Melee Sorceress

keeper1l wrote:I'm running the bis gear from the phys build here but supplemented endless loop for champion of the triune and I'm at like 90k defense.... All my combat speeds and resis are maxed including block..... I need a way to get more defense or an item to supply it

long time ago i changed the poison tree for the cold tree and dumped some points into warp armor. got 126k def unbuffed (240k with baneblade)

I'd like to know why this guide recommends

Shark (Xis)

over

Dawn (Xis)

. I don't think bloodlust matters at all in evaluating the differences between both weapons since act5 merc / sub wep

Shamanka

Shamanka
Long Staff (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: 56 to 58
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 203
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.15 per Dexterity)%
+(3 to 6) to Sorceress Skill Levels
45% Cast Speed
45% Hit Recovery
+50% Damage to Undead
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Bloodlust
Maximum Life +(10 to 13)%
Fire Resist +(50 to 70)%
Lightning Resist +(50 to 70)%
Socketed (4)

can give bloodlust.
Has anybody tested whether 100% dex is better than 2 max dmg per lvl ?

Rowean wrote:I'd like to know why this guide recommends
Shark (Xis)
over
Dawn (Xis)
. I don't think bloodlust matters at all in evaluating the differences between both weapons since act5 merc / sub wep
Shamanka
Shamanka
Long Staff (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: 56 to 58
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 203
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.15 per Dexterity)%
+(3 to 6) to Sorceress Skill Levels
45% Cast Speed
45% Hit Recovery
+50% Damage to Undead
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Bloodlust
Maximum Life +(10 to 13)%
Fire Resist +(50 to 70)%
Lightning Resist +(50 to 70)%
Socketed (4)
can give bloodlust.
Has anybody tested whether 100% dex is better than 2 max dmg per lvl ?

The big point of shark is the damage bonus to bloodlust but I do agree dawn could be a solid replacement

blyts wrote:What is your opinion on Nero v The Endless Loop with a charged strike build?

Thank-you for the guide and all the best!

No opinion atm. I don't have that belt. When I played around with Charged Strike, I was using

Aidan's Lament

Aidan's Lament
Crown (Sacred)
Defense: (3753 - 4493) to (5603 - 6422)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 337
Item Level: 105
+(60 to 120)% Damage to Demons
+(60 to 120)% Damage to Undead
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
+(120 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(500 to 2000) Defense
Maximum Lightning Resist +2%
5% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

.

I haven't been able to work on this much recently, but I'll try to get back into it this weekend and finish some things up.

Chrysamere wrote:Would it be stupid to make
Natasha's Legacy (Xis)
in a Ceremonial Armor? It has higher def than Ancient armor
I'm melee sorc with elemental dmg, and thought it could be better than Dervish or Lachdanan armor..

Imo, Natasha's Legacy isn't worth the effort, especially considering

Lachdanan's Visage

Lachdanan's Visage
Banded Plate (Sacred)
Defense: (8973 - 10165) to (14769 - 16229)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 627
Item Level: 120
Mana Shield: 65% less Mana Drained when Hit
You may Only use Melee, Summon and Support Skills
Adds 200-300 Magic Damage
Adds 150-200 Fire Damage
Adds 150-200 Lightning Damage
Adds 150-200 Cold Damage
-30% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(161 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(1000 to 5000) Defense
Socketed (6)

. Natasha's is probably fine if you're lucky enough to get a good roll. But it's a lot of wasted effort if you don't. Plus, Lachdanan's has usable sockets.

Rowean wrote:I'd like to know why this guide recommends
Shark (Xis)
over
Dawn (Xis)
. I don't think bloodlust matters at all in evaluating the differences between both weapons since act5 merc / sub wep
Shamanka
Shamanka
Long Staff (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: 56 to 58
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 203
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.15 per Dexterity)%
+(3 to 6) to Sorceress Skill Levels
45% Cast Speed
45% Hit Recovery
+50% Damage to Undead
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Bloodlust
Maximum Life +(10 to 13)%
Fire Resist +(50 to 70)%
Lightning Resist +(50 to 70)%
Socketed (4)
can give bloodlust.
Has anybody tested whether 100% dex is better than 2 max dmg per lvl ?

Shark>Dawn b/c Melee Sorcs use numerous multipliers to boost Phys damage, not just straight DEX (which is why flat Phys Damage is so important for Phys-based Melee Sorcs). Damage-wise, Dawn will give your Min Damage a small boost, but you’ll lose about 1k Max Damage (this is without Bloodlust).

About the only thing the %DEX boost on that weapon is good for is increasing CtB and AR, which would be high enough already by the time you’re ready to make Xis RWs. The Defense boost from the %DEX would be barely noticeable. The VIT and NRG boosts are pointless since you’re not putting points into either Stat. STR boost is meh b/c you’re not a STR build.

I just wanted to say WOW! this is a really well written and thorough guide. Beautiful!
Thanks for your time and effort on it!

Thank you for the detailed answer, Solfege.

Im about to jump from the melee set to final item and this is why I am looking to learn as much as possible before commiting to anything. Between

Steel Punisher

Steel Punisher
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: (172 - 187) to (332 - 358)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 120
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.13 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
Spiral Dance: +300% Bonus Magic Damage
15% Chance to cast level 25 ATMG Sentry on Melee Attack
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
Adds 40-100 Damage
(15 to 20)% Life stolen per Hit
+(170 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
10% Deadly Strike
Physical Resist 10%
Socketed (6)

and

Shark (Xis)

, which one do you prefer and why? I just feel that Steel is just a minor upgrade from

Witchblade

Witchblade
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: (183 - 197) to (333 - 358)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 1
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.13 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
1% Chance to cast level 25 Sanguine Covenant on Melee Attack
Adds 50-100 Damage
Stun Attack
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
+100 Life Regenerated per Second
+(51 to 100) Life on Melee Attack
Socketed (6)

The Mysteries
(Sorceress Melee Set)

. Am I missing anything?

Well, I still haven't found Steel Punisher, so I can't give a first-hand account on how it performs. The ED and flat damage will be roughly the same as Witchblade. But aside from the 10% Phys Res, Steel Punisher has 10% DS natively (which means you could add something like EWD MOs instead of DS to boost damage). Additionally, the native LL will be helpful for Fusillade builds, and ATMG missiles should leech. But how well it performs likely depends on what other gear you're using.

Shark, otoh, is a known-known. Using that and the cheapest End-Game gear options, I know you can do Vizjun, Astrogha, Belial, and Yshari. But you'll likely need to upgrade your Body Armor to

Rebel (Xis)

for Xazax. Shark+Rebel should perform well enough in Fauzt and Bremmtown, but I haven't tried it b/c they're stupidly locked behind the Ultra Elementals. I probably won't do Atanna Khan or Zorun Tzin b/c I don't see the point.

tl;dr
Steel Punisher = probably the more versatile option, but performance likely depends on pairing it with the right gear.
Shark (Xis) = good enough even when paired with cheap gear, but will eventually need to be paired with Rebel (Xis) to take you through the rest of the game.

Thanks again for the detailed reply.

I asked for help with the elementals in discord and a nice guy came to help. I currently run fauntz and bremm with the melee set so with anything better should make it a piece of cake. I am currently running cold instead of psn just to have that extra def and be completely inmune in duncraig and fauntz, which are the two places where i farm.

PS: If i find

Starhawk

Starhawk
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.13 per Dexterity)%
Innate Tri-Elemental Damage: (45.0% of Dexterity)
Area Effect Attack
25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
+(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
Adds 400-500 Magic Damage
-(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
10% Chance to Avoid Damage
Socketed (6)

ill let you know so we can do ele's

Quick Question about the base items for

Rebel (Xis)

and

Shark (Xis)

.
I made these:

Are they good enough? As far as I know they can be max 55%ed, right?
How much phys res can the armor get?

And jewels: 2% life and mana stolen per hit + 2% dex on all 8? (+Hit Recovery on armor)

It's my first Xis Runeword and i want to do everything right

Thank you for your help!

Hey I am new to Median XL and this is my first Character so far playing smoothly till i hit NM which you stated to make sure you have max resistances which i can not seem to do at the moment. I currently have all T3 TU uniques and i have orbed my t4 honorific gloves with one of each HR, STR, DEX, WD, MF of these Orbs besides WD which i dont know what it is XD also i have place random P gems in my armour because i dont under stand how you allocate the gems in the armour do i Place 1 type in one set of armour like all bloodstone in chest all topaz in helm .... and so on if anyone could help me that would be amazing !!!