Exploring the Sorcerer
The Sorcerer class follows a very natural path of progression from the mage archetype. Rather than being saddled with the same old spells and a spiffy new pet like the Spiritmaster, you can now focus all of your efforts into bending the weave of the universe to your will. The destruction you were able to wreak as a mere mortal mage doesn't remotely compare to the hell you'll learn to unleash upon your foes as an immortal Sorcerer.
Strengths
Extremely high DPS (ranged)
Multiple "Get out of jail free" abilities
Less gear dependent than other archetypes
Weaknesses
Very slow auto attack
Slow mana regeneration
Weak armor
I'm a Sorcerer... Let's start the game.
The first thing you'll receive is your choice of a new weapon. Up until now, you've been forced to flip open a spellbook, and zap some enemies. Now you can choose between another spellbook and a new weapon type: an orb.
Given all of the information available to you in the description of both, it looks like the Orb of Karma is best to choose from starter weapons. The Orb does more damage, has better stats (minus the Magical Accuracy), and let's face facts; everyone likes to play with something new.
Sounds great, right? Guess what though. You should take the Spellbook of Karma instead. There's just one disturbing little fact the description of both items fails to mention. The Orb is a close range (as in melee distance) weapon. This works perfectly for a Spiritmaster, but for the Sorcerer, it's a near-deadly mistake. The Spellbook is a ranged weapon, just like you've been using all along, so choose wisely.
Where Are My New Spells?
Once the excitement of your recent ascension wears off, you'll quickly begin to realize that you're a lot like a glorified Mage at this stage of your development. While you may not get a lot of new spells, you have grown in power, so don't get too depressed. The treasures are just around the corner.
At level 10, your method of hunting should not vary at all from your days as a Mage. Even though you're using the same techniques, you do have a couple of new abilities (Herb and Mana Treatments) to do it with. Flame Bolt II is an upgraded version of Flame Bolt I and packs a meaner punch. It works exactly the same way and will also trigger your Blaze chain attack.
The only new spell you get is Sleep I. It forces a target to sleep for 20 seconds and damage will not wake them up. Don't get too excited about being able to beat up on your helpless enemy as he snoozes though because it also greatly increases *all* of their Elemental Defenses and guess who causes absolutely nothing but elemental damage? That's right... you.
So what good is the Sleep spell at all then? This is the first viable crowd control spell you receive. It has a relatively low cooldown time (15 seconds) and is perfect for splitting those paired up mobs. Cast sleep on one target and then cool the heels of the other one to slow him and commence the beatdown. They may get a hit or two on you before they go down, but that's why you have Stone Skin up.
By the time you finish the mob, the one you put to sleep should have just arrived. Put them to sleep again and get some distance between you. Once you've made it to your optimal range (20 meters most of the time), spin around and wait. There's no sense in casting anything on Sleeping Beauty until your Sleep spell (and all those increased Elemental Defenses) have worn off. Sure, you'll do some damage, but it won't amount to anything worth writing home about, so use the few seconds you have to gain some mana while you wait. Once they wake, go proceed to kill them.
Unleashing Your Inner Demon (or Angel)
That's all well and good up until this point, but where's the *power*? Level 13 is where it begins, and it only gets better from there. The mantra I've tried to drill into your head is range, range, and more range. You are not a tank and are squishier than any other class in the game, including your counterpart, the Spiritmaster.
With that in mind, Blind Leap I is going to become your best friend. It's an instant cast 15 meter teleportation spell. For the Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper players of old, think of it as Blink, but with some direction. That direction is backwards. It sounds (and is) terrific, but always remember to be aware of your surroundings or you're going to jump back into a bigger pack of monsters than the one you were trying to get some distance on.
Along with Blind Leap, you'll get a spell upgrade, a new buff, and a direct damage spell. Imagine being able to shoot your enemies with a harpoon. Now imagine that harpoon is made out of flames! Flame Harpoon I is just that and packs a mean punch to boot. 430 points of fire damage with a two second cast and only a six second cooldown time.
At level 16 and later you'll start getting fire DOTs (Damage Over Time spells), water-based AoEs (Area of Effect spells), and a delayed blast fireball with Delayed Blast I. This is all before level 20.
All this power and far, far more will be at your beck and call if you select the Sorcerer class. Let the Spiritmaster have his summoned lackey. You know the true meaning of death, destruction, and the pursuit of happiness. Now it's time for the rest of the world to find out.
