Hardcore Orb/TK Blind-Teleporting Budget MF Sorceress der=0>

[allbienhoa]

Tried it out, it is quite the MF'er.

I differentiated on the merc's ideal equipment.

The reason?

It doesn't seem logical to mass up half a dozen MR just to get the ideal merc. set up. As you can get the same set up with half the MR required. The hook? Socketing rare jewels into unique armor with open sockets available.

Below you is my merc's set up.

ETH Kelpie Snare (acquired around Lv56 NM mephisto)
Turns to...
Up'ed ETH Kelpie Snare (Up'ed around Lv72)
Turns to...
Up'ed ETH Kelpie Snare + Ber (20% CB + 75% Slow) (Socketed around 84,trading 3 MR for the Ber)

ETH Black Hades Armor (9oo+ Def + 248AR/60DMG%+ to Demons + 3OS) (acquired in Normal Baal Lv 47) + Rare Jewel(49AR/40DMG% to Demons + 7% FHR) (acquired around 67 NM Baal) + Rare Jewel(15Res to all + 7%FHR) (acquired around 65 NM Baal) + Shael (acquired through NM countess) Didn't upgraded armor*

Possibly turns to...
Up'ed ETH Black Hades Armor (17oo+ Def + 248AR/60DMG%+ to Demons + 3 OS) + Rare Jewel(44AR/40DMG%+ to Demons +7%+ -15%Req) + Rare Jewel(15Res to all + -15%Req ) + Shael

Black Horn (acquired around level 55 NM Mephisto)
Swaped with...
ETH Vampire Gaze (acquired around level 73 NM Baal)
Turns to...
UP'ed ETH Vampire Gaze + PDiamond (Uped and socketed around level 78)

[MYK]

Why Ber the Kelpie? CB gets useless pretty fast at 20% when you've already used static to get Mephisto to below 50% HP. Your idea was not not spend mid runes, and you throw a high rune into the weapon =/
I don't think I would have burned a 15 res/7 fhr on a black hades, but that's free will, right?

I personally rock a non-eth non-upped Kelpie, Rockstopper and and non-eth Black HAdes socketed with plain IAS jewels.

[allbienhoa]

Well, this was my first character ladder and seeing as I wanted to deck out my character... I didn't mind it all that much. Jewels drops a fair amount. I just want my merc to be equally decked out as myself. But the Ber rune does help, don't underestimate the godly effects of CB especially if you run into lightning immune monsters. I mean... I don't JUST MF mephisto... I MF countess and the bunch too.

PS: 3 mid runes for a Ber doesn't account for that much after a month of MF'ing. I mean... count in 2o MF runs a day. But if you would have to think about it... The beginning steps of my ideal merc equipment isn't costly at all... it only gets costly when you get to the Ber.

[Socialism]

Tried it out, it is quite the MF'er.

I differentiated on the merc's ideal equipment.

The reason?

It doesn't seem logical to mass up half a dozen MR just to get the ideal merc. set up. As you can get the same set up with half the MR required. The hook? Socketing rare jewels into unique armor with open sockets available.

Below you is my merc's set up.

ETH Kelpie Snare (acquired around Lv56 NM mephisto)
Turns to...
Up'ed ETH Kelpie Snare (Up'ed around Lv72)
Turns to...
Up'ed ETH Kelpie Snare + Ber (20% CB + 75% Slow) (Socketed around 84,trading 3 MR for the Ber)

ETH Black Hades Armor (9oo+ Def + 248AR/60DMG%+ to Demons + 3OS) (acquired in Normal Baal Lv 47) + Rare Jewel(49AR/40DMG% to Demons + 7% FHR) (acquired around 67 NM Baal) + Rare Jewel(15Res to all + 7%FHR) (acquired around 65 NM Baal) + Shael (acquired through NM countess) Didn't upgraded armor*

Possibly turns to...
Up'ed ETH Black Hades Armor (17oo+ Def + 248AR/60DMG%+ to Demons + 3 OS) + Rare Jewel(44AR/40DMG%+ to Demons +7%+ -15%Req) + Rare Jewel(15Res to all + -15%Req ) + Shael

Black Horn (acquired around level 55 NM Mephisto)
Swaped with...
ETH Vampire Gaze (acquired around level 73 NM Baal)
Turns to...
UP'ed ETH Vampire Gaze + PDiamond (Uped and socketed around level 78)

...what the flying monkey are MR?

Edit: Oh. Haha. You must mean mid runes or something.

Regarding your commentary; read the first sentence after the big letters that spell out "Introduction". I think it's hilarious that you complain about "MR" going into merc equipment then talk about socketing Ber runes into Kelpie Snares. Brilliant.

[Jaquiezz]

I built this, very good for you hardcore players, doesn't die very often and I was pretty reckless with it. Sort of unnecessary for SC, I wouldn't recommend going max block in that case, you're better off just getting a splendor/rhyme/lidless. Nice work!

[allbienhoa]

...what the flying monkey are MR?

Edit: Oh. Haha. You must mean mid runes or something.

Regarding your commentary; read the first sentence after the big letters that spell out "Introduction". I think it's hilarious that you complain about "MR" going into merc equipment then talk about socketing Ber runes into Kelpie Snares. Brilliant.

It's okay, MR early on is hard to come by- but once the items keeps rolling...it's little problem.

Oh by the way, if you are willing to please offer your best twinkiest(proper grammar?) item build for this build... Both for the main and the merc.

Thanks.

[nponoBegHuk]

Thanks for the great guide.

I started a MF sorc after reading the guide, now I have 105 FCR, 86 FHR and 6 frame blocking, 542 HP and 340 Mana at level 56. I'm killing NM Mephisto with great ease and barely ever getting hit while teleporting.
The gear I use is
- Suicide Branch (not listed in the guide but I think it's quite good, at least for nigthmare - FCR, life, mana, resistances, +1 skills)
- Rhyme shield
- Smoke breastplate
- 1 sorc skills, 10FCR, 20FHR, 11 all res rare circlet (ptopazed)
- 1 sorc skills, 10FCR amulet
- manald heal and rare 10FCR+ res rings
- 24 FCR rare belt
- magefists
also plenty of FHR and HP charms in the inventory
(I BO myself from another account before going to durance 2, so I get more than 1200 hp and 700 mana overall)

Few questions:
I have bloodfists, and more of stuff listed like "preferrable" in the guide, but I'm not sure is it worth losing 8 frame casting (and maybe 7 frame hit recovery) to get a bit more health?

Also my teleport is at 10 mana cost at the moment, mana is not an issue when under BO effect, but I haven't met manaburn mobs yet. Would you suggest keep investing points into teleport or spend them in telekinesis instead?

[Socialism]

Notes

I kept the gear listings to a sweet-assed bare-minimum for a few reasons, namely:
* to keep folks on their toes
* to allow you to mix-and-match using a core of breakpoint minimums rather than someone's narrow-minded equipment list (romg gg +nigma pwns bramble ftw keke)
* to encourage discussion and speculation as to what my incredi-leet way-awesome superpowered cracked-out-Durable* cheap-assed-twinkout gear setup was (long, long expired)

That said. "Preferable" referred to seriously bottom-of-the-barrel stuff that would go a long way to making you nigh-invincible. For a complete list, go to: www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items.

My personal preference has always been FCR/blocking above all else. Stick to the Magefists. IIRC, pretty much every undead monster in hell is a manaburner -- if you're still in nightmare, you've little to fear. I'm reckless and have always played rather aggressively: I'll take mobility and speed over safety almost anyday. Until you reach hell. Then it's all about the turtle shell.

Self-BO is cool but unnecessary. I think I put a skill progression in there somewhere. That'll outline how I like to progress.

[biasedlife]

erm can i ask a qn? how are you guys exactly mf-ing meph with this build?
cause i wanna start this on the new ladder. are u guys teleing around meph and shooting orbs at him?
can i use this gear instead?
Helm: Harlequin Crest w/ Ptopaz
Armor: Tal-Rasha's Armor w/ Ptopaz
Gloves: Chance Guards
Belt: Tal-Rasha's Belt
Boots: War Travelers
Weapon: The Oculus w/ Ist
Shield: Rhyme
Rings: Sojs
Amulet: Tal-Rasha's Amulet

[MYK]

Uhmmm... there's a whole section dedicated to mercenary equipment and why to use that equipment. So, no, it's not just teleporting around Mephisto and shooting odd orbs at him.

Check out: Section c. Part 2
Type that into the word find thing on your browser and read the text .

Can you use that equipment? Seriously... This build doesn't need SoJs, and I'm guessing you're not even sure why you have them there.

Since I'm crazy about this game and numbers, I'll hold your hand this time.
++++
Helm: Harlequin Crest w/ Ptopaz || //
Armor: Tal-Rasha's Armor w/ Ptopaz || 10%FCR(3 pc. set bonus)
Gloves: Chance Guards || //
Belt: Tal-Rasha's Belt || 10%FCR
Boots: War Travelers || //
Weapon: The Oculus w/ Ist || 30%FCR
Shield: Rhyme ||//
Rings: Sojs ||//
Amulet: Tal-Rasha's Amulet ||//
++++
Totals:
FCR: 50%
FHR: 0%
MF: A lot.
I wouldn't recommend your setup for Hardcore use, or even softcore.
==============
I recommend Bloodfist gloves over Chance Guards. There's our minumum of 30%FHR.
Switch out the SoJs for FCR rings. Lots of +skills aren't needed, and you need more FCR anyways. That brings us up to 70%FCR which hits the 63%FCR breakpoint.
So, at most you'd drop 40%MF, and a few +skills for a sorceress that's not "Crippled by MF."
I'm not going to run the resists, because I'm lazy. You really only need Light/Cold res as stated in the first post in this thread. The others can sit around 30-50% and be fine.
Full tal's + Bloodfist + Natalya's boots also works awesome for this build.


Hope that helps a little~