Amazon Party Stunts

[Keyla the Otter]

Here is a few Amazon party tricks you can use with other players,

Scout Code (Amazon and Another Player): The fewer players there are, the more important this strategy becomes. You must have Inner Sight and Slow Missile. Scout ahead and determine whether there is a lot of trouble or not. Use Inner Sight to signal low danger, and Slow Missile to signal High Danger.

Superpowered Bow (Amazon, Paladin, (fire sorc optional)): Select Strafe and ask a pally to use Fanaticism, then target a big group of enemies. It works even better when they are in a near straight line, or one is directly in front of you. A fire sorc who knows Enchant will also help deal extra damage.

Siege Tower (Amazon and Necro): In a place where you are surrounded by enemies, if a Necro had Bone Wall, ask him to box you two in a square. Then open fire on your enemies. This works well if you have limited escape options.

[ChukNorriz]

Haha, those are actually pretty interesting.

I do hope that there are still players out there who are taking their time to walk through the game, to immerse themselves in the world that blizz created, and not just get grushed in order to PvP

[Keyla the Otter]

I hate dueling. There are so many cheaters there, all of them dealing too much damage.

[MuffinMan]

Superpowered Bow (Amazon, Paladin, (fire sorc optional)): Select Strafe and ask a pally to use Fanaticism, then target a big group of enemies. It works even better when they are in a near straight line, or one is directly in front of you. A fire sorc who knows Enchant will also help deal extra damage.

Remember, Enchant's fire damage also adds to the exploding damage from Exploding Arrow. Try to use enchant on a lowlvl character using the Raven Claw bow :thumbup:

[HellPlayer]

Best party my zon found while chaos running was necros, a always active amplify damage curse with a ocasional(or abusive) corpse explosion casting make realy fast runs, need to try this including a 6k enchant from my old sorc...just me or this will make for the run so easy that the fun factor is gone?
HellPlayer

[dontdisagree]

"Scout Code"
Inner Sight functions only in a circle AROUND YOU, which means it will only illuminate monsters that are already within killing range. Slow casting animation will get you killed
Its better to just spam your skills instead of using IS

Decoy, however is a great scouting tool
the fact that you can POSITION it anywhere you like means that you are safer and you can judge the situation better

On a similar note, Valkyrie is much better
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, dont be lazy like the other 95% of players here who only recast their valks when it dies
recast it ahead of you to alert you to danger

the fact that you can position it like a decoy is great already
the fact that it has insane Life means it's a great diversion and scouting tool
and the fact that it can move forward towards the baddies means you can breath easier into charging in
valk moving forward = attract monsters that your Inner Sight wasnt able to detect; attract monsters that were too far away to notice the decoy



bottomline:
Inner Sight sucks for detection.. it will get you killed
Decoy is loads better
Valk's usefulness increases tenfold if you just reposition and recast it ahead of you regularly




Thank you for giving Slow Missiles some love. It's a great utility skill








"Siege Tower"
AoE spells and ranged attacks from monsters will probably get you killed if you were boxed in
It would be fine if the necro had a means to get rid of the wall ASAP, when you guys are in trouble
but since he cant do that, he shouldn't bother walling yourselves in

it's a great idea if you KNOW that there wont be any ranged attackers though ... Lister

[SeCKSEgai]

Haha, those are actually pretty interesting.

I do hope that there are still players out there who are taking their time to walk through the game, to immerse themselves in the world that blizz created, and not just get grushed in order to PvP

I've been rushed through multiple times - but I've played through a few times as well. It's hard to immerse yourself when you've done it more times than you can count - its not quite the same as the world of warcraft with a huge world to explore - 5 acts is 5 acts.

[BKC]

even in wow ppl boost themselves, with RAF (recruit a friend=300x experience gained) and Scarlet monastery runs...

I levelled my first character in diablo 2 pure through levelling through the acts. KTA style :) all my other characters got rushed, but recently i started playing through hell together with my necro brother (hmm sounds weird) its really fun tbh!

[Keyla the Otter]

"Scout Code"
Inner Sight functions only in a circle AROUND YOU, which means it will only illuminate monsters that are already within killing range. Slow casting animation will get you killed
Its better to just spam your skills instead of using IS

It was intended as a signal, not a scouting tool. You use inner sight to signal low danger to other players, and slow missile for high danger.

[Scudstorm]

slow missile for high danger.

Sounds fun. But unless you're a telezon, your death would probably be the signal rather than slow missile.

[dontdisagree]

Sounds fun. But unless you're a telezon, your death would probably be the signal rather than slow missile.

Im pretty sure I ran around a pack of Dark Archers(a1, H, LI) and then slow missiled and ran out again
You just have to run perpendicular to them and their arrows

You can easily sidestep your way in to the ranged monster, then slow missile, and run back out again

You can easily run around multiple bone spirits (tight circles too) until it dissipates

I don't think it's advisable against GA zons in pvp though haha

[LiftedUp]

It was intended as a signal, not a scouting tool. You use inner sight to signal low danger to other players, and slow missile for high danger.

I hope I don't offend here, but I can't possibly imagine any scenario in which this would happen or be useful or be at all worth trying.

1. These "other players" you reference would need to be in very close proximity to even see you cast Inner Sight and Slow Missile--i.e., anything that seemed like "high danger" to you probably looks like "high danger" to them too...because they're next to you waiting for the "signal."

2. As was mentioned earlier in the thread, the time it takes to cast either of those spells would nullify any advantage they were supposed to afford in the first place.

3. Why not just attack the "low danger" enemies? And, for that matter, why not just attack the "high danger" ones? One of the joys of this game (softcore anyway) is rushing a crowd of monsters knowing full well it's going to be a good fight.

4. Have you ever even tried this "Signal Tower" play style? While I applaud your imaginative effort, I still can't understand how being "the guy who's always casting Slow Missile or Inner Sight" could be at all satisfying or fun.

5. You believe in the value of scouting, which is, I think, the motivation for signalling? Decoy. End of story.

[Borje]

Another thing making the signaling-thingie a bit strange is the fact that your zon shouldn't be in the front line, but rather the one that is covered by your barb/pally/necro/whichever tanky friend, your valk, merc and even your decoy. Thus you should rather be the one that is signaled too. But as has been mentioned: just kill the buggers =)

[dontdisagree]

4. Have you ever even tried this "Signal Tower" play style? While I applaud your imaginative effort, I still can't understand how being "the guy who's always casting Slow Missile or Inner Sight" could be at all satisfying or fun.

I can see where this guy(Original Poster) is coming from

I myself love using the utility skills in DII (slow missile, decoy, cloak of shadows, dim vision, taunt, howl, grim ward, ravens, telekinesis, etc)

Even though they are not CRUCIAL for your survival; and even though you probably have enough firepower to kill that monster outright, w/o bothering with these utility skills, using them are very fun


Let's look at other RPG games

Some people like playing the warriors, knights, sorcerors. Characters that do the killing

But some people prefer playing the "support" classes
The priests that will heal, buff party mates, debuff monsters.
Rangers who scout ahead to alert the partyl or trap monsters
Paladins who rush ahead and take the beating, while they are unable to fight back



When I played another MMORPG, I played mostly Full Support Classes
I never did any killing, but the satisfaction comes from knowing that other people depend on me to do my job; and that my being there is a significant addition to the "team"; you are basically valued higher than 2-3 other "killer" characters


Sadly, that's the sad part about Diablo
There really is no need for playing a full support character

[LiftedUp]

Despite being the unifying complaint of many D2 whiners, support-class characters are hardly absent from D2 gameplay, even in twinked/high-end gamplay. Let me provide three examples:

1. Singer Barbs: Warcries. Even in clvl 90+ Baal runs, the addition of a singer barb with a high lvl BO is, though not essential, very much appreciated. I'd also argue that Singer Barbs are our "full support character."

2. Any Paladin Ever: Auras. While pallys rarely present themselves as "support-class," they're inexorably tied to that role no matter how aggressive their play style.

3. Necros: Curses. I can't tell you how much faster Baal'ing can go when you've got a conviction merc working the floor and a necro casting lower res on top of him. Light sorcs and zons literally tear the place to pieces before you even see the minions spawn. And that's just one example.

In short, playing support-class can be fun and satisfying, but amazons, because of skills like Inner Sight and Slow Missile, don't make good support-class chars.

[dontdisagree]

You were asking:
how being "the guy who's always casting Slow Missile or Inner Sight" could be at all satisfying or fun

I gave the answer to what incentives someone could have for "always casting" SM







It seems all your reply to that was concentrated on my statement

Sadly, that's the sad part about Diablo
There really is no need for playing a full support character

Whether you think those 3 are full support or not, does not matter
Whether you think those 3 are NEEDED or not, does not matter
You, contradicting my belief that "there really is no NEED for playing a FULL SUPPORT char" does not matter

The point of my post was to tell you the reason someone could have for "always casting Slow missile"










but amazons, because of skills like Inner Sight and Slow Missile, don't make good support-class chars.
It doesn't matter if they are a good support skills/class or not
He played an amazon (first and foremost) and tried to find ways to support with it(second) ... "Here is a few Amazon party tricks you can use with other players,"

He wasn't looking for a good support class
He didnt ask "What kind of character and build should I make to be a good support class?"







disclaimer: I have no intention of arguing/flaming, despite the tone of my post
please don't find offense in my seemingly obnoxious and/or arrogant reply :)

[LiftedUp]

Insofar as your post doesn't really respond to mine but instead posits what I should have seen as the "point" of yours, there's no need to worry about how obnoxious or arrogant your reply sounded. Sadly, and this is the sad part about your post, it was obnoxious and arrogant; I don't mind being attacked though...really. Oh, and tacking on a disclaimer doesn't nullify or soften what you've already written.

That said, a few things: (a) my last post (#15) was actually working with your idea of favoring support-class play in D2; (b) I never assumed the OP was trying to find a good support-class character; the thread seemed to lead there (your post in particular), so I responded.

[Keyla the Otter]

I hope I don't offend here, but I can't possibly imagine any scenario in which this would happen or be useful or be at all worth trying.

1. These "other players" you reference would need to be in very close proximity to even see you cast Inner Sight and Slow Missile--i.e., anything that seemed like "high danger" to you probably looks like "high danger" to them too...because they're next to you waiting for the "signal."

2. As was mentioned earlier in the thread, the time it takes to cast either of those spells would nullify any advantage they were supposed to afford in the first place.

3. Why not just attack the "low danger" enemies? And, for that matter, why not just attack the "high danger" ones? One of the joys of this game (softcore anyway) is rushing a crowd of monsters knowing full well it's going to be a good fight.

4. Have you ever even tried this "Signal Tower" play style? While I applaud your imaginative effort, I still can't understand how being "the guy who's always casting Slow Missile or Inner Sight" could be at all satisfying or fun.

5. You believe in the value of scouting, which is, I think, the motivation for signalling? Decoy. End of story.

It would be useful in the following situations:

1: In fights against Mephisto, Diablo, where you need to know if your body's safe should you die, so you don't pay the penalty.

2: Act 3: Since the jungle can destroy you with little warning, it's a good idea to know what you're getting into.

3: Desperate times, where you could lack money, get killed often, and seem to have no other way around the enemies than careful planning and strategy.

[Keyla the Otter]

I hope I don't offend here, but I can't possibly imagine any scenario in which this would happen or be useful or be at all worth trying.

1. These "other players" you reference would need to be in very close proximity to even see you cast Inner Sight and Slow Missile--i.e., anything that seemed like "high danger" to you probably looks like "high danger" to them too...because they're next to you waiting for the "signal."

2. As was mentioned earlier in the thread, the time it takes to cast either of those spells would nullify any advantage they were supposed to afford in the first place.

3. Why not just attack the "low danger" enemies? And, for that matter, why not just attack the "high danger" ones? One of the joys of this game (softcore anyway) is rushing a crowd of monsters knowing full well it's going to be a good fight.

4. Have you ever even tried this "Signal Tower" play style? While I applaud your imaginative effort, I still can't understand how being "the guy who's always casting Slow Missile or Inner Sight" could be at all satisfying or fun.

5. You believe in the value of scouting, which is, I think, the motivation for signalling? Decoy. End of story.

1: You run ahead of the party, see what enemies are there, then run back and alert everyone.

2: Any magical or physical advantages yes, but wouldn't it be nice to not think there were a few enemies, and not be crushed seconds later?

3: The low-danger enemies can easily become a nuisance (like my hammerdin vs zealots and faithful), so it wouldn't be nice to have a helping hand available? Plus the enemies can stun you for precious time to escape (again, hammerdin vs zealots and faithful). And I see no reason to explain why attacking high danger enemies by yourself with a group of 7. Chances are, you will lose.

4: I've tried it, and it works well for me.

5: You are right, Decoy helps, but it still would be nice to let the other players know what they're getting into.

[a sad mfer]

i myself would use strafe to scout ahead, then plop down a decoy and valk, and then let loose another volley or 2 of arrows at the incoming group of monsters .. hopefully by then merc is in on the action or said group of monsters is dead..

others can see your strafe and know if a big crowd is coming up...

but this is my 2 cents, and may not be the views of many others

[SeCKSEgai]

I think people are getting too far into it all - in diablo 2 parties don't work the same way they do in standard mmo's.

Tanking... does anyone actually taunt? The only time I feel like someone is tanking is when I watch the palli teleport and kill while I follow patiently behind leeching xp in a hell chaos run.

Glass Cannons - I don't feel all that squishy as long as I'm not standing in a crowd of hard hitting melee monsters and even then its easy to avoid. Because teleport is so useful, and basically available to every class - the dynamic isn't the same.

As far as attacking large groups of monsters solo while partied with 7 (basically in a full game) I have no qualms about it. What I like about d2 is that with the proper gear and build, you can solo anywhere without needing a party. Some people specifically hunt in full games just to improve their drop chances, all the while hunting alone.

Unlike MMO's like WoW or City of Heroes which have instances designed specifically for parties - it doesn't really exist here. Even the hardest challenge this game has to offer (Pandemonium Event) can be solo'd, and by several classes at that. It really is a good thing considering that the content is really limited, and being restricted to killing the same bosses over and over - needing a party to do so would have killed this game long ago. Remember, it did begin way back with diablo 1 as a single player game.

If your hammerdin is at risk of death when fighting a large group in a full game - then by all means you shouldn't be attacking them by yourself. As far as nuisance enemies are concerned - that's one of the few drawbacks to playing the most overplayed class in d2. If hammers traveled like lightning bolts, games would basically consist of hammerdins and nothing else (which its pretty close to already).

Just because the game allows such high end gear doesn't mean you should expect high end performance without it. The people who can solo everything and survive just about anything put a great deal of time and effort in acquiring the gear and knowledge to do so. Or spent money.

I always thought it ironic to spend real money in a virtual universe for the sake of entertainment, but that's me.