The Fire Tree is the true thinking player's skill tree. There's something available here for every situation, and the amount of fun you can have with these skills is limited only by your imagination and your ability to manage your risks. This is one of, if not the, best-balanced skill trees for any class in the game. And though it can stand alone (it's great fun playing a Hot Babe) it can also shine more brightly if used in combination with the other trees. What you do with it is up to you. There are lessons you can learn while using this tree that will, frankly, make you a better, stronger player all around.

Also, I personally am a believer in Staying Alive. I hate dying. That's not to say that I hate taking risks. I don't. That's the best part of the game, pushing yourself rather than dillying around on boring experience runs. This is why I don't have any high level characters. Three Dots for me means nearing retirement, if not already retired. What all of this means to me is Vitality. I'm a firm believer in high levels of Vitality. I'd rather play AS IF it's Hardcore, all the time, and try never to die, than to build everything into mana and trying to clear out all the opposition quickly, with frequent deaths taken for granted. If you can't tell, I could care less about the ladder or about building an uberchar. I think in general, the Fire Tree fits this temperament, and I advise modest to heavy investment in Vitality if you opt for Fire Skills instead of SF + Cold. For a character that will be ENDING her career at level 50-55, this means almost a one to one life to mana ratio, and this runs counter to what most guides would advise. I tried not to let this mindset completely cloud my advice one way or the other, however, so even for those looking to build Tweaker-style fast moving and fast dying characters who can level up or clear areas quickly, there should be something in here for you, too.

Finally, if anything comes closest to the Diablo 1 Sorcerer -- in terms of HOW the game plays out, what you have to do as a player to succeed, and what the experience feels like -- it is playing a Fire Sorcie. The situational knowledge and awareness of small details you need is comparable, and IMO that's a good thing. I loved the Diablo 1 Sorcerer. :)

Best of luck and enjoy. :)

- Sirian

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