========================================= BBCPFC's Hardcore Mode Necromancer Guide ========================================= This is best viewed with your eyes, in 1024x768 mode. Table of Contents 0. Before starting 1. What is hardcore mode, and how to get it. 2. Why a necromancer in hardcore mode? 3. Skills to focuse in 4. Other tricks. 5. Act 1 Walkthrough 6. The Rest ================================================================================== 0. Before starting ================================================================================== Before you start, I should tell you that I play single player, with 1.00. This patch has the necro at it's best. I suggest you don't play in multiplayer, because of the lag. ================================================================================== 1.1 What is hardcore mode? ================================================================================== Hardcore mode is a very special way to play the game. You play like usual, except that this time you can't die. If you die, that's it. Game over. It's mortal you versus hundreds of hell's minions. It is very fun and exciting, despite what it seems to be. ========================================= 1.2 How to get hardcore mode. ========================================= To get hardcore mode, beat the game in normal mode (that is pretty easy). I suggest you do it with a necromancer, to familiarize yourself with the necro's style of play.Next, create a character (obviously, a necromancer, because you're reading this necromancer-related text). When you name it, look below the name and you will see something like this |¯| Hardcore ¯ Checking that box will make your character a hardcore character. The game will tell you that it can only live once, etc... ================================================================================== 2. Why a necromancer in hardcore mode? ================================================================================== Because of the minions. A necro shouldn't have to fight, except in early act 1. A Barbarian would be a bad choice for a hardcore character, because he does all the fighting. If you know someone who started a hardcore barbarian/paladin, wish them good luck. Tell them I wish them good luck too. ================================================================================== 3. Skills to focuse in ================================================================================== This depends on a few things. The most important being, will you play your hardcore necro in nightmare or hell difficulties? If yes, look at the "Power Play Necro". If not, look at the "Normal Necro". I suggest you read both. Usually, you'll want to end up with something in between. ========================================= 3.1 Power Play Necro ========================================= This is the most fun necro. It's very hard early on, but it pays off later on. CURSES Amplify Damage: You want 1 point in this. More points are a waste. (You'll see later why.) Iron Maiden: You will want to max this out after you've maxed out your main attack. (see later for main attack) All other curses are not needed. BONE & POISON Teeth: 1 point (it is a prerequisite for good skills.) Corpse Explosion: THE killer spell. More points in this means more radius, but you really need more than those 2 yards you start with. You will eventually want to max this after you've maxed iron maiden, but until that, 5-7 points in it will do it. Use a wand to try it with more points. Poison Dagger: Fun for a melee necro, but this is a hardcore necro. Don't waste a single point here. Poison Explosion: A worse corpse explosion. I don't like it. Poison Nova: Never tried it. A friend who has tells me that he always starts fights with it, and it helps a lot. Maybe if you got 3 points to waste you'll want to try this. But not early on. Bone Armor: You want 1 point in this, it is very good early on but it takes too many points to make it become good later on. Bone Wall/Prison: I've never tried those, I don't really need them. Bone Spear: This OR Bone Spirit will be your main attack. Don't get both, get one of them. Bone Spirit: This OR Bone Spear will be your main attack. Don't get both, get one of them. This is my favorite weapon. Later on, I will cover Bone Spear vs Bone Spirit. SUMMONING Raise Skeletal Warrior: 1 point in this. More points allow more warriors. This is a joke after act 2 normal. Raise Skeletal Mage: 1-5 points in this. More points allow more mages. I don't really like these, because iron maiden and bone spear/spirit are your main attacks. Revive: 8-12 points in this. More points allow more revives. This is a very good summoning spell, but Reviveds are *VERY* dumb. They are slow, and WILL get stuck in the outdoors of act 1. 8-12 points should do it, because hardly more than 10 revives can follow you around without getting stuck. Skeleton Mastery: This is ok.. It makes skeletal warriors, skeletal mages, and revives (later on) more powerful, but do you really need your skeletal warriors to be more powerful? You will only be using them for the first 2 acts. Your skeletal mages don't need to get stronger, they are ranged attackers. As for revives, putting more points into it is better, because each point in revive means an additional 20% life (versus 7% in skeleton mastery), and 1 more revive. Clay Golem: OK golem for level 6-18. More points make it stronger, but you will only be using this for act 1 and early act 2. 1 point in it. Blood Golem: THE golem. It works EXTREMELY good with iron maiden, because the monsters kill themselves hitting the golem, while the golem absorbs life from them. What most people don't know/understand about this golem is that it steals 31% of the TOTAL of the monster's life. It doesn't steal 31% of what it does. Monsters with Iron Maiden will be stunned after attacking, this is when your golem can attack them. This golem just doesn't die, except vs act bosses. 1 point in this. Iron Golem: This golem has the possibility to get good after 2 points in it, but why waste 2 points while iron maiden does the same thing, starts out stronger, and only gets stronger? I don't like this golem. 1 point if you want fire golem. Fire Golem: Better than Iron Golem, but not as good as blood golem. This one can die, unless it finds some kind of fire to heal itself. I prefer the blood golem. 1 point in this if you want it. Golem Mastery: The reason why all golems only get 1 point. This skill will make ALL of them get tougher and faster. You will want 5 points in this in normal, but you can slowly add more later on, if you see that your golem is dying too fast (usually not a problem with blood golem). Summon Resist: This is pretty good in the river of flame or the chaos sanctuary. 3-5 points in this. ========================================= 3.2 Normal Necro ========================================= This is a necro that lives for today instead of saving for tomorrow. This is good for hardcore mode. CURSES Amplify Damage: 1 point Iron Maiden: 1-5 point All other curses are not needed. POISON & BONE Teeth: 1 Corpse Explosion: 3 Poison dagger, explosion and nova: 0 Bone Armor: 5 Bone Wall & Prison: 0 Bone Spear: x Bone Spirit: x (later you will see why i said 'x') SUMMONING Raise Skeletal Warrior: 3 Skeleton Mastery: 5 Skeletal Mage: 3 Clay Golem: 1 Golem Mastery: 2-3 Blood Golem: 1 Iron Golem: 1 Fire Golem: 1 Revive: 3-5 Summon Resist: 0 ========================================= 3.3 Bone Spear vs Bone Spirit ========================================= Bone Spear: Goes through ennemies Less damage Less mana cost Faster cast rate Bone Spirit: TARGETS ennemy Much more damage Higher mana cost Slower cast rate If you are mostly a 'live for today' necro, get bone spear. If you are a Power Play necro, 1 point in bone spear and then max bone spirit when you reach level 30. Being a PowerPlay Necro, I prefer bone spirit for it's higher damage and it's ability to lock on targets. Bone Spear starts out with 16-24 damage, and each point adds 8-8 damage. So a level 2 bone spear does 24-32. Bone Spirit starts out with 20-30 damage, and ech point adds 16-16 damage. So a level 2 bone spirit does 36-46. Bone spirit is THE skill to max out when you reach level 30. Each POINTS YOU SAVED UP/QUEST POINTS go in revive, until it reaches the level you want (usually, something near 8-12). After bone spirit is maxed, max out Iron Maiden. ================================================================================== 4. Other Tricks ================================================================================== If a unique monster is giving your minions trouble early on, potions are your best friends. Not potions such as mana, healing or rejuveneration potions, but potions such as fulminating potion, rancid gas potions, etc.. Only use those if the monster is cold/fire enchanted. I once lost a necro due to a cold enchanted monster dying and casting frost nova on me. Value poison potions over explosive potions, because they do more damage. Always start a fight by casting iron maiden on the monsters. Your golem is not there to deal the damage, it's there for monsters to beat themselves up on it. Don't spit against the wind. ================================================================================== 5. Act 1 Walkthrough ================================================================================== Coming soon.. ================================================================================== 6. The Rest ================================================================================== Coming soon... For now, you can email me at letitmeph@hotmail.com (c) to the person known under the pseudonym of BBCPFC. All rights reserved. All lefts perverted.