[2012] Tournament: Super Unique! [by GooberGrape]

Grisu · May 30, 2020

Tournament migration finished - thanks @Vildecor!

This tournament has already ended. It was originally started by @GooberGrape on Dec 26, 2012. The last post was made Aug 1, 2013.
(link to original thread on diabloii.net)

"Those devils! This time they've gone too far!"

Goober the Grape returned from a hunt only to find her home ransacked. Broken glass and charred furniture was all that remained of her once beautiful stone cottage.

As she descended the steps to her stash, despair set in. "

Oh no."

It was empty, save for a single +1 staff of Firebolts. Her first magical staff from when she was a young child, before she even knew a single spell by heart.

It was then that she realized they'd stolen her memories as well. She couldn't remember a single enchantment or conjuration.

The one thing she still remembered was a list. The names of every single demon who was responsible, searing in her mind white hot.

In a rage, she grabbed her childhood staff and stormed up the stairs and out into the night.

"Pindleskin, Stormtree, Rakanishu...prepare yourself. I'm coming to claim what's mine!"

***Welcome to the "Super Unique" Tournament!***

The concept of this tournament is to kill every Super Unique monster in the game, and take back your loot!

Disclaimer: This tournament is for fun only! There will be no prizes.

The Rules!

1. HC or SC, both are acceptable. Yes, full SC. This is for fun!
2. Any version of LoD is accepted, but no Classic.
3. MP is accepted, but try to avoid rerunning areas.
4. RWM/RRM/Atma/Gomule (I think these are now called FAM mods?) are all okay.
5. When in doubt, do whatever is fun to you. It's a GAME

The Challenge!

*You may only equip items dropped by Super Unique monsters or Act Bosses* with the following exceptions:

- You may equip the very first weapon you start the game with
- You may equip items given to you by quests, such as Ormus's ring
- You may also equip items imbued by Charsi's quest, socketed by Larzuk, or personalized by Anya.
- You may use charms but only if they were dropped by an SU
- You may use any items dropped by SU's in any cube recipe
- Mercenaries follow same equip rules as players
- You may use gems and runes freely but only in items that already meet the above criteria.
- Consumable items such as potions and arrows may be used freely without restriction.

The Heroes!

Since this is the "Super Unique" tournament, you should be playing a "Super Unique" character! This means no Meteorbs, Hammerdins, Javazons, WW barbs, or Fishymancers.But since this is also about having fun, do whatever the heck you want. Just try to play something you've never played and have some fun with it.

Playing this tourney SC will of course be a more forgiving game, so I recommend you try a much harder character build and really make it "Super Unique!"

The Villains!

You get one point per Super Unique killed. There are 60 per difficulty, for a total of 180 points.

Below is a list of all qualifying monsters (Super Uniques, or SU's):

Act I

Corpsefire
Bishibosh
Blood Raven
Bonebreak
Coldcrow
Rakanishu
Treehead Woodfist
Griswold
The Countess
Pitspawn Fouldog
Bone Ash
The Smith
Andariel
The Cow King

Act II

Radament
Bloodwitch the Wild
Fangskin
Beetleburst
Coldworm the Burrower
Fire Eye
Dark Elder
The Summoner
Ancient Kaa the Soulless
Creeping Feature
Duriel

Act III

Witch Doctor Endugu
Stormtree
Battlemaid Sarina
Icehawk Riftwing
Sszark the Burning
Ismail Vilehand
Geleb Flamefinger
Toorc Icefist
Wyand Voidbringer
Maffer Dragonhand
Bremm Sparkfist
Mephisto

Act IV

Izual
Hephasto the Armorer
Infector of Souls
Grand Vizier of Chaos
Lord De Seis
Diablo

Act V

Dac Farren
Shenk the Overseer
Eldritch the Rectifier
Thresh Socket
Eyeback the Unleashed
Sharptooth Slayer
Frozenstein
Bonesaw Breaker
Snapchip Shatter
Pindleskin
Nihlathak
Colenzo the Annihilator
Achmel the Cursed
Bartuc the Bloody
Ventar the Unholy
Lister the Tormentor
Baal

FAQ:

Q: So I can use any item that I find for the Charsi imbue quest?
A: Yes, any item you find with your tournament character. I'll use an example. Say my tournament character finds a Pike on a regular monster, not a Super Unique or Act Boss. Normally I would not be able to equip it due to the rules of this tournament. But if I use Charsi's imbue on it, then it becomes a "Super Unique item" and I may equip it freely. Same goes for Larzuk's socket quest or Anya's personalization. This gives you three "free" items per difficulty, and also allows you to build a few runewords which would otherwise be sorely missing.

Q: Can I use runes and gems?
A: Yes you may use any runes and gems you find on any monster, not only SU's. But you may only equip them in items dropped by SU's. So save those gems and runes for cube recipes, modify the items you find on SU's and make them awesome!

Q: Can I use any cube recipe I want?
A: Yes you may use any cube recipe you like. But the equippable item must be dropped by SU's.

Example: 4 Health Potions (of any type) + Ruby (any type) + Magical Sword = A Magic Sword of the Leech. In this case only the sword needs to come from a SU.

Example: Diamond (any quality) + 1 Staff (any type and quality) + 1 Kris (any quality) + 1 Belt (any type and quality) = Savage Polearm Class Weapon. In this case the Staff, Kris, and Belt all need to come from SU's.

You may also turn your SU items into Crafted Items, which are totally awesome: http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Crafting_Recipes

Q: Can you give me any tips on which build to play? You don't really specify in the rules.
A: Do something you've never tried! If you still have no idea what to pick, then might I recommend a few simple characters that fit the title of "Super Unique" while still being able to beat Hell:

Ranged paladin
Tri-elemental sorceress
Poison dagger necromancer
Double throw barb
Fire/passive amazon
Werebear druid
Fire MA/traps assassin

Below is the signup sheet:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial][FONT=courier new]------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0

This tournament will run starting today until March 1, 2013.

Time to take back your loot and become a Super Unique!

Vildecor · Sep 19, 2022

srrw said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            ????           ????         HC       Rogue Encampment        0

I'll start when I decide what build to play.

djmbbandie said:

Rich (BB code):

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            ????           ????         HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Rogue Encampment        0

In with a zeal+holy shock combo. Wonder what I'll get...

Edit: I assume the players 8 command is allowed, correct?

srrw said:

Rich (BB code):

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Rogue Encampment        0

FO/TS/FW it is.

Morathi said:
Awesome idea! Sounds very similar to a tourney made a few years ago.

I am in with a HC Barbarian named Ced, going to invest in high level find item, for some double SU drops hehehe . Lets just hope i can successfully hork them lol. Build will probably evolve to be a Berserker barb...but i guess we shall see how it all pans out.

Someone add me to the table please .

QUESTION: Are we free to re-visit old acts to complete quest rewards? Didn't see this mentioned in the OP.

GooberGrape said:
Players 8 is allowed.

Saving quest rewards is allowed. However try to avoid rerunning areas/bosses when revisiting old areas.

Clever idea on the horking, I'll allow it

djmbbandie said:
Rich (BB code):

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Rogue Encampment 0 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 0 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Ced Barbarian HC Rogue Encampment 0

From the Diary of Electro:

I need a belt (sash, light belt), anything from an SU will do. Also, a bow would be nice for Annor

Corpsefire- rare throwing knife, beryl leather gloves (ethereal)
Bishibosh- buckler of blocking, Fiend claw leather gloves
Coldcrow- Boots of dexterity, septic hand axe
Blood Raven – Sharp large axe (ethereal), Gale Guard preserved head
Bonebreaker – Gale Mantle (ethereal) Quilted Armor, Skull Scratch Dagger

Electro the future Tesladin, with Annor the not equipped at all fire rogue, level 11 in the Cold Plains. Next Up: Stony Field

SunsetVista said:

I'm in with a Rabies druid with wolf backup. SC in case I have to take a break and come back to it.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Rogue Encampment        0

wakiki said:
I really like the simplicity and balance of these rules. I may enter with a HC Enchantress. I'll post updates when/if I start.

SunsetVista said:
Off to a good but somewhat slow start. Can't complain much about my super unique drops so far. I hired a fire rogue when I hit lvl 8, but she's only wearing a hat.

Corpsefire - Sturdy Cap + Katar
Bishibosh - Wand of the Leech + Rare Club (Glyph Song)
Coldcrow - Buckler of Remedy + Triumphant Club
Blood Raven - Skull Cap of Light + Shimmering Small Shield of Remedy
Bonebreaker - Rare Sash (Soul Cord) + Crimson Leather Gloves
Rakanishu - Jagged Scimitar + Sturdy Skull Cap

-----
Glyph Song
Club
One Hand Damage: 1 - 7
Durability: 21 of 24
Required Level: 3
Fingerprint: 0x2fe4e8d0
Item Level: 5
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 1 Amplify Damage on striking
28% Enhanced Damage
+209% Damage to Undead
+49 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 1 - 2 Fire Damage
+1 to Mana after each Kill
-----
Soul Cord
Sash
Defense: 3
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 3
Fingerprint: 0x251d0b2f
Item Level: 5
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+28% Enhanced Defense
+1 to Strength
+4 to Life
+5 to Mana
+5 Maximum Stamina
-----

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Rogue Encampment 0 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 0 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Ced Barbarian HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Stony Field 6

Garruk, Rabies Wolf, lvl 13, Stony Field, Underground Passage Next

Oh, and I do have one more question. I found a jewel in a chest. May I use it in a crafting recipe, or do crafting jewels have to come from super uniques?

nepeta said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Stony Field             6
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Stony Field             6
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Rogue Encampment        1

kstuart said:
Started several days ago but i was tired and couldn't be bothered going beyond the den for the CP WP...

Corpsefire gave me Azure cap of energy and rare boots (LR 5% PR 5% Dex +1 Def +13% and rep dur 1 per 33sec)

Gonna be a fanazealer not that i have a clue how to build one.... Part of the challenge i suppose

GooberGrape said:
Jewels follow same rules as runes and gems. You may loot them off any monster or chest.

felixbavaria said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Stony Field             6
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Rogue Encampment        1
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0

I'm entering with some kind of assassin. Resists are going to be a problem especially in Normal, so I'm leaning towards a build focussing on passive skills. I suppose respecs are allowed within reason?

srrw said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Rogue Encampment 0 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Ced Barbarian HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Stony Field 6 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Rogue Encampment 1 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0

Drops so far:

Coprsefire - Hand Axe of Flame, Short Bow of Worth
Bishibosh - Buckler of Blocking, Jagged Javelin
Blood Raven - Small Shield of Warding, Buckler of the Jackal, Light Crossbow of the Leech, Vicious Throwing Knife
Bonebreaker - Quilted Armor of Strenght, Iron Dagger of Flame
Coldcrow - Club of Blight, Cap of Energy

The rogue is killing everything for now with the assist of frost nova. Slow and steady.
Good thing is that Griswold drops socketed skull caps almost every time and I hope I'll score one

I also changed my mind on the build. Ditched the firewall for CL. So the final skill build should be something like FO/CL/TS.

Can we use fulminating/gas potions?

GooberGrape said:
Respecs are allowed per standard 1.13 game mechanics. Obviously if you're playing an older version you're out of luck.

Fulminating/gas potions are allowed as long as you don't abuse the repair bug. You can throw what you find on any corpse, but when they're gone they're gone.

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment        0
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Stony Field             6
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0

Blood Raven dropped town portal scroll and potions only.... Bonebreak did drop two yellows though however but alas one was boots worse than i already had care of Corspey.

Also pondering how in gods name i'll kill Duriel with what is gonna be naff equipment lol

GooberGrape said:
In case I didn't make it clear, you can loot and sell any item. Otherwise it would be nearly impossible to afford merc resurrection, repairs, scrolls, etc. You can only *equip* items dropped by SU's.

SunsetVista said:
Garruk has made it to the Inner Cloister. Rabies is fun, despite my low mana pool. I have 2 Dire Wolves backing me up, Rawr.

Treehead Woodfist - Rare Skull Cap (Bitter Crest) + Bronze Bardiche of Blight
Griswold - Sturdy Studded Leather + white hand axe + white scimitar
Ring from Akara - 2 dex
Countess - Tal rune, Iron Trident of Worth, white spear
The Smith - Sturdy Heavy Gloves of Dexterity, 2os Hard Leather Armor
Pitspawn Fouldog - Rare Wolf Head (Cruel Hood), Small Shield of the Jackal

-----
Bitter Crest
Skull Cap
Defense: 14
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 15
Fingerprint: 0x9a704653
Item Level: 8
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Charged Bolt when struck
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+18% Enhanced Defense
+3 to Energy
+2 to Light Radius
-----
Cruel Hood
Wolf Head
Defense: 13
Durability: 12 of 20
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 16
Fingerprint: 0x668b929e
Item Level: 14
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+1 to Werewolf (Druid Only)
+16% Enhanced Defense
+5 to Energy
+4 to Life
Fire Resist +13%
Poison Resist +6%
-----
Notable Finds (not from SU)
plain Wolf Head
Hsarus's Iron Stay

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Rogue Encampment 0 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Ced Barbarian HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Inner Cloister 11 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0

Garruk the Rabies Wolf, lvl 19, Inner Cloister, Saving up Fulminating Potions for Andariel

Vildecor · Sep 19, 2022

GooberGrape said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               6
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Inner Cloister         11
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0

Strawberry is steamrolling the early game with Poison Javelins. I'm really grateful that the Amazon starts with a Javelin, this would have been a real PITA otherwise. Hoping to upgrade to Plague Javelins soon for stinky cloud pwnage.

SunsetVista said:

Fixing table since we updated at the same time.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               6
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Ced            Barbarian    HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Inner Cloister          11
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0

Morathi said:
I have decided to put aside Ced for the time being and re-enter with an Assassin by the name of Layla. She hopes to be a Phoenix Striker, a build i have always wanted to try out. I think this build is far more suited to this type of tournament, given her real power comes from her skills with less reliance on her equipment.

This should be fun!

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Inner Cloister 11 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0

Bogan said:
I'm in with Sarra, who hopes to become a Frozen Orb / Thunderstorm build.

Bloodraven dropped this little beauty..

Ghoul Impaler
Spear
Two-Hand Damage: 4 to 25
Durability: 15 of 30
Required Dexterity: 20
Required Level: 6
Spear Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0xad72c28d
+47% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Attack Rating
+3 to Maximum Damage
+7 poison damage over 3 seconds
5% Life stolen per hit

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Inner Cloister 11 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4

felixbavaria said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Inner Cloister 11 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Dark Wood 8 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4

Currently wielding a magic Bardiche from Blood Raven with useless mods, which is bound to be rerolled for an Act II merc if nothing better drops. Bonebreaker gave us a rare sash and a magic short bow with +1 max damage, hurray.

I'm still unsure about the build (currently focussing on TS) but this is what respecs are for. I'd like to make a fire kicker but have to find some boots first. I had placed a few points in Fire Claws but it's not quite as powerful as it used to be with only one claw. Armor would also be nice, not used to getting hit by critters in A1N, normally my characters wear a Ring Mail at this stage.

Akara gave a 7% MF ring, yay.

SunsetVista said:
Decided to update even though I will probably play some more and update again.
Andariel was defeated with no problems on /players 1. Her most notable drop was a Ruby. I hope to craft some blood gloves soon to help with Duriel.
Garruk has his 3 Dire Wolves and 3 points in Rabies with some help from Radament's skill book. Mahala the fire rogue retired with honor and was replaced by a Prayer merc wielding that bardiche from Treehead Woodfist. Rabies is fun. I hope to find a weapon with Hit Causes Monster to Flee.

Bone Ash - Rare Fanged Helm (Shadow Brow), Light Crossbow of Measure
Andariel - Short Bow of Dexterity, Rare Mace (Storm Star)
Radament - Maiden Javelin, Clasped Orb, Belt of Remedy (Hurray 3 potion rows!)

-----
Shadow Brow
Fanged Helm
Defense: 28
Durability: 30 of 35
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 35
Fingerprint: 0x353ed57d
Item Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Frost Nova when struck
+34% Enhanced Defense
+6 to Energy
+5 to Life
Fire Resist +12%
+1 to Light Radius
-----
Storm Star
Mace
One Hand Damage: 3 - 10
Durability: 34 of 60
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 27
Fingerprint: 0x61372a32
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Fire Bolt on attack
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+53 to Attack Rating
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
-----

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Lut Gholein 14 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Dark Wood 8 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4

Garruk the lvl 21 Rabies Wolf, ready to hunt Bloodwitch the Wild and Creeping Feature

Cygnus said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Lut Gholein 14 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Dark Wood 8 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8

Diana enters the fray. She'll be a Power Strike / Lightning Strike / Lightning Bolt Spear/Javelin Amazon with a Valkyrie backup.

Cain has been rescued, Griswold is dead. The Countess is next on the hit-list. Usable drops so far have been a Javelin, a buckler, a cap, boots, several Quilted and Hard Leather armors, and Akara's magical ring. I've equipped what I can and stashed the rest. I'll worry about cube recipes later. Come to think of it, this may be the first time I have equipped Akara's reward. All magic drops so far, not a single rare. Only useful items of the lot are two that give +mana. Diana is heavily reliant on the blue stuff ... 30-40 mana is good for about 10 Power Strike pokes. On the bright side, damage is high. I don't see any real problems before Duriel.

Much needed: a belt. 3 rows ideally, but 2 will do. I may have to learn to fight with the inventory screen open.

Diana, level 14 (I think) LS/PS amazon, Dark Wood waypoint.

SunsetVista said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Dark Wood 6 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Kurast Docks 24 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Dark Wood 8 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8

Creeping Feature - Iron Broad Axe of Measure, Crystal Sword of Craftsmanship
Bloodwitch the Wild - Sturdy Large Shield, Deadly Axe
Beetleburst - Short Spear of Frost, Ocher Heavy Gloves (16 lit res)
Dark Elder - Broad Axe of Readiness, Rare 2H Sword (Bone Cleaver)
Fangskin - Rare Broadsword (Doom Needle), Rare Eth Morning Star (Grim Breaker)
Coldworm - Heavy Boots of Charged Bolt, chipped topaz
Fire Eye - Russet Helm (14 fire res), Rare Short Spear (Dire Bar)
The Summoner - Dirk of the Leech and mana potions
Ancient Kaa the Soulless - Crimson Mace of Ease and Victorious Throwing Axe of the Icicle
Duriel - Unique Broad Axe (Goreshovel), Unique Dirk (the Diggler), Rare Kite Shield (Hailstone Ward), Rare Blade (Brimstone Song), Rare Cestus, Mace of the Bat

Printouts of Rares:

Code:

----- Bone Cleaver Two-Handed Sword One Hand Damage: 2 - 21 Two Hand Damage: 10 - 31 Durability: 29 of 44 Required Level: 14 Required Strength: 35 Required Dexterity: 27 Fingerprint: 0xffa2a0af Item Level: 20 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 34% Enhanced Damage +9 to Maximum Damage +1 to Strength Cold Resist +5% +1 to Mana after each Kill Level 1 Teeth (4/22 Charges) ----- Doom Needle Broad Sword One Hand Damage: 11 - 16 Durability: 24 of 32 Required Level: 9 Required Strength: 48 Fingerprint: 0x16df1b16 Item Level: 21 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 11% Enhanced Damage Adds 4 - 1 Damage +17 to Attack Rating Fire Resist +6% ----- Grim Breaker Morning Star One Hand Damage: 11 - 27 Durability: 37 of 37 Required Level: 11 Required Strength: 26 Fingerprint: 0xd574400a Item Level: 21 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 14% Enhanced Damage +150% Damage to Undead Adds 3 - 9 Fire Damage Adds 1 - 7 Lightning Damage 4% Mana stolen per hit Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25% Ethereal ----- Dire Bar Short Spear Throw Damage: 13 - 26 One Hand Damage: 3 - 15 Quantity: 30 Required Level: 9 Required Strength: 40 Required Dexterity: 40 Fingerprint: 0x10d3c418 Item Level: 21 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 21% Enhanced Damage +1 to Minimum Damage +38 to Attack Rating Adds 1 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames) 5% Life stolen per hit Lightning Resist +5% +1 to Mana after each Kill ----- Hailstone Ward Kite Shield Defense: 23 Chance to Block: 18 Durability: 16 of 30 Required Level: 10 Required Strength: 47 Fingerprint: 0x416bfb34 Item Level: 22 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +15% Faster Block Rate 10% Increased Chance of Blocking +25% Enhanced Defense +1 to Strength +11 to Mana Poison Resist +13% Poison Length Reduced by 25% ----- Brimstone Song Blade One Hand Damage: 4 - 24 Durability: 60 of 72 Required Level: 12 Required Strength: 35 Required Dexterity: 51 Fingerprint: 0x2b2583d2 Item Level: 22 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 19% Enhanced Damage +7 to Maximum Damage +46 to Attack Rating Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames) Level 1 Dim Vision (28/67 Charges) -----

Notable Finds List (Not from SU's):

Code:

plain Wolf Head Hsarus's Iron Stay Infernal Cranium Nef rune in Cata 3 Rare ring with 16mf wolf head with +3 lycanthropy Howling Long Staff of Icebolt Civerb's Ward Treads of Cthon 19 chipped rubies + ruby from Andariel + cube + gem shrine = perfect ruby to craft blood gloves with using gloves from The Smith! berserker's headgear 24mf amulet angelic mantle Cruel Casque (rare antlers with HoW and Rabies) Berserker's Hatchet

Blood gloves crafted just before Duriel (sadly the lvl requirement is too high just yet, heavy gloves from the Smith):
-----
Grim Clutches
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 5
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 34
Fingerprint: 0x45ca6c3
Item Level: 20
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Attack Rating
3% Life stolen per hit
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+1 to Strength
+18 to Life
20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----

Act 2 was no problem. Rabies took out swarms of beetles while the 3 dire wolves and prayer merc tanked. I used the 3 chipped gems cube recipe to reroll the merc's bardiche from Treehead Woodfist to not have poison damage on it. Now it's an Iron Bardiche of Quality. I really appreciated the 1 mpk and chance to cast amp on the rare club that Bishibosh dropped. Rabies took care of Duriel too while the wolves distracted him. I went back to town a few times to recast the wolves. But my Duriel drop was incredible, so now I am using the Diggler and Goreshovel on future 4 point fury switch.

Garruk, lvl 28 Rabies Wolf, Kurast Docks, looking forward to a ring from Ormus

GooberGrape said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Lut Gholein            14
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Kurast Docks           24
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8

Down goes Andariel. She dropped me a Crushflange, which is maybe useful??? Otherwise I'm still using the white Javelins I started with. Picked up an act 2 prayer merc since neither of us have any leech. So far so good, no deaths yet. Looking forward to getting my cube.

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Lut Gholein            14
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8

Mephisto down! I was surprised that Rabies worked on him. Greaves with 17 fire res from Trav council will definitely help with Diablo. I hope to make it to 34 before then to equip my crafted blood gloves, but I think it is unlikely. Rabies is still fun. I have a point in grizzly but I'm still using the wolves. No deaths so far, closest NDE was Normal Summoner when I only had 5 cold resist.

List of Drops/Finds/Rares from Act 3:

Code:

Szark the Burning - Heraldic Shield, Chainmail of Equilibrium
Ormus Ring - Plague Master
Witch Doctor Endugu - greaves of remedy, preserved head, rare tower shield (Plague Ward), ethereal Poleaxe of Worth
Stormtree - Long Bow of Flame, Glorious Light Belt
Battlemaid Sarina - Sturdy Mask, Brutal Balanced Knife of Gore
Icehawk Riftwing - Rare Antlers (Blood Casque), Scale Mail of Light
Council in Trav - Crystal Sword of Worth, Battle Axe of Frost, Giant Sword of the Bat, Russet Greaves (17 fire res), Rare Pilum (Plague Goad)
Council in Durance - Mace of Worth, Sharp Voulge, Massive 2H Sword, Gargoyle Head, Rare Bastard Sword (Soul Song)
Mephisto - Rare Voulge (Cruel Impaler), Rare Heavy Crossbow (Storm Flight), Rare Sabre (Viper Spike), Rare Heavy Belt (Soul Strap), Throwing Axe of Carnage

Rare Printouts:
-----
Plague Master
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x52cfb302
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+12 Maximum Stamina
Fire Resist +12%
Poison Resist +7%
-----
Plague Ward
Tower Shield
Defense: 35
Chance to Block: 34
Durability: 50 of 60
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 75
Fingerprint: 0x6b6d0c2e
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Faster Block Rate
10% Increased Chance of Blocking
+35% Enhanced Defense
Damage Reduced by 1
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
-----
Blood Casque
Antlers
Defense: 29
Durability: 17 of 20
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0xf4bb5eb1
Item Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+1 to Twister (Druid Only)
+17% Enhanced Defense
+4 to Energy
Fire Resist +12%
Poison Resist +15%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
-----
Plague Goad
Pilum
Throw Damage: 11 - 32
One Hand Damage: 6 - 14
Quantity: 50
Required Level: 13
Required Dexterity: 45
Fingerprint: 0x5cfe06b9
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
64% Enhanced Damage
+45 to Attack Rating
Adds 2 - 8 Fire Damage
Replenishes quantity
-----
Soul Song
Bastard Sword
One Hand Damage: 9 - 26
Two Hand Damage: 28 - 39
Durability: 25 of 40
Required Level: 8
Required Strength: 62
Fingerprint: 0x355fa9d3
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
42% Enhanced Damage
+64 to Attack Rating
+1 to Strength
-----
Cruel Impaler
Voulge
Two Hand Damage: 12 - 28
Durability: 49 of 50
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xaf607241
Item Level: 26
Version: Expansion 1.10+
37% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Minimum Damage
+74 to Attack Rating
+**% Damage to Undead
+140 to Attack Rating against Undead
-----
Storm Flight
Heavy Crossbow
Two Hand Damage: 17 - 36
Durability: 34 of 50
Required Level: 5
Required Strength: 60
Required Dexterity: 40
Fingerprint: 0x924b49b
Item Level: 26
Version: Expansion 1.10+
24% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Maximum Damage
4% Mana stolen per hit
-----
Viper Spike
Sabre
One Hand Damage: 4 - 11
Durability: 25 of 32
Required Level: 15
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 25
Fingerprint: 0x89226ff3
Item Level: 26
Version: Expansion 1.10+
38% Enhanced Damage
+55 to Attack Rating
+25% Damage to Undead
+47 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
6% Life stolen per hit
Knockback
+1 to Mana after each Kill
-----
Soul Strap
Heavy Belt
Defense: 8
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0x9ca0cf04
Item Level: 26
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+20% Enhanced Defense
+15 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +10%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----

Finds (not from SU's):
white circlet
Gorefoot
isenhart's lightbrand
3os breast plate
white antlers
Shadowfang

Garruk, lvl 32 Rabies Wolf, Pandemonium Fortress, looking forward to a drop from Izual(that's never happened before)

Morathi said:
Layla had a nice and swift journey through Act 1 thanks to her firey claws of destruction . Little stood in our way as Layla, aided by her Shadow and Kyle the Fire Rogue, destroyed all in their path without breaking a sweat.

Andariel was taken down quicker than I have ever experienced!!! I swear the fight lasted maybe 30 seconds even on p/8…FIST OF FIRE POWER!!!! Her drop, aided us with a few nice upgrades, much needed if you ask me, given how stingy the other S/U’s have been this act. I thought I took a screenshot but it seemed to have failed….anyway, her drop provided us with rare gloves, which replaced some normal quality ones, a rare belt (was running around belt-less so much appreciated) and the shield was mildly better than the rare one already equipped so replaced her current one.

Here is a current breakdown of Layla’s gear:

Helm : 2 soc Skull cap, filled with 2x chipped topaz’s
Amulet: Amulet of the Apprentice (10% faster cast rate)
Weapon: Starter Katar (YES STILL WEARING MY STARTER KATAR!!)
Shield: Rare Large Shield
Weapon Switch: Sharp Javelins + Rare Buckle
Gloves: Rare Heavy Gloves
Belt: Rare Light Belt
Ring 1: Empty
Ring 2: Azure Ring of Charged Bolt
Boots: Boots of Self-Repair

Happy that I was able to at least get some magic find on Layla with the helm…going to need to try and acquire some more if I want to have any chance of getting decent items.

Layla the aspiring Phoenix Striker, level 20, Act 2 Normal, Lut Gholein, points = 13

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Lut Gholein            14
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister             9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8

Quick question

Being the chest behind The Countess is only opened once on completing that quest and only when she is killed is it considered part of her drop or not? It has some items i wouldn't mind using but only if its acceptable. no worse than horking IMO

GooberGrape said:
kstuart said:

Quick question

Being the chest behind The Countess is only opened once on completing that quest and only when she is killed is it considered part of her drop or not? It has some items i wouldn't mind using but only if its acceptable. no worse than horking IMO

Click to expand...

Just the Countess herself. Although if the screen fills full of blues and you can't sort out who dropped what, just grab any two items and call it close enough.

Sint Nikolaas said:

Right.

Hydra/something.. haven't decided yet. Good luck all.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Lut Gholein            14
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister          9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0

GooberGrape said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister          9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0

Duriel went down after about five minutes, just poison, run away, poison, run away. Finally found my first blue javelin in Act 3 on Sszark, yay! Next up, Flayer Jungle...

Strawberry, level 26 poison amazon, Act 3 Docks.

Sint Nikolaas said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Outer Cloister 9 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Dark Wood 8 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Stony Field 5

I killed the first 5 SU's by whacking them to death. Not much a sorc can do with that limited mana. I pretty much spent a single point in every skill available (lvl 11 right now), thinking of going a cold route along with the hydra's.
So far the SU's dropped some useful stuff, I'm wearing an armor, gloves and a ring and got a rare scimitar to hit around with. Also my merc has a bow, so I'm grateful for that. She was a load of help with Coldcrow.

BeenAway, lvl 11 HydraSorc, Act 1 Stony Field.

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Harrogath              42
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister          9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Stony Field             5

Also updated Morathi's entry...

Diablo down. Kited him around and kept rabies up. Had all of 5 lightning resist, so it was a bit intense. The low lightning res meant that I couldn't melee with my crushing blow gloves even though I wanted to. Still no deaths. 14 points in Rabies, 9 Poison Creeper, 3 Dire Wolves, 4 Fury.

SU drops and Finds for Act IV:

Code:

Izual - Sturdy Greaves, War Axe of Flame, Falchion of Slaying, Jagged Brandistock
Hephasto - Rare Antlers (Raven Brow), Bone Shield of Balance, Axe of Alacrity, Brandistock of Quality, White Crystal Sword (ilvl 32)
Infector of Souls - Azure Brandistock, Mask of Remedy
Lord de Seis - War Axe of Maiming, Ethereal Scythe of Firebolts
Grand Vizier of Chaos - War Spear of Blight, Fine War Scythe of Gore
Diablo - Rare Antlers (Bitter Crest), Rare Bastard Sword (Viper Spike), Sigon's Visor, Steelgoad, Rare Maiden Javelin, Barbed Club of Fire

-----
Raven Brow
Antlers
Defense: 29
Durability: 16 of 20
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0x4dc2f9ba
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Heart of Wolverine (Druid Only)
+16% Enhanced Defense
+1 to Energy
Fire Resist +8%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
+1 to Light Radius
-----
Bitter Crest
Antlers
Defense: 24
Durability: 12 of 20
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0x708391a0
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
35% Bonus to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
+1 to Volcano (Druid Only)
+1 to Spirit of Barbs (Druid Only)
+1 to Summon Grizzly (Druid Only)
+1 to Energy
+17 to Life
Poison Resist +19%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
-----
Viper Spike
Bastard Sword
One Hand Damage: 11 - 31
Two Hand Damage: 33 - 47
Durability: 36 of 40
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 62
Fingerprint: 0x22431066
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
68% Enhanced Damage
+91 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 4 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+2 to Strength
-----

Notable finds not from SU:
white crystal sword from City of the Damned (ilvl 30)
Normal Hellforge = Ral
White circlet (ilvl 30)

Garruk, lvl 35 Rabies Wolf, Harrogath
my inner paladin says, "Baal, I'm coming for you!"

Twibz said:
Will join with a Ranged Enchantress when i return home tonight, this sounds good

This is the kind of tourney im sure Jiansonz would love

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Rogue Encampment(NM)   59
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister          9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Stony Field             5

Normal is complete, including the Cow Level. In my greed, I decided to run Baal's minions on /players 3 to increase their drop odds. I could not kill Lister with nearly maxed Rabies on /p3, so I parked him. 59 points.

SU drops and Finds for Act V and Cow Level:

Code:

Dac Farren - Rare Wrist Blade, Chain Gloves of Restoration
Shenk the Overseer - Stout Small Charm (ilvl 36), Bone Helm of Energy
Eldritch the Rectifier - Iron Composite Bow, Studded Leather of Nova Shield
Sharptooth Slayer - Rare Platemail (Wraith Cloak), Soldier's Military Pick of Measure
Eyeback the Unleashed - Rare Mummified Trophy, Brandistock of the Leech
Thresh Socket - Warrior's Grand Scepter of Worth, Crimson Chain Mail
Bonesaw Breaker - ethereal Bronze Halberd, Unearthly Giant Sword
Frozenstein - ethereal Vicious Battle Dart, Platinum Battle Dart of Quality
Anya Pelt - rare wolf head (Skull Shell)
Pindleskin - Brandistock of Gore, Bone Helm of Self Repair
Nihlathak - Entrapping Claws of Quickness, Azure War Javelin of Blight, Crown Shield, Jawbone Cap
Snapchip Shatter - Mechanic's Platemail of the Fox (1 socket), Skull Cap of Restoration
Colenzo - Russet Chain Mail of the Colossus
Achmel - Scale Mail of Protection
Bartuc - Silver Crossbow
Ventar - Broad Axe of the Glacier
Lister - nothing, parked him
Baal - Unique Rune Scepter (Zakarum's Hand), Rare Scimitar (Skull Edge), Rare Morning Star (Blood Crack), Rare 2H Sword (Corpse Edge), Ethereal Pestilent Morning Star of Measure, Ethereal Victorious Spetum of Fireball
The Cow King - Rare Ethereal Small Shield (Storm Tower), Rare Small Shield (Storm Shield), Rare Trident (Glyph Lance), Short Sword of Slaying, Russet Light Belt of Self Repair

Rare Printouts:
-----
Wraith Cloak
Plate Mail
Defense: 149
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x50d8667a
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+28% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +9%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Skull Shell
Wolf Head
Defense: 21
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 16
Fingerprint: 0xbc409423
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+15 to Attack Rating
+1 to Volcano (Druid Only)
+77% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Energy
Cold Resist +27%
Poison Resist +10%
+1 to Light Radius
-----
Skull Edge
Scimitar
One Hand Damage: 2 - 42
Durability: 18 of 22
Required Level: 38
Required Dexterity: 21
Fingerprint: 0x8354641a
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Increased Attack Speed
+1 to Maximum Damage
+35 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
Adds 1 - 3 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
-----
Blood Crack
Morning Star
One Hand Damage: 12 - 31
Durability: 63 of 72
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 36
Fingerprint: 0xb4757395
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
78% Enhanced Damage
+3 to Maximum Damage
+19 to Attack Rating
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 1 - 2 Fire Damage
-----
Corpse Edge
Two-Handed Sword
One Hand Damage: 3 - 16
Two Hand Damage: 14 - 30
Durability: 43 of 44
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 27
Fingerprint: 0xedfa30f9
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
78% Enhanced Damage
+82 to Attack Rating
Adds 100 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Level 1 Vengeance (9/22 Charges)
-----
Storm Tower
Small Shield
Defense: 22
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 9 of 9
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 10
Fingerprint: 0x8f612722
Item Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+39% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +7%
Poison Resist +20%
Attacker Takes Damage of 1
Requirements -20% Ethereal
-----
Storm Shield
Small Shield
Defense: 10
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 9 of 16
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 22
Fingerprint: 0x897f01f3
Item Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +11%
Fire Resist +5%
Poison Resist +26%
Half Freeze Duration
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
-----
Glyph Lance
Trident
Two Hand Damage: 13 - 15
Durability: 22 of 35
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 38
Required Dexterity: 24
Fingerprint: 0x26283d46
Item Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+4 to Minimum Damage
+49 to Attack Rating
4% Mana stolen per hit
4% Life stolen per hit
+1 to Mana after each Kill
-----

Notable Finds (Not from SU's):
white plated belt (ilvl 32)
white poleaxe (ilvl 31)
superior ethereal serpentskin armor
white circlet (ilvl 31)
bloodfist
Soul Harvest
dragon's ring of the leech (40/4%)
coral amulet of the bat
Glyph Fringe Rare plated belt with fire and lightning res
3os Antlers with +3 Shockwave
white ghost armor (ilvl 35)
white Partizan (ilvl 40)
cathan's seal
angelic sickle
isenhart's case
angelic mantle #2
white serpentskin armor (ilvl 36)
tancred's crowbill
wyrm's amulet of negation
shael rune (rhyme, here we come)
2 socket bone shield (shopped from Drognan)
white antlers

Imbue:
Normal: Antlers from the cow level at lvl 48.  Result = junk

Socket:
Normal: ilvl 40 white partizan for merc Insight
-----
Insight
Partizan
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 121 - 247
Durability: 65 of 65
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 113
Required Dexterity: 67
Fingerprint: 0x7266baa5
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 15 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
230% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
198% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+1 to Critical Strike
All Stats +5
+2 to Mana after each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
-----

Personalize:
Normal: 2 socket bone shield for Rhyme

Slayer Garruk, lvl 48 Rabies Wolf, the nightmare begins

kstuart said:
Meh Smith dropped me 2 claws....

One a failed set and the other a failed unique just for added lulz

Now erm do we have to have a SU drop whatever item we get Charsi to Imbue or can it be any item whatsoever be it dropped by something else or bought from a vendor? I would assume the later as SU's dropping non magical items is kinda rare

Vildecor · Sep 19, 2022

GooberGrape said:
kstuart said:

Meh Smith dropped me 2 claws....

One a failed set and the other a failed unique just for added lulz

Now erm do we have to have a SU drop whatever item we get Charsi to Imbue or can it be any item whatsoever be it dropped by something else or bought from a vendor? I would assume the later as SU's dropping non magical items is kinda rare

Click to expand...

Charsi imbue can be any item dropped by anything. It's one of your "freebies". I intend to save mine for an ethereal Pike

SunsetVista said:
Question: Can I combine the ring from Akara with 2 rings I find (not from SU) to make an amulet that I can wear?

GooberGrape said:
SunsetVista said:

Question: Can I combine the ring from Akara with 2 rings I find (not from SU) to make an amulet that I can wear?

Click to expand...

No.

10 chars.

SunsetVista said:
Ah, I thought that was the case. Thanks for the clarification!

kstuart said:
But if you get 3 rings dropped by SU's however its ok i presume?

Now to go progress towards the cathedral and hunting for a nice white weapon to imbue, anything is better than a 2-7 damage scimitar with a little LL at this point..... Forever having to portal back to repair the bloody thing.

Sint Nikolaas said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Rogue Encampment(NM)   59
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Outer Cloister          9
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10

Cruising through act 1 with my merc doing most damage. I run ahead, freeze everything in sight, static a few mobs and whack away with a scimitar while my merc kills most. Got towards the jail lvl 1 WP. Nothing interesting dropped so far, although a spear with cold dmg is decent for when I get to act 2 and a skullcap with FHR is not bad either.

I'm a bit scared for pitspawn fouldog.

GooberGrape said:
kstuart said:

But if you get 3 rings dropped by SU's however its ok i presume?

Click to expand...

Yeah that's okay. Any *equippable* item needs to come from SU's. You can use gems/jewels/runes from any source.

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Rogue Encampment(NM)   59
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10

Andy was kind and dropped me a nice rare crystal sword which was a failed unique so triple durability \o/ Also got a eth large shield yellow with res all and LR on top.

Now to decide whether to go for the cube first and then do radament and creeping feature to cube the darn gems filling my stash up...

Then spend the rest of act 2 pondering how the heck i'll be killing duriel

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Lut Gholein(NM)        72
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10

NM Andariel has fallen! She was not immune to rabies, which kinda confused me. I was upset with her drop, though. I still have no amulet at all. Garruk is lvl 52. The chance to cast blizzard on Zakarum's Hand is super fun. It probably interrupts fury, but I'm not currently bothered by that. Rabies and Poison Creeper are both maxed, putting a few points into Werewolf next and then focusing on summons. I'd like to use the dire wolves but I'll probably end up using the bear more.... I have negative cold resistance going into Act 2, so I'll need to get that fixed somehow before Duriel.

I used my NM imbue on a circlet. Got a nice life leech hat for the merc:
-----
Cruel Circlet
Circlet
Defense: 41
Durability: 18 of 35
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0xcc18aa09
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Shadow Discipline Skills (Assassin Only)
6% Life stolen per hit
+33% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +22%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Level 2 Poison Dagger (24/25 Charges)
-----

I bought a wand with lower resist charges. I might socket or personalize it so I can use it against Lister and poison resistant things in Hell.
Thanks for the nice boots, Coldcrow! And the 2 socket rare war hat Rakanishu! I put ptopazes in it.

SU drops and other finds for Act 1 NM:

Code:

Corpsefire - rare double axe (Plague Edge), rare balanced axe (Soul Splitter)
Coldcrow - Rare Chain Boots (Loath Trample), Crown Shield
Blood Raven - Ethereal Saintly Mask, Rare War Hammer (Bramble Flange)
Bone Breaker - Rare Grim Wand (Brimstone Star), Rare Glaive (Pain Thirst)
Rakanishu - Steel Dirk, Rare War Hat (Pain Horn)
Treehead Woodfist - Rare Short War Bow (Bramble Branch), Sigon's boots
Griswold - Gravepalm, Claymore of Maiming
Akara Ring #2 - Bitter Knot
Countess - Sol Rune, Rare 2H Sword (Stone Fang), Rare Axe (Beast Cleaver), Vulpine Gothic Shield of Equilibrium, Spiked Shield of the Fox
The Smith - Cloudy Sphere, White Heraldic Shield with 28@res, 2os Blade (in case I ever want to make Strength, I guess)
Pitspawn Fouldog - Angelic Mantle, Rare Great Axe (Bitter Thirst)
Bone Ash - Chain Mail of the Ox, Cudgel of Quality
Andariel - Angelic Mantle, Voulge of Burning, Sounding 2H Sword of Carnage, Rare Bardiche (junk), amethyst

Rare Printouts:
-----
Plague Edge
Double Axe
One Hand Damage: 6 - 18
Durability: 17 of 24
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 35
Fingerprint: 0x667732ab
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
39% Enhanced Damage
+30 to Attack Rating
Requirements -20%
-----
Soul Splitter
Balanced Axe
Throw Damage: 16 - 30
One Hand Damage: 6 - 23
Quantity: 130
Required Level: 18
Required Dexterity: 57
Fingerprint: 0x736df462
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
39% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Maximum Damage
+26% Damage to Undead
+51 to Attack Rating against Undead
6% Mana stolen per hit
Replenishes quantity
-----
Loath Trample
Chain Boots
Defense: 8
Durability: 8 of 16
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0xd821c753
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Heal Stamina Plus 25%
Lightning Resist +32%
Poison Resist +9%
Half Freeze Duration
17% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
-----
Bramble Flange
War Hammer
One Hand Damage: 31 - 66
Durability: 42 of 55
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 38
Fingerprint: 0x6354c8ea
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 8 Fire Bolt on striking
67% Enhanced Damage
+18 to Maximum Damage
+10 to Attack Rating
+207% Damage to Undead
+53 to Attack Rating against Undead
Requirements -30%
-----
Brimstone Star
Grim Wand
One Hand Damage: 5 - 11
Durability: 8 of 15
Required Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xfbd64712
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Necromancer Skill Levels
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 31 - 76 Fire Damage
4% Mana stolen per hit
5% Life stolen per hit
+35 to Mana
-----
Pain Thirst
Glaive
Throw Damage: 28 - 39
One Hand Damage: 8 - 30
Quantity: 29
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 52
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x11c39a77
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
78% Enhanced Damage
7% Mana stolen per hit
5% Life stolen per hit
Knockback
-----
Pain Horn
War Hat
Defense: 46
Durability: 9 of 12
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x20e30aad
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
Lightning Resist +11%
Poison Resist +6%
Poison Length Reduced by 25% 2 Sockets (0 used)
-----
Bramble Branch
Short War Bow
Two Hand Damage: 7 - 26
Durability: 33 of 48
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 55
Fingerprint: 0x88709773
Item Level: 41
Version: Expansion 1.10+
21% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Maximum Damage
+124% Damage to Undead
+138 to Attack Rating against Undead
-----
Bitter Knot
Ring
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x63916c6b
Item Level: 30
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Maximum Damage
5% Bonus to Attack Rating
+10 to Mana
Half Freeze Duration
+6 to Light Radius
-----
Stone Fang
Two-Handed Sword
One Hand Damage: 2 - 22
Two Hand Damage: 8 - 30
Durability: 43 of 44
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 27
Fingerprint: 0x6ba29109
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Increased Attack Speed
+13 to Maximum Damage
+111 to Attack Rating
Adds 6 - 17 Fire Damage
-----
Beast Cleaver
Axe
One Hand Damage: 5 - 14
Durability: 16 of 24
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 32
Fingerprint: 0xae6295de
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
28% Enhanced Damage
+24 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 4 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
4% Mana stolen per hit
Poison Resist +5%
-----
Bitter Thirst
Great Axe
Two Hand Damage: 13 - 65
Durability: 33 of 50
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 63
Required Dexterity: 39
Fingerprint: 0x5d1decdc
Item Level: 44
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Chain Lightning on attack
50% Enhanced Damage
+20 to Maximum Damage
Adds 50 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
-----

Other finds, Not from SU's:
white circlet
vidala's barb
Bverrit keep
rare light plated boots with frw and mf (storm shank)
string of ears from a barrel in the mausoleum
gambled rare circlet with paladin defensive aura skills and life leech (corpse shell)
gambled shimmering circlet of fortune (3@, 17mf)
gambled prismatic circlet (17@)
venom ward
gambled nice necromancer circlet (Gale Crest)
soul harvest #2
angelic halo
+3 armageddon ocher antlers of balance
ethereal 3os mask
iratha's coil
berserker's headgear
frostburn
isenhart's horns
shopped wand of Lower Resist
hsarus's iron heel
2os +1 rabies hawk helm
tangerine antlers of the wolf +3 HoW
Ethereal Impaler (lol)

Slayer Garruk, lvl 52 Rabies Wolf, Lut Gholein(NM), ready to hunt Radament, looking for cold resist

GooberGrape said:
@SunsetVista remember thawing potions add to cold resist, and the duration stacks so 10 potions = 5 minutes

SunsetVista said:
Thanks for the reminder! I thought about it and didn't need antidote pots for Andariel, but if my cold res is still negative for Duriel I will definitely use thawing potions!

Morathi said:
Well managed to get myself killed clearing one of the false tombs . Lightning Beatle boss pack that was Cold Enchanted exploded in a frightening ball of lighting and cold, literally took me from 3/4 life to 0 in a flash! Literally had no time to act, it was that quick...i am guessing Layla ate a bunch of lighting bolts upon death, which caused her life to plummet so quickly...that, or it was a glitch? Having 10 lightning resist and 0 cold resist wouldn't have helped the cause either....

Sucks to go out like this, but i will avenge Layla....this time however i will be re-entering with a Paladin by the name of Arthur. Planning on a Frost/Shock type build, never made one of these before, should be interesting!

felixbavaria said:
felixbavaria said:

That sucks. No points in fade?

LE/CE monsters (or CE beetles) are bugged: they (sometimes?) apply the cold nova damage with each charged bolt they emit.

The D2 source code must really be a mess.

Click to expand...

That sucks. No points in fade?

LE/CE monsters (or CE beetles) are bugged: they (sometimes?) apply the cold nova damage with each charged bolt they emit.

The D2 source code must really be a mess.

Morathi said:
I did have 1 point in fade, but i always run around with BOS due to the convenience of it. Maybe if i had Fade activated Layla may have survived...but her life pool literally vanished in a heart beat after the LE/CE beetle died.

Anyway, Arthur's journey has begun and check out Blood Raven's drop . Will post more about it in my official update at the conclusion of Act 1.

Twibz said:
I think that is probably the best blood raven drop i have ever seen in my d2 life! Congrats

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(NM)       83
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10

Duriel down, thawing potions did help. The false tombs proved more difficult than Duriel himself. I spent a lot of gold ressing the merc in there.
First thing I did on entering Lut Gholein was to hire a Might merc. The extra damage helped, but now without the healing from prayer I drink lots of healing pots.
I encountered a Physical Immune ghost; Rabies took it down very slowly.
Not much in the way of gear upgrades, just 2 things of note: The heavy belt from The Summoner (crafted into Hitpower belt) and that unique Tabar from Duriel. I have a feeling that thing will be a great anti-immune solution.

Crafted Hitpower Belt from NM Summoner:
-----
Dire Chain
Heavy Belt
Defense: 6
Durability: 12 of 18
Required Level: 32
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0xfd98f95f
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+11 to Life
Cold Resist +25%
Attacker Takes Damage of 6
6% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
-----

NDE's so far (no deaths yet):
Normal Summoner: I have only 5 cold resistance. Drank some purples.
Nightmare Cursed Archer Pack stairtrap on Countess Tower 5. Drank some purples.
Nightmare Fire Mage double bosspack in Act 2 sewers. Have only 7 fire resist. Yay full rejuvs.
Nightmare Claw Viper Temple - many charges all at once. Purple pots.

SU drops and other finds for Act 2 NM:

Code:

Radament - Great Sword of Worth, Full Helm of Sorcery
Creeping Feature - Rare Long Battle Bow (Death Quarrel), Large Shield of Equilibrium
Bloodwitch the Wild - Bronze Repeating Crossbow, Twin Axe of Slaying
Beetleburst - rare Voulge (Grim Gutter), rare Fuscina (Dread Wood)
Dark Elder - Rare Cestus, Rare Hurlbat (Eagle Edge)
Coldworm - Rare Gargoyle Head, Battle Axe of Shock
Fangskin - Rare Cinquedas (Imp Horn), Rare Full Helm (Bitter Casque)
Fire Eye - Hawkeye Broadsword of the Locust, Rare Flail (Gale Breaker)
the Summoner - Hsarus's boots, Jade Heavy Belt
Ancient Kaa the Soulless - Rare Giant Axe (Beast Cleaver), Great Helm of the Fox
Duriel- Shamshir of Worth, Rare Fascia, Unique Tabar (Stormrider), Ethereal Sharp Battle Scythe, 2 scrolls of tp

Rare Printouts:
-----
Death Quarrel
Long Battle Bow
Two Hand Damage: 4 - 29
Durability: 22 of 44
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 40
Required Dexterity: 50
Fingerprint: 0xbe121be2
Item Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 1 Amplify Damage on striking
66% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Attack Rating
Adds 3 - 5 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
-----
Grim Gutter
Voulge
Two Hand Damage: 14 - 23
Durability: 28 of 50
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x5bf3f240
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Increased Attack Speed
Adds 8 - 2 Damage
-----
Dread Wood
Fuscina
Two Hand Damage: 23 - 46
Durability: 17 of 35
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 77
Required Dexterity: 25
Fingerprint: 0x22605e6e
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova on striking
25% Enhanced Damage
Adds 21 Poison Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
-----
Eagle Edge
Hurlbat
Throw Damage: 38 - 58
One Hand Damage: 20 - 47
Quantity: 99
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 106
Fingerprint: 0x77332026
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
60% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Maximum Damage
+10 to Attack Rating
Poison Resist +8%
Replenishes quantity
-----
Imp Horn
Cinquedeas
One Hand Damage: 26 - 55
Durability: 21 of 24
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 20
Required Dexterity: 71
Fingerprint: 0x151f766b
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
78% Enhanced Damage
+102 to Attack Rating
Fire Resist +6%
Requirements -20%
-----
Bitter Casque
Full Helm
Defense: 34
Durability: 27 of 30
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 41
Fingerprint: 0xdc157f14
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck
+28% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +16%
Poison Resist +16%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Gale Breaker
Flail
One Hand Damage: 1 - 49
Durability: 27 of 30
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0xaa0344c9
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
98% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage
+64 to Attack Rating
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 1 - 120 Lightning Damage
Prevent Monster Heal
-----
Beast Cleaver
Giant Axe
Two Hand Damage: 40 - 67
Durability: 48 of 50
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x9ee96c36
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
49% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Minimum Damage
+70 to Attack Rating
Adds 14 - 45 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
-----

Other finds, Not from SU's:
cleglaw's pincers
gambled circlet (death mask)
shadowfang
ravenclaw
isenhart's case
Lum rune (for smoke if I find a Hel to remove chipped topazes from my armor)
rare +2 shapeshifting antlers (Loath Cowl)
isenhart's case (again)
16 mf nagelring
heavenly garb
tancred's crowbill
iratha's cuff
gambled rare sorc circlet (wraith shell)
spectral shard
angelic sickle
Fal rune
4os bastard sword
cleglaw's sword
the salamander
blastbark
bloodletter
ethereal goblin toe

Slayer Garruk, lvl 60 Rabies Wolf, NM Kurast Docks, gieb amulet!

jiansonz said:
Alright then, you sucked me in...

I'll play some sort of Melee-/Golemancer, with strong Bone Armor/Prison and a few Revives. Merc type will be decided after what drops I get and may change several times over the game.

@Morathi: too bad about your Phoenix Striker*. It is indeed a great build for tourneys like this. She lives by her skills and needs very little else to have a chance, but good gear can improve her a lot.

(* You need to have a lot of respect for CE beetles. Boost with thawing potions before you fight them, and do not let the death nova hit you)

GooberGrape said:
@Morathi: First blood! Also OMG that drop.

@SunsetVista: Grats, you are owning so far.

@jiansonz: <3<3<3 I missed you!

Sint Nikolaas said:
jiansonz said:

Alright then, you sucked me in...

Click to expand...

\o/

kstuart said:

Then spend the rest of act 2 pondering how the heck i'll be killing duriel

Click to expand...

You can alsways put a point in holy fire/shock and run around for an hour...

jiansonz said:
Ulric the Necromancer, Meghan the Rogue and Gooey the Golem are making progress. Going to enter Stony Field next.

It's exciting to loot superuniques even though I know they are going to drop crap, because it's still almost sure to be an item upgrade.

Current weapons: Throwing Dagger of Craftsmanship for Ulric and Hunter's Bow of Flame for Meghan. Best gear so far is Ulric's armor: Leather Armor with FHR and small fire resist (dropped by Coldcrow).

I have a really annoying issue with my new computer (and OS): if I alt/tab out from the game and then later go back, the colors go wacky and it becomes almost unplayable. Been doing some searches on it, and it seems to be a quite common problem in Windows 7. None of the suggested fixes have worked for me this far (for non-windowed, 2D-mode). I've tried fiddling with the compatibility settings, I've tried shutting the Explorer process with Task Manager, etc.

Going to Windowed mode works but I do not like to play with that setting. The game gets too dark and 'feels' wrong, like things have incorrect sizes or something. Plus I'm afraid IÂ´ll click outside the window (bringing up the bottom tab, etc.) when things get hairy.

Switching to 3D view (via the video test) also solves it. The game looks great (especially indoors and with certain lighting effects) and runs very smoothly (I now see that I've had choppiness for many years playing D2 without realizing it...) but I get tired quickly and I almost start to get seasick. I am not sure I can get used to it.

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

felixbavaria said:
You can play with Direct3D but without perspective (it's somewhere in the game options). I also get "seasick" in full-screen perspective mode (there is even a term for that in computer science: Virtual Reality sickness).

ioupainmax said:
OT since I'm not in this tourney, but:

jiansonz said:

I have a really annoying issue with my new computer (and OS): if I alt/tab out from the game and then later go back, the colors go wacky and it becomes almost unplayable.

Click to expand...

I have a similar issue on Vista where it just goes really dark and gives me a headache.

jiansonz said:
felixbavaria said:

You can play with Direct3D but without perspective (it's somewhere in the game options).

Click to expand...

Indeed I can! THANK YOU! Everything is perfect now.

(I've never had Direct 3D work on my older computers, so that line in the options was always greyed out for me. Hence I had forgotten it was there...)

pharphis said:
You can also use the glidewrapper (it's an alternative to 3D or 2D,and can be found easily by googling d2 glidewrapper) which gives you the option to lock the mouse in the window. I use this, personally, since I prefer windowed so I can see run timers, or videos, or chats, etc. alt-tab still works as it normally would, and "pauses" the game when you're not in the window.

Belual said:
Because of my disappointment at the underrepresentation of barbs in this tournament, I will enter one. He shall be called Horker, he'll respec, one day, for Beserk (which I have never played) and he'll SC with the rest of the noobs. Can somebody update the table or tell me how?

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(NM)       83
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Dark Wood               8
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0

Fallen Heroes (RIP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13

Updating tables, sorry if I missed yours.

In Garruk news, as soon as I reached Kurast Docks I took a look at my stash and crafted some Safety Boots. None of them were particularly great.
Ormus just gave me a terrible ring with no resists on it. Oh well. Found a Lem rune though, so I'm hopeful for Treachery, Lawbringer, or Delirium.
Full update when Mephisto dies.

Morathi said:
Welcome back Jiansonz!

I look forward to reading about Ulric's journey!

What is funny about Layla's death is that we killed the boss pack of beetles so quick (thanks to high levels FoF) that before i realised the bettle was CE it had already exploded! Aw well lesson learnt for next time!

felixbavaria said:

LOL I managed to die in Act I Normal. Ghostly lightning spitter pack in Catacombs 4. Wasn't having too much fun with that char anyway. But it is a shame losing a 2os rare armor from Pitspawn Fouldog. Final score: 12 points

Re-entering with Ulf the soon to be Bonemancer, currently entering the Stony Field. Best find so far: a rare Hunter's Bow with +IAS / +%ED / +lightning damage from Blood Raven. Ulf is wielding a Throwing Knife of Shock from Bonebreaker. He also found a jewel of envy, but it cannot be used so far.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(NM)       83
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12

SunsetVista said:

@felixbavaria - Sorry about the Deeds, best of luck with your next try.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fort(NM)   95
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12

Mephisto down! His drop was probably the worst quest Meph drop I have ever seen. But there was a charm, so whatever. The Council in Trav dropped a blue ring, and the Council in Durance dropped a blue ring... so together with the quest ring from Normal Akara, that will make an amulet. And if I don't like the roll I will craft a Hit Causes Monster to Flee amulet with it. Hurray!
The best thing about Act 3 was probably finding a Hel rune. I used it to take the chipped topazes out of my 2os Hard Leather Armor from Normal Smith and make 'Smoke' instead. The +50 res all was great, just in time for Trav!
Rabies is slowing down, but I persist. Still no deaths. Met a nasty fanaticism/cursed archer pack in one of the ruined temples, but was able to split them up and take them out.

Made a couple of Safety Boots, they might come in handy:

Code:

Crafted Safety Boots from Witch Doctor Endugu:
-----
Storm Blazer
Greaves
Defense: 23
Durability: 14 of 24
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xf110e2c4
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Frost Nova when struck
+37% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +30%
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
+2 to Light Radius
-----

Crafted Safety Boots from Trav Council:
-----
Demon Stalker
Greaves
Defense: 17
Durability: 20 of 24
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xfc5ef952
Item Level: 44
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+11% Enhanced Defense
+11 Maximum Stamina
Fire Resist +10%
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Half Freeze Duration
-----

Crafted Safety Boots from Izual:
-----
Doom Track
Greaves
Defense: 23
Durability: 12 of 24
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xf54c7832
Item Level: 44
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+41% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +30%
Fire Resist +9%
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
-----

Drops from SU's and other finds NM Act 3:

Code:

Szzark the Burning - Tal rune, Falchion of Firebolts
Ormus Ring - Storm Hold (why no resists, why?)
Witch Doctor Endugu - Sacred Feathers of Balance (no skills), Rare Spiked Shield(Doom Emblem), Rare 2H Sword (Carrion Stinger), Rare Shamshir (Bone Bite)
Stormtree - ethereal Rare Spirit Mask (Shadow Hood), Rare Light Crossbow (Soul Quarrel)
Battlemaid Sarina - Rare Cuirass(Storm Jack), Rare Stiletto(Cruel Stinger)
Icehawk Riftwing - ethereal Sharkskin Boots of Skill, Spetum of Frost
Trav Council - Rare Throwing Spear(Skull Gutter), Crossbow of Worth, Foul Francisca of Chain Lightning, Ring of the Jackal, Rare Ceremonial Pike, Ferocious Double Axe of Alacrity, Flawless Emerald
Durance 3 Council - Rare Breastplate (Bramble Shell), Ring of Thawing, Edge Bow of Blight, Rare Claymore (Cruel Scalpel)
Mephisto - Crowbill of Ease, Angelic Sickle, Angelic Sickle (yeah...), Rare Hurlbat (Soul Slayer), Rugged Large Charm

Rare Printouts:
-----
Storm Hold
Ring
Required Level: 23
Fingerprint: 0x98b47799
Item Level: 35
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Maximum Damage
+24 to Attack Rating
+3 to Strength
+13 to Energy
-----
Doom Emblem
Spiked Shield
Defense: 47
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 31 of 40
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0x82faca55
Item Level: 54
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+84% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +25%
Poison Resist +18%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
-----
Carrion Stinger
Two-Handed Sword
One Hand Damage: 4 - 21
Two Hand Damage: 18 - 40
Durability: 33 of 44
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 27
Fingerprint: 0x8b999049
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
136% Enhanced Damage
+107 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
-----
Bone Bite
Shamshir
One Hand Damage: 10 - 34
Durability: 30 of 32
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 58
Required Dexterity: 58
Fingerprint: 0x17247a34
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Lightning on attack
+10 to Maximum Damage
+52 to Attack Rating
+40% Damage to Undead
+63 to Attack Rating against Undead
+3 to Strength
-----
Shadow Hood
Spirit Mask
Defense: 49
Durability: 11 of 11
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x7598319e
Item Level: 53
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+30 to Attack Rating
+1 to Summon Grizzly (Druid Only)
Lightning Resist +8%
+3 to Light Radius Ethereal
2 Sockets (0 used)
-----
Soul Quarrel
Light Crossbow
Two Hand Damage: 10 - 15
Durability: 18 of 30
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 21
Required Dexterity: 27
Fingerprint: 0x466d94e1
Item Level: 53
Version: Expansion 1.10+
70% Enhanced Damage
+169 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
Lightning Resist +10%
-----
Storm Jack
Cuirass
Defense: 190
Durability: 50 of 50
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0xc1743983
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +9%
Fire Resist +19%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Cruel Stinger
Stiletto
One Hand Damage: 31 - 59
Durability: 16 of 24
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 47
Required Dexterity: 97
Fingerprint: 0x4085b0e2
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
64% Enhanced Damage
+227 to Attack Rating
Adds 100 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Fire Resist +9%
-----
Skull Gutter
Throwing Spear
Throw Damage: 12 - 36
One Hand Damage: 5 - 21
Quantity: 50
Required Level: 15
Required Dexterity: 65
Fingerprint: 0x34f36808
Item Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Warcry Skills (Barbarian Only)
+6 to Maximum Damage
+55 to Attack Rating
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
-----
Bramble Shell
Breast Plate
Defense: 86
Durability: 35 of 50
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0x4338c162
Item Level: 58
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+25% Enhanced Defense
+32 to Life
Cold Resist +18%
Lightning Resist +26%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
-----
Cruel Scalpel
Claymore
One Hand Damage: 6 - 18
Two Hand Damage: 15 - 40
Durability: 50 of 50
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 47
Fingerprint: 0x68831bb4
Item Level: 58
Version: Expansion 1.10+
23% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Maximum Damage
+14% Damage to Demons
+46 to Attack Rating against Demons
Adds 1 - 3 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Cold Resist +8%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Soul Slayer
Hurlbat
Throw Damage: 43 - 72
One Hand Damage: 23 - 60
Quantity: 129
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 106
Fingerprint: 0xfbc18d01
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Barbarian Skill Levels
82% Enhanced Damage
+11 to Maximum Damage
+29 to Attack Rating
5% Life stolen per hit
-----

Other Finds, Not from SU's:
Lem rune from one of the Dark Wanderer flesh beasts!!(future Delirium, Lawbringer, or Treachery)
rakescar
3 socket dragon shield
cathan's mesh
snowclash
milabrega's orb
another Lum rune
3 socket crown
non-ethereal goblin toe
isenhart's lightbrand
bloodthief
howltusk
3 socket rune bow
2 cathan's seals
white templar coat ilvl 55
bloodletter #2
Kelpie Snare
Aldur's Stony Gaze
a rare amulet with +1 shapeshifting skills QQ
Hel Rune!  Can make Smoke in my armor, also have the runes for Lionheart...
white antlers with +2 rabies
circlet of teleportation
milabrega's diadem
rogue's bow

Slayer Garruk, lvl 64 Rabies Wolf, Pandemonium Fortress

jiansonz said:
No "real" update for Ulric the Necromancer yet, just some quick notes. Countess gave me a pretty nice rare Javelin that does 7-22 throw damage and has IAS. This will be Ulric's main weapon (in combo with Amp) to take down those annoying Shamans. Countess gave me a Ral rune as well.
Cain reward ring was Iron (AR boost). At least Ulric has a shield now but totally crappy drops otherwise. Still lacks gloves, belt, amulet and a second ring.

Golem has a point in Mastery, Ulric has a 35 point Bone Armor and some crowd control curses (Terror and level 5 Dim Vision (for convenient use in Normal)). Heavy Vita investment, so closing in on 200 life now. The whole party is slow-killing but sturdy.

Ah, one drop was actually decent: Griswold gave me a 3s Large Axe. I can see this being used in Act II as a Malice weapon. And when I have outgrown it and need PMH in a certain fight, I can make a Malice Iron Golem out of it.

I have a feeling the resist ring recipes will very useful in this tourney. Depending on drops, maybe even the very expensive Prismatic Amulet recipe (which I otherwise never use since I always gamble or cube something better along the way).

twillight said:
ioupainmax said:

OT since I'm not in this tourney, but:

I have a similar issue on Vista where it just goes really dark and gives me a headache.

Click to expand...

Reset the brightness-level to solve it.

SunsetVista said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Harrogath(NM) 101 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Lut Gholein 13 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Jail 10 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Cold Plains 5 Fallen Heroes (RIP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12

Had a hard time hitting NM Diablo. My plan had been to apply crushing blow while standing close enough to avoid the lightning hose, but I ended up using a hit and run rabies strategy instead since I missed so often. This was eventually successful.

Outer Steppes was done on /players 5 because the Venom Lords were immune to poison. Plains of Despair and Izual on /players 3, then up to 5 again after Izual. City of the Damned on 5, River of Flame on 5, Chaos Sanctuary 3, then seals and Diablo 1.

Best drop in Act 4 = Guilliame's Face. Definitely a contender for a socket or personalization reward.

Combined Normal Akara Ring and 2 NM Council drop rings into an Amulet of Flame (arg). Used that to craft a Hitpower Amulet:
-----
Stone Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0xe7dcdc57
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+2 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 3%
All Resistances +20
Attacker Takes Damage of 6
Level 2 Frost Nova (14/25 Charges)
-----
3% flee? aww... (It is still fun)
+2 Summoning? Whoa, wait, Necro. Oh well
20 res all? Lucky!

Rerolled Large Charm from NM Meph:
-----
Shivering Large Charm of Greed
Large Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x60f6c7e2
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 4 - 6 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
18% Extra Gold from Monsters
-----

Rerolled Small Charm from Normal Shenk:
-----
+10 life
-----

Drops from SU's and other finds in Act 4 NM:

Code:

Izual - Russet Breast Plate of the Colossus, Plate Mail of the Mammoth, Rare Edge Bow (Soul Nock) Hephasto - Light Belt of the Giant, Balanced Knife of Swiftness, flawed diamond NM Hellforge = Fal Infector of Souls - Rare Kite Shield (Grim Ward), Rare Blade (Demon Horn) Lord de Seis - rare Demon Head, ethereal Zweihander of the Leech Grand Vizier of Chaos - Rare Throwing Spear (Brimstone Song), Tir rune Diablo - Sigon's Boots, Septic Short Spear, Merciless Balanced Axe, Rare Great Maul (Bone Star) Rare Printouts: ----- Soul Nock Edge Bow Two Hand Damage: 17 - 32 Durability: 15 of 20 Required Level: 19 Required Strength: 25 Required Dexterity: 43 Fingerprint: 0x2d41a295 Item Level: 60 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 72% Enhanced Damage +7 to Minimum Damage +158 to Attack Rating ----- Grim Ward Kite Shield Defense: 17 Chance to Block: 28 Durability: 27 of 30 Required Level: 15 Required Strength: 47 Fingerprint: 0xb18ef569 Item Level: 61 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +30% Faster Block Rate 20% Increased Chance of Blocking +7 to Life Lightning Resist +15% Attacker Takes Damage of 6 ----- Demon Horn Blade One Hand Damage: 4 - 15 Durability: 15 of 24 Required Level: 26 Required Strength: 35 Required Dexterity: 51 Fingerprint: 0x22f96fe9 Item Level: 61 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +30% Increased Attack Speed Adds 1 - 38 Lightning Damage Adds 8 - 20 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames) +2 to Mana after each Kill ----- Brimstone Song Throwing Spear Throw Damage: 15 - 51 One Hand Damage: 6 - 31 Quantity: 40 Required Level: 16 Required Dexterity: 65 Fingerprint: 0xed7ebb66 Item Level: 61 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 33% Enhanced Damage +12 to Maximum Damage +58 to Attack Rating Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames) 6% Mana stolen per hit Knockback ----- Bone Star Great Maul Two Hand Damage: 38 - 60 Durability: 40 of 60 Required Level: 27 Required Strength: 99 Fingerprint: 0x51a0b2f0 Item Level: 62 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +1 to Paladin Skill Levels +2 to Maximum Damage +78 to Attack Rating +150% Damage to Undead ----- Other finds, not from SU's: white russet armor ilvl 56 white templar coat ilvl 57 white serpentskin armor ilvl 57 4 socket gothic plate Guilliame's Face ! 3 socket sharktooth armor

Slayer Garruk, lvl 65 Rabies Wolf, Harrogath (NM)
75 resists all
I wonder what the guest monsters will be like?

Cygnus said:
@SunsetVista: Act 5 Nightmare already Great going, good luck!

Andariel is dead. SU drops have been endlessly sucky. Diana lacks gloves, amulet and ... a belt. Desperate times lead to desperate measures ... I'm probably gonna imbue a belt (a 3-row one) soon. Before wandering into the desert anyway.

p8 all the way. High-level Power Strike meant things fell quickly. I had to park a lightning enchanted vampire boss. High resist to my main (make that only?) skill, no poison damage, high rate of healing and my own weakness against the lightning bolts meant I got nowhere trying to kill it. Now I'm worried about other LE monsters I might encounter. Bremm Sparkfist in particular. Are there any other LE superuniques?

Only two notable items in my gear: a 2os rare quilted armor that now has 2 flawed topazes (both from gem shrines), and a 14% lightning resist rare ring that Andy dropped.

Blaise was almost completely useless. No weapon, and doesn't tank. (But her cold damage occasionally helped shatter a fallen) I'll exchange her for a Prayer merc now. He'll carry a Bardiche of Maiming. Not great, but will hopefully do at least some damage.

Act 2 next. Beetles. Eeep.

SunsetVista said:
@Cygnus: Thanks! You too! Yeah, a good belt is hard to find. That isn't a bad use of the Imbue at all. Stormtree is LE, that's the only other one I can remember right now.

Garruk battled through hordes of Slingers and poison immune mages to reach the Ancient's Way. /players 8 Gloams (and ghosts, and vipers) in the Frozen River were a challenge, but good practice for Hell. Rabies was enough to slowly take out a physical immune gloam boss. Did Pindle at /players 5 since he is poison immune. Had my first experience with the bugged Tomb Vipers in the Halls of Vaught; luckily it was at /players 1 for fear of CE. Still no deaths, but the mercenary cannot say the same.

Grizzly is almost maxed and is a valuable source of damage in addition to Rabies. I'm using Heart of Wolverine for the AR boost. It dies a lot, so I think of it like the Amazon's decoy. It's great for pulling Gloams. I'm not terribly worried about the Ancients (I think I can outlast them, and it's still only NM), but I think I may have to park Lister again and lose a point. Will I even be able to hit Baal?

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Harrogath(NM)         118
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lut Gholein            13
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12

NM Baal is Vanquished! Along with Lister! Only Cow King remains in NM, and he's next. Ancients were no trouble, although they took a little while. I managed to pull the Minions of Destruction 2 or 3 at a time saving Lister for last, so the combined might of merc and bear plus the occasional blizzard proc did the job at /players 1. The Baal fight was long and full of tentacles and clones. My chance to hit was awful, so I concentrated on dodging Baal's attacks, keeping merc and bear alive, and reapplying Rabies whenever I could.

Found a better belt from Shenk (upgraded it to exceptional using the cube for the extra potion row) and a Large Charm of Burning from Sharptooth. No gear upgrades besides those. Socket and Personalize are both still available.

Drops and finds for Act V NM:

Code:

Dac Farren - Rare Falchion (Armageddon Fang), Large Axe of Maiming
Shenk - rare Belt (Demon Cord), Sacred Spetum
Eldritch - Viridian Hunter's Guise, Massive Shamshir of Gore
Sharptooth Slayer - Rare Spiculum(Viper Nails), Large Charm of Burning
Eyeback the Unleashed - ethereal Halberd of Blight, Bloodthief (why is this so common?)
Thresh Socket - Rare Crossbow (Grim Dart), Antlers of Charged Bolt
Bonesaw Breaker - Rare Dirk(Wraith Bite), Merciless Morning Star
Frozenstein - Rare Blade (Plague Scratch), Vicious Cinquedas of Craftmanship
Anya Hat = Glyph Hood Alpha Helm (awful)
Snapchip Shatter - Antlers of Charged Bolt, rare Great Sword (Wraith Stinger)
Pindleskin - Rare Plated Belt (Gale Buckle), Meteoric Bastard Sword
Nihlathak - Grand Scepter of Slaying, Vicious Heavy Crossbow
Colenzo - Rare Long Bow (Blood Nock)
Achmel - Full Rejuv Pot
Bartuc - Small Charm of Dex + 1
Ventar - Platinum Simbilan
Lister - Super Mana Pot, Super Healing Pot
Baal - Rare Long Bow (Havoc Branch), Rare Morning Star (Beast Splitter), Rare Partizan (Storm Bite), Screaming Hatchet Hands of Lightning, Crimson Hawk Helm (no skills)

Rare Printouts:
-----
Armageddon Fang
Falchion
One Hand Damage: 16 - 30
Durability: 28 of 32
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 33
Fingerprint: 0xf9a3ca2a
Item Level: 61
Version: Expansion 1.10+
78% Enhanced Damage
Adds 100 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Level 3 Sacrifice (20/27 Charges)
-----
Demon Cord
Belt
Defense: 7
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xf0771320
Item Level: 61
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+19% Enhanced Defense
+33 to Life
Replenish Life +3
Cold Resist +19%
Poison Resist +26%
-----
Viper Nails
Spiculum
Throw Damage: 48 - 91
One Hand Damage: 19 - 57
Quantity: 10
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 98
Required Dexterity: 73
Fingerprint: 0x6002bc54
Item Level: 62
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
52% Enhanced Damage
+94 to Attack Rating
Adds 30 - 82 Fire Damage
Adds 1 - 66 Lightning Damage
-----
Grim Dart
Crossbow
Two Hand Damage: 21 - 38
Durability: 31 of 40
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 40
Required Dexterity: 33
Fingerprint: 0x444521cd
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
129% Enhanced Damage
Adds 1 - 2 Damage
+218 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 4 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+1 to Mana after each Kill
-----
Wraith Bite
Dirk
One Hand Damage: 4 - 15
Durability: 12 of 20
Required Level: 15
Required Dexterity: 25
Fingerprint: 0xeb7fe662
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
57% Enhanced Damage
+1 to Maximum Damage
+1 to Strength
-----
Plague Scratch
Blade
One Hand Damage: 4 - 17
Durability: 22 of 24
Required Level: 36
Required Strength: 35
Required Dexterity: 51
Fingerprint: 0xf33b9ebc
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
18% Enhanced Damage
+12 to Attack Rating
Level 1 Poison Nova (23/67 Charges)
-----
Glyph Hood
Alpha Helm
Defense: 56
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 44
Fingerprint: 0xb8b2bf7f
Item Level: 70
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30 to Attack Rating
+6 to Energy
+6 to Life
+3 to Mana
Cold Resist +21%
+5 to Light Radius
-----
Wraith Stinger
Great Sword
One Hand Damage: 14 - 25
Two Hand Damage: 29 - 51
Durability: 27 of 50
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 100
Required Dexterity: 60
Fingerprint: 0xa45b220d
Item Level: 65
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Barbarian Skill Levels
19% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
+1 to Strength
-----
Gale Buckle
Plated Belt
Defense: 17
Durability: 18 of 24
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0xe19cffa0
Item Level: 66
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Charged Bolt when struck
+17% Faster Hit Recovery
+47% Enhanced Defense
+8 to Strength
Cold Resist +29%
Fire Resist +7%
-----
Blood Nock
Long Bow
Two Hand Damage: 5 - 18
Durability: 20 of 28
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 19
Fingerprint: 0xc66924d0
Item Level: 69
Version: Expansion 1.10+
87% Enhanced Damage
+16 to Attack Rating
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+5 to Mana after each Kill
-----
Havoc Branch
Long Bow
Two Hand Damage: 4 - 16
Durability: 18 of 28
Required Level: 12
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 19
Fingerprint: 0x713bbb32
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
42% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage
+89 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 6 Lightning Damage
5% Mana stolen per hit
-----
Beast Splitter
Morning Star
One Hand Damage: 12 - 28
Durability: 52 of 72
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 36
Fingerprint: 0x52477968
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
79% Enhanced Damage
+110 to Attack Rating
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 1 - 223 Lightning Damage
Adds 11 - 45 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Storm Bite
Partizan
Two Hand Damage: 34 - 91
Durability: 60 of 65
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 113
Required Dexterity: 67
Fingerprint: 0x2dbd425a
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Increased Attack Speed
+16 to Maximum Damage
+79 to Attack Rating
+114% Damage to Undead
+130 to Attack Rating against Undead
4% Mana stolen per hit
Fire Resist +9%
-----

Other Finds, not from SU's:
3 socket crystal sword
3 socket +1 rabies +3 shockwave +1 fury antlers
4 socket crystal sword
Cleglaw's Tooth
Pompeii's Wrath
Sparking Mail
Milabrega's Orb
4 socket rune sword
The Impaler (not ethereal this time)
Immortal King's Pillar
The Meat Scraper
Stormchaser
Superior Hawk helm with +3 fire claws, +1 rabies

Current Gear:

Code:

***Gear After NM Baal***

Head:  Pain Horn Rare War Hat - from NM Rakanishu
Amulet: Stone Heart Crafted Amulet - crafted from amulet made by combining NM council rings with normal Akara ring
Body: 'Smoke' Hard Leather Armor - from Normal Smith
Belt: Demon Cord Rare Mesh Belt - from NM Shenk, dropped as belt, upgraded with cube
Gloves: Grim Clutches Crafted Heavy Gloves - crafted from gloves from Normal Smith
Boots: Loath Tramble Rare Chain Boots - from NM Coldcrow
Ring 1: Bitter Knot Rare Ring - Akara Ring #2
Ring 2: Plague Master Rare Ring - Ormus Ring #1
Weapon: Zakarum's Hand - from Normal Baal
Shield: Garruk's 'Rhyme' Bone Shield - Normal Personalize Reward
Switch: Stormrider - from NM Duriel

Merc (Act 2 Might)
Head: Cruel Circlet Rare Circlet - NM Imbue
Body: Wraith Cloak Rare Plate Mail - from Normal Sharptooth Slayer
Weapon: 'Insight' Partizan - Normal Socket Reward

-----
Pain Horn
War Hat
Defense: 46
Durability: 11 of 12
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x20e30aad
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
Lightning Resist +11%
Poison Resist +6%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
48% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
-----
Stone Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0xe7dcdc57
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+2 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 3%
All Resistances +20
Attacker Takes Damage of 6
Level 2 Frost Nova (25/25 Charges)
-----
Smoke
Hard Leather Armor
NefLum
Defense: 40
Durability: 23 of 28
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0xc91257a
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+75% Enhanced Defense
+280 Defense vs. Missile
+10 to Energy
All Resistances +50
-1 to Light Radius
Level 6 Weaken (18/18 Charges) 2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Nef Rune
Socketed: Lum Rune
-----
Demon Cord
Mesh Belt
Defense: 41
Durability: 15 of 16
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xf0771320
Item Level: 61
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+19% Enhanced Defense
+33 to Life
Replenish Life +3
Cold Resist +19%
Poison Resist +26%
Required Level +5
-----
Grim Clutches
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 5
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 34
Fingerprint: 0x45ca6c3
Item Level: 20
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Attack Rating
3% Life stolen per hit
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+1 to Strength
+18 to Life
20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Loath Trample
Chain Boots
Defense: 8
Durability: 15 of 16
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0xd821c753
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Heal Stamina Plus 25%
Lightning Resist +32%
Poison Resist +9%
Half Freeze Duration
17% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
-----
Bitter Knot
Ring
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x63916c6b
Item Level: 30
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Maximum Damage
5% Bonus to Attack Rating
+10 to Mana
Half Freeze Duration
+6 to Light Radius
-----
Plague Master
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x52cfb302
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+12 Maximum Stamina
Fire Resist +12%
Poison Resist +7%
-----
Zakarum's Hand
Rune Scepter
One Hand Damage: 41 - 76
Durability: 11 of 50
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xfe052fe3
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
6% Chance to cast level 5 Blizzard on striking
+30% Increased Attack Speed
219% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
+150% Damage to Undead
8% Mana stolen per hit
+2 to Holy Freeze (Paladin Only)
+2 to Holy Shock (Paladin Only)
Regenerate Mana 10%
Heal Stamina Plus 15%
-----
Garruk's Rhyme
Bone Shield
ShaelEth
Defense: 15
Chance to Block: 40
Durability: 37 of 40
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x9df9e392
Item Level: 20
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
-----
Stormrider
Tabar
Two Hand Damage: 83 - 229
Durability: 90 of 90
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 101
Fingerprint: 0x7eef19f4
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
15% Chance to cast level 5 Charged Bolt when struck
10% Chance to cast level 14 Charged Bolt on striking
5% Chance to cast level 10 Chain Lightning on striking
100% Enhanced Damage
Adds 35 - 75 Damage
Adds 1 - 200 Lightning Damage
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15
+50 Maximum Durability
-----
Cruel Circlet
Circlet
Defense: 41
Durability: 18 of 35
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0xcc18aa09
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Shadow Discipline Skills (Assassin Only)
6% Life stolen per hit
+33% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +22%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Level 2 Poison Dagger (24/25 Charges)
-----
Wraith Cloak
Plate Mail
Defense: 149
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x50d8667a
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+28% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +9%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Insight
Partizan
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 121 - 247
Durability: 65 of 65
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 113
Required Dexterity: 67
Fingerprint: 0x7266baa5
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 15 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
230% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
198% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+1 to Critical Strike
All Stats +5
+2 to Mana after each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
-----

Champion Garruk, lvl 73 Rabies Wolf, NM Harrogath, NM Cows Next

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Harrogath(NM)         118
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Dry Hills              16
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Jail                   10
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12

Raddy, Creepy and Bloodwitch all offed. All i managed to gain was a GC of poison damage..... Useless sods kinda need item upgrades and a ammy too. A few runes though which i might cube up or not bother. Cubed a load of gems which will probably be used elsewhere to cube up some runes on the rune mule.

SunsetVista said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Harrogath(NM) 118 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Dry Hills 16 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Jail 10 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Cold Plains 5 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Garruk confidantly strode through the red portal, followed by one mean-looking bear and some guy with a partizan. He shouted, "I'm more than a match for you cows, in fact, I'm 8 times as strong as you!" His words echoed across the blood-stained, hoof-churned fields of the Moo Moo Farm. And then came a frightful bellow, belonging to an Extra Fast, Cursed cow bosspack. The cows were not deterred by Garruk's venomous bite; in fact, they seemed to chase him all the faster. Ahsab, the bear, and finally even the trusty spirit all succumbed to the curse. Garruk's hopes of kiting the cows with rabies were shattered when his strides shortened to those of a man in a kilt. The few precious seconds it took to resume wereform were Garruk's last. His final thoughts were surprise and then regret at his arrogance.

Since I chose softcore, I will continue to play the character by the tournament rules. I'm not sure how I should update the table with my score anymore, though.

jiansonz said:
@SunsetVista: Oh, bummer.
But you set a respectable mark. To beat it, one must pretty much reach Hell.

Cygnus said:

Now I'm worried about other LE monsters I might encounter. Bremm Sparkfist in particular. Are there any other LE superuniques?

Click to expand...

Fangskin
Ancient Kaa the Soulless
Stormtree
Bartuc the Bloody
The Cow King

GooberGrape said:
SunsetVista said:

Since I chose softcore, I will continue to play the character by the tournament rules. I'm not sure how I should update the table with my score anymore, though.

Click to expand...

Good run! According to the rules of the tournament, you can keep going if you wish. I will leave it up to you whether you update your score or leave your guy in the RIP section. Either way, awesome job!!!

Morathi said:
Time to introduce my second entrant to the tournament, Arthur the undecided Paladin. Arthur’s future is still very unclear for me. I am contemplating a Ranger build, however, great item luck will be needed in order for it to work out….so at this moment, Arthur is just whacking stuff with a level 14 Holy Fire aura. It has done the job nicely that is for sure!

S/U’s drops have been very ordinary apart from Blood Raven and Andariel, who both netted me a Nagel Ring!!! YAY! The CrushFlang is also a great find for Arthur, it may very well come in handy down the track! I have to say in regards to Blood Raven'd drop, that it is the best I have seen in my D2 career. Pretty sure this is also the earliest i have ever found a Nagel Ring also! The one disappointed i have however, is that both the Nagel Ring’s rolled very poorly (1 and 2% off the worst MF roll possible, respectively). Aw well, I can’t complain as MF% is going to be hard to come by for this tournament.

Moving Onwards!

Current Equipment:

Helm : Crimson Cap of Energy (+1 Energy, 5% Fire Resist)
Amulet: Empty
Weapon: CrushFlang Mace
Shield: Rare Buckler
Gloves: Hand of Broc
Belt: Empty L
Ring 1: Nagel Ring 17%
Ring 2: Nagel Ring 16%
Boots: Boots of Dexterity (+1 Dex)

Arthur the Undecided Paladin, Level 20, Act 2 Normal, Lut Gholein

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

Jarik said:
Hello everyone, I'm new on the forum.
This morning I realized how much I missed the SP experience of D2
After so many years I fear my mouse-clicking skills are not what they used to be,
but I'm up for the challenge!

So, let me introduce Grok, the double-throwing barbarian.
I don't remember my past builds, but I'm pretty sure I've never tried double-throw barb,
so I went with GooberGrapes' Idea.

So far, I'm doing well without many items, but I can smell the difficulties ahead.
My finds so far:
Corpsy - magic hand axe, ethereal javelin.
Bishy - magic cap +1 dur every 33 sec, magic bow.
Bloody Raven - best find so far - Rare small shield + rare javelin.
Bonebreaker - Rare eagle orb, magic buckler
Coldcrow - Sturdy boots + 17% defense, magic club.

yup, nothing interesting. BTW, can't remember if the number of players setting affects the quality/quantity of drops.
So far I didn't notice any quality change, that's for sure.
Well, the XP boost is nice anyway.

Wish my luck!

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC Harrogath(NM) 118 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Dry Hills 16 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Jail 10 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Cold Plains 5 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Stony Field 5 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

jiansonz said:
Jarik said:

BTW, can't remember if the number of players setting affects the quality/quantity of drops.

Click to expand...

No-drop numbers go down with higher players settings. A typical monster will nearly always drop something on /p8 but has less than half chance to do so at /p1. The effect is even bigger on chests and other containers, especially so with sparkly- and super chests. Act bosses have pretty low base no-drop risk (for each of their 6 drops) but IIRC you can reduce the no-drop risk to zero if you have at least /p5 against Andi/Duri and at least /p3 against the Three Brothers.

Sint Nikolaas said:

I finished act 1. Went quicker than expected and wasn't even that dangerous. Mostly because I went ahead and put 5 points in static already so I didn't have to come (that) close to pitspawn and Andariel. Andariel was kind enough to drop a rare orb with mana on it (nothing interesting on the +skill though) and a rare armor with 2 sockets. Yay mf!
Now on to act 2.

Shame you died sunset. You were doing very well. I would just keep going if I were you.. for fun anyway.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Harrogath(NM)         118
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Dry Hills              16
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Lut Gholein            13
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Stony Field             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Ps. I don't have a shield, amulet or belt .. time to get those.

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       Harrogath(NM)         118
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Lut Gholein            13
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Cold Plains             5
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Stony Field             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

New armor for Merc from Dark Elder and thats it from the last 4.....

Really need more LR as Cats are a pain right now. Merc can at least survive them now he is higher in level thank god.

SunsetVista said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Dark Wood(Hell) 125 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Lut Gholein 13 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Cold Plains 5 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Stony Field 5 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement! Decided to keep going with it. The * next to Garruk's name means he has died.

Hell sure is a rush! Everything is much more dangerous. Resists are all positive though, which is nice.

Super Unique Drops:
NM Cow King - Chestnut Jewel of Daring, Rare War Staff(Dread Wood), Merciless Short Spear of Zeal, Rare Gladius(Bitter Spike), Balanced Axe of Gore
---End of Nightmare---
###Begin Hell###
Corpsefire - Rare Tulwar (Doom Song), Rare Bone Shield(Spirit Shield)
Bishibosh - Fuscina of Nova, Large Shield of Guarding
Coldcrow - Rare Falchion(Viper Spike), Circlet of Protection
Blood Raven - Deadly Broadsword of Worth
Rakanishu - Mechanic's Gothic Bow, Ethereal Master's Maiden Pike of Maiming
Treehead Woodfist - Rare Ethereal Zweihander(Carrion Razor), Zombie Head
Akara Ring #3 - Doom Loop (not awesome)
Griswold - was poison immune, physical immune, and cold enchanted, couldn't kill him.

Just rescued Cain. This is my first poison-based character in Hell. So far it's nice compared to fire- or cold-based characters.

crafted Plate Mail from NM Izual:
-----
Rune Shell
Plate Mail
Defense: 110
Durability: 50 of 60
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x901e64fb
Item Level: 67
Version: Expansion 1.10+
3% Life stolen per hit
+10 to Life
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
+1 Life after each Demon Kill
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
-----

This gives the merc 9% leech, which keeps him alive much better than the 6% from his hat alone.

Champion Garruk, lvl 75 Rabies Wolf, Dark Wood
It is extremely likely that I will save Countess for later, since I have no workable answer to ghosts right now.

felixbavaria said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Dark Wood(Hell)       125
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Lut Gholein            13
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Stony Field             5

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Smooth progress through Act I and II. Andariel dropped pure and utter junk (5% FR ethereal heavy gloves anyone?)

Of the Act II SU battles, only the Fangskin fight got a bit hairy, but Dim Vision saved the day. SUs tend to drop bows for some reason, Annor likes it. However we did not have a belt until Far Oasis (Beetleburst) which made things harder than they should have been.

Still missing one ring and amulet. Had to sell about 5 MF rings so far :banghead:

Ulf and Annor, level 24, Palace next

jiansonz said:
Ulric the Necromancer has reached Travincal. With considerable ease, I must say. The Andariel fight was a bit dangerous, mostly because I was too lazy/proud to go back to town to restock until I realized I absolutely had to (only potion left was one rejuve). Andariel dropped a rare Voulge, which made Hazade the Prayer merc set for Act II. Not a powerful Voulge, but it had about 30% ED and a little life steal and IAS. Golem and curses has kept Hazade safe. In fact, he hasn't died yet!

Duriel was fought the proper Golemancer way, of course. Iron Maiden may not be a good skill in general in the current patch, but it is VERY good indeed against act bosses if you combine it with recastable golems. The 1.13 patch took away the negative side of the Blood Golem lifelink, which I am thankful for. With no +skills and only one point in each golem, it is considerably sturdier than the Clay Golem. It was worth the extra 10 mana per casting to get a golem that could often survive Duriel's blows a little longer. Much easier to manage the fight that way.

Duriel dropped a rare Poleaxe and a rare Scythe with poison damage. The Poleaxe has only 10% ED, +2 max damage and 10% IAS but it is still a Poleaxe, one of the best normal class merc weapons. Hazade has had no problems plowing through Act III this far. The Scythe was made into a pretty good iron golem that lasted through the Spider Cavern and -Forest, then it bit the dust (rust?) against an Extra Strong Bramble Hulk pack at the start of the Marsh. A couple of more junk items have become golems, but once I got Fire Golem at level 30, I have only used that instead. I have decided to max both Golem Mastery and Fire Golem. I want sturdy golems that can deal the best damage possible. I really want to max Fire Golem asap but I may need to hold off using skill points so my mana pool can keep up with the casting cost that goes up by 10 for each slvl. Level 20 FG costs 240 mana! Crafting caster items may help with the mana. I'll probably do that whenever I can.

Ulric's weapon switch now has a Malice Large Axe, just as I had foreseen. It's doing reasonably well hacking river hydras that the rest of my party members can't reach. Much of his gear is still pretty darn bad: Same rare Javelin as before, Sturdy Helm of Radiance, Crimson Leather Armor of Balance, Tireless Heavy Boots of Dexterity, Belt of Thorns, Iron Ring and top it off, my one measly ammy - 6% Beryl. My few decent items include a rare Spiked Shield with 7% resist all, an Azure (12%) Grand Charm of Venom and the Ormus ring with 17% cold resist and +112 AR. It has +3 light radius so it must have combined Radiance (which also gives +30 AR) with Gold. I have one extra ring (of the Apprentice).

Last two SU drops, Riftwing and Sarina, have been slaps in the face:
* flawed sapphire + barb helm
* flawed sapphire + Crossbow of Venom
I do appreciate finding sapphires but anything can drop those as legitimate loot...
And the other two things aren't even IG material! (not made of metal)

Ulric the Golemancer and Hazade the Prayer Guard, level 31, Travincal next

SunsetVista said:
Nice progress jiansonz! What's your score so far?

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Lut Gholein(Hell) 129 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Lut Gholein 13 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Lost City 20 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Stony Field 5 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Hell Andariel is not immune to Rabies. This was extremely fortunate for Garruk, since Ahsab and the bear had a life expectancy of approximately 0.3 seconds against her, even with antidote pots.

Got some great gear upgrades this Act! The Smith dropped a blue amulet, which I immediately crafted:
-----
Eagle Mark
Amulet
Required Level: 57
Fingerprint: 0xf479d6e9
Item Level: 74
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+2 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 7%
+10 to Dexterity
+1 to Energy
All Resistances +19
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
-----
The +10 dex is a big deal if I find a Ko rune to make Lawbringer in a phase blade.

The Charsi imbue was amazing (well, ok, amazing in one respect):
-----
Raven Mask
Alpha Helm
Defense: 83
Durability: 18 of 20
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 44
Fingerprint: 0xd93daa90
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+30 to Attack Rating
+3 to Twister (Druid Only)
+1 to Solar Creeper (Druid Only)
+3 to Shock Wave (Druid Only)
+32% Enhanced Defense
+9 to Life
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
+3 to Light Radius
-----

The best part of +2 druid skills was, surprisingly, 2 extra ravens to blind those pesky archer packs in the Jail. The extra werewolf duration, life, attack rating, damage, attack speed; extra bear damage and life, and extra life, damage and AR on Heart of Wolverine were nice too!

Then Bone Ash dropped Dark Clan Crusher. So excited for another +2 druid skills! I miss the IAS and Ignore Target Defense and the blizzard cast chance on the Zakarum's Hand, but the extra life and all those bonuses, plus now nearly 7k Rabies damage... I'll stick with the Crusher for now.

The Countess and Bonebreak are still alive. They are being saved for later, when I have more levels and a better PI solution. Although, I was able to use Rabies and the lightning procs from Stormrider to take out some ghosts in the Jail.

Drops and Finds from Act 1 Hell

Code:

Corpsefire - Rare Tulwar (Doom Song), Rare Bone Shield(Spirit Shield) Bishibosh - Fuscina of Nova, Large Shield of Guarding Coldcrow - Rare Falchion(Viper Spike), Circlet of Protection Blood Raven - Deadly Broadsword of Worth Rakanishu - Mechanic's Gothic Bow, Ethereal Master's Maiden Pike of Maiming Treehead Woodfist - Rare Ethereal Zweihander(Carrion Razor), Zombie Head Akara Ring #3 - Doom Loop (not awesome) Griswold - was poison immune, physical immune, and cold enchanted. I might come back for him in the end. The Smith - Amulet of Measure (5 min damage) Pitspawn Fouldog - Spetum of the Vampire, Glorious Gothic Plate Bane Ash - Unique Cudgel (Dark Clan Crusher!), Rare Ethereal War Scythe(Corpse Bite) Andariel - Rare Plate Mail(Bone Wrap), Great Sword of Frost Rare Printouts: ----- Doom Song Tulwar One Hand Damage: 20 - 50 Durability: 25 of 32 Required Level: 25 Required Strength: 70 Required Dexterity: 42 Fingerprint: 0x915c7ae3 Item Level: 82 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +10% Increased Attack Speed 26% Enhanced Damage +6 to Maximum Damage +52 to Attack Rating 7% Life stolen per hit ----- Spirit Shield Bone Shield Defense: 22 Chance to Block: 0 Durability: 40 of 40 Required Level: 25 Required Strength: 25 Fingerprint: 0x9204224 Item Level: 82 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +4 to Strength +16 to Mana Half Freeze Duration +1 to Light Radius Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds 1 Sockets (0 used) ----- Viper Spike Falchion One Hand Damage: 9 - 17 Durability: 16 of 32 Required Level: 18 Required Strength: 33 Fingerprint: 0x4787d8be Item Level: 80 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 5% Chance to cast level 3 Chain Lightning on attack Adds 1 - 114 Lightning Damage Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames) ----- Carrion Razor Zweihander One Hand Damage: 81 - 151 Two Hand Damage: 125 - 236 Durability: 26 of 26 Required Level: 37 Required Strength: 92 Required Dexterity: 68 Fingerprint: 0x3cf1d285 Item Level: 71 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 192% Enhanced Damage +217 to Attack Rating Adds 6 - 15 Fire Damage +8 to Strength Requirements -20% Ethereal ----- Doom Loop Ring Required Level: 21 Fingerprint: 0x2f7a31f3 Item Level: 60 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +30 to Attack Rating 3% Mana stolen per hit +8 to Life Poison Resist +11% +3 to Light Radius ----- Corpse Bite War Scythe Two Hand Damage: 43 - 107 Durability: 28 of 28 Required Level: 43 Required Strength: 70 Required Dexterity: 70 Fingerprint: 0x7e49ddba Item Level: 75 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +1 to Masteries Skills (Barbarian Only) +30% Increased Attack Speed 99% Enhanced Damage +168 to Attack Rating 9% Life stolen per hit Ethereal ----- Bone Wrap Plate Mail Defense: 209 Durability: 30 of 60 Required Level: 30 Required Strength: 52 Fingerprint: 0xb414f0a8 Item Level: 75 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +79% Enhanced Defense +7 to Strength +5 to Mana Poison Resist +29% Poison Length Reduced by 50% Requirements -20% ----- Other finds, not from SU's: Steelclash Tancred's Crowbill superior white phase blade (future lawbringer? need more dex) the Impaler (again) Lidless Wall Sigon's Armor 4 socket rune sword 3 socket superior cuirass ethereal embossed plate

Champion Garruk, lvl 76 Rabies Wolf, Lut Gholein (Hell)
*goes to look up if Radament is always poison immune*

Morathi said:
Act 2 was smooth sailing for Arthur and his newly acquired Prayer merc, named Gulzar. Luckily Radament was kind enough to give Arthur his first bow in the form of a rare Composite Bow. Not bad, it is fairly quick and that is all that matters when your damage comes from your aura. Speaking of which Holy Fire is maxed and we are currently working on Resist Fire. Each arrow hits at just under 300 damage, so things are going down very quickly! Lets hope this continues! I must say, Arthur's most desired weapon of choice is the Kuko Shakaku, so I am praying to the D2 gods that it will drop at some stage....if not at least a Raven Claw.

Being a Ranger sure has its advantages as seen here vs Fangskin, who didn't stand a chance. Hah! Duriel also copped the same treatment and was taken down on p/8 in less than a minute! A very very easy fight actually, no merc deaths, only 2 greater health pots used, no tp's required. The drop was rather useless, however....Arthur was very pleased to see a belt of some kind in the pile. Since the start we have been beltless and although Arthur isn't the thirsty type for potions, it is nice to have an extra slot. I am pleased with the CBF mod on the Death Guard. Will surely come in handy!

Moving onto the jungles!

Current Equipment:

Helm : Rare Full Helm (36% ED, 3 energy, 4 mana) 1 socket filled with a Topaz
Amulet: Empty
Weapon: Rare Composite Bow (26% ED, 1-4 Cold Damage, 6% Fire Resist, 1 mana after each kill)
Weapon Switch: CrushFlang Mace + Civerbs Ward Large Shield
Gloves: Hand of Broc
Belt: Death Guard
Ring 1: Nagel Ring 17%
Ring 2: Nagel Ring 16%
Boots: Boots of Dexterity (+1 Dex)

Gulzar the Prayer Merc:
Helm: Crimson Cap of Energy (1 energy, 5% Fire Resist)
Weapon: Spear of Frost (1-2 Cold Damage)
Armor: Chain Mail of Thorns (Attackers take damage of 1)

Arthur the Holy Fire Ranger Paladin, Level 29, Act 3 Normal, Kurast Docks, aided by Gulzar the Prayer Merc, Points = 24

Jarik said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Cold Plains             5
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Rogue Encampment        0
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Lut Gholein(Hell)     129
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Dark Wood               8
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Lut Gholein            13
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Stony Field             2
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Inner Cloister         12

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Grok is getting used to running around the wilderness without his armor. But its getting tough.
Double Throw is great, but it's not fun teleporting to town every few minutes to replenish my javelins.

didnt get any special drops. except maybe a Skull Cap of Balance

I'm getting a lot of wands, globes, perserved heads and scimitars.
Magic hunter bow for Aliza, rare bardiche for her replacement and an Ith from the Countess.

Found Cleglaw's Claw (shield) and Death's Guard (sash) that I can't use ):

Taking a deep breath before facing Andy with my trousers only.

Grok, Level 18 Thrower Barbarian, doing some push-ups to get warmed up for Andariel.

felixbavaria said:
Jarik said:

I'm getting a lot of wands, globes, perserved heads and scimitars.

Click to expand...

Gieb wands! ;-)

Sint Nikolaas said:
Nice progress everyone... reading jiansonz update I'm sad I didn't think of a golmancer.. sounds good. I'm still thinking on what to do in the cold tree, hydra's is a must and fire+lightning seems unsafe, however blizzard and orb both seem pretty cookiecutter. Don't know if any of the other skills will do enough damage to get me through NM or even Hell if I get that far.
Progress has been nice. I still managed to kill all SU's and bosses on p8, including Duriel. Kaa and Duriel being the hardest fights so far. However once I found the sweet spot out of the lightnings way during the Kaa fight I managed to keep his regen down with static and cold dmg so the third merc could finish him off. Duriel was a tough one too. I managed to get the merc bugged somehow, so Duriel just kept comming for me. Ofcourse the route I planned (running around with Blaze) was forgotten in shear panic and after getting hit a couple of time I just ran around trying to freeze him (didn't work out), run to town (didn't help much) or static (had to eat a hit after each static). After a while I manned up (or basically, Duriel caught me and pinned me to a wall) and tanked him. Spamming heal pots, mana pots and about 5 small rejuv's I managed to static him down to a sliver and a couple of fireballs later (really, nothing to do with the merc) Duriel bit the dust.
He managed to drop 37% chanceguards, really happy with that. Otherwise the item drop have been utter useless. I literally have no item changes and am still running around shieldless and without an amulet. Oh well.. at least I can teleport out of sticky situations right?

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Lut Gholein(Hell) 129 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Dark Wood 8 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Lost City 20 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Inner Cloister 12 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Cygnus said:
Reached act 3. The only eventful fights were against the Unravellers (hate them!) I tried to rush them to prevent the endless revives (no corpse disposal solution for amazons ) 6/7 tombs had unravellers. Many of them had apparitions and mummies to boot. I dropped to /p1 after a point as clearing the tombs was plain torture. I don't see the situation improving in nightmare or hell.

Duriel was taken at /p3 ... I should have stuck to p8. It took all of one healing potion (for the merc) to kill him.

The merc tanked the beetles and could kill them in 3-4 hits. Thanks buddy!

Gear improvements: Charsi imbued a 14% lightning resist +life +strength +17% FHR belt for me. This is potential endgame material given the restrictions. I also got some decent cold resist magic gloves. *All*other slots are unchanged. Phooey. I've stashed away 0os/2os bone shields and a 2os breast plate in anticipation of personalizing/ socketing them for Rhyme and Smoke. I also have 2 usable junk rings ... should become coral/garnet rings using the cube recipe soon as I can put together the necessary pgems. No amulet yet.

Resists are at 0/25/14 fire/cold/lightning. I get a feeling Diablo's going to toast me.

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Cold Plains 5 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Rogue Encampment 0 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Lut Gholein(Hell) 129 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Kurast Docks 24 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Stony Field 2 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Lost City 20 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Inner Cloister 12 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Moar said:
I've started a Druid. Was thinking Rabies/Fury, but didn't like Rabies at all, so respecd early and he's now a hunter/summoner which means he's just standing around since he hasn't found a bow to hunt with yet. 5-11 damage dosen't do a thing. He's just done with Shenk and I won't play more tonight (because of the tea with rum). Dac Farren (sp?) finally dropped a belt! Diablo without belt was quite scary even on /p1. Many trips to town to resurect the merc who is still holding a spear. Finally he focused on the Bear for a while and went down.

djmbbandie said:
Time to update Electro.

Rakinishu (preserved head of thorns, chipped diamond) (I'm going to murder him every single time I play now...)
Treehead Woodfist (Bronze throwing knife of the Leech, Grim nock light crossbow) (I need armor...)
Griswold (Lunar Long bow of Frost, Small Shield, Bardiche (1 socket) (At least Annor has a weapon now)

Electro, the level 15 future in doubt paladin with his faithful fire merc Annor, who has a bow now....

SunsetVista said:

Updated the table as best I could.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(Hell)    137
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           24
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Travincal              ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Inner Cloister         12
Moar            ????           Druid        ??       Harrogath              ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Garruk somehow managed to defeat Hell Duriel. Azrael the blessed aim merc didn't do a damn thing but try to bankrupt me. I am best friends with the bear. Good bear. Rabies gets the job done... eventually.

Ended up switching back to Zakarum's Hand. The attack speed and ITD were just too nice to give up. Still no Ko rune. Solution to Poison Immunes is merc + bear, solution to Physical Immunes is Rabies + Patience. With extra patience. I full-cleared Arcane Sanctuary with just the bear and rabies since the merc did very little and cost too much to res.

I could not kill Coldworm the Burrower. The whole room filled up with maggots and I couldn't even reach the chest. I had to S&E and reclear by the shortest way possible. Then I just grabbed the Staff and ran for it.

The Returned in Halls of the Dead were poison immune. There was an unraveller boss pack right in the entrance, so I was not able to clear my way down. Saving it for later. Also saving AT and the false tombs. I am really ready to try an Act 3 merc now. I cannot stand this Act 2 moron anymore. Bear is so much better.

SU drops and Finds for Act 2 Hell:

Code:

Radament - Soldier's Cinquedas of Bone Spirit
Creeping Feature - Vicious Halberd of Excellence, Pellet Bow of Multiple Shot
Beetleburst - Wrist Sword, Rare Battle Staff (Gale Weaver)
Dark Elder - Blade Talons, Iron Bone Knife
Fangskin - Rare Round Shield (Bramble Wing), Rare Poignard (Ghoul Quill)
Coldworm - could not kill it, too many poison immunes
Fire Eye - Rare Gothic Plate (Gale Suit), Morning Star of the Titan
The Summoner - 2 piles of gold, oil potion, scroll of identify (sadface)
Duriel - Sigon's Shield, Rare Trident (Carrion Scourge), Rare Ancient Armor (HailStone Mantle), Ethereal Ceremonial Pike, Rare Great Axe (Gale Reaver), scroll of tp

Rare Printouts (the most useless section):
-----
Gale Weaver
Battle Staff
Two Hand Damage: 6 - 13
Durability: 26 of 40
Required Level: 66
Fingerprint: 0xb3dc3798
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 7 - 13 Fire Damage
Adds 1 - 372 Lightning Damage
Adds 19 - 66 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
6% Mana stolen per hit
-----
Bramble Wing
Round Shield
Defense: 100
Chance to Block: 32
Durability: 57 of 64
Required Level: 36
Required Strength: 53
Fingerprint: 0x646b2233
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
+79% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +9%
Poison Length Reduced by 50%
+1 to Light Radius
Level 3 Nova (4/27 Charges)
-----
Ghoul Quill
Poignard
One Hand Damage: 6 - 27
Durability: 11 of 16
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x1b1a8dd
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Maximum Damage
+22 to Attack Rating
+59% Damage to Undead
+69 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 8 - 19 Cold Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Adds 318 Poison Damage Over 9 Secs (225 Frames)
-----
Gale Suit
Gothic Plate
Defense: 161
Durability: 50 of 55
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xe7f37200
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19% Enhanced Defense
+9 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +6%
Poison Resist +9%
Damage Reduced by 3
-----
Carrion Scourge
Trident
Two Hand Damage: 10 - 17
Durability: 23 of 35
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 38
Required Dexterity: 24
Fingerprint: 0xe7bcf7c2
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
16% Enhanced Damage
+47 to Attack Rating
+125% Damage to Undead
+76 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 1 - 3 Fire Damage
Adds 1 - 6 Lightning Damage
Adds 1 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
-----
Hailstone Mantle
Ancient Armor
Defense: 351
Durability: 43 of 60
Required Level: 52
Required Strength: 100
Fingerprint: 0xa1aa6765
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
14% Chance to cast level 5 Nova when struck
+50% Enhanced Defense
Replenish Life +5
Lightning Resist +15%
Damage Reduced by 3
-----
Gale Reaver
Great Axe
Two Hand Damage: 23 - 78
Durability: 47 of 50
Required Level: 33
Required Strength: 63
Required Dexterity: 39
Fingerprint: 0x91281edd
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Lightning on attack
163% Enhanced Damage
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
4% Life stolen per hit
-----

Other Finds, not from SU's:
5 socket superior flail
husoldal evo
3 socket diamond bow
3 socket fanged knife
lance of yaggai
valkyrie wing
Hellclap
2 socket Casque
superior colossus voulge
2 socket ballista
white monarch
gleamscythe
2 socket falcata
white legend sword
Lord's Flying Axe of Quickness
2 socket dusk shroud
6 socket grim scythe
3 socket mancatcher

Champion Garruk, lvl 79 Rabies Wolf, assisted by a Mighty Bear, Kurast Docks
About to go hire an act 3 merc for some fireworks.

SunsetVista said:
Hired Thadar, the Fire Iron Wolf. Thadar is awesome! I have positive income again, and the extra damage is noticeable. Just full-cleared Great Marsh; there were Gloams. A few close calls, but no further deaths since NM Cows.

Champion Garruk, lvl 80 Rabies Wolf, Flayer Jungle

Jarik said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(Hell)    137
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           24
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Travincal              ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Kurast Docks           24
Moar            ????           Druid        ??       Harrogath              ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Down goes Andariel, down goes Duriel.
Andariel dropped rare wrist hand, rare hatchet hands and a sapphire.
But Radament and his fellow Act 2 buddies were far more generous with:

Code:

Scale Mail of Warding
Defense: 58
Durability: 36 of 36
Required Strength: 44
Required Level: 5
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0xadafd6a9
Magic Damage Reduced by 1

Sturdy Light Gauntlets
Defense: 15
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Strength: 45
Required Level: 3
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0x1912f4c7
+28% Enhanced Defense

Sharp Balanced Axe of Frost
Throw Damage: 14 to 17
One-Hand Damage: 5 to 11
Quantity: 130
Required Dexterity: 57
Required Level: 3
Axe Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0xef001b81
+18% Enhanced Damage
+11 to Attack Rating
Adds 1-2 cold damage over 2 seconds

Deadly Throwing Axe of Gore
Throw Damage: 9 to 22
One-Hand Damage: 4 to 16
Quantity: 130
Required Dexterity: 40
Required Level: 10
Axe Class - Slow Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0x48106fc4
+24% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Maximum Damage

Imp Fringe
Belt
Defense: 6
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Strength: 25
Required Level: 11
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 23
Fingerprint: 0x87145140
+5 to Strength
+18 to Life
+16% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +7%
Cold Resist +19%
5% Chance to cast Level 3 Frost Nova when struck

Grim Hood
Bone Helm
Defense: 47
Durability: 25 of 40
Required Strength: 25
Required Level: 7
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0x442cffcf
+6 to Energy
+29% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +6%
Poison Resist +7%
10% Faster Hit Recovery
Poison Length Reduced by 25%

So, finally a belt and some other improvements in my gear.
Kasim, my new loyal merc is doing great. Gave him an ethereal studded leather I got from Dark Elder.
Act 2 was way more fun, despite many scary NDE. Battle Orders are saving my life every time.
Duriel was a piece of cake and like Andariel, dropped for me some rare assassins' claws.

I am a little surprised I've survived this far. Hopefully A3 will generously give me some set items or maybe even unique.

Grok, Level 27 Double-Throw Barbarian, Kurast Docks, getting ready for the mosquito bites!

GooberGrape said:
SunsetVista said:

Hired Thadar, the Fire Iron Wolf. Thadar is awesome! I have positive income again, and the extra damage is noticeable. Just full-cleared Great Marsh; there were Gloams. A few close calls, but no further deaths since NM Cows.

Champion Garruk, lvl 80 Rabies Wolf, Flayer Jungle

Click to expand...

Your adventures are inspiring! I have a newfound respect for the Rabies wolf. :worship:

jiansonz said:
@Jarik: Nice going! That belt is pretty good.

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

Moar said:
Do we have to use the quest rewards in the same difficulty or can we go back later?

Gunnar (lvl 46) has defeated normal Baal and is waiting impatiently while I ponder what to do with the quest rewards. Killing is really slow. The merc desperately needs a new weapon so it looks like I'll have to use the imbue for that. My plan was to socket a bone shield for Rhyme, but I haven't yet got a Shael. Hmmmm...

GooberGrape said:
Moar said:

Do we have to use the quest rewards in the same difficulty or can we go back later?

Click to expand...

You can save quest rewards as long as you like.

felixbavaria said:
Finally made it to Act III, using Bone Spear and LOTS of mana potions. With some Measly Long Bow of Junk and Amplify Damage, Annor still outperforms Ulf's spell damage by far. For some reason Duriel was trapped into a Bone Prison that he could not destroy, quite funny. Did not take a single scratch from him. He dropped crappy rares and a scroll. Ancient Kaa hid himself in the second last tomb and dropped junk (just as all his other colleagues), bad guy.

Ulf and Annor, level 27, Kurast Docks, 24 points

Belual said:
Horker has at last been promoted to slayer. Akara paid good money for the Cow King's milks. All of the normal SUs have fallen. I was becoming concerned that I might need to use Charsi's imbue in nightmare for a weapon--I was still using a 2h staff only marginally better than my Act I 1h mace and shield. Weapons are pretty much critical to a berserker, and none of the SUs in the throne room dropped anything more than potions and gold (on players3!). Then Baal left behind the Butcher's Pupil and I had a wonderful time one-shotting all of the cows. That's a good Baal!

My darkest time came right after I respec'd to Berserk. With all the Barb one point wonders, berserk was weak and howl only covered half the screen. I was using potions so fast I was losing gold, even though I sold everything that dropped off the regular monsters. Just a few short points into Berserk later... working as intended. Now if I could just hork ANY AMULET...

Jarik said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(Hell)    137
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           24
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Travincal              ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            ????           Druid        ??       Harrogath              ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Down goes Mephisto!
Act 3 was not so hard, but my killing speed is very slow.
Actually, I think my merc is doing most of the killing, I just stand behind him and pretend to help.

As for items, Act 3 was very disappointing. That is, except for mephsito himself.
who dropped this beauty:

Code:

Duskdeep
Full Helm
Defense: 50
Durability: 22 of 30
Required Strength: 41
Required Level: 17
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xff6e4f6d
+35% Enhanced Defense
+8 to Maximum Damage
+14 Defense
Damage Reduced by 7
All Resistances +15
-2 to Light Radius

Other useful drops from A3:

Code:

Chain Mail of the Tiger
Defense: 72
Durability: 45 of 45
Required Strength: 48
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 28
Fingerprint: 0x3232f66f
+24 to Life

Lizard's Grand Charm of Life
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 5
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0xc327b635
+9 to Life
+9 to Mana

From Ormus:
Grim Loop
Ring
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x72fc8424
+3 to Strength
+3 to Energy
+4 to Mana
+86 to Attack Rating
Poison Resist +24%

and also from Mephisto:
Angelic Mantle
Ring Mail
Defense: 218
Durability: 21 of 26
Required Strength: 36
Required Level: 12
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0x31111aa1
+40% Enhanced Defense
Damage Reduced by 3

for my merc:
Beryl Halberd of Craftmanship
Two-Hand Damage: 12 to 46
Durability: 41 of 55
Required Dexterity: 47
Required Strength: 75
Required Level: 3
Polearm Class - Normal Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 28
Fingerprint: 0x2a1412eb
+1 to Maximum Damage
Poison Resist +10%

Survivability is greatly increased. My resistances are decent (34/46/27/51)
And I don't even recall any near-death experience.
I would really like to find another Angelic set item!

Grok, Level 30 Double-Throw Barbarian, Pandemonium Fortress, playing poker with tyrael.

Sint Nikolaas said:
I'm about to face off versus Mephisto.. will probably moat-trick the hell out of him. I'll make a real update after that. He's a question though.. The chance of finding a decent shield will probably be pretty low, but do you guys think speccing in dex for blocking is still a good idea?
I'm hoping to keep my strength low(ish) and pump my vit, but maybe something around 50% block could safe my life later on...

Cygnus said:
Sint Nikolaas said:

The chance of finding a decent shield will probably be pretty low, but do you guys think speccing in dex for blocking is still a good idea?

Click to expand...

I'm going to use one of my personalization / socketing rewards on a 'Rhyme' bone shield. In addition to good block, MF, CBF and resist all are too juicy to pass up given the item restrictions.

End of act 3 gear update for Diana (finally found some useful stuff!)
Magic Javelin with +38 AR (in stash is a Crimson Maiden Spear of Frost ... I'm considering putting this on switch for the cold damage and the +skill)
"Sturdy" Buckler (seriously .. ilvl 8)
rare Quilted Armor (17% FHR +6 life +5 cold resist, 26 MF with 2 flawed topazes)
rare Circlet (thanks Bremm Sparkfist, 105 AR, 8 str, 33 life, 25 cold resist, 6% MF)
rare belt (17% FHR, 2 str, 18 life, 6 cold resist, 7 poison resist)
rare ring 1 (113 AR, 2% ML, 7 energy, 9% poison resist)
rare ring 2 (69 AR, 1 str, 14% lightning resist)
rare boots (thanks Mephy, 12% lightning resist, 14% MF)
magic gloves - any one of three options, 14% cold or 10% fire or 12% lightning resist. I'm already switching between the three depending on the monster spawn.

I can get lightning resist up to 38%, with 0 fire resistance, or 10% fire resist, 26% lightning resists. Either way, Diablo is going to be fun Hope forge gives me a perfect ruby or topaz.

The act itself was an easy clear. Diana now has a valkyrie supporting her. Bremm and Meph did decent damage, but nothing a few town portals couldn't fix.

felixbavaria said:
With a sorc I wouldn't care for max block unless you have items that give you +life and FHR and you have a shield with really high blocking plus FBR, such as a Rhyme Tower Shield (64% for sorc), Mosar's or Whitstan's Guard (GL finding it).

My reasoning is mainly the sorc's abysmal FHR and FBR breakpoints. If a hit does get through and it hits you for more than 1/12 of your life (IIRC) you go into hit recovery and can't teleport away. If you manage to block you can't teleport away either since the blocking animation will take ages.

On topic, Ulf has vanquished Mephisto. Seeing Cygnus' gear list I am quite jealous, tbh. All of the Act III drops have been useless junk. Not a single wand for re-rolling, etc. An Unraveller Head from the Witch Doctor, with 8% fire resist and +3 to Raise Skeletal Mage. Thanks!

At least, Ormus gave us a +26% fire resist ring and Mephisto dropped two decent merc weapons (a rare pike with 49% ED and 1os, and a 79% ED bastard sword with LL).

Switched to an Act II merc, using a Poleaxe of the Leech from the Council. Speaking of which: the Council Member in the right wing of Mephisto's durance (forgot his name) dropped bolts and a healing potion. That pretty much sums up our SU drop luck so far.

Ulf also tried imbuing a white circlet. Turned out to be +1 assassin skills, +8 max damage and ATD 5. Ulf mumbled some words in an ancient language that didn't sound too nice, and Charsi was last seen wandering off to the Dark Wood, saying that she didn't feel well and was hearing voices.

Ulf and Emilio, Pandemonium Fortress, level 31, 36 points

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Kurast Docks(Hell)    137
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Kurast Docks           25
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           24
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Travincal              ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Lost City              20
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            ????           Druid        ??       Harrogath              ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Summoner onwards for this little session. Alas bugger all dropped really until i got to Duriel. P1'd him due to naff equipment and he was down after 3 trips to town for healing. 6 items dropped 3 portals a yellow dagger and 2 yellow armors. I got the breast plate and the merc got the splint mail as i dont have the strength for it and besides the breast plate has better mods.

Doing Canyon of the Magi with 18% LR is kinda hard..... Bloody beetles.

jiansonz said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Kurast Docks 24 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Kurast Docks(Hell) 137 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 cygnus Diana Amazon SC Kurast Docks 24 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment 0 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar ???? Druid ?? Harrogath ?? Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118

Ulric has made Destroyer. This far, he has been more a merc helper (aka Curse B*tch) than a Golemancer, really. That will probably be the case for quite some time. As I suspected, I have not been able to invest heavily in Fire Golem because the casting cost would then have been larger than my mana pool. At spell level 8, the Fire Golem can kill monsters, but very slowly (think 3-4 hits on a silly imp...). If I do not find (or can craft) some nice +mana gear, I am actually thinking about putting points into Energy...

Mephisto was moat tricked using Blood Golem and Iron Maiden. Diablo was Iron Maidened as well. I fought Diablo on players 1 because I was concerned (bad resists) that a long fight might cause me to make a lethal mistake. No real trouble, and the drop finally gave me some gloves (my last slot to fill). The gloves had good lightning resist and the gauntlets (usable from halfway through the Foothills since I needed one level-up for more strength) had cold resist and MF.

The Military Pick that Diablo dropped had 2 sockets and once I had gained another level up (in early Highlands) I invested a few DEX points and equipped the axe with an MF jewel in a socket. I found another MF jewel later in the act.

I thought MF was more important than Rhyme at this stage, so I gambled all my gold on Circlets and had Larzuk socket one 'of Luck'. Bad luck though, I got only one socket. PTopaz in there, and a 53% MF circlet is now in use. The personalize reward was used on a 3s Breast Plate which is now filled with perfect topazes. This armor can later be used for a 3s runeword.

We rolled over The Ancients even though the merc was using no more than an ethereal Poleaxe of Worth. Ancients are pretty wimpy in Normal. I fear Champion Frenzytaur packs a lot more here.

Ancients reward bumped Ulric to level 47. That was the cue to use the imbue on an ethereal Poleaxe. I know this gives me fewer options in the late game, but I figured it might help me a great deal to get to the late game. It was guaranteed to be an improvement, but if it were to be total crap I would wait with upgrading it until I had seen the Baal drop. Nothing spectacular but far from total crap. Yes, worth upgrading at this stage.

Baal's five bosses do not drop like SUs, they drop like champions (i.e. 2 potions + usually gold but sometimes one item). All of them dropped gold piles.
The cold damage on the Partizan gave me an idea for the Baal fight. What if I can get Baal to focus on the golem, Hazade pokes him with the cold stick and I keep Decrepifying him? Will that keep him from teleporting? Oh yes, that worked really well. One blue and one purple (for the mana) was all that was needed. Baal teleported once when I was slow with the Decrep, but we soon established the same situation. Very easy victory.

Skills:
Fire Golem 8
Golem Mastery 7
Summon Resist and other Golem skills 1

Bone Prison 3
Corpse Explosion and prereqs 1 (80 points Bone Armor)

Dim Vision 5
Decrepify 2
All other curses except Confuse/Attract 1

12 unused skill points

Primary Gear:
* Circlet of Luck, socketed with a perfect topaz (53% MF)
* Beryl (6) Amulet
* Rare Military Pick with +1 STR, 157 poison damage over 7 seconds, 2 sockets (filled with 2x Jewel of Prosperity (+13% MF in total))
* Ulric's Gemmed Breast Plate (3x Perfect Topaz)
* Rare Spiked Shield with 7% Resist All, DR by 1
* Rare Gauntlets with +1 STR, 10% IAS, Resist Cold 12% and +18% Magic Find
* Iron Ring
* Belt of Thorns
* Rare Ring with +112 AR, PLR by 25%, 17% Cold Resist, DR by 1
* Tireless Heavy Boots of Dexterity (2)

* Azure (12) Grand Charm of Venom

Switch:
* Malice Large Axe

Hazade the Prayer guard:
* Cap of Balance (but will probably use a Rare Great Helm with 30% Cold Resist in NM)
* Rare ethereal Partizan (see screenie above)
* Rare Scale Mail with Resist Lightning 19, Resist Cold 13, 10% FHR, DR by 1, MDR by 1

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Hazade of Lut Gholein, level 49, NM blood Moor next

pharphis said:
Nice progress jiansonz. I felt the same way against baal, and for a VERY long time relied on my merc for killing. In fact, it was almost always the merc getting the kills (rogue because of HC merc rule in compilation tournament). It will get to the point that your IG (if you wind up using one) will be killing weaker, annoying things like flayers using thorns

Moar said:

Gunnar defeated NM Andariel and she dropped a rare Fetish Trophy, thank you very much!
He's lvl 52 now and very, very patient. He can't fight himself as you will see soon, so he has to stand in a corner and summon ravens and wolves and whatever else. It's not exactly going fast and the main problem is probably the merc and his gear.

Gear:

Code:

Coldkill
Hatchet
One-Hand Damage: 28 to 60
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Dexterity: 25
Required Strength: 25
Required Level: 36
Axe Class - Very Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 68
Fingerprint: 0x455e580d
+186% Enhanced Damage
Cold Resist +15%
+15% to Maximum Cold Resist
+40 cold damage over 2 seconds
30% Increased Attack Speed
10% Chance to cast Level 10 Ice Blast on striking
10% Chance to cast Level 5 Frost Nova when struck


Rhyme
Bone Shield
'ShaelEth'
Defense: 12
Chance to Block:  60%
Smite Damage: 3 to 6
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Strength: 25
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0xbbe1b775
+20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
40% Faster Block Rate
Cannot Be Frozen
Socketed (2: 2 used)


Wraith Shroud
Ring Mail
Defense: 45
Durability: 26 of 26
Required Strength: 36
Required Level: 9
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0x1df2ab52
+3 to Dexterity
Fire Resist +13%
Poison Resist +13%
10% Faster Hit Recovery
5% Chance to cast Level 3 Frost Nova when struck


Hailstone Crest
Helm
Defense: 23
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Strength: 26
Required Level: 13
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xd7db7d2c
+7 to Life
+23% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +29%
Lightning Resist +28%
10% Faster Hit Recovery
Repairs 1 durability in 33 seconds


Heavy Boots of Frost Shield
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Kick Damage: 4 to 10
Required Strength: 18
Required Level: 9
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xa460a3da
5% Chance to cast Level 3 Frost Nova when struck


Bramble Fist (Crafted)
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 5
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 26
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x8eb5eccb
+11 to Life
Lightning Resist +27%
1% Life stolen per hit
9% Chance of Crushing Blow


Coral Ring
Required Level: 13
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0x14f04d3b
Lightning Resist +24%


Raven Circle
Ring
Required Level: 13
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x44710374
+6 to Mana
+1 to Maximum Damage
Damage Reduced by 2
Fire Resist +7%
Lightning Resist +15%
4% Life stolen per hit


Demon Cord
Demonhide Sash
Defense: 49
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 20
Required Level: 24
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0x74c6f06
+8 to Life
+42% Enhanced Defense
+15 to Attack Rating
Fire Resist +14%
Cold Resist +28%
+1 to Light Radius
10% Chance to cast Level 3 Nova when struck


No amulet yet. Might go gambling and personalize soon. Merc needs and upgrade as well. He sports the following.


Brutal Lochaber Axe of Measure
'AmnTal'
Two-Hand Damage: 12 to 83
Durability: 34 of 50
Required Strength: 80
Required Level: 25
Polearm Class - Slow Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0xdd07df10
+44% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Minimum Damage
+75 poison damage over 5 seconds
7% Life stolen per hit
Socketed (2: 2 used)


Crimson Chain Mail
Defense: 73
Durability: 37 of 45
Required Strength: 48
Required Level: 3
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 28
Fingerprint: 0xbfc9b355
Fire Resist +10%


Beast Casque
Death Mask
Defense: 183
Durability: 11 of 11
Required Strength: 45
Required Level: 25
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0x16984289
+2 to Life
+41% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +16%
10% Faster Hit Recovery
Repairs 1 durability in 20 seconds
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired)

I have a Partizan I could imbue, but it's not ethereal. Think I might be slugging it out a bit longer to see drops. Used my normal Larzuk quest for the Rhyme shield.

SunsetVista said:
Thankyou Icehawk Riftwing!!!
-----
Gnarled Staff of Lower Resistance
Gnarled Staff
Two Hand Damage: 4 - 12
Durability: 20 of 35
Required Level: 72
Fingerprint: 0x982be9ea
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Glacial Spike (Sorceress Only)
Level 1 Lower Resist (20/22 Charges)
-----

The Sewers were much more about hit-and-run (with extra run) than brute force. Garruk's team doesn't really have enough firepower to take down might or fanaticism Horadrim Ancients. I did take out one that was LE extra fast Multishot though. Good bear. The Iron Wolf was sturdy enough to kite/tank the skeleton minions for a little while.

So now I have Khalim's Heart. The question is... hire a Might Merc for Trav or stick with this Fire Iron Wolf? I think I'll stick with the Iron Wolf, since I doubt the moron would survive better than the bear. Insight was not really a good use of the Normal socket reward, especially with the poison damage on it. I wish I'd thought that through more. But it was nice to not have to worry about mana to resummon or shift to wereform when I was lower level, so it isn't all regret.

Champion Garruk, lvl 80 Rabies Wolf/Summoner, Hell Travincal Next

SunsetVista said:

@GooberGrape: Thanks! This is probably the most difficult character I have ever played through Hell. I'm really enjoying the challenge, but I still wish Rabies (and Dire Wolves) was a bit stronger.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Pandemonium Fort(H)   149
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           24
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118

Trav was not as scary as I thought it would be. None of the Council Members were immune to poison, and my trusty bear was able to take all kinds of punishment and still cheerfully tank. Thadar the Iron Wolf did alright when I was able to keep him away from Maulers. Slow and steady.

I will probably use that ring of remedy from Endugu to make a fire resist ring for Diablo.

SU drops and finds for Hell Act 3:

Code:

Sszark the Burning - Mancatcher of Pestilence, 2H Sword of Teeth
Ormus Ring #3 - Viper Loop (yay cold resistance)
Witch Doctor Endugu - Ring of Remedy, Flawless Topaz, Rare Tiara (Viper Crest), Flawless Emerald
Stormtree - Rare Reflex Bow, Fine Balanced Knife of Blight
Battlemaid Sarina - Rare Belt (Skull Chain), Long Bow of Flame
Icehawk Riftwing - Gnarled Staff of Lower Resistance, Fine Maul of Swiftness
Trav Council - Arrows, scroll of ID, mana pot, Snowclash, Eldritch Orb, ethereal Soldier's Spiked Club
Durance Council - Scroll of ID, Scythe of Pestilence, Reflex Bow
Mephisto - Charged Essence of Hatred, Short Spear of the Bear, Rare War Hat(Raven Cowl), Rare Pike(Stone Stake), Rare Stygian Pike(Hailstone Needle), Rare Sharktooth Armor(Death Cloak)

Rare Printouts (meh):
-----
Viper Loop
Ring
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x46fa96d9
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5 to Energy
Cold Resist +30%
5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 3 Telekinesis (27/27 Charges)
-----
Skull Chain
Belt
Defense: 5
Durability: 12 of 16
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xb4249472
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck
+41 to Life
+12 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +17%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
+1 to Light Radius
-----
Raven Cowl
War Hat
Defense: 94
Durability: 7 of 12
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x50e8f10f
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Charged Bolt when struck
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+75% Enhanced Defense
+19 to Life
Lightning Resist +23%
Fire Resist +21%
-----
Stone Stake
Pike
Two Hand Damage: 15 - 121
Durability: 22 of 25
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 60
Required Dexterity: 45
Fingerprint: 0x394fcec
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Enhanced Damage
+12 to Maximum Damage
+40 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+1336 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
9% Life stolen per hit
+2 to Strength
-----
Hailstone Needle
Stygian Pike
Two Hand Damage: 35 - 175
Durability: 28 of 35
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 168
Required Dexterity: 97
Fingerprint: 0x3a49919b
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Increased Attack Speed
22% Enhanced Damage
+95 to Attack Rating
6% Life stolen per hit
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Death Cloak
Sharktooth Armor
Defense: 303
Durability: 26 of 48
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 103
Fingerprint: 0x5d7c1070
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17% Enhanced Defense
+5 to Strength
+33 to Mana
Attacker Takes Damage of 5
-----

Other finds, not from SU's:
2 socket ogre maul
sigon's boots
vidala's snare
2 socket rune bow
4 socket battle sword
Jewel of Fervor
6 socket crusader bow
white thresher

Champion Garruk, lvl 81 Rabies Wolf/Summoner, Hell Pandemonium Fortress
Izual is going to take a while to kill.

Morathi said:
Act 3 was another easy journey for our duo. Holy Fire is ridiculously powerful at the moment, most monsters go down in 1-3 hits. So far Holy Fire is maxed and Resit Fire has 10 points in it, so still got some more to go before it is at its full potential.

I have to say we have found an astonishing amount of good charms/amulets and it brings a tear to my eye every time we have to sell it. Poor Arthur could really do with some resists! I am getting slightly worried about how I am going to improve them while carrying a bow....hmmmm.

Mephisto was moated, it was the safest approach, chessy.... but safe. After an excessive amount of arrows, he fell on p/8...dropping garbage! Grrrr....was really hoping for more useful items from him...aw well. I was hoping the War Javelins had added IAS, but was disappointed to find out they didn't....I guess I will continue to be a ranger for the time being.

Current Equipment:
Helm : Rare Full Helm (36% ED, 3 energy, 4 mana) 1 socket filled with a Topaz
Amulet: Empty
Armor: Rare Hard Leather Armor (2 sockets filled with 2 Topaz's, +8 Life, 33% ED, 12% Cold Resist, Poison length reduced by 25% and -20% requirements)
Weapon: Rare Short Battle Bow (16% Ed, 61 AR, 3 Min Damage, 1-7 Lightning Damage, 7 Poison Damage over 3 seconds, Hits cause monster to flee 12%)
Weapon Switch: CrushFlang Mace + Rare Heraldic Shield
Gloves: Hand of Broc
Belt: Death Guard
Ring 1: Nagel Ring 17%
Ring 2: Nagel Ring 16%
Boots: Jade Boots of Fortune (23% Poison Resist, 19% MF) (very happy about these)

100% MF for Arthur now. Quite happy with this figure for a tournament like this.

Gulzar the Prayer Merc:
Helm: Crimson Cap of Energy (1 energy, 5% Fire Resist)
Weapon: Spear of Frost (1-2 Cold Damage)
Armor: Chain Mail of Thorns (Attackers take damage of 1)

Arthur the Holy Fire Ranger Paladin, Level 32, Act 4 Normal, Pandemonium Fortress, Points = 36

SunsetVista said:
Izual down. I got impatient (with poison immune corpse spitters, ugh) and was running to find the City of the Damned waypoint. I got surrounded, drank all my purple pots, and S&E to avoid death. So now Garruk's death count is 2. After that, I ran all the way back through Outer Steppes, Plains of Despair, and City of the Damned til I did find the waypoint. It was one hell of a run, dodging gloams left and right.

Champion Garruk, lvl 81 Rabies Wolf/Summoner that just refuses to die, City of the Damned, River of Flame next
Yes, I will reroll monsters until I do not get maggots. I will finish this.

felixbavaria said:
Progress through Act IV was smooth. The merc's new stick (courtesy of Mephisto and some random Act IV monster) along with Amplify Damage killed most things very quickly, even Urdars went down in two jab cycles.

Code:

Dire Scratch Pike Two Hand Damage: 23 - 106 Durability: 16 of 25 Required Level: 18 Required Strength: 60 Required Dexterity: 45 Fingerprint: 0x87ab0e62 Item Level: 26 Version: Expansion 1.10+ 49% Enhanced Damage +3 to Minimum Damage +13 to Maximum Damage 4% Mana stolen per hit Level 1 Bash (13/22 Charges) 1 Sockets (1 used) Socketed: Jewel of Carnage Jewel of Carnage Jewel Required Level: 18 Fingerprint: 0x8726ccc0 Item Level: 27 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +13 to Maximum Damage

Also, whining about drops helped. Izual dropped a Military Pick - nothing exciting, but for us it was the first one-handed weapon that can be chippie socketed! Stuck a 15 LR jewel into it, one open socket remaining for MF or something else. He also coughed up dual resist + GF rare gloves (low-ish roll, but still).

Code:

Plague Grasp Light Gauntlets Defense: 17 Durability: 10 of 18 Required Level: 14 Required Strength: 45 Fingerprint: 0xe199e106 Item Level: 29 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +49% Enhanced Defense +1 to Dexterity Lightning Resist +17% Poison Resist +9% 51% Extra Gold from Monsters

Hellforge dropped an Amn and a PSapphire. Not the most useful crafting gem, but still it's a crafting gem.

In the CS, a green Crown dropped. Hooray, it was the useful one (Iratha's). Not sure if it's worth something in this tourney, though.

I had two Orts stashed and an 1os Buckler from the Smith. I was waiting for the Seal Bosses' drops just in case a 2os shield would drop, and Lord De Seis indeeed left behind a Mechanic's Kite Shield of Balance. Bad luck, only 1os, but hey, not going to complain. Full lightning resist for the Diablo fight and half fire resist, at last.

Diablo was fought at /p1 but went down very quickly. Turns out that he has zero magic resistance, wtf. He dropped Shadowfang and Bloodletter (hooray for Act V mercs), and a nice belt:

Code:

Imp Lash Heavy Belt Defense: 8 Durability: 18 of 18 Required Level: 18 Required Strength: 45 Fingerprint: 0x80ba94d3 Item Level: 40 Version: Expansion 1.10+ +20% Enhanced Defense +3 to Strength +33 to Life +20 to Mana Cold Resist +9% Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds

Ulf and Emilio, level 34, Harrogath

jiansonz said:
Morathi said:

Gulzar the Prayer Merc:
Weapon: Spear of Frost (1-2 Cold Damage)

Click to expand...

Oh my, that has to be some terrible luck going through 3 full acts and getting nothing better!

Why not reroll it with chippies until you get 2 sockets with decent affix(es) and put some Ith runes (or something like that) there? Or sapphire + Ith if you still want the cold damage.

SunsetVista said:
Speaking of rerolling with chippies, Garruk shopped a war pike from Fara.
-----
Garruk's Grandmaster's War Pike of Swiftness
War Pike
Two Hand Damage: 103 - 560
Durability: 25 of 25
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 165
Required Dexterity: 106
Fingerprint: 0x1d4447dd
Item Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Increased Attack Speed
215% Enhanced Damage
+251 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 13 Lightning Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
+18 Maximum Stamina
18% Extra Gold from Monsters 2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Bitter Heart

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

Bitter Heart
Jewel
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x4c59d099
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
19% Enhanced Damage
Adds 1 - 13 Lightning Damage
+18 Maximum Stamina
18% Extra Gold from Monsters
-----

Thadar was cute, but I need damage now. I've hired Mizan the NM Might merc. Let's hope he's smarter than the last moron.

Morathi said:
jiansonz said:

Oh my, that has to be some terrible luck going through 3 full acts and getting nothing better!

Why not reroll it with chippies until you get 2 sockets with decent affix(es) and put some Ith runes (or something like that) there? Or sapphire + Ith if you still want the cold damage.

Click to expand...

Yer this is our only merc useable weapon to have dropped so far after slaying 36 S/U's . As for re-rolling, that will be done shortly. I am not too concerned with Gulzar's damage at this time. Arthur has been basically 1 shotting most things so Gulzar's output is irrelevant really. Given i am in Act 4 now, i will most likely re-roll in hope of netting 2 sockets.

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

GooberGrape said:
SunsetVista said:

Speaking of rerolling with chippies, Garruk shopped a war pike from Fara.
-----
Garruk's Grandmaster's War Pike of Swiftness
War Pike
Two Hand Damage: 103 - 560
...

Click to expand...

OMG DAT SPEAR

"Masterfully done, hero!"

SunsetVista said:
GooberGrape said:

OMG DAT SPEAR

"Masterfully done, hero!"

Click to expand...

Thanks. =) Now that Mizan is helping the bear smash, things die in 2-3 applications of Rabies rather than 7+. It's a lot more playable. I really wanted the Iron Wolf to be good, and he was ok, for a time. I've got a nice cushion of 2mil gold to res the merc for the rest of the game.

I finally had a River of Flame without Maggots. Garruk and co. fought their way through Urdars, Abyss Knights, and Grotesques. Hellforge was Ist, which opens up the possibility of Delirium.... I think I would rather socket the Guilliame's Face for crushing blow though.

jiansonz said:
Early NM has been somewhat tricky for Ulric and his tanking duo. I often need to work a bit to get managable fighting situations. If a melee mob gets too strong, a combo of Terror and Life Tap is often my best bet to keep Hazade alive. Against ranged attackers, Dim Vision is great, of course, but the duration is only about 7 seconds and I can often not reach all of them with it (too dangerous to get close).

Resists have slowly improved. They are not still not good, though. First off, turns out I had stashed a 12% Scintillating Small Shield, so of course I equipped that instead of the 7% rare Spiked Shield. Griswold dropped a non-magical Kite Shield. I used the socketing recipe on it. 2 sockets would have been a jackpot but 3 wouldn't be bad either (Ancients Pledge or big diamonds). Bad luck, got only one socket. Still, with a perfect diamond, it clearly beats the Scintillating Shield. I crafted that shield but got junk.

My junk boots have been replaced with crafted Greaves. No resist affix, just the guaranteed fire resist (with a decent roll). They also have 20% FRW which is nice. I crafted both belts I had found, one Heavy Belt and one Belt. The former became total junk but the latter spawned with +40 life.

Merc now has a crafted Helm that has some nice lightning resist (making him almost reach max). The life steal and DS are very appreciated. Some ethereal rare Chain Mail with big cold/fire resist dropped. Complements the helm nicely, so the merc will have maxed the three resists in a couple of levels. I was thinking about crafting a Plate Mail I have found but now I prefer this armor for him. I may upgrade it because it will get quite a credible Defense then.

I was out of crafting gems but burned three perfect other gems (two diamonds and a skull) to reroll my one and only amulet. Result: 3% Resist All and +9 STR. At least it's better than 6% Beryl.

But the biggest improvement have been my rings. I have found two rares that have pretty much made Coral/Garnet ring cubing obsolete. Coldcrow dropped one with big lightning resist and AR and the 'rescue Cain' reward has big fire resist and a 6% MF bonus. It also has bonuses to mana and Energy and that allowed me to bump up Fire Golem two levels (since I am not going to take off this ring in the foreseeable future).

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Hazade of Lut Gholein, level 50, NM Tamoe Highlands next

Morathi said:
Well this sucks.....got pinned by Infector of Souls and his gang. We opened up the lower seal and was horrified when the group spawned, they quickly advanced on us....a bad bad position to fight in, we were pinned basically. Gulzar' got swarmed, healing potions didn't help the cause much, he was turned to ash within seconds. At this stage i knew this would not end well if i stayed in the dead end. I needed to get into the open to separate the group. Arthur made a mad dash, away from the dead end. It was useless . They moved in on poor Arthur at lightning speed, surrounding me, pinning me against the wall (as seen in the screenie) with 0% fire resist, Arthur was toast.

Damn, pretty damn disappointed. Arthur was going well, Act 4 did slow us down, but i had high hopes for him. I really did need a Kuko to make this build Hell viable, as Rangers are excruciatingly slow in Hell without decent gear.

Aw well, good luck to the remaining contestants. I won't be re-entering just yet as Path of Exile is about to enter Open Beta tomorrow, so i will be checking that out.

R.I.P Arthur the Holy Fire Ranger, Level 34, Act 4 Death by the hands of Infector of Souls, Points = 38

felixbavaria said:
Sorry about the deeds! If I have the L-shaped map type I always chicken out by opening a TP and re-entering from the RoF WP ...

Cygnus said:
Too bad about the deeds! The Infector has caused me a few deaths in the past. I've learnt the hard way to cast a TP first.

Diana too would probably have been toast had it not been for the portal she created first. Walked back the entire way from the waypoint, split the pack and it was easy after that. Before that, the River of Flame clear was painful: spawners and maggots, anyone? Low level lightning strike, even with its pitiful damage, came in handy in getting rid of all the babies. Rest of the clears were straight-forward, although I generarally kept out of the way of the Balrogs' fire attack. Diablo with his lightning attack caused the heart to skip a few times, even though I was able to bump up my resist to 52%. He needed several juvies and trips to town. Thank God I switched to /p1 before the fight. Great drops, though, despite that. In fact, act 4 was much kinder in terms of drops.

- 83% ED -30% req Halberd from Diablo (this can be upped right way, without any issues, to Bec-de-Corbin, correct? I already have an Amn and Ahsab has the necessary str/dex after factoring in the -req)
- 18% cold 15% fire resist rare belt, again from Diablo (yay for 25% fire resistance)
- 90% ED Bardiche with poison damage from one of the seal bosses. Should come in useful to keep lightning immune monsters from healing while we hack away at them.
- Hellforge gave me 2 flawless topazes, a perfect sapphire AND an Amn
- Cubed a Coral Ring of the Apprentice from a junk ring that came from Akara or some SU

Still some way away from cubing up a Pruby for a fire resist ring. But I don't anticipate needing it that much in act 5.

jiansonz said:
@Morathi: Ouch.
(I am with felix and Cygnus on this one - I always TP out of that corner and go back from WP)

Cygnus said:

- 83% ED -30% req Halberd from Diablo (this can be upped right way, without any issues, to Bec-de-Corbin, correct? I already have an Amn and Ahsab has the necessary str/dex after factoring in the -req)

Click to expand...

Yep, go for it. Level req. will be 30 (unless it's already higher than 25 because of an affix) since the requirement for a basic BdC is 25 and the upgrade adds 5.

Cygnus said:

Still some way away from cubing up a Pruby for a fire resist ring. But I don't anticipate needing it that much in act 5.

Click to expand...

For those of you that plan on cubing a Garnet ring later in the game: Save up some Exploding potion stacks before they get too rare!
Past early NM, all of these fire potions that drop will be Oil Potions and pretty much the only reasonable chance to have Exploding potions drop will be finding an Exploding Shrine.
The other three resist ring recipes do not have this problem because the other potions types needed can be bought (thawing, antidote, rejuve). Or in the case of rejuve, cubed from potions that can be bought.

Twibz said:
jiansonz said:

For those of you that plan on cubing a Garnet ring later in the game: Save up some Exploding potion stacks before they get too rare!
Past early NM, all of these fire potions that drop will be Oil Potions and pretty much the only reasonable chance to have Exploding potions drop will be finding an Exploding Shrine.
The other three resist ring recipes do not have this problem because the other potions types needed can be bought (thawing, antidote, rejuve). Or in the case of rejuve, cubed from potions that can be bought.

Click to expand...

And this is why i love jiansonz! who else would know this :crazyeyes:

jiansonz said:
I learned it the hard way in another tourney that had limited loot and no shopping/gambling allowed.

kstuart said:
so er how do you re roll polearms/spears to get better stuff for my merc?

Moar said:
3 chipped gems. Gives you 1 or 2 sockets and rerolls the weapon.

felixbavaria said:
magic weapon + 3 chippies = re-rolled magic weapon with 1-2 sockets (ilvl 25)
socketed weapon + 3 normal gems = re-rolled magic weapon with 1-2 sockets (ilvl 30)
magic item + 3 perfect gems = re-rolled magic item (ilvl = ilvl)

SunsetVista said:
kstuart said:

so er how do you re roll polearms/spears to get better stuff for my merc?

Click to expand...

3 chipped gems and the magic weapon in the cube = magic weapon with 1 or 2 sockets, ilvl = 25

But, if the base item's qlvl is higher, the affixes possible depend on the qlvl instead of the new (low) ilvl.

So, a War Pike is qlvl 85 (if (qlvl <= char lvl + 5) you can shop that base item). I put it in the cube with 3 chipped gems. I get an ilvl 25 war pike with 1 or 2 sockets and new affixes. Because the War Pike qlvl > ilvl, it can generate higher lvl affixes, such as big %ED and IAS.

jiansonz said:
kstuart said:

so er how do you re roll polearms/spears to get better stuff for my merc?

Click to expand...

Here are all the Horadric Cube formulae and here are the crafting recipes (on four subpages).

The most used recipe early on in most untwinked tourneys is the Savage polearm recipe but that is hard to do here because you need a Kris, a staff and a belt that have all dropped from SU monsters.

The magic weapon + 3 chipped gems have been more used in this tourney. It's as its most useful early on, or really late in the game (once you can get your hands on qlvl 75+ weapons).

SunsetVista said:

@Morathi - Sorry about the Deeds, that try was looking good too.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Palace Celler          20
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Harrogath              ??
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Harrogath              ??
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??

Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

Hell Diablo has fallen to Rabies. Mizan was wiped out by the first firestorm, and I just left him dead. I'd distract Diablo with a bear while sneaking up behind and delivering a toxic bite. I made good use of the lower resist charges on that staff, even though I had to shift out of wolf form to do it.

I got an excellent roll on this Garnet Ring (used to be a Ring of Remedy from Hell Endugu) and used it for Chaos Sanctuary:
-----
Garnet Ring
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0x7aab491c
Item Level: 30
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +29%
-----

SU drops and finds for Act 4 Hell:

Code:

Izual - Crimson Ghost Armor of the Sentinel
Hellforge = Ist
Hephasto - Russet Embossed Plate
Infector of Souls - Griswold's Edge, Rare Pike (Pain Prod)
Lord de Seis - Mesh Belt of the Fox, Unraveller Head
Grand Vizier of Chaos - Rare Heavy Belt (Eagle Strap), Gold Double Axe of the Vampire
Diablo - Iratha's Cuff, Rare Mat Spear (Grim Skewer), Fiery Kris, Flail of the Leech, Vicious Mithril Point of Chain Lightning

Rare printouts (that mat spear from Diablo is pretty nice):
-----
Pain Prod
Pike
Two Hand Damage: 31 - 139
Durability: 12 of 25
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 60
Required Dexterity: 45
Fingerprint: 0x501a6fe
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
122% Enhanced Damage
+93 to Attack Rating
Poison Resist +6%
Level 2 Chain Lightning (17/25 Charges)
-----
Eagle Strap
Heavy Belt
Defense: 10
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0x663de93c
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+54% Enhanced Defense
+1 to Life
Lightning Resist +5%
Poison Resist +8%
Attacker Takes Damage of 1
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Grim Skewer
Matriarchal Spear
Two Hand Damage: 191 - 319
Durability: 23 of 28
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 114
Required Dexterity: 142
Fingerprint: 0x98095e6b
Item Level: 94
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
194% Enhanced Damage
+40 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+1336 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Adds 1 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
Level 5 Sacrifice (29/32 Charges)
-----

Other finds:
saracen's chance
ethereal executioner sword
2 socket superior archon plate
white grand crown

Champion Garruk, lvl 81 Rabies Wolf/Summoner, Hell Harrogath, 155 points

GooberGrape said:
RIP to all who have fallen, and grats to all who are still in it!

A reminder to all that the tournament ends March 1, 2013.

So there's still plenty of time to get in on the action!

Dezrok said:
With over a month remaining, I guess I'm in for a shot.

So, let me introduce Speedy the HC Paladin.

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Harrogath (H) 155 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Palace Celler 20 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Harrogath ?? Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Harrogath ?? Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC Lut Gholein 13 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38

Speedy was thinking of being a Cold Ranger, but obviously Holy Freeze doesn't become available until lvl 18 and you aren't much of a Ranger if you don't have a bow. Still, Act I went smoothly with 1pt in Holy Fire, a rare scimitar that Bloodraven dropped and 4 pts in Zeal. Once lvl 18 was reached points went into Holy Freeze and cold monsters died even faster than hot ones.

Andy dropped a Deadly Hunter's Bow of the Leech, so Ranger it will be for Act II, while I'll switch to a Defiance Merc who can wield a rare Bardiche that was dropped by Bloodraven. Still no belt, amulet or rings â€¦ yes, I managed to lose Akara's gift! Talked to her with a full inventory, the ring dropped to the ground and then after selling off some loot completely forgot to pick the ring up again before S&Eing. I'm sure it was a useless ring, but still, any ring is better than no ring at all! Ah well.

Other gear includes a Skull Cap of Balance, Tangerine Studded Leather of Strength, Beryl Heavy Gloves of Dexterity, Blood Slippers, Tangerine Small Shield of Health, and a rare Falchion (from Andy) which will replace the scimitar. I've also found more chipped topazes in Act I than I ever have before and not a single piece of armour to socket them in.

Speedy, lvl 20 Paladin, Normal Lut Gholein, points 13

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Lower Kurast           23
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Harrogath              ??
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Harrogath              ??
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Lut Gholein            13


Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

You'd think getting to kill WItch Doc Enugnu TWICE you'd get something useful right.... Well nope not for me, merc got a marginal weapon upgrade and that was that. On the plus side stormtree dropped a better still weapon suitable for the merc so at least something decent happened tonight.

Soon to hit level 27 although it would be higher but I P1'd the jungles for speed. Still lacking fire and lightning resists.... Diablo getting closer. I foresee dieing merc and lots of kiting by me, not gonna help that I have to get up close and personal to hit the sod too.

SunsetVista said:
Hell Dac Farren and Shenk down. Quill rats and slingers were no match for merc and bear, although I had to go to town for more potions several times. Those piercing javelins can hurt.

I plan to play this character a lot tonight, but it is snowing out. I hope we don't lose power.

Now that I have the Hell socket reward available, I think I will briefly return to NM and get holes punched in Guillaume's Face. Er, you know what I mean. This way, I won't have to reset my maps.

Edit: NM socket reward used. Also, spelling.
-----
Guillaume's Face
Winged Helm
Defense: 217
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 34
Required Strength: 115
Fingerprint: 0xa09e0337
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
35% Chance of Crushing Blow
15% Deadly Strike
+120% Enhanced Defense
+15 to Strength
Lightning Resist +30% 1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ort Rune
-----

Edit 2: Made it to the Arreat Plateau waypoint. Burning dead archers and poison immune slingers, but also some death slashers, vile lancers, and slayers. Almost to 82. I cautiously ventured into Abaddon and the Infernal Pit but was met by physical immune blood lords and poison immune corpulents. So I will uh, save those areas for later. Yeah.

Edit 3: Hurray for not actually triple posting. Anya is rescued, despite poison immune Gloams. She gave me a hat with +2 shapeshifting skills, but that's not as good as the one with +2 druid skills that she gave me in NM. Frozenstein dropped a Flawless Skull, which was a bit disappointing after all those Gloams. I used my Spirit of Oak as a decoy to pull them, since they really seem to hate other wisps. The Champion Gloams hurt, a lot, even with 60-some lightning resist (but no further deaths). Unfortunately, when I continued on to the Glacial Trail, I met some Wraiths. They are naturally both poison and physical immune. Instead of running through the Glacial Trail I decided to S&E. I will have to make a long, exciting dash for it from the Crystalline Passage waypoint. If only I had a Ko rune for Lawbringer. I don't even need a Ko, if I get anything Hel or higher I can cube the Ko. I guess I am spoiled with 1.13.

Edit 4: ok, last one for tonight. Decided to go back and do some of the areas I had saved (I hadn't cleared them before) looking for Hel - Ko. I really want that decrepify. Killed Griswold, Bonebreaker, and the Countess. She dropped a Sol rune and a key of terror. Oh well. Pits next, then probably to Act 2 to take out Bloodwitch the Wild.

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Travvy                 25
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Harrogath              ??
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Harrogath              ??
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Lut Gholein            13


Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

Battlemaid Serina dropped a gold ring that was NOT a Nagel but my first ever Manald Heal. Other than that her other drop and Icehawk's were rubbish

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

Dezrok said:
Those SUs are going to pay for their thievery! Act 2 finished. Mizan the Defiance Merc adding plenty of killing power, while Speedy keeps safe on the end of the bow, but does his share of the killing as well. I've got to say that while recovery of his items from the SUs is a mighty powerful motivation, Speedy sure did own a lot of unusable junk! Just what is a Paladin doing keeping cestus, katar, hawk helms, a falcon mask and an eagle orb?

On the plus side, Creeping Feature dropped a rare Lt Belt and a blue Belt. Despite lacking the extra slots, the Lt Belt was by far the better deal with 10%FHR, +3Str, 19%cr and 15%lr. Beetleburst dropped my first Unique. Darkglow might not be the greatest armour out there, but it feels pretty good to Speedy and 10% res all is too good to ignore just now (not that there are really any alternatives). Dark Elder dropped a Lg Shield of Remedy to give a bit of extra blocking when I switch to Zeal.

Ancient Kaa the Souless was hiding in the very last Tomb. Life on p8 was a bit of a grind by now, Mizan was dying plenty, but Speedy was keeping safe and collecting plenty of gems, runes and experience, so we persisted, eventually tracking him down and slaying him to reclaim our ethereal Sturdy Breast Plate of Dexterity for Mizan and a rare Falchion (39%ed, +50 poison dam, +3 mana/kill).

Then it was Duriel's turn on p5. Both of us survived the encounter and walked away with 5 rares and a blue falcon mask. The rare Full Helm suited Speedy just fine (although hardly anything special).

So the end of Act 2. Another 11 points. Speedy still has no rings or amulet, but all other slots a filled. Mizan has all his slots filled.

Level 28 and on to Kurast!

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Harrogath (H) 155 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Travvy 25 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Harrogath ?? Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Harrogath ?? Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC Kurast Docks 24 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38

Cygnus said:
Diana is now a slayer! Act 5 was a breeze as lightning strike is now quite powerful. The trick is not to spam it. Just a couple of pokes and let the lightning play itself out. Repeat. Large packs fall very quickly. Solo monsters take a few hits.

Baal tried everything in the book: appendages, clone, chilling, knockback, but eventually fell.

Act 5 was horrible for drops: Sander's gloves, sigon's belt (which isn't necessarily better than my earlier belt), a magical bone shield (which will soon be replaced by Rhyme), a 2os serpentskin armor and a marginally better helmet for the merc were the only good drops.

Cows *finally* dropped the Shael I was looking for. I can now get Larzuk to punch holes in a bone shield for better resists, blocking and magic find. Really looking forward to it.

I gambled quite a bit. These are the best I have to show for it:

Fiend Spur
Boots
Defense: 5
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0xd8187b43
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+40% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +12%
Lightning Resist +33%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
15% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Grim Fist
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xb6175e97
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Passive and Magic Skills (Amazon Only)
Replenish Life +3
Lightning Resist +29%
Poison Resist +26%
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

I think I'll personalize the boots and start using it. I'll continue to try my luck at gloves, hoping for +2 skiils, IAS, better MF, something other than poison resist, ...

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Harrogath (H) 155 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Travvy 25 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Harrogath ?? Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC Kurast Docks 24 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38

Edit: Just cubed this:

Prismatic Amulet of Fortune
Amulet
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0xaaf87a6d
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +18
20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

I may hold off on the personalization after all.

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Harrogath              ??
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

6 council members and Meph dropped my a grand total of one helmet upgrade and that was a blue as well.... Still 20% LR is not to be sniffed at when it doubles your LR. Twitcheroe dropped too but from a random monster on the way to Meph

Meph dropped my Arcanna's Head to go with the one dropped up in Travvy and the one on the way to Meph himself. SO 3 of them from 6 SU's and Meph himself lol.

felixbavaria said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Kurast Docks           24




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

Ulf has become a Destroyer. There was not much that could stop him after he had respecced out those early level skill points into summoning skills and focussed more on bone spells.

Anya gave us a 9 all res, 28 LR necro head, not bad.

No finds worth reporting, Baal drop was total crap (Cathan's staff, Naj's circlet, etc. - and a 227% ED light crossbow. Yes!)

However, circlet gambling yielded a Venomous Coronet! Larzuk put 2 holes into it, currently 1 PTopaz socketed.

The Cow King at least gave Ulf an armor upgrade: a Cobalt (27) Studded Leather.

Crafted a +27 Fire Resist Garnet Ring for Nightmare (out of Akara's quest reward ring), and off we go.

jiansonz said:
Ulric the Golemancer is now halfway through Nightmare. To allow the merc's damage (with an eth. 50-something ED Partizan) to keep up with the increasingly beefier monsters, I hired a Might merc when I reached Act II. Progress has been pretty smooth. Sure, the merc dies now and then, but money is not a problem (11 million gold is muled off at this point).

This swarm halted us a bit. Unbreakable PI, and I had just invested in an Iron Golem for poison immunity here in the Lair, so I did not want to cast a Fire Golem. The Malice axe solved this.

Duriel was Iron Maidened to good effect. The only slightly interesting drop was Haemosu's armor.

In the last post, I wrote that I rerolled my Beryl Amulet into a Shimmering Amulet of (+9 Str). It's still my only amulet but now it has been crafted and looks like this:

Eagle Collar
Amulet
Required Level: 32
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x8e18250
+5 to Energy
+18 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 6%
Damage Reduced by 2
Fire Resist +23%
8% Faster Cast Rate

+28 mana, that meant that three more Fire Golem levels could be added. It's at level 15 now and Golem Mastery is maxed. The fire damage is only just passable. It would have been more decent on /p1, I suppose.

This was not a legitimate item for use but I often like to take a look at rares anyway. This is weird. Base Lance damage is 27-114, so why is not the +3 max damage listed among the affix effects? I checked it out in ATMA because I was curious, and the +3 max damage was listed there. Weird, huh?

More weirdness in Act III. The Flayer boss spawned by the Gidbinn thingy did not drop The Gidbinn. Just four potions and a rare Throwing Spear. Can this be because some of the following?
- The quest had not been initiated by Hratli (I hadn't talked to him). But it should work anyway, right?
- I was probably in town when the pack spawned. But it should work anyway, right?

After the session was over and the LK waypoint secured, I allowed myself to start a new game on /p1 and rush to the flayer village, killing only what was necessary to be safe (and no loot picked up). The Gidbinn thingy was clickable, and this time the Ghostly Rat Man that spawned dropped the dagger. Ring was crappy but I kept it. Maybe I will reroll it if I swim in perfect skulls later.

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Razan of Lut Gholein, level 61, NM Act III jungle cleanup (Arach, Swampy) next

SunsetVista said:
Nice amulet!

The Gidbinn thing happened to me once before. I do not know what caused it, except it is not caused by not talking to Hratli.

felixbavaria said:
I never talk to Hratli when playing a caster. Never had this bug happen.

Dezrok said:
Act 3 was good. Ormus gave me this ring, which I'm quite happy with. My first and only MF so far and the AR was a big boost.

Havoc Finger
Ring
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x77c9bc17
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+98 to Attack Rating
Poison Resist +16%
13% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

The MF seemed to have immediate effect, with Leadcrow dropping on Level 2 of the Flayer Dungeon to a regular monster. Hopefully not worth a socket/personalisation, however, still nice to see a unique. Then Witchdoctor Endengu dropped Twitchthroe, thank you very nicely!

Stormtree dropped a Mechanic's Kite Shield of Deflecting (only 1 socket). Then Icehawk Riftwing dropped this War Scepter.

Plague Crusher
War Scepter
One Hand Damage: 12 - 27
Durability: 70 of 70
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0x7ad34511
Item Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
24% Enhanced Damage
+6 to Maximum Damage
+178% Damage to Undead
+52 to Attack Rating against Undead
+1 to Blessed Hammer (Paladin Only)
+1 to Holy Freeze (Paladin Only)
Level 1 Bash (22/22 Charges)

Not the greatest in the world, but the best so far and certainly better than the Jewel of Passion that was all Toorc Icefist gave up. Or the couple of potions that Wyand Voidbringer had.

Meph dropped a small charm of dexterity and a few rares that aren't worth using at the moment.

Speedy moves on to Act 4 at Level 30 feeling pretty good. However almost all his damage comes from Holy Freeze, so if I switch to Salvation for resistance safety, then it takes a very long time to kill things.

I've had the Gidbinn glitch once before, not sure if I talked to Hralti, but probably not, generally don't much. Very confusing at the time!

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Harrogath (H) 155 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38

kstuart said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       River of Flame         38
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Pandemonium Fortress   36








Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

Izzy dropped me two yellow two handed swords..... As well as a scroll of identity.
Hephasto dropped gold, potion and a Ral. The forge dropped perfect skull and a tir.....

Inferno is a bugger to deal with from the pit lords with 23% FR...... Diablo to come still which will be fun, not. LR not much better than FR so I think it may well be P1 time.

Dezrok said:

Speedy has vanquished Diablo and recovered more of his junk. The only useful item was a rare Kite Shield from Diablo himself.

Hellforge dropped a Ral and a PRuby. The Ruby was used to create a pair of Blood Gloves with 1% life leech, 5% CB, 17 life and 10% poison res â€¦ couldn't get much worse but are still better than the base Heavy Gloves (+2 dex and 16% poison res) which were from the Countess, all the way back when.

Level 33 and on to Harrogath.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       River of Flame         38
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       Harrogath              42






Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38

felixbavaria said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Harrogath (H) 155 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC River of Flame 38 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Dark Wood 68 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC Harrogath 42 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38

In today's session Ulf has vanquished Corpsefire, Bishibosh, Coldcrow, Blood Raven, Bonebreaker, Rakanishu, Treehead Woodfist and Griswold.

Corpsefire dropped a Yew Wand that was re-rolled a few times. With a bit of luck we got a 1os +2 Bone Spear one.

Emilio's kill speed is abysmal and he tends to get stuck between carvers with archers firing at him. I'll either have to upgrade his 49% ED pike or replace him by a Barbarian once I can afford to re-roll the map.

Griswold dropped a 2os Shamshir and a 0os Dimensional Blade, which opens up interesting possibilities.

Akara gave us a 13 MF rare ring but we currently need the Garnet ring, at least until we can make Smoke in a personalised armour.

Ulf the Bonemancer and Emilio, level 49, NM Black Marsh next

Dezrok said:

Baal was being ground to a pulp, slowly but safely. With only a sliver of life left he summoned his clone. Surely I can finish him off before it gets too hot ... I guess not. Speedy dead at level 47 with 58 points.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Harrogath (H)         155
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       River of Flame         38
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Dark Wood              68
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

SunsetVista said:

Sorry about the Deeds Dezrok. =(

Garruk has cleared the false tombs. Still no Ko rune. Next is a long run through Crystalline Passage trying not to kill anything and trying not to die. Fingers crossed for no wraiths in the Glacial Trail.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Crystalline Pass (H)  167
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       River of Flame         38
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Dark Wood              68
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

Still to Kill:
*Normal Lister
*Hell Coldworm
Bonesaw Breaker
Snapchip Shatter
Pindleskin
Nihlathak
Colenzo
Achmel
Bartuc
Ventar
Lister
Baal
Hell Cow King
(*) Would require large reclear, saving for last

Champion Garruk, lvl 82 (almost 83) Rabies Wolf/Summoner, Glacial Trail Next

Cygnus said:
Ouch Dezrok That's almost exactly how my Baal and Andariel fights finished, except that I outlasted the bosses.

@SunsetVista: Surely killing at /p1 is a much safer approach? Unless you have a skill like Terror on a wand. The extra exp gain really isn't much, just don't pick up any items that drop. Looking forward to a pat thread soon.

Cleared act 1. Lightning spitters, including many bosses, in every single level of the Catacombs. Some of the bosses were LI, so it was painfully slow. Not to mention needing a couple of well-timed purple pots. The only other tight situation was a convicted FE archer boss and another LE boss in the pits level 2. Scary given the already poor resists. No idea what happened there: enclosed space, merc and valk jabbing away, lightning flying everywhere and suddenly the conviction boss is gone. No idea if I blocked/dodged the fire explosion or if I was out of range, but my life bulb didn't move much. Andariel needed several trips to town because I didn't want to risk fighting without my meat-shields but she didnt' cause too many problems otherwise.

The Valk has only just reached level 6, she's not much of a tank at this stage. Not when cursed anyway. Neither is a prayer merc. Out he goes, and in comes Alhizeer, Holy Freeze mercenery.

Gear upgrades: Hel dropped early in the act. Upgraded the two topazes in the armor to perfect ones. Gloves of fortune (17% MF) also dropped. I'm running 130% MF now. Resists are 33/43/74/13. I have decent gloves/shoes that I need to personalize before I can use. Iratha's crown also dropped, which I can socket to get 30% resist all. I also have an armor ready for 'Smoke', so my resists look alright, even for hell. But I plan to run max MF through nightmare.

kstuart said:
Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Crystalline Pass (H) 167 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Harrogath 42 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Dark Wood 68 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38 Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC WSK 58

Eventually managed to kill Diablo after lots of running around and potions single handed being the merc was useless and died rapidly. Naff all useful dropped from the seal fools (failed gold war sword was the best) merc got a helm upgrade though. Diablo himself dropped 6 yellows of which the only useful one was a war sword which will replace my current yellow crystal sword in 2 level ups as i dont have the str to carry it at the moment. The rest were 2 handed weapons or crossbows... The merc got a yellow Halberd which actually has a slight damage drop BUT does have 5% LL and is a normal not a slow attack speed weapon so probably averages the same for damage and now has some LL.

Act 5 can wait until tomorrow as i fancy a change of scenery or rather a character that isn't likely to die if a boss farts near it (or waves red lightning about.....)

SunsetVista said:
@Cygnus - You're right, and that's what I ended up doing. Took the shortest route, killed only what I absolutely had to, didn't pick things up. I'm also looking forward to being done with this.

Rabies isn't a bad PI solution (well... actually it is slow) but I wish I'd invested in Fire Claws or something instead of strong summons. Although the dire wolves did help out a bit by eating fallen corpses so the guest shamans were more manageable. Er, wait... don't I have solar creeper on my hat? That would've been better. D'oh.

Made it to the Ancient's Way and to lvl 83. Monster spawns weren't too bad; only poison immunes were skeleton mages and the merc and bear made short work of them.

Icy Cellar next.

Cygnus said:
Act 2 done. Straight-forward clear. I expected trouble with beetles, but it turns out they do not have much ligntning resistance in nightmare.

Duriel (/p5) was a sweetheart, dropping crushflange. Finally some crushing blow. Should make boss fights much easier now. Other useful finds was large charm (5% FRW, but I plan to reroll), 15% resist all jewel, a Lum rune and another rare ring that I can PSkull-reroll. The blood gloves I crafted was junk. With Crushflange, that experiment can be discontinued.

I have ~750 items in my stash, most of them gems/runes/jewels. I'm mentally planning out my gear. I already have, or can make or switch to, end-game worthy armor (Smoke), shield (Rhyme), amulet (Prismatic/Fortune) and gloves (rare with IAS, some resist, MF). I have 2 personalization and 1 socketing quest remaining (discounting Hell Larzuk/Anya, they come too late in the game to be of much use)

I think I should:
- Personalize a good pair of shoes that I already have
- Socket a rare/unique/set helm/circlet and stick my 15% resist all jewel in it
- Cube all gems flawed and above to perfect (keeping 1-2 chipped/flawed/normal gems aside just in case I need them for rune upgrades)
- Use PSkulls used to reroll rare rings. There is no other way to improve rings, right?
- Craft whatever I can (I'm not convinced this is useful, but I really can't craft that much so it's ok)
- Use all other PGems to reroll the 2 large charms I have
- Chippies used to ... I don't know, cube up high qlvl merc weapons and javelins for myself?
- One more personalization ... 4os Partizan or elite polearm for Insight? Would be nice if an ethereal one dropped

That leaves only half-way decent options for the belt (and merc armor/helm, but that's ok)

I'm gambling boots, belts, gloves, poleaxes and pikes. Are circlets/coronets worth spending money on? They are damn expensive!

Anything I'm missing? Anything you'd do differently?

Of course, finding a great usable item will completely change plans. But that's a good problem to have

What to imbue? I have some white circlets saved up. Does ilvl, qlvl matter on imbues?

I'm busy most of Feb and March, so don't expect me to catch up with SunsetVista any time soon I'll continue posting to this thread till I reach Matriarch (hopefully not a problem for this character ...)

felixbavaria said:
Ulf and his new sidekick Alaric the Barbarian have defeated Andariel and Duriel, killing all SU's on the way. Alaric has been proven very useful, wielding Diablo's kitchen knife (Bloodletter) or Griswold's Shamshir turned into a Strength RW.

Notable drops in the rest of Act I included Bane Ash's magic Plate Mail, which was successfully crafted into a 2%LL +48 life armour, and a rare triple-resist armour for Ulf, coutesy of the Countess.

In Act II, the merc finally got to use a MF hat, which was dropped by Beetleburst (2os War Hat).

Fangskin dropped a rare amulet - that slot was still left to be filled. Turned out to be a 10 FCR one, the rest of the mods are junk.

I apparently had a Palace Cellar level 3 map without a spawning point for Fire Eye. I wasn't sure whether I hadn't accidentally killed him by CE before, so I S+E'd after getting the AS WP and killed him at /p1, selling the loot.

Ancient Kaa hid in the 5th tomb and dropped a very useful item: a 2os (Mechanic's) necro head. Stuck 2 PDiamonds in there, now near maxed fire + lightning resist in NM.

Notable, but illegitimate drops in Act II: Bloodfist and Nokozan Relic.

Ulf the Boner and Alaric the Barbarian, level 59, Kurast Docks (NM)

Cygnus said:

What to imbue? I have some white circlets saved up. Does ilvl, qlvl matter on imbues?

Click to expand...

I would advise against imbuing circlets, since they can be easily gambled. I'd imbue a white Amazon Javelin or an ethereal elite merc weapon.

Edit: ilvl doesn't matter - it is set to clvl + 4 (iirc). qlvl matters just as for any rare item (thus, it does not matter for circlets, since they have magic level).

Cygnus said:

Are circlets/coronets worth spending money on? They are damn expensive!

Click to expand...

Hell yeah. First, they can get all of the awesome mods (all resist, +skills, MF, life, mana, leech, high single elemental resist). Second, they can be socketed (and are thus usable in this tournament by either quest reward). Third, they can get good affixes pretty early on due to their magic level (especially Coronets), and their affixes don't depend on qlvl. Conversely, you'll have a hard time gambling boots and gloves that are better than the stuff that Anya sells (Amber Greaves of Fortune, Lancer's Gauntlets, etc.)

Edit: FWIW, I've gambled a +3 P/B skills coronet at the start of NM. Of course, that was extremely lucky - just to show the potential.

jiansonz said:
Nice that you describe your planning, Cygnus. I recognize many of the ponderings, from this tourney and from other similar ones.

Ring manipulation that can be done:
- cube 3 magical amulets into a magical ring
- reroll magical ring with perfect gems (too expensive - better spend those on charms)
- cube Jade/Coral/Garnet/Cobalt ring
- craft ring (4 different recipes)
- reroll rare ring using 6 PSkulls

Cygnus said:

Are circlets/coronets worth spending money on? They are damn expensive!

Click to expand...

Could be, if you score something great. Stick with Circlets rather than Coronets, they are not as expensive (unless you are so high clvl that you have a chance to get ilvl 82 on a Coronet (because that opens up the alvl 90 +2 class skills affixes)).

Cygnus said:

What to imbue? I have some white circlets saved up. Does ilvl, qlvl matter on imbues?

Click to expand...

ilvl pre-imbue on the item does not matter, because the new ilvl gets set to clvl+4

qlvl matters.

felixbavaria said:
Another thing that came to my head is that if you have a low ilvl magic ring (such as Akara's Normal quest reward) and want to craft it, you can use one of the resist ring recipes to set the ilvl to 30 before crafting.

I think in this tourney circlets are a very good option since gambled rings and amulets can't be used (or am I missing something?)

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

SunsetVista said:
felixbavaria said:

I think in this tourney circlets are a very good option since gambled rings and amulets can't be used (or am I missing something?)

Click to expand...

That's correct, because you can't personalize jewelry. It's true that it's usually better to gamble circlets than imbue them. I imbued a circlet on my character because I already had plans for the socket and personalization rewards. It turned out to be a nice merc hat with life leech (lucky). But you can gamble much nicer things.

Cygnus said:
jiansonz said:

Ring manipulation that can be done:
- cube 3 magical amulets into a magical ring
- reroll magical ring with perfect gems (too expensive - better spend those on charms)
- cube Jade/Coral/Garnet/Cobalt ring
- craft ring (4 different recipes)
- reroll rare ring using 6 PSkulls

Click to expand...

I haven't found a single magic amulet so far, so 3 is very much a stretch. A Garnet ring may be useful, I'll take a call when I see my Hell resists. PSkull rolling it will be, then.

felixbavaria's idea of imbuing white amazon javelins is awesome. Guaranteed improvement over my current stack. I'll do it after I see what Anya gives me for rescuing her (in normal, it was a spear, bah) If a white amazon javelin has +x javelin skills, will it have the same +x when imbued, or that does get rerolled too?

felixbavaria said:
Cygnus said:

If a white amazon javelin has +x javelin skills, will it have the same +x when imbued, or that does get rerolled too?

Click to expand...

Automods such as +X to Javelin and Spear Skills on Amazon Javelins are re-rolled when imbuing. So there's no point in looking for a +3 white one.

SunsetVista said:
Garruk fought his way through physical immune succubi and poison immune gloams to take down Snapchip Shatter.
Yes, I was glad about that enemy roll that contained no ghosts. I hate ghosts on this character SO MUCH.

Pindleskin next, he's immune to poison but my lower resist staff can break it. I hope there are no vipers down there. I hope I can survive CE. Go go solar creeper.

This is only my 2nd single pass untwinked character that has made it this far. I can't remember the last time I killed Hell Nihlathak. /nervous

SunsetVista said:
There was no need to break Pindle's poison resist; he wasn't immune to physical and the minions took care of it.

Halls of Anguish had death brigadiers, devilkin, and returned. Solar creeper helped remove some corpses.
Halls of Pain had Zealots/Hierophants, Night Lords, and Blood Maggots (noooooo), so I found the stairs as fast as possible. I didn't hit the waypoint.
Halls of Vaught had defilers, poison immune skeleton archers, and defiled warriors. That was lucky.

Nihlathak had fanaticism. I pulled his minions away, killed them, disposed of the corpses with solar creeper, then ran in to inflict rabies, ran out before he could summon a minion and make a corpse... repeat.

So, with that done, time for the final gear check before Ancients.

SunsetVista said:

Patriarch Garruk!

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       WSK 2 (H)             177
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Harrogath              42
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Dark Wood              68
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

The final gear check before Ancients involved 2 tries at rerolling an Akara ring with perfect skulls, neither of which was successful. I crafted the amulet from Nihlathak, but it was not better than what I already had. I crafted the boots from Pindle and got a slightly better pair (I thought the mana regen would be important for the Ancients). I looked at the affix tables and decided not to reroll my charms. I still did not have enough runes for Ko and 'Lawbringer'. I liked my belt with cold resist and fhr so I didn't personalize String of Ears. The Venom from Treachery would mess with my Rabies, so I didn't make that for the merc. Thus, the socket and personalization quest rewards in Hell have not been used.

More about the Ancients and Baal fights can be found in the Pat thread.

Here's the final set of SU drops I had to work with:

Code:

Dac Farren - Rare Military Axe (Beast Cleaver), Rare Eth Bone Shield (Corpse Shell)
Shenk the Overseer - Rare Gauntlets (Bramble Grip), rare Sexton Trophy
Eldritch - Wailing Bone Knife of Evisceration, Rare Demon Heart
Sharptooth - Grinding Barbed Club of the Icicle, Balanced Axe of Slaying
Eyeback the Unleashed - Tangerine Armet, Rare Light Gauntlets (Spirit Fist)
Thresh Socket - Gold Cudgel of the Locust, Rare Short Spear (Shadow Thirst)
Frozenstein - Flawless Skull, Jade Giant Axe of Simplicity
Anya Pelt = Grim Mask (not as good as NM)
Griswold - 3 os Brandistock, white Flail, Vigorous Belt of the Ox
Bonebreaker - Ethereal Demonhide Gloves of Readiness, Divine Harpoon of Evisceration
Countess - Sol rune, key of terror, Brutal Falchion of Slaying
Bloodwitch the Wild - Great Helm of the Wolf, Rare Crown (Viper Veil)
Ancient Kaa the Soulless - Sturdy Studded Leather of Frost Shield, Heraldic Shield
Bonesaw Breaker - Rare Gorgon Crossbow (Stone Dart), Mask of Restoration
Snapchip Shatter - Rare Bramble Mitts (Carrion Hand), Scythe of Craftmanship
Pindleskin - Blessed Wyrmhide Boots of Regeneration, Consecrated Composite Bow of Burning
Nihlathak - Amulet of Frost
Colenzo - Iron Cedar Bow
Achmel - Corrosive Axe of Excellence
Bartuc - 2 mana pots
Ventar - Bronze Phase Blade
Lister - Health pot, mana pot
Baal - Vidala's Snare, Rare Plated Belt (Bitter Clasp), Rare Claymore (Shadow Thirst), Rare Flail (Bramble Smasher), Rare Short Spear (Dread Gutter), Rare Heavy Gloves (Blood Grasp)

Rare Printouts:
-----
Beast Cleaver
Military Axe
Two Hand Damage: 17 - 44
Durability: 26 of 30
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 73
Fingerprint: 0xae324da6
Item Level: 83
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
24% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage
+47 to Attack Rating
Adds 22 - 32 Fire Damage
-----
Corpse Shell
Bone Shield
Defense: 53
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 21 of 21
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 15
Fingerprint: 0x3214da95
Item Level: 83
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17% Enhanced Defense
Poison Resist +8%
Damage Reduced by 1
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
+2 to Light Radius Ethereal
-----
Bramble Grip
Gauntlets
Defense: 19
Durability: 13 of 24
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x6d5c869f
Item Level: 83
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
3% Mana stolen per hit
+20% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Mana
Fire Resist +18%
16% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
-----
Spirit Fist
Light Gauntlets
Defense: 10
Durability: 14 of 18
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0x1d20d17b
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+14 to Attack Rating
+8 to Strength
Fire Resist +5%
-----
Shadow Thirst
Short Spear
Throw Damage: 22 - 83
One Hand Damage: 14 - 74
Quantity: 28
Required Level: 40
Required Strength: 40
Required Dexterity: 40
Fingerprint: 0x34fb3536
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova on striking
+12 to Minimum Damage
+61 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+160 to Attack Rating
Adds 12 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
-----
Grim Mask
Sun Spirit
Defense: 176
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 95
Fingerprint: 0x87202e3c
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Shape-Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
+1 to Twister (Druid Only)
+2 to Tornado (Druid Only)
+19% Enhanced Defense
+1 to Energy
+7 to Life
Fire Resist +18%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
-----
Viper Veil
Crown
Defense: 68
Durability: 29 of 50
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xa1887dc7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+48% Enhanced Defense
+8 to Energy
+23 to Life
-----
Stone Dart
Gorgon Crossbow
Two Hand Damage: 26 - 128
Durability: 23 of 40
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 117
Required Dexterity: 105
Fingerprint: 0xb7e4b21d
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Minimum Damage
+41 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+1369 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
+34% Damage to Undead
+48 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 1 - 7 Lightning Damage
+13 to Dexterity
Poison Resist +9%
-----
Carrion Hand
Bramble Mitts
Defense: 93
Durability: 9 of 12
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x66ef0a0b
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+13 to Attack Rating
+49% Enhanced Defense
+11 to Strength
Cold Resist +7%
-----
Bitter Clasp
Plated Belt
Defense: 18
Durability: 18 of 24
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x34d3085c
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+55% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +17%
Fire Resist +6%
-----
Shadow Thirst
Claymore
One Hand Damage: 8 - 76
Two Hand Damage: 20 - 105
Durability: 26 of 50
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 47
Fingerprint: 0xb845f5e8
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
61% Enhanced Damage
+15 to Maximum Damage
+42 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+1386 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
7% Mana stolen per hit
9% Life stolen per hit
Fire Resist +18%
-----
Bramble Smasher
Flail
One Hand Damage: 1 - 24
Durability: 28 of 30
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x2410071e
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 100 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
8% Life stolen per hit
+11 to Life
Fire Resist +6%
-----
Dread Gutter
Short Spear
Throw Damage: 27 - 28
One Hand Damage: 16 - 16
Quantity: 25
Required Level: 40
Required Strength: 40
Required Dexterity: 40
Fingerprint: 0xa7dae5fb
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+30% Increased Attack Speed
30% Enhanced Damage
+14 to Minimum Damage
+99 to Attack Rating
5% Mana stolen per hit
Lightning Resist +9%
-----
Blood Grasp
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 9
Durability: 8 of 14
Required Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0xa64bda6f
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
14% Chance to cast level 5 Charged Bolt when struck
+32% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +18%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
-----

Patriarch Garruk, lvl 84 Rabies Wolf/Summoner, Hell Cows Next
And then I will go back and kill Coldworm and finally Normal Lister.

Jocular said:

So this looked way too much fun for me to not try. Going in with Maul Werebear, HC single pass and /p8 for as long as I can. However, the single pass is subject to change if I'm desperate for a weapon.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       WSK 2 (H)             177
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Harrogath              42
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Dark Wood              68
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Jocular         Ramur          Druid        HC       Rogue Encampment        3




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

edit: Found Biggons Bonnet off of BoneBreak :cloud9:

Cygnus said:
Congrats on the pat :yes: Now go after the remaining 3!

jiansonz said:
SunsetVista said:

And then I will go back and kill Coldworm and finally Normal Lister.

Click to expand...

Hehe, I can imagine Normal Lister: ("Now, who dares to enter the throne room of the mighty Ba*THWACK! THUD!*") Pwned.

GooberGrape said:
Garruk relaxed his grip on the gore-soaked cudgel and lowered his shield. The battle was complete. Balance had been restored. Slowly his fury receded, his claws and fangs retracted, his features became that of a man. His memories flooded back as he remembered his past, righted the wrongs done to him, and restored what was once lost. Satisfied, Garruk then walked the long and twisting path home to rebuild.

Days later, Garruk sat in his house, a small fire crackled in the nearly restored fireplace. Everything seemed to be in order, Garruk thought as he eased down into his favorite chair. Just then, he glanced across the room at a blank spot on the wall. He got up to inspect, and noticed a faint outline on the empty wall. Suddenly his memory flashed. A grandmother's gift used to hang here. Then he remembered Lister the Tormenter, remembered his mocking cry, and realized what Lister meant by his laughter.

"Lister, you have something of mine. Prepare yourself!" Garruk rushed out into the midnight air, the full moon low in the sky. The silence of the night was shattered by a haunting long howl, as all the dire wolves of the night joined in a symphony with the Alpha wolf.

In his haste, Garruk left the door to his cottage open. As morning broke, a wandering cow stumbled through the front door and clattered through the previously tidy home. Odd, I didn't know cows stood on their hind legs.

.....

Congrats SunsetVista!!! :worship:

SunsetVista said:
@Cygnus - Thanks! Yep, that's the plan.

@jiansonz - THWACK indeed. It will be sweet. =) You have much more experience with this style of play than I do, in fact you're basically legendary. Do you have any tips for untwinked melee characters vs. Normal Lister? I've had difficulty with him on other characters too, and I'd like to get past parking him.

@GooberGrape - Thanks for the awesome story! Those pesky cows... Now all I can think about is a cottage full of muddy hoofprints and mooing. Going to have to go get revenge soon... I hope. =)

jiansonz said:
SunsetVista said:

Do you have any tips for untwinked melee characters vs. Normal Lister? I've had difficulty with him on other characters too, and I'd like to get past parking him.

Click to expand...

In more normal tourneys, I usually have a Prayer merc with a Savage Partizan that does most of the work. He usually just needs a little help.

1. First, make sure you fight only Lister (awakening the pack and then quickly going all the way back to the stairs usually breaks the 'boss leash' so you can lure one of them at a time to you.)

2. Pre-buff you and the merc with thawing potions, so Lister's cold Spectral Hits do not chill you for long.

3. Open up with a hit that prevents monster heal, or have Open Wounds or poison damage on either your or the merc's gear. This way, you won't lose any progress you have made damaging him.

4. The Knockback is annoying. As the merc engages the fight, try to step in so you are standing directly behind the merc (so he does not get knocked back) and hit over his shoulder. Requires a weapon range of at least 2, preferrably 3+.

5. Potions, potion, potions. There is no shame in using half a belt of full purples and super healers if necessary, to keep the merc alive.

Anything that can stun (or even stunlock) him is a big bonus. Barbs have Bash, Pallys have Smite, Assassins have kicks and Mind Blast, Sorcs have TK.

SunsetVista said:
Those are some great tips! Thanks so much!

SunsetVista said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Patriarch             180
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Harrogath              42
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Dark Wood              68
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Jocular         Ramur          Druid        HC       Rogue Encampment        3




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

Finished off the Cow King, Coldworm, and Normal Lister. THWACK! Got grandmother's special elixir and rainy day savings back. =)

Final Finds:

Code:

Cow King - Ring Mail of Amicae, Rare Ethereal Falcata (Loath Sever), War Hammer of the Wraith, Clasped Orb of the Magus, Balanced Knife of the Lamprey
Coldworm - Rare Light Plate (Storm Hide), Rare Poignard (Shadow Edge)
Normal Lister - rejuv pot, mana pot, gold

-----
Loath Sever
Falcata
One Hand Damage: 74 - 146
Durability: 13 of 13
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 140
Required Dexterity: 78
Fingerprint: 0xe4823352
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Masteries Skills (Barbarian Only)
62% Enhanced Damage
+4 to Maximum Damage
+86 to Attack Rating Ethereal
-----
Storm Hide
Light Plate
Defense: 101
Durability: 41 of 60
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 41
Fingerprint: 0x6867159f
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Dexterity
+36 to Mana
Lightning Resist +26%
Poison Resist +5%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
-----
Shadow Edge
Poignard
One Hand Damage: 6 - 60
Durability: 9 of 16
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x73b4eee3
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+42 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+14 to Attack Rating
+1386 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Adds 1 - 4 Fire Damage
+10 to Strength
-----

GL to everyone, and may you also have lots of fun with this!

felixbavaria said:

It's now official that I suck at this game. I think some well-placed Attract curses could have prevented this situation in the first place. The only excuse is that I had never played a Necro before.

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Patriarch             180
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Harrogath              42
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Black Marsh (NM)       ??
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Jocular         Ramur          Druid        HC       Rogue Encampment        3




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Ruined Temple (NM)           87 
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

Jocular said:
What kinda Necro was it?

For my Mauler dru, I'm currently in norm LK and have yet to find a belt...I had to use up my normal imbue to have a belt for my fight with duriel...ugh.

felixbavaria said:
Boner. Thought it was the safest build I've ever played, but turns out that Sarina's girls tear through bone walls like a hot knife through butter.

jiansonz said:
Ouch. Might is scary and dangerous in crowded places with several fast opponents.

Attract could well have had a chance to save you, but I prefer a Terror/Dim Vision/Decrepify combo in these situations.

SunsetVista said:
Sorry about the Deeds felixbavaria. I don't think that means you suck. First try at necro in hardcore, that's really not bad at all.

Cygnus said:
@felix: Tough luck in an enclosed space!

Act 3 done for me. Played it over many, many sessions. Don't remember much, tbh, so pardon the staccato update. Gloams in the marsh didn't hurt much. Neither did doll explosions, which could be tanked. Simultaneous explosions were not a problem because of nearly 85% block + D/A/E. No stair traps in any of the 6 temples (I don't think that's ever happened to me) Sewers was a /p1. I really hate the place. Durance 3 was at /p3. Everything else at /p8. Only dangerous situation was taking a couple of huge hits from a Mauler minion in the durance. Critical/Deadly strike? Meph was Crushflanged to about 1/3 life, lightning took over after that.

The valkyrie is now level 17. Somewhat unfair on nightmare monsters

Main gear upgrade is through crafting. The merc got this:

Rune Crest
Casque
Defense: 82
Durability: 18 of 24
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 59
Fingerprint: 0xc944660c
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
3% Life stolen per hit
5% Deadly Strike
+13% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Life
Fire Resist +18%
48% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz

He also got a crap Breast plate craft that is a little less crappier that what he was already wearing. I also have a +poison damage Maiden Spear on switch to prevent regen on lightning immunes. For now, merc and valk damage is good, so I don't really use it much. Looking for a white maiden/ceremonial javelin ilvl 60+ for imbue.

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

jiansonz said:
Cygnus said:

Sewers was a /p1. I really hate the place.

Click to expand...

It's my favourite area in the whole game!

Cygnus said:
jiansonz said:

It's my favourite area in the whole game!

Click to expand...

I remember reading you love the false tombs too. That's probably my second most-hated area in the game It's the damn unravellers and their endless resurrections. It's especially bad since I love playing amazons and they don't have a corpse disposal system. Unless you put 1 point in freezing arrow, I guess, but you can't safely use that without taking a hit to your resists.

Fallen Shamen are much better because (a) they usually spawn in open areas where their minions can be led away more easily and (b) they only revive their minions, not every freakin' undead that's around.

I love the Kurast jungles, which just about everyone else seems to hate.

felixbavaria said:
Thanks all for the kind words, and GLHF.

It's ironic given the deeds but the Kurast Temples are actually my favourite part of the game. It's one of the few areas that offer challenging, fast paced combat.

I love the Kurast jungles too! Sewers are actually OK if you explore the map in circles, starting with the rim of the map. I hate the Tombs when Unravellers spawn next to Mummy Sarcophagi ... ugh.

Jocular said:
The jungles should be burnt down, and the swamps filled in for the good of humanity.

Also...I think I win the tournament. I killed a SU and only potions dropped. Anyone else had this happen yet?

Anyways, things have been going pretty well for Ramur. Being a bear he doesn't get into situations where his health drops to a point where I'm scared, and with shockwave hitting 4 seconds...things are looking up even if he doesn't do too much damage on /p8.

I got this bow from Meph. I was just impressed on how useless of a rare it is:

https://imgur.com/SjsTAqh

Another useless SU drop, this time from the Council. Though at least this can be useful for boss fights to bolster my resistances:

https://imgur.com/ZP3TzIK

I'm currently making some LLDs, and so my heart broke when this jewel dropped. It's useless for Ramur as well as I'm going to socket any weapons with shaels, and any armor with topazes or diamonds...it's just not fair.

https://imgur.com/XYkPsKZ

This is the first time I've done full clear/single pass, and these stained (with blood?) glass windows were a surprise. Dunno why they're evil though...

https://imgur.com/Ur7ZZcq

Pretty much every boss fight so far has been copasetic...the only one that I needed to use any "strategy" was with Diablo. And my strategy consisted of making sure he attacked my bear instead of me. My merc died instantly to the lightning hose as expected, and I decided to let him stay dead. My HotW is at level 14 currently (I'm going to use a might merc, so I need some AR from somewhere) which meant the loss of blessed aim wasn't bad at all. Plus, there was a lightning shrine in CS! Helped out my poor resistances.

https://imgur.com/5tRWqdk

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if this ring from Ormus became an endgame ring; that 28% fire res is pretty sweet, not to mention the +strength.

https://imgur.com/Hx6uMOv

All in all, a very fun run through act 4 so far using a Mauler which is a build I've never actually tried before, but is turning out to be much more fun that I thought it would be. I'm currently playing a support role to my merc though, his dps far outranks mine.

Code:

Forum Name Hero Name Class HC/SC Last Waypoint Score ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GooberGrape Strawberry Amazon SC Kurast Docks 25 srrw Eve Sorceress HC Rogue Encampment 5 djmbbandie Electro Paladin SC Dark Wood 8 SunsetVista *Garruk Druid SC Patriarch 180 nepeta Snuitje Sorceress SC Rogue Encampment 0 kstuart Buffy Paladin SC Harrogath 42 the_bogan Sarra Sorceress HC Cold Plains 4 Cygnus Diana Amazon SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Sint BeenAway Sorceress SC Docks 24 jiansonz Ulric Necromancer HC Black Marsh (NM) ?? Belual Horker Barbarian SC Rogue Encampment (NM) 60 Jarik Grok Barbarian SC Pandemonium Fortress 36 Moar Gunnar Druid ?? Lut Gholein(NM) ?? Jocular Ramur Druid HC Harrogath 43 Fallen Heroes (RIP) Last Seen... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ felixbavaria Ulf Necromancer HC Ruined Temple (NM) 87 Morathi Layla Assassin HC Lut Gholein 13 felixbavaria Araya Assassin HC Catacombs 4 12 SunsetVista Garruk Druid SC NM Cows 118 Morathi Arthur Paladin HC Chaos Sanctuary 38 Dezrok Speedy Paladin HC WSK 58

felixbavaria said:
Jocular said:

Also...I think I win the tournament. I killed a SU and only potions dropped. Anyone else had this happen yet?

Click to expand...

IIRC, the Council Member SUs and the Baal Wave SUs drop like champions (mostly potions and/or gold).

I had the right wing Council Member (lol) drop a pack of bolts and a mana potion.

Cygnus said:
Diablo is dead. He dropped this:

Stone Lance
Maiden Javelin
Throw Damage: 9 - 36
One Hand Damage: 13 - 23
Quantity: 80
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 33
Required Dexterity: 47
Fingerprint: 0x4b477e44
Item Level: 62
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
+10% Increased Attack Speed
66% Enhanced Damage
+111 to Attack Rating
Adds 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
Lightning Resist +6%

I doubt I'll do better than that through imbues. The Grand Vizier's drops were lost to the lava. D'uh! A lot of gems were cubed up to roll my charms. Got junk.

Met the first lightning immunes: the Damned in their eponymous city. No nasty boss packs, which meant an easy clear. I don't expect act 5 to be this easy. Wonder who the guests will be. On to Harrogath!

Jocular said:
That's a pretty sweet javelin Cygnus. You a LF/Poison Ama?

With only a few SUs left in norm, I'm wondering if I get all the way to Baal without finding a single charm, or belt. It's a good thing I imbued a belt back in act 2 rather than waiting and hoping. It's really frustrating though. All I want it a belt. A nice belt that I can craft, or really anything at all because my imbued one has nothing of worth other than +5 life.

I found a magic military axe off of Pindle, and (double durability means failed set, yes?) it was a failed set piece. I've found several failed sets or uniques so far, but it's still annoying when it happens. I thought I might try my hand at crafting it, to see what I might get.

It, of course, didn't have very good rolls/mods on it at all:

https://imgur.com/8mQuxtW

6% from the lowest ED% possible, low life steal roll as well, and thank goodness I got repair durability...I really should've just done the 3 chippie recipe and socketed it with iths...would've done more damage no matter what. However at the time of crafting it I didn't think I would have such bad luck with this axe.

Oh well, at least with all my ED% from skills I hit 262 max damage with it, which is alright at /p8. My merc does the majority of the killing still. Hopefully I'll find something nice from Baal, or else it'll be a long Act 1 NM.

felixbavaria said:

IIRC, the Council Member SUs and the Baal Wave SUs drop like champions (mostly potions and/or gold).

I had the right wing Council Member (lol) drop a pack of bolts and a mana potion.

Click to expand...

I bet you made sure to stash those bolts away for later. God, imagine if you could only use the potions found from champions, uniques, and super uniques...I guess if you were a ranged character it could be doable.

edit:

https://imgur.com/LGjnGcf

Oh hello Snapchip Shatter, is that for me? How nice, though my gloves already have 14%mf, I'm always happy for an upgrade.

https://imgur.com/bq1kdcB

My anger at these SU monsters, and they are disgusting monsters, has increased to where my mission has slipped from vengeance to the treacherous road of revenge.

Also, a pretty cool charm I found. I haven't bothered id'ing any of them since Act 1, as I found it just made me annoyed I couldn't use any of them anyway. However, for no particular reason I picked up this small charm. Pretty sweet poison damage, and only 7 seconds. Possibly viable for a level 18 bowazon to have a bunch of these instead of maxers?

https://imgur.com/R3VE1Ki

Cygnus said:
Jocular said:

That's a pretty sweet javelin Cygnus. You a LF/Poison Ama?

Click to expand...

Lightning Strike / Power Strike / Valkyrie. I have done amazons before that have used the more commonly used skills ... LF / CS / PJ / FA / Immo arrow.

Switch to the eth Chancies just for the SU fights / boss kills. Should last you a long time with 9/9 durability.

Jocular said:
That's what I was planning to do, just it would've been nice to find a non-eth one. Especially since there are 2 free items each difficulty (personalize/socket) and like everyone else, I'd like to have as much mf as possible at all times

edit: Killed Baal:

https://imgur.com/0FombaL

All useless items (even the jewel), and I'm impressed I found the only piece of IK I can't equip. (Though I gave my merc the full helm, he was previously wearing a skull cap with +15ar/1light radius)

Insult to injury-the IK helm is -1% perfect mf, and -2 perfect defense.

https://imgur.com/ggMio9y

I'm thinking I may have to get an act 5 Barb merc for a bit to make the items I've found useful...the mf% potential for IK helm is looking pretty nice. I'm also wondering if I should just respec into a summoner dru with a barbarian merc, and shockwave/fire claws. Could be fun, and definitely unique...not to mention I've had to rely on my merc/grizzly for my main source of damage for the past 3 acts.

GooberGrape said:
A reminder that the Super Unique tournament ends March 1, 2013. Two more weeks to get your stuff back!

jiansonz said:
Short update to show that my Golemancer is still going, slowly. Nothing useful dropped from Icehawk Riftwing. Some of the temples were lively, including an enormous dual pack of beetle Champs (and assictioted horde of 'Champion minions') in the lefthand temple of the Causeway. Good thing we had a doorway to meet them in.

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Razan of Lut Gholein, level 63, NM Travincal next

(Note: I am not going to let the time limit affect which of my many tourney characters I am going to play, or even if I will play this game at all. I need full freedom to play whatever I feel like to enjoy the game. So whatever number of SUs he has killed when Febrauri is over will be my score.
I suspected from the start that three months could well be too short for me. Of course, he could die the next session, he might finish a few weeks into March, or I may need another three years before Ulric's run is completed. I just never know.)

GooberGrape said:
jiansonz said:

(Note: I am not going to let the time limit affect which of my many tourney characters I am going to play, or even if I will play this game at all.I need full freedom to play whatever I feel like to enjoy the game. So whatever number of SUs he has killed when Febrauri is over will be my score.
I suspected from the start that three months could well be too short for me. Of course, he could die the next session, he might finish a few weeks into March, or I may need another three years before Ulric's run is completed. I just never know.)

Click to expand...

Of course you are free to play this game however you want. I didn't mean any ill feelings regarding the time limit. I just wanted the tournament to have a definite end date where we're "keeping score". You are free of course to keep the thread going as long as you like, and we will still like reading your adventures!

jiansonz said:
GooberGrape said:

I didn't mean any ill feelings regarding the time limit. I just wanted the tournament to have a definite end date where we're "keeping score".

Click to expand...

Yeah, no problem, and I understand the point of some sort of closure.

GooberGrape said:

You are free of course to keep the thread going as long as you like, and we will still like reading your adventures!

Click to expand...

I will. I like the character, even though he's turning into more of a merc helper than I envisioned him to. OK, I knew I wouldn't be able to make IK Stone Crusher golems left and right (like Nightfish did with his Golemancer) but my golems are still weaker in the damage dealing than I thought they would be. Still, it's only mid-NM and pretty soon, at least there will be a bunch of decent exceptional weapons dropping from the superuniques. And my merc (whatever type I'll use) will clearly benefit from a beefy tank.

Cygnus said:
Act 5 in nightmare where things really get interesting. Guest monsters to add a bit of variety and monsters packs powerful enough to kill you if you get a little sloppy. The surface areas had slingers, archers and LOTS of imps. The ice caverns had frozen terrors, snow yeti, reanimated hordes and succubi ... including the ones with built-in amp. Nothing very resistant to lightning, so it was smooth sailing. Frozenstein was cold immune with high physical resistance and was regenerating faster than my flunkies could lower his health bar. Two options: throw poison javelins from afar or tank him? Swallowed some thawing potions (85% cold resist) and used Power Strike to finish him off.

Nihlathak was next. The Halls of Pain had returned skeletons (high lightning resistance) so it took a while to clear. The next level had blow-dart flayers, high speed Infidels (that retreat to regain health) and quill rats. Absolute chaos! Vikhyat and the valkyrie go off chasing some retreating monsters and of course that wakes up the next swarm of flayers. Dropped to /p1 for the final level because I didn't want to go around chasing Nihly and didn't want to risk it against bugged vipers. Turned out to be unnecessary. No vipers, and Nihlathak dropped before I could get a single hit on him.

Found some good items.

Usable:
Lapis (16% cold resistance) ring
Boneflesh, unique Plate Mail (5% life leech, 25% open wounds)

Not usable yet, but looking like it might find it's way to Larzuk's shop:

Natalya's Totem
Grim Helm
Defense: 266
Durability: 37 of 40
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xfc5b9f63
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+153 Defense
+12 to Strength
+23 to Dexterity
All Resistances +20
Magic Damage Reduced by 3

Not usable, but likely to make some Assassins go "mmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnne!!!":

Dire Casque
Coronet
Defense: 31
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xf0e01f00
Item Level: 71
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Shadow Discipline Skills (Assassin Only)
6% Mana stolen per hit
3% Life stolen per hit
+16 to Life
All Resistances +14

Diana, LS/PS/Valk amazon, level 72, Glacial Trail next

Cygnus said:
Champion Diana!

Ancient's Way was intense. It started off slowly. We carefully inched forward. Correction. I carefully inched forward. My team did as they pleased. Anyway, we had explored over one-third of the area and had encountered a total of exactly two monsters. Then all hell broke loose. The valkyrie charged ahead at something off-screen and went poof in a couple of seconds and the only clue I had was the tell-tale amp and red fireballs of witches. Surely it can't be just that? It was a triple boss pack
* LE Might Cursing Sirens
* Extra Strong CE Bats
* LE Teleport Vipers

Luckily, none of the minions were LI. Pulled them out one at a time just far enough to be out of range of the bosses but still close enough to them for lightning strike to do its magic. Didn't take very long to defeat them after that. No sooner than I had picked up the loot and moved just a few more steps, I woke up another double pack: champion bats and another bat boss pack. Finally there was Snapchip Shatter with a champion siren pack for company. 7 packs in such a small area in nightmare!

I forgot to mule on Crushflange, so I took on the throne level and Baal at /p3. Baal dropped String of Ears. I'd love to use it but I need a replacement for the fire resist currently provided by Sigon's belt.

I'm swimming in lightning resist items, sorely missing cold and fire resist stuff. Let's see what I can cube up.

Champion Diana, level 74, Rogue encampment next. All 120 super uniques dead (122 if you count the Witch Doctors Endugu Jr. separately)

SunsetVista said:
Congrats Cygnus! All those bosspacks in such a small space, that sounds pretty exciting!

How did NM Cows go?

Cygnus said:
SunsetVista said:

How did NM Cows go?

Click to expand...

Easy at /p3. No portal trap. LS could kill a cow in 6-7 hits, simultaneously weakening or killing the other cows in the herd. Used a decoy to divert most of the herd, let the tanks get ahead of me and poked away. 3 bosses (including the king), all LE. But only one had a difficult second mod (cursed), so no problems.

Corpsefire is dead. I'm playing Hell at /p1. I expect lightning immunes to be hard work. Gear/Stats/Skills update time.

Diana
Rare Amazon Javelin (2 jav skills, 10 IAS, some poison damage to prevent monster life regeneration)
Rhyme Bone Shield
Smoke Serpentskin armor
Crushflange on switch (no shield)
String of Ears (14% damage reduction)
Natalya's Totem, socketed with a 15% resist all jewel (total 35% resists, good str and dex boost as well)
Prismatic (18% resists) Amulet of Fortune (20 MF)
Rare gloves (10 IAS, 17% lightning resist, 9% fire resist, 25 MF)
Garnet (26% fire resist) Ring of the Sentinel
Cobalt (23% cold resist) Ring of Strength
Crafted boots (10% FHR, 17 mana, 3% increased mana, 8% mana regen, 15% lightning resist)
Ocher (8% lightning resist) small charm of sustenance (12 life)
Large charm of Sustenance (17 life)
Large charm of Inertia (5 FRW)

Vikhyat
Rare Lance (97% ED)
Boneflesh (5% life leech, 25% open wounds)
Crafted Casque (3% life leech, 5% deadly strike, 20 life, 18% fire resist, 48 MF)

Skills
Lightning Strike 20 (22)
Power Strike 20 (22)
Lightning Bolt 13 (synergy to the above, I haven't thrown a single lightning Javelin so far)
Poison Javelin 1 (3) This I have thrown to stop regen on LI bosses I didn't want to get close to
Vaklyrie 17 (spawns with a rare War Pike for a weapon)
Decoy 3
Slow Missiles 1
Dodge / Avoid / Evade 1 each
Critical Strike 1

Next few points will go to maximizing Valkyrie. After that more points in the lightning synergy.

Stats
Str 72 (88)
Dex 182 (205)
Vit 185
Ene 15 (25)

Resists are 83 (75) / 71 / 93 (75) / 48

Definitely more points in Strength than I need. I only really need 58 (71) Strength for wearing Natalya's Totem, so I could divert the extra points to Vita and get 51 more life. Wondering if I should do that right way ... Dex is also more than I need for max block, but that should sort itself out in 6-7 level ups if I pump Vita from now on.

GooberGrape said:
Last call! I'll tally the points tonight and do a final wrapup.

GooberGrape said:

Code:

Forum Name      Hero Name      Class        HC/SC    Last Waypoint       Score
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GooberGrape     Strawberry     Amazon       SC       Kurast Docks           25
srrw            Eve            Sorceress    HC       Rogue Encampment        5
djmbbandie      Electro        Paladin      SC       Dark Wood               8
SunsetVista     *Garruk        Druid        SC       Patriarch             180
nepeta          Snuitje        Sorceress    SC       Rogue Encampment        0
kstuart         Buffy          Paladin      SC       Harrogath              42
the_bogan       Sarra          Sorceress    HC       Cold Plains             4
Cygnus          Diana          Amazon       SC       Rogue Encampment (H)  121
Sint            BeenAway       Sorceress    SC       Docks                  24
jiansonz        Ulric          Necromancer  HC       Travincal (NM)         **
Belual          Horker         Barbarian    SC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60
Jarik           Grok           Barbarian    SC       Pandemonium Fortress   36
Moar            Gunnar         Druid        ??       Lut Gholein(NM)        ??
Jocular         Ramur          Druid        HC       Rogue Encampment (NM)  60




Fallen Heroes (RIP)                                  Last Seen...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
felixbavaria    Ulf            Necromancer  HC       Ruined Temple (NM)     87  
Morathi         Layla          Assassin     HC       Lut Gholein            13
felixbavaria    Araya          Assassin     HC       Catacombs 4            12
SunsetVista     Garruk         Druid        SC       NM Cows               118
Morathi         Arthur         Paladin      HC       Chaos Sanctuary        38
Dezrok          Speedy         Paladin      HC       WSK                    58

Well we sure had a lot of good competition in the Super Unique Tournament!

It's time to announce the winners. I think with this kind of a tourney, there should be a few categories. So here we go!

Perfect score of 180: SunsetVista
Highest score without dying: Cygnus
Highest score on Hardcore mode: jiansonz
Worst drop: felixbavaria (bolts, mana potion)

The tournament is officially done! Thanks everyone for playing, I hope you had fun. <3

Cygnus said:
Thanks for hosting the tournament, GooberGrape! Always good to have an SC-friendly tournament without a hundred different rules to remember.

I'll obviously continue to play, even past a death or twenty, till I mat this character. I'll post updates here.

Vildecor · Sep 20, 2022

jiansonz said:
GooberGrape said:

Highest score on Hardcore mode: jiansonz

Click to expand...

Wow, I had no idea. I thought SunsetVista was on HC and did a S&E to avoid death in the cow level (thus getting 117 points)...

My score should be 89, though (60 superuniques killed in Normal, 13 in Act I, 11 in Act II and 5 in Act III).

GooberGrape said:

Worst drop: felixbavaria (bolts, mana potion)

Click to expand...

LOL

pharphis said:
What an awful drop!

Also, congrats to those who even gave this tournament a try to begin with

It helped motivate me to memorize the SU names, so I got something out of it too

SunsetVista said:
Congrats Cygnus, jiansonz, and uh, felixbavaria too!

Do please keep going and updating the thread!

Also, thanks again for hosting GooberGrape. It was a fun tourney.

@jiansonz - I was SC and Garruk actually did die in NM cows. I did have 118 points though, I was only missing Normal Lister and NM Cow King at that point. I later did 1 S&E to avoid death in Hell City of the Damned, and I did count that as a death.

felixbavaria said:
Thanks GooberGrape for hosting and for the awesome tournament idea! I don't even have a screenshot of that price worthy drop, lol.

Cygnus said:
Talking about prize-worthy drops, I'm surprised my losing the Grand Vizier's drop to the lava did not even get a mention

Bishibosh, Blood Raven, Bonebreaker, Cold Crow, Rakanishu, Treehead and Griswold: your deeds of valor will be remembered.

In Cold Plains came the first LI monsters in Hell: spearwomen. Dispatched easily.

Blood Raven's areas is full of LI skellies and zombies, so I went in with a plan. Do the usual circle, killing of the smaller monster groups. Pull whatever monsters I can from Blood Raven's sides, pick them off, then rush in and Lightning Strike away. Enough lightning should hit her, even if it doesn't hurt the other monsters. Plan, meet reality. Not enough bolts hit her and she was summoning new undeads with a vengeance. Plan B: cool off a bit, pick off a few more monsters, then rush her, using decoy and valk recasts to keep the underlings busy. Took a lot of chasing, but it worked.

The crypt was even worse. 100% undeads in a closed area. No stair trap, and I could find bottlenecks to handle boss packs, so it was a safe clear. Watched paint dry while my underlings picked away at the monsters. Ok, I actually kept myself busy throwing level 3 poison javelins at whichever monster my valkyrie was focusing on, to prevent monster life regen (the merc has open wounds) and using the decoy to take the heat off the merc (valk can really tank)

I stopped doing full clears at this stage. I only have 2 personalization quests remaining and I already have some personalization candidates, so I really can't use loot from non-SUs. The LI levels really add to playing time and are simply un-fun (fairly safe once you clear some space, so it was really a question of time and patience) I did not even enter the mausoleum. I also do not plan on entering some of the optional level (hole, pit), especially their level 2 areas, where I just don't have the confidence yet. But a lot of other areas, I'm still doing full clears. And I am planning on getting all 180 SUs. They have my loot, after all.

The Cave too was full of LIs! Except for the Fallen areas. Cold Crow's pack took a long time to kill and I had to decoy-block archers from retreating.

The surface areas (including the Cain rescue level) were easy. But I forgot to collect Wirt's leg, which means I need to go there again.

SU finds
* Unsocketed Mage Plate. To be sockets. Hoping for 3 sockets, for which there is a 50% chance.
* Akara's ring: 10% Fast case, 22 mana, 28% lightning resist. Except that I don't need more lightning resist ...

Other Finds (unusable unless I personalize it):
* Harlequin Crest Shako. My first Elite Unique after my restart! +2 skills, 112 life and mana, 10% damage reduction, 50% MF, what's not to love? I'd like wear this and give my Natalya's totem to the merc (who's suffereing for resistance) But I don't have enough fire resistance to remove my current helm yet.

Diana, LS/PS/Valkyrie Amazon. Black Marsh and the Countess next.

jiansonz said:
Cygnus said:

* Unsocketed Mage Plate. To be sockets. Hoping for 3 sockets, for which there is a 50% chance.

Click to expand...

It's 2/3 chance.

Cygnus said:
jiansonz said:

It's 2/3 chance.

Click to expand...

From Arreat Summit:

1 Tal Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Topaz + Normal Body Armor = Socketed Body Armor of same type
The number of sockets created will vary. The item must be normal and unsocketed. Low-quality items and superior items do not work. The item gets 1-4 sockets, randomly. However, the number of sockets is then restricted by the maximum number of sockets that base item with that ilvl can have. The chance to get X sockets in most armor is 1/4 (I.E: Mage plate has a max of 3 sockets, so it has a 2/4 [1/2] chance to get 3 sockets). The base of 6 was used in the ratios for all the above mentioned areas.

Wrong? BTW, I don't understand the last sentence at all. Base of 6 really should apply only to weapons as only (some) weapons can spawn with 6 sockets.

Not that I will mind a greater chance for getting 3 sockets in this case

Cygnus said:
It worked out!

Treachery
Mage Plate
ShaelThulLem
Defense: 232
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xabd2a027
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
25% Chance to cast level 15 Venom on striking
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+45% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters

That should help Vikhyat's survival. Now, if only I can get him a good hurt stick ...

Pyrotechnician said:
All armors use a base of 4 since that is the max any armor can get, your 2/4 chance to get 3 sockets is correct.

GooberGrape said:
Pyrotechnician said:

All armors use a base of 4 since that is the max any armor can get, your 2/4 chance to get 3 sockets is correct.

Click to expand...

It's a 1d6 roll. Mage Plate has a max of 3 sockets. Therefore:

So on a roll of 1 = you get 1 socket.
Roll 2 = get 2 sockets.
Roll 3, 4, 5, or 6 = get 3 sockets.

Jiansonz was correct. 4/6 chance of getting 3 sockets. Grats on a nice runeword!

SunsetVista said:
Nice progress Cygnus! Shako and Treachery are nice to have, for sure!

Dezrok said:
Thanks for running the tourney GooberGrape and congrats to all the winners, well actually to everyone who entered.
I'd be more than happy to play in this tourney again some time.

Cygnus said:
Mini-update (ok, mostly a thread bump): Diana has killed the countess. Full clears of all tower cellars. No stair traps. lightning immune archers only in 2 levels. Their bosses were taken care of by blocking the doorway with the valkyrie and casting decoy inside the room to take the heat off her.

I'm thinking of replacing the HF merc with a might one, to increase LI kill speed.

jiansonz said:
Ulric has finished Act III Nightmare. Nothing too dangerous. Mephisto (/players 3) managed to hit me with some ice balls but Ulric had 60+ cold resist and over 700 life so it was quite safe. I pulled a reversed moat trick (Meph on the righthand side) and I had him munch on Blood Golems while Iron Maidened. Moat trick didn't really work from this direction but the golems kept him busy anyway. Mephisto threw a couple of Lightnings at me immediately after a golem kill a few times, but I had taken up a strategic position behind a pillar so he didn't hit me.

Really crappy drops from the council bosses. The ones in Tranvincal gave me only gold, potions and one measly Light Crossbow. "Hey, if you want to drop crappy weapons, at least make them metallic, please!"

Maffer dropped a Pally shield (14% resist all). I will start the next session with a golem made from it.

I screwed up with Bremm Sparkfist's drop. I killed him too close to where anouther council member died, so I could not tell who had dropped what in a pile of magical items and a rare. The main item I missed out on was a magical wand (that could have been a nice crafting prospect).

Level-up skill point went to Dim Vision. Its duration on Hell difficluty is now a bit over 5 seconds. Not quite where i want it, but it's getting closer. I am still saving 5 skill points for future levels in Fire Golem. Can't have it higher than level 15 because my mana pool can't handle that. Ulric has 198 mana now. I think that should allows for another FG level the next time I level up.

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Mighty Razan of Lut Gholein, level 64, NM Outer Steppes next

jiansonz said:
I thought Act IV was going to be tiresome, that my merc's damage would not be good enough for decent progress. I was not completely wrong but it was much better than I thought it would be even though he still uses nothing better than an ethereal +54% ED Partizan. Amp helps, of course, plus he was 5% chance to do a Deadly Strike thanks to his helm. The fire golem does 200-something fire damage with its punches.

Diablo fight was not so scary. I just saw one bone prison (on the merc, who quickly destoyed it) and the only damage Diablo did to Ulric was the flame nova and small fractions of lightning breath. Blood Golem + Iron Maiden won the fight.

After Bloody Foothills was defeated (perfect score against Shenk; not a single Enslaved mutated!), I used Larzuk's socket reward so I could make this:

Rhyme
Zombie Head
'ShaelEth'
Defense: 7
Chance to Block: 45%
Durability: 20 of 20
(Necromancer Only)
Required Strength: 14
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x4ef19476
+20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
Adds 2-7 poison damage over 3 seconds
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
40% Faster Block Rate
+2 to Dim Vision (Necromancer Only)
+3 to Corpse Explosion (Necromancer Only)
Cannot Be Frozen
Socketed (2: 2 used)

(Zombie Head was not dropped by a SU monster so I needed the reward to give it SU status.)

Other nice finds lately have been:
- Fal rune
- Large Charm of Sustenance with +21 life. (Ulric's second charm)
- This rare armor that Frozenstein dropped:
Gale Hide
Ring Mail
Defense: 45
Durability: 14 of 26
Required Strength: 36
Required Level: 39
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 64
Fingerprint: 0x2a5786c
+23 to Life
+32 to Mana
Fire Resist +29%
Lightning Resist +16%
10% Faster Hit Recovery

Skill points have been spread around lately. Some in Dim Vision and some in Bone Prison but now I have decided to be true to my Golemancer ambitions and heavily pump the Blood Golem synergy for even more life for my golems. Effectiveness be damned! If I wanted to be effective in the late game, I'd pump Corpse Explosion and maybe get some Revives instead, but I am not going that route. My new zombie head gives a nice bonus to CE, and I still hold out hope for a nice +skills wand, eventually.

Frozen River was lively, with cold skelly mages, Sirens and gloams. Lots and lots of Dim Vision was used, but I often needed to stop using it on stragglers that hovered over water so they could come over to us. I have no tools to kill them out there (not that I'd want to anyway since I want their drops...). Best curse for boss/champ gloams: Decrepify! Shut them up nicely and boosted Razan's damage a lot. They have high physical resistance - against the regular Dimmed ones, it often felt like the fire golem actually damaged them more than Razan did.

Anya's reward totem had +2 Necro skills but nothing else that was good. No staffmods at all. I am sure I will at the very least need the Rhyme resists for that slot so I reluctantly sold it.

I am enjoying this act quite a bit. Guest monsters keep it varied, plus there is always a small chance of a nice imbuable elite weapon for a merc.

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer and Mighty Razan of Lut Gholein, level 70, NM Glacial Trail next

jiansonz said:
Well, that was that.

Some really nasty **** there. Extra Strong spearwomen plus a Champ pack. I got into an awkward position right away, where the merc took off and left me close to a bunch of Dimmed invaders (NOT the ones on the screenie). When I tried to drag him to me, the golem died to that champ pack and they rushed the merc. I cast a new golem and gave the merc a full purple. But they were too strong and too fast and Decrep did not help much (probably missed a few of them with it too, it was hectic!). I was already on the run when both merc and golem died. Here is where I Dimmed the mob you can see and where I cast the portal. As I saw them run in, I thought "This portal parking won't accomplish anything, I need to drag them around the corner so we can come back from the Summit and actually WIN the next fight by the entrance".

I had not realized the place I ran to was just a little alcove. Before I even had the time to think "Dim" or "Terror", they had me surrounded.

Somewhat sloppy performance here (that's a risk you run if you have just owned the Ancients...) but I still think I would have had at least 50% risk of losing even if had been more alert.

A bummer that I never got to experience some real late game Golemancing but it was an interesting run anway. Great tourney concept!

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer, level 73, NM Worldstone Keep level 1, R.I.P.

pharphis said:
jiansonz said:

Well, that was that.

Some really nasty **** there. Extra Strong spearwomen plus a Champ pack. I got into an awkward position right away, where the merc took off and left me close to a bunch of Dimmed invaders (NOT the ones on the screenie). When I tried to drag him to me, the golem died to that champ pack and they rushed the merc. I cast a new golem and gave the merc a full purple. But they were too strong and too fast and Decrep did not help much (probably missed a few of them with it too, it was hectic!). I was already on the run when both merc and golem died. Here is where I Dimmed the mob you can see and where I cast the portal. As I saw them run in, I thought "This portal parking won't accomplish anything, I need to drag them around the corner so we can come back from the Summit and actually WIN the next fight by the entrance".

I had not realized the place I ran to was just a little alcove. Before I even had the time to think "Dim" or "Terror", they had me surrounded.

Somewhat sloppy performance here (that's a risk you run if you have just owned the Ancients...) but I still think I would have had at least 50% risk of losing even if had been more alert.

A bummer that I never got to experience some real late game Golemancing but it was an interesting run anway. Great tourney concept!

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer, level 73, NM Worldstone Keep level 1, R.I.P.

Click to expand...

Ouch

Beats my durance lvl 2 in nm on my attempt at a golemancer at least

You going to try golemancer again sometime?

GooberGrape said:
jiansonz said:

Destroyer Ulric the Golemancer, level 73, NM Worldstone Keep level 1, R.I.P.

Click to expand...

Awww, it was a good run with a fun character idea, and fun to read too! I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for playing! :highfive:

Any comments or recommendations for next tourney time? I will probably fire this up again next Christmas if there's interest.

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