This blog is part of the series I am doing that focuses on my progress through Season 2 in Diablo III. Last Season, I poured all my time and energy into it right from the start. This Season, I’m taking things really slow. This is not entirely by choice. I’ve been fighting “in real life” with some seriously monstrous pollen, and it seems to be winning.
As such, I don’t want my hard core Demon Hunter, who I named Dusk, to die due to my bad allergies. If I can get him to Level 70, I’ll feel a little less hesitant about playing Diablo III while sick (or on a lot of allergy medication).
This time around, I continued to do a bunch of Bounties in Act I in Normal Difficulty. I’m trying to finish the Seasonal Monster Slaying Achievements for Act I. Once I do that, I can move on to Act II. The screenshots you see in this blog were taken on February 27, 2015.
I had more time to play Diablo III than usual, so I ran my hard core Demon Hunter through three “sets” of Bounties. The first five were: Clear the Den of the Fallen (Weeping Hollow), Jar of Souls – and Kill 50 enemies in the Defiled Crypt (Defiled Crypt – Cemetery of the Forsaken), Kill Galush Valdant – and 125 enemies (The Festering Woods), Kill Queen Araneae (Caverns of Araneae), and Kill the Warden (starts you in Halls of Agony Level 2, then you go through the Highlands Passage and into the Cursed Hold).
My primary goal for Season 2 (other than “don’t die”) is to get Dusk the Demon Hunter to Level 70. I want to unlock the transmogs that match the transmogs from Season 1. My secondary goal, for this “session”, was to kill enough spiders to earn the third, and final, Seasonal Monster Slaying Achievement from Act I. I take less screenshots when I play hard core (as compared to soft core) so what you see in this blog are the “highlights”.
Among the Elite: Kill 200 elite (champion, rare, or unique) enemies.
On my way through the Defiled Crypt (for the Jar of Souls Bounty), I randomly ran into: Dataminer, Unearths Spoils.
The Dataminer is one of the ghosts you must kill if you want to earn the Haunted Achievement. I’ve never managed to complete that one (either in or out of Season). Ideally, I want to complete it by having all the ghosts randomly appear. It looks like I might have to “farm” some of them, though.
This was my second time completing the Jar of Souls event in Season 2. The first time was because I happened to find it while going through part of Story Mode in Act I. Now, I’ve completed it as a Bounty as well.
Galush Valdant, Festering Skeleton
LEVEL 37!
Cursed Chest of the Spirits
I’ve been keeping track of all the different Cursed Chests I find in Season 2. So far, every one I’ve seen has a new name. How many of them are there? Somewhere in the previous Bounty, I acquired two Legendary items:
Blind Faith is a Legendary Helm that was better than what Dusk the Demon Hunter was currently using. The flavor text says: Do not trust your eyes; they can deceive you.
Pox Faulds are Legendary Pants. The special thing about this item is: When 3 or more enemies are within 12 yards, you release a vile stench that deals 257% weapon damage as Poison every second for 10 seconds to enemies within 15 yards. Ok, the name of this item makes sense now. The flavor text says: Made from the treated skin of plague victims. So, these pants are made of zombie skin? No wonder they smell bad!
Rathlin the Widowmaker, Plagueweaver
I got the Plan for Cain’s Fate. It is part of a set. If I remember correctly, I have the plans for the whole set in soft core. So far, I haven’t figured out a good use for the set, though. It’s rather low level.
But You Can’t Hide: Kill 100 enemies that are running away.
Massive Blow: Kill 30 enemies in one attack.
Sometime before I started The Cursed Hatchery event, a Legendary item dropped. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t meant for a Demon Hunter.
Myken’s Ball of Hate sounds like something for a Demon Hunter, since part of their resource system includes Hatred. But, this is item is a Source, which can only be used by Wizards. Right now, I’ve only got one Seasonal hard core character – my Demon Hunter. He can’t even equip this Legendary item. My only other hard core character is a Witch Doctor (who is non-Seasonal). I do have a Wizard, but he’s soft core. Why did the game drop this particular item for me?
Best Dressed: Equip a socketed item in the following slots.
Helm with Socket, Chest Armor with Socket, Leg Armor with Socket, Weapon with Socket, Amulet with Socket, Ring with Socket
LEVEL 38!
There Will Definitely Be Blood: Explore the following areas of the Halls of Agony.
Halls of Agony Level 1, Halls of Agony Level 2, Highlands Passage, The Cursed Hold, Halls of Agony Level 3, Chamber of Suffering
The Warden, Head Jailer of King Leoric
This time the loot that Tyrael gives out after a player completes a set of 5 Bounties included a Legendary item.
The Legendary item was Pauldrons of the Skeleton King. It was better than what Dusk the Demon Hunter was currently using. The flavor text says: “No matter its value, it would be wise to let the raiment of the Black King remain buried with its fallen owner. No good can come of disturbing Leoric’s rest.” – Deckard Cain.
Friends With Benefits: Fully equip one of your followers.
That concludes the first set of five Bounties. The second set included: Cleanse the Cursed Chest in the Damp Cellar (The Old Ruins), Enter the Royal Crypts and Kill the Skeleton King (The Royal Crypts), Enter the Defiled Crypt and Kill the Dataminer (Defiled Crypt – Cemetery of the Forsaken), Clear the Scavengers Den (Fields of Misery), and Kill Queen Araneae (Caverns of Araneae). Like before, I’m going to post only the “highlights”.
Moneybags: Pick up 100,000 gold.
Reclaim Without Shame: Salvage the following types of items.
Weapon, Armor, Amulet, Ring
Rad’Noj, Necromancer Betrayer
LEVEL 39!
Dataminer, Unearths Spoils. The game must have really wanted this guy killed off. This is the second time I’ve run into the Dataminer in just two sets of Bounties. Maybe I’ll be super lucky and find all the ghosts for the Haunted Achievement in Season 2.
The Slave Bonds Legendary dropped somewhere in the Fields of Misery. It was better than what Dusk the Demon Hunter was currently using. I’ve had pretty good luck with Legendary items so far (with the exception of the one that was for Wizards). The flavor text on this item says: Broken chains still dangle from these heavy iron shackles. It makes me wonder if this item was dropped by a prisoner who somehow escaped Leoric’s dungeons.
Rockmaw, Devourer of the Deep
LEVEL 40!
Fearless Veteran (Hardcore): Reach level 40 in Hardcore Mode.
Fearless Veteran: Reach Level 40.
The completes the second set of five Bounties. I wasn’t paying as close attention to the third set of Bounties and failed to keep track of all of them. The ones I took screenshots in were: Kill Ragus Grimlow – and 75 other enemies (Cathedral Level 1), Kill Mira Eamon – and 100 other enemies (The Weeping Hollow), Kill all the enemies in the Cave of the Moon Clan Level 2 (Southern Highlands), Enter the Highlands Cave and Help Rike the Apothecary (Northern Highlands) and …I have no idea what the other one was.
Ragus Grimlow, Gorged Undead Brother
Mira Eamon, Wife of Haedrig
LEVEL 41!
I’ve already included the Helping Rike the Apothecary event in a previous blog, and I see no good reason to post that again here. When I finished this set of Bounties, I received a Legendary item as part of the rewards.
This Legendary item turned out to be Bracers – Sanguinary Vambraces. I’m fairly certain that Dusk the Demon Hunter was using these before he picked up the Slave Bonds Bracers. This new Sanguinary Vambraces were better than what he was using, and therefore, must be better than the previous Bracers of the same name. I’ve been putting the Legendary items I’m not using into my stash and will probably salvage them all at the same time.
Dusk the Demon Hunter is now at Level 41. I’ve completed two of the three Seasonal Monster Slaying Achievements in Act I (previous to this blog). Hopefully, the game will give me enough spiders to kill so I can earn the third one. Sure, I could just farm the Caverns of Araneae for the spiders. But, I’m also trying to earn the Seasonal Bounty Achievements, so I may as well keep going with whatever random Bounties I get assigned.