Alfonso the Great
Member
Hsarus was never flashy like her peers and never demanded the same high prices. She turned down the two-weapon training regimens of her order, sticking with that dainty ancestral buckler on one arm, though the other still wielded an exotic claw. She hacked and sliced with brutal efficiency, cleaving chunks off her enemies instead of zipping to and fro kicking the life from them. She never demanded the premiums or brought in the gold like the others, instead being dispatched on jobs that were beneath her coworkers. So it came as quite a surprise when Assassin HQ received a request specifically for Hsarus, Discount Monster-Slayer: Kill the Prime Evils and anything that tries to stop you. Keep any loot you find on the way as you please. Incredulous but excited, Hsarus donned her buckler, boots, and belt and prepared to make her new employer proud.
I've set myself a meta-challenge to complete a run using each complete set in D2. The rules I've set for each of these challenges are:
* From the earliest possible time, wear all pieces of the set and never remove them
* Single-pass untwinked (except for muling over the set pieces at character creation)
* Complete the Anya personalization quest in Act 5 on each difficulty to personalize up to three pieces of set gear
* Set pieces can be upgraded using the Cube recipes if I find the ingredients to do so
The Hsarus set is....well, the biggest obvious boon must surely be the always handy CBF as a set bonus. But the boots provide FRW and an AR boost, and both belt and shield give bonuses to defense, and all three scale based on level so they remain quite relevant as the game goes on. I only had real issues hitting WSK elites (~70% to hit with basic attacks) and Hell Baal (~60%), but Baal was never going to be a problem for me thanks to a clutch drop in NM. 20-25% F/C/L resists don't hurt. And it's only three pieces, none of which are the head or body or weapon slots, so I was free to choose basically any build I pleased.
A trapsin was out because, well, there's another set down the line I've already decided would be the trapsin run. Dual-claw was also a no-go on account of Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Fist taking up permanent residence on one arm. So I went with a hodgepodge, budget Assassin build helpfully outlined in a guide. While I wouldn't be able to dual-wield claws as the guide suggests for insane crushing blow chance and always-helpful weapon block, and any hope of footwear-slot crushing blow was likewise quashed, surely I could make do. Especially since I had no plans to /p8 my way through Hell. Between the insane crowd control of Phoenix Strike, the presence of my ever-useful mercenary, and a helpful doppenganger, surely I could surmount all comers.
Level 83
Strength: 64/96
Dexterity: 58/76
Vitality: 225/239
Energy: 25/30
HP: 889/929
Mana: 148/168
Skills:
1/3 Tiger Strike
1/3 Fists of Fire
1/3 Cobra Strike
1/3 Claws of Thunder
1/3 Blades of Ice
20/22 Phoenix Strike
20/22 Claw Mastery
1/3 Psychic Hammer
1/3 Burst of Speed
1/3 Weapon Block
1/3 Cloak of Shadows
7/9 Fade
18/20 Shadow Warrior
20/22 Venom
Resists: 74/29/70/-20
84 MF
Damage was largely irrelevant; this build is all about lopping off percentages of health bars via CB and doing so safely either by freezing enemies with a cold-charged PS or grinding out CI monsters with other elemental damage behind the safety of the merc or Shadow Warrior. I went with Shadow Warrior instead of Shadow Master mostly to better control what it did; I could coax it into buffing itself with Venom and BoS (Fade was almost never worth it since I could easily recast it when it died, and the AS increase helped build up and release its PS charges) before switching it back to PS so it either used PS or used left click attack to eat its charges and deal Venom damage. Killing speed never felt unbearably slow, and against mobs with minimal cold or poison resistance it was quite fast. The sloggiest enemies were physical immune, since CB did all of nothing to them. If they had immunity or high resistance to cold and/or poison, and/or grossly inflated health pools (hi, Stone Skin/Magic Resistant Lister!) I generally parked them and moved on.
Strength: 64/96
Dexterity: 58/76
Vitality: 225/239
Energy: 25/30
HP: 889/929
Mana: 148/168
Skills:
1/3 Tiger Strike
1/3 Fists of Fire
1/3 Cobra Strike
1/3 Claws of Thunder
1/3 Blades of Ice
20/22 Phoenix Strike
20/22 Claw Mastery
1/3 Psychic Hammer
1/3 Burst of Speed
1/3 Weapon Block
1/3 Cloak of Shadows
7/9 Fade
18/20 Shadow Warrior
20/22 Venom
Resists: 74/29/70/-20
84 MF
Damage was largely irrelevant; this build is all about lopping off percentages of health bars via CB and doing so safely either by freezing enemies with a cold-charged PS or grinding out CI monsters with other elemental damage behind the safety of the merc or Shadow Warrior. I went with Shadow Warrior instead of Shadow Master mostly to better control what it did; I could coax it into buffing itself with Venom and BoS (Fade was almost never worth it since I could easily recast it when it died, and the AS increase helped build up and release its PS charges) before switching it back to PS so it either used PS or used left click attack to eat its charges and deal Venom damage. Killing speed never felt unbearably slow, and against mobs with minimal cold or poison resistance it was quite fast. The sloggiest enemies were physical immune, since CB did all of nothing to them. If they had immunity or high resistance to cold and/or poison, and/or grossly inflated health pools (hi, Stone Skin/Magic Resistant Lister!) I generally parked them and moved on.
Plague Mask
Coronet
Defense: 30
+2 to Martial Art Skills (Assassin Only)
+15 to Dexterity
+5 to Energy
All Resistances +19
Lightning Resist +30%
Fire Resist +23%
Level 1 Attract Level 22 %s (22/22 Charges)
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ort Rune
Chaos Talisman (crafted Safety Amulet)
Amulet
+2 to Shadow Discipline Skills (Assassin Only)
6% Increased Chance of Blocking
Replenish Life +3
+6 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +32%
Damage Reduced by 1
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Strength
Greater Claws
One Hand Damage: 24 - 49
35% Enhanced Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
+20 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
+2 to Mana after each Kill
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Fist
Defender
Defense: 255
Chance to Block: 0
+10 to Strength
All Resistances +19
Damage Reduced by 2
Set (2 items): +207 Defense (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
(2 items): Attacker Takes Damage of 5
Lightning Resist +25%
Cannot Be Frozen
Rune Mantle (crafted Caster Armor)
Light Plate
Defense: 127
+18% Enhanced Defense
+3 to Life
+20 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 10%
Damage Reduced by 2
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
+1 to Mana after each Kill
Grim Fist (crafted Blood Gloves)
Sharkskin Gloves
Defense: 46
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+12 to Attack Rating
3% Life stolen per hit
9% Chance of Crushing Blow
+15% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Life
21% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Stay
Mesh Belt
Defense: 245
+20 to Life
Cold Resist +20%
Set (2 items): +207 Defense (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Heel
Mesh Boots
Defense: 43
+20% Faster Run/Walk
Fire Resist +25%
Set (2 items): +830 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
Nagelring
+60 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
26% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Stone Band (crafted Safety Ring)
+63 to Attack Rating
+4 to Vitality
+3 to Life
All Resistances +7
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Charms were mostly resist GCs, with a few Fine/Sharp/Steel small or large charms to help with AR and a couple of small MF charms to fill in gaps. Gheed's Fortune (124 GF, 28 MF, 10 VP) dropped in Hell Crypt and I made sure to make room for that even if the slots were perhaps better used to hold extra potions or other charms.
Hsarus in the end subcontracted her job to a desert mercenary, the interepid Holy Freeze-wielding Neeraj, whose gear (namely the weapon) proved vital in trivializing the worst of the evils out there.
Corpse Mantle
Mesh Armor
Defense: 250
75% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage
+17% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Life
Fire Resist +13%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Hope
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Ire
Ruby Jewel of Hope
Jewel
40% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Life
Ruby Jewel of Ire
Jewel
35% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Death Mask
Defense: 114
10% Mana stolen per hit
10% Life stolen per hit
+45 Defense
+60 to Life
+30 to Mana
All Resistances +15
Kelpie Snare
Fuscina
Two Hand Damage: 98 - 185
146% Enhanced Damage
Adds 30 - 50 Damage
Slows Target by 75%
+10 to Strength
+103 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Fire Resist +50%
Ethereal
Coronet
Defense: 30
+2 to Martial Art Skills (Assassin Only)
+15 to Dexterity
+5 to Energy
All Resistances +19
Lightning Resist +30%
Fire Resist +23%
Level 1 Attract Level 22 %s (22/22 Charges)
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ort Rune
Chaos Talisman (crafted Safety Amulet)
Amulet
+2 to Shadow Discipline Skills (Assassin Only)
6% Increased Chance of Blocking
Replenish Life +3
+6 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +32%
Damage Reduced by 1
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Strength
Greater Claws
One Hand Damage: 24 - 49
35% Enhanced Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
+20 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
+2 to Mana after each Kill
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Fist
Defender
Defense: 255
Chance to Block: 0
+10 to Strength
All Resistances +19
Damage Reduced by 2
Set (2 items): +207 Defense (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
(2 items): Attacker Takes Damage of 5
Lightning Resist +25%
Cannot Be Frozen
Rune Mantle (crafted Caster Armor)
Light Plate
Defense: 127
+18% Enhanced Defense
+3 to Life
+20 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 10%
Damage Reduced by 2
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
+1 to Mana after each Kill
Grim Fist (crafted Blood Gloves)
Sharkskin Gloves
Defense: 46
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+12 to Attack Rating
3% Life stolen per hit
9% Chance of Crushing Blow
+15% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Life
21% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Stay
Mesh Belt
Defense: 245
+20 to Life
Cold Resist +20%
Set (2 items): +207 Defense (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
Hsarus's Hsarus' Iron Heel
Mesh Boots
Defense: 43
+20% Faster Run/Walk
Fire Resist +25%
Set (2 items): +830 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Required Level +5
Nagelring
+60 to Attack Rating
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
26% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Stone Band (crafted Safety Ring)
+63 to Attack Rating
+4 to Vitality
+3 to Life
All Resistances +7
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Charms were mostly resist GCs, with a few Fine/Sharp/Steel small or large charms to help with AR and a couple of small MF charms to fill in gaps. Gheed's Fortune (124 GF, 28 MF, 10 VP) dropped in Hell Crypt and I made sure to make room for that even if the slots were perhaps better used to hold extra potions or other charms.
Hsarus in the end subcontracted her job to a desert mercenary, the interepid Holy Freeze-wielding Neeraj, whose gear (namely the weapon) proved vital in trivializing the worst of the evils out there.
Corpse Mantle
Mesh Armor
Defense: 250
75% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage
+17% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Life
Fire Resist +13%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Hope
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Ire
Ruby Jewel of Hope
Jewel
40% Enhanced Damage
+10 to Life
Ruby Jewel of Ire
Jewel
35% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Maximum Damage
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Death Mask
Defense: 114
10% Mana stolen per hit
10% Life stolen per hit
+45 Defense
+60 to Life
+30 to Mana
All Resistances +15
Kelpie Snare
Fuscina
Two Hand Damage: 98 - 185
146% Enhanced Damage
Adds 30 - 50 Damage
Slows Target by 75%
+10 to Strength
+103 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Fire Resist +50%
Ethereal
There really isn't much to say about the early parts of the run. As usual, /p8 through Normal and NM. The run truly got online in A5 Normal when the first Amn rune dropped and I built Strength in a two-socket fascia I'd kept in the stash for this moment. As the run progressed, I upgraded the base when possible and especially kept my eyes peeled for blade/greater/runic talons. I even picked up the low-quality versions to cube-fix before socketing them using the cube recipe. Unfortunately, I never gained any with staffmods for skills I was using or the right number of sockets for Strength, so vanilla Strength greater claws it was in the end.
I wore dedicated MF gear until NM A4 when I began to swap out pieces for items with more defensive utility, though I never found, rerolled, or crafted a second ring that proved more appealing than the good ol' Nagelring I picked up in A5 Normal. A5 NM surrendered Tal Rasha'a Crest; before that the merc was wearing a MF circlet, and I actually had a viable helm alternative in Guillame's Face, the first of which was surrendered by Hell Duriel. Yes, a second copy appeared soon after in the Flayer Jungle. I stuck with Tal Rasha's for the leech and because the crushing blow, while certainly nice, was not the merc's main utility. It wasn't as if I could never swap if I needed to. The last gear upgrade was the merc's armor. I'd found and stashed those two sweet jewels when the rare armor dropped in A3 Durance, and I took that as a sign of what was to be.
The run was essentially won, however, in the Nightmare Catacombs when a random Dark One dropped a gold (ethereal!) fuscina. We all know how Kelpie's Snare breaks most act bosses but especially Baal; combined with the slow from Holy Freeze and the cold damage Hsarus/Neeraj/Shadow Warrior piled on even nightmares like Duriel and Diablo couldn't pose a threat. With Fade up, Hsarus could use vials of grenadine to tank much of their damage instead of dipping into the Dimetapp stash for rejuvenation. Heck, any single big lad was locked down to the point of near uselessness--The Smith, Hephastus, Radament, Izual, Nihlathak, the Ancients, you name it. The only true melee dangers were mobs, whether they be stackable like ghosts or swarms of brutes like Infector of Souls, Lord De Seis, or various extra strong/extra fast/might/fanaticism elites and their respective allies. Those required kiting and pulling them to tactically advantageous positions so fewer of them could attack at once....if and only if they were cold/freeze immune. Otherwise one full-charge Phoenix Strike locked 80+% of them out of the rest of the fight. Ranged elites likewise came in two categories: easy trash and Cold Immune nightmares. Once Neeraj was close enough for Holy Freeze hax to kick in on Group 2 things were fine, but reaching that point required the recasting and sacrifice of Shadow Warriors as distractions.
Achmel was the true final boss. Tons of CI mooks showering Hsarus and Crew with ice shards, Unravelers heaving clouds of green gas and swarms of black balls, all while invulnerable Baal danced on the sidelines spamming Decrepify to make attacking the near-unpullable clump unbearable even for CBF Hsarus. I used more full rejuvenation potions grinding through the mummies than any other time in the run. Baal himself was conquered the first time Neeraj poked him. Somewhat appropriately, he dropped Shadow Killer with a perfect 220% ED.
I wore dedicated MF gear until NM A4 when I began to swap out pieces for items with more defensive utility, though I never found, rerolled, or crafted a second ring that proved more appealing than the good ol' Nagelring I picked up in A5 Normal. A5 NM surrendered Tal Rasha'a Crest; before that the merc was wearing a MF circlet, and I actually had a viable helm alternative in Guillame's Face, the first of which was surrendered by Hell Duriel. Yes, a second copy appeared soon after in the Flayer Jungle. I stuck with Tal Rasha's for the leech and because the crushing blow, while certainly nice, was not the merc's main utility. It wasn't as if I could never swap if I needed to. The last gear upgrade was the merc's armor. I'd found and stashed those two sweet jewels when the rare armor dropped in A3 Durance, and I took that as a sign of what was to be.
The run was essentially won, however, in the Nightmare Catacombs when a random Dark One dropped a gold (ethereal!) fuscina. We all know how Kelpie's Snare breaks most act bosses but especially Baal; combined with the slow from Holy Freeze and the cold damage Hsarus/Neeraj/Shadow Warrior piled on even nightmares like Duriel and Diablo couldn't pose a threat. With Fade up, Hsarus could use vials of grenadine to tank much of their damage instead of dipping into the Dimetapp stash for rejuvenation. Heck, any single big lad was locked down to the point of near uselessness--The Smith, Hephastus, Radament, Izual, Nihlathak, the Ancients, you name it. The only true melee dangers were mobs, whether they be stackable like ghosts or swarms of brutes like Infector of Souls, Lord De Seis, or various extra strong/extra fast/might/fanaticism elites and their respective allies. Those required kiting and pulling them to tactically advantageous positions so fewer of them could attack at once....if and only if they were cold/freeze immune. Otherwise one full-charge Phoenix Strike locked 80+% of them out of the rest of the fight. Ranged elites likewise came in two categories: easy trash and Cold Immune nightmares. Once Neeraj was close enough for Holy Freeze hax to kick in on Group 2 things were fine, but reaching that point required the recasting and sacrifice of Shadow Warriors as distractions.
Achmel was the true final boss. Tons of CI mooks showering Hsarus and Crew with ice shards, Unravelers heaving clouds of green gas and swarms of black balls, all while invulnerable Baal danced on the sidelines spamming Decrepify to make attacking the near-unpullable clump unbearable even for CBF Hsarus. I used more full rejuvenation potions grinding through the mummies than any other time in the run. Baal himself was conquered the first time Neeraj poked him. Somewhat appropriately, he dropped Shadow Killer with a perfect 220% ED.
I snagged a ton--A TON--of skiller grand charms this time around. As most of my perfect gems went into gear crafting attempts, I lacked the luxury of rerolling into any of them from other GCs.
Captain's Grand Charm
Trainer's Grand Charm of Sustenance (+22)
Fletcher's Grand Charm
Preserver's Grand Charm
Burning Grand Charm
Fungal Grand Charm of Life (+15)
Guillame's Face x2 (Hell Duriel, Hell Flayer Jungle)
Ethereal Undead Crown (NM Diablo)
Raven Frost 2x (NM A4, Hell Catacombs)
String of Ears (6% LS, 161% ED, 14% DR, A3 temples)
Wizardspike (Hell Arreat Plateau)
Gheed's Fortune (Hell Crypt, 124 GF, 28 MF, 10 VP)
Hell Hellforge dropped a Pul, and the highest rune I ever found was Um.
I also secured a 5 socket knout and a 6 socket colossus blade which I'm sure I can find some use for down the road.
Captain's Grand Charm
Trainer's Grand Charm of Sustenance (+22)
Fletcher's Grand Charm
Preserver's Grand Charm
Burning Grand Charm
Fungal Grand Charm of Life (+15)
Guillame's Face x2 (Hell Duriel, Hell Flayer Jungle)
Ethereal Undead Crown (NM Diablo)
Raven Frost 2x (NM A4, Hell Catacombs)
String of Ears (6% LS, 161% ED, 14% DR, A3 temples)
Wizardspike (Hell Arreat Plateau)
Gheed's Fortune (Hell Crypt, 124 GF, 28 MF, 10 VP)
Hell Hellforge dropped a Pul, and the highest rune I ever found was Um.
I also secured a 5 socket knout and a 6 socket colossus blade which I'm sure I can find some use for down the road.
For now, this is the end of Hsarus' tale! The monsters lay slain, their infernal leaders cast back into the pit, and she can retire after a job well d--wait, what? Rumors of evil resurging yet again? A den of evil in the Blood Moor? Hsarus seems not to have been as thorough at her job as we would like! What's this you say, a swole warrior carrying a glowing amulet, a golden shield, and a hefty bonking stick plunged into the center of the Rogues' Camp from out of nowhere? What do you mean he leapt in?
I hope this Civerb guy has what it takes to finish what Hsarus seemingly could not.
