Ice & Blood Celestial Seraphim

[Flooxim 50]

This is my first guide ever so it might not be perfect, and I'm ready to read any suggestions you could have.

 

It uses features from Ice & Blood so the playstyle won't be the same with Fallen Angel or on consoles.

 

When I read that Ice & Blood would allow Magic Staffs to become a ranged weapon, I told myself I had to try it. Plus, I've always been interested into Stick_em's guide about his Celestial seraphim, so I decided to combine both of these things in the same build.

 

So here's my build :

 

Skills

------------

Lv. 2:Celestial Magic Lore-----------------------------------200--------To increase efficiency of Celestial Combat Arts.

Lv. 3:Tactics Lore-----------------------------------------------9--------To Unlock Magic Staffs and get Mods for Dashing Alacrity.

Lv. 5:Celestial Magic Focus----------------------------------200--------To reduce cooldown of Celestial Combat Arts.

Lv. 8:Magic Staffs----------------------------------------------50--------To make staff become a ranged weapon. Put extra points here.

Lv.12:Armor Lore----------------------------------------------75--------To wear better armor faster.

Lv.18:Constitution---------------------------------------------75--------To have more health and more health regen.

Lv.25:Ancient Magic-------------------------------------------75--------To boost spell damage

Lv.35:Combat Discipline--------------------------------------75--------To boost spell damage, and lower regen.

Lv.50:Revered Technology Focus-----------------------------9--------To mod Divine Protection.

Lv.65:Combat Reflexes---------------------------------------75--------To increase chance of dodge attacks and crits.

 

Combat Arts

--------------

Baneful Smite : Single-Double Target Spell

Radiant Pillar : Crowd Control

Divine Protection : Temporary shield to use when you're overwhelmed

Dashing Alacrity : Speed Bonus

Battle Stance : Attack & Defense Bonus (Only if needed)

Cleansing Brillance : Use against undead in Swamps

 

Combat Arts Mods

----------------

Baneful Smite : Laggard, Confuse, Chain

Radiant Pillar : Hypnosis, Your Choice, Ordeal

Dashing Alacrity : Bloodlust, Delay, Your Choice

Cleansing Brillance : Blind, Purify, Your Choice

Hallowed Restoration : Recuperation, Prevention, Antidote

Divine Protection : Dampen, Uplifted Force, Improved Reflection

 

Combos

------

Combo 1 : Baneful Smite

Combo 2 : Radiant Pillar

Combo 3 : Flaring Nova, Radiant Pillar

Combo 4 : Archangel's Wrath

 

Attributes

----------

90% Intelligence

10% Stamina

-Intelligence is used to boost Staff Damage

 

Equipment

---------

-Revelation of the Seraphim set. It has Damage Mitigation and Life Leech percentage on it.

-Nlovae's Mystery (socketed with a deathblow ring and a ice crystal)

-Ignis Magica (socketed with a deathblow ring and a magic pearl)

-Stalworth's Safeguard : Gives resistance for each element while increasing the Survival Bonus faster.

-Deathblow rings (that could eventually be socketed into your weapon(s))

-Opponents Chance to Evade Rings

-DoT Reduction

-+Skills Rings/Amulets (that could eventually be socketed into your equipment)

-Revelation of the Seraphim set. It has Damage Mitigation and Life Leech percentage on it.

-Damage Mitigation Amulets (that could eventually be socketed into your equipment)

 

Tips

---------------

-Your use of Battle Stance will directly depends on the amount of Enemy Dodge ring(s) you will use.

-Radiant Pillar becomes really useful when bosses are low on Health. If you took the Ordeal mod, Radiant Pillar will

deal double damage when bosses are at 25% of their health. At this time, you can tank a little bit and cast several

pillars at the same time. Bosses will then die faster.

-With the Life Leech % Mod, you can tank some of the easiest bosses alone, since you'll be leeching more health than

they are dealing damage to you.

 

Here's the direct link to my Guide to download and use in the Sacred 2 Guide Manager : LINK

 

I will update the guide later with more details.

 

 

Max

[locolagarto 15]

Cool. I havn't really looked hard but this would be the first Celestial guide I have read, I like it!

[Dobri 55]

Well, it certainly looks like an interesting build that is worth trying. However, I do have a few observations (which by no means are here to show that I don't like your build).

 

- Tactics lore - 9 points. Well, 9+All skills may provide a somewhat decent number, but the damage inflicted by the staffs will still be rather low for the higher difficulties (even with +int, since there's nothing to boost it like acute mind for the dryad, for example) and you may be hard pressed to play with your Combat Art's rather than shoot. If one considers to use staffs as effective ranged weapons alongside the pillars and smites, a more serious investment is required. In addition to that, more points here will allow you to mod Battle Stance and get + reflection and + evasion, which should complement the build's idea well.

- Revered Tech focus - 9 points. Once again, 9+All skills should provide a decent number to make Divine Protection somewhat effective through +Combat Art and rune reading. However if I recall what I read about Ice and Blood properly, if you keep the char in a single aspect, you get better regen bonuses for it (this makes me wonder if tactics lore is considered aspect skill?!). As such, if you're using only DP for defense, I would rather add toughness and enjoy some 10+ percent further damage mitigation at all times. Since your build is partially based on damage mitigation as well, that should complement it well.

 

As for shields, the new Kira's Wall and Glacial Defender complement this build well and will provide even further damage mitigation (not to mention that Kira's wall has block chance close combat and projectiles based on Shield lore). To make them even more useful, shield lore mastery will provide quite a nice boost to close combat blocking (which with eternal block or a rare shied with stacked close combat block may become uber), which is the usual pain in Niobium when enemies decide to swarm you or start inflicting more damage then they should.

 

In theory, using your idea one could easily enjoy an invulno-celestial seraphim build with very high damage mitigation, evasion and close combat blocking values along with some reflection if you still get tactics lore or even better, exalted focus. As such I propose as a backup idea for this build to drop a few points from celestial aspect, skip revered focus, tactics lore and staffs and add toughness, shield lore and maybe exalted focus (or keep revered focus instead).

Edited March 13, 2010 by Dobri

[Flooxim 50]

Well, it certainly looks like an interesting build that is worth trying. However, I do have a few observations (which by no means are here to show that I don't like your build).

 

- Tactics lore - 9 points. Well, 9+All skills may provide a somewhat decent number, but the damage inflicted by the staffs will still be rather low for the higher difficulties (even with +int, since there's nothing to boost it like acute mind for the dryad, for example) and you may be hard pressed to play with your Combat Art's rather than shoot. If one considers to use staffs as effective ranged weapons alongside the pillars and smites, a more serious investment is required.

With this build I was planning to rely mostly on the Celstial Aspect, and less on the others, so I distributed skill points for only what I would be using.

Now that you're talking about it, I think I already started noticing that the Staff damage isn't as high as I would've expected.

 

In addition to that, more points here will allow you to mod Battle Stance and get + reflection and + evasion, which should complement the build's idea well.

The truth is that at level 68 I haven't been using Battle Stance at all, since my chance to hit and my chance to evade have always been great. For example, last night my level 68 seraphim had ~100% chance to hit a level 83 poison spider and had ~15% to get hit.

Like I said in my build, the use of Battle Stance will directly depend on the Enemy Dodge Rings you will find and on your evade chance. But if you tell me that the reflection and the evasion from this buff is significant enough to justify the use of this buff, I'll take that in mind and modify the build according to this.

 

- Revered Tech focus - 9 points. Once again, 9+All skills should provide a decent number to make Divine Protection somewhat effective through +Combat Art and rune reading. However if I recall what I read about Ice and Blood properly, if you keep the char in a single aspect, you get better regen bonuses for it (this makes me wonder if tactics lore is considered aspect skill?!). As such, if you're using only DP for defense, I would rather add toughness and enjoy some 10+ percent further damage mitigation at all times. Since your build is partially based on damage mitigation as well, that should complement it well.

When I started talking about my build in-game some time ago and said I was not planning on using the Energy Shield but only Divine Protection when I feel overwhelmed, people started having doubts. So far, it's been going well by only relying on Divine Protection.

At the moment, my char has 4.8k hp, and Divine Protection protects for 4.8k damage, so that means I can take up to 9.6k damage safely without getting killed. I've been choosing to take Rev Tech Focus to only mod Divine Protection because I'm relying on this protection when I feel I'm getting overhwelmed by monsters and I'm not sure to survive. I've been thinking about taking Toughness instead, but when I had to choose if I prefered if monsters all hit my shield when I'm running away or if they would all deal ~10% less damage directly on my HP, I decided to go for the better safety that Divine Protection gives my character. Maybe I made the wrong choice, maybe not. I've never been further than the gold difficulty, so if either you or someone can prove (preferably with numbers/stats) that Toughness would undoubtely be a better choice for this build, I'll give a serious consideration about this skill on this character and on my future characters.

 

As for shields, the new Kira's Wall and Glacial Defender complement this build well and will provide even further damage mitigation (not to mention that Kira's wall has block chance close combat and projectiles based on Shield lore). To make them even more useful, shield lore mastery will provide quite a nice boost to close combat blocking (which with eternal block or a rare shied with stacked close combat block may become uber), which is the usual pain in Niobium when enemies decide to swarm you or start inflicting more damage then they should.

People have been talking about Kira's Wall in-game some time ago, but I never had a chance to have one for my build. At the moment I'm using a Stralworth's Safeguard socketed with an Artamark's Star to get more Resistance. However, while playing with my seraphim last night, I noticed that with all the bonuses I'm using (Damage Mitigation, Chance to Evade, etc.), Constitution is one of the skills that seems to have the least significant effect on this build. Statistically-wise, would it be more significative to drop the Constitution skill and take Shield Lore instead? Some people have been telling me to take Shield Lore for my build, but I ended up taking Constitution because on the forum I felt this skill was mostly considered as a must-have skill, just like Armor Lore.

 

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback/suggestions! I was truly hoping that someone with your expertise would answer this topic and give his/her thoughts.

 

 

Max

Edited March 13, 2010 by metal_max64

[Dobri 55]

Well, right now on my BFG shopper is level 93 with only 1 point in Exalted focus (I used tactics lore to level up the aspect) and about 160 runes eaten, I have Battle Stance that provides like 35% chance to reflect. That's a pretty good value, it's like 1 in 3 reflected and it's likely to get much better. Evasion was about 40% if I recall correctly, but I think I have a few rings or amulets that boost it. Along with about 40% damage mitigation, she's having very easy time in late gold.

 

As for Divine Protection, I always liked that buff. it's powerful, it's great, it's useful. The only trouble I see with it that it takes some time to recast and duration isn't much. Since now in Ice and Blood boss battles take longer, you may be hard pressed to recast it in battle, which is a bit of inconvenience. Still, it's up to a player's personal preference

 

Constitution is a vital skill in my opinion for any HC build, simply because you never know when the game will surprise you and you'll suffer a few nasty crits in boss battles (especially guardians, sheesh) of when you're swarmed with high-level champions. I always take it as a precaution against such contingency because I'd rather get a skill that will help my char last longer than something that may (or may not) cause problems in the future.

 

In any case, the build is nice and it provides some gameplay diversity. Besides, don't mind me - I'm used to builds in which all skills complement each other to the best...

[locolagarto 15]

Well, right now on my BFG shopper is level 93 with only 1 point in Exalted focus (I used tactics lore to level up the aspect) and about 160 runes eaten, I have Battle Stance that provides like 35% chance to reflect. That's a pretty good value, it's like 1 in 3 reflected and it's likely to get much better. Evasion was about 40% if I recall correctly, but I think I have a few rings or amulets that boost it. Along with about 40% damage mitigation, she's having very easy time in late gold.

 

As for Divine Protection, I always liked that buff. it's powerful, it's great, it's useful. The only trouble I see with it that it takes some time to recast and duration isn't much. Since now in Ice and Blood boss battles take longer, you may be hard pressed to recast it in battle, which is a bit of inconvenience. Still, it's up to a player's personal preference

 

Constitution is a vital skill in my opinion for any HC build, simply because you never know when the game will surprise you and you'll suffer a few nasty crits in boss battles (especially guardians, sheesh) of when you're swarmed with high-level champions. I always take it as a precaution against such contingency because I'd rather get a skill that will help my char last longer than something that may (or may not) cause problems in the future.

 

In any case, the build is nice and it provides some gameplay diversity. Besides, don't mind me - I'm used to builds in which all skills complement each other to the best...

 

I hear you may be joining us in Ice and Blood soon Dobri. that is awesome! Closed Net too? I have a 95 magic/ice elf waiting for your BFg to come play.

 

I like the celestial aspect mainly because I have never played it. my Divine has 200 runes in it and I have Revered tech focus and lore mastered and I get a duration of 37.3 seconds and a cooldown of 40.o with regen per hit the regen is mute. it provides me with 243% absorption warding energy! like I need more than 100. any way its a life saver. I keep warding buff up. and if I get sqeamish I can cast DP which at level 148 gives me 367K energy. if something big enough can take that down( like the 4th Guardian) I use my god spell whcih gives me 100% reflect.

 

I am gonna try this build I think. looks like fun.

 

Oh btw at level 148 with EW focus mastered 200 runes in battle stance my chance to reflect: close combat is 48% and my evade is close to that. my enemy chance to hit has never gone higher than the teens.

[Dobri 55]

well, that's great, actually. It's almost 1 in 2 reflected, which is amazing, to say the least. This means every second strike will not land, and that's a right step towards immortality

[gogoblender 3,315]

Max this is great! You've put out a meaty, detailed guide on a Seraphim and a Celestial Magic one too which has appealing Combat Art's.

 

Congratulations on the build, are you still running it to higher levels?

 

 

gogo

[Flooxim 50]

Congratulations on the build, are you still running it to higher levels?

 

I was using this build when you were "kind of" powerleveling me in the swamps last friday. And yes, I do plan on playing this build for some time.

 

 

Max

[Legosp 14]

Seraphim Celestial Magic build + Moonyspawn mod=

Edited August 12, 2012 by Legosp

[gogoblender 3,315]

WoW!

All the spawns, and your choice of music,

Epic

Good job on this Legos!

This game still loox good

 

 

gogo