Anything Goes D2 Lounge!

[ffs]

I’m playing mostly HC atm, and I am firmly in the "always vitality" camp . There’s just not enough upside vs all-vit even in HC and even for 2 HP per Vit classes. The only exception IMO is Paladin solely due to holy shield making it so easy.

Even with Stormshield I don’t go for it. For example my HC Pit Necro uses it but that’s really for the damage reduction. And I stand to lose a lot of stuff like Enigma and Infinity when playing, so it’s not like I yolo.

It would be different if the dex requirements for non-Paladin classes were more lenient, but the way it works no thanks. The risk of on the wrong side of the block roll a few times in a row, with incoming damage hitting your (much lower) HP bulb, would make me really uncomfortable in HC tbh.

 

[art_vandelay]

So this is the 3rd time this grave in the halls of pain has given me a damaged tiara this evening. Have these graves ever been investigated?

I wonder if they can behave somewhat like racks...

View attachment 70926

The graves that look like this are "regular chests". Look at p7/8 in 1.14d for a Zod pattern. I think there is one, but I might misremember. Note though that they are chests but they can't be locked, so only at most 4 items from them at any time.

 

[ziambe]

Ok thanks @art_vandelay

 

[art_vandelay]

And because I couldn't let it be I had to google my old post on that topic:

Friday the 13th strikes again - Item Find Thread - Mar 2020

Gambled on my lvl 68 untwinked teslot The AR struggle is real by the way

www.purediablo.com

I used to have a lot more time on my hands, that graphic took forever to make

 

[maxicek]

I swear there used to be a post or guide by @nightfish that explained max block and when to go max block and the EHP type benefits of max block vs going all vita. Does anyone remember something like this, possibly by another author? I thought it was on this website: https://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Guide:Fishymancer_v1.10,_by_Nightfish#Stat_Points_-_Target_Values - but I don't think it's on there unless it's in some section I'm not looking. It was a real good mathmatical writeup about block and how good it is. Anyone remember something like this?

It was in one of the old links threads, but it is an old link that is broken as it was to a post. I can't remember how to fix the post links:
https://www.diabloii.net/forums/showpost.php?p=4435975&postcount=2

Edit: Looks like this is the one @PhineasB posted.

I have huge respect for NF and he helped me a lot when I started. But you have to remember that he played in 1.10, hardcore, p1 only in Hell. I don't remember if he had a CtA, but his approach doesn't necessarily translate directly to how we play in a post 1.13 patch game.

 

[d2lover]

Should a CoA have 15% DR before you put 2 Ber in it?

Afaik it's capped at 50%, but still good more if AD over your head.

 

[maxicek]

Should a CoA have 15% DR before you put 2 Ber in it?

Afaik it's capped at 50%, but still good more if AD over your head.

For PvP yes, definately. CoA 2x Ber = 31%, Enigma = 8% for a total of 39%.
I don't really see this as a PvM item.

@maxicek on which char is undead crown the best in slot in lld?

versus all chars, not something like BvB

Edit: I assumed you meant Peasant Crown, not Undead.
I'm not really a LLD expert, but a very good circlet can beat this in most cases. They are just extremely rare.

 

[Dudzy]

I've been busy with work so haven't had a ton of time to play lately, though i finished hell on my sorc and will do a mat writeup at some point. Was wondering if its frowned upon to use a respec after finishing hell to change a characters build? Kinda thinking about just making her a blizz sorc now that the ancients are done as id rather just use her for meph and AT. Just didn't know if that's against the spirit of things or not. Will likely make another meterorb later, just think it fits the theme of the character better and i hate playing through the game with a single element.

 

[Helvete]

wondering if its frowned upon to use a respec after finishing hell to change a characters build?

No. Not since they made it part of the game with patch 1.13 a good decade ago. Some of us don't use it for certain characters, some of us use it all the time, some of us (well, one at least) will not rest until nothing clickable exists anywhere, but will not click that dialogue option ever. The only things frowned upon are clearly stated in the forum rules, which requires a re-read from time to time, even for veterans like myself.

 

[Babyhell]

@Dudzy well in any case, your fun is yours, and your efficiency is yours too. I mean, apart for trading or playing known and non-modded versions of the game (to keep it simple), there's no rules against...fun.

Just to take my personal case and avoid setting a(nother) rule set in stone for everyone here...I had and will have different kinds of journeys, due to tournaments, to the questing challenge, or to the necessity to have some specific kind of character available quickly (twinked javazon for RFL anyone?). My PitZerker had been and may likely be leveled up as a WWhirler if needed - to me his time is the one he is in the Pit afterall.

Also, my current AT runneress had been Mat'ed as pure Fire sorceress. That's just to give my own examples, my play, my rules - as long as they fit into the SPF ruling.

Just my two cents. A journey and a career are two things for a character IMO - or for specific tournament like Cause and effect one, where it is part of the journey to quest with the endgame leveling build.

 

[Cattleya]

I think of respecs along the same lines as something like twinked vs. untwinked. How (or if) you use them is a playstyle thing and should be based on what you find fun. (And doesn't have to be consistent from character to character either!)

 

[Dudzy]

Thanks, makes me feel better about it, i remember when there was no respecs and i think part of me still plays the game like there is none so i feel weird about using them. It is a nice QOL feature, just hard to break that habbit of having only one shot.

 

[d2lover]

Which claws can be of value?

for example, can greater claws be good as well?

 

[maxicek]

If only someone had written a guide about this….

Depends what you want to do with them, but I normally pick up rares.

White: GT, RT, FC
Magic: GT, RT
Rare: GC, FC, BT, GT, RT

 

[Kartongen]

If only someone had written a guide about this….

Depends what you want to do with them, but I normally pick up rares.

White: GT, RT, FC
Magic: GT, RT
Rare: GC, FC, BT, GT, RT

I'll add, to make your list more complete:

Set: SS

 

[Kartongen]

Accidental doublepost

 

[d2lover]

What is the perfect 1.08 jool for claw claw setup?

7 fhr
@
resis
resis
mana
life/-req

?

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I’m playing mostly HC atm, and I am firmly in the "always vitality" camp . There’s just not enough upside vs all-vit even in HC and even for 2 HP per Vit classes. The only exception IMO is Paladin solely due to holy shield making it so easy.

Even with Stormshield I don’t go for it. For example my HC Pit Necro uses it but that’s really for the damage reduction. And I stand to lose a lot of stuff like Enigma and Infinity when playing, so it’s not like I yolo.

It would be different if the dex requirements for non-Paladin classes were more lenient, but the way it works no thanks. The risk of on the wrong side of the block roll a few times in a row, with incoming damage hitting your (much lower) HP bulb, would make me really uncomfortable in HC tbh.

As someone that plays 100% HC and has for close to 20 years (gad, has it really been that long?), I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've said here. I'll add as well that for casters, you're more likely to get hit with elemental damage than physical (well, at least I'm more likely to since I'm not teleporting around all willy-nilly), and am I right in saying that stuff can't get blocked anyway?

On a different note, I was curious about shopping for items with charges on it - specifically either Howl or Terror. Are Howl charges even possible on wands? I'm presuming Terror charges are, but I'm open to being corrected on that. My untwinked Pally just reached LK, and I'd love to have something to help with LK runs. I used to run a barb firing off Howl whenever he needed, and really liked how it worked.

 

[Maltatai]

Terror charges are available on wands and daggers and shields, but no howl charges. The radius and duration of the terror charges are rather limited compard to howl so I think it would become tedious to use them for regular runs. A fun idea though, and it would be very interesting to see some godly shield of terror in use to scare away half of a minotaur pack or something like that.

Regarding blocking and vitality I would be nervous about trying to achieve high blocking at the expense of life, but I wouldn't write off a high dexterity investment and covering life with life charms and such rather than mainly vitality hard points. While the melee barbarian gets maximum value for his vitality the melee enchantress is probably better off investing hard points in strength and dexterity and looking for items with life rather than the other way around, for example.

One aspect that I find lacking in the very long discussion of blocking versus life, or rather dexterity versus vitality, is the role of damage reduction along with resistances. Even if a character has both high life and high blocking it won't be a good defense in some very crucial situations. And that might be compensated for by tactics and so on, but stuff like DR, PDR, MDR seem to suffer a prolonged neglect.

My own take on safety for a combat character without too much support from minions is that I would want about 1000 life and on top of that a sum of 150 of %blocking, DR, PDR/MDR or tens of life. For example 75% blocking+750 extra life or 50 PDR+50 DR + 50% blocking or any kind of fitting combination. And obviously some stuff is less useful for some characters - a skirmisher characters greatest defense is mobility so blocking is less useful since he or she needs to be running a lot, while PDR is extra useful since most fast and ranged enemies that can catch said skirmisher hit quickly but weakly.

To put it in proper perspective I'm also a paranoid hardcore player so this might be overdoing it in many cases, and I formulated the principle while playing an amazon without a mercenary.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Terror charges are available on wands and daggers and shields, but no howl charges. The radius and duration of the terror charges are rather limited compard to howl so I think it would become tedious to use them for regular runs. A fun idea though, and it would be very interesting to see some godly shield of terror in use to scare away half of a minotaur pack or something like that.

Thanks, Maltatai. I had a feeling Howl wasn't available. In the same vein, do wands and daggers come with Dim Vision charges? I'm wondering if either Terror or Dim Vision would be a viable alternative when doing LK runs?