Noob here, just bought Dark Souls II from the Xbox marketplace. *waves*
I have played Dark Souls 1 but was a melee build, this time I want to be a sorcerer.
To all you sorcerers on GAF, what advice would you give to a complete beginner when it comes to magic? What stats should I be focusing on early game? Etc.
First time through the game, you might want to go as a Faith build...mace plus Lightning Spear wrecks shit. Undoubtedly superior.
Magic is more challenging, there's a definite sense of spellpower being toned down from DS1 in some respects (though casting speed increases is a boon).
You can go for a spellsword build (enough STR/DEX to get a good 100% shield and a sword/mace whatever, which you find fairly early).
Or you could go pure caster. 7 STR to wield the Large Leather Shield (95% physical block), the rest in INT, ATN and FTH (for hexes - highly recommended). High INT, with regular upgrades to your staff enables even your basic Soul Arrow to one-shot or two-shot the weaker enemies.
ATN is king - more spell slots so you never run out of ammo, increases agility that improves your rolls (vital because you won't be blocking forever) and your actions (estus flask, lifegem), and most importantly, Cast Speed. You can't have enough Cast Speed, because enemies in DS2 seem quicker to attack.
There's a very good Archmage guide by ITOverlord on the Reddit if you want to go pure caster with detailed instructions (spoiler-free except for boss names).
