A Guide to Ethereal Bugged Armors
Hello,
This is a short write up on "bugging" ethereal armors, which is to take advantage of certain cube recipes that cause these items to have their base defense increased dramatically.
First, the recipes in question (taken directly from Arreat Summit):
Code: Select all
1 Tal Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Topaz + Normal Body Armor = Socketed Body Armor of same type
1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal Helm = Socketed Helm of same type
1 Tal Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Ruby + Normal Shield = Socketed Shield of same typeAnd their equivalents on d2io are:
Recipe: Add Sockets to Normal Body Armor
Recipe: Add Sockets to Normal Shield
Recipe: Add Sockets to Normal Helm
Note: "Normal" here does not refer to normal/exceptional/elite variants.
I chose to omit the official details for each of these due to how lengthy they are, but the rules are basically this:
- Low Quality, Superior, and Socketed items do not work
- The item will receive a random number of sockets (based on type of armor, and restricted by item level)
What is the bug?
Using any of these recipes, ethereal armors - which have an innate +50% defense bonus - receive another 50% added to their total base defense, as the game erroneously applies the ethereal bonus twice (nice one, Blizzard). This has the potential to create some insane results, such as an ~1800 def Exile Sacred Targe or a ~4000 def Stone Kraken Shell.Popular Runewords
For hirelings, common choices are Stone, Duress, Fortitude, and sometimes Prudence (has self-repair, so you can use it on your character too). The takeaway here is to focus on runewords that provide % enhanced defense, as this modifier will multiply the total defense. When picking a base, I suggest aiming for any elite that doesn't have an enormous strength requirement so that it can be equipped earlier, such as Great Hauberk or Archon Plate. Hirelings are affected by faster run/walk penalties, but I'd say a merc's move speed is unimportant, so go for heavier gear instead if that's to your liking.A note on Treachery: While this one is very popular, I wouldn't recommend it for bugging for two reasons: lack of enhanced defense and the conflict between wanting Fade to proc versus your merc not getting hit at all. In situations where avoiding damage is not possible (e.g. Nihlathak's Corpse Explosion), Fade is preferable.
For characters, there's not as many great options. Exile is the obvious one that practically begs for an eth bugged base with its Defiance Aura, self-repair, and minimum 220% enhanced defense. As mentioned above, Prudence is viable, but its status as a mid-game runeword means an eventual replacement.
Conclusion
I should point out here that while the results of ethereal bugging can be great, defense isn't everything. There are plenty of excellent Unique armors ( Shaftstop, Duriel's Shell, etc.) that can stay on your hireling forever; they'll still perform exceptionally well without high-end bugged equipment.Thanks for reading, and stay safe.
- Khegan
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