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Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (PC) FAQ/Character Guide
Version 1.2 (Last updated 06 Jun 2002)
by Chris Brennan
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0. Contents:
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0. Contents
1. The boring but necessary stuff...
1.1 E-Mail info
1.2 Copyright stuff
1.3 Version history
1.31 Future plans
1.4 A little about the game...
1.5 A little about this guide...
2. The Amazon
2.1 The "Bowazon"
2.2 The "Javazon"
2.3 The "Hybridzon"
2.4 The "Spearazon"
3. The Assassin
3.1 The "Martial Arts Assassin"
3.1.1 Claw/shield
3.1.2 Claw/claw
3.2 The "Trapassin"
4. The Barbarian
4.1 The "Whirlwinder"
4.2 The "Frenzy Barbarian"
4.3 The "Berserker"
4.4 The "Magic Find Barbarian"
5. The Druid
5.1 The Werewolf/Summon Druid
5.2 The Werebear/Summon Druid
5.3 The Elemental/Summon Druid
5.4 The Pure Elemental Druid
6. The Necromancer
6.1 The "Golemancer"
6.1.1 Using Iron Golem
6.1.2 Using Fire Golem
6.1.3 Using Blood Golem
7. The Paladin
7.1 The "Zealot"
7.2 The "Avenger"
7.3 The "Charger"
7.4 The "Smiter"
7.5 The Zealot/Avenger Hybrid
8. The Sorceress
8.1 The Fire/Ice Sorceress
8.2 The Fire/Lightning Sorceress
8.3 The Ice/Lightning Sorceress
8.4 The "Tri-Sorc"
9. Skill statistics
9.1 Amazon
9.2 Assassin
9.3 Barbarian
9.4 Druid
9.5 Necromancer
9.6 Paladin
9.7 Sorceress
10. Mercenaries
10.1 Information
10.2 Which mercenary should I choose?
11. FAQs
12. Miscellaneous info
13. Known bugs
14. Short Walkthrough
14.1 Act I
14.2 Act II
14.3 Act III
14.4 Act IV
14.5 Act V
15. Credits
16. Copyright and random info again
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1. The boring but necessary stuff...
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1.1 E-Mail:
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My e-mail address for everything concerning my FAQs is
[email protected]. I usually check my e-mail every other day at
least, unless I'm overly busy. During holidays though (Easter, Xmas,
Summer) I may not always have Net access, so don't be surprised if you
don't get a reply for a while at these times. Any recommendations, praise,
(constructive) criticism, and corrections to this walkthrough are welcome.
Finally, no I don't play online anymore, so don't e-mail me asking for my
account details or suchlike.
I can also be reached on AIM as Darksyde XVIII, but my AIM appearances are
rare, so don't hold your breath...
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1.2 Copyright stuff:
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This work is Copyright © 2001/2002 Chris Brennan
(
[email protected]). It is for personal use only, and may not be
reproduced without the author's permission, and if for some warped reason
you do want to put this on your site, you must e-mail me first and get my
permission! And everyone, plagiarism is baaaaad, so don't do it or nasty
things will happen...
The following sites have permission to use this FAQ:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
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1.3 Version History:
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0.1 - Started guide. Provisional contents list drawn up, most of section 1
completed. Started Amazon guides.
0.2 - Amazon section complete. I've had to play with a Spearazon for a few
hours, last time I'd played as one was probably a year ago and a lot has
changed since then (they've got worse, in case you were wondering). Started
Assassin section, revised contents list (added "Claw/Shield" and "Claw/Claw"
subsections for Martial Arts Assassin, I also intend to add a brief
"mercenaries" section later). Scrapped equipment section for each character
subclass (I was repeating myself far too often). Thinking about adding a
more generalised and separate equipment section later.
0.3 - Contents list amended again (added "Hardcore mode" section, added
"Magic Find Barbarian" section). Edited section 1.5 a little. Martial Arts
Assassin and Whirlwind Barbarian section complete.
0.4 - Barbarian section complete, Druid section half-finished, contents list
revised again (Necromancer subclasses changed, added subsections 6.1.1, 6.1.2
and 6.1.3). Modified complete stat plans.
0.7 - Most Necromancer sections complete. Added and completed "Known bugs"
section. Started "Miscellaneous info" section. Modified Barbarian sections
(I forgot to mention Leap Attack in the Barbarian subsections - oops...).
Added and started "Skill statistics" section, Amazon skills complete. Added
Mercenary subsections to contents list, completed "Mercenaries" section.
0.8 - Reformatted the guide (changed paragraphing). Paladin guides complete
up to section 7.3. Assassin skills section complete. Couple more things
added to section 12.
0.9 - All character guides complete bar a few which will need a bit of
experimenting with first but will all be done in v1.0. Guide has been fully
spellchecked and proofread. A few sections are now left to be completed or
scrapped, depending on how bothered I can be... :)
1.0 - *First release* (24 April 2002) - All character guides done, most skill
stats done, some sections revised, some scrapped (for now at least..) Renamed
document. Added "FAQs" section.
1.1 - (7 May 2002) - All skill stats complete, couple more miscellaneous tips
added, some subclass guides (slightly) revised. Added "Short Walkthrough".
Added more FAQs. Credits updated.
1.2 - (6 June 2002) - Hurrah! More character subclass guide thingys done, the
"Smiter", the "Trapassin" and the Zealot/Avenger hybrid. A few silly errors
in the guide have been corrected too.
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1.31 Future plans:
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By the next version (v1.3) I should have...
- Yet more character subclass guides... if I can think of any!
- Implemented any good suggestions I get from you, my wonderful readers. ^_^
- More detail in the "Mercenaries" section.
- Anything else I can think of.
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1.4 A little about the game:
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Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (henceforth D2:LoD) is an action-orientated RPG.
Or is it an RPG-orientated action game? Bah, who knows... or cares? What
matters is it is good, very good, and lethally addictive. Be warned, if you
haven't bought it yet, only buy it if you've got a lot of time to spare and
if your friends and family won't mind you going mysteriously "missing" for a
couple of months. Seven character classes, five acts and three difficulty
levels contribute to this addictiveness, as does the item-hunting part of the
game. And one of the great things about D2:LoD is that you can make it as
easy or as difficult as you want to by the way you choose to build up your
characters out of the many possibilities available.
------------------------------
1.5 A little about this guide:
------------------------------
One of the most frequently asked questions by people new and old to D2:LoD
is "How should I build up my character?". This guide is a product of a heck
of a lot of (wasted?) time playing D2:LoD both on and off-line. In short,
it is based around the many ways of building up characters. It is essentially
based on PvM (player versus monster, as opposed to dueling human opponents),
although some dueling-related things will probably be thrown in. I will also
assume you are playing non-hardcore games with the latest patch (v1.09 at the
time of writing). If you're looking for a dueling/PvP guide, a walkthrough
of the game or anything else related to D2, I'd advise you to look elsewhere.
That said, if you want drawn-out character plans, complete with pros, cons,
and an effectiveness rating, stay here! Also, don't feel you have to stick
rigidly to the stat and skill plans, nothing would ever have been discovered
in D2:LoD without some experimentation. Finally, the effectiveness ratings
represent my opinion on how effective the character is overall at getting
through the game, from level 1 to level 99 (heh, like I've ever had a
character at level 99...). Your opinions may differ, and that's fine by me,
but just remember I'm a stubborn guy... :P
The guide assumes you have a limited knowledge of D2:LoD, amounting to at
least having skimmed through the manual and having played it for a few
hours. A few terms I use may be unfamiliar to you, so if you're unsure of
the meaning of something, e-mail me and I'll either clarify it to you (if
it isn't a common problem) or rephrase/explain it in a future version of
this guide (if it is). I may accidentally use "Diablo 2 slang" at some
points, and I want to make this guide as beginner friendly as I can.
The skill plans below don't take any +skill modifiers from items into
account, but the stat plans do take +<stat> modifiers into account, so
you can raise then to the suggested amount using items and you'll be
fine, and if items take the stat even further than I've suggested stat
point-wise, then that's great!
Finally, a little disclaimer. This guide probably contains a few (albeit
minor) spoilers, so you're reading on at your own risk!
Anyway, on with what you all (hopefully) came here for, the guide!
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2. The Amazon:
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Skilled in use of the bow, the spear, and javelins, the Amazon is one of the
more versatile characters in D2:LoD. The Amazon's subclasses focus on
specialisation in one or two of the aforementioned weapons.
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2.1 The "Bowazon":
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Have a guess why the "Bowazon" is called what it's called. Yep, it's pretty
simple - these nicknames weren't just pulled out of a hat you know! The
bowazon is the variant of choice for many duelers, but that doesn't mean she
can't hold her own in PvM though. Guided Arrow and Strafe and/or Multiple
Shot will be the staple of your arsenal, with skills like Valkyrie, Decoy,
Critical Strike, Dodge, Evade and Avoid to help out. Physical immune monsters
in Hell are best dealt with by high-level Freezing Arrow. Typically, a
bowazon skill plan will look like this...
20 Guided Arrow
20 Freezing Arrow
10+ Strafe and/or 10+ Multiple Shot (if you're not using one of them, put
more skill points into the one you *are* using)
~10 Penetrate
10 Critical Strike
5-8 Dodge
5-8 Avoid
5 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
A few notes on the above. Freezing Arrow doesn't need to be pumped
significantly until you reach Hell difficulty, where Physical Immunes become
more abundant. I only have it maxed because at higher character levels there
is little else worth putting skill points into. Valkyrie may be worth putting
a few more points into if you're playing single player, as the Valk's life
scales up with more players in the game (in a 3 player game her life would
be roughly three times what it is in a single player game, for example).
You may decide you need less or more than 10 in penetrate, depending on how
many stat points you put in dexterity, and how many items with +Attack Rating
you have. As a general guide, try and keep your chance to hit enemies in the
70-75% range. Strafe and Multishot are both effective, but in different ways.
I'd recommend putting points in both, experimenting with them, and using them
situationally as you become more familiar with the skill's individual
strengths and weaknesses. Just because you only have 1 point in Decoy and
Inner Sight doesn't mean you shouldn't use them every now and then - they can
be very useful at times. Finally, as with all the skill and stat plans in this
guide, feel free to experiment a little - you may discover a plan you find
more effective!
Now for the stats of a typical Bowazon.
Strength - 140
Dexterity - 220+
Vitality - 180
Energy - 15
This is a pretty basic outline of what you need to do. Strength should be
pumped early on so you can equip decent armour, but should be stopped at ~140.
Dexterity should consistently be pumped, and at high levels should exceed 220
(it affects the damage bows do as well as your chance to hit). Vitality is not
as important for the bowazon as for many other character variants (in PvP this
isn't so true), but if you don't put a little into it you'll find that in Hell
one or two hits can kill you... unpleasant. Vitality should be concentrated on
at higher levels, when strength has been capped. Energy is unimportant, as
mana leech takes care of any mana troubles you might have.
So, how good is the Bowazon?
Pros: Good crowd control with Strafe/Multiple Shot. Can kill
Mephisto/Diablo/Baal with less difficulty than many other classes with Guided
Arrow (although it takes a while...).
Cons: No good party-aiding skills, even with a good bow damage can be
unimpressive. Difficulty with physical immune monsters in Hell.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7.5/10. Versatile, but a little weak on the
raw damage front.
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2.2 The "Javazon":
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Another self-explanitory name. Lightning Fury is the main attack for this
variant, and it can kill large groups of enemies in seconds when coupled
with pierce, as will be explained later. Again, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge,
Evade and Avoid are the backup skills of choice, with Plague Javelin as a
backup attack skill for enemies with high lightning resistance or immunity.
Here is a sample Javazon skill point plan...
20 Lightning Fury
20 Plague Javelin
10+ Pierce
10 Dodge
10 Avoid
10 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
Get 20/10 Lightning Fury/Pierce as soon as possible (unfortunately both have
a character level 30 requirement), then focus on the other skills. The
Javazon has more in Dodge, Avoid and Valkyrie than the Bowazon simply because
she has more skill points free to spend. Plague Javelin actually doesn't do
much damage under most circumstances, but get a lot of enemies under the
cloud and the damage mounts up. The poison also prevents monster life
regeneration, which is an added bonus. You don't need points in Critical
Strike as the lightning from Lightning Fury will be dealing 99% of your
damage, and Critical strike does diddly squat to that. Penetrate isn't needed
as Lightning Fury and Plague Javelin always hit.
Now a quick stat point guide.
Strength - 100
Dexterity - 175+
Vitality - 200+
Energy - 15
Pump strength early to meet armour/weapon requirements (stop at ~100),
continually pump dexterity at about +2/level, and pump vitality when done
with strength. Only put points into energy if you're having severe mana
problems, and energy should never go above 45. Why don't you need energy? The
item modifier "+mana after each kill" takes care of that, as does mana leech
from items.
So, how good is the Javazon?
Pros: Best character for crowd control. Can clear the most rewarding area in
the game (Hell Cow Level) with ease and speed. Not overly reliant on
equipment.
Cons: Dreadfully weak against bosses if unaccompanied. No good party-friendly
skills, weak against lightning immune monsters (which are quite common in
Hell difficulty)
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. Leveling up without high level Lightning
Fury/Pierce can be a pain, as can bosses due to your lack of powerful 1v1
skills, but when you hit the higher levels you'll be almost unstoppable...
--------------------
2.3 The "Hybridzon":
--------------------
What could be better than combining the best bits of the Bowazon with the
best bits of the Javazon? Well, not much actually. You get the unrivalled
crowd control of Lightning Fury/Pierce coupled with one of the best skills
for fighting lone enemies, Guided Arrow. The usual backup skills are still
used, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge, Evade and Critical Strike. Here's a typical
skill plan...
20 Lightning Fury
20 Guided Arrow
10+ Pierce
8 Critical Strike
8 Dodge
8 Avoid
5 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
Work on Guided Arrow until you can pump Lightning Fury and Pierce, then
leave it alone until done with them. The passive skills can be largely
ignored save for one or two skill points until late Nightmare difficulty
while you concentrate on the aforementioned attack skills. Mid-level Critical
Strike helps Guided Arrow's average damage out a lot, but you don't need
points in Penetrate as Guided Arrow and Lightning Fury always hit (yay!).
Stat points should be something like as follows...
Strength - 110
Dexterity - 220+
Vitality - 150+
Energy - 15
As always, strength should be your main concern at lower levels, dexterity
should be consistently increased, and vitality becomes important at mid/high
levels. Strength should be stopped at 110 or so, dexterity at 220+, then
vitality should be focused on at more length.
So, how good is the Hybridzon?
Pros: Great crowd control and can cope well with strong single enemies. Very,
very versatile. Hell Cow Level is easy and quick to clear with Lightning
Fury.
Cons: Weak against large groups of lightning immune enemies, or single strong
physical immunes.
Overall effectiveness rating: 9/10. One of the most effective character
variants in the game. 'Nuff said.
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2.4 The "Spearazon":
--------------------
An Amazon who, amazingly, uses spears. You'd never have guessed, would you?
This variant is strikingly different from the other Amazon variants as she
specializes in close-quarters combat. Either Fend or Jab will be your main
attack, and as usual Critical Strike, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge, Evade and Avoid
will be helpful to you. The standard skill plan looks like this.
20 Jab OR 20 Fend (it really doesn't matter, there's little between them)
12+ Dodge
10+ Critical Strike
10+ Avoid
10 Penetrate
10 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
The passives (dodge, critical strike, avoid) get more points than in all
other Zon variants for two reasons. Firstly, the Spearazon is more likely
to get hit that any other Amazon subclass as she will be engaged in
close-quarter combat more often. Secondly, there are no other skills that
are worth heavily investing in, so you'll have free skill points to spend on
whatever you want at higher levels. For the same reason, Jab or Fend is maxed.
You can leave the skills at 10 points or so until you have nothing better to
spend skill points on, then max them. As you may have guessed, physical
immunes are hard to deal with. Your best bet is to carry +elemental damage
charms with you and keep a fast weapon with high elemental damage in your
secondary weapon slot. Either that or ignore physical immunes wherever
possible.
Stat points should look something like this...
Strength - 170+
Dexterity - 160
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 15
Get strength up early on to let you equip good weapons/armour. Don't
seriously invest in vitality until strength is about 170 (then you can
leave strength alone). Dexterity should be constantly increased at about
+1.5 points/level, and energy is useless (mana leech anyone?).
So, how good is the Spearazon?
Pros: Errr, good question. She's challenging to play, if you like that
sort of thing. Decent at handling single stronger enemies.
Cons: Physical immune monsters are a nightmare, as are large groups of
monsters. No good party-friendly skills. Jab/Fend can be dreadfully slow
and/or weak unless you get a very fast high damage weapon.
Overall effectiveness rating: 3/10. Not one for the beginner, then. In
fact, not the type of character for anyone who doesn't have sadistic
tendencies - she tends to die a lot in Hell difficulty. My advice –
leave well alone...
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3. The Assassin:
----------------
Skilled in the use of "Claw"-type weapons, the Assassin's specialities include
stealth and blisteringly fast attack speed. There are only two well-recognised
main Assassin subclasses, but there is room for a little variation within
them, as will be shown.
--------------------------------
3.1 The "Martial Arts Assassin":
--------------------------------
An Assassin who specialises in Martial Arts skill tree, strangely enough.
That doesn't mean that the other two trees don't come in very useful though.
As far as Martial Arts are concerned, Tiger Strike is a must-have, as is one
of the finishing moves (Dragon Talon/Claw/Tail/Flight). The Shadow
Disciplines skill tree contains another must-have skill, Burst of Speed, as
well as weapon block for claw/claw Assassins. To deal with physical immune
monsters, Assassins either use Phoenix Strike (which is a great
crowd-control skill anyway) or one of the traps (usually Wake of Inferno).
Death Sentry is a great trap, and is effective with only a few skill points
invested (although it has a lot of prerequisites).
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3.1.1 Claw/Shield:
------------------
The more defensively sound of the two Martial Arts Assassin types. There is
room for variation with these skills, as you'll see. Here's a plan...
20 Tiger Strike
20 Phoenix Strike OR 20 Wake of Inferno (I recommend Phoenix)
20 Dragon Tail OR 20 Dragon Flight (see below)
20 Claw Mastery
10 Death Sentry
6 Burst of Speed
5+ Shadow Master
1 Mind Blast
1 Cobra Strike (it'll be a prerequisite if you're using Phoenix Strike, be
sure to put a point in it if you're not though)
1 in all prerequisites
Right, there's a lot to deal with here. Tiger Strike is essential, and should
be pumped whenever possible. Dragon Tail is better at dealing with crowds than
Dragon Flight, but Flight can handle single stronger enemies more effectively.
If you're going to use Phoenix Strike, I'd recommend using Flight, as Phoenix
is a good crowd control skill. If not using Phoenix, I recommend Dragon Tail.
If you are using Phoenix Strike, charge up and release the charge(s) as
quickly as you can and repeat. For example, with the Meteor charge it is
possible to get a couple of meteors a second raining down on your enemies,
which is nice. The same applies to the lightning charge. The freezing charge
is usually used to slow groups of enemies down - it has little offensive use.
Whichever finishing move you go with, put ~5 skill points in it initially,
then only increase it further at higher levels when you have little else to
do with your skill points. Burst of Speed is very, very useful, so try and
keep it active at all times. Deth Sentry is great in crowd-control. You may
only have one point in Mind Blast, Cobra Strike, and Cloak of Shadows, but that
doesn't mean they're not going to be very useful to you. Mind Blast can stun
and convert enemies, which is obviously useful in controlling crowds of
monsters. Cobra Strike leeches a huge amount of life and mana, even at skill
level 1. Finally, Cloak of Shadows decreases enemy defense, making it easier
to hit them. Right, now for a stat plan...
Strength - 120
Dexterity - 200+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 25
Strength and dexterity should always be roughly equal until 120 or so, when
strength can be ignored and vitality should be concentrated on instead. Energy
isn't needed, as you have mana leech and the wonderful Cobra Strike.
So, how good is the claw/shield martial arts assassin?
Pros: Versatility. One of the best character subclasses against lone strong
enemies, but can still handle crowds with Phoenix Strike or Dragon Tail. Fast
attacker.
Cons: Weakness against physical immune monsters. Charge-up system can be
annoying at times (like when you're trying to spam the meteor charge of
Phoenix Strike). Few party-friendly skills. Perhaps not the best choice if
this is your first time playing D2:LoD, as she takes some skill to master.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8/10. A strong, well-rounded character subclass
who in the right hands is pretty unstoppable. To be honest, I was nitpicking
a little in the "cons" section above... ;)
----------------
3.1.2 Claw/Claw:
----------------
Two claws basically corresponds to great attacking power, and it looks very
cool, but unfortunately there are sacrifices that come with the loss of a
shield. Here is a skill plan...
20 Tiger Strike
20 Claw Mastery
20 Phoenix Strike or 20 Wake of Inferno (I recommend Phoenix)
10 Weapon Block
10 Dragon Claw
10 Death Sentry
6 Burst of Speed
5+ Shadow Master
5 Fade (optional - you may have to take the skill points out of other places
if you want to use it, see below)
1 Mind Blast
1 Cobra Strike (it'll be a prerequisite if you're using Phoenix Strike, be
sure to put a point in it if you're not though)
1 in all prerequisites
Much of the above is similar to the claw/shield assassin guide above, so
I'd suggest you also read that section as I will only explain the different
skill choices here. Dragon Claw is your only feasible choice of finishing
move. It's cheap on the ol' Mana Orb, and can be very damaging. Leave it at
~5 skill points until you get to the point where there's nothing else worth
putting skill points into, then pump it a little more.
As you have no shield, weapon block is quite essential. Also, because you
don't have a shield, your elemental resists will almost certainly suffer,
so Fade may be a wise investment for use in some situations (Chaos Sanctuary,
anyone?). However, if you have Fade active, you can't have Burst of Speed
active at the same time, and you may not have enough skill points to go
around if you do opt to put points into it, so it isn't as useful as it
first sounds. I'll leave it up to you whether you want to bother with it or
not, but I've never felt the need to. Some people swear by it though...
As far as stat point distribution is concerned, the same applies to the
claw/claw assassin as to the claw/shield assassin, so read the skill plan
in the claw/shield section above for advice.
So, how good is the claw/claw martial arts assassin?
Pros: Great damage-dealing potential and fast attack speed. The best
character subclass for combating lone strong enemies, but she can deal with
groups effectively too.
Cons: Defensively weaker than claw/shield assassin. Few party-aiding skills.
Weak against physical immune monsters. Takes a bit of skill to master.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8.5/10. Whether she is better or worse than
the claw/shield assassin has been the subject of extended debate in the
D2:LoD world, but I've played both extensively and found the claw/claw
assassin to be slightly more effective (and more fun too).
--------------------
3.2 The "Trapassin":
--------------------
An assassin who specializes in the "Traps" skill tree, although is also backed
up by both other skill trees - skills such as Shadow Master and Cobra Strike
are important here, but your main source of damage will be from Traps, namely
Death Sentry, Lightning Sentry, and Wake of Inferno. Burst of Speed and Weapon
Block (Trapassins should dual-wield to enable them to get more +skills..) will
be your other two support skills of choice. The sample skill point
distribution looks like this...
20 Lightning Sentry
20 Wake of Inferno
20 Shadow Master
7 Weapon Block
7 Burst of Speed
5 Death Sentry
1 Cobra Strike
1 in all prerequisites
Try and save some skill points at lower levels so that for a while you can
level both Lightning Sentry and Wake of Inferno up at the same time for a
while. You may want to use melee quite extensively up until, say, the mid/high
20s level-wise, but after that you should limit yourself to just using Cobra
Strike to leech back mana when you need to. Shadow Master's Slvl can be raised
up to 5 or so early on, then you should leave it for a while as you focus on
your attacking skills. Get the 5 Death Sentry Points sa soon as the skill
becomes available, and you'll have to fit at least some of the points you'll
be investing into Weapon Block and Burst of Speed in at lower levels too -
they are very useful supporting skills. Cobra Strike is only worth putting one
point into - the mana leech it gives you is more than enough at this point.
Okay, here's what the stats should be looking like...
Strength - 100
Dexterity - 80
Vitality - 220+
Energy - 25
Strength and dexterity need to be raised to some extent because of equipment
requirements - ideally you'll want to find a claw with reasonable damage
(only so you leech more back with Cobra Strike..), lots of +skills, and ITD,
and if you find a rare claw like this but withhigh requirements and you
haven't invested enough into strength and exterity to make it usable you're
going to be kicking yourself. Vitality is important - the Trapassin needs
lots of life to be able to survive in Hell. Energy is unimportant, +mana
equipment is easy to come by and you can leech mana back with Cobra Strike,
of course. One note though, +mana after each kill items DON'T work with
traps, so don't go down that route... :P
So, how good is the Trapassin?
Pros: Two elemental attacks and a physical attack, all with reasonable power
mean immune monsters won't cause you any trouble. Death Sentry is great for
large groups of enemies.
Cons: Damage of traps other than Death Sentry (the corpse explosion bit) is
far too low - killing in late Nightmare and throughout Hell is a somewhat
slow, arduous process
Overall effectiveness rating - 5/10. You're better off sticking to PvP with a
trapassin - we can just hope that the damage of traps will be increased in a
later patch... (hint hint Blizzard... ;) )
-----------------
4. The Barbarian:
-----------------
RRRAGGGGH! ME BARBARIAN! ME BIG STRONG! Yep, that sums up the Barbarian
pretty well. He specialises in melee combat, and can specialise in 5 types
of melee weapon, as well as throwing mastery, which is a bit of a joke really.
Your weapon class of choice will largely depend on which Barbarian subclass
you choose.
----------------------
4.1 The "Whirlwinder":
----------------------
Guess which combat skill this guy specialises in? Yep, Whirlwind. He is the
best crowd-controller among the Barbarian subclasses. Whirlwind and
Concentration will be your two attack skills of choice, and Berserk is the
physical immune monster killer. Battle Orders is an immensely useful skill
to invest in, even if you're not playing multiplayer. A weapon mastery,
Natural Resistance and maybe Increased Speed provide you with passive skill
backup. Here is a rough skill guide...
20 Whirlwind
20 Sword/Spear/Polearm/Axe/Mace Mastery
20 Battle Orders
1-8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1+ Increased Speed
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Max out Whirlwind as soon as you can, the extra damage/skill level really
helps. The mastery you choose really makes less difference than some people
would have you believe. As a rough guide, high-end swords are fast but less
damaging, high-end maces and spears have huge damage but are quite slow, and
axes and polearms lie somewhere between these two extremes. Whatever mastery
you choose, pump points into it until you get the chance to invest in
Whirlwind (level 30), then leave any further investment until there is little
else useful to put your skill points into.
Battle Orders shouldn't be heavily invested in until Whirlwind is maxed.
Natural Resistance is important, especially if you don't have immediate access
to very good equipment. How many points you choose to put in it should depend
on the resists you get from your equipment - if you find yourself low on
resists don't hesitate to putanother point or two into it - but never go higher
than about 8 as that's where diminishing returns start to take effect. You can
get away with only one point in Berserk, but 5 or so gives you the optimum
balance between skill point investment and ease of killing physical immune
monsters. Concentration only has one point, but should be your left-click
attack, to be used when you don't have enough mana to use Whirlwind. Use Leap
Attack to escape trouble (i.e. if surrounded by enemies and low on life) or to
jump gaps in the terrain. Below is a stat guide...
Strength - 200/225 (see below)
Dexterity - 150+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 10
Strength should be constantly increased at ~2.5 per level until it is at 200
or so (~225 if using maces), then strength points can be replaced by points
in vitality. Dexterity isn't incredibly important if you have a high level
mastery, and needs ultimately to reach ~150.
So, how good is the Whirlwind Barbarian?
Pros: Good damage dealer, good crowd control, Battle Orders is great for
party play and even for lone players. No significant weakness against
physical immunes.
Cons: Killing single strong enemies (e.g. bosses) can be a painfully slow
process. Weak defensively due to lack of shield. Whirlwind is based on weapon
speed, so you need a fast weapon. May have mana problems as Whirlwind's mana
cost is high.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. I still remember the old days of
pre-expansion D2 where these guys were unstoppable. Alas, times have changed
a little since Whirlwind was modified a few patches ago. That doesn't make
him overly weak though - it's quite easily possible to play through the game
(and not get bored to death) with a Whirlwind Barbarian.
---------------------------
4.2 The "Frenzy Barbarian":
---------------------------
You'll never believe me, but he uses Frenzy as his main attack skill.
Unbelievable, eh? Dual-wielding Barbarians are great - they look cool and
can deal out some pretty nasty punishment too. Again, Berserk takes care of
physical immune monsters, Battle Orders is very useful, and passives like
Sword Mastery and Natural Resistance will help you out. The Frenzy Barbarian
is also helped out by War Cry, a very underrated skill. All will be revealed
soon, but here's a skill plan...
20 Frenzy
20 War Cry
20 Battle Orders
10+ Sword Mastery
1-8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Concentrate on Sword Mastery first. I say Sword Mastery specifically for a
couple of reasons. Firstly, high-end swords have a longer range than
one-handed axes or maces, and secondly Barbarians dual-wielding swords just
look a lot cooler. There is little variation in the damage of high-end
one-handed swords, axes, and maces, so I'd go with swords. Once Frenzy
becomes available (level 24), keep increasing it until War Cry becomes
available (level 30), then get War Cry to ~level 10 before re-focusing on
Frenzy again. War Cry is incredibly useful when you're confronted with
groups of enemies.
Unlike Whirlwind, Frenzy isn't an incredibly useful crowd-control skill, so
you need backup. War Cry's actual damage is pathetic, but you're not using
it for the damage, you're using it for the stun effect (which, unlike
freeze duration is unmodified in Hell difficulty). You run up to a group
of monsters, cast War Cry, then Frenzy away to leech mana back before
repeating the process if necessary. Mastery helps out with damage and
attack rating, which is obviously useful.
Natural Resistance is useful again in boosting your resists if necessary -
again the number of skill points you put in should vary according to the
amount of resists you are getting from your equipment. 5 points in Berserk is
enough to make physical immune monsters easily defeatable. A useful tip is to
charge up frenzy a little, then switch to berserk (perhaps while also
equipping a high-damage two-handed weapon in your secondary weapon slot) to
increase the attack speed of berserk greatly (unfortunately, berserk's damage
is unmodified by this though). Finally, use Leap Attack to escape trouble or
to jump over gaps in the terrain. Stats should go something like this...
Strength - 200
Dexterity - 150+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 10
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section above, as
the same applies here.
So, how good is the Frenzy Barbarian?
Pros: Good against lone powerful enemies. Frenzy's attack speed can get very,
very fast. War Cry means that ordinary (non-unique) enemies need never pose
a problem. No weakness against physical immunes.
Cons: The run/walk speed bonus from Frenzy is a little on the ridiculous side,
and I wish Blizzard would cut it a little - it can make your character very
hard to control at times. No scope for equipping a shield, so no %to block
and (usually) less elemental resists.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8/10. As long as you can get two good swords to
equip him with, he'll cruise through the game. Just be careful with that
run/walk speed bonus, it can and will annoy you...
--------------------
4.3 The "Berserker":
--------------------
A Barbarian who specialises in Berserk, a very very powerful skill. Equipped
with a good weapon this guy can take down normal enemies in a 2-player game
in Hell Act 5 in ONE HIT. Ouch. Physical immune monsters are of no concern,
and any "Magic Immune" (i.e. immune to Berserk, which is classified as a
"Magic" attack by the game) enemies can be taken care of by using
Concentrate, which will also be a useful general skill. Battle Orders, as
always, is useful, as are Natural Resistance, a Weapon Mastery, and War Cry
again. So, on to the skill plan...
20 Berserk
20 Battle Orders
20 War Cry
10+ Sword/Mace Mastery
1-8 Natural Resistance
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Increase the Mastery early on. Swords are faster weapons, and leave scope for
equipping a shield (though I wouldn't recommend it, the penalty to your damage
is too high), whereas maces generally do more damage. and have the deceptively
useful and often ignored 150% damage to undead modifier. The choice is yours.
Get 10/10 Berserk/War Cry by level 55 or so, then concentrate on Berserk until
it is maxed, at which point you can continue to focus on the passive skills
(Mastery, Natural Resistance if needed) and War Cry again. Like Frenzy, Berserk is quite
weak against mobs of enemies, so War Cry (the stun from it, not the crappy
damage) helps a lot. For "Magic Immune" monsters (of which there are very few)
just switch to Concentration, a skill which you can also use to leech life
and mana back if you're short. Use Leap Attack to escape from trouble or to
leap over gaps in the terrain. Here is a stat guide...
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section earlier,
as the same again applies here.
So, how good is the Berserker?
Pros: Capable of dealing huge damage with each individual blow. Offensively
superb. Eats physical immune monsters for breakfast. War Cry renders all
normal enemies helpless.
Cons: Defensively very weak. No shield for %to block, and Berserk lowers your
defense rating to 0, which means essentially that every enemy attack will
hit you - nasty.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7.5/10. If it wasn't for the defensive
weaknesses, the Berserker would probably be the best individual subclass in
the game. As it is, attack power comes at a price. Still, the feeling of
one-hit killing enemies in Act 5 Hell is very nice... :)
-------------------------------
4.4 The "Magic Find Barbarian":
-------------------------------
..and now for something completely different! The Magic Find (MF) Barbarian
is essentially a character created to find good items for yourself. The
Barbarian is the best character for doing this because (a) he can dual wield
weapons, and (b) Find Item is a useful skill if looking for items.
Understandably, the guy is a little weak at killing monsters, but not so
weak as to be useless (hey, if he couldn't kill monsters he wouldn't be able
to find any items and the whole idea of a MF Barbarian would be completely
useless, right?). Here's a skill plan...
20 Frenzy
20 Battle Orders
15+ War Cry
10+ Sword Mastery
~8 Find Item
8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
This skill plan is very similar to that of the Frenzy Barbarian, so I'd
recommend you read the notes in that section for more detailed skill info.
Find Item is great. If the %chance to find an item rolls up good, it's
essentially like you're killing the same enemy again, and of course getting
another item drop. Find Item is affected by Magic Find % as well, which only
makes it better. You'll want to equip this guy with as much equipment giving
+xx% Magic Find as possible (a total of 400+% MF is good, although over 1200%
is actually possible but not desirable - you'd be too weak to kill
anything...), while still keeping your equipment good enough to ensure that
you can kill monsters at a respectable speed. Again, Leap Attack is very
useful as a defensive skill and to jump over gaps in the terrain.
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section earlier,
as the same applies here (yet again).
So, how good is the Magic Find Barbarian?
Pros: Well, he has a better chance than any other class of finding good
magical/rare/set/unique items.
Cons: A lot of +xx% Magic Find items have a negative effect on useful
things like your elemental resists and your damage, leaving you a little
less strong both offensively and defensively than other Barbarian types.
Points in Find Item could have gone into more useful combat skills.
Overall effectiveness rating: 5/10. Okay, this is difficult to call. The
rating is based on his general effectiveness at killing monsters (hence
it is low, as he isn't amazingly good at this), but he is a very useful
character to build - he serves his purpose well. I'd only recommend trying
a Magic Find Barbarian once you have several other characters at level
60+, as otherwise you won't have any characters to give the best equipment
you may find to. You also need a bit of experience at playing D2:LoD to
make the MF Barbarian work well.
-------------
5. The Druid:
-------------
Now this guy is versatile. He can shapeshift into a Werewolf and a Werebear,
and can roll off some impressive elemental spells. The Druid's subclasses are
generally quite different to each other, as you might expect having read the
above. Some are more impressive than others though, as is always the case...
--------------------------------
5.1 The Werewolf/Summoner Druid:
--------------------------------
Speed and power are the basis of the Werewolf/Summoner Druid. He should
always be shifted into his Werewolf form when monsters are around, and Fury
is your attack of choice as it is very, very powerful. Lycanthropy and
Werewolf (the skill) provide passive backup, and Oak Sage is a very useful
summon. Here comes the skill plan...
20 Fury
20 Oak Sage
20 Lycanthropy
~10 Werewolf
4-5 Feral Rage
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
Fury is a no-brainer to max ASAP. More damage, more attack rating and no
diminishing returns as skill points are added. Oak Sage's life bonus is great,
and any party members you have with you (especially Barbarians) will love you
for using high-level Oak Sage. Even if you're playing single-player it should
be maxed - 1000+ extra life can't hurt you now, can it? Lycanthropy should be
left at ~8 until very high levels at which point there is little else to be
invested in.
Werewolf suffers from diminishing returns per skill point invested past skill
level 10. Get 4-5 in Feral Rage as soon as you can, it's a great skill that's
underestimated by many. Once you have Feral Rage and Fury, charge up Feral
Rage to its maximum, then switch to Fury. The damage bonus from Feral doesn't
carry over when you switch to Fury, but the leech bonus does. Be sure to use
Feral again before the charge wears out - you only need to hit an enemy once
with Feral once it is fully charged to reset the 20-second timer on it before
it wears off.
Carrion Vine is a pretty lousy skill in truth, but can be useful
situationally (fighting Nihlathak and Radament) and having another meat
shield to take a hit or two for you is never a bad thing. For physical immune
monsters, all you can really do is equip a high elemental damage weapon along
with a few elemental damage charms, as Rabies and Fire Claws are pathetic
skills not worth the investment. Failing that, just ignore physical immunes
if you can. All righty then, here comes a skill plan...
Strength - 230+
Dexterity - 65+
Vitality - 170+
Energy - 20
This may strike you as a little odd. You don't need to put many points in
dexterity for a couple of reasons. Firstly, most Werewolf/Summoner Druids use
high-end Mauls or Axes. Mauls have no dexterity requirement, and the dex
requirement on high-end Axes is invariably very low. Add to this the fact that
the Druid has several skills that give him a bonus to attack rating, and you
should begin to see why more than about 75 dexterity for a Werewolf Druid is
a bit of a waste. As usual, focus on strength early on (stop at ~230) and
vitality later on in your character's life. Mana leech means energy is yet
again useless...
So, how good is the Werewolf/Summoner Druid?
Pros: Admirable power and speed make him a great attacking character. Feral
Rage/Fury is a lethal combination. Potential for huge amount of life with Oak
Sage and high vitality means defensive weaknesses are less important than they
would be otherwise. Oak is a great party skill too.
Cons: Weak defensively, no shield for blocking and resists. Has major, major
problems dealing with physical immune monsters in Hell.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8.5/10. If it wasn't for physical immunes this
would be closer to 10/10, but it's so damn annoying trying to kill them.
Nonetheless, a fun and powerful character subclass to play, arguably the most
powerful melee-orientated subclass in the game.
--------------------------------
5.2 The Werebear/Summoner Druid:
--------------------------------
If you haven't seen the Druid shifted into Werebear form before, you're in for
a treat. He's huge! That should tell you something about the Werebear/Summoner
Druid - he's a little cumbersome and slow, but very, very powerful. Maul is
your attack of choice, backed up by Shockwave, another very useful skill for
reasons that will soon be explained. Lycanthropy and Werebear (the skill)
provide passive backup, and Heart of Wolverine is invaluable. Now for the
skill plan...
20 Maul
20 Shockwave
20 Heart of Wolverine
15+ Lycanthropy
~10 Werebear
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
As you can probably tell, you won't have many spare skill points floating
about with this particular subclass. Get Maul/Shockwave to 10/10 as soon as
you can. Pump Lycanthropy and Werebear early on while there's nothing else
worth investing in available, but leave them both at 7 or so while you
concentrate on Maul and Shockwave, only increasing them further when the
attack skills are maxed. You've also got to fit in points in Heart of
Wolverine somewhere as well, although you should also save investing heavily
in it until you reach a high level.
Maul is a decent attack, although it is nowhere near as good as the main
Werewolf attack, Fury. Maul is slow, and so groups of enemies will be a
problem. But to combat that problem, you have Shockwave. This skill is great.
Much like War Cry for the Barbarian, it's damage is pathetic, but the stun is
what you're using it for. At high skill levels the stun length is ridiculous,
and it isn't cut in Hell difficulty (like freeze duration is) at all! So you
can go up to a group of enemies, stun them, then take your time bringing them
down one by one with Maul, easy.
Heart of Wolverine is used here because the Werebear, unlike the
Werewolf/Summoner Druid, needs the attack rating bonus that it gives, as
Werebears have fewer sources of +attack rating. Carrion Vine is only useful
in so much that it provides another meat shield for you, and can dispose of
corpses (so Radament and Nihlathak are easier to beat). Physical immune
monsters are even more annoying for the Werebear than the Werewolf, as the
Bear attacks more slowly. Just equip a high elemental damage weapon, attack,
and sit back and wait for a while. Now for a stat plan...
Strength - 225+
Dexterity - 160
Vitality - 150+
Energy - 20
Get strength and dexterity up early on, and only really focus on vitality once
they have been finished with. Werebear gives you a nice life bonus anyway, you
see. Mana leech, as always, renders energy useless.
So, how good is the Werebear/Summoner Druid?
Pros: Immense power makes one-on-one battles relatively easy. Shockwave is a
good crowd control skill. Heart of Wolverine is useful in parties.
Cons: Painfully slow when attacking without lots of Increased Attack Speed
equipment. Physical immunes are a big, BIG pain. Generally uses 2-handed
weapons, so no shield for blocking and +resists.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6/10. A decidedly average character subclass.
The Werebear may be cool to look at, but you'll be sick of him if you ever
reach Act 5 Hell - he's just too cumbersome and sloooooooooow. And as for
physical immune enemies, well, don't get me started...
--------------------------------
5.3: The Elemental/Summon Druid:
--------------------------------
The Druid isn't all about brute power, you know! The spellcasting version of
the Druid doesn't have the mass killing power of either of the
Shapeshift-based Druid subclasses mentioned above, but he is certainly capable
of holding his own with help from various elemental skills. Armageddon, while
not quite living up to its name, is a good attacking skill. Backup will come
from Arctic Blast and either Tornado or Volcano, as well as Dire Wolves and/or
a Grizzly. Oak Sage is the Spirit of choice for this class. Your skills will </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
need to look something like this...
20 Armageddon
20 Tornado or 20 Volcano
15+ Oak Sage
10+ Arctic Blast
5+ Summon Dire Wolf
5+ Summon Grizzly
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
Right, there's a lot to deal with here. Armageddon is one of the more obvious
skills to max - do so as soon as you can. As for Volcano, or Tornado, the
choice is yours. Tornado will help you against Fire Immune enemies in Hell
difficulty (of which there are many), and its damage, although it looks low
isn't so low in practice as it can hit the same enemy multiple times and it
has no spell timer. Volcano is more reliable (try aiming Tornado at a distant
enemy...) and is a very useful skill against bosses. Again, its damage may
seem low, but the damage display is deceptive due to the way the skill
actually works. To get volcano to work best, cast it directly under a static
enemy (use your mercenary or other party members to keep him still). Without
Volcano, killing Mephisto, Diablo and Baal in the higher difficulty levels
will be a slow and painful process. I'd lean towards Volcano over Tornado,
but there's little between them.
Oak Sage gets as many points as you can afford to give it, but at least 15
by higher character levels. Arctic Blast is a great support skill. It's
actual damage is rather, well, crappy, as is it's mana cost, but it's
chilling effect is invaluable, especially when you consider you'll have to
get close to enemies so that Armageddon can hit. It helps a great deal in
keeping your mercenary and summons alive as well.
5 points or so should be put into Dire Wolves and Grizzly, whichever one
you plan on using (the passive bonuses of the Grizzly apply to the Wolves
and vice versa). From my experience it is usually better to use Dire
Wolves against groups of enemies, and Grizzly against stronger, lone
enemies or small groups. As is the case for Werewolf/Werebear Druids,
Carrion Vine is situationally useful when fighting Radament and Nihlathak,
and is another meat shield to take a hit or two for you. Right, as for
stat points...
Strength - 80
Dexterity - 20
Vitality - 220+
Energy - 150+
Strength can be increased early on and stopped at 80, which is all you really
need. Dexterity is not needed at all, as you're not going to be using this guy
in melee combat. Vitality is your lifeblood, in even more literal a sense than
usual. You need as much life as possible as you'll need to get close to
enemies for Armageddon to hit, and at the same time you won't have life leech
to leech life back (so your potion hotkeys might be a little busy). You may
need more than 150 energy if you're using Tornado and/or if you don't have
or can't trade for good +mana equipment. I would never go over 200 energy
though, as that would be excessive.
So, how good is the Elemental/Summoner Druid?
Pros: Little weakness to monster immunities. Good defensive character, will
invariably have lots of life from high vitality and Oak Sage, and can (and
should) equip a shield. Decent damage-dealer to groups. Party members will
like you for using Oak Sage.
Cons: A relatively slow monster killer. Relies heavily on +skill items to
maintain effectiveness in Hell difficulty. Weakness against bosses
(especially without Volcano) and unique enemies. Spell timers weaken Volcano
and Armageddon significantly.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6/10. If you can't "twink" (equip via items
found by other characters) him with lots of +skill equipment, don't bother
unless you don't mind him becoming ineffective in Hell difficulty. A fun
character to play for sure, but not a particularly effective one.
-----------------------------
5.4 The Pure Elemental Druid:
-----------------------------
So... a Druid who has to get by without the aid of summons, eh? He's the
closest to the Sorceress you can get without actually playing as a Sorceress.
The "Big Four"; Volcano, Tornado, Hurricane and Armageddon are your attack
skills, and, well that's almost it except for that useful backup skill Arctic
Blast. Here is a skill plan...
20 Armageddon
20 Hurricane
20 Volcano
20 Tornado
10+ Arctic Blast
1 in all prerequisites
At lower levels, you'll slowly build up a lot of skill points. Save them
until you get Tornado and Volcano, then put them there. By saving your
skill points, you can put one point pre level into both skills. When
Armageddon and Hurricane become available, put a few in Hurricane (the
chill is useful), then max Armageddon. After that, proceed to max the other
skills in order of preference (I'd go Armageddon ---> Volcano ---> Tornado
---> Hurricane). The points in Arctic Blast can be invested at lower levels
while you have the aforementioned surplus of skill points.
Which attack skill you use is down to what sort of situation you're in.
Hurricane, for example, is very useful against Lightning Enchanted enemies,
as it doesn't trigger the deadly charged bolts that they normally release.
Hurricane/Tornado is the way to deal with fire immune monsters, and Tornado
is useful because it has no spell timer.
Armageddon is your attack against mobs (once they've been slowed by Arctic
Blast of course), and Volcano is useful against stronger enemies and bosses,
where you need to keep your distance. Arctic Blast is actually more useful
than Hurricane in chilling enemies in most cases as it has no spell timer,
meaning you can chill a group of enemies with Arctic Blast, then switch
straight to Armageddon and cast it immediately, which you couldn't do if you
were using Hurricane. Now for the stats...
Strength - 80
Dexterity - 20
Vitality - ~200
Energy - ~200
As usual, raise strength early on, but 80 is where you can stop. Energy is
essential if you want to keep spamming Tornado and Arctic Blast, and Vitality
shouldn't be neglected, especially considering that you don't have Oak Sage
to help you out in the life department.
So, how good is the Pure Elemental Druid?
Pros: No weakness to immunities. Possesses many situationally useful skills.
Can equip shield for blocking and resists.
Cons: No party-friendly skills. Relies heavily on +skills to be effective in
Hell difficulty. Spell timers on Hurricane, Armageddon and Volcano WILL annoy
you. A lot.
Overall effectiveness rating: 5/10. Like the Elemental/Summon Druid, except
many of the problems with that subclass are even more evident here. You NEED
items with +skills, and lots of them. Really not recommended at all for
beginners. Still, I found the guy strangely fun to play though... o_O
-------------------
6. The Necromancer:
-------------------
He may look like your Granddad, but the Necromancer is probably just a little
bit more powerful than the old guy. I bet Grandpa can't raise the dead, can
he? His summons are also backed up with a fair degree of magic ability, and
the unique ability to curse enemies, causing them all kinds of undesirable
status effects. Sounds good... doesn't it?
---------------------
6.1 The "Golemancer":
---------------------
He makes extensive use of one of the summonable Golems available to him,
generally either Fire Golem, Blood Golem, or Iron Golem. He uses Bone Spirit
and Corpse Explosion as attack spells. The other skills used depend on which
of the Golems you choose...
-----------------------
6.1.1 Using Iron Golem:
-----------------------
The Iron Golem looks cool - very cool. The strange thing about the Iron Golem
based Necromancer is that you'll want enemies to hit the Golem. Why? Because
they'll end up hurting themselves a lot more if they do. Here's the skill
plan...
20 Iron Golem
20 Golem Mastery
20 Bone Spirit
10+ Corpse Explosion
10 Lower Resist
5+ Amplify Damage
1 Summon Resist
1 in all prerequisites
Okay, Iron Golem is maxed eventually because it's Thorns aura damage
increases as more skill points get put into it. Golem Mastery increases Golem
life and speed, which are both handy, but you can save maxing it out until
higher levels (get it to ~8 early on though). Bone Spirit is your attack of
choice against bosses and physical immune monsters, whereas Corpse Explosion,
which should be pumped to at least 5 points early on is very handy in dealing
with groups. Just kill one monster with your Golem or Bone Spirit, then cast
Corpse Explosion a few times to clear the crowd. Amplify Damage is great, it
helps Corpse Explosion's damage out a lot, and is very useful in increasing
the damage returned by your Iron Golem's Thorns aura. Pump it at lower levels
before other skills become available. Lower Resist is used to raise Bone
Spirit's damage - although not essential, it helps.
Before the stat guide, a quick tip on Iron Golem. If you make him from an
item with very high resists (e.g. a Paladin shield with 4 Perfect Diamonds
socketed), then he will be almost invulnerable, especially with help from
the one point you have in Summon Resist. Iron Golems travel from Act to Act
and game to game with you too, so as long as you keep him alive you won't
need to find another good item to recast the Iron Golem from. Anyway, after
that little aside, stat point distribution needs to look something like
this...
Strength - 80
Dexterity - 25*
Vitality - 200+
Energy - 200+
Pump Energy and Strength early on, with slightly more emphasis on strength.
Then, once strength has reached a high enough level, replace strength points
with Vitality points. Dexterity doesn't need to be touched as you don't need
it for weapon requirements.*
So, how good is the Iron Golem-based Golemancer?
Pros: No significant weakness to any monster immunity.
Corpse Explosion/Amplify Damage is a great attacking combination, and bosses
are reasonably easy to kill with Bone Spirit. Can cruise through Hell Cow
Level. Iron Golem can be made almost invulnerable using a high elemental
resist item. Curses are useful in parties (e.g Barbarians will thank you for
using Life Tap or Amp Damage).
Cons: Your Iron Golem needs to get hit to do significant damage, which isn't
really nice. Generally weak and a slow monster-killer (pre-Hell Cow level,
that is...). Over-reliant on +skills equipment.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6.5/10. If you can bear to get the guy as far
as the Cow Level in Hell, then he'll be great from there until you retire
him. It's just getting that far that poses a problem...
* - Wizardspike is a very good spellcaster item, and requires 75 dexterity.
If you have it or can trade for it, dexterity may be worth the investment –
take the points out of energy and vitality.
-----------------------
6.1.2 Using Fire Golem:
-----------------------
A Golem made entirely of fire? Heck, if that isn't cool I don't know what is.
Left alone, the Fire Golem is the strongest of the summonable Golems, and he
absorbs any fire damage he takes as well, which is very nice in certain
situations. Your skills will need to look something like this...
20 Bone Spirit
20 Golem Mastery
10+ Corpse Explosion
10+ Fire Golem
10 Lower Resist
5 Amplify Damage
5 Revive
1 Skeleton Mastery
1 in all prerequisites
To be honest, Fire Golem only really needs 1 point along with some +skills
from equipment, but I have 10+ points in it as when you get to high levels
there's not much else you can do with your skill points. Bone Spirit is your
attack of choice against unique enemies and bosses, and should be maxed as
soon as possible. Golem Mastery isn't an urgent concern, but you'll want to
have it maxed by the time you reach high levels - the speed and life bonuses
are both very useful. Corpse Explosion is best used along with Amplify Damage
to deal with groups of enemies.
As you're not spending as many skill points on the Golem skill as the Iron
Golem based Necromancer, you can afford to get 5 points in Revive, as more
summons to fight and take hits for you are never bad. The point in Skeleton
Mastery, along with a few +skills from items will help your Revives out a
lot. Having said that, concentrate on the more important skills before
thinking about getting Revive/Skeleton Mastery. Lower Resist is very useful
in this case as it increases both the damage of your Bone Spirit and the
damage of Fire Golem.
Stat points should be distributed in a manner identical to the Iron Golem
based Golemancer, so read section 6.1.1 for stat info.
So, how good is the Fire Golem-based Golemancer?
Pros: No significant weakness to any monster immunity.
Corpse Explosion/Amplify Damage is a great attacking combination, and bosses
are reasonably easy to kill with Bone Spirit. Can cruise through Hell Cow
Level. Fire Golem's fire absorbing is very useful in some situations. Curses
are useful in parties (e.g Barbarians will thank you for using Life Tap or
Amp Damage).
Cons: Fire Golem's damage is too low, even when helped by Lower Resist. A
generally weak character who kills far too slowly pre-Hell Cow Level. Very
reliant on +skills equipment. Revive's AI can be horrible in places.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6/10. A little less effective that the Iron
Golem-based Necromancer, as Fire Golem's damage is too low, even if you were
to put 20 skill points into the skill (at which point the mana cost becomes
totally ridiculous). If you have the patience to get him through the game and
into the Hell Cow Level, your patience will be rewarded though...
------------------------
6.1.3 Using Blood Golem:
------------------------
This subclass relies heavily on a "feature" commonly known as "BG/IM" (Blood
Golem/Iron Maiden). Blood Golems heal themselves and you when they hit an
enemy, but if you cast Iron Maiden on an enemy and it hits the Blood Golem,
the game registers that as a hit for the Blood Golem, and he (and you) are
healed accordingly. This feature is not nearly as powerful as it was in the
past though, as the two skills have been modified to lessen the effectiveness
of BG/IM. Still, it's nice to know. Oh, and the Blood Golem looks very ugly,
in case you were wondering. Errr, anyway, here's a skill plan...
20 Bone Spirit
20 Golem Mastery
20 Iron Maiden
10+ Corpse Explosion
6 Lower Resist
5 Amplify Damage
5 Revive
1 Skeleton Mastery
1 Blood Golem
1 in all prerequisites
I'd suggest you read the skills notes from section 6.1.2 first, as much of
the same applies here. The only differences are you'll want to max Iron
Maiden to make best use of the BG/IM trick, Lower REsist only needs about
6 points as it is less useful here (it only affects Bone Spirit damage and
not the damage of your Golem). Blood Golem only needs one point, as extra
skill points give it pretty useless bonuses, and you're better off putting
your skill points elsewhere.
Stats are the same as in section 6.1.1, so read that section for more info.
So, how good is the Blood Golem-based Golemancer?
Pros: BG/IM is useful, particularly against monsters reliant on strong melee
attacks (Hephasto, anyone?). Immunities are easy to combat.
Corpse Explosion/Amp Damage is good vs. crowds, and Bone Spirit helps
against bosses. The Cow Level in Hell is a breeze. Curses are useful in
parties (e.g Barbarians will thank you for using Life Tap or Amp Damage).
Cons: BG/IM is nowhere near as strong as it used to be, and Blood Golems can
actually die to physical attacks now (they used to be invulnerable as long as
monsters had IM cast on them). Link between Blood Golem's life and your life
can work against you - if he gets hit by a barrage of powerful elemental
attacks and dies, you may die too. Generally a weak character, kills too
slowly pre-Hell Cow Level. Revive's AI is horrible at times. Reliant on
+skill items.
Overall effectiveness rating: 5/10. The least effecive of the Golemancers, as
BG/IM has only limited power over most enemies nowadays. Still, if you are
prepared slum it through to the Hell Cow Level, then you'll be able to kill
at a quite alarming rate. It's just a case of if you can be bothered doing
so...
---------------
7. The Paladin:
---------------
A self-styled "Holy Warrior". He is the type of character that you'd link
with "the hero" in classic RPGs - and for that reason a lot of people choose
him as a first character to play. In multiplayer games his "Auras" will prove
to be invaluable, both offensively and defensively. He is a quite versatile
character, although his subclasses all focus primarily on melee combat. The
combat skills and auras you'll be using depend heavily on which Paladin
subclass you choose.
-----------------
7.1 The "Zealot":
-----------------
He relies mainly on the speed of his attacking. With some Increased Attack
Speed equipment, Fanaticism and Zeal it's possible to get many attacks per
second in. Apart from the aforementioned skills, the Zealot also uses Holy
Shock as a backup aura to deal with physical immune monsters, Holy Freeze,
which is a good crowd-control skill, as well as several other auras which
while they won't be heavily invested in skill point-wise will prove very
useful in certain situations. Here comes the skill plan...
20 Fanaticism
20 Holy Shock
10+ Holy Freeze
10 Holy Shield
5 Zeal
5 Redemption
5 Salvation
1 in all prerequisites
Fanaticism should be maxed as soon as you possibly can. Holy Shock isn't
needed until Hell, where physical immune monsters make their first widespread
appearance. Zeal when coupled with Fanaticism is lethal, but only 5 points
are needed, as skill points past 5 only add to Zeal's AR. Feel free to add
more points if you're having difficulty hitting enemies though - the Zealot
tends to have a lot of free skill points as he gets to high levels.
Holy Freeze is one of the best defensive skills out there. At 10 skill points
both the radius and the %enemy speed cut is enough, but again you may want to
add more to it, as you'll have free skill points later on. The same applies
to Holy Shield. Redemption is another great defensive skill, but only needs 5
points to be effective enough, as does Salvation, which is very useful if you
need a quick elemental resist boost in places like the Chaos Sanctuary, where
elemental attacks will be pounding you.
You will have skill points to spare at higher levels, so feel free to
experiment with these points - either put them into a backup skill like
charge, or put them into another aura, for example if you have a friend
who's playing as a sorceress, investing a few points in Meditation is a
smart move, or if you'll be partying with another Paladin who's using
Fanaticism, then points in Concentration may be a good idea (2 Fanaticism
Auras don't stack damage bonuses. Anyway, now for a stat plan...
Strength - 165
Dexterity - 120
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 15
As usual, Strength is the stat to raise at lower levels along with a bit of
Dexterity and Vitality if your life is too low. Only really focus on Vitality
when you get to mid/high levels when you have enough strength to get by on.
Mana leech and the low mana cost of Zeal mean that Energy is useless.
So, how good is the Zealot?
Pros: Fast attacker. Good at dealing with lone enemies and small groups. Very
party-friendly character (Holy Freeze, Fanaticism...).
Cons: Weakness against physical immunes and large groups of monsters. Quite
ineffective in general in Hell difficulty.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. A good solid build who's effectiveness
does tend to wane a little as you go into Hell difficulty. Nonetheless,
even a beginner should have a relatively easy time getting through the game
with this subclass.
------------------
7.2 The "Avenger":
------------------
Vengeance is the skill of choice for this character, backed up with the very
useful aura of Conviction. The backup skills used are very similar to the
skills used by the Zealot, although you might want to use Fist of the Heavens
as a backup attack skill. The stat plan is as follows...
20 Vengeance
20 Conviction
20 Fist of the Heavens (optional, see below)
10+ Holy Freeze
10 Holy Shield
5 Redemption
5 Salvation
1 in all prerequisites
Vengeance/Conviction is your main attacking combination, and both should be
pumped extensively as soon as they become available. Fist of the Heavens can
be maxed as a backup skill to use if you come across any nasty enemies who
you don't want to risk meleeing (if helped with Conviction, FotH's damage is
quite respectable). If you choose not to use it, put the skill points wherever
you like. Holy Freeze is useful in crowd-control but 10 points is enough
unless you want a higher radius, and Holy Shield is a good defensive skill,
and means you don't need to pump dexterity to keep your %chance to block up.
Redemption and Salvation are situationally very useful defensive skills too,
but only worth of 5 points apiece.
Stats are as they are for the Zealot, so see that section for info. You may
need to put some points in energy here though (especially if you're using
Fist of the Heavens), as the Avenger can be somewhat mana-intensive at times.
Still, I'd never put more than 50 in Energy, as any more takes away from the
other, more important stats.
So, how good is the Avenger?
Pros: No weakness to monster immunities. Powerful attack. Very party-friendly
(sorceresses will fall in love with you for using high-level Conviction).
Cons: Slow attack. Reliant on lots of life/mana leech as Vengeance only has a
small physical element to it. Poor crowd-killing capabilities.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6.5/10. A decent character, but the "cons"
section above sums up his weaknesses perfectly. He is too slow and lacking
in crowd-control, but still maintains a little effectiveness in Hell. Not
quite as strong as the Zealot though, unfortunately...
------------------
7.3 The "Charger":
------------------
He uses... wait for it... Charge! This is coupled with Fanaticism to make a
very powerful attack. He is backed up by the usual suspects as far as Paladins
are concerned, Holy Freeze, Salvation and Redemption, although Holy Shield is
not used this time. A few points in Vigor also help charge out a little in
certain situations. Mid-level Vengeance/Conviction helps out against physical
immune enemies. Here's the skill plan...
20 Charge
20 Fanaticism
10 Holy Freeze
10 Vengeance
5 Conviction
5 Salvation
5 Redemption
5 Vigor
1 in all prerequisites
Obviously, you need 20/20 Charge/Fanaticism as soon as possible as this is
your main attack. Vengeance/Conviction isn't a concern until Hell difficulty
and the regular appearance of physical immune monsters. Invest more in both
skills if you find yourself having trouble with physical immunes, but 10/5
should be enough. Chargers generally tend to use powerful 2-handed weapons,
so Holy Shield is out of the question. Holy Freeze remains useful in slowing
large groups of enemies though, and Salvation is a useful skill to have a
few points in in some situations. Redemption recovers life/mana at a speedy
rate, which isn't bad, and Vigor gives you a speed boost which may be useful
in some circumstances (especially if you plan on duelling at some point).
Leftover skill points at higher levels can go wherever you want them to go
(see section 7.1 for a little more advice on this). Here's a stat plan...
Strength - 230
Dexterity - 100+
Vitality - 150+
Energy - 15
Strength needs to be higher than for the other Paladin subclasses here as the
high-end 2-handed weapons you'll be using have a generally higher strength
requirement than the 1 handed weapons you tend to use with the other
subclasses. Dexterity doesn't need to be too high as both Charge and
Fanaticism grant bonuses to AR. Any remaining skill points can be dumped
into Vitality at higher levels, as Energy is again pretty useless because of
mana leech.
So, how good is the Charger?
Pros: Insane damage bonuses from Charge and Fanaticism combined give you a
very powerful attack. Very good against small groups of enemies and bosses.
Very party-friendly.
Cons: No offensive crowd-controlling skills. Charge requires you to be a
certain distance from the enemy or else it won't work. Slight weakness
against physical immune enemies.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6/10. One of the most powerful attacks in the
game, but lacking in a few areas. Some places in the game (mainly those with
large groups of enemies around) can be somewhat painful to play through with a
Charger, but other areas (generally outside areas with wide open spaces) are a
breeze to run through.
----------------
7.4 The "Smiter:
----------------
The Paladin doesn't just rely on his weapon and magic to deal damage - he can
deal out death with his shield too! Smite coupled with Fanticism is a
dangerous combination, and is especially effective against bigger, stronger
enemies. As usual you will need a backup attack skill, Zeal is good here as it
has a low mana cost - thus allowing you to leech back mana with ease (one
downside to Smite is you can't leech life or mana with it). Support skills
here include Holy Freeze and Holy Shield, as usual. Here is a typical sample
skill plan...
20 Smite
20 Fanaticism
20 Holy Shield
15 Holy Freeze
5 Zeal
5 Salvation
1 in all prerequisites
At low levels you can build Smite up freely, as most of the other skills that
require investment in this build have a level requirement of 18 or greater.
Smite is great as a boss killer, if a little slow - you can for example
stun-lock Diablo into oblivion with the aid of a few mana potions or mana
leech with Zeal, although as Smite's damage (even when boosted by Holy
Shield) is quite low, you'll be smiting him for quite a while. Smite never
misses too, which is a nice touch. One final note on Smite, it's speed is
dependent on the attack speed of your weapon, so make sure you have a fast one
equipped!
Be sure to pump up Fanaticism as soon as it becomes available, this
helps out both the speed and damage of your Smite attack a lot. Holy Shield
should be raised to 5 or so early on, then left until higher levels, and the
other skills, Holy Freeze and Salvation are pure support skills, so don't
raise their levels extensively until you have the aforemantioned skills at a
high enough level. Now, as far as stats are concerned, here's a sample plan...
Strength - 160
Dexterity - 120
Vitality - 170
Energy - 15
As usual, strength is improtant in meeting weapon/armor requirements, and
dexterity, although it doesn't affect your chance to hit with Smite, still
affects your blocking % and chance to hit with Zeal, which you will be using
to leech mana back, so it's important not to neglect it too much, but 120 or
so will be enough to keep your block % high with max Holy Sheild on. No energy
is needed, as Smite has a very low mana cost (2!), and if you do run low on
mana that's what Zeal is there for - to leech it back.
So, how good is the Smiter?
Pros: Very "safe" character to play, as he can kill bosses and stronger
enemies by knockback/stunlocking them. Maxed Holy Shield and high level Holy
Freeze also aid the defensive ability of the Smiter.
Cons: Very, very slow monster killer if you use Smite most of the time, as its
damage is generally quite low. Lacks any great crowd-damaging skills and
crowd-control aside from Holy Shield - it's okay you stunning one strong enemy
with Smite but if there are 10 others around you you aren't going to live for
very long...
Overall effectiveness rating: 5/10. Best described by the phrase, "Slow but
steady". Has it easy through normal and most of nightmare difficulty, but
suffers more because of the low damage issues in Hell.
------------------------------
7.5 The Zealot/Avenger Hybrid:
------------------------------
Combinining the bast bits of the Zealot with the best bits of the Avenger
sounds good, doesn't it? Well... it is. You get the speed of Zeal/Fanaticism
coupled with the elemental power of Vengeance/Conviction, as well as help from
Holy Shield and Holy Freeze. Here are your skills...
Fanaticism - 20
Conviction - 20
Vengeance - 20
Holy Shield - 10
Holy Freeze - 8
Zeal - 5
1 in all prerequisites
Save as many skill points as you can at lower levels, so you can put points
into multiple skills when they become available. I usually concentrate on
Zeal/Fanaticism first, when Zeal is at 5 and Fanaticism is reasonably high
then you should concentrate on Vengeance/Conviction for a while (be sure to do
so before entering Hell, because of physical immune monsters..) as well as not
neglecting the support skills Holy Shield and Holy Freeze. Stats should be as
follows...
Strength - 165
Dexterity - 120
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 15
Strength is obviously important for damage and equipment requirements.
Dexterity doesn't need to be raised too high as Fanaticism adds an AR bonus
and Conviction lowers enemy defense, so around 120 will be fine in the
long-run. Vitality becomes more and more important at higher levels and as you
progress through the game - you'll be adding a lot to it at higher levels once
you're done with strength and dexterity. Although Vengeance is mana-intensive,
you still don't need points in energy as you can leech with Zeal if you run
low on mana.
So, how good is the Zealot/Avenger hybrid?
Pros: The speed of Zeal coupled with the raw power of Vengeance makes for a
powerful offensive combination damage-wise. Holy Shield and Holy Freeze are
great defensive skills too, making this a really well-balanced subclass.
Cons: Like most Paladin subclasses, lacks effectiveness when dealing with
large groups of enemies.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8/10. Probably the best Paladin subclass
available in terms of how easily it will get you through the game.
-----------------
8. The Sorceress:
-----------------
The master (or mistress) of elemental magic, the Sorceress uses Cold,
Lightning and Fire magic to crush her foes. Her subclasses are separated by
which of the skill trees are chosen to be heavily invested in. Generally,
Sorceresses use 2 main attack skills from separate skill trees to counter
monster immunity in Hell, although some Sorceresses use attack skills from
all 3 skill trees.
---------------------------
8.1 The Fire/Ice Sorceress:
---------------------------
So, you'll be using attack spells from the fire and from the Cold skill tree
then. Most Sorceresses will choose to master one or two attack skill(s) with a
spell timer and one without, but the skills in both the Fire and the Cold tree
without spell timers are somewhat weak - forcing you to use Frozen Orb and
Firewall, two skills which are very powerful, but, annoyingly, both have spell
timers. The Lightning tree isn't totally neglected as it contains some very
useful backup skills, namely Teleport and Energy Shield. Here's a skill plan
for you to look over...
Frozen Orb - 20
Firewall - 20
Fire Mastery - 20
Energy Shield - 15
Static Field - 5+
Cold Mastery - 5
1 in all prerequisites
Sorceress skill plans tend to be very simple - you pick the right skills and
max them. 20/20 Firewall/Mastery is a must to maximise Firewall damage. A few
notes on Firewall - it is the most insanely damaging skill in the game as long
as you use it correctly. Use either a mercenary or another player to keep
enemies still before planting a Firewall under them, or use Frozen Orb so
slow them as they move through the Firewall. For best effect, try and teleport
(or run) yourself into a position where your Firewall hits most enemies.
Frozen Orb is another good skill, although it's Mastery only needs 5 points as
it has little effect past that. Cold Mastery reduces the enemy's resistance to
cold by the % level shown, but anything past 5 points is only really necessary
in duelling other players. Energy Shield is great as many Sorceresses don't
have the luxury of lots of life. Finally, use Teleport freely, despite the
one point investment you have in it. More points only decrease the mana cost,
which isn’t all that useful. Static Field loses quite a bit of effectiveness
in Hell difficulty, but it remains a good backup skill, just a little less
cheesy than it was previously. Stats need to look something like the below...
Strength - 90
Dexterity - 20*
Vitality - 200+
Energy - 180+
Get Strength up early as normal. Dexterity isn't needed for equipment
requirements* or chance to hit, so leave it at 20. Life and mana are both
important, so most of your points logically go into Vitality and Energy.
Vary the plan if you find yourself either dying too often (add to Vitality)
or running out of mana too often (add to Energy). Equipment has a large
bearing on how much Vitality and Energy you'll need as well.
So, how good is the Fire/Ice Sorceress?
Pros: No weakness to monster immunities. Two very powerful attacking spells.
Cons: Both attack spells have relatively long spell timers, which will annoy
you and can cause play to get a little monotonous at times. Can cause lag in
multiplayer games, with Firewalls and Orbs flying around.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8.5/10. A good character variant that will see
you through from Act 1 normal to Act 5 Hell with relative ease as long as you
can cope with the annoyance of the spell timers.
* - Wizardspike is a very good spellcaster item, and requires 75 dexterity.
If you have it or can trade for it, dexterity may be worth the investment –
take the points out of energy and vitality.
---------------------------------
8.2 The Fire/Lightning Sorceress:
---------------------------------
She uses attack spells from the Fire and Lightning skill trees, namely
Firewall and Nova, the latter being very useful as it doesn't have a spell
timer. Energy Shield, Static Field and Teleport provide good backup. The Cold
tree is completely neglected. A skill plan follows...
20 Firewall
20 Nova
20 Lightning Mastery
20 Fire Mastery
10+ Energy Shield
5 Static Field
1 in all prerequisites
This skill point plan takes very little explaining. 20/20 Firewall/Mastery and
20/20 Nova/Mastery maximise the attack power or the character, and Energy
Shield takes the left over skill points - simple. Static Field only need 5
points along with a few +skills to make it's radius large enough. Again,
Teleport only needs a prerequisite point, but that doesn't make it a bad
skill - use it often.
Stats are very similar to the Fire/Ice Sorceress above, so read that section
for details.
So, how good is the Fire/Lightning Sorceress?
Pros: Two good attacking skills, one with timer, one without. No great
weakness to monster immunity.
Cons: Problems (more than many classes) with Lightning Enchanted Bosses as
neither attack skill is good for dealing with them, and Sorceresses
generally have low life. Nova's range is low, which can leave you in trouble.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. Despite the fact that Nova has no timer,
it strangely doesn't seem to complement Firewall as well as Frozen Orb does.
This will leave you struggling in some places in Hell difficulty - especially
areas with groups of faster enemies (leapers, anyone?). Still, reasonably
effective, and certainly can be played through to Act 5 Hell with only a few
problems along the way.
--------------------------------
8.3 The Ice/Lightning Sorceress:
--------------------------------
She uses attack skills from the Cold and Lightning skill trees,
unsurprisingly. The choices are Nova and Frozen Orb, a surprisingly effective
combination. Again, Energy Shield, Static Field and Teleport provide good
backup, and this time the Fire tree is totally ignored. Here's a skill
plan...
20 Frozen Orb
20 Nova
20 Lightning Mastery
15 Energy Shield
10 Static Field
5 Cold Mastery
1 in all prerequisites
Again this is a pretty simple skill plan. Frozen Orb gets maxed for the
damage, as does Nova/Mastery. Cold Mastery only needs 5 points to be
effective PvM, as monsters in Hell generally either have low Cold resistance
to start with or are totally Cold immune (in both cases, Cold Mastery's effect
is very limited. Energy Shield gets 15 because of the spare points left over
from Cold Mastery, and you can afford to put more points than usual in Static
Field too. Again, Teleport is great - use it often.
Stats are very similar to the Fire/Ice Sorceress, so scroll up two sections
to read all about them.
So, how good is the Ice/Lightning Sorceress?
Pros: 2 relatively powerful attack skills, one with a timer, one without. No
weakness to monster immunities. Orb and Nova complement each other well (Orb
can chill making it safer to use Nova, among other things).
Cons: Very little. Maybe a little reliant on having good +skills, +cast rate
equipment, but I'm being fussy...
Overall effectiveness rating: 9/10. Easy to use, easy to kill with, easy to
complete the game with, easy to get to level 99 with... Well, maybe not the
last one, but you get the idea. Quite fun to play too - highly recommended
for old and new players alike.
-------------------
8.4 The "Tri-Sorc":
-------------------
Specialises in attack spells from all three skill trees. "But where will all
the skill points come from?" I hear you cry. Here, take a look...
20 Firewall
20 Frozen Orb
20 Thunderstorm
20 Fire Mastery
10 Lightning Mastery
5 Energy Shield
5 Static Field
1 Cold Mastery
1 in all prerequisites
That's just about enough skill points. Firewall/Mastery is so damaging it's
irresistible to get it to 20/20. Your two other attack skills, Frozen Orb and
Thunderstorm are maxed too. Lightning Mastery can only afford to be given 10
points (this is why you've chosen Thunderstorm as opposed to Nova, as Nova
requires maxed Mastery to be effective - Thunderstorm does not). Energy
Shield only gets 5 points here because that's all that can be spared here.
Static is good enough radius-wise at 5 points with some +skills from
equipment. Cold Mastery only gets 1 point, with bonuses from +skills equipment
it will be enough...
Stats are (again) the same as they are for the Fire/Ice Sorceress mentioned
all that time ago. Scroll back up to section 8.1 to get the info.
So, how good is the "Tri-Sorc"?
Pros: No weakness to monster immunity. Very versatile character, obviously.
Attack power of Firewall is unrivalled, Frozen Orb is powerful, and
Thunderstorm is a useful, almost passive attack skill.
Cons: No "true" attack skill without a timer - which will annoy. Needs lots
of +skills to be effective. Only really becomes effective at very high
character levels.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6.5/10. Levelling up in low-mid levels is a
pain, and even the end product isn't as good as a two-tree Sorc. Versatility
is the only real advantage she has over the other Sorceress subclasses.
Shame.
--------------------
9. Skill Statistics:
--------------------
Basically, this is a list of the skills in D2:LoD and their stats from skill
level 1-20 at regular intervals (I couldn't be bothered listing the info for
all skill levels from 1-20, and it isn't really necessary - you'll get the
general idea of how the skills will look as you put points into them from the
tables below).
-----------
9.1 Amazon:
-----------
----------------------
Bow + Crossbow Skills:
----------------------
Magic Arrow:
------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Fires a magical arrow made entirely of spiritual energy.
Notes: None
Skill level Magical damage Mana cost
1 +0 1.5
5 +4 1
10 +9 0.3
15 +14 0
20 +19 0
Fire Arrow:
-----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Adds Fire damage to an arrow
Notes: Has a 100% Hit Rate
Skill level Fire damage Mana cost
1 1-4 3
5 9-12 4
10 19-22 5.2
15 29-32 6.5
20 39-42 7.7
Cold Arrow:
-----------
Required Level: 6
Damage Type: Adds Cold to Physical
Description: Adds Cold damage to an arrow, slows enemies
Notes: Has a 100% Hit Rate
Skill level Cold damage Cold length (secs) Mana cost
1 3 4 3
5 11 8.8 4
10 21 14.8 5.2
15 31 20.8 6.5
20 41 26.8 7.7
Multiple Shot:
--------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Magic Arrow
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Splits one arrow into several
Notes: Only hits for 75% of standard attack damage
Skill level No. of arrows Mana cost
1 2 4
5 6 8
10 11 13
15 16 18
20 21 23
Exploding Arrow:
----------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Magic Arrow, Fire Arrow, Multiple Shot
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Causes an arrow to explode on impact
Notes: 100% Hit Rate, fixed radius of splash damage
Skill level Fire Damage Mana cost
1 2-4 5
5 22-24 7
10 47-49 9.5
15 72-74 12
20 97-99 14
Ice Arrow:
----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Cold Arrow
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Arrow freezes target
Notes: 100% Hit Rate
Skill level Cold damage Freeze duration (secs) Mana cost
1 6-10 2 4
5 30-34 2.8 5
10 72-76 3.8 6.2
15 132-136 4.8 7.5
20 216-220 5.8 8.7
Guided Arrow:
-------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Magic Arrow, Cold Arrow, Multiple Shot
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Arrow seeks your target, or finds one of its own
Notes: 100% Hit Rate
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Mana cost
1 0 8
5 20 7
10 45 5.7
15 70 4.5
20 95 3.2
Strafe:
-------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Magic Arrow, Multiple Shot, Cold Arrow, Guided Arrow
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Splits one arrow into a barrage of several.
Notes: Mana cost fixed at 11
Skill level Max no. of targets Damage bonus (%)
1 5 5
5 9 25
10 10 50
15 10 75
20 10 100
Immolation Arrow:
-----------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Magic Arrow, Fire Arrow, Multiple Shot, Exploding Arrow
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Arrows explode on impact and set the ground alight.
Notes: 100% Hit Rate, fixed fire duration of 3 secs, 1 sec casting delay
Skill Explosion Avg. fire damage Mana cost
level damage (per sec)
1 10-20 8-10 6
5 50-60 31-33 10
10 120-130 60-62 15
15 223-230 90-92 20
20 360-370 110-121 25
Freezing Arrow:
---------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Cold Arrow, Ice Arrow
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Arrows do splash cold damage, and freeze enemies
Notes: 100% Hit Rate, fixed freeze duration of 2 secs, fixed radius of 3.3
yards
Skill level Cold damage Mana cost
1 40-50 9
5 80-90 13
10 140-150 18
15 215-225 23
20 310-320 28
-----------------------
Javelin + Spear skills:
-----------------------
Jab:
----
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Multiple rapid thrusting attacks
Notes: Hits an enemy 3 times
Skill level Attack rating Damage bonus (%) Mana cost
bonus (%)
1 10 -15 2
5 30 -3 3
10 55 12 4.2
15 80 27 5.5
20 105 42 6.7
Power Strike:
-------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Jab
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Adds Lightning damage to attacks
Notes: None
Skill level Attack rating Lightning damage Mana cost
bonus (%)
1 10 1-16 2
5 30 25-40 3
10 55 59-74 4.2
15 80 99-114 5.5
20 105 147-162 6.7
Poison Javelin:
---------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Thrown Javelins leave a trail of poison clouds and add poison
damage to attack
Notes: Fixed poison duration of 3 seconds
Skill level Poison damage Mana cost
1 9-14 4
5 28-32 5
10 51-56 6.2
15 75-79 7.5
20 98-103 8.7
Impale:
-------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Jab
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Attack damage is increased, but at the cost of durability loss
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3
Skill level Damage bonus Attack rating Chance to lose
(%) bonus (%) durability (%)
1 300 25 46
5 320 53 35
10 345 88 30
15 370 123 27
20 395 158 25
Lightning Bolt:
---------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Poison Javelin
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Thrown Javelin becomes a Lightning Bolt
Notes: None
Skill level Lightning damage Mana cost
1 1-40 6
5 1-72 7
10 1-112 8.2
15 1-152 9.5
20 1-192 10.7
Charged Strike:
---------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Jab, Poison Javelin, Power Strike, Lightning Bolt
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Adds Lightning damage to attack and releases Charged Bolts on
impact
Notes: 3 charged bolts released
Skill level Lightning damage Mana cost
1 1-30 4
5 41-70 5
10 95-124 6.2
15 155-184 7.5
20 223-252 8.7
Plague Javelin:
---------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Upon impact, a thrown javelin explodes into a huge poison cloud
Notes: 4 sec casting delay, fixed 3 second poison duration, poison cloud gets
larger as skill level goes up.
Skill level Poison damage Mana cost
1 23-37 7
5 51-65 11
10 96-110 16
15 154-168 21
20 241-255 26
Fend:
-----
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Jab, Impale
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Attacks multiple close targets with a speed bonus
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5
Skill level Attack rating Damage bonus (%)
bonus (%)
1 40 70
5 80 110
10 130 160
15 190 220
20 230 260
Lightning Strike:
-----------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Jab, Poison Javelin, Power Strike, Lightning Bolt, Charged Strike
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Adds Lightning damage to attack and releases Chain Lightning on
impact.
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 9
Skill level Lightning damage Max. possible hits
1 5-25 2
5 45-65 6
10 95-115 11
15 145-165 16
20 195-215 21
Lightning Fury:
---------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Poison Javelin, Lightning Bolt, Plague Javelin
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Thrown Javelin turns into a Lightning Bolt and releases multiple
bolts on impact.
Notes: Works best with mid-high level Pierce
Skill level Lightning damage Bolts released Mana cost
1 1-40 2 10
5 41-80 6 12
10 97-136 11 14</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
15 162-201 16 17
20 239-278 21 19
-------------------------
Passive and Magic Skills:
-------------------------
Inner Sight:
------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Makes monsters easier to see and hit
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5, fixed radius of 13.3 yards around character.
Skill level Duration (secs) Enemy defense penalty (%)
1 8 -46
5 24 -60
10 44 -67
15 64 -71
20 84 -73
Critical Strike:
----------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, attacks have a chance to do double (physical) damage
Notes: Doesn't affect elemental damage.
Skill level Chance to do double
damage (%)
1 16
5 42
10 56
15 63
20 68
Dodge:
------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, gives a chance to dodge melee attacks while not moving
Notes: Works while attacking although animation isn't shown
Skill level Chance to dodge (%)
1 18
5 37
10 47
15 52
20 56
Slow Missiles:
--------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Inner Sight
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Slows enemies ranged attacks
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5, fixed radius of 13.3 yards around character,
missiles slowed by 33%, works with magical projectiles as well as
arrows/bolts.
Skill level Duration (secs)
1 12
5 36
10 66
15 96
20 126
Avoid:
------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Dodge
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, gives a chance to dodge missile attacks
Notes: Doesn't work against elemental or magical missiles
Skill level Chance to dodge (%)
1 24
5 45
10 55
15 61
20 65
Penetrate:
----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Critical Strike
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, gives bonus to attack rating
Notes: None
Skill level Attack rating
bonus (%)
1 35
5 75
10 125
15 175
20 225
Decoy:
------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Inner Sight, Slow Missiles
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a duplicate of yourself to distract enemies
Notes: Decoy has same life as your Amazon
Skill level Duration (secs) Mana cost
1 10 19
5 30 16
10 55 12
15 80 8.5
20 105 4.7
Evade:
------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Dodge, Avoid
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, grants a chance to dodge an attack while moving
Notes: None
Skill level Chance to dodge (%)
1 18
5 37
10 47
15 52
20 56
Valkyrie:
---------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Inner Sight, Dodge, Slow Missiles, Avoid, Decoy, Evade
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a Valkyrie warrior
Notes: Valkyrie life scales up with more players in a game, and her life also
scales up with difficulty level (her base life is higher in Hell difficulty
than Nightmare difficulty, for example).
Skill level Life Damage Attack rating Defense Mana
bonus (%) bonus (%) bonus (%) cost
1 362 0 0 0 25
5 604 80 20 20 41
10 906 180 45 45 61
15 1208 280 70 70 81
20 1510 380 95 95 101
Pierce:
-------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Critical Strike, Penetrate
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, chance for missile attack to travel through target
Notes: None
Skill level Chance to pierce (%)
1 23
5 55
10 71
15 80
20 85
-------------
9.2 Assassin:
-------------
-------------
Martial Arts:
-------------
Tiger Strike:
-------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Give a damage bonus to finishing moves
Notes: Charge 2 damage bonus = Charge 1 damage bonus x 2, Charge 3 damage
bonus = Charge 1 damage bonus x 3. Fixed mana cost of 1
Skill level Charge 1 damage bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 100 40
5 180 80
10 280 130
15 380 180
20 480 230
Dragon Talon:
-------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Kicks the enemy
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 6
Skill level Kick damage Attack rating No. of kicks
bonus (%) bonus (%)
1 0 40 1
5 28 88 1
10 63 148 2
15 98 208 3
20 133 268 3
Fists of Fire:
--------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Adds fire damage to finishing moves
Notes: Charge 2 adds fire damage radius of 2 yards, Charge 3 adds burning
duration of 2.5 seconds. Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Fire damage Attack rating bonus (%)
1 6-10 50
5 26-30 90
10 61-65 140
15 111-115 190
20 201-205 240
Dragon Claw:
------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Dragon Talon
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Quick double-claw attack
Notes: Two claws must be equipped. Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 50 50
5 70 90
10 95 140
15 120 190
20 145 240
Cobra Strike:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Tiger Strike
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Finishing moves leech life and mana
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2.
Skill level Charge 1 Charge 2 Charge 3 Attack
life life and mana life and mana rating
steal (%) steal (%) steal (%) bonus (%)
1 40 40 80 60
5 60 60 120 120
10 85 85 170 195
15 110 110 220 270
20 135 135 270 345
Claws of Thunder:
-----------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Fists of Fire
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Adds lightning damage to finishing moves
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2. Charge 2 releases Nova, Charge 3 releases
Charged Bolts. Charge 1 damage is included in Charges 2 and 3
Skill level Charge 1 Charge 2 Charge 3 Attack rating
damage damage damage bonus (%)
1 1-80 1-20 1-40 80
5 41-120 1-80 1-120 140
10 111-190 1-175 1-260 215
15 211-290 1-300 1-460 290
20 351-430 1-465 1-740 365
Dragon Tail:
------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Dragon Talon, Dragon Claw
Damage Type: Physical to target, Fire to area
Description: An explosive kick
Notes: Fixed Fire damage radius of 4 yards, fixed mana cost of 10
Skill level Fire damage bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 50 40
5 90 68
10 140 103
15 190 138
20 240 173
Blades of Ice:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Fists of Fire, Claws of Thunder
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Adds cold damage to finishing move
Notes: Charge 2 adds cold damage radius of 3.3 yards, Charge 3 adds freeze
duration of 4 seconds. Fixed mana cost of 3
Skill level Cold damage Attack rating bonus (%)
1 15-35 70
5 47-67 110
10 91-111 160
15 141-161 210
20 231-251 260
Dragon Flight:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Dragon Talon, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Teleports to target and kicks it
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 15
Skill level Kick damage bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 100 100
5 200 180
10 325 280
15 450 380
20 575 480
Phoenix Strike:
---------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Tiger Strike, Fists of Fire, Cobra Strike, Claws of Thunder, Blades
of Ice
Damage Type: Fire (Charge 1), Lightning (Charge 2), Cold (Charge 3)
Description: Adds elemntal area attacks to finishing moves.
Notes: Charge 1 is a Meteor, Charge 2 is 4 bolts of Chain Lightning, Charge 3
is not dissimilar to Frozen Orb, and freezes enemies for a few seconds. Fixed
mana cost of 4
Skill level Charge 1 Charge 2 Charge 3 Attack rating
damage damage damage bonus (%)
1 20-40 1-40 16-32 70
5 60-80 1-84 32-48 140
10 130-150 1-151 60-76 205
15 230-250 1-236 100-116 280
20 370-390 1-353 156-172 355
------
Traps:
------
Fire Blast:
-----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Throws a bomb at enemies
Notes: Fixed radius of 4.6 yards
Skill level Fire damage Mana cost
1 3-4 3
5 11-12 3.5
10 25-26 4.1
15 45-46 4.7
20 69-70 5.3
Shock Web:
----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Fire Blast
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Sets a trap which electrocutes enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 6
Skill level Lightning damage No. of spikes
1 5-6 6
5 9-10 7
10 17-18 8
15 29-30 9
20 46-47 10
Blade Sentinel:
---------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Throws a sharp device that travels between yourself and target,
damaging anything in its path
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7, fixed duration of 4 seconds. Casting delay of 2
seconds
Skill level Damage
1 6-10
5 18-22
10 35-39
15 55-59
20 79-83
Charged Bolt Sentry:
--------------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Fire Blast, Shock Web
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Sets a trap that releases Charged Bolts
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 13, 5 charged bolts released
Skill level Damage (per bolt)
1 1-7
5 7-13
10 15-21
15 25-31
20 39-45
Wake of Fire:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Fire Blast
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Sets a trap that emits waves of fire
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 13, shoots 5 times
Skill level Fire damage
1 5-10
5 13-18
10 25-30
15 40-45
20 59-64
Blade Fury:
-----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Fire Blast, Blade Sentinel, Wake of Fire
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Throws small blades at target
Notes: Need 3 mana to cast
Skill level Damage/Blade Mana cost/Blade
1 8-10 1
5 20-22 3
10 39-41 5
15 64-66 7
20 101-103 8
Lightning Sentry:
-----------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Fire Blast, Shock Web, Charged Bolt Sentry
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Sets a trap that releases Lightning Bolts
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 20, shoots 10 times
Skill level Lightning damage
1 10-20
5 30-40
10 59-69
15 94-104
20 141-151
Wake of Inferno:
----------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Fire Blast, Wake of Fire
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Sets a trap that emits a barrage of flame
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 20, shoots 10 times
Skill level Fire damage
1 8-21
5 40-53
10 83-96
15 131-144
20 189-203
Death Sentry:
-------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Fire Blast, Shock Web, Charged Bolt Sentry, Lightning Sentry
Damage Type: Lightning, Fire, Physical
Description: Sets a trap that explodes nearby corpses as well as emitting
Lightning Bolts
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 20. Corpse Explosion damage is 40-80% of corpse
life, shoots 5 times
Skill level Lightning damage Corpse Explosion
radius (yards)
1 20-30 3.3
5 36-46 4.6
10 58-68 6.3
15 83-93 8
20 120-130 9.6
-------------------
Shadow Disciplines:
-------------------
Claw Mastery:
-------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Adds damage and attack rating to claw attacks
Notes: Passive
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 30 35
5 70 51
10 110 67
15 170 91
20 220 111
Psychic Hammer:
---------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: none
Damage Type: Magic
Description: Knocks back and damages target
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 2-5 4
5 6-9 5
10 12-15 6.2
15 19-22 7.5
20 29-32 8.7
Burst of Speed:
---------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Claw Mastery
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases attack and movement speed for a short period of time
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 10
Skill level Attack speed Run/Walk speed Duration (secs)
bonus (%) bonus (%)
1 21 23 120
5 37 42 168
10 45 52 228
15 51 57 288
20 52 61 348
Cloak of Shadows:
-----------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Psychic Hammer
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Blinds nearby enemies and lowers their defense
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 13, fixed range of 20 yards, fixed duration of 8
seconds
Skill level Enemy defense penalty (%)
1 21
5 37
10 45
15 50
20 52
Weapon Block:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Claw Mastery
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Grants a blocking % to dual-claw wielding Assassins
Notes: Passive
Skill level Blocking bonus (%)
1 26
5 42
10 50
15 55
20 57
Fade:
-----
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Claw Mastery, Burst of Speed
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Raises elemental resists and lowers curse duration for a short
while
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 10
Skill level Resists bonus Curse duration Duration (secs)
(%) reduction (%)
1 19 47 120
5 42 65 168
10 54 74 228
15 60 79 288
20 64 82 348
Shadow Warrior:
---------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Claw Mastery, Psychic Hammer, Weapon Block, Cloak of Shadows
Damage Type: Various, primarily physical
Description: Summons a duplicate of yourself who uses your selected skills
Notes: Shadow Warrior life scales up with difficulty level and number of
players in the game
Skill level Life Attack rating Defense bonus Mana
bonus (%) (%) cost
1 124 0 0 27
5 183 60 48 35
10 257 135 108 45
15 332 210 168 55
20 406 285 228 65
Mind Blast:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Psychic Hammer, Cloak of Shadows
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Damages enemies and grants a chance to stun and convert enemies
for a while
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 15
Skill level Damage Chance to convert (%)
1 10-20 18
5 18-28 27
10 34-44 32
15 59-69 34
20 96-106 36
Venom:
------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Claw Mastery, Burst of Speed, Fade
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Adds poison damage to attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 12, fixed poison duration of 2 secs
Skill level Poison damage Duration (secs)
1 37-78 120
5 87-128 136
10 162-203 156
15 256-296 176
20 375-415 196
Shadow Master:
--------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Claw Mastery, Psychic Hammer, Weapon Block, Cloak of Shadows, Shadow
Warrior
Damage Type: Various
Description: Summons a duplicate of yourself who has access to use all
Assassin skills
Notes: Shadow Master life scales up wih difficulty level and number of players
in the game, fixed mana cost of 40
Skill level Life Attack rating Resist bonus (%)
bonus (%)
1 186 0 15
5 300 60 38
10 441 135 54
15 582 210 62
20 723 285 67
--------------
9.3 Barbarian:
--------------
--------------
Combat Skills:
--------------
Bash:
-----
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Adds damage and knockback to attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Damage bonus Damage bonus (%) Attack Rating
bonus (%)
1 +1 50 20
5 +5 70 40
10 +10 95 65
15 +15 120 90
20 +20 145 115
Double Swing:
-------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Bash
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Quick attack with two weapons
Notes: Requires 2 weapons to be equipped. Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Attack Rating bonus (%)
1 15
5 35
10 60
15 85
20 110
Leap:
-----
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Jumps and knocks back enemies on impact
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Radius (yards)
1 4.6
5 11.3
10 14
15 16
20 16.6
Double Throw:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Double Swing
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Quick attack with two thrown weapons
Notes: Requires two throwing weapons to be equipped. Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Attack Rating bonus (%)
1 20
5 60
10 110
15 160
20 210
Stun:
-----
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Bash
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Enemy is stunned by attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Stun length (secs) Attack Rating bonus (%)
1 1.2 15
5 2 35
10 3 60
15 4 85
20 5 110
Leap Attack:
------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Leap
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Jumps and attacks target
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 9
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack Rating bonus (%)
1 100 50
5 220 110
10 370 185
15 520 260
20 335 670
Concentrate:
------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Bash, Stun
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Attack is uninterruptible and boosts defense
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Defense bonus (%) Attack Rating Damage bonus (%)
bonus (%)
1 100 60 70
5 140 100 90
10 190 150 115
15 240 200 140
20 290 250 165
Frenzy:
-------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Double Swing, Double Throw
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Successful attacks boost attack and run/walk speed
Notes: Requires 2 weapons to be equipped. Fixed mana cost of 3
Skill level Damage Attack rating Attack speed Run/walk speed
bonus (%) bonus (%) bonus (%) bonus (%)
1 90 100 7 47
5 110 128 7-25 47-110
10 135 163 7-34 47-142
15 160 198 7-39 47-160
20 185 233 7-42 47-171
Whirlwind:
----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Bash, Leap, Stun, Concentrate, Leap Attack
Damage Type: Physical
Description: A whirling attack that cuts through enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack Rating bonus (%) Mana cost
1 -50 0 25
5 -18 20 27
10 22 45 29
15 62 70 32
20 102 95 34
Berserk:
--------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Bash, Stun, Concentrate
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Powerful attack that reduces defense to 0
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack Rating Duration (secs)
bonus (%)
1 150 100 2.7
5 210 160 2
10 285 235 1.6
15 360 310 1.4
20 454 385 1.3
---------
Warcries:
---------
Howl:
-----
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Causes nearby enemies to flee
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Enemy runs (yards) Enemy runs for... (seconds)
1 16 3
5 29.3 7
10 46 12
15 62.6 17
20 79.3 22
Find Potion:
------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Chance to find a potion on a corpse
Notes: 2 in 5 chance of Healing Potion, 3 in 10 chance of Mana Potion, 1 in 10
chance of Rejuvenation Potion (assuming a potion is found on the corpse).
Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Chance to find potion (%)
1 15
5 50
10 68
15 78
20 84
Shout:
------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Howl
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Gives allies a defense bonus
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 6
Skill level Defense bonus (%) Duration (secs)
1 100 16
5 140 24
10 190 34
15 240 44
20 290 54
Taunt:
------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Howl
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Taunts an enemy to attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3
Skill level Damage penalty Attack rating penalty
to target (%) to target (%)
1 5 5
5 13 13
10 23 23
15 33 33
20 43 43
Find Item:
----------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Find Potion
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Chance to find an item on corpses
Notes: Works with monster's chance for each item to drop, fixed mana cost of 7
Skill level Chance to find item (%)
1 13
5 32
10 42
15 47
20 51
Battle Cry:
-----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Howl, Taunt
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Weakens nearby enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5
Skill level Target defense Target damage Duration (secs)
penalty (%) penalty (%)
1 50 25 12
5 58 29 21.6
10 68 34 33.6
15 78 39 45.6
20 88 44 57.6
Battle Orders:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Howl, Shout
Damage Type: N/A
Description: boosts max life, mana and stamina of allies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7
Skill level Max life/mana/stamina Duration (secs)
bonus (%)
1 35 30
5 47 54
10 62 84
15 77 114
20 92 144
Grim Ward:
----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Find Potion, Find Item
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Creates a totem to ward off enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4, fixed duration of 40 secs. Enemy always runs up
to 6.6 yards for 2.4 seconds
Skill level Radius (yards)
1 2
5 4.6
10 8
15 11.3
20 14.6
War Cry:
--------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Howl, Taunt, Shout, Battle Cry, Battle Orders
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Damages and stuns surrounding enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Stun length (secs) Mana cost
1 20-30 1 10
5 44-54 1.8 14
10 76-86 2.8 19
15 111-121 3.8 24
20 150-160 4.8 29
Battle Command:
---------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Howl, Shout, Battle Orders
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Raises the skill levels of allies
Notes: Skill levels raised by 1. Fixed mana cost of 11
Skill level Duration (secs)
1 12
5 28
10 48
15 68
20 88
-----------------
Combat Masteries:
-----------------
Sword/Axe/Mace Mastery:
-----------------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts damage and attack rating of weapon type
Notes: None
Skill level Attack rating Damage bonus (%) Critical strike
bonus (%) chance (%)
1 28 28 3
5 60 48 12
10 100 73 17
15 148 103 20
20 180 123 21
Polearm/Spear/Throwing Mastery:
-------------------------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts damage and attack rating of weapon type
Notes: None
Skill level Attack rating Damage bonus (%) Critical strike
bonus (%) chance (%)
1 30 30 3
5 62 50 12
10 102 75 17
15 142 100 19
20 182 125 21
Increased Stamina:
------------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts stamina
Notes: None
Skill level Stamina bonus (%)
1 30
5 90
10 165
15 240
20 315
Increased Speed:
----------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Increased Stamina
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts run/walk speed
Notes: None
Skill level Walk/Run speed bonus (%)
1 13
5 28
10 36
15 40
20 43
Iron Skin:
----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts defense rating
Notes: None
Skill level Defense bonus (%)
1 30
5 70
10 120
15 170
20 220
Natural Resistance:
-------------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Iron Skin
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts elemental resistances
Notes: None
Skill level Resist bonus (%)
1 12
5 40
10 54
15 62
20 67
----------
9.4 Druid:
----------
-----------------
Summoning Skills:
-----------------
Raven:
------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a raven
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 6
Skill level No. of ravens Damage Hits
1 1 2-4 12
5 5 6-8 16
10 5 11-13 21
15 5 16-18 26
20 5 21-23 31
Poison Creeper:
---------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Summons a vine that poisons enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 8. Life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty
levels. Poison damage is done over 4 seconds
Skill level Damage Life
1 4-6 15
5 15-17 27
10 33-34 42
15 56-58 57
20 84-86 72
Oak Sage:
---------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a spirit that boosts life of allies
Notes: Life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty, fixed area of effect of
20 yards
Skill level Life Life bonus (%) Mana cost
1 30 30 15
5 66 50 19
10 111 75 24
15 156 100 29
20 201 125 34
Summon Spirit Wolf:
-------------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Raven
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a wolf to fight by your side
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 15, attack rating and defense bonuses are passive
and apply only to that Druid's summons.
Skill level Wolves Damage Attack rating/defense
bonus (%)
1 1 2-6 50
5 5 7-10 90
10 5 15-19 140
15 5 27-31 190
20 5 49-52 240
Carrion Vine:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Poison Creeper
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a vine that eats enemy corpses to boost your life
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 10, life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty
Skill level Healing per corpse (%) Life
1 4 47
5 7 84
10 9 131
15 10 178
20 10 225
Heart of Wolverine:
-------------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Oak Sage
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a spirit that boosts attack ability of allies
Notes: Life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty, fixed area of effect of 20
yards
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack rating Life Mana cost
bonus (%)
1 20 25 68 20
5 48 53 122 24
10 83 88 190 29
15 118 123 258 34
20 153 158 326 39
Summon Dire Wolf:
-----------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Raven, Oak Sage, Summon Spirit Wolf
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a more powerful wolf ally
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 20, life bonus is passive and applies only to that
Druid's summons
Skill level Max wolves Life Life bonus (%) Damage
1 1 85 50 8-14
5 3 108 90 18-24
10 3 136 140 32-38
15 3 165 190 50-56
20 3 193 240 82-88
Solar Creeper:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Poison Creeper, Carrion Vine
Damage Type: N/A
Description. Summons a vine that eats corpses for a mana bonus
Notes: Life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty
Skill level Life Mana regen bonus (%) Mana cost
1 82 2 14
5 147 4 18
10 229 5 23
15 311 6 28
20 393 6 33
Spirit of Barbs:
----------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Oak Sage, Heart of Wolverine
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a spirit that returns damage to enemies who attack allies
Notes: Life scales up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty, fixed area of effect of 20
yards
Skill level Life Damage returned (%) Mana cost
1 106 50 25
5 190 90 29
10 296 140 34
15 402 190 39
20 508 240 44
Summon Grizzly:
---------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Raven, Oak Sage, Summon Spirit Wolf, Summon Dire Wolf
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a powerful grizzly bear to fight with you
Notes: Damage bonus is passive and applies only to that Druid's summons. Fixed
mana cost of 40, fixed base life of 213, casting timer of 1 second
Skill level Damage Damage bonus (%)
1 37-75 25
5 101-145 45
10 221-272 70
15 399-458 95
20 660-726 120
-----------------
Elemental Skills:
-----------------
Firestorm:
----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Releases waves of flames
Notes: Casting delay of 0.6 secs, fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Damage/sec
1 3-7
5 17-21
10 37-41
15 60-64
20 89-92
Molten Boulder:
---------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Firestorm
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Releases a huge magma ball
Notes: Casting delay of 2 seconds
Skill level Damage/sec Mana cost
1 11-16 10
5 44-49 12
10 90-94 14
15 142-147 17
20 205-209 19
Arctic Blast:
-------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Releases a jet of ice
Notes: None
Skill level Damage/sec Chill length Range (yards) Mana cost
(secs)
1 8-15 4 5.3 4
5 33-40 6.6 6.6 7
10 65-72 7.6 8.6 11
15 98-105 9.6 10 15
20 133-140 11.6 12 19
Fissure:
--------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Firestorm, Molten Boulder
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Causes the earth to open up, releasing jets of heat
Notes: Casting delay of 2 seconds, fixed mana cost of 15, fixed duration of
3.2 seconds
Skill level Damage
1 15-21
5 39-49
10 81-91
15 141-151
20 217-227
Cyclone Armor:
--------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Arctic Blast
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Creates a barrier that absorbs elemental attacks.
Notes: None
Skill level Damage absorbed Mana cost
1 40 5
5 88 9
10 148 14
15 196 18
20 268 24
Twister:
--------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Arctic Blast, Cyclone Armor
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Creates several small whirlwinds that can stun enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7, fixed stun length of 0.4 seconds
Skill level Damage
1 6-8
5 14-16
10 27-29
15 44-46
20 66-68
Volcano:
--------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Firestorm, Molten Boulder, Fissure
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Creates a volcano which releases balls of lava
Notes: Casting delay of 4 seconds, fixed mana cost of 25
Skill level Damage
1 15-20
5 31-36
10 59-64
15 99-104
20 155-160
Tornado:
--------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Arctic Blast, Cyclone Armor, Twister
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Suumons a large, unpredictable tornado.
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 10
Skill level Damage
1 25-35
5 57-67
10 109-119
15 179-189
20 273-283
Hurricane:
----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Arctic Blast, Cyclon Armor, Twister, Tornado
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Druid surrounds himself with chilling winds
Notes: Casting delay of 6 seconds, fixed mana cost of 30, fixed radius of
5.3 yards
Skill level Damage
1 25-50
5 53-78
10 94-119
15 144-169
20 202-227
Armageddon:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Firestorm, Molten Boulder, Arctic Blast, Fissure, Cyclone Armor,
Twister, Tornado, Volcano, Hurricane
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Rains chaotic fire around the Druid
Notes: Casting timer of 6 seconds, fixed mana cost of 35, fixed duration of
10 seconds, fixed radius of 5.3 yards
Skill level Damage
1 25-75
5 85-135
10 170-220
15 270-320
20 390-440
---------------------
Shapeshifting Skills:
---------------------
Werewolf:
---------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Shift into Werewolf form
Notes: Casting delay of 1 second, fixed mana cost of 15, fixed duration of
40 secs, fixed life/stamina bonus of 25%
Skill level Attack speed bonus (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 20 50
5 45 110
10 57 185
15 64 260
20 68 335
Lycanthropy:
------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: Werewolf
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, adds life and duration to Were-forms
Notes: None
Skill level Life bonus (%) Duration bonus (secs)
1 20 40
5 40 120
10 65 220
15 90 320
20 115 420
Werebear:
---------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Shifts into a huge Werebear
Notes: Casting delay of 1 second, fixed mana cost of 15, fixed life bonus
of 50%
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Defense bonus (%)
1 50 25
5 78 45
10 113 70
15 148 95
20 183 120
Maul:
-----
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Werebear
Damage Type: Physical
Description: A concentrated, powerful attack on an enemy
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3, fixed duration of 20 seconds
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack rating Stun length (secs)
bonus (%)
1 20-60 20 0.9-1.6
5 20-100 60 0.9-2.2
10 20-160 110 0.9-2.6
15 20-200 160 0.9-2.8
20 20-260 210 0.9-3.0
Feral Rage:
-----------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Werewolf
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Adds run/walk and attack bonuses to Werewolf attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3, fixed duration of 20 seconds.
Skill level Damage bonus Attack rating Life steal Walk/run
(%) bonus (%) (%) bonus (%)
1 50 20 4-12 19-31
5 70 60 4-20 19-40
10 95 110 4-32 19-47
15 120 160 4-40 19-50
20 145 210 4-52 19-55
Fire Claws:
-----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Werewolf, Werebear, Feral Rage, Maul
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Adds fire damage to were-form attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Damage Attack rating bonus (%)
1 15-20 50
5 39-44 110
10 81-86 185
15 141-146 260
20 233-238 335
Rabies:
-------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Werewolf, Feral Rage
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Adds spreadable poison element to Werewolf attacks
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 10, fixed poison duration of 4 seconds
Skill level Damage Attack rating bonus (%)
1 18-43 50
5 68-93 78
10 121-146 106
15 215-240 148
20 306-331 183
Shock Wave:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Werebear, Maul
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Stuns nearby enemies with huge roar in Werebear form
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7
Skill level Damage Stun duration (secs)
1 10-20 1.6
5 22-32 4.0
10 41-51 7.0
15 66-76 10.0
20 99-109 13.0
Hunger:
-------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Werewolf, Werebear, Feral Rage, Maul, Fire Claws
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Leeches life and mana in were-form, but at the cost of lower
damage
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3, fixed damage penalty of 75%
Skill level Life/Mana Steal (%) Attack rating bonus (%)
1 72 50
5 125 90
10 152 140
15 167 190
20 176 240
Fury:
-----
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Werewolf, Feral Rage, Rabies
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Rapid, multiple attacks on nearby enemies while in Werewolf form
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Attack rating bonus (%) Damage bonus (%) No. of hits
1 50 100 2
5 78 168 5
10 113 253 5
15 148 338 5
20 183 423 5
----------------
9.5 Necromancer:
----------------
-----------------------
Poison and Bone Spells:
-----------------------
Teeth:
------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Multiple magic "teeth" strike enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage No. of teeth Mana cost
1 2-4 2 3
5 6-8 6 4.5
10 11-13 11 7.5
15 16-18 16 10
20 21-23 21 12
Bone Armor:</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
-----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a whirling barrier of bones to protect you
Notes: Only affects physical melee damage
Skill level Damage absorbed Mana cost
1 20 11
5 60 15
10 110 20
15 160 25
20 210 30
Poison Dagger:
--------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Adds poison element to a melee dagger attack
Notes: Fixed poison duration of 2 seconds
Skill level Poison damage Attack rating bonus (%) Mana cost
1 7-15 15 3
5 22-31 55 4
10 46-54 105 5.2
15 75-83 155 6.5
20 112-121 205 7.7
Corpse Explosion:
-----------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Teeth
Damage Type: Half fire, half physical
Description: Causes a corpse to explode violently, damaging nearby enemies
Notes: Fixed damage of 60-100% of corpse life (doesn't scale up with monster
life in multiplayer games)
Skill level Damage radius (yards) Mana cost
1 2.6 15
5 4 19
10 5.6 24
15 7.3 29
20 9 34
Bone Wall:
----------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Bone Armour
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a wall of bone to block off enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 17, fixed duration of 48 seconds
Skill level Wall life
1 19
5 38
10 61
15 85
20 109
Poison Explosion:
-----------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Teetth, Corpse Explosion, Poison Dagger
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Creates a poison cloud from a target corpse
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 8, fixed poison duration of 2 seconds
Skill level Poison damage
1 25-50
5 50-75
10 93-118
15 156-181
20 243-268
Bone Spear:
-----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Teeth, Corpse Explosion
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Fires a missile made of bone at the target
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 16-24 7
5 46-56 8
10 88-96 9.2
15 128-136 10.5
20 168-176 11.7
Bone Prison:
------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Teeth, Bone Armour, Corpse Exlposion
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Summons a prison of bone which surrounds your target
Notes: Fixed duration of 48 seconds
Skill level Wall life Mana cost
1 19 27
5 38 23
10 61 18
15 85 13
20 109 8
Poison Nova:
------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Teeth, Poison Dagger, Corpse Explosion, Poison Explosion
Damage Type: Poison
Description: Emits a circle of lethal poison
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 25, fixed poison duration of 2 seconds
Skill level Poison damage
1 43-78
5 93-128
10 162-196
15 240-275
20 356-390
Bone Spirit:
------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Teeth, Corpse Explosion, Bone Spear
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Summons an undead spirit who homes in on a target
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 20-30 12
5 84-94 14
10 166-176 16
15 251-261 19
20 340-350 21
-------
Curses:
-------
Amplify Damage:
---------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Lowers physical resist of target(s) by 100%
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (secs)
1 2 8
5 4.6 20
10 7.3 32
15 10.6 47
20 14.6 65
Dim Vision:
-----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Blinds the enemy
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 9
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (secs)
1 2.6 7
5 5.3 15
10 8.6 25
15 12.0 35
20 15.3 45
Weaken:
-------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Reduces target's damage
Notes: Damage penalty of 33% to target, fixed mana cost of 4
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (secs)
1 6 14
5 9.3 26
10 12.0 35.6
15 15.3 47.6
20 18.6 59.6
Iron Maiden:
------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Amplify Damage
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Target hurts self with each successful melee attack
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5, fixed radius of 4.6 yards
Skill level Damage returned (%) Duration (secs)
1 200 12
5 300 21.6
10 425 33.6
15 550 45.6
20 675 57.6
Terror:
-------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Weaken
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Target(s) flee in fear
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7, fixed radius of 2.6 yards
Skill level Duration (secs)
1 8
5 12
10 17
15 22
20 27
Confuse:
--------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Dim Vision
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Target(s) attack randomly
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 13
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (secs)
1 4 10
5 6.6 18
10 10.0 28
15 13.3 38
20 16.6 48
Life Tap:
---------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Amplify Damage, Iron Maiden
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Target's give life when attacked
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 9, fixed life steal of 50% attack damage
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (secs)
1 2.6 16
5 5.3 25.6
10 8.6 37.6
15 12.0 49.6
20 15.3 61.6
Attract:
--------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Dim Vision, Confuse
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Target is targeted by nearby enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 17, fixed radius of 6 yards
Skill level Duration (secs)
1 12.0
5 26.4
10 44.4
15 62.4
20 80.4
Decrepify:
----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Weaken, Terror
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Slows and weakens enemy
Notes: Fixed penalty to damage, physical resistance and speed of 50%
Skill level Duration (secs)
1 4.0
5 6.4
10 9.4
15 12.4
20 15.4
Lower Resist:
-------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Weaken, Amplify Damage, Terror, Iron Maiden, Life Tap, Decrepify
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Lowers target(s) resistance to elementals, poison, and magic
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 22
Skill level Radius (yards) Duration (seconds) Resists lowered (%)
1 4.6 20 31
5 7.3 28 47
10 10.6 38 55
15 14.0 48 60
20 17.3 58 62
-----------------
Summoning Skills:
-----------------
Raise Skeleton:
---------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a skeleton from a target corpse to fight for you
Notes: Fixed damage of 1-2, fixed life of 21 (scales up in nightmare/hell
difficulty)
Skill level No. of skeletons Mana cost
1 1 6
5 5 10
10 10 15
15 15 20
20 20 25
Skeleton Mastery:
-----------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: Raise Skeleton
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, improves ability of raised skeletons, skeletal mages,
and revives
Notes: Improves Skeletal Mage missile damage past level 2, exact stats unknown
Skill level Skel/Revive life bonus Skel/Revive damage bonus
1 7/7% 2/2%
5 35/35% 10/10%
10 70/70% 20/20%
15 105/105% 30/30%
20 140/140% 40/40%
Clay Golem:
-----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a Golem from the earth around you
Notes: Damage and life scale up in Nightmare/Hell difficulty
Skill level Damage Life Mana cost
1 2-5 100 15
5 4-12 240 27
10 8-20 415 42
15 11-29 590 57
20 15-38 765 72
Golem Mastery:
--------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Clay Golem
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts Golems speed and life
Notes: None
Skill level Life bonus (%) Speed bonus (%)
1 20 6
5 100 20
10 200 27
15 300 31
20 400 33
Skeletal Mage:
--------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Raise Skeleton
Damage Type: Varies
Description: Summons a skeletal mage from a target corpse
Notes: Fixed life of 61 (scales up in nightmare/hell difficulty)
Skill level No. of skel mages Mana cost
1 1 8
5 5 12
10 10 17
15 15 22
20 20 27
Blood Golem:
------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Clay Golem
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a Golem with a link to your health
Notes: As the golem hits, both he and you gain life. As he gets hit, you both
lose life. Fixed life of 201 (life and damage scale up in Nightmare/Hell
difficulty).
Skill level Damage Life leech (%) Mana cost
1 6-16 86 25
5 14-38 112 41
10 24-66 126 61
15 35-94 133 81
20 45-122 138 101
Summon Resist:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Clay Golem, Golem Mastery
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, boosts elemental resists of your summons
Notes: Works only on your summons, not on the necromancer or party members or
their summons.
Skill level Resist all bonus (%)
1 28
5 47
10 57
15 62
20 66
Iron Golem:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Clay Golem, Golem Mastery, Blood Golem
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Summons a Golem from a metallic item
Notes: Many item properties can transfer on to the Golem. Fixed mana cost
of 35, fixed damage of 7-19, fixed life of 306 (damage and life scale up
in Nightmare/Hell difficulty)
Skill level Damage returned (thorns) %
1 0
5 195
10 270
15 345
20 420
Fire Golem:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Clay Golem, Iron Golem, Blood Golem
Damage Type: Fire/Physical
Description: Summons a Golem made entirely of Flame
Notes: Is healed by fire damage. Fixed life of 313 (scales up in
Nightmare/Hell difficulty)
Skill level Damage Fire absorb (%) Mana cost
1 20-54 36 50
5 34-91 62 90
10 51-139 76 140
15 69-186 83 190
20 86-233 88 240
Revive:
-------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Raise Skeleton, Clay Golem, Skeletal Mage, Blood Golem, Iron Golem
Damage Type: Varies
Description: Raises a slain enemy from the dead to fight for you
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 45, fixed life of 2x original creature's life,
fixed duration of 180 seconds
Skill level Max. no. of revives
1 1
5 5
10 10
15 15
20 20
------------
9.6 Paladin:
------------
----------------
Defensive Auras:
----------------
Prayer:
-------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Heals all allies within radius
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Replenish life Mana cost
1 7.3 +2 1
5 12.6 +6 1.7
10 19.3 +11 2.6
15 26.0 +16 3.6
20 32.6 +21 4.5
Resist Fire:
------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases fire resistance of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Fire resist (+%)
1 7.3 52
5 12.6 92
10 19.3 113
15 26.0 124
20 32.6 131
Resist Cold:
------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases cold resistance of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Cold resist (+%)
1 7.3 52
5 12.6 92
10 19.3 113
15 26.0 124
20 32.6 131
Resist Lightning:
-----------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases lightning resistance of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Lit resist (+%)
1 7.3 52
5 12.6 92
10 19.3 113
15 26.0 124
20 32.6 131
Defiance:
---------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Raises the defense of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Defense bonus (%)
1 7.3 70
5 12.6 110
10 19.3 160
15 26.0 210
20 32.6 260
Cleansing:
----------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Prayer
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Reduces curse/poison duration for all nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Curse/Poison duration (-%)
1 7.3 39
5 12.6 60
10 19.3 70
15 26.0 76
20 32.6 80
Vigor:
------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Prayer, Cleansing, Defiance
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Boosts speed and stamina of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Walk/Run speed Stamina bonus (%)
bonus (%)
1 10 13 50
5 18 28 150
10 28 36 275
15 38 40 400
20 48 43 525
Meditation:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Prayer, Cleansing
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases mana regen rate for all nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Mana regen (+%)
1 7.3 300
5 12.6 400
10 19.3 525
15 26.0 650
20 32.6 775
Redemption:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Prayer, Cleansing, Defiance, Vigor
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Redeems enemy corpses, boosting your mana and life
Notes: Only works on the player, not on any allies. Fixed radius of 7.3 yards
Skill level Redeem chance (%) Life/Mana recovery
1 23 25
5 55 45
10 71 70
15 80 95
20 85 120
Salvation:
----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: None (!)
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Boosts all elemental resists of nearby allies
Notes: Doesn't raise poison resistance
Skill level Radius (yards) Elemental resists (+%)
1 7.3 60
5 12.6 85
10 19.3 97
15 26.0 104
20 32.6 108
----------------
Offensive Auras:
----------------
Might:
------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases the damage done by nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Damage bonus (%)
1 7.3 40
5 12.6 80
10 19.3 130
15 26.0 180
20 32.6 230
Holy Fire:
----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Does fire damage to nearby enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Fire damage
1 4.0 1-3
5 6.6 4-6
10 10.0 8.5-10.5
15 13.3 13-15
20 16.6 19-21
Thorns:
-------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Enemies who hit you will recieve damage
Notes: 1/10th effectiveness in PvP
Skill level Radius (yards) Damage returned (%)
1 7.3 250
5 12.6 410
10 19.3 610
15 26.0 810
20 32.6 1010
Blessed Aim:
------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Might
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases attack rating of nearby allies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Attack rating (+%)
1 7.3 75
5 12.6 135
10 19.3 210
15 26.0 285
20 32.6 360
Concentration:
--------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Might, Blessed Aim
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Attack gains a chance to become uninterruptible. Adds to damage
Notes: Fixed chance of 20% for uninterruptible attack
Skill level Radius (yards) Damage bonus (%)
1 7.3 60
5 12.6 120
10 19.3 195
15 26.0 270
20 32.6 345
Holy Freeze:
------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Might, Holy Fire
Damage Type: Chills, but does no actual damage
Description: Slows all nearby enemies
Notes: Will slow cold immune monsters
Skill level Radius (yards) Enemy speed (-%)
1 4.0 30
5 6.6 42
10 10.0 48
15 13.3 52
20 16.6 54
Holy Shock:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Might, Holy Fire, Holy Freeze
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Does lightning damage to nearby enemies and adds lightning damage
to physical attacks
Notes: Fixed radius of 7.3 yards
Skill level +Lightning damage Lightning damage to
to physical attacks nearby enemies
1 1-50 1-10
5 1-190 13-22
10 1-365 30-39
15 1-540 54-63
20 1-715 74-83
Sanctuary:
----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Might, Thorns, Holy Fire, Holy Freeze
Damage Type: Magic (I think)
Description: Damages and repels nearby undead enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Radius (yards) Damage to undead Damage bonus to
within radius melee attacks
against undead (%)
1 3.3 8-16 150
5 6.0 24-32 270
10 9.3 44-52 420
15 12.6 64-72 570
20 16.0 84-92 720
Fanaticism:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Might, Blessed Aim, Concentration
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Boosts attack damage and attack speed of nearby allies
Notes: Fixed radius of 7.3 yards
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Attack rating (+%) Attack speed (+%)
1 50 40 14
5 118 60 25
10 203 85 30
15 288 110 33
20 373 135 35
Conviction:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Might, Thorns, Holy Fire, Holy Freeze, Sanctuary
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Lowers resistances and defence of nearby enemies
Notes: Fixed radius of 13.3 yards
Skill level Enemy defense (-%) Enemy resists (-%)
1 49 30
5 70 50
10 80 75
15 86 100
20 90 125
--------------
Combat Skills:
--------------
Sacrifice:
----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Boosts damage but reduces your life with each hit you make
Notes: Fixed damage/hit to self of 8% physical damage
Skill level Attack rating (+%) Damage (+%)
1 20 180
5 40 228
10 65 288
15 90 348
20 115 408
Smite:
------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Hits enemy with your shield, causing knockback and stun
Notes: Always hits, smite speed is dependent on weapon speed, doesn't leech
life/mana. Fixed mana cost of 2. Smite damage is displayed on shields.
Skill level Damage bonus (%) Stun length (secs)
1 15 0.6
5 75 1.4
10 150 2.4
15 225 3.4
20 300 4.4
Holy Bolt:
----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Invokes a bolt of energy that damages the undead and heals
party members
Notes: Heals party members and most friendly summons. Damages undead enemies. Has no
effect on undead friendly summons and non-undead enemies.
Skill level Damage Heals Mana cost
1 8-16 1-6 4
5 32-40 9-14 5
10 62-70 19-24 6.2
15 92-100 29-34 7.5
20 122-130 39-44 8.7
Zeal:
-----
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Sacrifice
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Several quick successive attacks to nearby enemies
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2
Skill level Attack rating (+%) Max. hits
1 10 2
5 50 5
10 100 5
15 150 5
20 200 5
Charge:
-------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Smite
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Runs up to emeny and delivers a powerful blow
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 9
Skill level Attack rating (+%) Damage (+%)
1 50 100
5 110 200
10 185 325
15 260 450
20 335 575
Vengeance:
----------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Sacrifice, Zeal
Damage Type: Fire, Cold, Lightning
Description: Adds all elements to your standard attack
Notes: None
Skill level Elemental Attack rating Cold length Mana cost
damage (+%) (+%) (secs)
1 70 20 1.2 4
5 94 60 3.6 5
10 124 110 6.6 6.2
15 154 160 9.6 7.5
20 184 210 12.6 8.7
Blessed Hammer:
---------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Holy Bolt
Damage Type: Magical
Description: Summons a magical hammer that spirals away from you, damaging
enemies
Notes: Does 150% damage to undead enemies
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 12-16 5
5 44-48 6
10 84-88 7.2
15 124-128 8.5
20 164-168 9.7
Conversion:
-----------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Sacrifice, Zeal, Vengeance
Damage Type: Physical
Description: Each hit has a chance to convert the enemy
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 4. Fixed conversion duration of 16 seconds
Skill level Chance to convert (%)
1 7
5 25
10 34
15 39
20 42
Holy Shield:
------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Smite, Holy Bolt, Charge, Blessed Hammer
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Boost shield defense and block %
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 35
Skill level Duration Defense (+%) Blocking (+%) Smite damage
(secs)
1 30 25 14 +3-6
5 70 85 25 +11-14
10 120 160 30 +23-26
15 170 235 33 +38-41
20 220 310 35 +57-60
Fist of the Heavens:
--------------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Sacrifice, Holy Bolt, Zeal, Vengeance, Blessed Hammer, Conversion
Damage Type: Lightning and Magical
Description: Summons a lightning bolt that splits into Holy Bolts on impact
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 25. Holy bolts only damage undead, and don't heal
party members. Casting timer of 1 second.
Skill level Lightning damage Holy Bolt damage
1 150-200 40-50
5 210-260 64-74
10 315-365 102-112
15 465-515 152-162
20 675-725 226-236
--------------
9.7 Sorceress:
--------------
------------
Cold Spells:
------------
Ice Bolt:
---------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Cold
Description: A bolt of ice that damages and slows its target
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 3
Skill level Damage Cold duration (secs)
1 3-5 6
5 7-9 11.6
10 12-14 18.6
15 17-19 25.6
20 23-24 32.6
Frozen Armor:
-------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Increases defense and freezes attacker after a successful hit
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 7
Skill level Defense (+%) Duration (secs) Freeze duration (secs)
1 30 120 1.2
5 50 168 1.6
10 75 228 2.2
15 100 288 2.8
20 125 348 3.4
Frost Nova:
-----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Summons a ring of ice that surrounds you, damaging and slowing
nearby enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Cold duration (secs) Mana cost
1 2-4 8 9
5 10-12 12 17
10 20-22 17 27
15 30-32 22 37
20 40-42 27 47
Ice Blast:
----------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: Ice Bolt
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Conjures an ice bolt that freezes its target
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Freeze duration (secs) Mana cost
1 10 3 6
5 38 3.8 8
10 87 4.8 10.5
15 157 5.8 13
20 255 6.8 15
Shiver Armor:
-------------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Ice Bolt, Frozen Armor, Ice Blast
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Grants a defense bonus while slowing and damaging attackers
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 11, fixed cold duration of 4 seconds
Skill level Defense (+%) Damage Duration (secs)
1 45 6-8 120
5 69 14-16 168
10 99 24-26 228
15 129 34-36 288
20 159 44-46 348
Glacial Spike:
--------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Ice Bolt, Ice Blast
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Fires a shard of ice that freezes enemies close to the point
of impact
Notes: Fixed freeze radius of 2.6 yards
Skill level Damage Freeze duration (secs) Mana cost
1 16-24 2 10
5 44-52 2.4 12
10 81-89 3 14
15 121-129 3.6 17
20 165-173 4.2 29
Blizzard:
---------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, Frost Nova, Glacial Spike
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Shards of ice fall from the sky onto enemies
Notes: Fixed storm duration of 4 seconds, casting timer of 1.8 seconds
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 45-75 23
5 105-135 27
10 210-140 32
15 360-390 37
20 570-600 42
Chilling Armor:
---------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Ice Bolt, Frozen Armor, Ice Blast, Shiver Armor
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Grants a defense bonus and retaliates with Ice Bolts against
ranged attackers
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 17
Skill level Defense (+%) Damage Duration (secs)
1 45 4-6 144
5 65 8-10 168
10 90 13-15 198
15 115 18-20 228
20 140 23-25 258
Frozen Orb:
-----------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Ice Bolt, Ice Blast, Frost Nova, Glacial Spike, Blizzard
Damage Type: Cold
Description: Fires an Orb that shoots out a heck of a lot of Ice Bolts
Notes: Casting timer of 1 second
Skill level Damage Cold duration (secs) Mana cost
1 40-45 8 25
5 80-85 12 27
10 134-139 17 29
15 194-199 22 32
20 262-267 27 34
Cold Mastery:
-------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, lowers enemy's cold resistance
Notes: Will not cause negative cold resistance
Skill level Enemy cold resist (-%)
1 23
5 55
10 71
15 80
20 85
-----------------
Lightning Spells:
-----------------
Charged Bolt:
-------------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Fires many small lightning sparks at enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage No. of bolts Mana cost
1 2-4 3 3
5 4-6 7 5
10 6-8 12 7.5
15 9-11 17 10
20 13-15 22 12
Telekinesis:
------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Don't know, physical, lightning, or magical. Anyone know for
sure?
Description: Activates distant objects and harms/knocks back enemies
Notes: Many items can't be picked up by telekinesis. Fixed mana cost of 7
Skill level Damage
1 1-2
5 5-6
10 10-11
15 15-16
20 20-21
Static Field:
-------------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Damages nearby enemies by 1/4 of their current life
Notes: Works only up to 1/3 life in Nightmare difficulty and 1/2 life in Hell.
Fixed mana cost of 9
Skill level Radius (yards)
1 3.3
5 6.0
10 9.3
15 12.6
20 16.0
Lightning:
----------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Charged Bolt
Damage Type: Lightning (duh!)
Description: Invokes a bolt of lightning that can pass through enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 1-40 8
5 1-72 10
10 1-120 12
15 1-180 15
20 1-272 17
Nova:
-----
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Static Field
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: A field of lightning expands around you, damaging all nearby
enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 1-20 15
5 29-48 19
10 66-85 24
15 106-125 29
20 150-169 34
Chain Lightning:
----------------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Charged Bolt, Lightning
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Summons a lightning bolt that seeks targets on impact
Notes: None
Skill level Damage No. of targets Mana cost
1 1-40 5 9
5 1-84 6 13
10 1-143 7 18
15 1-208 8 23
20 1-281 9 28
Teleport:
---------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Telekinesis
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Err, you teleport. Go look it up... :P
Notes: None
Skill level Mana cost
1 24
5 20
10 15
15 10
20 5
Thunderstorm:
-------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Charged Bolt, Static Field, Lightning, Nova, Chain Lightning
Damage Type: Lightning
Description: Periodically hits a random enemy with a thunderbolt
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 19. Duration between thunderbolts lessens with more
skill points, but no exact numbers are available.
Skill level Damage Duration (secs)
1 1-100 32
5 41-140 64
10 91-190 104
15 141-240 144
20 195-294 184
Energy Shield:
--------------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Charged Bolt, Telekinesis, Lightning, teleport, Chain Lightning
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Some elemental damage is absorbed to mana instead of life
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 5
Skill level Damage absorb (%) Duration (secs)
1 15 144
5 40 336
10 52 576
15 59 816
20 63 1056
Lightning Mastery:
------------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, increases damage of lighning spells
Notes: None
Skill level Lightning damage bonus (%)
1 50
5 98
10 158
15 218
20 278
------------
Fire Spells:
------------
Fire Bolt:
----------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Conjures a bolt of flame
Notes: Fixed mana cost of 2.5
Skill level Damage
1 3-6
5 9-12
10 18-21
15 31-34
20 47-50
Warmth:
-------
Required Level: 1
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, increases mana regeneration rate
Notes: None
Skill level Mana regen (+%)
1 30
5 78
10 138
15 198
20 258
Inferno:
--------
Required Level: 6
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Invokes a jet of flame that constantly burns enemies
Notes: None
Skill level Damage/second Range (yards) Mana cost
1 12-25 3.3 7
5 50-62 5.3 10
10 98-110 7.3 14
15 149-161 10 17
20 203-215 12.6 21
Blaze:
------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Inferno
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Ignites your walking path
Notes: None
Skill level Damage Duration (secs) Mana cost
1 18-37 4.6 11
5 56-75 8.6 13
10 112-131 13.6 15
15 182-201 18.6 18
20 271-290 23.6 20
Fireball:
---------
Required Level: 12
Prereqs: Fire Bolt
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Casts a fireball that explodes on impact, damaging nearby
enemies
Notes: Fixed explosion radius of 2 yards
Skill level Damage Mana cost
1 6-14 5
5 34-42 7
10 79-87 9.5
15 139-147 12
20 207-215 14
Firewall:
---------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Inferno, Blaze
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Creates a wall of flames
Notes: Casting timer, length unkown. Fixed duration of 3.6 seconds
Skill level Damage/second Wall radius (yards) Mana cost
1 70-93 4 22
5 239-262 10 26
10 496-520 16 31
15 825-848 23 36
20 1284-1307 30 41
Enchant:
--------
Required Level: 18
Prereqs: Fire Bolt, Warmth, Fireball
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Adds fire damage to melee attacks
Notes: Can be cast on any party member or summon
Skill level Damage Duration (secs) Mana cost
1 8-10 144 25
5 16-18 240 33
10 30-32 360 43
15 50-52 480 53
20 78-80 600 63
Meteor:
-------
Required Level: 24
Prereqs: Fire Bolt, Inferno, Blaze, Fireball, Firewall
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Summons a meteor which explodes into flames on impact
Notes: Casting timer of 1.2 seconds, fixed impact radius of 4 yards
Skill level Impact damage Fire damage/sec Mana cost
1 80-100 35-58 17
5 176-196 72-96 19
10 328-348 124-147 21
15 528-548 182-206 24
20 888-908 250-274 26
Hydra:
------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: Fire Bolt, Warmth, Fireball, Enchant
Damage Type: Fire
Description: Summons a tri-headed beast who spits fire at your enemies
Notes: Fixed summon duration of 10 seconds
Skill level Damage/bolt Mana cost
1 12-17 20
5 32-37 22
10 61-66 24
15 103-108 27
20 139-144 29
Fire Mastery:
-------------
Required Level: 30
Prereqs: None
Damage Type: N/A
Description: Passive, increases damage of your fire spells
Notes: None
Skill level Fire spell damage (+%)
1 30
5 58
10 100
15 128
20 163
----------------
10. Mercenaries:
----------------
The choice of mercenary is an important one if you want to maximise your
character's effectiveness. Before going into more details, here is some
miscellaneous (but important) information on the mercenaries available to
you...
-----------------
10.1 Information:
-----------------
The following is a list of the mercenaries available to you, along with a list
of special skills they can use.
Act 1 Rogue:
------------
Cold - Uses Cold Arrow, Inner Sight, "Lightning Hose"*
Fire - Uses Fire Arrow, Inner Sight, "Lightning Hose"*
* - For info on "Lightning Hose", see section 13 - "Known Bugs"
Act 2 Desert Person: (okay, so I've forgotten what they're called...)
--------------------
Offensive (hired in Normal/Hell difficulty) - Uses Jab, Blessed Aim
Offensive (hired in Nightmare difficulty) - Uses Jab, Might aura
Defensive (hired in Normal/Hell difficulty) - Uses Jab, Defiance
Defensive (hired in Nightmare difficulty) - Uses Jab, Holy Freeze
Combat (hired in Normal/Hell difficulty) - Uses Jab, Prayer
Combat (hired in Nightmare difficulty) - Uses Jab, Thorns
Act 3 Iron Wolf: (I think that's what they're called...)
----------------
Cold - Uses Ice Blast, Glacial Spike, Frozen Armour
Fire - Uses Inferno, Fire Ball
Lightning - Uses Charged Bolt, Lightning
Act 5 Barbarians:
-----------------
Uses Bash, Stun
-------------------------------------
10.2 Which Mercenary should I choose?
-------------------------------------
Your choice of mercenary will largely depend on the type of character you're
playing. Here though is a general list of advantages and disadvantages of each
mercenary...
Act 1 Rogue:
------------
Pros: Ranged attack, less likely to be hit. Inner Sight helps chance to hit.
"Lightning Hose" is pretty funky to watch and does decent damage.
Cons: Low life, weak standard attack.
Act 2 Desert Thingy:
--------------------
Pros: Very fast and powerful attack. Auras are very useful. Highest base
defense of all mercenaries. Fairly high life.
Cons: Likely to be hit and can be very hard to keep alive in places.
Act 3 Iron Wolf:
----------------
Pros: Ranged attack, less likely to be hit. Elemental attacks can help melee
classes against physical resistant/immune monsters.
Cons: Low life, attacks are generally weak.
Act 5 Barbarian:
----------------
Pros: Powerful attack. Highest base life of all mercenaries.
Cons: Attack is quite slow without Increased Attack Speed equipment. Despite
high life he can be killed easily in some places.
Now, for my recommendations on which mercenary to use for each specific
character subclass mentioned in this guide...
Amazon:
-------
Bowazon - Act 2 Blessed Aim or Act 2 Might
Javazon - Act 5 Barbarian
Hybridzon - Act 5 Barbarian
Spearazon - Act 2 Might or Act 2 Holy Freeze
Assassin:
---------
Martial Arts Assassin (both types) - Act 2 Might or Act 2 Holy Freeze
Trapassin - Act 2 Holy Freeze or Act 5 Barbarian
Barbarian:
----------
All types - Act 2 Might
Druid:
------
Werewolf/Summoner - Act 2 Might
Werebear/Summoner - Act 2 Might
Elemental/Summoner - Act 5 Barbarian
Pure Elemental - Act 5 Barbarian
Necromancer:
------------
Golemancer (Blood, Fire Golem) - Act 2 Holy Freeze
Golemancer (Iron Golem) - Act 5 Barbarian
Paladin:
--------
Zealot - Act 2 Might
Avenger - Act 2 Might or Act 3 Cold/Fire
Smiter - Act 2 Might
Charger - Act 2 Might
Zealot/Avenger Hybrid - Act 2 Might
Sorceress:
----------
All types - Act 2 Holy Freeze (it stacks with the chilling effect of cold
spells!) or Act 5 Barbarian
---------
11. FAQs:
---------
Which character is the best?
----------------------------
It's all a matter of personal opinion. My particular order of preference would
be Assassin, Paladin, Barbarian, Amazon, Druid, Sorceress, Necromancer, but
of course that's just my opinion. If this is your first time playing LoD, pick
the character YOU think YOU'LL have the most fun with, don't waste your time
listening to others.
What is Hardcore Mode?
----------------------
It's a special setting that you unlock once you've completed the game in
normal difficulty. To all extents and purposes it is exactly the same as
the standard game, except when you die, you die for good, losing your
character and all equipment. Not one for the faint-hearted then...
What does the little purple gem in the chat screen do?
------------------------------------------------------
Nothing. It's been openly admitted by Blizzard that they put the Gem in solely
for the purpose of their own entertainment. It actually does nothing, but
there were (and still are in places) funny rumours about it's use.
What is an "SoJ"? How can I get one?
------------------------------------
SoJ = Stone of Jordan, a unique ring with the modifiers +1 all skills, +20%
max mana, +25 mana, +1-8 lightning damage. It's common currency on Bnet due
mainly to a large supply (there are several reasons why..). The easiest and
most painless way of getting one is to trade a good item of yours for
them - finding SoJs from monster drops is very unlikely.
What's the best way to get good items?
--------------------------------------
It's generally accepted that killing Mephisto in Nightmare or Hell difficulty
(depending on your level) is the best method for getting good items. He can
drop most items in the game, and has a high chance to drop sets/uniques. Add
to this the fact that he's relatively quick and easy to get to and kill, and
you have a good, quick source of items. If you're feeling brave you can kill
the Council Members in Mephisto's chamber too (they have fairly decent drop
rates, but can be harder to kill), otherwise you can just teleport (either
using the skill, a charged item, or Leap/Leap Attack) over the "river" in his
chamber, thus bypassing the Council Mambers, and just concentrate on killing
Mephisto
What is a Casting Delay/Casting Timer?
--------------------------------------
It's the amount of time you must wait after casting a spell before you can </pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
cast either that spell again or any other spell with a timer. For example, if
you cast Hurricane, which has a 6-second timer, you must wait for 6 seconds
before you can cast any skills with a timer (Hurricane, Armageddon etc..),
but you can still spells that DON'T have a timer (Arctic Blast, Tornado
etc..).
What are Deadly Strike, Crushing Blow and Open Wounds?
------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Strike grants a chance to do double (physical) damage with an attack.
Of course, as it only affects physical damage it is useless if you're a pure
spellcaster. Crushing blow grants a chance to halve the enemies *remaining*
life, but doesn't work on unique, super-unique, or boss enemies. Open Wounds
does a sort of poison damage (I don't know what damage type it's classified
as though) by the following formula:
(Level*9+40)/256*25*4
Essentially it's damage is very low though, so you don't really need to bother
with it.
-----------------------
12. Miscellaneous info:
-----------------------
Just a few things you may or may not know that aren't mentioned in the manual
or readme file...
- The Secret Cow Level (no, this isn't a joke!). To get there, you first
need to complete the game in any difficulty level. Once you've done this,
start/join a game in the same difficulty level with the same character, and
go to Act 1. You need to get Wirt's Leg, which is found on Wirt's Body in
Tristram (towards the north-west if you didn't know/can't remember). Once you
have this, head to the Rogue Encampment and buy a Tome of Town Portal from
Akara. Now, using the Horadric Cube, transmute Wirt's Leg and the Tome (it
doesn't matter how many scrolls are in it), and if all has gone well, a red
portal to the cow level should appear! Good luck, you'll need it!
- Recommended character levels for certain points in the game (assuming
you aren't getting high-level players to "rush" you toAct 5/Hell). These will
vary from character to character, but not too greatly from the figures given...
Kill Andariel (normal) - ~Level 14
Kill Duriel (normal) - ~Level 22
Kill Mephisto (normal) - ~Level 25
Kill Diablo (normal) - ~Level 28
Kill Baal (normal) - ~Level 37
Leave normal difficulty - Level 40+
Leave nightmare difficulty - Level 55+
Kill Ancients and Baal (hell) - Level 80+
- If you're playing online, beware of scammers! Among the most used
scams are the "Drop your item and we'll trade, the trade window won't work
for me" scam (of course, once your items are dropped they use Telekinesis to
steal them...) and the granddaddy of them all, the "Message *_________ with
your account name and password, and win a prize from Blizzard!" scam.
Nowadays though there are a whole book-full of new scams out there,
unfortunately. Generally, if someone you don't know or trust asks you to do
something you're not sure about, don't do it. And of course, remember that
Blizzard will NEVER ask for your password...
- In single-player or Open Bnet games (NOT in closed Bnet!), typing
"Players x", where x is an integer from 1-8 sets the simulated number of
players in that game to x. For example, if you type, "Players 6", the game
will assume that 6 players are playing, and monster life, experience given
and item drops will scale accordingly. This won't work if you're on open bnet
and you set a value of x that is lower to the number of players in the game
(e.g. typing "players 2" in a 6-player Open Bnet game will do nothing, but
typing "players 7" will).
- All monsters in Hell difficulty have a basic 50% resistance to physical
attacks. Not nice for melee classes. In Hell, most monsters also have at
least one immunity (from Cold, Fire, Lightning, Physical, Magical). Immunity
means just that, for example using Cold attacks on a Cold Immune monster will
do it NO damage whatsoever. So don't bother trying.
- Gambling odds are as follows...
Chance to gamble a Magical item (blue text) - 90% (9 in 10)
Chance to gamble a Rare item (yellow text) - 9.989% (~1 in 10)
Chance to gamble a Set item (green text) - 0.01 (1 in 10,000)
Chance to gamble a Unique item (gold text) - 0.001 (1 in 100,000)
Your chance of gambling an Exceptional or Elite item are dependant on your
character level (the chance goes up as your level goes up). Gambling prices
for all items except Rings and Amulets increase as your character level
increases. Any Magic Find equipment you are wearing has NO effect on gambling
odds whatsoever.
- Your chance to be hit and your chance to hit enemies are both capped at 95%
(i.e. it cannot go higher than 95%). Chance to block (from shields) is capped
at 75%, as are Elemental resists. There are items available that raise the cap
on Elemental resists though, but they can never be higher than 95%. Physical
damage reduction (a special modifier found only on unique items) is capped at
75%.
- Life and Mana Leech is cut in half in Nightmare difficulty, and in half
again in Hell difficulty. Also, you cannot leech life or mana from
Skeleton-type enemies or inanimate objects (e.g. Lightning Spires and
Catapults).
- "Aura flshing" is an effective skill used by Paladins while fighting
monsters. Basically, you first activate an aura that affects nearby monsters
(Holy Freeze and Conviction are the best examples), then once the monsters
are under the effect of the aura you switch to an immediately activated aura
that affects the Paladin (Fanaticism is most widely used. As auras that affect
monsters stay active for a few seconds even once they've been switched off,
you can happily (for example) zeal away with the help of Fanaticism at
monsters who have been slowed by Holy Freeze! It's kinda hard to explain, but
I hope you understand... :)
- The socketing quest allows you to put a socket in any item that can have
sockets. The number of sockets you will get is determined as follows...
"Normal" (white) items - The most sockets possible in the item. Cannot go
above 6, and cannot go above 4 in normal difficulty.
Magical (blue) items - One or two sockets. There is a 50% chance of both.
Rare (yellow) items - One socket.
Set (green) items - One socket.
Unique (gold) items - One socket.
Sockets cannot be added to already socketed items. Throwing weapons cannot be
socketed, neither can more obviously unsocketablt items such as jewelry.
-------------------------------
13. Known Bugs: (D2:LoD v1.09):
-------------------------------
A few bugs I have encountered while playing D2...
- The "Double Damage Mastery" bug. Points in any weapon mastery (including
the Assassin's Claw Mastery) seem to have the effect of causing all your hits
to do double (physical) damage, with the actual bonus from the mastery added
on to this. Hence, even only one point in a mastery is a great investment,
unless Blizzard decide to fix the bug of course...
- The "Double Casting" bug. It is occasionally possible to cast some
spells with timers twice in quick succession by quickly clicking again after
the spell has been cast for the first time. I've had this happen with Frozen
Orb and Hydra before, but am led to believe that it is possible to pull off
with most spells. Any more info would be appreciated.
- Bugged items. Closed bnet is full of bugged items, displaying modifiers
ranging from the undesirable -32 Strength to the wonderfully strange +17 to
Necromancer Skills. Keep a look out, but beware - some of the modifiers on
these items don't work as advertised, and there's no guarantee that they won't
screw your character up or be deleted in the future.
- Bugs with "Players x". Try experimenting with high values of "Players x"
It seems that the game will set the simulated number of players to 64 if a
number greater than 64 is entered, and that values of x between 9 and 63 also
set the simulated number of players to x, despite the fact that it should only
work for x values up to 8. Hey, if you want a challenge, you know what to
do...
- The "Rogue Mercenary +skills" bug. If you equip a Rogue Mercenary
with items totalling +3 to all skills (no more, no less, +Amazon skills will
do, but +specific Amazon skill tree skills will not), then the mercenary gains
a new attack - a lightning hose type of attack. It's weird - but quite
powerful.
- Disappearing character/NPCs. I've had my character become invisible
before, along with some of the NPCs (this was in Act III). I'm not sure if
this is a game issue or an issue with my graphics card screwing up (I'm sure
it wasn't a lag issue, so don't e-mail me suggesting that), but I thought I'd
let you all know anyway in case you've had something similar happen to you.
----------------------
14. Short Walkthrough:
----------------------
***This section will contain SPOILERS, obviously, so read on at your peril!***
-----------
14.1 Act I:
-----------
Quest 1 - Den of Evil
---------------------
You get this quest by talking to Akara in the Rogue Encampment. To find the
Den, head out into the Blood Moor and follow the path. At some point it should
split in two - one of these paths leads to the Den and the other leads to the
Cold Plains (if you end up in the Cold Plains just backtrack). Once in the Den
proceed through it carefully - making sure you kill all the monsters you meet.
Once you have only a few monsters left to kill a prompt will appear in your
Quest Log telling you how many monsters are left (it counts down from 5). Once
you're done, light will shine into the Den as an indicator of your triumph.
Now go back to the Rogue Encampoment and talk to Akara to get a free skill
point and complete the quest.
Quest 2 - Sister's Burial Grounds
---------------------------------
Now go and talk to Kashya, who gives you this quest. Now you need to go back
to the Cold Plains and find an exit out of there that leads to the Cemetery.
There are two exits from the Cold Plains, one leads to the Cemetery and the
other leads to the Stony Field, so if you end up there then go back. Once in
the Cemetery you'll find Blood Raven in the centre of the area - you can
either charge staright at her or kill the surrounding enemies first - the
latter method makes life easier for you but takes longer. Once you've killed
Blood Raven, go back to the Rogue Encampment and talk to Kashya who will give
you a free Rogue Mercenary as a reward.
Quest 3 - Rescue Cain
---------------------
Talk to Akara again and she will give you this quest. First you need to go to
the Stony Field, and from there find an exit to the Underground Passage. The
exit from the Underground Tunnel to the Dark Woods is on the first floor of
the Passage, but you can visit the second floor if you want some treasure
(there is a gold treasure chest there). Once in the Dark Woods you need to
find the Tree of Inifuss. Activating the Tree will cause the Scroll of
Inifuss to drop, which you need to take to Akara. She will translate the
Scroll, and now you must go back to the Stony Field and find the Cairn Stones
if you haven't done so already. Now look at the scroll carefully, and activate
the Cairn Stones in the same order that they were activated on the scroll to
open up the portal to Tristram. Deckard Cain is found towards the centre of
this area, so you have the choice of clearing the area (Griswold the
blacksmith from D1 makes an appearance here), or just rushing in, saving Cain
and rushing back out again. Select Cain's cage to free him and he will
automatically transport himself back to the Rogue Encampment. Now follow him
back and talk to him - as a reward he will identify items for you at no cost.
Then talk to Akara who gives you a magical/rare ring (depending on difficulty
level) as another reward.
Quest 4 - The Forgotten Tower
-----------------------------
Go back to the Stony Field and find the Moldy Tome if you haven't done so
already. Click on it to activate this quest. Now find the Forgotten Tower,
which is located in the Black Marsh, an area next to the Dark Woods. The
"Tower" (strange seeing as it is underground..) has 5 floors, with lots of
treasure on the bottom floor. Killing the Countess on the fifth floor opens
her treasure chest which is full of goodies and completes this quest.
Quest 5 - Tools of the Trade:
-----------------------------
Go back to the Rogue Encampment and talk to Charsi to activate this quest. Now
proceed to the Black Marsh to the Monastery, then to the Barracks. The Horadric
Malus which Charsi asked you to retrieve is here, in a small room which is
guarded by the Smith, who is quite powerful. You can either take him on or just
swipe the hammer and run - it's up to you. Return to the Rogue Encampment and
return the Horadric Malus to Charsi and she will give you an "imbue" -
essentially the ability to turn a normal item into a rare item with random
enchantments.
Quest 6 - Sisters to the Slaughter
----------------------------------
Talking to Deckard Cain now will start this quest up - the final quest of Act
I. From the barracks you should be able to find stairs that lead to the Jail,
which has a few levels and leads to the Inner Cloister. From there proceed to
the Cathedral, then to the Catacombs. There are four levels of the Catacombs,
and once you reache the fourth level you'll be in Andariel's chamber. Kill all
the monsters you can see around you - then go hunting for Andariel - she's
hard enough to take on without other monsters hassling you. Andariel is in the
third room of the area, to the north of your starting point. Once you defeat
her you can return to the Rogue Encampment (a town portal automatically opens)
and talk to Warriv, who will take you with him on his caravan to Act II!
------------
14.2 Act II:
------------
Quest 1 - Radament's Lair
-------------------------
Upon arriving in Lut Gholein, talk to Warriv, then Jerhyn, then Atma, who will
give you this quest. To get into the sewers, look for entrances in either the
north or the south end of town - there are two ways in. Proceed through the
sewers and after scouting the third level for a while you should come across
Radament, surrounded by a lot of undead minions, which he can resurrect, so be
careful. Once you've defeated Radament, you will get both a Book of Skills
(free skill point) and a Horadric Scroll (don't forget to pick it up, you need
it to activate the next quest!). Talk to Atma again once you're done and
you'll get another reward of cheaper vendor prices in town.
Quest 2 - The Horadric Staff
----------------------------
When you give the Horadric Scroll to Deckard Cain you will activate this quest
which spans most od Act 2. You will also be completing several other quests at
the same time as this one, so you'll just have to try and keep track. Anyway,
you need to obtain the Horadric Staff, which is a rather more long-winded
process than you might expect. Firstly, you need to find the Horadric Cube
(not in nightmare or Hell difficulty, as you'll most likely already have it..)
which is found in the Halls of the Dead, underneath the Dry Hills. The Cube is
on the bottom (third) floor. Next you need to find the Staff of Kings, which
is located on the third floor of the Maggot Lair - under the Far Oasis and
guarded by a huge Sand Maggot - "Coldworm the Burrower". Then finally you need
the Viper Amulet, which you can get from the second level of the Claw Viper
Temple, which is in an area beside the Lost City. Now you put both the Staff
and the Amulet in the Cube and click "Transmute", and lo and behold you should
have the Horadric Staff! Now go and talk to Deckard Cain, and he'll tell you
what you need to do with the Staff - which is taken up in Quest 6...
Quest 3 - Tainted Sun
---------------------
Shortly after entering the Lost City, everything gets dark. What the Hell is
going on? Go talk to Drognan, who will explain. You need to find the Claw
Viper Temple, located in the Valley of Snakes, a small area beside the Lost
City. Once you've made your way through to the second floor of the temple,
activate the altar, but be careful of Fangskin, the super-unique who resides
down there. Once the altar is activated, you can go back to town and talk to
Drognana again to finish the quest.
Quest 4 - Arcane Sanctuary
--------------------------
Once you have the Horadric Staff from Quest 2, go and talk to Jerhyn. He'll
now allow you into his Palace. Proceed through the Palace, then the Palace
Cellar, and on the third floor of the Palace Cellar, in the centre of the
area, is a Portal. Click on it, then enter it and you'll be in the Arcane
Sanctuary. And... well, that's it.
Quest 5 - The Summoner
----------------------
From the Arcane Sanctuary, leave via the waypoint by the entrance and go talk
to Deckard Cain, who will tell you about the Summoner. Now return to the
Arcane Sanctuary and explore (there are 4 distinct "paths" to follow) the
area. At the end of one of these paths should be The Summoner, surrounded by
other monsters. Kill him (he has powerful spells but very little life), and
read Horazon's Journal once you have done so. Returning to town and talking
to any of the townsfolk after this completes the quest and allows you to
proceed with Quest 6!
Quest 6 - The Seven Tombs
-------------------------
In the Canyon of the Magi (a portal to there opens up once you've killed The
Summoner) there are seven tombs, each with a small symbol displayed outside
them. If you check your Quest Log the symbol of the tomb you need to enter
is displayed there, so go into it and proceed. After some exploration (the
true tomb has only one floor, but it is quite large) you should see an
orifice. Click on it and choose to put the Horadric Staff into it to open up
an entrance to Tal Rasha's Tomb. There you will meet Duriel, a lesser (!) evil
who you will have to defeat. Once he is defeated go through the doorway that
opens up to the top-left and talk to Tyrael, who will tell you Diablo and Baal
have escaped and wuill open up a Town Portal for you. Go back to town and talk
to Jerhyn, then talk to Meshif and you'll be able to leave for Act III!
-------------
14.3 Act III:
-------------
Quest 1 - The Golden Bird
-------------------------
Talk to whoever you want in town - you can't get any quests at the momnet.
Now, proceed out of town and into the Spider Forest. As you proceed keep a
look out for any unique monsters (the ones with unique names). The first one
you kill *should* drop a "Jade Figurine" (note: it may not be the first
unique you kill, if not just keep going - a unique monster will drop it
eventually). Once you've picked this up go back to town and talk to Cain. He
says that Meshif may be interested in the Figurine, so go and talk to him.
He will take the Figurine and give you the "Golden Bird" in return. Talk to
Cain again and he will tell you of the valuse ot this relic, then give the
Golden Bird to Alkor and talk to him again to get a "Potion of Life" as a
quest reward. The Potion increases your maximum life by 20 permanently.
Quest 2 - Blade of the Old Religion
-----------------------------------
Once Quest 1 is completed, talk to Ormus, who will give you this quest to find
the Gidbinn, a blade with magical powers that can help keep the town
protected. Find the Flayer Jungle, and in this area there should be a small
village-like place heavily populated with flayers. Here you will find a small
statue-like thing that you can select. Select it and a unique flayer should
appear nearby - kill him and he will drop the Gidbinn. Now you can return it
to Ormus, who will give you a rare ring as a reward.
Quest 3 - Khalim's Will
-----------------------
This quest spans the whole of Act III in a similar way to Quest 2 in Act II.
Once you have completed Quest 1, talk to Cain, who will start this quest off
for you. You must find four artifacts which can be transmuted in the Horadric
Cube to make Khalim's Will, a magical flail that will allow you to access the
Durance of Hate later on. The first item, Khalim's Eye, is in a gold treasure
chest in the Spider Cavern (NOT the Arachnid Lair), a cave area in the Spider
Forest. Khalim's Heart is in a gold chest at the bottom (third level) of the
Flayer Dungeon, which is located in the Flayer Jungle. Khalim's Brain (this is
getting pretty gruesome, don't you think?) is in another gold chest at the
bottom (level two) of the Sewers which can be accessed through both Upper and
Lower Kurast. Finally (phew!) Khalim's Flail is in the hands of one of the
members of the High Council in Travincal - you need to kill him to get it.
Now you have all the "ingredients", place them all in the Horadric Cube and
hit "Transmute" to get Khalim's Will. Now go to the Compelling Orb (near where
you fought the Council Members) and smash it with Khalim's Will to open up the
entrance to Mephisto's Durance of Hate. Talk to Cain again to complete the
quest.
Quest 4 - Lam Esen's Tome
-------------------------
After you've completed quest 2, talk to Alkor and you will receive this quest.
You will always find Lam Esen's Tome in the Ruined Temple in the Kurast
Bazaar, despite what the Quest Log says. Be careful, it's probable that as
soon as you enter the Ruined Temple you'll be set upon by monsters. Once you
have the book, give it to Alkor and he will give you 5 free stat points as a
reward. Yay!
Quest 5 - The Blackened Temple
------------------------------
Upon completing Quest 4, if you talk to Ormus he will give you this quest to
kill the High Council, who reside in Travincal. Killing them and gaining
access to the Durance of Hate (see Quest 3), then talking to Deckard Cain
completes this quest. Simple stuff, the Council Members can be hard to defeat
though - especially on Hell difficulty.
Quest 6 - The Guardian
----------------------
Once you enter the Durance of Hate this quest will automatically be triggered.
Mephisto lies in wait on the third level of the Durance of Hate, which is also
occupied by 3 more Council Members who can be just as dangerous as Mephisto,
if not more so. Once Mephisto is killed he will drop his Soulstone, which you
should pick up (you'll need it later), and a passage to the Portal in the
middle of the area will be raised, so go through it to enter Act IV!
------------
14.4 Act IV:
------------
Quest 1 - The Fallen Angel
--------------------------
Upon entering Act IV, talk to Tyrael who will give you this quest to find
Izual in the Plains of Despair. The Plains of Despair is an area next to the
Outer Steppes - the area directly outside town. Go there and wander around
until you are near Izual (your Quest Log will be updated saying you have to
kill him, as he has been possessed). Kill Izual, then talk to his spirit and
then talk to Tyrael again to finish the quest and get 2 free skill points as a
very nice reward.
Quest 2 - The Hellforge
-----------------------
Talk to Deckard Cain after entering Act IV to get this quest - to smash
Mephisto's Soulstone (note that if you didn't pick up Mephisto's Soulstone
earlier Cain will give you one now..). From the Plains of Despair, you need to
go to the City of the Damned, then down to the River of Flame, where the
Hellforge is situated. You'll know you're near it when a big, fast,
hard-hitting bad guy Hephasto the Armorer appears. You need to kill him to get
the Hellforge Hammer, which you then use on the Hellforge (it will be nearby).
Mephisto's Soulstone will shatter into lots of high-quality gems. Talk to Cain
again to end the quest.
Quest 3 - Terror's End
----------------------
Once Quest 2 has been completed, talk to Tyrael, who will say it is time you
took on Diablo. Now from the River of Flame head up into the Chaos Sanctuary.
This area is annoying, but work your way through and you will soon come to a
pentagram. From here there are three paths, and a total of 5 seals you must
activate before Diablo appears. Three of the seals will release super-unique
enemies and their minions to battle you - so be prepared. Once all 5 seals
are lifted, and all the seal-spawned enemies are defeated, Diablo will
appear. Once you defeat him, loot him for any worthwhile items and then
return to town and talk to Tyrael again to complete this quest and open up a
portal to Act V!
-----------
14.5 Act V:
-----------
Quest 1 - Stop the Siege
------------------------
Talk to any of the townsfolk, then go and talk to Larzuk, who will tell you
that the town is under siege and give you this quest to stop it by killing
Shenk the Overseer, who resides at the top of the Bloody Foothills. Proceed
through the area (it is very large, so don't be out off) until you meet Shenk,
who will be surrounded by minions. Kill him and return to Larzuk and as a
reward he will socket an item of your choice (see section 12 for more info on
the socketing quest), and the quest will be complete.
Quest 2 - Rescue on Mt. Arreat
------------------------------
When you have completed Quest 1, talk to Qual-Kehk who will give you this
quest to rescue his men in the Frigid Highlands. This area is next to the
Bloody Foothills, so you should have no trouble finding it. Explore the area
and soon you will come across a cage-like structire with some Barbarians
locked inside. There are three of these cages in all - and you need to open
the doors on all three to free all fifteen of the Barbarians. Then you can go
back to Quahl-Kehk, who will give you "Ral" "Ort" and "Tal" runes, and will
now allow you to hire Barbarian mercenaries from him.
Quest 3 - Prison of Ice
-----------------------
Once Quest 2 is done with, go to town and talk to Malah. She gives you this
quest to find Anya, who has been missing for some time. From the Frigid
Highlands you need to travel to the Crystalline Passage, then to the Frozen
River. Explore this area and after defeating a super-unique enemy wittily
named "Frozenstein", you should see Anya. Talk to her, then use a Town
Portal and talk to Malah, who will give you the Potion of Thawing needed to
free Anya, then go and talk to Anya again to free her. Now go back to town
again and talk first to Malah, who gives you a scroll of resistance, and then
to Anya, who gives you a rare class-specific item.
Quest 4 - Betrayal of Harrogath
-------------------------------
Talking to Anya at the end of Quest 3 also starts up this quest. Anya will
open up a portal to Nihlathak's Temple, which you should go through when
ready. From Nihlathak's Temple (be careful in this area - enemies will rise
and surround you at one point) proceed through the Halls of Anguish and the
Halls of Pain to the Halls of Vaught. At one of the 4 corners of this + shaped
room you will find Nihlathak, surrounded by minions. He is a dangerous enemy,
so approach him with care - although he has low life, so should be disposed
of quite quickly if you can stay alive. Once he is dead, return to Anya who
will offer to personalize an item for you as a quest reward (pretty crappy
really...).
Quest 5 - Rite of Passage
-------------------------
After completing Quest 4 talk to Qual-Kehk who will tell you about the
Ancients on the Arreat Summit, and that you must defeat them in order to
gain access to the Worldstone Keep where Baal awaits. From the Crystalline
Passage, which you should have the waypoint for, you need to proceed through
to the Glacial Trail, then to the Frozen Tundra, then the Ancient's Way, and
finally up to the Arreat Summit, where you will find the Ancients, in the
form of statues. Activate the Altar in the middle of the Ancients and they
will speak with you, then attack. Note that if you use a Town Portal during
the fight, the Ancients will revert to statue form and you will have to start
battling them all over again. Once they are defeated you get a huge experience
point bonus as a quest reward, and you gain access to the Worldstone Keep.
Quest 6 - Eve of Destruction
----------------------------
Now proceed into the Worlstone Keep. There are 3 levels to it, and on the
third level will be an exit to the Throne of Destruction. Towards the top-left
of this area you will see Baal, but you cannot fight him yet. Instead he sends
some monsters to fight you. There are 5 waves in all - increasing in
difficulty, and after one set is killed the next will be sent. All the waves
consist of one super-unique enemy, and the last one, Lister the Tormentor, can
be very awkward to deal with. Once all Baal's minions have been destroyed you
will see him disappear through a Portal behind his Throne. Make any last
preparations before going through the Portal - Baal lies in wait for you. Once
you have defeated him you can sit back and relax - you've completed Diablo II!
Go through the Portal that appears and enjoy the ending cinematic.
------------
15. Credits:
------------
Huge thanks go out to the following (in no particular order of importance or
anything...)
Sean Evetts - For proof-reading the guide and helping with several of the
stat and skill plans, and for being a great friend and a quality D2 player.
Top bloke!
Dallas Scott and AstroBlue - For their great FAQ writing guide. Go see it at
www.dallasmac.com/faqwarp/ - it's a must for any prospective FAQ writers who
want to know how to get started.
All the good guys from the D2 boards at GFAQs, HoG, RPGD and other assorted
places. - You know who you are, or you should anyway!
CJayC (GameFAQs webmaster - www.gamefaqs.com) - For making probably the best
game resource site out there and for putting this guide up.
Entity (Neoseeker webmaster - www.neoseeker.com) - For also putting this
guide up.
The good people who I've played with on Bnet - Again, you know who you are
(if you have a half-decent memory, that is...), thanks for the fun times
and fond memories...
GFrazier (Arreat Summit webmaster - www.battle.net/diablo2exp) - For a lot
of the skill info and making a good D2 site.
Blizzard - I may have sent them a few angry ranting e-mails in the past,
but I have to admit that they do make great games.
Iyedol - For a suggestion regarding Barbarian skill point allocation.
Clash (
[email protected]) - For telling me that the Act 3 Iron Wolves use
Frozen Armour, for spotting an error in the Paladin skills section
(Sanctuary), as well as for some more general advice about the guide and
encouragement.
Slyce - For correcting a silly typo I made in the Paladin skills section
(Zeal).
Toasty Goat - For spotting an error in the Werewolf/Summoner Druid section
(Feral Rage).
------------------------------------
16. Copyright and random info again:
------------------------------------
This work is Copyright © 2001/2002 Chris Brennan
(
[email protected]). It is for personal use only, and may not be
reproduced without the author's permission, and if for some warped reason
you do want to put this on your site, you must e-mail me first and get my
permission! And everyone, plagiarism is baaaaad, so don't do it or nasty
things will happen...
The following sites have permission to use this FAQ:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
Contact me via e-mail (
[email protected]) or AIM (Darksyde XVIII) if
you have any questions/suggestions/comments.
_,.~'End of Document'~.,_
