Ansa has conquered Nightmare! And a bit more... this will be a lengthy update.
Last time, Ansa left off having slain Mephisto. She started Act IV with a change of gear: having recently found a Chromatic Amulet (+23@), she doffed her MF amulet for it, enabling her to shift other gear around and shop a Plated Belt of the Whale. This gave her both a large health and resistance boost, such that when she switched to her dual claws for trapping, she still had nearly capped lightning resistances. She still planned to proceed at /p5, for now.
A pleasant sort-of stair trap to start things off in the Outer Steppes. She ran in, found a unique Venom Lord pack, and started dancing around it, wearing it down with kicks and traps. But this triggered a unique Leaper pack, and then another unique Leaper pack! So Ansa retreated to the safety of the abyssal staircase. This would not be the last time that Ansa's dancing provoked quite a party at an area's entrance.
Hephasto brought a couple of goons with him this time, which made things a bit more complicated. But in the end...
...Life Tap and kicking were too much for him. Now, for that sweet Hellforge reward. Ansa crossed her fingers, hoping for a Lem rune:
An Um! She's not sure if that's better or worse than a Lem, but it's certainly useful! Now, the hunt for a base for Duress begins.
As usual, Ansa sat coolly in melee and kicked Diablo until his pinata popped:
That could be interesting...
Hm. Not sure what to make of this. Ansa tested it out in the Bloody Foothills for a bit, both on /p5 and /p7 (hoping to squeeze out a bit more experience: more on that later). It didn't trigger quite regularly enough for her to keep it on, but maybe it'll be useful for tough PIs in Hell?
Of the three problems that Ansa had had before (source of Cannot be Frozen, Lem rune, elite boots), she had sort-of solved two of them. Which means she still needed that last piece -- a nice pair of elite boots. Any quality would do: white could be imbued, magical rerolled or crafted, and rare...
...well, there it is!
Too bad they have almost nothing going for them affix-wise. They still improved Ansa's kick damage by quite a lot, though at the expense of her last bit of FRW. Slow again, but only until Hell, when Burst of Speed will finally open up to Ansa.
Another nice drop. With her dual +1 talons and Cunning circlet, this currently puts her at +7 to Traps. Quite impressive.
Nihlathak's waypoint was tricky this time, not sitting at the end of a corridor but at a crossroads. Ansa nearly touched it, which would have made shopping for Witch-hunter's talons much more complicated.
Shortly after this, Ansa took a quick break to shop Anya for a bit. Ansa and Anya formed a bit of a bond over their similar names, and Ansa quickly ended up with two Cunning talons on switch to get her through the rest of Nightmare.
That's a lot of Fetishes! But, at least they aren't minotaurs. Where are those behemoths, anyways?
Of course, hiding in the Icy Cellar with the Succubi and Vipers. Likely drinking what's left of the barbarians' booze, too.
Another unique ring. Dwarf Star would be fitting and useful. Alas, it was merely another Nagelring (18%).
I thought Lister and his brethren might be tough, but he wasn't extra fast, so traps and kicking were sufficient to take him down without too much work.
Feeling confident, Ansa upped Baal's difficulty to /p8, because she really wanted level 74 prior to entering Hell. She had saved a LOT of magical jewelry over the course of her travails, and rerolling at 74 would give her access to the Chromatic affix. Her dream amulet was a Chromatic Amulet of Life Everlasting, which might give her a shot at finishing Hell, even without any minions or crowd control.
Baal proved amenable to her strategy, and stayed on the T-bridge for the whole time that it took Anya's boots to whittle down his tough exoskeleton.
Unfortunately, he dropped nothing useful. But, at last...
A Conqueror!
Ansa used /p7 for the moocows, and shortly after entering went to /p8 in an attempt to get that last bit of experience for 74. But it proved not to be:
A pleasant sort-of stair trap to start things off in the Outer Steppes. She ran in, found a unique Venom Lord pack, and started dancing around it, wearing it down with kicks and traps. But this triggered a unique Leaper pack, and then another unique Leaper pack! So Ansa retreated to the safety of the abyssal staircase. This would not be the last time that Ansa's dancing provoked quite a party at an area's entrance.
Hephasto brought a couple of goons with him this time, which made things a bit more complicated. But in the end...
...Life Tap and kicking were too much for him. Now, for that sweet Hellforge reward. Ansa crossed her fingers, hoping for a Lem rune:
An Um! She's not sure if that's better or worse than a Lem, but it's certainly useful! Now, the hunt for a base for Duress begins.
As usual, Ansa sat coolly in melee and kicked Diablo until his pinata popped:
That could be interesting...
Hm. Not sure what to make of this. Ansa tested it out in the Bloody Foothills for a bit, both on /p5 and /p7 (hoping to squeeze out a bit more experience: more on that later). It didn't trigger quite regularly enough for her to keep it on, but maybe it'll be useful for tough PIs in Hell?
Of the three problems that Ansa had had before (source of Cannot be Frozen, Lem rune, elite boots), she had sort-of solved two of them. Which means she still needed that last piece -- a nice pair of elite boots. Any quality would do: white could be imbued, magical rerolled or crafted, and rare...
...well, there it is!
Too bad they have almost nothing going for them affix-wise. They still improved Ansa's kick damage by quite a lot, though at the expense of her last bit of FRW. Slow again, but only until Hell, when Burst of Speed will finally open up to Ansa.
Another nice drop. With her dual +1 talons and Cunning circlet, this currently puts her at +7 to Traps. Quite impressive.
Nihlathak's waypoint was tricky this time, not sitting at the end of a corridor but at a crossroads. Ansa nearly touched it, which would have made shopping for Witch-hunter's talons much more complicated.
Shortly after this, Ansa took a quick break to shop Anya for a bit. Ansa and Anya formed a bit of a bond over their similar names, and Ansa quickly ended up with two Cunning talons on switch to get her through the rest of Nightmare.
That's a lot of Fetishes! But, at least they aren't minotaurs. Where are those behemoths, anyways?
Of course, hiding in the Icy Cellar with the Succubi and Vipers. Likely drinking what's left of the barbarians' booze, too.
Another unique ring. Dwarf Star would be fitting and useful. Alas, it was merely another Nagelring (18%).
I thought Lister and his brethren might be tough, but he wasn't extra fast, so traps and kicking were sufficient to take him down without too much work.
Feeling confident, Ansa upped Baal's difficulty to /p8, because she really wanted level 74 prior to entering Hell. She had saved a LOT of magical jewelry over the course of her travails, and rerolling at 74 would give her access to the Chromatic affix. Her dream amulet was a Chromatic Amulet of Life Everlasting, which might give her a shot at finishing Hell, even without any minions or crowd control.
Baal proved amenable to her strategy, and stayed on the T-bridge for the whole time that it took Anya's boots to whittle down his tough exoskeleton.
Unfortunately, he dropped nothing useful. But, at last...
A Conqueror!
Ansa used /p7 for the moocows, and shortly after entering went to /p8 in an attempt to get that last bit of experience for 74. But it proved not to be:
Code:
Name: Ansa
Class: Assassin
Experience: 402078245
Level: 73
Naked/Gear
Strength: 80/100
Dexterity: 183/201
Vitality: 167/177
Energy: 25/25
HP: 675/853
Mana: 133/180
Stamina: 368/368
Defense: 45/364
AR: 100000879/100001144
(pretty sure this should be 879/1144)
Fire: 117/77/17
Cold: 58/18/-42
Lightning: 128/88/28
Poison: 62/22/-38
MF: 140 Block: 75
GF: 127 FR/W: 0
FHR: 50 IAS: 10
FCR: 0
Fire Blast: 20/25
Shock Web: 1/6
Blade Sentinel: 0/0
Charged Bolt Sentry: 1/6
Wake of Fire: 0/0
Blade Fury: 0/0
Lightning Sentry: 20/25
Wake of Inferno: 0/0
Death Sentry: 0/0
Blade Shield: 0/0
Claw Mastery: 0/0
Psychic Hammer: 0/0
Burst of Speed: 0/0
Weapon Block: 0/0
Cloak of Shadows: 0/0
Fade: 0/0
Shadow Warrior: 0/0
Mind Blast: 0/0
Venom: 0/0
Shadow Master: 0/0
Tiger Strike: 0/0
Dragon Talon: 20/20
Fists of Fire: 0/0
Dragon Claw: 1/1
Cobra Strike: 0/0
Claws of Thunder: 0/0
Dragon Tail: 1/1
Blades of Ice: 0/0
Dragon Flight: 1/1
Phoenix Strike: 0/0
Bloodfist
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 18
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0xf0d89750
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
+5 to Minimum Damage
+15% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
+40 to Life
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x9c6e5f11
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xe5ad3123
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+175 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+18 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen
Shimmering Large Charm of Burning
Large Charm
Required Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0x40628236
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 4 - 10 Fire Damage
All Resistances +6
Ocher Plated Belt of the Whale
Plated Belt
Defense: 9
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0xf8eae17f
Item Level: 66
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+87 to Life
Lightning Resist +19%
Large Charm of Sustenance
Large Charm
Required Level: 34
Fingerprint: 0x7aa1dc62
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+21 to Life
Foul Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x5d4b163e
Item Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 50 Poison Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
Garnet Ring of Fortune
Ring
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0xeb06b08e
Item Level: 58
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +28%
19% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Lapis Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x56dba2b1
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +7%
Amber Grand Charm of Quality
Grand Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x7d361bcd
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Maximum Damage
Lightning Resist +30%
Garnet Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0xd6402a01
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +21%
Amber Large Charm
Large Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x9943328a
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +14%
Fiend Blazer
Wyrmhide Boots
Defense: 77
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x9cfef89a
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+23% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +7%
Fire Resist +10%
77% Extra Gold from Monsters
Trickster's Amulet
Amulet
Required Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xcc7edf61
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
Russet Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x8513dc4c
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +7%
Ocher Small Charm of the Icicle
Small Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x6894640
Item Level: 41
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 2 - 4 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
Lightning Resist +7%
Emerald Small Charm of Fire
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xf4420e36
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 2 - 3 Fire Damage
Poison Resist +11%
Gemmed Gothic Plate
Gothic Plate
Defense: 133
Durability: 55 of 55
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x90344cf0
Item Level: 46
Version: Expansion 1.10+
96% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%
Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%
Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%
Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%
Lizard's Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0xc0881ac0
Item Level: 7
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+7 to Mana
Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xfec29912
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+13 to Life
Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0x95a638f2
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Large Charm of Balance
Large Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xd952e542
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+8% Faster Hit Recovery
Cunning Circlet
Circlet
Defense: 24
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xde375039
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
Nadir
Circlet
NefTir
Defense: 41
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 16
Fingerprint: 0xfbcbd531
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+50% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
+30 Defense vs. Missile
+5 to Strength
+2 to Mana after each Kill
-33% Extra Gold from Monsters
-3 to Light Radius
Level 13 Cloak of Shadows (9/9 Charges)
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Nef Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Nef Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Knockback
Armor: +30 Defense vs. Missile
Shields: +30 Defense vs. Missile
Tir Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Armor: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Shields: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Yew Wand of Life Tap
Yew Wand
One Hand Damage: 2 - 8
Durability: 15 of 15
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x8d539240
Item Level: 69
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Poison Explosion (Necromancer Only)
Level 3 Life Tap (60/82 Charges)
Malice
Blade Talons
IthElEth
One Hand Damage: 13 - 27
Durability: 62 of 69
Required Level: 15
Required Strength: 50
Required Dexterity: 50
Fingerprint: 0x85aa275d
Item Level: 35
Version: Expansion 1.10+
33% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Maximum Damage
-25% Target Defense
+50 to Attack Rating
100% Chance of Open Wounds
Prevent Monster Heal
-100 to Monster Defense Per Hit
Replenish Life -5
+0 to Light Radius
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Ith Rune
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Ith Rune
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Maximum Damage
Armor: 15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
Shields: 15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Eth Rune
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: -25% Target Defense
Armor: Regenerate Mana 15%
Shields: Regenerate Mana 15%
Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xf39ae4df
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17 to Life
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x9f1900b
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cunning Blade Talons of Venom
Blade Talons
One Hand Damage: 10 - 14
Durability: 69 of 69
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 50
Required Dexterity: 50
Fingerprint: 0x32e1fc9b
Item Level: 76
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
Adds 21 Poison Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
Cunning Blade Talons
Blade Talons
One Hand Damage: 10 - 14
Durability: 69 of 69
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 50
Required Dexterity: 50
Fingerprint: 0x12dc3c52
Item Level: 76
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
Strength
Blade Talons
AmnTir
One Hand Damage: 13 - 18
Durability: 69 of 69
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 50
Required Dexterity: 50
Fingerprint: 0x410a7e7b
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
35% Enhanced Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
+20 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
+2 to Mana after each Kill
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Tir Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Armor: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Shields: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Rhyme
Scutum
ShaelEth
Defense: 53
Chance to Block: 34
Durability: 62 of 62
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 71
Fingerprint: 0x79067ef3
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
Cannot Be Frozen
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate
Eth Rune
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: -25% Target Defense
Armor: Regenerate Mana 15%
Shields: Regenerate Mana 15%At this point, Ansa had a decision to make. Reroll the jewelry now, or respec first, clear the Blood Moor and the Den of Evil, and then worry about the crafting extravaganza. She chose the latter approach. She respecced into her final skills, maxing Lightning Sentry and Fire Blast, putting 1 in Shadow Warrior and Burst of Speed (and their prerequisites), and then 12 into each of Dragon Talon and Shock Web. This left her with 6 extra skill points, soon to be 8, which she would use to max either Talon or Web depending on how things felt.
Since Ansa was switching to dual talons, she no longer needed much dexterity, and dumped all of those points instead into vitality. This brought her up to nearly 1200 health, and that was with ~85 stat points left unspent (in case shopping Anya provided her with some nifty Greater Talons that she wanted to equip). Ansa then ditched her MF gear, stuffed as many resist charms as she could into her inventory, and cleared the Moor (at /p3). This brought her to 74, and then some.
The rest of the Hell preparations involved jewelry cubing, crafting, PGem rerolling, and gambling. She had 344 rings + amulets to reroll, hoping for an Amulet of Life Everlasting. Unfortunately, she got nothing. Crafting proved a bit more fruitful, but only because Blood Gloves have fixed affixes. These were to be equipped later, once Ansa found a suitable base for Duress (for now, she was wearing Vipermagi). She could try to make it in one of a couple suits of Linked Mail she had stored away, but ever optimistic, she was hoping for something like a Dusk Shroud instead.
Ansa's main problem at this point was a lack of Fire Resistance, and her terrible boots were not helping this problem. So, she decided to do something about it:
This resulted in...
Something even worse! Oh dear. Maybe crafting a few rings will give something with useful FR?
Looks nice, but unfortunately, nothing useful came out the other end of the enigmatic cube.
Ansa took to gambling boots, and did eventually find a pair of magical Wyrmhide boots. She rerolled them a few times with the remains of her PGems, and got one with 15% CR. She somewhat ruefully donned her Prismatic circlet again, and ended up with passable Hell resistances (~70 LR, 65 FR, ~0 CR (+20% Cold Absorb from Raven Forst), 7 PR).
As the final preparation, Ansa once again shopped Anya a bit, looking for Witch-hunter's talons to round out her equipment. After a couple of hours sorting through the horrible mess in Anya's basement, she found a couple pairs, one even with +30% IAS! With Burst of Speed, this would give her 9 frame trap laying without any IAS on the rest of her gear. She took them over to Larzuk to work on:
And got two sockets, which she stuffed with Eth runes. She also dumped the other 8 skill points into maximizing Dragon Talon. This, combined with the Eths, should give it a solid chance to hit, and once Duress is made will give her a fairly strong single-target attack.
With her preparations complete, Ansa thought of the future. She hoped to find a few more pairs of Wyrmhide Boots in Act I, either for imbuing or crafting with her saved Perfect Amethysts. She also hoped to find a nice base for Duress, but was willing to make it in a Linked Mail if the first few areas didn't prove fruitful. She didn't want to get too greedy, after all.
Since Ansa was switching to dual talons, she no longer needed much dexterity, and dumped all of those points instead into vitality. This brought her up to nearly 1200 health, and that was with ~85 stat points left unspent (in case shopping Anya provided her with some nifty Greater Talons that she wanted to equip). Ansa then ditched her MF gear, stuffed as many resist charms as she could into her inventory, and cleared the Moor (at /p3). This brought her to 74, and then some.
The rest of the Hell preparations involved jewelry cubing, crafting, PGem rerolling, and gambling. She had 344 rings + amulets to reroll, hoping for an Amulet of Life Everlasting. Unfortunately, she got nothing. Crafting proved a bit more fruitful, but only because Blood Gloves have fixed affixes. These were to be equipped later, once Ansa found a suitable base for Duress (for now, she was wearing Vipermagi). She could try to make it in one of a couple suits of Linked Mail she had stored away, but ever optimistic, she was hoping for something like a Dusk Shroud instead.
Ansa's main problem at this point was a lack of Fire Resistance, and her terrible boots were not helping this problem. So, she decided to do something about it:
This resulted in...
Something even worse! Oh dear. Maybe crafting a few rings will give something with useful FR?
Looks nice, but unfortunately, nothing useful came out the other end of the enigmatic cube.
Ansa took to gambling boots, and did eventually find a pair of magical Wyrmhide boots. She rerolled them a few times with the remains of her PGems, and got one with 15% CR. She somewhat ruefully donned her Prismatic circlet again, and ended up with passable Hell resistances (~70 LR, 65 FR, ~0 CR (+20% Cold Absorb from Raven Forst), 7 PR).
As the final preparation, Ansa once again shopped Anya a bit, looking for Witch-hunter's talons to round out her equipment. After a couple of hours sorting through the horrible mess in Anya's basement, she found a couple pairs, one even with +30% IAS! With Burst of Speed, this would give her 9 frame trap laying without any IAS on the rest of her gear. She took them over to Larzuk to work on:
And got two sockets, which she stuffed with Eth runes. She also dumped the other 8 skill points into maximizing Dragon Talon. This, combined with the Eths, should give it a solid chance to hit, and once Duress is made will give her a fairly strong single-target attack.
With her preparations complete, Ansa thought of the future. She hoped to find a few more pairs of Wyrmhide Boots in Act I, either for imbuing or crafting with her saved Perfect Amethysts. She also hoped to find a nice base for Duress, but was willing to make it in a Linked Mail if the first few areas didn't prove fruitful. She didn't want to get too greedy, after all.
Ansa was a bit tired at this point, but was too excited to test out her new clothing setup to stop now. She planned to clear the Cold Plains and associated areas (at /p3) before calling it a day. Blood Raven went down to kicking, though without any crushing blow at the moment, she required a LOT of kicks. The Mausoleum and Crypt were inhabited by entirely lightning immune monsters, which further thinned Ansa's waning patience. These two dungeons were mostly depopulated with a lot of dancing around, running in circles around the packs of slow monsters while lobbing fire grenades at them.
Finally, Ansa took on the Cave. Upon entering, she was immediately assaulted by a pack of Extra Strong Extra Fast skeletons. Too tough to fight head on, Ansa lobbed a few grenades at them then retreated down a side tunnel deeper into the Cave. There, she met a Mana Burning Might pack of skeletons, a unique pack of zombies and a dead end. Ansa quickly took a town portal to safety. She could just take the waypoint, walk back to the mouth of the Cave, and assault the three packs with grenades from there. She shouldn't even need Nadir for this.
But her sleep-addled brain clicked the portal instead of the waypoint, and back Ansa went into the depths of the Cave. Disoriented and suddenly surrounded by monsters instead of an open field, Ansa ran directly into the pack. She tried to cast a town portal, but it was blocked by enemies. She slammed potions of all kinds and tried to Dragon Flight out, but either she was mana burned or in hit recovery, for the next thing she knew...
Her killers:
(And a zombie pack with unknown affixes)
-----
Unsurprisingly, I'm a little disappointed. True, without any crowd control abilities to speak of, stair traps in Hell were always going to be a problem for Ansa. But she had a LOT of health, and decent damaging abilities for this tournament. I think with Duress and iPDR somewhere in her gear, she could've made it to at least the temples in Act III before getting murdered by the denizens of Hell. But ultimately, mistakes led to her early demise. That makes two failed hardcore attempts in a row for me, the last being a Blaze+Frozen Orb Duchess slain in Act II Hell.
I'll probably take a break for a bit, then see if another tournament pops up that catches my eye. I'm still somewhat interested in a kicker, though maybe I'll try for a Dragon Tailer next time, assuming I get to pick my abilities.
Good luck to those remaining in the tournament!
Finally, Ansa took on the Cave. Upon entering, she was immediately assaulted by a pack of Extra Strong Extra Fast skeletons. Too tough to fight head on, Ansa lobbed a few grenades at them then retreated down a side tunnel deeper into the Cave. There, she met a Mana Burning Might pack of skeletons, a unique pack of zombies and a dead end. Ansa quickly took a town portal to safety. She could just take the waypoint, walk back to the mouth of the Cave, and assault the three packs with grenades from there. She shouldn't even need Nadir for this.
But her sleep-addled brain clicked the portal instead of the waypoint, and back Ansa went into the depths of the Cave. Disoriented and suddenly surrounded by monsters instead of an open field, Ansa ran directly into the pack. She tried to cast a town portal, but it was blocked by enemies. She slammed potions of all kinds and tried to Dragon Flight out, but either she was mana burned or in hit recovery, for the next thing she knew...
Her killers:
(And a zombie pack with unknown affixes)
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Unsurprisingly, I'm a little disappointed. True, without any crowd control abilities to speak of, stair traps in Hell were always going to be a problem for Ansa. But she had a LOT of health, and decent damaging abilities for this tournament. I think with Duress and iPDR somewhere in her gear, she could've made it to at least the temples in Act III before getting murdered by the denizens of Hell. But ultimately, mistakes led to her early demise. That makes two failed hardcore attempts in a row for me, the last being a Blaze+Frozen Orb Duchess slain in Act II Hell.
I'll probably take a break for a bit, then see if another tournament pops up that catches my eye. I'm still somewhat interested in a kicker, though maybe I'll try for a Dragon Tailer next time, assuming I get to pick my abilities.
Good luck to those remaining in the tournament!
Code:
D2R Forum Name Character Name Class Level Skills Location Score
-- --- ---------- -------------- ----- ----- ------ -------- ----
Yes Babyhell BleedRunner Pal 83.3 78+86+71 Guardian 10/27/21 45
Yes Vang Levia Ama 82 69+9+90 Guardian 10/29/21 45
SP Yes Quackerz Nero Dru 73 52+26+42 Lut Gholein H 39
SP Yes Grisu Randomnipotent Nec 74 33+14+34+58+83 Hell Rogue Camp 36
SP Yes aitrus RandomDeadNecro Nec 42 21+75 NM Lut Gholein 21
SP Yes thefranklin RandomWayToDie Ass 48 40+74 NM Cold Plains 18
Yes Vildecor Fernando Pal 46 96+80 NM Black Marsh 15
Yes D4di56lu3 Deva Ass 48 19+06 NM Cold Plains 15
Yes maxicek Forley Bar 29 42+18 Pandemonium Fortress 9
SP Yes Dazliare Mulgram Bar 20 56 Tombs 3
SP Yes Babyhell VangKenstein Sor 20.8 66+88 Lut Gholein 3
SP Yes jstani01 mystery Bar 6 93 Cold Plains 0
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Your SOUL was swallowed by the resurrection (aka Deeds)
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SP No softlyfalling Ansa Ass 75 39+12+14+58 Deeds 36
SP Yes Jcakes SerafinaPekkala Ama 60 5 + 50 Deeds 24
Yes Vang Multiple Multi 58 Many Deeds 21
Yes corale Meoh Dru 43 65 Deeds 15
Yes Dazliare Priscilla Sor 25 25+72 Deeds 9
Yes Miron Hartwig Bar 29 8+75 Deeds 6
Yes coju RandyTom Bar 25 5 Deeds 3
Yes Sid Brisket Dru 8 07+52 Deeds
Yes Jamesixgun Devi Sor 7 66+78 Deeds
Yes Sid Bortleby Pal 23 40 Deeds
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