fire druid gear

[Cruciarius]

ok so long ago, i posted about a fire druid possibly taking ubers. tonight, i attempted vs duriel and right away, needed to call my friends for help. so i know a fire druid can't take the ubers, unless it was just my merc needs nicer gear, which i know he does, but anyway...

i'm going to be remaking my fire ele, as soon as i get an anni (i think). i was wondering, since i'm pvm, what should i use? most of the gear i'm using, because the fire ele druid guide recommends it. i also can't find anything that would really be any better.

helm - ravenlore with a 5/5 fire facet
armor - enigma
wpn - hoto
wpn switch - cta
belt - arach
ammy - maras
ring 1 - bk
ring 2 - raven frost
gloves - magefist
boots - waterwalks
shield - sanctuary (going to change this soon)

ok so the guide says to use a stormshield with a 5/5 fire facet, but i've also read a lot about spirit. going with spirit, i don't have much block (as far as i know), but with stormshield, i'd max block. being pvm, i don't think i really need max block, do i?

also, would war travs be as good as waterwalks? i mf with my fire ele a lot, so i was wondering if they'd be just as good.

i'm also thinking of changing my armor. i want to stick with the enigma runeword, but i don't really want the mage plate type armor. most druids i see, wear that type of armor, so is their any other equally good armors to use for enigma? i'd preferably like to go with a medium or heavy type armor, but i know they req a lot more str. sticking to base str, i'll have 80 something str, with my torch and close to 100 str, once i get an anni.

ok so...

spirit or stormshield for pvm fire ele?
is war travs as good as waterwalks?
possible armor type change, just to be different.

[emar]

ok so...

spirit or stormshield for pvm fire ele?
is war travs as good as waterwalks?
possible armor type change, just to be different.

From my use with Fire ele Druids, they tend not to get into the fray as much as their windy counterparts. You could go spirit with no block. If you lag, you may run into problems with no block/tele, but Spirit is a viable choice for Fire. The additional +2 is useful as it can boost the fire skills nicely.

I however, tend to build characters with max block though, so my preference lies with SS. Its a matter of preference, and both are viable. Whatever you choose, don't max block with Spirit, it's a drain on stats.

Waterwalks are some decent boots, I'm not sure the up to 50%MF will make that big of a difference. Paired with Enigma it is ok... but the dex/life bonus from waterwalks it nice. I find boots are often changeable, so if you wanna MF then throw 'em on.

The armor :rolleyes: I you want to wear Elite armors, you'll have to stick with Scarab and lower, with 100 str. If you want to go Exceptional, then Linked Mail through Mage Plate are available to you (Linked/ Tigulated/ Cuirass/ Mesh/ Russet/ Mage)

[the boss]

I would use FCR ring with dex mod so you can maintain max block with fcr on too.

Armor for enigma - Light plate, mage plate, or dusk shroud

[Cruciarius]

i do lag at times, but i think i'll go with a spirit. not sure what shield i'd try to get it as (i'm nl, so i can't make it), but i'm thinking i should get it in a monarch, since that seems to be the lowest str req elite shield, that can get 4 sockets.

currently, my base stats are:

str - 60
dex - 100
vit - 320
energy - 20

i was planning on maxing block, when i made this druid, though i'll be remaking him soon, so i'll stick with the starting dex. for str, i'll put up to 60 or so. i might put it up a bit more, so i could possibly use some other elite armors, but with 400 something going to vit (100 more points than i have now), i think i'll have plenty of life. by lvl 9, i could have my 60 str and that still leaves 450 stat points, not counting points from quests.

just wondering, does light/medium/heavy type armors effect r/w? i know it effects stamina drain, but i was told it effects r/w as well. also, does the different shield types (light/medium/heavy) effect anything? i don't see anything about it on the arreat summit.

i'm also planning to have 2 ravenlores. 1 perfect one, socketed with a 5/5 fire die facet (i hope) and the other as close to perfect i can get (currently a 19/24), socketed with an ist, for mf runs. i'll also switch to war travs, for mf runs. right now, i switch my hoto for my cta, for the extra 30 mf, but that also makes so i lose resists.

with having a 115% fcr (thats if the spirit i get has 35 fcr), i don't think i'll need a fcr ring, unless i was to pvp. i'm strictly pvm. i wouldn't really want to change the bk or the raven frost anyway. bk for life and +1 skill to my skills and raven for cannot be frozen.

i know this isn't the right place to ask, but what is a spirit worth? could i get one for my 4 bo cta?

--edit--

if not a 4 bo cta, then how about a 53 all res sanctuary troll nest? i know the res is low...

[stoutewolf]

dunno if fcr such an important thing at a fire druid (ctually never played one xcept fireclaws). If it isnt you cn try phoenix aswell

[Cruciarius]

i didn't really think about phoenix, but looking at it, i do like the redemption and -28% enemy fire resists. however, it doesn't have resists. i'll need resists, since i'm pvm. right now i'm using a sanctuary trolls nest with 53 all resists and just switching that with spirit, i don't think i'll max my resists (another reason i need an anni).

[superjayson]

you wont need all the fcr. most fire skills (with the exception of firestorm to some degree) run on timers.

ps id still go for the spirit, everything else on the shield really helps alot.

[emar]

The gear doesn't have to be as stated in the Guide.

One thing to consider if you are using Pheonix as a shield, is switching out your weapon for Wizardspike. Socket it with a +15 res Jewel and it will be 90 resist all.

90+ 30(scrolls) + 15 (mid torch) + 15 (mid anni) = 150 resist (50 resist all in Hell mode).

But being a Ladder rw you may have problems with the price. It's just something to consider.

Another thing you could try, though I've never tested the effectiveness for FI, is to grab an Infinity. That would be awfully expensive on NL and I don't know if it can break the Fire Immunity.

Heavy armors slow you down, they do play a role in the Rune/walk ability of your character.

The only time you'll need FCR is for tele, slow tele is awful.

[Cruciarius]

the items i have with fcr, i'm really using for the other mods (magefist for +1 fire skills, arach for +1 skills, ect). i'll go with a spirit, but what is it worth? last night i saw games for it, going somewhat cheap (forget what exactly, but it was cheap), but i know it's a lad only rune word item, so i thought it would go for more.

a wizardspike and phoenix would cover the resists, but i'd lose out on +5 to skills (3 from hoto and 2 from spirit) and fhr (spirit gives +55% fhr). the only benefit with wizardspike and phoenix is redemption and -28% enemy fire resists, as far as i can see.

i forgot to mention what i plan on my merc to have.

wpn - botd (i have all but zod and the wpn to make this)
armor - coh
helm - delirium (already have it made)

currently, he uses:

wpn - eth bonehew (i forget what its socketed with)
armor - levi
helm - vamp gaze

with his current set up, he can take out phys immunes, thanks to the bone spear, from bonehew. though its a bit slow.

[emar]

I play strictly Ladder and can't answer Q's about Spirit value. Since the stats can vary considerably (fcr, mana, absorb) it may be easy to get a cheap 25% FCR one. People unloading them :D. The 35% might be harder to get, but really the FCR is irrelevant. Ladder runeword or not the runes are low, don't overpay for it.

I wouldn't go Pheonix with your setup, but if would be a lovely addition (with some gear modifications) - redemption, yum ;).

Good luck with your character, the gear is pretty sound. Fire druids are fun to play.

[Cruciarius]

ok so i've been thinking about a new nigma armor. i'm going to go with a kraken shell. yeah, about the same def as archon, but a lot more str req, so why go with it? it looks cool. :rolleyes: i won't put "too much" str points into my char though. i only plan to have 5 ele gcs and all of them will have a str mod, so hoefully i get about +5 str per charm. thats 25 str right there. with a +15 torch and hopefullt a 15+ anni, i still won't need a whole lot of str. also, i'm switch waterwalks for war travs. not just for mfing, but the str mod as well. counting my maras, thats about +70 str, with all those, giving a str of 85 (if everything had perfect + stat mods, it would be 100 str, without putting any points into it...if my math is right). that means i would just need 74 points into str, which i really don't think is a whole lot. all other points will go into vit.

the other bonues, by using war travs, is the 25 fr/w, instead of only 20 from waterwalks. i think the extra 5% will make up for the speed lost, due to the heavier armor.

the only real problem i see, is cost of everything. i should aim for a perfect anni, get a perfect torch and be very picky about the ele gc mods. i also know i need to get a perfect maras. my resists are no longer maxed, in hell (emar was nice enough to donate a spirit to me, which made me realize i need to get a perfect maras. mines only a 24). on top of those perfect items i'll need, i doubt i could find someone with a kraken shell nigma. though if i do, i'll gladly trade my mage plate nigma, for it, if its base def was close to 500 or higher.

and here, i thought i was almost finished getting all this character's gear. plus, i also want a perfect mf gheed's, ontop of all this. that can wait, for now. :shocked: but thats a good thing. it'll keep me interested in and working with this character. :thumbsup:

[superjayson]

why would you want to put it in kraken shell ?

[Cruciarius]

why would you want to put it in kraken shell ?
for looks. :laugh:

now that i think of it, i could probably go for an aegis or ward spirit. they have higher % to block, for druids. i'm not going max block, but having a little bit more % to block than a monarch, with more def, might be better. plus, the nigma has +str mod, which would mean i could probably hold an aegis or ward, without adding more str.

[Valvolux]

Try Sharktooth Armor, looks the same as Kraken Shell (174str) tho much lower str req (only 103str).

[Cruciarius]

i know, but i'd prefer to go with an elite armor (like kraken shell), because although i'm not going to max block, i do tend to get hit at times, so i'd like to have as much def as i can, without changing my gear too much.

one of my friends just gave me a +6 str ele gc, so now i only need 4 more with str mods (or 3, since i do already have one with a +4 str mod). :jig:

[superjayson]

would it help that much ? even with lots of def a fire druid wouldnt want to be close up with anyone. range is their thaaang

[Cruciarius]

i think it will. i do mf and key hunting, so i sometimes use tele. that means i sometimes tele on top of a group of monsters or fairly close.

[Valvolux]

265 difference in def will make about a 0.00001% difference when a monster tries to hit you. Defence is pointless on a non-melee druid. I get the style factor when using Field plate looking armour that’s fine, tho the 71 extra str needed to use Kraken isn't worth 71 less Vitality.

[Cruciarius]

it will really make that little of difference?

so 71 more life is better than 200 something more def? :undecided:

[superjayson]

71 stats into vitality rather than str... yeah. even more so if you're using oak.

[Valvolux]

so 71 more life is better than 200 something more def?

71 Vitality equals 142 life before Oak sage or Battle orders, that is going to be around 300 life (with a low lvl oak sage) that you're willing to give up for a measly amount of defence. By the sounds of your build (low block) you'll need all the life you can get. Just my 2 cents.

[hmw]

I agree w/ Valvolux, over 300 life is a lot better than just around 200 def. Specially for druids since only the wb gives enhanced def. so you are going to have low def even if you chose def over life.

[superjayson]

yeahh. go for the more life and practice dodging people

[Cruciarius]

ok. you've all convinced me, so i'll go with sharktooth armor, instead of the kraken shell, for my nigma. i'll have more life, but also, i won't need to spend extra items, trying to get ele gcs with str mods. though having them wouldn't be so bad either. maybe i can get away with putting every stat point into vit... :shocked:

[Cruciarius]

ok so i got bored hunting for keys, so i started to remake my fire ele early, even though i don't have all the items i need.

anyway, i have skill point question. currently i have at lvl 74:

firestorm - 1
molten boulder - 1
fissure - 20
volcano - 20
armageddon - 20
arctic blast - 1
cyclone armor - 1
twister - 1
tornado - 1
hurricane - 1

and 14 more points saved up. i can max molten boulder (i use it on occasion, but not often. it's mainly useful to kill those water serpents in act 4, since my stupid act 2 merc won't attack them), by lvl 79, i think. so that leaves me with 23 skill points (counting quests, if my math is right), if i lvl up to lvl 99. i could max out firestorm as well and any remaining points, i'm unsure of where to put. should they go in cyclone armor or should i put them into oak? i'm guessing oak, though it'll only be lvl 4 at base (probably around lvl 15 something with items).

also, about a merc. during this remake, i've been trying out an act 3 cold merc. he is pretty good for norm and nm, but i doubt he'd be that good in hell. i do miss the holy freeze aura of the act 2 merc, but i don't want a melee merc, but the only way to get that without a melee merc, is an act 1 merc, with ice.

my only real issue with act 1 mercs is that they are like zons and i despise zons with a passion. :rant: so...maybe someone could tell me the best gear that would make an act 3 merc useable, in hell? or maybe something for an act 2 merc, so they won't die due to iron maiden, in the chaos sanctuary :undecided:

[fredsta54]

Get 150 f r/w + max block. Tele is rarely used from my experience, just to escape rele

Volcano + geddon should be your main attacks, molten boulder in some situations

Pvp, right? if its pvm disregard what i said





Fred

[Cruciarius]

i'm pvm. :rolleyes: i do plan on getting some fr/w sc though, but i don't think i really need them too badly, right now.

i think i'll max firestorm and molten boulder and put the rest of the points into oak. maybe 1 into oak now, then max out molten boulder and some into firestorm (about 10 or so). after that, depends on what i think i'll need. more oak or more dmg with my skills.

[emar]

also, about a merc. during this remake, i've been trying out an act 3 cold merc. he is pretty good for norm and nm, but i doubt he'd be that good in hell. i do miss the holy freeze aura of the act 2 merc, but i don't want a melee merc, but the only way to get that without a melee merc, is an act 1 merc, with ice.

my only real issue with act 1 mercs is that they are like zons and i despise zons with a passion. :rant: so...maybe someone could tell me the best gear that would make an act 3 merc useable, in hell? or maybe something for an act 2 merc, so they won't die due to iron maiden, in the chaos sanctuary :undecided:

I have little experience in using the mercs other than act 2, but I'll tell you what little I know.

Act1: These girlies are going to require a decent bow if you want them to do any damage. Wf is nice but it's kind of slow. I use Faith on my A1, but that's not as feasible in NL. Get a decent bow, slap on some IAS (I believe it functions for them) and she should be okay. The only problem I found with these mercs is they tend to walk around and not get as involved in the fights. Major Pro is, they most likely won't die before you :rolleyes: On a side note, ICE is a low damage bow, apart from the holy freeze and extra cold damage arrow, her regular shots will be weak. However, it's a neat bow and the gold find is exceptional.

Act2: These are my buddies. Slap on a hell mode polearm and get at it. Infinity is a great option (Haha I know NL) as it can break some of the lower FI's and certainly lower all the other resistances of non FI's. BoTD is neat, I've never used it as a Merc weapon, but I'm sure it's ok. There really isn't a way to prevent these guys from kicking it from IM in Chaos, unless they don't do any damage or your are super fast with the tp/tele. Just make sure you have the 50K on hand to pull him back up.

Act3: From what I hear, these benefit from + to skills. Items like Spirits, +2 armor and hat, will serve him well. From my experience these aren't all that exceptional in Hell mode for damage - though I have never geared them as stated above...

Act5: I never use these guys, but geared properly, can be pretty effective tanks. You'll run into the IM problem of course.

If you are really itching for the Holy Freeze, but are objecting to the A2 merc, slap on a DoomZ or something. It will provide +2 skills, your HF, but jack the resists from HoTo. If you can work it, can be something to consider.

[Cruciarius]

ok so it looks like i'll stick with an act 2 merc. i just can't see act 1 or act 3 mercs killing as fast. instead of using botd, i think i'll go for this set up:

helm: delirium
armor: coh
weapon: doom

thats if i can have him have 2 auras (his own and one from doom). i might go with a might or defiance merc.

[JME]

i'm pvm. :rolleyes: i do plan on getting some fr/w sc though, but i don't think i really need them too badly, right now.

i think i'll max firestorm and molten boulder and put the rest of the points into oak. maybe 1 into oak now, then max out molten boulder and some into firestorm (about 10 or so). after that, depends on what i think i'll need. more oak or more dmg with my skills.

Those would be the 2 you should use. Firestorm is the ONLY skill a fire druid can even come close to spamming (no rediculously long timer) and volc will never do a significant amount of physical damage without the molten boulder synergy. I think I'd just suffer the pain of recasting the oak sage (1pt) and let your plus skills (which are crucial for an elementalist anyway) do the work. I actually use an infinity merc and a phoenix shield, it doesn't help with fire immunes but everything else gets raped...plus redemption is just REALLY useful for staying alive.

[Cruciarius]

infinity is nice, but...it's a ladder only rune word and extremely expensive on non-ladder. same with phoenix.

i do fine, with my current gear. i just need to replace a few items in it, for perfects.

phoenix seems a bit over rated, in my opinion. sure, it looks like it would help me out a lot, but i like the + skills, fhr and resists of spirit.

[JME]

infinity is nice, but...it's a ladder only rune word and extremely expensive on non-ladder. same with phoenix.
i do fine, with my current gear. i just need to replace a few items in it, for perfects.
phoenix seems a bit over rated, in my opinion. sure, it looks like it would help me out a lot, but i like the + skills, fhr and resists of spirit.

100% Chance To Cast level 40 Blaze When You Level-up
40% Chance To Cast Level 22 Firestorm On Striking
Level 10-15 Redemption Aura When Equipped (varies)
+350-400 Defense Vs. Missile (varies)
+350-400 Enhanced Damage (varies)
-28% To Enemy Fire Resistance
+50 To Life
+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
+10% To Maximum Fire Resist
+15-21 Fire Absorb (varies)

I like the increased maximum resists, absorb, and again redemption has done me more good than resists as long as you are powerful enough to kill at a decent rate. After you get resists from another source (helm/hoto/torch/anni etc) and you can attain higher resists with the phoenix your build would really shine. The minus 28% fire resists is more effective than the +2 skills for you dmg output..........However, being as you are on NL I completely understand why this isn't the most appealing option for you.:wink: Good luck with your build

[Valvolux]

Bah give me 75 block with stormy any day. :grin:

[JME]

I despise the insane dex investment for max block unless it is a PvP build. If your caster is getting hit repeatedly in PvM....you may need to check how you are playing. Everytime I kill ~2 enemies my life/mana orbs refill immediately.

[Cruciarius]

yeah. pvp, go with max block. pvm, no dex at all.

[Cruciarius]

i haven't gotten my merc his doom, yet, but i've narrowed down the new merc selection to either defiance or prayer. i read of the merc guide and it basically says that prayer is best to be used by casters (characters who don't have life leech). i was wondering how good the prayer merc aura was, if say he was lvl 90ish. if it's regen is decent, i'll go with him. if it's not that great, i'll go defiance, since i do get hit occasionally (i'm stupid and sometimes run into a group of monsters to grab items, even in solo games). :rolleyes:

also, i've looked over phoenix some more. if i'm able to get my resists, without spirit and if i can afford it, i'll try to get one.

[JazzMan]

Fire druids are nice but I highly doubt they would stand a chance against the ubers. I was thinking of making one, but i'm debating whether or not i should remake my windy. Anyways, good luck with the ubers.

[Cruciarius]

i don't plan on taking the ubers. i attempted uber duriel and i couldn't take him. my merc (aka the meat shield) kept dieing, so maybe he just needed better gear. at that time, he was using gaze, bonehew and shaft. now he is using delirium, bonehew and coh, but i haven't attempted an uber, with that set up, yet.

anyway, i have good friends who have all already offered their assistance, if i wanted to open the portals. not every pvm character has to be able to take them.

after i'm done with this fire ele, i'll probably start on making an "uber killer" of my own.

so...does anyone know how good a lvl 90ish prayer merc is? the regen, that is...

[Valvolux]

Does anyone know how good a lvl 90ish prayer merc is? the regen, that is...

Prayer Aura on mercs is maxed at level 18, which heals 21 life every 2 seconds, this can only be achieved if you hire your merc from normal. If you hired a Combat merc in hell his Prayer Aura can only reach level 16, which heals 17 life every 2 seconds.

Of course +skills equipment will boost their Aura lvls, i.e. Chains of Honor.

[Cruciarius]

ah ok. so delirium and coh + skills will make the aura even better? i thought only act 3 mercs benefitted from + skill items. :shocked:

so it'll be better than 21 life every 2 seconds? i'll need to try that out, once i get my merc's doom. thanks. :thumbsup:

[Valvolux]

Yeah, +all skills boosts all mercs skills. So with the set up you listed (Doom, Coh, Delirium) your mercs Prayer aura Heals 33 life every 2 seconds.