- Mar 19, 2020
- 3,349
- 1,404
- 113
Originally posted on Oct 8, 2019
The title says it all really; Klaus has made it.
Created as a participant in the Untwinked 99er Reboot, his journey was straightforward, but less than conventional. He started from the get-go as a fire druid, intent on staying that way for his entire career. I'll say this right now to get it out of the way; if you are planning on taking a character to 99, fire is NOT an efficient element to choose as your main source of damage. Many of the most efficient leveling areas are riddled with FIs, and some are just plain impossible to run well (I'm looking at you, unbreakable-FI Lister).
I'll leave the rambling for later, first is a quick rundown of his build, with a full dump to follow:
Stats:
Equipment
Head: Ravenlore socketed with +4/-5 Fire Facet
Body: 'Enigma' Breast Plate
Belt: Arachnid's Mesh
Gloves: Magefist
Boots: Rare Boots (FR/LR/MF)
Main Weapon: 'HoTo' Flail
Main Shield: 'Phoenix' Monarch
Amulet:
Rings: Nature's Peace + Rare FCR/FR ring
Switch: CtA (+6BO)/Spirit
Charms: 4 Elemental skillers, the rest are +life and/or +resist SCs
Mercenary:
Razan - Might (to speed up killing of FIs)
Head: Delerium
Body: CoH (Archon Plate)
Wep: Infinity (Eth GPA)
And for those who like them, here is a full dump (with some fat trimmed out, of course):
--
The Journey
Now for some (how's THAT for an understatement!) notes on his journey to 99, and all the fun and frustration that befell him along the way!
As previously mentioned, he started as a pure fire druid from day 1. For anyone who hasn't played one before, this essentially means that he absolutely mowed his way through normal and nightmare, reaching Destroyer and Conqueror at 44 and 70, respectively. Upon reaching Hell, he decided on a whim to take a stroll through the Mausoleum and found himself a Jah. His next course of action was obvious; bee-line for LK and start hitting some chests!
Assembling the Gear
I thought since he had found a huge piece of Enigma so quickly that his stay in LK would be (relatively) short. In fact, in all my infinite wisdom I even had this to say about it:
His time in LK was... interesting. Both his first set of 1000 runs, as well as his 2nd set went by with nothing higher than an Ohm.
Then in the 3rd set run 2151 exceeded expectations and popped us a Ber rune! Klaus took that opportunity to take a break from LK, make an Enigma, HoTo(37 res), and CtA (+6 BO!) and move on questing. I didn't have a base for his eventual Infinity yet so it made sense to make some progress in terms of questing/levels while looking for one. He made it to Pindle at 79, got a few upgrades for the merc, and ran him exclusively until 90. At that point Klaus started mixing in AT runs in between bouts of Pindling, and was very happy he didn't abandon the guy completely when he made a game-changing find:
Shortly after this he hit 93 (giving him the magical 'time-to-start-crafting' level) in the AT and found a base for Infinity (and another Ravenlore!) so it was time to head back to LK.
Picking up where he left off he finished the 3rd set of 1k runs, as well as the fourth AND the fifth without finding a single Sur. The law of averages finally caught up with him and in the sixth set he got not one, not two, but THREE Surs. Then, finally, on run 6497 he got his final Sur. Not so bad on my prediction after all, huh?
At this point he made Infinity, Fortitude, and Delerium for the merc, did some crafting and some general charm adjustments and headed for the Tunnels.
Turning attention to XP
With fire as his only element, his options for XP were limited. The only real efficient target pre-97 turned out to be the Ancient Tunnels, so that's where he lived. He hit 94, participated in an MFO which got him to 95 (placing third), FINALLY found an Arachnid's Mesh just before 96. XP was slowing down now, but despite testing all sorts of options, AT reigned supreme until 97.
From here his path diverged a little bit and I found out that doing Diablo runs was actually more efficient (and runnable!) at this stage. I ran D until about 3.00B XP, and after finding back-to-back Ber runes Klaus made himself his final big piece of equipment.
A massive re-gear ensued and I kitted him out for full survival mode. He continued to run Diablo (p1/p7 runs) until about 97.2, at which point I could no longer resist the allure of Nihlathak's increased XP rates. One final re-gear and it was time to settle in for 17k runs of mr pasty.
The Final Level (plus some extra)
Nihlathak runs were, for the most part, extremely safe. Even with 5k+ life and maxed resistances it could still turn sour quite quickly, most notably in Oak Sage bit it. The first stint of running him taught me that, as well as the lesson of 'don't be a hero'. Don't try to teleport out of a pack of snakes, don't be stubborn and think you can rejuv your way out of it. Just S+E and live to fight another day. Funnily enough the final level has the least amount to talk about, really. For those curious, I laid out a general strategy of what Nihl running is like with a Fire druid:
That about covers it really. Soon enough he had hit 97.5 (with another NDE) and then he officially made it to the final level. By now I had hit my stride with nihl runs, so they generally became safer. 98.1 gave him a Ber and Ohm, meaning he had already surpassed Eleanor's runecount from her entire Nihl-running experience. He followed that up with a Jah+Sur in the next 10%, and slowly plodded along hitting 98.3, 98.4, and then crossed the 3.4B border and hit 98.6. It took him all the way to 98.7 to find his first +skill ring (which he couldn't use anyway, due to fcr breakpoints) and then made his last big push to 98.8, where he cashed in his Ancients reward to put him within sight of the finish line. He participated in the Mini-RFL running (obviously) in the Nihlathak category, and that carried him through to the end.
--
ROONZ!
Everybody always wants to know how many runes you can find when taking a character to 99, so here is a breakdown of the Pul+ rocks Klaus found along the way.
First, organized by where he found them:
And then, a final tally:
Rundrop Grail -2. Not bad.
Final thoughts:
- That's a lot of life. Usually way more than I needed, but sometimes just barely enough. It's a bit of a strange dichotomy, but I had nothing else to spend the stat points on (definitely not going max block with a Monarch) so I never felt like I was sacrificing other things to get a high life pool.
- NDES; I had a few both in LK and Nihlathak runs. As mentioned before they mostly happen when Oak Sage dies, so you really have to pay attention to that little guy.
- He found three Ravenlores. THREE. One from Pindle, one from AT, and one from Nihl. Luckily, the very first one was the best of the bunch so his socket quest was well-used.
- His Hellforge was a pitiful Lum
- He ended up being right on track according to the numbers in his LK adventures, but going 5k runs without a Sur, and then finding 3 within 350 runs of each other was a bit of a rollercoaster. RNG, you little devil.
- Grail sits at 433, which I'm quite happy with since he didn't do much dedicated MFing other than that one MFO he participated in. That's 4 shy of what Eleanor did, btw.
Future Plans:
Not quite sure, really. I might use him as a cow runner during future RFLs if I want to get some HC runes to deed with other chars, but other than that I think he'll mostly just enjoy some well-needed rest.
Special thanks as always to the Untwinked 99er crowd for all the help theorycrafting, and all the encouragement along the way! Everyone in the thread from the old runners to the new, thank you for the encouragement, help, and willingness to listen to my ramblings along the way. I feel compelled to give special shoutouts to the following individuals:
@PhineasB @ffs @T72on1 - Staples of the thread. So much encouragement, theorycrafting, and sanity checks. Couldn't have done it without your encouragement.
@RIP - Kaira was Klaus' main running-mate in HC for a good chunk of his journey, she provided much motivation and encouragement along the way, I hope Klaus did her proud.
Of course, thank you to everyone in the SPF. None of this would happen without any of you.
The title says it all really; Klaus has made it.
Created as a participant in the Untwinked 99er Reboot, his journey was straightforward, but less than conventional. He started from the get-go as a fire druid, intent on staying that way for his entire career. I'll say this right now to get it out of the way; if you are planning on taking a character to 99, fire is NOT an efficient element to choose as your main source of damage. Many of the most efficient leveling areas are riddled with FIs, and some are just plain impossible to run well (I'm looking at you, unbreakable-FI Lister).
I'll leave the rambling for later, first is a quick rundown of his build, with a full dump to follow:
Stats:
Code:
Name: Klaus
Class: Druid
Experience: 3520485254
Level: 99
Naked/Gear
Strength: 58/158
Dexterity: 20/38
Vitality: 487/487
Energy: 20/50
HP: 1181/1536
Mana: 216/327
Stamina: 638/638
Defense: 5/1653
AR: 70/162
Fire: 185/145/85
Cold: 133/93/33
Lightning: 187/147/87
Poison: 136/96/36
MF: 122 Block: 4
GF: 0
FR/W: 45
FHR: 0
IAS: 0
FCR: 99
Raven: 1/16
Oak Sage: 20/28
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/9
Summon Dire Wolf: 1/9
Summon Grizzly: 5/13
Firestorm: 20/36
Molten Boulder: 20/36
Arctic Blast: 1/16
Fissure: 20/36
Cyclone Armor: 1/16
Volcano: 20/36Equipment
Head: Ravenlore socketed with +4/-5 Fire Facet
Body: 'Enigma' Breast Plate
Belt: Arachnid's Mesh
Gloves: Magefist
Boots: Rare Boots (FR/LR/MF)
Main Weapon: 'HoTo' Flail
Main Shield: 'Phoenix' Monarch
Amulet:
Code:
Rune Collar
Amulet
Required Level: 89
Fingerprint: 0x8c7c3a41
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+9% Faster Cast Rate
+26 to Strength
+15 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 9%
Cold Resist +19%
Fire Resist +7%Switch: CtA (+6BO)/Spirit
Charms: 4 Elemental skillers, the rest are +life and/or +resist SCs
Mercenary:
Razan - Might (to speed up killing of FIs)
Head: Delerium
Body: CoH (Archon Plate)
Wep: Infinity (Eth GPA)
And for those who like them, here is a full dump (with some fat trimmed out, of course):
Code:
Name: Klaus
Class: Druid
Experience: 3520485254
Level: 99
Naked/Gear
Strength: 58/158
Dexterity: 20/38
Vitality: 487/487
Energy: 20/50
HP: 1181/1536
Mana: 216/327
Stamina: 638/638
Defense: 5/1653
AR: 70/162
Fire: 185/145/85
Cold: 133/93/33
Lightning: 187/147/87
Poison: 136/96/36
MF: 122 Block: 4
GF: 0
FR/W: 45
FHR: 0
IAS: 0
FCR: 99
Raven: 1/16
Poison Creeper: 0/0
Oak Sage: 20/28
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/9
Carrion Vine: 0/0
Heart of Wolverine: 0/0
Summon Dire Wolf: 1/9
Solar Creeper: 0/0
Spirit of Barbs: 0/0
Summon Grizzly: 5/13
Werewolf: 0/0
Lycanthropy: 0/0
Werebear: 0/0
Feral Rage: 0/0
Maul: 0/0
Rabies: 0/0
Fire Claws: 0/0
Hunger: 0/0
Shock Wave: 0/0
Fury: 0/0
Firestorm: 20/36
Molten Boulder: 20/36
Arctic Blast: 1/16
Fissure: 20/36
Cyclone Armor: 1/16
Twister: 0/0
Volcano: 20/36
Tornado: 0/0
Armageddon: 0/0
Hurricane: 0/0
Amber Small Charm of Shock
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x7ab246bb
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 3 Lightning Damage
Lightning Resist +11%
Natural Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x22b34a0f
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
Ocher Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x219e72dd
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +7%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Serpent's Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x885ee06e
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
+17 to Mana
Serpent's Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x640d68f3
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17 to Life
+13 to Mana
Crimson Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x6fad3b1a
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Fire Resist +4%
Amber Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x557a85f5
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Lightning Resist +10%
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x8c2871ae
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Ruby Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xe1077ab4
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +11%
Shimmering Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x429fc9d5
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +5
Garnet Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 20
Fingerprint: 0x46731b10
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+13 to Life
Fire Resist +8%
Cobalt Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xbd6d93c8
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Cold Resist +9%
Ruby Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xc89d3e3
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Fire Resist +10%
Stalwart Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x950fe38a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+24 Defense
+19 to Life
Shimmering Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x7d70f83f
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +5
Amber Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xe06fdce3
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +10%
Russet Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x627178b5
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Fire Resist +7%
Bronze Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xfd8d71f7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Attack Rating
+20 to Life
Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xf65c7929
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xb9a6a96e
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Viridian Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x580135c9
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life
Poison Resist +6%
Stout Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xf1eb8e33
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 Defense
+19 to Life
Natural Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xeae22165
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
+21 to Life
Tangerine Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x9a367106
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+18 to Life
Lightning Resist +4%
Natural Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x7fd6b992
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
Natural Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x46f50a9b
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x1f98aa63
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 to Life
Shimmering Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x90ce0a2e
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +5
Ravenlore
Sky Spirit
Defense: 361
Durability: 17 of 20
Required Level: 74
Required Strength: 113
Fingerprint: 0x7e5a6a7a
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 31 Meteor when you Die
+3 to Elemental Skills (Druid Only)
Adds 17 - 45 Fire Damage
-25% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+4% to Fire Skill Damage
+7 to Raven (Druid Only)
+132% Enhanced Defense
+30 to Energy
All Resistances +23
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Rainbow Facet
Rainbow Facet
Jewel
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0xeecb7948
Item Level: 94
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 31 Meteor when you Die
Adds 17 - 45 Fire Damage
-5% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+4% to Fire Skill Damage
Rune Collar
Amulet
Required Level: 89
Fingerprint: 0x8c7c3a41
Item Level: 91
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+9% Faster Cast Rate
+26 to Strength
+15 to Mana
Regenerate Mana 9%
Cold Resist +19%
Fire Resist +7%
Enigma
Breast Plate
JahIthBer
Defense: 827
Durability: 48 of 50
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0x6279614f
Item Level: 20
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+45% Faster Run/Walk
+1 to Teleport
+761 Defense
+74 to Strength (Based on Character Level)
Increase Maximum Life 5%
Damage Reduced by 8%
+14 Life after each Kill
15% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
99% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based on Character Level)
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Jah Rune
Socketed: Ith Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Rune Whorl
Ring
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0xdcd9c120
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Nova when struck
+10% Faster Cast Rate
Replenish Life +7
+66 to Mana
Fire Resist +20%
Nature's Peace
Ring
Required Level: 69
Fingerprint: 0xdccabeef
Item Level: 95
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Prevent Monster Heal
Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
Poison Resist +25%
Damage Reduced by 11
Level 5 Oak Sage (27/27 Charges)
Arachnid Mesh
Spiderweb Sash
Defense: 136
Durability: 12 of 12
Required Level: 80
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x49d4209c
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Slows Target by 10%
+117% Enhanced Defense
Increase Maximum Mana 5%
Level 3 Venom (11/11 Charges)
Viper Slippers
Greaves
Defense: 14
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0x95190ffe
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+7 to Dexterity
Heal Stamina Plus 25%
Lightning Resist +40%
Fire Resist +13%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
Magefist
Light Gauntlets
Defense: 25
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 23
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0xe66a9324
Item Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Fire Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Adds 1 - 6 Fire Damage
+30% Enhanced Defense
+10 Defense
Regenerate Mana 25%
Call to Arms
Double Axe
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 18 - 49
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x612eb2c2
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
279% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+2 to Battle Command
+6 to Battle Orders
+4 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune
Spirit
Monarch
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 140
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 86 of 86
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0x3d8ebc39
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+28% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+95 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+6 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Heart of the Oak
Flail
KoVexPulThul
One Hand Damage: 1 - 36
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 55
Required Strength: 31
Required Dexterity: 25
Fingerprint: 0xd2626073
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to All Skills
+40% Faster Cast Rate
+75% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
7% Mana stolen per hit
+10 to Dexterity
Replenish Life +20
Increase Maximum Mana 15%
All Resistances +37
Level 4 Oak Sage (25/25 Charges)
Level 14 Raven (60/60 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ko Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Pul Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Phoenix
Monarch
VexVexLoJah
Defense: 141
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 81 of 86
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 156
Fingerprint: 0x5ef44138
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
100% Chance to cast level 40 Blaze when you Level-Up
40% Chance to cast level 22 Firestorm on striking
Level 10 Redemption Aura When Equipped
384% Enhanced Damage
-28% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+354 Defense vs. Missile
+50 to Life
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
+10% to Maximum Fire Resist
+16 Fire Absorb
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Vex Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune
Socketed: Jah Rune
Mercenary:
Name: Razan
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Off-Nightmare
Experience: 114102228
Level: 98
Dead?: false
Naked/Gear
Strength: 209/209
Dexterity: 169/169
HP: 2287/2386
Defense: 1671/3596
AR: 2066/2066
Fire: 187/147/87
Cold: 187/147/87
Lightning: 187/147/87
Poison: 187/147/87
Delirium
Superior Death Mask
LemIstIo
Defense: 356
Durability: 15 of 20
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xcee8b25f
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
1% Chance to cast level 50 Delirium when struck
6% Chance to cast level 14 Mind Blast when struck
14% Chance to cast level 13 Terror when struck
11% Chance to cast level 18 Confuse on striking
+2 to All Skills
+10% Enhanced Defense
+261 Defense
+10 to Vitality
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 17 Attract (60/60 Charges)
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Lem Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Io Rune
Fortitude
Archon Plate
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1569
Durability: 44 of 60
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 103
Fingerprint: 0x7755a782
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+99 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +25
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: El Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Lo Rune
Infinity
Great Poleaxe
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 276 - 760
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 169
Required Dexterity: 89
Fingerprint: 0x5b01eb6f
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
300% Enhanced Damage
-45% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+49 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune--
The Journey
Now for some (how's THAT for an understatement!) notes on his journey to 99, and all the fun and frustration that befell him along the way!
As previously mentioned, he started as a pure fire druid from day 1. For anyone who hasn't played one before, this essentially means that he absolutely mowed his way through normal and nightmare, reaching Destroyer and Conqueror at 44 and 70, respectively. Upon reaching Hell, he decided on a whim to take a stroll through the Mausoleum and found himself a Jah. His next course of action was obvious; bee-line for LK and start hitting some chests!
Assembling the Gear
I thought since he had found a huge piece of Enigma so quickly that his stay in LK would be (relatively) short. In fact, in all my infinite wisdom I even had this to say about it:
His time in LK was... interesting. Both his first set of 1000 runs, as well as his 2nd set went by with nothing higher than an Ohm.
Then in the 3rd set run 2151 exceeded expectations and popped us a Ber rune! Klaus took that opportunity to take a break from LK, make an Enigma, HoTo(37 res), and CtA (+6 BO!) and move on questing. I didn't have a base for his eventual Infinity yet so it made sense to make some progress in terms of questing/levels while looking for one. He made it to Pindle at 79, got a few upgrades for the merc, and ran him exclusively until 90. At that point Klaus started mixing in AT runs in between bouts of Pindling, and was very happy he didn't abandon the guy completely when he made a game-changing find:
Shortly after this he hit 93 (giving him the magical 'time-to-start-crafting' level) in the AT and found a base for Infinity (and another Ravenlore!) so it was time to head back to LK.
Picking up where he left off he finished the 3rd set of 1k runs, as well as the fourth AND the fifth without finding a single Sur. The law of averages finally caught up with him and in the sixth set he got not one, not two, but THREE Surs. Then, finally, on run 6497 he got his final Sur. Not so bad on my prediction after all, huh?
At this point he made Infinity, Fortitude, and Delerium for the merc, did some crafting and some general charm adjustments and headed for the Tunnels.
Turning attention to XP
With fire as his only element, his options for XP were limited. The only real efficient target pre-97 turned out to be the Ancient Tunnels, so that's where he lived. He hit 94, participated in an MFO which got him to 95 (placing third), FINALLY found an Arachnid's Mesh just before 96. XP was slowing down now, but despite testing all sorts of options, AT reigned supreme until 97.
From here his path diverged a little bit and I found out that doing Diablo runs was actually more efficient (and runnable!) at this stage. I ran D until about 3.00B XP, and after finding back-to-back Ber runes Klaus made himself his final big piece of equipment.
A massive re-gear ensued and I kitted him out for full survival mode. He continued to run Diablo (p1/p7 runs) until about 97.2, at which point I could no longer resist the allure of Nihlathak's increased XP rates. One final re-gear and it was time to settle in for 17k runs of mr pasty.
The Final Level (plus some extra)
Nihlathak runs were, for the most part, extremely safe. Even with 5k+ life and maxed resistances it could still turn sour quite quickly, most notably in Oak Sage bit it. The first stint of running him taught me that, as well as the lesson of 'don't be a hero'. Don't try to teleport out of a pack of snakes, don't be stubborn and think you can rejuv your way out of it. Just S+E and live to fight another day. Funnily enough the final level has the least amount to talk about, really. For those curious, I laid out a general strategy of what Nihl running is like with a Fire druid:
That about covers it really. Soon enough he had hit 97.5 (with another NDE) and then he officially made it to the final level. By now I had hit my stride with nihl runs, so they generally became safer. 98.1 gave him a Ber and Ohm, meaning he had already surpassed Eleanor's runecount from her entire Nihl-running experience. He followed that up with a Jah+Sur in the next 10%, and slowly plodded along hitting 98.3, 98.4, and then crossed the 3.4B border and hit 98.6. It took him all the way to 98.7 to find his first +skill ring (which he couldn't use anyway, due to fcr breakpoints) and then made his last big push to 98.8, where he cashed in his Ancients reward to put him within sight of the finish line. He participated in the Mini-RFL running (obviously) in the Nihlathak category, and that carried him through to the end.
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ROONZ!
Everybody always wants to know how many runes you can find when taking a character to 99, so here is a breakdown of the Pul+ rocks Klaus found along the way.
First, organized by where he found them:
Code:
Mausoleum:
Jah x 1
LK:
Pul x 6
Um x 2
Mal x 8
Ist x 3
Gul x 2
Vex x 4
Ohm x 4
Sur x 4
Ber x 1
AT:
Pul x 4
Um x 2
Mal x 2
Ist x 2
Gul x 2
Vex x 1
Lo x 1
CS/Diablo:
Ber x 2
Nihl:
Pul x 3
Um x 3
Mal x 1
Ist x 1
Gul x 2
Vex x 2
Ohm x 2
Lo x 1
Sur x 2
Ber x 3
Jah x 2
Other (questing): Pul x 1And then, a final tally:
Code:
Pul: 14
Um: 7
Mal: 11
Ist: 6
Gul: 6
Vex: 7
Ohm: 6
Lo: 2
Sur: 6
Ber: 6
Jah: 3Rundrop Grail -2. Not bad.
Final thoughts:
- That's a lot of life. Usually way more than I needed, but sometimes just barely enough. It's a bit of a strange dichotomy, but I had nothing else to spend the stat points on (definitely not going max block with a Monarch) so I never felt like I was sacrificing other things to get a high life pool.
- NDES; I had a few both in LK and Nihlathak runs. As mentioned before they mostly happen when Oak Sage dies, so you really have to pay attention to that little guy.
- He found three Ravenlores. THREE. One from Pindle, one from AT, and one from Nihl. Luckily, the very first one was the best of the bunch so his socket quest was well-used.
- His Hellforge was a pitiful Lum
- He ended up being right on track according to the numbers in his LK adventures, but going 5k runs without a Sur, and then finding 3 within 350 runs of each other was a bit of a rollercoaster. RNG, you little devil.
- Grail sits at 433, which I'm quite happy with since he didn't do much dedicated MFing other than that one MFO he participated in. That's 4 shy of what Eleanor did, btw.
Future Plans:
Not quite sure, really. I might use him as a cow runner during future RFLs if I want to get some HC runes to deed with other chars, but other than that I think he'll mostly just enjoy some well-needed rest.
Special thanks as always to the Untwinked 99er crowd for all the help theorycrafting, and all the encouragement along the way! Everyone in the thread from the old runners to the new, thank you for the encouragement, help, and willingness to listen to my ramblings along the way. I feel compelled to give special shoutouts to the following individuals:
@PhineasB @ffs @T72on1 - Staples of the thread. So much encouragement, theorycrafting, and sanity checks. Couldn't have done it without your encouragement.
@RIP - Kaira was Klaus' main running-mate in HC for a good chunk of his journey, she provided much motivation and encouragement along the way, I hope Klaus did her proud.
Of course, thank you to everyone in the SPF. None of this would happen without any of you.
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