I play on battle.net on West and I soloed diablo last night using my unique scimitar the skewer of krinitz, the 7-19 dmg is great 
I should clarify even beyond what Who_me? said.
On East we used to do rushes from Norm to Hell with ancients for both norm and NM. This required having a char level 40 by the time we got to NM ancients, so I used to shoot for lvl 35 or so. I’d use Sigon’s set for the +life and +res boni, and once I had enough str to use the gear I basically pumped life such that I had about … 400? It got pretty silly. I also maxed prayer and worked on maxing medit after that … by the time I’d done the build five or six times I was working on a char who could get LH on NM meph with FotH. I hadn’t quite gotten it balanced properly for both mana regen and Fisting power when we canceled our dialup and got DSL, and basically I haven’t played online since then.
Well, thanks to YeticusRex, my necro is one bad ass. I decided to do some Hell quests, so I soloed through the imbue quest, went downstairs and kicked Andy’s butt. Then started Act2. Yeti showed up while I was doing the Arcane and together we killed Duriel, did the Act3 stat quests, Trav and Meph.
Before he left, he gave me a +3 summoning ammy and the Act4 waypoints. I did the forge (Um) and soloed Diablo with nary a sweat. With my little army, I feel confident that I can get to the Ancients, although killing them may be more than they can handle. I’ll find out eventually.
Thanks again, Yeticus, that was the final piece to the puzzle. Now if I can upgrade my Tarnhelm (hey, don’t laugh, it’s +1 all skills w/magic-find) with a Harlequin Crest, I’ll be set.
I’m decidedly not laughing. Until you found that Volcanic Circlet, my sorc was wearing Lore (+1 skills and not much else at all). Needless to say, I haven’t found a Harlequin Crest.
So how many little buddies is your necro running around with now, anyway?
I wouldn’t laugh at your Tarnhelm, I bought my helm from an npc, so you can just imagine how great of a helm that is
Bought from an NPC, or gambled from an NPC?
Mind, NPC items can be fairly decent. I got some decent ltg res/mf greaves from someone, and I’ve been able to score some decent swords. Even got some 250%+ weapons back in the Bnet days.
The helm was a crown that gave me +5% AR, but someone just gave me Naj’s Circlet because i beat him in a duel and i then showed him my items. He felt bad for the level 50 pally using a 50 def crown and other store bought eq.
Larz, are you using cheap items as a matter of principle, or just because you can’t find any better? If it’s the latter, stop by the SDMB game some time, and we’ll hook you up with something or another. There may not be much around in the way of headgear for spellcasters, but paladins have plenty of good options in a helm.
When he’s in magic finding garb, he’s got 11 skelly warriors, 3 skelly mages and a few revives running around with him and his mercenary. Now when he put on his good suit he’s got 12 skellies, 5 or 6 skelly mages, and 11 revives. His bone spirit is getting up there too. It’s around 800 damage normally and 900 on weapon switch… all magic damage and never misses.
Just fyi, the going price on a Harlequin Crest is a Pul rune, so it shouldn’t be very hard to trade for one. You can get pul from both nightmare and hell hellforge quests, so you may want to go do the nightmare forge quests of those mules we rushed if you haven’t already.
I am sorry that I didn’t read all of the previous posts to find out, but what realm does the SDMB game play on?
I have a level 70 Barb and play on US East. I usually play solo because it seems like when I play with others and the going gets tough, THEY DISAPPEAR. So I’m standing in front of Baal trying to get some stuff back after I died and I’m ALONE. Oh well.
Also, is it possible to switch characters from East to West?
And is it my imagination or do Barbs have a really rough go of it? I have a level 13 Druid and with his summons, he has yet to die.
BTW I just started in HELL and it sucks. I can’t seem to kill anything.
I really hate this game. I just wish I could stop playing it. 
Already done (shael and Io). I haven’t had a lot of luck on the forge in West. On East I’ve done much better. I’m not giving up finding a Harlequin Crest yet though, even NM Baal can drop it and even in his best skill stuff, my Necro is running over 170 mf. In his mf stuff he runs 370-something, not real good but not bad considering how long I’ve been on West.
I’ve got another shot at a good rune whenever I get around to questing with my javazon. She’s been stuck in Act 2 of hell for a while. Actually stuck isn’t the right word, I just haven’t played her in a while.
Sorry, I didn’t answer these…
Right now West is the most active. East used to be, but everybody disappeared for various reasons. And no, you can’t switch realms with a character. I wish we could, I have some nice characters in the East Ladder that I’d like to use on West now.
If I’m ever on East and you join a SDMB game that I’m in, I’ll see if I can upgrade your equipment a bit. If you start a West account, I’ll do the same although I don’t have very much yet in West.
Well good. My son bought Diablo2 LOD for me for Christmas. I have been playing it since. I tried to get him to level with me but he is more a FPS gamer.
How do I find a SDMB game? Is it just SDMB? Is there a pw?
Sorry for asking, but I tried wading thru the previous 34 pages and had to skim a lot.
Thank you
Paul
Games are called sdmb, sdmb1, sdmb2, etc.
Password is always cecil.
Or, in battle.net shorthand, it’s sdmb//cecil, sdmb1//cecil, etc.
Well, my wolf druid is getting up to a respectable level now. I am a big fan of the Fury ability, and now that I am at level 31, I am much happier! I think I’ll level him until about 45 or so in Baal runs and then go to nm when I can use the Buriza that Who found for me. I may even be able to get that done today.
If I had my druthers I’d have a Spirit Shroud or a Goldskin armor and a Jalal’s Mane (hint, hint.)
Another PSA from one D2 hack to another…
Remember, most of us are in the West, on Ladder, but not on Hardcore Ladder.
Who, you’re most welcome.
I’ll gladly trade back that Spirit Shroud you gave my barb for some other skills armor. Surprisingly, though, I haven’t yet seen a Goldskin on bnet.
I think it was me that gave you the Spirit Shroud, not MDSL;), but no matter, I’m using another one at the moment.
MDSL, if you want the Spirit Shroud that I’m using, I’ll give it to you when I see you next. If I’d have read this thread a bit ago, I’d have given it to you when I saw you on a few minutes ago. I don’t really need it unless I’m doing questing in Act 4 or 5 (it gives me another skelly warrior and makes them all a little stronger). I just did a Pit and Meph run wearing my mf armor. I’ll give you the buriza too since you’re probably around the level that you can use it.
I haven’t found a Goldskin on West yet. I have one someplace (unless it was on one of my expired mules) on East.
Yeah, I had a Goldskin on East too. My wolf there was using it there and the Jalal’s Mane too with a Buriza and he’s pretty unstoppable. I think he has Mav’s gloves and belt too I think. I am very depressed with the 188 damage I’m doing right now at level 35. 
Can’t wait to get back up to the 2k I’m used to!