SSF Bowzon

Wulf wrote:
Longstaff wrote:Hi Wulf and everyone,

Quick question - what does the abbreviation SK (from the merc guide) mean? I did look, but also couldn't see it in the list of abbreviations.

Also, I was wondering where would you recommend as a good and not overly difficult zone to spam some farming for a bit? I took a break for a couple of weeks and starting playing again yesterday.

I'm clvl 123 but because of my skill cap I struggle with some of the more difficult content ('difficult' being subjective, of course).

For example, I havent yet completed the ubers that you recommend after doing the Nihlathak sig runs, except Duncraig which I completed. I have done Triune and farming that for better circles has been fun. I've only done a third of the Nihlathak runs, because I get frustrated dying from those pesky Storm Shamans - I know this zone should be trivial for me now and everything melts, but its just me I guess. I will keep at it though.

Long story short, I can get through the ubers up to my level in your guide that let me grave zerg, but the lockouts are tough for me.

So yeah, where would you recommend heading just for some gear farming and a chance to chill?

Cheers and thanks again

sk=skill, as in "+1 to all skill". ty, i just added it to the abbrev list

as for "what to do next?", I recommend following the milestone list. if you havent finished your Nihl runs for 400sigs, do that. what counters storm shamans is movement, always be running and the projectiles wont hit you.

i assume you already have found your 200-300 bow?

Ok thank you. I will head back to Nihl - I stopped cuz I was frustrated at dying to those shamans lol .. yeah its me I know, Im too slow :-)

. My damage is good, they melt fast so it's not the equipment! I crafted a reasonably decent bow that I showed in a earlier post .. but here it is again.

EDIT: PS, is the combat speed stat on the Triune charms the same as IAS? Or is it melee only? If so, looks like Im starting that quest over lol
PPS: RIP works a treat on the Nihl runs :-)

Longstaff wrote:
Wulf wrote:
Longstaff wrote:Hi Wulf and everyone,

Quick question - what does the abbreviation SK (from the merc guide) mean? I did look, but also couldn't see it in the list of abbreviations.

Also, I was wondering where would you recommend as a good and not overly difficult zone to spam some farming for a bit? I took a break for a couple of weeks and starting playing again yesterday.

I'm clvl 123 but because of my skill cap I struggle with some of the more difficult content ('difficult' being subjective, of course).

For example, I havent yet completed the ubers that you recommend after doing the Nihlathak sig runs, except Duncraig which I completed. I have done Triune and farming that for better circles has been fun. I've only done a third of the Nihlathak runs, because I get frustrated dying from those pesky Storm Shamans - I know this zone should be trivial for me now and everything melts, but its just me I guess. I will keep at it though.

Long story short, I can get through the ubers up to my level in your guide that let me grave zerg, but the lockouts are tough for me.

So yeah, where would you recommend heading just for some gear farming and a chance to chill?

Cheers and thanks again

sk=skill, as in "+1 to all skill". ty, i just added it to the abbrev list

as for "what to do next?", I recommend following the milestone list. if you havent finished your Nihl runs for 400sigs, do that. what counters storm shamans is movement, always be running and the projectiles wont hit you.

i assume you already have found your 200-300 bow?

Ok thank you. I will head back to Nihl - I stopped cuz I was frustrated at dying to those shamans lol .. yeah its me I know, Im too slow . My damage is good, they melt fast so it's not the equipment! I crafted a reasonably decent bow that I showed in a earlier post .. but here it is again.

EDIT: PS, is the combat speed stat on the Triune charms the same as IAS? Or is it melee only? If so, looks like Im starting that quest over lol
PPS: RIP works a treat on the Nihl runs

22 combat speeds = 22ias + 22fcr +22fbr +22fhr all together (basically everything except movement speed). its not melee only. i recommend getting 22speeds on triune charm because it makes reaching 117fcr much easier by saving you an armor slot that would otherwise have to have 25fcr. usually that is a good trade off because it means youll potentially be able to wear a super high dmg piece lategame, like black void or sbs instead of endless loop or hratli craft.

but for now dont worry about triune, thats further down your to-do list. follow the milestones religiously and dont skip steps ♥

Wulf wrote:
Longstaff wrote:
...... PS, is the combat speed stat on the Triune charms the same as IAS? Or is it melee only? If so, looks like Im starting that quest over lol
PPS: RIP works a treat on the Nihl runs

22 combat speeds = 22ias + 22fcr +22fbr +22fhr all together (basically everything except movement speed). its not melee only. i recommend getting 22speeds on triune charm because it makes reaching 117fcr much easier by saving you an armor slot that would otherwise have to have 25fcr. usually that is a good trade off because it means youll potentially be able to wear a super high dmg piece lategame, like black void or sbs instead of endless loop or hratli craft.

but for now dont worry about triune, thats further down your to-do list. follow the milestones religiously and dont skip steps ♥

Ok, thanks.

Must admit I skipped Kabraxis because I just got totally sick of stuffing it up, locking out and having to start over, and over, and over and yeah lol. So I did a couple of the ubers I could "grave zerg", no skill required, just patience! Ive maxed my triune charm now for current clvl - most points in speeds :-)

I sort of thought that if I levelled a bit and got stronger I could then head back and do those pesky lockout ubers. It worked for library, skipped that then went back lol :-)

Thanks again, and i totally understand the good sense in your advice :-)

EDITS:
PS/Correction - It was Judgement Day, not Kabraxis, and the one I skipped a few levels back because of getting frustrated by the fail lockout was CoV, not library. All of them are done now :-)

Also, talk about the crazy travails of a new player, who last played D2 15-years ago. I wondered for weeks why I was slow with Nihl runs compared with the key players posting here about doing it in 40-60 secs. It always took me at least 4 mins by the time I found the stairs, clearing all around the map boundaries to find them. I even stopped for a bit in frustration. Then, after eventually grinding to my 392nd sig, I was playing around with my hotkey for sprint lock and remapping it to 'R'. And quite by accident discovered you can actually toggle full map reveal!! I had no idea, and had never thought it might be an option what with the maphack/battlenet bans back in the day. And yeah my next (393rd) sig took 65 secs :-)

Hey, a couple questions. I am wondering which of these two bows would be better and if it would be worth trying to craft anything better. Also, I seem to be really unable to kill necrobots in Fauzt, even with phalanx spam they die far too slowly for it to feel worth doing for anything other than xp. Is it worth using bag of tricks/siegfried for elemental damage or stick with pure physical? Other gear is hratli, wind runner, craft gloves in picture, witchhunter cap for pr (have zeraes/craft for damage, pr seems to help more though), 2x ripstar/scarab. Unsure which belt to use, is it worth using Truce for pr to hit 50? Or am I better off using endless loop/craft belt for more damage. Have all ubers done except Ureh (will do soon, cba doing attempts after dying twice after killing the boss without grabbing the charm) Attana, Void, Laz/Samael/Deimoss. Thanks for your input

As for bow, I think the second one is slightly better. Your second one is definitely a keeper in my book. Time strike sounds cool, but mobs die too fast too receive proc damage most of the time. Mana stolen per hit is useless on this build. I personally used Truce along with a barbarian mercenary to help me in Fauztinville. Just make sure to use a jewel with IAS to counter the negative IAS on the runeword. Necrobots are a pain, especially if you get put in FHR due to not high enough HP.

Elemental Ire

Elemental Ire
Occult Effigy

Cube Reagent
Cube with a Quiver to Add Bonus
Adds 40-60 Fire Damage
Adds 40-60 Lightning Damage
+10 Required Level

can be useful to speed up Fauztinville clearspeed, admitting you can farm/trade for them. I didn't try other unique quivers. Another option could be trying with SoV. Never did, but perhaps reanimates can distract enemies long enough to take them down. The HP lost will be huge though, be warned. Outdamaging enemies resist to physical damage with physical damage is pretty difficult. Perhaps OP can be more optimistic than I am on this. I took the easiest way around the problem.

As for Ureh, going in as Hammerzon/Spearzon after a respec can be an easier option if it is too hard as a bowazon. High defense, physical resistance, movespeed and poison resistance are keys in there. Constantly casting fire elementals on the bridge and teleporting in a corner with all your summons when you reach the boss helps tremendously.

I too think the 2nd bow is better, though both are probably on the same level in terms of dmg (sub3% difference).

and if it would be worth trying to craft anything better.

yes, always roll spare bows on the side, even with shit shrines. you can never get a "perfect bow", so it's an everending goal. only stop if you ever manage to get a 200ed/120min/320max/arrow proc craft on an 12%dex aban base

which pretty much means never.

necrobots

necrobots have high pr, so even with 25k wyrm dmg, it would still take a while to kill them. the baby dmg siegfried/bag of tricks are just a drop in the bucket, you'd need several thousand ele dmg for it to be noticeable (10-13x

Elemental Ire

Elemental Ire
Occult Effigy

Cube Reagent
Cube with a Quiver to Add Bonus
Adds 40-60 Fire Damage
Adds 40-60 Lightning Damage
+10 Required Level

on a lott quiver /

Buriza-Do Kyanon

Buriza-Do Kyanon
Heavy Crossbow (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: (239 - 287) to (587 - 795)
Required Level: 120
Required Strength: 614
Item Level: 120
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.11 per Strength)%
2% Chance to cast level 50 Blizzard on Striking
20% Attack Speed
Adds 2-(300 to 450) Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
Adds 350-400 Cold Damage
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
-50% to Enemy Cold Resistance
Socketed (6)

/

Facebreaker

Facebreaker
Chain Gloves (Sacred)
Defense: (1784 - 1939) to (2299 - 2469)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 575
Item Level: 120
+1% Attack Speed per 20 Strength
Stun Attack
+(130 to 160)% Enhanced Defense
+(600 to 1000) Defense
-15% to Dexterity
Physical Resist 5%
+2 Life on Striking
Socketed (4)

/

Flameskin

Flameskin
Scale Mail (Sacred)
Defense: (7200 - 8440) to (8922 - 10307)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 1150
Item Level: 120
Adds 5 - 7 Fire Damage to Weapon per 2% Attack Speed
Weapon Physical Damage -150%
1% Chance to cast level 6 Life Spark on Striking
-20% to Enemy Fire Resistance
+(150 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+(1000 to 2000) Defense
Maximum Fire Resist +2%
(50 to 75)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements +100%
Socketed (6)

combo, but that's not realistic if you play on sp or ssf). for efficient 6-7 min fauzt runs, you need 17k hp and 50pr; dmg isnt nearly as important as not being fhr'd by necrobots. (i have farming videos ready but theyre not edited/uploaded)

that said, its dumb to have such a huge investment just to be able to clear fauzt. fauzt is a very bad place to grind if your sole purpose is getting better gear. only stick to fauzt if you need Taha great runes / lvl 140 / 2x

Giant's Knuckle

Giant's Knuckle
Ring
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
20% Attack Speed
Adds 10-15 Damage
(5 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
5% Deadly Strike
+25 Life Regenerated per Second
Physical Resist 5%

. past that, your time is better spent in dunc for SU's and SSU's or by grinding higher charms and trophies. for instance, grinding a triune trophy to upgrade atanna khan (the sleep) charm gives 45 dmg and 15%aa.

its hard to judge exactly what would be the best thing for you to do with the info you gave us. do you have a notarmory link? other than that, i would simply recommend you to religiously follow the milestone progression section of the guide. you can get to laz by blinding following it if you dont skip any steps.

my next step is samael, but it requires very specific ssus and im taking a break from median for now. the work i did for this guide broke my spirit

Thanks for the replies. For now i just have goals of hitting 140, upgrading charms, collecting the last couple and hopefully grabbing giants knuckles if i could be so lucky. Triune trophy for the sleep will be added to the list as well. I was mostly just wondering if there was something basic I was missing for faster fauzt clears because even with hp and PR it takes me well over your 7 minute clear time. Pathing and experience could have a lot to do with it as well, I will continue to grind and see if practice makes perfect. I play on SP so I'm not sure if I can just link my character or not, if possible I will do that

I will probably just find a new character that is more viable in fauzt in order to farm myself jewellery later

Oh also, any tips for crafting merc gear? I want to try the abjurer in fauzt while levelling and I have a ton of ornate shrines saved up, but your merc guide is a little unclear (could just be me being a noob) on what stat values items should have before ornate blessing. Tips/clarification would be much appreciated

Wreckfest wrote:Oh also, any tips for crafting merc gear? I want to try the abjurer in fauzt while levelling and I have a ton of ornate shrines saved up, but your merc guide is a little unclear (could just be me being a noob) on what stat values items should have before ornate blessing. Tips/clarification would be much appreciated

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31957 this guide is really good for mercs, just use google translate if needed.

Wreckfest wrote:Thanks for the replies. For now i just have goals of hitting 140, upgrading charms, collecting the last couple and hopefully grabbing giants knuckles if i could be so lucky. Triune trophy for the sleep will be added to the list as well. I was mostly just wondering if there was something basic I was missing for faster fauzt clears because even with hp and PR it takes me well over your 7 minute clear time. Pathing and experience could have a lot to do with it as well, I will continue to grind and see if practice makes perfect. I play on SP so I'm not sure if I can just link my character or not, if possible I will do that I will probably just find a new character that is more viable in fauzt in order to farm myself jewellery later

Oh also, any tips for crafting merc gear? I want to try the abjurer in fauzt while levelling and I have a ton of ornate shrines saved up, but your merc guide is a little unclear (could just be me being a noob) on what stat values items should have before ornate blessing. Tips/clarification would be much appreciated

you can send me your .d2s character file (you can use zippyshare website) and i can take a long see if i see anything glaring.

for the merc id only bother once you hit lvl 140. for crafting you can use the table i shared to know which affixes to fish for and what the ranges are.

Wulf wrote:I too think the 2nd bow is better, though both are probably on the same level in terms of dmg (sub3% difference).

and if it would be worth trying to craft anything better.

yes, always roll spare bows on the side, even with shit shrines. you can never get a "perfect bow", so it's an everending goal. only stop if you ever manage to get a 200ed/120min/320max/arrow proc craft on an 12%dex aban base which pretty much means never.

necrobots

necrobots .................

................ my next step is samael, but it requires very specific ssus and im taking a break from median for now. the work i did for this guide broke my spirit

I hope you get a chance to kick back and relax a little, and maybe just enjoy the game as a player focused on just having fun for a bit. The community owes you at least that much with all the help and guidance you have brought for others, at the cost of your own time and energy :-)