Matriarch/Patriarch/Guardian Archive Thread

Originally posted by pharaoh on Apr 28, 2008:

Matriarch Kalita- pure spearzon

I usually don't write mat/pat threads, but this is an exception. Kalita was a pure spearzon, and I built her without using Fend. This was a deliberate design decision; Fend is notoriously bugged if you're using Dodge or Avoid.

First, let's do the skills. These are hard skill point totals:
1 Jab
1 Power Strike
1 Poison Javelin
1 Lightning Bolt
20 Charged Strike
20 Lightning Strike
1 Critical Strike
1 Penetrate
1 Inner Sight
1 Slow Missiles
5 Dodge
5 Avoid
5 Evade
12 Decoy
20 Valkyrie
Remaining points are going into Decoy until it is maxed; after that (if I level her that far), points will probably go into Power Strike for the synergy boost.

Now for her gear:
Weapon: ethereal Hone Sundan, with three resist/IAS jewels
Switch Weapon: beta 'Call to Arms' divine scepter (this one moves around a lot)
Switch Shield: Lidless Wall (just for the +skill to prebuff)
Armor: 'Fortitude' scarab husk
Helm: Kira's Guardian with resist/IAS jewel
Gloves: Lava Gout (Enchant helps my AR when I need to use Jab)
Boots: Marrowwalk (was using Waterwalk before this, but then remembered the Life Tap charges)
Belt: Thundergod's Vigor
Ring: Stone of Jordan
Ring: Raven Frost (thinking of swapping this out, since Kira's has the CBF, but the AR/dex is still nice to have)
Amulet: Cat's Eye (IAS and FR/W, mmm!)
Charms: two Acrobatic charms with +life, various AR/resist charms
And my merc, a Normal Combat (Prayer) merc named Mizan:
Weapon: ethereal 'Insight' giant thresher
Armor: 'Duress' cuirass (yeah, base type sucks, flame me)
Helm: Crown of Thieves with IAS jewel
My life with gear was 1370; with a BC and BO prebuff, it soared to 2434. This was enough to get me through most situations. After prebuffing and triggering Lava Gout's Enchant proc, my Jab damage was 846-1840; Charged Strike and Lightning Strike were at 1-1158 (7 bolts) and 1-1131, respectively. My chance to hit generally hovered around 60-70%, which would be abysmal for most melee characters. However, the lightning spear skills don't need to hit to release the lightning, so it wasn't so bad. It did mean that Jab was a bit slower to take out LIs, and I couldn't rely on leech (even if I'd had some). This latter point was why I went with a Prayer merc with Insight. It nicely made up for the lack of both life and mana leech, and kept me topped up in all but nasty situations.

As an aside, I did pull my Infinity over to this girl for a test drive, and found that Insight was actually more helpful for this build. LIs were not a serious enough issue to warrant such an expensive runeword, especially since it was a tradeoff between that and the healing/mana regeneration of an Insight merc. Without Insight, I found I was scrabbling for mana potions all the time, and it quickly became annoying.

This was actually a pretty fun character to play. If they weren't lightning immune, Charged Strike took them down in short order. If they weren't LI, and scattered (fallen, etc), Lightning Strike wore them down, and I could CS individuals to death until LS stopped arcing. If they were LI, then Jab with my Hone's innate 45% crushing Blow took them down quite quickly. Mixed mobs of LI and non-LI usually had me poking an LI with LS, which would slowly wear the LI down (physical damage when I managed to hit, plus the fire damage from Lava Gout and its Enchant proc), and fry the non-LIs with the bolts. I'd repeat until the LI was down, and switch to another so long as non-LIs were still alive. If I was left with only LIs, I'd switch to Jab, and if left with non-LIs, I'd switch to CS.

As for the lack of Fend, I was going to be shieldless (using a spear kind of carries this drawback). As a result, I wanted to mitigate the damage I'd take, especially since my resists were poor for most of Nightmare and early Hell, until I could wear Kira's, so I decided to drop five points into each of the evasion skills. This would make Fend virtually useless, with the bug, so I decided to forego it entirely. Most of the time, I was doing single-poke attacks, and any attack would either miss (in which case my attack doesn't get interrupted), hit and cause hit recovery (causing my attack to be interrupted), or (if I put points in the evasion skills) hit and be negated by Dodge or Avoid (again causing the attack to miss). The first part of the equation, the attack not hitting at all, is constant, so it basically boils down to getting hammered and having my attack interrupted, or avoiding a hammering and having my attack miss. Duh. It's a no-brainer. Even if they weren't helpful for the build, I'd have put a point in each just to be able to get Valkyrie. Still, I'm glad I put points here. There were a few times when they triggered enough and my life dropped enough to let me know I'd have been dead without them.

The Avoid skill occasionally made it hard to get off attacks against large mobs of ranged attackers, but my answer to this was simple. A quick sidestep gave me a chance to cast Decoy in the middle of the mob, and once they started targeting that, I could close the distance and start using Jab or Charged Strike on them. Some ranged attackers would even retreat from the Decoy, which would give me the opportunity to get Lightning Strike arcing around while I picked them off one by one.

Valkyrie and the merc were great for this build. With maxed Valkyrie, hard points in D/A/E, and a bunch in Decoy, the Valk was virtually indestructible. After prebuffing me and casting her, she had 3784 life, plus BO, so she had absolutely huge life. Decoy was used to take the heat off myself and the merc, and beat a hasty retreat if the situation called for it. With a tough Decoy, it usually lasted through the battle except when fighting nasty opponents, such as frenzytaurs and Amp-casting, Blood Star-tossing succubi.

One thing I thought would be a huge obstacle turned out to be pretty easy, and that was Iron Maiden. My approach for this was simple: cast Decoy next to the nearest OK. He'd cast Decrepify on it, and then usually run away from it. Kind of like what your parents would tell you about bees, and how they were more afraid of you than you were of them. Depending on which side of him I cast it on, he'd run away from me, or towards me. If he ran towards me, Charged Strike took him down. If he ran away, I'd cast another so he had something to curse that kept him busy while I dealt with the group of doom knights and other monsters. With a bit of patience, I got through all three difficulties without a single IM death, though my merc and Valk occasionally succumbed to it.

There was a somewhat amusing incident over by the seal of Lord de Seis in Hell. One of those little pillars with the fire atop it was in the corner, and an OK had spawned behind it. No spear was mighty enough to reach it; not mine, my Valk's, nor my merc's. Normally, I'd just leave him there and move on, but as I hadn't popped the seal yet, I needed to guarantee he wouldn't IM me while I was dealing with de Seis and his mob. I was on the verge of running to town to buy a bow and begin the tedious task of killing hm with arrows, but then I noticed one of the monsters had dropped a stack of javelins. With a low-level Lightning Fury (T-God's giving me the skill), and a trip to town to buy more javelins, I ended up taking him out before popping de Seis's seal. Unfortunately, I didn't take a screen shot of that. I should have, though, as it was kind of funny.

I did run into the odd LI/PI baddie. These tended to be more tedious than threatening, as my merc had open wounds on his Duress armor and a bit of poison from Insight; I also had a bit of cold and fire damage from Lava Gout and Raven Frost. This meant all we needed to do was keep poking, and eventually we'd emerge victorious. One boss had me kind of worried though, and that was a PI/LI/Might aura/cursed frenzytaur. Even with my prebuffed life, a single hit took over half my life, so I just hung back and spammed Decoy. This gave him something to focus on while the merc and Valk slowly killed him.

The nastiest monsters were, without doubt, the Amp-casting succubi; these girls could take huge chunks out of my life with their Blood Stars after Amping me. They also scattered in random fashion, which made it hard to get them to focus on the Decoy. Fighting these monsters made me glad I'd invested in the evasion skills.

Act bosses were generally quite easy. The hardest was probably Hell Andy, because my poison resist wasn't the best, and she often ignored the Decoy and Valk (after quickly killing the merc). Hell Duriel was easy enough, and by the time I'd hit Meph, I'd had the presence of mind to switch my boots to Marrowwalk. Life Tap made every act boss from then on a piece of cake, and the LT helped out a couple of other times with nasty LI monsters.

I think I only died twice. The first time was in Act III Nightmare to a pack of explodey dolls, and the second was in Act I Hell to some random boss in the early areas. This latter was just a case of sorely misjudging the monster difficulty ramping in Hell; in my defense, though, I believe I was playing /p8 at the time (as for all of Normal and Nightmare). I also had a very close call with Hell Ancients; upon killing one of them that was fire enchanted, the death explosion took me from roughly 2400 life down to under a hundred. Ack.

Some observations:
  • Charged Strike rocks. I mean, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big fan of my boltress, and CS is a similar skill. However, it has one benefit: the bolts seem to originate from the monster, not the character. This means that even with small targets, lots of the bolts hit. With fat targets, you're pretty much guaranteed to hit with all bolts.
  • Lightning Strike is awesome looking, and watching the bolts bounce back and forth for seconds at a time is mesmerizing. However, it's woefully underpowered. LS is affected by the nextdelay bug. For those that don't know, nextdelay is a 'feature' that triggers when a nextdelay attack strikes a target; that target becomes immune to all nextdelay damage for a set number of frames (depends on the initial attack). Nextdelay is the reason Inferno and Arctic Blast can't damage anything past Act I Normal, and why a fast Strafe means half your arrows pass harmlessly through your targets. This temporary immunity had its use back in the days of '80s platform games, to prevent the same bullet/missile/etc from hitting the same target multiple times, but in this day and age, it's disappointing. Let's hope Bliz removes this 'feature' in a future patch. I mean, Lightning Strike and Lightning Fury are both clvl 30 skills. LS requires melee, with all concomitant risks. LS with a spear precludes a shield; LF guarantees a shield can be used. LF benefits from Pierce, releasing several times the listed number of bolts, and is unaffected by nextdelay, so they can all deal damage. LS will arc around and look pretty, but only deal damage for the first few bolts in most cases.
  • Dodge/Avoid/Evade are lifesavers, if you plan for their use.
  • Decoy is the smartest minion in the game, without a doubt. She always tanks what you want her to tank, and never wanders off to do something stupid. With enough points invested, she can tank a great deal.
  • A heavily-synergized Valkyrie is a juggernaut. She's virtually impossible for monsters to kill, short of Iron Maiden, and she can lay the smack down like nobody's business.
  • Having two mobile mercs plus a Decoy gives you plenty to hide behind.
  • Using a spear gives you the reach to poke over the shoulders of your merc, Valk, and/or Decoy.
Anyways, all done. I know I can be long-winded at times. Thanks to anybody who took the time to read this. :)
 
Originally posted by @PhineasB on Oct 1, 2017:

Matriarch Sense, Level 82 and Olena, the Level 82 Ice Rogue (pic)

Sense plowed through A5, sticking to the plan to full-clear all the underground areas and WSK. She took it in a single session, but paused for an hour in the middle of the day before picking back up to finish.

It was quite fun and a nice little challenge. It reinforced how much of a powerhouse a Faith-wielding Rogue merc can be, assuming she decides to shoot at things instead of walking around :rolleyes:

Sense was pretty much untouchable unless there was amp or hard-hitters with Might or Fanaticism. So witches and Moon Lords were the biggest worry (more on that later). The surface areas posed no problems at all. With >2000 HP due to CtA, it’s fun to just wade into mobs, switching up between Fend and Lighting Strike.

But I was worried a bit about those weird underground areas that you access through the portal, Anya’s rescue, and Glacial Trail due to Moon Lords and/or witches. This highlighted why:
1584698598861.png
Thankfully, Sense noticed the Might aura on a little demon sprite. She hadn’t encountered any Moon Lords yet, so decided to investigate with a Decoy, which brought the pack over. Olena eventually did the job, after a bit of coaxing to start shooting across the canal. I don’t think Sense would have survived that encounter, even if she had a bridge to bottle them up. It took Oleana more than a minute to take them down here, and I’m not sure Decoy would have held up long enough to allow recasting before it poofed.

Unfortunately, we had a nearly identical encounter in Ancient Way, except this one was LI, Might and Extra Fast. Even worse, I had cleared that arm of the map already and decided to stop to recast BO (which had just run out) before moving on. Apparently, they had been tucked back out of the way or came all the way in from the junction. Either way, she was swarmed with CtA switch and put in immediate hit recovery. She managed to run out the back after switching back and chugging potions, but was eventually run down when she was out of potions. I tried to take a screenie of the boss, but was too fast!

Her only death of the playthrough since donning end-game gear. :( Fortunately, her attempted escape had strung out the pack a little bit, and the Boss ran back in the direction they had come (away from the body). So she was able to recover the corpse with generous use of the Decoy, taking out the minions first. For the boss, the decoy lasted just long enough allow Sense to recast, which allowed Olena to take him down.

From there, the rest went smoothly. We committed to taking on Ancients with the first roll without Amp. After two rerolls, it was on. Sense ran to the top and then back to the bottom, which narrowed it down to 2 vs. 2. Sense took on Korlic as the Decoy occupied Madawc, with Olena plinking away. We then hunted down Talic. As you can see, she used all four health potions, but didn’t need any juvies.

WSK posed no real challenges. There were Gloams in WSK2; and witches, Gloams and Megademons in the Throne Room; but only enough to keep us on our toes. Waves went down really easily – I forgot how nice Decoy is for absorbing decrepify. To be safe, we retreated to the back of the room for Lister, and eventually had to fall back a little, but had no issues:
1584698627696.png
Baal went down in less than a minute, with a Clone thrown in there for good measure. The only find of note in A5 was the Ma’avina set armor. Here’s her Mat dump -- she had swapped out BKWB for Carrion Wind at the start of A5, thinking the higher life steal would help and that the ctc Twister and poison nova would be fun. It did and it was.
Code:
Name:       Sense
Class:      Amazon
Experience: 879834763
Level:      82

            Naked/Gear
Strength:   83/130
Dexterity:  103/124
Vitality:   299/312
Energy:     15/15
HP:         1109/1364
Mana:       136/176
Stamina:    444/526
Defense:    25/2076
AR:         485/1286

Fire:       188/148/88
Cold:       138/98/38
Lightning:  184/144/84
Poison:     233/193/133

MF:         30       Block:      16
GF:         0
FR/W:       23
FHR:        97
IAS:        85
FCR:        25

Magic Arrow: 0/0
Fire Arrow: 0/0
Cold Arrow: 0/0
Multiple Shot: 0/0
Exploding Arrow: 0/0
Ice Arrow: 0/0
Guided Arrow: 0/0
Strafe: 0/0
Immolation Arrow: 0/0
Freezing Arrow: 0/0

Inner Sight: 1/4
Critical Strike: 14/17
Dodge: 0/0
Slow Missiles: 1/4
Avoid: 0/0
Penetrate: 8/11
Decoy: 4/7
Evade: 0/0
Valkyrie: 0/0
Pierce: 0/0

Jab: 1/8
Power Strike: 1/8
Poison Javelin: 1/8
Impale: 1/8
Lightning Bolt: 1/8
Charged Strike: 20/27
Plague Javelin: 0/0
Fend: 20/27
Lightning Strike: 20/27
Lightning Fury: 0/0

Fine Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x6acbc64d
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+2 to Maximum Damage
+10 to Attack Rating

Sharp Grand Charm of Venom
Grand Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xb77dce31
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Maximum Damage
+51 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 Poison Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x810b30aa
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Sharp Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x6be4759f
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Maximum Damage
+74 to Attack Rating
+39 to Life

Boreal Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0xd8815993
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 6 - 11 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)

Sharp Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0x63676f83
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Maximum Damage
+73 to Attack Rating
+28 to Life

Sharp Grand Charm of Burning
Grand Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x233c75be
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Maximum Damage
+59 to Attack Rating
Adds 3 - 5 Fire Damage

Sharp Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0xa619d17
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Maximum Damage
+65 to Attack Rating
+30 to Life

Fine Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xa6aaa7e7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+19 to Attack Rating
+2 to Dexterity

Fine Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xe16ab9f3
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+18 to Attack Rating
+2 to Strength

Harpoonist's Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x480102bb
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
+12% Faster Hit Recovery

Fine Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xb767f701
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Maximum Damage
+13 to Attack Rating
+11 to Life

Shimmering Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x7c50801a
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Life
All Resistances +4

Fine Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x71dfd910
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+3 to Maximum Damage
+10 to Attack Rating

Fine Small Charm of Frost
Small Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xec46a34f
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+16 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)

Highlord's Wrath
Amulet
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x6a9a1b9f
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
Adds 1 - 30 Lightning Damage
30% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)
Lightning Resist +35%
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15

Fortitude
Dusk Shroud
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1386
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 77
Fingerprint: 0x12dd85d6
Item Level: 78
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+102 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +29
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Lo Rune
Required Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Deadly Strike
Armor: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist

Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0x7d3294b2
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+204 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+19 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen

Carrion Wind
Ring
Required Level: 60
Fingerprint: 0xcdc04283
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 10 Poison Nova when struck
8% Chance to cast level 13 Twister on striking
8% Life stolen per hit
+149 Defense vs. Missile
Poison Resist +55%
10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
Level 21 Poison Creeper (15/15 Charges)

Sandstorm Trek
Scarabshell Boots
Defense: 243
Durability: 8 of 8
Required Level: 64
Required Strength: 81
Fingerprint: 0xd4852e2d
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+146% Enhanced Defense
+15 to Strength
+13 to Vitality
+82 Maximum Stamina (Based on Character Level)
50% Slower Stamina Drain
Poison Resist +40%
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
Ethereal

Deos's Laying of Hands
Bramble Mitts
Defense: 87
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x6600c698
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Holy Bolt on striking
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+350% Damage to Demons
+25 Defense
Fire Resist +50%

Guillaume's Face
Winged Helm
Defense: 217
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 58
Required Strength: 115
Fingerprint: 0x5c6ac6c0
Item Level: 78
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
34% Enhanced Damage
35% Chance of Crushing Blow
15% Deadly Strike
+120% Enhanced Defense
+15 to Strength
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Fervor

Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0x84d8e9c6
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
34% Enhanced Damage

Nosferatu's Coil
Vampirefang Belt
Defense: 60
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xea349e0d
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
7% Life stolen per hit
Slows Target by 10%
+15 to Strength
+2 to Mana after each Kill
-3 to Light Radius

Fine Small Charm of Incineration
Small Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0xe87ad5ff
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Maximum Damage
+14 to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 12 Fire Damage

Steel Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0x63999ff7
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+115 to Attack Rating

Sharp Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0xb1df6ab8
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Maximum Damage
+70 to Attack Rating
+30 to Life

Amber Small Charm of Inertia
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xb57e5676
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3% Faster Run/Walk
Lightning Resist +11%

Call to Arms
Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 19 - 58
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x57bad315
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
287% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+6 to Battle Command
+5 to Battle Orders
+1 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Wall of the Eyeless
Bone Shield
Defense: 52
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xf3c460bd
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Cast Rate
3% Mana stolen per hit
+38% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
All Resistances +6
Poison Resist +20%
+5 to Mana after each Kill
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Shimmering Jewel of Prosperity

Shimmering Jewel of Prosperity
Jewel
Required Level: 19
Fingerprint: 0x1642651c
Item Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +6%
Lightning Resist +6%
Fire Resist +6%
Poison Resist +6%
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Sense's Silence
Matriarchal Spear
DolEldHelIstTirVex
Two Hand Damage: 195 - 285
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 92
Required Dexterity: 114
Fingerprint: 0x38521bea
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+3 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
200% Enhanced Damage
+75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
11% Mana stolen per hit
Hit Blinds Target +33
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
All Resistances +75
+2 to Mana after each Kill
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Requirements -20%
6 Sockets (6 used)
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Eld Rune
Socketed: Hel Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Eld Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
Armor: 15% Slower Stamina Drain
Shields: 7% Increased Chance of Blocking

Hel Rune
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Requirements -20%
Armor: Requirements -15%
Shields: Requirements -15%

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Tir Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Armor: +2 to Mana after each Kill
Shields: +2 to Mana after each Kill

Vex Rune
Required Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Mana stolen per hit
Armor: +5% to Maximum Fire Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Fire Resist


Mercenary:

Name:       Olena
Race:       Rogue Scout
Type:       Ice - Normal
Experience: 58608692
Level:      82
Dead?:      false

            Naked/Gear
Strength:   134/134
Dexterity:  203/203
HP:         1350/1522
Defense:    1124/3173
AR:         2197/661297

Fire:       198/158/98
Cold:       198/158/98
Lightning:  198/158/98
Poison:    198/158/98

Fortitude
Wire Fleece
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1923
Durability: 17 of 17
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 101
Fingerprint: 0xd0b2d60d
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+112 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +29
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Lo Rune
Required Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Deadly Strike
Armor: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist

Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Death Mask
Defense: 126
Durability: 16 of 20
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xb8a5cc56
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Mana stolen per hit
10% Life stolen per hit
+45 Defense
+60 to Life
+30 to Mana
All Resistances +15

Faith
Ward Bow
OhmJahLemEld
Two Hand Damage: 86 - 227
Durability: 29 of 48
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 72
Required Dexterity: 146
Fingerprint: 0x7b1bea67
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 14 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped
+1 to All Skills
330% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
300% Bonus to Attack Rating
+75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 120 - 120 Fire Damage
All Resistances +15
10% Reanimate as: Returned
75% Extra Gold from Monsters
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ohm Rune
Socketed: Jah Rune
Socketed: Lem Rune
Socketed: Eld Rune

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Jah Rune
Required Level: 65
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Ignore Target's Defense
Armor: Increase Maximum Life 5%
Shields: +50 to Life

Lem Rune
Required Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 75% Extra Gold from Monsters
Armor: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters
Shields: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters

Eld Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
Armor: 15% Slower Stamina Drain
Shields: 7% Increased Chance of Blocking
All in all, this was a very fun playthrough. Silence is pretty solid as a melee weapon, although the Horror proc is definitely annoying when you start encountering higher life or physical immune monsters. It’s also a bit underpowered for physical damage in later acts. I was very impressed with the Rogue – I had forgotten how diesel they can be when toting Faith and Fortitude.

I’m going to play around with some gear for other 2H-fendazon options with an A2 merc, probably leveling her up to level 85 or so in Pits here and there. Then she will respec to a Furyzon and become a dedicated Cow runner, and also dabble in CS. :)

Thanks for reading! Two more sets of twins in the trio! Kaleid may get some time this week to progress levels toward being able to start testing out end-game gear.
 
Originally posted by sevenOfDiamonds on Oct 25, 2011:

Matriarch AmaDablam - LFzon

AmaDablam: LFzon


amadablam.jpg


Skills: All lightning
Gear: The usual suspects
Progress: A ridiculous fast ride at /p8
Finds: 2xGul
Future: Moo!
 
Originally posted by silospen on Jan 25, 2005:

Matriarch BigBoobsBigBow

BigBoobsBigBow looked at herself in the mirror. There she was, about to leave her home for the first time, to embark on a quest to remove evil from the lands forever. As she stood there, she started to remember her childhood.....

As far back as she could remember, she had always been a bit of a rebel. Her name, which her parents had given her was only semi accurate. She just hated bows. Especially big ones. In fact, she felt that there was nothing better than having a good, hard and long stick in her hands. Thus she wanted to become a javelin master. She had been teased awfully for it, at bow school, all the other children would be there, expertly hitting targets with arrows, whilst she sat there, playign with pointed sticks.

About a year later, she was out in the forest, playing (as usual) alone. Suddenly, a thunderstorm brewed, so (rather stupidly) she went and hid under a tree. As she got struck with about 5 million volts of electricity, it suddenly dawned on her that the emergency nuclear bunker (in case of America) would have probably been a better place to hide. When she awoke, she felt a strange sensation of power running through her body. When she threw her javelin, it destroyed a rather large tree. As she stood there in awe, she realised that this was the one power she had - the power of lightning. Crap, she though. Thats going to be awful in Hell mode.

She shook her head from the daydream of the past and carried on looking in the mirror. Her parents might have been wrong about the bow part, but damn, she had big boobs.

Level 83

Stength: (With Equip) 94 (175)
Dex: (With Equip) 140 (195)
Vitality: (With Equip) 256 (276)
Energy: (With Equip) 15 (15)

Life: 1102
Mana: 223

Jab damage: 491 - 924
Lightning Fury damage: 489 - 1095 with 1-1643 lightning damage
Charged strike damage: 489 - 920 with 1 - 3207 lightning damage

Skills (with +to skills):

Javelin:

Jab: 1 (7)
Power strike: 17 (23)
Charged strike: 20 (26)
Lightning strike: 20 (29)
Lightning fury: 20 (29)
(and other prereq's)

Passive:

Critical strike: 6 (8)
Avoid: 1 (3)
Dodge: 1 (3)
Evade: 1 (3)
Penetrate: 1 (3)
Pierce: 1 (3)

Fire: 19
Cold: 60
Lightning: 51
Poison: -51

Equiptment:

Titans revenge - Ceremonial Javelin
Vampire gaze - Grim helm
Crescent monn - Amulet
Tal Rasha's Guardian - Laquered plate (socketed with Lightning Rainbow Facet, thanks to Seige after BigBoobsBigBow avenged neville)
Stormshield - Monarch (Socketed with a perfect diamond)
Infernostride - Demonhide boots
Thundergods vigor - War belt
Manald heal - Ring
Ravenfrost - Ring

Rune hand - Vambraces
(+11 to Strength
+15 to Dexterity
+44% Enhanced Defense
+11 to Attack Rating
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon )

Charms:

A couple of different resistance charms (1 light, 1 cold)

and this beaut:

Foul Small Charm of Anthrax
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 36
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xf90ce5d8
+208 poison damage over 10 seconds

Which i swear, kept me alive.

Well, that was pretty hard in places. Normal was initially really boring, just jabbing away. Toward the end of normal, however, I was pretty much doing the same damage as i am now, so that was fun :D

Same with Nightmare, my damage was so high it was great. Died for the first time, when i got surrounded by a pack of gloams. This wasn't a problem, as I had 75 all res then, plus thundergods great gloam defense. However, they prevented me hitting all the guys who could do damage to me, so i got beaten down.

Hell was hard. Not too hard, though, compared to other characters i've played. Skeletons were a problem, as were the tainted guys (they really annoyed me). Act 2 wasn't a problem apart from those dammed beetles. I used an amulet of teleportation to get through the maggot lair, as i was just getting nowhere. Duriel died in about 2, maybe 3 seconds (love charged strike). Act 3 caused me grave problems. The flayers and the little bird guys are LI?! So i just ran through the entire jungle - that kept me on the edge of my seat. Act 4 was easy, too. No sign of gloams, the only place i had trouble was the river of flame. There were either LI mages or LI ghosts. So i rerolled until i got a suitable set up, then get through with no problems. In the chaos sanctuary, the infector of souls killed me (annoyingly) i really hate that guy. Everyone else wasn't a problem. Diablo died wayyy too fast.

Act 5 - Again, i ran through large chunks of this, because i wasn't in the mood for fighting so many LI guys.

Ancients: Took me ages to find a suitable set of mods. I managed to get a friend to help me, by running around to stop them returning to statues when i died. Unfortunatly, one of the mods (on the whirlwind guy) was FE, so i experienced the FE bug, for the first time. So, after dieing many times, i managed to get it so it was just the LI guy left. I died, went back to town and got my merc, then finished him off. Ran like a crazy man through the worldstone keep. Got into the throneroom, easily killed the minions, then killed baal!

Best finds: Hmmm, can't really remember. Fal rune, probably (From a guy in the Throneroom)

Stupidest thing: Deciding that the best way to kill LI's was to get a decent spear, then use power strike to increase the damage. Duh - power strike is a lightning attack!

Things learnt:
It must be dammed hard doing a single tree sorceress. It must also be dammed hard playing hardcore.
Flayers suck.
Make sure that you don't have CS selected instead of LF and run into a huge group of superuniques and minions.

There we go :) Sorry about the essay, but im hungover and need someone to talk to :(
 
Originally posted by silospen on Sep 23, 2006:

Matriarch "ThePerfectJava"

Well, its been a while. Hey to anyone that remembers me, now i'm back in D2 I thought i'd throw this Mat down here!

Name: ThePerfectJava
Level: 88
Health: 1320
Mana: 264

Stats: Base (Items)

Strength: 61 (167)
Dexterity: 141 (199) - 75% block held
Vitality: 313 (338)
Energy: 15 (20)

Skills: Base (Items)

+Skills: 8
+Java Skills: 14
TOTAL = 22

Jab: 1 (23)
Power strike: 20 (42)
Lightning bolt: 10 (32)
Lightning fury: 20 (45)
Charged strike: 20 (42)
Lightning strike: 20 (45)
D/E/A: 1 (9)
Crit/Pen/Pierce: 1 (9)

Resistances in hell:
Fire: 75
Cold: 75
Light: 85
Poision: 75

Damage

Charged strike: 619 - 1366 Phys, 1 - 8979 Lightning (11 bolts)
Lightning Fury: 696 - 1532 Phys, 1 - 3846 Lightning (46 bolts)
I dont use power strike but damn, it looks hot

Teh itemz!


Eth Upped "BigBoobsBigBow's" Titans Revenge - Named after my original LF zon <3
Perfect griffons eye with perfect light facet
Stormshield with perfect light facet
+26 Mara's
Thundergods Vigor
Ravenfrost
SoJ
Aldur's Advance (awesome boots)
Chains of Honor (archon plate)

Loath Clutches
Light Gauntlets
Defense: 17
Durability: 13 of 18
Required Strength: 45
Required Level: 35
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 55
Fingerprint: 0xe7208e05
+49% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +14%
3% Life stolen per hit
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
20% Increased Attack Speed
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Java skillers x 10
Various resistance SC's

This is my second LFzon, taken me about 3 years to collect all the gear and such to go on her. In 10 levels time all her Lightning skills will be synchronized perfectly and we'll see just how much damage she does!
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Sir Lister of Smeg on Sep 21, 2005:

Matriarch Javazon

I finally got around playing Javazon again, and took her through act V hell. Most there was done at players 5, with some parts at players 8 or players 1. One of the Ancients, the leaper, completely ignored both mercenary and valkyrie, but for the rest the battle was albeit slightly long, not dangerous (after dealing with physical immune frenzytaurs at players 5, I didn't even bother checking the Ancients' mods at players 1) The WSK level 1 was done at players 5, I had stygian hags, succubi and vampires there and cleared the whole level, level 2 saw lightning/poison immune skellies, gloams and greater mummies and I switched to players 1, and did not try a full clear. I did notice though that the gloams healed me with their lightning attack (Thundergods' vigor is nice).
Level three I don't remember, was probably something in between. Throne of Destruction: oblivion knights, succubi, and vampires, no problem at players 5, except for the merc and valk dying to iron maiden and running out of mana. The minion waves were no problem at all, and in spite of being aware of not being good against single targets, I didn't bother to switch back to players 1 for Baal. This led to an amazingly long and boring fight, not without danger, but eventually after lots of townportalling to resurrect the merc and refill my belt Baal went down. For a change, he dropped uniques, Kira's Guardian and Gloom's Trap, also a failed set warhammer, another blue and yellow which weren't failed set/uniques and a yellow ring.
Now it's on to the Moo Moo Farm.

Final stats:
Character name : Javazon
Character type : Amazon
Character level : 87
Character exp : 1289885289

Strength : 95
Energy : 15
Dexterity : 165
Vitality : 90
Stat Points Rem : 160
Skill Points Rem: 5

Life : 715 / 492
Mana : 182 / 144
Stamina : 299 / 240

Equipment:
Kira's Guardian
Seraph's Hymn
Titan's Revenge
Skin Of The Vipermagi
Wall Of The Eyeless
Laying Of Hands
Thundergod's Vigor
Infernostride
Dwarf Star
Manald Heal
Witchwild String
mostly resistance charms, some elemental damage, life and mana charms

Mercenary:
Azrael, might desert warrior
level 87
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
The Reaper's Toll
Duriel's Shell
 
Originally posted by sirpoopsalot on Oct 22, 2005:

Matriarch EvilDoughnut - lvl84 CS/LF 'zon

Just spanked Baal, so now I'm 3/7 of the way to my septavirate (sorc & barb covered too). Druid's probably next, after a few hell cow runs.

Str: 113 (207)
Dex: 302 (322)
Vit: 80 (102)
Ene: 15 (22)

Life: 799
Mana: 291
Hell Resists: 75/75/85/31

Damage:
CS: 438-866 + 1-3257 lightning/bolt
LF: 438-1105 + 1-1751 lightning/bolt
Jab (switch): 1037-2313

Skills:
Valk - 11(19)
Pierce - 1(9)
LF - 20 (32)
CS - 20 (29)
LB - 20 (29)
LS - 10 (22)
PJ - 2 (11) - d'oh, wrong point placement
... all other prereq's - 1(9 or 10)

Gear:
W1: Titan's
W2: Ethereal Demon's Arch
S1: PDiamond Stormshield
S2: Tiamat's Rebuke
Helm: PTopaz Shako
Armor: Jeweled Skin of the Vipermagi (42% Resist All)
Gloves: Drac's
Belt: T'gods
Boots: Rare Warboots (20% FR/W, 30% Fire Res, 31% Lightning Res., 1/2 Freeze duration, 129% Defence)
Amulet: Rare (+1 skill, +20% Resist All, 18% MF, +8 Regen. Life)
Rings: BKWB, Manald Heal (needed the Mana Leech).

Fazel (Might Merc), lvl 83:
Hone Sundan (Amn, Amn, Shael)
Guillaume's Face (Fire Res./IAS Jewel)
Shaftstop (AR/IAS Jewel)


Noteable Finds:
- Duriel dropped a Cerebus Bite (Duriel ?!?!), as well as the obligatory town portal scroll
- I grabbed a Shako somewhere in Act3
- Hellforge was very kind: NM=Um, Hell=Ist - much better than my previous Lum/Lem & Sol/Lem.
- I found a Io rune in the Ancient's Way
... and not much else. I had about 150-200 MF the entire way, but didn't run anything (I wanted to try questing all the way through, to see what I'd find - the end result was 83 set/unique items, with Hsaru's Heel's and Cathan's Rings leading the way with 4 each).

Review/Misc:
- I used CS more than LF, unless it was a scary pack. Could 1-2 hit kill almost everything with CS
- 7% Mana leech wasn't enough to maintain LF for very long - usually just enough to kill a big pack
- I played on /players8 through NM (including ancients), and varied quite a bit through hell, depending on the lightning immune monsters I encountered (and how bad*ss they were).
- Anything not Lightning Immune was toast.
- My merc died SOOO many times that I was loosing money the last 2 acts.
- Died 4 times overall (+1 save & exit, explained in today's daily :( )
- Got lucky with NO lightning immunes in the entire WSK, so I did a full clear of each level (and found arctic mitts, woot).
- maybe it was luck, but Diablo was the easiest boss to kill - CS pwned him in about 8 seconds; full-clearing the chaos sanctuary beforehand was a different story ;) .

Fun build, but definitely overpowered against non-LI's. It was a nice mix of melee vs. throwing, as I was able to do whichever I felt like at almost any time. And now I have a cow runner. Moo.
 
Originally posted by sirpoopsalot on Oct 26, 2008:

Matriarch Hamburgler: CowRunner (LF'zon)

I just finished a couple of test runs with my new LF-zon designed specifically for cow runs. She rocks, but I've got some learning to do - I haven't run cows enough to have a good feel for their runs yet - I still get swarmed or waste too much time on a single monster.

Anyways, before getting to the Cow-stuff:

Hamburgler
Edit: update for reaching level92 here

Level 82+
LCS (while questing)
LCS (while cow running)


Skills:
20 (36) Lightning Fury
20 (36) Charged Strike
20 Power Strike
20 Lightning Bolt
4 (9) Pierce
1 (6) Decoy
1 prereq's
1 unused

Cowing Equipment:
Titan's Revenge (195/9)
Griffon's Eye (+16/-22 with facet)
Skullder's Ire (+3/15 Aureolic Jewel of Fervor)
Head Hunter's Glory
Troll Nest
Defense: 521
Chance to Block: 45%
Durability: 54 of 74
Required Strength: 106
Required Level: 75
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0xa23a67cf
+349 Defense
+332 Defense vs. Missile
Fire Resist +23%
Poison Resist +39%
Adds 3-222 lightning damage
+7 Life after each Kill
100% Chance to cast Level 47 Chain Lightning When You Die
100% Chance to cast Level 41 Nova When You Level Up
+15% to Lightning Skill Damage
-15% to Enemy Lightning Resistance

Socketed (3: 3 used)
Cat's Eye
Silkweaves
Ravenfrost (20/179)
SoJ
Razortail
rare gloves: (+2 Javelin, 20 IAS, +2 Str, 9 LiteResist, 3% ManaLeech)

Switch: Harmony hunter's bow
Charms:
- 7x Harpoonists (+5 Str, +11 life, +23 life, 37% Gold, +25 poison, +3-6 cold, plain)
- 1x Amber / 1x Sapphire / 2x Ruby SC, each with 'of Balance' suffix
- 5x Amber SC (3 FRW, +42 life total)

Questing Equipment (for Hell only - I used Cowing equipment as much as I could before Hell):
Same as above, except:
2x Pdiamond Moser's Blessed Circle
+50 resist Skin of Vipermagi
Holy Freeze merc (Insight, Fortitude, VampGaze)


Notable Finds:
Lum/Um Hellforge
Rockstopper
Butcher's Pupil
Rixot's Keen
rare Heavy Boots (39 FRes, 40 CRes, 23 PRes, 10 FHR, 1-23 Lite damage, 25% PLR)... if only they had FRW
rare Demonhide Boots (20 FRW, 35 FRes, 39 PRes, 6 CRes)
rare Circlet (+2 sorc skills, +30 Str, 8% MLeech, 4 PDR)... if only it had resists


Notes
- players8 for Normal & Nightmare, /p1 for Hell. NM Baal runs to 76 for Griffon's before hell.

- LF is, of course, awesome. CS too. But surprisingly my low-investment backup attacks were pretty decent most of the time. I used jab sometimes, or just the elemental damage on my Harmony switch on occasion. And the merc did a lot of heavy lifting. I only found 2 monsters that made me want to throw my computer against a wall (but I did eventually kill those too).
Annoying monster #1
Annoying monster #2

<-- both of those took forever, and nothing I could do would make them attack my merc instead of me

- I did skip large chunks of lightning immunes. Decoy + Harmony + Cat's Eye + Silkweaves makes that pretty easy to do most of the time (I've already learned I can outrun an extra-fast, Holy-freeze cow boss with it :nervous:). And I was amazingly lucky in the Maggot Lair - I didn't encounter one single beetle in all 3 levels. :shocked:

- I'm not sure if I'll spend my remaining skillpoint(s) in Lightning Strike or if I'll go after Evade. Evade would be handy right now (since I suck at running cows) but I'm thinking a little practice (and a few levels) will improve my chances of not getting hit, and then I'll want the extra damage... I'll probably wait a few levels before deciding, but I'm open to suggestions from experienced cow runners.

- I decided on a low-block approach, hoping the extra life would help me avoid hit recovery more (and the extra shield sockets would improve my damage/speed a lot). I think it'll work just fine with more experience, but she's fragile as hell. I died 5-10 times while questing, and pretty much had to focus entirely on not getting hit at all (read: my attacks were a much lower priority than not letting monsters attack me). Part of that was that I never tried 'hard' to make her safe, just "survivable".

- she is fast on the cow killing, that's for sure. I don't think the low resists or lack of blocking are going to be an issue though.
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by sirpoopsalot on Aug 14, 2009:

Re: Matriarch Hamburgler: CowRunner (LF'zon)

I decided to resurrect this old thread with an update since, after several tweaks and iterations, I believe I've finally got the setup that's right for me. At least I hope so, because lord knows I've spent enough wealth on her. Of course, there's still room for improvement, but I think she's 99% of the way there.

Also, I'd like to specifically thank a few people that contributed some loot (or effort). I couldn't have gotten close to this point without them.


Hamburgler, Cow Runner Extraordinaire:
LCS & Skills Tree
Switch LCS & Inventory



Gear:
Titan's Revenge (195/9)
Griffon's Eye (+16/-22 with perfect facet)
Jeweler's Ancient Armor of Stability
Defense: 219
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Strength: 100
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 94
Fingerprint: 0xf1d3d504
Adds 3-222 lightning damage
15% Increased Attack Speed
24% Faster Hit Recovery
+3 to Mana After Each Kill
100% Chance to cast Level 41 Nova When You Level Up
+15% to Lightning Skill Damage
-15% to Enemy Lightning Resistance

Socketed (4: 4 used)
Head Hunter's Glory
Troll Nest
Defense: 521
Chance to Block: 45%
Durability: 54 of 74
Required Strength: 106
Required Level: 75
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0xa23a67cf
+349 Defense
+332 Defense vs. Missile
Fire Resist +23%
Poison Resist +39%
Adds 3-222 lightning damage
+7 Life after each Kill
100% Chance to cast Level 47 Chain Lightning When You Die
100% Chance to cast Level 41 Nova When You Level Up
+15% to Lightning Skill Damage
-15% to Enemy Lightning Resistance

Socketed (3: 3 used)
Cat's Eye
Silkweaves
Ravenfrost (20/179)
SoJ
Razortail
3/20 Lancer's Light Gloves of Alacrity

Switch: Harmony hunter's bow

Charms:
8x Harpoonists Grand Charms (FHR, FRW, +11, +23, +35 life, 2xCold Damage, 1xPoison Damage)
8x <resists> Small Charms of Inertia (+22 Cold, +10 Poison, +28 Fire, +12 Lightning)


Hidden Stats:
+121 Faster Run Walk on primary attack, even faster with Harmony active
+46% to Lightning Skill Damage (in addition to what I get from synergies)
+8 mana per kill <--- very important
+7 life per kill <--- very helpful
32+ Faster Hit Recovery (7 frames)
10-frame Attack Speed
100% Pierce
... and, most importantly ...
-52% to Enemy Lightning Resistance


Skills:
20 (37) Lightning Fury
20 (37) Charged Strike
20 Power Strike
20 Lightning Bolt
10+ Lightning Strike
5 (9) Pierce
1 (5) Decoy
1 prereq's



Notes / Update:
1. Although it looks like the gear has hardly changed from the original setup, I assure you it's gone through lots of adjustment. A lot of tweaking was through charms, but a few other pieces have been replaced along the way too. Resists have gone up and down at various times, so have my skills, damage, FHR, life, FRW, and just about any other stat.

Eventually I've learned that what seems to work best for me is to attain a minimum amount of FHR (7 frames) and after that do everything to maximize speed and power, even at the cost sacrificing resists and (a little) survivability in the process.

Actually, it's debatable that survivability deteriorated at all with lower resists - with more power and speed she finds it easier to kill things before they get close and to escape danger, respectively. Her life is almost-always enough to take a FE/CE boss explosion head on though (one did get me the other day, but 98% of them don't 1-hit-KO her, which is all I need).

However, she's definitely fragile. Always was, and always will be. She's designed to kill before she gets hit, and although she's not perfect, she's really good at that job. This is a glass cannon in every sense.


2. Yes, that's 7 perfect facets in the gear. Only the one in my Griffon's Eye is self-found (Griffon's is also self-found).

3. I never bothered with either ethereal and/or upgraded Titan's. I still run low on javelins once every 5-10 runs, so it's nice to be able to repair the stack in town and keep rolling. And 98% of her life regeneration is provided by her shield, so an upgraded one would only require higher investment into dexterity/strength while providing a very small boost to damage & leech in return. So ethereal and/or upgraded Titan's doesn't seem worth the trouble.

4. After switching away from the Skullder's Ire to an armour without MF, I was surprised how much of a difference it made in her "grey" drops. I'd estimate the number of socketables has at least doubled (maybe tripled) since I lost that ~100 MF. I didn't think it would be that big of a difference, but it's very noticeable. For example, I noticed 8 grey items on the ground in one screen the other day.

5. I can swap back to Moser's Blessed Circle + Smoke/Vipermagi and do /players8 Baal runs surprisingly well. For making a run at level 99, I'd wager that pure javazon's are probably only behind Enigmadins and Infinity lightning sorcs, and equal or better than just about everything else.

6. As for the mana per kill, it's amazing what difference an adjustment here will make during cow runs. I went with +5 for a very brief time, and it simply wasn't enough. Not even close. And when I went with +11 for a few runs, and her mana bulb barely flinched below full.

+8 mana per kill is about the amount where I end up drinking one potion every run, on average (plus maybe another 1-2 if I get hit by a manaburn pack). I'm finding that +8 is a perfect amount, since if I notice my mana dipping, it usually means I'm fighting too many individual monsters at once. More +MPK than that and I might not notice it as much, and spend more times engaging individuals than I'd like. (FYI, 2-3 LF's against a big pack will completely fill her bulb).


7. As for the power... it's nice. :cloud9: I run on /players7, and I find it's consistently 2 throws to kill ~90% of a pack of cows, 2-3 more throws to clean up 4-5 of the ~7 that are left, and a Charged Strike or two to finish the stragglers off. If I go with CS against a single cow it's 2-5 hits (depending a lot on the angle of attack). For bosses and champs it varies a lot, but seldom takes more than 7 hits.

I don't bother with Lightning Immune bosses, since they take too long (and their bolts hurt a lot with my low resists). The only other bosses that give consistent headaches are Extra Fast ones, but even if those spawn with the holy-freeze aura, I can outrun them. And a well-placed decoy can help too, obviously. Grabbing a new Wirt's Leg at the start of a run is often the most perilous time during the run. :p



So, what's left for Hamburgler beyond making hamburgers?
- The biggest goal for the moment is to get another Harpoonists of Balance charm, which would give me 48 FHR. At that point I'd swap one of the Inertia small charms for a Balance one, and get her over the next FHR breakpoint (52+ = 6 frames).
- Several of my resistance/inertia small charms are mediocre, so some upgrades there are possible.
- Actually, I'll get around to looking up FRW formulas at some point, and maybe drop an FRW charm for a +20 lifer or two if that makes sense.
- I wouldn't mind swapping a few of my Harpoonists skillers if something better comes along, but it's not critical by any stretch
- I'd like an upgrade to my Griffon's Eye, but who knows when/if that'll ever happen.
... that's really about it.


Thanks For The Itamz:
- colony (perfect facet + Harpoonist of Inertia + 3/20 gloves)
- frozzzen (perfect facet)
- jaedhann (2x perfect facets)
- maxgerin (perfect facet)
- nubikoen (perfect facet)
- udgard (Harpoonist's of Balance)

Also, Nightfind deserves thanks too, since he talked me into waiting long enough to get the 3rd facet for the armour and the gloves (which makes the final numbers a little higher than if I hadn't waited). Although his items didn't make it into the final product, he spent much of the past week valiantly trying rack an elite 'light' armour of stability in 1.07 and to get Larzuk to poke 4 holes in it. Alas my patience ran out when I while I was starring at the almost-as-good armour I had on hand, but that doesn't lessen his effort or his offer to help.

And finally, thanks to everyone that's actively or passively helped with knowledge & opinions of cow runs and cow runners. There's been too many people that've posted a tidbit that I've pilfered (most didn't even know it) for me to remember even half of 'em.

Cheers all. :wine:


Edit: forgot to mention the average run time now on /players7 is just under 8 minutes, including the time spent in town and retrieving Wirts leg. When I first posted this thread and did enough warmup runs to be comfortable, iirc the average was around 12 minutes.
 
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Originally posted by sirpoopsalot on Apr 5, 2009:

Matriarch NoName - Fendazon

... obviously I wasn't feeling particularly creative when she started her career. I was hoping I'd think of a name that fit her as time went by, but nothing other than "IHateBloodlords" really fit (more on that in a bit), and by that time she was almost finished.


Stats, Resists, AR & Damage:
LCS (Fend)
LCS (Berserk)

Skills:
20 Fend
20 Critical Strike
20 Decoy
20 Penetrate
1 prereq's
(I couldn't decide what to do with the last few points, so...)
7 Impale
4 Slow Missile
+3 skills

Gear:
W1: ethereal, upgraded Hone Sundan (3x Shael, 182% Damage)
W2: 'Passion' Shillelagh
Fortitude
Kira's Guardian (49/15 Silver Jewel of Fervor)
Mara's (29)
Dracul's Grasp (12/10%/+7)
String of Ears (15/8%, 12 MDR)
Goreriders
BKWB (5%)
rare ring (8/6 leech, 119 AR, +mana & energy)

Charms:
5x Sharp GC of Life/Inertia
Steel GC of Balance
Shimmering GC of life
Shimmering LC of vita
Steel SC of Balance
2x Fine SC of Balance
Amber SC of Balance
Steel SC of Inertia
Ruby SC of Inertia

Rogue Merc, level82:
Faith
Treachery
Garnet Circlet of the Locust (+30 IAS socketed)


Misc. breakpoints:
74.5% Double Damage (Critical Strike + Deadly Strike, normalized)
60% Crushing Blow
35% Open Wounds
FHR: 52 = 6 frames
31/6 leech
7/4 Fend
11 frame Berserk


Notes:
1. She definitely has the skillpoints for a better backup attack than Berserk, but I wanted something a little original and (potentially) challenging to play. I at least succeeded that far.

2. Originality is also why I chose the Fanat. Rogue. This build would probably be better with a Might merc to help tank (and NOT overwrite InnerSight if I want to cast it), but I wanted to see how a 7/4 Fend would compare to a 8/4 zeal. But now I need to build a two-handed zealer, since I haven't yet and my findings reached the obvious conclusion of "she's got better power than all but the nastiest one-handers, but I sure wish she had a shield". At least she isn't required to use a left-mouse-button attack like a zealot.

3. She was a complete breeze for most of the game, and a real powerhouse up until the start of Act4. Although Fend can attack up to 12 targets, it was rare to get surrounded by more than 3-4 at once. All through hell she killed almost everything in 1-2 hits.

4. If there were monsters she could leech from around, she was pretty much invincible (except for Iron Maiden, of course).

5a. However, the ease of play and invincibility disappeared in the Crystaline Passage in Hell when the Physical Immune Frenzytaur's spawned (Bloodlords). They were the "primary" monster for the area, so 3 out of every 4 monster I encountered there (and every single boss/champ pack) was a Bloodlord.

5b. There was also a very nice triple bosspack (and an extra 4-pack of champs) that I didn't bother any screenies with - I was much, much too busy running like hell and spamming Decoys. As far as I could tell every pack spawned extra fast - making my 11-frame Berserk ridiculously slow in comparison. At least one pack had manaburn, another had extra strong, and the 3rd had a Might aura. I don't know what the other mods were. I managed to kill all of the champs, the ES boss and ~90% of their minions, But a couple small groups around two of the bosses were simply impossible to separate (and therefore, to kill). They could ~4-hit-kill my level 23 Decoy, and being extra fast they could attack me twice for every attack I could land. Not having a tanking merc hurt too, since as soon as they swarmed the rogue she died immediately.

5c. 25% ctc Flee on Passion was absolutely the stupidest and most annoying mod ever for these battles. I'd manage to finally separate a single bloodlord and get a Decoy in front of it and move in for the kill. Then I'd whack away ~75% of its life before having the flee trigger and watching it run away and rejoin its boss pack to regenerate to full health. :censored:. I'd like to meet the game designer who thought that would be a good mod for a weapon, just so I can punch him in the mouth - repeatedly.

5d. But I'm stubborn, and managed to finally kill/bypass those packs after 45-60 minutes. I wanted to S&E and respawn about 400 times during that time, but managed to resist the temptation.

6. After that, every bad spawn you could think of spawned (gloams + unleachable ghosts & skeletons for the Frozen River, Frenzytaurs + OK's + PI Witches for WSK3, etc.). It didn't take me long to get tired of her after the Crystaline Passage, since no spawn could compare to the hectic/frantic battle I had with the Bloodlords, but fighting ~40 PI's in a row was an effective way to make me drink a red potion every ~10 seconds (and return to town every minute).

7. But she did have a lot of luck in her item-finds:
- Pul/Ist Hellforge
- Mal (NM Pindle)
- Skullder's Ire (NM Baal, iirc)
- perfect MF Gheeds (Duriel!!!)
- Mav's Bow (random boss in RoF)
Edit: I forgot to list the 5% Shimmering SC (NM WSK) that I found too

8. Miscellaneous Screenshots:
- I figured with physical & magic damage, I wouldn't meet many dual-immune monsters that I'd have to let the merc kill. I was right that I didn't find many - but I did encounter one.
- I'm still trying to solve The Case of the Invisible Shrine
- And speaking of invisible... huh? (damn graphics card :().


Overall Review:
Even with modest equipment, Fend can be used to make a very viable character - assuming you choose a better backup skill than I did. The ethereal, upgraded HS & the Fortitude were really an overkill, and other than the nice Maras and a few charms, most of my equipment shouldn't be that hard to reach or find something comparable.

At times her power is astonishing. The one-hit kills until about the end of Act3 were so frequent that I only cast Decoy as a distraction for physical immunes and gloams. Unfortunately she's pretty much a one-trick pony, so pushing the /players settings up only makes things slower without really relieving some of the monotony. But as soon as her power dips (especially if she can't leech) she suddenly becomes much, much more fragile - and as a consequence, more strategic & fun to play (but also more frustrating when you're quaffing a potion every 5-10 seconds because you can't leech from a pack of PI's, nor can you kill them quickly).

But she really needs something extra to do beyond: 1) tank pack, 2) obliterate pack, 3) cast decoy, 4) switch to Berserk for PI's... since that's ~99% of her gameplay, she can be a little monotonous.

Fun Factor: 7.5, mostly because of the builds rarity and originality, but she did have her moments too. Find a way to add a little more variety to the gameplay, as well as a more powerful attack against PI's (*cough*ChargedStrike*cough*), and she'd probably jump up to an 8.5 or 9.


Up next for NoName: swift and complete retirement.
Up next for sirpoopsalot: no idea (and no, that's not the planned name of my next character :D).
 
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Originally posted by skipjack on Dec 15, 2011:

Baroness Kalaya - Poison Javazon

Note: I should have completed this character over a month ago, but life dictated that I had more important things to do than play D2.

Introduction

I have been an adoring fan of Poison Javazons for quite some time; I just love the way the cloud from Plague Javelin spreads out, infecting all nearby enemies. Accordingly, completing the game with a Poison Javazon has been on my D2 to-do list for a while, although it has been constantly superseded by other projects: not anymore!

Following my completion of the Low-Key Classic Tourney and noticing the success of Poison Javazons in it, I was finally compelled to give one a proper go, at least in Classic. I briefly considered playing my new Poison Javazon as a second entry in the tournament, but doing so would not have afforded me the opportunity to show off some of my pimp Classic gear in this thread. Style points matter!

Without further ado, I present Kalaya, the Classic Poison Javazon!

Baroness Kalaya - Poison Javazon

Code:
Character name  : Kalaya
Character type  : Amazon
Character level : 69
Character exp   : 282795360

Strength        : 49
Energy          : 15
Dexterity       : 25
Vitality        : 346

Life            : 1251 / 1224
Mana            : 241 / 117
Stamina         : 478 / 478

Fire res        : 75
Cold res        : 75
Lightning res   : 75
Poison res      : 12

LCS

Skills

Javelin and Spear Skills
Passive and Magic Skills


Gear

Duroc
Helm: Tarnhelm
Amulet: Raven Heart
Weapon: Superior Javelin
Armour: Rune Flange
Shield: Demon Guard
Gloves: Havoc Fist
Ring1: The Stone of Jordan
Belt: Demon Strap
Ring2: The Stone of Jordan
Boots: Storm Trample

Tarnhelm
Skull Cap
Defense: 9
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Strength: 15
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 51
Fingerprint: 0x5443ac83
75% Extra Gold from Monsters
47% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to All Skill Levels

Raven Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 94
Fingerprint: 0x6b760448
+16 to Strength
Fire Resist +16%
Lightning Resist +16%
Cold Resist +16%
Poison Resist +25%
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
10% Faster Cast Rate

Superior Javelin
Throw Damage: 6 to 15
One-Hand Damage: 1 to 6
Quantity: 60
Javelin Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 63
Fingerprint: 0x71444466
+2 to Attack Rating
+1 to Maximum Damage

Rune Flange
Trellised Armor
Defense: 144
Durability: 96 of 96
Required Strength: 49
Required Level: 25
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0xe276cef0
+20 to Life
+4 to Mana
Fire Resist +25%
Lightning Resist +26%
Requirements -20%
24% Faster Hit Recovery

Demon Guard
Barbed Shield
Defense: 157
Chance to Block: 62%
Durability: 55 of 55
Required Strength: 65
Required Level: 31
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0x9c7993e2
+5 to Strength
+99% Enhanced Defense
+20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Damage Reduced by 1
Fire Resist +37%
Lightning Resist +65%
Cold Resist +37%
Poison Resist +37%
30% Faster Block Rate
Socketed (1: 1 used)

Perfect Diamond
Inserted into a Barbed Shield

All Resistances +19

Required Level: 18
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard

Havoc Fist
Gauntlets
Defense: 21
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Strength: 60
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0xe31f7638
+36% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +19%
Cold Resist +24%
18% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
10% Increased Attack Speed
Half Freeze Duration

The Stone of Jordan
Ring
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0xa06dcab1
+20 to Mana
Adds 1-12 lightning damage
Increase Maximum Mana 25%
+1 to All Skill Levels

Demon Strap
Heavy Belt
Defense: 7
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Strength: 45
Required Level: 13
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0x36be91c6
+7 to Life
+14% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +17%
Cold Resist +28%
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
24% Faster Hit Recovery

The Stone of Jordan
Ring
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0x9d42f71a
+20 to Mana
Adds 1-12 lightning damage
Increase Maximum Mana 25%
+1 to All Skill Levels

Storm Trample
Mesh Boots
Defense: 40
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Strength: 65
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0x22216036
+15 to Attack Rating
Fire Resist +39%
Lightning Resist +20%
Cold Resist +32%
22% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to Light Radius
30% Faster Run/Walk

Gameplay

Despite how cool the effect of Plague Javelin is, Poison Javazons can be a bit aggravating in combat at times. While most characters continuously unleash attacks until the enemies they are enegaging fall, Poison Javazons either "attack once, then dash" or "attack once, then wait several seconds to repeat." Any situation requiring only one Plague Javelin is fine, as it is entertaining to skip past an enemy knowing it will die a few seconds later, but any situation requiring multiple Plague Javelins is boring. This gripe applies mostly to Hell, as nearly everything except bosses and a few highly resistant enemies fell to a single Plague Javelin in Normal and NM.

Out of habit, I avoided using any respecs on Kalaya. With most Classic gear combinations, this would not have presented any problems; unfortunately, a significant portion of her points in Strength were to be derived from an amulet with a clvl 67 requirement. My options were to either invest in extra Strength to don the rest of her final gear early or have her wear alternative gear with low Strength requirements the amulet became available. I chose the latter option, as I prefer min-maxed stats and the loss of resistances was not of much consequence until Hell.

Normal and NM were a breeze. The beginning of Normal was cleared with twink gear like Khalim's Will; javelins began to be utilized partway into the second act. Once a few points were placed in Plague Javelin, enemies started dropping like flies. This trend of Plague Javelin domination continued through the entirety of Normal and most of NM; things began to slow down in the final act of NM when enemies that were either PI or capable of withstanding a single Plague Javelin first arrived on the scene. I ended up dropping the setting from /p8 to /p1 before NM CS in order to make things easier for the Valkyrie.

Hell was, surprisingly, not too difficult. The first couple acts were a little tricky, as Kalaya was still wearing subpar gear, but everything was perfectly manageable. Once Kalaya reached the Canyon of the Magi, she did a little grinding to get up to clvl 67, equipped her final gear, and became even less vincible than before. For the remainder of Hell, the only problem area was the Spider Cavern, which kept spawning lots of PI enemies, including swarming Giant Lamprey Young. The fight against Diablo was incredibly easy, as the Valkyrie was able to tank everything he dished out with nary a scratch.

Deaths

Kalaya did not experience a single death. S&E was only necessary to escape the occasional PI swarm.

Drops

The only drop worth mentioning is a grailer from a Unique Moon Clan in Normal:

Biggin's Bonnet
Cap
Defense: 17
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 3
Item Version: 1.10+ Standard
Item Level: 7
Fingerprint: 0x80bf20d5
+15 to Life
+15 to Mana
+30% Enhanced Damage
+30 to Attack Rating
+14 Defense

Other Thoughts

-The armour, gloves, and belt were selected at the last minute.
-Immune swarms are extremely annoying.
-Venom Lord immunities have always intrigued me.
-I always forget to use Inner Sight and Slow Missiles.
-I will refrain from deleting Kalaya just long enough to use her imbues in Classic and complete her HF quests in LoD.

In conclusion, Kalaya was surprising effective and resilient. Generally, I do not have high hopes for all but a few select builds in Classic, so it was pleasant to discover that Poison Javazons can hold their own. I still contend that long duration poison effects that fail to vanquish enemies with a single application are a bit infuriating, but at least killing never felt like an exercise in futility. In terms of less prominent Classic builds, Poison Javazon is one of the best out there; I recommend others give it a try.

Thanks for reading,

skipjack
 
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Originally posted by smokeeblade on Feb 20, 2011:


Matriarch Blair: The Last LF'Zon

Again, like my last mat/pat, I shall draw you in with an exaggerated title :D

It is not without some reason though, as like the aforementioned Windy, this LF'Zon was built to hit the last breakpoint, this time for single throw IAS which Zelaron tells me is 90%. I kind of scrapped her together with my best idea of hitting that target, not really planning it too much and just hoping things will work out somehow :whistling:

Character

Name: Blair
Class: Amazon
Level: 83

Strength: 55 (109)
Dexterity: 215 (254)
Vitality: 220 (220)
Energy: 15 (15)
Unused: 0

Life: 1113 (1726)
Mana: 278 (450)

Fire Resist: 55
Cold Resist: 13
Lightning Resist: 52
Poison Resist: 81

Lightning Fury: 20 (29)
Lightning Strike: 20 (29)
Power Strike: 20 (29)
Charged Strike: 1 (9)
Lightning Bolt: 20 (29)
Jab: 6 (15)
Critical Strike: 1(8)
Penetrate: 1 (8)
Dodge: 1 (8)
Avoid: 1 (8)
Evade: 1 (8)
Pre-reqs : 3

The one thing I tried to be careful about was points into STR. I needed 106 to wear everything, but since Blizzard is full of perverts my poor girl gets stripped down every time I S&E (+30 STR amulet and +30 STR belt in my cube).

The rest of my points I divided evenly between DEX/VIT mainly because I felt AR needed to be high enough for Jab/PS but not so high since I rely on LF/LS predominantly (plus PS gets +356% AR bonus).

With regard to skill points, I was pretty much starved (no Valk :(). My future points will be going into Jab, I didn't bother with CS since my lightning damage was high enough for my liking.

Equipment

Weapon
Code:
Titan's Revenge
Matriarchal Javelin
Throw Damage: 166 - 319
One Hand Damage: 147 - 270
Quantity: 68
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 97
Required Dexterity: 141
Fingerprint: 0x3a2f72af
Item Level: 66
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
+30% Faster Run/Walk
172% Enhanced Damage
Adds 25 - 50 Damage
8% Life stolen per hit
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Increased Stack Size
Replenishes quantity
Required Level +7
Ethereal

Shield
Code:
Head Hunter's Glory
Troll Nest
Defense: 546
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 74 of 74
Required Level: 75
Required Strength: 106
Fingerprint: 0xd51727ef
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
+30% Increased Attack Speed
+9 to Maximum Damage
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-3% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage
+377 Defense
+340 Defense vs. Missile
Fire Resist +26%
Poison Resist +40%
+7 Life after each Kill 3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Carmine Jewel of Fervor
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Socketed: Jewel of Fervor

Carmine Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x595b3fd9
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+9 to Maximum Damage 

Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xee4f7f
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-3% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+3% to Lightning Skill Damage 

Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0xd9dea21b
Item Level: 39
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed

Armor
Code:
Fortitude
Superior Archon Plate
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1663
Durability: 66 of 66
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 103
Fingerprint: 0xcd19d2d
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+214% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+83 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +26
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
Increase Maximum Durability 11% 4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

Helm
Code:
Andariel's Visage
Demonhead
Defense: 385
Durability: 19 of 20
Required Level: 83
Required Strength: 102
Fingerprint: 0x87dcee5e
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
15% Chance to cast level 15 Poison Nova when struck
+2 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+7% Faster Hit Recovery
+5 to Minimum Damage
10% Life stolen per hit
+149% Enhanced Defense
+32 to Strength
+10% to Maximum Poison Resist
Fire Resist +0%
Poison Resist +70%
Level 3 Venom (20/20 Charges) 1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Rune Talisman

Rune Talisman
Jewel
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0xc3a589e8
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7% Faster Hit Recovery
+5 to Minimum Damage
+3 to Strength
Fire Resist +30%

Gloves
Code:
Laying of Hands
Bramble Mitts
Defense: 85
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x26cf29e7
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
10% Chance to cast level 3 Holy Bolt on striking
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+350% Damage to Demons
+25 Defense
Fire Resist +50%

Belt
Code:
String of Ears
Demonhide Sash
Defense: 109
Durability: 15 of 22
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0xb72fa9f6
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
8% Life stolen per hit
+169% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
Damage Reduced by 15%
Magic Damage Reduced by 11
+10 Maximum Durability

Boots
Code:
Corpse Slippers
Light Plated Boots
Defense: 50
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 52
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xa043cc3a
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+41 Defense (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +4
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +39%

Amulet
Code:
Highlord's Wrath
Amulet
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x68721809
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
Adds 1 - 30 Lightning Damage
31% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)
Lightning Resist +35%
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15

Rings
Code:
Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
Ring
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0x1e0822f9
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
4% Life stolen per hit
+41 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+50 Maximum Stamina

Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xf20c477d
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+202 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+19 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen

Switch
Code:
Call to Arms
Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 17 - 53
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x596b812a
Item Level: 76
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
256% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+3 to Battle Cry
+4 to Battle Orders
+4 to Battle Command
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Lidless Wall
Grim Shield
Defense: 339
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 70 of 70
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x39fc23ea
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
+125% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Energy
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
+3 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius

My gear gave me a total of 30% LL and 0% ML, though an 'Insight' merc was plenty to overcome the mana shortage. I know the physical damage output may not warrant such high LL, and some would say it'd be wiser to opt for a more DR/+skills oriented build, but I banked on the IAS to make the LL worth it.

Not really much flexibility in gear, I did wear a 'Treachery' Dusk Shroud up until 83 which freed up some space, but obviously that doesn't compare to my shiny new 'Fortitude' :nod:

If I decide to make something of her, I will definitely re-socket the shield with some better jewels (color coordination is pretty).

Charms

Code:
Steel Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x9565449f
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30 to Attack Rating
+9 to Life

Steel Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x5d3e4a2b
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+34 to Attack Rating

Steel Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xb0777ac8
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+33 to Attack Rating
+2 to Strength

Garnet Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0xd0ac25d7
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +8%

Lapis Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x3fc9d645
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +7%

Ocher Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0xb268bcfa
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Lightning Resist +7%

Gheed's Fortune
Grand Charm
Required Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0xa509ab90
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
143% Extra Gold from Monsters
Reduces all Vendor Prices 13%
38% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Steel Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0x5f4b9f81
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+131 to Attack Rating
+25 to Life

Steel Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0xde9c8aee
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+132 to Attack Rating
+30 to Life

Steel Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0x8ed28562
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+104 to Attack Rating

Shimmering Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0xe16c3d8d
Item Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+14 to Life
All Resistances +15

Serpent's Grand Charm of Inertia
Grand Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0x13aa4c3a
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7% Faster Run/Walk
+59 to Mana

Serpent's Grand Charm of Vita
Grand Charm
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x8925af48
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+37 to Life
+41 to Mana

Really tried to squeeze some FHR out of my charms since my build gave me next to nothing. Recovery-lock + long animation time for throw = :banghead: Jab was super useful in such times to get the life bulb flowing again.

Mercenary

Azrael: Act II Nightmare Offensive

Gear
Code:
Insight
Giant Thresher
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 216 - 591
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 178
Required Dexterity: 130
Fingerprint: 0x7d9dcef2
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 16 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
246% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
216% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+6 to Critical Strike
All Stats +5
+2 to Mana after each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune

Duress
Dusk Shroud
ShaelUmThul
Defense: 2774
Durability: 11 of 11
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 67
Fingerprint: 0x26ca0f86
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Faster Hit Recovery
13% Enhanced Damage
Adds 37 - 133 Cold Damage Over 2 Secs (50 Frames)
15% Chance of Crushing Blow
33% Chance of Open Wounds
+175% Enhanced Defense
-20% Slower Stamina Drain
Cold Resist +30%
All Resistances +15 Ethereal
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Um Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune

Vampire Gaze
Grim Helm
Defense: 378
Durability: 21 of 21
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 48
Fingerprint: 0xacf00a4c
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 6 - 22 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
8% Mana stolen per hit
7% Life stolen per hit
+100% Enhanced Defense
15% Slower Stamina Drain
Damage Reduced by 15%
Magic Damage Reduced by 12 Ethereal

Easily one of the most, if not the most, frustrating mercs I've ever had. Camping around corners (read: nooks in the wall) whilst the battle rages on a metre away, allying with monsters (at times no matter what I did, mobs just refused to attack him) etc.

Story

Not long after returning to the D2 scene, I had a happy little "1" next to 'Fortitude' on my Flavie, and decided to put my love for casters on the back-burner and go hard with some muscle. I first threw 'Fortitude' on my Strafer, and whilst I did love the difference it made, it didn't have that razzamatazz to it.

Twinked through the ears, Blair started off with big pointy things then respec'd to smaller-but-still-quite-big pointy things (more S/U javelins please). Normal and NM on /p8 and Hell on /p3 or /p1. No deaths. One big NDE where I had to S&E = Gloams zapping my peepers out (argh my eyes, the javelins do nothing!)

Did end up using LS a lot more than I expected, since the lightning travelled around quite well. Damage was good enough that I didn't need to be too careful, could run into a pack of Afflicted and my LL will keep me safe. Only real I had trouble was with PI Moonlords in Hell (find Moonlords -> run -> find Moonlord Boss pack -> run -> find Moonlord Champion pack -> QQ).

Notable Finds

NM HF: Sol Rune
Hell HF: Pul Rune

Nothing really in terms of items, but of course I did find this.

Conclusion & Future Plans

Well I wanted her to be a Cow runner (still looking for that damned hat!) but don't really want to fiddle around to make room for MF. Will probably take her out when things need to die, since I find her much more visually appealing than my Light Sorc (beastly women with long, penetrating spears do it for me).

For now she'll sit back until I save up enough for 'Infinity', at which point I'll bring her back out and see how she does at Baal running.

Thanks for reading 👋
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Stony on Aug 15, 2010:

Matriarch Bodiccea

As electricity crackled through the air of Moo Moo farms, Bovus the Unmilkable watched in bewildered passivity as her fellow heifers spasmed and collapsed around her. Death had come, in the form of a tall, generously-endowed blonde in tight red leather. Not spooky so much as... bimbo-y. Hefting her poleax, Bovus took two steps toward this rather skanky agent of doom, and was promptly hit by about 30 bolts of lightning. Having no counter-argument for this, she opined, "Moo!" and gracefully bit the dust, leaving nothing but a light healing potion and the smell of ozone mixed with barbeque sauce.

"That's the last of 'em," Bodiccea said, pulling her spear out of a twitching corpse. "Not one decent rune, dammit. I want a Zod."
"Can't win 'em all, Miss B," her faithful Rogue merc Heather shrugged. "What do we do now?"
"Retire," Bodiccea said. "The gate brought us in on top of the Cow King AGAIN, so we're not coming back. Oh, gotta do the matriarch announcement thing."

"Hi everybody! This is to announce that I, Bodiccea of the bouncing bodaciousness, have whacked Hell Baal. Game over, man! I'm a spearazon, mostly using Fend but also Lightning Strike or Charged Strike for the big nasties. It was pretty easy thanks to my incredible skill, hotness, and awesome gear. Mostly, anything I looked at, died. That's Heather, she helped too."

"First, the skill set. Fend, Lightning Strike, Charged Strike, and Valkyrie got 20 each, duh. Jab was ok for little fast-moving guys, but only needed one point. Dodge, Avoid, and Evade were fine with one point each plus bonuses."

Heather raises her hand. "Don't forget that you only needed one point in Penetrate, 'cause your weapon has Ignore Target Defense on it."

"I'm getting to that! Sheesh." Rolling her eyes, Bodiccea continues, "ITD doesn't work on bosses, and in their infinite wisdom Blizzard decided not to put enough AR on Fend, so I put a point in Penetrate. Blizz, remember that not everyone wants to play a character the way you want, so there is no reason you should give the Amazon melee skills and then make them suck. Anyhoo, using Fend, my biggest problem was Fend-lock, another thing Blizzard decided never to fix. While I was growing up, I thought about it a lot-- no comments, Heather."

Looking unusually innocent, Heather pipes up, "I wasn't going to say a thing, Miss B."

"Come on, I saw you. Now, Fend-lock. There are some strategies that kind of work, but the best one I found is to get Freezes Target from something. They can't lock you if they never hit you. Problem is, none of the unique spears have it, and it's hard to get off-weapon. Only one runeword that can be in a spear has it: Hand of Justice. That takes a Cham rune, so it's *****in' stuff."

Heather nods. "But we had a Cham, and a Sur."

"Yes, Heather," Bodiccea smiles tensely. "HoJ is nice, but really expensive. I wanted to make it in a Mancatcher, but dammit, we didn't have a four-socket Mancatcher." Pausing, she glances sidewise at her merc. "No comments, Heather..."

"About what, Miss B? Mancatchers?"

"Yes, Heather. I already have two fine man-catchers, three would be a crowd. No Mancatcher, but we did have a four-socket Matriarchal Spear with +3 to Jav/Spear skills. For a while, I was kind of worried about using it. Those are some pretty rare runes to pop for a weapon that might only get used once. But then I thought, why not? I am totally worth it. It's all I need: fast, deadly, and totally hot, just like me."

Hand of Justice -- Bodiccea's Matriarchal Spear
'SurChamAmnLo'
Two-Hand Damage: 273 to 399
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Dexterity: 142
Required Strength: 114
Required Level: 67
Spear Class - Very Fast Attack Speed
+320% Enhanced Damage <-- Good roll!
7% Life stolen per hit
33% Increased Attack Speed <-- Ok, I need that
Hit Blinds Target +1 <-- I don't know why they put this crap on melee weapons
Ignore Target Defense
Freezes Target +3
20% Deadly Strike
Level 16 Holy Fire Aura When Equipped <-- Irresistible hotness! Too bad the damage sucks.
+3 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
100% Chance to cast Level 48 Meteor When You Die
100% Chance to cast Level 36 Blaze When You Level Up
-20% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Socketed (4: 4 used)

"You don't have to put HoJ in a melee weapon, Miss B. Blinds Target is really nice on a bow."

"No one asked, Heather. Now, before anyone cries, remember, runes are to be used. If you don't use them, they'll sit in the stash forever, and you might as well have never found them. And the spear matches my armor: Chains of Honor, in some wire fleece. I had to go for the leather and chains look."

"Isn't fleece what you find on sheep, Miss B?"

"Heather! I am not wearing steel wool. That's ugly, and it would chafe. The rest of my gear is about what you'd expect. Thundergod's Vigor, for the lightning. Griffon's Eye, same reason. Mara's Kalido-thingy. Oh, and a neato pair of rare gloves, with 20% IAS, +2 to Jav/Spear, 3% mana leech, and some other stuff that's basically gravy. Resists, dual-leech ring with Confuse charges I never used, and skill charms. Heather has an upped Witchwild String some Bowazon would give her right breast for, and William's helmet."

"Guillaume's Face," Heather smiles. "Looks kind of weird with the Spirit Shroud, but I like not being frozen."

"Whatever, Heather. Let's finish this off."


Mini-capsule review: Arcanna's Tricks
"Sorceress set, with mana bonuses, skill bonuses, and magic find. You can use it at level 15, when Sorc's aren't using their spells or trying to magic find. Whoopee."

Mini-capsule review: Cathan's Traps
"Another Sorceress set, with more melee and less magic. The ring is good: 6% life leech at level 11."

Mini-capsule review: Civerb's Vestments
"Aren't Vestments priest clothes? Shouldn't this set have some armor in it? You've got a club, shield, and amulet, and a priest should wear more than that. Jeez louise, the church has enough scandals right now. I guess if you want to whack undead, you could use this, but please wear pants."

Mini-capsule review: Cleglaw's Brace
"Another naked melee set. Bowazons liked the gloves when they were buggy."


Matriarch Bodiccea, level 87 Amazon
STR 105 (150)
DEX 142 (149)
VIT 263 (288)
ENG 15 (25)

Fend, Lightning Strike, and Charged Strike at 20 (33)
Valkyrie 20 (31 with pre-buffs)
Decoy 5 (11 in the field)

Life: 1148
Mana: 157
AR: 3968 with Fend, 2302 with Jab. ITD is my friend.
DR: 1260
Fend damage: 1960-3011
Lightning Strike: 1-2347 on 37 bolts
Charged Strike: 1-2430 on 9 charged bolts
Resists: 75/75/85/58

Equipment:
Hurtstick: Hand of Justice Matriarchal Spear
Support Weapon: Demon Limb, for those pesky PI/LI's
Head: Griffon's Eye, +14% lightning damage, -18% lightning resistance. Set with a 15% IAS jewel.
Body: Chains of Honor Wire Fleece.
Belt: Thundergod's Vigor
Hands: Rare gloves of awesomeness
Feet: Rare boots with FRW and lots of resists
Neck: Mara's Kaleidoscope.
Ring 1: Rare ring with resists, 4% life leech
Ring 2: Dual leech ring with Confuse. Thought I might use it, I didn't.
Charms: Skillers, resists, FRW. You know the drill.

Mercenary: Heather, fire Rogue
Weapon: Witchwild String, upped to a Diamond Bow and set with two Shael's
Head: Guillaume's Face
Body: The Spirit Shroud

Strategy:
"There's one strategy in Diablo II: kill things lots. Fend worked most of the time, unless they were immune to physical. And remember: there's no shame in hiding behind your Valk! That's why she's there."

"Don't forget hiding behind your mercenary."

"It is hardly my fault that you kept running out in front! With all those resurrections, you were getting more high-maintenance than ME. Now, with the spear, gloves, and jewel, I got a 7/5/9 speed on Fend, which was enough most of the time. When it wasn't, Jab worked, or a lightning skill. Lightning Immune Flayers were a huge pain, I had to run around jabbing. Oh, Heather helped, when she wasn't dying."

"Miss B? Exploding Flayer skeletons?"

After a short pause, Bodiccea adds, "Ok, hide behind the merc from those. There, happy now?"

Softly smiling, Heather quietly adds, "And you liked Amplify Damage on champs and bosses, where your Blinds Target couldn't override it."

Now showing a great deal more teeth, Bodiccea says, "Yes, Heather... that was very, very helpful."

"So..." Heather traces a toe in the grass of Moo Moo farms. "Bows aren't useless?"

"I never said they weren't. I said Bowazons are snotty, that's all. Javazons are worse. They need to be reminded that the physical spear skills are not useless, no matter how hard Blizzard tried, and even the most dedicated Bowie should remember to put one point in Jab."

Quietly nodding, Heather says, "Okay. I'm happy."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm happy. Have you seen Khaleel?"

Bodiccea snorts, "Hmph! Lover-boy's playing Team Fortress. Or Torchlight; Steam's running over there."

Heather grins, "Or maybe Plants vs. Zombies. When do you think Diablo III's coming out?"

"Who knows? That's another reason I wanted to use those runes. They'll be useless once DIII hits the hard drive, and all that item-finding will have been for nothing."

"Yeah, I doubt our stuff will transfer. Are you gonna try it, Miss B?"

"If there's spears, I'm there. I might look like a Barb chick though."

"I hope they have an archer class. I think they should."

Laughing, Bodiccea says, "Heather, as long as the Rogues show enough skin, they will always be in the game. I think they'll have an archer class, and she'll be at least half naked. It's a tradition. Now, we're done with this game. You go find your boyfriend, I'm gonna find a place to wait for the next."
 
Originally posted by Swiller on Apr 13, 2008:

Matriarch Constance - Poison em' till they drop

It seems like just a few days ago that I wrote one of these. Oh, right...it was.

This is a very special matriarch for me, because I've loved javazons since the days of 1.01. Indeed, my very first character was a LF/PJ amazon who never quite made it through Hell. Since then; I've studied the build in 1.09 and 1.10, licked my wounds, improved my gear, and my playing skills have more than doubled. And now, the time is right. I have struck back at the forces of evil.


STATS

Strength: 129 (186)
Dexterity: 166 (230)
Vitality: 195 (202)
Energy: 15 (32)


SKILLS

Critical Strike: 20 (37)
Lightning Fury: 20 (37)
Poison Javelin: 20 (37)
Plague Javelin: 20 (37)
Prerequisites: 1 (18)

Passive & Magic: 1 (7)


GEAR

  • Titan's Revenge
  • On switch - Demon Limb (enchant's AR = gg)
  • Stormshield - perfect diamond
  • Harlequin Crest - 'Um'
  • Mara's Kaleidescope
  • "Smoke" Scarab Husk
  • Silkweave
  • Manald Heal
  • Razortail
  • Ravenfrost
  • Constance's Raven Fist
Vampirebone Gloves​
Defense: 108​
Durability: 10 of 14​
Required Strength: 50​
Required Level: 57​
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion​
Item Level: 90​
Fingerprint: 0x73c7572c​
+18 to Life​
+64% Enhanced Defense​
Poison Resist +8%​
3% Life stolen per hit​
20% Increased Attack Speed​
7% Chance of Crushing Blow​
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)​

Charms:
Code:
Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 86
Fingerprint: 0x9b73a6a9
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x5eef0aa1
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xc19e3aaf
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm of Quality
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0xa33a83d1
+2 to Maximum Damage
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm of Sustenance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 84
Fingerprint: 0x3818cb37
+21 to Life
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xcdbe501
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Harpoonist's Grand Charm of Dexterity
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xf0fc14ef
+4 to Dexterity
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Amber Small Charm of Life
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 32
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0x951d4898
+8 to Life
Lightning Resist +11%

Amber Small Charm of Sustenance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 32
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x2c35d56b
+11 to Life
Lightning Resist +10%

Emerald Small Charm of Inertia
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 32
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x114e84a1
Poison Resist +11%
3% Faster Run/Walk

Jade Small Charm of Balance
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x49abb4a2
Poison Resist +9%
5% Faster Hit Recovery

Garnet Small Charm of Fire
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 20
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0x69828b47
Fire Resist +9%
Adds 2-3 fire damage

Small Charm of Vita
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 39
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xec34d1fb
+19 to Life


MERCENARY

Razan - Holy Freeze

Code:
Obedience
Thresher
'HelKoThulEthFal'
Two-Hand Damage: 84 to 991
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Dexterity: 84
Required Strength: 112
Required Level: 53
Polearm Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 80
Fingerprint: 0x8438a3c3
+10 to Strength
+10 to Dexterity
+370% Enhanced Damage
+227 Defense
All Resistances +22
Adds 3-14 cold damage over 3 seconds
Requirements -20%
40% Faster Hit Recovery
-25% Target Defense
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
30% Chance to cast Level 21 Enchant When You Kill an Enemy
-25% to Enemy Fire Resistance
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired), Socketed (5: 5 used)

Crown of Thieves
Grand Crown
Defense: 334
Durability: 26 of 50
Required Strength: 103
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 75
Fingerprint: 0xfb69d3fc
+25 to Dexterity
+50 to Life
+35 to Mana
+193% Enhanced Defense
Fire Resist +33%
11% Life stolen per hit
80% Extra Gold from Monsters

Black Hades
Chaos Armor
Defense: 994
Durability: 50 of 70
Required Strength: 140
Required Level: 53
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x9bf07eaf
+190% Enhanced Defense
+16 to Attack Rating
Lightning Resist +24%
Poison Resist +25%
-2 to Light Radius
45% Increased Attack Speed
Half Freeze Duration
52% Damage to Demons
+248 to Attack Rating against Demons
Socketed (3: 3 used)


ANALYSIS

First of all, let me express how much I love poison. LF and CS certainly are impressive, but there's something about seeing a green enemy advance on you with hatred in their eyes, only to fall over dead at your feet. Plague Javelin saved me; not just from Lightning Immunes, but from most bosses. I tried CS on Hell Duriel, but he just killed the merc and came at me. So I threw a Plague Javelin at him and ran around in circles until he died. Same with Hell Diablo, except it took longer and I ran back and forth instead of in circles. Finally, the Ancients. Two of them spawned Lightning immune, and the merc died instantly. I did not even flinch. I LFed the bunch until the non-LI one bit it, then continually threw plague javelins and ran until one more died. The last one was fairly low on health, so I just tanked him with tried and true Jab.

I also want to say that I believe this combo to be simply terrific. The mercenary dealt cold damage (courtesy of the Holy Freeze aura) and fire damage (Enchant on Obedience) and a decent amount of physical damage. I myself dealt lightning (LF and CS) and poison damage AND a good enough amount of physical damage, thanks to a level 18 Jab. In short, we were capable of dealing with every monster in the game.

I had NO deaths. None. In fact, I only experienced a handful of NDEs, and they all came tonight. The most memorable was in the Frozen River, attempting to save Anya. Oh, the Gloams...Lightning and Poison immune. In most cases, I was able to draw their fire by running in tight circles and relying on maxed block until the mercenary could close in and take them down. But near the end, a particularly vicious pack killed him. I took a deep breath, and tried to isolate a few. I killed several with Jab, but then a boss pack joined the fun. At this point I employed a new tactic: I ran. I beat feet all the way to the exit. A rouge Gloam followed me all the way, and tossed several lightning bolts my direction. I sucked down my last Full Rejuv and ducked out just in time. *phew!*

Finally, I just want to mention Razan. I don't dare equip Obedience without IAS, and since I was unwilling to make a third Treachery, I used the often-overlooked Black Hades. Socketed with three IAS/Resist jewels, it is a lovely armor. I'm sorry I never considered it before.

When you can equip Titan's and seven Harpoonist charms at level 42, stuff dies fast. Very fast. And what started at level 42 never slowed down much. I positively love this build.

Special thanks go to Neksja (who traded me the gloves) and Ugla (whom I consider to be a master of amazons) for his insightful posts. And thank all of you for reading this special, albeit long-winded post about Matriarch Constance.
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by @T72on1 on Jan 31, 2017:

Matriarch MeatNGreed

MeatNGreed is my first Mat / Pat ever since joining the SPF and starting all over again. Yes, my 99er Sorc, level 98 now, still hasn't gotten that far ;).

Anyway, for most part MeatNGreed is your everyday Lightning Fury Javazon. I created her to have a runner for the Cows part of the upcoming RFL, hence the name. Ironically I'm thinking about another character and build for that now, but that's another story.

Leveling her was the fastest leveling experience I have ever had I think. CS early on and LF, still combined with CS, after that are so ridiculously overpowered that everything just melted. Certainly because I also had an Infinity for the merc available. Add to that the fact that I had a lot of faster run/walk while leveling (boots, Valkyrie Wing and Titan's) and it's easy to see why I got to Act 1 Hell in no time. Up to that point I just rushed through the game on /p8, gaining a few levels at normal and NM Pindle, although I don't think I needed many more when I arrived there.

When she got to the Pit in Hell, at level 78, she took a stop there to gain a few levels and get used to it in general. Runs were slowish due to not having Enigma, but even then it wasn't too bad, and she was level 86 in no time. At that point she proceeded through the game, finishing it not much after, getting to 87 or 88.

After that I have been doing some Cow runs, mixed with more Pit runs. She was almost level 89 when I took the character dump info, but got to 90 since then. No major finds yet, except for Tal's Armor, which was a grailer. She got an Um from Hell forge and found another Um as well as 2 Puls in the Pits.

As for skills, I decided not to put any points into D/A/E, because I had quite bad experiences with getting locked by those skills in the past. This means no Valk, but Decoy serves just fine. MeatNGreed hasn't seen a single death yet, so for me this means it was the right decision.

Like I said, gear is pretty standard. Still using an Isted Shako because I don't have Griffon's. Isted, because I'm not really swimming in lightning facets yet, so she just borrowed this one from my Sorc. For a while I used Spirit as a shield, but soon I noticed that the advice of others was correct (of course it was :oops:), and that -ELR was far more important than anything else, especially since I didn't have Griffon's. So I switched to a 3os Head Hunter's Glory instead, which made a big difference against breakable LIs. Against LIs the loss of +skills from Spirit doesn't matter, they die fast as it is.

The gear definitely still needs some tweaking, beyond the obvious Enigma (one Ber short, go go RFL !!!) and Griffon's, but I have been too lazy to do so, or I just don't have better gear. The former mainly applies to my merc's Andy's, which still needs an ias jewel. The latter to my gloves, which are horrible, but the best I got at the moment, at least for this purpose. And yes, I could go on a shopping spree ... I hate those, so not going to happen anytime soon.

I only have 2 skillers at the moment, which is definitely on the low side, although I didn't have the impression I missed them that much. I still need to sort the rest of the charms out, as I just threw them in her inventory as I saw fit, thinking that she'd need lots and lots of mana. She currently has some 800 mana after BO, but never even comes close to having to drink a mana potion, barring mana burn, so I can definitely throw some of those mana charms out for something more useful.

Not much else to say I think. MeatNGreed will most likely continue her career in Pits and Cows, with maybe occasionally some WSK and Throne Room trips or some other runs thrown in the mix. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd hit at least level 95 at some point, knowing how fast leveling goes at higher player settings, which is exactly what she'll do, as finding runes is what she'll be after.

Name: MeatNGreed
Class: Amazon
Experience: 1596013794
Level: 89

Naked/Gear
Strength: 131/178
Dexterity: 80/138
Vitality: 309/316
Energy: 15/22
HP: 1153/1358
Mana: 147/484
Stamina: 461/461
Defense: 20/1954
AR: 370/948

Fire: 157/117/57
Cold: 153/113/53
Lightning: 149/109/49
Poison: 161/121/61

MF: 168 Block: 31
GF: 137
FR/W: 60
FHR: 29
IAS: 20
FCR: 0

Magic Arrow: 0/0
Fire Arrow: 0/0
Cold Arrow: 0/0
Multiple Shot: 0/0
Exploding Arrow: 0/0
Ice Arrow: 0/0
Guided Arrow: 0/0
Strafe: 0/0
Immolation Arrow: 0/0
Freezing Arrow: 0/0

Inner Sight: 1/9
Critical Strike: 1/9
Dodge: 0/0
Slow Missiles: 1/9
Avoid: 0/0
Penetrate: 1/9
Decoy: 1/9
Evade: 0/0
Valkyrie: 0/0
Pierce: 1/9

Jab: 1/13
Power Strike: 20/32
Poison Javelin: 1/13
Impale: 0/0
Lightning Bolt: 11/23
Charged Strike: 20/32
Plague Javelin: 1/13
Fend: 0/0
Lightning Strike: 20/32
Lightning Fury: 20/32

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x924ce784
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Snake's Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0x4504d885
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+33 to Mana

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x50da6cf3
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xcbb33a06
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+240 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+16 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen

Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xc6fca87c
Item Level: 12
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Silkweave
Mesh Boots
Defense: 116
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 36
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x253657da
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+159% Enhanced Defense
+200 Defense vs. Missile
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
+5 to Mana after each Kill

Gheed's Fortune
Grand Charm
Required Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0x93e928bc
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
137% Extra Gold from Monsters
Reduces all Vendor Prices 12%
39% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Serpent's Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0xfc51023f
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Life
+17 to Mana

Snake's Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x32ecdc59
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+11 to Mana
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Snake's Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x4a2225b1
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+11 to Mana

Russet Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0xcb276884
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +7%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Grim Hold
Ring
Required Level: 46
Fingerprint: 0xfd00acf0
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+48 to Attack Rating
5% Mana stolen per hit
+30 to Life
All Resistances +7
Level 5 Charged Bolt (32/32 Charges)

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Razortail
Sharkskin Belt
Defense: 101
Durability: 11 of 14
Required Level: 32
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x738402ff
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Piercing Attack
+10 to Maximum Damage
+133% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+15 to Dexterity
Attacker Takes Damage of (Based on Character Level) 89

Mara's Kaleidoscope
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0x42922661
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +5
All Resistances +23

Chains of Honor
Wire Fleece
DolUmBerIst
Defense: 816
Durability: 23 of 32
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 111
Fingerprint: 0x46ddfa7a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+200% Damage to Demons
+100% Damage to Undead
8% Life stolen per hit
+70% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Strength
Replenish Life +7
All Resistances +65
Damage Reduced by 8%
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Um Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Um Rune
Required Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 25% Chance of Open Wounds
Armor: Cold Resist +15%
Lightning Resist +15%
Fire Resist +15%
Poison Resist +15%
Shields: Cold Resist +22%
Lightning Resist +22%
Fire Resist +22%
Poison Resist +22%

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Wraith Grip
Heavy Bracers
Defense: 64
Durability: 13 of 16
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x716c4e36
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+43% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Mana
Lightning Resist +24%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
9% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Harlequin Crest
Shako
Defense: 120
Durability: 5 of 12
Required Level: 62
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xf28458d6
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +2
+133 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+133 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Damage Reduced by 10%
75% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Ist Rune

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Serpent's Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0x9c07e2ae
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+52 to Mana

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0xad8355c1
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Serpent's Large Charm of Vita
Large Charm
Required Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0x42bd0b59
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+28 to Life
+26 to Mana

Sapphire Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0x1ce4c781
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Life
Cold Resist +28%

Flawless Amethyst
Required Level: 15
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +100 to Attack Rating
Armor: +8 to Strength
Shields: +24 Defense

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Key
Fingerprint: 0x82109278
Item Level: 94
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0xb19f6683
Item Level: 71
Version: Expansion 1.10+
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Greater Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 150%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Greater Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +180

Greater Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +180

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Scroll of Town Portal
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Scroll of Town Portal
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Call to Arms
Flail
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 3 - 88
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x479c37ac
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
269% Enhanced Damage
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+5 to Battle Command
+4 to Battle Orders
+4 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 141
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0xd1a62b41
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+27% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+94 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+4 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune

Tal Rune
Required Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
Armor: Poison Resist +30%
Shields: Poison Resist +35%

Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%

Ort Rune
Required Level: 21
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Armor: Lightning Resist +30%
Shields: Lightning Resist +35%

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Titan's Revenge
Ceremonial Javelin
Throw Damage: 75 - 202
One Hand Damage: 75 - 148
Quantity: 44
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 109
Fingerprint: 0x3ab586e7
Item Level: 68
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
+30% Faster Run/Walk
182% Enhanced Damage
Adds 25 - 50 Damage
6% Life stolen per hit
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Increased Stack Size
Replenishes quantity

Head Hunter's Glory
Troll Nest
Defense: 562
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 65 of 74
Required Level: 75
Required Strength: 106
Fingerprint: 0xd7932a5c
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
200% Chance to cast level 82 Sacrifice when you Level-Up
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 3 - 222 Lightning Damage
-14% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+13% to Lightning Skill Damage
+401 Defense
+307 Defense vs. Missile
Fire Resist +25%
Poison Resist +36%
+5 Life after each Kill
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Socketed: Rainbow Facet

Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x6c20203c
Item Level: 94
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 41 Nova when you Level-Up
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-4% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+4% to Lightning Skill Damage

Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xa0241cd0
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 41 Nova when you Level-Up
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+4% to Lightning Skill Damage

Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xe907dac3
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 47 Chain Lightning when you Die
Adds 1 - 74 Lightning Damage
-5% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+5% to Lightning Skill Damage

Mercenary:

Name: Ilzan
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Comb-Normal
Experience: 78421816
Level: 89
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 197/226
Dexterity: 160/160
HP: 1990/2101
Defense: 1459/4927
AR: 2024/2024

Fire: 152/112/52
Cold: 182/142/82
Lightning: 182/142/82
Poison: 252/212/152

Fortitude
Balrog Skin
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 3132
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 155
Fingerprint: 0x3e6d842b
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+111 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +26
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune

El Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +50 to Attack Rating
+1 to Light Radius
Armor: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius
Shields: +15 Defense
+1 to Light Radius

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Lo Rune
Required Level: 59
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Deadly Strike
Armor: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Lightning Resist


Infinity
Giant Thresher
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 215 - 613
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 178
Required Dexterity: 130
Fingerprint: 0x14e0ac2c
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
259% Enhanced Damage
-52% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+44 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items


Andariel's Visage
Demonhead
Defense: 336
Durability: 17 of 20
Required Level: 83
Required Strength: 102
Fingerprint: 0x88cc9705
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
15% Chance to cast level 15 Poison Nova when struck
+2 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
10% Life stolen per hit
+117% Enhanced Defense
+29 to Strength
+10% to Maximum Poison Resist
Fire Resist -30%
Poison Resist +70%
Level 3 Venom (15/20 Charges)
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by TedDeeBoy on Apr 16, 2007:

Matriarch Thylibma - Amazon

Character name : Thylibma
Character type : Amazon
Character level : 79
Character exp : 641885143

Strength : 95 / 127
Energy : 15 / 15
Dexterity : 106 / 173
Vitality : 269 / 269
Stat Points Rem : 0
Skill Points Rem: 0

Life : 1013 / 1013
Mana : 456 / 132
Stamina : 411 / 411

Res : 75/75/75/50+?

Skills

Javelin
LF 20 / 33, CS 20 / 33, 20 LS , 20 PS
Jab 1 / 14

LF 1 - 1948, 34 bolts
CS 1 - 4586, 9 bolts

P&M

Decoy 1 / 8, Pierce 1 / 8

Forge Ko, Ko

Helm:
Carrion Veil
Tiara
Defense: 50
Durability: 23 of 25
Required Level: 67
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 90
Fingerprint: 0x49f7817c
Damage Reduced by 4
Fire Resist +17%
Lightning Resist +26%
Cold Resist +17%
Poison Resist +17%
4% Mana stolen per hit
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels

Ammy:
Beast Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 91
Fingerprint: 0x1feccfd6
Damage Reduced by 3
Poison Resist +8%
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
Poison Length Reduced by 50%

or

Stone Heart (twinked from Mageazon)
Amulet
Required Level: 31
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 57
Fingerprint: 0x77d8d80
+8 to Strength
+4 to Dexterity
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Fire Resist +22%
Lightning Resist +16%
Cold Resist +16%
Poison Resist +16%
+1 to Amazon Skill Levels

Armour : ViperMagi 33resall / 9 MDR
Weapon : Titans Revenue 178ED
Shield : Mosers with 2xP/Diamond

Belt: Razortail
Ring 1 : Ravenfrost 153AR / 19 dex
Ring 2 : SoJ
Boots :
Glyph Greaves
Heavy Boots
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Strength: 18
Required Level: 16
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xb5ba774d
Fire Resist +8%
Lightning Resist +18%
17% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
20% Faster Run/Walk
Repairs 1 durability in 20 seconds

Gloves:
Corpse Claw
Demonhide Gloves
Defense: 30
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Strength: 20
Required Level: 30
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xd4f99f3f
+5 to Dexterity
Cold Resist +10%
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+2 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)
14% Chance to cast Level 5 Charged Bolt when struck

Charms

Serpent's Grand Charm of Dexterity
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 41
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0x528046a7
+4 to Dexterity
+58 to Mana

Serpent's Grand Charm of Inertia
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 35
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0xc9d3e973
+51 to Mana
7% Faster Run/Walk

Serpent's Small Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 40
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0xbb5f3844
+17 to Mana

Serpent's Small Charm of Flame
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 40
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0xba66f9db
+17 to Mana
Adds 1-2 fire damage

Harpoonist's Grand Charm of Strength
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0x89023e02
+4 to Strength
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Septic Small Charm of Greed
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 38
Fingerprint: 0xf69347d6
+15 poison damage over 3 seconds
7% Extra Gold from Monsters

Gheed's Fortune
Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 62
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0xf417a7ee
146% Extra Gold from Monsters
32% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Reduces All Vendor Prices 13%

Serpent's Small Charm of Anthrax
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 40
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 88
Fingerprint: 0xe46b3efc
+14 to Mana
+50 poison damage over 6 seconds

Serpent's Small Charm of Thunder
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 40
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 83
Fingerprint: 0xf01f5f2b
+16 to Mana
Adds 1-11 lightning damage

Harpoonist's Grand Charm
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 82
Fingerprint: 0xf0b9b761
+1 to Javelin and Spear Skills (Amazon Only)

Shimmering Grand Charm (recycled from other characters)
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 27
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0x87fa5ebf
All Resistances +14

Baals Quest drop :
Soul Drainer
Vambraces
Defense: 135
Durability: 13 of 16
Required Strength: 106
Required Level: 74
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 99
Fingerprint: 0x7af723b7
+99% Enhanced Defense
6% Life stolen per hit
4% Mana stolen per hit
-50 to Monster Defense Per Hit
8% Chance to cast Level 3 Weaken on striking

Act 2 Normal Combat (Prayer)

Mercenary Items :

Armour :
Wraith Suit
Plate Mail
Defense: 112
Durability: 51 of 60
Required Strength: 46
Required Level: 18
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 60
Fingerprint: 0x1b0c406d
+93 to Life
Fire Resist +14%
Poison Resist +19%
Requirements -30%
Socketed (2: 2 used)

Perfect Ruby
Inserted into a Plate Mail

+38 to Life

Required Level: 18
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion

Perfect Ruby
Inserted into a Plate Mail

+38 to Life

Required Level: 18
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion

Helm : Vampire Gaze 6%LL / 15% PDR

Insight
Thresher
'RalTirTalSol'
Two-Hand Damage: 46 to 439
Durability: 32 of 65
Required Dexterity: 118
Required Strength: 152
Required Level: 53
Polearm Class - Fast Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10 Expansion
Item Level: 79
Fingerprint: 0xce6610e
+5 to Strength
+5 to Energy
+5 to Dexterity
+5 to Vitality
+212% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
Adds 5-30 fire damage
+75 poison damage over 5 seconds
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+4 to Critical Strike
35% Faster Cast Rate
232% Bonus to Attack Rating
+2 to Mana After Each Kill
Level 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped
Socketed (4: 4 used)

Thoughts: She was MPed through Hell with my Poison/Summoner Necro using two computers, That was painful but still quicker than soloing. LF and CS kills fast not much else to say . The Poison/Summoner took on the Ancients for her. She killed Baal. Insight was great with the double life regen. Add MF from PTopaz Skullder's and a Shako p/Topaz and she will cow and Pindle from now on. I will reequip the merc with Shaftstop for Pindleing. Thanks for reading.
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Thirty-Thirty on Mar 23, 2005:

Matriarch Lavora

I'm not one for writing stories about my characters, so apologies to the readers of such like. A while back my Sorceress picked up a Arioc's Needle with 387 max damage and +4 skills. I couldn't let it go to waste, so I built a "Lightning Spearazon". I'm a skeptic about playing shieldless characters untwinked (I'm impatient), so I gave her The Disciple, Kira's Guardian, and a couple of rare rings she found along the way. Altogether, the kit has +7 skills, maxed resists and a killer attack speed. Her final stat breakdown:

Level 82 Amazon
Str: 155 (for the Needle)
Dex: 120 (ditto)
Vit: 215
Ene: Pardon?

Life: 831
Mana: 181

with a couple of attribute points left over. Skills were:

20 Power Strike
20 Charged Strike
20 Lightning Strike
20 Valkyrie
1 into prerequisites, Impale, Jab, and all passive skills except Pierce.

Hireling was a Defiance merc, with an 'Honor' lance, Tal's mask and a rare ethereal Diamond Mail (1296 defense). He was useful, but far from necessary. A level 27 Valkyrie is tank enough.

She breezed through Normal and Nightmare, but got seriously hampered when she first hit Hell, having to deal with the Lightning Immunes without a really good spear. Okay, it was Lycander's Flank, but it just didn't seem to cut it. I didn't want to point points into Penetrate, since the Needle has Ignores Target's Defence. By Act III Hell I decided to give the merc some attention: Tal's mask seemed to do that, and I loaned him a Bonehew for a while.

There were some bad spawns along the way. Both council members I faced before Mephisto were Lightning and Physical Immune, so I couldn't kill them. Also, the Chaos Sanctuary spawned two unqiue Storm Casters, both of whom were Lighting and Physical Immune. Ancients were interesting: my Valkyrie managed to tank them while I picked off Talic, and then Korlic. We pinned down Madawc and killed the bugger last. Took a while, but I didn't die, even though Talic was Cursed.

The only one of Baal's minions that was really tricky was Achmel (not Lister, strangely enough). Throne of Destruction spawned Doom Knights, which the Horadric Mages resurrected from all over the place. Lister spawned with manageable mods, for a change. Baal was easy enough. For my efforts, he dropped a rare Razor Bow. Yay.

A couple of notes about this character, should you wish to make one. Firstly, Charged Strike is ridiculously powerful against single or small groups of (non-immune) monsters. (Actually, once I had Arioc's Needle, Lightning Immunes were a breeze too.) I guess that more than one of the charged bolts hits the monster, because I was taking down Gorebellies in the Frozen Tundra in two hits (/players 1, though). Also, this is a suprisingly viable build, provided you have enough physical damage on the weapon to take care of lightning immunes. Also, all the +skills from her kit took Dodge, Evade and Avoid to around 50%, which helped a lot. Not too expensive really, and well worth it.

If I went around it again, I might take the 20 points on Power Strike (which I never used) and put them on Lightning Fury instead, and keep a javelin on switch. And I wouldn't have bothered with Impale and Fend.

That's Mat/Pat number six now. I'll see how she handles things like the Moo Moo Farm, and perhaps level her a bit before moving on. Probably do an assassin next, while I'm in the mood for no shield and a summonable tank.

Cheers,
30-30
 
Originally posted by Thirty-Thirty on Sep 14, 2008:

Matriarch LFzon

Ahoy,

I was feeling really creative when I named her, but so it goes. In rebuilding my wealth, I'm going to give Hell cows a try, and that led to a Furyzon. This was my first experience with a pure Lightning Fury-zon, and there are some thoughts after the stats:

Matriarch LFzon
Level 84 Lightning Fury Amazon

Stats are naked/LF switch/jab switch:

Str: 140/190/140
Dex: 135/195/175
Vit: 170/170/170
NRG: 15/30/30

Fire resist: 74/75
Cold resist: 75/43
Lit resist: 75/75
Poison resist: 45/70

Life: 688/746/726

Unused: 50

Gear

Weapon1: Titan's Revenge
Shield1: Stormshield + Pdiamond
Weapon2: eth Demon's Arch
Shield2: Moser's Blessed Circle + Pdiamond + Eld
Armour: "Peace" Cuirass
Helm: Sazabi's Mental Sheath
Gloves: Laying of Hands
Belt: Razortail
Boots: Gore Rider
Ring: Ravenfrost
Ring: Rare with resist all and LL
Amulet: Prismatic Amulet of Chance (wtf? How did this stay here so long?)

Some charms to patch resists, mostly poison.

Skills

Charged Strike: 20
Lightning Fury: 20
Power Strike: 20 (should've used Lightning Strike instead...)
Passives except D/A/E and Valk: 1
Prereqs: 1

Unused: 24 - they might still go into a Valk, or Lightning Strike.

Merc

Eth Duriel's Shell (will become a Shaftstop ASAP)
"Insight" Thresher
Crown of Thieves (hopefully Vamp Gaze eventually)

Modus Operandi

A stock character. Charged strike for small groups. Lightning Fury for large groups. Switch and jab for LIs.

Comments

Backup Damage


A while ago I asked about whether to go poison, bow, or physical. Not long after that, Meph dropped that eth Demon's Arch for my Meteorb, so I tried it out in Hell. Result? Very effective. Between myself and the merc, we could tank with LL to kill the LIs. Souls were more tricky, but isolating meant that they weren't too tricky, but not quick kills either. (There's a spin-off below.) Of course, the CB and OW from Gore Rider help. In fact, they more or less killed Korlic by themselves. (I fought him LI + Stone Skin.)

Mana

I am totally reliant on the merc's Insight. I see a simple workaround: getting mana leech, and switching to leech back when necessary. I might try this, but it'll depend on how survivable my merc is against cows... But if your backup damage is another element, I feel mana is something you should think about a bit before trying this build without RWM. It can be done, but it wouldn't be nearly as simple.

D/A/E, Valk, and Peace

I've built two 'zons before: a M'Avina Frostmaiden and a Lightning Spearazon. Both had maxed (level 27 after +skills) Valkyries. But I thought I'd try The Guru's idea of ditching D/A/E, which implied ditching the Valk... Not having D/A/E was no problem at all. One is mostly standing still when damage is a problem, and max block keeps that away. As for losing my favourite tank (I've had a Valk kill the WW ancient single-handedly), I took a look at the "Peace" runeword:

Peace
Cuirass
'ShaelThulAmn'
Defense: 191
Durability: 49 of 50
Required Strength: 65
Required Level: 29
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0xb26d3b57
Cold Resist +30%
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
+2 to Critical Strike
20% Faster Hit Recovery
2% Chance to cast Level 15 Valkyrie on striking
4% Chance to cast Level 5 Slow Missiles when struck
Socketed (3: 3 used)


It's cheap, and has some handy mods, if no defense bonus. (My overall defense rating was about 1k...) A little resist, big +skills, a bit of critical strike to boost my jabbing, and FHR. So what about the Valk? Well, first thing to know is that she is horribly unstable. She almost always evaporates on entering town, and doesn't often linger much longer than about 30s. Also, she's not an offensive powerhouse: she only carries a lance. However, when my girl was jabbing at a crowd of LIs that were gradually overwhelming her, it was very handy to have a few thousand HP pop up in the middle of them to distract. I feel this armour is pretty handy, and I don't see myself doffing it anytime soon.

Charged Striking Effectively

Charged Strike's power comes from multiple bolts hitting the same monster. In my experience, it appeared that making sure your character was attacking from maximum range made this more effective. Just a thought, because CS is devastating when properly aligned.

Lightning Fury Itself

Finally, I'd like to say how incredible Lightning Fury is. I ran Eldritch to get to level 84 before tackling Baal, and it's spectacular: I could toast the pack in 3-4 bolts, depending how the pierces rolled. The only competitive skill I can think of, really, is Blessed Hammer, although I have yet to finish my Blizzsorc.

I really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to some cowing! *heads to Tristram*

30-30
 
Originally posted by TopHatCat64 on Nov 13 2010:

Matriarch Dresden - Medusa's Gaze Javazon

The Planning Stage


Last year, purplelocust attempted to utilize MG's CTC Lower Resist with a tesladin and a fire claws bear. He theorized that a pure lightning character, like a javazon, might make a good choice since lightning is the most easily broken of elements. I decided to give it a shot. I always like using outside skills on my characters and I've never used the lightning javelin skills before.

1. Gear: My main focus was on getting hit as often as possible to trigger the lower resist proc. That meant low defense and a horrible chance to block (since a successful block does not trigger a proc). Right off the bat, that mean using my eth Demon's Arch over the usual Titan's, because Titan's required more dex AND it had a 20 dex boost. I ran the block calc and that bumped up my CTB 10% - not going to work.

I decided to wear Hwanin's Refuge for my armor (10% CTC static field). Another "when struck" proc that worked well with my overall theme. It would help in melee when everyone was smacking me, and it had the same chance to proc as MG's Lower Resist.

As a secondary focus, I needed to run fast. If I'm not in melee range, I'm not maximizing my chances to get hit. So, I went with Aldur's Advance (one of the few non-magical 40FRW boots) and Cat's Eye for its big 30FRW boost.

Lastly, I needed to actually survive all the damage I would be taking so I went with Bloodfist/Kira's/Verdungo's to boost life/FHR/resists/dmg reduction.

2. Skills: No Dodge, no Avoid, no Evade, no Slow Missiles, no Decoy, no Valk. Just the merc and I. All of those skills would lower my chances to get hit but man, it was hard to give them up. All my previous tankazon mats made heavy use of the P&M tree.

I went with pure lightning damage - more specifically focusing on Charged Strike. I made a point to not use LF on this character. It's just way too powerful and I don't have to be in melee range to use it - which defeats the whole point of this build. I put points in in last.

I named this character after the German city that the Allies absolutely demolished in WWII. I anticipated that I would be taking a massive amount of damage...

Leveling and Observations

Fast forward to lvl 76 and Hell Diff:

Did Lower Resist actually work? Well, I'd say it broke about a 1/3 of the LI's I encountered. It went off a decent amount of the time - more so when I was facing LI's since they took longer to kill. But was it worth leaving myself so open defensively in order to proc Lower Resist? I'd say not. I felt like I was way too vulnerable the whole game.

There were some serious rough spots where I just had to either park monsters or save and exit.

Act2: I encountered a large room filled with a boss pack of 6 mummies, about 50 skeletons, and about 10 LI beatles. I couldn't kill the skeletons fast enough before they all got res'ed back again. I did manage to squeeze into the room eventually, but I just got overwhelmed and had to S&E.

Act3: I tangled with a particularly nasty unique: a LI/PI cursed Urdar. To make matters worse, there was another boss pack somewhere behind his pack that was granting a might aura. I dragged the urdar pack away and slowly killed his minions. But I had to park the boss. He was killing my merc in 2 hits and there was no way to avoid getting cursed.

Act5: Frozen river was where I had the most trouble in the entire game, for some reason. I managed to run into one section of the level where I found 3 boss packs in the same area. Extra Fast Cursed ghosts, fanaticism-enchanted leapers, and a boss pack of rogue archers. The ghosts were an absolute terror, they ripped through my merc in about half a second and I ran like hell to string them out and get the ghosts away from the aura. I eventually managed to separate everything out and slooowwly inch my way forward to kill everything one on one. This was where I suffered my character's only death, though not to the triple boss back amazingly. Just to a lot of snake bone spears in another game.

Charged Strike is a lot of fun. I originally thought the charged bolts would explode off into different directions on contact, but I soon realized that the bolts largely follow a nice straight band behind the attacked monster. This came in handy when I was stabbing away at something hardy or lightning resistant. I'd just orient myself so the charged bolt "overflow" ran into the highest concentration of monsters. It was a bit like having a ranged attack and a melee attack at the same time.

When I encountered lightning immunes that Lower Resist couldn't break. Well, that was comical. I certainly did enough physical/fire damage with Jab. It was a matter of actually connecting. My chance to hit hovered somewhere between 50-60% throughout most of Hell. Luckily, I don't think I ever ran into a situation where more then one group of monsters was LI. Once I killed all the non immunes, it came down to patience and letting the merc do most of the heavy lifting.

Finds
Even if I totally hated this character (which I didn't) it would have still been worth it since I found an OHM rune.

Stats
Code:
CS damage: 1-2770
Jab damage w/ might and enchant: 1110-2229
Jab AR: 2443

Life: 1547
Def: 1238 | CTB: 23%
Resists: 75/69/75/33
Str: 167 | Dex: 67 | Vit: 261

20 CS
20 PS
20 LS
20 LB
11 LF
1 Jab

Gear
Code:
70res Kira's 'Shael'
Cat's Eye
Eth Demon's Arch
Hwanin's Refuge 'Ruby jewel of Truth'
Medusa's Gaze 'rare -req jewel'
Bloodfist
Verdungo's
Aldur's Advance
Order Knot Ring*
Corruption Whorl Ring*

Merc: Eth 'Obedience' Thresher | Duriel's | Crown of Thieves

Order Knot
Ring
Required Level: 66
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 87
Fingerprint: 0x5adb2d1d
+19 to Strength
+25 to Life
+8 to Minimum Damage
Lightning Resist +27%
Poison Resist +6%
+2 to Light Radius

Corruption Whorl
Ring
Required Level: 65
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 84
Fingerprint: 0x147b1f7
+43 to Mana
+115 to Attack Rating
+5 to Minimum Damage
Lightning Resist +20%
8% Life stolen per hit
5% Mana stolen per hit
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Paradigmshift on Jun 29, 2010:

Matriarch - Makala - PDR Fendazon

Makala was named after my wife and this is very appropiate. Both deliver a severe beat down while taking hardly any damage at all and is resistant to many elements (my wife being mostly reistant to my charms, but I digress).

I had been wanting to make a PDR build for some time and just lacked the knowledge and the equipment to make it happen so it sat on the backburner for some time. Then I decided to make a fendazon after my attempt at an impalazon failed miserably (although this may be revisited soon). 2 helpfull resources while I was searching for info on building her were Sirpoopsalot's Noname and AJK's Cattleprod. AJK's suggestion about using max'd Inner Sight was gold and really helps the build due to being easily able to hit most monsters in the game.

But they all come away with the same downfall of the build. Survivability. No shield makes for a difficult time surviving fast/hard hitting monsters. If there was ever a place for a PDR build to find a nice niche, it's here. The PDR fendazon eliminates a lot of the problems that other fenders have. She's not the killer the lightning based zons are but she manages just fine in /p3 through hell.

I was able through compiling all of my best charms together to reach almost maxed resists and the 86% FHR breakpoint. The ethHone Sundan (courtesy of OMGWTFBBQPWNED) with the 2 shael's and the 20%IAS from the gloves allows me to hit the 5 fpa on the german attack speed calculator. Reapers from the merc allowed for me to kill the physical immunes...

Just wanted to mention that I had considered other weapons for this build but found the eth Hone Sundan to be far superior to Silence and CtA from both a cost and an effectiveness standpoint. I actually made a Silence spear and was just not able to deal with the slowness of the killing due to a lack of crushing blow and about half the damage you can get from a nice eth Hone Sundan.

She pumps out the following damage:
without merc aura: Fend - 506-3775 Jab - 259-1952
With merc aura: Fend - 704-5233 Jab - 457-3410
@ 5fpa...with 45% crushing blow and 69% critical strike

On the PDR front, I managed 98 PDR with this gear with resists mostly maxed with poison only at 72 and lightning at 76 of the possible 80. Reached the 86% FHR breakpoint as well. Those were my main goals, getting as close to 100 PDR with maxed resists, hit the 86% FHR, and hit 5fpa.
[/end wall of text]

Makala - Clvl 85 PDR Fendazon

Here is the GoMule Dump for her...

Code:
Name:       Makala
Class:      Amazon
Experience: 1133909610
Level:      85         

           Naked/Gear

Strength:   111/131
Dexterity:  153/156
Vitality:   236/256
Energy:     15/15
HP:         926/1040
Mana:       141/141
Stamina:    384/384
Defense:    38/1861
AR:         735/825
Fire:       182/142/82
Cold:       188/148/88
Lightning:  176/136/76
Poison:     172/132/72
MF:         0      
Block:      20
GF:         21
FR/W:       30
FHR:        103
IAS:        60
FCR:        0

Skills:

Javelin/Spear Skills:
Fend: 20/22
Impale: 1/3
Jab: 14/16

Passives:
Decoy: 20/22
Slow Missiles: 1/3
Inner Sight: 20/22
Critical Strike: 20/22


Gear: Note the 1.07 Gladiator's Bane (Special thanks to Zaliquai for the loan)

Code:
Bitter Horn
Circlet
Defense: 21
Durability: 23 of 35
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0xee379049
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Amazon Skill Levels
8% Mana stolen per hit
Lightning Resist +24%
Damage Reduced by 17
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Prismatic Amulet of Life Everlasting
Amulet
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0x464fbda5
Item Level: 93
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +19
Damage Reduced by 21

The Gladiator's Bane
Wire Fleece
Defense: 1255
Indestructible
Required Level: 85
Required Strength: 111
Fingerprint: 0x5784b175
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
+150% Enhanced Defense
+50 Defense
Damage Reduced by 32
Magic Damage Reduced by 20
Cannot Be Frozen
Poison Length Reduced by 40%
Attacker Takes Damage of 20
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Sol Rune

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Nature's Peace
Ring
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x349cd49c
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Prevent Monster Heal
Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
Poison Resist +25%
Damage Reduced by 9
Level 5 Oak Sage (25/27 Charges)

Nature's Peace
Ring
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0x1c3ee72b
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Prevent Monster Heal
Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
Poison Resist +28%
Damage Reduced by 11
Level 5 Oak Sage (27/27 Charges)

Thundergod's Vigor
War Belt
Defense: 140
Durability: 20 of 24
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0xa6a58245
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 7 Fist of the Heavens when struck
Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
+3 to Lightning Strike (Amazon Only)
+3 to Lightning Fury (Amazon Only)
+166% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Strength
+20 to Vitality
+10% to Maximum Lightning Resist
+20 Lightning Absorb

Imp Trample
War Boots
Defense: 63
Durability: 10 of 24
Required Level: 74
Required Strength: 125
Fingerprint: 0x62200dd
Item Level: 93
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+18% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Dexterity
Replenish Life +4
Fire Resist +16%
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 1

Dire Claw
Gauntlets
Defense: 31
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x90c15d8
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+86% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +8%
Fire Resist +18%
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds

Makala's Hone Sundan
Ghost Spear
Two Hand Damage: 99 - 719
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 69
Required Strength: 112
Required Dexterity: 153
Fingerprint: 0x302f4986
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Increased Attack Speed
193% Enhanced Damage
Adds 20 - 40 Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
45% Chance of Crushing Blow
Repairs 1 Durability in 10 Seconds
Required Level +7
Ethereal
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Shael Rune

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate

Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate

Call to Arms
Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 19 - 57
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x31a28b63
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
286% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+3 to Battle Cry
+5 to Battle Orders
+3 to Battle Command
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Lidless Wall
Grim Shield
Defense: 312
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 70 of 70
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xb70a0458
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
+107% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Energy
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
+5 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius

Charms:

Code:
Fine Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xd9ce6c3a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+11 to Attack Rating
+17 to Life

Fine Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x269fe4b9
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+1 to Maximum Damage
+17 to Attack Rating

Steel Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x96c64390
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
+25 to Attack Rating

Emerald Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x4c72d16d
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Dexterity
Poison Resist +11%

Fine Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 16
Fingerprint: 0x769399fb
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+6 to Maximum Damage
+22 to Attack Rating

Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x80d25f54
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +15

Shimmering Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0xe3ae0818
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+6 to Life
All Resistances +15

Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x2e8b0ad
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +15

Sapphire Grand Charm of Greed
Grand Charm
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0x9b509607
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +30%
21% Extra Gold from Monsters

Cobalt Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x3ae3b8be
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +22%

Amber Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0xede666fd
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
Lightning Resist +27%

Cobalt Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x9de120e9
Item Level: 69
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
Cold Resist +9%

Garnet Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x345e853
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
Fire Resist +9%

Amber Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xc17dea1d
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+16 to Life
Lightning Resist +11%

Sapphire Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xa0ed12bb
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
Cold Resist +11%

Ruby Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x3164e171
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +11%

Ruby Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xc5b7719b
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +11%

Garnet Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x230dbe4c
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +9%

Shimmering Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x16b6b8c4
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
All Resistances +14

Ocher Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x3be76370
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life
Lightning Resist +6%

Merc Info:

Code:
Mercenary:
Name:       Alhizeer
Race:       Desert Mercenary
Type:       Off-Nightmare
Experience: 74577784
Level:      85

Treachery
Dusk Shroud
ShaelThulLem
Defense: 456
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 77
Fingerprint: 0x29ce6946
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
25% Chance to cast level 15 Venom on striking
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+45% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Lem Rune

Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate

Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%

Lem Rune
Required Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 75% Extra Gold from Monsters
Armor: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters
Shields: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters

Guillaume's Face
Winged Helm
Defense: 217
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 34
Required Strength: 115
Fingerprint: 0xe7a5c8c7
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+30% Faster Hit Recovery
35% Chance of Crushing Blow
15% Deadly Strike
+120% Enhanced Defense
+15 to Strength
All Resistances +8
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Shimmering Jewel of Fervor


Shimmering Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0x40fbb453
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15% Increased Attack Speed
Cold Resist +8%
Lightning Resist +8%
Fire Resist +8%
Poison Resist +8%


The Reaper's Toll
Thresher
Two Hand Damage: 37 - 435
Durability: 43 of 65
Required Level: 75
Required Strength: 114
Required Dexterity: 89
Fingerprint: 0xfb554a7d
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
33% Chance to cast level 1 Decrepify on striking
209% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
Adds 4 - 44 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (28 Frames)
15% Life stolen per hit
33% Deadly Strike
Requirements -25%

NDE's: There were times in hell where I would get a little too relaxed while playing her and didn't use decoy like I should to split up some of the worst mobs. For instance, avoid the Greater Mummy boss packs. They were by far the most dangerous to me besides the usual frenzytaurs and the Lister gang. Those I knew to split up and be carefull with, the mummies on the other hand, I forgot that they deal magic damage vs physical or elemental and wasn't prepared for the quick drop in life.

Finds: Nothing to speak of really. Forges were fittingly: NM - Sol, Hell - Um.

Future Plans: To thoroughly kick OMG's butt in PvP!

And if you read through all of that... I feel really sorry for you....
 
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