In order to play successfully as a wizard, you must understand how your stats contribute to your damage and defense and the proper priorities for gearing up.

Wizard Stat Priority

The top 3 stats for most wizards are as follows:

Intelligence
Resistances
Vitality

Key Offensive Stats

The most important offensive stats for the wizard are bonus damage, IAS, crit damage, crit chance, and of course intellect. Regarding how these should be placed in order of importance really all depends on your build, your gear and your preferred play style. More on that later.

One thing to note is that crit bonus damage is an amazingly-powerful stat that you should definitely keep an eye out for. Of course, the more crit you have, the more beneficial this will be for you. Most players overlook bonus damage so you can often get it on gear like rings and amulets for a pretty good price.

Key Defensive Stats

As far as defensive stats are concerned focus on the following:

Extra armor
Vitality
% life
Resistances
Dexterity ( try to get up to 100, which provides the most dodge for your buck)
Movement Speed
IAS (attack speed can be considered a defensive stat as it decreases your cast time making kiting and stutter stepping easier)
Life on Hit

Ok, now let’s get into some of the specifics regarding each stat and how they work to increase your wizard’s damage and survivability.