Sacred 2:DaBiggy's IceElf: A translated German Guide, Ice Elf Guide Version 1.1.2
DaBiggy's IceElf: A translated German Guide, Ice Elf Guide Version 1.1.2By DaBiggy with translation by FrostElfGuard
Hello! Welcome to my IceElf Guide. I took the existing IceElf guide and adapted it to my style of play. If you love area of effect (AoE), you'll love this build! This guide is not for melee-oriented players... just ones that use spells. The main spell will be Glacial Thorns while wearing a shield and carrying a one handed sword. There will be info on defense since survival is essential. {Frost: sounds like a Hardcore character guide} Sections will be as follows: 1) Abbreviations 2) Attributes 3) Skills 4) Combat Arts 5) Buffs 6) The Mount 7) Playing Style 8) Runes 9) Items 10) Patches 11) Link list 12) To Do List 13) Final Word
CA - Combat Art lvl - level +taS - + to all skills +taCA - + to all combat arts +exp - +% experience +mf - chance to find special items, aka Magic Find EP - Enhanced Perception
Strength - increase melee damage Dexterity - increase ranged weapon damage Stamina - decrease regen times for combat arts (spells) Intelligence - increase damage from spells Vitality - increase life points Willpower - increase resistance to spells Since each attribute will increase by 10% of start values, you can enjoy benefits from each attribute increasing anyway. We find that Stamina, Vitality and Intelligence are useful attributes to increase for the IceElf. Stamina is especially needed at the lower levels when regen is a very limiting factor on the IceElf. Later, damage and increase life become more important. 2:3 or 3:2 points for Vitality and Intelligence as you see fit. 3) The Skills 8 are core skills with 2 free choices: Mystic Stormite Lore Mystic Stormite Focus Delphic Arcania Focus Concentration Constitution Shield Lore Armour Lore Ancient Magic The order you take the skills is up to you, but this is the order you need to maximize to mastery (level 75). The shield and armour lores need not go so high. 921 skill points are available. So, we can have 2 skills kept at character level and all the others at 75. Our main skills are the Stormite skills, we need to keep them at character level from the beginning. Things get a bit more complicated if you take Bargaining as a free skill choice, which needs a high skill investment to pay off. After these 3, Delphic Arcane Focus should go to 75 next. HC variant: Push Armour Lore up to 75 instead of Delphic Arcane Focus first. Your elf can wear heavier armour without regen penalty. The armour focus also protects your built in Magic Find from Survival Bonus. In a non-hardcore character you can always regrow your SB, with HC, it is over right away if the character dies. The Skill Choices Are: 1) The Negotiator. Skill: Bargaining. Amazingly good rings and amulets are available to the character with high bargaining skill. Bargaining is one of the most important skills for the High Elf. Second choice skills for the Negotiator: a) Riding b) Spell Resistance c) Enhanced Perception 2) The Pilgrim. 9th skill choice is either Riding or Divine Devotion. 10th skill choice is Enhanced Perception. Riding is highly recommended. At character level 75 the next skill to max out should be Enhanced Perception. 3) The Warrior. 9th skill: Magic Staffs. 10th skill: choice of Speed Lore or Tactics Lore. This is an unlikely build since you need to have a high damage staff to make it viable. Such staves are not yet found in the game, but could be patched in. 4) The Combo Champion. Some people really want to use combos, which an IceElf normally does not need. So. This build choice is provided. 9th choice: Combat Discipline. 10th choice: Bargaining (highly recommended) or Riding.
4) The Combat Arts We'll use 4 spells and 2 buffs. This underlines it is so important to bring Mystic Stormite Focus to level 75 as soon as possible. Our main combat art will be Glacial Thorns. Glacial Thorns - (Ice Splinters) Very powerful to single targets and as an Area of Effect (AoE). Single targets can be hit with every shard, and groups can be hit by a wide dispersal spray. Modifications to Glacial Thorns Bronze
I think more shards=better, especially against bosses. An argument could be made for more ice damage too I suppose. Silver
While increased crit is great, increase lag due to all the calculations is not. I support the pierce option since it make the character less susceptible to lag... which kills. Gold
Your choice here depends on your earlier choices. More shards or pass-through? If you haven't taken pass-through, you should take it now. If you want more shards, well... take that. If you gather big mobs of monsters and then let fly, you'll want Pierce. Players who do this often have a large regen on their shards--they had better not miss! Raging Nimbus A raging blizzard sweeps across the target area damaging opponents with lightning and additionally slowing them down considerably. Raging Nimbus Modifications The idea in this build is to use the Raging Nimbus to slow the enemy, not to kill them. So. Anything that slows the enemy is good. Lightning frequency is better to increase than ice damage. The choices are yours to make. Cascading Shroud - (Mist Form) The High Elf becomes wisp-like in substance. Her fogged appearance makes her a difficult target for weapons, but increases her vulnerability to fire. We only use CS when the situation is delicate. Like just before a boss fight. Or we're about to face a big mob.
Since we will be using Crystal skin, we don't really need the reduction in physical damage. Choose Faint. Less chance to be hit at all. Silver
We're not using CS to run away, we're using it as temporary buff. Choose inconspicuous. Less chance of being seen while the spell lasts. Gold
I chose Facileness. However, Steam would be great against dragonfire. If your just going to use CS to fight bosses, choose Steam. I like the speed boost when I'm not in battle.
Phase Shift--the only way to bring down cooldown time to 15 seconds. The only choice. Silver
Vanish is the choice since Crystal Skin gives us high physical resistance. Gold
Mend- I prefer to heal rather than damage. We do have Glacial Thorns for damage! {Frost' note: Yup. But GT is ice/physical. Explosion would be fire damage. A new type, useful against a different set of opponents, and thus valuable to the IceElf.}
Crystal Skin The ultimate buff. Boosts physical resistance {Frost's note: the most common form of damage in the game} and reduces our regen for our Stormite spells.
Well. This depends on your skill choice. If you did not take Magic Resistance skill, choose Glacial Mirror. If you did, then consider either as a free choice. Silver
Gold
I chose Mystic Stormite Expertise. I like the much lower regen times. If you choose Frosty Breeze you're going to have much longer regen times. With Frosty Breeze you'll get a big jump in Ice damage... which also makes it a good choice. I suspect it will be much harder to play a Frosty Breeze IceElf, so I chose Mystic Stormite Expertise. Grand Invigoration - Regenerative Power (Delphic Aracania Aspect) When active, hitpoints and spells will regenerate at an increased rate. Grand Invigoration Modifications Bronze
No brainer here! Mystic Stormite Expertise FTW! Silver
Choose Replenish. Life regen is nice, but we want spells when we want them. Not later. Gold
I like speed, so I took Fleetness. If you prefer you can choose Resilience. 6) The Mount Whether we took Riding skill or not, we'll use the Wind Serpent that boosts Mystic Stormite spells, aka the Ice Mount. We should have roughly the same regen as an unmounted character, but with 25% more life points. If our life counter drops to 0, our mount will die and we won't. Well worth the gold. {Frost's edit: Especially to a hard core character!!} 7) Play Style Pretty simple: Start Crystal Skin and Grand Invigoration when you enter the game. Always use a Mount. Use Glacial Thorns as your primary attack. Add a Raging Nimbus if you face a boss. Use Cascading Shroud just before a boss fight. Maintain a minimum distance from the boss. You don't want to melee with them. Keep moving. Never stop. Avoid projectiles. 8) Runes What runes are we supposed to read? What ones should we not read? The answer is simple. Crystal Skin, Grand Invigoration and Cascading Shroud can be read. The others are to be increased by equipment and socketing equipment. Why socketing and equipment? Because they have a lower regen penalty for higher levels than just reading the runes would cause. The difference is socketed/equipped levels cost 1/2 of the cost of just reading a rune. This implies the IceElf that just reads runes will have twice the regeneration time for the same damage compared to an IceElf that uses socketed/item levels to boost her spells. Or... the runes read IceElf at the same regen time will have 1/2 the damaging power compared to an socketed/equipment IceElf. 9) The Items So far we have covered the basics. Getting the right equipment is an art -- from drops and shopping and balancing skill levels with spell levels with damage dealt with damage prevented, evaded or blocked. Things I look for in items: 1) Rings: to all skills +X, to all combat arts +X. These are the best. Next best is +X ice damage. 2) sockets in armour: we boost the value of the armour by socketing rings. 3) bonuses built-in to the armours: we want the following bonuses: +taS, +taCA, +Mystic Stormite Focus, +Mystic Stormite Lore, +ice damage%, +physical damage%, +exp, +mf, +defense, +x specific spell we use, and much more. 4) avoid items that boost skills we don't have and have no or minimal sockets. We're not fighters, so a boost to Attack rating doesn't matter. Helmets 2 set helmets are great for us: Faladal's Eye : Raging Nimbus +X, Spell Resistance +X%, Casting Speed +X%, Physical Resistance, one socket. Not very good for us, and only one socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...aladal%27s_Eye Cowl of Antiquity: Grand Invigoration +X, Intelligence +X, xp +X%, two sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...l_of_Antiquity Circlet of Innocence: Visibility range, defense, 3 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...t_of_Innocence
Robe of Innocence: chance to find valuables +X%, 3 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...e_of_Innocence Velaria's Garment: defensive skills +X, 3 gold sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...ia%27s_Garment Faladal's Moxy: Crystal Skin +X, Max Hit Points +X, 2 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...ladal%27s_Moxy Velaria's 3 gold sockets are great. Life bonus or Magic Find are also very nice to have.
Belt: A girl has a hard time finding good accessories these days... 2 sockets and bonuses that aren't that great are the best we can find in Faladal's Belt: Faladal's Cord: Stamina +X, Cascading Shroud + X, 2 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...ladal%27s_Cord Pants/Legs: Pantaloons of Innocence: Chance to Evade, Run Speed, 3 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...s_of_Innocence Faladal's Safe Step: Glacial Thorns, Combat Discipline, Mystic Stormite Lore, 1 socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...%27s_Safe_Step Again 3 sockets trumps the other benefits. Socket the right rings, and you're rockin'!!
Boots of Remembrance: Chance to Evade, Shadow Step, Delphic Arcania Focus, 2 sockets. Faladal's Finesse: Raging Nimbus, Spell resistance, Casting Speed, 1 socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...al%27s_Finesse First choice: Boots of Remembrance for the Arcania Focus and 2 sockets. If not, then Faladal's.
Faladal's Sound: Glacial Thorns, Frost Flare, Casting Speed, 1 socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...adal%27s_Sound
Because of bonus to Glacial Thorns, Faladal's is first choice.
Gloves: Velaria's Mitts: All combat arts +X, Spell intensity, Attack value, Ranged defense value, 1 socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...aria%27s_Mitts
Velaria's gloves are the best out there for a High Elf. Bonus to every spell, and more intensity. Faladal's aren't so bad either, but definitely second choice. The Weapon: Unique weapons: Officer's Saber: (one handed sword) Faster increase of Survival Bonus, Attack Value, 4 sockets Tinwora's Curse (hafted weapon): All combat arts +X, decrease regen, casting speed, 3 sockets. Rancuil's Dark Flame: (one handed staff): decrease buff regen, Ancient Magic, Attack Value, 3 sockets. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...iques_Database The best weapon for a High Elf is Tinwora' Curse, it was designed with a caster in mine. Mega's ring in the Officer's Saber makes is a strong contender for best weapon.
The Shield an unique:Stalworth Safeguard: Faster increase of Survial Bonus, Opponent's chance to proc decreased, big defense bonus, 1 socket. http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5...Unique_Shields Why is this shield the best? Very high resistances. If you take Shield Lore to 75, look for a different shield with chance to block, since blocking (0 damage) is better than resisting (reduced damage). Only drawback is just one socket... but the resistances make up for that.
All skills, all combat arts come only on yellow rings. No big deal, with high bargaining you should find many at the merchants. Also to look for are + Ice Damage and + Mystic Stormite Lore and Mystic Stormite Focus. 3rd tier of bonus to look for: XP and MF. PATCH The Patch cut down the damage the IceElf dealt to 1/6 of previous values. Damage numbers reduced to 1/4, but armour resistance reduced actual damage further. To keep the damage up, you need to have much higher levels of Glacial Thorns. Low regen builds will fail now at the higher difficulty levels as they cannot overcome the resistances of the opponents. So, pump your skill levels, pump your spell level and use items with "reduce opponent's resistances". Recommended that you run a Bargaining character ahead of your IceElf to shop for her. Because Glacial Thorns can be used both on individuals and area of effect, it makes for a much more enjoyable Sacred playing experience. Either the elf wipes out the opponent, or gets wiped out herself. No middle ground. The classic glass cannon. 11) Links Sicfreid's FAQ in German Zigfive's High Elf Spells 12) To Do List a) Insert Images b) Insert Abbreviations c) Improve spelling d) General improvements 13) Final Word I hope you like my guide and have a good idea of what skills to take. If you wish to distribute this guide, please send me a PM so I can give you my consent. If you have questions or criticism, please let me know as soon as possible. I'm still looking for images for all the items discussed here, and would like to receive images around levels 80 to 90 to compliment the others here already. Unfortunately, I cannot harvest from the Sacred wiki because of the level differences. I wish to thank both Unimatrix and Gorx for help with this guide. Wishing you tons of fun DaBiggy
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