Top 25 Best Sorcerer Spells

[tinyelvis]

This spell list was selected with the thought that damage dealing spells get bonus consideration.


1. Delayed Blast Fireball: Hands down the best damage dealer in the game in the hands of a well spec'd caster. The spell can even be used situationally in epic play. Not a good performer though for the DC challenged or inexperienced casters.

2. Polar Ray: This spell does not take the top spot since it is only a single target ray spell. However, its lack of a save and wide range of performance make it a top performer.

3. Mass Hold Monster: One of the most useful spells in epic play. This spell does not need to be heightened to perform at full capacity. A well spec'd caster can neutralize more foes than the melee can deal with even in epic play.

4. Frost Lance: This spell makes the top of the list because of its great potential damage output. In today's multiple TR DDO world, even WF casters can get their evocation focus to pretty high levels. For the well spec'd caster this spell will put out near as much damage to foes at 11th level as a polar ray at 20th. A well spec'd capped sorc can multi cast with this spell and polar ray in quest (like the Shroud) and essentially double DPS by firing the equivalent of two polar rays back to back.

5. Charm monster/Mass Charm monster and Suggestions: These spells would rate higher on the list if they had some epic play use. Unfortunately charms fell to the wims of the designers (which indicates how tough charming mobs really is). Charms are a combination of CC and Attack spell since the mobs fight each other. In the hands of a well spec'd caster, charm will last longer than suggestion, so in my opinion is a better choice.

6. Finger of Death / Wail of the Banshee: Another spell whose potential was cut dead by the "Its easier to nerf than think of a way to balance its performance" approach used by the designers. Outside of epic play and red named foes this spell(s) can dominate play in the hands of a well spec'd caster. Just bump your DC past 40 and you will find out.

7. Invisibility / Mass Invisibility: This spell is often scroll cast but still is an outstanding performer. It can make many aspects of the caster's life much easier. Areas include, solo play zerging, party wipe stone collecting, first attack setup, and many other uses.

8. Otto's Sphere of Dancing: This very versatile spell was reborn with the level advancement to 20. In epic play and regular questing there is probably no better CC. It's many benefits include the need for mobs to make saves every time they enter; its relatively short casting time; its quick cooldown; and its ability to knock off 15 points!!!! on the DC of reflex saves.

9. Disintigrate: This red headed step child of a spell often gets overlooked. However, it can be a very high damage producer in the hands of a well spec'd knowledable caster.

10. Fire ball / Acid Blast: These low level AOE spells dominate the game 6th thru 12th level for knowledgeable well spec'd casters.

11. Niacs Cold Ray: The best damage spell for knowledgeable well spec'd casters level 1-5, in the hands of a good caster can see extended life thru 12th level of play. A niac's/acid blast combination can really pump out the damage.

12. Cone of Cold: Only the 15 die damage max keeps this spell out of the top 5. This spell in combination with polar ray in the hands of a well spec'd caster will make mobs melt away in Shavarath.

13. Force missile: A good damage producer, this spell in combination with a spell like polar ray will help a caster put out the most DPS of anyone against very high save foes. It's also useful to deal with hyper immune mobs.

14. Ball Lightning: The 15 point maximum damage and the acid/electric enhancement line keeps this reflex save spell out of the top 5.

15. Scorching Ray: Another good spell for the DC challenged. This spell is also situationally very good against fire sensitive foes like frost giants.

16. Otto's irresistible dance: A favorite of WF casters and those DC challenged foes. This spell also has uses in epic play by all.

17. Web: Casters new to their art love this spell. It can be used to quickly lock down foes. However, its short duration and sensitivity to fire and some acid spells keeps it out of the top 10. It also has good performance in epic play.

18. Eagles Splendor: This spell makes the top 20 due to its incredible value to a caster in the first half of his life. Since this spell is available in many forms, there is no excuse not to have a +4 bonus to charisma prior to 10th level for any sorcerer.

19. Enervation / Level Drain: A well spec'd caster rarely needs to resort to these spells anymore, otherwise they might have ranked higher. However, my WF still has at least one hot keyed.

20. Jump: This spell is so naturally necessary to the performance of a good caster that it was almost overlooked.

21. Expeditious retreat: A great spell at all levels of play. Haste need never be taken or an item slot never used to increase the speed of your caster.

22 Wall of Fire: Favorite of melee, wizards, and novice sorcerer alike. This spell is situationally very useful. For example, any time you find yourself low on mana. It probably would not make the list if not for its necessity in epic play.

23. Ghoul touch: A little used very nice necro schooled spell. It can be used in many levels of epic play

24. Glitter dust: Another little used spell. This spells just screws with the performance of the AI. In addition to acting as a good CC, it essentially is a quick and dirty way to give the whole party displacement in an engagement. It even works against undead.

25. Halt undead: The best way to lock down those pesky epic undead casters. The spell will help make any undead run (epic or not) a cake walk.

Good spells not making the list: Resist energy, protection from energy, knock, haste, teleport, Ooze puppet, Greater heroism, trap the soul, and displacement just to name a few.

[Milamber69]

I presume this is a post update 7 list as Eagles Splendor beat Waves of Exhaustion.

[Merlocke]

Niacs and Expeditious retreat made the cut but not Reconstruct?

[richieelias27]

You've got some discrepancies here:

levels 1 to 10 definitely do not make up half of a sorcerers life. Even if you TR the instant you hit 20 you probably only spent 15 to 20% of your time getting to level 10. The reality (with epic play) is that levels 1 to 10 might make up 1 to 5% of your characters play time. In my book no +4 stat spell would make the cut when potions can be had just by breaking barrels.

I'm sure we all know how much you despise wall of fire by now. We get it. However, ignoring the fact that Wall of Fire is:
persistant damage
has no save
Never ever fizzles unless the user screwed up its placement (unlike all other instant aoe spells which will do so randomly)
does respectable damage
lasts long enough for you to kite anything that missed or survived the first pass
Can be laid down in addition to any instant damage spell you choose
These facts make Wall of fire an incredibly effective spell. You can personally hate a spell all you want, but selling something short by ignoring several points in favor of a spell does nothing for your guide.

Dont know why anyone would use Niacs at all instead of Frost Lance either. Especially when Frost lance is better even with a save on all 3. The excuse of "but its great till level 6/7" is bogus. Takes me all of an hour maybe two to get to level 7. I wouldnt even have that one on the list at all.

Reconstruct has already been mentioned of course, but we also know how much you despise Warforged casters, so no surprise there :P

[kernal42]

....no grease!?

[tinyelvis]

Niacs and Expeditious retreat made the cut but not Reconstruct?

Yes, this was a mistake. It was in my initial list, don't know how i missed it. Also waves didnt make the cut do to the belief that it will be nerfed.

[Rice]

Haste and wall of fire not being in top 5 makes this thread a complete waste of time.

[khaldan]

DBF is the #1 spell?

What?

Oh, and even though you mentioned it in the notes, resist/mass prot/displace/most of the spells on the list should be on there or a lot higher up.

21. Expeditious retreat: A great spell at all levels of play. Haste need never be taken or an item slot never used to increase the speed of your caster.

... The main reason for haste isn't the extra striding.

[Samadhi]

Haste and wall of fire not being in top 5 makes this thread a complete waste of time.

Yep.

[JustWinBaby]

This spell list was selected with the thought that damage dealing spells get bonus consideration.

22 Wall of Fire: Favorite of melee, wizards, and novice sorcerer alike. This spell is situationally very useful. For example, any time you find yourself low on mana. It probably would not make the list if not for its necessity in epic play.

Um....what???

Sorry. Wall of Fire is definitely higher than....22 :\

And where is Haste?

[Polarkin]

Well..

I agree with 11 of your top 25 choices. I'll even concede 4 more that can be useful in certain situations. But some of your spell choices and spell omissions are absolutely mind boggling.

You must play your caster(s) a lot different than I and a majority of the sorc's I know play theirs.

I would not recommend this list as a guide to any arcane casters.

[johnnyputrid]

22 Wall of Fire: Favorite of melee, wizards, and novice sorcerer alike. This spell is situationally very useful. For example, any time you find yourself low on mana. It probably would not make the list if not for its necessity in epic play.

Saying that Wall of Fire is "situationally very useful" is akin to saying that Improved Critical "comes in handy sometimes". You can view the spell as a crutch, as there are some arcane casters out there who do overly rely on the spell, or you can view it as a extremely effective area damage spell. Wall of Fire is not just for 'novice sorcerers', as you put it. There are more areas of the game where WoF works wonders than areas where it doesn't. An experienced caster knows where and when to lay down WoF and can use it to not only destroy multiple foes, but to save party resources. When things die quickly in a big burning wall, less healing is required for all party members. I sincerely doubt you will ever hear a cleric or FvS complain about WoF.

Some melee types might get temporarily agitated that they aren't getting enough kills in a quest, but when they finish out without having sucked down a bunch of cure pots and aren't getting a net loss of funds due to repair bills, that temporary agitation quickly fades away. I've never once had anyone in any group tell me not to lay down firewalls. More often I get "wish I had a +4 greataxe of wall of fire!" or comments to the like.

Yeah, the spell is overused sometimes, but it works, and it works well. It deserves a much higher rating than #22.

Good spells not making the list: Resist energy, protection from energy, knock, haste, teleport, Ooze puppet, Greater heroism, trap the soul, and displacement just to name a few.

Haste should be #1, period. Haste is the spell I have cast the most in the game and there is a good reason for it - it makes everyone attack faster. Attacking faster kills mobs faster. Mobs dying faster means quicker completions and generally less resources used. An arcane caster can sometimes control the pace of a group with Haste. "Gather for Haste", "Crack time", "more cowbell" - these phrases can bring a group of melee's to a sudden halt, all of them grinning with thoughts of increased attack speed for a couple of minutes. Haste is the ultimate party buff. Haste and soon-to-be-AoE-again Rage combo goes one step beyond ultimate.

Resist Energy, Displacement, Flesh to Stone, Cloudkill, Greater Heroism not making the list makes no sense to me. I'd really like to hear why you would place Ghoul Touch on your list and not Resist Energy. I'm just boggled by that.

[JustWinBaby]

--Snip--

Sorry, I'll be nice :\

[halls]

1. haste - useful when you get it, useful when you get it for 4:00

[Spisey]

1. haste - useful when you get it, useful when you get it for 4:24

Fixed!

[Dendrix]

Haste and Wall of Fire not being in the top two indicate you are unable to perform even simple, basic mathematics and evaluate what two spells produce the most total damage over their lifetime and the most damage per spell point.

It's really that simple.

[healerlord9]

I don't see chain lightning.
1. Chain Lightning is dominant when used in swarms and has high damage ratings. Also requires high reflex saves.
2. I agree with everyone about wall of fire too. VERY useful.
3. Niacs sucks
4. Who uses suggestion anyways?
5. Tactical Detonation has the longest knockdown rate of any spell out there.

[Such755]

I don't know about you, but I love ice storm more than wall of fire.
Sure, wall of fire is useful against those skeletons, which are common, but ice storm also deals bludgeon damage, and it slows down enemies. Great times.

I also disagree with a lot in that list.
Haste? Displacement? Reconstruct? and more

[jimmy99999]

It's like a fighter having a sword and a bow and you say why use the bow when to sword does more damage.
What makes a great caster is using all that he has in his aresenal. Firewalls great,Hold burn alive fantastic. Stand on rocks and cook your would be killers unreal. I know some like ista kills. But its fun when your like a cat with your rouge/sorc and your moving around and know nothing can touch you. With healing capability. Your unmatched in the game.

[HalfORCastrator]

It's like a fighter having a sword and a bow and you say why use the bow when to sword does more damage.
What makes a great caster is using all that he has in his aresenal. Firewalls great,Hold burn alive fantastic. Stand on rocks and cook your would be killers unreal. I know some like ista kills. But its fun when your like a cat with your rouge/sorc and your moving around and know nothing can touch you. With healing capability. Your unmatched in the game.

Look at the post dates...