I took a few days off over the Easter Holiday but for a couple of hours yesterday, I tried a GR 136 with the LoD Bomb DH. Unfortunately for an hour of that time, since the wardrobe didn’t save my LoD gem, I accidentally was running with Zie’s in its place. Once I fixed that, it took another 15 minutes to realize my Bombadier’s Rucksack wasn’t switched either.
LOL!!! I’m a little slow on the uptake apparently.
Someone up there is looking out for me… decided to do a vault before retiring for the evening and the gelatinous gob dropped two primals…
Now my ancient Arreat’s law ain’t too bad… 196% on the affix, damage range rolled close to max, 8% damage and I enchanted 10% CDR on it. Of course, can’t complain about all those stats being maxed now. 300th spear would have been better as my ancient one is quite average but I can always craft a primal I guess.
Pretty happy with the state of my R6 build… just need to sort out the MOTE ones now.
I got the 136 done with the LoD Clusterbomb build and have come close a couple of times to completing a 137. I’ve only got a few keys left so I’m thinkin’ I’ll fish a few more times in a 137 and then craft up a few Bardiches to get some more keys for a couple of days.
Also thinking of trying 149 with Shadow and Nat’s. My main problem with Shadow is I suck at timing Smoke Screen and I don’t like having to skip mobs around a pylon because it spawns Dervishes.
Nat’s, on the other hand, I think I might be lacking some paragon because my way of playing the set is a bit weaker than the normal build. I am up to 3600 now though, so that might make a difference.
I only did GR130 with Mundu WD at 1.2k paragon. Game freezes often to kill my mood to play it sometimes, and sometimes it goes completely smooth as if there wasn’t any freezing before. I get that issue at another game as well but it’s in beta state, so I thought that’s a given.
When combat goes too crazy, it freezes, costing me a death or two in the Greater Rift. Sometimes, it freezes as I portal back to town. Dynamic sounds really rip my game apart and it wasn’t that often before this patch. No idea what causes freezing but I’ll try to validate game files at some point and check if my SSD or RAM was causing problems. I have updated my video drivers, so I doubt that’s the issue.
At the cost of a hefty damage multiplier I think you can equip or cube, Aranoch or Xephirian amulet for related elemental immunities. Given that most popular build uses cold damage, you should use Talisman of Aranoch for ignoring such obstacle. If you don’t want to do that, then you have to cast SP again to slow them down (Night’s Bane skill rune is not a constant effect) just so you can keep distance, then cast Smoke Screen to be safe as you attack.
From my time playing SWK LTK Monk a few Seasons ago, I remember that Dervishes have a short chain with a wide edge flinging behind their spinning blades that reflects the projectiles whenever collision occurs. Given that most of the said projectiles also pierce, that means there are two moments that you should avoid casting it and pace your attacks if you want to avoid the orbiting reflect edge at aligned positions. I may need to double check but that’s what I remember.
I think the long chain that extends away from its spinning blades only supposed to determine its effective distance for intimidation but it can indicate some clues about the frequency or direction of spin for inner blade.
You need to watch the spin frequency of that short chain as it whirls and only attack when it’s past away from your position but also consider the pierce of projectile, hence you need to slow them to keep distance. Depending on the spin direction and distance, the pacing you need to cast Impale may differ. However with bad latency, it could be unreliable to pace your attacks but having a strategy would be better than nothing.
I barely played Natalya since it changed so take my word as a grain of salt. On terms of theory-crafting, I say, if you were to replace a defensive buff with an offense one or a debuff of sorts, you would gain enough damage to clear the remaining tiers. You can achieve it either by covering your down time for damage output, or find a way to buff your output straight. If you can automate three skills out of six, I believe there is a more efficient way to play that build by losing one or two numlock binds.
Apparently, traditional build takes Smoke Screen instead of Fan of Knives, prioritizing mobility and survival over defense, but do check leader boards as well. There should be no harm experimenting around skills such as MfD or Companions when next clear is that near.
As far as Shadow, I can probably do a 149 without any changing of my style but it will take a good amount of fishing. What I mean is that fishing for a Dream GRift with mobs that summon other mobs, skipping elites except those around a Shield or Conduit Pylon and hoping that the Conduit doesn’t spawn Dervishes. But that’s a lot of luck I’d be hoping for.
With my style on Nat’s, I wouldn’t need to skip as many elites thanks to Esoteric but there are a few white mobs that can mess me up because they deal huge amounts of physical damage namely Unburied, Dark Berserkers, and Lacuni Slashers. The Lacuni Slashers bit is really unfortunate because they give so much progress in GRifts and they’re good “chasers” so you can gather several to you. But with my build, gathering too many of them is a bad idea. Phase Beasts have a similar issue but not as bad Lacuni Slashers.
But anyway, it all comes down to fishing. But with both set ups it’ll take so much fishing that it gets pretty boring and I lose interest, especially if I get the right circumstances but make a mistake in either taking a route through the GRift or pop a pylon and it spawns the wrong mob type.
This is pretty much why I’ve been putting so much time into UE and LoD build recently. Both require a bit of fishing but the pylon issue doesn’t affect them and they’re extremely good when you can gather massive pulls in good maps with good mobs.
However, with Shadow, it’s really frustrating having my issues with Smoke Screen because if I was better at timing at it, I’d be blasting out a GR 150 a long time ago. People have done with far less paragon than I have and to certain extent lesser equipment than I have too.
Been hammering fissures and vaults hard but no upgrades for MOTE.
I’m pretty much sorted with shoulders, and I can live with the helm and boots I have for both Seismic Slam and Earthquake variants. I just need a new chest that has main stat, vit and AR for the SS variant, and a pair of gloves with double crit and CDR.
If I don’t get them this season, I’ll probably farm GRs back in NS and gamble for these two… seems like a waste of mats to reforge for these two slots. Don’t think I will roll Barb again just to farm up these items.
Personally, I’m guessing for S35, it’ll be too early to repeat soul shards so I’ll likely sit next season out.
My Season has been different than y’all.
I wasn’t doing Guardian when the silly book pet first came around.
I just completed Guardian for both of my accounts on all 3 Regions.
6 each of I Can’t Stop and On a Good Day, 5 Dynasty and one Years of War. Whew!
It certainly has… I stopped with the season journey when I got my 6pc set… I have the cosmetics and stash tab so no reason for me to bother with the season journey. It’s actually quite liberating (well, apart from having to unlock the Altar every season I play just to get QoL improvements).
Has to make you wonder… are you having any fun?
I ask because you use the word “liberating”. That could make one think you only felt obligated to play.
The most fun I’ve had in this game has been running fissures with a fully unlocked Altar… I kid you not.
I’m a bit of a purist loot grinder in that I like to have my loot drop as opposed to materialising from the cube… but drop rates like that of D2 isn’t my idea of fun. Having gear rain as they do in fissures has meant that I can get the ancient or primal pieces of a build with acceptable stats within the time i have to play.
So far I’ve got decent specs for IK HOTA, LoD HOTA, H90, WotW, and R6 BT builds… MOTE EQ and SSis the ones I’m finishing up.
I don’t enjoy pushing but loot farming is a fun passtime… which is why it pains me that the Altar and Fissures aren’t in NS.
Fair enough. I had to ask because I see some people who make it sound like they keep playing but are not enjoying themselves.
That would have described me, early on into this season. Took going out of my comfort zone and trying an entirely new (to me) class to realize I was burnt out for a moment on Necro, but definitely not on the game itself! So I started trying other things - I’ve got a WW barb that I also tried a few other sets on, I briefly had a Monk and a Demon Hunter, and honestly I just plain had fun trying new things for a while.
Ironically, I’m coming back to Necro now, late into the season, but because I want to, not because “well it’s what I know and it’s OP.” I’ve decided my taste for variety has been sated enough to come back to my favorite flavor as a close-out 
It’s been inspiring to hear other peoples’ stories on their seasonal journey as well, to hear them trying other things and seeing what goals other people set for themselves in D3.
I’m glad you had fun with Monk as that’s my main.
I’m awaiting soulstones so I can try Barb for the first time. Told myself I was going to before but didn’t. I will for sure this time.
It’s just weird when you see people talking about playing but not having fun. I wonder why do that? Why not play something else? It’s not exclusive here, I’ve read other forums for other games where some talk about how they’ve been playing for years but hate the game. It doesn’t compute.
That’s the thing about addiction, compulsion, or other abnormal types of behavior: they’re specifically illogical. You may as well ask what the sky being blue has to do with watermelon pricing last Tuesday.
I know for me personally, I relied on video games as an escapist coping mechanism when I was in grade school. As I got older, I would eventually sort stuff out (trying not to go on a huge personal soap box tangent here) but the allure is not unlike what my brother describes being hooked on cigarettes feels like; sometimes you do the thing, because you fear how you might feel if you don’t do it.
So, yea. I have to be cognizant of that when I play these kinds of games, and genuinely ask myself the question you so eloquently stated: “Am I having fun?” Like, am I REALLY having fun?
Most times the answer is yes, but sometimes I need to approach it from a new angle.
EDIT: forgot to mention, I played Seven-Strike Uliana and had a blast, and also tried WoL Sunwuko. I think I would have liked that more, if the season power thing didn’t make it so clunky. And I felt like, if I’m not using the seasonal power, why am I being WoL? I may try it again next season, I liked the concept of being a “dex mage” so to speak!
One set for Monk that I really enjoy is Raiment. It’s not a popular one, but with crucibles, it’s very fun… literally makes the term “thousand fists” sound more accurate.
I’ve had to take a few days off. I slept funny a few days ago and I think I pinched a nerve in my shoulder (it’s hell getting old lol).
As far as the current conversation, I was tempted to put together an LoD monk because I’ve got several primals that are part of the build, but farming up the shoulders, bracers and helm kind of puts me off.
If my shoulder was feeling better, I’d probably give it a go but it’s my mouse arm it pains me too much over a long period of play.
All good mate. Yeah, if I wasn’t enjoying myself, I’d stop. Much like last season where I just sat it out. And the one before that (ethereals?) I had started but my goal was to get a new Wiz to lvl70 and then do whatever… that whatever happened to be ‘stop playing’ - lol
I also play Mortal Kombat Mobile so alternate between that and D3 depending on which game I have access to and which one has something I feel like grinding for.
Getting old is indeed a pain. Take care of yourself mate.
During the course of this season, I buggered up my lower back.
I’ve had a scoliosis since at least my early 20s which I’ve been managing ok during my 30s. In my 40s now and have been a bit lazy with doing pilates to keep my core strength up. Osteo says one of the discs is agitated and will need some time to calm down… meanwhile, I need to get back into pilates.
Both sets are great and have ways of creating fun builds. I remember playing Sunwuko a ton back a few Seasons, but with LTK setup. I have figured a fun build with Uliana’s too, but haven’t been able to try it yet in a Season.
Going by what people predict, I think that will be the next starter Set for oncoming Season. Completing the set dungeon will be a mess and build plays like it’s made out of figurative paper rather than glass, but it’s fun. I think I have went for holy damage instead of lightning when I played it, and it was frustrating to all hell before the Combination Strike buff.
It can also be frustrating on console because dashing strike is more finicky. It’s not super powerful but it does have a certain appeal.