View source for Sacred 2:A comprehensive guide to the Pure Caster Inquisitor, with respect to all other similar builds

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== '''A comprehensive guide to the Pure Caster Inquisitor, with respect to all other similar builds''' ==

'''By Dobri'''


WARNING!!! This build can be utilized up to patch 2.43 of Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel. With the wicked nerfs to deathblow, all skills and other items in Ice & Blood, the Pure Caster Inquisitor will have very, very tough time in platinum and niobium, since his damage will be vastly reduced due to the lack of deathblow for various of his aspects and the reduced CA level he will be forced to play with. If you still want to try this build in Ice & Blood, be warned. I don't want to hear how hard it is. It was hard in Fallen Angel, it will be even harder in Ice & Blood. Good luck!


Anyone up for a challenging game with lots of ups and downs, full of raw power, almost no left-clicking and a lot of tough time, but still yielding a very enjoyable and very rewarding result? Yes? Good. Then this pure caster Inquisitor build is for you.

Before I start writing this guide, I'd like you to know that I am fully aware of the other guides that analyze the pure caster inquisitor aspect of this game (especially Stephane's and Von Bek's). Although my skill setup is the same as the one Von Bek wrote in his guide (http://darkmatters.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9334) quite some time ago, I will give you a completely different perspective.

1. Preparing to play a pure caster Inquisitor.

I will start outright with a warning - the Pure Caster Inquisitor is a very difficult build, which requires an experienced player, who is well versed in the mechanics of this game, has some serious S2 background and preferably enough chars to support this Inquisitor as he levels up.

By support I mean shoppers (own or friends) and preferably a char with access to niobium (or a char with blacksmithing in niobium) difficulty. You can do it without this, but you will be in for a REAL TOUGH time, which may force you to quit this char or see him succumb to his enemies. However, if you manage to do it without any support, you can give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. Still, with so many players having niobium smiths and such, you hardly be left without any basic help.

2. Basic reasoning.

The Pure Caster Inquisitor is a tough to play build which yields astonishing results in the end. However, he does require time to start showing his true potential. If you are willing to invest that time and get a game that barely gets boring, this build is for you. If not - just make an offensive close combat Inquisitor and have fun.

In order to make this char shine, you will need to play with a strongly specialized main aspect, good support aspect, and a very precise skill complement. In addition to that, you will need to keep a very close eye on his health bar and his resistances, because the Inquisitor suffers from a poor armor complement regardless of the build.

3. Advanced reasoning - what's so special about this build and what's the difference between it and the other guides?

The answer is very simple - most of the caster Inquisitor get way too comfortable with the Astute Supremacy aspect and make it their main aspect without much thinking. I agree - Astute is great, has great crowd control, allows for quick leveling up, but lacks one major thing. There is no boss killing combat art there. Levin Array may be good, but it doesn't kill a boss quickly, and you don't really want to get hit often. Clustering Maelstrom and Raving Thrust are useless vs. bosses. This is why I decided to try out a build based on the Nefarious Netherworld Aspect as main one and Astute Supremacy as a secondary. I would like to assure you that the Astute aspect will by no means suffer from this choice. It is powerful enough as it is.

Taking Nefarious Netherworld as main aspect has some serious advantages. The aspect has the perfect boss killer combat art - Inexorable Subjugation. Although it is a slow killer, this combat art is a boss disabler. This means that while you're chanelling this CA, the boss or the enemy is immobilized and will not hit you. In addition to that, if the enemy dies which you're chanelling, you will get a helper (minion) for a certain duration. At higher levels the caster Inquisitor may be surrounded by a doppelganger and over 15 minions, which means more than enough distraction for the enemies on the map, and this keeps him alive. Properly modded Subjugation CA will make the minions a more enticing target and will even allow the Inq to approach the boss up close and slap a Dislodged spirit CA without even getting hit (provided his doppelganger didn't do it), or further debilitate the enemy with Paralyzing Dread.

4. The build.

You can feel free to change the initial build setup and take the skills in whichever order you may wish. However, my playthrough analysis will be based on this exact order of skill picks.

Lvl 2 - Armor Lore - taking armor lore early allows you to reduce the regeneration time penalty caused by armor straight away. Since the Inquisitor has limited regeneration time reduction options, it is very important to start out with this skill.
Lvl 3 - Nefarious Netherworld Lore - our main aspect's lore. Although we will skip leveling up this skill a lot in the beginning, it wil be the pinnacle of our build later on.
Lvl 5 - Nefarious Netherworld Focus - the focus for our aspect. It is very important to keep it at character level till 75, because it reduces the regeneration times and improves the max level of each of our main aspect's combat arts.
Lvl 8 - Astute Supremacy Focus - we will start with our support's aspect focus, not lore. Taking it will allow you to use improved Clustering maelstrom and levin array CA's at reduced regeneration time.
lvl 12 - Astute Supremacy Lore - now we can take the lore. Leave it at 1 point for a while and use + all skills to improve it. We have to prioritize the masteries and astute isn't one of our main choices.
lvl 18 - Concentration - to allow for 2-3 buffs and further improve the regeneration times for our CAs.
lvl 25 - Combat Discipline - a must-have skill for every build, as it directly improves the CA regeneration time and damage as long as they are in a combo, even a 1-CA combo. Leave it at 1 point for the time being and use + all skills equipment to improve it.
lvl 35 - Constitution - you will not go far without a proper amount of hit points. This skill is a must for any build and you must achieve a mastery in it by lvl 75 at all costs.
lvl 50 - Toughness - this skill is extremely powerful. Not only it improves our armor, but it also nullifies part of the incoming damage.
lvl 65 - Dual Wield - our final skill. It will serve as an utility skill, because you will hardly swing a sword/staff at the enemies. However, it wil allow you to wear 2 weapons, which will improve the CA damage a great deal.

This is our core build. Now let's move on to the masteries.

5. Mastering the skills.

To master a skill, you need 75 hard points in it. Mastering a skill unlocks additional bonuses and improves the skill itself.

Since this build is very delicate, we will have to master the skills in a very precise order. I propose the following order in which you should attain the masteries (as usual, you should feel free to change it):

1. Nefarious Netherworld Focus [75] - keep this skill at char level by lvl 75. It will reduce the regeneration times and will allow you to spam Inexorable Subjugation (even at higher CA level) one after another.

2. Astute Supremacy Focus [75] - since you will be using mostly this aspect to level up, you must ensure its CAs regeneration times are as they should be. it is easy to get carried away with this aspect because it is really powerful and provides a great crowd control, but always remember that it's your secondary aspect! Have it at char level till 75, and then stop adding points here.

3. Constitution [75] - we only need the in-combat hit point regeneration bonus, you should have it at skill lvl 75 by char lvl 75. The + all skills equipment will deal with the rest.

4. Armor Lore [75] - we need mastery in this skill ASAP, as it will open up various damage mitigation options on various rare armors. Try to have this skill mastered by lvl 80-85.

5. Nefarious Netherworld Lore [75+] - we need this skill for damage. Get it to 75, attain the mastery and leave it at 75 hard points for a while till you get the rest of the masteries.

6. Astute Supremacy Lore [75-125] - now we can add the secondary's aspect lore at master level and improve the damage. It is not late to attain it now, because of the equipment setup I will explain later.

7. Toughness [75+] - you need a mastery here to ensure your survival. Since the Inquisitor has poor armors, you should improve this skill regularly (mainly through updating your + all skills equipment till you get to mastering it) to cope with the improving damage of the enemies.

8. Concentration [75] - mastering this skill at the 8th pick isn't late, because most of the game you will be hard pressed to play with reduced number of buffs, or otherwise you will overburden your regeneration times a great deal.

9. Combat Discipline [75] - actually, CD does really well even without a mastery. Boosted by +all skills equipment alone, it's great. This is why we will attain mastery of this skill last.
10. Dual Wield [1] - this skill requires only 1 point in it, as it is a utility skill. Since the Inquisitor can't carry a shield, we need to fill this empty hand with something - and a second weapon is the best choice, since it will dramatically improve the damage.

After you have achieved a mastery in skills 1-9, you will be left with quite a bunch of points. Distribute them between these skills:
Astute Supremacy Lore [125] - 125 points will improve damage and with 75 points in focus, it will open up all mods for Astute aspect. Stop at 125. I mean it.
Nefarious Netherworld Lore [125+] - 125 points will improve the damage, and with 75 points in focus, it will open up all mods for the Nefarious Netherworld aspect. You can keep on pumping it up afterwards to improve your boss killing speed and CA damage.
Toughness [75+] - more points in toughness to reduce the incoming damage NEVER hurts.

In my accelerated build test (1-200 playthrough with 25x the normal XP gained) in HC SP I ended up with these values at lvl 200:

Armor Lore - 75

Nefarious Netherworld Lore - 170

Nefarious Netherworld Focus - 75

Astute Supremacy Focus - 75

Astute Supremacy Lore - 125

Concentration - 75

Combat Discipline - 75

Constitution - 75

Toughness - 165

Dual Wield - 1

911 points total. No deaths, but quite a few close shaves.

EDIT: A little in-depth analysis. We only need 75 points in a skill at first. As soon as you have gotten all 9 masteries, then we will start adding more points in the respective skills who may go over 75 (netherworld lore, astute lore, toughness). Let's calculate. It takes 8x75=600 points to master skill 8 and 9x75=675 points to master skill 9. You need to put 5 points in Netherworld Lore to open up anything else, but they still count in the totals, so they will simply slow the mastery of any skill above Netherworld lore which can't be kept at character level (most notably armor lore and nefarious lore itself) by 1 level.

Until lvl 50 you have: (3 * 1) + (7 * 2) + (13 * 3) + (25 * 4)=156 points. This means that by lvl 50, you can have 2 skills at character level and one pretty close to it - 50 in Nefarious focus; 50 in astute focus; 46 in Constitution; 5 in lvl 1 skills (armor lore, astute lore, Concentration, Combat Discipline, Toughness) and 5 necessary to put in nefarious lore. To get to 600 you need 444 more points and to get to 675 you need 519 more points. This means you need: 444/5=88.8 or 89-90 levels to get a mastery in your 8th skill (concentration) which is lvl 50+89=139 (or 140 if 90 levels) - the doppelganger should arrive just in the nick of time for niobium. 519/5=103.8 or 104 levels to get your mastery in the last skill - Combat Discipline, which should happen at about lvl 154 (50+104).
From level 155 upwards the only thing you need to do is improve the 2 lores of this build till you mod everything, meaning you should first get Nefarious lore and Astute Lore up to 125. This is 100 points (2x50) or 20 levels. This means that by char level 175 you will have mastered everything and will have modded everything. From lvl 175 upwards I strongly suggest you evenly boost Toughness and Nefarious Netherworld Lore till you get to level 200 and the build setup I posted above.

6. Distributing the attribute points.

This build has one big problem - and that problem is its defense. Even though we will be running all possible options to reduce the damage our inquisitor is going to take, he will still need a lot of hit points to survive. As such, I propose 2 attribute point distribution options:

Option 1: All attribute points (401) go to Vitality.
Option 2: 1 vit at start (2-49), 1 vit/1 sta from lvl 50 till lvl 150, 3 vit till the end (150-200).

The second option will improve the regeneration times a little, but you will manage to balance them in the end no matter what, so option 1 is my preferred choice.

7. The playthrough.

Although I'm usually giving the playthrough in the very end of my guides, I will make an exception this time. The main reason for this is the fact that this build is very delicate and you should know what to expect at all times. It will also help you understand my reasoning in the selection of CA mods and equipment.

Level 1-15 - these levels are designated for kobold trashing. This will ensure that you get enough runes to set all your main CAs before we start doing the Griffin boss runs.

Level 15-35 - these levels are designated for one of the 2 options:
-> White Griffin Boss Runs - if you have a good niobium smith and a shopper to set you up with a decent starter equip with a lot of sockets, then this option is the best for you. It will ensure that you get a lot of set items to start your character off the right foot. This option also allows for very quick level up from 15 to 35, as well as ensuring a lot of runes to go around.
-> Do quests - if you don't have a good niobium smith/shopper, etc., you will have to start doing various quests for rare and set item drops.
At this point you can afford only 1 buff - Soul reaver, only when you take the 2nd mod - Source, which decreases the regeneration time of combat arts while the Inquisitor is accompanied by souls, no sooner.

Level 35-60 - find a good place to level up. I usually level in the Orc Cave till lvl 59 and get the last level while roaming the map. The Orc Cave is really easy now with the Clustering Maelstrom + Raving Thrust + Levin Array combo and 70% deathblow or more. With 75% deathblow and moderate + all skills the enemies inside die in a single combo.

Level 60-100 - I usually keep on leveling in the Orc Cave, while taking small breaks for questing in the swamps. Orc cave should be at 1-2 combos at this time (with the same combo and 75% or more deathblow) and the swamps are full of mobs, begging for crowd control leveling with Clustering Maelstrom or Clustering + Raving Thrust (+ Levin Array - can be skipped) combo. I know you may have a different play style, but I'm a grinder and have no problems doing areas over and over... Around lvl 85 you should be able to add your second buff - Reverse polarity and provide yourself with some more survivability.

Level 100-140 - Orc cave is my choice again, but the problem is that orcs start hitting harder and harder. At this point I usually re-vamp my entire equipment - I make 1 set based on physical (or all channel) damage mitigation and 1 universal set. Paying attention to the health bar and keeping up the 2 buffs is a good way of surviving this levels. I usually do Orc Cave - Desert - Swamp runs to keep myself from boredom, as well as occasional boss runs with Inexorable Subjugation. It is a slow killer, but it does work and provides me with some set items to replace the old ones. The Clustering - Raving - Levin Array is still a good combo. If you managed to get 75 in CD, add eruptive desecration to it.

Level 140-200 - even at 25x XP in my test, the level ups still took some time. At this point I can add Zealous Doppelganger as a buff, since higher value + all skills rings/amulets become available and regeneration times get easier to balance. As usual, I do Orc Cave runs (it's best to ensure 40% or more close combat reflection) and swamp hunting. Boss runs are a pain in the butt, but with Inexorable + Doppelganger they still work - although it does take 5-8 mins per run. I usually do Griffin or Holos. Holos has purely physical damage, and my equipment with the inquisitor is mainly based on physical damage mitigation, which is based on my play style: orc cave requires good physical damage resistance and poison relics.

8. The Combat arts.

Since we're using only 2 aspects, we will utilize most of their combat arts. Due to the intricate nature of most of the Inquisitor's combat arts, it is very hard to give a proper minimum or maximum regeneration time limit. Where no proper regeneration time is applicable, I will do my best to give thorough pointers.

8.1. Nefarious Netherworld aspect.

Read 1-5 runes (at most) in all of these CAs and get the rest through + all combat arts equipment. Keep it up until you get to niobium. With the improved + all skills rings and amulets you regeneration times will drop and then you can add some more runes.

1) Dislodged Spirit - this is a pretty cool CA. It reduces the enemy's abilities for a certain amount of time. Its only real usefulness is when battling bosses, as it will indirectly improve the damage you inflict (due to the decreased boss attributes). Keep the regeneration time roughly equal to the time in which the soul is away from the opponent's body (refer to the CA description).
Mods:
Spite - Increases the duration of the soul being held. (50% increase)
Deprivation - Further decreases opponent's attributes while the soul is being held. (64% increased base value)
Stimulate - Steals energy from the target, which will decrease the regeneration time of combat arts. (5% + 5% per CA level stolen)
Our task is to keep the duration high. Even though the boss will be almost constantly Subjugated (meaning disabled), we would still want Subjugation to do more damage, right?

2) Inexorable Subjugation - our main CA for this aspect. It can be used vs. bosses and for ordinary hunting. Keep the regeneration time roughly close to the time it takes to channel the CA or less. At higher char level the CA itself will settle between 2.0s-2.8s, although the chanelling will be a lot longer, which means you can try and pump runes here to increase the CA level way beyond its max level, provided by Netherworld focus.
Mods:
Brunt - Inflicts more magic damage per time unit. (33.3% increase)
Menace - The spectral companion poses a significantly higher threat to opponents. (100% increase)
Probation - Increases the spectral companion's lifespan. (33.3% increase)
I tried Brunt vs. Effort and I can't really say which is better. Brunt forces the CA to last longer, and you can pump it to really high levels without burdening the regeneration time, because the chanelling lasts for quite a while (about 4-5 seconds before you need to recast). Menace and probation will ensure that the enemies will hack at your subjugated minions and not at you. Extremely important mod. Probation ensures your minions last longer
NOTE: Although wiki says the increase in lifespan is a flat value, the CA does improve the lifespan. At CA lvl 108 my minions last around 60 seconds. I can't be sure since I have no chronometer and I'm counting out loud... You can imagine how stupid I look...

3) Soul Reaver - very cool buff for the caster Inquisitor. It provides a nice boost to atk and def values while its active... And more!
Mods:

Zealot - Increases the lifespan of each reanimated soul. (50% increase)

Source - Decreases the regeneration time of combat arts while the Inquisitor is accompanied by 
souls. (10% + 0.5% per CA level decrease)

Zealot - Increases the lifespan of each reanimated soul. (50% increase)
Modded like this, the buff pretty much cancels its own penalty on the CA regen times. With more levels in netherworld focus and concentration, it will even reduce the regen times as long as you have at least 1 soul with you. This is why taking the improved soul lifespan twice is imperative.

4) Eruptive Desecration - forces slain enemies to explode, inflicting additional damage. The only good use I found for this CA was in the Clustering + Raving + Levin Array combo when I got Combat Discipline mastery. The damage output is decent and if executed properly, it will pretty much obliterate anything left standing. Keep the regeneration time equal to that of Clustering maelstrom and Raving thrust.

Mods:

Greed - Adds a chance to receive additional items from the corpse. (19.8% + 0.2% per CA level chance)

Violence - Increases the damage dealt by explosions. (50% increased physical damage)

Apocalypse - Increases the explosion's range. (60% increase from base value)
The bronze mod isn't much... you can pick whichever you like. I took greed because it reminded me about the old times with the barbarian in Diablo 2 where I went from corpse to corpse to pop them up for more items. I took Violence because the damage increase is nice and you don't really need 2 range improvements, because clustering maelstrom will keep the mobs close, and that's why only the last mod is for range improvement.

5) Paralyzing Dread - it is really, really cool CA, but with all those offensive CAs running around, it's sort of useless, because it's hard to incorporate in the play style. However, it does work well together with Dislodged spirit. I usually use it against bosses in a combo with dislodged, as it debilitates them even further. Keep its regeneration time roughly equal to that of dislodged spirit.

Mods:

Despair - Reduces the opponents' resistance values. (50 + 1 per CA level decrease)

Decrepit - Reduces attack speed even more. (19.8% + 0.2% per CA level decrease / 50% increase from base value)

Extension - Increases the range of effect. (50% increase)
Since we will be using this CA in conjunction with Dislodged spirit, these are the logical mods. Reduction in resistance values will improve the damage of Inexorable Subjugation and the Zealous Doppelganger's attacks. Decrepit and Extension are simply a bonus.

8.2. Astute Supremacy aspect.

Read 1-5 runes (at most) in all of these CAs and get the rest through + all combat arts equipment. Keep it up until you get to niobium. With the improved + all skills rings and amulets you regeneration times will drop and then you can add some more runes.

1) Clustering Maelstrom - the wickedly overpowered CA as long as there are a lot of enemies on the map or you managed to gather a big mob. Use this CA when you can gather 6 or more opponents close to one another. Keep the regeneration time to 3-5s in the early levels (should be enough to gather a mob) and under 2s at higher levels, so that it becomes an effective combo CA.

Mods:

Chaos - Opponents tumbling into other opponents will inflict more damage. (49.5% + 0.5% per CA level increase)

Vortex - Increases the range of Clustering Maelstrom. (18.75% increased area of effect from base value)

Vortex - Increases the range of Clustering Maelstrom. (18.75% increased area of effect from base value)
Modded like this, maelstrom works wonder for me. I'm counting on sheer enemy numbers to make maelstrom good, not on its secondary effects. There is nothing that tops the ability to kill over 20 enemies in a single cast. Simply priceless! And... you are not a student at Hogwarts to take the Stupefy mod. Let Harry Potter cast it and forget about it.

2) Levin Array - this is our secondary CA for the astute aspect. It provides good attacking options for groups of 2-5 enemies. using it against single opponents will be a waste because Inexorable Subjugation is way better in that aspect. Keep it at 2.5s at lower char level and at 1s or less on higher char levels in order to both spam it and get it to be a good combo complementation CA.

Mods:

Disperse - Increases the angle of effectiveness. (45° increase / 50% increase from base value)

Hesitation - Briefly reduces the opponent's attack speed. (19.8% + 0.2% per CA level decrease)

Dynamic - Increases the chance for critical hits. (19.8% + 0.2% per CA level chance)
I prefer the disperse mod. Since most of the Inquisitor's spell attacks are at mid-range (nothing like the HE's Cobalt Strike/Frost Flare or Seraphim's Baneful smite), I'd rather take the opportunity to hit mobs in a larger area in front of me rather than the ones further back. For the same reason, I'd rather have the opponents' atk speed reduced than run speed. As for the last mod, everyone loves crits!

3) Raving Thrust - alone this CA doesn't do much, unless you're tightly surrounded by mobs. We are not planning on that, so the only useful place there is for this spell is in a combo with clustering maelstrom. This is why you should keep its regeneration time close or equal to that of Clustering Maelstrom - 3-5s at lower levels and under 2s at higher levels.

Mods:

Bedaze - Adds a chance to stun opponents briefly. (19.8% + 0.2% chance)

Vehemence - Increases damage caused. (33.3% increase)

Lesion - A successful hit greatly reduces the target's base hitpoints for a brief period. (19.9% + 0.1% per CA level chance of deep wound)
Since we decided not to play Harry Potter with Clustering Maelstrom, we will do that here, since we will use raving in the same combo with clustering, hence the Bedaze mod. Vehemence and Lesion just make raving thrust better.

4) Reverse Polarity - the second buff you will take. It is imperative to have it by the time you reach Platinum, since at that point the mobs start hitting harder. Do not use it until you get the silver mod for close combat reflection - you will simply burden the regen times. As soon as you take it though, start utilizing the buff. It will save your life more than once.

Mods:

Rebound - Adds a chance to reflect magic damage. (20% + 2% per CA level chance)

Counterblow - Adds a chance to reflect close combat damage. (20% + 2% per CA level chance)

Evade - Increases the defense value. (10 + 5 per CA level increase)
Nothing much to deliberate about the mods... These are the only ones that complement this build to the best of their ability.

EDIT 2: A nice discussion heated up, and quite rightly so. The Exploit Gold mod on Reverse Polarity directly reduces the damage you take by switching some of it to your minions.
For that matter, if you play single player, or you play online, but 100% of the time solo, you should choose that mod, as it will complement your build better than the evade mod.
However, if you play mostly in party online or you are a regular kamikaze Sunday member, I strongly advise against that mod, as it may seriously hurt your party members.
If have have taken the Exploit mod and you play in a party, make sure you inform your party members in advance. Having someone die because of you is awful. I do agree that in the heat of battle (and the lag) you never know where the damage is coming from, but it is downright improper that YOU be the cause of someone's death.

5) Zealous Doppelganger - this will be our final buff. Why buff? Simple. You have only 4 CA slots and we want to use them for essential CAs and combos ONLY. Doppelganger isn't one of those, so we'd rather use it as a third buff from lvl 140 upwards.

Mods:

Incentive - Increases the doppelganger's attack and defense values. (25% + 5% per CA level increase)

Equal - The doppelganger receives the aspect Gruesome Inquisition.

Companion - Causes permanent doppelganger (buff)
Incentive is the most important mod. It will help your doppelganger last awhile longer and take more punishment before he dies. Although the second mod isn't that important, since the doppelganger uses all 3 aspects, I discovered that having him take Gruesome Inquisition makes him more willing to dash in the front lines instead of me, meaning he takes the hits for me. I like it. Still, the doppelganger is widely unpredictable, so always be on the lookout for troubles, even if you are surrounded by minions and backed up by him.

9. Combos and slot distribution.

Although our main aspect is Nefarious Netherworld, we will use mainly Astute Supremacy CAs and combos.

Combo 1: Big mob offensive
Clustering Maelstrom + Raving Thrust + Levin Array + Eruptive Desecration - if you have CD mastery

Basic idea:
Clustering is cast and start forcing the enemies into the collision point
Raving Thrust is cast at the closing in mobs, forcing them to collide BEFORE maelstrom itself forces them to collide
Mobs collide for the second time due to the maelstrom
Levin Array is cast, hitting any surviving enemy and inflicting additional DoT on them.
Eruptive Desecration is cast, forcing a body to explode and finish off the mobs that are left for good.

Combo 2: Boss/Champion debilitation.
Dislodged Spirit + Paralyzing Dread

Basic idea:
Dislodged spirit reduces attributes and Paralyzing forces the enemy to take more damage and attack even slower

Combo 2 Option:
Add an Inexorable Subjugation to it - this will save you the bother to switch to another CA slot right after casting this combo, since it usually lasts for 2 subjugations:
Dislodged Spirit + Paralyzing Dread + Inexorable Subjugation


Combo 3: Single Target/Raising Minions/Bosses/Champions
Inexorable Subjugation

This is 1-CA combo. It will improve the damage of Subjugation and the regeneration time, thanks to Combat Discipline.

Combo 4: Several Targets
Levin Array

This is 1-CA combo. It will improve the damage of Levin Array and the regeneration time, thanks to Combat Discipline. Use it against 2-5 targets.

10. Order of modification.

Since this is a very delicate build, you should select the order of modification of the CAs very, very carefully.

10.1. Nefarious Underworld aspect.

Our main CAs in this aspect are Inexorable Subjugation and Soul Reaver, followed by dislodged spirit, paralyzing dread and eruptive desecration. This is why we mod the CA's in the following manner:

1. Inexorable Subjugation - full modding

2. Soul reaver - full modding

3. Dislodged Spirit - Spite

4. Paralyzing Dread - Despair

5. Paralyzing Dread - Decrepit

6. Dislodged Spirit - Deprivation

7. Dislodged Spirit - Stimulate

8. Paralyzing Dread - Extension

9. Eruptive Desecration - full modding

The idea behind this modding is that we don't need eruptive until we get CD mastery. Inexorable and Soul Reaver are the standpoints of this aspect and this is why they're modded first. Then we mod the boss debilitation CAs in a manner which will help our char survive more easily vs. bosses - attribute reduction first, then damage taken increase, then further reduction in attack speed, longer attribute decrease, and finally the utility mods - stimulate and extension.

10.2. Astute Supremacy Aspect.

Our main CA in this aspect is Clustering Maelstrom, followed by Levin Array, Reverse Polarity, Raving Thrust and Zealous Doppelganger. Since this is our secondary aspect, it will suffer from less hard points added in it. This is why we will mod its CAs in a specific manner.

1. Clustering Maelstrom - full modding

2. Levin Array - Disperse

3. Raving Thrust - Bedaze and Vehemence

4. Reverse Polarity - Rebound and Counterblow

5. Levin Array - hesitation and Dynamic

6. Zealous Doppelganger - full modding

7. Reverse Polarity - Evade

8. Raving Thrust - Lesion


Clustering is our main CA here and it should get the most attention. Levin Array can go with Disperse for quite a while, which allows us to mod Raving Thrust - this way our first combo is powerful enough now. After you get enough of 1-combo killing everything, you should be around lvl 80, which is the perfect time to start thinking about Reverse polarity to help us get through platinum. In platinum the astute combo may get a bit weaker (mainly because of the wicked increase in enemy HPs), this is why you should fully mod levin array next, followed by Zealous Doppelganger for Niobium. When you decide to get the astute lore all the way up to 125, you can get the last 2 mods.

11. Equipment.

Sacred 2 Wiki Set item references:

Insignia of Balefulness set - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...of_Balefullness

Dreadbringer set - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacred_2:Dreadbringer

Drapes of Catharsis set - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...es_of_Catharsis

Saraki's Path to the Netherworld set - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...the_Netherworld

Deylen's power set - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...eylen%27s_Power

Officer's Saber stats (one-handed unique swords) - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...28One-Handed%29

Tinwora's Curse Stats (one-handed hafted weapons) - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...28One-Handed%29

Nlovae's Mystery stats (one-handed staves) - http://www.sacredwiki.org/index.php5/Sacre...taffs_and_Wands

After we have analyzed the entire build and its combat arts, it's time to supplement all that with a proper equipment.

Head:

Insignia of Deference from the Insignia of Balefulness set
+ Damage mitigation (Physical); + chance to halve regeneration times; 2 sockets (s/g)
-> that's the best helm. Physical attacks consist over 75% of the S2 attacks, and chance to halve regen time seems to be a trait that procs pretty often. When it procs, it will cut down the regen time of your last cast CA in half. Pretty neat.

Torso:

We have 2 options for torso armor. You should use both of them depending on the situation.
Option 1: Robe of Anguish from the Dreadbringer set
+ Damage mitigation (physical); +offensive skills (not good for us); +block chance based on armor lore; 2 gold sockets
-> Although this armor has wickedly low armor, it does provide your Inquisitor with a very generous damage mitigation and 2 gold sockets.
Option 2: Cowl of Catharsis from the Drapes of Catharsis set
Prismatic defense (all types), chance to find valuables, 3 sockets (b/s/g)
-> These 3 sockets allow for great customization options

Shoulders:

Best option is to shop some good rare shoulders with all channel damage mitigation and 2 sockets. It will take a lot of time, but it's attainable. Your alternative option is to use the Shoulders of Catharsis from the Drapes of Catharsis set - 3 sockets (b/s/g), thus good customization options.

Sleeves:

Saraki's Downfall sleeves from the Saraki's Path to the Netherworld set
+ chance for critical hits; + inexorable subjugation; + eruptive desecration; 1 silver socket
Alternative option is some good sleeves with + all skills, + damage and 1 socket. You can also spawn once the Scribe Sleeves of Atherton for Inquisitor and benefit from their 2 gold sockets and no mods.

Gauntlets:

Deylen's Loyalty gloves from Deylen's power set
+ opponent's level for death blow; + clustering maelstrom; + levin array; 1 silver socket
-> The best there is. Not only they improve the CA level of the CA's we will use the most, but they also provide a substantial deathblow. Amazing!

Belt:

Saraki's Demise belt from the Saraki's Path to the Netherworld set
+ damage mitigation (physical); + stamina; 2 sockets (s/g)
-> The best there is. Physical damage mitigation, stamina to lower the regen times and 2 sockets. There is nothing better than this one.

Lower robe/Pantaloons:

Pantaloons of Catharsis from the Drapes of Catharsis set
+ chance to evade; + run speed; 3 sockets (b/s/g)
-> Good customization options and good chance to evade, which should make you even harder to hit. The run speed is just a bonus

Boots:

Saraki's Folly boots from the Saraki's Path to the Netherworld set
+ Combat Art skills; + attack spd; + ranged value; 1 silver socket
-> I prefer these, because they are the 3rd part of the Saraki's set, which gives you scaling reduction in regeneration times for the Netherworld aspect.

Let's analyze. using wiki's values, you get:

Insignia of Deference - 22.2% phys

Robe of Anguish - +21.3% phys
Saraki's Demise - +14.6% phys

Shoulders - let's say 12%, can be more

Toughness - 18% at higher levels, can be more

Total of: 88.1% physical damage mitigation

Now how about that!!!

Rings, amulets, socketables:

Look for + all combat arts, + all skills, + nefarious/astute aspect, + opponent's level for deathblow. At lvl 35 you should have 60% deathblow or more. At lvl 60 you should have over 70% deathblow. At level 100 you should have over 75% deathblow and at lvl 140 you should have over 80% deathblow to keep your damage output high.

12. Weapons.

Up until lvl 65 you should use the best weapon you find. In my eyes the best weapons are 3:
Officer's Saber - 3 gold sockets + 1 elemental modifier socket - great for customization for a lot of %deathblow

Tinwora's Curse - -regen time; + all combat arts; 2 gold sockets + 1 elemental modifier - great with its + all combat arts and regen time reduction

Nlovae's Mystery - + combat art range; - regen time; + casting speed; 2 gold sockets + 1 elemental modifier

After lvl 65, the moment you get Dual Wield, things change.

From lvl 65 to 100 or 140 - in my eyes, the best weapons in that range are dual officer's saber. 6 gold sockets is just too much to discard. If you are patient, you will find rings with +all skills/+%deathblow and amulets with +all combat arts/+ all skills or stacked deathblow/all skills/all combat arts. Stacked means that 2 modifiers of the same type have spawned on the same item (for example, one +13 all skills and one +15 all skills, which makes the amulet show +28 all skills) and such rings and amulets are very rare and very valuable.

From lvl 140 upwards, since your regeneration time for all CA will start to decline by itself, the best weapons in my eyes become dual Nlovae's Mystery Staves. Besides, in niobium the innate bonuses on the items improve dramatically, and that +combat art range on the Nlovae's staff becomes a treasure to behold, dramatically increasing the range of Clustering Maelstrom, Levin Array, Raving Thrust, Inexorable Subjugation (channels from farther away) and the range of Paralyzing Dread. In addition to that, with the improving bonuses on rings and amulets, you can put more in those 2 sockets than in the 3 sockets of officer's saber in platinum.

13. Final Words.

Thank you for reading, friends. I realize that much info hasn't been easy to go through, and hasn't been that easy to read. However, I do hope you will find it useful for this build or your other inquisitor builds. If you decide to try the Pure Caster Inquisitor, I'm certain you will find it largely entertaining and very challenging. This alone makes him a great char to try out and play.

EDIT 1: Added proper skill point distribution mechanics.

EDIT 2: Added a comment and option to the Reverse Polarity's Gold mod.






'''''Originally published at [http://darkmatters.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=12102 DarkMatters]for review and discussion.'''''

==See Also==
*[[Sacred 2:Inquisitor Guides|Inquisitor Guides]]
*[[Sacred 2:Inquisitor Combat Arts|Inquisitor Combat Arts]]
*[[Sacred 2:Sacred 2 Player Contributed Guides|Sacred 2 Player Contributed Guides]]