a guide to bowazons

This guide is for Diablo II: Lord of Destruction v1.12; it is under constant revision. Its authors are AK404 and LineNoise; the materials contained within can be found in guides by Vehementi, VenomousVixen, Icemage, Bolshoi Too, LineNoise, the Amazon Basin, Lurker Lounge, diabloii.net, and Arreat Summit. Opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author, who is neither employed by nor represents Blizzard Entertainment. This document will serve as a guide; it is not the final word in all cases. This is not a suggested guide for Hardcore. Diablo is a registered trademark and Blizzard Entertainment is a registered trademark of Vivendi Universal Publishing and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.

You have explicit permission to reproduce this document for your own, non-commercial, private use. This document may be reproduced and posted locally on Internet sites without explicit permission, provided the file isn't altered in any way and proper credit is given to the authors. This document, being published on the Internet, is automatically protected by international copyright laws; altering of this document or inclusion in printed or other forms is expressly prohibited without prior written consent of the authors. The most current version of this document is found at <http://www.theamazonbasin.com/~ak404/bowazon/>; critiques, suggestions, comments, and corrections may be sent to <gbasa404 (at) gmail.com> or the Diablo II forums @ The Amazon Basin.

Introduction
  1. Attributes
    1. Strength: Getting a Steady Grip on Your Bow
    2. Dexterity: It Does a Bowie Good
    3. Vitality: When Less is More
    4. Energy: When Less is Less
  2. Damage: How to make everything fall down and die.
    1. Attack Rating: The Art of Hitting a Moving Object
      1. Ignore Target Defense
      2. -25% Target Defense: Eth Runes, Who'da Thunk It?
      3. -XX to Monster Defense per Hit
    2. Physical Damage: Worship the Numbers
    3. Non-Elemental Effects: More Than Just Damage
      1. Crushing Blow
      2. Deadly Strike
      3. Hit Freezes Target
      4. Knockback
      5. Open Wounds
      6. Prevent Monster Heal
      7. Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
      8. Slows Target
    4. Leeching: Not That Sort of Leeching
    5. Elemental Damage
    6. Increased Attack Speed: Must...Have...Speed
  3. Defense: How to make everything fall down and die...except you.
    1. Defense Rating: Why You Don't Need It
      1. Physical Resistance: Hey that Hurt...Oh, Wait. Nevermind, Shaftstop.
    2. Faster Hit Recovery: Something Else You Might Not Need
    3. Dodge, Avoid, Evade: Why Bowazons Don't Need Shields
    4. Elemental Resistance: Oh, It Burns!
      1. Elemental Absorption: Why You Might Want This
  4. Skills
    1. Passive/Magic Skills
      1. Inner Sight, Slow Missiles
      2. Decoy
      3. Valkyrie
      4. Dodge, Avoid, Evade
      5. Critical Strike
      6. Penetrate
      7. Pierce
    2. Bow/Crossbow Skills
      1. Magic Arrow
      2. Multiple Shot
      3. Guided Arrow
      4. Strafe
      5. Fire Arrow
      6. Exploding Arrow
      7. Immolation Arrow
      8. Cold Arrow
      9. Ice Arrow
      10. Freezing Arrow
  5. Equipment
    1. Weapons
      1. Basic Weapons
      2. Exceptional Weapons
        1. Spotlight: Witchwild String Short Siege Bow
      3. Elite Weapons
    2. Armor
      1. Basic Armor
      2. Exceptional Armor
      3. Elite Armor
    3. Jewelry
      1. Basic Jewelry
      2. Exceptional Jewelry
      3. Elite Jewelry
    4. Sets and Set Items
      1. Basic Set Items
      2. Exceptional Set Items
      3. Elite Set Items
        1. Spotlight: M'avina's Battle Hymn
    5. Charms
    6. Socketing Your Equipmemt
    7. Rune Words
      1. Basic Rune Words
      2. Exceptional Rune Words
      3. Elite Rune Words
  6. Hirelings
    1. Act 1: Rogues
    2. Act 2: Town Guards
    3. Act 3: Iron Wolves
    4. Act 5: Barbarians
Part 7: Developing Your Cow Killer
Variants (incomplete)
Frostmaiden
Magezon
Walkthrough in a Nutshell
Plays Well With Others
Amazons
Barbarians
Necromancers
Paladins
Sorceresses
Assassins
Druids
The Summary: Universal Multiplayer Tips
Part 9: Miscellany
Abbreviations
Frequently Asked Questions
Links & Acknowledgements
this site is under heavy renovation

This website is currently under heavy renovation; expect to run into a lot of improperly-formatted pages and broken links.


This guide is best viewed through 1024×768 resolution on the Firefox browser; it uses Verdana, Courier New, and Arial typefaces in CSS1.