Guide Budget - HC friendly - Gem Farmer

Hi!

Yesterday I came upon a guide by realaki: Realaki's Gem Farmer and though ... this should really be the fastest way.. but for me too expensive.
So here is my idea of a build (backed up by this post), which I am currently running on HC and SC (I tried solo game with realaki's soso, and mine is slightly slower - Teleport vs Charge).

Heads-up: ran a test with timer for 30 minutes. Got 1 gem per 16 seconds (switching games, going to Tristram and cubing included - I am pretty used to it tho). Which gives:

• 133,3(3) minutes for 500 gems in a bag - current HC amount for a Ber,
• 120 minutes for 450,
• 106,6(6) for 400 - current SC amount for a Ber.

And now I wonder.... would more players in a game increase that drop? If someone who runs 3/5/7 (i remember only those do anything to item drop) players comp in a game reads it, could You go for a cow run or two (normal is fine) and count all gems You will find in Stony Field (big groups along the way to portal)+Tristram (groups on the way for a Leg)+Cow Level?

What's needed:

Paladin with level of about.... 50.. well mine, from HC, never left normal difficulty and is lvl 52 - altho he is using items from nightmare and even a RBF! - this was not needed),
Skills:

• Holy Freeze - 20 - increases dmg and range (just for this it is better to have highest lvl possible here; higher killing range - faster clearing)
• Charge - 1
• rest of skills into Resist Cold and Salvation (I have 20 in Resist Cold and 13 in Salvation - higher Salvation should let You save +1 or maybe 2 skills from item)
• Vigor - 1 (or not at all - depends on You .. or gear)

Stats:

• Str - gear
• Dex - gear
• Vit - rest (just in care You were to somehow end surrounded by 2-3 groups of Champion class mobs at once... .
• Ene - none

Armory:

• Helmet - Something that gives + All skills / Paladin Skills / Offensive Auras (magic circlets have potential to have +3) - I use Peasant Crown for 15% FRW and 20 Energy (Mana consumption of Charge).
• Chest Armor - I use Skullder's Ire - use whatever drops first... that is what I did.
• Amulet - I have The Eye of Etlich - but whatever with +skills would work;
• Belt - I have Sigon's Wrap.... (if You have spare, could put on Arach - and spare a skill poin on other item),
• Gloves - Frostburn (+40% mana) - for lower mana pots consumption - it IS a budget farmer
• Boots - Tearhaunch (they give +2 Vigor, which slightly decreases time You will spend in town - if You bother to swich auras that is... )
• Rings - I have Raven Frost (+40 Mana) and a rare (+12 mana )
• Shield - I use shopped from nightmare Anya shield +3 Offensive Auras, then Larzuk was kind enuf to make two sockets in it (not that they need to be used, but I did drop random Cold RBF in it - BUT cows were dying even before).
• Weapon - Shopped Scepter +3 Holy Freeze
• Inventory: Cube, Book of Town Portal. I usually buy 5-6 spare books to cube cow portals with, so I dont have to bother Akara too often.
• + mana potions on belt slots (2-3 per run usually).

Run around while charging... and collect gems (from 5-15 gems per cow level).

Once You have that ready ordinary cows die in one tick, champions, ect in 3, king even in 5 - I just skip those or use Charge.

PS. From what I saw there is ALMOST NOTHING else worth picking up .
What is worth it (or could be in theory)?
- Gems... I am so smart!
- 15%/15% Breast Plate with 0/3 sox - could work as an Enigma's base - no idea about the price;
- 15% Eth 2 sox Armor... just to make a 5k+ def prudence in, lets say, Leather Armor and laugh at it;
- Eth rare Armor/Helmet with self repair to bug it - altho I do not know if items of this level can roll high eunf ED to be bugged; from my experience 40%+ enchanced defense on etheral item is NOT enough; last thing.. I have never tested if Pul rune plced into Unique/Rare etheral item, which originally had low ED, woudl help in that matter... .
- Base for White runeword - If I understand it right, it should be possible to get a wand with 2sox, +3 Bone Spear + x Decrepify +Dim Vison / Attract (for PVM), but it will not be the best (IMO that would be +3 spear +3 spirit + decrepify)
- I think base for Leaf is also possible.
- Grand Charms - if You really lack resists - at this iLVL they can have up to +25% of a single resist.
- Jewels for sale or self crafting (collect 40-80 and check if there are buyers - varies) - stats of those jools are not good - unless You want something specific for LLD... then could pick up rare ones.

What is actually not worth picking up?
- Runes - highest one I saw was Dol

- 500 gems (on HC) = Ber
- 250 = Sur
- 125 = Lo
- 62,5 = Ohm
- 31,25 = Vex
- 15,625 = Gul
- 7,8125 = Ist
- 3,90625 = Um
- 1,953125 = Pul
- 0,9765625 gem = Lem (Following that, ONE gem is worth 64 times more than Dol - so picking that could be waste of time, unless needed for crafting/making runeword. ***only if You sell bigger amount, because I doubt You will find a buyer for like 63 gems for an Ohm).​

- Large and Small Charms
- EDIT: Jewels removed from here, moved to "worth picking up".

That's it! This Paladin is safe to the point that it is hard to die, unless You actually try to, by running into groups of cows constantly, so those would manage to land a hit.

PPS. You can make it so that items on the ground are CONSTANTLY highlited (like when ALT button is pressed):

1. Press and hold ALT,
2. open Inventory,
3. open Cube,
4. release ALT,
5. close Cube and Inventory with ICON - that crossed out "O",
6. ready.

Now all items are visible all the time. On the sad note.. containers can not be opened (I never bother with those on normal).
To turn it back press ALT or ESC.

Post.. post scriptum. It may be good idea to prepare second maphack config file, just for that - switch when needed, reload config, farm w/o worries.

 

Thats a good one congrats for it .
Im looking to find a HC gem hunter acc - Cvm1-2-3-4

 

You are absolutely right. That is a wasted potential income, could name a game: "S 40 jool ohm1" and run cows there.

But I tried what You mentioned. Jewels filled whole stash and inventory of an alt, but then it was hard to find a buyer .
I even tried to match it with Rubys/Amethysts (80 Jewels+80 Gems);
or selling Bag filled with Amethysts/Rubys only - for a better price than random ones (When price was Ber for 500 random gems, I wanted to get Ber for 400 Amethysts.)
Altho I never offered a package, like 20 Ral runes +20 jools +20 Amethysts.

Off topic:
Hmm... cubing a Ral + jool + Ametyst and turning them into "Caster Amulet Catalyst"
How many items can go out together as a result of cubing? Just in theory, if one was to put 5 Rals, 5 Jools, 5 Amethysts and cube, would that be possible to bring 5 "catalysts" at once? I suppose if that was possible, we could be taking out 3 gems form a bag at once too... (with a help of a "Greedy Gem Remover" ).

 

Pretty cool guide appreciate the detail that went into this. I always liked the Holy Fire concept for Pally but never really found a use for it beyond the standard Pally-Fast-Leveling start. Very cool to see build with utility built around it. I play pretty much on HC so love the safety of this one too. Haven't been around a ton (newer here) but hopefully there is a market/buyers for gems on HC.

 

First thing first - Hello OBG!

Market is there! It may take few hours, or maybe next day, before You find someone (HC is less populated than SC), but at the time when I posted that guide, I sold few thousand of gems on HC.

PS. Holy Freeze > Holy Fire (holy fire needs much higher investment)
PPS. Skulls are pretty much for self use.