WrathOfMages, a Vengeance Necro

[PhineasB]

Originally posted by @T72on1 on July 10, 2017

WrathOfMages, a Vengeance Necro

This thread will be devoted to the Necromancer in my Oskill Sept. The principle of the Sept is simple: every character will use an oskill as main attack. In the case of WrathOfMages this oskill is Vengeance, granted through the Kingslayer runeword:

+30% Increased Attack Speed
+230-270% Enhanced Damage (varies)
-25% Target Defense
20% Bonus To Attack Rating
33% Chance of Crushing Blow
50% Chance of Open Wounds
+1 To Vengeance
Prevent Monster Heal
+10 To Strength
40% Extra Gold From Monsters

This character will be played on SC SP, twinked. Player setting will be adjusted depending on killing speed. For most of my twinked characters this means /p8 for at least normal and nightmare. A melee Necro isn't the strongest of characters though, so I suspect the player setting will be different as well. Respecs are allowed. In my past 2 Septs this was only allowed to optimize stat distribution, but for this Sept any respec is allowed. I'm not going to level up that Wolfbarb to 79 with just normal attack available ... . I will try to keep respecs somewhat limited to the theme. So for example that Zealing Sorc won't be a Charged Boltress early on, or that Bear Paladin a Hammerdin.

On to the plan ...

Character name

WrathOfMages. I'm terrible at coming up with good names. So which name does a Necro, using Vengeance as main skill and maxed Skeleton Mages as backup skill, get? Exactly ...


Build

Vengeance Necro with maxed Skeleton Mages and Lower Resist as main curse.

Planned skill layout

Skeleton Mastery: maxed
Raise Skeleton Mage: maxed
Bone Prison: maxed
Revive, Summon Resist, Bone Armor: 1 point
Lower Resist: 16 points after +skills
All other curses: 1 point
Rest of points in Bone Wall, Clay Golem or Golem Mastery
Corpse Explosion: definitely none, too cheesy

Since Vengeance is all about elemental damage and I pair this with Lower Resist, I choose to go with Skeleton Mages. They are probably still quite worthless, but thematically they fit really well. And I won't use them now, when will I ever do so? 1 Point in Revive so I can also use monsters which (mainly) inflict elemental damage. Bone Prison to beef up my Bone Armor. Level 16 LR, because after that there is almost no return for the points invested. I need a points in almost all Curses to get to LR, and the other 3 are useful enough to all get a point as well. Clay Golem because I want a tank. And he makes boss fights extremely easy.

Planned endgame gear

Note: with my planned endgame weapon, a Kingslayer Decapitator, I need 20% ias for a 15 frame attack, 40% ias for 14 frames and 65% ias to get to 13 frames. I haven't done the calculations, but judging by the available gear, I think it will be best to go for the 13 frame breakpoint. This will heavily determine my gear choices.

- Helm: Andariel's Visage / Shako / Nightwing's Veil / CoA

Next to weapon ED%, Vengeance benefits most from +skills, so I'll want a lot of those. Andy's, Shako and Nightwing's have +2, CoA only +1 but has terrific mods for any melee character and certainly for my Necro, who will be quite squishy and could definitely use the socket(s) for more ias. Problem is: I don't have one, never found one, and don't feel like going on an mf hunt just for that item. Andy's has built-in ias, which is great. Shako would give me some much needed life, DR% and a big mana boost , which might make mana steal not needed. Nightwing's Veil would boost Vengeance's cold damage ... I think. But I don't have one, and don't feel like farming for one.

- Body Armor: Chains of Honor

+2 skills, huge resists, DR% ... tailor made for this character.

- Belt: String of Ears / Verdungo's / Arachnid's / Death's Guard (combined with the gloves) / rare with fhr and resists / IK (with gloves and boots)

A lot of options here, and I can't make up my mind. A lot will depend on where I get the ias needed to get to 65%. I would rather not use the Death's sash / gloves combo because of the 2 row belt, but if needed to reach the 13 frame attack speed, it's not the end of the world either, as Death's sash / gloves is very good. All the other options have their own merit.

- Boots: rares with resists, frw and fhr / IK (with gloves and belt)

With my other gear, I'll probably need resists, frw and fhr here. Rares could provide it, but so does the 3pc IK set. Probably to a lesser extent, but with the benefit of a more than welcome AR boost.

- Gloves: Lava Gouts / Death's (with the Sash) / Bloodfist, Laying of Hands / IK (with boots and belt)

Lots of options here as well... Lava Gouts for some much needed AR, ias, fire res, Bloodfist for huge fhr, bit of ias, +life, LoH for ias and huge fire res, Death's see above.

- Amulet: Highlord's Wrath

Scaling DS, lightning res and a much wanted +skill. Mara's would be another very good option, but it would make reaching the 65% ias breakpoint a lot harder. Also, the scaling DS on the Highlord's will probably be needed to increase my physical damage and as such my leeching.

- Ring 1: Ravenfrost

CBF and massive AR

- Ring 2: rare with mana leech / AR / min damage / resists

Pretty self-explanatory

- Weapon: Kingslayer Decapitator

A onehander would be some 2 frames faster, but Vengeance is all about weapon damage and ED%, so I think a twohander is the best option here. Swords need much more Dex and Str than Axes, so an axe is the logical choice here.

- weapon switch: CtA and Spirit shield
No-brainer there.

Socketing will depend on gear choices.

So as you can see, still lots of things I'm not sure about. Advice would be very much appreciated .

Merc
Act 2 BA Merc with Infinity, Treachery and Andariel's Visage

or

Act 1 Cold Rogue with Harmony, Treachery and Andariel's Visage

The Rogue would fit very well thematically, using a weapon that also deals rainbow weapon. Her IS would help my chance to hit a lot, which I'll definitely need. The act 2 merc would probably be the strongest option against all but low resistant monsters though, due to his Conviction aura. Not sure if BA is still needed with Convinction around, if not probably a Holy Freeze one or even Might.

AR will surely be an issue. Luckily Kingslayer has 20% bonus to AR and -25% enemy defense. Hopefully that, combined with the benefits of my merc, will be sufficient to hit reliably.

Items from the above list I still have to farm
4os Decapitator, Highlord's Wrath, Sur (or Ber) and Ber for Infinity, Arachnid's, maybe but probably not Mara's, Nightwing's Veil, CoA.

Build before Kingslayer (probably level 54)
Max Mages and Skeleton Mastery as fast as possible, rely on melee + Amp early on, LR with high elemental weapon (Harmony, 1H + Tiamat's Rebuke) afterwards. Wands can get very high elemental damage, so that would be cool, but I don't think I have a suitable one in my stash.

That's about it as far as the theory is concerned. Time to start things in practice. I will give frequent (hopefully) updates here as I progress. As I said before, suggestions, criticism, advice is more than welcome to help me get the most out of this character. This applies to all characters in the Sept, but particularly to this one, which I expect to be the most challenging to play of the entire Sept.

 

[PhineasB]

I started WrathOfMages a few days ago and got him to the start of Act 2.

With my usual twinking gear (3os Jewel of Envy Breastplate, Hsarus' boots, Death's gloves and sash, 2os helm with max dam jewels, Pelta Lunata, 6os Crystal Sword with max dam jewels) and the help of Amp, things went really smooth early on. I started with pumping Skeleton Mastery, as well as putting a point in Bone Armor, Dim Vision and Clay Golem. At level 12 I started boosting Skeleton Mages. After a few levels, I continued alternating between Mages and SM. Golem Mastery and Bone Wall also got a point.

Act 1 was done rather fast for a melee Necro. Amp had a lot to do with this obviously, but the mages were also stronger than I expected. WrathOfMages killed Andy at level 18:

I decided to keep the Act 1 merc for now. She did get some armor upgrades with an eth Duskdeep and a Twitchthroe. WrathOfMages got those 2 items as well, alongside rare boots with frw and resists, Death's weapon for the full set bonus, some Fine Grand Charms, rare rings with AR and resists and The Eye of Etlich amulet. This way Radament was killed easily.

After that I decided to try out the Chieftain as weapon instead of Death's sword. Since I had the impression that the damage output was largely the same, and WrathOfMages will most likely wield a 2H axe as endgame weapon anyway, I decided to keep it.

Things went quite smoothly throughout the act, although I did tune down to /p5 at some point. Mainly because I figured it would be faster to spend less time questing, and then do some /p8 Pindle runs to gain xp. Basically the leveling strategy I have been using lately, but then adjusted to a character whose killing speed is good but not over the top fast. On /p5 I killed monsters in 1 - 2 hits, which felt right .

Skillwise I kept alternating between SM and Mages. It wasn't until level 22 before I realized that Decrepify might come in handy for the Duriel fight. Since at that point I had not put a point in Weaken and Terror, and I reached Duriel at level 24, I went into the fight with Decrepify. I had to recast the Clay Golem a lot, but other than that the fight went really well ...

So here WrathOfMages is now, at the beginning of Act 3. I must admit I was a bit afraid for the early stages when it comes to this character, but so far it has been a lot of fun. Hopefully things will continue like this .

 

[PhineasB]

Congrats on the progress. I've always wanted to try a Lord of Mages. Have you considered Bonesnap? It's my go to 2-handed twinking weapon.
Also what about Fire Golem over Clay except boss fights? Get that massive couple hundred fire damage boosted by LR.

Looking forward to this! And seconding Brak about the mages.

Probably the best choice to overcome the AR problem is indeed A2 merc with Infinity. But on the other hand Act 1 mercs are cool, and as a matter of fact my Zod God sept's meleemancer runs around with one. I also added Demon Limb and Enchant to the mix.

I would go Infinity on the merc and use Decrepify as the main curse. I have done 3 meleemancers before and think you will struggle in hell with the 13FPA attack speed. You need to slow the monsters down so you don't get overwhelmed. Also with the low life of a necro, watch out for the FHR.

Thanks .

Fire Golem ... interesting suggestion. Would be more of a novelty than anything else, though, I'd think. The Holy Fire damage is low, attack fire damage is some 700 at level 29, so not too bad, but won't hurt too much either I'm afraid. Also, I've heard it attracts lots and lots of monsters, which would be quite hard for my fragile Necro probably ...

Bonesnap ... yeah, definitely one of my favourite twinking weapons as well. Might be a bit slow for the Necro, but I'll give it a try. Should hit like a truck on Amped monsters .

Grape, I agree with you: Act 2 merc would be the strongest option, Act 1 with Harmony would definitely way more stylish. I still need to make up my mind about it. I do see myself rocking a Harmony bow at level 39, with a merc doing the same. It's not like Infinity is available anytime soon at that point.

Edit: went away while making this post, and didn't see maxicek's input before posting myself.

Yeah, I'll definitely need Decrep a lot for crowd control. I still hope to be able to split packs up a bit and use LR one the ones I'm fighting. Time will tell ...

Bonesnap + Twitch/Treachery + IAS gloves = smash

Fire Golem also does exploding damage when he dies, or you un/resummon him
I thought it was reasonably large at higher levels, but not sure of radius
He also moves faster, so he might make a better meat shield
Downside is his Holy Fire aura which can wake up stuff you dont want woken

as to how you name your chars

i always like using latin names

for your build for example deadly vengeance:

mortiferum vindictae

cool project and good luck

Try shopping for a +3 Skeleton Mastery wand for weapons switch to buff your mages, as Mastery is much more important than the Mages skill, since the Mastery is we're their damage comes from. Great idea, looking forward to your updates. [emoji2]
Why a Decapitator Axe, does a Necromancer swing an Axe more quickly similar to a Druid?

Edit: After looking at the different character speeds on elite swords and axes, you should be making that end game weapon in a Bezerker Axe or Phase Blade, since the Necromancer has the fastest attack speed with those and he could still use a shield.


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The way I understand it, Vengeance is all about weapon damage and weapon ED%. Other things like DS, CS, non-weapon ED% ... don't matter in the Vengeance damage calculation, hence you want a weapon that does a lot of damage on it's own. That's why I would go with a Decapitator Axe. Too bad the Basin wiki is still down, otherwise I could check there. Other 2H might be able to deal comparable amounts of damage, but require more points in Dex / Str.

I must admit I have never actually done the calculations. I would be surprised if a 1H / shield setup, with it's faster attack speed (13 frames for the Decapitator, 12 frames for the Berserker Axe, 11 frames for a Cryptic Sword and 10 frames for a Phase Blade) would be comparable or even better when it comes to damage output, but it never hurts to plug the numbers in a damage calculator. So I should do that at some point.

well

it kinda depends on how much maxdmg we get from inventory/sockets

i'd say with 200 max dmg, 1 hand is ok, because of shieldblock

I think I would build it in Bezerker Axe, because the weapon range is one better and the mean damage output is way better with that axe (95), over the Phase Blade (33). The PB is nice though in a high end RW weapon, because it is indestructible and those repairs can become pricey, but I don't think that is worth sacrificing 62 average damage. But if wealth isn't an issue, then I would definitely go with the BA. If you're wondering why the BA damage I've listed is so high, it's because you're strength needs to be well over a hundred, which doubles your damage where with PB it is your dexterity that needs to be well over a hundred, which does nothing for melee damage output. It would help greatly with your block and to hit percentages.


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A Fire Golem's Holy Fire aura has a level 30 ceiling, which gives it a maximum radius of 23 1/3 yards (at level 23): that's still almost an entire 800x600 screen width to the left and right.



The Basin wiki is still offline and none of the others covers it, but FG death damage is only 200 (100 physical and 100 fire) regardless of skill level and in a fairly small radius (perhaps 4 yards, the same as a Fire Enchanted explosion in Hell), with 5% chance of a critical hit doubling it. It isn't substantial, and even if it were then the mana cost of continuously casting FG might make it impractical.



Other classes can't invest points in Vengeance or its synergy skills, can't have higher than level 12 Conviction and are restricted to the Kingslayer rune word with its +230-270% Enhanced Damage (although the Barbarian can attack with a second one-handed weapon), so the main ways to increase Vengeance elemental damage potential aside from skill bonuses are base weapon choice, minimum and maximum damage bonuses and attack speed (there's also +% Skill Damage and -% Enemy Resistance, of course).

All other things being equal, an average (+250% ED) Kingslayer Berserker Axe (47.5 average base damage, 166 average weapon damage) at 12 frames would match the Vengeance elemental damage output of a Decapitator (93 average base, 325 average weapon) at 13 frames with +268 Maximum Damage, to none... and while a Phase Blade at 10 frames may be 30% (13/10) faster, the Decapitator has ~182% (93/33) or almost triple the weapon damage.

So as long as you can survive with the help of your mercenary, Golem, Necromages, Bone Armor, Wall and Prison, Curses, Call to Arms and so forth, a two-handed weapon is arguably the best way to go.

Thanks onderduiker . You've come to the rescue for me many times before on the AB. I'm glad that you now do the same at the SPF ...

@maxicek is right. Based on my experience with an Oath Meleeemancer, IAS is key to get to 13 FPA, and even then you will need some crowd control help to keep from getting swarmed and some good FHR.

Thinking I've now got a "new" Nec build to start........very interesting.

@zemaj 1.07 base, atma eth bugging, ... been there, done that, and as a matter of fact just posted my opinion about it . So yeah, while it would increase my damage a lot, I don't think I'll do it. And no 1.07 bases here, as I haven't been running that version (yet). I got some 1.07 items back in the day, but that was because I got them from a fellow Basiner (and SPF'er, who went by the name LongingForDeath here).

So I expect I'll only be using the lower /p settings instead.

As to weapon choice. I compared the average damage of quite a few weapons, and also threw them in the german weapon speed calculator. I have to recheck if a Feral Axe was one of them though.

And yeah, I agree on the curses. I usually don't use Terror at all, but it might indeed come in handy. DV, Attract and Confuse are curse I just love and use a lot.

@Atratees Glad this thread inspired you. If you like it, you definitely have to try a Vengeance sorc, with maxed LM and FM. They are ridiculously strong.

 

[PhineasB]

So I just checked about the Feral Axe and ... I'm not sure. With the same ias I could hit an 11 frame attack with it, instead of a 13 one. Faster is always better, so it's definitely appealing. But a quick calculation of the dps shows me that the Decapitator would still come out first when it comes to damage. Problem is, I'm not sure my calculations are accurate. As a matter of fact, they probably aren't.

Anyway, here they are, and maybe someone else can jump in and correct me if needed.

Taken from this thread at the Basin, this is the formula I used:



I didn't take the following steps in the guide, because I don't have synergies to take into account, and to keep it simple.

Here is what I came up with, counting +10 min dam and +40 max dam from gear and charms:

Feral Axe:

Min dam = (25 * 3,5) + 10 = 97,5

Max dam = (123 * 3,5) + 40 = 470,5

Average dam = 284

DPS = 619,6

Vengeance DPS @lvl9 = 4052,2


Decapitator:

Min dam = (49 * 3,5) + 10 = 181,5

Max dam = (137 * 3,5) + 40 = 519.5

Average dam = 350,5

DPS = 647

Vengeance DPS @lvl9 = 4231,4

So this would mean that the Decapitator does more damage. BUT ...

1) the Feral Axe would apply CB faster
2) physical damage also benefits from Str, other off-weapon ED%, DS, which as a result will be bigger for the Decapitator
3) I don't know how realistic the +min and +max dam values of 10 and 40 are; if these are bigger, the difference in dps would become smaller
4) I didn't take stuff like facets into account

So yeah, it's hard to come up with a definitive conclusion. Even IF my calculations are correct.

After all this rambling, I'll take the opportunity to tell that WrathOfMages also has made some progress. He has killed Mephisto at level 28:

Decrep and the Golem made sure he never moved much, or hurt me.

Not much to say about the journey through Act3. I equiped a Bonesnap, set the player setting, to /p5 and started whacking stuff, occasionally using Amp or DV when needed.

isn't Passion pretty cheap?

Lol, true enough ...

A minor point: both displayed and actual weapon damage round down to the nearest point, so an average Kingslayer Feral Axe with +10 Minimum and +40 Maximum Damage has exactly 97-470 (283.5 average) and the Decaptitator has exactly 181-519 (350 average). Beyond this point, damage is rounded down to the nearest 1/256 point at each remaining stage of damage calculation.

A slightly more serious point: there are 25 frames per second so you'd multiply that by 25/11 and 25/13 respectively, not 24/11 and 24/13, to calculate weapon DPS (so ~644.3 and ~673.1 average respectively).

The most serious point: unlike when calculating weapon damage, you don't add 100% to level 9 Vengeance's +118% fire, lightning and cold damage since weapon damage is 100% physical but 0% fire, lightning and cold damage, so you multiply by 1.18 (*3), not 2.18 (*3), resulting in ~2280.9 and ~2382.7 average elemental DPS respectively from Vengeance.

Sharp Grand Charms have +(7-10) Maximum Damage (and +(49-76) Attack Rating) each, so 4-6 would give you +40 or more in total, and a rare ring can have +(5-9) Minimum Damage, so that's fairly realistic... and then there are War Traveler Battle Boots, which add 15-25 Damage all by themselves.

 

[PhineasB]

Ok. Thanks once again onderduiker .

WrathOfMages finally has made some more progress.

Act 4 was somewhat slower than the previous acts, as it usually is, so I tuned down to /p3. Progress was rather uneventful, although the game did taunt me once:

Yes, thank you so much for that tp shrine. Incredibly useful !!!

When killing the last seal boss and his minions, WrathOfMages dinged 30. I put a point into Lower Resist, but for the Diablo fight obviously I used Decrep again. I also tuned down to /p1, but I really shouldn't have, as he went down really fast.

Gotta love Bonesnap, with it's huge damage and big CB !!!

For Act 5 I switched to an elemental damage setup. The Bonesnap went out, and in came a Skystrike bow for me and another one for my merc. I also equiped a Lore helm to increase my skill levels, and specifially LR. I put the difficulty back to /p5 but rushed through most of the content, only occasionally stopping to kill boss packs, large groups and superuniques. Killing those went well though, and only after using the bow for a while I realized it didn't only have the good lightning damage (1 - 250), but also a small chance to cast lvl 6 Meteor on striking. It's only 2% CTC, but between me and my merc it happened often enough to be useful.

The fun really started when I hit level 33 and could equip a Kuko Shakaku. Explosive arrows, piercing and good fire damage + LR = win . Not soon after that I reached Pindle, which I ran from level 34 to 43.5, on /p8. This went really well: cast CG and Bone Armor, resurrect 6 mages (7 at the end), rush past Pindle and his minions to enter the Hall and immediately back up, to have my army with me, then fire a few times and all were dead.

Ancients were done on /p3, but I could easily have gone higher. After that I put the setting back to /p8. The waves posde no problems, although the last 2 were a tad slower. I was surprised with my Mages' damage output though. By that time Skeleton Mastery was maxed, and I was working on Skeleton Mages, with only 1 point in the other skills. No revives yet.

Baal was done on /p5. He summoned his clone twice, but overall didn't pose much of a problem. His drops were crappy as usual.

At that moment WrathOfMages was level 45. To start in NM, I did some retwinking. I found a superior 4os Rune Bow in my stash, which I used to make Harmony. I also equiped a Ravenfrost, which allowed me to reach the Dex req for the Rune Bow. I also upgraded my amulet by a rare with +1 Necro skills, 16% res all, 20% poison res and 1 - 19 lightning damage.

This way I did the first 2 quests in Act 1, on /p5. Killing speed wasn't super fast, but definitely good. WrathOfMages reached level 46.

All in all I have enjoyed this character a lot so far, especially after going the elemental damage route. Hopefully this will stay this way. More to come soon.

 

[PhineasB]

Great progress!
I think I figured out your golem, how bout a Gimmershred IG?

Thanks.

Gimmershred IG is definitely a good suggestion. 100% in the theme of the character. Problem is, I only have 4 or so iirc, and from my previous experience with another Necro using an IG, I know they go poof quite a lot. That other Necro used Mages and LR too, so I made a few IG out of Tiamat's Rebuke. That item suited the theme very well too, with it's rainbow damage, CTC more elemental damage and res all. Problem was that the 4 or so shields that I had didn't last long.

Maybe with Enigma it's less of a problem? Or how do you guys keep an IG alive and not disappearing?

Yeah teleporting will help a ton since he just gets stuck sometimes. I didn't use teleport on my meleemancer and would TP if I was trying to keep him alive. But like many, I just gave up and used a Clay Golem after a while

It will be a while before I pick this character up again (the Assassin is in Hell Act 1 now), but still I already want to come back to this thread. Reason: choice of merc ... I'm still unsure if I'll take an Act 1 one or Act 2 one. Moreover, now it's not only between Act 1 Cold one with Harmony or an Act 2 BA or Holy Freeze with Infinity. I suddenly started to think about an Act 1 cold rogue with a Faith bow, to increase that slow attack speed to more acceptable levels.

This is the way I see it now:

Rogue with Harmony: most stylish, most in line with the elemental theme of the build
Rogue with Faith: probably most fun way to play the Necro, since my attack speed wouldn't be terribly slow. Downside is that it means I'll need to find another Jah for that second Dream I want for the Sorc in the Sept
Desert Merc with Infinity. Probably the strongest option. Downside is that this type of merc with this weapon will already be used so many times, in and outside this Sept

So yeah, opinions please ...

Rogue with Faith! The Sept is stylish to begin with, so why not? And a Faith Rogue is plenty powerful in her own right (the little skeleton warriors are also handy). Finally, then you'll have the Faith to use with other characters

Rogue with Ice
I don't think fanat is going to make the Mages attack that much faster because of minions having a hard attack delay. The couple frame boost will be rather small. Harmony might be just as useful as Faith since the Mages should spend less time mulling about with faster run walk.

 

[PhineasB]

After what seems like ages, finally an update. Sorry that it took so long, but playing time has been scarce, and time to write about it even more so. Anyway, here's some pics, telling the story.

Not much to say about the first 2 acts. I used revives whenever elemental types were available. I doubt they did much damage, but they certainly added flavor to everything.

Speaking about revives ... using Gloams fits the theme really well, it's also super fun, but at the same time ... very confusing !!! Who is shooting who? I have no clue .

Act 3 saw me finding a few very nice low to mid level items.

Mephisto was easy enough. Elemental damage of me and my army was quite good, CB on the weapon did the rest.

Found this nice Lore base in Act 4. Got a Ko from the forge, but found a Pul shortly after. From act 4 on I was playing on /p5 instead of /p8 by the way, as I liked to keep my killing speed high. Relatively speaking that is, as single attack characters are never really fast.

I was a bit afraid that Diablo would give me a hard time, but he fell easily.

At level 65, somewhere in Act 5, I changed quite some gear: Shako, Highlord's, Chains of Honor, Lava Gouts, Verdungo's and Faith on my merc. Especially the Faith made a very big difference, Fanatism helped a lot to hit, to hit fast and to hit hard. Ever since, whenever I don't have Fana around because my merc got stuck somewhere, it feels so slow that I just tp out and get back in, to have her with me. Same story as with Paschendale !!!

Because of this, /p5 felt fast again. I tried /p8 briefly, but that was a tad too slow.

After I had rescued Anya, I did what I have done with my previous characters, and I went after Nihlathak, so I could personalize my weapon. I plan to do this for the entire Sept.

Ancients were easy, very easy even, but I almost died twice ... two time to the death explosion of a FE Ancient. I guess I'll never learn . Luckily enough it was a NDE, not an actual death.

Waves were easier than I expected. I did forget to tune up to /p8, so it was /p5 only.

I stuck to that player setting for Baal, and had no troubles at all. And again, no good drops, obviously .

After that, as I was level 72.5, I went straight to Hell. Since my resists were quite low, I switched some gear. IK belt, boots and gloves came in for the reasons Jesse mentioned. I also got another ring, with high fire and lightning resist, some AR and life steal. I also threw out some elemental damage charms and got some with res / life instead. That way I took on act 1. I briefly tried /p5, but that was way too slow, so I tuned down to /p3.

Act 1 didn't pose me any troubles. This one was a nice one though:

Immune to cold, and being LE and FE probably highly resistant to fire and lightning as well. She took quite a while to take down. I took down Andariel at level 76.

So far, so good. No deaths yet, not even from my merc . The theme is really fun, with all the elemental damage around. Killing is slow though, so I might take a break from this character now, and either start another one from the Sept, or get back to Nihlathak running with my level 98 Sorc.

 

[PhineasB]

Definitely with Enigma, max Golem Mastery and maybe some points in Blood Golem for the life bonus.

i would dream the dream (as in double dream) + LR + the damage from vengeance i think it will be quite the killer

 

[PhineasB]

Nah, double Dreams is for another character.

After a short break I continued WrathOfMages. Progress was quite slow on /p3, and compared to the huge speed of the WolfBarb in the Sept even painfully slow. So I got a bit impatient, tried to up the speed and got a first death in Cellar level 1 . Stupid really, because I had cleared a large crowd there, but with only the boss to go I figured I'd be fine, very well knowing that he would 1hit kill me most likely. After all I was amped and the boss was a Blunderbore with the extra strong mod. And so yeah, he killed me, as my BO wore out just as he swung. Really, really silly, as this character should be quite easy to finish without any deaths, seeing as how many meatshields and crowd control skills I have available.

Dropwise I did have a good period around that time, finding a Stormshield, Trang's body armor and Seraph's Hymn in quite quick succession.

In the tomb running up to Duriel I had the game crashing, which meant another slowdown. So when coming back I decided to leave the game at /p1 and just go like that. This way I could clear the area again smoothly and take down the big bug:

Since I noticed how impatient I was, knowing that's absolutely no good to continue, I decided to create the Sorc in the Sept instead. Obviously I will return to WrathOfMages in between, to finish him, or at least do another act.

 

[PhineasB]

Originally posted July 3, 2017

Indeed, WrathOfMages has reached Patriarch status !!!

He continued his adventures in Act 3. Unfortunately he got 2 more deaths there . One was from a boss pack of those huge trees, which hit me while I was amped. Definitely one which could be prevented as well, but I just noticed I was too impatient for the slow playing style, required to do a Vengeance Necro properly. I guess I'm too used to fast play these days. The other death was because I had a few minutes left, and decided to just make a rush for the Travincal waypoint, trying to Dim Vision everything. I got cornered and died.

Embarrassing obviously, and a bit of a shame as well, as the theme of the build itself works like I figured it would, Mages complementing the rainbow damage of Vengeance very well. Like I said, I guess I'm getting too spoiled with all my good gear and powerful characers. Also I really want to finish this Sept before moving over to Path of Exile for a while, but with the expansion for that game expected to hit in early August, I'm even more impatient.

Anyway, after that I took it a bit slower, actually taking the time to use proper tactics. That way I got through the next 2 acts without any deaths or NDEs. I did tune down to /p1, because even /p3 felt too grindy.

I got an Um from forge.

Thanks to the Clay Golem and Decrep, boss fights were never an issues luckily enough. When killing Diablo I was a bit past level 80, which obviously is lower than I usually am.

For Act 5 I took it rather slow, which made me enjoy the playing more, and kept me alive. Except for one occasion, which gets me far too often ...

Death from FE death explosion at the Ancients ... again !!! Definitely not the first time. My fire res wasn't too bad actually, but my BO ran out and I didn't notice in time to refresh.

In WSK I got one good drop:

Definitely nice for that level.

Waves were done on /p8, because I felt that's the least I could do to make up for the low player setting for the rest. For Lister and his pack I tuned back to /p1 though, as I felt like I wouldn't stand a chance otherwise. Ample use of Decrep got me through.

Baal was done on that player setting too, and was easy enough, with CG and Decrep, and CB taking big chunks of his life when I hit him.

His drop was epic ...

... not .

These were his final stats:

AR was quite low, but with IS from the Rogue around, I hit things well.

This is the full character dump:

Spoiler: WrathOfMages full dump

Name:       WrathOfMages
Class:      Necromancer
Experience: 835770409
Level:      82

           Naked/Gear
Strength:   161/238
Dexterity:  107/148
Vitality:   207/209
Energy:     25/27
HP:         610/905
Mana:       187/350
Stamina:    352/352
Defense:    26/1722
AR:         490/30471

Fire:       148/108/48
Cold:       103/63/3
Lightning:  183/143/83
Poison:     95/55/-5

MF:         100       Block:      16
GF:         56
FR/W:       40
FHR:        49
IAS:        75
FCR:        0

Amplify Damage: 1/6
Dim Vision: 1/6
Weaken: 1/6
Iron Maiden: 1/6
Terror: 1/6
Confuse: 1/6
Life Tap: 1/6
Attract: 1/6
Decrepify: 1/6
Lower Resist: 5/10

Teeth: 1/6
Bone Armor: 1/6
Poison Dagger: 0/0
Corpse Explosion: 1/6
Bone Wall: 20/25
Poison Explosion: 0/0
Bone Spear: 1/6
Bone Prison: 8/13
Poison Nova: 0/0
Bone Spirit: 0/0

Skeleton Mastery: 20/29
Raise Skeleton: 1/10
Clay Golem: 1/10
Golem Mastery: 1/10
Raise Skeletal Mage: 20/29
Blood Golem: 1/10
Summon Resist: 1/10
Iron Golem: 1/10
Fire Golem: 0/0
Revive: 1/10

Tome of Identify
Fingerprint: 0xaf5d8d79
Item Level: 10
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Horadric Cube
Fingerprint: 0x85c1af84
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Graverobber's Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xca787403
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
+22 to Life

Graverobber's Grand Charm of Greed
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xd9a253a6
Item Level: **
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
16% Extra Gold from Monsters

Graverobber's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x2a1b9979
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)

Steel Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 41
Fingerprint: 0xfd02a104
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+131 to Attack Rating

Fine Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0xce490e0d
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+3 to Maximum Damage
+14 to Attack Rating
+20 to Life

Bronze Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x79ae0991
Item Level: 68
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Attack Rating
+20 to Life

Iron Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x2772b317
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+22 to Attack Rating
+17 to Life

Fine Small Charm of Storms
Small Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0x50d8be9c
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Maximum Damage
+18 to Attack Rating
Adds 1 - 23 Lightning Damage

Cobalt Small Charm of Storms
Small Charm
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0xd973ef85
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 1 - 24 Lightning Damage
Cold Resist +8%

Steel Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x3b1dc667
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+28 to Attack Rating
+13 to Life

Steel Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 49
Fingerprint: 0x8efbe51c
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+25 to Attack Rating
+15 to Life

Graverobber's Grand Charm of Sustenance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xc4b84e48
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Summoning Skills (Necromancer Only)
+21 to Life

Steel Grand Charm of Balance
Grand Charm
Required Level: 35
Fingerprint: 0x93961f08
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+12% Faster Hit Recovery
+117 to Attack Rating

Key
Fingerprint: 0x49383699
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Harlequin Crest
Shako
Defense: 113
Durability: 11 of 12
Required Level: 62
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0x48666206
Item Level: 74
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +2
+123 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+123 to Mana (Based on Character Level)
Damage Reduced by 10%
Damage Reduced by 7
50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Sol Rune

Sol Rune
Required Level: 27
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +9 to Minimum Damage
Armor: Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Damage Reduced by 7

Highlord's Wrath
Amulet
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0xe42910c
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
Adds 1 - 30 Lightning Damage
30% Deadly Strike (Based on Character Level)
Lightning Resist +35%
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15

Chains of Honor
Wire Fleece
DolUmBerIst
Defense: 816
Durability: 32 of 32
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 111
Fingerprint: 0x46ddfa7a
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
+200% Damage to Demons
+100% Damage to Undead
8% Life stolen per hit
+70% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Strength
Replenish Life +7
All Resistances +65
Damage Reduced by 8%
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Dol Rune
Socketed: Um Rune
Socketed: Ber Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune

Dol Rune
Required Level: 31
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Hit Causes Monster to Flee 25%
Armor: Replenish Life +7
Shields: Replenish Life +7

Um Rune
Required Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 25% Chance of Open Wounds
Armor: Cold Resist +15%
Lightning Resist +15%
Fire Resist +15%
Poison Resist +15%
Shields: Cold Resist +22%
Lightning Resist +22%
Fire Resist +22%
Poison Resist +22%

Ber Rune
Required Level: 63
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Chance of Crushing Blow
Armor: Damage Reduced by 8%
Shields: Damage Reduced by 8%

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Wraith Loop
Ring
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0xda9cd2d
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+4 to Maximum Damage
+37 to Attack Rating
8% Life stolen per hit
Lightning Resist +22%
Fire Resist +25%

Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0x78a2a0a8
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+244 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+19 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen

Immortal King's Detail
War Belt
Defense: 194
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0x21b75bdb
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+36 Defense
+25 to Strength
Lightning Resist +31%
Fire Resist +28%
Set (2 items): +105 Defense
Set (3 items): +25% Faster Hit Recovery
Set (4 items): +100% Enhanced Defense
Set (5 items): Damage Reduced by 20%
Set (6 items): +2 to Masteries Skills (Barbarian Only)

(2 items): +50 to Attack Rating
(3 items): +75 to Attack Rating

Immortal King's Pillar
War Boots
Defense: 126
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 31
Required Strength: 125
Fingerprint: 0x22803762
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+40% Faster Run/Walk
+110 to Attack Rating
+75 Defense
+44 to Life
Set (2 items): 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Set (3 items): +2 to Combat Skills (Barbarian Only)
Set (4 items): +160 Defense
Set (5 items): Half Freeze Duration

(2 items): +50 to Attack Rating
(3 items): +75 to Attack Rating

Immortal King's Forge
War Gauntlets
Defense: 238
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0xf0c3e242
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+65 Defense
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Set (2 items): +25% Increased Attack Speed
Set (3 items): +120 Defense
Set (4 items): 10% Life stolen per hit
Set (5 items): 10% Mana stolen per hit
Set (6 items): Freezes target +2

(2 items): +50 to Attack Rating
(3 items): +75 to Attack Rating

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Super Healing Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenish Life +320

Scroll of Town Portal
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Scroll of Town Portal
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Scroll of Town Portal
Version: Expansion 1.10+

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Full Rejuvenation Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 100%
Replenishes Health 100%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Super Mana Potion
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Replenishes Mana 250%

Call to Arms
Flail
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 3 - **
Durability: 30 of 30
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 41
Required Dexterity: 35
Fingerprint: 0x479c37ac
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
269% Enhanced Damage
+150% Damage to Undead
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+5 to Battle Command
+4 to Battle Orders
+4 to Battle Cry
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Socketed: Amn Rune
Socketed: Ral Rune
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Ist Rune
Socketed: Ohm Rune

Amn Rune
Required Level: 25
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 7% Life stolen per hit
Armor: Attacker Takes Damage of 14
Shields: Attacker Takes Damage of 14

Ral Rune
Required Level: 19
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
Armor: Fire Resist +30%
Shields: Fire Resist +35%

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Ist Rune
Required Level: 51
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Armor: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Shields: 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Homunculus
Hierophant Trophy
Defense: 198
Chance to Block: 52
Durability: 20 of 20
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x84a28763
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Curses (Necromancer only)
+2 to Necromancer Skill Levels
+30% Faster Block Rate
40% Increased Chance of Blocking
+179% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Energy
Regenerate Mana 33%
All Resistances +40
+5 to Mana after each Kill

WrathOfMages's Kingslayer
Decapitator
MalUmGulFal
Two Hand Damage: 170 - 475
Durability: 37 of 40
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 189
Required Dexterity: 33
Fingerprint: 0xfa14eee
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+30% Increased Attack Speed
247% Enhanced Damage
-25% Target Defense
20% Bonus to Attack Rating
33% Chance of Crushing Blow
50% Chance of Open Wounds
Prevent Monster Heal
+1 to Vengeance
+10 to Strength
40% Extra Gold from Monsters
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Mal Rune
Socketed: Um Rune
Socketed: Gul Rune
Socketed: Fal Rune

Mal Rune
Required Level: 49
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Prevent Monster Heal
Armor: Magic Damage Reduced by 7
Shields: Magic Damage Reduced by 7

Um Rune
Required Level: 47
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 25% Chance of Open Wounds
Armor: Cold Resist +15%
Lightning Resist +15%
Fire Resist +15%
Poison Resist +15%
Shields: Cold Resist +22%
Lightning Resist +22%
Fire Resist +22%
Poison Resist +22%

Gul Rune
Required Level: 53
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 20% Bonus to Attack Rating
Armor: +5% to Maximum Poison Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Poison Resist

Fal Rune
Required Level: 41
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +10 to Strength
Armor: +10 to Strength
Shields: +10 to Strength

Mercenary:

Name:       Heather
Race:       Rogue Scout
Type:       Ice - Normal
Experience: 57526604
Level:      81
Dead?:      false

           Naked/Gear
Strength:   133/133
Dexterity:  201/201
HP:         1320/1320
Defense:    1102/1866
AR:         2183/657083

Fire:       153/113/53
Cold:       183/143/83
Lightning:  153/113/53
Poison:    153/113/53

Stealskull
Casque
Defense: 350
Durability: 13 of 13
Required Level: 35
Required Strength: 49
Fingerprint: 0x26841cb7
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+10% Faster Hit Recovery
5% Mana stolen per hit
5% Life stolen per hit
+222% Enhanced Defense
44% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Ethereal


Treachery
Wyrmhide
ShaelThulLem
Defense: 414
Durability: 15 of 24
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 84
Fingerprint: 0xfd5e7bd3
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
25% Chance to cast level 15 Venom on striking
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+45% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
3 Sockets (3 used)
Socketed: Shael Rune
Socketed: Thul Rune
Socketed: Lem Rune

Shael Rune
Required Level: 29
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +20% Increased Attack Speed
Armor: +20% Faster Hit Recovery
Shields: +20% Faster Block Rate

Thul Rune
Required Level: 23
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Adds 3 - 14 Cold Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Armor: Cold Resist +30%
Shields: Cold Resist +35%

Lem Rune
Required Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 75% Extra Gold from Monsters
Armor: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters
Shields: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters


Faith
Diamond Bow
OhmJahLemEld
Two Hand Damage: 141 - 172
Durability: 35 of 40
Required Level: 65
Required Strength: 89
Required Dexterity: 132
Fingerprint: 0x7a314159
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Level 15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped
+2 to All Skills
330% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
300% Bonus to Attack Rating
+75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
Adds 120 - 120 Fire Damage
All Resistances +15
10% Reanimate as: Returned
75% Extra Gold from Monsters
4 Sockets (4 used)
Socketed: Ohm Rune
Socketed: Jah Rune
Socketed: Lem Rune
Socketed: Eld Rune

Ohm Rune
Required Level: 57
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Enhanced Maximum Damage
Armor: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist
Shields: +5% to Maximum Cold Resist

Jah Rune
Required Level: 65
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: Ignore Target's Defense
Armor: Increase Maximum Life 5%
Shields: +50 to Life

Lem Rune
Required Level: 43
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: 75% Extra Gold from Monsters
Armor: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters
Shields: 50% Extra Gold from Monsters

Eld Rune
Required Level: 11
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Weapons: +75% Damage to Undead
+50 to Attack Rating against Undead
Armor: 15% Slower Stamina Drain
Shields: 7% Increased Chance of Blocking

This means the end for this character. Conclusion is simple: theme worked really well, but my impatience wrecked most of the fun. Things went better again near the end, when I realized my playing style wasn't getting me anywhere. Play in normal and NM was definitely fun.

Thinking about what I can do with this character after he got to Patriarch made me realize that my best bet, not only for this character but for most in the Sept actually, is to convert them to the usual suspects of their class. After all there's some builds I've always wanted to make, but never did. Better than leaving these characters untouched after finishing them, it will be better to respec them to something strong. In the case of WrathOfMages, this will probably be a Skelliemancer, unless I find a Death's Web at some point, which would make me go Venomancer instead. Other characters in the Sept will probably be converted to Trapper Assassin, Hammerdin, ZealBarb (already done so), Windy Druid. Not sure about the Amazon and the Sorc yet.

 

[PhineasB]

Very nicely done. I can relate to the impatience with lower powered characters -- that's the main source of deaths rather than their low-powered-ness. Good luck with the last couple characters in the Sept!