User:DQueenie13/Sandbox/Skill List/Sorcerer

Overview
Among the twelve classes, Sorcerers deal the largest magic damage and are equivalent to a magical version of the Assassin. Most Sorcerer spells manipulate elements such as flame, ice, and lightning, and target the enemy's weak element for even greater damage. They also have more area-of-effect attacks than the Weapon Attack classes, making them excellent all-rounders in battle. The flashiness of their spells, like engulfing enemies in flame with Orb of Lava or shooting blasts of lightning with Lightning Nebula, makes them a fun class to play.

However, this class is not without its demerits. The biggest problem this class faces is its MP consumption rate; Sorcerers may have high innate MP, but it's not very high. Carelessly tossing around skills will make you run out of MP quickly&mdash;a lesson many beginners learn the hard way. To conserve MP, Sorcerers may have to hold back on spells and let others pick up the DPS.

Furthermore, this class has low Defense and can only equip cloth armor with low DEF values. They have the lowest innate HP of the Magic Attack classes and their defensive abilities are the lowest among all the twelve classes. Because their high damage output causes them to attract Hate quickly, tight coordination with the party's Warrior classes is critical.

Sample Builds
There are two main builds for Sorcerers: Nuker (rearguard damage-dealer) and Combat Rage (melee-range magical attacker).

Nuker
This build exemplifies the classic image of a Sorcerer who dishes out massive magical damage behind a wall of allies. It is known as the "magical artillery battery" for its use of Robust Battery, which amplifies the caster's damage in exchange for rooting them in place. In some cases, though, Sorcerers will become "mobile batteries" if they choose to stay on the move to evade enemy attacks.

Many variations within the Nuker build exist. Some focus on wide-range annihilation, using skills like Lattice Syntax and Lamination Syntax to expand their range. Others build up skills with lower instant damage but lower MP cost, such as Flare Arrow, so spells can be cast more regularly. Most Sorcerers are somewhere in-between.

Because Sorcerer spells are rather MP-heavy, knowing the enemy's weak element and choosing the most effective spell for the situation is crucial. For example, against densely-packed enemies, spells like Orb of Lava or Serpent Bolt are effective. Meanwhile, Frost Spear is useful for slowing down fast, elusive enemies.

While a Sorcerer of this build is in a party, the party's main focus would be protecting them. In a competent party, the tanks can hold the enemy's aggro so the Sorcerer won't have to worry about being attacked, no matter how many enemies they're surrounded by. At the same time, Sorcerers' large spell damage draws equally-large Hate towards themselves, so a good Sorcerer also knows how to regulate their spell usage.

Most Sorcerers of this build wear robes and use a magic wands. Flexible Sorcerers keep several wands with different properties to adjust for different situations.

Nearly all known Sorcerers in the series are some variation of this build. Rundelhaus Code focuses on spells with short cast times and cooldowns because he is impatient. Rieze, meanwhile, is a raid-specced Nuker who specializes in ice magic.

Combat Rage
Defying common sense that dictates Sorcerers stay in the safety of the back lines, Combat Ragers get right up and personal with enemies, unleashing magic attacks within melee range. Of course, if the enemy lands a hit, it could be fatal, but as long as they don't, Sorcerers can stand side-by-side with the vanguard and shoot magic. This build is relegated to a few "extreme" players who seek novelty, but it has nevertheless become well-known due to its impact.

The skill Close Burst, which has short range but high power, is the cornerstone of this build. Using movement skills like Blink and Rook Slider to get close to the enemy, Sorcerers can unleash a devastating attack in an instant. It's a reckless style, but arguably more MP-efficient than Nuker builds.

Naturally, this build also makes magical attackers' paper-thin defenses all too evident. If you fail to defeat the enemy, you have no way to protect yourself. As a result, this build requires tight synergy with the party's tanks to make sure aggro doesn't transfer to the Sorcerer. Because this is difficult to pull off in pick-up groups, most Combat Rage Sorcerers are flexible enough to go back to a traditional Nuker build when necessary.

Besides wands, some Combat Ragers may use daggers instead. There is a subset of this build that focuses on imbuing their weapons with spells like Inferno Strike, Icicle Impale, or Thunderbolt Crash; such builds are known as "Magic Fencers."

(Indicus may be a version of this build given her focus on daggers, but we haven't seen her in combat and Mamare did not say anything about her build.)

Known Skills
For general information on how skills work in Elder Tale, see Skills.