1handers+shield for spellcasters?

[Scully]

I went Earth+defender using the ring of fire thing as my main ability. But so far all the spellcaster items have been staves. I'm only level 15, should I just remake?

[Gekkibi]

Not sure what you expected. While there are some weapons and shields that will boost fire damage and earth mastery in general, most of them are there so that you can hit enemies with them.

Welcome to the world of hybrids...

[Scully]

Originally posted by Gekkibi:

Not sure what you expected.

I believe I was pretty clear, I expected 1handers and shields with caster beneficial stats on them like in Grim Dawn or Path of Exile

[Gekkibi]

Originally posted by Scully ˣᴰ:

Originally posted by Gekkibi:

Not sure what you expected.

I believe I was pretty clear, I expected 1handers and shields with caster beneficial stats on them like in Grim Dawn or Path of Exile

Those exist, if you mean things like +mana, +mana regen, +elemental damage, etc. Weapon's and shield's attribute requirements stay the same tho. The weapon type that requires the least amount of strength is spear, and after that small blades. So in other words a melee character will always need strength and dexterity, the weapon type dictates the ratio.

[Scully]

Originally posted by Gekkibi:

Originally posted by Scully ˣᴰ:

I believe I was pretty clear, I expected 1handers and shields with caster beneficial stats on them like in Grim Dawn or Path of Exile

Those exist, if you mean things like +mana, +mana regen, +elemental damage, etc. Weapon's and shield's attribute requirements stay the same tho. The weapon type that requires the least amount of strength is spear, and after that small blades. So in other words a melee character will always need strength and dexterity, the weapon type dictates the ratio.

I see, thanks!

[AH-1 Cobra]

There is nothing wrong with going sword and board on a caster. You can get an enormous amount of defensive stats/resists from using a shield. So even at end game, the best setup for you might involve using a 1H weapon + Shield. There are 1 hand weapons that have good stats for casters, like + all skills, as well as defensive stats and resists. So even if you don't swing the weapon, it might be a good item for that slot.

All of my pet builds use a 1h weapon + shield. Something like Scepter of the Shadow King + Aionios is an extremely good example of a 1h + Shield combo that works on a non-melee build.

I don't play full casters that aren't pet centric, because they're junk end game. Their damage doesn't scale up very well. People have been asking for the TQ devs to do something to fix this, and I haven't seen any serious attempts made to address this issue. I don't even think they're interested in doing anything major to improve trees that don't scale well end game.

TC, if this is your first build, I definitely wouldn't recommend Earth + Defense. That's the type of setup a veteran player might try out because they're bored and have already played most of the top builds @ end game. You might do well in normal, and even through most of epic, but by the end of epic, going into legendary, your damage is going to be junk, and all your DPS skills will be basically maxed out with little to no room for improvement.

If you want a caster fix, try Soothsayer (Nature + Spirit). Pets are good from the beginning of the game to end. And there is a lot of room to improve them with gear. Soothsayer can also be very tanky if setup correctly. You can go 1h + Shield, wade into packs of enemies, and debuff them with deathchill aura + plague. Vs bosses, I swap to Sapros the Corruptor, and tap them with it to debuff their resists so pets hit them for even more damage.