I just started yesterday, I have a lvl 4 fighter right now, and I'm pretty sure I've already messed up stats..but..what's a good starting char? where should i put stats? do i need to buy items? do i really have to lvl so slowly in the arena -.-

idk, anything that helps is welcome

for first aid, you should take some reading in the beginners section e.g. over here:

http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=24496799&f=74

most basic questions are answered there.


you can find more detailed character guides over here, e.g. a guide on barbs introducing 2 common solutions where to put stat points and what items to use.

http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=22760522&f=74


to give you some quick impression already:

your mean problem currently is that you are using tier I gear.

the problem about this is, that tier II and tier III gear have no level requirements as well, but much higher basic damage/defence and higher stats possible.
so you should always use tier III gear for the first 5 levels ( unless its godly season 1 gear, but thats a different chapter, since its hell expensive )
at level 5, you usualy change to tier IV gear and so on ( the intervals depend on the stats on items, some strong ones can serve well much longer )

Take this example:



as you see, tier III weapons damage is 3 times higher in the basic version, so even if you get ee on a tier I item, it will most likely be still inferior
as the basic values are so low.

throughout your climb, monsters get stronger, so you need to improve your gear, too, in order to be competitive.
in the low levels, upgrade your weapon every 5 levels, later on every 5-10 lvls depending on your gear.

take this list as a help to check when you need to upgrade your weapon:



armor and charm have to be upgraded as well, but depending on the stats this can be done in larger intervals.


of course, you can play the game without spending anything.

BUT. if you dont invest, do not expect to rock this game and climb fast. you will not no matter how wise you stat your characters.
of course knowledge is a very important aspect and helps a lot to improve, but having the gear is essential for climbing fast.

you can either buy it and save a lot of time ( and re-earn fg by killing much more monsters in the same period of time as with no good items )
or grind your way. you can improve in both ways of course, but it needs a lot of patience to play without spending anything at the start
and if you have the means and enjoy the game, wise investments are very helpful.

see it rather this way: you spend a lot fg at the start, but you receive strong gear to kill more ( = more mq attempts, more potential items to be found which brings fg back again )
and of course its much more fun to kill monsters with a few hits than grinding for ages on just 1 monster.

This post was edited by NaRa on Dec 24 2008 01:53am