06-25-2006, 02:10 AM
Don't go too crazy looking for a high-defense armor. Most of the "threat" enemies that do physical damage either have an AR too high to compensate for (archers) or have ITD (Urdars, Lister's pack). You'll get more mileage out of keeping your block rate above 50% (or whatever your magic number is). Not to mention you'll get a lot more points in Vitality if you don't waste them seeking to equip armors that are often only a token few points higher in defense than their more affordable counterparts.
Looking at your other gear-hunting options:
- Definitely don't wait until Hell Pindle to track down that 3-socket sword for Crescent Moon. You probably won't even MAKE it that far without CM or another hard-hitting blade.
- By the same token, you're much better off farming NM Baal for as much gear as you can squeeze out of him than repeatedly braving Hell Durance. Not just for LoH, but for anything NM Baal can drop that you could use. The dolls and supercharged Council Members in Hell Durance can knock even twinked-out characters into next week.
- How are your resists looking? I know I tend to harp on that, but I've been shredded too many times to brave the higher-end monsters without topping up these key values. ID'ing rare boots can snag you 20+ in two different resists (among the few useful mods available in that gear slot). Likewise, rings and ammys can tack double-digit amounts onto all four resist scores at once.
- Helms can also fill in resist deficits, but if you're comfortable with what you've got you can also grab yourself a 3-socket something or other and fill it with Sols. 21 points off every physical hit can really come in handy. Or you can track down one of the assorted unique/set helms with leech to beef up that score; leech is horrendously nerfed in Hell so you'll need all you can get.
Looking at your other gear-hunting options:
- Definitely don't wait until Hell Pindle to track down that 3-socket sword for Crescent Moon. You probably won't even MAKE it that far without CM or another hard-hitting blade.
- By the same token, you're much better off farming NM Baal for as much gear as you can squeeze out of him than repeatedly braving Hell Durance. Not just for LoH, but for anything NM Baal can drop that you could use. The dolls and supercharged Council Members in Hell Durance can knock even twinked-out characters into next week.
- How are your resists looking? I know I tend to harp on that, but I've been shredded too many times to brave the higher-end monsters without topping up these key values. ID'ing rare boots can snag you 20+ in two different resists (among the few useful mods available in that gear slot). Likewise, rings and ammys can tack double-digit amounts onto all four resist scores at once.
- Helms can also fill in resist deficits, but if you're comfortable with what you've got you can also grab yourself a 3-socket something or other and fill it with Sols. 21 points off every physical hit can really come in handy. Or you can track down one of the assorted unique/set helms with leech to beef up that score; leech is horrendously nerfed in Hell so you'll need all you can get.