Enchantress Question

[Taem]

I currently have a level 50 Enchantress and was wondering, from those whom have made Enchantresses before, if it made more sense to invest into maximizing my Mastery trees (i.e. Cold and Lightening), or Shiver Armor and Mana Shield?

I figure it in one of two ways: Added Damage or Safety.

Argument for Added Damage: If I invest into my masteries fully I'll receive an additional +278% to all my lightening damage and +115% to my cold damage (I know it lowers the enemies resists, not boosts the damage, but isn’t that basically the same thing but opposite?). With enough elemental charms, the right weapon, and Enchant, I'll be doing an awesome amount of damage comparable if not better than most melee characters. Combine that with my current Might mercenary and I may actually be able to kill the Diablo Clone :lol: .

Argument for Safety: If I invest into Shiver Armor and Mana Shield + Telekinesis, I'll have a very high defense and a high damage absorb. If I opt to swap out for a Defiance mercenary, I'll have a defense higher than most Iron Skin/Shouting Barbarians. If I find some DR% gear and my Mana Shield, I'll be a very tough cookie to kill, assuming I can get my resists high enough.

Also, I'm having a difficult time choosing between missile and melee, despite the fact that melee does more damage (supposedly <_< ). Currently, I'm using a Hexfire with a diamond socketed Ward Shield on my first weapon slot and a Kuku bow on my second slot. I find that I do the most damage if I enchant myself with the Hexfire then switch to the Kuku. The listed damage on the character screen is only slightly higher for the Kuku, but the Exploding Arrows do SO MUCH DAMAGE, that I'm breezing through Nightmare relatively easily. The Hexfire takes about three hits to kill a monster in Nightmare, whereas the Kuku kills a group in a single hit! The only reason I can see to play a melee enchantress currently is for the additional safety issue of block and resists (both big pluses), however I find it too be much safer shooting from a distance so this is more or less a mute point for me anyways. Any recommendations?

Here is my current skill placement:

LIGHTENING TREE
1 Static
1 Mana Shield
1 Lightening Mastery
5 Prerequisites

COLD TREE
1 Shiver Armor (because of higher defense and longer slow time from cold)
1 Cold Mastery
3 Prerequisites

FIRE TREE
19 Warmth
20 Enchant
3 Fire Mastery

[arrunique]

Posted this on battle.net forums a while back

Enchantress Shopping List:

Weapon: Glimmershred -- MASSIVE elemental damage and you throw so you dont have to melee
Shield: Tiamat socketed with fire facet -- resists + elemental damage
Helm: Andy's visage -- +2 skills 20% IAS
Amulet: Rising Sun -- +2 fire skills, more fire damage, massive fire absorb to make up for the resist drop from andy's
Armor: not sure what is better: +3 enchant ormus socketed with fire facet or 4 socket armor socketd with various facets
Gloves: Hellmouth -- Elemental damage, more fire absorb
Rings: Ravens -- Dex, AR, high cold damage, cold absorb
Belt: Either Tgod's or Razortail -- Depends on if you think the pierce is worth losing lightning absorb and more elemental damage
Boots: Infernostride or Cow King
Swith: +3 enchant staff made into HOTO runeword (I'm pretty sure it works on staves)

Skills:
20 enchant
20 warmth
20 fire mastery
20 light mastery
20 cold mastry
1 static
1 tk
1 port

Max cold and light mastery last

stats:
Str: 110 to wear andy's and tgods
Nrg: base
Vit/Dex: Split rest....you will have absorbs but cruddy resists so vit will keep you from dying randomly

[Obi2Kenobi]

+278% to all my lightening damage and +115% to my cold damage (I know it lowers the enemies resists, not boosts the damage, but isn’t that basically the same thing but opposite?).

No. If a monster has 95% cold resitance, and you take away 5%, you'd need to add 100% cold damage to equal that. The only time it is the same is if the monster has 0% cold resist.

Also, I'm having a difficult time choosing between missile and melee, despite the fact that melee does more damage (supposedly <_< )

It does, all things are equal. Fire mastery is applied first when casting enchant, and is then applied again to your enchant if you are doing melee. If you are doing ranged, it is only applied upon the casting. The reason Kuko does so much damage is that Fire Mastery and Enchant are being applied to the Exploding Arrow. At least, this is how I think it works. I may be wrong about some small things, but I believe that I am right on at least most of it. :) I would personally use Hexfire to cast Enchant (unless, of course, you could make a leaf staff with plus to Enchant and Fire Mastery), and Kuko to kill.

[adeyke]

No. If a monster has 95% cold resitance, and you take away 5%, you'd need to add 100% cold damage to equal that. The only time it is the same is if the monster has 0% cold resist.

There are only three monsters with negative base resistances, so, unless you have conviction or LR, you can see 0% as the worst case scenario. So -X% resistance will have at least as great an effect as +X% damage.

Except that resistances can't go below -100%, so against a 0% resistant monster, even a -115% CM will only double the damage.

[Taem]

I should of made note that this was for Hardcore.

Arrunique, I respect your opinions and equipment selection, however what you have chosen is not only beyond my reach, but laughable in Hardcore. I'll be slaughtered left and right due to lack of resists and life. I noticed you had the same basic premise on your Amazon topic; damage and speed over all else! Don't get me wrong, I admire a solid build, however to survive Hell hardcore, you need to focus first on resists, then protection (i.e. defense, or damage reduciton, or a lot of life, or a HF merc), and finally damage, at least if you solo play a lot like I do. As I said before, this is in no way intended as an insult, as I think your item selection would be great in softcore, however it just won't work for me in hardcore. Thanks again for your suggestions.

[Taem]

At least, this is how I think it works. I may be wrong about some small things, but I believe that I am right on at least most of it.  I would personally use Hexfire to cast Enchant (unless, of course, you could make a leaf staff with plus to Enchant and Fire Mastery), and Kuko to kill.

Yah, now that I've invested more points into strength and Fire Mastery, I'm doing noticably more or equal damage with my Hexfire, even thou the Kuku still lists more damage on the character screen. I think I'll upgrade the hexfire and kuku and use missile and melee depending on the enemy.

I've decided to maximize my masteries also. I don't regret the points I placed into Mana Shield or Shiver Armor, as I feel they greatly help save my life in most circumstances. As a matter of fact, I recommend it highly. If I ever rebuild my Enchantress, I'll exclude Shiver Armor and the Defiance merc idea and stick with Mana Shield + Telekinesis and Masteries, with a Might Merc. Works wonders!

[arrunique]

I should of made note that this was for Hardcore.

That would change a lot :D

You are right I play softcore so the main focus is almost always speed and damage.

I'm not sure how to do this build on thrift store gear, I don't see a way through hell without enough damage from other elements to harm fire immune monsters. As a sorc you just don't have the option of plowing through them with physical damage. The main elemental defense of the build is the absorbs and absorbs don't show up except on higher end equipment.

My build is probably too expensive and ineffective for realm play anyway, it is something you would put together in an editor on single just to mess around.