Last Stand - Chaos Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is the Last Stand hero for Chaos
Overview
The Sorcerer is an unusual case in Last Stand heroes in that he has two completely different performance characteristic sets: His armor either focuses summarily on summoning minions that are cloned form your enemies, or on ignoring that this ability exists and instead giving all benefits that would otherwise be given to the Sorcerer's minions to himself. All Sorcerer builds spiral out from these two archetypes, and the sheer volume of options in each means that the Sorcerer has, perhaps more than any other class, more viable builds and variations than any other.
An oft-cited joke by fa/tg/uys and ca/tg/irls playing last stand is that the sorcerer can fulfill damned near any role with the right wargear. Need close-combat? The Sorcerer delivers with the Hellblade, Oracle Staff, Doomblast, Doombolt, and Warpfire. Want to tear enemies to pieces from afar? The Sorcerer has you covered with Let the Galaxy Burn, Curse of Tzeentch, and Doombolt. Want battlefield control? The Sorcerer can make it happen with Warp, the Orbs, and the ability to clone enemies. Want to make the single-most-durable hero in Last Stand? The Sorcerer can make it happen. Heaviest viable raw damage output? Sorcerer does that, too.
...But it's not all good news. The Sorcerer has sub-par armor, and his health boosts are few and far between. Only one minion armor gives a health boost, and getting one as a Narcissistic Sorcerer demands you sacrifice an incredibly powerful Commander Item slot (specifically for Icon of Pain). His mobility is incredibly poor, and its primary improvement comes from a wargear option in what is undeniably his single most contended-for-slot. By far the cruelest part of this class is that if you play a summoning Sorcerer, the computer dopplegangers on Wave 16 of Bloodied Coliseum will be gigantic, flaming assholes, as they can - and will - clone you and your teammates if you took the Icon of Greater Summoning. Killing the enemy Sorcerer in such a situation is mandatory, or an automatic failure on both Wave 16 and Wave 20 is assured.
More than any other class, the Chaos Sorcerer requires a level of skill and care far above and beyond the other classes, though if you stick with it and get good with it, it's undeniably amongst the strongest classes in the game.
Armor
Your choice in armor will define what your Sorcerer will do depending on whether they give you Minion Summoning or Narcissist. Plan everything else according to what discipline your armor is.
- Power Armor - Default
- Armor: 12
- What's sad is that aside from the lack of special abilities, the default armor isn't so bad as far as defaults go.
- Armor: 12
- Armor of Eternal War - Level 1
- Armor: 38
- Trait: Combat Master (Sorcerer gains +40% Melee and Ranged damage.)
- Trait: Minion Combat Master (Minions gain +40% Melee and Ranged damage.)
- 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)
- Your first minion armor, this armor is extremely important for two specific kinds of Sorcerers; summoners will find the massive damage bonus to their minions a huge boon, whilst offensive casters will likewise find that this armor's huge buff to their damage output to their liking. Though its protective value is relatively poor (average by Chaos Sorcerer armors, though), the fact that it can let a Doombolt barrage tear open a rampaging Dreadnaught or buff a stolen Zoanthrope to the point where it can obliterate one of Bloodied Coliseum's Wave 12 Wraithlords in one well-aimed Warp Blast kind of speaks for itself. Consider it if you're going for raw damage, and you will not be disappointed.
- Vestments of Power Undivided - Level 3
- Armor: 62
- +0.2 Energy Regeneration
- Trait: Narcissistic (All minion bonuses apply to Sorcerer instead)
- The first Narcissistic Armor is actually quite good, though its benefits are not abundantly clear at first glance. With considerably better protection than the Armor of Eternal War, it gets major props for being the only source of improved energy regeneration the Sorcerer gets. Given that Narcissistic Sorcerers tend to do more casting in the first place, this is a considerable upgrade. Incredibly handy all-game long for any Narcissistic Sorcerer, the Vestments of Power Undivided are incredibly powerful on the right builds, and worth considering for any Narcissistic build.
- Robes of Unholy Fortitude - Level 9
- Armor: 72
- +50 Health
- +25 Energy
- +50 Minion Health
- +25 Minion Energy
- 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)
- It may not have the massive damage of the Armor of Eternal War or the incredible survivability upgrade of the Robes of the Deathless, but it is easily the most survivable summoner armor, bar none. Providing meaty boosts to not only the Sorcerer's health and energy, but that of his minions, this armor is incredibly handy for not only extending the performance of the Sorcerer, but making his erstwhile allies have much more staying power for both health and energy. It's especially useful when using minions that tend to burn energy quickly, like cloned Apothecaries from Wave 4 of Bloodied Coliseum.
- Armor of Might Undivided - Level 13
- Armor: 88
- Trait: Fearless (Immune to Suppression)
- Trait: Unshakable (Immune to knockback)
- Trait: 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
- Trait: 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.)
- Trait: 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.)
- 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)
- 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 any close-combat Sorcerer 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. The enemy will lose the ability to regenerate health, will take damage over time, and, if the target dies, it will explode.)
- Deceptively powerful. Curse of Tzeentch isn't too powerful in and of itself, but excels at killing squads of mooks - cast it on an injured member of a squad or someone being fired at by teammates, and enjoy the lulz when the hapless squib explodes upon death with roughly the force of a Frag Grenade. The Curse is powerful enough to kill most mooks on its own, or cause serious damage to priority targets, which makes Curse quite versatile; even better, it will restore some health (with the Sigil of Master Sorcery) and energy (Sigil of Greater Sorcery). The energy restoration is relatively minor, but enough to make it worth using, since it will reliably earn back 25% or so of its casting cost.
- 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)
- Without a doubt, your most genuinely useful spell. This is your Plasma Cannon. Your Flamethrower merged with Rokkit Launcha. Your crowd pleaser. It lobs out huge balls of fire that explode and immediately drown the area in flames, knocking light foes down in the process. If you fire it into a blob of lighter infantry, everything in it is going to die. Upgrade it with the Armor of Eternal War and/or Icon of Pain and it'll start hurting tougher enemies. Note that whilst the knockback effects and initial blast damage from Let the Galaxy Burn stack, the bulk of the damage, coming from the residual fire-patch that results, does not. As such, when firing off a barrage with the Sigils of Greater/Mastery Sorcery, the primary benefits are improved knockdown power and added area-of-effect; you aren't hindering your damage thus, that much, by not taking them. As such, this piece of wargear offers much more open choices of accessory than it initially appears to.
- 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)
- One of the strongest melee weapons in the entire game. Set aside that it lacks an inherent spell: The Hellblade does massive per-hit damage and a large swing range means that every slash from this asshole of a flame-sword will absolutely hurt like hell and functionally trumps the need to even take along anti-vehicle spells or options. Even the Swarmlord will die like a bitch to a properly-kitted-out Sorcerer packing this weapon. The bonus damage from the Hellblade applies straight through armor protection. The drawback is that the Sorcerer still has shit maneuverability and a slow walk speed, and taking this weapon means not taking a spellcasting item, and thus no primary spell. Incredibly potent and with awesome fluff (Being a Bloodletter's sword that was ripped from him by a Lord of Change), but hard to use.
- Oracle Stave - DLC
- Two-handed melee weapon
- 5.0 DPS
- Traits: Fate Weaver (Attacks with the Stave have a 30% chance of making the next melee attack from the Sorcerer do massive damage and have a blast radius. The triggering of the Oracle Stave's Fate Weaver is indicated by a blue rune of Tzeentch around the Sorcerer.)
- This is very similar to the Warp Spear that the Farseer gets in that it does massive amounts of bonus damage if the target hits in melee combat. Unlike the Warp Spear, however, the Sorcerer does not get the nifty-swell Pull ability that the farseer gets, offset mostly by how much more likely the Oracle Stave's is to proc than the Warp Spear - the Fate Weaver attack also has a blast radius AND benefits from damage boosting, though it sees precious little actual need for it. When Fate Weaver triggers, it will utterly obliterate virtually any standard single target in a single hit. Araghast? Goes down in one shot. the Warboss? One-shotted. It even stands a good chance of completely ripping apart even super-heavies like the Battlewagon on Anvil of Khorne, making it perhaps the single-best source of spike damage the Sorcerer has. Unfortunately, like the Hellblade, it has no built-in magical ability, no ranged support whatsoever, and doesn't help the Sorcerer's poor mobility one bit, though it can make for one deceptively potent Muscle Wizard in trained hands.
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. It gives a double energy boost for Narcissists, which is always a helpful bonus.
- +25 Energy, +25 Minion Energy (Narcissists gain +50 Energy)
- 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; not a huge benefit, but one that can potentially save your ass.
- Ability: Consume (Destroys a minion to restore his health. A Narcissist instead just spends energy to regain that health)
- 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 any ally that even remotely uses ranged damage, or to help close-combat allies using the Gas Chamber tactic. Sadly the bubble that gives this vampiric healing is on the small side, which means that whilst it'll easily be usable by a General, ranged Tyrant, Shas'O, or Mekboy, you'll be hard-pressed to keep any ranged minions inside the bubble. Melee allies/minions, however, can be bolstered easily by just dropping this on them mid-battle.
- Ability: Orb of Blood (10 Energy, Any allies within the orb regain health when they attack, healing 50% of any damage they cause)
- 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. When backed by Armor of Eternal War and Icon of Pain, it utterly curb-stomps even the raw power of Let the Galaxy Burn. Fear it in trained hands.
- Ability: Doombolt (15 Energy, fire psychic bolts at enemy)
- 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.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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 or for supporting a gunline. 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 or some of those asshole scout squads, 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%.
- Ability: Orb of Vengeance (10 Energy, if anyone attacks an ally within this orb, they get hit back with 150% of the damage dealt.)
- 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, and stacks beautifully with Consume. Mediocre for Narcissitic Sorcerers, but it can be handy if used right.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- Hilariously powerful. 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.
- Ability: Orb of Unholy Might (10 Energy, allies within the orb can now deal knockback with their basic attacks.)
- 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.
- 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)
- 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 Narcissistic 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. Even with these nerfs, this is a fantastically powerful piece of wargear - for summoners, it dramatically buffs the lifespan of their summoned allies, whilst for Narcissistic Sorcerers, this can be handy for a Muscle Wizard build.
- 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.)
- 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, especially early on. It takes up the same space as Orb of Vengeance, with effects multiple allies instead of just you. On the other hand, Accursed Idol is always active and requires no micromanagement, which can make it extremely helpful.
- Traits: Accursed Idol (Any damage the Sorcerer takes is given back to attacker)
- 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 Sword of Spite and Sigil of Greater/Master Sorcery to make an all-but-unkillable Doomblasting Tank Sorcerer. It also looks fucking awesome, because it's based on Ahriman's helmet.
- Traits: Dark Fortification (When hit in melee, Sorcerer gains 150 armor for 10 seconds)
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.
- Traits: Greater Summoning (Sorcerers can now clone enemy Champions (Wraithlords, Force Commander, Wave 16 clones, Nobs). Narcissistic Sorcerers gain +125 Health instead)
- 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.
- Trait: Chaos Aura (Damage to random enemies)
- 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...
- Trait: Aura of Power (Sorcerer and any nearby allies gain +30% Melee and Ranged damage.)
Tactics & Strategy
- On Achievements:
- Magic Missiler (Which unlocks the Accursed Idol) is a simple one. Just spend 3,500 Energy, which a Sorcerer will do with no trouble.
- There Can Be Only One (Which unlocks the Catclysmic Hellblade) is unlocked just by clearing Wave 16 of the Bloodied Coliseum (The Clone wave). Beat them and you win. Just beware what you build your Sorcerer with, (Icon of Summmoning especially) as it could make getting this much harder without you meaning for it to.