Help with a Defensive Pally

[Astralbeing]

I'm making a purely defensive paladin, something along the lines of max prayer, meditation, cleansing? I'd probably just have my merc do all the killing. What sort of gear is best for these builds? I'll probably be playing it un-twinked so what sorta mods should I look for on items? Good low runewords for this build? Any suggestions on stats/gear/playing style would be nice.

[Later]

Make it thorns/holybolter with act2 prayer merc... Works and is fun to play..

[Astralbeing]

I was thinking more like a conversion/prayer pally, with a prayer merc. I'd use insight and have merc/recruits do the killing while I heal, does the merc prayer stack with mine?

[mr_mop]

Why have a prayer merc if you are going prayer?

[Astralbeing]

Why have a prayer merc if you are going prayer?


That was my question :wink3: If the aura's stack it'd be nice extra healing, if not I'll go with freeze probably.

[SSoG]

Why have a prayer merc if you are going prayer?
Prayer isn't an always-active aura, like Fanaticism, where you can only benefit from one at a time. It acts like a "ping" aura- like Holy Shock, only the pings heal your allies rather than hurting your enemies. You could fill a game with 8 Prayer Paladins, each with his own Prayer Merc, and as long as they were in range, everyone would benefit from all 16 Prayer auras at once.

Anyway, if your goal is to make a defensive paladin... I'm obviously biased, but I'd highly recommend reading this thread (http://forums.diabloii.net/showthread.php?t=483473).

[Astralbeing]

Thanks for clearing that up SSoG. That looks like a really nice guide, I'll read over it tommorow. Looks like a bit too much reading for me at 2 am :wink3: Just looking over it, it looks great and a lot like what I was looking for. Thanks.

[Yossarian]

I'd try to max the aura I had that helped my merc.

LW-Might
Exile-Defiance
Nigma-To tele him away form trouble
Fant-active

Give the merc a eth reapers tool, eth trechery, Chamed Gaze (or dream for the curses to keep people off him.)

[Lanceor]

The Invincible Abbott is more of a funny build than a fun build. It's funny when the guy rushing you gets killed, but you survive. :)

Don't expect to kill much at all unless you go for the Hammerdin variant though.

[batuchka]

Is there a pally build that uses eternity weapon to summon revives? Maybe go for some crushing blow zmiter kindda summoner pally? Add stone armor for clay golem?

[SSoG]

The Invincible Abbott is more of a funny build than a fun build. It's funny when the guy rushing you gets killed, but you survive. :)

Don't expect to kill much at all unless you go for the Hammerdin variant though.

I can kill just fine with an Abbott (Charge Variant, or a Conviction + Zeal variant wielding Rift). It won't kill like a Hammerdin, of course... but then again, nothing will, except a Hammerdin.

As I'm fond of saying, the goal isn't to kill monsters, it's to kill monsters before they kill you... and I guarantee you, the Abbott will do that with ease. :wink3:

Is there a pally build that uses eternity weapon to summon revives? Maybe go for some crushing blow zmiter kindda summoner pally? Add stone armor for clay golem?

You could go with Revives, but you should be warned that any Paladin summoning revives will receive large amounts of damage every time he casts the spell. Blizzard put in that little feature to punish the holy Paladins for using dark arts.

[batuchka]

Hey ya - thats right ^^ Kindda unfair when my pagan necro and his bony friends benefit so much from paladins auras if u ask me :P