[2018] The Spear-Person Challenge [by Pijus]

[Grisu]

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This tournament has already ended. It was originally started by Pijus on Apr 24, 2018. The last post was made Jan 26, 2020.
(link to original thread on diabloii.net) ​

The Spear-Person Challenge

Some heroes of sanctuary prefer dispatching demons hand to hand, face to face, up close and personal... while simultaneously staying as far away from danger as possible. For those brave souls there is only one choice of weapon: The Spear.

When you touch a dagger or a scimitar, you feel light headed. When the demon hordes see the interminate length of your Mancatcher, they know the end is nigh.


Rules:

1. You must use two handed spear weapons. Since Trident-type and Spetum-type weapons look like tiny little forks, you may not use them. Only use Spear-type, Brandistock-type, and Pike-type weapons. (You can use regular(inferior) weapons until you can buy a spear).

2. Progress through the game on at least players8 in Normal, players5 in Nightmare, players3 in Hell. You may re-run completed areas or bosses on any players setting, as much as you want.

3. Hardcore mode. If you dies, you dies.

4. Untwinked. Muling allowed.

5. No merc restrictions.


Bonus, Optional:

1. No Spear-type weapons. That means only Brandistock-type and Pike-type weapons for you! (you can use a Spear until you can buy a Brandistock)

2. Progress through the whole game only on players8!


Exceptions:

1. If you acquire a rare spear that hits the fastest Whirlwind speed, you may use it, regardless of type.

2. If you're an Amazon, you can use Amazon spears.


Elaboration:

1. Spear-type refers to Spear and it's exceptional and elite version. Same for Brandistock-type, etc.

2. Your character must be holding a spear and hitting monsters with their spear. You can have summons and cast spells, but the idea is to dispatch of the monsters via stabbing. For example, you may freeze monsters with Glacial Spike, and then do the stabbing.

3. When progressing through the game, it's enough to kill a quest monster(or the super unique that's blocking the way) on the required players settings to consider that area "done". Also, you don't have to do this for side areas.

For example:
- clear Den of Evil, defeat Corpesefire, now you can run Blood Moor on any players settings.
- kill Blood Raven, now you can run Cold Plains, Burial Grounds, and all side areas there.
- kill Rakanishu, Treehead, Griswold, now you can run those areas.
- kill Countess, now you can do Tower and Black Marsh.
- kill Smith, now you can do Tamoe Highland and Barracks.
- kill Andariel, now you can run all of act1 whoever you want.

Conclusion:

The goal of this challenge is to beat the game using a spear. To go from poking at monsters one by one with your Brandistock, to mowing down hordes with your impossibly long pillar of vengeance! Post your progress, adventures, screenshots, and especially fantastic spear weapons below!

 

[Grisu]

And you must kill with the spear? No Spear Blizzard sorcs?

 

[Grisu]

Yes, you must hit things with your spear. You can use skills like Lightning Strike, because it involves hitting the monster with your spear to cause the lightning.

 

[Grisu]

No Summoners either? Is Iron Golem made by a spear ok?

 

[Grisu]

The goal of this is to stab things with your spear. Letting your summons kill everything would be totally against this. I'll try to add another clarification to the rules...

 

[Grisu]

Hey Pijus! Welcome back! And with a tourney on top of that! Just to clarify: we may use a higher player setting than 5/3 for NM/Hell? So I am allowed to do Normal and NM on p8 and then Hell on p3? Maybe it is time to do the Impalazon after all!

 

[Grisu]

Interesting. Pretty straightforward, I might take it on as a long-term side project. Couple questions though:

1. Is it single-pass, limited re-run, or unlimited re-runs allowed?
2. Any merc restrictions?
3. What about javelins, aren't they essentially mini-spears? Could give people an option to use a shield if they want.
4. Can we re-visit acts/difficulties for shopping/merc hiring purposes?

 

[Grisu]

I might be up for it, with a Spear lightning zon

Let see how the rules turn out, I am not into single-pass when there already are a lot of restrictions.

 

[Grisu]

I added a few more clarifications. There's basically no limits, except you gotta use the specified 2 handed spear types, and you gotta play on the specified players setting. And you gotta actually hit things with your spear.

As for my own character, I'm rolling with a WW barbarian. This whole challenge thing was supposed to be barbarian only, but I decided more diversity would be more interesting. I'm currently in act3 normal, just completed Travincal. I am using a rare Brandistock, as well as a circlet with lots of lightning damage on it. Haven't been able to acquire a good pike yet. The end of act2 was really tough, and Durance of Hate is going to be really tough too.

 

[Grisu]

reruns allowed? Well, then I guess I'm out Nice idea to let people use some not-so often used weapons though! Good luck everyone!

 

[Grisu]

I've been playing my character quite a bit. I ran normal Travincal a little bit, then went on to act4 at level 31. At that point I had whirlwind and a nice pike, so the game started to feel way nicer. I was spinning around and the Venom Lords were going down alright. Izual and Hellforge didn't pose much danger. Infector of Souls was very dangerous. I killed Diablo mostly using a Malice Brandistock.

Now I'm in act5 and things are getting slow again. I don't see how I'm going to upgrade my weapon before NM. With some bosspacks, I can barely outdamage their regeneration. I wish I found a poison damage charm. I tried to make a picture of my adventures just to see how it goes...

It seems so far there's not many takers for this challenge. It's okay if I just post in this thread all by myself? Also, how do I make a spoiler button?

 

[Grisu]

Kinda funny, I was sorta doing this on my own with a chargadin...I haven't even gotten past Act II (super busy), but I'll update here once my real life calms down. I think besides an Amazon a Chargadin has one of the best chances of getting some nice DPS. I haven't decided how to deal with physical immunes, I suppose since I won't be using an Act 2 might merc I could give an Act 5 merc Lawbringer...

Cool tourney, I like these more casual ones. Single-pass just really loses its charm by Act 3 for me. The tombs+the jungle is just interminable!

My Paladin's name is Razzmatazz

 

[Grisu]

Spoiler button: select the text or picture you want to put in a spoiler. Use the insert button at the top of the reply box



Then there is the option 'spoiler'.

 

[Grisu]

I will be in, i am thinking about a build while speak of it. ill post back here as soon as i have the idea worked out! i just love big spears!

 

[Grisu]

Don't forget to hang on to your Emeralds and Sol runes for some safety crafts along the way!

Magical Spear (any)
+ Jewel (any)
+ Sol Rune (#12)
+ Perfect Emerald

 

[Grisu]

So glad to see interested participants!

I have made my way through normal. I mostly ran past a few areas, because I didn't feel like fighting those endlessly resurrecting zombies. I managed to find a poison damage charm, and I managed to gamble a couple of incrementally better pikes. My killing speed was abysmal, but no monsters came close to killing me. I was a bit worried about the ancients, but I was able to tank them and out-leech them. I was also worried about minions of destruction, but I managed to separate them into a few groups at which point I could tank them. Baal fight took a while, but was much less dangerous than Diablo. I tanked him, and poked him. Now on to nightmare. I'm going to keep it on players8 and see how it feels. The goal is to run the Countess for a while...

Spoiler: Pictures

 

[Grisu]

Meet JohnnySlowPoke (litterally at the moment! lol) my newborn paladin.
Currently level 18 and cruisin in the black marsh. Picked up some yellows and some runes.

Next stop is Andy however i need to break out of jail first

I have been gambling at Gheeds (the secondary weapon and the belt are his doing).

Not sure if i switch around my weapons in the future for now i like the life leech too much

Running with Might and zeal melts everything away so far


Weapon 1:

Weapon 2

and gheeds belt (he didnt need it anymore!)

More to follow soon! I like it!

 

[Grisu]

I have just beat nightmare act1. On players8. It was really tough. I killed the monsters that I encountered up to about Dark Wood, and then I skipped quite a lot of monsters until I reached the Outer Cloister. With the exception of the Countess' tower, which I cleared pretty thoroughly. Fighting monsters, especially groups of them, became too slow and dangerous at this point, so I ran the Tower on players1 a few times, hoping to find some saphires. I needed the sapphires to upgrade this weapon I gambled.


Since taking these pictures, I also found Sigon's boots, so now I'm wearing 3 Sigons items (and 2 Cathan's). I also made a Lore helm from a Barb hat, +2 shout, +3 find item. When I got the weapon upgrade, the game on p8 went from being a slog, to a fun but challenging romp. I Made it though the Jail, and Catacombs, in the process finding Iceblink(chest armor with freeze on it). That made things ever better, since now when I whirl monsters, they stand still and don't hit me. And there are no fallen corpses for the shamans to revive. I beat Andariel without much trouble, had to go to town a few times to restock potions. Mostly I could just tank her. Amplisa didn't even die!

The Weapon runs out of durability maybe twice per area, and costs 15k to repair each time. But since I'm not gambling for weapons for now, I have the cash...

 

[Grisu]

Dang, are you hitting the max WW breakpoint with that? Pretty sweet fork. With all that +ED% to undead your Act 2 should be a breeze!

 

[Grisu]

Oh yeah. Brandistock types have a -20 base speed, so they need 40% IAS to hit maximum spin. Had to use up a socket quest, but it was worth it. I can absolutely breeze through nightmare act1 on p1 with my current setup. Feels nice. I tried to do normal Baal on p8, and it was still an epic slog. Those minions of destruction have a lot of health!

Don't imagine act2 will be too easy, since I can't leech from skeletons. Also can't think of my next weapon upgrade, which is a bit worrisome. My options: gamble a better Brandistock and upgrade(what are the chances?!), take a magic war fork and socket it with the cube. For the moment I'm focused on upgrading my non-weapon gear.