Back to ericjwin
Matafleur Tips
Greetings to all! Or should I say... "Woof!" ^^
The following information consists of (almost) everything I have found to be significant as far as duelling is concerned. Not all of it may be critical to winning, and some experimental points merely hint at the potential of a particular method or style of editing. This is not an all-in-one guide to developing an ultimate dueller. Use it to refine a character's modifications. This is the result of many hours of editing and testing and has yielded great results for my characters. Many of you may already know most of this, though I hope to impart some things that may set off new innovations or simply set one on the road to better editing. I hope it brings you--the reader--as much success as it has for me. Enjoy!
[GENERIC]
- - Diablo II and many other games' character statistics are based on multiples of various numeric types, mainly characters and integers. There is no single perfect range for any statistic or item modification. Experiment with multiples and combinations of the upper limits to find what works best for you.
Numeric Type. Range.
char 0,255
signed int -32768,+32767
unsigned short int 0,65535
signed long int -2147483648,+2147483647
unsigned long it 0,4294967295
[DAM]
- - Crushing Blow (CB) = chance you have of reducing of an opponent's life by half
- - Open Wounds (OW) = chance you have of making the opponent persistently lose life
- - Deadly Strike (DS) = chance of doubling damage
- - I've found DS to be generally useless as it conflicts with CB, which itself is far more destructive.
- - When using CB and OW, the most effective damage range I have found by far is still 1-2. A level 1 char carrying a single charm with 255% DR, 127% to all Abs, and 127% CB and OW will never die in a single player game, even in hell mode after typing "Players 64". If that char has enough AR, it will easily kill any None-Physical-Immune creature using only fists. Although it's not explicit on items, CB and OW are level-dependent. A level 99 char with the same inventory will take down an 8-player difficulty Hell mode Baal in a few punches.
- - If that same L99 char punches any NPI creature, regardless of Act or difficulty, that creature may eventually bleed to death if it is not killed in the first few hits. Punch it a few times, then watch it spatter the ground red and its life bar wane. CB and OW are 2 of the most critical factors in constructing an elite char and are also the foundation for 2Bill char 1-hit kills. The drastic increase in level pushes the effects of CB and OW beyond normal. There may be an optimal range for CB/BoCL and OW/BoCL (Based on Char Level), but I have not found one. I've found regular CB and OW at 127% to be more effective than CB || OW/BoCL.
- - When using 1-2 DAM, you can make up for mana shields, bone armor, and hurricane armor by using multiple jewels (on anything but the weapon if you're not punching), jewelry, or charms with +Damage (max 107 per mod).
- - IND's. An infamous source of controversy. I have tried CB[IND] and OW[IND], as well stacks of these modifications, and Yes! they are extremely effective on their own, much more so than norm 127%. I have tested these in both single play and actual duels. There is no apparent difference in efficacy related to in-game time. There is, however, a difference noted when 2 to 3 stacks are used, depending on the opponent's DR. Change weapons with IND variations if necessary. The base mod is [Increases Near Dusk]. The format changes to [Increases During NightTime] after the 2nd jewel. The third is [Increases Near Dawn]. It rotates from here on. This changes according to the base. Some modifications start with Dawn. The maximum is 767%. Stacks will not visually increase that number.
- - IMPORTANT: I have encountered a bug that will drop an online game or possibly crash the application when using several stacks of CB || OW [IND]'s if the opponent is using some type of leech block! Always practice minimal-optimal solutions when editing as opposed to using the largest numbers or as many items possible.
- - On a side note, there are 34 other active IND modifications in LoD. Most of them are either ineffective or useless.
- - The first LUB (Least Upper Bound) for damage is 83870. The next limit is 275650. How far it sits below that number depends on the char level, attack type, and accompanying magic or elemental damage. A L99 paladin using Zeal, for example, may use a range of 83650-83651. This is independent of CB, OW, AR, DEX, and weapon type. A little beyond these limits, the char will be unable to kill even the smallest of creatures--at all, if not after several hits. If you don't have access to an in-game editor to toggle stats in real time, it is best to increase STR by 10-15% (or even less) to tweak damage ranges for melee attacks. To get the +1 damage spread, increase the min damage of a weapon only. I have no advice to give for damage ranges using bows or any other projectile weapon. I detest ranged combat.
- - These damage statistics were the best I had found as of 11.2001. There has not been a patch update since then, so it will work well for most people. However, a new damage range and item mod combination has apparently been found to emulate the quick kill of an elite using a norm. It's may involve multiples and/or combinations of the significant numbers listed above and perhaps percentages of the 84K limit itself. For now, I shall forego the task of finding this new statistic. I wish you all luck in finding it if you have not already.
[DEF]
- - The LUB of Def on a character without any inventory (and with 0 to defense increase skills for Barbs) can be reached by using DEX alone. This number ranges from 21M-24M. This is just as effective for norms as using extremely high DEX. Notice that in mid-ranges, including just above the LUB def, the number becomes negative. These sign changes are important to keep track of. If you hit a negative number, don't push it further to try and get something positive. It means you've already gone beyond the limit. Backtrack instead.
- - Elites, Supers, and Ultras are exceptions. Depending on your own char's and the opponent's level and AR, they may or may not hit you more often and vice versa. Easily 75% of the time, the LUB Def works just as well for high level chars as it does for norms. Some players may find that percentage low. When in doubt, use the long signed integer for DEX with minimal configurations of AR/BoCL (not AR%/BoCL) on a high level char. More on AR later.
- - Target Defense. You don't need anything other than a single 1%TD modification, either on a weapon or on a charm. It may be placed on other items as well, if you want to limit charm or overall item numbers. I've found, however, that it does not work on gloves or rings. I have not tested other placements. Some people will swear by the Eth rune, which gives a weapon -25%TD. It's a poor substitute for 1%TD. There is a limited chance one or more Eth runes may allow a norm to hit an Elite, or an Elite to hit a Super, etc; I've tried this, and the hit ratio is very low compared to using 1%TD. The same statistic applies to a combination of 1%TD and one or more Eth runes.
[AR]
- - 21474817 at 95%, give or take 100 depending on class, attack type, and weapon-based AR. Any further questions?
- - One method of editing AR is to increase Dex a little at a time until you hit the appropriate number. Use +, %, and %/Level DEF bonuses on items to reach the LUB or desired DEF. To maximize DEX, use an attack type with the lowest AR+ or AR% bonus possible through skill level. For multiple strike attacks such as Zeal, Jab, and Dragon Talon, use the minimum skill points required for the maximum number of strikes. For example, one would use X points of Attack A to get Y hits. If possible, use no AR or DAM bonuses at all. Rely solely on DEX for AR. A single skill point to most melee attack types, barring passive skills that add to AR, is sufficient. For flexibility, one can easily use charms, jewelry, or weapons with +AR or -AR percentages, to compensate for the differing bonuses when switching attack types.
- - This is one of the reasons I favor Zeal. Not only is it very fast with multiple strikes; it also has a minimal attack bonus and no damage bonus, and therefore allows a player to to optimize STR and DEX (and consequently DEF).
- - Note: Jab is one attack I know of (I think the only one) that adds AR% Per Target. This is annoying but very important. One has to reduce the maximum AR by the %AR bonus of Jab. Otherwise, the actual fighting AR (not contextual AR) will be BaseAR+(JabAR%*NumberofTargets). For example, if you start with 21474817 AR, and you Jab skil has an Attack bonus of 20% PerTarget, you will have a combat AR of 257697804=(21474817*1.2) against a single opponent. This will increase with every opponent in your melee range. To fix this, use a singe modification of -20%AR on any item, preferably a ring or a charm. Your attack rating will show as 17895681 at 95% to hit in the stat window, but your true 1v1 combat AR will be 21474817. Alternately you can set the base AR at 17895680=(21474817/1.2) and not worry about overlapping that number in a duel (and even save file space).
- - You may also use -AR% and -AR to reduce attack rating and thus be able to increase Dex and the base Def. Use caution with this method however, as several external modifications of any type on the base AR will cause inaccuracies within LoD and lower your actual hit ratio, even though it may still say 95%.
[LIFE and MANA]
- - Mana is inconsequential. 6M is more than enough in most situations. Don't go over that, especially in Elite duelling with %DamtoMana and Energy Shields. Yeah, you all know what I'm talking about...
- - As usual, there is no single effective attack/item mod combination that will cause a player to win 100% of duels. But here are a few tips that might help:
- - The maximum amount of life possible is 8388607. Use a range below that, depending on your Dam and %LifeSteal. Don't ever use that exact life while employing LS. There is a 99% chance of a suicide attack via life overflow.
- - A full red globe maxes at 32767. To get 32767 (or any other number) as the numerator, use a multiple of 65536 and add the desired number to the result. Eg 65536*13=884735 Life will show as 32767/884735.
- - To test a norm's leech effectiveness, use 1/32767 of life and/or mana. Go to Act5 Hell mode and type "Players 8" in the dialogue box. Using minimal inventory (see DAM section above), find the strongest NPI creature and kill it using either fists alone or the preferred weapon and damage range. Baal will do quite nicely (except that there's only one of him). The others will do just as well. Check how quickly your crystal globes refill and adjust your %LS || %MS || DAM accordingly.
- - A note about %DamtoMana and Energy Shields. ES will absorb a % of damage taken by reducing your mana instead of your life. DtM will take a % of the damage you have taken and add that number to your mana level. DtM will NOT reduce the amount taken out of life!! Its sole purpose in LoD is to help mage classes.
- - A general way of compensating for leech block is to forget the now-standard +1 damage spread and make the range as large as you'd like, making sure of course that you can still kill ordinary creatures with it.
[ABSORB and DAM RED]
- - Multiple stacks of Abs/Level is the key to getting that 1 life that never goes away in melee combat using Elite chars. The bad news is that you'll die very quickly from minor magic and elemental damage.
- - You don't need more than 127%Abs for each element and for magic damage. If you want to make full use of this, there are 3 [IND]'s that can give your char 767%Res[IND] but can also give a char -256%Res[IND]. These will significantly increase your absorb rate; but unless you're a high level using the same amount of Abs/Level as your life (eg 8.3M Abs/BoCL & 8.3M life) AND fighting a sorc, you're not going to fill your life bar in a jiffy.
- - Damage reduction. I can only offer some general info on this, as each combat situation is different. A single 255%DR charm alone will completely block any type of physical damage in single mode, regardless of difficulty. Not even multiples of separate 100%DR mods will do that. 35-40%DR or lower has a good chance of blocking an oppoent's leech if they have a small damage spread with a limit of about 83K actual damage. Work with variations of this according to how much %LS you want to block and how much damage you're willing to take.
[CHANCE to BLOCK]
- - I left this topic until the last moment, debating whether or not I should take it up. As far as I know, it is NOT (I repeat NOT) possible to achieve a contextual 100%CtB. Theoretically, 100%CtB is possible; but the only way to test that theory is in actual combat.
- - Here. This is important. Write this down. Memorize it. Use it.
LoD Percentage Block Equation:
%ChanceToBlock=(ShieldBlock*(Dexterity-15))/2Level
:. Dex=[((%ChanceToBlock)2Level)/(%ShieldBlock)]-15
- - Even with this equation, one will not attain 100% blocking 100% of the time. Hence, I give you my personal method to maximizing shield block efficiency:
- - After setting up the appropriate AR and DEF, add % bonuses to your shield. On high level chars, use a buckler and add bonuses 5% at a time until you get a -ve %CtB. Backtrack 1% at a time until it's +ve again. That's your char's max block efficiency. If you have less than max AR || DAM (if your DAM is DEX-dependent), you can safely increase DEX a little at a time until you get the max CtB efficiency while staying within proper AR limits. If you want the highest AR possible, don't hesitate to use AR% and AR+ a bit at a time until you get it right. Employ this same process with norms, using any shield and 20-30% CtB additions with jewels on the shield itself or on other items. Again, backtrack to get a +ve blocking chance and leave AR a little lower than usual so that the DEX increase will not push it to a low hit ratio. The tricky part of all of this is the balancing act required during the actual editing. It's very tedious, but the time and effort can be very rewarding.
- - Note: %CtB adds to the base shield block. It does not use a fraction of the base block %. For example, puting a 40%CtB mod on a shield with a 35% blocking base will result in 75%CtB shield.
- - Assassins (a popular class nowadays) and the Weapon Block skill. Remember that this passive skill only works when using dual claws AND dual claw attacks, which leaves only the Dragon Claw and Normal attacks. It will not be activated if you use 2 claws but employ an attack type OTHER than DClaw or Normal. Now, the limit is 65%CtB with WB. To complement this, use a 35%CtB addition on each claw. To make sure you block the highest number of hits, use the Normal attack. It is more effective at activating the WB skill than DClaw. Note: When using 2 claws (as with most dual weapon attacks), any %LS || %MS || AR bonus on a single claw is subject only to the claw in question and is ignored by the other. As well, these same claw modifications apply only to the actual weapon-based attacks and not the kicks.
[SPEED]
- - The base attack, run, and hit recovery speeds for the Zon, Sin, Barb, and Pal classes are 100 each. The base speeds may be a bit lower for Necros and Sorcs. Every item has a speed modifier ranging from -30 to +30. Weapons' modifiers differ according to each class, which explains how weapon X is slow when used by class A but fast when used by class B. Shields, armor, belts, gloves, and helms have generic modifiers. To see this for yourself, take a brand new char edited only for level and stats. Equip nothing other than, say, non-magical forms of a kraken shell, a spired helm, bone weave boots, orgre gauntlets, and a dragon shield; none of these should have any extra modifiers. Load a game and move the character around without anything on. Then move around after each item is equiped one by one; or walk and run around after all of the items are equiped. There will be a noticeable difference in mobility. Whether or not they realize it, most players opting for the simplest equipment have an advantage because they have less gear dragging their characters down.
- - Barbarians are the only exception to the above test due to their passive skill. To test a barbarian or edit one in the method explained below, leave the passive speed skill at 0.
- - Negative speed has become very popular lately. The best range tested so far is 6(-20%RW) to 9(-20%RW). Some players have tried 12(-20%RW) with success; but others may experience black wall collisions, find their chars running backwards, and have random crashes or freezes. Keep in mind that a barb with passive speed skill points will be affected differently by -%RW from one without.
- - For users of Modify Dii, you'll find that the GLB and the LUB (Greatest Lower Bound and Least Upper Bound) speeds are -1100 and +1100 (approximately). Use only decrements or increments of the "Normal Run/Walk" mod (max 97) and no % speed modifiers. Beyond these limits, a character may experience problems even in single player mode. Editing the base Attack Speed of items will also benefit a char's number strikes per second.
- - Unfortunately, I have not been able to derive a reliable equation for calculating the resulting actual speed when using %RW. Logically, a char would have [100(1.07)6]=[BaseRW*(%RW)*(Numof%RWMods)]=642RW. This may change depending on the "weight" of armored gear. Using Modify Dii in-game to give a char 642 Normal RW produces slightly faster speed than 6x107%RW. It's not on the dot, but it's close, so at least the equation is practical. Though, the maximum speed attained with %RW alone caps off very quickly. On the other hand, [100(0.8^6)]=[BaseRW*(-%RW)^(Numof%RWMods)]=26.2RW makes no sense at all. At that actual speed, a char would be going slower than the chickens in the Rogue camp. So the calculation used here does not apply to both +%RW and -%RW. I'm stumped on this one. It's a mere point of curiosity, but others like myself may want to dig dipper into this subject just to see what makes a D2LoD char tick.
- - The biggest difference between the two editing methods is stability. I have had no problems editing the base speed of a character's items (no %RW at all), as opposed to using multiple -20%RW, which has given me trouble on several occasions. Negative speed editing works just as well for Attack Speed and Cast Rate. Theoretically, it should also work for Block Rate and Hit Recovery, but I have not seen any improvements in my own tests.
[CONCLUSION]
- - I think I covered most of the important topics. Feel free to post a question on anything pertinent I might have missed. BTW. If you haven't already done so, check out http://www.nightshiver.com/ericjwin/. This is a phenomenal source of information. You'll also find a copy of this post there. I have not gone through Eric's entire guide myself. There may be conflicting notes. In all cases, keep an open mind and use what works well for your character file. Remember, focus on making an adaptable char and don't overdo anything.