Every Ironman team should have a "Diablo Killer" identified by the time they reach the Lord of Terror. This item should so increase damage, to hit, blocking, life, or speed of attack (or decrease amount of damage taken) that you are nearly assured of killing the Demon.

Of course all Uniques are a known quantity; when a Unique shows up you pretty much know its characteristics (as opposed to some standard "blue" magic items which can end up being cursed). Since ID scrolls may in short supply by endgame, and many GREAT Uniques are high qlevel items, it would be great to know exactly which Unique item(s) should be identified that will give a party member an edge in killing Lord of Terror. In other words, to know just which Unique item(s) earn the opprobrium "Diablo Killers".

Now, some background. The "tests" for the Diablo Killer will use a level 22 Warrior since the Warrior is fairly assured of being clevel 22 by the time you clear dlevel 16 with a three-man team. This warrior will have put all lups into Dex until it maxxed, and then all other lup points into Str to increase damage/stun. (So, this warrior will have Dex 60, Str 95, and Life 112.) Since you cannot assume that you've found "stat-adder" Shrines in the game, none will be used for this Warrior.

We only tested items that can actually be found in Multi-player Normal games: so, no Mangler (cannot be found at all), no Sharp Beak/Helm of Sprits/ Bloodslayer (cannot be found in Normal Games), and no Butcher's Cleaver (is a Single Player item).

Also, since ID scrolls are often in short supply in an IM game, we will identify ONE (and ONLY ONE) Unique item and give it to the Warrior to use. If it is a two-handed weapon, we're done. If it is a one-handed weapon, then the Warrior also gets to use a basic, non-magical Large Shield (some sort of shield usually drops every game). If the Unique ided is a body armor or hat, then the Warrior will be given a plain bastard sword and plain Large Shield also. If the Unique is itself a Shield, the Warrior gets a vanilla bastard sword to go with it. Since Normal Diablo’s to hit % is so great AND you are never assured great armor drops, the Warrior will be wearing no other armor (FPM, Great Helms, Tower Shields, etc. are all out!). He's nearly naked! But he IS tucked into a corner so Diablo’s knockback is nullified.

As with any good IM team, you've been saving your heal potions, and the warrior will be allowed a total of 16 potions to use: 13 small and 3 large reds.

Finally, this Warrior will be going SOLO versus Diablo, because you can never be assured that any of the other team members has survived to reach endgame!

Under these circumstances, we found and fought Normal solo Diablo's ten times using each of the Uniques listed below. The test results are presented. Any items which in ten tests kills Diablo SIX or more times will be claimed to be a DIABLO KILLER!

But to test yourself RIGHT NOW, try to think of which Unique items YOU believe will earn the moniker "Diablo Killer". And be warned, there was indeed one Unique item that DID help this Warrior kill Diablo TEN out of TEN tries! Which one do you think it was? Can you guess?

You might be surprised . . . .

Take the time to look at a Uniques list, make your own predictions, and off we go!

TEST BATCH ONE: Stonecleaver, Hellslayer, Wicked Axe, Cranium Basher
TEST BATCH TWO: The Grizzley, Rod of Onan, Messerschmidt's Reaver
TEST BATCH THREE: Bonesaw, Executioner's Blade, Gryphon’s Claw, Lightsaber, Shadowhawk
TEST BATCH FOUR: Baranar's Star, The Celestial Star, Schaeffer's Hammer, Falcon’s Talon
TEST BATCH FIVE: Doombringer, Gnarled Root, Civerb's Cudgel, The Grandfather
TEST BATCH SIX: Scavenger's Carapace, Demonspike Coat, Sparking Mail
TEST BATCH SEVEN: Fool's Crest, Royal Circlet, Overlord's Helm, Gotterdammerung

**********

(Be it noted: there was an observer in each game using a third-party program that allowed that person to view Diablo's remaining hit points during each battle. This person was also the "chase car" that led Diablo to the level 22 warrior for the test to begin. This person took absolutely no part in the combat itself -- teleporting away to a distance -- but did observe and record Diablo's hit points remaining in each test. FYI it takes 33 damage to stun Normal Diablo.)

**********

(continued)

Unique Diablo Killers (cont.)

**********

TEST BATCH ONE: Stonecleaver, Hellslayer, Wicked Axe, Cranium Basher

Stonecleaver: doing damage 32-50
Life remaining in Diablo: WIN, 1270, 1073, 1472, 1054, WIN, 390, 614, 640, 561

Hellslayer: doing damage 42-72
Life remaining in Diablo: 726, 1096, 899, WIN, 1166, 654, 642, WIN, 1183, WIN

Wicked Axe: doing damage 26-36; having -6dfe
Life remaining in Diablo: 1169, 1443, 1366, WIN, 1247, 1250, 1349, 1619, 1299, 1313

Cranium Basher: doing damage 50-64
Life remaining in Diablo: 991, 1580, 1331, 1006, 978, 1351, 1178, 1080, 1225, 1313

Test Summary: No Diablo Killers in the bunch.

Stonecleaver recorded two wins versus Diablo, while Hellslayer recorded three, showing that it could be done. However, the lack of blocking meant the Warrior could not dodge ANY of Diablo's attacks, and overall our IMer died much more often than Diablo did. The Cranium Basher, even with its huge damage, never killed Diablo. Not even once!

The Wicked Axe was a real disappointment. It was hoped that the -6dfe would somehow make the Warrior last longer in the fight. But the -10 Vitality actually made the Warrior expire faster than either of the other two axes! Each combat using the Wicked Axe was over in less than 12 seconds (even with the Warrior drinking like a fish!), while the other axes might draw the combat out to even 20 seconds! And in nine tries the Wicked Axe never got Diablo's remaining life below 1000 hit points. Sheesh!

**********

TEST BATCH TWO: The Grizzley, Rod of Onan, Messerschmidt's Reaver (Ah, some BIG guns!)

The Grizzley: damage done 49-73
Life remaining in Diablo in ten tests: 1530, 1456, 1380, 1087, 1054, 1238, WIN, 1380, 1550, 1125

Rod of Onan: damage done 38-54 + the summoned Golem
Life remaining in Diablo: 1500, 1250, 1666, 1373, 1070, 1474, 1600, 1188, 1561, 1484

Messerschmidt's Reaver: damage done 73 - 127
Life remaining in Diablo: sub-900, 746, 1418, 1450, 1396, 1666, 1139, 1574, 423, 1260

Test Summary: Not a Diablo Killer in the group!

Even with its tremendous damage and knockback, the Grizzley failed. When the Warrior knocked Diablo back without the ability to block apocalypse -- the Grizzley being two-handed -- this proved more of a liability than an asset, as Diablo could then damage the Warrior (via apoc) while the Warrior could not damage a knocked-back Diablo!

Even with a helper -- the summoned Golem -- Diablo shredded the Warrior who was using the Rod of Onan. The Golem never lasted longer than a single Diablo apoc attack (quite often the Golem exploded before the battle was even joined), and the Warrior was dead meat as soon as the in-fighting began. Not a single win!

But the real disappointment was the Messy's Reaver. NOT ONE WIN! Even with the tremendous damage it does, the -50 life it has makes the Warrior a paper tiger. The battle was ALWAYS over in ten seconds or less, and the Warrior was drinking every 1/2 second or so.
Bummer!

(What is really interesting is that two of the "lesser" weapons -- the Stonecleaver and Hellslayer -- were actually more successful at defeating Diablo than either The Grizzley or Messy's Reaver! The extra life made the warrior last longer, and allowed for more measured potion drinking.)

**********
So, curious yet? All the great two-handed Unique weapons were failures! The Diablo Killer must have been a single handed weapon, right? Have you made your prediction?

**********

TEST BATCH THREE: Bonesaw, Executioner's Blade, Gryphon's Claw, Lightsaber, Shadowhawk

Bonesaw: doing damage 34-45
Life remaining in Diablo in ten tests: 1243, 855, 383, 476, 812, 951, 1112, 1080, 1342, 1245

Executioner's Blade: doing damage 30-40
Life remaining in Diablo: 1520, 911, 1217, 915, 1257, 884, 1059, 982, 1430, 990

Gryphon's Claw: doing damage 28-36
Life remaining in Diablo: 1154, 1489, 1170, 1495, 1079, WIN, 1373, 1471, 1433, 1351

Lightsabre: doing 21-28 damage
Life remaining in Diablo: 1040, 1182, 1246, 1181, 1109, 1190, 990, 1089, 1215, 1175

Shadowhawk: doing 24-32 damage
Life remaining in Diablo: 1087, 1394, 1303, 1087, 1123, 1425, 1021, 1221, 1254, 1163

Test Summary: Not a Diablo Killer in the bunch.

Of all these Unique weapons, only the Gryphon's Claw scored a win versus Diablo, and only ONE TIME in ten tries! The other weapons failed utterly -- no wins whatsoever! Although some of Diablo's attacks could be blocked and the fights were lengthy, the Demon Lord simply damaged the Warrior faster and more severely than the Warrior could in return. Rats!

**********

TEST BATCH FOUR: Baranar's Star, The Celestial Star, Schaeffer's Hammer, Falcon's Talon

Baranar's Star: doing damage 21-38
Life remaining in Diablo: 1340, WIN, 770, 894, 1119, 892, 1066, WIN, 931, 1220

The Celestial Star: doing damage 32-42
Life remaining in Diablo: 882, WIN, 942, 1110, 1312, 925, 1105, WIN, 1014, 1134

Schaeffer's Hammer: doing damage 20-20
Life remaining in Diablo: 883, 1356, 746, 939, WIN, 1094, WIN, 847, 110, WIN

Falcon's Talon: doing damage 23-25
Life remaining in Diablo: 147, 1081, 487, WIN, 506, 95, 403, WIN, WIN, 837

Test Summary: not a Diablo Killer in the bunch, but some interesting results.

Not bad! Baranar’s and the Celestial Star each defeated Diablo TWICE, while -- whodathunkit? -- Schaeffer's Hammer killed Diablo three times as did the Falcon's Talon!!! With both Schaeffer's and the Talon's puny, non-stunning damage, we weren't expecting this test result at all! And the Talon was the only +Dex adders in the bunch! Really gets you to thinking!

TEST BATCH FIVE: Doombringer, Gnarled Root, Civerb's Cudgel, The Grandfather. Oh yeah, the NASTIES!

Doombringer: doing 40-71 damage
Life remaining in Diablo: WIN, 1020, 1122, 847, 837, 1331, WIN, 853, 1049, 965

Gnarled Root: doing 32-44 damage
Life remaining in Diablo: 148, 260, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, 328, 168, WIN, 214

Civerb's Cudgel: doing 21-28 damage tripled
Life remaining in Diablo: 1506, 641, WIN, 1179, 240, 1277, 348, 532, 1415, 1049

The Grandfather: doing 39-56 damage
Life remaining in Diablo: WIN, 114, WIN, WIN, WIN, 184, WIN, 1039, WIN, WIN

AHA! Finally, a Diablo Killer! The Grandfather killed Diablo in 7 out of 10 tries! Gnarled Root came in close with 5 kills in 10 tries, while Doombringer succeeded twice and Civerb's Cudgel once. Surprising that the Cudgel was so ineffective. For Doombringer, the -Life is a real curse on that weapon. The Gnarled did VERY well -- look at the life remaining in Diablo in all the failed attempts! Very close -- imagine if a teammate or two were there helping out!

And finally the Grandfather. The plus to all stats and the plus to hit with tremendous damage made this a real show stopper. It certainly stopped the Lord of Terror often enough!

But where's that Ten-for-Ten Diablo Killer???

**********
Let’s try some armors, shall we?
**********

TEST BATCH SIX: Scavenger's Carapace, Demonspike Coat, Sparking Mail

Scavenger's Carapace: damage done 26-35
Life remaining in Diablo: 591, WIN, 817, 340, WIN, 507, 607, 1280, 493, 271

Demonspike Coat: damage done 29-38
Life remaining in Diablo: 1561, 643, 1154, 1321, 1204, 1296, 475, 1060, WIN, 905

Sparking Mail: damage done 26-35
Life remaining in Diablo: 1156, 1304, 1150, 1167, 1037, 1484, 1254, 1311, 1507, 1228

No Diablo Killer here, with the Scav's Carapace coming closest with two wins in ten tries. Then DSC with one win in ten tries, and Sparking Mail last without a single recorded win.

TEST BATCH SEVEN: Fool's Crest, Royal Circlet, Overlord's Helm, Gotterdammerung

Fool's Crest: damge done: 26-35
Life remaining in Diablo: 656, 526, WIN, 974, 1008, 1039, 738, WIN, 1083, 1161

Royal Circlet: damage done 29-38
Life remaining in Diablo: 1188, 628, 917, WIN, 940, 1587, 1160, 1611, 485, 161

Overlord's Helm: damage done 31-40
Life remaining in Diablo: 1051, 389, 345, 1555, 830, 855, 1355, WIN, 528, 942

Gotterdamerung: damage done 31-40
Life remaining in Diablo: WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN

MAN O MAN! Check out that Gott! Everyone complaining about the negative light radius and the all resists falling to zero -- then it cleans Diablo's clocks! If any Ironman team gets this item, ID it for the final battle with the Dark Lord for sure! But the RC and the Overlord's -- what disappointments! Neither one of them seems quite able to take the Demon Lord's measure. We were thinking the Overlords would be a shoo-in, too! Ah well. And good grief -- look at that Fool's Crest! It killed Diablo twice! It faired better than either the RC or the Overlord's Helm! Go figure! (Well, that +100 life made the warrior a heck of a lot harder to kill, and made drinking a lot less hurried an affair.)

UNTESTED ITEMS AND WHY:

Blackoak Shield: merely equal or inferior to the Royal Circlet in every statistic, and the Royal Circlet failed, so . . .
Leather of Aut: see above.
Vanilla Bastard Sword: see above.
Vanilla Great Axe: merely equal to or inferior to Stonecleaver in every statistic, and Stonecleaver failed.
Celestial Axe: see Vanilla Great Axe.
Vanilla Two-handed Sword: see Vanilla Great Axe
Vanilla Great Sword: see Vanilla Great Axe
Hammer of Jholm does less damage than Stonecleaver (27-42) and has a smaller to hit adder (+15%) and no +30 hit points, so it is inferior to Stonecleaver in every way and need not be tested.

So there you have it, the test for Unique Diablo Killers for the Normal Difficulty Ironman teams and their warrior. Hope you find the info useful.

Attika and Sabra (03/2004)

I must admit I haven't read a D1 strat article in quite some time, but that was a great read. Thanks for taking the time to do all of that testing- it was interesting!

-Griselda

That was a great read.

MY guess was:

windforce

8-)

If you do find a windforce, maybe the rogue could be the one to go after Diablo. She would have a maxed to-hit and should stun him around two-thirds of the time. Perhaps the apoc's would get to her too much when she doesn't stun (always the bane of archer-rogues vs. normal Diablo), especially with her lower life, but it would be interesting to know the results of a similar test for a lvl 22 rogue with a windforce vs Diablo (with all lvl ups to dex and the str requirement).

Of course, if she dies every time, I don't want to know.

You're incorrigible!!

Actually, I had the reverse reaction. Automatic killer for a rogue.... Stormshield

Charis

Hi,

For a second, I thought it was '97 (or maybe '98) again and D1 was a brand new game. Flashback

Great work, you guys.

--Pete

Nice work as always, Attika. So here's a twist for you: There is a trend amongst these results which seems to favor the items that add to the warrior's life. It sounds like this is how the Fool's Crest and Schaefer's Hammer were able to get kills. You and Sabra got to see exactly how that played out, so you may have a better idea if there are any other implications to it. Do you think a warrior should consider distributing to vitality if good life adders aren't ID'd in the mid-game? Or is the race to keep up with the damage curve (and be able to equip high-end gear) too critical?

I sometimes wonder if we don't underestimate the role of vitality, especially when the warrior may be more important as a defensive barrier than as an offensive weapon in a team game. Of course, being able to stun the enemy consistently is sometimes the best defense...

And I'll let Attika respond, but no doubt he'll want to test your theory, and I'll end up with 800 HPS but unable to hit the broad side of a barn.

Why is it always the Warrior ?????

My 2 gp ... I think that sufficient cth and damage are unsurpassable and will remain the critical factors for the Warrior in the IronMan end game. If you can't stun, those extra HPs are going to peel off pretty quickly.

And I'll let Attika respond, but no doubt he'll want to test your theory, and I'll end up with 800 HPS but unable to hit the broad side of a barn.

Ha! Perhaps I should give you my "Beaker" character name, for being the victim (errr, invaluable assistant) for all of Attika's bizarre experiments.

One thing I'm reminding myself about this question is the amount of life these items give. It would take a monstrous amount of stat points to get the kind of life Fool's Crest or the Hammer offer.

I got that one right, yay! The +str bonus for stunning (the critical thing) and the +dex for blocking and tohit are stunning, while the +AC is not to be sneezed at, while lack of resists for that one battle is irrelevant.

I would have felt hopeless out of touch had I got that question wrong, so it made my day to see results come out as I would have thought, including some of the ones I thought would be "good, but not 10 of 10". The Grandfather was the only one that did better than I expected, but mostly because I so seldom used it that I couldn't recall its stats.

BTW, my original answer after reading your post and first paragraph was...

"Unique Diablo killer for IM? Only one answer baby...
A strong WARRIOR " You can't tell what my speciality in IM was, can you?!?? Of course as far as unique weapon choices for the task, I would give in any of them for say a Knights Sword of Speed.

Very nice study
Charis

What a totally cool read to come by one night when I was feeling nostalgic. Before Charis the math wiz there was me Gumby and Kshira. We didn't know what the heck we were doing, his research alone got us 10 times more kills than we had had in the years previous. I wish you guys had been around when we were lurking in the depths - we might have made killing D easy - hah!

Shout out to all who remember me!!

Friar.Fuk

My favorite head gear for my warrior is THE Diablo Killer (in normal difficulty anyway), woohoo! Go Gotter go!

My guess was Scavenger Carapace though.


- SoulEdge
"*burp* too many pots, I need to pee..."

I know most of you have already seen this, but a small guild is hosting an IM tournament that runs through the end of April, and an invitation for guest teams has been posted on the Lurker Lounge. It is pretty standard IM rules, but with no muling or shrine recreation/simulation, traditional trio team is required, and tournament scoring applied.

This might be a good time to dust off your Diablo CDs, if anyone is interested. I'm available on most Saturdays and Sundays (virtually any time of day or night), but my weeknights are booked.

I'd be up for it, but don't expect to win with me on your team. :p I've played but a few solo IMs and have seen only seen as far as the caves. But Saturday nights are best for me... if you're feeling suicidal.

Well, I suppose that your results show that Warriors, known by some surly sorcerers as "Golems" can "Use Their Heads!" and defeat Diablo.

Nice article.

Occhi