I was messing around with Diablo 2 again a few weeks back, feeling kinda stuck because my characters were taking forever to kill stuff. You know, like when you’re grinding for hours and barely leveling up—total pain. So I thought, why not try that Fanaticism aura thing everyone raves about? It sounds awesome for getting strong fast, like the pros do. I dove straight in with a Paladin, ’cause that’s where the Fanaticism skill tree is. Didn’t waste time overthinking; just grabbed a fresh character slot and started clicking away.
First off, I needed to build up the skills right from scratch. I began with putting points into basic stuff like Might aura to handle early enemies, but my dumbass forgot that Fanaticism doesn’t unlock right away. Wasted a few levels before realizing I had to hit level 30 or so for it. That was frustrating, like banging my head against a wall. So I restarted, focusing on leveling through Act 1 and 2 with normal attacks and a simple shield. Got killed a bunch by those pesky Fallen monsters ’cause I wasn’t paying attention to gear. Ended up farming Tristram repeatedly for basic items like swords and armor—took ages but slowly built up some defense.
Getting the Fanaticism Setup Sorted
Once I finally unlocked Fanaticism, I activated it and wow, the attack speed boost felt insane! Like suddenly slicing through crowds like butter. But here’s where things got tricky. I learned the hard way that just maxing Fanaticism isn’t enough; you gotta pair it with other skills to make it work. Tried adding Fanaticism to my hireling, a big Barbarian dude, but he kept dying too fast. So I swapped to building around my own character instead, focusing on:
- Maxing Fanaticism first: Poured all points there for faster attacks.
- Adding Zeal for extra hits: This skill saved me in tight spots, especially against bosses.
- Grinding for specific gear: Spent hours in the Cow Level for better stuff like a good sword or shield to up the damage.
This part was messy—I died loads of times experimenting. Like in one run, I tried mixing Fanaticism with Thorns aura, thinking it would reflect damage, but that just got me slaughtered by ranged enemies. Felt like such a waste of time. Had to reset the game a couple times to fix my build, which was annoying but worth it.
Fine-Tuning and Seeing Results
After all the trial and error, I started seeing real progress. Focused on maxing Fanaticism fully and balanced it with decent gear farming. Got lucky with a rare drop—a high damage sword—that paired perfectly with Zeal. Tested it out in Act 5 against big monsters like Baal’s minions. The attacks were so fast; Fanaticism made me feel unstoppable. But I had to adjust stats too, putting more into vitality for health since the speed made me a bit squishy. Ran through levels in minutes instead of hours, getting loot and levels at record pace.
Now my Paladin rocks Fanaticism hard. Cleared the whole game faster than ever, and grinding feels fun instead of a chore. The key for a strong build? Keep it simple: max Fanaticism, add Zeal early, and don’t skimp on finding good gear. Avoid spreading points thin—focus like a laser. Overall, it’s a game-changer for power leveling, but it took patience and plenty of fails. Totally recommend it if you’re fed up with slow grinds!