SPF Quest for Guardians in Progress thread

[little birdy]

Had the day off work and decided to push my Trapper thru Hell Act 4. Was proceeding well until De Seis. I had cleared the space up to the seal area, activated the seal and turned to go back around the corner. But then I experienced something I have never seen before in all my D2 career: De Seis and company spawned on top of the seal! They never do that. Anyone else had a similar experience?

Needless to say Ruth Lee's deeds of valor will forever be remembered. This was a painful one.

That is a major bummer. It's happened to me once for sure, they spawned right in front of the seal and I was definitely not expecting that to happen!

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Man, that's a bummer. I've never seen De Seis spawn on the seal!

I haven't played for a few months, but came back to HC a few days ago. My Frenzy barb Eegan is level 57 and just beat NM Mephisto. I've saved a lot of stat points. I decided to throw on some topaz-ed gear and see if I could do some clumsy Mephisto runs.

Run 1 - Nagelring - this upped my MF to 150%!
Run 2 - Death's Guard Sash - finally some CBF!

I upped the Death's Guard and am now sitting at 210% MF with merc getting the kill. I haven't really farmed any areas yet, so I may try this for a while to see what drops.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Eegan is now level 74. I beat NM but am waiting to proceed to Hell, alternating between NM Meph runs and terror zones.

NM Mephisto gave me the IK helm (I put in 2 flawless topaz) and for weapons Headstriker / Vile Husk. A Blade of Ali Baba and Rhyme on switch puts my MF a tad over 400% with merc getting the kill. He also coughed up some useful uniques: War Travs (eth ), 3 Tal's helms, Tal's belt, IK Helm, Snowclash, Aldur's boots, Gorefoot, Lidless Wall, Duriel's Shell (x2), Hone Sundar, Razortail, Titan's Revenge (x2), Magefist, Skin of the Vipermagi, Goldwrap, Magnus gloves, and some others.

As far as runewords I was able to put together 2 "Spirit" swords and an "Insight" polearm, but merc can't equip it yet.

As for the Terror Zones, I've actually been running the lamer ones because they are less dangerous. I'd rather have a safe way to level up than try to run them in my MF gear. Too unpredictable.

Right now I'm going to try to level up as much as I can and see if I can't build up my gear arsenal before moving on to Hell.

This is further than I've ever made it on an HC character, so I'm trying to remain patient.

 

[DaveW]

Those two weapons are pretty good and worthy of upping. The Vile Husk will upp to a Balrog Blade. I remember my Guardian BFF (Best Frenz Forever) used two upped Vile Husks. The chance to cast amp really saw him make mince meat of a lot of enemies. All the best.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Thank you, Dave! And yes, I remembered your dual Vile Husk frenzy barb.

Eegan is now level 80 and running the Countess. I had gone to A1 Hell, but then went back and ran around in NM for a bit more and picked up the Angelic rings and amulet, which greatly helped with AR. My chance to hit in Hell was pretty bad before. I also picked up a Laying of Hands and a few other items.

The Countess has dropped some decent runes and I got a Mal in NM (!), so I think I'm on my way to "Oath" in an elite sword base... we'll see. The Countess dropped a Djinn Slayer, so I threw a Shael in it, and it's a very nice main-hand weapon.

I'm still nervous I'm going to die, but trying to set rules for myself like no running around while Amped, etc.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Eegan is now level 82 in A1 Hell. The plan was to run the Countess for runes for "Oath" and "Lawbringer", and then run Pits for the bases.

-I shopped dual Echoing throwing spears from NM Anya. Only took ~20 minutes.
-I had an Ethereal CV drop and lucked out with 4 sockets in cube, so I was able to give the merc an Elite Eth Insight! This puts merc in a really good place, with Duriel's Shell and Tal's helm.
-I had the runes for "Lawbringer" drop. I put it in a Legend Sword so that I can use an "Oath" with a larger range in mainhand. It's a huge game changer: my Barb no longer runs in fear of Ghosts, and the Decrepify makes things so much safer!
-I finally had the remaining Pul rune drop from the Countess, so I'm set with the runes for "Oath"... now I just need to find the base.

Now I plan on running the pits. I think I will be happy to use an Ethereal of any of the following: Cryptic Sword, Conquest Sword, Balrog Blade, Champion Sword, Colossus Blade or Colossus Sword. Any that get 4 sockets from Larzuk I'll use a quest. My choice of swords to begin with was because of the higher amount of base weapons because barbs can dual wield 1h or 2h. I'm definitely pleased with that choice so far, as I've had a lot less useful axes and maces drop, even though those probably would have been easier at the start of the game.

Question: on the table, does S/U stand for "sets/uniques"?
Updated table:

Completed Guardians

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level      Date          UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----     ----------     ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
lizard           Hyman            Druid  Guardian          82        2022-03-16     Yes  Yes  No   223   D2L
HanShotFirst     Mordred          Necro  Guardian          87        2022-05-11     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
abridged         sanity           Sorc   Guardian          94        2022-11-01     No   Yes  No   ?     D2R
Vang             Axer             Pal    Guardian          83        2022-07-17     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
Vang             Annihilation     Druid  Guardian          81        2022-08-13     No   Yes  No   -     D2R
lizard           Deanna           Amazon Guardian          86        2022-08-21     No   Yes  No   -     D2L
little birdy     seymour          Druid  Guardian          83        2023-03-29     No   No   No   -     D2R

Questing Heroes

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP           Level  Date                UT   E/S  SP   S/U     Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------      -----  ----------          ---  ---  ---  ----    -------
abridged         lars             Barb   Lut Gholein  NM       47     2022-05-22          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
Oblivious        Sgillvarl        Barb   Lut Gholein           20     2022-09-07          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Eegan            Barb   Outer Cloister H      82     2023-61-21          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
little birdy     yuffie           Asn    Kurast Docks Hell     81     2023-05-06          No   No   No   -       D2R

The Fallen

Spoiler: The Fallen

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level  Date       UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----  ---------- ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
abridged         persistence      Barb   Durance of Hate   23     Apr22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         druid            Druid  Flayer Jungle H   80     Oct22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         vanilla          Sorc   RoF NM            55     Nov22      No   Yes  No   -     D2R
Vang             Chains           Sorc   Lut Gholein H     76     Aug22      Yes                  D2R
Vang             Ravage           Druid  Kurast Docks  N   26     22-08-09   No   Yes  No   -     D2R

 

[DaveW]

@BBC yep S/U does indeed stand for Sets/Uniques but not everyone keeps a record of them or they have multiple toons that have contributed to their grail status and so do not record the S/U of a (single and usually) UT char.

What are your skill placements? In HC, life and resists are principal concerns. Some say that DPS comes next but I disagree. I would take Crowd Control over DPS if it is available. And the Barb boasts some impressive skills in that respect. Howl is fantastic , as is Taunt which is a synergy for Frenzy anyways. Make sure you have points in those to give your Barb a means of controlling any awkward situation. Howl then Taunt is a good strat to use to break up the herd and bring them to you in single file. In HC, KISS is King! (Keep It Simple Stupid! Btw not saying you are stupid )

I know you gonna make it to Guardian.

 

[DaveW]

Whoops I mean BBS! lol
BTW I know Oath grants the Indestructible mod but then you cant replenish the HoW and IG charges. And those can work great too: HoW increasing your chars DPS, allowing the merc to carry a big stick of pain (Obedience anyone?) while the IG takes your Insight duties. But it's what you feel makes a Guardian more possible. GL!

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Thank you for the advice! I like your advice about warcries. HC made me actually figure out what they did, while in SC I would just play the Frenzy barb about like a Zealot--just click and hold until monster dead. I;ve started using Howl, Taunt, Battle Cry, and War Cry pretty frequently. I actually keep Frenzy on left click and War Cry on right click and just keep the monsters constantly stunned until Decrep procs.

I have been doing full clears of both levels of Pits at /p1 but no sign of the Elite swords I'm looking for yet. I'm getting a bit bored of it... wondering if I could roll a rack in LK that would drop Balrog Blades or something like that. Honestly, "Lawbringer" adds so much safety I could finish the game with what I've got, but it would just be a bit of a grind. "Unbending Will" looks like an easy option to throw in a 6os PB or something like that, but I don't think I want the CTC Taunt cancelling out decrep.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Eegan is now level 86. I upgraded from Djinn Slayer to "Crescent Moon" in a Legend Sword and continued Pit Runs at 0 MF looking for Elite Sword bases. I eventually found a Doombringer. What a great weapon. Playing untwinked gives such an appreciation for some of these overlooked uniques. It was 248% ED and sick mods including AR bonus, increased life bonus, and life steal, and CTC Weaken. The Weaken did cancel out Decrepify some, but the radius for Weaken is so much bigger that it was nice in the Pits where archers could be a pain. Often Decrepify would recast over Weaken, so most of the screen would remained Weakened with closer monsters decrepped. I could have easily finished the game with these weapons, but I'm a bit stubborn I guess.

After a few days of running Pits, I was amassing piles of elite white swords and still no ethereal, and my thoughts on bases started to shift. I really wanted "Lawbringer" in offhand for safety and as a solution for PIs, which is why I chose swords, so although I had some nice eth Axes drop, I didn't want to do "Oath" in them.

Then an eth Scourge dropped and I started to think about how "Lawbringer" could be (re) made in a hammer. But the only one hand hammer is the Legendary Mallet which is really slow. Then it occurred to me I could do a scepter. Seraph Rods get max 3os, but those and Caduceus are an even rarer base item--it seemed to me they rarely ever drop.

Fast forward to tonight and a Seraph Rod dropped! The Scourge got 4os in the cube, so I remade "Lawbringer" in the Seraph Rod and the "Oath" rolled 315% ED.

Now to finish the game... hope I make it. Honestly, several days of Pits had some scary moments than I think finishing the game will.

 

[little birdy]

Now to finish the game... hope I make it. Honestly, several days of Pits had some scary moments than I think finishing the game will.

You can do it! Farming places like the Pit can get dangerous because I think you let your guard down over time, just because of the repetition. At least, that's what I think happens to me. Questing is usually more engaging IMO, which results in fewer careless deaths.

edit: Just noticed the Guardian thread after posting this Good stuff!

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Eegan made it! Thanks for the encouragement in this thread! Write-up here.

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level      Date          UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----     ----------     ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
lizard           Hyman            Druid  Guardian          82        2022-03-16     Yes  Yes  No   223   D2L
HanShotFirst     Mordred          Necro  Guardian          87        2022-05-11     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
abridged         sanity           Sorc   Guardian          94        2022-11-01     No   Yes  No   ?     D2R
Vang             Axer             Pal    Guardian          83        2022-07-17     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
Vang             Annihilation     Druid  Guardian          81        2022-08-13     No   Yes  No   -     D2R
lizard           Deanna           Amazon Guardian          86        2022-08-21     No   Yes  No   -     D2L
little birdy     seymour          Druid  Guardian          83        2023-03-29     No   No   No   -     D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Eegan            Barb   Guardian          87        2023-06-26     Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R

Questing Heroes

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP           Level  Date                UT   E/S  SP   S/U     Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------      -----  ----------          ---  ---  ---  ----    -------
abridged         lars             Barb   Lut Gholein  NM       47     2022-05-22          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
Oblivious        Sgillvarl        Barb   Lut Gholein           20     2022-09-07          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
little birdy     yuffie           Asn    Kurast Docks Hell     81     2023-05-06          No   No   No   -       D2R

The Fallen

Spoiler: The Fallen

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level  Date       UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----  ---------- ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
abridged         persistence      Barb   Durance of Hate   23     Apr22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         druid            Druid  Flayer Jungle H   80     Oct22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         vanilla          Sorc   RoF NM            55     Nov22      No   Yes  No   -     D2R
Vang             Chains           Sorc   Lut Gholein H     76     Aug22      Yes                  D2R
Vang             Ravage           Druid  Kurast Docks  N   26     22-08-09   No   Yes  No   -     D2R

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

I decided to pick up the HC Paladin I began before my barb. He was at level 6, and was a Zealot. I had done a Fanatic Zealot before untwinked in SC, so I thought I could manage it in HC. I became quite bored, however, and it just felt like a slower version of the Frenzy barb I had just finished.

At level 30, I used my respec to go the FoH / Smiter route. The plan is to max FoH and Holy Bolt, run Redemption as my main aura for mana and safety, and then have Smite and Fanaticism for backup. It's been a really fun build so far, and I'm so glad I switched from a Zealot. I've never played FoH before, and it's a very interesting playstyle, especially with Holy Bolt healing the merc. I'm using an A5 merc more so far so I can hang back and alternately heal him with Holy Bolt and/or hit the animal type monsters with the lightning damage of FoH. It really shreds in some areas but then I have to really alter the playstyle elsewhere. It definitely keeps me on my toes.

After fighting the Ancients in Normal, which was just me watching my merc fight while keeping him healed with Holy Bolt, I figured I needed to have a good secondary attack, and it seemed Smite was a common choice for that. My goal is to get enough points in Redemption that mana and safety aren't a problem, and I already feel like I'm about there at around 5-7 points or whatever I have in it currently. From there, I'll max Holy Shield, 1 pt in Smite, and then points in Fanaticism until I reach a decent speed unless I find something that indicates that's a bad idea.

I'm now level 48 and running Hell Countess and have assembled runes for "Lore" (made), "Insight" (have a base), "Spirit" x2 (need bases), "Black" (have 3os flail), and I'm still looking for runes for "Smoke" which is typically what I use when entering Hell for resists, though with a Paladin I'm hoping I can make up a lot of those from the shield.

Like my barb, he is untwinked--it seems to make planning more fun not knowing what the game will drop. He also has 80 saved stat points, so I have a lot of wiggle room with gear.

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level      Date          UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----     ----------     ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
lizard           Hyman            Druid  Guardian          82        2022-03-16     Yes  Yes  No   223   D2L
HanShotFirst     Mordred          Necro  Guardian          87        2022-05-11     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
abridged         sanity           Sorc   Guardian          94        2022-11-01     No   Yes  No   ?     D2R
Vang             Axer             Pal    Guardian          83        2022-07-17     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
Vang             Annihilation     Druid  Guardian          81        2022-08-13     No   Yes  No   -     D2R
lizard           Deanna           Amazon Guardian          86        2022-08-21     No   Yes  No   -     D2L
little birdy     seymour          Druid  Guardian          83        2023-03-29     No   No   No   -     D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Eegan            Barb   Guardian          87        2023-06-26     Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R

Questing Heroes

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP           Level  Date                UT   E/S  SP   S/U     Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------      -----  ----------          ---  ---  ---  ----    -------
abridged         lars             Barb   Lut Gholein  NM       47     2022-05-22          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
Oblivious        Sgillvarl        Barb   Lut Gholein           20     2022-09-07          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
little birdy     yuffie           Asn    Kurast Docks Hell     81     2023-05-06          No   No   No   -       D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Zelek            Pala   Black Marsh NM        48     2023-07-04          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R

The Fallen

Spoiler: The Fallen

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level  Date       UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----  ---------- ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
abridged         persistence      Barb   Durance of Hate   23     Apr22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         druid            Druid  Flayer Jungle H   80     Oct22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         vanilla          Sorc   RoF NM            55     Nov22      No   Yes  No   -     D2R
Vang             Chains           Sorc   Lut Gholein H     76     Aug22      Yes                  D2R
Vang             Ravage           Druid  Kurast Docks  N   26     22-08-09   No   Yes  No   -     D2R

 

[little birdy]

Nice! FoH is a very fun build since 2.4.

I haven't played a Paladin in SC in a while now. I am thinking of playing a Hammerdin in HC for my next character. I need to get around to cleaning up my game a bit first though. AFAIK there is a not an offline character limit on the console version, but the game is doing weird things when I try to play new characters. I don't think my Switch is out of free space either. I am going to try deleting some old characters that I don't play anymore. Can't figure out what else could solve the problem.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Hammerdin in HC would definitely be a fun choice. That was actually my first thought, but I've never used FoH in my D2 history, so I wanted a change.

Zelek is level 57 in A3 NM now. I just got to Mephisto and did a maybe three runs. He's now using Duriel's Shell, "Lore," "Spirit" x2, and "Black" and "Rhyme" on switch. I've tried a few different permutations of A2 and A5 mercs. Currently using an A2 HF merc with Rattlecage, Pierre Tombale, and a 19 res all circlet. It's kind of surprising how quickly 1 pt in Smite, Holy Shield, and Fanaticism takes down Mephisto. The rest of my gear is mostly resists or MF, for a paltry 85% MF. I'll try to bring it up and run Mephisto for a while and see what drops.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Zelek ran NM Mephisto for a while.

Spoiler: mephisto drops

Duriel's Shell
Silkweave
Warlord's trust?
Skin of the Viper Magi
Peasant Crown
Spire of Honor
IK helm x2
Bloodletter x2
Wildwitch String
Tearhaunch
War Travelers @38% MF (Upgrade from my 35% Boots of Luck)
Nagelring @29% MF
Wall of the Eyeless
Kuko Shakaku
Chance Guards @31% MF (Upgrade from rares @25% MF)
Blackbog's Sharp
Spectral Shard
Snowclash
Skin of the Flayed One
The Ward
Trang's Gloves

I felt like he was quite well equipped. He then went on to cruise through A4 and A5 in NM. Zelek really ate through CS and WSK / Baal waves and leveled to level 69.

Then he charged into the throne room and got mobbed by a pack of dolls. Should have known better. Dead.

It's really a pity because he was a much stronger character than the Frenzy Barb, I just got overconfident with using Charge as a mode of transportation. I don't feel as gutted as I thought I would, but I am just disappointed because I really liked FoH/Smite and almost want to just start another Paladin immediately, but don't quite have the heart for it at the moment. I do think I've gotten a taste for untwinked HC play, but normal is just such a grind, but NM and Hell are so fun.

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level      Date          UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----     ----------     ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
lizard           Hyman            Druid  Guardian          82        2022-03-16     Yes  Yes  No   223   D2L
HanShotFirst     Mordred          Necro  Guardian          87        2022-05-11     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
abridged         sanity           Sorc   Guardian          94        2022-11-01     No   Yes  No   ?     D2R
Vang             Axer             Pal    Guardian          83        2022-07-17     Yes  Yes  Yes  200   D2R
Vang             Annihilation     Druid  Guardian          81        2022-08-13     No   Yes  No   -     D2R
lizard           Deanna           Amazon Guardian          86        2022-08-21     No   Yes  No   -     D2L
little birdy     seymour          Druid  Guardian          83        2023-03-29     No   No   No   -     D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Eegan            Barb   Guardian          87        2023-06-26     Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R

Questing Heroes

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP           Level  Date                UT   E/S  SP   S/U     Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------      -----  ----------          ---  ---  ---  ----    -------
abridged         lars             Barb   Lut Gholein  NM       47     2022-05-22          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
Oblivious        Sgillvarl        Barb   Lut Gholein           20     2022-09-07          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R
little birdy     yuffie           Asn    Kurast Docks Hell     81     2023-05-06          No   No   No   -       D2R

The Fallen

Spoiler: The Fallen

Forumite         Character        Class  Furthest WP       Level  Date       UT   E/S  SP   S/U   Version
---------------  ---------------  -----  ----------------  -----  ---------- ---  ---  ---  ----  -------
abridged         persistence      Barb   Durance of Hate   23     Apr22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         druid            Druid  Flayer Jungle H   80     Oct22      Yes  Yes  No   -     D2R
abridged         vanilla          Sorc   RoF NM            55     Nov22      No   Yes  No   -     D2R
Vang             Chains           Sorc   Lut Gholein H     76     Aug22      Yes                  D2R
Vang             Ravage           Druid  Kurast Docks  N   26     22-08-09   No   Yes  No   -     D2R
BBS_Agonistes    Zelek            Pala   WSK 2 NM        69     2023-07-04          Yes  Yes  No   -       D2R

 

[little birdy]

That's a bummer Dolls are the worst.

 

[Maltatai]

Second that. The pattering of little feet is the worst sound in Sanctuary.

 

[BBS_Agonistes]

Yeah, and what makes worse is he was hit by a cascade of Stygian Harlot orbs at the same time. There really wasn't much time to even see what happened. I'll proceed with caution in the future. The main thing I felt like I learned in HC with the barb was not to rush things. Sometimes I have to learn it twice, though.

I'm already back up on my horse! Lesson learned. Another Paladin, Helez, just hit level 20 in Act 2. He's already had Stoutnail and Crushflange drop, quite nice little sticks to knock about those early Normal monsters. He's using Holy Fire but will respec to FoH with Smite as a backup when available.

EDIT: SMH. I accidentally made him softcore. Oh well. Start over yet again... bummer of a few days.

 

[DaveW]

Hope it all goes well BBS.