I've come to the realization for the 'n'th time that I'm getting burned out on D2 every time I pick up my active characters for this challenge. But recently, inspiration strikes. I think the thing that burns me out most is having to decide what gear to keep and what to stow on the characters I'm playing without extended stash. I just skimmed a few of my untwinked characters (only two listed on the tables, both have been played into the 90s without E/S), and their inventories are completely stacked with gems, runes, and swap gear, leaving no room for new items. The flexibility of extended stash in this challenge cannot be understated. When I started playing Auyra and Gnosis, I never thought E/S would have been such a large limitation. I have extended stashes for these characters for posterity and to gaze upon the gear they've found over time--2 DFs (one of which is +30% csd), a Griff, 2 Reaper's, a Cranium Basher, a ravenlore (-20% efr) and a Shadow Dancer are among the over 120 elite uniques I've found on my untwinked throwbarb alone...
Some part of me is telling me that I'll enjoy the challenge more if I toggle that E/S column to no for these characters, but having made it so far without using an extended stash (and I realize it's under halfway at a mere 93 and 91 on these guys), but I'm still reluctant. But since I've been on a D2 kick for the past week , I booted up another untwinked character--a teslot that was in A3 norm and blasted him all the way to Hell in a day and a half when I wasn't at work. Was playing on /p8 until halfway through A3, I remember. But I decided that I wouldn't miss much by rushing the rest of the way on /p1. So I did. Stopped at the ancients and ran /p8 pondle on normal until level 50. It took so little time. Pushed all the way to act 1 hell at a spry 62, using essentially all the same gear I had in act 3 normal. l'm backpedaling now that I've taken the skill point from hell den. Going to farm up some gear hopefully soon. Would like to get a treachery and crescent moon and elite insight on the merc and see what's what in hell. I pretty much swore off of paladins a long time ago, but I'm having fun with something I never had the resources to attempt back in the days of bnet. I'm wondering if it's crazy to consider going dual dream teslot, but I'm feeling a level of invigoration with the freedom, of E/S. Again, no updates to the table for now because I would like to avoid adding bloat, but know I am playing a teslot (now 64), a cb/fw sorc (80), a windy drood (91), and a throwbarb (93)
Thanks for the participation everyone, and I hope you enjoy the update.