeneration in mana, and +10-20 mana. If the other 4 mods rolled are decent, a very good pair of boots can be created from this.
Belt
Best Option:
Arachnid Mesh. With +1 to all skills, FCR (not needed, but nice to have nonetheless), and increase in MAX mana, this belt really cannot be beat. The best belt around for any Sorc.
Other Options:
Gloom’s Trap. Increase in MAX mana, mana stolen per hit, and +15 to Vitality make this a definite possibility.
Head Gear
Best Option:
Nightwing's Veil. With +2 to all skills, +8-15% to Cold Skill damage, some cold absorb--among other things--it deserves its place as the best helmet for this build.
Other Options:
Harlequin Crest Shako. It’s got +2 to all skills, loads of increase in life and mana, DR, and some +MF% on the side. Second only to Nightwing's.
Peasant Crown. With +1 to all skills, FRW, and +20 to both Energy and Vitality, this helmet could be a viable option.
Circlet with +1-2 to either all Sorc skills or Fire Skills. Also, look for increase in resistance modifiers along with sockets in these Circlets.
Amulet
Best Option:
Mara’s Kaleidoscope. It does +2 to all skills along with resistances that top the Rockstopper helmet, and increase in attribute levels. Mara’s cannot be beat.
Other Options:
The Rising Sun. With +2 to fire skills, excellent fire absorb, and life replen, The Rising Sun makes for a viable second option.
Magic +3 to fire skills amulet. More or less, a last resort, but can work if it receives a decent second mod.
Rings
Ring 1: Ravenfrost
Ring 2: Dwarf Star
Note that when socketing any of the above items, the most ideal item to socket the said gear with would be a Fire Facet unique Jewel.
Section 5: The Mercenary
There are two possibilities here: the Holy Freeze Aura Merc of Act 2 or the Barbarian Merc of Act 5. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but either one can work equally as well in most situations. It just depends on your personal preferences.
The Holy Freeze Aura Merc: He can chill nearly every enemy on the screen for you while rushing into melee combat. However, you, as the InfernOrb Sorc, will already be chilling your opponents with your Frozen Orbs, so the Holy Freeze Aura that this Merc provides isn’t absolutely a necessity, but can be a nice addition, not to mention the fact that this Merc’s cold Aura chills Cold Immune enemies. Also note that, while the Holy Freeze Aura Merc can be a decent tank, isn’t exactly the best tank.
The Barbarian Merc: This Merc is a more than viable tank, especially when decent gear with + to life and resistances are equipped on him, and will rush right into battle as the Act 2 Merc will. While this Merc doesn’t have an Aura to aid you, he’s the best tank Merc that the game has to offer.
Section 6: My Personal Set-Up
I'm currently at Level 85 and don't see myself gaining levels or obtaining new gear anytime soon (taking a bit of a break with my Cold Inferno Sorc), so here's some key screenshots of some things of interest with my own InfernOrb Sorceress, Crystal_Inferno.
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1429/screenshot001ei6.jpg
Here's my most prized possession: my Leaf staff. If only it had that additional +3 to Frozen Orb mod on it, it would be perfect. Until then. :P
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5863/screenshot002jd8.jpg
My Nightwing's with a Cold Facet in it. If I ever find one, I'd like to replace that with a Fire Facet, but the Cold Facet will do for now.
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1966/screenshot003vb8.jpg
My stats with NO Battle Orders, Battle Command, etc. casted. And remember, this is at Level 85.
Not too bad, eh? :P
Section 7: Strategies
First, note that Inferno should be set as the right-click and Frozen Orb should be set as the left-click. This way, Inferno can be cast in an empty space on the screen and sprayed over the oncoming enemies in sweeps from one side of the screen to the other, or it can be held over one enemy until the enemy is dead.
This is what this build is all about: PvM, however, the Cold Inferno Sorceress is a somewhat viable PvP opponent, and the basic strategy remains the same, or very similar. When fighting a boss monster which has a small group of minions, the Freeze ‘em and Flame ‘em strategy – as I like to call it – works very well. The second you see a group of enemies like this approaching, switch to Shiver Armor, cast it, and then switch back to Inferno. Then, holding down Shift (or not, it works either way), cast 2-3 Frozen Orbs directly at the boss, thus forcing the boss monster to take the most damage while chilling it and its minions, damaging them as well. Then, once every enemy in the group has been chilled, cast Inferno and sweep it from side to side until most or all of the enemies have fallen. If any enemies still remain, cast another 2-3 Frozen Orbs to finish them off. Remember, if any monster has survived and is still coming closer, have Teleport ready so you can move away quickly and cast more Frozen Orbs. This basic strategy works in almost every situation – not just versus bosses + minions.
Section 8: The Final Outcome
Once you’ve gotten your Cold Inferno Sorceress up to around level 85, the final outcome will be a powerful, Hell-viable character sub-class truly unique that uses a wide array of skills for every possible situation. While the InfernOrb that I have created is by no means the “best” or most powerful variation of the Sorceress, it is a strong build and all-around fun to level up and play. With this build, Baal won’t stand a chance in Hell.
Credits / Acknowledgements / Etc:
I would just like to point out that I – myself – solely came up with this build on my own. I found out that this build works through self experimentation and research. No part of this guide is plagiarized, and if a build very similar to this already exists, I don’t have knowledge of it, but otherwise I truly think this is a unique and unexplored build.
I would also like to point out that this guide would not have been possible without the help of Veneteaou.