new mf build on new ladder

[mugana]

i know that the ladder will reset soon and was wondering what mf build to go with. I have a meteorb now but i don't like it because she gets killed in hell easily. What are other alternatives? I need a mf build that is fast as a sorc but does not die easily. Right now, i cannot imagine doing hell meph runs with my sorc.

Used to be doable when maphacks were undetectable but now, it is just impossible

[Evrae Altana]

Hammerdin.
Dual Spirits+Vipermagi+Peasant Crown=hell viable hammerdin.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

I'm not sure why your Meteor-Orb is having problems with Hell Meph runs. If you post her setup maybe we can help you with her. Are you using the moat trick?

It will take a while to equip a new ladder character to be able to be as fast as a sorceress because only she can teleport naturally.

The least gear dependent builds are a lighntning trapper with fireblast backup
http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=513
She can go solo hell in crap gear and is very good at area runs, including Hell cows. Pindle is also easy for her.

and a Fishymancer (necro summoner-CE build)
http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=349093

A hammerdin is a little more gear dependant but doesn't really need uber gear.
http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=535
And he faces no immunity problems anywheres.


My favorite sorceress build is a blizzard-firewall sorceress. Being able to freeze enemies in place and having a firewall backup skill makes her able to do all the runs. Lister's minions are frozen in place and so are no problem. You do need to build up an act 2 merc with this build.
http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=217480
I recommend using glacial spike as the main blizzard synergy instead of ice blast.

GOW

[mugana]

my meteorb gets killed on the way to durance 3. a few hits and she is dead. how do you survive the road to meph? killing meph himself is not a problem. getting to mehp is though. All i can do is nightmare meph but he drops crap. No skulders or wartravelers.

Getting to meph was easy with maphack back in 1.10 but now *** blizzard bans you if you use it. I really need help

her gear

shako, crap vipermagi, lidless, magic ammy with 1+ skill, wartravs, crap rare rings, crap rare orb, upgraded goldwrap

20 meteor, 20 fireball, 20 orb, 10 cm, 12 fm. Im still maxing fm.

stats.

90 str
111 dex.
260 vita
30 energy.

[Isshy]

I find fast cast to be invaluable when teleport searching for durance 3. If you tele fast enough they have real trouble hitting you. Magefists might help. I stick to an outside wall the whole way so monsters can only come at me from one side and I can tele over to other rooms/hallways at points avoiding the center of the area. Also I always use frozen armor so if I do manage to get myself hit the monster freezes. With a little practice it becomes easy.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

my meteorb gets killed on the way to durance 3. a few hits and she is dead. how do you survive the road to meph?

The quickest way to find the stairs down is to teleport along the wall in a clockwise manner. Are you staying along the wall when you teleport? Teleporting in the middle is liable to put you in the middle of a monster pack.

I don't know how much FCR you have because you didn't tell the mods on your rings and orb. Don't tele blind if your FCR is still a little low.

[mugana]

i have magefist and lidless and 10% fcr ring. I think i tele fast enough. I do tele along the wall clockwise but there are still monsters there who slaugther me.

I think the biggest problem with my sorc is the low def and low life. She is lvl 84 and only has 846 life and 904 def. Thanks to the vipermagi and my bad luck

[helvete]

You can get the occulus pretty cheap, that would be a good improvement.

Also, forget all you know about maphack and other hacks, and play the game the way it's supposed to be played.

[mugana]

what can i get an occy for on us east ladder?

[oneBlast]

pgmes on EuScL, shouldn't be worth more on any other realm.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

what can i get an occy for on us east ladder?

Rune value would be a lem.

[krischan]

When assuming that all MF is done alone (or unpartied in multiplayer games, in different parts of the game than the others, e.g. mephing in Baal runs), I don't think a hammerdin is a good starting MFer, as you need teleportation to be good at it. Good means fast ad if you need 5 minutes to reach Meph (who is the very best MF target for starters, in nightmare), it's too slow. A MF sorc will be 3 times as fast at that.

To avoid getting killed while teleporting to Meph, get more fhr and fcr (check the breakpoints in the Strategy Compendium - see my sig). For example, Twitchthroe or the Stealth runeword are easy to abtain.

IMO a meteorb is the best Meph runner. She will be there very quickly, she can kill Meph with no problems and she has access to the most wonderful combination of powerful items with MF: Tal's set. She can fully concentrate on MF while being useful for a lot of other jobs as well, e.g. Tunnels, Eldritch, Pindle, CS, rushing etc. My first character always is a full Tal sorc. Before she can afford Tal's, she will use stuff like Wealth, Skullder's etc. I don't care for str being far too high after she got Tal's, a torch etc. She's my starting character and I will make further starting characters. When I'm wealthy enough to have all of the equipment for a character before starting him and enough +str/dex LCs to temp-boost his stats, I will care about that, but not before, else it would cost too much time.

I do MF and sell useless gear as soon as possible, as botting will quickly turn standard uniques worthless. Example: Occies start at Ist and at this stage of the ladder they are worth perhaps Lem.

[mugana]

so what gear is recommended to get through durance 2 alive? I find that if you teleport into a crowd of monsters you die instantly. So far, im just doing nightmare meph and the best he has droped is duriel's shell and guliam's face

[krischan]

To be more or less safe from attacks, you need 105% fcr and a little fhr.

There are a few unique wands and daggers with 50% fcr and rather low reqs, like Spectral shard or Suicide branch.
The Stealth runeword adds 25% fcr.
Magefists add 20% fcr.
Rings and amulets can add 10% fcr each and a crafted caster amulet can add up to 20%.

Stealth also adds fhr. You can get further fhr from charms.

[mugana]

i have 80% fcr and no fhr now. so i need something with 25% fcr. An occulus would do but i have no means to get one. Does nm meph drop occy? I know that hell cows do but my sorc gets owned by fast boss cows

[krischan]

Yes, nightmare Meph can drop an Occy and a lot of other extremely nice things as well. Use the drop calculator of ATMA (single-player muling program). The link is in my sig.

80% fcr is rather good already, so if you have no fhr at all so far, better care about that first. What about a Stealth armor (needs Tal+Eth) ? It will give you exactly 25% fcr and even better, add 25%fhr as well. Before you kill Meph, you can exchange it with a MF armor.

BTW, cast frozen armor before teleporting. One point in that skill is enough. Except for cold immunes (which won't appear in nm act 3), each monster that hits you will be frozen for a short time - long enough to teleport away before it unfreezes... if you have enough fhr.

[mugana]

how do u switch armor? by hitting w or e?

[krischan]

You have to do it by hand.