[2007] Tournament : The Bountyhunter's heaven [by Merlin The Wizzard]

[Grisu]

[highlight]ALIVE[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
  0   Bobbie_Fett     Sorc        Butzull             1     A1     Rogue Camp
 -7   Shockfrosted    Paladin     Grisu              17     A1     Inner Cloister

[highlight]DEAD/RETIRED[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
 -6   Lloyd           Necromancer Merlin             19     A1     Inner Cloister 
 -7   Tryman          Paladin     Jaelen             19     A1     Jail Level 1
 -7   Floyd           Necromancer Merlin             17     A1    Outer Cloister

[highlight]BOUNTY MOBS[/highlight]
[U]Character      Act I       Act II      Act III     Act IV      Act V       Boss[/U]
Bobbie_Fett    Vampire     Slinger     Frogs       Ob.Knight   Reanimated  Diablo 
Shockfrosted   Fallen      Sabre Cat   Council     Megademon   Reanimated  Mephisto

I didn't have high hopes for poor Floyd anyways, seeing how royally screwed he was with the superunique drop. My merc had a plain hunters bow (more damage output then the 5% LS shortbow). I wielded the 2 axes Bonebreaker dropped, ubt the damage output was horrible. Especially once I entered the barracks (I had my deeds at the entrance). A champion pack of Black Rogues ran forth, and the Devilkin shaman were merrily raising devilkin out of my reach. I got surrounded by all sorts of minions, most of which didn't budge under the terror curse. While I managed to kill one champion, and whittle another down to three quarters, I didn't have enough health pots to get out of that tight corner.

With 2 deeds in Act 1 normal I think it's abundantly clear that I made one damn hard tourney, and further more that I am definetely not ready yet to participate in it. Damn shame too, I liked (and still like!) the concept. I'll be cheering y'all from the sidelines, of course! I might even roll another (definetely last one) later on, but for now, I've had enough. I think those of you who don't have an early superunique have it easiest (controversial as it sounds). When building up a char, especially with limited means as in this tourney, you definetly don't want to be burdened with a poor drop from your bounty SU (like I did the second time around).

Short update story. No ND's really until the barracks, apart from the pit lvl 2
The countess spawned only archer heroes, apart from lvl 4 and 5, where two goatmen heroes spawned. All packs were troublesome, I had to ress the merc twice. While there were few returned, there were plenty of Bonewarriors in the pit. But at times I wasn't sure about who dropped what, which really came back to haunt me. For one, I saw one bone warrior drop a small shield. When I had kileld everything (including several other bone warriors), there were 2 small shields, one superior, one plain. But, since I wasn't sure WHICH dropped from the warrior... I couldn't use neither. I kept the crappy low quality buckler one of Blood Raven's skellies dropped right up til deeds.
In the pit lvl 2 there were 2 dark archer heroes, and one bone warrior. Alas, with my crappy damage output, I had to scramble around to much to be really sure what drops were from the assorted warrior minions, I only knew that the hero dropped a sturdy hard leather armor. then I went into the cloister, cleared out the outer cloister and the three rooms, and quit.
I died about a minute after I logged on again, see above

Ok, I truly think my build has the potential to get far (it's not like it has never been done before), but he needs time to develop, and it's precisely that time that I cannot give him. My next char(if I restart) will most definetly NOT be a necro, I've had my fill of the pastyfaces for now.

My equipment:
Lizards cap of self repair
Sturdy hard leather armor
Superior sash
Ring with +1 str, +2 mana
Leather gloves
boots
Low quality buckler
HAnd axe, +2 max damage <- Bonebreaker drop
Hand Axe +1 max damage <-Bonebreaker drop
No shield second slot

MErc :
Plain hunters bow
Plain cap
Ethereal HArd leather armor.

For now, I'm going to continue my second throwing barb a bit, and keep reading about your adventures here, guys

 

[Grisu]

Sorry to hear about your second deeds Merlin.

I think one of the keys is to make sure you have some fairly item independent ways to deal with foes. Pallys have a bunch of different means for this, as do a few other classes. I've gone the Sorc route so that no matter what I have to wield, I can damage with spells, albeit perhaps not some of the usual ones.

Good luck with your thrower.

Butz. :dunce:

 

[Grisu]

Act 2: Slingers. Again not bad, but it means full clears of the desert areas that I normally skirt around the edges of. Also a frequent guest monster should I get that far.
...I don't think I have any S/Us yet?

Weird, I'd have guessed Blood Witch the Wild is definitely a Slinger. But she is indeed listed as a melee sabre cat.

 

[Grisu]

[highlight]ALIVE[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
  1   Mary          Assassin    jiansonz         21     A2     Lut Gholein
  1   Shockfrosted    Paladin     Grisu              20     A2     Lut Gholein
  0   Bobbie_Fett     Sorc        Butzull             1     A1     Rogue Camp

[highlight]DEAD/RETIRED[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
 -6   Lloyd           Necromancer Merlin             19     A1     Inner Cloister 
 -7   Tryman          Paladin     Jaelen             19     A1     Jail Level 1
 -7   Floyd           Necromancer Merlin             17     A1     Outer Cloister

[highlight]BOUNTY MOBS[/highlight]
[U]Character      Act I       Act II      Act III      Act IV      Act V        Boss[/U]
Bobbie_Fett    Vampire     Slinger     Frogs        Ob.Knight   Reanimated   Diablo 
Mary           Skel Archer Slinger     Thorned Hulk Megademon   Stygian Fury Andariel
Shockfrosted   Fallen      Sabre Cat   Council      Megademon   Reanimated   Mephisto

Sorry to hear about your second loss, Merlin!
I think a Necro is one of the hardest characters in this tournament to play - no minions...

Meanwhile I managed to kill Andariel - she was pretty easy to defeat (compared to those extra strong goaties in Jail level 2...)
I found a pair of Gorefoot and an Arctic Binding along my way, both of which I may not use Instead I imbued some low quality leather gloves and got this nice gloves out of it (rest of equipment following, MUST use items highlighted):

Soul Hand
Leather Gloves
Defense: 4
Durability: 10 of 12
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x4fb8ead6
+1 to Strength
+19% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +14%
Poison Resist +6%
10% Increased Attack Speed
Half Freeze Duration

Glyph Trample
Boots
Defense: 4
Durability: 12 of 12
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0xf662b0dc
+1 to Dexterity
+19% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +5%
Poison Resist +5%

Light Belt
Defense: 3
Durability: 14 of 14
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x462d5b44

Superior Studded Leather
Defense: 41
Durability: 32 of 32
Required Strength: 27
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x70949fdc
+14% Enhanced Defense

Superior Studded Leather
Defense: 41
Durability: 32 of 32
Required Strength: 27
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x70949fdc
+14% Enhanced Defense

Rune Necklace
Amulet
Required Level: 4
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 8
Fingerprint: 0xfd55ba1a
+5 to Life
+13 to Attack Rating
+1 to Maximum Damage
Fire Resist +8%
10% Chance to cast Level 3 Charged Bolt when struck

Azure Ring
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0x8e246fcf
Cold Resist +5%

Triumphant Ring of the Apprentice
Required Level: 3
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x21b6260e
10% Faster Cast Rate
+1 to Mana After Each Kill

Targe
Defense: 8
Chance to Block:  40%
Smite Damage: 2 to 6
Durability: 20 of 20
(Paladin Only)
Required Strength: 16
Required Level: 3
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0xd6299b8f
All Resistances +10
Socketed (3: 0 used)

[highlight]Deadly Scimitar[/highlight]
One-Hand Damage: 2 to 7
Durability: 22 of 22
Required Dexterity: 21
Required Level: 3
Sword Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 8
Fingerprint: 0x1edb1ec8
+22% Enhanced Damage

[highlight]Deadly Short Sword of Blight[/highlight]
One-Hand Damage: 2 to 8
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 3
Sword Class - Normal Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 8
Fingerprint: 0x553443ee
+28% Enhanced Damage
+7 poison damage over 3 seconds

Beast Badge
Small Shield
Defense: 15
Chance to Block:  45%
Smite Damage: 2 to 3
Durability: 9 of 9
Required Strength: 12
Required Level: 2
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0x6907f7f9
+3 to Mana
+10% Increased Chance of Blocking
Lightning Resist +5%
Poison Resist +5%
Attacker Takes Damage of 1
15% Faster Block Rate
Repairs 1 durability in 33 seconds
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired)

Large Charm of Flame
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 5
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0x57b2a05e
Adds 1-2 fire damage

I hired an Archer for the abovementioned goat boss pack and she accompanied me for the rest of the act. At the beginning of Act II I exchanged her for a BA merc though - I do have to hit things to apply my Cold/Lightning damage...

Skills:
Sacrifice 1
Zeal 4
Might 1
Holy Fire 1
Holy Freeze 3
8 points left

My score:
Fallen in Act I wiped out: +1
10 WPs: +10
6 quests: +6
completed Act I: +3
All quests, all WPs in Act I: +1
Level 20: -20

Total: +1

I added you to the table, jiansonz - hope that's OK! I didn't calculate the score for Butz though, since I didn't know how many quests you already solved

jiansonz's score according to my (hopefully correct) calculations:
Skeleton Archer (uncommon) in Act I wiped out: +2
10 WPs: +10
6 quests: +6
completed Act I: +3
All quests, all WPs in Act I: +1
Level 21: -21

Total: +1

 

[Grisu]

Thanks Butz, Grisu

@Wayne. Slingers will stay in a room, and throw to those outside, while melee cats will swarm out of the door as soon as they find you. Since I have become addicted to staying outside of rooms with known heroes, until the herd thins out, it's easy enough to see Bloody is a meleecat... on account that she always swarms my char (and she dies immediately after... one of the easiest SU's in my book).

Grisu - Perhaps you are right about the necro. For what its worth, I think the Amazon has the hardest job of it, then the necro (perhaps), the sorc, the druid, the barb, the assassin and the paladin (in that order). This is my opinion though, and it's entirely justifiable to completely mess this up... Allthough you wont be able to sell it to me that the amazon has good fighting chances
I place the barb pretty high, because he can wait with raising his mastery skill until he has found a superunique weapon drop... The way this tourney is set up, the first weapon(s) you get from a superunique will likely last you a while (unless you have the council, and all them SU's drop weapons )
And Jian already got me hooked on the assassin idea... His journey doesn't seem particularly harrowing so far (but then again, he is an experienced HC player... it may have been much tougher then it looked)

As for your scoring : The superunique score adder was a suggestion, not a rule perse. Still, I feel that they should definetely factor in the final score, since they make this tournament quite a bit more difficult.
Bearing in mind the one suggestion made regarding this, I'm inclined to make the following additions, if you all agree.
Scoring :
Each superunique in your list adds +2. The exception is the council. Total score for councilmembers as mob will be set at +12 (and that includes the... killed minions at act end bonus) Oh yeah, your chosen Act Boss does NOT count towards this score...
Next, for ease of equipment -
The drop from your chosen act boss MAY also count as a superunique drop Which means that, if this act boss drops an item you want to use, it CAN replace a superunique drop, and will count as a superunique drop (so it wont switch out automatically with the next su drop). However, you wont be required to use these items as superunique drops (so you don't HAVE to equip ALL of them). In other words, do with the drop as you see fit

Rule 2 is a suggestion mind you, and I'd really like your opinion on the matter, so I can decide whether to keep it or not. This tourney is already overburdened by rules as it is, and frankly, adding even more doesn't really appeal to me, but the playing experience must be enjoyable. So if you think (lke I do) that this rule merits inclusion, let me know and it will be so
I haven't checked the tables yet, but if anyone (Grisu, Jiansonz) has missed this drop as of yet (By selling/stashing rather then using Andys drop), you may rerun her once, and use that drop.

Also, there are only 9 WP in the act (the one in the camp included).
So I subtract one point, and it winds down to an even 0

 

[Grisu]

As for your scoring : The superunique score adder was a suggestion, not a rule perse. Still, I feel that they should definetely factor in the final score, since they make this tournament quite a bit more difficult.
Bearing in mind the one suggestion made regarding this, I'm inclined to make the following additions, if you all agree.
Scoring :
Each superunique in your list adds +2. The exception is the council. Total score for councilmembers as mob will be set at +12 (and that includes the... killed minions at act end bonus) Oh yeah, your chosen Act Boss does NOT count towards this score...

Errr...ok, that means I may add another +2 to my score for defeating Rakanishu?
And concerning the council: it gives 12 points, never more, never less, right?

Next, for ease of equipment -
The drop from your chosen act boss MAY also count as a superunique drop Which means that, if this act boss drops an item you want to use, it CAN replace a superunique drop, and will count as a superunique drop (so it wont switch out automatically with the next su drop). However, you wont be required to use these items as superunique drops (so you don't HAVE to equip ALL of them). In other words, do with the drop as you see fit

Rule 2 is a suggestion mind you, and I'd really like your opinion on the matter, so I can decide whether to keep it or not. This tourney is already overburdened by rules as it is, and frankly, adding even more doesn't really appeal to me, but the playing experience must be enjoyable. So if you think (lke I do) that this rule merits inclusion, let me know and it will be so

I think it's a good idea!

Also, there are only 9 WP in the act (the one in the camp included).
So I subtract one point, and it winds down to an even 0

Well, since I already travelled to Act II, I have another WP besides the 9 from Act I, so it's +1 again
Well, actually it's +3, if the SU rule kicks in

 

[Grisu]

The Burning Dead Archers in the Sewers soon gave Chalan a Voulge to play with. That´s pretty much what´s been needed in the act so far. :azn:

OK, so Mary has been fighting and Cloaking a bit, but that´s been more because of convenience than necessity. At this stage of the game, Desert guard mercs are so overpowered, it isn´t even funny. /players 8 slaughtering with a stupid non-magical Voulge...

I´ve been quite lucky with my bountymobs in this act. Archers in sewers levels 2 and 3, plus levels 1, 3 and 4 in the Palace (and two Champs on level 2), Javelin cats in Rocky Waste (+boss pack of fire potion throwers in the Hills), and the last level of Halls of the Dead, Night Slingers in Far Oasis (although not that many - the place was just crawling with zombies...) and Hell Slingers in the Canyon.

The Palace meant the end for my nice shopped gloves-belt-boots triumvirate, because I found all those item types from archers within 2 minutes. At least the belt had 12 potion slots, and the boots were kick-friendly.

Current gear:
* 2-socketed Skull Cap with a flawed topaz
* Shimmering (5) Amulet
* Superior Claws (9-17 damage)
* Plague Flange (rare Hard Leather Armor; 31 def, +7 life, +5 mana, 2 sockets)
* Large Shield of Blocking
* Chain Gloves
* Crimson (5) Ring of Dexterity (1)
* Belt
* Crimson (5) Ring of the Mind (5)
* Chain Boots

On weapon switch:
* Shadow Razor (rare Wrist Blade; 5-11 damage, +19 AR, +1-2 fire damage, 10% IAS)
* 2-socketed Large Shield


Chalan:
* Strong (16 def.) Skull Cap of Self-repair
* Voulge
* Superior 2-socketed Hard Leather Armor


Mary the MA Assassin and Chalan the Prayer Guard, level 27/26, Tal Rasha´s Tombs next


@Grisu: thanks for adding me to the table. Nice to see I have a positive score. I had not planned to bother with the scoring until Nightmare (or at death).

@Wayne: Bloodwitch is most certainly a Huntress - take a look at one of her minions next time.

@Merlin: I really like the idea of the selected act boss drop acting as "wildcard items". I will remember which four items I kept from Andariel and use them as I see fit. Especially the amulet and armor may stay on if Stormtree tries to give me some junk in those slots.

Regarding the difficulty for different classes, I´d say your ranking looks to be based on hard it is to get started, rather than the chances to go really far.

The necro does have it tough in the beginning, but I think Amp, Terror, Life Tap, Bone Armor/Wall/Prison gives you a good chance to rely on the merc for most of Normal, while you build up some P&B damage skills.

I would put the sorceress in the top 3, even for the first half of Normal. Why? Because Static Field, Lightning and especially Blaze are that powerful, and you can get them as early as level 12. A question regarding sorc: Chain Lightning is banned to use, but is it allowed as Lightning synergy?

You have not restricted Decoy, so I think the amazon does have a fightning chance. Weapon drops from SuperUnique boutymonsters will have a huge impact - the 'wildcard' rule makes it more likely you´ll get a suitable amazonian weapon.

 

[Grisu]

So I started this tourney but I haven't been updating, because I think updating in act 1 normal is kinda boring. Anyway I cruised through act 1 without much trouble, although progress was slow on players 8. Then after like 5 minutes in the sewers, I was playing even more careless than usual and a double boss pack of archers surprised me. Oops. First HC character I've ever played, taught me to take it a bit slower.

Anyway I'm restarting later but I haven't decided what character to use. Probably a lightning sorceress, the first guy I tried in this tourney was a paladin focusing on Zeal. Here's my new reroll:

Act I: Goatman
Act II: Slinger
Act III: Council Member (6 dudes)
Act IV: Regurgitator
Act V: Demon Imp (Dac Farren, Bartuc)
Act Boss: Duriel

Only 1 non-council super unique. Seem like a good roll or would you reroll? You can also recommend me a barbarian, paladin or sorceress build you think would work well for this tourney, if you like

 

[Grisu]

Errr...ok, that means I may add another +2 to my score for defeating Rakanishu?

Yes, Rakanishu is one of your su bountymobs

And concerning the council: it gives 12 points, never more, never less, right?

Yep. 12 total. Seems fair, since you will almost always have the same number spawn in each difficulty

I think it's a good idea!

Good... then it is so Jiansonz also seems to agree

Don't worry about me - my bounty act boss is only Mephisto - I don't know what jiansonz did about his Andy drop though.

Well, since I already travelled to Act II, I have another WP besides the 9 from Act I, so it's +1 again
Well, actually it's +3, if the SU rule kicks in

I'm doing good too. Actually, I just found the following Barb item from a Jail I chest with my thrower barb (not the right thread, I know, but I GOTTA share)
Dire Cowl - Rare Fanged Helm (def 24)
10%CTC L3 CB, 19% Enh. Def, FR 6%, PR 10%, 10% FHR, +1 Sword MAstery,
+3 Mace Mastery, +2 Throwing mastery. The durability (105) seems to indicate it really wanted to be unique, but I can certainly live with this . Damn, I could live with it as a startequip item for a mace-barbarian as well...

 

[Grisu]

So I started this tourney but I haven't been updating, because I think updating in act 1 normal is kinda boring. Anyway I cruised through act 1 without much trouble, although progress was slow on players 8. Then after like 5 minutes in the sewers, I was playing even more careless than usual and a double boss pack of archers surprised me. Oops. First HC character I've ever played, taught me to take it a bit slower.

Anyway I'm restarting later but I haven't decided what character to use. Probably a lightning sorceress, the first guy I tried in this tourney was a paladin focusing on Zeal. Here's my new reroll:

Act I: Goatman
Act II: Slinger
Act III: Council Member (6 dudes)
Act IV: Regurgitator
Act V: Demon Imp (Dac Farren, Bartuc)
Act Boss: Duriel

Only 1 non-council super unique. Seem like a good roll or would you reroll? You can also recommend me a barbarian, paladin or sorceress build you think would work well for this tourney, if you like

Well, too bad about the deeds, man. I found act 1 anything but a breeze, to be hhonest, but I think you played a paladin right? That probably made it easier then my necro's had it
Well, It seems quite nice. I don't like Duriel, both too his being hard to kill and often giving crappy drops. But perhaps you have a different experience.
As far as the council goes, it's really your call. Remember, that the drops from the SU's have to be equipped if possible, so this could be potentially devastating for your build. On the other hand, they can drop nice stuff, and if they drop several items for the same item bracket (likely, seeing as how there are 6 of them), you get to pick if course Otherwise, quite good I 'd say, with the goatman in 2 acts, the slingers as a frequent guest mob in Act V nightmare/hell, and the demon imps spawn pretty much all over the place.

Classwise? I'd pick the one you feel most comfortable with, personally. I think this tourney is too difficult for 'new' build experimentation. If you like melee, and I'm right about you having played a pally, perhaps a barb would be nice, seeing how none has entered the tourney so far. I think that it can be very viable, just remember not to invest in weapon masteries too soon.
For a more ranged approach, I recommend followinig Butz's build. A Sorc is not very item dependend, and deals most damage from a distance.

Oh, and for whoever asked the question, you can use all skills from all chars as synergies, period. The skills just cannot be used themselves!

 

[Grisu]

[highlight]ALIVE[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
  6   Shockfrosted    Paladin     Grisu              23     A2     Dry Hills
  1   Mary          Assassin    jiansonz         21     A2     Lut Gholein
  0   Bobbie_Fett     Sorc        Butzull             1     A1     Rogue Camp

[highlight]DEAD/RETIRED[/highlight]
[U]Score Character       Class       Forum Name        Level   Act    WP[/U]
 -6   Lloyd           Necromancer Merlin             19     A1     Inner Cloister 
 -7   Tryman          Paladin     Jaelen             19     A1     Jail Level 1
 -7   Floyd           Necromancer Merlin             17     A1     Outer Cloister

[highlight]BOUNTY MOBS[/highlight]
[U]Character      Act I       Act II      Act III      Act IV      Act V        Boss[/U]
Bobbie_Fett    Vampire     Slinger     Frogs        Ob.Knight   Reanimated   Diablo 
Mary           Skel Archer Slinger     Thorned Hulk Megademon   Stygian Fury Andariel
Shockfrosted   Fallen      Sabre Cat   Council      Megademon   Reanimated   Mephisto

Shockfrosted killed Radament and met some of his second bounty mob monsters down in the lair. Then I wiped our every monster till the Dry Hills (there too) and am now waiting to enter the Far Oasis.
The reason I'm posting is my second bounty SU - not a hard fight at all. Unfortunately there were no Sabre Cats in the Halls of the Dead at all (except the SU bounty mob), only Spear Cats
Anyways, Blood Witch dropped another 2 weapons, of which 1 might be useful:

Vicious Pilum of Amplify Damage
Throw Damage: 9 to 27
One-Hand Damage: 5 to 12
Quantity: 35
Required Dexterity: 45
Required Level: 6
Javelin Class - Normal Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xbf754d3e
+39% Enhanced Damage
5% Chance to cast Level 1 Amplify Damage on striking

Crimson Dirk of Readiness
One-Hand Damage: 3 to 9
Durability: 16 of 20
Required Dexterity: 25
Required Level: 3
Dagger Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0x61f7a192
Fire Resist +9%
10% Increased Attack Speed

Not much else to say - my mercenary got an ethereal Bardiche and an ethereal 3os Ring Mail I found from a Sabre Cat and is pwning on /p8 like mad...nothing new here. OK, here's my skill chart (only 1 level to go till Holy Shock!! )

Skills:
Sacrifice 1
Zeal 4
Might 1
Holy Fire 1
Holy Freeze 6
9 points left

My score:
Fallen in Act I wiped out: +1
13 WPs: +13
7 quests: +7
completed Act I: +3
All quests, all WPs in Act I: +1
SU Bonus (Rakanishu, Blood Witch down): +4
Level 23: -23


Total: +6

 

[Grisu]

I think the rule change is good regarding the Act Boss, and am happy to play with the +2 per SU rule, although the more I think of it, the more I come to the conclusion that more SUs are better than less. Early on they may restrict you a little, but later in the game once you have a few weapons to choose from, they will be a big assistance (I think).

I think Zons can be one of the easiest, all they need is to find a spear class weapon or a javelin, and Charged Strike, synergised and with D/A/E/Crit Strike, etc, they can rock! Charged Strike is a phenomenal skill!

Butz. :dunce:

 

[Grisu]

I agree Butz, there is a point where it is going to pay off having a lot of SU's. For instance, having the council as your first SU isn't quite as bad as it seems, especially if you have either Andy's or Duriels drop as a back up wild card drop.
I'd say the breakpoint lies about 7 or 8. However, hell difficulty definitely requires a good equipment set, espec with restricted chars. At that point, it may become quite hard to select what Superunique weapon drop to use.... Do I need damage output, attack speed, am i bound to a skillrealted weapon class? Anyways, seeing as what a massive impact my first SU had on char development, especially the second time around, I think it's safe to say that they merit inclusion in the score.

I think the amazon is far less problematic with the new wildcard drop (I like that name, Jiansonz!) from the chose act boss vectored in, but if you are unlucky, you may be forced to play the game with perhaps one crappy pilum as an attack weapon. A lot of luck is involved, but if you GET lucky, she immediately becomes one of the more simple ones indeed, because of some pwning (sorry for the l33t talk ) spear class skills.

 

[Grisu]

Once again randomly selected, my next char will be a druid. Now, with 2 vines available and 2 spirits, I could opt for the lycantrophy side, or try a pure caster for once. But the damage output from the caster side seems quite restricted to me, mainly fire, some physical and some cold. On the +side, I wont have to worry about the weapon dropped. I dont think it would be smart to go for windmagic, since Tornado is restricted. That leaves the fire magic half open, or a lycantrophic build. Another coin toss will decide : Fire magic it is. (No wait, a hybrid using fire claws is also an option.... One that would need a very specific build, however... Hmm, still... retoss. 3 options. Once again... Fire magic. Ok, then I will be a Fire druid.)

Bountymob roll 1.
Tainted (not too bad, act 1 SU), Swarm (ouch... never had many good drops from these... not good), Giant mosquito (not too many, no great drops, kind of neutral), Finger Mage (Again? Do I attract these guys? Not too bad though, another SU), Stygian Fury (Ouch the ouch ouch... No drop potential).
Ok, this looks like a nokeeper for me, due to few items and far between, but perhaps a good boss wildcard.... - Duriel. No, anything but the big maggot! That made it easy, a reroll is required.

Second Roll
Skeleton (ai, Bonebreaker again!)
Bat Demon (another SU, act 3 though)
Giant Mosquito (see above)
Oblivion Knight (that is nice. Of the 3 sealbosses, i find him easiest as well.. He just tends to annihilate my merc)
Stygian Fury (Damn... Well, Jiansonz had nice things to say about those angels)

Act Boss... Andy.
So my trophymobs are Bonebreaker (better drop this time around please!), Icehawk Riftwing, Lord de Seiss. Three total.
Time to fire them up

Ok, so a bit of rethinking my build, made me decide to not be firemagic only (but I'm not going to invest any points in any of the other two skill trees). I'm going to add Arctic blast, and Cyclone Armor. Allthough that means I wont get a fully synced firemage (AS IF LOL.. I ought to be glad if I make it to act 2 already!), it does provide some protection and another elemental damage.

Oh, and due to my (VERY) limited experience with an fire caster druid, if you guys have helpful suggestions, I'd be glad to follow them.

 

[Grisu]

With all those coin tossings you would have liked the Random tournament...

anyways - a Fire Druid, let me think. I have a tournament Druid parked in Act I NM who may only use Shockwave and Armageddon - works quite well. Shock you opponents, then simply stand amidst them and wait till they drop dead to the ground.

But since you won't be shapeshiftin, I have no idea. I think Fissure rocks till NM, might be weak in Hell though. Firestorm is only an option with loads of +skill, and Volcano is hard to target. Molten Boulder might save your bottom from time to time. But I really don't have that much experience with Druids.

Anyways, good luck for that one!

 

[Grisu]

Bat Demon (another SU, act 3 though)

for some reason when i read that i thought it was Matt Damon...LOL

ummm about your fire druid pick a fire skill, example fissure, or molturn boulder etc. And make your build around that. It is also a good idea to invest points in your summoning tree to get some tanks that can occupy enemies while you cast your fire skills. It also provides a means against FI's.

 

[Grisu]

Ok, so a bit of rethinking my build, made me decide to not be firemagic only (but I'm not going to invest any points in any of the other two skill trees). I'm going to add Arctic blast, and Cyclone Armor. Allthough that means I wont get a fully synced firemage (AS IF LOL.. I ought to be glad if I make it to act 2 already!), it does provide some protection and another elemental damage.

Oh, and due to my (VERY) limited experience with an fire caster druid, if you guys have helpful suggestions, I'd be glad to follow them.

Since you're going full elemental, I'd suggest maxing 3 fire skills. Volcano and/or Fissure are popular, but I've used Boulder/Firestorm with success. It's all good as long as the skills cross-synergize in some way. The listed damage may not seem that great, but those skills usually provide many hits per cast and it adds up respectably. Arctic Blast damage is hopelessly bugged. It's useful as a utility slowing skill, but not good for damage. Something like 1/3 its listed effect. Cyclone Armor plus another wind skill could work.

@Wayne: Bloodwitch is most certainly a Huntress - take a look at one of her minions next time.

Yeah, I don't know how I blew that one. After dozens of battles with her, how did I not notice? Probably because most fights are a "flash in the pan" type. Although, a fair share of my minions have been annihilated the second they step through her door, at least in Hell.

 

[Grisu]

@Morathi - No summons But thanks for the tip! I reckon I will pretty much focus on the first 4 skills. I am going to see how I like Volcano. So far, I enjoy the reasonably rapid casting, ubt I have heard volcano is slow as molassess. If I find I like Volcano, I *might* Consider going for armageddon, although that is going to cost me. If I do use volcano, I'll probable back it up with Firestorm. If I won't go for Volcano, I'll leave Armageddon be and focus on fully syncing the other 4 skills. Molten Boulder is pretty powerful with a few points invested, and this is bound to get better.
If I go with Volcano, I 'll prolly need every skill point I can get. If I won't, I might end up pumping more points in Arctic Blast for the chill. I wont go out of this skill tree. I have already invested too much in energy to make this a viable warrior build I think, even for backup purposes. I guess it all will hinge on how I like Volcano, though, so lets see if I make 24 first.

I have the gut feeling the Act Boss wildcard drop would need some limitations, but I can't see a reasonable way to implement this, so I won't

 

[Grisu]

In Tal´s tombs, I soon found out that if I Cloaked an Unraveler and hit him from range 2, he couldn´t see me and fight back. Very nice.

I have grown to like this Fists of Fire thing. My previous Phoenix Strikers-to-be have not used claws at this stage, and/or they have left the killing to the merc (reason: more MF). Said Unravelers would usually die from one fully charged FoF.

I should not have taken down the players setting for Duriel. I feel almost sorry for him...

In early act 3, I continued to experiment with the claw-specific elemental skills. Blades of Ice has an impressive freeze time: 4 seconds.
I even went dual claw for a while. Yikes, how much faster Fists of Fire became! And I scored two charges with one click nearly every time. Hmm, I should really play a dual claw elemental MA assassin eventually...

So, what items would Stormtree "curse" me with? Answer: a rare Balanced Axe and a magical War Axe (that Mary was not strong enough to use). So, the Superior Claws had to go, but thanks to the wildcard rule I still had a claw I could use - the rare Wrist Blade from Andariel. Even though I had just gained access to Phoenix Strike, Fists of Fire was totally outshining it (it still does, at level 3 PS vs. level 11 FoF) and I was using it pretty much all the time. I was pleased I could keep using it.

Sometimes the rules in this tourney are very mean. Look at all those rejuves and other useful stuff one must leave behind.

Mephisto gave me one heck of a scare when he took off about 180 of Mary´s 340 life in one brutal melee hit. Almost a deja vy from the S/U Worship tourney...
I was very good at chugging greater healers, so I actually managed to save my four rejuves (one has been drunk earlier, by mistake :sad2: ) but it was scary indeed a few more times. The rejuves almost feel like a burden - I tresure them too much to use them when I probably should. It´s like trying to play good poker with 'scared money' - just just doesn´t work.


I have realized that I will have to pump Fade quite a bit to get some sort of tolerable resists, even for Nightmare (or Diablo that is coming up soon...brrr!). I´ve only found one resist charm (small, 5% cold) and I still do not have any magical gloves/belt/boots. The trouble is, my foot speed and attack speed will just suck if I don´t use BoS...

Megademons, please spawn in all act 4 areas and gib l33t iTAmz!!!11 :flip:


Mary the MA Assassin and Chalan the Prayer Guard, level 32, Outer Steppes next


(Oh, there is a glimmer of hope: I am a belt away from being able to cube a Savage polearm. The act 3 freeze merc can wait until my PS is much stronger...)

 

[Grisu]

I am mucho impressed, jiansonz! So, curiosity forces me to ask, were Duriels and Mephisto's drops good? (greens/uniques)?
If I recall correctly, Act IV creatures are pretty fire resistant... But you can always charge cold or lightning damage, I think.

Good luck with it!