Just out of curiosity

New Player Help
1

You start the season by beating a challenge rift. The gold and db you get is used to upgrade the blacksmith so that he is able to craft level 70 weapons. You craft, let’s say for barbarian, a mighty two handed sword and use the remaining db to upgrade it to a legendary with the hope that it turns into a weapon that gives bonus damage on a skill so that you can use to it to extract its power.

If I don’t get a good legendary weapon from the upgrade how much will it gimp the levelling up process?

2

If you play solo, you will take a few hours longer to reach level 70. Not a big deal.

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3

It depends on what you mean by “gimp the leveling up process”.

A Season is typically 3 months long. Some Seasons I don’t even do the Challenge Rift. (Well… I try. But, sometimes it’s so frustrating and I suck at them so bad that I quit after a couple of tries and just start the Season). Still, even if I don’t start with a Challenge Rift Cache, I’ll finish the Season within 8 days. (And that’s playing only 2 to 4 hours per day).

If you don’t get a good Legendary Weapon and it’s not Ancient, you can still stash it until you can equip it. From my experience, I usually find better gear by the time I get to that Level anyway. In which case, I salvage the poor roll for Forgotten Souls.

Personally, I prefer not to craft Level 70 items in advance. I always start finding low-level Legendary items at Level 7 in Normal or Hard Difficulty. The first ones I find are equipped. When I find better versions, or better items, I equip those and cube the lower-level ones.

I start with Bounties to hopefully find Blacksmith Plans. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to craft Born’s Defiance at Level 21 and Cain’s Fate at Level 23. Add a Ruby in your Helm and that’s a huge +XP boost.

Raxxanterax uploaded a video Leveling Guide, which sounds like what you’re describing. I liked it and thought I’d share it in this thread:

But, in all honesty, I prefer not to pre-craft Level 70 Rare items until I’m ready to use them. The only exception would be those needed to complete Season Journey Objectives.

This is a personal Leveling Outline I like to use:

D3꞉RoS Season Leveling Outline

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  1. Create a new Seasonal Character. (Or Rebirth a NS Character).
  2. Click Game Settings and select Challenge Rift (optional).
  3. Click Game Settings and select Adventure Mode.
  4. If you successfully completed a CRift, Train all Artisans to Level 12.
  5. Run a Nephalem Rift.
  6. Run Bounties for Act 1.
  7. Run Bounties for Act 2.
  8. Run Bounties for Act 3. Get Kanai’s Cube.
  9. Run Bounties for Act 4, look for Bounties with Rakanoth and Izual.
  10. Run Bounties for Act 5.
  11. At Character Level 21 craft Born’s Defiance Set. (For XP).
  12. At Character Level 23 craft Cain’s Fate Set. (For XP).
  13. Check your Season Journey (Shift+J). Complete Chapter 1.
  14. Change Game Difficulty to Hard (if you didn’t start on Hard Difficulty).
  15. Run Bounties for all 5 Acts. (You’ll need the Bounty Mats).
  16. Fully equip a Follower. Craft a Follower Special if one isn’t found.
  17. When you’re ready, change Game Difficulty to Expert.
  18. Continue running Rifts and Bounties for all 5 Acts.
  19. At Character Level 60, look for Bounties with Cydaea and Siegebreaker.
  20. Enchant an item at the Mystic.
  21. Transmogrify an item at the Mystic.
  22. Continue running Rifts and Bounties until you reach Level 70.
  23. Look for Bounties with Maghda and Belial.
  24. Craft a Level 70 item at the Blacksmith.
  25. Craft a Level 70 item at the Jeweler. (Follower Specials at the Blacksmith count).
  26. Check your Season Journey. If you completed Chapters 1 & 2, check mail for Gift.
  27. Born’s and Cain’s Sets are no longer beneficial. Equip Gift pieces instead.
  28. Change Game Difficulty to Master or higher.
  29. Run Rifts and begin collecting Keystones.
  30. Continue running Bounties. You’ll need to extract 20 Cube Powers.
  31. Equip at least one Cube Power.
  32. Begin running Greater Rifts to collect Legendary Gems.
  33. When you max out your Blood Shards, buy items from Kadala.
  34. Craft at least one Gem at the Jeweler to Imperial quality.
  35. Check your Season Journey. If you completed Chapter 3, collect your Gift.

From this point on, alternate between Bounties, Rifts and Greater Rifts. You’ll need Bounty Mats to extract 20 Cube Powers if you plan on completing the Conqueror Chapter for an extra Stash Tab. You’ll need to extract 40 Powers if you plan on completing the entire Season. You’ll also need these and other Crafting Mats for crafting support items and some Cube Recipes.

Chapter 4 requires killing all 4 Keywardens, marked on the World Map, whether they drop Infernal Machines or not. Collecting Infernal Machines is optional until Season Journey Slayer and Champion Chapters. It is only necessary if you plan on equipping a Hellfire Amulet or want a Hellfire Ring for you or your Follower.

Check your Season Journey often. You can complete the Objectives in any order. But, you only get credit for the current Chapter you’re working on if you’ve completed all previous Chapters too.

Note: After Chapter 4, you must open your Season Journey and click the Enlist button to proceed to the next Chapter. (I believe this is optional now that Blizzard allows us to look ahead at our Journey progress. As long as all the Objectives are completed, you should get credit for it).

D3 Resource: Season Journey Tracker

D3 Resource: Seasons Overview

D3 Resource: Difficulty Overview

Good luck and good hunting!

This outline will not only help in leveling, but you’ll be completing the Season Journey at the same time.

Edit: TimberWolf beat me… and used less words.

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4

Unless you’re one of those guys who thinks he’s going to be top 5 in whatever, it doesn’t matter.

It’s your game. Play it how you want.

  • Go slow.
  • Go fast.
  • Whatever.

Go have fun, is the only thing that really matters.

Most seasons I started by just doing the campaign/story. All 5 acts. This is the first season I chose to level to 70 by doing a challenge ride and then adventure mode. Why? Just because.

Eventually I’ll do the full story. Maybe with my main season character. Maybe with a new one. Whatever.

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5

I have never started with a challenge rift. I am not about racing to the end though. Actually, I think I tried a challenge rift one time just to see what it was and it gave me a necro, which I had never played. Had no idea what I was doing. Challenge kicked my butt.

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