0
Diablo II (v1.03)
Guide v1.0 by Spider Eternal™ (Spider0@Juno.com)
Last Update: 12/4/00
Check next to each title of the section to see the date of the last
update!
Table of Contents
*****************
I. Introduction
II. Imbuement Guide
III. Common Mistakes
IV. Side Comments
V. Credits
VI. Copyright
I. Introduction
***************
Ever get puzzled by what you should imbue? Or when you should
imbue it? Or why some imbues came out great and others were absolutely
horrible? Overlooking the fact that you give Charsi better items with
each difficulty, there is another factor which determines imbue
quality. And most people think it's the difficulty level that does it.
That in fact, is wrong.
II. Imbuement Guide
*******************
The reason most people think imbues are better in higher
difficulties, is because they are, in a sense, but its not difficulty
that influences the imbuement, it's the level of the imbuer. If you
think about it, it makes perfect sense. If a level 10 imbues an item in
normal (or any difficulty for that matter), the item will be imbued to
suit his needs. If a character level 20 imbues on any difficulty
whatsoever, he will get a better item than the level 10 because he
needs better items. So, the higher your level, the better the
imbuement, it's that simple.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A different way of playing can really make a difference, and could save
you a lot of grief and boredom.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The main reason people get not-so-good items from imbues, is the
fact that a lot of them rush through the game. So being a lower level,
they might imbue a great item, but will probably be disappointed. If
you want to receive better imbues faster, take your time with the game.
Sounds like an oxymoron, but its not. If you find an area in the game
where you can level up easily and kill the monsters there with fair
ease, then stay there. Once the experience starts going down, don't
leave the area. Instead of rushing to the next area, join or make games
that will have 8 people join them. For the most part the monsters will
get a little harder, but they will still be easy to kill, and you will
get good experience from them. The trick is to stay solo, that way you
get the maximum experience possible. Try making games that will have
the 8 people coming in play in a different act than you are. That way
you will have 8 people total in the game and an entire Act full of
experience for yourself. Once that area or act doesn't give you much
experience with maximum players, then its time to move on. Playing in
this consistent and thorough manner truly makes it an entirely
different play experience. I've seen level 44 characters in Hell
difficulty, and I've seen level 44 characters starting Act 2 in
Nightmare. I myself have stayed in Normal, and found decent experience
in hell with 8 people up until I hit level 37. Most people starting
Nightmare are in their 20s.
The best time to imbue is farther away than you might think. My
recommendation is to imbue at least after level 45. If you want to get
the best of the imbuements, imbue after level 60. Don't forget that
chance still does play a big role in these imbuements, but your chances
of getting a very good item are extremely higher than if you imbue
within the levels of 30-45. I do realize that doing so deprives you of
a rare item during your progression of the game. Still, wouldn't it be
better to have a great item that you keep for a long time, instead of a
mediocre item that you use for a little while and then sell off? You be
the judge. I found that this strategy works great for me, imbues are
rare and quite far in-between, I made the most of them.
And finally, as to what items themselves you should imbue, that
is really up to your character class. I recommend imbuing only the
exceptional types of equipment, such as chaos armor, executioner
swords, grim shields, etc. (Check out the specific stats on exceptional
types of items at the official Diablo 2 website, or try www.diabloii.net)
Common Mistakes (Updated 12/4/00)
***************
You've all seen them before, people auctioning off exceptional superior
imbuable items that are sold for sickeningly huge amounts of gold or
good items. DON'T FALL INTO THIS TRAP!! Items lose all their properties
once they are imbued, so getting a superior sword imbued, or a cracked
one makes no difference whatsoever, the item type is what determines
the imbued item. So an exceptional piece of equipment is different from
a regular piece of equipment since it's already a different type to
begin with, and having it imbued will produce a higher quality item
altogether. The ONLY exception to this rule is with
wands/staffs/scepters. The regular vs. exceptional rule still applies,
but if you find one of these and the item is non-magical, (meaning the
text is white) and that item possesses magical properties, such as
additions to skills, (but improved damage or durability properties WILL
be lost after the imbue) these spell properties will PROBABLY be
retained in the imbuing process. In addition they might be improved or
more skill adding properties will be added. Chance is a factor here
again, so the perfect wand that you imbue might not keep the spell add-
ons that you'd like it to, but then again, it just might. :)
Another area where people could get misled is when imbues add the
improved damage/durability/defense. If you gave a superior item that
contained these attributes to Charsi, and she gave back an imbued item
that still had those properties, you might be misled into thinking that
they are kept during the imbue process. That's simply not true, what
really happened was the item was stripped of its attributes, and then
those properties were re-added to the item, giving the appearance that
they were kept. I suspect that it might work the same way as the wand
addition to skill feature, that sometimes it is kept, others it is not.
I'm currently in the process of checking whether this is true. At the
moment though, I would assume that all superior properties are lost, so
avoid spending big money on superior items.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Higher is not always better? The common opinion is that imbuing between
the levels of 30-45 is better than the higher levels because you don't
get as many damage dealing properties in items, instead they would be
more geared to resistances and regeneration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am not sure if this is correct or not, but I've gotten numerous e-
mails about it. I will be conducting numerous tests to find out if this
is truly the case, and I will soon post the information. Check back
soon!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you curious to find out why people might think this please
read the small section below.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Diablo 2 game stops dropping items after a certain monster level.
What I mean is socketed exceptional items, for example, will not be
dropped (or very rarely) in the hell difficulty because the game
considers those items to be too weak to be dropped. So in order to get
them you have to go back to hell on nightmare difficulty. For this same
reason you don't see cracked items dropped in the later difficulties.
It could be very well POSSIBLE (I dunno yet, testing) that the items
Charsi gives you will not have certain attributes that you may want in
your item, the game might consider them inferior to your level. Notice
how I said level, not difficulty. Certain items stop dropping according
to difficulty only because difficulty is what determines the monsters'
levels. So your imbue in normal should still be just as good as the one
in hell, since its based on YOUR level. This does not affect unique
items (not in my experience anyway, send in comments if you know
otherwise people!) so don't worry about it not being possible to find
any.
Side Comments (Updated 12/4/00)
*************
I am a very open minded individual, so if you think I have posted some
incorrect information here, please let me know so I may update the
Guide. Provide your name and e-mail and you shall receive credit for
your help. Also any suggestions about how to improve this Guide,
feedback of any kind, be it positive, negative, or even neutral; will
be read and responded to. Basically, ANYTHING that you consider
worthwhile to send, whether it would be a letter telling me to rot in
the bowels of hell, a spelling mistake, or a compliment on my work,
please send it. (No I'm not implying you send me hate mail just for the
fun of it! ;) )
CREDITS (Updated 12/4/00)
*******
At the moment I wish to thank some of the ladder players on the WEST
Realm whose names I can't remember but nevertheless, your advice helped
me create this Guide. I also give credit to Andross who helped me
update the guide in the particular area regarding wand imbuements! And
thanks to all who sent in your comments! Please, send any thoughts you
have at all. I'd like to hear them!!! The more input I get, the more
often I can update this guide, and make it better for you guys. Be sure
to send me any experience with imbues, patterns, reoccurring
attributes, anything like that!
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
****************
This document is copyrighted to Spider Eternal 2000©. I will grant
permission to reproduce this guide freely provided you mail me asking
for it and tell me where you will be posting it. It is also required
that the document remains whole and unmodified, and the original author
is credited, along with anyone else that contributed to the Guide.
Also, by asking for this guide (and not stealing it) I will provide you
with a modified MS Word version. It will make the guide easier to read
with some of the enhancements that are added, so it will look like a
real guide on your site, not a huge text file.
Guide v1.0 by Spider Eternal™ (Spider0@Juno.com)
Last Update: 12/4/00
Check next to each title of the section to see the date of the last
update!
Table of Contents
*****************
I. Introduction
II. Imbuement Guide
III. Common Mistakes
IV. Side Comments
V. Credits
VI. Copyright
I. Introduction
***************
Ever get puzzled by what you should imbue? Or when you should
imbue it? Or why some imbues came out great and others were absolutely
horrible? Overlooking the fact that you give Charsi better items with
each difficulty, there is another factor which determines imbue
quality. And most people think it's the difficulty level that does it.
That in fact, is wrong.
II. Imbuement Guide
*******************
The reason most people think imbues are better in higher
difficulties, is because they are, in a sense, but its not difficulty
that influences the imbuement, it's the level of the imbuer. If you
think about it, it makes perfect sense. If a level 10 imbues an item in
normal (or any difficulty for that matter), the item will be imbued to
suit his needs. If a character level 20 imbues on any difficulty
whatsoever, he will get a better item than the level 10 because he
needs better items. So, the higher your level, the better the
imbuement, it's that simple.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A different way of playing can really make a difference, and could save
you a lot of grief and boredom.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The main reason people get not-so-good items from imbues, is the
fact that a lot of them rush through the game. So being a lower level,
they might imbue a great item, but will probably be disappointed. If
you want to receive better imbues faster, take your time with the game.
Sounds like an oxymoron, but its not. If you find an area in the game
where you can level up easily and kill the monsters there with fair
ease, then stay there. Once the experience starts going down, don't
leave the area. Instead of rushing to the next area, join or make games
that will have 8 people join them. For the most part the monsters will
get a little harder, but they will still be easy to kill, and you will
get good experience from them. The trick is to stay solo, that way you
get the maximum experience possible. Try making games that will have
the 8 people coming in play in a different act than you are. That way
you will have 8 people total in the game and an entire Act full of
experience for yourself. Once that area or act doesn't give you much
experience with maximum players, then its time to move on. Playing in
this consistent and thorough manner truly makes it an entirely
different play experience. I've seen level 44 characters in Hell
difficulty, and I've seen level 44 characters starting Act 2 in
Nightmare. I myself have stayed in Normal, and found decent experience
in hell with 8 people up until I hit level 37. Most people starting
Nightmare are in their 20s.
The best time to imbue is farther away than you might think. My
recommendation is to imbue at least after level 45. If you want to get
the best of the imbuements, imbue after level 60. Don't forget that
chance still does play a big role in these imbuements, but your chances
of getting a very good item are extremely higher than if you imbue
within the levels of 30-45. I do realize that doing so deprives you of
a rare item during your progression of the game. Still, wouldn't it be
better to have a great item that you keep for a long time, instead of a
mediocre item that you use for a little while and then sell off? You be
the judge. I found that this strategy works great for me, imbues are
rare and quite far in-between, I made the most of them.
And finally, as to what items themselves you should imbue, that
is really up to your character class. I recommend imbuing only the
exceptional types of equipment, such as chaos armor, executioner
swords, grim shields, etc. (Check out the specific stats on exceptional
types of items at the official Diablo 2 website, or try www.diabloii.net)
Common Mistakes (Updated 12/4/00)
***************
You've all seen them before, people auctioning off exceptional superior
imbuable items that are sold for sickeningly huge amounts of gold or
good items. DON'T FALL INTO THIS TRAP!! Items lose all their properties
once they are imbued, so getting a superior sword imbued, or a cracked
one makes no difference whatsoever, the item type is what determines
the imbued item. So an exceptional piece of equipment is different from
a regular piece of equipment since it's already a different type to
begin with, and having it imbued will produce a higher quality item
altogether. The ONLY exception to this rule is with
wands/staffs/scepters. The regular vs. exceptional rule still applies,
but if you find one of these and the item is non-magical, (meaning the
text is white) and that item possesses magical properties, such as
additions to skills, (but improved damage or durability properties WILL
be lost after the imbue) these spell properties will PROBABLY be
retained in the imbuing process. In addition they might be improved or
more skill adding properties will be added. Chance is a factor here
again, so the perfect wand that you imbue might not keep the spell add-
ons that you'd like it to, but then again, it just might. :)
Another area where people could get misled is when imbues add the
improved damage/durability/defense. If you gave a superior item that
contained these attributes to Charsi, and she gave back an imbued item
that still had those properties, you might be misled into thinking that
they are kept during the imbue process. That's simply not true, what
really happened was the item was stripped of its attributes, and then
those properties were re-added to the item, giving the appearance that
they were kept. I suspect that it might work the same way as the wand
addition to skill feature, that sometimes it is kept, others it is not.
I'm currently in the process of checking whether this is true. At the
moment though, I would assume that all superior properties are lost, so
avoid spending big money on superior items.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Higher is not always better? The common opinion is that imbuing between
the levels of 30-45 is better than the higher levels because you don't
get as many damage dealing properties in items, instead they would be
more geared to resistances and regeneration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am not sure if this is correct or not, but I've gotten numerous e-
mails about it. I will be conducting numerous tests to find out if this
is truly the case, and I will soon post the information. Check back
soon!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you curious to find out why people might think this please
read the small section below.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Diablo 2 game stops dropping items after a certain monster level.
What I mean is socketed exceptional items, for example, will not be
dropped (or very rarely) in the hell difficulty because the game
considers those items to be too weak to be dropped. So in order to get
them you have to go back to hell on nightmare difficulty. For this same
reason you don't see cracked items dropped in the later difficulties.
It could be very well POSSIBLE (I dunno yet, testing) that the items
Charsi gives you will not have certain attributes that you may want in
your item, the game might consider them inferior to your level. Notice
how I said level, not difficulty. Certain items stop dropping according
to difficulty only because difficulty is what determines the monsters'
levels. So your imbue in normal should still be just as good as the one
in hell, since its based on YOUR level. This does not affect unique
items (not in my experience anyway, send in comments if you know
otherwise people!) so don't worry about it not being possible to find
any.
Side Comments (Updated 12/4/00)
*************
I am a very open minded individual, so if you think I have posted some
incorrect information here, please let me know so I may update the
Guide. Provide your name and e-mail and you shall receive credit for
your help. Also any suggestions about how to improve this Guide,
feedback of any kind, be it positive, negative, or even neutral; will
be read and responded to. Basically, ANYTHING that you consider
worthwhile to send, whether it would be a letter telling me to rot in
the bowels of hell, a spelling mistake, or a compliment on my work,
please send it. (No I'm not implying you send me hate mail just for the
fun of it! ;) )
CREDITS (Updated 12/4/00)
*******
At the moment I wish to thank some of the ladder players on the WEST
Realm whose names I can't remember but nevertheless, your advice helped
me create this Guide. I also give credit to Andross who helped me
update the guide in the particular area regarding wand imbuements! And
thanks to all who sent in your comments! Please, send any thoughts you
have at all. I'd like to hear them!!! The more input I get, the more
often I can update this guide, and make it better for you guys. Be sure
to send me any experience with imbues, patterns, reoccurring
attributes, anything like that!
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
****************
This document is copyrighted to Spider Eternal 2000©. I will grant
permission to reproduce this guide freely provided you mail me asking
for it and tell me where you will be posting it. It is also required
that the document remains whole and unmodified, and the original author
is credited, along with anyone else that contributed to the Guide.
Also, by asking for this guide (and not stealing it) I will provide you
with a modified MS Word version. It will make the guide easier to read
with some of the enhancements that are added, so it will look like a
real guide on your site, not a huge text file.