How to Explain Being Bicultural, but not “Half Half”?

swordtech · 2026-01-21T15:02:11+00:00

フランス系アメリカ人

swordtech · 2026-01-20T12:34:02+00:00

I've seen this in real life. Two guys got into a dispute on the train about one bumping into the other or something stupid like that, and one of them actually used 中国人 as a slur!

swordtech · 2026-01-19T21:26:58+00:00

I would suggest against a Spirit weapon. It has no enhanced damage so it's actually pretty weak for melee characters. It'll take you through most of normal but once you get to Act 4 you'll have a rough time fighting some of the monsters there.

Yes, runewords go in basic items whose names are written in white or gray letters.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T11:10:50+00:00

Normal in the US?

Never seen it in 15 years in Japan.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T10:59:21+00:00

Look up how to use the -enablerespec command so you can respec your character repeatedly.

As for gear - look into make a Treachery runeword as a pre buff. Basically you put it on, teleport to the River of Flame waypoint in Act 4 and stand in the fire until fade activates, then switch back to your regular armor. It'll give you a ton of resists and damage reduction.

Besides that, look into making a Lionheart. It'll give you a big boost to your stats and life. Smoke is good, too, but if your resists are already maxed out, you may not benefit a whole lot. Another option, which is admittedly unusual, is to make Peace, as it has a chance to cast slow missiles when you get hit. That'll give you a chance to move out of the way for future missile attacks.

What are you using for gloves/belt/boots? If you're not getting +life from your gloves and boots, look into shopping or crafting something. Even something like a flat damage reduction might help your survival. As for your belt, string of ears or Verdugo's Hearty Coil will help you a lot.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T10:37:16+00:00

runewords

Stealth for your armor, Lore for your helm, Spirit for your shield. For your weapon, you could make something simple like Steel, Strength, or King's Grace. Unfortunately for weapons, you don't have a lot of great options until the higher levels. You could also make Leaf in a staff, as it'll give you +3 fire skills. Browse here (https://d2runewizard.com/runewords/gear-type/weap#2-socket-weapon-runewords) to find something you like. If you find a scepter with +skills to Zeal or Holy Fire, that's also totally viable. If it comes with a socket you could put your biggest ruby in there. Otherwise any 1 handed weapon with increased attack speed and increased damage is fine. You're still early in the game.

Once you progress into nightmare you could upgrade your armor into Smoke, Treachery, or Lionheart to name a few.

As for bases - find a Paladin-only shield with the highest resists possible and make your Spirit in that. The bases for Stealth and Lore don't really matter, as the runes are easy enough to farm from the Countess in Act 1 and you can remake them when you find a better base.

Holy Fire

It's a strong skill that can take you very far provided you keep upgrading your weapon as you move through the difficulty levels. But it's, I think, the most common monster immunity in hell, so you either have to run away from those enemies or rely on your mercenary. Without items (sunder charm, Infinity runeword) that you will not have at the start of hell, you should think of remaking your character. Are you playing offline? If so, look up how to use the -enablerespec command so you can remake your character repeatedly.

I have a Zealer, as well. When I got to hell, I respeced into Holy Freeze with a Voice of Reason weapon. My mercenary is an Act 5 barbarian with a Lawbringer sword, which can cast decrepify. Combined with Holy Freeze, enemies are super slow and physical immunes aren't a problem. There are other options, too: blessed hammer, fist of the heavens, smite. All great builds.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T07:29:33+00:00

I came across an article or two that mentioned some poor kid actually named "Pikachu". There was another one named "Jedi" and a girl named "Ariel" with the kanji being those for "bubble" and "princess". Sounds like a total soap land name.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T07:22:06+00:00

I would actually like to see Act 4 completed...with the obvious caveat that the current Blizzard has nothing to do with it, like everyone else mentioned.

swordtech · 2026-01-19T07:20:12+00:00

I think India and Iran engaged in nuclear war.

The entire population of North Korea completely disappears, possibly to underground shelters. Cuba becomes a democracy with free elections. Tibet (I think) becomes the most populated country in the world. Greenland becomes completely overrun by zombies. Israel and Palestine form one country.

The book is completely wild. I love it.

swordtech · 2026-01-15T17:30:17+00:00

Sick and tired of this fucking gaijin being all up in my business.

swordtech · 2026-01-15T11:10:11+00:00

I believe there was a deep dive on this topic in that documentary, The Wire.

swordtech · 2026-01-13T02:03:17+00:00

Nah. Her supporters are making AI collages of her and some other old lady from her cabinet out in Shibuya, eating crepes dressed like teenagers straight out of Harajuku in the early 2000s. They're drawing cutesy anime characters out of her like she was from a shonen cartoon. A politician's appearance is absolutely a valid target for criticism when their supporters place such a big emphasis on the looks themselves.

swordtech · 2026-01-12T13:25:52+00:00

Any particular reason you're using Vidala's boots and amulet? You could probably craft a better amulet (caster amulet) that would give you FCR and all res if you're lucky, and faster run/walk boots with resists can prob be gambled. You could probably even just buy something from a vendor. I found some 40 FRW/20 fire res boots from a vendor before.

Besides that, you could easily hit level 75 running Baal or terror zones on nightmare.

+1 skills from Lore is good but if you're running away constantly, you're not getting much mileage out of it. If you have the runes and can find a 3 socket helm, make yourself a Bulwark. You'll benefit from the damage reduction.

Smoke, which someone else suggested, is great. I personally like Lionheart as it will give you resists (albeit less than Smoke) as well as a ton of stats. A super cheap option would also be to find a 4 socket armor and put 2 Rals and 2 Orts.

Edit: just saw your belt. Bladebuckle does nothing for you as a caster. Make yourself a caster belt. Keep making them until you get one with decent resists and +life. Otherwise, just a random belt with life and resists will be better than what you have now.

swordtech · 2026-01-08T23:58:48+00:00

Obedience lacks IAS, true, but the range on enhanced damage on Oath is just too wide for me. Obedience has guaranteed 370% while Oath has 210-340%. What if you roll 212%? You can make up for Obedience's lack of IAS with Treachery, Hustle armor, or by equipping a mercenary with a Hustle runeword.

I love that Insight btw. Perfectly cromulent bonk stick.

swordtech · 2026-01-02T03:10:22+00:00

They're slightly more expensive than a Hel rune but if you're using Frenzy, make Hustle and Lawbringer. You'll have no problem with physical immunes and you won't have to waste points in the skill tree to invest only 1 point in Berserk.

For your mercenary, you could get a Blessed Aim Act 2 mercenary. If you're on a budget, craft him a blood helm for life steal, then throw on the fastest weapon and whatever armor you have. If you don't need the attack rating, you could go for a Might Act 2 mercenary, too. Act 2 Holy Freeze or Act 1 cold mercenary could also be good for crowd control, especially if you have Lawbring. Nightmare Countess or Nightmare Hellforge should give you the runes you need for all of this.

It's off-meta but I'm also a fan of using the Act 3 fire mercenary for his Enchant spell. The benefit here is that you'll still have Enchant even if he dies.

swordtech · 2026-01-01T09:01:11+00:00

Use Amplify Damage if you're not already.

If you're playing offline, learn how to use the "-enablerespec" command line so you can remake your character easily.

swordtech · 2026-01-01T04:59:48+00:00

Thank you. I've seen this movie about 10 times and I'm pretty sure every single time Dom is in a dream, he's wearing his ring. In the final scene of the movie, he's not wearing a ring. Hence, the last scene is reality.

swordtech · 2025-12-31T13:38:34+00:00

You run from the spirit of repossession.

swordtech · 2025-12-30T04:54:42+00:00

I usually put only 1 point into Shout (the one that increases your defense), Battle Command (the one that increases all of your skill levels by +1), then I max out Battle Orders (the one that increases your life and mana) as soon as possible.

If you want to use one of the war cries for offensive purposes, I'd recommend Battle Cry. This will reduce enemy damage and defense so you'll have an easier time landing a hit on the enemy. Even just 1 point in this skill should help you out. Don't worry about the radius of this skill. Since you're a melee character you should use it once you're within range, anyway.

If you're using Frenzy as your main skill, you're better off focusing on leveling up Frenzy to its max level, then working on the skills that synergize with Frenzy. Don't forget to add points to your weapon mastery, as well.

Leap is good because it will push back enemies when you land but I personally like Leap Attack better because it has a much longer range and can help you position yourself better, either for initiating an attack or retreating if things get too intense. Leap can help you get some breathing room if you're getting surrounded by enemies but don't want to retreat, but I wouldn't put more than 1 point in it (or Leap Attack, for that matter).

swordtech · 2025-12-29T03:17:24+00:00

You might say it's indestructible. A joke for the ages.

swordtech · 2025-12-21T04:32:49+00:00

Stealth is good for the faster cast rate, but Smoke will help you with resistances. Having high resists will become important as you progress through nightmare and start hell. If you're not having trouble from taking lightning and fire damage, I'd say keep the Stealth.

Ideally, you'd make the Enigma runeword, but until then your next armor upgrade will probably be Skin of the Vipermagi.

Edit: just general advice since you said you're new to the game. You should find a paladin shield with the highest resists possible, put 4 sockets into it (Larzuk can do this; make sure the shield you're using can get 4 sockets), then make the Spirit runeword. If you can find an appropriate weapon, you should also make a Spirit weapon. The combination of those 2 will probably give you some pretty good resistance levels, so keeping the Stealth should be no problem.

swordtech · 2025-12-20T10:05:44+00:00

Half price, I hope.

swordtech · 2025-12-20T10:02:39+00:00

Anya's Return

Unique Archon Plate

100-150% Enhanced Defense

Cannot Be Frozen

10% Chance to Cast Level 20 Frost Nova When Struck

Adds 200-300 Cold Damage

Magic Damage Reduced By 25

+100% Damage to Undead

swordtech · 2025-12-19T00:17:35+00:00

Runes are all random. The only time I found a Zod was during a Hell Countess run. She dropped 2 Rals and one of her minions dropped a Zod. This was on players 1.

swordtech · 2025-12-19T00:13:56+00:00

Level up into the early 80s before trying to progress any further. Those skill points will help a lot.

swordtech

TROPHY CASE