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Single Player Question
http://forum.arimyth.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1524		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  sigma89 [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:09 am ]
Post subject:  Single Player Question
So, I decided I wanted to try an act 3 merc with my solo paladin and found it didn't come close to the strength of my old a1 physical merc.

Problem is, the only a1 mercs I can buy are lvl 12-14ish, while I'm about to hit 40.

Is there anything I can do besides starting a new character? I really don't want to have to restart and play the same character again!

Any help is appreciated!
Author:  sigma89 [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Also, is it possible to get decent enough gear to solo all of Hell unleashed? I can see that Normal is definitely do-able (although it's still quite exciting :P ), but I'm hoping I won't hit a brick wall when I get to NM/Hell with my one man party...

Thoughts?
Author:  PureRage-DoD [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
act 3 mercs only get good wonce past level 50ish (the nm ones are best tbh). they really need conviction to be really effective at killing. 1 point is plenty in convic and your merc will clear trash for you.
Author:  sigma89 [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
PureRage-DoD wrote:
act 3 mercs only get good wonce past level 50ish (the nm ones are best tbh). they really need conviction to be really effective at killing. 1 point is plenty in convic and your merc will clear trash for you.


Ok...and is there any suggestion for element type or all they all pretty similar?

And ty for the answer of course :)
Author:  PureRage-DoD [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
fire is not so hot due to the bad skills they use and the dodgy positioning they use when casting these spells (firestorm and blaze from the back line wtf...)
They also have skills that dont synergise eachother and that dont help. Light and cold both work well and generally clear faster. I persoanlly like lightning for trash and cold for help on bosses (though light mercs can be GG on bosses if you are alone and can tele fast (they cause alot of counters). The thing to aim for with them is as much pierce as you possibly can. make sure you get them 140%+ fcr so they are casting as fast as possible and try to get some form of teleport to keep them around you at all times (najs staff on switch would do, its just to bring him to you).
Author:  sigma89 [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Alright, I'm going to try lightning...is there any way to get my merc to level up quickly to be in range of my character?

There's about a 10 lvl difference (29-40) and the merc keeps getting owned every time I try to get to mephisto. What do i do?
Author:  PureRage-DoD [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Load him up with life regen at the min. Stuff like angelic rings, arcannas helm, snakechord belt, etc, etc. make sure his res are maxed. Full andelic and full hsarus will work well with arcannas hem.
Your merc wont be much good until he is around 45-50 with conviction from you. Theres nothing you can really do about it except hang in there and level his as best as you can. Its worth it in the long run though.
Author:  Severus [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Try to keep an eye on his health bar, and disengage when he is taking too much of a beating. That worked well for me with act I and II mercs, who literally teleport to you when you get too far away. I haven't tried an Act III merc yet, so I am not sure of their AI in and out of combat, although I presume that they should be the same when you are offscreen.

As PureRage said also, full res is also important. I wouldn't level him up in places like the Durance of Hate unless he has full resistances. Blizzard cast by the seraphim (very annoying to deal with) hurts a lot if you don't have good cold resists and cannot move out of the way. Poison can kill your merc directly as well, as you probably know. So make sure he doesn't stay poisoned for too long; poison length reduction items are very useful in my opinion.

Remember that you can heal mercs by holding down shift while drinking a potion from your belt (with one of the hotkeys).
Author:  Severus [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Don't mean to double-post, but I don't want my previous post to be too long.

Quick question though for PureRage or anyone else who would know--what is a better weapon overall for an act I physical merc, Buriza or Sszak String? Buriza does more damage, but the Sszak slows enemies by 33%, which is nice for bosses. I don't really have the spac to keep both items. My character is a level 88 zealadin in NM (i tend to farm areas and level up until I find what I am looking for).
Author:  PureRage-DoD [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
hmm, they are both great but in diff areas ofcourse. Best way to raise damage with a low damage bow is to use max damage jewels in helm and armour, emeralds are stronger with a higher damage bow so thats why most people usualy go that route. Chances are I would stick with buriza as mercs tend to get squished on bosses so the slow wont be active for long. Clearing trash faster is what she is for i assume?

With any luck you will soon come across a medusas shield and horazons tornado, using both of those on switch will provide a fantastic 45% slow on bosses and be more reliable that a merc for that. I would stick with buriza and try to find some slow you can use yourself to apply as you need. Hope that helps
Author:  Severus [ Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Thanks for the advice :). I more or less keep my merc around for clearing trash mobs quickly, particularly enemies that don't stand still to fight. I have found the Sszak twice (both times in tundra), but the Buriza was the find of a lifetime (normal Nihlathak when hunting for runes for Lawbringer). I'll definitely try to get either or both medusa's gaze and horizon's tornado.

I was wondering what a decent weapon for killing trash mobs would be, that would be feasible to find in Act V NM, as I need something better than a demon limb tyrant club for the long battle up to Baal, and it does look a bit strange to see an armored knight using a wooden club. I have been looking for baranar's star, but I am sure there are better options.
Author:  drrod [ Fri Apr 09, 2010 5:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
Upgrade that buriza(IIRC it comes out mid 80's lvreq) and death craft something for the paladin. Most low end elite weapons should be dropping by late NM, I like using ettin axes(for the 4 sockets) around that level. There's a lot of 1 handed low elites you can find in A5NM but most can only have 3 sockets.
Author:  PureRage-DoD [ Fri Apr 09, 2010 10:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
yeh upped buriza comes out at level 80 exactly (level 72 base level req +8 for upgraded uniques.)

As long as you can keep your merc alive you should only need to attack each mob for a few secs before they are dead. I tend to play the pure tank roll and focus on leeching life back while my merc kills from the back row, while I flash redemption after each mob to heal myself.
Author:  Severus [ Fri Apr 09, 2010 6:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Single Player Question
^^ Thank you both for your excellent advice. I'll definitely up the Buriza to a colosus xbow. Death craft ettin axe also sounds nice. I tried creating a death craft devil star, but that wasn't a huge improvement over my current weapon, whereas the ettin axe will most likely be due to the higher base damage.
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