The prodigal daughter returns! Long has it been since the Nova Sorceress has been considered as one of the stronger builds, but now she is back - with a vengeance! In the before times, Nova was used to strike down hordes of cows. With Patch 2.4 it gains access to a Synergy from Static Field, drastically increasing its damage to a competitive Level.
The low amount of Skill Points required makes Nova a superb candidate for hybrid builds in combination with Cold or Fire Skills. The Pure Nova Sorceress becomes very tanky with Energy Shield and a massive Mana pool to negate large amounts of damage. This version deals well with the intense Mana cost Nova has.
This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. Check out our Sorceress Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.
Very Tanky ✔
Beginner Friendly ✔
Fast Paced Playstyle ✔
Flexible Hybrid Versions ✔
❌ Very High Mana Costs
❌ Heavy Item Dependency
❌ Complicated Item Mechanics
❌ Non-Hybrid Bad For Act Bosses
Sunder Charm Setup
Patch 2.5 introduces a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is insted reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. (e.g. Conviction, Lower Resist) 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 Crack of the Heavens, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.
Gear Changes
To make optimal use of the Sunder Charm, equip as much -% Enemy Lightning Resistance as possible. Equip Infinity Scythe and Griffon's Eye for maximum damage. Make sure to keep at least 105% Faster Cast Rate!
Counteract the negative effect of Crack of the Heavens with Skin of the Vipermagi (Um Rune), Caster Crafted Amulet, and some Amber Small Charm of Good Luck.
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 on the Starter setup. 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
✔ The Tower Cellar - High Density, Quick Access, Many Elite Groups, SKIP Archers!
✔ Dark Wood - Quick Access, Elite Groups, No Immunities
✔ Tristram - High Density, Many Elite Groups, SKIP Night Clans!
✔ Arcane Sanctuary - Quick Access, Bosses, Super Chests
✔ Blood Moor ONLY - No Immunities, Quick Access
Worst
❌ Chaos Sanctuary - Immunities, Tanky enemies
❌ Travincal - Immunities, High Elemental Damage, Tanky enemies
❌ Burial Grounds + Crypt + Mausoleum - Immunities
❌ River of Flame + City of the Damned - Immunities, Tanky enemies
❌ Ancients' Way + Icy Cellar - Immunities, Tanky enemies, High Physical Damage, High Elemental Damage
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Frozen Armor
2. Warmth
3. Telekinesis
4. Teleport
5. Energy Shield (maxed out later)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Nova
2. Lightning Mastery
3. Static Field
4. Telekinesis
5. Energy Shield
6. Remaining points into Warmth
Damage
Utility
Attributes
Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants can require a different allocation!
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
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.
Energy
Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Energy to fully utilize Energy Shield, which requires large amounts of Mana.
Essentials
Gear Options
Farming Spots
Mercenary
Playstyle
Breakpoints
Hardcore
Build Variants
Setup
This variant combines as much +x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Magic Find), exceeding 600% in total, while keeping as much damage as possible. Going down to the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint allows the addition of Chance Guards and the 3-Set-piece combination of Tal Rasha's Adjudication, Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth, and Tal Rasha's Guardianship. Exchanging the Sparking Grand Charm of Vita for Charms with Magic Find and Resistances or Mana round out the build. Play around with this change and put back some Skillers if your damage or life feels too low. Use war Traveler for max Magic Find or any Rare Boots or Caster Crafted Boots with Magic Find and Resistances if necessary.
Mercenary
The Mercenary is clear-cut across all variants. Use the Might (Damage) or Holy Freeze (Crowd Control) version, depending on your preference. Use Infinity Giant Thresher, Fortitude Sacred Armor, and Andariel's Visage socketed with Ruby Jewel of Fervor to keep him alive permanently.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Frozen Armor
2. Warmth
3. Telekinesis
4. Teleport
5. Energy Shield (maxed out later)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Nova
2. Lightning Mastery
3. Static Field
4. Telekinesis
5. Energy Shield
6. Remaining points into Warmth
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip your gear. Put remaining Stat Points into Energy.
Mechanics
Teleport
Static Field
Summary
- Always buff yourself with everything that you got! Energy Shield is removed when your Mana reaches 0, make sure the golden ball is always above your head! Keep an eye on your Mana - It is your lifeline!
- Use your screen-wide Static Field to weaken your enemies before you close the gap to slaughter them!
- Be aggressive! Nova deals damage around your Character, and most monster are stunned when they get hit by it. Being defensive reduces your efficiency!
- Don't farm in areas when you can't break monsters' Immunity to Lightning and reduce their Resistances beyond that. Nova doesn't deal well with high Resistant monsters.
- Play around with the Hybrid-variants. They are a lot of fun and open up a wide range of areas to farm in!
The Nova Sorceress is a very rewarding close up Lightning build that can destroy everything in the game. Enjoy jumping into your enemies and zap them to death!
Good luck!
Credits
Written by Teo1904
Reviewed by MacroBioBoi
Changelog
- 3 February 2023
Updated to Patch 2.6 - Added Ground and Temper to Gear Options - Added Gear Options to Mercenary section - Minor adjustments to Hardcore section - 3 October 2022
Added Infinity Self Use setup - 18 September 2022
Updated to Patch 2.5 Added Sunder Charms and Terror Zones Updated the Standard Variant - 16 March 2022
Published with Patch 2.4