waytofailself
28-09-2004, 07:39
The Wirtadin Guide v1.0
By waytofailself
Uber D and Baal fear it, and after reading this guide hopefully you’ll understand why…
Pubby games and Baal runs can be such funny things. I’ve been called gimp. I’ve been called n00b. I’ve even been given a Griswold’s Edge out of sympathy. Needless to say, it’s pretty gratifying to see those same people dying all across the screen while my Wirtadin triumphantly says “I just owned Andy/Duriel/Meph/Diablo/Baal with Wirt’s Leg!” as they struggle to recover their corpses.
Wait. Wirt’s Leg? Believe it or not, it does more than open up the portal to the land of milk and moo-moos. Observe:
Wirt’s Leg
One-Handed Damage: 2-8 Damage
66 Durability
Mace Class
+50% Damage against Undead
No level requirement. Can spawn with anywhere between 0 and 3 sockets. Base weapon speed of -10. As of 1.10 you can no longer make runewords in Wirt’s Leg. What the hell am I saying, there’s no possible way you can get through normal using that old stump, so why even bother using Wirt’s Leg?
Because you can kill D-Clone with it, that’s why! Don’t believe me? I guess I have some explaining to do…
Basic Fundamentals of a Wirtadin
As this build uses zeal and a specific aura of your choosing, there isn’t too much to say that hasn’t been covered in other Zealot guides by *Cyrus*, Stoutwood, and Kitriara. Essentially it is a game of click, kill, and make sure you’re not getting too swarmed. The bigger choices involve selecting the right equipment to work with the variant you’ve chosen. But this section is about basic fundamentals that’ll be expounded upon in this guide:
1) Your endgame weapon should be an imbued Wirt’s Leg: Because you cannot put a runeword in a leg, I would aim for getting a good imbue on a leg from hell (ilvl 66).
2) Shoot for 45% IAS: Since you won’t be using fanaticism, there’s no point in shooting for anything better than a 5 fps zeal.
3) Don’t be afraid to chug pots: you won’t be needing mana because you’ll use zeal. You won’t be using LL because of Wirt’s Leg’s damage. This build also doesn’t use redemption. Thus, chug pots…there is no shame!
4) Four words: Crushing Blow. Open Wounds. You need ways to put on a lot of hurt, fast, especially against act bosses. Even with the Fool’s Mod, Wirt’s leg is not going to do that for you.
5) Use your Wirt’s Leg. Don’t upgrade it with cube recipes. It’s a theme build and it’s not meant to be uber.
Skill Point Distribution
Guess what? There’s lots of different Wirtadins you can make! Many of these are similar to zealot guides that you can find on these forums, but you might be surprised. Skills are listed in order that I would max them.
Holy Freeze Wirtadin: the safest way to play!
20 HF
20 Zeal
20 Resist Cold
20 Holy Shield
Rest in salvation.
Holy Shock Wirtadin: way more raw damage & higher max Lit res
20 Holy Shock
20 Zeal
20 Resist Lightning
20 Holy Shield
Rest in salvation
Conviction Wirtadin: Sorta hybrid and very gear dependent…Get elemental damage from equipment/imbue
20 Zeal
20 Conviction
20 Fist of the Heavens
1-10 Holy Shield
1 in salvation
rest in Holy shock
Wait? Using Zeal instead of Vengeance for conviction? Remember, Vengeance gives a % damage bonus based off of your weapon damage. With Wirt’s leg having 2-8 damage, that’s a waste of points. Even with an imbue with a huge damage bonus, it’s more important to be able to use Zeal to hit for more CB, OW, and elemental damage from equipment and charms then a tiny damage bonus that’ll probably be resisted in Hell anyway.
Two final things to point out. Obviously, when you get zeal, put enough points in it so that you get 5 hits in per zeal attack. From there you can wait to max it until later on. Furthermore, salvation is an okay synergy but also the aura I had on while I killed D-Clone. However, if you don’t feel like putting points into salvation you can always put the spare points into Blessed Aim for the passive AR bonus.
Stat Points
I’m not going to lay out anything for you along the lines of how you should add you stat points when at what level with some fancy formula (I’m an English teacher, I’ll leave the math for other people and guides). Instead, here are my thoughts on what a Wirtadin’s stats should resemble:
Strength: Enough for gear and not a point more.
Dexterity: Enough for max block.
Vitality: All of your spare points. All of them.
Energy: You’re using zeal, you don’t need Energy.
Playing Strategy
I don’t really have anything for PvP yet, so this’ll have to stick to PvM for now.
Early levels should focus on getting strength for equipment quickly. Ideally you’ll be able to put on Sigon’s set at 9 and Angelic ring and ammy at lv 11. Level 15 and onwards until you get a way higher mana pool is helped greatly by Manald Heal for the mana leech, even if you’re only using 2 mana per zeal. Packs of monsters will be really difficult to deal with, even with Holy Freeze, so make sure you’re not surrounded and there is an escape route. Since you won’t be using redemption, always have pots to drink. You won’t be killing stuff as fast as you’d like at this point…sorry!
Get zeal up to level 5 and then max your aura of choice (Holy Freeze/Shock/Conviction). Nightmare is actually really easy (except for immunes of course) assuming your resistances are in the positives. Ideally you’ll be using your leg of choice and be closer to in your endgame gear. You should focus on maxing zeal and then working on synergies. If your AR isn’t where you’d like it to be then feel free to put points in Blessed Aim. The passive 5% bonus to AR per level adds up fast, especially once you enchant with demon limb. Also, aim for 45% IAS. In my honest opinion, trying to go for anything faster than a 5 fps zeal is going to take away from the rest of the build.
Killing D-Clone may require some equipment alterations. If you can manage it, try and get some lightning and fire absorb without sacrificing AR and cannot be frozen. However, THE MOST important thing is crushing blow. Open wounds takes a close 2nd because it stops monster heal, but if you pick up a few poison small charms along the way that can stop healing too, so it isn’t nearly as vital. In the end it’ll be the bonus enchant/duress bonus, along with OW that actually kill D-Clone. If you can’t get your resists high enough without sacrificing CB, use salvation. Oh, and keep 2 rows of rejuvs and 2 rows of Super Healing Potions handy. You won’t be leeching off of D-Clone because of your puny weapon damage, so make sure a potion is healing you at all times, your holy shield is on, and that you have a town portal open to run back into town when needed. Nothing sucks quite like trying to recover a corpse from D-Clone.
Honestly, from my experience Baal is way harder to kill with a Wirtadin than D-Clone because Baal moves around a lot more and has some REALLY annoying attacks, whereas D-Clone has some very strong attacks that are easily resisted or blocked with your shield..
Equipment
Hopefully you already know what weapon you’ll be using. However, you’ll need equipment that work’s with Wirt’s Leg’s -10 base weapon speed while helping to overcome your lack of physical damage output (unless you get a REALLY good imbue). Also, remember that these are equipment suggestions based on my experiences, not the be-all-end-all of ubergear. And don’t be afraid to pick up rares, some of them actually are REALLY useful.
Helm:
Ideal: Guillaume’s Face because of the CB, though you’ll probably want to UM it.
Other Choices: Giant Skull, Harlequin Crest, Blackhorn’s Face…resists and/or CB is the key.
Armor:
Ideal: Duress. You NEED the extra crushing blow and open wounds. That it also has resists and bonus cold damage adds to the fun!
Other choices: Chains of Honor, Upped Rattlecage, Guardian Angel, or anything with CB, OW, or great resists.
Shield:
Ideal: Herald of Zakarum. It’s the shield everyone wants or needs, though not necessarily for PvP
Other Choices: Stormshield, Spirit Ward, Spike Thorn, Sanctuary. Block rate and resists are most important. DR doesn’t hurt either though.
Gloves:
Ideal: Crafted Blood/Rare gloves with IAS & CB
Other Choices: IK gloves (with belt), Steelrend, Dracul’s Grasp, Venom Grip, upped Bloodfist. IAS is very important, as is CB and OW if you can get that too
Belt:
Ideal: Verdungo’s Hearty Cord is too good to pass up for the massive +Vit
Ideal for D-Clone: T-Gods: still a good Vit/Str increase but lets you absorb the Clone’s lightning
Other Choices: Blood Belt, IK Belt (with Gloves), String of Ears, Trang’s Girth
Boots:
Ideal: Goreriders. These are THE boots you want. ‘nuff said
The other Choice: Goblin Toe, just for the extra CB
If you can’t get either of those… IK Boots (with Gloves/Belt), War Travelers, Upped Sanders. Seriously though, get the Gores.
Jewelry:
Ideal: Angelic Ring/Ammy & a Ravenfrost
Others: Fire and lightning absorb are good, so is + skills, resists, and AR. There are many other options, especially with all the rare rings and ammys out there.
Prebuff: Call to Arms & Demon Limb are both INCREDIBLY helpful for giving you much needed life and AR, along with some added damage and defense. However, don’t cry if you can’t get CtA, I only have a Demon Limb and I still killed D-Clone. Don’t forget a Lidless Wall or Sigon’s Guard for that extra +1 to skills.
Good Early Gear:
Sigon’s Set will last you through normal.
Rockstopper
Sander’s Ripraff
Rhyme Shield
Peasant Crown
Lore Helm
Manald Heal
Infernal Buckle
Bloodfists
Of course, if you follow my guide about how to use Wirt’s Leg below, you might be surprised just how easy it is to get through normal.
Conviction Users: try and get equipment that adds elemental damage. Socketing with facets can help with this, so can elemental charms. (note, PLEASE let me know of more items that add elemental damage)
Everything about Wirt’s Leg
#1 Question: How do you get Wirt’s Leg? Easy, you click on his corpse in the NW corner of Tristram and it pops out!
#2 Question: Does it matter what difficulty I get it from? YES! In order to be able to get the best mods via imbue, you NEED to get your leg from Hell. Supposedly it has an ilvl of 66 but I’ve gotten mods on it from the imbue that are of a much higher level.
#3 Question: What the heck do I do with it?
Option A: Socket that Bad Boy
That's right, start with a misleading statement. Wirt's Leg spawns with up to 3 sockets. Putting in jewels, gems, or runes into it is certainly a viable early game choice, and may very well carry you all the way through D-Clone. Oh, and just to get this out of the way right here and now: you CANNOT make rune words in Wirt’s leg. Too bad so sad. For lower levels chipped topazes are great to put in it. Later on pgems and runes make good choices.
Some socketing ideas:
Chippies! Great for added beginning of game damage.
P Topaz/P Emeral/Ral Rune – this leg got me through normal
Shael/Eth/Eth – 20% IAS and very helpful – enemy defense
Shael/Ber/Eth – best of all worlds, IAS, - defense and CB…if you can afford this…wow
Shael/Um/Um – IAS + lots of OW. This feels more like a PvP leg to me.
Option B: Imbue that Bad Boy
The other option is the route I prefer: drop by Charsi’s place and use your imbue quest. This turns Wirt’s Leg into a rare item that can have 3 magical prefixes and suffixes. This gives you an opportunity to have a weapon that is not only unique to yourself but also potentially really powerful. It doesn’t matter what level the character that imbues it is, only the item level of the leg. What does that mean? Get it from Hell Wirt to ensure the highest ilvl!
According to the Arreat Summit, here are the possible prefixes, suffixes, procs, and charges you can get on a Wirt’s Leg from Hell difficulty (note: Wirt’s Leg can imbue with properties that belong to both Mace and Club classes):
Prefixes http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/pre.shtml
+Attack Rating
Bronze +10-20 to Attack Rating
Iron +21-40 to Attack Rating
Steel +41-60 to Attack Rating
Silver +61-80 to Attack Rating
Gold +81-100 to Attack Rating
Platinum +101-120 to Attack Rating
Meteoric +121-150 to Attack Rating
Strange +151-300 to Attack Rating
+ Cold Damage
Snowy +6-9 Minimum and 19-30 Maximum Cold Damage - 1 sec Duration
Shivering +10-15 Minimum and 31-45 Maximum Cold Damage - 2 sec Duration
Boreal +16-23 Minimum and 46-90 Maximum Cold Damage - 3 sec Duration
Hibernal +24-45 Minimum and 91-140 Maximum Cold Damage - 4 sec Duration
+ Fire Damage
Fiery +16-25 Minimum and 31-60 Maximum Fire Damage
Smoldering +26-50 Minimum and 61-90 Maximum Fire Damage
Smoking +51-80 Minimum and 91-130 Maximum Fire Damage
Flaming +81-120 Minimum and 131-180 Maximum Fire Damage
Condensing +121-170 Minimum and 181-240 Maximum Fire Damage
+ Lightning Damage
Static +1 Minimum and 49-120 Maximum Lightning Damage
Glowing +1 Minimum and 121-180 Maximum Lightning Damage
Buzzing +1 Minimum and 181-260 Maximum Lightning Damage
Arcing +1 Minimum and 261-360 Maximum Lightning Damage
Shocking +1 Minimum and 361-480 Maximum Lightning Damage
+ Poison Damage
Septic +6 Poison Damage Over 2 Seconds
Foul +12 Poison Damage Over 3 Seconds
Corrosive +80 Poison Damage Over 4 Seconds
Toxic +150 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
+ Damage
Jagged +10-20% Damage
Deadly +21-30% Damage
Vicious +31-40% Damage
Brutal +41-50% Damage
Massive +51-65% Damage
Savage +66-80% Damage
Merciless +81-100% Damage
Ferocious +101-200% Damage
Cruel +201-300% Damage
+ Attack Rating/Max Damage (Based On Character Level)
Fool's + (16.5 Per Character Level) 16.5-1633.5 To Attack Rating / + (0.5 Per Character Level) 0.5-49.5 To Maximum Damage (Based On Character Level)
Grinding + (0.75 Per Character Level) 0.75-74.25 To Maximum Damage (Based On Character Level)
+ Attack Rating and + Damage
Sharp +10-20 to Attack Rating, Damage: +10-20%
Fine +21-40 to Attack Rating, Damage: +21-30%
Warrior's +41-60 to Attack Rating, Damage: +31-40%
Soldier's +61-80 to Attack Rating, Damage: +41-50%
Knight's +81-100 to Attack Rating, Damage: +51-65%
Lord's +101-120 to Attack Rating, Damage: +66-80%
King's +121-150 to Attack Rating, Damage: +81-100%
Master's +151-250 to Attack Rating, Damage: +101-150%
+ Attack Rating and + Damage vs Demons
Lunar +25-50 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +10-25% vs Demons
Arcadian +51-100 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +26-50% vs Demons
Unearthly +101-150 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +51-100% vs Demons
Astral +151-200 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +101-150% vs Demons
Elysian +201-300 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +151-200% vs Demons
+ Attack Rating and + Damage vs Undead
Consecrated +25-75 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +25-75% vs Undead
Pure +76-175 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +76-125% vs Undead
Sacred +175-250 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +126-200% vs Undead
Hallowed +251-325 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +201-275% vs Undead
+ Mana
Serpent's +11-20 to Mana
+ Fire Resist
Crimson Fire Resist +5-10%
Russet Fire Resist +11-20%
Garnet Fire Resist +21-30%
+ Cold Resist
Azure Cold Resist +5-10%
Lapis Cold Resist +11-20%
Cobalt Cold Resist +21-30%
+ Lightning Resist
Tangerine Lightning Resist +5-10%
Ocher Lightning Resist +11-20%
Coral Lightning Resist +21-30%
+ Poison Resist
Beryl Poison Resist +5-10%
Viridian Poison Resist +11-20%
Jade Poison Resist +21-30%
+ All Skill Levels
Slayer +1 to Barbarian Skill Levels
Berserker +2 to Barbarian Skill Levels
Monk's +1 to Paladin Skill Levels
Priest's +2 to Paladin Skill Levels
Shaman's +1 to Druid Skill Levels
Hierophant's +2 to Druid Skill Levels
+ Skill Tab Levels
Paladin Skills
Lion Branded +1 Paladin Combat Skills
Hawk Branded +2 Paladin Combat Skills
Captain's +1 Paladin Offensive Auras
Commander's +2 Paladin Offensive Auras
Barbarian Skills
Expert's +1 Barbarian Combat Skills
Veteran's +2 Barbarian Combat Skills
Fanatic +1 Barbarian Combat Masteries
Raging +2 Barbarian Combat Masteries
Sounding +1 Barbarian Warcries
Resonant +2 Barbarian Warcries
Druid Skills
Trainer's +1 Druid Summoning
Caretaker's +2 Druid Summoning
Spiritual +1 Druid Shapeshifting
Feral +2 Druid Shapeshifting
Nature's +1 Druid Elemental
Terra's +2 Druid Elemental
Each Kill Regenerates Mana
Triumphant +1 Point of Mana After Each Kill
Victorious +2-5 Points of Mana After Each Kill
Make Monsters Flee When Hit
Screaming Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 12-25%
Howling Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 18-50%
Wailing Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 25-100%
Add Sockets
Mechanic's Add 1-2 Sockets
Suffixes http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/suf.shtml
+ Strength
Strength +1-2 to Strength
Might +3-5 to Strength
Ox +6-9 to Strength
Giant +10-15 to Strength
Titan +16-20 to Strength
Atlas +21-30 to Strength
+ Life
Jackal +1-5 to Life
Fox +6-10 to Life
Wolf +11-20 to Life
Tiger +21-30 to Life
Mammoth +31-40 to Life
+ Minimum Damage
Worth +1-2 to Minimum Damage
Measure +3-4 to Minimum Damage
Excellence +5-8 to Minimum Damage
Performance +9-14 to Minimum Damage
Transcendence +15-20 to Minimum Damage
+ Maximum Damage
Craftsmanship +1 to Maximum Damage
Quality +2 to Maximum Damage
Maiming +3-4 to Maximum Damage
Slaying +5-7 to Maximum Damage
Gore +8-10 to Maximum Damage
Carnage +11-14 to Maximum Damage
Slaughter +15-20 to Maximum Damage
Butchery +21-40 to Maximum Damage
Evisceration +41-63 to Maximum Damage
+ Fire Damage
Flame Adds 1 Minimum and 2-6 Maximum Fire Damage
Fire Adds 1-4 Minimum and 6-11 Maximum Fire Damage
Burning Adds 5-9 Minimum and 10-20 Maximum Fire Damage
Incineration Adds 10-20 Minimum and 21-75 Maximum Fire Damage
+ Cold Damage
Frost Adds 1 Minimum and 1-2 Maximum Cold Damage - 2 sec Duration
Icicle Adds 1 Minimum and 3-4 Maximum Cold Damage - 3 sec Duration
Glacier Adds 2-4 Minimum and 4-15 Maximum Cold Damage - 4 sec Duration
Winter Adds 5-9 Minimum and 16-50 Maximum Cold Damage - 5 sec Duration
+ Lightning Damage
Shock Adds 1 Minimum and 6-8 Maximum Lightning Damage
Lightning Adds 1 Minimum and 9-16 Maximum Lightning Damage
Thunder Adds 1 Minimum and 17-40 Maximum Lightning Damage
Storms Adds 1-6 Minimum and 40-120 Maximum Lightning Damage
+ Poison Damage
Blight Adds 7 Poison Damage over 3 seconds
Venom Adds 21 Poison Damage over 4 Seconds
Pestilence Adds 50 Poison Damage over 5 Seconds
Anthrax Adds 100 Poison Damage over 6 Seconds
+ Life Stolen
Leech 3-5% Life Stolen Per Hit
Locust 5-7% Life Stolen Per Hit
Lamprey 7-9% Life Stolen Per Hit
+ Mana Stolen
Bat 3-5% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Wraith 6-7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Vampire 7-9% Mana Stolen Per Hit
+ Weapon Speeds
Readiness 10% Attack Speed Increase
Alacrity 20% Attack Speed Increase
Swiftness 30% Attack Speed Increase
Quickness 40% Attack Speed Increase
- %Item Requirements
Ease Requirements -20%
Simplicity Requirements -30%
Monster Knockback
Prevent Monster Healing
Vileness Prevent Monster Heal
Repair Durability
Self-Repair Repair Durability (3)
Fast Repair Repair Durability (5)
Procs (this has a chance of happening upon stricken – suffixes) http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/procsuffixes.shtml
Chance To Cast Fire Bolt
Chance To Cast Ice Bolt
Chance To Cast Nova
Chance To Cast Lightning
Chance To Cast Chain Lightning
Chance To Cast Amplify Damage
Charges (suffixes) http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/chargedsuffixes.shtml
Sorceress Skills
Charged Bolts
Telekinesis
Enchantment
Meteors
Paladin Skills
Sacrifice
Zeal
Druid Skills
Firestorm
Fissure
Twister
Volcano
Tornado
The Leg of my Dreams:
+2 Paladin Skills (Priest’s)
1-480 Lightning Damage (Shocking)
Fool’s Mod (+AR and damage per lv)
40 IAS (Quickness)
100 Poison Damage per 6 seconds (Anthrax)
Prevent Monster Heal (Vileness)
My stance on upping your Wirt’s Leg for this build: don’t…please don’t. Okay, I won’t stop you, but it takes the fun out of the build when you up Wirt’s leg and watch it turn into a Hand Axe. Sure, you can up it all the way and actually use that 298% ED mod you got, but people kill other people with axes all the time. This is a theme build; you can live without your Eth BotD for one character, right?
Final Notes
For now this is very much a PvM guide. Since I’ve never really played any temple games I’m not an authority on Zealot PvPness, nor would I ever claim to be one. However, if anyone wants to send me info / thoughts / ideas for PvP uses of a Wirtadin, please let me know! Any suggestions / questions / comments / whatever are welcomed, as I am not (nor pretend to be) the authority on everything that is Zealot. And even though I’m an English teacher I am not the best at catching my own spelling and grammatical mistakes, so please point those out too.
I'd also like to expand this guide to include a PvP section, so any and all input for that is especially welcomed.
Finally, let me introduce to you my first Wirtadin to kill D-Clone The first two times I killed D-clone he actually used a WORSE leg and was Lv 73, so, as I said before, don’t think you need to have a uber imbue! Hopefully after reading this guide you’ll be able to believe that I did this…
Patriarch Wirtorator (US West SC Ladder)
Paladin Lv 74
Holy Freeze + Zeal Damage:1062-1281 (1149-1352 with enchant)
Holy Freeze Damage: 181-185
AR: 7200 (11560 with enchant)
Defense: 2486 (8701 with Holy Shield)
Life: 1109
Mana: 164
Str:110 (190)
Dex: 85 (131)
Vit: 240 (260)
Nrg: 15 (15)
Skills
24 Zeal
22 Holy Freeze
22 Resist Cold
16 Holy Shield
5 Salvation
Equipment:
Hailstone Gnash Wirt’s Leg (Shael)
20 IAS / 62% ED / +240AR / +1-8 Lit Dmg / 9% Dual Leech / 13% Resist Lit
Guillaume’s Face
Duress Wire Fleece 1315 Def
HoZ w/ p-diamond
IK Gloves & Belt
Gore Riders
Angelic Ring & Ammy
Raven Frost or Dwarf star as need arises
Demon Limb for Prebuff
About 125 damage worth of poison small charms
Around 50 damage worth of lightning small charms
Thanks
My college roommate for sharing my addiction
*Cyrus*, Stoutwood, and Kitriara for their Zealot guides
Space_Loner, Pucho, Astral___PvP, ebyworx, and Sir SDG for their support
Also, I got some really good equipment from Sir SDG via trade, yay!
Dilly for offering me 6 imbue quests.
Phadech for saying I should write this
Wirt for letting me borrow his wooden leg
By waytofailself
Uber D and Baal fear it, and after reading this guide hopefully you’ll understand why…
Pubby games and Baal runs can be such funny things. I’ve been called gimp. I’ve been called n00b. I’ve even been given a Griswold’s Edge out of sympathy. Needless to say, it’s pretty gratifying to see those same people dying all across the screen while my Wirtadin triumphantly says “I just owned Andy/Duriel/Meph/Diablo/Baal with Wirt’s Leg!” as they struggle to recover their corpses.
Wait. Wirt’s Leg? Believe it or not, it does more than open up the portal to the land of milk and moo-moos. Observe:
Wirt’s Leg
One-Handed Damage: 2-8 Damage
66 Durability
Mace Class
+50% Damage against Undead
No level requirement. Can spawn with anywhere between 0 and 3 sockets. Base weapon speed of -10. As of 1.10 you can no longer make runewords in Wirt’s Leg. What the hell am I saying, there’s no possible way you can get through normal using that old stump, so why even bother using Wirt’s Leg?
Because you can kill D-Clone with it, that’s why! Don’t believe me? I guess I have some explaining to do…
Basic Fundamentals of a Wirtadin
As this build uses zeal and a specific aura of your choosing, there isn’t too much to say that hasn’t been covered in other Zealot guides by *Cyrus*, Stoutwood, and Kitriara. Essentially it is a game of click, kill, and make sure you’re not getting too swarmed. The bigger choices involve selecting the right equipment to work with the variant you’ve chosen. But this section is about basic fundamentals that’ll be expounded upon in this guide:
1) Your endgame weapon should be an imbued Wirt’s Leg: Because you cannot put a runeword in a leg, I would aim for getting a good imbue on a leg from hell (ilvl 66).
2) Shoot for 45% IAS: Since you won’t be using fanaticism, there’s no point in shooting for anything better than a 5 fps zeal.
3) Don’t be afraid to chug pots: you won’t be needing mana because you’ll use zeal. You won’t be using LL because of Wirt’s Leg’s damage. This build also doesn’t use redemption. Thus, chug pots…there is no shame!
4) Four words: Crushing Blow. Open Wounds. You need ways to put on a lot of hurt, fast, especially against act bosses. Even with the Fool’s Mod, Wirt’s leg is not going to do that for you.
5) Use your Wirt’s Leg. Don’t upgrade it with cube recipes. It’s a theme build and it’s not meant to be uber.
Skill Point Distribution
Guess what? There’s lots of different Wirtadins you can make! Many of these are similar to zealot guides that you can find on these forums, but you might be surprised. Skills are listed in order that I would max them.
Holy Freeze Wirtadin: the safest way to play!
20 HF
20 Zeal
20 Resist Cold
20 Holy Shield
Rest in salvation.
Holy Shock Wirtadin: way more raw damage & higher max Lit res
20 Holy Shock
20 Zeal
20 Resist Lightning
20 Holy Shield
Rest in salvation
Conviction Wirtadin: Sorta hybrid and very gear dependent…Get elemental damage from equipment/imbue
20 Zeal
20 Conviction
20 Fist of the Heavens
1-10 Holy Shield
1 in salvation
rest in Holy shock
Wait? Using Zeal instead of Vengeance for conviction? Remember, Vengeance gives a % damage bonus based off of your weapon damage. With Wirt’s leg having 2-8 damage, that’s a waste of points. Even with an imbue with a huge damage bonus, it’s more important to be able to use Zeal to hit for more CB, OW, and elemental damage from equipment and charms then a tiny damage bonus that’ll probably be resisted in Hell anyway.
Two final things to point out. Obviously, when you get zeal, put enough points in it so that you get 5 hits in per zeal attack. From there you can wait to max it until later on. Furthermore, salvation is an okay synergy but also the aura I had on while I killed D-Clone. However, if you don’t feel like putting points into salvation you can always put the spare points into Blessed Aim for the passive AR bonus.
Stat Points
I’m not going to lay out anything for you along the lines of how you should add you stat points when at what level with some fancy formula (I’m an English teacher, I’ll leave the math for other people and guides). Instead, here are my thoughts on what a Wirtadin’s stats should resemble:
Strength: Enough for gear and not a point more.
Dexterity: Enough for max block.
Vitality: All of your spare points. All of them.
Energy: You’re using zeal, you don’t need Energy.
Playing Strategy
I don’t really have anything for PvP yet, so this’ll have to stick to PvM for now.
Early levels should focus on getting strength for equipment quickly. Ideally you’ll be able to put on Sigon’s set at 9 and Angelic ring and ammy at lv 11. Level 15 and onwards until you get a way higher mana pool is helped greatly by Manald Heal for the mana leech, even if you’re only using 2 mana per zeal. Packs of monsters will be really difficult to deal with, even with Holy Freeze, so make sure you’re not surrounded and there is an escape route. Since you won’t be using redemption, always have pots to drink. You won’t be killing stuff as fast as you’d like at this point…sorry!
Get zeal up to level 5 and then max your aura of choice (Holy Freeze/Shock/Conviction). Nightmare is actually really easy (except for immunes of course) assuming your resistances are in the positives. Ideally you’ll be using your leg of choice and be closer to in your endgame gear. You should focus on maxing zeal and then working on synergies. If your AR isn’t where you’d like it to be then feel free to put points in Blessed Aim. The passive 5% bonus to AR per level adds up fast, especially once you enchant with demon limb. Also, aim for 45% IAS. In my honest opinion, trying to go for anything faster than a 5 fps zeal is going to take away from the rest of the build.
Killing D-Clone may require some equipment alterations. If you can manage it, try and get some lightning and fire absorb without sacrificing AR and cannot be frozen. However, THE MOST important thing is crushing blow. Open wounds takes a close 2nd because it stops monster heal, but if you pick up a few poison small charms along the way that can stop healing too, so it isn’t nearly as vital. In the end it’ll be the bonus enchant/duress bonus, along with OW that actually kill D-Clone. If you can’t get your resists high enough without sacrificing CB, use salvation. Oh, and keep 2 rows of rejuvs and 2 rows of Super Healing Potions handy. You won’t be leeching off of D-Clone because of your puny weapon damage, so make sure a potion is healing you at all times, your holy shield is on, and that you have a town portal open to run back into town when needed. Nothing sucks quite like trying to recover a corpse from D-Clone.
Honestly, from my experience Baal is way harder to kill with a Wirtadin than D-Clone because Baal moves around a lot more and has some REALLY annoying attacks, whereas D-Clone has some very strong attacks that are easily resisted or blocked with your shield..
Equipment
Hopefully you already know what weapon you’ll be using. However, you’ll need equipment that work’s with Wirt’s Leg’s -10 base weapon speed while helping to overcome your lack of physical damage output (unless you get a REALLY good imbue). Also, remember that these are equipment suggestions based on my experiences, not the be-all-end-all of ubergear. And don’t be afraid to pick up rares, some of them actually are REALLY useful.
Helm:
Ideal: Guillaume’s Face because of the CB, though you’ll probably want to UM it.
Other Choices: Giant Skull, Harlequin Crest, Blackhorn’s Face…resists and/or CB is the key.
Armor:
Ideal: Duress. You NEED the extra crushing blow and open wounds. That it also has resists and bonus cold damage adds to the fun!
Other choices: Chains of Honor, Upped Rattlecage, Guardian Angel, or anything with CB, OW, or great resists.
Shield:
Ideal: Herald of Zakarum. It’s the shield everyone wants or needs, though not necessarily for PvP
Other Choices: Stormshield, Spirit Ward, Spike Thorn, Sanctuary. Block rate and resists are most important. DR doesn’t hurt either though.
Gloves:
Ideal: Crafted Blood/Rare gloves with IAS & CB
Other Choices: IK gloves (with belt), Steelrend, Dracul’s Grasp, Venom Grip, upped Bloodfist. IAS is very important, as is CB and OW if you can get that too
Belt:
Ideal: Verdungo’s Hearty Cord is too good to pass up for the massive +Vit
Ideal for D-Clone: T-Gods: still a good Vit/Str increase but lets you absorb the Clone’s lightning
Other Choices: Blood Belt, IK Belt (with Gloves), String of Ears, Trang’s Girth
Boots:
Ideal: Goreriders. These are THE boots you want. ‘nuff said
The other Choice: Goblin Toe, just for the extra CB
If you can’t get either of those… IK Boots (with Gloves/Belt), War Travelers, Upped Sanders. Seriously though, get the Gores.
Jewelry:
Ideal: Angelic Ring/Ammy & a Ravenfrost
Others: Fire and lightning absorb are good, so is + skills, resists, and AR. There are many other options, especially with all the rare rings and ammys out there.
Prebuff: Call to Arms & Demon Limb are both INCREDIBLY helpful for giving you much needed life and AR, along with some added damage and defense. However, don’t cry if you can’t get CtA, I only have a Demon Limb and I still killed D-Clone. Don’t forget a Lidless Wall or Sigon’s Guard for that extra +1 to skills.
Good Early Gear:
Sigon’s Set will last you through normal.
Rockstopper
Sander’s Ripraff
Rhyme Shield
Peasant Crown
Lore Helm
Manald Heal
Infernal Buckle
Bloodfists
Of course, if you follow my guide about how to use Wirt’s Leg below, you might be surprised just how easy it is to get through normal.
Conviction Users: try and get equipment that adds elemental damage. Socketing with facets can help with this, so can elemental charms. (note, PLEASE let me know of more items that add elemental damage)
Everything about Wirt’s Leg
#1 Question: How do you get Wirt’s Leg? Easy, you click on his corpse in the NW corner of Tristram and it pops out!
#2 Question: Does it matter what difficulty I get it from? YES! In order to be able to get the best mods via imbue, you NEED to get your leg from Hell. Supposedly it has an ilvl of 66 but I’ve gotten mods on it from the imbue that are of a much higher level.
#3 Question: What the heck do I do with it?
Option A: Socket that Bad Boy
That's right, start with a misleading statement. Wirt's Leg spawns with up to 3 sockets. Putting in jewels, gems, or runes into it is certainly a viable early game choice, and may very well carry you all the way through D-Clone. Oh, and just to get this out of the way right here and now: you CANNOT make rune words in Wirt’s leg. Too bad so sad. For lower levels chipped topazes are great to put in it. Later on pgems and runes make good choices.
Some socketing ideas:
Chippies! Great for added beginning of game damage.
P Topaz/P Emeral/Ral Rune – this leg got me through normal
Shael/Eth/Eth – 20% IAS and very helpful – enemy defense
Shael/Ber/Eth – best of all worlds, IAS, - defense and CB…if you can afford this…wow
Shael/Um/Um – IAS + lots of OW. This feels more like a PvP leg to me.
Option B: Imbue that Bad Boy
The other option is the route I prefer: drop by Charsi’s place and use your imbue quest. This turns Wirt’s Leg into a rare item that can have 3 magical prefixes and suffixes. This gives you an opportunity to have a weapon that is not only unique to yourself but also potentially really powerful. It doesn’t matter what level the character that imbues it is, only the item level of the leg. What does that mean? Get it from Hell Wirt to ensure the highest ilvl!
According to the Arreat Summit, here are the possible prefixes, suffixes, procs, and charges you can get on a Wirt’s Leg from Hell difficulty (note: Wirt’s Leg can imbue with properties that belong to both Mace and Club classes):
Prefixes http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/pre.shtml
+Attack Rating
Bronze +10-20 to Attack Rating
Iron +21-40 to Attack Rating
Steel +41-60 to Attack Rating
Silver +61-80 to Attack Rating
Gold +81-100 to Attack Rating
Platinum +101-120 to Attack Rating
Meteoric +121-150 to Attack Rating
Strange +151-300 to Attack Rating
+ Cold Damage
Snowy +6-9 Minimum and 19-30 Maximum Cold Damage - 1 sec Duration
Shivering +10-15 Minimum and 31-45 Maximum Cold Damage - 2 sec Duration
Boreal +16-23 Minimum and 46-90 Maximum Cold Damage - 3 sec Duration
Hibernal +24-45 Minimum and 91-140 Maximum Cold Damage - 4 sec Duration
+ Fire Damage
Fiery +16-25 Minimum and 31-60 Maximum Fire Damage
Smoldering +26-50 Minimum and 61-90 Maximum Fire Damage
Smoking +51-80 Minimum and 91-130 Maximum Fire Damage
Flaming +81-120 Minimum and 131-180 Maximum Fire Damage
Condensing +121-170 Minimum and 181-240 Maximum Fire Damage
+ Lightning Damage
Static +1 Minimum and 49-120 Maximum Lightning Damage
Glowing +1 Minimum and 121-180 Maximum Lightning Damage
Buzzing +1 Minimum and 181-260 Maximum Lightning Damage
Arcing +1 Minimum and 261-360 Maximum Lightning Damage
Shocking +1 Minimum and 361-480 Maximum Lightning Damage
+ Poison Damage
Septic +6 Poison Damage Over 2 Seconds
Foul +12 Poison Damage Over 3 Seconds
Corrosive +80 Poison Damage Over 4 Seconds
Toxic +150 Poison Damage Over 5 Seconds
+ Damage
Jagged +10-20% Damage
Deadly +21-30% Damage
Vicious +31-40% Damage
Brutal +41-50% Damage
Massive +51-65% Damage
Savage +66-80% Damage
Merciless +81-100% Damage
Ferocious +101-200% Damage
Cruel +201-300% Damage
+ Attack Rating/Max Damage (Based On Character Level)
Fool's + (16.5 Per Character Level) 16.5-1633.5 To Attack Rating / + (0.5 Per Character Level) 0.5-49.5 To Maximum Damage (Based On Character Level)
Grinding + (0.75 Per Character Level) 0.75-74.25 To Maximum Damage (Based On Character Level)
+ Attack Rating and + Damage
Sharp +10-20 to Attack Rating, Damage: +10-20%
Fine +21-40 to Attack Rating, Damage: +21-30%
Warrior's +41-60 to Attack Rating, Damage: +31-40%
Soldier's +61-80 to Attack Rating, Damage: +41-50%
Knight's +81-100 to Attack Rating, Damage: +51-65%
Lord's +101-120 to Attack Rating, Damage: +66-80%
King's +121-150 to Attack Rating, Damage: +81-100%
Master's +151-250 to Attack Rating, Damage: +101-150%
+ Attack Rating and + Damage vs Demons
Lunar +25-50 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +10-25% vs Demons
Arcadian +51-100 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +26-50% vs Demons
Unearthly +101-150 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +51-100% vs Demons
Astral +151-200 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +101-150% vs Demons
Elysian +201-300 to Attack Rating vs Demons, Damage: +151-200% vs Demons
+ Attack Rating and + Damage vs Undead
Consecrated +25-75 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +25-75% vs Undead
Pure +76-175 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +76-125% vs Undead
Sacred +175-250 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +126-200% vs Undead
Hallowed +251-325 to Attack Rating vs Undead, Damage: +201-275% vs Undead
+ Mana
Serpent's +11-20 to Mana
+ Fire Resist
Crimson Fire Resist +5-10%
Russet Fire Resist +11-20%
Garnet Fire Resist +21-30%
+ Cold Resist
Azure Cold Resist +5-10%
Lapis Cold Resist +11-20%
Cobalt Cold Resist +21-30%
+ Lightning Resist
Tangerine Lightning Resist +5-10%
Ocher Lightning Resist +11-20%
Coral Lightning Resist +21-30%
+ Poison Resist
Beryl Poison Resist +5-10%
Viridian Poison Resist +11-20%
Jade Poison Resist +21-30%
+ All Skill Levels
Slayer +1 to Barbarian Skill Levels
Berserker +2 to Barbarian Skill Levels
Monk's +1 to Paladin Skill Levels
Priest's +2 to Paladin Skill Levels
Shaman's +1 to Druid Skill Levels
Hierophant's +2 to Druid Skill Levels
+ Skill Tab Levels
Paladin Skills
Lion Branded +1 Paladin Combat Skills
Hawk Branded +2 Paladin Combat Skills
Captain's +1 Paladin Offensive Auras
Commander's +2 Paladin Offensive Auras
Barbarian Skills
Expert's +1 Barbarian Combat Skills
Veteran's +2 Barbarian Combat Skills
Fanatic +1 Barbarian Combat Masteries
Raging +2 Barbarian Combat Masteries
Sounding +1 Barbarian Warcries
Resonant +2 Barbarian Warcries
Druid Skills
Trainer's +1 Druid Summoning
Caretaker's +2 Druid Summoning
Spiritual +1 Druid Shapeshifting
Feral +2 Druid Shapeshifting
Nature's +1 Druid Elemental
Terra's +2 Druid Elemental
Each Kill Regenerates Mana
Triumphant +1 Point of Mana After Each Kill
Victorious +2-5 Points of Mana After Each Kill
Make Monsters Flee When Hit
Screaming Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 12-25%
Howling Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 18-50%
Wailing Hit Causes Monsters to Flee 25-100%
Add Sockets
Mechanic's Add 1-2 Sockets
Suffixes http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/suf.shtml
+ Strength
Strength +1-2 to Strength
Might +3-5 to Strength
Ox +6-9 to Strength
Giant +10-15 to Strength
Titan +16-20 to Strength
Atlas +21-30 to Strength
+ Life
Jackal +1-5 to Life
Fox +6-10 to Life
Wolf +11-20 to Life
Tiger +21-30 to Life
Mammoth +31-40 to Life
+ Minimum Damage
Worth +1-2 to Minimum Damage
Measure +3-4 to Minimum Damage
Excellence +5-8 to Minimum Damage
Performance +9-14 to Minimum Damage
Transcendence +15-20 to Minimum Damage
+ Maximum Damage
Craftsmanship +1 to Maximum Damage
Quality +2 to Maximum Damage
Maiming +3-4 to Maximum Damage
Slaying +5-7 to Maximum Damage
Gore +8-10 to Maximum Damage
Carnage +11-14 to Maximum Damage
Slaughter +15-20 to Maximum Damage
Butchery +21-40 to Maximum Damage
Evisceration +41-63 to Maximum Damage
+ Fire Damage
Flame Adds 1 Minimum and 2-6 Maximum Fire Damage
Fire Adds 1-4 Minimum and 6-11 Maximum Fire Damage
Burning Adds 5-9 Minimum and 10-20 Maximum Fire Damage
Incineration Adds 10-20 Minimum and 21-75 Maximum Fire Damage
+ Cold Damage
Frost Adds 1 Minimum and 1-2 Maximum Cold Damage - 2 sec Duration
Icicle Adds 1 Minimum and 3-4 Maximum Cold Damage - 3 sec Duration
Glacier Adds 2-4 Minimum and 4-15 Maximum Cold Damage - 4 sec Duration
Winter Adds 5-9 Minimum and 16-50 Maximum Cold Damage - 5 sec Duration
+ Lightning Damage
Shock Adds 1 Minimum and 6-8 Maximum Lightning Damage
Lightning Adds 1 Minimum and 9-16 Maximum Lightning Damage
Thunder Adds 1 Minimum and 17-40 Maximum Lightning Damage
Storms Adds 1-6 Minimum and 40-120 Maximum Lightning Damage
+ Poison Damage
Blight Adds 7 Poison Damage over 3 seconds
Venom Adds 21 Poison Damage over 4 Seconds
Pestilence Adds 50 Poison Damage over 5 Seconds
Anthrax Adds 100 Poison Damage over 6 Seconds
+ Life Stolen
Leech 3-5% Life Stolen Per Hit
Locust 5-7% Life Stolen Per Hit
Lamprey 7-9% Life Stolen Per Hit
+ Mana Stolen
Bat 3-5% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Wraith 6-7% Mana Stolen Per Hit
Vampire 7-9% Mana Stolen Per Hit
+ Weapon Speeds
Readiness 10% Attack Speed Increase
Alacrity 20% Attack Speed Increase
Swiftness 30% Attack Speed Increase
Quickness 40% Attack Speed Increase
- %Item Requirements
Ease Requirements -20%
Simplicity Requirements -30%
Monster Knockback
Prevent Monster Healing
Vileness Prevent Monster Heal
Repair Durability
Self-Repair Repair Durability (3)
Fast Repair Repair Durability (5)
Procs (this has a chance of happening upon stricken – suffixes) http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/procsuffixes.shtml
Chance To Cast Fire Bolt
Chance To Cast Ice Bolt
Chance To Cast Nova
Chance To Cast Lightning
Chance To Cast Chain Lightning
Chance To Cast Amplify Damage
Charges (suffixes) http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/magic/chargedsuffixes.shtml
Sorceress Skills
Charged Bolts
Telekinesis
Enchantment
Meteors
Paladin Skills
Sacrifice
Zeal
Druid Skills
Firestorm
Fissure
Twister
Volcano
Tornado
The Leg of my Dreams:
+2 Paladin Skills (Priest’s)
1-480 Lightning Damage (Shocking)
Fool’s Mod (+AR and damage per lv)
40 IAS (Quickness)
100 Poison Damage per 6 seconds (Anthrax)
Prevent Monster Heal (Vileness)
My stance on upping your Wirt’s Leg for this build: don’t…please don’t. Okay, I won’t stop you, but it takes the fun out of the build when you up Wirt’s leg and watch it turn into a Hand Axe. Sure, you can up it all the way and actually use that 298% ED mod you got, but people kill other people with axes all the time. This is a theme build; you can live without your Eth BotD for one character, right?
Final Notes
For now this is very much a PvM guide. Since I’ve never really played any temple games I’m not an authority on Zealot PvPness, nor would I ever claim to be one. However, if anyone wants to send me info / thoughts / ideas for PvP uses of a Wirtadin, please let me know! Any suggestions / questions / comments / whatever are welcomed, as I am not (nor pretend to be) the authority on everything that is Zealot. And even though I’m an English teacher I am not the best at catching my own spelling and grammatical mistakes, so please point those out too.
I'd also like to expand this guide to include a PvP section, so any and all input for that is especially welcomed.
Finally, let me introduce to you my first Wirtadin to kill D-Clone The first two times I killed D-clone he actually used a WORSE leg and was Lv 73, so, as I said before, don’t think you need to have a uber imbue! Hopefully after reading this guide you’ll be able to believe that I did this…
Patriarch Wirtorator (US West SC Ladder)
Paladin Lv 74
Holy Freeze + Zeal Damage:1062-1281 (1149-1352 with enchant)
Holy Freeze Damage: 181-185
AR: 7200 (11560 with enchant)
Defense: 2486 (8701 with Holy Shield)
Life: 1109
Mana: 164
Str:110 (190)
Dex: 85 (131)
Vit: 240 (260)
Nrg: 15 (15)
Skills
24 Zeal
22 Holy Freeze
22 Resist Cold
16 Holy Shield
5 Salvation
Equipment:
Hailstone Gnash Wirt’s Leg (Shael)
20 IAS / 62% ED / +240AR / +1-8 Lit Dmg / 9% Dual Leech / 13% Resist Lit
Guillaume’s Face
Duress Wire Fleece 1315 Def
HoZ w/ p-diamond
IK Gloves & Belt
Gore Riders
Angelic Ring & Ammy
Raven Frost or Dwarf star as need arises
Demon Limb for Prebuff
About 125 damage worth of poison small charms
Around 50 damage worth of lightning small charms
Thanks
My college roommate for sharing my addiction
*Cyrus*, Stoutwood, and Kitriara for their Zealot guides
Space_Loner, Pucho, Astral___PvP, ebyworx, and Sir SDG for their support
Also, I got some really good equipment from Sir SDG via trade, yay!
Dilly for offering me 6 imbue quests.
Phadech for saying I should write this
Wirt for letting me borrow his wooden leg