"Keeps wandering away from me, wears gear with no damage stats, spends more time looking for ancient tablets than fighting demons, just drinks all the time, spends all our money on gambling .... I heard from the previous people he's worked with that he just calls everyone Amplisa. Doesn't even bother to learn our names!"
Dude, I can't believe you did it. I've put somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 hours into Diablo 2 over the last 20+ years (I'll never know exactly) and I never once imaged something like this would be possible. Kudos to you my friend. Well earned.
so if i remember correct we had act 2 mercs back in the days that also easy solo every boss in the game. shure they were equipt with the best of the best but it was possible back then :D
@@donwampo1 Bro, forget PVM..my necro had an a2 might merc with the EBOTD WP that had like 1300+ max dmg. I'd amp REAL players.. barbarians and shit and I'd 1 hit them.
I also can't believe he did it. Zarfen spent his last money many times and was always able to buy his mercenary ? I think I'll believe it when I see the full hours played uploaded.
Dude I'm so happy you decided to go all the way to hell with this, and gave all the final mobs the proper non-cheese respect they deserved. I was skeptical about this run, but you put in the extra time and effort to make it a satisfying win for us all. Thank you for your service.
At first I wondered why you didn't choose a necro; all points into curses would have provided so much utility, but then you got to Duriel and I remembered how much extra damage act bosses do to mercs. You really do have to take all the hits like a good mercenary!
I always watch your videos, but this time, I was doing chores and just listening. Up until 5 minutes before the end of the video, I thought you were calling her Aunt Lisa 😂😂😂
Most impressive. I respect that playthrough, especially knowing how little of the playerbase actually is willing to play throught the game, instead of being rushed by other players online
"I put on my vigor aura, and just ran for it... and I ran, and I ran. and I didn't stop till I reached the arreat summit" hahahahah. thank you for your videos. i dont even play much D2 anymore but they are just fun. thank you for the time to share these with us.
Ok, this challenge takes the top! You're an insane man with the patience of a god! Cool tricks (that constant swap between bows!), many lessons learned, and infinite cool factor achieved! Btw I snort-laughed at the Khalim saying "Hello" XD The one thing I did not understand is your thing for the Prayer aura xD the passive healing is so bad compared to any other defensive thing! Controversial take: I unironically love Act 3. The forest is so well done atmosphere-wise, and the monsters too, and it's so different from the other acts! Also, once you learn how the map generates, it becomes pretty easy to navigate as well. Plus all the cool spots for farming, Mephisto, the Council, the terrifying Flayer Dungeon and Durance of Hate, the cool NPCs in town, the dark wanderer moment at the beginning, the division of the act in the pre-Kurast and Kurast maps... so much to offer! And that music
I can agree I might have over valued prayer a bit, especially later on in hell, but if fights take 5 minutes then the healing really adds up over time! 😁 Ok I have to give credit to the dark wandered moment, I still remember the surprise I felt when I first saw it!
@@zarfen You make a good point tbh with the fights taking that long! I guess it just stops being a thing though when attacks take too much of your life in one hit. Thank you for answering btw! It's crazy that you read all the comments!
I tried doing a pure summon Necromancer run, and ended up stalling out at the Hell difficulty Ancients battle. My merc, Paige, is the only reason I got that far. Someday I'm going to grind a few more levels, or find some better gear, and push for the finish.
Loot Goblin be like "Let's go gambling! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *all resistances* hmm...nah let's go gambling again! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it!
The quote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but it is actually misattributed: Origin: The quote likely originated in the 1980s in literature published by Narcotics Anonymous. Original author: The original quote is attributed to Rita Mae Brown, a mystery novelist. @@zarfen
"The restless tank pulling aggro too quickly. Am I right, MMO players?" As a former WoW raid healer, no comment. 😉 I am very fond of the Rogue mercs, but, yes, their endless repositioning is so frustrating. An inspirational and amazing video. This must've taken such patience.
Fun tips for anyone attempting this madness 1. Buy/find use wand with charges of decreipify, amplify, weaken, lower res or confuse they really help 2. Use Holy Bolt to heal your merc 3. Unpopular tip use Necro instead of a Paladin. He comes with curses and most importantly bone armor and bone prison 4. Learn how to deal with Unravellers, Succubi, black souls & skeleton archers because these are your true bane of existence Awesome video btw Zarf
About number 2, if the rule is to not deal damage to enemies/kill enemies yourself, then it is troublesome. Holy bolts deals damage to demons and undead, so by trying to heal your mercenary you may kill some enemies by accident
Seer tried a smiliar challenge to this one, but he was using the Act 2 merc with the necromancer, pretty sure he stopped after Nightmare difficulty though.
I appreciate you sharing some tips, but I just want to point out that Amplify damage and Decrepify can’t spawn as charges on wands, and holy bolt would be tricky with this exact rule set since it damages demons and undead. And thanks!
@@Linkforlife199 He didn't, actually! In terms of edited commentary videos, he's done the parts for Normal and Nightmare. But hop on to the Live vods tab of his channel, you can see the VoD of him clearing Hell. He just hasn't made the video for it (yet?)
I mean, respect for that. Bro did it and it looks like it’s his next character in this style, just casual „15 minute Diablo fight”. Love this challenges and im gonna do myself some of it to try it. Cheers bro
Amazing video! Now I want to see all mercenaries. :D I think getting them later is fine because even for act 5 merc there’s still 2 full difficulties ahead.
@@zarfen The Necromancer seems like a good pairing with the iron wolves due to his lower resists curse. I guess the paladin could do the same with conviction aura, but the Necro would still be fun to see to compare him to the paladin.
I made myself an absolute monster of a Rouge mercenary before for my paladin , she actually had a frost aura and a fire aura and a lightning aura , all at once :P Great video btw , I couldn't stop watching it haha
@@zarfen No worries bubba. I'd say you're even above Emilio and Amplisa if there ever will be a contest for best anime protagonist in the Loot Goblin Universe.
You should use trick called "mix" in PvP. If you alternate between might, concentration and fanatiscim over and over and over again, all of the 3 auras effect would add up and be active at the same time, giving your mercenary (or teammates) massive attack boost.
The last time in which I spent 52 minutes of my life so excited was the first time in which I listened to Opeth's "My Arms Your Hearse" 25 years ago. This is TH-cam's quality peak.
I'm here for the random Opeth reference. That album took a while for me to truly appreciate, but then it became one of my favs forever. "When" is love.
Act 3 merc is just as silly walking around randomly, but a lot harder to gear up. Act 5 is a ridiculously crazy lad, you should help him become a hero next time!
Amazing challenge. Btw, because of you, I have started playing HC in the new season of PD2 and am learning a lot compared to how I ususally play of just corpse running.
Nothing but respect for your patience sir. Nice to see the addition of new runewords come into play, as i haven't played D2R and all of its updates yet.
Man what an absolute slog this looked like it was kudos to you and our hero merc for making it through, the drop luck seemed really bad this go around as well.
I don't often watch D2 videos if at all but yours are the ones I actually enjoy for the challanges and the narrative, and every time I do they make me reinstall and play D2 again :D Thanks
A long time ago, I had done something like this, but it was an Act 2 merc with a Paladin. The goal wasn't to win the game with the merc but to just be a character that could provide every (useful) aura in the game and support any party and play in a unique way. It primarily spammed very fast and very strong Holy Bolts on allies and could turn anything into a tank (except for sorcs that got one-shot). It was fun! The paladin I appropriately named Medical Officer.
Can you make video on conversion necrodin? Basically the idea is to use only conversion, and treat your converted monster as your army, and boost them with your aura, heals, curses, and all the buffs you can find in the game. In short playing paladin as necromancer. Assassin also has similar skill but, paladin seems more viable for necro style. Edit: you are also allowed to use summoning items which has necro, druid, and even Amazon Valkyrie charges. You can have your army of whatever you can find, but your army will only deal with monsters not you. I have to add this one because if your converted monsters die in boss fight that would be hectic for you. It's quite a easy one for you compared to the challenges you have already achieved 😅
@@LeoReo88 how would such a character deal with act bosses? iirc converted monsters are on kind of a short duration. Fun idea but seems very difficult. I don’t think I have ever used paladins conversion skill ever!
@@zarfen I figured much, but I just added few things in my comment. I know it's a silly play style but will be fun to watch a paladin played as necro. You can also play this as build guide video, it doesn't have to be a challenge video if it's not viable that way.
Hi Zarfen, I did a similar run once with the Shadow Master summoned by the Assassin. It was a LOT of fun, as if you focus on building up her melee abilities, she can be quite formidable. If you ever fancy trying such a run, I would love to watch it.
Mercs not being able to wear additional gear like rings, amulets, boots etc. is why I like to play Reimagined. Only thing I don’t like about it is that HRs drop waaaayyy too often, takes away some of the fun of grinding.
Yeah I saw some mods that allowed for more merc gear which would have been really fun for this, but I also wanted to use the base game because I don’t know how familiar my viewers are with mods and such.
This is the kind of stuff that Diablo2 was made for. It's fun to do mega-chad min/maxed killing machines but honestly, farming all day for a slightly more optimal piece of gear when you've already beaten the game's challenges seems... pointless. This stuff that you post, on the other hand, is a true challenge that requires you to play the game the way it was meant to be. From beginning to end, making use of what you find to push forward and progress. Another great one to watch! I'm always amazed that you find ever more interesting and difficult things to try!
Other possible merc only challenge builds. Curse only necro! Support merc with curses. Enchantress power up merc with enchant. This was is probably great normal mode but then terrivlr vs fire immunes. Barb can only do shout and battle orders to buff merc defenses and then rest into passives and find potion/item. Probably the worst.
@zarfen, i dont know if you know this, but there is a merc bug that prevents monsters from attacking the merc. can be done in late act 1 near some wp. you just need to lock the merc up, and walk away. as soon as the merc teleports to you, he/she doesnt attract any aggro.
havnt been playing for 20 years... and just watched the full video... longest video in a long time ive watched. Thanks, great entertainment... i can still remember as a 13yo how tough diablo 2 was...
49:572:21. Litle known fact: a moment before visiting Diablo for the first time the sidekick Emilio_II proposed to the Hero Amplisa. "You'll get the answer after I beat the big bad boss" was her reply. Eventually Emilio II decided to break up with her since there were always more big bad ones. This is why we see the ascendence of a new hero later on. If i'm not mistaken, they got married shortly after the victory over Baal.
P.S. Just finished watching, Zarfen. "The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success!" - that is what comes to mind while watching this INSANE RUN.. And, as it shows, it is successful. You are successful, as such, congrats, brother! Keep doing what you like, and don't stress, do it while it suits you
I've just come back to D2 and I've forgotten many things. I have to say that thanks to this video I'm even learning A LOT. Thanks mate, interesting video BTW, you must be the only one of your kind.
What a funny coincidence...Amplisa was my Rogue for both of my characters who used Rogue mercs. She was a cold arrow user but I specifically used her twice on purpose so she'd have a legacy between characters. (Same with Desert mercs: Azrael the Holy Freezer.)
Discovered this channel thanks to this video! Super funny, laid back vibe. I really enjoyed your commentary, and laughed at the idea of the hero mercenary. What a cool idea
Hey Zarfen, nice job! What a pain it must have been to go all the way through with this challenge. The Act 1 merc AI is so horrible...I use one of those (coincidentally I think her name is Amplisa) with my pally and it's terrible. She thinks she is an act 2 or act 5 merc, running past me and right into groups of enemies, especially when we are running around instead of teleporting. The only enemies she always runs away from? Dolls....the only enemies for which I could use some tanking from her XD. Anyway, I would love to see this same challenge with the other mercs!
Another insane challenge done. Good work bro! I actually can't believe you did it. I'd like to think that your merc alone made the challenge a lot harder than your vendor one lol.
Rogue works pretty fine with Summoner Necro. In early game she can carry Bramble Bow ( only TirTalAmn, very cheap ). Most important skill: doesn't die when protected by Skeletons. Works pretty well even into late game.
i really like these videos. it really shows the differences in the game. thanks for taking so much time and making so much effort with these videos. your awesome. Raven
@@KlabauterManiac dude well then the early 00s. Same thing. Do you expect me to remember the exact year? Hahah. All im saying is that when I was a kid I spent so many hours playing diablo
Finally remembered to subscribe after loving your other challenge runs. Got super excited when I saw the "Challenge runs" playlist. Got sad when I realized I'd already watched all of them. Quite the rollercoaster. I know it's just so much easier to say "please do more challenge runs" than it is to do them, but that doesn't make me want them less.
@16:22 you can avoid the lightning by standing close enough.. edit: nvm I hear that only works in nm/hell 23:03 funny i always use a ravenclaw on my merc.. is it only kuko that does that or have i just never noticed the explosion doesn't work :x
A random comment about recharging the teleport staff. an ort rune + a chipped gem and a weapon in the cube repairs the weapon and recharges it, instead of spending all your gold on recharges. Great video very entertaining!
Amplisa: " Man this mercenary AI sucks! He doesn't even attack!" lol
Hahaha this made me laugh! 😆
"Keeps wandering away from me, wears gear with no damage stats, spends more time looking for ancient tablets than fighting demons, just drinks all the time, spends all our money on gambling .... I heard from the previous people he's worked with that he just calls everyone Amplisa. Doesn't even bother to learn our names!"
Oh, Amplisa. I was listening on my second screen, I thought he called him Aunt Lisa the entire time.
@evil001987 I find it very funny that there have been several comments about mishearing her name and they all heard Aunt Lisa 😁
best line ever that needs to be a feature lol =)
Loved how you sent Amplisa for retirement and recuited Amplisa instead
Nono, he just had her respec since she cleared Den. It's very easy to miss.
@@questmaster01Amplisa is a better option than amplisa. Unless you want amplisa then amplisa would be the better choice.
Repicking the main character Amplisafies your performance
Dude, I can't believe you did it.
I've put somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 hours into Diablo 2 over the last 20+ years (I'll never know exactly) and I never once imaged something like this would be possible.
Kudos to you my friend.
Well earned.
it's like masochism =))))
so if i remember correct we had act 2 mercs back in the days that also easy solo every boss in the game. shure they were equipt with the best of the best but it was possible back then :D
Arent you used to /players 8? :) This is considerable more manageable. Still, massive respect for the grind!
@@donwampo1 Bro, forget PVM..my necro had an a2 might merc with the EBOTD WP that had like 1300+ max dmg. I'd amp REAL players.. barbarians and shit and I'd 1 hit them.
I also can't believe he did it. Zarfen spent his last money many times and was always able to buy his mercenary ? I think I'll believe it when I see the full hours played uploaded.
"Andariel kept swinging at me, and I kept swinging health portion" - Perfectly sum up this whole challenge. Well done!
Potion sellers be eatin well with this guy
Amplisa fan here! Wooo!
Also good job - I wouldn't have the patience for this.
Amplisa has fans all over the world!
Thanks, it did require a lot of patience…
Dude I'm so happy you decided to go all the way to hell with this, and gave all the final mobs the proper non-cheese respect they deserved. I was skeptical about this run, but you put in the extra time and effort to make it a satisfying win for us all. Thank you for your service.
This is by far the most time consuming way to play the game. I love that you did it, so we dont have to!
the iron man challenge is worse
Ohohoh noooo... there are far worse challenges, believe me 😂
At first I wondered why you didn't choose a necro; all points into curses would have provided so much utility, but then you got to Duriel and I remembered how much extra damage act bosses do to mercs. You really do have to take all the hits like a good mercenary!
Sorceress would be a better option IMO
@@sergeysmyshlyaev9716For enchant you’re thinking? Or am I missing something?
Frozen armor too maybe. Slow down the enemies attack speed.
I always watch your videos, but this time, I was doing chores and just listening. Up until 5 minutes before the end of the video, I thought you were calling her Aunt Lisa 😂😂😂
Haha Aunt Lisa, I love it! 😂
Most impressive. I respect that playthrough, especially knowing how little of the playerbase actually is willing to play throught the game, instead of being rushed by other players online
Amplisa froze and destroyed Baal's body, what a disrespectful move hahahaha
“No fancy death animation for you!”
"I put on my vigor aura, and just ran for it... and I ran, and I ran. and I didn't stop till I reached the arreat summit" hahahahah. thank you for your videos. i dont even play much D2 anymore but they are just fun. thank you for the time to share these with us.
Ok, this challenge takes the top! You're an insane man with the patience of a god! Cool tricks (that constant swap between bows!), many lessons learned, and infinite cool factor achieved! Btw I snort-laughed at the Khalim saying "Hello" XD
The one thing I did not understand is your thing for the Prayer aura xD the passive healing is so bad compared to any other defensive thing!
Controversial take: I unironically love Act 3. The forest is so well done atmosphere-wise, and the monsters too, and it's so different from the other acts! Also, once you learn how the map generates, it becomes pretty easy to navigate as well. Plus all the cool spots for farming, Mephisto, the Council, the terrifying Flayer Dungeon and Durance of Hate, the cool NPCs in town, the dark wanderer moment at the beginning, the division of the act in the pre-Kurast and Kurast maps... so much to offer! And that music
I can agree I might have over valued prayer a bit, especially later on in hell, but if fights take 5 minutes then the healing really adds up over time! 😁
Ok I have to give credit to the dark wandered moment, I still remember the surprise I felt when I first saw it!
@@zarfen You make a good point tbh with the fights taking that long! I guess it just stops being a thing though when attacks take too much of your life in one hit. Thank you for answering btw! It's crazy that you read all the comments!
"potions and patience"
That's a good Mantra for Zarfen challenge runs.
If you ever sell merch, that should be on a shirt.
That’s a great slogan! I love it! 😁
Awesome ;D
Respect your patience 👍
Thanks Looter 🫡
Cuz patience is the only option 😊
this is _basically_ how you have to play Summoner Necromancer for the first 10-15 levels.
I tried doing a pure summon Necromancer run, and ended up stalling out at the Hell difficulty Ancients battle. My merc, Paige, is the only reason I got that far. Someday I'm going to grind a few more levels, or find some better gear, and push for the finish.
@@ShamanJeeves ye im stalled out at about the same point. i need some actually good necro gear lol
Seer 🤜🤛 Zarfen: Their Love for Amplisa (in different ways)
I really like these unique yet erratically chaotic runs in Diablo ll
no indirect damage is hardcore, but I guess that makes you a true support of the party
Babe wake up, new Zarfen video just dropped
Amplisa trying to give up multiple times but her side kick cheering her on with unwavering fortitude and cheer “you can do it!”
Loot Goblin be like "Let's go gambling! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *all resistances* hmm...nah let's go gambling again! *poison resist* Aw dang it! *poison resist* Aw dang it!
What’s that quote about doing the same thing but expecting different outcomes?
The quote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but it is actually misattributed:
Origin: The quote likely originated in the 1980s in literature published by Narcotics Anonymous.
Original author: The original quote is attributed to Rita Mae Brown, a mystery novelist.
@@zarfen
@@zarfeninsanity
Needing a bigger sample size! (I dislike rhat lame insanity quote ha) @@zarfen
"The restless tank pulling aggro too quickly. Am I right, MMO players?" As a former WoW raid healer, no comment. 😉
I am very fond of the Rogue mercs, but, yes, their endless repositioning is so frustrating.
An inspirational and amazing video. This must've taken such patience.
😁
Thank you!
Memories of loading into a random dungeon group to find the tank already dead and yelling at me
@@ntw3002 😂
Fun tips for anyone attempting this madness
1. Buy/find use wand with charges of decreipify, amplify, weaken, lower res or confuse they really help
2. Use Holy Bolt to heal your merc
3. Unpopular tip use Necro instead of a Paladin. He comes with curses and most importantly bone armor and bone prison
4. Learn how to deal with Unravellers, Succubi, black souls & skeleton archers because these are your true bane of existence
Awesome video btw Zarf
About number 2, if the rule is to not deal damage to enemies/kill enemies yourself, then it is troublesome. Holy bolts deals damage to demons and undead, so by trying to heal your mercenary you may kill some enemies by accident
Seer tried a smiliar challenge to this one, but he was using the Act 2 merc with the necromancer, pretty sure he stopped after Nightmare difficulty though.
I appreciate you sharing some tips, but I just want to point out that Amplify damage and Decrepify can’t spawn as charges on wands, and holy bolt would be tricky with this exact rule set since it damages demons and undead.
And thanks!
@@zarfen You will definitely need lifetap for the melee mercs though.
@@Linkforlife199 He didn't, actually!
In terms of edited commentary videos, he's done the parts for Normal and Nightmare. But hop on to the Live vods tab of his channel, you can see the VoD of him clearing Hell.
He just hasn't made the video for it (yet?)
I mean, respect for that. Bro did it and it looks like it’s his next character in this style, just casual „15 minute Diablo fight”. Love this challenges and im gonna do myself some of it to try it. Cheers bro
Amazing video! Now I want to see all mercenaries. :D I think getting them later is fine because even for act 5 merc there’s still 2 full difficulties ahead.
Thanks! That does sound fun… at least the barb one, iron wolves - not so much 😅
@@zarfen The Necromancer seems like a good pairing with the iron wolves due to his lower resists curse. I guess the paladin could do the same with conviction aura, but the Necro would still be fun to see to compare him to the paladin.
I made myself an absolute monster of a Rouge mercenary before for my paladin , she actually had a frost aura and a fire aura and a lightning aura , all at once :P Great video btw , I couldn't stop watching it haha
Zarfen is my favorite diablo anime girl.
Thank you …I think?
@@zarfen No worries bubba. I'd say you're even above Emilio and Amplisa if there ever will be a contest for best anime protagonist in the Loot Goblin Universe.
Weird
NOW KISH
- Brike Myson
@@TheBucknative no u
Oh, man. Taking 15 minutes to kill Duriel for that expected nothing was agony.
That 1hp at Chaos Sanctuary was nutty.
1:40 i forgive you for taking a swing at that zombie.
Lol, was looking for this comment! 😄
I like how this comment pops right around the time stamp
You should use trick called "mix" in PvP. If you alternate between might, concentration and fanatiscim over and over and over again, all of the 3 auras effect would add up and be active at the same time, giving your mercenary (or teammates) massive attack boost.
The last time in which I spent 52 minutes of my life so excited was the first time in which I listened to Opeth's "My Arms Your Hearse" 25 years ago.
This is TH-cam's quality peak.
Thank you!
I'm here for the random Opeth reference. That album took a while for me to truly appreciate, but then it became one of my favs forever. "When" is love.
For me it was love at first listen, haha. Reference is random, but it was the first album with 52 minutes length I love I thought about.
Just gonna go ahead and give props for the random Opeth reference. Good stuff :D
I would have gone insane after the 1st fallen shaman group
Another insane feat my friend, kudos to Amplisa and the tankadin! :D
Act 3 merc is just as silly walking around randomly, but a lot harder to gear up. Act 5 is a ridiculously crazy lad, you should help him become a hero next time!
Amazing challenge. Btw, because of you, I have started playing HC in the new season of PD2 and am learning a lot compared to how I ususally play of just corpse running.
I absolutely love your challenges! Your patience is limitless. Keep up the amazing work, always fun to see your content!
You are insane for pushing through this challenge. Very impressive!
Congratulations! Big cheer for Kuko Shakaku and Moser's Shield a one especially for you for not cheesing ancients and Baal Waves!
Mad man, this was a nice challange, good job!
Dude I love your videos. The concepts and the clips as well as the commentary are absolutely interesting and so much fun to watch. Please keep going!
Thanks, I’m glad you like the videos :)
Amplisa and Emilio would be unbeatable together
Now THIS is a Diablo 2 mod I want!
Nothing but respect for your patience sir. Nice to see the addition of new runewords come into play, as i haven't played D2R and all of its updates yet.
Absolutely enjoying your content. Subscribed!
Man what an absolute slog this looked like it was kudos to you and our hero merc for making it through, the drop luck seemed really bad this go around as well.
Act 1 mercenary MVP
I don't often watch D2 videos if at all but yours are the ones I actually enjoy for the challanges and the narrative, and every time I do they make me reinstall and play D2 again :D Thanks
I'd love to see you do some challenge runs with the reimagined mod!
Love your content and your way of presenting it. Engaging, funny, and immersive. The voice works great for it, too.
Thanks! Happy to hear it
great concept / storytelling as always. looking forward to the next one :)
Thank you! :)
This really made me realize just how little I understand how to succeed in D2. Awesome video.
I am a proud member of the Moser's Fan Club, that thing is such a fantastic find on any playthrough.
A long time ago, I had done something like this, but it was an Act 2 merc with a Paladin. The goal wasn't to win the game with the merc but to just be a character that could provide every (useful) aura in the game and support any party and play in a unique way. It primarily spammed very fast and very strong Holy Bolts on allies and could turn anything into a tank (except for sorcs that got one-shot). It was fun! The paladin I appropriately named Medical Officer.
Can you make video on conversion necrodin? Basically the idea is to use only conversion, and treat your converted monster as your army, and boost them with your aura, heals, curses, and all the buffs you can find in the game. In short playing paladin as necromancer. Assassin also has similar skill but, paladin seems more viable for necro style.
Edit: you are also allowed to use summoning items which has necro, druid, and even Amazon Valkyrie charges. You can have your army of whatever you can find, but your army will only deal with monsters not you. I have to add this one because if your converted monsters die in boss fight that would be hectic for you.
It's quite a easy one for you compared to the challenges you have already achieved 😅
@@LeoReo88 how would such a character deal with act bosses? iirc converted monsters are on kind of a short duration.
Fun idea but seems very difficult. I don’t think I have ever used paladins conversion skill ever!
@@zarfen I figured much, but I just added few things in my comment. I know it's a silly play style but will be fun to watch a paladin played as necro.
You can also play this as build guide video, it doesn't have to be a challenge video if it's not viable that way.
"Quite an easy one?"
Bro, do you even diablo 2?
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@LeoReo88 yeah silly or unique play styles makes for interesting videos :)
Edit: just read your edit!
Hi Zarfen, I did a similar run once with the Shadow Master summoned by the Assassin. It was a LOT of fun, as if you focus on building up her melee abilities, she can be quite formidable.
If you ever fancy trying such a run, I would love to watch it.
Mercs not being able to wear additional gear like rings, amulets, boots etc. is why I like to play Reimagined. Only thing I don’t like about it is that HRs drop waaaayyy too often, takes away some of the fun of grinding.
Yeah I saw some mods that allowed for more merc gear which would have been really fun for this, but I also wanted to use the base game because I don’t know how familiar my viewers are with mods and such.
@@zarfen Either way, very entertaining video! Thanks!
yep, enjoying D2RR very much atm, so much qol...
@JTrixXx thanks, glad you liked it!
@@shiva5949d2r is so fuckin perfect
This is the kind of stuff that Diablo2 was made for. It's fun to do mega-chad min/maxed killing machines but honestly, farming all day for a slightly more optimal piece of gear when you've already beaten the game's challenges seems... pointless. This stuff that you post, on the other hand, is a true challenge that requires you to play the game the way it was meant to be. From beginning to end, making use of what you find to push forward and progress. Another great one to watch! I'm always amazed that you find ever more interesting and difficult things to try!
Imagine the mercenary having the ability to spawn portals whenever they wanted and drag you along when they thought you were taking too long. 😂😂
realy fun watch. respect for that grind! also tip for the future prebuffing in the river of flames wp is much easier and faster :)
Other possible merc only challenge builds. Curse only necro! Support merc with curses. Enchantress power up merc with enchant. This was is probably great normal mode but then terrivlr vs fire immunes. Barb can only do shout and battle orders to buff merc defenses and then rest into passives and find potion/item. Probably the worst.
Hat off, hands down.
This challenge is something i'll never dare to do.
This deserve subs
@zarfen, i dont know if you know this, but there is a merc bug that prevents monsters from attacking the merc. can be done in late act 1 near some wp. you just need to lock the merc up, and walk away. as soon as the merc teleports to you, he/she doesnt attract any aggro.
I did not know that!
Emilio_II: Requires blasting
Amplisa the Hero Mercenary: So anyway, I started walking
havnt been playing for 20 years... and just watched the full video... longest video in a long time ive watched. Thanks, great entertainment... i can still remember as a 13yo how tough diablo 2 was...
Thanks, glad you liked it!
49:57 2:21. Litle known fact: a moment before visiting Diablo for the first time the sidekick Emilio_II proposed to the Hero Amplisa. "You'll get the answer after I beat the big bad boss" was her reply. Eventually Emilio II decided to break up with her since there were always more big bad ones. This is why we see the ascendence of a new hero later on.
If i'm not mistaken, they got married shortly after the victory over Baal.
I NEED TO GET WITHIN RANGE MERCENARY! *walks 5-50-15-25 paces within range of the enemy and then considers shooting*
The hero is now here!
Thanks for doing all these niche playthrough challenges I sometimes think about giving a try, but can never motivate myself to actually do.
Zarfen kudos for your ingenuity, a fresh spin on D2 content.
P.S. Just finished watching, Zarfen.
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success!" - that is what comes to mind while watching this INSANE RUN..
And, as it shows, it is successful. You are successful, as such, congrats, brother! Keep doing what you like, and don't stress, do it while it suits you
The 4x sol @ hell lister had my dying LOL epic vid
Jag är riktigt imponerad av ditt tålamod. Jag skulle aldrig palla att göra det själv, men det är sjukt roligt att titta på!
Kul att du gillade videon! :)
I love this! I've done this challenge myself, but my Amplisa could never clear Hell difficulty on her own.
I've just come back to D2 and I've forgotten many things. I have to say that thanks to this video I'm even learning A LOT. Thanks mate, interesting video BTW, you must be the only one of your kind.
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful
What a funny coincidence...Amplisa was my Rogue for both of my characters who used Rogue mercs. She was a cold arrow user but I specifically used her twice on purpose so she'd have a legacy between characters. (Same with Desert mercs: Azrael the Holy Freezer.)
27:00 So do Paladin aura synergies are also applied to auras from items?
gotta love youtube so I can see things I would not ever do myself 😂 thank you dude, that challenge was really crazy. The grind is real
Glad you liked it!
For any new playthrough, getting that first fire arrow merc is such a nice boost for those not just glitching right to Hell.
Discovered this channel thanks to this video! Super funny, laid back vibe. I really enjoyed your commentary, and laughed at the idea of the hero mercenary. What a cool idea
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it
Baal: *anticlimactically pops into ice shards and a puddle of water*
Me: Wow, what a lousy way to go for the Lord of Destruction.
You have the patience of a saint, there is no way I could have ever done this, I would have given up in frustration at so many points lol
Hey Zarfen, nice job! What a pain it must have been to go all the way through with this challenge. The Act 1 merc AI is so horrible...I use one of those (coincidentally I think her name is Amplisa) with my pally and it's terrible. She thinks she is an act 2 or act 5 merc, running past me and right into groups of enemies, especially when we are running around instead of teleporting. The only enemies she always runs away from? Dolls....the only enemies for which I could use some tanking from her XD.
Anyway, I would love to see this same challenge with the other mercs!
Another insane challenge done. Good work bro! I actually can't believe you did it. I'd like to think that your merc alone made the challenge a lot harder than your vendor one lol.
Rogue works pretty fine with Summoner Necro. In early game she can carry Bramble Bow ( only TirTalAmn, very cheap ). Most important skill: doesn't die when protected by Skeletons. Works pretty well even into late game.
You're crazy man 😂😂
Hilarious challenge! Keep them coming
i really like these videos. it really shows the differences in the game. thanks for taking so much time and making so much effort with these videos. your awesome. Raven
Thanks! Glad you like the videos
fighting Baal for that long is a war crime. lol great video man
A very interesting experiment. Definitely the most intriguing D2 video I've seen in a long time. Good job!
Thanks! Glad you liked it
simply amazing, can't believe I watched the whole thing , literally glued to the screen , great content man! , insta sub
Glad you liked it!
"Tactical repositioning during battle." 😂😂😂
I spent the last part of the 90s religiously playing diablo 2. These videos are great.
That's neat! How'd you do that considering the game came out in 2000?
@@KlabauterManiac dude well then the early 00s. Same thing. Do you expect me to remember the exact year? Hahah. All im saying is that when I was a kid I spent so many hours playing diablo
Finally remembered to subscribe after loving your other challenge runs.
Got super excited when I saw the "Challenge runs" playlist.
Got sad when I realized I'd already watched all of them.
Quite the rollercoaster. I know it's just so much easier to say "please do more challenge runs" than it is to do them, but that doesn't make me want them less.
I’m glad you enjoy the challenge vids! They do take a while to make, but more are coming!
@16:22 you can avoid the lightning by standing close enough.. edit: nvm I hear that only works in nm/hell
23:03 funny i always use a ravenclaw on my merc.. is it only kuko that does that or have i just never noticed the explosion doesn't work :x
Well done, I had a smile on my face for the whole video
Some of the most entertaining D2 content I've watched in a while, and I watch a lot of them lol
Thank you!
A random comment about recharging the teleport staff. an ort rune + a chipped gem and a weapon in the cube repairs the weapon and recharges it, instead of spending all your gold on recharges. Great video very entertaining!
A good tip I didn’t think of while playing.
Glad you liked it!
Mann I commend your dedication to doing crazy runs like this! Well done!!
Poor mercenaries with their mitten hands. Great idea for a challenge run, good video bro.
21:42 hot swapping the bow to mitigate the health regen is a tactic that has possibly never been done before, amazing
I absolutely love these videos. Seeing a new upload makes me feel like a kid again ✌🏽
this guy deserve way more than 25k subs. great video
Thank you!
My man exploring the questions no one asked, but deserve to have answered.