I’ve been spending quite a bit of time checking out guides, video etc on sorc builds particularly when it comes to leveling. Using the D2 planner I put the following together for a Frozen orb/FB 1-40 starter build with the ability to continue on maxing orb through NM.
Please feel free to critique but if you think it sucks and I suck at least give compelling reasons why!
3 things I want to accomplish here.
- Fun build, I’ve always been partial to Frozen orb sorc
- Viable
- No respec needed at least until more end game stuff.
Skill point allocation Orb/FB 1-40
- Firebolt
Den Icebolt
Lvl 3 Warmth
4 and 5 save.
At level 6 frost nova, static, ice blast
7,8,9,10,11 Save
Level 12: 1 into inferno, blaze, FB, and teleK
2 points saved
13 FB
14 FB
15 FB
Rad Save
16 FB
17 FB Make stealth
18 FB, glacial, firewall and teleport
Zero points saved
19 FB - Make leaf. Gnarled staff
20 FB
21 FB
22 FB
23 save
24 Blizz/meteor
25-29 save
Level 30 with izual 8 points saved
1 into orb, 1 into Cold Mastery 1 into fire mastery
5 points saved
30-35 1 into Orb and 1 into Cold Mastery
Zero points remaining
35-40 all into orb
Level 40 (or earlier) begin to move into spirit, insight, lore, ancient pledge etc
I’ve got similar plans.
I’m really not a fan of using Meteor, so I’m just going to skip it entirely. It saves a few points in its pre-reqs which can be diverted to Firebolt to make the first couple levels a bit easier and buff fireball when you get it at 12. So, unless you just enjoy using Meteor or really want to moat Meph, it’s something to consider.
But its required for mastery and I think just having a point + skill stuff with that will help FB as well it also does some boosting of FB dmg.
Edit: Nvm its not required for mastery. That does make things a bit more interesting.
I’m going fire/cold as well, but will be going strictly fire through normal, respecing into frozen orb in nm and begin building firewall in act 5 nm with a single point in fire mastery. As soon as I’m through hell, I’ll go strictly cold.
hummm, i love playing hydra and orb 
it’s safe to play.
all boss can be kill easily ^^
To be honest put points in any tree and sorc will do fine in normal. You don’t even need to put gear on for normal.
Quickest way to level a sorc:
-Start pushing your points into charged bolt.
-When level 15ish, restat and either push them into nova or frost nova. (frost nova is safer, nova does more damage, best ofc do maxed nova with 1 in frost nova, and use both). Both skills are very mana intensive, so you want to wear socketed stuff with all the blue gems you find. Also use some tir runes if you find them. Since you will be restating later, some points into mana and some red gems in gear is just as good. Youll also want to fill most of your inventory with blue pots at every town visit.
-After NM den, restat and push frozen orb.
-After frozen orb is maxed, and cold mastery = 10ish, add meteor and fireball.
-After you can afford infinity, respec and go lightning.
Ofc always add in some static field, teleport and frozen armor. (but not during those first 12 levels when you dont have excess points)
I can only give you compelling reasons why your desire for no respec sucks: You get 3 free and when you get to end game, you can easily earn more respecs. You can save alot of time of your road to hell act 5 by using your respecs, its worth it. In the time you saved, you can kill mephi dozens of times, and soon you will be rich and you wont even be picking up those respec tokens anymore.
Your plan is a damn struggle to get to level 12, you either lost an hour right there, or you are having others carry you while saving up all those points. Much more fun and faster to have other try and keep up with the killing machine that is you. Then you go fireball, fireball works reasonable, but nothing beats the nova skills in normal.
Isn’t cold THE immunity most things always have? It’s been a while since I played hell mode but afair the immunity I ran into mostly was cold. Not sure though how much the mastery does help with that
One I liked was max Warmth + Fire wall + Fire Mastery + Frozen orb. One point to all necessaries, cold mastery high enough, rest to ice bolt.
Liked it alot and it cleared most places and had awesome mana regen. Infinity also ofc at the end.
Only place it had no business doing was soloing tristram. But ppl have smiters for that.
Yes cold is the most common immunity and it is the hardest one to break. In Nightmare frozen orb is god though because it is relatively powerful without needing 60 points in synergies. (firewall would probably also be good damage for that reason, but its not so convenient in playstyle)
On hell difficulty, when you have the level to use the synergy points, the skills with strong synergy like blizzard, fireball, meteor, lightning and chain lightning have tons more damage potential though.
Infinity can break immunities. Cold mastery does not. Lightning immunity is easiest to break.
It is. On hell, I can skip most unnecessary cold immunes with teleport. Firewall is there to get enemies like Oblivion Knights in Chaos Sanctuary (who stand still) and the Ancients (who can be made to stand still), who can’t be skipped, and is great because its damage stacks. When I go Blizzard, I plan to farm places without cold immunes like Andarial, mausoleum, ancient tunnels, Mephisto, and maybe cows/pindle.