Skelemancer Help With Diablo

[BellaStrega]

(posted also to the Amazon Basin)

I need some help/advice.

I've got a clvl 29 Skelemancer with:

Raise Skeleton: 24
Raise Skeleton Mage: 4
Skeleton Mastery: 3
Clay Golem: 2
Blood Golem: 2
Summon Resist: 2
Amp Damage: 2
Weaken: 2
Terror: 2
Decrepify: 2
Teeth: 2

I can switch out a wand to lose Decrepify and gain Poison Explosion: 3 or lose +1 to all my skills, and gain Dim Vision: 2

I have a Blessed Aim Merc.

My problem is Diablo. I've tried (with wands) Dim Vision and Decrepify to try to handle him. So far, nothing works. All the skeletons die, and Diablo hits me with his red lightning hose or Fire Nova almost before I can move out of the way. I don't have anything to tank him with, which is a big problem.

My primary strategy was to hit him with decrepify and use the clay golem to slow him down further - which meant recasting both the curse and the golem repeatedly, and hopefully using the bodies of the three monster packs (Lord de Seis, etc.) in the Chaos Sanctuary to raise more skeletons as needed.

Aside from partying, which is what I think is most likely, what am I missing?

[Ruvanal]

Aside from partying, which is what I think is most likely, what am I missing?

With that character build the two things that you are missing the most is needing a higher level and some more point into Skeleton Mastery.

The skeletons that you create are made with mlvl=clvl. Against diablo that means that their chance to hit is an attacker level of 29 vs. a defender level of 40. Very poor chance to hit and diablo will block 50% the hits that do land. A few extra levels should increase their to-hit percentage a lot.

With RS=24 and SM=3 the skeletal warriors that you make have a life of 517 (lying character screen will display the wrong life). And have an AR=410 and DR=410 with a damage of 81-83. By just upping the SM to 6 this will change the stats to life=793 (+53% gain), AR and DR to 455 (only modest gain but it helps) and the damage they do to 96-98 (about an 18% increase).
edit: P.S. I used a fire rogue when I did it.

The worst advice that I keep seeing given out is for necros that are using lots of skeletons is to max RS to the point of ignoring the SM skill level. The SM skill has a major impact on the performance of the skeletons and can frequently be worth sacrificing having an extra warrior so that an extra 3 or points can be put into the SM so that the warriors are sturdier and and do more damage.

I did diablo at about that level in a 2 player game with only a RS~18 and with their life at around 900 to 1000 each. This let them tank the BigD adequately with the help of the clay golem and Decrepify technique; plus a few mana pots so I could keep throwing up the CG constantly.

[Chaerophon]

Diablo is much harder than other bosses in normal. My suggested solution? While getting to a higher level will definitely be a plus, and as Ruvanal suggested, adding to SM will also help, you're never going to have an "easy" time with Diablo in normal, even if you are in the thirties. I would suggest that you've simply got to get a bit better at avoiding his attacks and perhaps make a few trips back and forth from the sanctuary to the blood moor in act one to restock your skeleton corps. It seems cheap, but following D in normal, it won't be necessary anymore.

When I took him on in normal with my hardcore skelemancer, I was at least five levels higher than you and my skellies were still dropping like flies. If you can get decrep and CG on him, he should be a lot easier, but I found that he was still consistently killing off at least half of my skellies before CG kicked in and, at such a reduced number, they had a much harder time making a serious dent in his life.

That being said, it only took me three trips to the blood moor to kill him, and I didn't die, so level up a bit first and see what happens.

[BellaStrega]

Thanks for the advice, I was definitely leaning in the "more levels, plus SM" direction, but hadn't really decided. You've clearly tipped that scale.

What means "CG," though?

[Chaerophon]

clay golem

[BellaStrega]

Yes, I was looking at leveling in the River of Flame/Chaos Sanctuary until I got somewhere decent. I was also looking at the possibility of putting everything into SM until I kill Diablo. I can get Corpse Explosion in Act V and Revives in Nightmare as needed. It helps to see that this is the best plan. B)

And I see now, "CG" = "Clay Golem." Clearly I need sleep. <_<

[BellaStrega]

I should have realized that, but I haven't slept yet. Thank you again.

[BellaStrega]

Thanks for all the help. Two more levels, with two more skill points in Skeleton Mastery, combined with the clever suggested use of the clay golem (resummoning constantly) and Decrepitude did the trick. I actually had one skeleton survive the battle. :)

[the Langolier]

I beat diablo with iron maiden and clay golem.

[BellaStrega]

Alas, I had no iron maiden. Decrepify worked wonderfully, however. Given how slow Diablo was moving at the end, I think I saw every frame of his attacks.

[Chaerophon]

Glad to hear it!