Quick Question about my Sorceress' Merc

[FirstDown_Again]

Quick Question about my Sorceress' Merc

Ok. I just got a Sup Eth Diamond Mail. Defense is 800 something. I like it. Going to socket it, and the only way to do it is with the socket quest, thus making it four sockets. There's two main runewords I'm considering, Chains of Honor, and Stone. So I'm going to equip my merc with one of those two, and the Sorceress herself is going to be half MF, half something, its not a real serious character, just someone to play with whatever I'm in the mood for. (Trying not to get back into this game hardcore where I have 7 different level 90+ Sorceress' all with a different build), cause I can go crazy with this game sometime.

So anyhow, whats the better choice for the merc. Also, should mention he's a ACT2 merc, polearm guys. If this helps, hoping to equip him with a DOOM cryptic axe hopefully, and still kind of open on the helm as well, Crown of Ages (Just found it last night 1 socket 12% Dr though ) or Eth Vamp Gaze, or something else.

Let me know what I should do. Thanks.

 

[melianor]

Stone please! Your Merc will not need the resistances from CoH or the +2 skills. He's powerful enough already.

What he can make use of though, are all the nice stats on Stone runeword!
60% FHR (!), resistances, enhanced def, def. vs. missiles, added str, vit.
I would suggest to go for Stone runeword.

On the Helmet: Eth Vamp Gaze.

 

[FirstDown_Again]

Stone: ................................................... CHAINS:
+60% Faster Hit Recovery ......................... +2 To All Skills
+250-290% Enhanced Defense (varies) ........ +70% Enhanced Defense
+300 Defense Vs. Missile ........................... +200% Damage To Demons
+16 To Strength ...................................... +20 To Strength
+16 To Vitality ......................................... 8% Life Stolen Per Hit
+10 To Energy ......................................... +100% Damage To Undead
All Resistances +15.................................... All Resistances +65
Level 16 Molten Boulder (80 Charges) ........... Replenish Life +7c
Level 16 Clay Golem (16 Charges) ................ Damage Reduced By 8%
.............................................................. 25% Better Chance Magic Items.


It just seems to me like COH would be the better choice. True, in place of 60% FHR, there's +2 Skills which wont help much at all. Stone has a min 180% better Defense, and a 220% max better D, but in the other comparable stats, its 4 less STR, 50 less resistences, no Magic Find, no godly 8% DR, and in place of 16 Vital, its got 8% LL. Not to mention COH would make him more of an offensive threat with the % damages increases. What makes Stone so much better than COH that I'm not realizing still ?
Thanks.

 

[Andy2702]

yea, if i were u, I would prolly go for COH, since more people want it too...

Stone is good too tho, its really your choice.

Good luck!

Andy

 

[melianor]

What makes Stone so much better than COH that I'm not realizing still ?
Thanks.

60% FHR, that is a BIG difference. When your Merc gets hit and is in a large mob he will recover very fast from those hits and not move into a stunlock since he gets hit again and again, but cant get out of the hit recovery animation.

Enhanced Defense: Even more unlikely to be hit at all, With +250-290% enhanced defense in your choice of armor you can get a very high defense armor.
Enhanced Defense against missiles: +300 (!), this means he will even be better protected against ranged attackers like Archers. Combined with FHR this is very very useful.

Your Merc does simply NOT need the added resistance. At higher levels he can easily come very close to maxed resistances in Hell, with just the added +15 allres. The added resistances on CoH are a total overshot, which he will not be able to use fully.

You already have all the %DR you need on Vamp Gaze. The added Def and FHR takes care of the rest. MF? If you want MF on your Merc then give him a tombreaver. Remember, that your Merc has to land the last blow to make his MF count with yours. Okay, 5 less str, but +15 Vitality. Life on your Merc is important too. The 5 Str difference will not make that big a difference.

 

[Dennis_KoreanGuy]

yea, if i were u, I would prolly go for COH, since more people want it too...
Andy

That is HIGHLY faulty logic.
None of the mods on CoH is really good for your merc, except mayb 8 DR / 25 mf if you're mf / 65 resi.
60 FHR is HUGE! 300 def against missile do help a lot, but you cannot ignore the amazing 1.5~2k def of armor itself. Resi doesn't really matter on merc provided he's hi lvl, but 15 does help I guess. Melianor is totally right. You should use Stone.

- Dennis

 

[RetroStar]

The +2 on CoH is not that valuable and most mercs have max resist in hell anyway since they dont suffer from the penalty. The Stone is built for a merc and CoH is more built for chars. I would always go with the Stone because of the whooping Def it can get.. hmmm imagine an Sup Eth Sacred Armour Stone

 

[sasja]

Please ignore - faulty posting.

 

[Rcuhljr]

most mercs have max resist in hell anyway since they dont suffer from the penalty.

Mercs get the same resistance penalty players do I believe.