Wearbear Author: Dragoon Version: 1.08 Page 1 Weapon Selection With so many weapons available, deciding which one is the best can be overwhelming. To simplify the decision, at first, I shall do some calculations for the more popular weapons available to a werebear based solely upon the base weapon damage applied over the attack animation. Thus, I take the listed damage of the weapon and divide by the number of frames an attack takes (for 0% OIAS and for the fastest possible attack for the weapon as in the tables from the previous section). This gives the data in Appendix XI. According to these calculations (and only looking at the most shaeled form) the highest average damage at level 99 goes to the Cruel Giant Thresher of Quickness (61.6), with the Cruel Feral Axe of Quickness (59.2) coming in as a close second. After the cruel weapons, the next most damaging weapons are Messerschmidt's Reaver (39.56) and Stormspire (38.93). Shortly behind these weapons are the Buriza-Do Kyanon (36.96) and the Ethereal Zod Hellslayer (36.8). Next up is the Immortal King's Stone Crusher (34.69), which is followed by the regular Hellslayer (32.7) and the Cranium Basher (31.7). Finally, lagging far behind is the Silence Thunder Maul (21.3). However, damage is not everything. The extra mods of some of these weapons cannot be overlooked. Cranium Basher has 75% Crushing Blow, +25 All Resistances, and the coveted casts Amplify Damage on attack ability, not to mention that it is indestructible. The IK Maul is also indestructible and has a good amount of additional damage to demons and the undead as well as 35-40% Crushing Blow. Hellslayer has a healthy bonus to strength and vitality as well as additional fire damage. Messerschmidt's Reaver also adds to all stats (15)as well as adding additional Attack Rating (definitely a plus for Werebears) and fire damage. Finally, the Stormspire is indestructible, has a good amount of lightning resistance and deals out extra lightning damage in the form of lightning strikes, charged bolts and chain lightnings. Taking all of this into account, my favorite weapons are Messerschmidt's Reaver and Stormspire as both deal the most damage (besides the godly damage of the cruel weapons) and have useful other mods. In addition, these weapons attack fairly quickly, allowing the player to easily change tactics in the middle of a battle (uh oh, there comes a fanaticism pack of Frenzytaurs...). Personally, I feel that Messerschmidt's Reaver is just a little slow for my taste, so I would definitely pick Stormspire over it (though Stormspire is MUCH more rare). Next, I prefer the Immortal King's Stone Crusher and Buriza-Do Kyanon to the Hellslayers because they are significantly quicker. Also, unless you are fighting in the cow level, the extra damage to demons and the undead from the IK Maul is quite powerful. In addition, the Crushing Blow can be quite handy when fighting monsters with a lot of life in a game with a lot of players (hence they get more life). It has actually been calculated that the damage of the IK Stone Crusher can outpace that of Stormspire for such areas as Act 5 of Hell Difficulty with 5-8 players in a game (though Stormspire wins out just about everywhere else). For the Buriza, the freezing hits are extremely good in all portions of the game, and it also does a healthy amount of cold damage. However, if you make liberal use of Shockwave, the freezing modifiers won't benefit a Werebear very much. Also note that, as a crossbow, the damage from Buriza is enhanced by Dexterity, not Strength. Thus, for a Buriza-user, Dexterity grants the user additional damage, attack rating AND defense. For these reasons, I have made several Werebears based upon the use of Buriza-Do Kyanon and all have been perfectly viable if not very powerful melee combatants on all difficulty levels. However, for some, the idea of using this giant crossbow as their primary weapon is absurd, and so choose not to even consider it. The Cranium Basher is harder to gauge. Many people swear by it as their weapon, and, truth be told, when the amplify damage on it activates, the monsters don't stand a chance. However, it is also slower, which bothers many people. The Basher qualifies as either as one of the best weapons, or somewhere below the Buriza, depending upon personal preference. As for lower level weapons, the most widely-viewed favorite is Ribcracker over Steeldriver or Hwanin's Bill. Ribcracker's defensive benefits combined with its lighting speed, low requirements and Crushing Blow make it the best choice for an up-and-coming Werebear. Plus, who DOESN'T like the "thunk, thunk" sound that a staff makes when it hits? Steeldriver is also fast and powerful (and fun!) but its added bonuses just don't compare to those of Ribcracker. Last of the three I've detailed here (but first you'd be able to equip) is Hwanin's Bill. Generally, I just use this weapon as a step-up weapon for the few levels that I can use it but I cannot use Ribcracker. However, it is actually very powerful and can power a Werebear through a good portion of the game (at least through Nightmare difficulty) though not quite as quickly as Ribcracker, Steeldriver or Buriza. Personally, I greatly prefer Two-Handed Weapons to One-Handed Weapons, but I have included a few One-Handers (Calculations in Appendix XII) so that, if you are so inclined, you might compare these weapons and try one out. Your damage rate will be significantly decreased, however, and you run the risk of becoming "block-locked" if you have too many monsters around you and your block rate is high. Surprisingly, I've often found this MORE likely to get my Werebear killed than using a two-handed weapon (or at least more frustrating) so I've tried not to use shields on my Werebears. In addition, if you choose to use a shield, you will have to spend a significant number of points into dexterity to keep your blocking % high. Since I have never had a problem with keeping Werebears alive, I tend to stick to the big guns: the Two-Handers. =) Equipment Selection With a weapon chosen, the next step is to determine the rest of his equipment. Here is another area where the Werebear is quite flexible. There are many types of armors and jewelry available in the world of Diablo II and quite a lot of it is useful, depending upon the situation. However, some combinations are more useful than others and I hope to lay out some guidelines here that can help you piece together the right combination of gear, for your Werebear. Basically, there are six things that a Werebear should take into account when choosing gear: 1. Having enough OIAS to reach the desired attack rate for your weapon of choice (see the Weapons Section and look it up on the tables if you're not sure how much you need) 2. Maintaining a good Attack Rating and Hit Percentage 3. Having at least one piece of equipment with the "Cannot be Frozen" modifier 4. Maintaining a good amount of Defense and/or Damage Reduction as well as decent Resistances 5. Life Leech/Mana Leech 6. And lastly, Deadly Strike and/or +Skills Gear Obviously, there are many different items that fit into these categories. The secret is to find a combination of items that will take all of these categories into account. To help in this, I will list items that fit into these classes, as well as point out some especially notable items which often fit into multiple categories. OIAS Gear The first thing that I take care of when planning the rest of my equipment is OIAS gear. I always like to get my attack rate as fast as is possible for the weapon that I choose. After all, a faster weapon means more damage dealt as well as more flexibility to changing situations. Since the required OIAS changes for every weapon, it will be different for different builds. Thus, I will just list my favorite sources of OIAS. OIAS Sources Gloves - Gloves are the easiest place to look for OIAS. Many magical and rare gloves spawn with IAS mods on them (up to 20%). If you can find IAS gloves with other good mods on them (particularly crafted Blood Gloves) these gloves can often out-strip the other Set or Unique gloves. Noteable Unique or Set gloves Sanders Taboo Easy to find, these come with 20% IAS as well as +40 life. These are quite useful early on or for people who are new to the game. Magnus' Skin A bit more rare than Sanders' Gloves, these gloves (from the Orphan's Call set) have 20% IAS, +100 Attack Rating, and +15% Fire Resistance. Because these gloves combine abilities from multiple categories, they are particularly good (and my personal favorite). Bloodfist A low level unique, these gloves offer 10% IAS, 30% Faster Hit Recovery, and +40 to Life. While the IAS is less on these than other gloves, if you only need a small amount of OIAS to reach the animation length that you want, the additional modifiers on these gloves are excellent. Lava Gout A more rare unique, these gloves feature 20% IAS and a decent amount of fire damage and resistance. I'm not as much a fan of these gloves as the additional modifiers here are not quite as essential to a Werebear, but they are still quite decent. Sigon's Set A partial set bonus for Sigon's Set is 30% IAS on the gloves when combined with one other item from the set. In addition, for 2 items of the set, another partial bonus is 10% life steal. Because of this combination (and the high amount of IAS) of abilities, many people use the gauntlets from this set combined with either the boots (there aren't that many GREAT boots out there) or the helmet (for a HUGE increase in Attack Rating). However, there are better helmets out there, so, depending upon the situation, it might not be the best choice to use the gloves/helmet combination. Either way, this set is extremely useful in the early stages of the game (required level of 6, and the gloves give +10 to Strength). Armor, Helmet, Shield - All of these items can be socketed by the socket quest, and 15% IAS jewels can be stuck into them. However, sometimes other items are even better to socket into these locations as a Perfect Ruby in a helmet or armor can greatly increase one's life, an Um Rune can add much needed resistances (or a Perfect Diamond in a shield), or a Shael Rune will add 20% Faster Hit Recovery in a helmet or armor, or Faster Blocking Rate in a shield. I see socketing items as a way to make up any deficiencies in my choice of gear(be it IAS, Hit Recovery, or Resistances) so this is usually one of the last things that I would look at. But, if you want to have a lot of OIAS, sometimes you need to socket these items with IAS jewels. However, there are ways, other than socketing, to get IAS on armors. Noteable Uniques Twitchthroe This armor has an inherent 20% IAS and Faster Hit Recovery. However, its low defense is not really helpful for a Werebear who wants to make use of its enhanced defense by the Werebear skill, so I would not recommend it. Crow Caw This armor also has 15% IAS and Faster Hit Recovery and significantly more defense than Twitchthroe but, again, the rest of the mods on it are not particularly helpful for a Werebear (I like to choose a good defensive armor). Also this armor is heavy, making you run quite slowly so I tend not to look here for IAS if I can avoid it. Black Hades With three sockets and a huge defense, this armor can be quite useful to a Werebear. In addition, its resistances are fairly good, making this armor a great choice if you need a lot of OIAS for your weapon. Spirit Forge Similar to Black Hades, Spirit Forge comes with 2 sockets that can have IAS jewels socketed. However, this armor has the added bonus of 20-65 fire damage, +15 strength, and life based on character level (up to 123). Stealskull 10% IAS and Faster Hit Recovery in addition to 5% mana/life leech and magic find makes this helmet one of my favorites. If you need the extra 10% IAS, this helmet is a great source for it. Belt Well, there are two choices here, Goldwrap and Nosferatu's Coil. Goldwrap This belt is fairly low level so it should not be particularly hard to find. It provides 10% IAS as well as a healthy dose of Magic and Gold Find. This is one of my favorite belts that are available. However, I tend to use String of Ears (which I shall discuss later) which leaves Goldwrap out in the cold. Nosferatu's Coil This belt adds 10% IAS, 5% life steal, 10% slow target and +15 to strength. Very powerful, but also very rare, so don't expect to be finding this one any time soon. =) Jewelry Here, there are two choice, the Cat's Eye Amulet or Highlord's Wrath. Cat's Eye Amulet This amulet gives 20% IAS as well as +25 to Dexterity (think additional Attack Rating) and the ever-fun 30% Faster Run/Walk. This amulet is a favorite of anyone that needs more than 20% OIAS for their weapon, as it is quite good. Highlord's Wrath This amulet is fairly hard to find, but is quite powerful, should you find it. It has +1 to all Skill Levels, Deadly Strike based upon Character Level (up to 37%), +1-30 lightning damage, and a good amount of Lightning Resistance in addition to its 20% IAS. This is definitely my amulet of choice if I need to find a source of IAS outside of my gloves and one socketed IAS jewel. Attack Rating Basically, this is an area that you should hope to cover without too much difficulty. There are a couple great sources of Attack Rating to be found out there and hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to come by. The goal is to obtain enough Attack Rating equipment to put your AR into the range of 2400 to 3000 or more by the time you reach the Hell difficulty. This may sound like a lot, but it is actually not that bad when you factor in the +% attack rating by Maul and Heart of the Wolverine (if you choose that spirit). In a pinch, a newer player to Diablo might not have these items and he can compensate by raising his dexterity and using the Heart of the Wolverine spirit as well as a high level Maul (for the Attack Rating % bonus). For a very in-depth analysis of Werebear Attack Rating choices, see Jurt's Attack Rating Guide. Note: Lots of math WILL be thrown at you in that guide. But it DOES make some excellent points! Noteable Sources for Attack Rating: Raven Frost This is the BEST source of Attack Rating you can find. Up to +250 to AR as well as up to +20 to Dexterity makes this Ring almost a single source solution to the AR problems of a Werebear. In addition, this ring has the powerful (and very necessary) "Cannot be Frozen" modifier. I use one of these on all of my Werebears, as it is just such a powerful source of Attack Rating and Freeze Resistance. The only drawback is that it is a ring, so you will probably be giving up some resistance or life/mana leech by using this. Magnus' Skin Discussed Earlier. +100 to AR Sander's Boots These boots are quite useful. First, they are fast with 40% Faster Run/Walk Speed. Second, they give +100 to AR just like Magnus' Skin. Third, they give +10 to Dexterity and +5 to Strength. These bonuses help out a lot, and if you decide to use these boots, they can cut down on your points spent on raising your strength to give you more vitality (and so more life). Sigon's Visor The helmet from Sigon's set, this thing gives a ton of AR but does fill the helmet spot of your equipment. This, like Raven Frost, is a single-item fix to your AR problems. Angelic Halo This ring, when combined with another item of the Angelic Set, gives a huge bonus to AR (comparable to that of Sigon's Visor). This is great for low level AR as the level requirements are very low, but the problem with this ring is that it fills the spot of a ring which would otherwise be taken by a leech ring or something. Also, the rest of the set is pretty bad (though the amulet is good for low levels). This is most often used in tandem with the amulet (Angelic Wings) by low-level characters. Once you are able to use Raven Frost, however, this ring has probably outlived its usefulness. Waterwalk These boots have +15 to dexterity in addition to a large bonus to life and other useful mods. This is a decent AR boot, though Sander's Boots are probably better. "Cannot be Frozen" In my opinion, this is an essential modifier for a Werebear. Chilled Werebears are painful to watch because they are so unbelievably SLOW! Thus, to avoid being chilled, use at least one "Cannot be Frozen" item at all times. This modifier can be found on the following pieces of equipment: Raven Frost Discussed earlier, this is my favorite choice for this ability. Hawkmail Hawkmail is a solid low-level armor providing the "Cannot be Frozen" modifier. Its drawback is that it is a heavy armor and so you tend to run out of stamina when running around in it at low levels. Duriel's Shell This armor is great! It has good resistances, a high defense, additional life, and of course the "Cannot be Frozen" mod. I have always loved this armor and have used it on many a Werebear. Death's Guard If you don't have a good belt, this sash can be a good place to pick up the "Cannot be Frozen" modifier. However, this is the only major ability on this sash, and it has a low durability in addition to only 2 rows for potions, so it is not necessarily the best place to get it. This is a great belt for a low-level Werebear, however, and when combined with the gloves, gives you additional resistances and 30% IAS. Rhyme (Shael-Eth) Shield If you choose to use a One-Handed Weapon, this shield is also a great source of this mod. With 20% Increased Blocking, 40% Faster Block Rate, +25% Resist All, and Magic/Gold Find, this shield has a great combination of abilities and can be socketed into the basic shield of your choice. Defensive Equipment Let's face it, despite the powerful Shockwave skill, a Werebear is going to take some hits at some point, be it a boss which is not affected by Shockwave, a ranged magical attacker, or simply monsters that you don't particularly feel like using Shockwave against. While most of the damage that you face will not be a problem due to the Werebear's life bonuses, it is a good idea to have at least a small amount of Damage Reduction, Resistance, a good Defense, as well as a good amount of Faster Hit Recovery Equipment (48% and 125% Faster Hit Recovery are widely considered the optimal breakpoints). Often, these types of abilities can be picked up on items that fit into other categories. After all, a good body armor might combine a good Defense, Resistance, Faster Hit Recovery and can be socketed to make up for any deficiencies. Thus, a good Rare or Magical armor can often suffice to fill many of these roles. However, there are some items that are particularly good at taking care of these categories: Noteable Defensive Items Arkaine's Valor A very rare, expensive, powerful armor, this is definitely an end-game armor Though I have never, personally, used it, I know of many Druids who have, and they always end up with tremendous amounts of life. If you've got one of these, definitely use it if you so desire! Shaftstop Yes, it can be somewhat hard to come by, but this armor combines a great Defense and 30% Damage Reduction. Alone, this armor would probably fill all of the Defense and Damage Reduction that you might need. I socketed my Shaftstop with an Um Rune, as resistances are the only things this armor lacks. Duriel's Shell Mentioned earlier, I love this armor for the defense, life, and resistances. Smoke Runeword Armor (Nef-Lum) This runeword grants the user +50% to All Resistances. Definitely not something to be laughed at. In addition, the +75% Defense of this runeword makes it especially useful to a Werebear when socketed into a high defense armor. Goldskin Goldskin is a great armor for the mid-game as it has a decent defense and the 30-35% Resist All. Its drawback, however, is that it is a heavy armor so you tend to run kind of slow when using it, and can run out of stamina fairly easily with it. Iron Pelt I love this armor. First off, a Druid looks awesome in it when he's un-shifted. Secondly, it has a good amount of Damage Reduction (though numeric, not by percent) and Magic Damage Reduction. In addition, its defense is as good as it gets for the end of normal difficulty and beginning of nightmare. This is definitely a useful armor either before you can find something better or even as an end-game armor. Rockfleece This armor is useful for the mid-game as it has 10% Damage Reduction, Damage Reduced by 5 as well as reduced requirements. However, this is not really an end-game type armor. Rockstopper This helmet has awesome resistances as well as 10% Damage Reduction, 30% Faster Hit Recovery and +15 to Vitality. This is one of my personal favorite helms and one of my top 5 for a Werebear. Vampire Gaze Let's face it, it's a really good helmet. 6-8% dual leech, 15-20% Damage Reduction, Cold Damage, Magic Damage Reduction and Stamina Drain Reduction combined with a great defense makes for an awesome hat. The one problem with this is the lack of resistances. Also, this is a bit harder to find/trade for because it is so useful to ALL characters, but if you want to use it, it is definitely a good choice. Harlequin Crest This elite unique (think rare and expensive) hat gives +2 to All Skills, +A Bunch (to be exact) to life and mana, as well as 10% Damage Reduction. An awesome helmet that shares one of the weakness of Vampire Gaze in the lack of resistances, this is another favorite helmet of a wide variety of classes. I tend not to use it because I like having resistances on my helmet and it looks really ugly on your Druid, but I have seen people use it very effectively. Jalal's Mane As a class specific unique, this helmet is a bit harder to come by than the others, but it is definitely the end-all, be-all of Werebear helmets. Combining 30% Faster Hit Recovery, with a 20% Attack Rating Bonus, +2 to Druid Skills, +2 to Shapeshifting Skills, +30% Resist All, +5 to Mana after Each Kill, +20 to Strength, and an awesome defense, this is definitely my choice for Werebear headwear. The fact that this helmet looks very cool is an added bonus! Socketing this thing with a Shael rune makes it the single-item solution to maxing your Faster Hit Recovery out. Veil of Steel This helmet is the ultimate in Resistances and Defense. Featuring +50% Resist All and a Massive Defense, this helmet, although rare, is extremely good for a Werebear in need of Resistance. String of Ears This belt is my favorite belt in Diablo II. It features Damage Reduction, life leech, and Magic Damage Reduction. This is definitely an end-game belt. Stormshield Should you plan to use a shield, this is the shield that you will probably want. It blocks very quickly, has a great blocking %, good resistances, +30 to strength and 35% Damage Reduction. With this shield equipped, a Werebear would likely be nearly immortal (though perhaps very slow at killing as he is using a One-Handed Weapon). Also, the high blocking % of this shield could lead to block-lock. The Ward This shield has huge resistances, and a good blocking percentage, making it one of the best low-level shields you could find. I have used this shield often when playing paladins, but never with a druid (because I like my Two-Handers) and it IS as good as it seems. Moser's Blessed Circle This shield comes with +25% Resist All, a good blocking % and blocking speed, and 2 sockets. These sockets can be a good place to put Perfect Diamonds for additional resistances, or IAS jewels for additional OIAS. A very good, under-rated shield. Life/Mana Leech Life and mana leech can be found on a wide range of equipment. Thus, the goal for this section is to find equipment with leeching abilities that falls into multiple categories. Gloves can be found with leech AND IAS, and resistances if you're lucky. Such cross-category equipment is what I look for when thinking about leech. However, in a pinch one can resort to using just generic life/mana leech rings (hopefully with resistances or AR bonuses). I have found that a Werebear only needs one mana leech item to leech back enough mana to keep attacking with Maul and occasionally using Shockwave due to the large damage that each swing of a Werebear deals. However, the amount of life leech that a Werebear needs is more complicated, depending upon how defensive your character is, how much you are willing to resort to using Shockwave, and how quickly you swing. Generally, if you swing slowly, you'll want more leech so that if you miss a couple times in a row, it's not going to be devastating to you. I generally use at least 14% life leech and never really have too much trouble (unless my resistances are bad and I run into an LEB). Possible sources of life/mana leech include: Vampire Gaze As stated before, 6-8% dual leech. Very good helmet. Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest With 10% dual leech, this helm is probably the greatest leech source in the game. In addition, it comes with a built in +15 Resist All, decent defense, +30 to mana and +60 to life. This helmet can give Vampire Gaze a run for its money! Stealskull Again, as before, 5% dual leech, very good for magic finding. Crown of Thieves This is a solid helm which features 9-12% life leech, good bonuses to life and mana, +25 to Dexterity, and great Defense. This helm is quite under-rated and would be easier to acquire than the others if you are new to Diablo II. Greyform This is an excellent low level armor which has life leeching abilities and good resistances. The major drawback is the extremely low defense. Skin of the Flayed One This armor is the exceptional version of Greyform. It has more defense, and useful life replenishing abilities. This is a decent armor for the mid-game. Cathan's Seal This ring is extremely good early on, with its level 11 requirement, 6% life leech and Damage Reduced by 2 modifier. This ring is the basic life leech ring that will hopefully be replaced later in the game, though it is still decently good toward the end of the game. Manald Heal The mana leech equivalent of Cathan's Seal, this ring is very useful. I have often used this even toward the end of the game as my only source of mana leech. Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band For those super-rich people out there, this is the ultimate life leech ring. It grants life leech comparable to Cathan's Seal, but also grants additional life, stamina and +1 to All Skills. Very good, very expensive. Eye of Etlich This is a great item which could be considered an end-game amulet. +1 skills, life leech, chilling duration, and cold damage make this amulet incredibly powerful. Crescent Moon This amulet is a bit rarer than the Eye of Etlich, but it is definitely worth using, if you can find it. This amulet has a huge mana leech percentage (11-15%), good life steal (3-6%) as well as +45 to mana and 10% Damage goes to mana. I use this amulet a lot of the time, as it is a very good source of my mana leech as well as a source of life leech. String of Ears As stated before, one of the best belts out there for any character. Nosferatu's Coil As before, this is a very good life leech belt if you can find it. Gorefoot If your damage is high enough, Gorefoot can supply all the mana leech you need. 2% isn't much, but 2% of 2500 is not to be laughed at! These boots are a bit slow at 20% Faster Run/Walk, but are still quite good (VERY good in the early parts of the game). The Hand of Broc These gloves are very good in the early game with 3% dual leech. However, I usually like to have IAS on my gloves, so I tend not to use these except at the very beginning. Venom Grip These are very good gloves if you don't need any IAS as they supply 5% life leech and 5% Crushing Blow. I personally don't use them, but I have known several people that do use them to good effect. Other Abilities Other useful abilities to Druids are Deadly Strike and +Skills. If you can find any items with these that fall into any of the other categories (or have already filled the other categories and have an equipment spot available) these types of items are quite useful. Items that give +skills include: Harlequin Crest, Tarnhelm, Eye of Etlich, Highlord's Wrath, Arkaine's Valor,Spirit Shroud, Skins of the Vipermagi and Jalal's Mane. Items that give Deadly Strike include: Highlord's Wrath and Gore Rider Example Equipment Choices Now, even broken down into categories, it might seem a bit overwhelming. Well, it is. It's quite hard to balance all of the equipment's abilities. Thus, I will now give an example of what I use so that you can see an example of it all coming together. High Level Equipment Weapon: Shaeled Stormspire Armor: Duriel's Shell socketed with an Um Rune Helmet: Jalal's Mane socketed with a Shael Belt: String of Ears Gloves: Magnus' Skin Boots: Gore Rider Amulet: Crescent Moon/Highlord's Wrath Ring #1: Raven Frost Ring #2: Bul Kathos' Wedding Band Weapon Switch: Baranar's Star + Tiamat's Rebuke (for Physical Immune Monsters) Charms: I would use lots of +life charms to make up for all of the points spent in strength and dexterity to use Stormspire. Lower Level Equipment Weapon: Shaeled Ribcracker/Shaeled Buriza Armor: Iron Pelt Socketed with a Perfect Ruby Helmet: Rockstopper/Stealskull Belt: Rare belt with +Life, Mana, Hit Recovery and Resistances Gloves: Sigon's Gage Boots: Sigon's Sabot Amulet: Good Rare Amulet/Eye of Etlich Ring #1: Cathan's Seal/Raven Frost Ring #1: Manald Heal Really Low Level Equipment Weapon: Khalim's Will/The General's Tan Do Li Ga Armor: Greyform/Twitchthroe Helmet: Tarnhelm Belt: Rare/Magical/Nightsmoke Gloves: Bloodfist Boots: Gorefoot Amulet: Angelic Wings Ring #1: Cathan's Seal Ring #2: Angelic Halo Basically, each grouping has enough IAS to boost its weapon up to its maximum speed, has some items to increase AR, has one mana leech item, has a decent amount of life leech, uses high defense armors to take advantage of the +% Defense of the Werebear skill, and has other good modifications, too. All three sets are configured for speed to grant the absolute maximum flexibility when fighting as well as enough defense to keep the Werebear alive. Stat Point Allocation Once you have determined what types of equipment you want to be able to use, it is time to figure out how to spend your stat points. I would recommend using the minimum number of points that you can on Dexterity and Strength for the equipment that you can, conceivably, see yourself using. Also, if you think that you will find something better, give yourself some breathing room by perhaps adding a bit more into the category that you might need it. Just remember that every point you spend in strength and dexterity is a point that could have been spent in vitality, getting you more life. :-) The one exception to this rule that I follow is that I always raise my base dexterity to 50 or 60, even if I'm going for a Maul-class weapon. I've found that 50 or 60 dexterity helps to decrease my reliance upon AR equipment just enough to allow myself flexibility in creating my character. Other people may advocate leaving the dexterity at a bare minimum if you won't need it for your weapon, but I would respond that those people are painting themselves into a corner, making it so that they can't change their character part-way through the game if they so desire. Once you've figured out how much strength and dexterity you will be needing, (Giant Threshers are 188 strength, 140 dexterity, Ogre Mauls are 225 Strength, Thunder Mauls 253 Strength, Champion Axes 167 Strength and 59 Dexterity, Buriza is 110 Strength and 88 Dexterity) then the rest of the points can go into Vitality, hopefully raising your life to insane levels! As for how to go about assigning these points as you level, I would suggest a moderate approach. Place as many points into vitality as you can, while still having enough strength and dexterity to use your next "step-up" weapon. To clarify, I'll give the example of how I place my stat points. Initially I put the first two levels into vitality. I've found that this makes it easier to stay alive in the early levels as well as increasing my stamina so that I can run father distances without having to stand around waiting for it to recharge. Next, I pump strength up so that I can equip Sigon's Gage and Sabot. I do this because the extra run/walk speed of the Sabot is quite useful early on and the life leech/IAS of the Gage (as well as the +10 strength) makes the early going a piece of cake. Having reached 60 strength I spend some time placing points into dexterity and vitality until I feel that both are doing well. Usually, this means 50 of each. Upon reaching what I consider to be my minimum for vitality points in normal difficulty, I continue to pump strength/dexterity up so that I can use my next weapon at as low a level as possible (ie 95 strength at level 28 for Hwanin's Bill and then more strength/dex if I have a good exceptional or elite rare to switch to from Ribcracker/Steeldriver.... Currently, my next step is a 240 damage, 40% IAS, level 45 Ogre Axe... 195 strength and 75 dexterity). When I get a chance, I continue to improve my vitality so that I have at least 80 or 100 vitality at the end of nightmare difficulty. Finally, I finish off my strength/dexterity so that I can reach the requirements for my end-game weapon. After this, it is all vitality. There is only one more thing that must be looked at when choosing your equipment: your choice of mercenary. Mercenaries If chosen wisely, a mercenary can make a big difference in how easily you move through the game. There are basically two trains of thought for this subject: 1. Use the Mercenary to enhance your strengths 2. Use the Mercenary to try to shore up your weaknesses Both of these ideas are valid. It is useful to be able to increase your power by non-equipment means. Likewise, it can be just as useful to eliminate any weaknesses you might have. At this point, it really comes down to personal preference so rather than state one end-all, be-all selection for mercenary, I will merely look at the available possibilities and give my advice for how they can fit into these groups. Rogues These mercs provide a ranged attack that is dependent upon their equipment. This, by itself, is not particularly useful for a Werebear that can dish out huge amounts of physical damage, but the Rogues also can use special attacks. Fire and Cold Arrow are useful attacks for dealing with physical immunes. As of right now, Fire Arrows convert ALL of their damage to fire damage, rather than just the damage from the Fire, thus it can be very useful for a Werebear who meets a monster it just can't dent. However, the real power of this merc appears once you outfit it with +3 to all skills (this can be found with items such as Tarnhelm, Harlequin Crest, Silks of the Victor, Skins of the Vipermagi, Skystrike, or Cliffkiller). Although generally considered a bug (so many people refuse to use it) +3 to skills makes a Rogue mercenary use a short-range lightning blast attack similar to Diablo's. This attack can make quick work of physical immunes as well as looking very cool! Again, this is widely considered a bug and so might be changed with a patch. However, if you would like to try it out for the time being, it is quite powerful and is my choice of mercenary for my Werebear as it can definitely help with physical immunes (thus fitting into the category of shoring up the major weakness of Werebears). This is a very useful merc if you're willing to use it. Town Guards These guys can come with various Auras, so I will go through, Aura by Aura, giving my take on each one. Prayer: Since a Werebear has a ton of life and Prayer only gives a small amount of replenish life, this mercenary is nearly worthless. Thorns: Werebears are made to tank. This merc would help you deal back damage in retribution to anything that attacks you. However, since Werebears tend to have a high defense and monsters don't do THAT much damage, this tends to be rather useless as it doesn't really enhance a strength nor fix a weakness. This mercenary is somewhat useful, but there are better. Defiance: This mercenary can be a definite step toward enhancing one of the Werebear's main strengths, it's ability to tank. Defiance will add a huge amount of defense, making Werebears even better tanks. However, this ability is moot if you make liberal use of Shockwave and so never get attacked. I would say that this merc is useful, but there are better ones out there. Holy Freeze: This aura can be a huge help for a Werebear tank. Similar to Defiance, this aura will help you to tank for longer since the monsters will be moving very slowly. This is especially useful in that it slows the game down, a definite advantage to a Werebear who selects a slow weapon. However, just like Defiance, this can be completely useless if you use Shockwave, as that makes the monsters stop entirely. That being said, this is a popular choice of merc as it helps quite a bit and is less prone to dying. Blessed Aim: Mercenaries with this aura can be a huge boon to a Werebear who is short on Attack Rating. However, AR isn't really that difficult to come by and this merc would tend to die a lot as it is not very defensive in nature. Though it seems like it would be a useful merc, this type of mercenary just doesn't seem quite as useful when put into practice. Again, there are better mercs out there. Might: Might can help maximize a Werebear's damage and so this merc is quite popular. However, like a Blessed Aim merc, this mercenary tends to die off quite easily and so might be more trouble than it is worth. This being said, for those of you out there that can't stand to play unless you have the MOST damage possible, then this is the merc for you. As this mercenary definitely enhances a Werebear's strength, it can be quite useful. Sorcerers These mercenaries come in two basic varieties: high damage/easily dying, and lower damage/more durable types. The lightning and fire Sorcerers are good at dishing out damage, but they tend to die off quite easily due to their low hp values. The fire version is particularly bad at this, as it will tend to cast Inferno when at melee range rather than run away. However, these mercenaries do decent amounts of elemental damage and so can take care of physical immunes. The more durable Sorcerer is the cold Sorcerer. By using Glacial Spike and other cold spells, this mercenary can freeze monsters in their tracks. However, a Werebear is much better at "freezing" things through the use of Shockwave (which isn't stopped by Cold Immunity, too). Given the weaknesses of these mercenaries, if you are looking for a merc with lots of elemental damage and don't want to use a +3 skill Rogue, then Sorcerers can definitely fill that role. Barbarians These are the mercs that do the most physical damage and are quite good at tanking, thus making them great for mage-type characters. However, no matter how hard you try, a Werebear will ALWAYS be a better tank that does more damage than these guys will. In addition, they offer a Werebear exactly no tactical advantage. Thus, if you want to increase your physical damage output, I would suggest a Might Town Guard over a Barbarian because you are much better off just enhancing your own damage than having another, weaker version of yourself following you around. The way I see it, this is definitely NOT the merc for a Werebear. Now with equipment information taken care of, it's time to move on to the Strategies for Werebear Combat. PvM Combat Strategies Now with all of the number crunching and planning out of the way, it's time to play the Werebear! Playing a Werebear is not overly difficult, thanks to the insane amount of life that a Werebear gains. A Werebear can be played in a similar way to a Melee Paladin or Barbarian, but this would result in not playing the character as powerfully as possible. There are a few striking differences to playing a Werebear as opposed to the other melee classes. Shockwave The first major difference is Shockwave. This skill is the ultimate "panic button". In nearly any emergency, using Shockwave guarantees that the approaching monsters will stop in their tracks, unable to do anything as you pound away. Thus, if you want to play it safe, the first thing you would do whenever faced by an approaching pack of monsters is use Shockwave. Aiming: There are a few things to remember about aiming Shockwave. First is that the closer to your Werebear that you aim when using shockwave, the more spread out the waves get, and so the more area you can cover with one shot. Thus, in general, it's a good idea to aim as close to your Werebear's feet as you can. Just be careful because if you aim too close you can actually end up MISSING monsters right in front of you as the Shockwave bolts shoot to either side of the monsters. The next thing to remember is that the waves travel a set distance across the screen of a few yards. Thus, you DO need to be fairly close to your target in order to hit it with Shockwave. Finally, there are some types of monsters that are particularly annoying to a Werebear and should be Shockwaved as soon as possible. Monsters that use Stun In particular, Yetis and Urdars are especially annoying to a Werebear. If you are not using a very fast attacking weapon and a lot of Faster Hit Recovery equipment (common breakpoints are 48% and 125% Faster Hit Recovery), monsters with stun can cause a very slow death as you stand there stunned and they whittle away at your enormous life total. I have found that, with a slow weapon, even three of these monsters can be enough to leave a Werebear nearly stunlocked. In a situation like this there are two things you can do: Shockwave - Switch to Shockwave and hold the button down, hoping to stun them so that you can attack them. Remember to use Shockwave again before they come out of the stun or the whole situation will repeat itself. Run Away - Hey, it even happens to the best of us. If you find yourself in a bit of a jam, don't feel bad about having to run away. Think of it as a tactical retreat! Now, there actually is more to running away than one might expect. The secret is to run far enough away, fast enough that only about 1/2 the monsters follow you all the way. This way, you can reduce their ranks and then kill them in smaller, more manageable groups. I have found that running away about one and a half or two screens quickly and then turning around to fight whatever has followed you (with 20-40% Faster Run/Walk boots) works quite well. Sometimes, however, even just initial separation from the monsters can be enough to turn the battle in your favor as the monsters take about a second to attack you once they reach you. Of course, if you use Shockwave as they're approaching, it's even better as they can then stand there, stunned, while you wail away. Mages These guys are a pain. Werebears that use Two-Handed Weapons tend to have somewhat bad resistances so mage monsters in Hell can tear them up. This is where a solid strategy can come in handy. When you initially run up to a group of monsters, check to see what the group is composed of. If it's all mages, then run up, Shockwave them, and kill them. If it's a group of mostly mages, but some melee attackers, run past the meleers and kill the mages as before, and then target the meleers. This way, you can keep the mages from pounding on you as you engage the melee monsters. This is an especially sound plan if you are facing Oblivion Knights as their Iron Maiden curse can spell almost instant doom to a Werebear with little Damage Reduction and life leech. However, in groups of mostly melee monsters or 50/50 splits, it can often be difficult to target the mages initially. Another strategy is required. The "Tactical Retreat" - As before, you can take advantage of monster AI's by running away from the mob as detailed above. This will cause the melee monsters to follow you (and perhaps one or two ranged monsters). Now you can shockwave the group and kill whatever melee monsters remain. Thus, when you run forward to engage the rest of the group, it will likely be mostly ranged attackers and you can take care of them as detailed above. Physical Immunes These guys are a pain. Since a Druid cannot cast Elemental spells while shape-shifted, physical immune monsters can stop a Werebear dead in its tracks. If you are dead set on killing the monster, the best advice I can give here is to find yourself a very fast attacking weapon and use elemental damage from the weapon, charms, and possibly Fire Claws to whittle down the monster's life. Good weapons to switch to in this case are Baranar's Star for massive elemental damage or a 6-Shael Phase Blade for massive speed, where you can get your elemental damage from another source. In both of these cases, Tiamat's Rebuke is a great shield to use as it adds additional elemental damage to your attack, allowing you to knock down the monster that much quicker. Again, Fire Claws is actually fairly decent in this situation, so if you have put points into it, this is where it will shine. Just make sure that you don't run out of mana with no other source of elemental damage equipped. Last Words Basically, use your common sense. If a battle suddenly turns against you, don't feel the need to tank the whole group, use Shockwave and retreating to your advantage. Also, when facing Andariel, Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal, don't feel like you can't move around. If you've just been hit by a hard attack, it can often be useful to disengage from melee for a few seconds, re-group, and let health potions take effect. If you have spent points on summonable animals, this is where they will be extremely handy, allowing you to disengage whenever something big is coming (like Diablo's Firestorm or Lighting Blast attacks) and not have to worry about the boss following right on your heels. Special Note for Lister - When fighting Lister and the Minions of Destruction, Shockwave is your friend. It can leave all of the Minions except Lister stunned while you kill them one-by-one, always making sure to re-stun them whenever it is about to run off. If they start landing hits on you before you can stun them, run back a few paces, turn and fire Shockwave. This is perhaps the best place in the game for this skill as it makes this usually difficult battle laughably easy. Finally, let me end by saying that your tactics should probably be changed slightly as your attack rate changes. A very fast attacking Werebear can run the risk of staying in a battle until the last second before disengaging, while a slower attacking Werebear should probably play it more safe, leaving combat sooner. This is why I tend to favor the faster weapons as they allow you more flexibility in battle, allowing you to change from your current attack to Shockwave should the tides of battle turn against you. I hope that this guide will leave you with the information and ideas necessary to create a Werebear that strikes fear into the hearts of the demons of Hell. If you have any comments/suggestions about this guide, feel free to email me here. Thanks Thanks to Ebony Flame (dkass), T_Hawk, NakedBabe, and Trucidation of the Lurker Lounge for their derivation work for Wereform Attack Rates which got me so excited about Wereform Speed and Damage Calculation. I'd also like to thank Occhidiangela of the Lurker Lounge for his insight as to the use of Vines as I've never been able to use them (stupid slow computers!) Jurts has also been helpful for this process as I thank him for letting me host his analysis on Attack Rating in my guide. Others for Input/Corrections: Baranor, Clas, Copadope, Dirk_Diggler, Ender, Gakerd, Mephista, ozwakyambi, Targetam, Warblade Appendix I Selected Values for the Buriza-Do Kyanon Exceptional: Unique Ballista OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 80 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 95 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 100 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Buriza-Do Kyanon Two-Hand Damage: (85-102) To (142.5-415.5) Required Level: 41 Required Strength: 110 Required Dexterity: 80 Adds 32-196 Cold Damage - 4 Second Duration Piercing Attack Freezes Target +75-150 Defense +35 to Dexterity 80% Increased Attack Speed Attack Speed Breakpoints (80% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 9 frame attack 35% OIAS = 8 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (95% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 25% OIAS = 7 frame attack With a Shael Rune (100% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 20% OIAS = 7 frame attack Appendix II Selected Values for Baranar's Star Elite: Unique Devil Star OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 50 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 65 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 70 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 Baranar's Star One-Hand Damage: 132 To 162 Required Level: 65 Required Strength: 153 Required Dexterity: 44 150% Damage To Undead Adds 1-200 Fire Damage Adds 1-200 Cold Damage Adds 1-200 Lightning Damage 50% Increased Attack Speed 200% Bonus To Attack Rating +15 to Dexterity +15 To Strength Attack Speed Breakpoints (50% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 15% OIAS = 11 frame attack 45% OIAS = 10 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (65% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 10 frame attack 40% OIAS = 9 frame attack With a Shael Rune (70% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 9 frame attack 45% OIAS = 8 frame attack Appendix III One-Handed Weapons with Base Speed 30 Elite: Phase Blade Exceptional: Cutlass Normal: None OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 13 12 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 5 12 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 10 11 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 15 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 20 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 25 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 30 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 35 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 40 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 45 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 50 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 55 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 60 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 65 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 70 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 75 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 80 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 85 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 90 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 95 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 100 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 105 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 110 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 115 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 120 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Popular Weapons of this type: Lightsabre One-Hand Damage: (90-106) To (120-138) Required Level: 58 Required Strength: 25 Required Dexterity: 136 Adds 60-120 Magic Damage Adds 1-200 Lightning Damage 5-8% Mana Stolen Per Hit 5% Chance To Cast Chain Lightning On Attack 20% Increased Attack Speed Ignore Target's Defense Lightning Absorb +7 To Light Radius Attack Speed Breakpoints (20% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 9 frame attack 25% OIAS = 8 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (35% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 20% OIAS = 7 frame attack With a Shael Rune (40% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 15% OIAS = 7 frame attack Appendix IV One-Handed Weapons with Base Speed 10 Elite: Caduceus, Cryptic Sword, Elegant Blade, Scourge, Truncheon, War Spike Exceptional: Crowbill, Cudgel, Divine Scepter, Knout, Rune Sword, Shamshir Normal: Club, Flail, Long Sword, Military Pick, Sabre, War Scepter OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 5 16 16 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 10 15 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 15 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 20 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 25 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 30 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 35 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 40 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 45 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 50 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 55 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 60 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 65 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 70 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 75 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 80 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 85 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 90 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 95 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 100 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Popular Weapons of this type: Cruel Cryptic Sword of Quickness One-Hand Damage: (18-24) To (234-312) Required Level: 66? Required Strength: 99 Required Dexterity: 109 40% Increased Attack Speed Attack Speed Breakpoints (40% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 10 frame attack 10% OIAS = 9 frame attack 50% OIAS = 8 frame attack With one Shael Rune (60% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 45% OIAS = 7 frame attack With two Shael Runes (80% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 7 frame attack 50% OIAS = 6 frame attack With three Shael Runes (100% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 6 frame attack Appendix V One-Handed Weapons with Base Speed 0 Elite: Berserker Axe, Conquest Sword, Falcata, Mythical Sword, Reinforced Mace, Tomahawk, Tyrant Club Exceptional: Ancient Sword, Barbed Club, Battle Sword, Dimensional Blade, Flanged Mace, Gladius, Hatchet, Naga Normal: Broad Sword, Crystal Sword, Hand Axe, Mace, Short Sword, Spiked Club, War Axe, War Sword OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 22 22 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 15 5 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 15 14 10 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 13 15 17 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 12 20 15 15 14 14 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 25 15 14 14 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 30 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 35 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 40 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 45 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 50 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 55 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 60 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 65 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 70 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 75 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 80 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 85 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 90 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 95 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 100 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Popular Weapons of this type: Cruel Mythical Sword of Quickness One-Hand Damage: (120-160) To (156-208) Required Level: 66? Required Strength: 147 Required Dexterity: 124 40% Increased Attack Speed Attack Speed Breakpoints (40% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 5% OIAS = 11 frame attack 35% OIAS = 10 frame attack With one Shael Rune (60% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 9 frame attack 20% OIAS = 8 frame attack With two Shael Runes (80% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 10% OIAS = 7 frame attack With three Shael Runes (100% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 7 frame attack 5% OIAS = 6 frame attack Appendix VI Two-Handed Axes/Mauls/Polearms/Staves with Weapon Speed -20 Elite: Archon Staff, Thunder Maul Exceptional: Martel de Fer, Rune Staff Normal: Great Maul, War Staff OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 31 30 28 27 26 25 24 23 23 22 22 21 21 20 20 5 28 27 25 24 23 23 22 21 21 20 20 20 19 19 19 10 24 23 22 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 15 22 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 20 21 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 25 19 18 17 17 17 16 16 15 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 30 17 16 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 35 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 40 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 45 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 50 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 55 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 60 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 65 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 70 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 75 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 80 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8   Cranium Basher Two-Hand Damage: (113-125.4) To (563-635.4) Required Level: 87 Required Strength: 253 150% Damage To Undead 75% Chance Of Crushing Blow 4% Chance To Cast Level 1 Amplify Damage On Attack 20% Increased Attack Speed All Resistances +25 +25 To Strength Indestructible Attack Speed Breakpoints (20% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 21 frame attack 5% OIAS = 20 frame attack 10% OIAS = 19 frame attack 20% OIAS = 18 frame attack 30% OIAS = 17 frame attack 45% OIAS = 16 frame attack 60% OIAS = 15 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (35% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 15 frame attack 15% OIAS = 14 frame attack 30% OIAS = 13 frame attack 55% OIAS = 12 frame attack With a Shael Rune (40% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 15 frame attack 10% OIAS = 14 frame attack 25% OIAS = 13 frame attack 50% OIAS = 12 frame attack Steeldriver Two-Hand Damage: (97.5-136.5) To (147.5-206.5) Required Level: 29 Required Strength: 50 Durability: 60 150% Damage To Undead 40% Increased Attack Speed Requirements -50% Heal Stamina plus 25% Attack Speed Breakpoints (40% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 15 frame attack 10% OIAS = 14 frame attack 25% OIAS = 13 frame attack 50% OIAS = 12 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (55% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 10% OIAS = 11 frame attack 40% OIAS = 10 frame attack With a Shael Rune (60% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 5% OIAS = 11 frame attack 35% OIAS = 10 frame attack Appendix VIII Two-Handed Axes/Mauls/Polearms/Staves with Weapon Speed 0 Elite: Great Poleaxe, Shillelah, Silver Edged Axe Exceptional: Bearded Axe, Bec-De-Corbin, Bill, Gothic Staff, Quarter Staff Normal: Battle Staff, Broad Axe, Halberd, Long Staff, Voulge OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 20 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 5 18 17 17 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 10 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 20 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 25 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 30 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 35 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 40 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 45 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 50 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 55 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 60 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 65 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 70 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 75 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 80 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Popular Weapons of this type: Ribcracker Two-Hand Damage: (57-66) To (146-173) Required Level: 31 Required Strength: 25 Durability: 130 150% Damage To Undead 50% Chance Of Crushing Blow 50% Increased Attack Speed 50% Faster Hit Recovery +100% Enhanced Defense +100 Defense +15 To Dexterity Attack Speed Breakpoints (50% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 9 frame attack 30% OIAS = 8 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (65% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 25% OIAS = 7 frame attack With a Shael Rune (70% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 20% OIAS = 7 frame attack Appendix IX Two-Handed Axes/Mauls/Polearms/Staves with Weapon Speed 10 Elite: Champion Axe, Giant Thresher, Thresher, Walking Stick Exceptional: Battle Scythe, Gothic Axe, Grim Scythe, Jo Staff, Military Axe Normal: Great Axe, Large Axe, Scythe, Short Staff, War Scythe OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 5 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 15 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 20 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 25 11 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 30 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 35 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 40 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 45 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 50 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 55 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 60 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 65 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 70 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 75 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 80 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Popular Weapons of this type: Stormspire Two-Hand Damage: (102.5-143.5) To (287.5-402.5) Required Level: 70 Required Strength: 188 Required Dexterity: 140 Adds 1-237 Lightning Damage 2% Chance to Cast Lvl 31 Charged Bolt When Struck 5% Chance To Cast Lvl 5 Chain Lightning When Struck 30% Increased Attack Speed +50% Lightning Resistance +10 To Strength Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 27 Indestructible Attack Speed Breakpoints (30% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 10 frame attack 20% OIAS = 9 frame attack 60% OIAS = 8 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (45% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 15% OIAS = 7 frame attack With a Shael Rune (50% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 10% OIAS = 7 frame attack Messerschmidt's Reaver Two-Hand Damage: 180 To (287.5-532.5) Required Level: 70 Required Strength: 167 Required Dexterity: 59 Durability: 75 Adds 20-240 Fire Damage +100% To Attack Rating +15 to Strength +15 to Dexterity +15 to Vitality +15 to Energy Attack Speed Breakpoints (0% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 16 frame attack 5% OIAS = 15 frame attack 15% OIAS = 14 frame attack 25% OIAS = 13 frame attack 40% OIAS = 12 frame attack 65% OIAS = 11 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (15% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 15% OIAS = 11 frame attack 35% OIAS = 10 frame attack 65% OIAS = 9 frame attack With a Shael Rune (20% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 12 frame attack 10% OIAS = 11 frame attack 30% OIAS = 10 frame attack 60% OIAS = 9 frame attack Athena's Wrath Two-Hand Damage: (47.5-53.2) To (116-227.8) Required Level: 42 Required Strength: 82 Required Dexterity: 82 Durability: 82 +(1 Per Character Level) 1-99 To Life 30% Increased Attack Speed +1-3 To Druid Skill Levels +15 To Dexterity Attack Speed Breakpoints (30% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 10 frame attack 20% OIAS = 9 frame attack 60% OIAS = 8 frame attack With an IAS Jewel (45% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 15% OIAS = 7 frame attack With a Shael Rune (50% WIAS): 0% OIAS = 8 frame attack 10% OIAS = 7 frame attack Appendix X Two-Handed Axes/Mauls/Polearms/Staves with Weapon Speed 15 Elite: Feral Axe Exceptional: None Normal: None OIAS is across the top, WIAS is down the left. -- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 0 14 14 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 5 14 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 15 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 20 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 25 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 30 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 35 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 40 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 45 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 50 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 55 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 60 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 65 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 70 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 75 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 80 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Appendix XI Weapon Damage Calculations for Two-Handed Weapons 0% OIAS means this is the value for the weapon if you have no IAS equipment except for the weapon, itself. Maxed OIAS means that this is as fast as this weapon can get for its WIAS value. Buriza-Do Kyanon Damage = 85-102 to 142.5-415.5 + 32-196 Cold 0% OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 9.44-11.33 to 15.83-46.17 + 3.56-21.78 Cold Average = 12.64-28.75 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 10.65-12.75 to 17.81-51.94 + 4-24.5 Cold Average = 14.23-32.34 Shaeled Buriza-Do Kyanon Damage = 85-102 to 142.5-415.5 + 32-196 Cold 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 10.63-12.75 to 17.81-51.94 + 4-24.5 Cold Average = 14.22-32.34 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 12.14-14.57 to 20.36-59.36 + 4.57-28 Cold Average = 16.25-36.96 Cranium Basher Damage = 113-125.4 to 563-635.4 0% OIAS Animation Length = 21 Damage/Frame = 5.38-5.97 to 26.81-31.26 Average = 16.10-18.62 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 15 Damage/Frame = 7.53-8.36 to 37.53-42.36 Average = 22.53-25.36 Shaeled Cranium Basher Damage = 113-125.4 to 563-635.4 0% OIAS Animation Length = 15 Damage/Frame = 7.53-8.36 to 37.53-42.36 Average = 22.53-25.36 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame = 9.42-10.45 to 46.92-52.95 Average = 28.17-31.7 Cruel Feral Axe of Quickness Damage = 75-100 to 369-492 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 9.38-12.5 to 46.12-61.5 Average = 27.75-37 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 6 Damage/Frame = 12.5-16.67 to 61.5-82 Average = 37-49.34 Shaeled Cruel Feral Axe of Quickness Damage = 75-100 to 369-492 0% OIAS Animation Length = 6 Damage/Frame = 12.5-16.67 to 61.5-82 Average = 37-49.34 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 6 Damage/Frame = 12.5-16.67 to 61.5-82 Average = 37-49.34 Shael, 40%ED/IAS Jeweled Cruel Feral Axe of Quickness Damage = 87-112 to 430-553 0% OIAS Animation Length = 5 Damage/Frame = 17.4-22.4 to 86-110.6 Average = 51.7-66.5 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 5 Damage/Frame = 17.4-22.4 to 86-110.6 Average = 51.7-66.5 Shaeled (2) Cruel Feral Axe of Quickness Damage = 75-100 to 369-492 0% OIAS Animation Length = 5 Damage/Frame = 15-20 to 73.8-98.4 Average = 44.4-59.2 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 5 Damage/Frame = 15-20 to 73.8-98.4 Average = 44.4-59.2 Cruel Giant Thresher of Quickness Damage = 120-160 to 342-456 0% OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 13.33-17.78 to 38-50.67 Average = 25.66-34.22 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 17.14-22.86 to 48.86-65.14 Average = 33-44 Shaeled Cruel Giant Thresher of Quickness Damage = 120-160 to 342-456 0% OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 17.14-22.86 to 48.86-65.14 Average = 33-44 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 6 Damage/Frame = 20-26.67 to 57-76 Average = 38.5-51.34 Shaeled (2) Cruel Giant Thresher of Quickness Damage = 120-160 to 342-456 0% OIAS Animation Length = 6 Damage/Frame = 20-26.67 to 57-76 Average = 38.5-51.34 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 5 Damage/Frame = 24-32 to 68.4-91.2 Average = 46.2-61.6 Hellslayer Damage = 100 to 280-685 + 150-250 Fire Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 24 Damage/Frame = 4.17 to 11.67-28.54 + 6.25-10.42 Fire Average = 7.92-16.36 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 16 Damage/Frame = 6.25 to 17.5-42.81 + 9.38-15.63 Fire Average = 11.88-24.53 Shaeled Hellslayer Damage = 100 to 280-685 + 150-250 Fire Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 16 Damage/Frame = 6.25 to 17.5-42.81 + 9.38-15.63 Fire Average = 11.88-24.53 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame =8.33 to 23.33-57.08 + 12.5-20.83 Fire Average = 15.83-32.7 Ethereal Zod Hellslayer Damage = 150 to 420-1027.5 + 150-250 Fire Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 24 Damage/Frame = 6.25 to 17.5-42.81 + 6.25-10.42 Fire Damage Maxed OIAS Average = 11.88-24.53 Animation Length = 16 Damage/Frame = 9.38 to 26.25-64.22 + 9.38-15.63 Fire Damage Average = 17.82-36.8 Immortal King's Stone Crusher Damage = 234 to 321 0% OIAS Animation Length = 13 Damage/Frame = 18.0 to 24.69 Average = 21.34 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 10 Damage/Frame = 23.4 to 32.1 Average = 27.75 Shaeled Immortal King's Stone Crusher Damage = 234 to 321 0% OIAS Animation Length = 10 Damage/Frame = 23.4 to 32.1 Average = 27.75 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 29.25 to 40.125 Average = 34.69 Messerschmidt's Reaver Damage = 180 to 287-532 + 20-240 Fire Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 16 Damage/Frame = 11.25 to 17.94-33.25 + 1.25-15.00 Fire Average = 14.6-22.25 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 11 Damage/Frame = 16.36 to 26.09-48.36 + 1.81-21.81 Fire Average = 21.22-32.36 Shaeled Messerschmidt's Reaver Damage = 180 to 287-532 + 20-240 Fire Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame = 15.0 to 23.92-44.33 + 1.67-20.0 Fire Average = 19.46-29.66 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 20 to 31.89-59.11 + 2.22-26.67 Fire Average = 25.94-39.56 Ribcracker Damage = 57-66 to 146-173 0% OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 6.33-7.33 to 16.22-19.22 Average = 11.28-13.28 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 7.12-8.25 to 18.25-21.62 Average = 12.68-14.94 Shaeled Ribcracker Damage = 57-66 to 146-173 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 7.12-8.25 to 18.25-21.62 Average = 12.68-14.94 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 8.14-9.43 to 20.86-24.71 Average = 14.5-17.07 Silence Thunder Maul Damage = 99 to 540 0% OIAS Animation Length = 21 Damage/Frame = 4.71 to 25.71 Average = 15.21 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 15 Damage/Frame = 6.6 to 36 Average = 21.3 Steeldriver Damage = 97.5-136.5 to 147.5-206.5 0% OIAS Animation Length = 15 Damage/Frame = 6.5-9.1 to 9.83-13.77 Average = 8.16-11.44 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame = 8.12-11.38 to 12.29-17.21 Average = 10.20-14.30 Shaeled Steeldriver Damage = 97.5-136.5 to 147.5-206.5 0% OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame = 8.12-11.38 to 12.29-17.21 Average = 10.20-14.30 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 10 Damage/Frame = 9.75-13.65 to 14.75-20.65 Average = 12.25-17.15 Stormspire Damage = 102-143 to 287-402 + 1-237 Lightning Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 10 Damage/Frame = 10.2-14.3 to 28.7-40.2 + .1-23.7 Lightning Average = 19.45-27.25 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 12.75-17.88 to 35.88-50.25 + 0.13-29.63 Lightning Average = 24.32-34.06 Shaeled Stormspire Damage = 102-143 to 287-402 + 1-237 Lightning Damage 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 12.75-17.88 to 35.88-50.25 + .13-29.63 Lit. Average = 24.32-34.06 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 14.57-20.43 to 41-57.43 + 0.14-33.86 Lightning Average = 27.78-38.93 Appendix XII Weapon Damage Calculations for One-Handed Weapons 0% OIAS means this is the value for the weapon if you have no IAS equipment except for the weapon, itself. Maxed OIAS means that this is as fast as this weapon can get for its WIAS value. Baranar's Star Damage = 132 to 162 + 1-200 Tri-Element 0% OIAS Animation Length = 12 Damage/Frame = 11 to 13.5 + 0.08-16.67 Tri-Element Average = 12.25 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 10 Damage/Frame = 13.2 to 16.2 + 0.1-20 Tri-Element Average = 14.22 Shaeled Baranar's Star Damage = 132 to 162 + 1-200 Tri-Element 0% OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 14.66 to 18 + 0.11-22.22 Tri-Element Average = 16.33 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 16.5 to 20.25 + 0.12-25 Tri-Element Average = 18.38 Fury Phase Blade Damage = 95 to 108 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 11.88 to 13.5 Average = 12.69 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 13.57 to 15.43 Average = 14.5 Lightsabre Damage = 90-106 to 120-138 0% OIAS Animation Length = 9 Damage/Frame = 10-11.78 to 13.33-15.33 Average = 11.66-13.56 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 11.25-13.25 to 15-17.25 Average = 13.12-15.25 Shaeled Lightsabre Damage = 90-106 to 120-138 0% OIAS Animation Length = 8 Damage/Frame = 11.25-13.25 to 15-17.25 Average = 13.12-15.25 Maxed OIAS Animation Length = 7 Damage/Frame = 12.86-15.14 to 17.14-19.71 Average = 15-17.42 0 Please log in to post... 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