Anything Goes D2 Lounge!

@Arparrabiosa I think leaving the flawless gems that aren't priority for crafting on the ground when running LK is the way to go generally. The 1-5 vita points for Baal GCs of vita don't seem worth it for the time relative to chance of getting a 36-40 vita GC and other nice stuff if running LK instead of cubing. I would always pick up flawless amethysts, but I don't bother with blood rings. The exception for me was with early 99ers, but I eventually abandoned cubing with later ones because it was just as likely to get great GC from running and that also gave XP, which cubing doesn't.

The two exceptions are that I pick up all flawless when questing characters through, and cube up as I go. Cubing can give some nice stuff, as I just saw earlier today after cubing through the 100+ pgems I had accumulated after finishing a Druid in my Lesser Skills set:
Screenshot020.jpg
I also pick up all normal and flawless gems when doing tourneys, to cube GCs. But that's a distinct context and goal. I also already have some solid crafted gloves and belts for SC general play. Thought I'd share another perspective, in case helpful.
 
Thanks for you suggestions, guys.

9fjNxOY.png

Really?
 
My trav barb is making his way through Hell, and I need to finalize my plans for the build and I could use some input. I'm more focused on runes/charms/jewels, but I would like to clear the fat part of the curve and get 150% MF or so if I can manage it. I'm levlling Frenzy for the move speed but plan to respec into WW and Find Potion/Item for farming Trav.

For weapons, I've got a 36%/+377 Grief, and and Oath balrog blade in the off hand. I'd like to use Death, but since it can only be made in a slow sword base and has no IAS, it just imposes too many attack speed requirements if I'm understanding the 2.4+ calculator right (https://warren1001.github.io/IAS_Calculator/). Grief/Oath hits 4 frames with just the gloves I want anyway, and has some room to get hit with a Holy Freeze and not drop wto glacially slow with just a little bit of extra IAS. The only other pieces I'm set on are an Arreat's Face and the Laying of Hands. After that, I could use some help.

Because of a random Cham drop, I COULD put that in the helm to get CBF with no other gear slots used up, but that doesn't sound as fun as making Doom or Plague or something some day. Armor wise, I'm short of Enigma and don't have Fortitude. I CAN use my only Ber to make Chains of Honor which is AMAZING for this purpose...but if a Jah drops I might regret it immediately. So far I'm leaning towards:


W1: Grief
W2: eth Oath Balrog Blade
Switch: Dual Echoing or Ali Baba
Helm: Arreats (socket unclear - Cham/Ist/Um/IAS with res all available)
Armor: Chains of Honor Kraken Shell (I should use my sup 4 OS archon plate but....fashion counts)
Gloves: Laying of Hands
Belt: Trang's for CBF
Boots: no idea - Gore's for damage, War Travs, maybe Nat's for resists and max movespeed?
Amulet: either Highlord's or the best I can gamble with tele charges (currently a 6% LL/4% ML with charges). I'd like Metalgrid for the AR but don't have one
Rings: best mana leech or dual leech I can get, maybe a dwarf star or nagel for the other?
Charms: 19% anni, gheed's, Steel GC (I've got a decent selection of two mod steel charms) and assorted sharp/fine and resist SCs

Merc: A2 Might merc. Reapers Toll (non-eth). I've got a low roll Kira's but no Guardian Angel so I'm not quite sure what to do there.

I'm not super satisfied with it no matter how you slice it, even if I do burn the Ber run for the nice armor (and I'd love to find a decent alternative here too - I considered stuffing the sockets in a Black Hades or Gris Heat, but....meh). I'm worried I'll be way short on AR, and that the merc with die A LOT without GA, even if I do tele him in with me. Is this a solid plan, or are there some obvious alternatives I'm not thinking of? Would just going sword/shield make sense, or does it just cut the damage too much even without a second Grief?
 
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@Coyote_Sly I don't have a lot of answers, but maybe a couple of ideas.

CBF is one thing I don't worry about too much with WW. It slows your movement speed but not your WW speed I believe, so in effect you can get more hits in on targets due to slower moving speed when frozen.

For rings, dwarf star negates a lot of hydra damage from the council. Manald heal is also good for mana regen and steal.

Angelic ring and amulet are excellent for AR, and I've gotten a number of them from the Trav council (along with lots of other good jewelry).

I've never had consistent luck keeping the merc alive in Trav until he got pretty high in level, but I still haven't found guardian angel. Even with treachery, fortitude, reaper's, vamp gaze, Andy's, tal's, etc. and maxed resists it's usually a crap shoot for me unless I give him potions until he's pretty high on the level chart or I can take the council out very quickly.

Good luck!
 
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I've never regretted spending my first Ber on Chains of Honor. The +65 to reists frees up so much space for small charms and with Laying of Hands you have 550% damage to demons. Though if your luck is anything like mine you your right that you will immediately find a Jah for Engima!

I've never had a problem with the council's Hydras as long as I had 75% fire resist with either my Frenzy barb or my Wolfbarb.

Have you really looked at the bonuses that you get from wearing 3 pieces of the IK set (Boots, Belt and gloves) I'd still go with Arreat's over the IK helm, but 4 IK items gives you 10% life leach.
 
I thought about stacking IK gear, too. I also realized I can toss ED jewels into one of the socketed armors, so I'm going to try that with Black Hades (~160 ED/to demons for me with trash jewels) and then make CoH if I don't love that.

It's cheap and looks super cool, so why not. CoH will still be there.
 
I'm thinking about options for characters just looking to get resistances from a shield and not worrying about block.

The following come to mind:
57 all res - 3 PDiamond Large Shield (34 Str)
50-70 all res - Sanctuary Runeword (KoKoMal)
63 all res - 2 PDiamond Moser's Circle
49-69 all res - PDiamond The Ward Shield
76 all res - 4 PDiamond Monarch (156 str)
88 all res - 4 Um Monarch, though I doubt anyone wants to spend 4 Ums this way. But just to give a reference point of what's possible in a white shield.

Auric Shields - Even a 24 all res Paladin Shield will hit 100 with 4 P Diamonds. You could even do more expensive options like:
90-115 all res - Sanctuary in 45 all res Auric Shield
133 all res - 45 res all 4 Um Auric Shield, though again, I doubt anyone is sticking 4 Ums in a shield.
Heck, even "Rhyme" can hit 70 all res in a +45 shield and that gets you CBF.

In light of all this, Moser's seems like a really impressive option and Sanctuary seems a bit steep for a Mal, though maybe if you're looking for block or wanting to have some fun with Slow Missiles. I'm curious if there are any other good discount options I'm missing here. I use Moser's a lot just to get a character through Hell. Some of these options could also be worth looking into for a Paladin looking to run the Ubers on budget gear... pretty sure I saw @ffs using a 4 PDiamond auric shield to that end, and looking at the sheer numbers, it's pretty hard to argue with. Definitely a lot of bang for the buck.
 
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I'm thinking about options for characters just looking to get resistances from a shield and not worrying about block.

The following come to mind:
57 all res - 3 PDiamond Large Shield (34 Str)
50-70 all res - Sanctuary Runeword (KoKoMal)
63 all res - 2 PDiamond Moser's Circle
49-69 all res - PDiamond The Ward Shield
76 all res - 4 PDiamond Monarch (156 str)
88 all res - 4 Um Monarch, though I doubt anyone wants to spend 4 Ums this way. But just to give a reference point of what's possible in a white shield.

Auric Shields - Even a 24 all res Paladin Shield will hit 100 with 4 P Diamonds. You could even do more expensive options like:
90-115 all res - Sanctuary in 45 all res Auric Shield
133 all res - 45 res all 4 Um Auric Shield, though again, I doubt anyone is sticking 4 Ums in a shield.
Heck, even "Rhyme" can hit 70 all res in a +45 shield and that gets you CBF.

In light of all this, Moser's seems like a really impressive option and Sanctuary seems a bit steep for a Mal, though maybe if you're looking for block or wanting to have some fun with Slow Missiles. I'm curious if there are any other good discount options I'm missing here. I use Moser's a lot just to get a character through Hell. Some of these options could also be worth looking into for a Paladin looking to run the Ubers on budget gear... pretty sure I saw @ffs using a 4 PDiamond auric shield to that end, and looking at the sheer numbers, it's pretty hard to argue with. Definitely a lot of bang for the buck.
Me, just making Ancient's Pledge and calling it a day:

72790592.jpg


BTW minor nitpick, but I'd use a kite shield over a large shield for the 3 PD version, if I would care to make one to start with. Even with a higher STR req, it is better for movement speed.
 
Oh yeah, don’t know how I blanked on Ancient’s Pledge. I use that all the time. And good point about large shield…

I don’t ever actually use most of those options, was just sort of thinking aloud because I’ve seen some build guides like an Uber kicksin use Sanctuary as an endgame shield simply for resists and it doesn’t seem quite the best option unless you reroll and get a really good roll.
 
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I have a few questions about the Furyzon / Javazon build, as this doesn't seem to be as cookie-cutter as some other builds like Pit Zerker, and a lot of the online guides don't seem so great in my opinion.

1. Is there a consensus on a good IAS to try to hit? I've seen a range looking through RFL competitors and Mat threads.
2. This leads to the next question: what to socket in the Griffon's? IAS jewel or lightning facet. (Don't think I want to spend a Cham on it.)
3. Does anyone ever use a "Phoenix" shield for comfort? In the absence of a 1.07 MPK ring, that *seems* like it could almost make mana a non-issue. Something like "Phoenix" on main with CtA/Spirit on Switch and a ring to hit the 68% FCR breakpoint with Griffon's for teleporting? Or is it better just to stick with something like Silkweave and use some pots every once in a while?
 
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Thanks! That looks like a good MF focused option. I'm curious if there is a similar guide for rune finding, e.g. running Cows, that ignores MF.

EDIT: Of course! I forgot @ffs thread that I had bookmarked, which features Javazon builds for Cows, etc. I think I'm good to go!
 
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I think those are two great guides/references. I think it’s not straight cookie cutter because there is min-maxing available based on target, and also comfort and convenience trade offs. All that said, I would highly endorse the Cham’ed Griffons. It provides a lot of flexibility elsewhere and is quite versatile across targets. But an IAS/mpk jewel also seems like it would provide similar, but different, flexibility. Im hoping to find second IAS/mpk jewel to stick in a Griffons if/when I roll a 2/19+ caster ammy, as another option.
 
1. Is there a consensus on a good IAS to try to hit? I've seen a range looking through RFL competitors and Mat threads.

It's either 30, 52 or 89 with Titan's Revenge/Lightning fury for areas like Cows or Arcane Sanctuary or 26, 50 or 95 with Tunderstroke/Charged Strike for boss killing like Pindle or Ubers. Depends on what are you trying to achieve, really. MF builds tend to make some compromises and will go for the mid—lower ends of that spectrum.

what to socket in the Griffon's? IAS jewel or lightning facet

For me, it's quite simple: 100% rainbow facet. I only have one Griffon's Eye, and it's shared with my lightning sorc, so it's a no-brainer. I'd go for the Cham route if I had a second one, though.

Does anyone ever use a "Phoenix" shield for comfort? In the absence of a 1.07 MPK ring, that *seems* like it could almost make mana a non-issue. Something like "Phoenix" on main with CtA/Spirit on Switch and a ring to hit the 68% FCR breakpoint with Griffon's for teleporting? Or is it better just to stick with something like Silkweave and use some pots every once in a while?

I've tried and used both. And yes, Phoenix is a definite solution for your mana for dense area farming, much like a mpk ring does (mine is 27). 68% FCR is good enough for teleporting around in Enigma, but Amazon's casting frames are atrocious anyway. I tend to run a lot more when I'm playing amazon. Note that you will stack a lot of FRW inadvertently: 30 from Tiran's, 45 from Enigma and 25 from War Travelers makes 100, so you will move around really fast. I have gone as low as 48% FCR and teleport only to jump around corners in maze-like areas if needed.
 
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@BBS_Agonistes as @PhineasB said, Javazon setup depends largely on the target. Most of those happen to be areas where resists/other defensive stats are not that relevant, and IMO it makes sense to focus on mobility and damage output. Main areas where she excels are cows, Pit or AS on high player settings. There is also Baal or perhaps even CS, but there are better suited chars to run those and I'd say only Baal for leveling her is another relevant target. For cows/Pit/AS it's all about speed, and I personally swear by 99 FCR, and for that Cham'ed Griffon's is ideal. But this also requires a high FCR craft amulet and decent FCR rings.

My impression is most players are perfectly happy with 68 FCR. I also went for that e.g. for Baal runs, using IAS/MPK jewel in Griffon's mostly. Faceted Griffon's also works, but leaves little room for jewelry options (Highlord's is needed for IAS, Raven for CNBF and FCR from remaining ring slot). All that assuming Titan's, IAS/Java gloves and Razortail.

Worth noting that I found using Arach and maxing Pierce (to compensate for dropping Razortail) was really fine as well. Yes damage is lower, but with Griffon's, Infinity Merc and a bunch of skillers, Java damage is really high in any case so it's not felt that much.
 
Thanks for all the input! That's super helpful. As I'm mostly thinking of hitting Cows with her, with my current stashes I've decided to go with the following:

Griffon's 'IAS jewel'
Main: Titan's / Spirit
Switch: CtA / 35 FCR Spirit
Enigma
Highlord's Wrath
Ravenfrost
10 FCR Ring
Silkweave
Razortail
3+ Jav gloves

This setup will let me hit the 68 FCR and 32 IAS breakpoints without spending any facets or Chams, which I will save up until I've crafted and shopped the requisite items (+2 / FCR amulet, +3 / 20 IAS gloves, etc.) for one of the more optimized setups. That 99% FCR variant is super juicy.
 
Your setup is perfectly fine so until you can improve it don't worry about it. Any setup will get you through the Cows, the main thing is how many Player Settings you can handle just as fast.

Mana can be indeed a real problem so make sure your FCR Ring has Mana Steal. Also, with your current gloves I would rather go with a +2 Java with preferably more mana steal. Cta is important for more Mana and Merc Survivability.

You haven't mentioned your Merc but I am assuming you have Infinity. All you care about is to keep him alive to maintain that Conviction Aura running so ignore any offessive gear. Shaftstop and Vampire Gaze for the Damage reduction along with the constant buff of Cta is working perfectly fine for me at P7.
 
Your setup is perfectly fine so until you can improve it don't worry about it. Any setup will get you through the Cows, the main thing is how many Player Settings you can handle just as fast.

Mana can be indeed a real problem so make sure your FCR Ring has Mana Steal. Also, with your current gloves I would rather go with a +2 Java with preferably more mana steal. Cta is important for more Mana and Merc Survivability.

You haven't mentioned your Merc but I am assuming you have Infinity. All you care about is to keep him alive to maintain that Conviction Aura running so ignore any offessive gear. Shaftstop and Vampire Gaze for the Damage reduction along with the constant buff of Cta is working perfectly fine for me at P7.
Thank you! Yes, the last time I ran Cows I think I had Vampire Gaze / Treachery / Infinity, but I will give Shaftstop a try as well--hadn't thought of that. He was my main complaint: he'd get a bit squishy at higher p settings to say the least. I was running without Enigma then, so I couldn't reposition him, so hopefully this set up will be much more profitable!
 
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