06-17-2004, 02:53 AM
I've found that just about any non-specialized non-crippled (ie no variant built around a specific item or using extremely weak skills/equipment) is viable throught the entire game without twinking. Pick one (at random if you want) and try it. Ignore all the bad advice in most of the guides that you NEED this or that uber-item. They're wrong.
One key to no twink play is that you need to do full clears of just about everything. Do all the side quests all the random dungeons and areas. You need a wide variety of equipment to select from to fill in the gaps in the character (and they often won't be the "standard" ones). This also insures you'll be at a reasonable level when tackling various act end bosses (until late hell, extra levels can compensate for a huge number of other weaknesses and are easy to acquire). You'll find some great equipment so build around what you find (buy, gamble or cube). The cube is your friend learn ALL the recipies by heart. If you're not constantly juggling stash space to decide what to keep for cubing what to keep because its good and might fill in a future equipment hole, you're moving forward too fast.
Potions are your friend. Use them liberally there are plenty more where they came from (although that seemed extreme against normal Duriel with a bowzon--sounds like the character needed more strategic thought, or perhaps didn't clear enough areas and tried too soon).
Gems and runes are your friend, although this depends a bit on the exact class (bowzons particularly like them, for other classes, its more variable). If nothing else, they're useful in cube recipies.
I've found the werewolf to be very good no twink. The only thing you really need is a decent fast weapon. Look at The Dragoon's pages. Ignore all the uber weapons he has listed and look at the ones he only mentions as "decent" or something equivalent. Shaels are your friend (you won't need one in normal but do several NM countess runs until you find at least one, if not two of them). Obviously this will depend a bit on what else you find. PI in late hell will be a pain, but doable (I recommend shopping for something very fast with high elemental damage and having either a act 1 or maybe act 3 merc).
One key to no twink play is that you need to do full clears of just about everything. Do all the side quests all the random dungeons and areas. You need a wide variety of equipment to select from to fill in the gaps in the character (and they often won't be the "standard" ones). This also insures you'll be at a reasonable level when tackling various act end bosses (until late hell, extra levels can compensate for a huge number of other weaknesses and are easy to acquire). You'll find some great equipment so build around what you find (buy, gamble or cube). The cube is your friend learn ALL the recipies by heart. If you're not constantly juggling stash space to decide what to keep for cubing what to keep because its good and might fill in a future equipment hole, you're moving forward too fast.
Potions are your friend. Use them liberally there are plenty more where they came from (although that seemed extreme against normal Duriel with a bowzon--sounds like the character needed more strategic thought, or perhaps didn't clear enough areas and tried too soon).
Gems and runes are your friend, although this depends a bit on the exact class (bowzons particularly like them, for other classes, its more variable). If nothing else, they're useful in cube recipies.
I've found the werewolf to be very good no twink. The only thing you really need is a decent fast weapon. Look at The Dragoon's pages. Ignore all the uber weapons he has listed and look at the ones he only mentions as "decent" or something equivalent. Shaels are your friend (you won't need one in normal but do several NM countess runs until you find at least one, if not two of them). Obviously this will depend a bit on what else you find. PI in late hell will be a pain, but doable (I recommend shopping for something very fast with high elemental damage and having either a act 1 or maybe act 3 merc).
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Ebony Flame
Ebony Flame