By Nova Lova & WarTh3ory

Are you ready to shatter expectations and unleash lightning havoc in Diablo 2 Resurrected? Do you want to be a golden goddess who telestomps packs of Champion Fanaticism Souls in Worldstone Keep, with 90 lit res and 20 absorb? Do you want Dolls, Cows, and Might-buffed Archers to miss you with 12,000 defense? Then, this polarizing build is for you.

Introducing the Fortitude self-wield Infinity Nova Sorceress – a daring and unconventional build that sets itself apart from the crowd.

With any contrarian theory crafted build in Diablo 2, there are trade-offs. Below are a few Pros & Cons for those exploring the Fortitude lifestyle:

Pros:

• Strong AoE damage - can safely clear all content
• Extremely Tanky with high survivability
• Fast-paced & telestomp playstyle

Cons:

• Gear dependent & expensive endgame
• Slightly lower clear speed than +Skill frameworks
• Requires mana management in intense battles

The Fortitude Concept & Mechanics

In this guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of this electrifying build, focusing on how the Fortitude runeword armor takes center stage over the traditional Skin of the Vipermagi. Whether you're seeking speed, power, or resilience for Hardcore gameplay, the Fortitude self-wield Infinity Nova Sorceress build is tailored for efficient Terror Zone farming, making it an excellent choice for Hardcore gameplay due to its balance of offense and defense.

The framework for this build became viable, and was accelerated with adjustments to Chilling Armor in Patch 2.4 and the introduction of Terror Zones and Sunder Charms in Patch 2.5.

While there is a slight trade-off of cumulative +Skills vs. the standard build frameworks, the consistent Nova damage from self-wielding Infinity, matched with the defensive mechanics of Fortitude, mitigates concerns surrounding clear speed throughout Sanctuary.

Defensive & Offensive Abilities

Offensive Consistency

• The combination of wielding Infinity and Crack of the Heavens Sunder charms helps to equalize the slight damage loss from a +Skills build like Vipermagi. When fighting Lightning Immune enemies, you will notice a negligible difference vs. non-immune, with only a narrow damage gap, providing consistent damage throughout your clears.

The Defensive Potential

• Fortitude's enhanced defense, in combination with the Level 15 Chilling Armor Proc anchored by a Defiance Mercenary, will push this build to 12,000K defense, massively boosting survivability. This helps noticeably against powerful hits from Cows, Dolls, Archers, and Spectral/Aura Elites, especially when Terrorized. The higher your defense, the less percent chance of taking perpetual hits, giving you adequate time to teleport away safely.

Breakpoints

• And then the best part? It maintains the same 105% Faster Cast Rate mobility breakpoint as the Vipermagi framework, leveraging two Faster Cast Rate rings and +2 Sorceress/+15% Faster Cast Rate Crafted Amulet. Not only can you navigate quickly, but it also can bail you out once you hit the 60% Faster Hit Recovery Breakpoint, which will require a few charms in your inventory.

Effective Health Pool

• Like most self-wield Infinity setups, this build leverages Energy Shield, with one stark difference: the Life & Mana Pool balance. With Fortitude + Thundergods Vigor, you receive a significant effective Health Pool bonus. As a result, you will typically have a more equal and balanced Life vs. Mana pool. Always ensure your life is slightly higher than mana to avoid Blood Mana Curse.

Resistances

• The exact combination of Fortitude + Thundergods elevates maximum Lightning resistance to 90% with additive protection from +20 Lightning Absorb. This is key when fighting Souls, Beetles, and Lighting Enchanted Unique enemies.

Fortitude vs. Vipermagi

Skin of the Vipermagi is the standard for a reason: it offers excellent offensive capability at low requirements, good resists, and some magic damage reduction. You get more skills and mana from Arachnid Mesh, Stones of Jordan, and a +3 Lightning skill/10% Faster Cast Rate magic amulet. However, it can be too much of a glass-cannon playstyle in Hardcore and increases the risk of dying in Softcore due to its squishy nature.

Ultimately, this is a tale of Cumulative Skill enhancement vs. Defensive Prowess at its epicenter.

Fortitude Build:

• 12K defense taking significant less hits
• Balance Life & Mana Pools
• Powerful Lightning Resistance
• Nice to have Fort Affixes: Replenish Life, Damage Taken Goes to Mana, Life Per Level Boosting

Vipermagi Build:

• Higher Average Damage
• Does not require Faster Cast Rate Rings or +2 Sorceress /+15% Faster Cast Rate crafted Amulet
• Note: Pictured below is a Perfect Up'd 1034 Defense Skin of the Vipermagi

The overall purpose of this build variant is to remove the last remaining weaknesses inherent in the standard Nova Sorceress setup. The Vipermagi standard builds target a more dominant Mana pool with significantly reduced life, which is not ideal for Hardcore.

While there is a sacrifice of cumulative +Skills, you will only feel a noticeable difference in Player8 games or areas with no lightning immunes. Otherwise, the consistent Nova damage of the Fortitude setup, matched with consistent defense, eliminates any significant weakness.

Playstyle & Strategy

While you still need to be cautious in Hardcore, the idea is to play aggressively with this build framework. You can have more conviction when tele-stomping packs thanks to its Defensive benefits. This helps your overall efficiency and gives you extra protection when needed.

I highly recommend ALWAYS procing Chilling Armor before farming. You can quickly achieve this by heading to the River of Flame Act 4 waypoint and standing in the fire to trigger the immediate defensive increase.

While this build is robust, you will still want to pay attention to your life & mana upkeep, drinking potions as needed around 80% of your maximum life pool and 50% of your mana pool to ensure uptime and safety.

Skill & Stat Attributes

Picture this: a storm of lightning raining down upon your enemies as you venture through the terror zones. The Fortitude self-wield Infinity Nova Sorceress excels in delivering electrifying destruction. With the synergies from the Nova skill tree, your lightning Novas will have increased damage and radius, allowing you to swiftly clear out groups of enemies.

General Stat point distribution fundamentals apply, putting the bare minimum requirements to Strength to equip your gear. This includes enough Dexterity to wear your preferred two-handed Infinity base like an Ethereal War Scythe.

Max out the following:

• Nova
• Lightning Mastery
• Static Field
• Telekinesis
• Energy Shield
• Remaining Points into Warmth

Single Point into:

• Warmth
• Thunder Storm
• Enchant (Optional for Blood Red Cosmetic)

Gear & Itemization

Majority of the end-game items stay in-tact with the standard Skin of the Vipermagi framework with only small adaptations to jewelry and Fortitude runeword as your armor.

Check-out Saggy's builds below on Maxroll:

• 2.7 Fortitude Nova Sorceress End-Game
• 2.7 Crescent Moon Mid-Game

Mercenary

• The key difference with the Fortitude runeword build variant is a Defiance Aura Mercenary vs. Prayer Aura
• Cure runeword is the priority Helmet to take advantage of Cleansing to protect against Poison damage that passes through Energy Shield
• As we lose Life Leech on the helmet with Cure, Saggy's Mercenary equips Ethereal Chains of Honor to compensate
• And of course, Insight runeword will be leveraged for Mana Regeneration since you are self-wielding Infinity

Embracing Unconventional Builds

The Fortitude self-wield Infinity Nova Sorceress build offers a fresh and unconventional approach to Diablo 2 Resurrected's gameplay. By embracing the power of the Fortitude runeword and synergizing it with the Nova skill, you create a character capable of both dealing devastating AoE damage and surviving the challenges of Hardcore mode.

While this build is tailored towards Hardcore mode, the experience penalty from a Softcore death for those pushing to level 99 can still justify using this build variant.

As you delve into this unique build, remember that creativity and innovation can lead to remarkable and rewarding experiences in Sanctuary. Good luck, and may your Fortitude Nova Sorceress thrive in the face of adversity!