Saggy and I rolled out an updated guide on D2RuneWizard, which can be found here: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress This gets into specifics a bit more of the comparison & trade-offs. Cheers.
as a veteran of over 10 years in nova sorc. this is a well put together guide and i can honestly say i learned some stuff. well done bro, you earned a sub.
There is 1 important thing you didn't notice, or forgot to mention: He specifically has more Life than Mana, so he can dodge the "Blood mana" curse which is casted by Baal and all the Succubuses
That is correct, MrQuickey. People need to pay attention to it. Note: I called out the Blood Mana Curse in the article I wrote that was linked in the description: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress | You will see the call out under "Effective Health Pool" Thanks for watching, cheers.
Indeed it does, Jay! The hope in bringing this to the surface was to enable a new framework for folks to consider. As we all know, that is what we need right now while we patiently await a potential 2.8 patch ahead of Season 5.
For solo farming p3 or even p5, Crescent moon does just fine with the right skill play. It's not so spendy, and it's really clean with fcr. Nova is just freakin great for quick farming. Especially in the pits.
I'll add... prob the most important piece is the swap on BO's. Once you have that, life gets a lot easier for solo farming and suriving in HC. You'll see this resonate among the community... but it never hurts to put it up as a VITAL piece to being ok in HC
I completely agree! Crescent moon is a great option for solo farming on p3 or p5. It's all about finding the right balance of skills and equipment for your playstyle.
I've been playing D2 since LOD days and I have never realized that Forty has FCR and that its Defensive attributes are massive for casters. I will definitely try out the Nova - Forty Setup next Season. Considering you definitely need a 2/15 Amu, this build a lot more expensive than conventional Nova, though. :(
Looks like Forty was hiding its talents all this time! Discovering new strategies and builds in a game you've been playing for years is always exciting. Just remember, with great power comes great expense. Good luck with the Nova-Fort setup, and may your enemies fear your mighty caster, Janehren.
So I ended up following this in HC Ladder and went fortitude w/ defiance, infinity, griffon and I must say, the added safety makes it very zen to play in HC. BUT, up until infinity you can feel the lower damage and it it less smooth than viper magi due to having a bit more fcr constraints meaning you will have more pressure on your other slots. I ended up sacrificing mana to get the required resistance + maintaining 105 fcr and whenever a build has mana issues it can feel pretty bad to play for dozens of hours. Good build, very expensive due to 105fcr being mandatory and adding high stress on your gear and charms.
I appreciate you trying out the build and sharing your thoughts. It's great to know that the added safety of fortitude and defiance made the gameplay more zen for you in HC. Absolutely, trade-offs, as you mentioned. As always with the Nova Sorc (especially if self-wield) the Infinity is vital. I noted this in the video and on the blog post (apologies if I forgot), but you need to slam some MP's in this style of build since your mana pool is generally much lower, balancing the increased HP pool. For me, I usually would go the Viper route until I had the component pieces I required. The good news is that the Viper setup, as we know, is standard and very viable. Thanks for watching, Zdaar - stay safe out there.
As you said, Tyrant, it is a fun and interesting construct. Spending a few hours with it was enjoyable, and I could immediately feel the benefits in those acute dangerous scenarios. Since switching to this framework, Saggy hasn't lost a Nova Sorc in nearly two seasons, so he has a lot more hands-on experience with it. Cheers, and thanks for watching.
Holy Freeze is actually a better survivable Merc set-up for Nova Sorc. It sucks on something like a Javazon that requires density but rocks hard on a Nova build. The extra defence from a Defiance merc only lowers your chance to be hit by another 5% or so after the chilling armor proc, while Holy Freeze slows you getting hit at all by 30% irc.
Hey, Viperswhip, it is closer to 8-10% from the examples I took screenshots of with different monsters. Also dependent on your level gap from the monster level and their chance to hit you, so you need to compare different variables. Holy Freeze can give Crowd Control protection, but that doesn't translate to getting hit less without comparing all the variables. When you also Nova, you stun, and in your typical telestomp playstyle, the combination of ES + 12K defense more or less mitigates the high propensity of monster hits. There is nothing wrong with trying Holy Freeze - every build style is subjective in Diablo 2. Appreciate you watching - cheers.
In my experience, defiance does far more than a 5% boost, and that could be shown in a future video. As for Holy freeze, it accomplishes a similar effect by reducing how often you get hit, but with an unnecessary cost to clear speed. There is a gap between aggro and nova radius where chilled enemies will remain after you've cleared the ones nearby.
I'd just go for the 63 fcr Breakpoint which just opens up so many great options which are much better imo. Especially mods like damage and magic damage reduction, while having much higher manapool and higher ES.
Multiple ways to build and play. I personally never max ES on any single Sorc; I prefer 70% especially in HC which gives more overflow and hard point optionality. 63 can be rough on SW Nova, but you can easily hit 105 if you play the viper build. But to your point, you could still do Fortitude at 63 and not require the 2/15 amulet! Let me know if you come up with a fun build at 63. Thanks for watching - cheers.
@@WarTh3ory It's just personal preferences, but yes vipermagi is such a good chestpiece imo. The way i play ES builds is to stack a lot of mr and dr, it makes you pretty much feel like a tank VS everything but Poison and manaburn. You can still have a decent healthpool via pure life mods and cta as Vitality doesn't do much for a sorc imo. Basically i forgo the one fcr Breakpoint for higher life mana, dr and mr and es. A dream setup is also interesting even purely for the pulse damage, it feels safe to cull a lot of enemies before jumping in with nova.
@@Doppe1ganger I personally play ES Orb and she is the epitome of a min/max perfection of the hybrid Immortal Build. ~70% ES, 55% Block, MDR/PDR integer ofc, and she is around 1.3K VIT // 1.6K Mana protected by the Tri-Stack Merc. She also has 63 FCR BP. There is another variation of her that I have built that is even more optimized.
@@WarTh3ory What's a tri-stack merc? Lately i enjoy pushing ehp to the max. Currently thinking about a enhantress, lots of prebuffing, enchant, ES, chilling armor, then gearing for dr, mdr, max block, decent defense, a bit of absorb, high fire and lightning max resist, and a lot of mana. But where to get resists, it feels like a puzzle because i still need to get resists from somewhere so sacrifices have to be made.
true your character is tanky with all the gg gear, but i noticed while clearing chaos or anything for that matter you never used static field. that will cut your runs down honestly by half. static 2-3 times then nova till dead. will help alot with more hp chars like the demon lords in chaos and light immunes for sure
Hi, Jet. This was deliberate to showcase the tankiness of the build. You are spot on-static is always warranted on this build! In reality, I should of stated that in the video since a few other comments noticed the same.
Please do! It won't be everyone's cup of tea necessarily, but after you get bored of playing the cookie cutter, a little variety never hurts. Cheers, Ko0Le3pY.
You can drop Skillers, no problem. Also, what a Cube is used for - I do the same in my HC Holy Grail with an entire open Cube, which solves the problem.
This is like the opposite of Macrobioboi's "Double Nova" build - both pretty cool takes on tweaking the self wield Infinity Nova sorc. May have to try this out actually! Could maybe be a good setup for defending against BvC PKers?
It absolutely would be. I was actually going to call out the Nova Proc benefits in this guide, which is a consideration you can also make by switching certain gear slots in/out as needed. But yes, his framework is very different.
Every build I do is HC. Playing sc really doesn't cut it anymore, not sure why. Maybe economy or ease of play? Both? Either way, if you haven't tried HC, give it a whirl till you can comfortably do hell. WHATEVER YOU DO.... do not get COMFORTABLE. (I know against what I said above) What I mean is... I was 97 and about to hit 98. The feeling of that... I can't really put into words, if you know, you know. Most of it was solo too. I opened a cow level, didn't prebuff my MS and I ended up on a cowking spawn on portal. I was instantly dead, and so was my ego lol. I hope someone reads this and at least remembers it ... saving them a very scary and disheartening moment.
"Comfortable" and "hardcore" are two words that definitely don't go hand in hand! Thanks for the reminder to always stay on our toes and not let our guard down, even in the most seemingly harmless situations. Your Deeds of Valor Shall NOT be remembered, Johnny....welcome to the Shadow realm. Needless to say, these experiences stick with you!
HAHA! Indeed this one will. The immediate deaths are always the ones leaving you sitting there staring at the screen with jaw dropped to the belly button lmao@@WarTh3ory
Holy sh That fct question on fortitude really got me hahahaha I love the build crafting aspect of this game, and I appreciate you shedding light on this awesome build!! Even though I dare not venture into hardcore territory hahaha Have a good one buddy
I wanted to catch a few people with this one...glad you found joy and a good laugh with it. Cheers, Gustavo. Thanks for watching and always supporting.
Spot on, Matteo. For the purposes of this I was just attempting to demonstrate the tankiness factor less speed. I did a handful of runs using static and Nova comparing the Viper vs Fort setups and yes while Viper of course had better overall speed it was very minimal spreads. Thanks for watching, cheers.
Hi, Claudia - Can you provide a bit more color and context. You are sitting in town and it immediately goes off? In order to recreate/reverse engineer your experience, it would be helpful for you to telegraph and share your steps and in what acute instance this is occurring. Thanks!
@@WarTh3ory I'll post it here again too sorry for the spam :D Yes. when i go into an area and cast my energy shield and then teleport into the first few mobs and start killing them, i notice that my life goes away very quickly and i notice my energy shield is no longer on, even though i cast it a few seconds ago. The mana is still very full at this point, sometimes mobs knock me down to less than 10% mana without running out. Some say the ability energy shield ends when you reach 0 mana, is that true? Sometimes I reach zero mana and my energy shield stays on.
@@WarTh3ory This is strange because the question is whether this is a bug? Sometimes I have no problems with it at all but sometimes it just happens. Is it because there is a problem with the duration, that when the energy shield is cast and re-cast in between the duration is not renewed. There is only one video on UA-cam that I have found that reports this phenomenon, that is the name of the video: "D2R Bug - Energy Shield Duration does not restart"
@@claudiahelmer4706 Know it is being discussed in the Discord; bizarre and could be duration related. ES can be fickle so curious what the group determines could be the source of the problem.
@@2222przeme Hi, przeme, when you run in Diablo, your defense drops to 0. Some sorcs will turn this walk into a good practice since you mainly are teleporting. If you walk vs. run you are good to go. Cheers.
ruuning hoto with merc using infin is best in slot. ive got a lvl 92 nonladder last season nova sorc shit on all p8 and clea tz with NP. But i dont run magi lol i run enigma griffs with sojs m arachnids 2 20 and spirit. cta and travs frosstburns..... ive even pked with the merc. really fun tbh
The beauty of this game is that it offers tons of fun theories or frameworks that work in different scenarios for different players and styles. I love to hear you found yours, and it's mowing my dude. Saggy and I are both exclusive HC players, and while Viper was working for him, he found himself in spicy situations more often than not, and since he made the transition here, he hasn't lost a Nova Sorc in some time. Cheers, friend.
Depends on the area you are farming, Ballantine. Java, of course, can also have High-Tankiness, good AoE clear speed, and good boss Single-Target effect with CS.
I used to play java 99ias 99fcr she was extremely quick with cleaning everything. Build was with spirit as I haven't found need of stormshield. With evade it was just not needed. I was using 4/40 with ml
Enigma is always an interesting slot for a Sorc, but you sacrifice and lose FCR which puts you primarily at 63 FCR BP which will not be effective for SW Infinity; you need to be 105%+. This would be a significant trade-off. The only way for you to hit 105% would be a 2/20 amulet highly expensive and rare. Then there are the additional considerations: - Fortitude already has LPL (life per level) so Increasing by 5% from Enigma is not necessarily more significant; function of your total base HP - No Resistance on Enigma - No Proc'd Chilling Armor on Enigma (Massive defensive boost) // Would require a pre-buff +3 CA Memory - can be done, yet annoying to constantly pre-buff and then swap to CTA - No TGODs (need arach) so you lose +%Max Light Res // Absorb Overall, Fortitude especially in the context of this framework, and for Hardcore would be a better build than Enigma for ES SW Infinity.
@@WarTh3ory also understanding the mechanics of a high energy shield will remove the need for resistances (minus poison) so most of the normal gear considerations go out the window
@@christopherbanks4652 If you were to go with your build style, you would need to Max ES and have a massively high mana pool, as you alluded to. It is an often misunderstood mechanic that folks feel the need to max when they don't necessarily need to. Fortitude is an HC-centric build, and you want to have counterweight and balance with Vitality, not just a large Mana pool in the moment that you take a sizable DPS hit. This is precisely why I prefer to play 70% ES and find it far more effective, as it requires far less mana upkeep (sizable mana pool) and better vitality balancing. When you only have to put 1-3 hard points with + skill gear to achieve your 70% ES, you now have significant flexibility to apply additional hard points. As an aside, you'll need to keep an eye out for my ES Orb build when I release it - shes a beast and my current offline HC grailer. ES Builds Examples: Let's delve into some ES Build Examples: Using your framework, which seems to be less focused on immortal structure (sans Integer dmg reduction, absorbs, resistances). Consider a scenario with 95% ES Absorb, Max TK, heavy 500 DPS hit with Resistances at ~60% (i'm just guessing here without knowing your build). In this case, you would receive 356 Mana Damage and 10 Life Dmg. Now, let's use 70%, where your Vitality is significantly higher than the above, in the same general example, but this time with absorb/integer reductions, you would take approximately 262 mana dmg and 30 life dmg. The takeaway here is that there are multiple ways to play, which is the beauty of this game. And Viper, Fortitude, or Enigma builds can all be effective in their own theory-crafted mechanics. I'm glad the Enigma build is working for you, and I appreciate you sharing, Chris.
@@WarTh3ory I belive the worst resistance is -15 fire with pretty regular gear ...I tried flickering flame..its ok but perf saph in shako is better I think but once you go high es there is no going back
So, for softcore, how can squeeze out more dps? Also do you have a video on how to transition into this fun build? Love you channel. I wish Blizzard paid more attention to your info.
Hey, Shaw - this will have lower DPS from an Avg Nova Splash, but when you leverage Static and farm in Non-Light Immune areas it is more or less neutral with the Viper build. Check out an updated guide I worked on with Saggy: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress You can see in this he linked his mid-game build on Maxroll which gives you an idea; it anchors around Crescent Moon unsurprisingly. I am happy to also put you in touch with the Sensei himself and he will gladly help you out. Cheers - War
@shawmeck9323 one more resource for you was in the description of the video - Saggy's original 2.5 guide where he gets into the progression a bit: web.archive.org/web/20230510090806/www.wowhead.com/diablo-2/guide/hc-nova-sorceress-build-skills-gear
On soft core you could do things like swapping out the tgod belt for arachnid mesh, then you can replace the two fcr rings with sojs for some +skills to increase dps.
@@realSAPERE_AUDE Correct; I would not expect many on SC to play this build, but you certainly could. Saper called out the standard DPS model which is what many generally cater towards. Thanks for chiming in friend.
100% - This build ideally leverages Defiance. You don't need to leverage Prayer unless that is your cup of tea. More so, why I telegraphed that some Softcore players may prefer it.
looking for builds that can fill the cracks in my HCSP end game mainly for keys and WSK . Do you think this build would still be viable with only one or two lite GCs, no torch/anni yet (supplemented with res scs and life scs), and no griff? my alternatives are running an enigma hammerdin or maybe Sweet Phil's bow sorc. Love your content, cheers
I appreciate your support and kind words about my content, Eric! As for your build, you can definitely make it work with a few lite GCs, res scs, and life scs. Really, the most essential vital component is, of course, the Fortitude itself and then having a 2/15 amulet to hit the FCR BP. You can always start with the standard Viper setup and then when the component parts are acquired you can shift. This build does require more mana upkeep and potting since, in Hardcore, you tend to balance more of a life pool to counter weight blood mana curse situations.
Hey, Cook - I called this out, about smashing MPs more as a trade off. But having played this and Saggy who does religiously it’s not much of a struggle. It also depends how high you max ES. For me, my personal framework is max warmth and 65-70% sorb which majorly compensates for upkeep. Everyone plays this a bit different whereas Saggy prefers max ES.
Ok, nice video but.. Don't understand ur points. In the runs, u never be hit by melee, so def isn't important in comparison with viper or coh armor. Only element lords, so need more resist.. Ur losing a lot of +sks for faster clean, because u using forti+fcr rings because fcr bp (90es instead 95, more nova dmg...) Light skill from souls is slow and easy to escape, if u really need protection for that, use tgod + wisp and u will recover life 😉 (save resist+skills). U want more def and u can proc chill armor, but more def = less proc 😮 The only good think about this armor with sorc is life, but ur an ES sorc 😕 I think for ur build, viper up is the best with some items switch.. and a merc with the triple heal! Say me if I'm in the right or the wrong 😉 PEACE ✌️
Hey, MrTr4d3r - Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts, friend. However, overlooks a critical point. You are going to take hits which is inevitable over time. Think bad teleport, off-screen extra fast aura archers, etc. In my specific video, you didn't see it, but this build is tailor-made for Hardcore which was called out. Most Softcore players won't leverage this, but they certainly can for an extra sense of security. Saggy and I stress-tested the standard Viper build vs. Fortitude; the clear speed is negligible. What you need to remember is that with Sunder + Infinity and attacking non-light monsters, they melt on either build. The only area where Viper is superior is against Lightning Resist Monsters where the extra DPS helps with a marginal increase in clear speed. Diablo is about alternative theory crafts and not playing the cookie-cutter at all times. And Saggy found a vital framework here for Hardcore that has worked for him. He died multiple times using Viper, and since switching to this in 2.5 onward, he hasn't lost a single ES Nova Sorc in Hardcore. Cheers.
@@WarTh3ory ok, Nice point 😉 the security ! I think teleport practice is good for placements in hc mode, especially with Nova when u must be near Monsters. PEACE ✌️
@@MrTr4d3r Yup, you nailed it. This video was not about Fortitude being "better". Viper is indeed the gold standard, but it provides an alternative playstyle.
This was called out - this was Singleplayer files curated together purely to demonstrate the build framework. These are not my actual files or the Chars themselves.
Hey, Forthy - These were just example Singleplayer files, and there was a CTA; Saggy just rolled with a +1! It was more about demonstrating the build without having major outside influence. The Viper examples had a +3 BO CTA.
This is marginally slower with Viper Nara as highlighted and shown. I kept time splits on multiple areas the the trade off is negligible increasing safety in HC mode. If you want the cookie cutter build nothing wrong with Viper; it’s good for a reason. You also see little to no different when farming in Non-Lightning immune areas. I also didn't leverage Static in the example gameplay to demonstrate the tankiness factor as the primary focal point. Thanks for watching.
The point of the footage was to demonstrate its survivability - not demonstrating clear speed or how to play Nova. To your point, with static it can hold ifs own against viper.
this build is sick. i'm coming back to d2r after a long break. but at the end of the day what do you use it for? it's not good at MF, it's not great at ubers...can someone help me understand the use case for trading MF for clear speed? Right now I have a light sorc (at the time, light/chain light was the best), but instead of COH and Griff, I'm usually using tal armor, belt, shako, and MF boots to hit that ~300 mf sweet spot. so i'm also wondering if I should use my token and respec into nova even though I only have a GT infinity for merc
It's mostly used for staying alive in hardcore and high level softcore. The lack of MF is a sore spot for sure, but clear speed is great for runes and bases. You can also have some mf with gheeds, war travs, charms or rare jewelry rolls, in addition to holding infinity. Another thing we haven't mentioned here is that the build allows you to remove some ES points, if not all but 1. I love maxing out a fully-synergized thunderstorm to help with novas offensive weakness, which is single target damage. That route helps single dps by 30%
It's great to see you back in D2R! Sometimes it's all about finding that balance between MF and clear speed for your playstyle. I saw Saggy respond, but I wanted to add my own punctuation. As always, any build framework/playstyle will be subjective to the user. Is the objective survivability, is it chasing 99, or are you really item chasing/power farming? While this build is more Hardcore tankiness specific, there are ways to compensate, including stacking 7% MF small charms with a 40 Gheeds. Even getting to 200% MF is a solid breakpoint without sacrificing DPS/Clear speed upscaling to 300%. That is the ultimate trade-off decision to make. This is a specific custom contrarian build, but it can be adapted to your needs.
Well the Chaos Sanctuary clear speed wasn't great at P8 tbh ... I bet that losing 4-5 skill points from 2 SoJs, arachnid mesh and Viper/CoH takes a toll on clear speed. Viper can also host another facet
Hey, Askmedov - you do see a marginal dilution in clear speed but not meaningful, especially in Areas where there are no Lightning Immunes. Naturally, you are going to see a slight reduction in speed when clearing Light Immune dense areas. But I ran multiple areas with my time splits and in many instances, the time collars were well within 10-20 seconds. Since this is typically more of a Hardcore tailored build, you are trading off survivability for some loss in speed, but in my stressing of it, I didn't feel it much. Saggy can likely chime in here as well. Thanks for watching and dropping by.
I'd personally go for P5 or even P3 instead, because Nova isn't on Lightning Fury level of clear speed. No matter how much -resist and/or + skills you have@@WarTh3ory
@@askmedov The P8 example was more to demonstrate its capabilities, but to your point, at P5, all primary Evils are at 0% NoDrop outside of Duriel & Andariel. Andariel farming still benefits from P7. And, of course, if you are rune hunting from standard monsters like Ghosts or Seal Popping in Chaos then you will want P8. I rarely if ever will farm on P8 as often it is a balance of speed (efficiency) and survivability being a HC exclusive player.
Would just like to chip in here that this is more of a hardcore focus build. The nice thing about this game is it takes away but gives back somewhere else. So you loose a bit of clear speed for some safety. Want shop gladiators bane for my dusk shroud fortitude on my immortal build. And give it a bash.
an armor, and also a belt, a ring, an amulet, skill points and stat points! I wouldn't call it a different build, but definitely a separate variation!!!
In my 20 years playing this stupid game 07 to present. There is one defining rule to Diablo. And that is without Resists your char will suck. Damage is not the most important thing contrary to popular belief. It's being able to stand toe to toe with anything and everything. And kill it. If you can't go toe to toe eyeball to eyeball you built it wrong. For years it was java zons. Then barbs for mfing. Then assassins. Now it's sorcs. Fireball meteor sorcs rule the game in 2.6 . Lighting sorcs were 2.4. Every patch they change stuff. This patch perf mf is 305. 2.5 it was 401. That's why this old game never gets old they change little stuff that makes everything change. Whereas last patch 2.4 your light sorc ruled ,but this patch she sucks. Blizzard found out early change is everything. And it is. Whereas in 2.4 light sorcs were the shytes , 2.6 not so much. Everyone"" thinks ""sorcs are the shytes for Mf. But they aren't. Barbs are, and have been since the beginning. But they are hell to build. Probably the hardest build on the game. A missed point here a skill there and it'll be not so good. Want a real challenge make a high lvl Mf Barb with high resists and high mf and high dmg. That can go toe to toe. Now that's the pinnacle of a test. It really is the hardest of the hard to make a great one . And the gear is anything but what you're used too. I haven't made one in years. But both my sons play them. The one char I despise is neco's. Useless char. Always has been. Peace.
thats just dumb. changing all res for negligible def is just stupid. Also, you lose a socket. So a Ber in viper would still be better for avoiding physical damage than fortitude. The reason no one uses this is because its dumb On top of that, viper already has 1000def. Its just bad. And more expensive.
The defense isn't negligible, especially with lvl15 Chilling Armor and defiance merc. You literally get hit half as often. Having resists helps in situations where your mana would be cooked off by elemental damage, namely souls and chaos.
Simple mechanic: How do you avoid taking input damage? Getting hit less often. PDR (Ber) simply reduces output damage; it doesn't negate it through a swing and a miss. ~13K Defense (Fortitude) vs. ~6K Defense (Viper) - very crystal clear empirical comparison. This is off-meta for good reason and fortunately many have reached out after testing this and now have stuck with it through the end-game. Why does theory crafting exist? To remove the narrow blinders and one dimensional thinking to create a contrarian pathway that empowers a different framework. Most players prefer off-meta to stay engaged - this delivered a unique taste.
100%, Klaus. For this video, I wanted to highlight survivability vs. clear speed. That is, taking hits. This is why I avoided static in all game play examples.
Have you guys considered fortitude may be redundant and you could prebuff with a memory staff that has the armor on it? 6 to armor from the memory, 1 from helm, 4 from charms, 1 from mesh, and 1 from skin (i know the base def would be lower, but it gets a facet), 2 from ammy (also can replace ring or have a lower fcr ammy). Its a pretty fast swap and it could even be an orb with spirit for 7.
Hi Qasim, I'm happy to address this. Yes, I have had this discussion a few times with people already in Discord on this topic for a Memory +3 CA staff. The key here is embracing unconventional theory-crafted builds that give you an off-meta experience. This is why I do not see redundancy. However, yes, if you were a viper build and wanted the pseudo benefits of Fortitude and pre-buffing with a +3 CA staff, you absolutely could do that. It's crucial to remember that this build is not just about Fortitude, but the entire framework, including TGODS. This is a key aspect that many SW Infinity Vipermagi sorts tend to overlook as almost all rock Arachnid Mesh. If you were to remove Arach for TGODs, you would need to swap your jewelry setup accordingly - which, of course, can be done. The real beauty of this build lies in its unique combination of survivability and efficiency. It allows you to maintain a strong presence in the game without the need for extensive pre-buffing, a feature that sets it apart from conventional builds. Astute call out, nonetheless, Qasim! Cheers, War
@WarTh3ory I really appreciate the fast reply! I have a long drive to work and was just thinking about another scenario where you could have your cake and eat it too!!! I did not think about the lightning problem, as I just focused on the replacement of chains. I now realize how narrowly I was thinking about prebuffing, as the damn CA could also just be prebuffed, so that's a bit embarrassing. As an addition, I wonder if you've ever considered hustle armor on a blade fury sin with fade and claw block for hc...I feel like the evade, fade and block would be astounding, but cannot find any theory crafting on it.
@@qasimabdul-baki6919 Of course - and don't knock yourself, you are one of the few that thought of this so thank you for surfacing. Blade Sin's got elevated with the NextDelay adjustments which was a plus. I already wear Hustle on my Sins through progression so yes to me, it would be worth it.
It really depends on your playstyle and the specific build you're going for. Both Fortitude and Ormus have their own unique benefits, so it's essential to consider what you prioritize in your gameplay. Naturally, Ormus is going to deliver far more DPS, whereas, Fortitude will increase survivability. If you are a softcore player I would likely advise you to consider the high-end Ormus.
Not sure what you are referring to on this. If you mean I didn’t call it out, it is because there is no difference against Viper. The full build example is linked in the description via Maxroll.
Both vernaculars work here as incepting means to begin, commence, and push and idea within his own mental construct. Thanks for the nomenclature highlight - don’t knock the build without trying it.
@@RPDBY Ah, purely a Hero Editor issue. These files were put together for just quick demonstration so it isn't meant to emulate precisely what Saggy's build was; those you can see in his Maxroll planner links.
Saggy and I rolled out an updated guide on D2RuneWizard, which can be found here: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress
This gets into specifics a bit more of the comparison & trade-offs. Cheers.
as a veteran of over 10 years in nova sorc. this is a well put together guide and i can honestly say i learned some stuff.
well done bro, you earned a sub.
Cheers, Joel. Appreciate the support and thanks for stopping by. Kudos to Saggy for incepting this framework and thinking outside the box.
10 years ago nova sorceress wasn't even a thing?
@@beefnacos6258 nah man, it was more of a thing than ever
@@beefnacos6258 a pvp God was how I enjoyed it
There is 1 important thing you didn't notice, or forgot to mention: He specifically has more Life than Mana, so he can dodge the "Blood mana" curse which is casted by Baal and all the Succubuses
That is correct, MrQuickey. People need to pay attention to it.
Note: I called out the Blood Mana Curse in the article I wrote that was linked in the description: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress | You will see the call out under "Effective Health Pool"
Thanks for watching, cheers.
Gday brother, I will probably play the next D2R season, the game that just keeps on giving!
Indeed it does, Jay! The hope in bringing this to the surface was to enable a new framework for folks to consider. As we all know, that is what we need right now while we patiently await a potential 2.8 patch ahead of Season 5.
For solo farming p3 or even p5, Crescent moon does just fine with the right skill play.
It's not so spendy, and it's really clean with fcr. Nova is just freakin great for quick farming. Especially in the pits.
I'll add... prob the most important piece is the swap on BO's. Once you have that, life gets a lot easier for solo farming and suriving in HC. You'll see this resonate among the community... but it never hurts to put it up as a VITAL piece to being ok in HC
I completely agree! Crescent moon is a great option for solo farming on p3 or p5. It's all about finding the right balance of skills and equipment for your playstyle.
Right! Playstyle, and there are many... make this game so great. @@WarTh3ory
I've been playing D2 since LOD days and I have never realized that Forty has FCR and that its Defensive attributes are massive for casters. I will definitely try out the Nova - Forty Setup next Season. Considering you definitely need a 2/15 Amu, this build a lot more expensive than conventional Nova, though. :(
Looks like Forty was hiding its talents all this time! Discovering new strategies and builds in a game you've been playing for years is always exciting. Just remember, with great power comes great expense. Good luck with the Nova-Fort setup, and may your enemies fear your mighty caster, Janehren.
1:30 I remembered as soon as I saw the thumbnail
Thatta boy, John! Thanks for watching - cheers.
As much as I love the nova sorceress, that first Lo rune goes straight into making a grief.
So I ended up following this in HC Ladder and went fortitude w/ defiance, infinity, griffon and I must say, the added safety makes it very zen to play in HC. BUT, up until infinity you can feel the lower damage and it it less smooth than viper magi due to having a bit more fcr constraints meaning you will have more pressure on your other slots. I ended up sacrificing mana to get the required resistance + maintaining 105 fcr and whenever a build has mana issues it can feel pretty bad to play for dozens of hours. Good build, very expensive due to 105fcr being mandatory and adding high stress on your gear and charms.
I appreciate you trying out the build and sharing your thoughts. It's great to know that the added safety of fortitude and defiance made the gameplay more zen for you in HC. Absolutely, trade-offs, as you mentioned. As always with the Nova Sorc (especially if self-wield) the Infinity is vital. I noted this in the video and on the blog post (apologies if I forgot), but you need to slam some MP's in this style of build since your mana pool is generally much lower, balancing the increased HP pool. For me, I usually would go the Viper route until I had the component pieces I required. The good news is that the Viper setup, as we know, is standard and very viable. Thanks for watching, Zdaar - stay safe out there.
man great idea. im playing the new fb sorc right now, and she is squishy af.... this is going to help :)
That's awesome! Let me know how it goes with the new sorc!
Interesting! I may try this out if I get lucky crafting amulets.
As you said, Tyrant, it is a fun and interesting construct. Spending a few hours with it was enjoyable, and I could immediately feel the benefits in those acute dangerous scenarios. Since switching to this framework, Saggy hasn't lost a Nova Sorc in nearly two seasons, so he has a lot more hands-on experience with it. Cheers, and thanks for watching.
Holy Freeze is actually a better survivable Merc set-up for Nova Sorc. It sucks on something like a Javazon that requires density but rocks hard on a Nova build. The extra defence from a Defiance merc only lowers your chance to be hit by another 5% or so after the chilling armor proc, while Holy Freeze slows you getting hit at all by 30% irc.
Hey, Viperswhip, it is closer to 8-10% from the examples I took screenshots of with different monsters. Also dependent on your level gap from the monster level and their chance to hit you, so you need to compare different variables. Holy Freeze can give Crowd Control protection, but that doesn't translate to getting hit less without comparing all the variables. When you also Nova, you stun, and in your typical telestomp playstyle, the combination of ES + 12K defense more or less mitigates the high propensity of monster hits. There is nothing wrong with trying Holy Freeze - every build style is subjective in Diablo 2. Appreciate you watching - cheers.
In my experience, defiance does far more than a 5% boost, and that could be shown in a future video. As for Holy freeze, it accomplishes a similar effect by reducing how often you get hit, but with an unnecessary cost to clear speed. There is a gap between aggro and nova radius where chilled enemies will remain after you've cleared the ones nearby.
And no holy freeze allows more mobs to get in nova range. Defiance for the win!
Astutely pointed out, Marc. Thanks for watching!
I'd just go for the 63 fcr Breakpoint which just opens up so many great options which are much better imo. Especially mods like damage and magic damage reduction, while having much higher manapool and higher ES.
Multiple ways to build and play. I personally never max ES on any single Sorc; I prefer 70% especially in HC which gives more overflow and hard point optionality. 63 can be rough on SW Nova, but you can easily hit 105 if you play the viper build. But to your point, you could still do Fortitude at 63 and not require the 2/15 amulet! Let me know if you come up with a fun build at 63. Thanks for watching - cheers.
@@WarTh3ory It's just personal preferences, but yes vipermagi is such a good chestpiece imo. The way i play ES builds is to stack a lot of mr and dr, it makes you pretty much feel like a tank VS everything but Poison and manaburn. You can still have a decent healthpool via pure life mods and cta as Vitality doesn't do much for a sorc imo. Basically i forgo the one fcr Breakpoint for higher life mana, dr and mr and es. A dream setup is also interesting even purely for the pulse damage, it feels safe to cull a lot of enemies before jumping in with nova.
@@Doppe1ganger I personally play ES Orb and she is the epitome of a min/max perfection of the hybrid Immortal Build. ~70% ES, 55% Block, MDR/PDR integer ofc, and she is around 1.3K VIT // 1.6K Mana protected by the Tri-Stack Merc. She also has 63 FCR BP. There is another variation of her that I have built that is even more optimized.
@@WarTh3ory What's a tri-stack merc? Lately i enjoy pushing ehp to the max. Currently thinking about a enhantress, lots of prebuffing, enchant, ES, chilling armor, then gearing for dr, mdr, max block, decent defense, a bit of absorb, high fire and lightning max resist, and a lot of mana. But where to get resists, it feels like a puzzle because i still need to get resists from somewhere so sacrifices have to be made.
true your character is tanky with all the gg gear, but i noticed while clearing chaos or anything for that matter you never used static field. that will cut your runs down honestly by half. static 2-3 times then nova till dead. will help alot with more hp chars like the demon lords in chaos and light immunes for sure
Hi, Jet. This was deliberate to showcase the tankiness of the build. You are spot on-static is always warranted on this build! In reality, I should of stated that in the video since a few other comments noticed the same.
Love it! Will try it out
Please do! It won't be everyone's cup of tea necessarily, but after you get bored of playing the cookie cutter, a little variety never hurts. Cheers, Ko0Le3pY.
Yoo , how about using that build with not total full inventory i would like to have atlease 3 free colums to pick items?
You can drop Skillers, no problem. Also, what a Cube is used for - I do the same in my HC Holy Grail with an entire open Cube, which solves the problem.
@@WarTh3ory aah i hate playing with cube , 3 free colums is the way
This is like the opposite of Macrobioboi's "Double Nova" build - both pretty cool takes on tweaking the self wield Infinity Nova sorc.
May have to try this out actually! Could maybe be a good setup for defending against BvC PKers?
It absolutely would be. I was actually going to call out the Nova Proc benefits in this guide, which is a consideration you can also make by switching certain gear slots in/out as needed. But yes, his framework is very different.
Every build I do is HC. Playing sc really doesn't cut it anymore, not sure why.
Maybe economy or ease of play? Both?
Either way, if you haven't tried HC, give it a whirl till you can comfortably do hell.
WHATEVER YOU DO.... do not get COMFORTABLE. (I know against what I said above)
What I mean is... I was 97 and about to hit 98. The feeling of that... I can't really put into words, if you know, you know. Most of it was solo too.
I opened a cow level, didn't prebuff my MS and I ended up on a cowking spawn on portal. I was instantly dead, and so was my ego lol.
I hope someone reads this and at least remembers it ... saving them a very scary and disheartening moment.
"Comfortable" and "hardcore" are two words that definitely don't go hand in hand! Thanks for the reminder to always stay on our toes and not let our guard down, even in the most seemingly harmless situations.
Your Deeds of Valor Shall NOT be remembered, Johnny....welcome to the Shadow realm. Needless to say, these experiences stick with you!
HAHA! Indeed this one will. The immediate deaths are always the ones leaving you sitting there staring at the screen with jaw dropped to the belly button lmao@@WarTh3ory
@@NonnyStrikes As I say, ELBOWS UP
xD @@WarTh3ory
Holy sh
That fct question on fortitude really got me hahahaha
I love the build crafting aspect of this game, and I appreciate you shedding light on this awesome build!!
Even though I dare not venture into hardcore territory hahaha
Have a good one buddy
I wanted to catch a few people with this one...glad you found joy and a good laugh with it. Cheers, Gustavo. Thanks for watching and always supporting.
good vid
Cheers, thanks for watching Gnome!
To the 'people saying he was slow.
he didn't static at all.
If he did static he would be soo much faster
Spot on, Matteo. For the purposes of this I was just attempting to demonstrate the tankiness factor less speed. I did a handful of runs using static and Nova comparing the Viper vs Fort setups and yes while Viper of course had better overall speed it was very minimal spreads. Thanks for watching, cheers.
nice work man, i think i'll give it a try@@WarTh3ory
My energy shield sometimes just goes out even though I have just switched it on.
Hi, Claudia - Can you provide a bit more color and context. You are sitting in town and it immediately goes off? In order to recreate/reverse engineer your experience, it would be helpful for you to telegraph and share your steps and in what acute instance this is occurring. Thanks!
@@WarTh3ory
I'll post it here again too sorry for the spam :D
Yes. when i go into an area and cast my energy shield and then teleport into the first few mobs and start killing them, i notice that my life goes away very quickly and i notice my energy shield is no longer on, even though i cast it a few seconds ago.
The mana is still very full at this point, sometimes mobs knock me down to less than 10% mana without running out.
Some say the ability energy shield ends when you reach 0 mana, is that true?
Sometimes I reach zero mana and my energy shield stays on.
@@WarTh3ory This is strange because the question is whether this is a bug?
Sometimes I have no problems with it at all but sometimes it just happens.
Is it because there is a problem with the duration, that when the energy shield is cast and re-cast in between the duration is not renewed.
There is only one video on UA-cam that I have found that reports this phenomenon, that is the name of the video: "D2R Bug - Energy Shield Duration does not restart"
@@claudiahelmer4706 Know it is being discussed in the Discord; bizarre and could be duration related. ES can be fickle so curious what the group determines could be the source of the problem.
An unrelated question:
Is the thumbnail AI generated? Because that looks absolutely gorgeous! :)
From the source I acquired, I believe it was yes an then I edited it further
Remember to toggle from run to walk or your defense will be 0!
Indeed, Ramachandra! Something a lot of folks forget, and then for those with a shield-lowering rate as well. Worthy fundamental highlight.
Valid point, and it mostly applies to running towards loot. The rest of the time you'll be either teleporting or casting.
@@eskottegard For sure, Esko. This is a very YOLO fast-paced playstyle as always with the SW Infinity framework.
Hi, why when you run yours defence od 0 explain pls. This too me...
@@2222przeme Hi, przeme, when you run in Diablo, your defense drops to 0. Some sorcs will turn this walk into a good practice since you mainly are teleporting. If you walk vs. run you are good to go. Cheers.
ruuning hoto with merc using infin is best in slot. ive got a lvl 92 nonladder last season nova sorc shit on all p8 and clea tz with NP. But i dont run magi lol i run enigma griffs with sojs m arachnids 2 20 and spirit. cta and travs frosstburns..... ive even pked with the merc. really fun tbh
The beauty of this game is that it offers tons of fun theories or frameworks that work in different scenarios for different players and styles. I love to hear you found yours, and it's mowing my dude. Saggy and I are both exclusive HC players, and while Viper was working for him, he found himself in spicy situations more often than not, and since he made the transition here, he hasn't lost a Nova Sorc in some time. Cheers, friend.
very intresting, but is this build is much faster than java? im not sure tbh
Depends on the area you are farming, Ballantine. Java, of course, can also have High-Tankiness, good AoE clear speed, and good boss Single-Target effect with CS.
I used to play java 99ias 99fcr she was extremely quick with cleaning everything. Build was with spirit as I haven't found need of stormshield. With evade it was just not needed. I was using 4/40 with ml
This is nice but enigma is probably better the strength boost dr and max life are probs worth more on an es sorc
Enigma is always an interesting slot for a Sorc, but you sacrifice and lose FCR which puts you primarily at 63 FCR BP which will not be effective for SW Infinity; you need to be 105%+. This would be a significant trade-off. The only way for you to hit 105% would be a 2/20 amulet highly expensive and rare.
Then there are the additional considerations:
- Fortitude already has LPL (life per level) so Increasing by 5% from Enigma is not necessarily more significant; function of your total base HP
- No Resistance on Enigma
- No Proc'd Chilling Armor on Enigma (Massive defensive boost) // Would require a pre-buff +3 CA Memory - can be done, yet annoying to constantly pre-buff and then swap to CTA
- No TGODs (need arach) so you lose +%Max Light Res // Absorb
Overall, Fortitude especially in the context of this framework, and for Hardcore would be a better build than Enigma for ES SW Infinity.
@@WarTh3ory get a 2/20 then lol my es sorc wears a 2/15 with enigma ...works well try it if you can
@@WarTh3ory also understanding the mechanics of a high energy shield will remove the need for resistances (minus poison) so most of the normal gear considerations go out the window
@@christopherbanks4652 If you were to go with your build style, you would need to Max ES and have a massively high mana pool, as you alluded to.
It is an often misunderstood mechanic that folks feel the need to max when they don't necessarily need to. Fortitude is an HC-centric build, and you want to have counterweight and balance with Vitality, not just a large Mana pool in the moment that you take a sizable DPS hit.
This is precisely why I prefer to play 70% ES and find it far more effective, as it requires far less mana upkeep (sizable mana pool) and better vitality balancing. When you only have to put 1-3 hard points with + skill gear to achieve your 70% ES, you now have significant flexibility to apply additional hard points.
As an aside, you'll need to keep an eye out for my ES Orb build when I release it - shes a beast and my current offline HC grailer.
ES Builds Examples:
Let's delve into some ES Build Examples: Using your framework, which seems to be less focused on immortal structure (sans Integer dmg reduction, absorbs, resistances). Consider a scenario with 95% ES Absorb, Max TK, heavy 500 DPS hit with Resistances at ~60% (i'm just guessing here without knowing your build). In this case, you would receive 356 Mana Damage and 10 Life Dmg.
Now, let's use 70%, where your Vitality is significantly higher than the above, in the same general example, but this time with absorb/integer reductions, you would take approximately 262 mana dmg and 30 life dmg.
The takeaway here is that there are multiple ways to play, which is the beauty of this game. And Viper, Fortitude, or Enigma builds can all be effective in their own theory-crafted mechanics.
I'm glad the Enigma build is working for you, and I appreciate you sharing, Chris.
@@WarTh3ory I belive the worst resistance is -15 fire with pretty regular gear ...I tried flickering flame..its ok but perf saph in shako is better I think but once you go high es there is no going back
So, for softcore, how can squeeze out more dps? Also do you have a video on how to transition into this fun build? Love you channel. I wish Blizzard paid more attention to your info.
Hey, Shaw - this will have lower DPS from an Avg Nova Splash, but when you leverage Static and farm in Non-Light Immune areas it is more or less neutral with the Viper build.
Check out an updated guide I worked on with Saggy: d2runewizard.com/articles/guides/fortitude-nova-sorceress
You can see in this he linked his mid-game build on Maxroll which gives you an idea; it anchors around Crescent Moon unsurprisingly. I am happy to also put you in touch with the Sensei himself and he will gladly help you out.
Cheers - War
@shawmeck9323 one more resource for you was in the description of the video - Saggy's original 2.5 guide where he gets into the progression a bit: web.archive.org/web/20230510090806/www.wowhead.com/diablo-2/guide/hc-nova-sorceress-build-skills-gear
On soft core you could do things like swapping out the tgod belt for arachnid mesh, then you can replace the two fcr rings with sojs for some +skills to increase dps.
@@realSAPERE_AUDE Correct; I would not expect many on SC to play this build, but you certainly could. Saper called out the standard DPS model which is what many generally cater towards. Thanks for chiming in friend.
@@WarTh3ory no problem; I thought it was an interesting video and a cool idea for hardcore
Defiance totally works beterr on this build, if you don't get hit, you don't need regen.
thats one way to look at it. Tank Sorc has a couple of options
100% - This build ideally leverages Defiance. You don't need to leverage Prayer unless that is your cup of tea. More so, why I telegraphed that some Softcore players may prefer it.
looking for builds that can fill the cracks in my HCSP end game mainly for keys and WSK . Do you think this build would still be viable with only one or two lite GCs, no torch/anni yet (supplemented with res scs and life scs), and no griff? my alternatives are running an enigma hammerdin or maybe Sweet Phil's bow sorc. Love your content, cheers
I appreciate your support and kind words about my content, Eric!
As for your build, you can definitely make it work with a few lite GCs, res scs, and life scs. Really, the most essential vital component is, of course, the Fortitude itself and then having a 2/15 amulet to hit the FCR BP. You can always start with the standard Viper setup and then when the component parts are acquired you can shift. This build does require more mana upkeep and potting since, in Hardcore, you tend to balance more of a life pool to counter weight blood mana curse situations.
you also struggle with mana. you need 4k mana running nova or u might be looking for pots
Hey, Cook - I called this out, about smashing MPs more as a trade off. But having played this and Saggy who does religiously it’s not much of a struggle. It also depends how high you max ES. For me, my personal framework is max warmth and 65-70% sorb which majorly compensates for upkeep. Everyone plays this a bit different whereas Saggy prefers max ES.
ey good video
Glad you enjoyed it, Santiago. Appreciate you tuning in. Cheers - War.
Ok, nice video but..
Don't understand ur points.
In the runs, u never be hit by melee, so def isn't important in comparison with viper or coh armor. Only element lords, so need more resist..
Ur losing a lot of +sks for faster clean, because u using forti+fcr rings because fcr bp (90es instead 95, more nova dmg...)
Light skill from souls is slow and easy to escape, if u really need protection for that, use tgod + wisp and u will recover life 😉 (save resist+skills).
U want more def and u can proc chill armor, but more def = less proc 😮
The only good think about this armor with sorc is life, but ur an ES sorc 😕
I think for ur build, viper up is the best with some items switch.. and a merc with the triple heal!
Say me if I'm in the right or the wrong 😉
PEACE ✌️
Hey, MrTr4d3r - Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts, friend. However, overlooks a critical point. You are going to take hits which is inevitable over time. Think bad teleport, off-screen extra fast aura archers, etc.
In my specific video, you didn't see it, but this build is tailor-made for Hardcore which was called out. Most Softcore players won't leverage this, but they certainly can for an extra sense of security.
Saggy and I stress-tested the standard Viper build vs. Fortitude; the clear speed is negligible. What you need to remember is that with Sunder + Infinity and attacking non-light monsters, they melt on either build. The only area where Viper is superior is against Lightning Resist Monsters where the extra DPS helps with a marginal increase in clear speed.
Diablo is about alternative theory crafts and not playing the cookie-cutter at all times. And Saggy found a vital framework here for Hardcore that has worked for him. He died multiple times using Viper, and since switching to this in 2.5 onward, he hasn't lost a single ES Nova Sorc in Hardcore.
Cheers.
@@WarTh3ory ok, Nice point 😉 the security !
I think teleport practice is good for placements in hc mode, especially with Nova when u must be near Monsters.
PEACE ✌️
@@MrTr4d3r Yup, you nailed it. This video was not about Fortitude being "better". Viper is indeed the gold standard, but it provides an alternative playstyle.
nice how he has duped rings
This was called out - this was Singleplayer files curated together purely to demonstrate the build framework. These are not my actual files or the Chars themselves.
all that expensive gear and no CTA?
Hey, Forthy - These were just example Singleplayer files, and there was a CTA; Saggy just rolled with a +1! It was more about demonstrating the build without having major outside influence. The Viper examples had a +3 BO CTA.
Very slow, it’s sorc error for build)
This is marginally slower with Viper Nara as highlighted and shown. I kept time splits on multiple areas the the trade off is negligible increasing safety in HC mode. If you want the cookie cutter build nothing wrong with Viper; it’s good for a reason. You also see little to no different when farming in Non-Lightning immune areas. I also didn't leverage Static in the example gameplay to demonstrate the tankiness factor as the primary focal point. Thanks for watching.
9x% ES Nova sorc runs like a puppy when there are souls, right? And you call it's a fast killing build :)
Cast some static when you stomp jeez watching the gameplay was cringe 🥴
The point of the footage was to demonstrate its survivability - not demonstrating clear speed or how to play Nova. To your point, with static it can hold ifs own against viper.
this build is sick. i'm coming back to d2r after a long break. but at the end of the day what do you use it for? it's not good at MF, it's not great at ubers...can someone help me understand the use case for trading MF for clear speed? Right now I have a light sorc (at the time, light/chain light was the best), but instead of COH and Griff, I'm usually using tal armor, belt, shako, and MF boots to hit that ~300 mf sweet spot. so i'm also wondering if I should use my token and respec into nova even though I only have a GT infinity for merc
It's mostly used for staying alive in hardcore and high level softcore. The lack of MF is a sore spot for sure, but clear speed is great for runes and bases. You can also have some mf with gheeds, war travs, charms or rare jewelry rolls, in addition to holding infinity. Another thing we haven't mentioned here is that the build allows you to remove some ES points, if not all but 1. I love maxing out a fully-synergized thunderstorm to help with novas offensive weakness, which is single target damage. That route helps single dps by 30%
It's great to see you back in D2R! Sometimes it's all about finding that balance between MF and clear speed for your playstyle. I saw Saggy respond, but I wanted to add my own punctuation.
As always, any build framework/playstyle will be subjective to the user. Is the objective survivability, is it chasing 99, or are you really item chasing/power farming? While this build is more Hardcore tankiness specific, there are ways to compensate, including stacking 7% MF small charms with a 40 Gheeds. Even getting to 200% MF is a solid breakpoint without sacrificing DPS/Clear speed upscaling to 300%. That is the ultimate trade-off decision to make. This is a specific custom contrarian build, but it can be adapted to your needs.
Just built this for season 8 and I love it!
Let’s go!! Takes a bit to get used to but still clears nicely and gives that extra defensive prowess.
Well the Chaos Sanctuary clear speed wasn't great at P8 tbh ... I bet that losing 4-5 skill points from 2 SoJs, arachnid mesh and Viper/CoH takes a toll on clear speed. Viper can also host another facet
Hey, Askmedov - you do see a marginal dilution in clear speed but not meaningful, especially in Areas where there are no Lightning Immunes. Naturally, you are going to see a slight reduction in speed when clearing Light Immune dense areas. But I ran multiple areas with my time splits and in many instances, the time collars were well within 10-20 seconds. Since this is typically more of a Hardcore tailored build, you are trading off survivability for some loss in speed, but in my stressing of it, I didn't feel it much. Saggy can likely chime in here as well. Thanks for watching and dropping by.
I'd personally go for P5 or even P3 instead, because Nova isn't on Lightning Fury level of clear speed. No matter how much -resist and/or + skills you have@@WarTh3ory
@@askmedov The P8 example was more to demonstrate its capabilities, but to your point, at P5, all primary Evils are at 0% NoDrop outside of Duriel & Andariel. Andariel farming still benefits from P7. And, of course, if you are rune hunting from standard monsters like Ghosts or Seal Popping in Chaos then you will want P8. I rarely if ever will farm on P8 as often it is a balance of speed (efficiency) and survivability being a HC exclusive player.
Would just like to chip in here that this is more of a hardcore focus build.
The nice thing about this game is it takes away but gives back somewhere else. So you loose a bit of clear speed for some safety.
Want shop gladiators bane for my dusk shroud fortitude on my immortal build.
And give it a bash.
A whole vid on swaping an armor.... I love it!
Thanks for watching, Phil.
Peak D2
an armor, and also a belt, a ring, an amulet, skill points and stat points! I wouldn't call it a different build, but definitely a separate variation!!!
@@JordanBiserkov Indeed, it's simply a theory-crafted framework. The phrasing can be used interchangeably. Thanks for watching Jordan, cheers.
In my 20 years playing this stupid game 07 to present. There is one defining rule to Diablo. And that is without Resists your char will suck. Damage is not the most important thing contrary to popular belief. It's being able to stand toe to toe with anything and everything. And kill it. If you can't go toe to toe eyeball to eyeball you built it wrong. For years it was java zons. Then barbs for mfing. Then assassins. Now it's sorcs. Fireball meteor sorcs rule the game in 2.6 . Lighting sorcs were 2.4. Every patch they change stuff. This patch perf mf is 305. 2.5 it was 401. That's why this old game never gets old they change little stuff that makes everything change. Whereas last patch 2.4 your light sorc ruled ,but this patch she sucks. Blizzard found out early change is everything. And it is. Whereas in 2.4 light sorcs were the shytes , 2.6 not so much. Everyone"" thinks ""sorcs are the shytes for Mf. But they aren't. Barbs are, and have been since the beginning. But they are hell to build. Probably the hardest build on the game. A missed point here a skill there and it'll be not so good. Want a real challenge make a high lvl Mf Barb with high resists and high mf and high dmg. That can go toe to toe. Now that's the pinnacle of a test. It really is the hardest of the hard to make a great one . And the gear is anything but what you're used too. I haven't made one in years. But both my sons play them. The one char I despise is neco's. Useless char. Always has been. Peace.
Barbarians will always be one of my favorites in the Diablo franchise. They are all I have played on D4 of the 80+ hours I’ve put in there. Cheers!
thats just dumb. changing all res for negligible def is just stupid. Also, you lose a socket. So a Ber in viper would still be better for avoiding physical damage than fortitude.
The reason no one uses this is because its dumb
On top of that, viper already has 1000def. Its just bad. And more expensive.
The defense isn't negligible, especially with lvl15 Chilling Armor and defiance merc. You literally get hit half as often. Having resists helps in situations where your mana would be cooked off by elemental damage, namely souls and chaos.
Simple mechanic: How do you avoid taking input damage? Getting hit less often. PDR (Ber) simply reduces output damage; it doesn't negate it through a swing and a miss. ~13K Defense (Fortitude) vs. ~6K Defense (Viper) - very crystal clear empirical comparison.
This is off-meta for good reason and fortunately many have reached out after testing this and now have stuck with it through the end-game.
Why does theory crafting exist? To remove the narrow blinders and one dimensional thinking to create a contrarian pathway that empowers a different framework. Most players prefer off-meta to stay engaged - this delivered a unique taste.
When doing high level monsters like chaos, cast static field a few times, then hit them with nova.
100%, Klaus. For this video, I wanted to highlight survivability vs. clear speed. That is, taking hits. This is why I avoided static in all game play examples.
Have you guys considered fortitude may be redundant and you could prebuff with a memory staff that has the armor on it?
6 to armor from the memory, 1 from helm, 4 from charms, 1 from mesh, and 1 from skin (i know the base def would be lower, but it gets a facet), 2 from ammy (also can replace ring or have a lower fcr ammy).
Its a pretty fast swap and it could even be an orb with spirit for 7.
Hi Qasim, I'm happy to address this. Yes, I have had this discussion a few times with people already in Discord on this topic for a Memory +3 CA staff.
The key here is embracing unconventional theory-crafted builds that give you an off-meta experience. This is why I do not see redundancy. However, yes, if you were a viper build and wanted the pseudo benefits of Fortitude and pre-buffing with a +3 CA staff, you absolutely could do that.
It's crucial to remember that this build is not just about Fortitude, but the entire framework, including TGODS. This is a key aspect that many SW Infinity Vipermagi sorts tend to overlook as almost all rock Arachnid Mesh. If you were to remove Arach for TGODs, you would need to swap your jewelry setup accordingly - which, of course, can be done.
The real beauty of this build lies in its unique combination of survivability and efficiency. It allows you to maintain a strong presence in the game without the need for extensive pre-buffing, a feature that sets it apart from conventional builds.
Astute call out, nonetheless, Qasim!
Cheers,
War
@WarTh3ory I really appreciate the fast reply! I have a long drive to work and was just thinking about another scenario where you could have your cake and eat it too!!!
I did not think about the lightning problem, as I just focused on the replacement of chains.
I now realize how narrowly I was thinking about prebuffing, as the damn CA could also just be prebuffed, so that's a bit embarrassing.
As an addition, I wonder if you've ever considered hustle armor on a blade fury sin with fade and claw block for hc...I feel like the evade, fade and block would be astounding, but cannot find any theory crafting on it.
@@qasimabdul-baki6919 Of course - and don't knock yourself, you are one of the few that thought of this so thank you for surfacing.
Blade Sin's got elevated with the NextDelay adjustments which was a plus. I already wear Hustle on my Sins through progression so yes to me, it would be worth it.
Hi! Do you think fortitude is better than Ormus? I have one with 15% lightning damage increase and 3 to Nova and want to put a 5/5 jewel in it.
It really depends on your playstyle and the specific build you're going for. Both Fortitude and Ormus have their own unique benefits, so it's essential to consider what you prioritize in your gameplay. Naturally, Ormus is going to deliver far more DPS, whereas, Fortitude will increase survivability. If you are a softcore player I would likely advise you to consider the high-end Ormus.
@@WarTh3ory Thank you for the reply! I am softcore NL but I really do value survivability as well.
@@andrewprater5308 I love it man. And 100% agree; play something new and have fun with it.
Decent armor swap!
Beauty of this game. Multiple theory craft alternatives to the core to try out. Especially for Hardcore! Cheers, Thomas.
You forgot a lil that u have call of arms too on second hand
Not sure what you are referring to on this. If you mean I didn’t call it out, it is because there is no difference against Viper. The full build example is linked in the description via Maxroll.
the madman did it!
It’s ALIVE! Cheers, sickMX. Thanks for watching.
Conceived not incepted. Ewww
Both vernaculars work here as incepting means to begin, commence, and push and idea within his own mental construct. Thanks for the nomenclature highlight - don’t knock the build without trying it.
6:41 how can it have +20 to light skill damage without a facet?
Hey, RPDBY, you are referring to the +20 Light Sorb from Thundergods, not +20% to Light Skill Damage?
I'm referring to the griffon's eye
@@RPDBY Ah, purely a Hero Editor issue. These files were put together for just quick demonstration so it isn't meant to emulate precisely what Saggy's build was; those you can see in his Maxroll planner links.
I'll take the fault on that one, I definitely got sloppy on hero editor by modifying the facet value into the helm itself
@@WarTh3ory you can edit your char in D2R? probably on single player...? is it like Jamella editor in old times?