[2018] Spirit Tournament [by Wolron]

[Grisu]

I have tested my first melee character. A Paladin using Holy Fire as an offensive aura. He has had no difficulty in getting to the Stony Fields at level 12. He has found 4 different Ethereal caps. One had a socket, one had self repair, one wore out pretty quickly and the other is being used by the mercenary. None of them had any good bonuses, but the socketed cap could be useful when I find a good jewel. When I find that socket filler, I will use the cap until it is almost broken and then I will move it to the merc. This experiment was at "Players 8", so it is a pretty valid test of the Paladin's ability to survive. Of course, this is not a surprise, other tournaments have had similar requirements and people have been able to play and stay alive.

 

[Grisu]

NOTE: There are exceptions to that last statement.

Second, the Angel told you about Anya and her personalization item. You are going to have to be able to lift an item and drag it back to camp for the Anya reward. You are allowed to do that with exactly one item during each difficulty level. To do this, you spot the item in the field and remember where it is. You return to town and empty all items that you are carrying in your backpack or belt into your stash. Then you return to the item, pick it up and carry it back. Note that since you emptied your backpack, you have no scroll to use to get back to town again. I plan to drop a scroll with the treasured item before going back to town.

I'm not sure how to handle this. Items dropped by monsters are unidentified, so die ID them you'd have to pick them up. Considering your message below, "turning it over" is ok role-playing wise.

I have noted something that I should have realized immediately. You cannot always detect when an item is ethereal. Gloves/belts/boots are obvious when they are gray, but magic or rare items are harder to verify. You have to pick them up. That seems against the tournament rules, but it is not. Just look at it as finding an item and then reaching down and turning it over. If you can turn it over, it is etereal (role playing).

So, are we allowed to pick up and unidentified rare, ID it with a scroll and then decide if this is the item we want to drag to Anya? Or do we have to make the decision if this is the item before we ID the item? From a role-playing standpoint, I'd say that we could investigate (ID) the item on the ground with our ID scroll and see if it is the one item belongig to us or not - so picking up and IDing in the field allowed. If it is not the item we want to personalise ("Oh, again not my spirit weapon - I hope I find it soon!") we drop it immediately from our backpack ("Leaving it on the ground after investigation")

 

[Grisu]

I'm not sure how to handle this. Items dropped by monsters are unidentified, so die ID them you'd have to pick them up. Considering your message below, "turning it over" is ok role-playing wise.


So, are we allowed to pick up and unidentified rare, ID it with a scroll and then decide if this is the item we want to drag to Anya? Or do we have to make the decision if this is the item before we ID the item? From a role-playing standpoint, I'd say that we could investigate (ID) the item on the ground with our ID scroll and see if it is the one item belongig to us or not - so picking up and IDing in the field allowed. If it is not the item we want to personalise ("Oh, again not my spirit weapon - I hope I find it soon!") we drop it immediately from our backpack ("Leaving it on the ground after investigation")

It sounds as though you have the process down pretty well. In the game, picking up a "substantial" item is allowed as long as you do not carry it away. You can look at this as just analyzing the item. Using an ID scroll on it is fine and it is necessary to determine if you want that item to be your Anya quest item. The only "substantial" item that you can carry away is the one you will use for Anya's personalization reward. Once you carry it away, it becomes your Anya item. Personally, I cannot imagine doing this prior to Act 5. I suppose it is possible, but the temptation to wait and get something even better is going to be very strong. If I know my kind of luck, I will end up having to gamble for the Anya item, or maybe even buy it from Larzuk.

I have been testing characters to see how they work under these restrictions. Whenever I find a yellow or blue item, I pick it up. If it is not ethereal, I drop it immediately and move on. Later on in Act 4 or 5, I will probably take along a book of ID scrolls and use them on any item of a type that I would covet. Then when I ID a really great item, I will have to make a decision. That decision to declare my Anya item is irrevocable, so it is a very important decision. Once I have declared my Anya item, I will stop IDing rares/magics/uniques/etc. because there is no purpose. If I find another great item, I would be forced to drop it anyway!

 

[Grisu]

My latest experiment is with a Druid. He is on his way to rescue Cain. He is level 12 and he has an ethereal short sword, a sack of 153 ethereal throwing knives, two ethereal armors (one with two sockets), an Ethereal buckler, two rings and an amulet. He is not using the knives until he wants to kill a difficult monster at range. He is not using the short sword either because his arctic blast elemental skill seems adequate for now. His plan is to develop wolves (he has 5 spirit wolves now) and then get Armageddan developed later.

This has been the best character so far. The sorceress was fine, but she needed so much mana that it was hard to keep her stocked with so little storage space. The barbarian had good storage space, but his ethereals wore out too quickly. I am convinced that a melee character will have to be blessed with self-repairing mods on his weapon and armor to be viable. The Paladin was good and would be even better after he developed his hammer. I have not tried an assassin yet, but she should be much like the sorceress. She will probably major in Blade Fury and develop a Shadow Master.

I hope that enough people want to try this because it will be interesting to see if anyone can get deep into NM difficulty. I cannot imagine any guardians are possible, but for the expert players, it may be a great challenge.

What I find to be particularly enjoyable is the need to carefully conserve your resources. You may have a few ethereal weapons, but you cannot afford to wear out your best sword an weak enemies. Therefore, you use a lessor sword until a reallly rough monster appears and then you switch to the better weapon.

 

[Grisu]

This is certainly interesting. I have a few builds in mind.

 

[Grisu]

Just to make sure:

6. You must solve all quests (grayed out by the end of the act). Waypoints can be skipped if you like.

That means we have to use e.g. Charsi's Imbue before moving on to Act II, right?

Thinking more about it, there are certainly some interesting build choices. Some MA Assassin might even be viable (you can use some skills w/o weapons). I will probably try an Amazon and pesonalize a bow or spear weapon. We will see

EDIT: I do like the RPG elements, although I must admit I'm not a big fan of tedious trips back to town because your backpack space is limited But I'll manage

 

[Grisu]

I also have a build idea, hope there will be enough RL time to play.

 

[Grisu]

Just to make sure:
That means we have to use e.g. Charsi's Imbue before moving on to Act II, right?

Thinking more about it, there are certainly some interesting build choices. Some MA Assassin might even be viable (you can use some skills w/o weapons). I will probably try an Amazon and pesonalize a bow or spear weapon. We will see

EDIT: I do like the RPG elements, although I must admit I'm not a big fan of tedious trips back to town because your backpack space is limited But I'll manage

Yes, the Charsi item will have to come from Act 1. I intend to find a self repair ethereal and hope that it remains self repair after Charsi has her way on it.

I agree with your Amazon bow from the Anya personalization, but I may try some other character type for the first attempt.

As for the tedious trips back to town, I have not experienced that with any character except the Sorceress. The other characters had enough backpack space to carry sufficient potions and they always seemed to find enough in the field.

 

[Grisu]

I have just taken my Assassin into the Stony Field and stopped at the waypoint which was conveniently placed by the entry.

She has been using Fire Blast because it was convenient. It is working well enough to get by all the tough monsters she met in the Cold Plains. However, when she first entered the Cold Plains (at level 4) to activate the waypoint, she ran into the group of four hairy beasts that included a cold immune specimen that took quite a bit to killl. Since then, there have been no real problems.

Of course, this tournament plan has several challenging aspects. In particular, the ethereal equipment can be difficult to find with self-repair. It is also important to find a belt early on so that potions and scrolls can have more storage room. So, she fond the ideal item:

Rare ethereal sash with "repairs 1 durability in 33 seconds", + 1 to strength, +5 to life and +10 to lightning resistance.

Oh, I realize that this is no big deal for most D2 characters, but it is nearly ideal for this tournament. In fact it may be her belt for all of Act1 and Act2. Another good item find was an ethereal quilted armor with two sockets. That item is not self-repair. She put a topaz chip and a skull chip in it for some reason or other. She intends to use it until it has about 2 durability left and then switch it to the mercenary.

I find the challenges to be so refreshing that I am eager to declare the tournament to begin and start playing a character for real. Of course, when I do, I will not find a rare belt like that one again. So, I guess I will just try another experiment. I have not tried the Necromancer or Amazon yet but I have noted that ethereal javelins are easy to find. I guess the next try will be an Amazon.

 

[Grisu]

Yes, the Charsi item will have to come from Act 1. I intend to find a self repair ethereal and hope that it remains self repair after Charsi has her way on it.

It certainly won't be self-repairing before the imbue, since it's a non-magical item!

 

[Grisu]

As for the tedious trips back to town, I have not experienced that with any character except the Sorceress. The other characters had enough backpack space to carry sufficient potions and they always seemed to find enough in the field.

It is more because I am a pack (&sell) rat. I'd pick up all bolts, arrows etc. for selling to make some money - you do have to think about your future (i.e. your merc dying a lot and thus in need of resurrection) And if you already have your 5-15 spaces of inventory used up by charms (esp. +lightning damage if you find them if you are melee!) then ther's not much room to pick up those sellable items. I really don't want to run to the last WP for one set of Bolts But as I said, I completely agree with the roleplaying aspect on this

I find the challenges to be so refreshing that I am eager to declare the tournament to begin and start playing a character for real.

I'm ready to rumble at any time!

 

[Grisu]

It certainly won't be self-repairing before the imbue, since it's a non-magical item!

Good point!

 

[Grisu]

I if I join, I won't bring the Cube with me in inventory. Yes, you get more slots but it's SO much more work using them...

 

[Grisu]

Just some information on how to (not) get ethereal items:

The following cube recipes do NOT retain the ethereal property:

• 1 Perfect Skull + 1 Rare Item + Stone of Jordan = 1 High Quality New Rare Item of the same type
• 6 Perfect Skulls + 1 Rare Item = 1 Random Low Quality Rare Item of the same type
• 4 Health Potions (of any type) + Ruby (any type) + Magical Sword = A Magic Sword of the Leech
• 3 Perfect Gems (of any type) + 1 Magic Item = 1 New Random Magic Item of the Same Type
• 3 Standard Gems (normal) and 1 Socketed Weapon (Any Type) = 1 Socketed Magic Weapon (of same type)
• 3 Chipped Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon
• 3 Flawless Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon

The following cube recipes DO retain the ehtereal property:

• 1 Ral Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal Weapon = Socketed Weapon of same type
• 1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal Helm = Socketed Helm of same type
• 1 Tal Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Ruby + Normal Shield = Socketed Shield of same type
• 1 Ral Rune + 1 Sol Rune + 1 Perfect Emerald + Normal Unique Weapon = Exceptional Version of Weapon
• 1 Tal Rune + 1 Shael Rune + 1 Perfect Diamond + Normal Unique Armor = Exceptional Version of Armor
• 1 Lum Rune + 1 Pul Rune + 1 Perfect Emerald + Exceptional Unique Weapon = Elite Version of Weapon
• 1 Ko Rune + 1 Lem Rune + 1 Perfect Diamond + Exceptional Unique Armor = Elite Version of Armor
• 1 Ort Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal (Basic) Rare Weapon = Exceptional Rare Weapon
• 1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal (Basic) Rare Armor = Exceptional Rare Armor
• 1 Fal Rune + 1 Um Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Exceptional Rare Weapon = Elite Rare Weapon
• 1 Ko Rune + 1 Pul Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Exceptional Rare Armor = Elite Rare Armor

So basically ever recipe that changes the fingerprint removes the ethereal property.

The Charsi imbue, the Anya personalization and the Larzuk socket quest all retain the ethereal property.

Can't wait to get started

 

[Grisu]

Just some information on how to (not) get ethereal items:

The following cube recipes do NOT retain the ethereal property:
1 Perfect Skull + 1 Rare Item + Stone of Jordan = 1 High Quality New Rare Item of the same type
6 Perfect Skulls + 1 Rare Item = 1 Random Low Quality Rare Item of the same type
4 Health Potions (of any type) + Ruby (any type) + Magical Sword = A Magic Sword of the Leech
3 Perfect Gems (of any type) + 1 Magic Item = 1 New Random Magic Item of the Same Type
3 Standard Gems (normal) and 1 Socketed Weapon (Any Type) = 1 Socketed Magic Weapon (of same type)
3 Chipped Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon
3 Flawless Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon

The following cube recipes DO retain the ehtereal property:
1 Ral Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal Weapon = Socketed Weapon of same type
1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal Helm = Socketed Helm of same type
1 Tal Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Ruby + Normal Shield = Socketed Shield of same type
1 Ral Rune + 1 Sol Rune + 1 Perfect Emerald + Normal Unique Weapon = Exceptional Version of Weapon
1 Tal Rune + 1 Shael Rune + 1 Perfect Diamond + Normal Unique Armor = Exceptional Version of Armor
1 Lum Rune + 1 Pul Rune + 1 Perfect Emerald + Exceptional Unique Weapon = Elite Version of Weapon
1 Ko Rune + 1 Lem Rune + 1 Perfect Diamond + Exceptional Unique Armor = Elite Version of Armor
1 Ort Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal (Basic) Rare Weapon = Exceptional Rare Weapon
1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal (Basic) Rare Armor = Exceptional Rare Armor
1 Fal Rune + 1 Um Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Exceptional Rare Weapon = Elite Rare Weapon
1 Ko Rune + 1 Pul Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Exceptional Rare Armor = Elite Rare Armor

So basically ever recipe that changes the fingerprint removes the ethereal property.

The Charsi imbue, the Anya personalization and the Larzuk socket quest all retain the ethereal property.

Can't wait to get started

Great information! I hope that I can use an occasional upgrade on a unique item!!

I Can't wait either, so I will declare the tournament underway immediately. I will start out a table where we can sign up and provide updates.

One bit of info will be added to the initial post on the thread: The starting "squares" count for your character is the starting strength divided by two. When the answer to that calculation is not even, round up.

 

[Grisu]

The tournament has begun.
Remember the score formula is 5xWPs + Life -2xSTR -5xLevel. STR and Life are with all equipment and Charms applied.

Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:   Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------   ----------------
Wolron             TBD             Necromancer  TBD               1        Rogue Encampment

 

[Grisu]

Nice!
Two qustions:

Are we allowed to make Iron Golems from 'substantial items' in the field? We don't have to life them (but maybe want to ID them).

You say that the Anya personalization reward material can be brought from the field, gambled or shopped from Larzuk. Is that the limit? Not bought from Anya herself, from Malah of from vendors in earlier acts?

Oh, and I suppose we have to drop the starting gear ASAP, since we can't life it?

 

[Grisu]

If you do not run around with that iron item, you can just stand there and make your golem with it.

You can buy that Anya item from anyone, but once you buy one, that is your item for Anya. Same thilng for gambling. If you want to gamble in Act 4 you can, but once you declare your Anya item, that's it.

Yes, drop all starting equipment immediately.

 

[Grisu]

Thanks for the clarifications.

I've started a little. Playing a Martial Arts Assassin named Misty.
Won't have time now for a proper update, and now I'm going away for 8 days - will be back next monday.

I really like
- the restrictions for what to wear (the ethereal aspect).
- that a broken belt still holds extra potions. Just make sure not to take it off.
- the '1 skill tree per difficulty' thing. Both challenging and interesting.
- the early power of Fists of Fire (and Tiger Strike + Dragon Talon, even with wimpy/no weapon and no boots).

I really don't like
- that FoF is really darn slow when you're weaponless
- the endless town trips I'm doing because of the inventory slots restriction. IMO, this achieves nothing except making the game less fun.

 

[Grisu]

I will join with a druid named Allanon, can someone please add me to the table?