Seeking the critical path in single player

[gtpoestorage1]

So I now have a level 82 Summoner Necro and a level 76 Blizzard/Meteor Sorc in hell difficulty. My Necro has 105 MF and my Sorc has zero. My sorc has full 75 resists in hell while my Necro is in the 30s to 50s. Both of my heroes are at the starter levels gear wise. I'm seeking to understand the critical path to building strong heros and acquiring the materials to do so. I don't have a bunch of high runes yet and in fact only have 1 Pul rune that dropped yesterday. I'm pretty sure that I don't have enough runes to cube up to a Lo rune (Fortitude). So should I just farm Hell Meph. and maybe Baal. I've done about 45 to 50 Lower Kurast runs (on /p7, /p8) with only 2 Tirs, a Nef, and 2 Ort runes. I'm betting I have to put in 10x or 100x number of runs to yield a low quantity of high runes. The one consistent class of drops I get are gems of various sizes. So what would be the most productive farming activity(s)? Should I be gambling? I have about 2.5 million gold between the 2 heroes. If so what should I target? Keep in mind that at most I''m on /p3 on my Sorceress. Players 7 and 8 are only for Lower Kurast rune farming where mobs are skipped. I can't go much higher yet because my merc is easily overwhelmed and killed. I'm on /p1 to /p2 with my necro because my melee army is easily overwhelmed or slaughtered due to magic damage.

Your thoughts.

I should add that I've been following the sorceress leveling guide at maxroll.gg:

Diablo 2 Resurrected Sorceress Leveling Guide - Maxroll.gg - Ladder Start

This is the Diablo 2 Resurrected Sorceress Leveling Guide Ladder Season 1. Master the Elements with this Sorc Starter / Beginner D2 Guide!

d2.maxroll.gg

...and the Summoner leveling guide at Icy Veins:

Summoner Necromancer Build

Summoner Necro Necromancer build for Diablo 2 PvE, focused around Raise Dead and Amplify Damage.

www.icy-veins.com

 

[ffs]

Depends how much time you want to spend improving gear. If you’re just looking for useful things such as the more common S&Us, running Meph isn’t too much of a grind, relatively speaking. He will deliver the staple S&Us without a massive time investment.

When looking for runes to make the really powerful stuff such as Enigma, CtA or Infinity (and/or magic/craft end game gear), no question LK is the best target. It still takes several thousands of runs to farm those Sur/Ber runes and is a grind at times, but it’s worth it for sure.

Another alternative is running some lvl 85 area as you can get the rare S&Us there while getting the occasional high rune, at least odds are decent when running on P5-P7. But not even close to LK in that regard.

You can also check any of the untwinked 99ers around the forum for other approaches, as they all needed to gear up from scratch before transitioning to the XP grind.

 

[coju]

Where at in hell are your characters?

• Put some of the mf on the sorcerer and farm nm meph/andy///pindleskin/Eldridge/shrink
• Farm pits with summoner (maxed corpse explosion?), I go bloodmoor for army if Merc cannot take outer wp enemies

 

[Miron]

The most productive farming would be:

1. The countess - #1 target for building basic runewords stash. I would focus on her until I got:
- spirit sword
- rhyme shield
- insight/obidience/harmony
- lawbringer (key item for future builds IMO)
- lore helm
- treachery/lionheart
- honor/strength

2. Get as much MF as you can and hit Andy/Meph/Pindle. I would focus on them until I got some basic mid-lvl items for her and other chars.

3. LK runs with main focus on:
- HotO
- CTA
- fortitude/grief


During stage 2, I would start 4 new chars to target specific areas after they finish Hell:
LF Amazon - for cows/Pindle
Blessed Hammer paladin - for CS runs
Frenzy or WW barb - for travincal runs
Another sorc (blizzard or lightning based)

Once those chars are ready they will take over their areas farming for gear/bases/runes for future chars.


Few more tips:
- you said you have blizzard/meteor sorc, both skills require lots of investment to reach full potential (60 skill points each). I would go for fireball&meteor/frozen orb or blizzard/fireball build. Anyway, try to reach 105% fcr on your gear for faster runs.

- get a good map for every stage. It's a very important factor. If running one target is too boring try to find a map with 2 targets.

- (edit) gamble for circlets/diadems, rings&amulets, boots and belts (in this order)

GL and keep us updated

 

[snickersnack]

When I did a restart in D2R, I ran a chainLightning/frozenOrb build until I got to Hell LK. Then I ran LK until I could make Infinity (I got really lucky with a Ber rune from a regular chest, cutting the required number of runs in half), then I respecced into pure lightning. It was a bit weird since I didn't farm any bosses prior to that, but it would normally take several thousand runs to do that.

Infinity was my goal since I'd never made one before, so I think that if you have a clear goal, then the grind won't be so bad. If you don't have much of a goal in mind, you just want to play the game, then I'd echo what others have said, especially @coju. I think farming NM bosses with as much mf as you can stack is a good approach. I used the helm below for a while before I got a shako:

Artisan's Great Helm of Remedy
Great Helm
Defense: 32
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 63
Fingerprint: 0x2222a607
Item Level: 45
Version: Resurrected
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
72% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz
Socketed: Perfect Topaz

 

[gtpoestorage1]

1. The countess - #1 target for building basic runewords stash. I would focus on her until I got:
- spirit sword
- rhyme shield
- insight/obidience/harmony
- lawbringer (key item for future builds IMO)
- lore helm
- treachery/lionheart
- honor/strength

So far I have a lore helm, a smoke body armor, a spirit crystal sword and an Insight polearm on my merc. I can make a Rhyme Shield.

- you said you have blizzard/meteor sorc, both skills require lots of investment to reach full potential (60 skill points each). I would go for fireball&meteor/frozen orb or blizzard/fireball build. Anyway, try to reach 105% fcr on your gear for faster runs.

I have the blizzard/meteor build that was used for leveling. I haven't transitioned her to any other build yet. So far I'm at 72% faster cast rate. I did some NM Cow runs looking for a Monarch shield to make spirit shield.

During stage 2, I would start 4 new chars to target specific areas after they finish Hell:
LF Amazon - for cows/Pindle
Blessed Hammer paladin - for CS runs
Frenzy or WW barb - for travincal runs
Another sorc (blizzard or lightning based)

I was considering a hammerdin as my next char. I found a teleport staff while shopping for a level 2 lower resist wand. Of course, as soon as I find and buy the level 2 LR wand. I kill a few mobs and Gull Dagger drops. I was going to use the LR wand on switch to speed up kills of tougher mobs and dense clusters.

Gull
Dagger
One Hand Damage: 2 - 19
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 4
Fingerprint: 0xedf88959
Item Level: 7
Version: Resurrected
Adds 1 - 15 Damage
+-5 to Mana
100% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Where at in hell are your characters?

• Put some of the mf on the sorcerer and farm nm meph/andy///pindleskin/Eldridge/shrink
• Farm pits with summoner (maxed corpse explosion?), I go bloodmoor for army if Merc cannot take outer wp enemies

Sorc is on Hell Act-5, and Necro is Hell Act-4. I'll reach baal pretty quickly on the Sorc.

Infinity was my goal since I'd never made one before, so I think that if you have a clear goal, then the grind won't be so bad. If you don't have much of a goal in mind, you just want to play the game, then I'd echo what others have said, especially @coju. I think farming NM bosses with as much mf as you can stack is a good approach.

I don't have a set of rigid goals in mind yet. However, making Infinity is one of the mile stones I would like to reach in order to use a lightning Sorc or lightning Amazon.


Thanks you guys. I will post updates.

 

[little birdy]

I think you can do a lot of farming with either of the characters you've got, though I would favour the Sorc because being able to Teleport speeds things up quite a bit. But, alternatively: I've found tons of stuff just by simply playing the game, rather than running the usual farming areas/bosses over and over. I've completed 10 Pats/Mats in D2:R now, and each adventure through the game has provided me with new and interesting uniques, sets, bases for runewords, even the occasional high rune. More recently, I have also branched out to more targeted farming with a couple of my end-game characters, but many of the items I've accumulated came as a result of just playing through all of the quests with various characters.

 

[gtpoestorage1]

Well I made it to Matriarch at level 82. Still no high runes acquired along the way. A few crappy melee uniques such as "The Patriarch" great sword. I found a Monarch white shield in World Stone Keep, socketed it at Larzuk, and made Spirit shield:

Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 139
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0xbddc16a5
Item Level: 81
Version: Resurrected
+2 to All Skills
+33% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+111 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
Magic Absorb 5%
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune

My first attempt gave me a 27% faster caster rate so, I burned a Hel rune and made a 2nd attempt with result above. This brought me to the 105% FCR point.

I was surprised by a drop off of random mob in Frozen Tundra:
Wizardspike
Bone Knife
One Hand Damage: 23 - 49
Durability: 23 of 26
Required Level: 61
Required Strength: 38
Required Dexterity: 75
Fingerprint: 0xaa912179
Item Level: 88
Version: Resurrected
Indestructible
+50% Faster Cast Rate
Increase Maximum Mana 15%
+150 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +75

I'll have to look at rearranging gear to maybe equip the Wizzy Spike. However, for now the dual spirit setup I think is the stronger option. I'll be heading over to NM Meph to beat on him a bit for some drops.

 

[little birdy]

Definitely keep that Wizardspike in your back pocket, it can come in really handy. Big all res, FCR, and the mana bonuses are great too. I think in general +skills is top priority for casters, but if I have a character hurting a bit for resistances or FCR then I don't hesitate to sacrifice some +skills, like a 'Spirit' sword, and instead equip a Wizardspike. It's a cure-all for those types of problems.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Where at in hell are your characters?

• Farm pits with summoner (maxed corpse explosion?), I go bloodmoor for army if Merc cannot take outer wp enemies

I was going to post the exact same thing. If your Sorc is only lvl 76 and you're not playing untwinked, running the Pits with the Summon Necro is a decent and safe way to start finding end-game equipment for both characters. And it appears you are Softcore, so the danger in running with 30-50% resistances isn't as magnified as in Hardcore.

 

[coju]

Softcore, so the danger in running with 30-50% resistances isn't as magnified as in Hardcore.

that’s been the biggest hurdle for me switching to soft core. I don’t have the time/want to to deeds a toon then put the hours back into then. But, knowing death is just xp, I tend to negate resistances.

It’s still not fun dying, but my mind just keeps the two modes separate. If I could play soft core like I did hardcore,…

 

[maxicek]

I would convert the sorc to pure Blizzard.
- Run Hell Meph for the basics (Shako, Skullders, War Trav, Occulus etc.)
- Run Ancient Tunnels.
- Run LK for Infinity.
- Run Trav for more runes

I have said it before and II will say it again: Blizzard sorc is the only character you need to finish both Grails. You can also take her to 99 and she can be a capable PvP character too.

 

[gtpoestorage1]

So minor update:
* I found a few wormskulls, Undead Crowns, and a Shaftstop.
* I put the Undead Crown and Shaftstop on my merc.
* No high runes yet.
* I've found lots of Unique weapons that aren't of much interest to me such as Bloodrise, Goreshovel, Death Spade, Bloodthief, Hellplague, Ravenclaw, etc.
* I've found a ton of Venom Grips, Venom Wards, Steelclash, Rattlecage, etc.
* An avalanche of Cleglaw's, Hsaurus boots/belt/shield, Isenhart's chest, lots of Sigon's pieces, etc.
* Tal's belt, Frostburns, Goblin Toe, and Gorefoot, Razortail, Ume's Lament, Sander's wand, and Snowclash belt dropped.

Skill Grand Charms:
* Paladin aura skills
* Assassin trap skills.

 

[gtpoestorage1]

I would convert the sorc to pure Blizzard.
- Run Hell Meph for the basics (Shako, Skullders, War Trav, Occulus etc.)
- Run Ancient Tunnels.
- Run LK for Infinity.
- Run Trav for more runes

I have said it before and II will say it again: Blizzard sorc is the only character you need to finish both Grails. You can also take her to 99 and she can be a capable PvP character too.

I thought the council members in Travincal sometimes spawn as cold immune, which would negate that farming target for pure Blizz.

I don't have Infinity yet so would a pure sorc at level 82 be able to break the cold immunes in Travincal?

 

[maxicek]

See point 3

Blizz sorc with Infinity is arguably the best Trav runner.

 

[Excalibur]

I don't have Infinity yet so would a pure sorc at level 82 be able to break the cold immunes in Travincal?

Nope, cold mastery can't break cold immunities. But still, you can quickly farm the rest councils and leave the one behind when it spawns with cold immunity.

LK is exhausting for me. Two runs and I find it impossible to continue. Cows all the way!

If I was to restart D2, I would start with a MF Blizzard Sorceress and farm the targets maxicek mentioned to cover the needs of pretty much every character. It's the most effective character to start without the need of any expensive gear. You don't need to carry MF with all the characters unless you plan to go untwinked.

I have detailed guides for both Blizzard Sorceress and Summoner Necro. Those guides focus on top-tier final gear but you can get some ideas and information. Regarding the summoner guide you linked, I find it pointless to invest over 1 point in Revive and waste so many points for Lower Resist which can't provide you anything.

Summoner Necro
Blizzard Sorceress

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Regarding the summoner guide you linked, I find it pointless to invest over 1 point in Revive and waste so many points for Lower Resist which can't provide you anything.

Summoner Necro
Blizzard Sorceress

Agree with both of these points. The mages are so weak that Lower Resist just increases a very low damage number to begin with, and if you're always casting Amp Damage or Decrepify anyway, there's really no point to overriding with Lower Resist. As for Revives, spending that many points is fine and dandy if you're running large open areas, but for tight areas or boss running you won't be able to fit all the Revives, and will just have many of them doing nothing (I say this as an anti-Enigma player - I guess it's different if you're teleporting them all on top of a target).

 

[Excalibur]

Agree with both of these points. The mages are so weak that Lower Resist just increases a very low damage number to begin with, and if you're always casting Amp Damage or Decrepify anyway, there's really no point to overriding with Lower Resist. As for Revives, spending that many points is fine and dandy if you're running large open areas, but for tight areas or boss running you won't be able to fit all the Revives, and will just have many of them doing nothing (I say this as an anti-Enigma player - I guess it's different if you're teleporting them all on top of a target).

The problem that I find with revives is the their time limit. With my set up, one point in revive allows me to summon over 20 minions. By the time you get 20 revives some of them start expiring thus, it will be hard to fully take advantage of them. So, one point will cover you for good if you are Summoner since your gear will provide plenty +skills.

If you are a hybrid build then yes, more points may help.

 

[gtpoestorage1]

Thanks guys/gals for the quick replies. I'm starting D2R as untwinked solo self-found in off-line play so, no Infinity yet. I'll be checking out those links excalibur provided.

 

[teddeeboy]

I have some further suggestions for the starter Summon Necro
After completing the core build I often stat enough skills for a slvl 17 DV after +skills and a pt in Attract as well as the guide recommending more pts in amp dam. In the hell pits , DV and attract are very useful with AmpDam. Attract makes your CE more effective because you bring the monsters to the corpse. DV with a 13 yard radius allows you assess the pit lvl 2 in safety from archers, champions and uniques aside. Then use your attract to bring monsters up. A source of teleport is useful so non Enigma wearing toons can shop a TP staff. Agree Mages are only for useful for unbreakable PIs currently and there are none of those in the Pits The LR curse isnt useful for build geared for physical dam. If you really want LR you can buy a wand with a +LR staff mod and keep it in your stash. If you have Ume's Lament, use it because it saves some skills to get decrep until you get a Hoto.


Also once you get all of the GG gear , you may go with a Commandomancer setup like Excal or you could respec to poison/CE build