Re: 1.07 News, Info and Gossip
S_words the Frenzy Barb donned Hawkmail to run through the ice caverns at the end of NM to level up to 59 and equip the 4% LL/15% resist all ring. I miraculously found 2 Sol runes running a few times through Nilthi's Temple and LK on rack runs and on Cows with my Strafeazon, so the barb hat is complete. I tried out NM cows which wasn't too much fun, but not too bad either. No deaths since NM A3, and I think he hasn't had more than 2 deaths so far (although he did die in Normal...the shame). He'll be ready for Hell at L61 once he gets the Cruel Naga of the Vampire so he can continue to get decent experience. Once he gets the dual Berzerker Axes, I suspect he will tear through the rest of the game. For PIs I haven't been switching to a big 2h axe, just relying on the regular axes and switching from Frenzy to Berzerk for the R mouse button--this has worked just fine in NM. I've got a crafted Feral axe w/IAS and a Feral axe w/1-340 lightning damage ready if I need to go for the heavy hitters in Hell. War Cry is turning into the MVP skill for this build.
Fireface the Volcano/Dire wolf druid did much the same, running A5 normal to get up to L32, and then ran A1 NM through Radament's Lair to get to L36. Currently wearing a rare +2 summoning Skills/+3 Grizzly antlers w/Spirit Shroud, Sigon's Shelter, Magefist, Culwen's Point, Nightsmoke, a pair of rare rings with FCR and resists, and Infernostride. Yeah, I wanted to play with the unique toys. Culwen's Point is the star here, with FHR, IAS, and +AR. The Dire wolves are rediculous--it's like having 4 mercs. NM looks to be a breeze. I'm concerned about PIs in Hell: going with Volcano seems to be the best choice in dealing with bosses who decimate the wolves, but there doesn't seem to be a good area-affect spell that deals w/PIs. Death Slashers are a pain in the butt but they don't tend to move around too much, however Itchies boss packs with a scary aura seem like they will present a major problem.
The 300 dmg Cruel Executioner sword did not have GIAS (confused it with a Ferocious Great Sword of Quickness that I have stashed), but it got 4 sockets from Larzuk. Once I get to L43, I'll try out the Barb merc and see how he stacks up against an A2 Might Merc. The sword will then retire with a Conviction/Vengeance/FotH Paladin with a few points in Zeal for crowd control.
A big hinderance/boredom issue is A5 leveling up so severely that A1 in the next difficultly is 10ish levels above the character. This is especially a problem with the transition from NM to Hell. It makes A1 grind out, as there is little experience gain and requires rerunning A5 to level up--anybody have some suggestions for this?
And finally, a little icing on the cake: S_words found a Burning Grand Charm of Maiming (+20 max dmg) while leveling, which makes an Enchantress very tempting in 1.11 after the completion of this septeverate.
