Note to self : rename heading to "Introduction to LLD"
Note to self : ask donger to speak about why Blade Talon base, and if any other base can be used and why/why not.
Note to self : Jewels need their own section with examples to be provided
Note to self : Weapon needs its own section with example provided
Note to self : ideally an animation at top of guide (inner cloister duel or w/e)
LLD101 Level 9 Tiger Strike Assassin
Introduction to LLD/MLD
Low Level Dueling ("LLD") encompasses the dueling brackets 9, 18 & 30 and 49. Level 9 Player vs Player (PvP) is typically referred to as Very Low Level Dueling "vLLD" while dueling at Level 49 is typically referred to as Mid Level Dueling "MLD". There are some slight variations to the dueling brackets from time to time i.e. Level 12's with restrictions and characters above level 49, with restrictions, respectively. Duels take place in the Blood More in normal difficulty ( Melee duels might sometimes take place in Inner Cloister) and Mana Potions (and all other potions) are never used. For decades in D2LOD players have played LLD, spending sometimes years to perfect their characters. This Journey has restarted in the game D2r and with changes to the game (FHR, new mechanic's, redundant guides) a new set of guides is required to support players in making their characters. The journey to perfecting a character involves tens of hours of effort - its a labor of love and is often frustrating (item availability in particular!), never the less, we all need a HOBBY, and for some people, this is it.
As with all PvP dueling brackets in D2Resurrected, the goal is to perfect your character as best you can in order to increase your chances of winning. The lower the bracket, the more your gear (and for Level 9 there is a overwhelming emphasis on Jewels) will play an integral part of your success. In this regard players will always seek to Min-Max their characters to perfection. Min-max is a gaming term used to describe the process of minimizing your weaknesses and maximizing your strengths. This means having your character rushed through normal, nightmare and hell, completing Anya and all Stat/Skill Quests (get a friend to help otherwise you might level up by accident), getting a perfect inventory and equipping your character with the best gear possible.
Introduction to Level 9 Builds
(A) Limitations to dueling at Level 9 : This dueling bracket (as with all LLD dueling brackets) has skill, stat and item limitations not seen at the other dueling brackets. (Required Level max = 9 after all). As a consequence there are only certain viable builds with very little room to increase the available class count. Casters are typically in short supply at this dueling bracket noting Enigma (Level 65), never mind Skin of the Viper-magi (Level 29) or Stealth (Level 17) are out of the equation due to Level Restrictions. Furthermore the shortage of available PvP skills in the class skill trees at this level is very restrictive on what you can actually do. Regular builds seen at higher levels "WW Barb" and "Bowa" simply cannot exist.
(B) Damage modifiers at Level 9 : The enhanced damage modifier at level 9 found on items is far lower then at other brackets. Weapons at this bracket can only get 70% enhanced damage. Anything over this level and the item requirement will increase beyond the level we want it to be at. This is a far cry from the 450% Enhanced Damage possible at Level 48 or even 165% enhanced damage possible at level 30. While Ohm grants 50% Enhanced Damage and Magic Jewels 40% Enhanced Damage, we cant use these as the level requirement is too high. 30% Enhanced Damage is also Level 37 so that's out as well. i.e. For all dueling brackets 9-30 the maximum %ed on a Jewel is 20%. This is also why Jewels are so strong at this level - 20ed 4-14 can spawn for jewels (Weapon jewel) while Min Damage Builds (where you focus all your attention at increasing your minimum damage) are very strong (case in point : This Level 9 TS Sin Guide).
(C) Damage to Mana Modifier : With Mana Potions not allowed, and with the limitations on available items while also noting that the mana rolls on items at this level are very low, we also need something to help us to not run out of mana. Enter the Modifier "Damage Taken Goes go Mana" (DTM). This Modifier can spawn on shields and Jewels and effectively solves our mana problems. This is one of the few dueling brackets where this modifier is not useless.
(D) Jewels - the go-to at this level bracket : Most classes at this bracket will use a 3 socket (superior, 15% enhanced defense) Helmet and 4socket (superior, 15% enhanced defense) Armor. Some will also use a Superior 15% enhanced Defense shield and a superior 15% enhanced damage weapon. All these are Base items, not rare, noting you can get more sockets, and sockets at this level equates to damage.
(E) Charms - The elusive 15life 12attack rating charm : One of the steepest "walls" to taking part at this dueling bracket (the same issue is at Level 18 and 30, not so much at 49) is the availability of suitable charms. The perfect charm at this level bracket is a large charm with the modifiers 15 life 12 Attack Rating. When last I checked I saw people offering 1000fg for this charm. So when you are running past unid large charms in Cow Runs or elsewhere, try to remember that finding one of these charms may be a gateway to that Enigma or item you really wanted. It does not matter if it is Ladder or Non Ladder.
Overview of Level 9 Tiger Strike Assassin
Tiger Strike assassins ("TS Sin") are very strong at this bracket due to their incredibly fast attack, high damage output and high attack rating (that scales from the skill tiger strike and from claw mastery). The main strategy is to use Tiger Strike to charge up your attack until you have 3 charges, and then switch to normal attack to offload the charges. With the changes in 2.4, each normal attack only costs one charge, so after you've accumulated 3 charges from tiger strike, you have 3 empowered normal attacks.
As with a lot of builds in LLD its all about your rare weapon and for TS Sins its no different. While you may start with a Superior 15% Enhanced Damage 3 Socket Blade Talon, the end game weapon you are looking for is a Rare Eth Replenish Quantity "Eth Repl" Blade Talon with 10ias, 70% Enhanced Damage, 2 Sockets and with the Chance to Cast Amplify Damage "CTC Amp" modifier. While such a weapon is not expected to be seen anytime soon, mentioning it might be the first step to actually seeing it as awareness of what good looks like, is a serious mountain for the wider D2r community, to overcome.
Unless you manage to trade an amazing weapon (unlikely, for the reasons outlined above), the journey of getting your End-Game weapon will involve making new characters, rushing them to Level 18 and imbuing new Eth Blade Talons over and over again as you rush new characters. These Base ethereal items (superior quality is irrelevant) typically sell for between 5fg - 10fg each (throughout all cycles of ladder/non-ladder). While there is a recipe to reroll rare items (x6 Pskulls + item) this would change your base Eth item to Non Eth, therefore this recipe cannot be used in this endeavor. The 6Pskull + Item would however be used to re-roll jewels (more on this later). so TLDR: Ethereal weapons do way more damage then non ethereal ones and a TS Sin wants a 10ias Eth Repl %ED Weapon for End Game completion of character. The journey to completing you character may be long and winding but remember - the Journey is sometimes more exciting then arriving at your destination!
Pros to the Build
High Damage and High Attack Rating
Low Strength and Dexterity Requirements
High Life
Cons to the Build
Low Defense (no skills to augment this)
This post was edited by ferdia on Nov 25 2022 04:20am
D2:R