02-23-2004, 11:40 PM
Hi all,
The recent Blade Fury post by diablo1ks has caught my interest, and after reading through that and some other BF guides around the net, I'm looking for some advice. Since diablo1ks's post was tending towards more technical skill discussion, I thought it best to start a fresh thread.
But first, I guess it's proper to officially say hello, since I just registered. I used to post here (don't remember under which nick, though) before the LL "closed," and haven't posted to a D2 forum since, though I've kept up on news pretty closely and played occasionally. 1.10 is really sucking me back in, however, as well as a few friends who are just now getting into the game. I've played every class, most multiple times, since Classic was first released. But I mostly play purist single-player - so I'm not terribly Realms-savvy. Anyway, it's nice to be back... on to Blade Fury.
Since my 1.09 chars and their hoards of items are long gone, I'm looking to create a Blade Fury assassin on the cheap. I don't mind a few MF runs and trading here and there, and may even build a Pit runner or other dedicated finder for the purpose, but I really don't want to return to the emptiness of endless 1.09 Meph runs and trade hassles. So, no godly-item-required suggestions please. I have no desire to play high-player Hell games, though I'd like to be able to play 1 or 2 player games efficiently, as well as contribute meaningfully to a party in big games. PvP is of no interest to me.
So, to start with, do these sound like achievable goals for a Blade Fury assassin? If not, tell me so and skip the rest.
Moving on... there seems to be a lot of variation in strategy for BF-centered assassins in the guides I've seen. Primarily, it looks like the following fundamental choices:
The recent Blade Fury post by diablo1ks has caught my interest, and after reading through that and some other BF guides around the net, I'm looking for some advice. Since diablo1ks's post was tending towards more technical skill discussion, I thought it best to start a fresh thread.
But first, I guess it's proper to officially say hello, since I just registered. I used to post here (don't remember under which nick, though) before the LL "closed," and haven't posted to a D2 forum since, though I've kept up on news pretty closely and played occasionally. 1.10 is really sucking me back in, however, as well as a few friends who are just now getting into the game. I've played every class, most multiple times, since Classic was first released. But I mostly play purist single-player - so I'm not terribly Realms-savvy. Anyway, it's nice to be back... on to Blade Fury.
Since my 1.09 chars and their hoards of items are long gone, I'm looking to create a Blade Fury assassin on the cheap. I don't mind a few MF runs and trading here and there, and may even build a Pit runner or other dedicated finder for the purpose, but I really don't want to return to the emptiness of endless 1.09 Meph runs and trade hassles. So, no godly-item-required suggestions please. I have no desire to play high-player Hell games, though I'd like to be able to play 1 or 2 player games efficiently, as well as contribute meaningfully to a party in big games. PvP is of no interest to me.
So, to start with, do these sound like achievable goals for a Blade Fury assassin? If not, tell me so and skip the rest.
Moving on... there seems to be a lot of variation in strategy for BF-centered assassins in the guides I've seen. Primarily, it looks like the following fundamental choices:
- Claw/Shield - traditional damage-dealer through weapon damage and mastery
Pros: basic claws are fairly easy to shop or gamble; can use Claw Mastery for AR/Damage boost; good, though traditional, looks
Cons: Lack of special mods (CB, etc.) on most claws; scarcity of good mid-to-high end claws (?); CM AR boost still not fantastic
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- Other 1H weapon/Shield - often emphasizes special mods like CB/OW over raw damage
Pros: lots of unusual choices, including stuff that is often discarded or undervalued; decent, easy runewords in Malice and Black; possibly cool-looking; good high-end choices
Cons: Will require precise equipment and lots of trading, even if the gear itself is not so fancy; AR is even more of a problem
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- 2H Weapon
Pros: Slightly better damage (?); ???
Cons: No shield means less blocking and more reliance on fade for resists
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- Claw/Claw
Pros: Mods from off-hand claw can help buff skills/stats; Weapon Block
Cons: Again, some loss of resists<>
[st]I guess that, at the moment, I'm leaning toward the "Other 1H Weapon" choice. Seems like a decent CB percentage, say 60%+, can be had without tremendously rare items, and I'm not trying to be the king of big games. Also, I kind of like the unpredictability of the gear. But AR's going to be a PITA, especially since I can't afford high end stuff like a Jah or a Demon Limb. Sound reasonable?
Like gear strategy, skills also seem to have a lot of variation. About the only constants are 20 in Shadow Master and Death Sentry. Other popular candidates for pumping appear to be Fade, Venom, and Claw Mastery. Any I'm missing? Since a non-claw build is going to have AR issues, I'm thinking about investing a bit more in Dex and pumping Fade for the damage reduction and big resists to make up for the relative lack of Vit. (I know the Dex alone won't cut it, but it might help provide a decent base for +%AR items.) Putting the rest of the points after that into Venom would give me the prereq's, maybe a couple of points in Cloak, and 20's in SM, DS, and Fade by early-mid hell, leaving Venom for the higher levels.
So that's it, I guess. Thanks for reading and poking at the build, and sorry it stretched on so long. Again, it's good to be back and excited about this game yet again.