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Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (PC) FAQ/Character Guide
Version 1.1 (Last updated 7 May 2002)
by Chris Brennan
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0. Contents:
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0. Contents
1. The boring but necessary stuff...
1.1 E-Mail info
1.2 Copyright stuff
1.3 Version history
1.31 Future plans
1.4 A little about the game...
1.5 A little about this guide...
2. The Amazon
2.1 The "Bowazon"
2.2 The "Javazon"
2.3 The "Hybridzon"
2.4 The "Spearazon"
3. The Assassin
3.1 The "Martial Arts Assassin"
3.1.1 Claw/shield
3.1.2 Claw/claw
4. The Barbarian
4.1 The "Whirlwinder"
4.2 The "Frenzy Barbarian"
4.3 The "Berserker"
4.4 The "Magic Find Barbarian"
5. The Druid
5.1 The Werewolf/Summon Druid
5.2 The Werebear/Summon Druid
5.3 The Elemental/Summon Druid
5.4 The Pure Elemental Druid
6. The Necromancer
6.1 The "Golemancer"
6.1.1 Using Iron Golem
6.1.2 Using Fire Golem
6.1.3 Using Blood Golem
7. The Paladin
7.1 The "Zealot"
7.2 The "Avenger"
7.3 The "Charger"
8. The Sorceress
8.1 The Fire/Ice Sorceress
8.2 The Fire/Lightning Sorceress
8.3 The Ice/Lightning Sorceress
8.4 The "Tri-Sorc"
9. Skill statistics
9.1 Amazon
9.2 Assassin
9.3 Barbarian
9.4 Druid
9.5 Necromancer
9.6 Paladin
9.7 Sorceress
10. Mercenaries
10.1 Information
10.2 Which mercenary should I choose?
11. FAQs
12. Miscellaneous info
13. Known bugs
14. Short Walkthrough
14.1 Act I
14.2 Act II
14.3 Act III
14.4 Act IV
14.5 Act V
15. Credits
16. Copyright and random info again
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1. The boring but necessary stuff...
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1.1 E-Mail:
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My e-mail address for everything concerning my FAQs is
christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk. I usually check my e-mail every other day at
least, unless I'm overly busy. During holidays though (Easter, Xmas,
Summer) I may not always have Net access, so don't be surprised if you
don't get a reply for a while at these times. Any recommendations, praise,
(constructive) criticism, and corrections to this walkthrough are welcome.
Finally, no I don't play online anymore, so don't e-mail me asking for my
account details or suchlike.
I can also be reached on AIM as Darksyde XVIII, but my AIM appearances are
rare, so don't hold your breath...
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1.2 Copyright stuff:
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This work is Copyright © 2001/2002 Chris Brennan
(christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk). It is for personal use only, and may not be
reproduced without the author's permission, and if for some warped reason
you do want to put this on your site, you must e-mail me first and get my
permission! And everyone, plagiarism is baaaaad, so don't do it or nasty
things will happen...
The following sites have permission to use this FAQ:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
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1.3 Version History:
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0.1 - Started guide. Provisional contents list drawn up, most of section 1
completed. Started Amazon guides.
0.2 - Amazon section complete. I've had to play with a Spearazon for a few
hours, last time I'd played as one was probably a year ago and a lot has
changed since then (they've got worse, in case you were wondering). Started
Assassin section, revised contents list (added "Claw/Shield" and "Claw/Claw"
subsections for Martial Arts Assassin, I also intend to add a brief
"mercenaries" section later). Scrapped equipment section for each character
subclass (I was repeating myself far too often). Thinking about adding a
more generalised and separate equipment section later.
0.3 - Contents list amended again (added "Hardcore mode" section, added
"Magic Find Barbarian" section). Edited section 1.5 a little. Martial Arts
Assassin and Whirlwind Barbarian section complete.
0.4 - Barbarian section complete, Druid section half-finished, contents list
revised again (Necromancer subclasses changed, added subsections 6.1.1, 6.1.2
and 6.1.3). Modified complete stat plans.
0.7 - Most Necromancer sections complete. Added and completed "Known bugs"
section. Started "Miscellaneous info" section. Modified Barbarian sections
(I forgot to mention Leap Attack in the Barbarian subsections - oops...).
Added and started "Skill statistics" section, Amazon skills complete. Added
Mercenary subsections to contents list, completed "Mercenaries" section.
0.8 - Reformatted the guide (changed paragraphing). Paladin guides complete
up to section 7.3. Assassin skills section complete. Couple more things
added to section 12.
0.9 - All variant guides complete bar a few which will need a bit of
experimenting with first but will all be done in v1.0. Guide has been fully
spellchecked and proofread. A few sections are now left to be completed or
scrapped, depending on how bothered I can be... :)
1.0 - *First release* (24 April 2002) - All character guides done, most skill
stats done, some sections revised, some scrapped (for now at least..) Renamed
document. Added "FAQs" section.
1.1 - (7 May 2002) - All skill stats complete, couple more miscellaneous tips
added, some subclass guides (slightly) revised. Added "Short Walkthrough".
Added more FAQs. Credits updated.
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1.31 Future plans:
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By the next version (v1.2) I should have...
- More character subclass guides.
- Implemented any good suggestions I get from you, my wonderful readers. ^_^
- Further revised the existing character subclass guides.
- More detail in the "Mercenaries" section.
- Anything else I can think of.
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1.4 A little about the game:
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Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (henceforth D2:LoD) is an action-orientated RPG.
Or is it an RPG-orientated action game? Bah, who knows... or cares? What
matters is it is good, very good, and lethally addictive. Be warned, if you
haven't bought it yet, only buy it if you've got a lot of time to spare and
if your friends and family won't mind you going mysteriously "missing" for a
couple of months. Seven character classes, five acts and three difficulty
levels contribute to this addictiveness, as does the item-hunting part of the
game. And one of the great things about D2:LoD is that you can make it as
easy or as difficult as you want to by the way you choose to build up your
characters out of the many possibilities available.
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1.5 A little about this guide:
------------------------------
One of the most frequently asked questions by people new and old to D2:LoD
is "How should I build up my character?". This guide is a product of a heck
of a lot of (wasted?) time playing D2:LoD both on and off-line. In short,
it is based around the many ways of building up characters. It is essentially
based on PvM (player versus monster, as opposed to dueling human opponents),
although some dueling-related things will probably be thrown in. I will also
assume you are playing non-hardcore games with the latest patch (v1.09 at the
time of writing). If you're looking for a dueling/PvP guide, a walkthrough
of the game or anything else related to D2, I'd advise you to look elsewhere.
That said, if you want drawn-out character plans, complete with pros, cons,
and an effectiveness rating, stay here! Also, don't feel you have to stick
rigidly to the stat and skill plans, nothing would ever have been discovered
in D2:LoD without some experimentation. Finally, the effectiveness ratings
represent my opinion on how effective the character is overall at getting
through the game, from level 1 to level 99 (heh, like I've ever had a
character at level 99...). Your opinions may differ, and that's fine by me,
but just remember I'm a stubborn guy... :P
The guide assumes you have a limited knowledge of D2:LoD, amounting to at
least having skimmed through the manual and having played it for a few
hours. A few terms I use may be unfamiliar to you, so if you're unsure of
the meaning of something, e-mail me and I'll either clarify it to you (if
it isn't a common problem) or rephrase/explain it in a future version of
this guide (if it is). I may accidentally use "Diablo 2 slang" at some
points, and I want to make this guide as beginner friendly as I can.
The skill plans below don't take any +skill modifiers from items into
account, but the stat plans do take + modifiers into account, so
you can raise then to the suggested amount using items and you'll be
fine, and if items take the stat even further than I've suggested stat
point-wise, then that's great!
Finally, a little disclaimer. This guide probably contains a few (albeit
minor) spoilers, so you're reading on at your own risk!
Anyway, on with what you all (hopefully) came here for, the guide!
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2. The Amazon:
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Skilled in use of the bow, the spear, and javelins, the Amazon is one of the
more versatile characters in D2:LoD. The Amazon's subclasses focus on
specialisation in one or two of the aforementioned weapons.
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2.1 The "Bowazon":
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Have a guess why the "Bowazon" is called what it's called. Yep, it's pretty
simple - these nicknames weren't just pulled out of a hat you know! The
bowazon is the variant of choice for many duelers, but that doesn't mean she
can't hold her own in PvM though. Guided Arrow and Strafe and/or Multiple
Shot will be the staple of your arsenal, with skills like Valkyrie, Decoy,
Critical Strike, Dodge, Evade and Avoid to help out. Physical immune monsters
in Hell are best dealt with by high-level Freezing Arrow. Typically, a
bowazon skill plan will look like this...
20 Guided Arrow
20 Freezing Arrow
10+ Strafe and/or 10+ Multiple Shot (if you're not using one of them, put
more skill points into the one you *are* using)
~10 Penetrate
10 Critical Strike
5-8 Dodge
5-8 Avoid
5 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
A few notes on the above. Freezing Arrow doesn't need to be pumped
significantly until you reach Hell difficulty, where Physical Immunes become
more abundant. I only have it maxed because at higher character levels there
is little else worth putting skill points into. Valkyrie may be worth putting
a few more points into if you're playing single player, as the Valk's life
scales up with more players in the game (in a 3 player game her life would
be roughly three times what it is in a single player game, for example).
You may decide you need less or more than 10 in penetrate, depending on how
many stat points you put in dexterity, and how many items with +Attack Rating
you have. As a general guide, try and keep your chance to hit enemies in the
70-75% range. Strafe and Multishot are both effective, but in different ways.
I'd recommend putting points in both, experimenting with them, and using them
situationally as you become more familiar with the skill's individual
strengths and weaknesses. Just because you only have 1 point in Decoy and
Inner Sight doesn't mean you shouldn't use them every now and then - they can
be very useful at times. Finally, as with all the skill and stat plans in this
guide, feel free to experiment a little - you may discover a plan you find
more effective!
Now for the stats of a typical Bowazon.
Strength - 140
Dexterity - 220+
Vitality - 180
Energy - 15
This is a pretty basic outline of what you need to do. Strength should be
pumped early on so you can equip decent armour, but should be stopped at ~140.
Dexterity should consistently be pumped, and at high levels should exceed 220
(it affects the damage bows do as well as your chance to hit). Vitality is not
as important for the bowazon as for many other character variants (in PvP this
isn't so true), but if you don't put a little into it you'll find that in Hell
one or two hits can kill you... unpleasant. Vitality should be concentrated on
at higher levels, when strength has been capped. Energy is unimportant, as
mana leech takes care of any mana troubles you might have.
So, how good is the Bowazon?
Pros: Good crowd control with Strafe/Multiple Shot. Can kill
Mephisto/Diablo/Baal with less difficulty than many other classes with Guided
Arrow (although it takes a while...).
Cons: No good party-aiding skills, even with a good bow damage can be
unimpressive. Difficulty with physical immune monsters in Hell.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7.5/10. Versatile, but a little weak on the
raw damage front.
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2.2 The "Javazon":
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Another self-explanitory name. Lightning Fury is the main attack for this
variant, and it can kill large groups of enemies in seconds when coupled
with pierce, as will be explained later. Again, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge,
Evade and Avoid are the backup skills of choice, with Plague Javelin as a
backup attack skill for enemies with high lightning resistance or immunity.
Here is a sample Javazon skill point plan...
20 Lightning Fury
20 Plague Javelin
10+ Pierce
10 Dodge
10 Avoid
10 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
Get 20/10 Lightning Fury/Pierce as soon as possible (unfortunately both have
a character level 30 requirement), then focus on the other skills. The
Javazon has more in Dodge, Avoid and Valkyrie than the Bowazon simply because
she has more skill points free to spend. Plague Javelin actually doesn't do
much damage under most circumstances, but get a lot of enemies under the
cloud and the damage mounts up. The poison also prevents monster life
regeneration, which is an added bonus. You don't need points in Critical
Strike as the lightning from Lightning Fury will be dealing 99% of your
damage, and Critical strike does diddly squat to that. Penetrate isn't needed
as Lightning Fury and Plague Javelin always hit.
Now a quick stat point guide.
Strength - 100
Dexterity - 175+
Vitality - 200+
Energy - 15
Pump strength early to meet armour/weapon requirements (stop at ~100),
continually pump dexterity at about +2/level, and pump vitality when done
with strength. Only put points into energy if you're having severe mana
problems, and energy should never go above 45. Why don't you need energy? The
item modifier "+mana after each kill" takes care of that, as does mana leech
from items.
So, how good is the Javazon?
Pros: Best character for crowd control. Can clear the most rewarding area in
the game (Hell Cow Level) with ease and speed. Not overly reliant on
equipment.
Cons: Dreadfully weak against bosses if unaccompanied. No good party-friendly
skills, weak against lightning immune monsters (which are quite common in
Hell difficulty)
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. Leveling up without high level Lightning
Fury/Pierce can be a pain, as can bosses due to your lack of powerful 1v1
skills, but when you hit the higher levels you'll be almost unstoppable...
--------------------
2.3 The "Hybridzon":
--------------------
What could be better than combining the best bits of the Bowazon with the
best bits of the Javazon? Well, not much actually. You get the unrivalled
crowd control of Lightning Fury/Pierce coupled with one of the best skills
for fighting lone enemies, Guided Arrow. The usual backup skills are still
used, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge, Evade and Critical Strike. Here's a typical
skill plan...
20 Lightning Fury
20 Guided Arrow
10+ Pierce
8 Critical Strike
8 Dodge
8 Avoid
5 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
Work on Guided Arrow until you can pump Lightning Fury and Pierce, then
leave it alone until done with them. The passive skills can be largely
ignored save for one or two skill points until late Nightmare difficulty
while you concentrate on the aforementioned attack skills. Mid-level Critical
Strike helps Guided Arrow's average damage out a lot, but you don't need
points in Penetrate as Guided Arrow and Lightning Fury always hit (yay!).
Stat points should be something like as follows...
Strength - 110
Dexterity - 220+
Vitality - 150+
Energy - 15
As always, strength should be your main concern at lower levels, dexterity
should be consistently increased, and vitality becomes important at mid/high
levels. Strength should be stopped at 110 or so, dexterity at 220+, then
vitality should be focused on at more length.
So, how good is the Hybridzon?
Pros: Great crowd control and can cope well with strong single enemies. Very,
very versatile. Hell Cow Level is easy and quick to clear with Lightning
Fury.
Cons: Weak against large groups of lightning immune enemies, or single strong
physical immunes.
Overall effectiveness rating: 9/10. One of the most effective character
variants in the game. 'Nuff said.
--------------------
2.4 The "Spearazon":
--------------------
An Amazon who, amazingly, uses spears. You'd never have guessed, would you?
This variant is strikingly different from the other Amazon variants as she
specializes in close-quarters combat. Either Fend or Jab will be your main
attack, and as usual Critical Strike, Valkyrie, Decoy, Dodge, Evade and Avoid
will be helpful to you. The standard skill plan looks like this.
20 Jab OR 20 Fend (it really doesn't matter, there's little between them)
12+ Dodge
10+ Critical Strike
10+ Avoid
10 Penetrate
10 Valkyrie
1 Evade
1 in all prerequisites
The passives (dodge, critical strike, avoid) get more points than in all
other Zon variants for two reasons. Firstly, the Spearazon is more likely
to get hit that any other Amazon subclass as she will be engaged in
close-quarter combat more often. Secondly, there are no other skills that
are worth heavily investing in, so you'll have free skill points to spend on
whatever you want at higher levels. For the same reason, Jab or Fend is maxed.
You can leave the skills at 10 points or so until you have nothing better to
spend skill points on, then max them. As you may have guessed, physical
immunes are hard to deal with. Your best bet is to carry +elemental damage
charms with you and keep a fast weapon with high elemental damage in your
secondary weapon slot. Either that or ignore physical immunes wherever
possible.
Stat points should look something like this...
Strength - 170+
Dexterity - 160
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 15
Get strength up early on to let you equip good weapons/armour. Don't
seriously invest in vitality until strength is about 170 (then you can
leave strength alone). Dexterity should be constantly increased at about
+1.5 points/level, and energy is useless (mana leech anyone?).
So, how good is the Spearazon?
Pros: Errr, good question. She's challenging to play, if you like that
sort of thing. Decent at handling single stronger enemies.
Cons: Physical immune monsters are a nightmare, as are large groups of
monsters. No good party-friendly skills. Jab/Fend can be dreadfully slow
and/or weak unless you get a very fast high damage weapon.
Overall effectiveness rating: 3/10. Not one for the beginner, then. In
fact, not the type of character for anyone who doesn't have sadistic
tendencies - she tends to die a lot in Hell difficulty. My advice –
leave well alone...
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3. The Assassin:
----------------
Skilled in the use of "Claw"-type weapons, the Assassin's specialities include
stealth and blisteringly fast attack speed. There are only two well-recognised
main Assassin subclasses, but there is room for a little variation within
them, as will be shown.
--------------------------------
3.1 The "Martial Arts Assassin":
--------------------------------
An Assassin who specialises in Martial Arts skill tree, strangely enough.
That doesn't mean that the other two trees don't come in very useful though.
As far as Martial Arts are concerned, Tiger Strike is a must-have, as is one
of the finishing moves (Dragon Talon/Claw/Tail/Flight). The Shadow
Disciplines skill tree contains another must-have skill, Burst of Speed, as
well as weapon block for claw/claw Assassins. To deal with physical immune
monsters, Assassins either use Phoenix Strike (which is a great
crowd-control skill anyway) or one of the traps (usually Wake of Inferno).
Death Sentry is a great trap, and is effective with only a few skill points
invested (although it has a lot of prerequisites).
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3.1.1 Claw/Shield:
------------------
The more defensively sound of the two Martial Arts Assassin types. There is
room for variation with these skills, as you'll see. Here's a plan...
20 Tiger Strike
20 Phoenix Strike OR 20 Wake of Inferno (I recommend Phoenix)
20 Dragon Tail OR 20 Dragon Flight (see below)
20 Claw Mastery
10 Death Sentry
6 Burst of Speed
5+ Shadow Master
1 Mind Blast
1 Cobra Strike (it'll be a prerequisite if you're using Phoenix Strike, be
sure to put a point in it if you're not though)
1 in all prerequisites
Right, there's a lot to deal with here. Tiger Strike is essential, and should
be pumped whenever possible. Dragon Tail is better at dealing with crowds than
Dragon Flight, but Flight can handle single stronger enemies more effectively.
If you're going to use Phoenix Strike, I'd recommend using Flight, as Phoenix
is a good crowd control skill. If not using Phoenix, I recommend Dragon Tail.
If you are using Phoenix Strike, charge up and release the charge(s) as
quickly as you can and repeat. For example, with the Meteor charge it is
possible to get a couple of meteors a second raining down on your enemies,
which is nice. The same applies to the lightning charge. The freezing charge
is usually used to slow groups of enemies down - it has little offensive use.
Whichever finishing move you go with, put ~5 skill points in it initially,
then only increase it further at higher levels when you have little else to
do with your skill points. Burst of Speed is very, very useful, so try and
keep it active at all times. Deth Sentry is great in crowd-control. You may
only have one point in Mind Blast, Cobra Strike, and Cloak of Shadows, but that
doesn't mean they're not going to be very useful to you. Mind Blast can stun
and convert enemies, which is obviously useful in controlling crowds of
monsters. Cobra Strike leeches a huge amount of life and mana, even at skill
level 1. Finally, Cloak of Shadows decreases enemy defense, making it easier
to hit them. Right, now for a stat plan...
Strength - 120
Dexterity - 200+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 25
Strength and dexterity should always be roughly equal until 120 or so, when
strength can be ignored and vitality should be concentrated on instead. Energy
isn't needed, as you have mana leech and the wonderful Cobra Strike.
So, how good is the claw/shield martial arts assassin?
Pros: Versatility. One of the best character subclasses against lone strong
enemies, but can still handle crowds with Phoenix Strike or Dragon Tail. Fast
attacker.
Cons: Weakness against physical immune monsters. Charge-up system can be
annoying at times (like when you're trying to spam the meteor charge of
Phoenix Strike). Few party-friendly skills. Perhaps not the best choice if
this is your first time playing D2:LoD, as she takes some skill to master.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8/10. A strong, well-rounded character subclass
who in the right hands is pretty unstoppable. To be honest, I was nitpicking
a little in the "cons" section above... ;)
----------------
3.1.2 Claw/Claw:
----------------
Two claws basically corresponds to great attacking power, and it looks very
cool, but unfortunately there are sacrifices that come with the loss of a
shield. Here is a skill plan...
20 Tiger Strike
20 Claw Mastery
20 Phoenix Strike or 20 Wake of Inferno (I recommend Phoenix)
10 Weapon Block
10 Dragon Claw
10 Death Sentry
6 Burst of Speed
5+ Shadow Master
5 Fade (optional - you may have to take the skill points out of other places
if you want to use it, see below)
1 Mind Blast
1 Cobra Strike (it'll be a prerequisite if you're using Phoenix Strike, be
sure to put a point in it if you're not though)
1 in all prerequisites
Much of the above is similar to the claw/shield assassin guide above, so
I'd suggest you also read that section as I will only explain the different
skill choices here. Dragon Claw is your only feasible choice of finishing
move. It's cheap on the ol' Mana Orb, and can be very damaging. Leave it at
~5 skill points until you get to the point where there's nothing else worth
putting skill points into, then pump it a little more.
As you have no shield, weapon block is quite essential. Also, because you
don't have a shield, your elemental resists will almost certainly suffer,
so Fade may be a wise investment for use in some situations (Chaos Sanctuary,
anyone?). However, if you have Fade active, you can't have Burst of Speed
active at the same time, and you may not have enough skill points to go
around if you do opt to put points into it, so it isn't as useful as it
first sounds. I'll leave it up to you whether you want to bother with it or
not, but I've never felt the need to. Some people swear by it though...
As far as stat point distribution is concerned, the same applies to the
claw/claw assassin as to the claw/shield assassin, so read the skill plan
in the claw/shield section above for advice.
So, how good is the claw/claw martial arts assassin?
Pros: Great damage-dealing potential and fast attack speed. The best
character subclass for combating lone strong enemies, but she can deal with
groups effectively too.
Cons: Defensively weaker than claw/shield assassin. Few party-aiding skills.
Weak against physical immune monsters. Takes a bit of skill to master.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8.5/10. Whether she is better or worse than
the claw/shield assassin has been the subject of extended debate in the
D2:LoD world, but I've played both extensively and found the claw/claw
assassin to be slightly more effective (and more fun too).
-----------------
4. The Barbarian:
-----------------
RRRAGGGGH! ME BARBARIAN! ME BIG STRONG! Yep, that sums up the Barbarian
pretty well. He specialises in melee combat, and can specialise in 5 types
of melee weapon, as well as throwing mastery, which is a bit of a joke really.
Your weapon class of choice will largely depend on which Barbarian subclass
you choose.
----------------------
4.1 The "Whirlwinder":
----------------------
Guess which combat skill this guy specialises in? Yep, Whirlwind. He is the
best crowd-controller among the Barbarian subclasses. Whirlwind and
Concentration will be your two attack skills of choice, and Berserk is the
physical immune monster killer. Battle Orders is an immensely useful skill
to invest in, even if you're not playing multiplayer. A weapon mastery,
Natural Resistance and maybe Increased Speed provide you with passive skill
backup. Here is a rough skill guide...
20 Whirlwind
20 Sword/Spear/Polearm/Axe/Mace Mastery
20 Battle Orders
1-8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1+ Increased Speed
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Max out Whirlwind as soon as you can, the extra damage/skill level really
helps. The mastery you choose really makes less difference than some people
would have you believe. As a rough guide, high-end swords are fast but less
damaging, high-end maces and spears have huge damage but are quite slow, and
axes and polearms lie somewhere between these two extremes. Whatever mastery
you choose, pump points into it until you get the chance to invest in
Whirlwind (level 30), then leave any further investment until there is little
else useful to put your skill points into.
Battle Orders shouldn't be heavily invested in until Whirlwind is maxed.
Natural Resistance is important, especially if you don't have immediate access
to very good equipment. How many points you choose to put in it should depend
on the resists you get from your equipment - if you find yourself low on
resists don't hesitate to putanother point or two into it - but never go higher
than about 8 as that's where diminishing returns start to take effect. You can
get away with only one point in Berserk, but 5 or so gives you the optimum
balance between skill point investment and ease of killing physical immune
monsters. Concentration only has one point, but should be your left-click
attack, to be used when you don't have enough mana to use Whirlwind. Use Leap
Attack to escape trouble (i.e. if surrounded by enemies and low on life) or to
jump gaps in the terrain. Below is a stat guide...
Strength - 200/225 (see below)
Dexterity - 150+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 10
Strength should be constantly increased at ~2.5 per level until it is at 200
or so (~225 if using maces), then strength points can be replaced by points
in vitality. Dexterity isn't incredibly important if you have a high level
mastery, and needs ultimately to reach ~150.
So, how good is the Whirlwind Barbarian?
Pros: Good damage dealer, good crowd control, Battle Orders is great for
party play and even for lone players. No significant weakness against
physical immunes.
Cons: Killing single strong enemies (e.g. bosses) can be a painfully slow
process. Weak defensively due to lack of shield. Whirlwind is based on weapon
speed, so you need a fast weapon. May have mana problems as Whirlwind's mana
cost is high.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7/10. I still remember the old days of
pre-expansion D2 where these guys were unstoppable. Alas, times have changed
a little since Whirlwind was modified a few patches ago. That doesn't make
him overly weak though - it's quite easily possible to play through the game
(and not get bored to death) with a Whirlwind Barbarian.
---------------------------
4.2 The "Frenzy Barbarian":
---------------------------
You'll never believe me, but he uses Frenzy as his main attack skill.
Unbelievable, eh? Dual-wielding Barbarians are great - they look cool and
can deal out some pretty nasty punishment too. Again, Berserk takes care of
physical immune monsters, Battle Orders is very useful, and passives like
Sword Mastery and Natural Resistance will help you out. The Frenzy Barbarian
is also helped out by War Cry, a very underrated skill. All will be revealed
soon, but here's a skill plan...
20 Frenzy
20 War Cry
20 Battle Orders
10+ Sword Mastery
1-8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Concentrate on Sword Mastery first. I say Sword Mastery specifically for a
couple of reasons. Firstly, high-end swords have a longer range than
one-handed axes or maces, and secondly Barbarians dual-wielding swords just
look a lot cooler. There is little variation in the damage of high-end
one-handed swords, axes, and maces, so I'd go with swords. Once Frenzy
becomes available (level 24), keep increasing it until War Cry becomes
available (level 30), then get War Cry to ~level 10 before re-focusing on
Frenzy again. War Cry is incredibly useful when you're confronted with
groups of enemies.
Unlike Whirlwind, Frenzy isn't an incredibly useful crowd-control skill, so
you need backup. War Cry's actual damage is pathetic, but you're not using
it for the damage, you're using it for the stun effect (which, unlike
freeze duration is unmodified in Hell difficulty). You run up to a group
of monsters, cast War Cry, then Frenzy away to leech mana back before
repeating the process if necessary. Mastery helps out with damage and
attack rating, which is obviously useful.
Natural Resistance is useful again in boosting your resists if necessary -
again the number of skill points you put in should vary according to the
amount of resists you are getting from your equipment. 5 points in Berserk is
enough to make physical immune monsters easily defeatable. A useful tip is to
charge up frenzy a little, then switch to berserk (perhaps while also
equipping a high-damage two-handed weapon in your secondary weapon slot) to
increase the attack speed of berserk greatly (unfortunately, berserk's damage
is unmodified by this though). Finally, use Leap Attack to escape trouble or
to jump over gaps in the terrain.  Stats should go something like this...
Strength - 200
Dexterity - 150+
Vitality - 180+
Energy - 10
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section above, as
the same applies here.
So, how good is the Frenzy Barbarian?
Pros: Good against lone powerful enemies. Frenzy's attack speed can get very,
very fast. War Cry means that ordinary (non-unique) enemies need never pose
a problem. No weakness against physical immunes.
Cons: The run/walk speed bonus from Frenzy is a little on the ridiculous side,
and I wish Blizzard would cut it a little - it can make your character very
hard to control at times. No scope for equipping a shield, so no %to block
and (usually) less elemental resists.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8/10. As long as you can get two good swords to
equip him with, he'll cruise through the game. Just be careful with that
run/walk speed bonus, it can and will annoy you...
--------------------
4.3 The "Berserker":
--------------------
A Barbarian who specialises in Berserk, a very very powerful skill. Equipped
with a good weapon this guy can take down normal enemies in a 2-player game
in Hell Act 5 in ONE HIT. Ouch. Physical immune monsters are of no concern,
and any "Magic Immune" (i.e. immune to Berserk, which is classified as a
"Magic" attack by the game) enemies can be taken care of by using
Concentrate, which will also be a useful general skill. Battle Orders, as
always, is useful, as are Natural Resistance, a Weapon Mastery, and War Cry
again. So, on to the skill plan...
20 Berserk
20 Battle Orders
20 War Cry
10+ Sword/Mace Mastery
1-8 Natural Resistance
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
Increase the Mastery early on. Swords are faster weapons, and leave scope for
equipping a shield (though I wouldn't recommend it, the penalty to your damage
is too high), whereas maces generally do more damage. and have the deceptively
useful and often ignored 150% damage to undead modifier. The choice is yours.
Get 10/10 Berserk/War Cry by level 55 or so, then concentrate on Berserk until
it is maxed, at which point you can continue to focus on the passive skills
(Mastery, Natural Resistance if needed) and War Cry again. Like Frenzy, Berserk is quite
weak against mobs of enemies, so War Cry (the stun from it, not the crappy
damage) helps a lot. For "Magic Immune" monsters (of which there are very few)
just switch to Concentration, a skill which you can also use to leech life
and mana back if you're short. Use Leap Attack to escape from trouble or to
leap over gaps in the terrain. Here is a stat guide...
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section earlier,
as the same again applies here.
So, how good is the Berserker?
Pros: Capable of dealing huge damage with each individual blow. Offensively
superb. Eats physical immune monsters for breakfast. War Cry renders all
normal enemies helpless.
Cons: Defensively very weak. No shield for %to block, and Berserk lowers your
defense rating to 0, which means essentially that every enemy attack will
hit you - nasty.
Overall effectiveness rating: 7.5/10. If it wasn't for the defensive
weaknesses, the Berserker would probably be the best individual subclass in
the game. As it is, attack power comes at a price. Still, the feeling of
one-hit killing enemies in Act 5 Hell is very nice... :)
-------------------------------
4.4 The "Magic Find Barbarian":
-------------------------------
...and now for something completely different! The Magic Find (MF) Barbarian
is essentially a character created to find good items for yourself. The
Barbarian is the best character for doing this because (a) he can dual wield
weapons, and (b) Find Item is a useful skill if looking for items.
Understandably, the guy is a little weak at killing monsters, but not so
weak as to be useless (hey, if he couldn't kill monsters he wouldn't be able
to find any items and the whole idea of a MF Barbarian would be completely
useless, right?). Here's a skill plan...
20 Frenzy
20 Battle Orders
15+ War Cry
10+ Sword Mastery
~8 Find Item
8 Natural Resistance
~5 Berserk
1 Leap Attack
1 in all prerequisites
This skill plan is very similar to that of the Frenzy Barbarian, so I'd
recommend you read the notes in that section for more detailed skill info.
Find Item is great. If the %chance to find an item rolls up good, it's
essentially like you're killing the same enemy again, and of course getting
another item drop. Find Item is affected by Magic Find % as well, which only
makes it better. You'll want to equip this guy with as much equipment giving
+xx% Magic Find as possible (a total of 400+% MF is good, although over 1200%
is actually possible but not desirable - you'd be too weak to kill
anything...), while still keeping your equipment good enough to ensure that
you can kill monsters at a respectable speed. Again, Leap Attack is very
useful as a defensive skill and to jump over gaps in the terrain.
For notes on stat development, see the "Whirlwind Barbarian" section earlier,
as the same applies here (yet again).
So, how good is the Magic Find Barbarian?
Pros: Well, he has a better chance than any other class of finding good
magical/rare/set/unique items.
Cons: A lot of +xx% Magic Find items have a negative effect on useful
things like your elemental resists and your damage, leaving you a little
less strong both offensively and defensively than other Barbarian types.
Points in Find Item could have gone into more useful combat skills.
Overall effectiveness rating: 5/10. Okay, this is difficult to call. The
rating is based on his general effectiveness at killing monsters (hence
it is low, as he isn't amazingly good at this), but he is a very useful
character to build - he serves his purpose well. I'd only recommend trying
a Magic Find Barbarian once you have several other characters at level
60+, as otherwise you won't have any characters to give the best equipment
you may find to. You also need a bit of experience at playing D2:LoD to
make the MF Barbarian work well.
-------------
5. The Druid:
-------------
Now this guy is versatile. He can shapeshift into a Werewolf and a Werebear,
and can roll off some impressive elemental spells. The Druid's subclasses are
generally quite different to each other, as you might expect having read the
above. Some are more impressive than others though, as is always the case...
--------------------------------
5.1 The Werewolf/Summoner Druid:
--------------------------------
Speed and power are the basis of the Werewolf/Summoner Druid. He should
always be shifted into his Werewolf form when monsters are around, and Fury
is your attack of choice as it is very, very powerful. Lycanthropy and
Werewolf (the skill) provide passive backup, and Oak Sage is a very useful
summon. Here comes the skill plan...
20 Fury
20 Oak Sage
20 Lycanthropy
~10 Werewolf
4-5 Feral Rage
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
Fury is a no-brainer to max ASAP. More damage, more attack rating and no
diminishing returns as skill points are added. Oak Sage's life bonus is great,
and any party members you have with you (especially Barbarians) will love you
for using high-level Oak Sage. Even if you're playing single-player it should
be maxed - 1000+ extra life can't hurt you now, can it? Lycanthropy should be
left at ~8 until very high levels at which point there is little else to be
invested in.
Werewolf suffers from diminishing returns per skill point invested past skill
level 10. Get 4-5 in Feral Rage as soon as you can, it's a great skill that's
underestimated by many. Once you have Feral Rage and Fury, charge up Feral
Rage to its maximum, then switch to Fury. The damage bonus from Feral doesn't
carry over when you switch to Fury, but the speed bonus does. Be sure to use
Feral again before the charge wears out - you only need to hit an enemy once
with Feral once it is fully charged to reset the 20-second timer on it before
it wears off.
Carrion Vine is a pretty lousy skill in truth, but can be useful
situationally (fighting Nihlathak and Radament) and having another meat
shield to take a hit or two for you is never a bad thing. For physical immune
monsters, all you can really do is equip a high elemental damage weapon along
with a few elemental damage charms, as Rabies and Fire Claws are pathetic
skills not worth the investment. Failing that, just ignore physical immunes
if you can. All righty then, here comes a skill plan...
Strength - 230+
Dexterity - 65+
Vitality - 170+
Energy - 20
This may strike you as a little odd. You don't need to put many points in
dexterity for a couple of reasons. Firstly, most Werewolf/Summoner Druids use
high-end Mauls or Axes. Mauls have no dexterity requirement, and the dex
requirement on high-end Axes is invariably very low. Add to this the fact that
the Druid has several skills that give him a bonus to attack rating, and you
should begin to see why more than about 75 dexterity for a Werewolf Druid is
a bit of a waste. As usual, focus on strength early on (stop at ~230) and
vitality later on in your character's life. Mana leech means energy is yet
again useless...
So, how good is the Werewolf/Summoner Druid?
Pros: Admirable power and speed make him a great attacking character. Feral
Rage/Fury is a lethal combination. Potential for huge amount of life with Oak
Sage and high vitality means defensive weaknesses are less important than they
would be otherwise. Oak is a great party skill too.
Cons: Weak defensively, no shield for blocking and resists. Has major, major
problems dealing with physical immune monsters in Hell.
Overall effectiveness rating: 8.5/10. If it wasn't for physical immunes this
would be closer to 10/10, but it's so damn annoying trying to kill them.
Nonetheless, a fun and powerful character subclass to play, arguably the most
powerful melee-orientated subclass in the game.
--------------------------------
5.2 The Werebear/Summoner Druid:
--------------------------------
If you haven't seen the Druid shifted into Werebear form before, you're in for
a treat. He's huge! That should tell you something about the Werebear/Summoner
Druid - he's a little cumbersome and slow, but very, very powerful. Maul is
your attack of choice, backed up by Shockwave, another very useful skill for
reasons that will soon be explained. Lycanthropy and Werebear (the skill)
provide passive backup, and Heart of Wolverine is invaluable. Now for the
skill plan...
20 Maul
20 Shockwave
20 Heart of Wolverine
15+ Lycanthropy
~10 Werebear
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
As you can probably tell, you won't have many spare skill points floating
about with this particular subclass. Get Maul/Shockwave to 10/10 as soon as
you can. Pump Lycanthropy and Werebear early on while there's nothing else
worth investing in available, but leave them both at 7 or so while you
concentrate on Maul and Shockwave, only increasing them further when the
attack skills are maxed. You've also got to fit in points in Heart of
Wolverine somewhere as well, although you should also save investing heavily
in it until you reach a high level.
Maul is a decent attack, although it is nowhere near as good as the main
Werewolf attack, Fury. Maul is slow, and so groups of enemies will be a
problem. But to combat that problem, you have Shockwave. This skill is great.
Much like War Cry for the Barbarian, it's damage is pathetic, but the stun is
what you're using it for. At high skill levels the stun length is ridiculous,
and it isn't cut in Hell difficulty (like freeze duration is) at all! So you
can go up to a group of enemies, stun them, then take your time bringing them
down one by one with Maul, easy.
Heart of Wolverine is used here because the Werebear, unlike the
Werewolf/Summoner Druid, needs the attack rating bonus that it gives, as
Werebears have fewer sources of +attack rating. Carrion Vine is only useful
in so much that it provides another meat shield for you, and can dispose of
corpses (so Radament and Nihlathak are easier to beat). Physical immune
monsters are even more annoying for the Werebear than the Werewolf, as the
Bear attacks more slowly. Just equip a high elemental damage weapon, attack,
and sit back and wait for a while. Now for a stat plan...
Strength - 225+
Dexterity - 160
Vitality - 150+
Energy - 20
Get strength and dexterity up early on, and only really focus on vitality once
they have been finished with. Werebear gives you a nice life bonus anyway, you
see. Mana leech, as always, renders energy useless.
So, how good is the Werebear/Summoner Druid?
Pros: Immense power makes one-on-one battles relatively easy. Shockwave is a
good crowd control skill. Heart of Wolverine is useful in parties.
Cons: Painfully slow when attacking without lots of Increased Attack Speed
equipment. Physical immunes are a big, BIG pain. Generally uses 2-handed
weapons, so no shield for blocking and +resists.
Overall effectiveness rating: 6/10. A decidedly average character subclass.
The Werebear may be cool to look at, but you'll be sick of him if you ever
reach Act 5 Hell - he's just too cumbersome and sloooooooooow. And as for
physical immune enemies, well, don't get me started...
--------------------------------
5.3: The Elemental/Summon Druid:
--------------------------------
The Druid isn't all about brute power, you know! The spellcasting version of
the Druid doesn't have the mass killing power of either of the
Shapeshift-based Druid subclasses mentioned above, but he is certainly capable
of holding his own with help from various elemental skills. Armageddon, while
not quite living up to its name, is a good attacking skill. Backup will come
from Arctic Blast and either Tornado or Volcano, as well as Dire Wolves and/or
a Grizzly. Oak Sage is the Spirit of choice for this class. Your skills will
need to look something like this...
20 Armageddon
20 Tornado or 20 Volcano
15+ Oak Sage
10+ Arctic Blast
5+ Summon Dire Wolf
5+ Summon Grizzly
1 Carrion Vine
1 in all prerequisites
Right, there's a lot to deal with here. Armageddon is one of the more obvious
skills to max - do so as soon as you can. As for Volcano, or Tornado, the
choice is yours. Tornado will help you against Fire Immune enemies in Hell
difficulty (of which there are many), and its damage, although it looks low
isn't so low in practice as it can hit the same enemy multiple times and it
has no spell timer. Volcano is more reliable (try aiming Tornado at a distant
enemy...) and is a very useful skill against bosses. Again, its damage may
seem low, but the damage display is deceptive due to the way the skill
actually works. To get volcano to work best, cast it directly under a static
enemy (use your mercenary or other party members to keep him still). Without
Volcano, killing Mephisto, Diablo and Baal in the higher difficulty levels
will be a slow and painful process. I'd lean towards Volcano over Tornado,
but there's little between them.
Oak Sage gets as many points as you can afford to give it, but at least 15
by higher character levels. Arctic Blast is a great support skill. It's
actual damage is rather, well, crappy, as is it's mana cost, but it's
chilling effect is invaluable, especially when you consider you'll have to
get close to enemies so that Armageddon can hit. It helps a great deal in
keeping your mercenary and summons alive as well.
5 points or so should be put into Dire Wolves and Grizzly, whichever one
you plan on using (the passive bonuses of the Grizzly apply to the Wolves
and vice versa). From my experience it is usually better to use Dire
Wolves against groups of enemies, and Grizzly against stronger, lone
enemies or small groups. As is the case for Werewolf/Werebear Druids,
Carrion Vine is situationally useful when fighting Radament and Nihlathak,
and is another meat shield to take a hit or two for you. Right, as for
stat points...
Strength - 80
Dexterity - 20
Vitality - 220+
Energy - 150+
Strength can be increased early on and stopped at 80, which is all you really
need. Dexterity is not needed at all, as you're not going to be using this guy
in melee combat. Vitality is your lifeblood, in even more literal a sense than
usual. You need as much life as possible as you'll need to get close to
enemies for Armageddon to hit, and at the same time you won't have life leech
to leech life back (so your potion hotkeys might be a little busy). You may