Toughest Prime Evil

[Occhidiangela]

I really wished this was a poll, but something keeps me from starting it...

So, who do you think is the deadliest, strongest, most imposing Prime Evil? Diablo, Baal or Mephisto?
I'd vote for Diablo - he looks cool, his inferno-like litening attack kills whatever resists you have, he even traps you(r portal); even more: he's deadly fast.

Mephisto also's dangerous, yet, for some reason, he felt more like an impediment than a good final showdown. Don't know why.
As for Baal, that was anticlimactic in my opinion. My high-level character in SP was nailing him literally... :blink:

So, what's your choice (bold-italic it if you want :) )?
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They each have their own charm, for sure, and each have a chink in their armor.

Versus Andariel: If you put enough black pots in your pack before you face her she is pretty easy in any difficulty. Fire attacks just make it go faster.

Duriel: For low hit point folk/sorceresses/some variants, he is a royal pain in the arse. The Load time issue and his CHARGE contribute to his ability to empty a red ball rather quickly. FHR, blocking, and pot drinking really help against him. No minions, so at least you can concentrate on him . . . I have not found Melee chars to have that much trouble with him, particularly since one can de equip any and all resistance gear and pile on Life, DR, Blocking, FHR, Hit Slows Target gear . . . what have you.

Mephisto: His AI is so exploitable that, as others comment, the Minions before him are a greater pain in the neck. His only fearful attack, IMO, is the Critical hit when he throws the Ice Ball of "Up Yours, punk!" and you did not have enough cold res, or you failed to drink a Cold Res potion every so often to keep the Cold Res up.

Diablo: His LBOD, if not planned for and avoided, can kill you fast. They fixed the -DR and -MDR oops from Classic, which used to make one nearly immune to LBOD, so he is now best approached with some caution. Likewise his flame river, you can empty that red ball fast.

I always have 75% or more Fire res and Lgt res, items permitting. IMO, he is the biggest pain to Druid and Necro summoners, due to his ability to shred minions. My fave Necro tool against him is an Iron Golem made from a high resistance and -DR item, usually a rare. That keeps him busy while I try to whittle down his life.

Diablo's weakness is the room you have to move, and his minionlessness during the boss fight. He has a few vulnerabilities: They still seem to have left that one "sweet spot" up by the corner of the cross where he can be trapped and shot at with impunity.

In Hell, I had a Charged Strike Zon waste him, in the star, in well under a minute, and she was not twinked. She owned him in a way I did not realize was possible.

Baal, IMO, is a complete pain in the neck for any spell caster, due to the somewhat limited room to move, obstructions to aiming, his own ability to move and teleport, and his helpers: tentacles and Mr Duplicate Baal.

His cold wedge does not bother me when I have "cannot be frozen" stuff equipped. His Orange Crush "instant death ball" is a pain in the neck, not sure if it is resistable. IIRC, it is magic damage, not fire.

The mana drain is no big deal, just tedium. Drink a purple or a blue, and bring lots of them to the fight. I find myself shift clicking a lot to ensure the Merc stays alive, my mercs tend to get a facial from Baal most times.

His susceptibility to "hit slows target" gear is a huge help against him.

Who do I sweat most? Hell Duriel in Hard Core with a non melee character who has modest or low Hip Points. One little mistake and his charge/multiple hits, empty the red ball.

After that, the Hell Baal tedium of drinking blue pots all the time.

Hell Diablo is most often for me a study in patience, and learning to move in an arcing path. You move around him in circles, he rarely hits you. A quick TP can get you out of the Bone traps. Return by Waypoint and resume the fight. Melee chars have to deal with his blocking, but usually if you stack up enough resistance, you can toe to toe it with him while you drink pot after pot of red or purple.

Occhi