What's a Facet and why should I want one?

[cmacord]

When perusing the ads people post in the chat sessions on b.net, I keep seeing the word "facet"...people either having to trade or wanting to trade for cold facets, rainbow facets, etc. I have never seen a "facet", and don't know what they are for or where they are dropped, but they sure do seem to be both popular *and* valuable. Can someone clue me in, or point me to a thread or an URL for "Facets 101".....? :scratch:


Thanks in advance....Charlie Acord

[BartXeno]

Unique jewels. See:
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/normal/ujewels.shtml

[Drop]

Whoa, did these just get discovered recently or something? I havn't heard jack all about these... but I want one! Haha

[BartXeno]

Nope, they've been around awhile. Since the 1.10 patch I believe. I got a poison die one in last ladder.

[BSU]

Durial in hell has the highest chance of droping them according to the atma drop calc.

[Baboon]

I found a couple back in ladder season 1 when I ran hell pindle with my skelliemancer. I didn't think they were worth much so I traded them for average stuff. Nowadays I play HC and never seem to leave act 1 hell, so I don't find them anymore.

[cmacord]

Unique jewels. See:
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/normal/ujewels.shtml

Thanks for the URL.

OK, now I know what they are, but I guess I'm not all that impressed. I don't care much for auto-casting some spell when I die or level up, and the added damage is ok, not spectacular, and useful only to a melee char. I guess it would be nice to add 3-5% to my cold (etc) damage, esp. if one had several of these (I assume that no matter what type of item you socketed the jewel in - helm, armor, weapon, etc - the added damage would still be applied?). But my socks are still on (ok, I don't wear socks anymore, but YKWIM).

So I guess the best use, at least for me, would be currency, since people seem to really lust for these babies....

Thanks for the info....Charlie Acord

[jcroft]

I think the reason why they are so good is that they add a percentage to your damage as well as taking away resistance from enemies. This would in effect add damage twice. With resistances going up in hell I think it might be nice to lower monster resistances. I am not sure if this equates to a bunch more damage or not but it just might. +5% Damage on an 11,000 dmg meteor is not a bad improvement.

[squigipapa]

Think of it this way. When I pre-buff venom on my assassin. If I use a magical +3 shadow diciplines claw, with 2 sockets and 2 perfect poison facets (+10% poison skill damage) As far as damage goes, it would be almost as much added damage to my venom skill as having an extra 6 levels of venom. If I have 2 of these claws, that's close to adding 12 levels worth of damage to my venom skill on pre-buff, not to mencion the +6 from the claws themselves, so look at it this way, without the facets I'm huffing a level 6 venom, with them lvl 18. If I also bre-buff with a magical +3 shadow diciplines circlet with 2 more facets, that's like adding another 9 levels to my venom, now if I'm wearing trangs gloves (+25% psn skill dmg), there's another 12 levels .. perfect bramble armor (50% psn skill dmg), 24 more levels..

now do you see.. and thats just pre buff.. if I actually use these things to fight, well, -5% to enemy resistance is akin to +10% to my poison skill damage.

All of the numbers and comparisons that I've made here are strictly estimates.. just intended to illistrate a point.. basically I was going by the shadow assassin guide in the strat compedium which describes 25% psn skill dmg as aprox. 12 levels worth of venom in terms of damage. so obviously 4 facets are 20% not 25% so they'd be a little less than 12 levels.. but you get the point.. :)