@Vildecor That is pretty much how I play. I have gone through several HC stretches on bnet before, but over the last 4 or 5 or 6 years (my concept of time is horrible), I have been playing Softcore, until now. I always played the SC characters with the number one priority to not die at all, along with usually making players 8 a rule for the entire time and playing untwinked when I am using characters, unless they are meant to be specialized ones PvP, area runners or if I had found certain game changing items, such as Griffon's, Death's Fathom, that Unearthed Wand I have NEVER found, ever, and etc. etc.
I am the type that reruns certain areas when I get to them, usually in all acts. Places like Normal Countess for obvious reasons, Normal Andy occasionally, Normal Meph occasionally, Eldritch/Shenk/Pindleskin Runs in all difficulties for great XP and occasional good drops, Normal Baal until level 55ish this time on HC specifically, and now I am running Nightmare Andarial at level 57 and hoping for some goodies. But Mephisto in Nightmare, along with Shenk/Eldritch/Pindle and then Baal later on and of course Andy and Mephy in Hell, and then Pindleskin to get great XP to strengthen up before I am brave enough to do a CS or Baal Run, if I ever get that brave on a HC Sorc. I may limit myself to Hell Mephisto and Hell Pindleskin in the end.
The issue with it being HC, has really kept me on alert. Although individual attacks on me do little damage (~565 life/337 Mana -- |69FR|60CR|62LR|75PR(Put Death's Gloves on for NM Andy Runs, adding 75% PLRB) -- 27% Block with Rhyme Bone Shield.
Now with pretty good stats and small hits from monsters not doing much, I had a few situations where Andy got a hit or two on me and a cold enchanted ghoul boss died next to me and knocked me down to around 200 HP while I was poisoned, which was scary and looked extremely low when looking at the bulb, even if it doesn't sound like a crazy brush with death. I am just afraid that one ironic bad combination will kill me. I am trying to clear out areas from a distance better, staying back further and not trying to aggro Andy until the main things are cleared out in front of her.
I have this issue, that stems from Softcore, where even though I rarely died, my characters were so strong and I didn't have to really worry about severe consequences, so I would constantly be in the thick of things. Especially with Sorceresses, my favorite character, the one I've spent probably 90% using and ones where I am so comfortable with them, that I can get into massive piles and maneuver so gracefully that I don't fear dying at all. I will just have to focus builds more defensively, something not so necessary on Softcore, and stay out of big groups and always let my Merc draw the focus.
Since I started doing NM Andy, I have found a Nagelring, Visc +1 Sorc Shield(Use Rhyme though), 4 open socket Halberd(no more mana problems with my Insight!) 4 open socket Long Sword(super stoked about that one! Have a Spirit Now(33%FCR), other sets and uniques that I had not found yet. I have her bugged, of course, so I hope to eventually land some better gear.
I am pretty sure I know the answer to this and have for at least 10 years, but when you get Andy glitched (
kill her, take the auto TP that forms after her death to town, talk to Warriv and travel east and then Save and Exit and you're good to get quest drops from there on) she will drop the quest drops and Magic Find will play no role at all in the drops from her, correct?
I really wish you could still open multiple D2 copies on 1.14d, I would get my Druid(only other HC Char currently, he is Fissure/Tornado now, but will turn to Tornado/Hurricane later) to beat NM Mephisto and host games with him and do glitched NM Andy and Meph Runs in the same game. I miss the days where I used to run glitch Baal or Mephisto games on Bnet or SP. Maybe I can find someone to run TCCP/IP Games with glitching. I hear there is a program or method around this, but I am not computer literate anymore in life, like I was during D2's earlier years when I knew how to set up all sorts of things and computers were easier for me. Now I am dumber than the average computer user, when it comes to new stuff.
I hear there is a program for multi instances and patch changing, but I tried the patch changer and I couldn't get it to work and had to start a 1.07 game on my Dad's laptop after he passed recently (RIP). I wish I would have went further back in classic D2, but I have a Sorc on the 1.07 verison on his laptop and haven't used it in awhile, I got bored of the game and when I found out that the two main items I was wanting for a classic throwback to my 1.09 Bnet Hydra/Thunderstorm Sorceress that WRECKED, were items that could only be obtained by running racks and I didn't want to do that.
I wanted to find a 1.07 Shako/Valor from monsters and finding specific racks seemed tedious! I have been thinking about upgrading the Sorceress to 1.08, which is what the ones online I had were from, but I know finding them from bosses are very slim, but still better than having no shot whatsoever. Also upgrading to 1.08 I think would take away some of the other things I was intrigued by, such as the elite max damage/life/resist charms.
It would be awesome if I could figure out how to at least multi instance on my computer and then at least be able to set up a version switcher on my dad's old computer, so I could find really cool rares from early classic only patches (1.00-1.06) and then finding some of the really cool collector's/elite items from 1.07 and 1.08, such as my two favorite items I ever had on my Hydra/TS Sorceress, 1.08 Valor/Shako, plus other items like the Valkry Helm, crazy charms, rings, rares and other items that I am missing from 1.07-1.058.
Hopefully one day I will figure it out lol. Thanks for putting up with the long post, that spanned over a few different topics. The main point was that I am scared of being lulled into a false sense of security and then getting blasted and losing it all in a second, although this makes it more exciting to get good items.
I do have a question about how close you have to be to a Nightmare Fire Enchanted Boss, for his death explosion to hit you? It doesn't seem to much damage at all to my Mercenary when he is fighting the Fire Enchanted Boss and kills him, even on players 8. At least not enough damage to see his health bar go down. How dangerous is the Nightmare Fire Enchanted Bug and how weary should I be of it loll?
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