Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Avenger

[jiansonz]

Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Avenger

The Random Tournament 2012 is the latest of a series of similar tourneys. This was the first time I entered one of them.

Here is the gist of it:
The player chooses a class and picks two main weapon types (with one of them picked twice). The player can choose to leave these things (one or both) to randomness also, but I didn't. I chose Paladin, javelin x1 and polearm x2.

The character now gets rolled
- specific item types of the weapons picked
- a specific armor type for each of the armor slots (but body armor types were grouped together into light/medium/heavy)
- one specific class-only item type
(Exceptional/Elite versions of the above can also be used. Another important note: if you do not have a rolled weapon type that your current merc can use, (s)he can use whatever weapon they want. So for me, only Act II mercs had any weapon restrictions)
- 3 Forever Skills (these can always be used)
- 5 skills specific to each of the difficulties. The skills for the next difficulty were rolled as we approached that stage in the game.
Respecs were used at the start of NM and Hell to adhere to the newly rolled skills for that difficulty.

Before starting, the player gets a chance to reroll one weapon type, one armor type and one Forever Skill.
Before starting Normal or Nightmare, the player had the option to lock one of the difficulty-specific skills and make it a Forever Skill. This could only be done once, and it also had the consequence that only 4 skills for the next difficulty/difficulties would be rolled.

Passive skills that are prereqs for rolled skills were OK, but we were not allowed to wear any +skills items that boosted them. Oskills are not allowed for use. All charges and ctc skills were allowed.

My rolls:
Forever Skills:
- Conviction
- Conversion
- [STRIKE]Defiance[/STRIKE] -> rerolled to Concentration

Skills for Normal:
- Prayer
- Blessed Aim
- Holy Bolt
- Sanctuary
- Vengeance

Skills for Nightmare:
- Smite
- Resist Cold
- Holy Shield
- Holy Fire
- Cleansing

Skills for Hell:
- Redemption
- Vigor
- Smite
- Vengeance
- Might

Weapons:
- Halberd
- Poleaxe
- [STRIKE]Glaive[/STRIKE] -> rerolled to Javelin

Armors:
- Great Helm
- Light armor
- Gothic Shield
- Leather Gloves
- Plated Belt
- Greaves

Class-only:
- Aerin Shield

I liked my polearm rolls. Rerolling Glaive was a no-brainer as they suck. Small stacks, high STR reqs and slow. Anything else would be an improvement. The armor rolls were all fine. I saw a possible Sigon's 3-combo, and was hoping for Guillaume's Face. Or with extreme luck, HoZ...

I was not happy with Defiance. Since I already had a very useful aura secured, I rerolled Defiance and got Concentration, which turned out to be my main aura through the game.


The progress can be followed in the tourney thread, but here follows a summary:

Normal was uneventful. It was just a matter of reaching the Horadric Cube, cube a Savage Poleaxe/Halberd for a Prayer merc, provide Concentration for him and off to Destroyerhood we go.

The early start was a bit tricky, since I had to go through most of Act I with very little clothing. Most of my armor items have rather high qlvl, so it took a while until I was high enough level to gamble any.


I found an ethereal Soulflay (unique Claymore with good damage and life steal) in late Normal. I upgraded it and switched to an Act V mercenary. He stayed with me through the first four acts in Nightmare. He ate early NM for breakfast since he was boosted by maxed Concentration. Smite and Holy Shield were useful in this difficulty. With a 'Rhyme' Gothic Shield, I had maxed blocking near the end of Nightmare (once HS had a good enough level).

For the early half of Act V NM (actually everything but the Nihlathak sidebranch, the Summit and beyond), I switched to an Act I merc in order to cope with the many strong ranged attackers. Smite and Conversion do provide good crowd control, but not from a distance. This merc was using a rare +215% ED Large Siege Bow with some minimal (but useful) poison damage. She averaged about 660 damage per hit.

A Barbarian companion was hired for the abovementioned areas, and I got lucky with Larzuk twice: finding a high-end Cruel Executioner Sword for sale and got 2 sockets in it! -> AmnShael for the merc sword.


Getting into Hell, I got a near perfect skill roll. I mean, just wow, what luck! Vengeance, Smite, Redemption! Even Vigor is useful...
(I should really have locked Vengeance as Forever Skill already, but I did not realize I had to do this before starting off...)

Respec, and I maxed my 3 Forever Skills, got 1 point Redemption and Smite but kept the rest of the skill points unassigned. I took just enough STR (75) to hold my gear, enough DEX for 50% blocking, saved enough points for the most demanding elite polearm and stuffed the rest into Vita. Switched from MF gear to +life armor and helm.

Act I Hell was a lot about great item finds - our two most important weapons and some other great stuff. First, a magical Great Poleaxe dropped early on. In Crypt, I think. Around the middle of the act (clvl 77-78), I started to gamble for other elite weapons to reroll: Crusader Bow and Champion Sword. I didn't score a bow but I did get a sword. Now followed some excessive chippie rerolling. After burning less than half my chippies, I scored a +230% ED Cruel Champion Sword with 2 sockets. AmnShael in this one, too.

With a good merc weapon secured, I rerolled that Great Poleaxe as well and ended up with a very similar result after burning through the rest of my chippies and about half of my mid-sized gems. ShaelShael in this, and now I invested enough stat points so I could equip this big hurty stick.

Then Laying of Hands dropped and I was pretty much set for the rest of the game. I gambled a really fast javelin. Maxed Conversion and 60% IAS usually lets me quickly Convert the first incoming melee monster before we get mobbed. This was often important. My barb merc is very strong 1 vs 1 (because his attack is fast and he uses Bash + Stun) but he is bad in a larger crowd. Conviction + Vengeance was of course crucial whenever something PI would show up. I got this setup done just in time - Tower Cellars with those PI Ghosts. Without help, my merc would get killed quickly, but with Conversion help, he and the Convert held the defense line and I could take down the rest of the pack with Vengeance. The mighty long range of a GPA was great in these situations.

The rest of Hell was about improving gear, and escaping the few traps the game set for me. A green Spired Helm dropped. I had no idea what set it was from and what it did. Can you imagine my excitement IDing this?! Turned out to be Ondal's Almighty. Very nice item, with FHR, STR/DEX bonuses and ctc Weaken.

Vengeance got maxed about halfway through Act III when I reached level 85.

Hellforge gave me a Lem rune, which meant my merc could finally get a great armor - Treachery.

Both Treachery and Ondal's were great merc items*, both for the archer lady and the sword dude. I pulled the same switch as I did in Nightmare, with the Act I merc in the early part of Act V. There was the matter of getting her a good bow, though. I had found a magical Crusader Bow earlier, but rerolling with gems hadn't produced anything good. I burned two imbues on Shadow Bows, and the second came out great. For once, Charsi got a lot of love from me. :givelove:

(* with both Weaken and Fade on (which happens all the time) the merc suffers only 57% of the physical damage compared to a standard situation)

Stats:
Name: Flea
Class: Paladin
Level: 87
STR 173+6, DEX 148+3, VIT 194, ENE 15+9
Blocking: 56%
Life: 1305
Mana: 157
Resists (javelin + shield): 75/75/75/-5
Resists (polearm): 41/47/43/-51

Skills:
Concentration 20
Conviction 20
Conversion 20
Vengeance 20
Smite 5
Redemption, Vigor, Prereqs 1

Damage numbers:
Vengeance: 1254-3486 (enemy Defense reduced by 90%, and resistances vs. the elemental part of the damage is reduced by 125%-units.)
Hrothgar's listed damage (with Concentration): 2017-2364*, usually with level 15 Venom damage on top.
(* And that's just his Attack damage. When he uses Bash or Stun, there is a significant damage bonus)

Primary Gear:
* Gemmed Great Helm (3x Perfect Ruby)
* Rainbow (10) Amulet of the Squid (74)
* Rare War Javelin with 40% IAS and minor bonuses
* Gemmed Dusk Shroud (4x Perfect Ruby)
* 'Rhyme' Aerin Shield with 21% Resist All automod
* Laying of Hands
* Rare Ring with +74AR, +9ENE, Replenish life +4, Resist Lightning 27, Resist Cold 21
* Russet (13) Plated Belt of the Whale (92)
* Rare Ring with +5 STR, 4% Mana Steal, Half Freeze, Resist Lightning 27, Resist Cold 18, Resist Poison 9
* Sigon's Sabot

Vengeance/Conviction switch:
* +230% ED Cruel Great Poleaxe 'ShaelShael'


* Gheed's Fortune (+30% MF)
* Sapphire (28) Grand Charm of Venom
* Ruby (26) Grand Charm of Life (9)

* Coral (12) Large Charm

* Russet (7) Small Charm of Dexterity (1)
* Crimson (5) Small Charm of Shock
* Ocher (7) Small Charm of Strength (1)
* Ocher (7) Small Charm of Frost
* Ocher (7) Small Charm
* Ocher (6) Small Charm of Frost
* Tangerine (5) Small Charm of Life (5)
* Tangerine (5) Small Charm of Dexterity (1)
* Small Charm of Vita (19)
* Small Charm of Vita (17)
* Small Charm of Vita (16)
* Small Charm of Sustenance (13)


Hrothgar of Harrogath:
* Ondal's Almighty
* +230% ED Cruel Champion Sword of Gore (9), 'AmnShael'
* 'Treachery' Wyrmhide

Assorted items that were useful in various situations:
* Glowing Gladius of Pestilence (merc sword against certain dangerous bosses (PI or nearly so) I had to Smite lock to keep the merc alive against)
* 'Strength' Cutlass (merc sword against some act bosses (mostly useful in NM)).
* 'Nadir' Great Helm (one CoS charge used in Hell Pindle's garden until I could get a Conversion chain going)
* Amulet of Life Everlasting (DR by 25; used on Hell Halls of Vaught - Tomb Vipers there!)
* Fire Rogue Klaudia's weapon, used in first half of Act V Hell:
Stone Fletch
Shadow Bow
'Shael'
Two-Hand Damage: 75 to 233
Required Dexterity: 188
Required Strength: 52
Required Level: 68
Bow Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 89
Fingerprint: 0x33c002f7
+6 to Dexterity
+267% Enhanced Damage
+98 to Attack Rating
+20 to Minimum Damage
+17 to Maximum Damage
20% Increased Attack Speed
Socketed (1: 1 used)


[Rune find rant]
Man, was I ever unlucky with runes for this character! I had envisioned running around swinging an 'Obedience' elite polearm, or at least a 'Crescent Moon'. Maybe having an Act II merc with eth. version of these elite runwords. Or maybe something like an ethereal elite 'Oath' sword for my merc...of that became nothing...

Here are all my rune finds Hel and above:

- Sur (sure, it's 3 steps higher than any rune I had seen before, but for a non-twinker, it's useless on its own!)
- Lem (from Hell Hellforge. Sure, Treachery was absolutely kickass, but I only got to enjoy it for one act)
- Lum x4
- Io x4
- Hel x7

The whole of NM full-cleared on players 8, and nearly all of Hell full-cleared on players 3 and not an Obedience or CM in sight...
[/Rune find rant]

 

[Jason Maher]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Nice character. And that is one awesome, awesome imbue.

Now tell me, does the Sur tempt you at all to join the dark side and abandon your untwinked quest? :evil2:

 

[Maltatai]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

That is an extremely cool paladin. Halberds rock! And great work with the limited equipment too.

I have been wondering about if a paladin with conviction and conversion could make monsters harm each other in a notable way, presumably if he had a PMH weapon to convert and hit with. Do you think that could work?

 

[pharphis]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

This is really awesome. You're quite the pro when it comes to this style of play
I wonder what kind of things you've acquired over the years across all your characters from untwinked single pass.

 

[Doctor Clock]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Congrats on the Guardian! Indeed a very nice skill roll for Hell and I'm shocked you actually got something good from Charsi. Please tell me you have some pictures, would love to see this character in action.

 

[pharphis]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

There are a bunch of pictures in the tournament thread, but it may be useful for people months down the road to have a link edited into this guide linking directly to it
the pics were good, too.

 

[Kestegs]

Congrats again!

You had some nice item finds, and used your resources superbly to get good weapons, very impressive.

 

[jiansonz]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Now tell me, does the Sur tempt you at all to join the dark side and abandon your untwinked quest? :evil2:

I am not going to abandon my quest because it's the whole thing about gathering useful stuff along the journey (which is generous but still has a limit when playing single pass) that still keeps the game interesting for me. D2 gameplay can sometimes be lots of fun but it's often quite repetitive. It's the whole package that appeals to me.

I have started to save the high runes from retired characters (and the ones from deceased characters that were muled off before the session they died) and keep them in a stash. Not sure if I am going to do anthing with them, though. I have such a hard time seeing these things as actually being mine - they belong to my characters!

I have been wondering about if a paladin with conviction and conversion could make monsters harm each other in a notable way, presumably if he had a PMH weapon to convert and hit with. Do you think that could work?

Not in the current game version. Probably could have worked OK in 1.09.
Monsters in 1.10+ have too much life compared to the damage they do, even on players 1. I can count the number of monsters that died to monster damage during my journey on two hands (and they were always really hurt from our damage first). Maybe if you had ITD and PMH on the Conversion setup and you were running Fanaticism and found a way to Amp them as well. But there is still the issue with things like PI ghosts that do not do any elemental damage to each other either. What about the merc? Should you go without one of have one with a crappy setup? Beucase any decently geared merc would generally outshine the monsters in damage. Yes, even an Iron Wolf would.

I wonder what kind of things you've acquired over the years across all your characters from untwinked single pass.

There are indeed some cool stuff sitting on retired characters, and things rotting and rusting on dead bodies...

A while ago, I posted a spreadsheet for how my single-pass untwinked set/unique grail was going. I don't actually collect the items, just the observations. I might do an update and bump that thread. I completed the S/U grail for normal weapon- and armor types a couple of months ago when I finally found Ume's Lament.

I have never seen any of the 4 highest runes, or any Lo, Ohm or Ist.

I rarely have any magical/rare/crafted items that can match the ones that people post in the Showoff threads in the Statistics forum. Flea did gamble a pretty cool amulet, though. A perfect (35%) Powered Amulet of Luck.

but it may be useful for people months down the road to have a link edited into this guide linking directly to it

Good point. Here is a link collection with my progress reports:
My answer to Grisu why I chose javelins and polearms.
First update: Barracks next.
At the Canyon WP.
After finding Soulflay - before going to Nilly's areas.
Starting in NM - and disappointment about pathetic Holy Fire damage.
Stony Field next.
Halfway through Act II NM.
At Seven Tombs.
A small bit into Act III NM.
Reached NM Travincal (1 pic)
Reached NM Harrogath (2 pics)
Defeated NM Baal (2 pics)
Act I Hell, part 1 and gear update (4 pics)
Act I Hell, part 2, and early Act II (4 pics)
Short item find update (1 pic)
Act II Hell, part 2 and halfway through Act III (3 pics)
Act III Hell, part 2 and Act IV (4 pics)
Act V Hell, part 1 (8 pics)
Act V Hell, finale (5 pics)


Bonus pic: I never showed you rogue merc's damage, so I hired another and went out onto the Blood Moor.
(Note: add lvl 15 Venom damage to this.)

 

[pharphis]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

That's quite the response! I'll definitely get around to reading all of the updates, now that it's extra convenient.
Crazy that it's taken so long to get the normal grail, considering you early-game mf like a champion. I can understand the single-pass full-clear playstyle keeps the game interesting. I wonder how many of us will wind up playing like you do, with tournaments to challenge us!

Do you have another project to work on, now?

 

[zaphodbrx]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

As always, an amazing untwinked character.

Really bad luck with the runes. I'd have though Obedience was virtually guaranteed. And yes Sur is pretty useless on it's own. If it were Ber, say, you could still not make any runeword, but then socket it into some item and get crushing blow/damage reduce. Sur can be used for 'hit blinds target' and the runeword 'Wind'. Not too useful, but if your letting it go to waste anyway then try it out?

Conversion was pretty neat. It's too weird/buggy for me though, and since I have twinked items I never use that.

 

[Arkardo]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Grats on the Guardian! A very nice display of skillful planning and play.

Any future plans for this character?

 

[Vang]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Grats again on the guardian. Very impressive with the limited skills and equipment of the tournament, always nice to see one make it through (Usually one a year it seems)

 

[thefranklin]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Excellent work!

 

[DaveW]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Grats jiansonz, your persistence and patience is always astounding. If you ever want to play some twinked out chars on the side, let me know. I'm sure I could rustle some gears together for ya.

 

[Grisu]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Congrats again! I already followed your progress in the tourney thread and am still amazed on how fast you managed to beat Hell!

What did you think of the fights when you used your polearm? with my random Druid, I find I take a lot of hits and even with 1.5k life I have in NM, it could be more in some situations...

What's your next character? Still working on the whacky wand one?

 

[jiansonz]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

What did you think of the fights when you used your polearm? with my random Druid, I find I take a lot of hits and even with 1.5k life I have in NM, it could be more in some situations...

A cool thing about this character is that he will only switch over to the polearm when I think he is not going to get hit much (after Converting a front line, or, with the Act V merc, simply after he has engaged the mob and I think he can survive the tanking duty). If I was facing a single incoming monster, I could usually keep it stunlocked (unless it was a boss/minion of a monster type with lots of life) and kill it. The attack is fast (60% IAS) the damage is large and my longe range allows me to hit first. With monsters only having 10% of their defense left, I nearly always hit.

In short, it worked very well.

What's your next character? Still working on the whacky wand one?

I am currently enjoying early Hell with with Exposure tourney dual claws Phoenix Striker. But thanks for remining me about Whacky Wand! I knew I had some sort of Fire Claws bear at the River of Flame WP but I had forgotten what tournament he was in. (OK, looking at his gear would probably have clued me in...) He's going to be played after the Phoenix Striker, or if I need a break from her. Then there's my Exposure Poisonmancer in Act V Normal...

 

[purplelocust]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Very nicely done! I can't think of the last time I saw Soulflay actually used for something, and the use of Conversion's mechanics was great. The rune drops were not useful, but I'm glad you could use Treachery, even if only for 1 act...

 

[Drystan1]

Re: Guardian Flea, Conversion + Concentration merc helper and Conviction Polearm Aven

Wow! Great writeup of Flea's progress to Guardianhood! Congrats, and very nicely done.