[2018] Tournament: Set/Unique Worshippers 2017 [by jiansonz]

OK, Let's see if this worked! I guess not unless you click on the leader board.


Updates:

Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        48      ???         NM Act I Rogue Encampment
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          48      19          Normal Cow Level
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        ??                29      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        28        6         Act III Kurast Docks
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        23      ???         Act II Dry Hills
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
 
Wolron said:
My resistances are sort of low now and they will be almost non-existant when I take the 50 point reduction.
The resist penalty in NM is 40 points.

Wolron said:
I am considering using the Ward shield and any old weapon (skewer of Krintiz seems like the choice) and let the wolves do their thing. Since the Ward has +48 resist all, that may be the best plan. Any thoughts on that. I could still carry Witherstring in the off-hand and use it when it is safe.

Sounds good to me. Play with the cards you're dealt. Hope for better charms and resist items in NM. When perfect gems start to pile up, you can reroll charms. I usually go for the big ones, because one good roll can make quite a big difference.
 
AndrewNiteTorch found the Maggot Lair without trouble and got his second S/U armor, thus losing 31% MF in the process. His merc installed the Vidala's and Andrew donned the legendary green breast plate for himself. Because, you know, it is the better of the two!
Screenshot090.jpg

Very soon after that, we ended up getting this to drop. I was hoping it was a nice Nagelring to replenish the MF lost when we found Vidalas's but alas it was a Manald Heal. That will help with mana leech if I ever find a nice weapon to charge with...
Screenshot091.jpg

One thing about having over 100% MF for every kill is that we tend to find a lot of charms. This is the best so far.
Screenshot093.jpg

AndrewNiteTorch has completed the arcane sanctuary and has S/U in about half the spots. The merc is 100% decked out in S/U, but Andrew still has white/grey items for his helm, gloves, belt and boots. He's also using the claw viper amulet for now.

AndrewNiteTorch, level 25 Paladin who lets his merc do all the dirty work, Canyon of the Magi
 
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jiansonz said:
@Grisu: Thanks for the table! I'll update it now and then.
A question: 'S/U found', is that the total number found, or how many that are currently equipped?
I meant all S/Us found so far - but if you'd rather have only equipped S/Us listed - that works for me

@Oakbrain: Sorry about the deeds! I find Barbarian to be one of the more confusing characters when it comes to handle crowd control skills - there are so many, but I only have 5 fingers on each hand - how am I supposed to hit the right key????
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Oberon killed Mephisto and Diablo - I chickened out on Diablo at /p3 though. From my experience, p/8 with a melee character without maxed fire/lightning resistance is suicidal more often than not...

Act 3 didn't start too well concerning my S/Us...but progress was easy thanks to 800+ life and 600+ damage. Act III went buy surpgrisingly fast because of this. Ormus had a rare ring for me, but the stats were only mediocre:
1-Ormus' Ring.jpg
Shortly before I reached Kurast, both Akara's and Ormus' ring became obsolete though, because I found a 2nd Nagelring...a better one than the first one, but only barely...
2-Nagelring #2.jpg

The next S/U was a really good one though: I always liked Sander's Taboo for my tourney characters, and Oberon is no exception from this. I like those gloves so much, that they even dropped twice!
3-Sander's Taboo #1.jpg
6-Sander's Taboo #2.jpg
Further finds were Isenhart's Lightbrand and two set Amulets - even different ones! Civerb's Icon and Vidala's Snare. Because of Isenhart's Lightbrand I had to switch mercs though, because my Town Guard would have had to go weaponless otherwise. I chose a Cold Iron Wolf and his ability to freeze and thus split up packs came in quite handy.
4-Civerb's Icon.jpg
7-Vidala's Snare.jpg
I blanked Mephisto (and later Diablo, too) - so no S/Us so far from bosses for me.

In Act IV I found the Venom Lords to be dangerous to mee in larger packs, because my merc could only freeze one or two at a time and they have an inherent fire Resistance of 70%, so they were able to take some hits from my Fire Claws while dealing out some fire damage themselves...but no NDE at anytime :)

An Isenharts's Horns goes along well with the Lightbrand, although I still prefer Shadowfang because of the mana leech. With Isenhart's I attack somewhat faster, but need to constantly gulp mana potions...My Forge Drop was ok, I guess (Ort Rune).
3-Forge Drop.jpg
Still far away from upgrading a normal unique to exceptional though, although I was quite lucky with my rune drops the past 4 acts (82 runes in total!!)

As I already mentioned, Diablo was stingy with his drops, but the Grand Viziert netted me my 14th S/U, a Witherstring Bow. Not what I call a bomb unique, but hey! It shoots Magic Arrows! *pow pow pow*

Oberon, level 34 Fire Claws Druid, and Scorch, Cold Iron Wolf, Normal Harrogath Next. 14 S/Us found so far.

Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard

Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        48      ???         NM Act I Rogue Encampment
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          48       19         Normal Cow level
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        ??                29      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        28        6         Act III Kurast Docks
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        25      ???         Act II Canyon of the Magi
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
 
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Well not much has gone on since last time. No S/U dropped throught Act IV. Finished Diablo off after an exhausting battle. I forgot to change player settings before he spawned and paid with the blood of about 100 dire wolves. Had to keep summoning them in different directions to stop him always 1-hit clearing them, and even so, his aoe killed everything at once!

There were a few near-death moments but eventually he fell and dropped me......bloody Artic belt AGAIN! Of all the belts....

diablo.png


KalKunta, level 32 Ele-Summoner Druid, Normal Harrogath. 11 S/Us found so far.

Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        48      ???         NM Act I Rogue Encampment
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          48       19         Normal Cow level
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        Ele-Summoner      32       11         Act V Panda Village
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        28        6         Act III Kurast Docks
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        25      ???         Act II Canyon of the Magi
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
 
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@Grisu: You forgot to update your own progress. :)

@Charlo: That Diablo screenie is great. You're imprisoned, but still a winner. And the Vine has poisoned the bony wall...

And to both of you: well done getting past Diablo. Major hurdle in these toruneys. He's not nearly as bad on the higher difficulties, because if you can get to him there, you're usually ready for him.



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I had a feeling that Damien could well dominate Act I NM with his Bloodletter, especially now that he has help from two beefy tanks. And he did.

Viri's job was to smack down those pesky Shamans with her big axe.


Blood Raven can't run away anymore...

ViriNM01, blocked-in Raven.jpg


I found an unreachable barrel, on the outer side of the wall:

ViriNM02, unreachable.jpg

I wonder if you could have popped it with Telekinesis. Probably.
I also wonder if it would have been possible to teleport to there.


Finds in the act:
Civerb's Cudgel (Blood Raven)
Steelclash (Black Marsh)
Nokozan Relic #2 (Black Marsh)
Goldskin (Tower Cellars level 4)
Sigon's Gage (Tamoe Highlands)
Isenhart's Lightbrand #2 (Tamoe Highlands)
Wizendraw (Dark Shaman boss on Catacombs 2)
Sigon's Sabot (Andariel)

Goldskin has great resists - may eventually be needed.

Sigon's gloves was a great find. Viri could suddenly swing the axe SO much faster.

Hm, Wizendraw. Looks like the game really want me to be a Cold Bowazon, that bow seems made for it. But I'll resist, for now.

And then Sigon's boots to round it off, that was awesome. Cold resist, faster run, and MF now up to a more respectable +82% (Sigon's combo 50 + perfect topaz 24 + Lucky charms 4, 3 and 1).

My only non-SU item now is my belt, currently an ethereal Demonhide Sash (5 durability left).


Viridissima the (so far) Valkazon and Damien the barbarian mercenary, level 52, 37 S/U items found, NM Lut Gholein
 
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Durbanex (level 49) entered the Countess's tower and shortly thereafter a Dark Archer Elite and her champion pack objected to his arrogance at playing P8 in NM. Oh well. He had 25 SUs thanks to a good run toward the end.

In addition to the 19 he had at the last post, he also found:
Diggler
BloodFist
Another Isenhart's Case
Nightsmoke
Berserker's Headgear
Another "The Ward"

It was fun, now to decide whether or not to try again. Maybe another character type. I've always like the Bowazon or maybe a Paladin. A sorceress could be fun...
 
jiansonz said:
MF doesn't help with that (well, other than for finding Gheed's if the ilvl is high enough). Only the players setting (for regular monsters and containers) and luck are involved.
Well dang. I guess the placebo effect is in full force then. I still know almost nothing when it comes to mechanics of this game.

In the Canyon of the Magi, we lost 26% MF to fall back to 110% when this dropped. It is our second piece of Berzerker's and the fire resist is nice, despite losing some of our magic finding ability.
Screenshot001.jpg

We found this in one of the false tombs. I think that is Kaa right up there a bit further. Its blinding ability caused AndrewNiteTorch to equip it on switch which we'll see shortly. Very useful.
Screenshot002.jpg

Here's a good shot of our ability to calm things down in a room. Blinding in normal difficulty lasts a long time too!
Screenshot003.jpg

Another good example of removing a severe threat from the equation. I could swap back to the Gull switch and wait for Chalan to finish up with his duties.
Screenshot004.jpg

We got this in the true tomb. I tried it out with Chalan but the Dragon Chang felt faster, probably because of the 100% ED to undead mod on it.
Screenshot005.jpg

I decided to run Duriel at /P8 and we sure didn't do much damage to him, so I went back to town and spent several skill points to Charge, getting it to 10 (it was at 3) and equipping the Dimoak's Hew on Andrew, and that did the trick. Each hit was pretty hard and we got him slivered and I switched back to Thorns and Duriel finished himself off hitting me.
Screenshot006.jpg

What a sweet ring!!!!! Too bad it isn't a SOJ or Raven or BKWB. Junk.
Screenshot007.jpg

Duriel dropped this failed unique (it would have been the Battlebranch, which would have been awesome!). Dang.
Screenshot008.jpg

12 S/U so far.

AndrewNiteTorch, level 28, Kurast Docks
 
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@Wolron: I'm sorry about your deeds! Hope you'll try another character!
@Dazliare: TC3 FTW!!! Good to see another Weredruid around :)
@jiansonz: true, I did forget my own progress *facepalm*

btw: The Wereform central site for calculating attack speed for Wereforms seems to be offline. I still have a copy on my HDD which works, so if anyone needs it, I can probably send a ZIP file to them (if that is allowed by current forum standards?)

Now I have to choose between using a 9 fpa Witherstring without ML or a 16 fpa Shadowfang with ML...decisions, decisions...


Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        52       37         NM Act II Lut Gholein
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        34       14         Act V Harrogath
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        Ele-Summoner      32       11         Act V Panda Village
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        28      ???         Act III Kurast Docks
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          49       25         NM Act I Dark Tower
 
@Wolron my commiserations on Durbanex's untimely end - but at least now I've got some company in the graveyard!


Trapsin Olyssia, lvl 18, Outer Cloister
I've reentered with a Trapsin. Olyssia hasn't found any S/Us, so she's decked out in a fully Topazed set of ringmail and helm, plinking at monsters with a 3x chipped emerald longbow. Rogue Elly has an identical bow. I've spread points across Charged Bolt Trap and Fire Blast, with one point dropped into Shadow Warrior. I'm thinking about Blade Fury so that I can deliver Open Wounds, Crushing Blow, etc if I get a weapon with those things.


traps.png


Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        52       37         NM Act II Lut Gholein
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        34       14         Act V Harrogath
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        Ele-Summoner      32       11         Act V Panda Village
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        28      ???         Act III Kurast Docks
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Oakbrain           Olyssia         Assassin     Lightning Trapsin 18        0         Act I Outer Cloister   
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          49       25         NM Act I Dark Tower
 
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I am not sure how long this D2 nostalgia will last for me, but I am going to try an Amazon that uses only Passive skill tree and Magic arrow. Obviously, the Valkyrie is the objective of the build and I liked using Witherstring's Magic arrow skill when Durbanex used it.

The Amazon will be named Pam. Let me see if I can keep this character going long enough to get a Valkyrie.
 
Just thought I'd write a proper update from Jens-Rune.

Turns out the damage issue from the last report has been solved. At least for the time being. Jens-Rune has ended his contract with Haseen. He said he's hired this new dude Flux instead. Evidently, the dude shoots icicles from his bare hands!

Screenshot136.jpg
Seems like the lord of hatred was no match for this new team and now Jens-Rune is in possession of Mephisto's Soulstone.

I've attached screenshots of all Set/Unique items found in act II and III.

Screenshot057.jpg
Screenshot065.jpg
Screenshot079.jpg
Screenshot090 (1).jpg
Screenshot094.jpg
Screenshot098.jpg
Screenshot109.jpg
Screenshot116.jpg
 
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Got on with the hike from Pandy Village and came across this. Handy for my Fissure skill!

droppy.png

If only i could find the damn jewelry!

Progress was quick and painless. Got Tancrids just outside the crystalline passage, straight onto the merc!
droppy2.png

Further along i had this drop and swapped it with isenharts, which was given to the merc. Merc just needs a weapon now....
droppy3.png

This is how I'm shaping up:

stashy.png

Other finds were:

Death's Touch
Another bloody Sanders Wand
!
+1 Druid skills Amu :(

Next up is baal which i MUST remember to take him down to p3 or it will be an hour fight.....zzzzzz

KalKunta, level 43 Ele-Summoner Druid, World Stone Level 2. 16 S/Us found so far.
 
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19-Destroyer Oberon.jpg

Hah! Baal went down, even at /p8. Fire Claws is really strong in Normal, let's see how well I fare in NM and Hell with those many Fire Immunes...maybe I should not try to max Fire Claw damage, but get another damage type?

Anyways, Act V went by in a breeze, and I got a lot of good rune drops (see Flavie Report in the attached files (EDIT: Well, can't attach HTML files, I guess...does anyone know how to best upload Flavie reports?). I switched mercs from time to time (Act III Cold vs Act V), depending on whether I needed to freeze those Suicide Minons or if I needed NOT to freeze the reanimated Hordes (you do get drops and XP for them even if they were reanimated).

I fought Baal with an Iron Wolf merc and will keep him for now. I will switch to a HF merc in Act II though probabyl, especially since Baal dropped me Razortine, which is a great boss killer :)

I even found an ethereal unique - lots of damage, but it wouldn't last long, I guess...
05-Eth Brainhew inv.jpg

I lost all of my MF except for the Nagelrings, because Sparking Mail and Cathan's Mesh forced me to stash my socketed Breast Plates.

All S/Us I found this act (13 for a total of 27):
Iratha's Coil
Brainhew (ethereal)
Berserker's Headgear
Sparking Mail
Milabrega's Orb
Nokozan Relic
Arctic Horns
Isenhart's Lightbrand #2
Cathan's Mesh
Sigon's Wrap

Razortine
Deathspade
(from Cow Level)
Angelic Halo (from Cow Level)

I still have amazin Fire and Lightning resistances thanks to my finds, but poison might finish me off quickly...

Oberon, level 48 Fire Claws Druid, and Yatiraj, Cold Iron Wolf. NM Rogue Encampment. 27 S/Us found so far.

Set/Unique Worshippers Leaderboard

Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
jiansonz           Viridissima     Amazon       Valkyrie/?        52       37         NM Act II Lut Gholein
Grisu              Oberon          Druid        Fire Claws        48       27         NM Act I Rogue Encampment
Charlo             KulKanta        Druid        Ele-Summoner      43       16         Act V WSK Lv 2
Drystan            Goldilocks      Amazon       ??                32       12         Act IV Panda Fortress
Southpaw8668       Wuzhul          Necromancer  ??                32      ???         Act IV Panda Fortress
zoo                Jens-Rune       Barbarian    ??                32       10         Act IV Panda Fortress
OldSoldier         AndrewNiteTorch Paladin      2-handed ?        28      ???         Act III Kurast Docks
ioupainmax         Habacalva       Sorceress    Melee Enchantress 22        3         Act II Dry Hills
Dezrok             Roland          Paladin      Avenger           20        4         Act II Lut Gholein
GothamsBeard       Envy            Amazon       Elemental Bowzon  ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
hackedagainanda    Conrad          Paladin      Frost Zealot      ??      ???         Act II Lut Gholein
RedTang            PaniSuka        Sorceress    FO/Lightning      ??      ???         Act I Outer Cloister
Oakbrain           Olyssia         Assassin     Lightning Trapsin 18        0         Act I Outer Cloister
Dazliare           Pestilence      Druid        Rabies            ??      ???         Act I Stony Field
Set/Unique Martyrs
Code:
Player:            Name:           Class:       Build:            Level:  S/U found:  Area:
----------------   ------------    -----------  ----------------  ------  ----------  ----------------
Oakbrain           Jathnolf        Barbarian    Berserk/War Cry   54      ???         NM Act II Far Oasis
Wolron             Durbanex        Druid        Summoner          49       25         NM Act I Dark Tower
 
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@zoo: What were those unique rings?
(I did a quick look back in the thread in case you've already mentioned it, but couldn't find anything about it.)

-----------------------------------------------------

(Long post ahead...consider yourselves notified...)

A lot happened for Viridissima the Amazon in Act II Nightmare. I am still going all-out MF (well, I did sell my 1% medium-sized charm but that's about the compromise I've accepted...). Kill speed or safety have been of minor concern. That will likely change in the next act. Gloams are no joke if you have bad resist, especially if you (like her) have stupid companions that just want to charge at them.

Gear's been swapped around a bit and mercs have been swapped twice. Viri also now know what build she is going to be.

I got to experience the 'self-serving MF snowball' that I think Insane Wayne once mentioned as having "tremendous power if you can get it rolling". High MF -> more MF S/U items get found -> a.s.o.

Started out the act at 82%, and it took a while at first to get rolling. The early areas were much like the last act. Damien with Bloodletter and level 8 Valkyrie (with rare Lance) doing the killing, Valkyrie and my maxed Decoy tank. Large (unleechable) skeleton hordes meant Damien couldn't tank very well, so I often needed to pull him back. When needed, Viri also provided some decent damage output with her Chieftain Tabar.

This screenie has the caption: "Darn, I should have brought my poison charm..."


ViriNM03, lacks poison charm.jpg
This didn't work out, I had to pull back and do some painstaking luring-out of mummies. Here is how it looked when we finally had a winnable situation. Decoy doing the sarcophagus blocking:

ViriNM04, better.jpg


To make things less complicated, I went without Valkyrie for the Maggot Lair, except for the last room.
In there, I had to recast her a few times, but Damien had no problems stealing enough life to be topped-out nearly the whole time. The first change took place after the Maggot Lair.

Iratha's Collar (Sewers level 1)
Cathan's Visage #2 (Bloodwitch the Wild)
Cathan's Seal #2 (Far Oasis chest)
Tancred's Crowbill #2 (Maggot Lair level 1)
Vidala's Snare (Maggot Lair level 1)

Vidala's is one of the MF set amulets but the only other piece I had was the bow. Alright, not much choice there. I still wanted Sigon's Guard on switch so I could summon Killer Valkyries. No good one-handers to choose from, really, but since I may swap to Sigon's Guard when I'm in trouble, I had Berserker's Hatchet there for the partial set +50 life bonus. So essentially, Viri could now no longer kill anything by herself.
I did put back the poison damage charm, though, which was useful here:

ViriNM05, CVT boss.jpg

But that screenie is getting ahead of the finds a little. They continued like this:

Isenhart's Horns (Lost City)
(ethereal) Blade of Ali Baba (Ancient Tunnels)
Civerb's Ward (Claw Viper Temple level 1)

Yowza! That was only the 4th or so Tulwar of any quality Viri had seen. Since my weapon slot was needed for MF, I gave it to Damien. Slower than Bloodletter and without life steal but with much higher damage. More complicated gameplay, though. Barb mercs are good against a single enemy (even if it's a very strong one) but if they can't steal life, they are vulnerable to mobs.


I knew CVT level 2 would likely be the most exciting place in the act, fighting-wise. That Bash skill of the barb mercs really isn't good against snakes, because it often gives them way more Charge opportunities. You want a stable fighting situation, with your tank(s) blocked by stuff behind so they don't get knocked back. (A Grizzly is great against them since it is immune to knockback.)

A few stray snakes at first, and I had no problem getting to the safe corner:

ViriNM06, CVT2 part 1.jpg

Then it quickly went downhill for Damien, and OH FRACK, Fangskin is Cursed! Just before I fled through the portal, I saw a green Winged Helm on the ground. Hey, I know what that is...

I didn't dare to go back through the portal, so I took the long road. Next try:

ViriNM07, CVT 2 part 2.jpg

I spent some purples for Damien, but I realized this wasn't any good either. Fled upstairs again.
Got down, and just one snake met us. Great. Then came a larger pack, but no Fangskin. Without the Amp, they were far less scary. This may look like a slightly tense situation, but it really was quite stable:

ViriNM08, CVT 2 part 3.jpg

Pretty easy win after that.

I had Damien don the green helm. When he no longer had Cathan's Visage, there was no use for him having Cathan's Mesh (he had that combo for the 15-20 fire damage). Better to give him something with more Defense. Almost upgraded Goldskin for him but then I thought that I may want to wear Goldskin eventually and then it's not good if you need 140 STR to equip it...
Gave him an upgraded Venom Ward instead. The mods vs. poison would be useful in the Tombs.
I socketed Blade of Ali Baba with a +8 max damage jewel and a perfect emerald.

Guillaume's Face (Claw Viper Temple level 2)
Sander's Riprap (Palace Cellar level 3)
Stormstrike (Palace Cellar level 3)
Aldur's Stony Gaze (Arcane Sanctuary) <- unusable by Viri and mercs
Cathan's Mesh #4 (Canyon of the Magi)
Lance of Yaggai #2 (Tomb 1 sparkly chest)
(ethereal) The Battlebranch (Tomb 1 sparkly chest)
Death's Touch (Tomb 3)
Angelic Mantle (Tomb 3)
Goldwrap (Tomb 3 - urn in treasure room)

I had already planned to do 3 false tombs, mule off, 3 false tombs, mule off, True tomb.

Here is the best kind of fighting formation vs. Gorebellies. Doorway, Valkyrie takes all the damage, Damien prevents her from getting knocked back while still reaching with his hits. Perfect:

ViriNM09, great fighting formation.jpg

Yes, I got one of those exciting 'few items' sparkly chest drops:

ViriNM10, sparkly.jpg

The last thing I did this session was looting the sparkly chest room in Tomb 3. This chest pumped out a ton of magical weapons and armors, many of them large. I needed something like 5 selling trips to take care of that. On my last trip, I noticed an urn I had missed (it was not visible - behind something). Goldwrap!
(So now all slots have S/U items. Goldwrap got upgraded, of course.)


The Angelic Mantle and that ethereal Battlebranch had me swap things around again. I felt handicapped when I couldn't kill things myself. Some other classes in that situation can teleport, curse, or kick/CoS/MB their way out of trouble. I have only my two summons to help in emergencies, and those are sometimes clumsy tools.

Time to decide which way to go. Viri will henceforth be a lightning Spearazon! After prereqs were filled, I could put 14-15 points in Charged Strike (conserving 13 points for future Valkyrie boost). Upgraded Lance of Yaggai. It so happens that the STR requirement for a Yari is 101, exactly the same as for a Tabar that I had already been using earlier.

I hired a Might merc and gave him (upgraded) ethereal Battlebranch. I equipped the armor/amulet/ring Angelic combo (with some neat bonuses). I still wanted to make use of the topaz-socketed Sigon's Shelter so my new merc received it. With armor slot occupied by Angelic Mantle, I need to equip Sigon's Guard to get the MF bonus on the boots. What goes well with that shield, as an MF (i.e. at this stage main) switch? Blade of Ali Baba...

This was a much more powerful setup. Good thing I chose my elemental build. Just in time, because we ran into one of these:

ViriNM11, PI.jpg

Lance of Yaggai has 30% IAS and Viri has another 40% off-weapon IAS. Those lightning pokes are fast!

Took on Duriel at /p5. Piece of cake with our good damage output.

ViriNM12, Duriel.jpg

M'avina's Tenet (Tomb 5 beetle boss)
Magefist (Tomb 5)
Spirit Forge (Tomb 6)
Blacktongue (True Tomb)
Immortal's King's Will (True Tomb) <- Perfect MF value!
Isenhart's Parry (True Tomb) <- first completed set
Cathan's Sigil (Duriel)

Finding Spirit Forge of course meant that the merc's MF on his armor doubled before the True tomb. The fire damage and good Defense aren't bad either.

Blacktongue may not look like much, but it's the only item I've found with Prevent Monster Heal on it. Could be significant.

The green Barbarian helm, and I scored the 1/16 chance of 40% MF. I HAVE to try to make things work with a barbarian merc again!
I am now back with my Vidala's combo, with Sigon's armor on. Thinking about Gloams...
But now I have my dear spear on switch, and its resists and my level 1 Avoid should help if we do draw those Gloams. OTOH, now I have no shield and that's scary when entering temples. Oh well, maybe I'll keep it in the stash, just in case.


Viridissima the Lightning Spearazon and Vikhyat the Barbarian, level 60, NM Kurast Docks
62 S/U items found
 
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What is your MF percentage now? If you go back to a barb merc I count that you'll get eighty eight % from the helm, 48% from the armor and 60%+ from the merc kills alone (if he uses Ali Baba), plus whatever else you can manage from your own gear. That's pretty impressive! I'm still at 110% but do have a long way to go to catch up.
 
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