[Simple+] Tournament of Tournaments!

Vang

PurePremium
Staff member
Guide Author
Feb 23, 2006
3,146
852
113
Tournaments have been a part of the SPF for years. Have you enjoyed some? Wanted to test your mettle against an old one with some minor adjustments since you've gotten 15 years older since you last played? Now is your chance!

First a link to all the tournaments Thank you @Pb_pal for keeping it all nice and tidy.

General Rules/Guide
1. You may pick any tournament that has not been hosted by you for your initial attempt (You aren't that vain are you :D). It also can't currently be actively taking signups!
2. Other than restrictive rules a tournament has (such as equipment/skill/stat) a set of general rules that are commonly accepted to increase participation (listed below) are allowed.
3. Put a link in your replies of the initial tournament.
4. Multi-player is allowed in both 1.14/D2R for any tournament if you wish to pair up.
5. You may have 2 active characters at a time listed. It is hard to pick just one tournament!
6. A few forum members are already doing this on their own, or have characters stashed. They can be entered into the table as long as they are still in Normal Difficulty.


Increase Participation Rules:
1. Rerunning is allowed (You may single pass if you wish, but it is not in the score table)
2. All quest and waypoint do not have to be activated/used unless it is specific to the tournament's theme. If a quest such as Charsi/Socket/Personalization is required to complete, you may forgo that reward for the tournament if you intend to use it after or for another character. There is some interpretation done here, but try to be in the spirit of the tournament.
3. A Softcore option exist, and you may continue upon death (Please note SC does not have an associated achievement awarded for beating Hell Baal)

Scoring! ....What? How is this possible Vang!! Well, you know we like to track progress.
  • 1 point for each act completed
  • No point awarded in any act that a player S&E or dies (SC only for obvious reasons)
  • 15 points maximum!


Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC             Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005      Asn      01 Rogue Camp       0      HC               00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
What great timing! As of this morning, my UT99er is now fully geared and (more or less) sitting at the start of clvl 96. Seems like a perfect time for a break!

In the tournament ideas thread, I was thinking Green with Envy would be fun and something that a good number of people could get behind. But, since we're all doing our own things ... I'm going with:

Bulging Biceps Barbarian Brothers Bodacious Blowout

Because bro, what a name :D . I was active and wanted to join this at the time, but was in the midst of what would turn out to be the ~25K 1.11b LK runs needed to create my 1.11b Hammerdin, Helm-Hammerhand, that I then took to clvl 99. So yeah, I was busy with that for a while ...

But, now the time is right!

I'll be going with strict adherance to the original rules (which um, there really aren't too much). Just create a HC, single pass, Barbarian, that uses an Act V merc (er, brother).

Looks like naming is important though if you want 'imaginary bonus points', and let's face it, who doesn't! So I'll be:

Frealaf (named after a king of Rohan ... actually, the next king of Rohan after Helm Hammerhand).
In the Lord of the Rings universe, Frealaf is most famous for defeating Wulf the usurper, and in so doing, reclaiming his home of Meduseld.

300px-Tapestry_of_Frealaf.jpg
(Pictured here: Frealaf defeats Wulf Frecason in Meduseld, in this tapestry from Lord of the Rings Online).

This tournament Barbarian Frealaf, will be defeating Baal to reclaim his home of Harrogath!

And his brother shall be Folcwald (Frealaf doesn't appear to have had a brother ... but he did have a descendant, who himself was king of Rohan, named Folcwine). Folcwald ... Folcwine ... close enough for a theme I suppose :p . Frealaf will be using Frenzy ... so if I'm reading the rules correctly ... I'm now at 'a whole 'nuther level' of imaginary bonus points!

I saw that the tournament had two Guardians: @OldSoldier 's Double Throw Barb, and @PhineasB 's Frenzy Barb, so I was hesitant to go Frenzy Barb too ... but, with melee characters playing so differently based on what drops, it probably won't be too similar ;) .

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC             Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                'a whole 'nuther level'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Last edited:
Who am I kidding, “delay startup to fokus on other tourney characters”…

I would like to kick the hornets nest with Kestegs Committed Tournament.

Partly because I lile the challenge but also because the spouse agreed to my proposal of romantically ensuring our economic safety and the inheritance of our children.

So now it is time to show similar commitment in a completely fictional manner 😉

Meet Harp, the pure Bowazon, with evenly distributed stats who will hire a Barbarian merc to take the heat of her if she reaches Harrogath.
She will not stay 100% single pass, but she will stay committed to the player setting for each act accordingly and follow the rest of the tournament rules (specifically 0% MF).
Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC             Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC                00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Last edited:
I'll join officially begin my journey in the I got the melee Blues from 2005

A quick overview is: Blue items only +sapphires and blue jewels. Additionally, melee focused.

I'll be utilizing the improved MA tree with fade as my safety net along with a barbarian mercenary and shadow master. I expect to vanquish Baal with ease. Let the Blues Brothers sing a song about my triumphs against the darkness I'm heading into!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vildecor
I'll be utilizing the improved MA tree ...

So along those lines, and I may be inferring more than you're saying ...

I was wondering if we were allowed to play in the PTR for this tournament? ... I don't see why not ... but maybe I'm missing something ...

The majority of my interest in the Bulging Biceps Barbarian Brothers Bodacious Blowout is getting to know the new Act V merc Barb. I suppose I could wait until 2.4 goes live, but I'd rather get started now! :D

(The character will obviously be untwinked, and won't be distributing items to other characters, ever. If that makes a difference to whoever is deciding ... )

Thanks! (y)
 
So along those lines, and I may be inferring more than you're saying ...

I was wondering if we were allowed to play in the PTR for this tournament? ... I don't see why not ... but maybe I'm missing something ...

The majority of my interest in the Bulging Biceps Barbarian Brothers Bodacious Blowout is getting to know the new Act V merc Barb. I suppose I could wait until 2.4 goes live, but I'd rather get started now! :D

(The character will obviously be untwinked, and won't be distributing items to other characters, ever. If that makes a difference to whoever is deciding ... )

Thanks! (y)
Nope feel free, I am using it. It actually renewed my interest and to see that they activated it for SP (I am not sure it was intended) and it is still usable is just icing on the cake.
 
Act 1 down!

I forwent the Rogue mercenary, since she wasn't melee and there wasn't anything blue about her! I will say I left Act 1 at level 18 single pass and did not find an amulet at all.

@HanShotFirst The Bulging will get at least a pass by me. I wanted to do it, but the SP just killed my motivation in act 1.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HanShotFirst
As I mentioned in the discussion thread, I’ve decided that I’d like to focus on one character right now due to my limited play time. I’ve been enjoying my untwinked hybrid Amazon I’ve been playing, but I’ve been thinking of restarting her as a pure melee Javazon with the upcoming changes. This tournament looks like the perfect opportunity.

So, my next challenge was to set out and find a tournament that would allow me to build the character I want. Quickdeath’s The Twelve Labors Tournament from 2011-2012 looks like an (almost) perfect fit. It allows full build freedom, and gear is only restricted while completing some of the labors. It was also a SC friendly tournament, so there are already rules around how to handle the deaths I will inevitably rack up.

I’ll be making 2 adjustments to the original tournament:

  1. The original tournament banned RWM. While technically I won’t be using RWM, I do plan on using some of the old ladder only runewords. (I must have an Act 1 Insight merc when 2.4 lands!)
  2. I’ll be doing the Decease DeSeis Labor with an Act 1 merc. I really want to use an Act 1 merc (She can have Insight now! Er... soon!) and the thought of having to rehire a new one after using an Act 2 merc for one challenge is a bit of a showstopper for me. I get attached to my mercs. I don’t think this has a significant impact on the difficulty (at least as an Amazon with Decoy.)

I’m also going to add a personal restriction I’ve been playing with on my other Amazon. I can only rerun areas in my current act. I’m finding it gives me the “plan ahead” enjoyment from single pass without any of the actual annoyances/stresses of single pass. (It should be noted that The Twelve Labors Tournament already restricts returning to previous difficulties to map-rerolling only.)

Introducing Amaranta the Amazon! It will probably be a week or two before I actually get a chance to start her.

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC             Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC                00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC                00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vildecor
Been a while (probably a good 1 to 1 1/2 years) since I've posted or joined anything. Always been lurking and reading the recent tournaments that have started. I've done a MFO and RFL in the past, along with misc. other tournaments. I decided to get back into to tourneys to have some different things to do in this game again.

So I've decided to join this tournament using the "Brother Bear Tournament" as a start. So I will be running this tournament with a Werebear named Kenai using the skill Fire Claw and it's synergies. I'll be going at this with a single-pass, HC, untwinked approach in D2R.

Its been so long, I've forgotten how to add in the tabel to this post, so if someone would be so kind to refresh me on that process again that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PhineasB
@Kstil3227 - What I do is reply to the latest version of the table, then in the formatting menu, disable BB code (the [ ] symbol) to get rid of the QUOTE tags, copy the table into something like notepad to ensure what you add lines up, then paste it back in. Just make sure you re-enable BB code afterwards.

I spent all night at work agonizing over what build to play and had quite a few frontrunner choices, but seeing that some of you are playing on PTR, that sealed in my choice. I'll also be using the PTR 2.4 version to try out a new and improved version of a Spearzon. I'm interested to see if D/A/E no longer borks Fend, but will probably be focusing on Charged Strike + Lightning Strike. I'll be following the rules of the 2018 version of the Set/Unique Worshippers tournament. Freedom of build choice, but still with the goal of all slots filled by set/unique items only (bonus now that I can upgrade set items too). I'll be going single pass on this one.

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC             Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC                00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC                00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC                00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I'm going to join with Monty who will be baring everything for all to see as a naked paladin! As I want to actually play something other than a walking aura for the merc, he will be a hammerdin. I feel using no weapons/armor will provide a decent challenge despite playing a hammerdin. It was between hammers and FoH, and to be honest, I don't want the tedium of a single target long casting delay skill for 3 difficulties.

The rules are quite simple:
- No equipping any items on the character
- Charms are allowed
- Mercenary may equip any items

I'll also be going single pass.

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC         Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----             ----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    skoolbus      Naked 2007          Pally   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
On my side I will go with the Overburdened tournament, in D2R, SC, MP, not using shared stash.

I will enter with a sorceress.

I updated the table with the tournament links in ;-)

See you on next update!

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC         Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----         -----
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    skoolbus      Naked 2007          Pally   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Babyhell      Overburdened 2019   Sorc    01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Last edited:
Frealaf, HC, SP, clvl 28, Bulging Biceps Barbarian, Kurast Docks

The Biceps are Bulging:
094.png
And the calves. And the quads. And the ... well, there's a lot of bulging muscles ...

Act I & II of Normal have been full cleared at players 7.

Frealaf is well on his way to meeting up with his Barbarian brother and setting out to reclaim their home!

There's an embarrassing lack of restrictions that come along with Bulging Biceps, but, that was fun :) . My last Barbarian tournament character was in the Three Legged Race Tournament and got restricted into near nothingness. So, I found it really rewarding to once again play a Barbarian ... well, like a Barbarian. And Frenzy was just the right skill to choose! You get Double Swing at clvl 12. And then because it's a synergy for Frenzy you get to put points into it ... and pretty soon, it has no mana cost ... and there you are rocking your future play style without a worry. I hit clvl 24 around the Halls of the Dead, and thanks to a couple 'Steel' Flails, I had no mana issues running it! All in all, it was just a fun time playing nothing more complex than a hardcore, single pass, Barb.

Finds:

I didn't go the full chipped topaz route in Act I. The merc got the chipped topaz armor and helm. Frealaf used mf boots and gloves but indulged in a chipped skull armor and helm. The life regeneration was quite nice, but it might have resulted in some lost drops ...

One set/unique was found in Act I:
(Ending with 70 mf when the merc killed, and only 25 mf when Frealaf killed.)

Arctic Binding, Light Belt (Jail Level 3)

In Act II, I got the life regeneration from the Prayer Merc, and got much more serious about getting mf on the Barb. It seemed to work.

Here's the set/uniques found in Act II:
(Ending with 197 mf when the merc killed, and 152 mf when Frealaf killed.)

Crushflange, Mace (Halls of the Dead Level 2) <-- Used vs. Duriel
Isenhart's Case, Breast Plate (Maggot Lair Level 2)
Isenhart's Horns, Full Helm (Ancient Tunnels)
Serpent Lord, Long Staff (Claw Viper Temple Level 1)
Skewer of Krintiz, Sabre (Claw Viper Temple Level 1)
Hsarus' Iron Heel, Chain Boots (Canyon of the Magi)
Berserker's Headgear, Helm (Canyon of the Magi)
Berserker's Hatchet, Double Axe (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Cathan's Seal, Ring (Tal Rasha's False Tomb) <-- Frealaf's first source of life leech! I'm using it.
Deathspade, Axe (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Angelic Sickle, Sabre (Duriel)
Twitchthroe, Studded Leather (Duriel)

So, a couple items that got some use! My biggest item wins came elsewhere. At clvl 24 I had two Jewels of Freedom and rolled a few Savage Partizans. I then expended all my chipped gems to no good effect. Then when I got a few more chipped gems in the Lost City, I rolled:

095.png
That's one seriously hard hitting stick! ... it went right onto the merc :cool: .

I later gambled:
096.png
Sweet rolls! And just in time for all the Beatles in the Canyon of the Magi and False Tombs ...

And maybe I'm just easy to please right now, but this seemed pretty awesome:
097.png
Haha! Take that Beatles! And it increased my mana by 50% and still has mf :D .

And speaking of everything you could want:
098.png
I really like these gloves! They are going to be hard to beat! The rare gloves and the ring both came out of Tal Rasha's False Tombs.

Tal Rasha's True Tomb netted a surprise:
Yew Wand of Life Tap
Yew Wand
One Hand Damage: 2 - 8
Durability: 15 of 15
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0x206c3ae0
Item Level: 23
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Corpse Explosion (Necromancer Only)
Level 1 Life Tap (67/67 Charges)

I didn't know you could get Life Tap wands that early! I've always just had to wait and shop them in Act III.
It was nice to have for the fight against Duriel:
099.png
Neither Frealaf's, nor the merc's life budged at all throughout the battle (players 7). And not a potion was used. Nice!

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC         Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----         -----
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    28    Kurast Docks  0      HC            02
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     18    Lut Gholein   0      HC            01
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    skoolbus      Naked 2007          Pally   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Babyhell      Overburdened 2019   Sorc    01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up next:
Two more acts and then I'll switch to the PTR and team up with my brother! From then on out I expect the game to be overflowing with Barbarian goodness!

Frealaf, HC, SP, clvl 28, Bulging Biceps Barbarian, Kurast Docks
 
Last edited:
VoicesInMyHead has started her Overburdened journey :)
JodeZbHl.png


Inventory full, clvl 4 as of now ;-)
EquQEyal.png


For the table, Reply & Edit should keep the links, please don't copy/paste it so we keep it going that way :)

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC         Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----         -----
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    28    Kurast Docks  0      HC            'a whole 'nuther level'
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    skoolbus      Naked 2007          Pally   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Babyhell      Overburdened 2019   Sorc    04    Cold Plains   0      SC            00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  • Like
Reactions: skoolbus
@Babyhell - Hey, that's not fair! You did that edit two minutes I before posted. :p

Rich (BB code):
Tournament of Tournaments Participation and Score Table
D2V    Forum Name    Tournament Name+YR  Class   Level Location      S&E    HC/SC         Score
----   ----------    -----------------   -----   ----- ----------    ----   -----         -----
D2R    HanShotFirst  Bulging Biceps      Barb    28    Kurast Docks  0      HC            02
D2R    Vang          IgottheBlues2005    Asn     18    Lut Gholein   0      HC            01
D2R    D4di56lu3     Committed2015       Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Cattleya      12 Labors 2011      Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      SC            00
D2R    Kstil3227     BrotherBear2004     Druid   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Vildecor      SUWorshipper2018    Ama     01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    skoolbus      Naked 2007          Pally   01    Rogue Camp    0      HC            00
D2R    Babyhell      Overburdened 2019   Sorc    04    Cold Plains   0      SC            00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Added back @Vang 's progress.
** Removed the 'a whole 'nuther level' thing ... (it's probably not funny enough to bring back :D )
 
Everybody is doing a different tournament? I thought people would be joining in the same ones for the shared experience.
This is the SPF, :LOL: We all dance to our own beat. I think it's just the initial. I plan on doing the Bulging tournament for sure as I missed that one and a few others that I missed when I was away for a year or two.
 
Everybody is doing a different tournament? I thought people would be joining in the same ones for the shared experience.
Not that bad either to have a multiple revival thingy ;-)

The Pat/Guardian thread shall give some interest to others maybe too, maybe even up to relaunch an edition!
 
I would join others participating in the same tournament once my Pally dies. He was really just to try and tide me over til 2.4 comes out.
 
PurePremium
Estimated market value
Low
High