Offline gameplay pre 30th level help

[egon]

I understand that most strategies are for Online game play whether PvP or PvM. I also understand that most of those strategies are not real strategies but more like 'here's how to create the best of said type.

What I am looking for is character creation strategies for beginning, upto and past Diablo. I have a slow internet connection and am not big on Online gaming. I had troubles before just getting to 'Big D' before I switched to a mac. Then I had to deal with the 'update' of 1.10

I have the PC back again, and I would like some strategy for creating a character up through 30th level offline.

If I am not going to find such strategies here, could someone suggest where to get them?

I have gotten a rough idea over the years about where to put points, etc, but no real game plan.


Thanks

[Ax2Grind]

I've played two characters recently in single-player: a Necromancer and an Amazon. My technique is to gain entire map visibility the first time through with the players command set to eight. This means, without much reversing course or repeating areas in future games, I tend to hit high levels very early. The Amazon, for example, just reached CLvl29 after clearing all of act two, and one more 'run' through the canyon and tombs made her ready to hit 30 before facing Duriel. If you prepare your character right, a Valkyrie can tank for you if you don't want an act two mercenary, otherwise both may be great. (Anyone ever have a Valk before Duriel on Battle.net?)

Either way, reaching CLvl30 before act three is relatively easy. Just take it slow, never take chances, and have a plan for your level points. Make sure to use every skill point allotted so you're doing the most damage possible at all times. Save those amulets and rings to cube as you never know when you'll get that +skills or resistance jewelry, and only spend the gold when you need to. I maxed out in gold quickly by, at first, selling everything I found, then only selling throwing weapons and expensive little things (wands, staves, etc.), then only those little things. The extra gold comes in handy for gambling circlets, throwing weapons, then - much later - jewelry.

Pick a build and stick to it throughout the entire course up to the Chaos Sanctuary. So far, with the Amazon, I've only reached City of the Damned, so I don't know how hard Diablo will be with this elemental javazon. I'm predicting a much harder time than the fire/lightning Sorceress I just got to act five on B.ent (Static Field is so abusive), but an overall easier time than the standard Iron Maiden/Clay Golem technique the Necromancer had to endure, even at CLvl35 and no hard points into curses. Post a reply once you've reach 30 or if you need help along the way.

[LRSAIA]

First things first....check out the single player forum on this site. Second, get the ATMA program also offered on this site. It is NOT any kind of hack, it simply allows you to mule items between single player characters. A greatly detailed description of ATMA program and all its uses/abuses/etc can be found in the single player forum.

As for strategies....use the "players x" command to your advantage. Areas to "run" are tristram from levels 6-15, sewers from 15-20, arcane/canyon from 20-25 (as high as 29), travincal runs are great 25-30, not much in a4, the shenk/pindle/eldrich trio in early a5, and of course baal/wsk in late a5. Killing painfully slowly doesn't get your experience up as killing quickly and more often. Find the break point where you can effectively kill at the highest players x level (1-8). Sort of like MF, its the intersection of killing speed and MF number... (Killing speed and player number)

There are also some good twinking strategies such as using a khalim's will as a melee weapon for the first act or two. Often the best early items are anything socketed with rubies for melee/saphires for casters. Yeah sigon, death, angelic, or arctic sets are great early on but if you don't have a character library and atma to swap around with they are tough to put together. You can buy socketed armor and find the gems to put in it in nearly any game. Another VERY underrated weapon is anything (especially 6x) socketed with jewels of envy. They have no minimum level req and do 20 poison dmg over 2 seconds. A six socket weapon with those is just nasty.

One downside to amazons in mid/late normal is that they have crappy bow choices until at least the late 20's/early 30's. Not much to do, a defiance merc with the best equipment you can find really helps through.

Don't be affraid to chug potions and use a merc. Observe your adversary...diablo hits with lots of elemental dmg so get those resists for him, Duriel is nasty melee, Andy has poison, etc. When doing the work yourself (vs being rushed/leeching) you have to play smarter more than anything. Pump skills in useful order but ONLY ever ones that are part of the end build.

Hope this helps....

PS Seriously, go to the single player forum of this site!