Diablo 2 Experience FAQ Version 1.4, 06/05/2001 by Brian Kern ______________________________________________________________________________ This FAQ is copyrighted material. LIMITED REPRODUCTION LICENSE: This FAQ may be posted, emailed, or saved to a disk without express permission, provided that the FAQ remains unaltered, and the full copyright notice is in place. Removing the copyright notice and rights disclaimer voids any rights assigned. Exclusions: This FAQ may not be used for promotional purposes, nor may it be incorporated in guides, magazines, secured websites, or in any state or place where a fee is charged in order to obtain the information contained within. All professional use rights are retained by the author. All copyrights and trademarks are held by their respective owners, when not specifically mentioned. Diablo 2 is (c) 2000 Blizzard Entertainment. Future revisions of this FAQ may be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com . ______________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents 1. Revision History 2. Introduction 2.1. Things I'm still missing! 3. Monster Chart 3.1. Super Unique Monsters 3.2. Experience modifiers 4. Experience Calculations 4.1. Solo experience for characters under Level 25 4.2. Solo experience for characters over Level 25 4.3. Experience for characters over Level 75 4.4. Multiplayer experience 4.5. Party experience 4.6. Full example calculation 5. Leveling Techniques 5.1. Solo Parties 5.2. The 'classic' solo method 5.3. Maximum party experience 5.4. Final example 6. Credits and Contact Info ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Revision History ______________________________________________________________________________ v1.4, 06/05/2001, 1:30pm Why would anyone update a FAQ nine months after it's been posted in it's "final" form? Because I re-read it and found some omissions, that's why. :) Added info on Champions and Uniques, clarified the leveling examples with a large party, reworded a few things, and revised my "what's missing" section. v1.3, 09/14/2000, 2:10pm Work got a lot more satisifying when I realized I could write FAQs and still get paid for being here. Changed the format a couple of times, added another extra subsection, and now we're ready for posting. v1.2, 09/14/2000, 1:40pm Getting close to finishing; reformatting text. v1.1, 09/14/2000, 12:45pm Redesigned the layout, included more information; so much for it just being a good chart, eh. v1.0, 09/14/2000, 11:30am Finished compiling all the data and porting it to Excel; dumped a text version sorted by act and then by level. Assembled the FAQ. ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Diablo 2 Experience FAQ. Here you'll find a nice long list with all of the monsters on it, listed by act and then by level. This is the main feature; you can tell what gives the best exp in the area you're fighting in. Further down, you'll find the experience mathematics from D2. I highly recommend becoming at least a little familiar with them, because they control how much experience you will earn in-game. And last, but hardly least, I go into my favorite leveling practices, to help everyone get on the right track. This FAQ will go through an update when the Diablo II Expansion Pack is released - time to add all those glorious new Act 5 beasties.. :) .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 2.1: Things I'm still missing! | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' I'm still hunting data for other Named monsters - like Bishbosh, Blood Raven, that kinda thing. The more I can add, the better. D2 Expansion data, as it comes in. :) ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Monster Chart ______________________________________________________________________________ This chart is organized by act, then by level, then by type. It should be trivial to compare a Nightmare Act 4 Abyss Knight's level and exp against that for a Vile Lancer in Hell Act 1 - and that's the sort of info that becomes most important when deciding where you want to level. ;) - Notice - The Monster Chart is oversized, and takes up 97 columns. While this should pose no problem in web browsers, or even for normal viewing in most resolutions, your text editor of choice may truncate the lines. I recommend turning word wrap -off- for this FAQ. Need a text editor? Try out UltraEdit, findable at http://www.ultraedit.com . It's what I use. :) Name Level Experience Type Acts Normal Night Hell Normal Night Hell Fallen 1 26 51 18 299 1621 Fallen 1 Dark Shaman 1 36 61 104 795 3927 Fallen Shaman 1 Quill Rat 1 26 51 21 352 1911 Spike Fiend 1 Zombie 1 26 51 33 547 2969 Zombie 1 Fallen Shaman 2 27 52 32 432 2324 Fallen Shaman 1 Dark Hunter 2 27 52 31 419 2252 Rogue 1 Dark Spearwoman 2 27 52 36 483 2596 Rogue Spearwoman 1 Gargantuan Beast 2 27 52 48 646 3473 Wendigo 1 Hungry Dead 2 27 52 44 585 3147 Zombie 1 Foul Crow Nest 3 28 53 88 1017 5416 Hawk Nest 1 Foul Crow 4 29 54 22 221 1169 Blood Hawk 1 Moon Clan 4 29 54 54 553 2916 Goatman 1 Dark Ranger 4 29 54 54 557 2937 Rogue Archer 1 Carver 5 30 55 42 392 2047 Fallen 1 Vile Hunter 5 30 55 54 513 2682 Rogue 1 Vile Archer 5 30 55 63 596 3113 Rogue Archer 1 Vile Lancer 5 30 55 63 591 3091 Rogue Spearwoman 1 Skeleton Archer 5 30 55 62 587 3070 Skeletal Archer 1 Spike Fiend 5 30 55 49 462 2413 Spike Fiend 1 Misshapen 5 30 55 56 530 2768 Tainted 1 Brute 5 30 55 84 791 4136 Wendigo 1 Blood Hawk 6 31 56 29 254 1313 Blood Hawk 1 Carver Shaman 6 31 56 64 567 2934 Fallen Shaman 1 Night Clan 6 31 56 72 633 3277 Goatman 1 Devilkin 7 32 57 53 448 2300 Fallen 1 Blood Clan 7 32 57 81 677 3474 Goatman 1 Dark Archer 7 32 57 81 682 3498 Rogue Archer 1 Ghost 7 32 57 83 694 3558 Wraith 1 Blood Hawk Nest 8 33 58 177 1426 7248 Hawk Nest 1 Dark Stalker 8 33 58 78 629 3194 Rogue 1 Dark Lancer 8 33 58 90 724 3682 Rogue Spearwoman 1 Returned Archer 8 33 58 89 719 3656 Skeletal Archer 1 Thorn Beast 8 33 58 70 565 2874 Spike Fiend 1 Devilkin Shaman 9 34 59 88 694 3495 Fallen Shaman 1 Black Rogue 9 34 59 86 673 3386 Rogue 1 Black Lancer 9 34 59 99 775 3903 Rogue Spearwoman 1 Razor Spine 9 34 59 77 605 3046 Spike Fiend 1 Yeti 9 34 59 132 1037 5222 Wendigo 1 Dark One 10 35 60 71 549 2739 Fallen 1 Ratman 10 35 60 91 702 3503 Fetish 1 Death Clan 10 35 60 108 829 4137 Goatman 1 Black Archer 10 35 60 108 835 4166 Rogue Archer 1 Wraith 10 35 60 110 850 4238 Wraith 1 Arach 11 36 61 147 1116 5516 Giant Spider 1 Tainted 11 36 61 104 795 3927 Tainted 1 Afflicted 12 37 62 112 850 4162 Tainted 1 Banished 12 37 62 154 1161 5685 Vampire 1 Ghoul 12 37 62 152 1151 5636 Zombie 1 Gargoyle Trap 15 40 65 197 1374 6539 Furniture 1 Bone Warrior Archer 9 34 59 98 770 3876 Skeletal Archer 1 Skeleton 2 27 52 34 454 2442 Skeleton 1, 2 Returned 6 31 56 68 595 3083 Skeleton 1, 2 Bone Warrior 7 32 57 76 637 3268 Skeleton 1, 2 Flying Scimitar 12 37 62 116 880 4308 Flying Scimitar 1, 2, 3, 4 Fire Tower 1 26 51 283 4752 25792 Furniture 2 Lightning Spire 1 26 51 283 4752 25792 Furniture 2 Returned Mage 8 33 58 55 442 2245 Skeletal Mage 2 Disfigured 8 33 58 80 649 3297 Tainted 2 Bone Mage 10 35 60 66 506 2523 Skeletal Mage 2 Tomb Viper 11 36 61 101 767 3789 Claw Viper 2 Sand Maggot 11 36 61 173 1317 6509 Sand Maggot 2 Dried Corpse 13 38 63 132 974 4721 Mummy 2 Sand Raider 13 38 63 179 1314 6369 Sand Raider 2 Sand Leaper 14 39 64 158 1133 5441 Leaper 2 Huntress 14 39 64 119 849 4076 Sabre Cat 2 Rock Worm 14 39 64 226 1614 7752 Sand Maggot 2 Dung Soldier 14 39 64 140 1004 4823 Scarab Demon 2 Burning Dead Mage 14 39 64 93 663 3185 Skeletal Mage 2 Slinger 14 39 64 113 807 3876 Slinger 2 Carrion Bird 14 39 64 140 1000 4804 Vulture Demon 2 Claw Viper 15 40 65 144 1005 4784 Claw Viper 2 Mummy Sarcophagus 15 40 65 608 4232 20139 Furniture 2 Hollow One 15 40 65 252 1755 8353 Greater Mummy 2 Black Raptor Nest 15 40 65 329 2290 10899 Hawk Nest 2 Cave Leaper 15 40 65 174 1212 5768 Leaper 2 Decayed 15 40 65 160 1115 5305 Mummy 2 Sabre Cat 15 40 65 130 908 4321 Sabre Cat 2 Spear Cat 15 40 65 124 863 4109 Slinger 2 Undead Scavenger 15 40 65 154 1070 5093 Vulture Demon 2 Black Raptor 16 41 66 74 499 2351 Blood Hawk 2 Death Beetle 16 41 66 170 1149 5419 Scarab Demon 2 Itches 16 41 66 124 837 3946 Swarm 2 Tomb Lurker 17 42 67 211 1388 6481 Leaper 2 Night Tiger 17 42 67 158 1040 4855 Sabre Cat 2 Devourer 17 42 67 300 1977 9233 Sand Maggot 2 Marauder 17 42 67 261 1722 8041 Sand Raider 2 Scarab 17 42 67 187 1230 5744 Scarab Demon 2 Horror Mage 17 42 67 123 812 3793 Skeletal Mage 2 Night Slinger 17 42 67 150 989 4617 Slinger 2 Black Locusts 17 42 67 136 896 4183 Swarm 2 Plague Bearer 17 42 67 245 1615 7543 Zombie 2 Dune Beast 18 43 68 238 1524 7053 Baboon Demon 2 Desert Wing 18 43 68 222 1381 6332 Bat Demon 2 Blunderbore 18 43 68 282 1808 8363 Blunderbore 2 Salamander 18 43 68 192 1231 5698 Claw Viper 2 Guardian 18 43 68 336 2150 9948 Greater Mummy 2 Embalmbed 18 43 68 213 1366 6318 Mummy 2 Invader 18 43 68 288 1842 8524 Sand Raider 2 Horror Archer 18 43 68 221 1415 6548 Skeletal Archer 2 Hell Clan 19 44 69 245 1525 6989 Goatman 2 Hell Cat 19 44 69 191 1190 5455 Sabre Cat 2 Steel Scarab 19 44 69 226 1408 6454 Scarab Demon 2 Hell Slinger 19 44 69 182 1132 5187 Slinger 2 Ghoul Lord 19 44 69 299 1865 8548 Vampire 2 Crusher 19 44 69 327 2040 9352 Wendigo 2 Spector 19 44 69 251 1562 7160 Wraith 2 Gorebelly 20 45 70 341 2069 9396 Blunderbore 2 Unraveler 20 45 70 406 2462 11178 Greater Mummy 2 Apparition 20 45 70 276 1671 7589 Wraith 2 Plague Bugs 21 46 71 199 1174 5281 Swarm 2 Pit Viper 22 47 72 281 1614 7193 Claw Viper 2 Bone Scarab 24 49 74 364 1975 8636 Scarab Demon 2 Mauler 25 50 75 550 2902 12575 Blunderbore 2 Burning Dead Archer 13 38 63 137 1009 4893 Skeletal Archer 2 Burning Dead 13 38 63 130 956 4635 Skeleton 2, 3 Horror 14 39 64 143 1023 4914 Skeleton 2, 3 Horadrim Ancient 23 48 73 540 3016 13313 Greater Mummy 2, 3 Preserved Dead 23 48 73 343 1915 8455 Mummy 2, 3 Jungle Urchin 18 43 68 174 1112 5146 Spike Fiend 3 Water Watcher 18 43 68 263 1683 7788 Tentacle Beast 3 Fiend 19 44 69 238 1524 7053 Bat Demon 3 River Stalker 20 45 70 318 1927 8751 Tentacle Beast 3 Zakarumite 20 45 70 297 1802 8183 Zakarum Zealot 3 Jungle Hunter 21 46 71 317 1868 8401 Baboon Demon 3 Gloom Bat 21 46 71 317 1868 8401 Bat Demon 3 Fetish 21 46 71 214 1259 5664 Fetish 3 Swamp Dweller 21 46 71 360 2123 9550 Frog Demon 3 Sucker 21 46 71 243 1436 6458 Giant Mosquito 3 Poison Spinner 21 46 71 372 2196 9878 Giant Spider 3 Giant Lamprey 21 46 71 439 2591 11657 Sand Maggot 3 Thorned Hulk 21 46 71 403 2379 10699 Thorned Hulk 3 Gloam 21 46 71 241 1423 6403 Willowisp 3 Doom Ape 22 47 72 348 1998 8905 Baboon Demon 3 Blood Diver 22 47 72 348 1998 8905 Bat Demon 3 Cloud Stalker 22 47 72 130 749 3336 Blood Hawk 3 Undead Flayer 22 47 72 286 1640 7309 Bone Fetish 3 Flayer 22 47 72 235 1347 6004 Fetish 3 Fetish Shaman 22 47 72 276 1582 7048 Fetish Shaman 3 Bog Creature 22 47 72 396 2272 10123 Frog Demon 3 Flame Spider 22 47 72 410 2350 10471 Giant Spider 3 Cloud Stalker Nest 22 47 72 641 3678 16388 Hawk Nest 3 Tree Creeper 22 47 72 339 1946 8673 Leaper 3 Hell Swarm 22 47 72 219 1256 5598 Swarm 3 Stygian Watcher 22 47 72 385 2207 9833 Tentacle Beast 3 Bramble Hulk 22 47 72 444 2545 11341 Thorned Hulk 3 Hell Buzzard 22 47 72 300 1718 7657 Vulture Demon 3 Dark Shape 22 47 72 334 1914 8528 Wraith 3 Sexton 22 47 72 381 2187 9746 Zakarum Priest 3 Faithful 22 47 72 360 2063 9195 Zakarum Zealot 3 Drowned Carcass 22 47 72 395 2265 10094 Zombie 3 Undead Soulkiller 23 48 73 315 1755 7748 Bone Fetish 3 Soul Killer 23 48 73 258 1442 6364 Fetish 3 Flayer Shaman 23 48 73 303 1692 7471 Fetish Shaman 3 Feeder 23 48 73 295 1644 7256 Giant Mosquito 3 Spider Magnus 23 48 73 451 2514 11099 Giant Spider 3 Flesh Hunter 23 48 73 311 1734 7656 Rogue 3 Thrasher 23 48 73 488 2723 12021 Thorned Hulk 3 Night Lord 23 48 73 438 2445 10792 Vampire 3 Winged Nightmare 23 48 73 330 1839 8117 Vulture Demon 3 Wailing Beast 23 48 73 479 2674 11806 Wendigo 3 Cantor 23 48 73 419 2340 10330 Zakarum Priest 3 Temple Guard 24 49 74 422 2288 10005 Baboon Demon 3 Serpent Magus 24 49 74 341 1848 8082 Claw Viper 3 Stygian Doll 24 49 74 284 1543 6746 Fetish 3 Soul Killer Shaman 24 49 74 334 1811 7919 Fetish Shaman 3 Slime Prince 24 49 74 479 2601 11374 Frog Demon 3 Flesh Archer 24 49 74 397 2154 9419 Rogue Archer 3 Flesh Lancer 24 49 74 394 2139 9353 Rogue Spearwoman 3 Infidel 24 49 74 509 2765 12091 Sand Raider 3 Dark Lord 24 49 74 482 2616 11439 Vampire 3 Heirophant 24 49 74 461 2504 10950 Zakarum Priest 3 Zealot 24 49 74 435 2362 10331 Zakarum Zealot 3 Council Member 25 50 75 696 3676 15926 High Council 3 Cadaver 25 50 75 415 2193 9500 Mummy 3 Blood Lord 25 50 75 530 2799 12126 Vampire 3 Warped One 26 51 76 316 1621 6957 Fallen 3 Assailant 26 51 76 616 3165 13585 Sand Raider 3 Warped Shaman 27 52 77 470 2346 9976 Fallen Shaman 3 Undead Stygian Doll 24 49 74 346 1878 8213 Bone Fetish 3 Dark Familiar 24 49 74 422 2288 10005 Bat Demon 4 Groper 24 49 74 482 2616 11439 Finger Mage 4 Balrog 24 49 74 474 2571 11244 Mega Demon 4 Doom Knight 24 49 74 486 2638 11537 Oblivion Knight 4 Corpulent 24 49 74 604 3279 14340 Regurgitator 4 Flesh Spawner 24 49 74 622 3376 14763 Vile Mother 4 Cliff Lurker 26 51 76 497 2551 10949 Leaper 4 Burning Soul 26 51 76 389 1996 8569 Willowisp 4 Strangler 27 52 77 641 3204 13624 Finger Mage 4 Pit Lord 27 52 77 631 3150 13391 Mega Demon 4 Abyss Knight 27 52 77 647 3232 13741 Oblivion Knight 4 Corpse Spitter 27 52 77 804 4017 17079 Regurgitator 4 Damned 27 52 77 470 2346 9976 Tainted 4 Spikefist 27 52 77 715 3570 15177 Thorned Hulk 4 Stygian Hag 27 52 77 828 4136 17583 Vile Mother 4 Blood Maggot 29 54 79 942 4453 18579 Sand Maggot 4 Storm Caster 30 55 80 854 3925 16277 Finger Mage 4 Venom Lord 30 55 80 839 3858 15949 Mega Demon 4 Oblivion Knight 30 55 80 861 3959 16365 Oblivion Knight 4 Maw Fiend 30 55 80 1070 4921 20341 Regurgitator 4 Grotesque 30 55 80 1102 5066 20942 Vile Mother 4 Urdar 32 57 82 1071 4661 18908 Blunderbore 4 Windows ? ? ? ? ? ? Furniture 4 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 3.1: Super Unique Monsters | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Here are the values I know for Super Unique Monsters. Name Level Experience Act Normal Night Hell Normal Night Hell Griswold 5 30 55 191 1797 9393 1 The Smith 10 35 60 181 1393 6948 1 Andariel 12 37 62 1281 9692 47439 1 The Summoner 18 43 68 305 1956 9052 2 Duriel 22 47 72 6005 34446 153495 2 Mephisto 26 51 76 10714 55023 236152 3 Izual 29 54 79 22759 107573 448866 4 Hephasto 25 50 75 1593 8412 36446 4 Diablo 40 65 90 43420 151405 569765 4 And keep in mind that while Big D is still the most profitable monster to kill, experience-wise, that dying five or six times is likely to erase any gains you might have made.. :) .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 3.2: Experience Modifiers - Champions and Uniques | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Champion and Unique monsters naturally give more experience than the their normal counterparts. As such, the experience for these types of creatures is multiplied. Champions ==> Exp x3 Uniques ==> Exp x5 The base experience is what gets multipled. Modifications for the number of players and party divisions happen afterwards. ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. Experience Calculations ______________________________________________________________________________ D2 uses a variety of different experience formulae to determine how many points you actually get. No matter what formula you're working with, a few key points of information are necessary: - Your level - The monster's level - The monster's base experience Two of the three required bits of info are contained on the monster chart, and your level is easy enough to check. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.1: Solo experience for characters under Level 25 | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Calculate the difference in levels between you and the monster. At this stage, it doesn't matter whether a monster is above or below you. Difference | % of exp --------------------------------------- 0 to 5 levels - 100% 6 levels - 80% 7 levels - 60% 8 levels - 40% 9 levels - 20% 10 or more levels - 5% .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.2: Solo experience for characters over Level 25 | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Once you break level 25, it isn't a straight level calculation anymore. If a monster is of equal or lower level than you, use this chart to find the amount of experience you'll get. Monster Level | % of exp --------------------------------------- Higher than yours - * Ratio applies * Equal to yours - 100% 5 under or less - 100% 6 under - 80% 7 under - 60% 8 under - 40% 9 under - 20% 10 or more under - 5% If the monster is higher level than you, a ratio applies. This ratio is .. Experience * (Player level/Monster level) The experience you get determines which percentage of the monster's level you currently are. For example, if you're Level 30 and fighting a Level 40 monster, you will get 75% of the experience that monster is worth. Exp gained = Base Exp * (30 / 40) = Base Exp * (.75) = Base Exp * (75%) [to think of it another way] .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.3: Experience for characters over Level 75 | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' When you reach Level 75, experience penalties start getting used. Penalty Listing ---------------------------------- Level 75 - experience cut to 1/2. Level 80 - experience cut to 1/3. Level 85 - experience cut to 1/4. Level 90 - experience cut to 1/5. These penalties are applied at the end of the experience calculation. These aren't cumulative; reaching Level 80 doesn't mean your exp gets cut by half, then by a full third more. You'll simply make one third of the experience that you used to. Thanks, Blizzard. :) .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.4: Multiplayer experience | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Monster experience and life will increase when more people are in the game. The Exp and Hp are generated when a monster is activated - when you wander into it's area and it starts coming after you. If a lot of people are in, and you activate 20 monsters, and then everyone leaves, the monsters stay just as strong as they used to be. Monster Life = HP * (# of players in game) So, with two people in, the monster has twice as much life; three people, and it gets three times as much life; etc. Multiplayer also has fun effects on the experience value of a monster. Monster experience values don't just multiply for the number of players involved. Experience follows this formula: Monster exp = Base Exp + (# of players - 1)*((2/3)*Base Exp) An Example - With a five man game going, assume a monster has a base exp of 1000. Monster exp = 1000 + (5 - 1) * ((2/3) * 1000) = 1000 + (4) * (666.67) = 1000 + (2666.67) = 3666.67 = 3667 experience. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.5: Party experience | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' When you're in a party, and other members of the party are in the same area, you share experience with them. By 'same area' I mean 'same named area if you were to hit Tab and check where you're at'. The amount that you get after sharing is determiend by a party experience calculation. Exp gained = Monster's Exp * Exp fraction Exp fraction = Your level / (total of all party member levels) An Example - A Level 40 character is playing with a Level 25, Level 35, Level 15, and a Level 37. All of them are in the same area, so the formula applies. Exp fraction = 40/(40 + 25 + 35 + 15 + 37) = 40/(152) = 26.315% = 26.32% [after rounding up] Exp gained = Monster's Exp * 26.32% .. you get a little more than one-fourth what the monster itself is worth. Next, Experience is multiplied by another percentage that's on a sliding scale, which is based on the difference between your levels - like single player exp. Difference | % of exp --------------------------------------- 0 to 5 levels - 100% 6 levels - 80% 7 levels - 60% 8 levels - 40% 9 levels - 20% 10 or more levels - 5% Lastly, when you're in a party, the player who delivers the final blow receives an experience bonus of 10% for that kill. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 4.6: Full example calculation | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Taking our five-man game, let's assume that all members are partied, and that they are all in the same named area. The party comes across a single monster with a base exp of 1000, and our Level 40 character gets the killing blow. This monster will be Level 40 in order to make sure we get 100% of its experience. First, get your exp fraction. Exp fraction = 40/(40 + 25 + 35 + 15 + 37) = 40/(152) = 26.315% = 26.32% Next, figure out what the monster's full experience is. Monster exp = 1000 + (5 - 1) * ((2/3) * 1000) = 1000 + (4) * (666.67) = 1000 + (2666.67) = 3666.67 = 3667 experience. Calculate how much real experience you get for the kill by applying your experience fraction to it. Real exp = 26.32% * 3667 experience = 965.14 = 965 experience. Apply the 10% kill bonus. With bonus = 965 + (10% * 3667) = 965 + (367) = 1332 experience. And keep in mind that being more than five levels out puts you on the sliding scale. :) ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Leveling Techniques ______________________________________________________________________________ Everyone wants to know what the best way to level is, but there's no definitive method. The reason for this is because of the variable experience gain. If you really want to make your life better, you'll sit down with the chart, do some of the exp calculations, and figure out what Act (and what area in that Act) gives you the best return for your time. Another great way to learn where to level is to compare and contrast. Go to, say, Act 4 in Nightmare difficulty, hop on down to the River of Flame, and kill for five minutes. Write down the exp you've gained. Next, go to Act 1 in Hell difficulty, skip over to the Cold Plains or Dark Wood, and go wild for another five minutes. Write down your exp. See what the results are. Keep in mind that how often you die in a given Act at a given difficulty is very important when figuring out where to level; at anything over Normal, it's better to fight a little bit longer in a lower Act than to risk a 5% or 10% experience drop due to an untimely death. That said, here are some leveling techniques that help you make the best use of your time. :) .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 5.1: Solo parties | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Get into a large public game or a large private game, and party up with at least one person - and then go to different named areas. When you kill something, you'll get full points, since the rest of your party isn't around for the calculation to occur. Plus, being in a party lets you see where everybody's at, so that you don't step on anyone's toes. Unfortunately, you don't get the 10% exp bonus unless the other party members are in the same named area as you. In addition, this system has a big downside - you have to watch monster levels more closely due to the sliding exp scale you're on. If you fight something too far out of compliance, you'll get pathetic experience as a result. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 5.2: The 'classic' solo method | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' To get the max exp per kill, go into a large public multiplayer game. Fight monsters that are your level or higher. Higher level monsters will subject you to the experience fraction calculation, but it's better than fighting below your level, and getting 40% exp or less. By staying solo, you get all the benefits of multiplayer exp (+ two thirds experience per player) without having to share any of it. Also, killing high level monsters may not be as much of an expeirence drain; the ratio is based only off your level, instead of the base always being the same but you only getting a portion of the total experience value. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 5.3: Maximum party experience | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Partying *seems* to have serious drawbacks - the percentage of exp being based off what part of the total party level you represent being the biggest. However, if parties are used properly, they can be the fastest way to level. Form a big game (lots of people are always a necessity!) and form a party with several other people. Have everyone go to the same named area, and then have everybody split up in a different direction. This is more fair when everyone's around the same level, since party exp is distributed according to what percentage of the total levels you contribute. However, even when the levels aren't near one another, there are still benefits. First, there's the 10% exp bonus for making a killing hit. This rocks the house on big monsters, especially in 8 player games, where the monster's base exp is cranked up. Second, you get free exp from everyone else who's killing in your area. While you may only get a percentage of the exp for what you kill, everyone else is also giving up that same percentage of their kills to you. Third, this is speedy - four people can rock an area much faster than one can. While one player in an 8 player game can max his exp by being solo, it takes a relatively long time to clear, say, all of Lower Kurast on through Travincal. By comparison, four people sweeping across the city can clear it in a single pass, pooling exp and sharing it, and netting 10% bonuses on every kill they make. Party members should only gang up when a monster is too strong to take solo. While the total experience gain is lower than that for the classic solo method, you can clear things three to four times as rapidly. If you run out of things to kill, start a new game. The net result is that while classic soloing gets you the full experience for your kills, a distributed in-area party can reach that same experience value in one third or one fourth the time, by mass-clearing large areas in short order. Example. Say that a warrior is able to clear all of Act IV in two and a half hours, dueling with each separate monster individually. The total experience comes out to, for sake of argument, two million. A party of six people of similar levels starts clearing Hell. Due to the there being six people in the game, all of the monsters are worth 3.3x as much as normal: (6 - 1) x (2/3) exp == 3.3 x exp = 330% Each of these six people is of a similar level, and will pull in approximately 1.1mil per sweep of Hell. However, the six people can clear Hell in an hour, instead of two and a half. Assume that the party, and the single player, just do Hell over and over and over. == After one hour .. == Single player: 400,000 exp Six man party: 1,100,000 exp each == After three hours.. == Single player: 2,200,000 exp Six man party: 3,300,000 exp each This is also inaccurate: Each person will have *more* exp than that, because they'll be getting +10% off anything they kill. Partied killing is the absolute fastest way to level, when it's done right. I utilized this system to go from Level 45 to Level 48 (9.7mil exp) in five hours time. That's enough experience to go from Level 1 to 30. How do you get a party together that's of a similar level than you? Easy. Create a game with level restrictions. This also helps to keep high leveling duelers from invading your lower level game. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. | 5.4: Final example | '----------------------------------------------------------------------------' Assume our five man party runs into a pack of 1000 base exp creatures, all of which are Level 40 (as above), and everyone engages one seperately for a kill. All members are partied. Experience = (Your monster, with bonus xp) + (pooled exp from the others) = (1332) + (4 * 965) = 1332 + 3860 = 5192 experience in the time it takes to kill one each. ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. Credits and Contact Info ______________________________________________________________________________ - Credits Blizzard Entertainment, for some of the finest games around. A part of my life has been devoted to Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. GameFAQs.com, for providing the best online gaming resource that I've ever encountered. Without that site, where would we all be? Daniel Meyer, for pointing out that I was missing information on Champions and Uniques. - Contact Info Do you have something to add? A correction that needs to be made? A question that wasn't answered? Send it over to . I'll try to get an answer back in short order, and, if appropriate, I'll incorporate the change into the next version of the FAQ, with full credit to the author. (c) 2001, by Brian Kern Limited reproduction rights as assigned.