BildBenny
04-12-2005, 22:32
PvM WereSin/BearSin
by: BildBenny
2005-12-04
1) Introduction
2) Stats
3) Skills
4) Equipment
5) Merc.
6) Strategy
7) Credits/Thanks
1) Introduction
Some time ago I read Zero-Unit's guide on WereTemplars - Shapeshifting Paladins. In that thread was a post by someone saying something like: "Wow, this is just great! Soon we'll be seeing WereSins, WereZons, and WereWhatever!" I don't remember who made that post or exactly what it said, but I'm truly greatful for the fact that this person said/wrote that. Thank You! =) And of course, I am in great debth (did I spell that correctly?) to Zero-Unit for his WereTemplar-guide (also, be sure to read his WolfBarb-guide)!
At first, I made a WerePally utilizing the Holy Shock Aura. Truly AMAZING! To anyone who hasn't tried it: DO IT NOW! You won't be disappointed, I promise! Any Phase Blade with 60% IAS on it grants one a 4fpa attack as a WerePally.
After that I began speculating on who else of the different characters in D2 might be a successful shifter. The Sorceress with her Enchant was my next stop. Sick damage with 'Dream' runewords and maxed Lightning Mastery was the result.
Well, after that I began thinking of an Amazon as a Bear. I did some tests in SP and it seems the Dodge/Evade/Avoid skills work in Wereform, but it was rather hard to actually attack since most of the time she was in one of those animations. Also the graphics seemed a bit messed up when those occurred.
Then it struck me: The Assassin has Claw Mastery and Venom. And Burst of Speed/Fade! I'm surprised I haven't seen a guide on WereSins anywhere yet, well, actually I've found some threads discussing it for PvP:
http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=255885&highlight=weresin
...or just search the assassin part of this forum for "bearsin" or "weresin".
Pro's:
1) Extremely fast attack speed
2) More life due to Lycanthropy
3) Low cost in Skill points
4) Massive bonus in Style Points!
Con's:
1) Might get rather annoying with the constant re-prebuffing
2) Performance is greatly dependant on pre-buffing gear
3) Expensive in terms of equipment, with all the prebuffing gear.
4) There are most likely more con's but I guess they'll be pointed out in replies by others.
Nevertheless, I think this is a viable build, even for doing a solo-Baal run. I managed to do it in SP numerous times with 'players set to 8', although she wore some pretty neat items. But I reckon if it's doable solo in 8-player mode with the best possible equipment-setup, it should be just as doable solo in 1-player mode with a less twinked setup. Dunno 'bout Tristram, though...
Anyway, let's go through the stat- and skillpoint distribution of the build, shall we?
2) Stats
This is by all means not a "put X in STR, and not a single more point" strategy, since claws have very nice damage multipliers from Strength and Dexterity, 0,75 and 0,75 respectively, while most other melee weapons (swords, axes, etc.) have 1,0 from Strength only. It's all a matter of each and everyone's own preference.
My final stats (incl. gear):
STR: 200
DEX: 200
VIT: (rest)
EN: (base)
Note: I didn't go for max block. Werebears have the slowest base block speed imaginable, so if you want to have max block you'd have to get some serious Faster Block Rate total percentage.
3) Skills
This is the basic layout of the skills distribution:
20 Claw Mastery
20 Venom
20 Blade Shield
20 Shadow Master
Claw Mastery:
Pretty obvious, isn't it? Its adds damage and AR when you use claw-class weapons. And I believe a claw is the way to go, since it might be hard to get decent AR otherwise. Also WereSins with a claw is extremely Attack Speed friendly. See for yourself:
http://students.washington.edu/akrinke/wereformadvanced.html
Note: Don't use a Claw/Claw setup, I'll explain why later.
Venom:
Your main- and/or support-damage.
Note: As of now, I'm under the impression that Venom works the same way the Sorceress' Enchant does with Mastery %. Well, an Assassin doesn't have 'Poison Mastery' as a skill, but it's basically the same thing as the percentage bonus to Poison damage found on 'Bramble' or Trang-gloves.
For those who don't know the mechanics of Enchant/Fire Mastery, Mastery is checked twice. First at the casting of the spell, and second when the damage from the spell is about to get applied from a melee attack.
I'd really like it, though, if someone could verify/correct the above stated.
Blade Shield:
Normally, this is IMO a really crappy skill. Pathetic damage AND clvl 30 required... but as a Bear you'll only be able to attack one target per attack, and Blade Shield is an excellent way to deal damage to other nearby foes while you're dealing with one of them. As of my knowledge, Blade Shield checks about once a second if there are enemies near it's radius, and SMACK! Your Venom damage will be applied to your Blade Shield, and on to those surrounding you. Simple as that! =) (well, supposed they're not poison immunes...)
Shadow Master:
While in Wereform you'll be unable to cast/use Mind Blast or any other active skill. This Minion will do it for you, although you can't control her and tell her when or where, which might be a bit annoying to some.
Note: There was a discussion on whether it would be better to use Shadow Warrior and have a Mind Blast assigned to the Right Mouse Button, but I think it all came down to the fact that Shadow Master would be better anyway.
This equals to 88 skill points spent, including pre-req's. What you want to do with the rest is up to you. You could put them in Burst of Speed or Fade, although I really recommend Fade, since besides the bonus to resistances, it also provides you with a (hidden) physical damage reduction (PDR%). 1% per slvl, if I'm not mistaken? On top of this, it also greatly reduces the length of curses put on you.
Note: Shrine-effects are apparently under the same category as curses. If you're running Fade and activate an XP-shrine, for an example, the reduction will apply, and you'll only be wearing the XP-boost for a few seconds.
4) Equipment
I guess Weapon Block should/would work in wereform, but if you equip two claws, something screws up your attack. It looks like you're doing 1 and a 1/2 swing, or something. Totally weird. So I'd strongly suggest you should go with a Claw/Shield setup.
Weapon:
What you're really looking for here is one godly rare, or maybe even an 'Artisan's Runic Talon of Quickness' (the latter if you want to concentrate your damage more on poison). For attack speeds for Assassins in Werebear-form check out:
http://students.washington.edu/akrinke/wereformadvanced.html
Don't forget to set the Character Class to 'Assassin'.
As you'll probably notice with this attack speed calculator, Skill IAS (Fanaticism, Burst of Speed) does very little (if anything at all) for your WereSin, that's why Fade IMO is a better choice.
A "Godly Rare" in this case would be ethereal, and have the following prefixes: Cruel, Masters, and Mechanic's. With the following suffixes: Quickness, Vileness, and Fast Repair. And a +3 to Claw Mastery Automod as icing on the cake. GG... ;)
The 'Chaos' runeword might perhaps prove worthy even if your attack would be slower, since it has a few CtC mods on it for crowd control (mostly the Frozen Orb).
Bartuc's... I dunno... the better mods on it in this case would probable be the +2 and 30% FHR. It's worth mentioning anyway.
Shield:
As I mentioned earlier Bears have horrible Base Block Speed. I'm not sure, but I guess DruidBear Block Speed is the same as (Any-other-Class)Bear Block Speed. Bear Block Speed can be found in the same place as the Attack Speed Calculator I linked to earlier.
Stormshield is most definately worth mentioning. 35% PDR% and 35% FBR, and a rather nice total block percentage.
Blackoak Shield doesn't have any PDR%, but look at it's FBR! Whoa! Stick a 'Shael' in it and you'll get a 6 frame block. It has no Increased Chance to Block, but it's other mods kind of make up for it anyway (plus you'll have Fade running so...). This was my choice, I didn't go for max block, but when I blocked I wanted it to be fast.
Rare Shields can also have a total 70% FBR, provided it has two sockets and the Deflecting-suffix.
Oh, I almost forgot; Whitstan's Guard (Orphan's Call Shield) has probably the highest Block Rate in the game, coupled with 40% FBR. If you want to use a full Set, this would probably be the one.
Armor:
If you want to capitalize on poison damage a 'Bramble' runeword will prove invaluable. You should probably consider getting one anyway for prebuffing a high Venom damage. Besides it's percentage boost to poison damage it has 50% FHR which suits bears very good.
A lot of people seem to be very fond of 'Fortitude'. Frankly, I think it's just hyped, but in this case it might actually be a very good option for an armor. It will only prove worthy if you have a high damage claw, though.
Otherwise you can't go wrong with a 'Chains of Honor'. +2, resists, LL, +200% damage to demons, and +100% to undead. As far as I'm concerned this damage boost gets calculated the same way the damage boost on 'Fortitude' does. The only difference is that with 'Fortitude' you can see it on the stats-screen. So, basically if you're fightning demons there's only a 100% difference, and so on.
Guradian Angel is definately worth mentioning, since it packs +20 Increased Chance of Blocking, +30% FBR, and +15% maximum all Resistances. Neat!
Helm:
Rare Circlets can have godly attributes.
Even a +3 Shadow Circlet of the Whale might be good.
Crown of Ages is also very good, and if you're wearing this, thank god people will only see how ugly you really are when you're in human form! ;)
Guillaume's Face might be a prime choice if you're just playing it straight offensive, with physical damage.
Basically what you're looking for is +skills (maybe not that important, though), FHR, resists. Maybe LL.
You might even consider Blood Crafting if you're going for physical damage. Mods to look for in this case is: Visionary (1% Bonus to AR per CLVL), Psychic, Mechanic's, FHR.
Gloves:
Basically it comes down to two choices: Trang-gloves or Steelrends.
Other options (not listed in any particular order) include Magnus' Skin, Bloodfist (cheap AND superb! =)), Laying of Hands, IK-gloves, Dracul's Grasp, the list goes on...
Boots:
Goreriders, Wartravellers, Waterwalks, whatever makes your day.
Oh, and let's not forget about Shadow Dancers; +2 Shadow, +30% FR/W, +30% FHR, and a healthy dose of Dexterity. Not bad at all! If you're happy with your total amount of CB from other equipment these boots have no competitors IMO.
As a sidenote the Hsarus' Boots will give some pretty hefty amount of AR if you also wear the Belt (or Shield, for that matter...).
Belt:
Verdungo's Hearty Cord, String of Ears, or maybe a Thundergod's Vigor for those pesky Gloams.
Wilhelm's pride if you want the full Set Bonus from Orphan's Call.
Personally I preferred a Bladebuckle, in this case.
Amulet:
Highlord's Wrath might be a good option with it's scaling Deadly Strike. The +20% IAS won't do you any good though.
Maybe Atma's Scarab if you don't have a Reaper's toll on your Merc.
Mara's (or just as well a rare) if you lack in the resists department.
Metalgrid for defense and AR.
Rings:
Guess what...? Raven Frost.
Choices for your second ring slot might be Dwarf Star or Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, although...
11% LL can be achieved through the Blood recipie.
Charms:
Annihilus if you have it. Some people claim that there's no casting delay no more from the CtC Firestorm on the Torches. I dunno. I never use the dang thing. Although you might want to put it in your inventory when prebuffing. Otherwise, just stack up on Shadow-skillers. You want as high damage from Venom as possible, plus your Claw Mastery will benefit from these in Wereform.
Stash:
'Beast'. Without this you won't be able to shift. An important note on this one is that ist doesn't have to be perfect in terms of ED%, since all you're after is the ability to shift.
'CtA' for BC/BO. At least for the Battle Command, right before prebuffing.
Demon Limb for the Enchant-charges. >200% bonus to AR just like that...
Plus all the other stuff you'll use for prebuffing your Venom and everything else.
As mentioned earlier; it might get a wee bit tedious prebuffing all the time, but once you're a Bear with all your buffs up and running, you'll have some time for some actual gaming.
5) Merc:
I find the NM Act 2 Offensive Mercs best. Plus their Might Aura will increase the physical damage you do. Put a Reaper's Toll in his hands and he should be able to tank almost anything without greater effort.
Few are the occasions when I find other Mercs even near as good as this one. It might be a matter of personal preference, though. If you're uncertain try out a few different Mercs and keep the one that suits you (and/or your playing style) better.
This is what I used on my Might-Merc:
Andariel's Visage, Cham'd
'Chains of Honor', Archon Plate
Reaper's Toll, ED/IAS jewel
Note: None of these items pack any FHR. And these Mercs have as slow Hit Recovery as a Sorceress, so normally they need it rather badly But since he gets the CtC Decrepify triggered all the time, he manages fine anyway. The only real threat would be a Cursed, Might/Fanaticism Enchanted, Extra Fast Lister gang.
6) Strategy
Well, first of all get your 'CtA' and get out of town and cast Battle Command. Then return and cast Venom, Fade and Blade Shield. And lastly equip your 'Beast' and turn into a Bear. After that just get out there and bash some skulls! =)
As for levelling, it would probably best for you if you could team up with a bunch of others until you can actually equip a 'Beast' (clvl 63 required for 'Ber'-rune). Until that point you'll have to settle for a normal attack with Venom, I guess. Although since the build requires fewer skill points invested than in most other cases, you could (for an example) put one point in Tiger Strike, or such.
7) Credits/Thanks
Me. I did after all write this guide.
Zero-Unit, for his guide on WereTemplars, which rekindled my love-affair with this game. =)
You, for reading this guide. If you feel it was a total waste of your time, I appologize. ;)
Blizzard, the only real trustworthy game-developer out there (Although I really have my hopes up for Flagship's "Hellgate: London"!).
If someone wants to post this guide somewhere else, they have my full support, as long as my name still appears as the author of the guide. Copyright laws are quite logical, so basically, just go with what your guts tells you. ;)
All thoughts and comments are welcome, but please have some patience, since I haven't really got any hardcore skills in writing guides.
Thanks!
by: BildBenny
2005-12-04
1) Introduction
2) Stats
3) Skills
4) Equipment
5) Merc.
6) Strategy
7) Credits/Thanks
1) Introduction
Some time ago I read Zero-Unit's guide on WereTemplars - Shapeshifting Paladins. In that thread was a post by someone saying something like: "Wow, this is just great! Soon we'll be seeing WereSins, WereZons, and WereWhatever!" I don't remember who made that post or exactly what it said, but I'm truly greatful for the fact that this person said/wrote that. Thank You! =) And of course, I am in great debth (did I spell that correctly?) to Zero-Unit for his WereTemplar-guide (also, be sure to read his WolfBarb-guide)!
At first, I made a WerePally utilizing the Holy Shock Aura. Truly AMAZING! To anyone who hasn't tried it: DO IT NOW! You won't be disappointed, I promise! Any Phase Blade with 60% IAS on it grants one a 4fpa attack as a WerePally.
After that I began speculating on who else of the different characters in D2 might be a successful shifter. The Sorceress with her Enchant was my next stop. Sick damage with 'Dream' runewords and maxed Lightning Mastery was the result.
Well, after that I began thinking of an Amazon as a Bear. I did some tests in SP and it seems the Dodge/Evade/Avoid skills work in Wereform, but it was rather hard to actually attack since most of the time she was in one of those animations. Also the graphics seemed a bit messed up when those occurred.
Then it struck me: The Assassin has Claw Mastery and Venom. And Burst of Speed/Fade! I'm surprised I haven't seen a guide on WereSins anywhere yet, well, actually I've found some threads discussing it for PvP:
http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=255885&highlight=weresin
...or just search the assassin part of this forum for "bearsin" or "weresin".
Pro's:
1) Extremely fast attack speed
2) More life due to Lycanthropy
3) Low cost in Skill points
4) Massive bonus in Style Points!
Con's:
1) Might get rather annoying with the constant re-prebuffing
2) Performance is greatly dependant on pre-buffing gear
3) Expensive in terms of equipment, with all the prebuffing gear.
4) There are most likely more con's but I guess they'll be pointed out in replies by others.
Nevertheless, I think this is a viable build, even for doing a solo-Baal run. I managed to do it in SP numerous times with 'players set to 8', although she wore some pretty neat items. But I reckon if it's doable solo in 8-player mode with the best possible equipment-setup, it should be just as doable solo in 1-player mode with a less twinked setup. Dunno 'bout Tristram, though...
Anyway, let's go through the stat- and skillpoint distribution of the build, shall we?
2) Stats
This is by all means not a "put X in STR, and not a single more point" strategy, since claws have very nice damage multipliers from Strength and Dexterity, 0,75 and 0,75 respectively, while most other melee weapons (swords, axes, etc.) have 1,0 from Strength only. It's all a matter of each and everyone's own preference.
My final stats (incl. gear):
STR: 200
DEX: 200
VIT: (rest)
EN: (base)
Note: I didn't go for max block. Werebears have the slowest base block speed imaginable, so if you want to have max block you'd have to get some serious Faster Block Rate total percentage.
3) Skills
This is the basic layout of the skills distribution:
20 Claw Mastery
20 Venom
20 Blade Shield
20 Shadow Master
Claw Mastery:
Pretty obvious, isn't it? Its adds damage and AR when you use claw-class weapons. And I believe a claw is the way to go, since it might be hard to get decent AR otherwise. Also WereSins with a claw is extremely Attack Speed friendly. See for yourself:
http://students.washington.edu/akrinke/wereformadvanced.html
Note: Don't use a Claw/Claw setup, I'll explain why later.
Venom:
Your main- and/or support-damage.
Note: As of now, I'm under the impression that Venom works the same way the Sorceress' Enchant does with Mastery %. Well, an Assassin doesn't have 'Poison Mastery' as a skill, but it's basically the same thing as the percentage bonus to Poison damage found on 'Bramble' or Trang-gloves.
For those who don't know the mechanics of Enchant/Fire Mastery, Mastery is checked twice. First at the casting of the spell, and second when the damage from the spell is about to get applied from a melee attack.
I'd really like it, though, if someone could verify/correct the above stated.
Blade Shield:
Normally, this is IMO a really crappy skill. Pathetic damage AND clvl 30 required... but as a Bear you'll only be able to attack one target per attack, and Blade Shield is an excellent way to deal damage to other nearby foes while you're dealing with one of them. As of my knowledge, Blade Shield checks about once a second if there are enemies near it's radius, and SMACK! Your Venom damage will be applied to your Blade Shield, and on to those surrounding you. Simple as that! =) (well, supposed they're not poison immunes...)
Shadow Master:
While in Wereform you'll be unable to cast/use Mind Blast or any other active skill. This Minion will do it for you, although you can't control her and tell her when or where, which might be a bit annoying to some.
Note: There was a discussion on whether it would be better to use Shadow Warrior and have a Mind Blast assigned to the Right Mouse Button, but I think it all came down to the fact that Shadow Master would be better anyway.
This equals to 88 skill points spent, including pre-req's. What you want to do with the rest is up to you. You could put them in Burst of Speed or Fade, although I really recommend Fade, since besides the bonus to resistances, it also provides you with a (hidden) physical damage reduction (PDR%). 1% per slvl, if I'm not mistaken? On top of this, it also greatly reduces the length of curses put on you.
Note: Shrine-effects are apparently under the same category as curses. If you're running Fade and activate an XP-shrine, for an example, the reduction will apply, and you'll only be wearing the XP-boost for a few seconds.
4) Equipment
I guess Weapon Block should/would work in wereform, but if you equip two claws, something screws up your attack. It looks like you're doing 1 and a 1/2 swing, or something. Totally weird. So I'd strongly suggest you should go with a Claw/Shield setup.
Weapon:
What you're really looking for here is one godly rare, or maybe even an 'Artisan's Runic Talon of Quickness' (the latter if you want to concentrate your damage more on poison). For attack speeds for Assassins in Werebear-form check out:
http://students.washington.edu/akrinke/wereformadvanced.html
Don't forget to set the Character Class to 'Assassin'.
As you'll probably notice with this attack speed calculator, Skill IAS (Fanaticism, Burst of Speed) does very little (if anything at all) for your WereSin, that's why Fade IMO is a better choice.
A "Godly Rare" in this case would be ethereal, and have the following prefixes: Cruel, Masters, and Mechanic's. With the following suffixes: Quickness, Vileness, and Fast Repair. And a +3 to Claw Mastery Automod as icing on the cake. GG... ;)
The 'Chaos' runeword might perhaps prove worthy even if your attack would be slower, since it has a few CtC mods on it for crowd control (mostly the Frozen Orb).
Bartuc's... I dunno... the better mods on it in this case would probable be the +2 and 30% FHR. It's worth mentioning anyway.
Shield:
As I mentioned earlier Bears have horrible Base Block Speed. I'm not sure, but I guess DruidBear Block Speed is the same as (Any-other-Class)Bear Block Speed. Bear Block Speed can be found in the same place as the Attack Speed Calculator I linked to earlier.
Stormshield is most definately worth mentioning. 35% PDR% and 35% FBR, and a rather nice total block percentage.
Blackoak Shield doesn't have any PDR%, but look at it's FBR! Whoa! Stick a 'Shael' in it and you'll get a 6 frame block. It has no Increased Chance to Block, but it's other mods kind of make up for it anyway (plus you'll have Fade running so...). This was my choice, I didn't go for max block, but when I blocked I wanted it to be fast.
Rare Shields can also have a total 70% FBR, provided it has two sockets and the Deflecting-suffix.
Oh, I almost forgot; Whitstan's Guard (Orphan's Call Shield) has probably the highest Block Rate in the game, coupled with 40% FBR. If you want to use a full Set, this would probably be the one.
Armor:
If you want to capitalize on poison damage a 'Bramble' runeword will prove invaluable. You should probably consider getting one anyway for prebuffing a high Venom damage. Besides it's percentage boost to poison damage it has 50% FHR which suits bears very good.
A lot of people seem to be very fond of 'Fortitude'. Frankly, I think it's just hyped, but in this case it might actually be a very good option for an armor. It will only prove worthy if you have a high damage claw, though.
Otherwise you can't go wrong with a 'Chains of Honor'. +2, resists, LL, +200% damage to demons, and +100% to undead. As far as I'm concerned this damage boost gets calculated the same way the damage boost on 'Fortitude' does. The only difference is that with 'Fortitude' you can see it on the stats-screen. So, basically if you're fightning demons there's only a 100% difference, and so on.
Guradian Angel is definately worth mentioning, since it packs +20 Increased Chance of Blocking, +30% FBR, and +15% maximum all Resistances. Neat!
Helm:
Rare Circlets can have godly attributes.
Even a +3 Shadow Circlet of the Whale might be good.
Crown of Ages is also very good, and if you're wearing this, thank god people will only see how ugly you really are when you're in human form! ;)
Guillaume's Face might be a prime choice if you're just playing it straight offensive, with physical damage.
Basically what you're looking for is +skills (maybe not that important, though), FHR, resists. Maybe LL.
You might even consider Blood Crafting if you're going for physical damage. Mods to look for in this case is: Visionary (1% Bonus to AR per CLVL), Psychic, Mechanic's, FHR.
Gloves:
Basically it comes down to two choices: Trang-gloves or Steelrends.
Other options (not listed in any particular order) include Magnus' Skin, Bloodfist (cheap AND superb! =)), Laying of Hands, IK-gloves, Dracul's Grasp, the list goes on...
Boots:
Goreriders, Wartravellers, Waterwalks, whatever makes your day.
Oh, and let's not forget about Shadow Dancers; +2 Shadow, +30% FR/W, +30% FHR, and a healthy dose of Dexterity. Not bad at all! If you're happy with your total amount of CB from other equipment these boots have no competitors IMO.
As a sidenote the Hsarus' Boots will give some pretty hefty amount of AR if you also wear the Belt (or Shield, for that matter...).
Belt:
Verdungo's Hearty Cord, String of Ears, or maybe a Thundergod's Vigor for those pesky Gloams.
Wilhelm's pride if you want the full Set Bonus from Orphan's Call.
Personally I preferred a Bladebuckle, in this case.
Amulet:
Highlord's Wrath might be a good option with it's scaling Deadly Strike. The +20% IAS won't do you any good though.
Maybe Atma's Scarab if you don't have a Reaper's toll on your Merc.
Mara's (or just as well a rare) if you lack in the resists department.
Metalgrid for defense and AR.
Rings:
Guess what...? Raven Frost.
Choices for your second ring slot might be Dwarf Star or Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, although...
11% LL can be achieved through the Blood recipie.
Charms:
Annihilus if you have it. Some people claim that there's no casting delay no more from the CtC Firestorm on the Torches. I dunno. I never use the dang thing. Although you might want to put it in your inventory when prebuffing. Otherwise, just stack up on Shadow-skillers. You want as high damage from Venom as possible, plus your Claw Mastery will benefit from these in Wereform.
Stash:
'Beast'. Without this you won't be able to shift. An important note on this one is that ist doesn't have to be perfect in terms of ED%, since all you're after is the ability to shift.
'CtA' for BC/BO. At least for the Battle Command, right before prebuffing.
Demon Limb for the Enchant-charges. >200% bonus to AR just like that...
Plus all the other stuff you'll use for prebuffing your Venom and everything else.
As mentioned earlier; it might get a wee bit tedious prebuffing all the time, but once you're a Bear with all your buffs up and running, you'll have some time for some actual gaming.
5) Merc:
I find the NM Act 2 Offensive Mercs best. Plus their Might Aura will increase the physical damage you do. Put a Reaper's Toll in his hands and he should be able to tank almost anything without greater effort.
Few are the occasions when I find other Mercs even near as good as this one. It might be a matter of personal preference, though. If you're uncertain try out a few different Mercs and keep the one that suits you (and/or your playing style) better.
This is what I used on my Might-Merc:
Andariel's Visage, Cham'd
'Chains of Honor', Archon Plate
Reaper's Toll, ED/IAS jewel
Note: None of these items pack any FHR. And these Mercs have as slow Hit Recovery as a Sorceress, so normally they need it rather badly But since he gets the CtC Decrepify triggered all the time, he manages fine anyway. The only real threat would be a Cursed, Might/Fanaticism Enchanted, Extra Fast Lister gang.
6) Strategy
Well, first of all get your 'CtA' and get out of town and cast Battle Command. Then return and cast Venom, Fade and Blade Shield. And lastly equip your 'Beast' and turn into a Bear. After that just get out there and bash some skulls! =)
As for levelling, it would probably best for you if you could team up with a bunch of others until you can actually equip a 'Beast' (clvl 63 required for 'Ber'-rune). Until that point you'll have to settle for a normal attack with Venom, I guess. Although since the build requires fewer skill points invested than in most other cases, you could (for an example) put one point in Tiger Strike, or such.
7) Credits/Thanks
Me. I did after all write this guide.
Zero-Unit, for his guide on WereTemplars, which rekindled my love-affair with this game. =)
You, for reading this guide. If you feel it was a total waste of your time, I appologize. ;)
Blizzard, the only real trustworthy game-developer out there (Although I really have my hopes up for Flagship's "Hellgate: London"!).
If someone wants to post this guide somewhere else, they have my full support, as long as my name still appears as the author of the guide. Copyright laws are quite logical, so basically, just go with what your guts tells you. ;)
All thoughts and comments are welcome, but please have some patience, since I haven't really got any hardcore skills in writing guides.
Thanks!