Hi + Questions for melee chars

Hi there, :>

'been roaming here and there since centuries but never really felt like i'd post something. I play on europe hcl, in case someone cares. :>>

I started a sorc this ladder, mostly based on socialism orb/tk/tele guide(just don't feel like needing ES btw, a bit disapointed <.> i'll respec in orb synergy i think).

I'd like to make a melee char now, but I never really played those ("cast0r look-at-my-133700k-dmg-on-char-screen" fan inside), and i'd like to know what are the things to know for these about survivability.

With casters it's kinda simple, you just have to stay away from monsters. �� especially uniques FE/CE &co But what for meleez?

I once RIP at ancients in NM with a javazone, really cried a river, simply got OSed. I read a bit things and saw it was a bug with fire enchanted. Is this bug still on those days? (if yes i guess i'll be able to find detailed infos by myself, just need to know)

Is there any other freaking dangerous evil down there? How do you avoid these?

What are the breakpointsI should reach for safe hell? (i mean, like for casters its~7-8 fpa for fhr & block, is it the same?)

Thx. I apologyze for sucka english. >_>

Take care.

P.S : gauss really only works with private vouchs? Awwww. It used to be much more accessible. xd|||Welcome to the Hardcore forums.

You might be interested to see the Hardcore Faq - it has a lot of good information.

Anyway, to answer some of your questions:

Of course, the most important factor for a melee character is life. You can never have too much life. Get as much vitality and life as you can without sacrificing resistances, etc.

After that, the emphasis should be on getting yourself max resistances, and as high of DR% as you can. You'll also want at least 40 PDR by the time you get to Hell. Maxing out chance to block (if you use a shield) can also be invaluable. The best way to keep your melee char alive once they have these defensive capabilities is to get them % Life Steal or something with Life Tap, and % Mana Steal if they have mana problems.

The only real difference between the danger situations for melee characters and the ones for casters is that melee characters are much easier to put into situations they can't get out of. Playing a melee character in hardcore, you should try not to engage too many enemies at once, and you should always check the mods on unique monsters before you engage their packs. Know your limits. Don't be afraid to run and try to pick enemies off one at a time.

About breakpoints: FHR and FBR (if you're going for max block) should be as high as you can get them without sacrificing other areas. It's hard to know the exact number to give you without knowing the class you want to use.|||if you are new to mellee chars, i would advise you on getting full ik set and having fun with him, find your limits and it is cheap enough if you ll die with him. for your jools on him get angelic ring + amulet + raven frost for cba mode.|||Gonna check the thing about IK, should be nice idea y.

Ty for advices ppl anyway. Didn't know about the PDR requirments, i usually dont care on casters. )|||Never really played a pure melee chars but some general advice would be to avoid being swarmed at all costs (just save and exit asap if you do just to be safe).

I imagine that all boss mods will also be a lot more dangerous for you: fire enchanted, lightning enchanted, anything multishot, might, fanaticism, cursed, extra fast, and extra strong to name a few.

On top of that be especially careful in areas with dolls, souls, minotaurs (or all those mobs who stun you and only hit harder with every swing), and those skeletons in a5 that charge you with giant swords. And unless you're specifically geared for it, don't even bother going down into anya's red portal and towards nilathak.

Ok, so maybe someone more experienced with melee can give you less generic advice but to fear everything :P.|||A barb is indeed the easiest to start off with. High damage skills, good crowd control with warcry and battle cry, high life,... Use warcry to stun all monsters around you, then *insert skill of choice* them to death. Easy and cheap, also cheap for some magic finding (perfect topazes in armour and helm).