Melee Sorceress

[Solfege]

Sigma 1.3 Update
There were no major changes that affect this build, so it will remain the same. However, there were changes that affect some quests. I'll try to update the guide for 1.3 later. In the meantime, see the Patch Notes Thread and read the Changelog to stay up-to-date on relevant changes.

EZ NAV
Build Core - Mercenary - Early Game - Mid Game - End Game - Challenges - Uberquests – Dimensional Labyrinths (WIP) - Crafting

Official Documentation - Wiki - Discord Channel - Acronyms and Terminology

INTRODUCTION

The Melee Sorceress is a Dexterity-based build that relies on speed and versatility in both close-quarters and medium-ranged combat. It’s generally not the fastest farmer or boss-killer, but it can still do both without the need for respecs or constant gear swaps. In essence, a Melee Sorc is perfect for people who just want to play the game.

This is a beginner’s guide written for the Sigma 1.1.2 patch, with the walkthrough structured for solo, self-found, untwinked play. Some aspects of the walkthrough may not apply if playing MP.

DEMO VID - TBA

PROS AND CONS

Pros:

• Can complete most content solo, untwinked, without respeccing.
• Doesn't need overpriced SUs.
• Above average boss killer.
• Multiple playstyles, depending on spec and gear.
• Access to summons when you need them.
• She's a Melee Sorceress.

Neutral:

• Moderate skill-switching.
• Average farmer.
• Slower start, but easier End-Game than Caster Sorcs.

Cons:

• Viable weapon options are limited due to skill restrictions.
• Viable Mid-Game gear options are limited without the Set.

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR - Enough for gear
DEX - Everything else
VIT - None
NRG - None

SKILL POINTS (at clvl 135)

Max - Moonstrike, Fusillade, Baneblade
28 Points - Warp Armor
27 Points - Living Flame
1 Point - Familiar, Wraithsword, Blade Spirits, Bladestorm, Firedance, Nova Charge, Symbol of Esu, Force Blast, and all prerequisites.

► SKILL BREAKDOWNS

INNATE

Mana Shield
Buff that subtracts 15% of the direct damage you take (Physical and Elemental) from you Mana pool before you Life pool. However, if your Mana pool drops to zero due to damage taken, the buff will deactivate. Generally useful for regular play, but it can be a hindrance during some boss fights.

MELEE TREE

Moonstrike
Attack buff that temporarily increases Max Life and Physical damage. Keep this active at all times while in combat.

Wraithsword
Short to mid-range WDM melee attack. Deals pure Physical damage. Suited for close-quarters combat with dense mobs, against enemies that absorb Magic damage, and times when tanking to sustain Life is necessary. Best paired with the Life Stolen per Hit (Life Leech) mod.

Fusillade
Trap-like WDM skill that fires a linear stream of blades at a single, random target within range. If the target dies before the Fusillade expires, it will seek another target. More Base Points reduce it's seek range (meaning you'll need to use it closer to the target), but also reduce it's Cooldown (CD) timer. Used as a source of supplemental damage in crowds, against bosses, and for enemies you don't want to engage in melee.

Summon Blade Spirits
Ghostly floating swords that won't provide any buffs, but they’re remarkably tough with the proper investments. All Sorc summons inherit the bonuses form Sorc Passives, but they do not gain the Life bonuses from Vengeful Power, Snow Queen, or Living Flame. Used mostly as distractions.

Bladestorm
Mid-range WDM melee attack that converts a percentage of Physical damage to Magic damage. Used for general play. Best paired with the Life on Attack mod.

FIRE TREE

Living Flame
Passive that grants flat Life per Base Point, and Life regeneration per Skill Point.

Firedance
Buff that increases both the Physical and Elemental Spell Damage of any ally within the fire circle (Elemental Spell Damage does not include flat Elemental damage added to weapon attacks, but it does include Elemental proc damage). It's damage buffs can be increased with Skill Points, but it's CD timer can only be reduced with Base Points.

LIGHTNING TREE

Warp Armor
Passive that grants a percentage-based bonus to Armor Class Defense (ACD), as well as Avoid. Both Base and Skill Points increase its %Bonus Defense, and every 2 Base Points invested increases Avoid by 1%. ACD only applies to Physical-based melee and ranged attacks (not Phys-based spells). Avoid applies to all direct damage (melee, ranged, and spell damage).

Nova Charge
Buff that periodically emits a Lightning nova and adds 25% of your Base DEX to NRG. This will help alleviate Mana problems.

ARCANE TREE

Familiar
Summon that’s untargetable, and whose attacks stun enemies. They use the Zann Esu's Rite aura, which grants 15% Faster Cast Rate, a 25% bonus to NRG, and a +1 skill level boost for every four Base Points. You also gain an extra cat for every 5 Base Points. The aura only takes effect when you're in the field, so do all your buffing and summoning outside town.

REWARD SKILLS

Baneblade
Uber Skill. Buff that provides Velocity, damage, and defense boosts, as well as an innate source of Life on Attack, Faster Block Rate, and Increased Chance to Block (CtB). However, it locks out almost all spells and some WDM skills.

Symbol of Esu
Ennead Challenge Reward Skill. It allows for the creation of an infinite number of Moon Symbols, which are used like potions to restore a percentage of your Max Life instantly. They don't remove Poison effects.

Force Blast
Black Road Reward Skill. A fast-moving, long-range debuff nova that reduces enemies' Physical damage and cast rate for a short time. Incredibly useful against rangers that deal Physical damage, but each cast will consume a large amount of Mana. Use it wisely.

HOW TO PLAY

Melee Sorcs can be built in a variety of ways to suit different playstyles. But since this is a beginner’s guide, this build will use a fairly standard Fire/Lightning spec to balance damage and survivability. This will also allow the player the freedom to choose an aggressive or casual playstyle.

As stated in the intro, this is a DEX-based build. DEX affects all builds’ Attack Rating, Chance to Block, and Armor Class Defense. But for DEX builds specifically, it also affects your damage via a weapon’s DEX to Damage Multiplier.

Offense:
Melee Sorcs aren’t 1hko builds. Since you don’t have access to high-damage, single-target attacks, you’ll instead overwhelm enemies with low-damage, high-volume projectiles.

For this, you’ll use a Bladestorm+Fusillade combo paired with buffs to boost damage. Bladestorm’s range makes it more versatile than Wraithsword. And Fusillade will inflict burst damage when you need it.

Defense:
Melee Sorcs aren’t tanks. Since you can’t stack absurd amounts of Life+ACD+Phys Res, you’ll be layering many different types of defensive mods in smaller amounts. These include: Life, Life regen, Life sustain (LL+LoA), CtB, ACD, Avoid, Phys Res, and Elemental Res. You’ll also utilize active damage reduction from Force Blast to further increase survivability.

Life, regen, sustain, and ACD will be your main focus early on. Later, CtB will become more important than ACD. You’ll focus on boosting DEX, with the goal of hitting 65% CtB or higher. The remaining defensive mods will work to supplement your main mods.

None of these defensive mods alone will keep you alive. It’s only when they’re layered together and working synergistically that they have a noticeable effect.

TL;DR

• Summon your Familiar -> exit town -> summon Blade Spirits and buff with Baneblade, Nova Charge, Mana Shield, and any oskill buffs provided by gear.
• Buff with Moonstrike and keep it active at all times during combat.
• Buff with Firedance whenever higher damage output is needed (e.g. boss fights).
• Use Bladestorm for general questing and Wraithsword for specific situations.
• Use Fusillade for burst damage against mobs and bosses.
• Use Force Blast to debuff enemies, when necessary.

BREAKPOINTS

IAS:
10/37/92 (5 fpa) - Crystal Sword (-20 WSM)
6/23/56/129 (5 fpa) - Warp Blade (-10 WSM)
FBR:
3/7/13/20/32/48/75/129/280 (4 fpa)
FHR:
5/11/20/35/60/109/280 (3 fpa)
FCR:
6/19/42/83/194 (5 fpa) - Staff
8/22/42/78/157 (6 fpa) - Crystal Sword/Warp Blade

Source: Speed Calculator v. 1.2 by Terryys.

CHANCE TO BLOCK

Sorcs have an innate +3% CtB. With Baneblade active, their innate CtB increases to +4%. The following values show the total DEX needed per additional %CtB from shields to achieve Max Block (75%). They will assume a clvl 120 Sorc with Baneblade active.

+2% CtB = 3015 DEX
+1% CtB = 3615 DEX
+0% CtB = 4515 DEX

MERCENARY

A good support Merc will be helpful in many situations. For this build, an Act 2 Fighter-Mage will be used for his relative tankiness and crowd control skills.

Note:
Mercs have an innate +100% Elemental res. But the res display in the Merc’s character sheet is bugged (it always shows 75%). They still suffer from the res penalties in later difficulties, so you’ll have to calculate their res manually.

► GEAR AND BREAKPOINTS - WIP

Weapon:

Ravenbeak

Ravenbeak
Spear (4)
Two-Hand Damage: (5 - 6) to (32 - 43)
Required Level: 1
Item Level: 1
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.25 per Dexterity)%
15% Chance to cast level 15 Flamefront on Melee Attack
15% Attack Speed
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
+(21 to 30) to Maximum Damage
(5 to 8)% Life stolen per Hit
(5 to 8)% to Dexterity
+(21 to 30) to Dexterity
(11 to 15)% Magic Find
Socketed (2)
Two-Hand Damage: (15 - 16) to (52 - 63)
Required Level: 18
Required Strength: 18
Required Dexterity: 18
Item Level: 20
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.25 per Dexterity)%
20% Chance to cast level 20 Flamefront on Melee Attack
30% Attack Speed
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Damage
+(31 to 40) to Maximum Damage
(9 to 13)% Life stolen per Hit
(9 to 12)% to Dexterity
+(41 to 60) to Dexterity
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Two-Hand Damage: (33 - 36) to (84 - 96)
Required Level: 36
Required Strength: 49
Required Dexterity: 49
Item Level: 40
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.25 per Dexterity)%
30% Chance to cast level 30 Flamefront on Melee Attack
45% Attack Speed
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Damage
+(41 to 50) to Maximum Damage
(15 to 18)% Life stolen per Hit
(13 to 16)% to Dexterity
+(71 to 90) to Dexterity
(31 to 35)% Magic Find
Socketed (5)
Two-Hand Damage: (44 - 48) to (110 - 123)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 104
Required Dexterity: 104
Item Level: 72
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.25 per Dexterity)%
40% Chance to cast level 40 Flamefront on Melee Attack
60% Attack Speed
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Damage
+(51 to 60) to Maximum Damage
(21 to 25)% Life stolen per Hit
(17 to 20)% to Dexterity
+(101 to 120) to Dexterity
(36 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (6)

-> Fascinating-Craft/Bless Spetum with IAS, CtC Balefire, +FSD, -EFR ->

Vizjerei Fury

Vizjerei Fury
Short Spear (Sacred)
Throw Damage: 69 to 80
One-Hand Damage: 45 to 50
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 1386
Item Level: 120
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.17 per Dexterity)%
You may Only use Melee, Summon and Support Skills
25% Chance to cast level 60 Trinity Beam on Melee Attack
Ignore Target's Defense
-33% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-33% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
-33% to Enemy Cold Resistance
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
(20 to 25)% to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Physical Resist 10%
+(60 to 100) Life after each Kill
Requirements +200%
Socketed (3)

Body Armor:

Dragon's Blood

Dragon's Blood
Light Plate (4)
Defense: (241 - 284) to (487 - 573)
Required Level: 8
Required Strength: 79
Item Level: 13
4% Chance to cast level 8 Wrath on Melee Attack
15% Cast Speed
+(31 to 50)% Damage to Demons
+(11 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(11 to 15)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(24 to 46)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Vitality
+(16 to 25) Life after each Demon Kill
Socketed (2)
Defense: (806 - 915) to (1526 - 1733)
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 116
Item Level: 29
6% Chance to cast level 18 Wrath on Melee Attack
25% Cast Speed
+(71 to 90)% Damage to Demons
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(16 to 20)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(69 to 92)% Enhanced Defense
+(41 to 45) to Vitality
+(36 to 45) Life after each Demon Kill
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2057 - 2268) to (3809 - 4199)
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 244
Item Level: 50
8% Chance to cast level 32 Wrath on Melee Attack
35% Cast Speed
+(111 to 130)% Damage to Demons
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(115 to 137)% Enhanced Defense
+(51 to 55) to Vitality
+(56 to 65) Life after each Demon Kill
Socketed (5)
Defense: (3094 - 3380) to (5716 - 6245)
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 506
Item Level: 85
10% Chance to cast level 45 Wrath on Melee Attack
40% Cast Speed
+(131 to 150)% Damage to Demons
+(26 to 30)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(26 to 30)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(138 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
+(56 to 60) to Vitality
+(66 to 75) Life after each Demon Kill
Socketed (6)

-> Fascinating-Craft/Bless Light Plate with +2 Skills, ED, FHR, -EFR ->

Razorspine

Razorspine
Hard Leather Armor (Sacred)
Defense: (3714 - 4372) to (3961 - 4663)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 486
Item Level: 105
Indestructible
20% Chance to cast level 7 Spike Nova when Struck
+(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(41 to 50) to Strength
+(100 to 150) Life Regenerated per Second
Physical Resist 15%
Socketed (6)

Helm:

Lanterne Rouge

Lanterne Rouge
Great Helm (4)
Defense: (109 - 126) to (161 - 185)
Required Level: 8
Required Strength: 67
Item Level: 13
4% Chance to cast level 10 Flamefront on Melee Attack
10% Attack Speed
-3% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(12 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+15 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (1)
Defense: (388 - 430) to (536 - 594)
Required Level: 25
Required Strength: 99
Item Level: 29
6% Chance to cast level 16 Flamefront on Melee Attack
20% Attack Speed
-6% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(47 to 63)% Enhanced Defense
+20 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (3)
Defense: (990 - 1077) to (1343 - 1461)
Required Level: 43
Required Strength: 207
Item Level: 50
8% Chance to cast level 22 Flamefront on Melee Attack
30% Attack Speed
-9% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(81 to 97)% Enhanced Defense
+25 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1481 - 1600) to (1999 - 2161)
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 429
Item Level: 85
10% Chance to cast level 28 Flamefront on Melee Attack
40% Attack Speed
-12% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(98 to 114)% Enhanced Defense
+30 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (4)

->

Bogspitter

Bogspitter
Helms
'Yul'
Runeword Level: 100
20% Chance to cast level 11 Miasma on Melee Attack
+1 to All Skills
Adds 60-179 poison damage over 1 seconds
-3% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense

or

Reapers

Reapers
Full Helm (Sacred)
Defense: (3268 - 3677) to (3511 - 3950)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 546
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 40 Fire Cannonade on Kill
+1 to All Skills
+167 fire damage
+(13 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
-(7 to 18)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Fire Resist +5%
Socketed (4)

Belt:

Aerin Orbiter

Aerin Orbiter
Belt (4)
Defense: (88 - 96) to (121 - 132)
Required Level: 5
Required Strength: 45
Item Level: 8
5% Cast Speed
+(4 to 5)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(4 to 5)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(4 to 5)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(11 to 15) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(3 to 5)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (3 to 5)
Socketed (1)
Defense: (310 - 334) to (389 - 419)
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 67
Item Level: 26
15% Cast Speed
+(8 to 9)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(8 to 9)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(8 to 9)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(9 to 11)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (9 to 11)
Socketed (2)
Defense: (754 - 805) to (938 - 1001)
Required Level: 40
Required Strength: 139
Item Level: 46
25% Cast Speed
+(12 to 13)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(12 to 13)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(12 to 13)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(15 to 17)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (15 to 17)
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1104 - 1173) to (1358 - 1443)
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 288
Item Level: 80
30% Cast Speed
+(14 to 15)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(14 to 15)% to Lightning Spell Damage
+(14 to 15)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Energy
Elemental Resists +(18 to 20)%
Elemental/Magic Damage Reduced by (18 to 20)
Socketed (2)

->

Truce

Truce
Belts
'Vith'
Runeword Level: 98
-5% Cast Speed
-5% Attack Speed
Stun Attack
+10% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 10%
Slows Attacker by 5%

in a Sacred Plated Belt ->

Champion of the Triune

Champion of the Triune
Plated Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 5209 to 6598
Required Level: 115
Required Strength: 606
Item Level: 120
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired)
6% Chance to cast level 1 Force Blast on Melee Attack
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
5% Deadly Strike
+200% Enhanced Defense
+(100 to 1000) Defense
Elemental Resists -20%
Physical Resist 5%
Socketed (2)

Gloves:

Toorc's Gift

Toorc's Gift
Heavy Gloves (4)
Defense: (15 - 18) to (30 - 34)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 24
Item Level: 5
2% Chance to cast level 1 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
5% Attack Speed
Stun Attack
+(12 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(11 to 15)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (129 - 143) to (160 - 177)
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 35
Item Level: 24
3% Chance to cast level 2 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
15% Attack Speed
Adds (21 to 30)-(31 to 50) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(47 to 63)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (376 - 409) to (448 - 488)
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 74
Item Level: 44
4% Chance to cast level 3 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
25% Attack Speed
Adds (71 to 90)-(91 to 125) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(81 to 97)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (568 - 614) to (685 - 740)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 154
Item Level: 77
5% Chance to cast level 3 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
30% Attack Speed
Adds (161 to 200)-(201 to 250) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(98 to 114)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(36 to 40)%
Socketed (4)

-> Fascinating-Craft/Bless Gauntlets with IAS, ED, +SD, -EFR ->

Snowsquall

Snowsquall
Gloves
'Krys'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 9 Cone of Cold on Melee Attack
+1 to All Skills
Adds 40-80 cold damage
Slow Target 20%
+(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Dexterity
Cold Absorb 5%
Target Takes Additional Damage of 25

Boots:

Wake of Destruction

Wake of Destruction
Greaves (4)
Defense: (90 - 102) to (135 - 152)
Required Level: 9
Required Strength: 60
Item Level: 16
+(3 to 5)% Bonus to Energy Factor
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(6 to 8)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 8)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(11 to 13)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(24 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Energy
Requirements -20%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (333 - 369) to (462 - 512)
Required Level: 27
Required Strength: 84
Item Level: 32
+(9 to 11)% Bonus to Energy Factor
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(10 to 12)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(10 to 12)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(15 to 17)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(58 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(26 to 30) to Energy
Requirements -25%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (854 - 930) to (1152 - 1254)
Required Level: 44
Required Strength: 164
Item Level: 51
+(15 to 17)% Bonus to Energy Factor
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(14 to 16)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(14 to 16)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(19 to 21)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(92 to 109)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Energy
Requirements -30%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (1274 - 1378) to (1713 - 1853)
Required Level: 52
Required Strength: 292
Item Level: 86
+(18 to 20)% Bonus to Energy Factor
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(18 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(18 to 20)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(23 to 25)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(109 to 126)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Energy
Requirements -40%
Socketed (4)

-> Fascinating-Craft/Bless Greaves with -EFR, FHR, FR/W, ED ->

Shrill Sacrament

Shrill Sacrament
Chain Boots (Sacred)
Defense: (1625 - 1995) to (1762 - 2162)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 527
Item Level: 105
+50% Total Exorcism Damage
10% Chance to cast level 20 Nightmare on Melee Attack
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(10 to 30)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(9 to 13) to Exorcism
+(120 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 25)% to Vitality
+(40 to 100) Life after each Demon Kill
Socketed (4)

Amulet:
Rare with +Skills, +FSD/-EFR, Life ->

Angel Heart

Angel Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
(5 to 10)% to Strength
(5 to 10)% to Dexterity
Total Character Defense (15 to 25)%
+(3 to 5) to Light Radius

->

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Klaatu Barada Nikto
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
10% Chance to cast level 40 Nova Bomb on Melee Attack
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
Adds 1-375 lightning damage
+650 poison damage over 2 seconds
Stun Attack
+(11 to 16) to Hive
Lightning Resist +(40 to 50)%
Poison Resist +(40 to 50)%
50% Enhanced Damage vs. Necrobots

Socket Fillers:
> Weapon - Perfect Diamonds
> Armor - Perfect Res Gems -> Zod-crafted jewels with +FSD, Res, and FHR or IAS

Mystic Orbs:
> Weapon (TU) - IAS, ED, LL
> Weapon (Craft) - IAS
> Weapon (SU) - TBA
> Armor (TU) - TCD, ED, FSD
> Armor (Craft) - TCD
> Armor (SU) - TBA

Adapted from BoneSpirit’s Ultimate Merc Guide.

BREAKPOINTS

IAS:
6/15/24/39/58/89/147 (9 fpa) - Spear, Trident, Brandistock, Spetum, Scythe (WSM 5)
6/11/18/29/40/58/83/125/208 (9 fpa) - Pike, Javelin, Short Spear (WSM 15)
2/6/11/18/24/37/50/70/99/147/250 (9 fpa) - Pilum (WSM 20)
3/7/11/18/24/32/46/60/83/117/174/304 (9 fpa) - Glaive, Throwing Spear (WSM 25)
HR:
5/9/14/20/30/42/60/86/142/280 (5 fpa)

Tip:
Mercs inherit both your GF and MF, on top of any they get from gear, as long as they get the kill. They also benefit from the +Skills mod found on gear. Mercs cannot use oskills.

SUMMONS

Summons gain 15% Elemental resistances per Skill Point up to a maximum of 75%. They can gain more res with the Summoned Minion Resistances mod from gear/skills/Charms, but they cannot utilize more than +75% from these sources. They suffer the same res penalties you do in later difficulties.

Summoned Minion Resistance Penalties per Difficulty (assuming at least 5 Skill Points in a summon skill):

Normal (+/-0% Res Penalty)
75% innate resistances. An additional +25% Minion Res will make them immune.
Nightmare (-50% Res Penalty)
25% innate resistances. An additional +75% Minion Res will make them immune.
Hell (-100% Res Penalty)
-25% innate resistances. An additional +75% Minion Res will give them 50% resistances.

Tip:
Summoned Minions (and Reanimates) inherit your MF, as long as they get the kill.

GEAR

► expand

Weapon

Dawn

Dawn
Weapons
'El'
Runeword Level: 11
5% Chance to cast level 7 Celerity on Kill
15% Hit Recovery
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
(101 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
10% to All Attributes
(4 to 8)% Gold Find
+2 to Light Radius

in a Sorc Orb ->

Shark

Shark
Weapons
'Tal'
Runeword Level: 17
5% Chance to cast level 9 Bloodlust on Kill
+(11 to 15)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
20% Attack Speed
+(24 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
+0.125 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+5 to all Attributes
-1 to Mana

in a Warp Blade ->

The Warped Blade

The Warped Blade
Warp Blade (4)
One-Hand Damage: (11 - 13) to (30 - 45)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 12
Required Dexterity: 39 to 41
Item Level: 19
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
5% Chance to cast level 12 Energy Beam on Melee Attack
15% Attack Speed
+(24 to 46)% Enhanced Damage
+(13 to 25) to Maximum Damage
+(16 to 25) to Dexterity
(3 to 4)% Reanimate as: Flayer Archon
Requirements -(11 to 15)%
Socketed (2)
One-Hand Damage: (27 - 30) to (85 - 103)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 33
Required Dexterity: 53 to 56
Item Level: 36
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
10% Chance to cast level 20 Energy Beam on Melee Attack
25% Attack Speed
+(69 to 92)% Enhanced Damage
+(38 to 50) to Maximum Damage
+(36 to 45) to Dexterity
(5 to 6)% Reanimate as: Flayer Archon
Requirements -(21 to 25)%
Socketed (4)
One-Hand Damage: (49 - 54) to (157 - 179)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 52
Required Dexterity: 91 to 96
Item Level: 58
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
15% Chance to cast level 28 Energy Beam on Melee Attack
35% Attack Speed
+(115 to 137)% Enhanced Damage
+(63 to 75) to Maximum Damage
+(56 to 65) to Dexterity
(7 to 8)% Reanimate as: Flayer Archon
Requirements -(31 to 35)%
Socketed (5)
One-Hand Damage: (69 - 75) to (202 - 225)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 62
Required Dexterity: 166 to 177
Item Level: 90
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
20% Chance to cast level 36 Energy Beam on Melee Attack
40% Attack Speed
+(138 to 160)% Enhanced Damage
+(76 to 88) to Maximum Damage
+(66 to 75) to Dexterity
(9 to 10)% Reanimate as: Flayer Archon
Requirements -(36 to 40)%
Socketed (6)

->

Khany

Khany
Sorceress Crystal Swords
'On'
Runeword Level: 100
5% Chance to cast level 29 Shuriken Flurry on Melee Attack
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Cast Speed
50% Attack Speed
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Damage
+0.5 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
Adds 1-750 lightning damage
+(16 to 20)% to Spell Damage
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 3%

in a Sacred Warp Blade

Armor

Griswold's Heart

->

Wedding Dress of the Zann

Wedding Dress of the Zann
Ceremonial Armor (4)
Defense: (352 - 409) to (706 - 821)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 12
Required Dexterity: 97
Item Level: 20
15% Attack Speed
(1 to 2)% Deadly Strike
+(2 to 3) to Spiral Dance
+(35 to 57)% Enhanced Defense
+(16 to 25) to Strength
+(16 to 25) to Dexterity
+(21 to 50)% Enhanced Damage to Moonstrike
Socketed (2)
Defense: (1131 - 1268) to (2161 - 2423)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 31
Required Dexterity: 143
Item Level: 35
30% Attack Speed
(3 to 4)% Deadly Strike
+(4 to 5) to Spiral Dance
+(81 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 45) to Strength
+(36 to 45) to Dexterity
+(81 to 110)% Enhanced Damage to Moonstrike
Socketed (4)
Defense: (2818 - 3105) to (5286 - 5824)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 48
Required Dexterity: 300
Item Level: 55
45% Attack Speed
(5 to 6)% Deadly Strike
+(6 to 7) to Spiral Dance
+(126 to 149)% Enhanced Defense
+(56 to 65) to Strength
+(56 to 65) to Dexterity
+(141 to 170)% Enhanced Damage to Moonstrike
Socketed (5)
Defense: (4203 - 4574) to (7888 - 8585)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 55
Required Dexterity: 622
Item Level: 90
60% Attack Speed
(7 to 8)% Deadly Strike
+(7 to 8) to Spiral Dance
+(149 to 171)% Enhanced Defense
+(66 to 75) to Strength
+(66 to 75) to Dexterity
+(171 to 200)% Enhanced Damage to Moonstrike
Socketed (6)

->

Curandera

Curandera
Sorceress Body Armors
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 61
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+1 Life Regenerated per Second (Based on Character Level)
Regenerate Mana +5%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
Physical Resist (16 to 20)%

in Sacred Ceremonial Armor

Shield
Rare ->

Cloudladder

Cloudladder
Spiked Shield (4)
Defense: (102 - 116) to (203 - 230)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 7
Required Dexterity: 55
Item Level: 12
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+1 to Druid Skill Levels
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
+20 to all Attributes
+10 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (1)
Defense: (372 - 414) to (629 - 699)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 24
Required Dexterity: 81
Item Level: 29
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(71 to 90)% Enhanced Defense
+30 to all Attributes
+20 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (4)
Defense: (920 - 1007) to (1503 - 1645)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 42
Required Dexterity: 170
Item Level: 49
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+(101 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
+40 to all Attributes
+30 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1443 - 1687) to (2346 - 2743)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 51
Required Dexterity: 353
Item Level: 84
+2 to All Skills
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+2 to Druid Skill Levels
+(131 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+50 to all Attributes
+40 Life Regenerated per Second
Socketed (6)

Helm

Cannonball

Cannonball
Helms
'Ral'
Runeword Level: 19
1% Chance to cast level 6 Celerity on Melee Attack
(5 to 8)% Movement Speed
+(4 to 6)% to Fire Spell Damage
3% Chance of Crushing Blow
+10 Maximum Stamina
Level 5 Blast Wave (5/5 Charges)

->

Umbaru's Jinx

Umbaru's Jinx
Mask (4)
Defense: (116 - 126) to (195 - 209)
Required Level: 7
Required Strength: 50
Item Level: 12
+(0 to 1) to Necromancer Skill Levels
15% Hit Recovery
+(11 to 20)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(21 to 40)% to Summoned Minion Attack Rating
+(31 to 50)% Enhanced Defense
+(51 to 100) Defense
Physical Resist 1%
Total Character Defense (6 to 10)%
Poison Length Reduced by (11 to 20)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (416 - 448) to (546 - 587)
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 74
Item Level: 28
+(0 to 1) to Necromancer Skill Levels
30% Hit Recovery
+(21 to 30)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(41 to 60)% to Summoned Minion Attack Rating
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
+(151 to 200) Defense
Physical Resist 2%
Total Character Defense (11 to 20)%
Poison Length Reduced by (21 to 30)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (927 - 994) to (1163 - 1249)
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 155
Item Level: 49
+(0 to 2) to Necromancer Skill Levels
45% Hit Recovery
+(31 to 40)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(61 to 80)% to Summoned Minion Attack Rating
+(91 to 110)% Enhanced Defense
+(251 to 300) Defense
Physical Resist 3%
Total Character Defense (21 to 30)%
Poison Length Reduced by (31 to 40)%
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1422 - 1515) to (1759 - 1876)
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 320
Item Level: 84
+(1 to 2) to Necromancer Skill Levels
60% Hit Recovery
+(41 to 50)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(81 to 100)% to Summoned Minion Attack Rating
+(121 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
+(351 to 400) Defense
Physical Resist 4%
Total Character Defense (31 to 40)%
Poison Length Reduced by (41 to 50)%
Socketed (4)

Belt

Rainbow

Rainbow
Belts
'Eth'
Runeword Level: 15
+3 to Maximum Damage
+3% to Spell Damage
+(6 to 10)% to Summoned Minion Resistances
Elemental Resists +(16 to 20)%
(6 to 8)% Magic Find
+2 to Light Radius

->

Wormtongue

Wormtongue
Light Belt (4)
Defense: (53 - 58) to (71 - 78)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 27
Item Level: 5
(31 to 50)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5-13 poison damage over 2 seconds
(2 to 4)% Life stolen per Hit
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(11 to 15) to Dexterity
Socketed (1)
Defense: (214 - 231) to (259 - 279)
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 40
Item Level: 24
(71 to 90)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 19-50 poison damage over 2 seconds
(8 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (544 - 581) to (649 - 693)
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 83
Item Level: 45
(111 to 130)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 75-150 poison damage over 2 seconds
(14 to 16)% Life stolen per Hit
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (801 - 851) to (946 - 1006)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 173
Item Level: 77
(131 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 100-250 poison damage over 2 seconds
(17 to 19)% Life stolen per Hit
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)

Gloves

Mercy

Mercy
Gloves
'Shael'
Runeword Level: 29
5% Chance to cast level 14 Punisher on Melee Attack
+(6 to 8) to Maximum Damage
(11 to 15)% to Vitality
+26 Defense
+(11 to 20) to Strength

->

Toorc's Gift

Toorc's Gift
Heavy Gloves (4)
Defense: (15 - 18) to (30 - 34)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 24
Item Level: 5
2% Chance to cast level 1 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
5% Attack Speed
Stun Attack
+(12 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(11 to 15)%
Socketed (1)
Defense: (129 - 143) to (160 - 177)
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 35
Item Level: 24
3% Chance to cast level 2 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
15% Attack Speed
Adds (21 to 30)-(31 to 50) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(47 to 63)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Socketed (2)
Defense: (376 - 409) to (448 - 488)
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 74
Item Level: 44
4% Chance to cast level 3 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
25% Attack Speed
Adds (71 to 90)-(91 to 125) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(81 to 97)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(31 to 35)%
Socketed (3)
Defense: (568 - 614) to (685 - 740)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 154
Item Level: 77
5% Chance to cast level 3 Glacial Nova on Melee Attack
30% Attack Speed
Adds (161 to 200)-(201 to 250) cold damage
Stun Attack
+(98 to 114)% Enhanced Defense
Cold Resist +(36 to 40)%
Socketed (4)

Boots

Epicenter

Epicenter
Boots
'Ith'
Runeword Level: 15
0.0625% Chance of Crushing Blow (Based on Character Level)
+(14 to 25)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Life (11 to 15)%

->

Lionpaw

Lionpaw
Chain Boots (4)
Defense: (49 - 54) to (71 - 78)
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 44
Item Level: 7
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(7 to 10) to all Attributes
+(31 to 50) to Life
+(31 to 50) to Mana
Total Character Defense (3 to 5)%
10% Gold Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: (203 - 218) to (267 - 288)
Required Level: 22
Required Strength: 65
Item Level: 25
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(15 to 18) to all Attributes
+(71 to 90) to Life
+(71 to 90) to Mana
Total Character Defense (9 to 11)%
15% Gold Find
Socketed (2)
Defense: (519 - 554) to (667 - 712)
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 137
Item Level: 46
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(23 to 26) to all Attributes
+(111 to 130) to Life
+(111 to 130) to Mana
Total Character Defense (15 to 17)%
20% Gold Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: (759 - 807) to (974 - 1036)
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 282
Item Level: 79
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to all Attributes
+(131 to 150) to Life
+(131 to 150) to Mana
Total Character Defense (18 to 20)%
25% Gold Find
Socketed (4)

Amulet
Rare with +Skills, DEX, Life, and Res

Rings
Rare with +Skills, IAS, DEX, Life, and Res ->

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

On Switch

Pax Mystica

Pax Mystica
Staves
'Nef'
Runeword Level: 13
+1 to All Skills
+15% Bonus to Poison Skill Duration
+(2 to 5) to Blink
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
(11 to 13)% Magic Find

- Blink oskill

Socket Fillers
Weapon - Perfect Rubies -> Perfect Rainbow Stones (at clvl 90) -> Jah Runes (at clvl 113)
Armor (except Shield) - Perfect Res Gems (Amber, Bloodstone, Onyx, Turquoise)
Shield - Perfect Diamonds -> Perfect Res Gems (1x Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz) and 2x P-Diamonds
All RWs - Any Jewels (as needed) -> Ber-crafted Jewels

Mystic Orbs*
Weapon (TU) - 2x MoA, 3x LoA, ED to cap, DS
Weapon (Khany) - ED
Armor (TU) - ED to cap, TCD, DEX, MF
Armor (Curandera) - ED, TCD, DEX
Jewelry - Mana Regen, Flat DR, MF
Staff - FCR

*Only orb TU gear at T4 to avoid wasting gold.

WALKTHROUGH

Normal (clvl 1-54)

Consider Normal the game's Tutorial. Here, you'll get a feel for how the game plays, how your build works, and an introduction to certain mechanics you’ll deal with in later Uberquests.

► ACT 1

Buff with Mana Shield and start thwacking enemies with your staff. At clvl 2, put a point into Moonstrike. TP to town, eat your money token, and gamble for a Sacred Globe to replace your Short Staff (Sorc Orbs have much faster attack speeds). Upgrade to better Orbs as you find them.

Boost STR as needed to equip gear and put the remaining points into DEX, but build up a reserve of 50 Attribute Points so you have a pool to draw from later.

Tip:
Don't reveal the map until after you've completed the Den of Evil quest. This will make it easier to know which areas you've already cleared, thus making it easier to clear the Den in one pass. Do this on every difficulty.

At clvl 6, you’ll gain access to Familiar, Wraithsword, and Living Flame. Put a point into Familiar first for the Mana boost, next Wraithsword for faster killspeed, then Living Flame.

Mana will be a problem for a while due to Wraithsword’s high cost, especially while Mana Shield is active. You’ll gain more Mana naturally as you level, but you can switch to Immersion when your Mana drops below half. Carry Mana pots for emergencies.

Tip:
Gold will be scarce early on and most of the items you find will be worthless (boots with the +x% Movement Speed mod are the only items worth selling at this stage). If you need gold, farm Cave Snappers in the Underground Passage.

At clvl 11, if you have a socketed base Sorc Orb (grey text), make

Dawn

Dawn
Weapons
'El'
Runeword Level: 11
5% Chance to cast level 7 Celerity on Kill
15% Hit Recovery
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
(101 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
10% to All Attributes
(4 to 8)% Gold Find
+2 to Light Radius

.

When you reach Tristram, Griswold will drop

Griswold's Heart

. It’s fairly useful Body Armor at this stage if you haven’t found something better.

At clvl 12, you’ll gain access to Fusillade, which will help you deal with tougher enemies.

The Smith in the Monastery Barracks will drop the Catalyst of Disenchantment. With this, you can turn any spare Uniques into Arcane Shards (except Griswold's Heart and quest-related items). Cubing 5 Arcane Shards creates an Arcane Crystal, which will be useful later on.

At clvl 17, gamble for a Warp Blade. Use an Oil of Renewal to reroll it as a Superior base (cube with a Jewel if it doesn’t roll with sockets), then make

Shark

Shark
Weapons
'Tal'
Runeword Level: 17
5% Chance to cast level 9 Bloodlust on Kill
+(11 to 15)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
20% Attack Speed
+(24 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
+0.125 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+5 to all Attributes
-1 to Mana

.

When you reach Andariel, clear out all the enemies in the throne room before focusing on her. Avoid her Hive and hit her with Fusillade. Her full-screen Meteor Shower can hit-lock you to death, so run or Blink away when you see it.

Tip:
Andariel has a guaranteed Tiered Unique drop. Feel free to farm her for useful TUs or to get a head start on AC farming.

► ACT 2

Act 2 generally won’t be a problem as long as you have some Elemental res. However, watch out for Asatruars’ poisonous Punishers. They’ll drain your Life rapidly. Start collecting res Gems (Amber, Bloodstone, Onyx, Turquiose) and Jewels with res mods to socket into your gear.

Replace your Rogue merc with a Fighter-Mage. He’ll be tankier, and his Glacial Nova (and later, Chronofield) will help with crowd control.

At clvl 24, you’ll get Bladestorm, Nova Charge, and Firedance. Switch to Bladestorm as your primary attack and activate Nova Charge to help with Mana. Firedance won’t be helpful generally, but it will give you a boost during boss fights.

Tip:
Tier 2 items will start to drop toward the end of the Act. Keep an eye out for T2 bases of the TU items in your gear list (e.g. T2 Warp Blade, T2 Spiked Shield, etc.). This will save you time when you’re AC farming later.

Zoltun Kulle and a few Horadric Mages guard the entrance to Duriel's lair. Their lightning can hurt, so just plant a Fusillade near them and retreat.

Let your merc tank Duriel while you cast Firedance and hit with Fusillade. Finish him with Bladestorm. Retreat if he uses Shower of Rocks and do your best to dodge Fortress arrows. They can deal a lot of damage.

► ACT 3

You won’t have much trouble as long as you have all your basic RW gear and around 20% Elemental res.

Note:
You’ll get your first Superunique kill of A3 when looking for Khalim’s Eye. Make sure to grab the Jade Figurine so you can complete the Golden Bird quest.

Mephisto’s Durance can be a bit tougher. Que Hagans are the most dangerous things here. They have a fast, long-range attack that does moderate damage, but they also summon hordes of Peace Warders.

As for Mephisto himself, his attacks do a lot of damage. Try to stack as much Cold res as you can, and a decent amount of Lightning res for good measure. Avoid his Lightning Arena. You’ll get hit-locked to death if you don’t. Cast Firedance and hit Mephisto with Fusillade asap. Keep attacking until your Life drops to about half. Then retreat, heal, resummon, and repeat.

By the end of A3, you'll be around clvl 38. Before continuing on, farm Mephisto for enough ACs to make your TU Weapon, Shield, and Body Armor (in that order). Ideally, you’ll want to make these in T2 bases to save on ACs, but T1 bases are fine. To create a TU, cube any Tiered item with 2x ACs and 1x Oil of Enhancement.

Tip:
Cube an AC with an Oil of Craft to create an Arcane Cluster. Cube the Cluster with an AC to put the AC into storage. Cube the Cluster again to pull an AC out of storage.

► ACT 4

You won't have trouble here as long as you have around +35% Elemental res.

In the Chaos Sanctuary, three of the seals will release a Superunique enemy.

• Magdha (west) spawns with minions that use Fire and powerful Poison spells. But if you kill Magdha, all the minions will die instantly.
• Ghom (east) is fairly tanky and its Tremor and Fortress will take decent chunks of your life.
• Iceclaw the Merciless (north) summons minions and attacks from a distance.

As for Diablo, his Flamestrike and Bloodstorm are deadly, so try to have at least +60% Fire res. Take out his minions first. Then, cast Firedance and hit him with Fusillade. Let your merc tank while you attack Diablo with Bladestorm from behind. Retreat and regroup when too many Bloodstorms fill the screen.

► ACT 5

You can do most of this fairly comfortably with around +45% Elemental res.

Shenk the Overseer will drop a Mark of Infusion. These are used to create Honorific and Sacred Honorific items. Hold onto it for now.

Tip:
The side areas in Act 5 (Infernal Pit, Pit of Acheron, Abaddon, and Icy Cellar) are filled with Elite mobs that are tougher than normal Elites, but the XP gains are higher than in normal areas.

Be careful when approaching the entrance to the Crystalline Passage. It’s guarded by an Elite Vampiress, Bloodskin Darkbow. She and her minions can do massive damage.

Nihlathak has a guaranteed 3x TU drop. Farm him for enough ACs to uptier your Weapon, Shield, and Body Armor to T2.

When you reach the summit of Mount Arreat, you’ll be attacked by Narthal. He’s easy to kill, but it’s something to be aware of.

Destroying the Infernal Contraption in Baal’s throne room will open a rift to the Tran Athulua Uberlevel. Before facing Baal, enter the rift to complete the Level Challenge and get your first Charm. After which, cube it with the Scroll of Elemental Resistance you got from Malah for rescuing Anya.

Baal is a bit of a challenge for melee. He teleports around and he’ll drain your Mana often. His skills also do decent damage, especially the large AoE black novas. When you see a black circle on the ground, move. Just let your merc hold him while you use Fusillade, then Bladestorm when you can.

Additionally, you may have noticed a 20 minute quest lockout warning pop up when you entered the Worldstone Chamber. This means you have free access to enter and leave the area for only the next 20 minutes. Once the timer expires, you’ll be prevented from reentering the area in that game. Don’t worry, though. It won’t take you nearly that long to kill Baal. It’s just an example of one of the mechanics you’ll encounter during some future quests.

► EPILOGUE

After killing Baal and taking the red portal, make a new game in Normal and complete the following:

• Reach clvl 54.
• Create all your TU gear.
• Uptier your weapon to T3, and all your other TU gear to at least T2 (farm Mephisto and Nihlathak for ACs).

Nightmare (clvl 54-102):

Consider Nightmare the true beginning of the game. By now, you're expected to have a general understanding of the game's mechanics and your build's strengths and weaknesses. As such, things will become more difficult.

As you journey through Nightmare, you'll encounter specific Veteran Monsters native to each Act. These may drop an Evil Eye. Cubing all 5 different Evil Eyes together with your Class Charm (which you’ll get later) will add a bonus to it.

Note:
Veteran Monsters won't always spawn in their designated areas during a specific game. But don't worry if you reach the end of an Act and haven't seen one. You'll have plenty of opportunities to collect these Monster Tokens later on.

You’ll also want have 100 Attribute Points held in reserve by the end of Nightmare.

► ACT 1

You don’t need to be res-capped yet, but try to have at least +50% Elemental res.

Proceed normally, uptiering your TUs as your clvl allows. Focus on your Weapon first, next Shield, then Body Armor, followed by everything else.

Clawstorm Terrors in the Monastery's Jail will drop the first Evil Eye. They’re tanky and their Lorenado can hurt if they attack in packs.

► ACT 2

Same as Act 1, but it’s recommended you have +70% Elemental res. With that, nothing here will be much of a threat, aside from Duriel.

Fairy Witches in the Canyon of the Magi will drop the second Evil Eye. Keep moving to avoid their Rain of Fire.

► ACT 3

The difficulty will start increasing from here, so get your Weapon to T4 asap (preferably before you reach Lower Kurast). Once at T4, cube it with an Oil of Luck and orb it with 1x MoA and 1x LoA for now. As your clvl increases, add 2 more LoA orbs, then 1 more MoA.

As you progress, you’ll start to notice Sacred gear drop. From here on, keep an eye out for the following Sacred and T4 items:

• Sacred Warp Blade (not Crystal Sword)
• Sacred Sorc Body Armor (Kazarghand or higher, ideally Ceremonial Armor)
• Sacred Sash
• Sacred Leather Gloves
• Sacred Boots (the ones marked "Boots")
• T4 or Sacred Jared's Stone
• T4 Sash

You also may notice Shrines drop. Collect the following:

• Abandoned Shrines (10-30)
• Creepy Shrines (1)
• Intimidating Shrines (1)
• Fascinating Shrines (20-50) for your merc

Tip:
Create a Vessel to store your Shrines by cubing a Shrine with an Oil of Craft. Then, just cube a full Shrine with it's corresponding Vessel to store the Shrine. Cube the Vessel again to pull a Shrine out of storage.

Finally, keep an eye out for the following Runes (collect 1 of each):

• Ber
• Sur
• Kur
• Vith
• On

Glowing Blobs in Mephisto’s Durance will drop the third Evil Eye. They’re tanky, but not really dangerous.

After killing Mephisto, a rift will open to the Kurast 3000 B.A. Uberlevel. It has a clvl requirement of 80 to enter, but you’re likely well above that. Enter the rift and complete the Ennead Challenge to get your Class Charm, which will give you access to Symbol of Esu at clvl 90.

Grind K3KBA until you reach clvl 90 (it should take less than 1 full clear). This will give you access to your Uber Skill, Baneblade.

Note:
Each time you put points into Baneblade, you’ll need to deactivate, then reactivate the buff for the new values to take effect.

While in K3KBA, stock up on perfect res Gems for both you and your merc, and perfect Rainbow Stones to replace the Rubies in your weapon.

Once you’re done, farm Mephisto for a enough ACs to uptier all your TU armor pieces to T3.

► ACT 4

Izual in the Plains of Despair will drop the Catalyst of Learning. With it, you can turn spare Set pieces and Sacred Uniques (SUs) into Signets of Learning (SoL) later on. These give you 1 free attribute point per Signet used (up to a total of 400).

Landmasses in the River of Flame will drop the fourth Evil Eye. Their Earthquake does decent damage, so try to fight them one at a time.

► ACT 5

Pick up another Mark of Infusion from Shenk and hold onto it.

Nihlathak has a guaranteed Signet of Learning drop, so you can farm him for a few if you want some easy Attribute Points.

Bane Hunters in the Worldstone Keep will drop the fifth Evil Eye. They’re tanky, and their Bladestorm does decent damage.

Baal is a pain. Don’t use Mana Shield or you’ll never have any Mana. Engage in melee when you can and lead him through Fusillades.

► EPILOGUE

After killing Baal and taking the red portal, make a new game in Nightmare and complete the following:

• Go back and collect any Monster Tokens you may have missed to upgrade your CC.
• Farm Mephisto and Nihlathak for enough ACs to uptier all your gear and your merc’s gear to T4 (use the Attribute Points you’ve held in reserve to meet the STR reqs).
• Have all your gear and your merc’s gear socketed with the appropriate socket fillers.

Once all your T4 gear is equipped, you don’t need to hold Attribute Points in reserve anymore. Put them all into DEX as you level. You’ll use Belladonna Extracts later to adjust Attribute Points when you upgrade your gear.

Hell (clvl 102+)

Now it’s time to start tackling some Uberquests. But before you do, there are a few things you need to know about Ubers:

• All Uberquests have a minimum clvl requirement you must meet before you can enter the level.
• Many Uberquests have lockout timers. You’ve already experienced this with Baal, but most of the upcoming lockouts are short (often only 20 seconds). Be prepared before entering.
• Some Uber bosses have a chance to drop a Trophy, which will add a bonus to it's corresponding Charm when the two are cubed together. Unless otherwise noted, it's recommended you farm for a perfect version of a Charm before cubing it with its Trophy.

Also note that area levels from here on will be 100+, which means gear drops will be ilvl 99. Items to look for going forward include:

• Sacred Rare Leather Gloves
• Sacred Rare Gauntlets
• Sacred Rare merc gear (see the Mercenary section for more info)
• Witchhunter's Hood

  

  Witchhunter's Hood
  Witchhunter's Attire Set
  Cap (Sacred)
  Defense: 1187 to 1201
  Required Level: 90
  Required Strength: 456
  +(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
  10% to Strength
  10% to Dexterity
  Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
  Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
  Physical Resist 5%
  Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
  Requirements -50%
  Socketed (4)
  
  (Assassin Set piece)
• All pieces of
  The Mysteries

  The Mysteries
  Sorceress Melee Set
  
  Witchblade
  Cauldron
  Pentacle
  Sacred Circle
  
  Set Bonus with 2 or more set items:
  +2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
  +50 to Dexterity
  
  Set Bonus with 3 or more set items:
  +21 to Spiral Dance
  Physical Resist 10%
  
  Set Bonus with complete set:
  +100 damage
  10% Chance of Crushing Blow
  +17 to Moon Queen
  +4 to Sacred Armor
  +4000 Defense
  5% Chance to Avoid Damage
  
  
  (Melee Sorc Set)
• Ilvl 99 Jewels for crafting.

Finally, a quick note on Sacred Uniques:

There are 3 tiers of SUs. But these tiers only indicate how rare a particular SU is, not how useful it may be, so they don’t have a numbering system like TUs. The places in which they can drop, as well as the tiers, are dependent on Area Level (alvl):

• T1 SUs = alvl 104+
• T2+T1 SUs = alvl 115+ (bosses only), alvl 117+ (regular monsters)
• T3+T2+T1 SUs = alvl 130+

► ACT 1

Horror Under Tristram (clvl 105)
Infernal Machine (clvl 105)

► ACT 2

Island of the Sunless Sea (clvl 105)

Grind Island of the Sunless Sea until you reach clvl 110 and get the Sunless Crystal Bird. IotSS will also be your main farming spot for gold.

Tip:
The first tier of Sacred Uniques have a chance to start dropping from the Arcane Sanctuary onward in non-Uber areas (theoretically). Check the End-Game gear section for a list of SUs to look for.

The Binding of Baal (clvl 110)

► ACT 3

Death Projector (clvl 105)
Horazon’s Sanctum (clvl 110) - Activate the Caldeum Waypoint.
Lord Aldric Jitan (clvl 110)
Akarat (clvl 110) - Activate the Torajan Jungles Waypoint.

Grind the Torajan Jungles until you reach clvl 115. You’ll gain less XP per run than D-Cows, but it’s much easier and you’re more likely to find Sacred Warp Blades and SoL (plus a better Akarat Charm and/or Trophy). Keep an eye out for

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

and any pieces to

The Mysteries

The Mysteries
Sorceress Melee Set

Witchblade
Cauldron
Pentacle
Sacred Circle

Set Bonus with 2 or more set items:
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+50 to Dexterity

Set Bonus with 3 or more set items:
+21 to Spiral Dance
Physical Resist 10%

Set Bonus with complete set:
+100 damage
10% Chance of Crushing Blow
+17 to Moon Queen
+4 to Sacred Armor
+4000 Defense
5% Chance to Avoid Damage

. Socket your Weapon with Jah Runes at clvl 113 to speed things up.

Kurast 3000 B.A. (clvl 115)

Note:
At clvl 115, you can enter the first Dimensional Labyrinth, but it’s recommended you have better gear before you try. Refer the the Dimensinoal Labyrinths section of the guide for more info.

► ACT 4

There are no Act 4 Ubers you can do at this stage, but pick up the Key of Sin from Ghom and the Key of Lies from Magdha.

► ACT 5

Assault on Mount Arreat (clvl 110) - Make and equip

Truce

Truce
Belts
'Vith'
Runeword Level: 98
-5% Cast Speed
-5% Attack Speed
Stun Attack
+10% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 10%
Slows Attacker by 5%

in a T4 Sash for the extra Phys Res before attempting this Uber. After which, resume using Wormtongue.

Complete Act 5 up to the Worldstone Keep (level 2) and activate the Waypoint.

► EPILOGUE

Before moving on, complete the following:

• Ber-craft 10x Jewels with enough IAS to hit the 5 fpa IAS BP when using Khany+Curandera, plus at least 20% additional IAS.
• Make
  Khany

  

  Khany
  Sorceress Crystal Swords
  'On'
  Runeword Level: 100
  5% Chance to cast level 29 Shuriken Flurry on Melee Attack
  +(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
  50% Cast Speed
  50% Attack Speed
  +(115 to 143)% Enhanced Damage
  +0.5 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
  Adds 1-750 lightning damage
  +(16 to 20)% to Spell Damage
  Increase Maximum Life and Mana 3%
  
  in a Sacred Warp Blade.
• Make
  Curandera

  

  Curandera
  Sorceress Body Armors
  'Sur'
  Runeword Level: 61
  +2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
  +(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
  +1 Life Regenerated per Second (Based on Character Level)
  Regenerate Mana +5%
  Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
  Physical Resist (16 to 20)%
  
  in a Sacred Kazarghand or higher (remake until you get +20% Phys Res).
• Make a
  Teganze Pendant

  

  Teganze Pendant
  Amulet
  Required Level: 60
  Item Level: 70
  +1 to All Skills
  +10% to Fire Spell Damage
  +10% to Lightning Spell Damage
  +10% to Cold Spell Damage
  Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
  Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
  Elemental Resists +10%
  +(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill
  
  (optional, but helpful). You can create Unique jewelry the same way you make Tiered Uniques. The outcome is random, so you may have to do this many times.

See the Crafting section for more info on Jewel-crafting and Base-crafting.

GEAR - (RECOMMENDED)

► expand

With the exception of Witchblade, individual Set pieces aren’t that good on their own. Wait until you have the full Set before swapping out your current gear.

Weapon

Witchblade

Witchblade
The Mysteries Set
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
1% Chance to cast level 25 Sanguine Covenant on Melee Attack
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
Adds 50-100 damage
Stun Attack
+100 Life Regenerated per Second
+(51 to 100) Life on Attack
Socketed (6)

Armor

Pentacle

Pentacle
The Mysteries Set
Gambeson (Sacred)
Defense: 2538 to 2705
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 486
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
Adds 25-50 damage
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 50) to all Attributes
Physical Resist 10%
Total Character Defense (21 to 25)%
Socketed (6)

Shield

Cauldron

Cauldron
The Mysteries Set
Large Shield (Sacred)
Defense: 1737 to 1952
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 480
Required Dexterity: 529
10% Chance to cast level 25 Spike Nova when Attacked
+1 to Sorceress Skill Levels
35% Block Speed
1% Base Block Chance
(101 to 150)% Bonus to Miasma Haunt Duration
+(100 to 150)% Enhanced Defense
Requirements -20%
Socketed (4)

Helm

Sacred Circle

Sacred Circle
The Mysteries Set
Coronet (Sacred)
Defense: 605 to 684
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 327
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
25% Hit Recovery
25% Block Speed
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 50) to all Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana (11 to 15)%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Socketed (4)

Belt
Sacred Honorific Sash (Abandoned-bless)

Gloves
Sacred Honorific Leather Gloves (Abandoned-bless)

Boots

Charge of the Goddess

Amulet

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

Rings
Rare ->

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

x2 with +5% All Attributes

On Switch

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

in a T4 or Sacred Jared’s Stone (Divine Apparition oskill). Pair with Cloudladder.

Socket Fillers
Weapon - Jah Runes
Armor - P-Res Gems or Ber-crafted Jewels with IAS/HR (as needed to reach your BP goals) -> P-Amethysts/Io Runes
Shield - P-Res Gems (as needed) -> Io Runes

Mystic Orbs
Weapon - DS
Armor (Set) - DEX
Armor (Sacred Honorifics) - DEX, TCD, Life regen, Weapon Damage, MF
Jewelry - Mana Regen, Flat DR, MF
Orb - FCR

GEAR - (ALT SETUP, FOR USE WITHOUT THE SET)

► expand

These items are meant to work as a set. Mixing them with other items is not recommended. Wait until you have all items made before swapping out your current gear.

Weapon
Sacred Honorific Warp Blade (Intimidating-bless)

Armor

Curandera

Curandera
Sorceress Body Armors
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 61
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+1 Life Regenerated per Second (Based on Character Level)
Regenerate Mana +5%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
Physical Resist (16 to 20)%

in Sacred Ceremonial Armor

Shield
Abandoned-craft/Creepy-bless Spiked or Bone Shield with +2% CtB and at least +5% Phys Res.

Helm

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

Belt
Sacred Honorific Sash (Abandoned-bless)

Gloves
Sacred Honorific Leather Gloves (Abandoned-bless)

Boots
Sacred Honorific Boots (Abandoned-bless)

Amulet

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

Rings
Rare ->

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

x2 with +5% All Attributes

On Switch

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

in a T4 or Sacred Jared’s Stone (Divine Apparition oskill). Pair with Cloudladder.

Socket Fillers
Weapon - P-Rainbow Stones
Armor - Enough P-Res Gems to hit 80% res -> P-Amethysts/Io Runes
Armor (Truce) - Ber-crafted Jewel with HR
Shield - Io Runes

Mystic Orbs
Weapon - ED, IAS, DS, EWD, then LL
Armor (Gloves, Boots) - DEX, TCD, Life regen, Weapon Damage, then MF
Armor (Belt) - DEX, HR, Life regen, Weapon Damage, then MF
Armor (Truce) - HR
Jewelry - Mana Regen, Flat DR, MF
Orb - FCR

WALKTHROUGH

From here on, the guide will be divided based on clvl rather than Act. It’s recommended you complete the Ubers in the order they’re listed, since the Charm you get often helps with the next Uber.

► CLVL 115

The Black Road (Act 1)

When you get the Black Road Charm, put a point into Force Blast. It’ll help with nearly every Uber from here on.

Legacy Of Blood (Act 3)
Rathma Square (Act 3)
Tran Athulua (Act 2) - Activate the Island of Skartara Waypoint.
Bull Prince Rodeo (Act 1)
Heart of Sin (Act 4)
Library of Fate (Act 4) - Activate the Silver City Waypoint.
The Veiled Prophet (Act 4)

Grind Kurast 3000 B.A. until you reach clvl 120. Keep any useful SUs/Set items and turn all spares into SoL. Do some Library of Fate runs for a better Zakarum’s Ear, and TA runs for a better Sunstone.

Before continuing on, complete the following:

• Have either the full Melee Sorc Set or the Alt Setup equipped (use a Belladonna Extract to readjust Attribute Points, if needed).
• Hit the 5 fpa IAS and 6 fpa HR BPs (use crafted Jewels, if necessary).
• Have Witchhunter’s Hood.
• Eat at least 150 SoL.
• Have the Akarat, Jitan, Bartuc, and TA Trophies (optional, but helpful).
• Have an Askari Scroll (dropped by Priestesses in TA).

► CLVL 120, PART I

Judgment Day, Part 1 (Act 4)
Duncraig (Act 1) - Activate the Duncraig Waypoint
The Triune (Act 3)
Athulua (Act 2)
Quov Tsin (Act 3)
Teganze (Act 3)

► BITTER WORK

The 120-125 grind will be long and slow. You’ll be primarily grinding Dunc, Triune, and Teganze for XP, and some K3K runs for more SoL. While in these areas, farm for the following:

• Dunc: SUs
• Triune: Cycles. Fill your Charm mostly with DEX Cycles and a few Life/Mana Cycles, but leave room for Combat Speed Cycles in case you need to boost your End-Game BPs. You’re not expected to have a full Triune Charm before moving on to End-Game.
• Teganze: Essences and Runestones. After you've farmed enough materials to make 1 Xis Rune and 4x Earth Runes, cube your Charm with any additional Essences/Runestones you find.
• K3KBA: SUs, and spare Sets for SoL. If using the Alt Gearset, and you manage to complete the Melee Sorc Set, switch to that to make farming faster.

As you’re grinding, and depending on your luck, you can take 1 of 2 gearing paths in preparation for End-Game. Regardless of which gearset you choose, you’ll want at least the first options in that list before moving on to End-Game:

Path 1

• Farm Dunc for End-Game SUs.
• Farm Teganze for 4x Earth Runes to make
  Wind Runner

  
  

  Wind Runner
  Boots
  'EaEaEaEa'
  Runeword Level: 100
  +(0 to 1) to All Skills
  35% Attack Speed
  10% Movement Speed
  Adds 37-70 damage
  250% Bonus to Attack Rating
  (10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
  +(171 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
  
• Farm K3KBA for Abandoned Shrines to craft your shield.

Path 2

• Farm Teganze for 4x Earth Runes to make
  Wind Runner

  
  

  Wind Runner
  Boots
  'EaEaEaEa'
  Runeword Level: 100
  +(0 to 1) to All Skills
  35% Attack Speed
  10% Movement Speed
  Adds 37-70 damage
  250% Bonus to Attack Rating
  (10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
  +(171 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
  
  and a Xis Rune to make
  Shark (Xis)

  

  Shark
  Weapons
  'TaXis'
  Runeword Level: 120
  1% Chance to cast level 31 Bloodlust on Kill
  +(60 to 100)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
  40% Attack Speed
  +200% Enhanced Damage
  +2 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
  +5 to all Attributes
  -500 to Mana
  Cannot be Unsocketed
  
  .
• Farm K3KBA for Abandoned Shrines to craft your Shield.
• Farm both Dunc and K3KBA for
  Royal Circlet

  

  Royal Circlet
  Tiara (Sacred)
  Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
  Required Level: 100
  Required Dexterity: 392
  Item Level: 105
  +2 to All Skills
  +150% Damage to Demons
  +150% Damage to Undead
  +(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
  (21 to 25)% to All Attributes
  Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
  Physical Resist 5%
  (21 to 25)% Magic Find
  Socketed (4)
  
  and
  Hammerfist

  

  Hammerfist
  Gauntlets (Sacred)
  Defense: (1227 - 1450) to (1436 - 1697)
  Required Level: 100
  Required Strength: 574
  Item Level: 105
  Adds (1 to 15)-(20 to 30) damage
  5% Life stolen per Hit
  5% Chance of Crushing Blow
  +(15 to 25) to Spiral Dance
  Enhanced Weapon Damage +(50 to 100)%
  +(120 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
  Elemental Resists +15%
  Socketed (4)
  
  (both items are recommended, but you can continue on without them).
• Craft better Jewels and remake
  Curandera

  

  Curandera
  Sorceress Body Armors
  'Sur'
  Runeword Level: 61
  +2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
  +(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
  +1 Life Regenerated per Second (Based on Character Level)
  Regenerate Mana +5%
  Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
  Physical Resist (16 to 20)%
  
  (if needed).
• Either keep using your Sacred Honorific gloves or upgrade to Hammerfist.
• Either keep using your Sacred Honorific belt or switch to
  Truce

  

  Truce
  Belts
  'Vith'
  Runeword Level: 98
  -5% Cast Speed
  -5% Attack Speed
  Stun Attack
  +10% to Summoned Minion Damage
  +(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
  Physical Resist 10%
  Slows Attacker by 5%
  
  .

GEAR - (PHYSICAL) - WIP

► expand

Some item suggestions are still theoretical.

Weapon

Steel Punisher

Steel Punisher
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: (172 - 187) to (332 - 358)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 120
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
+300% Bonus Magic Damage to Spiral Dance
15% Chance to cast level 25 ATMG Sentry on Melee Attack
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(170 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
Adds 40-100 damage
(15 to 20)% Life stolen per Hit
10% Deadly Strike
Physical Resist 10%
Socketed (6)

Armor

Dervish of Aranoch

Dervish of Aranoch
Kazarghand (Sacred)
Defense: (5959 - 6735) to (6832 - 7722)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 550
Item Level: 105
5% Chance to cast level 6 Sandstorm on Striking
40% Attack Speed
(5 to 20)% Life stolen per Hit
Stun Attack
Enhanced Weapon Damage +50%
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense
20% to Dexterity
-20% to Energy
+1000 to Life
Socketed (6)

Shield
Abandoned-craft/Abandoned-bless Spiked Shield with +2% CtB and at least 5% Phys Res (can go as high as 10%)

Helm

Royal Circlet

Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)
Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+150% Damage to Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

,

Idol of Rygnar

Idol of Rygnar
Mask (Sacred)
Defense: (2068 - 2350) to (2208 - 2510)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 540
Item Level: 120
+2 to Necromancer Skill Levels
25% Life stolen per Hit
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(101 to 200)%
Hit Causes Monster to Flee +1%
+(120 to 150)% Enhanced Defense
+(40 to 50) to Strength
+(40 to 50) to Dexterity
Target Takes Additional Damage of 500
25% Gold Find
+5 to Light Radius
Socketed (4)

, or

Veil of Steel

Veil of Steel
Great Helm (Sacred)
Defense: 9260 to 9653
Required Level: 130
Required Strength: 576
Item Level: 120
Enhanced Weapon Damage +200%
Hit Causes Monster to Flee +15%
+200% Enhanced Defense
+5000 Defense
Maximum Mana -50%
Socketed (4)

Belt

Nero

Nero
Belts
'Auhe'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 14 Fortress on Melee Attack
Adds 7-25 damage
+150% Damage to Demons
Adds 125-250 fire damage
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
2% Deadly Strike
+(7 to 12) to Path of Flames
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense

in a Sacred Sash (later, a Sacred Plated Belt) ->

Champion of the Triune

Champion of the Triune
Plated Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 5209 to 6598
Required Level: 115
Required Strength: 606
Item Level: 120
Ethereal (Cannot be Repaired)
6% Chance to cast level 1 Force Blast on Melee Attack
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
5% Deadly Strike
+200% Enhanced Defense
+(100 to 1000) Defense
Elemental Resists -20%
Physical Resist 5%
Socketed (2)

Gloves

Hammerfist

Hammerfist
Gauntlets (Sacred)
Defense: (1227 - 1450) to (1436 - 1697)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 574
Item Level: 105
Adds (1 to 15)-(20 to 30) damage
5% Life stolen per Hit
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(15 to 25) to Spiral Dance
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(50 to 100)%
+(120 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
Elemental Resists +15%
Socketed (4)

or

Rogue Foresight

Rogue Foresight
Heavy Gloves (Sacred)
Defense: 492 to 522
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 484
Item Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
5% Deadly Strike
+(3 to 9) to War Spirit
-10% to Strength
20% to Dexterity
Physical Resist 5%
Socketed (4)

Boots

Wind Runner

Wind Runner
Boots
'EaEaEaEa'
Runeword Level: 100
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
35% Attack Speed
10% Movement Speed
Adds 37-70 damage
250% Bonus to Attack Rating
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(171 to 200)% Enhanced Defense

in Sacred Boots (later, Sacred Greaves)

Amulet

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

->

Dyers Eve

Dyers Eve
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
5% Chance to cast level 5 Time Strike on Striking
+2 to All Skills
Adds 15-20 damage
5% Life stolen per Hit
Elemental Resists +10%
Physical Resist (1 to 10)%

->

Beads of the Snake Queen

Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 damage
Stun Attack
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+(200 to 500) Defense
+100 Life after each Kill

Rings

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

x2 with +5% All Attributes ->

Empyrean Glory

Empyrean Glory
Ring (Sacred)
Required Level: 50
Item Level: 120
1% Chance to cast level 26 Singularity on Kill
(6 to 10)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 15%
15% Gold Find

x2

On Switch

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

in a T4 or Sacred Jared’s Stone (pair with a crafted +CtB/Phys Res Spiked or Bone Shield)

Socket Fillers
Weapon - Jah Runes
Armor - Perfect Amethysts/Io Runes
Shield - Perfect Res Gems (as needed) -> Io Runes

Mystic Orbs*
Weapon - EWD, DS
Armor (SU) - DEX
Armor (RW Boots) - DEX, then HR (as needed)
Armor (RW Belt) - HR, then DEX
Jewelry (Rings) - Mana regen, Flat DR, MF
Orb - FCR

*SU MO recommendations are still being tested. Orb SUs at your own risk.

GEAR - (ELEMENTAL) - WIP

► expand

Some item suggestions are still theoretical.

Weapon

Starhawk

Starhawk
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
67% of Dexterity Added as Tri-Elemental Damage to Weapon
25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
+(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
Adds 800-1000 magic damage
Adds 800-1000 fire damage
Adds 800-1000 lightning damage
Adds 800-1000 cold damage
-(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
10% Chance to Avoid Damage
Socketed (6)

Armor

Lachdanan's Visage

Lachdanan's Visage
Banded Plate (Sacred)
Defense: (8973 - 10165) to (14769 - 16229)
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 627
Item Level: 120
You may Only use Melee, Summon and Support Skills
Mana Shield: 95% less Mana Drained when Hit
Indestructible
Adds 400-600 magic damage
Adds 200-300 fire damage
Adds 200-300 lightning damage
Adds 200-300 cold damage
-30% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(161 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(1000 to 5000) Defense
Socketed (6)

Shield

Rainbow Fury

Rainbow Fury
Bone Shield (Sacred)
Defense: (1640 - 2123) to (1902 - 2461)
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 527
Item Level: 105
+1 to All Skills
Adds 50-100 fire damage
Adds 50-100 lightning damage
Adds 50-100 cold damage
-10% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(8 to 20) to Storm Crows
+(70 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
+(50 to 75) to Dexterity
+1 Life on Striking
Socketed (6)

or

Stormflyer

Stormflyer
Kite Shield (Sacred)
Defense: (4190 - 4737) to (4889 - 5527)
Chance to Block: 1% + Class%
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 497
Required Dexterity: 559
Item Level: 120
25% Chance to cast level 60 Forked Lightning on Melee Attack
1% Base Block Chance
+(30 to 40)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(15 to 20)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(130 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
(11 to 15)% to Dexterity
(31 to 40)% to Energy
Lightning Absorb 5%
50% Weapon Damage Taken Restores Mana
Socketed (4)

Helm

Royal Circlet

Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)
Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+150% Damage to Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

,

Lacuni Cowl

Lacuni Cowl
Skull Cap (Sacred)
Defense: (2865 - 3115) to (2964 - 3222)
Required Level: 80
Required Strength: 486
Item Level: 105
Orb Effects Applied to this Item are Doubled
Adds 300-400 fire damage
Adds 300-400 lightning damage
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(130 to 150)% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Elemental Resists +(0 to 1)%
(1 to 4)% Reanimate as: Lacuni Fighter
Socketed (4)

, or

Trang-Oul's Breath

Trang-Oul's Breath
Mask (Sacred)
Defense: 940 to 1004
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 540
Item Level: 105
Frozen Breath: Halved Freeze Duration
+(0 to 2) to All Skills
-(11 to 25)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(11 to 25)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(11 to 30)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(11 to 25) to Frozen Breath (Paladin Only)
+(11 to 25) to Drakemaw (Paladin Only)
+500 to Mana
Maximum Fire Resist +(0 to 2)%
Maximum Cold Resist +(0 to 2)%
Socketed (4)

Belt

Nero

Nero
Belts
'Auhe'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 14 Fortress on Melee Attack
Adds 7-25 damage
+150% Damage to Demons
Adds 125-250 fire damage
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
2% Deadly Strike
+(7 to 12) to Path of Flames
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense

or

Dementia

Dementia
Belt (Sacred)
Defense: (3111 - 3348) to (3272 - 3524)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 634
Item Level: 120
-(15 to 20)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+(15 to 25) to Fowl Fight
Slow Target 5%
+(120 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
+500 Defense
Maximum Life 5%
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Physical Resist 5%
Requirements +20%
Socketed (2)

Gloves
Sacred Honorific or Abandoned-craft

Boots

Titan's Steps

Titan's Steps
Heavy Boots (Sacred)
Defense: (1322 - 1531) to (1400 - 1621)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 492
Item Level: 105
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
Adds 40-50 magic damage
Adds 40-50 fire damage
Adds 40-50 lightning damage
Adds 40-50 cold damage
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(90 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
+200 to Life
Elemental Resists +10%
+(40 to 50) Life after each Kill
10% Weapon Damage Taken Restores Mana
Socketed (4)

or

Spirit Walker

Spirit Walker
Heavy Boots (Sacred)
Defense: 696 to 737
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 492
Item Level: 120
+1% Physical Resist per 18% Mana Regeneration
+(50 to 100) Energy Factor to Spell Damage
+2 to All Skills
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
Jitan's Gate Cooldown Reduced by 1 seconds
-15% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
+35% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
Socketed (4)

Amulet

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

->

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Klaatu Barada Nikto
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
10% Chance to cast level 40 Nova Bomb on Melee Attack
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
Adds 1-375 lightning damage
+650 poison damage over 2 seconds
Stun Attack
+(11 to 16) to Hive
Lightning Resist +(40 to 50)%
Poison Resist +(40 to 50)%
50% Enhanced Damage vs. Necrobots

->

Beads of the Snake Queen

Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 damage
Stun Attack
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+(200 to 500) Defense
+100 Life after each Kill

Rings

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

x2 with +5% All Attributes ->

Empyrean Glory

Empyrean Glory
Ring (Sacred)
Required Level: 50
Item Level: 120
1% Chance to cast level 26 Singularity on Kill
(6 to 10)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 15%
15% Gold Find

x2 or

Bad Mood

Bad Mood
Ring (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
-20% Cast Speed
Adds 100-200 fire damage
Adds 100-200 lightning damage
Adds 100-200 cold damage
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Cold Resistance

x2

On Switch

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

in a T4 or Sacred Jared’s Stone (pair with a crafted +CtB/Phys Res Spiked or Bone Shield)

Socket Fillers
Weapon - P-Rainbow Stones
Armor - Perfect Res Gems (as needed) -> P-Amethysts/Io Runes
Shield - Perfect Res Gems (as needed) -> Io Runes

Mystic Orbs*
Weapon - LoA, MoA
Armor (SU) - DEX
Armor (RW Belt) - HR, then DEX
Jewelry (Rings) - Mana regen, Flat DR, MF
Orb - FCR

*SU MO recommendations are still being tested. Orb SUs at your own risk.

GEAR - (CHEAPER ALT SETUP)

► expand

Weapon

Shark (Xis)

Shark
Weapons
'TaXis'
Runeword Level: 120
1% Chance to cast level 31 Bloodlust on Kill
+(60 to 100)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
40% Attack Speed
+200% Enhanced Damage
+2 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+5 to all Attributes
-500 to Mana
Cannot be Unsocketed

in a Sacred Warp Blade

Armor

Curandera

Curandera
Sorceress Body Armors
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 61
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(58 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+1 Life Regenerated per Second (Based on Character Level)
Regenerate Mana +5%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%
Physical Resist (16 to 20)%

->

Rebel (Xis)

Rebel
Body Armors
'ElXis'
Runeword Level: 120
Enhanced Weapon Damage +200%
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(151 to 200) to Strength
+(151 to 200) to Dexterity
-75 to Vitality
-75 to Energy
Elemental Resists +(60 to 80)%
+1 to Light Radius
Cannot be Unsocketed

* in Sacred Ceremonial Armor

Shield
Abandoned-craft/Abandoned-bless Spiked Shield with +2% CtB and at least 5% Phys Res (can go as high as 10%)

Helm

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

->

Royal Circlet

Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)
Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+150% Damage to Demons
+150% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

Belt

Nero

Nero
Belts
'Auhe'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 14 Fortress on Melee Attack
Adds 7-25 damage
+150% Damage to Demons
Adds 125-250 fire damage
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
2% Deadly Strike
+(7 to 12) to Path of Flames
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense

in a Sacred Sash (later, a Sacred Plated Belt)

Gloves

Hammerfist

Hammerfist
Gauntlets (Sacred)
Defense: (1227 - 1450) to (1436 - 1697)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 574
Item Level: 105
Adds (1 to 15)-(20 to 30) damage
5% Life stolen per Hit
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(15 to 25) to Spiral Dance
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(50 to 100)%
+(120 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
Elemental Resists +15%
Socketed (4)

Boots

Wind Runner

Wind Runner
Boots
'EaEaEaEa'
Runeword Level: 100
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
35% Attack Speed
10% Movement Speed
Adds 37-70 damage
250% Bonus to Attack Rating
(10 to 15)% Life stolen per Hit
+(171 to 200)% Enhanced Defense

in Sacred Boots (later, Sacred Greaves)

Amulet

Teganze Pendant

Teganze Pendant
Amulet
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 70
+1 to All Skills
+10% to Fire Spell Damage
+10% to Lightning Spell Damage
+10% to Cold Spell Damage
Maximum Life (10 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (20 to 30)%
Elemental Resists +10%
+(25 to 75) Mana after each Kill

->

Dyers Eve

Dyers Eve
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
5% Chance to cast level 5 Time Strike on Striking
+2 to All Skills
Adds 15-20 damage
5% Life stolen per Hit
Elemental Resists +10%
Physical Resist (1 to 10)%

->

Beads of the Snake Queen

Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 damage
Stun Attack
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+(200 to 500) Defense
+100 Life after each Kill

Rings

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 7 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

x2 with +5% All Attributes ->

Empyrean Glory

Empyrean Glory
Ring (Sacred)
Required Level: 50
Item Level: 120
1% Chance to cast level 26 Singularity on Kill
(6 to 10)% to All Attributes
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 15%
15% Gold Find

x2

On Switch

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

in a T4 or Sacred Jared’s Stone (pair with a crafted +CtB/Phys Res Spiked or Bone Shield)

Socket Fillers
Weapon - Ber-crafted jewels with +2% DEX and IAS
Armor (RW) - Ber-crafted jewels with +2% DEX and HR
Armor - Perfect Amethysts/Io Runes
Shield - Perfect Res Gems (as needed) -> Io Runes

Mystic Orbs**
Weapon - EWD or DS (add only after the RW is made)
Armor (SU) - DEX
Armor (RW Body Armor) - TBA
Armor (RW Boots) - DEX, then HR (as needed)
Armor (RW Belt) - HR, then DEX
Armor (Shield) - DEX
Armor (Honorifics) - DEX, Life regen, Weapon Damage, TCD. Then HR (as needed) or MF
Jewelry (Rings) - Mana regen, Flat DR, MF
Orb - FCR

*Upgrade to Rebel (Xis) before Xazax.
**Xis RW MO recommendations are still being tested.

GEAR - (SUPPLEMENTAL)

► expand

Supplemental gear that will make certain Ubers a bit easier.

Aidan's Lament

Aidan's Lament
Crown (Sacred)
Defense: (3753 - 4493) to (5603 - 6422)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 303
Item Level: 105
Indestructible
+(100 to 200)% Damage to Demons
+(100 to 200)% Damage to Undead
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
+(120 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(500 to 2000) Defense
Maximum Lightning Resist +2%
5% Reanimate as: Flesh Beast
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

,

The Endless Loop

The Endless Loop
Light Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 1101 to 1143
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 490
Item Level: 105
40% Combat Speeds
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
Slow Target 10%
+50 to all Attributes
+50 Life Regenerated per Second
+(0 to 1) Mana on Striking
Socketed (2)

, or

Akarat's Trek

Akarat's Trek
Light Plated Boots (Sacred)
Defense: (1960 - 2352) to (2170 - 2604)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 561
Item Level: 120
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Hammer Nova on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Wave on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Hammertime on Melee Attack
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(15 to 20) to Charged Strike
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(100 to 150)%
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
10% to All Attributes
+10 to Light Radius
Socketed (4)

(Charged Strike oskill for Astrogha. Only 1 source is needed)

Starhawk

Starhawk
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
67% of Dexterity Added as Tri-Elemental Damage to Weapon
25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
+(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
Adds 800-1000 magic damage
Adds 800-1000 fire damage
Adds 800-1000 lightning damage
Adds 800-1000 cold damage
-(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
10% Chance to Avoid Damage
Socketed (6)

+

Trang-Oul's Breath

Trang-Oul's Breath
Mask (Sacred)
Defense: 940 to 1004
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 540
Item Level: 105
Frozen Breath: Halved Freeze Duration
+(0 to 2) to All Skills
-(11 to 25)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(11 to 25)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(11 to 30)% to Physical/Magic Spell Damage
+(11 to 25) to Frozen Breath (Paladin Only)
+(11 to 25) to Drakemaw (Paladin Only)
+500 to Mana
Maximum Fire Resist +(0 to 2)%
Maximum Cold Resist +(0 to 2)%
Socketed (4)

(for Elemental Spirits if using a Phys-based setup)

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Klaatu Barada Nikto
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
10% Chance to cast level 40 Nova Bomb on Melee Attack
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
Adds 1-375 lightning damage
+650 poison damage over 2 seconds
Stun Attack
+(11 to 16) to Hive
Lightning Resist +(40 to 50)%
Poison Resist +(40 to 50)%
50% Enhanced Damage vs. Necrobots

(helps with Necrobots in Fauzt if using a Phys-based setup)

WALKTHROUGH

► CLVL 120, PART II

With some gear upgrades, you’ll have an easier time finishing up the 120 Ubers.

Judgment Day, Part 2 (Act 4)
Kabraxis (Act 1)
Kingdom of Shadow (Act 3)
Eve of Destruction (Act 5)

► CLVL 125

Toraja (Act 3)

Farm Toraja for an Auhe Rune to make

Nero

Nero
Belts
'Auhe'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 14 Fortress on Melee Attack
Adds 7-25 damage
+150% Damage to Demons
Adds 125-250 fire damage
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
2% Deadly Strike
+(7 to 12) to Path of Flames
+(115 to 143)% Enhanced Defense

. The Fortress proc and Path of Flames oskill will be incredibly helpful.

Vizjun (Act 3)
Astrogha (Act 3)
Belial (Act 4)
Zorun Tzin (Act 3)*
Yshari Sanctum (Act 3)
Nymyr’s Light (Act 3)*

Fauztinville is locked behind the Elemental Spirits. If using a Phys-based setup, you’ll need

Starhawk

Starhawk
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
67% of Dexterity Added as Tri-Elemental Damage to Weapon
25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
+(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
Adds 800-1000 magic damage
Adds 800-1000 fire damage
Adds 800-1000 lightning damage
Adds 800-1000 cold damage
-(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
10% Chance to Avoid Damage
Socketed (6)

before you can attempt Fauztinville and Bremmtown. Do more Dunc farming or just trade for it.

Fauztinville (Act 5)
Ghosts of Old Bremmtown (Act 5, clvl 125)
Xazax (Act 2)

From here on, XP farming spots will be Fauztinville, Bremmtown, Vizjun, Toraja, and Duncraig. It’s recommended you just stick to areas that are easy to clear and/or have a decent chance to drop whatever gear you still need.

► CLVL 130

Nephalem’s Sacrifice (Act 4)
Archbishop Lazarus (Act 3)*
The Void (Act 4)*

► CLVL 135

Herald of the End (Act 5)*

*Zorun Tzin, Nymyr’s Light, Archbishop Lazarus, The Void, and Herald of the End probably won't have full write-ups. Reasons will be given in their respective sections.

[Solfege]

For this guide, Uberquests are grouped into 3 tiers, and ranked depending on gear requirements, number of Signets of Learning needed, and the amount of strategy/player skill necessary to complete them. They are listed in Documentation order.

Note:
Uberquest difficulty colors in the guide still need to be reworked. Don’t rely on them yet.

Easy

• Gear: Early Game gear, with some Mid-Game upgrades recommended
• Signets of Learning: 0
• Strategy/Player Skill: Low

Medium

• Gear: Mid-Game gear, with some End-Game upgrades recommended
• Signets of Learning: 150-300 recommended
• Strategy/Player Skill: Medium

Hard

• Gear: Full End-Game or other specific gear
• Signets of Learning: 400 recommended
• Strategy/Player Skill: High

This symbol indicates an Uberquest has a corresponding Trophy.

DUNGEON

Horror Under Tristram - clvl 105, 20 second lockout

► More Info

Location: Act 1 -> Tristram -> The Butcher's Lair (inside the large, burning house near the SW part of the map)
Reward:

The Butcher's Tooth

The Butcher's Tooth
Required Level: 105
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+10 to all Attributes
20% Magic Find
+1 to Light Radius

The Butcher hits like a tank and is just as hearty (he’ll basically 1-shot you if his blow connects). He also gets progressively faster the more damage he takes. Each time he hits something, it will trigger the Sacrificial Shrines in the corners of the room to use Earthquake. Each hit will take about 40% of your Life.

Cast Firedance in the center of the room and just let your merc tank. Hit the Butcher with Fusillade when you can and dodge Earthquakes.

Infernal Machine - clvl 105

► More Info

Location: Act 1 -> Tamoe Highland -> The Pit -> Infernal Cave
Reward:

Optical Detector

Optical Detector
Required Level: 105
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+5% to Summoned Minion Resistances
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1
Elemental Resists +(11 to 15)%

Mana is going to be a problem here, so avoid using Mana Shield.

The Infernal Machine is located in the SW corner of the map and periodically spawns packs of Elite mobs. Most won't be a problem, but there are certain combinations that can be a pain (e.g. Unseelie Dames/Alpha Centaurs/Basilisks combined with Detonators/Firebloods/Stonehammer Demons).

Go in with all your Blade Spirits summoned and rush straight to the Machine. Once there, Blink to gather your minions, then cast Firedance and hit it with Fusillade. While you’re waiting for the CD timer to expire, start killing the monsters around you. Repeat. Resummon Blade Spirits as necessary.

Death Projector - clvl 105, 20 second lockout

► More info

Location: Act 3 -> Flayer Jungle -> Swampy Pit (Level 3) a.k.a. The Proving Grounds
Reward:

Laser Focus Crystal

Laser Focus Crystal
Required Level: 105
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Increase Maximum Life and Mana 10%
+(6 to 10)% to Experience Gained

The Death Projector is located near the center of the map. It constantly fires a clockwise-rotating beam that does moderate damage and is invulnerable unless at least 1 Death Mechanic is nearby. The Death Mechanics are slow, but they can’t be targeted or killed. Their attacks also do moderate damage, and their attack speed is faster than your hit recovery, so they can hit-lock.

You’re fast enough to avoid both the Projector’s beam and the Mechanics. So just cast Firedance near the Projector, then walk around in circles, hitting it with Fusillade.

The only variable mod on the Charm is the XP gain. It’s up to you whether you want to farm for a perfect version.

Assault on Mount Arreat - clvl 110, 120 second lockout

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Location: Act 5 -> Arreat Summit (kill Narthal to open a rift)
Reward:

Sacred Worldstone Key

Sacred Worldstone Key
Required Level: 110
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(41 to 50)%
Total Character Defense (21 to 30)%

Before you begin:
> Equip

Truce

Truce
Belts
'Vith'
Runeword Level: 98
-5% Cast Speed
-5% Attack Speed
Stun Attack
+10% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
Physical Resist 10%
Slows Attacker by 5%

Similar to the Binding of Baal Uberquest, except a Diablo morph is applied and the Bear Shaman deal Phys damage rather than Elemental damage.

The Diablo morph moves slower than the Baal morph, but it’s attack speed is much faster. However, your hit-recovery is still atrocious under the morph, so you’ll spend roughly have the time hit-locked. Be ready to heal.

Essentially, you can just use the Tal Rasha strategy. Walk the perimeter, raise Firedances, and thin out the mobs Fusillade. Engage in melee only when you have Bear Shaman singled out.

King Koth isn’t immune, but he spams Guard Towers, so it’s best to kill all the Shaman first anyway.

Eventually, you'll want to farm for a perfect version of this Charm, but only when you have better gear than Tus.

The Binding of Baal - clvl 110

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Location: Act 2 -> Canyon of the Magi -> Tal Rasha's Tomb (kill Zoltun Kulle to open the rift)
Reward:

Scroll of Kings

Scroll of Kings
Required Level: 110
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(8 to 10)% to Spell Damage
(16 to 20)% to All Attributes

Don’t use Mana Shield or Blade Spirits here (summons will trigger Mages to spam their spells).

When you enter the portal, a Baal morph is applied. It's movement speed is fast, but its attack, cast, and hit recovery speeds are painfully slow.

You'll also be dropped right in the middle of a legion of Horaric Mages, whose spells deal F/C/L damage. But you’ll be mostly fine with 75%+ F/C/L res. The fiery Elemental is the only spell you really have to worry about. It multi-hits, so it can hit-lock you.

Because the Baal morph has such terrible stats, just dodge spells and plant Fusillades into packs of Mages.

Once all the Mages are dead, Tal Rasha will become vulnerable. He’s fast and teleports a lot, but you can kill him as you would any other enemy.

Eventually, you'll want to farm for a +20% All Attributes version of the Charm.

Akarat - clvl 110

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Location: Act 3 Town -> Torajan Jungles (rift in the east corner of town) -> Northernmost part of the Jungle
Reward:

Visions of Akarat

Visions of Akarat
Required Level: 110
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(201 to 250) Defense
+(21 to 25) to all Attributes

Akarat is immune to all damage, but will lose his immunity temporarily when he’s hit by the nova emitted from a Follower of Akarat’s death. When you reach his location, cast Firedance, then start killing followers with Bladestorm. Hit Akarat with Fusillade when you have a clear shot. If he survives and regains his shield, lead him to more followers and try again.

You’ll want to farm for a +25 All Attributes version of the Charm, as well as the Trophy, which adds +5% Max Life/Mana.

Lord Aldric Jitan - clvl 110

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Location: Act 3 Town -> Torajan Jungles (rift in the east corner of town) -> Go north, then west after entering the Jungle
Reward:

Moon of the Spider

Moon of the Spider
Required Level: 110
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(21 to 25) Energy Factor to Spell Damage
+1 to Jitan's Gate
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1
Half Freeze Duration

As you approach Jitan's location, you'll notice Rakkis Guardsmen mixed with the regular mobs. Their tir-Elemental melee attacks hit hard and they spam a rapid-fire Fortress that can hit-lock you. Draw them back and kill them 1x1 with Fusillade. Kill as many as you can before fighting Jitan.

Jitan himself is basically a souped-up Guardsman that also uses Pestilence. He’s extremely dangerous. Don’t fight him in an open area. Try to keep him in the corridor leading up to his location so you can duck behind trees to avoid his Fortress, Use the same strategy as you used with his Guardsmen.

There's no need to farm for a perfect version of the Charm, but the Trophy adds +25% EWD, which is worth getting.

Horazon's Sanctum - clvl 110, 20 second lockout

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Location: Act 3 -> Lower Kurast (kill the Vizier at the entrance to open a rift) -> Caldeum -> Dimensional Sanctum (SE part of Caldeum)
Reward:

Horazon's Focus

Horazon's Focus
Required Level: 110
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
(3 to 5)% Mana stolen per Hit
(3 to 5)% Life stolen per Hit
-50 Defense
+(21 to 25) to all Attributes

The Creature flits around, casting spells and summoning gates, from which monsters spawn. The spells to low to moderate damage and the gates can be destroyed, so the fight isn’t too difficult. Try to trap the Creature in a corner so you can Fusillade it. Destroy gates as needed.

The Black Road - clvl 115

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Location: Act 1 -> Rogue Encampment -> Warriv’s Caravan -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten
Reward:

The Black Road

The Black Road
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Unlocks your Black Road Skill
+150 to Life
+150 to Mana

Before you begin:
> Stack as much Fire res as you can.

The Possessed Cultists aren’t too dangerous on their own, but the rate at which they spam their attacks can be a problem. Kill them all just so they don’t get in your way.

Buyard Cholik is located at the back of the Church. He attacks with Fire spells, summons Cultists, and uses Thundergod when low on Life. He’s also immune to all damage.

The trick is to lead him inside the fire circle, at which point, he becomes vulnerable (just stand inside it and he’ll come after you). Once he’s inside, cast Firedance and immediately start attacking to hold him in place. He’ll summon a massive number of Cultists and the circle will fill up with fire. Ignore it all. Your regen+sustain will generally be enough to keep you alive, but be ready to eat a moon cookie if your Life drops below half.

Legacy of Blood - clvl 115, 20 second lockout

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Location: Act 3 -> Torajan Jungles -> Chamber of Blood (SE corner of the Jungles)
Reward:

Legacy of Blood

Legacy of Blood
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
(3 to 5)% Mana stolen per Hit
(3 to 5)% Life stolen per Hit
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1

Before you begin:
> Equip Truce.
> Stack as much Fire res as you can.

Blood Golems are immune to all damage, but lose their shields for a second when they attack. Their main attacks can do a lot of damage due to shear volume, but high Phys res will help protect you. They also cast a powerful Immolation Bomb on-death. High Fire res can help, but don’t try to tank the whole thing. Additionally, Immolation Bomb always spawns at your feet, no matter where a Golem dies and no matter if it’s killed by you or a minion. Always keep moving.

Bartuc is immune as well, and loses his shield temporarily each time he uses Wychwind. He'll also keep summoning more Blood Golems.

This is kind of hit-or-miss as a melee build.

The moment you enter, debuff the room with Force Blast, and rush straight to Bartuc. Hit him with Fusillade, then retreat. If the first one doesn’t kill him, dodge Golems’ attacks until its CD timer expires and try again. If the area gets too full of Golems, just remake the game. It’s easier than trying to kill a room full of Golems.

Farm for a perfect version of the Charm when you farm for the Trophy, which adds +15% TCD.

Rathma Square - clvl 115

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Location: Act 3 -> Lower Kurast (kill the Vizier at the entrance to open a rift) -> Caldeum -> Rathma Square (SW corner of Caldeum)
Reward:

Spirit Trance Herb

Spirit Trance Herb
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
10% Cast Speed
10% Attack Speed
(21 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(2 to 4) Life Regenerated per Second

Before you begin:
> Equip Truce.

Similar to Legacy of Blood, except Gore Crawlers respawn after 10 seconds rather than more being summoned. They use use the same attack as Blood Golems, so use the same strat of high Phys Res + Force Blast.

Primus is fast, debuffs you with Chronofield (lowering your Phys Res and slowing you), and his Bladestorm hits hard.

Don’t bother trying to clear the map. Just kill as many Gore Crawlers as you can on your way to Primus. When you find him, debuff him with Force Blast, cast Firedance, hit him with Fusillade, and spam him with Bladestorm. Retreat as needed to heal and kill Gore Crawlers that respawn.

Farm for a Charm with at least +100% AR. The Trophy adds +10% Uninterruptible Attack, which is helpful, but not necessary.

The Veiled Prophet - clvl 115, 30 second lockout

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Location: Act 4 -> Plains of Despair (kill Izual to open a rift) -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City -> Library of Fate (west corridor of the city) -> Cathedral of Vanity (NE corner of the Library)
Reward:

Idol of Vanity

Idol of Vanity
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
15% Combat Speeds
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1

Before you begin:
> Summon all your Blade Spirits before entering.

Immediately upon entering, debuff the room with Force Blast and stay near the entrance (debuffed Nuns of Vanity are practically harmless).

When you enter the portal, you’ll be swarmed by Nuns of Vanity who are immune to all damage. A few seconds later, the Crystal Ball Totem in the center of the room will fire off a multi-directional Mind Flay that does a lot of damage. However, the pillar directly in front of you will block the beam.

Immediately debuff the Nuns with Force Blast upon entering. Then wait near the entrance for Mind Flay to stop. Once it does, rush to the Totem and cast Firedance. Hit it with Fusillade and Bladestorm. Destroying the Totem will make the enemies here vulnerable and release Inarius. Inarius spams Guard Towers and his Abyss is practically insta-death. So the second you destroy the Totem, retreat to the entrance to avoid being instagibbed. Kill the Nuns. When you see Inarius, debuff him and spam him with Blade Spirits to prevent him from using Abyss. From here, you can kill him with Fusillade while dodging Guard Towers. Resummon as-needed.

Additionally, there are 2 casters in the lower left and right corners of the room. Their Mind Flay isn’t really a problem, but you’ll be under the Doom curse the whole time, so their Shuriken Flurry can kill you in seconds. Avoid that part of the map.

Heart of Sin - clvl 115

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Location: Act 4 -> Chaos Sanctuary (kill Ghom, then use the Key of Sin to open a rift. The key can be used anywhere.)
Reward:

Azmodan's Heart

Azmodan's Heart
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
-5% to All Vendor Prices

Before you begin:
> Have as much Fire res as you can.

The Elite mobs here aren't much of a problem with high Fire res. But there are untargetable/unkillable Firebloods here that can still do decent damage.

Azmodan himself is located in a small area across a long causeway in the SW corner of the map. He has a large Life pool, uses Flamestrike from a distance, and fills the screen with fire mines. He also summons untargetable Balrogs, but they die on their own after a short time.

When you reach Azmodan, cast Firedance, activate Moonstrike, and hit him with Fusillade. You can melee him with Bladestorm for a short time, but retreat when he throws mines or there are Firebloods nearby. Walk a small circuit around the upper part of his area. By the time you reach him again, Fusillade's CD timer will have expired and you can hit him again. Heal as needed and repeat until success.

If using Mana Shield, the mines will drain your Mana quickly and likely break your shield. Recast as-needed.

The res bonus is the only variable mod on the Charm, so there's no need to farm for a perfect version. The Trophy adds +150 Life/Mana, which is helpful.

The Twin Seas - clvl 120

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Location: Act 2 -> Halls of the Dead (level 3) -> Tran Athulua (kill Kethreys to open a rift) -> Island of Skartara (northern part of TA) -> Heart of Skartara (small platform in the northern part of the Isle. Use the Askari Scroll there to summon her)
Reward:

Weather Control

Weather Control
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Jitan's Gate Cooldown Reduced by 1 seconds
(2 to 5)% Innate Elemental Damage
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1
+10 to all Attributes

, Deity’s Bow (20% chance to drop)

Before you begin:
> Have at least 109% HR to hit the 5 fpa BP.
> Have plenty of healing items on-hand.
> Requires an Askari Scroll

Pirates of the Twin Seas are scattered across the Isle. They’re not dangerous, but kill any you meet along the way so they don’t interfere with your fight.

Once you summon Athulua, be ready for one of the most obnoxious fights in the game.

You’ll be under constant attack from Guided Arrows, so always be moving in non-linear patterns (i.e. circles and arcs). Most of Athulua’s attacks are designed to pester you and slowly whittle away your Life and your patience, but stay away from Tantrum (the small dust cloud that surrounds her). It will kill you fast if you try to tank it. Try to keep her debuffed with Force Blast at all times.

Ideally, you’ll want to stay far enough away from Athulua to avoid Tantrum, but close enough to reduce her chance of using Sky Siege. Try to keep her inside your Firedance circle and just hit her with Fusillade. Just know that you may have to cast it multiple times before it will activate. Her Guided Arrows stun, so they can easily stun-lock you to death.

Eve of Destruction - clvl 120, 20 minute lockout

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Location: Act 5 -> Worldstone Keep
Reward:

Spirit of Creation

Spirit of Creation
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Maximum Skill Level Increased by 1
+25 to Strength
Maximum Mana (1 to 5)%
Regenerate Mana +10%
Elemental Resists +(1 to 10)%

Before you begin:
> Fill your entire inventory with healing items (Healing pots and moon cookies) so you don’t have to go back to town once you enter the Worldstone Chamber.
> Don’t use Mana Shield.
> Don’t use any minions (except Familiar)

The fight is essentially the same as Normal and Nightmare, except Baal has insane Life+defensive bonuses. However, Baal will also summon Minions of Destruction. These obnoxious little bastards deal decent damage, will constantly Pounce on you, and inflict Slow. Afaik, the rate at which he summons Minions is dependent on the number of “players” in the area at the time the fight begins, which is why you’re not using minions (they won’t last long anyway).

For the main fight, lure Baal into your Firedance circles and lead him through Fusillades. Activate Moonstrike when you can and melee when you feel confident. When Minions appear, teleport as far away from Baal as you can so you can kill them without him interfering. Also do this when you need to refill your belt with healing items.

You’ll need high damage output to do this in a reasonable time. So if you can’t do it in under 20 minutes, come back when you have more Charms and better gear.

The Charm is not a guaranteed drop.

Quov Tsin - clvl 120

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Location: Act 3 -> Lower Kurast -> Caldeum (kill the Vizier at the entrance to Lower Kurast to open a rift) -> Vizjerei Temple (NE corner of Caldeum, kill Kentril Dumon to open a rift)
Reward:

Silver Seal of Ureh

Silver Seal of Ureh
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(21 to 30) Energy Factor to Spell Damage
+1 to All Skills
+(21 to 25)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(11 to 15)% to Summoned Minion Resistances
+(11 to 20) to Strength
+(11 to 20) to Dexterity
+(11 to 20) to Vitality
+(11 to 20) to Energy

Before you begin:
> Have as much Max F/C/L res as you can.
> Have your jewelry orbed with 5x flat DR each (if using Empyrean Bands+Teganze Pendant, this should already be done).
> Make

Mirage

Mirage
Body Armors
'Zod'
Runeword Level: 69
+1 to All Skills
30% Cast Speed
30% Attack Speed
5% Movement Speed
Elemental Resists +(51 to 60)%
Physical Damage Reduced by (31 to 40)
Slows Attacker by (13 to 17)%

in any Body Armor. Orb with DEX, Life regen, and Weapon Damage.
> Make

Craton

Craton
Boots
'Cham'
Runeword Level: 67
3% Chance to cast level 7 Shower of Rocks on Melee Attack
3% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(21 to 25) to Strength
+(21 to 25) to Dexterity
+(31 to 35) to Vitality
+(21 to 25) to Energy
Physical Damage Reduced by (16 to 20)
(11 to 20)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
Total Character Defense (31 to 40)%

in any Boots (just in case you need more flat Phys Res). Orb with DEX, Life regen, and Weapon Damage.
> Make

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Large Shield (4)
Defense: 85 to 162
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 45
Item Level: 6
+(21 to 30) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(6 to 10)%
Cold Absorb 1%
Lightning Absorb 1%
Fire Absorb 1%
(8 to 10)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(4 to 7)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: 240 to 405
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 32
Required Dexterity: 67
Item Level: 25
+(31 to 40) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(14 to 16)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(9 to 12)% Gold Find
(11 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: 501 to 817
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 68
Required Dexterity: 139
Item Level: 46
+(41 to 50) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(21 to 30)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(20 to 22)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(14 to 17)% Gold Find
(21 to 30)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: 684 to 1113
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 141
Required Dexterity: 288
Item Level: 80
+(51 to 60) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Cold Absorb 3%
Lightning Absorb 3%
Fire Absorb 3%
(23 to 25)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(17 to 19)% Gold Find
(31 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

(T4). Orb with DEX, Life regen, and Weapon Damage. Socket with Io Runes (or Ko Runes if you need more STR to equip gear).
> Have

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

.
> Don't use Mana Shield.
> Ideally, you want the

Soul of Kabraxis

Soul of Kabraxis
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to All Skills
Maximum Fire Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Lightning Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Cold Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Poison Resist +(1 to 3)%

Charm, but you can do this without it.

Before facing Quov Tsin, you’ll need to go through Gorst and his minions, and Kentril Dumon.

Gorst and his adds are just run-of-the-mill Goliaths that spam Guard Towers, but they’re easy to kill. They can also be skipped entirely. When you get to Kentril Dumon, just rush him and hit him with Fusillade, then retreat to avoid his on-death Trinity Nova.

Once Kentril Dumon is dead, swap out your gear for the setup listed above.

Quov Tsin spams Trinity Beam, a tri-elemental deathbeam that deals heavy F/C/L damage and some Physical damage. 90% F/C/L res and 150 flat Phys Res will essentially make you immune. He also uses a hard-hitting Hive and a slow-moving Bone Spear nova that will take half your Life per hit. On top of that, he Blinks when struck and has Soul Stealer, which heals 7% of his max Life whenever he kills you. Finally, he has high Phys Res.

Since you’re unlikely to have the required Elemental+flat Phys Res to make you immune, you’ll need to use the Totem pillars in the center of the arena as cover. Walk in non-linear patterns (circles and arcs) to get just close enough to use Fusillade, then retreat until its CD timer expires (feel free to sprint. Defense+CtB are irrelevant). Repeat until success and heal as necessary. The recommended gear, plus Living Flame, will generally give you plenty of time to attack and retreat to a safe place to heal. But if Quov Tsin ever holes up in a place where you have to run directly at him (e.g. corners or near either portal), drink a Health pot before moving in. The extra regen will help.

A high DEX roll is the most important mod on the Charm. The Trophy's +8% Spell Damage isn't worth it unless you’re building an Elemental proc-based Melee Sorc.

Judgment Day - clvl 120, 20 second lockout

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Location: Act 4 -> Plains of Despair (kill Izual to open a rift) -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City (Waypoint Location) -> Silver Spire (east side of the City) -> Crystal Arch -> Pools of Wisdom (Malthael) and Halls of Valor (Imperius)
Reward:

Crystalline Flame Medallion

Crystalline Flame Medallion
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to Summon Edyrem
Cold Absorb 5%
Lightning Absorb 5%
Fire Absorb 5%
Cube after Killing Imperius and Malthael
(Max: 1 minute from each other)

In both areas, you’ll encounter untargetable, unkillable Edyrem. They’re little more than a nuisance in small numbers, but Imperius and Malthael will summon more as each fight drags on. You’ll want to kill the bosses as quickly as possible.

Pools of Wisdom (Malthael):
Malthael uses a PsiCrown-like spell that fires numerous homing missiles that do minor damage, but are difficult to dodge. He also occasionally uses Punisher. His Edyrem use Tremor (which reduces your Life by a percentage) and Deathstrike (which will take 90% of your Life if you try and tank it).

Halls of Valor (Imperius):
Imperius uses the same PsiCrown-like spell, but he also casts MIRV, which will essentially 1-shot you if you try to tank it. His Edyrem use Tremor and Frozen Breath (a Cold spell that does minor to moderate damage). Imperius also tends to summon Edyrem much more often than Malthael.

Judgment Day, Part 1
Malthael is slightly less obnoxious, so just focus on killing him. When you enter, rush him, cast Firedance, and hit him with Fusillade. You can melee if you want, but immediately drink a Healing pot and eat a moon cookie if you get poisoned.

Judgment Day, Part 2
For this, you need to kill both Imperius and Malthael within 60 seconds of each other, then cube your CFM. Ideally, you’ll want enough damage to be able to 1-shot each boss with Fusillade. Since Imperius is the more difficult of the two, kill him first, then kill Malthael. After Imperius is dead, you may need to lead all the Edyrem he’s summoned onto a platform so you can walk across the narrow bridge back to the portal.

The Trophy adds a nice +5% All Attributes.

Banisher of Light - clvl 120

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Location: Act 1 Town -> Warriv’s Caravan -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten (kill Buyard Cholik to open a rift) -> Path to Enlightenment
Reward:

Soul of Kabraxis

Soul of Kabraxis
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to All Skills
Maximum Fire Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Lightning Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Cold Resist +(1 to 3)%
Maximum Poison Resist +(1 to 3)%

Before you begin:
> Have as much Poison and Fire res as possible (Equip

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Large Shield (4)
Defense: 85 to 162
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 45
Item Level: 6
+(21 to 30) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(6 to 10)%
Cold Absorb 1%
Lightning Absorb 1%
Fire Absorb 1%
(8 to 10)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(4 to 7)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: 240 to 405
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 32
Required Dexterity: 67
Item Level: 25
+(31 to 40) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(14 to 16)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(9 to 12)% Gold Find
(11 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: 501 to 817
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 68
Required Dexterity: 139
Item Level: 46
+(41 to 50) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(21 to 30)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(20 to 22)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(14 to 17)% Gold Find
(21 to 30)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: 684 to 1113
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 141
Required Dexterity: 288
Item Level: 80
+(51 to 60) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Cold Absorb 3%
Lightning Absorb 3%
Fire Absorb 3%
(23 to 25)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(17 to 19)% Gold Find
(31 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

to help).

Kill all the Shadow Selves in the area, but stay away from the center of the room where the Pillar is. When it's AI activates, it will use Graveyard to periodically shoot Punishers at you. Once the area is clear, destroy the Pillar with Fusillade and retreat (it casts Trinity Nova on-death).

With the Pillar destroyed, Kabraxis will be released.

The most important things are to dodge his attacks and not die. His Whirlpool and Balefire are manageable if you don’t try to tank them. But his Flamestrike does insane damage and will hit-lock you to death. There’s not much you can do about Punisher Barrage. Additionally, Kabraxis has the Soul Stealer ability, which heals 7% of his Max Life each time he kills you (and he will kill you).

Let him teleport on you, then immediately cast Firedance and step back to just outside his Whirlpool range. The Firedance circle will serve as the perimeter of the arena. Staying within this circle will help keep you out of harm’s way and help reduce the chance of Kabraxis teleporting. It will also make Balefire easier to dodge. Basically, all you're going to do is run back and forth near the edge of your Firedance (or in circles around him). Then, get just close enough to Fusillade him before stepping back again. Drink a Healing pot if you get poisoned. Eat a moon cookie if you're hit by Balefire. Use Shadow Selves to activate Moonstrike if you want. Otherwise, ignore them. TP to town when you run low on healing items.

Kingdom of Shadow - clvl 120, 90 second lockout

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Lower Kurast (kill the Vizier to open a rift) -> Caldeum -> Vizjerei Temple (NE corner. Kill Kentil Dumon to open a rift) -> Ruins of Ureh (rift is on the opposite end of the Temple) -> Ruins of Ureh -> Kingdom of Shadow
Reward:

Eternal Bone Pile

Eternal Bone Pile
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(1 to 2) to Amazon Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Assassin Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Barbarian Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Necromancer Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Paladin Skill Levels
+(1 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
10% Movement Speed

Before you begin:
> To make it to the other side of the Vizjerei Temple alive, start your sprint just before Quov Tsin’s Life bar pops up on screen.
> Have as much Max Poison res as possible.
> Have

Kabbalah

Kabbalah
Sorceress Orbs
'Kur'
Runeword Level: 78
+3 to Sorceress Skill Levels
1% Base Block Chance
+(16 to 20)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Divine Apparition
20% to Energy
Maximum Mana 3%
+(2 to 4)% to Experience Gained

and a 6-socket Shield equipped on-switch (your old TU Spiked Shield is fine, but an Abandoned-craft with CtB and Phys Res is recommended). Fill the Shield with Io Runes for higher CtB.

Note:
The entrance to the Kingdom of Shadow spawns in random locations, but the banner near Quov Tsin's hut will point you in the general direction of the Kingdon’s entrance.

This Uber is about 3 things: dodging, not panicking, and luck.

The Kingdom is a large, open level filled mostly with untargetable, unkillable zombie Citizens. A few Dark Wardens and Punishment Turrets are scattered about for good measure. Ignore it all and rush straight to the boss. To make this easier, enter the level using your on-switch Orb+Shield until you reach Juris Khan. This way, you can quickly teleport over walls or away from Citizens when it looks like you’re about to be surrounded.

At the western part of the map are 2 long, narrow causeways. Follow the one on the right to reach Juris Khan. When you get near his location, gather up as many Citizens as you can and lead them away. Go back Juris Khan, cast Firedance, and hope you can kill him before he summons too many Citizens.

Actually being able to pickup the Charm is the hardest part of this Uber. You’ll likely have to do a lot of teleporting and Citizen herding before it’s possible. Use Blade Spirits to help you with this.

The Fusillade nerf in 1.1 really hurts here. If you can’t 1-shot Juris Khan, just skip this place until you can.

Ideally, you want a Charm with +2 Sorc Skills.

Lord of Lies - clvl 125, 20 second lockout

► more info

Location: Act 4 -> Chaos Sanctuary (kill Magdha, then use the Key of Lies to open a rift) -> Realm of Lies
Reward:

The Book of Lies

The Book of Lies
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(100 to 500) to Life
+(100 to 500) to Mana

Belial is located in the eastern corner of the map. The enemies in the Realm won’t be a problem on their own, but they will interfere with your fight. Kill them all on your way to Belial.

Belial will spawn with a number of illusions that all use the same sprite, but Belial himself is distinguishable by his purple aura. They all cast a number of spells, none of which are too dangerous on their own, but so many will be flying around that they can easily do significant damage if you’re hit by multiple spells at once (it’s similar to Umbaru Spirits’ projectiles in Teganze, except Belial uses AoE spells). So your better off just dodging what you can. Occasionally, Belial will morph into a tiny rat. When he does, he’ll summon more illusions. You’ll need to kill him quickly before you get overwhelmed.

I’ll be honest, I really don’t have a good strat because I can’t tell what’s going on during this fight. Whenever I managed to find the real Belial, I either just hit him with Fusillade, then dodged spells, or used Bladestorm when I had a few seconds to melee.

The Life/Mana mods on the Charm have a wide range, but anything above +300 Life is fine.

Ghosts of Old Bremmtown - clvl 125

► more info

Location: Through a rift in the SE corner of Fauztinville
Reward:

Dragon Claw

Dragon Claw
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(50 to 150) to Life
+(50 to 150) to Mana
Cube after Killing Dark Star Dragon in Under 1 Minute and 30 Seconds

Before you begin:
> Don't enter Bremmtown with any minions. There's a statue at the entrance that crumbles away once to enter, providing a buff to the character closest to it at the time. If a minion gets it instead of you, you won't be able to complete the upgrade during that game.

The level is filled with Howling Spirits that will pounce on you in groups from out of nowhere. Their hitboxes are incredibly small, so just holding RMB won’t work. You’ll need to target them manually. Their attacks generally won't connect, but when you hear the “Power Overwhelming” sound, get ready to heal. Any hits you take after that will do serious damage. Have Moonstrike active at all times.

The Dark Star Dragon is located in the SE corner of the level. It will summon more Howling Spirits and attack with Spinning Mind Flay. However, it’s weak and you’ll have no trouble killing it quickly.

Dragon Claw Upgrade:

If you manage to kill the Dragon within 1 minute, 30 seconds of entering the level, quickly cube the Charm to upgrade it. You have 30 seconds after killing the Dragon to complete the upgrade.

Yshari Sanctum - clvl 125, 12 minute lockout (Valthek fight only)

► more info

Location:
Reward:

The Ancient Repositories

The Ancient Repositories
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(0 to 1) to All Skills
(101 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(11 to 15)% to Spell Damage
(6 to 10)% Chance of Crushing Blow
Cold Resist +(5 to 20)%
Lightning Resist +(5 to 20)%
Fire Resist +(5 to 20)%

First, you must navigate a series of mazes to acquire 2 quest-specific Sets from 5 Mini-bosses. When you have all 10 Set pieces, you can face Valthek himself in the Yshari Sanctum.

Before you begin:
> Teleport does not work here--at all--not even to gather your minions.
> Have

Starhawk

Starhawk
Warp Blade (Sacred)
One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
(Sorceress Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 400
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
Area Effect Attack
67% of Dexterity Added as Tri-Elemental Damage to Weapon
25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
+(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
50% Attack Speed
Adds 800-1000 magic damage
Adds 800-1000 fire damage
Adds 800-1000 lightning damage
Adds 800-1000 cold damage
-(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
10% Chance to Avoid Damage
Socketed (6)

on-switch.
> Keep a TP open at all times, moving it occasionally as you progress.
> Whenever possible, clear all enemies from each Mini-boss' arena before fighting the Mini-boss.
> Yshari Set pieces cannot be repaired. If they break, you must find a new one.
> Spare Yshari Set pieces can be turned into SoL.
> Be prepared for a substantial time investment if this is your first time (roughly an hour).[/list]

Spectre of Hatred

Nothing here is a threat to you.

Dul'Mephistos (Mephisto)
Set Pieces: Bartuc's Blood - Mana Belt (belt), Tal Rasha's Talisman - Necklace (amulet)
Mephisto isn’t especially dangerous, but he’ll summon Veil Kings when you’re in melee range. Once you've killed all the enemies in his arena, just let him chase you around an lure him into your Fusillade.

Dream of Anguish

Like the first area, most things here aren't dangerous. But Giant Skeletons are tanky and use Graveyard, a Poison attack that will quickly drain your Life.

Maiden of Anguish (Andariel)
Set Pieces: Quov Tsin's Crown - Sorcerer's Mask (helm), Deckard Cain's Gem - Arcane Seal (ring)
Andariel is fast and uses primarily Poison-based spells (especially Plague Avatar). However, once you’ve cleared her arena, you can just Bladestorm+Fusillade her without a problem.

Phantasm of Terror

Enemies are tougher here, but there are certain enemies to specifically watch out for:

• Iron Giants - use SoR, are Physical/Magic-immune, constantly spam Lifeblood, and will become invulnerable to all damage long enough for them to fully regen. Either use
  Starhawk

  

  Starhawk
  Warp Blade (Sacred)
  One-Hand Damage: 49 to 86
  (Sorceress Only)
  Required Level: 100
  Required Dexterity: 400
  Item Level: 105
  Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.21 per Dexterity)%
  Area Effect Attack
  67% of Dexterity Added as Tri-Elemental Damage to Weapon
  25% Chance to cast level 50 Magic Missiles on Melee Attack
  +(3 to 5) to Sorceress Skill Levels
  50% Attack Speed
  Adds 800-1000 magic damage
  Adds 800-1000 fire damage
  Adds 800-1000 lightning damage
  Adds 800-1000 cold damage
  -(25 to 35)% to Enemy Elemental Resistances
  10% Chance to Avoid Damage
  Socketed (6)
  
  to kill them, or ignore them.
• Polar Worms - spawn a horde of Ice Clan on-death.
• Vulture Harpies - fast and can travel through some walls.
• Chimeras - use a number of different attack, but the only one you need to watch out for is Trinity Beam (Quov Tsin’s beam). It’s not as powerful, but will still do massive damage if you try to tank it.

Al'Diabalos (Diablo)
Set Pieces: Nor Tiraj's Safeguard - Divine Guard (shield), Warkeepers - Warkeepers (gloves)
Diablo summons Fireheart Totems, casts MIRV, uses a fiery blast spell, and has a devastating melee attack. Fireheart Totems can do a lot of damage in groups, but are easy to destroy. The arena size will make MIRV is easy to avoid. His fiery blast will do massive damage if you don’t move out of the way. His melee attack will instagib you. Since melee isn’t an option, you’ll basically use the same tactic you used with Mephisto: just walk around the arena leading Diablo into Fusillades.

Figment of Pain

Most things here won't be a threat. Lizard Kings will resurrect Lizardmen and Swampy Reptiles are tanky.

Lord of Pain (Duriel)
Set Pieces: Horazon's Guard - Mage's Plate (body armor), Radament's Greaves - Winged Feet (boots)
With the exception of using BPR's Hoof Stomp, Duriel is a pure melee fighter--and he hits hard. He also becomes immune to all damage for a short time whenever he hits something. Even debuffed with Force Blast, melee still isn’t recommended. Just lure him into Fusillades.

Snare of Destruction

The most dangerous area here. Enemies to watch out for:

• Red Armed Soldiers - use a hard-hitting long-range AoE attack when you’re outside melee range. Close the distance quickly or debuff them with Force Blast.
• Giant Hunters - incredibly tanky.
• Celestial Descendants - use Stormcrows and Elemental attacks, the most dangerous of which is their Poison hit.
  
  Tor'Baalos (Baal)
  Set Pieces: Valthek's Blade - Mystical Blade (weapon), Jered Cain's Diamond - Arcane Seal (ring)
  Baal is fast, uses Fortress, and summons RC-2 Heavy Drones. None of this is dangerous to you, but Baal can be hard to hit with Fusillade. Try to trap him in a corner.
  
  
  
  Yshari Sanctum
  
  Valthek
  
  Before you begin:
  > You need both Horadrim and Vizjerei Sets equipped to be able to damage anything here.
  > You can only use the spells from the Sets when a Godsman Guard is nearby. An icon will appear under your character indicating when you're close enough to a Godsman Guard to use the spells.
  > The belt only displays 4 slots, but you still have access to all 16.
  > Since the Vizjerei Set reduces your defense to 0, so don’t be afraid to sprint if you need to.
  > You can use all the Set-granted spells with Baneblade active, so keep it active for the speed boost.
  > You can teleport here.
  > Keep a TP open at all times in the corner of the map farthest from where your fighting Valthek. Move it to a different corner when he gets too close.
  
  Spells:
  > Arcane Blast: a multi-directional, auto-targeting spell similar to Tempest that is used to kill Godsman Guards.
  > Holybolt: a single, slow-moving ball of magic similar to Purify that is used to damage Valthek. It has a 5 second CD timer.
  > Iron Shield: grants you invulnerability similar to Sacred Armor. The effect lasts for 5 seconds, but there's a 20 second CD timer.
  
  Strat TBA

Xazax - clvl 125, 4 minute lockdown

► more info

Location: Act 2 -> Halls of the Dead (level 3) -> Tran Athulua -> Island of Skartara -> Heart of Skartara (NW part of the Island) -> Maggot Depths (SE corner of the Heart) -> Wretched Sands
Reward:

Xazax's Illusion

Xazax's Illusion
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(0 to 2) to Assassin Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Amazon Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Barbarian Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Paladin Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Necromancer Skill Levels
+(10 to 25) Life Regenerated per Second
Poison Resist +(26 to 50)%

, Ancient Book

Before you begin:
> Boost your Max Cold Res to 90%, and your Max Poison+Fire Res to at least 85%. Equip

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

and

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Large Shield (4)
Defense: 85 to 162
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 45
Item Level: 6
+(21 to 30) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(6 to 10)%
Cold Absorb 1%
Lightning Absorb 1%
Fire Absorb 1%
(8 to 10)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(4 to 7)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: 240 to 405
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 32
Required Dexterity: 67
Item Level: 25
+(31 to 40) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(14 to 16)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(9 to 12)% Gold Find
(11 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: 501 to 817
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 68
Required Dexterity: 139
Item Level: 46
+(41 to 50) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(21 to 30)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(20 to 22)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(14 to 17)% Gold Find
(21 to 30)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: 684 to 1113
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 141
Required Dexterity: 288
Item Level: 80
+(51 to 60) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Cold Absorb 3%
Lightning Absorb 3%
Fire Absorb 3%
(23 to 25)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(17 to 19)% Gold Find
(31 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

if needed.
> Don’t activate Nova Charge, Path of Flames, or Hive.
> Keep Mana Shield active.

Remember how much fun Astrogha was? Well this is essentially Astrogha, but with a lockout timer instead of an instagib. Xazax is a damage check. Unfortunately, your best DPS skill, Fusillade, is terrible here because Xazax has a high chance to teleport when struck (similar to Astrogha). Additionally, Charged Strike is worse than Bladestorm against him.

Xazax attacks with a Poison wave dealing moderate damage, a Meteor Shower (similar to Andariel) dealing heavy Fire damage that can hit-lock you, and a nova dealing heavy cold damage. Since you’re a melee build, the cold nova will be his most dangerous attack.

Xazax also summons Penitent regularly. They’re unkillable, but they are targetable, which further reduces Fusillade’s usefulness. They attack with Death Blossom, which does heavy damage, even with decent Fire res. Avoid it.

As with Astrogha, there’s no good way to do this. He’ll summon at least 1 Penitent almost immediately. Lure it away and summon Blade Spirits to keep it occupied. Rush back to Xazax, cast Firedance, activate Moonstrike, use Fusillade, then spam him with Bladestorm. With high enough res, your regen+sustain+Avoid+Mana Shield will keep you alive. Retreat when he uses Meteor Shower or Penitent get close (cast Fusillade again before retreating if you can). Heal any time your Life drops below half.

You’ll need to be fast. Things will become increasingly more difficult as more Penitent start filling the area. The Firedance and Moonstrike buffs are crucial. Otherwise, you may not have enough damage to kill Xazax quick enough.

Ideally, you want a Charm with +2 Sorc Skills, but +1 is fine. The Charm can spawn with 0 Sorc Skills, so you may have to do this more than once.

The Ancient Book is a reagent for the Archbishop Lazarus Charm upgrade.

Astrogha - clvl 125

► More Info

Location:
Reward:

Astrogha's Venom Stinger

Astrogha's Venom Stinger
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to All Skills
Jitan's Gate Cooldown Reduced by 1 seconds
+(100 to 500) to Life
Poison Length Reduced by 50%

Before you begin:
> Unequip any gear with an AoE proc or oskill (e.g. Nero).
> Don’t activate Nova Charge (if using the Lightning tree) or Hive (if using the Poison tree).
> If you have

Aidan's Lament

Aidan's Lament
Crown (Sacred)
Defense: (3753 - 4493) to (5603 - 6422)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 303
Item Level: 105
Indestructible
+(100 to 200)% Damage to Demons
+(100 to 200)% Damage to Undead
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
+(120 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(500 to 2000) Defense
Maximum Lightning Resist +2%
5% Reanimate as: Flesh Beast
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

,

The Endless Loop

The Endless Loop
Light Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 1101 to 1143
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 490
Item Level: 105
40% Combat Speeds
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
Slow Target 10%
+50 to all Attributes
+50 Life Regenerated per Second
+(0 to 1) Mana on Striking
Socketed (2)

, or

Akarat's Trek

Akarat's Trek
Light Plated Boots (Sacred)
Defense: (1960 - 2352) to (2170 - 2604)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 561
Item Level: 120
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Hammer Nova on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Thunder Wave on Melee Attack
2% Chance to cast level 30 Hammertime on Melee Attack
(0 to 40)% Movement Speed
+(15 to 20) to Charged Strike
Enhanced Weapon Damage +(100 to 150)%
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
10% to All Attributes
+10 to Light Radius
Socketed (4)

, equip one of them for the Charged Strike oskill.

This is the single biggest pita non-Purify Uber for this build, aside from maybe Xazax.

The Web of Deceit is filled with Moon Arachnids that have a CtC Punisher Barrage on-death, which deals massive Poison damage. Kill them all before facing Astrogha.

Astrogha has a long-range aura that will slow you down, Blinks when struck, and uses a full-screen Frozen Orb when in melee range that will deal massive damage (consider it an instagib). He also spam-summons Statues that, in turn, summon hordes of Darklings that will just get in your way (they also have a ctc Deathstrike on-death that will also instagib you). To add to your misery, if you destroy a Statue, it curses the party with Culling of the Herd--which slows you way down and makes it so the next hit you take is an instagib. Destroying a Statue also heals 5% of Astrogha's Max Life.

There's no good way to do this as a Melee Sorc. Since the entire Melee tree revolves around low-damage, high-volume projectiles, all of your skills are essentially useless here. This is where Charged Strike comes in. It does more single-hit damage than maxed Moonstrike. So while it won’t make the fight easier, it will make the fight a little faster.

Essentially, you’re going to use Darkspawn to activate Moonstrike, then rush Astrogha and hit him with Charged Strike until he Blinks away (however, if he doesn’t Blink by the fourth hit, immediately teleport away to avoid his Frozen Orb). Lure Darkspawn away kill them as-needed.

As with Belial’s Charm, the +Life mod on Astrogha’s Charm has a wide range. +300 Life is recommended, but considering what a pain this fight is, you can just take whatever you get.

Spirit World - clvl 125

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Torajan Jungles -> Torajan Cemetery -> Teganze -> Mbwiru Eikura (center of Teganze)
Reward: Mystic Shard

Note
Requires the Purify skill

I’ve only ever killed Zorun Tzin once a few patches ago, and purely by accident. I can’t see Zorun Tzin’s sprite against the current tileset, so I can’t be much help with developing a strat.

That said, here’s what I know:

This Uber utilizes 3 of the most annoying mechanics in Median: instagibs, unkillable enemies, and Purify.

Zorun Tzin is located on the center platform near the back of the room. Before fighting him, prep the battlefield by killing all the Goliaths on the map and luring all the unkillable Ratfinks onto either the left or right platform.

Zorun Tzin himself will pounce on you and cast a multi-directional spell that’s a guaranteed instagib if it hits. However, if you stand still when he pounces, it won’t hit you. He also summons Zombies that are unkillable, fast, and have a hard-hitting Poison attack (basically, the same Zombies from Kingdom of Shadow. Remember how fun that was?). Finally, he’ll summon statues that make him immune to all damage when he’s near them. They, too, are invulnerable and can only be destroyed with Purify.

Gl hf with that.

The “Charm” is just a cube reagent to upgrade your Umbaru Treasure. So if you don’t have a good Teganze Charm, there’s no point in doing this.

Nymyr’s Light - clvl 125, 20 second lockout

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Lower Kurast (kill the Vizier to open a rift) -> Caldeum (NE corner, kill Kentril Dumon to open a rift) -> Vizjerei Temple (opposite side) -> Ruins of Ureh (through the portcullis in northern part of the map. Touch the Lost Traveler to open a rift) -> World Nexus
Reward:

The Sleep

The Sleep
Required Level: 125
Cube with Trophy to Awaken
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus

Note
Requires the Purify skill

Not attempted in Sigma. The game still crashes whenever I try to enter the World Nexus.

Either way, it’s not fun and the Charm is blank. It only gets a bonus depending on what Trophy you cube it with. So even if you complete this Uber, you’ll still need to farm some other Uber boss 50-100 times for their Trophy just to make it worth anything.

Trophies to consider cubing with The Sleep. Listed in no particular order:
P = Useful for Phys builds
E = Useful for Elemental builds

• Dunc = Damage to Demons/Undead, flat Life, LoA (P)
• Jitan = DS, UIA (P)
• Laz = IAS, Max Life, Max Elemental Res (P+E)
• Viz-jun = HR, Phys Res, TCD (P+E)
• TA = MF (P+E)
• Kabraxis = -Enemy F/C/L/P Res (E)
• Uldy = Flat F/C/L damage (E)

Nephalem's Sacrifice - clvl 130

► more info

Location: Act 4 -> Plains of Despair (kill Izual to open a rift) -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City (Waypoint location) -> Silver Spire (east side of the City) -> Crystal Arch -> Edyrem’s Path (x10) -> Uldyssian’s Tomb
Reward:

Neutrality Pact

Neutrality Pact
Required Level: 130
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
+(61 to 100)% Bonus to Summoned Edyrem Life
+(2 to 5) to Purify

Before facing Uldyssian, you’ll need to complete 10 stages in which you’ll face a powerful version of a specific storyline quest boss (or bosses). Killing the stage boss opens a rift to the next stage. Open a new TP in each completed stage before moving on.

Before you begin:
> Have enough res Gems to hit at least 84% F/C/L res.
> Have enough Ambers to hit 90% Lightning res.
> Have enough Onyxes to hit 90% Cold res.
> Have

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Witchhunter's Attire Set
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: 1187 to 1201
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 456
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
Total Character Defense (16 to 20)%
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

and

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Large Shield (4)
Defense: 85 to 162
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 45
Item Level: 6
+(21 to 30) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(6 to 10)%
Cold Absorb 1%
Lightning Absorb 1%
Fire Absorb 1%
(8 to 10)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(4 to 7)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: 240 to 405
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 32
Required Dexterity: 67
Item Level: 25
+(31 to 40) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(14 to 16)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(9 to 12)% Gold Find
(11 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: 501 to 817
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 68
Required Dexterity: 139
Item Level: 46
+(41 to 50) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(21 to 30)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(20 to 22)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(14 to 17)% Gold Find
(21 to 30)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: 684 to 1113
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 141
Required Dexterity: 288
Item Level: 80
+(51 to 60) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Cold Absorb 3%
Lightning Absorb 3%
Fire Absorb 3%
(23 to 25)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(17 to 19)% Gold Find
(31 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

to help with res needs, if needed.
> Be prepared for a substantial time investment if this is your first time (roughly 2 hours).

Part 1: Stages

Blood Raven
Can do heavy damage, but otherwise isn’t a problem.
The Countess
Fast and incredibly tanky. She curses you with Amplify Damage, which makes her attacks deal heavy damage. Cast Firedance and melee until you’re cursed. Then retreat and use Fusillade.
Radamant
His Lightning Wall deals heavy damage, and his Thunderstone will nearly 1-shot you, so boost your Max Lightning res as much as you can. Keep moving. Dodge Thunderstone. Use Firedance+Fusillade primarily and melee only occasionally.
The Summoner
The toughest (read: most annoying) stage, both because of the map, and because of the mechanics. The Summoner is tanky and constantly summons Edyrem. They’re also tanky, hit hard, spam Sacred Armor to make themselves invulnerable, and have a ctc Deathstrike on-death that will 1-shot you. The map also works against you. You’ll consistently get stuck on staircases, and clicking anywhere off the tileset will cause your character to take no action. About the only thing you can do is teleport over to the Summoner, cast Firedance, activate Moonstrike, and hit him with Fusillade. Then, lead Edyrem back to the rift and kill them there. Repeat.
The High Council
There are 3 “bosses” here:
> Lachdanan (west) is Magic-immune and uses War Spirit+some ranged attack.
> Zhar the Mad (east) is Fire-immune and uses Elemental.
> Deathshade Fleshmaul (east) is Poison-immune and uses Wyrd.
All spawn with adds and will curse you with Amplify Damage on-striking. Only Zhar opens the rift, so don’t bother with Lachdanan (you’ll have to fight Deathshade too, since he’s with Zhar).
Nihlathak
Not tough, but kind of a pain because hit Rust Furies will distract your Fusillades. You can generally ignore them, though. Nihlathak’s Hunting Banshee thing does decent Cold damage and Chills you. Boost your Max Cold res for protection.
The Ancients
They’re fast, tanky, and hit hard. But the fight isn’t difficult. Cast Firedance and just let them chase you around the circle. Keep them debuffed with Force Blast and hit them with Fusillade. Melee while it’s active to hold the Ancients in place so it can actually hit them. Even though all 3 Ancients are present, you only have to kill Korlic to open the rift.
Pain and Anguish (Duriel and Andariel)
The 2 most dangerous attacks to avoid are Andariel’s Meteor Shower and Duriel’s Fortress. You’ll do this fight in 2 stages. For the first half, walk a circuit through the entire stage. Fill the stage with Firedances and let Andariel and Duriel chase you while you hit them with Fusillade. When Andariel’s Life drops below half, she’ll run. Let her. For the second half, lead Duriel into the larger chamber and kill him there. Once he’s dead, finish off Andariel.
Lies and Sin (Belial and Azmodan)
Slightly more obnoxious simply because Belial is present. Ignore him and focus on Azmodan (he opens the portal). If your res is decent (84% or higher) and you have decent leech, you can sustain melee combat for quite a while. So target Azmodan, cast Firedance, and attack him relentlessly with Bladestorm and Fusillade. Heal as necessary and retreat when you need to resupply.
The Prime Evils (Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal)
Separate and kill Baal first. He’s the fastest and most obnoxious of the 3. Next, separate and kill Mephisto. He’s only slightly less annoying than Baal, but he’ll summon tons of Edyrem. When they become a problem, lead them away and kill them. His Cold attack also does a lot of damage, so boost your Max Cold res. Finally, kill Diablo. He’s the easiest of the 3, and you can melee him without issue while he’s debuffed with Force Blast. But he’ll also summon tons of Edyrem.

Part 2: Uldyssian
Settle in. This fight is gonna take awhile.

I haven’t beat Uldy yet, but here’s what I have so far.

Uldy will spam-summon Edyrem, but they’re not as terrible as the Edyrem you’ve previously fought. They still hit hard and spam Sacred Armor, but they don’t cast Deathstrike on-death. So when they’re debuffed and if you have decent leech, you can stand still and fight a whole pack.

Uldy himself is fast and insanely tanky (you’ll deal practically no damage per hit). He also uses that obnoxious teleport skill the Edyrem of J-Day use, and he’s almost impossible to hit (besides being surrounded by Edyrem most the the time, he instantly teleports away if he’s hit by anything, including Force Blast).

Aside from summoning Edyrem, Uldy uses 3 other skills: Hoof Stomp, a super-Deathstrike (a massive AoE Deathstrike that falls in a star pattern), and some kind of slow-moving projectile attack (calling them “Deathballs” for now). Deathstrike will 1-shot you, but it’s telegraphed and easy to dodge 99% of the time. The Deathballs will take roughly 95% of your Life. They can be blocked, but don’t rely on that.

Uldy’s Hoof Stomp will slow you and knock you back, but it won’t damage you nearly as much as BPR’s Hoof Stomp does. It’s also your best opportunity to inflict damage. As long as Hoof Stomp is active, Uldy won’t teleport. So the trick is to rush him (or teleport on top of him) while he’s using it, then unleash everything you have in hopes of inflicting some damage.

And 1 final thing: he heals if you die. So avoid that.

Not sure if his AI changes when his Life is low like in previous patches. I’ll know more once I beat him (and I’ll try to make this section more cohesive and less stream-of-consciousness).

Archbishop Lazarus - clvl 130, 15 second lockout

► more info

Location:
Reward:

The Glorious Book of Median

The Glorious Book of Median
Required Level: 130
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+1 to All Skills
Adds 10-15 damage
+(40 to 75)% Damage to Demons
Elemental Resists +(5 to 15)%

Note:
Requires the Purify skill

Not attempted in Sigma. May not be b/c Purify and lockout timer.

The Void - clvl 130, 25 minute lockout

► More Info

Location:
Reward:

Sigil of the 7 Deadly Sins

Rathma's Supremacy

Rathma's Supremacy
Required Level: 130
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+25 to Life
Cube after Killing Rathma and Mendeln
(Max: 1 minute from each other)

I refuse to do this with any build.

Herald of the End

► More Info

Location:
Reward:

Vial of Elder Blood

Vial of Elder Blood
Required Level: 135
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Transmute this item with:
three Greater Signets of Learning
Ghal Rune
Qor Rune
To unlock its true power

Not attempted, and probably won’t be.

[Solfege]

RIFTS

Island of the Sunless Sea - clvl 105

► more info

Location: Act 2 -> Rocky Waste -> Stony Tomb -> Treasure Vault -> Island of the Sunless Sea (kill Gheed’s Mentor to open the rift)
Reward:

Six Angel Bag

Six Angel Bag
Required Level: 105
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
(3 to 5)% Innate Elemental Damage
Cold Resist +(21 to 25)%
Lightning Resist +(21 to 25)%
Fire Resist +(21 to 25)%

, Sunless Crystal Bird

The enemies here hit hard and fast. Avoid using Mana Shield for now.

Between Feyr and Dark Templars, the latter are more dangerous. They’re invisible until they attack, and they attack in large packs. Let your merc and summons take the lead to help you locate them so you don’t get surrounded.

There are 6 Sunless Angels scattered throughout the map (5 in the main area, and 1 across a teleport gap). They look similar to Dark Templars, but are distinguishable by a light beam overlay. They are exceptionally tough, deal a lot of damage, and will debuff you. They also and spam spells from a long distance. When you see one, summon Blade Spirits on top of it to prevent it from casting. Kill the enemies around it, then hit it with Firedance and Fusillade. You can engage it in melee as long as your merc is tanking, but be ready to heal.

Each Angel will drop an Angel Bag. Cube 6 to make the Charm (any 6 will do). Each Angel also has a 1/6 chance to drop a Sunless Crystal Bird, which works like a Trophy, adding bonuses to the Charm when they’re cubed together.

The %CB mod on the upgrade is the main reason you’re doing this. And since it’s a static roll, there's no need to farm for a perfect version of the Charm before cubing it with the Sunless Crystal Bird.

Bull Prince Rodeo - clvl 110 (Secret Cow Level), clvl 115 (Corral of Corruption)

► more info

Location: Act 1 -> Rogue Encampment (cube Wirt’s Leg to open a rift) -> Secret Cow Level (cube Wirt’s other leg, dropped by the Cow King, to open a rift) -> Corral of Corruption
Reward:

Fool's Gold

Fool's Gold
Moo moo moo Moooo! Moo!

Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(0 to 38) to Strength
+(0 to 38) to Dexterity
+(0 to 38) to Vitality
+(0 to 38) to Energy
Total Character Defense (11 to 15)%
-10% Gold Find
(16 to 20)% Magic Find

The Cow King always spawns in the large, fenced area of the map. Once you kill him, cube Wirt’s other leg to open the rift to the Corral (killing the Cow King does not prevent you from reentering the Cow Level).

BPR is annoying af. His attacks can do a lot of damage, mostly because his spammy knock-back nova will hit-lock you for an extended period of time.

The area is too small for maneuvering and you can’t teleport, so there’s no real strategy here. Just move behind the SE wall inside the corral, cast Firedance, and wait for BPR to Pounce on you. Let your merc tank and hit BPR with Fusillade and Bladestorm whenever you’re not hit-locked. Avoid Stampeding Herd. Reactivate Mana Shield whenever it breaks and heal as-needed.

Eventually, you’ll want to farm for a Charm high DEX+STR rolls.

Torajan Jungles - clvl 110

► More Info

Location: Act 3 Town -> Torajan Jungles (through the rift in the SE part of town)
Reward: None

The Torajan Jungles serve as a hub for a number of Ubers. It’s the best place to find Signets of Gold and Signets of Learning, and a decent place to find Sacred base items.

The Jungles have 5 enemies:

• Khazra Clan - probably the most dangerous. They come in packs and throw hammers that do moderate damage.
• Crippling Swarm - their attacks will drain nearly all your Mana.
• Forrest Keepers - tanky, and their buff nova does moderate damage.
• Moon Arachnids - use a poisonous cloud spell.
• Followers of Akarat - use Hammertime, which is a rapid stream of hammers that do moderate to heavy damage, depending on how many hits you take. They also use Inner Fire on themselves, which rapidly regens their Life.

Kurast 3000 B.A. - clvl 115

► More Info

Location: Act 3 Town -> Torajan Jungles (through the rift in the SE part of town) -> Kurast 3000 B.A. (rift at the northern part of the Jungles, beyond Akarat)
Reward:

Hammer of the Taan Judges

Hammer of the Taan Judges
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(21 to 25) Energy Factor to Spell Damage
+1 to All Skills
+1 to Necromancer Skill Levels
Enhanced Weapon Damage +0.25% (Based on Character Level)

Plays the same as the Ennead Challange, but tougher. Make liberal use of Firedance+Fusillade.

Each Necromancer has a 1/3 chance to drop the Charm.

High Heavens - clvl 115

► more info

Location: Act 4 -> Plains of Despair (kill Izual to open a rift) -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City -> Library of Fate (west corridor of the city)
Reward:

Zakarum's Ear

Zakarum's Ear
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
(6 to 10)% to All Attributes
+(6 to 15)% to Experience Gained

Before you begin:
> Have at least 1 belt column filled with healing pots.
> Stack as much Poison res as you can.

The most dangerous things here are the Lightwell Totems. They’re untargetable, unkillable, and will periodically shoot Punishers that will drop your Life to 1 HP almost instantly. Stacking tons of Poison res won’t save you, but it will give you an extra half-second to react. If you get hit, immediately drink a Health pot and eat a moon cookie.

Ethereals are basically the same as Death Mechanics from the Death Projector Uber, except you can kill them.

Zakarun’s Avatars are scattered throughout the Library. They’re invulnerable until they’re hit with an Ethereal’s on-death nova (similar to Akarat). When you find an Avatar, cast Firedance and start hitting it with Bladestorm. Let Bladestorm’s missiles kill Ethereals to trigger novas. When an Avatar becomes vulnerable, hit it with Fusillade.

Ethereals don’t always proc a nova, so if you kill all the Ethereals in an area before killing the Avatar, you’ll have to lure more from another area. Also, even though Avatars don’t attack directly, they cast a full-screen Meteor Shower on-death. It does little damage, but it can hit-lock you.

Lightwells make this place a huge pita, so just take whatever Charm roll you can get for now. Eventually, you'll want to come back and farm for a +10% All Attributes version.

The Charm has a 1/6 chance to drop. Good luck getting one on the first try.

The Library of Fate has an increased chance to drop Depleted Riftstones.

Tran Athulua - clvl 115

► more info

Location: Act 2 -> Dry Hills -> Halls of the Dead (level 3) -> Kill Kethreys to open a rift.
Reward:

Sunstone of the Gods

Sunstone of the Gods
Required Level: 115
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
(3 to 5)% Innate Elemental Damage
Maximum Life (11 to 15)%
Maximum Mana (11 to 15)%

Basically plays the same as the Level Challenge, but it will be much slower until you get better gear.

The Amazon mobs are denser and hit harder. And each Amazon now has a 5% ctc Arrowside on-death (which is basically Fusillade, but with arrows). Always keep moving.

The Priestesses also hit a lot harder, especially their Phalanx. And their slow can be a death sentence.

Until you have better gear, it’s recommended you only fight 10-15 Amazons at a time. Hit a mob 3 times with Bladestorm, then move. For higher density mobs, just dodge and Fusillade. Use Force Blast as needed.

Each Priestess will drop an elemental Sunstone. Cube all 3 to create the Charm.

Each Priestess also has a 10% chance to drop an Askari Scroll, which is needed for a later quest.

Eventually, you'll want to farm for a +15% Max Life/Mana version of the Charm and the Trophy, which adds 5% DR to the Charm.

Teganze - clvl 120

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Torajan Jungles -> Torajan Cemetery (east side of the Jungles) -> Teganze (SE corner of the Cemetery)
Reward:

Umbaru Treasure

Umbaru Treasure
Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
Cube with Essence/Runestone to Roll Stat
+(6 to 10)% to Spell Damage
Essence Slots: 20

Teganze is filled with Umbaru Spirits that fire slow-moving missiles dealing a specific type of Elemental damage (color-coded for your convenience). Their attacks do massive damage if your Elemental Res is 80% or below. A minimum of 84% res is recommended. If using

The Mysteries

The Mysteries
Sorceress Melee Set

Witchblade
Cauldron
Pentacle
Sacred Circle

Set Bonus with 2 or more set items:
+2 to Sorceress Skill Levels
+50 to Dexterity

Set Bonus with 3 or more set items:
+21 to Spiral Dance
Physical Resist 10%

Set Bonus with complete set:
+100 damage
10% Chance of Crushing Blow
+17 to Moon Queen
+4 to Sacred Armor
+4000 Defense
5% Chance to Avoid Damage

, socket all armor (except shield) with perfect res Gems. If using the Alt Mid-Game gearset, do the same, but equip

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Large Shield (4)
Defense: 85 to 162
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 4
Required Strength: 22
Required Dexterity: 45
Item Level: 6
+(21 to 30) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(6 to 10)%
Cold Absorb 1%
Lightning Absorb 1%
Fire Absorb 1%
(8 to 10)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(4 to 7)% Gold Find
(5 to 10)% Magic Find
Socketed (1)
Defense: 240 to 405
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 32
Required Dexterity: 67
Item Level: 25
+(31 to 40) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
Elemental Resists +(11 to 20)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(14 to 16)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(9 to 12)% Gold Find
(11 to 20)% Magic Find
Socketed (3)
Defense: 501 to 817
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 39
Required Strength: 68
Required Dexterity: 139
Item Level: 46
+(41 to 50) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(21 to 30)%
Cold Absorb 2%
Lightning Absorb 2%
Fire Absorb 2%
(20 to 22)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(14 to 17)% Gold Find
(21 to 30)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Defense: 684 to 1113
Chance to Block: Class%
Required Level: 48
Required Strength: 141
Required Dexterity: 288
Item Level: 80
+(51 to 60) to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Cold Absorb 3%
Lightning Absorb 3%
Fire Absorb 3%
(23 to 25)% Chance of Uninterruptable Attack
(17 to 19)% Gold Find
(31 to 40)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

as well.

That said, even with high res, you’ll still want something to help soak damage.

Umbaru Spirits will 1-shot your Blade Spirits as they are. So if you intend to use them, you’ll want at least 5 Base Points into the skill and as close to +150% minion res as you can get (recommended when farming this area). And use your merc to help (or hire an A5 merc and outfit him with cheap gear). Socket all merc armor with perfect res Gems.

Take your time. Dodge projectiles, use Fusillade for large packs, then finish off the stragglers with Bladestorm. Recast Mana Shield as-needed (Mana Shield is a double-edged sword here, but it’s helpful for when it’s hard to dodge).

In the center of Teganze, you'll find more Umbaru Spirits, Goliaths, and Terul. You’ll be cursed with Banish upon entering the area (which increases the damage you take from Elemental attacks). So kill all Umbaru Spirits before fighting Terul, or lead him to an empty area.

Terul himself isn’t hard. His Iron Spiral will take about 40% of your Life per hit, but your regen and sustain will keep you healthy. Cast Firedance, then relentlessly Bladestorm+Fusillade him.

The Charm is a mixed bag. You need to cube it with Essences and Runestones to add bonuses, but it will consume the reagent each time. And you’re more likely to end up with a Charm that either won’t help much, or may actually harm your build.

Essence and Runestone drops are not affected by %MF.

The Triune - clvl 120

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Caldeum -> Rathma Square (SW corner of Caldeum) -> Bastion of the Triune (kill Primus to open a rift)
Reward:

Corrupted Wormhole

Corrupted Wormhole
Required Level: 100
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus

Before you begin:
> The Triune is the only place where monsters drop Cycles. Keep an eye out for Cycles with +DEX, +Combat Speeds, and +Life/Mana.

Most enemies won’t be an issue here, but there are a few things to watch out for.
> Impaler Archons = flit around and take pot-shots, but can hole themselves up in places you can’t reach.
> Primal Clays = use Shower of Rocks.
> Kraken Guards = use a multi-hitting Cold beam that can do moderate damage.
> Temple Spires = the most dangerous. They fire off Meteors that will take about 80% of your Life at 80% Fire res with Moonstrike active (it will likely 1-shot you without Moonstrike). There’s a delay between shots, and they’re telegraphed, so avoid them.

Make your way to the western part of the map where you’ll find a complex. Kill Duram[/] and grab the [color=gold]Tome of Possession. His hits to significant damage, so just use Fusillade.

The Tome gives you access to Dire Charm, which is needed for the boss fight. But having the Tome in your inventory also curses you, so keep it in your cube or stash for now.

Work your way through the complex and head east along a narrow causeway. Just as you reach the end, Malic will start shooting Life-draining missiles and spawning Deathbats that will teleport you all over the place if they hit you (he can also spawn more Spires). Try to get to the far building asap so you can start clearing out the mobs. Kill every enemy in the area.

In the back of the building, you'll find Lucion. When all the mobs are dead, take the Tome of Possession out of your cube an put it in your inventory to activate the curse. Lucion is slow and he’ll occasionally hit you with another curse that will make you slow and drain your Life. Get him to follow you to Malic, as only Malic’s Life-draining missile can damage Lucion. When they’re both in the same area, hit Lucion with the Charm spell, then position yourself opposite Malic, with Lucion in between so Malic’s missiles hit Lucion. Kill Deathbats with Fusillade.

When Lucion’s Life hits 50%, he’ll become “enraged.” During this time, his movement speed drastically increases. His extra speed will make it easier to get him close enough to Malic so he’ll enter melee combat, thus giving you a few seconds to breathe before having to recast Charm and/or kill Deathbats. Unfortunately, he also starts spamming a spell that slowly heals him while he’s in this state. So enjoy that.

The Charm is blank, and requires you to cube Cycles with it to add bonuses. Cycle drops are not affected by MF, but Malic has a guraranteed chance to drop Cycles.

Corrupted Abbey - clvl 120

► more info

Location: Act 1 -> Warriv’s Caravan -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten -> Subterranean Corridor (NW corner of the Church) -> Duncraig -> Corrupted Abbey
Reward:

Assur's Bane

,

Demonsbane

Demonsbane
By Robert Marks

Required Level: 120
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
+(0 to 2) to Amazon Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Assassin Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Barbarian Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Druid Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Necromancer Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Paladin Skill Levels
+(0 to 2) to Sorceress Skill Levels
+5 Life Regenerated per Second

Note
Requires the Purify skill

[color=]Before you begin:[/color]
> Have enough Perfect Bloodstones/Perfect Rubies in your stash to reach at least 400% stacked Fire res.
> Bind the Move Only skill to your LMB.
> Equip Pax Mystica on-switch (Blink is better than DA here)

Slain Souls are fast and do decent damage, but a few in particular are especially troublesome:
> Magic-absorb = throws a barrel that explodes after a short time. The AoE explosion will take roughly 80% of your Life.
> Poison-absorb = throws a seed that erupts into a poison cloud. It will drain your Life quickly, but the effect is very short.
> Cold-absorb = chills you. If you get chilled, retreat immediately. The effect only lasts about a half second, but it’s still enough for Souls to get an advantage.
> Necromorbs = pure obnoxiousness. They spam a hard-hitting projectile, are painfully difficult to melee, and hole up in places you can’t reach so they can spam you some more.

You should also expect to die at least once per run until you get better gear (the first teleport gap can be a truckload of bs).

Aside from the main mobs, there are five sub-bosses spread across the map. Each one carries a specific Sigil. Cubing all 5 Sigils with a

Ring of the Five

(which any monster can drop) will create

Assur's Bane

. Its Purify oskill is required to complete the quest (the ring must be equipped before you can use Purify).

As for Assur himself, he constantly spams Flamefront, Flamestrike, and Cataclysm. Be sure to hit 90% Max and 400% stacked Fire res before engaging. He also Pounces on you, and can do so from long distances, through walls, and across teleport gaps. He's immune to all damage, and only Purify can harm him. But Purify slow, so you may need to get in close to hit him.

Try to clear out the mobs in Assur’s area asap so you can lure Assur to an area free of enemies. This will make it easier to hit him with Purify.

Ideally, you want a Charm with +2 Sorc Skills, but +1 is fine. The Charm has a chance to roll with 0 Sorc Skills, so you may have to do this more than once.

Toraja - clvl 125

► more info

Location: Act 3 Town -> Torajan Jungles (through the rift in the SE part of town) -> Torajan Cemetery (NE part of the Jungles) -> Toraja (NW corner of the Cemetery. Kill the Symbol of Time to open a rift)
Reward:

Lylia’s Curse

Before you begin:
> Socket all non-RW gear with P-Amethysts/Io Runes for higher CtB.

Inside the Torajan Cemetery, look for the Symbol of Time, a simple Rogue located near the western corner of the map. The summoned Edyrem from your CFM are the only ones who can remove its immunity shield. When it's dead, a rift will open that will take you to Toraja.

All enemies here are immune to everything all the time. As with the Symbol of Time, only Edyrem can remove their immunity shields. But Edyrem are incredibly weak, and it takes a second before their AI to kicks in. So when you've selected a target, summon a Blade Spirit or two on top of it before summoning Edyrem there. Blade Spirits will serve as distractions so the Edyrem can do their job. Then, you can rush in and take the kill. It also helps to debuff the area with Force Blast when there are a lot of Celebrants around.

The mentality here isn’t to tear through enemy mobs as quickly as possible; it’s to chip away at their forces a few enemies at a time.

Lilith is located in a small fenced-in area in the south-central part of the map, but don't just go directly to her. Instead, go west from the portal and follow the wall south, clearing out all enemies along the way. Then, slowly move east to draw out and kill as many Celebrants and Morlu as you can before Lilith notices you. Once she does, draw her back to a place you've already cleared (teleport as necessary to reel in your minions). When you're in a safe area, summon all Blade Spirits and Edyrem, then teleport right on top of Lilith. Spam her with Bladestorm until her shield drops, then hit her with Fusillade. She’ll die instantly.

Vizjun - clvl 125

► more info

Location: Act 3 -> Swampy Pit (level 3) -> The Proving Grounds -> Vizjun (NW corner of The Proving Grounds)
Reward:

Cold Fusion Schematics

Cold Fusion Schematics
Required Level: 125
Keep in Inventory to Gain Bonus
1% Chance to cast level 10 Time Strike on Striking
+(11 to 30) to Strength
+(11 to 30) to Dexterity
+(11 to 30) to Vitality
+(11 to 30) to Energy

Note
Requires the Purify skill.

Rule 1: Never stop attacking.
Rule 2: See Rule 1.

The mob density can be extremely high here, with enemies attacking both in melee and from a distance. New enemies are constantly being spawned, so you’ll never actually clear the entire area. The area itself also has defenses. The MIRVs that occasionally drop will do massive damage if you take a direct hit, but they’re fairly easy to dodge. The nearly full-screen minefields that frequently spawn are a bigger problem. Each mine will take 60%-80% of your Life. You have a short time to get out of they way before they start detonating, but it will be difficult considering the mob density. If you find yourself stuck in a minefield, drink a Health pot and use Fusillade to leech as much Life as you can before they start exploding to increase your chances of survival.

The Master Control System is located in the SW part of the map. It’s a stationary target that you’ll need to hit with Purify to destroy. It won’t be hard to hit, but you’ll have to deal with enemies swarming you as well. Just keep killing them until you feel you have a clear shot. A single Purify will bring it down.

You don’t need a perfect Charm, but you will want a version with good DEX and decent STR rolls.

Fauztinville - clvl 125

► more info

Location: Act 1 Town -> Warriv’s Caravan -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten (kill Buyard Cholik to open a rift) -> Path to Enlightenment (teleport outside Kabraxis’ area to find the Seal Totems) -> A rift to Fauztinville can be opened anywhere once your Black Road Charm is upgraded with the Great Gems.
Reward: None

Getting to Fauztinville:
Around the perimeter of Kabraxis’ chamber are 5 Seal Totems that summon Shadow Selves. Destroying a Totem will release the Spirit of a specific Element, which you must kill to obtain a Great Gem. Cubing all 5 with your Black Road Charm will allow you to cube your Charm with any Rune, which will create a scroll that will open a rift to Fauztinville. I have no idea why it’s designed this way.

Each Spirit spawns with a horde of minions, all of whom are vulnerable to only the damage type they represent. The Spirit itself is immune to all damage as long as its minions are alive and regenerates Life. It will also summon more minions, during which point, it will become invulnerable again and regen all its Life.

Use Starhawk for all Spirits except Stone. For Stone, use a high Phys damage weapon.

Spirit of Electrum:
Vulnerable only to Lightning damage. Uses Thunderstone.
Spirit of Stone:
Vulnerable only to Physical damage. Uses SMG or ATMG Sentry and Broadside. Broadside will do massive damage. Draw his minions back to Electrum’s area and kill them there. Then, just rush Stone, hit him with Fusillade, retreat, and repeat as necessary.
Spirit of Wizardry:
Vulnerable only to Magic damage. Uses Magic Missile and Spinning Mind Flay. Magic Missile will do decent damage, so lure the minions away to kill them, if needed.
Spirit of Hell:
Vulnerable only to Fire damage. Uses Flamefront and Rain of Fire. Only Rain of Fire is mildly dangerous. Avoid that and you’ll be fine.
Spirit of Frost:
Vulnerable only to Cold damage. Uses Glacial Spike and Hailstorm. Frost is the most difficult of the Spirits to kill. Hailstorm is more dangerous than Rain of Fire, so boost your Max Cold Res as high as you can. But even then, your DPS will still be low because of the Chill effect reducing your attack speed. When all minions are dead, drink a Health pot to supplement your regen and spam Frost with Bladestorm and Fusillade. When too many Hailstorms get stacked on your head, move to the other side of Frost and resume attacking. Do not use Mana Shield. This can be done with only Starhawk, but equipping Trang-oul’s Breath to give your Cold damage a boost is recommended.

Fauztinville:

You’ll be constantly swarmed with enemies after only taking a few steps beyond the portal, making Fauztinville a never-ending stream of obnoxiousness. But even with the lowest-tier End-Game gear, you’ll be able to practically faceroll this place. The only real issue you may have is with Necrobots. They come in packs, spam you from a distance, and their Phys Absorb makes them tough to kill. Have Path of Flames active and equip

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Klaatu Barada Nikto
Amulet (Sacred)
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
10% Chance to cast level 40 Nova Bomb on Melee Attack
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
Adds 1-375 lightning damage
+650 poison damage over 2 seconds
Stun Attack
+(11 to 16) to Hive
Lightning Resist +(40 to 50)%
Poison Resist +(40 to 50)%
50% Enhanced Damage vs. Necrobots

to speed up their demise.

There’s no reward here. The only reasons to come here are to find Fauzt Great Runes, get to Bremmtown, or measure your e-peen by comparing your Fauzt clearspeed to other builds.

LEVEL CHALLENGE

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Required clvl: 60 or below to avoid an AC penalty

Location: Act 5 -> Worldstone Keep Antechamber (destroy the Infernal Machine to open the rift) -> Tran Athulua

Before you begin:
> Your merc will be helpful here.

TA is filled with legions of Amazons. They deal Phys damage, attack in groups, and retreat when you get close. If you carelessly follow, you'll be led into an ambush.

With the recommended minimum gear (TU Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield at T2), and your Weapon socketed with Perfect Rubies, you won’t have trouble here as long as you stay aggressive. Use Fusillade for large packs of Amazons.

The goal here is to find and kill the 3 Amazon Priestesses: Philios (Fire), Skovos (Ice), and Lycander (Lightning). They hit harder than the standard Amazons and their arrows deal Elemental damage according to their respective Elements. They also use Phalanx, and each casts a unique Elemental spell. Try to clear out as many Amazons as you can first to make killing the Priestesses easier.

Upon death, each Priestess will drop a Shard. Cube all 3 Shards when you’re at clvl 60 or below to create the Sunstone of the Twin Seas (if you’re at clvl 61 or higher, you’ll need to add 2x ACs per 10 clvls to create the Sunstone)

Congratulations. You’ve acquired your first Charm.

Tip:
Item levels here are ilvl 60, so it’s a good place to find Rare jewels and jewelry with decent mods.

ENNEAD CHALLENGE

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Required clvl: 80 or above

Location: Act 3 -> Durance of Hate (kill Mephisto to open the rift) -> Kurast 3000 B.A.

Before you begin:
> Have at least 70% Elemental resistances.

K3KBA is a large area filled with archer, mage, and melee Skeletons that have various Elemental resistances and use Elementally-enhanced attacks. However, they’re not particularly dangerous.

Interspersed throughout the map are Shadowgate Totems. Unlike the Skeletons, these are dangerous. They summon Skeletons, generate an aura that boosts Skeletons’ life by 100%, and spam Hammer of Zarae: a swirling hammer that does moderate damage, but can hit-lock you. Don’t melee these things. Cast Firedance, then just get close enough to hit them with Fusillade.

At the far end of the map, you’ll find the Ennead Necromancers. They cast Miasma and will summon more Skeletons, but they’re otherwise harmless. There are 3 Necromancers in total, but you only need to kill 1 to get the Heroic Torch. Cubing this item will create your Class Charm (for Sorcs, a Nexus Crystal). It requires clvl 90 to activate, so don’t panic when you don’t see any immediate benefits.

Tip:
This is a decent place to find Shrines, mid to high-level Runes, and flawless/perfect Gems. You’ll also get decent XP here.

► more info

As you play, you’ll occasionally find Depleted Riftstones. Cubing them with an AC will charge them. This will allow you to open a rift to the first Dimensional Labyrinth (requires clvl 115).

There are 15 Labyrinths in total, each becoming progressively more difficult. Riftstones for subsequent Labyrinths can drop from enemies in the current Labyrinth.

Labyrinths also have a 20 second lockout timer, and the monsters inside are incredibly tough, so make sure you’re prepared with adequate gear and plenty of healing items.

Phobos drops reagents

Nephalem Bane start to appear in the 11th rift.

More info will be added as I explore more Labyrinths.

SACRED HONORIFICS

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Sacred Honorifics can be a cheap and easy way to craft useful gear without having to go through the lengthy process of a full Shrine-craft. Using Sacred Magic items as bases, Sacred Honorifics give you the higher base damage and defense of Sacred items, plus the double MO effect of Honorifics. To top it off, they can be Shrine-blessed. For this build, you’ll be using an Abandoned Shrine for armor pieces, and an Intimidating Shrine for your weapon.

Base components:

• 1 piece of Magic Sacred gear (blue text)
• 1 Mark of Infusion
• 1 Shrine
• 2 Arcane Crystals

The process:

1. Cube any Sacred item with an Oil of Renewal to reroll it as Superior base.
2. Cube with an Oil of Enhancement to make it Magic.
3. Cube with a Mark of Infusion to make it an Honorific. For boots specifically, make sure they have a +% Movement Speed bonus (can go as high as +40%).
4. Cube with an Oil of Luck for a shot at a lucky bonus. If successful, proceed to step 5. If it fails, return to step 1 and try again. For weapons, ED+AR are ideal, but you’ll want at least the +20% ED bonus. For armor, ED+Phys Res are ideal, but the +1% Phys Res will generally be more helpful.
5. Bless it by cubing it with a Shrine and 2 Arcane Crystals. The blessing is just an extra bonus, so there's no need for perfect rolls here.

JEWEL-CRAFTING

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When crafting jewels, there are three Rune options to consider for this build:

• Ber
  +(1 to 2)% Life Stolen per Hit and +(1 to 2)% Mana Stolen per Hit
• Nih
  +(2 to 8) Life on Attack and +(2 to 8) Mana on Attack
• On
  +(2 to 4) Life after each Kill and +(2 to 4) Mana after each Kill

All three of these options serve to replenish your Life and Mana, but in different ways.

• Life/Mana Leech (Ber) replenishes your resources by returning a certain percentage of the Physical weapon damage you deal as Life/Mana. Works best with Wraithsword and Fusillade since 100% of their damage is Physical.
  
  • Pros: Both direct melee hits and the missiles from Wraithsword, Fusillade, and Bladestorm will trigger the effect (though in Bladestorm's case, the effect will be significantly less due to the Physical-to-Magic damage conversion).
  • Cons: Resources cannot be leeched from anything that's Physical-immune. Also, there are penalties to leech in Terror and Destruction.
• Life/Mana on Attack (Nih)Returns a certain number of flat Life/Mana points every time you strike a monster with a melee hit.
  
  • Pros: A more utilitarian option, since the amount of Physical damage dealt has no effect on the amount of resources returned and monster immunities are irrelevant. As long as a monster is struck with a melee hit, resources will be replenished.
  • Cons: LoA only applies to direct melee hits. Wraithsword's and Bladestorm's missiles will not trigger LoA, nor will Fusillade.
• Life/Mana after each Kill (On)Returns a certain number of flat Life/Mana points for every monster you kill.
  
  • Pros: Does not discriminate when it comes to how you kill a monster, as long as you're the one doing the actual killing. Spells, procs, and missiles from Wraithsword, Bladestorm, and Fusillade can all trigger LaeK/MaeK.
  • Cons: You actually have to kill a monster for it to work--which means, in some places and during certain fights, all resource regeneration will need to come from other sources.

Here's what you'll need to craft a jewel, as well as what stats to look for:

Base components:

• ilvl 99 Jewel (found anywhere in Hell)
• Acrane Shards/Arcane Crystals
• Rune of your choice
• Oil of Craft

Stats to look for:

• +2% DEX or +1% All Attributes (required*)
• +%IAS/HR/FBR (required, listed in order of priority)
• +%AR (highly recommended)
• +Life (recommended)
• +Poison/Fire Resistance (recommended)
• +Lightning/Cold Resistance (nice to have)
• +DEX (nice to have)

*Either mod is fine for non-Xis RWs, but only use Jewels with +2% DEX Xis RWs.

To craft a jewel, simply cube a jewel with an Arcane Shard/Arcane Crystal, an Oil of Craft, and the appropriate Rune. This will return a crafted jewel (-%ilvl), Arcane Shards (-1 qty.), and the rune. If the jewel is satisfactory, cube it again with an Oil of Luck to potentially add flat stat mods.

Note:
Because the crafting process reduces a jewel's ilvl by 5%, it's recommended you not craft the same jewel more than 6 times, otherwise the jewel's ilvl will be too low to spawn the necessary mods.

SHRINE-CRAFTING

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Shrine-crafting is a simple, yet sometimes painstaking, process. Each time you craft, it rerolls your item with random affixes, depending on item type and ilvl (see the Prefixes and Suffixes List for a list of possible affixes). You can only Shrine-craft Sacred items of Rare quality.

For this build, you'll be using Abandoned Shrines for the DEX bonuses they provide.

Base components:

• 1 piece of Rare Sacred gear (yellow text)
• 1 Shrine

Mods to look for:

• Any recommended oskills, ctc modifiers, and/or +skills modifiers
• ED
• AR
• IAS
• FHR
• Flat Damage

To craft, simply cube your gear piece with a Shrine. This will yield a new crafted gear piece of the same type and ilvl, and a Shrine (-1 charge). Repeat this process until you get the modifiers you want, then cube it with an Oil of Luck.

Shrine Blessing:
When you've crafted a piece of gear that's acceptable to you, cube it with a Shrine of your choice and 2 Arcane Crystals (the Shrine used for the Blessing doesn’t have to be the same Shrine type you used for the initial Craft, but for this build, Abandoned, Intimidating, or Creepy Shrines work best). This will return your crafted gear with added bonuses, depending on the Shrine used, and a Shrine (-1 charge). Blessings will only add the Shrine-specific bonuses, not bonuses from the random affix pool.

BASE-CRAFTING FOR RUNEWORDS

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This section outlines the steps for crafting a proper base item in preparation for creating a Runeword. These steps will assume you're making a standard RW using either T4 or Sacred gear. Xis RWs are a little different.

Weapons:

1. If using anything other than a white or grey weapon, cube it with a Catalyst of Destruction and a Rune.
2. Using Oils of Renewal, reroll your weapon until it has the base stats you want and either no sockets or 6 sockets. Try to get as close to 35% ED and 100% AR as possible, but no lower than 30% ED if there is no %AR bonus. 25% ED is acceptable, but only if the AR bonus is 100%. If base-crafting for an Elemental RW, also try for a durability bonus, since they can't be made indestructible.
3. Cube your weapon with an Oil of Luck. If an acceptable %ED and/or %AR bonus is applied, proceed to step 4; if not, return to step 2 and try again.
4. If your weapon already has 6 sockets, skip to step 5; if it has no sockets, cube it with 6 jewels.
5. With your base prepared, insert 5 jewels into your weapon, followed by the appropriate Rune.

Armor:

1. If using anything other than a white or grey armor piece, cube it with a Catalyst of Destruction and a Rune.
2. Using Oils of Renewal, reroll your armor until it has the base stats you want and either no sockets or the maximum number of sockets allowed for the item (body armor=6 sockets, helms/gloves/boots=4 sockets, belts=2 sockets). Try to get as close to 35% ED as possible, but no lower than 25%.
3. Cube your armor with an Oil of Luck. If an acceptable %ED bonus is applied, proceed to step 4; if not, return to step 2 and try again.
4. If your armor already has the appropriate number of sockets, skip to step 5. If it has no sockets, cube it with the appropriate number of jewels (1 jewel=1 socket).
5. With your base prepared, insert the appropriate number of jewels into your armor (5 for body armor; 3 for helms, gloves, and boots; 1 for belts), followed by the appropriate Rune.

Xis Runewords (applies to both weapons and armor):
For Xis RWs, follow the base prep steps for the item type you've chosen, except for the final step. Instead, you'll insert 1 less jewel than you normally would to make room for both the base Rune and the Xis Rune (for example, for a piece of Body Armor with 6 sockets, you'll insert 4 jewels, the base Rune, then the Xis Rune). It's important to note: Xis Runes cannot be unsocketed, so Xis RWs cannot be unmade. Make sure your Jewels and base item are as close to perfect as you can make them. Also, do not orb your base item. Xis Runes automatically raise the level req to 120. If you add any orbs to your base item, you won't be able to use it until you reach the appropriate level (e.g. clvl 120, plus 4 additional clvls per MO, or 10 additional clvls per UMO).

Additionally, many people prefer to use Ethereal bases for Xis RWs due to their higher base stats. If you use an Ethereal base, make sure at least 1 Jewel has the Indestructible mod.

• The entire MXL team.
• Blizzard North (may you RIP).
• Deafwave specifically for all his work with the Linux Launcher.
• All the people who keep the forum running, maintain the documentation, and host servers.
• Everyone who provided feedback, strategies, and tips for this guide.
• And last, but not least, the people who took the time to read this guide and try out the build.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions related specifically to this guide, feel free to PM me here on the forum.

[Magisch]

Do you reckon the defense of Sorc is anything to write home about? I was doing this before rerolling Hammerzon and it just felt incredibly weak. I was getting near oneshot in IOTSS and barely breaking 250k defense with all TCD MO's on my TU gear. It honestly felt weak as hell.

[Heisenberg]

The order you have multiple items listed in is it 1st is the best or going left to right in order of upgrades?

[Solfege]

@Magisch
It depends on your spec, but you'll never get insane amounts of ACD (I think the most I ever got while still being able to kill stuff was 600k a few patches back). Melee Sorcs aren't Barbs. They don't rely on just 1 or 2 layers of defense. They rely on stacking multiple layers of different defensive mods, with the spec you choose determining which layers are more important. If you're only looking at your ACD number, you're not seeing the whole picture.

@Heisenberg
Order of upgrades. So, for example, when it says "Shark -> The Warped Blade," it means use Shark, then upgrade to The Warped Blade.

[Magisch]

@Magisch
It depends on your spec, but you'll never get insane amounts of ACD (I think the most I ever got while still being able to kill stuff was 600k a few patches back). Melee Sorcs aren't Barbs. They don't rely on just 1 or 2 layers of defense. They rely on stacking multiple layers of different defensive mods, with the spec you choose determining which layers are more important. If you're only looking at your ACD number, you're not seeing the whole picture.

@Heisenberg
Order of upgrades. So, for example, when it says "Shark -> The Warped Blade," it means use Shark, then upgrade to The Warped Blade.

How much health do you have, and how important is that actually? Even with 84 all res 50 phys res 350k def and 40% block my hammerzon feels like it's made of paper with 15k hp, I think sorc will be on way less then that, how do you survive higher ubers?

[Solfege]

As with ACD, total Life will depend on spec, as will how important it is (I think I have about 11k with Moonstrike active atm).

It also doesn't really work doing straight numbers comparisons between 2 different builds from 2 different classes. There are other factors beyond just a numbers game (e.g. character skills, playstyle, etc.). Not sure what Ubers you consider "higher Ubers," but aside from that fairly low CtB, those are decent mid-game numbers for a Melee Sorc.

[GRANDLarsony]

First page!

[Fenrils]

How much health do you have, and how important is that actually? Even with 84 all res 50 phys res 350k def and 40% block my hammerzon feels like it's made of paper with 15k hp, I think sorc will be on way less then that, how do you survive higher ubers?

My melee sorc currently has 17k health, 75% block, 50% physical resistance, 80% all res, 69% life steal, ~200 life on attack, and damage avoidance. As well, we get a lot of natural movespeed so it's pretty easy to get around and dodge things. Not to even mention that sorc gets delicious moon cookies. When it comes to facetanking things, this build has only really felt below barb personally but it takes more finesse to get to that point than barb, pally, or even assassin. I've personally downed 120s and most 125s and will be looking to take this build all the way to the end, sans Samael because fuck that. I can already run Fauz blindfolded, for what it's worth, so your survivability later on is certainly up there.