Defiance paladin... need ideas. Warning very long!

[ivan_elverlund]

Hi - im on europe ladder sc - playing a lvl 94 zealot mf paladin (was closed to 95 when i died twice, once trying to get my corpse - so now im like ½ from lvl up - so I feel like starting a new and let this pala rest for a while).

I have spend alot of time trying to get a eth. steel carapace and i finally got one yesterday - a 214% with 56% cold resist. I have socket it with a rare jewel - 15% req / 30% light resist / +3 max dam / attacker takes 4. So now its 186 str req. And i have spend some time trying to get defensive skillers +life (or other). So now i have 10 of them. Im really trying hard to find some kind of use for the defensive tree.

My first plan was a smiter using defiance for ww barbs - Im lvl 76 in NM with him. For now he is using beast cadeceus / 176% upgraded HOZ (513 def.) / Eth. carapace / hymn 2/2 / goreriders (should be upgraded for more defense) / - helmet, belt and gloves are not quite ready jet - but for now i use the 35% CB helmet (thinking CoA or Andys face later, maybe giant skull, but only have a 1-socket +32 str. or shako for +2 skill) Belt is nosferatus (just because i had it - theres no plan with it - dont need the LL or +15 str. - ill switch for a 15/38 verdungo later i think - or maybe arachnid for the +1 skill = better Holy shield+10% defense from defiance) - for gloves i use draculs grasp (wanted to test the life tap).

I havent really been super testing him jet - he is still in progress. Well i need ideas :) I have 20 smith / 20 Holy shield / 20 defiance / +1 in all defensive but "the mana regeneration skill". Im trying to avoid having any offensive skill - but i have 15 or 16 skill points left and i can easy get him to lvl 80+ so 20 in fana isnt impossible - have an idea of maybe having weapon switch with beast+hoz combined with smite+defiance and then switch to smite+fana combined with "lacerator or any other smite weapon"+Exile - got a lvl 14 eth. sacred rondache +30 res all. It would like switch between offense and defense - the major problem here is while using defiance my 10 defensive skiller makes a big difference, but switching to fana they only give me the mods they have - life / FHR / FRW etc.

The good thing i have noticed is - without being totally tweaked jet - he have more then 46.000 defense and thats only with 7 skillers (room for TP/ID books and 2x4 left for picking items) and without anni. I have +4 all skill (amu+shield) and +2 combat (shield) and +9 defensive (amu +skillers) for now - so with 1 point in defensive i have lvl 14. Later with perhaps shako and anni it could be +6 all / +8 combat / +19 defensive - makes it lvl 28 Holy shield (730% defense) and lvl 39 defiance (450%defense) for a total of 1180% defense - i cant calculated it totally - but lets say 2628(carapace)+513(shield)+500(boots+belt+helmet+g loves)*11,8 = 42.964 defense - thats less then what i have now and thats because i dont know how much defense dexterity gives?! But i quess i will end up having 50.000+ defense?! (Best i have had is 53.000 when a lvl 60 barb shoutted during a baal run).

+19 (well it would only be +16 in PvM) in all the other defensive isnt that bad as its may sound - in a baal run you would give other ppl 450% defense or 106% resist all (salvation) - have a 82% chance to remove knight corpses so Achmel cant revive them (redemption) - or 700% mana recovery for sorcs and necro (meditation) - lvl 17 vigor should help getting to throne - When achmel poison the party, you will reduce the duration with 78% and heal 17 life per 2 second (cleansing) or maybe use lvl 17 prayer if the barbs are low on life. And all this with only one skill point spend (well 20 in defiance).

I have had this crazy idea of making a Medic pala - only for fun and help ppl in baal runs (and leech exp for I would be helpless) - A medic would use Heavens light +3 / Shako +2 / Valor +2 / HOZ +2 / Arachnind +1 / Hymn 2/2 / 10x skiller/2x bul or soj and last a anni - would be +15 all / +17 combat and a stunning +27 defensive - Medic would only use defensive skills and should max defiance 530% defense / Cleansing duration reduced 90+? and heal 47 life per 2 second and a last max Meditation for a 1450% mana recovery rate! + 47 life per 2 second. And who would mind a lvl 47 vigor :)

Seems like i have to cut my thread... rest comes in next thread.

[ivan_elverlund]

Well back to my smiter/defiance pala - in NM all have 5% chance to hit him and i have 75% block off course. I dont need defiance they still have 5% chance without - think my defense is like 30K without. So i mostly use redemption (for me) or salvation (for others). The main problem is damage and life - i have about 1100-1200 damage with smite (i havent lvl'ed my might merc jet) and about 1000 life. Still have 50 stats point left - i think i have all the str i need for a 186 req. armor (but beast is +33 and HOZ is 20 - so if im not gonna use later or gonna put Pul in armor, so it would be 220 str. req. - its nice to have a little to spend). Could give him a 4/4/2 CTA later for extra life.

Im not sure how to make this guy valid for PvM - maybe smiters just arent cut for PvM?! Dunno - its my first smiter. Is there some lamer PvM setup?! Clegaws+lacerator+??

As for PvP i cant test it jet... i have misplaced my D2 cd, hope it will show up later. So i dont know if barbs or other zealots have problems with a 50k+ defense pala. Maybe a barb will whirl through me 10 times and i will hit him for 1/20 of his life and he will hit me and get it back. And i will use lvl 39 meditation (if i use my last points in med.) and get 39 life per 2 second - so in 20-30 seconds ill be ready for a new round. He will whirl through me and we will repeat the steps. Or maybe if a barb only have 5% chance to hit a 75% block pala - which mean a 1000 try would be 50 hit and 75% block leaves 12-13 hit out of a 1000 that would actually hit me?! So if I hit a 1000 times and does 10 damage - he will block 75% (if he stands still) so 250 would hit (smith is ITD) doing 2500 damage= 1250 with 50% DR. Maybe we would just run around for hours hopelessly trying to kill eachother ?!

Any ideas? Hopefull some that arent BM - but I will listen to BM to - maybe I could give a ww BOTD PK barb a surprise in a public game?!

Thats my PvP plan - now for PvM plan.

How to make a PvM defiance pala, that can actually kill something. How about a pala using BOTD BA with sacrifice? Max sacrifice, defiance, redemption (15% dam to sacrifice) and holy shield - any left goes to fana (5% to sacrifice). With items maybe lvl 28 sacrifice / lvl 28 holy shield / lvl 36 defiance / lvl 36 redemption / lvl 26 fana... would mean 730%+420 def=1170%
so maybe 45k def. and 985% ED dam. with BA and defiance would give 9,85x 471 (my BA)= 4640 damage with str or any modifers - my lvl 94 pala with lvl 28 fana / lvl 6 sacrifice / lvl 1 redemption had about 8500 damage with BA. So maybe i would end with +330%ED (lvl 28 sacrifice)+300%ED (lvl 20 redemption) 8500+6,3x471= 11.500 damage and thats while using defiance! If i need more damage and swith to fana it would be another 492% ED for a total of 11.500+471x4,92 =13.820. - Maybe PvP vs. zealot? 50k defense and 11.500 damage ?!

Qúestion: Would i kill myself using sacrifice with this kind of damage? Does DR reduce the damage return? What to do with PI's?(see next)

K - here is another plan. So we need defiance as your main aura, but how to get damage? Here is the idea... we all know conviction+vengeance. But how about defiance+vengeance? It will never work... but here is the great part. Use Medusa's Gaze - 10% to cast lvl 7 lower resist when struck. It would lower their resist with 51% and last for 32 seconds and it will remove immunities so we get full cold/fire/lightning damage- but the tricky part is: If they only have a 5% chance to hit, how will it ever work? I have 2 ideas - have Medusa on weapon switch - put pul in carapace so 220 str and socket Medusa with a -15% req jewel, so it takes 186 str to use (can do without but maybe a little tricky) - if you have 220 str (and +30 comes from BOTD), then when you switch you will have 190 str, so you cant use Carapace and it will turn red, but Medusa will be there (together with wizardspike for resist, so gloams wont kill you while you stand there or use CTA,for life and +1 skill, with salvation) - you will have a low defense and will be hit, cast Lower resist and switch back to BOTD, where carapace will return and give you badass defense - so now you have good defense, high damage and lower resist on monsters! A second option (or do both) is using a act3 merc with Medusa Gaze (give him a 186 str. req medusa, use a +8 str jewel in Culwens point or whatever sword he is using and he should have the strength). He will get hit and you will get hit and hopefully casting lower resist often enough to make it work!

There is a fine balance to find - maybe you will get hit very often in Hell, even with 45k defense, so use medusa as primary shield (got nice LL, slow target and 40-80 CR). Maybe you wanna invest a one skill wonder in Conviction and switch between conviction and defiance. With 20 defiance / 20 salvation / 20 Holy shield / 20 vengeance - its 90 skill point, means lvl maxed at lvl 78. So the rest can be used for conviction +7 lvl's, so can happen at lvl 85. A one skill would properly mean lvl 6-9 conviction - lower resist by 55-70. Sorcs will love you (lower resist) and you can totally tank for sorcs (50k def.) and still kill monsters without looking like a noob :)

I dont know if conviction+lower resist stack - but would be nice if they did.

And remember with 7 skillers + anni+hymn, you have at least 13 in any defensive skill - so use them wisely. PI+mana burn boss - use vegeance+meditation (and redemption if any corpses close by). Use redemption on corpses (specially for knights corpses, dont give anything for Acmel to revive when he spawns from the throne, one IM and its goodknight), use vigor to move, use salvation when facing gloam boss with conviction (you will have max light resist then), use cleansing when poisoned or cursed (will help your hireling to - dont move around with a lower resist curse from knights, when there is a pack of gloams champions around the corner! and baal is kind enough to give you some time while he is laughing, so remove any poison while standing there)

Well thats basically my plan - but there are more fun builds to try - a holy shock pala with Cresent moon (-35% LR), Griffon eye (-25% LR perfect+jewel)+Medusa gaze (-51% LR and remove immunities from lightning immunes!! If that isnt great i dont know what?!) With a jewel in armor and shield you can help up having -121% LR and no immunities! I know there are problems, but aint there allways?! Schaefers+medusa (makes static works, 75% LR, and nice Phys. damage)

Theres much i havent covered...mostly items. But there is many options, but a eth. steel carapace, hymn 2/2 and some defensive skillers is what its all build around. And theres room for 9 sc, like +25-30 defense, so thats another 2700-3240 defense! (25x9x12) And theres free choice of hireling - more defense = holy freeze / more damage = might / Act3 merc for use of shield...

BTW im looking for a rare eth. sacred plate with perfect defense and 200% defense, 2 socket and repair self, if it can have def. based on lvl i will love that - 900x3=2700 defense +2xpul = 3240 defense(+260 based on lvl = 3500) and hopefully with -40 req. and nice resist. Got one ? :)

If you wanna know how it turns out - leave a post or catch me on account elverladfem or elverladseks - ladder europe sc.

Did you really read all this?! :)

[jumbo_SHRIMP]

i did not read the whole post, but i think your best pvm weapon would either be:
crescent moon in a phase blade
or
stormlash unique scourge

phelix

[xpumafangx]

I too did not read the whole thing I did breeze thro it. Go with faster attack speeded weapons like a phase all most over any thing else. With your really high defence I do belive you will beat alot of the other players that need to use alot of attack rating to hit some thing. There is other ways to beat a barbarian other then just walking and smiting them. You might want to use draculs grasp or the exile for player vs monster. So you can leech life off of the monsters. But since you do not want to be badmannered try to stay away from that when doing player vers player.

Ok just to make things clear, and I do not want to be a dick since I am not very good at spelling.

jet- is a air plane.
I belive you are looking for the word yet.

Quess is not a word I belive what you are looking for is guess.

[ivan_elverlund]

Thx and no offense taken - I guess I have yet more english spelling to learn :)

What do you guys think of the Medusa+vengeance+defiance idea?! Any input any one?