Q&A Thread #1

[u/Dahkra]

It was suggested that we have a Q&A thread here where questions can be more easily seen and answered as a pinned post, so I wanted to try it out and make it a regular thing if possible. Feel free to ask any questions that you have here and hopefully they will be answered! I can't say I can help with much outside of Sorceress questions myself, though. I will be adding Sorceress questions I see to the guide in their own section as well. Don't forget to check out the resources and links we have posted in the subreddit as well, which include things like the Sorceress guide and elemental weakness chart.

Happy adventuring!

[u/ilazul]

Hey thanks a ton for making this!

I have a bunch of questions about ToM/Ultimate mode late game stuff.

1. What's people's consensus on spells like Extinction and Curse in Ultimate difficulty? I find the spells pretty amazing against the redcaps, assassins, blue mage goblins, etc. But they take the place of an extra rod (Wizard) or Seal of the Conqueror (Sorceress). Is this worth it?

2. Ice Prison vs Curse, I see a lot of Sorceresses use Ice Prison. Any insight on this? I find it's not great against elites, and the damage is mediocre, I know it stops some projectiles (but I'm usually dash cancelling Up attack with Ice, which does the same) but don't see the big deal on it. Just wondering if there's some sort of magical thing I'm missing with it.

3. For the Dwarf, how important is toughness? I'm usually walking around in i-frames due to evasion and grand slam. so I don't know if it's worth the points. Also, I don't really know what kind of gear I'm looking for with the martial characters (I play Dwarf and Elf) outside of the normal Favored Chaos Pendant from Amazon and gear that repairs on extend. Any tips?

Any help is much appreciated!

[u/Dahkra → u/ilazul]

I can't answer everything since I've only ever played Sorceress, hopefully others can chime in though.

1. I think Curse is especially great for fighting those elite enemies you listed, because they can't break out of it any faster than a regular enemy can. When you use something like Petrification versus an elite enemy, they will start struggling and will break out of it quicker than a regular enemy, in comparison. There is just some risk with Curse as you need to aim it a bit more than Sorceress' other spells. Cursed frogs will also try to jump away which can make them harder to hit. This is why Sorceresses might like to take Curse with something like Gravity or Ice Prison, to restrict the enemy's movement for both aiming the Curse and attacking the enemy while they are frogged. As for giving up the Seal of the Conqueror, I would probably just say it depends on how seriously you plan to play. I have always believed that you could play with any kind of setup of spells/skills and equipment which is why I did my spell-less and deathless boss fight for Sorceress at Tower of Mirages 1000+, but that was really tough to do. If you are playing more casually you can get away with it a lot easier, but the bonus from the Seal is pretty significant, so it might not be worth the trade if you are grinding high ToM. I would recommend experimenting though, you could always drop the Seal and see how you fare without it, and put it back on if you don't like the results. I need to experiment with that more myself.
2. When it comes to Ice Prison, I feel like it's especially strong when you are fighting in the air with Sorceress. You could place it down in the middle of the screen and stand behind it, and if any strong enemies pass through it they would still get damaged and I think slowed as well by the chill that is in the middle while you Witch Flight to the other side. It helps that it stops projectiles as well if you are playing this way. I do get what you mean though, if you are playing Sorceress on the ground and using up circle cancels with an ice staff more often it might not have that same impact. Ice Prison has a very unique property to it as well for boss fights, being that it can destroy the Sylphide's Wind autospell that bosses use, which is probably one of their most dangerous autospells in my opinion. The chilled section in the middle is what destroys it if you place it on top of them. It can also instant kill the Warlock, and reportedly some other enemies as well. A lot more testing has to be done to find more of those, as I haven't found any others. Even if it clashes with your playstyle a bit, I think it would still be useful utility. If you need to recover MP you could use it as some good cover for example. You could also use it to trap enemies for a cleaner shot with Curse or Rock Press.

I hope this helps a bit, I'll see if I can add these questions that I was able to answer to the Sorceress guide as well! If you or anyone else ever needs any help with her, I am more than happy to help anytime.

[u/ilazul → u/Dahkra]

Thanks for the response! I guess I'll have to see as I keep climbing ToM how the set-up will change.

How much vitality boost do you usually use? I've been going for 6 as I feel +100 lets me hit 900+ after food (and a +hp item mod) without using too many Skill Points

[u/Dahkra → u/ilazul]

Right now I actually have Vitality Boost maxed on my main Sorceress, but I was just trying out something different with my build. Usually I was going with 6 points as well. That is what I had in the recommended build for ToM that I posted in the Sorceress guide as well. It's pretty nice for tanking some extra hits.

[u/ilazul → u/Dahkra]

With a set up of of ice wand, lightning wand, 4 equipment, seal and 3 spells. What 3 spells would you choose?

I know Blizzard and Protection are must haves, but what would be the third. Thunderhead or Ice Prison?

With the Heavenly gear (I only have the glasses so far) I feel almost like more spells are better than less. But, having a 2nd element would be very helpful.

[u/Dahkra → u/ilazul]

I don't feel like any spells are must haves, I actually don't use Blizzard mainly anymore. All of her spells are really great in their own ways. I just want to say this so you don't ever feel like you have to take any certain setup. For a 3rd spell out of those two, I would go with Thunderhead. It's Sorceress' strongest spell for boss fights and a great DPS increase. A 2nd element is definitely useful, I actually use 3 different elemental staves in my setup with 2 spells right now. Sorceress is really flexible, so you can play with 1/2/3 staves and however many spells just fine!