Golemancer Attempt No.1

The Canyon of the Magi

Balboa's team arrived at the Canyon Waypoint and set to work. In the blink of an eye, the situation became desperate. An overwhelming tide of Crushers beasts, the likes of which I've never before seen, washed over Rusty, completely submerging him. As if that wasn't bad enough, more Crushers fell upon the team from the North and East. In all honesty, I thought our number was up. (No chance of a screenie when things were at their worst, I'm afraid!)
Balboa thought fast and started spamming Terror at the milling bands of monsters. Running and dodging between the hulking beasts, only to run into yet more monsters, it occurred to Balboa that he would not escape this. The Waypoint was completely over-run and unusable. Balboa and his team would have been instantly slain had he attempted a Portal. In the end, Balboa simply ran blindly to the South and East.
Incredibly we outran the pursuit and, in a brief moment of relative safety, a Portal was cast. Not a moment too soon, Soul Harvest Rusty was at the end of his endurance.
Rusty was repaired at Fara's and we gave thought to how we were going to regain the Canyon. The Portal was by now completely surrounded, but Balboa reasoned that the Waypoint may be clear, or relatively so. This turned out to be a good call. With the marauding bands of monsters spread out along the line of Balboa's blind panic flight, we returned unmolested to the Canyon. We happened upon one of the Crusher bosses, alone and unguarded, and made quick work of him. One creature at a time, or in small groups, Balboa took ownership of the Canyon - an outcome that looked very unlikely at the start of the day.
After such an epic battle, we could only wonder at the reception we would get in the Tombs. The answers that came made us somewhat uncomfortable.
There was worse, much worse to come. Two bosses, working in concert and with a veritable army in support, blocked the way through the first of the false tombs. It took an age to tease the skeletons out from the influence of the Unraveler. Ultimately, the two stood alone, the MSFE Unraveler and the Stone Skin Extra Fast Ghoul Lord. Shriven of their support, they were slain like all the rest. No long after, an MSCE Unraveler boss went the way of his predecessors.

The second false tomb had an important resident with some fearsome capabilities. Balboa was glad that his curses were able to turn Kaa's own servants against him. Sorely weakened, the Ancient Unraveler fell to Rusty and Aliza in no time at all.
More dangerous by far were Kaa's lieutenants - three Champions and a Possessed Unraveler. In the longest battle yet, hordes of skeletons and mummies were drawn away from the four brothers and slain - time and time again we led the underlings down the hallway to their doom. When finally the last skeleton safely out of the way, there was still the not inconsiderable task of dealing with the four Unravelers themselves. One by one they fell.

With five more tombs to clear, and Duriel himself waiting, Balboa announced that they had done enough for one day. I certainly wasn't going to argue.

Stats
114 Stat points and one Skill point spare. I will be hoarding Skill points if possible as I need to assess whether points now need to be used for Curses or for Golems. We'll see.
The first Tomb claimed the Soul Harvest Rusty - once again I wasn't careful enough. I really need to use TP, instead of retreating and trusting that Rusty will follow, when removing the golem from a deadly situation. As a temporary replacement, I used a blue Voulge I'd found but then a really nice Unique Brandistock dropped into my lap - Bloodthief. 35% OW and 9%LL, plus some ED. Oh, yes. I will try to look after this Rusty!
The battles today have been long and hard - patience is key to this build, but it also requires quick decisions in the heat of battle regarding curses and placement of golem and merc. Lacking an over-powering ability to kill, guile and tactical play are needed. I am learning the extent to which Rusty can be risked before pulling him out of a battle. Some mistakes have meant the loss of a useful Iron Golem on more than one occasion, but learning the limits is a necessary process.
It's still awesome fun - and it's still /Players 8!

Some answers
@sirwhere - I haven't included LR in my skill plan. I don't yet know whether this is a mistake,
As for Malice's life drain, Rusty's regen more than compensates for any loss of life (if he is in fact losing life in the first place!). He always tops up his life bulb, assuming he isn't being beaten up by the purple uglies.

Slayer GumbyBalboa - Level 59, Act 2 Nightmare, Canyon of the Magi (The third false tomb)
 
Strength in Depth

At daybreak, Balboa and his team made their way to the last of the false tombs, in search of the true resting place of Tal Rasha.
Aliza was finding it harder now to slay the monsters we met. Balboa couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding at the thought of the encounters to come. On the other hand, Bloodthief Rusty was impressive and Balboa was quietly confident of the golem's ability.
A game of tag with a pack of Champion Ghoul Lords left one tomb's paving stones slippery with gore. Balboa found an answer to Aliza's irritating habit of knocking creatures out of the room. The knockback effect is a mixed blessing and Rusty was often exposed to additional hazard when chasing Aliza's victims.

The penultimate tomb gave Balboa one of his biggest shocks to date - it was nearly, but not quite a stairtrap. An incredibly powerful Gorebelly bosspack crashed upon the party like the side of a mountain. Rusty was sent spinning, nearly slain in an instant. Balboa created an emergency portal and got his team out ... but Rusty didn't arrive with him at Lut Gholein. The transition through the portal must have been too much for the sliver of life the golem had been left with. Cursing with frustration, and badly shaken by the speed with which his team had been rendered helpless, Balboa created a Clay Golem as he could conceive of no other summoning at his disposal that could stand against this over-mastering foe.
Returning to the tomb, the Gumby was surrounded but the Gorebellies were crafty as well as strong. At least two of their number always ignored the golem and charged the humans. Balboa was chased around the stairs in circles - it was fortunate indeed that the corridor formed a square around the stairway structure so that he didn't have to run blindly into unexplored territory. At each circuit, Balboa dashed past the mob that surrounded Gumby, dodging their blows as he passed. A long last, Aliza was able to make her shafts count, and Balboa's team slowly gained the upper hand. Gumby's ability to tank this crew was nothing short of amazing!
This particular tomb was teeming with Gorebellies - we'd hardly got our breath back when another bosspack appeared. Fortunately, our position this time was defensible and our dignity was somewhat restored. After all that, we were ready for anything.

Fatigue was gnawing at our muscles when we found the last, true tomb. The battles we had survived already were worthy of song, yet here we were with the biggest challenge yet ahead of us. Balboa dismissed Gumby and prepared a Steel Rusty. This wasn't our most powerful option, but it would do until we found Tal Rasha's chamber, at least. In the course of the search, Balboa discovered something odd - Mummy Sarcophagi are not immune to the open wounds left by Rusty. We watched the spectacle for time, fascinated.

The culmination of our search came before we truly felt ready for it. Tal Rasha's chamber was before us so Balboa put his final preparations in place. Steel Rusty was dismissed and replaced with Strength Rusty. A second Strength weapon, a War Spear, was placed in the stash in readiness for ... what? Aliza looked questioningly at Balboa, who simply shook his head. Potions blue and red were purchased and purple pots readied in our belts. We portalled back to the chamber ... and squeezed our way into the hidden room that had been opened up with the Horadric staff ... and walked straight into disaster.

Duriel was there. Shrugging off the effects of the Decripify cast by Balboa, he hurled his attack at Rusty. Aliza, having seen Balboa's elaborate preparation and knowing the importance of the golem, hurled herself at Duriel. Balboa, caught off-guard by this insane, yet selfless act, watched helplessly as the mercenary was slain. Raging, he cast a portal and ran through it.
Back in town, Balboa played his final card for this phase of the campaign. A desert mercenary, whose special ability was Holy Freeze, was hired and equipped with the armour and helm formally worn by Aliza, plus the Strength War Spear that Balboa had prepared with almost prescient foresight.
We returned to the hidden room and engaged Duriel. By decrepifying the demon and using pots on the merc, we started to hurt the giant bug. Many times, either the new merc, Pratham, or Rusty were close to death. Balboa lost count of the number of times he had to portal back to Lut Gholein to regroup. The battle raged long and hard, but we gained the upper hand and slew Aliza's Bane in the end. It wasn't pretty, but we'd won. Alas, Duriel's treasures were mediocre.

It was a bruised and bloodied necromancer and his team that spoke to Tyrael, Jerhyn and Meshif, and who later travelled into the East.

Stats and Talk
Stats unused = 94 I had allocated 25 to Vitality but in all honesty they weren't needed. Kurast Jungle ... that's another matter though.
Skills unused = 2 The temptation to throw points at a golem skill is strong, but I may need to boost DV very soon.

My Act2 merc is level 56, appreciably under-powered. I hope I can rectify this without resorting to re-runs!

I'm out of Amn runes, but I have enough Thuls and Orts to make one more - if I need another Strength runeword. I'll keep the Act 2 merc for a while, so I have a secure access to CB. I also have the Humungous Giant Axe still, which I am saving for an emergency. I have the runes for another Malice now, so happy days! The procession of buff Rustys and the frequency I lose them with is slightly sobering, so I am really, really pleased that the Rusty I took on Duriel with survived.
This was one long, hard slog. I remember now why Act 2 is not my favourite.

Some Answers
@defensiveunit - not true! A genius wouldn't be playing a golemancer! At /players8! :laughing:

Slayer GumbyBalboa - Level 60, Act 3 Nightmare, Kurast Docks
 
Spiders and such ...

Balboa insisted upon a last minute shopping spree in Lut Gholein before we sailed East. He was clearly pre-occupied with something but his joy as he stepped out of Drognan's shop was plain on his face. I was shown two Bone Wands - but what was wrong with his existing ones? However, the Torch of Iro was put into storage and the other wand he used for raising Golems was sold.

Kurast Docks is a dank, depressing place. Once our business is done here, for good or ill, I won't miss it. Balboa set about making contact with the local notables, showing his face and such. At the break of the next day, we set foot in the so-called Spider Jungle. We immediately encountered a stranger, but he seemed to disappear at the same time that we were attacked by some slug-like creatures. Puzzling.

It wasn't very long before we discovered the entrance to the Spider Cavern. Poor Pratham spent virtually the entire time underground in a poisoned state, whereas Strength Rusty seemed immune to the spider's toxic bite. We settled into a comfortable routine, but a rude shock very soon shook us to the core. Sszark the Burning, a flame spider of puissance and enormous power, was just too strong. Even when we had separated him from his retinue, Pratham simply could not stand against him and Rusty could not hope to prevail alone. It took several trips back via a portal to revive the stricken mercenary before we were finally victorious. Pratham's inexperience was perhaps the greatest factor here, although he seemed to grow in stature in the encounters to come. But I digress ...

Once again under the open, if overcast, sky, we were attacked by a large number of Cloud Stalkers. The encounter wouldn't have been memorable, but for one of the treasures left behind ...
Another underground lair was soon located, next to a Waypoint. Although still hazardous, it was nowhere near as dangerous as the previous hole in the ground.

Deeper into the jungle, we were accosted by ever larger swarms of 'Stalkers, accompanied often by mosquitoes of enormous size. We soon encountered a great marsh, which was inhabited by some very unfriendly creatures. Had it not been for Balboa's Dim Vision curses (augmented, apparently, by one of his recent purchases), we may well have been routed or even slain. Having found a Waypoint in the Great Marsh, Balboa called for a halt and a rest.

Stats and Tactics
94 Stats and 2 Skill points unspent - still waiting to see how to spend these. The life pool is over 600, including Charms.
The two Bone Wands! Pre-buff with +3 Summoning skills (replaces my +3 GM, +2 CG wand) and a +2 Necro skills with additional +1 Attract (replaces my Torch of Iro). Colour me chuffed to nuts! :grin:
The merc levelled from 56 to 60 in no time at all, it just took the two Spider holes and the Spider Forest. It helps a lot. Both the merc and the golem have CB ability, but I'm worried that Rusty's AR is getting too low to be effective. More points in CG may be required - more demand on Skill points :undecided: .
I have a very nice rare Lochaber Axe that looks a possibility for the merc - 11-122 damage plus 13-38 Cold over 2 seconds. Trouble is, its too slow. I have a Steel and a Malice weapon available to replace Rusty, when he inevitably dies. I also found another Amn rune, so another Strength weapon is possible.
So good, so far, in spite of Sszark's best efforts!

Slayer GumbyBalboa - Level 60, Act 3 Nightmare, The Great Marsh
 
Quick Update

Just a quick note of progress through the Spider Forest and Flayer Jungle. A bit of backtracking through the Marsh and the Forest was required to get to the Flayer Jungle. From the Great Marsh WP, the reception was hot - an Extra Fast Mana Burn Bramble Hulk and his crew, plus this nasty. The 'Hulks were so strong that Balboa had to forego his AmpDam and Attract curses in favour of Decrepify. It was seriously touch and go for Pratham and Balboa, but too much indeed for Strength Rusty. A trip back to the 'Docks enabled Balboa to create another Malice Rusty - the odd thing is that this version proved to be a far more capable killer than his predecessor. We all enjoy watching the Open Wounds in action, too, so it's all good.

Standing between the bands of Fetishes and Gloams, and our deaths, there was only Balboa's Dim Vision, which became the utility skill in the jungle. Here is more and yet more Gloams for those who like looking at them in safety. :wink3: Vast numbers of Soul Killers, Fetishes and the like were tamed with this incredibly useful skill.
Another surprising rune drop was found on the ground. Other notable finds were a Warcries skiller GC with +5 dex, a +1 Necro skills amulet :grin: and an Infernal Torch Grim Wand :rolleyes:

Dim Vision didn't work against everything, of course, but my goodness it was useful! A tough campaign had led us to the Flayer Jungle Waypoint, so we can be pleased with today's progress, I feel.

Stats
99 Stats and 3 Skills unused. Best resists are: F78, C25, L80, P80
We like our Malice Rusty! :grin:

That'll do for now.

ps. Dim Vision pwns.

Slayer GumbyBalboa - Level 61, Act 3 Nightmare, The Flayer Jungle
 
I use Confuse to take the heat off the merc and golem when they are in the middle of a crowd of melee creatures that can really damage them. DV isn't as useful in such cases as it doesn't stop the attacks if the monsters are up close and personal.

DV is great for stopping ranged attacks and for holding monsters in place - Leapers and Fetish are prime candidates for this. It saves my troops from having to run around after them, getting out of position and then exposing me to counter-attack!

Two incredibly useful skills, for slightly different situations.
 
impresive still going on... nice:thumbsup: i see u change ur merc i think it's good idea and good move... good luck man :thumbsup:

btw what stuff u use now??
i play necro too but on 1.09 :prop: today is ladder reset maybe a new patch too we will see what blizz make for us...

Greet Sivy
 
I finally managed to get 'up to date' and finish reading Balboa's adventures so far, and I have to say, nice storytelling, keep it up! Already looking forward to seeing a Patriarch GumbyBalboa screenie :wink3:

Also, I noticed you have a point in bone wall... any reason why you aren't using it as an additional means of crowd control?
 
kcos said:
I finally managed to get 'up to date' and finish reading Balboa's adventures so far, and I have to say, nice storytelling, keep it up! Already looking forward to seeing a Patriarch GumbyBalboa screenie :wink3:

Also, I noticed you have a point in bone wall... any reason why you aren't using it as an additional means of crowd control?
Click to expand...

He has before. GumbyBalboa casted it behind some mobs back when he had knockback to keep himself from having to chase them.



 
@Sivy - good to hear from you! Thanks for the encouragement. Hurry up and get that Elemancer in action again. :grin:
I was reluctant to use an Act 2 merc - he is the most powerful of the mercs, IMO, and I didn't want people to think that he is the only source of killing power I have. The Rogue is a useful utility merc that complemented the Golem in many ways. Alas, I think she is just too fragile in a Golemancer setup.
I've compromised on my choice of Act 2 merc. The Holy Freeze is helpful, but the Golem is still a roughly equal partner in the killing stakes. Well, very roughly!
My gear? Currently:
Wormskull
Amulet +1 Necro skills
Darkglow Ring Mail
Rare Gloves (+2 Dex, Lit Res +29%, Cold Res +16%, Psn Res +8%, MF +10%, Half Freeze Duration)
Nightsmoke Belt
Rare Boots (+1 Dex, Fire Res +8%, Psn Res +5%, +2 Light Rad, +10% FHR, Repair 1 dur in 33 sec)
Viper Finger Ring (+14 Life, +26 AR, Lit Res +22%, Psn Res +11%, Replenish Life +5, L1 Telekinesis 22 Charges)
Shadow Grasp Ring (+22 AR, Fire Res +25%, Lit Res +10%)
Switch 1
Bone Wand +3 Summoning; Zombie Head +2 GM (pre-buff gear)
Switch 2
Bone Wand +2 Necro skills, +1 Attract; Preserved Head +3 DV, +2 BA, 2 soc (chipped emeralds, possibly to be upgraded soon as I have a Hel rune now)

The wands and heads are really, really useful to this build, I've been very lucky with them. Both wands were purchased from NM Drognan.

@kcos - thank you. Don't hold your breath for a Patriarch - I have my doubts, but I'll give it my very best. The BW is an occasionally used utility spell, and it also adds a little to my BA. I use BA as an early warning system - I often see damage to the armour more easily then I'll see my life bulb emptying, if the on-screen action is hectic.

@Gluttony - that's right. It's a useful little skill. I'd love to put more points into BW, for the BA synergy, but the skill plan won't allow for it.
 
Underground and Overground

Balboa had heard of a couple of underground labyrinths hidden in the Flayer Jungle and resolved to cleanse them of any evil creatures infesting them.
The approach to the Flayer Dungeon was well guarded - the enormous Bramble Hulks proved a handful for Strength Rusty and Pratham. Amp Damage and Attract gave the two fighters the edge they needed.
Once in the Dungeon itself, Balboa's curses foiled countless Fetish ambushes. Merc and golem were able to go about their business in relative safety. When the boss of the Dungeon himself came forward to challenge us, he was able to put up very little resistance.
The Swampy Pit was right next to the Flayer Jungle Waypoint. Aside for the presence of Gloams, there was little to trouble us. One particular Gloam was a little difficult to track down but once caught between merc and golem, there was no doubt who would prevail.
Balboa wanted to secure Lower Kurast before the end of the day - we ended up almost nonchalantly strolling through ravaged dwellings, slaying Tree Creepers and Doom Apes at will. It was almost too easy.

Stats and Talk
104 Stats and 4 Skill points saved
A change of footwear for Balboa:
Heavy Boots: Lit Res +34%, 20% FR/W, 12% CTC L4 Nova when struck, Repairs 1 dur in 20 sec.
I was concerned about the Flayer Dungeon, but I needn't have worried, there were no dramas. LK was a joke - I had to check that I was still in NM mode, I thought maybe I'd gone back to Normal difficulty!
However, Travincal will cure me of any over-confidence :grin:

And in reply ...
@Garion - my previous necro found a Wormskull early on and has two or three now. I almost feel it's my right to find one! :grin: The Nightsmoke was a peach of a find, I'm very pleased with it. I've had some great drops and finds.

Slayer GumbyBalboa - Level 62, Act 3 Nightmare, Kurast Bazaar
 
yes i agree act 2 merc is most powerful... great dmg, nice killing speed and aura ofc and gear is easy to complet for him...
cool man nice heads u found and few low level uniq but very nice for ur build great stuff... great luck to u...
:wave:

Greet Sivy

btw. yeah maybe my necro will be back soon but hmm now i don't have lots time to play... damn it i'm must learning to examinations... crap :undecided:
 
eheh.. lol

well, with a golem only you should perhaps use players 8 only on normal. Then drop to players 4 on nightmare and players 1 on hell.

Hell players 8 will probably take too long to kill stuff and the point is to have fun, not sleeping on top of the keyboard :)
 
sirwhere said:
eheh.. lol

well, with a golem only you should perhaps use players 8 only on normal. Then drop to players 4 on nightmare and players 1 on hell.

Hell players 8 will probably take too long to kill stuff and the point is to have fun, not sleeping on top of the keyboard :)
Click to expand...

He's already on act 3 with player's 8. I think he's doing rather well. I, as well as others, have always believed it to be impossible with patch 1.11 to defeat hell difficulty with a golemmancer but if he beats nightmare on player 8 and is forced to do hell on player 1. I'm sure it's quite doable.



 
Still reading & enjoying. Are you going to try Hell as well?

I hope that by the end you'll give us some tips how to use Golems.
Just a quick question for the new ladder season: Do you think that it's a good idea to use a Golem for my fishymancer (max RS, SM, CE), instead of mages? How would you invest about 30 skill points; Golem Mastery and Iron Golem?
 
Thanks, Ed from Russia. Hell is the ultimate goal for Balboa, but how he'll fare, and at what /players setting, is anyone's guess.
If I learn anything about using golem's, I'll pass it on! :grin:

For a Fishymancer, 1 point CG and GM is all you want or need, IMO. IG isn't worth the Skills investment, unless you do so at the end of your Skills plan, just for fun.

That said, my lvl 93 Summoner is using IGs (as part of my research for the golemancer) - I've had fun with the various sorts. I haven't tried the higher RWs for size yet, I may do so before using them with Balboa (should he ever get far enough, of course).

@sirwhere - I have in fact nearly nodded off playing this character, already. Heaven help me in Hell!

@Gluttony - thanks! We'll see how Balboa does. I'm looking for elemental damage items now, in readiness for Hell's PIs. It's possible that Aliza may return, at some point.
 
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