Best hardcore ladder starter

Hello dear D2r fans,

Now when we are all waiting for season 2 let's discuss who is the best Hardcore ladder starter.

For me, it's definitely not a sorc, because I have lost four of them in S1 (2 on hell, 1 on NM and 1 on normal Diablo ). So, the usual strategy of "Blizzard sorc cheesing NM

Mephisto" does not seem very reliable to me, mostly because of the all-time fan favorite Stygian Dolls. Moreover,

Teleport can be very dangerous on HC, and the naked sorc is very hard to drag through Hell.

I started S1 as a pure summoner druid and can say that it was a good choice. He can farm almost anything with very little gear and is a safe option... if you don't get overconfident. The only drawback is rather slow clear speed (at level 85 hell CS is around 10 mins without

Teleport).

So, now I am looking at other options for S2: maybe a Trapsin, Summon Necro or a Fohdin? What are your thoughts?

I'd say a necro summoner. Skeletons hold the crap, give you time to react, and you can even stick to cheap

Charsi gears, res+life+block oriented. Slow, but safe. The

Key here is NOT to hurry, never. Patience is the best - and for HC, the only way.

Option no.2 is a dru shifter - either a shockwave bear, or a Fury hound. First one is very thick-assed, and has a solid control. 2nd one can still shrug off some scratches and chew em down fast. Both options benefit from additional meat shields as well (dires n grizzly, oak Spirit).

Summoners are the safest.

Werebear variant can do uber safely.

Foh is also a very good option.
You can farm many places.
Casting foh from a safe distance and

Redemption gives you life and mana => very safe.
With good gear, you can also farm torch.