1.09 Roll Call - Goals, Progress, Finds
- Thread starter RobbyD
- Start date
Depends on the patterns! 1.07 LK is slightly more efficient imo (1/5500 runs for a vex, since 2x patterns + 1/11k chance of Lo, or Gul).
There's a small chance that 1.09 LK is similarly efficient but I don't remember what the results were last year when some member did some testing on that. Multiple /p settings helps this possibility, too.
There's a small chance that 1.09 LK is similarly efficient but I don't remember what the results were last year when some member did some testing on that. Multiple /p settings helps this possibility, too.
There appears to be a bug with Atma's Scarab with certain monsters. I found when my Barb was fighting Hell Diablo, and it appeared to also be the case with Sharptooth Slayer, that when Amp should have cast, it appeared that a low level IM was cast on the Barb (no curse graphics, though). He would be pounding away at Big D, and all the sudden the life bulb would start going down with every hit, while Amp never cast. Doesn't happen with Mephy ever, and hasn't happened with any of the other A5SUs. Has anybody heard of such a bug with 1.09?
I wasn't able to recreate this issue, although with a paladin because it's my only available melee character. For context, I used:
- D2X 1.09b, stock other than solo multiplayer d2gfx.dll and no CD game.exe
- a Zeal, Fanaticism paladin with life leech items removed
- Hell difficulty on 'players 8'
I tested on Diablo, Sharptooth Slayer, and random monsters around Act V, with Schaefer's Hammer, Baranar's Star, and bare fist. In all cases, Atma's Scarab cast Amplify Damage as it was supposed to and my character's hp stayed steady until he was hit by an attack. Maybe the problem is with certain barbarian skills.
OK, I've finished the game with my first 2 characters, RobbyD the Paladin and AssKicker the Barbarian. It took some serious Countess, Mephy, and rack running, as well as Normal A1 chippie running, to get these characters geared properly. Fortunately, AssKicker is a Frenzy Barb, which I consider the best Mephy runner in 1.09. Couple of highlights:
1. The racks in my Pally's Hell Countess maps dropped Boneweaves about 5% of the time, so I was able to get some Smoke base items (2os Boneweaves) while I farmed the Lum runes needed.
2. While my Barb never got a Baranar's Star or Lightsabre to drop, I was able to roll a decent elemental damage Mythical Sword for the PI switch for the Pally.
3. In running Mephy, I got
a. A 294% Ribby, a number of Burizas, and a Jalal's Mane, so that failed elemental (Molten Boulder) druid became a pretty good Wolf that I've gotten to Hell Act 3 - I do plan to Pat him.
b. I also got a number of Skins of the Vipermagi, an Occy, and a couple Shakos, so I got the Sorc to the point that she can handle most monsters in Hell (after maxing FO, I decided to go with Nova for a second elemental attack, since that needed fewer prereqs, and
c. A couple Bartucs, so I have my Assassin in Hell. PS is a little slow on the PIs, so I started shopping, and got a Shocking and a Flaming claw, so I think I'll use those on switch to help with elemental attacks.
4. Standard Merc Questing Gear was Hone Sundan (got a decent number of these from Mephy), Smoke Boneweave (or other elite armor), and Blackhorn's for the lightning absorb (which leeches life in 1.09 with enough LR).
The big obstacle to these characters was originally the Ancients. I took a couple of stabs at the Ancients with my Pally, and ended up changing the Merc's gear to a Shaftstop and a Rockstopper, and replaced the Ginther's Rift with this chippie sword and Tiamat's:
It turns out that the Ancients spawn was without a PI, so it wasn't even needed. Main weapon/shield was:
Rest of the gear was a Stealskull, Saracen's Chance, Skin of Vipermagi, String of Ears, Lava Gouts, Gore Rider, Dwarf Star, and rare ring with 28%FR, 24%LR, and 5% life leech.
The Barb had these as the Frenzy weapons:
Zerk switch featured this sword being wielded two-handed:
Yes, you read right - I put an Ohm rune in that Cruel Mythical Sword - that's because no items from this project are eligible for any characters outside of this project.
Two of the three Ancients spawned PI, but Zerk with that 2H sword is just awesome, so AssKicker pwnd them on his first try (once he finally stopped running Mephy).
****************************
I do plan to finish the Drood, 'Sin, and 'Sorc, but Path of Exile JUST launched a new challenge league, so I'm going to go back to Wreaclast for a while.
Thanks for reading.
1. The racks in my Pally's Hell Countess maps dropped Boneweaves about 5% of the time, so I was able to get some Smoke base items (2os Boneweaves) while I farmed the Lum runes needed.
2. While my Barb never got a Baranar's Star or Lightsabre to drop, I was able to roll a decent elemental damage Mythical Sword for the PI switch for the Pally.
3. In running Mephy, I got
a. A 294% Ribby, a number of Burizas, and a Jalal's Mane, so that failed elemental (Molten Boulder) druid became a pretty good Wolf that I've gotten to Hell Act 3 - I do plan to Pat him.
b. I also got a number of Skins of the Vipermagi, an Occy, and a couple Shakos, so I got the Sorc to the point that she can handle most monsters in Hell (after maxing FO, I decided to go with Nova for a second elemental attack, since that needed fewer prereqs, and
c. A couple Bartucs, so I have my Assassin in Hell. PS is a little slow on the PIs, so I started shopping, and got a Shocking and a Flaming claw, so I think I'll use those on switch to help with elemental attacks.
4. Standard Merc Questing Gear was Hone Sundan (got a decent number of these from Mephy), Smoke Boneweave (or other elite armor), and Blackhorn's for the lightning absorb (which leeches life in 1.09 with enough LR).
The big obstacle to these characters was originally the Ancients. I took a couple of stabs at the Ancients with my Pally, and ended up changing the Merc's gear to a Shaftstop and a Rockstopper, and replaced the Ginther's Rift with this chippie sword and Tiamat's:
Code:
Arcing Mythical Sword
'Shael'
One-Hand Damage: 52 to 53
Durability: 39 of 44
Required Dexterity: 124
Required Strength: 147
Required Level: 66
Sword Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xeb91c75
+6 to Strength
+5 to Life
+42 to Attack Rating
+12 to Minimum Damage
Adds 38-86 fire damage
Adds 1-284 lightning damage
20% Increased Attack Speed
Socketed (3: 3 used)
Shael Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
20% Increased Attack Speed
Required Level: 29
Item Version: Expansion
Doom Scarab
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0xc46fef47
+6 to Strength
+4 to Minimum Damage
Adds 24-40 fire damage
Blood Gyre
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0x75b72683
+5 to Life
+42 to Attack Rating
+8 to Minimum Damage
Adds 14-46 fire damage
Tiamat's Rebuke
Dragon Shield
Defense: 177
Chance to Block: 48%
Smite Damage: 15 to 24
Durability: 116 of 116
Required Strength: 91
Required Level: 49
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0xf109d622
+157% Enhanced Defense
All Resistances +34
Adds 35-95 fire damage
Adds 2-217 lightning damage
Adds 27-53 cold damage over 6 seconds
+40 Maximum Durability
5% Chance to cast Level 9 Frost Nova when struck
5% Chance to cast Level 7 Nova when struck
3% Chance to cast Level 6 Hydra when struck
Socketed (1: 1 used)
Jewel of Thunder
Required Level: 49
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0xd61c21f8
Adds 1-97 lightning damageIt turns out that the Ancients spawn was without a PI, so it wasn't even needed. Main weapon/shield was:
Code:
Cruel Mythical Sword
'EthShael'
One-Hand Damage: 168 to 209
Durability: 22 of 44
Required Dexterity: 124
Required Strength: 147
Required Level: 66
Sword Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xd4a9fe0d
+311% Enhanced Damage
20% Increased Attack Speed
-25% Target Defense
Socketed (3: 3 used)
Eth Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
-25% Target Defense
Required Level: 15
Item Version: Expansion
Ruby Jewel
Required Level: 58
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 68
Fingerprint: 0x2b1edf9f
+32% Enhanced Damage
Shael Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
20% Increased Attack Speed
Required Level: 29
Item Version: Expansion
Rhyme
Royal Shield
'ShaelEth'
Defense: 160
Chance to Block: 75%
Smite Damage: 24 to 32
Durability: 59 of 60
(Paladin Only)
Required Strength: 114
Required Level: 41
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 74
Fingerprint: 0xa646640f
+20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
Fire Resist +29%
Fire Resist +25%
Lightning Resist +29%
Lightning Resist +25%
Cold Resist +25%
Cold Resist +29%
Poison Resist +25%
Poison Resist +29%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
40% Faster Block Rate
Cannot Be Frozen
Socketed (2: 2 used)
Shael Rune
Inserted into a Royal Shield
20% Faster Block Rate
Required Level: 29
Item Version: Expansion
Eth Rune
Inserted into a Royal Shield
Regenerate Mana 15%
Required Level: 15
Item Version: ExpansionRest of the gear was a Stealskull, Saracen's Chance, Skin of Vipermagi, String of Ears, Lava Gouts, Gore Rider, Dwarf Star, and rare ring with 28%FR, 24%LR, and 5% life leech.
The Barb had these as the Frenzy weapons:
Code:
Cruel Mythical Sword
'EthOhmShael'
One-Hand Damage: 172 to 214
Durability: 44 of 44
Required Dexterity: 124
Required Strength: 147
Required Level: 66
Sword Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xc61b66a3
+320% Enhanced Damage
20% Increased Attack Speed
-25% Target Defense
Socketed (3: 3 used)
Eth Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
-25% Target Defense
Required Level: 15
Item Version: Expansion
Ohm Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
+50% Enhanced Damage
Required Level: 57
Item Version: Expansion
Shael Rune
Inserted into a Mythical Sword
20% Increased Attack Speed
Required Level: 29
Item Version: Expansion
Black
Superior Tyrant Club
'ThulIoNef'
One-Hand Damage: 77 to 138
Durability: 65 of 65
Required Strength: 133
Required Level: 42
Mace Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 64
Fingerprint: 0x54f279e5
+10 to Vitality
+14% Enhanced Damage
+120% Enhanced Damage
+200 to Attack Rating
+3 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Adds 3-14 cold damage over 3 seconds
Knockback
15% Increased Attack Speed
150% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Level 4 Corpse Explosion (12/12 Charges)
Socketed (3: 3 used)
Thul Rune
Inserted into a Tyrant Club
Adds 3-14 cold damage over 3 seconds
Required Level: 23
Item Version: Expansion
Io Rune
Inserted into a Tyrant Club
+10 to Vitality
Required Level: 35
Item Version: Expansion
Nef Rune
Inserted into a Tyrant Club
Knockback
Required Level: 13
Item Version: ExpansionZerk switch featured this sword being wielded two-handed:
Code:
Cruel Champion Sword of Blight
'ShaelEth'
One-Hand Damage: 94 to 206
Two-Hand Damage: 270 to 315
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Dexterity: 103
Required Strength: 163
Required Level: 57
Sword Class - Very Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0x8b52860a
+276% Enhanced Damage
+9 Defense
Cold Resist +23%
Adds 1-76 lightning damage
+7 poison damage over 3 seconds
20% Increased Attack Speed
-25% Target Defense
Socketed (3: 3 used)
Shael Rune
Inserted into a Champion Sword
20% Increased Attack Speed
Required Level: 29
Item Version: Expansion
Dread Gyre
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0x42bc269f
+26% Enhanced Damage
+9 Defense
Cold Resist +23%
Adds 1-76 lightning damage
Eth Rune
Inserted into a Champion Sword
-25% Target Defense
Required Level: 15
Item Version: ExpansionYes, you read right - I put an Ohm rune in that Cruel Mythical Sword - that's because no items from this project are eligible for any characters outside of this project.
Two of the three Ancients spawned PI, but Zerk with that 2H sword is just awesome, so AssKicker pwnd them on his first try (once he finally stopped running Mephy).
****************************
I do plan to finish the Drood, 'Sin, and 'Sorc, but Path of Exile JUST launched a new challenge league, so I'm going to go back to Wreaclast for a while.
Thanks for reading.
DariusTriplet
Active member
Hi all - I decided to start on (very very slowly) working towards a 1.10s Bramble/CtA, so I started up a 1.09 HC character.
I have a level 45 Meteorb Sorc running NM Meph to start filling in items (Vipermagi, Oculus, Lidless, etc). She has 97% MF right now off her (surprisingly not garbage) rares, and can knock out a run every 3-4 minutes or so. I honestly don't recall my 1.09 drop areas to know if NM Meph is worth running at all at low MF%, or if I should just push ahead with my gear/levels to Hell.
Overall, 1.09 has been a lot of fun! Starting an untwinked Sorc is kind of annoying; I used a lot of throwing daggers to get to level 8-9, gambled a rare Crystal Sword, and whacked monsters with it until I could gamble a Maul. I couldn't respec, and left dexterity at base, so my AR really suffered until I could start mainlining Frozen Orb.
I have a level 45 Meteorb Sorc running NM Meph to start filling in items (Vipermagi, Oculus, Lidless, etc). She has 97% MF right now off her (surprisingly not garbage) rares, and can knock out a run every 3-4 minutes or so. I honestly don't recall my 1.09 drop areas to know if NM Meph is worth running at all at low MF%, or if I should just push ahead with my gear/levels to Hell.
Overall, 1.09 has been a lot of fun! Starting an untwinked Sorc is kind of annoying; I used a lot of throwing daggers to get to level 8-9, gambled a rare Crystal Sword, and whacked monsters with it until I could gamble a Maul. I couldn't respec, and left dexterity at base, so my AR really suffered until I could start mainlining Frozen Orb.
Pringlesman
Member
So I'm wanting to make my second level 99 character on 1.09 and I'm leaning towards either a druid or possibly barbarian.
I remember playing a fury druid back in the day with a Hellslayer Axe. And I kind of wanted to make the best 2-handed fury druid I could.
Currently I have for gear a 07 Valor, Jalas, Raven, Highlords, Gorerider, Tgod/String/Nosf(If I need the IAS). And a stash of broken 1.07 Max damage GCs. I just haven't arrived on a weapon yet. I have access to Buriza (Kind of lame since I just did a buriza zon), Hellslayer, Mereshmidt Reaver, and a Cranium Basher. And I have no idea what gloves to use alongside it. Should I continue doing Pindle runs until I get a doombringer/Grandfather?
I remember playing a fury druid back in the day with a Hellslayer Axe. And I kind of wanted to make the best 2-handed fury druid I could.
Currently I have for gear a 07 Valor, Jalas, Raven, Highlords, Gorerider, Tgod/String/Nosf(If I need the IAS). And a stash of broken 1.07 Max damage GCs. I just haven't arrived on a weapon yet. I have access to Buriza (Kind of lame since I just did a buriza zon), Hellslayer, Mereshmidt Reaver, and a Cranium Basher. And I have no idea what gloves to use alongside it. Should I continue doing Pindle runs until I get a doombringer/Grandfather?
I've no idea about Fury break points in 1.09, so can't really give any spot on advice.
But, have you any crafting materials in 1.07? I'd probably craft some Giant Treshers (if only for the slim possibility for the Cruel+Grandmaster's combo). Guaranteed 3 sockets for Shaels/whatever
But +300ED% isn't really that hard to get, and I'd guess it beats most, if not all the uniques.
But, have you any crafting materials in 1.07? I'd probably craft some Giant Treshers (if only for the slim possibility for the Cruel+Grandmaster's combo). Guaranteed 3 sockets for Shaels/whatever
But +300ED% isn't really that hard to get, and I'd guess it beats most, if not all the uniques.
Pringlesman
Member
Honestly I'm not familiar enough with 1.07 crafting to know what I'm looking for. Isn't finding Magical Grand Threshers in mass for crafting a pain?I've no idea about Fury break points in 1.09, so can't really give any spot on advice.
But, have you any crafting materials in 1.07? I'd probably craft some Giant Treshers (if only for the slim possibility for the Cruel+Grandmaster's combo). Guaranteed 3 sockets for Shaels/whatever
But +300ED% isn't really that hard to get, and I'd guess it beats most, if not all the uniques.
Fugu
New member
To anyone with more recent experience with 1.09, I'm looking for some advice (Warning: Incoming blog post).
I've decided I wanted to relive my Diablo 2 heyday by... well, making a cookie cutter and doing hell cows until 99. My cookie cutter of choice: The javazon. However, there's one large caveat, and it's that I want to do it on hardcore. This has proven to make things rather complicated.
Basically, I'm hopelessly stuck in hell act 2. There's no chance of my javazon killing Duriel any time soon because Duriel kills her in two hits and I have no single target damage whatsoever (I attempted to very tediously kill him using a lot of TPs and my valkyrie, but it requires basically perfect execution to avoid getting deleted so every attempt has ended in me chickening out at some point). Incidentally, this also takes doing nm meph with this character off the table since... well, I have no single target damage. Before anyone asks, I am using GA with a bow on my switch but I can't actually switch to my bow against Duriel as that will almost certainly push the critical strike charge damage into one-shot range.
I have resigned myself to the knowledge that I can't really get past Duriel without doing some farming, so I set out to roll a sorc for the express purpose of getting my character past Hell Duriel, either by farming NM Meph or by killing Duriel outright. The problem with this plan has turned out to be 1.09 itself. I'm a longtime hardcore player and I very rarely lose characters (I have solo guardians of most classes and I've done successful playthroughs with pretty strict rules). Despite this, both of my attempts at making a sorc ended in death. The first one died rather embarrassingly to the summoner on normal, which I had forgotten was actually a threat in 1.09. Okay, fair play. The second one was absolutely eviscerated by an MSLE (nm) Bartuc despite max light res and a full health globe. Now, I played a lot of 1.09 back in the day and I am very well aware of the danger posed by MSLE. Indeed, I actively avoided hitting him, deciding instead to kite him to the doorway. However, the fates were not with me: He took a stray ice shard from an FO and I was killed by an invisible pile of lightning bolts (I was playing a TCP/IP game with two of my characters at the time).
This led me to make two realizations. The first one is that I don't actually really want to play 1.09, I just want to farm 1.09 cows. Honestly, I find the prospect of losing characters to something I can't even see to be the opposite of fun. However, I'm also not interested in doing this on softcore because... well, I don't really have a good reason. I'm stubborn. My second realization is that I don't really care how cheesy I have to go to get my javazon to hell cows (which I'm convinced she's capable of doing with her current gear, if only on p1). I'll do basically anything short of cheating to get her through hell.
Accordingly, I'd like to know the opinions of some people more experienced in 1.09 than myself. As far as I can tell, my options break down like this:
1. Farm something (probably nm cows until I get a bow good enough to allow me to do nm meph without it taking ten minutes per run) on my javazon until she can get through Duriel herself. The main upside to this plan is that it doesn't involve me creating a new character that I then might just lose to another pile of sparks. The main downside to this plan is that I still have to get through the rest of the game afterwards, which means I need to gear up for more than just Duriel. To be honest, I would have no real objection to doing this if getting Tgod's on nightmare was a realistic prospect; however, I don't actually have the answer to this question. Can it drop from nightmare cows/meph? I feel like the answer is yes but I don't really want to waste a bunch of time only to find out afterwards that I'm wrong.
2. Make another Sorc on 1.09. The idea here is to gear the Sorc well enough to be able to essentially rush my javazon (or to get gear good enough to allow my javazon to walk the remainder of hell). The problem is that this plan has proven time-consuming and risky in the past. It's also rather high-effort as my javazon isn't really good enough to rush and powerlevel a sorc, so I'd essentially be starting from scratch for the third time. I don't really want to do this, but I'll do it if it's the best option.
I've also considered making a character on classic (likely on an older patch) to sidestep Act 5 entirely just so that I can get a character capable of getting to and killing hell meph. Any input would be appreciated.
I've decided I wanted to relive my Diablo 2 heyday by... well, making a cookie cutter and doing hell cows until 99. My cookie cutter of choice: The javazon. However, there's one large caveat, and it's that I want to do it on hardcore. This has proven to make things rather complicated.
Basically, I'm hopelessly stuck in hell act 2. There's no chance of my javazon killing Duriel any time soon because Duriel kills her in two hits and I have no single target damage whatsoever (I attempted to very tediously kill him using a lot of TPs and my valkyrie, but it requires basically perfect execution to avoid getting deleted so every attempt has ended in me chickening out at some point). Incidentally, this also takes doing nm meph with this character off the table since... well, I have no single target damage. Before anyone asks, I am using GA with a bow on my switch but I can't actually switch to my bow against Duriel as that will almost certainly push the critical strike charge damage into one-shot range.
I have resigned myself to the knowledge that I can't really get past Duriel without doing some farming, so I set out to roll a sorc for the express purpose of getting my character past Hell Duriel, either by farming NM Meph or by killing Duriel outright. The problem with this plan has turned out to be 1.09 itself. I'm a longtime hardcore player and I very rarely lose characters (I have solo guardians of most classes and I've done successful playthroughs with pretty strict rules). Despite this, both of my attempts at making a sorc ended in death. The first one died rather embarrassingly to the summoner on normal, which I had forgotten was actually a threat in 1.09. Okay, fair play. The second one was absolutely eviscerated by an MSLE (nm) Bartuc despite max light res and a full health globe. Now, I played a lot of 1.09 back in the day and I am very well aware of the danger posed by MSLE. Indeed, I actively avoided hitting him, deciding instead to kite him to the doorway. However, the fates were not with me: He took a stray ice shard from an FO and I was killed by an invisible pile of lightning bolts (I was playing a TCP/IP game with two of my characters at the time).
This led me to make two realizations. The first one is that I don't actually really want to play 1.09, I just want to farm 1.09 cows. Honestly, I find the prospect of losing characters to something I can't even see to be the opposite of fun. However, I'm also not interested in doing this on softcore because... well, I don't really have a good reason. I'm stubborn. My second realization is that I don't really care how cheesy I have to go to get my javazon to hell cows (which I'm convinced she's capable of doing with her current gear, if only on p1). I'll do basically anything short of cheating to get her through hell.
Accordingly, I'd like to know the opinions of some people more experienced in 1.09 than myself. As far as I can tell, my options break down like this:
1. Farm something (probably nm cows until I get a bow good enough to allow me to do nm meph without it taking ten minutes per run) on my javazon until she can get through Duriel herself. The main upside to this plan is that it doesn't involve me creating a new character that I then might just lose to another pile of sparks. The main downside to this plan is that I still have to get through the rest of the game afterwards, which means I need to gear up for more than just Duriel. To be honest, I would have no real objection to doing this if getting Tgod's on nightmare was a realistic prospect; however, I don't actually have the answer to this question. Can it drop from nightmare cows/meph? I feel like the answer is yes but I don't really want to waste a bunch of time only to find out afterwards that I'm wrong.
2. Make another Sorc on 1.09. The idea here is to gear the Sorc well enough to be able to essentially rush my javazon (or to get gear good enough to allow my javazon to walk the remainder of hell). The problem is that this plan has proven time-consuming and risky in the past. It's also rather high-effort as my javazon isn't really good enough to rush and powerlevel a sorc, so I'd essentially be starting from scratch for the third time. I don't really want to do this, but I'll do it if it's the best option.
I've also considered making a character on classic (likely on an older patch) to sidestep Act 5 entirely just so that I can get a character capable of getting to and killing hell meph. Any input would be appreciated.
Hear hear! This is a problem on every patch, though, so keep it in mind wherever you go. Especially 1.09 and before, where MSLE is a thing. I've become accustomed to just circle any ranged enemy in-between my own attacks, when I'm ranged myself.
Maybe this is too tedious for your liking, but what I'd probably do is make a hammerdin in a pre-LoD patch and drag a sorc with me. It will be much easier for the Paladin to reach 18 where he'll get his main skill, while for the sorc it kind of sucks to get to 30 for Orb. Her Teleport will be very nice to have to skip certain parts for the Paladin, for example Maggot Lair. Once she reaches 30+ you can just ditch the Paladin completely and continue with the sorc.
Another option is a dual- or tri-elemental sorc, for example Fire Ball from 12 to 30, so that it's not so tedious to get to Orb. In this case you can leave out the Paladin so you don't have to drag along another character. You can potentially get by with only Static Field and the prequisites for Orb until level 30, but it will be extremely tedious (imo).
Pre-LoD patches had no immunities, so a sorc has few issues there, and Static Field is amazing. Her biggest problem is mana potions, but worst case scenario is that you have to use NPCs a lot to replenish your mana. For fewer trips to town for mana, just skip as many regular monsters as you can, and use your mana only on champions, uniques, or if the monsters are a threat.
I do recommend a sorc though, because of Teleport, and the independence from gear to deal damage. Duriel is still dangerous because of his Charge, but at least with Static Field you will have no issues dealing damage to him. You can also farm Duriel (his quest drop) in pre-LoD patches for some uniques, for example Wall of the Eyeless, Stone of Jordan, and Magefist. (Though the chance of him dropping them is not huge, of course.)
You could even drag along a Barbarian for BO, if you feel like it. I always like to have one in every patch that I play.
Fugu
New member
I actually disagree that this is a problem on every patch. I could go into a lot of detail here, but basically when they removed MSLE and effects stacking on top of holy shock/freeze/fire they made it possible to play the game completely safely without also having to play it very slowly (there were other issues, such as the FE bug and 1.00 Duriel killing you while the game is loading, but those are the big ones). Additionally, the biggest problem I have with MSLE is the sprite limit issue; the sparks that killed my last character were invisible, so I had no real chance of avoiding them.
So I thought about doing a pre-LoD sorc in much the way that you said. The issue with doing that is that I have to target a build that's going to let me solo walk hell in pre-LoD but then still be able to kill things in 1.09. I think this means I can do Nova/FO. 1-40ish will be painful because Nova's mana cost is ridiculous and FO will be underpowered for a few levels, so this isn't a minor undertaking. Likely a liberal amount of static will be involved. Multiboxing on hardcore is frankly exhausting and I'd like to avoid it if at all possible.
The barb option is also something I'm seriously considering. BO might just give me the leeway I need to get past Duriel, although it will still take very long.
If you a planning a Fury Druid, I can't think of a better progression than Ribby, then Shaeled Buriza. Lame? Maybe, but those will be so much faster than any of the axes, hammers, or swords.
If you're doing a Barb, then a Doomslayer is an awesome choice, but you will grow old trying to farm one from Pindle - you can actually get that from Hell Mephy, which is very runnable by a Barb since you can leap over the moat and leech from Mephy. However, you can certainly finish the game with a pair of Cruel 3-socket chippie Champion Swords (much easier to farm chippies and roll).
TGods can indeed drop from MN Mephy, but it's a bit of a rare drop. (Blackhorn's also provides MSLE immunity, just requires a little higher based LR) It's actually a little more common from Hell Countess. It can drop from NM cows, too. If you want to run NM Mephy, it might be worth making a Frenzy Barb, as that is, IMHO, the best Mephy runner in the patch (and with BO, a MUCH sturdier character).
For Mephy, I suggest putting Shaftstop and Duriel's on your merc, having a Valk, and tank with Jab (you do have Titan's, right?) and a good shield (like Ryme in a Heater). May I ask, do you have a Buriza for the bow switch? Do you have KB? KB causes a delay with the MSLE sparks.
