Season 34 Progress - Happy Valentine's Day!

This is mostly going to be a photo dump of all my various progress through Season 34, so apologies in advance! It's been a wild few days and I'm not even sure how to describe it, if I'm being honest.

Starting Fresh:

I decided to roll a couple of new characters this season. I chose to start with a witch doctor (of course), but then added a crusader, wizard, and demon hunter, mostly because 1) I love the aegis of valor crusader build for its fast farming capabilities 2) I need set dungeons completed for wizard and demon hunter.

Epic Moments:

There have been some unforgettable moments so far. From clutch victories in Greater Rifts to those perfect gear drops that made my build shine, but most exciting has been the sheer amount of primal ancient items that have dropped for me this season. I even got 2 primal ancients in one enmity before unlocking the double primal drops on the Altar of Rites. Here are some photos capturing those epic moments:

Gear Grind:

The grind for gear has been real this season, especially with four characters. Whether it's farming for those elusive legendary drops or crafting and enchanting, it's been a journey. I've collected just about every set piece I can on the off chance my husband will agree to run the set dungeons for those sets, lol. 😂 I have pieces of the Aegis of Valor set for reforging in the hopes of getting primal ancients, Armor of Akkhan, Roland's Legacy, Seeker of the Light, and Thorns of the Invoker.

For witch doctor, I believe I have full sets for Helltooth Harness, Mundunugu's Regalia (from Haedrig's Gift), Raiment of the Jade Harvester, Spirit of Arachyr, and Zunimassa's Haunt. I generally keep the Mundunugu's equipped because I know that build the best.

For my wizard, I have the Delsere's Magnum Opus set equipped, using the frozen orb build. I also have a flame blade Firebird's build put together, a completed Typhon's Veil set. I'm working on putting together a Tal Rasha's build and just farming those pieces.

Lastly my demon hunter. I have a full set of Unhallowed Essence and I'm loving the multishot build that my husband and I have put together. I have a full Embodiment of the Marauder set, though not all the pieces for a full build, and I also have the Gears of Dreadlands set pieces but probably not all extra little legendary pieces to make the build viable.

Multiplayer Fun:

Playing with a friend has added new possibilities and challenges. Teaming up for bounties, rifts, conquests, and just general chaos has been a blast. My husband and I usually play together, just the two of us, but this season his former coworker decided to join us. While not without its challenges, having a third person helped us to get my last conquest!

The first one I got was On a Good Day: Level six Legendary Gems to level 65.

Second was Years of War: Reach Greater Rift 55 Solo while using the full bonus from six of the following Class Sets. The sets I chose were: Mundunugu's Regalia, Aegis of Valor, Raiment of the Jade Harvester, Helltooth Harness, Firebird's Finery, and Delsere's Magnum Opus.

And the final conquest I achieved was Boss Mode: Kill all bosses listed within 20 minutes from starting the game. 

Act I - The Skeleton King, Queen Araneae, The Butcher

Act II - Maghda, Zoltun Kulle, Belial

Act III - Ghom, Siegebreaker, Cydea, Azmodan

Act IV - Rakanoth, Izual, Diablo

Act V - Urzael, Adria, Malthael

Looking Forward:

And that's it, I've completed Season 34's Season Journey!

I’m excited to see how far I can push my character in Greater Rifts, but I'm also not really likely to jump back into the game now that I'm done. The journey has been wild and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Stay tuned for more updates, and share your own Season 34 stories in the comments!

Season Journey - Progress

Hello everyone!

Quick update on the Season 34 journey: the only thing that stands between Slayer & myself is:

Set Me Free - Complete any set dungeon.

After that, in the Champion category, I need to level 3 legendary gems to 35 & complete an Echoing Nightmare.

But! I reached paragon 351 today, not bad for only a few days' worth of play. 😊

I am currently equipped with the Mundunugu's Regalia set, which doesn't have a set dungeon, but I have all 6 pieces of Arachyr's, so hopefully that one will be easy enough to knock out.

Wish me luck on getting Guardian! I've looked at the season's conquests & I'm not optimistic. They're all pretty difficult for 2 people to complete.

If you'd like to join me to set up a conquest run, let me know in the comments!

Season Journey - Chapter 4 Complete!

I just completed chapter 4 of Season 34's season journey, but we all know that's just the beginning; now it's time for Slayer! I am currently at 1 of 10 objective's completed, but I'm hoping that, after an hour or two, I can advance to the next stage. I am currently playing solo as my husband is sleeping off some sort of stomach flu, but I'll be helping him advance if he needs or wants me to.

I was also blessed by the gobo fairies earlier today when, while searching cathedral level 1 for the black mushroom, I ran into a rainbow goblin. Sadly, no cosmic wings for me, but I hope to get them eventually.

My husband got them a few years ago and it's been haunting both him and I ever since.

If anyone would like to start a rainbow goblin farming ring, let me know! I'll be happy to jump in & help clean up.

Season Journey - Chapter 3 Complete!

 Just wrapped up chapter 3 & I'm 1/12 objectives for chapter 4. I think I mentioned before that I swapped my skills for the Mundunugu's Regalia build & I have to say I am not liking it, though my husband assures me it's better when one has all the pieces.

Season Journey - Chapter 2 Complete!

 Just wrapped up chapter 2 & I'm already at 9 of 11 objectives for chapter 3! I completely forgot that the Haedrig's Gift set was Mundunugu's Regalia & not Jade Harvester but... oops? So I'll be redoing my skills & passives to better fit the set I have rather than the set I want.

Season Journey - Chapter 1 Complete!

 I just finished Chapter 1 & now it's time to keep on keeping on towards Chapter 2! My husband is playing a Crusader (of course) & we're wondering how the meta will be at max level between the two of us, since he'll be doing the Valor build & I'm looking at the Jade Harvester. Knowing the build the way I do, I doubt I'll have anything to haunt after his lightning has smote everything in sight. 🤣 

Season 34 - Start!

 

Here we are with a level 1 witch doctor, getting ready to tackle the season -- wish me luck!

Season 34 Goals

With the new season starting in just 3 days, I've been thinking about what class I want to play and my husband made a good point after I was asking his opinion on which class I should go for. He said, "Well you're missing some set dungeons still, so play the class you're missing the most dungeons on."

I dislike set dungeons very much, not because I think the concept is bad or anything, I'm just bad when it comes to completing them. But! My husband & I struck a deal: I gather the set pieces, he does the dungeons for me.

I can live with that.

So let's see what I still have yet to complete (my husband would like me to add that his are all finished, by the way):

Set Dungeons to Complete

Barbarian - 40%

- Legacy of Raekor (Master)

- Might of the Earth (Master)

Crusader - 40%

- Armor of Akkhan (Master)

- Roland's Legacy (Master)

- Seeker of the Light (Master)

Demon Hunter - 40%

- Shadow's Mantle (Master)

- Unhallowed Essence (Master)

Monk - 10%

- Inna's Mantra (Master)

- Monkey King's Garb (Master)

- Raiment of a Thousand Storms (Master)

- Uliana's Stratagem (Master)

Necromancer - 100%

Witch Doctor - 10%

- Zunimassa's Haunt (Master)

- Helltooth Harness (Master)

- Raiment of the Jade Harvester (Master)

- Spirit of Arachyr (Master)

Wizard - 40%

- Delsere's Magnum Opus (Master)

- Vyr's Amazing Arcana (Master)

Looks like I'm doing a witch doctor this season & a monk next season. 🤣 Wish me luck!

Diablo 3 Season 34

Quick heads up, everyone!

Season 34 will be starting on January 31st! Apparently there were complaints? I'm not sure, but either way I'll be happy to play whenever it starts. Season 33 has ended, so go ahead & collect your inventory items, store them, all that fun stuff.

Here are the sets granted by Haedrig’s Gift in Season 34:

Barbarian - Horde of the Ninety Savages

Crusader - Aegis of Valor

Demon Hunter - Gears of Dreadlands

Monk - Patterns of Justice

Witch Doctor - Mundunugu’s Regalia

Wizard - Typhon’s Veil

Necromancer - Masquerade of the Burning Carnival

You can rest assured that my husband--Bear Dogs Man--and I will be pushing for that Aegis of Valor, though I may decide on Gears of Dreadlands, I haven't decided yet. I love the speed of the Valor set, as well as the fact that it chains/stacks with another player. ⚡ Then again, I do love a good Typhon's build, too.... ooooh so many good ones.

What set are you thinking of pursuing? What's your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Season 34 Haedrig's Gift options

Barking Bear's New Year Bash: A Month-Long Celebration!

Happy New Year, adventurers! 🍻

We're still ringing in the New Year with style, fun, and camaraderie at the Barking Bear Tavern! Throughout January, we’re hosting our Barking Bear New Year Bash, a month-long celebration packed with exciting games, community activities, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow adventurers. Whether you're a seasoned veteran of our events or brand new to the community, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!

What to Expect

Here’s a glimpse of what we have in store:

• Games Galore: Participate in community favorites like Bear Dogs Bingo and Kitty Bingo! These interactive games are sure to bring laughter and excitement to your January evenings.
• Activities & Surprises: From giveaways to spontaneous challenges, every week offers something unique. Stay tuned to our Discord and Twitch for announcements about upcoming events.
• Relax & Celebrate: Pour yourself a drink, cozy up at the virtual tavern, and join us as we toast to a fantastic New Year!

How to Join

• When: All month long—January is our playground!
• Where: Catch us on Twitch or join the conversation on our Discord server.
• Why: Because there's no better way to start the New Year than with games, laughter, and friends!

Don’t Miss Out!

This celebration is more than just a series of events—it’s a way to connect with our amazing community and create new memories. Whether you’re here for the games, the giveaways, or just the good vibes, we can’t wait to celebrate with you.

Raise a glass, grab your dice, and let’s make this January one for the books!

We're still on Twitch!

In 2016, I started this blog to document my progress of farming unique items in Diablo 3 for my husband while he was away at work. I would log on to my character, run around the maps, find a rare chest or NPC, log him in, & then open it with him in the game. My first ever post on this blog, actually, was hunting for the Falcon Wings (found here).

Then in 2019, right before Covid, my husband & I decided we would start streaming on Twitch. We started out as beholderfartz & after about a year we decided to change our name to Bear_Dogs after our dog Podushka, who was a Russian bear dog (Caucasian shepherd).

We've stuck with it as best we can & we celebrated our 5 year streamer-versary in October of 2024.

You can catch us on Twitch at Bear_Dogs! We stream video games on Tuesdays and workshop streams are on Saturdays. Sometimes we have bonus streams on Wednesdays and or Thursdays, with Wednesdays being writing streams and Thursdays are a sort of miscellany day, but these are few and far between due to energy levels.

On Tuesdays after our gaming stream, we host Bear Dogs After Dark over in our Discord server, the Barking Bear Tavern. We're still figuring out what, exactly, that stream is, but so far it's just been a more intimate hangout-type event. Feel free to join us on Saturday January 18th for our next workshop stream where we make a pen for a customer!