1. Outlaw Forest to 52 [,then/or] Cemetary to 56. If Cemetary, make sure you have a recharger (SE recommended, for Empower) because no herbs drop there.
2. Death Spike is lower MP cost that other nukers' main nuke (barring SH, who also gets Death Spike). Use Death Spike, Body to Mind, and MP Potions in conjunction with cheap (Grocery Store) Healing Potions to keep your HP up.
3. Avadon good for cast speed. Zubei is good if you want to XP on the highest mobs possible. I would just go Avadon, since CT1 made spells began to fail on higher level mobs again. Cast Speed is always a good choice.
4. The lower your HP, the higher the damage CDL will do. Only base HP counts. HP added by passives (Boost HP) or Buffs (Blessed Body) does not increase CDL Damage, but it does allow you to CDL with max damage and more HP. If you have a buffer, give it a Blessed Body weapon when you are CDLing. You'll never regret it.