TABLE OF CONTENTS
Frozen Orb Sorceress Introduction & Overview
The Frozen Orb Sorceress is a very popular cold sorc build for both Player versus Monster (PVM) and Player versus Player (PVP). The primary attacking skill is Frozen Orb, which is very effective against bigger mobs as it has wide area damage, and can also cause a lot of damage to high life monsters if the orb hits them directly. For elemental/caster enthusiasts, this is one of the most fun builds. The Frozen Orb Sorc is hardcore viable, altough it requires HC specific gear. With the introduction of Sunder Charms, the build became incredibly powerful, and is fit for all purposes, wether it is magic find, boss farming, cow farming, or Terror Zones.
🔸 Easily Soloes any game content even in Player 8 difficulty
🔸 Hell Chaos run and Hell Baal run both within 2-3 minutes
🔸 Harcore viable
🔸 One of the best builds for Magic Finding
🔸 Optimal Ladder Starter
🔸 Very fast teleportation
Frozen Orb has a one second cooldown, during which you can cast Static Fields for lowering monster life around you. This tactic is extremely useful if you play in player 8 difficulty. While the Frozen Arrows only deliver around 2k damage, a monster hit directly by the orb will almost certainly die by a single orb. Frozen Orb sorcs are viable ladder starters, as even at lower levels the skill delivers a lot of damage. The build is also an extraordinary magic finder, as it can have up to 1000% Magic Find in a combination with very fast teleportation speed.
Frozen Orb Sorceress Pros and Cons
Pros
|
Cons
|
Frozen Orb Sorceress Gameplay
Playing solo: Once you have a Cold Sunder charm, you will quickly decimate any monster that comes your way. You should always use teleport for movement, and use walk instead of run to retain your defense. If your goal is to farm specific bosses, the Orb Sorc will perform extraordinarily well. You can use Frozen Orb in a combination with Static Field to deliver the maximum amount of damage in the shortest time. Get an Insight weapon for your mercenary as soon as possible, to solve any of your mana issues. An Act2 Prayer merc works best, as Meditation Synergises with Prayer. If this is your first ladder character, try to get a Spirit Crystal Sword and a Spirit Monarch.
Playing in a party: You can carry your entire party with you to bosses if you are willing to teleport to them. You will also deal decent damage in higher player count games, definitely noone will complain about your damage. Having a paladin with Conviction aura or a necromancer with the Lower resist curse can greatly increase your damage output. Survival can be boosted by many ways, including Paladins with Defensive Auras, a Barbarian with high level of Battle Orders and Shout skills, a Druid with high Oak Sage, or several of the Necromancer Curses.
Playing Hardcore: Survivability completely depends on gearing and skilling. You can achieve 50% Physical damage reduction, have 90+ All resistances, 75% chance to block, and a fairly quick hit recovery. In addition you will have an Energy Shield casted, so most of the damage received will be taken from your mana. You will lack high defense, so do not teleport in the middle of monster packs, as the only scenario to get killed is by being hit simultaneously by multiple physical attacks. A Call to Arms switch weapon in combination with a Spirit shield is a must in order to buff your life and mana. Always have Energy Shield and Frozen Armor casted. Try to get a Raven Frost ring to avoid being frozen. Use an Act2 Prayer Mercenary equippped with an Insight polearm (preferably ethereal Thresher).
Frozen Orb Sorceress Breakpoints
Note: Each second in the game consists of 25 frames or “ticks”. Your breakpoints decide how many frames it will take until you can attack/cast a skill/recover from a hit/ block a new hit.
Faster Cast Rate
- Aim for 63% (9 frame), 105% (8 frame) or 200% (7 frame) Faster cast rate.
Faster Hit Recovery
- Have at least 20% FHR (11 frame recovery). Reaching the 30% (10 frame) or 42% (9 frame) breakpoints are even better. More FHR is unnecessary.
Faster Block Rate
- Having FBR on your gear is very beneficial. Your base FBR is at 9 frames, and the next breakpoints are at 7% and 15%, 27% and 48% (5 frames). Only aim for higher FBR if you wear a shield.
Frozen Orb Sorceress Skills
|
Cold Spells
|
Lightning Spells
|
Fire Spells
|
Skill notes: *Cold mastery is capped at level 37 (-200% Cold Resistance), so don’t put more points on it once you reach lvl37.
Frozen Orb Sorceress Stat Points
Strength
Allocate enough Strength points to be able to wear your gear.
Dexterity
Allocate enough Dexterity points to be able to wear your gear. If you wear a Guardian Angel and Stormshield on Hardcore, put enough points on dexterity to have 75% chance to block.
Vitality
Put all your remaining stat points on Vitality once you are able to wear your gear.
Energy
Don’t put any points on it.
You can re-stat your character by the quest reward of Akara’s Act1 Den of Evil Quest, or by using Token of Absolution.
Frozen Orb Sorceress Mercenary
You should have an Act2 Prayer Aura mercenary equipped with an Insight runeword weapon for optimal mana recovery.
Frozen Orb Sorceress Item setups
Ladder Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: Lore / Peasant Crown / Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest
Amulet: Any amulet with +skill, + all resistances or +Faster Cast Rate
Weapon: Spirit Crystal Sword / Wizardspike
Switch Weapon: none
Shield: Spirit Monarch / Moser’s Blessed Circle
Switch Shield: none
Body Armor: Stealth / Skin of the Vipermagi
Belt: Tal Rasha’s Belt / Trang Oul’s Belt / Nightsmoke / Crafted Caster Belt
Rings: Any ring with 10% FCR and other useful stats like allresist, life, magic find, etc.
Gloves: Magefist / Trang Oul’s gloves / Frostburn
Boots: 30% FRW boots with additional resists
Charms: Cold Sunder Charm, Any charm with +skill, life, resist or FHR will help.
Notes: Aim for 75% all resistances. You can use magic and rare items in any of your gear slots, and can also use them for your Mercenary.
Mercenary Gear
Helm: 3*Perfect Diamond socketed helm / Tal Rasha helm socketed with Perfect Diamond
Body Armor: Any useful rare body armor
Weapon: Insight Polearm
Advanced Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: Nightwing’s Veil socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet
Amulet: Mara’s Kaleidoscope / 2 to Sorceress skills 20% FCR crafted amulet
Weapon: Heart of the Oak Flail / Death’s Fathom socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet / Obsession runeword in a +3 to Frozen Orb
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms Crystal Sword
Shield: Phoenix Monarch / Stormshield / Spirit Monarch
Switch Shield: Spirit Monarch
Body Armor: Chains of Honor in an elite light body armor / Skin of the Vipermagi socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet / Ormus’ Robe +3 to Frozen Orb socketed +5/-5% Cold Facet
Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Rings: Raven Frost / Rare of crafted 10% FCR rings / Stone of Jordan
Gloves: Trang Oul’s Gloves
Boots: Natalya’s Boots
Charms: Cold Sunder charm, Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Small Charms with @all resistances, life, faster hit recovery, Cold Skillers (with +life, +FRW or +FHR optimally)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Insight runeword in an elite two-handed ethereal Polearm, preferably Thresher
Magic Find Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: Harlequin Crest Shako (Socket it with Ist rune)
Amulet: 40-50% Magic Find amulet
Weapon: Wizardspike / Heart of the Oak flail
Switch Weapon: 6*Ist Crystal Sword
Shield: Spirit Monarch
Switch Shield: 4*Ist Monarch
Body Armor: Skullder’s Ire socketed with Ist
Belt: Upgraded Goldwrap
Rings: 2*Nagelring
Gloves: Upgraded Chance Guards
Boots: War Traveler
Charms: Cold Sunder charm, Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Small Charms with 7% Magic find (and also @all resistances if possible)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune)
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor
Weapon: Insight runeword in an elite two-handed ethereal Polearm, preferably Thresher
Hardcore Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: Harlequin Crest Shako (Socket it with Um rune)
Amulet: Metalgrid
Weapon: Heart of the Oak Flail / Wizardspike
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Stormshield Monarch
Switch Shield: Spirit Monarch
Body Armor: Ethereal Guardian Angel socketed with Zod rune
Belt: Snowclash
Rings: Raven Frost / Rare or crafted 10% FCR ring with resists and/or life and mana
Gloves: Trang Oul’s Gloves / Frostburn
Charms: Cold Sunder charm, Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Magic Small Charms (with +all resistances, +life or +faster hit recovery)
Note: Aim to overprotect yourself for situations when you get cursed with spells such as Lower Resist and Amplify Damage or get under an effect of an aura such as Fanaticism or Conviction.
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune) / Kira’s Guardian Tiara socketed with Um rune
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor / Ethereal Upgraded Guardian Angel socketed with Um rune
Weapon: Ethereal Insight runeword in an elite Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
Tal Rasha Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet
Amulet: Tal Rasha’s Adjudication
Weapon: Tal Rasha’s Lidless Eye socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Spirit Monarch
Switch Shield: Spirit Monarch
Body Armor: Tal Rasha’s Guardianship socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet
Belt: Tal Rasha’s Fine Spun Cloth
Rings: 2*Stone of Jordan / 10% FCR Rings with useful stats
Gloves: Trang Oul’s Gloves
Boots: Natalya’s Boots
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Magic +Cold Skills grand charms, life, mana, resist or FHR small charms
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune) / Kira’s Guardian Tiara socketed with Um rune
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor / Ethereal Upgraded Guardian Angel socketed with Um rune
Weapon: Ethereal Insight runeword in an elite Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
200% FCR Frozen Orb Sorc Gear
Helm: 2 Sorceress Skills 20% FCR Circlet (preferably 2 socket with 2*+5/-5% Cold Facet)
Amulet: 2 Sorceress Skills 20% FCR crafted amulet
Weapon: Heart of the Oak Flail
Switch Weapon: Call to Arms
Shield: Spirit Monarch
Switch Shield: Spirit Monarch
Body Armor: Vipermagi socketed with +5/-5% Cold Facet
Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Rings: 2*Rare or crafted 10% FCR ring with resists and/or life and mana
Gloves: Trang Oul’s Gloves
Charms: Cold Sunder charm, Annihilus, Hellfire torch, Gheed’s Fortune, Magic Small Charms (with +all resistances, +life or +faster hit recovery)
Mercenary Gear
Helm: Andariel’s Visage or Crown of Thieves (preferably ethereal, socketed with Ral/Um rune) / Kira’s Guardian Tiara socketed with Um rune
Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude or Treachery armor / Ethereal Upgraded Guardian Angel socketed with Um rune
Weapon: Ethereal Insight runeword in an elite Polearm base (preferably Thresher)
