@Tatterson I found an ethereal 15% superior Silver-Edged Axe and am planning to make Death in it. After doing some pedestrian calclulations, factoring in deadly strike/critical strike (Assuming 60% from Death + Axe Mastery; no Highlords), Death can yield ~856-1032 average damage per hit (depending on roll) before factoring in any skill or off-weapon modifiers. So the damage is huge, but Grief definitely still wins due to being one-handed and much faster. Still, for Vex+Gul, it seems like great value especially for an untwinked character. Just make sure to use an ethereal base!
That being said, Death is an incredibly good weapon, not only for 2-handers. Nice Frenzy offhand, not the best for WW though because of its lack of attack speed (and being ideally made in slower bases on top of that).
Faster attack speed sure does make a big difference in WW, doesn't it?
If you don't already have Grief, it's also an incredibly good weapon for a fanatic zealot if you have the off-weapon IAS to get you to the 4 fpa Zeal rate, which I do for my twinked Pally (with its 45% IAS, Treachery comes in mighty handy in that regard). As @T72on1 pointed out, it has huge ED%, huge CB. scaling DS, and mana leech.
Alright, 98 now. Went to lk on nightmare to get some GCs to cube som skillers, used all my gems beside amys and got 1 fire skiller, so im on 4 firesks now.
Next thing ill do is ancients and some baalruns to get 2-3 Tokens before i respec to fire and finally go for nihla
Drops were: Ber Rune, sc 18l 2 ar, Trap sk, Java sk 5 str, jool 5 dex 13 allres, sc 7 mana 11 mf, giant skull 35 str 2 sox
May I suggest getting quite some Nihl test runs under your belt first before cashing in Ancients? That way you get used to them and any deaths don't matter that much as xp loss is minimal. Nihl runs aren't that hard once you know the routine, but at first ...
Forumite Character SC/HC Class Level Exp Date E/S S/U Grail Deaths Hours
--------------- --------------- ----- ----- ----- ---- ---------- --- ---- ----- ------ -----
Bewitch itsreal HC Sorc 87 1.xx 2018-04-24 No - - - -
MizzouFTW Pure HC Necro 86 1.15 2018-01-10 Yes - - 1 -
Vildecor Celia HC Ama 84 0.99 2018-05-30 Yes 125 97 1 -
coju NintyNine_orRiP HC Sorc 81 0.74 2016-04-07 Yes - - 1 -
TwentyMuleTeam Valus HC Barb 76 0.48 2016-10-27 Yes - - 1 -
Pb_pal Stevesy HC Pala 76 0.48 2017-06-19 Yes - - 1 -
weezaard Cypher SC Druid 66 0.00 2018-02-21 Yes - - 20+ -
Tenecabo OldShatterhand HC Druid 49 0.04 2016-06-16 Yes - 0 1 -
Pijus Pyrestarter HC Druid 36 0.00 2018-05-21 Yes - - 1 -
coju fB HC Sorc 29 0.00 2016-04-09 Yes 1 1 1 2
Kitteh Verallus HC Druid 26 0.00 2016-03-25 No - - 1 -
logoutzero Rolex HC Barb 21 0.00 2016-03-26 Yes 0 0 1 1
MFO has come and gone, Pindle was slaughtered 2.5k+ times without much to bring home, other than 7th spot in Pindle category, out of 8 participants. However, it did bring two positive notes:
-Aurora reached lvl90!
-Found approximately 100 grailers for her, including Crown of Ages
Otherwise, I feel like I could have spent my time better doing something else. Highest rune was Fal, the most useful item found was Gull dagger, so all in all, I would describe my MFO experience this time with a word, mess.
Now comes the next bit, do I want to start running for XP or do I first try to acquire some gear through MFing? I would like to do a decent bit of AT runs with Aurora (for that Tyrael's am I right), but to survive there and get decent XP through higher p-setting, I lose quite a bit of MF. Not really sure what to do. Kinda feel like doing some LK runs, but I am not sure what she would need outside of CTA and Hoto in terms of HR runewords, but those are quite good for survival, so I might do that first, then look at other things.
Here's Aurora's gear at the moment:
CoA 22@, 12%DR 'Hel'
+2 cold skills, 21MF amulet
28FCR Spirit Crystal Sword
29@ Skin of the Vipermagi
33FCR Spirit Monarch Shield
Trang-Ouls Gloves
28&24 MF Nagel rings
15MF Tal Belt
30FRW, 25MF boots
Various charms, including 32MF Gheeds and a Cold skiller (yes, I have one!), so definitely a lot to improve right now. Using CoA essentially because I have it, it has decent mods in it and with Monarch Spirit, I'll reach the STR requirement with Hel in it easily.
I still have not made my mind about the end game for her. I am strongly considering Baal, just to say that I've done a 99er through Baal, then I could in theory do a Trapsin at some point who goes through Nihl, so I would have done it in three different ways. But if I go Baal route, I might want to respec to Blizzballer. Not a fan of Light Sorcs so I think that won't be an option.
edit. @RIP you lucky SOB. Why does everyone keep finding Zods?!
May I suggest getting quite some Nihl test runs under your belt first before cashing in Ancients? That way you get used to them and any deaths don't matter that much as xp loss is minimal. Nihl runs aren't that hard once you know the routine, but at first ...
true ofc, but i only have 1 respec left and its fuckin annoying to make baals with firesorc
well, mby ill do it anyway like this, for those few runs it should be ok even with fire...
€ well, since i dont have any light sks or griffon there shoudnt be a real reason for a respec anyway after this^^
Forumite Character SC/HC Class Level Exp Date E/S S/U Grail Deaths Hours
--------------- --------------- ----- ----- ----- ---- ---------- --- ---- ----- ------ -----
Bewitch itsreal HC Sorc 87 1.xx 2018-04-24 No - - - -
MizzouFTW Pure HC Necro 86 1.15 2018-01-10 Yes - - 1 -
Vildecor Celia HC Ama 84 0.99 2018-05-30 Yes 125 97 1 -
coju NintyNine_orRiP HC Sorc 81 0.74 2016-04-07 Yes - - 1 -
TwentyMuleTeam Valus HC Barb 76 0.48 2016-10-27 Yes - - 1 -
Pb_pal Stevesy HC Pala 76 0.48 2017-06-19 Yes - - 1 -
weezaard Cypher SC Druid 66 0.00 2018-02-21 Yes - - 20+ -
Tenecabo OldShatterhand HC Druid 49 0.04 2016-06-16 Yes - 0 1 -
Pijus Pyrestarter HC Druid 36 0.00 2018-05-21 Yes - - 1 -
coju fB HC Sorc 29 0.00 2016-04-09 Yes 1 1 1 2
Kitteh Verallus HC Druid 26 0.00 2016-03-25 No - - 1 -
logoutzero Rolex HC Barb 21 0.00 2016-03-26 Yes 0 0 1 1
Dirk has managed to make it thru Nightmare, and has just completed the Den of Evil in Hell. Info on present equipment to follow shortly - NM Baal dropped rubbish, so I burned through whatever rubies I had (I've collected all rubies dropped, even chipped and flawed) to cube up enough Perfects to craft a bit more. And I had a full chest of gold, so spent some time with Gheed. Apparently Gheed felt bad about all the rubbish drops and complete lack of runes so far (1 Lem, 1 Lum, and the rest is crafting material), so he gifted me this thru gambling:
The following is what DirkStruan is wearing as he enters Hell:
Code:
Storm Hew
Naga
One Hand Damage: 52 - 148
Durability: 26 of 26
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 121
Fingerprint: 0x3779a7fd
Item Level: 67
Version: Expansion 1.10+
225% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage
Adds 12 - 69 Fire Damage
4% Life stolen per hit
+12 to Life
Gemmed Superior Aerin Shield
Superior Aerin Shield
Defense: 28
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 57 of 57
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xd98a1787
Item Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
All Resistances +105
Increase Maximum Durability 15% 4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Scintillating Coronet of Perfection
Coronet
Defense: 35
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 51
Fingerprint: 0x7549ab71
Item Level: 67
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17 to Dexterity
All Resistances +13
Corruption Mark
Amulet
Required Level: 40
Fingerprint: 0x2551b30c
Item Level: 40
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Increased Chance of Blocking
+2 to Strength
+16 Maximum Stamina
Cold Resist +39%
Fire Resist +15%
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage Reduced by 2
Dire Hide
Cuirass
Defense: 340
Durability: 50 of 50
Required Level: 44
Required Strength: 65
Fingerprint: 0x22e360d3
Item Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+67% Enhanced Defense
+4 to Strength
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage Reduced by 1
Half Freeze Duration
Havoc Hold
Sharkskin Gloves
Defense: 39
Durability: 14 of 14
Required Level: 44
Required Strength: 20
Fingerprint: 0x77a2859c
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
2% Life stolen per hit
7% Chance of Crushing Blow
+18 to Life
Lightning Resist +26%
Poison Resist +30%
Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds
Grim Cord
Mesh Belt
Defense: 37
Durability: 16 of 16
Required Level: 53
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0xe9399d84
Item Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+17% Faster Hit Recovery
3% Life stolen per hit
9% Chance of Open Wounds
+15 to Strength
+13 to Life
71% Extra Gold from Monsters
Bitter Track
Greaves
Defense: 23
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xdca3f43d
Item Level: 62
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Faster Run/Walk
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
+47% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +28%
Fire Resist +32%
Coral Ring of the Leech
Ring
Required Level: 13
Fingerprint: 0x7ce176e8
Item Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
4% Life stolen per hit
Lightning Resist +26%
Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0x3072c873
Item Level: 72
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+250 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+17 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen
The Naga was crafted just before the NM Ancients quest, the Raven Frost as mentioned before was gambled before the Hell Den of Evil Quest, and I just switched from a three socket Targe (+39 resist total) to the Aerin Shield. Charms are mostly quite a weak mix of resists and life, though one small charm is a +20 Life, +6 AR.
Overall, this is how he's looking:
Fanaticism and Holy Shield are maxed, as is Sacrifice, and I'm halfway to maxing Zeal. I found a Superior Partizan (15% ED) with 4 sockets in the Ancient's Way, so I made an Insight for him (245% ED, lvl 15 Meditation) that really helped with the Ancients battle, but his resists in Hell are not good at all right now (45/33/67/33), as he only has a crafted Casque and a rare Trellised Armor protecting him.
Immediate goal - get to The Pit / Countess, and start upgrading some of this stuff (the weapon is making killing a bit slow at the moment) before we both meet a rather painful end. I have a 3 socket Embossed Plate I could use for Treachery, but I'd really like to find something lighter with a higher defence in The Pit, I think.
Not even 1k life while entering Hell difficulty with melee character is very risky, but with maxed HS should be doable...Your primary concern is the weapon, which is not optimal at best...What about some exceptional uniques - i mean Butchers pupill, Headstriker? Something along this line might help You alot...also, i strongly sugest getting CtA as fast as possible, it will make Your life much easier
I'd say keep an eye on Mal rune, possibly even farm Countess in Hell for one. Oath in for example eth Naga (or Berserker Axe, but that's a tough on to find) should carry you quite a bit. Oath is a really nice melee weapon for the price, highly recommend!
Not even 1k life while entering Hell difficulty with melee character is very risky, but with maxed HS should be doable...Your primary concern is the weapon, which is not optimal at best...What about some exceptional uniques - i mean Butchers pupill, Headstriker? Something along this line might help You alot...also, i strongly sugest getting CtA as fast as possible, it will make Your life much easier
Agreed on everything you said. The drops I’ve seen so far have been junk, quite frankly. The only green I’ve seen so far is a pair of Isenharts helms....not even one piece from Sigon’s, never mind an Exceptional Unique weapon. Same goes for armor. Raven Frost has been my only drop of not this whole game.
I’m going to try and get to the Pit - if that proves to be too arduous, I may need to go back to NM Baal for a bit. If I can find a 3 socket Dusk Shroud or Great Hauberk or something, I’ll make Treachery and use the Fade. I’d hate to make it in an Embossed Plate....
I'd say keep an eye on Mal rune, possibly even farm Countess in Hell for one. Oath in for example eth Naga (or Berserker Axe, but that's a tough on to find) should carry you quite a bit. Oath is a really nice melee weapon for the price, highly recommend!
Absolutely - Oath to me is, pound for pound, the best rune word out there for the price. Huge ED, and huge IAS to help get to that 4 fpa Zeal. At 4 fpa Zeal, I feel much more comfortable even with slightly less that 1,000 life. I was hoping to get a Pul in my NM Hellforge, but got Lem instead. My immediate goal is to find a weapon to make farming The Pit and the Countess feasible. I'd take the aforementioned Butcher's Pupil at this point. CtA is obviously a long-term goal, but with my luck I have to work with the assumption that I won't be seeing an Ohm until lvl 90+....IF I survive that far....
Do you think I'm better off making Treachery in that Embossed Plate I have (def was 303, I think), or waiting for an Elite 3 socket armor?
I believe that at this point Treachery in ANY armor would be huge help, so its worth of placing Your only LEM even to some kind of exceptional armor...This will help You to get another LEM faster and so on...after all, Treachery is not giving any ED bonuses, right?!
People here who have farmed an entire Enigma from LK, how many runes and gems did you end up having? I'm almost at 1k combined flawless gems + all kinds of runes and jewels, and 1/3rd my way to an enigma.
Runes Common(11 of 11) (100.0%)
Common (11 of 11) (100.0%)
8 8 El Rune
6 6 Eld Rune
15 15 Tir Rune
14 14 Nef Rune
25 25 Eth Rune
19 19 Ith Rune
43 43 Tal Rune
33 33 Ral Rune
24 24 Ort Rune
19 19 Thul Rune
28 28 Amn Rune
Runes Semi Rare(8 of 11) (72.73%)
Semi Rare (8 of 11) (72.73%)
12 12 Sol Rune
20 20 Shael Rune
10 10 Dol Rune
7 7 Hel Rune
8 8 Io Rune
1 1 Lum Rune
5 5 Ko Rune
Fal Rune
1 1 Lem Rune
Pul Rune
Um Rune
@Tatterson : I remember finding 1340 runes from start before getting Infinity...then i had huge luck with JAH from Pindle, so overall not more then 1800 runes (equal to 4.4k LK p7 runs and 7k Pindle p5 runs)
Oh boy, do I have a lot to catch up on.... but in the meantime, minor updates for Ayura and Gnosis. I have played a bit of D2 on my vacation this past week. And I was almost immediately hit with a major blow to my motivation to play:
These dropped within the first 5 minutes of booting up this week. Yup, those are the exact weapons I'm looking for. No, they did not drop on the correct character. Thanks for the welcome back, D2. Considering I've been looking for these for as long as I have been on Ayura, it's upsetting to even post this.
However, I have gained a couple levels on Gnosis all the while. Lawbringer + Tornado is pretty underrated imO.
Thinking about just running Ayura until I get the drops I want so I can mf in peace on other characters. The biggest thing holding him back? Inventory management. He's basically got 1 square of space unoccupied at the moment, but playing without extended stash is rough, and I've accidentally stashed things in the past that I hadn't meant to. It's gotten me slightly paranoid about stashing things I like. One of the caveats, for example: boots. I love Sanders Riprap. Might be my overall favorite pair for its versatility. Get stats to equip stuff, get 40 frw, get 100 ar to boot (I know, I'm quite punny). And you can use them at level 20. I remember I found the pair he's using in A2 or A3 normal. Been on his character ever since. Except right now I'm using war travs, most for mf, but it certainly does have other greats stats on it. And I have gore rider, as well. And do I really need to keep 3 pairs of boots??!? Absolutely not. But I need to decide on pair to keep and just stash the others. Feels crazy to me, but I think I'm just going to stick with travs. The stats from sander's no longer means to me what it once did, because that's small change for damage, the ar isn't necessary, though it is nice, and I have pretty good frw--81% from gear (using travs) +30-37% from increased speed at any given time. I don't think the 15% from sander's over travs is going to be particularly noticeable. And the other contender, gores... 15% DS is awfully nice, but I already have about 50% between gface and highlords. Those aren't going anywhere. 15% cb is also nice, but it really only impacts me when I'm using frenzy, and it means less as player setting stay high. Not even sure where level 98-99 is going to take place, but I fear that the only viable area will be Nil. But if it's Baal, that 15% cb might mean something on /p3. Bah... travs seems the best all around pick, between 20 avg damage (which is huge, considering I've really pumped dex for a while, and also the average damage for thrown weaponry tends to be low as compared to, say, your oath and grief runewords), str and vit boost, and some mf on top of that.
As I write this, I'm picking things off Ayura and throwing them into the gomule stash, never again to see the light of play (goodness, my puns are on fire!).... Removing boots, removing mf SCs, to make way for more damage and res, because I think I'll see more out of faster runs than I will out of increased mf. Feels good, feels bad, but we'll see where it goes. After one run, yeah, having 18 squares of space is significantly better than one. Back to it
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