Orange You Glad That Rune Dropped: Craft-Centric Tournament

Conqueror.jpg

So, RunsWithLava wrapped up Nightmare! I ended up doing act 4 on /p1 and most of act 5 at /p3 and cow level on /p7, sitting at a comfortable level 72 to start hell.
I am planning to complete hell all at /p1 due to the large number of fire immunes that the merc and bear and volcano have to deal with. While I don't intend to rerun areas, full clears likely won't happen as I focus mainly on completing the necessary quests to advance to guardian.

Currently planning to socket my shield for a pdiamond, and personalize Smoke runeword made in serpentskin armor which should max fire/light and with some hopeful resist rolls on boots/rings/ammy crafts should free up some charm space as well as max the others but that remains to be seen. Also I am going to reroll gcharms with the rest of the pgems to see if I can get any skillers to add to the gear.

I am also going to try a couple of safety lance rolls for a merc weapon upgrade as well as shop for exceptional craft bases to replace the normal item bases used previously. I may regret that I didn't use a personalize reward for a better merc weapon but safety first!

I may post a more thorough update after the next (and likely last big) craft session as I set up for the start of hell since this is a craft centric tournament :) After that post probably little more to say until guardian or deeds.

Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    84    A4 H
Babyhell     *ItsATrap         Sin     75    A2 H
CaseyJones   RunsWithLava      Dru     72    A1 H
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM

Code:
Forumite   Character   Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------   -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro    Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn... Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify    Sor     54    A1 NM
 
Good luck in hell @CaseyJones

I've made a good bit of progress with Agni, so I want to post an update before I forget it all. After clearing the sewer's at the beginning of Act II, I found another Cedar Bow and imbued it. The result was marginally better than the first attempt. I have been lamenting Agni's pitiful resists, in particular his lightning and cold. These accounted for several NDEs in Act II. Any beetle that was CE and any LE/CE unique meant a NDE. A single CE lightning bolt did almost half his health, so I could survive 2 with 50 health, don't ask how I found that out...

Fortunately, as I went through Act II, I found numerous charms and items with lightning resist, to the point where I just started stashing them because his LR was capped. I have so many, that I will Hel my 2x Ort armor as soon as I find/am willing to cube a Hel. The rest of Act II was uneventful. I thoroughly enjoyed clearing all the false tombs, Dim Vision and Corpse Explosion negate the tedium of battling Unravellers. Duriel was easily dispatched on /p3 and dropped his usual junk.

Act III brought several amazing item/armor drops, though ironically none will see use. Agni had barely left the Kurast Docks when Tal's mask drops. In the Kurast Bazaar, I found this:

Lion Branded Grand Charm of Life
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Required Level: 42
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 52
Fingerprint: 0x9716baf6
+20 to Life
+1 to Combat Skills (Paladin Only)

In the Durast I found Mav's gloves, Trang gloves, and Frostburn gloves. Meph was easily killed on /p3 but didn't drop anything noteworthy.

Act IV was a bit tougher, and by this point Agni has basically stopped shooting his bow completely. It just does so little damage, it's not worth it. Instead he spams curses, mostly Dim Vision, and then Amp Damage onto 1 or 2 monsters for Gulzar to poke. It's not a glamorous system, but it's effective. I skipped the majority of the Plains of Despair, really just killed Izual and found the exit. Didn't want to risk getting fried by Gloams. The hellforge drop was decent, I'm really hoping for a Ko rune soon to make a Harmony bow.

Screenshot026.jpg

Lord De Seis and crew nearly one shot Agni with a hit when I was cursed by an extra strong fanaticism Doom Knight. Luckily Agni survived. One of Infector's crew dropped a white Spider Bow, so that's currently my best candidate for the Hell imbue. Diablo was easily handled on /p3.

Screenshot027.jpg

Agni also went ahead and cleared out the Bloody Foothills. The last monster dropped a Bonesnap, slim chance it could get personalized, who knows. When I start the next session, I'll try and craft through as many runes/gems as I can. Agni can definitely use more life, that's the most obvious area for improvement currently.

Agni, level 67 Necromancer, Frigid Highlands
 
A bit more progress to report. Agni picked up at the Frigid Highlands, immediately killing Eldritch, and continued climbing to the Arreat Summit. A slight detour into the Icy Cellar brought him this drop:
Screenshot028.jpg
Could possibly come in handy later. Other than that, nothing else terribly interesting happened. Ancients were easily handled on /p1. Baal and crew didn't pose much issue, Baal dropped some interesting stuff, but none useful for Agni:
Screenshot029.jpg
After Baal, Agni cleared the cow level. It was touch and go for a while on whether he'd be able to get a chain reaction of exploding cows going, I nearly threw in the towel. Eventually Gulzar managed to kill a few cows in a small area, and the rest was pretty easy. After that, I crafted all my remaining gems and used several topaz/diamond/skull to reroll a grand charm Pindle dropped, but nothing usable rolled. The only noteworthy gear upgrade from all this crafting was this amulet:

Storm Collar
Amulet
Required Level: 49
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 76
Fingerprint: 0x641508
+17 to Mana
+1 to Maximum Damage
Regenerate Mana 4%
Lightning Resist +10%
Poison Resist +10%
+1 to Necromancer Skill Levels
9% Faster Cast Rate

Agni then started in Hell, just clearing out the Den and grabbing the Cold Plains WP. I was going on /p8, but I think I'll have to drop that down to /p3 or maybe /p1. It would be a nightmare handling a PI monster more dangerous than a zombie with the current setup.

As far as gear and prospects for getting through Hell, Agni is currently sitting on one Anya personalize, still hoping for a Ko rune to make Harmony, and 2 Larzuk rewards. I may burn one on my helmet and throw a Thul rune in. Agni's lightning resist is maxed in Hell, fire resist is ~50, but cold is 9. I think he has a reasonable chance to make it through Hell, a weapon upgrade for himself or Gulzar will be needed soon though.

Agni, level 75 Necromancer, Cold Plains Hell
 
As I mentioned in the Three Legged Race thread, I also decided to start another character here, a Pally. If both members of the Three Legged Race make it, and this Pally does also, I will complete my Sept of HC Tourney Guardians.

So Craft was born, with the plan to go HF zealot with some Holy Shield for defense/block and physical damage/crushing blow focus. He and has completed Normal and NM through Radament Quest, with the crafting spree spread out over A1 and the start of A2 NM:
Slayer.jpg
What's that? Slayer isn't HC, you say? Well, because I'm a dumb-dumb, I apparently created him in SC and didn't realize it until I was in A3. I wasn't about to start over after full clearing the first two Acts (and the imbue noted below), so . . . If he makes it through, I may call it good on the Sept, or do a Pally in the next tourney that catches my fancy. On to the update:

He started with single point in Holy Fire and then pumped Sacrifice, plowing through A1 without trouble. Akara ring was lame (7% poison resist), Countess dropped 2 Tals, and we started pumping Holy Freeze when it opened up. Then Andy fell:
N A1 (Andy down).jpg
We then collected the cube and then worked through 12 chipped/flawed diamonds. Best was a Savage Lochaber Axe that rerolled to 2os, and the Merc was set. I also took the chance to Imbue some boots before tackling the Palace, with great and potentially end-game results:
N A2 (Imbue Boots).jpg
Aside from that, Steel flail and Stealth armor were complimented by 2os helm and 3os pally shield that got an El and damage jewels. It was smooth sailing for the rest of A2 and A3, with the Ormus reward mildly useful:
N A3 (Ormus Ring).jpg
We were grateful for the trick of holding down left click and moving outside windowed mode for the ~5 min it took to take down Izual:
N A4 (Izual).jpg
HF was a mixed bag for crafting gems, and Diablo fell at p3 with some care exercised and a few purples used:
N A4 (HF).jpg
H A4 (Diablo Down).jpg
I had some pRubies so I decided to craft some blood gloves because the Steel flail was losing steam a bit, with reasonable results that we could eventually equip:
H A5 (Blood Gloves).jpg
We then encountered our first real challenge, with a boss pack of Moon Lords in Abaddon, but use of a bridge and some potions for the merc made it easy to manage:
H A5 (Moon Lords).jpg
The Anya reward was handy, and Baal had no chance:
H A5 (Anya Reward).jpg
H A5 (Baal Down).jpg
I'll finish the progress update for NM and crafting in a second post!
 
Cows were cleared without issue, and we picked up in NM. Resists were not great, in particular due to poor charm luck (no SCs > 6 resist, and a few 14-15 single resist GCs). So things were a bit slow, until this dropped:
NM A1 (4os Partizan).jpgNM A1 (Insight).jpg
Yes, arguably a waste of a Sol that is needed to craft spears, but it made a big difference in damage output. Akara ring was quite nice on resists, and I also was high enough level to hit ilvl 51 for shopped items (and not worrying about gambled amulet), allowing a nice 4os blood belt and caster ammy that was useless
NM A1 (Akara Ring).jpg
NM A1 (Blood Belt).jpg
NM A1 (Caster ammy 1).jpg
Then it was on to Countess (triple rune drop) and Andy;
NM A1 (Countess).jpgNM A1 (Andy Down).jpg
We then sold off all the runewords (keeping Insight stashed for now), and assessed crafting needs. The boots, rings, and shield were filled with reward items, solid gloves and belt were already made (and an ammy), leaving the full merc kit and weapon, armor and helm for Craft. We had plenty of ingredients, so dove in with the easily shopped/gambled items:;
NM A1 (Blood Hat).jpg
NM A2 (Blood Hat 2).jpg
NM A2 (Blood Armor).jpg
NM A2 (Hitpower Armor).jpg
I like the open socket for Craft (now with a Ral for maxed Fire, with Lightning also maxed), and the merc hat and armor are fine. The FHR on hitpower armor is nice for Craft, but definitely an item that can be improved. Next we shopped two exceptional blunt items for hitpower weapons, with the Knout the winner:
NM A2 (Hitpower weapon 1).jpgNM A2 (Hitpower weapon 2).jpg
And finally about 15 minutes to shop a Lance for the other Sol I had found:
NM A2 (Lance).jpg
We used remaining pgems on attempted amulet upgrades, with the replacement Caster Amulet winning out for Lightning Resists allowing max there:
NM A2 (Caster Ammy 2).jpg
NM A2 (Safety Ammy).jpg
And that's that. He has NM imbue, and Normal Socket and Personalization. I was planning on Rhyme, but I haven't found a 2os pally shield with more than 8@ so holding out for a bit on that. I'm guessing imbue will go to circlet in hopes for a decent item for Craft or it lucks out with life leech, for the Merc. He is now Might to help with damage output and leech, but AR is also a challenge.

I plan to focus on the Three Legged Race team for a bit, along with getting back to CS runs with my 99er Druid. But I will return to this guy before too long.

Craft, level 53 Paladin, Radament Quest Completed, A2 NM

* * *

Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    84    A4 H
Babyhell     *ItsATrap         Sin     75    A2 H
CaseyJones   RunsWithLava      Dru     72    A1 H
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
PhineasB     Craft             Pally   53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM

Code:
Forumite   Character   Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------   -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro    Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn... Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify    Sor     54    A1 NM
 
Fairly big update for Agni, since I've been able to play a large portion of the weekend.

I did drop it to /p3 when I started back up. Went and killed Blood Raven, managed to keep her in one spot for a large portion of the fight:
Screenshot032.jpg

Found an uncommon boss pack, didn't manage to kill any of them before they crumbled on their own 😅
Screenshot033.jpg

Killed the Countess, though I shouldn't have even bothered, she didn't drop a single rune! I didn't even know that was possible..
Screenshot034.jpg

I was very far away, exploding corpses to kill her. I never actually saw her alive, maybe that has something to do with it. Found another Fal rune in the Jail. Used the imbue on another bow, amazingly this one was worse than the first two. Andy went down without too much of a fight, didn't drop anything useful.

Act II I started out killing Radament, and a good thing! A Lum rune dropped in level 3 of the sewers, followed almost immediately by an Io. This allowed me to cube up to a Ko and make a Harmony bow! This was the ultimate goal ever since making the Zephyr bow in normal. I used a Larzuk socket since I was out of Amethysts to attempt to socket bows, then my NM personalize. While I was using up rewards, I socketed my helm and threw a 13 resist all jewel in it.
Screenshot040.jpg

I won't claim it does a lot of damage, but it does damage, which is an improvement over the bow he was using. I wouldn't have thought that the Valk would really be all that handy, since I have Clay Golem, but she's been invaluable. Cleared out all the false tombs before taking on Duriel. An Um rune dropped in one of them:
Screenshot043.jpg

Haven't decided what to do with it, probably throw it in my armor or stash it. Duriel went down easily on /p3 (though it took a while, not having CBF really slows the merc down). A surprising number of S/U have been dropping, which would probably see use in a different tournament.

Most of the beginning half of Act III was done on /p3 before I changed over to /p1 for good. On /p1 I mostly just cleared enough to get WPs and quests, the xp and drops are pretty bad compared to /p3. The monsters also really liked chasing Agni, rather than any of his 3 companions. This led to a couple of very dicey situations, a few times barely managing to TP out and run back from the WP. I tried to keep it on /p3 in LK, but the map was not great and I found very few runes/gems/charms. The council was surprising easy, very willing to be lured out one at a time. The Durance went smoothly, no issues, and Meph was killed on /p3, also no issues.
Screenshot045.jpg

Not a whole lot to report on Act IV before Diablo. HF was horrible, no need for a Ko rune now, and useless gems. Hephaesto was easy to kill at least.
Screenshot046.jpg

Clearing the seals went decent, had to TP and run back from the WP for Infector once. I regret attempting Diablo on /p3, the fight was miserable and long. He went through three bouts of bone prisoning Agni and the TPs constantly. I must have run back from the WP ten times during the fight. But in the end, Diablo died.
Screenshot047.jpg

Shame that Shako wasn't unique, that'd been a great personalize for Hell.

So, one more act to go. I have two sapphires to craft, but I get frustrated shopping for Sharktooth Armors (and can't even imagine trying for Kraken Shells), so I might just try for rings (still using my Ormus ring from normal...). At this point, Agni's resists are all maxed, I have plenty of spare resist charms, and more life is the only real upgrade I can envision. Gulzar still does adequate damage, and is really only needed for the first corpse or two.

Next stop, Bloody Foothills!

Agni, level 84 Necromancer, Harrogoth
 
Well, wasn't expecting to play so much today, but I made a push to get Agni to the end or die trying. I did all of Act V in one sitting, took a few hours, but was worth not quitting the game.

Agni climbed the Bloody Foothills, spamming Dim Vision and Corpse Explosion as he went. He made no detours, and only killed what he needed to to find WPs and the next area. /p1 gives such pitiful xp and by this point item drops were of no use, so there wasn't much to be gained by clearing more than was needed. Agni encountered very few boss packs (not sure if there just weren't many or he skipped a lot) but none were too threatening.

Most of my monster spawns throughout the various areas were preferable, it was the reason I kept playing so much to try and take advantage. The worst was the vipers, which spawned everywhere they could, but Dim Vision mostly kept them in check. The dicey situations were when I had to summon a Clay Golem and Valk to handle a boss, and I didn't unsummon them, they caused a lot of viper missiles to fly everywhere. A Pul rune dropped in the Frozen Tundra, no use for it at this point though.

The fantastic lucky spawn streak continued with the Ancients. In preparation for the fight I got Clay Golem up to 5 (had just been 1). Without a doubt, this must have been the easiest battle with them I've ever had playing Diablo. First roll was the absolute best it can be for a mostly physical damage dealer (Gulzar). It did take a long time of running in circles randomly casting golems and valks to get them separated, though there was a good chance it wouldn't have been needed. Agni fought Korlic and Talic together to start, really Gulzar fought Korlic while Agni ran around dodging Talic leaps. First dispatched was Korlic, who spawned with Mana Burn and Lightning Enchanted (LI/CI). Next was Talic, who had Cold Enchanted and Extra Fast (FI/CI). Last to die was Madawc, Stone Skin and Extra Strong (LI). The whole fight with the Ancients I used one potion! It was for Gulzar near the end, probably could have used Life Tap, but there was no need to get fancy.

The WSK wasn't too bad. Burning Souls spawn on level 2, and 3 boss packs (2 were vipers) close to the stairs on level 4. I was surprised at how well the fight with Baal's minions went, Gulzar never died once! So, once Lister was killed, that just left Baal. Challenge isn't the right word to describe the fight, since Agni never was in much trouble. Long, drawn out, and monotonous would be better words to describe it, but in the end, Baal was vanquished and Agni achieved Guardian. Here's an action shot, the only time Agni really did much fighting when a clone was present.
Screenshot054.jpg

And at the end:
Screenshot056.jpg

Baal dropped a bunch of rares, all were sold. Agni's next step will probably be to kill Nihlalthak and kill the cow king if he can, but I wanted to post about making Guardian so it 'counts' in case those don't go as planned 😅 .

His final skill points distribution:
5 Clay Golem
1 Golem Master/Summon Resist

1 Teeth
20 Corpse Explosion

2 Amplify Damage
20 Dim Vision
5 Attract
15 Decrepify
5 Lower Resist
1 All other curses

16 Unspent

Below is are pictures of his and Gulzar's gear, at least how it was for Act IV and V.
Screenshot057.jpg
Screenshot058.jpg
Screenshot059.jpg
Screenshot060.jpg
Screenshot061.jpg
Screenshot062.jpg
Screenshot063.jpg
Screenshot064.jpg
Screenshot065.jpg

Gulzar's equipment:
Screenshot066.jpg
Screenshot067.jpg
Screenshot068.jpg

And the LCS (without Blessed Aim active):
Screenshot069.jpg

General thoughts on the tournament and this character:
I had a surprisingly great time playing Agni in this tournament. This was probably my third ever legitimate attempt at playing a Necro and it was a blast. If anyone is like me and never really played a Necro, my advice would be max Dim Vision! If I could put 50 points into it, I would. Enemies affected by Dim Vision basically do nothing except stand there and get killed. It prevents monsters from using most of their non-basic attacks. Now that I've got my DV praise out of the way, Agni did have a TON of unused skill points. I had 16 leftover and put 5 in Lower Resist but never used it once. Corpse Explosion was the main damage dealer, I certainly wouldn't want to have played without it.

Once I managed to get his resist situation under control, I was very impressed with how little damage he generally took. The killing speed overall was pretty good, though Agni really didn't shoot things a whole lot. The Harmony bow was very nice, the Vigor aura and Valk were instrumental in the journey. He never really got above a 50-65% chance to hit in Hell, even with a Blessed Aim mercenary. Perhaps Weaken would have helped...

There were aspects of the tournament I liked and didn't like. I really loved being able to use respecs and the quest rewards. Obviously I would have had to go a different route if the quest rewards couldn't be used to wield bows. I doubt I would have made guardian without it, I'd have thrown on a shield for added resists which would have been Agni's doom. Necromancer blocking is so slow, by the time you've gone through the animation, you've been hit 5 more times. Blocking is a sure death sentence. Using respecs was very nice too, less stress trying to plan out your end game stat requirements for gear you can only guess at. What I didn't like was shopping for base items. Man is that the most boring thing in the world. I really hope D2R updates the whole shopping/gambling experience to something that doesn't needlessly waste hours of your life. I did thoroughly enjoy the tournament, I may consider another entrant if I can overcome my shopping PTSD.

I would not have guessed that crafting your gear would be this big of a challenge, I don't feel that most of my gear was very good. Most of the time you can gamble better gloves, boots, belt, etc in normal than Agni managed to craft the entire journey. I probably crafted 10 rings, but never managed to craft something better than my normal Ormus reward... It was definitely a much bigger challenge than I expected, though wasn't debilitating.

Thanks for the great tournament @PhineasB ! Good luck to everyone still going!

Agni, level 85 Necromancer, Guardian
 
Last edited:
Time for the final push!

After a last crafting session before starting out in hell, mentioned above, RunsWithLava trekked forth!

At this point I kept players setting at p1 and marched ahead sticking to primarily hitting quest objectives and no longer attempting near full clears.
Starting at level 72, here is the char dump beginning Hell:
Code:
Name:       RunsWithLava
Class:      Druid
Experience: 351576038
Level:      72

            Naked/Gear
Strength:   76/85
Dexterity:  35/43
Vitality:   314/336
Energy:     20/30
HP:         779/888
Mana:       162/349
Stamina:    444/450
Defense:    8/452
AR:         145/415

Fire:       190/150/90
Cold:       184/144/84
Lightning:  176/136/76
Poison:     185/145/85

MF:         8       Block:      7
GF:         65
FR/W:       3
FHR:        87
IAS:        0
FCR:        47

Raven: 1/4
Poison Creeper: 0/0
Oak Sage: 1/4
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/4
Carrion Vine: 0/0
Heart of Wolverine: 0/0
Summon Dire Wolf: 6/9
Solar Creeper: 0/0
Spirit of Barbs: 0/0
Summon Grizzly: 5/9

Werewolf: 0/0
Lycanthropy: 0/0
Werebear: 0/0
Feral Rage: 0/0
Maul: 0/0
Rabies: 0/0
Fire Claws: 0/0
Hunger: 0/0
Shock Wave: 0/3
Fury: 0/0

Firestorm: 5/8
Molten Boulder: 20/23
Arctic Blast: 0/0
Fissure: 20/23
Cyclone Armor: 0/0
Twister: 0/0
Volcano: 20/24
Tornado: 0/0
Armageddon: 0/0
Hurricane: 0/0

Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x81bc9e4d
Item Level: 9
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Flail
One Hand Damage: 1 - 24
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x6be0f90
Item Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+150% Damage to Undead
2 Sockets (0 used)

Raven Grasp
Sharkskin Gloves
Defense: 60
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x24fb0799
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
3% Life stolen per hit
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+51% Enhanced Defense
+12 to Life
Lightning Resist +14%
55% Extra Gold from Monsters

Key
Fingerprint: 0xfe909a72
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Blood Visage
Alpha Helm
Defense: 62
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 44
Fingerprint: 0x9b7e49bf
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+1 to Summon Grizzly (Druid Only)
+1 to Volcano (Druid Only)
+1 to Shock Wave (Druid Only)
+2 to Life
+5 to Mana
Poison Resist +5%

Plague Fringe
Sharkskin Belt
Defense: 34
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 44
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x6d7fea39
Item Level: 54
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7% Faster Cast Rate
+9 to Strength
+20 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 10%
Poison Resist +28%

Shimmering Large Charm of Greed
Large Charm
Required Level: 26
Fingerprint: 0xce3a3d52
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +7
10% Extra Gold from Monsters

Shimmering Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x9963cc5e
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Dexterity
All Resistances +3

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0xde97c1bb
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

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%

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

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

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%

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

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

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

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

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%

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

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

Beast Nails
Demonhide Boots
Defense: 33
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x1753fa84
Item Level: 62
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Mana
Increase Maximum Mana 2%
Regenerate Mana 7%
Fire Resist +20%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds

RunsWithLava's Smoke
Serpentskin Armor
NefLum
Defense: 218
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0xd1887ecc
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+75% Enhanced Defense
+280 Defense vs. Missile
+10 to Energy
All Resistances +50
-1 to Light Radius
Level 6 Weaken (18/18 Charges)
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Nef Rune
Socketed: Lum Rune

Nef Rune
Required Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Knockback
Armor: +30 Defense vs. Missile
Shields: +30 Defense vs. Missile

Lum Rune
Required Level: 37
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +10 to Energy
Armor: +10 to Energy
Shields: +10 to Energy

Entropy Coil
Ring
Required Level: 70
Fingerprint: 0x7b166c49
Item Level: 71
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+1 to Maximum Damage
+104 to Attack Rating
+4 to Dexterity
All Resistances +11
Lightning Resist +9%
Attacker Takes Damage of 5

Entropy Grasp
Ring
Required Level: 59
Fingerprint: 0xce7c3345
Item Level: 74
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+5 to Minimum Damage
Adds 1 - 13 Lightning Damage
+2 to Dexterity
Fire Resist +25%
Half Freeze Duration
Attacker Takes Damage of 5

Stone Emblem
Amulet
Required Level: 46
Fingerprint: 0x14ccdb1c
Item Level: 71
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Cast Rate
+20 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 7%
Cold Resist +39%
All Resistances +5
8% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 3 Frost Nova (17/27 Charges)

Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 35%
Replenishes Health 35%

Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0x63fde2ac
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Life

Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0xa37273e5
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +11

Coral Small Charm of Inertia
Small Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x99e17c94
Item Level: 61
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3% Faster Run/Walk
Lightning Resist +8%

Viridian Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xb9cb8ca9
Item Level: 24
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Life
Poison Resist +7%

Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0x945eb0c3
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12 to Life

Rugged Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xa4a2de1
Item Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+9 to Life
+6 Maximum Stamina

Bronze Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xf61a9e17
Item Level: 17
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Attack Rating
+7 to Life

Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0x3dc5fd0c
Item Level: 65
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery

Snake's Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xc2af27b2
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12 to Life
+33 to Mana

Steel Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0xed35b1bb
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+124 to Attack Rating
+30 to Life

RunsWithLava's Spirit
Crystal Sword
TalThulOrtAmn
One Hand Damage: 5 - 15
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x501b7b42
Item Level: 28
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+35% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+94 to Mana
+6 Magic Absorb
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

Carrion Guard
Gothic Shield
Defense: 35
Chance to Block: 21
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 60
Fingerprint: 0x9e1ab90b
Item Level: 54
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
5% Increased Chance of Blocking
All Resistances +38
Poison Length Reduced by 75%
Attacker Takes Damage of 8
9% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond

Perfect Diamond
Required Level: 18
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +68% Damage to Undead
Armor: +100 to Attack Rating
Shields: Cold Resist +19%
Lightning Resist +19%
Fire Resist +19%
Poison Resist +19%

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%

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%

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%

Mercenary:

Name:       Mizan
Race:       Desert Mercenary
Type:       Def-Nightmare
Experience: 45420416
Level:      72
Dead?:      false

            Naked/Gear
Strength:   163/163
Dexterity:  130/130
HP:         1292/1328
Defense:    960/1527
AR:         1087/1113

Fire:       139/99/39
Cold:       148/108/48
Lightning:  163/123/63
Poison:    133/93/33

Stone Hide
Templar Coat
Defense: 470
Durability: 37 of 60
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 118
Fingerprint: 0xeb53a631
Item Level: 74
Version: Expansion 1.10+
3% Life stolen per hit
+71% Enhanced Defense
+18 to Life
+4 to Mana
Cold Resist +15%
+3 Life after each Demon Kill


Death Hood
Casque
Defense: 97
Durability: 23 of 24
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 59
Fingerprint: 0x460c2af5
Item Level: 74
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
2% Life stolen per hit
5% Deadly Strike
+33% Enhanced Defense
+18 to Life
Lightning Resist +30%
Fire Resist +6%


Blood Picket
Lance
Two Hand Damage: 83 - 329
Durability: 22 of 25
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 110
Required Dexterity: 88
Fingerprint: 0xb9645860
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
189% Enhanced Damage
+5 to Minimum Damage
+26 to Attack Rating
+192% Damage to Undead
+217 to Attack Rating against Undead
+5% Enhanced Defense
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 1

And the LCS:
lcs.jpg

As a primary fire dealer, things started to get tough. I was now very reliant on Volcano for the physical damage add to my merc and bear damage. Even though I stayed a p1, progress seemed more of a slog at times.

Trudged on to Andy, vanquishing the smith on the way. Decided to imbue another pelt given the automod possibilities and good earlier results, this time though was a bit disappointing:
imbueResult.jpg
Opens up access to Armageddon without the pre-req requirements of the wind skills anyway but Armageddon doesn't add much and is very difficult to aim so while I may play around with this one later, it went into the gomule stash.

Andariel fell with the usually pillar of fire while leaving nothing much of use to me:
andy.jpg

Once in the desert city, I stepped briefly into the sewers to be met with flaming arrows of much pain from fire immune skeletons and decided I would maybe come back later and instead headed straight for the staff pieces. Maggot lair was pretty straightforward, a mix of boulders and volcanoes.
coldwormDeath.jpg

Claw viper temple was a bit more of a slog. Fissure dropped the snakes well enough, most anyway...this guy was a long slow job being fire immune and stone skin, but at least not impossible. The mummies would drop to a couple volcanoes and the merc and bear could clean up the skeletons at their own slow pace:
pukeBite.jpg

As for the amulet, it was a bit of a smash and grab while the merc and bear sacrificed themselves:
clawViperTemple.jpg

With the staff complete, it was on to the Arcane Sanctuary. Took the 'portal' path first, no summoner, then the flat path where we were lucky enough to find the poor sap. He even left me a souvenir.
Summoner.jpg

And finally, on to Duriel...I cleared much of the Canyon of Magi due to only the tiger ladies being fire immune but they have pretty low health so the merc and bear, with a little volcano help, cleaned them up easily. I did not, however, clear any extra tombs, choosing to go right for the correct tomb. It was a blessing, as the spawn was gorebellies, preserved dead, and ghoul lords...no fire immunes among them. And Duriel fell with her usual 'splat'
duriel.jpg

Next up, Act 3 and the jungle, my least favorite act as I don't like how the jungle parts spawn with narrow parts, limited cross points without teleport, etc. Also up, my biggest hurdle, Sszark...fire/physical immune boss with some nasty mods. Someone asked earlier (sorry I couldn't find it even with search), what I intended to do once I reached this point, how was I going to deal with this big spider. Mostly I didn't give it much though, at the minimum I figured I would just work to lure him aware to a portion already cleared out and park him while I looted the chest. Well......the first thing I encountered on going down into the cave, Sszark and his cronies. With extra fast, cursed mods on top of his immunities, I could not lure and drop him anywhere, as I had no part of the cave cleared and his mob kept on my tail. I tried to get the merc and bear engaged with the group and sprint past, figuring I would drop a TP and leave him parked at the entrance but not his entire mob was engaged and a couple minions recovery locked the now helpless druid, sans oak spirit who *poofed* at the mere sight of the beasts, and even the rejuves were not enough.
deeds.jpg

The screenshot looks like he himself fell to the mere sight of the spiders, with nothing around him, but they returned while I was sitting there paying my respects to the fallen druid and they returned to their spawn point at the left before taking that screenshot.

Thus ends my Orange tourney run, still sans a guardian...maybe there's some style points in having the highest level deeds....rofl!

Thoughts: All in all, a fun tournament setup. I liked not worrying about MF, and yet struggled at times having to pass up a nice rare or helpful unique. Anticipation for the craft sessions was nice, hoping for a good set of good rolls. I was pretty satisfied with my first personalize choice in selecting the Spirit sword. It really cured most of my mana woes up to that point and really continued to be enough of a boost I didn't often need to chug blue potions even into Hell. The second personalize (chose Smoke runeword) and the use of the third imbue perhaps should have been used to buff the merc better. His damage was pretty lacking and pretty much straight physical (his Holy Freeze aura though only non-phys damage and it was insufficient to overcome regen). Maybe should have used a prayer merc with Malice for the bleed proc or something with prevent monster heal because there were multiple times I was unable to overcome the mob regen rate and simply had to park them. I also had no solution for Sszark, but didn't want to devote too much planning to it not knowing if I would make it that far anyway. Just turned out the map roll for that area also ended up unfavorable as well.

The fire druid may have not been the best choice of a character given the restrictions but most likely would have been possible in the hands of more experienced and patient hard core players. For me, he was more than sufficiently powerful for normal and nightmare but really hit a wall upon entering hell. This does reinforce my dislike of single pass hardcore play though. Tends to turn into a drawn out slog and a single mistake wipes that time away for good.

Anyway, back to the Three Legged Tournament where I dropped to SC and non-single pass, back in to my comfort zone ;)


Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    84    A4 H
Babyhell     *ItsATrap         Sin     75    A2 H
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
PhineasB     Craft             Pally   53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM


Code:
Forumite   Character   Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------   -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro    Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn... Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify    Sor     54    A1 NM
CaseyJones   RunsWithLava      Dru     76    A3 H (Sszark)
 
Oof, sorry for the loss @CaseyJones but it was quite the run with pure fire Druid and the tourney restrictions. Good luck in returning to the Three Legged Race!
 
Finally!
Screenshot190.jpg

Spent 2.5 hours today to clear the last few areas: Frozen Tundra, Ancient's Way and Worldstone Keep. Stuck to players 1, (except for Baal - I fought him on /p3) because as mentioned before: single target attack untwinked gameplay with full clears makes for slow progress and since the enthusiasm for this tournament has died out the last few weeks, I wanted to keep it quick.

Nothing interesting on the last stretch. With 3.4k life, the Ancients weren't much of a hassle (I rerolled once because of Holy Freeze Talic and Cold Enchanted Madawc...would have been veeeeery slow). No interesting finds.

Some stats from the end of the game after full clears of all areas (Normal and NM P8, Hell p3/p1 in later Hell):

365 Full Rejuvs left
104 Perfect Gems left (plus a few more if I cubed them all up)
Highest Rune found: 2x Pul
91 S/U found (3 elite, 14 exceptional, 70 normal, Carrion Wind, Cathan's Seal, 2x Nagelring)
29 items crafted


Name: Lugh
Class: Barbarian
Experience: 1172563347
Level: 86

Naked/Gear
Strength: 122/133
Dexterity: 80/113
Vitality: 313/313
Energy: 10/24
HP: 1436/1775
Mana: 91/166
Stamina: 462/476
Defense: 20/234
AR: 385/837

Fire: 147/107/47
Cold: 125/85/25
Lightning: 145/105/45
Poison: 144/104/44

MF: 3 Block: 14
GF: 10
FR/W: 55
FHR: 70
IAS: 20
FCR: 9

Bash: 1/1
Leap: 0/0
Double Swing: 0/0
Stun: 1/1
Double Throw: 0/0
Leap Attack: 0/0
Concentrate: 18/18
Frenzy: 0/0
Whirlwind: 0/0
Berserk: 1/1

Sword Mastery: 0/0
Axe Mastery: 0/0
Mace Mastery: 0/0
Pole Arm Mastery: 20/20
Throwing Mastery: 0/0
Spear Mastery: 0/0
Increased Stamina: 0/0
Iron Skin: 1/1
Increased Speed: 0/0
Natural Resistance: 5/5

Howl: 1/1
Find Potion: 1/1
Taunt: 1/1
Shout: 1/1
Find Item: 4/4
Battle Cry: 1/1
Battle Orders: 20/20
Grim Ward: 0/0
War Cry: 20/20
Battle Command: 1/1

Wraith Gorget
Amulet
Required Level: 70
Fingerprint: 0xe927507b
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Passive and Magic Skills (Amazon Only)
+9% Faster Cast Rate
+4 to Maximum Damage
+18 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 6%
Level 2 Teleport (25/25 Charges)

Hailstone Jack
Plate Mail
Defense: 116
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x3e8501f8
Item Level: 54
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
3% Life stolen per hit
+72 to Life
Lightning Resist +25%
+1 Life after each Demon Kill

Raven Hold
Ring
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x65050c8f
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+5 to Dexterity
+30 to Life
+26 to Mana
Fire Resist +20%
Poison Resist +7%
Attacker Takes Damage of 5

Corruption Finger
Ring
Required Level: 38
Fingerprint: 0x34e656ca
Item Level: 71
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
+1 to Maximum Damage
+120 to Attack Rating
+2 to Dexterity
Fire Resist +13%
Poison Resist +12%
Attacker Takes Damage of 6

Shadow Winding
Mesh Belt
Defense: 35
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xdb4dd569
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17% Faster Hit Recovery
3% Life stolen per hit
6% Chance of Open Wounds
+40 to Life
Poison Resist +22%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds

Skull Stalker
Light Plated Boots
Defense: 20
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x407a6bb0
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Faster Run/Walk
3% Life stolen per hit
+70% Enhanced Defense
+19 to Life
Replenish Life +9
Poison Resist +35%

Eagle Touch
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 70
Fingerprint: 0xdb199248
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Increased Attack Speed
3% Life stolen per hit
8% Chance of Crushing Blow
+15 to Dexterity
+12 to Life
Lightning Resist +15%
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds

Hailstone Circlet
Circlet
Defense: 29
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x5796b97c
Item Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+14 to Energy
+37 to Life
+14 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +31%
All Resistances +14

Lugh's Obedience
Thresher
HelKoThulEthFal
Two Hand Damage: 56 - 662
Durability: 65 of 65
Required Level: 53
Required Strength: 122
Required Dexterity: 95
Fingerprint: 0x953e8aea
Item Level: 77
Version: Expansion 1.10+
30% Chance to cast level 21 Enchant when you Kill an Enemy
+40% Faster Hit Recovery
370% Enhanced Damage
-25% Target Defense
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
-25% to Enemy Fire Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
+210 Defense
+10 to Strength
+10 to Dexterity
All Resistances +24
Requirements -20%
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Hel Rune
Socketed: Ko Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Socketed: Fal Rune

Steel Large Charm of Inertia
Large Charm
Required Level: 36
Fingerprint: 0x584e64f2
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Run/Walk
+62 to Attack Rating

Serpent's Large Charm of Sustenance
Large Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0x8442ea6
Item Level: 64
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+19 to Life
+30 to Mana

Garnet Small Charm of Balance
Small Charm
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0xeace9969
Item Level: 60
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5% Faster Hit Recovery
Fire Resist +9%

Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0x3eba7102
Item Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Coral Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x86637047
Item Level: 56
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +8%

Amber Small Charm of Fire
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x4cb8f5be
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 2 - 3 Fire Damage
Lightning Resist +11%

Cobalt Small Charm of Frost
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x571d6b4d
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 2 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
Cold Resist +9%

Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xadbff3a9
Item Level: 76
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life

Russet Large Charm of Life
Large Charm
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0x4cde03d8
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+14 to Life
Fire Resist +10%

Coral Large Charm of Life
Large Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xb4af4079
Item Level: 46
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Life
Lightning Resist +12%

Cobalt Large Charm of Balance
Large Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xb5f981d7
Item Level: 38
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+8% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +11%

Garnet Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x46441c95
Item Level: 45
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Strength
Fire Resist +8%

Lapis Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xe3710833
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Cold Resist +6%
3% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Lizard's Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xb3d3959
Item Level: 55
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Life
+1 to Mana

Ocher Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 15
Fingerprint: 0x4c2b3e47
Item Level: 5
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +6%
10% Extra Gold from Monsters

Russet Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x64d2cd61
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +6%

Steel Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0x9dce509d
Item Level: 79
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+105 to Attack Rating

Russet Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x7f048fe5
Item Level: 46
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +7%

Stout Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xc6a5a5e
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 Defense
+15 to Life

Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xbc38d2e7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life

Russet Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x68d29ef0
Item Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Dexterity
Fire Resist +6%

Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x58f9ea06
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life



Mercenary:

Name: Alhizeer
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Off-Normal
Experience: 70803048
Level: 86
Dead?: false

Naked/Gear
Strength: 192/192
Dexterity: 155/155
HP: 1870/1885
Defense: 1373/1767
AR: 1985/2229

Fire: 176/136/76
Cold: 167/127/67
Lightning: 177/137/77
Poison: 173/133/73

Dread Visage
Circlet
Defense: 24
Durability: 24 of 35
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x99c723cd
Item Level: 52
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Assassin Skill Levels
All Resistances +14
5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (0 used)


Dread Cloak
Plate Mail
Defense: 370
Durability: 30 of 60
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x64eae410
Item Level: 54
Version: Expansion 1.10+
3% Life stolen per hit
+258 Defense (Based on Character Level)
+15 to Life
Fire Resist +9%
Poison Resist +6%
+1 Life after each Demon Kill


Hailstone Bar
Hyperion Spear
Two Hand Damage: 77 - 264
Durability: 19 of 30
Required Level: 73
Required Strength: 155
Required Dexterity: 120
Fingerprint: 0xe94ebce1
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Increased Attack Speed
122% Enhanced Damage
+244 to Attack Rating
Adds 107 - 147 Fire Damage
+8% Enhanced Defense
Lightning Resist +10%
Damage Reduced by 4
Magic Damage Reduced by 1

I wanted to thank @PhineasB for this great idea and congratulate him and all participants on this succesful tournament! 8 Guardians! This is awesome! Now that this is done I might be inclined to join the next tournament that pops up after the release of D2R :)

Guardian Lugh, level 86 Concentrate Barb, and Alhizeer, the Normal Desert Merc, Hell Baal down.

Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    86    Guardian
Babyhell     *ItsATrap         Sin     75    A2 H
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
PhineasB     Craft             Pally   53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM


Code:
Forumite   Character   Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------   -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro    Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn... Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify    Sor     54    A1 NM
CaseyJones   RunsWithLava      Dru     76    A3 H (Sszark)
 
Oh well... I forgot how fragile she was - and so the merc, and gold dropped down...
T4a8aQNl.jpg


The pack was fast, quickly went all over the place, and two council member joined to seal the deal. I didn't take enough time to get used to the tournament's toughness, so it's a S&E and failure for ItsATrap :-/ (put her in "Deeds" characters)

Edit: oh my... I just realize that I even forgot about having Shadow Master maxed... what a poor play -_-
Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    86    Guardian
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
PhineasB     Craft             Pally   53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM


Code:
Forumite   Character    Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------    -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro     Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn...  Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify     Sor     54    A1 NM
CaseyJones RunsWithLava Dru     76    A3 H (Sszark)
Babyhell   *ItsATrap    Sin     77    A3 H (Mephisto's council, S&E)
 
Last edited:
Half tempted to join in, but I am quite awful at single pass. And it would feel odd to be the only non-single pass person playing. Great idea however! Really curious choices had to be made.
 
Retiring Craft. Due to the mistake of creating him in SC, I am struggling with motivation to finish him because he won't complete my HC Tourney Sept. So I will enter a Pally in a future tourney and hope to get that character to Guardian to finish the Sept. In the meantime, I will convert Craft into one of the last two of my Unfinished Business Sept characters (Ice wielding Ranger).

Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    86    Guardian
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM

Code:
Forumite   Character    Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------    -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro     Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn...  Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify     Sor     54    A1 NM
CaseyJones RunsWithLava Dru     76    A3 H (Sszark)
Babyhell   *ItsATrap    Sin     77    A3 H (Mephisto's council, S&E)
PhineasB   Craft        Pally   53    A2 NM (retired)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Babyhell
Alright, this tournament kicked off and petered out while I was away from the forum, but a crafting tourney is right up my alley and its never been closed, so I've joined in...

After reading through the thread, I see that Sorc, Zon, Pally, Barb, and Necro have all made it through to Guardian, and @Vildecor still has an Assassin listed as running... but the demise of @CaseyJones fire Druid left the list without a Drood, so I picked up the torch (pun intended) with my own fire druid, Hypergolic

Is there a reason that @skoolbus Guardian Agni isn't in the table? I'd be happy to add him when I add myself...

WoRG
 
Welcome WoRG and looking forward to Hypergolic’s progress! It would be great if you can add skoolbus’s character. I had meant to add Agni when I retired Craft, but clearly forgot to do so. Thanks!
 
I actually started Hypergolic last month, but as the tournament had been inactive for so long, I didn't say anything until I made it to Act2 NM, when the crafting requirements kick in. It's also literally been a dozen years or more since I played a fire druid, and I didn't wanna embarass myself by faceplanting early on:p My worries were unfounded, he has proved to be a safe and effective character, though NOT a fast one, and I can foresee that fire immunes will be a real problem in hell. So far he's played through at /P8, except for Countess(P1), act bosses(P3), and Ancients(P1)

Hypergolic started off in my usual fashion, clearing the blood moor with his starting weapon, then using the proceeds to buy a nice superior scepter from Akara...the den, cold plains, cave, and burial grounds were cleared with it. While clearing the crypt, a superior large axe dropped...it did better damage than the scepter, and as I hadn't pointed any Dex as I leveled, his Chance to Block was down to 4%, so he tried it out. His attack rate was WAY better with the large axe, and he would use it until right before confronting the Smith in the barracks.

He picked up a fire rogue for killing Blood Raven, and his reward ring for saving Cain was actually pretty good: Triumphant of the Apprentice (1MPK/10FCR)...unlike many of the tourney characters, Hypergolic has been very lucky with his quest rewards (hopefully, that trend will continue)... Countess dropped Ral, Eth, and Tir. He got his first non-countess rune, an El, while working through the barracks, and used it to make Steel in a 2sox superior broad axe he had just gotten from a pack of goatmen. With this new beatstick, he cut down the Smith and retrieved Charsi's hammer (decided to save the imbue for now), then worked his way through the jail to the catacombs. Andy was more trouble than I had anticipated, given her weakness for fire, but Hypergolic got the job done, and she dropped a nice ruby...after a quick visit back to gem shrines he had saved on jail3 and cats2, he had his first crafting gem before leaving Act1!

Arriving in Lut Gholein, Hypergolic bid farewell to his rogue and hired Haseem, a prayer merc. After equipping him with an ethereal trident found in the catacombs and the rogue's old ethereal studded leather (which fit, amazingly, though Haseem did complain that it smelled like lavender and lilac) we headed down into the sewers. There we quickly found a Tir rune, and after a quick trip to Drognan to shop a 2sox battle staff, used it and the Ral from Countess to make a Leaf. The +3 fire skills was a good powerup, and the 33% cold rez was very nice, as he had found charms with fire and lite rez, but had 0 cold rez. Radament went down without a problem, in fact it was fun knocking him around his chamber with molten boulder. Moving out into the desert was occasionally frustrating, as leapers and vultures are difficult to target with fire spells, and cast delays make misses frustrating, but progress was steady, just slower than I really like... The cube was collected easily, but the staff...ugh. I had actually been looking forward to the maggot lair, anticipating Molten Boulder clearing all those narrow passages easily...but adult maggots are one of the critters that just stop the boulders and aren't knocked back by them, so it really was about as much of a slog as usual... granted, it worked well on beetles and swarms, but most tunnels had maggots in them too, so... After the maggot lair, the lost city and claw viper temple were pretty easy. The amulet was secured and the staff reassembled, and while in the viper temple, an ethereal 3sox superior scythe dropped, so Malice was made for Haseem from runes found while clearing the desert. The improvement to his attack was very nice, and the palace cellar was cleared very quickly.

Arcane Sanctuary was very profitable, providing Tal + Eth for a Stealth BP for Hypergolic plus several other runes, jewels, and gems. Summoner was on the last branch, which was actually nice for once, since he was going to clear them all anyway, and after quickly grabbing the WP for Canyon of the Magi, I had to stop and mule off runes, jewels, gems and full juvs he was cubing up, as the stash was overflowing.

Returning to the Canyon, Hypergolic found the FRW from Stealth very helpful for positioning Molten Boulder, and the poison rez was nice...but while the FCR did save a couple frames while casting, the cast delays on fire spells made it almost unnoticeable. Still, the hit recovery helped when he had to switch to the axe, and overall he was very pleased with his new armor. He cleared the canyon, then started in on the false tombs, saving the real tomb for last. Ancient Kaa was in the first false tomb, but was no problem...while clearing the tombs, an ethereal 2sox chainmail was found, as well as another Tal, so a second Stealth was made for Haseem. Thus equipped, we cleared the tombs, used the staff to blast open the door to Duriel's mosh pit, and jumped in after lowering to /P3 and prebuffing with a bunch of thawing pots...the fight was somewhat anticlimatic, many potions were consumed, but the merc didn't even die, and soon we were sailing to Kurast.

As usual, when first entering the jungle from Kurast, Hypergolic immediately confronted the Dark Wanderer...but for the first time I can recall, the minions left behind when he vanished actually dropped a useful item when killed:
Hypergolic1.jpg
Lol, a four row belt for free! Hypergolic immediately put it on and would wear it until Act1 Nightmare. Molten Boulder and Fissure worked well in the jungles, and he found the Jade Figurine quickly, and could have easily skipped the Great Marsh, but being single pass full clear, he sought it out and cleared it too... When he found the Gidbin, the reward ring from Ormus was great, one of the best I've ever gotten in Normal!
Hypergolic_entropyband.jpg
Code:
Entropy Band
Ring
Required Level: 15
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0xbb6142c3
+30 to Mana
Lightning Resist +29%
4% Life stolen per hit
10% Faster Cast Rate
Half Freeze Duration
+1 to Mana After Each Kill
No runes were found while working through Kurast, though he did get several jewels and gems...the only stairtrap in the temples was weak and easily overcome, thanks to his new grizzly minion, and after returning the Black Book to Alkor, he was ready to confront the council. The fight was simple, they obligingly let me pull them a couple at a time and were quickly dealt with. Throwing the flail in the cube with the organs, he transmuted the Will, smashed the orb, and entered the durance, where he found dolls...lots of dolls. This slowed things down, but between the bear and Haseem, and judicious use of molten boulder, he safely made his way to Durance3 and faced down the Council members and then Meph. Meph hit hard, and put down Haseem very quickly, but was easily moated with Volcano...took a while (I forgot to lower the /P settings), but was very safe. And so, at lvl33, Hypergolic stepped through the portal into Hell...

Code:
Head:  Wolf Head +2 Molten Boulder/+3 Cyclone Armor/+2 Carrion Vine
Body:  Stealth Breastplate
Hands: eth chain gloves
Feet:  eth sup heavy boots
Belt:  damaged plated belt
Ring1: +1MPK/10FCR (Akara)
Ring2: Entropy Band 30mana/29%LR/4%LL/10FCR/1MPK/Half Freeze Dur (Ormus)

Wpn1: Leaf Battle Staff
Wpn2: Steel Broad Axe

Merc:
Head: Eth full helm
Body: Stealth chainmail
Wpn:  Malice Scythe

WoRG

Code:
Forumite     Character         Class   Lvl   Progress
--------     ---------         -----   ---   --------
Skiff        ColdFever         Sorc    77    Guardian
Vang         *Spokane          Zon     81    Guardian
PhineasB     Orange            Zon     85    Guardian
OldSoldier   GaranDarkslayer   Pal     83    Guardian
Norcim       Valryka           Zon     86    Guardian
Luhkoh       Amaresu           Sorc    78    Guardian
Pb_pal       Elding            Pal     81    Guardian
skoolbus     Agni              Necro   85    Guardian
Grisu        Lugh              Barb    86    Guardian
Jocular      Cranky            Barb    71    A5 NM
Vildecor     Rowena            Sin     53    A2 NM
Dazliare     Svetlana          ***     49    A1 NM
WoRG         Hypergolic        Druid   33    A4

Code:
Forumite   Character    Class   Lvl   Progress
--------   ---------    -----   ---   --------
zemaj      OUGNecro     Nec     33    A3 N
Jocular    PopeJohn...  Pal     48    A1 NM
Vang       Solidify     Sor     54    A1 NM
CaseyJones RunsWithLava Dru     76    A3 H (Sszark)
Babyhell   *ItsATrap    Sin     77    A3 H (Mephisto's council, S&E)
PhineasB   Craft        Pally   53    A2 NM (retired)
 
Diablo 4 Interactive Map
PurePremium
Estimated market value
Low
High