Interesting new stuff on Arreat Summit

[Mavfin]

http://WWW.BAttle.net/diablo2exp/images/ot.../assassin02.jpg
http://WWW.BAttle.net/diablo2exp/images/ot.../assassin01.jpg

Interesting....very interesting.

[FenrisWulf]

Hm, I hope they're not just randomly throwing monsters into areas; I'd prefer to see some sort of coherent themes for different regions. For instance, having Claw Vipers in the Frozen Tundra just wouldn't make sense (cold blooded), same with Hell Bovines in the Halls of the Dead (well...they're not dead). However, Vampires in the Den of Evil? Or Flame Spiders wandering around in the Flayer Jungle (not just in the Arachnid Lair/Spider Cavern)? Yeah, that would be cool, and it would fit, too.

EDIT: Forgot to close my parentheses. :P

[Jugalator]

EDIT: Forgot to close my parentheses. :P

Too late! My compiler now pukes with this error:

L:LurkerLounge\PostA3778M29.htm(4) : error C2143 : syntax error : missing ')' before '{'

:)

Seriously, what's puzzling me is how they'll balance this thing... I never expected the monsters to be *this* random -- only perhaps Frenzytaurs in Arreat Plateau, i.e. in the same act.

Will these monsters now be super hard in Act III, or make Act V even easier? :-/ Or is some scaling system implemented to make even a Gargantuan Beast hard if placed in Act IV. Hmm...

Btw, I agree that some logic should be used to decide where to place the monsters, although we're usually not complaining about small Flayers dropping Great Axes and Full Plate Mails. <_<

[Vash]

Can Serpent Magi even spawn in the game right now? I don't ever remember seeing that incarnation of the claw viper.

[Jugalator]

Can Serpent Magi even spawn in the game right now?&nbsp; I don't eve remember seeing that incarnation of the claw viper.

Yes, they spawn in the temple areas in Kurast. Along with red/blue Wailing Beasts, Thorn Hulks (uuh, the red ones...) and Flesh Archers. Weird monsters in there. :)

Edit: And Blood Divers! :D

[Vash]

Ha ha...thank you for your prompt reply :lol:

[Jugalator]

Almost forgot... I also find it strange that the monster she fight has no resists. In 1.09 they are cold immune in Hell. Perhaps this isn't hell though. But that would defeat what they're trying to show -- that the skill is viable in hell. Perhaps they removed their immunity, but that wouldn't exactly make them harder. Or perhaps they're hiding the immunity info and they've changed their immunities. :blink:

[Kasreyn]

...who really, really enjoys the Temples in Kurast? =)

Most of Act 3 is so tame (well, sometimes Stormtree and Sszark are a pain), and then you get these temples where it could be easy, could be a bit of a struggle. I've very rarely died in a total stairtrap though, and it usually only happens on hell diff when Tsarina or some other boss get 3 abilities. Most of the time, I just bring a meat shield... er, Iron Wolf ^_^;;... along, and I'm usually able to survive by run-n-gunning and letting them take the bullet. =P

Plus there are monsters there you never see anywhere else in the entire game! Now how's that for entertainment?

-Kasreyn

[Roland]

...the only one who plays Diablo II Classic, Single Player, version 1.03? :P

[Kandir]

I'm really looking forward to see how they've mixed up the monster mash in the patch. My experience through the mods I've played which have employed this technique (Ancestrall Recall, to name one) is that its a relatlively "inexpensive" way to add refreshing changes to the game.

I agree that the choice of which monsters to put where has to have some logic to it all, or the game could easily loose the cohesiveness of the themes for each act. As long as they dont get too crazy I think it will be a great twist and highly appreciated by the community....even if it means we have turn a blind eye towards such illogical sites as furry creatures or vampires in the desert sun ;)

Kandir

[Brista]

In Seven Lances the monsters spawn like that - you get that particular monster type in the Halls of Pain iirc

The way it works there is that there is a short list of monsters eligible for each area and the program picks three or four kinds each game. (Like how the River of Flame can be Maggots and Vile Mothers or Urdars and Abyss Knights)

I suspect that 1.10 will be similar. So more monster randomisation in the sense of a longer list of monsters the game can choose from to populate areas with.

You can get round it by making a new game but that is rather a nuisance to have to do that each area (and cheesy of course!)

[kier]

Couldn't it be a new area? To me it looks like Baals pad, but i can't be sure. Ah well, my ass has max phoenix, so hopefully this will boost her a bit.

[Logic_X]

I'm still suprised it's gotten to the talk about the assassin screenshots on all the forums without 1 mention about something in the melody screenshot that may REALLY interest some amazons to know.

Hint: Look at the valk....now look closely at the valk....now look at me with that puzzled look on your face.....now look at your valk.....notice she's wearing full plate mail....now look at the valk in the melody screen shot.....well I'll be darned......that's the end of my hint :).

[WarBlade]

I'm still suprised it's gotten to the talk about the assassin screenshots on all the forums without 1 mention about something in the melody screenshot that may REALLY interest some amazons to know.

Why be surprised? Is there any reason to discuss a minor alteration in the graphics? Only if the new graphic is indicative of a wider change in which gameplay is improved.

Hint: Look at the valk....now look closely at the valk....now look at me with that puzzled look on your face.....now look at your valk.....notice she's wearing full plate mail....now look at the valk in the melody screen shot.....well I'll be darned......that's the end of my hint :).

Puzzled? ROFL!!! :lol:

Hint: Yes we see it. I, for one, saw it the first time. I'm sure others noticed it too.

So? :blink:

[Ignatz]

Whew, caustic.

I for one am excited about the damage structure of PS. I like the idea of pumping the charge number you use most on it. For instance, my assassin right now just loves her meteors, but eschews that penis lightning bologna. So in the patch I'd specialize in fist of fire and phoenix strike, with a minor in blades of ice. I think that sounds fun. Anybody with me?

Edit: Sshhiittee? I can't say sshhiittee? Heaven forbid we become further desensitized to silly British slang. Well, bugger. Bad word replaced with the respectable, all purpose 'penis'. :(

[Sen]

I hope the originally leaked info has also been kept.
PS was leaked to have improved FoF, etc... not the other way around. I was hoping at the time that they would reverse it. I hope now that the synergies work both ways.

I would love it if I could pump FoF a bit to help my Meteors, max PS and CoT so I could use CoT for the Lightning and PS for the meteors. If PS pumped CoT, then that would be heavenly. And CoT would help my PS when I accidentally built up two charges on my PS. That happens a lot.

wrt to the lack of an immunity listed on the Serpent Mage, I'm glad. I hope it is a Hell screenie. If it isn't, that's a very tough NM monster to stand up to Nat's set and a lvl 27 PS2.

[Animation]

All,

I'm still amazed that people think they will be better off with the new changes. It seems to me that if you feel obligated to pumping lesser skills to help greater ones, and vice versa, but if you otherwise wouldnt have used the lesser ones, you won't be able to pump the other skills as high as you used to. With the experience getting harder after level 70 ... well we just arent going to be as versatile as before. Maybe some other people like that, I dont. WHEE! I "get" to pump a bunch of points into blades of ice. YAY! ... NOT. :)

Argh.

Lewis

[Animation]

Logic_X,

Which one if either in the Melody pic is the valk? I assumed they were both players standing around in the same shot. Can you be more clear as to what you think has changed for Valkyries?

Lewis

[Sen]

The Valk is the one with the aura partially obscured by the Skill info.
I heard tell from a Basin regular that her armor looks like Ancient Armor.

On a side note, Isolde just posted at the Basin that he took the WSK2 screenie in Normal on 'Players 64'. So we just are gonna have to wait on the whole Immunity/Resistance thing :(

[Animation]

Sen,

I just wonder why people think the figure partially obscured is a Valkyrie? I thought it looked like another amazon, wearing ancient armor and a circlet, and it looks like its holding a javelin or a spear, hard to tell.

I'll look again.

EDIT: DUH. It is the aura that gives it away isn't it? Then again with lots of items giving off neat effects and auras when you complete sets (such as the translucent assassin), it could just be another amazon.

Lewis