a New guy in town. hello.

[Kayben]

Hello everybody,

I am new in the community.
I've been a silent reader till now - sucking up all the information I can.
Using the search feature quite alot.

I got Torchlight for a month and a half.
But started playing addictively only the past two weeks.

So far i made 4 characters:
1. Destroyer – easy difficulty, to get to know the game, played mainly a tank stomper. Reached clvl 47, took me time to understand that the Shadow Vault is endless.
2. Destroyer – hard difficulty, finished at clvl 38, played a Devastator
3. Vanquisher – VH, clvl 30, I didn't reach the end, I wanted to start a new Vanq.
4. Vanquisher – VH, clvl 38. My goal was to reach 10 barter and to see if i can make money out of air. Apparently it requires 11 skill points and not 8 as dreamrider claimed. Maybe it's because I play Ver1.1 unpatched.

A total of 66 hours of gaming so far.

In my next post I am going to plan my next char. hint, I go hardcore.

[Kayben]

So my plan is, after I finish with my current Vanq VH, is to make a new Vanq in Hardcore mode, VH of course.
Not only that, I am going to also play with some ironman features.
Mainly because I think the unlimited Enchanting is overpowered, and it kind ruins for me the fun in finding new gear since I can just create my own.

So my rules are here:
1. No town Enchanting, only dungeon Enchanting (which is limited to 1 try of course) is allowed.
2. No weapons from other characters passed through the shared stash / hairlooming.

Other features I play, but they are not rules, but just my style of gaming:
I don't buy weapons / armor at the vendors. I rather find them in the Quest.
I don't fish much, usually only a few times in a game.
I don't gamble much.
Another goal of mine is not to enter the Shadow Vault for farming.
Btw - I found out that if you start the game playing in the Shadow Vault instead of the Main Quest, it locks the Shadow Vault in clvl 1 creation. So if you come back in the future, it stays in low level stage.

My game plan:
Go for speed cast! For ricochet. (the default 1 point is enough)

Critical Strikes – 10
Block and Parry – 10
Ranged Weapon Expertise – 10

Armor Expertise – 10
Hamstring – 1
Flechette Trap – 1
Advanced Spellcasting – as many as needed.

My pet is going to be equipped with: Heal All, Summon Skeleton

This character is a mix of all the good main skills in each tree
Marksman - Ricochet
Rogue - Hamstring
Arbiter - Flechette Trap

I'll try and update my progess.

[Zidders]

Welcome to the community, Kayben ^_^ Can't wait to read about your adventures. Don't be shy or afraid to ask for any tips or advice, or let us know if you're having any issues when playing ^_^

[SadSally]

Just wanted to say that I like reading stuff like this

My first char was a vanq as well, focused entirely on Ricochet and putting all points in dex (almost) and finished it with 3 deaths on hard. I just don't think that spamming 1 skill from afar is that fun or challenging, but I am also still learning, got the game 2-3 weeks ago and been playing like a mad.

I only play VH hardcore now and I must say its both fun and anoying . Lost my lvl 19 battle alchemist because I answered someone on steam, while forgetting to pause the game- duh

Anyways, welcome to the community, and let us know what happens.

[Kayben]

Thanks for the support.

So the adventure begins:
Meet Frosty and her Siberian Husky dog - Iceberg.


Frosty is VHHC Marksman.
She will specialize in Frost Pilum.

I Sold my TP and bought 3 health potions. And started my quest.
In the end of Floor 1 i got back to town, got rewarded for my first quest with a lovely yellowish gem of +4% to cast speed.
i bought a TP and got back to the dungeon to floor 2



i took it slow and easy, ricocheting my way.
collecting armor. i then encounter my first enchanted fountain. i enchanted a pair of gloves.
lucky me i got +3 to ice dmg, could i ask for more?!



so by the end of floor 2, i am already LvL5.
this is my skill point distribution so far:
clvl2: Ranged Weapon Expertise (1/10)
clvl3: Ranged Weapon Expertise (2/10)
clvl4: Ranged Weapon Expertise (3/10)
clvl5: Frost Pilum (1/10) (YEY!)

How to screenshot easily? Shift + F9 doesn't seem to work.
now i press the screenshot button and paste it in paint brush

[SadSally]

Very nice so far

I am not sure how to easily take screenshots, I myself use printscrn + paint as well.

Could you tell us a bit about the difficulty so far? Have you had any close moments yet?

I am starting a VHHC melee alchemist now to see how viable he is, havent really read about it too much.

Anyways I wish you the best of luck in your adventure.

[Kayben]

hey sadsally,

yes, i had close moments.
at start, the armor is thin, the hp are low.
it is not hard for me to kill. but if 3-4 monsters give me a a good strike all together i almost die.
so i basically try to not let any monster to get close and i shot'em from a safe distance.

Here is my progress:
Frosty entered floor 3, i got a point for fame., then upgraded to clvl6.
i enchanted my helemt in the a fontain i found.
i town portaled back to town to retrieve quest points. i decided to buy a few maps (1-10) for future use, stored them at the stash.



i entered floor 4 - to fight brink. it took me some time to take him down.
although he also specials in ice, but he is not a true challenge for my swiftness.

floor 5, got another point for fame. i advanced to clvl7, and then i saw the purple Ox.
i slayed him and he opened to phase portal.
after clearing the floor, i couldn't resist myself and went back to the purple portal.
i read about all the warnings to not go in those black holes.
but i decided to take the risk.

it wasn't easy - i gulped those potions. i finished about 12 health + 12 mana potions to clear that tinny map.
i understood it is my first and last phase portal i am going in.

my reward for that phase portal was to advance another clvl to 8.
btw - i decided to pamper Iceberg for his great aid and bought it a cool Frost spell for 1,500 gold.

skill point distribution:
fame2: Armor Expertise (1/10)
clvl6: Critical Strikes (1/10)
fame3: Armor Expertise (2/10)
clvl7: Ranged Weapon Expertise (4/10)
clvl8: Critical Strikes (2/10)

[SadSally]

Very interesting so far, I died in a phase portal the first time I played hardcore with a destroyer, and know now what lies on the other side!

You seem to be going the way of the frost archer, very cool indeed.

[Kayben]

floor 6 - i continue my voyage.
i gain xp9, xp10, another point for fame.
i kill the 3 sisters - i don't remember if it was before floor 6 or after.



i head to the 7th floor - which was very fruitful another 2 XP and 2 Fame points.
how easy i think to myself while i kill another few zombies on a stairway.
suddenly i notice my health pot is almost empty.
i press 1 to heal, but it is a millisecond to late and i die. while i a squize in my chair "Noo!"
silly death number 1.

well, i guess it had to happen sooner or later.
here is a nice picture of Frosty the babe - (Level 12)



just to stay presist,
here was my skill points distribution:
clvl9: Ranged Weapon Expertise (5/10)
clvl10: Armor Expertise (3/10)
fame4: Critical Strikes (3/10)
clvl11: Ranged Weapon Expertise (6/10)
fame5: Ranged Weapon Expertise (7/10)
clvl12: Armor Expertise (4/10)
fame6: Critical Strikes (4/10)

[Kayben]

i had 2 other tries which failed.
FrostyII - Brink killed me.
my lesson from was to not be cheap on potions and every time my health reach 50%, drink a potion.
FrostyIII - i advanced up to 10, i decided to start doing maps i bought.
in my second map i encounter a dark zealous. I didn't manage to escape the green energy bolts and it put me down in one swift.
i guess my mistake i started doing those maps too early.

[mjkittredge]

If you're going to do Hardcore, I'd recommend getting items that boost your HPs and defense attribute, also as much armor and resist as you can find. Also get the summoning spells. Having 5 skeletons up can save your life. They won't kill hardly anything on your own, but they distract enemies getting them to attack the skeletons instead of you. You can add a flaming sword or pack of zombies or bunch of skeleton archers as well. As monsters are trying to kill these, you're much much safer.

Also some different tactics might help you - pull a few monsters from a bigger group away from the rest by getting just close enough that some break off from the pack. Then run back, finish them and repeat.

Another tactic is that sometimes when standing on higher ground (or lower ground) you can kill monsters in a separate section above or below you when they can't reach you or fight back. If a regular shot wont' hit, experiment with Ricochet or aoe attacks, and traps.

[Kayben]

thanks for the tips. i use'em all.
i just got my 7th character die. i reached level 18 and again decided to try 1-10 maps.
after i entered, i understood it wont end up good. a summoner got me trapped for a sec and blasted me with his green bolts.
i am using skeletons and zombies to distract the enemy.

indeed my problem is that i am too vulnerable although i carry a shield, boosted armor exp to (10/10) and got the best armor i can (without enhancing).

i wanted to avoid using traps, buy maybe it is a must for any vanquisher in VHHC.

[dreamrider]

Try going into a 1-10 map dungeon when your character is level 2.

If the setting is Detached Estheria, leave immediately. The minimum mob level for that setting is 7.

If setting is either Orden Mines or Crypt, you should be OK.

In the Mines, since your character is 2, mobs will be set at level 1. I think that is also true in the Crypt, though they may have a minimum m-level of 4, so be a little careful at first.

You should be able to emerge from the map dungeon at about c-lvl 5.

Really, with a Vanq, the chances that the mobs have to actually HIT you should be minimized. You should be shooting most of them down before they get that close, and running back for more shooting room if more than one gets in swing distance. No matter how much Def and Armor you put on the girl, you cannot stand and let them come up to you and take their shots. Or stand where they are shooting at you. Shoot and shoot and move back and shoot.

BTW, with a level 18 character, all the mobs in your map dungeon will be set at level 17. So it is actually proportionally HARDER to survive than opening the map sooner. Now on 1-10 maps the critters eventually top out, at level 18 I think, so with about a level 22 character it begins to be a cakewalk.

dreamrider

[Kayben]

thanks dreamrider for the tips, you are a great source of information.

i started a new character (VHHC) - "Inferno". it focuses on Flame trap and Explosive Shot.
Basicly it was Flame Trap at the first 15 levels. a few levels of combination of flame trap and Explosive Shot and now mainly Explosive Shot.
Here is a picture of my progress - Level 20.


This time i changed my game style -
i still don't enchant or pass weapons through the shared stash but -
i do shop from vendors regularly for weapons.
i also gamble and fish from time to time.
and i also entered the Shadow Vault for farming.

in my next character i plan to use only the shadow vault instead of regoing through the quest maps and the 1-10 maps.
i managed to reach level 25.
i hope not to die, but if so not a big deal.

i understand now that the only key factor is just to over level your enemies.

[mjkittredge]

She looks great, congrats on your progress.

Like you said, being ahead in levels gives you a much better chance of survival. Going back to do earlier levels might not be a bad idea either.

[Gidbin]

hi

is there a reason why you never put a point into wind of justice?

for me woj is obligatory for any vanq i play in vhhc, even more then block & parry
it helped me to survive very often, e.g. in these rooms whre the doors lock and skeletons come spawn and surround you; or the quest reward dungeon map you get from vasman, there´s a scripted event where hordes of goblins come out of the hatches (however, if you chose to play the quest reward maps, the monsterlvl scales with char lvl); i remember at least two situations i only survived due to massive woj casting

[Zidders]

Frosty and Iceberg look like they're coming along nICELY. ^_^ Thanks for the updates, this has been a fun read.

[Kayben]

replies and update:

Gidbin, i don't like WoJ. it takes a lot of time to cast it.
without some points in it, the knockback isn't that strong.
i just don't let myself to be crowded, i backup all the time.
in general, i think it is more of a melee vanquisher must skill than a marksman.
in level 25 you get hamstring which is the better to escape.

Zidders, i kinda quitted Frosty's adventure after the 7th failure.
I started instead an "evil sister" quest - Inferno with her lovely cat Flame.
i now reached level 28. i was farming the shadow vault and i didn't notice my health potions were out.
after reclicking "1" and the health pot not being filled, i got bashed by 27 level creatures.
as i mentioned before, i don't sweat over it. because i already got bored from this marksman method of playing.
i don't really like Explosive Shot, i think it's over powered. i don't like the sound of it and the fact it shakes the screen each time you fire it.

i thought i could make a character focused on a certain element, but i see it just becoming a marksman.
so i think i am going to try a rogue character.
main attack skills: Stab, Wind of Justice.
passive, the usual: Critical Strikes, Armor Expertise, Block and Parry.
maybe also Defensive Spell Mastery + Haste.

[dreamrider]

Challenge yourself to use Ricochet throughout, instead.

dreamrider

[Kayben]

As promised, I started a new rogue character named Sarah (VHHC).



So i started searching the Shadow Vault as planned, clearing the first 4 floors.
Only then i moved to the quest levels.
My plan is basically to advance both SV and quest in the same pace that i always out level the quest level.
because i can use only 1 portal open at town, i use it for the Shadow Vault while in the quest level i use only the gate portals.

i saved my 5 stat points for later.
then i put one in Stab, the rest i split between Critical Strikes and Armor Expertise up to clvl10 -
i put 1 point in Wind of Justice. and continue with Critical Strikes and Armor Expertise.
i reached so far level 12 with no difficulty.
An important issue is that my character uses a lot of mana for Stab and WoJ.
Therefore i bought a two socket weapon and equipped it with 2 eyeballs to leech mana quickly.