CRUSADER!! - A Journey into Reaper of Souls: Rift Run

Note: A Purest Challenge is not to twink any character, use paragon points, or use any outside help and progress in Hardcore. Inspired by a post on d2jsp by Bubonic. I chose to start at Expert difficulty and do Bounties (RNG selected) and Rift runs.

First part of the Rift sent me to the part of Act V on the way to Malth. The DPS is still low and I had to kite even white mobs. This pathways in this area of Act V can get very narrow and it made me uncomfortable. I cleared the larger areas and then kited white mobs and an elite pack there to finish the fight.

Almost done with the 1st Rift Level, I encountered the winged Balrogs with Poison on a pathway between two energy gates. Yeah, no way was I going to fight them here. I kited all the way back to the entrance of the Rift until I was happy with the space and could dodge all the pools of poison.

The elites were nice enough to drop a weapon upgrade. I also bought boots and chest armor to boost DPS to 33+.

Progress is slow and I finished the 2nd Rift Level in Act II, the Vault of the Ancients. I plunged into the 3rd Rift Level, which was Act V again and encountered this mob. Dammit, I hate skeleton summoners. I do not do enough AOE damage to clear these packs quickly. It required me dipping back into the 2nd Rift Level portal and then TP back to town to heal and check for upgrades.

I took out a Mortar elite pack (again dipping back and forth into Town). After they were gone, the Rift Guardian was summoned - a spinning bastard with a scythe. I didn't have enough time to clear the area of trash and they joined the party with the Guardian and I found myself in this situation.

Near RIP....Sweep...Sweep..Sweep...click around the mob, hoping for an opening, kill a monster, squeak through the hole and frantically click on the portal to GTFO.