ST leveling -- my gear of choice

From beginning to the end ---



My current collection lacks a powerful low level 2h(probably lvl 5-7) and a Kaom's Primacy(lent to my other accounts, lvl 58).

So the level progression is: (7) - 17 - 27 - 37 - 44 - 51 - 58
DPS progression is: (60) - 121 - 203 - 208 - 263 - 337 - 410

Current mission is to find a good low lvl one and replace the lvl 37 one with some better.

(p.s. With proper gear Pillar of the Caged God can be used for any giving levels of progress.)



Here comes the armor and trinket part ---

can be used at any level.

is good when I already have many HP(maybe ES) nodes and desperately need resistance and life leech, which means in Cruel or Merciless difficulty. is amazing for starting Normal.

should is as soon as I reach level 27 while, is considered as soon as I reach level 31. These gloves have dual-leech and great dex bonus, what's more, they are quite easy to roll four green sockets which is ideal for ST: ST, Faster Attacks, LMP and Physical Projectile Damage. These boots grants huge bonuses to dex and str, but to roll appropriate colors for CODT is a bit more difficult than rolling the gloves.

Before lvl 27 I may consider
and
for leveling. They are common and effective.

For belts, many choices exists like ---

I recommend Wurm's Molt for early stage for its life, leech and attribute bonus. Good rare belts(esp. rustic sash) can work better than these unique ones.

For rings, I use two
for Normal difficulty to free myself from mana issues(and bonus scrolls!). They are to be replaced gradually by rare rings like
when I am short of resistances.

Finally comes the (most important) chest part. Now I'm using a three-level progression ---

lvl 1 - 9 - 35 - 50 -
(trash armor) - 300 defense - 600 - 1200 -

The lvl 35 armor is weak when progressing into lvl 45+. I'm planning to find a good lvl 30 and lvl 40 one.



If I was in Merciless level with these assets(Goldrim, Carnage Heart, Slitherpinch, Wurm's Molt, Lioneye's Paws, one rare ring and one rare chest), I would have 99 fire res, 110 cold res and 120 lighting res from equipment, +127 str, +162 dex and +73 int for equipment. I'll need another resistance ring while the str and dex bonuses enables me to use any physical support gems.

These leveling gears are also relatively cheap. Only the Carnage Heart and a good resistance ring would have value in ex(Girdle may be, but it is not essential. Kaom's primacy is not essential either -- I can easily finish Merciless without it).

Update of information with the addition of armor part.