Tord the hungry and feral wolf has eaten his way through Act I and despite having zero focus on magic finding came across an unusually high number of early uniques while improving lycanthropy mostly to keep the life up while focusing in strength and dexterity to work his way towards wielding a partizan. It will of course be the perfect disappointment if he fails to cube one early enough to take advantage of that.
A nagelring is a welcome addition against scarab lightning.
Umbral disk is actually a very good shield early on. I wonder very much if a fast hitting character could take advantage of i and knockback gloves in hell, that would be so hilarious.
More negating scarab bolts and additional dexterity for partizan handling, excellent. Also not a bad early armour for a melee hireling.
Almost too convenient. Along with the umbral disk this will work wonders towards shortening the Act boss battles.
The wolf is a fairly easy character to play with decent speed so far. I fear the bear will feel like a slug in comparison.
A very disappointing fact related to the characters is that the Swedish tv-series office antagonist characters that Tord and Paul are named after no longer are viewable on youtube like before when there were a collection of all their episodes neatly compiled. Extremely disappointing.
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/28 River of Flame 33
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 16/16 Black Marsh 8
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 5/19 Lut Gholein 7
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/7 Lut Gholein Sewers 7
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Yes, that's right. My Assassin has cleared Act III and Act IV at players 7.
Act III was a breeze. Fire Blast continued to be a powerful skill against all foes. I dropped a bit of mf in favor of a two tir helm giving my Assassin a grand total of +5 mana per kill. A level 20 Fire Blast costs 5.3 mana. Most foes would die in two to three fire blasts, so, as long as I was targeting mobs I could spam the skill at will. Later I gambled and equiped a circlet with 52 mana and 16 mf. That nearly doubled my mana pool and returned some lost mf. It was a bit of drag losing the mana per kill but the larger mana pool did make Lightning and Death Sentry (20 mana cost per trap) more of an option. A good to have option, but not needed in Act III. Only Mephisto put up much of a fight. He managed to kill the merc several times with a series of elemental attacks before appearing to get himself stuck in a loop of selecting much less damaging physical attacks. Once that happened, Fire Blast and the merc took him down pretty quickly. Mephisto snubbed my Assassin with no set/uniques.
Here's all the set/uniques that dropped in Act III:
Act IV saw some slow downs. Fire Blast seemed to be running into some monsters with fire resistance and the merc's poleaxe was starting to feel outdated. Fortunately there were solutions for both problems. Death Sentry made it's debut (with Corpse Explosion seeming to be it's best feature), and the merc got a three amethyst breast plate that boosted his strength enough to equip a +80% damage Partizan. Those updates resulted in pretty smooth sailing up to the Chaos Sanctuary where curses and more fire resistant monsters caused the biggest slow downs to date. No big deal though, I just needed to be a bit more patient ... I considered dropping the players setting from P7 at Diablo, but in the end decided I wanted more of a challenge. As expected, P7 Diablo wiped the floor with my merc ... convincingly enough that I just left him for dead ... so my Assassin was left to stand toe to toe with that mighty foe and engage him in honorable, glorious, personal combat ... ... ... Yeah. Right. ... ... She spammed Lighting Sentries to the edge of the screen and more or less fought him without ever seeing him. Easy, safe, but a bit time consuming.
Here's the set/uniques that dropped in Act IV:
Isenhart's Case, Breast Plate (River of Flame)
Sigon's Wrap, Plated Belt (Diablo)
Vidala's Fetlock, Light Plated Boots (Diablo)
So the most exciting drop was probably:
Not bad for 1.11b, and a welcome sight after the Hellforge dropped an El Rune.
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 16/16 Black Marsh 8
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 5/19 Lut Gholein 7
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/7 Lut Gholein Sewers 7
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Next up: Act V with my merc's merc Sorceress. I'm hoping to find an Amn and Sol. But in 1.11b, I'm not holding my breath.
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 16/16 Black Marsh 8
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 8/19 Lut Gholein 8
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/7 Lut Gholein Sewers 7
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Tiny update as my Zon got past Blood Raven, befriended a rogue and gave her a shiny rare bow to help make adventuring slightly easier until we grab a 3os hunter's bow somewhere. I think I'm going to have to twink out my FA zon and get her matted so I can really dive into my tourney characters, can't let Han have all the glory
BurlapBag-I has arrived at Kurast Docks, but GunnySack-I is still at the act 1 Catacombs-2 waypoint, so if I understand the rules correctly, Bag is stuck now, at least until Sack advances to Lut Gholein. She found a nice ring and a couple of nice necklaces:
(Cathan's Sigil)
(Nokozan)
(Nagelring, 65AR & 20 MF)
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 8/19 Lut Gholein 8
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/7 Lut Gholein Sewers 7
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Sabrina, my amazon, quickly decided she would be using daggers, as I have not yet made a daggerzon. It will be nice to have a nice block rate on a passivezon this time around. She was able to replace her +5 max damage dirk with the Gull dagger shown previously, which helped to find 2xArctic Furs, Cleglaw's Claw, and The Dragon Chang. No real danger so far, with dodge, avoid, and blocking helping to avoid damage.
After defeating Andariel, Sabrina hired a Prayer mercenary, gambling a +7 max damage pike for him, and failing to get an MF circlet. She then handed over the Gull dagger to Anora to use.
Despite the extra MF from the Gull dagger, Anora only found 2 S/U items in Act I: The Hand of Broc, and Axe of Fechmar. I kept Arctic Furs on her rogue merc/in the stash just in case I managed to get the belt for 40% MF, but no such luck yet.
Once she got Lightning at level 12, clearing areas went much faster as long as she stayed stocked up on mana pots. The catacombs had some rough spots with elemental enchanted Tainted and Vampire packs, but Anora survived and took out Andariel.
Anora also retired her rogue mercenary and hired a Defiance town guard, gambling him a Pike and managing to get a 31% MF Circlet of Luck.
I haven't decided yet who will start Act II first, but I think I'll keep the Gull dagger on both for Act II, eventually replacing it with a more damaging dagger on Sabrina later down the road.
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 8/19 Lut Gholein 8
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/7 Lut Gholein Sewers 7
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Behold! Beloved benefactor Black Hack bestows blissful benevolence by bemoaning Baals burdening bureaucracy. Bow before Black Hacks bad-assness!
Diary of Black Hack, day 1
Sigh... I knew it. It's one of THOSE times again. Never a moments respite. Another batch of loony morons out to trespass on your infernal lawn and as every time, upper management is slow as a decrepified zombie to react. However, maybe this time, just this time, we could catch the interlopers before they grow too powerful. I am in charge of a band of wicked vile women in motley garb patrolling the Dark Wood. I don't have much of my hair left but otherwise I look pretty hot and spiked shoulders are so classy. I am extra strong from the exercise and healthy lifestyle. Fear my Motley Crew!
Diary of Black Hack, day 2
I swear it, it was one of Treehead Hamfists brutes that did me in! Backstabbing hairy ape-gluteus-faced traitor! One moment we were running across the carver camps for a surprise inspection when suddenly a big hairy BRUTE stampeded into the crew and started to slaughter all my minons and frightened the midget cowards away all around me. Oh, the primitive look of that thuggish creature...just like the rest of his sidekicks. I slashed at it but hit only fur and some naive former sister of mine shot us from behind the oaf with fiery arrows. The brute had some greenish orb around it. It was probably some Warhammer fan with some miniature Morrslieb gadget. And a H@XX0R! I will file a formal complaint to the United Monster Troops (UMT) trade union about Woodhead Treefoots treachery!
Paul the bear has had an unlucky early career with just a few diamonds found while drowning in amethysts for some reason. Maul has been a welcome addition which merited a few points until he will continue to improve lycanthropy for more life. The attack speed is hideous so Paige the rogue was very necessary in order to not be driven mad by all the elusive fallen ones. The bears unsophisticated and graceless style of fighting range from mindless pummeling to idiotic bit...she-wolf slapping of its diminutive enemies.
Tord and Paul will not share a stash or anything else, bitter enemies as they are, so each will have to cube their own overpowered pole arm whenever possible. I'm impatiently looking forward to level 24 when hunger will eradicate most mana problems for both and unlock life leeching for Paul.
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 8/19 Lut Gholein 8
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 35/34 Harrogath 42
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 15/19 Lut Gholein 10
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Artemis rescued Cain, then persuaded the Countess to cough up a Ral rune, but little else of note happened. Gambled a rare Javelin from Gheed so most mobs get one shot right now, but looking for an upgrade once I start heading for the Catacombs. 4 topaz in the chest and helm have yielded no prizes yet, but hope springs eternal, even in Sanctuary.
Destroyer Freda, clvl 47, 1.11b Merc's Merc Sorceress (soon to be a Frozen Orb Sorceress).
Act V has been cleared at players 7. My Sorceress didn't kill a single monster herself, but that's nothing new (... I think the last monster she personally killed was in Act I ...). Anyhow, it might sound tedious but it really wasn't that bad. It's hard to go wrong with Static Field, Teleport, and a merc with a decent enough weapon (savage partizan). The only monsters that seemed to demand special consideration were champion Frenzytaurs and the Plucked Chickens. Both those monster groups got spread out with some strategic retreating via teleport ... in the case of the Plucked Chickens, a lot of strategic retreating:
Still, mighty as those foes may have been at players 7, they were no match for Static Field. And then Baal, ... don't make me laugh ... poor Baal was all but defenseless against Static Field and before he knew what had happened to him he had been reduced to splat on the floor.
Set/unique drops were numerous but none too interesting:
Bverrit Keep, Tower Shield (Bloody Foothills)
The Diggler, Dirk (Frigid Highlands)
Isenhart's Lightbrand, Broad Sword (Frigid Highlands)
Goblin Toe, Light Plated Boots (Frigid Highlands) <-- A great find ... for a different character ...
Isenhart's Parry, Gothic Shield (Abaddon) <-- Completes the set.
Milabrega's Orb, Kite Shield (Frozen Tundra)
Hellplague, Long Sword (Infernal Pit)
Cathan's Mesh, Chain Mail (Infernal Pit)
Sander's Taboo, Heavy Gloves (Halls of Pain)
Cathan's Seal, Ring (Halls of Vaught)
Tancred's Crowbill, Military Pick (Halls of Vaught)
Civerb's Cudgel, Grand Scepter (The Ancient's Way) <-- Completes the set.
Iratha's Coil, Crown (The Ancient's Way)
Skull Splitter, Military Pick (Wordstone Keep Level 1)
Civerb's Ward, Large Shield (Throne of Destruction)
Sigon's Guard, Tower Shield (Baal)
Naj's Circlet, Circlet (Baal)
And so, the only gear upgrades of note were power shopped at Anya:
Ruby Greaves of Luck
Defense: 14
Durability: 24 of 24
Kick Damage: 10 to 20
Required Strength: 70
Required Level: 19
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xdc413c7b
Fire Resist +37%
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Going into Act V I had been hoping for (but not expecting) an Amn and a Sol ... remember I'm playing 1.11b ... Going into the Throne of Destruction I had found exactly one each: El, Eld, Tir, Nef, and Eth. So things were looking grim. Then with five minutes left until midnight:
The RNG at last reached a little deeper into it's bag of goodies and pulled out something worth having! Now if only my Assassin can find that Sol ...
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SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 47/34 NM Rogue Encampment 51
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 15/19 Lut Gholein 10
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Up next: Let's do Act V again ... (I want that extra skill tree a.s.a.p.)! The question is:
Will Fire Blast go back to working better now that I'm clear of Act IV? ... or is it now all about Lightning and Death Sentry from here on out ... we'll find out!
Well you've got to love Act V. My Assassin set out from Harrogath an awkward little caterpillar caught between an outdated Fire Blast and an under-leveled Death Sentry and ended up a beautiful butterfly capable of destroying worlds (well um, worlds ... world ... stone ... yeah, the worldstone ... mmm, actually Tyrael did that ... but I swear my Trapsin could've done it if she'd wanted to ... she turned into quite the deadly little character). But I digress ...
Act V was cleared at players 7. Early play was a mix of Fire Blast (skill level 20) and Death Sentry (skill level 6 - out of the gates of Harrogath). Some enemies were more vulnerable to Fire Blast, others Death Sentry, though neither skill was too overpowering. But throw in a merc with a savage partizan and between the three you've still got a pretty nice selection of damage from which to choose. As Act V progressed Fire Blast got used less and less as Death Sentry gained more skill points. By the end of the act, Fire Blast had been completely phased out in favor of Death Sentry. Despite the 20 mana per trap cost, mana management never became an issue. My circlet with 52 mana and 16 mf combined with a rare amulet I'd found (I think in Act IV)...
Rune Scarab
Amulet
Required Level: 22
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 31
Fingerprint: 0xadf7ef15
+53 to Mana
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage Reduced by 3
Fire Resist +38%
Lightning Resist +7%
Cold Resist +7%
Poison Resist +7%
... to create a nice enough mana pool that I could get by on scavenged potions. But scavenging potions isn't exactly my idea of fun. So when I was able to do something about it I did.
First, an Amn Rune dropped in Abaddon. Then a Sol Rune dropped in The Pit of Acheron!
If you recall, my Sorceress had failed to find a Sol Rune and had only found an Amn Rune at the very very end of Act V. Needless to say, to find both these runes, and so early, was quite a 1.11b treat. I wasn't expecting to use either of them until after I'd played both characters through the NM Black Marsh (about the time ilvls stop being <41), but then I had an unexpected drop. A white partizan in one of the first two levels of Nihlathak's Temple!? Interesting ... but I'm pretty sure some of the stuff that comes from in there is ilvl 41+ ... so I didn't get too excited. I defeated Nihlathak and then decided to consult ATMA before heading into The Ancient's Way. Surprise! The partizan was ilvl 40! So then it was decision time. Do I want to make an Insight and suffer some eye rolls ... Yes! Okay. That was easy. Next question: Can I do better than a white partizan in two passes up through the Black Marsh? Um, ... I doubt it ... it could happen ... but the odds don't seem great. Okay. How to socket it: I now have two Amn Runes; do I want to take the 50/50 chance of cubing it for four sockets? Amn Runes are not super common in 1.11b ... and then there's no guarantee I'd even find another <ilvl 41 white partizan should it fail ... but do I really want to torch a socket quest so early in the game ... but it's for a really good cause ... I bet I could find another white partizan should the cube fail ... maybe I could even find an eth partizan! ...
No! No! No! The RNG has offered you up the ability to make a partizan Insight while still playing Act V! Don't be greedy or cheap! And so I showed my white partizan to Larzuk and made:
Insight
Partizan
'RalTirTalSol'
Two-Hand Damage: 127 to 261
Durability: 65 of 65
Required Dexterity: 67
Required Strength: 113
Required Level: 27
Polearm Class - Slow Attack Speed
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x72876e80
+5 to Strength
+5 to Energy
+5 to Dexterity
+5 to Vitality
+248% Enhanced Damage
+9 to Minimum Damage
Adds 5-30 fire damage
+75 poison damage over 5 seconds
23% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
+5 to Critical Strike
35% Faster Cast Rate
229% Bonus to Attack Rating
+2 to Mana After Each Kill
Level 16 Meditation Aura When Equipped
Socketed (4: 4 used)
Woohoo! Any roll would have been fine, but I'm extra pleased with the one I got .
And if that wasn't enough, I had a gambling breakthrough 15 minutes later. I've been gambling circlets on both characters since Act III hoping to get one with life leech plus some other useful mod. Millions of gold later and the best I'd managed to do was a circlet with +4% life leech. But then:
Loath Veil
Circlet
Defense: 23
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 35
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 46
Fingerprint: 0xb8a2fb55
+13 to Life
Damage Reduced by 4
All Resistances +18
5% Life stolen per hit
At last! ... and well worth the wait! If I don't find anything better ... which I might not ... that thing could easily be endgame worthy!
And so it was, that with a newly equipped mercenary, and a nearly maxed out Death Sentry, that my Assassin entered the Worldstone Keep. Long story made short, the title of Destroyer is presently very apt.
What else ... Drops! Here's the list of set/uniques:
Berserker's Hatchet, Double Axe (Bloody Foothills)
Cleglaw's Pincers, Chain Gloves (Frigid Highlands)
Vidala's Fetlock, Light Plated Boots (Frigid Highlands)
The Centurion, Hard Leather Armor (Frozen River)
Goreshovel, Broad Axe (Drifter Cavern)
Sander's Taboo, Heavy Gloves (Infernal Pit)
Shadowfang, Two-Handed Sword (Halls of Anguish)
Skull Splitter, Military Pick (The Ancient's Way)
Death's Touch, War Sword (The Ancient's Way)
Isenhart's Case, Breast Plate (Baal)
Nothing I'm likely to use ...
An interesting bit of equipment that I may use:
Corpse Casque
Circlet
Defense: 20
Durability: 35 of 35
Required Level: 48
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 47
Fingerprint: 0x6a6cf3ba
+75 to Mana
10% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Poison Length Reduced by 50%
Level 1 Confuse (22/22 Charges)
I gambled this while looking for life leech circlets for the merc. The mana and a bit of mf caught my eye at first, but then the confuse charges got me intrigued. I'm unlocking the Cold tree for my Sorceress now that both my characters have finished Normal. That means my Assassin won't have any inherent access to anything resembling crowd control until I can unlock the Shadow tree after Nightmare. I wonder if these confuse charges could help fill that gap ... or if trying to work them into play would just confuse me ... I did once deed a tournament character (for no good reason) while trying to get too fancy with skill charges ... should I keep it simple stupid? ... or should I get fancy? ... I think I know ... let's just hope those charges aren't too expsensive ...
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 47/47 NM Rogue Encampment 60
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 15/19 Lut Gholein 10
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 1/20 Lut Gholein 6
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Up next: My Frozen Orb Sorceress finally gets to use Frozen Orb! And what's more, she doesn't need to worry about mana while doing it! This partnership is finally starting to pay off for her! Up until now, I swear my Sorceress has found everything the team is using ... But I can't say that anymore. My Assassin came through big in Act V. I can't wait to use all my new toys and skills in NM and finally start playing more freely!
P.S. Hmm, another double post ... In my defense; there was an eleven hour gap between the two ...
@everyone great progress; @HanShotFirst especially so!
And it seems everyone's finding a Gull except for me...
My update... Just finished Act IV with Necro and Act II with Zon.
Necro Progress :
Almost-full cleared everything on /p8 so far, except for Diablo himself, which I dropped to /p1.
Hoped to find a lucky Amn - for Edge + clay golem combo - and keep it on /p8, but did not happen.
Forge was a Nef.
Diablo without access to Thorns or Curses is a nightmare to deal with for a summoner.
I almost think a Rogue or an Iron Wolf merc would have a better chance here.
That Vidala's paired with the Amulet found early on provides a nice 50%mf and some resists.
The Necro has 57% mf between the amulet and boots slot though, so they'll sit in stash for now.
Amazon Progress :
I tried to cheese with the Horadric Staff from Necro; but it wasn't as good as I hoped.
She quickly switched over to Steel Flail + Bone Shield of Deflecting mid-late Act I, and is still using them.
Passivezon with the Bone Shield had such an easy time tanking Duriel. I think I only went through 3~4 pots before he went down.
Notable Drops :
* Not including lotta drops that may or may not see use.
Ceglaw's Pincers - will definitely see a lot of use on the Strafer-to-be; unless absolutely no usable bow drops.
Milabrega's Orb - Good 25% mf. Necro will use it till Shael drops for a Rhyme.
First Sol rune - all runes available for an Insight now.
Plan is to grab a white sword and polearm at normal Cows; wait for the runes for Spirit; and Larzuk one or the other.
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 47/47 NM Rogue Encampment 60
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/19 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
My (now truly) Frozen Orb Sorceress has cleared NM Act I at players 7. I used my NM skill tree unlock to unlock her Cold tree and had 25 saved skill points with which to work. Those 25 skill points were good enough for one point in every skill in the Cold tree that I wanted/needed while taking Frozen Orb to the maximum level possible based on my clvl. As you might imagine, going from being a merc's merc Sorceress to a Sorceress with a level 18 Frozen Orb was quite a change! Play became so easy it felt like I must be cheating! Things will get harder when cold immunes start popping up in earnest, so for now, I'll just have to enjoy the power ... the near unlimited POWER! ... muahaha ... (what could go wrong) ...
Set/unqiue drops were numerous:
Milabrega's Orb, Kite Shield (Blood Moor)
Milabrega's Diadem, Crown (Cold Plains)
Bloodrise, Morning Star (Crypt)
Bverrit Keep, Tower Shield (Cave Level 2)
Isenhart's Case, Breast Plate (Stony Field)
Sigon's Sabot, Greaves (Stony Field)
Hellclap, Short War Bow (Underground Passage Level 2)
Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (Underground Passage Level 2)
Manald Heal, Ring (Dark Wood)
Arctic Mitts, Light Gauntlets (Tower Cellar Level 2)
Iceblink, Splint Mail (Barracks)
Undead Crown, Crown (Cathedral) <-- Nice. But my rare circlet is better.
Iratha's Coil, Crown (Catacombs Level 1)
Sander's Riprap, Heavy Boots (Catacombs Level 1)
Now that both my characters are doing the majority of the killing themselves, I've been on the lookout for possible merc armors to replace the topaz'ed breast plates my mercs have been using. It's not amazing, but I'd say the Iceblink has some potential for use.
Other finds:
Before starting NM Act I, I had some rune luck in the Moo Moo Farm. My highest rune to date dropped:
But wait! That Shael Rune only held the title of highest rune to date for the briefest of moments! When that Frozen Orb burst the bottom cow dropped:
We have a new winner! ... Also, two Sol Runes dropped in NM Act I ... So I wasn't too sad when the Countess dropped:
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And I even bothered to drop the players setting to one.
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 52/47 NM Lut Gholein 66
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 1/25 Canyon of the Magi 12
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/19 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Up next: I think I'll proceed with NM Act II. NM Act I was fun, but, I don't think I'm quite ready to do it once again ...
@HanShotFirst - Glad to see the sorc is flying now, kudos for sticking with the slow start and getting the payoff! Lots of S/U too, hopefully something really good drops for her.
@Gynli - Nice progress! Almost to the first tree unlock, keep it up!
Great progress to all others as well, looking forward to how these teams shape up.
----
Quick update for me, as I didn't like having that level 1 staring at me in the table
Officially introducing Pao, the future firewall sorc (plus a 2nd element I haven't decided on yet)!
So her sister Rindo never did find a Tir, which is a bit of a bummer since I wanted to start Pao off with a Leaf staff. No worries though, we twinked her with a bunch of MF gear and it was off to the races. I've never played a FW sorc before so this should be an interesting playthrough. Right out into the Den the first skill points started getting assigned and I got to use another skill I haven't ever really dabbled in before, Inferno!
It's pretty effective right now, at least as effective as her whacking away with an eagle orb (which isn't saying much). I'm sure this won't last though, but not to worry as she quickly hit 8 and hired a merc, allowing her to easily plow through Blood Raven and up to Treehead. He got to experience my first crack at another skill I've barely used before; Blaze.
Fun! One day I'm going to make a Blaze sorceress and fully explore this skill, it's been on my to-do list forever since jiansonz took one through a tournament ages ago. Anyway, through to Cain, lots of rares dropping due to her increased MF from her sis' equipment, but all the wrong item types so far. Down to the Countess, fingers crossed for a Tir to finally complete her Leaf and:
Same drop as her sister. Look, the Ral is nice and all, but I just want a damn Tir. Ah well, onwards and upwards (well, downwards) through the Jail it was smooth sailing first to the Smith and then to the big gal.
As you can imagine, having hit 18 and unlocked firewall, the heat-sensitive Maiden of Anguish didn't take long. I'm really liking playing Pao so far, and she's already quite strong (though very mana-hungry!) so I'll probably take her right out into A2 next time out.
--
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 52/47 NM Lut Gholein 66
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/19 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 52/47 NM Lut Gholein 66
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/21 Dry Hills 14
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Started A2 with the Pally, wielding his Magic Flail into the fray as we hunted for the Horadric Cube; found an El to go with the Tir the Countess bestowed upon me, and after about 20 trips out to Rocky Wastes, Fara was kind enough to sell me a flail with 2 sockets, and now Heph wields Steel. Not much of interest was found on the way to finding the Cube, and getting to Radament was not much trouble either. He seemed to be much more susceptible to a 1 point Vengeance than a 4 point, synergized, Zeal, which was a bit surprising. Tonight we will descend into the Maggot Lair, and maybe look for some snakes!
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 52/47 NM Lut Gholein 66
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/21 Dry Hills 14
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Hephaestus tore through the rest of Act 2 fairly easily, with only an "almost" NDE in the Tomb, where a combo of Embalmed, Skellies and Hollow Ones brought me down to about 10%, but a quick regroup later they lay dead at my feet. Dropped to /P1 on Duriel (down from /p5) for speed purposes, but I could have handled him on /P7; just went right up to him and Zeal did the rest. Merc did not die, which, I just cannot remember ever happening on normal Duriel.
No great drops of note, but I did gamble a +30 Life, 37 FR Circlet, and this nice little pair of gloves:
Maybe not quite as good as Chancies, but I imagine I'll be using those into NM, unless Sander's drops.
Next up, Artemis will launch her assault on the desert, and hope that her nice run of MF at the end of Act 1 will spill over into A2, and that I don't try to squeeze too much out of her Gull dagger; I wonder what my percentage is on how many times I get the weapon switch off in time.
Yet another small bit of revenge against Duriel for the permanent psychological damage that was inflicted upon me back when I played HC 1.07 ... Perhaps one day I'll be able to drop into that pit without fear ... *shudders* ... But I'm not there quite yet ...
However, past trauma aside, there was really nothing to fear in NM Act II. Maxed Frozen Orb with an increasingly maxed Cold Mastery was plenty sufficient for a full clear at players 7. A unique Slinger (and it's posse) and later, a group of champion Unravellers managed to land some lucky shots but nothing too scary. I'm currently sitting on 100 unused stat points and am in no real hurry to spend them. (Famous last words if ever I heard them). Anyhow, without an immediate sense of danger I'm pretty happy to keep my options open in case something wonderful drops.
Speaking of drops, here's the set/unique haul:
(287 mf + 23 mf if the merc kills)
Treads of Cthon, Chain Boots (Sewers Level 1)
Sander's Taboo, Heavy Gloves (Sewers Level 1)
Arctic Horn, Short War Bow (Sewers Level 2)
Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (Sewers Level 2)
Rockfleece, Field Plate (Stony Tomb Level 2)
The General's Tan Do Li Ga, Flail (Halls of the Dead Level 2)
Bladebone, Double Axe (Far Oasis)
Angelic Sickle, Sabre (Maggot Lair Level 3)
Hwanin's Blessing, Belt (Lost City)
Isenhart's Lightbrand, Broad Sword (Palace Cellar Level 1)
Crushflange, Mace (Palace Cellar Level 3)
Civerb's Icon, Amulet (Arcane Sanctuary)
Cleglaw's Pincers, Chain Gloves (Arcane Sanctuary)
Angelic Halo, Ring (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Gleamscythe, Falchion (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Duskdeep, Full Helm (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Tearhaunch, Greaves (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Tancred's Crowbill, Military Pick (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Nokozan Relic, Amulet (Tal Rasha's False Tomb)
Angelic Wings, Amulet (Duriel)
So, nothing for the characters. But something for the merc:
Rockfleece
Field Plate
Defense: 239
Durability: 33 of 48
Required Strength: 50
Required Level: 28
Item Version: 1.10+ Expansion
Item Level: 44
Fingerprint: 0xa1cdf103
+5 to Strength
+126% Enhanced Defense
Damage Reduced by 5
Damage Reduced by 10%
Requirements -10%
The freezes target on Iceblink (found late NM Act I) was intriguing, but given that I'm already chilling everything with Frozen Orb, I'd say the two types of damage reduction on Rockfleece is more advantageous.
I did have a few gear upgrades for my Sorceress: I found a four socketed gothic plate and stuffed it full of perfect topazes (replacing a three socketed breast plate with flawless topazes). I used one of the two Sol Runes that dropped in NM Act I to create a 'Lore' circlet (replacing a mana/mf circlet). And I used my only Shael Rune (from the Moo Moo Farm) to upgrade my Nightsmoke belt (replacing a dual resistance rare). I considered creating a 'Spirit' sword but I've been doing fine without one and don't really want to lose the 100 mf from the Gull dagger just yet.
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 60/47 (N) Canyon of the Magi 72
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/21 Dry Hills 14
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Up next: Time to see what my Trapsin can do in NM! She should be good ... except, with no Shadow tree skills, she doesn't really have any crowd control ... Let's hope nothing scary blitzes the merc and goes straight for her ...
I might be getting too old for these marathon sessions.
Yes, that's right. I had the night off and decided to knock off another act.
My Trapsin has done a players 7 clear of NM Act I. She seemed pretty powerful, though I do have some concerns. Death Sentry is now maxed. It's synergies are nearly maxed. So, I'm not expecting to get too much more damage out of it. And while it's damage was fine for NM Act I ... I'm a bit worried that it could seem pretty puny by the time she gets to Hell ... Barring an untimely death, I guess we'll find out ... Along those lines, there weren't any scary moments to report. I had been concerned about her lack of crowd control (aside from the merc), but the trap damage was good enough to keep him from being too sorely tested and he held up to everything except Andariel. Andariel's poison damage was obviously too much for the merc to handle so I left him for dead and did shameless Trapsin tactics (mostly dropping traps in a circle and then running around that circle with the demon in tow). As you can see above, Andariel's drop was most interesting! A Ko Rune would have been unexpected in 1.13+ and was all the more shocking here in 1.11b. I can't really see any scenario where a Ko would be used by either character but who knows? There's a lot of game left ...
Set/unique drops were numerous though none too interesting for what I've got going:
(287 mf + 23 mf if the merc kills) <-- I decided I'd just use the same gear on both characters for now ... which is fine ... if no one dies ...
Sigon's Visor, Great Helm (Den of Evil)
Isenhart's Lightbrand, Broad Sword (Cold Plains)
Venom Ward, Breast Plate (Burial Grounds) <-- I wonder if this would have helped the merc against Andariel ...
Cleglaw's Pincers, Chain Gloves (Mausoleum)
Sigon's Gage, Gauntlets (Stony Field)
The Tannr Gorerod, Pike (Stony Field)
Raven Claw, Long Bow (Underground Passage Level 1)
Soul Harvest, Scythe (Underground Passage Level 2)
Milabrega's Rod, War Scepter (Dark Wood)
Civerb's Ward, Large Shield (Dark Wood)
Cleglaw's Tooth, Long Sword (Dark Wood)
Isenhart's Parry, Gothic Shield (Dark Wood)
Berserker's Hatchet, Double Axe (Hole Level 1)
Blacktongue, Bastard Sword (Tamoe Highland)
Isenhart's Lightbrand, Broad Sword (Outer Cloister)
Immortal King's Will, Avenger Guard (Jail Level 2)
Sigon's Wrap, Plated Belt (Jail Level 3)
Dark Clan Crusher, Cudgel (Catacombs Level 4) <-- Turned out to be ethereal.
Razortail, Sharkskin Belt (Catacombs Level 4) <-- A great find, for another character ...
Griswold's Edge, Broad Sword (Andariel)
Up until the Ko Rune dropped at Andariel, my big rune finds were an Io and a couple Dol Runes. I don't tend to get excited about Dol or Io Runes, but when added to what my Sorceress found, I now have enough Dol and Io Runes to make a Lum. And Lum Runes have lots of exciting potential uses!
Code:
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 60/52 (N) Kurast Docks 78
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 19/21 Dry Hills 14
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Up next: Sleep. Then NM Act II. I think I'll try out a Holy Freeze merc and see if I can get some additional crowd control and also some non-lightning elemental damage. Sounds like a win-win ... we'll find out ...
Edit: Apparently, repeatedly double posting is not one of the ways to get trophy points. Too bad; I've been on a roll in this thread.
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 60/52 (N) Kurast Docks 78
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 22/25 Canyon of the Magi 19
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
Got past Radament and found the Cube last night...no finds of note but I did get a lucky craft on my first savage attempt:
The Merc is level 21 so I have a couple of levels to find a socketable helm/armor to boost his strength, I can add +22 with Amethysts but that still might not be enough. Time will tell!
SP Forum Name Characters Level Furthest WP Points
-- ----------------- ---------------- ------ ---------------------- -------
Y Hanshotfirst Sorc/Sin 60/52 (N) Kurast Docks 78
Y Gynli Zon/Necro 28/35 Harrogath 33
N Crudesash68 Zon/Paladin 22/25 Canyon of the Magi 19
Y Pb_pal Sorc/Zon 19/25 Canyon of the Magi 18
N Swamigoon Sin/Druid 23/20 Kurast Docks 17
Y Vildecor Zon/Sorc 21/20 Lut Gholein 12
Y Maltatai Druid/Druid 21/15 Lut Gholein Sewers 9
Y b1ur Paladin/Druid 20/1 Lut Gholein 6
N PhineasB Necro/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N CaseyJones Sorc/Druid 1/1 Rogue Encampment 0
N Booble Sorc/Druid 1/12 Outer Cloister 0
Just started over again and thought this tournament would be a good way to go. Decided on a Elemental druid and a light sorc to start. I haven't played a druid in a bunch of years so that will be fun. Don't have a ton of time to play but hopefully I'll find some.
Druid is going well just got to outer cloister having a lot of fun with fire skills. Sorc has not started yet. My plan is to not transfer items over to each other to stay self found but we will see. No items of worth so far.
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