The Xmax Hardcore Challenge

[Zardoz]

I agree, video recordings are not a viable proof. It will be the same with the pics... i asked if such youtube series exists, because i'm curious of seeing someone playing full xmax hardcore and self-found, even if there's chance of it being non-legit. I just want to see the progression on normal difficulty. I think Mr. Fae has attempted it, but i think it was xmax-x3 and wasn't a self-found character...

Sadly only a stream can be a real proof, but i also have to agree with @MedeaFleecestealer . Streaming is not something everyone would just straight jump into, just to take a part in a challenge. And then there's someone who needs to review the streams as well, so they won't be entirely based on trust too... but then who would do that with countless streams for hundreds if hours? It will be like a job.
I also never thought of streaming as something i would do... first i have no i idea how it works, and can't be bothered to research it. Second, i also like that leisure factor of playing at your own pace when you're offline, playing a single player games.

Still i think many interesting challenges, farmathons, speedruns, races, you name it, could have happened and be a regular thing on twitch (i'll be there to watch them for sure), if the game wasn't so criminally underrated. Just look at something like Diablo 2 which is a 21-year-old game and is beating Titan Quest and every other ARPG, including Grim Dawn, when it comes to streaming activity... it's only third behind Path of Exile and, i think, Diablo 3. It's sad because i believe Titan Quest to be a superior and fresher experience than all of these games (including D2), it's the only ARPG that truly stands out today, with its fresh setting, art style, soul and character. Everything else copies and tries so hard to be like a more boring version of Diablo 2. <-- Sorry, i went a bit off-topic here.

I guess the biggest flaw of TQ is that it doesn't have a real hardcore mode, with either hidden save files, or something in the registry that recognizes that a HC character has died even if you copy/paste a backup of his files.

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Well, D2 is popular for streamers atm because of the D2 remake that's on the way.  It's always been a popular game, but that news has reignited players' interest in it even more.  Still, if we ever do get any news of more TQ stuff I'm sure that'll generate a lot of interest as well.  Maybe not among streamers necessarily, but the player base for sure.  Just cross fingers that will happen.   

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Okay, going to get back into this I hope.  Didn't start off well as the first character I made chased after a wayward satyr in the horse field and aggro'd the ones by the guards and died so I had to remake that one. 

Then started a second one for the challenge and did almost the same thing.  Didn't aggro more packs, but did manage to die just the same to one of the last ones before the guards dealt with it, so had to remake that one as well.     Doesn't bode well for my success at this. 

Anyway, here's the second character; Xmax Pets is the name and she's a Soothsayer.  Up to L13 and at Megara Bluff.


Will add the second one once she's a bit further along; only got her up to the caravan driver quest yesterday.

[stormyboy]

Welcome Medea! Have a swift run! Don't worry about the first fail. I usually delete 3-4 characters before the end of normal until i make one work. As veterans of the game we usually underestimate the normal monsters (the one and only reason we fail).

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Anyone know how well the 2016 Steam Xmax mod works with the expansions?  I see it hasn't been updated since then. 

[stormyboy]

I play on steam with their xmax. I only have a problem in ragnarok in the garden of asgard. The place of a lot of statues. The game auto shuts down around that place. But other than that place where you will probably turn off xmax to be able to advance everything is smooth.

[sauruz]

How is in Atlantis ? i cant even imagine the performance with 10x more mobs 

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Don't know, but I have been experiencing some stuttering in Act 1, though I got a bit of that in Atlantis with normal play recently.  Not sure if it's the publicbeta or something else causing it.

[stormyboy]

@MedeaFleecestealer I have noticed that as well. It's a recent problem i have been experiencing (1-2 weeks old problem).

What about a public beta? for what?

@sauruz atlantis is the same as all others expansions. You get stuck in place or your FPS drops to 1 when you engage a large pack all at once. But it is manageable

[Medea Fleecestealer]

The publicbeta is for controller support for PC users.  It'll be v2.10 when it fully releases, but atm you can try it out by changing your Steam version to publicbeta. 

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Here's my other challenger; a Prophet.  Again up to L13 and at Megara Bluff.

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Whew, I'd forgotten just how many foes appear when you play this mod.     Seems to be more than I remembered. 

Anyway XmaxPets is up to L18 and has arrived in Delphi.  Did manage, amazingly, to kill Shadowmaw x3, but had a couple of near deaths before she managed to retreat and recover/resummon. 

[stormyboy]

Nice progress Medea. It's always hard with pet classes on xmax boss fights. Pets are eating packs alive regardless of resistances or monster type. But bosses...when 3 of them focus one pet it will get 1shot.

[Medea Fleecestealer]

I'm finding the spawn for heroes a bit hit and miss now with the publicbeta version.  Sometimes I get 2 heroes, other times I get the 3.  Bosses seem to be okay still with x3 spawning.  Not sure if it's just the age of the mod itself (2016) or just because so much has changed since it was made.

[stormyboy]

Because my schedule is so full that i barely play, i will post some progress just to show you guys that i am still going .

What i rly rly rly need to change:
-helmet - i have a random green piece that i got on gorgons (ceremonial - 8% exp + normal crystal of erebus with 8% exp bonus. The epic one gave me 1 skill point bonus but i don't care for that too much). This one i want to upgrade with a ceremonial piece as well but it's hard to find something with a lot of exp bonus.
-bracer - i have the first random stonebinder cuffs that dropped in epic(2 skill points, what more could you ask?). The problem with those is the armor and resistances they give (180 armor, only elemental resist and some intelect)
-chest - any random "juggernaut" or "of the glade" works.

Other than this, i have high hopes for this character. I had terrible luck with epic pieces but you can't have it all. I will have to search for some undead resist/bonus damage pieces. It took me 40 minutes to clear the caves before you get to scandia. Those undead dudes are a lot... Without speciffic pieces i won't be able to kill them in legendary.

Stormyboy - Borkan - L73 Ranger AEAR (untwinked/no potions) - Sithun

https://imgur.com/RiGM7bx
https://imgur.com/uaok0tP
https://imgur.com/kaCzULp
https://imgur.com/A2ztH14
https://imgur.com/EsvfyDL
https://imgur.com/2EQ6JeG (Last boss)
https://imgur.com/wiihCSq (death /potion count)