Last Stand - Chaos Sorcerer

The Sorcerer is a versatile hero who tends to focus on one of three things: summonable minion-clones of your enemies, offensive spellcasting, or a tanky defensive build. Unlike the other classes of hero, the Chaos Sorcerer's tactics can change pretty much entirely with the replacement of just one or two wargear options, so you can do anything from quick-striking rapid harassment to huge amounts of damage to ripping and tearing in close combat. His main weaknesses are mediocre defense and survivability outside of a few specific builds, and a relatively poor movement speed, though there are ways around both drawbacks with the proper wargear.

Sadly, his best mobility-enhancer is a weapon that goes in a very-contended-for slot.

Armor

• Power Armor - Default
  • Armor: 12

• Armor of Eternal War - Level 1
  • Armor: 38
  • Ability: Daemonic Doppelganger (15 Energy, allows the Sorcerer to summon the a doppelganger of the target as a minion, so long as it's not a heavy unit or a Champion)
  • Traits: Combat Master (Sorcerer gains +40% Melee and Ranged damage.), Minion Combat Master (Minion gains +40% Melee and Ranged damage.)
    • Basic Minion-Summoning Armor, but incredibly potent due to the massive damage bonus it gives both you and your minions. Want to nuke an entire squad? Want to watch your summoned clone obliterate an entire force group? The Armor of Eternal War generally won't disappoint. Sadly, it's one of the weaker armors in terms of both defense and special abilities, monstrously powerful bonuses aside, so bear that in mind.

• Vestments of Power Undivided - Level 3
  • Armor: 62
  • +0.2 Energy regen
  • Traits: Narcissistic (All minion bonuses apply to Sorcerer instead)
    • Basic Narcissistic Armor. As of the nerf to Rite of Sustenance, this is your primary means to bolster energy regeneration, and is thus much more viable than it used to be. Improved armor over Armor of Eternal War is pretty cool, too, but it tends to fall short of the even-more-useful Armor of Might Undivided.

• Robes of Unholy Fortitude - Level 9
  • Armor: 72
  • +50 Health for Sorcerer and Minion, +25 Energy for Sorcerer and Minion
  • Ability: Daemonic Doppelganger (15 Energy, allows the Sorcerer to summon the a doppelganger of the target as a minion, so long as it's not a heavy unit or a Champion)
    • Minion-Summoning Armor that provides a meaty boost to your health and energy reserves, which, now that Rite of Sustance is nerfed, is much more useful than it used to be. +25 energy and +50 health is nothing to sneeze at, making this armor incredibly useful for the mid-game. Though many players tend to avoid it in favor of the other armors, the Robes of Unholy Fortitude's ubiquitous nature is hard not to like.

• Armor of Might Undivided - Level 13
  • Armor: 88
  • Traits: Fearless (Immune to Suppression), Unshakable (Immune to knockback), Narcissistic (All minion bonuses apply to Sorcerer instead)
    • Providing Narcissistic trait, as well as Fearless and Unshakable, this is generally the armor of choice for Narcissistic Sorcerers, owing to its good defense and bevy of useful traits. Sadly, it also comes with a punishing drawback: By using it, your clone on Wave 16 is virtually guaranteed to be able to pull off a revive if you aren't careful due to the fact that you won't be able to stop them from doing so. This aside, an excellent choice.

• Robes of the Deathless - Level 17
  • Armor: 4
  • Ability: Daemonic Doppelganger (15 Energy, allows the Sorcerer to summon the a doppelganger of the target as a minion, so long as it's not a heavy unit or a Champion)
  • Traits: Deathless (When Sorcerer dies, he can resurrect himself with full health and energy and temporary double damage. This ability can only be done once every 30 seconds.), Minion Deathless (When Minion dies, he can resurrect himself with full health and energy and temporary double damage. This ability can only be done once every 30 seconds.)
    • Do not be fooled by this armor's seeming lack of abilities and poor defense; It functionally doubles your HP and gives you periodic massive firepower boosts. Even better, it also gives your summoned minions this same Deathless trait. If you want to break the game entirely, run this with a Sigil of Greater Summoning, Clone the toughest member of your group on Wave 16, and laugh as the clone runs around and is never able to fucking be killed. Paired with the right upgrades, it's insanely survivable, but you'll be terrifyingly vulnerable if your skill isn't up to snuff.

Weapons

• Bolt Pistol - Default
  • One-handed ranged weapon
  • 4.3 DPS
    • If you use the Sword of Spite or Sword of Fate, you'll use this as your ranged weapon, curiously enough. There is no pistol-upgrade for the Sorcerer, which seems like a bizarre oversight.

• Force Sword - Default
  • One-handed melee weapon
  • 8.5 DPS
    • Basic weapon. You know the drill by now.

• Sword of Spite - Level 1
  • One-handed melee weapon
  • 13.1 DPS
  • Ability: Doomblast (10 Energy, knocks back enemies in an area around him)
    • This sword is very useful for Narcissist build, as Doomblast makes room-clearing easy. It takes very little practice to get good with, and with upgrades, becomes incredibly potent. When upgraded via the runes of Sorcery, it will gain a larger explosion, and can dramatically-increase the caster's armor for a time.

• Staff of Warpfire - Level 1
  • Two-handed ranged weapon
  • 9.8 DPS
  • Ability: Warpfire (15 Energy, A line of explosions come in front of the Sorcerer.)
    • Warpfire can be quite powerful, but tends to be really finicky if you're playing with laggier teammates, due to the spell's susceptibility to latency. When upgraded, it can rape entire clusters of enemies, but this takes a bit more care than the usual tactics a Chaos Sorcerer requires. Also one of two spells that will reliably damage vehicle armor. When upgraded via the runes of Sorcery, it gains both knockback and a much longer and wider range.

• Sword of Fate - Level 6
  • One-handed melee weapon
  • 12.5 DPS
  • Ability: Curse of Tzeentch (20 Energy, curses an enemy to take damage over time and halt regeneration. If the target dies, he'll explode.)
    • Sword of Fate excels at killing priority targets; a cursed target will take heavy damage over time and eventually explode if it dies under the effects. Even better, when upgraded with the runes of Sorcery, it will also replenish your health (Greater) and energy (Master). These alone can seriously buff the Sorcerer's survivability if you tag a priority target like a Nob or Tyranid Warrior, though it forces the Sorcerer into a somewhat-different operation mindset; rather than as a slayer of trash squads, it refocuses on killing single large targets. Fight accordingly, and the Sword of Fate is remarkably useful.

• Staff of Tzeentch - Level 12
  • Two-handed ranged weapon
  • 9.8 DPS
  • Ability: Warp (7 Energy, teleports Sorcerer to a new location)
    • This is a vital tool to making the Sorcerer more maneuverable, but it takes away any possibility of damage. If you equip sigils, it can make wherever you left (Master) or arrive (Greater) be bathed in flames, which lets it double as a form of light damage versus weaker foes trying to swarm you.

• Staff of Daemonic Flame - Level 15
  • Two-handed ranged weapon
  • 9.8 DPS
  • Ability: Let the Galaxy Burn! (20 Energy, sends fireballs crashing into the target. The impact can still burn for a while after colliding)
    • This is your answer to the Farseer's Eldritch Storm and the Captain's Orbital Bombardment. Sigils can make it outclass them both by stacking up more fireballs, making more people burn. It may lack the huge AOE and flash of the other heavies, but when it can make a giant cluster of orks not exist, it kind of gets the job done.

• Cataclysmic Hellblade - Achievement Unlock: Kill clone from Wave 16 in Bloodied Coliseum
  • One-handed melee weapon
  • 21.4 DPS
  • Traits: Hell Attacks (Any attacks with the Hellblade cost 5 energy), Bonus Damage (Attacks with the Hellblade cause extra damage)
    • This sword has a neat backstory (Being a Bloodletter's sword that was ripped from him by a Lord of Change), but often is not very helpful. One interesting exception is when put on a Narcissistic Sorcerer with the right upgrades, where he will proceed to, in one shot, kill almost every common mook that spawns and heal himself by a like amount. It is less versatile than most Sorcerers however, but can be effective. BEWARE THE MUSCLE WIZARD.

• Oracle Stave - DLC
  • Two-handed melee weapon
  • 5.0 DPS
  • Traits: Fate Weaver (Attacks with the Stave have a 30% chance of giving the Sorcerer the chance to deal massive damage)
    • The trait is neat, but it gets severely limited by how freaking slow he is. On the other hand, when it triggers, you'll one-shot your average Battle Wagon.

Accessories

• Mark of Tzeentch - Level 1
  • +25 Energy, +25 Minion Energy (Narcissists gain +50 Energy)
    • This is a solid starting piece for the Sorcerer, as energy is always a concern for him. It tends to flag later on, when other means of boosting your energy are available, but is still worth using.

• Tome of Hunger - Level 1
  • Ability: Consume (Destroys a minion to restore his health. A Narcissist instead just spends energy to regain that health)
    • This is not a choice to be taken lightly for minion Sorcerers, as this will kill your minions - be they lowly Hormagaunts or a super-special Force Commander or Wraithlord, but it can save your goddamned life. If a Narcissistic Sorcerer uses it, they regain health via munching some energy.

• Scroll of Blood - Level 2
  • Ability: Orb of Blood (10 Energy, Any allies within the orb regain health when they attack, healing 50% of any damage they cause)
    • Helpful little item for a support-focused Sorcerer, as this can help when dealing with ranged allies like the Lord General, Mekboy, or Shas'O.

• Tome of Doom - Level 4
  • Ability: Doombolt (15 Energy, fire psychic bolts at enemy)
    • Incredibly powerful and versatile. Can act as a ranged disruptor or a close-combat killer, and one of only two spells the Sorcerer has that's reliably good against vehicle armor. At long range, it has wide scatter, letting it deal with mooks; at close-range, it does all its damage in a big disgusting load and cripples or kills Nobs and Tyranid Warriors. Entire strategies can be centered around the use of Tome of Doom; it's that good.

• Sigil of Greater Sorcery - Level 7
  • Traits: Greater Sorcery (Warpfire causes knockback, Doomblast deals extra damage, LtGB gives an extra fireball, Curse recharges Sorcerer's Energy, Warp burns ground upon arrival)
    • This is a quick way to make any of your spells more useful. Worth noting, it also effects Gift of Retaliation.

• Daemonic Gift of Retaliation - Level 8
  • Traits: Reactive Strike (If a minion is hit in melee, they can set off a defensive Doomblast. This Doomblast is affected by the sigils, and if the Sorcerer has Narcissistic, this will instead apply to him.)
    • If you have plenty of expendable goons (Or if you like having explosions in your Narcissistic Sorcerer's explosions so you can kill while you kill), this is a useful little trick.

• Scroll of Vengeance - Level 11
  • Ability: Orb of Vengeance (10 Energy, if anyone attacks an ally within this orb, they get hit back with 150% of the damage dealt.)
    • Actually really good for Muscle Wizard builds. Also incredibly handy for saving teammates if they get swamped, since it's likely that even if your allied Tyrant or Shas'O goes down due to Banshee Swarms, the orb will ensure that they take some of them with them. Note, however, that the tooltip lies; the damage is much closer to 100%.

• Daemonic Gift of Spite - Level 14
  • Trait: Minion Death Throes (If a minion dies, a warp storm erupts where he died, knocking back any enemies. If the Sorcerer is Narcissistic, the trait applies to him instead.)
    • Handy if you're spamming Daemonic Doppleganger against trash mobs like Gaunts and Guardsmen. Mediocre for Narcissitic Sorcerers, but it can be handy if used right.

• Scroll of Unholy Might - Level 16
  • Ability: Orb of Unholy Might (10 Energy, allies within the orb can now deal knockback with their basic attacks.)
    • Hilarious. Throw this down on an allied Lord General, Shas'O, or Mekboy and watch as he becomes a completely unapproachable death machine. Every single shot they throw out will knock foes down, and if they're using burst cannons, Deffguns, Shootas, or god help you, flamers, they'll be completely unable to be advanced upon by anything short of a vehicle for the duration.

• Sigil of Master Sorcery - Level 18
  • Traits: Master Sorcery (Warpfire has double range, Doomblast gives caster temporary armor, Curse of Tzeentch heals Sorcerer, LtGB adds another fireball, Warp burns ground upon departure)
    • Stack with Sigil of Greater Sorcery when available, especially when using Doomblast, Warpfire, or Curse of Tzeentch.

• Daemonic Gift of Sustenance - Level 19
  • Traits: Minion Combat Vigor (Minion gains 2 energy for each strike it makes, If Sorcerer is Narcissistic, this applies to him instead.), Zealous (Whenever minion attacks, it gains back any damage it gives as Health. If Sorcerer is Narcissistic, this applies to him instead.)
    • At one point, this was the most powerful wargear for a Sorcerer; killing an opponent with a spell could replenish your health and energy, and it was easily one of the best advantages a Sorcerer had. Relic promptly nerfed it into the ground, and now it only gives back health and energy if you strike the target in melee. As such, it's now only useful for some Sorcerers - specifically ones using the Sword of Fate/Spite or Cataclysmic Hellblade.

• Accursed Idol - Achievement Unlock: Spend 5,000 Energy as Sorcerer in abilities
  • Traits: Accursed Idol (Any damage the Sorcerer takes is given back to attacker)
    • If you want to be a heavy-assault Narcissist Sorcerer or want to trick an enemy into killing himself, this won't be too bad, but there are better choices, especially for minion-focused Sorcerers.

• Rubric-Touched Helm - DLC
  • Traits: Dark Fortification (When hit in melee, Sorcerer gains 150 armor for 10 seconds)
    • This stacks well with the Oracle Stave, which may not always activate when you want it, but it can also stack with Doomblast and Sigil of Master Sorcery to make an all-but-unkillable Sorcerer.

Commander Items

• Icon of Summoning - Level 5
  • Traits: Greater Summoning (Sorcerers can now clone enemy Champions (Wraithlords, Force Commander, Wave 16 clones, Nobs). Narcissistic Sorcerers gain +125 Health instead)
    • Excellent for minion-focused Sorcerers, and good for Narcissistic Sorcerers who want serious health. It's not absolutely essential for a minion-based sorcerer, as there are still great minion choices to choose from (Tyranid Warriors and Raveners, for example), and taking it means that your doppleganger at wave 16 CAN CLONE YOUR TEAMMATES. Many players thus eschew it for Icon of Pain.

• Icon of Change - Level 10
  • Trait: Chaos Aura (Damage to random enemies)
    • Garbage. Bug-ridden so that it almost never hits, and dealing barely as much damage as a single Doombolt when it does, this wargear is unmitigated shit disguised as something useful. Avoid.

• Icon of Pain - Level 20
  • Trait: Aura of Power (Sorcerer and any nearby allies gain +30% Melee and Ranged damage.)
    • This is a major damage boost to your team. Whether minion-focused or Narcissistic, close-range or long, Icon of Pain's damage boost is fucking huge and worth using on almost every build. Just beware of what your enemies will do with their own on Wave 16...