Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Indepth Guide
Werebear Druid - 1.11b Patch
Version 1.20
Written by CLLi a.k.a. sunny_d2
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Table of Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Stats
III. Skills
A. Elemental Skills
B. Shape Shifting Skills
C. Summoning Skills
IV. Equipment
A. Power Equipment
B. Speed Leech Equipment
C. Inventory
D. Mercenary
V. Usage
A. Normal
B. Bosses
VI. FAQs
VII. Miscellaneous
______________________________________________________________________________
I. Introduction
Hello, thanks for checking this guide out. This is a guide to help you make
a good werebear druid.
The ancient druid knowledge I am about to bestow upon you is a mighty gift
indeed. This werebear druid focuses on speed and leech rather than a lumbering
powerhouse; for a pure power werebear, check out some other guides.
There are some experts in Diablo that have calculated exact frame rates for
the druid in werebear form, and also determined the change of attack speed,
walk/run speed, etc. I cannot give you exact frame break points, but the
information in this guide works fine.
______________________________________________________________________________
II. Stats
Werebear, despite being such a beast that he is, doesn't need to pump
strength. And also doesn't need to pump dexterity.
-Strength determines what armor you can where. Strength also adds to your
physical damage, but it's not worth spending the points for it.
-Dexterity determines your defense and your attack rating. The werebear will
obtain plenty of AR and defense from items.
Note: If you plan on using the alternative equipment set (see below), then
you probably have to put more in dexterity.
-Vitality determines health, stamina and stamina recovery. This is where
all your other points should go into.
-Energy determines mana and mana recovery. None
Strength should be at a "bear" (no pun intended) minimum. The increase in
physical damage is not worth it. Five more damage vs. two more life. (You
would think druids obtain three life for every skill point...) Energy is
always a joke. No character except the energy shield sorceress would need
mass mana.
______________________________________________________________________________
III. Skills
The werebear doesn't rely skills as much as a spellcastor, but still more than
a pure melee character. As for skills that are not even being used, I will
just skip them.
A. [----Elemental Skills----]
Total: 0 points spent
Only reasonable skill present is cyclone armor, and no. In order for it to be
effective, you would need the synergies to be filled in.
B. [----Shape Shifting Skills----]
Total: 69 points spent
We will not even touch the werewolf side of the tree.
:Werewolf:
1 point
Prerequisite.
:Lycanthropy:
20 points
With any transformation, Lycanthropy needs to be maxed. Duration and Life.
:Werebear:
20 points
Damage and defense are covered, we just need speed.
:Maul:
20 points
Such a funny skill name... This is your primary attack skill. It stuns, adds
damage and attack rating (AR)! Plus the 3 mana cost will easily be leeched
back, or even regen'ed back.
:Shockwave:
8 points
Oh yes, shockwave is a necessity. But one of the last necessities you will
put points into. The damage isn't great, but +.6 seconds of stun per level is
really helpful. And it has an area of effect.
C. [----Summoning Skills----]
Total: 41
Here comes the controversial part. Firstly, with 60+ points spent in
shapeshifting, we cannot pour points into summons. The wolves are too weak.
The bear is only effective if you max it, and its synergies, which we can't.
So make yourself weaker and have below average summons OR ignore summons
altogether and make yourself stronger.
So with the potential and ultimately useless points that go into summons, we
can make TWO spirits.
:Raven:
1 point
One point will suffice. With +skills, you will be able to summon 5 ravens.
These are more useful than the wolves/bear. Yeah, they don't do damage, but
they blind enemies and they can't die.
:Oak Sage:
20 points
With ideal conditions, Oak Sage adds ~1900 life. In addition to your Battle
Orders and Werebear, your life will be around 6500 (w/o charms).
:Heart of Wolverine:
20 points
20?! Yes, there is no rule that states you have to explicitly max one spirit
or the other. There are times when you need life more than damage and AR; and
of course vice versa. Play smart.
Primary Skills Summary
20 Lycanthropy
20 Werebear
20 Maul
20 Oak Sage (OS)
20 Heart of Wolverine (HoW)
Now... maxing order. I wouldn't follow this chart strictly. There are no
"essential skills" to max out first, but just keep your werebear balanced, in
terms of skills, all the time.
Lycanthropy - (1 point Shockwave) - Werebear - Maul - (Alternate) OS and HoW
______________________________________________________________________________
IV. Equipment
The main things that a werebear needs to focus on are...
+damage
damage reduction
faster hit recovery
faster run and walk
increased attack speed
attack rating
+stats
resistance
faster cast rate
An odd organization chart, but the more important modifications are on the
left. Thus, faster hit recovery is more important than faster cast rate. But,
faster cast rate?! For what? To cast Shockwave of course.
I am going to rate the difficulty in obtaining these items. I will try to
update these ratings fairly regularly because the duped-filled, bot-filled
economy is always changing.
The rating is out of 6 +'s. One + being easy to get while six + means you
need a lot of effort to find/trade one of these.
There are two equipment setups available for the speed werebear. The first one
is slower, but deals more damage. The second one has faster attack speed and
higher life leech. Choose one or the other. Mix these items up at your own
risk.
A. Power Equipment
These items, per se, are not the power items that suit a truly Power
werebear, but are power items when compared to my other setup. Still, 7000
damage isn't low.
~~~~Helmet~~~~
+++
Jalal's Mane
Totemic Mask
Defense: 247-297
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 65
Durability: 20
+150-200% Enhanced Defense
30% Faster Hit Recovery
20% Bonus To Attack Rating
+2 To Druid Skill Levels
All Resistances +30
+5 To Mana After Each Kill
+20 To Strength
+20 To Energy
+2 To Shape Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
The overall best helm for a SS druid. +skills, resistance, stats and a slight
AR boost. Cerebus' Bite provides higher AR and life leech, but lacks what was
just stated about Jalal's.
Socket with a Ber, NOT an Um. Ber adds 8% damage reduction in a helm or in a
shield, but Um adds higher resists when in a shield.
~~~~Body Armor~~~~
No doubt. Most melee characters use Fortitude. Damage, insane defense, resists
and life. An archon plate should suit you well, high defense, low strength.
++++
Fortitude - El + Sol + Dol + Lo
20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
+300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+1.125-1.5 To Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +25-30
Damage Reduced By 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 To Light Radius
As for Non-ladder players, surprise surprise...
++
Treachery - Shael + Thul + Lem
5% Chance To Cast Level 15 Fade When Struck
25% Chance To Cast level 15 Venom On Striking
+2 To Assassin Skills
+45% Increased Attack Speed
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold From Monsters
This is just such an oddball armor. Your resists are taken care of (plus you
look ethereal). The Venom adds to your damage. The 45% IAS will break who
knows how many frames. 20% FHR is always a plus. And 30% cold resist! Downside
is that there are no +stats and almost no defense. But who needs those...
And also, fade has curse reduction and more damage reduction, excellent.
~~~~Weapon~~~~
2-handed or 1-handed? Since we are a speed character, a 1-handed weapon is,
for the most part, faster than a 2-handed weapon. Damage? Well go for the
highest damage 1-hander.
+++++
Breath of the Dying - Vex + Hel + El + Eld + Zod + Eth
50% Chance To Cast Level 20 Poison Nova When You Kill An Enemy
Indestructible
+60% Increased Attack Speed
+350-400% Enhanced Damage
+200% Damage To Undead
-25% Target Defense
+50 To Attack Rating
+50 To Attack Rating Against Undead
7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
12-15% Life Stolen Per Hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+30 To All Attributes
+1 To Light Radius
Requirements -20%
Phase Blades are ungodly fast, but the dexterity requirement is way too high.
And the damage is too low. So use an ethereal Berserker Axe.
~~~~Shield~~~~
Phoenix versus Stormshield. The ONLY good thing about Phoenix is the enhanced
damage. Werebears don't need that Redemption aura. Stormshield is a lot more
balanced than the Phoenix.
+++
Stormshield
Monarch
Defense: 136-519
Required Level: 73
Required Strength: 156
+3-371 Defense (Based On Character Level)
+25% Increased Chance Of Blocking
35% Faster Block Rate
Damage Reduced By 35%
Cold Resist +60%
Lightning Resist +25%
+30 To Strength
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 10
Indestructible
Socket this with an Um. +22% resists. You're gonna need it. With the Ber in
the Jalal's (if you can), you're close enough to the DR cap.
~~~~Gloves~~~~
Gloves are used as the 20% IAS frame breaker. But this time, no. We are using
Dracul's Grasp for the +stats, life leech and most importantly, the chance to
cast lifetap.
++
Dracul's Grasp
Vampirebone Gloves
Defense: 125-145
Required Level: 76
Required Strength: 50
Durability: 14
+90-120% Enhanced Defense
+10-15 To Strength
+5-10 Life After Each Kill
25% Chance of Open Wounds
7-10% Life Stolen Per Hit
5% Chance To Cast Level 10 Life Tap On Striking
~~~~Boots~~~~
The overall best boot is Sandstorm Trek. Great +stats, frw, fhr and monster
poison resist.
+++ [Ethereal: +++++]
Sandstorm Trek
Scarabshell Boots
Defense: 158-178
Required Level: 64
Required Strength: 91
Durability: 14
+140-170% Enhanced Defense
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+1-99 Maximum Stamina (Based On Character Level)
+10-15 To Strength
+10-15 To Vitality
50% Slower Stamina Drain
Poison Resist +40-70%
Repairs 1 Durability In 20 Seconds
~~~~Belt~~~~
Most melee characters use Verdungo's for the +life and DR. We don't need
either of them. There is, somewhere, a perfect belt for the werebear; it would
be a rare one. A rare belt with...
+24% Faster Hit Recovery
+XX% Strength
+Resists
..and maybe some other random useful mods. But you can also be content with
just a Verdungo's, not String of Ears; life leech is voided because we
have Drac's. With Verdungo's you can reach the 55% DR cap.
+++
Verdungo's Hearty Cord
Mithril Coil
Defense: 125-158
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 106
Durability: 16
+90-140% Enhanced Defense
10% Faster Hit Recovery
+30-40 To Vitality
Replenish Life +10-13
+100-120 Maximum Stamina
Damage Reduced By 10-15%
~~~~Jewelry~~~~
Bling, bling. Raven Frost, and a rare ring.
++
Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
+150-250 To Attack Rating
Adds 15-45 Cold Damage, 4 sec. Duration
Cannot Be Frozen
+15-20 To Dexterity
+40 To Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
This rare ring should include...
+resists
+strength/dexterity
+stats
leech
If you are not comfortable with using a rare ring, Bul-Kathos' ring will do
well.
+++++
Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
Ring
Required Level: 58
+1 To All Skills
+0-49 To Life (Based On Character Level)
3-5% Life Stolen Per Hit
+50 Maximum Stamina
No, not Mara's. We don't need the +skills and the resists and the +stats. We
need Highlord's Wrath, for the IAS and Deadly Strike.
++++
Highlord's Wrath
Amulet
Required Level: 65
+1 To All Skills
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+0-37 % Deadly Strike (Based On Character Level)
Lightning Resist +35%
Adds 1-30 Lightning Damage
Attacker Takes Lightning Damage Of 15
--Prebuff--
Prebuff refers to [usually] spells you cast before going into battle. e.g.
Burst of Speed, Bone Armor, Shout. For the werebear, two prebuffs are
available.
The regular Call to Arms + Spirit is used.
+++ [High BO: +++++]
Call To Arms - Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm
+1 To All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
+250-290% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
7% Life Stolen Per Hit
+2-6 To Battle Command
+1-6 To Battle Orders
+1-4 To Battle Cry
Prevent Monster Heal
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
++
Spirit - Tal + Thul + Ort + Amn
+2 To All Skills
+25-35% Faster Cast Rate
+55% Faster Hit Recovery
+250 Defense Vs. Missile
+22 To Vitality
+89-112 To Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+3-8 Magic Absorb
Attacker Takes Damage of 14
For non-ladder players, use lidless wall to prebuff this setup.
++
Lidless Wall
Grim Shield
Defense: 271-347
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Durability: 70
+80-130% Enhanced Defense
+1 To All Skills
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
20% Faster Cast Rate
+3-5 To Mana After Each Kill
+10 To Energy
+1 To Light Radius
An optional prebuff that helps the AR is Demon Limb. The Enchant charges
increases your AR significantly. It is quite expensive to repair.
++
Demon Limb
Tyrant Club
One-Hand Damage: (89-105) To (162-191)
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 133
Durability: 65
+180-230% Enhanced Damage
+50% Damage To Undead
+123% Damage To Demons
Adds 222-333 Fire Damage
7-13% Life Stolen Per Hit
Fire Resist +15-20%
Level 23 Enchant (20 Charges)
Repairs 1 Durability in 20 Seconds
Modification Summary
This is a summary of most of the important item mods. I may have suggested
some rare items, so those mods can't be catalogued accurately, so I kept those
mods to a minimum. I did not include items in the inventory nor optional
prebuff items. This list is also based on that the player is on Ladder or can
obtain Ladder items. All mods are at the maximum possible stat and with you
at level 99.
Defense: 297, ~1400, 519, 145, 178, 158,
30% FHR, 20% FHR, 24% FHR
20% Run/Walk
60% IAS, 20% IAS
25% FCR
35% Block Rate
300% Dmg, 400% Dmg
35% DR, 8% DR
20% AR
+250 AR
+30 All Resist, +30 All Resist, +22 All Resist, +5 All Resist, +10 Resist
+60% Cold Resist
+25% Lightning Resist. +35% Lightning Resist
+70% Poison Resist
+5 Mana Kill
+10 Life Kill
+30 All Attributes
+20 Str, +30 Str, +15 Str, +15 Str, +15 Str, +10 Str
+20 Dex, +5 Dex
+20 Enrgy
+15 Vit
+1 All Skills
+2 Druid Skills
+2 ShapeShift
+40 Mana
+30 Life
20% Cold Absorb
12% Dmg to Mana
20% Level 15 Chilling Armor Struck
50% Level 20 Poison Nova Kill
5% Level 10 Lifetap Striking
+37% Deadly Strike
+25% Open Wounds
7% Mana Leech
15% Life Leech, 10% Life Leech, 3% Life Leech
Prevent Monster Heal
+25% Chance Block
Replenish Life +7
-25% Target Defense
Cannot Be Frozen
Cold Damage
B. Speed Leech Equipment
This equipment setup is not secondary to the one listed above, it is just
another way. And quite a powerful way too. This equipment set is still for a
speed werebear.
Also, this setup 'requires' the use of a Ladder runeword and a high dexterity
weapon. Again, mix these two setups together at your own risk.
~~~~Helmet~~~~
Cerebus' Bite offers a different layout than Jalal's Mane. The pros that are
covered in Jalal's must be covered somewhere else while using Cerebus'.
+++
Cerebus' Bite
Blood Spirit
Defense: 335-350
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 86
Durability: 20
(Druid Only)
+130-140% Enhanced Defense
60-120% Bonus to Attack Rating
7-10% Life Stolen Per Hit
33% Chance of Open Wounds
+2-4 To Shape Shifting Skills (Druid Only)
+1-2 To Feral Rage (Druid Only)
(Ladder Only)
Socket this with a Cham, and it completely replaces the Raven Frost.
For non-ladder people. *Sigh, get a Jalal's Mane. Try to find a 40% enhanced
damage, 7% FHR jewel to socket it with.
~~~~Body Armor~~~~
This setup is a little different from my earlier choice. I think it's better
because the shield is actually valuable! We go back to the Fortitude choice
from the first setup. Defense, life, resists.
~~~~Weapon~~~~
A very powerful weapon is in your grasp now. Grief. You will have amazing
attack speed and amazing damage, even if it doesn't show on the character
screen. Grief is simply amazing.
You must, MUST, get at least 390+ damage on the Grief for it to be worthwhile
in Hell. Anything under will notibly decrease your killing speed. Also, I
believe 37% IAS is the frame break on the PB; that's for Paladins at least.
+++++
Grief - Eth + Tir + Lo + Mal + Ral
35% Chance To Cast Level 15 Venom On Striking
+30-40% Increased Attack Speed
Damage +340-400
Ignore Target's Defense
-25% Target Defense
+1.875-185.625% Damage To Demons (Based on Character Level)
Adds 5-30 Fire Damage
-20-25% To Enemy Poison Resistance
20% Deadly Strike
Prevent Monster Heal
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
+10-15 Life After Each Kill
For non-ladders, don't use this setup. It is centered around the Grief PB...
Unless you want to go get a Grief PB.
Using a Phase Blade requires a high dexterity. High dexterity means less life.
~~~~Shield~~~~
The armor Fortitude gives, max 30 resists, and that is not nearly enough. We
will be using the runeword Sanctuary. It is preferred to make the runeword in
a low strength required shield. This shield gives you insane resists along with
more FHR and FBR. The +20 to dexterity definitely helps.
+++
Sanctuary - Ko + Ko + Mal
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
+20% Faster Block Rate
20% Increased Chance of Blocking
+130-160% Enhanced Defense
+250 Defense vs. Missile
+20 To Dexterity
All Resistances +50-70
Magic Damage Reduced By 7
Level 12 Slow Missiles (60 Charges)
~~~~Gloves~~~~
For gloves, Dracul's Grasp is a must-have for physical damage characters.
~~~~Boots~~~~
Boots. You don't need boots with resists so focus on some +stats. A good
choice would be Marrowwalk, but the strength requirement is a little high.
But then again, if you're using an archon plate, your strength will definitely
reach 118.
++
Marrowwalk
Boneweave Boots
Defense: 183-204
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 118
Durability: 16
+170-200% Enhanced Defense
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+1-2 To Skeleton Mastery (Necromancer Only)
+10-20 To Strength
+17 To Dexterity
Regenerate Mana 10%
Heal Stamina Plus 10%
Half Freeze Duration
Level 33 Bone Prison (13 Charges)
Level 12 Life Tap (10 Charges)
~~~~Belt~~~~
Nosferatu gives great mods, but not in great quantity. But still it's a great
belt.
+++
Nosferatu's Coil
Vampirefang Belt
Defense: 56-63
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 50
Durability: 14
Slows Target By 10%
+2 To Mana After Each Kill
5-7% Life Stolen Per Hit
+15 To Strength
10% Increased Attack Speed
-3 To Light Radius
~~~~Jewelry~~~~
The Raven Frost ring is excellent in adding the dexterity that you need. The
CBF and the attack rating don't hurt either.
For the amulet, we shall use Cat's Eye for the +speeds and particularly the
+dexterity.
++
Cat's Eye
Amulet
Required Level: 50
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+20% Increased Attack Speed
+100 Defense Vs. Missile
+100 Defense
+25 To Dexterity
--Prebuff--
Call to Arms will work fine. But since you are hurting in the strength area,
just use a Lidless instead of Spirit monarch. As for the Demon Limb Enchant
prebuff, this setup adds a ton more AR than the first one, so AR isn't
remotely a problem now.
This setup allows for very fast attack speed and very high life leech. But
less damage. This setup is just as good as the previous setup, it's all about
preference. As for charms, resists are a little lower, so you have to help
that by getting some resist charms.
Notice how there is no FHR in the items? Well since your attack speed is
extremely quick, FHR becomes less important. Having some FHR in your charms
definitely helps, but is not mandatory.
Mercenary? Just go with the written recommendation.
Modification Summary
This is a summary of most of the important item mods. I may have suggested
some rare items, so those mods can't be catalogued accurately, so I kept those
mods to a minimum. I did not include items in the inventory nor optional
prebuff items. This list is also based on that the player is on Ladder or can
obtain Ladder items. All mods are at the maximum possible stat and with you
at level 99.
Defense: 350, ~1400, ~400, 145, 204, 63
20% Run/Walk, 30% Run/Walk
50% Block Rate
25% FCR
40% IAS, 10% IAS, 20% IAS
+400 Damage
+300% Enhanced Dmg
185% Demon Damage
120% AR
+22 All Resist
55% Poison Resist
+2 Mana Kill, +2 Mana Kill
+15 Life Kill, +10 Life Kill
+15 Str, +20 Str, +15 Str
+49 Dex, +17 Dex, +25 Dex
+1 All Skills
+4 ShapeShift
+123 Life, +49 Life
61 Cold Absorb
4% Level 5 Weaken Struck
5% Level 10 Life Tap Striking
10% Level 10 Poison Nova Struck
8% Level 13 Twister Striking
20% Deadly Strike
33% Open Wounds, 25% Open Wounds
10% Slows Target
10% Life Leech, 10% Life Leech, 7% Life Leech, 5% Life Leech
-25% Enemy Poison Resist
Prevent Monster Heal
12% Dmg to Mana
10% Mana Regen
-25% Target Defense
Cannot Be Frozen
Ignore Target Defense
C. Inventory
Don't forget out charms and the like. Rule of thumb, don't keep you Horadric
Cube in your inventory; keep it in the stash. For almost all builds, charms
will be the last set of items you acquire. And usually the hardest.
A.  Small Charms
++++
x11 20 Life, 3 Max Damage, 20 Attack Rating
The usual 3/20/20 charm. You don't have to get the max stats, just get some
Fine Small Charms of Life/Vita.
"+" depends on stats
Annihilus
Small Charm
Required Level: 70
+1 To All Skills
+10-20 To All Attributes
All Resistances +10-20
+5-10% To Experience Gained
B.  Large Charms
"+" depends on stats
Hellfire Torch
Large Charm
Required Level: 75
25% Chance To Cast level 10 Firestorm On Striking
+3 to Druid skills
+10-20 To All Atributes
All Resistances +10-20
+8 to light radius
Level 30 Hydra (10 charges)
Your standard torch.
C. Grand Charms
++++
x4 +1 Shapeshifting Skill 12% Faster Hit Recovery
More FHR is good.
++++++
x5 +1 Shapeshifting Skill 45 Life
Life skillers are a pain to obtain. Even if it's +4 life, keep it!
Of course having your entire inventory filled with charms isn't a good idea.
Unless you're explicitly dueling. Keep a 3x4 space open. That allows for
a Tome of Identify, Tome of Townportal and space to fit the largest item;
that way you can still pick up drops.
D. Mercenary
The mercenary for melee characters usually improves damage. And we're going to
do just that! But for the speed werebear, we need more than just damage..
Mercenaries survive by doing damage quickly with high leech to counter the
high amount of damage they take, since they have no DR and... they're not you.
The best mercenary combo to boost your damage, is an Act 2 mercenary with
Might aura and a Pride polearm. Depending on your condition, it can boost your
max damage by 2000! But again, we are the speedy gonzalez type werebear. So,
Act 1 Mercenary, cold arrow.
~~~~Helmet~~~~
For Andy's helm, it is important to get as much +strength as possible. Since
the Act 1 mercenary naturally has low strength. Also, the damned -30% fire
resist makes the mercenary actually susceptible to Hydras and the like.
I once found a rare jewel with +24% fire resist, +8 strength, +21% enhanced
damage, +3 minimum damage and some other goofy stat. Find something like that,
and socket Andy's helm with it!
+++++
Andariel's Visage
Demonhead
Defense: 310-387
Required Level: 83
Required Strength: 102
Durability: 20
+100-150% Enhanced Defense
+2 To All Skills
20% Increased Attack Speed
8-10% Life Stolen Per Hit
+25-30 To Strength
+10% To Maximum Poison Resist
Fire Resist -30%
Poison Resist +70%
15% Chance To Cast Level 15 Poison Nova When Struck
Level 3 Venom (20 charges)
(Ladder Only)
For Non-Ladder people, Vampire Gaze is an amazing helm.
+++
Vampire Gaze
Grim Helm
Defense: 252
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Durability: 40
+100% Enhanced Defense
Adds 6-22 Cold Damage - 4 Second Duration
15% Slower Stamina Drain
6-8% Life Stolen Per Hit
6-8% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Damage Reduced By 15-20%
Magic Damage Reduced By 10-15
A decent replacement is Tal Rasha's mask. Good life leech, some resistance,
and some life.
++
Tal Rasha's Horadric Creset
Death Msk
Defense: 99-131
Required Level: 66
Required Strength: 55
Durability: 20
10% Life Stolen Per Hit
10% Mana Stolen Per Hit
All Resistances +15
+45 Defense
+30 To Mana
+60 To Life
~~~~Weapon~~~~
Faith is the runeword of choice. It boosts AR, damage and attack speed. It
should be made in a non-(amazon only) weapon, since rogues aren't amazons.
Getting a high Fanaticism aura is important.
+++++
Faith - Ohm + Jah + Lem + Eld
Level 12-15 Fanaticism Aura When Equipped
+1-2 To All Skills
+330% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
300% Bonus To Attack Rating
+75% Damage To Undead
+50 To Attack Rating Against Undead
+120 Fire Damage
All Resistances +15
10% Reanimate As: Returned
75% Extra Gold From Monsters
Non-ladder people... I might have to transfer you to another mercenary. Since
the point of a rogue, is the Fanaticism aura. Still, try to get that Faith. If
you do not wish to get a Faith, instead go for an Act 2 Defensive mercenary in
nightmare. For the weapon, Breath of the Dying. Alternative? Any unique
polearm/spear.
~~~~Body Armor~~~~
The runeword Fortitude provides resistance, enhanced damage, life and great
defense.
++++
Fortitidue - El + Sol + Dol + Lo
20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
+300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+1-148.5 To Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +25-30
Damage Reduced By 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 To Light Radius
An alternative would be Duriel's Shell. Good defense, life, strength, cannot
be frozen and resists.
++
Duriel's Shell
Cuirass
Defense: (528-650) - (610-732)
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 65
Durability: 150
+160-200% Enhanced Defense
+1-123 Defense (Based On Character Level)
+1-99 To Life (Based On Character Level)
Resist Fire +20%
Resist Lightning +20%
Resist Poison +20%
Resist Cold +50%
Cannot Be Frozen
+15 To Strength
______________________________________________________________________________
V. Usage
Werebears, the characters that rush into the fray first while amazons and
sorceresses steal their kills. Naw, but a fun character to use albeit a little
hack'n'slash.
This section is written to help you out with whatever is difficult for you at
your level. A level 80 playing in normal does not need to worry about tactics.
A. Normal
This isn't normal difficulty. I'm talking about just all the
non-unique/minion monsters. Your majority of kills will be normal monsters.
For button layout, I found these efficient to use.
Left-click - Maul
F1-F8 - [Somewhere in there] Werebear, Shockwave, Oak Sage, Heart of
Wolverine
The Battle Command and Orders are a hassle to keep constantly activated, so
for gentile battles, don't bother to transform and prebuff.
Shockwave will be used a lot. Send a wave into a crowd then pick them off one
by one.
Adjust your spirits according to the situation. Party games generally call for
Oak Sage, unless you're with 6 other bloodthirsty Barbarians. Spirits are
extremely fragile. So get used to resummoning them.
Also, the hit recovery of the werebear is naturally slower than the
untransformed druid, so having fast hit recovery is very important. Because
usually the tank gets hit! So recover quickly, or else back away and try at a
different angle.
B. Bosses
It's too bad that the stun doesn't work on bosses, or else the game would be
insanely easy. Still, bosses are generally easy because 1. you rock and/or
2. your lifetap kicked in and you don't have a negative rate of health
flow. Expect your spirit to die a lot though..
____________________________________________________________________________
VI. FAQs
None, yet.
____________________________________________________________________________
VII. Miscellaneous
A. Credits
Thank you to Battle.net for the online service and the website.
B. Legal
The explanation of stats, skills, equipment and usage belongs to CLLi
(Charles Li). This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on
any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited,
and a violation of copyright.
Sites Allowed To Post My Guide
GameFAQs.com
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
© 2007 Charles Li
C. Version History
10/02/2007 Version 1.00   Written
10/03/2007 Version 1.10   Filled in text gaps
Changed some ratings
Changed skill point layouts
12/13/2008 Version 1.20   Changed 2nd Setup Equipment
Updated Modification Summary
D. Contact
I am available for questions, comments, criticism and suggestions. Feel free
to email me, I will try and respond within the same week.
email: charlesli321@hotmail.com