[2016] The Untwinked Level 99 Progress Thread [by Kitteh]

Feb 24, 2004
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DISCLAIMER: Migration has been completed.

This tournament is still in progress under a new thread title here. It was originally started by Kitteh on Mar 20, 2016.
(link to original thread on diabloii.net)

Originally posted by @Kitteh on Mar 20, 2016:

Welcome to the relaunch of Kesteg's original untwinked 99er tournament, which you can find here.


Rules:
~No twinking! So no trading or using any items that your other characters have found.
~Muling is allowed and you can save any item she wants to use later.
~No MP games except to reset a map in normal.
~Version 1.13+

Everybody is welcome to take part and can do so as many times as they wish.


Hall of Fame

Perkele - WW Barbarian, by @zticazzy
Eleanor - Blova Sorceress, by @Pb_pal
Izuna - Lightning Trapsin, by @NanoMist
Mercy - Lightning Trapsin, by @PhineasB
Hiatus - Lightning Sorceress, by @PhineasB
HelpYourself - Lightning Sorceress, by @ffs
Aura - Blessed Hammer Paladin, by @Neksja
Sophie - Lightning Sorceress, by @Yng
Neverland - Fire Sorceress, by @T72on1
itssoftcore - Fire Sorceress, by @Bewitch
Phaedrus - Hammerdin, by @PhineasB
Ric - Novamancer, by @ffs
Mayhem - WW/Concentrate, by @Bewitch
Pestilence - Novamancer, by @PhineasB
Klaus - Fire Druid, by @Pb_pal
ResTTe - WW, by @ResTTe
Lucid - Dream Venger, by @ffs
Quinta - Furyzon, by @PhineasB


Updated Progress Tables
Updating the table

--- Thanks to ioupainmax for maintaining the tables ---


  1. Ensure that you have 'Use Rich Text Editor' set up in your preferences (see here)
  2. Quote the most recent table.
  3. The tables have been set up so that they should appear in monospaced Courier New and thus already aligned for easy editing.
  4. The main forum text boxes / message boxes (edit and advanced reply) are being adjusted to match the widest text box (quick reply) so that all posts appear the same in all message boxes and appear as you would expect in the final post. This change, coupled with the new table format (point 3 above), means that you no longer need to copy the table to Notepad for editing.
  5. Remove the previous persons quotes/comments but ensure you keep the data leaving you with:

    [HIGHLIGHT]Hall of Fame[/HIGHLIGHT]
    [CODE=Rich]
    {Data}
    [/CODE]
    [HIGHLIGHT]Questing Heroes[/HIGHLIGHT]
    [CODE=Rich]
    {Data}
    [/CODE]
    [HIGHLIGHT]Resting Heroes[/HIGHLIGHT]
    [SPOILER=Resting Heroes]
    [CODE=Rich]
    {Data}
    [/CODE]
    [/SPOILER]
    [HIGHLIGHT]The Fallen[/HIGHLIGHT]
    [SPOILER=The Fallen]
    [CODE=Rich]
    {Data}
    [/CODE]
    [/SPOILER]
  6. Insert or update your row including Exp, S/U, Grail, Deaths & Hours if you are tracking those.
  7. Please make sure to amend the 'Date' column so that it matches the date you last made an edit - this is to ensure we can track active characters/forumites and move inactive characters to the 'Resting Heroes' table once they have stopped being updated for > 6 months or a year.
  8. Add your own comments and screenshots on either side of the 4-table block.
  9. Ask for help if you get stuck.
  10. Enjoy running to 99!
  11. Link to ioupainmax's general table formatting guide

Hall of Fame
Rich (BB code):
Forumite         Character        SC/HC  Class  Level  Exp   Date        E/S  S/U   Grail  Deaths  Hours
---------------  ---------------  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----------  ---  ----  -----  ------  -----
zticazzy         Perkele          SC     Barb   99     3.52  2016-07-12  No      -      -       -      -
Pb_pal           Eleanor          SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2016-11-09  No   3068    437       5      -
NanoMist         Izuna            SC     Sin    99     3.52  2016-12-25  No   5109    470       4    360
PhineasB         Mercy            SC     Sin    99     3.52  2017-05-23  Yes     -    475      11      -
PhineasB         Hiatus           SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2017-12-25  Yes     -    471      21      -
ffs              HelpYourself     SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2018-04-29  Yes     -    447       -      -
Neksja           Aura             SC     Pala   99     3.52  2018-08-08  Yes     -    481       -      -
Yng              Sophie           SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2018-08-26  Yes     -      -      10   <300
T72on1           Neverland        SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2018-10-21  Yes  lots    483      13    350+
Bewitch          itssoftcore      SC     Sorc   99     3.52  2018-11-07  Yes     -      -       -      -
PhineasB         Phaedrus         SC     Pala   99     3.52  2018-11-12  Yes     -    401      13      -
ffs              Ric              SC     Necro  99     3.52  2018-12-26  Yes     -    463       -      -
Bewitch          Mayhem           SC     Barb   99     3.52  2019-07-07  Yes     -      -       -      -
PhineasB         Pestilence       SC     Necro  99     3.52  2019-07-29  Yes     -      -       -      -
Pb_pal           Klaus            HC     Druid  99     3.52  2019-10-07  Yes     -    433      NA      -
ResTTe           ResTTe           SC     Barb   99     3.52  2019-12-14  Yes     -    465    many   ~320
ffs              Lucid            SC     Pala   99     3.52  2019-12-23  Yes     -    457       -   <250
PhineasB         Quinta           SC     Ama    99     3.52  2019-12-27  Yes     -    413       4      -
Questing Heroes
Rich (BB code):
Forumite         Character        SC/HC  Class  Level  Exp   Date        E/S  S/U   Grail  Deaths  Hours
---------------  ---------------  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----------  ---  ----  -----  ------  -----
Gynli            Amazon           SC     Ama    98     3.22  2019-11-11  Yes     -      -       -      -
Luhkoh           Arkana           SC     Sorc   98     3.22  2019-11-15  Yes     -      -       -      -
Bewitch          Necronomicon     SC     Necro  97     3.07  2019-07-09  Yes     -      -       -      -
Vildecor         Trina            SC     Ama    97     3.05  2019-12-18  Yes     -    443      17      -
drmalawi         TheCanMan        SC     Pala   95     2.50  2019-12-28  Yes     -      -     Yes      -
Chaostar         Prairie          SC     Sorc   95     2.49  2019-06-15  Yes     -    384      25      -
PhineasB         Death            SC     Barb   95     2.49  2019-09-22  No      -      -       2      -
D30D0R3          Fragile          HC     Sorc   93     2.18  2010-09-21  No     -      -       -      42
sanguillen       GordonChen-UT    HC     Necro  93     2.14  2019-02-27  Yes     -      -      NA      -
T72on1           TooMuchEnergy    SC     Sorc   93     2.10  2019-07-19  Yes   267    181      12     47.5
LongingForDeath  VelvetSky        SC     Sorc   93     2.10  2019-12-19  Yes     -    396      12      -
art_vandelay     tragic_misstep   SC     Sorc   93     2.09  2019-08-12  Yes     -      -       -      -
Smittyphi        TheLongRun       SC     Sorc   93     2.09  2019-11-06  Yes    30      -     Yes      -
Pb_pal           Stevesy          HC     Barb   92     2.09  2019-10-30  Yes     -      -      NA      -
Arctodus         Lubotor          SC     Barb   92     1.98  2019-10-30  Yes     -      -      15      -
jjscud           Ragnarok         SC     Pala   92     1.97  2019-12-28   No     -      -      36     lots
PhineasB         Septimus         SC     Druid  90     1.62  2019-11-15  Yes     -      -       0      -
Zarfen           Stamina          SC     Sorc   90      ??   2019-12-08  Yes     -      -     Yes      -
Gynli            Assassin         SC     Assa   89     1.50  2019-11-11  Yes     -      -       -      -
art_vandelay     snow_dog         SC     Nec    89     1.48  2019-07-19  Yes     -      -       -      -
Jocular          BareBear_Where   HC     Druid  **     1.47  2019-05-20  ???     -      -      NA      -
klonki           Dualizt_Ann      SC     Sorc   86     1.14  2019-05-26  Yes     -     37       1     15+
nMEKn            Summon           SC     Nec    85     1.07  2019-05-17  Yes     -      -       4      -
Vildecor         Ivar             SC     Pala   84     1.02  2019-09-02  Yes     -    307       3      -
kstuart          Nena             SC     Sorc   84     1.00  2019-09-07  Yes     -      -       -      -
art_vandelay     predatory_wasp   SC     Sin    81     0.76  2019-05-25  Yes     -      -       -      -
Bewitch          Mindcrime        HC     Pala   81     0.90  2019-11-19  Yes     -      -       -      -
MizzouFTW        NoDeathNoGlory   SC     Sorc   77     0.00  2019-12-12  Yes     -      -       -      -
Lord Molybdenum  Ilucuthen        SC     Sin    13     0.??  2019-09-14  No      -      -       -      -
dkn              Morgoth          SC     Barb   01     0.00  2019-10-04  Yes     -      -       0      0
FireNice         Isern            SC     Zon    12     0     2019-12-04   Yes   0   -     -       -
Resting Heroes
Rich (BB code):
Forumite         Character        SC/HC  Class  Level  Exp   Date        E/S  S/U   Grail  Deaths  Hours
---------------  ---------------  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----------  ---  ----  -----  ------  -----
Buckcrazy        Zic              HC     Sorc   98.5   3.38  2019-07-22  Yes     -      -      NA   lots
hasuprotoss      Reina            SC     Sorc   97     2.96  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes  1751    384       -      -
darkstarhub      Neptune          SC     Sorc   97     2.96  2018-07-23  Yes     -    470       -      -
Ashenshugar      Natur            SC     Druid  97     2.96  2018-11-20  Yes  2529      -       -      -
Me2Nik           Fugu             HC     Ama    96     2.72  2019-02-03  Yes  Lots      -       -      -
Tarantella       Tarasha          HC     Sorc   96     2.72  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
Grim             Furious_Blonde   SC     Ama    96     2.72  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
teddeeboy        Atheyanore       SC     Sorc   95     2.52  2019-02-03  Yes  300+      -       8   many
CrustyRusty      Space_Oddity     SC     Ama    95     2.49  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
XyleneCyanol     Fishie           HC     Sorc   95     2.49  YYYY-MM-DD  No      -      -       -      -
Quinneczech      Blackwell        HC     Barb   95     2.49  2019-04-01  -       -      -      NA      -
Hutton           Terrahork        HC     Barb   95     0.00  2019-04-24  Yes     -      -      NA      -
ThomasJohnsen    xInTheBuffx      HC     Sorc   95     2.49  2017-03-31  Yes     -      -       -      -
NamelessPenguin  Rockatansky      SC     Barb   95     2.49  2017-12-14  Yes     -      -       -      -
Dezrok           Salome           SC     Sorc   95     2.49  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes   792    318       -      -
Reyz             Qty              SC     Sorc   93     2.10  YYYY-MM-DD  No      -      -       -      -
Zenigma          Ayura            SC     Barb   93     2.12  2018-09-08  No      -      -       -      -
Potent           Challenge(CL)    SC     Sorc   92     1.96  2018-07-30  no      -      -       -      -
Trapin'          ceegee           SC     Pala   92     1.92  2018-08-16  No      -      -       -      -
liquid_mage      zDadColdSorc     SC     Sorc   91     1.89  2019-02-04  Yes     -    223       -      -
Tatterson        Titaani          SC     Barb   91     1.84  2018-11-27  Yes     -      -       -      -
Zenigma          Gnosis           SC     Druid  91     1.79  2018-04-26  No      -      -       -      -
OldSoldier       Battleforge      HC     Pala   91     1.76  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -    236       -      -
kyndig           DrearyAura       HC     Sorc   91     1.76  2018-02-20  Yes     -      -       -      -
tokerdin         tokeress         SC     Sorc   91     1.76  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
sir_cyclops      devi             SC     Sin    91     ?.??  2019-02-27  Yes     -      -       -      -
Neksja           Aurora           SC     Sorc   90     1.70  2018-09-08  Yes     -    215       -      -
AlexTheNextOne   Orion            SC     Pala   90     1.62  2018-07-22  Yes     -      -       -      -
Southpaw         Njord            SC     Druid  90     1.62  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
Qwernt           CanbeOnlyBlizz   SC     Sorc   90     1.62  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       ?      ?
MercMan          Este             SC     Ama    90     1.62  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes  1212    278       2      ?
Lynchgrinch      Tattersail       SC     Sorc   89     1.48  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -    321       ?      ?
LiquidClear      Sally            SC     Sin    **     1.36  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes   225      -       1      -
MizzouFTW        Mariah           SC     Sin    **     1.36  2019-01-28  Yes     -     -        -      -
BasicBhoy        Belgarath        HC     Druid  **     1.36  2019-01-29  Yes     -      -       -      -
TwentyMuleTeam   Chore            SC     Sin    **     ?.??  2019-02-09  Yes     -      -       -      -
Neksja           Turirao          SC     Druid  87     1.25  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes   191    124       5      -
T72on1           Grapelike        SC     Barb   87     1.25  2019-01-24  Yes    98     82      13     37
Gladstone        Socrates         HC     Druid  86     1.15  YYYY-MM-DD  -       -      -       -      -
Burgomaster3     Hastur           SC     Druid  86     1.14  2018-07-02  Yes     -      -       -      -
sanguillen       DirkStruan-UT    HC     Pala   85     1.10  2018-12-19  Yes     -      -      NA      -
hackedagainanda  Hugo             HC     Necro  85     1.05  2017-12-17  Yes     -      -       -      -
Bobbo            Barbamel         HC     Barb   84     1.01  2019-01-11  Yes     -      -      NA      -
nepeta           finistere        SC     Sin    84     1.14  2019-01-04  ?       -      -       1      4
DaveW            Long_Term        SC     Sorc   84     0.97  2018-05-02  Yes Heaps      -    Lots     30+
Naturallog       Athos            HC     Barb   84     0.96  YYYY-MM-DD  No    159    105       0      -
Kitteh           Gwynt            HC     Druid  83           2018-10-28  Yes     -      -      NA      -
Xul's Gull       Xul              HC     Necro  81     0.74  2018-03-26  No      -      -      NA      -
Qwernt           AmaAgainstAll    SC     Sorc   81     0.74  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
Gambit           Mallenroh        SC     Sorc   81     0.74  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     0      0       0      0
aarrgus          Acala            SC     Barb   80     0.68  2017-12-30  Yes     -      -       5      -
ioupainmax       Durnik           SC     Pala   79     0.63  2018-06-28  Yes   177    111       0      -
Jean Avila       SpeedAdict       SC     Ama    77     0.52  YYYY-MM-DD  No      -      -       -     50
logoutzero       Digimon          HC     Necro  76     0.48  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes    85     65       0      -
Gripphon         Ryu              SC     Sorc   76     0.48  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       ?     13
Darke Rahl       Bells            HC     Ama    74     0.40  YYYY-MM-DD  No     19      -       0      -
Smittyphi        SliceNDice       SC     Sin    70     0.30  2018-03-27  Yes    15      -       6      -
Irenicus_Mfs     Morgana          HC     Sorc   69     0.26  2018-12-09  Yes     -      -      NA     14+
Xul's Gull       Araphel          HC     Necro  60     0.12  2017-12-21  No      -      -       -      -
Burton Roberts   Arizona          SC     Ama    56     0.08  2018-06-12  No      -      -      15     38
Sleepybear123    Rob_theBarb      HC     Barb   50     0.05  2018-01-06  Yes     -      -       -     10
RIP              Sucell           HC     Druid  47     0.03  2018-12-08  Yes     -     20       -      -
Pijus            AGoodBoy         HC     Druid  45     0.00  2018-05-29  Yes     -      -      NA      -
Grape            Coke             SC     Barb   42     0.00  2018-12-06   ?     14     14       0      -
Izzak            Bones            SC     Necro  42     0.**  2019-01-10   -      -      -       1      -
TrU              Henryk           SC     Barb   41     0.02  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -      22     12
Gambit           Colossus         SC     Pala   39     0.02  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     0      0       0      0
Smancer          Smancer          SC     Necro  26     0.00  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     1      -       -      -
RIP              Espada           HC     Necro  24     0.00  2018-06-01  Yes     -     13       -      -
BKC              FearsomeFreddie  SC     Necro  23     0.00  YYYY-MM-DD  Yes     -      -       -      -
Ergroilnin       Erilinda         HC     Sorc   20     0.00  YYYY-MM-DD  No      -      -       -      -
DaveHutt         Alice            SC     Ama    13     0.00  2018-05-18  Yes     -      -       1      -
MizzouFTW        Hocus            HC     Sorc   01     0.00  2018-10-28  Yes     -      -      NA      -
The Fallen
Rich (BB code):
Forumite         Character        SC/HC  Class  Level  Exp   Date        E/S  S/U   Grail  Deaths  Hours
---------------  ---------------  -----  -----  -----  ----  ----------  ---  ----  -----  ------  -----
1have2much3time  Vagabond         HC     Necro  95     2.66  2019-06-22  Yes     -      -       1      -
RIP              Kaira_II         HC     Sin    95     2.55  2018-09-06  Yes     -    399       -      -
T72on1           ShouldBeEasy     HC     Pala   95     2.52  2019-01-04  Yes  lots    320      NA    103
Babyhell         IpBanPrevales    SC     Sin    95.5   2.60  2019-09-22  Yes     -      -       9      -
Babyhell         BabyNinetyNiner  SC     Pala   91     ?.??  2019-08-02  Yes     -      -       3      -
Lord Molybdenum  Verisimilitude   SC     Ama    91     1.62  2018-06-02  No     98     77       3      -
Shuffleblast     Translocator     HC     Sorc   89     1.48  2019-11-23  Yes     -      -       1      -
Lord Molybdenum  Cruise_Control   SC     Necro  **     1.??  2018-06-02  No    128    101      22      -
Kitteh           Gwynt            HC     Druid  87     XXXX  2018-11-07  Yes     -      -       -      -
Bewitch          itsreal          HC     Sorc   87     1.xx  2018-04-24  No      -      -       -      -
MizzouFTW        Pure             HC     Necro  86     1.15  2018-01-10  Yes     -      -       1      -
Vildecor         Celia            HC     Ama    84     0.99  2018-05-30  Yes   125     97       1      -
Lord Molybdenum  Essa             SC     Sorc   84     0.??  2018-06-02  No     20     19       5      -
Lord Molybdenum  But_Why          SC     Sin    81     0.74  YYYY-MM-DD  No     55     51      53      -
coju             NintyNine_orRiP  HC     Sorc   81     0.74  2016-04-07  Yes     -      -       1      -
RIP              Attila           HC     Barb   78     0.59  2018-09-26  Yes     -     73      no      -
TwentyMuleTeam   Valus            HC     Barb   76     0.48  2016-10-27  Yes     -      -       1      -
Pb_pal           Stevesy          HC     Pala   76     0.48  2017-06-19  Yes     -      -       1      -
Shuffleblast     Translocator     HC     Sorc   67     0.00  2019-11-03  Yes     -      -       1      -
weezaard         Cypher           SC     Druid  66     0.00  2018-02-21  Yes     -      -      20+     -
Tenecabo         OldShatterhand   HC     Druid  49     0.04  2016-06-16  Yes     -      0       1      -
Pijus            Pyrestarter      HC     Druid  36     0.00  2018-05-21  Yes     -      -       1      -
coju             fB               HC     Sorc   29     0.00  2016-04-09  Yes     1      1       1      2
Kitteh           Verallus         HC     Druid  26     0.00  2016-03-25  No      -      -       1      -
logoutzero       Rolex            HC     Barb   21     0.00  2016-03-26  Yes     0      0       1      1



Farming Equipment
Rune Hunting - LK vs Cows [Guide]
1.13 LK Patterns
Getting to 99
Quest for Level 99
SPFer 99er Compendium
99 Theorycrafting Thread
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Pb_pal
Tarantella said:
11.11

An auspicious moment to start the tourney!

Can there be only one?
Kitteh said:
There can be many, but the first will forever be known!
NanoMist said:
Thanks for starting this! I will update as soon as I can, since I spurred this on.

Can I suggest the "# of Hours In" column? It'll be an optional statistic, of course, for those who want to keep track of that. I know I will, so you've got at least one person there.
Kitteh said:
NanoMist said:
Thanks for starting this! I will update as soon as I can, since I spurred this on.

Can I suggest the "# of Hours In" column? It'll be an optional statistic, of course, for those who want to keep track of that. I know I will, so you've got at least one person there.
I sure can :)
Pb_pal said:
So it begins.

I don't think I'll keep track of the hours put in, but we'll see how that goes once I get going. As I stated in the previous thread, I'm going with a sorceress on this one. I was extremely tempted to take a trapper through though, and will most likely start one up at some point as a side project (as if I need one!).

Good luck out there everyone, and be safe HC players (you're crazy)!


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
coju said:
What do you mean by resetting a map in normal? We can only reset maps before nightmare? What if I don't like my initial LK map and want to reroll?
T72on1 said:
Damn you !!! I finally started playing my Lack of Information character, had an idea for a project or even tournament around TC3s and I'm still tempted to start a Lightning Sorc in HC.

Ah well, we all knew this was coming: I'll join. I need a good SC character to run future tournaments with anyway. We'll have to see whichever of my plans gets priority.

And so my Sorceress 'Neverland' (named after the beautiful Marillion song) enters the game. I'll be keeping track of hours in, should be interesting.

Extended Stash is 'yes' in case I'm using GoMule, I assume?

Good luck everybody !!!

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      N/A            Yes           0       N/A

coju said:
What do you mean by resetting a map in normal? We can only reset maps before nightmare? What if I don't like my initial LK map and want to reroll?

No, you can reset in every difficulty. But in normal there is no other way to do it than using an MP game. Once in NM or Hell, you can simply change difficulty for that.
Kitteh said:
Correct T72 :)

I will start eventually, but LoI + exams + race season + new job = ah ****.
NanoMist said:
coju, I think it means that MP games may only be used to reset maps for characters that only have normal difficulty available to them.

If you only mule out, and never mule back in, would that count as regular stash?
Pb_pal said:
NanoMist said:
If you only mule out, and never mule back in, would that count as regular stash?
Yep, extended stash only applies if you're muling back in.
Timinator said:
i'm very tempted, but will watch and cheer you on. Who will be the first to break double digits in the levels column!
T72on1 said:
Started Neverland, just to not have her on N/A level anymore :). Level 12, 1 hour in, tagged the Outer Cloister wp. No-twink is so slow early on ...

Edit: o yes, Neverland will be starting as Fire Sorc (Fireball / Hydra I think), and will be respecced once I need to, probably at the start of Hell.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
kestegs said:
Good luck, everyone! I won't be joining this time, but I'll be watching the progress.
NanoMist said:
Finished normal - not much excitement to report though.

Normally I use fire traps to expedite normal but decided to save a respec and go lightning traps from the start. Ran through most of the game at p1 and killed Baal at lvl 31. Had a decent WSK map so I ran some Baal hoping for some decent items while leveling up for nightmare. (Of course found nothing)

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
logoutzero said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0       0.33

'cuz he's counting hours, and won't die. /thread.
Tarantella said:
logoutzero said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      21             Yes           N/A     N/A
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0       0.33
At p3 used javelins with cold damage till 12 then fireball. Tower next to waypoint so got runes for Pledge, Stealth and Nadir before rushing on to act 2 and the cube.
coju said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      N/A            No            0       N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0       0.33
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all      Some
I hope my shenanigans will be accepted, once again. it's been a while, and why not. HC or bust, amirite?
mmm... So far she has cleared the Den and got level 6. Doing 1 pt Warmth and I have a few in Charged Bolt.
She is tan and has dark hair, which is one of my many types. I named her thus because there wasn't enough room for "NintyNineorDeeds" well, there was, but it looked funny.
coju said:
Tarantella said:
At p3 used javelins with cold damage till 12 then fireball. Tower next to waypoint so got runes for Pledge, Stealth and Nadir before rushing on to act 2 and the cube.
Why p3, if you don't mind me asking?
Tarantella said:
Mainly to get to nightmare Countess at a reasonable level with minimum rerunning.
 
Pb_pal said:
Eleanor the future Bilzzballer (and more distant future lightning sorc) has begun her journey.

She eased her way up to Blood Raven where she had a very nice surprise. Pretty much ideal for the first S/U, she'll sport it for now until she can make herself a leaf staff but it's nice to know she'll have some decent MF at least for when she starts farming later. She continued on, finding Stoutnail along the way, before stopping a bit at the Countess and making herself Stealth and Leaf.

The rest of the journey through A1 was uneventful and quick, and her fire made quick work of Andariel.

Things started taking off in A2, after gaining some +mana gear and making a savage polearm for Jemali. Fireball is gaining strength like crazy, so as long as we had the pots to keep up with it, we cruised through everything and offed Duriel. Act 3 suffered a similar fate, although now at the hands of Blizzard. We have enough +mana/+mpk gear to sustain it, and our beefed up warmth from our leaf staff helps keep our bulb full.

We dispatched Mephy and got ourselves a Sigon's belt, bringing our total S/U count so far to 4 (Berserker's Axe fell in the jungles).

Grail -500:rolleyes:

EDIT: is the SU column for total amount found, or just grailers? Would it make sense to have both columns? Could be interesting to see the contrast.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      27             No            4       -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0       0.33
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all      Some
T72on1 said:
Now that's a sweet first S/U !!! Consider it a very good sign :).

I figured the column 'S/U' is meant for grailers, but I agree that it would be fun to have both, if only to see who's very lucky and who's not ...
NanoMist said:
In the previous thread, I think it was total amount found, judging from the top numbers. But I wouldn't mind having a grailer column though, as it is a nice side quest to the 99.
T72on1 said:
You are right. But I'd think that number alone doesn't say that much, so another column with grailers would be interesting.

The other thread also has number of deaths. I wouldn't mind have that as well.
Grape said:
Hey great to see this started. Best of luck to all participating! This should be fun to follow :)
Kitteh said:
I will add these columns ASAP.
Darke Rahl said:
I was thinking of joining but I'm afraid how I would feel if I ever reached this goal.

Most of my gaming experience is from the nineties when (to me) games were dangerously immersive, and also much shorter by today's standards and every time I got to an ending I was extremely bitter about it, so in the long run I stopped finishing them altogether ahah
T72on1 said:
Decided I will alternate between this character and the Lack of Information character. Should be a good mix, since this one is getting rather fast paced (and SC) vs slow and HC.

Just got my cube and created my first Leaf. Story is the same as that of Pb_pal: now that I'm getting more mana and mpk and Fireball is getting stronger, killing is going quite fast. Found my first S/U items: Cleglaw's shield and low roll Nagelring.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   #of grailers  #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4            4            0           5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      27             No            4            4            0           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      19             Yes           2            2            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0            0            0           N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0            0            0           0.33
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all           0            0           Some
Kitteh said:
If people want to just add any column that they wish too when they update the table with their status, and I will keep the front page table updated using the most recently posted :)
T72on1 said:
Done. :)

Obviously it ruined the table for the rest for now though :oops:

Edit: fixed the table for everyone for now. That's assuming no one died so far, and didn't find any non-grailer S/U.
Tarantella said:
Completed normal at p3 without incident though merc died a few times but not to the Ancients. Made a second Pledge with the act5 quest reward and found a few white crystal swords in the 'zone' but saved socketing reward. Made level 35 as Lister died in pursuit out in the corridors but Baal expiring to 1 point static power gave a derisory drop in response.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   #of grailers  #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4            4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      35             Yes           -            -            -           -
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      27             No            4            4            0           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      19             Yes           2            2            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0            0            0           N/A
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      7              Yes           0            0            0           0.33
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all           0            0           Some
OldSoldier said:
I think I'll join this one. It is a tournament after all (kind of, I'll justify it in my head as such), and I would be done playing this game without them. I can only do HC though so we'll see how far he goes.

Battleforge the Hammerdin is born!
logoutzero said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U    # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4       5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      27             No            4       -
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0       1
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      12             Yes           0       1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0       N/A
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all      Some

Cain rescued. Countess quest killed.

Double swing with Scepters is sick. 3 hard points in hork so far, a jewel and a charm to show for it (only popping champ/minion/boss/etc) but hard to expect much yet. Planning to run double swing into Frenzy then respec when I can scrounge together the gear to sing full time. Then sing/grind/mf untill 99 or something amazing drops that makes me want to play something else, whichever happens first.
T72on1 said:
@logoutzero You might want to copy / paste the most recent table, otherwise it's getting confusing.

Good luck with the Barb. Sounds like an interesting pick, certainly in HC !!!
Pb_pal said:
Just a quick update here.

Onwards Eleanor pushed through Act 4 with ease. MF is growing now and more green and gold has begun dropping for us, and at this point they're almost certainly going to be grailers, so that's always fun.

The Hellforge gave us a Ral, Diablo gave us a grailer, and we moved into Harrogath. Act 5 was basically just a tele and blizzard fest, and Eleanor has reached Slayer status at level 40(with another grailer to boot!). We'll level here a bit before moving on to NM, but Eleanor is antsy to get moving so we won't stay long I'm sure.

Got the latest table in here and updated @logoutzero as well. Also did a touch of table cleanup too to line up columns a bit nicer and such, as well as changing the grailer column header to show what we're working towards.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      40             No           10         10            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      35             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      19             Yes           2          2            0           2
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      6        Ohh yeah mama      all         0            0           Some
logoutzero said:
T72on1 said:
@logoutzero You might want to copy / paste the most recent table, otherwise it's getting confusing.

Good luck with the Barb. Sounds like an interesting pick, certainly in HC !!!
Slow down there, table police! I accidentally cleared a line when I "copy / paste the most recent table" but luckily we had you here to prevent that train from derailing! :D

Sorry kitteh, I haz petz for yoo. I ruined the thread! Relax, Mr. 2 months here. Everything will be gravy. Go get a dew from the bar.
coju said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      40             No           10         10            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      35             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      19             Yes           2          2            0           2
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
Well, surprisingly I've made it to act 2. I didn't think I would go this far, to be honest. Nothing notable. "No news is good news," as my Mama Lupi says. Did make a Stealth Armor out of Leather Armor. that may have been my first, as I normally use Breast Plates for that sort of thing.
Tarantella said:
Bypassing cows Tarasha entered nightmare at lvl 35 using frozen orb with a 20 fcr necro wand in main hand (+1 shiver armour, +3 fireball orb in the other), 2 plain fcr rings and stealth breastplate for damage with Pledge kite shields and a stash full of resistance charms including a nice 11 resist all and 2 fhr gcs for defense.

Had a single amn found in normal for Edge but was saving that for Spirit and gambling circlets proved cheap but fruitless.

No problems however with levelling at p1 in early act 1 with orb and a single point in cold mastery. Removed the 18mf skull cap, 24 mf gloves and 33 mf amulet for a single full area clear replacing with shop bought resistance items.

A second gamble later on finally nabbed a blue +1 sorceress skills circlet with mdr 6.

Dropped a rare headgear and later an armour (both with frost nova) to replace the mercs chipped topaz gear but had to wait till clearing the Underground passage to improve her own items where a 4 socket broadsword a 4 socket poleaxe and also Sigons shield (stashed) all dropped.

Gambled again for a rare belt and also picked up 2 white partizans on the way to the Marsh waypoint which was located 4 monster free hops away from the ladder to the tower on the other side of the river.

Paused here to make a 29 fcr spirit and then reach level 40 making a first run to clear the tower.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      40             No           10         10            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      19             Yes           2          2            0           2
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
T72on1 said:
logoutzero said:
Slow down there, table police! I accidentally cleared a line when I "copy / paste the most recent table" but luckily we had you here to prevent that train from derailing! :D

Sorry kitteh, I haz petz for yoo. I ruined the thread! Relax, Mr. 2 months here. Everything will be gravy. Go get a dew from the bar.
I'm totally relaxed, thanks for being worried. I just wanted to help, so no need to call me a table police or overall getting ironic.

I leveled Neverland some more. Still playing on /p3. She has beaten Mephisto yesterday evening and is now level 26. No noteworthy drops.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      40             No           10         10            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
Kitteh said:
Ladies, not scratching. I will do any scratching that needs done in this thread, as the resident Kitteh, with the appropriate anatomy.
 
Pb_pal said:
We leveled up to 50 on Baal runs before heading out into NM. No gear upgrades to note, but a bunch of grailers off the list at least. Eleanor now turns her attention to looking for bases for the various RWs she hopes to make soon. Almost right away into NM we found a 4-soc sword and promptly made ourselves a Spirit. She cruised to Andy, who provided us with our pick of belts, of which we obviously took Goldwrap.

Up through the Maggot lair she found a Shael, and made a Rhyme shield and Lore helm. Soon after we found a 4-soc bill and made an Insight for Jemali. Well, needless to say, things took off from here. We dropped Duriel at lvl 55, and absolutely tore through Act 3 and took out Mephisto, who had a very colourful quest drop. I think we'll take a little bit of time here and see if we can gear ourselves a bit better for NM. The suicide branch will stay in our stash for now, in case we want it for FCR breakpoints later on.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
Gambitsreturn said:
I'm just recently starting up again and would very much like to participate in this tourney. It will be perfect for me since I just recently started again from scratch about a week and a half ago. Its too bad my timing was a little off because my current untwinked sorc is level 84 and has collected a decent amount of items already from the few hundred hell meph runs she has completed. No worries, I will start a new character and get the ball rolling. I used to play exclusively hc but I've decided to play sc since my return.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)    SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor      SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna        SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha      HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland    SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
coju    NintyNine_orRiP  HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex        HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus     HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0           N/A
Gambit      Colossus     SC      Pal      0               YES               0     0            0            0
Tenecabo said:
This will be a looooooooooooooooong term project for me, with the limited time I have nowadays. As such, I'm going full funbuild, no mf run grinding for this project. Have fun all!

(and I took the liberty of cleaning up the table :p)

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      N/A       N/A            No            0          0            0          N/A
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Kitteh said:
Thanks Tenecabo! For future reference for those who don't know, you can clean the table up in notepad before you post.

Verallus has finished act 1 has been sinking points into summons until later in normal. Upon reconsideration, it would have been more fun to go fire for the first part instead. Also, I'm not going to bother keeping track of S/U and grail because of no extended stash.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Darke Rahl said:
I gave in and chose an amazon for this marathon, hardcore of course !
She got merrily through Act I with the most notable thing, or should I say not, being finding Arctic Furs in the Dark Woods followed by the set belt in the Barracks. The 2 pieces set bonus is 40% MF which added up to the rest put me at 88% by the time I was at Andy.
Well, it didn't impress her much and the most valuable thing she dropped was a diamond (if I could be disappointed by one in real life).
Act 2 and 3 were a bit boring, looking forward to get to 30 quickly.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      40             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Tarantella said:
Hammered the tower for four dozen runs in 3 sessions whilst leveling to 49 to max Frozen orb with 2 Io runes topping the sackful of others. Got a sol on the 5th run to make insight (meditation lvl 12) which sped up the proceedings
Then found a second 4 socket broadsword to make another (32 fcr) spirit.

Tried cubing recipe for both partizans but got 3 in each. Similarly failed trying to cube an eth linked mail for the merc.
Did however gamble some Hotspurs though as I was religiously reading the stats on every rare I had to get to the 5th line before I realized that they were Hotspurs. :rolleyes: Finally replaced the Duriel dropped Gorefoots with plain blue 30frw boots.

Countess and the chests dropped the occasional jewelry giving a poor rare fcr specimen to replace the current blue and Tancred's amulet on the 46th run (stashed). Then sprinted through to dispatch Andariel for the first time.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      49             Yes           -          -            -           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      26             Yes           3          3            0           4
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
T72on1 said:
Neverland is ready to enter NM :). Before that, Act 4 was a bit slow to my taste, but in act 5 things picked up again. Especially when she had rescued Anya, and I did what I never have done before, but read as a tip from someone else: doing /p8 Pindle runs for xp. Boy that goes fast !!! I went from level 33 to level 44 in quite a short time.

After that I did Ancients and Baal, at which point I was almost level 46. So I did one more Pindle run to get to level 46.

I didn't bother to really include mf as a stat. As a consequence, I have only found 3 set items and 1 unique. And yes, that lovely green Breast Plate is one of those 3 ... ;).

Next time I'll start in NM and will be looking for that 4os sword and Polearm. I also still need the higher runes for Insight and Spirit, but the Countess should cough these up soon enough.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      49             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       41             No            4          4            0           5
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
NanoMist said:
Indeed, Pindle is a great way to level up quickly. In fact, I ran through nightmare as quickly as I could and rescued Anya by level 53. Ran Pindleskin for a quick additional 10 levels. Finished off Baal at level 67 and feeling comfortable enough to advance to hell.

I have yet to find a 4 OS polearm but the big mana boost from spirit helps.
T72on1, I too did not bother with MF as of yet - I will leave the MFing for hell. :D

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       67             No           22         19            0           8
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      49             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      18             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Timinator said:
wow, already 2/3 of the way there, you'll be finished easily by the end of April at this rate ;)
coju said:
Why are you five not using extended stash?
I've made it to the lost city, killed the poison bug, and found the cube. I'll update when I get more past normal.
Check out this staff! I'm cubing the staff at the moment, so I'm on my way to that crazy Arcane Sanctuary.

As promised:

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       67             No           22         19            0           8
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      49             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

Duri did not drop much. A staff with +1 Static Field did the trick for the first 8 seconds, then hitting 'f' for my Charged Bolt did the rest. The mercenary I have tanked for the most part. Duri wanted to 1v1 him because each time I got close, I got bashed 10 feet away. "Oh well. I'll just stay here," I thought to myself.
1610326223591.png
Kitteh said:
For more challenge!
Pb_pal said:
Yeah I'm doing it for the extra challenge as well. It adds an interesting dynamic to the game, having to think about what to keep and why.

Just a fun little add-on to an already tough challenge. :)
Kitteh said:
Died against Duriel because somebody came in my room and distracted me, and Duriel charged haha

Won't be starting again until at least the summer!
T72on1 said:
Ouch, that's no fun. You sure you won't try again? We would love to have you among us.
Kitteh said:
Well, new job, exams, plus race season. Probably not the best idea haha I will rejoin eventually, but probably in the summer :)
Pb_pal said:
Ouch that sucks! I have to agree with T72 though, rejoin even if it's slow and steady. I know you've got tons of coursework and such but everybody needs a distraction! Besides:

coju said:
RiP Kitteh! May your next try be twice as fast!
T72on1 said:
Kitteh said:
Well, new job, exams, plus race season. Probably not the best idea haha I will rejoin eventually, but probably in the summer :)
Fair enough. Hopefully you'll still find the time at some point.
logoutzero said:
He's trolling, he didn't die to duriel... Kittehs have 9 lives, remember?
coju said:
So, had a NDE. Slammed my hand to hit the '1' key, where my full rejuvies are. I hear people have a keybind for SPACEBAR, that may be a good idea, although, years of using space to close all the windows... It can be done. I honestly didn't think to hit the '1' key until it was too late, as you can see, I did pop a potion, which may have given me; Have we figured out the heal per second on potions? I did go ahead and escape. I am a friend of the S&E. Pharphis runs in my blood.

The Shaman was blue before I Frost Nova'd him. Or maybe he was the green one? No, I killed that one before. Ol' Blue tried to revenge his brother, but I will kill it's master.
1610326343423.png
 
T72on1 said:
I have rejuvs on my space bar for years now, after having it on 1 for years before that. It has saved my life countless times.
Kitteh said:
T72on1 said:
I have rejuvs on my space bar for years now, after having it on 1 for years before that. It has saved my life countless times.
Fordyl just has 16 rejuvs :p
Tarantella said:
Dropped in on act 2 to get a Holy Freeze merc then re ran Andy 9 more times. First Andy drop had been poor but several useful items dropped subsequently.

1610326483116.png

1610326490462.png


Amulet was Mahim oak and the Tarnhelm 31mf. Popped back to normal to get a bow to make Edge and gambled some nice dual resist gloves. So with resistances nearly all maxed quested rapidly through acts 2-4 picking up Sigons boots in act 2 and making a 15 meditation poleaxe replacement in act 3. Forge drop opened up possibilities for later.

1610326498066.png

Diablo drop was poor but checking drops from the sanctuary after the kill more than made up for it.

1610326506906.png


Reached act 5 at level 55
coju said:
Very nice tarantella! That is a good idea going back to nm Andy to play for a bit. Did you just use the map you had, or reroll for a better one? I suppose if it is just andy, the default, unless too spread out, would be fine.
Tarantella said:
The map was ok in so far as Tarasha's mana pool and the level 12 insight were enough to get the dozen or so hops between waypoint and stairs on level 2 and the stairs on level 3 as long as she didn't stop to engage monsters. Having the 63 fcr breakpoint and some 80+ fhr is fine for players 1 setting in nightmare.
logoutzero said:
Rolex bought the farm. Deeds to Bloodwitch + a boss greater mummy. 500 life and Prayer with 5% life leech on each spiked club means I hadn't felt any pressure so far. Level 21 normal. Thinking of next entrant. Maybe a LF/FA named BrickHouse, "'cause she's the one, the only one, built like an amazon!"
coju said:
You must have got one of those Folex's on accident.
NanoMist said:
Hell went by smoothly without much difficulty. Between CoS and MB, there were not many dangerous moments. Hellforge dropped an Ist and Diablo dropped a Steel Carapace. Concluded hell questing at rescuing Anya, as I don't plan on running Baal until much later (if at all). Next stop... Pits, Pindle, or LK?

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      58             No           43         39            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      49             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Timinator said:
Congrats on basically finishing hell. Do whatever you can easily do to get maybe another 10 levels quickly ... and any better gear before the grind really gets going!
Pb_pal said:
@NanoMist Awesome job! If you can safely do Pindle, that should be your target. Even at /p3 or /p5 you will level up in a hurry there until the mid-80s. After that I'd head on over to the Pits and begin the grind. That's essentially my plan, except AT instead of Pits obviously. LK if you're hurting for some RWs, if not I wouldn't bother until you're bored of the levelling grind a bit.

EDIT: I forgot you're going to want to farm Enigma sooner rather than later. In that case I would still level on Pindle first, and then split my time between Pits and LK. :)

--

As we stated last time, we spent some time here convincing Meph to leave us some goodies, and that he did! Some highlights include:

- Duriel's Shell (Jemali's new favourite item)
- Ali Baba (it will stay in the stash, as Eleanor has dreams of filling it with 2x Ist)
- Sigon's Shield (extra firepower is always nice until Monarchs show up)
- Vipermagi (23 all res which is dissapointing, but still way better than her current Stealth)

So with this she decided she was geared well enough to proceed, knowing she can come back if she needs to. The Hellforge gave us an Io, and Diablo went down easy with another colourful drop to leave behind.. She pretty much tele'd and plowed through A5 and became a Champion at level 71. She and Jemali are starting to feel more fragile than I would like, so we're going to spend some time levelling at Baal here and hopefully find couple gear upgrades as well before hitting Hell.

Also updated Tarasha's level in the table.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      71             No           71         61            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      55             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
NanoMist said:
Thanks! Leveling up on Pindle sounds good, but I will do some Pits first, as I am still missing some basic stuff. Believe it or not, I still need an Insight, and for that I will do area clears. I'm still using the stealth I made from normal...
Definitely will be farming LK for a while to get Enigma (and Infinity).
coju said:
NanoMist said:
Thanks! Leveling up on Pindle sounds good, but I will do some Pits first, as I am still missing some basic stuff. Believe it or not, I still need an Insight, and for that I will do area clears. I'm still using the stealth I made from normal...
Definitely will be farming LK for a while to get Enigma (and Infinity).
nanomist, i feel i'll be in your same spot after while. I'm planning on running CK for a while, once I get there.

edit: I've made it to Mephy in Normal. Earlier, I found a 5%mf jewel. I'll linky later if y'all want to gaze on it. Mm.. what else... I'm going to wait until she is level 30 to kill meph with her mf gear, in hopes that... well.. actually... if the goal is to get level 99, might as well kill that ladydemon now, eh? Because, I believe I'm only half-way to 30, and that could take a bit of grinding in durance 2/3 to get to 30. More time than I wish to spend at level 29, that is... But, if I am already thinking like this, am I up to the 99 challenge?
T72on1 said:
@logoutzero Condolences on the loss. Good luck with your next character !!!

To all the rest: good progress everyone. Especially the ones already in Hell. Quite fast. I'll be interested to hear the strategy you are following, and how it works out. My current plan is to go through NM as fast as possible, level up on Pindle again, then the same in Hell. In NM I might do some Andy / Meph runs, in Hell some Mausoleum or Pits to get some decent bases. First primary target / area for repeated runs in Hell will depend on the build I'll be running by then. Currently still enjoying my full fire sorc, but there are more efficient builds out there, so I might change in the future.
Tarantella said:
Leveled up to 70 on p8 Eldritch. Merc was a bit flakey at first with the occasional waypoint ambush and some of the tougher auras on Eldritch but rapidly increasing fire damage helped out as did the drops with Iron Pelt and Undead Crown for Mizan and Infernostrides, Eye of Etlich and Peasant Crown for Tarasha.

Back on p1 and further into act 5 gambled Angelic Wings and made a third spirit broadsword (25fcr) .Will attempt to max one of them later. Also picked up a Harpoonist grand charm and a foul small charm of good luck (7%) whilst bypassing most of the content on the way to the Ancients. No problems there or in the Keep exiting to Hell at level 71 with a handy drop from Baal which was upgraded to mesh belt immediately.
1610326613955.png
Ergroilnin said:
I will be joining this as well with HC pure lightning sorc. Won't be using extended stash, but will mule off items from her so future HC chars can use them. Also not gonna keep a track of uniques/grail/time. Also to spice it up a little bit for myself, during the questing, I'll do full /p8 clears no rerunning until I beat the hell baal.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      71             No           71         61            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      55             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       25             No            4          -            0           0
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
logoutzero said:
Digimon, the level 24 skelliemancer-for-now, resting for the night outside the Harem.

Kitteh, we gonna move the deeded entrants to a separate table?
Gambitsreturn said:
So here goes my first update. Colossus is currently level 39 and is questing in nm act 1 at the moment. The plan is to start doing countess runs until I can make the basic caster rune words that everyone enjoys so much, spirit, insight, rhyme etc. The vast majority of my Diablo career has been spent playing the female classes. With the exception of the Necromancer, I have never really taken a liking to the male characters. I thought that with my complete restart and the long term commitment that this tournament will require, I would enjoy spending time playing a Hammerdin. Boy was I wrong. The entire time I have played Colossus, I have been thinking how much I would prefer to be playing a sorceress or amazon. So, I think I will put Colossus on hiatus for the moment and start playing a character I actually enjoy and am comfortable playing. So my question is, do you want me to leave Colossus on the table or should I remove him to avoid cluttering up the table?
coju said:
My vote is leave Colossus. As for the deeds, perhaps a graveyard at the bottom of the table would suffice?

My lady's next quest is to rescue the other lady, Anya, I believe she is called in these lands. Level 31. Found some sets, a couple uniques. Nothing too interesting. That MF jewel is a 4%, though, not 5. A nice Sorc wand dropped with 20fcr and some res. She is using that and a purple shield. Starting to safe all my jewelry I find instead of selling it like habit in order to cube it. Did not know about that: cubing jewelry...
Darke Rahl said:
Bells waltzed through Nightmare in her mid thirties and forties, with her once-useful Act 2 mercenary now on permanent follow due to a lack of upgrades.
I only had one close call, in act 1 prisons, while I fought a mob of zombies and an elite somehow a second special monster crept up among them and they both died at the same time releasing cold novas and a fire explosion.

Only notable drops so far were a Vampire's Gaze and Wizardspike, meanwhile I'm still rocking a Twitchthroe in Hell! I'll do some more pit runs this morning but it will take some time to find anything with my low MF :<

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       75             No           21          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      71             No           71         61            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      55             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     19             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      15             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal        0             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh said:
I think a separate graveyard table might be better because it isn't so important, so better not to clog up the main table. I will try and add it in tonight if nobody else gets a chance. Great progress guys :D
 
Pb_pal said:
Welcome to the new entrants! :)

Eleanor leveled to 74 doing NM Baal runs, and then got impatient and decided to venture into Hell. We dialed it down to /p1 since we're basically only interested in reaching running targets right now. The tele-fest was quick and efficient, basically heading straight for Act Bosses, only stopping for necessary or skill/stat pumping quests. Before we knew it we had made our way all the way to Meph. We considered running him a bit, but decided instead to move on. The Hellforge dropped us a Lem which we're happy with as we plan on making a Delerium helm for the merc at some point.

After a not-so-quick rout of the CS (damn CI OKs!) and Diablo, Eleanor finished the questing portion of her journey (for now) by saving Anya and opening the portal to Pindle's Garden. Now begins the arduous task of properly gearing our crew so that the power-levelling can begin.

Our plan:
- Spend some time at Pindle now to level and maybe get some gear
- Then head over to the AT, which will be her new home for a long while
- Not sure what I'm going to do about LK yet, probably just some intermittent running


EDIT: Added a deeds table, adjust your chars etc if I missed anything :) Also, if we want to add where/how they died, people can add that in somewhere in place of other info.

EDIT2: Updated Tarasha's and Colossus' level (I'd keep him in there, you never know if you'll want to pick him up again!), popped Digimon in there.

The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      71             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     ??             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
My Cheesydin has made good progress so far, getting into Hell difficulty. He has a very few points remaining to finish his blessed hammer synergies and then the points will probably go to holy shield because his blocking stinks and I think that'll be an important part of tanking when the monsters can dish out a lot of damage. For most of the questing journey thus far, he's been at /P8 so we went into Hell at level 75. /P1 for safety for now, questing through hell. I'll bump it up when I get to LK for farming purposes I think. He's still using Stealth as his armor, which is weak but nice for the FRW and hit recovery. He was lucky in his early journey and found a Spectral Shard, a 4 socket paladin shield (which now has 4 perfect diamonds in it), a nightsmoke (which helps with maintaining mana actually) and a set of Frostburn gauntlets. Toward the end of NM, he finally got a 4 socket poleaxe which became an Insight for the prayer merc. Interestingly, so far he's gotten a grand total of 3 Tal runes (all of which have been used on runewords and trying for sockets) and so they are in short supply, as are perfect diamonds and perfect amethysts. No green breastplates so far in his journey, but NM Baal did give him a Skull Collector, which if I've ever seen one before, has been a long time since.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      71             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -
Pb_pal said:
@OldSoldier - Awesome progress! Any reason you haven't made spirit in the shield, or is it due to needing the extra resists?

Also, I realize I probably ninja'ed you with my table editing after the fact in my post, so here's a new table with Battleforge in there.

The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      71             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     ??             No           N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
@Pb_pal you got it, my resists are not great in hell. The shield is 87 res all I think, and I have some good charms for fire, and my boots are cold and lightning, but I have nothing in my helm (which is a 2 socket blue with topazes and FHR) or armor (stealth) or rings & amulet (MF and mana). I figure I have plenty of time to get better gear along the way since this isn't a single pass tourney. Plus, the hammers at level 20 and mostly synergized are doing in the neighborhood of 3000 damage which is fine for now. I think I'll feel comfortable with going to a spirit shield once I can find a pally shield with higher innate resistances built in. While questing, I'm safety oriented.

Thanks for putting me in the table, I appreciate it.
Kitteh said:
The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      71             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Tarantella said:
Spent a few safe sessions above ground mapping out and repeat clearing the Blood Moor, Cold Plains, Stony Field and the Burial Grounds having not played a Sorceress in Hell for a few years now and reliant on poorly equipped Mizan to finish off cold/fire immune bosses. Gambling steadily whilst leveling to 73. Dropped a Gul!

1610326869821.png

Which is nice.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      73             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      46             Yes           4          4            0           6
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1


Wouldn't a simple number "1" in #of deaths column be more poignant than a separate table for HC deaths? :)
T72on1 said:
@Tarantella Congrats on the Gul !!! Definitely a good start.

I played my Sorc some more. Ended the session by killing NM Diablo. Progress is going slow because I still haven't found an Insight base. I also respecced from Fire to Cold. Can't get used to the slower killing speed of anything else than Blizzard ...

O yes, I was convinced that I would get this girl to the 90s without a single death. A few Countess runs proved me wrong, when I got cornered by an extra strong something boss pack. Blind teleporting with low fcr is a bad idea :(. Couldn't resist though, as I got a ridiculously good Countess map.

Will try to speed through Act 5 up until Anya as fast as possible, so I can speed level Neverland up to the 70s.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       75             No           27         23            0           12
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      73             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Nice Gul! Great progress everyone!

Small update: Found a 4os Bill to make an insight and equipped it on a prayer merc for the nice life replenish. Best find so far was a Mal rune, not even in Pits, but from a carver camp in Tamoe Highlands :rolleyes:

The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       81             No           39         33            0           15
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      74             No           91         72            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      73             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Timinator said:
woohoo, someone has broken the 80 barrier! Please push on, and you others! Getting to the mid 80s won't be hard, and the late 80s wont be too slow either. There should be a mini prize for the first one to have a "9" in the first digit.
Pb_pal said:
Since Eleanor's MF career is now officially beginning, she used her first respec and is now a pure Blizzard sorceress. With her new found power she decided to spend some quality time with her friend Pindleskin. We found our first TC87 almost right away, hopefully that's a sign of things to come!

We're starting to get a bit low on space in the stash now, since we've been hanging on to a few bases for future RWs. We can always get rid of them if need be, but I'd rather be able to use the runes straight away if I find them. I'm tempted to hit LK soon to free up the space, but I'd really rather wait until 93 for my serious grinding there for all the crafting opportunities. This whole no extended stash thing sure makes decisions more difficult, that's for sure.

Anyways, Eleanor hung out with Pindle until 84, netting a bunch of grailers in the process. Equipment upgrades are as follows:

- Tarnhelm (MF is always welcome)
- Spirit Monarch (we cubed 4 sockets on our FIRST try! It only got 29 FCR, but that is easily improved.)
- Frostburns (bye bye mana woes.)

We have also breached Grail -400, so that's nice. :)


The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      84             No          151        116            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       81             No           39         33            0           15
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      73             Yes           -          -            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
Very good progress people !!!

@Pb_pal that's already an amazing amount of s/u you have found, grats. I assume you are playing on /p7 or P8 for the increased xp?
Pb_pal said:
T72on1 said:
Very good progress people !!!

@Pb_pal that's already an amazing amount of s/u you have found, grats. I assume you are playing on /p7 or P8 for the increased xp?
/p8 for all of Normal and NM (Act bosses on /p3), /p1 in Hell. I have maintained a decent amount of MF for the duration, and have spent some time doing dedicated MF runs at Meph/Andy etc. I'm impressed that I don't have more duplicates, I didn't expect to find so many grailers by now. We'll see how that continues as we go!

EDIT: /p5 Pindle so far for the runs, it's the best balance for me between XP, speed and survivability right now.
T72on1 said:
Thanks.

That's the way I've always done it with previous untwinked mf characters as well (although not necessarily on /p8, as I often find it faster and better in the long run to go on a lower player setting), with especially a lot of time spent on Hell Meph. Not sure if I'll just dive straight into Hell AT this time, or will take the time to meet up with Meph again for some dedicated runs.
Tarantella said:
Eventually went underground doing the Den of Evil then the Crypt followed by the Mausoleum for full clears patiently waiting for something to drop whilst carrying 0 mf. Finally dropped a plain thresher but thought better of trying to get 4 sockets. Questing through again dropped an Elementalist skiller in the Dark Wood working through to Black Marsh waypoint and saw the first Monarch drop coming back to quest in Tristram at level 75.

1610327014425.png

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      84             No          151        116            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       81             No           39         33            0           15
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      75             Yes           -          -            -          -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      24             Yes          all         0            0          Some
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
I was able to grind Andariel for a couple of hours this evening. She didn't drop anything I wanted but I was able to snag a Tal Rasha's death mask from another monster that was nearby, which is an upgrade for the merc. I'm not able to run Andariel very well (level 79 at the moment) because my blocking is bad and if I respec to plus up the blocking, my life will go into the toilet, and I've already gone into the 100s in my life pool a couple of times even running at a lowly P3. Battleforge has just over 1000 HP, so not much really to withstand heavy attacks. He goes through a couple of rejuvenation potions each time he runs Andariel. Perhaps a change is in order; I do have a Jade Tan Do, which would remove most of the poison threat from Andariel. The map to her lair is straight up great, even without the Enigma that I'm so far from sniffing it isn't even funny. I do need some good things from her or Mephisto or Diablo along the way, including a Ravenfrost, a Shako and Aldur's Advance. Maybe I'll switch out the weapon to the dagger from the spectral shard and change the shield to a Spirit for extra firepower. I also have a General's flail, maybe the 50% slow would nerf Andy enough to make up for the lost FCR on the weapon?

I was able to snag this, my first in the journey:
1610327037078.png

I won't update the table, but when the next person does, please change my level to 79 and my grail count to 73. Happy hunting!
JacobMiller said:
What merc have you sorc's been using? Defiance or Holy Freeze
NanoMist said:
@OldSoldier If you're not using an MF switch, maybe just use the General's flail on switch? Smite Andariel once with it, and switch back to your primary W/S. She should be killed before the slow wears off, but if not, smite her once more.
Pb_pal said:
Great progress guys!

@OldSoldier - Maybe a row of antidotes in the belt would make her a bit less painful? Or even a quick buff with some before each run to bump up your resistance.

@JacobMiller - I'm using Prayer right now for the added synergy with Insight, but I'll be switching to HF for my end-game. Not sure when, but probably the next time I head into NM to switch up maps.
T72on1 said:
My sorc used Prayer, but when I reached NM Act 2 I switched over to Might.
OldSoldier said:
NanoMist said:
@OldSoldier If you're not using an MF switch, maybe just use the General's flail on switch? Smite Andariel once with it, and switch back to your primary W/S. She should be killed before the slow wears off, but if not, smite her once more.
Well that works great, thanks for the tip! The Jade Tan Do was iffy. Pair the General's flail with a Rhyme Shield and we're in business! It cuts down on my rejuvenation usage a lot. I did have a Skull Collector on switch for the final kill but I wasn't great at using it so I'll do the safe thing with the flail instead. I have 118% MF, which is OK in my book anyway.
 
coju said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      84             No          151        116            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       81             No           39         33            0           15
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

Tried my hand at a nightmarish Andy, and she gave it back to me; even on players 1. So, went back to Normal and got a couple levels at Baal: level 50 as of now. It seems Pb_pal did baal's until 50, and that does seem like a good place to be. I went and got the Skill Tomb at level 46, and brought along a Freezy Merc who died three times. Have Spirit Shield and The Stick... whatever it's called. Radiance? No... Insight! There we go. I did a few Countness runs, and on "this is my last" a Sol dropped! It twas my lucky "last".
T72on1 said:
@coju Good progress !!! One question though: How can you have a Spirit Shield in NM, at level 50? Monarchs don't drop until Hell, and they require level 54. Or did you mean Rhyme?

Good luck, and keep it safe.
NanoMist said:
Either Rhyme Shield or Spirit sword?

Small update: found an Arachnid's Mesh but not much else - I will move on to Pindle.

The Runners:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      84             No          151        116            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju said:
@T72on1 ehhh: Rhyme. I meant to Rhyme but I am full of the Spirit that came out. Oops! No, no Freudian slip, those aren't even real.
It is in a boneshield.
Tarantella said:
Got to the Outer Cloisters waypoint then went back to do clear the Tower. It seemed a good map for teleing and though Mizan fell to cursed archers once or twice whilst trying to finish off the Countess Tarasha was never hit by arrows when amped. Got a lem on the first drop and another lem levelling in the rest of the 24 runs.

1610328187564.png

A few nervy stair traps on the way made more so as saving points 90 or so points meant life is lower than usual. Checking out the racks on level 5 for the umpteenth time surprisingly dropped a unique exceptional spear (as a bnet player for a dozen years-can't remember that ever happening) which set me thinking. Went back to Mausoleum where there were two racks right by the entrance. A dozen or so 15 seconds runs to the the weapon rack eventually gave a thresher and within the hour 7 of them (5 plain 2 socketed) had dropped when the 8th dropped with 4 sockets for Mizan's next Insight upgrade with a level 17 meditation aura. Quested quickly through to Andariel for a poor first drop and entered act 2 at level 77. Gambled a few useful strength amulets and rings on the way.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      84             No          151        116            0           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      75             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Pb_pal said:
@NanoMist - Eleanor shakes her fist at you for the Arachnid's Mesh. Otherwise, great job. :p

@Tarantella - Nice finds on the Lems. You're taking your life in your hands down there in HC at such a low level, be careful!

--

Eleanor continued bashing Pindle, but started to mix some AT running in as well for a bit of variety. Nothing too noteworthy was found, but a few levels gained and of course a bit of the grail filled out. She even took a little jaunt in LK for a bit to see what she could find. Um and Pul showed up, which are both needed for future RWs, so that's great.

We've been trying for a while to upgrade the merc to an elite polearm, and finally on her 8th roll (plus an additional 4 found with the wrong number of sockets), she managed to roll 4 sockets into an eth Giant Thresher. Perfect! It's being used for Insight now, but will be our base for our future Infinity as well. Combined with his newly made Treachery armour, and a Tal's helm we found, the merc is doing just fine. Naturally, this prompted us to switch him out for a HF merc, as that will be our end-game choice anyways and we figured the sooner, the better. :p

Updated Battleforge as per OldSoldier's request.

EDIT: Eleanor is level 87, not 88. Wishful thinking I guess :p

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      87             No          184        128            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      57             Yes          11         11            1           9.33
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju said:
So, my first unique from a rack dropped!: Earthshaker
I was tping through the LK in NM a few times to try and grab some Grand Charms in hopes of skillers, and to rid this world of a few demons here and there, and it dropped on my way to the superchest camp!

I've almost maxed Lightning Mastery, just a couple more levels and that will be done. Now, I must decide if I want to go pure Light, with CB/Light/Mastery currently maxed (in a few levels), and start adding Chain Lighting, start going down the cold tree to my favorite skill: Frozen Orb, respect and go Orb/Meteor // Orb/FB // Orb/Nova, or go Blizzard Sorc (which is my least favorite option).

Charged Bolt is starting to seem a bit scary, as I am HC, and for maximum effect, you must be grinding your partner, Frozen Orb suits more my style of tping back with I find some monsters.. wait... Frozen Orb / Hydra? Isn't that a thing? Didn't our Most Awesome Best Mod Ever Thyiad make one or start to make one? I wonder if she reads these. I could report myself for spam and perhaps she will see it.

But, I'm not going for stylepoints, I am going for quickness. Blizzard may be the absolute quickest, but, that is my least favorite choice, and I haven't used Frozen Orb in a few years (heck, any skills in a few years).... Well.. Opinions? What are you sorceresses doing/using/skilling/plans?
T72on1 said:
Time to catch up a bit, it seems :).

I managed to get to NM Pindle at 53 or so, but got a bit careless on my first runs, which resulted in my second death by teleporting right in the middle of the pack :(. After some Pindle runs I finally found a 4os Polearm: a non-eth Poleaxe. Obviously the damage is really low, but it's mainly the aura I was after at that point, so I was quite happy with it.

I ran Pindle on /p8 until Neverland was level 72. Then I proceeded to Baal. On my way, I got myself stuck in a strange place, somewhere in the Frozen Tundra ...

1610328267148.png
I could teleport back out though, and continued towards Baal. The waves posed no problem on /p8, for Baal himself I tuned down to /p3. The fight didn't take too long, and as a reward he dropped ... a yellow Shako. So close, so cruel.

I did some more Baal runs, until I was level 76. Then I proceeded to Hell. My resists were terrible (something like 13/0/20/-10), but the plan was to do some semi-careful teleporting through Act 1 and Act 2 anyway.

Quite early in Act 1 I found my first TC3: Blinkbat's Form. I consider that a good sign for the upcoming TC3 Hunting Tournament ;). In the Jail level 2 I got a very nice surprise:

1610328273894.png
A golden one this time, and my first elite item to drop. Talking about getting lucky !!!

Since I got a really good map to Andariel, I ran her a couple of times, but without any good drops. Then I teleported through Act 2, leaving the Maggot Lair for now, and going straight for ...

1610328280809.png
... indeed !!!

Apparantly the god drops approved of this, because in that very first run, I got my first unique amulet. Not the Mara's I was hoping for, but still, not bad for a first amulet:

1610328287509.png
About the worst roll possible, but even then I'm happy with the +2 skills.

I did some more AT runs, on /p1 only because /p3 was too slow to my taste. They still gave quite good xp, so I hit level 79 soon after. I one of the last runs I also found a Tal's helm, so my merc now finally has some life leech. Best runes I found so far are a Ko and a Lum.

Items I'm wanting most now are a 4os Monarch and a better 4os stick for my merc. I wouldn't mind finding 2 Bers in a row obviously, but a Spirit shield alone would give me a huge boost, both offensively as defensively. Other than that I'd like to up my mf, which is only about 100% now. I'd like to socket my Shako obviously, but I actually got a really good AT Map (quite close to the WP, and very compact map), so for now I'm reluctant to give it up already.

Maybe if I decide that I do want to continue to Meph, in which case I'll have to reroll most likely anyway. For now I'm tempted to stay in AT though.

Edit: o yes, only one S/U that I already have twice, so I got lucky there so far. That one item of course is ... that lovely green breast plate !!!

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      87             No          184        128            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
logoutzero said:
I'm gonna try to finish Normal tonight, stay tuned.

LoD owns me. Been playing classic so long I forgot about Act V. Stay tuned even longer...
coju said:
I've made it to Mephisto, found a map with a few Teleports to her lair. Now, time to look up resistance and nm mephisto running... I know blizzard is the best, but, I'm trying to stay away from that... Anyone reading this have their own opinion on FO v Blizz through their experiences?
This will be my first Stat Reset, as I'm Lightning, and that only tickles that demon...

Hmm... hmm hmmm.... Good ol' cookie cutter here we go! At least until I feel comfortable with my gear to diverge from the Chocolate Chip. Oh man... Girl Scout Samoas do sound good. There are some offbrand cookies that taste very much like those.. oh man... i gotta go to the store soon.

Metorb I reckon. I did have fun with it before. I'll look up fo/nova vs metorb before i do and edit..

Well, well... I think for now I'm giong to max FO, get mastery 10ish for now, since i'm in NM, and put some points into Frozen Bolt. Save points for now (tk/tp ofc), and decide what I want to do later. Thanks guys for talking this through with me!
logoutzero said:
I don't know what to tell you coju. I like blizzard. I don't like FO as much. FO/CL gogogo?
coju said:
Been playing classic, huh? How's that been? I think I'm going to sleep on it; decide tomorrow. No rush, eh?

edit: didn't sleep on it. Went FO. Not as fun as I remembered. I may respect into a Blizz actually :)
PhineasB said:
As I explained in my intro thread, this challenge inspired me. I actually started a few days before Kitteh officially started the thread (hope that’s okay). I'll hold off on trying to update the table, because I think I'll mess it up.

Short version: I created a Trapsin called Mercy, who is now Lvl 87 and Matted. It’s been a blast so far, aided by great rune luck. Only a Ber away from Infinity! I created an Album with screenshots of major drops/progress.

Congrats to all on the good progress so far. Best of luck on the leveling, MFing or rune searching.

I followed the usual path of single pass tourney characters, although I had pretty bad topaz luck. No major finds in Normal – socketed angelic armor when I found second ring, which was a waste that I regret. I died once to hitting tab in windowed mode :\

The next weekend, my wife was away and I spent a lot of time playing. I did the minimum possible to get through NM, focusing on Hell Andy and Countess runs as the way to get Mercy to where she could run LK. There was nothing of note through NM; I got a Lem at NM HF. I found enough runes to make insight for Merc, although I had only a 4os Bill. After netting nothing with 20-ish Meph runs in NM, I decided to move onto Hell with terrible resists and using Fade to compensate.

I don't recall ever having this type of luck in D2 before. I finished A1 and a bit of A2, and then did runs for countess and Andy. On the 9th run, this happened (my first rune above Lem). Hello Fortitude! I had a +500 Archon Plate that got 4os in Cube. Hard to argue with the roll. The merc was now able to survive in Pits, so I added Pit runs into my cycle and finished A2 for a change of pace. Pit run 20ish we got lucky again with a Sur.

At this point, I was hooked on this character. Only 3 Surs (or one Sur and one Ber) from Infinity! I went through A3 as quickly as possible to reach LK and rolled maps (remembering not to hit any WPs except LK). I spent the day in LK, with a break to finish A4 and get the first A5 WP. HF was Mal.

I didn’t time the LK runs (because it would have been discouraging), so I instead set a goal of picking up 250 runes. It started slow, with a Mal and a Pul, but also another Lem so I could make Harmony. Then I had a run of Sur, Lo, Gul, and Pul #2 in about one hour of playing time. Ran a bit more after dinner and got Um and Gul #2. The next morning before work while drinking my coffee = Ohm.

I decided to take a small break from LK, saved Anya and hit the WP for Ancient Way (or whatever it’s called). Then ran Eldrich a few times to level up before going back to LK runs and found my first Elite Unique, a Ghost Flame.

I picked up again this past weekend and finished my 250 runes, with a nice Traps skiller and Gul #3 and Pul #3 to round it out. I then tested where I could run for leveling. I hadn’t gotten another 4os polearm, so the merc still had the bill. In Pits, I found a 4os Giant Thresher and made Insight, but he was too weak to wield it (oops). Did Eldrich and Shenk and Pindle for two levels until Merc could equip the new Insight, and Pits became much more manageable.

But I decided to open up WSK as a run so finished Ancients quest. One of Baal’s minions dropped Spike Thorn, and Baal eventually died. Matted at Lvl 85. I ran Pits to level up before planning to go back to LK, and found another Gul.

I went back to LK, with a goal of another 100 runes, hoping for a Ber to allow Infinity, but ended up with Um #2 and a few mid-runes. I got some nice charms though, with another Skiller (this one plain), a 5@ SC, and a 3@ SC of Sustenance (13 life).

I’ve leveled to 87 with mixture of Pindle, Eldrich, and Pits. Maybe another lucky rune drop will open things up.
Kitteh said:
PhineasB said:
As I explained in my intro thread, this challenge inspired me. I actually started a few days before Kitteh officially started the thread (hope that’s okay). I'll hold off on trying to update the table, because I think I'll mess it up.

Short version: I created a Trapsin called Mercy, who is now Lvl 87 and Matted. It’s been a blast so far, aided by great rune luck. Only a Ber away from Infinity! I created an Album with screenshots of major drops/progress.

Congrats to all on the good progress so far. Best of luck on the leveling, MFing or rune searching.

I followed the usual path of single pass tourney characters, although I had pretty bad topaz luck. No major finds in Normal – socketed angelic armor when I found second ring, which was a waste that I regret. I died once to hitting tab in windowed mode :\

The next weekend, my wife was away and I spent a lot of time playing. I did the minimum possible to get through NM, focusing on Hell Andy and Countess runs as the way to get Mercy to where she could run LK. There was nothing of note through NM; I got a Lem at NM HF. I found enough runes to make insight for Merc, although I had only a 4os Bill. After netting nothing with 20-ish Meph runs in NM, I decided to move onto Hell with terrible resists and using Fade to compensate.

I don't recall ever having this type of luck in D2 before. I finished A1 and a bit of A2, and then did runs for countess and Andy. On the 9th run, this happened (my first rune above Lem). Hello Fortitude! I had a +500 Archon Plate that got 4os in Cube. Hard to argue with the roll. The merc was now able to survive in Pits, so I added Pit runs into my cycle and finished A2 for a change of pace. Pit run 20ish we got lucky again with a Sur.

At this point, I was hooked on this character. Only 3 Surs (or one Sur and one Ber) from Infinity! I went through A3 as quickly as possible to reach LK and rolled maps (remembering not to hit any WPs except LK). I spent the day in LK, with a break to finish A4 and get the first A5 WP. HF was Mal.

I didn’t time the LK runs (because it would have been discouraging), so I instead set a goal of picking up 250 runes. It started slow, with a Mal and a Pul, but also another Lem so I could make Harmony. Then I had a run of Sur, Lo, Gul, and Pul #2 in about one hour of playing time. Ran a bit more after dinner and got Um and Gul #2. The next morning before work while drinking my coffee = Ohm.

I decided to take a small break from LK, saved Anya and hit the WP for Ancient Way (or whatever it’s called). Then ran Eldrich a few times to level up before going back to LK runs and found my first Elite Unique, a Ghost Flame.

I picked up again this past weekend and finished my 250 runes, with a nice Traps skiller and Gul #3 and Pul #3 to round it out. I then tested where I could run for leveling. I hadn’t gotten another 4os polearm, so the merc still had the bill. In Pits, I found a 4os Giant Thresher and made Insight, but he was too weak to wield it (oops). Did Eldrich and Shenk and Pindle for two levels until Merc could equip the new Insight, and Pits became much more manageable.

But I decided to open up WSK as a run so finished Ancients quest. One of Baal’s minions dropped Spike Thorn, and Baal eventually died. Matted at Lvl 85. I ran Pits to level up before planning to go back to LK, and found another Gul.

I went back to LK, with a goal of another 100 runes, hoping for a Ber to allow Infinity, but ended up with Um #2 and a few mid-runes. I got some nice charms though, with another Skiller (this one plain), a 5@ SC, and a 3@ SC of Sustenance (13 life).

I’ve leveled to 87 with mixture of Pindle, Eldrich, and Pits. Maybe another lucky rune drop will open things up.
That is no problem at all! I have a soft spot for trapsins, have fun :p
T72on1 said:
@coju I think Blizzard > FO. Then again I've never really liked FO. But I'm playing my third no-twink (or low-twink, in the case of the other 2) Blizz Sorc now, and I really feel you can't go wrong with these. I started this one out as a Fireball Sorc actually, but the killing power didn't even come close to Blizzard. When I did do a FO / something Sorc, I never bothered to put points into the Ice Bolt synergy, because it seemed too small to be worthwhile.

@PhineasB That is impressive, very well done !!! I have never done any LK runs at all, but if I really want to increase my chance of finding good runes, it seems like I'd better look into it. Same applies to Travincal and Cows actually, I guess I'm more of an MFO runner than a RFO one, but I disgress.

I see you mention not tagging any of the waypoints in Act 3 other than LK. Is that important? Never really heard of that, but then again I've only done some limited reading on the subject.

As for the table: it's a matter of quoting the post before yours that has the most up-to-date table, removing the quote tags and all the text that person has typed, and then adding your own character and stats. You have the option to preview before you post, so you can always cancel your post if you can't get it right. The only thing that is tricky about it, is getting the spacing right, but that is just a matter of trial and error.

To make it easier, I've added you to the table below. I don't know your stats though, other than what I can read in your post: character name, class, lvl, number of deaths (unless there were more than the 1 you mention), game mode. You'll have to add the rest yourself.

Good luck !!!

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      87             No          184        128            0           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87              ?            ?          ?            1           ?
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Timinator said:
Copy table to notepad for spacing
coju said:
@T72on1 you only tag the LK wp so you won't missclick for optimum run times.
Pb_pal said:
@PhineasB - Wow! Welcome, and that's some awesome rune luck you've got there! Hopefully it keeps up for you. :)

@coju
coju said:
What are you sorceresses doing/using/skilling/plans?

My plan was/is:
- Blizzballer until Hell is "completed" (Anya saved)
- Pure blizzard for the foreseeable future for AT/Meph/Pindle/CS running
- At some point in the distant future (probbaly once 98 is hit) respec to pure Lightning and do pure Nilly/Baal runs

Great progress to everyone else, very entertaining!
PhineasB said:
@T72on1: as coju said, if you plan on doing lots of LK runs with a character, it is much easier to avoid hitting any WPs in A3 except LK (I've never had issues with also hitting Trav). That way when you start an LK run in town, you have only one option for WP to click to get you to LK. It makes a pretty significant difference, especially if you're not super precise with the mouse like me.

Sorry for not listing all the details for Mercy's journey. I am SC with extended stash. I stopped picking up green sabres and double axes at some point in Hell, so I'm not counting total number of S/Us. Flavie report says I have found 139 S/Us. I am not counting total play time, and I've added 4 deaths in LK to my one in Normal.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      87             No          184        128            0           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

It looks like I was able to do with table without messing up the formatting . . .
coju said:
Thanks @Pb_pal! I went back to normal to respect into a Blizzard Sorceress. Have Glacial spike and Blizzard maxed, with 10 into Mastery and 11 into Blast. Which means it looks like I'll be going pure Blizzard for the meanwhile. I was against it, but it is powerful and strong, doesn't require as much aiming, and has GS for freezing and keeping me safe. I've used two respects, now, and I want to run the Sanctuary when I get to Hell and save the Ancients for the last pop of 98 -> 99.
 
T72on1 said:
coju said:
... and save the Ancients for the last pop of 98 -> 99.
That sounds like a good plan !!! Is it?

I did a few CS runs with my HC sorc, but wasn't too convinced she was good at it. She probably is when mainly used for the Seals I guess.
Pb_pal said:
T72on1 said:
That sounds like a good plan !!! Is it?
It ensures that you won't waste the XP gained from them, so it is a good option yes. Technically, the most efficient (I believe) way to get from 98-99 is Nihlathak runs with the Ancients used for the last 40M. This is obviously assuming no deaths in there, or at least equal deaths to whatever other plan you run.

That's my loose plan, although I might hit the ancients and Baal early if:
- I'm confident I won't die doing the Baal runs
- I want drops from Baal to try and get as close to completing the grail as possible
- Get terribly bored of Nihl runs.
coju said:
Don't think I'll be playing with Nihil, as he is in that deathtomb after Mr Pindleskin, yes?


So, I've respect to Blizzard. Ya'know, there must be a reason why Blizzard is so good since this is a Blizzard game.... Hmm..

Been doing some nm meph runs.. it's been slow. slow pressed. Merc dying. Moat trick is slow without Staticing Meph first. I've actually never done the Moat trick as a strat.
logoutzero said:
I've never had much fun doing moat trick with Blizzard. It feels cumbersome. Hell bugged Andy works well for me with Blizzard. Clear the throne room, and then play leapfrog with her, she will chase you back and forth, usually you can drop 2 blizzards, then turn 180 degrees and teleport over her. She will walk back through the same 2 blizzards as you refresh them safely from the other side. Rinse and repeat.

Let me try a primitive ASCII for further explanation.

Code:
O - - % A Q
O - % A - Q
O % A - - Q
Q A % - - O
Q - A % - O
Q - - A % O

Where O and Q are the points where you bounce between, A is Andy in between. Start at O, drop Blizzard on Andy as she tries to engage you in melee. Let % represent Blizzards. Then, teleport 3-4 times over her just as she gets half to quarter screen proximity to you, to point Q. She'll turn completely around, and trounce right back through your little blizzard field. Always worked really well for me. Maybe give it a shot?
Pb_pal said:
Just a small-ish update (level-wise anyways) as I'll be getting started in the TC3 Tournament this weekend (hopefully!)

--

Rolled a damn good Mephy map, so Eleanor stayed here for a while trying to round out some of her gear options.

She also decided to pop into LK for a bit as a bit of a distraction in between sets of Meph runs and this showed up. Literally the next run she popped this, which is less exciting, but still very useful since now we "only" need a Vex to make Hoto! After some more Mephing, then about 100 more LK runs (with a single campfire, mind you), it happened again. Well now, that is just some crazy luck! The funny thing is too, at this stage I would rather find a Vex, Ohm or Ist, but hey, I'm not complaining :D.

So after more and more mephing with the only notable find being Nature's Peace (kept in the stash for potential Nilly runs later), we decided to move on from him even though we're missing some really common pieces (Magefists/Trangs, Chance Guards, a better Vipermagi) and take up residence in the Ancient Tunnels for a while. At least that way if the finds don't come, we'll be gaining some experience which is kind of the point of this whole thing anyways. :p

If we weren't already convinced enough to move on from Meph, we also managed to lose our map when we accidentally hit 'N' instead of 'H' during our AT runs.:rolleyes: Either way we got ourselves a better AT map out of it, and hit **.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       85             No           59         52            0           20
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Awesome 2x Sur at LK!

Also a level update from me before I start on my TC3 character. My S/U numbers are getting better with Pindle runs. Also had my first death from a cursed Pindle pack. Took out my 1500 health in one shot so rejuvs could not help. It all happened very fast, so I can't rule out two simultaneous charges landing.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      77             Yes           -          -            -           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Tarantella said:
Good progress folks.

Act 2 was played in an out of sequence way as befits a sorceress and interleaved with some Andariel runs. First good drop was in the Dry Hills
1610328858712.png
(No, not the boots!)

Unfortunately cubing gave 1 socket but a second drop soon after
1610328877987.png
along with the Fal already held means Lionheart is a distinct possibility when twin Spirits are equipped.
The first quest was finished just before the last with a 4 socket normal CV and this dropping on the way.
1610328888451.png
Don't even go there!

Holy Freeze and Orb slowed Duriel down enough for safe static but Tarasha left for act 3 at level 80 with another 0%MF poor boss drop.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid      1             Yes           -          0            0           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
logoutzero said:
Digimon makes Destroyer at level 44!
Not done playing, will update table later!

Norm_Baal_99er.jpg


Edit: I can't seem to get the formatting to not be so crazy...
Tenecabo said:
Got some time in, mainly rolling molten boulders, went pretty fast through act 1 on players 8. Killed the countess a couple of times as well as Andy, no special drops, though I did get a ral from the countess.

This dropped from normal mobs though:
1610328952389.png

Pretty nice. Still not good enough to change to werebear instead of molten boulder, due to very slow bearclaw pummeling speed.
But then this dropped:
1610328966629.png


And now all of a sudden he's a full on crazy superfast psycho fuzzy ball of murderdeathkill!

No really, that bow makes me hit crazy fast. It's a breeze now :D.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      79             Yes           -         73            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
Battleforge has made it past Hell Diablo (got a decent drop there too, but nothing useful) at level 83. He's also made it to Eldritch just to have a more varied grinding location. Still Andariel is the best for him, if only because of the location of the stairs from the WP. It is really nice. I still have to kill most things though, which slows the runs down a bit. I don't need some might enchanted pack of fallen killing me while I attack the big girl. The Holy Shield skill is now headed higher, because all of the Blessed Hammer synergies are maxed out, so blocking is past 50% now, which is nice.

One of my Andariel runs (I'd say I've probably done about 50 so far) dropped a Wizardspike, which immediately replaced the Spectral Shard and plussed up his resistances by a net +65 all. That allowed the 4 diamond pally shield to be unsocketed (it was the only 4-banger I had and Tals are a big shortage still) and made a Spirit shield in it. Resistances to fire and cold are not quite maxed out, sitting at 71 and 68, respectively. My only other elite unique so far has been the Ethereal Edge, which is nice but useless. I have also found all of the exploding damage bows/crossbows, which is nice. Battleforge is now level 83, and has found 113 S/U for his personal grail. Make that 114, I forgot about the Gheeds, which is nice.

His most interesting drop so far was an Andariel run, which gave him both the Tancred and Vidala set amulets on the same drop.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc       6             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Gambitsreturn said:
So I will apologize for the delay but since my change from Colossus, I have taken Mallenroh the Blizzard sorceress to level 81! She is currently running hell Meph in an attempt to improve her overall gear. She is currently still wearing Stealth armor, Spirit broadsword and Rhyme bone shield. Helmet is a rare with +2 cold skills and some mana per kill. Belt is a upgraded gold wrap that was just recently upgraded but which has been owned since early nightmare if I remember correctly. Boots are Natalya's and the rest of the gear is blue or yellow with mf. The journey was pretty uneventful as is the case with most sorceress builds. The main difference was that I started with and have stayed with the cold tree the entire time. This made things rather slow even after obtaining blizzard. Act 3 nightmare was not fun at all. I have pretty much decided that frozen orb is far superior to blizzard in leveling and early game play. I do still feel that blizzard is the better end game spell. The nm hell forge was an Um rune. Mallenroh also found a Vex rune in the underground passage in act 1 hell. Hell difficulty has been a royal pain in the butt! This is mostly due to my horrible resistances and poor teleport speed. My first of about 5 deaths came from trying to teleport through the viper’s temple in act 2. We spent some time in the ancient tunnels and quickly found our first tc87 item, Griswold's Redemption. We found a ethereal thresher and upgraded our merc. The insight we rolled had significantly more damage but we dropped to a level 12 meditation. Last major find for me up to this point is the lightning level facet we found in the AT. Our goal now is to farm Meph for a while and maybe quest up to the Anya quest.

PS I'm having a hard time with the table as well....I suck at this stuff.. I even tried using notepad
T72on1 said:
@Gambitsreturn I read 'Vex' and I read 'low resistances' in the same line ... That screams Heart of the Oak to me ...

Good luck, and congrats on the progress.
Ergroilnin said:
Okay, school is really taking all my time but i found a bit of free time today and finished act 1. Kind of bother though, not even one set or unique :(

Screenshot086.jpg


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       24             Yes           0          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
logoutzero said:
Digimon, the level 57 still-a-fishy, has slain the Nightmarish Duriel!

My play time dropped more than expected over the weekend. Was fully intending to complete Nightmare, but meh.

Duriel dropped me a Spirit Shroud and a 20% Nagelring, which was an upgrade for one of my 13% blues.

Wielding an ethereal 'Spirit' Longsword, and sporting 218% MF, my resistances stink. The Mighty Pratham is carrying an 'Insight' Scythe, and some shopped +Life gear. Not having much luck in the merc department.

I normally would be quick to have Larzuk punch holes in the appropriate ethereal Partizan, but being self-found only is really putting a strain on finding useable bases. I don't know how some people can play without using a muling program. I also am the type that uses Charsi's forge immediately, but I've been saving them. Maybe Circlets, Belts, or Boots. The nature of attempting a 99 run means plenty of opportunity for gear, so it's not hard to save the quest rewards for something, even if it's unknown as of yet.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      88             No          281        172            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Pb_pal said:
Level 90!

Nothing too much to talk about. We finally after 11 re-rolls got ourselves a 35% FCR spirit shield, so Eleanor is quite happy with that.

Found an Ormus' Robes, although it was only 10% cold, and +3 to Thunder Storm. rollseyes. It DOES up our damage by a little bit, but we can't sacrifice the resists off of the Vipermagi right now. We're going to keep it in our stash for now just in case something changes, although we're seriously low on space right now. Like, completely out of it.

Also added Mallenroh to the table as nobody else had, although you'll have to fill in her other info Gambit :)

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       88             No          126        102            1           26
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
I found War Travs and it's 30%. Joy and disappointment seconds apart.

Progress:
Ditching my topaz armor and made a Treachery to speed up run times. Also bought a lower resist wand to be able to handle P8 Pindle with mediocre trap damage. At this point I'm just focusing on exp. grind before heading over to LK. Also level 90 now.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      50             Yes           -          0            0          a few
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
logoutzero said:
Code:
Soul Veil
Circlet
Defense: 21
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0x840c6fe4
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Strength
+50 to Life
All Resistances +17
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (0 used)

Not a bad gamble I think. Would really shine in Single Pass I think, but it's great for now!
coju said:
So, I've moved up a slot in the level rankings, it seems. Level 72 Pure Blizzard Sorc. 110 fcr is fun. Positive Resists, more in Lightning and Fire. I was envying you all with y'alls Spirit Swords, but after looking, I am quite happy with what Meph dropped me a while ago:

Code:
Suicide Branch
Burnt Wand
One Hand Damage: 8 - 18
Durability: 15 of 15
Required Level: 33
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x990e6c33
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+50% Faster Cast Rate
+40 to Life
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
All Resistances +10
Attacker Takes Damage of 25
I'm curious why people don't want that and would rather have a Spectral Shard. I guess because SpecShard can be used earlier? The only thing Spirit Sword has over this, I feel, is the Damage Reduction and Life gain. But, the +50 FCR really opens up slots for rings and amulets. Two slots, nearly, if you want to make up for the 15% off of a perfect 35%fcr.

This may be my best toon yet, tbh. I'm having fun with her, as I have an actual goal besides "playing". I had an awesome NM Mephisto map with Three perfect TPs to level 3, but hit Normal on accident, and Alt+f4'd instead of using the Task Manager to close. "Oh well.. I'll just progress," I thought.

I'm a few levels away from maxing Ice Blast, and I am tempted to start leveling Nova and LMastery for Cold Immunes; but I feel I will hold off and just skip them. What brought this up was the 5th time trying to clear the Den... blast that den. I hope to never go there again!!!
I reckon my next stop is the Ancient Tunnels. I need to talk to PharFace and find out some good tips, as he lived there for 3 years. If any of you have AT tips, I will take just them!

Great progress all. RiP the HC players who lost their friends and time. But, never fear, deeds only mean experience gained to learn to be better!!!
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      80             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      72             Yes           -          0            0          a few
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
A dump for you if you like reading these things! :)
Name: NintyNine_orRiP
Class: Sorceress
Experience: 363540706
Level: 72

Naked/Gear
Strength: 80/80
Dexterity: 25/51
Vitality: 295/295
Energy: 35/37
HP: 721/944
Mana: 177/242
Stamina: 430/449
Defense: 6/541
AR: 75/267

Fire: 124/84/24
Cold: 99/59/-1
Lightning: 153/113/53
Poison: 99/59/-1

MF: 51 Block: 15
GF: 50
FR/W: 20
FHR: 0
IAS: 0
FCR: 110

Fire Bolt: 0/0
Warmth: 0/0
Inferno: 0/0
Blaze: 0/0
Fire Ball: 0/0
Fire Wall: 0/0
Enchant: 0/0
Meteor: 0/0
Fire Mastery: 0/0
Hydra: 0/0

Charged Bolt: 0/0
Static Field: 1/3
Telekinesis: 1/3
Nova: 0/0
Lightning: 0/0
Chain Lightning: 0/0
Teleport: 1/3
Thunder Storm: 0/0
Energy Shield: 0/0
Lightning Mastery: 0/0

Ice Bolt: 1/3
Frozen Armor: 0/0
Frost Nova: 1/3
Ice Blast: 20/22
Shiver Armor: 0/0
Glacial Spike: 20/22
Blizzard: 20/22
Chilling Armor: 0/0
Frozen Orb: 0/0
Cold Mastery: 15/17

Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0xa5216c5a
Item Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Tal Rasha's Fine-Spun Cloth
Mesh Belt
Defense: 95
Durability: 12 of 16
Required Level: 53
Required Strength: 31
Fingerprint: 0x36622a51
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Dexterity
+30 to Mana
37% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
14% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Requirements -20%
Set (2 items): +60 Defense
Set (3 items): +10% Faster Cast Rate

(2 items): Replenish Life +10

Stout Large Charm of Life
Large Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0xf19598a3
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 Defense
+10 to Life

Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 23
Fingerprint: 0x974f9b3a
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+21 to Life

Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 6
Fingerprint: 0x360ee86f
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Life

Skin of the Vipermagi
Serpentskin Armor
Defense: 279
Durability: 15 of 24
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x3d6018d1
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+30% Faster Cast Rate
+120% Enhanced Defense
All Resistances +28
Magic Damage Reduced by 12

Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0x92a40ca
Item Level: 37
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12 to Life

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Death Mask
Defense: 105
Durability: 18 of 20
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0x923a71d3
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Mana stolen per hit
10% Life stolen per hit
+45 Defense
+60 to Life
+30 to Mana
All Resistances +15

(2 items): Replenish Life +10

Magefist
Light Gauntlets
Defense: 25
Durability: 16 of 18
Required Level: 23
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0x90c88df1
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Fire Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 1 - 6 Fire Damage
+25% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
Regenerate Mana 25%

Fine Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x6276637b
Item Level: 48
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+13 to Attack Rating
+13 to Life

Large Charm of Life
Large Charm
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x62da5a43
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+14 to Life

Viper Scarab
Amulet
Required Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0xdab3e134
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Life
All Resistances +11
Damage Reduced by 3

Grim Circle
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0xd16d11dc
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30 to Attack Rating
+2 to Energy
Lightning Resist +27%
Fire Resist +9%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
+1 to Mana after each Kill
+3 to Light Radius

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Stone Eye
Ring
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x4b5cd120
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+6 to Dexterity
+15 to Life
+5 to Mana
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0x60076f4c
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Bronze Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xec2f1309
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Attack Rating
+11 to Life

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x9dc23d6f
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Fine Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x67f9558a
Item Level: 58
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+16 to Attack Rating
+11 to Life

Raven Tread
Heavy Boots
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 16
Required Strength: 18
Fingerprint: 0xc281f630
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Frost Nova when struck
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+19 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +27%
Fire Resist +16%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Key
Fingerprint: 0xd1b5be0
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Flawless Topaz
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 30 Lightning Damage
Armor: 20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +28%

Clasped Orb
One Hand Damage: 5 - 12
Durability: 22 of 40
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x9d22ec44
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Chilling Armor (Sorceress Only)
+2 to Chain Lightning (Sorceress Only)
+37 to Life

Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0x8a720049
Item Level: 68
Version: Expansion 1.10+
3% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Athena's Wrath
Battle Scythe
Two Hand Damage: 68 - 242
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 72
Required Dexterity: 72
Fingerprint: 0xaf1abe3f
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+30% Increased Attack Speed
155% Enhanced Damage
+72 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+15 to Dexterity
+72 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Ethereal

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Greater Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 150%

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Suicide Branch
Burnt Wand
One Hand Damage: 8 - 18
Durability: 15 of 15
Required Level: 33
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x990e6c33
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+50% Faster Cast Rate
+40 to Life
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
All Resistances +10
Attacker Takes Damage of 25

Rhyme
Bone Shield
ShaelEth
Defense: 19
Chance to Block: 40
Durability: 38 of 40
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xd7bbc609
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

Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate

Eth Rune
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: -25% Target Defense
Armor: Regenerate Mana 15%
Shields: Regenerate Mana 15%

Mercenary:

Name: Ilzan
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Def-Nightmare
Experience: 45424856
Level: 72
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 163/168
Dexterity: 130/135
HP: 1292/1317
Defense: 960/1678
AR: 1087/238053

Fire: 133/93/33
Cold: 133/93/33
Lightning: 148/108/48
Poison: 133/93/33

Blackhorn's Face
Death Mask
Defense: 271
Durability: 17 of 20
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xd74768c1
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Prevent Monster Heal
Slows Target by 20%
+212% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +15%
+20 Lightning Absorb
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 25


Iron Pelt
Trellised Armor
Defense: 447
Durability: 30 of 157
Required Level: 33
Required Strength: 61
Fingerprint: 0x83dcc744
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+50% Enhanced Defense
+216 Defense (Based on Character Level)
+25 to Life
Damage Reduced by 16
Magic Damage Reduced by 15
+125 Maximum Durability


Insight
Scythe
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 36 - 68
Durability: 50 of 65
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 41
Fingerprint: 0x63caa118
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 13 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
243% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
218% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+6 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

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Tir Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Armor: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Shields: +2 to Mana after each Kill

Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7
Tarantella said:
Act 3 was a straight run to the Kurasts bypassing the Marsh completely followed by a complete clearance of LK which sadly gave up no high runes. Detouring dejectedly back to quest dropped another white monarch in the jungle which also got 1 socket. However a third monarch found off an armour rack in Upper Kurast cubed to 4 sockets and required strength to be upped to 84 hard points, a Lionheart scarab husk armour, strength amulet and rings to wear. FCR is now lopsided with fireball only exceeding the 63 break point and frozen orb kept on weapon swap.

Gambled a 20 nagel and completed act 3 with safe high resists and no dolls. Act 4 was fast with no gloams but conviction lighting emitting Hephasto required plan B.

1610329267043.png

Which was a lot of effort for a hel rune.

1610329275899.png

Always good to get the first rare monarch drop out of the way. Infernostrides, maxed f and l resistances and dropping the merc right on Diablo did the job with Tarasha reaching Act 5 at level 82.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes          -        114            -          -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes          -          -            -          -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      72             Yes           -          0            0          a few
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A           0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju said:
Nothing much to add except I've made it to AT. Now, I guess once you find AT you need to find a map with close tunnel entrance, then find a map with 5 packs??? I need to look this up. brb

edit: @pharphis is the best. Thank you Friend!

Eeddiitt:

uhhh uhhh!!! WOW!!!!! Super ChestFTW!!!
1610329323744.png
 
Kitteh said:
Good progress guys, keep it up! :D
OldSoldier said:
@Tarantella, I got a Hel too for my Hell HF troubles, misery loves company I suppose. I don't think Hephasto was conviction for me but he was able to kill the merc a couple of times.
Timinator said:
That superchest is awesome! Wizardspike will be a great option, and Gheeds is all good. Looks like a failed old Azurewrath too!
T72on1 said:
Running a shrine next to one of the waypoints in Act 1 to upgrade those topazes in the TC3 hunting thread made me wonder: would it be worthwhile to do the same for xp shrines in the last stages to 99, maybe from 97 or 98 on? Xp shrines seemed to spawn quite often ...
NanoMist said:
Exp shrines can be worthwhile for Diablo and Nihlathak, and you will need a good map with max shrines along the way. Diablo takes long enough to spawn that checking shrines near WPs could be worth it if all the shrines in RoF and Chaos are no good. It will depend on your run times and how often you find an exp shrine. Baal will curse the shrine off, so no go there.
coju said:
Code:
Name:       NintyNine_orRiP
Class:      Sorceress
Experience: 789639453
Level:      81

            Naked/Gear
Strength:   92/92
Dexterity:  55/81
Vitality:   308/308
Energy:     35/37
HP:         756/980
Mana:       195/446
Stamina:    452/452
Defense:    13/553
AR:         225/417

Fire:       168/128/68
Cold:       181/141/81
Lightning:  180/140/80
Poison:     153/113/53

MF:         122       Block:      24
GF:         142
FR/W:       20
FHR:        0
IAS:        0
FCR:        110p
My current situation. I've made it to the LK. The current map only has one super hut in it. RiP dual map. I had hoped I didn't have to reset my map, as I sort of like my AT set up, but I've been running the Elder Zombie more than I have AT.... That zombie is right on the WP, so I can just start blasting him on p8, get good xp, and he drops more than anything has in AT except for that first chest drop I linked earlier. AT is 7 tele's away from the WP, and it is somewhat circular. But, all I'm finding is blues! :( :( :( Now, when I was running, I had ~250 mF and 70 fcr with +50 res, but the drops seem so lackluster.

I must add, I've never actually done area running before: only targeted running. And I really have never played in Hell mode much, mostly with the MP group we did several years ago. p1 AT is way quicker than p3, @pharphis did say I need to max speed pretty much. I'm still slow going, as I'm not comfortable just TPing around hitting the bosspacks only: that seems so dangerous.

For those who have made it this far, I'm looking for advice: Run LK for runes? Keep running AT for gears? Keep going til Pindy? I suppose all of those options are good, and I am free to choose any.

I would like that sweet BO flail everyone has. That would be neat. Let me check on what runes I have:
Pul and Um are the highest, Shael and Sol, then all the first tier runes. I'm comfortable with my gear for questing: that 105FCR is so much better than 63!
Pb_pal said:
Since you are HC, I would make it a priority to get yourself that CtA as soon as you can. That will beef up you and your merc and make running AT on higher /p settings much safer and more enjoyable. Because of this, I would suggest hitting up LK for a while. Who knows, you might get lucky and be able to make yourself a HoTo as well! It shouldn't take TOO long to get those runes, but the again you never know. Another runeword I can suggest is a Delerium helm for your merc, as the Confuse proccing really helps with crowd control. Not everyone likes this RW, but I am a huge fan (and it only really costs an Ist, so no big deal in the long run). The only reason I'm waiting for hiigher levels to really pound LK is because I'm not using an extended stash and want to maximize my crafting potential.

After this, I would live in the AT, while maybe casually running LK/Pindle/Meph/whatever else to break it up. The finds will come in there, are you have the potential to find literally any item in the game which is huge in an untwinked char like this. Run on whatever you feel comfortable with (ad whatever is safe!), but obviously higher /p setting will help you level faster. AT has the benefit of not being super dangerous mostly either, as long as you're careful about your teleports (and your resists - mostly fire/light- which you are set up well for.) As for going solely for bosses/pack, I wouldn't worry too much right now. You're still going to get decent XP from the regular monsters, and as you mention it's much safer to clear them out too. At later levels the XP gap between Boss/minion/champ/regular monsters becomes more important, as the regular guys quickly become a waste of time.

Once the XP stops coming as quickly from AT(probably around 94-95), you can upgrade to the CS If you feel comfy with it. It's quite a bit more dangerous though, so you'll have to play it by ear.

Definitely stay 105 FCR. It's faster, and safer as monsters have less of a chance to smack you while you teleport passed them!

I wouldn't bother much with Pindle right now (not worth it for the danger of a one-shot deeds), although he's great for getting you to the mid-80s. Honestly though, if you can handle it, just stay in the AT.


TL;DR/summary of my opinion:

1. Get a 2-hut LK map and run it dry to complete (in order of importance)
  • Call to Arms
  • Heart of the Oak
  • Delerium for the merc
  • Treachery is a decent armour for your merc as well, and is what mine is using (not sure what yours is right now). You'll get a Lem in no time at LK anyways.
2. Get as good an AT map you feel like getting and set up shop until level 94/95 (switching between other targets as you get bored/need a change of scenery) Adjust /p setting as you go depending on how comfortable you are, I would start on /p3-5 for now, and as you get used to the map you can increase it according to your kill speed.
*Remember, if your sole goal is levelling, then slower doesn't mean worse for higher /p settings. You can go up to 4.5x slower on /p8 vs /p1 and remain just as efficient*

3. Once you hit 94/95 re-evaluate and either stick with AT, go to CS if you can handle it (although I probably wouldn't, in HC), or go for another shot at LK for more gear upgrades (Infinity, Chains of Honour, etc).
coju said:
Thank you, @Pb_pal ! Greatly appreciated! The CtA and HotO are great targets to shoot for, as they would be a coju-first! With my current set-up, I actually feel safe running p8LK for the runes. This is quite a nice plan, thank you for it, again.
coju said:
Well well well. It seems she made her namesake...


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes          -        114            -          -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes          -          -            -          -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0          a few

I actually HIT escape, but hit it again. :sigh: I wanted coffee. I should have got up and got coffee... And I should have changed maps as I wanted to do that.. hm.. well.. I will enter again. It didn't take too long getting to where I am at. And, y'all all know how much I :love: making new characters. I watched a speedrunner on twitch, kilizkak? Illidun? idk his name, but going CB into Nova seems to be a quick way to level. Then, going to switch into pure blizzard faster. As I told others, I take myself: This deeds is only a way to learn how to be better.

I did manage to pull the Gheed's off, as I thought, "I don't want to lose it," not even 3 minute before!
1610329564614.png
Pb_pal said:
@coju - Damn! Sorry about the deeds, RIP. Glad to see you're back on the horse though, hopefully nova's proximity to monsters won't be too nail-biting for you!
coju said:
Pb_pal said:
@coju - Damn! Sorry about the deeds, RIP. Glad to see you're back on the horse though, hopefully nova's proximity to monsters won't be too nail-biting for you!
Nah, I live on the edge! I would only be for the first act or so, I reckon.

I figured out the problem: I misspelled my name... I would have fully regretted getting ninEtynine with a misspelled name. So, I must introduce:

Ninetyninenorip

She shall make it. #believe
Plus, I had the option of deeds in her name, and who would want to live with that? 50/50. Not anymore. 100/0.
Timinator said:
Rip coju AT is about hundreds or thousands of runs. Lots will be blue garbage
Brak said:
One good trick for LK is if your level is higher than those punks with the polearms, they will run away like the pansies that they are. So maybe next time hit up Meph/AT until you are lvl 83? so that you have one less enemy to deal with when you are running around in there.
Pb_pal said:
Brak said:
One good trick for LK is if your level is higher than those punks with the polearms, they will run away like the pansies that they are. So maybe next time hit up Meph/AT until you are lvl 83? so that you have one less enemy to deal with when you are running around in there.
I always thought that it was killing the council and smashing the compelling orb that triggered the "fear". Can anyone confirm either way?
NanoMist said:
Pb_pal said:
I always thought that it was killing the council and smashing the compelling orb that triggered the "fear". Can anyone confirm either way?
I think this is right. Although I'm not sure if both actions are required or just one, since I always complete both of those together.
Brak said:
Pb_pal said:
I always thought that it was killing the council and smashing the compelling orb that triggered the "fear". Can anyone confirm either way?
youre probably right
i make a lot of poor assumptions
RIP said:
You need to kill the Council ant thats all, it has no relationship with Your level

Edit: LK is very deadly, especially if You are running like me with p7 settings (i had best results in the past with this setting, so i stick with it), so i like to have max block and even direct physical dmg reduction here - Gerkes sanctuary is great for that for example)...

Anyway great progress all of You guys, i've started pure Blizzard sorc myself, but thanks to no time for playing for next couple of months (strongman training, competitions, work etc) i will stay outside the tourney (next winter will be good time to progress :)), but i have to say GL to all of You and thanks for inspiration ;)
T72on1 said:
Condolences on the loss @coju :(. Good luck on the rebuild.

AT is a great source for high end items, but it's not like you get plenty of S/U drops down there. I usually farm Mephisto first for some of the useful TC78- stuff like Harlequin Crest, Skullder's Ire and Arachnid's Mesh.
coju said:
I definitely feel as if I jumped the gun. I've only made it to level 6 or so on that rebuild. No enthusiasm. :( I want to go hammerdin, or poicrow, or bonecrow... or actually try the cb into nova build for sorc instead of fireball... Actually, I did get that new rebuilt killed at level 7 i think. ha. Thank youf or the condolences, @T72on1. I want to call you TZ Zon, by the way :).


_______*__________*__________*_________*__________*_______

Introducing Coffee_Break. And an apt time to take one.
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      90             No          307        184            0           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
coju       COffee_Break    HC      Sorc      07             Yes           0          0            0          54mns

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0          a few
2 in CB, 2 in Nova, going to get Shiver Armor sometime, so a couple points in it, and 4 in Static Field. I needs manas. Leveling has speed up a bit. p8 because I'm used to it and I like to pretend I have friends. The plan: Prayer Merc, then (Ahhh!!!) since I already have Nova set up, Frozen Orb, I reckon, depending on how it is going at the moment. I don't want to waste the Respects, as I only plan on having three (saving ancient quest) (and I think you have to have baal to get all the essences).
Pb_pal said:
Well we suffered our first death at the hands of a bunch of lightning mages. Eleanor is sitting at 7 LR right now, so all it took was teleporting a bit too close to a boss pack and getting hit by a few bolts at once. We're strongly considering hitting LK seriously before 93 to farm ourselves a Hoto and fix our resists situation. The problem there is I don't want to lose my current AT map, and my LK map is not great (only 1 campfire, quite far from WP). I'll see how it goes, and might just keep doing what I've been doing and do a casual ~25-50 or so runs here and there as I go.

Nothing else to report, although we've gotten a few of the higher-ish qlvl items dropping such as Nat's Claw and Steel Carapace, so that's always nice to see. Eleanor now sits at level 91. :)

For those interested in how the finds are shaping up so far, here is a Flavie snapshot for you. In terms of which items are most common, Berserker's Hatchet leads the charge with 10 found, and we've only found a measly 4 Isenhart's Cases.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
coju        COffee_Break    HC      Sorc      07             Yes           0          0            0          54mns

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
 
Kitteh said:
I regularly get XP shrines in the CS with Fordyl. Preferably the shrine right next to D's spawn or by the RoF WP as neither causes delay. I also sometimes get one at the CS entry, in which case I have maybe a 5 second delay.
logoutzero said:
Wow, never had this happen before!

Nightmare Ancients, 2/3 unbreakable PI. Well, maybe not unbreakable, but Amp didn't break it, what else is there?

Level 63, I'm just gonna re-roll them. Glad this isn't a strict Single Pass tourney, I'd be done for!
coju said:
How did the reroll go?
Forgot hoe powerful fb was in act 1! Especially with a plus three Fire Ball Leaf Staff ! Took a few minutes to shop. The Rouge exit was right above Akara's hut so I just tp'd in next to her. I took screenies. Took 55 mi utes to get to act 2l so I'll update the table accordingly later.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      19             Yes           1          1            0          55mns

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
1610329971817.png
logoutzero said:
Reroll made all three Lit enchanted. Was easy. Now a Destroyer trying to figure out how to get the red resists off my character sheet...

I have runes for Smoke, just need to get a shirt with 2 holes. I was going to socket this head with the cube and stick diamonds in it, but alas....
Code:
Superior Zombie Head
Defense: 9
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 22 of 22
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 14
Fingerprint: 0x48f30df8
Item Level: 10
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 2 - 7 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+1 to Raise Skeleton (Necromancer Only)
+2 to Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only)
+3 to Amplify Damage (Necromancer Only)
+6% Enhanced Defense
Increase Maximum Durability 10%

Dangit! I don't think it's worth a Larzuk, especially with +3 Amp being the most useful stat at this point in the game. No Shael runes yet, can't even bake one. Maybe I need to run the Countess for a little while, then I can at least make a Rhyme...
coju said:
What's wrong with it? I'm guessing it only got two sockets? And what build are you? Also, did you center the Star in Texas on your house? Because I mapquested it and zoomed far in in Yahoo Maps and there is only a cow there.


... I may switch to sc... I hit '~' instead of 'esc'. I blame my cat: because he is lying where the keyboard normally goes, and it is sideways. Actually, I blame myself, sorry Howard. (He won't know I said this anyways, as he is a cat and cannot read.)

Just made it to diablo and deed again... Best of luck to the rest of the contenders. It was fun playing with you guys.
Smancer said:
Well one of the things I have always wanted to do is create an untwinked char and at least finish the game with them. So I might as well throw my name in the hat here with my newly created necro Smancer.

I am kind of combining goals here, as I have also wanted to completely follow nightfish's guide and have a char do a completely full clear of every area. So those will be my goals before tackling level 99.

Smancer is currently level 10, and has cleared the cold plains, cave, blood moor and den.

No topazs yet. Actually no good drops at all yet. I guess this ring surprised me, but it isn't anything wonderful:

Code:
Felicitous Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 3
Fingerprint: 0xbfd2e7b5
Item Level: 5
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items


I'll have to remember how to update tables here and add my name. I am playing SC, and probably will have a few deaths, because with a 6 month old at home, my wife sometimes calls and I have no time to tp or anything and my chars just tend to die with me afk.
coju said:
I hit Reply then cut/paste the codded part into notepad, then add what I need to add. Sometimes I do it within the reply box, but that doesn't always work. Then just cut/paste into reply

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       90             No          173        126            1           30
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
I've reached the limit of my Pindle exp. grind at lvl 92. I estimated 93 to take 7 hours, which is almost the same time as going 90 -> 92, and I rather not do that. Lvl 92 is 90% as good as 93 for crafting amulets, which is acceptable to me, so Izuna will be living in LK for the near future.

Didn't find much getting to 92, as I was optimized for kill speed and low on the MF side.
Few interesting drops though:
Eth Skin of the Flayed One
18/16 SC


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       57             Yes          33          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     22             Yes           -          0            0           -
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
Condolences again @coju . I hope to see you back in this tournament, even if it means you're switching to sc.

@NanoMist Well done !!! Good luck in LK.
PhineasB said:
Catching up on the progress, as I've been offline the last week with my wife's mom visiting last weekend and a busy work week. Great progress everyone (and sorry for the loss @coju)! I haven't played but a few minutes, so no progress to report yet.

On the LK question @Brak raised, I can confirm smashing the orb is all that is needed to have the zealots run away. It had been a while since I ran LK with a new character, and when I began the LK runs with Mercy, LK seemed much more dangerous than I remembered (I died three times early on). I had never done LK with an assassin (instead of sorc) so figured that was the difference. Then Mercy died to a zealot boss pack inside a hut. It took about 5 seconds before I put 2+2 together that those things usually run away. I realized that I had been so eager to start LK runs that I started as I hit the LK WP. So I went on to Trav, killed the Council, and smashed the orb. Much less dangerous after that :rolleyes:

I hope to get a level or two this weekend. I'm curious for advice -- the kill speed at higher player settings is slow. Should I go back to LK running until I can make Infinity (have the two Surs already)? Or just grind away at P1 or P3 as possible for Pindle and Pits?
Timinator said:
Gg nanomist on 92.

Also smancer. Try a two year old and a baby. I only game at night really
logoutzero said:
coju said:
What's wrong with it? I'm guessing it only got two sockets? And what build are you? Also, did you center the Star in Texas on your house? Because I mapquested it and zoomed far in in Yahoo Maps and there is only a cow there.(snip)
It's superior, cube won't socket superiors. Also no, my house is not there. It's here.

Edit:
Digimon, the level 72 yet-again-still-a-fishy, has cleared up to Outer Cloister, Hell.

I'm a bit young to be in Hell, I wanted to try the Pits once or twice, but merc and army can't hang yet. Merc is wearing Meat Scraper and Hwanin's. Thinking about shifting to Poison, but 80 skill points leaves me a little shy of where I want to be, and I don't have the gear to support going hybrid just yet. Guess I'll go tool around in NM and see if I can get some things to help.
coju said:
What is your nm plan, logo? Meph? Wsk runs? Pindy -> eld shienk? All of the above?

I've killed diablo with fireball. Doing some eld runs with fo. I think I like blizzard more after using it aome. Easier to cast. Dame seems more reliable. I'll continue with fo/fb for a while though and will add myself to the table when I get further and if dark souls iii doesn't take up all my gaming time.
logoutzero said:
No plan for NM, just kill stuff I guess.

I'm playing Dark Souls right now, stupid hard game...
Tenecabo said:
Played a bit more, went Players 8 through act 3, then lowered to P3 in act 4, as anything with fire resistance slowed me down considerably. Killed Dia on P1 after shopping for some res gear (got some nice 30-40% res items, as well as some good MF stuff. After that I lvled on P8 Eldritch to 40, and I'm ready to blaze through act 5.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       87             Yes           -        139            5           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
PhineasB said:
Mercy gained two more levels and is now at 89. I ran a combination of Eldrich and Pindle to Level 88, and then switched up between Pindle or Pits to 89. Nothing very exciting for drops, although I did get a Dragonscale in the Pits, which is the first non-Eth one of those I’ve found. One death at Pindle where I thought I'd hit Esc when getting up to answer the door -- apparently not . . .

I then decided to finish up the second set of 250 runes from LK and found a Gul and an Um in the early going. I got a nice Shimmering GC of Sustenance to help get me through a big dry spell with nothing higher than a Lum, and then the Sur dropped, with a Mal three runs later. A Pul dropped before I got to 150 runes (plus the 100 from earlier). If I cubed all my runes, I could get 2 Bers for Infinity, but I’m not ready to do that yet.

I’m going to regear, gamble and hope I get a nice +trap skill circlet or amulet (got nice +3 shadow on both from LK, which isn’t as helpful). I’m probably then going to focus on WSK and Pits for XP for the next couple levels.

I had never thought seriously about going for 99, so I never really paid attention to the 99 theorycrafting thread. I am only a few pages in, but there is lots of good info in there so thought I’d link it in case others weren’t aware of it. The most interesting thing (to me) so far was the discussion of whether to focus on running targets for gear or to just run for XP on the assumption that gear will drop along the way. I am happy with my runes from LK, but I think about the time spent there versus running Pits and how it would balance out in the end.

Good progress everyone. I’ll do an update when I get to Lvl 90.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      91             No          341        193            1           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh said:
Good to see some 90's popping up :D
Timinator said:
Yeah, great to see the 90s starting. A nice little SC race, glad some HC not far behind.

That Zakarum Shield looks pretty sweet, I've been wanting one of those since late 2003!
Kitteh said:
I'm going to be restarting in this today as I have been injured for a week and am starting to get grumpy :p
NanoMist said:
Sorry to hear about the injury but glad you're joining us again. Get well soon!
 
coju said:
You've been injured for a week and haven't started already!?!? Kitteh!? How is RL treating you?! :D
Pb_pal said:
@Kitteh - Ouch, sorry about the injury! Welcome back though, going HC or SC this time around?

@PhineasB - At this point, I would definitely grind to try and finish the Infinity since you're only a Sur away. It will make running the Pits (or wherever else you decide) noticeably faster, and make leveling less of a chore. Great progress!

Great job to everyone else too! :)

--

Eleanor stopped by LK to do a bit of casual running as a bit of a break from AT, finding a few goodies while she was there:

- Mal
- Corpsemourn from a Corpse (how fitting!)
- +1 Cold Skills GC

Then it was back to the Ancient Tunnels, where we suffered our 2nd death. It was again at the hands of some mages, although this time it was from a mass of bolts from the LE boss. I'm starting to get pretty sick of that. Just as we were on our way to 92 and getting mentally prepared to hit LK seriously for a Vex, we got a nice surprise. Well that was convenient!

So we went to make our HoTo, and popped in Ko, Vex, Pul.... and that was it. Looks like we forgot to save a Thul along the way:rolleyes:. Ah well, no biggie. We decided to stick it out in the AT until 92 before hitting LK for that thul, and then THIS happened. Well, looks like that was a nice waste of a Vex! Let this be a nice reminder for everyone to double and triple check that you actually HAVE the runes to make a runeword before trying it. It's mostly a shame as that Vex represents 1/2 of an Ohm for CtA, but oh well, I'm not going to complain too much about finding a fathom :D.

From there Eleanor pinged level 92 and stopped for now, trying to digest fully what had just happened.

PS - She broke through Grail -300, so that's something!


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      92             No          379        209            2           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh said:
Same as before :) Except that it is a PSer and named Cyanosis in memory of my deeded PSer from LoI :D
Brak said:
Pb_pal said:
Well, looks like that was a nice waste of a Vex! Let this be a nice reminder for everyone to double and triple check that you actually HAVE the runes to make a runeword before trying it.
You could put a Zod in there and start a new Zod God league
Kitteh said:
Ouch, but a nice consolation :p
T72on1 said:
NanoMist said:
Sorry to hear about the injury but glad you're joining us again. Get well soon!
This !!!
NanoMist said:
Small update with some LK finds:

154/40/15 Gheeds from a corpse!
Sur#1 on Run#145
SS GC with +38 life
Ist from corpse

No experience to be gained at LK, so I'll be doing some item only updates. I will update the table as S/U's can trickle out from poppables and also to update my hours. Right now I am hoping to find a low dex 4os bow/xbow for harmony.
T72on1 said:
As I've completed my 15 hours in the TC3 hunting tournament, I'll be back to this one.

PhineasB said:
I had never thought seriously about going for 99, so I never really paid attention to the 99 theorycrafting thread. I am only a few pages in, but there is lots of good info in there so thought I’d link it in case others weren’t aware of it. The most interesting thing (to me) so far was the discussion of whether to focus on running targets for gear or to just run for XP on the assumption that gear will drop along the way. I am happy with my runes from LK, but I think about the time spent there versus running Pits and how it would balance out in the end.

Somehow I missed this post initially. Thanks for the link, it brings up a very interesting topic indeed: focusing on getting good gear first and then focus on xp grinding vs going all out for xp from the beginning (since you'll get the necessary equipment while doing so). My initial idea was to go for xp from the start, since the 2 main targets (Pindle and AT) don't need good gear to play on a higher player setting. But since a lot of people seem to throw LK in the mix, I'll be doing the same. Time will tell (or maybe not) if this is a good plan or not. I've read the first pages of that 99 theorycrafting thread, but couldn't find a conclusive answer as to which method is best.

I have never done any LK runs before, but it's easy right? Reroll maps until I got one or preferrably two campfires near the waypoint, hit the chests and racks in the huts, as well as any corpses in the area, done !!! No? Well, knowing myself, I'll need quite the learning curve early on, and as a consequence I'll be rather slow in the beginning, but with all the hours needed to get to 99, it won't mean that much ;).
Kitteh said:
Sorry Coju, only just noticed your reply! RL is half and half haha. I've had to cancel a race on 17/4/16 and might have to cancel one on 23/4/16 too, for which me AND my parents have flights and accommodation booked for, and is also my only world qualifier this year. Seeing as I qualified last year and still wasn't able to go, I'm pretty down in the dumps about it. On the other hand, I've started a new job in a science centre presenting shows and exhibits, which I LOVE. Yourself? :)


So, Cyanosis is reborn in a different tourney! I'm planning to go down the dual claw route and will again be doing no extended stash. Two things that I'm undecided on just now; what to use my imbues for (thinking diadems or claws) and what finishing move to use (either dragon claw or normal attack).


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      92             No          379        209            2           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  19             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
I decided to try out LK during my lunch break (that's the fun thing about having work and home very close together ;)), but quickly realized I totally don't have the gear for it. Mainly fcr gear, as I only have 65% right now (30% Spirit / Stealth / ring). Or maybe it was just me thinking 'oh my god, do I really have to learn something new in a game I know so well'?

Anyway, I reverted back to Pindle at /p5, which is such an easy way to level up. I know that /p8 would be better, but then my merc gets killed too often to my taste. I was close to 82 Edit: make that 83 :oops: when I started, 84.25 when I finished. It seems I haven't done a proper update for some time. When I do, I'll also update the table.

@Kitteh What kind of sports and races are we talking about? Keeping my fingers crossed that you won't be injured for too long. I know how terrible I always feel when I'm injured. And how I dig into D2 even deeper because of the frustration in that case, hehe.
coju said:
Yeas, super@kitteh, I recall you doing some type of endurance things a few years ago, and it looks like those have really grown on you! I'm glad to hear! As for me and running, I go around the block a couple of times with my dog and call it a day. 0.6 miles from what Google maps tell me it is around, so I just do a couple to few of those. I'd like to go to some 5k/10k/half marathons that are everywhere around here, and I've never thought about booking a flight! Wow! That's awesome to hear!

As for this tournament: if I were SC, I think, if my character could handle it, going for the XP might be better than going for gear then xp, as death can be regained.one would have to find the right place at the beginning, of course; although, if you were melee then gear finding would be more important.

But, the thought behind it: is it going for maximum less time spent? This challenge is going to take a lot of hours, so spending a few of them MFing shouldn't be no trouble. It's not like MFers would be that far behind XPers, I wouldn't think.

For HC, I can see both options being viable: as long as you could survive where you were running. I've been spending time dicking around in NM to get a better feel for the monsters and my character. She is almost to Meph, wait.. she is at NM Meph with a decent map: 7 tele's or so, not the 3 I want, but that can wait, and I believe Andy is relatively ok as well. So, to me, spending time MFing in the overall picture of this challenge is like counting pepper in your hand and separating the different colors. One could always bump up the /players when running if they felt xp was more important. But it always comes down to personal choice, and we have the freedom to choose, as Citizens of Earth.
Pb_pal said:
@NanoMist - Grats on the first Sur! Hopefully they keep on coming. :) I'm interested to hear about your findings at LK, so definitely keep us posted!

@Kitteh - Welcome back, glad to see Cyanosis lives on. :) In terms of imbues, I will be imbuing Diadems, I'm just not sure when yet (this post, and this one later in the thread have some more info on that). Not sure about claws and their potential with imbuing, but I think I'd rather burn it on a Diadem anyways, since the potential is so high. Hmm, now that you've got me thinking about it, I might keep an eye out for the next white Diadem that drops and give it a go..

@T72on1 - coju pretty much nailed my opinions about MF/XP focus. I think of MF as a positive feedback loop, where more mfing = more finds = higher mf/faster killing/both = even more finds. As coju said, spending some hours doing dedicated MF runs, or LK grinding, is going to be a very small fraction of your total time spent, but could end up making the journey way easier and faster. This of course depends on the build you're running (aka the requirement of more specialized gear), but is good as a general rule of thumb.
NanoMist said:
Thanks!

Just to add to the MF vs XP discussion. I did some very rough math to estimate time spent in LK and going 92-99 using my particular build and needs. LK time may be about 20% of time spent doing Baal runs. I used Baal runs since that was the first data I could find in terms of number of runs needed to reach 99. LK time estimated based on making Enigma + Infinity with my LK run times. This estimate could be totally off though, due to all the assumptions that were made (such as no deaths, type of run, number of runs, and length of a run) and also the RNG nature of the D2. Of course, this time will be different with other builds - sorceress don't need enigma, non elemental builds don't need infinity, sorceress LK times will be much better than the other classes that have to run on foot.

I suppose one can also find these runes while gaining XP in the Alvl 85 areas, but given my clear speed, LK was a more attractive option for me. Plus, LK is also great for charms/jewels, so there's other benefits as well. In the end, do whatever is more enjoyable to you.
Pb_pal said:
Cool to know @NanoMist, 20% seems reasonable, and about what I was expecting.

I'd be interested to see some numbers on it too (even if they're rough), just to get some theorycrafting going. It would be interesting to get some numbers on different leveling strategies for sub-98 running as well (like what Gripp has done here, so people have an idea of what a "good", or even "attainable" run-time would be for the different areas (although I suppose that could be done in the 99 theorycrafting thread..)

LK numbers are pretty easy:

I remember reading in the LK patterns thread that a Sur is expected every 900 runs. My personal experience is that it's not that high (and the accounts in this thread certainly seem to corroborate that), but then again others have stated that it has taken them longer, so until someone tells me otherwise (*cough* @Brak are you around? *cough*), I'm going to use that number.

From there it's pretty easy, assuming a 30s run-time (which should be decently attainable if you're focused on only HRs, even for non-teleporters with Harmony, a good map, and some dedication):

Enigma (6 Surs) would take 5400 runs on average/30s = 45 hrs to farm.
Infinity (4 Surs): 3600 runs = 30 hours

So 75 hours total for the "Big 2" runewords.

Of course this assumes you never pop a Ber, and that we're running on /p7 (where the most Sur patterns exist), and are ignoring poppables etc etc.

You need 5525 Baal runs to level from 90-99 (taken from jjscud here). Figuring a conservative 3 minutes per run (DISCLAIMER: I have NO idea what good or achievable Baal times are, or can be expected for our different characters here, as I've never done any dedicated Baaling.) that would be 276 hrs to go from 90-99.

So ~27% of your time in LK with those numbers. Again, those numbers (Baal especially) are virtual shots in the dark, but I'd say that seems about right for the balance of time spent, and lines up decently with Nano's rough guess.

Keep in mind too that Gripps comparison numbers for CS-leveling are lower than 3 minute Baals for the most part, although it IS Gripgod we're talking about so it's different for us mere mortals.
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Thanks for the details and especially the link to Gripphon's tests. For me and the build I picked, a Blizz Sorc, that makes things really easy. No rune farming, as I don't need Infinity or Enigma, so all CS for me, and Pindle and AT before that, to get some better gear. ObviouslyI would love to get an Ohm for CtA and / or Ber for CoH, but I can hope those will drop along the way.
Brak said:
Pb_pal said:
I remember reading in the LK patterns thread that a Sur is expected every 900 runs. My personal experience is that it's not that high (and the accounts in this thread certainly seem to corroborate that), but then again others have stated that it has taken them longer, so until someone tells me otherwise (*cough* @Brak are you around? *cough*), I'm going to use that number.
I've never been a numbers/efficiency guy, but every 900 runs sounds about right if I'm remembering 12 Surs, 6 chests/run, ~65k patterns. You should also remember there are 3 Ber patterns which are 2x Sur since mostly you want Enigma/Infinity you won't be needing the Sur runes. So I'd just move it into runs/Ber which comes to ~1213 runs / Ber if I'm guesstimating correctly (which I'm probably not).
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal I left out my numbers to make a quick post, but that is roughly the methodology I used to calculate. I used @Brak's number for runs per Ber and a 3.5 minute Baal run. P8 waves are a bit tougher for untwinked characters that don't have the benefit of an inventory full of skillers. My trap damage will be decent but not great unless I'm fortunate with skillers and/or trap claws.

The sub-98 leveling discussion is also interesting, but would have to be broken down into a case by case basis like in Gripphon's post you mentioned. That post is also an excellent example of making the most out of your time, and I would encourage everyone to do there own testing and figure out their best strategy. Fun to compare our results and see what works. I'm sure we'll be coming back to this discussion as more people reach mid 90's.
Pb_pal said:
NanoMist said:
I'm sure we'll be coming back to this discussion as more people reach mid 90's.
Yeah I'm going to start documenting more closely my XP gain and other factors once I hit 95, as that's when the XP really starts to slow down an the stream-lining can begin.
Pb_pal said:
@T72on1 - If you're going to do CS running, you'll almost certainly want a CtA. It can get a bit hairy in there and sorcs are not exactly super durable by nature. However, as you said there's a decent chance you'll be able to find an Ohm by the time you switch to the CS, or at least find 2 Vex and cube them up. I still think you'll need a bit of LK to finish it (especially the CoH obviously) but it will be insignificant compared to your leveling times. :)

--

So Eleanor headed out to LK in search of a Thul to put a close to her Hoto fiasco.

While searching LK for a Thul, about 10 runs in Eleanor popped this instead. Well now I don't feel so bad about that Vex! We are now only an Ist away from CtA as well so her gear is getting pretty set. I really hope her luck holds out, as she is by FAR the luckiest character I've ever had, especially at LK. In ~400 runs of single-campfire LK running she has so far in her career netted:

Sur x2
Ohm
Mal
Um
Pul x3


That's just insane. She hasn't even found any Magefists yet (and would very much like to for the FCR, so that she can pile on more MF)!

Shortly after this she found her Thul and made her Hoto (37 res all) and did her comparison against DF. Well first off, the LCS shows a ~800 higher dmg output with fathom. As you would expect, it performs noticeably better than the Hoto. The only downside is losing the FCR (to maintain the 105 bp), so other slots are used for it that could go to MF. Small price to pay though for the big increase in efficiency and not suprisingly, I'm going with the fathom :). The Hoto will be kept on her though, as we will want it when we switch to lightning. For now it will be used with our 2-Pdiamond Mosers as our "Emergency-Body-Retrieval-Kit".

We hit 93 without anything else interesting happening, and I think now we'll finally make a serious push at LK to find some Ists for CtA/Delerium, and maybe finish our Infinity before continuing. That way hopefully we can prevent another few deaths. Shame to lose our AT map that we love, but that's ok, we'll get another when the time comes.


Other finds:
- another Vex (seriously, what is going on with these things?)

Berserker's Hatchet still leads the charge for most found item with 12, but Isenhart's Case is quickly approaching (now at 10).

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          423        220            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  19             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Smancer said:
@Pb_pal That is just some amazing luck. Congrats on the great finds.

I have been moving Smancer along Act 1, but at the moment I am just more motivated to run LK over and over with my sorc. My best finds so far are just Lum and Ko. I feel like I am due in for something soon.
 
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal How can I ever find that Ohm in LK if you steel them in front of my nose? ;)

Grats on having so much luck. You know what they say: you get what you deserve :).

CtA is definitely the item I want most to improve my durability and that of my merc. He still dies very fast. I did some more Pindle runs because very safe, even with crappy resists. I did manage to score a Magefist, so I can now dump my 10% frc but nothing else ring for something better. Just hit level 85, still gaining xp fast on Pindle. I will be doing other runs too soon I guess, in search of better gear and runes. Pindle isn't a really good source for that, unless you get very lucky.
Kitteh said:
CtA is my primary aim too. As a dual claw assassin, I shouldn't actually need a great deal of high runes. Well, except for an Ohm and two Ber :p Three if I go for CoH. Plus a Lo for Fortitude. Ah, never mind.
Timinator said:
Great work @Pb_pal it's hard to keep pushing on in low acts in older patches when you remind me what's possible in 1.13+
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal Awesome rune finds! I'm in the midst of a rune drought but I'm finding a good number of (non-trap) skill GC's.
T72on1 said:
After some 100 Pindle runs on /p5 my Sorc had reached level 87. Since I got bored of those, I figured I'd check on LK again, using my current map. It's only a single campfire, but it's close to the WP, so I figured it would be good to get the hang of things, since it's my first LK experience. I'm still only at the 63% fcr breakpoint, but again, figured it would still be a good way to learn the ropes, and since all I need from the waypoint to both huts and back to the waypoint is 10 teleports when done correctly, it's not like a lose that much time.

I did 101 runs and actually quite enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would. I was slow at it (average running time of 27.5 seconds), because I couldn't refuse checking stuff out occasionally, tk some corpses or other poppables that weren't entirely on my way, but close to it, also because I cubed up flawless gems, ... The last few runs I focused more on speed and nothing but speed, and it took me on average about 21 seconds per run. Not sure if that is any good, but I was happy with it for now, as a trial.

I didn't get any good runes or other stuff yet, although I did find some Hels and lower runes, quite some jewels and some charms. Although I would mainly want an Ohm for now to make CtA, which if I've read correctly requires /p6, I went for /p8 instead, because /p6 only seems to offer Ohm as high rune, whereas /p8 you have a chance for Vex, Sur and Ber Edit: this seems to hold true for some old patches, but not for the current one. Definitely good news :).

I will probably stick to the one camp fire map for now, to learn how to do that efficiently first. After that, I'll reroll maps until I have a good one. On a side note: I was surprised that my map only had one campfire, I thought they always had 2, but the difficult part of rerolling maps was just to get 2 camp fires close to the WP.

No good drops yet, highest TC was one TC81: Wraith Flight. I probably should pay Meph some more visits too if I want to find actually useful stuff. For now I'm going with the 'I play the area or boss I feel like playing today' principle, I'll probably shift focus towards efficiency more once I reach the higher levels.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          423        220            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  19             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Smancer said:
Smancer killed Andy with easy and went west. Finishing up Act 1 was uneventful but I feel like by doing a full clear I hit severe xp diminishing returns as the time it took to gain just one level was way longer as if I was already in act two.

Andy didn't drop any S/U and I haven't found a gem shrine. I really didn't want to socket anything with my chipped topazes but since I don't have a cube yet, and no gem shrine my MF has suffered.

I think I might keep my merc from act 1 until I can get a NM act 2 guy. I found a 20 Poison jewel, but I think I might stash it away to use on a different char. I kind of want to make a +60 poison bow to use for leveling, or a + 60 poinson something to make the early levels even faster with sigons.

Here goes my attempt at editing the table.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          423        220            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  19             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19              Yes            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Some more LK finds:

+1 Masteries +38 Life GC
Gul#1
Gul#2

785 runs so far. Towards the end I made a quick trip to Pits for a 4os bow and reluctantly tossed my 35 fcr spirit sword in favor of Harmony bow. I will move on to Hoto after LK, so might as well make some space now. Vigor + BoS is very quick and makes LK safer when you can zip through all the monsters. Got a Naj staff on switch to teleport past any monster congestion at hut entrances, which is way better than having to abort the run. Thankfully, teleport charges are cheap to repair on this staff.

Also a table update:

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          423        220            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          260        167            1           48
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       89             Yes           -        172            6           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  19             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
PhineasB said:
Good job, everyone. Excellent finds on the runes, @Pb_pal and @NanoMist.

Not much progress because I was offline all week because of work. I did a couple Pits runs, but it was too slow, and I couldn’t do high P-setting Pindle runs. So I took the advice from @Pb_pal and went back to LK. I set a goal of another 125 runes (half of a 250 rune set), hoping I’d find enough Vex+ to cube up to the second Ber for Infinity.

Rune 60 was an Ohm, and then number 90 was a Vex. I decided to finish the 125 and also found Pul #5. I had found an ethereal Thresher, which went into the cube and got 4 sockets! The alternative would have been Hel-ing a non-eth cryptic axe that I’d used for an Insight. I prepped the runes for cubing, and made the Infinity. Pretty bad roll, but whatever, I am happy to have the conviction aura.

I’d died once more on an LK run, so I was back at a flat 89. I’ve never used Infinity with a trapper, so I did a little testing on P3-7 Pindles and P3 Pit runs. Eventually I settled on WSK, minions and Baal. Lister took too long at P8, so I just switched to P1 for Lister and Baal. I netted a Tal’s armor and Black Hades along the way, and hit 90.

As much as I like my LK map, I am going to re-roll for a better map for Pits and WSK. I think I’ll be more likely to push through if I can switch up Pindle, Pits, and WSK for variety.

I may actually start a second 99er (this one a Sorc) to have another character as a break. And I am going to work on writing up my 7x7 (and finishing the 49th, a poison dagger necro in A1 Hell).

Keep up the good progress everyone! Table update to mark 90.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      92             No          379        209            2           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       72             Yes          33          0            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
logoutzero said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      92             No          379        209            2           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

Been playing very little. Figured I would just update myself, albeit only very little. Making small improvements in gear by trolling around casually in Nightmare, and the first bit of Hell Act 1. Upped my Meat Scraper to an Ogre Axe because it's still the only item with life leech that Pratham can use. I miss the Meditation, but pots aren't THAT bad. I tried a couple of Insight IGs, but they poof pretty quickly. Once I get some kind of helm with leech for Pratham, I've a single 4os CV waiting for an 'Insight' set.
Kitteh said:
Guys, always use the table from the last post, not your last post.

Cyanosis has now finished normal (yey!). She has also swapped from PS to traps due to time constraints, unlikely to hit 99 as it is, lets not make it even more unrealistic :p Rubbish finds so far!

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          246        162            1           37
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      92             No          379        209            2           -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      79             Yes          35         34            2           14
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Asa       45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     10              -            -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju said:
Both of you nec necromancers ate fishy, yes? Are you planning on going poison nova or staying fishy aND mfing that way for a while?
logoutzero said:
Depends on the gear for me. Fishy can Guardian with literally nothing, so I'll stay fishy until something shows up to push Nova over. I've played a fairly nice Novamancer (not as nice as phar's) and you really need some PSD/EPR for Nova to shine. Plus, skeletons are EXTREMELY safe. Pretty important for HC.
coju said:
Yes, I need safe add I've deeded several over the weeks. I've been turning player settings down more, which is nice (maggot lair, act 3 sewers, and other places I hags being with fishes) and makes it easier. Our is spite going, but gives me time to pop cheats, barrels, etc and listen to sermons, watch Netflix, etc.

Is there a way to bump up fps besides to glide wrapper or mpgames?
NanoMist said:
I updated the table with the latest info since my last post here. I was wondering what happened to our level 93.

Also a progress update while I'm at it:

Sur#2 Run#825
Ohm#1 Run#1103
+3 more Gul runes.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          423        220            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          271        169            1           55
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh said:
I think that it is people updating their own table Coju, but I think that we are all on the same one now :)
Smancer said:
My necro is straight from Nightfishes guide.

I am really sad too, I was just doing some mfing on my sorc and I found this tasty ammy.

Code:
Dread Eye
Amulet
Required Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0x489d69e8
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
+5 to Strength
+4 to Energy
All Resistances +10
Fire Resist +24%
20% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
T72on1 said:
Thanks for getting back the correct table, @NanoMist .
Pb_pal said:
@PhineasB - Grats on the runes and Infinity! Nice to see some top-end gear starting to make an appearance.

@NanoMist - Nice rune finds! Hopefully they keep on coming. :)

--

Eleanor sadly said goodbye to her lovely AT map, and decided to spend some serious time in LK. Now that she's 93 and all amulets will have the chance at +2 skills, her true crafting career can begin and she will craft caster amulets as she goes when the supplies show up. She found herself a good LK map that she was happy with, and buckled down to make some runs. She did 500 runs here as her first batch to see what she could find.

Her luck came back down to earth a bit after that ridiculous streak of luck before, but I'm still quite happy with the results:

non-rune finds:
- plain Shimmering GC (15allres)
- Tals belt (staying in the stash for now)
- Cobalt (8%CR) sc of Good Luck (7mf)
- eth Skullders (we would LOVE to keep this for potential future MF runs, but we just don't have the space. it's between keeping this or Ormus robes right now, and I just can't justify taking up that much space for the skullders when we probably wont be doing any more dedicated MF runs. Long story short, bye bye Skullders.)


LK finds after 500 runs:

Pul x2
Um x2
Mal x2
Ist


Along with a bit of cubing of previously found runes we came away with:

- Delerium for the merc
- A shiny new +5 BO CtA for Eleanor! No rush to re-roll that one, which is very nice. :D

Code:
Call to Arms
Superior Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 19 - 59
Durability: 22 of 22
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x5e473b04
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
289% Enhanced Damage
+1 to Maximum Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+2 to Battle Command
+5 to Battle Orders
+3 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Increase Maximum Durability 12% 5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

We are now 1 Ber short of Infinity. (We used all our Ists, but we can cube up to another one with what we've got) We aren't really in a hurry to make it though, at least not yet. So for now it's back to leveling and we'll see what we find along the way! We're even considering burning our 2 Surs for a CoH for Emilio, but I don't know if I'm ready to get rid of 1/2 of an Infinity just yet.



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      93             No          430        222            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          271        169            1           55
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      82             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal Nice CTA roll! Going to be difficult to top that one.

As for whether or not to go infinity may come down to your lvl 98 strategy.
Sub 98 can be done with pure bliz running AT/Vizier + Infector or BlizBall running Baal. Lightning sorc also strong here but uncertain if it's more efficient. I think Grip had success going Vizier + Infector runs?

At 98, a strong merc is needed to kill unbreakable immunes for both Diablo/Baal, but at least you can run p1 prior to the boss. Park a tough Lister also. Maybe run p8 Nihlathak if you can do it safely? My trapper will be facing similar issues for FI/LI monsters so I've been thinking too. Although making Infinity isn't a question for me.

Hmm now I have to look into Fortitude vs Treachery again for the merc armor, maybe even go might merc for damage. I'll have to see if a defensive merc is unneeded with CoS and MB. Plenty of time to think as I am only 20% completed in LK. :rolleyes:
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal No extended stash definitely gives this another twist ... getting rid of that Skullder's Ire !!! Not something I'm ready to do at this point, I'd think. Strong going, and congrats on the CtA.

No luck for me in LK yet. Then again I haven't done more than 350 runs I think. I'd better reroll to a good 2 campfire map, I think.
 
Pb_pal said:
@NanoMist - My sub-98 plan is to run Infector/Vizier Gripp-style, which as you state Infinity is not crucial for. The only thing I can see wanting Infinity for in the meantime is to break CI Infectors (which are fairly common, as I understand), but I'm sure that won't make a huge difference for XP gains in the grand scheme of things.

My 98-99 plan however is to switch to Lightning and run Nilly (assuming it's feasible with gear and safety at that point). Even if I was to run Blizz still, I'd want an Infinity to break Nilly's CI when it happens. On that note, does anyone know if running Nihlathak with a Blizz sorc is viable?

Either way, I've got tons of time before I have to make a decision , so I'm not too worried.

@T72on1 - Yeah, there have been some tough decisions to make for sure. So far it hasn't been a huge pain, but it definitely limits options. The most annoying thing by far has been my decision to keep track of all S/U drops. Coupled with no extended stash (and therefore a full stash in-game), it means I have to mule every time I find one. :p

Also, definitely find a 2-fire map if you're spending some time there. After all, it should be twice as efficient that way!
PhineasB said:
@T72on1 - I agree that the 2 campfire may is definitely worth it if you're focusing on LK, even given the loss of a great map elsewhere (I recall that you liked your AT map, right?). My rough guess is that half the run is running through town, and you have to do that twice as often with the one campfire.

@Pb_pal - Echoing the congrats on the CtA!

I have the runes set aside to cube up the Ohm and Ist, along with a nice base. But I am holding off because (1) I suspect my roll won't be as good as yours and (2) I can do the runs safely without the extra life and the time to cast war cries + no vigor slows down my runs more than it seems worth relative to the risk of getting caught off guard and losing XP at my current level. I'm curious, is there a point in the leveling where not dying is the most important consideration due to XP loss?

For me right now, efficiency is doing runs that are fun and/or challenging (depending on the mood) so that I don't get burned out or shorten the session because I am bored. I'm trying to save the focus needed to grind for later, when I'm sure it'll be a real grind. But it's hasn't too much of a concern of late due to very little time available to play . . .
Kitteh said:
I've had a Tal mask and a Rattlecage drop. I wanted to keep the MF on my merc's armour but again, all about that space, so I went for the Rattlecage for CB on bosses :p
T72on1 said:
I followed the advice of @Pb_pal and @PhineasB and rerolled my LK map (although PhineasB, I don't run through town, I take the wp back and then go to Act 4, to start there). After less than 10 tries I got this one, which I can run in 30 - 31 seconds if I do what I should do: just run the huts with their chests and racks (and sometimes some other poppables if they are near):

1610915408815.png


I would have to check the LK thread again, but I think I recall that 30 - 31 seconds isn't too bad for a LK run, so I'll keep this one for now. My average over 50 runs was actually some 40 seconds or even a bit more, but that's because I still run into my old habit of picking up too much and occasionally not resisting the urge to find a boss pack in one of the huts. And also id'ing charms and jewels, cubing up flawless gems, ...

No luck yet as far as HRs are concerned, but I did get a few Hels and a Pul, so I'm getting closer ...

I also did some more AT runs, which seem to give me better xp than Pindle at this point. I don't have a really good map for it though, so I'll probably only do those when I need a change of pace from LK.

Edit: 50 more LK runs, as well as some AT runs to stock up on full rejuvs again. Lem, Mal, a Barb combat skiller and a 4os Tresher to finally replace that Insight Voulge my merc was still using. Lem has been put to good use for a Treachery for my merc.

So overall very good haul, although I'm still at 41 seconds on average, due to the reasons I mentioned above. But I like LK runs, which was something I didn't expect. The sheer number of jewels and charms, combined with the potential of good to great runes makes LK a lot more interesting than I thought.
Kitteh said:
I'm having issues with a bug, so progress I halted until I fix it. It is the error code which is associated with using CoS against the ancients, but I am not fighting them, I've had it in act 3 and act 4. No clue :(
Pb_pal said:
@T72on1 - 30 seconds is very reasonable for dedicated (Ie: rune focused only) LK running, especially untwinked. Pretty nice map you got there, so I'd keep it too. :) And yes, one of the big joys of LK is actually the non-rune goodies, even if they aren't as flashy. I've found some of my best charms and jewels from there.

@Kitteh - I know in Act 4, CoS can crash the game if it is used on the Trapped Soul type enemies and expires while you're within a couple screens. Don't know for sure about Act 3, but I think the Water Watcher types can trigger it as well. "Stationary" targets tend to give it the most trouble (and the Ancients, of course), as Mummy Sarcophagi in Act 2 and even the Raptor nests in Act 1 have been known to crash with it.

@PhineasB - As T72 said, try to get a circular map where you can bounce back from the WP to Act 4 and start your run there. That should be quicker than running through town. :)
coju said:
For you LKers, I'm sure y'all've seen it though :)
@T72on1 where is the WP in that map? I've seen some awesome maps where you go left for hut 1 then right for hut 2, then back to the WP making a nice little circle, but (@PhineasB) I just use the TP to TP > TK > WP > act 4; but some have experienced more lag S&Eing in certain situations.

If you have a Harmony (the vigor bow, yes?) and timed it if you wanted, it may take, just guessing, 4 seconds to run through town with that and you can start running BEFORE you actually load into the game (just move the mouse to where you want to run and click, and you'll see your hero running when you actually load images). If you had instant s&e times, that could be just as quick if you had nothing better on switch. I'm thinking to go back to WP or TPing from the last hut, the time, guessing again, would take 2.5 seconds on average.

Glad you jokers have made it this far! @Pb_pal tossing that item! Man! You must have some wealth built up in those stashes!

I always liked LK running, although I never did it much, or at all, but perhaps, if this necro is still too slow for my habits (he's act 1 nm now in his 40s, perhaps i could add him soon), making a 200fcr sorc to run lk for funsies could be fun. My last sorc died in to a Normal or Nightmarish Lister because I teleported in the middle of them, and was dumbfounded my what I had just done. Bad habits of clicking around whilst hitting hotkeys... Kind of like when you're driving a manual, how, when at a stoplight, you'll wiggle the stick.
T72on1 said:
@coju You can see the cross on the map, where my character is. The waypoint is a bit to the left of it, also visible in the screenshot (but not on the minimap). The map isn't perfect, but quite good, and kinda circular, where I teleport to the lower right to hit the first 2 huts, then to the upper right to hit hut 3 and hut 4, then back to the left for the wp. I only hit the 63% fcr breakpoint, but maybe that's a good thing, to prevent me from misclicking too much. No deaths yet, although I had a few close calls.

I don't have a Harmony bow yet. I don't think I have found a Ko yet. I'm not using my switch at the moment, so Harmony would definitely be worth a try. In the end it's probably about as fast, but when tp'ing back, I hit 2 corpses to the right of the wp, which always means a small chance for something good.

Speaking about those corpses, and poppables in general (I assume that's also why you put that link at the beginning of your post): except for the 2 I mentioned, I don't hit many other poppables. Some are on my way to the huts actually, but still I feel they would break the flow somewhat. At the same time I've had good experience with poppables in LK before, so I would want to hit them more actually. Also, in one of the many LK threads here, I saw someone mentioning the corpses at the campfires in particular. Do those have special drop mechanics, or just the same as other corpses in LK?
Kitteh said:
Thanks @Pb_pal :)
NanoMist said:
@Kitteh CoS is also known to crash game if a shadow is trying to cast another CoS on top of an existing one. I haven't experienced this crash and I don't summon shadow warrior or master either. But then again I remember using CoS against Ancients without crashing (maybe?).

@coju I timed my run through town and 4 seconds is accurate. Closer to 5 seconds if I don't cast BoS as the game loads. Using Harmony here as well. PhineasB is also an assassin so it should be similar. I just run through town since I don't want to bother with TPing to WP, and also I will occasionally sell items to Ormus who is on the way.
Pb_pal said:
coju said:
If you have a Harmony (the vigor bow, yes?) and timed it if you wanted, it may take, just guessing, 4 seconds to run through town with that and you can start running BEFORE you actually load into the game (just move the mouse to where you want to run and click, and you'll see your hero running when you actually load images). If you had instant s&e times, that could be just as quick if you had nothing better on switch. I'm thinking to go back to WP or TPing from the last hut, the time, guessing again, would take 2.5 seconds on average.
I'd like to expand on this a little bit actually, as he has a point. This obviously wouldn't apple to non-extended stash users, but since Phineas is using one, I'll discuss it anyways.

My first LK runner was an assassin. She had a less than ideal map (huts fairly far from WP) which was also non-circular, and she could easily run sub-30 seconds without using the Act 4 WP strategy. I re-specced her to max out BoS, Harmony on main and 2x +3 Shadow discipline claws on switch, strapped on some high FRW boots (Aldurs and Sanders have 40%, for instance) and filled her inventory with FRW charms. The rest of her gear was centered around either +Shadow skills or +FRW (Stealth, for instance. Or even better, Trangs Armour if you have it).

I don't remember the specific times but it actually took her LESS time to run through town to the WP than it does for my sorc to back-track to the WP and get to Act 4. With better hut placement I think she could have very easily challenged close to 20 seconds. That's with quite low-end, easily attainable gear. Plus, it's much easier to just bail at the end of the run than port back to Act 4.

So if you want to do some dedicated running in LK with an Assassin, and don't mind burning a re-spec, that's a very viable strategy. I'm sure it could be very efficient even without re-speccing to full-Bos as well, and loading up of +Shadow/FRW gear.

Haven't tried with any other classes, although for non-teleporters it might be worth experimenting a bit to see if it works for them as well. I don't see why any class (especially extended stash users who have more gearing options) shouldn't be able to reach a ~30 second run with some specific gearing and a good map.

@T72on1 - Not sure about odds of specific poppables, but my personal experience is that I've gotten more from the "corpse" type poppable than others, although that's not a huge sample size to go off. Could just be that there is (almost?) always a corpse or two by the huts, so they get hit more.

@Kitteh - No problem! Hopefully that clears up your issues, and you just have to get a bit less CoS-happy in those areas ;)
T72on1 said:
About CoS crashing the game ... I'm currently doing a PS Assassin for the 'a lack of information' tournament. She is in Act 5 now, and has been and still is using CoS a lot. This also applies to her Shadow Warrior. I've never had a crash. Not on any other Assassins that I remember as well.

So I'm not sure what's causing the crashes for you, @Kitteh. I hope you get it figured out.
Kitteh said:
Doesn't matter, got spawned by De Seis haha
Pb_pal said:
Nooo! RIP :(

Third time's the charm though, right? ;)
Kitteh said:
Haha, I was pushing it with a second attempt! I won't for now, but I intend to eventually :)
T72on1 said:
:( :( :(. That's no fun.

Good luck on your next try, whenever that may be !!!
Tarantella said:
Tarasha continued leveling in an indolent fashion starting with Eldritch and Pit runs on a handy map with 3 healing shrines in it. Dropped a poison facet and another white monarch (which got 1 socket) but little else there but Eldritch dropped a IK belt which allowed an adjustment of jewelry and stacked resistances again. Got around to completing the Anya quest edging round in an edgy fashion versus gloams.

1610915663817.png


Fire and cold enchanted extra strong creatures being quite tough still to Tarasha. Rerolled the pit map continuously for a while dropping a Ko then did a few LK clears. On the 3rd run (out of 6) chasing down every evil extra fast zealot all over the map (quite hard with a merc now wearing upped Rattlecage) got this.

1610915684405.png

Followed by an Ist off a Shenk follower around 30 minutes later. More pit and Eldritch runs for gambling. Crafted two rubbish caster rings (checking item levels) and now in the process of doing some Andy runs after re checking the map and seeing it's very quick to get to her. No experience here but temporarily shuffling gear to get 90mf has resulted in dropping Magefists, a Dwarf star and Blackhorns. Got the 63fcr break point on both sides now and reached level 86.
Brak said:
T72on1 said:
Speaking about those corpses, and poppables in general (I assume that's also why you put that link at the beginning of your post): except for the 2 I mentioned, I don't hit many other poppables. Some are on my way to the huts actually, but still I feel they would break the flow somewhat. At the same time I've had good experience with poppables in LK before, so I would want to hit them more actually. Also, in one of the many LK threads here, I saw someone mentioning the corpses at the campfires in particular. Do those have special drop mechanics, or just the same as other corpses in LK?
From your map, the structure to the right of the upper campfire will have three stable poppables, a corpse in the middle and at the bottom a log/skeleton pair. These all have better drop rates than chests (25% no drop vs 0% no drop), so I would definitely hit them in addition to campfire corpses. There's also always a body on a treestump to the right of the wp. If I had your map I start straight up to the upper campfires, get the corpse and the three poppables I mentioned on the way down to the lower campfire. There's also a skeleton in the elongated hut just below your lower 2 Superchest hut that you could hit if you wanted. Basically try to figure out where to tele so that you can quickly TK all the poppables. Also if you wanted to hit it there is a rack and corpse in the L shaped hut between your WP and upper campfire, but this would break up you teleport chain, so might not be as desirable to check.

Finally if you have some stashes early in your run near the WP. You can hit them on your way out and check them on your way back so you dont have to wait for them to open.


EDIT @Tarantella Wow a Cham in LK, that's amazing. Also ASDC for pots and no skill hotkey? Never seen that before
T72on1 said:
@Brak Wait, what ... did you break into my computer to check my map? ;)

Great advice, thanks a lot. I will certainly help me a lot. For some reason I've done the lower campfire first and the upper one afterwards from the start. I'll give it a go to do it your way as well and see what works best.

@Tarantella Congrats on that Cham !!! And on your overall progress, on HC nonetheless ...
OldSoldier said:
Great job Tarantella! Looks like I need to get back into the swing of things, I'm falling behind!

Regarding that Cham drop, what peeks out at me is making a Doom out of it for the merc (since you have a cold sorc going, even though I don't remember your plan for the final end game). If doing that with a holy freeze merc, would the two HF auras stack?

As far as my progress, I'll get back into it but I had a thought also the other day. Would using some of my retired tournament guardians pass muster? I assume they would because they were all untwinked. I've been messing around a bit lately with my double throw barbarian, SaladShooter. He found a Cat's Eye in his tournament journey, and by respeccing him with high natural speed he can get pretty fast for whatever he does if he ends up finding a nice set of FRW boots. I'm just trying to find a way to fight the boredom and perhaps get some of those guys some play time again. Many of them were very fun and they all have the respec leftover so I could make them whatever I want and it would save me hours getting a fresh build up to speed.

My current pally has a maxed out Vigor but not much else except the Stealth armor so he's not nearly as fast as a maxed out Burst of Speed Assassin or Barb with a Harmony bow. I'm just thinking about the length of time I'll be in LK and it is a daunting task for sure, and a character say 30-40% faster would sure cut my overhead. Of course, my runs so far have been pathetic (although he did get a 34% ED/15% IAS jewel, the best jewel of my career). I've done probably 50 runs and gotten a Hel rune, so not good so far, and FAR from an Enigma, which I just about see as necessary for a try at 99.
 
Timinator said:
Wow! A Cham is always great too see! Yet to see one in my own game so I'm a bit jelly
Pb_pal said:
@Tarantella - Grats on the Cham! It's the only rune I have yet to see drop in my career for my rune-drop grail, so mighty jealous there!

@OldSoldier - I see no reason why old tournament characters wouldn't qualify. We'll leave it to Kitteh for final say, but I'm a fan of "the more the merrier".
coju said:
@Pb_pal a dedicated Assassin lk runner.. man, i bet it would be safe with CoS and all.

Speaking of CoS: The only times I ever crashed because of it was using the Shadow in Act 2 Normal.
Brak said:
OldSoldier said:
Regarding that Cham drop, what peeks out at me is making a Doom out of it for the merc (since you have a cold sorc going, even though I don't remember your plan for the final end game). If doing that with a holy freeze merc, would the two HF auras stack?
There isn't any stacking if I remember correctly. I dont think any of the Runewords are ideal for a merc stick compared to other options.

Probably good for a smexy source of CBF once you find your ideal circlet.
NanoMist said:
Brak said:
There isn't any stacking if I remember correctly. I dont think any of the Runewords are ideal for a merc stick compared to other options.

Probably good for a smexy source of CBF once you find your ideal circlet.
Agree with the CBF, my assassin would love to have CBF without using a raven. Or even provide CBF on a merc.

Congrats to Tarantella on the Cham. I didn't even realize Cham could drop there until now.

Minor LK update: Vex#1 Run#1411

Feels paltry in comparison. :)
PhineasB said:
Very informative discussion (and great progress). But first:

@Tarantella - congrats on the Cham. The CBF seems very attractive, depending on your plans and set up. I'm actually using Trang's belt for my assassin because I haven't had Ravenfrost (or any other source of CBF) drop yet. Assuming I get Arachnid's and 2 +1 skill rings--which is a major assumption, I know--I definitely think I'd use the Cham to free up a slot.

On the LK map question, I haven't maxed BoS, but with BoS at lvl 8 and Harmony bow and some FRW charms, I find running through town faster than TPing. And I think it's net faster than rolling maps to get the perfect circular map. I'm also balancing the use of teleport charges and cost to repair the charges -- my last LK map used one teleport per run, while an earlier one used 2. I suspect it is really hard to find a good circular map and minimize teleports for an assassin.

I've had some time to play but no major updates. I got a Shako (and then a second one), so I added one +skill and some MF to the kit.
Tarantella said:
Brak said:
... Also ASDC for pots and no skill hotkey? Never seen that before
Betraying my long Bnet career where lag and server woes cause many a HC fatality with key assignments misbehaving in a lag spike. Z and X for stand still and weapon switch keeping right mouse always for teleport except on first approach to bosses where static is pared with fireball on the mouse keys before teleporting away and reassigning. Good enough at least for Orb, fireball and lightning builds and merc control is continuous and instant.

OldSoldier said:
Great job Tarantella! Looks like I need to get back into the swing of things, I'm falling behind!

Regarding that Cham drop, what peeks out at me is making a Doom out of it for the merc (since you have a cold sorc going, even though I don't remember your plan for the final end game). If doing that with a holy freeze merc, would the two HF auras stack?

I have no idea what do do with the Cham for a sorceress and having picked up a Ravenfrost from Andy late last night am spending time leveling in act 4. Won't think of entering the Keep till a Thundergods is found.
Kitteh said:
Pb_pal said:
@Tarantella - Grats on the Cham! It's the only rune I have yet to see drop in my career for my rune-drop grail, so mighty jealous there!

@OldSoldier - I see no reason why old tournament characters wouldn't qualify. We'll leave it to Kitteh for final say, but I'm a fan of "the more the merrier".
I see no issue, we have basically just relaunched it :)
Pb_pal said:
I say keep the Cham, hope for another one to drop, and make yourself a nice eBOTD hurty stick for the merc. now THAT would be stylish in an untwinked situation like this!

That, or CBF on either your or your merc once you have final gear sorted.
T72on1 said:
I would definitely keep the Cham and hope for an Ohm and Lo to drop, so you can make Doom. That's absolutely my favourite of the runewords I haven't made yet (and there's plenty of those ...).
T72on1 said:
I followed @Brak 's advice and tried to do the route in LK he suggested. I couldn't get used to it, and as a consequence was losing too much time. Not because the advice wasn't good, but probably because I already was used too much to hitting the lower campfire huts first. So I reverted to that sequence, and after some runs, with Brak's advice in the back of my mind, managed to find a routine where I could hit quite a few poppables without losing too much time.

My first batch of LK runs didn't turn up anything good, but that's no surprise, as it was only 18 runs before I ran out of full rejuvs. So I did 50 Pindle runs to stock up again. While doing so, I found a pretty good Gheed's: 137% GF and 39% MF. Soon after I found a Goldwrap. The influence of those two, which doubled my mf%, was very noticeable, as I started finding much more S/U from that point on. Nothing fancy on those Pindle runs, but still it was reassuring that more S/U would start to drop, because my gear is still pretty so-so.

At the end of those Pindle runs I hit level 88. After that I did an AT run (because you never know what could drop with this extra mf% o_O), but for some reason I have a map I can't get used to.

Anyway, back to LK it was. Didn't have much time, so only did about 40 or 50 runs. No HRs, but a few nice drops: 2x Lem in 2 consecutive runs, a Lum, a Druid Summoning skiller with +24 life and a jewel with 15% res all and +9 max damage. But the most important drop for Neverland was a Wizardspike, which iirc dropped from one of the superchests.

Up to that point I was running with quite horrible resists, only slightly positive, so that item was a gift from heavens. Maxed resists, all of a sudden, as well as very high fcr. For the remainder of my runs I didn't make any other changes than using the Wizardspike instead of my spirit sword. But afterwards I realized that I could easily hit the next fcr breakpoint now by switching out my gloves (dual resist rares) for the Magefists I recently found: Wizardspike + Stealth armor + Magefists + rare fcr ring. That should speed up my LK runs a little, as well as making blind tele'ing somewhat safer.

Next time: more LK runs, and probably giving AT another shot in between, to see if I get the hang of it, now that I have more fcr and maxed out resists. AT definitely gives great xp at this stage, so ...
NanoMist said:
I don't think the super chests can drop S/U, maybe the wizzy came from a nearby stash?

With LK, there's enough charms/jewels/crafting in between high runes to keep me occupied, so it doesn't get very tedious. I haven't had luck with trap skillers, but there's been plenty of +life SCs. Great for boosting life pool - I'm nearing 2k life myself.
Pb_pal said:
Can confirm that the Superchests don't drops S/U items, only magic or rare. I have gotten a fair number of S/U from the poppables around LK though, so I'd be willing to bet it came from one of those.

Cool to read about other peoples experiences in LK so far, always very interesting!

--

Turns out her fear of losing her AT map was unfounded, as our nice new LK map has an even better AT map than her previous one as well! Eleanor is quite happy about that, to say the least, and it looks like she'll be sticking with this map for the foreseeable future. She found a couple cold facets (3/4, and 4/3), so now she is wrestling with whether or not to blow a socket quest on her fathom and throw one in there to up the killing speed a little bit more. Here is her dilemma:

I'm still planning to switch to lightning at some point in the future, so at that point this socket quest would be "wasted". Now, on the flip-side of that, since she found the fathom in the first place, we'll be keeping her as a blizz sorc for longer than originally planned, and almost certainly all the way to 98.

My plans for her (as a light sorc) for her socket quests would be (assuming all gear is found):
1. Griffon's Eye (facet)
2. Andys Visage (ias jool for the merc for faster aura proccing)
3. Not sure here, Ormus/Vipermagi (facet) would be the most likely candidate as I would likely be trying to achieve 200 FCR in an ideal scenario. I'm still debating here though (again, finds permitting), as I could use a CoH on her instead and stay at the lower breakpoint for Lightning/CL (117%).

So what are everyone's thoughts? Is socketing the fathom a worthwhile investment? Will it even make much of a difference, considering Cold Mastery already lowers enemies resistances quite a bit for all non-immunes? Or should I hold off and see what happens when she finally turns to the Lightning tree, depending on what gear I have at that point?

She pinged 94 without anything else really interesting happening. Still no Magefists/Trangs (although we have both of their wrong-coloured counterparts, of course!). Some day...

Other finds:
- Schaeffer's Hammer (a first in my D2 career!)
- Another Ist

--

Updated Tarasha as well.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      94             No          506        246            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          271        169            1           55
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      87             Yes          63         58            4          19.30
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      86             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Brak said:
T72on1 said:
I followed @Brak 's advice and tried to do the route in LK he suggested. I couldn't get used to it, and as a consequence was losing too much time. Not because the advice wasn't good, but probably because I already was used too much to hitting the lower campfire huts first. So I reverted to that sequence, and after some runs, with Brak's advice in the back of my mind, managed to find a routine where I could hit quite a few poppables without losing too much time.
I know what you mean about swapping out routes. I've tried that before after realizing much more efficient paths, and it just doesn't work some times. Once you have one route programed into your motor memory you're sometimes better off just rolling a new map.

Grats on the Wizspike. Glad to see poppables paying off for you already.

Also I almost never use pots in LK. I think I must be doing it wrong.
Actually I almost never use pots anywhere, which probably means I'm doing D2 wrong. The feel so overpowered.
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal - Congrats on 94! As you implied, the +%cold damage on the facet is more important. Not sure how much you'll gain there for blizzard, but if it's not that much, I'd hold off. Tough call though as future items are uncertain. Griffons would be nice but tough to find.

@Brak - I also almost never use pots in LK. Once in a long while there will be an extra strong pack waiting in the hut, but a S/E is no big deal either.
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Tremendous going there !!! Keep it up.

Socketing stuff is indeed a tough decision. I was wondering about this the other day myself. Although it's easy for me atm, I still have quite lowby gear ;). Not sure what you mean with faster aura proccing on the Andy's for the merc though ... is the aura activation tied to attack speed? Otherwise it doesn't seem that important to me.

@NanoMist and @Pb_pal Indeed, uniques and sets can't drop from the superchests. My bad. It was certainly inside a hut, but probably from a normal chest in that case. Either way, I'm very happy about the drop for now.

@Brak and @NanoMist You are definitely not doing things wrong if you don't need pots, it probably means I'm not doing it right. I just teleport into strong packs inside the huts from time to time (afaik, you can't see them, until you are inside the hut), in which case I use a full rejuv if in doubt. I probably wouldn't be so trigger happy for the pots, if this wasn't a quest for 99, where a loss of xp hurts more and more. But I still would need one from time to time. Seems more efficient than a S/E to me, no?
Pb_pal said:
T72on1 said:
Not sure what you mean with faster aura proccing on the Andy's for the merc though ... is the aura activation tied to attack speed? Otherwise it doesn't seem that important to me.
Basically, when an A2 merc attacks he makes a "decision". Those decisions include either normal attack, jab attack, or activating their aura. Faster attack means more opportunity for him to choose to activate his aura, which translates to faster aura initiation.

This becomes increasingly important in situation like Nihlathak running where it's a very short run and the merc isn't really doing anything before you get to your target (Nihl).
NanoMist said:
T72on1 said:
@Brak and @NanoMist You are definitely not doing things wrong if you don't need pots, it probably means I'm not doing it right. I just teleport into strong packs inside the huts from time to time (afaik, you can't see them, until you are inside the hut), in which case I use a full rejuv if in doubt. I probably wouldn't be so trigger happy for the pots, if this wasn't a quest for 99, where a loss of xp hurts more and more. But I still would need one from time to time. Seems more efficient than a S/E to me, no?
I started LK runs right after I leveled to 92, so there wouldn't be any experience to lose if I were to die. Also, exp loss isn't a big deal until the high 90's, to me at least. I only S/E once every couple hundred runs or so, for the really nasty monsters that'll kill you in a blink. Otherwise I agree, pots for normal circumstances.
Brak said:
I think your map can also dictate a bit where bosspacks spawn. You might just have a map where you often get crowded huts.

I usually just die trying to take screenshots of my runes. The runs aren't much of an issue usually
Timinator said:
@Pb_pal don't forget a cube recipe to unsocket. I socketed a pair of storm lashes with el ones. Took screenshots. Unsocket reed then put real stuff in. Or if you find a 5/5 later
 
Pb_pal said:
@Timinator - It's not so much the issue of replacing them, but the fact that since it's untwinked we will only have 3 socket quests and no more. So I want to make sure to use them efficiently (ie. something I will be using for a long time, that will help me the most.)

Since I plan on switching to lightning, it's hard to stomach socketing my cold equipment which will (most likely) get ditched later.
Tarantella said:
No socketing quests used here either but did imbue a diadem.
1610916299886.png

And reroll once


1610916307800.png
So back to the grind then......
OldSoldier said:
Wow that's a sweet diadem! Jaw dropper for me anyway.

I had a problem where I misclicked and went onto battle.net one time a couple weeks ago and of course it tried to automatically update me to 1.14 something, which crashed my game and required a fresh install. So I am not sure where my screenshots were going tonight, perhaps into the abyss, but I thought I captured two good runs.

The first was an Andariel run (Battleforge is still level 84 and still searching for a Shako and a Ravenfrost and either Sander's boots or Aldur's boots (preferable due to the fire resist) so he's still toodling around with the loser bosses) where he scored, on the same run, a 1%-from-perfect ED The Gavel of Pain, a nice The Minotaur, and a mediocre Langer Briser, all on the same drop. That was cool, this character had not found any of those three items yet. TGOP would be a great Charger weapon, and I've never made one of those before. Hmmm.

The second run was my last LK run of the night, my merc had been cornered and killed (it happens fast at /P8 and only level 84) and I was in a hut alone with an ape demon. I almost just S&E and went to bed because it was really fast, almost able to keep up with me with 129% FRW, but decided to dodge him to run around to the very last chest, and out popped a Vex. Like I said, sorry that I don't have a shot of it laying on the ground, but I was excited to say the least. I knew my HOTO was close! So I collected it (it was in a huge stack of junk but visible on the screen) and went looking for my other reagents. Well it appears my end game weapon will have to wait a while longer, because I have not found a 4 socket flail (haven't been able to cube one either) nor a Pul yet. This is only my second Vex I've ever seen on my own computer monitor in-game, the other sits unused in my SC stash from years ago.

I have not seen anything higher than a Fal with Battleforge until this drop. This has been a weird character with rune drops so far. I only have three Tal runes and three Eld runes in my stash, have been on a critical Tal and Amn shortage nearly the whole time so far, and have gotten no mid level runes other than the single Fal, a single Io, four Kos and a Lum. Nothing else. I guess I need to keep hunting in the LK, the Countess is way too dangerous. I hate those archers!
T72on1 said:
@Tarantella That Assassin Diadem is awesome !!!

@OldSoldier Congrats on the Vex ! And after running LK for some time now, I agree with you: stick to LK. Easier to run, potential of HRs, lots of gems, jewels and charms, and a good source for low and mid runes as well. About your screenshots: they should be there somewhere. I'm not at my home computer at the moment, so I'm not sure, will post it later. I think it's in something like Documents\Save (or Save Games)\DiabloII , but that could be completely wrong. Like I said, I'll post it when I get home, if someone hasn't already before that. It's in \program files (x86)\DialboII\ . At least for me in win7.

I did 100 more LK runs. Didn't go for the 105 fcr breakpoint because, ... well, I'm lazy at times :oops:. My average running time, including upgarding gems, id'ing and selling stuff, stashing, ... is some 43 seconds. Regular runs without all of those require some 35 seconds I'd think, so popping some 5 - 10 poppables along the way definitely takes me some 4 - 5 seconds, it seems.

Anyway, it's still fun and interesting to me, so I keep doing that, with occasionally some AT runs in between. I'm getting closer to getting a HR: from Pul and then Mal as highest rune in LK up to now, I got 2 Guls yesterday. Within 10 runs of each other actually. Nothing too fancy for the rest, except for my first Sorc skiller. Fire of course, the one element this Sorc won't be using :(.

Those two Guls mean I can cube up to Vex and make HotO. So that is great news. I hope I picked up a 4os Flail somewhere along the way, it would be a shame I'd have to wait for that to be able to make the runeword.

Still hoping for that Ohm soon. Statistically speaking, I should't hope for it too much though, as I'm only 250 runs in. Then again, I still need an Ist as well for CtA.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      94             No          506        246            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          271        169            1           55
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      88             Yes          76         69            4          24.45
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      86             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
@T72on1 I searched my HD, nothing anywhere. I went into the game controls and remapped the screen shot from spacebar to spacebar and tried one more time and it showed up so I'm not quite sure what happened. I decided not to post a shot of the Vex in my stash because that's no big deal. Regardless, I think I'm back online with screenies. Of course that'll come in handy when I have 3 consecutive Bers on my next three runs, right!?! OK maybe that is a bit optimistic. Maybe there will be an Ohm in there too somewhere.
T72on1 said:
If nothing else works, you can always take the screenie with the print screen button, open up something like Word or Office, and paste it there. Than you can save it to anywhere on your computer.
Brak said:
OldSoldier said:
@T72on1 I searched my HD, nothing anywhere. I went into the game controls and remapped the screen shot from spacebar to spacebar and tried one more time and it showed up so I'm not quite sure what happened.
you can remap the screenshot button?
now wonder i keep dying when I try to grab screenies
Timinator said:
Also not sure of screenshots post 1.14
T72on1 said:
After about 500 LK runs in total, some 250 today ...

1610916429214.png

Now to find that Ist somewhere ... and that 5os sword ...

Edit: and 10 runs later ...

1610916438202.png

Edit 2: this is getting really fun:

1610916447323.png

Only 3 runs later :). Now the fact that I can't make a CtA, just because of a simple 5os sword ...
Brak said:
T72on1 said:
Now the fact that I can't make a CtA, just because of a simple 5os sword ...
Welcome to Lower Kurast
T72on1 said:
Brak said:
Welcome to Lower Kurast
Well, for now I've reverted to AT runs. I have the runes I need, the base items will drop eventually. Speaking of which ...

1610916484460.png

Third Flail I tried my luck on with the cube recipe. Better resist roll would have been, well better obviously, but still, I'm happy with it :).

Like I said, I'll probably be focusing on AT for now, which gives very good xp. The only runeword I obviously want now is Infinity, but I don't feel like it's that needed until I switch to a Lightning sorc. Which isn't anytime soon.
Pb_pal said:
@T72on1 - Congrats on all the finds and the two shiny new toy! Hopefully that base for CtA drops soon. Let the power-leveling begin ;)
NanoMist said:
Nice LK finds!

Some more of my own:

7 mfsc with 11% lr
Sur#3 - Run#2496

Updating my other numbers-

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      94             No          506        246            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      88             Yes          76         69            4          24.45
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      86             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Not a super chest but a corpse:

Sur#4 - Run#2807

Same corpse that gave me the 40/15 Gheeds. Must be my lucky corpse. :)
Tarantella said:
Well done with all the high runes!

Not keen on fast runs in LK hell so slotted some topazes into bought gear and went back to nightmare having avoided sequential Baal and Mephisto runs there previously but mainly to run Andariel. Dropped many useful items including several Gheeds, Goldwraps, low Vipers, Chancies, a cuddly toy, Shaftstop, Tal's mask, Aldurs boots, Nagels, Um,Pul and Lum - (Baaling), a handy rare ring with 20 strength, a ward shield with 50 resists, a 50 Tarnhelm, a 30 ED magefist, a Sigon set with perfect stats etc but no Thundergods, Shako or SoJ. However on about the 200th Andy run during which around 20 flawless Amethysts were upgraded did drop Tals ammy so returned to Hell well satisfied and made lvl 87 running the Tower with some mid range success.

1610916573771.png


Also saw these running the shrines for upping gems

1610916581368.png



Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      94             No          506        246            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      88             Yes          76         69            4          24.45
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
@NanoMist Congrats on the to-be-Infinity (I assume) :).

@Tarantella Might and Spectral Hit, very dangerous pack there ... ;).

After last post, I did AT runs with Neverland, until I hit level 90. Nothing too fancy dropped, although I did find my first TC81+ item: M'avina's Embrace. I also found an Andariel's Visage for my merc, which is always a nice thing. Still looking for that 5os sword to make CtA. It would definitely help me a lot, as currently my AT running times are quite slow, due to me not daring to blindly teleport all the time. Especially when amp'ed. O yes, and also because I have a really crowded AT map, and I can't resist killing large mobs. CtA won't help me there, I'm afraid :oops:.

This actually leads me to a question: for xp, is it worth it to kill larger packs in AT, or should I only kill bosses and minions? Champs, are they worth it, or not beyond a certain point? Also, /p8 is best, right? Or should I stick to /p7 for some reason?

After I hit level 90, I started switching between AT and LK, depending on what I felt like running. Nothing good yet unfortunately, although I did get some plain skillers. No Sorc cold ones though, which leads me to yet another question: is it worth it to reroll GCs found in LK, or should I stick to those dropped by Baal, whenever I start running him?

I will keep focusing on AT, with some LK in between, until I manage to make that CtA. At that point, I might start throwing other areas, like CS, Throne Room and Travincal into the mix, depending on map rolls.

Edit: o yes, I made a new stick for my merc, in case I don't need Insight anymore after I manage to make CtA, and if I don't have Infinity at that point:

1610916628490.png

Couldn't resist making it after the 5os eth Thresher dropped.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      94             No          506        246            2           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Kitteh said:
Some good progress here! Sorry, I was in London for a race over the weekend so I'm totally behind on what has been happening. Can't read through it all though, any major incidents?
Tarantella said:
Can we have a column for high runes found? :cool:
NanoMist said:
@Tarantella - Good progress there, from our HC leader!

@T72on1 - Great Obedience there with the thresher base. Nice runeword that gets overshadowed by its aura-wielding competition. The GC's in LK can get up to 40 life, and the Baal GC's 41-45, so it's up to you if you want to wait until then. May take a while to get that GC though. I initially rerolled LK GC's but stopped due to limited stash/inventory space.

Bosses + minions and Berserkers are worth 5x exp and the Champions are worth 3x exp. Also important is that these monsters are at a higher mlvl, so the exp penalty for level difference sets in later. I would focus on boss packs for exp efficiency, at P8.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I will be going enigma first. It will speed up the remaining LK runs. :)
T72on1 said:
@Kitteh No major incidents. Just good progress. I think @Tarantella 's last post is a good hint as to what has been happening lately for the most part, mainly thanks to some people running LK. Including me, for the first time in my life, and having a lot of fun with it. And quite some luck already: Sur, Ohm, 2x Gul, Ist and Mal in my first 500 runs.

@NanoMist Thanks for the answer. I will start rerolling GCs as I go in LK already I think. And try to force myself to only kill boss packs in AT, not regular mobs. I had a much better map with my HC Sorc in that respect. It might be wise to reroll, but I don't want to give up my LK map yet. On the other hand, on my current AT map, it often just means that, while I'm killing the champs and bosses, I'm taking a rather large amount of normal creeps with them. This can never be a bad thing. I just need to have the discipline not to stop for regular mobs when there aren't any champs or bosses around.

Good luck on getting that Enigma !!! Only 2 Surs or a Ber to go.
 
Tarantella said:
Back in hell using replacing the Lionheart with a Vipers required two strength rings and about 7 charms with strength on them. However this comfortably gave the 105 bp for the twin spirit set up so that was kept for fireball with blue crystal sword and blue Ward shield on swap for cold damage.

Managed to drop an um rune off the countess soon after last post so there's a hoto there somewhere. Was paying particular attention to racks on level 5 and noticed even when items seem random sometimes they were being generated as matched pairs. Anyhow decided to get a map with the waypoint closer to the tower and set to with a will to run The Countess several hundred times to get to 88 this time with the other racks on the tele route down.

Quite often they were guarded by an archer pack that just managed to let out an "ooh" as Mizan's aura caught them as we shot past but this time... this time.

1610916778143.png

It's going to cost a lot more cash to gamble something better now.
Pb_pal said:
Great progress guys and some sweet finds piling up!

@T72on1 - I'll just echo what @NanoMist said. If XP is your aim, the focus on boss packs (minions included). I add in the champ packs if they are layered with a boss pack, or I'll do them alone as well if I'm feeling like running in a more relaxed fashion that day. Always at /p8 if you can handle it, of course. At the higher levels, regular creep drop off drastically in XP gains and are not worth the extra time to kill (of course, the drops can still be nice though).

As for the GCs, I would just re-roll LK ones until you find some Baal (or Nihlatha as he drops the good ones too) ones. The difference isn't much, and the chances of rolling an appropriate GC with 45 life is so small that it's not really worth waiting for in my opinion. As with NanoMist, the only reason I'm not re-rolling GCs is that I ran out of space in the stahs to hold Pgems. Sweet merc stick too!

@Kitteh - The LK frenzy is well underway! People are starting to get some very shiny items now, there's at least 1 Infinity out there that I can remember, and NanoMist is quickly approaching Enigma-sin status.

@Tarantella - Nice Shako drop! Keep it up :)

--

Eleanor continued the AT grind for a while, crafting caster amulets along the way whenever a Ral drops, although nothing great has come of it yet. The most annoying one so far is this. Really? The ONE tree that I won't ever use. We did manage to increase our Vipermagi from 23 to 30 res all, so that's nice!

With XP slowing down in the tunnels, we made the switch to start running the Chaos Sanctuary. It's much more dangerous, and we have to babysit Emilio more, but the XP comes quite a bit quicker here. Just as we were hitting our groove, we died to a silly teleport into a Might enchanted knight pack and promptly lost all progress we had made. That hurt. Oh well, back on the horse!

As time went on and we got more used to the runs (and the boss pack spawn points), the danger subsided a little, and runs became more comfortable. The only annoying thing is CI Infectors are a fairly common occurence. I know Infinity would obviously fix that, but I'm not ready to give up the mana from Insight just yet.

We FINALLY found ourselves a pair of Magefists! This allowed us to free us our ring slots for more MF, so hopefully this will get us some more goodies (I'm looking at you, Arachnid Mesh!).

Not a whole lot else to report other than hitting 95, so now amulet gambling is guaranteed a shot at +2 skills, which is a nice little side effect. :)

Other finds:
2x Vex (1 and 2)


--

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       90             Yes           -        190            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
@Tarantella so jealous of your new hat.

I was able to find a perfect Boneshade though, just now. What are the odds in that one would be perfect? Come on, mathletes, let me know. 5 variables, but only two choices per variable. It is as simple as 2^5?
PhineasB said:
@NanoMist: congrats on 2/3 of an Enigma! That small charm is pretty awesome as well.

And very nice LK finds, everyone! It's good to see the runes dropping, along with useful gear from elsewhere like the Shako for @Tarantella.

As for me, I hadn't been able to play since my last post due to lots of deadlines for work and long days, and then having to travel. I was a little more than half way to Level 91 and just got the rest of the way there with a mix of Pits, Pindle, and WSK/Baal runs. No major finds to report, other than a Unique Champion Axe from Baal.

With an assassin, where should I focus for leveling? I'd like to get at least another level before going back to LK runs. Guidance is much appreciated -- I've never really paid attention to the amount of XP gains based on level because I haven't had a goal tied to character level.

--

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     19             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Southpaw8668 said:
Dang I've totally overlooked this gem far too long and will be starting up my next future Mat/Pat just as soon as I can decide what hero I want to play along with.
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Congrats on 95, still going strong !!! Good to hear about your tactics, will be interesting for us once we get to those levels as well. I assume you already have a CtA on switch by now? HotO on main? I'm still looking for 4os Monarchs myself. Maybe I should cut down on mf, I have about 200% now, and see blue Monarchs on a regular basis ...

@OldSoldier Congrats on that perfect Boneshade. I found a near perfect a while ago, I think it was with my HC Sorc. Lovely item it is.

@PhineasB I'm not sure where you should level best. I assume you don't have Enigma yet? I'd think still Pits. I had the impression that Pindle wasn't giving good xp for my sorc anymore from 88 or 99 on. Then again, I'm playing a Sorc, where Teleport plays a big role, and running Pindle you take that pretty much out of the equation. My SC Dancer Assassin was also quite good at CS iirc, but she had really good gear, including a Stormlash, which is key for a Dancer in my opinion.

Good luck, on whatever target you decide on.

@Southpaw8668 You are joining us? Cool !!! Good luck.
Pb_pal said:
@T72on1 - I was lucky enough to find a Death's Fathom a couple levels back, so I've got that and a 35 FCR Spirit Monarch on my main. If I hadn't found the DF, I would be running HoTo for sure. CtA/Spirit on switch, as you said.

@PhineasB - I'm not too well versed in leveling trappers, but the Pits I believe is the go-to spot. They should provide plenty of XP for the next few levels. Once you have Enigma/Infinity you can always try the CS as well. You will still run in to some unbreakable bosses (Spectral Hit/LE Vizier, for example), but if you can handle the runs decently the XP is quite good there, even at high levels (95+).

Another area where trappers (with infinity/enigma) excel is Baal runs. Looks like you've already done the Ancients quest (I'm assuming that screenie is from Hell?), so that could very well be your best bet assuming you can handle the runs decently at a higher /p setting.

@Southpaw8668 - Welcome! I look forward to hearing of your adventures. :)
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Doh, of course, I saw your picture of the DF, but forgot. Did you specifically hunt for those Monarchs, or not really? I'm hardly finding any, let alone white or with 4os, and iirc it took me quite a while with my HC Sorc as well. Would it be a good idea to take off as much mf as possible (I'd rather keep my Shako, it's the BiS by far atm)? Getting 35% fcr on it is definitely nice, did it take you a lot of tries to get it?
Pb_pal said:
I got REALLY lucky, and the very first white Monarch I found got 4 sockets in the cube, right at the end of the questing portion of her adventure. It took 11 rerolls to get it to 35 FCR.

I actually only found my second one WAY later. I can't remember exactly when, but I had my CtA before I got it, so 93+ to give a rough idea.

Unless you're really hurting for the FCR, I wouldn't hunt specifically for it (ie, take off MF). I look at it as something that's bound to come eventually, and the potential finds/gold for gambling/gear upgrades from the increased MF in the meantime are more valuable. Maybe just kill some extra creeps along the way in the AT.
T72on1 said:
No, no, it's the 5os sword that I still need ...

1610917005207.png

After about 120 LK runs, where I found an Ist but nothing else really, I decided to continue in AT. Seems like the HRs where hiding there today :).
NanoMist said:
Holding out for a stylish crystal sword CTA? War scepter CTA is nice too. :)

I usually stay away from flail CTA with a HoTo switch, but if I must, axe bases are good too.

Nice progress everyone!
T72on1 said:
Nanomist said:
Holding out for a stylish crystal sword CTA? War scepter CTA is nice too. :)

I usually stay away from flail CTA with a HoTo switch, but if I must, axe bases are good too.

Nice progress everyone!
:confused: o_O :oops: ... Oh noes ... welcome to the wonderful world of T72on1's dull moments. For some reason, I was convinced that CtA could only be made in Swords. Which is stupid really, because I have actually seen pictures of CtA War Scepters before, and when I found another Ohm with one of my tainted SC characters about a year ago, I asked around in the Basin who else had made a CtA to actually use as weapon, and not only for the oskills.

While very embarrassing, this is of course quite good news :). I'm not longer looking for Crystal Swords as the only candidates, but can also make it in Flails, Double Axes, Military Picks, War Axes and War Scepters.

I can see why you wouldn't want a Flail CtA with a Flail HotO, but in fact I might have a 5os Flail somewhere. Would be awesome if I could make it, as my merc still dies from time to time in AT, and a lot of other times I still have to take care of regular mobs as well, because not doing so is too dangerous. This obviously leads to far slower running times. I also had another death in AT yesterday, shortly after my previous post, which not only bugs the hell out of me, but also is getting bigger consequences as my level increases.

Thanks @NanoMist for pointing out the obvious.
NanoMist said:
Good luck with the CTA roll!

On the topic of runeword bases, I'm hoping it doesn't take eons to find my infinity base. I'll probably use the first eth elite polearm I come across. I don't think I'll wait on a thresher/giant thresher.
T72on1 said:
NanoMist said:
Good luck with the CTA roll!

On the topic of runeword bases, I'm hoping it doesn't take eons to find my infinity base. I'll probably use the first eth elite polearm I come across. I don't think I'll wait on a thresher/giant thresher.
Thanks :). And yes, same here. Or maybe not, I still need two Bers or a Ber and a Sur for Infinity, so I have plenty of time.

On the upside, I have finally found a white Monarch, and it got 4 sockets in the cube !!! Got a 34% fcr roll, so I still need to use one fcr ring, but could ditch my Magefists and the other ring for something more useful. Also found a white Crystal Sword, but that one rolled 2 sockets in the cube. Actually I had to hit LK again to find an Amn before I could use the cube recipe. I used to keep way too many lower runes, now I'm apparantly at the other side of the spectrum, because I found a huge number of Amns in LK and other places already, but left them on the ground most of the times.
Smancer said:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          277        173            1           67
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

Bit of progress. Smancer made it through Act 2,

Really was a frustrating A2. It made me put it off for so long. First and only S/U was a green double axe.

I popped down to p1 for Durry, super easy with decrypt. The maggot hole was hell. The Arcane sanctum was hell. Confuse did virtually nothing to make other monsters attack themselves. I think in Nightmare, I will turn these areas down to p1, and CE my way thru just to prevent me from smashing my head against the wall.
T72on1 said:
Finally ...

1610917135962.png

Quite a good roll, although I obviously would have loved the most important stat to be higher.

Nothing too soon, as I suffered yet another death in AT. Not sure why my play is so sloppy atm, considering I got my HC Sorc to 95. Ah well, after the CtA, everything went much smoother. Also tried a couple of CS runs, but those can be quite tough and scary, I must say. Will get the hang of it eventually though.

I'm up to some 1750 life and 1150 mana now. I should probably try to switch out my merc's Insight for the much better Obedience. And then try to get the runes for Infinity. For now I'll probably mostly run AT and not LK though. I've had 2 Bers drop there with my HC Sorc too, I might get lucky again ...
NanoMist said:
I'm on the verge of reaching a milestone!

Vex#2-Run#3686
Lo#1-Run#3815
Sur#5-Run#3824

Lo and Sur 9 runs apart after going 1k runs since my last Sur. Nasty monster pack hanging around the Lo rune too. Now I have enough runes to cube up to an enigma.

Haul pic!

Gul runes galore? Now to continue LK to collect the gems needed to cube up the runes. Will clear up some much needed stash space.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      87             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Tarantella said:
Tarasha safely leveled to 88 in the Tower, amassing a selection of runes topped by more Ko's, another Fal, a Pul and 2 Ums. In the process dropped a Titans and Bartucs but more usefully another cold skiller with 4 strength. Coupled with this The Countess dropped a rare ring with 20 strength and poor other stats which allowed a good reshuffling of charms in the stash part of the space occupied by a nice large charm with 35 life and 15 cold resist. Interspersing a few Sanctuary runs dropped a Credendum and unique Templar coat.

Leveled to 89 doing Crypt runs finding a Mal and Um in the barrels and dropped a pair of Goreriders on the way to the Burial grounds. Found yet another cold skiller but couldn't safely find room to use it at this point and also stashed a combat skiller with 27 life. In preparation for equipping a Hoto and wishing to keep the 86 fhr breakpoint dug out a few small charms and two grand charms of balance found much earlier in her career. Crafted 20 belts in an attempt to drop one with 24 fhr and high strength but failed and set too gambling for plated belts with the same intention. Finally just after reaching 89 got a second 4 socket Monarch off a rack in the crypt with the map rerolled after visiting nightmare to shop belts and then another white shortly after which cubed to a single socket yet again!


Switched to the AT after making a 36 Hoto and leveled half way to 90 settling on P5 and a map with a circular route which avoided the middle. Finding a large and a small charm of balance meant another reshuffle to get in the 3rd cold skiller and remove the grand charms of balance but much of the damage is done using stand off fireball keeping Mizan on the spot. Drops included a rare diadem with 2 pala skills and 20fcr (otherwise poor stats) and a Jah which was the only drop off a lone wandering undead bushwhacked at the end of a run. I think he was looking for change. :)

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      90             Yes         138        109            5           33
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      89             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
@Tarantella - Congrats! Any plans for the Jah? Even enigma would be great for a sorc.

Speaking of enigma, I removed the treachery from my light plate for a big upgrade.

Rolled a 40% Hoto first try too.

Also found my CTA base within an hour of pits, no socket recipe needed. Going to be difficult to top this CTA roll in the future. Might as well though since I don't need to burn any more vex runes for hoto rerolls. :)
Tarantella said:
A 40 Hoto is very nice first roll. :)

I had the runes for enigma once with a HC summoner but never used it. For a SC sorc it must be the bee's knees saving stat points all round to put out extra damage. I'd put it in a 15 ED elite heavy armour for style points for Tarasha.

If you're into 200fcr "nosebleed" territory though is it still an option?
 
T72on1 said:
@Tarantella Congrats on the great progress and super finds and runewords. Even more so because it's HC. 3 Cold skillers, call me very jealous ... I'm still without a single one.

@NanoMist That's 3 tremendous runewords, with very nice rolls !!! Congrats.
T72on1 said:
Quite a frustrating run I had for the past 3 hours, doing AT runs. You know these runs will come eventually, and will be followed by good runs again, but still they are frustrating. No good drops (best were 2x Pul and 2x Aldur's armor), and most important a death when I was progressing well from 92 to 93 :(. At this point each death means quite a lot of runs before you break even again, certainly because I didn't manage to grab my body. Stupid really, because I didn't have any close calls ever since making CtA, and this one took me down in one hit.

Hopefully better luck next time. I'm currently somewhere at the 92.30 level mark.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      92             Yes         225        150            8          43.5
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      89             Yes           -          -            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
hasuprotoss said:
This thread has convinced me to get back into this game, starting completely over from scratch means it's a lot easier to take part in this tournament!

I started a while back but have only lurked before now. I mostly stole all of my leveling ideas from @Pb_pal. My character, Reina, has made it to level 86, but she's in desperate need of some gear upgrades. I have negative resists everywhere after I took a Stormshield to replace my Ancient's Pledge. I've luckily hit the 105 FCR breakpoint, but I'm rethinking how I'll get gear in the foreseeable future. I'm thinking of running Meph for a good couple of runs in order to aim for a Harlequin Crest, Arachnid's Mesh, and some decent boots/gloves. Unfortunately, it means giving up a decent AT map, but I think that's doable for now.

I've been able to clear AT at /players7, but it's been at a slow and steady pace and I've just been killing everything to keep myself safe. I think getting some decent gear, hitting LK for HotO and CTA, and probably Treachery and Delirium for the Merc.

Currently full Blizz sorc, will swap to lightning in the mid to late 90's in order to run CS to 98, and then probably Ancients into Baal to 99 (I don't know if I want to run Nihl, the ideas of Baal drops excite me too much!)


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      92             Yes         225        150            8          43.5
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      89             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      86             Yes         103         82            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Tarantella said:
If you're into 200fcr "nosebleed" territory though is it still an option?
Have to use Vipermagi or Ormus I think.


@hasuprotoss - Great to hear you'll be joining us. Hope to hear more about your progress!
T72on1 said:
@hasuprotoss That's great !!! Welcome to the tournament (although it's more of a journey we all make together than a tournament were we try to race each other ... ), and good luck.
Pb_pal said:
@hasuprotoss - Welcome! Good luck, and keep us updated on all your progress. :)

Great progress and finds everyone else!

--

As for me, my playing time will be taking a hit for a while (plus the start of Daz's tournament), so expect a slow-down from me for a bit.

Eleanor is on her way to 96, and I decided to do a bit of number crunching to share with everyone. She is full-time CS running now, as that is easily the best XP/time. Over the course of 100 runs here is the info she's come up with ~404k XP/run on average. This means that it will take ~510 runs to make 96.

Her runs right now are usually around 1:20-1:30, although this could be much faster. I'm still running at a fairly casual pace, stopping for extra boss-packs etc. That time also includes muling (which happens every couple runs or so, thanks to no extended stash and keeping track of all S/U drops).

So I'm looking at 12.75 hours to hit 96, obviously assuming the pace is kept and there are no deaths along the way.

Nothing much else has happened yet, but I'll save that for her level-up update. In the meantime, happy running everyone!
T72on1 said:
I finally did what I should have done ages ago: I rerolled my AT map. It only took me 3 tries to get an awesome map. So much better than my previous one, which was really subpar. Now I have AT next to the WP, 3 shrines in AT (none in my previous map) and a map that is very easy to navigate and fast to run.

This way I got to level 93 after 2.5 more hours of running AT. Could and should have been faster actually, but I died yet another time :oops:. Got nothing fancy, but quite a lot of grailers, and a 35% resist all Vipermagi to replace my 33% one. So I'm a happy camper.

I'll probably continue running AT until at least 94, maybe 95.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      89             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      86             Yes         103         82            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Tarantella said:
Tarasha reached lvl 90 doing AT runs adding Nature's Peace and The Rising Sun to her jewelry collection in the process. She also dropped a warcry skiller with 32 life and a favourite merc item.

1610917489029.png


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      90             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      86             Yes         103         82            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
JacobMiller said:
What is everyone's favourite merc for a blizz sorc?
RIP said:
JacobMiller said:
What is everyone's favourite merc for a blizz sorc?
I think it depends on the situation...

For example when running Mephisto, i do like Kelpie snare + Treachery + Guillaumes face combo...When running LK, i prefer Insight + Treachery + Tals mask...I can't say much about running Tunnels and Council though, as i don't have much experience running these areas (AT) or running there with Blizz sorc (Council)
JacobMiller said:
RIP said:
I think it depends on the situation...

For example when running Mephisto, i do like Kelpie snare + Treachery + Guillaumes face combo...When running LK, i prefer Insight + Treachery + Tals mask...I can't say much about running Tunnels and Council though, as i don't have much experience running these areas (AT) or running there with Blizz sorc (Council)
Defiance?
T72on1 said:
@JacobMiller I assume you were mostly referring to merc type and aura if an act 2 merc (which most people use anyway, I assume), not gear? I usually run with a Holy Freeze merc to at least slow down cold immunes. With my current Blizzard Sorc, the one in this project, I took Might to get rid of CIs faster.

I just love the convenience of Insight too much to give it up most of the times. Now that I have CtA and I could easily gear for some 1200 mana (without SoJs, that is), I could actually switch to something else. I tried it, but like I said, Insight is just so convenient that I found using mana pots quite a drag, so I switched back. I tried an Obedience on the merc though, for an Infinity I would definitely try to get used to the mana pots :). On my other SC Blizzard Sorc I did have 2 Sojs and as a consequence more mana, but no Infinity, so her merc ran with an eth Reaper's Toll. Which is incredible as well in my opinion, at least in terms of safety and merc survival.

For body armor I usually go with Treachery, it's the best way to keep him alive in most circumstances, which is more important than him killing somewhat faster. For specific targets, like the Council, another armor sometimes is better. For the helm I use the usual suspects: Andariel's or Vampire Gaze in most cases, sometimes something else like Kira's of Guillaume's.

@Tarantella Congrats on level 90 !!! No simple feat on HC ...
RIP said:
@JacobMiller: Ahh, i'm stupid, sorry, because i can't even read...I do prefer Mighty merc, because after all, Bliizz sorc kills everything quickly, except CI of course...But i do play probably differently as i do have max block, and in some areas (LK) even direct dmg reduction... I need to mention, that i play HC only, so this might be reason for my choices...Mighty merc, if decently equipped, can kill with help of telekinesis even tough monsters with p7 setting

Edit: Some explanation - i don't know why, but somehow i've thought,that Your first post is connected to the previous post, where green helmet /Guillaumes was posted as a find...Hmm, my brain is really messing with me today, sorry again
Tarantella said:
Spending some points in strength freed up a ring slot and using the Natures Peace oak sage was fine wielding two Spirit swords but poofed everytime a switch away from the Hoto was made which was annoying but worked fine when in an undead filled AT or whilst teleporting there.

However after a few more runs the urge to become a Guardian took over and progress from the Crystalline wp was quickly made and the Ancients reached picking up an Ist in the Way on the way.

The first attempt seemingly had all three extra fast and impossible to separate but the quest was completed after 2 rerolls.

1610917613827.png

The journey through the Keep for the first time was straight forward and Baal special first drop was as usual not very special at all. The map wasn't particular good but the 105 bp meant gloams and others were not even getting a shot off as Tarasha whizzed by. Not having played a sorceress in the Hell keep for a few years now it took a while to remember all the foibles there but after a few dozen runs with various merc equipment combinations Tarasha went back to the AT to level to 91.

During that time half an hour was spent carefully doing some short chest runs in LK snagging a Pul, a Fal, two skillers (mastery and offensive skills), another 7%mf sc and a 7% resist fire sc which remarkably is the first one picked up since Tarasha left the rogue camp in normal.

A couple of Monarchs were cubed for 1 and 2 sockets and 10 more belts crafted without success.

Picking all the gold up in the AT runs meant the 300 mark was passed gambling belts also with no success and two poor rerolls on the rare Diadem were offset by a getting a +2 to Sorceress skills 6% fcr amulet whilst crafting 10 amulets.

Most exciting find was a unique tiara which raised excitement levels a notch momentarily followed shortly after by finding a Mal in a re rolled map.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91            Yes          -          -            -          -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      86             Yes         103         82            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Congrats on Guardian! Good to see you beat Ancients and Baal safely.


Side note: LK has been very stingy since enigma, nothing higher than a mal in 1.6k runs so far. Definitely below average. Looks like I ran LK dry. Maybe I'll switch it up and run Pits for that infinity base, as a break from LK.
Pb_pal said:
Congrats on the Guardian! That's no small feat.
hasuprotoss said:
Reina has hit 89 today. She ran a good bit of Mephisto, finding a 27 all res Vipermagi, which is right now a much needed upgrade. No sign of a Harlequin Crest of Arachnid's Mesh, but we were fine to move on as Reina was itching to get some levels, seeing as her ultimate goal is 99.

Current plan is to continue running AT until 90. Then go find a much needed HotO, Treachery, and Delirium (last two for the Merc) in LK. If we can find a Mal and a Ber rune for Chains of Honor, I'll take it as well. I'll also be stacking up on perfect gems and Ral runes in order to try and nab a nice caster amulet!

After Reina has accumulated a few of these basic runewords, we'll head back to AT until 95, and then head back to LK for the final push of runewords and the switch to full on Lightning!

Speaking of which, when do we start crafting these? I thought I read somewhere that 90 is where you should start but the crafting formula on the Arreat Summit also has an ilvl requirement to get 4 affixes. Is the 90 clvl just for being able to get the right affixes?

Edit: Forgot the pictures!
XgriNbF.jpg

More Circlets than we know what to do with!

MREfIYH.jpg

A nice new Gheed's!

CgDNVYo.jpg

[Palpatine voice] Yes, yes! Let the Hatred run through you!

tdzG1B6.jpg

Courtesy of the sparkling chest!

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91            Yes          -          -            -          -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       91             Yes           -        207            7           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329         194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Pb_pal said:
@hasuprotoss - Great job, and some good finds coming!

For crafting amulets level 93 is the magic number. That way all amulets you gamble and then use in the craft will have the chance to get +2 to class skills.
T72on1 said:
Congrats on the Guardian !!! Very well done :).

Good progress everyone !!!

I haven't been able to play since last time. Weather has been fabulous, and we had 2 days off from school and work, so all time was spent on family and running.
Tarantella said:
Thanks folks!

Re rolling the map several times bought up this nice combination in the keep.

1610917712272.png

1610917722155.png


However decided to check out the other important areas Durance, LK AT and the Catacombs etc to see what the reroll had given. Settled into a run of 40 or so Mephisto runs. With Orb at 33 and mastery now increased to 21 Meph was being dispatched with careful aiming in 6-8 orbs though Mizan needed a few potions here and there for the beating he was taking. After a few runs and some umming and ahhing drops were improved by upping the remaining ums and mals to Ist and slotting both Ists into one of the Ali Baba swords acquired so far (eth for style points).

Took a bit of timing to get the swap right but finally got a cracking triple unique drop.
1610917738398.png

So back to the Worldstone Keep it is!
 
PhineasB said:
@Tarantella Congrats on the Guardian! It looks like a pretty nice WSK map too.

I haven't played much at all until today due to busy work schedule. I did some Baal runs, with a pretty good WSK map with directly down the stairs on WSK2 and then 2 or 3 boss packs clumped together on the way to the stairs on WSK3. Found a Boneflame, which is the first one of these I've ever found (it's one of the -15 grail from my 7x7 project).

After almost dying, I decided that a Call to Arms made more sense than slightly faster run/walk through town with Harmony, so I cubed up some runes. I can't complain, given my really good luck so far, but this was pretty terrible. Oh well.

I had one death, which I can't quite figure out -- I was standing half a screen away from Lister, who was LE and spectral. All I can assume is that my BO ran out and there was a stygian doll from behind or something. But I pinged to Lvl 92.

I think I will go back to LK for a bit, in hopes of some charm upgrades (skiller or 2 would be great).

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       92             No          296        178            1           82
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
NanoMist said:
Continuing LK some more paid off with Sur#6-Run#5847, and a 3/19/3 SC. But still, it was almost 2k runs since the last Sur, and no Ber so far.

Upon reaching LK#6000 I decided to switch to Pits for a change of scenery. That 4os eth elite polearm just would not want to drop- usually it was non-eth or wrong number of sockets. Popped a 3 unique chest on level 2 and a Grandfather not much later.

Some of those archer packs can be really nasty down there. Usually CoS will shut down the entire screen, but from time to time I'll take a few arrows and lose 1500-2000 health. Fire blast against LI is a little underwhelming right now, due to lack of infinity, not being maxed out yet, and the high player count. So usually I'll skip lone archer packs.

It's been a long while since I leveled up but I finally reached 93.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      95             No          610        268            3           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       93             No          388        220            1          111
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      83             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
OldSoldier said:
OK so I was putzing around the RoF with Battleforge because of the @Pb_pal thread about the Superchests there. I'd been running Battleforge in the LK and Andariel to try for a Shako and some Aldur's boots (did get Natalya's tonight, almost as good but not quite in my book). Still no luck with either, or getting 4 sockets out of a flail, or a Pul (I would like Hoto before switching to CS for some more horsepower on the attack and I already have the Vex). After getting a few more uniques I decided to reroll my sweet Andy map to try to see if I could do better with RoF and/or LK, and went a hunting in the RoF. I did not get a superchest in the area near the WP in that thread, but I've also been searching for XP (he's at 87 now so Eldritch is about dried up and his drops stink anyway and Pindle and the CS are still too iffy for my gear and life and gaming skills to be comfortable) and the monster roll was pretty easy so I decided to do some monster hunting before a map re-roll, and lo and behold, this dropped.

1610918331000.png

What in the heck am I supposed to do with this? I have played this game since the beginning and this is the first rune drop over Vex for me (only got two of those too), which I think is pretty nutty. I was surprised to say the least. So what does a Paladin do with this? Switch to a zealot and swing some kind of BOTD? Ignore it and drive on with copious amounts of cheese? Thoughts welcome.
Tarantella said:
OldSoldier said:
... and lo and behold, this dropped.
Great find! I was expecting a Lo rune in the screenie :)


Eth zerker botd is the thing I believe for that particular drop.
T72on1 said:
@OldSoldier What? No way, that is insane !!! Congrats are in order, I'd say :). I hope to see one myself some day as well, but up till now, no luck.

As for what to do with it? Not much with your Hammerdin I think, but I'm don't know anything about Hammerdins. Keep it for a future character? Make a eBotD for your merc?
coju said:
You aren't a charity case! Throw it on the Ground! You don't need D's hand-outs! Save and Exit!
Southpaw8668 said:
OMZ!!! Way to go OldSoldier, now to find the perfect weapon to rest it in.
Pb_pal said:
@OldSoldier - Wow! Huge congrats, that's awesome! There's no denying the style of an eBOTD-wielding zealot, but if I was in your shoes (and could afford losing the meditation aura) I would make a big pokey stick for the merc.

--

As for me, finally an update! As mentioned before, playing time has taken a hit due to RL and Daz' tournament, but I'm still plugging away with Eleanor when I get the chance.

We tried out our first Imbue, with pretty lackluster results. Not like we were expecting anything great anyways, oh well!

Not long after that, we found ourselves a new hat anyways. It's not amazing by any means, lacking FCR, MF, life etc, but we'll gladly take it over our current Tarnhelm! We also crafted ourselves a pretty decent amulet, which we are now using. Shame it didn't roll 10 FCR, but we can live with that for now. It's still an upgrade, and Eleanor is more than happy to use it.

Unfortunately, Eleanor died once as well. She teleported right into the middle of an Extra Strong, fanaticism-enchanted OK pack on our way between seals, and bit it before we could even hit a rejuv. This prompted her to do some gear switching, and focus a bit more on survivability/killing power and sacrifice some MF. Basically, she swapped her Goldwrap out for Snowclash, and a Nagelring for Dwarf Star (plus a bit of charm swapping with some we had in the stash). Her MF is sitting just below 100 right now, so hopefully she continues to find some goodies! Here is a look at her LCS (post-BO):

PltIyQI.jpg

.
Not bad! She became instantly much sturdier and promptly got back to leveling. She was well on her way to 96 when her 2nd golden Dusk Shroud dropped. She headed back to Cain and he informed her that she might want to take a closer look at it:

4dlEG1p.jpg

.
Well that complicates things. Eleanor is seriously reconsidering switching to lightning in the end, as the gear she is amassing is beginning to really make a strong case. It's hard to deny popping facets in the Robes and our Fathom and staying cold for the duration. As if she wasn't torn enough already, right before she hit 96 she found this awesome cold skiller with +33 life. Yeesh.

She hit 96 shortly thereafter, and will now take some time to deliberate what direction we're going to take in the future. Decisions, decisions...

Ah, she also breached 'Grail -200'. Woo!

Other finds:
- Andy's Visage which will be kept in the stash for now, as the CC on Delerium is imply too good to pass up.
- 2x Mal (1 and 2)
- A pretty nifty crafted Assassin amulet
- Reaper's
- ANOTHER plain cold skiller (brings our total to 3 cold skillers now)

--

Updated Battleforge's level as well. :)

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      93             Yes         256        165            9           46
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       93             No          388        220            1          111
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
Very well done @Pb_pal :). Nice going. Too bad you died once. I bet it means the loss of a few hours worth of grinding xp at your level? Anyway, congrats on level 96 !! I never got beyond 95 myself, so I find that very impressive.

Also congrats on the skiller. I still don't have a cold or lightning skiller at all, although I did find my second fire one :(. Again with +life, this time +29. Oh the irony ...

@NanoMist What I forgot to ask: why are you doing so many LK runs? If I'm not mistaking, you already have the runes for Infinity, HotO and CtA, no? I'd think that's all you need, but I'm probably missing out on something. Hopefully not something too embarrassingly obvious ...
OldSoldier said:
@coju ha that's a good 'un, I already stashed it though, so I guess I'll hold onto it for now!

I think I'll wait for a nice Great Poleaxe (ethereal of course) and then give the whole mess to the merc. I can also use it (If I don't die first) with a WW barb, which I've always been underwhelmed by honestly, but perhaps it is because of the weapon choices I've had available to me.

@Pb_pal great update! What a sweet set of robes! And what a skiller! I believe the game is telling you to stay cold for a while longer.
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal - Congrats on 96! Nice blizz damage too, especially now with the Ormus. If you want to stick with the cold equipment maybe Blizzball at 98? p1 seals should be quick and p7 Diablo not too bad with static. Nihlathak is a bit scary though without RIP. Infinity would help here as well, boosting fire damage and also lessening cold mastery investment.

@T72on1 - I have Enigma, Hoto, and Cta, with just Infinity remaining. I found another Sur since my last update, so now I'm a Ber away from Infinity. (Also missing the polearm base) I'll post that Sur screenie on the next update. For now I'm back in the Pits to search for the base and hope for Sur/Ber to drop along the way. I'm also gaining good exp. in Pits too.

I had hoped to find 5 Ber equivalent within 6k runs, but have only 4 to show for it. I haven't had a single Ber pattern drop within those 6k runs, so it's just bad luck there. At the very least I've crafted some decent jewelry and found good charms.
Pb_pal said:
@T72on1 - Yeah that death hurt. I got my body back, so it wasn't a total loss, but I definitely lost a couple hours worth of grinding. Don't want that to happen again, that's for sure.

@OldSoldier - Thanks! It sure seems that the game wants me to go cold, that's for sure! Are you positive about wanting a GPA for your base? I thought Threshers/Giant Threshers were desirable for their speed, at least for mercs. Although I guess BOTD has what, 60 IAS on it? Maybe that's enough to offset it.

@NanoMist - I think I've pretty much made up my mind to stay cold the whole way. I'm second guessing Nilly runs though, as I really don't want to die at 98. I'll test them out right after I level to get a gauge for the safety I suppose. She found a Nature's Peace early on and has kept it with her, so I've got RIP taken care of!

Good suggestion though for Blizzballer if I do D for the final level. I'd really only need a decent enough FB to kill /p1 De Seis and CI Infectors when they spawn, which I'm sure is pretty doable with minimal investment.

I'm struggling with whether or not to even make an Infinity now. That would mean I could go pure cold, but I'm not sure I want to lose the mana from Insight as it's just so terribly convenient and CM already drops all non-CIs to very close to their max -res. The thought of having to keep mana pots on hand and coordinate using them is a bit of a bummer too.

Hmm...
OldSoldier said:
Pb_pal said:
@OldSoldier - Thanks! It sure seems that the game wants me to go cold, that's for sure! Are you positive about wanting a GPA for your base? I thought Threshers/Giant Threshers were desirable for their speed, at least for mercs. Although I guess BOTD has what, 60 IAS on it? Maybe that's enough to offset it.
I'm getting way ahead of myself but I just can't seem to help it! Threshers only have 5 sockets, so they're out. GPA and Giant Threshers have 6, and they both hit the last WW breakpoint I think. GPA has a lower dex requirement by a lot, which is nice. That doesn't matter for the merc but it would for any of my other characters that might like a nice weapon like that. I think I'm leaning toward the GPA simply because it is not hard to get some more IAS on a merc in case I need him to swing just that much faster. In fact, Battleforge's stablemate is currently sporting a Hwanin's armor for the poison resist and CTC Static (and 100 life) and I've been thinking about switching that out for a Treachery for several days. Neither one of them are considered to be top shelf armors, that's for sure, but Treachery is better in most circumstances. But then again, Battleforge himself is still wearing his Stealth!!!

I don't have either base item so maybe I'll just jam it in whichever one drops first? I probably won't even wait for a superior version either. Maybe I'll get an eth Tomb Reaver first and all this will go out the window. I have already found a Ruby JoF (34%). Perhaps like your cold sorc specific drops I'll just keep playing and wait for the game to tell me what to do.
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal - I know what you mean. I will miss the unlimited mana when I switch to Infinity. All I can do now is build up a sizable mana pool to minimize potion use. If I ever find a shako that would help a lot too. Or find a spare Jah and build a Phoenix shield for that redemption. High price for convenience there.
T72on1 said:
@NanoMist Ok. Good luck on finding that Ber. You surely have a lot of dedication, doing so many runs.

@Pb_pal I'm not an expert in Nilly runs, but as far as I remember from doing them, I was fine with a source of RIP.

About Infinity and the loss of Insight ... after acquiring CtA, I tried switching the Insight of my merc for a much better Obedience. I focused on mana (without going overboard), which easily got me to some 1150 mana after BO. Even then I had to use mana potions from time to time. It's not that it was really annoying, and the Obedience definitely was an improvement, but using Insight instead is just so convenient. And in the end it's not like the merc does much of the killing, so I switched back to Insight. For Infinity though, I'd definitely try harder to make it work ...

As for CS runs ... I was assuming seals on /p8 all the time, and then include Diablo from level 96 or so on. Is it only Lord De Seis on /p1 because he is tough overall, or do you switch to /p1 for all seals at some point, to speed up the process to get to Diablo?

My plan still is to do AT runs until level 95, with some other runs like CS and LK thrown in the mix if I need a change of pace, or if I still need the Bers for Infinity or some more skillers (in which case I'll run LK as well), then CS until 98. After that do the Ancients and then Baal runs until 99. All of this if I ever get that far of course. Ideally I'd want to switch to Lightning at level 96, but that only makes sense with Infinity and Griffon's, both of which I don't have at the moment.

But maybe it makes more sense to just stay cold all the way. It makes gearing easier in a way. It's just that I was mentally prepared to make the switch at some point, when I first started this. Likewise, Nilly might make an equally good or better target at some point. It's just not something I considered when starting this.

Well, there's plenty of time to adjust if needed. That's the nice thing of this project :).
Pb_pal said:
T72on1 said:
As for CS runs ... I was assuming seals on /p8 all the time, and then include Diablo from level 96 or so on. Is it only Lord De Seis on /p1 because he is tough overall, or do you switch to /p1 for all seals at some point, to speed up the process to get to Diablo?
I was talking about 98-99, where the XP comes primarily from Diablo, in which case it's /p1 seals(for speed), /p7 Diablo(max XP). De Seis is CI, so for a cold sorc /p1 is essential for letting the merc kill him faster.

For the road to 98, my plan is just keep doing what I've been doing, which is Infector/Vizier seals at /p8 ('The Gripphon Run', as I like to think of it). At some point if I get bored (and make an Infinity), I'll consider adding Diablo into the mix, but it's doubtful (I think he technically becomes efficient at 97, but I'm not sure). My plan even before the fathom and the ormus robes was to stay pure cold until 98 and then re-spec to lightning for Nilly/Baal runs, as from what I could gather that was the most efficient way to do this.

Of course once you hit 98 there are the 3 big targets to choose from; Nilly, Diablo and Baal. Without going into too much detail, assuming you get ideal maps for all (including shrines for Nihlathak or Diablo), the consensus seems to be that those 3 targets in order of XP/time rank as:

1. Nihlathak (/p8)
2. Diablo (/p1 CS, /p7 D)
3. Baal (/p1 waves, /p8 Baal)

Of course that depends on the build, play-style, yada-yada-yada, but that's what the numbers show. As you say though, plenty of time to nail down a game plan! Glad to hear you were okay with a source of RIP though, that is definitely encouraging!
Grape said:
@Pb_pal Have you considered Blizzard/Nova for the last level? I can imagine that being quite effective in CS for P1/P7 runs. There's even one 99er although baal running one.

Anyway, great going all! Been following this thread all the time :)
Pb_pal said:
@Grape - Hmm. Blova could be quite interesting indeed. I'll definitely consider it, like you said it seems quite well suited for CS runs, even for Nilly runs. Maybe I'll test it out a bit on another sorc and see how it goes. Great idea!
T72on1 said:
I was going to say that nova is such a mana hog that you can't do it without Insight. But the thread Grape linked to, proves me wrong. So it's definitely a viable option. I respecced my tainted Blizzard Sorc to Blizz / Nova for Baal runs, and it worked very well, even without Infinity.

As for Baal as final target: I assumed he was the best target, frankly because I didn't consider any other options, as I thought everyone did Baal runs for that. Once again, it shows how much I know about certain aspects of the game :oops:. It certainly feels wrong to level a character all the way to 99, and not even finish the game :confused:. But it's always nice to know there are more options, so you can mix things up.
T72on1 said:
I finally hit level 94 ... and that's all there is to say really. From lvl 93 to lvl 94 I didn't find anything really worthwhile I think, except for a second Shako :(. Not a single TC 84 or TC 87, not a rune above Pul I think. I did seem to find a lot of grailers though, quite a few of which were ethereal, so there's some bonus points there.

Ah well, my lucky streak will come eventually ...

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       93             No          388        220            1          111
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
 
Southpaw8668 said:
Has anyone posted the best areas and/or bosses to run at the higher clvls? I've started with my Windy and will throw him in the table soon, now that I've realized he is fun enough to play all the way to 99. He's my first SP Windy ever and so far he's leveled pretty quickly to the mid 30's.
Southpaw8668 said:
Name: Njord
Class: Druid
Experience: 13142970
Level: 37

Naked/Gear
Strength: 70/70
Dexterity: 20/30
Vitality: 155/155
Energy: 20/20
HP: 389/436
Mana: 92/145
Stamina: 250/250
Defense: 5/296
AR: 70/2848

Fire: 26/-14/-74
Cold: 28/-12/-72
Lightning: 46/6/-54
Poison: 46/6/-54

MF: 79 Block: 12
GF: 6
FR/W: 0
FHR: 0
IAS: 0
FCR: 0

Raven: 0/0
Poison Creeper: 1/1
Oak Sage: 1/1
Summon Spirit Wolf: 0/0
Carrion Vine: 1/1
Heart of Wolverine: 0/0
Summon Dire Wolf: 0/0
Solar Creeper: 1/1
Spirit of Barbs: 0/0
Summon Grizzly: 0/0

Werewolf: 0/0
Lycanthropy: 0/0
Werebear: 0/0
Feral Rage: 0/0
Maul: 0/0
Rabies: 0/0
Fire Claws: 0/0
Hunger: 0/0
Shock Wave: 0/0
Fury: 0/0

Firestorm: 0/0
Molten Boulder: 0/0
Arctic Blast: 1/1
Fissure: 0/0
Cyclone Armor: 1/1
Twister: 16/16
Volcano: 0/0
Tornado: 10/10
Armageddon: 0/0
Hurricane: 8/8

Rune Cleaver
Giant Axe
Two Hand Damage: 23 - 45
Durability: 50 of 50
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x52b9bb2d
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 1 Amplify Damage on striking
+1 to Minimum Damage
+65 to Attack Rating
+53% Damage to Undead
+64 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 1 - 2 Fire Damage

Deathspade
Cleaver
One Hand Damage: 24 - 55
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 68
Fingerprint: 0x66718cfb
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
68% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Minimum Damage
15% Bonus to Attack Rating
Hit Blinds Target +1
+4 to Mana after each Kill
Required Level +5

Umbral Disk
Round Shield
Defense: 99
Chance to Block: 42
Durability: 76 of 76
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 53
Fingerprint: 0x7bac20b4
Item Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
30% Increased Chance of Blocking
Hit Blinds Target +1
+42% Enhanced Defense
+30 Defense
+10 to Dexterity
+20 to Life
All Resistances +19
-2 to Light Radius
Required Level +5
+12 Maximum Durability
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond

Ocher Gothic Plate
Gothic Plate
Defense: 131
Durability: 55 of 55
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x1cdac1da
Item Level: 36
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +16%

Nagelring
Ring
Required Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x18e8c579
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+58 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
18% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Angelic Halo
Ring
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x8e8f5ff4
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Replenish Life +6
Set (2 items): +24 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Set (3 items): 50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Plated Belt of Nova Shield
Plated Belt
Defense: 10
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x34cf5dac
Item Level: 32
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Nova when struck

Boots of Luck
Boots
Defense: 3
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0x4608912b
Item Level: 34
Version: Expansion 1.10+
34% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Pain Hand
Gauntlets
Defense: 12
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 12
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x5db3fdb3
Item Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Frost Nova when struck
Fire Resist +7%
Half Freeze Duration
19% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Great Helm of Frost Shield
Great Helm
Defense: 34
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 63
Fingerprint: 0x15be5524
Item Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 3 Frost Nova when struck

Wyrm's Amulet of Chance
Amulet
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0xaf1dd261
Item Level: 32
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+53 to Mana
8% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Small Charm of Frost
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x564e9e18
Item Level: 22
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)

Beryl Grand Charm of Anthrax
Grand Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x2175e6e7
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 50 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Poison Resist +14%

Viridian Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x1738d778
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Poison Resist +6%

Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x29d22e6c
Item Level: 22
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Life

Azure Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0xfc678c0e
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +5%
6% Extra Gold from Monsters

Stout Small Charm of Blight
Small Charm
Required Level: 6
Fingerprint: 0x285a9877
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+1 Defense

Viridian Small Charm of Blight
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0xc6ca1bca
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Poison Resist +7%

Azure Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0xda9d73da
Item Level: 32
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +4%

Coral Large Charm
Large Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xa6108092
Item Level: 35
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +11%

Insight
Partizan
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 125 - 256
Durability: 45 of 65
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 113
Required Dexterity: 67
Fingerprint: 0x213634b7
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
242% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
196% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+2 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

Havoc Wrack
Pike
Two Hand Damage: 23 - 115
Durability: 21 of 25
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 60
Required Dexterity: 45
Fingerprint: 0x4d26fda7
Item Level: 41
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 1 Amplify Damage on striking
70% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Maximum Damage
+85% Damage to Undead
+167 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 1 - 12 Lightning Damage
Poison Resist +8%

Mercenary:
Name: Ilzan
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Comb-Normal
Experience: 5476470
Level: 36
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 104/104
Dexterity: 80/80
HP: 525/533
Defense: 362/648
AR: 425/475

Fire: 87/47/-13
Cold: 87/47/-13
Lightning: 87/47/-13
Poison: 96/56/-4

Gale Hide
Gothic Plate
Defense: 163
Durability: 55 of 55
Required Level: 5
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x12d60aac
Item Level: 32
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Enhanced Defense
+8 to Life
Poison Resist +9%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Poison Length Reduced by 25%

Duskdeep
Basinet
Defense: 123
Durability: 18 of 30
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 82
Fingerprint: 0x72e6e949
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+8 to Maximum Damage
+34% Enhanced Defense
+19 Defense
All Resistances +15
Damage Reduced by 7
-2 to Light Radius
Required Level +5

Malice
Poleaxe
IthElEth
Two Hand Damage: 23 - 60
Durability: 41 of 65
Required Level: 15
Required Strength: 62
Fingerprint: 0x420ecf63
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+
33% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Maximum Damage
-25% Target Defense
+50 to Attack Rating
100% Chance of Open Wounds
Prevent Monster Heal
-100 to Monster Defense Per Hit
Replenish Life -5
+0 to Light Radius
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Ith Rune
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       93             No          388        220            1          111
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     37             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
Pb_pal said:
@Southpaw8668 - Welcome to the fold! As for your question, it will of course depend on the build that you're running with. For higher clvls I'm assuming you mean 90+?

Generally (in my experience, anyways):

90-94/95 - Pits or AT depending on build. Great experience, the monsters aren't too tough (watch out for archers in the Pits though!)

From there on it starts to diverge a bit. If you can handle the CS at a decent speed then XP becomes significantly faster there. Gripphon has shown what the (as far as I can find out anyways) most efficient way to level to 98 is for several builds.

If you can't run CS at that point either due to gear restrictions, or build restrictions, then you have several ways of going about it (until 98 anyways).

- Stay in the Pits/AT (still a great option, just slower)
- Start Baaling (or just the waves, see below)
- Other A85 runs if you want, although you won't be able to match the efficiency I don't think.

If you are going to be Baaling, it diverges even more from there depending on the build. Basically it comes down to whether or not adding Lister or Baal into the mix is worth it. Usually it's not at the "lower" levels. Typically it will go like this:

- until 96/97: Ventar or Lister runs (depending on the char/firepower)
- Add Baal in until 98

For you specifically, notice 2 posts down from that one, Gripp details optimal Baaling (well, his waves anyways) strats for a Windy.

Once you hit 98, you essentially have 3 options (again, depending on gear/build). I stated it briefly in my post last page, but I'll go into a bit more detail here. The options from here on out are (ranked in terms of general efficiency):

1. Nihlathak runs (~23k XP/run)
2. Diablo runs (51k XP/run)
3. Baal runs (83k XP/run )

Those numbers do not take into account XP shrines, which you can (and should) hunt for for either Nilly or Diablo runs, so they'll be even faster. Diablo is the easiest target to carry a shrine with, as witches can still curse your shrine away on Nilly runs.

Taking in to consideration the time it takes to run these targets, Baal is by far the least efficient of the 3. Of course not all builds can run CS/Nilly (and not all players want to). Another bonus to Diablo/Nilly paths are that you can save your Ancients quest until 98, making the most out of that free XP. I guess it's worth it to note though that with some builds that may not necessarily offset the time you save by Baaling from ~94-98 (vs running, say, the Pits until 98), although I haven't seen any hard data on that so it's just conjecture.

Of course this all depends on your run times, and speed vs safety and everything, but it's a good template to go off of. Also, I am by no means an expert on this stuff, so if someone wants to come by and prove me wrong, they certainly can! :p
NanoMist said:
Mighty fine guideline for end game leveling. Goes to show that there will be some thinking and experimenting for every participant seriously going for 99. Being untwinked, our run times will most likely be longer than the times discussed in the 99 theorycrafting thread, but the general efficiency rankings should be same.

I'll have to decide on which path to take (hopefully soon) as my gear finding phase winds down. Would love to keep Ancients until 98, but if my trapper is more suited for Baal runs up to 98, so be it... I'll have to figure out which way saves more time in the end.
Southpaw8668 said:
@Pb_pal - Thanks a bunch for Gripphon's links and the wonderful explanation. Now for some grinding!
T72on1 said:
@Southpaw8668 Welcome to the club :). Very fun you join us in the madness.

It seems that Pb_pal has mostly got you covered for the experience path to take, or at least the general theoretical outlines. Your feedback on the subject, as you can judge it from a practical point of view when you reach those higher levels, will be very much appreciated, as we still discover new things and new ways to maximize efficiency in this ancient game :).

As a (partially) cold based build, a Windy seems best suited in AT to me. At least I love it to level up my Blizz Sorc. Then again I don't have much experience with a Windy (I only ever built one), so Pits might be a good target too.

As for the stage before level 90: Pindle on /p8 is a great target there. He gives very good xp, and since you probably won't have Enigma at that point, you will hardly notice the difference, since there is very little teleporting involved anyway.

Actually, Pindle on /p8 is a very good source of xp all throughout the game, not only in Hell. I leveled up my Sorc by going through the game rather fast, and on a player setting that would allow me to do so, and then do Pindle runs on /p8 (or a bit lower if my character couldn't handle it) until level 45 or so in Normal and 70 - 75 in NM. Worked very well.

Also don't forget that you'll probably want to run some targets not mentioned here as well. Hell Meph for some 'basic' gear like Shako and Arachnid's for example. I skipped that part because the first unique that dropped in Hell was a Shako though. Also LK to find the necessary runes for the equipment you want: Enigma, CtA, HotO, maybe Infinity (or does a Windy merc use Reaper's? In that case you'll definitely want to run Meph as well). Those runs don't net you any xp, but in the long run it's a relatively low time cost to severly increase your damage output.

Good luck !!!

As to the primary targets past 98 and even before that ... I'm still on the fence about it myself. I'll most likely do AT from 94 to 95, and then the real work starts. CS is the obvious choice I think, but right now I'm so terribly inefficient at it. My main problem is that I always seem to want to be in total control over everything, and Chaos Santuary is ... well, chaos. At least to me. I teleport to the left seal, but instead of just activating it and focusing on the boss, while dealing with the other monsters depending on the situation, I often find myself dealing with the regular monsters around first, before taking down the boss. Same with the right seal. As a consequence my runs take quite a while, even though I don't do any other regular bosses. Not sure about time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's some 3 minutes on average. I should use run counter to check.

Anyway, long story short: I'll try to become more efficient at CS runs over time. If I can't, then my best bet is probably to proceed to Baal and do wave runs instead. It's not like those are super easy, but that mainly comes down to what's in the Throne Room, before engaging the waves.

Good luck everyone. This has surely been very interesting so far. And @Pb_pal thanks for the very detailed overview. I've read the thread you refer to, and Gripphon's posts in particular, before, but it's handy to have it all more or less in one place.
RIP said:
If i might to add some of my experience to this debate...

Hmm, as @T72on1 said, Pindleskin is very good source of experience, i leveled here my assassin (Trapper with Infinity etc) to the lvl 96 purely on p5 Pindle runs, it was cca 6k runs so not that much as You might to think, but my biggest motivation was MFing here, not leveling...

As for Windy, i've played him under same rules like You (untwincked, from scratch) and Barbarian merc wielding Lawbringer and Treachery as armor proved to be very good option for couple of reasons - first, You can gather all resources You need even in NM difficulty, so not necessary to wait until The Reapers drops, and second, this merc is agressive and heals fastest of all type merces, so his ability to survive was great...And my opinion is, that windy does not need mercs aura, as it has no impact to his damage and he is great at surviving anyway with Bear as a meatshield, than Oak sage for huge amount of hitpoints (with average CtA is easy to get 3,5 - 4k hitpoints + 75%block) and Cyclone armor ...

Also, i think that source of Decepify (and Lawbringer has much greater range then Reapers due to much higher lvl of curse) is the turning point for this build, lately Hurricanes dmg is inferior compared to Tornado...And You dont need HRs to be succesful, tho my Druid found runes for Enigma, HoTO, CtA and such within 1 month, so he was very lucky character...

GL to all of You ;)
Southpaw8668 said:
Thanks everyone who chimed in all the very helpful advice! That's why I love the SPF crew.[emoji2] So, I played a bit last night and realized I had beaten normal at clvl 37 my previous session, but elected to go back to normal and try some CS and Baal runs as a test. Started out on /p8 and was able to handle CS, however it was a bit slow due to my low Hurricane slvl. Tornado is pretty strong though and practically drops everything except Diablo with 1-2 direct hits. CS is a nice place for throwing those around as well into the tightly packed mobs. After a few runs Njord scored a better rare plated belt and a really nice pair of Chancies from Grand Vizier.
I think we'll skip Diablo for several more levels, because he melts the guard quickly and he takes too long even on /p1 to bring down.
Let's just say WSK wasn't bad on /p8, but as Grippon mentioned wave 5 just sucks for a Windy and Baal took super long without Decrepify to slow him from teleporting out of range constantly. At the end of the session some good info was gained about where to focus our current runs, as well as a couple nice new items and a few clvls. I think we'll pay Pindle a visit next session if he's still open for business.
Pb_pal said:
@NanoMist - Yes, one of the coolest things about this thread (I think) will be seeing all the different paths that people take. As you said, untwinked throws a big wrench into everything, and will probably result in some more "off the beaten path" strategies to actually be more efficient than the standard ones. Very interesting, indeed.

@T72on1 - The CS is definitely an acquired taste. It's tough and mighty dangerous at first, but once you get used to it that just makes it more interesting. It has quickly grown to be my favourite area to run.
NanoMist said:
I continued in Pits and found Nat's Mark, 20ed/9max jewel, and plenty of non-eth elite polearms. Went back to LK and found another Vex#3-Run#6082, followed quickly by Sur#7-Run#6192.

At this point I had 2x Sur, so I decided to return to Pits full time for the infinity base, and maybe Sur/Ber would drop along the way. The Pits answered quickly with Ber#1, thus ending my LK adventures. More Pit drops include Steelrend and BK CB, but unfortunately no infinity base as I hit 94.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     37             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes          -           0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
Very nice rune haul, Nanomist !!! And congrats on 94 :).
Pb_pal said:
Incredible stuff Nanomist! The gear you've assembled is just insane.
PhineasB said:
Congrats @NanoMist. Nice haul, and lots of effort to reach it. I also wanted to thank @Pb_pal for pulling all the links into one place in this thread. I hadn't seen some of that info and will refer back to it many times, I'm sure.

* * *

As for Mercy, I returned to this challenge after a short break taking a character through Normal in the Sword of Destiny playthrough that several folks have chosen in the Create Your Own Tourney challenge.

I had stopped after hitting Lvl 92, and picked back up with a mix of WSK + minions and Pits, instead of returning to LK. I had pretty good maps for both, and realized that I was one level from amulet crafting level. My current amulet leaves much to be desired. :rolleyes: If I was lucky, I might get a high rune or two to help me along the path to Enigma and save some time in LK down the road. I eventually focused on Pits at p7, and it's paid off nicely, with Mercy currently half way to 93.

Found a set vortex shield, then shortly after picked up a unique ring off a Carver Shaman in Level 2. As with the earlier Boneflame, I had never found Wisp Projector in all my years of playing, so that was cool to see. Then I got a game changer: Jah. Sweet! All I need is a Ber for Enigma.

I hope to play some more tomorrow. I'll hold off on a table update until I reach level 93. In the meantime, here's the current gear.

Name: Mercy
Class: Assassin
Experience: 2009731959
Level: 92

Naked/Gear
Strength: 151/182
Dexterity: 97/140
Vitality: 282/316
Energy: 25/27
HP: 1078/1354
Mana: 161/483
Stamina: 536/536
Defense: 24/1208
AR: 100000449/100000861

Fire: 164/124/64
Cold: 187/147/87
Lightning: 196/156/96
Poison: 161/121/61

MF: 253 Block: 31
GF: 13
FR/W: 32
FHR: 101
IAS: 0
FCR: 102

Fire Blast: 20/32
Shock Web: 18/29
Blade Sentinel: 0/0
Charged Bolt Sentry: 20/31
Wake of Fire: 0/0
Blade Fury: 0/0
Lightning Sentry: 20/31
Wake of Inferno: 0/0
Death Sentry: 20/31
Blade Shield: 0/0

Claw Mastery: 1/10
Psychic Hammer: 1/10
Burst of Speed: 1/10
Weapon Block: 0/0
Cloak of Shadows: 1/10
Fade: 0/0
Shadow Warrior: 0/0
Mind Blast: 1/10
Venom: 0/0
Shadow Master: 0/0

Tiger Strike: 0/0
Dragon Talon: 0/0
Fists of Fire: 0/0
Dragon Claw: 0/0
Cobra Strike: 0/0
Claws of Thunder: 0/0
Dragon Tail: 0/0
Blades of Ice: 0/0
Dragon Flight: 0/0
Phoenix Strike: 0/0

Shimmering Large Charm of Frost
Large Charm
Required Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0x9a9cb3fb
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 3 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
All Resistances +8

Shimmering Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 53
Fingerprint: 0x69d4c8c0
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+31 to Life
All Resistances +15

Garnet Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x4f21bf66
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +9%

Entrapping Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xc7172ad4
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)
+12% Faster Hit Recovery

Entrapping Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x713d3250
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Trap Skills (Assassin Only)

Azure Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x4816dd1f
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +5%
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Shimmering Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x45a65d0d
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+13 to Life
All Resistances +3

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Ruby Grand Charm of Inertia
Grand Charm
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0xea7c79d1
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7% Faster Run/Walk
Fire Resist +27%

Amber Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x3a779cd7
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life
Lightning Resist +10%

Garnet Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0xc65bb57a
Item Level: 46
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +8%

Russet Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x54cefb83
Item Level: 26
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +7%
6% Extra Gold from Monsters

Harlequin Crest
Shako
Defense: 110
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 62
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x782376be
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +2
+138 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+138 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Damage Reduced by 10%
74% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz

Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%

Bitter Eye
Amulet
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0xa11622c5
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Assassin Skill Levels
+9 to Dexterity
All Resistances +14
Poison Resist +7%
14% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Skullder's Ire
Russet Armor
Defense: 695
Durability: 90 of 90
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 97
Fingerprint: 0xb04402a2
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+185% Enhanced Defense
Magic Damage Reduced by 10
115% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level)
Repairs 1 Durability in 5 Seconds
+60 Maximum Durability

Dread Band
Ring
Required Level: 60
Fingerprint: 0xf4422bff
Item Level: 90
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+40 to Life
+44 to Mana
Cold Resist +19%
Lightning Resist +22%
Damage Reduced by 2

War Traveler
Battle Boots
Defense: 127
Durability: 48 of 48
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 95
Fingerprint: 0xae5bbe9f
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+25% Faster Run/Walk
Adds 15 - 25 Damage
+166% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
40% Slower Stamina Drain
Attacker Takes Damage of 8
43% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+30 Maximum Durability

Magefist
Light Gauntlets
Defense: 25
Durability: 17 of 18
Required Level: 23
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0x53160735
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Fire Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 1 - 6 Fire Damage
+26% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
Regenerate Mana 25%

Shimmering Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x6ba8f1bb
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +5
7% Extra Gold from Monsters

Viridian Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x445956b9
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Poison Resist +6%

Shimmering Large Charm of Dexterity
Large Charm
Required Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xbd85324a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Dexterity
All Resistances +8

Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xede1ae81
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+197 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+20 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen

Storm Lock
Battle Belt
Defense: 48
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 88
Fingerprint: 0x3b56dd56
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+27% Enhanced Defense
+19 to Strength
+36 to Life
Cold Resist +15%
Lightning Resist +16%
Required Level +5

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x165f4ac0
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Call to Arms
Superior Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 17 - 53
Durability: 23 of 23
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x9a5a4066
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
254% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+6 to Battle Command
+1 to Battle Orders
+4 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Increase Maximum Durability 15%
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

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

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Sigon's Guard
Tower Shield
Defense: 22
Chance to Block: 44
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 75
Fingerprint: 0x7ffba990
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
20% Increased Chance of Blocking

Heart of the Oak
Knout
KoVexPulThul
One Hand Damage: 13 - 35
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 82
Required Dexterity: 73
Fingerprint: 0xb4154db2
Item Level: 83
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to All Skills
+40% Faster Cast Rate
+75% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
+10 to Dexterity
Replenish Life +20
Increase Maximum Mana 15%
All Resistances +30
Level 4 Oak Sage (25/25 Charges)
Level 14 Raven (60/60 Charges)
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ko Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Pul Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune

Ko Rune
Required Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +10 to Dexterity
Armor: +10 to Dexterity
Shields: +10 to Dexterity

Vex Rune
Required Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Mana stolen per hit
Armor: +5% to Maximum Fire Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Fire Resist

Pul Rune
Required Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +75% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
Armor: +30% Enhanced Defense
Shields: +30% Enhanced Defense

Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%

Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 146
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0xe76c5272
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+32% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+100 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+7 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune

Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%

Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%

Ort Rune
Required Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Armor: Lightning Resist +30%
Shields: Lightning Resist +35%

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

Mercenary:

Name: Ahsab
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Def-Nightmare
Experience: 94460568
Level: 92
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 198/198
Dexterity: 160/160
HP: 2047/2222
Defense: 1501/3147
AR: 1994/1994

Fire: 201/161/101
Cold: 201/161/101
Lightning: 201/161/101
Poison: 201/161/101

Fortitude
Archon Plate
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1521
Durability: 57 of 60
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 103
Fingerprint: 0x8d09d49d
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+115 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +30
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Lo Rune
Required Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Deadly Strike
Armor: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Death Mask
Defense: 125
Durability: 11 of 20
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0x15f41e15
Item Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Mana stolen per hit
10% Life stolen per hit
+45 Defense
+60 to Life
+30 to Mana
All Resistances +15

Infinity
Thresher
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 64 - 757
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 142
Required Dexterity: 108
Fingerprint: 0xdae0dcd1
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
259% Enhanced Damage
-52% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+46 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Southpaw8668 said:
Hit Pindleskin hard at clvl 37 for some 20 clvls as recommended or perhaps a little too long, which has Hurricane doing some nice damage now and Act1 NM stuff pop pretty fast below /p5. Found a few more decent items from Pindle to add to Njord's @slvl and style points (Bonesnap, The Spirit Shroud and an Anlters Helm w/ +1 @skills. Made some Smoke Gothic Armor for the mercenary and he can finally use the Insight Partizan, so he's doing pretty decent damage now. The pair is heading further into NM to hopefully quickly get to the next big XP bosses. I'm thinking NM Pindle and Eldritch and maybe visit Meph a bunch to try and score some much better kit for Njord.
Name: Njord
Class: Druid
Experience: 69848267
Level: 54

Naked/Gear
Strength: 70/70
Dexterity: 20/30
Vitality: 240/240
Energy: 20/24
HP: 584/644
Mana: 126/179
Stamina: 352/364
Defense: 5/475
AR: 70/4224

Fire: 52/12/-48
Cold: 54/14/-46
Lightning: 37/-3/-63
Poison: 61/21/-39

MF: 115 Block: 8
GF: 234
FR/W: 0
FHR: 10
IAS: 0
FCR: 10

Raven: 0/0
Poison Creeper: 1/3
Oak Sage: 1/3
Summon Spirit Wolf: 0/0
Carrion Vine: 1/3
Heart of Wolverine: 0/0
Summon Dire Wolf: 0/0
Solar Creeper: 1/3
Spirit of Barbs: 0/0
Summon Grizzly: 0/0

Werewolf: 0/0
Lycanthropy: 0/0
Werebear: 0/0
Feral Rage: 0/0
Maul: 0/0
Rabies: 0/0
Fire Claws: 0/0
Hunger: 0/4
Shock Wave: 0/0
Fury: 0/0

Firestorm: 0/0
Molten Boulder: 0/0
Arctic Blast: 1/3
Fissure: 0/0
Cyclone Armor: 1/3
Twister: 16/18
Volcano: 0/0
Tornado: 16/18
Armageddon: 0/0
Hurricane: 20/22

Nagelring
Ring
Required Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x18e8c579
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+58 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
18% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Wyrm's Amulet of Chance
Amulet
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0xaf1dd261
Item Level: 32
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+53 to Mana
8% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Grim Buckle
Plated Belt
Defense: 10
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x303c4ff7
Item Level: 33
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+13 to Life
Fire Resist +23%

Stout Small Charm of Blight
Small Charm
Required Level: 6
Fingerprint: 0x285a9877
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
+1 Defense

Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x29d22e6c
Item Level: 22
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Life

Chance Guards
Chain Gloves
Defense: 27
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 15
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xa55405a6
Item Level: 33
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+25 to Attack Rating
+29% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
200% Extra Gold from Monsters
39% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+2 to Light Radius

Viridian Small Charm of Blight
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0xc6ca1bca
Item Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Poison Resist +7%

Azure Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0xfc678c0e
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +5%
6% Extra Gold from Monsters

Glyph Visor
Antlers
Defense: 34
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 26
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0x9f008eb5
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+3 to Hunger (Druid Only)
+37% Enhanced Defense
+4 to Energy
+20 to Life

The Spirit Shroud
Ghost Armor
Defense: 295
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 28
Required Strength: 38
Fingerprint: 0xefc0a91b
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+150% Enhanced Defense
Replenish Life +10
Magic Damage Reduced by 10
Cannot Be Frozen

Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xb5d6de11
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Beryl Small Charm of Flame
Small Charm
Required Level: 8
Fingerprint: 0xea599e81
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 2 Fire Damage
Poison Resist +5%

Boots of Luck
Boots
Defense: 3
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0x4608912b
Item Level: 34
Version: Expansion 1.10+
34% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Small Charm of Frost
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x564e9e18
Item Level: 22
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)

Viridian Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x1738d778
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Poison Resist +6%

Toxic Grand Charm of Greed
Grand Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x2dfbed3b
Item Level: 33
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 50 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
23% Extra Gold from Monsters

Beryl Grand Charm of Anthrax
Grand Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x2175e6e7
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 50 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Poison Resist +14%

Rune Grasp
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x4cfe6cf9
Item Level: 30
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+61 to Attack Rating
+12 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +20%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Coral Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x71dbc77f
Item Level: 41
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +8%
5% Extra Gold from Monsters

Bonesnap
Maul
Two Hand Damage: 106 - 152
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 69
Fingerprint: 0x1466cb9d
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
254% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Cold Resist +30%
Fire Resist +30%

Deathspade
Cleaver
One Hand Damage: 24 - 55
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 68
Fingerprint: 0x66718cfb
Item Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
68% Enhanced Damage
+8 to Minimum Damage
15% Bonus to Attack Rating
Hit Blinds Target +1
+4 to Mana after each Kill
Required Level +5

Umbral Disk
Round Shield
Defense: 99
Chance to Block: 42
Durability: 76 of 76
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 53
Fingerprint: 0x7bac20b4
Item Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
30% Increased Chance of Blocking
Hit Blinds Target +1
+42% Enhanced Defense
+30 Defense
+10 to Dexterity
+20 to Life
All Resistances +19
-2 to Light Radius
Required Level +5
+12 Maximum Durability
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond

Mercenary:
Name: Ilzan
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Comb-Normal
Experience: 17661776
Level: 54
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 136/141
Dexterity: 107/112
HP: 905/905
Defense: 654/1123
AR: 961/189317

Fire: 170/130/70
Cold: 170/130/70
Lightning: 170/130/70
Poison: 170/130/70

Duskdeep
Basinet
Defense: 123
Durability: 18 of 30
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 82
Fingerprint: 0x72e6e949
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+8 to Maximum Damage
+34% Enhanced Defense
+19 Defense
All Resistances +15
Damage Reduced by 7
-2 to Light Radius
Required Level +5

Smoke
Gothic Plate
NefLum
Defense: 346
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0xb4513d13
Item Level: 41
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)
Ethereal
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Nef Rune
Socketed: Lum Rune

Insight
Partizan
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 125 - 256
Durability: 45 of 65
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 113
Required Dexterity: 67
Fingerprint: 0x213634b7
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
242% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
196% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+2 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
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      91             Yes          -          -             -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     54             Yes          -          0            0             -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
Tarantella said:
Tarasha has spent 45% of the time leveling to 92 in the WSK at p1, a small amount of time running Meph at p1 and the rest running a lengthy money run sequence that started with LK chests then moved to the Crypt superchest and finished at the Mausoleum superchest all at p8 picking off many bosspacks and popables on the way and picking up all the gold. No high runes found but 3 ums were dropped in Mausoleum and a Mal in the Crypt.

Baalruns dropped an Azurewrath and a Bul Kathos CS and nothing useful.
1610919227339.png

The Crypt superchest proved easy to get to but quite well defended with often an extra unique group and/or a champion pack brigaded alongside Bonebreaker.

1610919236535.png

Thundergods and Ravenfrost proved absolutely essential there especially on the odd occasion another boss pack or 2 and/or champion pack were dragged into the fight as it spilled into the corridor outside. Lots of saleables, gems and charms were found the latter including 5 more skillers( 2 masteries, a 4th cold skiller with poison damage, a combat skiller with 38 life and a 5th coldskiller with 7frw.) Big undead packs were being hit with several orbs before swapping to the double Isted Ali baba and fireball to finish so other drops were quiet good including a 2/20/11 Eschuta's. the Disciple amulet, Gimmershreds, Frostwind and Alma Negra. The gambling sessions produced just about every +3 amulet twice over, quite a few blue +2's and a couple of +2 Sorceress amulets neither of which were game changing.

But the best item to drop came unexpectedly from the unguarded Mausoleum superchest just before leveling was this.


1610919252708.png which saves Tarasha from a planned trip back to nightmare. Both the extra cold skillers are used one at the expense of the 11 resist all GC so the SoJ could be be used as soon as resists can be improved again. Finally got a third Monarch for re-rolling but still no eth 4 socket polearms.


Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      92           Yes          -          -            -          -
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       92             Yes          -         225            8           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     54             Yes          -          0            0             -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
Southpaw8668 said:
@Tarantella - Gives me the precious, me wants it!!!
Tarantella said:
Funny you should say that as while these unnerving claustrophobic sessions in the underworld progressed I swore on occasion the patter of Gollum's feet could be heard when stopping to examine a item.

BoneBreaker had his cousin round once

1610919290686.png

I think they were having a planning session in advanced tactics with barrels for this was seen next run.
1610919299746.png
NanoMist said:
Thanks everyone! Spent more time in LK than I would have wanted, but there's nothing I could do about the poor drop rates.

@PhineasB - Congrats on the Jah! Game changer indeed. With that, our collective untwinked 99ers have completed the rune grail I believe.

@Tarantella - Lovely SoJ there! Every time there's a SoJ and LotR reference, I'm always reminded of that old GIF with the SoJ dropping in the Bloody Foothills.
Kitteh said:
Some fantastic progress guys! Sorry that I haven't been around, so much going on. I don't have time to read it all, but keep it up! :D
T72on1 said:
@Tarantella Awesome, very well done :). Keep it up !!!
 
PhineasB said:
Thanks @NanoMist and congrats on the SOJ @Tarantella.

I ran Pits until Level 93, with no further excitement on the drops front. I then re-geared and rolled LK maps. Found a decent one with two fire pits in ~10 rolls and set to. My goal is another 250 runes, and then I may switch things up a bit to avoid burning out. Of course, if I find a Ber or Sur x2 before then . . .

About 30 runes in, I found a Captain's GC of Balance, which my 2H Fanazealot will enjoy at some point, and then a nice 11% Amber SC with strength. And then rune #45 was Sur #3 (from LK). Almost there (or not anywhere near there, depending on the random drops). Three runes later was Pul #6 and then near 100 I got Pul #7. I also found a Martial Arts skiller and lots of flawless gems that I have cubed up for GC re-rolling.

I had a really strange stretch of about 30 runs where I found only 2 runes. I suspect that's a pretty low-frequency occurrence, although I'm not going to do the math to figure it out. Anyhow, I can hardly complain.

Table update below.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       93             Yes           -        245            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      92             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     54             Yes           -          0            0           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
T72on1 said:
I'm slowly working my way towards level 95. Not far from the 94 starting point though, as I haven't had much time, and one more death to boot, bringing my total to an emberrassing 10 deaths already. I guess I'm really sloppy, compared to my HC Blizz Sorc, who got to 95 before dying.

Anyway, still having terrible drops, until a golden Sacred Armor dropped while doing some more AT runs after my weekly group game. Alas, not THE golden Sacred Armor, and a very low roll, but still a first ever for me:

Code:
Templar's Might
Sacred Armor
Defense: 1646
Durability: 46 of 60
Required Level: 74
Required Strength: 232
Fingerprint: 0x3ed70090
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+174% Enhanced Defense
+281 Defense vs. Missile
+10 to Strength
+13 to Vitality
+48 Maximum Stamina
hasuprotoss said:
Not much of an update. Hit 90 a few days ago. Been slowly going through LK since it's not exactly my most favorite of things to run!

Reina's highest rune found is Mal, of which I've found 4. No Um's, no Pul's a good number of Lem's. Just looking for a Vex and an Ohm and I think I'll move on for now. May stay on Blizzard a lot longer than I was expecting so as not to return for the huge amount of high runes required for Infinity, Chains of Honor, and whatnot. Reina is itching to kill.
Sup guys! My homie is currently at 3M exp, so I thought I might give it a try.
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zticazzy    Perkele         SC      Barb      97             No            -          -            -           -
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       93             Yes           -        245            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      92             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      89             Yes         329        194            -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     54             Yes           -          0            0           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
coju said:
My necromancer has made it to hell. Reckon I'm going to be running pits for days. He may be level 71 or so, I'm not sure as I'm afk.

Fishy, so I am getting to where I have too many skill points. Will probably pop them in amp for effectiveness, some in dim vision and confuse. It's a blast!
T72on1 said:
@zticazzy Hey look, we have a new 'leader' :). Welcome to the fun. Which targets are you planning to run?

@coju Welcome back to Hell :). Hopefully this one will go all the way !!!
Pb_pal said:
@zticazzy - Welcome! Glad you decided to join, I really enjoyed his thread a while back. What's your leveling strategy from here on out? Is he staying with his current gear?

@coju - Nice! Great progress. :)

--

Not really much playing time for Eleanor since last update. I did do a bit of number crunching for level 96 though, same as I did for 95.

She now gets ~222k XP/run (based off of 100 runs) doing the standard 'Gripphon Run' in the CS. This means she'll need just over 1k runs to ping 97, assuming no deaths and I maintain the XP rate. The levels are starting to get more daunting now, but hopefully my playing time should pick up again soon and I can give Perkele a run for his money ;)

As noted eariler, she has decided to stay pure Blizz until at least 98 (and maybe Blova after that) so there have been a couple gear changes. She used up her first socket quest and popped a facet (4/3) into her brand new +3 Blizz Ormus' Robes. We don't need any extra kill-speed right now, so she isn't going to use her other socket quests just yet (so she can keep her current map which sports a good LK/AT combo as well).

We also found a pretty nice eth Archon Plate with 4 sockets, and since we're not going to make an Infinity until 98 (or maybe even at all, to be honest), we burned our Ber and made this nice present for Emilio to reward all his hard work:

znW27qE.jpg

.
Not a bad upgrade from his Treachery! He seems to be much more durable now too, as I hardly ever have to babysit him with pots.

I also realized my last LCS shot for Eleanor was before she found her beautiful new armour, so here she is completely up to date:

4ZsymsM.jpg

.
Needless to say anything not CI melts extremely quickly. I should really use a respec though to re-allocate some of those wasted points in Strength. Ah well, maybe another time.

Happy running folks!
Southpaw8668 said:
@Pb_pal - Very nice armor and I've overlooked that it has such an attractive LL on it! I'll have to craft some of that eventually for the mercenary too.
zticazzy said:
@T72on1 My plans are:
1) Baal runs: p8 wave 1-4 / p5 lister / p3 baal. Classic choice, the only downsides are that these runs are very boring to me, and p8 Lister is kinda tough even with dual ebotd so I have to lower the settings a bit. Averaging 3,5m exp per hour here (rough estimate).
2) Chaos runs, p1 seals / p7 diablo. I have a map with 2 stable shrines and I can sometimes gain an extra bit of exp, but I'm not really counting on it. I'm around 2,8m/hour without exp shrine, if only I had a better map this option could be on par with baaling.
3) I'm also planning to lose time wandering around because whynot :rolleyes:
I also considered running nihl with my etomby, but the place scares me and I don't want to lose the portal to pindlegarden, so he's out.

@Pb_pal hi there! No worries man, I'm pretty sure you'll finish this challenge first, given that my char is a rather slow runner and my motivation goes on and off depending on the weather :) As for the gear, let's say that I've spent many absolution tokens right now to test several weapons (etomby, azurewrath...) and hybrid builds, and now I've chosen a full vita build (5,6k life - only 30-40 points spent on dex and str) whirling with my two pretty ebotd twins. Sounds weird to say, but I must admit that tomb reaver really helped me with safety in WSK because skellies were unbeatable against those wave 5 minions, they were able to tank even 3 or 4 of them at a time, so it's a shame I had to give up on the tomby because of its lack of AR, thus DPS. The point is that the -25% target defense and dual leech of ebotd help a lot to make my char safe and fast, and as weapons the twins are better than any other combination I've tested so far. I also switched SoE for arach, gores for wartravs, and I'm currently using teh rare ring of destiny along with ravenfrost.
Tarantella said:
Tarasha stopped running the LK chests at the start of her runs on reaching level 92 concentrating solely on the Crypt superchest (taking a quick safer detour to Bonebreakers front door when necessary) and on the Mausoleum money run to the superchest. Vampire gaze was found first and exchanged for the mercs Tals to help soak up the heavy physical damage of the inhabitants at p8

An Ist and an um were then found within a few runs of each other soon after with gold rolling in at ~200k per run. Runs are taken at a slow pace with lots of trips to the shops justified quite often by clearing curses followed by an amulet gambling session every 10 runs. Here's a nice one worthy of a screenshot.

1610919671877.png

Xp gain is varied but noticeable and runs improved by knowing where the bosspacks are likely to be and where not to blind tele accordingly. With that in mind to allow wearing the SoJ 20 points were spent in strength with charms reshuffled for lower life and reasonable resists on swap but maxed F/C/L resists still on Hoto for initial teleing which took in a nearby shrine. Taking time to look at rares, orbs, charms and such led to the finding of a nice legend sword with 300 ed, +1 to paladin skills and cold damage and after many runs a second Guillames, Goreriders and Oculus* had all been acquired. Two more diadem rerolls produced a usuable +2 druid item and a poor +1 sorceress one.

Approaching the half way mark and 2 billion xp count Tarasha picked up a Tals belt but idle thoughts of completing the set were completely dashed several sessions later when this dropped.

1610919679144.png
With Tarasha patiently waiting for extra strong, aura enchanted fire enchanted Bonebreaker to expire before dashing forward to pick up the charm to go with the Jah found quite some time ago now.


*see make your own tourney thread.
coju said:
Thanks @all and @T72on1 @Pb_pal for the welcome backs! Looks like y'all have been doing awesome! Some awesome finds! Looking forward to some non-Sorc updates! (Unless I missed some, then more!)

My guy is actually 72 with 20fres and 36 lres. My drops have been mediocre so far. +2 Skeli Zombie head I found in Normal, Spirit sword, Lore Helm, and socked body armor with MF and basic MF boot/glove. Eth Goldwrap to wrap it all up though! Believe I've been singlepass so far. I don't recall running any areas as I've been trying to get to where I'm at as quick as possible.
NanoMist said:
@Pb_pal - Nice bliz damage right there. :eek:

@Tarantella - Sweet amulet and Ber rune too!


Small update:

Found another Vex rune, maybe I'll cube up to a Lo for a possible Fortitude. Hard luck with the 4os eth polearms. One example: before and after. Finally found a plain eth CV after numerous Pit runs, and thought about whether to use the socket recipe for a 50% chance at 4os or just take it to Larzuk. Not the greatest polearm base to be using the socket quest on, but wanting to move on, I went back to normal Larzuk and made Infinity. Also used my first respec while I was in normal.

For now, running P8 CS runs including Diablo, as I am still looking for Shako.
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Wow, that Blizz damage is insane. I think I'm only sitting at some 5K - 6K. Not sure if that is before or after the Snowclash belt I found yesterday, which replaced my Goldwrap, but I think that's after :(. Really need to get some skillers.

@Tarantella Congrats on the Ber.

@NanoMist Congrats on the Infinity. Really nice ED% roll, right in the middle for the -enemy light res. I feel sorry for the monsters you'll encounter ..

Still crappy drops for me I'm afraid. Best was a Mal rune. Leveling also is slowing down at this point. I'm currently somewhere at the 94.25 mark. Still mainly doing AT runs, with sometimes CS runs in between. I haven't had the time to play much though, and it seems like it will be like this for quite a while. Ah well, this is a long term project anyway, right? It's just that 94 is so close to 99, purely mathematically speaking ;).
Pb_pal said:
T72on1 said:
@Pb_pal Wow, that Blizz damage is insane. I think I'm only sitting at some 5K - 6K. Not sure if that is before or after the Snowclash belt I found yesterday, which replaced my Goldwrap, but I think that's after :(. Really need to get some skillers.
Yeah, I've never had Blizz damage this high before. A huge part of that is between my Fathom and faceted Ormus Robes I have +38% cold skill damage.o_O I do have 3 skillers too, so that always helps. Blizzard is at level 38 after using Battle Command.

To be honest, it feels like overkill most of the time, but that's all part of the fun! :D

@NanoMist - The Shako eludes me as well so far. Amazing Infinity though!
T72on1 said:
Pb_pal said:
Yeah, I've never had Blizz damage this high before. A huge part of that is between my Fathom and faceted Ormus Robes I have +38% cold skill damage.o_O I do have 3 skillers too, so that always helps. Blizzard is at level 38 after using Battle Command.

To be honest, it feels like overkill most of the time, but that's all part of the fun! :D
There's no such thing as overkill in D2 ;).
Tarantella said:
T72on1 said:
...Ah well, this is a long term project anyway, right? It's just that 94 is so close to 99, purely mathematically speaking ;).
Apart from never having a sorceress above level 92 and never having any character above 94 just reaching 95 will do me fine. :)
T72on1 said:
My highest was 94 as well, until I got my HC sorc to 95 some time ago. Both were Blizz Sorcs. So now my minimum goal is 96 :).
hasuprotoss said:
Time for an update! Reina has just hit 91 in Ancient Tunnels, and despite some growing pains is finally getting through things without pointless deaths. She blames her handler, which I won't exactly debate...

Decided to forgo getting a Vex and an Ohm in LK, which is probably a mistake and what we'll be hitting up next. Hopefully just having two runes that I need to find can motivate Reina to find them! Still using a Spirit Crystal Sword (30% FCR) and we found a nice 4 socket Monarch that became a Spirit shield (30% FCR as well...)

Reina's Blizzard damage doesn't compare to Eleanor's, but we're getting through runs quick enough for our liking and we know that the gear will come with time.

Onto the pictures!

MagMbf9.jpg

Mal #1, almost missed it in the clutter, luckily caught the orange as I tele'd away!

tkmBn2L.jpg

Mal #2

7pAghdK.jpg

Mal #3!

4Xuurks.jpg

Mal #4!!

OohAi7y.jpg

Wonder what's hiding behind the cursor!?!

Don't know what I'll do with that Ber rune. Could make Chains of Honor if an Um drops, could hold out for another Ber and cube up two of the above Mals for Infinity... So many options that I think I'll just hold onto it for now. Hopefully more of these show up soon, I have a lot of runewords that would provide an upgrade for either Reina or Durga.

Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zticazzy    Perkele         SC      Barb      97             No            -          -            -           -
Pb_pal      Eleanor         SC      Sorc      96             No          890        309            4           -
T72on1      Neverland       SC      Sorc      94             Yes         351        206            9          52.5
NanoMist    Izuna           SC      Sin       94             No          484        243            1          124
PhineasB    Mercy           SC      Sin       93             Yes           -        245            8           -
Tarantella  Tarasha         HC      Sorc      92             Yes           -          -            -           -
hasuprotoss Reina           SC      Sorc      91             Yes         381        217           -           -
OldSoldier  Battleforge     HC      Pala      87             Yes           -        114            -           -
Gambit      Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
logo        Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
Darke Rahl  Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0           0
Southpaw    Njord           SC      Druid     54             Yes           -          0            0           -
Kitteh      Cyanosis        HC      Assassin  45             No            -          -            -           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     40             Yes           -          0            0           -
Gambit      Colossus        SC      Pal       39             YES           0          0            0           0
Ergroilnin  Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
Smancer     Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -

The Fallen:
Code:
Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0         a few
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1
T72on1 said:
@hasuprotoss Nice going there !!!

This evening this went a little smoother. I'm at the 94.75 point now, doing a mix of AT run and to a lesser extent CS. The latter sometimes even start to go quite some faster, so that's definitely a good thing.

Dropwise, it was very poor again. Only at the very end I found this one:

1610919907528.png

Quite rare, rather good roll on the +skills.

I also keep on finding far more ethereal uniques than usual. This one was probably the best so far, and dropped a few runs after the Darkforce Spawn:

1610919916540.png

Once I hit 95, I'll probably reroll maps to do LK again. I need a break from AT.
ThomasJohnsen said:
Ugh T72on1 such disarray with those charms - and to the left . Can't look!

Cool finds though....
But get those charms in order or crop the SS pls :D (just kidding ofc - to each his/her own)

#EDIT: And a greater healing pot where a super healing pot clearly belongs. Tingling with OCD itches here.
 
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