View Full Version : Optimal Holy Freeze Merc Gear Question
HaqZombie
11-02-2004, 22:25
K right now my merc is a lvl 66 Holy Freeze (of course) merc which I am lvling right now so he can help me in hell. Right now he can decimate the baddies in Act 4 NM and we can both run NM Baal, sometimes he dies at Minions, but that's about it. But in Hell, specifically Act 1, he doesn't do crap. Takes about 45 seconds to kill a zombie right outside of Rogue Camp! Here's his specs:
Vampire Gaze Helm w/ 6mana 8life 20reduced dmg
Hwanins Bill w/ P Skull 4% life leech(don't know, it was in there already)
Eth Boneflesh Armor w/ 5% life leech
I need like 5 more levels to use Viperfork, and then I'm hoping he will kick ***, literally. But my question is this. What is the optimal gear for a merc of this type? My merc is for my MF sorc, which I mostly do Andy runs. I'm hopin I can get him built up so I can do Meph runs as well. In hell he can't tank worth crap. Any suggestions??
Seriously You want to get and eth(optional) Reapers toll or Bonehew(socket with amn and shael) as well as an Shaft and a Gaze or Tals Mask
Lvl 66 is still *really* low to go mf with him, I suggest you do mass NM senk/eld runs, really fast where he will lvl up while you might be able to get some decent items really easily. I got my merc (and myself) from lvl 50 to 70 there, then just proceed with NM Baals ( in pubs) until lvl 77 then go in Hell baals or Pits runs.
HaqZombie
11-02-2004, 23:00
Seriously You want to get and eth(optional) Reapers toll or Bonehew(socket with amn and shael) as well as an Shaft and a Gaze or Tals Mask
Lvl 66 is still *really* low to go mf with him, I suggest you do mass NM senk/eld runs, really fast where he will lvl up while you might be able to get some decent items really easily. I got my merc (and myself) from lvl 50 to 70 there, then just proceed with NM Baals ( in pubs) until lvl 77 then go in Hell baals or Pits runs.
Ok, I just did my hell Den quest and cleared the Blood Moor, and he is now to lvl 68, just 3 more levels till I can use the Viperfork. But you say I should use a Reapers Toll or Bonehew. Which is better? I have 2 Tals Mask as well as he's wearing a Gaze, should I keep it on him? What about armor? I know the one he's using right now isn't enough, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
My guess is his resistances are the problem atm. I agree with WarHymn about ultimate gear. Um'd Shaftstop, Um'd Vampire Gaze, Amn'd Reaper's Toll. Crescent Moon runeword polearm is also an option for a weapon. And....if you switched to a Defiance merc....a Doom runeword polearm would work as well.
nid
Shanksie1337
12-02-2004, 01:52
depending on your budget i'd use:
Helm: Tals Mask / Crown of Theives / V.Gaze / Shako / Blackhorns Face
Armour: Shaft / Duriels / Corpsemourn
Weapon: Reapers / Bonehew / Kelpie Snare
Depending on realm you can get: Tals mask / Duriels / Reapers-Bonehew-Kelpie all for pgems
Socketing merc gear is for endgame, when u have everything your main char needs, besides i'd need to be very rich gearwise to start whacking UM's in merc gear when for a max of 50k i could just ressurect him.
You want LL / res / +Life (not vit) / +dmg then other killing mods, such as CB/% to cast xxx etc. But note as your merc levels up he gets extra base natural res, so i'd worry about this towards endgame
HaqZombie
12-02-2004, 02:19
[QUOTE=Shanksie1337]depending on your budget i'd use:
Helm: Tals Mask / Crown of Theives / V.Gaze / Shako / Blackhorns Face
Armour: Shaft / Duriels / Corpsemourn
Weapon: Reapers / Bonehew / Kelpie Snare
Well he already has V.Gaze on, (although my wife wanted me to trade it so I can get her a shako)...
I also gave my wife Duriels, but I don't think I'm going to get that back.
I'm going to try to get my hands on a bonehew or reapers, probably a bonehew, I already have enough runes to spare those two.
Thanks a lot everyone. I'll let ya know what I do later.
My Holy Freeze Merc uses: Perfect Vampire Gaze, Eth Bonehew (AmnAmn), Eth Shaftstop and he hardly ever dies.
Liessa Wyrmbane
12-02-2004, 14:51
My merc uses: Kira's Guardian (for resists) + Shaft (for damage reduction) + upgraded ethereal Kelpie Snare w/ Amn. It's the best set-up I've tried with my budget.
For my part, my merc uses Bonehew /w Amn & Shael, as well as a Tals Mask and CorpseMourn, he is level88 which allows him to have great ressists even in Hell
Back to Hac, Gaze is great, giving botht he leech necessary and the DR, The weapons arent very expensive, and do not forget to take IAS, for if you give him Shaft too, he will be more then able to survive.
and LVL him up alot, he should never be more then 3 lvls under you.
Stiertje
12-02-2004, 15:27
My guess is his resistances are the problem atm. I agree with WarHymn about ultimate gear. Um'd Shaftstop, Um'd Vampire Gaze, Amn'd Reaper's Toll. Crescent Moon runeword polearm is also an option for a weapon. And....if you switched to a Defiance merc....a Doom runeword polearm would work as well.
nid
Doom Runeword kicks more a$$ on a Might merc.
Reapers should have Shael, cause it's attack speed will be greater and you'll get more LL then with the Amn. And Gaze + Reapers already get you more then 20% LL at least.
Crescent Moon is much nicer on a non Sorc character for the % chance to cast Static.
My merc uses: Kira's Guardian (for resists) + Shaft (for damage reduction) + upgraded ethereal Kelpie Snare w/ Amn. It's the best set-up I've tried with my budget.
Ohhhh... gotta love polymorph ;)
Btw my lvl90 defiance merc uses eth bonehew (amn-amn), duriels and crown of thieves (gave my gaze to a friend :( ..). Still without shaft/gaze my merc usually only dies in minions of destruction (if surrounded) and from lots of ranged attackers (like red skelies in shenk).
wangboBW
13-02-2004, 01:28
I have a defiance merc he is currently lvl87, and here is his items. I am kind of bias towards my own item BTW.
Reaper's Toll (should be a eth...)
Eth G-Bane (2k Defense, with Defiance, he has 14k)
Rockstopper (I am sure you are all asking, WHAT????. But Rockstopper is a great helm, resist, DR, +Vit, what more can you ask. No leech though =-(
chinaman1472
13-02-2004, 05:33
Before my sorc died, my merc had a ncie setup. HaqZombie had a good choices.
However, you all are forgetting probably one of the best piece. Leviathan armor. Add a -15 requirement jewel (if you can find a rare with good mods, execellent :)) and he'll be able to use that armor around lvl 66. With good damage reduce (up to 25%), and a whopping +45 strength, he'll use Bonehew without Hel runes at lvl 66 :).
Hone Sundain is another good choice since it's pretty good dmg +3 sockets as well.
I consider myself rich, but even I don't use Ethereal Doom on my mercs, hehe.
*HaqZombie, tell me which realm (and also if ladder or softcore or not) you're on. I can get u some stuff for your Merc if you happen to be on my realm.
My defiance merc is lvl 90 (non ladder) and his gear is:
-Chains of Honor Wirefleece
-Bonehew (still need to trade for a ETH one :( )
-Shako (Andariels visage when the season is over) :D
melianor
13-02-2004, 12:07
Another Socketing suggestion for Bonehew:
2xSHAEL, this way you will reach the next IAS breakpoint for your merc and the way he wacks away then is simple incredible. Get x%ll from other sources...
whitespot
13-02-2004, 19:34
I was just wondering I have a 80 something lvl merc and I just traded to get (now know I didn't do this) an eth enigma. I was just wondering if I should sit this on my merc for mf and defense or is there something better than that when it comes to auras, damage, res, ll. Please do remember that I didn't put enigma into eth armor (who ever did it though should be smacked). Anyways thx. (oh ya and im usin crown of theives and reapers)
Usufruct
13-02-2004, 19:37
I had a low budget to spend on my merc. He wears a 14% Reapers Toll (non ethereal), Tal Rasha's Mask, and Smoke Armor. He steals 24% life, and casts decrepify every third hit. He is freaking awesome.
Another Socketing suggestion for Bonehew:
2xSHAEL, this way you will reach the next IAS breakpoint for your merc and the way he wacks away then is simple incredible. Get x%ll from other sources...
hmm read about it, but didnt try it yet :)
thanks for the tip tho ;) i'll socket it later
2 shaels aren't really needed. It can be a shael and an IAS jewel; which can have other mods such as ED, or some other +damage modifier.
HaqZombie
14-02-2004, 16:24
Wow, I leave for a couple of days and all the replies. Kool. Anyway, I managed to get my hands on a Bonehew. So I came back here to decide what to put in it. Looks like Amn and Shael. Maybe 2 Shaels. Hmmm.... I'm not sure if 2 Shaels would work mainly because Bonehew already has Very Fast Attack Speed...so I might end up going with an Amn, but he's already wearing a Gaze with 8% LL, would that be enough? Let me know.
Btw, I'm on Ladder on East. Name *Haqzombie
Another Socketing suggestion for Bonehew:
2xSHAEL, this way you will reach the next IAS breakpoint for your merc and the way he wacks away then is simple incredible. Get x%ll from other sources...
What are the breakpoints for a merc with a bonehew, i have one with 1 socket already used with a plain 30% ED, was that a mistake?
My merc uses a Vamp Gaze Helm, Corpsemourn armor and some rare item i found. does 435-877 damage and leeches 7%hp
holabuster
16-02-2004, 19:09
Does no one like Tomb Reaver? I think it's pretty sexy :). but whats the deal with reanimate?
I can't believe no one's mentioned Delerium. This has saved me and my mercenary countless times. IMO, this is the ultimate helm for a mercenary (except for necros and builds that actually use the helm on the character themselves). It has saved my butt numerous times against hard hitting archer packs.
My ultimate mercenary gear is:
Ethereal Delerium Bone Visage
Ethereal Gloom Great Hauberk
Ethereal Amn'd Reaper's Toll or Ethereal Doom Great Poleaxe - depends on the build
I never have a hard time getting swarmed.
15% ctc lvl 3 Dim Vision when Struck
11% ctc lvl 18 Confuse on Striking
14% ctc lvl 13 Terror when Struck
6% ctc lvl 14 Mind Blast when Struck
Thats why. Its like having an necro in the group who knows how to use AI curses.
Dim Vision goes off on archers until my merc closes in - then he confuses them all. Every once in a while we get a few converted monsters.
The only one thats a pain is Terror, but when they're slowed from holy freeze - no big deal really, they walk very slowly away from you and they're easy to chase down.
I can't believe no one's mentioned Delerium. This has saved me and my mercenary countless times. IMO, this is the ultimate helm for a mercenary (except for necros and builds that actually use the helm on the character themselves). It has saved my butt numerous times against hard hitting archer packs.
My ultimate mercenary gear is:
Ethereal Delerium Bone Visage
Ethereal Gloom Great Hauberk
Ethereal Amn'd Reaper's Toll or Ethereal Doom Great Poleaxe - depends on the build
I never have a hard time getting swarmed.
15% ctc lvl 3 Dim Vision when Struck
11% ctc lvl 18 Confuse on Striking
14% ctc lvl 13 Terror when Struck
6% ctc lvl 14 Mind Blast when Struck
Thats why. Its like having an necro in the group who knows how to use AI curses.
Dim Vision goes off on archers until my merc closes in - then he confuses them all. Every once in a while we get a few converted monsters.
The only one thats a pain is Terror, but when they're slowed from holy freeze - no big deal really, they walk very slowly away from you and they're easy to chase down.
delirium is great choice if you have 15% res all shaft on, otherwise he's a walking 50k if you push hard in games like i do. i stick with:
Ladder: tal mask, cheesy but never dies Spirit forge with Thul and Ral in it. i thought i would swap it out after i got him in nm, but the extra life boost, and some res's made it fine. shrugs. weapon: rare 321% giant thresher with 240 ar and 7% life leech, and an amn in that for 14%. he has 24% life leech and max res all at level 86. kinda spiffy for cheap gear.
NOn ladder: legit 1.08 vampgaze. everyone always says yeah sure, and like in 1.08 it was the hot commodity for 4-5 sojs on uswest. (got mine for 3), 200% ed ethereal SPire of honour with Amn. this would be insanely valuable on ladder, but its not upgradeable, its such an awesome weapon as is though if you read the stats and see its 550+ max damage. armour: 199% ed ethereal um'd guardian angel. goes psycho with this setup
Verocity
19-02-2004, 02:04
Perfect Ethereal Bonehew, 320%ED, 911 max damage, Amn & Shael. He does 5k-10k max damage depending on auras being used. Duriel's shell for resists and CBF - VERY important mod. 8%ll Gaze.
I never thought of using Delerium. Now THAT would be cool!
So for a bonehew should you Shael-Shael it or Shael-Amn it or Shael-Amn it and stick a 15% ias jewel somewhere?
Verocity
19-02-2004, 08:06
So for a bonehew should you Shael-Shael it or Shael-Amn it or Shael-Amn it and stick a 15% ias jewel somewhere?
I went Shael + Amn cause of the gaze. Ideally, you want at least 15%LL on your merc for hell.(which turns into 5%)
Guillaume's Face and Rattlecage for 60% crushing blow plus a polearm with life leech works decent for me. But then again I am hcl. Nice ghetto gear setup. :D
K well here are my choices for my merc so tell me what would be best for tanking meph/andy.
helm- tals, gaze(ed jewel), eth crown
weapon- bonehew (shael-amn)
armor- duriels(15 stren for bonehew),shaft
Plan is to put a 15% ias either on the armor or helm to reach next break point.
From what I hear you need 2x shaels on bonehew to pass the IAS breakpoint. So the viable options are Shael-Shael or Amn-Amn.
K well here are my choices for my merc so tell me what would be best for tanking meph/andy.
helm- tals, gaze(ed jewel), eth crown
weapon- bonehew (shael-amn)
armor- duriels(15 stren for bonehew),shaft
Plan is to put a 15% ias either on the armor or helm to reach next break point.
ahh.... only if ias worked i would use a lot of it in my merc's gear. but it dasnt, uh uh.
Vender_Bender
17-03-2004, 06:48
I personally have always wanted a might merc with:
Helm:(Gaze/tals)
Weapon: Doom eth spear_____ (<--whatever is highest dmg)
Armor: Bramble armor
That seems like an Uber merc for a sorc.
Might
Holy Freeze
Thorns
+ wicked dmg I t would be a hella expensive setup but if you could do it I think it would be insane.
PS: For the most part the greatest setup for the average person would be bone hew(amn amn), tals/gaze, shaft. That's not too expensive for a decent player. Only gaze/shaft would be any trouble if you couldnt find them.
LordDrift
17-03-2004, 06:59
My Act 2 Defiance Merc uses
Armor: Chains of Honor
Helm: 08 Gaze
Weapon: Eth Doom Cryptic Axe
Barely dies
spencert
17-03-2004, 10:24
Ok, I just did my hell Den quest and cleared the Blood Moor, and he is now to lvl 68, just 3 more levels till I can use the Viperfork. But you say I should use a Reapers Toll or Bonehew. Which is better? I have 2 Tals Mask as well as he's wearing a Gaze, should I keep it on him? What about armor? I know the one he's using right now isn't enough, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
Duriel shell and Shaftstop are great until you hit 80ish. After that you can upgrade them for better def. Reapers will help you slow down monsters to allow your sorc to kill them. In my opinion, it is the best merc weapon besides a doom but it will be rediculous to use a doom unless you have a lot of excess high runes. Gaze is good but if you lack resist u should go with Tals. Andy's visage is also a very good option if you can get them by lvl 83. Best method to lvl up merc at lvl 68 is to do hell cow. You get around 1-3 lvl per cow game. Good luck.
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