Help with Meteorb Merc (trying to be Godly)

[MoodIndigo]

I want my meteorb to be able to kill Hell Baal solo and his minions. I want high resistance, and decnet MF. My main thing is getting a good merc that can kill the Fire/Cold immunes. The meteorb MF guide said Act 2 Defense merc is the best to use. I've hired one but I'm wondering what my best opions for equipment is for him.

[Kurtal]

I dont think you need much gear on a merc to make his usfull for hell baal. I JUST made my meteorb sorc last night and i just moved all my mf gear from my blizz sorc to her. My mer has a Perfect ED perfect LL Eth Reapers toll, Perfect Vamp gaze and shaftstop and we can tear through baal with no issues.

My sorc is geard 100 % for mf. probly around 700 or so i think, i havent realy counted. has +13 I beleive to all skills and i have no issues killing anything in hell.

[redground]

Full Tals
magefist
Pspirit
War Travs
Sojs
Torch
Anni
4 Fire skillers, 3 Cold Skillers
Resists SC

Free 2x4 inventory space (you can get some more sc or gc and have the cube on you inventory)

--
Merc:
Vamp Gaze/Andy
Eth Upd Shaftstop/Stone/Duress/Fortitude
Insight/Infinity/Reapers Troll


I think if you are able to get this gear you will pretty much rape baal´s donkey.

[DaveLepard]

Full Tals
magefist
Pspirit
War Travs
Sojs
Torch
Anni
4 Fire skillers, 3 Cold Skillers
Resists SC

Free 2x4 inventory space (you can get some more sc or gc and have the cube on you inventory)

--
Merc:
Vamp Gaze/Andy
Eth Upd Shaftstop/Stone/Duress/Fortitude
Insight/Infinity/Reapers Troll


I think if you are able to get this gear you will pretty much rape baal´s donkey.

That is pretty much my gear minus magefist and Spirit. I use Rhyme and Chance Guards instead. If you're rich get a CtA on switch. Will help your merc immensly and yourself too.

If your mana is fine get a Tombreaver for Merc, nice resist and Shaftstop/Gaze for 45-50 DR

[sirpoopsalot]

For the merc in WSK/Baal runs, I really like a Fortitude (armour) & VampGaze setup.

The Fort will increase his damage a lot, the resists are nice (especially the +max lightning resists around Gloams), and with Chilling Armour, he can get pretty high defense too. The VampGaze has nice DR and leech, and you can socket it too. It's a very well-rounded combo.


Lately I've been using a PrayerMerc with Insight to help regenerate my sorcs life when she gets hit (and to keep her mana pool topped off). He's a solid-enough tank, and the Fort makes him reasonably powerful too.

However, with the Fort+Vamp, just about any merc will work (Chilling Armour + Defiance is definitely decent), and he can use just about any weapon you prefer too.

[lumpor]

Fire/cold immunes are very rare, and even a half-assed merc with an insight can get the job done

[alsa]

Side question (if I may)

I have a Act 2 NM with Guillarme's face (some leech), Duriel's and a voulge insight. (lvl 75)

He's getting his butt kicked left and right in Hell. Two swats from hell Andy and he's down for the count. If he runs into a champion or a large pack of mobs he's toast unless I keep porting him away from being in melee.

Is this primarily a level issue?

[Youlan]

sorry alsa i cant see how ur merc can leechwith the items u gave him

[lumpor]

Act bosses do 10x times damage to mercs, while mercs do 25% damage against act bosses. Voulges do very little damage, and he has no leech.

I think those are your problems

[sirpoopsalot]

Act bosses do 10x times damage to mercs, while mercs do 25% damage against act bosses.

I think this is another area where the Arrest Summit (and common opinion) is wrong. If that were the case, Meph would 1-hit-KO a lot of mercs. Sure his attacks hurts them plenty, but I don't remember him ever scoring a 1-hit-KO against a merc.

My best guess is that act bosses might do double-damage to mercs, but perhaps not even that... I'm not sure about the damage that mercs do to bosses.


Voulges do very little damage, and he has no leech.

I think those are your problems

I agree with you entirely on these points.

[Kurtal]

I may be wrong here too but i am quite sure almost 100% that bosses do 200% damage to mercs. the thing im not sure about is that i think that 200% is only for physical attacks not spells. This just just from personal experianc but mephs big baal of icy doom owns my sorc prety good but doesnt do much to my merc. if it did 200% damage it probly still woulnt hurt as much as it does my sorc but it would still deal more then it does but when my merc gets in close and gets physical attacked is when it starts to take its toll.

I noticed the same thing while fighting baal.

Just my 2 sents

[alsa]

I tried it with an Andy's visage as well, but Hell Andy still kills him in a couple hits.

His character pane is showing 75 resists, but could it be from the poison damage? Alsa's got negative poison resist so I usually have to town portal or use an antidote to live long enough to kill Andy (and that's probably only something like 15 fireballs)

Also, leech does or does not work vs. bosses?

[lumpor]

depends on the bosses leech modifier

Maybe it's only physical damage from bosses, I don't knw. Although I've heard x10 from at least 2 sources. It may be x2 though, but I'm quite certain that act bosses get a damage boost against mercs in some form

[Youlan]

btw is an eth upped shaftstop better than eth stone?

[MoodIndigo]

Ok so I've been getting by pretty well in hell. Anyways, I'm having a debacle between equipment for my work. This is what I have on him now:

Helm: Tal's Helm for the life leech
Armor: Enigma Archon Plate for the l33ness
Weapon: Bonehew with 2 Pskulls in it for the Life leech and Dmg

I just found these too recently though
Gladiator's Bane: 1442 def, 30% FHR, Dam red 15, Magic Dmg Red 18, Cannot be Frozen, Attacker takes Dmg of 20, Poison Length reduced by 50%

Arioc's Needle (Hyperion Spear) - 104-355 dmg, 50% Deadly Strike
+394 Poison Damage Over 10 Seconds
+30% Increased Attack Speed
+2 To All Skills (varies)
Ignore Target's Defense

I'm wondering which combination of all this stuff would be best for my merc. He dies against hell Diablo pretty damn easily even with the Enigma and Bonehew that gives mad life leech. I'm wondering what I should do so he stands up better in the Chaos Sanctuary and Baal's Minions.

[lumpor]

Why did you put perfect skulls in the hew? Amns are better.

I would probably replace eni with the gbane but keep the rest