Getting slaughtered in hell.

[lewisite]

So the title pretty much says it all, I was wondering what people who just started playing do to counter this? I am level 75 meteorb sorc, the build is not the problem I can kill everything fine. The problem is my resistances are in -80ish on almost all of them and lack of mana and life. So in a sense I just answered my own question as it is clearly a gear problem.

I am mainly using some random gear, Ghost Armor,Lidless Shield,Manald/Nagel ring and things of that nature. Nothing to fancy. Most of my other gear are yellows. My question is what exactly am I doing wrong to have such horrible stats? I have been running common MF areas like Meph but I just do not seem to be finding the gear that I need resistance wise and what not.

What did other people do starting new on the ladder to make the switch into Hell?

[jdowens]

You could grab a moser's blessed circle shield and socket it with two pdiamonds for the resistances. They're not too expensive maybe a few pgems. I stayed in nightmare on my meteorb for a while so i could find more survivable gear. Sometimes you have to sacrifice damage for survivability, or magic find for survivablity. Also, getting a good tank merc, nightmare act 2 defensive, or an act 5 merc could help your survivability. Just teleport to place them up front, run back, then start casting away. If you need any more help *jdowens, whisper me ingame and i'll help you out.

Link to moser's stats: http://battle.net/diablo2exp/items/exceptional/ushields.shtml

Btw, what act are you in?

Edit: Forgot, the 3rd quest in act 5 gives a permenant 10% bonus to resistances. Do all three difficulties. That should help aswell.

30% resistance boost from quest + 63% from moser's boosts your resistances up 93%. Not too bad.

[omgwtfbbqpwned]

Join in on those Baal-botted games. There's plenty of them. Park your Sorc somewhere safe, and watch some tv/browse the internet. Once minions are cleared, jump inside, just chillax once again until Baal is almost dead, then tele close and go for the drops.

Do this around for an hour or two or three each day, and I guarantee it'll get you much more richer than if you just run Meph with what you have right now. It's safer, you'll die less, you'll get levels, and you'll build wealth. It's win-win.

[Pitboss_2000]

Most bots have mods like pickit, so grabiing stuff that is worth having is going to be VERY difficult, unless you are lucky enough to find socketed monarchs, pala shields with good resistances and 4-socketed polearms, and the likes. :S

[lewisite]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I am in Act 1, I did Baal games until 75. Killing power is there for me however my life and mana as I said was not Due mainly to myself still using low level gear. I swear I could just never find the upgrades. I think I read somewhere leech on items gets cut in Hell difficulty? If so that would explain a lot as I am guzzling potions like a mad man. I have an act 2 Def nightmare merc and he does help a lot for sure.

I will try some of what I read in this thread. Currently I am also gem farming to try and get enough Pgems to maybe trade for something decent.

[Are]

I think I read somewhere leech on items gets cut in Hell difficulty?

Sorcs tend to use spells to kill, so leech doesn't work anyway (it works on physical damage).

If you do some 200 NM Mephisto runs, you should get a nice amount of decent items to equip your sorc with, like Skin of the Vipermagi for instance.

[Mursilis]

According to your first post you are playing a meteorb, yet you just asked about leech. You can't leech from elemental attacks, so the Mandal ring you are using is useless. Trade it out for one with resistances as that seems to be your biggest problem.

The problem is my resistances are in -80ish on almost all of them and lack of mana and life.

I'd also switching out any MF gear you have currently to fill in your resistances. Not much point MFing if you die so much. You're probably better off either moat tricking NM Mephisto in search of better equipment, or just questing through the game and pick up the gems as you go to trade for better equipment. Farming gems doesn't work a whole lot better than normal questing, unless you are LK running but since you haven't gotten that far in Hell yet that's out of the question.

You could also run the shopkeepers a bit and buy belts, armor, gloves, boots with resistances if your current items have none.

[omgwtfbbqpwned]

Most bots have mods like pickit, so grabiing stuff that is worth having is going to be VERY difficult, unless you are lucky enough to find socketed monarchs, pala shields with good resistances and 4-socketed polearms, and the likes. :S

True, but a bunch of them also don't, and plus, they don't pick up crap in the Throne. I got a Bone Visage from a Hammerdin clearing the Throne but failing to pick it up. =P

[Benalishhero]

Did you do the resist quests in norm and NM?

Maybe try a Smoke armor.

[VanCleef]

An easy way to buff resists is to craft a resist all ammy. Get one of each pgem (not skull) and put in the cube with a random amulet.

"Use this formula to create an Amulet with Resistance to all. ilvl = 50. The amulet will always have the Prismatic prefix (All Resistances +16-20) and has a chance at getting a suffix as well."

http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/cube.shtml

I got a +20 on my first try. Made for a nice boost.

I had to forego MF gear in hell for a long while. Hold onto it. Once you get an anni and torch, you should be able to start putting it back on.

A sprit shield is a great investment b/c it gives you +35 resis and +2 to skills.

[VanCleef]

Also, as a sorc, I'd max block since you will be teleporting a lot.

[GreatInRemembrance]

Also, as a sorc, I'd max block since you will be teleporting a lot.

Nah. That's what positioning your merc well is for.

Block won't help much at all against the things that will really be hitting you... Hydras, Burning Souls, Bonespears from Snakes.

Life + Resists is where it's at.

To the OP: Cheap ways to improve resists: low Vipermagi, Mosers shield/Rhyme Runeword, Credendum belt, resist all amulet, Natalya's boots.

[mackemradge]

Maybe try a Santuary rune word shield for a res boost. Cheaper than spirit with good +all res and other mods.

KO KO MAL, 'relatively' cheap (depending on your point of view) I still have one on my lvl 90 Javazon and it works well. She is my main girl for running the pits in Hell.

Good luck,
Peace :thumbup:

[Mursilis]

Also, as a sorc, I'd max block since you will be teleporting a lot.

Better route is to load up on FCR, that way you can teleport into and out of packs before they can swing their weapons.

Maybe try a Santuary rune word shield for a res boost. Cheaper than spirit with good +all res and other mods.

Spirit: Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn
Sanctuary: Ko + Ko + Mal

Each rune in Spirit is easier to find than any in Sanctuary. Spirit is by far the cheaper of the two. The base item may cost a little more, but not enough to utilize a hellforge drop for your shield. You're better off just putting four Pdiamonds in a Monarch, you'll get 76% resist all that way if you really need the resistances that badly.

[lewisite]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I have a new question now tho

I have been farming Hell Andy for the past two days or so and have managed to do a bit better. Today however she dropped a Unique Grand Charm that I think is Gheeds? At least from what I can tell online, I have not identified it yet.

My question is does my level have any result in what the stats end up to be or would it have the same result no matter what the level? Thanks!

[Mursilis]

Yes that is a Gheeds. Your level has nothing to do with the stats that appear, those are completely random and assigned when the item drops.