A difficult choice...

[Ombra]

I have maximized Lightning Fury, Charged Strike and Valkyrie.
Only now I realize I have no idea how to proceed from here.

As for the other Skills, they all have only 1 point in it.
The Impale, Fend, Lightning Strike and Pierce Skills are still unlearned.
All of the Bow and Crossbow Skills are unlearned.

I'm currently level 68, Nightmare, Act 5 (Single Player).
With this build I barely need to show monsters my Javelin or Spear, and they readily throw themselves on the floor. Dead.
The Lvl 20 Valkyrie is a godly Tank of Doom. They just can't stop her.
She once handled the (Nightmare) High Council on her own. Does she even know what a wound is?
She can also spawn with immunities, I didn't know it. She was once Immune to Cold. Anyway...

My attack rating is obscenely low, but I don't need it. Charged Strike wastes whatever I touch, and more.
As for Lightning Fury: it's simply devastating.

So now I can end Nightmare without making too many changes to my Amazon.
The game was kind enough to give me Stone of Jordan + Manald Heal + Silkweave + Frostburns (is patch 1.11b more generous -in terms of Uniques- than patch 1.09d was?)
And I'm only 1 "Ko" Rune away from making a Sanctuary runeword on a Pavise(3) I've found.
If only I could find the Thundergod's Vigor belt...

But I know that in Hell Diff. things will go much differently.
The Valkyrie will no longer be invincible, and I'll need a lot more power than now or the many Lightning Immune monsters will be my nemesis.

I've made a few calculations.
Knowing there are 110 Skill points, and excluding those I already spent, I'm left with 37 points to allocate.
This is the point of no return for my char.

I must make a difficult choice.
(A) Do I go for even greater Lightning damage, or
(B) do I raise the Decoy Skill (gives to Valkyrie +20% Life per level, and also buys me extra time to score free shots), or
© do I learn some Bow skills (because a few arrows are never a bad idea)?

Actually, 37 points are perfect to raise Magic Arrow to level 13 (Zero Mana cost) and go all the way down to Strafe and maximize it (passing through Guided Arrow, btw).
The one last point left, I can spend it on Pierce.
And I'm not counting the +All Skills that I have (and I can find Skiller Charms -maybe-).
If I count those, Magic Arrow won't need all the 13 points and I'll have some leftovers to spend elsewhere (Penetrate Skill?)

I can't make up my mind. Please give me your advice.



Thanks for reading,
Ciao ciao : )


***EDIT***
In regard to Choice(A), if I maximize another Lightning Skill I foresee the Charged Strike will receive a bonus of ~1100 dmg points per Bolt (ending in 8 bolts of ~2800 Lightning dmg each, which coupled with a Very Fast Attack Javelin can build up huge dmg).
Still the Lightning Immune monsters will laugh in my face.
At that point I would be left with 17 skill points that -I think- would be best spent into Penetrate (rather than the 4th Lightning skill) so I can deal Physical damage more consistently.
Just a thought. I'd still like to hear your opinion.

[Metalhead Steve]

Well I can't tell you exactly what to go with but you will definetely need to find something other than lightning damage... This can mean maxing jab or a bow skill or 2, but be wary that you will need penetrate for the attack rating because that will be extremely important in dealing with lightning immunes. The only real advice I can give you is to find another type of damage to deal when your not doing light damage.

[L4E]

you could max jab or that other javelin skill that does physical. or even get a good merc to take out the immunes.
you wasted your skills in the valkyrie, a few points would have been enough =/
go full light and get a good merc (act 2 id suggest)
or
get physical dmg skills for the javelin and find urself a javelin that does more physical dmg and keep it on switch so that you can use it when you find light immunes

thats just what i think would be logically right. i might be totally wrong tho

[Blue]

Take a chance, do your decoy and if it goes wrong, redo it.

[Ombra]

Hello all,
I've never used mercs. I know they are very helpful, but I have to provide them good equipment. I have a hard time to find my stuff already... and I can't trade in Single Player. Mercs will have to wait until I settle.

As for the Valkyrie, in all honesty, I don't think those 20 points were wasted.
If we exclude Oblyvion Knights and their Iron Maiden, nothing so far could KO the Valkyrie, be it SuperUnique, Act Boss or other.
Only yesterday night, Lister and his gang charged and surrounded her.
And yet she could withstand 'em all... while I was free to fry the group from afar (which didn'twork too well, but this is another story).
The fight ended, and the Valkyrie was alive and in *full* health.

Surely in Hell diff. she will become less effective, but for all the trip in Normal and Nightmare she has been truly unstoppable.
Only (Nightmare) Baal remains to test, and I don't see how he could ever manage to kill her.

Anyway, you are absolutely right in regard to attack rating.
I have negletted it for far too long.
I'll maximize Penetrate. This in turn will also boost the Valkyrie's attack rating.
As for physical damage... I can only hope this game will drop me a good weapon (I can always "Imbue" the white Matriarcal Javelin I have. It can't possibly become worse than what it is now).
Heck, even a spear would do better than my current Javelin!
If only I could make a BotD runeword in Single Player (I know I can't)... With that +60% increased attack speed, a Matriarcal Pike becomes as fast as a Javelin!
Can you imagine an Amazon Pike-Jabbing as fast as with a Very Fast Attack Javelin? Ooh, I'd love to see that...

Therefore Penetrate shall be the 4th maximized skill.
I have 37 skill points to spend. 19 (not 20) will go into penetrate, and it'll be maximized.
18 points will remain. I can almost maximize a 3rd Lightning skill with them.
Lightning Bolt, for example, already has 1 point in (prerequisite for Lightning Fury), so adding 18 points will raise it to Level 19!
That should grant me enough Lightning damage to make short work of most Hell monsters (provided they aren't immune).

How does that sound, is it too crazy of a build?

Ciao ciao : )

[burningbush]

Since this is a single player character you can pretty much do whatever you wanted to do since in reality you could get a program like plug Y that you can use to re-allocate your skill points if your not happy with how your Zon ends up.

So pretty much have some fun and get used to using the Zon and take the next step, create an online Zon and enjoy the internet craze they call Diablo 2!!!........lol

[Ombra]

Since this is a single player character you can [...] re-allocate your skill points if your not happy with how your Zon ends up.

I don't make use of editors. Sting's is the only extra I permit myself (***EDIT*** because it can display the Clock while playing ^_^ hehe, what did you think?)

So pretty much have some fun and get used to using the Zon and take the next step, create an online Zon and enjoy the internet craze they call Diablo 2!!!........lol

Now, do not think I haven't played online. I did.
Befriending the wrong dude was my last mistake.
Not only they came for him (and generously carved him a plethora of new buttholes left and right to no end), but they PK'ed me as well... guilty of being in his company.
They had fun, I suppose, and I didn't complain.
I limited myself to ask "why".
And "LOLOL" was the smart answer I was given.

Ungloriously PK'ed by a pair of overpowered 10 years old full-time lollers...
v_v" -I'm too old for this s**t

PKing is part of the game. We must accept it.
But I'm free to dislike it, and I stay the hell away from b.net.


Kind regards,
Ciao ciao : )

P.S.= And in Hell Diff. the Level 20 Valkyrie is still a tough nut to crack.

[L4E]

mercs dont need equipment, all an act2 merc needs is a weapon, and really any elite spear, even a cracked one, is good enough. you just want him to help kill the light immunes because even though your valkyrie can't die (and i said you wasted points in it because 10 wouldve probably been enough) it can hardly do damage...
You are using charged strike, I suppose, therefore attack rating is obsolete because charged strike always hits, the physical AND the lightning damage.
Penetrate is probably one of the most useless skills after sanctuary or holy bolt, don't even think about it. Get a javelin with fools mod on it (merchants sell these so dont say you cant find one) and you'll have all the attack rating you want (which you dont want anyway).
hope that made sense, im too lazy to try to phrase it out any better and my back hurts =/

God in heaven I really need to stop reading this freaking section for spam or scam.All I get is a headache and extreeme desire to play FFXI...~Pamela

[Ombra]

Yes, you made sense.
And yes, the Valk is now almost unable to damage anything.
She still makes a great tank to shield me against the pesky Light. Imm. + Stone Skin + Imm. Phys. and occasionally Mana Burn or Extra Strong too.
I've met several of these already and they have been an ugly quarter hour each.
I'm sure you get the picture =/
Makes me so mad! All that Lighting power, and I can hardly employ it.

I'll look for Fool's weaponry.


Thanks for all the inputs,
very informative.

Ciao ciao : )

[L4E]

Try getting a weapon with charges of "amplify damage" it can remove physical immunity on some monsters.