Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Energy shield and static were both from her "Memory" staff on switch. Yaddle still had not chosen a third power skill at her time of death.
My play style was the same, orb sorc mostly, but usually the game gave 1 or 2 out of the 3 monster groups as cold immune, which required static/whacking as the merc couldn't tank the unique mobs.
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

R.I.P. Mothma, Ackbar, Antilles, Ashoka, Vader and Yaddle

I am still trying to keep track of the Tourny by reading the thread -but at this point could someone summarize who is left? Organa, Dooku, Chewbacca, who else?
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

R.I.P. Mothma, Ackbar, Antilles, Ashoka, Vader and Yaddle

I am still trying to keep track of the Tourny by reading the thread -but at this point could someone summarize who is left? Organa, Dooku, Chewbacca, who else?

I sent Offee (Trapper Assassin) soon after skunk´s post. Has she arrived?

Then I think we have Kenobi (struggling Rabies werewolf) and Palpatine (Bonemancer).

That´s six - there should be one more.



 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

the last is binks - windy

organa has safely (just, in a few places) made it through the act. Will buff her a little more tonight before the send.

Several NDE, now that we are getting to the pointy end. I always set her up to FW on switch and tele/forb on main (both RMB) but sometimes still hit weapons switch instead of hotkey and end up teleporting into some bad packs.

Cant remember where the NDEs were though ... I know the tombs were a disaster. Everything is cold immune and hits real hard. Duriel and Fangskin were walks by comparison

edit: organa sent. not much to say. bulked her a minimal ammount
 
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Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Chewbacca is back after a brief absence (I had him in A1 Hell) and he'll start his way through A3.

So the list of survivors is at the moment:
  • Binks
  • Chewbacca
  • Dooku
  • Kenobi
  • Offee
  • Organa
  • Palpatine
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Palpatine sent to Thomh, Offee received.

Sorry for the delay, I completely forgot!
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Kenobi made it to A3 so he's sent on to scrcrw, whew! I thought I would be the last one to send this time!

It took a lot of patience. Really a lot! And some great luck crafting too! I was going to use a socketed weapon with 4 Dols to get 100% HCMTF like the sick puppy build writeup but before I did that I tried crafting lots of wands. I'm not sure why some are 50%, some are 75%, but my first 100% HCMTF wand also had ITD! I'm glad I kept at it!

Also knockback gloves were helpful with the mobs of skeletons and worms. Itchies and beetles were no problem but the poison immunes were real trouble. It took about 6 tries to get to the bottom of the Maggot Lair and the first time I got to the queen, there were too many worms and I went back to town and decided to wait. That was a good thing, I did the claw vipers first and somewhere in there I switched to knockback gloves which made the worms easier. The next time I visited the maggot queen, I just grabed the staff and ran before things became crazy with worms everywhere.

I never found the wolves to last very long but the bear was fine but it meant not using the +3 Rabies pelt.

I did a lot of laps on the Rocky Waste and Stony Tombs to level and things slowly improved with a better merc and better gear. And then I did a lot of laps on the open desert areas when they had beetles and itchies and no poison immunes. I used a Blessed Aim merc but it might have been better to use the healing one maybe.

I tried to make a pelt with Ravens but no luck there, that would have been handy I think! Pretty much just bite and run and hope the monsters stay busy until the disease runs its course and they might need another bite.

Getting to Duriel was about as hard as killing Duriel! Duriel went OK with Fury mostly. I did not do any runs of Duriel, no way!

The wand:

Shadow Crack
Lich Wand
One Hand Damage: 15 - 48
Durability: 17 of 17
Required Level: 78
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0xf657c3b3
Item Level: 77
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 4 Frost Nova when struck
58% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
Hit Causes Monster to Flee 100%
+4 to Mana
Attacker Takes Damage of 3
Level 6 Weaken (105/105 Charges)
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Palpatine received and Dooku sent. More thorough post coming up in a few days:)
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Dooku received in good health and it's great to see this familiar face! Good luck to everyone in A3!
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Organa received - Sorceress is the only class I haven´t yet played in this tournament. They are pretty good at avoiding death in the Act III Temples, so I have good hopes there.


Her skills distribution is a lot like my first 1.09 Matriarch, plus Nova as extra spice. She lacks staffmod item for a skill I really like to have, though. Seriously, how can you have Fire Wall as one of the main skills and not have made sure you have access to Glacial Spike?!? Or maybe that´s just me...

I´m going back to Normal Drognan to shop a non-magical staff with it. Would be really awesome if I can find one with Static Field as well...
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Kenobi received. The A2 merc makes me hopeful that he'll be more fun than in A1.
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

jianz -

you know, I have never really used that combo (GS/FW). How long is the chill at low levels?

I really enjoy, probably more than any other part of sorc play the planning of a well placed firewall. Longitudinal for oncoming enemies, through multiple mobs that are tied down with merc. through mob and tele into wall down the line.

FO distance arrangement is a close second, but it still aint no FB

freezing mobs just seems cheap! FW is so strong
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

jianz -

you know, I have never really used that combo (GS/FW). How long is the chill at low levels?

Not long at all - you need to hold down the GS button. There are three main situations where I like to use GS:

One is stairs traps. Cast a FW and start spamming the cold. The main idea is that very few monsters are able to hit you or the merc when you try to etablish a foothold in the place.

The second is when the merc is holding one front, but monsters are coming in from another. Then the sorc can hold them in place until the merc is done. Add FW (on one side or both) if there is time for that.

The third situation is when the merc is trying to survive a tough monster pack, in a situation where simply retreating by teleports isn´t a good idea. Freezing helps a ton with that. It works best against small/narrow monsters, because many more can be frozen from one impact spot. Flayers, cows, etc.



 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

It can work well with big critters too...you don't freeze as many, but the ones you do become terrain that the others must go around. I've blocked many a doorway with a frozen Urdar or the like...

WoRG
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Kenobi has joined Chewbacca in A4. Crushing blow is pretty good.
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Organa is about halfway - she´s about to enter Kurast Bazaar.

It´s a stong build - I think I understand soulmanz´comment better now. My earlier experience with a Fire Wall build used an Act I merc - hence I needed more freezing to keep enemies in the flames.

Since this tourney is mainly about survival, I´ve (maybe temprarily) stashed gear that gave her +3 skills and given priority to CBF and considerably better resists instead. I do not teleport often, so I really dislike being chilled.

Been doing /p3 this far. I will continue with that but I will go down to /p1 when I enter the temples.
 
Re: Skunkbelly's Ultimate Tournament Challenge 2011

Organa met no boss packs at the entrances in any of the six temples. She did battle some fierce bosses in the temples, though:

Ruined Fane: Extra Strong Cursed FE Serpent Magus (fire + cold immune). Thankfully, the merc met the majority of the pack in a narrow doorway, so Organa could fry most of the minions before pulling back to the entrance with only the boss in tow. I went to town to heal the curse, then the merc made a good stand and poked the boss while Organa spammed Nova.

Disused Reliquary: Spectral Hit Multiple Shot Cursed archer boss. This one wasn´t fire immune, but moved around so much it was hard to get her to burn in Fire Walls. She also killed the merc four times...

I cube-socketed a Thresher, hoping for 5 sockets for Honor, which would have been a decent merc weapon upgrade from the current +79% ED crafted War Pike. It got 4 sockets. This duo also lugs around a 3-socketed Ogre Axe (with the STR boots from Chalan´s armor, he can use Ogre Axes) so if any of the following players have Um or Lem, there are some good options for you.

Oh yeah, I found an Ist rune (my first ever!) in Lower Kurast. There is nothing useful I can do with it at the moment, but cool options may open up later, depending on future rune finds.


[Highlight]Organa, FW/Orb/Nova Sorceress and Chalan the Might merc, level 83, Hell Travincal next[/Highlight]
 
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