I need your advice

[konta]

Hi guys, i need some advice. I am making a zeal pally and I dont know whether I should up my hoz and guardian angel. I know it adds a lot of str req but since i am using coa, does it really matter? would it slow me down or anything? what are the str reqs for upped hoz and angel? Please help me and give me your opinion on whether or not i should up them... try to address my questions and more!!

Also, gear is as follows:
Gore
Draculs
Highlords or Mara (help me decide)
Grief pb
raven (2 for now, any other suggestions)
dungos (i hope)

Thanks!

[Evrae Altana]

Upgraded HoZ requires 142 strength and upgraded Guardian Angel requires 196 strength. Do not upgrade your HoZ if you're a zealot: doing so won't improve the defense by much and will only serve to increase the strength req. The only reason to upgrade a HoZ is to boost the smite damage.

[sorceressgod]

you just need one raven frost only. get a raven spiral(duped, but NEVER poofs.), BK, or a crafted blood ring. crafted blood rings can be very godlly, i got a 8LL with 27 str :).

or get a carrion vine ring for the LL and nice display of poison nova.

[MegaFlame]

IMO an non-upp'd hoz will do just fine even with smite, like said, Grief and holy shield together provide such huge damage to smite that the base shield damage is irrelevant anyways.

[StewieGriff_XLT]

if you can afford grief, i would think you could afford a COH or FORT

FORT = massive damage boost

COH = uber helper (+res/DR/etc...)

i prefer fort if you can find resists somewhere else because of the sick damage booster...

go with a highlords/raven/rare combo, or if you need AR: angelic ammy/angelic ring/raven combo

rest is fine

good luck

CJ :mask:

[kingdryland]

For pvm,suggestions,first mentioned is the best.

Guil face helm (for pvm better than coa,believe it or not), no other suggestions,
Fortitude armor, chains of honor,duress
verdungo,t-gods,nosferatu (well here it depends on rest of gear which is best)
Exile,alma negra,sanctuary with ed/ar base shield (I don't use hoz in my fana zealots-phoenix could be great here,I don't have one yet)
Dracul's without any other source of life tap, blood crafted,steelrend,lava gout with other source
Highlord's,metalgrid,rare dual leecher/all res/etc. Mara's sucks for zealots,period.
Rings, one raven + one rare to cover your needs in leech/str/dex/res etc
Gore rider,war travelers,sandstorm
Grief is the best weapon. But there are many great alternatives,order irrelevant, doom,botd,stormlash,oath,death,azurewrath etc.

[konta]

Thanks everyone for your advice! If the upped hoz reqs are 142, and the coa is 174 i believe, then doesn't the str not matter? Upping the hoz seems alright... but i am getting mixed opinions about whether to used an exile or phoenix or hoz... i still dont know what to use! As for armors, I thought angel was good because it has added blocking, a skill point, maxed resists, and more.. but i kinda thought to use a coh or fort. Any other opinions on that?

Also, if i were to get a coh or fort, what type should it be? Does that necissarily matter? Thanks!

Konta

[kingdryland]

Well try and get a forti or coh made in a light type of armor that has high defense at the same time. I like archon plate,wire fleece and great hauberk.

[konta]

Well try and get a forti or coh made in a light type of armor that has high defense at the same time. I like archon plate,wire fleece and great hauberk.

Is one greater than the other? Also, quick noob question... if i have an unsocketed armor, i can add max sockets by going to larzuk in hell and it automatically does max, right? Also, it can only be done in hell, right? Sorry... kinda noobish but i havent done such a thing since .09 so i dont remember... or i do but need verification. Thanks!

[StewieGriff_XLT]

Is one greater than the other? Also, quick noob question... if i have an unsocketed armor, i can add max sockets by going to larzuk in hell and it automatically does max, right? Also, it can only be done in hell, right? Sorry... kinda noobish but i havent done such a thing since .09 so i dont remember... or i do but need verification. Thanks!

archon plates have the highest re-trade value (just keep that in the back of your head) They also get quite a lot of defense for only 103 str req (my personal fav armor type)

socket quest works in any difficult, and yes, it will add the max number of sockets to an already unsocketed item

good luck

CJ :mask:

[kingdryland]

Sockets that an item get depend on the area the item dropped and the max sockets the item can get. Larzuk will follow this rule in any difficulty,not only in hell. In other words,if you kill a monster in hell difficulty and it drops a white crystal sword,if you give it to larzuk (normal,nm or hell,doesn't matter) he'll give it 6 sockets,if you kill a monster in normal difficulty and it drops a white crystal again,larzuk will give it 2 or 3 or so. As a general rule though,hell items get max sockets from larzuk.

[konta]

Ok so, i am going to decide between Fort and CoH (leaning towards fort now, depends on resist needs) but I am still unclear about shield. I like the dmg bonus of phoenix but it doesnt have enhanced D... does that matter? Exile seems nice but I heard it was overrated on zealots. And hoz, I heard was the best, but a few people here said not to use it. Let me know what you guys think, I really am not familiar with 1.11.

Thanks a bunch,

Konta

[kingdryland]

For pvm exile or phoenix are the best choices. Exile will offer a huge defense bonus,life tap,freeze target and mf. Phoenix will offer huge damage bonus and redemption aura. Exile is overrated in zealot duels,in general pvm is way better than any hoz and so is phoenix. Hoz has nice resists,offers some vita and will require low dex for max block but that's all. It is certainly a shield not designed for zealots,the skills it offers are translated in low damage bonus and the ar bonus there is not essential.

[konta]

For pvm exile or phoenix are the best choices. Exile will offer a huge defense bonus,life tap,freeze target and mf. Phoenix will offer huge damage bonus and redemption aura. Exile is overrated in zealot duels,in general pvm is way better than any hoz and so is phoenix. Hoz has nice resists,offers some vita and will require low dex for max block but that's all. It is certainly a shield not designed for zealots,the skills it offers are translated in low damage bonus and the ar bonus there is not essential.

Thanks but now i have a new question.... grief pb or ebotdz? some guy laughed and said ebotdz owns grief... any opinions?

[kingdryland]

Well I should laugh and tell that grief owns ebotd but that would be idiotic. Any grief phase blade is way more damaging than the best ebotd in a berserker axe and cheaper to make as well. The leech from botd is irrelevant when you have life tap.

[kikomun]

Sockets that an item get depend on the area the item dropped and the max sockets the item can get. Larzuk will follow this rule in any difficulty,not only in hell. In other words,if you kill a monster in hell difficulty and it drops a white crystal sword,if you give it to larzuk (normal,nm or hell,doesn't matter) he'll give it 6 sockets,if you kill a monster in normal difficulty and it drops a white crystal again,larzuk will give it 2 or 3 or so. As a general rule though,hell items get max sockets from larzuk.

eh as far as i'm concern so far i've always gotten max number of sockets for my white items...never tried socketing the same type of item 2x before though..will take note of this =)