Ice Battle Mage (Cold Sorc)

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insaniack
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Alternatives for Lorekeeper + Spirit walkers since they are so difficult to get?
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physics
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insaniack wrote:Alternatives for Lorekeeper + Spirit walkers since they are so difficult to get?


Memory RW for gloves and Megalith RW for boots.
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Dru
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insaniack wrote:Alternatives for Lorekeeper + Spirit walkers since they are so difficult to get?


yea you could use
Stareye's Claws
Stareye's Claws
Gauntlets (Sacred)

Defense: 1674 to 1959
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
Adds 100-150 Cold Damage
+25% to Cold Spell Damage
-15% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+200% Enhanced Defense
+50 to Dexterity
15% to Dexterity
Maximum Cold Resist +2%
+5 Cold Absorb
Socketed (4)

Henchmen Trophies
(Legendary Set)
and Maybe some Crafted Boots/Gloves even
Lamha Na Draoithe
Lamha Na Draoithe
Gauntlets (Sacred)

Defense: (1339 - 1506) to (1567 - 1763)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
+2 to All Skills
+150 Spell Focus
30% Cast Speed
+(16 to 20)% to Spell Damage
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+75 to Strength
-100 to Life
Elemental Resists +15%
Socketed (4)
Edited by Dru 3 years.
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Taem
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Question:

What do you think about using Mana sweep mid game to recover mana? I've been using it to great effect.

I'm finding it impossible to use that fire skill which grants added damage because my play style is to keep moving and not get hit, which has been better than any defensive skill in the game, however it also means I'm never within range of the effects of the fire skill. So my Q is does the timer reduce to something usable with more investment, or should I just invest somewhere else with my play style?

So far, I've managed to get all super easy, easy, and moderate charms and I can get in the harder areas yet because I'm still too low level and don't have the patience or time to grind out leveling. Next time I log in it's going to be about optimizing my gear and skills.
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Dru
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Taem wrote:Question:

What do you think about using Mana sweep mid game to recover mana? I've been using it to great effect.

I'm finding it impossible to use that fire skill which grants added damage because my play style is to keep moving and not get hit, which has been better than any defensive skill in the game, however it also means I'm never within range of the effects of the fire skill. So my Q is does the timer reduce to something usable with more investment, or should I just invest somewhere else with my play style?

So far, I've managed to get all super easy, easy, and moderate charms and I can get in the harder areas yet because I'm still too low level and don't have the patience or time to grind out leveling. Next time I log in it's going to be about optimizing my gear and skills.


:) good question. I recommend putting some points into Mana Sweep early game. I Did that this season and it wasn't that bad. It came in handy quiet well to be honest.
- As for the fire skill, I assume you are speaking about firedance , if you like the playstyle of moving and not get hit then swap to poison/cold .
- Leveling is incredibly easy on this mod, not sure what level you are but there are elite zones in act 5 Nightmare / hell that can carry you to level 105. from there it transitions into other ways of leveling such as; sunless sea --- cows/torajan jungles --- k3k --- duncraig / teganze --- fauzt/vizjun.


if you have any other questions let me know :)
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Taem
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Hi, in your guide, you recommend for items Zann Esu's set. I got the full set and I'll tell you now it really sucks... There is literally no reason to use that POS set ever, as crafts and runewords are ten-thousand percent better. It's a shame the devs wasted time developing such a lack-luster set for such a great sub-class actually. Oh well.

(note: it would be an interesting combo for a light sorc to attempt to max dex instead of energy using that skill which converts 50% dex to energy, then this sub class could attempt 75% block, but not an ice sorc, no way)

I was using a crafted 2H Staff for awhile since it was doing about 1.5x the damage of Zann's useless set, then I found the Elemental Storm Gnarled Staff and I am rocking the pillars of heaven with this thing doing a minimum of 2x the total damage output of Zann's --->>>>AND<<<---- the cast rate is infinitely better than Zann's... As a matter of fact, I 100% would not recommend an orb and shield combo for any sorc at all ever. You'll waste so much everything trying to reach FPS cast rate, such a shame. Consider this... I'm doing 2x the damage of Zann's on paper x a FCR doubling Zann's so my damage output is literally 1000% more... Fuck Zann's.

As your guide mentioned, I was indeed having minor mana problems, but I socketed my staffs with P.Sapphires and they all went away. Eventually I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Witchmoon Amulet, and that solved that problem so I put Thai runes in my staff. And my Moonwrap literally adds +1K damage as opposed to most everything else. Honorific boots give me every lacking stat and I'm 77% all resists in Hell (150%+ actual) without a single point into anything but Energy.

Anyway, my point is I would not recommend Zann Esu's for anything. It's garbage. Literally, I just turned the complete set into sigs just now, it's so useless. Even the special skills it offers are garbage compared to the damage I do with a crafted staff... I would recommend a crafted staff ten-thousand times over Zann Esu's. Just my 2-cents.
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Jampula
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Nice rant.
It's not news that most of the sets are total garbage, you can do much better with crafts and RW's.
Istaryu
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Taem wrote:Hi, in your guide, you recommend for items Zann Esu's set. I got the full set and I'll tell you now it really sucks... There is literally no reason to use that POS set ever, as crafts and runewords are ten-thousand percent better. It's a shame the devs wasted time developing such a lack-luster set for such a great sub-class actually. Oh well.

(note: it would be an interesting combo for a light sorc to attempt to max dex instead of energy using that skill which converts 50% dex to energy, then this sub class could attempt 75% block, but not an ice sorc, no way)

I was using a crafted 2H Staff for awhile since it was doing about 1.5x the damage of Zann's useless set, then I found the Elemental Storm Gnarled Staff and I am rocking the pillars of heaven with this thing doing a minimum of 2x the total damage output of Zann's --->>>>AND<<<---- the cast rate is infinitely better than Zann's... As a matter of fact, I 100% would not recommend an orb and shield combo for any sorc at all ever. You'll waste so much everything trying to reach FPS cast rate, such a shame. Consider this... I'm doing 2x the damage of Zann's on paper x a FCR doubling Zann's so my damage output is literally 1000% more... Fuck Zann's.

As your guide mentioned, I was indeed having minor mana problems, but I socketed my staffs with P.Sapphires and they all went away. Eventually I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Witchmoon Amulet, and that solved that problem so I put Thai runes in my staff. And my Moonwrap literally adds +1K damage as opposed to most everything else. Honorific boots give me every lacking stat and I'm 77% all resists in Hell (150%+ actual) without a single point into anything but Energy.

Anyway, my point is I would not recommend Zann Esu's for anything. It's garbage. Literally, I just turned the complete set into sigs just now, it's so useless. Even the special skills it offers are garbage compared to the damage I do with a crafted staff... I would recommend a crafted staff ten-thousand times over Zann Esu's. Just my 2-cents.


The set is good, but only for farming. You get free 50% phys res from the set, and ice bolt nova, which is decent for clearing. The lack of damage isnt a problem, because you dont need that much damage to kill most enemies in like 2-3 spells in fauzt.
It is just like caster zon set, it is utter garbage for bossing, but it works wonders for farming with the 1k laek.
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Taem
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Jampula wrote:Nice rant.
It's not news that most of the sets are total garbage, you can do much better with crafts and RW's.


Lol, well I traded a laz trophy fragment which dropped from a goblin for the complete set because it was recommend and I was looking for a way to bump up my damage output but was sorely disappointed at the outcome. Oh well.
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Taem
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Dru, you have an amazing guide sir! After spending at least five days really studying items, I think you hit the nail on the head with end game gear! I didn't look too much at your end game setup because I was really frustrated with Zanns performance so I started doing my own research and then I looked at the gear you specified for end game and it is almost identical! Actually, you had some better ideas than I did! So my hats off to you man, you really put in the effort and chose the perfect endgame gear, kudos!

Re endgame skills, I had to swap back to light for survivability... Yes, poison did about 25% more damage, however it was like 1HKO everywhere I went, felt like glass cannon build tbh. I skipped whirlpool and instead maxed warp with left overs in snow and damn, 5% chance to be struck in any uber. I'm getting wrecked in fautz however... Not sure if they shoot magic or physical . Speaking of which, I want to farm Quov but I can't figure out how to get 175 physical resist...what do you recommend??