Do Iron Golem (Metalgrid/Oath) worth for some serious build 🤔?

I imagine that there are some cool/funny ideas about builds that use

Metalgrid/Oath on non-necromancers to have access to an

Iron Golem ally (OK )

But is there a serious build that can become better by changing his amulet/weapon for a

Metalgrid/Oath to have an

Iron Golem from a specific item?
(Supposing that the item cost is not a problem and you have no problem to keep the golem alive and close - if needed)

The possible candidates that crossed my mind would be:

- an attack build sacrificing his weapon/amulet to have a L20

Concentration or L9

Fanaticism from a Pride/Beast

Iron Golem.
But on https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/ a Fury Druid would still deal more damage with

Highlord's Wrath + Breath of the Dying...

- a fire/lightning/cold build that could have

Lower Resist and

Conviction at the same time using Plague + Infinity (one with Merc and one with

Iron Golem).
But on https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner a

Fissure Druid would still deal more damage - versus Diablo - using Heart of the Oak + 2 skill amulet + Infinity Merc...

I'm afraid that if such a build was viable, we'd see such charactrs on BN and plenty of fanpages and fora (including this one) would have a guide about it. But there are none.

Also, players were hesitant to experiment and risk losing expensive aura-providing items, since non-native IG was bugged and fixed only in Patch 2.5.

Trang Oul wrote: 4 months ago

I'm afraid that if such a build was viable, we'd see such charactrs on BN and plenty of fanpages and fora (including this one) would have a guide about it. But there are none.

I thought the same...

So hard to give up Mara/highlord/caster amu for metagrid.
Same for Oath, Grief is so op.

The best golem is a level 22 one from

Metalgrid, the other ones are even weaker (Stone level 16, Oath level 17).

This golem has 980 base life, a whopping attack rating of 80 and no resistances. It is worse than one

Skeleton warrior of a skilled necromancers army.

You will loose this golem sooner or later. You may choose between a cheap item (that has no impact, most probably), or an expensive item, that you have to replace regularly.

Sadly, all of those item-based summons are quite useless in more dangerous areas. The one exception is Peace. A level 15

Valkyrie is a more capable tank, and doesn't poof when you swap gear. But it's a mess to get her summoned with builds that would need her service, and Peace itself is a total waste for all characters that aren't amazon.

Correction (2024-08-23): Stone has

Clay Golem charges, not

Iron Golem

----

I know that those

Iron Golem from charges are easy to kill...
And even that they weren't, in practice, you still have another problem that is to keep resonably close to the Golem to have the aura (or skill trigger) effect...

But my question is if, disconsidering those problems, would exist any item that you could use to create an

Iron Golem that would be better than your regular BIS weapon/amulet (or body - forgot about Stone.... but what chances any item have against Enigma )

Seem like there is no such item...

DasNarf wrote: 4 months ago

The best golem is a level 22 one from

Metalgrid, the other ones are even weaker (Stone level 16, Oath level 17).

This golem has 980 base life, a whopping attack rating of 80 and no resistances. It is worse than one

Skeleton warrior of a skilled necromancers army.

You will loose this golem sooner or later. You may choose between a cheap item (that has no impact, most probably), or an expensive item, that you have to replace regularly.

Sadly, all of those item-based summons are quite useless in more dangerous areas. The one exception is Peace. A level 15

Valkyrie is a more capable tank, and doesn't poof when you swap gear. But it's a mess to get her summoned with builds that would need her service, and Peace itself is a total waste for all characters that aren't amazon.

It seems like Hustle in a weapon could be a decent use case, but the Golem would be so fragile that it would be all but useless. HOWEVER, I could see a Summon Necro sticking one hard point in

Iron Golem and investing in

Golem Mastery +

Summon Resist as normal, and using the slvl 22 charges to summon a slightly better (i.e. higher defense)

Iron Golem than his +Skills allows.

Hustle gives L1

Fanaticism, Beast gives L9

Fanaticism
But Beast

Iron Golem was not enough for you to replace Weapon or Amulet on some tests that I did on https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/ ....

Note: I tested Hustle with my Merc and the radius is VERY short, on my regular play I almost never got the effect... May work only if you are melee character and tele-walk

Aelanwyr wrote: 4 months ago

It seems like Hustle in a weapon could be a decent use case, but the Golem would be so fragile that it would be all but useless.

Cleaver idea
But I don't know what level the game actually use to create the golem when you start a new game - your own level or

Metalgrid - and maybe the choice don't depend on how the Golem was originally created

Anyway many endgame summoners have a lot of +skill and don't need trick to reach L22, specially if you are willing to change equipment before exit (my necro has L23

Iron Golem with his standard equipment and only 1 hard point).

Aelanwyr wrote: 4 months ago

HOWEVER, I could see a Summon Necro sticking one hard point in

Iron Golem and investing in

Golem Mastery +

Summon Resist as normal, and using the slvl 22 charges to summon a slightly better (i.e. higher defense)

Iron Golem than his +Skills allows.

There's a fair number of builds that would have their on-paper performance improved at least somewhat by dropping their neck (usually) for an IG with a fitting aura. Mind you, you generally don't want to just go "drop neck for

Metalgrid, summon golem, done" but rather replace some other items at the same time, in order to make better use of said golem. Even more so when looking at something like a Beast golem that completely changes your IAS breakpoints.

That said, the emphasis is typically on "on-paper", simply because said IG is beyond annoying to keep alive, thanks to no mastery/res. Especially when you're talking about melee builds and generally builds without

Teleport. Even with tele and ranged though, the second you have to waste your time repositioning that golem to keep him alive is when you typically lose all gain in clear speed the golem had provided up until that point and end up taking just as long, if not longer, and being more annoyed as you do so.
And that's not yet considering the repeated loss of benefit from constantly out-ranging your golem's aura (more or less annoying/impactful, depending on the exact aura/range).

https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/u79pj0b8

d2jsp wrote: 4 months ago

https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/u79pj0b8

While a Insight

Iron Golem may be a good "quality of life" improvement (I myself swap Spirit shield for Phoenix shield with my Javazon for similar reasons )
Most people will prefer use mana potions from time to time and keep a +2/3 skill amulet (maybe with fcr)

With my

Chain Lightning Sorceress when I swap Merc weapon from Insight to Infinity, I was afraid of having mana issues... But in practice I rarely need mana potions (very few times needed two potions in the same run)

I think the point for the sorc proposed is that it's an immortal one, so basing on

Energy Shield. Those sorcs LOVE Insight as their mana pool is their life. Putting Insight, cheap runeword, on the IG allows to free merc slot for something else : Act 5 merc, Act 2 with Infi or Obedience...

You are right, and that's really a good ideia if you not going lightning (or don't want self use Infinity...)

Didn't realize that , because the build posted do not have points on

Energy Shield ... (Didn't notice

Prayer and Cure on Merc... never saw the Cure + Insight +

Prayer combo out of a

Energy Shield build before)

Necrarch wrote: 4 months ago

I think the point for the sorc proposed is that it's an immortal one, so basing on

Energy Shield. Those sorcs LOVE Insight as their mana pool is their life. Putting Insight, cheap runeword, on the IG allows to free merc slot for something else : Act 5 merc, Act 2 with Infi or Obedience...

I use

Metalgrid on a lot of my builds.
Not really for the

Iron Golem though, it's more of a side affect.

Paired with

Nature's Peace ring, the golem can be quite nice on p1 up until

Pandemonium Fortress on hell difficulty.

All depends what you want.

(Enchantress makes very good use out of it.)

Oaths golem is useless though as the second you swap weapons your going to regret it.

Also the Stone runeword is excellent on a Fury druid for the golem charges. With a maxed

Oak Sage the thing barely takes a scratch.

Stone

Correction (2024-08-23): Stone has

Clay Golem charges, not

Iron Golem

----

BoringTitle wrote: 4 months ago

Also the sto e runeword is excellent on a Fury druid for the golem charges. With a maxed

Oak Sage the thing barely takes a scratch.

What do you use with the

Iron Golem?
Pride or Beast?
(Have to do the calculations but maybe Fortitude or Treachery will gave more DPS than Stone +

Iron Golem )

(in special if

Iron Golem is the main reason to use

Oak Sage instead of

Heart of Wolverine)

fredkid wrote: 4 months ago

BoringTitle wrote: 4 months ago

Also the sto e runeword is excellent on a Fury druid for the golem charges. With a maxed

Oak Sage the thing barely takes a scratch.

What do you use with the

Iron Golem?
Pride or Beast?
(Have to do the calculations but maybe Fortitude or Treachery will gave more DPS than Stone +

Iron Golem )

Beast on a proper necro, with

Metalgrid I pull a Bilbo Baggins and just use whatever I have in my pockets at the time. (Often Insight). I just treat it as any other disposable minion.

Iron Golem is immune to poison and resists lightning 50% not spectacular, but worth taking into account. Also, pairs well with

Oak Sage from Nature's gift. Thought that thing dies all too frequently.