I know there’s a lot of discussion around Blizz Sorc alternatives revolving around either nerfing Blizzard which I agree with but also crating competitive options like buffing FOrb. The problem is that balancing FOrb vs Blizzard seems like a very fine line. The way FOrb works is much more comfortable and controllable therefore as soon as it becomes comparable in damage to Blizzard, people will use FOrb instead and we’re back to square one with build variety.
The way I see it, Blizzard shouldn’t have any synergies removed but rather reduced. It is only fair that getting to a very high Blizzard damage requires absolute commitment into the Cold Tree - FOrb has the advantage of delivering massive cold AoE while allowing for a mixed build and this is something that should not be destroyed by adding extra synergies while trying to make FOrb a competitive choice. I think the most reasonable way to go about it, without overshooting the mark, would be to raise Ice Bolt’s synergy with FOrb from 2% to 5% and make the FOrb bolts pierce through enemies instead of being absorbed on impact. Along with toning Blizzard’s synergies a little, this could provide a more level playground and give players something more to work with other than Blizzard Sorceress build that makes everyone nauseous by now.
Fire tree:
Meteor needs it’s summon time removed. It’s a level 30 spell and it deserves to be more effective. It has a lot of potential and it’s incredibly satisfying to use, but the delay from cast to effect makes it frustrating. Even with the summon delay removed, it still has to fly down from the top of the screen - it will always have this slight animation delay meaning it will never be as precise as some other spells and that’s ok. It’s AoE could also use a little bufff - perhaps to 5 or 6 yards instead of the 4.x it currently has. I’d love to see more people using meteor but it’s way to clunky and ineffective now, especially in areas with speedy monsters around. I don’t think this would make it op, tbh I don’t think it would make it a prime choice either but at the very least it could find its way into some builds and see efficient use outside of a couple of boss fights.
Blaze should have its active time increased by a factor of 3 if not 4. It’s never going to be any sort of main offensive spell, but it has great utility - having Enigma on and activating Blaze makes a Sorc super-zippy adding to the fun of being slippery and the ability to reposition between teleports during fights. Having to recast it every 15-20 seconds is the opposite of fun on a character that usually has loads of more important spells to manage all at the same time. Most buffs in the game like Enchant or Holy Shield last for ages on higher levels making them comfortable and worth using - why not Blaze ?? If you make it more viable by increasing its duration - literally a one point investment with all the +skills every Sorc has, will offer a great deal of fun and mobility. It balances itself out by making a zippy Blaze-active Sorc susceptible to clicking in the wrong place and getting herself into trouble. I see no reason why Blaze lasts around 20 sec on level 20 - having to constantly recast it is what makes the majority of players not bother using it.
EDIT:
I know there’s a lot of people that are so desperate to shake things up that propositions like these sound too subtle to them. Please remember that this is a 20-year-old game with a very well established community that worked years to grind the gear for their builds - we would do wise to proceed using small steps rather than all-out revolutions every patch.