Beginners Guide - Median XL (2024)

Median XL Beginner Guide
This is just a a starter guide for people that are new to the Median XLU Mod and i decided to write this because it seems like a lot of people starting new are struggling with the information overflow that the Forum/Documentation offers. So here is some basic knowledge and suggestions.

Choosing your first character
First of all, these are just suggestions so feel free to explore the game yourself. This is just a list of builds that are relatively easy to make work. Leftovers skill points can be used for what ever you like.

Trap Rat Druid
--> TLDR: high dmg output, block, defense, strong but a bit onesided gameplay

Caster Druid
--> high dmg output, summons to tank because ur squishy

Unholy Caster Paladin
--> decent dps, high life/defense,tanky summons

Bowzon
--> fast move and attackspeed, long range, high damage, squishy so kiting required

Crossbow Necromancer

Totemancer
--> minions to tank, high damage output, safe build, early acces to teleport

Light Cold Sorc
--> summons, life, def, dps

Poison Cold Sorc
--> summons, life, def, dps

Useful early set of Items

Belt:

> mainly the max Life, CB doesn't hurt either

Body Armor Fighter:

> all ress, attributes

Body Armor Caster:

> +1skill and enemey ress

Caster Weapon + free Teleport:

> +1skill, ress and must have for every character (except sin), free teleport skill on switch

Helm:

Summit

> gold find, reduced vendor prices

Keep an eye from the beginning of the game for raw items like these to make these items as soon as you find the necessary runes and have the level:

--> there is tier 1 and tier 2 drops possible, due to the change since Median 2017 it now requires and additional elixier to open which makes mass farming a very time consuming option

Must read:Challenge knowledge
There are 3 Character level Challenges that are needed to be done at or below a certain level, so it is important to know about them.

1. Level Challenge 1 Tran Athula (50 or below): (Description out of the Doc:)
Go to the Tran Athulua uberlevel on Hatred difficulty, defeat the Pirate at the entrance to get the Sunstone of the Elements.
Find and defeat any of the three Priestesses. Each will drop her Sunstone. Cube it immediately while you have the red swirls on you. This will upgrade your Sunstone of the Elements, if your level is low enough.
You have 30 seconds to cube the sunstone with the Sunstone of the Elements after killing the Priestess, so keep your cube empty! This will add bonuses to it.

2. Ennead Challenge: Kurast 3000BA (80 or below) Travi:
Kill totems to make purple units vulnerable, each necromancer drops random class charm. Find the one for your char and keep it.

3. Level Challenge 2:Swampy Pit Level 3 (Act 3: Flayer Jungle) (90 or below):(Description out of the Doc:)
Kill the death projector in proving grounds (flayer jungle) on terror:
It is an static enemy that casts a laserbeam around him that will kill you on any contact. Additionally there are mechanics defending it, they are unkillable and high damage dealing units that will force you to keep moving same as the laser beam
You need to avoid the laser beam and kill it.
This will trigger the whirling effect. Cube your Class Charm with a perfect gem to receive additional bonuses if your character level is low enough.
You have 30 seconds to cube the Class Charm after death projector, so keep your cube empty.

Basic Crafting

>Destroy spare unique to create Arcane Shards and combine these into Arcane Crystals, which are required for other cube recipes. You cannot disenchant both unique and set items at the same time
>Any unique item x1-10 + Catalyst of Disenchantment → Arcane Shards x1-10 + Catalyst of Disenchantment
>Arcane Shards x5 → Arcane Crystal
>Any non-sacred item + Oil of Enhancement + Arcane Crystal x2 → reroll item as unique
>Unique non-sacred weapon/armor + Arcane Crystal + rune → reroll as next higher tier
>1x Arcane Crystal + Item (Tier 1-5) = Item (Tier +1)
>Pick up all uniques to make shards no matter how bad the item is ( does not work with items from grisworld Box)
>Pick up all sets to make sigs, each sig is 1 permanent stat point, transmute set item with cataclyst of learning
>Socketed item + Oil of Disjunction → separate item and socket fillers
>Non-magical and runewords: Socketed item + Oil of Disjunction + perfect gem x3 → separate "grey" item and socket fillers
>Item + regular mystic orb = Item + orb bonus + 4 additional level requirement (up to 5x of the same kind)
>Item without socket + X jewels = item + X sockets --> number of sockets is capped --> tier 1 items cant have 6 sockets

These used to be crafts/bought in town:
Book of Summoning: now drops from The Summoner on Terror difficulty
Catalyst of Disenchantment: now drops from The Smith on Hatred difficulty
Catalyst of Destruction: now drops from Hephasto the Armorer on Hatred difficulty
Catalyst of Learning: now drops from Izual on Terror difficulty

Mercenaries(by iwansquall)
Mercenaries are not required in the game, but are very helpful and strong .
The choice of Mercenaries depends on needs and the role they have to fullfill

__________THE SISTERS__________

Ranger
She is fairly offensive focused on physical damage. However the AI a bit stupid, like casting barrage when it clearly cant reach the target. Once she has the warspirit, she is a pretty good proc-machine. She however is a bit fragile without survival skill.
Recommend for : Melee class either Flat-WDM or caster, tanker, summoner

Priestess
A bit more defensive than Ranger. She is quite a supporter type that cast couple spell that useful for summoner. However her Pagan Rites might clash with any build that relies on corpses.
Recommend for : Caster, Summoner

__________THE TOWN GUARD__________

Exemplar
Exemplar is self-sustained melee fighter that doesn't require much of your attention. His skill-set pretty much allows him to focus on either crowd control or passively dealing WDM attack. Physical immunes are not a problem for him as both Retaliate and Disintegrate are dealing magic damage.
Recommend for : Ranged / Fragile Class

Shapeshifter
Shapeshifter is one of tankiest mercenaries by having large health pool. However he lacks life regaining, so he needs to rely from your potion or having large amount of life leech. Bloodlust is a good all around damage buff that affecting all your allies.
Recommend for : Caster, Summoner

Fighter Mage
Figther Mage is one of excellent mercenaries that is focused on crowd control. His skill set focuses on multi hitting WDM skill, so he is also good to become a proc machine. With chronofield and glacial Nova, player can just focus on offensive
Recommend for : Ranged class, Summoner

__________THE IRON WOLVES__________

Bloodmage
Bloodmage is mercenaries that excellent in crowd control and dealing spell damage. He is focused on fire and poison and he is also very tanky because his high defense.

Recommend for :Poison / Fire Caster, Tank

Necrolyte
Necrolyteis is semi defensive type of mercenary. Using Hailstorm is quiet a good single damage cold spell damage, otherwise his charm and miasma ability are useful debuffs and help to survive.
Recommend for : Cold Caster

Abjurer
The Abjurer skill set is focused on lightning damage and debuff on enemy. Although he has faster breakpoints compared to other iron wolves,but his main skills are not designed for long range making even though they deal decent damage.
Recommend for : Lightnining Caster, Ranged Class

__________THE BARBARIANS__________

Barbarian
He is powerful melee fighter with decent skill set and able to summon minions. He also has a quite good %stat gain, making him good in dealing physical damage at higher level. Shower of rocks and Ancient Hands is proven powerful AoE WDM skills.
Recommend for : Caster, Summoner.

Gold
Gold is quiet a struggle in early game for some people, here is how to make easy cash:
1. sell apples, but wait until you are in a2 because of max sell value.
2. pick up every ring and amulet that drops in early stage of the game, the have increased sell value compared to most items
3. kill cave snappers/grubbers running around in a1/a2, they are quiet beefy though might farm the later on.

4. buy any socketed throwing axe or knife, put a rune into it and sell it, higher rune level more money, but dont forget sell value cap depending on act

General
>you can respec your skills and attributes at any point in the game and how often you like, belladonna pots needed for that have a chance to drop everywhere in areas of lvl 85 and above
>there are alot dungeons with names that you might not be familiar with, if you want not to die avoid these, they are not connected to main quests are replaced by uber levels --> avoid early game if you dont want to die.
>leveling is not a "problem" in median, you will get your levels by rushing through acts, but if you want to make good xp do terror/destruction cows.
>use short question thread to ask questions here on the forum
>walk! --> running will result in 0 defense
GHEED: will now reveal act 1 map for free
ATMA: will now reveal act 2 map for free
MESHIF: will now reveal act 3 map for free
JAMELLA: will now reveal act 4 map for free
MALAH: will now reveal act 5 map for free
>honorific item = double orb bonus --> created by cubing a craft material dropped from shenk + magic (blue) item, very useful to get better ressistance

>Avoid these:

Thanks to Rishab,WolfieeifloW,v1nc3nt for optimizing/suggestions