any good sorcerer guides out there?

[Cyriene]

I have read a few guides so far about the sorcerer from links i found here, but i want to know if there are any other guides around that i should read. i would like a guide to talk more about equipment i should wear, and the best way to find spell books and such. i hear people talking about shopping at wirt, but i dont really know anything about what he can sell and if it is worth it. i bought something from him and it was crap, but i guess once in a while you could get a good item. anyway thanks for the help.
cyriene

[Feryar]

In my humble opinion, the sorceror doesn't really need items :P

Have you read the guides over at Freshman's Diablo?
http://www.arewehavingfunyet.com/diablo/diablo.shtml

Basically, if you want to build a sorc, there are (at least) two ways to go. Arty and Tank.

An arty (artillery) sorc concentrates on items that add to resistances, spell-levels and magic.
Items like Naj's Light Plate, Thinking Cap, Mindcry and/or ArchAngels staff of anything comes to mind.
This character won't have anywhere near the AC needed in hell difficulty, so it's a good idea to keep your distance from monsters. He will do *tons* of damage though :)

A tank sorc will sacrifice some +magic and +spell-levels to get an AC that is effective in hell. This is in my opinion the most overpowered way you can play a character in Diablo. You can go for a Dreamflange and Stormshield setup, which IMO is the best solution for a tankmage.
Other items is basically anything that gives good AC and resists.

Getting the items for these setups are not done very quickly, though. Just remember that the sorceror is very overpowered even when playing with absolutely no equipment. The most important part of playing that character is using the right tactics, any items is just icing on the cake.

As for spellbooks, Adria is the best place to shop for them. You can also go looking for bookcases in the Catacombs.

Hope this is of some help :)


edit: link is now clickable

[M@isterL@mpe]

do you speak german??
i'm writing one(but good???)...
it will be finished in about 1 month, but in german

[Fragbait]

Hail Meisterlampe,
I would like to have it when you are finished.
Can you, like, send me an e-mail or post a link to download it when you're done?
[member of the elitist minority whose brains are able to understand the great german language: *Schifffahrt* - Ähem... :ph34r: ]


E-Mail: fragbait@freenet.de



Greetings, Fragbait

[SteinHerz]

Sorcerers don't need strattegy Guides :)

Well... Actually there are some nice articles concerning spells that could be useful for you:

Here you will see Dr. Disaster's TeleFlash Guide, a very efficient tactic on Nightmare/Hell and Hell/Hell.

And here Moriah shares his knowledge of the Chain Lightning spell.

Also, if you are interested in the über-godlike Tank Mage style I would definately recommend DeeBye's Tank Mage Item Guide

Hopefully that was useful...

EDIT: Corrected link

[LemmingofGlory]

...mages don't need guides. :) Honestly, they're not too complicated.

i would like a guide to talk more about equipment i should wear...

Mage Checklist
0) TFoS -- mandatory for all characters, even if not worn
1) Mana -- derived from magic statistic and equipment bonuses
2) Resists -- equipment bonus
3) Natural spell levels -- read books
4a) Maximum or High spell levels -- tends to be mutually exclusive with 4b
4b) High AC -- tends to be mutually exclusive with 4a
5) Fireball, Chain Lightning, Mana Shield, Teleport
6) Stone Curse, Golem, Civerb's Cudgel or "other" statue-bashing weapon

If you want High AC (at least 270 recommended), hoard good +Strength or +All jewelry until you can reach 90 strength. Look for Awesome or Saintly Full Plates, Royal Circlet, and Stormshield. Dreamflange is the most common channeling weapon, but Wizardspike or some magical thing can do in a pinch.

If you want maximum spell levels, hoard good ResAll/Magic and Mana/Magic jewelry. Look for Naj's Light Plate, Arch-Angel's staves (mostly Adria), and Thinking Cap. Some mages substitute Dreamflange for the AA staff. If using Dreamflange, a good Resist All shield (especially Emerald) can free up a slot for +Mana on jewelry.

The rest is strategy, but there are other articles for that.

and the best way to find spell books and such.

Mage's most powerful spells (except Teleport and perhaps(?) Golem; see above checklist, #5) are available from bookshelves in Catacombs. But most people buy books from Adria. Cats runs aren't the most stimulating way a mage can spend his time.

For the other equipment, Laz runs will eventually deliver everything your heart desires. Civerb's Cudgel and Thinking Cap may be most easily found from Normal Church runs, however. (Hell bosses drop Dreamflange instead of CC.)

i hear people talking about shopping at wirt, but i dont really know anything about what he can sell and if it is worth it.

To mages, Emerald and Holy/Godly shields are his most interesting wares. He might have a decent statue-bashing weapon from time to time, too. If such things interest you, check him when you enter a game. I certainly wouldn't recommend monotonous shopping, though.

i bought something from him and it was crap, but i guess once in a while you could get a good item.

I find his items interesting as novelty, but naught else. I still have a nice Godly Rags of the Ages he sold me. They're like TFoS, only non-sentient. And it takes up a blasphemous 6 inventory spaces.

[o: *LEMMING* :o]

[the Langolier]

Well, in MY humble opinion, you just need to play and figure it out for yourself. This is also the solution for most of the latest thread as well, substituting "lurk" for "play" in appropriate places.

Want a guide to items? If you find something better than what you are wearing, use that instead. By the time you find the high-end equipment, you will know how to use it. Want a guide for spellbooks? If a book drops, read it. Also, Adria is the NPC source for books. Honestly people, this is basic stuff. The best guide out there is experience.

[the Langolier]

Here you will see Dr. Disaster's TeleFlash Guide, a very efficient tactic on Nightmare/Hell and Hell/Hell.

I would say effective rather than effecient. Let's say you come across two balrogs. 40+40 mana to stone, 15 to teleport, 18x2 to flash. That comes to 131 mana for two enemies (150 if you need a third flash). That is pretty expensive for only two enemies.

I prefer to postition myself behind all the balrogs and cast chain lightning once or twice to take the whole crowd down a bit. I then alternate between flash and chain lightning as the enemies move close. The best spot to do this is is in a northwest corner. This postition will focus the CL much more effectively, and will prevent enemies from entering the tiles where flash does minimal damage. Use CL to hit everything until an enemy goes to move next to you. At that point, hotkey to flash and cast it double. You will be invulnerable to their melee attack as your spell finishes the balrog off.

[M@isterL@mpe]

Hail Fragbait,
i'm sure you can have it, when i'll finished, but:
this guide will be for hellfire only...
first i thinked about a generally sorcerer guide.But why?? There are enough.
so i've started a new sorc testing something and it works good...the pro is that you can exp like this by morhping ANY more or less useable sorc...this just a little preview ;)
du kannst mir dann bestimmt sagen was ausdrucksprobleme auf englisch heißt, oder??

[M@isterL@mpe]

The best guide out there is experience.

you are right, but when you are of the opinion that experience is it, then he shouldn't make it with the teleflash, too...

[Walkiry]

For the other equipment, Laz runs will eventually deliver everything your heart desires. Civerb's Cudgel and Thinking Cap may be most easily found from Normal Church runs, however. (Hell bosses drop Dreamflange instead of CC.)

Laz runs are the best when you want to maximize your firebolt spell level. ^_^

[SteinHerz]

It is necessary to adjust the usage of tactics - you don't have to telekill every single witch :)

The situation you have described would have been different if the bolts were only tracking the two rogs - that way the map would need to be more explored, and then the Balrogs would need to be a little bit tamed for an effective CL cast.

If that is the situation, unless you tame the Valaraukar ( right... o.t. quote ), you would need to cast CL ~24 times ( H/H ) for a minimum 432 Mana Cost. That way, Teleflash would have been faster and cheaper.

But there are some other environments in which Teleflash is the ultimate tactic - for instance in a H/H dlvl 15 with Soulies and Rogs.

Tanks wielding a Cudgel will lose 114 Mana; CL at high levels is extremly gappy, which can be quite annoying.

You don't have to SC every time; with maximum AC ( assuming you are a Tank ), you will only be stunned 25% of the time in the above situation; releasing from a hypothetical stunlock ( horde of Rogs hitting at the same time ) is very possible with Harmony.

Teleflash the way it is stated at Dr. Disaster's Guide due to the SC casting is more useful for the No-AC Casters. ( BNMs, NMs, Arties, etc )