Hi everyone!
This is my first time posting here so consider this my introduction post.
I fell in love with D2 when I was 7 years old, 25 years ago. I remember sitting behind my big brother and his friends while they were doing LAN parties at our house. Of course I was too young to play video games, but a few years later my brother bought a copy of D2 & D2 LoD for me and I played the game (without having a sense of knowledge of what I'm supposed to do). We ended up having 3 copies of the game which are still sitting in one of my drawers. When D3 was announced we were really hyped only to find out the game is nothing like D2.
Years went by and I moved on to play ALOT of Warcraft 3, Overwatch, Football Manager and some Marvel Rivals recently. I remember missing D2 alot over the years and installing it every now and then but I couldn't stick with the game anymore mainly because of the outdated graphics compared to newer games.
I found out about D2R shortly before it's release and as you could've guessed me and my brother bought the game and had a blast for over a year together.
2.5 years ago I officialy migrated to SC SP and I'm currently missing 6 items on my grail: 4 low TC items, Schaefer's Hammer, and 1 piece of Cow King set.
Since D2R release I never really quit, I took breaks here and there but I honestly think no game can top D2 with updated graphics.
Not so long ago I felt like I need a new challenge and that's where I created my first ever HC character.
* English isn't my native language. Feel free to correct where needed or ignore.
** This post turned out to be MUCH longer than I ever intended. I'm sorry in advance.
*** I play D2R without any mod. Recently started using GoMule for the first time (and of course I created different projects for SC and HC).
---
Guardian Aerokine the Wind Druid
In SC, I have been playing alot with most of the cookie cutter builds: Nova, Hammerdin, Mosaic, Blizzard etc.. I wanted to try something different. One of my childhood memories was seeing Druids running around with their Hurricane up so a fresh start was an opportunity to pick it up.
Aerokine was created on March 25th 2025.
He laughed over Baal's body in hell today, April 3rd 2025.
I set myself number of rules for this playthrough:
1. /p8 all the way
2. Untwinked (it's my first HC char so no other option anyway)
3. No reruns
4. No cubing up runes to create runewords along the way
Playthrough
After finishing each act, I sat down and summarized before moving on to the next act. When I finished I realized that's too much text so I scrapped Normal and Nightmare and wrote a short summary for each of them.
And that concludes my road to guardianship:
Final Numbers:
Respecs used: 0
Larzuk's socket used: 0
NDEs: 3
Times Vikhyat died: 82,666
Holy Grail progress: 12.66% (69 found, 476 missing)
Highest rune found: Pul (Act 4 Hell). Never found Lum for Smoke or Lem for Treachery.
Thoughts
1. So if you were brave enough to read through (I totally understand if you haven't), I mentioned that I liked playing this build. I had 3 NDEs and all of them were my mistakes.
I really think this build is one of the safest to go through, especially with Cyclone Armor. In Frozen River I had souls that never hurt me as long as I kept my CA up.
I bet this build shines with Enigma and telestomping and I really wanna check it out in the future.
2. I'm glad I tried playing HC. This really is a different experience. I rarely die in SC but you don't really think about your life there. In HC you gotta be concentrated 100% of the time.
3. It was nice to play an off meta build. It was definitely the hardest and longest journey I had in D2R and it was totally worth the time invested. I'd do it again if I died during the playthrough.
What's Next?
When I took off, I had an ambition of completing the grail AND getting to 99 with this character. I don't know if I'll ever make it, but I will certainly try to complete one or both of these goals as long as I have fun playing.
I'll probably start mfing and grinding the runes for Enigma like most of us do.
Once I get my hands on Stormshield I'll use one of my respecs and go max block.
So that's it. That was my attempt at HC playthrough and I enjoyed the ride! If/When I post an update regarding this character I PROMISE it will be much shorter.
Thanks for reading, stay safe and have fun
Peace
This is my first time posting here so consider this my introduction post.
I fell in love with D2 when I was 7 years old, 25 years ago. I remember sitting behind my big brother and his friends while they were doing LAN parties at our house. Of course I was too young to play video games, but a few years later my brother bought a copy of D2 & D2 LoD for me and I played the game (without having a sense of knowledge of what I'm supposed to do). We ended up having 3 copies of the game which are still sitting in one of my drawers. When D3 was announced we were really hyped only to find out the game is nothing like D2.
Years went by and I moved on to play ALOT of Warcraft 3, Overwatch, Football Manager and some Marvel Rivals recently. I remember missing D2 alot over the years and installing it every now and then but I couldn't stick with the game anymore mainly because of the outdated graphics compared to newer games.
I found out about D2R shortly before it's release and as you could've guessed me and my brother bought the game and had a blast for over a year together.
2.5 years ago I officialy migrated to SC SP and I'm currently missing 6 items on my grail: 4 low TC items, Schaefer's Hammer, and 1 piece of Cow King set.
Since D2R release I never really quit, I took breaks here and there but I honestly think no game can top D2 with updated graphics.
Not so long ago I felt like I need a new challenge and that's where I created my first ever HC character.
* English isn't my native language. Feel free to correct where needed or ignore.
** This post turned out to be MUCH longer than I ever intended. I'm sorry in advance.
*** I play D2R without any mod. Recently started using GoMule for the first time (and of course I created different projects for SC and HC).
---
Guardian Aerokine the Wind Druid
In SC, I have been playing alot with most of the cookie cutter builds: Nova, Hammerdin, Mosaic, Blizzard etc.. I wanted to try something different. One of my childhood memories was seeing Druids running around with their Hurricane up so a fresh start was an opportunity to pick it up.
Aerokine was created on March 25th 2025.
He laughed over Baal's body in hell today, April 3rd 2025.
I set myself number of rules for this playthrough:
1. /p8 all the way
2. Untwinked (it's my first HC char so no other option anyway)
3. No reruns
4. No cubing up runes to create runewords along the way
Playthrough
After finishing each act, I sat down and summarized before moving on to the next act. When I finished I realized that's too much text so I scrapped Normal and Nightmare and wrote a short summary for each of them.
The hardest part about Normal was waiting to unlock Tornado until level 24. I cleared my way through Act 1 with a 3os Short Bow socketed with chipped gems I found along the way. When Tornado and Hurricane were finally available, I started breezing through without any difficulty.
Aerokine was level 43 when he killed Baal.
Aerokine was level 43 when he killed Baal.
Stats:
Skills:
Code:
Name: HC_Aerokine
Class: Druid
Experience: 26122892
Level: 43
Naked/Gear
Strength: 70/73
Dexterity: 20/27
Vitality: 180/180
Energy: 20/20
HP: 448/475
Mana: 104/134
Stamina: 281/296
Defense: 5/128
AR: 70/125
Fire: 84/44/-16
Cold: 65/25/-35
Lightning: 103/63/3
Poison: 90/50/-10
MF: 55 Block: 4
GF: 0 FR/W: 25
FHR: 25 IAS: 0
FCR: 55Skills:
Code:
Arctic Blast: 1/1
Cyclone Armor: 12/12
Twister: 3/3
Tornado: 20/20
Hurricane: 1/1
Oak Sage: 5/5
Raven: 1/1
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/1
Summon Dire Wolf: 1/1
Summon Grizzly: 1/1
Code:
Sigon's Visor
Great Helm
Defense: 58
Durability: 39 of 40
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 63
Fingerprint: 0xcda71531
Item Level: 33
Version: Resurrected
+25 Defense
+30 to Mana
Set (2 items): +344 to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
Felicitous Amulet of Regeneration
Amulet
Required Level: 3
Fingerprint: 0xfd59728b
Item Level: 7
Version: Resurrected
Replenish Life +2
8% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Stealth
Hard Leather Armor
TalEth
Defense: 24
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x87c90f25
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
+25% Faster Run/Walk
+25% Faster Cast Rate
+25% Faster Hit Recovery
+6 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana 15%
+15 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +30%
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Yew Wand of the Magus
Yew Wand
One Hand Damage: 2 - 8
Durability: 15 of 15
Required Level: 21
Fingerprint: 0x2bf7f283
Item Level: 28
Version: Resurrected
+20% Faster Cast Rate
Ancients' Pledge
Large Shield
RalOrtTal
Defense: 19
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 9 of 24
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 34
Fingerprint: 0x1509f417
Item Level: 42
Version: Resurrected
+50% Enhanced Defense
All Resistances +43
Lightning Resist +5%
Fire Resist +5%
Poison Resist +5%
10% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Crimson Heavy Belt of Thorns
Heavy Belt
Defense: 6
Durability: 18 of 18
Required Level: 10
Required Strength: 45
Fingerprint: 0xc9dd8d19
Item Level: 34
Version: Resurrected
Fire Resist +8%
Attacker Takes Damage of 1
Corpse Fist
Chain Gloves
Defense: 9
Durability: 15 of 16
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x21fd67aa
Item Level: 23
Version: Resurrected
+20 to Attack Rating
+2 to Strength
Lightning Resist +5%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
12% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Russet Heavy Boots of Fortune
Heavy Boots
Defense: 6
Durability: 13 of 14
Required Level: 12
Required Strength: 18
Fingerprint: 0x228bad29
Item Level: 19
Version: Resurrected
Fire Resist +11%
22% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ring of Chance
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x1b3c0c3a
Item Level: 29
Version: Resurrected
13% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ocher Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x913721ba
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+10% Faster Cast Rate
Lightning Resist +16%
Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x5500da65
Item Level: 15
Version: Resurrected
All Resistances +12
Tangerine Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 1
Fingerprint: 0x29a64165
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
Lightning Resist +15%
Azure Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 6
Fingerprint: 0xe4e8f947
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
+15 to Life
Cold Resist +10%
Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x8a5f35a7
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
+5 to Life
Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xf704044
Item Level: 10
Version: Resurrected
+7 to Life
Crimson Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0xda4a209a
Item Level: 19
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Strength
Fire Resist +5%
Ocher Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x7742f91d
Item Level: 17
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +7%
Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xa8ee9697
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0xdcb7de5c
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x9dbd1d34
Item Level: 13
Version: Resurrected
Code:
Name: Vikhyat
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Defiance-Normal
Experience: 8383966
Level: 42
Dead?: unknown
Naked/Gear
Strength: 114/114
Dexterity: 89/91
HP: 615/619
Defense: 430/491
AR: 479/479
Fire: 106/66/6
Cold: 84/44/-16
Lightning: 95/55/-5
Poison: 99/59/-1
Imp Flange
Hard Leather Armor
Defense: 35
Durability: 25 of 28
Required Level: 14
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x7ef6a80f
Item Level: 21
Version: Resurrected
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+43% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Dexterity
+4 to Mana
Fire Resist +22%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Carrion Crest
Full Helm
Defense: 26
Durability: 18 of 30
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 41
Fingerprint: 0x6de34b73
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+4 to Life
Lightning Resist +11%
Poison Resist +7%
Bitter Scourge
Halberd
Two Hand Damage: 24 - 105
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 65
Required Dexterity: 37
Fingerprint: 0xbc3cf0ba
Item Level: 40
Version: Resurrected
34% Enhanced Damage
+16 to Maximum Damage
Prevent Monster Heal
Poison Resist +8%
EtherealNightmare was way easier than Normal thanks to maxxing Tornado and some of it's synergies. Everything inside of my AOE fell apart easily. The "hardest" part was navigating through an unusually large Act 3's jungle.
I found some Crystal Swords while walking through NM and I tried to cube each one of them. I finally got 4 sockets when I was deep in Act 4.
Aerokine was level 73 when he killed Baal.
I found some Crystal Swords while walking through NM and I tried to cube each one of them. I finally got 4 sockets when I was deep in Act 4.
Aerokine was level 73 when he killed Baal.
Stats:
Skills:
Code:
Name: HC_Aerokine
Class: Druid
Experience: 381788351
Level: 73
Naked/Gear
Strength: 95/114
Dexterity: 20/27
Vitality: 315/337
Energy: 20/35
HP: 783/830
Mana: 164/263
Stamina: 446/461
Defense: 5/136
AR: 70/164
Fire: 148/108/48
Cold: 66/26/-34
Lightning: 129/89/29
Poison: 116/76/16
MF: 88 Block: 4
GF: 50 FR/W: 48
FHR: 88 IAS: 0
FCR: 69Skills:
Code:
Arctic Blast: 1/4
Cyclone Armor: 20/23
Twister: 9/12
Tornado: 20/23
Hurricane: 20/23
Oak Sage: 6/9
Raven: 1/4
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/4
Summon Dire Wolf: 1/4
Summon Grizzly: 1/4
Code:
Lore
Antlers
OrtSol
Defense: 23
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0x2ba87a93
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Feral Rage (Druid Only)
+1 to Poison Creeper (Druid Only)
+10 to Energy
Lightning Resist +30%
Damage Reduced by 7
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+2 to Light Radius
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Amulet of Fortune
Amulet
Required Level: 12
Fingerprint: 0xffeef1d6
Item Level: 46
Version: Resurrected
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Stealth
Hard Leather Armor
TalEth
Defense: 24
Durability: 28 of 28
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x87c90f25
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
+25% Faster Run/Walk
+25% Faster Cast Rate
+25% Faster Hit Recovery
+6 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana 15%
+15 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +30%
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Spirit
Crystal Sword
TalThulOrtAmn
One Hand Damage: 5 - 15
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0xe130a09e
Item Level: 45
Version: Resurrected
+2 to All Skills
+34% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+99 to Mana
Magic Absorb 5%
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Rhyme
Bone Shield
ShaelEth
Defense: 12
Chance to Block: 40
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x7fd175da
Item Level: 21
Version: Resurrected
+40% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
Cannot Be Frozen
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Viper Strap
Mesh Belt
Defense: 56
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xabf2eb7f
Item Level: 48
Version: Resurrected
+46% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Strength
+35 to Life
Lightning Resist +16%
Fire Resist +11%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Required Level +5
Demon Finger
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 9
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xaf5c0ace
Item Level: 68
Version: Resurrected
+36% Enhanced Defense
Replenish Life +4
Fire Resist +30%
Poison Resist +13%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Cruel Nails
Heavy Boots
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 16
Required Strength: 18
Fingerprint: 0x576b4b49
Item Level: 58
Version: Resurrected
+20% Faster Run/Walk
Fire Resist +24%
Poison Resist +7%
18% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to Light Radius
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
Storm Grip
Ring
Required Level: 51
Fingerprint: 0x2510ae7e
Item Level: 60
Version: Resurrected
+8 to Minimum Damage
+59 to Attack Rating
+5 to Energy
All Resistances +9
Lightning Resist +17%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Russet Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0xe7d6a4d5
Item Level: 46
Version: Resurrected
+10% Faster Cast Rate
Fire Resist +11%
Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x5500da65
Item Level: 15
Version: Resurrected
All Resistances +12
Static Large Charm of Balance
Large Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x61bbe079
Item Level: 50
Version: Resurrected
+8% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 1 - 8 Lightning Damage
Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xf704044
Item Level: 10
Version: Resurrected
+7 to Life
Sapphire Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x594f6111
Item Level: 61
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Strength
Cold Resist +10%
Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0x386fe6a6
Item Level: 50
Version: Resurrected
4% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ruby Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xe7e8050b
Item Level: 56
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Strength
Fire Resist +11%
Emerald Small Charm of Inertia
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x5f751632
Item Level: 58
Version: Resurrected
+3% Faster Run/Walk
Poison Resist +10%
Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x8a5f35a7
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
+5 to Life
Crimson Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0xda4a209a
Item Level: 19
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Strength
Fire Resist +5%
Ocher Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x7742f91d
Item Level: 17
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +7%
Tangerine Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xdd33c0f0
Item Level: 45
Version: Resurrected
Lightning Resist +3%
5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0xdcb7de5c
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xa8ee9697
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x9dbd1d34
Item Level: 13
Version: Resurrected
Code:
Name: Vikhyat
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Defiance-Normal
Experience: 43388634
Level: 73
Dead?: unknown
Naked/Gear
Strength: 169/169
Dexterity: 136/136
HP: 1380/1384
Defense: 1023/1228
AR: 1163/1163
Fire: 150/110/50
Cold: 160/120/60
Lightning: 149/109/49
Poison: 145/105/45
Fiend Wrap
Full Plate Mail
Defense: 179
Durability: 57 of 70
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 80
Fingerprint: 0x28622c8c
Item Level: 46
Version: Resurrected
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+11% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +22%
Fire Resist +12%
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Poison Length Reduced by 50%
Carrion Crest
Full Helm
Defense: 26
Durability: 18 of 30
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 41
Fingerprint: 0x6de34b73
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+4 to Life
Lightning Resist +11%
Poison Resist +7%
Dire Prod
War Scythe
Two Hand Damage: 28 - 69
Durability: 33 of 55
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 80
Required Dexterity: 80
Fingerprint: 0xc78b9fc
Item Level: 60
Version: Resurrected
89% Enhanced Damage
+1 to Maximum Damage
Adds 16 - 34 Fire Damage
Adds 150 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
4% Life stolen per hitAct 1
Without farming or changing any gear from NM, things started really slow. I started using the teleport staff because there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to aim a tornado through a door.
Act 1 was pretty chill. Slow progress but nothing too dangerous. The only scary thing was having extra fast Treehead Woodfist’s pack (and tree) RIGHT out of the Underground Passage immediately charging me. Teleport staff was handy here.
Andy was fine, once I got her in a comfy angle I could just stand and spam my tornadoes while constantly re-summoning my wolves/bear to be the meat shield for me.
Act 2
Went straight down the Sewers which was packed with archers but we slowly cleared the way until we reached Radament. Found him pretty easily in Sewers level 3, but listen carefully: he had might aura and was surrounded by 3 (!) boss packs, one of them immune to physical. It was the first time I did something really stupid during the journey trying to teleport to one of the corners to have a better angle and that almost ended in a death (first real NDE). Luckily had good instincts to teleport back and continued to slowly clear mobs. After I horded the phys-immune pack to a different room it was really easy to kill the rest and get the precious book.
Right before the Maggot Lair I finally found a 3-socket helm and instantly created the Cure runeword for Vikhyat. Maggot Lair itself was *very* slow but we got the staff eventually.
Had another real close NDE in the tombs which was really large and took a lot of time navigating through. Duriel himself was piece of cake and I can finally say goodbye to act 2 which was the hardest so far.
Act 3
Compared to Act 2, Act 3 was pretty chill. I had enough of whiffing tornadoes so I experimented with the various angles. Gotta say it’s still not 100% but I’m getting better at it. Still having problems fighting near doors and walls so I try to force the fights in the middle of rooms if possible.
My third NDE came, shockingly, in the Ruined Temple. One of my wolves triggered the rogues right as we entered the temple but I survived that too by teleporting, grabbing the book and teleporting back and outside.
Trav was easy (but took a few minutes to clear) by separating the Councils and I took the stairs to Durance. Level 2 exit was right next to the entrance, but Level 2 > Level 3 was really unlucky. The waypoint and level 3 stairs were in the far opposite corners with level 2 stairs in the middle.
Meph, like the previous bosses, was easy and done very quick.
During this Hell journey, I feel like I’ve encountered way too many fanaticism/might packs, extremely large maps and very bad drops. Luckily only 2 acts left.
Act 4
So I finally made it to my favorite act of the game. I was greeted by a group of regular Venom Lords that took over 6 minutes (!) for me to kill. I tried pushing forward but at that stage it became more of a burden and less of a game to progress with such bad TTK.
I went back to town and started thinking what to do.
Gambling? I had less than 1M because of Vikhyat.
Crafting? Not nearly enough materials.
Shopping? Couldn’t think of anything that would bump my skills/damage or proc AD/Decrepify.
Didn’t have any useful S/Us.
I considered either quitting or breaking one of my rules. I took some days off and had the time to think what I want to do and came up to conclusion that I love playing this build and I definitely want to get to endgame with it so I decided to progress by lowering the player count to /p6, which is still slow but bearable for me.
Reaching Izual was not an easy task (no souls thank god) but had no problem killing him once I found him.
While navigating through the RoF, finally a shiny white Giant Thresher dropped of one of the mobs. I took it to the cube and prayed to RNGesus and what do you know, sometimes miracles happen. Got 4 sockets, instantly turned into an Insight which changed the whole game for me.
Chaos, like other areas, was slow but no NDEs recorded. Diablo couldn't stand against me and my bear
He was kinda generous and dropped Trang's belt (which I ended up not using because I never found a Monarch to turn into Spirit) and this useless-but-interesting SC (this might be the highest psn dmg I seen in my D2R career so thought it was nice to share) that dropped from one of the mobs in CS:
Act 5
Last act to become a guardian.
Up until Crystalline Passage things went pretty fast. Avoided archers where I could, kited back and slowly cleared them when I couldn't.
In CP I hit a small wall when I rolled Ghosts which are PI. My tactic was clearing the rest of the mobs and then lead the ghosts to a corner and then teleport away. You guessed right, it was time consuming.
Frozen River had a LITTLE (luckily) souls, so again some kiting and slow progress.
When I finally made it to the Ancients I was a little bit scared, but separating them proved to be useful, And I probably won the lottery by having the Throne of Destruction one teleport away from WSK3 stairs.
Hell Baal was the hardest boss of this journey. In a glorious fight (not really) that took over 40 minutes, I had to go back to town and chog potions for me and Vikhyat more times than my whole SC career probably. Baal was stubborn and kept teleporting/summoning his clone but I finally got him.
Aerokine was level 86 when he finally beat hell.
Without farming or changing any gear from NM, things started really slow. I started using the teleport staff because there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to aim a tornado through a door.
Act 1 was pretty chill. Slow progress but nothing too dangerous. The only scary thing was having extra fast Treehead Woodfist’s pack (and tree) RIGHT out of the Underground Passage immediately charging me. Teleport staff was handy here.
Andy was fine, once I got her in a comfy angle I could just stand and spam my tornadoes while constantly re-summoning my wolves/bear to be the meat shield for me.
Act 2
Went straight down the Sewers which was packed with archers but we slowly cleared the way until we reached Radament. Found him pretty easily in Sewers level 3, but listen carefully: he had might aura and was surrounded by 3 (!) boss packs, one of them immune to physical. It was the first time I did something really stupid during the journey trying to teleport to one of the corners to have a better angle and that almost ended in a death (first real NDE). Luckily had good instincts to teleport back and continued to slowly clear mobs. After I horded the phys-immune pack to a different room it was really easy to kill the rest and get the precious book.
Right before the Maggot Lair I finally found a 3-socket helm and instantly created the Cure runeword for Vikhyat. Maggot Lair itself was *very* slow but we got the staff eventually.
Had another real close NDE in the tombs which was really large and took a lot of time navigating through. Duriel himself was piece of cake and I can finally say goodbye to act 2 which was the hardest so far.
Act 3
Compared to Act 2, Act 3 was pretty chill. I had enough of whiffing tornadoes so I experimented with the various angles. Gotta say it’s still not 100% but I’m getting better at it. Still having problems fighting near doors and walls so I try to force the fights in the middle of rooms if possible.
My third NDE came, shockingly, in the Ruined Temple. One of my wolves triggered the rogues right as we entered the temple but I survived that too by teleporting, grabbing the book and teleporting back and outside.
Trav was easy (but took a few minutes to clear) by separating the Councils and I took the stairs to Durance. Level 2 exit was right next to the entrance, but Level 2 > Level 3 was really unlucky. The waypoint and level 3 stairs were in the far opposite corners with level 2 stairs in the middle.
Meph, like the previous bosses, was easy and done very quick.
During this Hell journey, I feel like I’ve encountered way too many fanaticism/might packs, extremely large maps and very bad drops. Luckily only 2 acts left.
Act 4
So I finally made it to my favorite act of the game. I was greeted by a group of regular Venom Lords that took over 6 minutes (!) for me to kill. I tried pushing forward but at that stage it became more of a burden and less of a game to progress with such bad TTK.
I went back to town and started thinking what to do.
Gambling? I had less than 1M because of Vikhyat.
Crafting? Not nearly enough materials.
Shopping? Couldn’t think of anything that would bump my skills/damage or proc AD/Decrepify.
Didn’t have any useful S/Us.
I considered either quitting or breaking one of my rules. I took some days off and had the time to think what I want to do and came up to conclusion that I love playing this build and I definitely want to get to endgame with it so I decided to progress by lowering the player count to /p6, which is still slow but bearable for me.
Reaching Izual was not an easy task (no souls thank god) but had no problem killing him once I found him.
While navigating through the RoF, finally a shiny white Giant Thresher dropped of one of the mobs. I took it to the cube and prayed to RNGesus and what do you know, sometimes miracles happen. Got 4 sockets, instantly turned into an Insight which changed the whole game for me.
Chaos, like other areas, was slow but no NDEs recorded. Diablo couldn't stand against me and my bear
He was kinda generous and dropped Trang's belt (which I ended up not using because I never found a Monarch to turn into Spirit) and this useless-but-interesting SC (this might be the highest psn dmg I seen in my D2R career so thought it was nice to share) that dropped from one of the mobs in CS:
Act 5
Last act to become a guardian.
Up until Crystalline Passage things went pretty fast. Avoided archers where I could, kited back and slowly cleared them when I couldn't.
In CP I hit a small wall when I rolled Ghosts which are PI. My tactic was clearing the rest of the mobs and then lead the ghosts to a corner and then teleport away. You guessed right, it was time consuming.
Frozen River had a LITTLE (luckily) souls, so again some kiting and slow progress.
When I finally made it to the Ancients I was a little bit scared, but separating them proved to be useful, And I probably won the lottery by having the Throne of Destruction one teleport away from WSK3 stairs.
Hell Baal was the hardest boss of this journey. In a glorious fight (not really) that took over 40 minutes, I had to go back to town and chog potions for me and Vikhyat more times than my whole SC career probably. Baal was stubborn and kept teleporting/summoning his clone but I finally got him.
Aerokine was level 86 when he finally beat hell.
And that concludes my road to guardianship:
Stats:
Skills:
Code:
Name: HC_Aerokine
Class: Druid
Experience: 1158684890
Level: 86
Naked/Gear
Strength: 120/139
Dexterity: 20/27
Vitality: 360/382
Energy: 20/35
HP: 912/1025
Mana: 190/289
Stamina: 504/519
Defense: 5/136
AR: 70/213
Fire: 203/163/103
Cold: 105/65/5
Lightning: 185/145/85
Poison: 126/86/26
MF: 63 Block: 4
GF: 60 FR/W: 48
FHR: 100 IAS: 0
FCR: 69Skills:
Code:
Arctic Blast: 1/4
Cyclone Armor: 20/23
Twister: 17/20
Tornado: 20/23
Hurricane: 20/23
Feral Rage: 0/4
Oak Sage: 15/18
Raven: 1/4
Summon Spirit Wolf: 1/4
Summon Dire Wolf: 1/4
Summon Grizzly: 1/4
Poison Creeper: 0/4
Code:
Lore
Antlers
OrtSol
Defense: 23
Durability: 18 of 20
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 24
Fingerprint: 0x2ba87a93
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Feral Rage (Druid Only)
+1 to Poison Creeper (Druid Only)
+10 to Energy
Lightning Resist +30%
Damage Reduced by 7
+2 to Mana after each Kill
+2 to Light Radius
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Sol Rune
Nokozan Relic
Amulet
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x41c62e6c
Item Level: 28
Version: Resurrected
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 3 - 6 Fire Damage
+10% to Maximum Fire Resist
Fire Resist +50%
+3 to Light Radius
Stealth
Hard Leather Armor
TalEth
Defense: 24
Durability: 24 of 28
Required Level: 17
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x87c90f25
Item Level: 5
Version: Resurrected
+25% Faster Run/Walk
+25% Faster Cast Rate
+25% Faster Hit Recovery
+6 to Dexterity
Regenerate Mana 15%
+15 Maximum Stamina
Poison Resist +30%
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Spirit
Crystal Sword
TalThulOrtAmn
One Hand Damage: 5 - 15
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0xe130a09e
Item Level: 45
Version: Resurrected
+2 to All Skills
+34% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
Adds 1 - 50 Lightning Damage
Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
7% Life stolen per hit
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+22 to Vitality
+99 to Mana
Magic Absorb 5%
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Ort Rune
Socketed: Amn Rune
Rhyme
Bone Shield
ShaelEth
Defense: 12
Chance to Block: 40
Durability: 34 of 40
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 25
Fingerprint: 0x7fd175da
Item Level: 21
Version: Resurrected
+40% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
Regenerate Mana 15%
All Resistances +25
Cannot Be Frozen
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
2 Sockets (2 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Eth Rune
Viper Strap
Mesh Belt
Defense: 56
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xabf2eb7f
Item Level: 48
Version: Resurrected
+46% Enhanced Defense
+14 to Strength
+35 to Life
Lightning Resist +16%
Fire Resist +11%
Poison Length Reduced by 25%
Required Level +5
Demon Finger
Heavy Gloves
Defense: 9
Durability: 13 of 14
Required Level: 30
Fingerprint: 0xaf5c0ace
Item Level: 68
Version: Resurrected
+36% Enhanced Defense
Replenish Life +4
Fire Resist +30%
Poison Resist +13%
11% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Cruel Nails
Heavy Boots
Defense: 6
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 16
Required Strength: 18
Fingerprint: 0x576b4b49
Item Level: 58
Version: Resurrected
+20% Faster Run/Walk
Fire Resist +24%
Poison Resist +7%
18% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+1 to Light Radius
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
Storm Grip
Ring
Required Level: 51
Fingerprint: 0x2510ae7e
Item Level: 60
Version: Resurrected
+8 to Minimum Damage
+59 to Attack Rating
+5 to Energy
All Resistances +9
Lightning Resist +17%
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Ocher Ring of the Apprentice
Ring
Required Level: 9
Fingerprint: 0x913721ba
Item Level: 22
Version: Resurrected
+10% Faster Cast Rate
Lightning Resist +16%
Ruby Battle Staff of Teleportation
Battle Staff
Two Hand Damage: 6 - 13
Durability: 40 of 40
Required Level: 24
Fingerprint: 0xe8d4763f
Item Level: 28
Version: Resurrected
Fire Resist +33%
Level 1 Teleport Level 20 %s (33/33 Charges)
Shimmering Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x5500da65
Item Level: 15
Version: Resurrected
All Resistances +12
Acrobatic Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 53
Fingerprint: 0x1fc417d4
Item Level: 65
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Passive and Magic Skills (Amazon Only)
+33 to Life
Amber Grand Charm of Life
Grand Charm
Required Level: 22
Fingerprint: 0xa512adbf
Item Level: 40
Version: Resurrected
+8 to Life
Lightning Resist +30%
Iron Large Charm of Vita
Large Charm
Required Level: 50
Fingerprint: 0x457c3a50
Item Level: 83
Version: Resurrected
+49 to Attack Rating
+30 to Life
Crimson Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 5
Fingerprint: 0xda4a209a
Item Level: 19
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Strength
Fire Resist +5%
Tangerine Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0xdd33c0f0
Item Level: 45
Version: Resurrected
Lightning Resist +3%
5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0xf704044
Item Level: 10
Version: Resurrected
+7 to Life
Emerald Small Charm of Inertia
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x5f751632
Item Level: 58
Version: Resurrected
+3% Faster Run/Walk
Poison Resist +10%
Russet Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x9c49df5a
Item Level: 69
Version: Resurrected
Fire Resist +6%
Ruby Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0xe7e8050b
Item Level: 56
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Strength
Fire Resist +11%
Small Charm of Fortune
Small Charm
Required Level: 18
Fingerprint: 0x386fe6a6
Item Level: 50
Version: Resurrected
4% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ocher Small Charm of Dexterity
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0x7742f91d
Item Level: 17
Version: Resurrected
+1 to Dexterity
Lightning Resist +7%
Sapphire Small Charm of Strength
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x594f6111
Item Level: 61
Version: Resurrected
+2 to Strength
Cold Resist +10%
Sapphire Small Charm of Greed
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x627c2d01
Item Level: 70
Version: Resurrected
Cold Resist +11%
10% Extra Gold from Monsters
Lapis Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 10
Fingerprint: 0xf3b4d766
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
Cold Resist +7%
Sapphire Small Charm
Small Charm
Required Level: 32
Fingerprint: 0x699dc83f
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
Cold Resist +11%
Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xa8ee9697
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Tome of Town Portal
Fingerprint: 0xdcb7de5c
Item Level: 11
Version: Resurrected
Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x9dbd1d34
Item Level: 13
Version: Resurrected
Code:
Name: Vikhyat
Race: Desert Mercenary
Type: Defiance-Normal
Experience: 70193704
Level: 85
Dead?: unknown
Naked/Gear
Strength: 190/203
Dexterity: 154/159
HP: 1830/1830
Defense: 1345/1685
AR: 1976/412984
Fire: 182/142/82
Cold: 152/112/52
Lightning: 152/112/52
Poison: 211/171/111
Cure
Death Mask
ShaelIoTal
Defense: 111
Durability: 10 of 20
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0xe9460876
Item Level: 76
Version: Resurrected
Level 1 Cleansing Aura When Equipped
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+96% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Vitality
Increase Maximum Life 5%
Poison Resist +59%
Poison Length Reduced by 50%
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Io Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Gemmed Mage Plate
Mage Plate
Defense: 229
Durability: 55 of 60
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 55
Fingerprint: 0x68280777
Item Level: 64
Version: Resurrected
+15% Increased Attack Speed
+8 to Strength
Fire Resist +30%
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Flawless Amethyst
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Jewel of Fervor
Insight
Giant Thresher
RalTirTalSol
Two Hand Damage: 138 - 395
Durability: 39 of 55
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 188
Required Dexterity: 140
Fingerprint: 0x39da9d79
Item Level: 85
Version: Resurrected
Level 17 Meditation Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Cast Rate
247% Enhanced Damage
208% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Adds 75 Poison Damage Over 5 Secs (125 Frames)
+1 to Critical Strike
All Stats +5
+2 to Mana after each Kill
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Tir Rune
Socketed: Tal Rune
Socketed: Sol RuneFinal Numbers:
Respecs used: 0
Larzuk's socket used: 0
NDEs: 3
Times Vikhyat died: 82,666
Holy Grail progress: 12.66% (69 found, 476 missing)
Highest rune found: Pul (Act 4 Hell). Never found Lum for Smoke or Lem for Treachery.
Thoughts
1. So if you were brave enough to read through (I totally understand if you haven't), I mentioned that I liked playing this build. I had 3 NDEs and all of them were my mistakes.
I really think this build is one of the safest to go through, especially with Cyclone Armor. In Frozen River I had souls that never hurt me as long as I kept my CA up.
I bet this build shines with Enigma and telestomping and I really wanna check it out in the future.
2. I'm glad I tried playing HC. This really is a different experience. I rarely die in SC but you don't really think about your life there. In HC you gotta be concentrated 100% of the time.
3. It was nice to play an off meta build. It was definitely the hardest and longest journey I had in D2R and it was totally worth the time invested. I'd do it again if I died during the playthrough.
What's Next?
When I took off, I had an ambition of completing the grail AND getting to 99 with this character. I don't know if I'll ever make it, but I will certainly try to complete one or both of these goals as long as I have fun playing.
I'll probably start mfing and grinding the runes for Enigma like most of us do.
Once I get my hands on Stormshield I'll use one of my respecs and go max block.
So that's it. That was my attempt at HC playthrough and I enjoyed the ride! If/When I post an update regarding this character I PROMISE it will be much shorter.
Thanks for reading, stay safe and have fun
Peace
