Newbie takes on D2 for the first time

[Sullla]

The way that mana regeneration works in Diablo 2 is that it always takes 2 minutes by default to fill up the mana orb from zero to full. This takes exactly the same time whether your character has 20 max mana or 500 max mana (and assuming no Warmth or items with +mana regeneration). As a result, it's much easier to avoid running out of mana as the game goes on because mana regeneration will scale up alongside your character as they level up. Characters always get a small amount of additional mana with each level and after 70 levels that adds up to a lot. Add in the fact that lots of caster gear will have additional Energy and it's very possible to run casting builds without skilling Energy with base stat points. (This is also due to the fact that Hardcore characters absolutely need to sink every stat point possible into Vitality to lower the possibility of dying.)

Now if you aren't an expert player and not playing Hardcore, I don't think there's anything wrong with putting some stat points into Energy. I'm planning on targeting about 100 Energy for my Low Rent Legion sorcie which would be a big no-no for a Hardcore character... but this isn't a Hardcore environment and having more mana does help out a good bit at keeping a fast clear pace going. The all-Vitality approach is basically trading speed for safety, again something you need for Hardcore. There's no clear right answer here and particularly for someone like haphazard who is learning in the early stages of the game, I wouldn't stress too much about this.

[KingOfPain]

Today's question for D2 veterans: How does weapon speed work? If I have two weapons with equal listed damage but one has fast attack speed and the other normal attack speed, does the fast weapon do more effective damage per time? While my druid's weapon damage is pretty puny compared to the damage from fissure, the long casting delay often means some melee is necessary. And tight passages like the Maggot Lair can also force him to resort to melee. So he can not ignore his weapon entirely.

Speed is king! Yes, if all things being equal (actually even when things are not equal), speedy weapon does more damage over time. But it also has many other advantages (beside some game mechanics that takes your actions into account) such as damage bonuses from your other items. Say if you have a plus 2-4 Fire damage charm, that fire damage adds up quick. If you have a Knock Back effect from items such as Howltusk or sticking a NEF into your weapon, you can disable monsters by keeping it in Knock Back stun lock. Speed is even worth some sacrifice in total damage.

Besides, having speedy animation makes the game SEEM more enjoyable

[KingOfPain]

And a quote from my Throwology guide [You want math? You've got it!] to bring the point home

Speaking of speed, speed (and IAS) is the single most important attribute for a 2xThrower...
Speed to kill them before they get close.
Speed to keep tough bosses locked up.
Speed kills - Speed is a damage multiplier.

Speed plays such a key role for a thrower due to the wide range of attack speeds from different weapons and additional IAS bonus. Double Throw can be as slow as 12 frames per attack(FPA) doing 2 attacks per second(APS) using Glaive type (the slowest of all) javs with no IAS, to as fast as 3.5 FPA doing 7.1 APS under the right conditions.

[T-hawk]

Yeah, I don't get how you sustain mana without warmth without energy. Do you just constantly go back to town and get more mana potions every 30 seconds?

Yes. Well, not every 30 seconds, more like every five to ten minutes. Just go buy ten or so mana potions whenever you need, it takes like eight seconds.

This doesn't mean ignore mana entirely. It's just always better to get it from equipment slots rather than stat points. Rings go up to 120 mana or 60 life. Grand charms go up to 60 mana or 40-45 life. Points in energy are always a worse ratio of trading life for mana (always 1:1 or worse depending on class) than doing it with those equipment slots.

D2 has loads of counterintuitive and misleading aspects about how all the numbers work. This is one of them. "I need mana" doesn't mean put points in energy, it means find mana from a more efficient source instead. Accepting concepts like that is the difference between playing D2 as it really is versus some imagined representation of what you want or expect it to be.

There's historical reasons for that. Mana supply was downpowered in general for D2, after in D1, the sorceror class with hundreds of mana dominated everything. Then D2's expansion re-boosted mana totals with equipment (ring prefixes, charms, Caster crafts, more sockets), but left unchanged the weak mana supply per energy point.

That all said, Sullla's point is true too -- particularly in a team online environment, you won't be claiming every mana potion that drops and don't want to disappear yourself to town constantly. Mana supply does matter, but still, equipment is a better source than stat points.

Sullla's point about mana regeneration doesn't hold true in my experience. Two minutes to refill is forever. Basically no classes sustain consumption through regeneration; the numbers are just nowhere near big enough. It's a little bit slighly possible for a sorceress with a timered attack and max Warmth - but who wants to spend 20 skill points on mana supply instead of attacks? There's also historical reasons here - any advice depending on regeneration is outdated from before patch 1.10 made mana potions simply buyable in stores.

[T-hawk]

Today's question for D2 veterans: How does weapon speed work? If I have two weapons with equal listed damage but one has fast attack speed and the other normal attack speed, does the fast weapon do more effective damage per time?

Yes, mostly. Start with this speed calculator: https://d2.lc/IAS/

The key point is that all attacks take an integer number of frames to complete. Not all speed modifiers are good enough to gain an entire frame. The calculator will tell you your frames per attack, and you can work out your damage-per-second from there.

KoP's point is generally correct - speed is a multiplier, and in the vast majority of cases, speeding up your weapon attack is the best way to increase damage per time.

While my druid's weapon damage is pretty puny compared to the damage from fissure, the long casting delay often means some melee is necessary. And tight passages like the Maggot Lair can also force him to resort to melee. So he can not ignore his weapon entirely.

You will quickly (by roughly the end of act 3) find that anything you can do with a weapon won't be able to keep up at all with escalating monster health and the equally escalating damage of Fissure. Really, what you do with the time between Fissure casts is just wait and run around to avoid monsters. As for tight quarters, eventually you will have the Molten Boulder and Firestorm synergies maxed too and can use those instead.

[haphazard1]

Thanks for the explanations and info, everyone. Very helpful.

Another speed-related question: How does faster blocking work? My druid found a shield with faster blocking, but I have no idea how that compares to a higher blocking percentage.

[KingOfPain]

Another speed-related question: How does faster blocking work? My druid found a shield with faster blocking, but I have no idea how that compares to a higher blocking percentage.

You block faster so you can do other things sooner, including blocking again. That goes the same as other speedy things such as Fast Hit Recovery, Fast Cast Rate.....

[T-hawk]

Blocking won't do much for you. Blocking requires dexterity, but a fire druid doesn't want to do that. Classes have different values for blocking, and druid is in the lowest group. It will take 100+ dex for any decent block rate, but you don't want to give up that much vitality/life.

The block rate you see on a shield is not actually used. Mouseover your defense value on the character screen to see your real blocking rate after the dex modifier. It will be low.

The answer to whether more block or faster block is better is "neither, use the shield slot for resistances instead."

[KingOfPain]

Of course I have to counter their mainstream advice with the flip side of the coin, just to give you a balanced view - Since RB is known as a Variant site, aka, not mainstream.

Disclaimer: You are not playing hardcore, and we are not talking about hardcore toons. There are different approaches to hardcore whether they deserve the merit or not.

Vit is - If you build to be hit, you will play to be hit.
If I play a Whirlwind Barb having to dive through a mob, I will get hit pump vit a little, and equip it with life leech to survive the hits. If I play a caster, I play not to get hit. 

If you pump Vit on all you toons, you will play sloppy.

So go ahead and pump NRG. Why wait for mana to refill. You just want to go go go. LoL

I am rebuilding 3 Sorceress in D2R, Each with a different primary element, and play style.





The older one is pumping Str early, and the other is pumping Dex first. Both base Vit!
And both will most likely end up close to the third one - I just don't see the point what stat points are for
 



Don't ask me, I don't know why I wasted 61 points in vit. Must have been a newb back the.

Of course, I am only half teasing you. Just keep an open mind there are 1001 ways to skin a cat.

[KingOfPain]

Of course I have to counter their mainstream advice with the flip side of the coin, just to give you a balanced view - Since RB is known as a Variant site, aka, not mainstream.

Disclaimer: You are not playing hardcore, and we are not talking about hardcore toons. There are different approaches to hardcore whether they deserve the merit or not.

Vit is - If you build to be hit, you will play to be hit.
If I play a Whirlwind Barb having to dive through a mob, I will get hit pump vit a little, and equip it with life leech to survive the hits. If I play a caster, I play not to get hit. 

If you pump Vit on all you toons, you will play sloppy.

So go ahead and pump NRG. Why wait for mana to refill. You just want to go go go. LoL

I am rebuilding 3 Sorceress in D2R, Each with a different primary element, and play style.



The older one is pumping Str early, and the other is pumping Dex first for perfect blocking. Both base Vit!
One is holding a Spirit shield and the other waiting for a Stormshield
And both will most likely end up close to the third one - I just don't see the point what stat points are for



Don't ask me, I don't know why I wasted 61 points in vit. Must have been a newb back the.

Of course, I am only half teasing you. Just keep an open mind there are 1001 ways to skin a cat.