Intro
This will be a long read. My train of thought may wander due to me being distracted from writing this as I am at work, so please bear with me.
This will be a long read. My train of thought may wander due to me being distracted from writing this as I am at work, so please bear with me.
It is a bit appalling to see so many people complain about difficulty. Earlier in A1-Inferno, I ran into another Wizard in a public game who was griping about his death-count, then I looked at his gear. Several non-rares, L40 tier gear in Inferno.
This game is a loot-whoring, equipment-based challenge with exponentially progressing difficulty, and the current item selection is unfortunately terrible at the moment due to the current main pack of users not reaching Inferno yet. Please realize that this is not a heavily hacked/botted D2 that has been out for ages.
It has barely been a week and the standard quality of items on the AH is still subpar...not to mention inflated and overpriced. The AH itself has been broken several times as well so the market is messed up. Supply is low and demand is high. I say this as an A-4 Inferno player sitting on a few million gold and I am simply unable to find optimal gear as the stat affixes are rarely a 'perfect' match for what I am seeking.
The gear either hasn't been found yet, or there's not enough of it causing prices to soar. The top DPS chart is a prime example: A few days ago it was mostly blues. Now more rares are appearing, slowly but surely eclipsing the magic items.
It has barely been a week and the standard quality of items on the AH is still subpar...not to mention inflated and overpriced. The AH itself has been broken several times as well so the market is messed up. Supply is low and demand is high. I say this as an A-4 Inferno player sitting on a few million gold and I am simply unable to find optimal gear as the stat affixes are rarely a 'perfect' match for what I am seeking.
The gear either hasn't been found yet, or there's not enough of it causing prices to soar. The top DPS chart is a prime example: A few days ago it was mostly blues. Now more rares are appearing, slowly but surely eclipsing the magic items.
From simple observation of those completing Inferno, I think you will agree with me that the challenge requires both a combination of flawless execution on top of top-notch equipment. It has been proven doable, albeit an incredible challenge. With that said, you need to learn how to 'optimize' your equipment and know what to look for.
Prior to reaching L51+, there were a ton of stat affixes I didn't even know existed. There are even more at L60. Take a look at the searchable criteria in the AH and you can see that different armor slots vary in options, i.e. Knockback, AP on crit, class specific buffs, melee & ranged damage reduction, all resist, etc which are not available at low levels.
Now you might ask, what should I prioritize? Anyone can stack class-specific stats to boost damage, and with high DPS weapons becoming more readily available, it is easy to boost your output. The problem is finding armor that gives BOTH survival and DPS, which is a critical factor for surviving Inferno.
Guide continued after the page break..
- Wizard - INT & VIT
- Monk - DEX & VIT
- Barb - STR & VIT
- WD - INT & VIT
- DH - DEX & VIT
I think we can all agree that it is easy to find these two-stat combos for your class. The main problem is items with only these stats do not provide survival other than base HP & DPS.
Here are several example affixes you should/could look for to bolster your survival rate in addition to your standard 2 stats. These higher tier stats are accessible once you reach the L-51 equipment (Hell drops), and improve in effectiveness (numbers) all the way up to L60 (Inferno drops).
- All Resist (includes physical resist). This will give you % based mitigation, which is REQUIRED in Inferno, as the raw DPS of mobs has a very high minimum. Trash mobs can hit you for 20k in A1, and don't even get me started on elemental damage. At 600+ resist on my Wizard (I still have plenty of ways to go), going back to A1-I feels like I'm back in Hell as a L50, and makes life through A2-4 that much less harrowing. I'm starting to see items on the AH with huge +resist numbers, even into the +70s.
- Melee, Ranged, or Elite % DMG reduction. Usually ranging around 3-4%, this affix will give you additional protection against mob types you might be weak against. For example, Barbs/Monks in A2 will benefit greatly from the Ranged DMG reduction.
- Move Speed. This is a severely underrated stat. Not only is it convenient and awesome to traverse across open ground quickly, but also great for fleeing, kiting, or microing back and forth while waiting for cooldowns. With MS you can run past packs of mobs should you choose not to fight, and not even really need any abilities (exceptions exist, a la A2).
- Regen. Self explanatory, helps combat enemy DPS in boss fights, etc. However, you must first be able to withstand getting 1-2shotted for this to have any value.
In addition, there are many class-specific bonuses and other DPS-improvements that will greatly increase your output, which will shorten the time it takes you to kill mobs which is good for both farm/progression rates and survival. Killing faster means you take less damage over time. IAS, Crit%, CritDMG%, and other on hit effects like stun, knockback, slow, may provide extra utility in fights. Pick these according to your build.
With the introduction of the AH, trading is grossly simplified compared to D2. No more sitting in chat channels spamming your items! However, you still need gold to get what you want.
- Magic-find. Very important when it comes to loot farming. I started stacking MF as soon as I reached Hell (easily over 90% by L51). Hell was not too difficult as many of you can attest, so running with MF will not really detract from your survival like it might in Inferno. Just from questing, I was able to supplement my gold income by selling decent items. Yes, the market is a bit saturated when it comes to lower level equipment, but it's all relative. If you start early, selling items for as cheap as 2k, it beats the shit out of selling to the NPC. Gold earned is gold earned, and over time you will start to accumulate wealth.
- Gold-Find. I personally have not bothered with GF, but seeing as how I picked up quite a bit by the time I finished Hell, that % difference might have given me a decent profit. Perhaps someone else can provide insight for this.
- **NPCs* As Jakabov has mentioned, the NPCs sometimes sell good items for cheap...so often you can flip the item for a profit. MF jewelry is one of the most demanded items, as every class is able to utilize this stat and many players carry an entire set of MF gear.
I've seen a lot of people complain about not being able to farm Inferno gear. Yes, it is a bit of a catch-22. You can't just dive into Inferno and expect to easily farm elites if you are using L40 equipment. Spend some time in Hell and grind it out. You can find great L51+ gear in Hell which will give you an advantage when it comes to starting in Inferno. And if you don't find gear that will fit you, sell it on the AH and within time you will be able to accumulate exceptional wares. Speaking of which...
Auction House
Familiarize yourself with the Auction House search features. No, it is not the most comprehensive system and could use more functions, but that is another topic. I've spent many hours using the AH and have found much success here (as well as blunders). No, it's not as exciting to many of you, but to me it's still part of the game. At the least, it's a resourceful tool to be used at your disposal. If there was no AH, there's no way I would be where I am now.
Familiarize yourself with the Auction House search features. No, it is not the most comprehensive system and could use more functions, but that is another topic. I've spent many hours using the AH and have found much success here (as well as blunders). No, it's not as exciting to many of you, but to me it's still part of the game. At the least, it's a resourceful tool to be used at your disposal. If there was no AH, there's no way I would be where I am now.
- Overwhelmed with too many items in your search?. Add more search criteria. Restrict it to your current level. I.e, if I'm L40, I'd be looking at 30-40 EQ. If too many items turn up, start decreasing the scope of the search. Restrict it to 38-40. Or add a stat and put a minimum search value in. If you click on the columns, you can sort by DPS, Armor rating, or buy-out value.
- Finding good buys. I find the most success by restricting my search value so I only see a few pages. This allows me to compare similar equipment to find items with the right set of stats. From there, I then gloss over the prices to find affordable equipment.
- Can't find something at the moment?. Search for something else in the meantime. Look at your weakest armor piece and try to replace it. Given the huge player-base, there are items coming up in real-time at an exorbitant rate. Sometimes if you just sit and refresh your search for a few minutes, you'll come across great buys at low prices. With the AH restricted to 10 items, many players will undercut to unload items faster. As a buyer, use this to your advantage.
- Play the market. Use the undercutting to your advantage! Rare item with decent stats for 5k, when everything else is 30k+? Flip it! I've made a few hundred K just picking off cheap items and doubling the sale price. Sometimes the seller might have a full stash so he's offloading for cheap. Sometimes he might just be stupid and not know the market-value of his treasures.
Conclusion
The game has been out for a bit over a week. Yes, there are people who rushed through, but don't focus on their achievements/exploits as much as you should on yourself. In the end, it's all about you having fun. Take your time, go at your own pace. If you find yourself having difficulty, stop and analyze your situation. If you have room to improve, then you know what you need to do. Sometimes it's a problem with gear. Sometimes, you might be employing the wrong strategy.
The game has been out for a bit over a week. Yes, there are people who rushed through, but don't focus on their achievements/exploits as much as you should on yourself. In the end, it's all about you having fun. Take your time, go at your own pace. If you find yourself having difficulty, stop and analyze your situation. If you have room to improve, then you know what you need to do. Sometimes it's a problem with gear. Sometimes, you might be employing the wrong strategy.
This game presents you with many different (and some bs, another topic) situations. Taking that into account, solving different problems with the same solution might not always work. Change your skill loadout, try different builds. Ask a friend to help, or even for advice.
You need to adapt in order to overcome, and often times it is a process which requires patience and effort. Don't get mad, take a break and distance yourself from the emotional anger and maybe you will be able to see the situation more objectively or from another perspective. Within due time, quality equipment will soon become an affordable commodity. Perhaps that is a little bit of something we all need.
But never forget, it is a game. Have fun & happy hunting.
