The tail of two Wolves

LouB · Aug 24, 2023

Rather than simply post Pat threads, I’ve decided to do a thread of their full journey. I enjoy the build process and trying various gear along the way. For those that are only interest in the story end you’re going to have to wait awhile as the boys have just entered Nightmare.

After finishing my Bonemancer and finally the Druid Hunter I started casting about for another project. I thought about a wind or fire druid or a Poisonmancer, but I decided that I really wanted to finish a Fury druid. I’d started one 15+ years ago and couldn’t get beyond Hell Act 3. I realize now he didn’t have the best equipment, wasn’t spec’d or played right and was using a Rogue merc with poor equipment.

I started looking through the gear specifically for the + druid skill weapons and my eyes were drawn to Earth Shifter and I wondered how others had used this weapon. So, off to the Mat/Pat thread and I found Liquid Evil’s Earth shifter druid that combines a Fury wolf and Armageddon. A twofer – a wolf and an elemental druid.

D2R throws another option into the mix. When Liquid Evil wrote the guide the only elemental skill that could be cast in wolf form was Armageddon, but D2R also allows Hurricane to be cast in Wolf form. So, you can either make a Fire or Wind wolf.

Going the wind route requires 20 less points to maximize giving me those 20 points to do something else. However, Hurricane only does cold damage and my understanding is it’s more defensive, while Armageddon does both fire and physical damage. Having never done a wind Druid I decided to experiment a little and respected an old Druid and made him a wind wolf. As with a real hurricane there is an eye where no damage is done and that’s where the wolf must be when attacking. As a result, I decided to stick with Armageddon. Thus, was born Jack, as in Wolfman Jack. Oh, and how many of you are old enough to have listened to him on the radio?

For the Merc I was thinking about a Rogue using Faith or possibly Wrath, an Act 2 Desert Warrior using Infinity or Reapers or the Frenzy Barbarian wielding Lawbringer plus something else. Thinking back to my first Wolf I decided that I didn’t want him to be the only meat shield and knowing that I was already splitting skill trees I didn’t want to also be putting points into a third. That meant the Act 2 or 5 merc and I decided to go with the Act 2 merc wielding Infinity and we will find out how many unbreakable PI/FI monsters are in Hell.

Thinking through the reasons for not using the Rogue made me realize that there was a second Fury Druid that I wanted to build and see if I could get it right. This one would use the cold Rogue with a Faith or Wrath bow and would be surrounded by a pack of wolves. I’d also use Metamorphosis for a helm. To be able to put a point in werebear and make the Dire Wolves strong enough I’ll skim some points from Feral Rage. Thus, was born Lobo the Pack leader and this tale of two wolves’ thread.

I’m going to alternate them through each act so that I can better compare them at each stage of the build. While Jack will follow Liquid Evils build closely, Lobo will try out multiple gear options and it will be interesting to see how much the final gear differs.

Play will be at level 8 for Normal and Nightmare and we will see what happens in Hell.

Skills and Gear Initial plan

Jack

Will follow Liquid Evil’s build with additional points going into Lycanthropy. I know that the speed leveling for a Druid is to play as a Fire druid, but this is the tale of two wolves thus I will play as a wolf from the beginning. Also, since I am going to end up using the Earth Shifter I might as well play using a two-handed weapon as much as possible. Playing the wolf means that until gaining Armageddon at level 30, Jack should be a little weaker than Lobo.

skills

20 Fury
20 Armageddon
20 Firestorm
20 Volcano
1 to Werewolf, Lycanthropy, Feral Rage and Rabies

Liquid Evil says zero points in dexterity. You are using a two-handed weapon so no blocking and hence you don’t need dexterity. However, Dexterity also effects the chance to hit a monster and you really want to reliably be able to hit them. I’ve got to think about AR more for Jack than for Lobo. Werewolf, Feral Rage, and Fury all give bonuses to AR and Lobo is going to have a lot of points in all three plus Fanaticism from Faith that chance to hit shouldn’t be an issue for him. However, that’s not necessarily the case for Jack since I will only have 1 hard point in Werewolf and Feral Rage. With fewer points in the shape shifting tree and no Heart of the Wolverine spirit I now really understand why Liquid Evil was so enamored with Enchant from Demon Limb.

His end gear equipment

Weapon: Earth Shifter 69 Will need a socket and a Shael
Switch: Demonlimb 63 or HoTo and ‘Spirit' Monarch
Helm: Jalal's Mane 42
Armor: Chains of Honor 65
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp 76 or Laying of Hands 63
Belt: Thundergod's Vigor 47 or Arachnid's Mesh 80
Boots: Gore Riders 47
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath 65 or Mara's Kaleidoscope 67
Rings: Ravenfrost 45 plus rare 67 or BKWB 58

Lobo

will be a lot different both in skill distribution and equipment.

Raven: 1
Summon Spirit Wolf: 5
Summon Dire Wolf: 14
Werewolf: 20
Lycanthropy: 20
Werebear: 1
Feral Rage: 15
Rabies: 1
Fury: 20

I’ve decided to go without Heart of the Wolverine as level 15 Fanaticism from Faith is about the same as level 15 HOW and the Rogue will die less than the spirit and that’s points that I can spend elsewhere.

Gear wise this is going to be lot of trial and error. About the only given at this point is Metamorphosis. I already have a 3-socket wolf pelt with +3 to Fury, but hopefully I’ll find something even better along the way. Oh, I’m also open to a trade if someone has something better. I think that the ideal would be +3 to Fury, +3 to Lycanthropy and maybe a point to werebear or maul to save from spending a point.

Lobo is not constrained by the no points in Dexterity as Jack is, but I’m going to do it with Lobo too. He should have plenty of AR without adding to dexterity, but keeping dexterity low also limits weapons choices. Looking at probable gear choices I see very little help on the dex side. As a result, he is basically limited to axes, clubs, and hammers (which includes mauls). I may be able to add Bonehew and Tomb Reaver into the mix via the use of a Hel rune.

I have very little experience with two handed weapons as my usual mantra is speed kills. So, by going with two-handed axes and hammers I will get a chance to do something different. I’d would like to see what coupling a Phoenix shield with Oath or Grief in a one-handed axe does.

One thought is the IK maul with 4 other pieces of the IK set will give me magic, poison, lightning, and cold damage which should offset not having something to break physical immunities. Other weapons that I want to try are WindHammer, Executioner’s Justice, Tomb Reaver.

Normal
Both Wolves cruised through Normal with no problems. Best find in Normal Lobo got a 298% ED Ribcracker from Baal.

Act 1

1 point in Werewolf, Lycanthropy, Ferral Rage, Firestorm, Molten Boulder, and Fissure at required level. Other skill points only used to put a point into prerequisites on the way to Fury and Armageddon.
Usually adding 3 points to strength and 2 to vitality.
I played him untwinked till level 12 at which point
WEAPON: Angelic Sickle
OFF-Hand: Pelta Lunata
HELM: Superior Hawk Helm +3 Lycanthropy, +3 Werewolf, +1 Firestorm, 2 sockets
ARMOR: Angelic Mantle
GLOVES: Death’s Hand
BELT: Death’s Guard
BOOTS: Cow Kings Hooves (level 13)
AMULET: Angelic Wings
RINGS: Angelic Halo, Cathan’s Seal

At level 19 switched to The Chieftan

Killed Andariel at level 20. Absolutely no problems with Act 1.

To try and speed things up I started twinking earlier than level 12. I was going to use the Death’s Touch sword but the required dexterity of 45 put it out of reach, but I did equip the other two pieces of the Death’s set and Biggins Bonnet.
Alternating skill points between Werewolf and Lycanthropy and tending to hold off putting points into strength unless needed for equipment.
Level 10 and I equipped the Axe of Fechmar. Love how everything shatters. Also equipped the Hawk helm with +3 Werewolf and +2 Lycanthropy. The 30% ED from Biggin’s Bonnet does more damage than the +3 to Werewolf. Also equipped a Nagelring with 27% MF.
Level 12 equipped the armor, ring, and amulet from the Angelic set. MF is now 77%. Moved Biggin’s Bonnet to the rogue and gave her the Artic Horn bow. Put a point into Feral Rage.
Found a wolf pelt in the Underground passage that has +2 to Spirit wolves. Gave it a try and now have 3 wolves in my pack. I wasn’t intending to spend any point in the summons till much later, Nightmare or even Hell, but decided to put a point into Ravens and the 2 wolves as soon as possible.
Level 13, 1 point into Ravens and equipped Cow Kings Hooves. MF is up to 102%.
Lobo finished Act 1 at level 19.5 and equipped him with The Chieftain. I think most of that difference is that Jack ran the cave three or four times trying to get Cold Crow to drop a TC3.

First thought is that I’m not going to like the short duration of the wolf state on Jack. However I’ve been playing my Wolfbarb for a long time and he only has a skill level of 15 on the Werewolf and Lycanthropy when he transitions to a wolf and he stays a wolf for 360 seconds. So, wolf duration for Jack will be less than for Lobo, but eventually it should be around what I’m used to from ARGH my Wolfbarb.
Two of the monsters that I usually have problems with in normal are Coldcrow and Pitspawn Fouldog because I usually am not equipped with can’t be frozen gear this early in normal. However, with the Death set sash I couldn’t be frozen and neither of these monsters posed a problem.
Very nice finds, for act 1 Normal that is. Jack found Cleglaw’s Pincers, Death’s Guard, Death Hand, Artic Binding, The Hand of Broc, Pelta Lunata, Civerb’s Icon, three Cleglaw’s Claws. Biggin’s Bonnet and a Nagelring (16%MF). Lobo found Artic Furs, Hsarus’ Iron Fist, Infernal Cranium, Cleglaw’s Claw. All of which are TC3s. Not as good as Jack, but between the two of them I found 8 of the 23 TC3 items.
I do like having the wolves as they did help to speed up play a little.

Act 2

Put Twitchthroe on the Merc.
Level 25 - Switched the Angelic Armor for Stealth, tried Brainhew and it does less damage than the Chieftain. Then tried Bonesnap (296% ED) and it is a huge improvement.
Made a Spirit Dimensional blade for the switch, should have used a Crystal sword as neither one is going to get to a dexterity of 60 for a LONG time!
Put Stormstrike on the Rogue. Wanted to try the Edge runeword, but didn’t have any 3 socket bows around this level. All were higher or much lower.
Lobo finished Act 2 at level 28 with zero problems. Don’t think I even took a single health potion.

Hired a Blessed Aim merc and equipped him with Biggin’s Bonnet, Twitchthroe and Bloodthief. He can kill something, but he is slow moving and I’m leaving him in the dust.
At level 25 equipped a Bonesnap (290% ED).
Finished Act 2 at level 28 with zero problem.

Act 3

Equipped The spirit Shroud on Lobo. Went back to my Atma stashes and found a three socket Rune bow and made Edge for the Rogue. It’s interesting with the level 15 thorns providing a little more damage to the wolves.
Level 30 and put 1 into Fury. Time for some experimenting. Switched out the Death’s gloves and belt for the IK gloves and belt. In doing so I’ve gained strength and resistances, but I’ve given up 30% IAS. I can gain 20% IAS back by switching the armor to Twitchthroe, but then I can be frozen and I lose +1 To skills.
An interesting Sewer layout. I can never remember finding the entrance to the second level in the middle. It’s always been on the outside.
The 30% IAS from the two Death’s set items really made the weapon speed 10 items like Bonesnap reasonable. However, removing the 30% does make it seem slow. Of course, for the previous 6 levels I’d been playing with a -10 weapon. Also, there’s the fact that I’m not struggling with the two level 6 items, so I don’t need to change anything. However, what I decided is to keep the Death’s set items and the Spirit Shroud, but to spend most of the points I had saved to get my strength to 124 and equip an Honor War Cub. A lot more damage than Bonesnap.
Finished Act 3 at level 32 and again had absolutely no issues.

Finally reached level 30 and put points into Armageddon and Fury. Because I saved skills, I can put a point in each until level 37. Armageddon is powerful, but I need to learn how best to use it. When you cast the wolf stops and goes through a casting motion. As a result, there is a period when he isn’t doing anything. I don’t want to get into the middle of a scrum before casting it. Obviously not great for single target. So, see a group, cast Armageddon, and wade in.
Just before killing the Council in Travincal I switched out the Angelic items for a Sprit Shroud, The Eye of Etlitch and a rare ring.
Finished Act 3 at level 32 with no problems. I don’t think either Jack or Lobo have taken a health potion since getting Feral Rage.
I’ve got a Honor Lance waiting for Jack’s merc who just needs to get his dexterity to 88. Even though it only requires level 27 the merc isn’t anywhere close to the dexterity requirement. To get him there for the beginning of Act 4 I’ll equip him with Twitchthroe and Isenhart’s Horns. I bet not many use Isenhart’s helm at all, let alone on a merc.

Got thinking about IAS on gloves and did a little research. The mod on magic and rare gloves for 20% IAS requires level 35. The exception is Sander’s Taboo which only requires level 28. Maybe that’s why the name Taboo?
Among the Sets and Uniques there are eight gloves that grant 20 to 30% IAS, three of them as a bonus for equipping a second set item and all three of them at very low levels.
Sigon’s gage plus another item 30% level 6
Death’s Hand and another item 30% level 6
Iratha’s Cuff and another item 20% level 15
Sander’s Taboo 20% level 28
Magnus’ Skin 20% level 37
Lava Gout 20% level 42
Laying of Hands 20% level 63
IK gloves 25% level 76 as you must equip all 6 items

Act 4

I’m going to make a few changes at the start of the Act 4 and will equip IK belt and boot, Sanders’s gloves, and the Eye of Etlitch. I went with Sanders’s gloves over the IK gloves because they give 20% IAS.
Act 4 went quickly and jumped to level 35.
I was a little concerned that removing the Death set gloves and belt would slow him down significantly, but the 20% IAS from Sander’s gloves was enough that I didn’t notice the difference. Thinking about the next armor upgrade one thought was switching to Spirit forge and dropping in a couple of Jewels of Fervor, but that isn’t necessary. I also don’t see the need for Shaftstop for the damage reduction and life given the way both have been going. I think the next change will be to Skulder’s at level 42 for the MF and then Rain at level 49.

Realized that I had Treads of Cthon on. Switched them out for Infernostride.
Zero problems. I was finally able to get the Honor Lance on the Merc his damage went from 78-135 to 220-748. I’ve handicapped Jack in that I have left him using Bonesnap instead of sharing the Honor War Club between the two. As a result, it took him a little longer to kill Diablo and the merc died. I also ended up taking a purple pot to stay on the safe side while killing Diablo.
Jack ended Act 4 at level just shy of 35.5 while Lobo is just shy of 35.3

From my Wolfbarb I’ve had Feral Rage on the right mouse button so that I don’t have to target individual monsters. However, now that I have both Feral Rage and Fury, I moved Feral Rage to the left button and put Fury on the right. Now I target individual monsters to hit with Feral Rage and once the charge is big enough just hold down the left button for Fury and move the cursor around.

Act 5

Lobo and Jack continue to crush it. Both have gone from 35 to 42 while clearing through the Crystalline Passage and the Frozen River.
Time to do some gear changes. For both I put on switch I put Fleshrender and Lidless wall, which now give me +3 to shapeshifting. Equipped Jalal’s Mane and Skulder’s Ire.
For Lobo this means his pack is now the max of 5 and 3. On the rogue I switched the Edge Rune bow for a Harmony Ashwood bow with +3 to Bow skills. Edge is a low level Runeword, but I think that the thorns from the Edge bow were helpful. However, Harmony is a much more powerful bow and Vigor has everyone moving faster.
For Jack with the gear on switch he is now level 11 when casting Werewolf. On the Desert warrior I put Vampire Gaze and Iron Pelt.
Jack couldn’t find the Glacial Trail waypoint, but made 45 just clearing the trail. Lobo found the waypoint, but had to go on the Frozen Tundra and clear part of it to reach 45. As a reward each gets a Raven Frost and two plain skillers.
I was going to try Boneslayer Blade, but the dexterity level is twice what mine currently is. Given that the average damage is less that the Honor war club it’s not worth spending the points.
Lobo finished Normal at level 48.4. Absolutely zero problems. Didn’t take a single health potion. Baal was very generous a 298% ED Ribcracker and a Chieftain.
Jack finished Normal at level 49, but Baal didn’t give him anything worthwhile.

WEAPON: Honor War Club
Switch: Fleshrender/Wall of the Eyeless
OFF-Hand: None
HELM: Jalal’s Mane
AMULET: The Eye of Etlich
RINGS: Raven Frost / Manald Heal
Jack Lobo
ARMOR: Spirit Shroud Skulder’s Ire
GLOVES: Lava Gout Sander’s Taboo
BELT: ThunderGod’s IK Detail
BOOTS: Gore Riders IK Pillar

Rogue – Liene Cold
Biggin’s Bonnet
Twitchthroe
Harmony Superior Ashwood Bow +3 Bow skills, 223% ED

Dessert Warrior – Durga Blessed Aim
Vampire Gaze
Iron Pelt
Honor Superior Lance

SirName · Aug 25, 2023

You should put Jacks Spirit in an Aegis. Just because you can.

Looking forward to seeing updates on the guys journey.

Why the code blocks in spoilers btw? Atleast for me on the phone some serious back and forth sidescrolling is needed to read the contents.

LouB · Aug 25, 2023

Spirit is so easy to make I would if I had a 4 Socket Aegis!

I thought I would be saving space, but I don't like all the text in code either. I will do some editing.

LouB · Aug 25, 2023

Sometimes I’m very slow and must relearn what I thought I already knew! I knew that Werewolf grants an increase to attack speed, but forgot to factor that in when I was thinking about IAS on gloves. As with any melee attack Weapon speed and any IAS on the weapon are the critical factors, the IAS from Werewolf and other gear can only do so much. By the time I’d gotten into the 30s and especially with Lobo, the glove IAS wasn’t really doing anything.

NIGHTMARE
Act 1
I alternated Lobo and Jack switching at Cain's Rescue with Lobo going first.

Lobo gets IK Gloves, a rare amulet with +2 to shape shifting and Fire and poison resists, a rare ring with 5% LL and Mana. He also gets a Blood tree Stump War Club with a Shael rune. The rogue gets Duress armor.

Before taking on Andariel I switched the Rogue’s armor to a Hustle. I didn’t pay enough attention to notice if it made any difference.

No problems during the Act. A couple of times in the catacombs I took a health potion to restore health after taking down a bunch of Skeletons. Andariel caused his life bulb to bounce up and down between half and full a couple of times, but no real problem.

Lobo finished Act 1 at level 53.2.

Jack will share the Bloodtree Stump. He also gets Rain Armor and a +3-shape shifting +5 min damage Amulet and a rare ring. I’m not in love with the Rain armor as it’s aimed more to a caster with over 100 to mana. I did it for the +1 to skills.

Jack rescued Cain just shy of level 50. However, he has taken seral hits that put a dent in his life bulb and one dropped him to a quarter. A little analysis found that he was now running with zero life leach when before with Honor and the Eye of Etlich he was at 12%. Lobo dropped from 12% to 5% and that seems adequate to keep the bulb full. Switched Jack to a ring that had 3% and that seems almost adequate.

Jack also had no real issues with Act 1. He got a Lum rune from the Countess. Cast Armageddon and watched all the meteors crash onto Andariel. She went down very quickly. On Andariel’s death Jack reached level 53.

Went back and rooted through my old Atma stashes and found a ring with 6% LL, some dex and fire and some minor resistances and that works much better for Jack.

Also found a better ring for Lobo that has 5% Life leach, cold resists and 14 to Dexterity. His dex is now at 83, which is enough to equip Bonehew someday.

The ring updates were a good idea, but how soon we forget! When I equipped the Honor War Club, I realized that I didn’t Feral Rage for the life leach, but I was a little worried that I would get complacent and forget to use it. Well that only took 20 levels!

The plan was to use Feral rage on the left button for a few hits and then switch to Fury on the right button for the higher damage. This way I get the life leach, AR increase and FRW of Feral Rage. Lobo has been spoiled because of the 12% life leach from the Honor war club and The eye of Etlich plus the Vigor aura from the Harmony bow. As a result, he didn’t need Feral Rage. While Jack could have used the FRW he got dragged along with just using Fury. At some point I’ve got to get used to using Feral rage again to be the most effective Wolf.

On a related note, unlike some of the guides recommendations, Lobo does not need to dump 20 points into Feral Rage for it to be effective. My original plan of 15 is also too much. My Wolfbarb is restricted to Feral Rage as his primary attack and his base Feral Rage is only a 5 and level 9 with the + skills I have. Given that Lobo will have between 6 and 10 +skill points I don’t see the need in adding more than 5 hard points into Feral Rage. With 11 points into Feral Rage that would give me 100% to damage, 120% AR, and depending on the number of charges between 4 to 32% life steal, and between 19 to 47% FRW.

Honor
War Club
AmnElIthTirSol
Two Hand Damage: 137 - 202
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 124
Fingerprint: 0xc21dedae
Item Level: 77
Version: Resurrected
+1 to All Skills
160% Enhanced Damage
+250 to Attack Rating
+150% Damage to Undead
7% Life stolen per hit
25% Deadly Strike
+10 to Strength
Replenish Life +10
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius
5 Sockets (5 used)

Honor
Superior Lance
AmnElIthTirSol
Two Hand Damage: 72 - 305
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 110
Required Dexterity: 88
Fingerprint: 0x16b70c63
Item Level: 96
Version: Resurrected
+1 to All Skills
168% Enhanced Damage
+250 to Attack Rating
7% Life stolen per hit
25% Deadly Strike
+10 to Strength
Replenish Life +10
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius
Increase Maximum Durability 15%
5 Sockets (5 used)

Act 2
I had both Jack and Lobo kill Radament.

Before Lobo went further, I made two changes on the Rogue I switched the Hustle armor for Treachery and Biggin’s Bonnet for a Delerium Tiara. She shoots more and the Delirium gives crowd control that’s been missing. There were a mass of skeleton mages and archers in the cellars and I wasn’t paying attention and the rogue had her first death.

Lobo has been cruising. He found a Ko rune in the Arcane Sanctuary and a second in Tal Rash’s tomb.

I did forget to try a Ribcracker at level 31. Out of curiosity I reequipped the Honor War Club and then a Ribcracker. The damage from Honor was far more than the Ribcracker. I almost forgot to try the upped Ribcracker, but equipped it just in time to start the Canyon of the Magi. Bloodtree stump did 1522-2331 damage while the Ribby does 2924-4456. So, if he was cruising before the Ribby put him in overdrive.

Duriel was very generous, two unique and three rare items. Lobo finished Act 2 at level 60.3.

Since Lobo is at level 60 that also means that I can experiment with Grief and Oath.

Oath is easy. Initially I thought that I’d want it in an ethereal Champion axe. However, because I don’t have one, I looked at all the two-hand axes and realized that the Silver-edged axe is the best choice from a combination of speed and average damage. Even better, I have two eth Silver-edged axes in an Atma stash. It will get me to 5/5/5/5/9 versus the 5/5/5/5/8 of the Champion axe or the Shaeled upped Ribby and the average damage of the base axe is 10 higher than a Champion axe.

Well, the Oath turned out as 307% ED on the first roll and I’ll stick with it. The LCS says that the Fury damage is 3349-6022. Also, because it’s in an Ethereal base it has a lower requirement which means that Jack doesn’t have to wait till level 59. I'm thinking about the second axe I have and seeing if it rolls better.

I think I’ll pass on the grief for now. I would have to cube some runes for the Lo and I would get one shot. With my luck it will roll with low IAS and low added damage which would not be as effective.

I have an eth Scourge with 317% ED and the max damage is close, but isn’t quite as high as the Ribby. However, the min damage with the scourge is just so far below the Ribby’s that the average damage just doesn’t compare. Now, if I wait till level 65 and equip the Phoenix shield that might change.

Oath
Silver-edged Axe
ShaelPulMalLum
Two Hand Damage: 378 - 671
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 156
Required Dexterity: 55
Fingerprint: 0x2e1627bf
Item Level: 84
Version: Resurrected
30% Chance to cast level 20 Bone Spirit on striking
Indestructible
+50% Increased Attack Speed
307% Enhanced Damage
+75% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
Prevent Monster Heal
+10 to Energy
Magic Absorb 14%
Level 16 Heart of Wolverine (20/20 Charges)
Level 17 Iron Golem (14/14 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)

Jack had to dump 1 point into dexterity to wield the Oath axe, otherwise no gear changes. He cruised through the rest of Act 2 and finished at 60.3. Thanks to Armageddon he had an easier time with all the skeletons in the cellars.

I went with a Blessed Aim merc in Normal and decided not to change him in Nightmare for a Might or Holy freeze Merc. The appearance is that he isn’t really contributing since Blessed Aim’s effect is not apparent while the Vigor from the Rogue is very apparent. However, appearances aren't everything.

LouB · Aug 26, 2023

Act 3 Death Hurts

All was going great until Jack died in level 1 of the Durance to a combination of Stygian dolls, fire walls and me getting fancy and trying to let Armageddon do all the killing. I was a little worried about his resistances and his life and was almost to the point ending the run after reaching level 63 and then killing the Council, but decided to press on and at least get to the waypoint. I recovered the body and did get to the waypoint on level 2 and reached level 64 on the way. He did find a Lum rune on the jungle.

Switched out Lava Gout gloves for Laying of Hands and switched out Rain for Chains of Honor. The resist issue is now fixed with everything being 75% and lightning at 85%. Also, with the 20 to strength from CoH I can equip Earth Shifter without adding any more strength. I spent 20 of the 30 saved stat points into Vitality and now Jack’s wolf life is 1231. I’ve also started using Demon limb to cast Enchant as a buff before turning into a wolf.

Finished clearing level 2 of the Durance and the dolls are no longer a problem. No problem the rest of the way through Act 3. Mephisto’s drop was normal for me – all junk.

Also, time to fix up the Merc with Infinity and Fortitude for Act 4.

Lobo had gotten to the Kurast Bazaar waypoint before Jack started level 3 and reached level 62. I learned my lesson with Jack and decided to spend most of the unused stat point 4 to life and 1 to strength. His life is now over 1600. Also, along the trek to Travincal I found a Ruby grand charm of life (26% FR and 14 life) that moved my fire resistance to 75%. So, while those pesky little dolls hurt, he never came close to dying. I found a Lum rune, a Dwarf star in the Durance and Mephisto dropped two set and two unique items. While none of them were big items for me just getting 4 S&U items from him was big.

Lobo finished the act at level 64.5.

Act 4

Jack had to go first to try out the Infinity Thresher and it didn’t disappoint. To bad I didn’t set a timer because it was a quick romp. I didn’t bother even trying to use the Demon Limb. Between Infinity and Armageddon Jack was able to clear the CS faster since he didn’t have to hit everything. Poor drops from Diablo who didn’t last long at all.

A Ko from the Hell Forge. Jack finished at level 67.6.

Lobo swapped the Skulder’s Ire for Chains of Honor. Decided I wasn’t that interested in Magic finding with this guy. Act 4 was also a quick romp for Lobo. Just not quite as fast as Jack. The Rogue was able to equip Faith and it adds almost 1000 to Lobo’s max damage.

A Shael rune from the Hell Forge.

All along both Jack and Lobo have been outrunning there Mercs. That nothing new especially for the Act 2 Merc. However now it also means that they are outrunning Conviction and Fanaticism. So far they really don't need the help, but that will probably change in Hell.

Challenge 1 : A blatant request for a better base. Anyone got a base that's better than my 3 socket +3 Fury pelt for Metamorphosis?

Challenge: Counting the skill granted to a Merc how many class skills can one Merc have? I can get to 5 on one class and 4 on another.

maxicek · Aug 26, 2023

Liquid’s ego would swell to planet devouring size with so many name checks

Nice pun in the title too, looking forward to following this.

I also agree with no dexterity. A Steel GC or two will make much more difference. Hsaurus’ belt and boots is also interesting, especially as you can up the belt these days.

LouB · Aug 28, 2023

Now that Lobo is at level 67 it’s time to investigate using a Phoenix shield with a one-hand weapon. First up is the Oath eth Scourge. Combined with Phoenix it does almost 400 more max damage, but the problem is that the average damage is 1500 lower. I like the benefits of Phoenix, but that difference in damage is too much. I also looked at my Beast Berserker axe and my Death War Spike. Neither comes close even with the 391% ED that my Phoenix offers, and both are slower weapons. So, no Phoenix for Lobo.

Nightmare Act 5

Lobo got a new amulet and a ring.

Entropy Wing
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0x5b4a51c4
Item Level: 91
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
All Resistances +17
Fire Resist +35%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
19% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Death Hold
Ring
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x88dedf07
Item Level: 81
Version: Resurrected
+40 to Attack Rating
8% Life stolen per hit
+24 to Life
Lightning Resist +16%
Fire Resist +9%

Lobo found a Lum in the Bloody Foothills and a Fal in Abaddon. In the Frozen River he found an Ethereal Felloak Club. You don’t see many ethereal TC3 items in late Nightmare. On second thought you don’t see many anywhere! He also found a Saphire GC of Substance (+32 life and 30% cold resists) and a Shimmering SC of Life (+5 all resistances and +5 life)

A Ko rune in the Halls of Anguish.

Lobo has killed Nihlathak and is now level 71.9. I’ve now tried Hellslayer and Messerschmidt’s Reaver. Neither one comes close to the Eth Oath Silver-edged axe. Looking at the Stats of Ethereal Edge it won’t either. That Leaves Executioner’s Justice that I will have to try because of the ctc decrepify. I’d have to put a socket in it and add a Shael rune to get to 6/6/6/6/9.

An interesting mix in the Icy cellar. Gloams, Succubus and Frenzytaurs. First pack of Frenzytaurs I’ve run into. The lasted a bit longer than anything else, but nothing to worry about.

The Ancients went down. The wolves did their job of keeping Korlic busy while I killed Talic, then Madawc. I didn’t even lose a wolf.

Now level 73 and along the way I’ve put a point into Werebear and Maul for once I get Metamorphosis equipped and I point into Grizzly for the for the extra damage for my wolves. I’ve decided that at this point not to put more than the 1 hard point into Feral Rage as I haven’t had to use it.

Another Lum in WSK level 1.

And Lobo has finished Act 5 at level 74.8.

The Rogue has final gotten her dexterity to 187 and I can equip the Wrath bow that I made in a +2 bow Matriarch Bow. Just in time to tr it in Hell. I could have switched out the Delirium tiara for Crown of Thieves and equipped it much earlier, but I didn’t want to lose the crowd control of Confuse. It is helpful in some areas like the WSK where there can be big crowds of monsters.

Switched the magic amulet for Mara’s

Ugh, the Bloody Foothills and Highlands were full of Skeleton Archers. Lots of health and purple pots swallowed, but no real problems. Abaddon even had some dolls. Have reached level 69 in the Arreat Plateau and have equipped Earth Shifter after using the socket quest and putting a Shael in it.

Max Fury damage on the Earth Shifter is a little higher than the Oath Axe, but the min is much lower. The average damage is 3950 versus 5050 for Oath. Ah, but that’s only part of the damage which is the idea of this build. Armageddon is at level 33 and according to the LCS is doing 4312 to 4821 fire damage. The average fire damage is 666 to 677 per second. Also, the synergies are not yet maxed. All you must do is hit the cast button every few seconds and you get both at the same time.

Found a Mal Rune in the Crystalline passage, a Pul in the Frozen River and a Fal in the Glacial Trail, a Lum in the Halls of Pain.

Nihlathak is dead and Jack is level 72.

Ran into a Frenzytaur boss pack in the Icy cellar and ended up needing a couple of rejuvs. This is where the lower life boost from having only 1 hard point in Lycanthropy is apparent.

The Ancients were a little frustrating. I didn’t cast Armageddon before calling them and one of them drained my mana. I had to move away and take a purple rejuv. Then I cast Armageddon and they went down 1,2,3. Now he is level 73.

WSK level 1 was full of Frenzytaurs and Vile Witches and I used a couple of rejuvs. The throne level had Gloams but was rather easy. The Minion waves all went down quickly except Lister who spawned with Fanaticism. That took a few seconds and another rejuv. Baal went quickly and was his stingy self and just dropped junk

Jack Finished Act 5 just shy of level 74.99.

I could put Armageddon on the right mouse button and move Fury to the left. However, I like having Fury on the right so that I don’t have to target each monster. That means that Armageddon will be on quick cast which means I’ve got to actively use both hands almost all the time. Now this normally isn’t an issue and many builds require it. However, my dog objects. He likes to lie next to me and expects that my free hand will be rubbing his head. If I don’t, he pushes me with his nose and an 89-pound Doberman has a big nose.

Changes for Hell and Early Act 1

The Merc gets the Wrath Bow.

Lobo’s first act is to move some charms to get his resists to 75%. Resistances on the Hel will go from 30% to 10% when I equip Metamorphosis so have equipped both Annihilus and Torch to the backpack.

Cleared the Blood Moor and the Den of Evil in Hell as I wanted to test out the Wrath bow. It’s slower than Faith and does half the Damage, that is until Decrepify goes off. I’m going to keep it on and give it a longer test.

Found a Lem rune. I think the game is trying to make up for giving me a Shael rune from the Forge in Nightmare.

I also gave Executioner Justice a spin through the Blood Moor. It’s slower and does less damage. A Shael rune would help the speed. However, the real problem is that while Decrepify has a ctc of 50%, it’s on killing an enemy not on striking. I prefer Oath and let the Rogue cast Decrepify. We did kill our first PI.

As expected, everything is not dying with one or two hits, well duh it is Hell. However, they are dying quickly and I will keep it at players 8 at least through the first Act.

One more level and I can start trying the IK maul and armor. The IK stone crusher comes with 40% IAS and it only needs 15% to get to 5/5/5/5/9. It seems close I will use my 40%ED/ 15% IAS jewel and probably an Ohm rune.

I also need to consider what happens when I give up CoH for the Soul Cage. The big losses are the +2 to skills and the 65% resists.

Because Lobo has the IK belt, Jack needs more work revising his resistances for Hell even after equipping both the Annihilus and Torch.

Cleared the Bloody moor and the Den of Evil and part of the Cold Plains to get to level 76. Will consider switching Laying of Hands for Dracul's Grasp as I think he needs the extra life stealing over the ED to Demons that Laying of Hands offers.

LouB · Aug 28, 2023

Switch: Fleshrender/Spirit
OFF-Hand: None
HELM: Jalal’s Mane
ARMOR: Chains of Honor
RING1: Raven Frost
Jack Lobo
WEAPON: Earth Shifter Oath Silver-edged axe
GLOVES: Laying of Hands IK Forge
BELT: ThunderGod’s IK Detail
BOOTS: Gore Riders IK Pillar
AMULET: Mara’s Rare +2 Druid Entropy Wing
RING2: Bone Touch Death Hold

Rogue – Liene Cold
Delirium Tiara
Treachery Dusk Shroud
Faith Superior Diamond Bow 339% ED

Dessert Warrior – Durga Blessed Aim
Vampire Gaze
Fortitude Superior Wire Fleece
Infinity 1.07 Eth Thresher

I made Metamorphosis.

I’m happy with it, but have a bone to pick with the Runeword data on the site. Minor issue its spelled wrong on the site. The second is the amount of Crushing Blow. It looks like Blizzard made a change in when you get crushing blow. Went back and looked at Vang’s analysis and the 25% CB was only listed as part of the Mark of the Bear. The data on the website says 25% for Mark of the Bear AND 25% inherent or 50% total, per my Runeword readout the CB is only inherent to the helm. What this means for me is that I will only gain 20% physical damage reduction by starting the mark of the Bear as the attack speed bonus is meaningless for me.

Next, I switched to the IK Soul Cage and Stone Crusher. Giving up Chains of Honor means I lose +2 to Skills, 8% life leach, 20 to strength and 25% MF. The resists are a wash. I gain 40% crushing blow, 20% damage reduction and %0 % FHR.

More troubling is the lower damage done by the Stone Crusher. With nothing in the sockets, it is slower and does less damage. 3049 to 5069 versus 3792 to 7223 for Oath. Since the Stone Crusher comes with 40% Crushing Blow, I decided that if I could get close, I’d go with the Stone Crusher. To do this I put a perfect Ruby Jewel of Fervor and an Ohm rune in the sockets. The result, according to the LCS is 3790 to 6088. It is also faster than the base Stone Crusher.

I’m going to run him with the rogue using Faith as I want to see how he does against PIs without Decrepify.

Finally, I decided to try Wisp Projector instead of Raven Frost.

Jack's is much simpler. It required a little more tweaking of Charms, but Jack wil try Dracul’s Grasp.

I got to thinking of just what I could get Lobo’s Fury damage to with the Oath axe. Pre-buff with Demon Limb, Faith on the Merc, find a ring or two with 20 to strength and wear Fortitude. The Result

No Aegis, but how about Spirit in a Ward

Last thing for this post. Question about IK set bonuses. According to all the places I’ve looked the gloves with 4 pieces of equipment will give 10% life leach, but neither the life leach or any of the other bonuses the gloves are supposed to grant show up in GoMule or in D2R. I even went back and fired up m LoD 1.14 and it shows the glove bonuses.

LouB · Aug 29, 2023

The Mark is different for the wolf and the bear, but it gets a little difficult to see the bear's mark when both are going and especially when Fanaticism is also on.

the mark of the bear

the mark of the wolf and the bear

I now have a pair of IK gloves that display the bonuses and after using them I’m almost certain that the gloves that I had been wearing was not granting the bonuses. Using Atma, I went back and muled the set of gloves that displayed the bonuses in 1.14 over to D2R and put them in the extended stash. Now the game does display them when Lobo puts them on.

The Stone Crusher does a decent job on PIs They go down a lot faster than using a Sunder Charm. It obviously does it through all the elemental damage it brings, which is not an issue when fighting a single PI. However, get surrounded by a mob including two bosses, a pack of ghosts and a ranged pack and you die. Which is what happened to Lobo on his way to kill the Countess and get a Ko rune.

little birdy · Aug 29, 2023

Wow, you’re making swift progress with these guys. Good stuff!

I also love to see ‘Spirit’ in a non-Monarch.

My Wind Druid currently rocks a ‘Spirit’ Aegis. It is my best FCR roll to date for ‘Spirit’. We’ll get 35 FCR someday…

LouB · Aug 30, 2023

little birdy When you do the physical damage these guys did in Nightmare it doesn't take long. Hell will be a little longer.

Speaking of which Lobo finished Hell Act 1 this evening.

The marks are very easy to start. All you need to do is hit a monster once. On switch, I use the speed list to turn into a bear, hit a monster once or twice, change to wolf and then switch to the Stone Crusher.

After the death in the tower, I’ve decided to go with the Wrath bow and to be more consistent in getting the extra 20% damage reduction. The Decrepify from Wrath is a bigger help than Fanaticism from Faith.

First big find in the Black Marsh, Tal Rasha”s Lidless eye.

A very close call in the pit. The life bulb basically went to zero in a blink and I just managed to hit the purple pot. Now that I’m in Hell I’ve got to realize that the monsters can do damage too and will have to be a little more cautious at least as long as I’m at Players 8.

Andariel easy death was an anticlimax to Lobo death and NDE. Unfortunately, the drop was poor – an Artic Horn. I’ve learned how to take down packs of ghosts. Let them attack the wolves and circle around behind them. So far, I’ve just cast the wolves and let them follow along. I haven’t yet casted a few into a room to divert attention from the entry way.

Wow the first Imbue that I can ever remember as being at all useful! Gave Charsi a Hunter’s Guise and got

Brimstone Visor
Hunter's Guise
Defense: 80
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 56
Fingerprint: 0xf41ad11e
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
+3 to Hurricane (Druid Only)
+1 to Solar Creeper (Druid Only)
+2 to Cyclone Armor (Druid Only)
+6 to Energy
+11 to Life
Lightning Resist +6%
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds

Not bad for a level 30 Elemental Druid

The only minor irritating thing is the repair cost on Metamorphosis. It really isn’t much 25,429 gold per durability point. It’s probably more a factor of having used indestructible weapon for a while.

Immortal King's Stone Crusher
Ogre Maul
Two Hand Damage: 15069 - 15070
Durability: 40 of 60
Required Level: 76
Required Strength: 225
Fingerprint: 0x21f0330e
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
Indestructible
+55% Increased Attack Speed
290% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Demons
+350% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Set (2 items): Adds 211 - 397 Fire Damage
Set (3 items): Adds 7 - 477 Lightning Damage
Set (4 items): Adds 127 - 364 Cold Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Set (5 items): Adds 204 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Set (6 items): Adds 250 - 361 Magic Damage
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Wrath
Matriarchal Bow
PulLumBerMal
Two Hand Damage: 20 - 47
Durability: 25 of 48
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 87
Required Dexterity: 187
Fingerprint: 0x56d6a3c3
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
30% Chance to cast level 1 Decrepify on striking
5% Chance to cast level 10 Life Tap on striking
+2 to Bow and Crossbow Skills (Amazon Only)
+375% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+259% Damage to Undead
Adds 85 - 120 Magic Damage
Adds 41 - 240 Lightning Damage
20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+10 to Energy
Cannot Be Frozen
4 Sockets (4 used)

LouB · Aug 31, 2023

And this evening Jack finished Hell Act 1.

Repairing Earth Shifter isn’t expensive, but it happens all the time. I’m not used to seeing the durability Icon pop up in Hell. I’ve been spoiled by Oath, Death, and Grief in a phase Blade. Earth Shifter has a durability of 60, which sounds high but you go through them quickly. 10000 gold to repair 50 points.

Another death in the Mausoleum, but this time totally preventable. I got distracted and took my hands off the mouse and keyboard. Body recovered.

I’m going to stay with Liquid’s build, but I’m starting to think that this build might benefit more with Metamorphosis than Jalal’s Mane. I’d lose 2 to Armageddon, but gain 3 to Werewolf and Lycanthropy and 6 to Fury. It wasn’t even a pipe dream when Liquid set up the build.

A Tal from the Countess and an Artic Horn in the Pit. So much for the RNG smiling at me. Or maybe he was!

I’ve been mumbling to my self that he is really sensitive to ranged attacks and that if it wasn’t for Dracul’s Grasp he would have died at least twice. Cold Plains to the Outer Cloister was touch and go in several places and I was seriously thinking about switching from players 8. Then I realized that I forgotten to move the Annihilus and the Torch from Lobo before venturing beyond the Cold Plains waypoint. From the Outer Cloister waypoint to killing Andariel went quickly and smoothly. What a difference the two charms make.

Jack is moving to Act 2 at level 82.1.

It is interesting watching the two ways of handling PIs like the ghosts especially since the come in groups. Decrepify from Wrath breaks the PI allowing Lobo to use his physical and elemental damage to kill them. Jack on the other hand kills the ghosts with Armageddon.

At this point I don't know which build I favor. thought would be to merge the builds losing points from the Armageddon synergies and adding to Werewolf and Lycanthropy.

LouB · Sep 1, 2023

Hell Act 2

Before starting Jack into Act 2 I decided to look at some different rings. With Dracul's Grasp and the rest of his gear he doesn't need life leach or resistances. However, I didn't like the way his life bulb could drop before the life tap went off. I ended up going with Bul Kathos' wedding band, though it had neither the best damage or life. You can see the details below. However, what this little exercise taught me is that I really don't understand the formula for calculating life in a wolf form. For a level 82 character the BKWB has +41 to life and the Dwarf Star has 40. This shows in Jack's life before casting Werewolf, BUT after casting Werewolf the Dwarf Star ended up with 16 more points in Life.

Leaving Raven Frost alone I’m looking to see if I can make some improvements by changing the other ring. With the Anni and torch and the Um rune that I dumped into Jalal’s Mane I don’t need resistances. When I equipped Dracul’s I also didn’t see a need for more life leach and switched the ring to this one:

Storm Grip
Ring
Required Level: 66
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 85
Fingerprint: 0x9d1a44b2
+19 to Strength
+8 to Minimum Damage
Fire Resist +22%
Half Freeze Duration
+1 to Mana After Each Kill

The strength and +8 to min damage are both good, but the other three don’t help. After looking through my rare rings I decided to compare Storm Grip with BKWB, Dwarf Star and this

Grim Grasp
Ring
Required Level: 66
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 75
Fingerprint: 0x524f728d
+16 to Strength
+73 to Attack Rating
+9 to Minimum Damage
+3 to Maximum Damage
Fire Resist +24%
+1 to Mana After Each Kill

Equipping each ring and casting Werewolf and then switching to Earth Shifter the average damage is

Grim Grasp 4589
Storm Ring 4579
BKBW 4517
Dwarf Star 4451

However, when we look at life something weird is going on. The rare rings don’t have any + life so they are at 1975 in wolf form. The BKWB is at 2055 and the Dwarf Star is at 2071.

I don’t understand the formula used to calculate Wolf life. Specifically, why is life higher with the Dwarf star.

BKWB Dwarf Star
Ring reading 41 40
Life with Switch gear 973 972
Life as Wolf with Switch gear 2099 2115
Life as Wolf with Earth Shifter 2055 2071

The reading for life with the switch gear is consistent with the BKWB being 1 higher. I also understand that the life granted from the spirit shield is what is causing the drop when I shift from the switch gear setup to the Earth Shifter. So, why does Dwarf Star generate 16 more points of life in Wolf form?

Jack has cleared through the Lost City and now has a Horadric staff. Absolutely no problems at players 8. From struggling without the Annihilus and Torch, Hell has almost become a walk in the park with them. The big difference from Nightmare is that I am now constantly casting Armageddon. Coupled with Conviction from Infinity and the Physical damage from Fury everything dies quickly.

I’ve now maxed Volcano and Molten Boulder. Before putting more points into the third synergy, Firestorm, I decided to put some points into Lycanthropy and that has helped increase his life so that combined with Dracul’s Grasp he no longer seems weak.

Jack reached level 85 while clearing the Ancient Tunnels.

LouB · Sep 2, 2023

I looked and Liquid Evil’s build doesn’t show as a Druid build on the Pure Diablo website. That got me thinking about writing one and I went back and read Liquid’s original build which made me realize that I hadn’t followed it myself. Instead of maxing Firestorm I put 5 points in it and then maxed Molten Boulder. I had also put a point into artic blast and Cyclone Armor. That’s 6 points that I can put into Lycanthropy. So, I went back and respected him correctly. Same damage from both Fury and Armageddon, but more life and wolf duration.

Ran into my first hard to kill Stone skinned PI in the Arcane Sanctuary. A Hell Clan so also FI. While Conviction removed the FI it took quite a while to kill him. Otherwise, the AS was easy.

And then came the Valley of the Magi and the seven tombs. I’ll spare you most of the gruesome details other than I died 4 times. Twice to huge packs of Unravelers and Ghoul Lords where both times I tried to take on the whole room. The second two were to the same double packs of Hell Slingers the second time I entered the Valley from the waypoint. Thankfully I was able to recover all the bodies.

The real tomb was easy to clear and Duriel was his usual stingy self. Even the rares didn’t garner much gold.

The good news is that I reached level 87 just before killing Duriel and the best find of the Act was a Fal rune.

LouB · Sep 3, 2023

Act 2 went well till the Arcane Sanctuary. Just too many ghost packs for Decrepify and the Stone Crusher to take down. I tried to out run them and ended up getting swarmed and died. Body was not recoverable in a reasonable time frame. Next time there were ghosts, but not the double boss packs. It took much longer to clear than Jack did.

Then it was on to the Canyon of the Magi and I was ready for hordes of Unravelers, but instead after clearing the first two tombs I got into a room and was swarmed by ghosts and yes, another death. Unlike Jack ghosts are Lobo’s Achille heel. Lobo also ran into double or triple boss packs of Hell Slingers, but unlike Jack had no problem with them.

It was getting late and instead of clearing all the tombs and then the true tomb I decided to just to clear the true tomb completely and kill Duriel and call it a night. Combined with the two deaths with unrecovered bodies Lobo was at 86.7. Today, I went back and the RNG blessed me with no multiple ghost packs and I fully cleared the four remaining tombs and ended up at level 87.

Like almost all builds there are weaknesses to these two builds and as sometimes happens it takes the RNG to spawn the wrong groups of monsters. In this case those weaknesses would not have been apparent if the monsters spawned had been each other’s.

Jack could have handled the ghost onslaught and Lobo would have had an easier time with the Unravelers. The next day when I sent Lobo back to the tombs, he ran into only a couple of single ghost packs and had no problem with them. He also cleared two rooms that were just full of monsters including Unravelers.

Jack has Armageddon that coupled with Conviction from the Merc’s Infinity does area damage to almost everything. However, he has no easy way to clear room entrances as Armageddon does not really get in front of him. Lobo has Confuse from the Merc’s Delirium and it causes all the monsters to fight each other and he can cast some wolves into the room behind those blocking the entrance.

The Wisp Projector for Lobo hasn’t been that helpful. I did cast Heart of the Wolverine a couple of times, but it didn’t last all that long and didn’t really notice any differences from HoW when it was active. I may switch back when Gloams are probable. For Act 2 Lobo tried Nature’s Peace to see if it would help with skeletons reanimating, there may have been some improvement, but I don’t think it really helped much and the damage reduction wasn’t obvious. For Act three I think I will try Carrion Wind. I’ve never used it and maybe the increase in defense against missiles will help. I may also put Raven Frost back on for the cold damage and the dexterity.

I don’t see much discussion of this Runeword, more like none. There is no way that Lobo would have ever finished Act 2 with the Merc using Faith.

It has a 30% ctc Decrepify and 5% ctc Life Tap. The nock is that Life tap will be quickly overwritten, but that is only partially true. Decrepify has a 4-yard radius but the level 10 Life tap has an 8.6-yard radius. So, the two of them can exist at the same time. If Lobo most of the time is going to be working where the Decrepify is and not around the perimeter where the life tap will remain then he gets the benefits of both.

The Wisp Projector for Lobo hasn’t been that helpful. I did cast Heart of the Wolverine a couple of times, but it didn’t last all that long and didn’t really notice any differences from HoW when it was active. I may switch back when Gloams are probable. For Act 2 Lobo tried Nature’s Peace to see if it would help with skeletons reanimating, there may have been some improvement, but I don’t think it really helped much and the damage reduction wasn’t obvious. For Act three I think I will try Carrion Wind. I’ve never used it and maybe the increase in defense against missiles will help. I may also put Raven Frost back on for the cold damage and the dexterity.

After both suffering multiple deaths, I wondered if it was time to drop down from Players 8. So, I took each of them out into the Spider Forest to get the Jade figurine and reach the first Spider village. For Lobo to stay at Players 8 the game will turn into a real slog and he is going to drop down to Players 5.

Jack could probably stay at Players 8 for a while longer, but I’m also going to drop him to Players 5.

LouB · Sep 7, 2023

Act 3 is done for both.
After both suffering multiple deaths, I wondered if it was time to drop down from Players 8. So, I took each of them out into the Spider Forest to get the Jade figurine and reach the first Spider village. For Lobo to stay at Players 8 the game will turn into a real slog and he is going to drop down to Players 5. Jack could probably stay at Players 8 for a while longer, but I’m also going to drop him to Players 5 as the game moves faster and I enjoy smashing monsters.

Lobo cleared the Spider Forest and got as far as the Flayer Jungle waypoint. It really seemed like a slog even at players 5 and I quit for the night. I swear it isn’t anything I do, but occasionally whatever skill is on the right mouse button changes. Today when I started up, I realized that the right mouse button had Feral Rage and not Fury on it. Changed it and now he’s crushing things again. Cleared the Great Marsh, Gloams included, and the Flayer Jungle very quickly.

Set game back to Players 8 for Lower Kurast and had no problem clearing it, which makes me wonder just when the mouse button with Fury got set to Feral Rage. LK only had a single campfire and no runes dropped. I’m going to go to Players 5 to speed up the game.

Cleared through Travincal and killing the Council. Too late to start through the Durance. Not sure that the twisters and Poison Nova are really doing anything, but the graphics are cool and at least I get an indication of how many times he gets hit.

Second time Ismail was PI, but not really a problem. I learned that the Rogue can’t survive if I rush into the Chamber when all the Council is in it. Need to lure some out so she can survive.

Another example of the RNG effect, no exploding dolls in either level of the Durance. With Lobo’s life over 3000 and 40% damage reduction I wasn’t worried about meeting dolls, but it was nice not seeing any.

Mephisto came into the room just as I killed Wyand Voidbringer and saved me from hunting him down and He went down quickly. Finished clearing level 3 and reached level 88 just before I killed the last Ghoul Lord in the Durance.

Lobo is now beyond the point that I gave up on my first werewolf 15+ years ago, He failed at players 1 around the sewer in Act 3 and Lobo is crushing it at players 5 and having fun. Not quite zooming around like in Nightmare, but close.

One effect I never consider in moving from Players 8 to 5 is lower repair costs. A combination of monsters dying faster and doing less damage when they hit.

Found a Bonehew and a socketed eth Thresher! Unfortunately the Thresher had just 3 sockets

Cleared the Forest, Marsh, and Jungle at players 5. Jack really didn’t need Armageddon at all, but its use speeds things up. Like Lobo changed to Players 8 for LK. This time found two campfires, but no runes dropped. The camps are not near each other and neither is close to the waypoint so not a good map for farming LK.

So far, I haven’t met a single PI/FI monster, but I’ve run into the first possibility. Infinity’s Conviction doesn’t break the Fire Immunity of all the Council and Ismail does frequently spawn as a PI also.

I’ve been putting Small Charms with +20 to life into the backpack, but I need to boost his AR more than I do his life.

Jack reached level 88 while clearing the second level of the Durance. Lots of those pesky exploding dolls this time and I had a NDE. Was Amped from just killing a boss Mauler and got surrounded by a bunch of dolls and the life bulb went to zero. Funny how you miss them when they aren’t there, but hate them when they are!

Not much in finds this act. A Lem and a Lum in Upper Kurast and a 4os Archon Plate. Meph dropped two Uniques, a Deathbit and a Langer Briser. About what I usually get from him mediocre or nothing.

For both Hell felt more like Nightmare at Players 5.
On to Diablo!

LouB · Sep 8, 2023

Hell Act 4 is done

Cleared from the Fortress to River of Flame waypoint in about an hour. Played very sloppily and it showed. Right out of the Fortress I ran into a Fanaticized pack of Doom Lords and ran right into them and died. Went back and equipped my recovery gear and recovered the body. I then found a Spirit Keeper, but only a +1 to Druid skills.

Izual went down quickly and I cleared all three areas with no Gloams. I should have quit for the night but decided to clear to the river of flame waypoint and was rushing. Was fighting Hephasto and some Urdurs when the Armageddon timer ran out and the merc died. Instead of continuing to swing away I tried to back out and cast Armageddon again and died. Recovered the body, got a Lum rune from the Forge and cleared to the River of Flame waypoint.

Clearing the Chaos Sanctuary was easy. Infinity does not break the Fire immune status of Pit Lords and Venom Lords. As a result, the hardest seal to clear was Infector of Souls. It took longer to clear this mob than it did to Kill Diablo. What was helpful is that Armageddon in D2R also does physical damage. So even for those FI, Armageddon still did damage.

Found an Um in the CS, which made up for the Forge just dropping a Lum. Unusual for me Diablo dropped 3 Unique item, but the only one worth mentioning is a Buriza-Do Kyanon

Unlike Jack, Lobo had a smart run and the Rogue was always nearby giving support. I don’t think the life bulb dropped to even halfway at any point. No Gloams, which always helps. While he has 75% lightning resists, he has no lightning absorb. I did pop 3 purple pots while fight Diablo, more from caution that necessity.

The Hell Forge dropped a Gul

Diablo actually dropped a decent item, a Lacerator and he also dropped a Hsarus’ Iron Stay. Talk about a dichotomy a level 3 item and a level 68 item. He also found a Sapphire SC of storms (11% cold resist and 1`-20 lighting damage.

LouB · Sep 10, 2023

Hell Act 5 Through Nihlathak

Skeleton archers in the Highlands, but no problems till Jack got in the Crystalline passage and met PI Frenzytaurs. Armageddon’s damage is not concentrated so it takes time to kill one or two, but when there are four, he can’t stand against them and must run until he gets away or he’s cornered and dies.

This needs a rethink. Up till now Conviction from Infinity and Armageddon have done a fine job against PIs, but the Frenzytaurs are different. I could keep restarting the game in the hopes there won’t be any Frenzytaurs, but there are usually a few. Alternatively, I could carry a Reaper’s Toll in the expanded stash and/or equip a Bone Breaker Sunder Charm.

Closed the game and put a Reaper’s Toll in the stash and restarted. Cleared the Crystalline passage, the Frozen River, and all levels of Nihlathak’s temple and didn’t see a single Frenzytaur or even a single PI monster. Ah, the RNG strikes again!

Jack found a Captain’s GC of Sustenance (+24 to life)

Lobo cleared the Bloody Foothils and for once there were no Skeleton Archers. So, no potions needed. The Highlands and the Plateau were no problem. Then came the Crystalline Passage and the Frozen River. The Passage was full of Frenzytaurs and at least 2 boss packs were together. It took some time and some trips back to town, but Lobo cleared the Passage without dying. It did help to use Mark of the Bear and get damage reduction to 40%. Popped into the River and it was full of Gloams, Ghosts and Claw Vipers. Another slog, but Lobo freed Anya without dying, though he may not have cleared the whole River.

I cleared the first two levels on the way to Nihlathak, but it was getting late so I took a quick look at the final level, and it was full of Hell Mistresses and ghosts, so I quit for the night. On restarting I was distracted and clicked Nightmare. So I had to find the new way from the waypoint and thankfully I guessed right and didn’t have to clear much of the second level again because I did run into several PI Frenzytaurs. The good news was that on the way to the stairs I found another Gul rune. Nihlathak was no problems and the level itself was free of PIs.

LouB · Sep 11, 2023

Lobo has now killed Baal

My hitting Nightmare also meant that I had to find the new path from the Crystalline Passage way point to the Glacial Trail door. Again, I got lucky and didn’t have to clear much of the level before finding the door.

The Glacial Trail was easy too clear which brought me to the Frozen Tundra. The Tundra had PI Death Brigadiers, Horror Mages and Succubus. Kill everything and then take down the brigadiers. A little time consuming, but not difficult.

The Ancients Way was full of Frenzytaurs, but they were only Lighting immune so no real problem.

The Ancients only managed to kill three wolves before all three of them were down. The Rogue and the wolves got one and I took the other two.

The first three levels of the WSK were rather easy. The throne level was full of Burning dead, exploding dolls and Frenzytaurs. Nothing PI so just a few purple pots. The waves weren’t a problem. Lister was PI/FI, but that wasn’t a problem for Lobo and the Rogue. Changed to Players 3 for Baal and he went down faster than I can ever remember killing him before. Finished Just shy of level 89.5.

Lobo is a tank. With Mark of the wolf his life is over 3,300 and when I bother to activate Mark of the bear, he has 40% damage reduction. He may not be wearing Dracul’s Grasp but he does have 27% life leach and Wrath does very frequently give him life tap. He also has great AR 11,218. The five pieces of the IK set brought a huge number of bonuses that helped make up for some of the bonuses that were given up switching from Jalal’s Mane. While he has no area attack skill the Rogue brings him Confuse from Delirium for great crowd control and Decrepify from Wrath.

Speaking of Wrath, between it, Faith and Insight the Rogue is now a competitive choice for a Merc for any build. In fact, there are very few Melee builds where I’d take Faith over Wrath. A Paladin running Conviction being one example.

When I was deciding how to build Lobo I considered also going the Armageddon route with him instead of the wolves. I decided to go with the wolves because I didn’t want to duplicate Jack’s build that closely. I ended up spending 34 points into the summoning tree. Putting that into Armageddon and its synergies would have given me an area effect that did more damage than the wolves. However, I wasn’t looking for more damage, I was looking for a way to take some heat off Lobo when fighting in a scrum and the wolves definitely did that. They would also attack and keep monsters from moving around, which was another help.

Name: Lobo
Class: Druid
Experience: 1538287640
Level: 89

Naked/Gear
Strength: 214/306
Dexterity: 30/81
Vitality: 271/312
Energy: 20/51
HP: 739/895
Mana: 196/196
Stamina: 418/418
Defense: 7/1991
AR: 120/584

Life as Wolf when Marked: 3304
Fury damage: 3841-6150
Fury AR: 11218

Fire: 225/185/125
Cold: 176/136/76
Lightning: 200/160/100
Poison: 218/178/118

MF: 90 Block: 7
GF: 153 FR/W: 40
FHR: 50 IAS: 80
FCR: 0

Raven: 1/7
Poison Creeper: 0/0
Oak Sage: 0/0
Summon Spirit Wolf: 9/15
Carrion Vine: 0/0
Heart of Wolverine: 0/0
Summon Dire Wolf: 20/26
Solar Creeper: 0/0
Spirit of Barbs: 0/0
Summon Grizzly: 4/10

Werewolf: 20/31
Lycanthropy: 20/31
Werebear: 1/12
Feral Rage: 1/12
Maul: 1/12
Rabies: 1/12
Fire Claws: 0/0
Hunger: 0/0
Shock Wave: 0/0
Fury: 20/34 Note GoMule incorrectly shows this as 31

Firestorm: 0/0
Molten Boulder: 0/0
Arctic Blast: 0/0
Fissure: 0/0
Cyclone Armor: 0/0
Twister: 0/0
Volcano: 0/0
Tornado: 0/0
Armageddon: 0/0
Hurricane: 0/0

Immortal King's Pillar
War Boots
Defense: 282
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 125
Fingerprint: 0x4ae41fa
Item Level: 87
Version: Resurrected
+40% Faster Run/Walk
+110 to Attack Rating
+75 Defense
+44 to Life
Set (2 items): 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Set (3 items): +2 to Combat Skills (Barbarian Only)
Set (4 items): +160 Defense
Set (5 items): Half Freeze Duration

(2 items): +50 to Attack Rating
(3 items): +75 to Attack Rating
(4 items): +125 to Attack Rating
(5 items): +200 to Attack Rating

Immortal King's Forge
War Gauntlets
Defense: 237
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0xaba9a730
Item Level: 71
Version: Resurrected
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+65 Defense
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Set (2 items): +25% Increased Attack Speed
Set (3 items): +120 Defense
Set (4 items): 10% Life stolen per hit
Set (5 items): 10% Mana stolen per hit

Immortal King's Soul Cage
Sacred Armor
Defense: 1001
Durability: 60 of 60
Required Level: 76
Required Strength: 232
Fingerprint: 0xf1e6757e
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
5% Chance to cast level 5 Enchant when struck
+2 to Combat Skills (Barbarian Only)
+400 Defense
Poison Resist +50%
Set (2 items): +25% Faster Hit Recovery
Set (3 items): Cold Resist +40%
Set (4 items): Fire Resist +40%
Set (5 items): Lightning Resist +40%
1 Sockets (0 used)

Immortal King's Detail
War Belt
Defense: 247
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0xa3d36c97
Item Level: 86
Version: Resurrected
+36 Defense
+25 to Strength
Lightning Resist +31%
Fire Resist +28%
Set (2 items): +105 Defense
Set (3 items): +25% Faster Hit Recovery
Set (4 items): +100% Enhanced Defense
Set (5 items): Damage Reduced by 20%

Immortal King's Stone Crusher
Ogre Maul
Two Hand Damage: 15069 - 15070
Durability: 40 of 60
Required Level: 76
Required Strength: 225
Fingerprint: 0x21f0330e
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
Indestructible
+55% Increased Attack Speed
290% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage to Demons
+350% Damage to Undead
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Set (2 items): Adds 211 - 397 Fire Damage
Set (3 items): Adds 7 - 477 Lightning Damage
Set (4 items): Adds 127 - 364 Cold Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
Set (5 items): Adds 204 Poison Damage Over 6 Secs (150 Frames)
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Ruby Jewel of Fervor
Jewel
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0x96c33536
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
+15% Increased Attack Speed
40% Enhanced Damage

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Resurrected
Weapons: +50% Enhanced Damage

Lobo's Metamorphosis
Superior Spirit Mask
IoChamFal
Defense: 59
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 67
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0x2f8d1918
Item Level: 48
Version: Resurrected
100% Chance to cast level 1 Unknown on striking
100% Chance to cast level 1 Unknown on striking
+5 to Shape-Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
25% Chance of Crushing Blow
+3 to Fury (Druid Only)
+66% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Strength
+10 to Vitality
All Resistances +10
Cannot Be Frozen
3 Sockets (3 used)

Death Hold
Ring
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0x88dedf07
Item Level: 81
Version: Resurrected
+40 to Attack Rating
8% Life stolen per hit
+24 to Life
Lightning Resist +16%
Fire Resist +9%

Entropy Wing
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0x5b4a51c4
Item Level: 91
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
All Resistances +17
Fire Resist +35%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
19% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Carrion Wind
Ring
Required Level: 60
Fingerprint: 0xcf75fd25
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
10% Chance to cast level 10 Poison Nova when struck
8% Chance to cast level 13 Twister on striking
9% Life stolen per hit
+123 Defense vs. Missile
Poison Resist +55%
10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
Level 21 Poison Creeper (15/15 Charges)

Spirit
Aegis
TalThulOrtAmn
Defense: 145
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 92 of 92
Required Level: 59
Required Strength: 219
Fingerprint: 0xde09de7
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
+2 to All Skills
+27% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+97 to Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
Magic Absorb 5%
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
4 Sockets (4 used)

Fleshrender
Barbed Club
One Hand Damage: 74 - 125
Durability: 56 of 56
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 30
Fingerprint: 0xcc0f618d
Item Level: 61
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Shape-Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
200% Enhanced Damage
Adds 35 - 50 Damage
+150% Damage to Undead
20% Chance of Crushing Blow
20% Deadly Strike
25% Chance of Open Wounds
Prevent Monster Heal
+20 Maximum Durability
1 Sockets (0 used)

The backpack wasn't full and not really optimized, but this was enoough.

Sharp Grand Charm of Strength
Grand Charm
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x78ff1d43
Item Level: 47
Version: Resurrected
+10 to Maximum Damage
+59 to Attack Rating
+6 to Strength

Gheed's Fortune
Grand Charm
Required Level: 62
Fingerprint: 0x84f3cf9a
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
153% Extra Gold from Monsters
Reduces all Vendor Prices 14%
39% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Shocking Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 82
Fingerprint: 0xb012a475
Item Level: 96
Version: Resurrected
Adds 1 - 57 Lightning Damage
+11 to Life

Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm
Required Level: 33
Fingerprint: 0x41fece5d
Item Level: 80
Version: Resurrected
7% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x2966ad36
Item Level: 83
Version: Resurrected
+20 to Life

Annihilus
Small Charm
Required Level: 70
Fingerprint: 0xbedd8e04
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
+1 to All Skills
All Stats +18
All Resistances +16
+8% to Experience Gained

Hellfire Torch
Large Charm
Required Level: 75
Fingerprint: 0xb1e4b936
Item Level: 99
Version: Resurrected
5% Chance to cast level 10 Firestorm on striking
+3 to Druid Skill Levels
All Stats +13
All Resistances +16
+8 to Light Radius
Level 30 Hydra (5/10 Charges)

Shimmering Grand Charm of Craftmanship
Grand Charm
Required Level: 27
Fingerprint: 0x5f27f36b
Item Level: 65
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Maximum Damage
All Resistances +15

Cobalt Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 53
Fingerprint: 0x579b8d6f
Item Level: 69
Version: Resurrected
+34 to Life
Cold Resist +23%

Shimmering Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0x39e56026
Item Level: 60
Version: Resurrected
+5 to Life
All Resistances +5

Shimmering Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 25
Fingerprint: 0xd52eb933
Item Level: 80
Version: Resurrected
All Resistances +4

Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x3b87854a
Item Level: 82
Version: Resurrected
+18 to Life

Mercenary:
Name: Liene
Race: Rogue Scout
Type: Ice - Normal
Experience: 89119882
Level: 89
Dead?: unknown

Naked/Gear
Strength: 143/143
Dexterity: 217/217
HP: 1560/1560
Defense: 1304/2008
AR: 2299/2299

Fire: 148/108/48
Cold: 178/138/78
Lightning: 148/108/48
Poison: 148/108/48

Delirium
Superior Tiara
LemIstIo
Defense: 301
Durability: 27 of 27
Required Level: 52
Fingerprint: 0x973e241a
Item Level: 86
Version: Resurrected
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
+261 Defense
+10 to Vitality
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Increase Maximum Durability 10%
Level 17 Attract (60/60 Charges)
3 Sockets (3 used)

Treachery
Dusk Shroud
ShaelThulLem
Defense: 403
Durability: 18 of 20
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 77
Fingerprint: 0xf904c1f8
Item Level: 96
Version: Resurrected
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
25% Chance to cast level 15 Venom on striking
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+45% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
3 Sockets (3 used)

Wrath
Matriarchal Bow
PulLumBerMal
Two Hand Damage: 20 - 47
Durability: 25 of 48
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 87
Required Dexterity: 187
Fingerprint: 0x56d6a3c3
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
30% Chance to cast level 1 Decrepify on striking
5% Chance to cast level 10 Life Tap on striking
+2 to Bow and Crossbow Skills (Amazon Only)
+375% Damage to Demons
+100 to Attack Rating against Demons
+259% Damage to Undead
Adds 85 - 120 Magic Damage
Adds 41 - 240 Lightning Damage
20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+10 to Energy
Cannot Be Frozen
4 Sockets (4 used)

LouB · Sep 11, 2023

For those interested in a comparison between Jalal's Mane and Metamorphosis

Trait	Jalal’s Mane	Metamorphosis
+Shape shifting skills	+4	+5*
+ Druid skills	+2	0*
Strength	20	10
Vitality	0	10
Energy	20	0
Resistances	30	10
AR bonus	20%	30% while marked
Life increase	0	40% while marked
Mana after kill	5	0
Faster Hit recovery	30%	0
Enhanced Defense	150%-200%	50%-80%
Crushing Blow	0	25%
Can’t be Frozen	No	Yes
Assuming you play as a Wolf	But also mark as a Bear	You get for 3 minutes
Damage Reduction	0	20%
IAS	0	25%

First, what do you lose when you give up Jalal’s: 2 to all Druid skills, 10 to strength, 20 to Energy, 30 to all resistances, 30% FHR, 5 to mana after a kill, and somewhere between 100% and 120% Enhanced defense.

Next what do you gain with Metamorphosis. 1 to shape shifting skills, 10 to vitality, 10% to AR, 40% increase to life, 25% Crushing Blow, Can’t be Frozen and if you mark as a Bear 20% damage reduction. Note that the IAS increase from marking as a bear is meaningless for a wolf.

While the life increase, damage reduction, and the Crushing Blow are the big bonuses, you are giving up a lot. What I think really throws the decision in Metamorphosis’ favor is that potentially you can find a pelt with +3 to Fury, +3 to Armageddon and +3 to Werebear. This would give you +4 to Fury, +1 to Armageddon, and save you from having to put a point into Werebear to be able to mark as a bear. Mine had just +3 to Fury.

I know Metamorphosis didn’t exist when Liquid Evil developed the build, but if it had I’m pretty certain that he would have utilized it if just for the 25% crushing Blow.

The tail of two Wolves

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