The Queen of "Ting Ting Ting", the Frost Nova Sorceress puts her enemies on Ice. Frost Nova flattens mobs with ring after ring of Cold Damage, Chilling them in the process. This Sorceress specializes in Elite Hunting in Farming Spots such as Ancient Tunnels and Arachnid Lair in Solo Gameplay. With the advent of Terror Zones and Cold Rupture in Patch 2.5, several other areas such as Halls of Anguish and The Pit can also become decent farms.
With the help of Cold Mastery and the best Faster Cast Rate Breakpoints, this build packs a serious punch with otherwise low damage values. Frozen Orb enables her to kill Bosses and deal with troublesome Elites from afar. Infinity grants the Frost Nova Sorceress the freedom to hybridize and use both Frost Nova and Nova interchangeably. Magic Find like a boss and crush your enemies with an icy onslaught!
Patch 2.5 introduced a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is instead reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. The Charm also reduces YOUR Resistance against the sundered damage type! Check out our post on Sunder Charms to learn more about these new Charms. The following setup uses Cold Rupture, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.
Sunder Charm Setup
Sunder Charm Setup
Gear Changes
To optimize this Sunder Charm you need as much -% Enemy Cold Resistance as possible. A combination of Cold Mastery (1/5th effective after an Immunity is broken in Patch 2.6), Cold Rainbow Facets socketed into gear, Doom, and Infinity on the Mercenary can accomplish this.
Counteract the negative effect of Cold Rupture with Cold Resistance Charms and Jewelry. Note: Since Resistances do not apply to damage taken on Energy Shield, this is not as important while Energy Shield is active.
Terror Zones
The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build. With the Sunder Charm Setup more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.
Best
✔ Ancient Tunnels - High Density, Many Elite Groups, No Immunities ✔ Jail ONLY - High Density, Quick Access, No Immunities ✔ Cathedral + Catacombs - Many Elite Groups, Quick Access, Few Immunities ✔ Far Oasis - Easy Mobility, Quick Access, No Immunities ✔ Stony Field - Quick Access, Easy Mobility, No Immunities
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Cold Mastery 2. Teleport 3. Static Field 4. Frozen Armor 5. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Damage
Frost Nova* is your Primary Damage Skill. It emits an expanding ring of ice from your Character that Slows and deals Cold Damage to enemies within its Area of Effect (AoE).
Frozen Orb* is your Secondary Damage Skill. Use it to damage enemies such as Bosses from afar. It is cast outward from your Character in the direction of your cursor, dealing Cold Damage to any mobs caught in its path. The Orb shoots tiny bolts of Ice outward in all directions and explodes at a certain distance, dealing its highest damage. Note: This Skill has a 1 second Cooldown/Cast Delay; other Skills may be cast in the duration. Faster Cast Rate only improves the Skill's cast speed; it does not shorten the interval between casts.
Static Field* is great to use against Bosses and densely-packed high Life monsters. Each cast uses Lightning Damage to lower nearby monster Life by 25% of their remaining Life. This Skill can reduce monsters' Life to 1 in Normal, 33% of total Life in Nightmare, and 50% in Hell.
Teleport* is an essential Sorceress Skill used for mobility. It repositions your Character to your cursor's position. Repeatedly cast it to cover long distances.
Energy Shield* is a temporary buff that redirects damage to your Mana pool instead of your Life. While active, a percentage (based on this Skill's Level) of all received Damage (except Poison) results in a loss of Mana. Resistances do not apply to damage taken on Energy Shield. If you have 0 Mana in your Mana pool and receive additional damage, this buff expires and needs to be recast.
Telekinesis* allows you to use a Waypoint, enter a Portal, or pick up utility items (Potions, Scrolls, or Gold) from a distance.
Frozen Armor* increases your Defense rating and briefly Freezes enemies that strike your Sorceress. It doesn't work against ranged attacks.
Warmth* provides you with passive Mana Regeneration based on its Skill Level.
Cold Mastery passively grants -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance. It does not break Cold Immunity on its own, and is 1/5th effective if a Cold Immunity is broken (such as by Cold Rupture) as of Patch 2.6.
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR) * Skills that do NOT utilize either FCR or IAS
Attributes
Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants may require different allocations!
Strength
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.
Dexterity
Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Dexterity your gear provides when equipped.
Vitality
Don't allocate any Stat Points into Vitality, because Energy Shield is being fully utilized. This build gets some Life from gear, buffs, and Charms.
Energy
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield, which requires large amounts of Mana.
Essentials
Gear Options
While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.
Hover over any Item to see a pop-out with the full Item description.
Gear Notes: Any Items with specialized or niche uses have a superscript that refers here. 1) Use a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap to further reduce Cold Resistance or break some monster Cold Immunity if you do not have a Cold Rupture in your inventory. 2) You can pre-buff Energy Shield using a +9 Energy ShieldMemory.
Slot
Item Options
Desirable Stats
Weapon
Death's Fathom (Ist Rune) Death's Fathom (5/5 Cold Rainbow Facet) Wizardspike Doom Obsession Heart of the Oak Flail Tal Rasha's Lidless Eye The Oculus Spirit
x% Chance to cast level 10 Weaken when struck +x to All Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance +x% to Cold Skill Damage +x to Frost Nova [Sorceress Only] +x to Cold Mastery [Sorceress Only] +x to Energy Shield [Sorceress Only] +x to Attribute +x Life Replenish Life +x +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% +x to Mana after each Kill X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Off-Hand
Spirit Monarch Gerke's Sanctuary Stormshield Jeweler's Monarch of Deflecting (4x 5/5 Cold Rainbow Facets) Moser's Blessed Circle Ancients' Pledge
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Faster Block Rate x% Increased Chance of Blocking -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance +x% to Cold Skill Damage +x Life Replenish Life +x +x Mana X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Damage Reduced by x Magic Damage Reduced by x
Weapon-Swap
Call to Arms Gemmed Crystal Sword (6x Ist Runes) Blade of Ali Baba Gull Lower Resist Charge Wand1 Memory2 Harmony
Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped +x to All Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x to Battle Orders +x to Battle Command +x to Energy Shield [Sorceress Only] x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Level x Lower Resist [x/x Charges]
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x% Faster Block Rate x% Increased Chance of Blocking +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Helmets
Harlequin Crest Nightwing's Veil Glacial Diadem of the Magus Rare Diadem Crown of Ages Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest Tarnhelm Peasant Crown Rockstopper Hearth Lore
+x to All Skills +x to Cold Skills [Sorceress Only] +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance +x% to Cold Skill Damage +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana X Resist +x% +x Cold Absorb Cold Absorb +x% Damage Reduced by x% +x to Mana after each Kill Cannot Be Frozen x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Body Armor
Tal Rasha's Guardianship (3-Piece Tal Rasha's Set) Ormus' Robes Skin of the Vipermagi Enigma Chains of Honor Skullder's Ire Fortitude Smoke Stealth
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance +x% to Cold Skill Damage +x to Frost Nova [Sorceress Only] +x to Attribute Increased Maximum Life x% X Resist +x% Damage Reduced by x% Magic Damage Reduced by x +x to Life after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+x% Faster Cast Rate Increased Maximum Mana x% Regenerate Mana x% X Resist +x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Belts
Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth (3-Piece Tal Rasha's Set) Arachnid Mesh Caster Crafted Belt Verdungo's Hearty Cord Thundergod's Vigor Goldwrap Battle Belt Rare Belt
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% +x% to Maximum Lightning Resist X Resist +x% +x Lightning Absorb Damage Reduced by x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Boots
War Traveler Silkweave Caster Crafted Boots Rare Boots Sandstorm Trek Aldur's Advance Ruby Chain Boots of Luck
+x% Faster Run/Walk +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% X Resist +x% +x to Mana after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Amulets
Tal Rasha's Adjudication (3-Piece Tal Rasha's Set) Mara's Kaleidoscope Caster Crafted Amulet Caster Crafted Amulet Glacial Amulet of the Apprentice Glacial Amulet of Luck Glacial Amulet of the Whale Glacial Amulet
+x to All Skills +x to Cold Skills [Sorceress Only] +x to Sorceress Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate +x to Attribute +x Life +x Mana Regenerate Mana x% X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Rings
Fortuitous Ring of Fortune Nagelring Rare Ring Rare Ring Rare Ring The Stone of Jordan Wisp Projector Nature's Peace Dwarf Star
+x to All Skills +x% Faster Cast Rate Slain Monsters Rest in Peace +x Life +x Mana Increased Maximum Mana x% X Resist x% Lightning Absorb x% Fire Absorb x% Damage Reduced by x Magic Damage Reduced by x +x to Mana after each Kill x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Charms
Chilling Grand Charm of Vita Chilling Grand Charm of Balance Chilling Grand Charm Serpent's Grand Charm of Vita Shimmering Grand Charm of Balance Shimmering Grand Charm Resistance Grand Charm Shimmering Small Charm of Good Luck Sapphire Small Charm of Good Luck Serpent's Small Charm of Good Luck Shimmering Small Charm of Balance Serpent's Small Charm of Balance Serpent's Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm of Vita Sapphire Small Charm of Vita Small Charm of Good Luck Small Charm of Vita Shimmering Small Charm Resistance Small Charm
+x to Cold Skills [Sorceress Only] +x% Faster Hit Recovery +x Life +x Mana X Resist x% x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Monster Cold Immunity is Sundered +x to All Skills +x to Sorceress Skills +x to All Attributes All Resistances +x +x% to Experience Gained x% Extra Gold from Monsters x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Reduces all Vendor Prices x% +x to Light Radius
Farming Spots
The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to Immunities or bad layouts.
Anything that has a ✔ in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Build Variant.
Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.
Act 2 Desert Mercenary
The Act 2 Desert Mercenary is hired from Greiz. He can be equipped with a Spear or a Polearm, a Body Armor and a Helmet. Every Act 2 Mercenary has access to an Aura and uses Jab as his base Attack. The Aura activates once the Mercenary has engaged in combat and remains active between traveling to and from town. The Auras available are based on what difficulty you hire the Mercenary from.
Might Insight
Might Insight
Insight, Might
Use a Desert Mercenary with Might Aura to finish off Elites quicker and to deal with enemies that are Cold Immune. Equip him with Insight for the high Mana Regeneration provided by Meditation Aura. Energy Shield benefits greatly from the use of Insight.
Mercenary Gear Options
Your Mercenary needs maximum Resistances, Life Leech, a high damage Weapon, and high Defense and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive reliably. Cannot Be Frozen is also a great stat for maintaining Mercenary DPS and leech. Ethereal gear is preferred since it doesn't lose durability. Gear Options at each Gear Level perform equally well in different situations; choose based on Farming Spots and/or personal preference.
Gear Level
Early-Game
Mid-Game
End-Game
Weapon
Insight
Insight
Insight Infinity
Body Armor
Smoke Lionheart Hustle Skin of the Flayed One Goldskin Rockfleece Gemmed Dusk Shroud
Treachery Duress Shaftstop The Gladiator's Bane Duriel's Shell Guardian Angel
Fortitude Treachery Chains of Honor Jeweler's Sacred Armor of Stability
Helmet
Bulwark Wormskull The Face of Horror Gemmed Mask Temper Ground Cure
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest Guillaume's Face Vampire Gaze Crown of Thieves Stealskull Kira's Guardian Rockstopper Cure
Andariel's Visage Andariel's Visage Guillaume's Face Guillaume's Face Cure
The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.
If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.
Playstyle
General
Cast Telekinesis on Waypoints to activate them, on Town Portals to get in or out of town, and on Red Portals to go through them. This allows you to travel through the game faster. Telekinesis can also be used to open chests and pop other clickables for loot.
At the beginning of your Magic Find/Experience run, cast Frozen Armor and Energy Shield once each on whichever weapon loadout has the most + to Skills. Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire.
Use Teleport to travel to your Farming Spot or between Elite Packs.
Teleport directly into the center of Elite Packs and repeatedly cast Frost Nova until all nearby monsters are dead.
When encountering high mob density with high Life (such as in a game with High Player Count), first cast Static Field 1-3 times at close range, and then finish them off with either Frost Nova or Frozen Orb.
For Single Targets:
Use Frozen Orb against isolated high Life targets such as Bosses and Elites. Position so that your Frozen Orbs detonate directly atop your target.
When encountering Bosses, first cast Static Field 3-5 times at close range, and then finish them off with Frozen Orb.
Immunities
Cold Rupture sets all Immune to Cold monsters to 95% Cold Resistance, allowing any sources of -x% to Enemy Cold Resistance to take effect (including 1/5th of Cold Mastery).
You can break some Cold Immunes using a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap before obtaining Cold Rupture.
You can "Telestomp" unbreakable Cold Immunes with your Mercenary to kill them with his Physical DamageJab attack. Alternatively you can just skip them.
Always skip Unique monsters that are both highly Coldand PhysicalResistant or Immune.
Late-Game
Before starting your Magic Find/Experience run, first cast Battle Command 2 times and then Battle Orders once using Call to Arms. Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire (approx. every 2-3 minutes).
Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies
Arachnid Lair Solo - This Max Level Area hosts low LifeElite Monsters right next to the Spider Forest Waypoint. It has 0 Cold Immune monster types, making it an ideal spot for the Frost Nova Sorceress even before obtaining Cold Rupture. Farm this area Solo on B Net or between /Players1-3 on Single Player.
Ancient Tunnels Solo - This Max Level Area hosts many low Life Elite Monsters not far from a Waypoint in Lost City. It has 0 Cold Immune monster types, making it ideal even before obtaining Cold Rupture. Farm this area Solo on B Net or between /Players1-3 on Single Player.
Breakpoints
Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.
Faster Cast Rate (FCR)
Faster Cast Rate speeds up your casting animation for spells. Aim for at least the 105% FCR Breakpoint. Note: FCR only controls the animation speed of the Character, and not any internal Cooldowns spells have.
Frames
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
FCR
0
9
20
37
63
105
200
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Faster Hit Recovery increases survivability. Aim for at least the 60% FHR Breakpoint.
Frames
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
FHR
0
5
9
14
20
30
42
60
86
142
280
Faster Block Rate (FBR)
Faster Block Rate is not required for this build's survivability, but the, 20%, 27%, and 48% FBR Breakpoints can be utilized if using either Gerke's Sanctuary or Stormshield.
The Frost Nova Sorceress can become Hardcore viable with key changes to Gear and Stat Point allocation. Review the changes below before building this character in Hardcore, as some of these changes differ significantly from the Standard Build.
Gear Changes
Damage Reduction: Equip either Gerke's Sanctuary or Stormshield instead of Spirit. Both theDamage Reduction and Magic Damage Reduction on Gerke's Sanctuary synergize really well with Energy Shield. The Damage Reduction and Increased Chance of Blocking stats on both of these Shields drastically improve your survivability. Crown of Ages and Verdungo's Hearty Cord are also great options for achieving high Damage Reduction on a HardcoreFrost Nova Sorceress.
Faster Cast Rate: It can be difficult to achieve the 105% Faster Cast Rate (FCR)Breakpoint while prioritizing Damage Reduction on this build. Trang-Oul's Claws, Ormus' Robes, Skin of the Vipermagi, Fortitude, Arachnid Mesh, a Caster Crafted Amulet, and 10% Faster Cast Rate Rings, are great options for shoring up your FCR.
Stacking Resistances: Stack your Fire/Lightning/Cold Resistances beyond the default maximum values of 75 each (175 total in Hell). Stacking 85 additional Resistances in Hell completely negates the Conviction Aura of any Elite Boss or the Oblivion Knight's Lower ResistCurse. Beware of encountering both at the same time! Consider the primary damage type(s) of the monsters in the area you want to farm. Skin of the Vipermagi, Fortitude, Chains of Honor, and Tal Rasha's Guardianship are great Body Armor options for stacking Resistances on this build. Crown of Ages is a solid Helmet option. Boots, Jewelry, and Charms are also ideal sources of Resistances. Note: Stacking Resistances is not as important on builds using Energy Shield.
Faster Hit Recovery: Aim for at least the 42% Faster Hit RecoveryBreakpoint with your Charms, Boots, Helmet, and/or Shael Runes socketed into gear. Faster Hit Recovery is not as important when going for maximum Chance to Block (75%). You mainly rely on the Faster Block RateBreakpoints attained by Gerke's Sanctuary (15%) or Stormshield (48%).
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear Gerke's Sanctuary or Stormshield.
Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%).
Put all remaining Stat Points intoEnergy. See the "Hardcore" Build Variant below for additional suggestions and visuals.
Build Variants
Starter
Standard
Damage
Mobility
Hybrid Nova
Hardcore
Setup
The Starter variant of the Frost Nova Sorceress meets the minimum gear requirements for farming the Starter ✔ tagged areas in the "Farming Spots" section above. These areas can be Solo-farmed by this setup (/Players1 on Single Player) in both Nightmare and Hell difficulty. The Starter build is particularly strong at Solo farming Arachnid Lair, Stony Tomb, and Ancient Tunnels. Prioritize + to Skills, Faster Cast Rate, Resistances, Life, and Mana on your gear. Use a Lower Resist Charge Wand on Weapon-Swap to reduce enemy Cold Resistance and break some Cold Immunity. You can also use a Harmony on Weapon-Swap to travel faster through town. The Starter build achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint like the Standard setup. Follow the Sorceress Leveling Guide to get your Sorceress to Level 75.
Mercenary
The Starter Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Insight for Mana Regeneration. Mercenaries require Resistances, Life Leech, and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive. Smoke is a cheap Body Armor option for Resistances, while Bulwark is the cheapest Helmet that provides Life Leech and Damage Reduction.
Skills
Allocate additional Skill Points into Cold Mastery until you achieve -100% Enemy Cold Resistance. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Telekinesis 2. Teleport 3. Static Field 4. Energy Shield (Max Last) 5. Frozen Armor 6. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Cold Mastery (Till -100% Enemy Cold Resistance) 5. Telekinesis 6. Energy Shield
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put about an equal number of all remaining Stat Points into Vitality and Energy.
Setup
This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Frost Nova Sorceress featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the balanced "jack-of-all-trades" version, capable of performing the most tasks well. This variant is the point of comparison for all other variants. It carefully balances Magic Find, Damage, Defensive Stats, and mobility. This is an ideal build for Solo farming Arachnid Lair and Ancient Tunnels. With the advent of Terror Zones and the help of Cold Rupture, you can efficiently Solo farm nearly anywhere in the game. The Standard setup achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint.
Mercenary
The Standard Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Insight for rapid Mana Regeneration. Fortitude and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor maximize this Mercenary's damage and survivability.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Cold Mastery 2. Teleport 3. Static Field 4. Frozen Armor 5. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield.
Setup
This variant maximizes the Frost Nova Sorceress' damage output. By using Nightwing's Veil, Death's Fathom, and a Frost Nova Ormus' Robes this setup is able to efficiently farm in games with 3-5 Players or /Players3-5 on Single Player. She can even hold her own in High Player Count games. Frostburn additionally provides a big boost to this build's Energy Shield. Using Cold Rupture allows this build to have maximum freedom along with its maximum damage. The drawback is far less Magic Find compared to the Standard Build. The Damage variant achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint like the Standard Build.
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, the Damage Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Insight, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
The Damage Frost Nova Sorceress maxes out Cold Mastery to take advantage of Cold Rupture. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Teleport 2. Static Field 3. Frozen Armor 4. Warmth 5. Energy Shield
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Cold Mastery 5. Telekinesis
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield.
Setup
This variant achieves the 200% Faster Cast Rate (FCR) Breakpoint for maximum Frost Nova and Teleport cast speed. The Mobility setup sacrifices Magic Find for mobility and DPS. It excels at "Seal Popping" monsters for loot in Chaos Sanctuary and other fast-paced activities that don’t require Magic Find, such as several Terror Zones, especially if you use Cold Rupture.
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, the Mobility Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Insight, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Cold Mastery 2. Teleport 3. Static Field 4. Frozen Armor 5. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield.
Setup
The Hybrid Nova variant utilizes both Frost Nova and Nova to decimate all monsters in the game without Cold Rupture. It uses Frost Nova and Nova interchangeably, taking advantage of the monsters' weaker Elemental Resistance. Lightning Rainbow Facets in high Cold Damage gear make this possible. There is practically nothing this version cannot farm. The Hybrid Nova variant achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint.
Mercenary
The Hybrid Nova Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Infinity for -85% Enemy Cold Resistance and -85% Enemy Lightning Resistance. Fortitude and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor maximize this Mercenary's damage and survivability.
Skills
Allocate Skill Points into Nova, Static Field, and Lightning Mastery instead of Telekinesis and Energy Shield. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Cold Mastery 2. Telekinesis 3. Teleport 4. Static Field 5. Frozen Armor 6. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Nova
Split all remaining Skill Points between Static Field and Lightning Mastery.
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
For the Hardcore mode variant, aim to have Damage Reduction and maximum Chance to Block (75%) to guard against taking extreme amounts of Physical Damage. Additionally, overcap Resistances beyond the natural cap of 75% if possible to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist. If using Cold Rupture, use Cold Resistance Charms to counteract its negative effect. This variant reaches the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint like the Standard Build. Consult the "Hardcore" section for more detailed information.
Mercenary
Just as with the Standard Build, the Hardcore Frost Nova Sorceress uses an Act 2 MightMercenary with Insight, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills: 1. Cold Mastery 2. Teleport 3. Static Field 4. Frozen Armor 5. Warmth
Max out the following Skills in this order: 1. Frost Nova 2. Frozen Orb 3. Blizzard 4. Telekinesis 5. Energy Shield
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield.
Video Guide
Video Guide by DarkHumility
Summary
Cold Rupture enables the Frost Nova Sorceress to destroy any and all monsters in the game!
105% or 200% Faster Cast RateFrost Nova flattens most enemies, while Frozen Orb is great versus Bosses and other high Life single targets such as Elites.
After maxing Frost Nova and its Synergies, allocate remaining Skill Points into Telekinesis and Energy Shield for a strong defensive approach. Alternatively, you can allocate remaining Skill Points into Nova and its Synergies for a strong hybrid offensive approach.
The Frost Nova Sorceress comfortably stacks Magic Find and specializes in Solo farming Elites with her low raw damage. Take advantage of her strengths to get maximum value.
We hope you enjoy this build! Hula-hoop the monsters until Hell freezes over! Magic Find with an icy vengeance!