1.07 News, Info and Gossip

[Fabian]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

In my opinion, it is many many times less cheesy than, say, Hellforge Rushing or SC -> HC etc. Stuff you can do in-game without modifying the game in any way = completely ok in my book. Once you start switching versions back and forth or using other outside programs is where the grey area begins in my opinion.

Another good 1.07 example that comes to mind would be cubing +mana per kill rings. Haven't seen (m)any objections to that, and for good reason I think.

 

[Disco-neck Ted]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

...but do you guys think these are Larzuk worthy?

The armors are not worth socketing, in my opinion, because they aren't significantly better than their jeweller's counterparts or even armor with a better suffix. But, if you can't wait around until the right pre-socketed armor pops, the MDRx suffix might be preferable to 'of the whale' against Diablo, but not Baal, where 'whale' or 'balance' would be better depending on your other gear.

As for the pal shield, that's pretty sweet. I hate the low base blocking on Akaran shields, though, so either a no-block pally or maybe some Eld runes in the sockets.

 

[Zarfen]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

I'm still running my winged helm rack in hope of a valk wing, I found a rare today from the rack and my heart almost stopped, then I saw it was yellow and not golden :rant:

Anyway, while rack running you don't have to be really focused, so my mind often carries away, today I was thinking about assasin claws, and I came up with some questions.

I have a totally unstable rack in one of my superchest huts that I always pop (why shouldn't I) and not too rarely it drops some kind of assasin claw, and today I've picked up all claws it dropped, and I found that none of them had an auto mod on it, so my question is: Can 1.07 racked items not have auto-mods? iirc I've racked necro heads with auto-mods, am I not recalling correctly, or is it something special with claws? Or have I jsut been unlucky?

Anyway, after all the claw thinking an eth. rare greater talon drops, and it made me think. Would it be worth crafting it, then imbue it and hope for a nice cruel/fools/grand masters/etc etc with self repair? And then take it forward and up it to a runic talon (or actually, if it get's really nice +dmg(instead of %ed) and nice speed on a craft/imbue, it might be good even without the upgrading.
I understand it's really low chance to get a good claw with self repair, but I'm not sure on what else to use my imbues on.

Are there any other way of aquiring a nice claw in .07? I guess I could find/rack a runic and hope for a leet craft as with any other weapon

/zarf

 

[Disco-neck Ted]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Exceptional and elite claws can definitely get individual skill mods in 1.07, so you have just been unlucky, it would seem.

As for your scheme to craft/imbue/upgrade a claw, crafting an ethereal item results in a non-ethereal item, since that property is re-rolled. Second, imbuing an item rerolls ALL mods except ethereal, so it will erase any existing mods on a craft. That applies to orbs and jewelry too, so imbue mods are never going to stack atop craft mods on any item.

Lastly, rares are generally poo in 1.07, lacking most of the top-end affixes like cruel or +2 skills. That was changed in 1.10.

If you want a good claw in 1.07, try racking scissors suwayyah. You should end up with Nat's before too long and could get a nice cruel along the way. Otherwise, you can shop Anya lickety split by popping through Nihlathak's portal and she will eventually cough up a good claw.

 

[Zarfen]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Thanks for the reply ted, I didn\t know eth was rerolled with crafts, I assumed eth stayed like on imbued rares.

What about crafting claws in general? Shopping at anya's is a classic, but it'd be nice to explore crafts a little, although probably far less productive as well as more expensive (jewels and other craft material, compared to gold)

 

[Jaedhann]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Crafting a claw will give it random staffmods. You could end up with a very tasty claw, but the chances are (as usual) low.

 

[galtwish]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

I crafted a Runic Talons a few times, didn't get much. Imbued two others, got junk. A craft would be a good option if you are just looking for damage, but shopping Anya/Larzuk will be less frustrating and could get you a very good +2 skills claw. I picked up a Grandmaster's Scissors Suwayyah from Anya and a Boreal Greater Talons with +20 something damage that goes well with my Cruel Hand Scythe allowing me to LCS 50-1450ish and 150-1850ish, respectively.

Shadow Assassin update: gave up on the Venom/poison bow for dealing w/PIs as my AR is miserable. I found a rare Razor Bow w/Amp Damage and use that now with better results, though the Boreal claw mentioned above + CB tends to work just fine again most PIs. Until I got to the Chaos Sanctuary. A PI/CI Abyss Knight boss guarded the entrance, and after 10 merc ressurections I caved and gave up. Couldn't lure him out without having to deal with the last of his entourage, and he was MS/ES. I've maxed Venom (which may be useful later, was mostly an experiment), Claw Mastery, and Shadow Master. Claws of Thunder may look more useful on paper than Venom, but I really don't need to be getting that close to the PI monsters that don't die as fast as Itchies. Phoenix Strike may have been a better option, but was too much of an investment for me to make early on.

Half a dozen deaths in A2 and A4 to ES monsters OHK with 600+ life, none in A3 where I ran through half the jungle because I got sick of CoS, kill a blowpiper, kill a shaman, kill a blowpiper repeat. The Council was surprisingly no problem: no NDEs and one or two merc ressurections. Mephisto was his usual tame self. Merc got an upgraded armor Ort/Sol/Sol/30% FR + 6 STR jewel in an Embossed Plate to go with the 24% resist all/24 PDR diadem and a Poleaxe with 1-320 Lightning/4-22 Cold that is working better than Hwanin's. The L35 Shadow Master is tougher than the merc, but doesn't do great damage anymore. She'll be useful getting through the beginning of A5 and then just go back to being a meat shield. I got a Dol from Hell Hellforge, after running all the way back to the stairs away from Convition/EF/ES Hephesto and taking 6 or so merc ressurections. Still an enjoyable character, but A4 is a grind for melee characters. I'm at L65 right now, and will likely level to 70 or 72 in the Glacial Trail caves. Just gotta beat the Chaos Sanctuary after taking a hefty withdrawal from the Bank of Atma: I've spent 1 million gold between merc ressurections and weapons repairs on A4 alone, and it isn't over by a long shot.

My strafeazon made up for it by getting a Fal from an LK superchest. She's reached L81, the same as my MF sorc, so crafting is no longer a reason to keep the Sorc around. I'm thinking of taking the sorc forward to 1.11, and I may make an enchantress in 1.07 but no more StaticOrb so I don't need her gear. Thoughts on this?

Are elemental druids (Volcano + Twister) any good in 1.07? I've accumulated a good deal of +elemental gear and have a +2 druid skills club as well as Magefist that I want to try out.

 

[Disco-neck Ted]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Pretty sure I've mentioned before my take on weapon crafting, which is to have a goal in mind and to want the fewest number of things from a craft. Big damage is generally a given, and you might get that in the first ten crafts or you might not get it in sixty. If the uber weapon you have in mind "needs" another affix with the massive hurtfulness to be effective, like IAS or amp, then the odds of getting it right go up dramatically.

I won't, for example, craft a warpike for a WW barb because it would require an IAS mod of 20% or more AND three sockets from Larzuk to hit the last BP.

Mathematically, it is possible to get an otherworldly claw of doom, like the one someone crafted for Sapphidia years back. Make sure you craft the right speed/damage claw for your goal, trying for the minimum number of requirements, and then decide if you can get what you want and whether it will be superior to your other options (Nat's claw in 1.07 or Jade Talon etc. in 1.10+).

@galtwish: enchant doesn't give an AR bonus in 1.07 and has no synergy besides mastery. That doesn't mean you won't be successful, just worth noting.

 

[galtwish]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

@galtwish: enchant doesn't give an AR bonus in 1.07 and has no synergy besides mastery. That doesn't mean you won't be successful, just worth noting.

I was thinking Angelic Jewelry (after pre-buff +3 Fire Skills ammy) and an ITD weapon (Heartcarver) and/or fast attack/high AR weapon (Boneslayer Blade). Maybe Riphook, for the 30% FCR. Seems like it would be a bad Fire Claws build but has Static Field + Meteor. This is a long way off, so I'll have plenty of time to talk myslef out of another 1.07 melee character. The Shadow Assassin is trying my patience. It's going to be nice to switch to the Frenzy barb that will be able to equip dual crafted Blood Berzerker Axes w/30%+ IAS each and one w/CtC Amp Damage by the time I get to Hell. I'm going to have had my fill of 50% PDR in Hell.

 

[hadeszodiac]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

For v1.07 item stats check the http://www.d2realms.com/ database, or directly the mpq files if you need perfectly correct stats. If you know how to read these files then you can find them (the extracted txt files) here:
http://wreckernl.homestead.com/file...s/107_files.zip

This was on the first page in the first post. It was exactly what I was looking for. The links however are down. Is there anyone who still has the text files , knows a site where I can get them, or would be willing to email me at [email protected] ?

 

[ApisCanis]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

it's kind of tedious, but you can search for 1.08 uniques here:

http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/resources/d2weapons.html

i believe they have the same stats as the 1.07 uniques.

Apis.

 

[ApisCanis]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

i have a question. does anyone who plays 1.07 trade on the forums? i tried looking trough the trade forums, but not a lot of 1.07 there. i'd like to find/trade for either a gull or ali-baba. it would free up my other gear quite a bit. any other good MF weps for a sorc? occy doesn't have the 50% in 1.07 does it?

 

[hadeszodiac]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Yeah, that first post did have some information, however, I was looking for the more exact information. Some of the things hinted, but I feel that it may be incomplete.

I am currently trying to use the "way back" machine to try and find what I need.


**Edit**
After doing some delving into more of the d2 files, I think all of the 1.07 files are still in the d2exp.mpq and d2data.mpq. I think the patch_d2.mpq contains the same information (but obviously overrides these data files).

thanks guys.

 

[galtwish]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Shadow Assassin update: Chaos Sanctuary was surprisingly not that bad. I was lucky on my second attempt--no boss pack at the entrance from the River of Flame and a Skill Shrine. I let the merc rest in peace; just spammed Mind Blast at L14 (dual +3 Shadow Tree Claws, +3 Shadow Tree hat, +2 Shadow Tree prismatic cubed ammy, 2 Shadow skillers) and let the Shadow Master tank. I picked off the occasional straggler. The Dark Strangler pack was rough EF/cursed, Lord De Seis was slow requiring me to bait one minion at a time (but he took little effort to kill when he was by himself), and the Balrog pack was simple as they were easily mind controlled. Diablo killed the merc before I could feed him, but with the max damage set-up he went down and only cost 7 full rejuvs. I forgot to use Tiger Strike, so it took longer. Shadow Master lived through the whole battle, and her CtC Frost Nova that she spawned with was most helpful. Diablo dropped junk, par for the course.

A strange aside, when I cast her @ L37 after prebuffing and hitting the skill shrine, she spawned w/CtC Hydra--I've only seen this on an amulet once or twice. They were useless and looked like they were actually attacking the SM.

Venom is now useful in killing the Brawler-types that are PI in A5, but I don't know if it was worth the 20 skill points.

So until I hit Baal, I think the straight Shadow Assassin is pretty viable with mediocre gear. +3 Shadow Tree claws are not hard to find, and a +3 Shadow Tree hat is easy as well. I've conciously chosen not to take any Trap skills, because I didn't want to play another ranged/caster toon, but Lightning Sentry and/or Death Sentry with +3 Trap Tree claws on switch is probably pretty decent. I'll be shoving the last 6 or so skill points into Tiger Strike for the AR and damage against bosses, but the lucky Guillame's Face find + amazing Greater Blood Gloves give me 49% CB (with Goblin Toe in the stash incase I want more against bosses). BoS vs. Fade for your main aura seems heavily in BoS favor, with Fade and Town Portal as your "eject" buttons. BoS + crushing blow and/or high elemental damage claws with crowd control afforded by CoS and Mind Blast allows you to isolate small groups and deal with them quickly. As much as I like the Might merc, and A1 Fire Rogue may be a stronger choice as they hang back and work well with Cloak of Shadows and don't have the tendency to get mobbed when Mind Blast expires. There's little room for MF on this character, but a dedicated Council runner using Fade and Shadow Master and a Might Merc w/MF gear might be able to hit the 374% if anyone decides to build an assassin and doesn't want to retire it. Lightning Sentry + Lower Resist wand seems like a good strategy. Some of the guides (esp the Ninja guide) are helpful with playstyle, but w/o synergies and with the significant difficulty of 50% PDR in Hell, a non-trap build seems pretty narrow.

All in all, she's been quite fun. Mind Blast is the most fun skill to use, and Shadow Master is very hardy at high levels. I like her ability to control the battle with Cloak of Shadows, Mind Blast, Burst of Speed, and Fade best, which is why I went almost all Shadow Tree. With the exception of Oblivion Knights (immune to Mind Blast's conversion, immune to CoS), there isn't a monster out there than can overwhelm her. She's great against bosses with fast attacks to deliver CB and doesn't need amazing STR or DEX (I put both up to 125 hard points, but I don't think it needs to go that high) so she can have pretty high VIT and tank to keep the pressure off your merc and Shadow Master. The only detriment is her amazing speed: it makes me cringe when I think about playing a necromancer and paladin to complete my 1.07 septaverate.

 

[yiuman]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

I really think the way to make venom viable (in 1.07) is really to use a bow.

I know you've tried it with a bow full of PEmeralds, but if you don't mind (ab)using the eth bug, one eth rune+5PEmeralds/Tals in a 6 soc bow (ilvl 41+ long battle/war bows and their exceptional and elite counterparts) would probably solve most if not all of your issues (IIRC a single eth rune pretty much gives ITD that works against bosses in pre 1.09 (or was it pre 1.10?)).

Remember too, that as opposed to say Poison Dagger, multiple poison sources are your friend when using a poison bow as the damage rates and duration are added together (with a non-bow the duration is then divided by the number of sources but this step is skipped with a bow!).

 

[galtwish]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

I may yet give that a try, but I have yet to find a 6os bow. The answer is more 0% MF cow runs. I'm concerned about the slow shot speed w/o BoS. I was using a 1-300 Arcing composite bow with 2x Shael + Venom. I thought about using an Eth, but figured CoS would provide enough -def and I'd want to pump lightning damage as fast as possible.

In a related note, I'm thinking of building a Fanatic Avenger w/Conviction and FoH as the alt damage source as the next 1.07 attempt at Pat/Mat. With the Fanactic side, I have a 5os Dimensional Blade: should I Shael it up or put an Eth or two in there?

 

[yiuman]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

I may yet give that a try, but I have yet to find a 6os bow.

If you don't mind using Larzuk's quest reward, any ilvl 41+ long battle/war bow and their exceptional/elite counterparts should get 6 sockets from him. I agree, attack speed will be slow, but, you should only need to hit each PI once. Due to the way that poison works with bows that should 1 hit KO it. Once you've tagged it/them with the bow, you could switch back to your claws and do other (more useful) things.

Edit: A 5xPEmerald bow would do 738 poison damage over 5s. Your venom would be active over that entire period + 0.4s, so your total damage with venom will be (147 + venom damage)*5.4. How much does your venom do? I bet its enough to KO most things. If you have any other sources of poison damage (snakecord for example) things get even better.

Edit2: I don't think the dimensional blade will work for an avenger (unless you make Death in it....). You'd need a fast(ish) hard hitting weapon as I'm pretty sure that vengeance damage is still based off your weapon damage in 1.07. Something like a Butchers Pupil would be ideal. Also, you can 'flash' auras in 1.07 so, at the risk of getting even more RSI than playing D2 normally gives and some practice, you can run around with both conviction and fanat active. If you want a build to make use of that dimensional blade, a tesla/conviction zealot should work with shaes and eths (although a PB would be better).

 

[Disco-neck Ted]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

v1.07 crafted claws can only give you 2 sockets max.
http://www.purediablo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=472485

"...
3, Crafted items can get up to 3 sockets, but if the an item type cannot have 3 sockets, then it gets the maximum number of possible sockets - e.g. 2 for all claws. ..."

We never discussed socketing claws, as that wasn't part of zarfen's original scheme. Thanks for the link to Repusz's guide, but I did point out that 1.07 claws can only get 2 sockets here and I can't find anything in the post you've quoted that suggests otherwise.

As for FoH, Sir galtwish, it has a horrible casting delay in 1.07. Good luck with that one as a backup skill.

i have a question. does anyone who plays 1.07 trade on the forums? i tried looking trough the trade forums, but not a lot of 1.07 there. i'd like to find/trade for either a gull or ali-baba. it would free up my other gear quite a bit. any other good MF weps for a sorc? occy doesn't have the 50% in 1.07 does it?

Tal's Orb is the best sorc MF weapon, in my opinion, because none of the others offer anything of value to a sorc while the Lidless Eye has FCR for spamming static, +masteries, and huge mana and life bonuses. Belt + armor + orb can give as much MF as goldwrap +tal's armor + gull and you get +20 dex out of the deal.

 

[Naab]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

How does holy shock work in 1.07? I need a backup skill for my fanazealot...
Also is there anything like a skill points calculator which shows damage of skills etc for 1.07?Kinda like that site that sells d2 stuff and which we cant link to.

 

[galtwish]

Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip

Venom is at L24; 475-525 dmg over 2 seconds, iirc. I'll be getting a new Larzuk or two this weekend, so we'll see. I'd much rather find this item if at all possible.

I think the Fanactic Avenger may use the following weapon progression: rlvl18 rare cudgel w/IAS, ED, and 2 sources of elemental damage; Heartcarver or Fleshrender; Naga of the Vampire w/ED;and Blood Berzerker Axe w/GIAS, ML, and CtC amp damage. I know about the timer on FoH, but with Conviction it should be a OHK and very helpful in A2 tombs and Sanctuary which are tough for my melee characters w/o lots of FRW.

I found a +5 Dex, +41 AR, +6 dmg rare jewel: worth putting into a bow? Unfortunately I already socketed and filled the Goldstrike Arch I have. I'm looking for something that A1 mercs can use and other characters may use as a back-up. The other option is to bring it forward to 1.11b and reroll it.