After Alkaizer completed the task of being the first player to hit Paragon level 100, he took the time to talk with DiabloFans.
DiabloFans Quote:
DiabloFans: Starting it off, how does it fell to hit Paragon level 100?
Alkaizer: It feels pretty good. I don't think of this as a huge accomplishment but it kept me interested in playing the game and it was more fun than I thought it would be.
What were your initial reactions when Blizzard announced the system?
I was actually not looking forward to it because I felt I was already getting an edge on other players by using a strong magic find gear setup and I felt this would do more harm than good for a player like me. Fortunately it didn't turn out to have a negative impact on me.
Did you plan on trying to become the first player to hit Paragon level 100?
No, I just wanted to find as many quality legendary and set items as fast as I could before other players.
You completed this feat with a Barbarian, why did you choose this class?
I only have a barbarian and I am pretty confident I will never level any of the other classes to max level if at all.
Did you consider doing it with any other class?
No
Can you explain the route you did to farm the experience?
My route changed a few times. At the start of paragon I was simply doing standard magic find runs, 5 stack siegebreaker to azmodan because I felt this would yield the best possible loot. Around level 40 is when I set it in stone that I was actually going to attempt to hit level 100 before anyone else. At this point I started at Azmodan's checkpoint and worked backwards trying to find good routes to maximize WOTB uptime and going through areas I felt were with it for potential item drops and exp. It wasn't until around level 90 that my route became Core of Arreat(Azmodan Checkpoint) -> Tower of Damned Level 1 -> Arreat Crater Level 2 -> Keep Depths Level 2 -> Fields of Slaughter. I felt this would give me a good balance of drops and probably pretty close to the max possible experience for the time spent.
Was there any point that you got tired of doing this and thought about stopping?
Not really, I've been playing games pretty intensely for about 15 years. It's just what I do with a large majority of my free time. There was close to no stress involved.
What was your play schedule like?
The first few days I played probably 17-19 hours in game. But eventually I dropped down to probably 12-15 hours. There were a few days where I wasn't even playing for 12-14 hours straight.
How do you feel about the idea that many people assumed you had to be a bot in order to accomplish this goal so quickly?
I think it's pretty silly if you consider how inefficient a bot is at anything in game compared to an actual person.
Many people watching your stream saw you skip over dozens of legendary items, what was your thought on passing them over?
From 1-100, I probably did miss around 1 to 2 dozen legendaries just due to the nature of how my abilities work and not always paying 100% attention. I think going as fast as I was will still net me more legendaries over time instead of double checking every monster I kill.
Now that you have hit 100, what are your next plans?
I'll still play a decent amount. Magic Find runs and test some builds I haven't had the chance to since the patch came out and hopefully the next few patches can give me something else to do.
Are you hoping Blizzard comes up with more end-game content or are you content with the Paragon system?
Paragon system was a good start. Hopefully we see more content and things to sink time in and challenge players in different ways. Competitive aspects in Diablo 3 would strengthen the game.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the Diablo community?
Not really, thanks to those who watched the last few levels and hopefully it was entertaining
Alkaizer: It feels pretty good. I don't think of this as a huge accomplishment but it kept me interested in playing the game and it was more fun than I thought it would be.
What were your initial reactions when Blizzard announced the system?
I was actually not looking forward to it because I felt I was already getting an edge on other players by using a strong magic find gear setup and I felt this would do more harm than good for a player like me. Fortunately it didn't turn out to have a negative impact on me.
Did you plan on trying to become the first player to hit Paragon level 100?
No, I just wanted to find as many quality legendary and set items as fast as I could before other players.
You completed this feat with a Barbarian, why did you choose this class?
I only have a barbarian and I am pretty confident I will never level any of the other classes to max level if at all.
Did you consider doing it with any other class?
No
Can you explain the route you did to farm the experience?
My route changed a few times. At the start of paragon I was simply doing standard magic find runs, 5 stack siegebreaker to azmodan because I felt this would yield the best possible loot. Around level 40 is when I set it in stone that I was actually going to attempt to hit level 100 before anyone else. At this point I started at Azmodan's checkpoint and worked backwards trying to find good routes to maximize WOTB uptime and going through areas I felt were with it for potential item drops and exp. It wasn't until around level 90 that my route became Core of Arreat(Azmodan Checkpoint) -> Tower of Damned Level 1 -> Arreat Crater Level 2 -> Keep Depths Level 2 -> Fields of Slaughter. I felt this would give me a good balance of drops and probably pretty close to the max possible experience for the time spent.
Was there any point that you got tired of doing this and thought about stopping?
Not really, I've been playing games pretty intensely for about 15 years. It's just what I do with a large majority of my free time. There was close to no stress involved.
What was your play schedule like?
The first few days I played probably 17-19 hours in game. But eventually I dropped down to probably 12-15 hours. There were a few days where I wasn't even playing for 12-14 hours straight.
How do you feel about the idea that many people assumed you had to be a bot in order to accomplish this goal so quickly?
I think it's pretty silly if you consider how inefficient a bot is at anything in game compared to an actual person.
Many people watching your stream saw you skip over dozens of legendary items, what was your thought on passing them over?
From 1-100, I probably did miss around 1 to 2 dozen legendaries just due to the nature of how my abilities work and not always paying 100% attention. I think going as fast as I was will still net me more legendaries over time instead of double checking every monster I kill.
Now that you have hit 100, what are your next plans?
I'll still play a decent amount. Magic Find runs and test some builds I haven't had the chance to since the patch came out and hopefully the next few patches can give me something else to do.
Are you hoping Blizzard comes up with more end-game content or are you content with the Paragon system?
Paragon system was a good start. Hopefully we see more content and things to sink time in and challenge players in different ways. Competitive aspects in Diablo 3 would strengthen the game.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the Diablo community?
Not really, thanks to those who watched the last few levels and hopefully it was entertaining
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Comments
#1 Mudward
Zakarumite
Posted 09 September 2012 - 04:41 PM
#2 Hpnot1Q
S.T.A.L.K.E.R of The Zone
Posted 09 September 2012 - 04:42 PM
- Hpnot1Q-Gaming.com - Your Source for Underground Games! -
#3 zvix
Faithful
Posted 09 September 2012 - 05:21 PM
Bought a nice(read $) TV / home-cinema, but in return I promised myself not to go the movies and just watch the blueray on release....
PS to ease my pain : most effective mf-run ?
#4 Zesks
Faithful
Posted 09 September 2012 - 05:45 PM
#5 Brake Failure
Diablo Fan
Posted 09 September 2012 - 05:55 PM
What a terribly unflattering interview though. Hes not as good at interviews as he is at playing games 14 hours a day.
My Awesome
#6 ScyberDragon
The Informant
Posted 09 September 2012 - 06:53 PM
He just leveled enjoying the game.
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the News team
#7 phatosen
Cantor
Posted 09 September 2012 - 07:53 PM
He just leveled enjoying the game.
#8 rawerpower
Zealot
Posted 09 September 2012 - 08:08 PM
I don't know if it was only a 2 weeks sacrifice or he can do this again and still doing this on a daily basis.
"There were a few days where I wasn't even playing for 12-14 hours straight." Say what ? 14h no big deal ?!
And his tone in this interview and on stream it feels like he's a guru or something, like he achieved Zen or something similar.
As a joke: I would have made it to level 100 Paragon too if I had someone to play me live guitar !
#9 Showerbag
Faithful
Posted 09 September 2012 - 08:46 PM
#10 Defrag
Zakarumite
Posted 09 September 2012 - 08:55 PM
#11 t0luene
Zealot
Posted 09 September 2012 - 09:17 PM
He likes playing games, obviously enjoyed D3 a lot to play this excessively. Good job to you mate, little whiners on the forums are now shut up.
hats off to you!
#12 Magistrate
Werehamster
Posted 09 September 2012 - 09:47 PM
Diablo Game Series Guides and Tools
Magic Find Calculator | Block Calculator | Cast Rate Calculator | Runeword Helper
Magistrate 60(4)
#13 ArcanisWiz
Faithful
Posted 09 September 2012 - 09:56 PM
#14 akmrgreen
Advanced Member
Posted 09 September 2012 - 09:56 PM
Pritty much this. Also, playing a game for 15-19 hours isn't that big of a deal. Like someone already said, in WoW(tbc) I probly put in many many, 18-26 hour play sessions, just because I enjoy'd what i was playing. grats on Plvl 100 dude
#15 Benegesserit
Cantor
Posted 09 September 2012 - 11:00 PM
Quote
PvE is not designed to be PvP competitive, but it's hard to explain this to a mouthbreathing no-lifer who put a hobby before a proper education.
#16 Joan_S
Zakarumite
Posted 09 September 2012 - 11:33 PM
Based on what?
Obviously it's common knowledge that the blizzard development team is actually a team of crack commandos that were imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit. Just because you say "it's common knowledge" doesn't free you from the obligation to provide sources for such moronic statements. But you get bonus points for calling him "retarded" and accusing him of "wasting life" for doing something he enjoys.
#17 Zephyer
Zakarumite
Posted 09 September 2012 - 11:52 PM
Quote
PvE is not designed to be PvP competitive, but it's hard to explain this to a mouthbreathing no-lifer who put a hobby before a proper education.
whooah, someone is madly jealous
#18 Timmylol
Zealot
Posted 09 September 2012 - 11:58 PM
Pritty much this. Also, playing a game for 15-19 hours isn't that big of a deal. Like someone already said, in WoW(tbc) I probly put in many many, 18-26 hour play sessions, just because I enjoy'd what i was playing. grats on Plvl 100 dude
Playing for that many hours is not a big deal, but seeing as the repetitive nature of the gameplay, it's remarkable this guy had the motivation to keep going without falling asleep/getting bored.
This reminds me of the top Runescape players that played 12 hours a day for years and years on end, they are pretty remarkable if you ask me. This is by no means "normal" in the sense that the average gamer can't sustain this even if they have the time at their disposal.
#19 Onslaught_Fei
Zakarumite
Posted 10 September 2012 - 01:31 AM
#20 Janhell
Faithful
Posted 10 September 2012 - 01:34 AM