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Ice Elf: Looking to get a general check-up


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My Ice Elf has finally reached lvl50 and is just before Octagolamus in Gold. The Orc zone has been pretty tough, though that may just be because swarms of powerful melee guys mixed in with guys who have Ice armour and Stun is tough for an Ice Elf in general. I play on PC with I&B, the CM Patch and the CM Item Patch. My build, so far, has been as follows:

 

Attributes: All Int to 49, then went Int/Vit at 50. I intend to keep that split going ahead.

 

Skills:

Mystic Stormite Lore (at level)

Concentration

Delphic Arcania Focus (at 31; leaving for now)

Mystic Stormite Lore (getting 3 points/level until it catches up)

Armour Lore (at 5; leaving for now)

Bargaining (at level)

Constitution

Ancient Magic

Combat Discipline

(empty) --- will be Shield Lore at 65.

 

Combat Arts:

Frost Flare (unmodded): not worried with runes yet.

Glacial Thorns (Frost, Devastation, Fusilade): trying to keep below 1.0 regen.

Raging Nimbus (unmodded): not worried with runes yet.

Cascading Shroud (Faint, Inconspicuous, Steam): keeping at maximum level.

Crystal Skin (Glacial Mirror, Feel Cold, Frosty Breeze): levelling when -regen% is 10 higher than +regen% ;)

Shadow Step (unmodded): using runes whenever they drop, but well below maximum.

Expulse Magic (Strength, Pentagram, Protection): keeping at maximum level.

Grand Invigoration (Mystic Stormite Expertise, Life Energy, Resilience): keeping at maximum level.

 

Armour:

Co'Nahn's Chestguard: +Inteligence%, +Combat Arts, Block: Combart Arts (socket: Anneal; socket: +Defensive Skills, Block: Projectiles)
Faladal's Gloves: +Critical Chance%, +Frost Flare, +Glacial Thorns, +Regen per Hit (socket: Cast Speed; socket: +Defensive Skills)
Helm: +All Damage%, +Inteligence, Open Wounds, +Ancient Magic
Arms: +All Skills, Spell Intensity, +All Damage%
Waist: Find Valuables, +Stamina, (socket: Anneal; socket: +All Skills)
Legs: +Armour Lore, +Defensive Skills, Spell Resistance, +Defense Rating
Boots: +Mystic Stormite Lore, Run Speed, Block: Root

My main focus here has been bonus to skills and anything defensive. Bonus to physical/ice/all damage has been nice, if possible, but a lower priority. Bonus to Int has been the lowest priority, as my natual Int is already huge. I have Crit Chance, Open Wounds and Regen per Hit on gear, but I do not think they work on spells. I would like more socketed gear, but have not seen any good ones yet.

 

Jewelry:

Clepidide's Talisman: Reflect: Projectiles, Reflect: Close Combat
Gem of Life: +Hitpoints, +Vitality
Mormegil's Finger Hoop: Experience per Kill, Find Valuables
Ring: Casting Speed
Ring: +Inteligence, +Ice Damage%
Ring: +All Skills, +Physical Damage%

No real plans here, just filling in whatever is not socketed into gear. Decent rings for a caster seem really hard to find, as they seem to mostly get boni for weapon-based builds.

 

Weapons:

Kuan's Pride: Halve Regen Time, -Regen%, +Str, +Int (Socket: +Constitution)
Stalworth Safeguard: Survival Bonus, -Secondary Effects%, +Defense Value% (Socket: +Defensive Skills)

The shield is a no-brainer. The weapon's regen benefits seem a good idea, and I have not yet found anything better. It also helps that I look like I am wielding a shard of ice!

 

Strategy:

Prior to reaching the Orcs, I mostly just spammed Glacial Thorns. That was getting pretty rough, so I started using a Frost Flare+Glacial Thorns combo. The DPS is lower, but it makes it a little easier to kite than just Glacial Thorns by itself, which boosts my survivability (will retain only Glacial Thorns for bosses and similar situations). In tough situations, I drop down Expulse Magic which seems to solve most issues. I have only used Cascading Shroud a few times, always as a panic button when I am getting my backside kicked (eg final Nameless Guardian). So far, no deaths. This is the only character I have taken to Gold without death (and still going), so I must be doing something right. I fight on foot, as Glacial Thorns seems buggy while mounted.

 

Questions:

My first question is about my gear. I know it is not perfect, but do I have the right approach? Are any of those choices really bad (other than the gloves: not seen anything better :P ), or my priorities wrong? Is there a list of all modifiers that do not work with spells? I only saw a few explicitly mentioned on the wiki.

 

Secondly, Combat Arts. In two more levels, I will have another mod point to spend. Currently, I am undecided whether I should mod Frost Flare (Spell Flow, undecided, Icy Circle), mod Raging Nimbus (Hurricane, Roar, undecided), or both BUT only to their Silver mod.

 

Skills. I intend to master Mystic Stormite Lore/Focus and Bargaining at 75, then master Constitution (with Delphic Arcania Focus staying at 31 as far as this). Is that a good plan? Is Delphic Arcania Focus a higher priority than I think it is? Is Armour Lore the better defensive skill to master first rather than Constitution?

Edited by Elric of Grans
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Hmmm, playing CM-patch....

Ever considered a maximum CA-range ice elf?

Faladal set, Nlovae staff, this ice shield and this sigil set whose english names I forgot...

 

The shield has CA-range and all type damage mitigation but no block chance proportional to shield lore. Raging nimbus with its radius boosted by a factor of 60% could be a mass killer if spammed. For a max-ca-range ice elf I would probably choose alchemy over shield lore.

 

But it really depends how far you want to play. A single point in shield lore and having kira's shield can block half of all weapon hits. Playing to higher levels and collecting all ca-range stuff available I would go for alchemy. Longer lasting mentors, spammable 100% heal potions ....

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Personally I'd mod nimbus over frost flare - you can even use shadow step to get away from mobs, but that means points in delphic focus if you want the mods. Skills are good, I'd put points in armour lore over constitution. You get great healing from G I buff and you can get great amulets with extra HP plus vitality with a bargainer. Gear is good, maybe more ice damage? Also are you using a buff suit? You wanna maximise frosty breeze benefits.

I try and avoid the big ogres in the orc region (hate being stunned) most of the time I'll farm the orc cave and go fight thranak.
Slightly off topic but I've farmed the forest guardian in platinum using glacial thorns. Didn't think it was possible but I'm playing fallen angel so deathblow is a huge factor.
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Hmmm, playing CM-patch....

Ever considered a maximum CA-range ice elf?

Faladal set, Nlovae staff, this ice shield and this sigil set whose english names I forgot...

 

The shield has CA-range and all type damage mitigation but no block chance proportional to shield lore. Raging nimbus with its radius boosted by a factor of 60% could be a mass killer if spammed. For a max-ca-range ice elf I would probably choose alchemy over shield lore.

 

But it really depends how far you want to play. A single point in shield lore and having kira's shield can block half of all weapon hits. Playing to higher levels and collecting all ca-range stuff available I would go for alchemy. Longer lasting mentors, spammable 100% heal potions ....

Kira's shield can be dropped on gold\platinum\niobium only and with extremely low chance.

What about skills, spell resistance is a better choise however, because at 75 hard point it GREATLY reduces all DOT \ detrimental magig effects (which is too powerful started from platinum difficulty, 5 times as compared with silver)

Edited by mibbs
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Max CA-range would be cool, but I am not too worried about end-game equipment at the moment. I am only in Gold after all ;) If I even reach Noib, I may worry about such things then.

 

While I recognise the power of Alchemy, it does not interest me. Too much fuss to farm the trophies you want and then messing around in the inventory to use them is not my idea of fun.

 

Expulse Magic is essentially creating a magic dead-zone for me (as well as giving me space in situations like the Orc cave), so spells are not terribly threatening. I would have thought Shield Lore would be better than Delphic Arcania Lore, however. A shield with Block creates a chance of 0 damage, which is better than higher regen, and I cannot work out whether or not I need a higher banishing potential. The number is pretty meaningless without a reference point, so I do not know if mine is high, low or otherwise. The skill is pretty meaningless outside those two numbers, hence my low opinion on it (though I could easily be underestimating how much those two number mean).

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Ice Elf does not need any points in Delphic Arcania lore. Hp regen even 500+ hp/sec is usefulness against really serious enemies. HE's Expulse magic doesn't need Delphic Arcania lore, because even without it my character successfully avoid all of magic-type attacks, staying in EM circle. I can say to fully avoid magic type CAs character must have 6 banishing potential/charlvl, this number character has even without Delphic Arcania lore. hehehehe... http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php/Sacred_2:The_most_powerful_protective_CA_in_Sacred_2._How_"Expulse_magic"_works

What about shield lore skill, "chance to block close combat" on shields scales on this skill, chance to block granted shield lore mastery stacks with other melee block bonuses, that can made a character fully immune to close combat (and stun from melee atacks)

Edited by mibbs
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The weekend will be rainy. I think I will give a homework to my second daughter: create a modern (CM-patch) ice elf and explain why you did your skill/stat/mod combinations.

There is probably more than one solution. The one I have in my mind is to mathematical:

maximizing damage density on screen, which is different to the normal damage per second approach.

 

It would need carefully choosing equipment, much like my dragon mage with max CA-range.

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Max CA-range would be cool, but I am not too worried about end-game equipment at the moment. I am only in Gold after all ;) If I even reach Noib, I may worry about such things then.

 

While I recognise the power of Alchemy, it does not interest me. Too much fuss to farm the trophies you want and then messing around in the inventory to use them is not my idea of fun.

 

Expulse Magic is essentially creating a magic dead-zone for me (as well as giving me space in situations like the Orc cave), so spells are not terribly threatening. I would have thought Shield Lore would be better than Delphic Arcania Lore, however. A shield with Block creates a chance of 0 damage, which is better than higher regen, and I cannot work out whether or not I need a higher banishing potential. The number is pretty meaningless without a reference point, so I do not know if mine is high, low or otherwise. The skill is pretty meaningless outside those two numbers, hence my low opinion on it (though I could easily be underestimating how much those two number mean).

 

Yeah you guys are right about Delphic Arcania Lore, it probably won't benefit you as much as Spell Resistance or Shield Lore. One other benefit I didn't mention is increased casting speed, which can make a lot of difference, but since you're only using one Arcane CA in combat (Expulse Magic), it probably won't mean much to be be able to cast it faster.

 

I ranked Spell Resistance above Shield Lore because in my mind, an Ice Elf is going to be able to stay ranged, away from melee attacks, and can frighten away melee attackers with Expulse Magic. On the other hand, you're more likely to get sneak-attacked by some spells (especially in the Blood Forest and Dyr-Lain) that may hit you before you have a chance to put up Expulse Magic. You can't really go wrong with either skill I guess.

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Please do not mention the Blood Forest. I was doing the Blood and Sulphur quest last night with my Seraphim and, at the bit where nine eyes spawn around you, I stupidly stood my ground rather than running backwards. Never saw the presumed simultaneous attack: I just died ;)

 

That you for the advice. I will go ahead with Raging Nimbus over Frost Flare and will master Armour Lore before Constitution (using +hitpoints and +skill amulets to make up the difference). Honestly, a little split at the moment between Spell Reistance and Shield Lore, but still more inclined to go with Shield Lore (chance to block for spells and stun are pretty juicy). That said, I have 15 levels to go before I have to make that decision ;)

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