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Diablo 2, 3 characters FAQMaps and character abilities |
By Alexandru Stanescu, Editor, Gaming Reviews (Consoles)
2nd of February 2007, 15:15 GMT
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6 years have passed since Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction was released and the number of fans continues to increase. You can hear them talking about some item that they missed while playing some bonus level. "Did you hear about that cool level 6 sword that grants those fire abilities? ". "What about the fireproof shield?" Diablo doesn't create fans, instead it creates fanatics, a true cult that generates millions of forum pages filled with pages and desperate cries for help. I'm here to answer those cries with a couple of cheats and a pretty neat character FAQ.
NECROMANCER
Looking mean as you would expect for a death-peddler, the Necromancer specializes in curses and commands of the undead. He is the ULTIMATE when it comes to mass-troop-management, and at high levels can have a small ARMY of undead creatures following him around and mauling his enemies into little bite size chunks in seconds.
We like him…but he ISN'T the easiest character to play.
GOOD POINTS
Being able to resurrect a small army of undead warriors to do your bidding means that the Necromancer SHOULD not need to directly involve himself in physical combat most of the time. His curses can weaken your enemies en masse and can dramatically turn the tide of battle in your favor when used appropriately.
BAD POINTS
Generally weak in hand-to-hand combat, the Necromancer should avoid this wherever possible. His skills are focused predominantly in inflicting pain and agony on his opponents, which leaves him kinda lacking in the "self-help" skills ...in MY opinion at least !!
CLASS-SPECIFIC WEAPONRY
Certain shields - almost invariably heads (e.g. the Demon Fetish and Unraveller Head) - are Necromancer specific.
QUIRKS
One of the best combinations that you can have when using your Necromancer (and I FREELY ADMIT THAT I HEARD THIS FROM SOMEBODY ELSE - Sorry mon ami, but I can't remember your name !!) is to create a Blood Golem, and then use the Iron Maiden curse on enemies that the Blood Golem is fighting ... health is transferred from the Golem to you, and so whilst he's fighting, you can heal at quite a rate of knots !!
HIRELINGS
Given that his forté is being able to command huuuuuuuge armies of undead warriors and curse his enemies to b*llocks, my recommendation is that the Necromancer should focus on somebody that will be able to hang back from the fray, and give him support ... as such, my comments are as follows :-
Rogue Sister - She's good !! Give her her dues, she's good ...whilst the Necromancer's army of bad@ss goons
is busy killing things up front, she can provide good ranged cover, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the oncoming enemy. SCORE: 3/4
Desert Mercenary - Whilst undoubtedly a powerful hand-to-hand combatant, he might not be able to get at the thick of the action if the necromancer's boys have already sunk their teeth into the enemy and, as such, his effectiveness is slightly reduced I fear. SCORE: 2/4
Iron Wolf Mage - Perhaps the best match for the Necromancer is the Iron Wolf Mage, simply because he can provide ranged support for the Necromancer's minions if they are swarming over his enemies, and if they FALL he can take their place, allowing the Necromancer enough time to create more ... SCORE: 4/4
Barbarian Warrior - Again, bringing up the rear is the barbarian warrior ... bless him, and all who follow him. I fear that the necromancer's powerful magic, whilst great in the troop-management area, might not lend itself to working in harmony with the barbarian's in your face attitude. SCORE: 1/4
BARBARIAN
The undisputed KING of hand-to-hand combat, the Barbarian ROCKS when it comes to bashing heads together, but his REALLY limited set of distance-based skills means that he needs either good ranged support to make up for this shortcoming, or just sack off range altogether and get stuck in there !!
I have to say that there are only 3 characters I have played in Lord of Destruction that were able to kill Duriel in hand-to-hand combat WITHOUT DYING EVEN ONCE. The others are the Paladin, and the Amazon.
GOBSMACKED is the word I would choose to describe how I felt when that happened. ANYHOW ...
GOOD POINTS
His ability to use two single-handed weapons at the same time provides for TONNES of fun combinations of weapons that can be brought into play, thus increasing his appeal AND the amount of damage he can inflict. He has a WICKED set of passive skills that can increase his effectiveness with almost any weapon ... AND he has the OH so entertaining Frenzy move at higher levels (which is REALLY fun to use, trust me !!)
BAD POINTS
As stated above, he is a bit pants in the ranged department ... he has no real magic skills to speak of - his specialties are warcries and combat techniques ... nothing so spectacular as a full thunderstorm, or chain lightning, unfortunately.
As a result, he has to get in close to harm his enemies, and this means that he is frequently outnumbered.
CLASS-SPECIFIC WEAPONRY
Helmets, such as the Lion Helm and Fanged Helm, are Barbarian-specific.
QUIRKS
His ability to search the bodies of the fallen for potions should not be underestimated - it means that (if luck is on your side) you can heal him back from near death VERY quickly. RESULT !!
HIRELINGS
This is a tough one ... the Barbarian is quite specific in terms of his strengths - i.e. CARNAGE. He lacks the support of a ranged unit, but maybe it would be better to just give him another hand-to-hand fighter to back him up.
Rogue Sister - If you want to give ranged support to your barbarian (as I did when I was playing him), then the Rogue Sister should not be overlooked. Using her wisely, and in conjunction with available terrain, means that you can pick off the pain in the behind baddies from a distance - like those who are lightning enchanted - and thereby reduce the likelihood of your Barbarian dying in combat. SCORE: 2/4
Desert Mercenary - A good choice, given that he can back you up in hand-to-hand AND his auras give you an extra edge whilst you're hacking and slashing away. SCORE: 3/4
Iron Wolf Mage - Whilst he is VERY versatile as a companion, I feel that the Iron Wolf Mage's versatility when put side by side with the Barbarian's clear-cut approach to playing dilutes his effectiveness ... really speaking I would think that it would be better to have an "all or nothing" hireling to go with the Barbarian, and this AIN'T the Iron Wolf Mage ... SCORE: 1/4
Barbarian Warrior - What could be better than a Barbarian and his bro kicking BUTT ????? Given that they are BASICALLY the same character, you should find that they play quite well together, and increase exponentially the amount of damage inflicted when they are fighting side-by-side. SCORE: 4/4
PALADIN
Ah yes, the Paladin. I must admit that when I first saw him, I just laughed. The BOLD way he goes down on one knee ... the shiny armor ... the ...(spit spit spit) GOODNESS of it all.
BUT, I have been converted to liking him ... his auras are REALLY useful, and he really surprised me when he managed to best Duriel in hand-to-hand combat without dying ONCE, taking his place alongside the Barbarian and the Amazon ...
He's quite a surprise entrant in my opinion, because as with the Barbarian he is predominantly a close-quarters combatant, BUT he has the advantage of having auras to support him whilst he's fighting, which can aid not only him but his party as well ...
GOOD POINTS
His use of auras is GREAT ... he can use them to achieve good results on his own, AND many of them can be used to aid his party too - this is a good thing. Whilst his hand-to-hand skills are not on par with the Barbarian in my opinion, he has the Zeal skill, which is KILLER cool to watch. Stabby stabby stab.
He resists fire/ice/lightning auras.
BAD POINTS
The lack of ranged skills makes him a largely close-quarters character. He looks pants at first ... we just CAN'T like those green and yellow pants.
CLASS-SPECIFIC WEAPONRY
Certain large shields (e.g. the Heraldic Shield and Aerin Shield) are Paladin-specific.
QUIRKS
Paladin Auras can extend beyond your party - e.g. on Act V your aura can actually protect errant Barbarians as they make their way up the Bloody Foothills, and so on ... this is kinda cool!!
HIRELINGS
Given the Paladin's strengths being close combat and the use of auras, he can lend strong support to any hireling he obtains ... however, my comments and recommendations are as follows:
Rogue Sister - One of the worst matches with the Paladin, as she runs around a lot and this frequently places her OUTSIDE the range of influence of his auras. SCORE: 2/4
Desert Mercenary - Hmmmmmmmm ... not good I fear ... the Desert Mercenary has his own auras that he can use to influence the party, and this may put him at odds with the Paladin in terms of which aura is in use. SCORE: 1/4
Check out the maps of the acts in Diablo 2:
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