02-24-2004, 01:29 AM
Quote:What I'm thinking is a very expensive build that really would be a great party character, but leveling him up would be painful and solo would be very difficult if not impossible.
I think you'll be amazed by how effective he is. If you manage to put together the gear you mentioned, you'll rock through hell solo. My warcy barb, with the exact same build as you mentioned(and much worse gear, though decent) can easily kill any group of non phys immune monsters in just a few seconds. For phys immunes, I guess you better have some elemental backup equipment for your merc, or just pass them bye. I used open wounds on my barb merc to kill any phys immunes, and boy did it take a while in multiplayer hell games.
The real problem will be how much your killing slows down in multiplayer. But in multiplayer, you become the best support char around, one with 4-5K life, the ability to shut down ranged attackers (taunt), shut down melee attackers(warcry), and buff your friends(BO,BC) as well as curse your enemies(battlecry). All in all, it's a great build IMHO, but act bosses sure do take a while.