Diablo2 - builds?

[Logic Bomb]

Just curious exactly what the seasoned vets here consider to be the "best" build(s) in the game? I stopped playing for a few years and am getting back into it but I'm having a hell of a time finding a build that's powerful enough to do any real damage in hell. Sorc's i've played to death so any suggestions other than a sorc i'de love to hear. Anyone? Hudson you would surely know some good builds...?

- LB

[Maximum]

Aye, im in the same situation as you Logic Bomb, ive been playing multiple builds, but am having a hard time finding something that just lasts. Last I tried that worked pretty good for me was a shapeshifting druid with fury and oak sage, but it still doesnt always cut it into hell. Ive also heard spirit of barbs works good too. It also seems 1.11v is hell of alot harder since I last played 1.9v and before.

[Wamplet]

I am currently doing the Immortal King Magic Find Barbarian build. I must say I am not all impressed with the Barbarian's ability (or lack thereof) to do damage.

Also, working on the Poison Dagger/Explosion Necromancer. That Necromancer build is awesome.

I got mine from http://strategy.diabloii.net

I just started playing the past month after i got the expansion pack. The barbarian is up to 77 and the necromancer is around 45 I think.

[Night Hacker]

Two of the best builds, (two I have yet to complete) are the Amazon with spear, and the Paladin (Hammerdin). I've seen amazons clean up everytime I see one fighting. Paladins do very well also.

I have done fairly nicely with my Wind Druid. With my new Wind Druid (now level 77 and in hell) I went 100% with wind, I am wishing I had put more skills into my Grizzly like I did last season, but he does fairly well. One thing no enemy is immune to and that is wind like Tornados that the druid can throw. Even the Hammerdin (Paladin with magic hammers) can run up against someone that is immune to magic damage.

With my wind druid, if you have a grizzly maxxed out, you can summon the grizzly and he'll keep the enemy busy while you throw tornados at them (along with your hurricane) to wipe them out. The grizzly has ALOT of life and does as much damage as your tornado's when maxxed out.

I have been working on a Warebear Druid with a grizzly as a pet, he has been taking down everything with a swat or two, but I fear he may run into trouble when I meet up with a physical immune or have Iron Maiden (IM) cast on him.

The Necromancer is rather nice as well. But look for a cursing necromancer build. Don't count on those skeletons and don't put many points into revive. Instead, max out Iron Maiden and Bone Spirit and maybe any synergies with some skeletons and skeleton mages (but not as many mages, the mages are weak and die easily, I usually have 1 mage for every 3 skeletons). The problem with relying on skeletons is that you have to have dead bodies to raise one up. When going against a boss, like the final boss in Act 2, once he kills off all your skeletons, you have no more bodies to raise more, you need to be able to deal with him yourself, and a necromancer that concentrates on skeletons may do well on everything else, but when it comes to the bosses... he could die quickly.

The one thing I like about the necromancer when done right you're practically a one man army and revive can be fun, it allows you to bring those nasty enemies back to life and fight FOR YOU! heh... but they tend to be rather stupid and get stuck easily when moving through small areas like tunnels etc. They also annoy people when doing things like Baal runs. Too many skeletons + revives = lotsa lag for everyone else.

I had a necromancer last season where I had an army of 12 skeletons and 10 revives always walking around fighting for me. It was fun. I'm working on a new one right now actually (I have several characters on the go http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

Barbarians can do pretty well. They have great resistances, and one of their skills is to increase resistances, something no other character has. He also has a skill that increases his defense, speed etc... when done right he is a very nice character, especially if you're a one on one kinda guy. Wamplet seems to be doing pretty well with his, he's in hell now.

[Night Hacker]

Just a note Wamplet, remember you will have enemies that are immune to poison, especially in Hell.

Your barb doesn't do much damage?? That's unusual. Got lots of strength in him? I had mine up to 200 strength. the more strength, the more damage he can do. Also, when you do a weapon mastery, you should choose only ONE weapon type to master and stick with it, max it out.

I have a nice wirlwind barbarian build I plan on making. But I don't do any ONE build I find online, that isn't a good thing as alot of builds you see LOOK good at first, until you get to hell and find out just how bad it is.

I usually do some research. An excellent site to do that at is http://www.rpgexpert.com/cid_7.html, all of the builds posted here allow people like you to comment on them. At the end of the build you will see lots of messages posted by other players on what they think of this build. This is a GOLDMINE of information. I keep a notepad open and start typing in anything useful I read. When you find a majority of people agreeing with a comment about where to put skills for example, then I write that down. I do this a few times, I read more than one build and all the comments made for them and I end up with a build all my own based on the opinions of those that have played where the majority agrees. It has worked well and saved me from making a build that would have been crap.

[Zero]

I have an awesome necro build I am working on he is level 30ish and mostaly conests of bone magic I am making a bone necro with lower restest and decapify (decap is only nessary when I play team games it helps out the barbs and pallys out)

There are my stats for every level:
str +1
dex +0
vit +2
energy + 2

my skills:

bone armor + 1
bone wall + 20
bone presen + 20
teeth + 20
bone spear + 20
bone spector + 20

amp dmg + 1
weaken + 1
decap + 1
lower res + 6

My equipment:
Trangs set
crafted wand (caster)
crafted rings and ammy (caster)


The idea is to get 1 to all skills on the rings and ammys as well as mana regen

The wand i want some more skill levels but also I want chance to do <somthing> when struck and some other usal necro crap, then I plan on using up my socket quest to socket it and place a run that does something realy good http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Why the werid stats and skill points?
Cause I need all the skills dealing in bone that help out my attack thats why I only place 1 point on bone armor and let the sygnenergys do the rest. the reason why i use lower restst is because my bone magic does more damage if restaces are lower http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The stats :
Well that simple the necro has no chnace to be a melee chr so I dont need any of it, I dont need streanth to a degree, but i do need mana and health.

With this setup I can kill any boss with easy place mountains and mountains of bone around him so he cant move then spear him to death, thats what i did to durel he was completely helpless I plan to do the same to diablo make it so he can't move, then then use lower res or decap and just own him

[thefly]

Oddly enough, I started playing DII again myself. Started an assassin build because I never really have. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Maximum]

Anyone that plays D2 on B.Net, leave your account name here.

Mine is Forge147

[Zero]

CryptDragoon

[Wamplet]

Night Hacker said:
Just a note Wamplet, remember you will have enemies that are immune to poison, especially in Hell.

Your barb doesn't do much damage?? That's unusual. Got lots of strength in him? I had mine up to 200 strength. the more strength, the more damage he can do. Also, when you do a weapon mastery, you should choose only ONE weapon type to master and stick with it, max it out.

I have a nice wirlwind barbarian build I plan on making. But I don't do any ONE build I find online, that isn't a good thing as alot of builds you see LOOK good at first, until you get to hell and find out just how bad it is.

I usually do some research. An excellent site to do that at is http://www.rpgexpert.com/cid_7.html, all of the builds posted here allow people like you to comment on them. At the end of the build you will see lots of messages posted by other players on what they think of this build. This is a GOLDMINE of information. I keep a notepad open and start typing in anything useful I read. When you find a majority of people agreeing with a comment about where to put skills for example, then I write that down. I do this a few times, I read more than one build and all the comments made for them and I end up with a build all my own based on the opinions of those that have played where the majority agrees. It has worked well and saved me from making a build that would have been crap.



I have about 180 something, just enough to put on the IK armor ( which I don't have yet http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tinyted.gif ). It recommended putting all the rest into Life so i can be a meat shield.

However, my attack rating in hell right now is about 55% chance to hit.

I have 10 stat points in reserve, debating on whether to use all 10 in dex so i can hold the dual ali baba swrds. I managed to get one so far and it needs about 42 or 43 dex. I got 35 right now.

I noticed adding all 10 points only bumps up the % to hit by 2-5 points, I think.

My real problem right now is magic resist. I am still in the negatives even with battle cry/orders, etc casted on most of them.

I have the IK helm, an Ali baba swrd, a few nagel rings, that other unique ring that lets you not get frozen.

Other than that, I am still waiting on finding the rest.

I read a lot of the barbarian builds and Whirlwind was something I wanted to focus on as well as Magic Find. Following the IK build, he focuses on that naturally, and recommends dumping 20 into Mace Mastery, which i did.

I also have 20 in Whirlwind, Battle Cry and 1 in Battle orders. Working on adding 20 to shout. (currently about 14). I may have mixed up the BC and BO, bceause I don't remember which is which right now. The one I maxed was the middle one in the skill tree. It said to only add 1 point to the last one, which is BO, I think.

After maxing out Shout, I am going to dump the rest in Magic Find.

I find myself using Concetrate as the main attack though. I can use Whirlwind with ease, but Concentrate (even with 1 point) does more damage. I thought about adding more to it, but I don't want to give up the MF points.

On the Poison immune for the necromancer, the build covers that sort of. That is in part why it recommends that I max out Corpse explosion as well.

[SirSushi]

Actually skeleton based necro builds are very effective since 1.10.
I play a necromancer with maxed skeleton warriors and mages and I had absolutely no problem soloing hell. The killing speed might not be as fast as with other builds (unless you have top items, in which case the skeletons are absolutely devastating) but I dare to say that it's one of the safest builds you could possibly play (if not the safest).

I play a dual element sorceress as well, specializing in frozen orb and meteor.

Both are lvl 91

It really depends on what you want. Go for killing speed and you will have trouble with immunities, go for versatility and you won't kill as fast.

As far as I know the only exception from the rule is the Hammerdin since most magic immunes are actually undead which means the hammers still do full damage.