[1.6] Challenge run - minimum point allocation - Hound TW

[Cathbald]

Because there is no run like a challenge run, and because some people wondered if hounds were harmed by the coming of 1.6, i felt it was my duty to attempt this challenge again.
https://te4.org/characters/101797/tome/ ... f0aecbcf1b

It felt both harder and easier than in 1.5, depending on how far in the run I was. Broad strokes : everything after Briagh was harder, and everything before easier. Vor:A especially felt like a joke, somehow. Enemies that are hard are HARD. I really bricked on several enemies and never had that happen in 1.5 run. Average threat in 1.5 higher, spike threat in 1.6 higher.
Hounds hit way less hard. I had them at 284 damage during final fight in 1.5, only 190 in 1.6.7 That is massive. Some enemies just had too much armor and i had to kill them through breath and procs. Of course hounds still take focus so you're still pretty safe usually.

I cheesed 5 or 6 HP stair guardian on my way up against 0 last time (dim step to switch place with them before they take aggro).
I died twice.
First in Reknor (ring of the dead save) to a tentacle that constricted me. Now, i don't wanna whine but i tp'd behind a corner and then ran, so there was 15 tiles and 2 separate set of walls between us, yet constrict still pulled me and dealt 1500 darkness damage. OK.
Second death was in Illusory Castle (BoL save), i knew i was in danger but thought it would be ok. It wasn't. Whitehoof Swabutcher Shadowblade are no joke people.

Otoh, i was able to do the book of horror with barely any issue. Elandar never targeted me in the final fight, Argoniel hit me like, three times ? Hounds take aggro on engage and just don't lose it unless they die. Aeryn survived. Hounds were dealing 300+ per hit on Argoniel on crit. With 62% crit chance and 150% crit mult, 3 hounds were roughly 800 damage per turn. And 5 turns out of 10 they had 151% global speed so, let's say 1k/turn DPS.

A couple MVP fixedart, Blade of Distorted Time which was inflicting a 238% global slow in radius 6 every time i hit with it, and Aetherwalk which was dealing 400+ in AoE every time i used a tp. I like art rework, please more.
Pretty sure curses on ammos are new too ? They are a godsend, applying curse of vulnerability + spellshock means you don't care that your hounds don't inherit pen.
Being able to craft ring really saved itemisation in the end game, and was a decent bonus earlier.
New charms are invaluable.

Biggest difference, though of course loot at the time might explain them : Prides were notably harder in 1.6 (and some vault impossible).
I also met several mobs my hounds just couldn't kill and they stayed in stalemate for hundred of turns before i went and helped. Several fight i had to leave, even helping the hounds (Massok, Greater Mummy Lord, Aluin, some ruined dungeon unique). Some of them i came back later and managed, some i didn't.

Bottom line, here is the build :


Now who wants to participate in the challenge, with TW or other ? (adventurer and possessor not welcome )

[Just a dood]

Really nice! Honestly the blade of distorted time seems a little too powerful. Can anything come close to that amount of slow?

[Frumple]

I mean, most significant (50%+) slows do, more or less? The diminishing returns on slow are pretty harsh, the actual effect of a 260% slow isn't much more than, say, a 60% one. It does slow more, but not by a huge amount, iirc. Want to say the difference is like 15-20% in the global reduction, which ain't nothin', by any means, but it's still roughly in the same ballpark.

That extra one turn in five or so is still pretty helpful 'cause slows are quite powerful, and from what I remember the blade's bigger help is that its slows are both pretty consistent and AoE, as opposed to less consistent and single target, but it's hard to bring enemy global below like 40-ish percent, and far less hard to drop it to the 50-60% range, least if I'm remembering the numbers right. Stacking global speed reduction isn't nearly as sexy/game-breakingly-powerful as it used to be...

[Cathbald]

I dropped Vor to 32% global while he had Essence of Speed on.
I dropped Elandar to 29% global.

That is massively more than your usual 60% slow will do.

Now imagine using that weapon with a winterchill edge attached...