Hammerdin or Zealot

[LakesAreCool]

i need some quick help deciding. I like the idea of a zealot better, but this is my first character, and i need someone who is solid. What would you guys recommend for a noob.

[nightmare lord]

hammerdin all the way

[retrovamp]

Hammerdin is a caster with almost no immunities to deal with, and also the potential (with enigma) to be a teleporting tank. Lots of health, and especially defense with holy shield.

[Bladewind]

But hammerdins need wealth. Melee paladins only need 2 pieces (guilmares face and *gasp* goblin toe ! provides more than enuff CB~ for cheap too) of equipment to get through hell, aside from facing PIs of course.

[Diabolico x64]

Especially for a new player, I would recommend a Zealot over a Hammerdin.

[Redzonetcsk]

I think Zealot can be just as item intensive as a Hammerdin, the CB idea is great, but no leeching from it without a nice high dmg weapon. To do hell effectively you will need some kind of dmg on your weapon. For a hammerdin, you will also need some mid level goods for survivability. Viper, Wiz, any spirit will get you by just fine. As always, casters have a more innate ability to do better dmg with less items. Zealots also have the unfortunate requirement to get close to their enemies. Unless you are smitten with pallys teehee then I would recommend a sorcy for a noob character to get you some goods and make a better zealot or hammerdin later. But if you want a pally, either will get you through hell in my opinion.

[LakesAreCool]

Well now you've just confused me:S. I still don't know who to be. I'm very poor too

[kfowler]

I would go with a Zealot as a first character. A lot more flexible fear gear wise and fairly inexpensive. I also find hammerdins to be fairly boring but that's just my opinion.

[Bjam]

In my opinion a Hammy will best a Zealot in Hell with budget gear.

Spirit sword + Spirit shield + Peasant Cap + Mid Viper + Magefist + Telling of Beads + FCR ring = +7 to all skills and 125%+ FCR (with slightly above average spirits). All this gear can be bought for pgems and is more than enough to coast through Hell, as long as you can get resistances up using charms, etc. As budget permits, he can easily become a great MF character to help build that Zealot.

[Diabolico x64]

I agree that a Hammerdin is likely to be less expensive to make than a Zealot, but Hammerdins also require a lot more player skill to use them effectively. This is why I recommended the simpler-to-play Zealot, since the OP said they were a new player.

[Bladewind]

Hammerdins are very disorienting for the new players and without nigs the inexperienced player will be stuck in cramp areas (like maggots lair) easily.

Zealots have it straight forward. Get 50ish CB (Guil face, goreriders/goblintoe), a fast swinging but decent weapon (even a puny lightsabre is decent with 50 CB) then waltz up to the enemy and let em have it.

Also i don't know about you but now Spirit runes are going expensive too !