Median XL Hardcore Challenge - Mitsuki

Drystan- well that's how it is for all heroic ubers. Though that's not saying much, heroic ubers are all tough dudes, Baal is probably the easiest of em. I haven't tried it yet but I think flamestrike won't work here, Baal moves around too much. just concentrate on using flamefront and maybe use chronofield to slow him down a lot. I'm not sure if Baal drops psn immunity ( most heroics don't ), but if he does, respec to psn and spam lorenado/miasma might be a great idea. Thunderstone is also imba boss killer if you go for lightning tree. Whatever element you choose, get as much -enemy res to that element as possible - this is very important for heroic ubers -199% is best but even say -170% is good enough.

I've given the sorcs a break. Currently playing paladins, lvl 68 SC pal and lvl 40 HC pal. Then will start a totemancer ( hc )

Fabian- that depends a lot on whether you want to play SC or HC. Also on what your endgame goals are, do you want to do ALL the ubers? That is very difficult for a single character. Most ubers inherently favour some classes over others.
In general though, MXL is a very well balanced game. Nearly all builds are good with game knowledge and strategy.
 
Sorry, should have mentioned SC. I don't need to do all the ubers, although the capability to do many of them would be a plus.

I don't have game knowledge and strategy, which is why I'm asking for a recommendation from people who do.
 
What I meant is that no character class, let alone build, shines at every aspect of the game, especially endgame/ubers. For eg., 'Ghosts of bremmtown' quest is terribly hard for assassins, while there are some quests that an assassin is best suited for ( eg. Laz, Witch ). There are some better for melees, some for casters. You don't have to make one of each character class, but even having two characters is a lot better than one.

with that in mind I would recommend the following
1. Sorceress/Druid caster. Sorc is better untwinked and is very versatile, while elemental druid is a little better lategame. Either way, very strong caster builds that are noob friendly and not very gear dependent.

2. Necromancer. Melee necromancers are one of the best fighter characters and is very good at doing those types of quests which glass cannon/casters suck at ( eg. Ureh, Vizjun ). Also, thanks to Rathma's chosen necromancer is #1 character for Toraja. Also summoner necro is #1 for some quests like Judgement day. Totemancer is also very strong untwinked although a little awkward . overall lot of versatility using respecing.

There are a lot of guides, but most of them are about quirky endgame builds using weird o-skills and items so they aren't very relevant. The two best guides are these- 1, 2 very general, and you'll pick up things as you play along.
 
Am I missing something really obvious when you recommend a Sorceress caster (among other things) and then don't explain what that means?
 
Sorceress has 1 melee tree and 4 caster skill trees for 4 elements. You can pick skills from any two elemental trees.
This is a great guide for caster sorcs.
 
A trap rat druid is very powerful in many areas and also excels at several summoning uberquests with egg trap. I've used one to defeat many of the end game quests, but he falls flat when anything substantial is immune to physical.

Consider also that "untwinked" doesn't mean as much as cLOD because of the gift box reward in normal Tristram and the ability to create any tiered unique in the cube.
 
This thread needs bump!

Never really got the hype about trap rat summon cheese. Elemental druid can do those just as well, and is a much better character overall. Though trap rat build got a substantial boost in ultimative I think..

While untwinked doesn't matter much early game, it does matter in late game. If I were playing sorceress in SC classic MXL, I would have equipped the full Zann Esu set ( or something ) by now, and filled my inventory to the brim with charms from all uberquests ( most with trophies too ). Now I'm having to make do with T6 gear, rares, the odd set item, whatever comes along. It really makes me appreciate how difficult the game is, after a really long time.

Also in HC you can lose all your items by dying. My current strategy ( other than not dying ) is to dump all the stuff I'm finding into my shared stash. shrines, runes, arcane shards, a fair amount of set items that I have found, base items, etc. That way, even if I somehow manage to lose the char, it'll be an improvement over starting all over again.

Oh yea.. I started playing HC again. I got tired of dying on my SC sorc, I just cannot reproduce the HC feeling on SC, so later I'll probably go ahead with that character for other reasons ( ie. uberquests ), but not now. Currently, I've finished up to Destruction Radamant.

I was looking forward to seeing Drystan's build and item details, but he hasn't posted for a while. So I'll just post mine instead.

LCS
non LCS details:
-Enemy fire resist: -92%
-Enemy cold resist: -54%
(physical) damage reduced by 50% <-- HC paranioa
Chronofield uberskill

Skillplan Verin (Sorceress, Ultimative 13)

Items - readouts

Code:
Warmage's Fireblade
Battle Staff (Sacred)
Item Level: 99
Two-Hand Damage: 121 to 131
Durability: 94 of 94
Required Dexterity: 188
Required Level: 100
Current Dexterity Damage Bonus: 25%
+9 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+79% to Fire Spell Damage
+20% to Lightning Spell Damage
+20% to Cold Spell Damage
+20% to Poison Spell Damage
-37% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+20% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+150 to Energy
5% Chance to Avoid Damage
14% Reanimate as: Fire Drake
Requirements -20%
+50% Damage to Undead
Socketed: (4), Inserted: (4)

Witchhunter's Hood <--- from special box
Cap (Sacred)
Item Level: 99
Defense: 2560 (862)
Durability: 27 of 27
Required Strength: 228
Required Level: 120
+197% Enhanced Defense
18% Bonus to Strength
20% Bonus to Dexterity
+7% to Maximum Poison Resist
+5% to Maximum Cold Resist
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
+5% to Maximum Fire Resist
Cold Resist +58%
Lightning Resist +58%
Fire Resist +58%
Poison Resist +78%
Damage Reduced by 5%
Total Character Defense Plus 20%
+20 Required Level
Requirements -50%
Socketed: (1), Inserted: (1)

Curandera
Lamellar Armor (6)
Item Level: 99
'Sur'
Defense: 1066 (523)
Durability: 50 of 50
(Sorceress Only)
Required Dexterity: 199
Required Level: 119
+25 Crafting Points
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+8 to Minimum Damage
+8 to Minimum Damage
+4% to Cold Spell Damage
-9% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+14% Bonus to Summoned Minion Life
+104% Enhanced Defense
1% Bonus to Strength
2% Bonus to Vitality
Replenish Life +180 (Based on Character Level) (0.703 life per second)
+89 to Life
+73 to Mana
Cold Resist +71%
Lightning Resist +94%
Fire Resist +11%
Poison Resist +11%
Damage Reduced by 20%
+58 Required Level
Socketed: (6), Inserted: (6)

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Item Level: 99
Required Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
+19% to Fire Spell Damage
+19% to Lightning Spell Damage
+19% to Cold Spell Damage
-15% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-15% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Increase Maximum Life 12%
Increase Maximum Mana 23%
All Resists +10%
+100 Mana after each Kill
+60 Required Level

Aerin Orbiter
Belt (6)
Item Level: 99
Defense: 1375 (557)
Durability: 42 of 43
Required Strength: 260
Required Level: 48
30% Faster Cast Rate
+27% to Fire Spell Damage
+27% to Lightning Spell Damage
+27% to Cold Spell Damage
+147% Enhanced Defense
+38 to Energy
+2% to Maximum Poison Resist
Cold Resist +19%
Lightning Resist +19%
Fire Resist +19%
Poison Resist +39%
Magic Damage Reduced by 18
Requirements -10%
Socketed: (2), Inserted: (2)

Empyrean Band
Ring
Item Level: 99
Required Level: 100
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity when you Kill an Enemy
-15% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-15% to Enemy Cold Resistance
3% Bonus to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
87% Extra Gold from Monsters
+60 Required Level

Ring
Item Level: 84
+25% to Cold Spell Damage
+26 Defense
+33 to Life
+12 Life after each Kill
40% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Kali
Leather Gloves (6)
Item Level: 99
'Pul'
Defense: 0 (180)
Durability: 25 of 25
Required Strength: 64
Required Level: 105
33% Chance to cast level 6 Fire Splash when you Kill an Enemy
+2 to All Skills
41% Bonus to Attack Rating
+6% to Cold Spell Damage
-15% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-15% to Enemy Cold Resistance
1% Bonus to Energy
-214 Defense
+42 to Life
+82 to Mana
+10% to Maximum Fire Resist
Lightning Resist +17%
Fire Resist +77%
+2% to Experience Gained
+60 Required Level
Level 2 Possess (124/124 Charges)
Socketed: (4), Inserted: (4)

Rabbit's Foot
Boots (6)
Item Level: 99
Defense: 211
Durability: 29 of 29
Required Strength: 77
Required Level: 43
40% Faster Run/Walk
+357 Maximum Stamina
+2% to All Maximum Resistances
All Resists +20%
15% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
358% Extra Gold from Monsters
75% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Socketed: (4), Inserted: (4)

RIP ring <--- used often
Ring
Item Level: 84
+13% to Spell Damage
Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
+7 to all Attributes
+41 to Life
Replenish Life +37 (0.145 life per second)
Cold Resist +35%
184% Extra Gold from Monsters

ubers completed: Butcher.
Challenges: LC0,LC1,LC2, Ennead, Mirror Mirror, Veteran tokens, 2x signets of skill.
 
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I was away with work all last week. I had internet, but no privacy or time to chill out and continue some more.

I've just done up an image with her items. The Moonwrap sash could definitely be upgraded - I think an Honorific would actually be better, but fairly decent collection thus far. She is right in the middle of Act 5 Destruction, just before the Witches, and has rescued Anya.


Railgunitems_zpsf4d44ae1.jpg


Edit: Sorry, that came out lower quality than I thought. Hopefully it's okay to view.
 
Hey that's good!

You missed out the armor. Let me guess.. T6 Queen of Glass?

Edit: I noticed that I had left out the belt slot in mine. It is Aerin Orbiter ( T6 ), probably the best of the T- caster belts. Moonwrap is only good for the low str req.
 
My HC paladin ( unholy caster ) has completed hatred and a little more. He has really benefited from a lot of hand-me-down items and arcane crystals from my first HC char. LCS

Items:
Auto Da Fe ( T6 bonebreaker )
Grail of Tears ( T6 )
Skull lord ( T6 )
Queen of Glass ( T4 )
Aerin orbiter ( T5 )
+1 rings, +2 ammy with lightning/fire bonuses ( gambled by my sorc )

Ol' character list is really starting to fill up now..
 
I got the Aerin Orbiter, and it's not a bad belt, but not super amazing either. Guess that's fairly normal for Tierred item from what I've seen.

I'm not really sure how to progress - I pushed on a little with LvlSix_Railgun, and defeated King Koth in Terror. I'm tempted to do it in Destruction as well for the Key Charm, and my SC char found that fairly easy, with one quick death to King Koth himself. The SC Sorc also explored the Cow Level, and... Wow! Pretty cool level except for one...
The steaks are high if I want to take on the Bull Prince Rodeo

I'd like to make an Assassin, and hopefully put some of the partial Sets I've found to use. It's just those dang one-hit-ko random Uber bosses which don't have an animation for their attack that I don't want to go up against. You can't dodge what is instakill+instacast.
 
BPR ( Bull Prince Rodeo ) has a 1 hit kill ability like most of the ubers in the game, but I disagree that it is hard to dodge, it's actually really predictable. BPR is the only heroic boss that can be cheesed by poison and because of that + he drops so good, ppl run him a lot. In classic, I once killed him six times in a row without dying.. That's not to say I would do that in HC, but then hardcore is a very different kettle of fish. Seems like I am even more conservative than you are in those cases, as I haven't even done the witch-based minigames.

I suppose, since you are doing cow level, you completed Destruction Baal ? Gratz?

Assassin in hardcore! Don't know what to say about that.. It's probably an interesting experiment. I'd bet that you won't finish hatred, and certainly guarantee that you won't make it out of terror.

---

I reached lvl 112 with my unholy HC paladin ( LCS , finished all the way upto glacial trail in terror. Hoping I won't be dying to witches in the next level..

And in other news, ultimative XIV was released today. I don't like some of the changes, so I won't upgrade too soon..
 
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zaphod said:
I suppose, since you are doing cow level, you completed Destruction Baal ? Gratz?
No, that was uhh. Normal Cows. XD They were dangerous in that they could hit hard, but proper playstyle - minions, steady, stay back - and it was fairly safe. Until those herd Cows started moving - I'm not sure exactly what did the insta-kill, as there wasn't any moving spell - I think it was the herd cows, but couldn't tell, as she occasionally could walk through those.

Assassin in hardcore! Don't know what to say about that.. It's probably an interesting experiment. I'd bet that you won't finish hatred, and certainly guarantee that you won't make it out of terror.
Haha - Didn't you say ages ago that Median HC was insane, and not to try it. :) And you too, are enjoying the completely different style of HC now. ^.^
I've just read that Assassins were fairly solid at some of the Ubers, and wanted to use some of her partial set to boost her.

I also want to enter Fauztenville with Railgun to get the fourth part of the Kabraxis quest (tried it with the SC sorc, with reasonable success at the regular mobs) but the sheer size of the map irks me. I get slowdown when I spawn too many undead, and that area has a LOT of mobs. Lots of mobs, minions, slowdown and a huge map means even if it's easy, it'll take a long time. And it won't be "easy."

That's a nice Pally look - love the new graphical updates Median put in. (As to your build/char setup, I can't comment as I don't know the build, but good job getting to 112, and good luck with those Witch spawns!
 
Haha - Didn't you say ages ago that Median HC was insane, and not to try it. :) And you too, are enjoying the completely different style of HC now. ^.^
I've just read that Assassins were fairly solid at some of the Ubers, and wanted to use some of her partial set to boost her.

Ha, no that's different. Median XL assassin is more than a little strange.
The assassin class is utterly unsuited to hardcore - worst class by far because of low life and random dodge.
Assassin is also the worst class for newbies , they require a lot of playing skills and game knowledge.
It is also very reliant on end game items and charms to really take off. It is common to see newbies fail to do anything and constantly die with their 3k life assassin, get angry and quit.
Finally assassins are kind of boring. 90% of 'sins people make are some variants of waysins. and those always require good gear to do well.

Ofcourse the flip side is that once you get to the extreme late game stage with great equipment, 'sins are the perhaps the best class in the game. The damage output of a well geared waysin will far exceed that of your typical bowazon and it has very good survivability if played well. Although a little unpredictable and unsuited for hardcore, but great at dodging instakill ubers. There are some quests that can practically only be done by assassins.

I also want to enter Fauztenville with Railgun to get the fourth part of the Kabraxis quest (tried it with the SC sorc, with reasonable success at the regular mobs) but the sheer size of the map irks me. I get slowdown when I spawn too many undead, and that area has a LOT of mobs. Lots of mobs, minions, slowdown and a huge map means even if it's easy, it'll take a long time. And it won't be "easy."

Yeah.. I was going to suggest doing the black road challenge. Terror fauzt was nerfed big time in ultimative so it's not as dangerous as it once was. One thing though you should respec to poison build to kill the tri elemental immune neon fiends.
Fauzt is huge huge huge. There is a map in the docs faq ( iirc ) which helps tremendously, as all the robot bosses are hidden in tricky places.
Trial of blood may be a little more difficult than in classic because they added the arrowside trap to amazons in Tran Athualua. That might be only in destruction though, I'll have to check.
Unfortunately the sorceress BRC skill isn't very good so don't expect much payoff. The paladin one is, though.
 
Well I may have exaggerated a little. With the introduction of the tiefling morph in ultimative 13, caster 'sins are starting to become more popular now. Some skills have been buffed as well, and ultimative is generally easier anyway because of character orb etc.
I still think it is very unsuitable for hardcore though.

Also, terror Tran Athualua doesn't have the arrowside proc.. good! Still, trial of blood has always been tricky though.

Frozen tundra spawned no witches, but I had 3 NDEs after that, one to wolf rider towers and two to quillrats, both times dipping to about 1/3 life or so. I really should get more pdr%. But anyway they were slowly done and Conqueror at lvl 116 is complete.
 
I think this thread would be more active if it were about median XL generally, rather than being about hardcore ( which not that many play ).

SC paladin ( holy melee ) near the end of terror. LCS
 
Mission complete. Two conquerors, two champions, at lvl 120.
Next up, full item builds rework in order to take on Destruction and its ubers. Plus challenges.

Pic. Crafted hammer being used by my SC paladin currently ( holy melee )

 
Sorry. I did read up on your progress, but just haven't been active posting or playing, apart from what I've had to for the SPiFies and bar chat. Life, stress, and a pause from Median, although not because I got bored or anything - just had other things taking up my time.

Definite congrats on two chars through NM/Terror!

I think this thread would be more active if it were about median XL generally, rather than being about hardcore ( which not that many play ).

Initially it wasn't meant to be general - it was an exploration through a different mod, a challenge I set myself. After that challenge was, somewhat successful (Mitsuki's deedz,) and further success by having LvlSix_Railgun progress further, it became a more general chat, but yeah, might be more active if it was started initally as general Median discussion.

I'll probably pick up a Totemancer when I have time. I would like to push a character into Guardian, but feel that incredible luck would beat Baal, and not items. So the totemancer will be in SC. :)
 
At last. I was wondering if you had died or something :D

I've been dipping into Midgame/destruction ubers pretty hard over the last 5 days ( softcore ). Getting characters to act 5 and doing ubers with sh!t ( untwinked ) equipment takes a lot. And ultimative has buffed many of them majorly, they're not as easy as before.

Screenshots for your interest. 1 2 3.

I will do a full comparison of ubers ultimative vs MXL as well as the ( [SUB]small[/SUB] ) list of ubers that I think are worth attempting on hardcore. For now, I made an order of quest completion - the first in cMXL ( done over the course of 2 months ), and the second in ultimative, done this week. Now that I think about it, experience and game knowledge made a huge difference.

MXL order of quest completion

Butcher
Creature of Flame
Tal Rasha
Tran Athulua
King Koth
Infernal Machine
Death projector
Kurast 3000 BA
Island of the Sunless Sea
Akarat
Azmodan
Khalimgrad
Legacy of blood
Judgement day
Rathma's square
Aldric Jitan
Quov Tsin
Cathedral of Vanity
Inarius Revenge
Bull Prince Rodeo
Belial
Duncraig
Toraja
Ghosts of Bremmtown
Astrogha
Vizjun
Kingdom of Shadow

Ultimative order of quest completion

Butcher
Infernal Machine
Tal Rasha
Creature of Flame
Tran Athulua
Death Projector
Akarat
Azmodan
Aldric Jitan
Khalimgrad
King Koth
Kurast 3000 BA
Island of the sunless sea
Legacy of blood
Judgement Day
Ghosts of old Bremmtown
Toraja
Quov Tsin
Rathma's square
Cathedral of Vanity
Inarius Revenge
 
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