I got my Vitality at 99 along with Strength
Yeah, that's low. I'd say 150 vitality would be about minimum for Baal.
One of the challenges melee characters have is meeting item prerequisites while still investing enough points into vitality to actually tank successfully. This is part of the reason why spellcasters are
a lot easier to play than melee types. They don't need to meet item prerequisites so they can just put all their points into vitality (energy is a trap; don't add
anything to it)
and yes I did notice that I am not getting any good equipment through most of the game.
Espcially since there were no stronger swords so I had to use hammers :(
Yup, my biggest gripe with Diablo 2 is the absolutely appaulingly low drop rate of decent weaponry. Wouldn't be so bad if the merchants had decent stock, but their weapons are pretty much obsolete by late act 2.
Finished the game on hell, fully patched, with synergies, with almost every character build available. I can assure you, it's doable.
I'm sorry, I missed a keyword:
solo. No help from other characters, only using gear you find yourself.