Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

[dragon457]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

NF, you're the man. I think. I mean, you are, right?

I had never played a Necro, period, until you wrote up your first fishymancer guide way back when. Since then, it's become my favorite class. I've been hoping since 1.13 came out that we'd see an update to your guide, and here you are!

You're guides are always the best here, no matter the class. I've used them extensively for just about every character I've played. Please tell me you're going to continue the tradition with Diablo 3!?

 

[Nightfish]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Aw, shucks, thanks for the comments. Hearing from the people that benefited from the guides is what makes the time well spent for me.

It's not a huge update, though. Just a bit of polish and some formatting. But I like the "highlight" function the forum offers now. I think the guide as a whole is a bit easier on the eyes now.

D3... Hm... Maybe. We'll see. So far I'm on the fence about what I've seen. Some things look good, others might be real showstoppers for me. Recent game releases have made me wary. I'm probably going to check D3 out anyway, but I'm almost positive it won't grip me the way D2 has, because, let's face it: They don't make games like this anymore. But let me not hijack my own thread here... :badteeth:

 

[akiradiablo]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Killed Baal he he awesome ... got one question i entered nightmare and my resistances in the character screen are all showing in negative.. though i am having more than 40 nearly in all...

 

[OsyncO]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

I just had my first encounter with Duriel. I must have got a good map because I fought him very soon after leaving arcane sanctuary. When I went into his room I didn't realize he would be inside.

I was level 23 and wanted to level up and get decrepify before fighting him. But he went down the first time without it.

I was using a wand with CE and +3 bone spear. After using AD on him I used bone spear. I don't know how much that helped.

 

[Ladvarian]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Killed Baal he he awesome ... got one question i entered nightmare and my resistances in the character screen are all showing in negative.. though i am having more than 40 nearly in all...

Did you die recently? If so the Anya Quest bonus will disappear until you start another game. Check either by starting a new game or go back to Normal difficulty and check your resists there and compare them to Nightmare.

 

[akiradiablo]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

yeah i died from a minion which shot nova circle :-( you mean i again go in normal mode? Then what do i do after that? Again start in nightmare?

 

[Ladvarian]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Mis-understood myself the bug for resist scroll see here for the info:
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Resistance
"The Scroll of Resistance increases your base resistance level with 10 per use. Note that if you die this bonus will disappear until you join a new game. The Character Screen does not show this bug. For obvious reasons this is only a concern to Softcore Characters."

I play hc so that is why I never bothered to check for sure about the bug, sorry. Upon re-reading your response I realized it was not the bug, but a game 'feature' if you will. See below.

 

[Ladvarian]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Sorry I see where the confusion is from. Nightmare and Hell difficulty each have a penalty to resists. NM of -40 and Hell of -100. See link above in previous reply.

 

[akiradiablo]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

-.-40 that is too much :-O

 

[Nightfish]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Guys, none of this has anything to do with the guide. Just saying.

 

[pulli]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Guys, none of this has anything to do with the guide. Just saying.

keeping the guide on top?

Anyways: you should add something to beat the boredom with this char, as now my whole game is going to be like this:

-create skelletons in pindle farm-
-go to the pit/wsk-
-run into monsterpack-
-cast amplify damage in middle of the screen (lv 25 amp damage has huge range, middle of the screen means everything with a large buffer is amped already).
-wait 6-7 seconds before skelletons finally kill the first monster (they take long time of wandering around & won't focus)
-CE rest

-continue till next monsterpack


Would levelling bonespirit for the last 10 levels be clever so the "first target" goes down faster?
There are times when in tight stairs and stuff like that I have to unsummon about 6-8 skeletons before my merc can hit the group. That's frustratingly slow.

 

[Nightfish]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Anyways: you should add something to beat the boredom with this char, as now my whole game is going to be like this:

Eh, since when is it my job to make sure everyone in the world is entertained? :badteeth: Honestly, don't like the build, don't play the build. Easy as that. Different folks, different strokes.

What do you want me to do here? Recommend 10 things you can do while playing this build? Starting with reading a book and ending with the best porno to watch?

Seriously, there's about 10 builds in D2 I enjoy pretty much equally and this is one of them. Then there's dozens I find utterly boring to play. And guess what, I don't play those. Simple as that. Fun for me need not equal fun for you or vice versa. But I never claimed this would be epic fun for everyone, did I?

What's next? "I don't like Diablo 2, you should write guides for Pokemon, Pokemon is much more fun!". Sometimes I get the feeling certain people expect a little too much out of one guide. It can't cure cancer either, ya know? ... Or can it... ... No, ... No, I guess not.

 

[pulli]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Hey I was just joking around a bit, and am currently in some kind of "what now" feeling. (Being able to beat baal with only this character, yet noticing other characters are faster for almost any area).

 

[hubb]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

If you're a fairly high level and you've got enough +skills that you don't need more than one point in each of your curses I think Bone Armor synergies are worth a try. If your skellies and merc get stuck you can run ahead in between monsters while they pop up around you. It allows you to play more aggressively and be out in front in relative safety (max block and the FRW from Trang armour also helps) which speeds up your runs. Not something I'd try in HC and definitely not worth the points when untwinked, but otherwise it can work.

 

[onderduiker]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Two minor points:

9) Amp Damage: The most often used curse. Lowers physical resistance by 100%, which doubles the damage your skellies deal and increases the damage you do with CE by 50%.

Amplify Damage just doubles physical damage against Damage Resist 0% (200% vs 100%): it trebles it against DR 50% (150% vs 50%) and increases it five-fold against DR 75% (125% vs 25%). There's no need to go into detail, but it might be worth adding at least (particularly since the skill descriptions in the game misleadingly display Damage Taken: +100%).

Note the physical resistance affects CB and Baal starts with 50% PR. With Decrep you get him down to zero but with amp damage you get him down to -50%, which increases the damage CB does. But he may be easier to kill with Decrep because of the slow effect.

DR > 0% may decrease Crushing Blow damage, but DR < 0% does not increase it: Crushing Blow damage to Baal is the same regardless of whether Decrepify or AD is cast (although obviously physical damage will still be higher with AD than with Decrepify).

 

[Nightfish]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Amplify Damage just doubles physical damage against Damage Resist 0% (200% vs 100%): it trebles it against DR 50% (150% vs 50%) and increases it five-fold against DR 75% (125% vs 25%). There's no need to go into detail, but it might be worth adding at least (particularly since the skill descriptions in the game misleadingly display Damage Taken: +100%).

Yes, I know how this works. As a rule of thumb, this is good enough and I left it like this on purpose. On the CE damage against DR 50%, it only tripples the physical part. So, if you deal 2000 fire damage and 2000 physical against something you amped to -50% DR you'll actually deal 5000 damage. 2000 fire and 3000 physical (2000 x 1.5). If you didn't amp it, you'd deal 3000 damage. 2000 fire and 1000 physical (2000 x 0.5) . There is no need to be this detailed. If I went into detail there I'd have another half-page of text that does not add anything to the guide. Especially since I'd need to cover CE and Skellies / Merc separately. I prefer to err on the side of cauting here. Amp will never to *less* than I said here, if it does anything at all. I see this along the lines of claiming there's 50 french fries in my bag of chips and sometimes I'll give you 54. Who's gonna complain about that?

DR > 0% may decrease Crushing Blow damage, but DR < 0% does not increase it: Crushing Blow damage to Baal is the same regardless of whether Decrepify or AD is cast (although obviously physical damage will still be higher with AD than with Decrepify).

That's right and will be changed. Actually I don't undestand why this is still here as I distinctly remember editing this out before. RTB pointed this out to me ages ago and I was sure I edited the guide then. Maybe I didn't save it.

 

[onderduiker]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

There is no need to be this detailed.

I know there's no need to be this detailed, I already posted as much:

There's no need to go into detail, but it might be worth adding at least (particularly since the skill descriptions in the game misleadingly display Damage Taken: +100%).

What I meant by that was to change this:

9) Amp Damage: The most often used curse. Lowers physical resistance by 100%, which doubles the damage your skellies deal and increases the damage you do with CE by 50%.

... to this:

9) Amp Damage: The most often used curse. Lowers physical resistance by 100%, which [highlight]at least[/highlight] doubles the damage your skellies deal and increases the damage you do with CE by [highlight]at least[/highlight] 50%.

That's it. There's also no need to reinforce any misconceptions people already have based on the skill descriptions, particularly if it only takes four words to do so.

 

[OsyncO]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

My fishymancer got to Act 3 normal and I couldn't find the next area after the marsh. I was getting fed up so I decided to give fishymancer a break.

I started a meteorb. Some monsters which the fishymancer and friends handled with great ease are quite a challenge for the sorc.

This makes me appreciate how powerful the fishymancer build is and makes me feel like it might be time to take it through that darn marsh again.

 

[adamfishy]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

Rolling a fishymancer, hope they are good at mfing. Coming back to the game after a long hiatus.

 

[SabreWolfy]

Re: Fishymancer - Final Version (updated for 1.13)

@Nightfish: Thanks for the Fishymancer guide. I found the 1.10 version initially and then this updated one. All the talk of D3 has made be get back to playing some D2. I had a Necro in Act 3 Hell which I'd played when I first bought the game back in 2000. With the new 1.13 Respec possibilities now, I've respec'd him based on your guide.

I notice that you don't mention Bone Spirit anywhere. Your "gear" section mentions a wand, but I presume you are not playing melee? Do you just stand back and manage your armies? I used BS before and I've added it back after the Respec, but I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding BS and/or attack? I put RW "White" into a good wand for the added bonuses.

Also, I guess there is a trade-off with CE (which I've always max'd because it's a great skill) which uses up a corpse, and having corpses to raise/revive. I guess CE can be used to CREATE more corpses to raise/revive. I've always max'd it to get the increased radius.

I have an Act 1 hireling, but I think it's worth testing out the one you recommend from Act 2.