|
Prophet's |
|
|
Introduction
If I asked for the names of the Sorceress Fire Spells that come readily to mind, most would instantly
recite the Tribunal of Death: Meteor, Firewall, and Hydra. Then awe would pass over them, for the power
of these mighty three is overwhelming... Indeed, the powerhouses are the staple of nearly every
Sorceress who delves into the Fire spells; flurries of falling rocks, barriers of fire, and flaming
serpents clot the B.net realm servers.
 What is a Blaze Babe? A sorceress that uses Blaze of course ;) A Blaze Babe, however, is definitely not a cookie cutter character. Despite all her extreme versatility, power, and sheer-fun factor, she is hard pressed keep up with Uber-Sorceresses. A Blaze Babe, by definition is a defensive class: The monsters have to come to her. Since Diablo II favors a more offensive approach to gaming, you must alter your play to fit the character. Finally, remember that a Blaze Babe is not an Uber-character. Lemme repeat that once again: A Blaze Babe is NOT an Uber-Character! That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try creating one. Although this girl is a specialty class, she comes fully prepared with enough power to hold her own. It is entirely possible to blaze past Hell difficulty with nary a sweat, and almost certain to experience a totally unique style while doing so. Do not concern yourself too much over such mortal issues as "power". As with all deviant classes, your goal here is the much more fulfilling virtue known as "fun". But a Blaze Babe also has some distinct advantages to orthodox Sorceress types: - Blaze becomes available at level 12. This practically obliterates the traditional "hide behind the merc" period on the long road to your desired spell. - Blaze is the most tactically intricate spell in the game. - Blaze requires little to absolutely no mana to use effectively. - Blaze does not demand high-end items to be effective. - Blaze looks cool. :)  Character Development Skills Blaze Babes are still Sorceresses, and thus are extremely dependent on their skill points. As always with characters of such nature, it would not be a wise idea to waste your skill points; thus, this guide is here to, well, guide you on skill choice. The following is a run-down of potential Blaze Babe spells: Primary Skills  BlazeRecommended: MAX ASAP At the very least, I hope you have this spell. ;) Since this skill is the entire basis of the character you are (hopefully) about to create, it pays to max the stupid thing. In fact, it would probably be wise to max it as soon as possible, as it will be your primary death machine right from when you acquire it. As skill level rises, so does damage, but more importantly, the duration of the flames increases. Many times, those inexperienced with this skill try it out when it's timer is at its shortest, decide it "sUx0rZ" and move on to the other skills. Once the flames start lingering, you'll have more control to accomplish what this skill is really capable of. At level 30, you're looking at 30+ second flames, all for only 30 some mana!  Fire MasteryRecommended: MAX eventually Not much to explain here. Increases damage. Whee. The more damage you do, the faster you kill, if this knowledge is a new concept to you. :P It would be best to place one point in Fire Mastery as soon as you hit level 30 in order to reap the benefits, then continue on to max Blaze before further action. From this point You may wish to begin working on your secondary attack, which will be discussed below, or you may feel better maxing this mastery in order to optimize your Blaze damage. Be aware that focusing solely on Blaze will lead to disaster once you plunge into Hell, so immediate mastery of Fire is a risky proposition. Eventually, make sure you take this one all the way up. Secondary Skills Unfortunately, one cannot ride Blaze all the way throughout the game, for two obvious reasons: Blaze deals fire damage, and monsters can be immune to fire; also, Blaze doesn't fare too well against immobile foes. Therefore, you will need at least one other skill, preferably from a different tree, to make your Blaze Babe more well-rounded.  Frozen OrbRecommended: 0 - MAX This is the artillery cannon of the Sorceress world: big, reliable cold damage, and that's just what a Blaze Babe needs. A Frozen Orb completely hammers anything that happens to be standing in the Orb before it explodes (read: stationary baddies). By Hell difficulty, though, it'll lose some of its spark, but Frozen Orb will be adequate for disposing of fire immunes, and the chill time is amazing. However, chilling may invariably become more of a liability, since your kill speed is dependant on how quickly a monster is willing to enter a ready-made patch of fire. A chilled monster is in no hurry to enter your Blaze, so make sure the effect doesn't bother you before you plunge heavily into this skill.  BlizzardRecommended: 0 - MAX (ew) "Blizzard sux" - Random pubbie gamer Wow, with this much antagonism towards this measly spell, there must be a reason, correct?!? Blizzard has some faults: its damage isn't entirely all that hot, and is spread rather thinly through its large radius. The spell can no longer be stacked after Blizzard nerfed it with spell timers back in 1.08. All in all, a rather undependable bit of flash. However, if one is willing to overlook such flaws, Blizzard can become a great support skill. Placing Blizzard above your Blaze trails yields a Double Dose of Death� that few monsters can escape unscathed, let alone in one piece. Blizzard's chill is pretty short as well. Another tactic that is particularly effective is to start a Blizzard in front of you, then blaze your way through it, angry monsters in tow. Unfortunately, Blizzard doesn't really do anything that Blaze already covers, and thus if you really want it, you're still going to have to grab another skill. Blizzard doesn't handle stationary foes very well, and its damage is pretty weak even when it connects, thus dimishing its use for taking out Fire immunes. If you're planning on continuing to Frozen Orb, you will need a point here, though. ;)   Glacial Spike / Ice BlastRecommended: 0-1 In general, the freezing spells are a horrid idea for any aspiring Blaze Babe. If monsters aren't moving, they aren't running around in your Blaze. Also, the Freeze atop the Blaze method is rather clumsy in practice, and freezing is pretty short in Hell difficulty anyway. Damage with these two skills is laughable as well, so they run into the same pitfall as Blizzard: you'll still need another skill.  Cold MasteryRecommended: 0-6 Cold is probably the best secondary attack since Cold Mastery does not require a large investment to become useful; on the contrary, pumping Cold Mastery is rather counter-productive seeing how those points would be put to better use on another offensive skill. Try to attain at least skill level 6 Cold Mastery after +skills items. Any further leads to pretty steep dimishing returns. In fact, you could probably make do with a single point, even without skill boosters.  Ready to bring some hurt. Equipment Dream Setup   
  
   |