The Sorceress should look for items that add to her Mana reserve and Mana Regeneration. Mana is the Sorceress' primary resource. A large reserve of Mana will provide the Sorceress with more defense when used with Energy Shield, and as well will allow her to cast more spells. After Mana, items that add to Strength may be useful to wear heavier armor and wear important equipment such as Plate Belts (4x4) to hold more Potions.

Armor

On higher difficulty levels, Defense means very little to the Sorceress. She must keep moving and out of range of melee attackers to avoid dying. If they are attacked while running, Defense will offer no protection. When this is the case, Sorceress' should look for armor that gives resistances, additional Mana, additional skill points and other useful stats for a character on the go instead of high Defense plates.

Sorceress' should look at raising Strength for better armor. Initially you'll want to put on anything you can wear. Raise your Strength to at least 55 which will let you wear up to Field Plates, and Mage Plate (Exceptional Light Plate) is a good choice because it offers 225-261 Base Defense (more with Enhanced Defense), and only it requires 55 Strength. Look for Rare Mage Plates with useful statistics. You'll then probably want to raise your Strength to 60 so that you can wear Plated Belts which offer 4 Rows for Potions. If you plan on using the Unique Plates: Goldskin and Silks of the Victor you will want to raise your Strength to 80 and 100 or find items that raise Strength.

For power players the top of the line Sorceress Armors are:

Heavenly Garb (Defense: about 216, Regenerate Mana 25%, All Resistances +10%)

This is a very good Sorceress plate for only requiring 41 Strength, No Level Requirements, Faster Mana Regeneration and a boost to all resistances.

Goldskin (Requires: 80 Strength, Defense: 225-236, +30% to all Resistances...)

Goldskin is great for it's 30% to all resistances. This can help offset the lowering of resistances on Nightmare and Hell Difficulty settings.

The ultimate in Sorceress armor just might be:

Silks of the Victor (Requires: 100 Strength, Defense 218-233, +1 to all Skill Levels)

This plate is very rare, difficult to find and valuable. It is the preferred plate for many Sorceress' and Necromancers for it's +1 to all Skill levels, the only piece of armor that will give a bonus to skills.

Note: It's easiest to trade for these items, although it's also possible to find them. Gambling for these items is not recommended due to the high cost of gambling armor.

 

While the Sorceress might better enjoy a Staff for free skill points, a Crossbow for a Mana stealing ranged weapon, Sorceresses can also use a sword and shield. Shields will block physical attacks, and may give additional stats such as additional Mana, or resistances. Swords can be used to give magical bonuses. Many High level Sorceresses break away from Staves and instead use a Sigon's Guard and a sword such as Culwen's Point, which works well with the Sigon's Guard to give you +2 to all Skills, high blocking against physical attacks, Faster Block Rate and Faster Hit Recovery.

Suggested Shields:

Sigon's Guard (+1 to All Skills, 64% Blocking)

This Shield is great for Sorceress' because it adds 1 to all skills (those skills with a least point already in it), and it also offers high blocking to physical attacks. Sorceress' will find this Shield saves them from a lot of damage.

Socketed Tower Shield or Pavise with 3 Perfect Diamonds.

As Sorceress' move to Act IV and higher difficulty levels, resistances become very important. A 3 Perfect Diamond Shield will offer about 50-60% resistances to all which can offset the -20 and -50 to resistances on Nightmare and Hell difficulty. In addition to the resistances, these two Shields will give the Sorceress 44% Blocking which will save her from many physical attacks including base arrow damage, Javelin Damage, Corpses spit by Regurgitators and a specific Bone attack by Oblivion Knights.

 

If you decide to use a Shield instead of a Staff you need a good one-handed weapon to go with it. You can look for any one-handed weapon you can hold that gives you useful magical attributes such as Mana, life and resistances. Note: these weapons are not used for combat but rather for their stat bonuses.

Sorceress' can even use Necromancer Wands with a Shield. Necromancer Wands may have high Mana, Life, Resistances, Faster Cast Rate, or other options that may make them worth using.

Look for:

Culwen's Point (+1 to All Skills, Faster Hit Recovery, Faster Block Rate, Poison Length Reduction)

A popular favorite among high level Sorceress, Culwen's Point is primarily desired for its +1 to all skill levels. In addition to that, Faster Hit Recovery is very helpful because it allows the Sorceress to recover and get away faster after being hit. The Poison Length reduction is also good to have. Be warned, this weapon requires high Strength (71), but you probably want to raise this anyway for better armor. Culwen's Point also requires 45 Dexterity which is above the starting Dexterity for the Sorceress. You will have to raise your Dexterity or find Dexterity enhancing items. If you choose to raise your base Dexterity (which most people do), only do so if you plan on using this weapon for good because Dexterity is otherwise pretty useless for the Sorceress.

Other options:

Blood Crescent (+15 to All Resistances)

This only requires 21 Dexterity.

Spectral Shard (All Resistances 10%, +50 to Mana, Fastest Cast Rate)

While the stats are enticing, the high Dexterity requirement of 51 might make you reconsider. That is a serious commitment to Dexterity should you decide to raise your base Dexterity to use it. Depending on your equipment, you may be able to find items that increase Dexterity to wear to allow you to use this item.

 

Initially look for any gloves that will give defense and magical statistics that are useful to your character.

Power players look for:

Magefist Gauntlets (Faster Cast Rate, Regenerate Mana 25%)

These are the only gloves which offer faster Mana regeneration which is important for a Sorceress. The Faster Cast Rate also certainly helps. The mana benefit of these gloves however is the +1 to all Fire skills. This includes Warmth which will also increase your Mana regeneration. Fire focused Sorceress' may wish to use these gloves over Frostburns for their skill point bonuses once they have enough Mana.

Many Sorceress' choose to use:

Frostburn Gauntlets (Maximum Mana 40%)

Highly sought after, these gloves will raise the base Mana of the Sorceress by 40%!! This can mean huge amounts of additional Mana. You can try to trade for these gloves or attempt to Gamble for them. Buy any Gauntlets you see when gambling at about 38,000 gold a try.

 

Initially look for belts which offer useful magical bonuses such as additional Life, Mana and resistances. Sorceress' may want to raise their Strength to 110 to wear War Belts which offer 4 Rows for Potions and the maximum amount of Defense.

For those players that can survive with only 2 or 3 rows of slots in their belt, look for:

Lenymo's Sash (Regenerate Mana 30%, All Resistances +5)

The only belt that offers faster Mana regeneration, Lenymo's Sash would be the ultimate belt, however it only has two rows of slots for potions. If you can survive with two rows of potions, this is the belt for you, but if not, consider looking for better.

Nightsmoke (50% Damage Taken Goes to Mana, All Resistances +10, +20 To Mana)

Many high level players use this for its 10% to all resistances, additional Mana, and damage taken goes to Mana. One drawback of the Nightsmoke belt is that is only has 3 rows for Potions instead of 4.

 

Look for Boots which offer useful magical bonuses such as additional Life, Mana and resistances. Boots that give a Faster Run/Walk Speed, and faster Stamina Regeneration can really help the Sorceress avoid danger and reach her destination much faster. On higher difficulty levels, it's very important for the Sorceress to keep on the run to avoid melee attackers. Boots that increase stamina and speed will really help out.

Look for Boots that offer Fastest Run/Walk, Heal Stamina 50%, and Resistances to Lightning, Fire especially. Other popular choices are:

Vidala's Fetlock (Fastest Run/Walk, +150 to Maximum Stamina)

While other boots can offer Fastest Run/Walk, only Vidala's Fetlock offers such a huge increase of 150 to Stamina. This combination can mean you can run virtually forever. Considered by some to be the best boots for Sorceress' and Necromancers (and even other classes), the only draw back of Vidala's Fetlock is that you are passing up having a Rare pair of Boots with Resistances, and other useful stats.

Treads of Cthon (Fastest Run/Walk, 50% Stamina, +50 Defense vs Missile...)

Tearhaunch (Faster Run/Walk, All Resistances +10)

While Tearhaunch is slower than Treads of Cthon and Vidala's Fetlock and does not offer any help to Stamina, the +10 to resistances is pretty handy.

At the start any Jewelry is better than no Jewelry at all. After you have your basic Jewelry look for:

Rings
Rings with stats such as Mana, Life, Resistances (Fire and Lightning preferred), and Faster Cast Rate. Eventually you will probably want to look for Rare Rings with some combination of these desired magical bonuses. Collect Rings that give resistance to Fire and Lightning to put on when facing these elemental attacks.

A ultimate Ring to look for is:

The Stone of Jordon (+1 to All Skill Levels, Increase Maximum Mana 25%, +20 to Mana...)

Many Sorceress' and Necromancer's dream, The Stone of Jordon is difficult to find. This is the only ring that offers +1 To All Skills, and it can increase maximum Mana by 25% which is really helpful for Sorceress' and Necromancers.

Amulets
There are quite a few useful Amulets early on. Look for Amulets that give additional Mana, Life, and resistances. Another useful Amulet you may wish to look for is Civerb's Icon (Replenish Life +4, Regenerate Mana 40%).

From there, upgrade to an Amulet that gives +1 to Sorceress skills. Beyond that, an Amulet that gives +1 to Sorceress skill levels and another useful stat, or even better a Rare +1 to Sorceress skills Amulet with resistances, Mana, Life, or some other useful magical bonus.

Higher Level Sorceress' might look for Amulets that give +2 to Sorceress skills and other useful stats which may be available on Rare Amulets.

Another Amulet you may wish to look for and carry around is a Prismatic Amulet which offers around 25% to all resistances. A Rare Amulet may contain +1-2 to Skills and around 25% to all resistances which would certainly be a highly sought after item.

 

Socketed Helms filled with Skulls will regenerate both Health and Mana. Higher quality Skulls will regenerate more Mana and Health. Mana Regeneration is key for the Sorceress. Having high Mana Regeneration will mean less downtime and will allow you to cast more spells. While the Sorceress can spend points in Warmth to increase Mana Regeneration, having additional Mana Regeneration can also help. Collect Skulls and upgrade them with Gem Shrines. You can also trade with other players to get high quality Skulls, but because they can be rare, you might have to make some big trades to get a hold of them.

Sapphires when added to Helms give additional Mana. If you're unable to find Skulls, you can place Sapphires in a Socketed Helm to increase your Mana reserve. You can even mix the two placing one Skull and one Sapphire into a Helm.

You can then try to find better socketed Helms with higher Defense, and place better quality Skulls in them.

Power players might want to look for:

Tarnhelm (+1 to All Skill Levels, 25-50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items, 75% Extra Gold From Monsters)

This is the preferred Helm among many high level Sorceress'. This is the only hat that gives +1 to All skills, and the only hat Sorceress' can find with +skills. While some don't like the low Defense, the Sorceress can make little use of Defense on higher difficulty levels. It's important for the Sorceress to keep on the run to avoid death at which point Defense doesn't really matter for her unless she's standing still. The extra gold and magic items gained from wearing this hat also certainly doesn't hurt.

Rings and Amulets are handy for providing resistances because they only take 1x1 in your inventory or stash. You can keep them around in your inventory to use when you face certain types of monsters.

Crossbows
Early on, the Sorceress can look at using Crossbows for situations when she is out of Mana and still needs to finish monsters off. A Crossbow that steals Mana can be used to get back enough Mana to cast more spells. You can switch between a Staff and the Crossbow if you're concerned about giving up free skill points although you may decide taking up additional inventory space for Bolts, Staff and the Crossbow might not be worth it.

Staves are the weapon of the Sorceress. While other classes can use Staves it would be silly to do so. For other classes Staves are useful for trading to Sorceresses or at least selling to the Vendors because they can sometimes fetch a lot of Gold. Keep in mind that even non magical (non Violet Items) Staves can still be worth a lot of money to the Vendors. Think twice before passing up a Staff in the field.

Use Staves to Jump Start Spells
Many Spells need to be "seeded" meaning you need several skill points into them before they become powerful enough to be used full time. You can jump start this process by finding or buying a Staff that adds +1-3 to that spell. For example, when Glacial Spike is first available at Level 18, it may not be as powerful as your Ice Blast spell with 4-5 points already in it. Before you can switch from Ice Blast to Glacial Spike you will want several points into Glacial Spike. However, at level 18 you can only place 1 point into Glacial Spike and you must wait until level 19 to place another skill point into it. But by buying or finding a Staff with +1-3 to Glacial Spike you can bypass this limit and begin using Glacial Spike at 18.

You can also use Staves to make already powerful Spells even more powerful.

Use Staves to Get Specific Spells Bypassing the Skill Tree
If you focus on one or two Spell Trees you may still want one or two spells on the other spell trees. For example if you focus on the Cold and Fire Spell trees you may still want some spells on the Lightning skill tree such as Energy Shield or Teleport. If you can find a Staff that gives +1-3 to Teleport, you can use Teleport while still focusing your points in the Fire and Cold Spell Trees. You can also focus in Lightning and Fire, and use a Staff to get Frozen, Shiver or Chilling Armor. The only drawback of using a Staff to get a spell that you do not have a "real" skill point into is that each time you die you must reassign your Hot key to this spell.

Use Staves to Test Out Spells
Some spells may not be for everyone or for every situation. You can use a Staff to try spell before you invest a skill point into it.

Test Mana Cost/Damage
Many spells increase in Mana cost for each cast of the spell as you put more skill points into those spells. With increased Mana cost it's possible to put too many skill points to keep up with your Mana. You may find yourself running out of Mana very often forcing you to go back to town to refill your Mana after you have run out of potions. You can use a Staff to bump your spells to a higher level to see if you can handle the increased Mana cost and to test if the damage increase is worth devoting more skill points into that skill.

Magic Stats on Staves
Generally you want to look for Staves that add free skill points to your spells. You can also look for Staves that add to Mana, or any other desired stats. While you can look for Staves that have Magical Prefixes and Suffixes for melee damage, the Sorceress is best used as a Spell Caster first, and a Melee Attacker as a last resort.

Socketed Staves
You may find Socketed Staves useful if you find a Socketed Staff with useful added skill points. Otherwise putting Gems into Socketed Staves will give added bonuses to Melee Attacks with the Staff useful only if you use the Staff for Melee Damage. Socketed Staves can be found on at the Vendors on the Normal Items Tab (not the Magic Tab)

Finding a Good Staff
Once you've figured what spells you want or need on your Staff you have to find it. You can simply play the game and hope you can find a Staff you need. You can trade with other players to find a Staff you need. You can also repeatedly visit the Vendors until they sell a Staff with the skill points you want on it. Typically this is first done by gathering enough Gold to buy a Staff. If you have an Open Character you can start a single player game and talk to the Vendors. Each time you leave Town the items being sold will be reset. For Realm Characters you can start up a game with a password. Visit the Vendor and look at the Staves. Next exit the town via the town exit or by using a Waypoint then return to the town. This will reset the Vendors unless another player is still in the town. Repeat until you find the Staff you want or get tired of looking.

Staves to look for:
Early on you might want to look for a Staff that gives one to three skills with +1 to +3 per skill. You can also look for a Staff that gives +1 to All skills if you want to increase more than just three skills.

Early good choices:

Arcanna's Deathwand (+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels)

The Iron Iang Bong (+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels, Faster Cast Rate, +25 Defense)

Later on you'll want to look for a Staff with +2 to all skill levels with up to three skills with +1 to +3 on them and other useful magical bonuses.