2019 Spring RFL Sign-Up and Running Thread: 1st Round [by Grape]

[Pb_pal]

This tournament has already ended. It was originally posted by @Grape on Feb 22, 2019.
(link to original thread on diabloii.net)
​

Here we go again! It's already the third edition of the much awaited RFL!

Let me warmly welcome you all to the RFL! This thread is for signing-up and talking about the first round of the RFL.

What is RFL?

RFL stands for Rune Finding League. RFL is a free for all rune finding tournament that has three individual parts. You can participate for every three round or pick only one or two.

During this contest we farm runes in various areas during 3 weeks periods, with one week of rest and planning between each round. Players get points based on rarity of the rune (not its level) and at the end each player posts top 5 highest scored runes to get the final score.

For the first round we run Cow level, second is about running Travincal Council Members and for the last round we run area of one own's choice.


When is RFL?

• 1st round, "Moo Moo Farm": 15.3. - 4.4.2019
• 2nd round, "Travincal": 12.4 - 2.5.
• 3rd round, "Areas" : 10.5 - 30.5.

So, this first round starts on Friday 15th March at 0.00 and ends on Thursday 4th April at 23.59

Sign-up is open for each round until the end.


General rules

These are the rules that stand for all the three rounds. Specific rules for the first round are posted below

1. For each round, running time is limited to 20 hours of playing (when you mule to stash or in ATMA/GoMule, you can pause clock/counter/online stopwatch or whatever you use). However, when you finish your 20 hours of running, you can start a new batch of running which is again limited to 20 hours of playing. You can play as many batches as you want.

2. You are not allowed to start a new batch as long as you don't finish full 20 hours of the previous one.

3. Every batch is scored individually, and you will get points towards the league according to your best batch from each round.

4. Best batch is the one where your top 5 runes give the most scores. Scoring can be found below.

5. Screenshots of runes are not required, but I assume people would like to see them anyway. You are encouraged to post your findings...

6. ... but only after each round is finished! Don't post your qualifiers when the round is still going. You are warmly welcome to discuss your other findings however. But remember: Don't post your qualifying runes!

7. Runes qualified (giving scores) are all Pul+ runes.

8. Cubing runes into higher ones is not allowed. In other words don't cube Pul runes into Um to get a higher score.

9. Versions allowed: 1.13-1.14. Also version 1.07 is allowed.


Specific rules for the 1st round:

Spoiler

For the first round we will be running Moo Moo Farm AKA Cow level.

All qualifiers from Cow level area counts. Runes from Tristram or Stony Field (when picking up the leg), do NOT count.

Picking up the leg COUNTS toward the total running time however!

You don't have to collect legs and kill cows on a same character, as long as you remember to have your clock running all the time spent in the game!

Scoring

Scoring is based on rarity of runes. System is the same as we had during the earlier RFLs and during RFOs and Zodthon. Combine the points of the top 5 runes from your best batch each round.

Pul 3.4
Mal 5.0
Um 5.1
Gul 7.1
Ist 7.5
Ohm 10.1
Vex 10.6
Sur 13.7
Lo 15.1
Jah 18.3
Ber 20.5
Cham 27.5
Zod 71.8 (not available for the 2nd round)

1.07:

Spoiler

Pul 19.4
Um 29.1
Mal 38.7
Ist 58.0
Gul 77.2
Vex 115.7
Ohm 153.0
Lo 229.6
Sur 308.2
Ber 462.3
Jo 615.8
Zod 739.3
Cham 923.7

Towards the whole competition, however, you will get points after each round depending on your placement.

Scoring towards the whole RFL:

After each round is done, you will get points toward the whole RFL depending your placement that round.

1st: 10 points
2nd: 8
3rd 6
4th: 5
5th: 4
6th: 3
7th 2
8th: 1

And remember, only your best batch from each round counts.

While we crown every winner from each round, the biggest champion is of course the overall winner.

The Champion of the RFL is the player who has the most points given by placements total.

In case of a tie after three rounds, the winner is the one with a higher scoring rune from Areas. If that is a tie as well, we check the Travincal, and then Cows. If all three are still the same, it's 2nd best from Areas etc.



Sending results

PM me your top 5 runes from your best batch. Please do this immediately after you have stopped running so that we can have results and standings after each round ASAP. Also PM me if you didn't run.

Your PM should include: five runes, five scores, and the total score.

Example:

1. Zod 71.8
2. Cham 27.5
3. Lo 15.1
4. Lo 15.1
5. Ist 7.5

total: 137.

After receiving your results, I'll make the results thread for each round. There you can brag about your runes, and also post screenshots of your top 5 runes, at least. This is not mandatory however. Claiming to have found 5 Zods may seem strange without screenshots though.


Prize

Eternal glory and the seal of approval from the Zod God.


Participants

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
Nexeis
smittyphi
smloeffelholz
Tenecabo (1.07 + maybe 1.14)
mulligan
ffs
Drixx
----------------------------

Please state IF you are running 1.07.

There will be a sign-up and running thread for each round individually. This sign-up stands for "Moo Moo Farm" only.


Please post if you have comments or suggestions.

You are also warmly welcome to discuss your builds, running tactics, finds apart from qualifiers etc.! Everything regarding the tournament in general.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!

 

[Vildecor]

To sign-up, put your name between the brackets and copy it into your post

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)


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

Please state if you are running 1.07

To sign-up, put your name between the brackets and copy it into your post

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)

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

Please state if you are running 1.07

Still no 1.07 Zod score? You should do better, Grape .

And yes, I'm in of course. A lot to lose, almost impossible to win something after last year's result, but that's how it goes .

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
----------------------------

I'm in. I will have to wait and whether I actually get to play, but I'm going for three Zods yo'!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
----------------------------

3 weeks away from start but still hyped!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
----------------------------

Ready to give this a try! I don't think I will hit the 20 hours but that's okay . Thanks for putting this together!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
----------------------------

Untwinked 99ers will make some progress during the three rounds, javazon for round 1, barb for round 2, and necro for round 3 (hopefully to level 98 and Nihl runs by then). So I won't be competitive here, but well worth it for the XP progress (and rune progress hopefully for javazon) and company along the way. Looking forward to the third rendition of this new SPF tradition

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
----------------------------

Guys what should I run cows with (and version) ?

1.07 sorc as usual (already lvl 99...) to level up some stuff.
1.07 other (necro is OK, barbs kinda suck, javazon is decent)
1.13 fire drood (I don't really like this char :/)
1.13 javazon with my phoenix (made for drood buy dying to use it productively for another char)

1.13 never play again?

Decided to pass on that job opportunity that would have meant flying back around the time this starts. But there’s a chance I’ll return late March/early April, so a last minute sign-up remains possible. If not, pretty sure I’ll be there for round 2.

Can somebody please get it together and out-RNG @NanoMist this time!? (Tournament results were kind of monotonous last year. )

GL & HF all!

Please, @Grape is the one we need to beat. He went to 1.07 just to kill us with Zods.
----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
----------------------------

Not feeling efficient at all yet running cows with my poison Necro, but the Javazon isn't ready yet. My goal for this round: Get 2 Lo runes to gear up my WW Barb for the next round.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
----------------------------

My trapper is ready and geared this time!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
----------------------------

Not feeling efficient at all yet running cows with my poison Necro, but the Javazon isn't ready yet. My goal for this round: Get 2 Lo runes to gear up my WW Barb for the next round.

If it's any consolation ... I wasn't efficient at all either with my poison necro last year. If the runes drop, they drop .

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
----------------------------

Gotta level up my javazon now.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
----------------------------

Just burned a good deal of rune luck last night, but that said, prepare to get...

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
----------------------------

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
----------------------------

I'll give this and my poor man's novamancer a go!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
----------------------------

I always seem to miss these. Not this year! Maybe my Javazon can get Enigma before this starts...

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
----------------------------

 

[Vildecor]

I'm not sure I have the characters to really compete in this, but it is mostly because I lack a lot of the high level runewords that make builds work. This tournament could remedy that so I will be more competitive next year.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
----------------------------

Don't know if I'll be ready in time.. But, put me down just in case.
----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
----------------------------

I’m definitely not going to be ready in time, but hopefully RFL will help get Devi the enigma and infinity she needs.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
----------------------------

That's 20 already. Terrific !!!

@DiabloTwoinDC Might wanna add your name to the list then.

@LongingForDeath it's there, up at the top! Right where I will finish!!

@DiabloTwoinDC Hm... I checked that list a few times before making that post. How I missed your name is beyond me.

@LongingForDeath it's there, up at the top! Right where I will finish!!

Was gonna say it was on there, but I’m glad I left the honor for you. We need some smack talking in here!

In for the long haul hopefully

@Grape, if you complete your hours and start a new set of hours , can you use the runes found the completed set, in gear for the new set once the result set is reported?

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
----------------------------

I wish one of the other areas was first, but i will attempt to complete the 20 hours!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
----------------------------

Well for now it may be my Hammerdin as only Patriarch in my chars, but by then i may have a new char ready - won't make it with my second pally, but stuffwise, my twinked sorc may well do so if i dedicate her most of my play time - nothing undoable in almost three weeks as gear is here. Would be quite a rush to get there still, maybe for other rounds !

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
----------------------------

Do I get bonus points for not dying?

Yup, you get to keep your character's stuff


Adding my name to the list whilst I'm at it. I got my Javazon built for this, she's just missing the unique diadem to complete the build.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
----------------------------

Here we go again!

As I said in the interest thread, I fully plan on taking back my crown this year. If anyone needs me, I'll be digging my javazon out from under a pile of dust.

@pharphis - I run my javazon with Phoenix. It's not technically the most efficient, but I really like it for cows. My vote is with either that, or the fire druid, or a combination of the two (which is exactly what I did the first RFL).

RFL HYPE!!!!!!!!

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
----------------------------

Well i suppose i'll throw my hat into this as well. I've never done an SPF comp yet.
My Javazon hasn't beat the game yet, so i'll probably be running w/ my pNova necro, even though i already used up all his luck finding a Cham last week

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
TheGuardianXXXIII (1.14d)
----------------------------

@Pb_pal Did you use infinity merc on javazon? Is there any risk with cow king? I likely wouldn't be using enigma

@Pb_pal Did you use infinity merc on javazon? Is there any risk with cow king? I likely wouldn't be using enigma

Infinity, yes. I just don't go too near the King's pen, just in case he's wandered outside. She's done two RFLs now and hasn't killed the King, so that seems to be working just fine.

I am in. With a very budget enigma-less poison necro. I'm determined to complete the set. It'll be terribly inefficient, but I've been looking forward greatly to participating in my first SPF comp, so we'll see what drops in ~50 runs. (Joking... I hope ). But in all seriousness I'd just better not kill the king, since this is my only patmat atm .
----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
TheGuardianXXXIII (1.14d)
Luhkoh (1.14d)
----------------------------

Now things are shaping up really nicely !!! I expect nothing less than epicness from the 2019 RFL. Hopefully just as epic as the 2018 version, or even more epic.

Gonna attempt to run this round with my twinked Amazon that I started tonight... She's currently thumping stuff with full Sigon's and Civerb's mace.

If she's not ready in time I'll probably sit this round out as killing cows on my Barb is absolutely miserable.

Will definitely do the second and third rounds either way though!


----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
zemaj (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)
Jonesy_Pantz (1.14d)
Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
TheGuardianXXXIII (1.14d)
Luhkoh (1.14d)
Hutton (1.13c)
----------------------------

 

[Vildecor]

@Pb_pal Did you use infinity merc on javazon? Is there any risk with cow king? I likely wouldn't be using enigma

Isn't the king still lightning immune even with conviction up?

I thought it depended on his other mods, but I'm probably wrong.

I guess technically he is 50% + 75% from LE, right?

Confirmed, King is always LE, even with Conviction.

Switching to 1.07

Lol.

Well my HC Sorc had some issues trying to level up whilst finding basic runes in the tower... and RIP. So have removed myself from the list. I was already out of my comfort zone - very low level and resists/health for hell and was trying too go quickly - essentially killing only what was required and doing the quests but jumping back to Act 1 to kill andy and d the tower to hopefully find better gear.

I'm away this weekend so will really struggle to get another character to Hell - unless i really fly through with a SC sorc.

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)

Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
TheGuardianXXXIII (1.14d)
Luhkoh (1.14d)
Hutton (1.13c)

----------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2 (1.14d)
T72on1 (1.14d)
Kitteh (1.14d)
NanoMist (1.14d)
Peytron (1.14d)
PhineasB (1.13)
Gripphon (1.13)
LongingForDeath (1.14d)
Shuffleblast (1.14d)
MizzouFTW (1.14d)
Saluki (1.13)
Zylo (1.14d)
maxicek (1.14d)
Ghonn (1.14d)
Vildecor (1.14d)
smloeffelholz (1.14d)
sir_cyclops (1.14d)
Teddeeboy (1.13d)

Babyhell (1.14d)
Friiser (1.14d)
Pb_pal (1.13)
TheGuardianXXXIII (1.14d)
Luhkoh (1.14d)
Hutton (1.13c)
Pharphis (1.07)
----------------------------

As usual not sure how much I will play but I'm certainly more motivated for 1.07 crafts

I'm too busy playing pokemon go and doing homework/tutoring for D2 but I'll try to participate a little

@Jonesy_Pantz RIP .

I think this time around I'll actually participate in round 2 and/or 3. But I'll pass on Moo Moo Farm. For some reason I find it super annoying to play on long term.

I did 13 hours of Travincal as a test with my Hammerdin. Highest rune: Pul. After that Jah earlier this month it seems my luck run out

Awesome we are at record amount of players for the first round already! Way to go all!! Still space for more, join us!

I cleared the 1.13/1.14 notes from the list to be able to quickly see who were running 1.07:

Participants

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
smloeffelholz
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
Pharphis (1.07)

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

Please state IF you are running 1.07.




@Jonesy_Pantz ouch, sorry to hear. RIP!

In for the long haul hopefully

@Grape, if you complete your hours and start a new set of hours , can you use the runes found the completed set, in gear for the new set once the result set is reported?

Sure, but you might want to keep it at yourself instead of boasting around with your brand-new Enigma

So yes - you can use the runes right away, keep

Please state IF you are running 1.07.

And, if you are not running 1.07, please state why not?

And, if you are not running 1.07, please state why not?

I know I'll be doing some 1.07 cow runs. However, my plan is to level up 2-3 characters with that. Setting up an 8-player game would probably take too long for a tournament like this one, and I'm not too keen on spending an extra 20 hours just for this.

But, just in case I can't get enough of the moo moo farm: Would it be possible to do one batch in 1.14 and another in 1.07? If so, would only the best of them get rated or each version separately?

Isn't the king still lightning immune even with conviction up?

Ah yes, of course! I still avoid his pen just in case the merc decides to get poke-happy, but you are correct.

So... when someone inevitably finds a 1.07 zod rune, what score does it get this time?

This will be interesting as most of my chars need to be built from scratch with little to no gear ready for them, but these are the areas I need to be working in to gear up anyways. We'll see how it goes.

Participants

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
smloeffelholz
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
Pharphis (1.07)
jjscud

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

Thanks guys, i'll start a SC char and speed run to Hell - I'll add myself to the list if i make it in time.

Cool !! I hope you do. If you need any items to make the process faster, just let me know. I have quite some twinking gear to spare, and even some endgame gear too if that would help you out becoming #30 in the list of participants .

appreciate the offer T72on1, i dont think items would massively speed me up. I've started a sorc but it will just be a matter of the amount of free time i can get. Plus if i accept the items i wouldnt be able to submit her into the untwinked 99's

Next one is 30th participant already! Will have a Zod God's blessing for this round, finding Zod is

Spoiler

almost

guaranteed!

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
smloeffelholz
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
Pharphis (1.07)
jjscud
Pharphis (for the 30th participant zod consolation prize)
----------------------------

Progressing with the Javazon- might actually be ready in time! Hope I find a 2-socket Circlet type helm soon so I can go back to looking fabulous.

 

[Vildecor]

Well, given that I suddenly have a need for freshly dropped runes in 1.07, I'm in...
Sorry, Phar, that makes ME lucky #30
WoRG
-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
smloeffelholz
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
----------------------------

not if you don't add yourself!

I don't mean to ruin all of the #30 fun, but RL just dropped something in my lap that can't be ignored. There is no way I will have the time for this. Although I plan to keep playing D2, my time will be spent on projects that can be completed bit by bit. Good luck to everyone in the tournament.

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
----------------------------

Like Hutton, I hope to have a steak maker ready for round one. Just home from Stockholm, so will have most of tomorrow to play

Gonna be running my Javazon for the cows, fingers crossed I get something nice

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
Nexeis
----------------------------

Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)

Never seen so many 1.07 players!

Hi All,

I have a couple questions on the rules:

1. It seems implied that you can run one character for each round, but is isn't specifically stated that I can see. For example, can I spend 10 hours with an Amazon, and 10 hours with a Sorceress in the Moo Moo Farm? Or are they limited to sets? e.g. an Amazon can do a 20 hour set, and the Sorceress can do a 20 hour set if there is time remaining. Or is character swapping not allowed at all?

2. For the third round, do we pick a single area for the 20 hours? Or can the same character run multiple areas? e.g. a Sorceress running Pits, Ancient Tunnels, and Kurast Temples?

Thanks!

1. You can switch between as many characters as you want during a 20 hour batch.

2. You can do different areas.

Are people gonna do 1.07 for travincal and a85 areas? I think the rates of runes are same for 1.08, so we could see some 1.08 fireball sorcs at Snapchip

I will do travincal probably. Not sure what I'll do for the others. Should probably do 1.13 with my fissure druid (yawn) since it's all geared up and I need to find Tyrael's before I uninstall forever

I will do travincal probably. Not sure what I'll do for the others. Should probably do 1.13 with my fissure druid (yawn) since it's all geared up and I need to find Tyrael's before I uninstall forever

It's cute that you think that's a possibility.

I'm in. Guaranteed I'm fighting for last place with my rune luck but screw it. I've been practicing with my LF Zon with and an infinity geared Merc at /P5 and the best rune I've seen fall for about 5 hours is a thul

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
Nexeis
smittyphi
----------------------------

Keeping all your luck for the actual RFL is a good thing. Besides, your bad luck can't continue forever. I predict great drops for you .

Also, check the number of people in the participants lists, as well as the number of top runners. This round is going to be epic !!!

What's a good time for a run on /p5? Something like 3 mins?

3 minutes!? I'm going to get smoked

Probably takes me 3 minutes to get the leg and open the portal, even though my waypoint is right next to the Tristram portal.

Legitimately though, I'd like to know the averages of some of the runners beforehand as well. I have a lot of things to learn.

don't worry my 1.07 times will be trash. I don't even know if my zon can open portal yet

My run times are far from efficient, too. Never properly timed them, but considering I go through about 1.5 batches of revived cows per run, I'm not even close to 3 minutes. Not even sure how to speed things up, either, other than increasing my Poison Nova damage a bit.

My run times are far from efficient, too. Never properly timed them, but considering I go through about 1.5 batches of revived cows per run, I'm not even close to 3 minutes. Not even sure how to speed things up, either, other than increasing my Poison Nova damage a bit.

No worries, that's how I won last years Cow round .

I still wonder about this myself though, as I'm realistic enough to know that I won't luck out twice in a row, so my efficiency has to increase. A good map usually is the answer. And then proper herding of loads of cows. I still have a tendency to start attacking any bunch of 10 or so cows, while it's much better to herd multiple packs and then start the killing. I know I got better at that during last year's RFL, but still my run times weren't even close to top runners.

But yes, a good map and proper herding probably are key. In that respect I'm actually not sure that revived cows are any good. It might be better to just run with only the merc. I know that mine easily stayed alive, except for some very nasty combinations like Amp and Fana.

Not sure what makes a good map for the cow level, but I think mine is good enough. It's a circular map, so I don't have to do any backtracking. Cow King has his fort in a corner, so from the portal I go upwards until I reach the left side of his fort, then move through the map in a circle until I reach the right side of his fort. Tristram is only 4-5 teleports from the WP.

Herding is not always easy, though. Revived cows like to wander off in all directions, slowly pulling cows from other herds in and separating those herds a bit. They add a bit of safety for my merc, though, and @Gripphon used them in his cow nec vid, too. Granted, his necro had 125% FCR (mine 75%), his merc was most likely wearing Fortitude (mine Treachery) and he used a facet'd Death's Web which surely had a better roll than mine (mine still unsocketed with the lowest -poison resist roll possible).

It also doesn't help that I'm still looking through items for gems, jewels, charms and item bases instead of just runes. That's something that I'll definitely have to change during the RFL.

What I found to be working really well, was teleport around to gather a few crowds, then use Attract on a monster, cast Amp, then PN. Attract has a huge range, so draws in cows from quite the distance, and it also takes some of the heat of your merc. Amp, an eth elite Infinity, Fortitude and a life leech helm made sure the merc was dishing out big damage and as such leech back any life he lost very quickly, while the CTC Chilling Armor kept him rather safe. This way he can make that first corpse quickly and the CE chain starts. With my PN damage and -EPR, one body was usually enough to start that chain, but I reckon that with less skillers and overall good gear you might need a second one.

I'm pretty sure that my Necro also only reached the 75% fcr breakpoint (20 gloves, 20 belt, 35 spirit shield). It doesn't take too many CE casts to clear an entire crowd, so I'm not sure the next breakpoint is worth the loss in +skills. Then again Gripphon is one of the fastest known SPF players, so there's probably something to be said about that 125% fcr breakpoint if he goes for that. Then again he probably has some godly gear that us mere mortals don't have, so ...

As for a good map ... I find that hard too. But I think that basically it has the portal to Tristram close to the waypoint and a cow map without too many large, open areas. O yes, and the fort not almost on top of the portal to the Cow level . Getting a map where Tristram is close to the waypoint isn't too hard, but I probably settle on such a map too fast too, while it might be important to focus on one that doesn't have a lot of wide, open areas as well.

 

[Vildecor]

IMO 125 FCR is worth dropping a few skill levels, everything you do is based on FCR. Not just casting AD and CE but also the herding. Thing is with DWeb you need good FCR circlet and amulet, or include FCR rings. To be honest even without top end FCR gear I would go for 125, and include rings if need be. At least if you have a number of skillers. Your main damage is CE and its damage doesn’t scale with + skills, so it’s not all that bad losing a few PN levels.

Does anyone have a video of a super efficient trapper running cows? I'd bet there are way to use mindblast for herding.

Guys, read the rune finding guide! It had tons of information and gameplay videos.

Guys, read the rune finding guide! It had tons of information and gameplay videos.

I've looked at, read, or referenced the Rune Bible so many times.. how did I miss the video demos!?

Guys, read the rune finding guide! It had tons of information and gameplay videos.

Where do you think I found the video that I linked to above?

I will test a 125% FCR setup, but it will cost me +4 skills and a bunch of life and mana. That's quite a bit, considering I don't have that many skillers.

Attract isn't an option for me at the moment, sadly, unless I respec or get him from level 90 to level 92.

I've looked at, read, or referenced the Rune Bible so many times.. how did I miss the video demos!?

If I experimented with the trapper again, I'd focus more on Fire Blast as the guide suggests. If I recall correctly, those demo videos were more LS focused.

If I experimented with the trapper again, I'd focus more on Fire Blast as the guide suggests. If I recall correctly, those demo videos were more LS focused.

As in, youd make her a fire trapper with maxed DS? Interesting. Even without infinity?

Made it to Act 5 Hell with the javazon this evening! So barring any disasters, I'll be ready in time!

And by ready I obviously mean a little under geared!

I think the main issue is going to be lack of CtA to keep the merc alive... I'm considering making a Delirium for me to wear to help keep him out on the taking front, and indeed myself if he dies. I won't really be chucking any javelins out until I've got a nice big herd piled up- so I don't think the proc will make gathering cows that much more difficult?

Edit: I've also just realised round one starts next weekend, not this one coming. Oops.

Well I decided to time 2 runs. First run I just ran around like an idiot and cleared the big packs as fast as I could, left the stragglers, and did not pick up anything. This took about 10 minutes.

Second run I played my normal style, picked up the usual rares/gems, etc. I have a hard time leaving the stragglers but I did my best. Closer to 20 minutes.

Obviously the first option is the best for this tournament, so I will practice that a bit more but more likely will stick with option 2.

P.S. Is anyone running a Lightning Sorceress for this?

As in, youd make her a fire trapper with maxed DS? Interesting. Even without infinity?

Nah, using the typical lightning trapper build is fine, lightning traps also synergize Fire Blast. Always Infinity. Maybe some slight adjustments to the equipment to maximize the fire damage. Similar to Necro, Assassin also wants to get those first couple of corpses ASAP.

Poison Nova damage is not important for necro, what matters is merc gear and CE range. Nova is there just to speed the killing of cows and getting first corpse a tiny bit.

I have been meaning for a while to build a K/T Sin with Stormlash, using only DS. In fact been theorycrafting different options quite a bit. My travel plans will not allow me to participate in round 1, but the build could be an idea for a cow runner as well. If someone would like to give it a shot, I’d be curious as to how it performs.

Spoiler

Short version of what I had in mind, slightly adjusted for cows:

2/20 circlet
Stormlash 'Ber'
Enigma
Spirit 35
Arach
Magefist/TO
FCR/double leech ring
Raven
Upped Gores
Some +2/3 Trap/adds ammy

Lash is great for CB, and with BoS it hits last BPs for both kicking and trap laying without additional IAS from gear. But both Schaefer's and CM should be decent alternatives, with different pros and cons.

Cham'ed headpiece ofc enables an extra ring for optimisation. Other idea could be GFace for 100%CB. Needs 17+ FCR amulet to stay at 102 FCR, or 7+ with Cham'ed headpiece and 2x FCR rings.

Also Atma's is really an option. Low lvl AD but again it could help chaining CEs quickly even when only hitting a few monsters. It will trigger pretty often with >6.5 APS and 95% CtH. My gut feeling is that extra skills for higher CE radius are preferable, but worth checking out, could certainly be the better option.

Merc: Might with Infinity, ebug forti, Andy. Infinity is pretty crucial I guess, not only for -res but also for 95% CtH.

Inventory should be mostly Trap skillers for higher CE radius, maybe 1-2 MA to hit lvl 30 (6 kick) DT.

Build:
20 DT (24 or 30 after gear)
20 DS
FB x3 for sufficient DS shots (can’t test)
CoS
20 LS (just to buff DS Lightning damage a bit, won’t do much but plenty of spare skill points)

Maybe Shadow Warrior to also lay some DS while kicking (and reducing own DS casts) is worthwhile, not sure and can’t test at the moment...

Generally the build is based on the idea that maybe DT delivers the first corpse faster than LS, high CB helps with that. Then Static CtC for smooth CE chains quickly after the first corpse. That’s the idea at least.

I have been meaning for a while to build a K/T Sin with Stormlash, using only DS. In fact been theorycrafting different options quite a bit. My travel plans will not allow me to participate in round 1, but the build could be an idea for a cow runner as well. If someone would like to give it a shot, I’d be curious as to how it performs.

Spoiler

Short version of what I had in mind, slightly adjusted for cows:

2/20 circlet
Stormlash 'Ber'
Enigma
Spirit 35
Arach
Magefist/TO
FCR/double leech ring
Raven
Upped Gores
Some +2/3 Trap/adds ammy

Lash is great for CB, and with BoS it hits last BPs for both kicking and trap laying without additional IAS from gear. But both Schaefer's and CM should be decent alternatives, with different pros and cons.

Cham'ed headpiece ofc enables an extra ring for optimisation. Other idea could be GFace for 100%CB. Needs 17+ FCR amulet to stay at 102 FCR, or 7+ with Cham'ed headpiece and 2x FCR rings.

Also Atma's is really an option. Low lvl AD but again it could help chaining CEs quickly even when only hitting a few monsters. It will trigger pretty often with >6.5 APS and 95% CtH. My gut feeling is that extra skills for higher CE radius are preferable, but worth checking out, could certainly be the better option.

Merc: Might with Infinity, ebug forti, Andy. Infinity is pretty crucial I guess, not only for -res but also for 95% CtH.

Inventory should be mostly Trap skillers for higher CE radius, maybe 1-2 MA to hit lvl 30 (6 kick) DT.

Build:
20 DT (24 or 30 after gear)
20 DS
FB x3 for sufficient DS shots (can’t test)
CoS
20 LS (just to buff DS Lightning damage a bit, won’t do much but plenty of spare skill points)

Maybe Shadow Warrior to also lay some DS while kicking (and reducing own DS casts) is worthwhile, not sure and can’t test at the moment...

Generally the build is based on the idea that maybe DT delivers the first corpse faster than LS, high CB helps with that. Then Static CtC for smooth CE chains quickly after the first corpse. That’s the idea at least.

Ah, I love this idea. a lot. I sort of want to try it with Devi. Without infinity, I find myself unable to do p3. Merc cannot stay alive even with me jumping around with enigma. On p1, we kill fast enough to negate the issues. This might be a viable option. Do you not think lifetap is required to stay alive?

Also, in regards to the merc staying alive, do you think delirium is better than andys visage? He's wearing non eth thresher insight, 900 def treach, and andys with 15 ias jewel. I have a Lo for fort but no ebug armor yet. And I haven't found an eth elite polearm on her yet.

I have been meaning for a while to build a K/T Sin with Stormlash, using only DS. In fact been theorycrafting different options quite a bit. My travel plans will not allow me to participate in round 1, but the build could be an idea for a cow runner as well. If someone would like to give it a shot, I’d be curious as to how it performs.

Spoiler

Short version of what I had in mind, slightly adjusted for cows:

2/20 circlet
Stormlash 'Ber'
Enigma
Spirit 35
Arach
Magefist/TO
FCR/double leech ring
Raven
Upped Gores
Some +2/3 Trap/adds ammy

Lash is great for CB, and with BoS it hits last BPs for both kicking and trap laying without additional IAS from gear. But both Schaefer's and CM should be decent alternatives, with different pros and cons.

Cham'ed headpiece ofc enables an extra ring for optimisation. Other idea could be GFace for 100%CB. Needs 17+ FCR amulet to stay at 102 FCR, or 7+ with Cham'ed headpiece and 2x FCR rings.

Also Atma's is really an option. Low lvl AD but again it could help chaining CEs quickly even when only hitting a few monsters. It will trigger pretty often with >6.5 APS and 95% CtH. My gut feeling is that extra skills for higher CE radius are preferable, but worth checking out, could certainly be the better option.

Merc: Might with Infinity, ebug forti, Andy. Infinity is pretty crucial I guess, not only for -res but also for 95% CtH.

Inventory should be mostly Trap skillers for higher CE radius, maybe 1-2 MA to hit lvl 30 (6 kick) DT.

Build:
20 DT (24 or 30 after gear)
20 DS
FB x3 for sufficient DS shots (can’t test)
CoS
20 LS (just to buff DS Lightning damage a bit, won’t do much but plenty of spare skill points)

Maybe Shadow Warrior to also lay some DS while kicking (and reducing own DS casts) is worthwhile, not sure and can’t test at the moment...

Generally the build is based on the idea that maybe DT delivers the first corpse faster than LS, high CB helps with that. Then Static CtC for smooth CE chains quickly after the first corpse. That’s the idea at least.

Does the cold dmg from ravenfrost get applied to kicks? You may not want that like with pitzerker. But love the idea. I dont see why it wouldnt be as good as or better than fireblast.

@sir_cyclops personally I wouldn’t use Delirium on any cow runner because it screws up your herding. But of course others love it. Surely it adds a lot of safety and basically solves any survivability issues. CtA + ebug Forti makes Merc really safe enough though IMO.

Re Sin survival: Don’t know, maybe it’s an issue even with good gear that would need to be addressed. I’d assume leech and Might is enough, though admittedly FCR/double leech rings aren’t easy to come by...

But you could mix and match as required to include the necessary stats, if need be drop an FCR BP to make things easier.

@Luhkoh yes cold dmg gets applied and Cham is the best option also because of that. In fact I wanted to build that character around a Cham-worthy circlet (edit: this beauty), but I figured those are pretty rare, hence the suggested Raven.

But the occasional shattering shouldn’t be a big deal at all. For MF Barb it is, but that’s because you want to loot that specific corpse again to maximise MF efficiency. Generally it doesn’t happen often, and when it does the next corpse will be there quickly either way. Same for Merc: Forti is preferable despite cold damage IMO. On my 99er Necro I used it as well, the damage boost more than makes up for the occasional shattered corpse. All the way to 99 it didn’t bother me, and Necro really relies on him to deliver corpses quickly.

Interesting discussion about Assassin running.. I've been working on a Dragon Tail/DS Cow runner the past few days, what timing.

20 Dragon Tail
20 Tiger Strike
20 Death Sentry
18 Fire Blast
16 or 7 Burst of Speed (after +skills)
1 Mind Blast
Remainder in Lightning Sentry

18 Fire Blast provides 6 more shots on DS for a total of 11 shots. During my test runs, I don't remember hearing any traps break, so less shots should be fine.

Eth Lacerator
Enigma
Phoenix
Griffon's (15 IAS)
2/10 FCR Ammy
Raven Frost
10 FCR/AR/Life/Mana Ring
3 MA 20 IAS Gloves
Arachnid Mesh
Shadow Dancer
7x MA GCs

Merc(Defiance): Infinity/Fortitude/Andy

I went for the 65 FCR breakpoint on main switch. I did not have a 2/15+ FCR Ammy, otherwise I would have went with a 2/20 or 3/20 circlet instead of Griffon's. With 35 off-weapon IAS, level 16 BoS is required for 7 FPA Dragon Tail. An alternative option would be to use fire facet(s) in the helm, leaving 20 off-weapon IAS and a level 7 BoS for 8 FPA Dragon Tail. The Griffon's I borrowed from my Zon already had the IAS jewel, so I went with that option. A 2/17+ FCR Ammy would allow for 102 FCR breakpoint on CTA switch.

Defiance Merc is all about survival when facing cows in melee. Other defensive skills such as Holy Freeze or Confuse just causes issues with herding. The built-in knockback feature in DTail may cause issues with chaining DTail, but it's a nice defensive feature. It's a bit tough in the beginning of the Cow run if Rakanishu curses you, I use Mind Blast to help out.

Due to DTail's fire damage scaling off of the physical damage, Lacerator was much needed for the Amp. The hit causes monster to flee isn't as annoying as I thought it'd be when charging up tiger strike. Phoenix also plays a big part: Massive ED boost to the physical damage base, -EFR for the fire splash damage, and Redemption for life & mana recovery.

The biggest question mark I had going into testing was the corpse struggle between Redemption and Death Sentry. There's enough time between aura 'pulses' for the DS to sneak in a few shots most of the time. Dragon Tail also drops enough corpses (5-10?) that this isn't much of an issue. I drop at least 3 DS, up to 5 if cows are still moving.

I ran on P5 for more comfortable running- P7 is noticeably harder and I'm not certain if P7 running is more efficient. Dragon Tail with 3 TS charges will always one-shot an Amp'd Cow. Fortunately, Amp comes quick most of the time. The LCS damage is 22K-35K, but when enemy resistances (-63% FR & -50% DR) are factored in, this damage becomes 54K-86K.

Not sure if I'll run this build in the RFL, but it was fun theorycrafting and testing this build for sure. Pure caster builds are still more relaxing though.

@NanoMist That's one of the coolest assassin builds I've seen. What an impressive balance between DS/Redemption, flee/amp/chargeup initial hits, Charged Strike/Dragon Tail. The way you achieved high enough -EFR and -physical res and the IAS+FCR balance is impressive. This is a really creative build and actually seems to work well! Super cool use of phoenix and Lacerator. Assassins are really cool as you can use a bunch of different skill sets and tactics and switches weapons all the time, I love that about them. It's not as relaxed but if you want to stay engaged in the game that's definitely the way to go. If I want to watch a movie or something while I farm I always usually choose my AT blizzard sorc anyway lol. More hands off and can focus on other things while playing. Thanks for the creativity you put into this build! I'll shamelessly copy you when my single player toons are rich enough for a phoenix.

Man. You would think what backwards thinking would try to match up corpse explosion/DS with Redemption and things like Fleeing monsters with physical attacks but it somehow all works and works well. Major props! Thanks for sharing!

Incredibly impressive, @NanoMist !!! Thanks for sharing. I agree with everything @BeLikeLebron said there.

Looking at your resists, where FE/LE/CE bosses ever a problem? Or is it just a matter of taking on the pack from the other side and let the DS take the boss out?

I think you should run that build for RFL1. I mean, maybe you'd give us a slight edge, but even then you'll win the RFL big time. Everyone knows that . And what am I talking, slight edge? 3 minute runs are still fast, so ... !?

Edit: ok, watched the video some more. Make that 2:35 runs . I really should up my ante ... a lot. I only wanted to do some practice runs a few days before start of the RFL, but I guess I'll start practicing this evening.

Btw, congrats on the Mal .

Btw, on gathering the leg ... The way you do it in the video, is it how you usually do it? Buy some tomes, put them in the stash, and use one every time? Last year I did some of that, but sometimes also just went to Akara to buy one tome every run, because I had the feeling that didn't really have an impact on my run times. How does everybody here go about that aspect of cow running?

@T72on1 I bought batches of four tomes I think as that was the space I had in Inventory.

@NanoMist Nice work, I may have to try that one.

 

[Vildecor]

Incredibly impressive, @NanoMist !!! Thanks for sharing. I agree with everything @BeLikeLebron said there.

Looking at your resists, where FE/LE/CE bosses ever a problem? Or is it just a matter of taking on the pack from the other side and let the DS take the boss out?

I think you should run that build for RFL1. I mean, maybe you'd give us a slight edge, but even then you'll win the RFL big time. Everyone knows that . And what am I talking, slight edge? 3 minute runs are still fast, so ... !?

Edit: ok, watched the video some more. Make that 2:35 runs . I really should up my ante ... a lot. I only wanted to do some practice runs a few days before start of the RFL, but I guess I'll start practicing this evening.

Btw, congrats on the Mal .

I generally avoid fighting boss groups directly in order to avoid mana burn as well, so yes, let DS take them out. Resists are really bad but it's not an issue in Cows. The 2:35 runs were faster than any of my previous runs before the video, those might be outliers due to low density or favorable cow spawns. 3 minute runs were more normal. I also buy batches of 4 tomes.

Nice approach @NanoMist, great vid! Having seen that I think even more the DT/Lash approach will perform very well. Did you also try anything like that by any chance?

If cursed Rakanishu is a problem, why not just S&E after getting the leg and open the cow portal next to stash in the next game, starting the actual run without ever being Amped. (This is faster anyway, certainly when running without cube and having to run back to the stash after TPing to town.)

I haven't tried that approach yet, but I might give it a go later today or tomorrow.

S&E lag is 5-6 seconds, which is longer than running back to the stash. Probably worth it to get rid of the curse though, nice tip.

Nano, that looks...exhausting. I'll stick my my wildly flinging javazon that just runs fast with her...much slower runs . That is why I won't win and I'm ok with that.

Ah I didn’t realise there are S&E lag issues. For me it’s usually the other way round. TPing back to Rogue Camp can take up to 10 seconds if I haven’t cleared the char folder in a while.

That is an awesome build @NanoMist , and some good theorycrafting @ffs . The pre-round theorycrafting is one of the best parts of these tournaments, kudos to you two! If I had more time (or a Stormlash) I would give one of those a try, but I think it'll be the faithful javazon for me again this year.

With some adjustments Schaefer's should work, too. Or CM even. I was meaning to take her to Trav with a different setup. There, -ELR makes Static much stronger vs broken LIs, and CM in PB is actually not far behind in theory... Main reason for Lash over those two is the CB boost (plus better WSM compared to Schaefer).

Anyhow, as much as I’d like to see how she does, of course I cannot seriously discourage you from going with OP Java awesomeness!

Tried the Venomancer a bit, but couldn't get into the 125% fcr setup. For some reason the 75% fcr one works far better for me. Still only at 4 - 4.30 min runs . I guess it's time to start my practice already, so I can get those down.

O yes, after my merc died way too often, I gave in and added points into Revives.

I did get a warmup qualifier btw:

My body is ready.

Spoiler: Baal Drop

Serendipity is nearly there too. I'm sure somebody else is currently levelling a HC javazon, can't remember who. We are like the three musketeers, until we die, obviously.

First /p1 test run!

This is my first serious foray into "OP java awesomeness", and it is stunning how quickly she clears a room when all the gear lines up (Infinity, proper placement of facets). It will only be more OP with that unique diadem finally drops for me.

Tried the Venomancer a bit, but couldn't get into the 125% fcr setup. For some reason the 75% fcr one works far better for me. Still only at 4 - 4.30 min runs . I guess it's time to start my practice already, so I can get those down.

O yes, after my merc died way too often, I gave in and added points into Revives.

I did get a warmup qualifier btw:

Had quite the 'Doh' moment this morning, when I realized I was playing on /p7. Not that I will suddenly get sub 3 minute run times, but at least it explains a bit why my merc was struggling far more than I was used to, and why initial chaining of CE went less smooth than I recalled. I'm quite positive that with some practice and on /p5 I should be able to get my run times down to 3:30 or so.

Re: Gripphon's ... I still lack that one too unfortunately. With it, I'd also do some Cow runs with my Javazon, as well as AS runs in round 3.

RFL hype - any sweet herding techniques? I just tried a new method called 'suicidal herding', it was mostly fine^^ Could've been an embarrassing off cam deeds...

Cows like to gather for family reunion pictures. Tell them you are a professional photographer and they will come together.

There's an Easter Egg in game for it.

If you press the secret 10 key on the number pad your character will say "moo", and the cows will come flocking.

RFL hype - any sweet herding techniques? I just tried a new method called 'suicidal herding', it was mostly fine^^ Could've been an embarrassing off cam deeds...

That's not new. You already tried that a year ago and posted it on YouTube:

Or were you able to improve on that method?

The trash talk is real !!

It’s not widely known, but @Kitteh is in fact John Carpenter, currently working on the next sequel to "The Thing".

I'm just waiting for @Hutton to absolutely wreck all of the well-geared, experienced runners with his fresh Javazon.

 

[Vildecor]

I have been meaning for a while to build a K/T Sin with Stormlash, using only DS. In fact been theorycrafting different options quite a bit. My travel plans will not allow me to participate in round 1, but the build could be an idea for a cow runner as well. If someone would like to give it a shot, I’d be curious as to how it performs.

Spoiler

Short version of what I had in mind, slightly adjusted for cows:

2/20 circlet
Stormlash 'Ber'
Enigma
Spirit 35
Arach
Magefist/TO
FCR/double leech ring
Raven
Upped Gores
Some +2/3 Trap/adds ammy

Lash is great for CB, and with BoS it hits last BPs for both kicking and trap laying without additional IAS from gear. But both Schaefer's and CM should be decent alternatives, with different pros and cons.

Cham'ed headpiece ofc enables an extra ring for optimisation. Other idea could be GFace for 100%CB. Needs 17+ FCR amulet to stay at 102 FCR, or 7+ with Cham'ed headpiece and 2x FCR rings.

Also Atma's is really an option. Low lvl AD but again it could help chaining CEs quickly even when only hitting a few monsters. It will trigger pretty often with >6.5 APS and 95% CtH. My gut feeling is that extra skills for higher CE radius are preferable, but worth checking out, could certainly be the better option.

Merc: Might with Infinity, ebug forti, Andy. Infinity is pretty crucial I guess, not only for -res but also for 95% CtH.

Inventory should be mostly Trap skillers for higher CE radius, maybe 1-2 MA to hit lvl 30 (6 kick) DT.

Build:
20 DT (24 or 30 after gear)
20 DS
FB x3 for sufficient DS shots (can’t test)
CoS
20 LS (just to buff DS Lightning damage a bit, won’t do much but plenty of spare skill points)

Maybe Shadow Warrior to also lay some DS while kicking (and reducing own DS casts) is worthwhile, not sure and can’t test at the moment...

Generally the build is based on the idea that maybe DT delivers the first corpse faster than LS, high CB helps with that. Then Static CtC for smooth CE chains quickly after the first corpse. That’s the idea at least.

After farming Meph for some more essences, I gave this a try. Mostly the same gear except no Ber rune in Stormlash, a 2 Skill/10 FCR/5 LS/5 MS ammy, and a 11 LS/6 MS ring for lots of leech. My 2/20 circlet also had 5 LS, so I had a total of 21% life steal going in. Charms were Vita/Elemental damage.

Here's the progression of my testing, if you want to read through the rambling:

I did a quick run with my current map, meaning I didn't switch to NM for a Might Merc. Staying with the Defiance Merc might've been a good choice because I took a beating in the Moo Moo Farm. Kick damage is just too low to leech back all the damage taken. Switching to Might merc wouldn't help enough. I tried Dracs but the 5% CTC Life Tap is just too inconsistent.

Survival issues aside, when it goes right, Cows drop fast. CTC static on Stormlash with Conviction has the entire group softened down to half health. It's hard to see, but it seems like I only need 2-3 corpses at most before the entire group of Cows fall over in unison. The issue is still getting those first few corpses- DT's lowish integer damage has a harder time finishing off a Cow as CB effectiveness falls off. This is usually where I start getting pummeled into the ground by 10+ Cows. Performing any sort of defensive repositioning behind the Merc is just too inefficient when I know that the Dragon Tail variant can just jump in and wreck without fear. Dragon Tail has knockback with the splash damage, allowing my previous build to stunlock entire groups of Cows. Not the case with Dragon Talon. The damage potential is there, but the survival is lacking... maybe I can revisit Phoenix?

Replacing Spirit with Phoenix took me down to the 65 FCR breakpoint, but it was well worth the life recovery. I was able to finish 4 runs at about 3:20 average, so things are looking up. Sometimes Redemption manages to steal away the first corpse, and other times cold damage shatters the corpse. Finding another target in the midst of 20+ cows triggered some NDEs.

When things go 'right', DTalon can take down Cows fast, but in tougher situations (massive cow groups from all sides), it's harder to recover. DTail has the splash knockback that can make any situation manageable, but DTalon does not have that luxury. K/T sin is a good cow runner, maybe a 3 minute caliber runner with a better setup and some practice, but she's rather stressful to play.

Edit:
Adding link to K/T Sin P5 Cow Demo Video.

I'm just waiting for @Hutton to absolutely wreck all of the well-geared, experienced runners with his fresh Javazon.

Will heavily require the blessings of RNGesus!

Currently running 3-4 minutes on p1, but don't like my map- there's sometimes a massive empty bit.

Main issue is the moron tbh. Without CtA and Enigma he just gets rinsed constantly on p3, even with my Confuse procs and Decoy to help. He doesn't have any %DR either as I lost the Gaze I found for him in a rather unfortunate GoMule incident.

I surprised myself. I managed a decent map and was able to run it in about 4 minutes on p3 the first couple of tries. I figure that's not too shabby for a Cow-running noob.

Will heavily require the blessings of RNGesus!

Currently running 3-4 minutes on p1, but don't like my map- there's sometimes a massive empty bit.

Main issue is the moron tbh. Without CtA and Enigma he just gets rinsed constantly on p3, even with my Confuse procs and Decoy to help. He doesn't have any %DR either as I lost the Gaze I found for him in a rather unfortunate GoMule incident.

I'd just leave the merc dead if hes not wearing an infinity

That's not new. You already tried that a year ago and posted it on YouTube:

Or were you able to improve on that method?

The trash talk is real !!

I did improve yes, did two runs, no deeds. So, I'm basically an expert now

Thanks for testing @NanoMist. I’ll check her out myself when I get back to running, but interesting to hear about the pros and cons you’ve encountered. Survival issues can be solved I think, but yeah, I’d also be surprised if she could come close to top runners.

Here's the 4 run demo of the K/T Sin running P5 Cows. Also adding the video to my previous post for completeness.

I took a little more care with the herding and defensive positioning behind the Merc, allowing me to focus down a Cow with less trouble. I think it's also important to stack all 5 DS together for focused damage, ideally against the Cow being kicked.

I'd just leave the merc dead if hes not wearing an infinity

Yeah, he's only got an Insight. Not even an ethereal one at that!

I do have a socketed Andy's and the materials for an e-bug Fortitude available for him, so tempted to give that a try?

Playing on Hardcore without a merc just feels super weird and uncomfortable. But yeah, I'll ditch him for now if required. I don't really fancy 20 hours at players 1 :\

The good news ... with some practice, I already got my run times down to 3:30.

The bad news?

Spoiler

I'm starting to use up some of my RFL luck already.

And then some more goodies:







Luckily no more runes above Lem this time .

Nice vid @NanoMist. Pretty much the gameplay I had in mind. I see what you mean about finishing Cows off.

Personally I’m not quite sold on Defiance and Phoenix for her though. Same as for other melee physical damage dealers, higher leech from Might should be more beneficial for her survivability. Also seems indeed raw damage is kind of low, so boosting kick damage should help with overall clear speed. Might aura also gives Merc more punch to deliver corpses if the Sin has to reposition.

Love the originality of using Phoenix with a CE char. But in the end it seems it slows things down for this build, while its upside only kicks in once there are corpses (and you’d rather not have it kick in with the first corpses). Apart from that and lower FCR, the fire storm proc can also delay the next DT sequence if it triggers on a late kick (this thing). No biggie, but it further complicates getting that first corpse.

If a defensive shield is indeed required, I’d assume Stormshield does the job without getting in the way of offense. Phoenix could be used on CtA switch, if not going with Spirit for 102 FCR.

Upon checking with a CtH calc I realised Infinity is actually not that essential for 95% CtH, e.g. some 150 Dex is enough for a lvl 95 char with just skill bonus. So could be worthwhile even trying with a Reaper's Merc, seeing as maybe powering up the kicks is more important than helping Static and DS with Infinity. Reaper's also adds a lot of safety.

Anyway, just some ideas. Generally the gameplay looks just as fun as I had hoped, definitely will play around with her. Thanks for giving it a go!

Hmm, maybe I'd better stop my practice runs now. Another HR.

Frost Nova sorc anyone? She is solid and more safe than Nova sorc. Static x3, Blizzard on self and spam until everything is dead.

Nova + Blizzard sorc
sub 2:30 runner for p5, fastest sorc I tried

Equipment:

Spoiler

Griffon's with lightning facet
Enigma (for life per kill)
Death's Fathom with cold facet
Spirit
2/10 amulet
Arachnid
Beta bkwb (Soj otherwise)
1.07 mana per kill ring
Dracul's Grasp (for life per kill)
Silkweave boots (mana per kill)

Switch: Cta + Spirit (Phoenix alternative, but you have potions...)

Merc:
Infinity + Fortitude + Andy

Skills:

Spoiler

Warmth 1
Telekinesis 1
Static - enough for 24 area
Nova - 20
Lightning Mastery - 20
Frost Armor - 1
Cold Mastery - 1
Blizzard 20
rest into synergies for Blizzard

Technique:
Get in between cows packs, static x3, Blizzard self, teleport on self to get merc to you and force cows to get to you, Nova them to death

Problem solved!



Absolutely bogging roll, but they're not super important anyway!

Edit:

Spoiler: Rewarded

Might not seem much, but this is the first ethereal elite polearm I've found on any of my SPF characters! D:

@Hutton wow! Sick base for fort. And I’m still searching for an eth elite polearm as well! Good stuff

Did 18 timed runs so far. Average time was 4:04, best time was 3:25. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but still some room for improvement. Haven't tried the 125% FCR setup yet. I'm also considering cubing up 2 Ohm runes to make a Fortitude for the merc, as I feel that would make getting that first corpse a lot faster. Respec'ing to max Amplify Damage instead of all PNova synergies is also worth thinking about, since I'm not really happy with the AD radius at the moment (14.6 Yards).

CE and Amplify damage are the core of necro build and are best maxed. Losing time on recasting Amplify because its range is too low is not optimal. Revives are next on the food chain of imprtance because not only they make running much safer, but they also do some damage helping to get corpses faster. PNova is just a backup skill which doesn't have much importance. It allows slightly faster first and second corpse then CE takes over everything.

20 Amplify Damage
20 CE
1 Revive
1 Iron Golem (optional)
1 Bone Armor
rest into PNova and synergies.

do revives really do any dmg? I thought they were basically useless because of monster HP compared to player HP

CE and Amplify damage are the core of necro build and are best maxed. Losing time on recasting Amplify because its range is too low is not optimal. Revives are next on the food chain of imprtance because not only they make running much safer, but they also do some damage helping to get corpses faster. PNova is just a backup skill which doesn't have much importance. It allows slightly faster first and second corpse then CE takes over everything.

20 Amplify Damage
20 CE
1 Revive
1 Iron Golem (optional)
1 Bone Armor
rest into PNova and synergies.

I don't agree. Maxed Amp means you have to stay away from the cow king further, which is less efficient. Recasting you can do while the merc is creating the first corpse. And new monsters often keep on appoaching, in which case you have to recast anyway.

Revives work counterproductive because they spread out packs of cows. 95% of the time, the merc survives just fine without them anyway. The few times he doesn't, it's a matter of better teleporting or maybe using Decrep. I haven't done the latter, bus think it will be enough in those last 5%.

 

[Vildecor]

do revives really do any dmg? I thought they were basically useless because of monster HP compared to player HP

Very small damage, we could ignore it. I know when I ran high level Revives their damage was actually solid, nearly comparable to maxed skeletons for summoner per hit.

@T72on1
I understand what you're saying. This is why player must find his own balance for the character.

Amplify Damage - high level allows less casting, faster aggroing of monsters and spending more time on good positioning. Depends does player want to recast the spell few times or not. Still, solid range is advisable. As for King, player must learn his map to know how close can he get without aggroing the King. My King spawns in the middle of his house and I can come practically at entrance without aggroing him out. What player can do is learn the pattern of his running and can deliberately drag King on one side of the house to clear things later from the other side. I do this by teleporting through the house fast.

Revives - it is true what you're saying. This issue can be solved by one teleport. Once first corpse is down, player can simply do one teleport on the place to collect all Revives together and force all cows to converge right into CE. What Revives allow is more aggressive herding by teleporting in the middle of 3 to 4 packs. Necro is safe because Revives keep cows away and Revives might not run that far since everything is surrounded. If they do - one teleport on the place before CE chain. Without Revives this herding technique is not possible because Necro lacks safety. Cows would pummel on him too much and time would be lost on trying to keep Necro safe before starting chain. Result would be less aggressive herding and less cows collected over time and more time spending on additional herding.

What Revives also allow is more safe Iron Golem made out of Immortal weapon to help getting corpses. Without it IG will likely be made only out of items found on the level. However, this is less important advantage.

Has anyone tried out Delirium on a merc in the cow level?

I'm wearing one on my amazon herself currently, and there seems to be a bit of a strange interaction; the Confuse proc will aggro cows from absolutely miles away (multiple screens). Given that I don't have Enigma, it's actually pretty useful, but I'm curious if it behaves the same way when it's proc'd by a merc...

Has anyone tried out Delirium on a merc in the cow level?

Yep. Same effect in CS...

@ffs - I can confirm I had 95% CTH, Reaper's might be a good alternative.

Revives - it is true what you're saying. This issue can be solved by one teleport. Once first corpse is down, player can simply do one teleport on the place to collect all Revives together and force all cows to converge right into CE. What Revives allow is more aggressive herding by teleporting in the middle of 3 to 4 packs. Necro is safe because Revives keep cows away and Revives might not run that far since everything is surrounded. If they do - one teleport on the place before CE chain. Without Revives this herding technique is not possible because Necro lacks safety. Cows would pummel on him too much and time would be lost on trying to keep Necro safe before starting chain. Result would be less aggressive herding and less cows collected over time and more time spending on additional herding.

Really good advice here. There's time to be saved just from better herding, and not spending extra time trying to stay alive is a key aspect of that.

---

Final assassin demonstration video, I promise!
Here's the Fire Blast + Death Sentry only play style:

It takes 5 FB to kill P5 Cows, which is about 2 seconds long, so it's consistently fast to get a bunch of corpses. Stack DS nearby to focus damage. I carry Phoenix on main switch (it's a trend) for the -28 EFR and also to avoid waiting for the aura pulse if I were to carry it on CTA switch instead. At least with trapper I can carry Hoto and maintain 102% FCR breakpoint. Having Redemption always active doesn't slow down DS at all given the amount of corpses FB can generate. My Phoenix rolled lvl 11 Redemption, so the low roll might actually help in that regard.

The reason I stayed with Defiance Merc is that trapper doesn't depend on Merc for corpses. FB damage is just so much faster. I rather have the ability to herd more aggressively and stand next to Cows for instant FB damage, as opposed to tossing FB from afar. I can let those large groups of Cows surround my Sin and just toss FB at her feet. Sin may not have revives like Necro, but she's tankier and can flat out stunlock Cows with FB.

I'd say this is a better trapper video demo for @Gripphon 's rune finding guide as it actually demonstrates more FB usage as written in the guide.

Few changes to my Necro today. Tried 125% FCR. Felt a lot better, but I don't think it improved my runtime much if at all, but that's because I'm losing +4 to skills, which lowers the range of Amplify Damage (which feels really low now), CE and also weakens my Poison Nova to the point where I need 1-2 more CEs before the herd goes down. And, of course, CE doesn't have a huge reach, so bigger herds still need a few CEs more.

I also decided to cube up 2 of my 3 Ohm runes to make this for the merc:

Also put this in his Andariel's Visage:

Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0x5791778a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
37% Enhanced Damage

First corpse comes a lot faster now, considering he does an average damage of about 6,000 once his Might aura kicks in.

I'm almost certain I'll put a poison facet into the Death's Web. What I'm not too certain about yet is if I should respec to optimize him further for cows. If I do that, I commit to him as an exclusive cow runner, whereas I had originally planned him as a Pit runner. But since I want to build a Berzerker for that area anyway, I have no problem with that. I'm more concerned about my lack of essences for further respecs before the tournament in case it doesn't work out. He still has all 3 respecs from the Den of Evil quest available, but I don't want to reroll maps so close to the start of the round.

Anyway, if I respec, I will go with the setup that @Gripphon suggested above:
20 AD
20 CE
20 PN
1 Revive
1 Bone Armor
1 Iron Golem
1 Golem Mastery
1 Summon Resist (unsure about, since there isn't much elemental damage in the cow level)
20 Poison Explosion (PN synergy)

Since the only curse I'm using for cows is Amp, I wouldn't get any other curses, which leaves me with 9 more skill points to spend at level 90. I could put these into Poison Dagger to increase my PN damage, or I could put them into Golem Mastery to increase the Golem's survivalbility. I figure Poison Dagger would be the way to go here, since even with 1 point in Golem Mastery, he'll have about 3k life, which I assume will get about doubled from my Battle Order. That should be plenty.

My absolute favorite part of tournaments like these is all the deep theorycrafting and gameplay videos that accompany them. Having done a 1.14 fresh restart and only having 1 Pat/Mat at the moment, they may not serve me quite yet, but once I have the characters and gear, info like this will be invaluable for self-improvement.

Many thanks to @NanoMist , @ffs , @Gripphon in particular, and also everyone else participating in these discussions. I am also looking forward to watching all of the highlight videos after each round, as nothing beats pure gameplay videos to see strategy in action.

@NanoMist
Video and post are now linked in the guide. Good work.

@Vildecor
As old as this game is and we still find improvements. By 2025. we will discover barbs are best cow runners!

@Vildecor - You won't be alone. As of two days ago, my zon is my one Mat/Pat since my restart and doing almost all her own item hunting.

I did one test run which wasn't terrible. I figured I needed a Razortail and Titan's at minimum and found the Razortail the same day from Meph. Still working on a Titan's though I found my first Harpoonist in the process.

@Vildecor - You won't be alone. As of two days ago, my zon is my one Mat/Pat since my restart and doing almost all her own item hunting.

I did one test run which wasn't terrible. I figured I needed a Razortail and Titan's at minimum and found the Razortail the same day from Meph. Still working on a Titan's though I found my first Harpoonist in the process.

I believe there are a few of us that are fresh from restarts competing, which is nice. I also managed a Razortail but lack the Titan's. LK gave me a Thunderstroke which works fine, but having to stop in the middle of a run for repairs really stinks.

LK gave me a Thunderstroke which works fine, but having to stop in the middle of a run for repairs really stinks.

Quality game design right there.

The one thing about my runs which is going well so far. No luck shopping 3/20 gloves though...

No luck shopping 3/20 gloves though...

I got mine from Elzix(?) in Nightmare. It was mighty dull.

I calculated that on p5 chance to get any rune from one cow kill is 1/244.52
Would be cool if someone can confirm the number. Drop odds are this for p5 cows:

Spoiler

Ort Rune 0.0471463% 1:2121
Tal Rune 0.0471463% 1:2121
Amn Rune 0.0364312% 1:2745
Eth Rune 0.0330024% 1:3030
Ral Rune 0.0314308% 1:3182
Thul Rune 0.0314308% 1:3182
Sol Rune 0.0242875% 1:4117
Tir Rune 0.0235731% 1:4242
Ith Rune 0.0220016% 1:4545
Shael Rune 0.0218587% 1:4575
Nef Rune 0.0157154% 1:6363
Dol Rune 0.0145725% 1:6862
Hel Rune 0.0121437% 1:8235
El Rune 0.0094293% 1:10605
Io Rune 0.0080958% 1:12352
Lum Rune 0.0064092% 1:15603
Eld Rune 0.0062862% 1:15908
Ko Rune 0.0042728% 1:23404
Fal Rune 0.0032936% 1:30362
Lem Rune 0.0021957% 1:45543
Pul Rune 0.0016697% 1:59892
Mal Rune 0.0011356% 1:88062
Um Rune 0.0011131% 1:89838
Gul Rune 0.0008007% 1:124898
Ist Rune 0.000757% 1:132092
Ohm Rune 0.0005623% 1:177840
Vex Rune 0.0005338% 1:187347
Sur Rune 0.0004158% 1:240472
Lo Rune 0.0003749% 1:266760
Jah Rune 0.0003096% 1:322997
Ber Rune 0.0002772% 1:360708
Cham Rune 0.0002064% 1:484495
Zod Rune 0.0000791% 1:1264433

That matches what Ulrik has in his guide

P1/2   0.002019  or   1/495.29
P3/4   0.003297  or   1/202.31
P5/6   0.004090  or   1/244.50
P7/8   0.004615  or   1/216.68

Thank you. I'm planning to do some statistics by counting all runes that dropped and by picking all jewels and small charms to determine number of cows on a cow level. Both jewels and small charms should drop approximately once per run (1:571) for p5 and those should provide precise enough data across 100 runs along with all runes.

I calculated that on p5 chance to get any rune from one cow kill is 1/244.52
Would be cool if someone can confirm the number. Drop odds are this for p5 cows:

Spoiler

Ort Rune 0.0471463% 1:2121
Tal Rune 0.0471463% 1:2121
Amn Rune 0.0364312% 1:2745
Eth Rune 0.0330024% 1:3030
Ral Rune 0.0314308% 1:3182
Thul Rune 0.0314308% 1:3182
Sol Rune 0.0242875% 1:4117
Tir Rune 0.0235731% 1:4242
Ith Rune 0.0220016% 1:4545
Shael Rune 0.0218587% 1:4575
Nef Rune 0.0157154% 1:6363
Dol Rune 0.0145725% 1:6862
Hel Rune 0.0121437% 1:8235
El Rune 0.0094293% 1:10605
Io Rune 0.0080958% 1:12352
Lum Rune 0.0064092% 1:15603
Eld Rune 0.0062862% 1:15908
Ko Rune 0.0042728% 1:23404
Fal Rune 0.0032936% 1:30362
Lem Rune 0.0021957% 1:45543
Pul Rune 0.0016697% 1:59892
Mal Rune 0.0011356% 1:88062
Um Rune 0.0011131% 1:89838
Gul Rune 0.0008007% 1:124898
Ist Rune 0.000757% 1:132092
Ohm Rune 0.0005623% 1:177840
Vex Rune 0.0005338% 1:187347
Sur Rune 0.0004158% 1:240472
Lo Rune 0.0003749% 1:266760
Jah Rune 0.0003096% 1:322997
Ber Rune 0.0002772% 1:360708
Cham Rune 0.0002064% 1:484495
Zod Rune 0.0000791% 1:1264433

Your Zod drop chances in that table are way too low.

Spoiler: See for yourself

RFL 2018 round 1 results

Just kidding of course, everything looks ok, thanks for sharing

As for my earlier post about Revives ... I must admit I was wrong after more test runs yesterday evening. Without Revives, my merc died once in a while, which greatly slows things down. With them, he didn't at all (well once, but that was when still trying to summon Revives). So I'm definitely using them now, although I still don't like how they split up packs. They tactic you describe helps with it as best as possible, but it still isn't as good for herding as without Revives. But again, overall using Revives is faster, due to merc surviving better and no need to reposition myself.

I'm still running without maxed Amp though, and I don't think it's much of an issue. I guess my fear for killing the Cow King is still too big after last year, where my Necro was on an amazing spree, and that all seemed gone when I had to switch to another character for the last few hours. Ok, all gone with the exception of a Zod .

The main problem probably is that I don't have my Hell respec left, and I don't want to reroll maps, as I'm quite convinced that my current map is really, really good. Tristram 2 teleports from the waypoint, easy, quite compact Cow map and the King always spawning on the exact same spot inside the fort, and I can clear everything around the fort without him ever coming out of the fort.

The main problem probably is that I don't have my Hell respec left, and I don't want to reroll maps, as I'm quite convinced that my current map is really, really good. Tristram 2 teleports from the waypoint, easy, quite compact Cow map and the King always spawning on the exact same spot inside the fort, and I can clear everything around the fort without him ever coming out of the fort.

You could always use a Token of Absolution to respec without having to reroll maps. That's what I would do, but I currently don't have a character that can farm Baal (or Diablo, but I already have one essence from him) for essences.

@LongingForDeath Agreed. Not sure how many essences I still have to farm for that, nor the time I would have for it. It crossed my mind though, so I might, if I still have enough time (or essences, to begin with)

Speaking about last year's round, and now that this year's Cow Round is getting close, it's time to build up the hype, no? So ...

Oh. My. God.

FOUR Zods. FOUR. By 3 different people? Insanity. I don't think this Top 3 will ever get beaten.

Let's take up this challenge and try to improve on last year, shall we? . Not me obviously, I have used up all my luck for the rest of my D2 career in that round. What, me doing the 'let's get ourselves in the underdog position again' thing? Nah .

To build up the hype even more, what's better than our tradition to put out our goals for the round here, as well as predictions for top 3?

So, my goals, in order of importance:

• have fun (always at the top of the list)
• find some Jah runes, as those are missing in my HR collection (2x Zod, 1x Cham, 5x Ber, some lower HRs, but no Jah runes at all) and the rune words still missing for me seem to require a very high amount of Jah runes
• improve my run times; I'm currently getting them down to 3:40 or so on average, with 3:18 as fastest
• actually manage a full batch
• place in the top 3, as it would be quite embarrassing to finish first last year and only 10th or so this year; but RNG will always be RNG, so ...

Prediction for top 3:

1. Gripphon: Gripgod himself coming back? Only for first place, no doubt about it
2. Nanomist: he will get overall victory once again, so he'll need and take that solid start
3. LongingForDeath: back after a long D2 hiatus, but on a spree ever since. He'll be up there !!!

On my side, currently trying to setup a video recording, so i could make a report with vid extracts, more entertaining for everyone i think !

On my goals, two batches in the 20 days allowed. But i'll have to complete the Mat run with Noobazon (probably tonight), and fish good cow maps for her and with BabySorc for legs collect.

This RFL is craziest than my LK-thon, hope i will get as more rewarded as it is craziest ! It will be a cow dreaming worldwide session...Moo moo ! MOoOoo !

Prediction for top 3:

1. Gripphon: Gripgod himself coming back? Only for first place, no doubt about it
2. Nanomist: he will get overall victory once again, so he'll need and take that solid start
3. LongingForDeath: back after a long D2 hiatus, but on a spree ever since. He'll be up there !!!

I appreciate the confidence in me. But nah, not very likely. Speaking from past experience, I have a pretty good track record of getting runes from cows, but I don't think my run times have ever been very competitive in that area. My necro is still missing some pieces of equipment to be optimized, not to mention the lack of skillers. Same can be said about my Javazon, who I still have to level up and kill Baal with. Though the Griffon's Eye drop last night certainly added a vital piece to her equipment. I might even split a batch. 10 hours with the Necro, 10 hours with the Amazon. Or just do two batches, one with each, if time allows.

But in all honesty, I'll be happy if I make it into the top 10. Only goal I have for this round are 2 Lo runes to have dual Griefs on my Barb in the next round. A Cham rune and a 3rd Lo would be nice, too, but that's a goal for the entire tournament.

 

[Vildecor]

HYPE!!!! Very excited to play this round, and it looks like we've got some really interesting builds cropping up. Should be fun seeing how many of the freshly-restarted characters will beat the seasoned runners!

As I mentioned before, I'll be running the typical javazon though I have finally made the decision to ditch Delerium on the merc. Seems it has helped my runtimes as I'm hovering down around the 3 minute mark more reliably now. As for the gear, other than the merc helm it's identical to last year's variant (with some slightly nicer skillers that were picked up along the way). I am tempted to switch out the Phoenix, but I don't have any light facets that are good enough at the moment, and I really like not having to ever pot during the round.

Gear:

Jane, lvl 97 javazon
~3:00 run times
Griffs (15/15) with an ias/LR jewel
+2 zon/8FCR/20@res amulet

Spoiler

Rune Gorget
Amulet
Required Level: 89
Fingerprint: 0x8d9f21bf
Item Level: 97
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
+8% Faster Cast Rate
3% Mana stolen per hit
+47 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 8%
All Resistances +20

Enigma
Titans
'Phoenix' Monarch

Spoiler

Phoenix
Monarch
VexVexLoJah
Defense: 145
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0xe4360535
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 40 Blaze when you Level-Up
40% Chance to cast level 22 Firestorm on striking
Level 14 Redemption Aura When Equipped
394% Enhanced Damage
-28% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+380 Defense vs. Missile
+50 to Life
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
+10% to Maximum Fire Resist
+21 Fire Absorb
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune
Socketed: Jah Rune

Lancer's Gauntlets of Alacrity
Ravenfrost/BKWB
Razortail
Random dual-res boots/MF (really should swap those for something a bit better...)

7 Skillers
2 columns for picking up goodies

Switch:
CtA/Spirit

Merc (Might);
Andys
Fort
Infinity

Pretty typical setup. 68% FCR breakpoint on switch for teleporting, 30 IAS breakpoint on main for throwing sticks. Not sure what to do with the boots, or whether the CBF from ravenfrost is worth it or if I should rather switch to a SoJ. Decisions, decisions...

As for my goals:
- Finish a full set
- find lotsa rocks

Predictions for a top 3:
1. Nanomist
2. Gripp
3. Someone from 1.07


GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!!!!

Prediction: 1.07 player landing something in this range (not me ofc)

Sur 142.3
Ber 213.4
Jo 284.3
Cham 426.4
Zod ?

@LongingForDeath When I won last year's Cow Round, I think my run times may have been as slow as 4:30 - 5:00. Efficiency is very important, but in the end RNG > efficiency .

Efficiency is very important, but in the end RNG > efficiency .

This is very important. Remember, last year in the cow round there were two people who found a Zod and still didn't win. Not that I'm still hung up on that or anything..

@Pb_pal 3 minutes in p? With that stuff p7 wouldn't even surprise me !

Phoenix is quite a nice runeword...never were close to think about this one, but it is really godly oO the enhanced damage applies to physical right ? Wondering how it would pair with Grief...guess it will not work the way i think !

This is very important. Remember, last year in the cow round there were two people who found a Zod and still didn't win. Not that I'm still hung up on that or anything..

I got a zod in the council round and got last

With the number of participants we have this year, I think we can beat the four Zods we saw last year. I'm totally claiming one of the Zods by the way. Should be able to get 2 cow sets done. I may have to lose some sleep on Thursday to get one last push for gear done though.

My goals for this round:
1. Find a Zod!
2. Finish in the upper half of the competition
3. Start putting together a dedicated playlist for area runs.

I'm just hoping to finish a set without dying tbh.

An Ohm would be nice for CtA, and maybe some runes towards Enigma and Infinity.

I found two ethereal 4s Cryptic Axes on back to back runs, so I feel like RNGesus wants me to get Infinity.

@Pb_pal 3 minutes in p? With that stuff p7 wouldn't even surprise me !

Phoenix is quite a nice runeword...never were close to think about this one, but it is really godly oO the enhanced damage applies to physical right ? Wondering how it would pair with Grief...guess it will not work the way i think !

/p5 for me, p7 gets a bit too cluttered for my liking. I'm hoping by the end of the round to be firmly below 3min/run, but we will see!

As for Phoenix, yes the ED would only apply to physical damage. I'm using it pretty much exclusively for the Redemption aura as a substitute for pots.

... I'm totally claiming one of the Zods by the way ...

There is no claiming. Only the blessing of the Zod god himself can give you an advantage. Quite the unfair advantage, that is.

@Grape prettyyyyyyy pleeeeeaasseee

Winning odds for RFL first round:

Huge chance to win:

Spoiler

WoRG
If you don't know who WoRG is, then you have already lost. Minimum 2 godly jewels incoming. With 2 Zods as addition too.

Luhkoh
Armed with superior statistics and superior calculators, he probably knows between which ribs to hit cows to drop Zods and possibly already knows the outcome of all tournaments for the next 2 years in advance. My theory is he wouldn't compete unless he already knows he will do tremendously well. Good luck to us all.

T72on1
He is already farming godly runes during warmups, imagine his finds during real deal! How many Zods he found again? I keep forgetting.

Good chance to win:

Spoiler

Grape
ZodGod should have good chance to win, right? But, he is the merciful God and might allow some of us mortals to have a chance at the Zodthrone.

Pharphis
He never found anything solid so far. However, ever since he found Pharblade he is the new man. Beware.

NanoMist
If I don't mention him here, everyone will think I'm just trolling. I'm trying to be serious around here. He is surely top 10 candidate let's be honest. If he plays with a blindhold. Without a mouse. On a broken touchpad. Riding a horse. Horse without one leg.

Not entirely terrible chance to win:

Spoiler

Pb_pal
He would have huge winning chances, but unfortunately he is from Mars and doesn't have home field advantage.

jjscud
A legend returning to play yet again. Did he have enough warmup yet? We shall see!

EatSleepDiablov2
Name says it all. I also hear he trains to farm Zods all year. He even programmed his microwave to spell "ZOD IS READY FOR YOU" when dinner is ready.

@Gripphon that whole post was hilarious. Your vote of confidence made my day! But unfortunately I'm one of those all theory no practice people. Only serious intervention of the Zod God would give me a chance (and tbh I would rather find a Jah ).

Whilst I would like to improve on last years position, I don’t think that is realistic. Actually my goal this year is to not find any Zods and find two Chams and multiple Jahs and Bers.

I have two necros ready (in case I do a @T72on1 and kill the Cow King) and a Javazon. May need to roll maps again though~.

Winning odds for RFL first round:

Huge chance to win:

Spoiler

WoRG
If you don't know who WoRG is, then you have already lost. Minimum 2 godly jewels incoming. With 2 Zods as addition too.

Luhkoh
Armed with superior statistics and superior calculators, he probably knows between which ribs to hit cows to drop Zods and possibly already knows the outcome of all tournaments for the next 2 years in advance. My theory is he wouldn't compete unless he already knows he will do tremendously well. Good luck to us all.

T72on1
He is already farming godly runes during warmups, imagine his finds during real deal! How many Zods he found again? I keep forgetting.

Good chance to win:

Spoiler

Grape
ZodGod should have good chance to win, right? But, he is the merciful God and might allow some of us mortals to have a chance at the Zodthrone.

Pharphis
He never found anything solid so far. However, ever since he found Pharblade he is the new man. Beware.

NanoMist
If I don't mention him here, everyone will think I'm just trolling. I'm trying to be serious around here. He is surely top 10 candidate let's be honest. If he plays with a blindhold. Without a mouse. On a broken touchpad. Riding a horse. Horse without one leg.

Not entirely terrible chance to win:

Spoiler

Pb_pal
He would have huge winning chances, but unfortunately he is from Mars and doesn't have home field advantage.

jjscud
A legend returning to play yet again. Did he have enough warmup yet? We shall see!

EatSleepDiablov2
Name says it all. I also hear he trains to farm Zods all year. He even programmed his microwave to spell "ZOD IS READY FOR YOU" when dinner is ready.

I'm so glad that you don't have a 'It's cute that they're participating' category

Some heavy trolling by Anya here. Going to remove my gauntlets and punch her in the face in a minute.

Spoiler

It would be interesting to see an overview of what classes (and general builds) will be used. Will anyone use something else than java, necro or assassin?

(I personally just finished normal diablo, so my previous estimate of maybe reaching normal cows at the start seems quite accurate.)

Other than Furyzons, Venomancers, Trappers (and now the very cool melee variants provided by Nanomist), there usually aren't many builds in Moomooland. Sorcs work well too and get used from time to time, not sure about this year. Something tells me Fissure Druid has also been tested, but my memory fails me who it was. I'd think that Hammerdins should work too, but I haven't seen anyone actually doing it during RFL or RFO. If I manage to do a full batch and still have some time, I might try mine in there.

I'm doing at least one batch with my furyzon. After that, I'm tempted to do a batch with something else. I'm currently working through a phoenix striker who I might have a bash with, but I think it's too risky really. I would just get swamped... Maybe my bonemancer?

@Luhkoh is going to use a sorc for some of it I believe

 

[Vildecor]

Something tells me Fissure Druid has also been tested, but my memory fails me who it was..

Gripp and I did some testing for it for the 2017 RFL. I actually split my cow set 50/50 between my zon and druid, and found him to be decently effective but by no means comparable to the zons/necros/sins out there in terms of kills/second.

The build I ran is here. We tested variants using Tornado, as well as Hurricane variants and neither ended up being any better than a pure fire build. I may be a bit biased, but I found him to be very fun in cows even if not the quickest runner out there. A downside is that it takes some decent gear (ie Phoenix) to really get them going.

For those worried about efficiency, during my split set my druid outperformed my zon rune-wise, despite being way less efficient. So there's that.

These tournaments aren't about speed anyway. It's about going in and getting kills done. That being said Fire Druid can be very fun to play, depends does Fissure timer bother you. It's not that much different from Blizzard sorc except he lacks Static Field.

So tempted to join, and I really finally wanted to participate in the RFL this year. Buuuut I spent so much time on my 10k LK project (almost halfway, I should have rolled a better map but then I discovered my AT map with her is awesome so now I don't want to switch anymore), my 1.00 adventure and now 1.07, that I only have 2 characters that might be able to run cows, maybe. My 1.14 lvl 92 bliz sorc (can't change maps cause of the AT map, overall crappy gear and no infinity yet) or my 1.07 lvl 69 FO sorc (didn't take her through act 5 hell yet, overall horrible gear as I just forwarded her from 1.00). I also have a lvl 83 fishymancer in 1.14, but then I lack some basic gear to make him a novamancer. Going to see how much time I have in the next few days to get my 1.07 sorc through hell, as that's my best RNG change haha.

My 1.14 lvl 92 bliz sorc (can't change maps cause of the AT map, overall crappy gear and no infinity yet) or my 1.07 lvl 69 FO sorc (didn't take her through act 5 hell yet, overall horrible gear as I just forwarded her from 1.00). I also have a lvl 83 fishymancer in 1.14, but then I lack some basic gear to make him a novamancer. Going to see how much time I have in the next few days to get my 1.07 sorc through hell, as that's my best RNG change haha.

All viable options. Blizz sorc does well in cows and doesn't need great gear. Certainly doesn't need Infinity on the merc if you have a decent level of Cold Mastery - which you should as a Blizz sorc, anyway. Cows don't have a high level of cold resistance, so it's likely that your CM already brings them down to -100%, so Infinity would be of no benefit.

If you can get your 1.07 FO sorc through act 5, she's a good option to run 1.07 cows. Level should be ok for that. Static field and FO kill cows easily. Doesn't need great gear, either.

Necro is also a good option for cows. Doesn't need to be a Novamancer, since you'll do your killing with Corpse Explosion, anyway. PNova just helps you to soften up those cows, whereas as a summoner you rely on your merc and skellies to get those first few corpses to start your CE chain.

@Gripphon Gogo gameplay vid Blova Sorc! No idea why this hasn’t been tried in RFL so far, it only makes sense given Nova Sorc already is a good runner. Sub 2:30 doesn’t sound too bad!

Also I wonder has Beast Novamancer ever been properly tested for Cows? With a lot of skillers PN damage might be enough to chain CEs after first corpse, maybe then he’s better than DWeb variant due to the faster first corpse.

I ran with Beast Summoner a bit, but Skellies are pretty much useless (at least Revives with one hard point are just as good). In terms of kill speed PN is best support for CE IMO.

It's been years since I've played one but I've often wondered how fast a FA Zon could clear cows. Good sight lines can wreak havoc. I don't have one yet but I may just have to build one for the next RFL Cow level.

I have an Ice FA Zon in the making, which I plan to use at Cows too at some point, because I had the same idea as you about the build, Smittyphi. She's only in Act 2 Hell though, so it won't be for this year's RFL.

@ffs
I'd have to download recording and video program, currently lazy to do it.

I tried, but couldn't see any difference in runtimes between two necro variants. Beast does provide faster corpse, but also much weaker nova and weaker CE range meaning you have to do more explosions to kill cows. In the end they cancel each other out, plus Web offers mana and life per kill bonus. However, I can't promise all players would experience same result.

I finally got around to doing some test runs, and honestly, I'm really not feeling it. Just not having fun so, I'm not sure that I will actually do the first round

@Kitteh just herd some bigger packs!

@Gripphon. Truth be told, my handle is a bit of a misnomer. Whole lot more eating and sleeping in v2 than Diablo...

I did a run with my Windy Druid, since I figure I don't want to slug through 20 hours with an Amazon. He did it in about 8 minutes but skipped the Cow King's "Pen". Not too far off my Amazon's time.

Only a few hours before the start. Where is the HYYYYYPE, people?

Just dropping in to HYYYYYYPE a little bit! I've been pretty damn busy, but the timing of the start could barely be better. I should be able to leave early from work tomorrow and I have nothing too time consuming scheduled for the weekend!

Expect that I have. D2&RFL

Good luck to all!

*throws Zod God's blessings to everywhere*

I am hyped here, but won't be able to start until next week, I am heading to chaperone a Science Olympiad group of middle school kids this weekend down at the Indiana state competition. After that I'll come back and kick everyone's butts with 3 Zod's* from the moo moo farm.

Spoiler

Not really, as I am terribly inefficient runner in general, but it was fun to say

At what time does it start ? It will be in 0:00 in about 4 hours here in France, i can start from that time or is there a specific timezone defined i missed ?

Ready for my first ever RFL round, pure Lightning for Moo Moo slaughter !

And as a javazon i may well be using... this !

At what time does it start ? It will be in 0:00 in about 4 hours here in France, i can start from that time or is there a specific timezone defined i missed ?

Ready for my first ever RFL round, pure Lightning for Moo Moo slaughter !

No, just 0:00 in your time zone.

My plan was to start tomorrow at noon, but of course just this one time I have to work the entire day . I hope to have time in the evening though.

After some changes at work, it looks like I am going to have some time for the RFL. I am home today with a sick daughter, so I decided to try a cow run while she was napping. The first GC that dropped was a skiller, so I guess I am obligated to rejoin.

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
Nexeis
smittyphi
smloeffelholz
----------------------------

Because of my lack of runes, I will be running P3 with an Insight blizzard sorceress. My run times won't be fast, so I will have to rely on luck. I should have some stored up, since I definitely haven't used any in my previous tournament entries.

I plan on timing a handful of runs tonight, but I do have a question. Is it worth my time to mess with chests/hidden stashes? It seems like I can herd and kill cows much faster than popping chests, but I don't want to leave them behind if they are useful.

 

[Vildecor]

NOOOOOO !!! Just dropped a Jah from Pindleskin !!!

Ok, i burnt my RNG Mojo right before RFL. BUT I CAN MAKE MY TWINKED (therefore sharable) ENIGMA !!!

I'm going to run naked outdoor guys, i know it's bad playing when sick but... i don't care right now !!!

Close to perfect roll, not as lucky as @sir_cyclops :

@smloeffelholz I wouldn't bother with poppables. I sometimes hit them but that's because venomancers sometimes have a bit of time in between stuff.

@smloeffelholz I wouldn't bother with poppables. I sometimes hit them but that's because venomancers sometimes have a bit of time in between stuff.

Especially when they're at work

I forgot I couldn't have more than one leg on you... my sorc map fishing isn't that useful i guess...

Lol... a Sur rune 5 minutes before the timer starts... i shouldn't have played before midnight... second Eth tresher, no sox but superior, too. Will complete this map and get ready to record !

From France: Go !!!

GL everybody !

Good luck all!

Screw it, I'm in. Probably won't make it to 20 hours but it's all good.

-------------------------
Grape (1.07)
Diablo2inDC (1.07)
zemaj (1.07)
Pharphis (1.07)
WoRG (1.07)
EatSleepDiablov2
T72on1
Kitteh
NanoMist
Peytron
PhineasB
Gripphon
LongingForDeath
Shuffleblast
MizzouFTW
Saluki
Zylo
maxicek
Ghonn
Vildecor
sir_cyclops
Teddeeboy
Babyhell
Friiser
Pb_pal
TheGuardianXXXIII
Luhkoh
Hutton
jjscud
Nexeis
smittyphi
smloeffelholz
Tenecabo (1.07 + maybe 1.14)
----------------------------

Hopefully I'm still on time to join, it's only 10pm here on March 14th
Can I combine some 1.07 with 1.14 within the same batch? Of course not going over 20 hours combined.

I launched the first batch tonight. Baby (the real one) has awake multiple times, did half an hour instead of the first hour i planned.

My goal will be to make as many points as i did during training, 27.2 (Pul, Ohm, Sur) in about 12/13 hours. I'll try be more focused on runes, but i got nice drops during training, i guess it'll be hard the first couple of hours !

Tried some P3 cows yesterday with full Trang's novamancer. Oh god, it _is_ slooooow with my equipment. Might switch to Blizzard sorc later, but right now I'm going to have fun with this necro, even if it hurts

(Why can't I find that DW + Jah already??)

45 minutes and 2 deaths into round one...

I will NOT teleport into the cows. I will NOT teleport into the cows. I will NOT teleport into the cows.

Low FCR is definitely causing me to attempt to weapon swap before the teleport casting animation finishes. I think I'm casting LFury, instead I do what must not be done.

It's still early days. I'll get used to it. I hope.

@Vildecor so true ! Running only on my side, teleport used only to get leg !

My Grief golem died. Now I made new out of Arioc's Needle. It's actually solid weapon for golem making. Now I understand why they made all those useless weapons - they want us to make Iron Golems out of them!

Low FCR is definitely causing me to attempt to weapon swap before the teleport casting animation finishes. I think I'm casting LFury, instead I do what must not be done.

Thanks, cows! Next, please give me a Lo rune so I can give my poor merc Fortitude and stop losing all my gold on resurrecting him.

Got 2.5 hours in last night. So far my sole qualifier has come from a chest, and it's a far from spectacular one at that... Hopefully things will pick up tonight!

I dropped from /p5 to /p3, as it allows me to finish a run without having to repair my javelins and just "feels" more fluid overall.

When I tried to come the other night I had absolutely no desire, I think because I played so much recently. Now, I feel like it might be creeping back I think it’s the hype!

@Kitteh Oh yes... i guess i had this feeling when...

Spoiler: My life of no interest on that thread

playing my Sins, then upped sorc, now this freaking zon - it's my first ever, but she's so strong ! Hopefully i'm still playing games to discover that ! On next step i may be discovering barbs, i never really played one - had been power-rushed at the end of a ladder only to wear IK set.

Good Luck to you !

GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO EVERYONE!!!

Best of luck to all, may all your drops be orange!

Got 1 hour in last night, already 4 Zod drops in 1.07! Crazy! You all might as well quit for this round already. Yes... *jedi hand move* you all should quit, there is no point.

My money is on @Pb_pal to not only win this round but the whole RFL. He is pissed about losing his crown last year, and he won’t be messing around this time.

GL HF all!

 

[Vildecor]

Big shout out to my boy, Naj, for lending me his magical teleportation stick.

45 minutes and 2 deaths into round one...

I will NOT teleport into the cows. I will NOT teleport into the cows. I will NOT teleport into the cows.

Low FCR is definitely causing me to attempt to weapon swap before the teleport casting animation finishes. I think I'm casting LFury, instead I do what must not be done.

It's still early days. I'll get used to it. I hope.

I found the teleporting with a Zon very hard at first as well. With other characters, you can really hold down that Teleport until you are where you want to be. With Zons, you have to carefully scan where you want to go and do just that.

Still at work . Counting down until I can start playing as well, this evening. On the positive side: the few hours of test runs I did over the last few days netted me exactly ... zero qualifiers. Just perfect, I saved up all my luck until the RLF !!

See you this evening @T72on1 !

See you this evening @T72on1 !

Of course not. You are from France, I still hate you for kicking us out of the world cup soccer. I'll play alone.

Spoiler

Just kidding of course . Good luck! May a Zod rune drop simultaniously for the both of us .

Can I combine some 1.07 with 1.14 within the same batch? Of course not going over 20 hours combined.

I have been thinking about this. I'd prefer everyone stays in the patch they started the 20 hours in. You can switch after you start the second batch.

Why? Not because it makes things too complicated but one lucky drop early in 1.07 and switching to +1.13 to squeeze almost certainly some more qualifiers could lead to a rather easy victory.

Well of course landing a Ber+ in 1.07 is almost guaranteed win, but I'm thinking about Vex-Lo here.

Data is here for necro p5.
Runs done: 100
Runes farmed: 198
Jewels: 82
Small charms: 66

Drop odds for rune: 1/244.5
Jewels and small charms: 1/571

Cows killed per run from these figures: 484.11, 468.22, 376.86
Average: 443

It's interesting there is so big difference between charms and other stuff. The fact is I didn't pick up all jewels and charms due to cluttering and is rather demanding to dig them out all the time. Runes on the other hand are easy to spot and hard to miss. I can continue doing data by counting runes. I do wonder are drop odds really as they are stated on calculator.

Data is here for necro p5.
Runs done: 100
Runes farmed: 198
Jewels: 82
Small charms: 66

Drop odds for rune: 1/244.5
Jewels and small charms: 1/571

Cows killed per run from these figures: 484.11, 468.22, 376.86
Average: 443

It's interesting there is so big difference between charms and other stuff. The fact is I didn't pick up all jewels and charms due to cluttering and is rather demanding to dig them out all the time. Runes on the other hand are easy to spot and hard to miss. I can continue doing data by counting runes. I do wonder are drop odds really as they are stated on calculator.

Where did you get the 244.5 number? I get 216.7 from a quick calc.

Ah sorry I see thats for p5, my number was p7. I also get 244.5 from a manual calc using the TC txt file for what that's worth.

P1: 1 in 495.2
P3: 1 in 303.3
P5: 1 in 244.5
P7: 1 in 216.7

Of course not. You are from France, I still hate you for kicking us out of the world cup soccer. I'll play alone.

Spoiler

Just kidding of course . Good luck! May a Zod rune drop simultaniously for the both of us .

Sorry for that, not involved

In the end B. team matches are still more interesting to watch !

May Jah Zod Ber with Um !

I think I have to include the fact that each bossmonster counts as 1.7 cows on p5 and assuming I kill 5-6 of those per run, I should remove total of 4 cows from numbers calculated based on runes.

I got an hour in w/ Necro so far but had to stop early.. wrist was giving me some pains. Only found a Ko and Lum so far.. but did manage to snag a barb skiller, 32% Wizendraw for Fishyzon, and a 7 mf sc, so a decent start

I did drop down to P3, as i felt like the cluttering was making me miss stuff on P5. It was actually a miracle i noticed the Lum, and it took quite a bit of back and forth walking before i could even pick it up. After that i was paranoid of missing runes or wasting tons of time trying to find them so i just went down to P3 where i can melt the packs a lot faster and not have the mental anxiety of missing runes from clutter.

Not participating in this round of RFL (still haven't killed Baal on my sorc) but may join in another round. Will be keeping up with the thread none the less. Best of luck to everyone!

I've spent a couple of hours running andy and meph in hopes of a SoJ for my assa, no luck. Oh well, time to find a cow map.

@Grape - are we supposed to keep track of total run time for 1.07? ..

1 qualifier = 1 set

We can post # of qualifiers, right?

Quick question: It says we can pause the timer to mule to stash. Does this mean I can stop the timer when I leave the cow level to ID stuff and repair after I finish the "run"?

Drops have been moved on the dedicated topic ! There's another Eth Sup Tresher there... no sox yet !

We can post # of qualifiers, right?

I always prefer not to post anything related to qualifiers, not even number of qualifiers or hints as to if I had a good or bad run when it comes to qualifiers.

Finished my first batch of runs: 1 hour 51 minutes. Unfortunately they were a lot slower than my latest test runs, and I can't really figure out why that is. I did have some good drops already though (first one is from my test runs):

Cow King's Hooves
Heavy Boots
Defense: 38
Durability: 12 of 14
Required Level: 13
Required Strength: 18
Fingerprint: 0x522d9777
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
Adds 25 - 35 Fire Damage
+33 Defense
+20 to Dexterity
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

I really wanted to join but I don't think my schedule is going to allow. Good luck guys.

I had a really busy week, so I'm late to posting my goals for the round.

I'm running with my untwinked 99er javazon. So, really, in absence of XP gain for the round, I'm just hoping for Sur/Ber and Ist necessary for her to make CoH and Delirium. I'm not even setting a goal to finish the set, as I keep thinking of the 20 hours in terms of lost time for XP runs, basically enough to get her most of the way from 96 to 97 based on 3:30/per average for Baal. So if a Sur/Ber drops, I may focus on Baal. But I managed a full 20-hour set for this round last year, so we'll see . . .

She will be picking up only flawless amethysts, jewels, GCs and SCs, and qualifiers, plus checking grey Threshers (for possible 4os eth for potential Infinity upgrade down the road) and elite assassin claws (still looking for +3 BF claw with decent secondary staffmods for Fury base). So it will be pretty streamlined, especially running on p5 to reduce clutter.

Gear is as follows:

Griffon's (Shimmering jewel)
Enigma Mage Plate
Up'ed Titan's/Spirit
CtA/Spirit
2/20 rare gloves
Razortail
Silk Weave
ML ring with decent modifiers
Ravenfrost
2/9 caster ammy (allows 68 FCR)

Merc:
Andy's
Duriel's Shell
Eth Infinity CV

Backpack:
1 skiller
3 resist GCs w Balance/Sustenance
Resist/secondary SCs and Vita SCs
Cube
2x4 open

I rolled for map with portal by Stony Field WP and went with the first one. It has decent circular layout with King's pen immediately north of portal allowing counterclockwise runs. I managed only 5 practice runs on Wednesday, but the first one netted a Vex (non-qualifier obviously):

And, less than 30 minutes into my set, she picked up her second skiller a little while ago:

Good luck to everyone! Let's see many Zods

Oof...run timer says I've logged 6 hours at cows already. Think I'll take a break.

 

[Vildecor]

@T72on1 what voodoo magic did you make ? My kid haven't slept tonight, couldn't run cows - did some Pindle runs so that i can quickly stop/can't forget the path i went through, still at only half an hour. Guess i won't make two batches as i hoped, but hit lvl 90 !

Gratz for the cow king set anyway ! I never dropped any part of it, it would be nice if i get some too

@Grape - are we supposed to keep track of total run time for 1.07? ..

1 qualifier = 1 set

Lol, that's some high hopes... catching a qualifier within 20 hours... make it two sets, then we are talking.

It takes me about 10 minutes to setup a game for my Javazon and Barb, get leg, kill cows, stash gems, repair javelins etc. Not only do we have weak chance to find runes but this is considerably slower as well.

I've done 8 runs now. One jewel and two Tir runes to craft lesser blood gloves so far. Bunch of gems to burn later, so there's that. Barbarian has hit level 70 so he'll definitely be ready in time for the Travi round, which I have higher hopes for. Not a fan of cows in general, and less so in 1.07. Still planning to take more mules to the game at later point, but for now it's going to be a Barb Javazon duo for the sake of simplicity.

Goals: craft craft craft, hope the lightning strikes and I get something nice. I think I miss Um or Mal rune so that I could make Beta CtA without any Hellforge runes (something I'd like to achieve before rushing more HFs for the possible 2nd one). That'd be cool. Collect many gems and hopefully decent amount of jewels as well.

My second half an hour session gave me a qualifier, i'm ranked - and that's all i will say about that until results !

Alongside, a superior mage plate 3os 298def - sic - a 7mf sc and a fhr martial art skiller - one less to be traded !

I'm between 7 and 8 minutes all counted on my side, not bad at p5 !

I just need to finish my current guardian, and then I will have another swing at getting into the steak making groove

Runs done: 200
Runes counted: 375

Assuming I kill 6 bosses per run, I need to deduct 4.2 cows from total calculated from these numbers. I'll deduct 5.
Cows killed per run average: ~453

This is much more realistic than after 100 runs. I'll continue doing data for more precise numbers, I feel like this is still a bit too high number.

About 4 hours and 40 minutes in and I'm already looking forward to when this is over .

3 deaths so far. One aborted run when the very first cow group spawned with Might and Fanaticism and quickly killed my merc. Respec'ed before the beginning of the round to max Amplify Damage. Put a point into Golem Mastery and left 10 skill points unspent to see how he would fare. First IK golem died in the very first test run to the 3rd or 4th herd of cows. Figured that putting more points into Golem Mastery wouldn't be worth it, so I put them into Poison Dagger instead to boost my Nova damage and didn't bother to recast the Golem. Gave him another shot when another IK Maul dropped in the cow level. Survived a few runs this time, but then my necro got killed. Ah well, I don't think he made a significant difference, anyway.

At first the Golem sounds like a good idea to get that first corpse quicker. But that's only the case if he happens to attack the same cow as the merc, which is very rarely the case, since there are so many of them. And after the first herd is down, there are 10 revived cows to help out, so the Golem becomes even more irrelevant.

Qualifiers all dropped within the first hour so far, which made the last couple of hours a bit frustrating. Got these two skillers, though:

Burning Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xbb9536da
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to Fire Skills (Sorceress Only)
+15 to Life


Chilling Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x3fd2fd76
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to Cold Skills (Sorceress Only)
+39 to Life

@LongingForDeath That cold skiller

I’m only about an hour and a half in, and I’m also a bit ready for it to be over, haha. I feel slow (5min on p3) so I may switch to p5. As a trapper, with corpse explosion, the time to kill the pack is the same, it’s just the time to kill the first few monsters of each pack that changes. Without infinity, it takes some time (5-10 seconds) regardless of p1, 3, or 5 and merc can survive on all three pretty well as long as I teleport him out when he’s getting overwhelmed.

@Gripphon Omg already 200 runs ? Oo at say 3mn/run you already did half a batch, you're a dedicated monster !!!

I’m only about an hour and a half in, and I’m also a bit ready for it to be over, haha. I feel slow (5min on p3) so I may switch to p5. As a trapper, with corpse explosion, the time to kill the pack is the same, it’s just the time to kill the first few monsters of each pack that changes. Without infinity, it takes some time (5-10 seconds) regardless of p1, 3, or 5 and merc can survive on all three pretty well as long as I teleport him out when he’s getting overwhelmed.

You feel slow at 5mn ?! You count stashing and leg hunt in ? Omg i was happy with less than 8min total, i guess i have huge progresses to make !

I'd be interested by a "top run" video by any of you guys - after the round probably, you may have found a better map or what, i need to be quite focused already on my runs, but there are things i shall improve i guess !

That's a nice cold skiller there!

@Gripphon Omg already 200 runs ? Oo at say 3mn/run you already did half a batch, you're a dedicated monster !!!

8 hours 11 minutes in, so not at half point yet. The plan is to cross half point by the end of the weekend though. Probably will do 12 hours or close and then do whatever during the week. I usually collect some data during running and it keeps me going much more than running without it. Research ftw haha.

200 runs in 8 hours 11 minutes? That's 2:27 minutes per run on average. OK, I gotta ask: What's your nova damage and CE level? Granted, I surely have room for improvement, but in no way could I improve my run times by 40% to match your average time. Maybe if I skip a whole bunch of cows, but otherwise I just don't see how it would be possible.

Nova damage is around 8.2k and CE level is 40. However, with necro it's all about mercenary damage output and herding technique. Perhaps it would be best to make a video to show although it would be very similar to the video already done.

Grip running compared to the rest of us:

3 hours done, cow herding is so fun! I won't win with 5 mins/run, but whatever!

3 hours done, cow herding is so fun! I won't win with 5 mins/run, but whatever!

May the RNG be with us ! (7+mins/run here for now, grabbing charms and some bases)

10 minutes per P3 run with necro. It just became painful, and I switched to blizzard. Now it's in the 6-7 minutes range. About two hours in.

May the RNG be with us ! (7+mins/run here for now, grabbing charms and some bases)

Same for me, I'm picking up light elite armor in search of answers... I mean rw bases.

One of my wrists has been hurting for over a week lately (barely any gaming, either) and I have a lot of homework for the next few days so I might not end up actually participating.

plus if I run cows during the second round I'll get a zod when it doesn't count for anything

Video demonstration for necro running cows on p5. Some things I overfocused a little bit, but here are points I wanted to make clear on the video:

1. necro can herd aggressively, get in between packs and aggro with curse
2. once corpse is down, teleport in place to force cows to converge into CE
3. positioning > getting corpse in some cases
4. ideally kill big packs from the bottom right side to check all drops immediately
5. perform walking technique to the bottom right of the drops if needed

Learn the map well. Decide how much time do you want to use to kill lonely packs or would you like to skip them like I do in some parts of the video.

Currently ~6 hours in... and still on one qualifier.

Could really use a dopamine hit soon, this is getting a bit tiresome!

 

[Vildecor]

Cheers to all the runners!! Hope you all place well and get many qualifiers.

I'm particularly eager to see some 1.07 high runes, dreaming of zod. Keep it up!

One of my wrists has been hurting for over a week lately

Have you been able to identify the source of the pain? If it shows up after or during gaming, I found that chair height and therefore wrist angle with respect to arm (should be as straight as possible imo) can be pretty harmful.

Something that also helps is doing pre and post activity warm up and stretches. I play classical guitar and this makes a world of difference to me.

Hope you get that solved!

My wrists were somewhat ruined from a part-time cashier job a few years ago, so I game way less now in general. It's not actively hurting atm but I know it will quite quickly. I probably don't have a good chair arrangement, either

For all those newcomers, basic facts about @Gripphon:

1. Can’t spell his own name.
2. Has the worst taste in music. (Seriously man.)
3. Pretty good at D2.

My moaning has been at least somewhat rewarded, not with runes but with a pretty massive upgrade... /p5 feels comfortable now!

I'm starting to think that I must be doing something wrong. I just did 5 full cow runs on P3 with decent density and didn't see a single rune. I feel like this is going to be a very long 20 hours, if I make it that far.

I'm about 4 hours in now in 1.07. Got some crafts done (nothing interesting really). And my sorc has gone from lvl 68 to 77 so far, definitely a plus. Definitely much slower runs than 1.14.

For all those newcomers, basic facts about @Gripphon:
2. Has the worst taste in music. (Seriously man.)

It is all a part of the strategy. I tried the good music, but then cows were either dancing all over the place making herding exceptionally hard, or they went to the Cow King for the party making killing impossible.

Bad music, however, enrages them, they are trying hard to kill you and herding is so much easier!

@pharphis Have you tried a vertical mouse?

Dopamine levels restored. I'm sorry for doubting you, cows.

I'm starting to think that I must be doing something wrong. I just did 5 full cow runs on P3 with decent density and didn't see a single rune. I feel like this is going to be a very long 20 hours, if I make it that far.

Well, 5 runs is nothing, really . But for what it's worth, I generally experience phases like that, too, which makes me wonder which factors all go into the RNG. There are definitely phases after I start up the game where runes drop rather frequently. But there are also times after starting the game where barely any runes drop. And I'm not talking about just a few runs, but entire sessions. This applies to the game in general, not just cows.

Most important factor for RNG is knowledge of what player wants to find. Game has sixth sense and knows exactly what are you looking for and will make sure you never get it. Experienced diablo players trained their minds for years to trick the game into thinking they want to find something they actually don't want to find, and then game drops item which they really want.

@Gripphon seen your vid. Man i dropped a p&b 40 life skiller last night, i was on trading it for my other chars, thanks to you i know what my next char is ! Do you have a guide on yours somewhere, or is it a classical but optimized cow run p&b ? Would be another char i never really played, i did a summoner but only did normal with.

I have to make his Enigma - low strenght probably this time

Inspiring !

Thank you, @Babyhell

There are few things written about it in LK vs Travincal vs Cows Rune Finding Guide
Plus things I wrote in post up which aren't in the guide. I'll update the guide with new stuff.

I think he is optimized enough, anyone with Web and 1.07 mpk ring can make him this way. Most important gear is from mercenary, to have high damage ethereal Infinity/Insight and Fortitude to kill really fast. The rest is in technique. I don't use anything special for Iron Golem anymore since he dies from time to time, I made him from random item from the ground so technically Clay Golem is solid alternative as well.

Another info I didn't present yet in the guide is what kind of a map to look for. I've been wondering why I never have any cows spawn in Cow King's castle except him and his minions (mind you, that is the most ideal scenario imaginable). I overlooked the fact my red portal spawns in his castle as well, and there are never any cows around it on any map, it's the constant. In ideal case you could look for a map which spawns red portal inside or right next to Cow King's place because it will block cows from spawning inside and allow necro to kill every single cow on the level if he wants to. Downside is I've seen only one such map in my playing career. I wonder what are the odds of finding such map.

However, in case you do find, remember it is ideal setup for any non-lightning character. Otherwise necro players will inevitably miss on some cow kills to not kill the king. Player can teleport inside house on purpose to drag the king to the one side of the house and then finish the level by killing from the other side.

@pharphis Have you tried a vertical mouse?

Never heard of it until now. The problem is mostly my other hand, though I might consider this anyway

Most important factor for RNG is knowledge of what player wants to find. Game has sixth sense and knows exactly what are you looking for and will make sure you never get it. Experienced diablo players trained their minds for years to trick the game into thinking they want to find something they actually don't want to find, and then game drops item which they really want.

This is the best thing I’ve read in awhile. Gripp for president.

I wouldn’t say 1.07 MPK rings are necessary for any build really. They make things easier and allow for more gearing options (in particular boot choice) for chars struggling with mana upkeep, but there are current solutions that work just fine.

Java is probably toughest to get smooth upkeep with, at least without losing out on damage/speed in comparison to 1.07 ring setups. Especially with 99 FCR BP, took me a long time to get the right ingredients in 1.14. Necro is easier, though indeed the MPK from DWeb is a big help here, so is running with Insight IG (though it requires pushing Golem Mastery). Insight Merc is another option, loss of Infinity is not all that bad for him, and then you can care less about IG and push Amp more.

What I tried is total of 16 mpk on gear and 900 mana. Running was done with no problem. Additionally player can socket 3 mpk jewels in Web and helm if it's really needed.

Just passed the half way mark, and so far so good. Happy with my finds already, though they're unlikely to be competitive currently!

Running at ~6:30 on p5, which is pretty reasonable without Enigma or Infinity imo.

My map is pretty interesting. Very small and narrow, which is great for a Javazon.

Had a pretty insane pull earlier where I aggro'd basically the entire top third of my map into one gigantic herd due to the weird way Confuse procs pull in extra cows. It was pretty satisfying nuking 100+ mobs down at once! Sadly I didn't get a screenshot as I was amped and play hardcore so I was too busy stutter-stepping...

5 hours mark checked here (5h13mins). Now at 7mins solid after having seen Gripphon vid, i'm using enigma and merc to pack cows instead of soloing. Sharing the time with Pindle run not to get cow-razy, he rewarded me with a crown of thieves today - does the job to keep the hype on this guys, even if i would have awaited more S/U with 350+ mf. Getting close to lvl 91 !

Also, i identified/checked the sc and gc dropped in either cows or Pindle since last week. Got pretty nice things - more noticeable are a big p&b lifer, two 4@+6/7mf and a 4@ 19life. Will have to pack an update on item find list somehow !

Damn, dunno what it about playing my necro, but my wrist just kills me after about an hour of playing him. Only have 6h41m clocked so far. I might have to go to my Javazon despite her not being able to do nearly as well (no infinity or skillers yet). Necro is kicking butt tho! I'm no Gripp, but my times are in the respectable 5:25-6:15 range depending how many things i pick up to ID (i can't stand not picking up S/G charms and checking for Eth elite polearms). I'd like to hit that 5m benchmark, but i'd probably need to roll a new map or clear some inventory space for quicker drop checking. My map isn't shabby.. good density and feels like i have 5 boss packs per run...trist is about 6 teleports away and my cow map is like a big square-shaped race track so i just go around the thing and S/E. I think it's the inventory and checking too many drops that's slowing me down.

 

[Vildecor]

Four hours in. Moooooooo!

STATUS: 12 hours in! Doing all the running on p3 with my blizz sorc so far. I'm leaving for a portugal vacation this weekend, so wanted to really get a good start to make sure I'll finish the set, so I played a ton this weekend. Runtimes went down from 8min avg to just over 6avg, and I'm still getting better, but something like 4min (which I was hoping for), definitely seems out of my reach. I'll post a video of a couple of runs if someone wants to give me some tips. I'm working on pressing alt more, not fighting small packs, and aggroing more cows while fighting the current pack. Cold immune and cursed bosses cause me fairly annoying issues sometimes.

VIDEO (timestamps in descr) help me get better!

BASES: Only 1 eth elite polearm has dropped (a cv which i promptly took to larzuk for my first eth elite insight). Both a small crescent and ettin axe oath base have dropped. But I want sword oath bases for round 2 ww'er, and only 1 potential one of those has dropped, an eth highland blade. I'll just hold onto that in hopes a few more drop, but if I don't have other options by end of round 1, I'll bring it to larzuk as well. Found several plain white monarchs, and cubed 2 into spirit bases. This will be a huge upgrade, but I'm unwilling to use spirit for round 1 while not having cta. I'm max block with whistan's right now, and I think I would die every single run if I switched to spirit with the same health pool. A ~950 def 4os dusk shroud was cubed and I made a 3.4k def stone armor for the merc (decent upgrade from duriels I think), and 1k+ def 3os balrog skin was cubed, only for me to find I have ZERO lems haha. Hoping for more oath swords and eth elite polearms. Tons of phase blades. I think I have 6 now from cows: 3os, 5os, 6os, and 3 plain. Also cubed 2 eth silver edged axes and 1 eth decapitator for potential death bases, but they all came out 1 or 2 os

SETS/UNIQUES: STEEL PILLAR! Yes tc87s can drop in cow level, but not super high qlvl items. This was super nice and a big morale booster. I also have found cow king helm and boots, and a 2/2/2 tals orb. A fair few set/unique amulets and unique rings, but zero were good. That's all for now!

@Luhkoh Maybe i should switch boots to get some more MF, all your drops - especially cow king's - make me want to go the mf way also !

@Luhkoh Maybe i should switch boots to get some more MF, all your drops - especially cow king's - make me want to go the mf way also !

I only have about 100mf, which is what I would think most people would want in cows. Lets see ~35 tarnhelm, ~25 nagel, 50 occy, and I think thats it, so ~110.

Whaaaaaat just seen your vid, man your map ! So jealous ! How many times did you refresh to get that one ?! I'll be fishing tonight for sure !

@Luhkoh A few observations regarding your runs:

1. I find your herding a bit excessive at times. Blizzard doesn't have a huge area of effect, so it's not necessary to get a huge groups of cows together before you start to Blizzard them.

2. You spend too much time on single cows. A few leftovers are OK. Focus on larger groups.

3. You're too stationary and too close to the action. Teleport, then take a step back. It will make the cows focus more on your merc and your casting won't get interrupted because cows are hitting you. The way you do it now is you teleport a little bit back, taking your merc with you, making all the cows following you and you find yourself in the same situation just 1-2 seconds later.

4. What I found helps quite a bit when running cows with a Blizzard sorc is to throw in some Glacial Spikes in between Blizzards. It will keep your merc safe, since the front row of cows is frozen, and the cows behind them will try to walk around them, causing them to get hit by your Blizzard more easily.

@LongingForDeath Gotcha on the herding. I went from not herding hardly at all and hitting too many small packs earlier in the set to this, which I definitely see what you mean as being excessive. I'll try and find a happy medium. Great tips on the step back and glacial spike. I hadn't really thought to use it but that should greatly improve my mercs safety and he needs it! Thanks so much for checking it out and for the tips! I'll work on them for sure.

@Babyhell That was just the first one I had I dont really feel like I have a good grasp on evaluating whether a map is good or bad besides cow king fort location (which mine isn't very good) and tristram portal location, which mine is medium. It does feel like my density is good, but I don't even know enough to say for sure. What do you think is really good about it?

Point number 2 is the most time consuming. Any number of cows below 10 is irrelevant for killing. Leftovers are normal for sorceress, in fact only character in whole diablo who might not have leftovers is necro, no one else. Leaving those last few cows standing and moving to bigger pack is important time saving method of running. From what I can see, you can improve running by 2 minutes by simply ignoring leftover cows.

Except when the stragglers drop a Zod, like they did for me last year. You always want to kill them when they are going to drop a Zod.

@Luhkoh you don't have any huge area to run through to find the cows, it's pretty straight forward with at most one tp left/right to check cow presence...on mine i have a huge area in the top of it, where i have to go up then down multiple times to cover it.

Not that i am an expert in cow maps, but i can compare mine and yours at least !

Except when the stragglers drop a Zod, like they did for me last year. You always want to kill them when they are going to drop a Zod.

Best advice right there! I would take it even one step further: Just skip everything that won't drop a qualifying rune. That will save you probably 80-90% time.

Best advice right there! I would take it even one step further: Just skip everything that won't drop a qualifying rune. That will save you probably 80-90% time.

Why bother ?

@Gripphon 2 minutes?! I will buckle down hard on that point then. Thanks so much.

@Babyhell Makes sense, so narrowness or pathing clarity is whats good about it. Thanks for the feedback.

Loving the other posts as well

Necro p5
Runs: 300
Runes found: 579
Estimated cows killed per run: 467

I thought numbers will start to drop while instead they increased... These numbers are much higher than anticipated. It's already going into reliable numbers region.

EDIT:
Going by this numbers this makes cow necro to be as efficient as ~20.3 seconds p3 Travincal sorceress. That's just crazy.

Ok, so despite the hype of following the thread... I had another blast with cows and I was still bored as hell. I literally don't understand, I used to love cow running See you in round 2, good luck all

@Kitteh see you then discovering on my side, just fished a map on which i went around 5 minutes 45secs (cows only). I now have also change a ring to hit anither fcr breakpoint, to be tested if i shall use it alongside manald or SoJ.

Answers later tonight !

Close to 14 hours in now. Decided to finally put my only poison facet into the Death's Web for some added damage. Feels slightly faster now for the cows to go down, but what I would need most are skillers. Only have 2 of them and the cows haven't been generous in regard to P&B skillers, unfortunately. The most frustrating thing about it is that I have at least 5 of them on my 1.13c Poison Necro.

Also decided to add a Gheed's GC for some added MF, which gets me to 130% now. That's a noticeable difference. Maybe it's coincidence, but I've had a lot more sets and uniques drop since then. Among them these two:

Vampire Gaze
Grim Helm
Defense: 252
Durability: 26 of 40
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x1596b440
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
Adds 6 - 22 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
8% Life stolen per hit
+100% Enhanced Defense
15% Slower Stamina Drain
Damage Reduced by 20%
Magic Damage Reduced by 10

Veil of Steel
Spired Helm
Defense: 396
Durability: 38 of 60
Required Level: 73
Required Strength: 192
Fingerprint: 0xb14b7f20
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+60% Enhanced Defense
+140 Defense
+15 to Strength
+15 to Vitality
All Resistances +50
-4 to Light Radius
+20 Maximum Durability

I was hoping for a Nightwing's instead, but the Veil of Steel is an all-time grailer for me, so I'm not complaining.

About 3.5 hours in so far with my Javazon, P7. I am running with an up'd titans, I think I'm going to switch to Thunderstroke for a bit just to mix it up. Clearing goes a little faster because of the -15% to enemy lightning resist (ELR), but the trade off is repairs.

@Gripphon Your numbers are interesting, in particular because they are extremely close to what I concluded based on XP gain method with Javazon when I last tested her in-depth after 2017 RFL.

FWIW: Here is the relevant post with a vid and calculation method in spoiler. In that demo run she killed 468 cows in 2m50s on P7 based on the method described – that’s just one off your 467. (When doing more full-ish (and longer) clears, numbers suggested at times over 540 cows on the map. Which made sense in comparison to the above given small groups and stragglers are skipped.) I never checked how eg 468 kills per 2m50s on P7 compared to P3 Trav running – can’t calc right now but would be very interested in that as well.

I remember our PM conversation when you gave me some input with the XP gain method when I was doing those tests back then. Intriguing that your method gives almost exactly the same result, after a reasonable amount of runs. Also could say something about expected clearing behaviour of the two different classes. Necro blows up the whole screen when he engages, while Java has leftover stragglers at times. On the other hand Java can sometimes one-shot some 10-15 cow groups in between herding big groups if they are lined up nicely, while those tend to not be worth it for Necro to engage. Based on these sets of numbers it seems to even up pretty much.

...

EDIT:
Going by this numbers this makes cow necro to be as efficient as ~20.3 seconds p3 Travincal sorceress. That's just crazy.

We already knew that from last year's results . That will teach you to skip a RFL .

@LongingForDeath I have plenty of P&B skillers, you want to use some for the remaining time of the RFL? I had two I wasn't using anyway, and that number just increased:



Other interesting drop:



Btw, I'm finding lots and lots of unique jewelry. 4x Dwarf Star for example. Not a single useful unique though.

 

[Vildecor]

@T72on1 Thanks for the offer, but won't make a big difference anymore now, anyway. I only have about 5 hours left for this batch. If you happen to have one of those super secret giant charms that increase rune drop odds, then I'll gladly take that, though .

Moo. Mooooooooo! Mooo. Moo?

Spoiler: *Rough* Translation

My javazon is a little past 7 hr 30 minutes on p5, finally getting comfortable with the map and runs.

Not in high-efficiency range (~4 min/run, including IDing and repairing in game after each run). Finds have been solid nonetheless, including her first Mara's!


And the highlight so far, bringing my overall stash to quite a few +life ones:

Other nice drops were Snakes (8) SC of Vita (20), Tal's Armor, Nosferatu's Coil, and poison resist (11) SC of balance.

I've enjoyed the recent posts and discussion of running approaches. It's one of my favorite parts of these tournaments; even if I've heard them before, I appreciate the pointers and tips.

That said, I'm not sure I'll get the full set. I got an hour in with the untwinked necro, and the urge to focus on XP is growing. We'll see?

Keep it up, everyone! Looking forward to continued updates.

5.5 hours in. Will have to take a break for the rest of the week and probably for the weekend too. Keeping my fingers crossed to be able to squeeze in a complete 20 hour set before the end.

Two Spirit Keepers so far and one Ali Baba's, both ticked off of my grail list. Also one 784 def eth 0s hellforge plate and a gazillion gems but that's it for now. All the charms are still unid, and I've just muled them them quickly without looking the stats in GoMule. Maybe there's something spectacular waiting there

New map allows a 7minutes lazy run, under 6 when focused, on p5, much better !

Passed the third of total mark (410 minutes). Dropped an eth Skullder's ire with 190+ (192 or 193) ed, pretty nice !

Also found the cow's hat, pretty happy, a third of the set

Heading toward one full batch in the end, i'd be surprised to make a second one, as i go to Pindle also for mental health. Five qualifiers would be nice also, even if i'm already happy with the Ohm and Sur dropped when preparing this RFL round !

Oh, and lvl 91 btw

@LongingForDeath @Gripphon Welp thanks guys. I did 10 runs yesterday, trying to implement some of your tips, and averaged 4:15, down from just over 6min avg. So Gripp you were right on about losing 2 minutes immediately. I honestly couldn't believe it! I'm much more pumped about finishing the set now (should actually be able to get >200 runs in with the new runtimes) and the runs feel so much smoother and easier too. Fastest run was 3:13. I bet i accidentally skipped a couple of sizeable groups in that one but still, a crazy difference.

The game immediately rewarded my faster runtimes with an eth thresher that rolled 4os in the cube! I also keep dropping 5os phase blades. I always hope they're harbingers of a Lo...

Since everyone is posting updates, I’ll drop mine in here. I have done 5 total hours at this point. I was mostly doing p3 runs taking 5 min, but now I’m doing p3 runs at about 4 min. The two biggest drops have been bk ring and tals armor, but I’ve also found nice stuff like eth champ sword which rolled 4 os, 4 os monarch, and some mildly useful skillers.

Playing around with the player setting breakthroughs that @Fruit made as well. Getting p5 drops on p3 health cows or p7 drops on p4 health cows is quite nice.

Playing around with the player setting breakthroughs that @Fruit made as well. Getting p5 drops on p3 health cows or p7 drops on p4 health cows is quite nice.

Wait what? I must have missed this. I tried looking at Fruit's profile to find his posts but his profile is locked down.

Wait what? I must have missed this. I tried looking at Fruit's profile to find his posts but his profile is locked down.

If you spawn monsters on p3 (make a teleport lap in cows), then switch to p5 (or the same thing with p4->p7), you will get the drops from the higher p setting. You can’t, for example, spawn cows on p1 and switch to p7 though.

Here’s a link to his post

As stated in the rules, do not exploit bugs without prior approval from an SPF moderator.

I have not yet ruled on this, most likely will not happen until after this round.

As stated in the rules, do not exploit bugs without prior approval from an SPF moderator.

I have not yet ruled on this, most likely will not happen until after this round.

I was under the impression that player setting hopping was frowned upon but not disallowed.

I was under the impression that player setting hopping was frowned upon but not disallowed.

I think that is the case with chests, but can’t be 100% sure without going to check.

@maxicek I don't like this new discovery subjectively so it's no issue for me personally, but I don't see anything in the rules that would suggest it shouldn't be used. Rule 2.5 explicitly says /playersx is permitted (even encouraged) and the only thing I see about bugs is rule 2.8, which seems irrelevant to me as all the items would definitely be "naturally appearing" in game, ie no "bugged items". I see rule 3.7 as well, but it is in the "rules for time travelers" section. So I'm not advocating for use of this playersetting switching, but I'm wondering what would suggest it isn't immediately allowed.

I don't think using this would be beneficial, as you'll lose more time doing it than the added item drops would make up for it.

It's one of those things where, in my opinion, it's debatable whether it's an actual bug or a feature (intended or not). But I know mods don't like discussing rules publicly on the forum, so I won't say more about it here.

Anyway, I'm 17 hours in now. Unless I get some lucky drops in those last 3 hours, I might have to do a 2nd batch, which I'm absolutely not looking forward to.

If @maxicek wants to think on it maybe hold off on it, though to me it seems it only makes a significant difference for CS running anyway. For Cows, teleporting the circle twice costs a lot of time.

@ffs [@LongingForDeath fwiw, i think the increase in drops is significant enough for players who have run times over 3min to warrant the single lap. it only takes ~10-15 seconds to make a lap with 102 fcr on my assassin.

Clarification:
Spawning at lower player settings and then killing at higher to benefit for drops is not allowed until I have discussed it with @Thyiad , we will not make a ruling until after this round concludes. This will prevent any benefit in the tourney too.

Any comments by PM please, no further comments in this thread. I will lock it if I have to.

Clarification:
Spawning at lower player settings and then killing at higher to benefit for drops is not allowed until I have discussed it with @Thyiad , we will not make a ruling until after this round concludes. This will prevent any benefit in the tourney too.

Any comments by PM please, no further comments in this thread. I will lock it if I have to.

Thanks for replying maxi! Pmd

@LongingForDeath You don't need to do another batch if the first batch wasn't really succesful. Having fun is the most important factor of the game in my opinion, and there's still another 2 rounds. Which means: you have another shot at eternal glory in those two rounds, and it would be a shame if you'd burn out on the tourney by doing round 1 twice, while in fact I'm quite certain round 2 and 3 are more your cup of tea.

As for myself, I'm currently a bit less than 8 hours in. More than I thought I would have by this time, so finishing a batch shouldn't be a problem. I'm currently still enjoying it a lot, so if I have some more time after I finish the first batch, I might just do some Cow runs with my Javazon, but nothing serious.

Due to some better herding and focused running, I got my fasters run time as low as 2:50, but as it always goes with such runs, I'm too inconsistent, so my average run time still only is 3:46. I have plenty of runs around the 3:20 mark, but as is the case with such repeated runs, it's the slow runs that dictate the average run times, not the fastest ones.

Good luck everyone !!!

I remember our PM conversation when you gave me some input with the XP gain method when I was doing those tests back then. Intriguing that your method gives almost exactly the same result, after a reasonable amount of runs.

Quite a coincidence indeed. I believe I'd conclude now there are at average at least 500 cows on a cow level, or even slightly more. It might depend on a map, although that is way too long process to test.

Gripp you were right on about losing 2 minutes immediately. I honestly couldn't believe it! I'm much more pumped about finishing the set now

Cows are actually fun to kill. Every run is slightly different and at the same time blowing so many cows. Comparing to Travincal or LK this is like a vacation! Mooo Moooooo!

Not feeling it at the moment. Drops have been bad, need something to motivate me. No decent charms or jewels, no Cow set. I’m getting paranoid I am missing stuff in the item spam.

Moo.

 

[Vildecor]

@maxicek Keep trucking. You'll get that dopamine reward soon and all will be well!

I was getting the same paranoia as you, to the point where I was theorising that maybe the Confuse proc from Delirium lowered the level of cows and was messing with the drops because I only saw Tal and Ort runes for several hours...

Shockingly, the above is definitely not a thing.

I got few useful things

Spoiler

Superior Diamond Bow
Two Hand Damage: 37 - 45
Durability: 34 of 40
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 89
Required Dexterity: 132
Fingerprint: 0xbe3c91fc
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
13% Enhanced Damage
+1 to Attack Rating
4 Sockets (0 used)

Diamond Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x739962a
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+40% Damage to Demons
+38 to Attack Rating against Demons

Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0xbbcf91cd
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+15% Increased Attack Speed
Fire Resist +29%

Jade Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x8077a1a3
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
Poison Resist +8%
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Coral Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x2ac63c18
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+20 to Life
Lightning Resist +8%

Griswold's Honor
Vortex Shield
Defense: 319
Chance to Block: 39
Durability: 86 of 90
Required Level: 68
Required Strength: 148
Fingerprint: 0x6388741a
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+65% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
+108 Defense
All Resistances +45
3 Sockets (0 used)

On a negative side I didn't get qualifier for the past 20 minutes. So terrible luck!

Great updates everyone

Maxicek, hang in there RNG

I am just 3.5 hours into the runs. Slow times including a couple of aborted runs because of nasty double boss packs near the red portal eg CI,PI, Fanat with Might , Cursed , Extra Fast ughh.. Just trying to battle out at p5 to reduce the nodrop rate

The blizz sorc got .5 a level from 88 in the cow level. I finished the level in the AT though for faster XP gain. She is still a bit young to seriously complete. After not finding what I needed for other characters, I spent most of the weekend to rush her top by somewhat ready for this

Her is gear, mostly borrowed from other characters
Shako Topaz
Maras
Fal'd Occy
Enlightenment BP (WT!)
Spirit
Magefists
Classic SoJ muled forward
Rare Ring 11 Res@/20 Poi Res/+1 MPK/+1 Dex/ +5 Light radius
Rare Belt +5 str, +39 life, 30 FR and LR and some ED
Nat's Boots

Wand of Life Tap and Moser w/2 PDiamonds on switch. This is not for running cows

Merc Obedience Thresher, Treachery Eth Non Bugged Wire, Gaze 15% PDR Gaze w/ 8 Res@ jewel
Charms life, mana and FR mostly

While I have a found a low to mid Gheeds and Messerschmidts just couple item worth reporting

Spoiler: Decent stuff

Sacred Rondache
Defense: 144
Chance to Block: 48%
Smite Damage: 35 to 58
Durability: 35 of 68
(Paladin Only)
Required Strength: 109
Required Level: 52
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 81
Fingerprint: 0x2f189dcb
All Resistances +45

Garnet Small Charm of Vita
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 39
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 81
Fingerprint: 0xde970d70
+19 to Life
Fire Resist +9%

Now back to herding!

So close...

Venomous Tiara of Haste
Tiara
Defense: 48
Durability: 20 of 25
Required Level: 52
Fingerprint: 0x3f27adfa
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
+20% Faster Run/Walk

One more hour to go.

Edit: And done! Complaining about drops helps, as usual. Might still do another batch, though. Not today, not tomorrow. Maybe with another character.

Ok, now I feel really slow... I'm less than an hour in so far

I knew I would get a late start, I wasn't free to start until Sunday, then my wife decided that Sunday would be a good day to work on the yard, so I did that instead... When I finally got started, I only got in about 10 runs before I had to stop...

I'm running in 1.07 with my javazon, and given the way LF works in 1.07 (all bolts carry physical damage as well), with 50%CB and Amp procing frequently, its very, very easy to accidentally kill Elvis...and I did

@Grape Can I do this multiplayer, hosting the game with a toon that hasn't killed Elvis? Maybe add a few other toons standing around to up the player count/improve drops a bit/leech some XP?

Also, are Pul runes not qualifiers in 1.07?

WoRG

On a negative side I didn't get qualifier for the past 20 minutes. So terrible luck!

What do you mean... wait, a qualifier each 20 minutes/8 runs is standard ?!

So far... but already qualified by some, so still worth it i guess !

#Joking

@Grape Can I do this multiplayer, hosting the game with a toon that hasn't killed Elvis? Maybe add a few other toons standing around to up the player count/improve drops a bit/leech some XP?

Also, are Pul runes not qualifiers in 1.07?

WoRG

You are allowed to self-mp, no problem. I've been having my Barb standing there along, to leech some exp and be ready in time for Travi round.

My version of ATMA doesn't have the drop calculator (I'm using version IV). If someone has it, let us know how many point is Pul worth of in 1.07. AND Zod! We should include Pul and it would be good to know the Zod score as well, just in case...

Fyi:
"Scoring is based on rarity of the rune, so don't be surprised if lower level rune brings more points than some higher level rune. To determine points for 1.07 Travincal I used data from ATMA and compared rarity of the runes there with rarity of the runes in 1.13. I took 1.13 Mal worth as 5 points, so scoring of all other runes is based on that."

scoring was done by @Gripphon for the first RFO round.

You are allowed to self-mp, no problem. I've been having my Barb standing there along, to leech some exp and be ready in time for Travi round.

My version of ATMA doesn't have the drop calculator (I'm using version IV). If someone has it, let us know how many point is Pul worth of in 1.07. AND Zod! We should include Pul and it would be good to know the Zod score as well, just in case...

Fyi:
"Scoring is based on rarity of the rune, so don't be surprised if lower level rune brings more points than some higher level rune. To determine points for 1.07 Travincal I used data from ATMA and compared rarity of the runes there with rarity of the runes in 1.13. I took 1.13 Mal worth as 5 points, so scoring of all other runes is based on that."

scoring was done by @Gripphon for the first RFO round.

If anyone will just provide a copy of the 1.07 treasureclassex.txt file it's easy to calc and ill be glad to do so.

THIS is the only place i see the values currently, and they would imply zod is less rare than cham in 1.07 so I wanted to confirm before I gave those numbers. Also the score that ouputs is very slightly different for the other runes than the values we currently have. Were those 1.07 rune score from griphhon done for rarity at trav? Because that's just slightly different enough that I think it would explain it. So yeah anyone providing the text file of just those runes17 prob values will allow easy calcing.

I did numbers for Travincal only, however for cows ratio is different, plus we should compare p5 cows with p1 1.07 cows in drops. Plus Zod is actually less rare than Cham in 1.07.

EDIT
I have some version of ATMA that has drop odds for 1.07. I'm not sure is it the same ATMA I used when calculating first values but seems it might be. I can provide drop odds from it for cows and compare with 1.14 variant of p5 cows.

@Grape From Gripp confirming zod is less rare than cham in 1.07 i have no reason to think the numbers in the post i linked are wrong. I can easily give the scores based on that. What about his point about comparing p5 cows 1.13 to p1 1.07? Won't the different hp values influence that?

@Gripphon Even if you compare same playersetting on both (ie cows have same chance to drop any rune), I'm getting that 1.07 runes are worth more points than the current score. Doing the psetting thing would make this even worse. For example the mal rune is worth 17.8/5 = 3.56x more from 1.07 vs 1.14 as the scoring is now. However, I'm calcing that its 4.76x rarer. Though I am assuming that cows did NOT drop more total runes back then which I can't confirm without the tc.txt file

We can both calculate numbers and then compare. Basic for calculation is Mal is worth 5 points in 1.14 version. I'd compare p3 Travincal and p5 cows with p1 counterparts of 1.07 for calculations.

@Gripphon The playersetting thing doesn't seem right to me as its not accounting for the fact that p5 cows have more hp than p1 cows, but sounds good otherwise. And so if anyone has access to the 1.07 tc.txt file, do you mind sending it my way? @pharphis @Fruit @DiabloTwoinDC

Comparing p5 1.14 cows with p1 1.07 cows, rune scores for 1.07 cows is this:

Pul 39.3
Um 57.8
Mal 78.3
Ist 117.4
Gul 156.3
Vex 234.4
Ohm 309.9
Lo 464.9
Sur 624.1
Ber 936.2
Jo 1247.2
Zod 1497.4
Cham 1870.7

Spoiler

If players feel we should compare p1 vs p1 then we can easily do it. For Travincal p1 vs p1 provides same scores as already stated.

@Luhkoh I guess @Gripphon has you covered, but since I have the file here anyway: 1.07 TreasureClassEx.txt.

Reporting the 700 minutes mark checked on batch 1. Targeting around 900 after tonight's session.

Regarding strategy, focusing on runes and cow set, big groups only, and a full run is around 5'30 now, using Wizardspike and tp on switch for 99fcr breakpoint.

Dropwise, no new cow set item dropped, still got only one hat. Qualifiers are still required to complete batch, also, hoping to complete a full hand at some point !

Reporting the 700 minutes mark checked on batch 1. Targeting around 900 after tonight's session.

Regarding strategy, focusing on runes and cow set, big groups only, and a full run is around 5'30 now, using Wizardspike and tp on switch for 99fcr breakpoint.

Dropwise, no new cow set item dropped, still got only one hat. Qualifiers are still required to complete batch, also, hoping to complete a full hand at some point !

You're using a newly rushed zon, right?

Should be p1 vs p1 IMO. Not everyone will run p5 in 1.14d.

@Fruit Thanks! I will calc it out just to have it and to have a check on ATMA. As I suppose I've already implied, I will calc p1 vs p1. If we decide it should be different we can multiply by that factor.

I got the same numbers as Grip if we did the p5 to p1 adjustment (confirming ATMA calculator for cow level runes). Below I'll paste my table of numbers doing just p1 to p1. I also confirmed the trav numbers as they are currently, and that they are compared p1 to p1. I almost thought they were wrong since it took me a minute to realize council members have 4 picks each in 1.07. Also cows have double the nodrop in 1.07 (thanks for the file @Fruit) so 1.07 cows runes are a LOT rarer than 1.07 trav runes. (and cows is just terrible for runes in 1.07. what are you all doing?!) But here are my results. I will add a calc for round 3 later as well which will also be different from cows since the nodrop for them is different in 1.07 as well.

Cows (P1 to P1)
Pul 19.4
Um 29.1
Mal 38.7
Ist 58.0
Gul 77.2
Vex 115.7
Ohm 153.0
Lo 229.6
Sur 308.2
Ber 462.3
Jah 615.8
Zod 739.3
Cham 923.7

LINK to sheet

Edit: Just a sidenote, because of the way the nodrop adjusting via playersetting works, the fact that we have different nodrop values for cows and pits in 1.07 vs 1.14 means we will get slightly different (but probably not meaningfully so) scores if we compare p1 to p1 vs p5 to p5 for example. So if we can get a definitive choice on comparing p1 vs p1 or whatever (I assume from @Grape) that would be good for confirming the numbers.

 

[Vildecor]

Hi Guys. Im joinining in with the light trapper

Last thing for a bit, this is going to make scoring round 3 a bit tough:

1.14
Act 5 (H) H2H C Nodrop = 100
Act 5 (H) Wraith C Nodrop = 75

1.07
Act 5 (H) H2H C Nodrop = 180
Act 5 (H) Wraith C Nodrop = 100

So wraiths are worth more than regular monsters by a wider margin in 1.07. Any suggestions?

Edit: My thinking is we should probably use the wraith drop ratio since it's been decently well established that CS wraith runs and AS wraith runs are the best bet, but that would put any 1.07 pits/AT'ers at a slight disadvantage. Or we could have a separate table for pits/AT and arcane, and maybe some combo for CS, or just the wraith ratio for there, but either way 1.07'ers should have a MUCH better chance at rounds 1 and 3 than last year

Ok ok I wasn't done posting after all Another thing to consider (but it may be insignificant) is that scaling the 1.07 rune finds by rarity makes the scoring theoretically fair if there was no limit to the number of qualifiers. I think that the "only 5 qualifiers" method will favor 1.07 players quite a bit in theory. However so few runes seem to drop there that this may not be a practical issue.

Considering how rare real runes are in 1.07, someone finding one should deserve to win over anything found in 1.14. That didn't happen yet which shows just how rare these events really are. In the end top 5 brings much welcomed uncertainty into the tournament. I'd call it balance actually.

You're using a newly rushed zon, right?

Sir yes sir !

But heavily twinked, not your case

I'll have the resting week between rounds - maybe more if i'm satified with this batch or the possible second one to try to level up and stuff my Barb for Travincal/round 2 !

@Gripphon Well the 1.07'ers were only getting approx half points for runes in round 1 and 3 the last two years, but I see a 1.07'er hasn't come close to winning round 2 yet either, so what you say sounds great to me.

Here are my updated 1.07 tables (can be seen in my sheet I liked in post before) all are p1 to p1 comparison for now. And I'll wait to hear what Grape thinks, but it will be very easy to adjust this for p5/p1, p3/p1, and p7/p1 if that's what is thought should be done. Just let me know!

Spoiler

Cows
Pul 19.4
Um 29.1
Mal 38.7
Ist 58.0
Gul 77.2
Vex 115.7
Ohm 153.0
Lo 229.6
Sur 308.2
Ber 462.3
Jo 615.8
Zod 739.3
Cham 923.7

Trav (same as current)
Pul 9.0
Um 13.4
Mal 17.8
Ist 26.8
Gul 35.6
Vex 53.4
Ohm 70.6
Lo 106.0
Sur 142.3
Ber 213.4
Jo 284.3
Cham 426.4

Alvl 85 normal monsters
Pul 17.9
Um 26.9
Mal 35.7
Ist 53.5
Gul 71.2
Vex 106.8
Ohm 141.3
Lo 211.9
Sur 284.5
Ber 426.7
Jo 568.5
Zod 682.5
Cham 852.7

Alvl 85 wraiths
Pul 14.81
Um 22.21
Mal 29.50
Ist 44.26
Gul 58.89
Vex 88.34
Ohm 116.81
Lo 175.22
Sur 235.23
Ber 352.85
Jo 470.06
Zod 564.35
Cham 705.10

Hit the 9 hour mark. I'm getting showered in grailers but not so much in high runes. Getting my times down to the low 5 min and even hit a few 4:40's. Biggest key for me is skipping small groups and not spending too much time w/ inventory/checking drops.

Here's a few highlights from the unique drops:

Spoiler

Cow King's Horns
War Hat
Defense: 125
Durability: 7 of 12
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x446ffded
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+75 Defense
Half Freeze Duration
Attacker Takes Damage of 10
35% Damage Taken Goes To Mana

Flamebellow
Balrog Blade
One Hand Damage: 42 - 212
Two Hand Damage: 155 - 333
Durability: 43 of 50
Required Level: 71
Required Strength: 185
Required Dexterity: 87
Fingerprint: 0x59f97e12
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 16 Firestorm on striking
+3 to Fire Skills
183% Enhanced Damage
Adds 233 - 482 Fire Damage
+17 to Inferno
+18 to Strength
+9 to Vitality
Fire Absorb 26%


Guardian Angel
Templar Coat
Defense: 819
Durability: 37 of 60
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 118
Fingerprint: 0xe624b5e7
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Paladin Skill Levels
+30% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
+187 to Attack Rating against Demons (Based on Character Level)
+198% Enhanced Defense
+15% to Maximum Poison Resist
+15% to Maximum Cold Resist
+15% to Maximum Lightning Resist
+15% to Maximum Fire Resist
+4 to Light Radius


Hellslayer
Decapitator
Two Hand Damage: 146 - 871
Durability: 21 of 21
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 179
Required Dexterity: 23
Fingerprint: 0x9cda828b
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 18 Fire Ball on attack
100% Enhanced Damage
+225% Enhanced Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
Adds 150 - 250 Fire Damage
+37 to Strength (Based on Character Level)
+37 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
+25 to Life
Ethereal


Nightwing's Veil
Spired Helm
Defense: 304
Durability: 32 of 40
Required Level: 67
Required Strength: 96
Fingerprint: 0x3d19cf4e
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+14% to Cold Skill Damage
+90% Enhanced Defense
+16 to Dexterity
+7 Cold Absorb
Half Freeze Duration
Requirements -50%


Ondal's Wisdom
Elder Staff
Two Hand Damage: 80 - 93
Durability: 25 of 35
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 44
Required Dexterity: 37
Fingerprint: 0x508118f4
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to All Skills
+45% Faster Cast Rate
+495 Defense
+49 to Energy
Magic Damage Reduced by 5
+5% to Experience Gained


Steel Shade
Armet
Defense: 330
Durability: 21 of 24
Required Level: 62
Required Strength: 109
Fingerprint: 0xd83087f3
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Mana stolen per hit
+120% Enhanced Defense
Replenish Life +16
+11 Fire Absorb

Highlord's Wrath
Amulet
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0xa25d1093
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
Adds 1 - 30 Lightning Damage
3% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)
Lightning Resist +35%
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15

Quite a few cool finds. That Eth Hellslayer is pretty cool tho i'll never use it. Neat to see the high dmg number. The Steel Shade is an item i've wanted for a good while now for a Travincal merc. That's my first highlord's as well.

What do you mean... wait, a qualifier each 20 minutes/8 runs is standard ?!

So far... but already qualified by some, so still worth it i guess !

#Joking

He was just trolling of course .

@LongingForDeath That is fast!! Glad that drops picked up for you.

@T72on1 I had a bit of luck in the last 2-3 hours, but will most likely do another batch, anyway. Still have 2 weeks to finish that, after all. But will probably switch between a few characters and not put so much pressure on myself to run as fast as possible. The latter really is what drains me most.

Broke the halfway mark (10:32:32) with 3 more grailers down, and best of all, i found CK's Hide to complete the cow king's set!!

Spoiler

Cow King's Hide
Studded Leather
Defense: 57
Durability: 30 of 32
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 27
Fingerprint: 0x52c662e4
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
18% Chance to cast level 5 Chain Lightning when struck
+60% Enhanced Defense
+30 to Life
All Resistances +18


Mara's Kaleidoscope
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0xee7cf2a5
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +5
All Resistances +25


Aldur's Deception
Shadow Plate
Defense: 812
Durability: 54 of 70
Required Level: 76
Required Strength: 115
Fingerprint: 0x2e108884
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
+1 to Shape-Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
+300 Defense
+20 to Strength
+15 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +48%
Requirements -50%

@LongingForDeath Yeah, I know the feeling. For cows though, I can easily have slower run times and not care too much about it. Not sure why that is, maybe because every run is different (to some degree).

Overall, in a tournament, the general rule for me seems that the shorter the runs, the more I tend to get nervous when running times aren't as fast as those of others. Think Pindle / Travincal short. There every little misclick seems to count, and there isn't much space to make up for it. Which is silly, because in the end, when you factor in RNG, the difference between 20s and 22s average runs isn't that huge. So my plan is to not stress out about it too much.

After all I'm mainly after Sur and Jah runes for my runeword grail, because those are the ones I mostly still need. Doesn't mean I will be disappointed when a Ber or even Cham or Zod drops. But at the same time, I'd be at least as happy with a couple of Sur runes, even if they don't get you anywhere if aiming for a top 3 place.

@T72on1 good thoughts and encouragement!


I know there’s a lot of hype for more Zods, but I hope something both hilarious and unlikely happens such as someone finding 28 puls and nothing higher. Or someone finds 10 chams in a single round.

Yeah, we had the Zods last year. We definitely want something new and refreshing this year, Zods are so 2018. Problem is that the Zod God himself organizes the RFL. I don't think he can get the words 'let it rain Cham runes' out of his mouth .

i found CK's Hide to complete the cow king's set!!

Spoiler

Cow King's Hide
Studded Leather
Defense: 57
Durability: 30 of 32
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 27
Fingerprint: 0x52c662e4
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
18% Chance to cast level 5 Chain Lightning when struck
+60% Enhanced Defense
+30 to Life
All Resistances +18

Nice! I am hoping for some similar luck, I have the hat already (found before RFL), but am still missing the boots and the hide.

Nice! I am hoping for some similar luck, I have the hat already (found before RFL), but am still missing the boots and the hide.

It's the other way around for me. I found the boots and hide this round, but not the hat. Hopefully that will come during my second batch.

Still not sure what character to use for that, though. Javazon? Novasorc? Necro again?

I have yet to find any of the cow king set. And my drops have been disappointing right now. Not surprised though. I have slower run times.

It's the other way around for me. I found the boots and hide this round, but not the hat. Hopefully that will come during my second batch.

Still not sure what character to use for that, though. Javazon? Novasorc? Necro again?

Why not a mix to keep it interesting?

I rerolled my map on devi (my ut99er who's running for this round) bc I needed to use a normal socket quest. I got a great new map to continue the round with:

Spoiler

I'ts hard to tell, but the castle is right above the portal. So no cows spawn on this half of the castle. It seems close to ideal (like grips map with the portal IN the castle).

@TheGuardianXXXIII Yeah, I might actually do that. Still need some prepwork, though. Javazon needs a few more levels, and I'm about to start leveling my Novasorc, who's 52 currently. She's a rushed character, so all her quests are done. Just needs leveling.

@Luhkoh thanks a lot for those calculations. Let's use p1 vs p1 points. In the end it doesn't matter much. Rare rune is rare, and will win anyway if someone happens to find one of those bigger scoring drops.

Seeing how extremely rare the higher end runes are... I've played D2 a lot during the past 6+ years and have found a single (1.13) Zod. I think I need to keep playing for the rest of my life to obtain some of those 1.07 HRs.

At least I feel 1.07 cows drop a fair amount of gems and those are always needed in 1.07. And a jewel here and a crafting rune there manages to keep it somewhat doable

 

[Vildecor]

I'll also do the second set. I want to test Blizzard/Nova sorceress to more details and also test could Fissure druid work better on p3 than on p5, same for Hammerdin. Only annoying thing is to roll maps for them and getting used to it all the time.

I'll also do the second set. I want to test Blizzard/Nova sorceress to more details and also test could Fissure druid work better on p3 than on p5, same for Hammerdin. Only annoying thing is to roll maps for them and getting used to it all the time.

I think blova has more promise than hammerdin. Not sure on fissure.

I know there’s a lot of hype for more Zods, but I hope something both hilarious and unlikely happens such as someone finding 28 puls and nothing higher. Or someone finds 10 chams in a single round.

That first instance was my round2 score from last year...

Sitting at 5:38:05.72, and motivation is low...not a qualifier in sight and crafts have been mediocre at best.

Best drop so far:

Prefix 1063 Small Charm of Vita
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 39
Item Version: Expansion
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0x3c77f160
+19 to Life
Lightning Resist +12%

I'll hit the 1000 minutes mark in less than 30 minutes of cows. Pretty happy with today's drops, even if cow set is still limited to hat right now. Started to look at swords for BabyBaba, got a 4os Colossus sword, and a 3os Balrog blade. A burning skiller (plain) went too. Also dropped a Lycander's in a very specific run !

I'll try here to put two videos, one of my runs for some review, and one funny moment i had yesterday night.

The runs:

The funny moment:

Hopefully it will work, i plan using extracts for round results, let's post and check that !

I still after all these years cannot understand how people can play with "Perspective" enabled- is it just me?!

Well to be honest, never ever tried to play with those settings...you feel better playing with perspective disabled ? I may have a look later, just by curiosity.

It's not just you- there's been a few videos recently with it on, so maybe I'm the weird one. I just find it really unsettling!

It's not just you- there's been a few videos recently with it on, so maybe I'm the weird one. I just find it really unsettling!

I love it!

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the stretched and distorted screen, either. I rather have the black bars on the left and right side to make the game look like it's supposed to.

I'm still only about 5.5 hours in, and not sure I'll do more. Not going to lie, 1.07 cows on 1 player setting is not very motivating. I actually prefer rack running over this lol.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the stretched and distorted screen, either. I rather have the black bars on the left and right side to make the game look like it's supposed to.

"Perspective" setting doesn't change the size of the window at all so its not a way to stretch to get the black bars gone. It tilts the pov slightly somehow and makes the game look slightly more 3D'ish (its an in-game setting but only available when using glide as far as i can tell). I only even notice the difference right after i toggle between them, but I do think the perspective mode makes the game look a little better.

"Perspective" setting doesn't change the size of the window at all so its not a way to stretch to get the black bars gone. It tilts the pov slightly somehow and makes the game look slightly more 3D'ish (its an in-game setting but only available when using glide as far as i can tell). I only even notice the difference right after i toggle between them, but I do think the perspective mode makes the game look a little better.

Ah, I see. My bad then. Thought he meant the aspect ratio thing. It's been literally over a decade since I've used any of the in-game option menus other than the control settings. I've just checked and apparently my Perspective setting is turned on, as well. What I noticed is that when turned off, you see a bit more at the bottom of the screen. Could be useful.

@LongingForDeath @Luhkoh i think babyhells video is streteched or it is stretched on his computer and makes it look funny, not the perspective setting.

@sir_cyclops It is, that's why I thought that this is what @Hutton meant with "Perspective".

@LongingForDeath more at the bottom but less at the top! Though it can be annoying seeing more at the top because I'll find that a waypoint is out of tk range when I think it's in range. But not a huge difference either way, though apparently @Hutton disagrees!

When that 5os superior (15%ED, +2AR) Phase Blade dropped during my Cow runs a few minutes ago, I immediately knew I had to make another Grief, even though I already have two (34/386 and 35/350).



I might still reroll it at some point, but for now it'll do .

Edit: just to be clear, there's no spoiler in that picture. I still had two Lo runes in my stash .

I'm no @Babyhell evidently. But pretty happy with this drop:

Wowza. Congrats!! All these sick bases. Hoping for any eth threshers in my second half of runs!

Gl sir ! My luck on tresher has vanished i guess, but still have some drops that keep the hype up, like this eth 4os colossus sword, non superior, but already here for a potential Oath for round 2 barb ! But i have to bring the barb to hell Travi also, he is fesh lvl 1 xD

@zemaj what happened to your photo and post history?