Hell Level. Oh my.

[bigeyedbug]

Forgive me if someone pointed out this basic aspect of living through Hell.  RUN!  Well, not always.  But, if your're stupid merc does his charge, or you do your usual running, and see a few monsters.........RUN!  Backwards, of course.  Always try to pick them off a little at a time.  If you get surrounded, and in Hell so many times it's by boss packs, you are in a world of hurt. 

Basically, it's two steps forward, one step back.  It's slow going, but livable. 

I speak from experience, for sure.  I have a Zealot Pally, with all the right uber gear(Baranar's, Guardian Angel, HoZ, etc),  who was in Act 3 Hell, when 1.10 arrived.  Upper 70's in level.  This guy is a tough hombre.  And, he regularly died 10-20 times in a playing session.  Leveling up is no easy feat when you're losing all your experience points.  He finally did it, but boy was it work.  If you think Act 1 is hard, I don't even want to tell you about Act 5. 

On that note, I'd like to know the tactics Hardcore players use in Hell act 5.  I used to play Hardcore, and have harboured some thoughts of resuming, now that I'm getting used to 1.10(especially after reading the Neverdeath guide in these Hallowed Halls!).  But, Act 5 Hell?  Only in groups?  Even then......I just don't know.  Those old item hunting areas like the Ancients Way have to be a graveyard nowadays!

Bill

This has got to be one of the best pieces of simple advice ever. It's amazing how often I forget it, especially when I'm playing melee (when I need to be doing it the most :ph34r: ). And it's what makes it possible to play even Act V solo--at least with certain characters.

One of the keys for solo has got to be AI tweakers/disablers: Cloak of Shadows, Mind Blast, Dim Vision, Taunt, War Cry, Shockwave, minions, and some other less obvious ones. If you're playing a Sorc or Pally...well, sorry. Fortunately you could get CoS on Nadir or Dim Vision on a ring pretty easily.

[Herradura]

Some good tips there. I just got a HC character to Hell for the first time, a level 67 Freez-A-Lot. He just tested the water in Act I briefly and already ran into a boss he couldn't/didn't want to handle. A zombie (already immune to cold) with stone skin, immune to physical, cold enchanted, and a fanaticism aura. So I ran away. ;)

I'm going back to NM to level up some more. And to do something about my -11 cold resist...

[arrunique]

A zombie (already immune to cold) with stone skin, immune to physical, cold enchanted, and a fanaticism aura.

In hell you don't melee with fanat monsters, they will kill you before you can react.

And to do something about my -11 cold resist...

First cold enchanted boss is going to just kill you. Now imagine fire enchanted/cold enchanted, they deliver the fire damage with the cold explosion and the cold damage with the fire explosion.

Easiest way to fix resists without screwing up your other gear is just carry a load of charms. People just leave or drop non-perfect ones most of the time so they shouldn't be too hard to find.

If you happen to be on East HCL message me or find my account HC_CHODE ingame and we can party some. I got an enchantress who needs help with fire immunes.

[Herradura]

I have learned to be a lot more cautious in HC. If I see a boss pack, I run away until I can check the mods, and sometimes I just keep on running. Nothing wrong with a tactical retreat!

My Freez-A-Lot is a HC ladder character on USEast, so once I get my resists up a bit I'll keep an eye open for you. My account is Herradura.