Akukami
13-10-2005, 18:15
Hi, and thanks for checking out my first guide on the forums.
To begin with, I would like to thank JoeDamned (who is now banned :() for writing up the first LLD guide that inspired me for my own. His guide can be seen here (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=341749).
Have you ever seen level 12 Paladin go hostile with a level 30 Sorceress who laughed and suddenly got their butt seriously whopped? Your first reaction would probably be "HACKER, HACKER!!" but actually, you've just witnessed an LLD in action.
What is an LLD?
An LLD, or Low Level Dueler, is a character who is in the range of level 12-30 who is geared towards fighting higher level characters. There are several "super" LLD's that also range from level 31-40, but the standard is level 12-30.
Why Make an LLD?
Simply because LLDs use inexpensive gear, are easy to make, and very fun to play with in a real dueling arena provided that no level 80's arrive and go hostile with you. But that's what Level Restrict is for. :D
Generally Accepted "Rules" for LLDing
Technically, there are absolutely no rules for LLDing, but here's a few things you can do for fun duels that don't make other people mad:
1. Unless it's free-for-all, ask other people for duels and don't just go hostile with them.
2. If the other person has gold and gets killed, don't take it. They're probably going to need it for repairs and buying mana potions.
3. If someone died and is getting their corpse, don't attack them (nude kill, or NK).
4. First person to break any of these general rules can, and probably should have it done back to them. In other words, forget all these things I just told you and be cheap. :D
What character is best for LLDing?
The most versatile LLD you can use is a Paladin for it's extremely effective killing ability at very low levels. Of course, what's more important is how you build your LLD, so all characters are fair game.
How do I make an LLD?
Ah, that was the burning question I desperately needed an answer to when I started LLDing. There are many kinds of LLDs and typing all of them out is just too time consuming. You can get help by replying to this thread and waiting for someone to respond, but if you want a quick and easy LLD build, here's a Charger Paladin for you:
Charger Paladin, Level 12-16 - This is probably the very first LLD you're going to make for it's ease. This Pally uses Charge as it's main attack along with Might as the main aura.
Skills:
Put 1 point into Smite and Charge, and dump the rest into Might
Stats (after gear and distribution):
60 Strength, 45 Dexterity (explanation below), Base Energy, rest to Vitality
Starting Gear (level 12-15):
Helm: 3-Socket Flawless Ruby Helm - Lots of life
Weapon: Rare Pike (required character level 12-15) with the highest damage you can find
Shield: none
Armor: Angelic Mantle - (combined with Amulet and Rings) +1 to all Skills
Gloves: Clegaw's Pincers - Slows target by 25%
Boots: Hsarus' Iron Heel - Faster Run/Walk + Fire Resist
Belt: Hsarus' Iron Stay - +20 to Life + Cold Resist
Amulet: Angelic Wings - See Rings
Rings: Angelic Halo x 2 - (combined with Amulet alone) +10 to Dexterity + higher attack rating
The distribution of character points for Dexterity should only be 35 since you get an extra 10 from Angelic Halo + Wings.
More Advanced Gear (level 15-16):
Helm: Biggin's Bonnet
Weapon: Clegaw's Tooth / Rare War Hammer / Rare Pike
Shield: Clegaw's Claw / Rare High Block Shield
Armor: Hawkmail
Gloves: Clegaw's Pincers / Death's Hand
Boots: Treads of Cthon
Belt: Lenymo / Death's Guard
Amulet: Angelic Wings
Rings: Angelic Halo x 2
I personally like Biggin's Bonnet since you get a nice balance of added life and mana. As for Clegaw's, I like using the whole set since I get super fast hits, more Attack Rating, and mana steal. For armor, Hawkmail can be used to counter Cold attacks as well as Death's Guard ("Cannot be Frozen"). Also, you can switch in Death's Hand and have increased attack speed. Lenymo is also not a bad choice since it adds to mana, has mana regenerate, and gives a little resistance to all elements. Last but not least, Treads of Cthon has 30% increased walk/run and slower stamina drain so you can run around longer without having to stop.
Strategy:
Put Might on your right click, and Charge on your left click. Find your opponent, click on him/her and hold down the left mouse button. If done correctly, you should be hitting your opponent multiple times without having to lift your finger from the mouse (this is called "name locking"). Be sure to drink mana potions so you will have enough to use Charge until they die.
Weaknesses:
Your main weakness will be any Cold attack that will freeze you, and if you run out of mana potions, you won't be able to Charge away from combat. Use Hawkmail or Death's Guard (the sash) for this. Also, Necromancers using Bone Prison or even Bone wall will give you problems since you'll be trapped. Watch out for their Iron Maiden. And finally, be ready against an opponent with a shield; you're going to have to Charge them, Charge away, then Charge them again since they have a chance to block. Mana potions are your friend.
There are more LLDs you can make, and you can ask around for nice builds. Here's a few of them to experiment with:
Amazon:
Bowazon - I haven't made one, so I don't know much about them. Guided Arrow is the main attack here.
Lightning Javazon - Another one I haven't made, but I've seen them in action, and they are super powerful. Ask around for a nice build.
Barbarian:
Basher - Use Bash to do your bidding. Find a nice Rare Maul, or Rare War Hammer (with a shield).
Double Swing - Use Double Swing as the main skill. Death's Set is best for this.
Whirlwind Barb - Hmm...do I really need to explain this one?
Necromancer
Bone Spear / Spirit - This Necro LLD uses Bone Prison to cage the opponent, then mercilessly pounds them with Bone Spear or Bone Spirit (Bone Spear is more common).
Summoner - Yes, they actually work. Shop at Akara for a nice wand that gives +3 to Raise Skeleton and +3 to Skeleton Mastery. Use Bone Wall to keep melee characters at bay while letting your army work for you, and Iron Maiden just in case they decide to kill off your minions first.
Paladin
Charger - See Above.
Zealer - Use Zeal as the main attack, as well as balance of Might and Sacrifice for maximum damage.
Smiter - Continuously stun the opponent with a Rare Barbed Shield. Holy Freeze works nicely with Smite.
Hammerdin - Never made one, but they rock! Blessed Hammers is the main attack.
Sorceress
Cold Sorc - Uses Frozen Orb, Blizzard, or Ice Blast. Enough said.
Fire Sorc - Uses Fireball as the main attack. Also enough said.
Nice LLD Gear You Can Use
I'm going to refer to JD's guide for this one since it has most of the basic gear that's common for LLDs. Find it here (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=341749).
Conclusion
LLDing is very intense since you have limited character and skill points to work with. Knowing how to build one is just as imporatant as knowing how to use it. Many of the LLDs mentioned have weaknesses that can be exploited by using the correct LLD to battle them. For example, Whirlwind Barbs can take every melee character easily. Try using Bone Spirit Necros or Sorcs with Teleport to keep your distance and blast away with magic and elemntal attacks.
Okay, that's it! Go out there and LLD. Have fun! :clap:
- Akukami
To begin with, I would like to thank JoeDamned (who is now banned :() for writing up the first LLD guide that inspired me for my own. His guide can be seen here (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=341749).
Have you ever seen level 12 Paladin go hostile with a level 30 Sorceress who laughed and suddenly got their butt seriously whopped? Your first reaction would probably be "HACKER, HACKER!!" but actually, you've just witnessed an LLD in action.
What is an LLD?
An LLD, or Low Level Dueler, is a character who is in the range of level 12-30 who is geared towards fighting higher level characters. There are several "super" LLD's that also range from level 31-40, but the standard is level 12-30.
Why Make an LLD?
Simply because LLDs use inexpensive gear, are easy to make, and very fun to play with in a real dueling arena provided that no level 80's arrive and go hostile with you. But that's what Level Restrict is for. :D
Generally Accepted "Rules" for LLDing
Technically, there are absolutely no rules for LLDing, but here's a few things you can do for fun duels that don't make other people mad:
1. Unless it's free-for-all, ask other people for duels and don't just go hostile with them.
2. If the other person has gold and gets killed, don't take it. They're probably going to need it for repairs and buying mana potions.
3. If someone died and is getting their corpse, don't attack them (nude kill, or NK).
4. First person to break any of these general rules can, and probably should have it done back to them. In other words, forget all these things I just told you and be cheap. :D
What character is best for LLDing?
The most versatile LLD you can use is a Paladin for it's extremely effective killing ability at very low levels. Of course, what's more important is how you build your LLD, so all characters are fair game.
How do I make an LLD?
Ah, that was the burning question I desperately needed an answer to when I started LLDing. There are many kinds of LLDs and typing all of them out is just too time consuming. You can get help by replying to this thread and waiting for someone to respond, but if you want a quick and easy LLD build, here's a Charger Paladin for you:
Charger Paladin, Level 12-16 - This is probably the very first LLD you're going to make for it's ease. This Pally uses Charge as it's main attack along with Might as the main aura.
Skills:
Put 1 point into Smite and Charge, and dump the rest into Might
Stats (after gear and distribution):
60 Strength, 45 Dexterity (explanation below), Base Energy, rest to Vitality
Starting Gear (level 12-15):
Helm: 3-Socket Flawless Ruby Helm - Lots of life
Weapon: Rare Pike (required character level 12-15) with the highest damage you can find
Shield: none
Armor: Angelic Mantle - (combined with Amulet and Rings) +1 to all Skills
Gloves: Clegaw's Pincers - Slows target by 25%
Boots: Hsarus' Iron Heel - Faster Run/Walk + Fire Resist
Belt: Hsarus' Iron Stay - +20 to Life + Cold Resist
Amulet: Angelic Wings - See Rings
Rings: Angelic Halo x 2 - (combined with Amulet alone) +10 to Dexterity + higher attack rating
The distribution of character points for Dexterity should only be 35 since you get an extra 10 from Angelic Halo + Wings.
More Advanced Gear (level 15-16):
Helm: Biggin's Bonnet
Weapon: Clegaw's Tooth / Rare War Hammer / Rare Pike
Shield: Clegaw's Claw / Rare High Block Shield
Armor: Hawkmail
Gloves: Clegaw's Pincers / Death's Hand
Boots: Treads of Cthon
Belt: Lenymo / Death's Guard
Amulet: Angelic Wings
Rings: Angelic Halo x 2
I personally like Biggin's Bonnet since you get a nice balance of added life and mana. As for Clegaw's, I like using the whole set since I get super fast hits, more Attack Rating, and mana steal. For armor, Hawkmail can be used to counter Cold attacks as well as Death's Guard ("Cannot be Frozen"). Also, you can switch in Death's Hand and have increased attack speed. Lenymo is also not a bad choice since it adds to mana, has mana regenerate, and gives a little resistance to all elements. Last but not least, Treads of Cthon has 30% increased walk/run and slower stamina drain so you can run around longer without having to stop.
Strategy:
Put Might on your right click, and Charge on your left click. Find your opponent, click on him/her and hold down the left mouse button. If done correctly, you should be hitting your opponent multiple times without having to lift your finger from the mouse (this is called "name locking"). Be sure to drink mana potions so you will have enough to use Charge until they die.
Weaknesses:
Your main weakness will be any Cold attack that will freeze you, and if you run out of mana potions, you won't be able to Charge away from combat. Use Hawkmail or Death's Guard (the sash) for this. Also, Necromancers using Bone Prison or even Bone wall will give you problems since you'll be trapped. Watch out for their Iron Maiden. And finally, be ready against an opponent with a shield; you're going to have to Charge them, Charge away, then Charge them again since they have a chance to block. Mana potions are your friend.
There are more LLDs you can make, and you can ask around for nice builds. Here's a few of them to experiment with:
Amazon:
Bowazon - I haven't made one, so I don't know much about them. Guided Arrow is the main attack here.
Lightning Javazon - Another one I haven't made, but I've seen them in action, and they are super powerful. Ask around for a nice build.
Barbarian:
Basher - Use Bash to do your bidding. Find a nice Rare Maul, or Rare War Hammer (with a shield).
Double Swing - Use Double Swing as the main skill. Death's Set is best for this.
Whirlwind Barb - Hmm...do I really need to explain this one?
Necromancer
Bone Spear / Spirit - This Necro LLD uses Bone Prison to cage the opponent, then mercilessly pounds them with Bone Spear or Bone Spirit (Bone Spear is more common).
Summoner - Yes, they actually work. Shop at Akara for a nice wand that gives +3 to Raise Skeleton and +3 to Skeleton Mastery. Use Bone Wall to keep melee characters at bay while letting your army work for you, and Iron Maiden just in case they decide to kill off your minions first.
Paladin
Charger - See Above.
Zealer - Use Zeal as the main attack, as well as balance of Might and Sacrifice for maximum damage.
Smiter - Continuously stun the opponent with a Rare Barbed Shield. Holy Freeze works nicely with Smite.
Hammerdin - Never made one, but they rock! Blessed Hammers is the main attack.
Sorceress
Cold Sorc - Uses Frozen Orb, Blizzard, or Ice Blast. Enough said.
Fire Sorc - Uses Fireball as the main attack. Also enough said.
Nice LLD Gear You Can Use
I'm going to refer to JD's guide for this one since it has most of the basic gear that's common for LLDs. Find it here (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=341749).
Conclusion
LLDing is very intense since you have limited character and skill points to work with. Knowing how to build one is just as imporatant as knowing how to use it. Many of the LLDs mentioned have weaknesses that can be exploited by using the correct LLD to battle them. For example, Whirlwind Barbs can take every melee character easily. Try using Bone Spirit Necros or Sorcs with Teleport to keep your distance and blast away with magic and elemntal attacks.
Okay, that's it! Go out there and LLD. Have fun! :clap:
- Akukami