Hardcore Mode - Achievement Hunters, Unite!

[Holysword]

So, even though I haven't ever defeated the Netherlord, I feel confident enough to try it on hardcore, including elite, for the achievements. Crazy I am, right?

My strategy is the following: keep one character for each difficulty hardcore and one on softcore elite, all with identical builds. First I progress on softcore to see how dreadful that could possibly be. Knowing what I am meddling with, I go to hardcore casual, normal, veteran and then elite. This is not a total waste of time, since I'm planning to get all the 4 hardcore achievements. I do not neglect the possibility of dying though I am wishing I won't.

I am currently at lvl 20 on an Prismatic Embermage on HCE. I have to work on the others though, because I'm afraid of Clovenhoof and of all that people say about him on HCE.

If anybody would be interested in playing this together, please, add me! Specially if you're a Summoner Engineer because... gotta love healbot. Me wants that mana.

PS: I am using the Deep Pockets mod, does everybody need to be using it too to play together? It is not an "unfair" mod. I could keep 7 Hardcore Casual characters at lvl 2 which I use only to store items... or I could use Deep Pockets. Its just pure convenience.

EDIT#1: Thank to all who helped and gave suggestions, I just got those achievements. I described my disappointment with the game in post #26

[Milord]

If all you want are the achievements, may as well just cheat. It makes no difference in the end.
By the way, defeating the Netherlord on Elite also unlocks the achievements for the lesser difficulties too. Additionally, you could play on Casual and switch to Elite just before the fight.

[Ziel]

Originally posted by Warg:

If all you want are the achievements, may as well just cheat. It makes no difference in the end.

Well, yeah, if you just want the little pictures that come with them, sure. If you want to achieve what they ask you to do, it most certainly does make a difference in the end.

[Holysword]

Originally posted by Ziel:

Well, yeah, if you just want the little pictures that come with them, sure. If you want to achieve what they ask you to do, it most certainly does make a difference in the end.

This is very, very, very accurate.
I am intenting to achieve what is being asked. I'm all in for the feeling, not for the icon xP

Originally posted by Warg:

By the way, defeating the Netherlord on Elite also unlocks the achievements for the lesser difficulties too.

Good to know. Still, climbing up the dificulty level might be a good idea anyway? What do you folks think?

Originally posted by Warg:

Additionally, you could play on Casual and switch to Elite just before the fight.

That would be... "kinda" cheating ;P

[Johnny]

Originally posted by Warg:

If all you want are the achievements, may as well just cheat. It makes no difference in the end.
By the way, defeating the Netherlord on Elite also unlocks the achievements for the lesser difficulties too. Additionally, you could play on Casual and switch to Elite just before the fight.

Casual and than switch to elite? Thats suicide... If you play whole game on casual you wont be prepared for the elite... And its cheap. Btw OP i could help you i only beat the game on veteran because Elite is way too unfair.

[Holysword]

Originally posted by DeathbyFood:

Casual and than switch to elite? Thats suicide... If you play whole game on casual you wont be prepared for the elite... And its cheap. Btw OP i could help you i only beat the game on veteran because Elite is way too unfair.

If by "unfair" you mean "one-shot" then yes, its very unfair! I haven't been one-shotted yet (I haven't died yet... yet...) but I've heard the warnings. Reason why I was considering the softcore elite, for practice, before going to the real-deal on hardcore.

[Omnisciurus]

I can help out, but I only have a level 100 HCE character, so I'd need to start a new one to play together. Let me know if you're interested.

[Milord]

Glaivelanders are incredibly boring and underpowered. Otherwise good advice for HCE.

[Holysword]

Well, I have been having quite a lot of fun with Prismatic Bolt Embermage though.
I got two lvl 24 Embermage on HCE (one I play exclusively solo, the other I play with coop) and one lvl 17 Softcore Elite (for trying the level before going there with the HCE ones). They all have identical builds, 3 FOC and 2 VIT, Wand + Shield. The damage is starting to show up for lvl 24. Just finished Act 1 with the solo one and Act 2 with the coop one (I'm being waaaay more careful when playing alone). I do lack the endgame gear and the money to use the OP enchanters though.

I am still looking for players to join me. Both players who were with me died yesterday (DeathbyFood will come back soon... RIGHT?!?! xP) Meanwhile I'll be resetting the world and levelling them just to make sure I won't get one-hitted any time soon...

[Holysword]

Originally posted by Horus-fr:

I didn't talk about prismatic bolt because while it's very powerful embermage have no defense other than ice prison against what will be your no1 1shot threat, physical damage
ezrohir shield bearers in ossean wastes
tutaran brutes in salt barrens
trolls in blightbogs-sundered battlefield
thats what kills almost all the embermages..that and the "omg flee!" varkolyn champion with his shock bolt attack in act4

add me as a friend maybe we'll be able to play together I have various level heroes in elite hc

As of now I mitigate damage by not being a target. This is my (solo) playstyle:
- Sees a group of enemies at the very edge of the screen
- Thunder Locus on them
- Immediatelly followed by Hailstorm
- 2 or 3 prismatic bolts until they reach me
- Frost Phase away
- Repeat

Boss fights are more or less like that, except that I don't really have much ground for frost phase. Also, "chug pots like a boss" during boss fights, even if I don't need them.

[Zelph]

Originally posted by Warg:

Glaivelanders are incredibly boring and underpowered. Otherwise good advice for HCE.

Boring, maybe. Underpowered, hardly. Things hit super hard, barring poison resistant enemies, and ramp up damage pretty quickly.

[Milord]

Originally posted by omegareaper7:

Boring, maybe. Underpowered, hardly. Things hit super hard, barring poison resistant enemies, and ramp up damage pretty quickly.

They are slow to clear areas compared to other builds. Although they are relatively gear independent and safe, which is arguably more important for HCE.

The best built characters can practically run through a dungeon as everything around them dies, while also being able to tank all the bosses in Tarroch's Tomb on Elite. I know Berserkers can do this but they are the only class I am really familiar with besides Outlanders.

[Holysword]

Originally posted by Warg:

They are slow to clear areas compared to other builds. Although they are relatively gear independent and safe, which is arguably more important for HCE.

The best built characters can practically run through a dungeon as everything around them dies, while also being able to tank all the bosses in Tarroch's Tomb on Elite. I know Berserkers can do this but they are the only class I am really familiar with besides Outlanders.

I've tried Berserk on Elite (softcore) with that Northern Rage build, and honestly, to me, it felt like suicide even though the build is mentioned as being for HCE.

I've never even reached the point in which I get Northern Rage because it felt ridiculously unfair and I died once every 3sec. Raze is cool, but it doesn't build charge, and charge + blood hunger is the bread and butter of the berserker (or so the guide said). When the charge is on I feel like a god against any boss on 1v1: or in other words, never. There are always many enemies around, and I've never managed to put enough damage to make up for the massive damage I take from neverending spamming mobs, specially the ranged ones. I'd always get swarmed and hitting only one monster at a time is a serious disadvantage.

Perhaps Berserker is great once you have a good endgame gear or after you get Ice Shield, and enough mana for high lvl Frost Breath to proc your weapon gems and all... but that's when, Act III?

[Holysword]

Originally posted by Horus-fr:

lol northern rage that crappy and way too random damage skill
seriously guys dont listen to people playing with items they "traded" or got from cheats-mods that's 99% of the guides and forum stalkers out there, they have no idea what they are talking about, anything works even punching if you have "uber" items

if that's not your case just play glaive outlander at least once to be able to farm potions-items allowing your other heroes to have a less hard start and if you think it's underpowered don't it does a ton of damage endgame because then you'll have maxed shattering glaive which will fix the lack of single target damage

http://forums.runicgames.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=43170
When someone gets the world record for beating the game, I don't really think they "don't know what they are talking about"... xP

I watched only the endgame videos though, and I realised that his HP doesn't move. If I would be a little bit more dedicated I'd click the other links and see how it is in the beginning, but I'm happy with Prismatic Embermage.

Peeeeople, add me!

[Holysword]

I have a question about enchanters.
After using them, will the respawn (after some time) in the same place in that map, or in another completely different map? (or will they never again respawn?)

Do they respawn over real life time or over game time? If I leave my character logged in idle in the city for a while, will the enchanter come back?

[Johnny]

Originally posted by Holysword:

I have a question about enchanters.
After using them, will the respawn (after some time) in the same place in that map, or in another completely different map? (or will they never again respawn?)

Do they respawn over real life time or over game time? If I leave my character logged in idle in the city for a while, will the enchanter come back?

Its completely random spawn