I'm going crazy -- where to get this easy stuff?

[onomastikon]

Although I don't play purely "untwinked", since my chars trade back and forth with each other on Atma, I dont have access to high-level stuff or mega-trading.

It's been more than a week, however, in which I have been looking for the EASIEST stuff and cant find it anywhere. It's driving me crazy.

The deal is, I've FINALLY hoarded enough runes to make a decent runeword; two in fact. (So far I've got 1 "lore" and 1 "rhyme" down, and they have served me well, but now I FINALLY got enough for 1 "heart of the oak", and I think I should be able to get a "chains of honor" within the next week.)

The trouble is, although I finally have the runes for "heart of the oak", I cant put it in anything!

I have been looking and looking and looking for a 4-socketed flail (any diff level, I just want the mods, not big damage), but no luck. So I have been spending lots of useless time hanging around Charsi and Gheed in Normal, hoping for a flail to cube into sockets. (Cant make a NM or Hell game, all I get is magical stuff.)

I have already wasted most of my lower-level runes on 9 attempts (and 9 perfect amythsts too, christ.) I get lots of 1-, 2- and 3-socketed flails, but no luck with 4-socket. (No 5-socket yet, but I'm sure to get that before 4-socket!)

What's bugging me even more is that I will probably end up getting the runes for Chains of Honor before I find something to put it in. Unless I am totally mistaken, I need an Embossed Plate or higher (any type) to cube to 4-sockets. I could use the normal type, but I really wanted the Exceptional type. But I just cant find any exceptional versions of possible 4-socketed armors to cube.

So my question would basically be:

- Where do I get this stuff? What am I doing wrong?

[Mursilis]

Well first off if you're going to make a Chain of Honor, for Pete's sake don't put it in a normal or exceptional armor. Use one of the lightweight elite armors, as they get max 4 sockets and don't require too much strength to wear. Then you could do one of a few things. Larzuk the armor to get the 4 sockets or run through Cows/Pits in the higher difficulties.

As for Heart of the Oak, ok that one yes in a normal item. I'd still suggest running Cows in full games as the massive amount of stuff dropped can lead more socketable items for you.

[Garisdacar]

make sure you have 0 mf in the cow games so you have more chances to drop white and grey items instead of blue and yellows. and yeah, archon plate --> larzuk = 4 sockets.

[sirmessbu]

The reason you don't get more then 3 socket from cubing those flail, is because those flail have an ilevel too low to be able to get more then 3 socket.

Cubing item for socket gives them random socket number from the range they can have according to their ilevel.

Try running nightmare cows and don't worry much about cubing just wait to find one with 4 socket.

[onomastikon]

Thank you.

1. But Chains of Honor only gives +70 to defense, right? I figured since that isnt much at all, I might as well not worry about defense and just excep armor?

But are you saying that Larzuk always gives *max* sockets (to non-uniques and non-rares)?

2. Are you saying that socket # is dependent on ilvl? I didnt know that. I thought it was totally random. That explains things however.

[Arkardo]

If you're using this Chains of Honor on a spellcaster, then yes, you have a point to make it in an exceptional armor. However, consider that the extra defense is 70%, not just +70. Furthermore, the body armor is the main source of your defense from your equipment and you can get a respectable amount, even for a spellcaster, by using an elite armor.

Larzuk always gives the maximum amount of sockets for white items. However, the item level may restrict the number of sockets. I use this rule of thumb: anything found in Normal difficulty can only get up to three sockets. Anything beyond Normal will get its maximum. I don't know if this is correct for everything, but it works for me.

Magicals get either one or two sockets. Anything else gets one.

[krischan]

Normal cows are L29, so all flails found there will get 4 sockets from Larzuk.

[Cast_Raider]

I have a 4-socket flail laying around somewhere just for an occasion like this. Are you on US east ladder by any chance?

[thegiantturtle]

I have a 4-socket flail laying around somewhere just for an occasion like this. Are you on US east ladder by any chance?

since my chars trade back and forth with each other on Atma. .

[JME]

. .

He may be unaware or simply missed that part.

@Cast_Raider: ATMA is a single player utility that is used for muling and other bonus functions (calculating odds, etc). Click on the link in krischan's signature if you wish.

[Thyiad]

If he is playing single player, then I'm interested to know how HotO and CoH is popping up so easily.

If he's on the realms, I'm interested to know how he's transfering items using ATMA.

[silverace]

giant turtle, I think it's probably impossible for you to find a 4-socket item in normal difficulty, whether by drops or the shop.

Just get into nightmare and you will find them much more plentiful.

[onomastikon]

Hey thanks very much for the replies.

If he is playing single player, then I'm interested to know how HotO and CoH is popping up so easily.

If he's on the realms, I'm interested to know how he's transfering items using ATMA.

I am on Europe but the characters I mentioned here are on SP, which I have been playing almost exclusively the last months (no lag is good).

But to answer your questions: Firstly, who said it was easy? I have been hunting the Countess relentlessly now for a few weeks and have been saving all my runes from all my chars over the months. More than 100 Els and dozens of Elds goes a long way. The only runes I ever used was Ort and Sol (I think) for a "Lore" and shael and Eth (I tihnk) for a "Rhyme", as well as a Tir once and a few Amns and Rals for cubing for sockets. I don't have Chains of Honor yet, I'm still missing the "Ber", but as I said I hope to get that within the next week or so, and the Heart of Oak is more or less complete (I dont exactly have a vex yet but I have a couple of Ists and a gul, which I can combine to make a vex, but then I will need to find more for Chains of HOnor, so I cant do both simultaneously.)
From what I gather, other people seem to be having a much easier time than I am, since everyone here posts about their godly stuff I've never seen, but whatever.

[jiansonz]

I have a couple of Ists and a gul, which I can combine to make a vex, but then I will need to find more for Chains of HOnor, so I cant do both simultaneously.)
From what I gather, other people seem to be having a much easier time than I am, since everyone here posts about their godly stuff I've never seen, but whatever.

Whoa there! I have played for several years, have half a dozen Guardians, etc, but I have never seen an Ist and only one Gul ever. I don´t even know what Chains of Honor does, since I have never been remotedly close to get those runes.

I think you are well ahead of the expected rune finds.



(BTW, the earliest armor (also with lowest requirements) that can get four sockets is the Gothic Plate. It needs ilvl 41+ to support 4 sockets, so you´ll need one found in Outer Cloister or later (Nightmare difficulty) to be sure.)

[Mursilis]

There you go jiansonz :thumbsup:

Chains of Honor
Dol + Um + Ber + Ist
Stats:
+2 to all skills
+200% Damage to Demons
+100% Damage to Undead
8% Life stolen per hit
+70% Enhanced Defense
+20 Strength
Replenish Life +7
All Resistances +65%
Damage reduced by 8%
25% Better chance of getting magic items

I think where you might be getting confused Onomastikon is that most of the people posting about their high end runewords are playing on Battle.net where almost all HRs are duped. In Single Player it's exponentially harder. In pure SP play over the past few years I've found a single HR (Lo) on a lucky drop. Beyond that nothing beyond a Mal have I seen, and that includes well over a dozen hellforge drops.

Edit: Oh and as for saving all those El and Eth runes, don't bother (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?p=5816216#post5816216)...