Updated 12/5/24
Been 2+ years and several patches/seasons since I originally posted this but I digress…
Most of the sets are actually viable for end-game but are not A or even S-Tier like runeword/unique layouts. However, some of the sets shoehorn you into using specific skills cough M’avina cough so an overhaul of the Class sets is in order.
Two sets in particular need immediate attention in Aldur’s(Druid) and M’avina(Amazon). I’ll start with Aldur’s set first and then address M’avina. Changes are in bold for easy reference. I’ve scaled back what I initially set out to do but I figure this latest draft should be viable for implementation at some point in time(whenever that may be, if at all…).
Aldur Set
For Aldur’s, it’s pretty much a stat-boosting set(based on Str/Dex/Vit/Energy that spawn on each respective item) and that it doesn’t really excel at anything. The lack of Faster Cast Rating makes it an awful Caster Set and the Weapon is horrible from a Shapeshifting perspective. As such the Set could use quite a few changes.
Aldur’s Rythym:
200% Enhanced Damage
50% Damage to Undead
30% Increased Attack Speed
30% Faster Cast Rate
10% Life Stolen per hit
5% Mana Stolen per hit
Socketed 2-3(varies)
+15/30/45 Strength(2/3/4 Piece bonus)
Aldur’s base weapon damage is 20-31(25.5) that rises to 43 to 53(48) when upgraded(via 2.4 Cube upgrade). The existing +Damage is effectively 200% Enhanced Damage but only when its the current Exceptional Tier base. Now that they’ve added the ability to upgrade Set Items, that +40-62 Damage really sticks out like a badly infected cold sore. Changing it to 200% Enhanced Damage would still retain its current damage output as a Jagged Star but greatly buffing its damage potential should you upgrade it to a Devil Star(going from 83 - 115 to 129 to 159 ← MASSIVE DIFFERENCE).
I then added 30% Faster Cast Rate so as to give Elemental Druids a reason to utilize the Set, although Fire Elemental will ultimately win out over Wind/Cold variants simply because Wind needs as many +Skills as you can muster while Arctic Blast is honestly a horrible skill. That being said, 30% FCR will allow players using the Aldur Set to hit the 12 Frame/68 FCR breakpoint with Magefists and Spider. 11 Frame/99 FCR Breakpoint would require FCR on both Rings and Amulet since Shield will most likely be Phoenix if rolling Fire Druid(else 30+ Spirit easily hits the breakpoint). The Set also rolls with 6 Sockets(3 Mace, 2 Helm, 1 Chest), easily surpassing a perfect Ravenlore Helm from a -Enemy Fire Resistance perspective(and crushing it from %Fire Skill).
Aldur’s Deception:
+100% Enhanced Defense
+2 to Shape Shifting Skills
+2 to Elemental Skills
+40-50 Lightning Resistance(varies)
+50 Poison Resistance
+20 to Strength
+15 to Dexterity
-50% to Requirements
+15/30/45 Vitality(2/3/4 Piece bonus)
Aldur’s Set armor is an Elite Based Armor. To have +300 Defense or +53.7% Enhanced Defense is frankly embarrassing. I upped it to 100% Enhanced Defense(558 x 2 = 1116 Defense from its current 858) and even that may be a bit low for the 2nd heaviest base armor in the game. I also increased the skill bonus to Shape Shifting and Elemental trees to +2, effectively yielding +6 when the set is complete that mirrors Tal Rasha. I added Poison Resistance, effectively yielding at least 90 All Resistance depending on the rolls for Fire/Cold/Light respectively(matching M’avina + Griswold set with perfect rolls). I kept the stat bonus to Strength and Dexterity as those will come in quite handy(particularly if you upgrade Aldur weapon as you won’t really benefit from its +Strength with respect to equipping gear). Like its counterparts, the Armor retains its +15 Vitality Partial Set bonus.
Aldur’s Stony Gaze:
+110% Enhanced Defense
+25% Faster Hit Recovery
Regenerate Mana 17%
+1 to Druid Skills
+2 to Druid Summoning Skills
+40-50 Cold Resistance(varies)
+5 to Light Radius
Socketed(2)
+15/30/45 Energy(2/3/4 Piece bonus)
Aldur’s Helm currently has +90 Defense or ~109% Enhanced Defense from its Exceptional Base. By changing to a flat %Enhanced Defense, it will yield a bigger bonus should a player spend the Runes/PDiamond to upgrade it to its Elite Base. I then added +1 to Druid Skills and+2 to Druid Summoning Skills since the set lacked any buff to that tree(which is an oversight or outright neglect considering Druid Summons got a nice buff in 2.4). I did think about automods(such as Oak Sage/Heart of Wolverine/Spirit of Barbs) but I think we’re good for now. As like its other set counterparts, it will retain the +15 Energy Partial Set bonus.
Aldur’s Advance: Unchanged
Aldur Set Boots are one of the best Boots in the game with 40% FRW and a very nice 40-50 Fire Resistance. There’s really nothing I can do to improve it and will retain its +15/30/45 Dexterity Set bonus.
Partial Set Bonus: Unchanged
Complete Set Bonus: Unchanged
M'avina
As for M’avina, her set lacks in two key areas: 1) Flexibility and 2) No Pierce. The set effectively pigeonholes you into going Freezing Arrow and does nothing to enhance the other skills in the Bowzon tree. Furthermore, it lacks 100% Pierce that you can get from Uniques/Runeword set-ups. So the following changes are submitted not only by myself but also PaChu(his suggestions can be viewed here: PaChu’s M’avina suggestions)
M’avina’s True Sight:
+150 Defense
Replenish Life +10
+25 to Mana
+30% Increased Attack Speed
+1 to All Skills (2 Items)
50% Bonus to Attack Rating (3 Items)
+25 to All Resistances (4 Items)
+33% Piercing Attack (Complete Set)
M’avina’s Helm really is strong but felt like it could use one new addition in that it could help the set achieve 100% Pierce. This buff makes the set not only viable as a Frostmaiden but as a Firemaiden and Physical Bowzon as well.
M’avina’s Caster:
+188% Enhanced Damage
+40% Increased Attack Speed
+50 To Attack Rating
Socketed(4 Sockets)
Adds 114-377 Magic Damage (2 Items)
25% Chance To Cast Level 25 Nova On Striking (3 Items)
+2 To Bow and Crossbow Skills (Amazon Only) (4 Items)
Slows Target 33%(Complete Set)
M’avina’s Bow is a GMB that does moderate amount of Physical Damage + modest amount of Magic Damage with other Set items. The biggest change I made was to add 4 Sockets in place of the Level 1 Magic Arrow attribute. 4 Sockets permits any Amazon rolling with M’avina to specialize as they see fit. Want to buff Physical, plop 40/15’s or Ohm runes to maximize Enhanced Damage. Want to roll Firemaiden or Frostmaiden? Plop 4 x 5/5 Rainbow Facets to get +20% Element Damage and -20 Enemy Resistance. I also buffed the Nova proc and added 33% Slows Target as a Complete Set Bonus. The Slows Target compliments all Bowzon builds but thematically none other than Frostmaiden(what the Set initially set out to be).
M’avina’s Embrace
10% Chance To Cast Level 3 Glacial Spike When Struck
+150% Enhanced Defense
Magic Damage Reduced By 5-12(varies)
+2 to Passive and Magic Skills
-30% to Requirements
+30% Faster Hit Recovery(3 items)
Damage Reduced by 20% (Complete Set)
M’avina’s Body Armor has not one but two +Defense modifiers, one of which is based on character level. At level 99, they add 746 to the Armor’s Defense of 524. That equates to roughly 142% Enhanced Defense, hence I simply merged those two stats together into a flat 150% Enhanced Defense(1310 versus 1270 at level 99). The only other change I made was to add some Physical Resistance for when the Set is complete.
M’avina’s Icy Clutch:
+45-50 Defense (varies)
6-18 Cold Damage, 6 sec. Duration (Normal)
Can Not Be Frozen
56% Extra Gold From Monsters
+10 To Strength
+15 To Dexterity
Adds 131-252 Cold Damage, 4 sec. Duration (Normal) (4 Items)
+20% Cold Skill Damage (Complete Set)
Initially I had buffed the snot out of these Gloves but given the recent changes to the Bow, I scaled back what I intended to do here on the Gloves. The only real change I made was to buff Half Freeze Duration to CBF. Given it doesn’t appear on Gloves, I figure that ought to make her Gloves unique in that regard. Combined with the sockets on the Bow + Helm + Chest, a Frostmaiden can achieve 50% Cold Skill Damage, giving Ice + Nightwing a run for its money.
M’avina’s Tenet:
+50 Defense
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+5 To Light Radius
5% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Adds 131-252 Fire Damage (3 Items)
+25 to All Resistance (4 Items)
+20% Fire Skill Damage (Complete Set)
What M’avina Gloves did for Frost Maidens, M’avina’s Belt does for Fire Maidens. It adds additional Fire Damage at 3 Items and like the Gloves, buffs Fire Damage by 20% when the Set is complete and 50% overall with Bow + Helm + Chest sockets. Given the Unique/Runeword alternatives, M’avina would be a pretty potent Firemaiden option.
Partial Set Bonuses: Unchanged
Complete Set Bonus:
+20% Faster Run/Walk
I decided to add one new Complete Set bonus in 20% FRW. This doubles the bonus from the Belt and any additions from Amulet or Boots is just pure gravy.
As for the other class sets, they vary on needing a big buff to getting a slight polish. All changes are bolded for easy reference.
Immortal King
Immortal King occupies six slots and 2.43 royally screwed it over by making 2-H WW cap at 5 frames instead of the old 4 that is still achievable with dual-wield setups(notably Swords). As a result, IK got majorly shafted and the changes below are meant to give IK a very unique edge.
Immortal King’s Will:
+1 to Barbarian Skills(2 items)
Damage Reduced by 20(3 items)
+25% Increased Attack Speed(4 items)
Prevent Monster Heal(5 items)
Can Not Be Cursed(Complete Set)
The Helm lacks any Partial Set bonuses whatsoever and given that only Barbarians benefit, I opted to make Immortal King unique. The first change is adding +1 Barbarian Skills. This matches Tal Rasha at +6 overall. Damage Reduced by 20 at 3 items gives IK some extra Damage mitigation that it could surely use. At 4 items I opted to match the IAS granted on the Gloves, yielding 90% when combined with the Maul. With an A1 Faith Mercenary(level 14 or 15 Fanaticism), you’re able to not only hit 5 Frames on WW but also 10 Frames on Concentrate, Berserk or any other attacks permitted with a 2-H Weapon. Prevent Monster Heal at 5 items gives some help against Bosses(although it won’t work on Ubers). The final attribute is radical, and could be changed to something else, but would surely set Immortal King among the greatest Sets in Diablo 2 with Can Not Be Cursed.
This attribute does not exist on any item but given that Possessed Champions contain this perk, I don’t see why us adventurers can’t gain this benefit. I’ve suggested this be added to Tyreal’s Might but if there was a Set representative, I would think Immortal King would be the Set to acquire it due to occupying 6 slots. Rich irony too given Barbarians were often the victim of Iron Maiden back in the day but given this would make Barbs immune to Amplify Damage + Decrepify would make them incredibly tanky as a result.
Immortal King’s Stone Crusher:
Increase Socket count to 6
Socket Count change is optional but I find it to be a necessary one. 2 Shael runes with the 25 IAS on the Helm will allow players to hit the 125 breakpoint for WW without the need of an A1 Faith Merc. Yet pre 2.43, we were able to hit the max APS on WW with 40/15 Jewels so, at minimum, we need 3 Sockets but I propose it goes to 6 since IK, as a 2-H Maul, should hit like a truck. That means more Sockets = more Physical Damage possible via 40/15’s, Ohm or other runes(Ber for more CB(100% is possible), Lo for Deadly Strike(100% is possible), or Um for Open Wounds(100% is possible)). Given that the Maul can never roll Ethereal, I consider 6 Sockets as a nice consolation prize.
Immortal King’s Pillar:
Can Not Be Frozen (5 Items)
Magic Damage reduced by 10 (Complete Set)
Given that WW is now affected by Cold effects, upgrading the Half Freeze Duration to Can Not Be Frozen on the Boots would be a welcomed upgrade. It’d save IK Barbs the need to use Ravenfrost or a Cham rune to gain the effect. I also added some Magic Damage Reduction to bolster IK’s Damage mitigation further and to match the PDR I proposed on the Helm.
Griswold
Griswold kind of pigeonholes you into being a Zeal Paladin, although the numerous sockets does open up the option of being a Holy Fire/Freeze/Shock Paladin with Rainbow Facets or rolling with FoH and amplifying its Lightning Damage immensely. That said, it lacks Faster Cast Rate for the FoH option, which didn’t really matter much pre 2.4. Now that the Casting Delay has been reduced, Faster Cast Rate is one attribute this set can use.
Griswold’s Redemption:
+20% Faster Cast Rate (3 Items)
+20% Faster Cast Rate( 4 Items)
The +10-20 Damage this set currently provides at 3 Items and 4 Items respectively is frankly insignificant when one single 40 ED Jewel virtually matches those buffs. By adding Faster Cast Rate to the Weapon, it opens up Casting options such as Holy Bolt, FoH and even Blessed Hammer since you can hit 80 FCR with Magefists + Arachnid Mesh.
Griswold’s Heart:
+110% Enhanced Defense
Griswold’s Armor is an Ornate Plate(Exceptional Armor) with a flat bonus of +500 Defense, yielding 951 Defense. That equates to roughly 111% Enhanced Defense so changing it to 110% would effectively change its Defense to 947. Where this change matters is if the player opts to upgrade it to Sacred Armor. The upgrade would only add 37-150 Defense depending on the roll whereas with %Enhanced Defense, upgrading would add 75 to 313 Defense, a significant difference. Also upgrading the Armor isn’t that bad of an idea since Griswold Armor rolls with -40% Requirements, which drops the 232 Strength requirement to 139.2 or 140, which is below the requirement of Griswold’s Honor(Vortex Shield).
Griswold’s Valor:
+(0.25 Per Level) 0-24 Absorbs Fire Damage (Based On Character Level) (3 Items)
+(0.25 Per Level) 0-24 Absorbs Lightning Damage (Based On Character Level) (Complete Set)
For the Helm, I complimented the Cold Absorb it rolls with by adding in Fire and Lightning Absorb for 3-Piece and Complete Set respectively. This further enhances the ability to tank Elemental damage.
Griswold’s Honor:
+1 Paladin Skills(2 items)
Can Not Be Frozen (Complete Set)
For the Shield, although it didn’t really need anything, I added a couple attributes. Firstly +1 Paladin Skills to hit +6 overall as a 2-piece bonus and then CBF with the full Set since CBF is a strong attribute.
Trang-Oul
Trang-Oul is another well rounded set, although it really needs Faster Cast Rate for a caster class. The changes below raise Faster Cast Rate from 20% to 60%.
Trang-Oul’s Guise:
10% Faster Cast Rate (3 Items)
-25% Enemy Fire Resistance (Complete Set)
Trang-Oul set grants OSkills such as Fire Ball, Meteor and Fire Wall. However, their effectiveness is largely dependent on the Lower Resist Curse and given the frequency of Fire Immunes that it could use some extra -Fire Resistance. Perhaps it may even encourage people to go Fire Vampire. I also added 10% Faster Cast Rate since the Gloves are presently the only source for it.
Trang-Oul’s Wing:
+1 to Necromancer Skills(2 items)
10% Faster Cast Rate (Complete Set)
Minor skill buff to the Necromancer exclusive piece at 2-items with an added bonus of Faster Cast Rate upon completing the set.
Trang-Oul’s Scales:
10% Faster Cast Rate(4 Items)
Modest FCR buff.
Trang-Oul’s Girth:
10% Faster Cast Rate(Complete Set)
Another bump to Faster Cast Rate.
Complete Set:
Walk Speed Set To Run
What the above does is basically specify that while you are a Vampire, you will WALK AS FAST AS YOU RUN. This perk is present today but is not explicitly specified. By walking as fast as you can run, Trang-Oul Necromancers can retain their Defense and Block Chance while still having considerable mobility(albeit not as efficient as Charge, Leap or especially Teleport).
FIX FCR BUG
While as a Vampire, FCR is effectively neutered and has been a bug for years. For this set to be viable, this bug has to be slayed. If addressed, then FCR rates as a Vampire will be the same as any Necromancer. Given the FCR buffs above, it’d place Trang-Oul Necromancers at 11 Frames/48 FCR breakpoint as opposed to the current 17 Frames/48 FCR breakpoint as a Vampire.
Tal Rasha
Tal Rasha is about as polished of a Set as one can get. However, if it can be improved, it’d be through additional Faster Cast Rate on Tal Helm and additional Resistance on Tal Armor.
Tal Rasha’s Horadric Crest:
+10% Faster Cast Rate (Complete Set)
By adding another 10% Faster Cast Rate to the Helm, the Set collectively reaches 60%. That makes it much easier for any Tal Rasha Sorceress to hit the 105 FCR Breakpoint as it won’t necessitate a perfect Spirit Monarch. It also makes the set far more viable for Lightning builds as it removes the need for one FCR ring.
Tal Rasha’s Guardianship:
+40% Poison Resistance (3 Items)
Adding in Poison Resistance effectively grants 40 to All Resistance with 3 Set Pieces. Combined with Tal Helm and Complete Set bonus, you achieve 105 to All Resistance. This change makes Tal Rasha a far stronger candidate for Energy Shield since Poison is the skill’s vulnerability.
Natalya
Natalya Set may very well be my favorite. The only reason it wasn’t as plentiful as the other class sets is because their MA skills were mediocre pre-Mosaic. That said, its not without additional potential.
Natalya’s Mark:
-100% Target Defense
Socketed(3 Sockets)
+1 Assassin Skills(2 items)
+2 to Martial Arts Skills (3 Items)
I swapped ITD for -100% Target Defense. Unthinkable as it may be, -%Target Defense actually works better than ITD since it works on Champions, Uniques, Super Uniques and Act Bosses(with the latter two at 50% effectiveness). ITD doesn’t work at all in those situations and although it won’t help much against foes that raise their Defense(Ancients, Uber Izzy), it’s certainly better than what the Claw has right now.
Next the lack of +Skills, much less Martial Arts Skills on this set is one thing that always bothered me. By completing the set, your Martial Arts skills effectively get +6 as opposed to the +3 we have right now. Dual-wielding Natalya Claw = +9, which isn’t that bad. The other change is adding 3 Sockets. This permits a Natalya Assassin to further buff its Physical output or specialize Elementally.
Natalya’s Totem:
+2 to Trap Skills (3 Items)
Another area the set ignores is buffing the Assassin’s Trap tree. Seeing as the Blade Traps were an area of focus in 2.4, it would be prudent to buff Traps on the Class set.
Natalya’s Shadow:
+100% Enhanced Defense
Socketed (3)
Natalya’s Armor does need a bit of a boost. For starters, its Defense is way too low since it’s +Defense modifier can vary(150 to 225) and goes as high as 722 Defense(~46% Enhanced Defense). For Elite Armor… that’s pretty bad. I swapped out the integer Defense for a flat 100% Enhanced Defense. This would bring it to 994 Defense, which while not great is better than what it is now. It also varied on the number of Sockets. Locking that value at 3 Sockets would go a long way in helping its Trade value since 1 and 2 Socket armors are Charsi’d.
Natalya’s Soul:
+25% Fire Resistance (3 Items)
Turns Natalya Boots into pretty godly Tri-Resist variants worthy of being upgraded.
