Engersion wrote:Do you think Lightning + Poison would be better suited at least until you get some decent gear?
With the removal of Frost Armor I don't really see much of a point in investing in the Cold Tree outside of Snow Queen, especially when Ice Elementals just straight up die in most cases. The extra defense and Maximum life don't seem comparable to the passive mitigation and active mitigation offered by Poison tree in terms Vengeful Power and Miasma. The downside is there is more micro involved with managing Miasma.
Once you have access to decent gear then Vengeful Power loses its attractiveness. At that point Snow Queen becomes a much better option. Although I'm wondering if Miasma alone is worth investing in the Poison Tree at least until the final bosses where you'll have dedicated gear anyway.
Probably. Like I said, it looks good on paper, but I haven't tested it yet this patch. I've started testing on a Poison/Lightning build now.
The %DR from Vengeful Power is hard to beat early on, and the Max Life you get is the same as you'd get with 25 points Snow Queen. Plus, you'll still have the Avoid and TCD from Warp Armor. Snow Queen's flat defense does synergize nicely with Warp Armor's TCD (and later, Baneblade's %Bonus Defense), but that can be simulated with ED MOs and/or Ith Runes when you need a boost. About the only thing Ice Elementals would bring to the table is a cheap, spammable summon for when you need a distraction (e.g. Ennead). As far as Miasma needing more micromanaging from the player, I don't think it would be much more burdensome than using Ice Elementals now.
Later on, Force Blast makes Miasma obsolete in terms of active DR. Yeah, you gotta do the BRC to get it, but it's just such a great skill, especially now that it's a nova.
Tbh, Poison/Lightning could work all the way to the end. The main difference between Poison/Lightning and Lightning/Cold is just the type of defense. With Poison, you'll take damage more often, but the damage you take will be reduced. With Cold, you'll take damage less often, but the damage you do take will be greater than without the extra %DR. It's just a personal choice really. But that's the great thing about Melee Sorcs: you can build them in many different ways.