LLD101 Level 9 Amazon Guide : Jabber
Introduction to PvP and LLD/MLD PvP
Player vs Player (PvP for short) was an integral part of the game Diablo 2 : Lord Of Destruction (D2LOD). While the PvP community as a total % of the D2LOD population was tiny, the acquisition of PvP items invariably made Player vs Monster (PvM) players fabulously rich, with PvP players, at all brackets, paying premium amounts for chase PvP items. In D2r a High Level Duel "HLD" player is happy to pay 275,000fg for a dream Barb Helmet (as we saw in early 2022) and at the same time a MLD player will pay 25,0000fg for a Bow or Sword while a vLLD player won't bat an eye at spending 10,000fg for a dream vLLD jewel (as we have seen). In this regard Ladder resets provide a timely injection to the PvP community who will often buy items in ladder and wait for the ladder reset (Most dueling takes place in nonladder).
Low Level Dueling ("LLD") encompasses the dueling brackets 9, 18 & 30 and 49. Level 9 PvP is typically referred to as Very Low Level Dueling or "vLLD", Level 30 is LLD while Level 49 PvP is typically referred to as Mid Level Dueling or "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. Users have played LLD for decades, spending sometimes years to perfect their characters. Some players to this day are still trying to perfect their character in D2LOD never mind in D2r. The Journey to perfection of a PvP character is long and with changes to the game (FHR, new and changed/removed mechanic's, redundant or missing guides, changes to skills etc) a new set of guides is being written to support new and old "og" players coming to the game. Perfecting a character is 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 D2r, the goal is to perfect your character as best you can in order to increase your Life/Damage so that you can take more hits or kill your opponent faster. The lower the bracket, the more your gear 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. For all PvP brackets 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 (which is available to you).
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 and it is predominantly melee only. In this regard you dont need stacked or maxed resistances (LLD in general does not need alot of resistances as duels take place in normal). 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 available at level 9 is far lower then at other brackets. Weapons at this bracket can only get 70% enhanced damage (and thats 2 mods!). 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. In this regard characters at vLLD will typically have Rare Eth-Rep Weapons, making each character unique, which has its own attraction.
(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 is generally regarded as useful in melee but useless in open dueling. It is however useful on a LLD ESLight Sorc (Level 30). This modifier can spawn on Shields and Jewels and effectively solves the Level 9 Melee mana problem.
(D) Jewels - : Most classes at this bracket will use a 3 socket superior, 15% Enhanced Defense Helmet and 4 socket 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.
Sockets - While Ohm grants 50% Enhanced Damage and Magic Jewels can grant up to 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 % Enhanced Damage 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) and looks good at 9, 18 and 30. Meanwhile, 8Min/-15% Requirements/40ar would be the dream jewel an Ancient Armor.
(E) Charms - The elusive 15life 12attack rating charm : One of the steepest "walls" to competing-to-win 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 Jabber
Jabbers were arguably the most powerful Level 9 Melee Build in D2LOD and while there have been changes to Skills across the board, there is little to suggest things will be anyway different in D2r. While their stats look low compared to heavy hitting Sac Paladins and charged up TS Sins, their Critical Strike, Dodge, and fast, uninterruptible attack, more than make up for their low displayed damage. Just like all vLLD builds, a godly Jabber can get quite expensive, and finding godly jewels and a perfect inventory can take a long time. In addition you need an Eth Rep Weapon. While a TS Sin has a Eth Rep Blade Talon as Best In Slot (BIS) (due to its base speed), A Jabbers BIS weapon is an Eth Rep Throwing Spear (For the same reason - its fast). It is highly recommended to self imbue one (takes about 10-15 attempts) as you might be a while looking for one otherwise.
Pros to the Build
Fast Attack Speed
Dodges
Low Strength and Dexterity Requirements
Cons to the Build
As with all vLLD Builds item availabilty of perfect jewels (and charms) is an issue
Time and FG cost to making a very good one is very daunting
D2:R