So today I’m gonna share how I actually leveled my Amazon in Diablo 2. Felt like trying her out again, remembering how much I struggled the first time.
Just Started Out
Made a new character, chose Amazon obviously. Walked outta the Rogue Encampment gate into Blood Moor. Felt weak. Seriously weak. Started poking zombies with my puny javelin. Took forever to kill stuff. Mana drained crazy fast.
I remembered: Jab was the key early on. Put my first point there. Game changer. Stabbing things multiple times? Much better. Grinded Tristram runs for maybe an hour. Got up to level 6 or so. Found:
- A slightly better javelin (3-5 damage, whoo!)
- A cracked sash belt thing.
- A shield with like 2 defense. Better than nothing!
Act 1 Boss Time
By level 12, felt ready-ish for Andariel. Skills? Focused purely on Jab and pumped the passive Critical Strike. Dumped points into Vitality too – Amazons are squishy little things. Bought some antidote potions. Lots of them.
Ran down into her nasty lair. That poison cloud sucks. Died. First time, stupidly cornered. Second time? Kited her like mad. Jab jab jab, run away when poisoned, chug potions frantically. Took a while, but she went down. Felt good! Dropped some useless blues, but hey, it’s progress.
Dessert Snake Land (Act 2)
Act 2 was rough. Those beetles zapping lightning everywhere? Annoying. Stuck mostly with Jab, but around level 18, switched to Plague Javelin for poison damage against packs. Helped clear groups faster. Still felt slow.
Radament was a joke compared to Andy. Cleared his room carefully, kept my distance, poked him with Poison Jav. Easy win.
The Wall – Duriel
Got to level 20. Knew Valkyrie unlocks. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Dumped my next few points straight into Valkyrie. My girl tanked so much damage.
Prepped for Duriel like crazy:
- Thawing Potions? Chugged 5 before going in. Gives cold resist.
- Hired a Defensive Mercenary from Greiz in town.
- Filled my belt and inventory with Healing Potions. Major Stamina ones too.
Opened that tomb. Duriel charged. Mercenary died instantly. Valkyrie held him like a champ! I just ran circles spamming Jab whenever his back was turned. Chugged potions constantly. Took forever, felt messy, but we won. Heart was pounding! No decent drops. Classic D2.
Slogging Through Act 3
Level 24 now. Still using Poison Jav mostly for groups, Jab for stragglers. Found a halfway decent spear, started using Fend sometimes – felt risky but hit hard. Act 3 jungle is tedious. Way too many mobs.
Mephisto was… easier than expected? Honestly. Got my Valkyrie to level 10ish. She tanked Mephisto’s blizzards while I circled around dodging and throwing Poison Jav, switching to Jab when he focused the Valk. Merc died halfway through. Oh well. Got a nice rare ring! (+15 mana, useful).
Heaven and Fire (Act 4)
Diablo time! Level 27. Fire everywhere. Had to upgrade gear – shopped Act 4 vendor for better resistance gear. Lightning resist especially!
Fight itself was chaotic:
- His lightning hose? Ran sideways like my life depended on it (it did).
- Fire novas? Kept distance, chugged Healing Potions.
- Summoned skeletons? Valkyrie kept them busy mostly.
My strategy? Run around like a headless chicken, let the Valk tank him, poke him with Jab whenever safe. Used up nearly every single potion in my belt and inventory. Survived by the skin of my teeth. Didn’t die! Felt like a huge accomplishment. Zero useful drops again. Typical.
The Grind To Baal
From level 25 onward, I started putting points into Lightning Fury whenever I could. It’s expensive on mana, but awesome later.
Act 5 normal felt smoother than Acts 3 and 4 somehow. Maybe I had a rhythm. Lots of running Baal runs in groups just to level faster. Hit level 40 eventually.
Baal fight? Honestly, less scary than Duriel or Diablo. Valkyrie tanked his physical hits and clones. Avoided his frost waves. Kited the tentacles. Spammed Lightning Fury at him whenever he stood still. Long fight, but predictable. Finally reached Nightmare!
Big Lessons Learned (The Simple Stuff)
Looking back, here’s what actually mattered for me:
- Valkyrie is Your Best Friend: Pump points into her ASAP in late Act 2 and Act 3. Best tank in the game.
- Resists Matter: Gear might look bad, but +poison resist for Andy, +cold for Duriel, +lightning for Diablo? Lifesavers. Buy gear from vendors if needed.
- Jab Carries Early: Don’t overthink skills before level 18. Just Jab stuff.
- Potions Are Cheap: Fill your belt AND inventory slots. Chug them constantly. Stamina potions save running time.
- Life Damage: Early on, putting points into Vitality meant I didn’t die instantly. More alive = more damage you deal overall.
- Mercs Die: Don’t rely on them. They’re meatshields. Get a new one cheaply.
- LFury for Late Normal/Nightmare: Start building towards it later in normal difficulty. Clears packs fast.
It wasn’t fast, wasn’t pretty. Lots of deaths, especially early on. But sticking with Valkyrie and focusing on staying alive worked way better for me than trying fancy builds too early. On to Nightmare!