Elite Groups
Last Updated:May 26, 2023|Changelog
In the world of Sanctuary, there are some monsters that are spawned from the deepest pits of evil itself... the Elite Groups. Champions, Uniques, and their minions all gain additional Stats as well as a plethora of devastating special abilities. While more dangerous, these monsters also drop the best loot the game has to offer and give the largest Experience values. If you're going for max Level, and the rarest items, you'll need to educate yourself on these monsters of Diablo 2 Resurrected!
Champion Groups
Champion Groups spawn as 2-4 of the same monster, with special abilities and Stats based on the type of Champion they are.
Note: These monster types are called Champions, and one version of them is also called Champion.
The five types are Champion, Berserker, Fanatic, Ghostly, and Possessed. Each type has specific sets of additional Stats which drastically change the overall danger and strategies needed to bring them down. We'll cover the similarities shared between each type, and then break down the individual characteristics.
- Champions are noticeably vibrant in their coloration, while the Ghostly type is translucent.
- Champions have a set loot drop of 2 potions, and an item. The item drop will be Magic quality or higher, or a sum of Gold.
- This set drop makes hunting Champion groups for items on Players 1 setting, the most efficient.
- Champion groups spawn with Monster Level (mLVL) = Area Level +2. (Except Berserkers, which are +3)
- This increase in mLVL affects the calculations for Attack Rating, Damage, and Character Level (cLVL) vs mLVL for Experience gain.
- A Hell Bovine in Normal The Secret Cow Level is mLVL 28. A Berserker Hell Bovine would be mLVL 31, and all other Champion Hell Bovines are mLVL 30.
- There is a 20% chance that an Elite Group spawns as a Champion when generated.
- Can spawn from activating an Evil Urn, or when activating a Monster Shrine.
- There are 8 areas of the game that always spawn a Champion group:
- Tristram
- Crystalline Passage (The entrance to the Frozen River)
- Glacial Trail (At the entrance to the Drifter Cavern)
- Drifter Cavern
- Halls of Vaught (At the end of the passages)
- Frozen Tundra (At the entrance to the Ancient's Way)
- Ancient's Way (At the entrance to the Icy Cellar)
- Icy Cellar
- Champion groups are worth 300% Experience of the normal value the monster would be worth, except Berserkers, which are worth 500%.
- Every Group has 1 Champion type, and the remaining 1-3 monsters independently roll which type to spawn as. You can have a group of 4 Champion type monsters.
- When the following monsters spawn as a Champion group, they will also have 1-5 Minions with them that receive Life, Level bonuses, and Experience bonuses as if they were Unique group Minions. Because of this, these groups are excellent for Experience gain.
- Fallen
- Fallen Shaman
- Scarab Demon
- Fetish
- Blow Pipe Fetish
- Fetish Shaman
- Siege Beast
- Overseer
- Ignore Target's Defense does not apply. Freeze length chills instead of Freezing. Stun length has a 10% chance of being applied. Open Wounds drain is 1/2 effective.
- Willowisp monsters only receive 1/2 of any +% Damage from Champion bonuses.
- Each Champion in a pack counts as an individual Elite monster for Elite Density values.
Champions are faster, deal more damage, have additional Attack Rating, and have more Life. Their bonuses scale down in Nightmare and Hell difficulty.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| % Base Life | 300 | 250 | 200 |
| +% to Attack Rating | 67 | 56 | 49 |
| +% to Damage | 90 | 75 | 66 |
| +xx% Faster Run / Walk | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Berserkers deal more damage, have additional Attack Rating, but have less Life. They are also the only Champion that has mLVL +3. Their bonuses scale down in Nightmare and Hell difficulty.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| % Base Life | 75 | 62.5 | 50 |
| +% to Attack Rating | 270 | 225 | 198 |
| +% to Damage | 270 | 225 | 198 |
Fanatics are much faster, deal more damage, have more Life, have additional Attack Rating, but have less Defense, making them easier to hit. Their bonuses scale down in Nightmare and Hell difficulty.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| % Base Life | 300 | 250 | 200 |
| +% to Attack Rating | 67 | 56 | 49 |
| +% to Damage | 90 | 75 | 66 |
| % Defense | -70 | -70 | -70 |
| +xx% Faster Run / Walk | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Ghostlies deal more damage, have additional Attack Rating, have more Life, apply Cold Damage, and Cold Length. They are translucent and have 80% Damage Resist which replaces any other value of Damage Resist the monster type has. If they would be Immune to Physical normally, instead they have 80% Damage Resistance.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| % Base Life | 300 | 250 | 200 |
| +% to Attack Rating | 67 | 56 | 49 |
| +% to Damage | 90 | 75 | 66 |
| % Defense | -70 | -70 | -70 |
| Min Cold Damage1 | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 |
| Max Cold Damage1 | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 |
| Cold Length (Seconds) | 6 | 6 | 6 |
- This damage is not increased by Players Settings.
Possessed are faster, deal more damage, have additional Attack Rating, and have significantly more Life.
Because of this increase in life, it's often inefficient to try and kill this type at very low levels.
Possessed cannot become Cursed, but cloakofshadows and battlecry can be applied.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| % Base Life | 600 | 500 | 400 |
| +% to Attack Rating | 67 | 56 | 49 |
| +% to Damage | 90 | 75 | 66 |
Unique Groups
Unique groups spawn as 1 boss monster and a pack of 3-6 Minions of the same monster type. The boss spawns with one Elite Affix in Normal, two Affixes in Nightmare, and 3 Affixes in Hell. The affixes are selected from a list of 13, with a hidden affix available for specific Super Unique monsters. The Affixes apply their bonuses and calculate criteria in the order they generate when the monster is spawned.
- Unique bosses are noticeably vibrant in their coloration.
- Unique bosses have a set loot drop of 4 potions, and an item drop. The item is always of Magic quality or higher.
- Because of this, there is little benefit to killing Unique bosses on higher Player Settings when farming for items. Only the minions in the pack have a higher chance of dropping an item, which can be of any quality.
- Unique groups spawn with a Monster Level (mLVL) = Area Level +3.
- This increase in mLVL affects the calculations for Attack Rating, Damage, and Character Level (cLVL) vs mLVL for Experience gain.
- A Hell Bovine in Normal The Secret Cow Level is mLVL 28. A Unique Hell Bovine is mLVL 31.
- There is an 80% chance that an Elite Group spawns as a Unique group when generated.
- Can spawn from activating an Evil Urn, or when activating a Monster Shrine.
- Unique bosses and minions are worth 500% of the normal value the monster would be worth.
- The following monsters normally spawn with a pack of "minions" of lesser monsters that have special ability interactions. When they spawn as a Unique group, their minions spawn as the lesser monster type.
- Fallen Shaman spawn with Fallen minions.
- Fetish Shaman spawn with Fetish minions.
- Overseer spawn with Enslaved minions.
- Ignore Target's Defense does not apply to the boss, but does apply to minions. Freeze length chills instead of Freezing. Minions can be Frozen. Stun length has a 10% of being applied. Open Wounds drain is 1/2 effective.
- Unique bosses and their minions have increased Base Life that scales with difficulty.
| Monster | Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Boss | % Base Life | 400 | 300 | 200 |
| Minion | 200 | 175 | 150 |
Elite Affixes
The boss of the group spawns with a random Paladin Aura that scales based on the mLVL. Monsters within range are affected by friendly Auras, while hostile Auras affect players and their minions. The Aura ends once the boss is killed.
- Unique bosses can only have 1 Aura Enchanted affix.
- Monsters with the innate charge ability (Claw Vipers and Reanimated Hordes) gain additional Synergy-Damage from Might.
- holyshock can only be selected when the boss mLVL >= 20.
- fanaticism applies its allied +xx% Damage, not its user +xx% Damage.
- conviction does not apply to a Character, Mercenary, or irongolem applying a higher Skill Level Conviction.
| Aura | Level | Minimum Skill Level Possible | Maximum Skill Level Possible |
Blessedaim | max[(mLVL / 5), 1] | 1 | 19 |
conviction | max[(mLVL / 8), 1] | 1 | 11 |
fanaticism | max[(mLVL / 8), 1] | 1 | 11 |
holyfire | max[(mLVL / 6), 1] | 1 | 15 |
holyfreeze | max[(mLVL / 7), 1] | 1 | 13 |
holyshock | max[(mLVL / 8), 1] | 2 | 11 |
might | max[(mLVL / 6), 1] | 1 | 15 |
Adds Cold Damage and Cold Resistance to the boss. Ranged minions gain Cold Damage, melee minions gain Cold Damage in Nightmare and Hell. When the boss of the pack dies, it explodes, releasing a Cold nova similar to frostnova.
- Adds 75% Cold Resistance to the boss. This can cause a monster to become Immune to Cold. This does not apply if the monster would gain a third Immunity. If the monster is already Immune to Cold and another element, this does not apply.
- The Cold Damage does not increase with Player Settings.
| Monster | Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Boss | Min Cold Damage | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 |
| Max Cold Damage | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | |
| Cold Length (Seconds) | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 | |
| Minion | Min Cold Damage | x | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 |
| Max Cold Damage | x | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 | |
| Cold Length (Seconds) | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 | (mLVL * 0.2) + 4 |
Upon death, the Unique boss releases a frostnova like ability with a Skill Level = mLVL / 2. It's Cold Damage and Cold Length scales with Level.
| Level | |||||
| Cold Nova Stat | 1 - 8 | 9 - 16 | 17 - 22 | 23 - 28 | > 28 |
| Min Cold Damage | 2 + (4 * LVL) | (5 * LVL) - 6 | (6 * LVL) - 22 | (8 * LVL) - 66 | (10 * LVL) - 122 |
| Max Cold Damage | 4 + (4 * LVL) | (5 * LVL) - 4 | (6 * LVL) - 20 | (8 * LVL) - 64 | (10 * LVL) - 120 |
| Cold Length (Seconds) | 2 + LVL | 2 + LVL | 2 + LVL | 2 + LVL | 2 + LVL |
The boss gains a 75% chance to apply amplifydamage via Melee or Missile attack, with Skill Level = (mLVL / 5) + 1. amplifydamage reduces the target's Physical Damage Reduction, increasing Physical Damage taken. See the Necromancer Overview for a more information.
The boss and its minions gain +100% Fast Run Walk
- Static monsters cannot spawn with this affix.
- Missiles fired by Extra Fast Abyss Knight bosses and their minions are invisible.
The boss and its minions gain additional damage and Attack Rating. The bonus scales with difficulty.
| Monster | Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell | |
| Boss | +xx% to Attack Rating | 90 | 75 | 66 | |
| +xx% to Damage | 135 | 112 | 99 | ||
| Minion | +xx% to Attack Rating | 45 | 37 | 33 | |
| +xx% to Damage | 67 | 56 | 49 | ||
Extra Strong Willowisp bosses and minions receive 1/2 of the +xx% to Damage, rounded down.
Adds Fire Damage and Fire Resistance to the boss. Ranged minions gain Fire Damage, melee minions gain Fire Damage in Nightmare and Hell. When the boss of the pack dies, it releases a Fire / Physical explosion similar to corpseexplosion.
- Adds 75% Fire Resistance to the boss. This can cause a monster to become Immune to Fire. This does not apply if the monster would gain a third Immunity. If the monster is already Immune to Fire and another element, this does not apply.
- The Fire Damage does not increase with Player Settings.
| Monster | Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Boss | Min Fire Damage | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 |
| Max Fire Damage | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | |
| Minion | Min Fire Damage | x | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 |
| Max Fire Damage | x | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 |
Upon death, the Unique boss releases a corpseexplosion like ability. Its Fire / Physical Damage deals a percentage of the monster's base maximum Life, ignoring the Unique Life bonuses.
| Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Fire Damage | 5.625 - 9.375 % | 3.5 - 5.833 % | 0.375 - 0.625 % |
| Physical Damage | 5.625 - 9.375 % | 3.5 - 5.833 % | 0.375 - 0.625 % |
| Radius (Yards) | 2.66 | 3.33 | 4 |
- The explosion cannot apply damage to Mercenaries or Summons.
- Explosion damage can be blocked and dodged.
- Explosion damage does not increase with Player Settings.
Adds Lightning Damage and Lightning Resistance to the boss. Ranged minions gain Lightning Damage, melee minions gain Lightning Damage in Nightmare and Hell. When the boss of the pack is put into Hit Recovery or dealt damage, it releases bolts similar to chargedbolt in a set pattern around the monster.
- Adds 75% Lightning Resistance to the boss. This can cause a monster to become Immune to Lightning. This does not apply if the monster would gain a third Immunity. If the monster is already Immune to Lightning and another element, this does not apply.
- The Lightning Damage does not increase with Player Settings.
| Monster | Stat | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Boss | Min Lightning Damage | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 |
| Max Lightning Damage | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | |
| Minion | Min Lightning Damage | x | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 |
| Max Lightning Damage | x | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 |
Upon being put into Hit Recovery or taking damage, the Unique boss will release 8 chargedbolt like missiles. The bolt damage is equal to (2 * (mLVL / 2)) - 1. A mLVL = 50 Lightning Enchanted monster's bolts deal 49 Lightning Damage.
- Bolt damage does not increase with Player Settings.
The boss gains +xx% to Cold / Fire / Lightning Resistance. This Affix is only available in Nightmare and Hell for non-Super Uniques.
- Resistances are applied in the following order if the criteria is met.
- If Cold Resist of the monster is <100%, add 40% Cold Resistance.
- If Fire Resist of the monster is < 100%, add 40% Fire Resistance.
- If Lightning Resist of the monster is <100%, add 40% Lightning Resistance.
- This can cause a monster to become Immune. This does not apply if the monster would gain a third Immunity. If the monster is already Immune to two elements, this doesn't apply if it would increase one of those elements.
Example: A monster has 60 Cold Resistance, 60 Fire Resistance and 60 Lightning Resistance.
Magic Resistant checks their Cold Resistance, it's <100%, and it does not cause a third Immunity. It adds 40% Resistance and the monster is Immune to Cold.
Magic Resistant checks their Fire Resistance, it's <100%, and it does not cause a third Immunity. It adds 40% Resistance and the monster is Immune to Fire.
Magic Resistant checks their Lightning Resistance, it's <100%, but it DOES cause a third Immunity. It does not add 40% Lightning Resistance. The Monster is Immune to Cold, Immune to Fire, and has 60% Lightning Resistance.
Causes bosses, and their minions to deal additional damage and drain Mana as Life, on attacks. This reduces the Character's Mana and replenishes Life to the monster. The boss also gains Magic Resistance.
- Since the Character(s) are the only targets with Mana, Mercenaries and Summons do not cause Life to replenish for bosses and minions with Mana Burn.
- Minions also deal damage to Mana in Nightmare and Hell difficulty.
- If the Character has 0 Mana, any attacks fail to replenish Life for the monsters.
- Bonus damage does not increase with Player Setting.
- The boss gains 20% Magic Resistance as long as this would not result in a third Immunity, or increase one of two current immunities.
| Monster | Mana Damage | Normal | Nightmare | Hell |
| Boss | Min | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 |
| Max | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | |
| Minion | Min | x | mLVL * 33 / 100 | mLVL * 33 / 100 |
| Max | x | mLVL * 50 / 100 | mLVL * 50 / 100 |
The boss shoots 3 of their normal missiles when they use a range missile attack. This affix can only spawn on the following monster types below.
- Abyss Knight
- Blow Pipe Fetish
- Corrupt Rogue Archer
- Council Member
- Demon Imp
- Death Mauler
- Fallen Shaman
- Finger Mage
- Frog Demon
- Frozen Horror
- Greater Mummy
- Megademon
- Oblivion Knight
- Overseer
- Radament
- Sand Maggot
- Skeleton Archer
- Skeleton Mage
- Slinger
- Spike Fiend
- Stygian Fury
- Tainted
- Vulture Demon
- Zakarum Priest
The boss gains Cold / Fire / Lightning Resistance and adds a random damage type to its attacks. The types are Magic, Fire, Lightning, Cold, and Poison.
- Added elemental damage is not increased with Player Settings.
| Stat | Magic Damage | Fire Damage | Lightning Damage | Cold Damage | Poison Damage |
| Min | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | mLVL * 66 / 100 | (mLVL * 66 / 100) * 40 /256 |
| Max | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL | mLVL * 40 / 256 |
| Length (Seconds) | x | x | x | 1.6 | 1.6 |
Resistances are applied in the following order if the criteria is met.
- If Cold Resist of the monster is <75%, add 20% Cold Resistance.
- If Fire Resist of the monster is < 75%, add 20% Fire Resistance.
- If Lightning Resist of the monster is <75%, add 20% Lightning Resistance.
The boss gains Physical Damage Resistance and Defense.
- The boss gains 50% Physical Damage Resistance. This does not apply if the monster would gain a third Immunity. If the monster is already Immune to Physical and another element, this does not apply.
- The boss gains 200% base Defense, which applies before any additional +xx% Defense.
The boss gains access to a teleport-like Skill which replenishes Life up to a maximum of 30% of their total Life, when used.
- Ranged monsters teleport when they are within melee range of a hostile Character.
- Otherwise, monsters teleport when their Life total is < 30% of their maximum.
- Static monsters and Suicide Minions cannot spawn with this affix.
Summary
- Champion and Unique Groups are well worth the added danger, since you receive better Experience and chance of item drops.
- Each type of Champion has its own strengths and weaknesses. Reading their Champion type quickly can help to ascertain the situation faster.
- Unique groups can apply additional Stats to their minions, and can give the boss of the group challenging bonus Skills.
- Champions and Uniques always drop items, so Player Settings do not change their chances of giving loot.
With this knowledge about Champion and Unique groups, you're now equipped to farm Experience and items more efficiently. Make sure to check their unique Stats and keep yourself out of undue danger!
Credits
Written by MacroBioBoi
Reviewed by Teo1904