So if you don't mind answering some noob questions:
I just started playing this past two weeks, and would like to get a wizard geared up. I do bounties and rifts at T2 level (probably can do more, but I'll get to that later). I tried a GR 'arena' trial once and got a key for GR 4. I think my gear can do higher than that, but I didn't really understand what to do at the time, so I probably missed a mob somewhere in one of the waves, and time ran out. Anyway, I finished the GR 4 with ease, elected to get a key to GR 6, finished that one, elected to upgrade a gem (and I think I screwed this up somehow, or extremely unlucky, as I don't think I received any upgrade after 3 tries).
Anyway, my problem is that I think somehow my build/stats are setup way too much towards survivability, as I never feel that my character's life is ever in danger of dying, but yet fights are taking way too long I literally get sleepy in a boss fight. I got the plan for Asheara's Vestments dropped so I've been sporting that full set plus a Firebird off-hand that dropped later on. Others are assorted legendaries, although I couldn't get any kind of rings to drop and gambling hasn't gotten me anything good either so they're the only ones that are still rare.
Profile is here:
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/cronos-1325/hero/59704391
I just copied over one of those Firebird builds that are out there, and just follow whatever it says. I'm sure you're familiar with it, but it's basically a full AoE build, with absolutely nothing in terms of single target, which gets frustrating because I could never take down any kind of goblins.
I'm thinking I'd probably do much better with my original build that I had for leveling, with some single-target capability but much less AoE destruction. Although I'm not sure how that will work in a GR with how chaotic things can be with the mobs.
So I welcome any kinds of suggestions. Reroll some stats? Switch/adjust builds? Farm some more gear? At this level what should I do more? Bounties at higher torment levels? Rifts? Push for higher GR level?
You just need gear before you worry too much about rolls. However, rolls are the fastest way to see some immediate improvements. If you don't get what you want within a few rolls, don't blow all your resources, since most of gear needs to be replaced, anyway.
Here are my tips:
* As for things you can do immediately,
- Roll 3 sockets into the chest. Roll off the hydra or something. Stick topazes in there.
- Roll off vit or atk spd on the gloves into CHD.
- Roll armor to CC on your bracers.
- Roll vit to socket in your weapon and stick the biggest emerald you have in it.
- Roll +electrocute on pants to armor or all-res or a skill that you're actually using.
- Your amulet has +lightning. Your source is +fire. You want your +elementals to agree.
- Put a diamond or amethyst in your helm, that topaz isn't doing you any good.
- Pick a build that you want to run. This will help you focus your farming/gambling
* What you should probably focus on for now:
- Farm Act I bounties until you get the Ring of Royal Grandeur. If you don't have enough set pieces to take advantage of it yet, at least you'll have one. You'll have a lot more rift stones and you'll have gained some paragon levels.
- Once you have what you feel is a decent amount of rift stones, run regular rifts. Legendary drop rate is doubled in a rift. It doesn't mean it will start to rain legendaries, but you'll get more than if you were doing bounties, and you'll also get blood shards.
- When it comes to gambling your shards, you'll live on the armor tab. Slots where you don't have a set item, you're going to want a set item.
- (!)If you don't have the following plans, that I mention, don't worry. As you run bounties and rifts, you'll eventually kill the malevolent tormentor goblin a couple times. They drop a ton of plans.
- Craft Aughild's bracer and chest.
- Craft Captain Crimson pants and belt.
- Keep any class-specific set pieces you find. (Firebird, Vyr's, Delsere's, Tal Rasha)
- Don't break the Aughild or Crimson set bonuses until you can replace them with class specific set bonuses. You don't need a full set, but I'd recommend at least getting the 4 piece bonus.
- Party up with us in the clan. The group bonus to item drops will help you immensely, and we're usually down with dragging you through some rifts and grifts at higher difficulties.
As for for legendary gem upgrades, here's an example. To have a 100% chance of upgrading a lvl. 14 gem to 15, you must have finished at least grift level 24. Every level you fall under that is a 10% hit. So from gem level 0 to 1 is at least grift 9 or 10. Not sure exactly how the zero behaves.
I'm not to knowledgable on the Wizard in this patch, but I think you still pretty much need the 6 piece bonus for Firebird before you can just jump into T6. The other sets might get you closer (T5) with just the 4 piece.
EDIT: Took a closer look.