- Feb 24, 2006
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After a couple of years of no D2LoD (didn't have a computer that could run it until recently), I'm back into it. Fortunately, I had backed up my SP characters and GoMule stashes, so I was able to pick up where I left off. A few more weeks of work, and I finally finished a project that I had started way back in version 1.10: Zasz, my Arctic Shaman (arctic blast hunter druid).
Skills:
Final Gear:
Just about every hunter druid that I have seen or played has these features in common: dire wolves/grizzly dealing physical damage, usually augmented by a might-aura mercenary and/or a heart-of-wolverine spirit, and the druid plinking away from behind with a bow or crossbow. That's usually enough to dish out sufficient physical damage, so single-player hunter builds just need some way to deal with PI monsters. Arctic blast seemed to the "the road less traveled," and I just love it's visual effect and its soft hissing noise, so that's the build I determined I would pursue.
Arctic blast works best when the druid's hurricane is active and the druid is positioned at just the right distance away from the monster, so that the target is getting pulse damage from the hurricane at the same time it's getting damage-per-frame from AB. Think of AB and hurricane as forming a capital letter Q - the sweet spot is the intersection.
I started this build many years ago - 7 or 8 years in the making, I guess? During those years, I have managed to defeat Hell Baal with about ten other assorted characters. When I discovered GoMule, I happily transferred some gear to Zasz to help him advance a little farther along. He has the best Wizendraw bow I have ever found. I put it on Zasz as an experiment, comparing his level 34 (Gaean cudgel) arctic blast to his level 31 arctic blast aided by Wizendraw's -35% cold resist. I was pleasantly surprised that monsters' life bars seemed to shrink noticeably faster when Zasz blew his minty-fresh breath at them through the bow.
As I progressed through Hell difficulty, I didn't know whether I would fully synergize dire wolves and grizzly and leave arctic blast only partially synergized, or fully synergize arctic blast at the expense of the grizzly. In the end, I split the difference, boosting both grizzly and the hurricane equally, so neither the pets nor the arctic blast are fully synergized.
Of course I had the trouble I usually have with Hell difficulty Ancients/WSK/Baal, until I GoMule'd the Guillaume's Face over to Zasz's mercenary. I believe it basically comes down the the crushing blow modifier. With CB on merc, Zasz achieved patriarch. Without that CB, Zasz probably would never have patted.
Hunters (bow wielding druid summoners) are my favorite characters to play, and I have several other hunter projects going on, so hopefully I'll get to report another patriarch hunter druid someday.
Code:
Name: Zasz
Class: Druid
Experience: 1226345557
Level: 86
Naked/Gear
Strength: 80/85
Dexterity: 130/168
Vitality: 270/270
Energy: 40/76
HP: 732/896
Mana: 230/260
Stamina: 414/458
Defense: 32/1011
AR: 620/5994
Fire: 108/68/8
Cold: 129/89/29
Lightning: 116/76/16
Poison: 88/48/-12
MF: 30 Block: 17
GF: 0Skills:
Code:
Raven: 1/3
Poison Creeper: 1/3
Oak Sage: 1/4
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/3
Carrion Vine: 1/3
Summon Dire Wolf: 20/22
Solar Creeper: 1/3
Summon Grizzly: 14/16
Arctic Blast: 20/31
Cyclone Armor: 20/28
Twister: 1/9
Tornado: 1/9
Hurricane: 15/23Final Gear:
Code:
Main weapon: Wizendraw, -35% ECR
Weapon switch: Kuko Shakaku
Pelt: Lore RW Antlers, +3 Arctic Blast, +1 Oak Sage
Body: Naj's Light Plate
Hands: Loath Touch rare gauntlets, +2 dex, 22% Cres, 14% Lres, 30% Fres, 16% MF
Belt: Bladebuckle
Feet: Hailstone Tread rare demonhide boots, 20% frw, 10% fhr, +15AR, 51% enh.Def, +25max Stamina, +2 light radius
Neck: Gaean Amulet of Precision, +3 elemental skills, +12 dex
Rings: Eagle Grasp rare ring (+8 min.Damage, +5% AR, +19 max Stamina, +9% LRes, +9% CRes, +9% FRes, +25% Pres, +5 light radius)
and Order Master rare ring (+53 AR, +14 dex, +11 energy, +8% all resist, -25% poison length, 10% MF)
Pack: Natural Grand Charm x3, and a variety of other small charms.
Stashed gear: Rhyme RW heater, Gaean cudgel
Chalan's (A2 NM might-aura mercenary) gear:
Hand of Justice ethereal colossus voulge
Guillaume's Face
The Gladiator's BaneJust about every hunter druid that I have seen or played has these features in common: dire wolves/grizzly dealing physical damage, usually augmented by a might-aura mercenary and/or a heart-of-wolverine spirit, and the druid plinking away from behind with a bow or crossbow. That's usually enough to dish out sufficient physical damage, so single-player hunter builds just need some way to deal with PI monsters. Arctic blast seemed to the "the road less traveled," and I just love it's visual effect and its soft hissing noise, so that's the build I determined I would pursue.
Arctic blast works best when the druid's hurricane is active and the druid is positioned at just the right distance away from the monster, so that the target is getting pulse damage from the hurricane at the same time it's getting damage-per-frame from AB. Think of AB and hurricane as forming a capital letter Q - the sweet spot is the intersection.
I started this build many years ago - 7 or 8 years in the making, I guess? During those years, I have managed to defeat Hell Baal with about ten other assorted characters. When I discovered GoMule, I happily transferred some gear to Zasz to help him advance a little farther along. He has the best Wizendraw bow I have ever found. I put it on Zasz as an experiment, comparing his level 34 (Gaean cudgel) arctic blast to his level 31 arctic blast aided by Wizendraw's -35% cold resist. I was pleasantly surprised that monsters' life bars seemed to shrink noticeably faster when Zasz blew his minty-fresh breath at them through the bow.
As I progressed through Hell difficulty, I didn't know whether I would fully synergize dire wolves and grizzly and leave arctic blast only partially synergized, or fully synergize arctic blast at the expense of the grizzly. In the end, I split the difference, boosting both grizzly and the hurricane equally, so neither the pets nor the arctic blast are fully synergized.
Of course I had the trouble I usually have with Hell difficulty Ancients/WSK/Baal, until I GoMule'd the Guillaume's Face over to Zasz's mercenary. I believe it basically comes down the the crushing blow modifier. With CB on merc, Zasz achieved patriarch. Without that CB, Zasz probably would never have patted.
Hunters (bow wielding druid summoners) are my favorite characters to play, and I have several other hunter projects going on, so hopefully I'll get to report another patriarch hunter druid someday.
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