Dual Last Wish on A5 Merc

Expanding just a tad on what ShadowHeart said above, he is correct in that item aura levels are static and dictated by the item (and ONLY the item) granting said aura. So using aura skillers (even on a pally) or any other +skill items (be that general or fire or whatever) will not affect the aura level granted by an item. A Dream's Holy Shock will always be level 15, no matter how many +skill items you lug around.

The only way to increase said aura level is by - as noted in the earlier posts - stacking those auras, at which point your final aura is the sum total of the items. So in the case of 2x Dream for example, you end up with a lvl 15 + 15 = 30 Holy Shock. The "only items stack, higher wins" rule still applies so if you're a pally with 2x Dream but you also run your own say lvl 35 Holy Shock aura then your 35 wins and the 2x Dream are effectively wasted as those auras are lost.

Stacking item auras do not need to be of the same level though or come from the "same item/runeword". I.e. the Hustle Fanaticism ShadowHeart noted isn't only increased by another Hustle (which would be lvl 1 + 1 = 2) but you could also stack it with a Beast in your other hand, giving you a lvl 1 + 9 = 10 Fanaticism overall.

While +skills do not directly work for item auras, do note that things indirectly affecting their performance do work. So if you're looking again at a Dream's Holy Shock, a paladin can improve that aura by putting skill points into the synergies. Similarly, a sorc can increase the performance of the aura by skilling into Lightning Mastery. In the case of Lightning Mastery, your item aura would then actually (indirectly) benefit from +skill gear as it would bump up the mastery which in turn bumps up your aura's damage. This is also true for global bonuses not coming from the same unit. I.e. if you run Dream for Holy Shock and your merc is wielding an Infinity, your Holy Shock will benefit from the Conviction aura applied to mobs around your merc.

Schnorki wrote: 3 years ago

While +skills do not directly work for item auras, do note that things indirectly affecting their performance do work. So if you're looking again at a Dream's Holy Shock, a paladin can improve that aura by putting skill points into the synergies.

Riiiight synergies is that thing I was thinking about I guess... I have connected the wrong dots in a previous comment from quick Memory, but I remember that there was some addition to output of auras and those are synergies, you are correct! Thanks!

I just want to add on my note, since I actually tested that, if you use Ice runeword on a Paladin and you also put a higher level Holy Freeze it would say that your damage doubled (and more), like when you look at the stats, but you won't realistically do much more dmg as it is clearly overwriting your weapon's aura. It's weird and they need to fix that (in UI), so just a heads up on that.

Lastly, I must also add that if you are really into that, you can also make an Iron Golem from an item that gives an aura and boost yourself/party even more that way. I mean, if you are playing with a Necro. But ppl usually make them from items that proc or for another source of CB/OW. Now, correct me if I'm wrong again, but if you theoretically make an Iron Golem from a Cure which gives Cleansing and you have a Merc with Prayer skill holding an Insight, you will only get the highest lvl aura of those 3 because they belong to the same "family". Or they changed that completely so different auras don't overwrite, like ever? Thanks in advance.

There isn't really such a thing as a "family lockout". Different auras are different.

You would get Prayer from your merc.
You would get Meditation from your merc's Insight.
And you would get Cleansing from your golem.

However, only the Prayer and the merc's Meditation would heal you. The golem's Cleansing would not.
That has nothing to do with stacking (or lack thereof) though, that is because only Prayer heals directly. Meditation and Cleansing only heal via a synergy with Prayer. Since your merc does have Prayer, his Meditation gets it as a synergy and hence heals. But your golem doesn't have Prayer himself so his Cleansing has no synergy and hence doesn't heal.

With regards to actual stacking, just as a side note, your golem does not count as "you" either, he's his own unit. So you can't use his aura to increase one of your own, it'll merely be an additional, separate aura.


Also, don't hold your breath on them fixing the dmg display UI. That's been broken in so many ways for so long, even in the original game, it just won't happen.

Thanks for all the answers and info Schnorki (and Shadow, and others )!

I definitely remember something about "family lockout" auras cancelling each others but I guess that was all fixed with D2R in the first place (but maybe I'm also mad and misremembering completely which is a possibility as well hehe)