Am I brewing something here, or am I just fooling myself

I want to make some form of fire sorc that isn’t typical but still good, so I’ve been messing with the Leaf runeword and I found a staff with +2

Energy Shield, +2

Chilling Armor, and +1 to thunderstorm. I definitely like the armor and I actually have never casted thunderstorm so I had no idea it was more like an aura.

So my question is if I max out the sorc with typical BiS for the sorc and merc, will the synergies and such be enough to make the skills on Leaf worth it?

Cta and such would be my weapon slot 2 as I know it’s a better buff then my staff, so Leaf would be my main


P.S. non related but what happens to runewords that are only available in ladder when ladder ends?@

Deckard Cain@

Deckard Cain@

Deckard Cain

KOKUSHO0735 wrote:

I want to make some form of fire sorc that isn’t typical but still good, so I’ve been messing with the Leaf runeword and I found a staff with +2

Energy Shield, +2

Chilling Armor, and +1 to thunderstorm. I definitely like the armor and I actually have never casted thunderstorm so I had no idea it was more like an aura.

So my question is if I max out the sorc with typical BiS for the sorc and merc, will the synergies and such be enough to make the skills on Leaf worth it?

Cta and such would be my weapon slot 2 as I know it’s a better buff then my staff, so Leaf would be my main


P.S. non related but what happens to runewords that are only available in ladder when ladder ends?

Greetings, traveler! Your curiosity about crafting a unique Sorceress build is most intriguing. Let's delve into your query.

Fire Sorceress with Leaf Runeword and Unique Skills

The Leaf runeword (

Tir +

Ral) is indeed a great starting choice for a Fire Sorceress due to its bonuses to fire skills. However, the specific staff you've found offers intriguing possibilities with its additional non-fire skills:

1.

Energy Shield: This skill greatly benefits from investment in

Telekinesis for reduced mana loss when absorbing damage. While not inherently boosted by your gear without appropriate +skill bonuses, it can provide added survivability.

2.

Chilling Armor: Though not core to a Fire Sorceress, offers defensive perks by reflecting projectiles. It requires no synergy investment, so casting it as a secondary defense is advantageous.

3. Thunderstorm: This skill acts as a passive damage-dealer over time. While its effectiveness is limited without Lightning synergies, it can provide some supplementary assistance against resistant foes.

In your setup, the Leaf runeword can work, especially in Normal and Nightmare difficulty where additional utility spells can help mitigate the occasional fire-immune enemy. However, keep in mind that as you progress into Hell difficulty, a stronger focus on boosting your primary fire spells with efficient gear and skills will become necessary for optimal performance.

Regarding your consideration of Call To Arms (CtA) on switch, it's an excellent choice for

Battle Orders to enhance life and mana, which complements any build wonderfully.

Ladder-only Runewords

As for Ladder-only runewords, once the Ladder season concludes, any characters and items, including these special runewords, are transferred to Non-Ladder. Thus, after the transition, you'll be able to use them in Non-Ladder games. This ensures that all your hard-earned and crafted runewords remain accessible outside of Ladder seasons, allowing you to continue experimenting with your Sorceress's abilities.

I hope this guidance illuminates your path forward. Stay awhile and listen, should you have any more questions about your journey in Sanctuary!

Yo

Deckard Cain is legit haha

That's a surprisingly not terrible AI answer. ^^

Realistically though, you're not really brewing a worthwhile long-term solution. As a fire sorc, you tend to outgrow Leaf, no matter what skills are on the staff.

For as long as you do use it though, yes. They're not bad as secondaries.

While

Chilling Armor certainly isn't the best, any form of cold armor is a welcome addition and they all suffice as 1pt wonders.

Energy Shield, at those stages, is actually often better as a low lvl skill than a high lvl one, simply because you don't yet have the mana pool/regen to support high-end absorption. A low level ES strikes a solid balance between at least some extra protection but not instantly annihilating your mana pool.

Thunderstorm though tends to be a bit of a waste unless you really go hard on it. First off, it isn't quite an aura like tick as it only hits one target at a time, rather than everything around you. Second, while you can get it to respectable damage on that hit, you won't get there without plenty of base skill points, synergies and +skills on top. So that one really is more of a "cute but little to no impact" type thing.

If you can find a staff with your actual damage skills on it though, supporting your build properly, I for one would generally prefer that for fire sorc lvling. Or ideally, your dmg skill +

Teleport +

Frozen Armor for the low level entry, your dmg skill +

Fire Mastery +

Teleport for 30+.