D3 noob questions if you don't mind ?

[Elite Peon]

Hi guys/gals , I just want to ask a few questions and would much appreciate any feed back that you can give . I will link my character page and some issues I am having + other questions . I have been playing like just over a month and still scratch my head sometimes ? Thank you for your time

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/F.../hero/53445013

questions

1: I noticed on my gear the diamonds next to the stats . Now sometimes they diamonds are highlighted other times not highlighted on gear. What does that mean ?

2: Sometimes when I am leveling I look at D3 videos to get build tips to level faster, but I have noticed sometimes that the builds some people blow through Greater T6 rifts with slow me down leveling ? Like , I have found much faster builds myself . Does gear make a big difference when it comes to builds ? Like I mean set attributes ...etc etc because sometimes I don't get why people have certain builds . Wish I could find a good player that does guides for noobs like wow has ..lol

3: Why are some blue mobs much much harder than even main Boss fights + the rewards suck ! I was playing my WD on Torment 1 and was getting killed time after time by blue mobs but easily killing Purple and Gold elites ...but the rewards from blue mobs suck !! Anyone else notice that or maybe im crazy ?

4: On my helm I always put a red gem ( for bonus xp ) in while im leveling ( character levels ) but does that also count for Paragons ? Also, if I have a gem with 30% bonus xp in my helm does that mean I get 30% more xp from everything or is it a percent of a percent ? Does that make sense ? I ask because sometimes it makes more sense to put in a dps gem or health gem ...etc etc

5: Does hardcore reward better than normal or is just there for the challenge of trying not to die ?

6: In my experience so far The witch doctor ( insane aoe dps ) and the Wizard ( insane dps over all ) blow all other classes out of the water . I love playing a Barb also but he lacks in damage compared to those last 2 . I take him into torment 1 and get my ass handed to me compared to my with doctor ..are some classes more OP than other ?

7: Do monks and DH get better at higher levels ? I tried playing them to like level 30's and they just blow when it comes to damage ( monks abilities are just boring to me ) ...do those classes get better at higher levels ? I assume so since I see Vids of people saying DH are the best solo class but hard to believe when playing them low level ..lol maybe it's just a choice in play style ;-)

8: Is it funner to level in Adventure mode or Campaign ? I have not tried adventure mode yet ... Is adventure mode more rewarding even with a new rolled character compared to campaign ?

Thanks !

[faladu]

2. Gear is nearly everything in diablo. Gear is what enables certain builds to be possible.

The reason for it is that gear doesn't only boost your stats a little bit but can change the way a spell works (e.g. Remove it's cooldown and give it a ressource cost or lower it's ressource cost by a hefty amount). Aside from that there are sets which give nice boni (e.g. for monk the sun woko set basically improves the dmg of your main spirit spenders by 500%)

3. The reward between blue and yellow minions doesn't differ. I personally like blue mobs more as there is not one minion with a way higher hp pool that takes too long to kill.

4. If you just start to gear up a yellow one should be the best as it increaes the amount of legendaries you find.

5. The only "reward" is a hall of fame for your charachters that died and you get an automatic screenshot done by diablo if your char dies (doesn't happen in softcore as your char dies quite often there). The other "reward" is seperate leaderboards from softcore so you need lower ranks to achieve a decent position.

6. Atm the classes with dex are the most successfull for greater rifts.

7. You can't compare any classes before 70. 70 is where the game starts for most ppl. before it's just a griend or seeing the story.

8. adventure is for fast lvling for ppl who know what they want to do. you can only do it if you have finshed the campaign.
Adventure gives loot you can only get that way like the ring of the royal grandour (a ring that reduces the amount of set items you need for set boni by 1 but not below 2 items)

[Elite Peon]

Thanks for the helpful reply :-)

[Franzy]

I think the diamonds next to stats have something to do with reforging? It's been a few months since I've played so not certain.

[Elite Peon]

I think the diamonds next to stats have something to do with reforging? It's been a few months since I've played so not certain.

Ohhh that would make sense ...so the unlighted diamonds would be forgable stats ...ahh that makes sense now . Ha never tried reforging in D3 but get the concept ...thanks !

[talann]

My suggestion is play how you want to play and get a feel for the game. Getting into higher difficulties requires maximizing your stats and knowing what to reroll on when enchanting items. My suggestion for you is to work on your paragon points and acquire set pieces. When you see set pieces, you will notice that the bonuses correspond to a particularly good spell. If that is the set you are set on going after, start working on learning the spells that the bonus benefits.

If you want to know of a good website for class items and builds look up "diablo somepage". It breaks down what gear each class is wearing the most and what builds people are using the most.

Once you have a good set of green items, you should find it a lot easier to run higher torment difficulties. My experience have been once you finally get your 5 or 6 set bonus, and some very good legendaries, you can start running torment 6 with no difficulties. Then you will be looking to replace your gear with a better version to max out its potential.

[Deleted]

1. The orange, filled, diamond marks that the stat is not part of the comparison budget. Where it will say +1.3% damage etc that's not including those stats with a diamond next to them. You may also see 2 arrows instead of a diamond, that tells you the stat was rerolled

2. Some builds require very specific items to work. For levelling I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you're looking at a levelling guide. Also combinations of items may make a particular spell behave differently, these are usually not items you will have access to early in the game.

3. It's just random and the difficulty you're noticing may just be specific to you due to your class, gear or build (or combination). For example the 'frozen' affix may cause serious issues to some melee classes, but the iceclimber boots prevent you from being frozen as do some abilities. You'll soon learn which affix's you struggle with and which you can ignore and as you change your build later those difficulties may change.

4. Red gem does also count for paragons, you can see your total bonus xp by expanding the character sheet and scrolling to the bottom

5. Only there for the challenge of trying not to die.

6. They may fluctuate early on but they're quite balanced at the end of the game. Each has strengths and weaknesses. You can view leaderboards by pressing shift L and comparing the best players!

7. I love monks, they are VERY reliant on some set items however. I would suggest picking based on flavour instead of mechanics until you can try them at max level with a few pieces of gear.

8. Adventure mode didn't exist when I last levelled but as a max level character I haven't done campaign mode since adventure was introduced.

[Mierdin]

From a blue post: "The orange icon next to some affixes on items means that particular affix is not calculated in the Damage, Toughness, or Healing section of your character window."

For a lot of those affixes(like Gold Find), that would be pretty obvious anyways. However, some like chance for area damage on hit or bonuses to specific spells aren't included in the damage calculation and are marked with the orange diamond.

[Ratyrel]

Just to clarify the first question: When the game calculates for you whether an item is better than the one you have equipped, it does not take into account the stats that are marked with an orange diamond. This can be irrelevant for a number of stats (such as gold pick up range etc), but it also includes stats such as +10% cold damage, which can be very strong if youre running a cold skill build. So be sure to keep an eye on what it is calculating for the automatic comparison when youre comparing legendaries to one another.

[ophion1990]

To answer you're seventh question: What skills are you using right now? I usually level DH with a sentry once I get it (the fire rune does most damage) + animal companion once you get the spider/boar (wolf is really good but it's level 60 or so). The most important skill is easily cluster arrow though. Once you learn it, use it as your main damage ability, it hits like a truck, even if it does cost alot of hatred. Elemental arrow/Cold Arrow is another decent skill, depending on your weapon it'll be lackluster in terms of damage though.

Oh and for #8, adventure mode, adventure mode all the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&v=KEVHu17G2Jk

This is a nice video to tell you about what to do to get some gear, he kinda drifts off every now and then but it's helpful to learn what to do at max level etc.

[announced]

1. diamonds probly mean if u reforged an item or not. also known as enchanting.
2. certain builds work with almost no items, some builds just dont work worth shit. this all depends. best thing u can do is look at the d3 skill calculator. figure out what lvl u need for whatever build and u can also view the damage certain skills do. u will see why some skills are super poweful and some arent.
heres the skill calc. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian just click whatever class u want and compare the skills used to a guide.
this is all u need to know for leveling fast. speed run bounties in a group setting. highest difficulty u can clear efficiently. (adventure mode)

3. blue mobs are champ packs, every monster in that pack has boosted health/damage/ stats that can destroy you. 5 blues is way worse than one gold. the rewards might suck on T1 or whatever but u need to be strong enough to deal with T6 mobs.

4. dont bother with any gem other than a diamond in your helm. reduced % cooldown reduction is best. the exp from a helm gem isnt that helpful

5. hardcore doesnt reward any extra shit. its just for a challenge and some minor achievements.

6. WDs and Wizards get powerful skills early. they recieved some decent buffs and the wd is a pet class which means smooth sailing. monks are super op at 70 but getting them there takes a while unless u have a buddy that can speedrun t6 rifts for u. barbs are heavily weapon/gear based. if u have terrible gear u wont do well.

7. yes. dhs are great in a way, they used to be super powerful with sentries doing everything they are more proactive now but still good. monks are the top now though

8. adventure mode for me. i hate campaign and hated it ever since i had to clear it. do bounties, love bounties. save the rift keystone fragments for lvl 70 rifts.

[Elite Peon]

Thank you all so much for your great replies I do very much appreciate the time :-)