Stat Allocation
Below is a list of what to focus on stat wise during Inferno. Upon reaching this difficulty your priorities will shift heavily away from just amassing Intelligence and Vitality gear, as it is likely most gear you find will have some Vitality on it. You shouldn't focus on Vitality as a main stat anymore and just make sure to find gear with a few points on it. Each stat is written in its order of importance so focus on the top ones first.
Weapon Damage – Your spell power is directly affected by the base damage of your weapon. For Inferno you want a weapon that is rated at 700 DPS minimum. In an ideal world you want something over 1000, however that will take a lot of farming time, or some great luck on your part to get one to drop.
Intelligence – It can't be said enough how important this is. You want to aim high here. For a solid Wizard, you want to get your Intelligence to at least 1500, then keep pushing it as high as you can towards 2000. This will not only amplify your damage, but give you some really good base resistances.
Critical Hit Chance – This can be very hard to come by, and cost a fortune if you find it. If you have plenty of gold, or even more luck, you should try to get this as high as you can. 25 percent is a decent starting point but aim for the 50 percent window. A critical on every other attack is ideal, and will jump your DPS up to the highest levels.
Critical Hit Damage – This goes hand-in-hand with the above stat. If you can get this stat to +100 percent, then you will deal double damage on each critical hit. Combine this with a high damage weapon, high attack speed, 50 percent critical hit chance and you will become a one man wrecking crew.
All Resistances – This stat can be found on most items and is incredibly useful. As a Wizard, you shouldn't be that close to melee combatants, so often time’s damage will come from spells. This will help to lower the damage of those spells. This stat can cost a fortune, but if possible you should aim for resistances in the 70 percentile.
Arcane Power – This stat is hard to come by, so when you see it you should try to snatch it up. We put it lower on the list because Wizards have a pretty fast recharge rate already, so getting more Arcane Power isn't a necessity. However, it is icing on the cake.
Life Regeneration – Rounding out the list is this useful little stat. Although it shouldn't be your main priority, any items with life regen on them are useful. It saves on potions and will keep your health topped up while you are running circles kiting.
Recommended Gear
Wizards rely heavily on their gear to determine what role they play. Since Inferno is usually played as a group, the gear recommended below is going to apply to Wizards in this setting, playing with others.
Weapon – A one handed weapon with 1000 damage will be your best friend here. Although you can get away with something lower, 1000+ damage will greatly increase your power. You also want to use a faster weapon, something with 1.50 attacks per second or better. A socket is also very useful here for increasing your Critical Hit Damage via Emeralds. Damage and speed are your main concern but make sure to find a weapon with reasonable amounts of Intelligence and other useful stats as well.
Off Hand – Sources should be the only consideration for this slot. They offer damage buffs and you should be on the lookout for anything with 150 or greater damage increase. Look for sources with high Intelligence on them, some Vitality and at least a 5 percent increase to Critical Hit Chance. Finally a socketed source will allow you to boost your Intelligence even higher with a good Topaz.
Helm – Critical Hit Chance should be a main point of concern here. 5 percent or higher is great for a helm. Intelligence is a must, something with 100 or more is suggested. Finally a Resist All stat of 40 or higher can go a long way here.
Shoulders – Intelligence is again the main stat to concern yourself with. Again aim for something over 100 to get the most out of this slot. A good piece will also have 50+ to Resist All and offer up some life regeneration.
Body – Firstly make sure the armor has at least 3 sockets. Anything less and it’s likely no good. The Intelligence base stat should be more than 100 and you should socket in Topazes to increase it even more. A Resist All stat of 40 or higher is also very good here.
Pants – Similar to your body piece, pants should have 2 sockets. You want a base Intelligence of more than 100. And again you will want to throw some nice Topazes in there. Also good Resist All and Life Regeneration stats can also be found here.
Gloves – Gloves are important for the Critical Hit Chance/Damage increases they offer. You want the hit chance to be an increase of at least 5 percent and the damage increase should be at least 30 percent. Of course you want around 100 or more Intelligence as well.
Bracers – Once again you are looking for Critical Hit Chance and Intelligence. Your hit chance should be an increase of 5 percent or greater and 100 Intelligence as a minimum. As always a Resist All of 40 or more is very helpful.
Belts – It’s all about Intelligence here. 150 or higher is ideal in this slot. A belt that has some Vitality and Resist All on it is quite welcome.
Boots – Intelligence and Resist All are the two big ones here. Look for 100 of the former and 40 or more for the latter. Some Life Regeneration in this slot would also work well. This slot can also have a Movement Speed increase and although this is useful, as a Wizard you have access to Teleport so this stat shouldn't be a main priority.
Rings and Amulets – Damage increase should be your main focus. Each of these equipment slots can have the stat available and you want something with at least a damage increase of 15 on it. Intelligence should be your next goal, 100 or more for each slot and follow it up with increases to Critical Hit Chance and Damage. Resist All is also quite common in these slots, so make good use of it.
