Mcclain post a great example here http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=26942827&f=74

nice, im getting like 30% welling success with my bottom of the line gear. Looks like i gotta hope a ballin sencond itam drops ^^

Nice info, thanks.

Hmm...

At this point I would typically advise against welling with melee.

It's still entirely possible to do successfully, even at high levels, but the expense to do so would simply not be worth it.

Just as I'd advise against casting for anything other than heal in catacombs, as that's NOT what catacombs casting is best used for, I'd also advise against welling with melee, unless it's a hybrid HEALING melee, and even then, expect the battle to last quite some length of time.

It's gotten quite obvious that multiple builds are needed in the game. Since the introduction of alchemist, a pure melee setup hasn't been even remotely possible, and with Headhunter being... Limited the way it is, a pure, all-class caster is not truly a feasible build either, with the chance to pass Headhunter being so low, and the length of time necessary for a caster climb on that class being so high. Basically, you're going to build a caster setup at some point anyhow, so why not build your weller around that eventuality, and be better set for welling while you're getting there?

I will expand on this when I update the guide, which will happen approximately whenever I feel like thinking about perhaps possibly getting around to it.



This post was edited by InsaneBobb on Jan 25 2009 11:40pm

With the ls nerf it's going to be more impossible than usual lol.

This post was edited by Cloudfire on Jan 25 2009 11:39pm

Melee welling has never been impossible, and still isn't. This merely means you will have to adapt your build and your playing style to fit a new age of the game.

Welcome to reality, my friend. The rest of us have been hit by the same hammer. Hurts, doesn't it?

Go beg wigwam for a melee welling guide, if you must. He's been a non-lifesteal melee weller quite successfully for months now, until he was unfortunate enough to hit Warlock. Perhaps he'll share his secrets.

Would be totally impossible(I guess not totally...if you rolled perfect life steal almost everytime(lol)) with that setup now after the nerf, however my friend used a hybrid melee healer and was able to do high lvl wells with a pretty good success rate.(And yes he got the build from wigwam )

This post was edited by McClain on Jan 25 2009 11:51pm

That's it, right there.

A pure LS build is garbage now. LS was finally scaled back to the point where it's helpful as a secondary stat, but just an ee weapon and LS gear is no longer a viable solution to welling, as indeed it never should have been.

Also, pure stat builds are rough too, unless you have top end stuff. Wells typically have good defense, so you need high ee and decent strength. However, they like to cast here and there, so int for defense vs the cast is good too. Yet they crit as well, so high dex is needed. Now, theoretically, should you be able to amass all three of those stats, plus get enough defense on your armor to withstand normal hits, you could do quite well. Unfortunately, especially with robe classes, the normal shots are what kills you at the high levels, because wells simply have such huge life.

Therefore, you need to be able to heal. Previously, lifesteal was a viable solution to this problem. Indeed, even now, lifesteal + life per attack could still be of great aid. However, if you're going to build a high statted melee weller anyhow, why not focus on high dex/st armor/charm, and if possible even get a weapon with high dex/st on it, as well as it's ee, and then dump all stats in int? If you can do that, and perhaps get a tad bit of heal mastery, and a gfg EE heal charm, it's quite possible to get a melee char that wells every bit as easily as my caster does (bragging bit intended, hate me bitches!).

However, as you can see, MY theory on melee welling is quite expensive. I think Tim (wigwam) has a slightly less costly theory, though I can't be certain. I'm sure he's got some room in his inbox, why don't you all spam him with requests to write a melee well guide for you, and I'll update mine as a caster well guide?

my build was originaly based around what good items i had, it is a dominance build and ifyou guys listen to Paul atm dominance is where it is at.
By this I mean the pure overpowering of the effectiveness of the mobs you are fighting at their respective tier. the mobs alter and so do we the trick is to stay ahead of the game.

pure stat melee was an option that became available to me due to this and i made some charecters in this fashion to decipher the optimal effectiveness of my charecter at various points, and to test differing quatities of str and dex so as to know what i should be looking for in the soft stat i am adding to retain speed and effectiveness.
with + 80 int and a whole host of melee stats too i did manage to well in the sixties which was surprising to me. it was not the reason for the build though and any of the very very high health wells would of easily won

my hybrid build proved to be a real labour of love at times. dominance. if it slips it is like a classic lifesteal build: unforgiving. yet there are more ways for it to fail.
let me give you some examples if i lose power i lose speed, so i will take a terribly long time to lvl, i am a caster originaly and kill speed is important to me. particulaly tough 1-30 as there we natuaraly begin dominant then overpower further with added stats and items. not impossible though. lack of power vs wells can lead either to long battles (if the rest is balanced) or failure to complete if dmg received is now getting too high.
if your defences are too low you can fall into the point where all added stats to int? meaningless. all it now does is make you hit them with less power and nothing is gained. (this is not entirely true but balance is very very hard to optimise and should be avoided by any but the most knowledgable)
heal efficiency? heal lock anybody? no i dont like it either.
vs wells which is what we are discussing here? well they are the one spot where dominance can be lost and a high ammount of dmg received. if your heal is too low in power you lose some.
if your damage is so pitiful you are just going back to heal all the time? you lose some.
if you damage received is so high you cannot cope with it despite your hgh attack and heal? you lose some. (robes are ok low int and dex is not, 200 shot? no worries 1500 shot? big worry)
vs wells get some syphon too, chuckle to yourself as you realise that now you are unassailable. my monk and ninja welling robe was 50 str and 10% syphon for a very long time and it was wonderful.
if you can balance all those factors together though it is a 100% well killer. 100% not 99%. You are so much more powerful in every way than anything that can spawn.

so yes you can well, btw ls builds? never were much good vs top end wells due to the fact it can receive so much dmg vs a few of them. that is one of the chief reasons i made him i did not wish for a secondary weller to ensure success.

i may write something in builds and discussions just so questions can be answered but i doubt many have the patiance to wade through the wall of text i would create so if you have any please post them there and we can use that forum finaly in a way it should be used.

one final note this was my way. what is yours? the reliance upon out of date guides for such a long time has been terribly depressing.
it was very very cheap btw Dominic (Insanebobb) my mq gear cost me 500 fg on ninja. bear in mind my Warlock gear cost me 0 fg. ls has the hots for me what i pay differs to everyone else

one final note: hard stats (charecter base not items)? int is the most powerful by a long way. ofc it is not a cure all and has it's limitations which need to be balanced.
healmastery is not a dominant stat it is heal efficiency only. forget this at your peril.
have fun.
duel a lot it is useful info.

This post was edited by wigwam on Jan 26 2009 08:56am

very nice but im having massive trouble welling with my melee char

i think his good (i think)