Got any suggestions to stay alive?

[Goblin]

Well, I've been playing Hardcore Elite for at least 2 months now, I think. I still haven't gotten a char to 50 yet. :( That was my ultimate goal and it still is now. I am almost ready to give up now, it is just... impossible. I have no clue how some of these guys got to 50. Maybe they use Autoit to exit game immediately with one hit of a keyboard letter. I dunno. I've never used Autoit, but I've heard of it. Do any of you use it?

My record highest lvl so far is 33. I got a guardian to around that level shortly before they nerfed guardians, and then he was suffering... and died in 1 hit in Wake Hallow. I was trying to get him to 35 before I attempt to kill Sydonai to get to NM.

I tried remaking my guardian like 10-20 times after that and kept dying. I tried many different methods, such as getting rushed to Stonehenge and lvl up there. That didn't work out well. Wake Hallow is a terrible place to lvl up because it's hard to see the monsters there and shit. I prefer interior areas, it's much much easier. Another method was redoing each area at least 5 times and always be at least 2 or 3 lvls above the monsters I fight, and that worked out well for a while, but sooner or later some crazy shit happens and I die. Guardians can't tank anymore. They can't heal when poisoned anymore. This is ridiculous.

So... I give up on guardians now. They're impossible to play on HcE. The devs were stupid to nerf guardians like this. So I'm gonna try a Marksman now. Wow, marksmen are definitely much easier to keep alive! They may have low defense and all, but they're very easy to keep alive.

I got my very first ever marksman to 16, almost 17 before he died, in Embankment Approach (lvl 14 monsters there). I was as careful as anyone could be, and I still died... I was focusing on drawing out 1 or 2 zombies at a time and kill them, and in my blind spot on my left, like 10 plague zombies ran to me and before I knew it, I was trapped back against the wall and I had no chance to kill them. I was poisoned so I couldn't heal, and I died. No chance to exit game... sigh... so much for doing 5-10 reruns in each area to stay 2-3 lvls above my enemies. zzzzzz I'm so pissed now.

I've done like 50 remakes now - guardians mostly. I totally give up on guardians now. I'm currently playing an Engineer and Marksman. Still haven't gotten a char to 50 yet. :( :( :( Much less got a char to nm. I dunno if I ever will. It just seems impossible.

I've learned 1 thing in the progress: it is much easier if you're in a party. Think about it. Let's say you're in a room with 20 zombies. So that's one of you versus 20 zombies, or 1:20. Now if one person joined you, it'd be 2 versus 20 zombies, or 1:10. Make it a full party of 5 people, and the ratio goes down to 1:4. Yeah the zombies become stronger, but 1:4 is much easier than 1:20. So you're less likely to die.

Anyway sorry this post is so long. If you got any suggestions for Engineers or Marksmen, please share! I wanna at least get a char to NM. Would somebody like to join me? lol... or join my HcE only guild, Ghost Riders. :) It currently has 4 members in it, including myself. All of us use d2jsp, it's a great site for trading. Way more people there than here.

[BryanM]

Don't. Die.

[__SpOO__]

I have few advices for you even if I got no that high level HCE char so far :)

1. Always clear and leave your back clean without any mobs, you will need often or not so to go back.

2. If you see that there are too many rare/leg mobs that you can't fight with just reset the zone.

3. If you have ANY doubts that you must need fast escape of any zone and there is HIGH chance of dying just open somewhere PRD(at some strategic place) and try to go in there faster you can if you have no other choice.

4. Never leave your toon if you are afk and not looking at him/her. With that nasty bug that port you somewhere outside the stations just logout instead of chance to came back and see your dead toon...

5. If you have a chance to play in party always do that but be extremely careful if you are in 5 ppl party in HCE. There are some mobs that normally don't hit so hard and are not such a danger but in 5 ppl party they are ONE HIT or INSTA KILL mobs.

There are for sure more rules that you must follow to keep your HCE toons but I'm too tired atm to think about them.

Hope this can help just a little.

GL

[Rowdy Redneck]

On the Engineer side, I find it very nice to equip my bot with a nova gun / wert's leg. Doing this forces him to tank for you, because he must get in close range for either weapon. In turn, this keeps the mobs off you and on him.

Markman side, I like overshield. The drawback to it is, it gives you a false sense of security. I go for maximum dps with overshield. Tactical stance, hit em hard, move.

[Goblin]

I have few advices for you even if I got no that high level HCE char so far :)

1. Always clear and leave your back clean without any mobs, you will need often or not so to go back.

2. If you see that there are too many rare/leg mobs that you can't fight with just reset the zone.

3. If you have ANY doubts that you must need fast escape of any zone and there is HIGH chance of dying just open somewhere PRD(at some strategic place) and try to go in there faster you can if you have no other choice.

4. Never leave your toon if you are afk and not looking at him/her. With that nasty bug that port you somewhere outside the stations just logout instead of chance to came back and see your dead toon...

5. If you have a chance to play in party always do that but be extremely careful if you are in 5 ppl party in HCE. There are some mobs that normally don't hit so hard and are not such a danger but in 5 ppl party they are ONE HIT or INSTA KILL mobs.

There are for sure more rules that you must follow to keep your HCE toons but I'm too tired atm to think about them.

Hope this can help just a little.

GL

Well, thanks for the feedback. I already know about most of them.

My lvl 33 guardian got INSTAWTFPWND in Wake Hollow playing solo. I wasn't in a party. :( I will definitely never go in Wake Hallow again. That place is horribly unfriendly for HcE. Sad, cuz I paid at least $200 on this game, and I can't ever go in any of these Stonehenge areas on my HcE chars.

When I first entered Embankment Approach with my marksman, I looked around and scanned the area, and there were only a few zombies so it looked safe. There were some obstacles on the road, barring my view in some areas. I killed a few zombies using Sniper and tactical stance. Then I walked forward a little bit, zig zagged the area, being as careful as anyone could be. Then bam! Like 10 plague zombies (the hardest zombie type, that takes longer to kill) came from behind a vehicle and trapped me, poisoned me immediately. I didn't even see them coming... so yea that's how I died. So the fact is, no matter how careful I am, I still die. That is so frustrating. :sad:

Anyway... I guess groups of 2 or 3 people is the best? At least this is more exp than playing solo, not to mention it's WAY more fun to play with a friend or two.

[Goblin]

On the Engineer side, I find it very nice to equip my bot with a nova gun / wert's leg. Doing this forces him to tank for you, because he must get in close range for either weapon. In turn, this keeps the mobs off you and on him.

Markman side, I like overshield. The drawback to it is, it gives you a false sense of security. I go for maximum dps with overshield. Tactical stance, hit em hard, move.

Too bad you can't equip Wirt's leg on your drone until you're lvl 20.

[Rowdy Redneck]

I'm online most weekday nights after 6pm cst and most of the time on the weekends. Myself and most likely some of my guildmates would play along with ya. Look me up sometime.

[BryanM]

I have to agree "be an engineer" or "be a summoner" is the best advice for not dying.

[Goblin]

I'm online most weekday nights after 6pm cst and most of the time on the weekends. Myself and most likely some of my guildmates would play along with ya. Look me up sometime.

Alright thx... I need a partner around my lvl who will play with me :)

My engineer is lvl 12 now, and my MM is lvl 3. My engi is done with Chocolate park now (whew!).

[Goblin]

Well, here's an update before I go to bed. My engi is lvl 14 now and just did his first Mind of 314 run. I'm not going to complete the quest yet, tho. I think I'll save the quest until he's 20 or so.

My marksman is still lvl 3. Anyone wanna start a new char with me this weekend? lol

GL all.
~joel

[Rowdy Redneck]

I apologize for not being able to talk much lastnight, a buddy and I were in the middle of finishing act5. We went into hell and Sydonai killed his level 36 AOR guardian =(

Good thing he has another guardian in it's early 30's, but it's an AOD guardian. I did get to level 34 on my Evoker.

[Goblin]

I apologize for not being able to talk much lastnight, a buddy and I were in the middle of finishing act5. We went into hell and Sydonai killed his level 36 AOR guardian =(

Good thing he has another guardian in it's early 30's, but it's an AOD guardian. I did get to level 34 on my Evoker.

Ouch, that sucks. That's why I quit playing guardians. They've been overnerfed.

AoV (aura of vengeance - the purple aura) works extremely well versus Sydonai. Did his lvl 36 guardian get killed from spectral lash (or whatever it's called that Sydonai uses - the purple orbs)? Because if he did, AoV would've probably kept him alive. It reflects at least 40% of those back at Sydonai, depending how many points you've got into that skill (or get +4 from shield and weapon or that unique armor with +2 AoV).

AoR and AoD doesn't work well at all versus Sydonai because it's only 1 monster in your aura, so yea... AoV would've worked much better.

I killed NM Sydonai in softcore non-elite with that aura on my lvl 50 guardian. It's really good. :)

[Goblin]

My engineer is lvl 19 now. ^^ New record for engineers for me. I got one to 18 before he died to a thunderstruck zombie. Lost my Sue's that I had in inventory that I couldn't wait to equip. :(

He still has the Mind of 314 quest. Tomorrow I'll get him to 20 then complete the quest and begin my trip to Temple Station. I played alone all day. :( lol no friends to play with. Oh well...

Good luck everyone.

[Jeremy]

got my summoner to 28 this week, while playing hardcore elite mode.
Best advice I can give you in regards of summoner/engineer is to always save at greenpark station 1st.
Go into map, if you see mobs, set up a PRD n return to town(either /leave in party or walk back into tunnel). Then go green park station and summon up everything. Walk into your PRD and wala your at the map in full strength to tank whatever nasties that was crowding the area. Just note that furies and tormentors will still kick the crap outta your army in an instant.
Note I'm on SEA server tho, anyone in alliance wanna join me in HC elite?

[Spirit]

My general impressions on HCE are:

1. Party: is usefull if the members are skilled.. I find myself lvling much faster alone with mm or evoker with lesser chance to die, as mentioned above, at one hit.

2. logout scripts: use them, or create a party, type /leave, create it again and play.. if u are in danger use "enter, up, enter" and u are in town again ^^

3. Regeneration pots/other stuff: they have a different cooldown than heal/power, that makes even the smallest of them usefull
-Having shieldbosters/gyro on shortkey and anti-stateffect potions@backpack is worth the money

4. Kiting: it sucks, sprinting away and regrouping is my favourite time killer (u should be faster than the mobs anyway)

5. Selling items: i hear a lot of ppl say "dismantle them instead" i disagree, selling cheap mods and all items below rare helps to earn money for augmentation/pots, they dont give much parts and i never saw them result in a nanoshard ^^

6. Augmentation: i find it very usefull at low lvls with builds that are weak early.. common attributes are cheap and worth it ^^ my lvl 7-9 Evos usually have +ember +2 spectral lash rare items with sp and 2x% dam through augmentation for about 800gp each attribute..
In Softcore it may be wiser to safe the money and itemrun later, in HCE there is no later without support, your build has to be 100% workable at any lvl.

7. Patience: i am usually in a hurry after i died and recreated the char and often die again ^^ Constant lvling may hit your motivation if u see all around you lvling much faster, however just keep in mind that u will be higher in lvl after they die and with good items (See 6.) it makes fun to play at any lvl.

8. Damage&Mobility: no illusions here.. u will get hurt, but that is not an excuse to sacrifice damage&mobility in favor of high defense with mm/evo. Yes it depends on your preffered gameplay which strategy u may use, but most of the ppl try to make a tank out of every class and thats imho why they die.. i think its more about psychology ^^

[Goblin]

My general impressions on HCE are:

1. Party: is usefull if the members are skilled.. I find myself lvling much faster alone with mm or evoker with lesser chance to die, as mentioned above, at one hit.

2. logout scripts: use them, or create a party, type /leave, create it again and play.. if u are in danger use "enter, up, enter" and u are in town again ^^

3. Regeneration pots/other stuff: they have a different cooldown than heal/power, that makes even the smallest of them usefull
-Having shieldbosters/gyro on shortkey and anti-stateffect potions@backpack is worth the money

4. Kiting: it sucks, sprinting away and regrouping is my favourite time killer (u should be faster than the mobs anyway)

5. Selling items: i hear a lot of ppl say "dismantle them instead" i disagree, selling cheap mods and all items below rare helps to earn money for augmentation/pots, they dont give much parts and i never saw them result in a nanoshard ^^

6. Augmentation: i find it very usefull at low lvls with builds that are weak early.. common attributes are cheap and worth it ^^ my lvl 7-9 Evos usually have +ember +2 spectral lash rare items with sp and 2x% dam through augmentation for about 800gp each attribute..
In Softcore it may be wiser to safe the money and itemrun later, in HCE there is no later without support, your build has to be 100% workable at any lvl.

7. Patience: i am usually in a hurry after i died and recreated the char and often die again ^^ Constant lvling may hit your motivation if u see all around you lvling much faster, however just keep in mind that u will be higher in lvl after they die and with good items (See 6.) it makes fun to play at any lvl.

8. Damage&Mobility: no illusions here.. u will get hurt, but that is not an excuse to sacrifice damage&mobility in favor of high defense with mm/evo. Yes it depends on your preffered gameplay which strategy u may use, but most of the ppl try to make a tank out of every class and thats imho why they die.. i think its more about psychology ^^

Nice one. I'm sure many of us will find that useful.

I used to try the enter-up-enter thing with /leave but most of the time that doesn't help... if I ever die, it always happen in an instant. That's how tough HCE is. ^^ That's why I give up on guardians - they can't tank anymore and they always need to heal heal heal. Engineers are soooooo much easier to keep alive, and hella more fun!!! I LOVE my engineer. ^^

My engineer is lvl 31 now and doing great. :D

I kinda disagree with your last statement about dmg + mobility. Yes, not all classes can tank like templars, but I believe that on hardcore, we need to balance our damage with our defense instead of pimping out our dmg like we would on softcore.

That's what I'm doing with my engineer. So far, I've put none in str, 5 points in accu, and 10 in will and the rest in stamina. He has over 1700 hp at lvl 31 with gear on, and I think 57% dmg absorb if I remember correctly. I'm going to try to get 2500 or more hp by the time he's lvl 50, and 60% absorb if not more. He kills monsters crazy fast with this awesome unique auto rifle I found off Abbadon. It's called The A-something (I forgot what exactly).

Later on as I lvl up more, I probably will pump some more points into will and maybe 5-10 more in accu but that's it. I depend heavily on +AA on my gear. :)

[Rowdy Redneck]

I find the Guardian a much easier class to keep alive, maybe it's just me. A guildy and myself both dinged 50 lastnight on our HCE Guardians. Engineers are alot of fun, but I find mine to be much squishier than my markman, mainly due to the Overshield skill of the Marksman.

[Goblin]

I find the Guardian a much easier class to keep alive, maybe it's just me. A guildy and myself both dinged 50 lastnight on our HCE Guardians. Engineers are alot of fun, but I find mine to be much squishier than my markman, mainly due to the Overshield skill of the Marksman.

Huge grats on hitting 50! I'm so jealous lol. :mrgreen:

I find marksmen to be much squishier than engineers, because engineers get a drone to tank for him... I can solo fairly easy with my engineer, and on my Achievements list, the "Wuss" achievement still hasn't appeared yet and I'm lvl 32 now... that's because I don't use injectors very often at all. :)

I went for as high armor as I can get and as much +AA and +will/+str/+accu on my gear as possible, with some +hp and hp bonus %. My engi has over 1800 life at lvl 32 now, with 10 extra stats left over. Saving it in case I need more will later on.

How is his killing? More than good enough! :D I use the Agitator, a unique auto rifle, and I LOVE it.

By the way, think you can help me sometime today with Sydonai, so I can get into nm? I'm afraid to do him alone.

[Neuwo]

I have to agree "be an engineer" or "be a summoner" is the best advice for not dying.

I was looking at our guild's HCE ladder, and there is only one summoner at level 50. I think it might be possible that 'Resurrections" is the first HCE summoner to make it to 50. Guardian is the most common level 50 HCE character class I see. Shield Turn ftw (though I play Evokers).