[Gaming] Diablo 3 : Ser Farm-A-Lot

Eh, salvage the lot. Haven't repaired anything at all yet, no need at my level :p
Dyes....Egh. Still don't see the point.
People who want to grind for gear have plenty of other games. In DII you ground (?) for levels and to try out new builds/characters. Respeccing for free means I can't think of a single reason ever to level a second characte of the same class... I'll finish the game on normal and I'll probably replay it again at some point, but so far TLII seems to be more in line with what I wanted. Oh well. Yet another IP I love where I'm no longer the target demographic (see also: Warcraft, Command and Conquer,...)
Blacksmithing is a gamble. I tried it a few times but they never really gave me anything that wasn't obsolete after a quest or two. And if you don't see the point in dyes, then you haven't seen an all-white Demon Hunter (best Demon Hunter). As for reasons to start a new character, how about hardcore mode?
 
Even so. 5 classes; level each to 60 on SC and on HC (which I personally don't play, but I do get the appeal and understand it). You're done 'till the expansion comes out, now just grind gear endlessly hoping for those perfect rares to drop.

I'm not saying it's a bad game, or that they don't have the right to go this route - I'm just saying it doesn't necessarily appeal to me. I love 85% of this game so far, it's just all the little things that have been changed, not with a gameplay improvement in mind, but with money/multiplayer functionality/MMOness in mind, that I dislike.

And I don't care what an all-white DH looks like. I play single player. I personally think an all-white character is as un realistic as one dressed like a clown (y'know, red bracers, green torso, yellow helmet :p); I don't really care about either one in my game.
 
And I don't care what an all-white DH looks like. I play single player. I personally think an all-white character is as un realistic as one dressed like a clown (y'know, red bracers, green torso, yellow helmet :p); I don't really care about either one in my game.
Wait so you don't intend to play multiplayer at all? Why not?
 
Wait so you don't intend to play multiplayer at all? Why not?
I might, in the future somewhere, for a littel while. But, generally, no. I don't really like multiplayer. Several reasons.
> I play as a form of escapism. I like being the One who Saves the World. Being one of a team is less fun.
> I play to destress. Other people rushing forward and keeping the pressure on isn't why I play. I've spent 2 or 3 hours and I haven't reached the SK yet - if I wasp laying multiplayer ,we'd practically be in Act II by now, at the slowest.
> Just like being alone in real life; playing alone means not having to take into account the wishes/demands/idiosyncrasies/habits of other people. People coming by to bother me annoy me; same goes for another player who doesn't want to go back to town yet; wants to return to town sooner; skip optional dungeons I want to do or vice versa,...
> Chat/communication inevitably takes me out of the world. It's hard to be immersed in a deep and dark gothic world about to be invaded by demons if you're talking on the mike about yesterday's football game or who has to tank/heal/draw/etc.
> I, unfortunately, still work shifts. Night, day, weekend - it's practically impossible to say with any degree of accuracy when I'll be able to play on line, so I can't rely on always playing with the same group, unless everybody waits around for everyone - which means maybe an hour's worth of progress a week. I hold other people back, which is no fun for anyone involved. Same reason I've (temporarily) given up on table-top RPGs. Either the group meets regularly, and I'm absenttoo often to get along, or the meetings are rescheduled every week to fit my work schedule, meaning other people miss out, I feel selfconscious about forcing other people to change their plans for me, etc etc.

Generally, I play for story, unwinding, and fun; and I get all the social interaction I like/want/need outside of my games. Multiplayer focusses on gaming as a competition, something to work hard at, etc - it becomes stressing and you sure as hell won't get the time to enjoy things at your own pace.
 
I hate playing NEW content with friends, since the friends always rush through it and I want to appreciate the story (and as noted, the story is cooler if you're this lone hero saving the whole world). But once I've done a zone, it's just as fun to breeze through it with friends as alone. (I'm a fairly casual player and my friends are *more* casual than me, so multiplayer isn't competitive at all)
 
I really need to get into some public games, but I decided to hold off till I hear that the hacking issue is resolved. The game is fun, but not fun enough to possibly compromise my entire Battle.net account even past my authentication. It's sad but it's pretty much what is holding me back from playing more. (Well, that and other projects).
 
I've beat the game once. If people wanna jump in my game and play with me, then cool. But it seems unlikely that I'd jump in on someone else's game, especially since we aren't at the same point on whatever character I feel like playing at that point.

Back to my DPS/Life worries, I've doubled both since posting yesterday and gained 3 levels. Thanks for the tips but I haven't bought anything yet. Only tried to sell.
 

Necronic

Staff member
Second, re: Necronic's grind path. Awesome. The only thing I've added to it is a check for the Watch Tower dungeon on the west side of the Northern Highlands. Consistently has 3+ bosses and a resplendent chest, plus sometimes a treasure goblin. Plus a lot of corpses and loose stones and stuff, and it's a small 2-level dungeon. Amazing when it's up.
Glad you like it (I forgot about the watchtower). I've switched it up a bit to run straight to the warden then the butcher. Then maybe check for the treasure goblin. If I'm about to set off the warden and I don't have enough stacks THEN I'll go hit the highlands, but that's it. The other stuff just ends up taking time away from getting the Warden/Butcher drops, which are my main goal, and commits me to too long of a run.

So basically... I'm learning Diablo 3 is 3rd person isometric WoW for emos and grimdarks.
I would say that D3 is a 'twitch' version of WoW.

-----------------

For everyone else, SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR LVL 60!

Once you go to Inferno you will ONLY be wanting lvl 60 gear (with the exception of amulets and rings). You can get away with lower lvl items, but later on you will have to buy the top end gear. This is especially true of a weapon. Expect to spend 2-4 million on your first lvl 60 weapon (900+dps). I've almost finished purchasing gear for my current build and I don't think I've spent less than 1 mil on a single item. The combos you will want/need are very expensive (assuming you don't just do a glass cannon build.)

That said with my current build I am *almost* capable of tanking in A2 (I can tank whites but not elites).
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I don't know where you're getting that. Yeah, some people have complained about it being simplistic and stuff, but the skill-system is pretty amazing once you actually experience it. Also if enrage timers make a game WoW then I guess you're right, but there's more to the game then that.
I got it from people never talking about the skill system, all they talk about is their route through their dailies to farm for rare loot.
 
Game has quickly lost its lustre. The idea that I have to farm to succeed in a single player game does not appeal at all. Blizzard should have made the game longer instead of expecting people to play through the same game innumerable times. D2, for its faults, wasn't this bad.
 

Dave

Staff member
Well, I don't know what the hacking issue is, but I know that when I log in to D3 it only rarely asks for my authenticator code, which kind of defeats the purpose of having one.
 
Well, I don't know what the hacking issue is, but I know that when I log in to D3 it only rarely asks for my authenticator code, which kind of defeats the purpose of having one.
When you use your authenticator code, Blizzard will keep track of the IP you used to login, so that for a period of time after that any logins from that IP will not require the authenticator. More of a convenience thing than anything else.
 

Dave

Staff member
Good to know, man! I was thinking it broke as it has done this since I came back to WoW. Before it asked every time.
 
Good to know, man! I was thinking it broke as it has done this since I came back to WoW. Before it asked every time.
Yes, they added the ability to record IP, so it only asks for authentication if the IP changes (or after a certain amount of time has passed that it wants a refresh).

The problem is (from what I understand) a hacker, as long as he has the basics of your account information, can find you online and join a game with you if it's public. Then, using another program, they find out what your IP is (due to the direct connection the systems utilize to handle multiplayer). Once he has the IP, he spoofs it, allowing him to use that recorded IP system to bypass the authentication, log in, take everything you got, then log out.

I have not heard if Blizzard rolled out a fix yet, but I decided while my D3 account is rather expendable, I am not going to lose my WoW account if someone out there has somehow gotten my login info and finds me in a D3 public game. I would rather not play till that is fixed, and while I enjoy offline, I don't like playing offline once I finish Normal, which I have done. Once I hear some concrete information on the bypass being fixed (I wouldn't mind going to the always authenticate system again), I am just going to work on other projects or play WoW like I normally do.
 
The problem is (from what I understand) a hacker, as long as he has the basics of your account information, can find you online and join a game with you if it's public. Then, using another program, they find out what your IP is (due to the direct connection the systems utilize to handle multiplayer). Once he has the IP, he spoofs it, allowing him to use that recorded IP system to bypass the authentication, log in, take everything you got, then log out.
The popular theory I've seen is pretty close to that; D3 allows clients to see one another's session ID as well, so the hacker spoofs your session ID, effectively taking control of your session, and then uses a bot-network to DDoS your IP so you can't log back in and change the session ID. He sells your stuff, ends session, and turns off the bot-attack. It only takes a few minutes.

I'm sure at least some of the hacked reports are from the usual using-too-many-shared-passwords-spyware kind of thing, but I've seen people mentioning the open session ID thing in a lot of places.
 
I got it from people never talking about the skill system, all they talk about is their route through their dailies to farm for rare loot.
That's because talking about the skills and build are completely worthless in a general discussion. It doesn't help anyone here to know what skills I'm running unless they're also a Barbarian, also in Inferno, and also at the same approximate level of gear. If someone mentions that they're having issues with roughly that list, I'll chime in with it. Otherwise it's a waste of a post.

This is especially true of a weapon. Expect to spend 2-4 million on your first lvl 60 weapon (900+dps).
Worth pointing out here that a blue 900+ is more than sufficient for A1 of Inferno, and probably beyond. Your weapon's damage is pretty much the only thing you need from it, so don't feel obligated to drop 4 mil on a rare when you can get a blue with similar numbers for 2 or less. I got my current weapon for 1.5 mil, and I'm in no rush to upgrade it.

That said with my current build I am *almost* capable of tanking in A2 (I can tank whites but not elites).
Yeah, I'm getting there too. Not quite beefy enough yet, but getting closer.
 

Necronic

Staff member
A blue 900 won't be sufficient for beyond A1 if you're doing a proper build. This means that you need specific things for the build to work. In my case I lucked out and grabbed an 800dps wand w/ AP/AP on Crit and a whopping 600 life on hit (along with some intel.) No way I would upgrade to a 1k dps wand that didn't have some variation on those stats.

As for skills, I have to say that skill variation/balance is (from what I've seen so far) pretty well executed at the moment. In most classes I have seen a large variety of builds in inferno. Wizards may be the exception because so many of their skills got nerfed and people are just now trying to sort out what works beyond VH/Blizzard. My current build is a bit of an oddball one that allows me to play a melee wizard. It requires a VERY precise gear combo, something I haven't exactly hit yet, but when I do I think it will take me through A3 Inferno. Having a monk in my party would make a huge difference as well, but there are very few inferno monks.

Game has quickly lost its lustre. The idea that I have to farm to succeed in a single player game does not appeal at all. Blizzard should have made the game longer instead of expecting people to play through the same game innumerable times. D2, for its faults, wasn't this bad.
Maybe I'm misremembering, but this is exactly how D2 worked as well. Diablo as a franchise is centered around grinding, perhaps to a fault. But that's what I came in expecting, and I'm not the least bit surprised that it's what I got.
 
It's been a while, but I remember farming gear in Diablo 2 constantly. There was a good long time both in Vanilla and LoD where speed running the Act boss of the previous act was the best way to get lots of good gear for subsequent acts.
 
Maybe I'm misremembering, but this is exactly how D2 worked as well. Diablo as a franchise is centered around grinding, perhaps to a fault. But that's what I came in expecting, and I'm not the least bit surprised that it's what I got.
D2 basically worked that way but you could still get through the entire game with very subpar items as long as you had a decent build(Barbarians might be an exception since I was never able to do well with one without having decent gear). You just had to use a little more strategy and patience to get through hell. It was actually the level grinding that seemed to matter most. It took me a long while to figure that out and that I wasn't leveling or hitting much because I was in too high of a difficulty for my level. Once you get to the correct level for an area it wasn't too difficult to advance almost no matter the gear. The only thing you really needed to farm for was being able to do runs to get the keys and organs for and to actually be able to defeat the super tristram level and super diablo if he popped on your server.

But yeah I would farm so I could run and gun through areas instead of taking it slower but farming for uber gear wasn't needed to beat the regular game.
 
I'm already getting frustrated on nightmare difficulty. I keep running into blue creatures that I can't even kill no matter how hard I try (plagued vampiric... After dying over 10 times and wasting at least 45 minutes fighting them I quit my game and started over so they would be something different).

I realize the game shouldn't be a cakewalk... but these things regenerated health faster than I could dish damage. Pretty irritating. Plus all this talk of needing auction house gear is really bumming me out.
 
With vampiric, one of the things I've noticed when running solo, is make sure you don't have the Templar with you. He gets in close and all of his health goes to refilling those vampiric creatures' health. Stick to the enchantress or the scoundrel for those encounters (once I die once or twice to them, I teleport back to town and switch followers). Also, make sure you're kiting them away from their plague pools as much as possible and not taking unnecessary damage. Needing AH gear kind of pisses me off too. It wouldn't be so bad if the AH was at all stable, but it seems to go down faster and more frequently than a $20 whore.

Edit: And yeah... as much as I like Diablo, specifically for the type of game that the franchise has always been (i.e. farming gear and levels, not really caring about the story, and running the dungeons to death); D3 is starting to get old for me. I think it's because of how relatively little time it took to get through each act, as well as how little variation there seems to be on dungeon layout from one trip through to the next. I don't remember any dungeon or outside area in D2 that was exactly the same each time I went through it. Hell, even starting out, there was no guarantee that the exit from the rogues' camp was going to be on the same side. In D3 there's a lot less 'exploring' to be done, since a lot (if not all) of the area maps stay the same, and just the types of enemies that you run into change.
 
Needing AH gear kind of pisses me off too. It wouldn't be so bad if the AH was at all stable, but it seems to go down faster and more frequently than a $20 whore.
I don't think this is really true though, you don't NEED AH gear, but it does help a huge amount since the chance of getting optimal gear (thanks to the random nature of gear) is going to take some time and effort.

If it was "required" to do anything, then we wouldn't have had people clearing Inferno in the first 48 hours, or even collecting a lot of the gear in the first place.
 
It may not be necessary, but let me tell you, I'm on Act 1 of Hell and I honestly cannot remember the last time I found a piece of gear that was an upgrade for my barb anywhere other than the auction house. I've at least been getting level appropriate gear recently; no more of that 20 levels below mine bullshit, but to not get anything for my class is really starting to wear on me. At least in D2 I could get things that were an upgrade or I could buy gear that was an upgrade for me from vendors, since their gear changed each time you visited them. D3, I'm lucky to a) find a magic weapon at a vendor that I can even use with my class (my vendors seem to love stocking hand crossbows, unless I'm playing a DH, in which case they love to stock Daibos) or b) find anything even close to the stats on the weapon I'm currently using, much less is an actual upgrade.

It also seems to depend on what slot you're looking to upgrade, as to whether or not you can find an upgrade without needing the AH. I occasionally find pants that are an upgrade - or a crossgrade (better stats in one area, worse in a different area) - but never enough of an upgrade in the right areas that I'm willing to sacrifice my current gear. I also occasionally find chest armor. I very rarely find boot upgrades or glove upgrades. I don't think I've ever found bracer or shoulder upgrades since leaving Act 2 of Nightmare. I'm pretty sure I'm still using my Normal rings and an Act 1 Nightmare amulet. Oh, and weapon upgrades? Forget it, that's where the vast majority of my AH gold is spent.
 

Necronic

Staff member
The issue is that the market is SOOO incredibly liquid in D3, as opposed to D2, that you're a LOT less likely to find your optimal gear on your own. I mean, with 1 million people farming and dumping some 80% of their finds to the AH, how can you be surprised that the millionth of a % of the gear YOU find isn't the best for your build. I've found amazing pieces for other builds, and I've put them up and gotten tons for them. Then I go to the AH and buy the exact piece I want. That's better than D2 from where I stand. And to be clear, I found both of my rings, pretty much all of amulets, and my helmet myself. I need to replace them ofc, but they've taken me through A2 Inferno.

Edit: Scythe, you absolutely do need AH gear to progress in inferno. There is no room for slack in your gearing, it has to be perfect for your build. I mean, ofc you can run inferno without it, but its harder.

If you ignore the AH you can do a glass cannon build pretty easily. You'll one shot inferno mobs but get one shot yourself. My current build can actually tank inferno mobs. This is a lot better, but took a HUGE investment of money on my part for my gearing (700 Resists, 7k Armor indahouse)
 
What it ultimately comes down to for me is that I was able to beat D1 all on my lonesome, without any outside assistance or buying gear from other people. I was able to beat D2 and LoD all on my lonesome, without any outside assistance or buying gear from other people. I cannot beat D3 without being forced to buy gear from other people. I should be able to do that, even if it takes me months or years, regardless of how many other people are getting good gear drops, and that is what I'm not seeing in D3. Blizzard has even confirmed, via a blue post from Bashiok, that the amount of gear drops in any one person's solo game session were reduced by Blizzard because they didn't want people to beat the game too quickly because people have access to other gear from the AH.

I don't care how many other people are playing the game, or are listing gear on the AH that fit my build. What business does Blizzard have in deciding that I shouldn't be able to play my game at my pace and get my own gear upgrades, because other people want to sell gear to each other? The really sad thing is that, all trouble with servers aside, this is what's making the game un-enjoyable for me. This is what is going to make me quit playing the game, and thank my lucky stars that I didn't buy the game aside from having signed up for the Annual Pass, because I cannot play the game without depending on other players in some way, and that's bullshit.
 
What it ultimately comes down to for me is that I was able to beat D1 all on my lonesome, without any outside assistance or buying gear from other people. I was able to beat D2 and LoD all on my lonesome, without any outside assistance or buying gear from other people. I cannot beat D3 without being forced to buy gear from other people. I should be able to do that, even if it takes me months or years, regardless of how many other people are getting good gear drops, and that is what I'm not seeing in D3. Blizzard has even confirmed, via a blue post from Bashiok, that the amount of gear drops in any one person's solo game session were reduced by Blizzard because they didn't want people to beat the game too quickly because people have access to other gear from the AH.

I don't care how many other people are playing the game, or are listing gear on the AH that fit my build. What business does Blizzard have in deciding that I shouldn't be able to play my game at my pace and get my own gear upgrades, because other people want to sell gear to each other? The really sad thing is that, all trouble with servers aside, this is what's making the game un-enjoyable for me. This is what is going to make me quit playing the game, and thank my lucky stars that I didn't buy the game aside from having signed up for the Annual Pass, because I cannot play the game without depending on other players in some way, and that's bullshit.
Just to stir the pot, aren't you playing -their- game and not yours?
 
I think his whole point was -their- game is bullshit and he doesn't want to play it.

And that's a perfectly legitimate claim. I just always get a little taken aback when language like this:
Gared said:
What business does Blizzard have in deciding that I shouldn't be able to play my game at my pace and get my own gear upgrades, because other people want to sell gear to each other?
starts getting used, because it seems really odd to me. What right does Blizzard have to say how the game is played? They made it, that's what.
 
I cannot beat D3 without being forced to buy gear from other people. I should be able to do that, even if it takes me months or years
Of course you can. It will take longer and be a lot more tedious than if you just used the AH, but I don't know where you got the idea that it's impossible.
 
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