I've attempted a few grails and they've always fizzled out once I had those last few items remaining. Simply put, the state of the game in vanilla isn't meant for one person to reasonably find all the items. That's where the challenge is.
However I was recently made aware of a way you can modify some of the drop statistics in the game, and so I decided I'd give it one last go (on an easy class) with a slightly modified game.
This obviously is not as challenging as a vanilla grail, I understand that. This walkthrough will have a 1.33x modifier to set and unique drops, as well as all boss kills will be quest drops - not just Andariel.
See FAQ for how this will impact the walkthrough.Trophy - The Paladin
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Q: How does this impact your drop chances of rare uniques? Is this even a challenge anymore?
A: It's still a challenge for me, albeit, a slightly more manageable one given my work schedule and inability to complete grails in the past (vanila).
Let's use Tyrael's Might as the example, given it's rarity, players 8 with 200MF:
Baal (Standard drop rates, non-quest kill)
Tyrael's Might The Worldstone Chamber 1:160220
Baal (Modified drop rates, non-quest kill)
Tyrael's Might The Worldstone Chamber 1: (approximately) 148000
Why does the drop rate not get multiplied by a true 1.33? Because this modifier only increases the chances of an item rolling unique/set - it does not increase the likelihood of sacred armor to drop.
Baal (Standard drop rates, quest kill)
Tyrael's Might The Worldstone Chamber 1:102755
Baal (Modified drop rates, quest kill)
Tyrael's Might The Worldstone Chamber 1:(approximately) 94000
This results in somewhere near a 40% reduction in runs necessary (From approximately 160k baal kills, for example, to 94k). Still plenty rare, but overall more manageable.
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Q: Does this mean you're bad at PvM?
A: Yes, duh
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Q: Why Hammerdin?
A: I've come close to completion on a Blizzard sorc, but running AT as my primary high alvl map got really really dull. Likewise on a necro I made, poison nova @ pits was extremely fast and easy, but it got quite dull over time. Hammerdins can clear anything easily, it's kind of "easy mode" - but in the sense that they're very versatile. The only other character in my mind that comes close in terms of late-game versatility is an assassin (lightning damage, physical damage, corpose explosion, very tanky, and has fun playstyle like riftsin).
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Q. What other modifications are in use?
A: Good question. Keys and tomes have increased stack size. I can pickup more than one torch/anni, which is just a nice QoL change (I won't use more than one once I get one, if that's possible), and I can use skills in town (teleport
).
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Q: What is the point of this topic?
A: Primarily to track my progress. I'll post noteworthy finds (I take screenshots of everydrop) and a somewhat daily update on my total grail progress. It's more for me to look back on, but it also allows you to follow along and see my struggles