Diablo 2 Resurrected

[dr. b 492]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:32 PM, dr. b said:

I dunno about Diablo 4, but I’m probably gonna buy Diablo 2 Resurrected when it releases this fall!

Just finished downloading D2 Resurrected onto my Switch

[h2ojunkie 96]

I have it on PC. I'll probably get on tonight. 

[dr. b 492]

Aw yeah, we cleaned out that Den of Evil  Then my annoying children came and ruined my fun  

[h2ojunkie 96]

2 hours ago, dr. b said:

Aw yeah, we cleaned out that Den of Evil  Then my annoying children came and ruined my fun  

Yeah about that.... 

[dr. b 492]

I ought to know to wait until after they’re in bed before I try to do anything…

 

Got back into it for a bit after things quieted down in the apartment here. Zipped through most of Act 1. Just the boss quest is left. I’m not going to stay awake long enough to get through The Jail and Catacombs tonight, so that’s a job for tomorrow. 

[webhead 519]

Heard it had a bunch of server problems.  I'll get to it eventually tho.

 

We should get a group together!

[Rulkster 47]

I've been eyeing it up but I know I'll play it for about 2 weeks and call it quits

[dr. b 492]

I am in the jungles of Act III now. This has always been my least favourite part of the game, though the first few areas of Act V give the jungles a run for their money... I'm gonna try to power through the dumb jungles this afternoon. It's all better once I hit... whatever area comes after the jungles...  Lower Kurast? It's been so long.

[MT 917]

Fuck the jungles. Only place worse than the tunnels in Act II.

[dr. b 492]

The jungles are behind me now. Didn’t take as long as I thought it would. 

[webhead 519]

Yeah, Jungles in Act 3 were peak cancer.  I tried to skip through that as much as possible when I played online.  It was rare anyway for me to actually walk to places.  Always someone around to give you waypoints.

[dr. b 492]

I play single player so I just have to power through it. It’s best to do all the jungles in one session, if time allows, otherwise I get lost when I come back to them later

 

I’m in Act V now. Working my way through and thinking about what class I might play next…

[h2ojunkie 96]

I pushed through act 3 today. It was lame. 

[webhead 519]

David gave me most of the waypoints then I went running around to try and tryhard doing all the quests like an idiot.  Act 3 honestly has some of the worst ones that are basically fucking wander aimlessly until some random guy appears and you kill him.  Christ.  Though I will say, playing Act 3 as a Necro is like a fucking magical experience.  I just stand there and never get hit by all those little fuckers.  I always remember how fucking hard they would hit when I played Barb or Sorc.  This is nice.  

[MT 917]

Welcome to the necro master race

[dr. b 492]

Summoning Necro has always been my favourite class. It’s a cakewalk through normal and nightmare just with an army of skeletons and a handful of curses. Mix in Corpse Explosion later and hell is very doable too, even single player. The more gear-dependent classes can become a chore in single player once you get into nightmare, unless you’ve got some good items stored away in your stash for later use. 
 

I’ve played the Necro so many times before, I decided not to do it yet again in D2 Resurrected. But I did still want to have pets and play a character that would be relatively easy, so I picked a summoning Druid instead. Having a mere 3 Dire Wolves is not as impressive as a zillion skeletons, but the Druid has been fun too. It remains to be seen how viable this character will be in nightmare. 

[webhead 519]

Yeah I never spent a lot of time with the Necro in D2 back in the day.  Playing him in D3 is part of what made me want to do it in D2 and I'm glad.  This shit has been great.  Except when Diablo fucking smashed all my skeletons in a few hits.  

[dr. b 492]

Keep a Clay Golem out there against Diablo to take the heat off your skeletons, just keep recasting it when Diablo kills him. For some reason Diablo loves to target the Golem. It’s a great distraction. 

[h2ojunkie 96]

Web and I beat normal the other night. I'm curious how far my lazy necro can go, so I'll see if I can get through NM and Hell. 

[dr. b 492]

I'm working through Act I NM with my Druid now. It's been a cakewalk so far, but I'm sure it will become more of a challenge towards the end of NM.

[webhead 519]

On 10/5/2021 at 4:46 AM, dr. b said:

Keep a Clay Golem ?out there against Diablo to take the heat ????off your skeletons, just keep recasting it when Diablo kills him. For some reason Diablo loves to target the Golem. It’s a great distraction.  ??????????

Gigantic ring of fire was completely destroying them pretty quick haha.  I was a bit under leveled because I've been playing with @h2ojunkie like 10 levels above me.  

[dr. b 492]

I took a break from my Druid to play a Fireball Sorc for a few days this week. I got through to Act V super fast. Everything went down in a rain of Fireballs

 

Yesterday I turned my attention back to the Druid, and I might be hitting a wall here in Act II NM with my current setup. I had been using bows, letting my Dire Wolves and merc do most of the work while plinking away from a safer distance. Seems like it's time to drop that strategy in favour of a good shield (really need some resistances) and a more powerful one-handed weapon. I'm also going to do a re-spec to drop a couple points into the Shapeshifting tree. 1 point each in Werebear and Lycanthropy will provide a nice little life boost, and then I'll get a point in Shock Wave too, to stun mobs and make it a little easier for my Wolves and merc to take care of business. Probably won't be able to find good enough gear to make this character viable in Hell unless I get some very lucky drops here in NM.

[webhead 519]

Split into a new topic since the D4 topic became the D2R topic.  

 

We finished Act 2 NM last night.  I still definitely need a little more oomph on my dude because certain types of packs are absolutely fucking up my summons (those electric bugs absolutely decimate in bigger packs).  I did make sure to get that first level of added resistance for my summons but that only goes so far.  Also did some Normal Cows for fun hah.  Got a few runes from that at least.

 

Also @dr. b what is your battletag again?

[dr. b 492]

2 hours ago, webhead said:

Also? @dr. b what is your ?battletag ag?ain?

I dunno. I play offline single player

[webhead 519]

God damn it.  Get online and play with us!

[dr. b 492]

Nah, I'm happy playing offline  

 

I re-spec'd my Druid and changed up my gear a bit, and that has made life much easier. I am soldiering on through Act II NM more easily. Still need more resistances and a better weapon though. I'll probably whip up an Ancient's Pledge next time I come across a 3-socket shield with decent defense. 

[h2ojunkie 96]

Beat NM tonight. Only had to go back to regroup like 3 times during the Baal fight ?

[dr. b 492]

 

I finished Act II NM last night. My wolves and merc actually held up pretty well against Duriel, but my team’s damage was weak. Luckily I could switch to a runeword bow (‘Edge’) that grants a Thorns aura. Duriel basically killed himself. Without Thorns, it would have been a long battle. With Thorns, less than a minute. 

[dr. b 492]

Zipped through Act III NM today while I was working from home  It was actually pretty easy, but I expect Act IV to be more troublesome. 

[dr. b 492]

I put my Druid on the backburner for a bit to play around with some other characters. My Fireball Sorc steamrolled through Normal. Too easy. I still don't think focusing only on Fire skills will be viable later on, but I'll go as far as I can and then consider a re-spec whenever I hit a wall. Also, I've been saving up interesting melee gear in my stash between playing the Druid and Sorc, so I started playing a Barb as well. Got him some good swords and I'm pretty much just using Double Swing and cutting everything down that gets in my way. It's very mindless, but fun for when I feel like playing and not having to think much about it.

[h2ojunkie 96]

Started a sorcerer yesterday as well. 

[dr. b 492]

 What skills are you going to focus on with the Sorc?

 

I got my Barb through to Act V. Diablo was... problematic for my Double Swing build... but I beat him eventually  The thing that turned my fortunes was using the gloves from Cleglaw's set, which I happened to have kicking around in my stash. They slow the target by 25%. Without that, I was struggling to keep up with Diablo's quick moves. I have high fire resistance and lots of life steal, so I could just keep hacking away when he used fire or melee attacks, but I could not tank his lightning attack and I was slow to avoid it. Slowing him down a bit made all the difference. Everything else aside from Diablo has been a pushover though. I have enough life steal to just charge into a pack of monsters, hold the B button down (bound to Double Swing), and everything's dead a few seconds later  Like I said the other day, it makes for very mindless gameplay.

 

I also dusted off the Druid for a bit last night. Act IV NM has been easier than anticipated. Zipped right on through to the Chaos Sanctuary last night. 

[h2ojunkie 96]

Only in act 1 normal with the sorc. Starting with lightning. I have some staffs I found with the necro that will probably determine late game skills. 

[dr. b 492]

I'm still rocking a Leaf runeword staff with my Fireball Sorc. It's a very cheap runeword (Tir + Ral) with a low level requirement and big bonuses to fire skills. It's a big reason why this character totally plowed through Normal without much adversity. But I'm keeping my eye out for a Sorc Orb with +fire skills or +all skills, in case I need to re-spec and start using a shield for added resistances and defense in NM or Hell.

[webhead 519]

I might start a Hammerdin at some point as well.  That class was crazy as shit.

[dr. b 492]

In all the years of playing Diablo II, I've never really spent much time playing a Paladin. My buddy in high school always played a Paladin, so I guess I didn't want to be the same. I started with the Necromancer (probably the class I've played the most over the years) and then switched to Assassin when LoD came out. I also had a pretty high level Javazon. That was a popular build online for a while there. Now I'm playing a Druid, Sorc, and Barb, which were under-used classes for me back in the day. It's just the Pally now that I've never given any attention to...

[webhead 519]

Hammerdin is a super easy to build high level build.

 

I actually have not REALLY played Necro, Amazon, Druid, or Assassin in my years.  I started with a Barb, went to a sorc, then eventually tried a Hammerdin.  Should probably try an Amazon for reals at some point too.  Druid and Assassin just never really interested me that much.  Maybe I'll make a run at Druid though.  I played a LITTLE of every class but I've only made it to hell runs with a few.

[dr. b 492]

I loved playing the Assassin, but it can be rather gear-dependent. Though the Barb is too and I’ve been played one lately…
 

I finished Normal with my Barb this morning, and then cleared out the Cow Level for good measure. Drops were mostly trash though. Baal was quite a bit easier than Diablo. 
 

I’ve now got my Barb and Sorc at Act I NM, and the Druid at Act V NM. Might as well see if I can push the Druid through to Hell before I play the Barb or Sorc more. 

[dr. b 492]

Aaaaand my Druid has completed Nightmare at level 61. Not too shabby. For Baal, I switched from wolves to a grizzly because I was burning through mana pots re-casting the wolves. I have Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Dire Wolf, and Summon Grizzly all maxed out now, so I might have to just roll with the grizzly in Hell. The thing is such a tank, hits hard too, and it gets nice synergy bonuses from points in the other two summons.

[dr. b 492]

Act I Hell serves as a wake-up call for my Druid. I need to re-think this character to make it work…

[dr. b 492]

The trials and tribulations of my Druid:

 

- A pure Summoning Druid just ain't cutting it in Hell, so I re-spec'd to be a hybrid Werebear / Summoner (Grizzly)

- The hybrid approach worked better, but I couldn't turn up a decent weapon... so I re-spec'd again to be a Wind Druid

- The Wind Druid is performing *much* better and I'm starting to make some progress through Act I Hell now

- Of course, not long after the re-spec, I'm clearing out the Crypt and Mausoleum and I get a unique club (Nord's Tenderizer) drop that would have been *perfect* for the Werebear... I ain't re-spec'ing again  

 

Also, my Fireball Sorc is steamrolling through NM. I'm in Act III now.

[h2ojunkie 96]

Just beat normal with my cold sorc.

[dr. b 492]

 

 

I just beat NM last night with my Sorc. I re-spec’d in Act IV NM to add a second element though. I basically got that far using nothing but Fireball, but fire immune monsters start appearing in Act IV NM, so it was time to change things up. Now Frozen Orb is the main skill, with Fireball and Meteor used as fallback options against cold immunes. Hell is gonna be a slog. I’ve already bumped into some very annoying fire and cold immune uniques. My merc has to take care of those. He dies a lot though I’m pissing away gold resurrecting this guy all the time. 

[h2ojunkie 96]

I'm a cold blizzard spec. 

[dr. b 492]

I got my Sorc as far as the Catacombs in Act I Hell. Level 70 now. Starting to progress more smoothly and easily compared to when I started Act I. Got some better gear for my character and the merc. Rune words with +skills have given my spells a nice boost, and I just made an 'Insight' polearm for the merc which has been a huge help. It grants a pretty high level Meditation aura when equipped, so I basically never run out of mana anymore. That makes life so much easier. I'll see if I can handle Andy this evening. If that goes smoothly then I'll probably run her a few more times to see if I can get some interesting drops. A SoJ or two would be lovely...

 

edit: Andy's down  Went back a few more times and got nothin' good, so we've moved on to Act II. Now that I've adjusted to immunities in Hell, things are going quite smoothly again, albeit at a slower pace of progress.

[dr. b 492]

Act II Hell is done. Bye bye Duriel

[dr. b 492]

Mephisto be dead   The High Council was actually more of a handful than Meph.

 

I made it as far as the River of Flame in Act IV Hell. Took me fooooorever to get through the Plains of Despair, one small step at a time. Sweet Jesus, I hate Burning Souls  Lightning bolts just come flying across the screen before you can even see or target them. My poor merc bit the dust a few times from these out-of-nowhere attacks  Clearing the City of the Damned was easy compared to the Plains of Despair.

 

edit: Diablo is dead too

[dr. b 492]

My Sorc -- henceforth known as Matriarch fira -- finished Hell at level 81  I basically used nothing but Fire Ball starting from level 12 until when I hit Act IV NM, where fire immunes start appearing, and then I re-spec'd to use a hybrid of Frozen Orb, Fire Ball, and Meteor. Ended up with:

 

- Max points in Frozen Orb, Fire Ball, and Meteor

- 10 points in Cold Mastery and 8 points in Fire Mastery

- 1 point in all prereqs, and 1 point in each of Frozen Armor, Static Field, Telekinesis, Teleport, and Warmth

 

My modest end-game gear, all found along the way:

 

Sword: 'Spirit' (TalThulOrtAmn) Battle Sword (+2 all skills and other nice bonuses)

Shield: 'Spirit' Monarch (another +2 all skills, helpful resistances, other nice bonuses)

Armor: 'Smoke' (NefLum) Scarab Husk (Big resistances!)

Helm: 'Lore' (OrtSol) Hyrdraskull (+1 all skills and lightning resist)

Gloves: Magefist

Boots: Natalya's Soul (big boost to walk speed plus extra cold and lightning resist)

Belt: random magic belt with fire resist

Amulet: magic ammy with +2 to cold skills

Rings: rare rings with resists and reduced poison length

 

Also, I outfitted my merc (Act II NM) with an 'Insight' (RalTirTalSol) Grim Scythe, which grants a high level Meditation aura, part-way through Hell. That was a game-changer. Never ran out of mana again with his Meditation aura.

 

I got pretty lucky turning up a Lum rune fairly early on in Hell, which enabled me to make the 'Smoke' rune word. The Monarch shield didn't turn up until I was in the WSK in Act V! It can be tough finding a Monarch to make a 'Spirit' shield. 

 

Hell Cows are done, so this character is retired. I can recycled some of the gear with another character later if needed. I might equip her with some budget Magic Find gear for funsies. Might turn up something decent running Hell Andy and Meph.

[dr. b 492]

Man, in wish I had discovered the Wind Druid sooner. This build has been super fun to play. The synergies between the Druid‘s cold/wind elemental skills are fantastic. I’m nearly done Act III Hell and it’s actually been an easier time in Hell compared to my Sorc. 

[dr. b 492]

A new member of the I-beat-Hell club: Patriarch howlinwolf the Wind Druid  

 

I thought the Assassin was waaaay cooler than the Druid when LoD released back in the day, so I didn't spend much time with the Druid. I still think the Assassin is a really fun class, but I wish I hadn't slept on the Druid all these years. Specifically the Druid's Elemental skills tree. With Cyclone Armor, Twister, Tornado, and Hurricane maxed, this character can handle most of Hell with ease. I just need a merc for dual cold/physical immune monsters. With +skill gear equipped, my main skills were all at level 29. At that level, Cyclone Armor absorbs 1955 fire/cold/lightning damage, which makes this character super safe even in Hell. Tornado was doing over 3,000 damage (physical damage even though it's technically a spell), and Hurricane around 1,500 cold damage. Most things went down rather easily  

 

I lucked out big-time and found a Fal rune in Act IV Hell, which enabled me to make an 'Obedience' polearm for my merc. It has a 30% chance to cast level 21 Enchant upon killing a monster, so the merc chipped in with nice fire damage when my Tornado and Hurricane were ineffective.

 

Towards the end of this play through, I got some pretty sweet item drops that would be perfect for an Amazon. The game is basically telling me to play a Javazon next