Alright I've combed over the tournaments list and decided to commit to the 2015 Committed tournament as a Wind Druid, Hurricane-Syd.
Going to go HC again.
I will go with a single pass, even attribute distribution (1 pt to each stat per level), Act 2 Holy Freeze Merc, and sticking to the 0% MF. Lets see how far this can go. I imagine this will be painfully slow in the beginning til about middle/end of Act 2, possibly Trav in Act 3....if Syd makes it that far.
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 67 N Harrogath 0 HC 09
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 27 Kurast dock 0 SC 02
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 24 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 00 Rogue Camp 0 HC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
oh man. Zwolsf Necromancer 12 Labors 2011 Level 37 Act 5 Ready to face Baal
Bone Spear is pretty good. I remember reading Frederic's Bonemancer and how he loved playing it untwinked. I just liked fishymancers so much back then I never gave it a try.
Watched a movie while doing some gambling. I really wanted a 2 os 3 bone spear wand. I found lots of 2 os 3 weaken/poison nova/etc but only 2 bone spears with one socket. That's not going to work. Wound up getting a +2 Bone Spear. Used that for a couple acts. Did some gambling tonight for about 45 minutes or an hour. Did come across two plus 3 bone spear white wands. Snagged them both. I'm half convinced that I'm going to get 1 os when I use the quest reward or the cube recipe. I should do research before using it...
The Cavern was easy. Dim Vision. Shopped a plus 2 wand for that, to make 3 total. I just wanted the higher square footage for it. It was easy enough down there I took some glamor shots.
Then I tried running Pindleskin for a bit. Wasn't happening...
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 67 N Harrogath 0 HC 09
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 27 Kurast dock 0 SC 02
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 00 Rogue Camp 0 HC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did come across two plus 3 bone spear white wands. Snagged them both. I'm half convinced that I'm going to get 1 os when I use the quest reward or the cube recipe. I should do research before using it...
NM Act V and The Secret Cow Level have now been fully cleared, which means, there's not been one monster left standing in Normal or Nightmare.
I started NM Act V at players 7, but then decided I didn't want to spend forever and a day on this character and dropped down to players 5. The XP and drops still seemed pretty good, and the progress seemed much faster! There's not much to tell about the game play ... more Berserking ... guest monsters perhaps meant needing to be more on my toes with stuff like Howl and Taunt ... but nothing too special!
Except, The Pit of Acheron finally had my favorite guest monsters: Bone- Fire-spear snakes! What a fun looking skill. And it does look nice in D2R . These three crafty snakes may have thought that they were going to put an end to my full clear:
Nope!
I've had a teleport staff on switch since Normal Act III. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to teleport out into the field of lava ... but it turns out I could. If I'd been wrong that would have been the most amusing deeds ever ... teleporting out into a field of lava to an insta-Deeds screen ... I can only imagine some text like: 'Frealaf was slain by Misadventure'. Thankfully, that's not the case (or I suppose even possible in D2 ... still, I had to think twice before I did it). Oh, fun fact. That is only my second Sol Rune to drop in all of NM. Weird huh?
And since I brought up runes, before starting NM Act V I put in a request for mid runes. The game answered:
And four minutes later:
I was worried that dropping to players 5 would cost me interesting drops. It doesn't seem like it did .
And while we're on the subject of drops:
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of NM Act V at players 5 (and some players 7):
(With 205 mf when the Barb killed, and 252 mf when the merc killed.) <-- No change in gear since NM Act II
Gorefoot, Heavy Boots (Bloody Foothills) The Centurion, Hard Leather Armor (Bloody Foothills) Shadowfang, Two-Handed Sword (Frigid Highlands) Gorefoot, Heavy Boots (Frigid Highlands) <-- Good thing I made another game at the wp, would hate to have missed this ... Cathan's Mesh, Chain Mail (Frigid Highlands) Witherstring, Hunter's Bow (Arreat Plateau) Isenhart's Parry, Gothic Shield (Arreat Plateau) Druid Summoning GC (Arreat Plateau) <-- You know what, I'm counting skillers with set/uniques. Isenhart's Parry, Gothic Shield (Abaddon) Rogue's Bow, Composite Bow (Abaddon) Treads of Cthon, Chain Boots (Crystalline Passage) Necro Summoning GC (Crystalline Passage) Bonesnap, Maul (Frozen River) <-- More on this later ... The Centurion, Hard Leather Armor (Glacial Trail) Arctic Horn, Short War Bow (Drifter Cavern) Angelic Sickle, Sabre (Frozen Tundra) Steelclash, Kite Shield (Frozen Tundra) The Atlantean, Ancient Sword (Infernal Pit) <-- See below. The Diggler, Dirk (Infernal Pit) <-- See below. Arcanna's Head, Skull Cap (Halls of Anguish) Hellclap, Short War Bow (Halls of Anguish) Rogue's Bow, Composite Bow (Halls of Pain) Chance Guards, Chain Gloves (Halls of Vaught) Milabrega's Rod, War Scepter (Icy Cellar) Civerb's Icon, Amulet (Worldstone Keep Level 1) <-- Aah. Why not Angelics ... The Mahim-Oak Curio, Amulet (Worldstone Keep Level 2) Sigon's Shelter, Gothic Plate (Throne of Destruction) Arctic Binding, Light Belt (Throne of Destruction) Berserker's Hauberk, Splint Mail (Throne of Destruction) Cathan's Mesh, Chain Mail (Baal)
From The Secret Cow Level:
(at players 3) <-- At this point, it was like: Let's just get this done .
Arctic Binding, Light Belt (The Secret Cow Level) Arcanna's Deathwand, War Staff (The Secret Cow Level) The Atlantean, Ancient Sword (The Secret Cow Level) <-- Hmm, another? Cleglaw's Claw, Small Shield (The Cow King) Civerb's Ward, Large Shield (The Cow King) Arcanna's Flesh, Light Plate (The Cow King) <-- Go, go, Find Item.
So, wow. What a list. If players 5 cost me set/uniques, it couldn't have been too many. Shame that there weren't many of note. And probably none that I'll use. The dual Atlanteans is interesting, as was how I got the first one:
But, I think, interesting is all it is. The eth Dimensional Blade Honor is still better for the merc, and I don't see reverting to Frenzy with dual Atlanteans, so ... oh well. Bonesnap is still the weapon to beat, and I did, just barely:
Bonesnap
Maul
Two Hand Damage: 102 - 147
Durability: 39 of 60
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 69
Fingerprint: 0x3e0aec69
Item Level: 64
Version: Resurrected 243% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Cold Resist +30%
Fire Resist +30%
Compared to what I've been using:
Bonesnap War Club
Two Hand Damage: 175 - 258
Durability: 22 of 60
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 124
Fingerprint: 0x986464f
Item Level: 40
Version: Resurrected 232% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Cold Resist +30%
Fire Resist +30%
A slightly better roll. But my first Bonesnap came from Diablo himself. And it was a way cooler screenshot. So based on those style points and the style points I get for having used the first for six acts already ... I don't see making the change ... even if I get the chance to 'up' a Bonesnap to an Ogre Maul. I think I'll stick with the one that brought me to the dance! So, that brings me to:
Future Plans:
Bulging Biceps rules, allows for a single respec before entering Hell. So, I'm going to go ahead and clean up my Combat Skills tree ... and also get rid of some stuff that I just put points into for testing purposes once it was clear that I would be respecing at some point. For example, I decided to test out the new Grim Ward ... which I still don't get why you'd want to use ... I mean, what's wrong with Howl? Anyhow, I'll be sticking with what I've been doing for the last six acts, Berserk with Bonesnap. I'd like to 'up' it, but don't quite have the runes ...
Here's the Hel+ Runes in Frealaf's arsenal of freedom:
And you need Lum + Pul to upgrade a unique weapon to elite ... Nope. Couldn't do it if I want to. It's close though. But instead, I'm looking at Treachery (for the merc ... or barb, or maybe both) ... or perhaps cubing a Lum for Smoke (for the Barb). I suppose Lionheart is on the table too ... though I think I'd rather have the additional resistances from Smoke. I mean, Treachery would offer more yet ... but you've got to get hit a fair amount for them to trigger ... and that doesn't seem like the best idea ... still, 45% IAS is super tempting all by itself ... so honestly, I'll probably just risk it and go with a Treachery for the Barb, and a Treachery for the merc. But then there's the issue of CBF. The only CBF I have that isn't on an armor (Hawkmail and Spirit Shroud) is on a helm (Darksight) ... and I only have one of those ... Hmm. Maybe I could gamble a Death's Sash ... but I rather doubt it ...
Okay, so If I spend both Lem Runes, then I still have all the other runes left. Obedience stands out as an option for the Barb while I'm waiting/hoping for a Pul Rune to come along. A white Thresher shouldn't be too hard to find ... and I do have both socket quest rewards left ... but ugh, that dexterity requirement. Hmm, I'm playing the PTR, so Unbending Will (Fal + Hel) is an option for the Barb or the merc ... but then I need to hope it doesn't poof when I'm muling, or launch the wrong game version, or the PTR ends ... plus, the base would be hard to find ... Hmm ...
Well, I guess I've got options ...
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 73 H Rogue Camp 0 HC 10
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 27 Kurast dock 0 SC 02
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 00 Rogue Camp 0 HC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up next:
May I choose from my options wisely, and may the odds be ever in my favor ...
Harp decided to go for P7 in act 3 seeing as the coveted Freezing Arrow would be unlocked soon and Immo arrow would serve fine in the jungle areas.
Also gambled a phenomenal circlet to boost freezing arrow, if only MF was allowed...
Had to make do with a more mediocre version
At last Freezing arrow was unlocked and a bunch of leftover skills were pumped into cold arrow as well.
With Freezing arrow as cc, the rest of the act was a matter of gulping blues, even though she has a respectable manapool. Mephisto delivered, not only on of the rarely seen S/U's but also a nice garment for the battle with diablo or a moron armor.
Going with 0%MF has definitely been noticable compared to other tournament characters, only giving up 4 S/U pieces in Act 3.
Cleglaw's Claw, Small Shield (Spider forest) Duskdeep, Full helm (Flayer dungeon level 1)
Gravenspine, Bone wand (The council, travincal) Sigon's great helm, Great helm (Mephisto)
Harp deftly continued to Act 4, remembering to lower the players settings to 3 for the act.
Izual gave Harp a scare, having a high cold resistance meant that chill duration was to short for proper evasive maneuvers. In the end Izual was tanked with lots of potions.
The River of flame was pleaseant as was the smith who were more easily led than izual.
The Hellforge seemed to insist that I make a new iteration of my immolation bow as soon as I find a 4-6 socket bow and don't have the runes for a proper runeword...
Dressed up to battle, Harp was ready to confront Diablo with a newly created Zephyr bow with all her FRW and resists gear on.
Also equipped my cleglaw's pincers to slow him down -> action shot of D charging in slowmotion while being peppered with arrows
And he gave a proper gift for my future act 5 meatshield whom I can't wait to have by my side.
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 73 H Rogue Camp 0 HC 10
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 00 Rogue Camp 0 HC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And here we go:
Frealaf and Folcwald's final campaign to defeat the forces of Hell has begun!
Hell Act I has been cleared at players 3.
I might have been able to do the full clear at a higher players setting, but, I'm not really hoping to find much more at this point ... so why not keep things moving ... 'Not really hoping to find much more at this point' you say? Well, you must have pretty good gear ... Here it is ...
Gear:
Item (Location Found)
Frealaf Bonesnap, War Club w/Wraith Talisman Jewelsee spoiler below (Normal Diablo) Treachery, Cuirass (Lem Rune came from NM Durance of Hate Level 2) Sigon's Visor, Great Helm w/Tal Rune (NM Forgotten Reliquary) Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (NM Pit Level 2) Sigon's Sabot, Greaves (Gambled right after Sigon's gloves dropped) Sigon's Wrap, Plated Belt (Normal Glacial Trail) Amulet of Life Everlasting, Amulet - 23 PDR (NM Tal Rasha's False Tomb) Doom Knot, Ringsee spoiler below (Normal Tal Rasha's False Tomb) Ghoul Spiral, Ringsee spoiler below (NM Act 5 - Not sure if it was a drop or gamble ... ) Teleportation Staff on switch (Shopped Normal Act 3) Life, Resistance, and Attack Rating Charms in inventory, with nine spaces left open for looting!
Here's the readouts of the rare stuff:
Frealaf's Bonesnap
War Club
Two Hand Damage: 175 - 258
Durability: 38 of 60
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 124
Fingerprint: 0x986464f
Item Level: 40
Version: Resurrected
232% Enhanced Damage
+20 to Attack Rating
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
+4 to Energy
+11 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +30%
Lightning Resist +26%
Fire Resist +30%
Required Level +5
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Wraith Talisman
Wraith Talisman
Jewel
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x2b7d670
Item Level: 21
Version: Resurrected
+20 to Attack Rating
+4 to Energy
+11 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +26%
Doom Knot
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0xc007e4d3
Item Level: 20
Version: Resurrected
+15 to Attack Rating
+2 to Dexterity
+19 to Mana
Lightning Resist +30%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to Light Radius
Ghoul Spiral
Ring
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x86b8b084
Item Level: 69
Version: Resurrected
10% Chance to cast level 3 Charged Bolt when struck
+4 to Minimum Damage
+97 to Attack Rating
+6 to Mana
Fire Resist +24%
Half Freeze Duration
Folcwald Darksight Helm, Basinet (NM Diablo) Treachery, Mage Plate (Lem Rune came from NM Glacial Trail) Honor, Eth Dimensional Blade (Base came from NM Catacombs Level 2, but I didn't have the runes until NM Palace Cellar Level 1)
And here's the end result of all that gear:
(Please note, Fade is not triggered on Frealaf)
First off, that's one cool looking Barbarian . Bonesnap is one of those D2 items that I always wished could have it's graphical appearance in-hand ... and now D2R is here, and it does! What a great time to be a D2 fan! But I'm getting off topic ... Let's bring it back to Frealaf's build ...
Skills:
As allowed per Bulging Biceps rules, I did do a respec before entering Hell. Nothing dramatic, just getting rid of the ten skill points that had gone towards Frenzy before the Bonesnap dropped at Normal Diablo (he's been all Berserk ever since). So here's where things stand as of clvl 79:
Berserk - 20 skill points
Battle Orders - 20 skill points
Howl - 15 skill points ... so far ...
Find Item - 6 skill points
Mace Mastery - 9 skill points
Natural Resistance - 6 skill points
1 Point Wonders - Increased Stamina, Increased Speed, Iron Skin, Taunt, Battle Cry, Battle Command
1 Point in prereqs (of course)
I'm playing in the PTR, so it's pretty great that Battle Orders is a synergy for Berserk. Having Shout as a synergy for Berserk always seemed like a bad joke ... you're going to put points into raising defense ... when using a skill that sets your defense to zero ... um. Yeah, Battle Orders makes much more sense, and of course, is quite convenient too!
And as you may have noticed above, I also made some gear changes upon entering Hell. Mostly centered around dropping mf for resistances. I used both of my Lem Runes, and made a Treachery for both the Barb and merc. The merc's Treachery replaced a Hawkmail, and so his source of CBF needed to shift to the Darksight. Frealaf's Treachery replaced a four PTopaz gothic plate. I would have loved to get CBF on him too ... but other than the Darksight, I didn't have any options that weren't for the armor slot ... and as the merc does most of the tanking ... I thought he needed it more. So Frealaf had to settle for Half Freeze Duration coming from one of the rare rings ... that seems to be working just fine. Frealaf also dropped the mf from his rare helm in favor of resistances ... until dropping his rare helm altogether, in favor of attack rating that comes with Sigon's helm. Attack rating has long been an issue for Frealaf. Out of the gates here in Hell, attack rating looked pretty good at about a 79% chance to hit (so I thought, hey, might as well have some more resistances). But as I traveled around Act I, I encountered monsters where I was only getting a 69% chance to hit (and missing a third of the time ... stinks). So by the end of Act I, I dropped the rare helm and adopted Sigon's, which added more than 600 AR, which worked out to about a +15% chance to hit. So now Frealaf is operating in the 84% to 94% chance to hit range ... which just feels so much better. Once I tasted that, there was no going back. Even going so far as to make it official by using a socket quest to add a Tal Rune to Sigon's helm. Resistances dropped a bit, but as you can see above, are still pretty good even without Fade (which was probably only active on Frealaf for about half the time). Obviously, once Fade triggered, resistances were very much over capped. But, perhaps the biggest difference that came with Treachery, was the +45% IAS. Bonesnap is a slow weapon. When I started using Bonesnap in Act V of Normal, I only had +10% IAS on some rare gloves ... that led to a soul crushingly slow 19 frame attack. When I got Sigon's gloves in NM Act I, I had +30% IAS ... which was good enough for a 16 frame attack ... which felt much better at the time. But now, with +30% IAS from Sigon's, and another +45% IAS from Treachery, I'm able to rock a 13 frame attack ... which might not sound amazing ... but with the journey that this character has been on with this weapon, it is supremely satisfying.
Of course, upgrading the resistances, attack rating, and IAS, all came at the expense of magic find. At the end of NM Act V, I had 205 mf when the Barb killed, and 252 mf when the merc killed. After making those gear changes, I had 61 mf, period. I was expecting to find no set/uniques (which was fine I suppose, because I pretty much had everything that I wanted). But, it did not take long for my expectations to be subverted:
Yes, literally the first unique monster that I encountered out of the Rogue Camp, dropped a unique item. Well, maybe this won't be so bad after all!
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of Hell Act I at players 3:
(With 61 mf when the Barb or merc killed.)
Visceratuant, Defender (Blood Moor) Javelin Skills, GC (Cave Level 1) Sazabi's Mental Sheath, Basinet (Mausoleum) Cathan's Mesh, Chain Mail (Mausoleum) Goblin Toe, Light Plated Boots (Crypt) <-- Nice! But the 40% CB on the Bonesnap seems good enough. Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (Stony Field) <-- I'm up to three of these now. Dangoon's Teaching, Reinforced Mace (Stony Field) Naj's Circlet, Circlet (Underground Passage Level 1) Sigon's Sabot, Greaves (Underground Passage Level 2) Sigon's Visor, Great Helm (Dark Wood) Jade Talon, Wrist Sword (Tower Cellar Level 1) Civerb's Icon, Amulet (Tower Cellar Level 2) Isenhart's Horns, Full Helm (Tower Cellar Level 4) Whitstan's Guard, Round Shield (Hole Level 1) Grim's Burning Dead, Grim Scythe (Hole Level 1) Elemental Skills, GC (Tamoe Highland) Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (Pit Level 1) <-- Make that four. Angelic Halo, Ring (Outer Cloister) Elemental Skills, GC (Jail Level 2) The Tannr Gorerod, Pike (Catacombs Level 1) Axe of Fechmar, Large Axe (Catacombs Level 2)
So, wow! That's a lot more than I was expecting! A level 6-7 Find Item gets you about a third more items, but still, that's quite a few more set/uniques than I was expecting. Of course, all of them were none too interesting! But no worries! I am happy with the gear I'm using, and don't see anything coming along to seriously change it up. (That is after all why I bothered with this whole long post in the first place .)
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 79 H Lut Gholein 0 HC 11
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 00 Rogue Camp 0 HC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up next:
Time for the bodacious Barb bros to go on a Berserking, Bashing, Stunning, rampage! With a 84%-94% chance to hit, and a 13 frame attack, life is good!
Hurricane-Syd has started the journey in the Committed Tournament setting of 1 single skill tree, even stat point distribution, and 0% MF. Player settings would be allowed to change at the beginning of each new act, the Cow level setting is determined by the player setting of either Act 1 or 5 depending on your choice. Syd's players setting choice has been P8 for everything in normal including the Cow Level if/when it is reached. NM may very but Syd will have to get there first.
Hurricane-Syd had to be creative with the weapon choices until Tornado became available at level 24. The choice was made early on that a bow or crossbow with gems would be best. This gemmed crossbow would carry Syd until a 3os Long Bow came along which was socketed with 2 chip topazes and 1-20psn Jewel. The long bow was the last weapon Syd would need.
1 very cool thing I noticed while playing D2R was the character's reflection in the puddles out in Act 1 fields. That's a crazy attention to detail the new D2R has shown, which I find awesome.
With the 0MF the first set/unique item did not drop for Syd til the Tower level 3.
It was a nice pair of gloves for the fight with Andariel. The fight with Andariel was a crazy run around and shoot when Syd could get a couple shots off. Every so often Syd would take 1 too many shots which would allow Andy to get on Syd and deal heavy shots.
After some time, Andy finally went down for the dirt nap. Much needed boot upgrade drops in Hsaru's Boots. Sold the other goodies and off to Act 2.
Start of Act 2 was to get the Merc going, and so Waheed was hired and out fitted with some gear. It was straight ahead to questing and leveling to get to level 24, and finally in the Maggot Lair--> NADO TIME!
Nothing note worthy at all besides more leveling and full clears of Act 2. Duriel went down really easy with the Nados and off to Act 3 goes Syd.
Once Syd had the Nados going, it was time to get rid of the bow and put on a 3os Shield and work towards Ancients Pledge. Syd had a Ral rune already from gathering every rune that dropped, so that was inserted first and the others left open until Ort and Tal could be found or created. 2nd thing that was made was a Stealth, bought a 2os Breast Plate from Fara and placed Tal+Eth, easy 25--FCR, FRW, and FHR which is always great early on. Gambling off gold was a must to start Act 3 as well, came across a Rare Circlet with 34CR and 20 life, no other worthy stats but an upgrade none the less. Syd shopped a 20FCR wand from Ormus but could not find a cheap Tele Staff. Found 2 but both were over 300k in price. Off into the jungles goes Syd, casting Nado after Nado on all the little fetish/flayers and raptors flying around. Gaining experience and gold along the way.
First decent drop came in the Flayer Dungeon. Hawkmail, CBF would be awesome for Syd but its hard to give up Stealth just yet so lucky for Waheed.
Lower Kurast drops a unique ring....nagel or manald...neither was worth it for this tournament or character currently but can be a twinked character later. 20MF Nagel it is.
LK and on delivered enough runes to upgrade all of them to create an Ort Rune and keep 1 Tal rune left so Ancient's Pledge was made before the end of Act 3, might be the fastest I have tried and been able to make it on a single pass. Normally the first Ral rune goes toward Leaf for the fire skills on a Druid or Sorc in Normal while the Tal rune goes towards Stealth.
After that it was on to Mephisto and 1 trip to town and down goes Mephisto. Nothing from the drops but on to Act 4 goes Syd.
A quick gamble session for circlets and came across this beauty but can't use it!!
Also got a +1 Druid skills which was put on for the damage, Syd sacrificed 20 life and some cold res but damage now is worth it.
Stats and Skills so far for Hurricane-Syd going into Act 4
Good luck all, Stay Safe and happy hunting.
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 79 H Lut Gholein 0 HC 11
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 28 Kurast Docks 0 HC 02
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 32 Rogue Camp 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Charged Strike growing more powerful each level, Act III went by very quickly and very easily. The first S/U item was found in the Flayer Jungle:
This is the 2nd S/U armor found, so I was forced to give up most of my MF from my socketed breast plate. I could have switched to Arctic Furs+Belt, but I really wanted to keep the CBF from Death's Guard, and the added Fire Damage from the partial Cathan's bonus helped deal a bit more damage for normal attacks with my plain short spear.
I soon hit level 30 and added the Valkyrie to the party. We got a new weapon in Upper Kurast:
This went to Klaudia of course. Another nice find around this time was a crude Maiden Javelin, which I was able to cube to normal quality. This replaced the superior short spear, giving me more damage and a faster attack speed (and of course, +1 to jav/spear skills!). I'm still dreading finding another 1-handed S/U item, and kept gambling for a Bloodthief every 100k gold. The gambles did not come through, and with our reduced MF, we did not find any more S/U items until the Mephisto kill:
We finally have some gloves, and they turned out to be Iratha's. I would kill for an Iratha's amulet right now. The belt completed our Hsaru's set, and since the full set bonus includes CBF, we finally swapped off the Death's Guard. One more slot for potions, and I finally have more than 6 lightning resist.
I went ahead and continued on into Act IV as well, and found a big surprise drop in the Plains of Despair:
I did not expect to see something like this this early! This also got cubed to normal quality, but I can't use it for quite a while until the dex requirement is met. I also found a 2os Circlet before hitting the River of Flame, so I muled on some topazes and stuck 2 normal ones in it for a healthy MF boost.
Charged Strike led to another quick time questing, killing things very easily. For the first time in a while, none of my support died to Diablo. He focused on me alone and after some rejuvs, he fell.
Another S/U weapon. This caused me to do something really stupid. I thought I would be forced to equip it, so I gambled most of my gold on Brandistocks again and selling my Ceremonial Javelin to Larzuk. I only then realized that I would not be forced to use it, as I have two S/U shields already, and there would be no net gain of total S/U items by equipping it. I quickly went back to Larzuk, and saw that I would not be able to afford the 100K price of buying back my Ceremonial Javelins, even by selling off the few socketables I'd gathered since my last muling session at the RoF waypoint.
In all likelihood, I'll probably find another 1-handed S/U item rather soon anyway. See you next week!
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 79 H Lut Gholein 0 HC 11
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 32 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big update incoming. I had a good amount of time to play this past weekend so I played as much as possible. Hurricane-Syd is now in NM Lut Gholein sitting at level 53. Every monster and boss and chest and clickable has been done on Players 8 up to this point. Sitting in town of NM Act 2 debating to lower the Players from 8 to 5/6 because of Duriel at the end, or just rolling with Players 8 and dealing with the giant bug and all that life. Decision will be made tonight after this write up.
So off to Act 4 Syd went. Right out the gate and exploring the Outer Steppes, 1st Thul drops from a elite pack of Knights.
2nd Thul Rune drops around the corner at a random mob, so that's always great in the process of getting Spirit Runes compiled.
Up next is Izzy. He focused on the merc and got blown to the ground by all the Hurricanes and Tornados that came his way. Nothing good from the drops of course, but the +2 skills is always the best part of Izual.
Nothing interesting after Izzy. Hephasto spawned with Fanaticism and Spectral Hit so that was a heavy hit to deal with. He went down and the normal Hell Forge was complete with a Nef rune and nice gems.
Syd's 3rd Thul rune was dropped inside The Chaos Sanctuary, so that was scooped up and set in the stash right away.
Syd Had ZERO trouble with any mob or seal inside Chaos, including Diablo. Syd face tanked the entire fight and down went Diablo in maybe 1-2 minutes.
Nothing worth while in the drops having 0MF. Off to Act 5 we go.
First note worthy thing Syd came across was in Abaddon. It was in the form of a welcoming party of Death Lords with stone skin. That was a really exciting thing to deal with in this single pass full clear.
Later on in the Abaddon was a nice MF shield that is useless
After that was the Pit of Acheron and this is no longer a "Full Clear" run due to this idiots out in the lava that are not accessible.
Big drop incoming in the Crystalline Passage, SOL RUNE! good get that rune...now to find a 4os Polearm for Inisight.
A nice low level Max Damage GC for a twinked physical build.
Syd gathered up a few more Ort Runes through the Icy Caves and was able to cube a 4th Thul rune which meant 3 Thuls + a chip Topaz means an Amn rune. Syd now has the runes for Spirit before the cow level where the base will be found.
Once Anya was rescued, it was gamble session for more Circlets. 3 Circlets worth noting but only 2 were usable do 1 having MF on it. The 3rd circlet might be used in NM if Syd's resists are not up high enough.
Off the Halls of Pain, Anguish and Vaught to find and end Nihlathak. 2 decent drops were found while exploring all the corridors. An Amn Rune and a 13 @res jewel.
After that quest, it was back to the icy caves and more exploring. Down in the Drifter Cavern Syd goes, lone and behold 2 pieces of Sigon's drop. The shield and boots.
Next up was a trip to the Ancients and down go the Ancients. A quick trip through the WSK and down went all the waves with ease. Baal was last on the list in Act 5 and down Baal went like every other monster/demon that was laid in the path of Hurricane-Syd on the journey to becoming a Destroyer.
Talked to Tyreal and somehow the portal spawns no where near him which I've never seen before. I guess it has to be where I killed Baal and Tyreal came down. Just strange.
Up next was The Secret Cow level on Players 8. The Portal dropped Syd right by the Cow King, so he was killed right away and dropped the last piece of Hsaru's Set. Great thing about the complete set is it has CANNOT BE FROZEN!! So Ancient Pledge was dropped and Hsaru's Buckler was put on. CBF is so nice on single pass characters without the ability of having a Ravenfrost easily obtained. A Shael and Thul rune dropped right next to each other as well and 1 Broad Sword was dropped as well. So that means Larzuk will punch 4 holes in it and Spirit will be made. Poor roll in the Spirit but it gets Syd to the 68FCR breakpoint. Syd gathered the remaining gems as well in the cow level to have 1 of each type to cube a Prismatic amulet. All of this being done by the end of normal was awesome for this single pass, full clear. Definitely a great start to NM.
Onto Act 1 NM Hurricane-Syd goes. Cold Plains drops a nice 4os Flail that is stashed away in hopes of a random chance in Hell a Vex Rune appears for HoTo....(Hopefully Syd is around then).
A 4os crystal sword was dropped in the Underground Passage, Syd had enough runes to make a 2nd spirit which roll 33% FCR, so that was put on the main hand and the other spirit w/ the Sigon shield on swap for pre-buffing Cyclone armor.
1st piece of the Aldur's Set has dropped in the Tower off of a weapon rack on Level 3. 0 MF so the S/U's has been few and far between so they are always a nice sight to see, especially for this particular set.
Last pit stop before Andariel was the Smith to gather the Malus for charsi and get a 2nd imbue quest. A Falcon Mask had dropped in the room with the Malus from the mob that spawns with the Smith. Syd took this as a sign to get it Imbued right away. What a sign that was, this has to be the first imbue ever I have had like this in the 20+ years of playing. INSANE Skill rolls with some Res. I don't think Syd will need another helm the rest of the time, IF Syd makes Guardian even, the only thing beating this would be a +5 Nado helm I believe. Just insane!
After that amazing Imbue, Andariel was left and by left, it was left for dead next to the hole full of blood and bodies on Level 4 of the Catacombs. 6 Acts down, 9 acts to go.
Sorry for the long update, but I figured this would be better than spamming 2-3 updates throughout the day/night from Saturday/Sunday. Hoping for some free time this week to attack NM Act 2 and more.
Good Luck, stay safe and happy hunting all. Til next time.
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 79 H Lut Gholein 0 HC 11
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 53 NM Lut Gholein0 HC 06
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was done at a mix of players 3 and players 1. I pretty much went players 3 anywhere where there weren't resurrecters (Guardians) or spawners (Sand Maggots). I was planning to go players 1 anywhere I encountered widespread magic immunes, but I lucked out! I didn't encounter those until Tal Rasha's Tombs, and as those were Guardians, I would have taken them on at players 1 anyways. Going into Hell Act II, Guardians were the monster type that I was most worried about. But by lowering the players setting to players 1, those fears turned out to be unfounded. The magic immune Guardians in the Tal Rasha's Tombs were numerous:
And it seemed like the uniques were in groups more often than not ...
Note, the third unique Guardian in the screen, dead in the bottom left ...
But the bodacious Barb bros managed to power right through them! Frealaf could kill them using Concentrate as a one point wonder. Attack rating was an issue then (about a 60% chance to hit), but Battle Cry seemed to make things much better. Folcwald hasn't had a weapon upgrade since NM Act II, but his eth Honor Dimensional Blade is still getting the job done ... at least at lower players settings . And I'm sure the 40% crushing blow on the Bonesnap was quite helpful too! Past that it was just all the standard tricks. Draw the skeletons off ... if you can't draw the skeletons off, get rid of their corpses as they drop with Item Find. Of course you can always control the flow of battle with a now level 20 Howl and the one point wonder that is Taunt. The teleportation staff on switch is great for directing the merc ... you know, all the standard tricks.
Frealaf's certainly got enough tools in his arsenal that reaching Guardian status seems to be mine to lose. I wasn't sure how well a Bonesnap War Club would work in Hell. But the damage seems to be holding up. At least at lower players settings. I'd love to upgrade it to an Ogre Maul ... and have had the saved stat points needed for the strength to wield it, sitting around since NM Act IV ... put haven't had any luck finding the Pul Rune needed to make the upgrade possible . Oh well. I suppose it's harder for me to get myself in trouble operating at lower players settings! ... and if I had a Bonesnap Ogre Maul, I can assure you that I wouldn't be operating at players 3 and players 1!
I've also been having trouble finding an upgraded weapon for the merc. The eth Honor Dimensional Blade is allowing him to continue killing things at lower players settings, but it seems like I should be able to have found something better by now. I've got some elite two-handed swords stashed, including an eth Legend Sword, but just haven't been finding elite one-handed swords that are capable of supporting runewords. Something like an eth (or even non-eth) Conquest, Cyptic, or Mythical Sword, would really hit the spot. So would an Um Rune. A Pul or Um Rune from the NM Hellforge certainly would have enhanced the Barb bros' fortunes!
I did find some mid runes in Hell Act II:
From a super generous object.
Shouting at a corpse got me this one.
And later in that same wing ...
One of Frealaf's few set/unique finds and highest rune all at once!
Hmm. If there's a good runeword there, I'm not seeing it.
Perhaps I can find a nice set/unique. Though with only 61 mf, and low players settings, I'm not finding too many of those.
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of Hell Act II at players 3, players 1:
(With 61 mf when the Barb or merc killed.)
Thunderstroke, Matriarchal Javelin (Sewers Level 1) <-- +3/199% ED. Wowza! Too bad I'm not playing @Vildecor 's character. Cathan's Seal, Ring (Rocky Waste) Sigon's Visor, Great Helm (Stony Tomb Level 2) Bonesnap, Maul (Stony Tomb Level 2) <-- More on this below ... Cleglaw's Pincers, Chain Gloves (Ancient Tunnels) Warpspear, Gothic Staff (Arcane Sanctuary) Dangoon's Teaching, Reinforced Mace (Canyon of the Magi) <-- Frealaf's second. I wonder how these would have been for Frenzy ... Infernal Torch, Grim Wand (Canyon of the Magi) String of Ears, Demonhide Sash (Tal Rasha's False Tomb) <-- More on this below ... Passive and Magic Skill, GC (Tal Rasha's False Tomb) Arcanna's Sign, Amulet (Tal Rasha's True Tomb) Isenhart's Case, Breast Plate (Tal Rasha's True Tomb)
So, not a whole lot. Much more what I would have expected compared to the fast start that I got off to in Hell Act I. The Bonesnap came from Creeping Feature:
Bonesnap
Maul
Two Hand Damage: 110 - 157
Durability: 42 of 60
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 69
Fingerprint: 0x3fcf037c
Item Level: 88
Version: Resurrected
267% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Cold Resist +30%
Fire Resist +30%
It's got 35% more enhanced damage than Frealaf's Bonesnap from Normal Diablo. But, I went ahead and put a socket in the first one before entering Hell. And I really do like the idea of using the one weapon as all-the-way-through-the-game as possible ... so I don't see making a switch.
The String of Ears came off a unique Beetle in one of the False Tombs:
String of Ears
Demonhide Sash
Defense: 111
Durability: 6 of 22
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0xbab607e
Item Level: 83
Version: Resurrected
8% Life stolen per hit
+177% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
Damage Reduced by 10%
Magic Damage Reduced by 13
+10 Maximum Durability
Hmm. I was using Sigon's belt. Then I made a switch to Nightsmoke when I realized that I wasn't getting any special benefit from Sigon's belt once I equipped Sigon's helm. This String of Ears is intriguing, but I think I'm getting more out of the Nightsmoke. Besides, the good roll was on life leech, which doesn't work with Berserk. The stat that I do care about, the damage reduction, got the worst possible roll. Hmm. It's something to consider, but I'd say I'm still looking for my forever belt. Hey @Vildecor , you want to trade your Death's Sash for my Thunderstroke?! ... Oh, that's not how tournaments work ... too bad ...
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 83 H Kurast Docks 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 53 NM Lut Gholein 0 HC 06
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 01 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up next:
Three acts left to go. Will our heroes find the weapon upgrades they need to validate their egos? Or will they instead be forced to plod along at a pedestrian players setting? Stay tuned! Same bat channel. Same bat time.
@Kstil3227 bonus info, save your runes for something else than insight, it has MF which was a major annoyance for many in the original Committed tournament, also for my magezon in the making
I've finally made some progress with Amaranta. It's been slow between full clearing and only being able to grab short play sessions a couple times a week.
She has completed her first labor. She had to circle a good chunk of the Blood Moor before finding the house:
Flavie had found a way to pass the time while she waited for me:
The run through the Den of Evil went pretty smoothly and Amaranta went to strike Corpsefire. "I can't do that." Eek! I'd taken off my weapon and set left click to throw to avoid any accidental monster hits, but now I wanted to hit a monster! I managed to run back to a clear space (boy am I glad I though to refill my stamina before running at Corspefire) and sort out the weapon problem. Her second approarch was successful:
She completed the rest of Act 1 without too much excitement. The most useful S/U so far is a Pelta Lunata, which was better than the crappy rare buckler she had. (Although not by much.) It will probably get replaced pretty quickly in Act 2, though. She also found an Arctic Furs pretty early on, which got used until she'd done enough Countess runs for Stealth.
She's got a to do list before she moves on to Act 2. She's already done enough countess runs to feel comfortable with her low level rune stash for normal. She also finally picked up a 3os Wirt's Leg from Tristrim (15 runs!) I'm going to do some more shrine runs to upgrade some gems. I also might to some Andarial runs in hopes of a Naglering or two, but if the runs prove too annoying, I'll probably just move on.
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 83 H Kurast Docks 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 53 NM Lut Gholein 0 HC 06
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@Kstil3227 bonus info, save your runes for something else than insight, it has MF which was a major annoyance for many in the original Committed tournament, also for my magezon in the making
I don’t know if I have ever read down that far on that rune word cause it’s only the aura roll that matters lol. Thanks for the heads up cause I sure was going to roll it as soon as I found the weapon base.
No tales ... <echo> <echo> <echo>
So here comes mine!
Frealaf has full cleared Hell Act III and Act IV!
I started off Hell Act III at players 3. Frealaf still wielding his Bonesnap War Club. Folcwald still wielding his eth Honor Dimensional Blade. That's two Barbarian heroes, and no elite weapons. Well it's a war and all ... what are you going to do? I was hoping to turn up something interesting at players 3, but things got pretty slow, pretty fast:
Why are there so many spawners?! On the plus side, Sszark and his horrible minions couldn't rush us if they wanted to! Ha ha! You've messed up this time forces of evil!
Of course we eventually whacked and hacked our way through that mess and the rest of the Spider Cavern, Arachnid Lair, and Spider Forest. It was around this time that I notice that my right arm and shoulder were getting rather sore from being too tense. Much as had happened with my physical body attempting to will Frealaf to swing faster back in Act V of Normal, here in Act III of Hell, I had been attempting to will Frealaf to swing harder . Okay. This is no good. Players 1 it shall be. But not because I'm scared of you forces of Hell! This is for health reasons only!
And so we continued on at players 1 and our exceptional weapons suddenly seemed much better. And it was probably just as well anyways ... we ran into some nasty stuff:
In the Swampy Pit Level 2:
Gah. Great ... Dolls and Souls all in once cramped place ...
In the Flayer Dungeon Level 2:
Okay. I don't know if this looks bad. You can see one unique doll, and another dead. In reality there were three packs of unique dolls. But that wasn't the problem. Somehow I took a screenshot at the moment when no auras were showing. But, these dolls had or were under the influence of Might, Fanaticism, and Blessed Aim. Did you notice that Frealaf and Folcwald are cursed? Fortunately, I was able to do a strategic teleport when I first saw them and that got Folcwald tanking them in the doorway ... so only a few were hitting him at any time ... and the rest were just running back and forth down that corridor to the right. But yikes! Good job dealing with them brother!
When we got to the outskirts of Kurast we decided it was time to go back to players 3. The foes there don't tend to be too bad, and most of all, adventurers from all over the world come to this spot for the pop-ables! We've got to minimize our chances of getting hit with 'no drops' ... which had been happening a lot back in the jungles at players 1. Did it work?
Oh my gosh, it worked! I can't remember the last time I got a mid rune, from a super chest, on a single pass character! Nice.
Okay. Now I could get to Lem + Ko without cubing everything Io and up. And, I still have that eth Legend Sword from one of Tal Rasha's False Tombs. Plus, I found an eth Highland Blade in the Spider Forest. Looks like Lawbringer and Voice of Reason are on the table! But before I do anything ... the Hellforge isn't too far off ... let's wait and see what drops ...
The Kurast Bazaar and Upper Kurast were also done at players 3. Side areas were done at players 1. Because, magic immunes were back:
Ha ha! Is that all you got Act III? It feels like I'm fighting a big old fluffy cloud!
Oh. You've got that too ...
Oh well. Nothing that we haven't seen before. The scariest moment was in the Durance of Hate. Both Level 1 and Level 2 had dolls. These little buggers surprised me when I entered a room and pinned me against a wall while doing serious damage:
The teleport staff on switch got me out ... and that screenshot is from when things calmed down (there were more of them at first) ... but, yikes! I think that was my first real moment of panic since entering Hell! Things there sure changed fast, you could even say: Extra Fast.
After clearing out two large areas full of dolls, Mephisto was a welcomed respite. I'd been having a horrible time finding set/uniques in Hell Act III, so I donned my Goldwrap belt for Mephisto (+30 mf). I guess it worked. As you saw above, I managed to get one of my few set/uniques there.
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of Hell Act III at players 1, and a little players 3:
(With 61 mf when the Barb or merc killed. +30 mf at Mephisto).
Bloodthief, Brandistock (Swampy Pit Level 2) <-- Interestingly, from that mob pictured up above. Bow and Crossbow Skills, GC (Upper Kurast) <-- Yep, I'm counting that! Sigon's Sabot, Greaves (Durance of Hate Level 2) Soulflay, Claymore (Durance of Hate Level 3) Treads of Cthon, Chain Boots (Mephisto)
Did I mention that I did a full clear? Okay. Let's move on ...
Act IV was all players 1. It was obvious right out of the gate that monsters had thicker skins and more hit points ... and our Barbs still only had exceptional weapons. Let's just get to the Hellforge. I mean, I still full cleared everything ... but the Hellforge was the goal and center of our universe.
Along the way we found:
A Lum Rune hidden in a pile of skulls. Let's hope that's not the best rune we get out of this act ...
So by the time I got to the Hellforge, here's where Frealaf's Hel+ runes then stood:
Hel Rune x6 <-- Plus two here since last time. Io Rune x3 Lum Rune x3 <-- With the one shown above. Ko Rune x4 Fal Rune x2
A Pul Rune would be the best! Then Frealaf could upgrade his Bonesnap at long last. An Um Rune would open up Crescent Moon for Folcwald. A Lem Rune would save some cubing. A Fal Rune would save a little bit of cubing. Anything else doesn't really matter ... We got:
Not a Pul Rune . Once again ...
Oh well. The odds weren't in our favor. Okay. Fal Rune still saves us some cubing towards a Lem Rune. Now the question is: Would Folcwald like a Lawbringer eth Legend Sword or Voice of Reason eth Highland Blade? Um. Most of my single pass tournament characters have been pre-1.13, so I don't think I've ever been able to have either. Voice of Reason sure would be bodacious ... and with CBF on the weapon, that would free up his helm slot ... except, I don't have any cool helms waiting to be used ... and then there's the issue of losing the life leech on the sword ... nope! Lawbringer is just more of a one for one swap with Honor. Let's do that. Now, should I take the 67/33 and cube the sword or wait for Larzuk. Well, I don't have a backup, so, let's just wait a few minutes.
We finished off the River of Flame and Chaos Sanctuary without incident. I forgot to up the players setting for Diablo, and so he forgot to drop any set/uniques . <sigh>
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of Hell Act IV at players 1:
(With 61 mf when the Barb or merc killed. +30 mf at Diablo).
Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (City of the Damned) Tancred's Crowbill, Military Pick (City of the Damned)
Be still my beating heart. Moving on ...
Let's go get that socket reward!
We found some help along the way:
What's better than two bodacious Barbs? Five bodacious Barbs! I mean, there should have been six, but as you can see, my brother is hanging out off screen on a catapult platform . Ugh. Family.
Shenk and all the other besiegers were defeated. And, at last, one of the brothers got an elite weapon:
Is it any good? Does it conflict with Folcwald's use of Battle Cry or the ctc Dim Vision on his Darksight Helm? I can't wait to find out. I've got one act left to test it out. One act left to go ...
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 85 H F Highlands 0 HC 14
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 53 NM Lut Gholein 0 HC 06
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up next:
The brothers have been on quite an adventure. And now it all comes down to this. They're back to where they started their journey together, ten acts ago. Can they do it again, one last time ...
That's right, Act I Normal through Act V Hell have been fully cleared! There wasn't one monster left standing!
Hell Act V was cleared at players 1. Yes, players 1. I would have liked to do it at a higher players setting but I just couldn't find that Pul Rune to upgrade Frealaf's Bonesnap. For Hell Act V, Folcwald got an upgrade to an elite weapon ... but one without enhanced damage. That's most of what Hell Act V was all about, testing out a Lawbringer on the new Act V merc. And, I think I liked it! I wasn't sure at first. Right at the get-go in the Frigid Highlands we met some flaming skeleton archers, and I'm not sure that the knock back from the Sanctuary aura helped ... in fact it might have hurt. I considered switching him back to his eth Honor Dimensional Blade, but, decided I should stick with the Lawbringer no matter what to give it a good and proper test. So, versus ranged undead, I didn't care for it. I mean, who likes chasing monsters getting knocked back around the map? Against melee undead, it was much more interesting. Our first encounter with melee undead was Abaddon where we found:
Ugh. Dolls. I didn't even remember Dolls could spawn here.
So, here the Lawbringer on the merc was very interesting. On the one hand, the merc was in no danger at all. Zero. But on the other hand, that knock back from the aura caused the Dolls to do some unpredictable things ... like breaking off to attack me! Well I'm not sure if that's what I want! It took some adjusting, but I got better at figuring out where to stand, and where to fight, and by the midway point in the act, I was really enjoying the effect:
Na, na, na. Can't touch this!
By the end of the act, I think I encountered every undead monster possible!
Flanking these guys seemed to be the way to go.
Here I just missed screenshoting a unique Soul with a Might aua. That was fun to deal with when coupled with Hell Witches.
The Sanctuary aura made cutting through Guardians super satisfying. Why didn't I make Lawbringer back before Tal Rasha's Tombs?! Oh, right. Runes ...
So that was Lawbringer versus undead. I'd say mostly good, with a touch of unpredictable danger! Against everything else it was just plain good. Between Bash, Stun, Battle Cry, and ctc Dim Vision, ... and now ctc Decrepify, Folcwald was one seriously tanky merc. It was very rare when there wasn't some sort of debuff coming from him. I liked it! Did I like it more than using an Act II merc ... well, ... it was different. And great for the theme. And Lawbringer sure made things interesting at the end. But Act II mercs come with auras ... and none of them are inherently dangerous. And Act II mercs are so much easier to equip in an untwinked single pass environment. I had an eth Colossus Voulge (and a spare socket quest) all the way back at the Mausoleum. That Insight would have been a beast! And, that Insight on top of a Prayer aura would have all but eliminated Frealaf's potion use ... which for the record, was tremendous. Not being able to leech with Berserk meant using lots, and lots, and lots, of potions to keep the bulbs topped off. Oh, how an Act II merc and that eth Colossus Voulge would have fixed that ...
Anyhow, it was fun to do something different for a change. And at players 1, the Barb bros sure got to rock Act V like the bodacious brawlers that they are!
Though even at players 1, there were one or two close calls:
This may have been, too bodacious ...
As you can see, I hadn't gone far into the Hall of Anguish when I encountered my first unique Frenzytaur pack. Without much room cleared to maneuver, I decided to take them head on (er, horns to horns, as you can see above). I Howled off the minions and went straight for the source of the aura. And then ouch! Extra Strong plus Fanatacism means one hard hit . But I was committed, so I fat purpled my way through it. Had my timing been off with the potions ... that could have been a sad end.
My other near miss, might have been nearer ... or maybe it just didn't lend itself to a screenshot ... I'm not sure. Anyhow, we're in the Icy Cellar and the place is crawling with Hell Witches ... both types ... so lots and lots of little red orbs are shooting around the place. We get to Snapchip, and he's got a Might aura. I want to get rid of that asap. But I move in on him a second too soon and draw some Champion Hell Witches. I stick to the plan that I'm going to knock out the source of that aura. The red orbs start coming, and coming, and then, oh-my-gosh! Those sure are landing/adding up in hurry! I've made that mistake before . Good thing this time I had decent PDR, and lots of hit points! I don't know ... for some reason I just keep underestimating the danger posed by those little orbs. I did it in D2. I'm still doing it in D2R.
But those two incidents were the only biggies! All in all it was smooth sailing. Players 1 kept the Barb bros pretty much out of trouble, and their damage decently good. But it did not do good things for the drops.
Here's the set/uniques that resulted from a full clear of Hell Act V at players 1:
(With 61 mf when the Barb or merc killed. +30 mf at Baal).
Cathan's Mesh, Chain Mail (Frigid Highlands) Sander's Taboo, Heavy Gloves (Abaddon) Serpent Lord, Long Staff (Frigid Highlands) Griswold's Heart, Ornate Plate (Glacial Trail) Milabrega's Robe, Ancient Armor (Drifter Cavern) Natalya's Shadow, Loricated Mail (Frozen Tundra) <-- Hey. Three sockets! Steelclash, Kite Shield (Baal)
And despite keeping the 91 mf setup through cows. I got zero set/uniques there.
So, nothing intesting. But I wasn't hoping to find anything (you know, except that Pul Rune).
Here was our heroes final gear:
Gear:
Item (Location Found)
Frealaf Bonesnap, War Club w/Wraith Talisman Jewelsee spoiler below (Normal Diablo) Treachery, Cuirass (Lem Rune came from NM Durance of Hate Level 2) Sigon's Visor, Great Helm w/Tal Rune (NM Forgotten Reliquary) Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (NM Pit Level 2) Sigon's Sabot, Greaves (Gambled right after Sigon's gloves dropped) Nightsmoke, Mesh Belt (NM Hole Level 1) Amulet of Life Everlasting, Amulet - 23 PDR (NM Tal Rasha's False Tomb) Doom Knot, Ringsee spoiler below (Normal Tal Rasha's False Tomb) Ghoul Spiral, Ringsee spoiler below (NM Act 5 - Not sure if it was a drop or gamble ... ) Teleportation Staff on switch (Shopped Normal Act 3) Life, Resistance, and Attack Rating Charms in inventory, with nine spaces left open for looting!
Here's the readouts of the rare stuff:
Frealaf's Bonesnap
War Club
Two Hand Damage: 175 - 258
Durability: 38 of 60
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 124
Fingerprint: 0x986464f
Item Level: 40
Version: Resurrected
232% Enhanced Damage
+20 to Attack Rating
+200% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
+4 to Energy
+11 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +30%
Lightning Resist +26%
Fire Resist +30%
Required Level +5
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Wraith Talisman
Wraith Talisman
Jewel
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x2b7d670
Item Level: 21
Version: Resurrected
+20 to Attack Rating
+4 to Energy
+11 Maximum Stamina
Lightning Resist +26%
Doom Knot
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0xc007e4d3
Item Level: 20
Version: Resurrected
+15 to Attack Rating
+2 to Dexterity
+19 to Mana
Lightning Resist +30%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to Light Radius
Ghoul Spiral
Ring
Required Level: 29
Fingerprint: 0x86b8b084
Item Level: 69
Version: Resurrected
10% Chance to cast level 3 Charged Bolt when struck
+4 to Minimum Damage
+97 to Attack Rating
+6 to Mana
Fire Resist +24%
Half Freeze Duration
Folcwald Darksight Helm, Basinet (NM Diablo) Treachery, Mage Plate (Lem Rune came from NM Glacial Trail) Lawbringer, Eth Legend Sword (Base came from H Tal Rasha's False Tomb, but I didn't make it until the H Frigid Highlands)
So that's pretty much a copy and paste from the start of Hell. The only changes were that Frealaf went to the Nightsmoke Mesh Belt (it's amazing how often I end up using that untwinked, single pass), and Folcwald of course went to the Lawbringer Eth Legend Sword. I was hoping that Nightsmoke might help with mana burners. It did not. But the resistances, mana, and little bit of damage reduction, are always appreciated ... and the 50% Damage Taken Goes To Mana, probably did save some potion use!
Final Thoughts:
Well that was fun. Was it super hard? ... meh. But it was fun. I digged the theme, and it was great that come Act V Hell, the Barb bros seemed more bodacious than ever! (Go go Lawbringer )! Overall, it was a super satisfying journey. Finding Bonesnap at Normal Diablo was great! It's the sort of drop you have when you're playing a through on a twinked character and you go: Wow, if only I was playing untwinked, I could take that and go all the way ... And this time it happened! Using one weapon for most of the game was neat. And it was super rewarding to find the gear needed to make that weapon work better and better! When Frealaf started using Bonesnap back in Normal Act V, he had +10% IAS, which resulted in a soul crushing 19 frame attack. When Frealaf entered Hell, he had +75% IAS, which resulted the second fastest attack possible, 13 frames (you'd need +109% IAS to achieve the final frame). 19 frames to 13 frames ... what a difference! It felt like there were three characters on this journey: Frealaf, Folcwald, and Bonesnap. And to that end, it sure helped that I'm playing D2R, where Bonesnap finally gets to look like it should!
Woohoo! Living the D2 dream!
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 BulgingBiceps2020 Barb 86 Guardian 0 HC 15
D2R Kstil3227 Committed2015 Druid 53 NM Lut Gholein 0 HC 06
D2R coju 12 Labors 2011 Nec 36 Harrogath 0 SC 05
D2R D4di56lu3 Committed2015 Ama 33 Harrogath 0 SC 04
D2R Vildecor SUWorshipper2018 Ama 35 Harrogath 0 HC 04
D2R Flan WhatsYourPoison2004 Ama 28 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
D2L PhineasB Env of G&G 2013 Pally 28 Kurast Dock 0 HC N/A
D2L D2DC 12 Labors 2011 Dru 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R skoolbus Naked 2007 Pally 20 Lut Gholein 0 HC 01
D2R Cattleya 12 Labors 2011 Ama 20 Lut Gholein 0 SC 01
D2R Babyhell Overburdened 2019 Sorc 04 Cold Plains 0 SC 00
D2E Oblivious 12 Labors 2011 Pally 00 Rogue Camp 0 SC 00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to ashes (aka Deeds)
D2R Vang IgottheBlues2005 Asn 74 Lwr Kurast H 0 HC 12
D2R Kstil3227 BrotherBear2004 Druid 34 Pan Fortress 0 HC 03
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up next:
Well, that took some time. Perhaps I should do something a little less time demanding ... I know! I should get back to my UT99er Das-Omen . On the other hand, I did create that HC Bone Necro Mordred for the Quest for Guardians thread ... perhaps I shouldn't leave him hanging ... But for now, rest.
Looking good so far. I'm sure Rabies & OW are doing 90% of the damage..
Duriel definitely focuses more on the wolves than I thought. If they go down, Merc bites it pretty quickly.. Still, re-cast everything and recovered from this. Mana pots are getting low though..
Mana pots gone = no wolves = dead Merc.. He was down below 20% HP also!
So, does this mean that Oberenn has failed the 12 Labours completely? or, just that he needs to go back and fight Duriel all over again? (I never killed him). Sucks, because if I had taken a higher mana/life pot ratio, I think he would have made it!
So, does this mean that Oberenn has failed the 12 Labours completely? or, just that he needs to go back and fight Duriel all over again? (I never killed him). Sucks, because if I had taken a higher mana/life pot ratio, I think he would have made it!
From reading through the original thread, it looks like the intended options for those challenges were either you kill them or they kill you. (And in softcore, you'd get another chance.) For the normal cage match fight in SC, I don't think there's really a functional difference between dying and restarting the game to try again, and TPing out and restarting the game to try again. So, I don't see any reason why you can't try again and continue on. For the NM (Kaa) and Hell (Ancients) ones, you eat the XP penalty on death (with body recovery banned so you eat the whole penalty) so I think it's more important to stand until you die for those.
Edit: Given how the scoring for this tourney works, I would say you don't get the point for completing the act without dying, as technically, you should have died by the 12 labors rules. So, my opinion is try again with Duriel and continue on, but you don't get the point for the act in your score.
@HanShotFirst Congrats on the Guardian! I enjoyed reading about Frealaf's journey, I definitely can't keep pace this go around.
I also am enjoying reading updates from everyone else too. Mine are probably going to be fairly pitiful for a little bit, since being a naked hammerdin charms are the only highlights and right now all the fighting is pretty boring. Monty did find an 18% LR/6 dex GC. 6% resist per space is usually what I like get, but for Monty anything is worth having. I really want a ~40 mana GC, that'll help with blue pot usage. Only unique in the act was Bloodfist, though unlikely he would have used that even if he could. Full cleared all of Act II on /p8, with Monty's high life and good damage, even Duriel was a pushover.
. Good thing this time I had decent PDR, and lots of hit points! I don't know ... for some reason I just keep underestimating the danger posed by those little orbs. I did it in D2. I'm still doing it in D2R.
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