Seeking the critical path in single player

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.
 
Minor but important update...

I switched the Wizard to pure blizzard and started running Hell Meph, LK, and Ancient Tunnels on /p8. Here is what I've got recently.

* a few low level unique spears
* carrion wind ring
* Gavel of Pain (2h Mace)
* Hsaurus boots and belt
* Hwanin items
* Vidala's boots
* IK chest
* Halaberd's Reign helm
* Howltusk helm
* Isenhart's shield
* The Diggler (dagger)
and the biggie... Shako dropped

Shako dropped from a random non-elite buzzard in LK on /p8 hell. I'll have to visit Larzuk in a few for the socket.

My merc now has 2 layers of toilet paper for armor against hell Meph and this is with Shaftstop equipped. He can get a few more hits in but even when Meph has a sliver of HP, the merc is soft and squishy. I also noticed that the Stigian Dolls in Durance of Hate level 2 are shown as immune to poison when hovering over them but they are immune to cold as well.

Edit:
I also got a Lo rune drop (not io). So now I have the runes to make Fortitude. I don't have a 4 socket elite armor yet and I have zero ethereal goodies. Right now the best I have is a 4 socket Boneweave that has 465 def. My gut says wait until I have a better chest item before crafting.

Would a 4 socket non-ethereal Shadow plate (assuming I can find one) be better than Shaftstop for my merc?
 
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I would take Fortitude over Shaftstop every time. It will give a big damage bonus, a larger bonus to life than Shaftstop, resistances, and a similar boost to defense.
 
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Congrats on the Lo rune! That's a great drop!

Fortitude is a really nice armor, but I would save your first Lo to make a Grief unless you have zero plans for classes that would make use of it. It's a best-in-slot weapon for so many builds.

My go-to for a squishy merc is always Treachery (Shael/Thul/Lem). Much cheaper, and the fade proc probably improves survivability more than Fortitude.

Otherwise, make sure your merc has as much life leech as possible. What's he using for weapon / helm?
 
Thanks little birdy.

@BBS_Agonistes:
I have Undead Crown and Shaftstop on my merc. I'll have to give Treachery a try soon.

Quick Update:
I made Treachery in a Hellforge plate. I can say for sure that the merc is even more squishy. The 5% Fade cast chance is not poppin'.
 
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That sucks. :( /Players 8 is just going to be rough on the merc, I suppose.

If it's specifically Mephisto causing problems, leech won't help since he's unleechable. If you have Blackthorn's face, that has slows target (%20), lightning resist + lightning absorb, which should negate some of Meph's attacks. Kelpie's Snare also has 75% slows target (bosses like Meph are capped at 50%).

Another option is just to go sans merc and moat Mephisto.
 
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I find Hell Meph to be pretty harsh on my merc too, even with pretty decent gear. My Fireball Sorc's A2 Merc still often comes close to dying when I'm running Meph. I keep an eye on his health and hit him with a Full Rejuv if he's in the danger zone (usually right before Meph keels over :cautious:). That Sorc spends lots of time running Stoney Tombs, so I hoard all the Full Rejuvs that the champions and bosses drop there. They're usually pretty easy to come by. Not ideal, but it works well enough. If your Blizzard Sorc is running Ancient Tunnels then you can scoop up all the Full Rejuvs that drop there too.
 
I find Hell Meph to be pretty harsh on my merc too, even with pretty decent gear. My Fireball Sorc's A2 Merc still often comes close to dying when I'm running Meph. I keep an eye on his health and hit him with a Full Rejuv if he's in the danger zone (usually right before Meph keels over :cautious:). That Sorc spends lots of time running Stoney Tombs, so I hoard all the Full Rejuvs that the champions and bosses drop there. They're usually pretty easy to come by. Not ideal, but it works well enough. If your Blizzard Sorc is running Ancient Tunnels then you can scoop up all the Full Rejuvs that drop there too.
I was so fed up with the moron dying on Hell Meph that I’m doing him solo with my Zealer

The act V merc with my sorc died 3 times in the last 45 minutes of play. 3 times because of those walking threes in the spider jungle. I need to teleport him out sooner, but my fingers and age are getting the better of me
 
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I was so fed up with the moron dying on Hell Meph that I’m doing him solo with my Zealer

The act V merc with my sorc died 3 times in the last 45 minutes of play. 3 times because of those walking threes in the spider jungle. I need to teleport him out sooner, but my fingers and age are getting the better of me

I thought I heard that the new Act V Frenzy merc is quite powerful, and can solo many things on its own? Or is that with uber gear that only content creators get? 😁
 
I thought I heard that the new Act V Frenzy merc is quite powerful, and can solo many things on its own? Or is that with uber gear that only content creators get? 😁
I have only one sept in act II normal going in D2r. So everything remotely decent I post is old school LoD
 
I thought I heard that the new Act V Frenzy merc is quite powerful, and can solo many things on its own? Or is that with uber gear that only content creators get? 😁
Good gear helps a lot. I have Grief PB, Lawbringer PB, Duress, and Crown of Thieves*. He carries my hunter/summoner druid. /players7 is doable, but a bit slow.

* Switching to Vampire Gaze or maybe Guillame's Face once he levels enough to not need the +dex.

Edit:
I also got a Lo rune drop (not io). So now I have the runes to make Fortitude. I don't have a 4 socket elite armor yet and I have zero ethereal goodies. Right now the best I have is a 4 socket Boneweave that has 465 def. My gut says wait until I have a better chest item before crafting.

Would a 4 socket non-ethereal Shadow plate (assuming I can find one) be better than Shaftstop for my merc?
If you make Fortitude, I'd recommend Archon Plate (or any light armor ... I'm partial to Scarab Husks for the appearance). You should plan on using it on a character and not just a merc.

Someone else suggested using the Lo to make Grief, and while I can't disagree, Fortitude will help you more right now. You'll get another Lo eventually. On the other hand, Grief is one of the items that makes the barb merc so strong. Fortitude and Grief are both good choices. For what it's worth, I have 3 Griefs (PB, BA, BA) in LoD and just one Fortitude. I have a Grief in D2R and no Fortitude, so I guess I have to endorse Grief over Fort. :)

Thanks little birdy.

@BBS_Agonistes:
I have Undead Crown and Shaftstop on my merc. I'll have to give Treachery a try soon.

Quick Update:
I made Treachery in a Hellforge plate. I can say for sure that the merc is even more squishy. The 5% Fade cast chance is not poppin'.
What weapon are you using with Treachery? In my experience, Treachery is very good for survivability. You could start a run on /players1, take him to the Cold Plains until Fade procs, then switch to /players7 and do your run.
 
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That sucks. :( /Players 8 is just going to be rough on the merc, I suppose.

If it's specifically Mephisto causing problems, leech won't help since he's unleechable. If you have Blackthorn's face, that has slows target (%20), lightning resist + lightning absorb, which should negate some of Meph's attacks. Kelpie's Snare also has 75% slows target (bosses like Meph are capped at 50%).

Another option is just to go sans merc and moat Mephisto.
You are right Meph is unleachable. I don't have Blackthorn's Face and or Kelpie. My merc has an Insight Cryptic Axe, Undead Crown and Shaftstop right now. I need better gear and some +skill charms so my regen will be higher. So right now I'm married to level 17 Meditation aura on my merc's weapon. Mostly because I'm lazy and happy to not have to eyeball the mana globe. When you say a sans merc? Do you mean Sanctuary?

If your Blizzard Sorc is running Ancient Tunnels then you can scoop up all the Full Rejuvs that drop there too.
I do run Ancient Tunnels with my Blizz sorc and yes I grab every rejuv that I find.

If you make Fortitude, I'd recommend Archon Plate (or any light armor ... I'm partial to Scarab Husks for the appearance). You should plan on using it on a character and not just a merc.

Someone else suggested using the Lo to make Grief, and while I can't disagree, Fortitude will help you more right now. You'll get another Lo eventually. On the other hand, Grief is one of the items that makes the barb merc so strong. Fortitude and Grief are both good choices. For what it's worth, I have 3 Griefs (PB, BA, BA) in LoD and just one Fortitude. I have a Grief in D2R and no Fortitude, so I guess I have to endorse Grief over Fort. :)
I decided to hold on the Lo rune for now. I haven't found the base armors that would make it worth spending the Lo rune on. The same goes for Grief. I need a proper base weapon before moving in that direction. I also need to level a barb character.
What weapon are you using with Treachery? In my experience, Treachery is very good for survivability. You could start a run on /players1, take him to the Cold Plains until Fade procs, then switch to /players7 and do your run.
My merc has an Insight Cryptic Axe. No Vampire Gaze or maybe Guillame's Face yet. I did not try what you suggested above. I'll have to give that idea a spin.
 
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Nope fade doesn't save the merc. In Hell A1 Stony Fields, on /p8, when the melee ladies swarm to him and he already has the fade proc. he still gets murdered. Hell Meph destroys him with the poison and melee attacks even with the fade proc active.

I got lucky and Blackthorn's Face dropped. Does the prevent monster heal negate the council members heal on Meph?
 
When you say a sans merc? Do you mean Sanctuary?
Pretty sure that's the French sans, meaning play without a merc for the Meph runs. Merc can't die if you don't have one! ;) But forgoing the merc will then make you much more reliant on mana pots, which is a bit of a nuisance.
 
I would suggest that you pick one target and run it. You need a good map for all of these targets and it is extremely unlikely that you will be able to find all three in one.
  • Meph is probably best run at /p3, p5 if you are strong enough.
  • Tunnels you want to run at /p1, 65FCR and as much MF as possible.
  • LK at /p7 - Do not kill anything, just hit the 105 or even 200FCR breakpoints.
 
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Pretty sure that's the French sans, meaning play without a merc for the Meph runs. Merc can't die if you don't have one! ;) But forgoing the merc will then make you much more reliant on mana pots, which is a bit of a nuisance.
I always run meph without the merc as he's more of a liabilty than an asset.
I decided to hold on the Lo rune for now. I haven't found the base armors that would make it worth spending the Lo rune on. The same goes for Grief. I need a proper base weapon before moving in that direction. I also need to level a barb character.
Holding onto it for now is probably best.
My merc has an Insight Cryptic Axe. No Vampire Gaze or maybe Guillame's Face yet. I did not try what you suggested above. I'll have to give that idea a spin.
Hmmm, Insight CA is a bit slow, so the 5% (iirc) life leech on the helm won't be super effective. Maybe you should farm NM Meph until you can get a helm with more life leech, but I don't recall exactly which uniques can drop in NM. Do you have any body armors with life leech?
Nope fade doesn't save the merc. In Hell A1 Stony Fields, on /p8, when the melee ladies swarm to him and he already has the fade proc. he still gets murdered. Hell Meph destroys him with the poison and melee attacks even with the fade proc active.

I got lucky and Blackthorn's Face dropped. Does the prevent monster heal negate the council members heal on Meph?
Maybe he's just not high level enough to survive? What level is he? Also, you could avoid letting him get swarmed by teleporting half a screen away. I don't remember if you're in LoD or D2R, but in D2R, you can make Insight in a bow and use the act 1 merc. You can then train yourself to run without a tank, though that'll take quite a learning curve. Hmmmmm, I wonder if an Insight Rogue is actually the best merc to run Meph with?......

In general, the act 2 merc can't help you kill meph faster. Run Meph without the merc and it will go much, much better as long as you use the Moat Trick. You can also reroll maps until you get one that has a short travel path, then you can just use pots or wield an insight yourself for the travel part.

With my fire sorc, I get 25% mana regen from Magefist, and that seems to be enough to only use one or two pots per run. She isn't geared up atm, but that's all I can recall having. Using some mana charms to get a larger mana pool will increase your passive regen. I assume that you have a point in Warmth.
 
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I always run meph without the merc as he's more of a liabilty than an asset.

Holding onto it for now is probably best.

Hmmm, Insight CA is a bit slow, so the 5% (iirc) life leech on the helm won't be super effective. Maybe you should farm NM Meph until you can get a helm with more life leech, but I don't recall exactly which uniques can drop in NM. Do you have any body armors with life leech?

Maybe he's just not high level enough to survive? What level is he? Also, you could avoid letting him get swarmed by teleporting half a screen away. I don't remember if you're in LoD or D2R, but in D2R, you can make Insight in a bow and use the act 1 merc. You can then train yourself to run without a tank, though that'll take quite a learning curve. Hmmmmm, I wonder if an Insight Rogue is actually the best merc to run Meph with?......

In general, the act 2 merc can't help you kill meph faster. Run Meph without the merc and it will go much, much better as long as you use the Moat Trick. You can also reroll maps until you get one that has a short travel path, then you can just use pots or wield an insight yourself for the travel part.

With my fire sorc, I get 25% mana regen from Magefist, and that seems to be enough to only use one or two pots per run. She isn't geared up atm, but that's all I can recall having. Using some mana charms to get a larger mana pool will increase your passive regen. I assume that you have a point in Warmth.
I’m pretty sure Tal rasha’s mask can drop in NM, probably even from Andy (but that I must check). That’s more ll right there.

My sorc has the first insight I made on switch and has an act V merc with a 2-handed lawbringer as merc. Still dies a lot when I do act bosses like Andy but that will be taken care of in the next run with my sorc.

When she is Mat and I decided what I want to do with her after LK I might swap the merc for a act II so I can have CtA on switch. Or I might do that earlier when I find a magefist and don’t need the insight that much anymore
 
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@Arjan What made you decide to use the barb merc? Just novelty?
Well it’s actually a thing I wanted to do in this sept: finish the game with a different merc for each character. So the Palladin finished with an act I merc (which was quite ok), the furyzon got the act II merc with insight because she’s so mana dependent.

I kinda liked the idea of a barbarian’s raw muscle teamed up with the sorc. And I’m not unhappy. He’s beaffy enough to tank long enough for me to kill anything not immune to cold and otherwise I teleport him out.

Still need to think about what to do with the act III one. I might take a cold one and team it with the barb
 
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I don't remember if you're in LoD or D2R, but in D2R, you can make Insight in a bow and use the act 1 merc.
Good point... hadn't occurred to me that in D2R you could now moat Meph with an A1 merc with Insight and have her doing damage. Shop a life tap wand from Drognan and keep it on switch, and you could be in business? I will have to try that on my sorc.
 
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