The Untwinked Level 99 Progress Thread, Revenge of the 99ers

[Ashenshugar]

Wow, PhineasB that sounds completely crushing, but you seem to take it like a champ!

I am excited to enter in this long term endeavor myself. My candidate for this (probably multi-year) project for me will be Natur, the currently level 92 wind druid.

His journey to 92 is fairly uneventful, but his runeluck has been quite spectacular finding both Ber and Jah before actually attempting any runefinding so I got a very early Enigma which let me respec to the same spec with lots more vit. Also stumbled across a Vex so I could make Heart of the Oak, too. Finding Arachnid's Mesh and Harlequin's Crest took like forever, but I have them now. The rings are very poor ones, but they both have 10% faster cast rate letting me use Frostburns for the extra mana. Amulet is also a bad one, with a bit of resistance and MF. The boots are dual resist with about 20% MF.

Merc has Reaper's, Duriel's Shell and Tal's Helmet. I could make him a Fortitude armor, but I like him not being frozen so he can apply Decrepify for me.

In the future I want a Call to Arms for more stable high life, the Oak Sage can be very unreliable at times.

Being only level 92 I still get pretty good xp from AT at players 8. At which point should I swap targets for maximum xp? I do not dare venture in the CS before I get the Call to Arms, would it be worth it to farm that so I could kill Diablo or would this be premature at this stage?

 

[T72on1]

If you can handle CS, it's faster than AT from level 92 on or so in my experience. Having said that, CtA is an absolute must for those, so I'd just stick to AT runs for 1 or 2 more levels. It's not like it was such a big difference for my Blizz Sorc. O yes, and CS is only left hand and right hand seal runs, not the upper one and Diablo.

Very cool to get another entrant !!! Good luck . And congrats on the rune drops. Quite lucky indeed.

 

[Ashenshugar]

Yeah, I don't think I dare venture into the CS before I have the Call to Arms - I did a couple of runs there a little while ago and it was pretty rough. Those curses are mean!

 

[PhineasB]

Welcome @Ashenshugar! It's very cool to see other character types working their way up the table. May Natur's journey be safe and enjoyable. For what it's worth, I found AT much more manageable through 93. After that, I think some LK runs if needed to build CtA would be worthwhile.

As for Hiatus, thanks for the encouragement, @everyone! One interesting thing about her conversion to lightning is that the loss of equipment wasn't too bad. Griffon's would have been really painful (as I believe @hasuprotoss experienced -- condolences again on that ), but not much else beyond that. Most others seem to have found multiple Arachnid's by this point (not Hiatus though).

Most everything else was items that she had multiples of and had actually stopped bothering to pick up. A [email protected] Vipermagi was replaced by a second [email protected] with only one point lower integer MDR, Trang's gloves with 2 lower defense, Verdungo's with 3 lower +vita, etc. She hadn't bothered picking up any more grey Monarchs after getting two Spirits. But that would be overcome by a different approach through the leveling: rolling new Spirits in new bases rather than being lazy and Hel-ing one of the two until 35FCR was reached. And it was pretty quick to replace the first Spirit anyhow.

I had actually planned on trying out new gear combos at 3.24B, most notably going back to HoTo and using Aldur's (on the premise that +17% lightning damage from Eschuta's is marginal on top of mastery, and plus life/MF from Aldur's and charm swaps that would be possible with better resists might be better). I actually like her replacement set up more on those fronts, so those items were not really a loss for Hiatus, even if the rare boots would have been very solid in my general stash for other characters. The replacement Mara's was very fortunate, but she had two +2 skills amulets with 9% and 10% to choose from in the meantime.

So her build thankfully made it less painful. Loss of Fathom would have hurt much more. And an Enigma wearing character would have been a totally different story. I'm not sure how I would recover from that.

But that's good knowledge for Phaedrus -- he'll definitely keep a second CtA for the body recovery kit and bail at the first sign of trouble in a recovery attempt. The full 10% XP penalty would not be nearly as bad as losing Enigma and other gear for him!

 

[Grape]

Wow, that was quite the recovery @PhineasB ! Good to have you back on track

 

[darkstarhub]

You bounced back very graciously from a hard hit like that @PhineasB. The XP loss would make me freak, but the gear loss also is heartbreaking. I remember once getting into a situation like that where there was no way getting the gear back was ever going to happen and after a retrieval failed I S&E. The only SoJ I ever found was on that character and I had bought stuff from vendors to attempt retrieval, and was scared to death it was gone, but luckily it was on the corpse at restart.

So running CS mostly consists of the left and right seals eh, and probably P7 if doable? I am assuming some boss packs in there are a plus, and obviously if a shrine is near that can possibly be XP. I don't think I have the twitch response to run Nihly so that might be the best alternative at this point.

 

[Ashenshugar]

Had two completely unremarkable level-ups, so now I am level 94.

The only thing that happened that was worth noting was that I found this, which is a first for me.

Now the need for the Call to Arms is more pressing ,and I did a couple of runs in LK to test my luck and not 20 minutes in and this drops.


Not what I needed, but I will take it regardless!

 

[PhineasB]

Hiatus is back on track! She’s more than a tenth into the level, with a better map for Nihl and CS. She also eclipsed 450 items for her grail thanks to a Schaefer’s hammer. Finally, she also found a second Monarch, which also got 4os and a turned into a 27FCR roll for Spirit. It was subsequently Hel’ed and rerolled to 32FCR.

I liked the idea of switching up to p1/p7 Diablo runs for a break, either when getting sloppy or as a cushion for slightly longer sessions of Nihl. So I rolled for Map #3 for Nihl, and double straight-arm layout for CS. After a little more than 5 minutes, the Nihl map has one shrine directly on the way, which she tags if it’s an XP shrine, and the CS map has two shrines.

The Nihl map has his platform in the Northeast, which is more open than the Northwest option. With lightning, that works better, as she has more choices (and chances) of a clean landing spot without Vipers. She is bailing with any LI roll, plus as soon as Amp triggers if Vipers are around. Otherwise, she is solid – the biggest risk right now is when teleporting on Nihl’s level if she lands in some vipers.

Two other tweaks in style, which may be of use to others. First, she never teleports to pick up items if Vipers are around or if she isn’t certain on the roll. Her life pool is just too low to risk it -- one close call when she had only seen two monsters types and teleported to pick up a SC, only to land in a green cloud was all that was needed to make that part of the routine. In general, she runs to pick up items rather than teleporting just to be safe.

Second, she has cut back on items to pick up considerably, for similar reasons – trying to pick up an item is the biggest risk for her. At this point, it’s only GC/SC, Ko+, most Elite uniques, various assassin claws, grey Threshers/Giant Threshers, and any grailers she may find. No more flawless gems, and jewels just aren’t worth the risk.

Rune drops were disappointing, considering that she kills lots of monsters in addition to Nihl. Three Fals, a Ko, and an Ohm are all she has to show for her efforts so far. It’s particularly disappointing when considering that she has an extra 11M of runs due to her earlier death. Aside from that, the only items from Nihl worth screenshots were Schaefer’s hammer and a second Boneflame from Nihl.

But, from about 1M of Diablo runs she was able to find another SoJ (replacing the one she lost). It was a nice double unique ring drop – you can barely see the second, which was a Carrion Wind. Other fun finds (all from Nihl) were an eth +4skill Arioc’s (sadly not perfect +damage%), Dragonscale, and Ondal’s.

I am going to try to Mat the first of my Trio of Twins characters and take the second to Hell this week. So I may not get much progress on Hiatus this week. We’ll see if she gets some play time, maybe by next weekend.

 

[T72on1]

Good progress both !!

If you think you had crappy drops, not sure what to say about mine ... In all the runs I have done so far after returning, I haven't gotten a rune above Ko, and almost no elite uniques, let alone useful ones or grailers. And since complaining helps, here I am ... complaining .

I'm getting close to 2.30B xp. Will post an update when I get there.

 

[PhineasB]

Nice to see Neverland moving again @T72on1. I hope the complaint helps improve the drops

Also, @darkstarhub, I realized I didn't respond to your question about CS. Before 98, the most efficient approach is Vizier and Infector seals at p8. I think it depends on the map whether hitting other boss packs on the way is more or less efficient from an XP perspective, generally more if the other packs are grouped by the seals. But I found it more fun and engaging long-term to hit other boss packs between the seals due to more drops and TC87 possibilities.

I think p7 work fine if p8 is too tough starting out. And I wouldn't bother with shrines if you're just doing seals. Due to Oblivion Knights, it will likely get cursed off.

 

[T72on1]

Sorry to be lazy, but I can't find it immediately here, so I'm asking instead: how much xp/hour did you guys get on average running Nihl from 98 to 99?

 

[Pb_pal]

I was at ~47k/min on Nihl, Nanomist was around ~42k/min I believe. So anywhere from 2.5M-2.8M/hour, though probably closer to the lower end (or even lower really) since it's hard to sustain those rates over an extended period of time.

 

[NanoMist]

I recall 2.5 M/hour as the benchmark rate I was trying to sustain, so Pb_pal is right about that.

 

[T72on1]

Thanks guys . A little 30 minute test gave me a result of 2.6M / hour. The session 'felt' quite average, so that should be a good benchmark, I think.

Over to the bigger news ... I finally hit the 98.25 mark (if I counted correctly) !!!



Runs have been really smooth lately. Almost no abandonned runs, no potions used. The only thing I noticed, is that I almost never use Frozen Orb. Even on a FI Nihl, who is (almost?) always breakable, my fire skills kill almost as quick as FO, and they are far more convenient to use. So I should have just respecced to full Fire instead of Fire/FO. Ah well, I don't feel like farming for essences now, and it won't make that much of a difference hopefully.

Nothing much else to say I'm afraid. Drops have been incredibly bad, especially in the rune departement. Nothing higher than Ko since returning, and even that was an exception . Best other drops were 3 rainbow facets, a plain Fungal GC, Bul-Kathos' Tribal Guardian, Titan's Revenge, a 298% ED Ribcracker (only my second since starting over, the other one was almost lowest roll) and a 1os Tomb Reaver.

O yes, I unfortunately lost track of time spent, numbers of deaths, ... Run Counter crashed a few times, and I didn't bother with it when returning. I definitely should try it again next time.

I'll probably take a break from Neverland now, as I want to focus on my 5 stages of Grief tournament character first, with some runs with my Pitzerker to level him up in between. Then a return to Grim Dawn when the expansion hits, somewhere in Octobre, followed by the MFO in November.

Progress Update

Name          (C)            SC/HC    Class  Level/exp   Extended Stash  #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths  # of Hours
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zticazzy      Perkele         SC      Barb      99             No            -          -            -           -
Pb_pal        Eleanor         SC      Sorc      99             No         3068        437            5           -
NanoMist      Izuna           SC      Sin       99             No         5109        470            4         360
PhineasB      Mercy           SC      Sin       99             Yes           -        475           11           -
Neksja        Aura            SC      Paladin   98.50          Yes        8606        464            -           -
T72on1        Neverland       SC      Sorc      98.25          Yes        2190+?      477           13         270?
PhineasB      Hiatus          SC      Sorc      98             Yes           -        438           19           -
hasuprotoss   Reina           SC      Sorc      97             Yes        1751        384            -           -
Tarantella    Tarasha         HC      Sorc      96             Yes           -          -            -           -
Grim          Furious_Blonde  SC      Ama       96             Yes           -          -            -           -
XyleneCyanol  Fishie          HC      Sorc      95             No            -          -            -           -
ThomasJohnsen xInTheBuffx     HC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
darkstarhub   Neptune         SC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
PhineasB      Phaedrus        SC      Pala      94             Yes           -        274           12           -
Reyz          Qty             SC      Sorc      93             No            -          -            -           -
Chaostar      Prairie         SC      Sorc      91             Yes         659        261           12         126
OldSoldier    Battleforge     HC      Pala      91             Yes           -        236            -           -
tokerdin      tokeress        SC      Sorc      91             yes           -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Ayura           SC      Barb      91             No            -          -            -           -
Southpaw      Njord           SC      Druid     90             Yes           -          -            -           -
Qwernt        CanbeOnlyBlizz  SC      Sorc      90             Yes           ?          -        Dont want to know
MercMan       Este            SC      Ama       90             Yes        1212        278            2  Classified
Me2Nik        Fugu            HC      Ama       90             Yes          80
Lynchgrinch   Tattersail      SC      Sorc      89             Yes           ?        321         too many    lots
LiquidClear   Sally           SC      Assn      **             Yes         225          -            1           -
liquid_mage   zDadColdSorc    SC      Sorc      **             Yes           -        160            -           -
ffs           HelpYourself    SC      Sorc      **             No            -          -          many          ?
Neksja        Turirao         SC      Druid     87             Yes         191        124            5           -
Gladstone     Socrates        HC      Druid     86             ?             -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Gnosis          SC      Druid     86             No            -          -            -           -
Lord Molyb    Cruise_Control  SC      Necro     86             No          115         94           19         idk
Naturallog    Athos           HC      Barb      84             No          159        105            0           -
Lord Molyb    Verisimilitude  SC      Ama       83             No           28         25            0         idk
Qwernt        AmaAgainstAll   SC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit        Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Lord Molyb    But_Why         SC      Sin       81             Never        55         51           53
Jean Avila    SpeedAdict      SC      Ama       77             No            -          -            -          50
logo          Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
TwentyMule    Rayne           SC      Sorc      76             Yes         195        140            ?           ?
Gripphon      Ryu             SC      Sorc      76             Yes           -          -         over 9k       13
Darke Rahl    Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0
Vildecor      Celia           SC      Ama       59             Yes          52         43            0           -
ioupainmax    Durnik          SC      Paladin   52             Yes          50         42            -           -
Kitteh        Darozzo         HC      Druid     45             No            -          -            -           -
TrU           Henryk          SC      Barb      41             Yes           -          -           22          12
Gambit        Colossus        SC      Pal       39             Yes           0          0            0           0
Smancer       Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
Ergroilnin    Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
hackedagainanda Hugo          HC      Barb      16             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen

Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0         a few
TwentyMule  Valus           HC      Barb      76             Yes           -          -            1           -
Pb_pal      Stevesy         HC      Paladin   76             Yes           -          -            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     49             Yes           -          0            1           -
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

 

[PhineasB]

Nice progress @T72on1!

Mercy got faster as she went, and for the last 1/5th or so was on the higher end of the range that @Pb_pal and @NanoMist identified. Before that, she was solidly around 2.5/hr. She was picking up every rune Hel+ and every elite S/U, which slowed things a bit. I also was not running in large stretches without at least a short break every 30 minutes, often just to get up and refill my water or something. That allowed a more sustained, more focused running that, at least for me, was more efficient that sitting for hours straight at the computer.

Hiatus is a bit below 2.5M/hour at the moment, closer to 2.35-2.4M, based on two timed 30-minute sessions. She has a more streamlined approach to items, but I haven't converted to full efficiency mode yet, and still kill monsters after taking down Nihl if there aren't vipers around for fun.

 

[ffs]

Started to do some running again after couple months break!

My Blizzy HelpYourself left off in the final stages of her "initial gearing phase", which was off to a pretty lucky start. She's currently running Hoto, CtA, Spirit, Arach, Shako, Viper, WT, Tal's amu, Magefist/Chancies and Nagels.

As she is only one Sur away from CoH, I will pick it up here and run LK until that's done (and hopefully never regret not saving for Infinity). Also hoping to find a skiller or two along the way. After that I'll try to make some progress in AT. Once CoH is available she will be reasonably well geared and safe enough, so I guess she should be okay to run ATs on /p8, but we'll see how that works. Biggest long-term upgrades will then be SoJ/BK and Death's Fathom, but I don't think it makes sense to hunt for them on dedicated /p1 runs.

In short, let's get CoH and the XP grind shall begin.


Progress Update

Name          (C)            SC/HC    Class  Level/exp   Extended Stash  #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths  # of Hours
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zticazzy      Perkele         SC      Barb      99             No            -          -            -           -
Pb_pal        Eleanor         SC      Sorc      99             No         3068        437            5           -
NanoMist      Izuna           SC      Sin       99             No         5109        470            4         360
PhineasB      Mercy           SC      Sin       99             Yes           -        475           11           -
Neksja        Aura            SC      Paladin   98.50          Yes        8606        464            -           -
T72on1        Neverland       SC      Sorc      98.25          Yes        2190+?      477           13         270?
PhineasB      Hiatus          SC      Sorc      98             Yes           -        438           19           -
hasuprotoss   Reina           SC      Sorc      97             Yes        1751        384            -           -
Tarantella    Tarasha         HC      Sorc      96             Yes           -          -            -           -
Grim          Furious_Blonde  SC      Ama       96             Yes           -          -            -           -
XyleneCyanol  Fishie          HC      Sorc      95             No            -          -            -           -
ThomasJohnsen xInTheBuffx     HC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
darkstarhub   Neptune         SC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
PhineasB      Phaedrus        SC      Pala      94             Yes           -        274           12           -
Reyz          Qty             SC      Sorc      93             No            -          -            -           -
Chaostar      Prairie         SC      Sorc      91             Yes         659        261           12         126
OldSoldier    Battleforge     HC      Pala      91             Yes           -        236            -           -
tokerdin      tokeress        SC      Sorc      91             yes           -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Ayura           SC      Barb      91             No            -          -            -           -
ffs           HelpYourself    SC      Sorc      91             No            -          -          many          ?
Southpaw      Njord           SC      Druid     90             Yes           -          -            -           -
Qwernt        CanbeOnlyBlizz  SC      Sorc      90             Yes           ?          -        Dont want to know
MercMan       Este            SC      Ama       90             Yes        1212        278            2  Classified
Me2Nik        Fugu            HC      Ama       90             Yes          80
Lynchgrinch   Tattersail      SC      Sorc      89             Yes           ?        321         too many    lots
LiquidClear   Sally           SC      Assn      **             Yes         225          -            1           -
liquid_mage   zDadColdSorc    SC      Sorc      **             Yes           -        160            -           -
Neksja        Turirao         SC      Druid     87             Yes         191        124            5           -
Gladstone     Socrates        HC      Druid     86             ?             -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Gnosis          SC      Druid     86             No            -          -            -           -
Lord Molyb    Cruise_Control  SC      Necro     86             No          115         94           19         idk
Naturallog    Athos           HC      Barb      84             No          159        105            0           -
Lord Molyb    Verisimilitude  SC      Ama       83             No           28         25            0         idk
Qwernt        AmaAgainstAll   SC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit        Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Lord Molyb    But_Why         SC      Sin       81             Never        55         51           53
Jean Avila    SpeedAdict      SC      Ama       77             No            -          -            -          50
logo          Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
TwentyMule    Rayne           SC      Sorc      76             Yes         195        140            ?           ?
Gripphon      Ryu             SC      Sorc      76             Yes           -          -         over 9k       13
Darke Rahl    Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0
Vildecor      Celia           SC      Ama       59             Yes          52         43            0           -
ioupainmax    Durnik          SC      Paladin   52             Yes          50         42            -           -
Kitteh        Darozzo         HC      Druid     45             No            -          -            -           -
TrU           Henryk          SC      Barb      41             Yes           -          -           22          12
Gambit        Colossus        SC      Pal       39             Yes           0          0            0           0
Smancer       Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
Ergroilnin    Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
hackedagainanda Hugo          HC      Barb      16             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen

Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0         a few
TwentyMule  Valus           HC      Barb      76             Yes           -          -            1           -
Pb_pal      Stevesy         HC      Paladin   76             Yes           -          -            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     49             Yes           -          0            1           -
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

 

[Disposition]

SO I'm thinking I would like to join in on this.... Curious what these mean however
#of S/U Grail/504

Also if you were starting fresh, solo found, no help, no transfering... what would your first choice be? I find it strange the barb was first to 99 aswell. xD

 

[T72on1]

#of S/U = total amount of set and unique items found, should you care to register it. Grail/504 is how many different set and unique items you have found, of all 504 available. Easy trackable with the built-in Flavie report in GoMule.

As you can see in this thread, there are various characters that can make it work. So pick something you think you'll find fun in the long haul, as that is what it'll be .

Good luck !!

 

[Yng]

Added my Druid. Going to be a little while before I really focus on leveling while I finish up my setup but good luck @ all.

Progress Update

Name          (C)            SC/HC    Class  Level/exp   Extended Stash  #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths  # of Hours
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
zticazzy      Perkele         SC      Barb      99             No            -          -            -           -
Pb_pal        Eleanor         SC      Sorc      99             No         3068        437            5           -
NanoMist      Izuna           SC      Sin       99             No         5109        470            4         360
PhineasB      Mercy           SC      Sin       99             Yes           -        475           11           -
Neksja        Aura            SC      Paladin   98.50          Yes        8606        464            -           -
T72on1        Neverland       SC      Sorc      98.25          Yes        2190+?      477           13         270?
PhineasB      Hiatus          SC      Sorc      98             Yes           -        438           19           -
hasuprotoss   Reina           SC      Sorc      97             Yes        1751        384            -           -
Tarantella    Tarasha         HC      Sorc      96             Yes           -          -            -           -
Grim          Furious_Blonde  SC      Ama       96             Yes           -          -            -           -
XyleneCyanol  Fishie          HC      Sorc      95             No            -          -            -           -
ThomasJohnsen xInTheBuffx     HC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
darkstarhub   Neptune         SC      Sorc      95             Yes           -          -            -           -
PhineasB      Phaedrus        SC      Pala      94             Yes           -        274           12           -
Reyz          Qty             SC      Sorc      93             No            -          -            -           -
Chaostar      Prairie         SC      Sorc      91             Yes         659        261           12         126
OldSoldier    Battleforge     HC      Pala      91             Yes           -        236            -           -
tokerdin      tokeress        SC      Sorc      91             yes           -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Ayura           SC      Barb      91             No            -          -            -           -
ffs           HelpYourself    SC      Sorc      91             No            -          -          many          ?
Southpaw      Njord           SC      Druid     90             Yes           -          -            -           -
Qwernt        CanbeOnlyBlizz  SC      Sorc      90             Yes           ?          -        Dont want to know
MercMan       Este            SC      Ama       90             Yes        1212        278            2  Classified
Me2Nik        Fugu            HC      Ama       90             Yes          80
Yng           Kyrie           HC      Druid     90             Yes           -          -            -           -
Lynchgrinch   Tattersail      SC      Sorc      89             Yes           ?        321         too many    lots
LiquidClear   Sally           SC      Assn      **             Yes         225          -            1           -
liquid_mage   zDadColdSorc    SC      Sorc      **             Yes           -        160            -           -
Neksja        Turirao         SC      Druid     87             Yes         191        124            5           -
Gladstone     Socrates        HC      Druid     86             ?             -          -            -           -
Zenigma       Gnosis          SC      Druid     86             No            -          -            -           -
Lord Molyb    Cruise_Control  SC      Necro     86             No          115         94           19         idk
Naturallog    Athos           HC      Barb      84             No          159        105            0           -
Lord Molyb    Verisimilitude  SC      Ama       83             No           28         25            0         idk
Qwernt        AmaAgainstAll   SC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          -            -           -
Gambit        Mallenroh       SC      Sorc      81             Yes           0          0            0           0
Lord Molyb    But_Why         SC      Sin       81             Never        55         51           53
Jean Avila    SpeedAdict      SC      Ama       77             No            -          -            -          50
logo          Digimon         HC      Nec       76             Yes          85         65            0           -
TwentyMule    Rayne           SC      Sorc      76             Yes         195        140            ?           ?
Gripphon      Ryu             SC      Sorc      76             Yes           -          -         over 9k       13
Darke Rahl    Bells           HC      Ama       74             No           19          -            0
Vildecor      Celia           SC      Ama       59             Yes          52         43            0           -
ioupainmax    Durnik          SC      Paladin   52             Yes          50         42            -           -
Kitteh        Darozzo         HC      Druid     45             No            -          -            -           -
TrU           Henryk          SC      Barb      41             Yes           -          -           22          12
Gambit        Colossus        SC      Pal       39             Yes           0          0            0           0
Smancer       Smancer         SC      Necro     26             Yes           1          -            -           -
Ergroilnin    Erilinda        HC      Sorc      20             No            -          -            -           -
hackedagainanda Hugo          HC      Barb      16             Yes           -          -            -           -

The Fallen

Name (F)    Name (C)       SC/HC   Class   Level/exp   Extended Stash   #of S/U   Grail/504   #of deaths   # of Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
coju        NintyNine_orRiP HC      Sorc      81             Yes           -          0            0         a few
TwentyMule  Valus           HC      Barb      76             Yes           -          -            1           -
Pb_pal      Stevesy         HC      Paladin   76             Yes           -          -            0           -
Tenecabo    OldShatterhand  HC      Druid     49             Yes           -          0            1           -
coju        fB              HC      Sorc      29             Yes           1          1            0           2
Kitteh      Verallus        HC      Druid     26             No          N/A        N/A            0          N/A
logo        Rolex           HC      Barb      21             Yes           0          0            0           1

 

[ffs]

I guess this is the appropriate place to ask you guys what you think I should do after finding this beauty, namely: Whether to go and farm Infinity and switch from Blizzard to Lightning. I'm having a few decision making issues:

• Moral imperative: As @T72on1 put it, i.e. you could say finding this on an untwinked Sorc means I in fact have to do that. It's very unlikely for her to find another high-end item which is moreover well rolled and fits the class perfectly, and it would be a shame not to put it to use. Also, she has one Sur at the moment, and finding 3 more Surs in LK to make Infinity takes like 27-28 minutes (at most) -- as is common knowledge. She also has an eth Great Poleaxe but so far I've been too scared to cube sockets (and ofc won't use a Larzuk quest).
• XP grinding: Blizzard levels quicker and performs much better in some other key areas (AT, Trav, Pindle). I'm more concerned about the XP grinding than MF though. Can anyone give me an estimate as to how much slower a Lightning Sorc levels in comparison to Blizzy? I guess you could hit CS as well, maybe other targets make more sense with Lightning (e.g. Baal waves), but I just don't have any idea as far as how this compares to Blizzard, which is however crucial when grinding to 99.
• Socketing: Of course I didn't expect to find a Griffon's, so I socketed my Shako, naturally expecting this to be part of my endgame gear. This leaves me with 2 Larzuk quests at the moment. I also found a Viper with a perfect [email protected] roll, and in case I'm switching to Lightning, I'd be very tempted to socket the Viper as well, since IMO it's probably the best armor for Lightning. Doing this and socketing Griffon's means no more Larzuk quests, so in the (granted: similarly unlikely) event that I find a Death's Fathom and/or Nightwing's, it could make it painful not being able to go back to Blizzard efficiently.
• Other gear: She's got the necessary pieces to do the switch (Hoto, CtA, Viper, Arach). Crescent Moon is also easily obtainable if resists and FCR are taken care of. So it's really just Infinity that needs to be farmed. It may take some time, but it's actually pretty much guaranteed from LK runs. As opposed to finding such OP Blizzard items as Death's Fathom and NWV which is no where near guaranteed of course.

Thoughts? I'm leaning towards switching to be honest, I just really don't want the grind to 99 to take twice as long at the same time.