First HC char. Thinkin WereBear

[Strangebrew]

First HC char. Thinkin WereBear

Its been awhile since I last played me some D2 Hardcore and I want to get back into it. Unfortunately my old account rotted so I must start from scratch. I have never made a werebear druid and they seem like a viable HC character, can anyone recommend a good werebear guide? I want to have as much life as possible but still be able to do decent dmg.

Also what would be good duo with a werebear druid? I am thinking a paladin or BABA.

Thanks

 

[YogiRat]

I think you should look in the Druid forum for a werebear build. They are kind of a minority build these days. I haven't played one since 1.09 in sc, so I am no help.:badteeth:

I do know a little about HC werewolves, they are tough! I still haven't managed to kill mine off, I'm looking at the Hell ancients though.:undecided:

If you are interested, I'll tell you how I went about building him untwinked (almost).

 

[Strangebrew]

Sure, I definitely enjoyed my old softcore werewolf druid, and since I have more experience with werewolf it may be a better idea for my HC char.

 

[YogiRat]

Well that was quick, lol. In a nutshell, max Lyc and oaksage as soon as you can. Your first skill point should go into poison creeper, very handy at the begining, even late in the game. This will be your only point in the vines, unless you are a rabies build(don't do rabies). 5-10 points into werewolf early, more later. 3-4 points into Feral Rage. Wait, you've played a wolf before, you know what to do.

Just pump your life more early, use a shield, and play more defensively. Hunger for IM, steer clear of FEs in NM, and you are good to go.

 

[Fugl]

Ive been thinking bout building one of theese too, can you give few more hints plz Yogi plz plz :smiley:

ps, FE`s ? is that fireenchanted?

 

[RoXoR]

yes FE is that fire enchanted. Their CE will do a ton of dmg even w/ max res. Fireclaws dru is kinda neat, too many things to max for me tho >< i wouldnt be able to stand not fully maxing things. I disagree w/ creeper it will die adn do next to nothin in hell even w/ lots of points (i tried a rabies druid for a bit)

 

[armyjag]

welcome back to hc. i just came back about 2 weeks myself

if you want some help, go ahead and whisper me if you are on the east ladder. my account name is nuttzo

i think i have some low lvl druid gear floating around too.

 

[YogiRat]

sorry for not getting back to you sooner

Ive been thinking bout building one of theese too, can you give few more hints plz Yogi plz plz :smiley:

There really isn't much to add. This is a basic Furywolf build that you can find stickied in the Druid forums. The only real differences are junk gear and that this is defensive build. I pumped Oak sage, Lyc ,vit, even dex early to give me tankability.(nice word eh?):laugh: I sacrificed killing speed to do this, I used sabres and cutlases thorough norm and most of NM. Once I got my life up to a sustainable level,( 2k+ with Sage, transformed) I started pumping strength. I also used strength charms to equip items early,they are all but one discarded now.

I use summons, not to kill things but provide distractions/meat shields.
@ RoXoR, This is why I value the Creeper, it is a one point wonder and easily recaste. If it dies, it has done it's job.:wink3: A manditory one point into ravens, with +skills that gives me 4. I wish I had more of them, but they are less valuable than the creeper. 4 or 5 into spirit wolves, usable early. 3points into Dire wolves, they are ok, though they need more points to be effective and I am not willing to commit those points. Last, one point to grizzly. He is synergized by the wolves, cast and forget, NOT! He is my barometer for danger!! Still, I would love to put more points into him.

My merc is an act2 prayer with Insight. Weak sauce my behind! He don't die! He also keeps the minions in good shape, me too, particularly with the mana leechers.

For skills, look at the Fury guide. You must have hunger, it is your only way to get around Iron Maiden.

Items... later if anyone is interested.

 

[KremBanan]

I have recently started Hardcore and I started with a Amazon(Java). Reason? Because its the char I feel that I 'know' the best, makes it easier to play with, since you gotta chance your playstyle abit. So my advice for a first char in HC is: choose a char that you have experience with.

 

[Fugl]

Thx Yogi :smiley:

Im also thinking about maxblock, one should think it was way to go, but i intend to play untwinked, or atleast only with items i find myself on other chars, so i might end up with not so good shield that req high dex for maxb, should i still go for maxblock then?


Krem, yes, im new to druids and i dont expect this wolfie to get thru hell either, but ill try i also have few other HC chars i know better, highest just lvl 65-70 tho still :smiley: Just thought it would be even bigger challenge with melee char, since mine tend to die alot on sc, lol

 

[Edmond]

BearDudu is a bit risky, but hey, that's the fun with the game

 

[Barrynor]

wb huh? easy as pie.

physical melee
max lyc
1 pt wb
20 pts maul
1 pt shockwave (functions on Faster cast rate)
1 pt hunger

thats your basic wb right there. not really strong, but tough as nails. I'd suggest the following:

5-6 pts carrion vine
5 pts ravens
20 pts oak sage
20 pts grizzly

stick about 100-140 pts into str, rest into vit. no dex, just focus on ar on rings and charms. for a weapon... get a burzia. simple as that. you can slap thigns with it in bearform. cheap, and effective. untill that time use mauls, polearms. stay away from swords and pikes, those are SLOOOOOW in bearform. get an act 2 holy freeze merc, its safestest

edit:, oh, get cannot be frozen as fast as you can from ANY source... its a must-have as wb. crushing blow also helps.