Tournament: Envious of the Green and Gold

[jiansonz]

Have you guys been keeping chipped gems for this? I don't see any reason to not cube everything

I cube almost everything. I would suggest keeping one or two chipped topazes and amethysts because they can be used to cube more Sol runes (for upgrading normal unique weapons). Before 3 S/U weapons are found, the occasional chippie can also be used for 'normalizing' low quality weapons. For example, I found a Cracked Poleaxe in the AS with my first character in this tourney and could make a regular Poleaxe for my merc which he used for the rest of the act (Duriel dropped my 3rd S/U weapon). And the same for armor items until all slots are filled with green/gold ones.

 

[Dazliare1]

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I should be posting an update tonight sometime, as I'm going through the false tombs now

 

[HC Gunther]

* I decided against a FoH/Conviction Paladin as several write ups I saw of it said that it was safe but very slow
* I was researching the FoH/Conviction Paladin, I came across one of jiansonz' guardians that sounded interesting. From the tourney write ups, I really want my merc to kill everything to maximize MF and this build would allow me to do that. As jiansonz only used Conviction 4 times, I decided to not use that. Instead, I am going to go with as my target build out 20 Smite, 20 Fanaticism, 12 Holy Shield, 8 Conversion and 20 Vengeance
* In the Dark Woods, I got my first S/U, a Pelta Lunata. It's 50% Chance To Block is better than anything I can get in Act I and it has a lot of nice other buffs. That gave me one more useful S/U that I got in all of Acts I and II with Fireyogi
* The 23rd chippie to fall was my first chipped topaz. That was in the Dark Woods after I found the Pelta Lunata
* I am using a +3 Holy Fire scepter and it rocks. I have been almost reckless so far, charging big packs of Carvers to kill the shamans
* Things got tougher in the Countess' tower cellar and my killing speed dropped sharply. A boss with the Countess dropped a Cleglasw's Claw, giving me two S/U shields
* After clearing the Black Marsh, 43 chippies had dropped. Of which, 2 were topazes

[highlight]Zutalors the Smiting Paladin and Annor the Cold Rogue Scout, level 16, 2 S/U items equipped, Tamoe Highland next[/highlight]

Name          Character    Class       Diff.   Area               Level    S/U's Equipped
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archone       Chicken      Necromancer  Completed                    87          15
jiansonz      Martina      Amazon       Completed                    87          13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dezrok        Envy         Necromancer  Hell     Rogue Camp          75          15
jiansonz      Eric         Druid        NM       Moo Moo Farm        75          13   
Kitteh        Briony       Assassin     NM       Inner Cloister      50          13
igloosPat     Hennifer     Assassin     NM       Black Marsh         50          13
felixbavaria  Bruno        Druid        NM       Cold Plains         48           9
srrw          Selene       Sorceress    NM       Rogue Camp          48          11
jdkerr        Phusis       Assassin     NM       Rogue Camp          47           9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RIP           Thor         Paladin      Normal   Harrogath           35          11
Immortal_S    GreenGoldie  Paladin      Normal   Harrogath           34           8
Grisu         Meronym      Assassin     Normal   City of the Damned  33           9
Glenstorm     Irene        Assassin     Normal   Kurast Docks        27           3
HC Gunther    Fireyogi     Druid        Normal   Kurast Docks        28           4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enceladus     Vengence     Paladin      Normal   Dry Hills           23           5
Tox FTW       Oatmeal      Paladin      Normal   Dry Hills           22           2
Jason         Qirana       Amazon       Normal   Rocky Waste         22           4
kestegs       SankeEyes    Sorceress    Normal   Lut Gholein         21           3
Jerametrius   Passion      Paladin      Normal   Lut Gholein         20           2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morathi       Yates        Barbarian    Normal   Lut Gholein         20           0
AnjaS         Beril        Barbarian    Normal   Outer Cloister      17           1
kstarm        Malice       Necromancer  Normal   Outer Cloister      17           0
HC Gunther    Zutalors     Paladin      Normal   Black Marsh         16           2
djmbbandie    Rage         Druid        Normal   Rogue Camp           1           0
Kitteh        Brydon       Druid        Normal   Rogue Camp           1           0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Grisu]

@HCGunter: Bad luck with the chippies there! Do you want to do a Fanatic thrower, too? Because it might be difficult to get those S/U throwing weapons (Well, those unique throwing weapons...there are no Set Throwing weapons)...But from what I see you chose a different approach than jiansonz with Vengeance?

@Dazliare: Good luck with those false tombs! A lot of monsters there, so chances are good for some more S/Us!

@jiansonz: Did you fight Baal on /p8? Congrats on making Conqueror!

@Dezrok: You could also place a Topaz in your shield (if you socket it) for additional lightning resistance. Or maybe you have some good jewel in your backpack with resists? Hope you will enjoy your future travels though - might be a bit tedious, but still: you have to be on your toes in Hell! I'm excited to see what gear you will choose for Hell!

Meanwhile, Meronym made it to Upper Kurast and got Khalim's offal, or however you call all of his organs...

One NDE with 3 boss packs in the Swampy Pit (2 Fetish packs (one with Fana, one Cursed) and one Drowned Carcass pack (Extra Strong, Extra Fast) IIRC). But with CoS I could divide them up and single out the bosses first. Fortunately the Fana Fetish stayed behind...

No interesting finds: Only Sigon's Shield, Hwanin's Refuge (now on my Barb instead of Sparking Mail) and I'm still trying to gamble either Tarnhelm or Rockstopper...no luck so far with a few hundred gambles...from time to time, I throw in some Light Plated Boots in hope of getting Goblin Toe or Aldur's Boots...

MF is 55%/140%...

[highlight]Meronym, level 62 Phoenix Striker, and Ethelred, the Barbarian, NM Upper Kurast next, 14-15 S/Us equipped[/highlight]

Name          Character    Class       Diff.   Area               Level    S/U's Equipped
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archone       Chicken      Necromancer  Completed                    87          15
jiansonz      Martina      Amazon       Completed                    87          13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dezrok        Envy         Necromancer  Hell     Rogue Camp          75          15
jiansonz      Eric         Druid        NM       Moo Moo Farm        75          13   
Grisu         Meronym      Assassin     NM       Outer Steppes       64       14-15
Kitteh        Briony       Assassin     NM       Inner Cloister      50          13
igloosPat     Hennifer     Assassin     NM       Black Marsh         50          13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
felixbavaria  Bruno        Druid        NM       Cold Plains         48           9
srrw          Selene       Sorceress    NM       Rogue Camp          48          11
jdkerr        Phusis       Assassin     NM       Rogue Camp          47           9
RIP           Thor         Paladin      Normal   Harrogath           35          11
Immortal_S    GreenGoldie  Paladin      Normal   Harrogath           34           8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glenstorm     Irene        Assassin     Normal   Kurast Docks        27           3
HC Gunther    Fireyogi     Druid        Normal   Kurast Docks        28           4
Enceladus     Vengence     Paladin      Normal   Dry Hills           23           5
Tox FTW       Oatmeal      Paladin      Normal   Dry Hills           22           2
Jason         Qirana       Amazon       Normal   Rocky Waste         22           4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kestegs       SankeEyes    Sorceress    Normal   Lut Gholein         21           3
Jerametrius   Passion      Paladin      Normal   Lut Gholein         20           2
Morathi       Yates        Barbarian    Normal   Lut Gholein         20           0
AnjaS         Beril        Barbarian    Normal   Outer Cloister      17           1
kstarm        Malice       Necromancer  Normal   Outer Cloister      17           0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HC Gunther    Zutalors     Paladin      Normal   Black Marsh         16           2
djmbbandie    Rage         Druid        Normal   Rogue Camp           1           0
Kitteh        Brydon       Druid        Normal   Rogue Camp           1           0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[jiansonz]

@jiansonz: Did you fight Baal on /p8?

No, I did it on /p3. Crushing Blow is still effective on that setting, Baal has no risk of no-dropping on /p3 and I was already level 75.

I think I'll also do Cow level on /p3, and will continue into Hell with that setting.

 

[HC Gunther]

@HCGunter: Bad luck with the chippies there!

But I have had good luck with the S/U drops and that is what matters. Game play is a lot faster if I don't have to worry about the Rogue's MF.

Do you want to do a Fanatic thrower, too? Because it might be difficult to get those S/U throwing weapons (Well, those unique throwing weapons...there are no Set Throwing weapons)...But from what I see you chose a different approach than jiansonz with Vengeance?

I wasn't planning on it. If I am going to get close enough to Smite, I am close enough to swing. I don't think "thrower" when I think about a Paladin. Does Conversion work with thrown weapons? If a unique throwing weapon drops, I will give it a try against large packs.

 

[Grisu]

Ah, I see! I will probably fight Diablo on /p3, too, because I don't know if I will be able to defeat him on /p8 without CB or OW...

Meronym meanwhile defeated Mephisto. She acted as a meat shield for my Barb (boosted by Antidote potions) and placed Meteors on top of Mephisto which took like forever, but Mephisto went down eventually, dropping a Sureshrill Frost and a failed Set Hurlbat. For this build however, Deathbit and The Diggler are still better weapon choices, so I'll stick with those.

The Council was very easy because of my 95% Fire Resistance btw. Now I'll get my daughter from daycare and will continue my journeys next weekend.

[highlight]Meronym, level 64 Phoenix Striker, and Ethelred the Barbarian, NM Outer Steppes next. 14-15 S/Us equipped.[/highlight]

 

[Dazliare1]

Priscilla and Chalan have completed Act 2. A few thawing potions and pausing Netflix made the Duriel fight trivial. Several set items found this act: Isenhart's Lightbrand, Isenhart's Case, another Stoutnail, Hasru's Belt (which I vendored completely on accident -.-). Nothing majorly notable, though 2 piece Isenhart's may be useful on an iron wolf merc. We'll see.

A few things I want to ask/talk about - I'm thinking I'll stick with the desert merc for now. Dimoak's Hew is strong enough for the time being. Especially with Phoenix Strike providing CC here shortly. Do you guys agree?

Also, aside from the mummy sarcophagus things, are there other known CoS crashes? I have something like 5 game crashes throughout act 2, which makes it really frustrating to maintain single pass status. Any tips for handling this?

Priscilla, level 28 Phoenix Striker, with Chalan the Desert Mercenary, 6 S/U's equipped, Spider Forest next

 

[Grisu]

Also, aside from the mummy sarcophagus things, are there other known CoS crashes? I have something like 5 game crashes throughout act 2, which makes it really frustrating to maintain single pass status. Any tips for handling this?

It happens with mummy sarcophagi, Foul Crow Nests and IIRC with Leapers when they are up in the air. so be very careful in Act II...

 

[HC Gunther]

Dimoak's Hew is strong enough for the time being. Especially with Phoenix Strike providing CC here shortly. Do you guys agree?

I don't have the experience of other players, but I would think Dimoak's Hew will take you far. Concentrate on upgrading Sapphires because once you have an Ort (9) rune, an Amn (11) rune and a Perfect Sapphire, you can up the Dimoak's Hew. You should be able to do that in Act IV. Then it will be a pretty sweet weapon.

 

[Dazliare1]

Luckily, I'm done with normal act 2, just lot's of frustration

 

[jiansonz]

Also, aside from the mummy sarcophagus things, are there other known CoS crashes? I have something like 5 game crashes throughout act 2, which makes it really frustrating to maintain single pass status. Any tips for handling this?

Yes, don't use CoS around these. Stick with Mind Blast and PS freezing for crowd control in those situations.

Apart from mummy sarcophagi and crow nests, it also happens with Evil Demon Huts, Trapped Souls (the AI, not the container) and with Ancients (I take away my CoS hotkey for Ancients fights). And yes, with leapers in the air (although that only crashes sometimes).

The crash specifically happens if you hit with CoS and you (and the AI) are still around when it times out. I have avoided crashes a couple of times when I have accidently cast CoS at the wrong time by quickly running ~3 screens away before CoS times out.

With my current computer and patch 1.13, I am fortunate because it no longer happens. I won't chance it against Ancients, though.




Eric has now played the cow level. Three S/U items: The Dragon Chang, Snowclash (unique Battle Belt) and another Isenhart's Horns (dropped by the King). But I think the best item was a yellow Carmine Jewel of Fervor.


[Highlight]Conqueror Eric the Werebear and Unferth the barbarian, level 75, 13 S/U items equipped, Hell next[/Highlight]

Only 13 of those S/Us are exceptional quality (not counting upgrades)

For comparison, I have 5 of these (Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest, Hwanin's Refuge, Skystrike, Snowclash and Iron Pelt). It took me quite a while to get some respectable MF going, and it still never reached higher than around 130% on merc kills.

 

[Dazliare1]

Score! Just gambled Sander's Taboo ^.^

 

[Dezrok]

@Daz - Dimoak's is great damage but the lack of life leech means you are going to need to find leech from a helm, or if you are very lucky from body armour (and no socketing with an Amn in this tourney). Until you find an alternative weapon with leech it is great though.

Also, I kept a few chipped emeralds for upgrading Dol runes to Hel runes.

@ Grisu - I'm with jiansonz on taking the last 3 NM Act bosses on p3 ... unless you are foolish enough to forget (like me), in which case it is a very long grind! And great progress btw, some of those finds don't sound so bad! Appears that you are getting more than 1 hour game time a month at the moment?

@HC Gunther - Pelta Lunata is a super early find. Hope your S/U luck keeps going strong!

@jiansonz - I don't feel so bad about the number of my exceptional finds after your comparison, but the quality of your finds is quite awesome. All of those are worth using, whereas most of mine are going straight to the museum. Snowclash could particularly be a bit of fun.

I've been playing around a bit with Envy's gear and for several slots I only have the one option. Which makes it easy but generally I could probably leave the slot empty and not notice the difference. Cathan's Seal on a caster anyone? Where there are choices they are often underwhelming. EG: gloves is a choice between Magefist for the mana regen or Sander's Taboo for the +40 life, the rest of the mods are pretty irrelevant. Anyway, it should make for an interesting start to Hell once I finalise it.

 

[HC Gunther]

Score! Just gambled Sander's Taboo ^.^

Lucky! Of the four of us active in this tourney, I think you are the only one to get a S/U from gambling. I am not gambling yet as there is nothing that stands out as being worth gambling for.

 

[Dazliare1]

The crazy part is that I still have 2m gold to gamble, and I have no idea what to use it on. I was going on boots for hotspur/tancreds hobnails, but at this lvl, boots never friggin spawn. Any suggestions?

 

[Grisu]

I gamble light plated boots for the chance of Goblin Toe (Crushing Blow) or - later at higher levels - Aldur's boots. Skull Cap is another choice (either Tarnhelm for MF and +1 skills or rockstopper as an exceptional version). Heavy Belt is another good option (Goldwrap - MF and IAS).

 

[Dazliare1]

Heavy belts it is!

 

[Grisu]

Yeah, at least those belts are easy to spot

Can't count all the times when I closed the window and realized just in that moment, that the desired item was packed in somewhere in the gamble screen...

on the other hand, if you have Sigon's Gloves/Belt/Boots combo, that beats pretty much everything else...so no need to gamble Heavy Belts in that case. But I don't think you found all three pieces yet?

 

[Dazliare1]

I don't have any sigon's, I have Sander's