An Explosive Conclusion: Untwinked Necromancer Hits 99

Originally posted on November 24, 2018

First, congrats to @Gynli - amazing progress and mad style for pushing the bowazon to 97! Second, very cool to see the flurry of new entries, including the melee builds. Looking forward to following their journey! As for me:

* * *

Champion Pestilence and Alhizeer the Might Desert Merc (and Insight IG), Lvl 97 (pic)
Pestilence got back moving, and got the last half of 96 to reach the next level. I hadn't touched him since MFO warm up tourney in July, so it's nice to push him ahead again. :)

He was still focused on Pit runs, and was probably averaging ~8M/hr or so, as I was generally running pretty relaxed. No deaths, and only a few S&Es when mis-teleporting into fanaticism/might mob while amp’ed.

The one interesting moment was right around 2.95B, finally losing the IG (not sure to what actually). And then realizing that I hadn’t saved any Rals due to rolling caster amulets as he went. And I really haven’t picked up any low runes on the playthrough. He had just enough to cube up from Eld to remake the runeword :eek: He has been picking those low runes up ever since.

Finds were solid, which makes sense given the still relatively decent 239% MF that I wore through the end of the level. Drops meriting screenshots were (numbering is items found from Pit runs): a 10/54/40 Sharp GC of Vita, Mal #4, Gul #2, Ghostflame #2, Ber #1, Ist #6, this nice Lion Branded GC of Inertia, Stormspire, Steel Pillar, Griffon’s #2, Ist #7, and Lo #2. Crazy that it’s his second Griffon’s; I guess this one is a better roll :rolleyes:
Code:
Griffon's Eye
Diadem
Defense: 201
Durability: 17 of 20
Required Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0x75fee21f
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+25% Faster Cast Rate
-20% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+11% to Lightning Skill Damage
+147 Defense
Other notable drops were Trang’s Helm #2, Stonecrusher #4, an eth 4os Thresher, Um #4, Pul #7 and #8, a 4os eth Giant Thresher, Medusa’s, Spirit Ward, eth Duriel’s shell, a 5/5 cold/die facet, Nat’s Mark, and these fun little charms/rares:
Code:
Doom Spiral
Ring
Required Level: 74
Fingerprint: 0x3561afe
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+2 to Minimum Damage
+45 to Attack Rating
6% Mana stolen per hit
All Resistances +11
Poison Resist +24%

Natural Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x97751a37
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
+12% Faster Hit Recovery

Witch-hunter's Coronet of Life Everlasting
Coronet
Defense: 36
Durability: 23 of 30
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0xa6e5b802
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
Damage Reduced by 22

Amber Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xe9a89fbf
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Lightning Resist +11%

Graverobber's Grand Charm of Strength
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x6896df6b
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
+6 to Strength
I really liked the map he rerolled and made a vid of a run at the end, which ended up being the one where Nat’s Mark dropped :) It shows how I approached the runs on the map pretty well.
As you can see, Pestilence has three shrines right on the path, which actually helped with XP gain average due to picking up XP shrines. The map also had up to six boss packs in the first little circle after entering, and then a carver nest that often had boss packs if not high numbers in the circle, and then the room immediately to the north. There weren’t regular boss spawns on the rest of the map if any bosses spawned after the shrine downstairs, so he could just skip the whole north portion and go straight to Level 2. The only drawback was average of 2-3 boss packs in Level 2, with one pack occasionally rolling.

Anyhow, now it’s time to consider next steps. He has only one respec, so I may do some testing with a twinked necro that’s been retired. I can pretty much replicate Pestilence’s gear, although the tester will be ~10 levels lower if I recall correctly. He also has one socket quest left, and I think it will go to the Griffon's, due to still not having improved on 1/20 rare. I guess he could luck out, but it seems like the socket will get put to use in meantime for +life, resists, or vita depending on the target. Which brings us to:

-- Pits: Pestilence did 2 runs on the Pit map, and he’s getting around 60k/run, which is about half of the average for 96-97. So continuing in the Pit would likely mean ~4M/hr. We'll do a few more runs to get a more reasonable estimate of XP/hr on the current map though.

-- CS: CS could theoretically be faster XP gain, but I hadn't been able to make it work in earlier levels. I didn’t spec for Attract (or any in the Dim Vision curse tree arm), so maybe that would make a difference to take the heat off Pestilence while he waits for the first few corpses. Based on testing by @ffs it seems he will want that for Nihl anyhow. And he also will have to assess whether the 6 skill points sunk into LR are worth it (seemingly not for 98-99 at Nihl, but maybe needed for CS; so if attract is needed to make CS work and LR is needed, that may be ruled out due to limited respecs and wanting to maximize skill points to CE).

-- Nihl: And Nihl remains the most intriguing choice. I’m a bit worried about having only ~2600 hit points, but Hiatus did fine with around 2550, and Aldurs and Dwarf Star would bump him closer to 2800, I think. He could drop from 125 FCR and wear Shako for extra vita and mana, but that's likely a big efficiency trade off.

So I think I’ll focus testing on Nihl with different set ups and CS. Feedback is most welcome, especially from @ffs based on his testing. Either way, I think I'll take a little break from him for at least a few days and maybe until after I get back from trip east to visit my family the first full week of December. So I won’t have to make the decision right away.

Instead, I will spend the more limited time I’ll have for the next 10 days on some testing with the twinked necro, the Trio of Twins barb (inspired by recent Barb entries to get him moving again), and LK runs with Quinta. Speaking of which . . .
 
Originally posted on December 15, 2018

I also got a couple 10-minute testing sessions in with Pestilence. Unfortunately, the average for Pit runs is closer to 3M/hr with the current map. And I still don’t think I will be able to make CS work. The XP is barely better than Pit runs (basically a wash in two 10-minute sessions), and more dangerous and frustrating. It’s also a really good map for Gripphon runs, with multiple boss packs clustered around the seals and no bosses right at the pentagram to allow easy kills for a few revives at the beginning of each run.

Basically, the only option is 75 FCR (Spirit, arachnids, trang gloves), with Shako as the helm. I wish Gripphon had made a vid because I’d really like to see how he made it work. Apparently, 6 skillers and no +skill rings (but using a +2 skill amulet, so only -4 skills to his set up) isn’t enough.

I want to play around a little more with curses (seeing if more use of amp damage would work better). But I will likely focus on Pit runs, possibly rerolling maps to see if faster XP is possible on a map with similar density on level 1 but more consistent 3+ boss packs on level 2. It’s much smoother and allows better MF, so the slower XP gain relative to my prior 99ers will be offset by a stronger chance to tick off one of three remaining overall grailers.
 
Originally posted on January 1, 2019

Happy New Year to the Untwinked 99er crowd and the SPF in general! :)

And great progress @Bewitch - keep it up!

Both of my current entries have made some solid progress over the holidays, with an assist from my office being closed two extra days around Christmas. Pestilence has made substantial progress toward level 98 and let’s just say I’m finished with LK for a while!

* * *

Pestilence is a little past 97.25, having gotten the extra ~1M for a round 3.03B. He’s in sort of the same boat as Klaus, with this level potentially taking as long as 98-99 when factoring in Ancients XP reward for the last level. I couldn’t make CS runs work but may revisit that due to some gear upgrades over the past quarter level. And I decided to hold off on Nihl for now.

So we rolled another Pit map with higher boss pack density relative to teleporting. He’s gotten between 3.0M and 3.2M/hr across several timed sessions. When it wasn’t timed, I suspect it was less due to more casual play. It’s a big contrast to Phaedrus, my last 99er, who was getting >5M/hr for 97-98 on p8/p7 CS runs.

But it is super safe. And it allows some solid MF, with 283% for most of this stretch until recently dropping some resist charms in favor of MF to reach 303%. So we accepted the slower XP progress and settled in.

As expected, drops were solid, starting off quickly with Shadow Dancers and another Darkforce (all three have been +1 PnB skill though):
Pits (Darkforce #3).jpg
That was followed by the set Caduceus and then the first Mal+ rune of the level shortly after (Ist #8), followed by a Mara’s (20@) and then a 2/10 necro caster ammy with resists. Another 2/20 would have been remarkable, but this one is still pretty nice and may get use if he still hasn’t found any +skill rings by the time we hit Nihl.

Ist #9 ended a bit of dry spell, followed by Sur #1, his third Arachnid’s and a 19/16 serpent’s SC of vita that replaced a 17/17 one in the backpack. We finished strong with Vex #2 and then the highlight 1M left before 98.25:
Pits (Astreons).jpg
With the Mara’s to play around with, I may go back and test out CS runs. @Pb_pal reminded me in his approach with Klaus that it’s an option to start out at p1 for Infector, who was the main challenge along with getting a first few corpses for revives. Then p8 for the last two seals may be workable. I doubt Diablo will be worth it, but I might as well test it if I go back to CS. :rolleyes:

But it's more likely he will stick with Pit runs for now, at least through 97.5, focusing on the S/U drops and hope toward getting a drop toward my grail as a way to balance out the slower XP gain.

. . .
 
Originally posted on February 16, 2019

Nice continued progress, @everyone, and @buckcrazy in particular with the push toward 99! Keep it up. :)

As for me, it's been a while since my last update, with busy work and several work trips limiting my D2 time a bit. But we've hit a milestone, so it's update time!

* * *

Pestilence finally hit the half-way mark toward level 98, with a couple extra million to hit 3.1B. As mentioned in updates for my other entries, he continued in the Pit, with >300 MF and averaging only just over 3M/hr. Slow going, but very solid drops, including quite a few TC87s and an overall grailer.

In the first four weeks after hitting 98.25, he gained only a few million XP as I focused on finishing the Barb’s playthrough and then some leveling. But during that stretch he picked up Pul #9, with Steelrend #2 an early TC87 drop, followed by his first Ravenlore.

Those screenshots show his Pit map pretty well, with the left-hand L the main route with consistent 5-boss pack density average; when they weren’t in the long arm of the L, we went right and generally found 2-3 over there (along with a well, which we also would hit if he got amp’ed early).

We then focused on him equally with Death, with this drop serving as some motivation:
Pits (Templars #2).jpg
Yep, his second Templar’s, and my seventh overall non-Pindle one (+2 of those), without a Tyrael’s :(
Code:
Templar's Might
Sacred Armor
Defense: 1833
Durability: 56 of 60
Required Level: 74
Required Strength: 232
Fingerprint: 0xdf1e2f9a
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+205% Enhanced Defense
+257 Defense vs. Missile
+10 to Strength
+14 to Vitality
+41 Maximum Stamina
He then started making some solid progress, with a Captain’s skiller with FHR, Shaeffer’s, Griz Caduceus #2 and Vortex Shield building up to a highlight of this stretch:
Pits (Jah #1).jpg
Shortly after that, he finally got his first +skill ring, a Stone of Jordan, and picked up Windforce #2. Then we got another nice, long-awaited drop:
Pits (45@ eth SR).jpg
It picked up 4os with the cube recipe (my third attempt overall with >40@ Sacred Rondache or Targe), and became Exile, to bring me to runeword grail -2. Sur #2 dropped, which allows him to make a second Enigma with the Jah. That may actually happen when he transitions to Nihl for corpse recovery kit. :eek:

That was followed by a remarkably stupid death: every 50 runs or so, I’d accidentally teleport into Might or Fanaticism pack. If amp’ed it was immediate S&E, and if there was also mana burn, it was S&E if first attempt to teleport out didn’t work. Well, this time, I immediately S&E’d by instinct, but then realized he wasn’t amp’ed and had full mana with only a fanaticism aura and multiple revives between him and the boss. So I said, “I got this.” Esc again, and all at once, amp triggered, I realize there is overlapping Might aura, and the Might archer boss pack is behind him. Poof. I was so annoyed with myself for the dumbness, I forgot to take a screenshot. Anyhow, corpse recovery was successful, so only a little more than 2 hours lost. But tremendously dumb death, when I’d actually gotten Esc in time but decided to wade in nonetheless. :D

I guess he was rewarded, with the other major highlight of this stretch happening as he gained back the lost XP:
Pits (Earthshifter).jpg
It was Earthshifter, which brings to me grail -2 overall (Mang’s and Tyrael’s missing, so still a long way to go). Mara’s #2 followed, with an upgrade over 20@ to 27@. The last two drops meriting screenshots were the Grandfather and another Fungal skiller (for 7 overall :eek:) at the very end.

There were plenty of other notable drops during this stretch, including Fleshripper, two Giant skulls, two Nat’s claws, Unique Champion axe, etc.

Earlier today, I did a little testing on CS runs, trying p1 to get revives, 3-seal, Gripp runs, and both 75 and 125 FCR set ups. I just can’t get it to work. XP-wise, one set-up appeared comparable to Pit, if maybe a little faster (75 FCR set up with Shako, 2-seal runs, with p1 to pick up early revives), but it’s way more hectic and will have much worse drops.

I also tested out Nihl (his current Pit map amazingly has good CS and Nihl map), with only a little faster XP gain with current set-up (swapping in Aldur’s and Dwarf Star, plus some vita and resist charms). He has one last respec, and rebalancing stats and skills would make Nihl more manageable (higher level amp in particular). I am pretty sure @ffs is right, and HoTo/Shako will beat his Dweb/20FCR amulet set up, but I don’t have the dexterity to equip the HoTo with current spec to test without sacrificing boot or ring slot.

So I think he will go back to the Pit, at least for another tenth of the level. MF set up allows nice drops and it’s safe. But I run out of steam fairly quickly it seems (I wasn’t able to do enough sustained runs with him to get more than 5M in a day over this quarter level), so I may need to transition after that. We’ll see.
 
Originally posted on March 3, 2019

Pestilence continued his progress, making it another quarter of the way toward level 98. After the solid drops for the last quarter level, I decided to continue in the Pit for a bit. And that’s what he did for the full quarter level and will do until he hits 98. :)

Unfortunately, the drops weren’t as good on the item and rune front, with the exception of jewelry (and charms, but none useful for him). The only Pul+ runes were a Pul and an Um, which was disappointing.

In terms of items meriting screenshots, it was pretty limited, with Griz Caddy #3, a nice Metalgrid followed shortly by Seraph’s Hymn, the IK armor, and then two more Stones of Jordan, sandwiched around Griz Caddy #4, for three total SoJs found so far this level:
Pits (SoJ #2).jpg
Pits (SoJ #3).jpg
I would actually consider using one to socket a 2/20 rare circlet if he found one, but no luck so far (he has used all three Larzuk rewards). Also sandwiched between the two SoJs was the highlight of this stretch, low +cold damage (23%) but 39/40 on the resists:
Pits (Fathom).jpg
There were quite a few other green TC87 items, as well rare-ish uniques (shadow plate, ward). He picked up some nice charms that will contribute nicely to my overall stash, with Harpoonist of Life, Passive Zon of Vita, Amber GC of Sustenance, Warcry Skiller with 20 GF, Offensive Pally with FRW, a couple 10/11 resist with decent secondary mods, and some vita SCs with lower tier resist as the prefix. He also got an eth Sacred Armor that will get tossed in the cube when he gets the ingredients.

All in all, pretty smooth sailing, despite downturn in drops. I’ve stopped gathering ingredients for caster amulets and am leaving jewels, which sped up average XP a bit. Toward the end, the need for S&Es increased, as I was getting sloppier, so he’s due for a break, probably at least until start of RFL round 1.

Instead, we will do a little testing with Quinta in anticipation of entering her in RFL Rd 1, as well as focusing on Death a bit more. Speaking of him, he’s made some solid progress since the last update, getting an eth base to make his first Oath, having runes for a second one, and now only a Mal short on runes needed for his first Grief (with cubing, and still needing the 5os phase blade base). He's also nearly level 89, but I will hold off on a proper update with the details until he hits a more natural breakpoint.
 
Originally posted on April 1, 2019

Pestilence is getting close to level 98, with a nice milestone of 3.2B. He got the next 3M to 97.9, and should finish up the level this weekend, I think. I thought about holding off on the update til pinging, but the 3._ milestones are nice occasions :)

Drops were better than the last quarter level. Obviously, almost immediately after finding my first overall Earth Shifter, he got a second one, this one +296% ED. So I guess a Druid is in the plans eventually . . . .

Other drops meriting screen shots were Greyform, Lo #3, a 5/4 poison RBF, Griffon’s #3, the eth Hone Sundan noted in Item Find thread, and IK armor #2 for 97-98. He also picked up plenty of other high TC S/U, including another Set CB, Trang helm, Unique Champion Axe, 2os HHG, Tal’s Armor, Set Diadem, and set Corona #3. He also got a +10 life Sounding skiller.

I am mixing in some RFL Rd 1 runs with Quinta, a little more than 13 hours in, so likely not finishing the set. Then it will be focused on Pestilence to 98, and hopefully getting Death to 93 before start of RFL Rd 2.
 
Originally posted on April 20, 2019

All right, let's get an update :D

Champion Pestilence and Alhizeer the Might Desert Merc (and Insight IG), Lvl 98 (pic)
After being out of town last weekend through Tuesday, I started rolling Trav maps and doing some testing with Death so he could start his RFL Rd 2 set. I took a couple short breaks for Pit runs with Pestilence, who had been ~6M shy before I left.

Those breaks left him >3M short of the level, allowing me to finish up this morning. The drops over the last tenth were quite nice indeed! Early on he picked up Lo #4 and Ist #10, which I am pretty sure was his first HR from the Pit chest. He then picked up Gargoyle’s as a nice TC87 unique, followed by Pul #15, and a nice charm (Steel GC of Vita).

We closed out with quite a run of TC87 uniques, beginning with Executioner’s Justice right at 3.20B, and then earlier today:
Pits (Templars #3).jpg
Pits (Templars #3 ID).jpg
Nope :( I really thought this would be the one, figuring two unique SAs just from this level had to make it happen. Sadly, it wasn't to be . . .

And on his second-to-last Pit run, a good-bye present was provided, his second for 97-98:
Pits (Astreons #2).jpg
I would have preferred Mang’s for my overall grail, but it was cool to see, and from a regular monster no less.

* * *

Due to sticking with the Novamancer build, the Pit ended up being basically his best XP option for 97-98. It was slow, likely averaging 3M/hr (or more likely a little less due to more relaxed running style when not paying attention to XP/hr).

But it allowed me to load up on MF and focus on drops. At 303% MF for most of the level, he picked up quite a few TC87 uniques, 14 to be exact, and to tick off a grailer (Earthshifter), leaving me at grail -2. The two Sacred Armors were frustrating, combined with one he found earlier, for three Templar’s and my eighth overall non-Pindle one without Tyrael’s :mad:

He also picked up Ko+ runes with the following tally for the level:
Code:
Ko     15
Fal    12
Lem    12
Pul    7
Um     2
Mal    0
Ist    3
Gul    0
Vex    1
Ohm    0
Lo     2
Sur    2
Ber    0
Jah    1
So he can cube 4 Mals from Um- and can make a second Enigma, which he may actually do for the corpse recovery kit for 98-99.

In all, quite productive and an interesting way to approach that level. As I estimated early in the level, 97-98 likely ended up taking as long as 98-99 will take due to having Ancient’s quest XP available. Contingent on how bad the S&E lag ends up being for his Nihl runs, I’m hopeful that he will get close to 3M/hr.

Now it’s time to move on from the Pit. His career there began after making Enigma at level 82 and provided pretty much all his XP up to 98, with breaks for LK and a few Council/CS runs mixed in. He has one more respec left, which he will use when Death finishes his RFL set. Death's gotten about 25 minutes into his set after finally rolling a solid map for non-Enigma runner. Then Pestilence will be my RFL Rd 3 entry, with those 20 hours hopefully getting him solidly into level 98.

For posterity, here are gear and stats (with last stats and skill point unallocated). He didn't need corpse recovery kit for a while (I think since level 94), so I left it out.
Code:
Name:       Pestilence
Class:      Necromancer
Experience: 3229433157
Level:      98

Naked/Gear
Strength:   65/166
Dexterity:  25/29
Vitality:   460/492
Energy:     25/25
HP:         1140/1328
Mana:       219/387
Stamina:    621/635
Defense:    6/1673
AR:         80/165

Fire:       54/14/-46
Cold:       116/76/16
Lightning:  101/61/1
Poison:     65/25/-35

MF:         304       Block:      3
GF:         142
FR/W:       70
FHR:        60
IAS:        0
FCR:        130

Amplify Damage: 2/14
Dim Vision: 1/13
Weaken: 1/13
Iron Maiden: 1/13
Terror: 1/13
Confuse: 0/0
Life Tap: 1/13
Attract: 0/0
Decrepify: 1/13
Lower Resist: 1/13

Teeth: 1/19
Bone Armor: 1/19
Poison Dagger: 20/38
Corpse Explosion: 9/27
Bone Wall: 1/19
Poison Explosion: 20/38
Bone Spear: 0/0
Bone Prison: 0/0
Poison Nova: 20/38
Bone Spirit: 0/0

Skeleton Mastery: 0/0
Raise Skeleton: 1/11
Clay Golem: 1/11
Golem Mastery: 20/30
Raise Skeletal Mage: 1/11
Blood Golem: 1/11
Summon Resist: 1/11
Iron Golem: 1/11
Fire Golem: 0/0
Revive: 1/11
Code:
Arachnid Mesh
Spiderweb Sash
Defense: 132
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 80
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x39d48942
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Slows Target by 10%
+110% Enhanced Defense
Increase Maximum Mana 5%
Level 3 Venom (11/11 Charges)

Trang-Oul's Claws
Heavy Bracers
Defense: 69
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x965b98e3
Item Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Curses (Necromancer only)
+20% Faster Cast Rate
+25% to Poison Skill Damage
+30 Defense
Cold Resist +30%

Pestilence's Enigma
Breast Plate
JahIthBer
Defense: 828
Durability: 48 of 50
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0x179c5fd8
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+45% Faster Run/Walk
+1 to Teleport
+762 Defense
+73 to Strength (Based on Character Level)
Increase Maximum Life 5%
Damage Reduced by 8%
+14 Life after each Kill
15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
98% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level)
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Jah Rune
Socketed: Ith Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune

Heart of the Oak
Flail
KoVexPulThul
One Hand Damage: 1 - 24
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x4aa275aa
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to All Skills
+40% Faster Cast Rate
+75% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
+10 to Dexterity
Replenish Life +20
Increase Maximum Mana 15%
All Resistances +30
Level 4 Oak Sage (25/25 Charges)
Level 14 Raven (60/60 Charges)
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ko Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Pul Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune

Nagelring
Ring
Required Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x91d70617
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+50 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

War Traveler
Battle Boots
Defense: 120
Durability: 48 of 48
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 95
Fingerprint: 0x40568c24
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+25% Faster Run/Walk
Adds 15 - 25 Damage
+151% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
40% Slower Stamina Drain
Attacker Takes Damage of 7
41% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+30 Maximum Durability

Griffon's Eye
Diadem
Defense: 234
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0xab4bab6d
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+25% Faster Cast Rate
-18% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+14% to Lightning Skill Damage
+177 Defense
24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz

Perfect Topaz
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 40 Lightning Damage
Armor: 24% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: Lightning Resist +40%

Entropy Eye
Amulet
Required Level: 89
Fingerprint: 0xc0addc2d
Item Level: 90
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Necromancer Skill Levels
+20% Faster Cast Rate
+18 to Strength
+11 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 6%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Beast Finger
Ring
Required Level: 60
Fingerprint: 0xe713b9b7
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Cast Rate
+15 to Attack Rating
+32 to Life
+14 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +28%

Call to Arms
Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 18 - 54
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0xe92ff96b
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
265% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+6 to Battle Command
+6 to Battle Orders
+3 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 143
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0x327ce544
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+35% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+100 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+4 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune

Pestilence's Death's Web
Unearthed Wand
One Hand Damage: 22 - 28
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xf4413a6c
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
-43% to Enemy Poison Resistance
+9 to Mana after each Kill
+9 Life after each Kill
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ist Rune

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 140
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 85 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0x51fe094b
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+35% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+111 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+3 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Code:
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0xf2ae3e20
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Sapphire Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0xc7ae96f
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +11%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Snake's Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xca32ecbc
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
+10 to Mana

Snake's Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xf685c245
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
+11 to Mana

Sapphire Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x9c29e7fb
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +10%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Russet Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x8a595e46
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +7%
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Serpent's Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x715aede7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
+16 to Mana

Russet Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x1296821c
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +6%
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Stalwart Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xf508173c
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30 Defense
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Snake's Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x37dfb353
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Mana
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Coral Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x42980964
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
Lightning Resist +8%

Ruby Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xad738c60
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +11%

Fungal Grand Charm of Dexterity
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xa9895ca6
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
+4 to Dexterity

Fungal Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x85ff09c0
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
+40 to Life

Fungal Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x7ddfd7d9
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)

Fungal Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x3b4c50e2
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
+39 to Life

Fungal Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x4edac3c2
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)

Fungal Grand Charm of Storms
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xe0179fe1
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Poison and Bone Skills (Necromancer Only)
Adds 1 - 29 Lightning Damage

Gheed's Fortune
Grand Charm
Required Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0x6172d98e
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
142% Extra Gold from Monsters
Reduces all Vendor Prices 11%
40% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Key + 1x3 Open
Code:
Name:       Alhizeer
Race:       Desert Mercenary
Type:       Off-Nightmare
Experience: 110679690
Level:      97
Dead?:      false

Naked/Gear
Strength:   207/236
Dexterity:  168/168
HP:         2247/2357
Defense:    1643/5114
AR:         2057/2057

Fire:       156/116/56
Cold:       186/146/86
Lightning:  186/146/86
Poison:    256/216/156

Fortitude
Dusk Shroud
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 3132
Durability: 11 of 11
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 67
Fingerprint: 0x3c7aabc5
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+110 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +25
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

Andariel's Visage
Demonhead
Defense: 339
Durability: 10 of 20
Required Level: 83
Required Strength: 102
Fingerprint: 0x6cca8d34
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
15% Chance to cast level 15 Poison Nova when struck
+2 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
10% Life stolen per hit
+119% Enhanced Defense
+29 to Strength
+10% to Maximum Poison Resist
Fire Resist -30%
Poison Resist +70%
Level 3 Venom (14/20 Charges)

Infinity
Giant Thresher
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 232 - 661
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 178
Required Dexterity: 130
Fingerprint: 0xb0613822
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
287% Enhanced Damage
-55% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+49 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
 
Originally posted on May 11, 2019

I'll do a brief pre-RFL Round 3 update.

Pestilence has found his map after quite a bit of rolling and testing. What I found is that the map with spawns around Nihl's platform makes a much bigger difference for the Necro than the Assassin or Sorc. The Sin shut down projectiles with CoS, and Sorc was generally safe with step-back technique from merc (as was the merc) and confuse generally proc'ing quickly.

It's different with the necro due to IK, which like the merc likes charging forward headlong. I was losing merc every 5 runs with some maps where he and IK were in the viper clouds. Even with confuse, I couldn't get all of them due to multiple spawn points around the platform. I also couldn't use NE arm platform due to limited space past the platform: the merc got "stuck" regularly where necro blocked him in. He got this sweet base in the first handful of runs:
Nihl (15 ED 4os Shadow Bow).jpg
After getting 4M or so, he had a death as I got frustrated with having to bail / losing merc too many times and pushed his luck with vipers around. With a big assist to @ffs for his vids (both for technique and seeing his map with almost no spawns in corners past the platform and limited spawns on other side of platform), I committed to rolling a map with limited spawns. I also switched up to dual Dwarf Star and a 2/10 necro caster amulet (sort of; see below).

He probably worked through 30 maps before getting a low-density-around platform, two-shrine map. Along the way he picked up Arkaines:
Nihl (Arkaines).jpg
On the current map, he hit 98.05 yesterday and has since gotten his RFL set under way.

Observant readers will notice the red shading on the background for the rings in the screenshot above. When swapping in the second Dwarf Star, I didn't have a second that matched, so pulled two matching ones out of my stash. Apparently, I hadn't checked to see if they had been ID'ed, and didn't notice they weren't until seeing that screenshot when he hit 98.05. :rolleyes: He's quite a bit sturdier with the dual Dwarf Star's actually equipped . . .

With S&E lag, he isn't going to reach the 3.5M/hr range like Ric (not to mention that I'm not nearly as fast as @ffs[ on the character / difficulty selection or scanning drops). But it appears he will be north of the 2.5M/hr benchmark, factoring in XP shrines and aborted runs. So he should eclipse 3.3B on this set if I can keep him alive.

He still takes a bit more attention to play than Mercy or Hiatus did (and certainly than Phaedrus in CS), meaning I can't play quite as long without breaks. So the 20-hour set over three weeks is a great format to get him started into 98-99 :)

Thanks again to @ffs for all the testing with Ric and the vids, which are helpful. I'll try to record some runs so others have the benefit of seeing two different maps. Good luck to everyone who's participating in RFL with their untwinked 99ers!
 
Originally posted on June 3, 2019

Quick update on my end for Pestilence, post-RFL Rd 3. Minimal drops and belly-aching about the same is summarized here, but he is a little past 98.33 and pretty safe along the way. The closest he got to danger was ~900 HP at end of a run, with closest S&E still having nearly half his HPs.

The progress on improved S&E times has been nice, to say the least, but the long-term result hasn't been quite as good as that initial experience, likely landing closer to ~3 second average. But that's still a major improvement :D

The other major observation is that map @ffs had for Ric is really, really good. I've now worked through >50 maps with 10+ runs, and I haven't found one that was as clean "past the platform" as that map, shown over the vids posted in Ric's 99er write-up (which again, major thanks for those). I think that makes a pretty big difference for necros, as having only one spot with frequent spawns (as that map), would allow much more streamlined runs. I've not found one like that, with current one having one spawn regularly but two or more also regularly, and this one lacking any shrines on-route.

I've still found a comfortable routine, with S&Es due to spawns rare even with vipers in 2+ spots due to confuse. I plan to record some vids on current map to show approach, but I'm still thinking of rolling maps again to try to find an improvement. Now that I have approach to curses down, I think it may be worth looking for improved map . . .

* * *

Interestingly, Quinta and Death did well on the rune front with more limited runs, but I'll hold off on their updates until they hit key milestones (97.25 for Quinta and 95 for Death). Keep up the great progress everyone!
 
Originally posted on June 3, 2019

First off, thanks to @Grape for hosting. And major congrats to the round winners (crazy 1.07 impact this year) and overall (same, I guess . . .). This is a great event for the SPF, and I'm glad to see so many participants across the three rounds :)

As for me, meager haul pic is below (couldn't be bothered to clean up the detritus, given the results):
RFL Rd 3 Haul.jpg
Um fell early on, followed by Pul, and then Ohm #1 just before his update at 10 hours. Ohm #2 was next within an hour or so, and then the Gul fell a bit past 19 hours. Only other drop during the set meriting a screenshot was Executioner's Justice shortly after the Gul. Other notable drops were another Arkaine's, lots of unique jewelry, and lots of other TC78-84 uniques, along with some fun elemental charms, including this cute one:
Code:
Hibernal Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0xfe72a923
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
Adds 10 - 17 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
+16 to Life
Meager drops were offset by nice progress, with untwinked 99er necro getting past 98.25, building on 0.05 of the progress pre-RFL Rd 3 (with no runes) and a few hours of runs off-timer to reroll maps along the way (with no runes).

Having picked a target that is not efficient for runes, I generally would avoid complaining about drops. But I realized in retrospect that his rune luck was just awful, with only 5 Pul+ runes over a quarter of the level, with mass carnage from corpse explosion theoretically contributing to better odds from Nihl runs. For context, Mercy (trapper sin) picked up 14 Vex+ runes over the full 98-99, so on pace for almost 75% more Vex+ runs than the necro.

But it's not about the drops at this point, and I will take the quarter level, now third of the level, as well worth it, and just trust that the drops will come. As occurred with the Lo not less than 20 minutes of running after he finished his set and the BKWB (his first and now equipped instead of Dwarf Star) ;)
 
Originally posted on June 28, 2019

As for me, Pestilence hit a significant milestone:
98.5.jpg
The last .017 of the level was fairly uneventful, a couple NDE’s and disappointing drops compared to my prior Nihl experiences, with some gear tinkering to keep myself engaged. The merc still has an unfortunate habit of running into viper clouds right next to the golem :rolleyes: So there are more merc resurrections with the necro than probably with Mercy and Hiatus combined :\

As noted in RFL Round 3 running thread, he picked up Lo #1 within 20 minutes of completing his 20-hour set and was followed quickly by his first BKWB, which were both nice. He gave the BKWB a shot for extra skill and life compared to Dwarf and stuck with it for a while, but eventually went back to Dwarf as Nihl’s CE was only real threat, especially when cursed. Ist #1 fell shortly after, and then a really long dry stretch, at least 20M, until the next drop meriting a screenshot, a low roll 3os Tomb Reaver.

At the 98.4 mark, we had one NDE (S&E with only a couple hundred hit points), and a stretch of multiple cursed rolls that made things tough and included a couple aborted runs to prevent an NDE. We had gone back to Dwarf star, and I decided to test out another approach to amp’ed CE management: considering maxed fire resist, I though the 15% fire absorb might be less beneficial than extra damage reduction (only at 10% with Shako), so tested out Verdungo’s, with dual FCR rings and 2/10 amulet making up what was needed to stay at 125 FCR.

It was actually pretty solid, with life still >3100 after dropping another skiller in favor of vita SCs. The other benefit was the second FCR ring has 11@ and extra poison resist, which made hits by spiders a little less annoying. I eventually tried out 2/20 amulet and Dwarf, with 11@ FCR ring, pulling in a couple ruby SCs to keep fire resist maxed.

I eventually went back to Mara’s/Dwarf/Arach at 98.45, keeping the extra SCs (only 3 skillers and Gheed’s), and his life is almost 3400. I think the setups are pretty comparable, but I prefer the higher resists with Mara's and higher life given how often he's getting hit. Even with the better map, it's still messy every third run on average. In retrospect, the one thing I didn’t test with Verdungo’s setup was dropping 4 vita SCs in favor of 4 FHR SCs, for 86 FHR breakpoint. That might be worth it due to frequency he is hit (way more than Mercy and Hiatus), and I think he’d still have life >3000.

Anyhow, drops meriting screenshots over the last ~20M were Ohm #3, Ghost Flame, and Gul #2. Other notable drops from this stretch were 2os Giant Skull x2 and 2os HHG, with 18 unique rings and 8 unique amulets, plus 6 facets.

In terms of charms, he found another Fungal Skiller, this one with gold find, and now has 8 total :eek: He also picked up a couple high resist GCs and SCs with secondary mods, and an Acrobatic skiller of Vita (41). So the two “of Vita” 41+ skillers I’ve managed are for a suboptimal skill tree :(

But he’s fast compared to prior two with the S&E improvement, as he’s been average ~3M/hr when focused, and not much lower than 2.8M/hr when running more leisurely. So at this pace, he has about 35 hours + Ancients to 99. :)
 
Originally posted on July 21, 2019

I'm a little behind on responding to recent posts, but I'll just express relief that Klaus survived his close call and more generally say congrats for the good progress by everyone else!

Pestilence made steady progress and has eclipsed 98.75, so a little less than 11 hours to go, with Ancients XP factored in. Although his progress is steady and safe, his drops have been pretty terrible given the number of runs. Drops help keep up the motivation usually, so it’s felt longer even though his XP/hour is better than any of my prior 99ers and he’s also not died since early testing.

That said, he started off strong with Griffon’s as his third TC87 unique from Nihl:
Nihl (Griffons).jpg
It also had a really nice roll:
Code:
Griffon's Eye
Diadem
Defense: 221
Durability: 15 of 20
Required Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0x81313b6f
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to All Skills
+25% Faster Cast Rate
-19% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+15% to Lightning Skill Damage
+167 Defense
And then that was it, in terms of drops worth screenshots. Runes were Gul # 3, plus two Mals and two Puls. So his Vex+ runes from Nihl so far are a Lo and three Ohms, so well behind the other Nihl runners :(

Other noteworthy drops were Dragonscale x2, 3os HHG, and that’s about it. A dozen unique rings that were all Nagel/Manald/Raven/Dwarf except a Carrionwind, two unique amulets (Nokozan and Saracen), and four RBF, one a 5/5 poison and another a 4/5 cold. He socketed the other 5/5 poison in his Shako when the second dropped, just for the extra -1 poison resist because why not. No charms of note or rare jewelry except for possible twinking use.

Okay, enough bellyaching about drops Pestilence had more than his fair share of luck so far with 2 vita PnB skillers, Dweb, a 2/20 amulet, and plenty of good runes before 98 :)

Time to focus on the last stretch. He’s due break though, as we were getting sloppy toward the end with him. I hadn’t had life drop below 1000 since last gear shuffle, until the last little bit when we had this close call in the Halls of Pain and two S&Es at Nihl with <1000 life:
Nihl (NDE).jpg
He will get the last 2M over the next day or two and then go on break until next weekend. We’ll see about some Baal runs with Quinta, who got an hour or so in last week, CS with Death, or more likely getting to Hell with my Overburdened tourney character or getting into the Three Way Dance tourney.

Keep up the good progress everyone!
 
Originally posted on July 29, 2019

Pestilence finished the last stretch without incident :D (I forgot to take the screenie until after S&E on that last run because I was focused on recording the video, so we had to open a new game to memorialize the occasion.)
99.jpg

Edit: I also forgot to include drops for the last stretch. They picked up actually, with Sur #1, Gargoyle's Bite, and Gul #4 worthy of screenshots. Other notable drops were Um #3, Schaefer's, 2os Tomb Reaver, Leviathan, and a few others. The other nice ones were what I think is my first 2 assassin/3 LS rare claw and a Nihl Vita skiller of disappointment (all three >40 Vita rolls I've found have been not super-useful trees :():
Code:
Hailstone Song
Greater Claws
One Hand Damage: 20 - 41
Durability: 32 of 52
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 76
Required Dexterity: 76
Fingerprint: 0x463cc2a2
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
13% Enhanced Damage
+3 to Lightning Sentry (Assassin Only)
+1 to Strength

Trainer's Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0x4b2ac582
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Unidentified
+1 to Summoning Skills (Druid Only)
+42 to Life

I'm hoping to get his 99er thread up tomorrow after work. Thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement along the way!
 
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