WeatherWitch build theory-crafting

Hi, this build im doing is trying to replicate the weatherwoman sorceress build of diablo 2 using firestorm and herald of ice/thunder.

Main Hand: Pledge of Hands

Firestorm - Added Cold - Added Lightning - Concentrated Effect - Increased Crit Damage - Enhance

I need to do at least enough damage to trigger freeze/shock, added damage gems are used because heralds don't give enough damage. Pledge of Hands is needed as I don't have slots left for Spell Echo and the extra mana allows me to use both arctic Armour and Voidbringer.

Chest: any good rare

Ball Lightning/Arc - Curse on Hit - GMP/Enhance/Enfeeble - Ele Weakness - Assasins Mark - Temporal Chains

Im not sure if I will use BL or Arc, they both have some useful qualities. The Enfeeble gem is only added if I get a +1 curse on amulet. All other curses are to allow me to pass the minimum shock/freeze duration.

Gloves: Voidbringer

Reduced Mana - Herald of Ice - Herald of Thunder - Arctic Armour

Great gloves, the extra lvl is really useful and one day I may be able to get a +1 corrupted one.

Boots: Windscream

Reduced Mana - Clarity - Discipline - Vaal Discipline

Need that extra curse. Also, it will be relatively cheap to get a +1 corrupted one.

Helm: Any good rare

CoDT - Enduring Cry - Increased Duration - Frost Wall

Use the CoDT for free endurance charges. Frost Wall doesn't block firestorm casting, so its a great defensive ability.

Belt: Doryani's Invitation Fire Variant

Need that fire Leech

Amulet and Rings: Any good rare



SkillTree lvl 100



Bandit Quest:
Power charge and skill points.


Any improvement? Having more unique items would be useful, as it gives me less variables to control.

So no one has an idea to improve this?

Unless you're desperat for resists, i would suggest dropping the strength-strength-endurance charge-armour/es-Faith and Steel, and instead pick up more ES from the scion wheel. Currently you're spending 5 point to get 15% es and 8% resistance with a buff to res and phys reduction ONLY IF YOU EXCEED 3 CHARGES from enduring cries. With those 5 points you could get 3 6% ES nodes and then have 2 spare to pick up some cast speed, or spell damage, or just more ES.

Also most of your casting will be done from a distance, and is not channelled (like flameblast or incinerate which you need to keep up to get to the top damage) so my question would be "is the cast interruption wheel worth it for you? you could link from the spell crit and save 2 nodes there too. Of course you may need the dex, but you can pick up 30 from one node and still end up saving a node. It all depends on what stats you can get by with having on gear.

I might switch temp chains out for an individual elemental curse (probably flamability if i were you) if it were softcore, but temp is nice for HC safety.

That's all i can think of from the top of my head. Others may come up with better ways to help you, as i don't know how much crit you would need on a spec like this.

Well, the main reason I go for that extra endurance charge and Stun Interruption is because, on my experience with firestorm, while it can rack up the damage really fast you need your target to stay put, if he moves a lot you wont hit him at all. You need a bait for them (using zombies right now but they go down too fast on harder maps) so I'm trying to use myself as bait. That extra 4% physical reduction is really powerful combined with Arctic Armour and given that I don't have anything else to stop stuns (really dangerous for a CI character) the stun avoidance could save me.

About changing temp chains for flammability, while my damage would go up by a lot, if I don't get a shock/freeze then my entire build is useless. Temp Chain not only helps me to keep mobs on place and stay alive, it also increases status effect duration by over 50% (thanks to curse effect increase).

Anyway, thanks a lot for telling me your changes, ill keep them in mind and when I finally get a free full passive refund (probably now for the 1.3 update) and start this build I will be able to get the data I need to know for sure if my defenses are ok or if I can go a bit more offensive.

I would suggest using a Three Dragons in this build unless you need a different unique helm.

This would make your Firestorm much more effective at shocking which would also increase your chances of freezing (on shocked targets).