Updated 8/30/2009

I (MetalDemoness@USWest) will be maintaining this thread in Oramin's absence. Please direct any inquiries to me.

This thread was originally created in 2003 by Bloodshrike and at the time of its loss four years later had over a quarter million views. It has been mostly restored to the original with the exceptions of the following:

- Some dead and duplicate links have been deleted.
- Some links have been added.
- Some spelling, grammar, and consistency issues have been addressed.
- The table of contents has been expanded.
- Minor formatting changes have been made.

Thanks to Ernir, Maged[yT], PeterPaulRubens (PPR), and Posterboy in helping get this thread back up.
- Oramin (3/7/2007)

I just took the opportunity of having to repost this thread in the new forums to do various updates. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank people for helping to maintain this thread. In particular, I would like to thank Technomage-C01, B_77, Talamek, and Jackalope.
- Oramin (10/9/2008)


Table Of Contents
1: Main Sites of Interest
2: Set Items
3: Unique Items
4: Modifiers
5: Fast Cast Rate (FCR), Faster Block Rate (FBR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
6: Mercenary info
7: Calculators/Tables/Downloads (B.Net Poster calculators are here)
8: Fan Fiction and Miscellaneous
9: Guide links
10: Web comics
11: Goddessleela's Pierce Table
12: Smite FAQ
13: Damage Calculation Equation
14: What Works with Vengeance by Mikeandroe
15: Vengeance vs. Conviction Comparison
16: Posterboy's Experiments on Exploding Arrow


I found out about this from one of my friends on Halo 2. You can post a pic of yourself on this site, so if you have a common nom de guerre (War name) or nom de plume (Pen name), others can find you. For example, I'm Bloodshrike on there as well. :)
http://www.gamertagpics.com/


ATTENTION NEW POSTER: Welcome to the forums. Be aware that immediately insulting other posters is not a wise action. It lowers your credibility, because it makes you appear as a 12-year old child.
If you want to be respected, that only comes from posting information that helps other people, not pisses them off. We don't care how many uber 1337 characters you have. All we care about is if you can contribute something positive to this board.
Also, it can take MORE than 5 minutes to get a response here. Be patient, we do this because we like it, not because we're getting paid.

Oramin - "because people might get the hint that it is possible to research things on their own *before* they ask...nah, I guess that would be asking too much."
http://www.google.com/


FORUM TIPS
Don't post your trading list in Gameplay, Skills, or General. There are three appropriate forums for that. Check them out.

Ctrl+C your post when logging in for the first time that day, or if you've been composing a particularly lengthy post. The new forums may swallow your post if you don't.

http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/monsters/act5-reziarfg.shtml
You're NOT special. You've never seen this monster. YOU are NOT a unique snowflake....
That's Blizzard's PR rep G. Frazier spelled backwards.

Confused about how to spell a word? Check here.
http://m-w.com/ or here http://dictionary.reference.com/
By the way, "the" is NOT spelled teh, and the Act 1 Rogue merc would probably not be pleased to be called a type of makeup (rouge).


"There are three kinds of brains: the one understands things unassisted, the other understands things when shown by others, the third understands neither alone nor with the explanations of others." Machiavelli


1: Main Sites of Interest
The Arreat Summit, for those who haven't checked it out.
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/

The Baron's Bazaar. A forum dedicated to legit trading. Many of the helpful BNet posters hang out over there.
http://www.baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/mambo/

The Amazon Basin. A long time site with knowledgable posters.
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/

MetalDemoness' site where she is kind enough to host some of our guides.
http://bredtokill.suddenlaunch.com/

Great fan site that has good info.
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Main_Page

Props to MoRDeCAi666. The link takes you to a greatly expanded list of abbreviations hosted at the Amazon Basin, more so than on battle.net
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/abbreviation_guide.php#alphaabs

Another fan site
http://www.lurkerlounge.com/diablo2

Horadrim library link that works! I decided to go searching for it, and now Planet Diablo is hosting for them.
http://www.planetdiablo.com/library/

Thanks to LordKarn for this information - the Dragoons WereBear and Werewolf pages, since the Weapon speed calculator doesn't have the weapon speed listed correctly for them.
Basic - http://home.comcast.net/~thedragoon/wereform.html
Full - http://home.comcast.net/~thedragoon/wereformadvanced.html

An archive of Tommi Gustafsson's extremely helpful website (includes info on damage modification mechanics, resistance and absorb %, movement speed, weapon damage calculations, to hit calculations, hit recovery and block speed, Blood Golem mechanics, Thorns/Iron Maiden/Spirit of the Barbs mechanics, Zeal and Vengeance comparisons, and more):
http://web.archive.org/web/20071012132708/users.tkk.fi/~tgustafs/diablochars.html


2: Set Items
All sets in game for version 1.12
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/sets/

Link to the stats of Elite (cough) sets in 1.09. Good to check out when comparing 1.10 and 1.09 set items.
http://www.diabloii.net/items/item_sets/x_aldurs.shtml


3: Unique Items
Direct link to all uniques in the game for version 1.12
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/uniques.shtml


4: Modifiers
Scroll way down to get to the special modifiers (Crushing blow, deadly strike...). Some differences from diabloii.net.

Direct link to special modifiers in the game (crush blow, deadly strike, open wounds...)
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic.shtml
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Special_Modifiers

All about the magic level of circlets
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/circlets.shtml

Direct link to the Horadric Cube recipes, of special interest
are the swords that you can cube with a Cruel mod (+201% enhanced damage)
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Cube_Recipes
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Crafting_Cubing_and_Socketing_Guide

The Muse, Goddessleela. All you need to know about item generation, ilvl, Qlvl....good
to know if you're cubing for charms and cruels (non-swords).
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Item_Generation_Tutorial


5: Fast Cast Rate (FCR), Faster Block Rate (FBR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)
Here is a FCR calculator. It is in German, however. Thanks to Ernir.
http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/zauberspeed.php

FBR/FCR/FHR Breakpoints
http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=551


6: Mercenary info
Submitted by Jackalope, this updated link is supposed to be the accurate stats of mercs in 1.10
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=63404

The merc stat calculator (Thanx to ETT), for those of you who don't like using diabloii.nets mercenary page
http://www.lurkerlounge.com/spirea/Hirelings/Stats.shtml
EDIT:The life listed is wrong. It's probably about double that. I guess they doubled it in 1.10.

DiabloWiki.net's Mercenary info page.
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Mercenary_Guide

7: Calculators/Tables/Downloads (B.Net Poster calculators are here)
THE weapon speed calculator page. Great, great site. Not only weapon speed for you, but for mercs as well. Evidently not for shapeshifters, though. Brought to my attention by Paam.
http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/weaponspeed.php?lang=english

THE damage calculator page is a nice complement to the weapon speed calc.
http://diablo2.ingame.de/tips/calcs/dmgcalc/dmgcalc.php?patch=110&lang=eng

THE PeterPaulRubens SITE
http://www.baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ppr/
Some of the calcualtors are:
-- The AR calculator
-- Trade List Sorter
-- 1.10 weapon damage calculator
-- PeterPaulRubens 1.10 block rate calculator.
Very handy. Check 'em out. :)

A link to Ernir's zip file of calculators pointed out by PPR since Ernir is far too modest:
http://www.baronsbazaar.invisionzone.com/ernir/

Chippydip's Skill planner page. This site now redirects you to *ugh* d2items.com, but it is an excellent skill planner (in Chippydip’s style) that allows you to plan your build beforehand. Also shows how synergies affect your skills.
http://d2items.com/skills.php

A nice new damage calculator subbed by Landerz
http://www.poweradvantage.net/d2dmgcalc.html

Another damage calculator requisitioned by gta-maloy].
http://diabloii.net/calcs/

Run/walk tables for you speed phreaks out there
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Faster_Run_Walk

ATMA, the premiere muling application for single player. Thanks to MetalDemoness for the link.
http://atma.diabloii.net/

A nice site that shows how all armor looks on the different characters (posted by masHimaRO-BDE)
http://www.geocities.com/alainpp66/ArmourAppearance.html

A weapon upgrade calculator by Adeyke:
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/resources/d2weapons.html

A replacement affix calculator found by Talamek:
http://diablo3.ingame.de/spiel/expansion/itemdb/affix_index.php?lang=en&version=lod&patch=111

Chalk up another one to gta-maloy]
"The best rune hunting guide and/or information I've yet to see:"
http://www.flightsofsplendor.com/diabloII/Urlik%27s_RFG_v2.xls

Generalized maps for a new player. Tells you what things to look for in each Act.
Jade-Enigma brought this one to my attention, and Weepe just started posting here. Good job! :)
http://weepe.ircnet.ee/lod/

gta-maloy]'s A guide to all that is items:
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=55546

Descried by Legends, it's a "...a decent runeword calc that included the 'new' ladder runewords."
A nice little Excel calculator for a subject that's near and dear to my heart, my zealot IUV characters.
http://dclone.eskysse.com/rwcalc.php

---

Q u o t e:

I made an excel sheet on which you can find zeal-breakpoints for all classes.
"If you want an explanation, you could first read the thread on the Amazon Basin where I got all the info from."
http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=42841&st=0
Greetz, Syrith.
v1.01
added -15, -5 and 5 WSM to "breakpoints advanced" and "breakpoints simple" tabs
added "breakpoint main" tab where you can fill the weapon speed. Should make things less tiresome.

Here is the link to the file:
http://files.upl.silentwhisper.net/upload0/zealbreakpoints_v1.01.zip

---

(Note: link is broken; requesting a new one)


8: Fan Fiction and Miscellaneous
A direct link to common abbreviations in the game and on the forums, so newcomers aren't confused as much.
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/basics/glossary.shtml

Full list of all the changes that occurred in the 1.12 patch, submitted by Ulmo_Vala:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=21358

Patch 1.10 changes (also submitted by Ulmo_Vala):
http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Patch_1.10_%28Diablo_II%29

All horadric cube recipes in game for 1.10. Possibilities for kick-butt rares abound with being able to upgrade normal rares to elite rares.
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/cube.shtml

Friend commands when youre actually playing the game, instead of posting here. :)
http://www.battle.net/info/friends.shtml

A plaudit to MetalDemoness for showing us where these guys have been hiding. Fan Fiction forum here, in case ya didn't know.
http://www.battle.net/forums/board.aspx?ForumName=fanfiction

A nice site with....you guessed it, fan fiction. :) Spotted by the eagle eyes of MetalDemoness
http://www.fanfiction.net/game/Diablo/


9: Guide links
ATTENTION: Check MetalDemoness' Character Build guide collection thread at the top of the Skills Forum first.
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=19065186439&sid=3000

The Strategy Compendium. Very, Very useful stuff here. I'd advise checking for the setup of different builds here first, then asking qualifying questions later.
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Category:D2_strategy
http://strategy.diabloii.net/

A handy level up guide hidden in the Miscellaneous section.
http://strategy.diabloii.net/news.php?id=512

An awesome Assassin FAQ, covers a lot of areas (submitted by Ulmo_Vala):
http://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Assassin_FAQ


10: Web comics
Penny Arcade. Very funny :)
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/
Some posters might benefit from viewing this particular day.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/10/11/

Ctrl+Alt+Delete
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/

Real Life. I just recently found out that I lived close to him when I lived in Rancho Cordova, CA.
http://www.reallifecomics.com/

User Friendly. Tech oriented humor
http://www.userfriendly.org/

Dilbert
http://www.dilbert.com/

Little Gamers
http://www.little-gamers.com/

Sinfest. Hilarious
http://www.sinfest.net/

Wizard of Id
http://www.dilbert.com/creators/wizardofid/index.html

And just for MetalDemoness.....Garfield!
http://www.garfield.com/comics/comics_todays.html

And since I haven't posted any Terry Pratchett quotes in my sig in a while.....

---

Q u o t e:

Natural selection saw to it that professional heroes who at a crucial
moment tended to ask themselves questions like "What is my purpose in
life?" very quickly lacked both.
- (Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times)

---

11: Goddessleela's Pierce Table

Assuming maximum 5 pierces (6 hits): 







slvl	%	eff %	diff	1	2	3	4	5	6



0	0	1.00		1.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00



1	23	1.30	0.30	1.00	0.23	0.05	0.01	0.00	0.00



2	34	1.51	0.21	1.00	0.34	0.12	0.04	0.01	0.00



3	42	1.71	0.20	1.00	0.42	0.18	0.07	0.03	0.01



4	49	1.93	0.22	1.00	0.49	0.24	0.12	0.06	0.03



5	55	2.16	0.23	1.00	0.55	0.30	0.17	0.09	0.05



6	59	2.34	0.18	1.00	0.59	0.35	0.21	0.12	0.07



7	63	2.53	0.20	1.00	0.63	0.40	0.25	0.16	0.10



8	65	2.64	0.11	1.00	0.65	0.42	0.27	0.18	0.12



9	69	2.88	0.24	1.00	0.69	0.48	0.33	0.23	0.16



10	71	3.01	0.13	1.00	0.71	0.50	0.36	0.25	0.18



11	73	3.14	0.14	1.00	0.73	0.53	0.39	0.28	0.21



12	75	3.29	0.14	1.00	0.75	0.56	0.42	0.32	0.24



13	77	3.44	0.15	1.00	0.77	0.59	0.46	0.35	0.27



14	79	3.60	0.16	1.00	0.79	0.62	0.49	0.39	0.31



15	80	3.69	0.08	1.00	0.80	0.64	0.51	0.41	0.33



16	82	3.87	0.18	1.00	0.82	0.67	0.55	0.45	0.37



18	83	3.96	0.09	1.00	0.83	0.69	0.57	0.47	0.39



19	84	4.05	0.10	1.00	0.84	0.71	0.59	0.50	0.42



20	85	4.15	0.10	1.00	0.85	0.72	0.61	0.52	0.44



21	86	4.25	0.10	1.00	0.86	0.74	0.64	0.55	0.47



22	87	4.36	0.10	1.00	0.87	0.76	0.66	0.57	0.50



23	88	4.46	0.11	1.00	0.88	0.77	0.68	0.60	0.53



24	89	4.57	0.11	1.00	0.89	0.79	0.70	0.63	0.56



26	90	4.69	0.11	1.00	0.90	0.81	0.73	0.66	0.59



27	91	4.80	0.12	1.00	0.91	0.83	0.75	0.69	0.62



31	92	4.92	0.12	1.00	0.92	0.85	0.78	0.72	0.66



33	93	5.04	0.12	1.00	0.93	0.86	0.80	0.75	0.70



36	94	5.17	0.13	1.00	0.94	0.88	0.83	0.78	0.73



38	95	5.30	0.13	1.00	0.95	0.90	0.86	0.81	0.77



42	96	5.43	0.13	1.00	0.96	0.92	0.88	0.85	0.82



45	97	5.57	0.14	1.00	0.97	0.94	0.91	0.89	0.86



49	98	5.71	0.14	1.00	0.98	0.96	0.94	0.92	0.90



54	99	5.85	0.14	1.00	0.99	0.98	0.97	0.96	0.95



60	100	6.00	0.15	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00















Assuming no limit: 







slvl	%	eff %	diff



0	0	1.00	



1	23	1.30	0.30



2	34	1.52	0.22



3	42	1.72	0.21



4	49	1.96	0.24



5	55	2.22	0.26



6	59	2.44	0.22



7	63	2.70	0.26



8	65	2.86	0.15



9	69	3.23	0.37



10	71	3.45	0.22



11	73	3.70	0.26



12	75	4.00	0.30



13	77	4.35	0.35



14	79	4.76	0.41



15	80	5.00	0.24



16	82	5.56	0.56



18	83	5.88	0.33



19	84	6.25	0.37



20	85	6.67	0.42



21	86	7.14	0.48



22	87	7.69	0.55



23	88	8.33	0.64



24	89	9.09	0.76



26	90	10.00	0.91



27	91	11.11	1.11



31	92	12.50	1.39



33	93	14.29	1.79



36	94	16.67	2.38



38	95	20.00	3.33



42	96	25.00	5.00



45	97	33.32	8.32



49	98	49.69	16.37



54	99	92.06	42.36



60	100	(inf)	(inf)

slvl - skill level, with the levels that don't change pierce % omitted
% - chance to pierce
eff % - effective enhanced damage, applied to all damage (physical or elemental) from any source (weapon, other equipment), after all other multipliers. ie multiply the damage on your char screen by this, and that's what you're doing per shot, assuming enough monsters lined up to take the hits.
diff - improvement over previous level
1,2,...,6 - chance to hit 1-6 enemies, respectively. Obviously you hit the first one all the time, then the second as often as the first hit pierces, and so on.

As you can see, additional levels in pierce rack up crazy extra damage. For a javazon seeking to max Lightning Fury damage, I would recommend filling your inventory with Passive/Magic GC's as opposed to Spear/Javelin GC's. Not only do you end up doing more damage, but you don't crank up the mana cost so high.

Caveat: All of this assumes that you actually have several enemies lined up. Pierce is worthless against single targets, or a poorly herded pack.

What works with Smite? version 1.11


By Oramin and Bloodshrike, et al
Based on Oldman's Throwsmiter guide

The following things work with Smite:

- Bonus damage from STR (each point of STR adds 1% ED) (new for 1.10)
NOTE: Bonus damage is *not* based on the weapon type (e.g. for daggers each point of DEX adds .75% ED along with a similar bonus for STR). See Tommi's page for details: http://web.archive.org/web/20071007200921/http://users.tkk.fi/~tgustafs/weapondamage.html#DamageBonuses (Verified by Technomage-C01) (Thanks to Technomage-C01 and Saken)
- +Skills (increase damage a LOT)
- Crushing Blow (including CB on the weapon; e.g. "Black" runeword)
- Weapon range (see below)
- Weapon speed (see below)
- Life Tap (charges can be found on wands and daggers, save this for tough spots)
- Freezes Target (including from the weapon; e.g. Sureshrill Frost)
- Hit Blinds Target (From all gear, including the weapon and the shield)
- Slow (including from the weapon; e.g. Pompeii's Wrath)
- % Chance to cast (including from the weapon)
- Prevent Monster Heal
- Open Wounds (new for 1.10)


The following things work with Smite but do *not* display on the Character screen:

- Enhanced Damage which is off-weapon (thanks to Grimble for bringing this to my attention; thanks to Mikeandroe for helping test) (new for 1.10)

The following items increase the shield damage: Redeemer, Astreon's Iron Ward, Stone Crusher, "Grief" runeword (Redeemer confirmed by Stopherson) (new for 1.10)

- Damage +X, which is the attribute that the above items have, is added directly to the shield damage just like the Holy Shield bonus. This means that any %ED bonuses which work with Smite will apply (e.g. Fanaticism). (Thanks to Mikeandroe for helping test).


The following things do not work with Smite:

- Leech (life/mana)
- Deadly Strike/Critical Strike (confirmed by both Oramin and Vash-dm independently in 1.11)
- Knockback (apart from the standard Knockback on the skill)
- Elemental damage from equipment or charms
- Elemental damage from auras (e.g. Holy Shock) (the area effect will still work, just not the applied damage)
- Poison damage from charms or the Venom proc on "Treachery"
- Magic damage from Sanctuary (note that I havent verified this for 1.10+ but I dont see any reason it should have changed; the area effect will still work, just not the applied damage) (added on behalf of gibbousmoon)
- Gear and charms that add a set amount of damage (verified by SSJPunk) except for those items which have the Damage +X attribute (e.g. WarTravs will *not* add damage to Smite except for the STR bonus)
- Enhanced Damage on the weapon
- Enhanced Damage to Demons (e.g. Laying of Hands) (Thanks to Bonkshasa and Posterboy for testing)
- Enhanced Damage to Undead has *not* been tested, but it should behave the same way as Enhanced Damage to Demons


Smite speed is dependent on:

- Base weapon speed (odd but true)
- % EIAS from Fanaticism
- IAS in gear
- 6 frame Smite is the fastest possible


Just to clarify, Smite is not ITD (Ignores Target Defense), it automatically hits. You can find a description of the difference in Ernirs excellent thread Things You Should Know About Diablo 2. This thread is stickied at the top of the Gameplay forum.

What is the Best Shield with Smite? version 1.11

Oldman's Throwsmiter guide http://www.diabloii.net/strategy/x-guides/throwsmiter.php claims that the Herald of Zakarum is a poor Smiter shield. Actually, the +Skills that you get from the HOZ make up for a lot.

Sacred Rondache:

Damage: 35 to 58
Level 20 Smite = +300%
Level 20 Holy Shield = +57 to +60
Level 20 Fanaticism = +373%

(92 to 118) * (1 + 3.00 + 3.73) = 711 to 912

Herald of Zakarum (Gilded Shield):

Damage: 20 to 28
Level 24 Smite = +360%
Level 24 Holy Shield = +73 to +76
Level 22 Fanaticism = +407%

(93 to 104) * (1 + 3.60 + 4.07) = 806 to 902

Leaving us with a higher average damage from the HOZ. Note that an upgraded HOZ would be even better.


How is Smite Damage Calculated? Version 1.11

It behaves like a standard weapon (except the %ED on the shield isn't equivalent to %ED on a weapon).

Take the shield's base damage.
Add anything that increases the shield damage.
Multiply by non-weapon sources of %ED.

For example:

(Shield Base + Holy Shield bonus + Grief bonus) * (1 + Smite %ED bonus + STR %ED bonus + Fanaticism %ED bonus + off-weapon %ED bonus) = Total damage

The reason for this section is that the LCS (Lying Character Screen) isn't necessarily accurate. If you want to know the damage that you are actually doing you should run the numbers yourself.


How to Kill the Clone in Under 60 Seconds Using Smite. version 1.11

This is a pretty straightforward method. I will explain how I did it and let the reader determine how best to adapt it. Note: I was using my Hammerdin with this method and not a Smiter.

I had two shields, a Herald of Zakarum and an elite Paladin shield with +2 skills.

In weapon 1, I had a knout with the "Black" runeword (thul + io + nef).

In weapon 2, I had a flail with the "Malice" runeword (ith + el + eth).

I had 1 point in Smite, 1 point in Fanaticism, and max Holy Shield.

Hit UberD with a Smite blow while wielding weapon 2. This should be easy enough as Smite ignores defense and blocking. By hitting him with the "Malice" weapon equipped you cause the Prevent Monster Heal on the weapon to be applied to him.

Now switch over to the "Black" weapon. I picked a knout because it is already a very fast weapon and weapon speed affects the speed of a Smite attack. The "Black" runeword has 40% chance of Crushing Blow, which is also applied to a Smite attack. This will very quickly drop him down to a sliver of life. After that it is just a matter of drinking potions while waiting for him to die.

Note: Prevent Monster Heal does not work on the Pandemonium Ubers (I'm unclear if it still works on the Clone). To get a similar effect for the Pandemonium Ubers, use gear that has Open Wounds on it. (Thanks to gta-maloy] for the information) (new for 1.11)

13: Oramin's Damage Calculation Equation
How to Calculate Damage. ver. 1.10

The order is as follows:

Step 1: %ED in the weapon
Step 2: +Dam in weapon and gear
Step 3: %ED in gear

So, for example, let us say we have a 3 socket weapon which has a base damage of 40 - 50. We are going to add 3 jewels which do 40%ED/+15 Max to the weapon. This gives us:

(40 to 50) * (1 + 3 * .40) + (3 * 15 Max)
(40 to 50) * (2.2) + (45 Max)
88 to 110 + 45 Max = 88 to 155

Next we are going to add 4 identical jewels to some armor.

((88 to 155) + (4 * 15 Max)) * (1 + 4 * .40)
(88 to 215) * (2.6) = 229 to 559

Skills work off the base damage as calculated after Step 2. So Barb Masteries, Vengeance, Fanaticism would all work off the same base which would be 88 to 215 in the case of the above set of gear. Skills and %ED in armor work like follows:

(Damage of weapon after step 2) * (1 + bonus from skills + %ED in gear other than weapon)



Is Damage Greater by Having %ED in Armor Instead of the Weapon? ver. 1.10


If you ignore the effect of skills then the answer would be yes. You will get more damage by putting the %ED in armor/helm/shield, subject to the following.

Let us say that a weapon has a base damage of A.
Let us say that the %ED in the weapon is B.
Let us say that the %ED in the gear is C.

Total damage would be A * (1 + B) * (1 + C)

To have the maximum damage, we want to maximize (1 + B) * (1 + C) where (B + C) = Constant. It shouldn't take too long to realize that the condition for a maximum is B = C. Hence, it is best to add the %ED jewel to whichever piece of gear would bring the %ED weapon and %ED total on other gear closest to each other.

If we take into account skills, the analysis gets more complicated. Consider a Paladin with Vengeance and Fanaticism. The weapon has an effective base damage for skill after step 2. Both Vengeance and Fanaticism operate off of this base. %ED in non-weapon gear would also operate off of this base. So we have:

(initial base * (1 + %ED + D) + (all +Damage)) * (1 + %ED + Vengeance bonus + Fanaticism bonus + E)

D is extra %ED in weapon
E is extra %ED in gear

By increasing D, you increase the damage caused by Vengeance (Elemental damage) and Fanaticism (Physical damage).

By increasing E, you just add a bunch of Physical damage at the end of the calculation.

You just need to decide what is more important to you.

For those of you who want to know how to find the maximum, there are two methods below.

Method 1: Note that 1 * 1 = 1, that .9 * 1.1 = .99, that .8 and 1.2 = .96, etc. It should be obvious that X^2 is always greater than (X + Y) * (X - Y) where X and Y are positive constants.

Method 2: Substitute B = Constant - C into the formula, differentiate the formula and find the maximum.

14: What works with Vengeance and how it's Calculated (D2-LOD ver. 1.10)
- by Mikeandroe

*********************************************

The following link has the current version of Mikeandroe's Guide to Vengeance:

http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=50089

The only major difference should be how the Damage +X modifier is handled.

**********************************************

Vengeance adds Fire, Cold, and Lightning Damage to your attack,



based on how much Physical Damage your weapon deals.



The amount of Physical Damage your weapon deals can be affected by several factors,



including Magical Mods on items, your chars STR, and Auras/Pets.



However, not all that Physical Damage is used in Vengeance's calculations.







A common misperception, is that Vengeance Damage is calculated 



based on the Damage listed for a Standard Attack.



This is not true.  The damage you see displayed in-game, 



is a total of your weapons physical damage + physical damage added by the STR modifier 



+ physical/magical/fire/cold/lightning damage added by the weapon, charms, jewels, etc...







For calculating Vengeance's Damage, only the first factor (Weapon Physical Damage) is considered.







This begs the question, "What factors will specifically increase Weapon Physical Damage?"



Below, is a listing of all the factors that do, and do not, affect the numbers used to calculate Vengeance.







The following factors increase the amount of Physical Dmg used in Vengeance's calculations:



A) Located on Weapon Only:



 > +X% Enhanced Damage



 > +X% Enhanced Minimum Damage (displayed as "Enhanced Minimum Damage" in-game, X's value is hidden)







B) Located Anywhere (Weapon, Armor, Helm, Shield, Boots, Gloves, Rings, Amulets, Charms):



 > +X Min / +Y Max Damage (1-Handed, 2-Handed, Throwing) (ex: Butcher's Pupil, Fleshrender, War Traveler Boots)



 > +X Min Damage & +X Min Damage/CLvl (1-Handed, 2-Handed, Throwing) (ex: Eternity Runeword)



 > +X Max Damage & +X Max Damage/CLvl (1-Handed, 2-Handed, Throwing) (ex: Schaefer's Hammer)



 > Adds +X Damage (ex: The Redeemer, Astreon's Iron Ward, Stone Crusher)



	. This mod is displayed as "Damage +X" in-game.



	. It is currently found only on the three weapons listed.



	. This does not display properly as Weapon Damage on the Lying Character Screen







The following increases the amount of Elemental Damage added by Vengeance:



A) Anywhere (Weapon, Armor, Helm, Shield, Boots, Gloves, Rings, Amulets, Charms):



 > +X% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Skill Damage* (ex: Ormus' Robes, Facet Jewels, Nightwing's Veil)







* Note: This mod adds X% of the F/C/L Damage that is calculated by Vengeance.



	It does NOT increase "Elemental Damage +%" as listed in the Vengeance skill description.



	For example, A standard Berserker Axe deals 24-71 points of Physical Damage.



	Level 20 Vengeance will add 44-130 points each of Fire/Cold/Light Dmg (24 * 1.84 = 44 & 71 * 1.84 = 130).



	Ormus' Robes will then add an additional 6-19 points each of Fire/Cold/Light Dmg (44 * 0.15 = 6 & 130 * 0.15 = 19)



	for a total of 50-149 points each Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage.



	Alternately, a Facet Jewel (+3% Light Skill Dmg) will add 1-3 points of Light Dmg (44 * 0.03 = 1 & 130 * 0.03 = 3)



	for a total of 44-130 points each of Fire/Cold Dmg and 45-133 points of Light Dmg.







The following DO NOT increase the amount of Physical Dmg used in Vengeance's calculations



-or- the amount of Elemental Damage added by Vengeance:



A) On Non-Weapon Only (Armor, Helm, Shield, Boots, Gloves, Rings, Amulets, Charms):



 > +X% Enhanced Damage (ex: Auto-Mod on Paladin Shields, Socketed Jewels, Ohm Runes)



 > +X% Enhanced Minimum Damage** (displayed as "Enhanced Minimum Damage" in-game, X's value is hidden)







** Note: This mod is not found on any unique or set items.  However, it does exist.



	A similar mod "+X% Enhanced Maximum Damage / CLvl" can be found on the elite unique bow Eaglehorn.



	I did not test that mod, as Vengeance cannot be used with a Bow.







B) Anywhere (Weapon, Armor, Helm, Shield, Boots, Gloves, Rings, Amulets, Charms):



 > +X to Fire/Cold/Lightning Skills*** (ex: Hexfire)



 > +X% Enhanced Damage to Undead (any Blunt Weapon)







*** Note: Apparently, while the Damage from Vengeance is considered F/C/L Skill Damage (see above),



	Vengeance itself is not considered an F/C/L Skill







C) General:



 > +X% Enhanced Damage from Auras/Pets (ex: Might, Concentration, Fanatacism, Heart of Wolverine)



 > +X% Enhanced Damage from STR/DEX bonus







Formulae for Calculating Vengeance Damage







You can determine the amount of damage that Vengeance will add, before even equipping a weapon.



To do so, follow these calculations:







B = Base Minimum Damage of Weapon ****



C = Base Maximum Damage of Weapon ****



D = % Enhanced Damage on Weapon



E = Total of all +Minimum Damage on all equipment



F = Total of all +Maximum Damage on all equipment



G = Total of all Damage +X on all equipment



H = +% Fire Skill Damage on all equipment



I = +% Cold Skill Damage on all equipment



J = +% Lightning Skill Damage on all equipment







VF = +% Vengeance Fire Damage (as per Skill Level and Synergy Level)



VC = +% Vengeance Cold Damage (as per Skill Level and Synergy Level)



VL = +% Vengeance Lightning Damage (as per Skill Level and Synergy Level)











Min Vengeance Damage = Min Fire Damage + Min Cold Damage + Min Lightning Damage



Where:	Min Fire Damage = (VF * ((B * (1 + D)) + E + G)) * (1 + H)



	Min Cold Damage = (VC * ((B * (1 + D)) + E + G)) * (1 + I)



	Min Lght Damage = (VL * ((B * (1 + D)) + E + G)) * (1 + J)







Max Vengeance Damage = Max Fire Damage + Max Cold Damage + Max Lightning Damage



Where:	Max Fire Damage = (VF * ((C * (1 + D)) + F + G)) * (1 + H)



	Max Cold Damage = (VC * ((C * (1 + D)) + F + G)) * (1 + I)



	Max Lght Damage = (VL * ((C * (1 + D)) + F + G)) * (1 + J)







**** Note: "Base Minimum/Maximum Damage of Weapon" is NOT the listed damage for a Specific Weapon.



	It is the base min/max for the weapon type.  (i.e. if you have a Baranar's Star (Unique Devil Star), 



	you would use 43 - 53, the base min/max for a Devil Star.)







Avenger Damage Example







Let's take a look at the Vengeance formulae in action.



The Avenger below was created for testing, therefore the stats and skills are not presented as a build suggestion.



Each piece of equipment was chosen specifically for it's mod's and how they relate to Vengeance Damage.



As it turns out, the setup is quite viable for completing Hell.



Each stat pertinent to our calcs will be listed next to each piece of equipment.







Base Stats: CLvl - 80, STR = 153, DEX = 119



Base Skills: Vengeance - 20, Resist Fire - 4, Resist Cold - 4, Resist Lightning - 4



Equipment:



	Armor - Ormus' Robes (+15% Fire/Cold/Lightning Skill Damage)



	Shield - Herald Of Zakarum (+2 Paladin Skills, +2 Combat Skills, +20 STR)



	Helm - Nightwing's Veil (+15% Cold Skill Damage, +2 All Skills)



	Gloves - Lava Gout (13-46 Fire Damage)



	Boots - War Travelers (+15Min/+25Max Damage, +10 STR)



	Belt - Thundergod's Vigor (1-50 Lightning Damage, +20 STR)



	Amulet - Mara's Kaleidoscope (+5 STR, +2 All Skills)



	Ring #1 - Raven Frost (15-45 Cold Damage)



	Ring #2 - Raven Frost (15-45 Cold Damage)



	Weapon - Ethereal Rune Master Ettin Axe (5 Sockets, 270% ED)



		(4 x 40%ED/15%IAS Jewels, 1 x Zod Rune)







Equipped Stats: Clvl = 80, STR = 208, DEX = 184



Equipped Skills: Vengeance - 28, Res Fire/Cold/Lightning - 10 (4 w/ respect to Synergies)



SLvl 28 Vengeance with 4 in each Resist Synergy = +274% Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage







Step 1: Calculate the Weapon Physical Damage (what Vengeance will be based on)



B = Base Min Dmg of Weapon = 49 (Min Ettin Axe = 33, Eth adds 50%, 33 * 1.5 = 49)



C = Base Max Dmg of Weapon = 99 (Max Ettin Axe = 66, Eth adds 50%, 66 * 1.5 = 99)



D = % Enhanced Damage on Weapon = 270% = 2.7



E = Total +Min Dmg from all sources = 15 (War Travs)



F = Total +Max Dmg from all sources = 25   "    "



G = Total "Damage +X" on all equipment = 0







MinWP = (B * (1 + D)) + E + G = (49 * (1 + 2.7)) + 15 + 0 = 274



MaxWP = (C * (1 + D)) + F + G = (99 * (1 + 2.7)) + 25 + 0 = 549







Remember these numbers, and how we calculated them.  MinWP/MaxWP is the most important piece of information



concerning any weapon. ALL skills (except Smite) use MinWP/MaxWP where enhanced damage is involved.







Step 2: Total Physical Damage



MinWP = 274



MaxWP = 549



X = % Enhanced Damage from Stats = 208% = 2.08



Y = % Enhanced Damage on all other equipment = 0% = 0







Min Total Phys = MinWP * (1 + X + Y) = (274 * 3.08) = 843



Max Total Phys = MaxWP * (1 + X + Y) = (549 * 3.08) = 1690







Step 3: Total Damage for Normal Attack



Min Total Phys = 843



Max Total Phys = 1690



Fire Damage Multiplier = 15% = 0.15 (Ormus' Robes)*****



Cold Damage Multiplier = 30% = 0.30 (Ormus'Robes + Nightwing's Veil)



Lightning Damage Multiplier = 15% = 0.15 (Ormus' Robes)







Min Total Fire = 13 * (1 + 0.15) = 14 (Lava Gout)



Max Total Fire = 46 * (1 + 0.15) = 52    "    "



Min Total Cold = 30 * (1 + 0.30) = 39 (Raven Frost x 2)



Max Total Cold = 90 * (1 + 0.30) = 117   "     "     "



Min Total Lightning = 1 * (1 + 0.15) = 1 (T-Gods)



Max Total Lightning = 50 * (1 + 0.15) = 57  "







***** Note: In addition to enhancing the damage of your elemental skills,



	The mod "+X% <Elemental> Skill Damage" enhances the elemental damage present on your weapon,



	jewels, charms, etc... It operates as a Passive Mastery, in line with the Sorc's Masteries.











                        Phys  Fire Cold  Light



Min Normal Attack Dmg =  843 + 14 +  39 +  1 = 897



Max Normal Attack Dmg = 1690 + 52 + 117 + 57 = 1916











Step 4: Vengeance Skill Damage



VF = +% Vengeance Fire Damage = 274% = 2.74 (SLvl 28 Vengeance, SLvl 4 Res Fire/Cold/Light)



VC = +% Vengeance Cold Damage = 274% = 2.74



VL = +% Vengeance Lightning Damage = 274% = 2.74







Min Vengeance Fire Damage = MinWP * VF = 274 * 2.74 = 750



Max Vengeance Fire Damage = MaxWP * VF = 549 * 2.74 = 1504







Min Vengeance Cold Damage = MinWP * VC = 274 * 2.74 = 750



Max Vengeance Cold Damage = MaxWP * VC = 549 * 2.74 = 1504







Min Vengeance Lightning Damage = MinWP * VL = 274 * 2.74 = 750



Max Vengeance Lightning Damage = MaxWP * VL = 274 * 2.74 = 1504







Step 5: Total Damage for Vengeance Attack



Fire Damage Multiplier = 15% = 0.15



Cold Damage Multiplier = 30% = 0.30



Lightning Damage Multiplier = 15% = 0.15







We already have the complete Physical Portion of Vengeance calculated above in Step 2.



We now combine the Fire/Cold/Lightning Damage directly from Vengeance with the Fire/Cold/Lightning



Damage provided by Equipment.  The multiplier comes from the Passive Mastery as in Step 3.







Min Grand Total Fire Dmg = (Min Fire + Min Veng Fire) * (1 + Fire Dmg Mult) = (13 + 750) * 1.15 = 877



Max Grand Total Fire Dmg = (Max Fire + Max Veng Fire) * (1 + Fire Dmg Mult) = (46 + 1504) * 1.15 = 1782







Min Grand Total Cold Dmg = (Min Cold + Min Veng Cold) * (1 + Cold Dmg Mult) = (30 + 750) * 1.30 = 1014



Max Grand Total Cold Dmg = (Max Cold + Max Veng Cold) * (1 + Cold Dmg Mult) = (90 + 1504) * 1.30 = 2072







Min Grand Total Lightning Damage = (Min Light + Min Veng Light) * (1 + Light Dmg Mult) = (1 + 750) * 1.15 = 863



Max Grand Total Lightning Damage = (Max Light + Max Veng Light) * (1 + Light Dmg Mult) = (50 + 1504) * 1.15 = 1787







Finally, we sum across all Damage types to see the Displayed Damage for a Vengeance Attack:







Min Grand Total = Min Tot Phys + Min Tot Fire + Min Tot Cold + Min Tot Light



Max Grand Total = Max Tot Phys + Max Tot Fire + Max Tot Cold + Max Tot Light











                           Phys   Fire   Cold   Light



Min Vengeance Attack Dmg =  843 +  877 + 1014 +  863 = 3597



Max Vengeance Attack Dmg = 1690 + 1782 + 2072 + 1787 = 7331 ******











****** Note: The numbers for a Standard Attack match EXACTLY what is displayed in-game for this char.



	There is a 1-3 point discrepancy between the numbers shown for Vengeance and the Dmg displayed in-game (3598-7328)



	It's likely due to a rounding error somewhere.  The only conclusions I can make, are that either:



		a) when calculating elemental damage, the game does not round down until it sums across all damage types.



		b) The game does not always round down to an integer.











Summary







In conclusion, we see that not all damage enhancement mods boost the amount of Physical used by Vengeance.



We also see that Passive Masteries (i.e. +X% to Elemental Skill Damage) affect not only the Damage added



by Vengeance, but also the Elemental Damage provided by Equipment.











+X% Enhanced Damage to Undead is listed as not affecting Weapon Damage as per Tommi Gustafson's page



	(http://www.hut.fi/~tgustafs/weapondamage.html)



It is unknown what the effect of +X% Enhanced Damage to Demons is, but believed to be the same as %ED to Undead.

.
.
.
Thanks to Oramin for incentive, and a nice template via his "What Works with Smite", and final tweaks.
Also, MUCH thanks to Oramin for help with the testing of "Damage +X"
Thanks to Bloodshrike for including this in his massive, and massively helpful, Websites that have a lot of good info
Forum Post.
Thanks to PeterPaulRubens for his help in what I have come to call the "Great Forum Damage Conference of 2004".
All those posts regarding his Online Damage Calculator really helped square away several details.

15: Oramin's Vengeance vs. Conviction Comparison

Is it better to add a point to Vengeance or to Conviction? This is the question I hope to address. First we need to discuss what we mean by better. Are we asking if one way adds more damage or if it is more mana-efficient? Let us try to answer both questions.

To begin with, here is some information about Vengeance:

1      2      3      4      5      6











4      4.2    4.5    4.7    5      5.2











70     76     82     88     94     100

The first row is the skill level. The second row is the mana cost (note that it goes up in alternating increments of .2 and .3). The last row is the percentage of Elemental damage added for each element (Fire, Cold, Lightning) which goes up in increments of 6.

Here is some information about Conviction:

1	2	3	4	5	6











30	35	40	45	50	55

The first row is the skill level. The second row is the amount that the enemys resistance is reduced by.

For the sake of convenience we are going to use a weapon which does 100 pts of Physical damage and there will be no other sources of damage included. We are also assuming that the monster has base 0% resistance across the board.

The following (1:1) will be used below with the first value referring to the skill level of Vengeance and the second value referring to the skill level of Conviction.

1:1	100	210 * 1.3	273











2:1	100	228 * 1.3	296











1:2	100	210 * 1.35	284











5:1	100	282 * 1.3	367











1:5	100	210 * 1.5	315

The first column represents the respective skill levels. The second column is just to remind the reader that we are using a 100 pt damage weapon. The third column shows the Vengeance damage (which is 3 times the listed damage for that level) times the damage increase caused by Conviction. The last column shows the total Elemental damage caused.

From this table it should be clear that, in general, it would be better to place additional points into Vengeance rather than Conviction if the intent is to maximize the damage.

Now we need to look at damage per mana

1:1	273/4		68.25











2:1	296/4.2	        70.48











1:2	284/4		71.00











5:1	367/5		73.40











1:5	315/4		78.75

The first column is the same as in the previous table. The second column is total Elemental damage divided by the mana cost of Vengeance at the specified level. The final column is the result of the second column.

As we can see, it is more mana efficient to place points into Conviction than into Vengeance.

We leave it to the reader to decide which form of better that he/she prefers.

16: Experiments on Exploding Arrow
By Posterboy


Introduction
These are the results of a series of tests to find out more about the Amazon skill Exploding Arrow and the mod "Fire Explosive Arrows or Bolts [Level x]" that appears on certain unique bows and crossbows.

Background Information
All testing was done in Diablo 2 LoD Expansion version 1.10, in Single Player. All testing was done in Nightmare difficulty, at /players 1 setting. All items used in these experiments were spawned in v1.10.

Summary of Conclusions*
last updated: 07/19/04; condensed version: 03/02/07
1) The physical arrow from Exploding Arrow is dependent on the To Hit Formula, while the explosion fire damage will Always Hit.
2) Fire damage from equipment will be added onto the explosion from Exploding Arrow, and will therefore Always Hit and will damage all enemies within the explosion radius. Other damage types are attached to the physical arrow itself, and will therefore be dependent on the To Hit formula and will only affect enemies that are hit by the physical arrow itself. Furthermore, fire damage from equipment will be added on the the physical arrow itself as well, meaning it's counted twice. In other words, fire damage has a chance to do double-duty because it is applied to both the explosion damage and to the physical arrow.
3) The special modifiers listed below are attached to the physical arrow, and will therefore be dependent on the To Hit formula and will only affect enemies that are hit by the physical arrow itself.

Knockback

Hit Causes Monster to Flee xx%

xx% Chance of Open Wounds

Prevent Monster Heal

Deadly Strike

Critical Strike

Hit Blinds Target

xx% Chance of Crushing Blow

Hit Freezes Target

% chance to cast on striking/attack**

Slows Target by xx%
4) The Amazon skills Exploding Arrow and Fire Arrow do NOT add to or synergize with the Explosive Arrows or Bolts mod on unique bows/crossbows.

* Note: All testing was done in a PvM environment. It is not known, but assumed only, that all of the above conclusions hold true for PvP situations as well.
** Note: Only the mod "% chance to cast xxx on striking" was tested here. It is assumed that the procing effect "% chance to cast xxx on attack" is in the same category and will also hold true as stated above.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to Leelality for suggesting an accurate method for testing "% chance to cast on striking/attack." Thanks to Andrion for pointing out a source where some info on Exploding Arrows has already been established. Thanks to mikeandroe, oramin, and What-is-my-name for enlightening me regarding the use of ATMA and Zonfire.

Reserved

Reserved

Hello :)
Should'nt this be stickied at the place of Oramin's post up there ?
It looks silly now.
Is he really leaving us for good ?
I had time to read about half of his message a few days ago, and now it's gone :(

---

Q u o t e:
Hello :)
Should'nt this be stickied at the place of Oramin's post up there ?
It looks silly now.
Is he really leaving us for good ?
I had time to read about half of his message a few days ago, and now it's gone :(

---

Yeah the thread should be stickied as it contains alot of nice information. Now as for Oramin, he has no choice he has been permantly banned from the bnet forums for defending the moderators actions err "discussing disciplinary action".

http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/forums/index.php?showtopic=82119

---

Q u o t e:

Should'nt this be stickied at the place of Oramin's post up there ?

---

I'm trying to get that handled. Hopefully they'll be switched out soon.

---

Q u o t e:
Is he really leaving us for good ?
I had time to read about half of his message a few days ago, and now it's gone :(

---

Oramin has chosen to stop posting for the time being. He asked that I take over his stickied threads.

This link:

---

Q u o t e:
Discovered by Mikeandroe, it's a full list of all the changes that occurred in the 1.10 patch. Useful info indeed.
http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=mdt0763p

---

Just leads to the main blizzard support page.

I knew about the patchlog in the gamefolder. But the other link you posted was very useful, much easier to browse through. :)

---

Q u o t e:


Vivec > Sotha Sil

---

:(

OK i finally took the time to read Oramin's text, kindly linked curtner524.

I remember that discussion on the Angelic combo. This is just silly that it would contributes to ban Oramin !! The other guy was so annoying.

Frankly, I don't get it and I think it is sad and a loss for this forum. One more competent poster gone. Bravo.

So Ulmo, are you the one who reported him ? Cruel joke.

P.S. MD, keep up the good work :)