New sorcerer in need of general advice

[L9 dorothea]

Starting my second playthrough now playing as sorcerer. As I've never done this before (not even some points in Intelligence in melee builds), I need a few pointers.

-How many points in Mind do I invest in?
-While leveling Intelligence and Mind, is there any space for Vigor and Endurance?
-Is it worth it to level Dexterity for a sidearm?
-What are some early locations to get important spells and weapons?
-How many flasks do I want of the two different types?

Edit:
Whats the basic idea against multiple opponents,
against slow enemies,
against shielded enemies,
against single very fast enemy?

[0wnz0r]

dependin on if u go spellsword or pure caster, i say 25-30 mnd is the low end.

dependin on where u wanna cap, u can invest in as many points as u want. most ppl want 150 for random multiplayer.. hardcore duelists want 125. we still waitin to see but 150 seems to be winnin. u can always go to 130 or so in the meantime, so u can still connect to 125.

it is worth it.. dex always complimented int. it aint rly worth it to stack cast speed items tho, so if u go high dex, u dont need to worry bout wastin talisman slots. some good int weapons in this game also need some str.

not sure about this one.

its up to u. personally, if i got no heal spells, i at least try to keep an even split for a spell sword.

[L9 dorothea]

Originally posted by 0wnz0r:

dependin on if u go spellsword or pure caster, i say 25-30 mnd is the low end.

dependin on where u wanna cap, u can invest in as many points as u want. most ppl want 150 for random multiplayer.. hardcore duelists want 125. we still waitin to see but 150 seems to be winnin. u can always go to 130 or so in the meantime, so u can still connect to 125.

it is worth it.. dex always complimented int. it aint rly worth it to stack cast speed items tho, so if u go high dex, u dont need to worry bout wastin talisman slots. some good int weapons in this game also need some str.

not sure about this one.

its up to u. personally, if i got no heal spells, i at least try to keep an even split for a spell sword.

ok thanks. so when leveling, so when leveling up do i level them equally or do i level one specific up to a point?

[wererabbit]

Soft cap on Int is 80. Presently sitting around 44 and enjoying the boost. Def need Vigor - 600+ hp makes all fights easier. Farm the halflings/goblins in Caelid to get levels super fast.
Int over Mind -- 30 Mind is a good point to aim for initially.

[L9 dorothea]

Originally posted by wererabbit:

Soft cap on Int is 80. Presently sitting around 44 and enjoying the boost. Def need Vigor - 600+ hp makes all fights easier. Farm the halflings/goblins in Caelid to get levels super fast.
Int over Mind -- 30 Mind is a good point to aim for initially.

specify the goblins, i dont remember them. and at what level can i start farming them? like right off the bat level 10 with glintstone pebbles?

[SmallGespenst]

street of sages in Caelid has Stone Sling and the Meteor Staff, and those are both stellar for a long while.
you definately want a sidearm even if it's just so you can kill trash without spending FP.
I usually have my flasks split 2:1 in favour of blue, but I do run into issues sometimes running out of healing, so it's a matter of preference really, more blue lets you cast more flashy stuff and more red makes you more survivable. (note: this only applies to dungeons, exploring you're fine with whatever since the game is pretty generous with refills)

[Eventide]

I've been doing my whole first playthrough as a sorcerer. The early game is tough honestly. The recent patch fixed things up pretty nicely, but still some more needs to be done.

You definitely want to focus int to 80 I can't really stress how important it is for your damage. With that in mind don't neglect everything else though. Mind is a stat you mostly just put enough into until you feel comfortable for how you're playing. Vigor you're going to want at least like 40 to not get one shot by everything.

For early sorceries, you want to head to Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave (east of the start) along the road. After that you'll want to make your way into Caelid real quick.. around the center in the Streets of Sages Ruins find the meteorite staff, this is your staff for pretty much the entirety of the early game. No other will compare until you get Renalla's which is best for general use. Rock Sling is also nearby, which is a spell that does physical damage which is great for anything resistant to magic.

As for the flasks, this is again just personal opinion based on how you're playing. If you find you're not getting hit much, then obviously more FP is nice. I usually have like 2 more FP than HP.

[SmallGespenst]

Originally posted by wererabbit:

Soft cap on Int is 80. Presently sitting around 44 and enjoying the boost. Def need Vigor - 600+ hp makes all fights easier. Farm the halflings/goblins in Caelid to get levels super fast.
Int over Mind -- 30 Mind is a good point to aim for initially.

Mind is 100% a luxury stat. I'd put it after Vigour and any stat requirements. it's basically just "blue flasks are a little bit more efficient" do not stress over mind unless you're building for PVP, where chugging can get you killed

[L9 dorothea]

Originally posted by Yiğit:

At level 50 you should be around 20 mind 20 dex rest is on vigor and int, you put more points in int depending on how well you think you can dodge. You can get meteorite staff and rock sling as early as you get your mount. It is pretty good early and midgame staff. Go to sellen in waypoint runes for some good spells. I go for 6 fp and 2 hp flasks so I get 3 and 1 in coop respectively but its up to you. If youre not thinking of melee combat at all you can go fp heavy.

this is incredibly detailed, thanks

[0wnz0r]

Originally posted by dorothea:

Originally posted by 0wnz0r:

dependin on if u go spellsword or pure caster, i say 25-30 mnd is the low end.

dependin on where u wanna cap, u can invest in as many points as u want. most ppl want 150 for random multiplayer.. hardcore duelists want 125. we still waitin to see but 150 seems to be winnin. u can always go to 130 or so in the meantime, so u can still connect to 125.

it is worth it.. dex always complimented int. it aint rly worth it to stack cast speed items tho, so if u go high dex, u dont need to worry bout wastin talisman slots. some good int weapons in this game also need some str.

not sure about this one.

its up to u. personally, if i got no heal spells, i at least try to keep an even split for a spell sword.

ok thanks. so when leveling, so when leveling up do i level them equally or do i level one specific up to a point?

i say u get int up to a point where u can use a spell u want, get str n dex to a point where u can use a weapon u want. then focus on int. maybe sprinkle mnd in every once in a while. get into to maybe 40, then pump up dex a lil bit. i forget the cast speed breakpoints but u can look that up.

after u reach a breakpoint or can use whichever new weapon u want, max out int.

of course. thats for damage stats. hopefully, while u did this, u didnt neglect vigor or end. u can stop end anywhere from 15-20 for now, early game wont be much issue. get vigor up alongside every other stat. u rly want vigor up there as fast as possible. if u feel comfortable dodgin n slingin spells from afar, then thats on u. otherwise, pump vigor first. survivability bro.

[L9 dorothea]

Originally posted by 0wnz0r:

Originally posted by dorothea:

ok thanks. so when leveling, so when leveling up do i level them equally or do i level one specific up to a point?

i say u get int up to a point where u can use a spell u want, get str n dex to a point where u can use a weapon u want. then focus on int. maybe sprinkle mnd in every once in a while. get into to maybe 40, then pump up dex a lil bit. i forget the cast speed breakpoints but u can look that up.

after u reach a breakpoint or can use whichever new weapon u want, max out int.

of course. thats for damage stats. hopefully, while u did this, u didnt neglect vigor or end. u can stop end anywhere from 15-20 for now, early game wont be much issue. get vigor up alongside every other stat. u rly want vigor up there as fast as possible. if u feel comfortable dodgin n slingin spells from afar, then thats on u. otherwise, pump vigor first. survivability bro.

does dex decrease cast times?

[Eventide]

Originally posted by SmallGespenst:

Originally posted by wererabbit:

Soft cap on Int is 80. Presently sitting around 44 and enjoying the boost. Def need Vigor - 600+ hp makes all fights easier. Farm the halflings/goblins in Caelid to get levels super fast.
Int over Mind -- 30 Mind is a good point to aim for initially.

Mind is 100% a luxury stat. I'd put it after Vigour and any stat requirements. it's basically just "blue flasks are a little bit more efficient" do not stress over mind unless you're building for PVP, where chugging can get you killed

Agreed. In PvE mind really is more of a luxury. As long as you have enough to do a few casts before needing to refresh, you're good. At level 105 I have 25 mind 80 intelligence, and 24 vigor (what I'm now adding points to). I also have 12 str, and 18 dex just to use moonveil. I find I barely even use moonveil's skill anymore.. it's mostly just for slashing down weak foes.

With the FP cost reduction for so many spells, it's so much easier having less mind which is nice because we used to be spread way too thin.. Even though I still think we are.

[Eventide]

Originally posted by dorothea:

Originally posted by 0wnz0r:

i say u get int up to a point where u can use a spell u want, get str n dex to a point where u can use a weapon u want. then focus on int. maybe sprinkle mnd in every once in a while. get into to maybe 40, then pump up dex a lil bit. i forget the cast speed breakpoints but u can look that up.

after u reach a breakpoint or can use whichever new weapon u want, max out int.

of course. thats for damage stats. hopefully, while u did this, u didnt neglect vigor or end. u can stop end anywhere from 15-20 for now, early game wont be much issue. get vigor up alongside every other stat. u rly want vigor up there as fast as possible. if u feel comfortable dodgin n slingin spells from afar, then thats on u. otherwise, pump vigor first. survivability bro.

does dex decrease cast times?

Dex does decrease cast time, but it's really not worth focusing at all. I recommend just getting Radagon's Icon talisman asap. That's all you really need for cast time reduction. You'd be much better off only getting the minimum dex for a weapon and then getting int to 80.

[wererabbit]

Originally posted by dorothea:

Originally posted by wererabbit:

Soft cap on Int is 80. Presently sitting around 44 and enjoying the boost. Def need Vigor - 600+ hp makes all fights easier. Farm the halflings/goblins in Caelid to get levels super fast.
Int over Mind -- 30 Mind is a good point to aim for initially.

specify the goblins, i dont remember them. and at what level can i start farming them? like right off the bat level 10 with glintstone pebbles?

There's these really annoying midgets in the area behind the dragon guarding the bridge in the northeast corner of Caelid. They will one-shot you until you're leveled up a bit but they are incredibly easy to kill if you're careful. Stay mounted and keep your mouse on a swivel.

[L9 dorothea]

Originally posted by wererabbit:

Originally posted by dorothea:

specify the goblins, i dont remember them. and at what level can i start farming them? like right off the bat level 10 with glintstone pebbles?

There's these really annoying midgets in the area behind the dragon guarding the bridge in the northeast corner of Caelid. They will one-shot you until you're leveled up a bit but they are incredibly easy to kill if you're careful. Stay mounted and keep your mouse on a swivel.

you mean below the clergy?

[wererabbit]

Level-wise -- you'll get 1k xp per kill so you'll get a lot of xp fast, it's just a matter of getting there. Use glintstone pebble, make sure you pick up the Meteorite staff on your way to make it easy on yourself. Get the Grace at the back of the bridge behind the dragon and use that as your launch point. Midgets everywhere -- they're nasty but even if you die you can pick up where you left off easily.