I decided to dispose of the Bardiche and return to my trusty Scepter and Targe. I passed my entire inventory and stash to a mule and decided to go for a Tower run. Just when I got into the Tower, my PC froze and I had to restart. I rebooted, returned to the Tower, and cleared it out at "Players 3"; the Countess dropped 2 Runes! Both were Els, of course, but I will soon get the Cube to fix that. I picked up some new boots (Poison Length Reduced by 25%) and used them in place of my current pair. I also picked up a Grand Charm (Adds 1-4 Lightning Damage) and a Rondache with "45% Chance to Block" and "+10% to All Resistances".
I returned to town and decided I had enough gold to make my acquaintance with Gheed. The thief sold me a lot of crap before he managed to dig out some decent items. He sold me a rare Belt and some rare Chain Boots.
I proceeded to the Catacombs, headed for Andariel, and managed to level up before I got to her.
Level 17: Saved my skill point. I put all five points into Strength.
I got to Andariel and she actually was a lot more trouble than I thought she would be. I actually had to run away and regroup. I had switched back to "Players 1" before I went to Catacombs level four, so it is possible that she was still under the influence of "Players 2". As it was, she killed my Rogue and I used a few health potions plus two Rejuvenation potions.
During my adventures in Act One, I had collected lots of Mana potions and kept them in front of my stash. I collected just enough to fill up my inventory when I saved my game. The reason for keeping these potions is, of course, to make Full Rejuvenation potions using the Horadric Cube (Three Mana potions + Three Healing potions = One (small) Rejuvenation potions; Three Rejuvenation potions = One Full Rejuvenation potion). You can also use the recipe with chipped gems (Three Healing potions + Three Mana potions + One gem = One Full Rejuvenation potion), but I wanted to save my chipped gems for the magical sword recipe (Three chipped gems + Magical sword = Magical sword with three sockets and new modifiers). Once Andariel was dead, I collected all of my Mana potions and moved onto Act Two.
I was silly and sold all of my Rogue's equipment before I realized I could have used it for my Act Two mercenary! Anyway, I hired a Defensive Auras mercenary. I was planning to hold on to him for a while, so a Defense hireling made more sense than a Prayer or Blessed Aim mercenary. Act Three mercenaries do too little damage for my liking. It depends on the sword you give them, and if I could find a high damage one-handed sword I would keep it for myself. I might consider switching to a Cold mercenary for the chill benefit but, ah well, let me see if I can get through Act Two first!
Before I did anything else, I switched on "Players 4" to give it time to take effect. I visited Fara and purchased a Claymore with "15-30 Damage" (+2 to Minimum Damage mod, of course). I decided to go for the Horadric Cube first, so that I could make Full Rejuvenation potions. I headed straight for the Dry Hills and fought my way through to the Halls of the Dead level two before I decided to pack up for the day.
Statistics:
Character Level: 17
Strength: 62
Dexterity: 28
Vitality: 65
Energy: 15
Life: 228
Mana: 46
Damage: 32-67
Attack Rating: 267
Defense: 114 (Influenced by Defiance)
Resistances:
Fire Resistance: 15
Cold Resistance: 9
Lightning Resistance: 10
Poison Resistance: 24
Skills:
Might: 1
Sacrifice: 1
Smite: 1
Holy Bolt: 1
Blessed Aim: 1
Charge: 1
Zeal: 4
Equipment:
Helm: Rare Cap with "10% Faster Hit Recovery", "+2 to Life", "+4 to Mana", and "Fire Resist +8%).
Weapon: Magical Scepter dealing 8-11 Damage, with "+2 to Minimum Damage" and "+2 to Smite".
Weapon 2: Magical Claymore dealing 15-30 Damage, with "+2 to Minimum Damage" and "+39 to Attack Rating".
Body Armor: Rare Leather Armor with "+5 to Life", "Resist Cold +9%", "Resist Lightning +10%", "Resist Poison +6%", "Poison Length Reduced by 25%", and "Attacker Takes Damage of 1".
Shield: Superior Rondache with "45% Chance to Block" and "Resist All +10%".
Belt: Rare Belt with "17% Faster Hit Recovery", "+38% Enhanced Defense", "+6 to Life", "+3 to Mana", and "Poison Length Reduced by 25%".
Boots: Rare Chain Boots with "+15 to Attack Rating", "+1 to Dexterity", "Resist Fire +7%", "Resist Poison +9%", "+3 to Light Radius", and "Repairs 1 Durability in 33 Seconds".
Gloves: Magical Leather Gloves with "+1 to Strength" and "Resist Poision +5%".
Amulet: "8% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items".
Ring one: "+33 to Attack Rating" (AR), "Replenish Life +5".
Ring two: "10% Chance to Cast Level Three Charged Bolt When Struck", "Poison Resist +9%".
RSS Feeds
