MF skelemancer, block vs vitality? I know its been asked before, but as my trapsin died, and I'm rebuilding as a skelemancer, I must ask your humble opinions. Block or Vitality?
I would second what xey said and add that the only shields really worth getting decent block with on a Necro are Homonculus, SS, and Rhyme. Pretty much everything else is either not worth using or doesn't have enough blocking to bother pumping dex.
Hmm this ladder season (softcore) i mf with a summon/bone hybrid and i do not agree that its either 75% block or none at all. I think my build could work well for HC though i do not play HC - get high dmg absorb bone armor, 60% block with homo and aim for 1000+ life with max resists in hell with the option of lightning absorb (t-gods) and fire (dwaftstar) With less than max block i feel my necro is very safe and can't remember the last time i died hehe. I started untwinked and after a few weeks into the game i can afford an 'Enigma' but he is still running around in hell with a P-topaz skullders hehe. Think i wanna remake him, slap some nice stuff and aim for loads more life If anyone is curious how i made such a cheap yet effective mf necro (untwinked) do drop by the necro forum and browse thru my guide called 'The Bony Magicfinder Guide v1.10' Hope i helped and best of luck in HC
not to bash on ur post but.... actually, enigma is not the standard here at the hc forums. ptopazed skullders is bout the general nut-high you can get rund here (unless course, you are infinitely rich) the bony magicfinder is actually an old build. i also posted a similar one a year back; they dont sticky guides here so yoyu cant search for it anymore (and i wouldnt want it to be stickied anyway, im not the best writer. but the concept is the same as your necs) as for shields, i'll add trangs head to that. someone did the calcs, and it actually takes less points in dex for max block on trangs head vs homonculus until a certain lvl (above 90). the reason i didnt post it is because a summoner has (unless full trangs) no need for trangs shield; it doesnt have good bonuses for that build. EDIT: of course, spade, you can always ask me in game, BUT YOU NEVER TALK TO ME ONLINE, EVEN IF YOU KNEW I POSTED HERE AND WE ARE ONLINE AT THE SAME TIME
Hehe nah - i didn't think my thread was bashed at all and thank you for enlightening me on what the staple mf armor is on Hardcore Hmm i was out for 2 years and only returned a few weeks back and really studied new items/runewords with the concept that i play the necro class best and i wish to item run anywhere in hell with sucky resources Also kudos on figuring out that necro build and if possible do share your experience with this build in HC
I always aim for max block when building my Necros... (i've done a few) and i would also like to add trangs shield, but only if you wear the whole set. I always socket the shield (Homonculus or trang) with ELD to max out the blocking as i usually have max resist from other gear. Cheers, Nex
Thanks for the advice so far. If I go for block it will be with a rhyme, since I don't have a homonculus. My last two skelemancers died at high lvls with no block, so I was thinking of trying the block route. I have a tendancy to run ahead of my minions at times, so block may be safer.
Even with a RHYME (great shield) I'd go the block route. Even 65% block will save you more often than 200 more HPs.
i do the same thing with my necros, hence the block. i think you will realize real quickly how it helps whyme is good, but i strongly suggest getting one of the better shields. necros have a ridiculously high survival rate, and either one of your (2 that matter) hellforges should be to trade for a homonculus. the last one homunculus i traded for, i gave a lem.
Most of the time i play HC, but sometimes I play SC. So I have necros in both HC and SC. here are some interesting facts: - all of my HC necros have nearly 0% blocking (like 2%) in Hell, 1.2K or more hps, very low defense (with 95% chance to get hit by ANY monster in Hell). - all of my SC necros have like 75% blocking in Hell, 600 or more hps (half of that in HC), close to 1K defense or mroe (with like 70% chance to get hit by a typical monster in Hell) Who can survive better? All of them. The only major difference that blocking makes is: when my 800x600 screen is filled up with countless arrows and javelines from Hell act5 enemies, my blocking necros in SC don't have to drink that many red potions. Either way, they don't die. In SC, homoculous is as cheap as a lem on East ladder. but I prefer the full vampire set. My summon-based necros solo'ed hell in both HC and SC, untwinked, with very poor gear. One of them used a sigon's shield before he defeated Hell. A ryhme shield for a MF summoner is a very bad idea. The extra 25% MF is not worth the loss of the huge benefits that you would otherwise get from a homo. You should make a Eth-Lum runeword, at least.
Rhymes benefits go beyond the 25% mf you mention. Cant be frozen and increased block is the big ones. Not to mention it uses 2 low runes that you can find before you leave act 3 normal
Vita with or without is always how I went. Personally I wouldnt go block with Homo unless I also had other dex adding pieces so I wouldn tmake the choice only on the shield.
I love how STINGER just slips right into a thread and acts as if he hadn't abandoned us for the past several months. :lol:
that's the job left to you. if you like, go ahead and try to make a page or two yourself other than enumerating the well-known mods on Rhyme and claiming they are just better. A summon-based necro won't die with or without vita - that's what STINGER meant also : pumping dex only if you feel like so, and don't make a decision solely based on using homo or not. well that's assumed you are really experienced in playing such necro. I just wish you had ever played (or even better, solo untwinked played) at least 1 necro through the entire game on HCL, with zero pts added to dex. one of my friends, his summoner died in Hell in uber gear (1.6K life, lots of +skills, etc), and last weekend he also "killed" my summoner in NM - he blamed his inexperience for my necro's poor gear! personally,that's fine tho. but that's also REAL experience with D2 ladder.
