Resistances lower elemental damage by whatever percent is listed. For example, if your bowazon with 50% fire resist is struck by a fire attack that inflicts 100 points of fire damage, the fire resistance cuts the damage by 50%, down to 50. However, if your elemental resistance is negative, then the damage you take is increased. If your bowazon with -50% fire resist is struck by a fire attack that inflicts 100 points of fire damage, her negative fire resistance raises that by 50%, up to 150. For this reason, you want to keep your resistances at a healthy amount.
Because the bowazon enjoys a goodly amount of distance from those things that can hurt her, resistances don't seem to be a high priority with Slow Missiles, Avoid, Evade and Valkyrie: if she can move out of the way, then what's the use of having to fully resist it? Additionally, resists are hard for a bowazon to come by because she can't use a shield. This doesn't mean that a bowazon shouldn't look for resists, it simply means that she will need to get her resists from other things. Optimally, a bowazon should have her resistances at around 75%, but if this isn't possible, try to keep resists maintained above 40-60%. Remedial attributes like Thawing/Warmth, Absorption and Reduce Poison Length by 25~75% are invaluable to the bowazon.
In CD2, there is a -20% penalty to all resistances in NM. This penalty is -50% in Hell difficulty level. In LOD, this penalty is boosted to a -40% in NM and -100% in Hell difficulty level. Almost all elemental attacks are going to be ranged attacks. Ranged attacks are the biggest threat to the bowazon, so work on those resistances!
Fire is the most used elemental attack in the game. Protect against it. You absolutely must have fire resist maxed in A4, as almost every monster worthy of respect will use fire. When in an area with a lot of fire walls, it also helps to have equipment that reduces magic damage. Useful runes for armor are Ral (fire resist 30%) and Vex (+5% maximum fire resist).
Lightning is the second most common elemental attack in the game, as well as the outright deadliest because lightning almost always hits multiple times, sending a poorly-protected character into stunlock. The worst monsters in the game all have some form of lightning attack; this includes Diablo, Bartuc the Bloody, Mephisto and the Council of Zakurum. Useful runes for armor are Ort (lightning resist 30%) and Lo (+5% maximum lightning resist).
Cold resistance modifies cold damage as well as freeze and chill time. Cold is a major annoyance; the damage isn't awful, but freeze/chill duration will be dangerous, as it can suddenly slow down your character and throw off your sense of timing. Cold resistance will lower damage and chill duration, but items of Thawing/Warmth ("Half Freeze Duration") also help. These amulets, rings, circlets, gloves or boots cut the duration you can be frozen/chilled via cold attacks in half. This bonus doesn't stack; your chill time is always cut in half, regardless of how many of these items you're wearing. Any item that has the property "Cannot Be Frozen" does just that: the freeze and chill times are set to 0. Note that items that have "Cannot Be Frozen" or "Half Freeze Duration" won't help against slows target or a Holy Freeze aura. Useful runes for armor are Thul (cold resist 30%), Ohm (+5% maximum cold resist) and Cham (can't be frozen).
Poison won't stack, stun or kill your character, but it'll counteract the regenerative effects of potions and drop your character to one point of life. Poison will kill your hireling and if Baal hits you with it in the Worldstone Chamber, it'll kill you as well. Poison has two parts: how much damage is done per second and how long that duration lasts. In addition to poison resistance, you must find items that reduce poison length; poison reduction also suffers a -40% penalty in NM and -100% in Hell, meaning that to get 75% poison reduction in Hell, a character must wear 175% poison reduction. Other than having decent poison resistance and reduction, solutions to poison include quaffing an antidote (which instantly cures poison) or shooting everything in sight in an effort to regain life. Useful runes for armor are Tal (poison resist 30%) and Gul (+5% maximum poison resist).
Hardcore bowazons should always strive to have maximum resistances when they can. Because she lacks the use of a shield, a bowazon is going to have a difficult time keeping her resistances in the positive without charms. Realistically, a softcore bowazon doesn't need maximum resistances; she needs just enough to survive an initial hit so she can run back to a safe spot and summon up a valkyrie to soak damage. The principle of DR can also apply to resistances: when there's a valkyrie to take all the damage for you, why rush?
Absorb heals the player — which is equivalent to resistance. If you have 5% absorb fire, 5% of the fire that would hurt heals you instead — roughly equivalent to 10% resistance. It isn't bound by the resistance cap. Items that offer lightning absorption are Thundergod's Vigor war belt and Blackhorn's Face death mask. Items that offer fire absorption are The Rising Sun amulet, Dwarf Star ring and Hellmouth war gauntlets. Items that offer cold absorption are Snowclash battle belt and Raven Frost ring.
last updated: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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