Some Playing Questions

[dodenbezweerder]

Hello everyone,

I play a summoner on USEast, currently level 72 and i've got a couple of question so i can make some better decisions.

I'm currently in act 2 of hell. I don't really have any problems so far, but i know i will encounter Gloams/Souls in Act 4/5. These usually give me a very hard time. As far as i know, blocking does not help with those lightning attacks. I could be wrong. However i recently found a Thundergod's Vigor belt. This belt absorbs 20 lightning according to his stats. But i'm not sure how it exactly works? The only thing i can come up with is: soul does 1000 damage, resists (75% lightning) are substracted so it leaves 250 and then the belt absorbs 20. So it actually deals me 230 damage. Is that correct? (just trying to find out if investing in str to be able to wear the belt is worth it).

At the moment i have around 500 life. I know it's low, but i still have around 150 stat point unallocated. I'm trying to figure out what i die most from so i can either choose between life and block. However, i have died only once so it is kind of hard to figure out. So what 'can' be blocked and what cannot be blocked. Obviouslly elemental attacks cannot be blocked, nor does magic attacks (like those viper bone spear things). But can arrows be blocked, and those things the 'spike fiends' shoot? Is there perhaps a list somewhere?

Thanks for the advice.
*dodenbezweerder

[Good Fer Nothin SOB]

Blocking works on all physical attacks, both melee and projectile, that includes arrows and quill rat quills.

If you can get enough dex to keep up 75% block then I'd go with that.

Absorb actually adds a % of the damage to your life instead of taking it away, 20% isn't enough to totally counter all the damage not being absorbed but it will effectively act like 40% more resist: preventing 20% of the damage and refilling your life by that same 20%. That's what I recall reading about it anyways, it will help alot with them gloams/souls regardless.

[dodenbezweerder]

Thanks for your quick reply.

I've never used block before on a summoner. Although yesterday i got trapped, but it was quite nice to hear the blocking sound (eventhough blocking was only at 12%). I was able to put some distance between me and the baddies, so i survived. Perhaps using block for a change would be nice.

I think i also will up my strength to wear the thunder belt. Using block means lower life, so absorbing the lightning might be able to counter that a bit.

[gvibes]

Dim vision is nice against ranged attackers.