Tournament: A lack of positive influences; All auras disallowed

[EmperorMoo]

Right then, new char creation time.

Firstly, I'm wussing out and going for a sorc with an unhealthy blue pot habit. I've yet to fully decide, but the liklihood is a pure Blizz with a mighty A5 merc to deal with CIs.

I'll get going tonight and hopefully won't be posting deeds too soon.

Anathema, lvl1, Soon-to-be-blizzsorc, Rogue Camp

[Moar]

I hate Act1 for the lack of good saving spots. Didn't manage to go all the way to Outer Cloister tonight, so there will have to be some dangerous running like a scared chicken tomorrow from the Dark Woods to the exit. Cain is rescued.

Still safe but slow. A usual boss pack fight involved Amanda getting merc and valk in correct spot and then watching. She's not doing much damage, so the safest is to stay away and just wait. The valk never took any visible damage even with a dual boss pack. The cold merc was really useful with all those fallen. They shattered right and left.

Something dropped a skin of the vipermagi in the Dark Woods I think, but it is eth. Will get used against act bosses I guess for the resists. 13 durability is not a lot though.

Amanda the Collector, lvl 48, her cold Iron Wolf and trusty Valk, Dark Woods (Cain rescued)

I wonder if I should have built her like a passive zon and just respeced after death. She is certainly playing that way and the added points in valk synergies would have been good.

[pharphis]

Why not give the vipermagi to your merc? It's kind of perfect for a cold iron wolf, no? huge res and fcr and even +1 to skills and mdr for those damage/frame spells.

[Moar]

Why not give the vipermagi to your merc? It's kind of perfect for a cold iron wolf, no? huge res and fcr and even +1 to skills and mdr for those damage/frame spells.

It doesn't have MF.
But, yes, he'll get it if I don't find anything better for hell.

[pharphis]

I didn't say mf :P

[Krupa]

RIP ErichZann!

spent some time with Vryce again. he slowly progressed through act 3 and killed mephisto. 9 mana per attack without AoE is a pretty steep price, will need some ml soon. Charge also has some weird bugs, like being stuck in the charge if you get hit, or moonwalking aka charging backwards (i read somewhere that this could theoretically happen, but i´d rather say frequently). but the damage output outweighs those flaws, currently 230-740 with a savage bill - should reach the 1k once i can wear the savage partizan of carnage.

wearing 133 mf currently and had a bunch of S/Us. using irathas belt currently (5 min damage), milabregas shield with a 2 BH scepter on switch and keeping 2 angelic rings in the stash, which is full all the time so i might have to get rid of some stuff...

Fiona is using a 3 ith bow, has 3 jewel of envy in her armor and 2 jewels with 2-16 fire and 1-13 light damage, so she´s quite the killer. a cold iron wolf would provide more safety, but would deal less damage, so i´m reluctant to change currently

Vryce - the 29 y/o Charger - and Fiona - the true Killer - having a BBQ in the Pande Fortress

[twillight]

Putrescence, berserker, lvl 49, Barbarian, Slayer

I don't know why I still, after all those goes fear Normal Ancients, when I exactly know that after clvl 30 they turn pathetic. During the fight I gave a super healing potion to my merc who also just got a new leeching weapon from the shop by sacrifising 10% ed and some cold dmg on his hugh blade.
Me too got somewhat lucky with gambling and got a thingy, non too special, but got "bash heads" written all over it:
67% ed, 5-18 dmg, 121 AR, 1-8 lightning dmg.

Now in the Worldston's chambers I met the whole zoo, and was forced to look for a ranged weapon (found some blanaced axe on the ground for the purpose) as a defiler flied over a chasm.

Down the final level I cleared first everything, then started to worry about the packs. For the first it was enough to dispose the leader myself, for the second some serious Howling and concentrating killing the greater mumies ment solution - would have been much harder in the ancient times where bosses could resurrect monsters what could also resurrect...
The third pack required the least strategy, although ate some healing potions, but at least managed to pick up&sell all from the ground.
With the balors I got lucky as after the first howl the minions were forced back, and the leader remained alone at the enterance of the final chamber.
Problem came with the last pack, as first they wanned not get separated, and when I succeeded (the merc died when I ran back being stuck amngst the mob - that was when I realised a twon portal scroll bought is much cheaper then a healing potion when sold too) turned out the AI collapsed again, so in every monsters eye the merc turned invisible. But with vitality pumped to 125, I had way enough health against Lister while drinking potions forunately.

As for Baal: again forgot the MF-gear, but as it turned out I was lucky as hell this time: got a Bloodletter with no less then 4 to sword mastery! With my helmet that means 7(!) to sword mastery currently! (It also has 2 to whirlwind, but that's irrelevant for now.)
Also got a Griswold Edge 91% ed 12-15 fire dmg. Strange that GoMule tells the attribs even when the item is unidentified, but here it is for you.

I wish to mention 2 charms I got during this difficulty but not mentioned yet:
- 6 max dmg 45 AR 3 dex LC
- 8 fhr 3-12 fire dmg LC (this I think won't last forever, but fhr comes in handy until that no doubt)

Another nice found during this last part was a 11% allres half freeze duration amu. Not sure what i'll use in the end, as I like manasteal with secondary attack and my current one along the Manald provides my manasteal currently to cover that issue (until now I didn't rely on manapotions, although for nightmare I might start).

Found a partizan too, too bad A2 mercs don't play.

question: is out there some tool what can tell the stats of an item if I decide to upgrade it? I'd like to compare that Bloodletter with the upped Griwold edge and to my current rare when upped w/o wasting resources. Or the equatation would also be nice, I'm not THAT lazy.

[EmperorMoo]

Putrescence, berserker, lvl 49, Barbarian, Slayer

Strange that GoMule tells the attribs even when the item is unidentified, but here it is for you.

GoMule reads the item stats from when the item is generated - that is, at the time when it is dropped, before Cain or a scroll id's it.

Can't believe someone's made it almost to Hell already: very impressive.

I made a cold sorc yesterday evening, and I've been plodding along slowly at /p8 the whole way. I'm currently struggling to kill Blood Raven and her massed horde.

I'll do an updated table of everyone's progress later on, hopefully this evening.

[twillight]

Can't believe someone's made it almost to Hell already: very impressive.

Don't overexcite yourself, Moar and me are just at the start of Nightmare. That's a long walk from Hell

Btw, in your place I'd be cautious with a pure cold sorc. The merc usually isn't strong enough to handle itself whole group of A1 monsters. But hey, that's just my opinion., and wish you best luck either way.

[felixbavaria]

Agreed, an untwinked cold sorc is challenging in Hell unless you do massive teleporting, which is not the best idea in single pass HC, either...

It will be a blast from late Normal to Act V NM though, where cold immunes start to show up regularly. Best of luck!

EDIT:

Kazim has reached the Kurast Docks. The Tombs were actually quite fun (did 3 of them), Conversion allowed for Gore Bellies to be used as quite durable meat shields. Using a Steel Flail now which greatly increased kill speed with Vengeance, but often makes converted monsters die of open wounds. Duriel dropped Cleglaw's Gloves, a rare chain mail, a failed Chieftain (unique Battle Axe) and - 3 scrolls of TP.

Kazim and Maeko, level 28, Spider Forest next