Blizzard or Frozen Orb

[mchamma]

My PvM MFing sorc has 5 in both Blizzard and Orb.... now im wondering which one I should take ahead with me all the way, and if you could help that would be great! Thanks for any and all input.

--Hamma B)

[Sporky Smurf]

It's a matter of opinion. Both would work ok, but Orb seems to be "better", or that's what the population of B.Net say. Personally, I love Blizzard. Too bad it has a timer. When it was without a timer... *drool*

[the Langolier]

... Also, it doesn't always hit what is in its Area of Effect. It can be quite annoying when you cast it on an oblivion knight and it never hits it.

Blizzard is a much more fun skill to use, and it has a higher range of damage than orb at equal levels. Orb, however, has a great range thus hitting more targets per cast (even hitting the same enemy 2-3 times). It get's boring though, but if you are looking to fly through the game, then this is what you want.

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

Orb, however, has a great range thus hitting more targets per cast (even hitting the same enemy 2-3 times). It get's boring though...

Not the mention the constant whooooosssssshhhhhhhhhhhh whooooooooooooooooosssshhhhhhhhh whooooossshhhhhhhhh...

Enough to drive a person mad. Or at least kill the audio.

[Brista]

I rather like Orb actually :)

As you have 5 in each you're actually in a good position now to see which one you like best. If you pick either and put a point in Cold Mastery you should be happy with the results. Just go with the one you like using now

[Mavfin]

Not to get off topic, but my favorite version of orb is the one that comes with the 3rd charge of Phoenix Strike. For a sorceress, I like them both.

As to which one is better?? Well, one freezes, and one chills. One is sort of a cast-in-this-direction, and the other is a cast-on-this-area skill. Makes a difference. Can't really cast Orb partially off the screen, or use it as a BVR weapon. (Beyond Visual Range, like Slammers)

[jondifool]

Its properly worth taking into account also what you are using besides orb or blizzard. To get a combination working well together with your playstyle.

[Animation]

mch,

Both are fun skills. My original Realms sorceress maxed Hydra, Meteor, Fire Mastery, and Blizzard, and she was a lot of fun.

HOWEVER, Blizzard, while very cool and very fun, just had enough problems that I eventually re-made her with Frozen Orb. Blizzard is terrible against non-slow monsters that move towards you. It often does not hit things in its area effect, especially when they are near a corner. It's chill time is so slow that it is not effective at crowd control. I love crowd control, so it is just frustrating.

One good thing about orb is that it is directional ... even tho it is timered, I'm lazy and dont really click any faster by desire than I can with the timer anyway, so I still get the nice feeling that I'm zapping a spell at something. With Blizzard, Meteor, Firewall, Nova, and Thunderstorm, I just never get that feeling that I'm shooting AT something, but Frozen Orb gives me that satisfying feeling. The only spells I have that feeling with are Frozen Orb, Fireball, Chain Lightning, and to a lesser degree Charged Bolt.

I think the next high level sorceress I make will max both blizzard and orb just so that I can either lay down the pointing or actually keep my enemies at bay, depending on mood. I may combine that with Meteor since I dont currently have a meteor sorceress. The downside to maxing both is that i will have only 1 in static field later on I guess.

Lewis

[monkeycid]

Not to get off topic, but my favorite version of orb is the one that comes with the 3rd charge of Phoenix Strike.  For a sorceress, I like them both. 

As to which one is better??  Well, one freezes, and one chills.  One is sort of a cast-in-this-direction, and the other is a cast-on-this-area skill.  Makes a difference.  Can't really cast Orb partially off the screen, or use it as a BVR weapon.  (Beyond Visual Range, like Slammers)

Neither freezes. Orb chills too - only orb that freezes is the Pstrike one.

[Brista]

Neither freezes. Orb chills too - only orb that freezes is the Pstrike one.

I think even Phoenix Strike's freezing charge is bugged and doesn't actually freeze

[mchamma]

Thanks for all of your input, ive been playing, and even though blizzard is fun and cool, I've decided to make her frozen orb, seemed more logical for a mf sorc, BUT I did make a new sorc, MC_Blizzard, who is based on Blizzard since you guys said it was much more fun and the whole "whooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh, whooooooooosh" as Nico pointed out :P :D ..... Thanks a Bundle!!!!

-- B) Hamma

[Saga_Keeper]

the assassin's 3rd charge does indeed freeze monsters that are applicable for being frozen, I believe cold immune, those ice breathing guys, and frenzy taurs on the throne of destruction (at least in hell...) aren't cantidates for chill/freeze from cold skills... even if they do take damage.
Holyfreeze does work on them iirc, not 100% about the ice breathers or frenzy taurs though.
Orb and blizzard are both chill time, the only sorc skills that freeze are glacial spike and the first of the cold armors unless I'm mistaken.
Oh yeah, I've found that with blizzard I can get stunning hits since the damage per hit is about twice that of orb, so it's more useful in that if you get lucky the monster doesn't move towards you.
-Saga

[Guest]

Frozen Orb beats Blizz by lenghts, as it is. Autoaims, long cold duration, high damage. Blizz is too dangerous to use in Hell.

[Jugalator]

Neither freezes. Orb chills too - only orb that freezes is the Pstrike one.

I think even Phoenix Strike's freezing charge is bugged and doesn't actually freeze

"The Phoenix Strike do freeze", says my oh-god-I-hope-1.10-will-improve-Phoenix-Strike-Assassin. :)

[Brista]

Sorry folks

I might have been thinking of Blades of Ice, is that not freezing when it should? :huh:

[Albion Child]

I have 1 point into blades of ice.....It freezes the monster that i hit , but not an ones around it. It doesn't e ven chill them.

[Sporky Smurf]

Frozen Orb beats Blizz by lenghts, as it is. Autoaims, long cold duration, high damage. Blizz is too dangerous to use in Hell.

Frozen Orb auto-aims? Not likely. What it does do is shoot out lots of icicles in random directions. It doesn't aim one at each enemy.

P.S. Ice Blast also freezes Sage_Keeper.

[Dozer]

I think what he means is that you can put it on left-click and thus point it at people :) which frees up your right-click for some other spell!

[Tempest]

Blades of Ice doesn't currently Freeze off a third charge (It does chill anything within it's AoE), like the skill display says. I was playing arround with it earilier today and was rather annoyed with it. But, as others have said, PStrike will Freeze off a Chaos Orb blast. It's the only reason my HC Assassin is still alive. ;)

And Holy Freeze should work on all monsters, even those you can't Freeze (The Moon Lords and Frozen Creepers, etc..) via Freezing skills.

[Nebuul]

Kharohz, tell them of the glories of blizzard. You saw NinjaSoup -- Tell them how it is!


Low Down: Blizzard is, bar none, the fastest killing spell in the game. I will allow him to elaborate from an observer's point of view.


Equipment Used: +3 cold skill helm, +3 cold skill +3 blizzard +3 cold mastery orb, +2 skill shield, x2 Stone of Jordan, +3 cold skill amulet, 10x cold skill charm, +1 skill armor. Grand total of level 49 blizzard / level 30 cold mastery.

Damage: Like 1800+ a hit with practically no resistance unless immune


(EDIT) Blizzard almost never misses if you aim properly. You learn to cast where they get hit as they run through it, just as you learn to aim meteors. Usually people get hit by 2-4 shards as they go through.