From Vanguard WikiSpheres

This article was written by Eldrin Flameweaver on Tharridon (PvP FFA), please whisper any comments, feedback etc. I am writing it as I level, hence why you will see -pending- on the highest level set. Also, I apologize for the big blocks of text - I'm not familiar with VanguardSphere HTML yet. But on to the skills!

Note: It appears someone edited the Level One to Eight bits - thankyou for that! I copied the way you did it for the rest of the guide =)

Skills

Level One

The Sorcerer is a high-damage nuker class. Using quick and instant cast spells, the Sorcerer seeks only to decimate his/her opponents very quickly and efficiently. At first you'll start off with two spells:

Taqmir's Bolts, your primary spell for dealing damage with. It has a 1.5 second cast time and is very damaging against equal-level mobs. Taqnir's Bolts grants the Feedback buff. Feedback regenerates a small portion of Energy according to the spell cast. For higher Energy cost spells, such as Energy Rift, it is generally negligible, but useful nonetheless in the (very) long run.

Your other spell is Force Barrier, which increases your AC, and gives a flat damage reduction (4%, but it gets higher as you go), and also has a 10% chance of stunning attackers for 3 seconds when they strike you. This is very good for getting out of melee range.

Level Two

At level 2 you can conjure your first type of ring (Quartz, +intelligence and +wisdom, and grants see invisibility) and you get your first insta-cast:

Frostbite. This spell deals minor damage while slowing the target by 70% for 8 seconds, on an 8 second cooldown, making this spell invaluable for kiting or just getting out of range, or running. Combined with Color Spray (see below), you can keep mobs at bay indefinitely, although this takes practice.

Level Four

At level 4 you get Shocking Grasp and Color Spray.

Shocking Grasp has a very short range but has high damage and a low cooldown, so if you are finding it hard to escape melee range (rooted, snared, or Frostbite and Color Spray on cooldown), be sure to use this between casts so you can keep your damage up. Shocking Grasp also generates Feedback.

Color Spray mesmerizes (mesmerize breaks on damage) your target for 4 seconds, and I have found this has diminishing returns on mobs. Regardless, combined with Frostbite, Color Spray can keep you out of your danger zone almost indefinitely.

Level Six

By now your nuking capabilities will have diminished somewhat, and you'll have probably found yourself relying more on kiting with Frostbite. Never fear!

You now get Char (one of my favourite fire-nuke sells), a powerful insta-cast with a DoT (damage over time) and

a new rank of Taqmir's Bolts.

You should be able to 2-shot most level 6 and 7 mobs, but as you approach level 8-10, you'll have to throw in a Frostbite here and there, but for the most part you should be able to kill your target before it reaches you.

Level Eight

Three spells at level 8, two utility (one is just a new Force Barrier) and one damaging, an AoE (Area of Effect).

The AoE is Energy Rift, a high-damage, high-Energy cost spell that generates some Feedback. Energy Rift is short range but nonetheless effective if you're fighting multiple opponents.

Force Barrier has not changed except for an increase in the AC bonus.

The third spell is Invisibility, which I find tremendously useful, particularly when retrieving my Tombstone so I don't have to bother with mobs on the way back. It can also be cast on defensive targets, furthering its utility. Make good use of it; don't underestimate such a great spell.

Level Ten

Three new spells this level, all utility, and a new Frostbite. We'll jump straight into the utilities, shall we?

First up: Disperse. This is invaluable against other casters, be it mob or player. If you have high intelligence, an icon with a timer on it will appear next to your hostile target portrait when it's casting a spell. This is your warning to use Disperse. Disperse will cancel the current spell they are casting; the timer doesn't show up all the time, however, and relies on a high intelligence, so sometimes it's just easier to keep an eye on your target's hands; if (s)he starts waving them about and they start glowing, that's your cue!

Next on the agenda: Mimic. While situational, I'll tell you now, this. Is. Damned. Useful. It mimics the last arcane spell cast, makes it instacast if it had a cast time (Taqmir's Bolts, for example) and amplifies it. With a Taqmir's Bolts III you'll see this spell hitting 500-600, non-crit. The drawback is it has a 5 minute cooldown and has to be cast after an arcane critical hit, and if you cast another spell without casting Mimic first, the spell is lost and you have to wait for another critical hit. If you manage to throw it in though, you'll find it very useful.

Third spell (this is getting long, isn't it?) is Planar Gateway. I'll keep this short so I can end the Level Ten section =P Basically it teleports you to the nearest Safe Zone (where you'll go if you die at your current location). It has its uses, for example if you know where you'll end up you can use it to zip around the map to an extent, but other than that it's kind of sub-par.

Last spell is Frostbite II, as I said before. Enjoy.

Level Twelve

Two upgrades, two new spells. We'll deal with the new spells again. I'll try and keep it shorter this time =)

First is Fireball. At first when I saw this, I thought it was awesome; long range, heavy damage, it BURNS things... Then I found out it's crap unless used in the right situation. First drawback: It has a high Energy cost. You can't use it as a Direct Damage spell, it isn't Energy efficient. Use Taqmir's Bolts instead. The second drawback: It can hit up to (as far as I've used it) five targets. This can pull far too many unnecessary adds to deal with, and you can probably get killed from it.

The second spell you get is Disenchant. I haven't used this once yet, but it's still useful, at least the spell like it in World of Warcraft was. It takes a buff from your enemy, simple as that. I don't know if it has a cooldown because, like I said, I haven't used it, but if it doesn't, then, as they say, IM IN UR BGZ, PURGIN UR BUFFS!

The upgrades are Taqmir's Bolts III and Shocking Grasp II, so have fun nuking.

Level Fourteen

You get an upgrade of Char. Right, now that I've established that, let's get onto the four juicy new spells you get!

First up: Amplify Efficiency. Your next spell is free; this is on a ten minute cooldown. But it is extremely useful. While your in an area-of-effect intensive area, you can use it to save for an extra Energy Rift or Fireball. Or you can use it for a free nuke, such as Char or Flame Spear (you'll get the latter at level 16). Or if you need to run while out of mana, you can use it for a free Frostbite to keep running. Whatever the situation, if it isn't on cooldown, it's always useful.

Next is Conjure Aquamarine Ring. I'll keep this short - same as Quartz, except instead of see invisibility it's water breathing. I play on Tharridon, so being able to see invisible is far more useful than to go swimming, which I rarely do. It has its uses though. Also, at level 18, you get the ability to cast See Invisible on yourself and others, meaning you can swap to Aquamarine and use the buff to make up for it.

Third spell - Forget. Now, you're fighting a big, burly mob that needs a group. Your tank is hammering away it at, which it feels is annoying. Then you unleash a wave of fire, ice, lightning, arcane energy and various other painful assaults. It gets very, very angry - at you. That's when Forget comes in handy. Two seconds later, the mob is attacking the tank again. Use Forget in a group situation where all your high-damage nuking is attracting unwanted attention =)

Your last spell - and one of my all-time favourites - is Gather Energy. Anyone who has played a World of Warcraft Mage will see the similarity between this and Evocation. This spell will, while you are standing still and casting it, drain your Endurance and convert it to Energy, once every five minutes. This might seem, "Ah, yeah, that's all right, but the cooldown is too long," but that is not the case. You are possibly the most mana-efficient nuker in the game. I find every time I run out of mana, this has already finished cooling down. Unless you're really burning through it, or you have a low Wisdom score, Gather Energy will be suited perfectly.

Level Sixteen

Two upgrades (Energy Rift II and Force Barrier III) and two new spells.

The first one - Flame Spear. I'm going to make another WoW reference, please don't flame (badum tish) me for it. Think of the old school Pyroblast - long cast, fire-based, heavy damage, cooldown spell. This is exactly like it. Flame Spear hits HARD, and when it crits, man those numbers are nice. Assuming you cast it at maximum range. You see, the further you are when it casts, the more damage it does when it hits. It can deal 550-700 damage at maximum range, and it can crit 1000+, non-epic. This spell is sweet. Only problem is the one minute cooldown, but you'll find yourself not noticing that much anyway.

The other new spell is Fire Barrier. In my opinion this Barrier overrules Force Barrier. Your spells are cast 10% quicker, your Energy regeneration is boosted and there's a 10% chance that every time you cast a spell, you'll regenerate 60 Energy. I prefer it over Force Barrier. Well, that's all I have to say for now... Until next time!

Level Eighteen

-Pending-