It is Saturday and I am eager to get back to playing Hard-Xore. In entered a multiplayer game indicating it was Act One and I noticed that I still had the two levels to distribute from my previous session.
Level 13: 5 Strength, Sword Mastery (7)
Level 14: 5 Vitality, Sword Mastery (8)
After distributing my points, I checked my quests interface and noticed that I am actually in Act II. I recall killing Andariel in my last session. So, I left the game and entered a game entitled “Act 2 start”. I partied with the four people in the game and joined them in the first level of the Sewers. We cleaned out the first level and acquired two more party members while doing so. I found that my Act One mercenary just wasn’t providing the punch I needed, so I opted to go back to town and get a mercenary from Griez. He offered up the usual people and I chose Hasim, as he was a Defensive Auras mercenary and I felt that any help he could offer me personally would be for the best. I visited Fara and purchased some Chain Mail, a Helm, and a Trident for my mercenary’s use until I found better equipment.
I then rejoined my party, which was busy clearing out level two of the Sewers. We journeyed down to level three and encountered Radament, who we dispatched with fairly easily; however, my mercenary died in the encounter. I grabbed up a Book of Skill and read the tome. I was awarded a skill point that I would distribute later.
Upon returning to town I spoke with Atma, receiving my dubious reward, and resurrected Hasim. One of the party members had the waypoint to the Halls of the Dead Level Two and he casted a Town Portal for the rest of us to get there. I quickly activated the waypoint and we proceeded to work our way through the Halls of the Dead in search of the third level, where we knew the Horadric Cube awaited us. It was found in due time, and we made our way down and picked the right hall to explore on the first try, finding ourselves in a room with a lot of monsters and the treasure chest that contained the Horadric Cube. We cleaned out the room, collected our cubes, and used a Town Portal to get back to Lut Gholein.
I noticed that I had leveled up twice and was now level 16. I took this opportunity to distribute my acquired skill and attribute points. In my encounters with monsters so far, I noticed that my percentage to hit was decreasing as I advanced further into the act. I decided that I would concentrate primarily on my Sword Mastery from here, until it was maxed. This would continue to allow me to be effective with lesser weapons.
Level 15: 5 Dexterity, Sword Mastery (9)
Book of Skill: Sword Mastery (10)
Level 16: 5 Vitality, Sword Mastery (11)
After completing this, I looked to find out where my party had gone to and noticed that they had split up. Some of them were in the Maggot Lair in search of the Horadric Staff and the others were in the Lost City, on their way to the Valley of the Snakes in search of the Viper Amulet. I decided to join up with those in the Lost City and asked for a Town Portal to their location. One opened up, and I joined them. We trekked across the area and found the opening in the mountains to the Valley of the Snakes. We entered Claw Viper Temple and proceeded to clear a path in search of the second level wherein the Amulet can be found.
I found that this party was running fairly quickly as they were fairly advanced players who had the benefit of mules from which to pull equipment, and experience on how to use their characters appropriately. We made easy work of all the monsters that were unfortunate enough to get in our way. When we found the second level, I volunteered to go in and jump to the middle. I did so and casted a Town Portal. I destroyed the Viper Altar and grabbed up an amulet. The other party members then entered through my Town Portal and grabbed up their amulets. Thus, we avoided the Lightning enchanted boss. No need to take risks that carry a very small reward.
Upon arrival back at town, the other party members who had gone after the staff had a Town Portal opened up to the room containing the staff. I ran through the portal, picked up a staff, and returned to town. I used my cube to construct the Horadric Staff as well as combining nine of my Rejuvenation potions into three Full Rejuvenation potions.
Upon completion of the staff and the potions, I entered a Town Portal that one of my party members had opened to the Canyon of the Magi. Someone in the group had apparently already killed off The Summoner in the Arcane Sanctuary, as they knew what symbol the correct tomb was in. It was the square.
So, we journeyed to the third tomb on the right (which is the one adorned with a square symbol) and proceeded to work our way through in search of the staff-altar room. It took us a little while, but we finally found the room and one of the other party members put their staff in the floor spot before I did. The light broke through the ceiling and the wall caved in. The group rushed in. I held back a little, allowing my mercenary to engage along with everyone else. I maneuvered behind Duriel and attacked him from the rear. Discretion sometimes is the better part of valor!
The combined might of the entire group was too much for Duriel, who died fairly quickly, but not before dispatching my mercenary and one unfortunate Sorceress.
The next wall crumbled and we went through to see Tyrael. A portal opened and we journeyed back to town where we talked to Jerhyn and then to Meshif, who sailed us to Kurast and Act Three.
Upon entering Act Three, I noticed I had once again leveled up and decided to distribute my points.
Level 17: 5 Strength, Sword Mastery (12)
That was all for my morning Saturday session. I am hoping to spend a lot more time this evening.
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