Why do players prefer the Unseen form of the Reaper's Toll, a legendary weapon in Diablo II?

Jan-17-2024

 

 

The "the Reaper's Toll" is a popular legendary polearm in Diablo II. In Act 2, the Mercenary can be equipped with it due to its specific aura and melee physical damage output. With proper equipment combinations, Mercenary can deal damage, tank hits, and provide support. One such combination includes the Reaper's Toll, Gothic Platemail, and Visage. This setup focuses on high physical damage and support capabilities.

 

 

 

When Mercenary wields the Reaper's Toll, the "Ignore Target's Defense" property is ineffective. Additionally, the Cold damage property may cause slaying, but these factors do not affect the overall boost provided by other attributes. The weapon has a 33% chance to trigger the "Decrepify" curse when attacking enemies. This curse reduces the target's physical resistance by 50 points, their speed (both movement and attack speed) by 50%, and their physical damage taken by 20%. Enemies under this curse will attack slower and be more vulnerable to crowd control effects.

 

Although the Decrepify curse only reduces physical resistance by 20% against creatures with Magic Immunity (such as Spectres in Act 2), it can still break through their immunity if their resistance is below 110 points. For non-Magic Immune monsters and bosses, reducing their physical resistance by 50 points significantly boosts Mercenary's and the player's physical damage output.

 

With up to 15% Life Stolen, choosing headgear without the Vampirism property becomes unnecessary. The previously mentioned Visage (CB Head) combination works well because it provides both Crush Armor (deals extra damage based on the target's current health) and Double Strike (doubles the attack speed) properties, enhancing Mercenary's physical damage output. Of course, other helmet options can be chosen based on attack speebhd tiers and the specific map being played.

 

Since Mercenaries do not suffer durability loss from weapons, there is no need to worry about using unseen gear. Moreover, unseen weapons have a 50% higher base damage compared to their normal counterparts. As shown in the comparison between a fully upgraded normal and unseen the Reaper's Toll, unseen versions deal significantly more damage (with lower strength and dexterity requirements). Therefore, whenever possible, it is recommended to use unseen equipment for Mercenary.

 

The the Reaper's Toll is an elite quality weapon that can only be obtained by completing the first quest in Act 5, which grants one socket for elite items (elite items cannot be socketed using an Orb). If you have an unseen the Reaper's Toll with high variable properties, you can socket it with appropriate jewels based on Mercenary's attack speed tiers (ignoring Frenzy): 10, 25, 45, and 75. For example, a Red Jewel can provide a 15% attack speed boost and a 40% increased damage bonus.

 

Obtaining a normal the Reaper's Toll is not difficult; farming Act 3 Map Pack Boss Mephisto or Act 5 Akara's Gate Guardian Rage Fiend can yield drops.