Warlock - alternatives for the future nerfed Cursed Bind Demon and Sigil Lethargy

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the mechanics of Bind Demon.

When is the damage that your bound demon does calculated (ignoring auras)? Is it snapshot right at the time that you bind it and stays that way forever (except as modified by auras, debuffs on montsers, caffeine intake, etc.)? Or is it recalculated all the time (e.g., hit a skill shrine, demon now does Lvl 44 Bind Demon damage instead of Lvl 42)?

This is potentially hugely important. If it gets snapshot at the time of binding, then I'm going to pump up Bind Demon (and Demonic Mastery?) as high as possible, perhaps even finding a Skill Shrine, when hunting a new demon at the expense of everything else, then put my survival gear back on. If not, I will just use my best endgame gear as usual.

I wish this information was more readily available...

Shard terrorize monsters already spawned?
Because Tz rotation do not terrorize (or un-terrorize) monter already spawned.

mhlg wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

Bremm Sparkfist (and other monster with spell or range attack) generally have a bad AI for builds that want the Demon punching all the time

As a quick replacement for a lost Demon, as i have Bind Demon 20+, I prefer to bind a regular monster in a TZ as I can guarantee an non- Bind Demon affix of choice (generally cursed), and can keep binding until get the desired aura (sometime you have to wait the TZ rotation for an area with good targets... but is generally way faster than try to bind a cursed unique with the right aura...)

mhlg wrote: 3 months ago

I just consumed my Conviction Hep and decided to go after TZ (shard) Bremm Sparkfist. This particular TZ spawn is physically immune, has Fanaticism, and casts Hydra, but if you prefer he can also spawn with Conviction. Here's a quick family photo.

bremm 2.jpg

The way I generally do it is open a game, go after the demon of consideration, and if he has the aura I want, I waypoint back to town, pop a Shard, and then return and bind him with little or no opposition. If he doesn't have the aura I want, then I exit and start a new game, and repeat until I get the one I want, before using a shard. This way I always get the desired aura and make good use of my shards. I've bound every version of Hephastop, and with Conviction twice (my Bind Demon is level 24). By the way, a firelock is largely a ranged attacker.

Level is snapeshoted. You may verify easily with an aura that affect your status.

Ex L96 will give Fanaticism L12 (96/8) which gives you 95% ar (you can comfirm the 95% ar bonus in your status )

Demon Damge and life are difficult to verify how your skill are affecting

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the mechanics of Bind Demon.

When is the damage that your bound demon does calculated (ignoring auras)? Is it snapshot right at the time that you bind it and stays that way forever (except as modified by auras, debuffs on montsers, caffeine intake, etc.)? Or is it recalculated all the time (e.g., hit a skill shrine, demon now does Lvl 44 Bind Demon damage instead of Lvl 42)?

This is potentially hugely important. If it gets snapshot at the time of binding, then I'm going to pump up Bind Demon (and Demonic Mastery?) as high as possible, perhaps even finding a Skill Shrine, when hunting a new demon at the expense of everything else, then put my survival gear back on. If not, I will just use my best endgame gear as usual.

I wish this information was more readily available...

This is the best info I have found so far:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo2/commen ... ow_so_far/

According to this, there is a second snapshot at the start of each game that calculates your demon's unbuffed damage.

So you actually want to end a game stacking as much + Bind Demon skill as possible, then switch back to your regular gear after game is created. Maybe need a +3 blue ammy, +3 book with Splendor runeword, and Mang Song at the ready. Then, swap your refular gear back and Bind Demon gear in the stash and go.

Perhaps less tedious to only do this for uber fights. Love the idea of spawning the best possible demon, though! Perhaps I'll also get skiller to swap Gheeds and sunders (haha, sure, if that ever happens). By my calcs, I am running lvl 42 Bind Demon with current setup and could get to Level 51-53 with optimal swaps.

How can Act 5 merc have Concentration?

Is your " Concentration + might" about Act 2 merc with Pride (which is my current Meec setup)?

Tornado_OLO wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

As only a Aura carrier Might 17 x 19+ is not a big loss, but
Fanaticism 1 x
Concentration 16+ is a huge loss (the short range is a problem, specially because
Death Mark does not Teleport Merc...)

You can not have Fanaticism + Concentration but you can have Concentration + might aura or might aura + Fanaticism or double might aura.

In that vibe:
Remember to equip Bone Break when you exit (or before cast Summon Goatman) as the sunder efffect is snapshotted

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

This is the best info I have found so far:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo2/commen ... ow_so_far/

According to this, there is a second snapshot at the start of each game that calculates your demon's unbuffed damage.

So you actually want to end a game stacking as much + Bind Demon skill as possible, then switch back to your regular gear after game is created. Maybe need a +3 blue ammy, +3 book with Splendor runeword, and Mang Song at the ready. Then, swap your refular gear back and Bind Demon gear in the stash and go.

Perhaps less tedious to only do this for uber fights. Love the idea of spawning the best possible demon, though! Perhaps I'll also get skiller to swap Gheeds and sunders (haha, sure, if that ever happens). By my calcs, I am running lvl 42 Bind Demon with current setup and could get to Level 51-53 with optimal swaps.

I have found my new goal in life. Max damage Lister (or spearlady or urdar).

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

In that vibe:
Remember to equip Bone Break when you exit (or before cast Summon Goatman) as the sunder efffect is snapshotted

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

This is the best info I have found so far:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo2/commen ... ow_so_far/

According to this, there is a second snapshot at the start of each game that calculates your demon's unbuffed damage.

So you actually want to end a game stacking as much + Bind Demon skill as possible, then switch back to your regular gear after game is created. Maybe need a +3 blue ammy, +3 book with Splendor runeword, and Mang Song at the ready. Then, swap your refular gear back and Bind Demon gear in the stash and go.

Perhaps less tedious to only do this for uber fights. Love the idea of spawning the best possible demon, though! Perhaps I'll also get skiller to swap Gheeds and sunders (haha, sure, if that ever happens). By my calcs, I am running lvl 42 Bind Demon with current setup and could get to Level 51-53 with optimal swaps.

Sorry, I don't understand. How do the sunder effects work? Are they snapshot or act like a buff/debuff during use?

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

Shard terrorize monsters already spawned?
Because Tz rotation do not terrorize (or un-terrorize) monter already spawned.

mhlg wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

Bremm Sparkfist (and other monster with spell or range attack) generally have a bad AI for builds that want the Demon punching all the time

As a quick replacement for a lost Demon, as i have Bind Demon 20+, I prefer to bind a regular monster in a TZ as I can guarantee an non- Bind Demon affix of choice (generally cursed), and can keep binding until get the desired aura (sometime you have to wait the TZ rotation for an area with good targets... but is generally way faster than try to bind a cursed unique with the right aura...)

The way I generally do it is open a game, go after the demon of consideration, and if he has the aura I want, I waypoint back to town, pop a Shard, and then return and bind him with little or no opposition. If he doesn't have the aura I want, then I exit and start a new game, and repeat until I get the one I want, before using a shard. This way I always get the desired aura and make good use of my shards. I've bound every version of Hephastop, and with Conviction twice (my Bind Demon is level 24). By the way, a firelock is largely a ranged attacker.

So far I've been finding my target, exiting a password protected game, logging back on and using a shard, and it seems to be working. Perhaps it's all placebo but I will know after a few more runs. My next target is to try some Uber monsters from the Furnace of Pain and Matron's Den.

You can easily confirm that
Look at the normal monster, spawned before the shard activation, verify if they gain the terrorized affix.
If not, it is because they not become terrorized... and so the Uniques already spawned will not be terrorized either...

mhlg wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

Shard terrorize monsters already spawned?
Because Tz rotation do not terrorize (or un-terrorize) monter already spawned.

mhlg wrote: 3 months ago

The way I generally do it is open a game, go after the demon of consideration, and if he has the aura I want, I waypoint back to town, pop a Shard, and then return and bind him with little or no opposition. If he doesn't have the aura I want, then I exit and start a new game, and repeat until I get the one I want, before using a shard. This way I always get the desired aura and make good use of my shards. I've bound every version of Hephastop, and with Conviction twice (my Bind Demon is level 24). By the way, a firelock is largely a ranged attacker.

So far I've been finding my target, exiting a password protected game, logging back on and using a shard, and it seems to be working. Perhaps it's all placebo but I will know after a few more runs. My next target is try some Uber monsters from the Furnace of Pain and Matron's Den.

If you equip a Sunder Charm (related to the Minion damage type), when you Summon a monster, the minion will have the sunder effect (immune monster will have resistance set to 95% against its attacks)
Equip the sunder charm after you summon the monster, will not affect the minion...

Other effects of the sunder charm (resistance penalty or the extra bonus of the Renewed sunder charm) will have no effect on minions.

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

In that vibe:
Remember to equip Bone Break when you exit (or before cast Summon Goatman) as the sunder efffect is snapshotted

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

This is the best info I have found so far:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diablo2/commen ... ow_so_far/

According to this, there is a second snapshot at the start of each game that calculates your demon's unbuffed damage.

So you actually want to end a game stacking as much + Bind Demon skill as possible, then switch back to your regular gear after game is created. Maybe need a +3 blue ammy, +3 book with Splendor runeword, and Mang Song at the ready. Then, swap your refular gear back and Bind Demon gear in the stash and go.

Perhaps less tedious to only do this for uber fights. Love the idea of spawning the best possible demon, though! Perhaps I'll also get skiller to swap Gheeds and sunders (haha, sure, if that ever happens). By my calcs, I am running lvl 42 Bind Demon with current setup and could get to Level 51-53 with optimal swaps.

Sorry, I don't understand. How do the sunder effects work? Are they snapshot or act like a buff/debuff during use?

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

If you equipe a Sunder Charm (related to the Minion damage type), when you Summon a monster, the minion will have the sunder effect (immune monster will have resistance set to 95% against its attacks)
Equip the sunder charm after you summon the monster, will not affect the minion...

Other effects of the sunder charm (resistance penalty or the extra bonus of the Renewed sunder charm) will have no effect on minions.

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

In that vibe:
Remember to equip Bone Break when you exit (or before cast Summon Goatman) as the sunder efffect is snapshotted

Sorry, I don't understand. How do the sunder effects work? Are they snapshot or act like a buff/debuff during use?

Was there not a post with screenshots of a Megademon immune to fire losing the immune to fire affix when equipping a fire sunder? Doesn't that suggest the resistance penalty DOES affect your bound demon ?

If i'm remembering correctly the case, what happened is not the the fire penalty of the charm was affecting it, but was that the "set immune resistance to 95%" that was affecting it in the moment of the bound was snapshotted (so it endup with 95% fire resist instead of 100+...)

There was a thread about that recommended you remove your sunder before using Bind Demon because of that.

Don't know if it was patched (or if will be fixed in the next patch )

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

If you equipe a Sunder Charm (related to the Minion damage type), when you Summon a monster, the minion will have the sunder effect (immune monster will have resistance set to 95% against its attacks)
Equip the sunder charm after you summon the monster, will not affect the minion...

Other effects of the sunder charm (resistance penalty or the extra bonus of the Renewed sunder charm) will have no effect on minions.

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

Sorry, I don't understand. How do the sunder effects work? Are they snapshot or act like a buff/debuff during use?

Was there not a post with screenshots of a Megademon immune to fire losing the immune to fire affix when equipping a fire sunder? Doesn't that suggest the resistance penalty DOES affect your bound demon ?

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

If i'm remembering correctly the case, what happened is not the the fire penalty of the charm was affecting it, but was that the "set immune resistance to 95%" that was affecting it in the moment of the bound was snapshotted (so it endup with 95% fire resist instead of 100+...)

There was a thread about that recommended you remove your sunder before using Bind Demon because of that.

Don't know if it was patched (or if will be fixed in the next patch )

FerociousTerrier wrote: 3 months ago

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

If you equipe a Sunder Charm (related to the Minion damage type), when you Summon a monster, the minion will have the sunder effect (immune monster will have resistance set to 95% against its attacks)
Equip the sunder charm after you summon the monster, will not affect the minion...

Other effects of the sunder charm (resistance penalty or the extra bonus of the Renewed sunder charm) will have no effect on minions.

Was there not a post with screenshots of a Megademon immune to fire losing the immune to fire affix when equipping a fire sunder? Doesn't that suggest the resistance penalty DOES affect your bound demon ?

Thanks for clarifying! That makes sense. Really is like a snapshot!

fredkid wrote: 3 months ago

Is your "
Concentration + might" about Act 2 merc with Pride

Yes it is.