Real Life Highscore

A Case Study into What Separates the Multi-Billion Gold, Paragon 100 Players from the Average Ones (Like Myself)

And no, it isn’t just that they play all day every day…

Over the past few weeks I have been compiling notes from forum posts, Reddit, streams and YouTube trying to figure out what all of the successful players had in common. Fortunately for me I came up with seven total themes or habits that the majority of players I looked at seem to exhibit. I say fortunately for me because I could use that clever title up there.

Prefer to watch/listen instead of read? Why not check out the video version instead:

#7 – A Focus on Paragon Levels

Nearly all of the wealthy and influential players I looked into seemed to agree that a high Paragon level was the key to long term success. It makes sense since the benefits of Magic Find, Gold Find and Main stats really add up once you start getting beyond P-Level 50.

A few players I talked to recommended:

• Getting the best Ruby you can afford for your helmet.
• Getting 2 decent Hellfire Rings (one for your follower)
• Getting 1-2 Leoric’s signets.

With this combination you can reach level 50 or higher in pretty short order and the bonuses you will get for this will make a significant difference in your drops.

#6 – Efficient Farming Habits

These are all the small things you do while farming that culminate into how much XP, Gear and Gold you get per hour. Popular points of efficiency were:

• Farming lower Monster Powers for increased kill speed.
• High trash/elite density runs. The Alkazier run is the most popular for this.
• Ignoring chests, bodies and other environmental distractions.
• Skipping low potential rares such as 2Handers, helmets, boots, leggings, bracers and belts. These slots are all much better served by legendary items.

#5 – Game Knowledge and Understanding

The most successful gamers in any game are usually the ones who have a thorough understanding of the game’s mechanics and concepts and Diablo 3 is no different. Understanding the mechanics of the game can provide some distinct advantages when buying and selling gear, making investments and playing efficiently.

#4 – Playing the Auction House

The community is pretty divided on the Auction houses in Diablo 3, some hate their existence and others love nothing more than to snipe bids and flip items. One thing for sure, however, is that the most successful players in the game are all very familiar with how to turn a profit through the Auction Houses. Common techniques for profiteering on the AH were:

• Flipping (buy underpriced items to resell for a profit).
• Recognizing trends related to events, patches, and general preference shifts.
• Making long term investments (these are usually guarded secrets).

#3 – Committing Time

This was undoubtedly the first thing many of you thought of when you read successful Diablo 3 players. They must all play for 8-hours a day seven days a week, right? Well, although this was true in some cases more common was players that played around 2 hours a day (after work or school and on weekends). Time investment is indeed important for progressing your characters but efficient use of that time is far more important. All of the earlier focus on efficiency makes sense when you realize that a lot of Diablo 3 players are returning Diablo 2 players who now have full time jobs and time restrictions on their play.

#2 – Reiteration and Optimization

Diablo 3 and almost all ARPGS are all about optimization, creating the most optimized build, farming runs, and gear sets. Little surprise then that all of the most successful players spend a lot of time reiterating, trying new things and recording their results. If you don’t have a spreadsheet of your run times then you are doing it wrong!

You can always be moderately successful by following someone else’s suggestions but if you want to take your gameplay and character to the next level then you have to lead the way yourself.

#1 – Long term Goals

A uniting factor of all of the top players I examined in my research was that they were all working towards something and had some reason to put so much time and effort into the game. The most commonly mentioned gaols were preparing for PvP and the pursuit of perfection but I am sure there are other goals that people share (even if they don’t realize them).

Becoming successful at any game is a lot of work and unless you have a strong driving reason then it is not likely to happen. Humans are naturally averse to effort so you need to give yourself the best motivations that you can.