Okay so last week I decided it was time – my Sorceress really needed the full Tal Rasha set. Everyone talks about how smooth it makes magic finding, right? Been putting it off because, honestly, I thought it was gonna be a huge grind. Spoiler: It wasn’t as bad as I thought! Here’s exactly how I did it.
Starting Point: My Character Was Ready-ish
I had my level 85 Frozen Orb/Fireball Sorceress already chilling. Gear was okay, nothing fancy – Spirit sword, Ancients Pledge shield, stealth armor, some random rings and amulets. She could handle Hell difficulty… mostly. Baal runs were still kinda sketchy. Goal was clear: Get Tal’s full set for the sweet +skills and resistances.
Step 1: Knowing Where To Look
You gotta target the right spots. Based on lots of forum lurking and past fails, I focused my runs:
- Mephisto Runs (Hell Difficulty): This is KEY. I must’ve run him 300 times? Seriously. He drops everything EXCEPT the chest armor. He gave me the Belt, the Mask (twice!), the Orb (finally), and the Swirling Crystal.
- Ancient Tunnels (Hell Act 2): Switched it up when Meph got boring. Cold immunes aren’t a problem here. Good for general gear but mostly got junk. Maybe it helped my sanity?
- Andariel Runs (Hell): Threw her in the rotation early on. Got the Mask again (useless!) and a bunch of other green stuff I didn’t need.
- Pindle Runs (Hell Act 5): Quick and dirty. Did these while waiting for the Meph group games. He dropped zilch for Tal’s for me, personally.
The Orb took the longest. Felt like forever seeing that stupid Bloodfist or Isenhart’s drop instead.
Step 2: The Big Score – Tal’s Armor
Okay, this was the intimidating part. Everyone moans about finding the Lacquered Plate. Mephisto doesn’t drop it. Needed tougher targets:
- Ran Chaos Sanctuary (Hell) solo a bunch. Too slow, too dangerous for my pre-Tal gear. Died more than I’d like to admit. No luck.
- Joined Baal Runs (Hell): Decided to just bite the bullet. Got into public Baal runs. Mostly stood back casting Orb/Fireball, trying not to die. Focused on clearing the waves before the throne room – especially the Minions of Destruction. That’s where it happened! On maybe my 15th Baal run this week, just clearing trash mobs near the back, BOOM! Golden Lacquered Plate. Totally unexpected. Almost missed it!
Step 3: Putting It All Together
Once the armor dropped, the rest was cake. Belt, Mask, Orb, Swirling Crystal were already collecting dust in my stash. Slapped it all on:
- Weapon Swap: Swirling Crystal (Orb slot) & Spirit Shield
- Helm: Tal’s Mask
- Armor: Tal’s Armor (FINALLY)
- Belt: Tal’s Belt
- Amulet: Had to farm this! I didn’t have it yet! Did way more Meph runs specifically for this little guy. Took another 50-70 runs after getting the armor. RNG is annoying.
The Result & Why It Rocks
Holy fireballs! Putting the full set on was insane:
- +3 to all Sorc skills? Massive damage boost. My Orbs hit like trucks now.
- Resistances went through the roof. Almost maxed in Hell without even trying.
- The -15% enemy fire res on the armor is sneaky-good for my Fireball.
- Magic Find is huge now. Farming Meph is actually easier than before I had the set!
It basically turned my squishy caster into a magic finding tank. Running Meph is so smooth now. Way faster clear times. Highly recommend pushing for it. Feels like a whole new character.
My Messy But Quick Tips
- Meph Runs Are Non-Negotiable: Live in Hell Meph for Mask/Belt/Orb/Swirling Crystal/Ammy. Use the moat trick!
- Tal’s Armor Hunt: Don’t stress solo farming. Join Baal Runs. Focus on the minion packs, not just Baal. Chaos is okay but harder.
- Trade Cheap Items First: Got lucky and traded a decent Lem rune for Tal’s Mask early, saving some Meph runs. Low runes or spare gear can get Belt/Mask.
- Patience is Annoying But Required: That Orb took ages. The Ammy hid forever after I got the armor. Grind sucks, but the payoff is worth the headache. Just keep hitting Meph!
That’s it! Probably took me a week of solid, maybe kinda obsessive playtime. Totally changed my Diablo experience. Happy hunting!