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Siyko: 2005-07-20 04:02:25 pm
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
new topic!

I'm doing bad!

Current time is 60 minutes, after arcane sanct, level 15. A shoddy 15 minutes slower than Marsh's. Right now I'm less concerned with beating him, and more concerned with getting this run completed and online so we can work to improve it.

So post here and give fuel to the fire that is Sorceress fandom!
Thread title:  
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
Don't worry about your time right now ^_^.  Like you said, just get it done and post it online. You're level 15? Alright, well, what is your current skill layout?
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
10 CB, 1 static, 4 lightning. I have a +2 CB staff and a +1 frozen armor on switch.

What I guess the best thing to do now, is to hit level 18 and then take duriel. I figure the best way to do this is

-run 2 arcane sections
-dance around canyon of magi a bit
-and enter the tomb at about 17 3/4

Gonna try this now.
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
I'd say run 1 more arcane, and then dance around in Magi to make up for the missed arcane. Since I really hate the arcane, and it's probably harder to kill using Charged Bolt in there than using it in the Canyon of magi, unless I'm wrong, since I never played a Lightning Sorc.
Edit history:
Siyko: 2005-07-15 03:35:08 am
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Canyon really isn't working as well as I had hoped - Lightning is really clearing arcane a lot better.

What is hurting me the most is the fact that my merc is still level 13. He wasn't dead most of the act, he just gained a shoddy amount of experience. He is also getting OHKO'd by duriel, I need to buy him some spiffy new armor.

I'm just gonna try to figure out the fastest way to level, and save after that. That'd make 6 sessions for act 2 - ugly but workable.

That's all for tonight.  
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
If you have the cash, could you just kill him off and check the merc seller to see if you can get some higher level ones? And give them your current mercs gear? 6 sessions for Act 2? Jeez... but I suppose it's necessary since this is the time when you have to level the most.
What did you expect of your merc against Duriel?
Stupor is as Stupor Does
What appears to be the major problem that is slowing you down?  Is it killing speed, running out of mana, leveling too slow, or something else? 

Oh, I also thought of a way you could still use the poison damage to prevent healing by having your merc cause poison damage.  And a quick note about merc leveling, mercs level best in areas where the monsters are of the same level (just like the character only it is much more visible).  If you are going to level your merc, you may have to go back and do so at the beginning of the Act, or you could just buy a new one with a higher level as already stated.

StuporMan
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
AFIAK the highest ones you can purchase in act 2 are level 13. And they just dont level fast enough to justify going out of the way at ALL to level him. I'll just slap some splint mail or something on him

Some observations:


-a +static field staff, or more points in static field, is almost a neccesity. Bosses attack based on distance from them, and if you are within static field, you are as close as the merc, and the boss will always attack you before the merc in this situation.

-the hardest part of leveling in act 2 is sadly finding the guys to kill! I can clear a section of arcane in like 4 minutes, and thats almost a full level, but out in teh wild if I come across a pack of champs, or a boss/minion group, it's like half a level in less than 30 seconds. I think i'm gonna check on all the hotspots for them, and go level.

-Leveling in act 2 is difficult, and 16-18 would probably be easier in act 3. The problem is, you need to go so far out of town before you can access teh hgih level guys. I think hitting 17 in a2 and getting 18 in a3 would be best. Theory right now, I still need to test.

-Leveling lightning seems to be goign well. CB would definetly be better to level for act 2, but I know lightning will help me more in a4 and 5, so I'm stickign with lit.

-Visits to town are a real timesink in act 2 - I need to make lots of money early and hang on to it, so I can fill my whole inv with potions without loss.

I'll get this shoddy run finished over the weekend, and upload it before I start working on a really good run.
Stupor is as Stupor Does
One thing that might help with bosses targeting you and not your merc is a trick with teleport.  When you teleport, your merc travels with you (in the same map hex). Most of the time you can take 1 step away from the boss enemy, and the boss enemy will attack the merc and not you. You still should be in static range if you manage to do it correctly. 

StuporMan
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
That works well for getting teh a3 mercs to take a few hits, but the a2 ones are agressive enough to get in close. And AFIAK, they won't look at how specifically close you and the merc are to decide who to hit, but rather just that both are in melee range, so hit the sorc. Not positive of this though. Anyone know?

The biggest obstacle to get over it seems is the key levels between 15 and 18. With luck, each level can be gotten in a solid 5-6 minutes, but that seems to be just too slow. I think I will lose my latest segment (which is just arcane sanct and the summoner), and do that and the leveling in one segment. Less trips to town, and I can safely clear 2 sections of arcane (the ones with thousands of staircases will be skipped)

Ach, why didn't I see it before, I know what i'll do!!

The Palace is a great place to level! I'm gonna load the save right after I finish viper temple, and then in one run, clear the crap out of palace, clear teh 2 arcanes, summoner, and enough of canyon to get to a comfortable position. That way I won't have to go out of the way to level, which is costly.
Stupor is as Stupor Does
Good call on running the palace!  That reminds me, I find that I can level my Act 2 merc better by going back and running the Catacombs again (minus Andy).  This also still gives my char good experience at that point as well. You also might consider at this point going back and running the Den of Evil (if you haven't already).  At this point CB will clear it quickly and the skill point will come in handy.  I know this probably doesn't help in this run, but it can be experimented with to see if it produces a good result.

AFAIK, the AI picks targets based on distance and threat level. Threat level is generally determined by the amount of damage caused per attack. Thus, at the same distance if the player character and the merc are attacking then the monster will choose the player.  However, should the player not attack, the monster will choose the merc.  Once the monster has chosen a target, they will continue to attack the same target until it gets interrupted in some way.  Generally this interruption is caused by the monster running into an obstacle, being stunned, or entering the blocking animation.  Note, this is based on my observations and is by no means autoritative.  Also, ranged monsters behave slightly differently, they seem (to me) to be able to switch targets more rapidly.

StuporMan
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Interesting about target picking. I'll be sure to look into it.

And goign back to clear den of evil seems way out of the question to me. It'd take a couple minutes to clear it all out, and the one skill point wouldn't really impact much. The onyl difference a couple skill points end up making are maybe requiring one or two more casts in a couple battles. I've noted a lot of optimization in my run thus far though:

-Gear: more fast cast rate - this thing is godly
-A point into warmth? Trips to town for mana and regen time both hurt
-Staves can really really help. One with +3 CB, +1 warmth on mainhand, and any combination of + static, + armor, + teleport on any number of staves would add an incredible advantage. Maybe I should just donate skill points over to those skills.

In fact, now that I think about it, lightning's main purpouse is act 4 and 5, and if I'm killing izzy (negligible amount of time), thats 2 free skill points! I'm already pumping up lightning every level from 12 on (need a teleport staff), so izzy's 2 can't go into lit, and everything else neccesary is taken care of by staves, so I can pump either cb or static up 2 more. I have no clue which would be better...

The 2 could do into CB, which from level 12 on, would only really affect hitting single targets, which is such a minority of the time. Synergy for lit though.

They cold go into static, which would increase the range. It woudl also help only boss runs, and wouldn't make it faster, only safer, which isn't an issue if i devote a portion to the diffcult bosses. (duriel, diablo, baal)

They could go into anything negleting the need for a staff, which is a waste

They could go into chain lightning, which doesn't really have a use where it would be better than cb or lit

They could go into warmth that would save some potions

Maybe frost nova for crowd control? Any thoughts?
Edit history:
Coriolanus: 2005-07-17 08:46:22 pm
What I am interested in is when the socrerous hits level 18 with teleport:

1) there are decisions that have to be made regarding how fast to do act three while still getting 2 more levels

2) mana management, potion manangement

3) the chaos sanctuary battles, with enough cojones you really only have to touch the 5 seals & kill the three mini-bosses then all the other monsters die and you are One on One with the Great One. Teleport can make bypassing monsters easy.

4) Act 5: how fast can you race through it?

5) The throne room battle: do you have the stopping power to simply kill th minions or do they have to be drawn out?

Those questions have yet to be answered.
Stupor is as Stupor Does
I would recommend one point in warmth. As you say, town runs are time intensive. Keeping from going to town for even a little longer helps.  After one point in warmth, however, there is not much benefit.  The other point I would put into CB.  It will boost the damage of your main killing skill (lightning), will assist against the Act Bosses (if static will not get them all the way slivered), and will serve as a good mana-efficient attack spell when you run out of potions (will keep you out of town longer).

Also, if you happen to get extrordinarily lucky and get the unique sash it has mana regen on it already.  Also look for +1 to mana per kill modifiers.  It may not seem like much, but these really add up to keep you out of town longer. Also do not neglect looking at Sorceress orbs. They can have the same +skills as staves and fit in one hand.  A small shield can add some great modifiers at a small cost to run speed, which you don't care about because you teleport around.

StuporMan
Edit history:
Siyko: 2005-07-15 07:18:42 pm
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Quote:
1) there are decisions that have to be made regarding how fast to do act three while still getting 2 more levels

2) mana management, potion manangement

3) the chaos sanctuary balltles, with enough cojones you really only have to touch the 5 seals & kill the three mini-bosses then all the other monsters die and you are One on One with the Great One. Teleport can make bypassing monsters easy.

4) Act 5: how fast can you race through it?

5) The throne room battle: do you have the stopping power to simply kill th minions or do they have to be drawn out?

Those questions have yet to be answered.


Yeah, all rough questions.

1) I think it won't be too big of an issue, with all the distance I'm travelling over, I can level almost exclusively on GIANT packs of flayers (lightning gg) and champ/bossminion packs, with no random fights getting in the way. Practice will help here, but I think this combined with the experience I get in act 4 and the chaos sanctuary will be plenty.

2) make money early, so I don't have to hold inv space for high-priced armor etc. There's more of course, but I think a point in warmth will end up helping more than I thought.

3) That's a lot of cojones... I haven't fought the sanct in a while, but its really 3 sections
- Lord de Seis and his bunch of rangers/fighters: Teleport can avoid getting hit, and a few well placed lightnings should take down lord. Then I can just leave.
- The stupid mana draining ghosts. Same strategy I guess, except easier.
- The demons - I can't recall if only the boss has ridiculous speed, or everyone else? If only him, it should be easy to bring him to the center and take him apart. Easy speaking relatively of course... if everyone else is fast... I know they have like a 1 second attack startup, so tele + cb should be able to give a long battle... main issue is getting too far away and ending up with all the random monsters that I skip.

4) damn fast up to ancients, if that's what you're asking. Assumption all the way, but all those years of 'i tele baal 008' might help out Grin  Sad

5) Probably going to have to draw the last 2 or 3 groups out. The first two should be CB fodder and a couple lits for the boss, but after that they start really moving around and causign trouble.

Yeah, this is all theory talk, and it's going to be hard to bring it into a game, but I'll try my best.

(edit: I don't mean to seem like a know-it-all who answers all the questions brought up - this is a learning experience for myself, as it is for everyone it seems)
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Quote:
I would recommend one point in warmth. As you say, town runs are time intensive. Keeping from going to town for even a little longer helps.  After one point in warmth, however, there is not much benefit.  The other point I would put into CB.  It will boost the damage of your main killing skill (lightning), will assist against the Act Bosses (if static will not get them all the way slivered), and will serve as a good mana-efficient attack spell when you run out of potions (will keep you out of town longer).

Also, if you happen to get extrordinarily lucky and get the unique sash it has mana regen on it already.  Also look for +1 to mana per kill modifiers.  It may not seem like much, but these really add up to keep you out of town longer. Also do not neglect looking at Sorceress orbs. They can have the same +skills as staves and fit in one hand.  A small shield can add some great modifiers at a small cost to run speed, which you don't care about because you teleport around.

StuporMan


1) Actually, lightning is a lot more mana efficient than CB. IIRC, Where I am at in act 2, CB is like 9 mana, and lit is 8. Plus it takes as much time to cast lit once as cb 3-4x. They both definetly have their uses though.

2) The problem with improved equipment is that unless you hit astronomical odds of finding exactly what you wnat, there's always room for improvement which lies entirely on chance and not on part of the player.  The mods that seem most valuable though are, in a half-assed order:

Faster run/walk
Faster cast
+mana after kill
Faster hit recovery
Lightning resist (over 20 before it gets useful)
damage taken goes to mana

I found a nice 7% FWR GC at one point, and the difference was really noticable.

Also, something I had forgotten about, is the compactness of act 1. If I waypoint in, and don't need potions, and can waypoint out, act 1 is almost always the best place to go (if I'm in act 2 or 3). This goes for repairs, id/selling, stam potion, merc ressing, and even saving at the end of a segment.

Also a tip that I've been using that I just noticed marsh didn't use:

Marsh runs from black marsh through tamoe highland, past the pit, to the outer cloister, gets the waypoint, then runs back to the pit. It's much faster to drop a TP as you run by the pit, get the WP, and take the TP from town right to the pit, and then just tp out when you're done and you have the outer cloister waypoint. This comes in handy in the first 3 acts.
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
Yes, putting points in Warmth is almost essential IMO. The mana regen is too much to pass up, and unless you need to pump up the power of your spells (( with synergies )) and you already have staffs to take care of all the other things like static and teleport, I'd put them into warmth. -shrugs-
Stupor is as Stupor Does
1) Wow, it has been a while since I played a sorc, I had forgotten that.

2) Yes, I realize if you are waiting for the perfect equipment you will be waiting forever.  I was just listing the mods to keep an eye out for that are often ignored or that I hadn't noticed you talking about.  + mana after kill especially, you get this on 2 - 3 items and you are almost making enough back with regen and kills to cast indefinitely. Were I doing the running I would place this higher than FRW. Fortunately these mods tend to appear on different types of equipment.

You might also want to look at the Caster type crafted items found at http://www.diabloii.net/items/crafted/recipes-caster.shtml.

A lot of these are fairly easy to find items and the +mana and + mana regen would definitly be useful.  You might even get lucky and get some good random mods on them. I wouldn't go out of my way looking for the ingredients though.

StuporMan
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
I was going to say, caster-crafted gear would be awesome, providing you find it along the way. 
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Crafted gear would be nice, but what are my odds of finding a perfect gem (caster is amythest?) anytime before hellforge, which I won't do? It'd be nice, but probably more valuable if I were doing a normal-> hell run (hmmmmmmmmmmm Grin Grin ;D)

It is something nice to keep an eye open for, especially the armor.
Stupor is as Stupor Does
Yes, I was thinking that the belt would be perfect. All very easy to acquire items and you get mana regen, +mana, AND FCR!  The hardest things would be the Perfect Amethyst, unless you got very unlucky in not finding an ITH rune.
Currently needing ideas on games to speedrun
Quote:
Crafted gear would be nice, but what are my odds of finding a perfect gem (caster is amythest?) anytime before hellforge, which I won't do? It'd be nice, but probably more valuable if I were doing a normal-> hell run (hmmmmmmmmmmm Grin Grin ;D)

It is something nice to keep an eye open for, especially the armor.

Haha! (( I also started thinking about a normal-> hell run and a normal Hardcore run @_@ ))
Yea, you might be able to pick up a perfect ameth in Hellforge, which the belt would still help immensly, but...are you even doing Hellforge?
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
OY SHITS!

i just had a great run, through palace, arcane, hitting 2 exp shrines, finding a nice unique ring mail that gives huge resists for the merc, ended at level 17 in great time... and fraps wasn't open!!

afk suicide
I used to be athiest until I realized I was God.
Ok, I killed duriel, then went in act 3 to do some leveling, which I later regarded as a mistake. But I got khalim's brain on the way, so my time loss is minimal. Gonna have a whole checklist of mistakes for this.

Current time is 78 minutes, level 18, act 3. I think this run might beat marsh's, but if it doesn't, I know I can polish it enough later on.

The CV temple -> palace -> 2 arcane sections leveled me a whole lot, and I think this run will end up good.