Mana Feedback Sorceress [1.2]

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Solfege
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Grasshopper wrote:How much stronger would you say this build is after your latest update?

I am getting the impression that what your work shows is that the feedback damage type needs some improvements in the upcoming patches. It seems a serious disadvantage that there are no items that boost the damage type or reduce enemy resistances.


Much stronger compared to the 1.1.3 build. The Chronofield fix made a big difference. Enemy Phys res isn't as high as enemy Elemental res, so getting -28% to -32% Phys pierce from Chronofield is enough. The real problem is enemies with high DR. Chronofield doesn't do jack against them (or if it does, it isn't noticeable). That's where you need something like Hailstorm, Psicrown, or Psionic Storm.

I don't think Feedback spells need major improvements, per se, but I do agree Feedback Sorc needs some dedicated gear. 1 mid-level RW and 1 SSSU is pathetic compared to the amount of items other builds have access to.

As for the spells themselves, they just have some frustrating drawbacks that make them difficult to use by end-game. They're some of the slowest spells, and in a game like this, you don't have time to stand around waiting to see if they hit. Chronofield makes it a bit easier, but it still takes some pre-planning to get the most out of each cast.

Feedback spells also have a limited range. This is incredibly frustrating when so many enemies can gang-rape you from far off-screen. It's also the main reason this build sucks so bad in Fauzt. You just have to accept that a Feedback Sorc is a mid-range caster, which is why you need to be tanky enough to take some hits.

PanPrezesJohny wrote:Hey I'm pretty new to Median and have some question about this build. I'm in act 5 terror right now and it's pretty hard to play. I don't get it how can I use Sacred Rare items if I need 400+ str or dex ( I have something about 120str and 200dex with gear). What should I do right now and why should I use Honorific items instead of some uniques? Oh and my Ice Elementals are instadying, they are lvl 20+ .


You don't use Sacred items until End-Game when you have enough +Attributes Charms. Honorifics are used in part to boost your STR and DEX so you can wear T5-T6 versions of your TU gear. That way, you can put more points into NRG. Remaining MO space is used mostly for boosting summons and MF.

Ice Elementals will always be squishy, but make sure you have enough Minion Res (at least an extra +50% in Terror; +75% to make them immune). If you have spare points, put them in Frigid Sphere instead of the Ice Elementals skill to give them a higher Life boost. +Minion Life MOs will also help.
Darkness08
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Im new here and not a pro at the game but very much a fan question i have is how do you get mana sweep cooldown to 0 after casting antimass? Because for me there is a cooldown after casting.
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Solfege
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Replied via PM, but posting here for others' benefit as well.

Mana Sweep needs 10 Base Points to eliminate its cooldown timer. Skill Points won't do it. The earliest that can happen is at clvl 66.

Antimass' CD timer can be reduced with Skill Points, but you can never get enough +Skills to eliminate it completely.
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Solflege, I have been comparing your build to ChuckNoris's #16 Reanimatrix mana sorceress.

The main differences seem to be that Chuck uses the fie tree vs your cold tree - also he uses a Barbarian versus the Priestess in your build.

Since you have just revisited this build I am just wondering what made you decide cold/Priestess is the better option. To be clear I am not suggesting that one build or the other is better; I genuinely do not know so I would like to understand why you made the choices you did.

At the moment I am playing with an abjurer and the lack of any tanking is not good. I can see that either the ice elementals or a barbarian mercenary would be very useful but I cannot decide which to try (how would both work out?). I can also imagne that Shatter the Flesh and Abyss could be useful skills at 1 point.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts.
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Grasshopper wrote:[...]


Trigger warning: wall of text incoming.

I just looked over Chuck's build. His Sorc and my Sorc share a few gear suggestions, but beyond that, it looks like they're 2 completely different animals with 2 completely different playstyles.

Main Build Differences

Reanimatrix:
  • “Hybrid” Feedback build that mains Arcane Torrent, with Flamestrike for supplemental damage.
  • Uses Fire/Lighning passives for survivability and more Flamestrike damage.
  • Uses reanimates to tank.
  • Most effective with a full Mana bulb.
  • Moderate skill-switching.

Dominus Magicae:
  • “Pure” Feedback build that mains Mana Sweep, with Immersion for bosses and Thunderstone/oskills for Phys-immunes.
  • Uses Lightning/Cold for tankiness (for both PC and minions) and Antimass for survivability.
  • Uses Blade Spirits to tank.
  • Most effective with an empty Mana bulb.
  • High skill-switching.

Conclusion:
I haven't played Chuck's build, so I can't say which one is “better,” nor would I b/c different people like different things in a build. But based on the skills he uses, his is probably easier and has a more passive playstyle. I'd say mine is tankier and has a more active playstyle.

The “Whys” of my Build

As far as why I chose Cold+Priestess, it's because her skills, your passives, and Ice Elementals' Frost Armor all synergize beautifully. I'll try to explain w/o getting too wonky.

As you know, Warp Armor makes you, your Blade Spirits, and your Ice Elementals tankier. Then you add in Frost Armor to make the whole party even tankier than that, including your merc. However, survivability is still an issue for your summons early on. That's where the Priestess comes in. Her Vindicate buff gives your summons a source of regen, which boosts their survivability. And it increases their damage, which helps them kill faster so they can take advantage Vindicate's regen. By merc clvl 90, she gets Tremor, which increases everyone's killspeed.

By the time you get to the farming stage, your summons are tanky enough that you don't really need a merc to keep them alive. So you can hire an Abjurer for raw power.

I don't recommend Barb or Shapeshifter mercs for this build specifically. For some reason, your own killspeed drops dramatically when using these 2 mercs. I don't know exactly why, but I suspect Gift of the Wild (Barb) and Bloodlust (Shapeshifter) add ND to your own skills. Also, using a Barb merc makes killing the Butcher impossible.

Final Thoughts

This build isn't the easiest to play. If I can get my mic to work and get OBS set up so videos aren't choppy af, would a casual playthrough+commentary video series be valuable to anyone? Something to explain how/why things are done the way they are?
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darkstorm
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Grasshopper wrote:
This build isn't the easiest to play. If I can get my mic to work and get OBS set up so videos aren't choppy af, would a casual playthrough+commentary video series be valuable to anyone? Something to explain how/why things are done the way they are?


coz it's unplayable current patch. take a look at mana swept sorc in older median, even the one 4-5 ladders ago or even better some quite one like v.1f9b. in the second mentioned mana sorc was op coz of passive skill that enlarged mana amount by percentage and increased all skills maximum lvl (based on skill lvl). sorc could deal with most enemies in one shot of mana swept which could have been spammed all the time with no spell timer.
the only problem was uberquests and magic immunes. and that was the case why it was useless build in median - destinated only for farming, never much in need against serious uber-challanges.
none of modders still handled with it, mb coz no1 in modteam likes magic-sorc?
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OBS is a good program. The only one I got to work from all those free streaming programs. It is always helpful, but not really necessary for a guide. After all you can put all that Information in the Guide.
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Solfege
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@darkstorm
What do you mean it's unplayable in current patch? Maybe it was op in some old versions of Median, but Feedback Sorc works well enough in the current patch. She can still 1-shot 80%-90% of the screen with Mana Sweep, even in most Uber levels. And Immersion does well enough against most Uber bosses (when it actually hits). Phys-immunes aren't really a huge problem b/c Thunderstone and/or decent oskills. Enemies with high %DR are the real pain. But again, oskills. Immersion's range and speed could be better though. Would be nice if it made it to the end of the screen at least...

@Hecht
The info in the guide makes sense to me, but I've had people say they still don't really understand how the build works. The guide is a lot to read, especially for non-native English speakers, so I wondered if video tutorials would be easier to understand.
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HechtHeftig
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Well, as a foreigner myself, I find it easier to read than to listen to someone, especially when the different dialects kick in. But yeah, you can try it. The more media there is, the better.
Grasshopper
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Personally I prefer a written guide because I can go back, re-read, jump from place to place. With videos I keep pausing, re-winding and trying to find the part I want to review.
Other people may see it differently re videos, but your guide is very well written and structured so it suits me well.

I just noticed your use of Blade Spirits from the melee tree, that's a clever touch.