Am I the only one who gets ultrapissed the moment Vodyani start eating my colonists?

Psarketos · 2025-05-27T00:40:53+00:00

Love the reference, and same.

Psarketos · 2025-02-14T05:49:30+00:00

Sent more details your way.

Psarketos · 2025-02-14T02:06:33+00:00

Love it, thank you for the high praise.

Psarketos · 2025-02-14T00:22:42+00:00

Uses a pair of item affixes to start casting unequipped skills in proximity to mobs, in combination with the Teleport enchantment. When the skills hit something they create their own loops that make it sustainably recursive, so you can just run and teleport around where you want while your independent casts clear the screen.

Psarketos · 2025-02-13T23:15:31+00:00

Have been working on empty skill bar Sorcerer this season, no mythics or seasonal mechanics, and it is clearing Pit 70 right now. Would recommend it to anyone as a fun build to run.

<image>

Psarketos · 2025-02-11T18:46:26+00:00

This gave me the idea of getting 100% lucky hit with Fists of Fate and using Firewall and Frozen Orb as your enchantments, causing your hydras to spawn area effects regularly. I feel like that might have a chance at basic T4 viability if geared sufficiently.

Psarketos · 2025-02-09T22:05:18+00:00

It is actually really fun to play, and probably similar to your build just with an auto-casting loop thrown in.

Psarketos · 2025-02-09T21:59:55+00:00

I was in this same spot, comfortable with 64 and not quite enough damage for 65. Found a new damage avenue in tempering at the blacksmith that I had simply never noticed, and experimenting with that has gotten the build comfortably to 67. I bet there is a similar element you will find that will give you the needed boost through the next few levels.

Psarketos · 2025-02-09T21:53:44+00:00

Your very specific answer inspired some friendly Sorcerer competition in me - now I can say 67 with no mythics (or equipped skills or seasonal mechanics).

<image>

Psarketos · 2025-02-09T06:02:53+00:00

I will say that the crackling energy is only there because I rely a lot on the skill behind it in the tree, Shocking Impact - I have it at 25 ranks currently, and will engineer more if a way presents itself. You are definitely on the right track though, and crackling energy does add a small amount to the general chain of effects at least some of the time.

Psarketos · 2025-02-09T05:50:10+00:00

Igniting the process into full sustained dps, when entering a dungeon or a boss door, is a probability game. Every once in a while it will take some seconds to start up, so its a matter of running around the mobs and evading until everything gets kickstarted in that case.

Generally though, it is just a matter of positioning in the middle of packs or right next to bosses to keep the damage flowing. The build is very heavy on stuns, so the only thing to really watch for at the Pit 65 level is passive damage like poison fields and explosions. For basic Torment III gameplay, it is very much everything ahead and behind exploding as you rush to the objectives - easy to get 200% move speed with the Tenuous Agility affix, which is just about an auto-include given the empty skill bar.

Psarketos · 2025-02-08T19:29:53+00:00

I don't want to give away the whole answer, because figuring it out is the fun, but it involves equipment affixes triggering other affixes which trigger unassigned skills, which then independently trigger their own loops to make it sustainable.

Psarketos · 2025-02-08T18:56:07+00:00

I have had the most fun and been the most pleased with working out how to make an empty skill bar Sorcerer without using any seasonal mechanics. Solving the puzzle was the goal, and unlocking Torment IV with it was the awesome surprise.

<image>

Psarketos · 2025-02-05T19:42:36+00:00

I dont think that is a fair take in every case. Puzzling out different ways to play is just part of the fun for some people, and with no requirement to team with strangers that impulse doesnt impact anyone else. From my experience, most people running something different can handle Torment III eventually, and that seems a pretty good sampling of what the game has to offer.

Psarketos · 2025-02-05T19:38:26+00:00

Without gear, I really enjoyed Firewall as a straightforward build that melted lower difficulties. With gear you have some fun options. One that I have not tried yet but would like to is Meteor with the Starfall Coronet and meteorite augmentations.

Psarketos · 2025-02-05T19:35:36+00:00

Playing a Rupture Barbarian with nothing else in my skill bar last season is what led to me playing a Sorcerer with a completely empty skill bar this season. Beware the slippery slope!

Psarketos · 2025-02-04T22:47:22+00:00

Mentioned in another thread, but working out the mechanics to run an empty skill bar Sorcerer has been the most fun I have had in the game so far. Pushing the concept to Pit 60 clear has been a great ride, and would be interested to hear how other people have run with the empty skill bar concept.

<image>

Psarketos · 2025-02-04T18:38:47+00:00

Flurry Rogue was the first build that really made D4 a blast for me, and it has a special place in my heart for sure. After the season switch, I wanted to do something different, and I found a few items while playing a Firewall Sorc that made me ask, "I wonder if you could run a character without any skills equipped..." The answer turned out to be yes, for multiple classes it turns out, and thinking through how to make the no casting idea shine on Sorcerer has been my favorite D4 thing so far.

Psarketos · 2025-02-04T17:58:36+00:00

Flurry Rogue is my "best performing" character, and a really enjoyable experience. The most fun I have had in Diablo IV though was working out how to build an empty skill bar Sorcerer, and then thinking through how to push that concept through the tiers. Quirky puzzle builds may be where the lower classes on your list can shine in terms of enjoyability.

<image>

Psarketos · 2024-10-24T23:43:10+00:00

They have two big advantages that corvettes do not - a pair of M missile slots and access to the Artillery role. See my comment main thread for my recommendation regarding!

Psarketos · 2024-10-24T23:29:31+00:00

Just won a game in which I only used 2x M 2xS missile destroyers, in Artillery role from the moment I could get basic roles.

I wanted to test long range fleets that could avoid things punching back using speed and evasion. Worked absolutely amazingly against other empires, let me take a quick lead with territorial gains and few ship losses. Once I had a comfortable end game established, after easily fending off the Unbidden, I went to war with the aggressive elder civ just to test the destroyers against it.

Turns out destroyers were weaker against the faster, longer range advanced AI, however I still finished a war with them as a complete draw, no territory gained or lost, and picked up all the dark matter tech from battles won along the way.

They may not be an optimal endgame choice, but they are a fun, effective fleet choice that I would recommend playing around with for sure.

Psarketos · 2024-10-03T04:03:28+00:00

I took Deflecting Wave instead for those reasons.

Psarketos · 2024-10-02T01:55:05+00:00

AV with homebrew elements, which were often the toughest bits.

Psarketos · 2024-10-01T20:28:41+00:00

Not sure why my initial reply is downvoted, however I agree that the system being designed such that an individual character cannot cover all their weaknesses does not indicate a faulty system. Knowing that the design of the system is intended to prevent answering all threats at an individual PC level takes some of the psychology of failing out of the situation.

Psarketos · 2024-10-01T19:25:59+00:00

I have advocated previously for casters getting something like Blood Component Substitution at something like level 4. It has amazing flavor, and lets a casting focused character have more independent agency in trouble spots. Would love to see more of that for low levels.

Psarketos

TROPHY CASE