Looking for a, erm, mentor

[Nerigazh]

I didn't post this in the help request thread thingy because that looked like mostly people who needed people for quests and stuff.

I just started playing, and my first character is a paladin. I've been trying to read everything I can to learn how to play better, but I'm still a noob. So I guess I'm looking for a kind/bored experienced paladin who wouldn't mind answering some of my questions when they arise.

Thanks :)

[Bladewind]

Just pop the question and we will answer.

[Vesio]

if you are on useast look me up at *nougephile I'd be happy to help as best i can.

[Nerigazh]

Thank you for the responses :)

I haven't messed around with multiplayer yet, this is my first time through so I'm trying it solo; that's kinda how I like to play anyway.

I'm basing the build of my first character around the suggestion which seemed the easiest to understand--Holy Shock. It was alright until level 24 when I got Holy Shock and Shield, and now it seems to really destroy stuff, so I'm having fun so far. I'm in Act 3 on normal.

A couple of questions:
1) I use Zeal as my main attack, which is usually swell but I seem to sometimes run into issues with those types of monsters that resurrect their minions. They tend to hurt a lot, and I try to focus on them but if anything else happens to get near my Zeal divides attacks and it can be hard to do. By the same token though, Zeal attacks are faster so maybe it balances out? If not, what would I use as an alternative?

2) I've been using an Act 2 merc that uses a nice prayer aura; good for the regen. However, he annoys the crap out of me, he always runs ahead and aggroes mobs and makes me shout at the screen, especially if I'm busy looting. Is there any way to control him, and if not, is there a good alternative for me that won't be so stupid?

3) As far as gear that I'm getting, what stats are most desirable for me (so I can tell whether it's worth sacrificing some wep damage for something with life leech or what have you)? I assume I should make Very Fast weapons a priority?

4) I've been spending all of my money gambling; it's kinda fun and sometimes I get some decent stuff. Is this okay, or generally a bad idea? Like is there anything I need to be saving money for?

5) When do I have to start worrying about crafting stuff?

6) I never finished that imbue quest from act 1, what should I save it for?

Thanks in advance!

[Bladewind]

1) If u have a merc to tank, turn on charge and dash straight towards the summoner. Since ye a shockadin, your damage should be fairly high and you can prolly toast him with a hit or at least stun him and follow up with a quick zeal.

2) Act2 mercs are dumb, they are stupid but incredibly useful. The prayer merc is the least useful of the available types but since u lack health regen and life steal i think its ok to keep him around. The defensive variety will let u tank huge larger swarms like no tomorrow and is more practical at higher levels. Reason being that prayer benefit is almost zilch once u have say 500 - 600+ life. As for him running around, thats the way he is. :badteeth: if u hate the idea of him committing suicide, cast a tp up and enter it when he strays and gets into trouble. A tp scroll is cheap compared to a merc that cost 50k. ;)

3) If u have no life leech, strive to get some. Remember a shockadin does damage via his holy shock so physical damage does not matter so much. In fact Physical damage just matters for life steal and mana steal. So u will need to find a balance. Very fast weapons are also a good piority, the faster u hit em the more damage they eat up.

4) Gambling is awesome way to vent out those gold u don't need, do save at least 70K for hairy situations (obviously for those with lvl80+ mercs and crazy Runewords). For lower levels a bank of 10+ k is good to have by act 5 u should have nearly 30k. Just keep in mind to save some.

5) When your char is around lvl80 then start worrying about crafts. :)

6) I save the imbue quest usually. If i find a nonmagical tiara or diadem, i usually give them the imbue since they spawn + skills so easily ! :D Its one of the surefire ways to get a decent circlet.

[Nerigazh]

Thanks! That's awesome advice, helped a lot. I already got on getting me a life leech wep :D

About using Charge and other skills though... it seems kinda awkward to switch around skills in combat. Only thing I haven't really liked about Diablo 2 so far is that it seems like everything is done with the mouse. I did see some skill key bindings listed in options but I couldn't get em to do anything. Am I missing something? Switching skills without using the mouse would be handy when you are surrounded by shizzle.

[Bladewind]

Use hotkeys, there are ways to make it work.

For example if u hover the mouse cursor over the Holy Aura at your skill selection tab (in case for u it would be Zeal on left corner and holy shock at right corner) and press F1, Holy shock will be assigned to F1, so if u need holy shock press F1 ! U can do this for the same for zeal by assigning F2 for zeal where zeal becomes assigned to F2. Using the method above u can then assign the different skills at your fingertips.

Diablo itself provides customization for f1 - f8, extra hotkey slots require u to configure around the controls.

[Epheira]

its easier to just put zeal on left skill

[Bladewind]

i am using 12 hotkeys together and i have at least 3 skills tagged for hotkey on left side.

[Nerigazh]

Sweet, got it working. Will take some getting used to, but it's way better now for taking out summoners.

My next question has to do with set pieces. Every now and then I end up getting a green set piece item; I've probably gotten 5 or 6 by now. But most of them have ended up, well, kinda sucking. I used a couple for a bit but I've mostly been selling them because they've all been from different sets. Are all items of a set about the same level? Are sets really worth trying to collect at my level, or should I keep going with the best random pieces I can find?

[FrostBurn]

I read that you play solo, but are you playing on battle.net or single player?

If on SP, there is a muling programme called ATMA that you can download, and which offers easy and unlimited stash size. Visit the Single Player forum for a stickied link to the ATMA site.

If you are on b.net, you need to create character mules to keep stuff. Best way to mule is to do it with a trustworthy friend. Otherwise, just play in a passworded game for more than 5 minutes, and then drop the stuff on the ground, and leave, and join back with your mule char to pick up that stuff. Make sure you do it in normal difficulty as your char mules will tend to be low level chars. Best place to do it is in the rogue encampment in Act 1.

Regarding the set pieces, most of it at your level is junk. The most noteworthy one is Sigon's set, but Iratha's set is also good for a paladin, and Arctic set for an amazon. Just use the best stuff you find at the moment. If you think something is worth keeping, mule it off to a mule char. You can always drop those items from your mules later when you realise you don't want them or that they are not as good as first seemed.

And the higher sets are definitely worth collecting, specifically the class specific sets, such as Tal Rasha's set, Immortal King's set, and Natalya's set, amongst others.

[Nerigazh]

word, that ATMA thing is swell, thanks :)

I done beat my first Diablo, and he dropped such good loot that I killed him again. Second time he dropped crap, however :( is this an intended thing, where bosses don't drop as good after the first time?

[Eilo Rytyj]

end-of-act bosses have a higher chance of better items the first time you kill them, after that they usually drop junk on a regular basis, but there's still a chance of some decent stuff, just not as good a chance as the first-time kill.

[Nerigazh]

bummer :( guess I won't try and farm him then. Was hoping to get more of this Milabrega set but oh well.

Is there a specific level I should be before I start Nightmare?

[FrostBurn]

About clvl 42+ is good for NM. Earlier, I hinted at Iratha's as being good for a pally; my mistake, I meant to say Milabrega. In any case, Griswold's set is the set for paladins, and the sceptre and shield are perishingly difficult to find.

Although bosses subsequently have poorer drop odds, they are by far the best targets to farm for good stuff in a short amount of time. Start off with NM Mephisto, run him a few hundred times, and you'll have a good collection of stuff that'll hold you well in Hell.

[Nerigazh]

I'm absolutely destroying stuff now, doing insane damage :) it's weird, the game is actually getting easier even though I'm getting further. I'm sure that will change with the difficulty levels, but yeah.

So now I'm essentially on Baal in normal, so a couple more questions:

After I beat him, can I go back to normal mode freely?

Will I still be able to finish the quests I haven't finished? (Imbue, socket, personalization?) Do those quest rewards exist in later difficulties also, meaning I can do them 3x?

If I continue to keep my gear and levels up, will I continue to rock?

[FrostBurn]

After I beat him, can I go back to normal mode freely?
You've not told us if you're SP or b.net. On SP, yes, but your map will change once you change your difficulty level. On b.net, you need to join a normal game, and to do that, you need to know the name of that game. Best is to make a new char to 'scout' out normal games.

Will I still be able to finish the quests I haven't finished? (Imbue, socket, personalization?) Do those quest rewards exist in later difficulties also, meaning I can do them 3x?
Yes and yes.

If I continue to keep my gear and levels up, will I continue to rock?
Up to a point, usually by Act 4 NM. That's when better gear and more careful strategy come into play. Convenient, as NM Meph is in Act 3.

[emar]

I'm absolutely destroying stuff now, doing insane damage :) it's weird, the game is actually getting easier even though I'm getting further. I'm sure that will change with the difficulty levels, but yeah.

So now I'm essentially on Baal in normal, so a couple more questions:

After I beat him, can I go back to normal mode freely?

You can create normal games after completing the quest. You will have the option upon creation of the game to select its difficulty.

Will I still be able to finish the quests I haven't finished? (Imbue, socket, personalization?) Do those quest rewards exist in later difficulties also, meaning I can do them 3x?

Yes and yes.

If I continue to keep my gear and levels up, will I continue to rock?

The game gets progressively harder as you progress through the difficulties and later acts. This is usually countered by your increased abilities as your character levels and you find higher end items. If you continue to level and upgrade gear you should be able to progress onwards. If things get too hard or you find yourself not being as powerful - it may be a sign to head back and gain some levels or try to farm a monster and upgrade gear if possible. Best of luck.

Edit: I always type sooo slow

[Nerigazh]

Oh sorry, I'm doing SP.

Sounds like I'm free to kill Baal then, swell :) I think I'll get Diablo one more time first, now that my resists are maxed (for my level). I don't like his face

[Nerigazh]

Woohoo Baal down! Long fight, but he didn't seem to do as much damage as Diablo (at the time). In fact all those goofy dinosaur skeleton minion things he summons in the Throne of Destruction zone were harder than he was. I'm level 35 now, so I will grind for a bit and then start on Nightmare I s'pose.

Question: earlier it was mentioned that nonmagical circlets are a good thing to imbue. One just dropped for me, so should I give it a shot? Or would that be bad because it was a circlet from Normal mode (like not elite or anything), or because I am low level still?

[Bladewind]

U need to be at least lvl50+ to gain any useful mods on circlets. :laugh:

Use the commands /players 8 to get more of a challenge. You will notice your Xp bar swell like no tommorrow on killing baal norm.

[HeavAngel]

Oh sorry, I'm doing SP.

You can post in the SP forum for more help. GL!