Dark_Giga
03-01-2008, 21:36
I know there's plenty around, but I've had this for awhile, just updated it for 1.11 after getting back into the game. If you check my posts, I have a thread up from 4 years ago on the 1.10 guide :laugh:
Still incomplete as I've only been at 1.11 for a week, comments appreciated, and suggestions incredibly appreciated! Also, point typos out, I have OCD :tongue:
Also, sorry for the bad formating, was originally going to submit it to GameFAQs, will fix eventually.
~~Giga's 1.11 Hammerdin Guide Version 2.0~~
by Gigamaster89
Table of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0) Introduction
1) Skill Layout
2) Equipment
3) The Skills
4) Stats
5) PvM Strategies
6) Aiming them Hammers!
7) End Game Equips
8) Mercenary Guide
9) Faster Cast Rate
10) Fast Block Rate
11) Fast Hit Recovery
12) Conclusion
13) Credit
14) Disclaimer
15) History
16) Contact
--------------------------------0) Introduction-------------------------------
A list of what a hammerdin can do:
a) Get through hell with crappy items.
b) Do up to 15k+ damage with one hammer.
c) Be an awesome tank for your party members.
d) Tele to Baal without dying.
e) Able to rush someone through hell even in a 8 player game.
f) Able to beat almost every melee build.
g) Acheieve 75% block and still having 1k+ life.
h) Own
--------------------------------1) Skill Layout-------------------------------
Defensive Auras
1 Prayer
1 Defiance
1 Cleansing
1 Meditation
20 Vigor
1 Salvation
1 Redemption
Offensive Auras
1 Might
20 Blessed Aim
20 Concentration
Combat Skills
1 Smite
1 Holy Bolt
1 Charge
20 Blessed Hammer
20 Holy Shield
Optional:
a) You can remove some points from Holy Shield and add to Charge if your more
of a PvP type.
b) Smite is another option.
UPDATE - c) Holy Shield has diminising returns once you hit 16. It takes from level 16-20
just to get another 1% of blocking, you can take 4 points off of HS and allocate it
elsewhere...or even less with equips.
--------------------------------2) Equipment----------------------------------
Helm:
a) Harleqin Crest: There is no other helm necessary, as you won't need leech of
any sort. This should either be Ptopazed if you want mf or Um'ed for more resist
against Conviction etc.
b) Vampire Gaze: Nothing spectacular except it got a max of 20% Dr which is
useful until you get Shako or better.
c) Peasant Crown: Use these for the +1 in the beginning or if you have nothing
better to use.
d) Others that can be used are: Rockstopper, Blackhorn's Thieve, Crown of
Thieves, Lore until you get any of the above.
e) New: a +2Pally and 20FCR is currently the best you can find, people these day
sees hitting the next/last FCR breakpoint really important. A circlet with
+2Pally, +20FCR, +R/W, Life, Mana, and Resist goes for as much as 4 SoJ's in
today's
economy as Hammerdin's are becoming extremely popular.
f) Crown of Ages: Suggested by many to rival Harleqin Crest, DR is good and you
could
fill those sockets with whatever you wish. Comes with resist and FHR which is also
good, expensive too but I personally see Shako being better because of the +Life
+Mana +1 More AND not to mention it's way cheaper then a Good/Perfect CoA.
Amulet:
a) Crafted Amulets: This can produce the godliest ones. Things to look for are
plus skills with FCR resist and maybe even faster R/W.
b) Mara's Kaleidoscope- +2 is good and the resist is nice to help max and stack
resist. Best choice if you don't have a good crafted ammy.
c) Seraphs Hymn- These are ok, the +2 might help but the +2 defensive isn't
really necessary. The defensive aura is good if you're in a party though, put on
salvation and everyone will be happy.
d) Rising Sun- for absorb purposes
e) Most amulets with resistance are good. A Chromatic Amulet (resist +30) or
Sacracen's Chance is pretty good for level, a +3 combat one too.
Body:
a) Enigma (JahIthBer)- The one to use for mfing or pvp. +2 to skills and you
will have plent of FCR to move around quickly, the only problem might be mana.
Use an Archon one or a low strength requirement one like breastplate to have
more points into vitality.
b) Chains of Honor (DolUmBerIst)- if you can't afford Enigma but have some sort
of wealth, this is your other option, very close to Enigma but much cheaper and
of course without Teleport. Credit to Lord Kliglor
c) Guardian Angel- Very good armor, +1 to skills and 15 to max resist. With this,
and all the gears, all your resist will be 90. If you throw on T-Gods, Light
Trappers
and Black souls are a joke.
d) Stealth (TalEth)- Very good low lvl armor. Runes are easy to get that there
is no
excuse for not having them. Runes can be acquired from normal countess. The FCR,
15% Mana Regen. R/W and FHR are too good from such crappy runes.
e) Vipermagi- another decent low lvl armor, FCR, resist and a +1 to skills to
boost.
f) Que-Hegan's Wisdom- this is ok to use if you are planning on keeping a low
strength for a breastplate Enigma.
g) Shaftstop- Good DR
Ring 1:
a) Dwarf Star- For fire absorb. With 90 resist all, you will actually heal from
standing on top of fire or from hydras.
b) Raven Frost- The Cannot be Frozen is too good to pass up. Also absorb and mana.
c) Stone of Jordan- Huge mana bonus, and +1.
d) Wisp Projector- Light absorb, won't really be needed if you choose T-Gods.
e) Bul-Kathos' Wedding-Band- +1 and Life, cheaper of version of Stone of Jordan
f) FCR Rings- If you can find a good one, be happy, I heard these are better
then SoJ's especially if you find something like this, 10FCR +100+ Mana +Resist All.
Ring 2:
Read above
Glove:
a) Magefist- FCR and faster mana regen, this and Trang is the best choice, upped
if you want.
b) Trang Gloves- Rivals Magefist as some say faster mana regen. isn't necessary
and this adds cold resist.
c) Frostburn- use at low lvl if you need mana. Not really necessary.
d) Chanceguard- Mfing purposes.
Weapon 1:
a) Heart of the Oak (KoVexPulThul) - Best weapon out there. +3 to skills, resist
and other nice mods. Kind of hard to get though
b) Wizardspike- Use this before HoTo. FCR and crazy resist bonus.
UPDATE - use it with Spirit for 125 FCR. It doesn't give you more damage than HoTo but
you hit one high breakpoint and more resist to stack.
c) Hand of Blessed Light- Pretty good and not to valuable. Useful at low lvl.
Weapon 2:
a) Heaven's Light- Good in dueling against fast movers like Sorceress who like to
tele around with low defense. Does about 3.5k damage with a decent level
Concentration aura.
b) Alibaba- Prefereed dual ist'ed. Used for mfing; switch on kill.
c) Call to Arms (Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm)- Most build other then the barb
should use this, battle command gives a +1 skill boost which will add good damage
and a bo is self-explanatory, paired with Lidless. Credit to Lord Kliglor.
Shield 1:
a) Herald of Zakarum- best shield for a hammerdin. A good resist boost,
socketed with um or perfect diamond for best results. +2 skills and +2
combat is not something to laugh at. Not point in upping because you won't see a
significant change, only a bit more def and a bumped up strength req.
b) Steelclash- Cheap and easy to get for low level.
c) Lidless Wall- Good +1 and FCR with some mana boost etc.
d) Sigon Shield- Very nice for low level, +1 and a high block rate.
e) Ancient's Pledge- resist and mana for the really poor.
UPDATE - f) Spirit (TalThulOrtAmn) - to hit the last FCR breakpoint! Overall good shield, +2,
resist, etc.
Shield 2:
a) Alma Negra- useful for smithing, with holy shield and concentration, a
good 900-1k+ smite damage. Good to keep something in place and in tough spots
like maggot lair.
b) Rhyme (ShaelEth)- mf purposes only.
Belt:
a) Arachnid Mesh- +1 to skills, mana and FCR, this is T-Gods is what to look for.
b) Thundergod's Vigor- Crazy lightning hate. With G-Angel and this with max
resist,
black souls actually heal me while I watch others in baal runs get rapped :P
c) Gloom's Trap- for max mana, nice for level.
d) String of Ears- best belt before T-Gods, DR is nice.
e) Nightsmoke- Mana and resist boost
f) Goldwrap- for mfing only
Boot:
a) Sandstorm Trek- A bunch of nice mods on one boot
b) Waterwalk- brings max fire resist to 95 with G-Angel
c) Silkweave- Mana purposes
d) War Traveler- Mfing and all around use/
e) Tearhaunch- Best boot to use in the beginning and easy to find. The + to
vigor is good for running around.
Charms:
a) Annihilus- a must, resist, exp. Boost, skill, and attribute
b) Pally Combat- boosts your hammer damage and helps holy shield
c) Pally Offensive- For your concentration, less expensive but not as useful as
combat
UPDATE d) Paladin Hellfire Torch - another must, incredibly expensive but...better than anni?!
+3 to all skills, resist, and attrib. Go for it.
-------------------------------3) The Skills----------------------------------
Defensive Auras:
1 Prayer- never used, preq.
1 Defiance- good for party
1 Cleansing- awesome in baal runs against minion group 2
1 Meditation- gets your mana back in seconds
20 Vigor- synergy and good way to get around
1 Salvation- party loves this
1 Redemption- after a big group kill, clear the mess, and save some pots!
Offensive Auras:
1 Might- used in the first few levels
20 Blessed Aim- synergy
20 Concentration- you main aura, only aura that adds damage to hammers
Combat Skills:
1 Smite- pretty nice in dueling and getting out of tight situations
1 Holy Bolt- if this wasn't a preq. I'd pretend this spell was never there.
1 Charge- nice with vigor to literally fly around. Nice in dueling with a damaging
weapon like Heaven's Light.
20 Blessed Hammer- you get the name Hammerdin for a reason. Your main move and
does a few thousand damage even without equipments.
20 Holy Shield- you want to survive whirlwinders and mobs? This will boost your
defense like crazy. Should ALWAYS be on!
--------------------------------4) Stats--------------------------------------
Strength- Enough for what you are planning to wear. 118 is a good number including
your charms to wear Guardian Angel. Keep it low at 35 if you want to use breast
plate Enigma but make sure your going to have enough for your other equip. Remember
that Enigma gives a lot of strength.
Dexterity- Enough for max block with HoZ and Holy Shield or Spirit. It is about 100ish to
get 75% block at level 99.
Vitality- Whatever you got left!!! More vit. Means more hp, more hp means you
survive longer, and the longer you survive means the longer you can show off!!
Energy- UPDATE - Base energy, you will have enough mana to spam with end game equips.
Especially with Merc Insight runeword.
--------------------------------5) PvM Strategies-----------------------------
Hammerdins are probably one of the few who can solo through hell without godly
equips. (Not to mention Dclone) Almost nothing are immune to hammers except a few
monsters in act 3. (animal/immune to magic). In the beginning, put a few into strength
and try to get your energy to about 30 before you get hammers. Both hammers and
concentration is obtained at level 18, so before that, get a stick, put on
might and use normal attack is basically what you can do. Level 18 is very easy
to get to.
Just play through and you should hit 18 in no time. And if you must, join
normal trav, arcane or even cow runs. Until you reached level 18,
I would recommend putting points
into preqs and maybe a few into Blessed Aim. If you see you don't really need mana or
resistance, work on the defensive tree last. I wouldn't suggest using hammers until the
late 30s and early 40s due to the fact that it does little damage.
From Mario 64 Master
Until you get to level 18, just put 1 point into each prerequisite you will
need and
use normal attack with level 1 might with a TirEl crystal sword or something like
that. Once you get level 18, put 1 in hammer and your other level 18 skills.
When you first
get hammer, it will be hard unless you have a lot of mana so you will probably
have to switch off
between hammer and normal attack if you run out of mana. By level 25 or 30 you
should be able
to use hammer solely. As you level, put about even amounts into concentration,
vigor,
and hammer until they are all maxed, with maybe a little more into hammer
itself, though remembering
that points into conc and vigor will not increase mana cost, while a point into
hammer will.
Once those are all maxed, then you dump the next 20 into blessed aim. (You max
vigor before blessed aim
because you use vigor often, you dont use blessed aim at all, and they both
give the same bonuses)
As for holy shield, put 1 at level 24, another at level 25, maybe another at
26, another couple by 50 or so,
and then just pump it once all your 4 main skills are maxed.
Put 1 point in salvation right when you get level 30, 1 in meditation right
when you get to 24, etc.
Act by Act Leveling
Act 1- Like most builds, grab whatever you find and kill everything in sight.
You would be surprised
at how handful a cracked short sword can be.
Act 2- Things start to get a bit hard and a lot of poison. After you get to
arcane, do a few runs
until about level 20.
Act 3- Trav members are really hard for any new characters. Get rushed to act 4
and join trav runs
for exp. They give a crazy amount of exp. Do this until level 23. Cow runs are
your other option.
Act 4- Play through and you should hit level 24 with ease.
Act 5- Do ancients and you should be 25. From there on, baal until level 45 or
maybe even 50 where
then you should go into nightmare. Here is where start laying the hammers. By
now, you should do
enough damage to be able to take out act 5 by yourself. Get used to aiming your
hammers, which will
be explained later.
Comment: I suggest getting a Kuko right when you hit the level required. This
bow is a monster. It kills
anything in normal with ease. Use it to for leveling purposes. Of course this
is with concentration on.
--------------------------------6) Aiming them Hammers!-----------------------
Aiming hammers takes time to get used to. Hammers start on your left and moves
clockwise. After the hammer
is out, it spins outwards three times before it disappears. This of course can
let you kill multiple monsters
with one hammer. If you are against a large group of monster, make sure your
holy shield is on and stay an
inch away and spam hammers. With 60 energy you can spam hammers and kill most
of them before they get close to
you. When you are against a single monster, the best thing to do is go directly
below it. This is a guaranteed
hit unless you are enclosed in a space like the maggot lair. In the maggot
lair, you must let your left arm
face the monster and kill them one by one. This is really hard to get used to
and takes time and practice.
From Mario 64 Master
First of all, teach yourself how they come out, how far out they circle, when
they finally disappear, etc.
Just go to a wide open area with no monsters and cast a couple and watch them.
You will see that they circle
around 2 or 3 times and disappear on the third round at about 2 o clock from
you. And of course you know they
move clockwise. Now that you know how they move it will be easier to hit the
monsters. Like I said before,
if you are running through a wide open area, just run up to the nearest monster
(could be a little bit away)
and start to cast. Most likely the other monsters will start to run towards
you, and they will get hit, and
probably die, along the way. Also, move yourself slightly every few casts so
that your hammers do not only
cover 1 spiral shaped area, rather the entire screen, or as much as possible.
For wide open areas with some
physical boundaries in the middle through which hammers cannot pass, (Durance
of hate 2, with its large poles
in the middle, as well as the dead body piles, etc. come to mind) you cast the
same way, but keep in these
boundaries in mind. For example, if you start to cast and realize that your
hammers are smashing into a pole
above you after circling once or twice, move up or down a little bit so that
they pass it, essentially so you
can have more hammers circling the screen at the same time, and so they don't
disappear until their time runs
out. Of course, if you are standing right next to one of these and your hammer
can only make 1 half of a turn
before it hits into a physical boundary, you sure aren't going to hit many of
the monsters around you. Stay away
from walls when possible, since casting near these will kill your hammers after
they turn maybe once. If you're
trying to attack in a confined area, figure out how you can angle your attacks
to still hit monsters. In the maggot
lair, you may only be able to hit 1-2 monsters at a time, but it's still very
easy. For example, in a straight
path that goes at about a 2:30 from you angle, you need to move to the bottom
of it as you cast, so the hammers
can circle you once without hitting the top wall, then travel to your right and
hit the monsters there. When
one dies, the next will run right up to you again. If you have to, for example,
run around a turn that goes up
and to the right, and then down and to the right, but there are monsters in
your way, just stand at the inside
of the turn and cast a hammer. If you stand in the right place, it can circle
around without hitting any of the
walls and follow the path, hitting a monster on the other side. Basically you
just need to manipulate where you
are standing to get the hammers to go where you need them to.
If you're going for 1 monster at a time, (a boss, or maybe there is just 1
monster left that you did not hit)
then you want to run up right under them (literally touching them, or maybe
slightly below if they are very
skinny) and start to cast. The hammers will come out from around your left and
hit them. Of course it doesn't
matter if they hit a wall or obstacle after this, as the hammers would not hit
them again unless they moved anyway.
(Still not likely though.) If they run away, chase after them and start to do
the same thing. If they are really
finicky like those imps in act 5 or something, just start casting hammers all
over the place and then run towards
them and start to cast. If they don't move, they're dead, and if they do,
they're likely to teleport into one of
the hammers that you cast earlier.
--------------------------------7) End Game Equips----------------------------
This should be your end game equip:
Harlequin Crest/ Godly Circlet
Maras/ Godly Ammy
Enigma
Soj x2
Magefist Upped
HoTo/Wizspike
HoZ/Perfect Spirit
Sandstorm/Silkweave (boots doesn't really matter)
Arachnid
Anni
10 Combat GC's
UPDATE - Perfect P Torch :)
Socket with Um, Ist, PDiamond/PTopaz, whatever works for you. >15K damage with
only 1-2 monsters with resist = godly!
--------------------------------8) Mercenary Guide----------------------------
Everyone agrees that Act 2 Nightmare defensive merc are the best. They are the
Holy Freeze ones and it can really
help. At high level, the merc freezes the whole screen which lets you kill
everything without fear. Also, your
concentration serves as a huge boost to your merc. He gets more bonus then you
do! Only your merc will receive the
full bonus of concentration, you will only receive half of what the damage
bonus display. For example, if it says
300% damage bonus, your hammer is really receiving 150% bonus.
Added: From comments, a defiance Merc is really good as well, combined with the
Doom runeword, it will have Holy
Freeze AND Defiance. Credit to XxNeoxX
Merc Equip:
A Merc is always good to have with you. You are never lonely with them around.
When you feed them pots, they actually
talk to you! I would choose a merc over a party member any day. A well built
and equipped merc can tank anything.
Helm: Anything with life leech is good. Tal Mask, Vampire Gaze, or Andy's Visage is
great. If your rich, a Delirium is another option. Delirium let's out all sorts of
crazy effects when your merc is struck (not a very high % but still) so
he will barely die. (Not to mention the chance to turn into a Delirium ^_^)
Credit to DaemonJosh
Armor: Shaftstop is highly recommended or the highest defense armor you can
find as a2 merc tend to have A LOT of
strength in the high levels. A Stone ain't bad either, nor is a Chain's of
Honor. Duriel Shell was recommended
by many others because of the Cannot be Frozen mod and it's quite useful in the
beginning to give it a shot.
UPDATE - Fortitude with 300% ED is insane, plop it on an ethreal armor and you've
got some serious defense on your hand.
Weapon: A Breath of the Dying on an Ethreal spear of any sort is of course
godly, but if not, an Arioc Needle
or a high damaging spear/jav. would work. Prevent monster heal is really good
for bosses and life leech is a MUST!
As I use my merc more and more, I found that Reaper's Toll is AWESOME the
decrep slows everything combined with
the freeze and your holy shield, almost nothing will get close to you. Other
options are Bonehew(huge strength requirement) and the extemely expensive Tomb Reaver
(eth o/s).
UPDATE - Inspire, preferably on an expenive Eth Colossus Voluge! Good damage and the
aura will keep you from losing mana. Good stuff and cheap to make.
Right now I'm using an Eth bonehew socketed with 2 Amn for lifeleach. With 1.11, you can hire
Merc around your level so if you're high level, strength requirement isn't an issue.
(Keep in mind ethreal equipments doesn't lose durability on a merc! Use this to your
advantage.)
Let him join you in runs and revive him when he dies. They tank quite well and do a huge amount
of damage with your Concentration! The only problem is resist, with maxed
resist, his still has a bit of problems in trav and poison. You might even try G-Angel on him
to bring resist up. Feed him pots once in a while and watch him kill. You might actually learn
something!
--------------------------------9) Faster Cast Rate---------------------------
The Fast Cast Rate breakpoints are:
0% fcr - 15 frames
9% fcr - 14 frames
18% fcr - 13 frames
30% fcr - 12 frames
48% fcr - 11 frames
75% fcr - 10 frames
125% fcr - 9 frames
Heart of the Oak and Magefist should cover the FCR for going through the game.
Perfect Spirit, Arach, Wizspike and either Trang or Magefist glove to hit the last
breakpoint, good for MFing and Baal running.
--------------------------------10)Fast Block Rate----------------------------
Without Holy Shield:
0% fbr - 5 frames
13% fbr - 4 frames
32% fbr - 3 frames
86% fbr - 2 frames
600% fbr - 1 frame
With Holy Shield
0% fbr - 2 frames
86% fbr - 1 frame
--------------------------------11)Fast Hit Recovery--------------------------
0% fhr - 9 frames
7% fhr - 8 frames
15% fhr - 7 frames
27% fhr - 6 frames
48% fhr - 5 frames
86% fhr - 4 frames
200% fhr - 3 frames
If your not wielding spears or staves, else it'll be slower:
0% fhr - 13 frames
3% fhr - 12 frames
7% fhr - 11 frames
13% fhr - 10 frames
20% fhr - 9 frames
32% fhr - 8 frames
48% fhr - 7 frames
75% fhr - 6 frames
120% fhr - 5 frames
280% fhr - 4 frames
--------------------------------12) Conclusion--------------------------------
Hammerdins are good for new players as they do not require godly equipments to be
effective (although it will help). They can also be one of the best duelers too,
especially with Enigma. In PvP, its as easy as teleporting in and letting out
hammers.
A thing to watch out for is monsters right below you. Monsters who are directly
under you usually don't get hit and most duelers who use teleport teleports beneath
you.
From there, they can kill you if you don't watch your back :)
--------------------------------13) Credit------------------------------------
Credit goes to everyone who supported me in making this and those that left a
comment/suggestion.
Special Thanx goes to Mario 64 Master and his Hammerdin Guide for inspiring me
to build my first hammerdin, without it, this guide would have never been possible.
Arreat's Summit
Diabloii
GFAQs
Battle Net
Blizzard Entertainment
--------------------------------14) Disclaimer--------------------------------
This guide has been submitted to Gamefaqs and DiabloII.net only. No other place can use this
without my consent.
If you see anyone using my guide without permission, contact me at
Gigamaster89@yahoo.com.
You may use this for personal use only.
--------------------------------15) History-----------------------------------
5/3/04 - First Version of Guide Up.
4/12/05 - I quitted D2 at the end of Season 2, don't email me anymore!
My hammerdin has expired :P
12/17/07 - I'm back into the game for now :)
1/3/07 - Updated for 1.11. Now Guide 2.0
--------------------------------16) Contact-----------------------------------
Email: Gigamaster89@yahoo.com
Still incomplete as I've only been at 1.11 for a week, comments appreciated, and suggestions incredibly appreciated! Also, point typos out, I have OCD :tongue:
Also, sorry for the bad formating, was originally going to submit it to GameFAQs, will fix eventually.
~~Giga's 1.11 Hammerdin Guide Version 2.0~~
by Gigamaster89
Table of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0) Introduction
1) Skill Layout
2) Equipment
3) The Skills
4) Stats
5) PvM Strategies
6) Aiming them Hammers!
7) End Game Equips
8) Mercenary Guide
9) Faster Cast Rate
10) Fast Block Rate
11) Fast Hit Recovery
12) Conclusion
13) Credit
14) Disclaimer
15) History
16) Contact
--------------------------------0) Introduction-------------------------------
A list of what a hammerdin can do:
a) Get through hell with crappy items.
b) Do up to 15k+ damage with one hammer.
c) Be an awesome tank for your party members.
d) Tele to Baal without dying.
e) Able to rush someone through hell even in a 8 player game.
f) Able to beat almost every melee build.
g) Acheieve 75% block and still having 1k+ life.
h) Own
--------------------------------1) Skill Layout-------------------------------
Defensive Auras
1 Prayer
1 Defiance
1 Cleansing
1 Meditation
20 Vigor
1 Salvation
1 Redemption
Offensive Auras
1 Might
20 Blessed Aim
20 Concentration
Combat Skills
1 Smite
1 Holy Bolt
1 Charge
20 Blessed Hammer
20 Holy Shield
Optional:
a) You can remove some points from Holy Shield and add to Charge if your more
of a PvP type.
b) Smite is another option.
UPDATE - c) Holy Shield has diminising returns once you hit 16. It takes from level 16-20
just to get another 1% of blocking, you can take 4 points off of HS and allocate it
elsewhere...or even less with equips.
--------------------------------2) Equipment----------------------------------
Helm:
a) Harleqin Crest: There is no other helm necessary, as you won't need leech of
any sort. This should either be Ptopazed if you want mf or Um'ed for more resist
against Conviction etc.
b) Vampire Gaze: Nothing spectacular except it got a max of 20% Dr which is
useful until you get Shako or better.
c) Peasant Crown: Use these for the +1 in the beginning or if you have nothing
better to use.
d) Others that can be used are: Rockstopper, Blackhorn's Thieve, Crown of
Thieves, Lore until you get any of the above.
e) New: a +2Pally and 20FCR is currently the best you can find, people these day
sees hitting the next/last FCR breakpoint really important. A circlet with
+2Pally, +20FCR, +R/W, Life, Mana, and Resist goes for as much as 4 SoJ's in
today's
economy as Hammerdin's are becoming extremely popular.
f) Crown of Ages: Suggested by many to rival Harleqin Crest, DR is good and you
could
fill those sockets with whatever you wish. Comes with resist and FHR which is also
good, expensive too but I personally see Shako being better because of the +Life
+Mana +1 More AND not to mention it's way cheaper then a Good/Perfect CoA.
Amulet:
a) Crafted Amulets: This can produce the godliest ones. Things to look for are
plus skills with FCR resist and maybe even faster R/W.
b) Mara's Kaleidoscope- +2 is good and the resist is nice to help max and stack
resist. Best choice if you don't have a good crafted ammy.
c) Seraphs Hymn- These are ok, the +2 might help but the +2 defensive isn't
really necessary. The defensive aura is good if you're in a party though, put on
salvation and everyone will be happy.
d) Rising Sun- for absorb purposes
e) Most amulets with resistance are good. A Chromatic Amulet (resist +30) or
Sacracen's Chance is pretty good for level, a +3 combat one too.
Body:
a) Enigma (JahIthBer)- The one to use for mfing or pvp. +2 to skills and you
will have plent of FCR to move around quickly, the only problem might be mana.
Use an Archon one or a low strength requirement one like breastplate to have
more points into vitality.
b) Chains of Honor (DolUmBerIst)- if you can't afford Enigma but have some sort
of wealth, this is your other option, very close to Enigma but much cheaper and
of course without Teleport. Credit to Lord Kliglor
c) Guardian Angel- Very good armor, +1 to skills and 15 to max resist. With this,
and all the gears, all your resist will be 90. If you throw on T-Gods, Light
Trappers
and Black souls are a joke.
d) Stealth (TalEth)- Very good low lvl armor. Runes are easy to get that there
is no
excuse for not having them. Runes can be acquired from normal countess. The FCR,
15% Mana Regen. R/W and FHR are too good from such crappy runes.
e) Vipermagi- another decent low lvl armor, FCR, resist and a +1 to skills to
boost.
f) Que-Hegan's Wisdom- this is ok to use if you are planning on keeping a low
strength for a breastplate Enigma.
g) Shaftstop- Good DR
Ring 1:
a) Dwarf Star- For fire absorb. With 90 resist all, you will actually heal from
standing on top of fire or from hydras.
b) Raven Frost- The Cannot be Frozen is too good to pass up. Also absorb and mana.
c) Stone of Jordan- Huge mana bonus, and +1.
d) Wisp Projector- Light absorb, won't really be needed if you choose T-Gods.
e) Bul-Kathos' Wedding-Band- +1 and Life, cheaper of version of Stone of Jordan
f) FCR Rings- If you can find a good one, be happy, I heard these are better
then SoJ's especially if you find something like this, 10FCR +100+ Mana +Resist All.
Ring 2:
Read above
Glove:
a) Magefist- FCR and faster mana regen, this and Trang is the best choice, upped
if you want.
b) Trang Gloves- Rivals Magefist as some say faster mana regen. isn't necessary
and this adds cold resist.
c) Frostburn- use at low lvl if you need mana. Not really necessary.
d) Chanceguard- Mfing purposes.
Weapon 1:
a) Heart of the Oak (KoVexPulThul) - Best weapon out there. +3 to skills, resist
and other nice mods. Kind of hard to get though
b) Wizardspike- Use this before HoTo. FCR and crazy resist bonus.
UPDATE - use it with Spirit for 125 FCR. It doesn't give you more damage than HoTo but
you hit one high breakpoint and more resist to stack.
c) Hand of Blessed Light- Pretty good and not to valuable. Useful at low lvl.
Weapon 2:
a) Heaven's Light- Good in dueling against fast movers like Sorceress who like to
tele around with low defense. Does about 3.5k damage with a decent level
Concentration aura.
b) Alibaba- Prefereed dual ist'ed. Used for mfing; switch on kill.
c) Call to Arms (Amn + Ral + Mal + Ist + Ohm)- Most build other then the barb
should use this, battle command gives a +1 skill boost which will add good damage
and a bo is self-explanatory, paired with Lidless. Credit to Lord Kliglor.
Shield 1:
a) Herald of Zakarum- best shield for a hammerdin. A good resist boost,
socketed with um or perfect diamond for best results. +2 skills and +2
combat is not something to laugh at. Not point in upping because you won't see a
significant change, only a bit more def and a bumped up strength req.
b) Steelclash- Cheap and easy to get for low level.
c) Lidless Wall- Good +1 and FCR with some mana boost etc.
d) Sigon Shield- Very nice for low level, +1 and a high block rate.
e) Ancient's Pledge- resist and mana for the really poor.
UPDATE - f) Spirit (TalThulOrtAmn) - to hit the last FCR breakpoint! Overall good shield, +2,
resist, etc.
Shield 2:
a) Alma Negra- useful for smithing, with holy shield and concentration, a
good 900-1k+ smite damage. Good to keep something in place and in tough spots
like maggot lair.
b) Rhyme (ShaelEth)- mf purposes only.
Belt:
a) Arachnid Mesh- +1 to skills, mana and FCR, this is T-Gods is what to look for.
b) Thundergod's Vigor- Crazy lightning hate. With G-Angel and this with max
resist,
black souls actually heal me while I watch others in baal runs get rapped :P
c) Gloom's Trap- for max mana, nice for level.
d) String of Ears- best belt before T-Gods, DR is nice.
e) Nightsmoke- Mana and resist boost
f) Goldwrap- for mfing only
Boot:
a) Sandstorm Trek- A bunch of nice mods on one boot
b) Waterwalk- brings max fire resist to 95 with G-Angel
c) Silkweave- Mana purposes
d) War Traveler- Mfing and all around use/
e) Tearhaunch- Best boot to use in the beginning and easy to find. The + to
vigor is good for running around.
Charms:
a) Annihilus- a must, resist, exp. Boost, skill, and attribute
b) Pally Combat- boosts your hammer damage and helps holy shield
c) Pally Offensive- For your concentration, less expensive but not as useful as
combat
UPDATE d) Paladin Hellfire Torch - another must, incredibly expensive but...better than anni?!
+3 to all skills, resist, and attrib. Go for it.
-------------------------------3) The Skills----------------------------------
Defensive Auras:
1 Prayer- never used, preq.
1 Defiance- good for party
1 Cleansing- awesome in baal runs against minion group 2
1 Meditation- gets your mana back in seconds
20 Vigor- synergy and good way to get around
1 Salvation- party loves this
1 Redemption- after a big group kill, clear the mess, and save some pots!
Offensive Auras:
1 Might- used in the first few levels
20 Blessed Aim- synergy
20 Concentration- you main aura, only aura that adds damage to hammers
Combat Skills:
1 Smite- pretty nice in dueling and getting out of tight situations
1 Holy Bolt- if this wasn't a preq. I'd pretend this spell was never there.
1 Charge- nice with vigor to literally fly around. Nice in dueling with a damaging
weapon like Heaven's Light.
20 Blessed Hammer- you get the name Hammerdin for a reason. Your main move and
does a few thousand damage even without equipments.
20 Holy Shield- you want to survive whirlwinders and mobs? This will boost your
defense like crazy. Should ALWAYS be on!
--------------------------------4) Stats--------------------------------------
Strength- Enough for what you are planning to wear. 118 is a good number including
your charms to wear Guardian Angel. Keep it low at 35 if you want to use breast
plate Enigma but make sure your going to have enough for your other equip. Remember
that Enigma gives a lot of strength.
Dexterity- Enough for max block with HoZ and Holy Shield or Spirit. It is about 100ish to
get 75% block at level 99.
Vitality- Whatever you got left!!! More vit. Means more hp, more hp means you
survive longer, and the longer you survive means the longer you can show off!!
Energy- UPDATE - Base energy, you will have enough mana to spam with end game equips.
Especially with Merc Insight runeword.
--------------------------------5) PvM Strategies-----------------------------
Hammerdins are probably one of the few who can solo through hell without godly
equips. (Not to mention Dclone) Almost nothing are immune to hammers except a few
monsters in act 3. (animal/immune to magic). In the beginning, put a few into strength
and try to get your energy to about 30 before you get hammers. Both hammers and
concentration is obtained at level 18, so before that, get a stick, put on
might and use normal attack is basically what you can do. Level 18 is very easy
to get to.
Just play through and you should hit 18 in no time. And if you must, join
normal trav, arcane or even cow runs. Until you reached level 18,
I would recommend putting points
into preqs and maybe a few into Blessed Aim. If you see you don't really need mana or
resistance, work on the defensive tree last. I wouldn't suggest using hammers until the
late 30s and early 40s due to the fact that it does little damage.
From Mario 64 Master
Until you get to level 18, just put 1 point into each prerequisite you will
need and
use normal attack with level 1 might with a TirEl crystal sword or something like
that. Once you get level 18, put 1 in hammer and your other level 18 skills.
When you first
get hammer, it will be hard unless you have a lot of mana so you will probably
have to switch off
between hammer and normal attack if you run out of mana. By level 25 or 30 you
should be able
to use hammer solely. As you level, put about even amounts into concentration,
vigor,
and hammer until they are all maxed, with maybe a little more into hammer
itself, though remembering
that points into conc and vigor will not increase mana cost, while a point into
hammer will.
Once those are all maxed, then you dump the next 20 into blessed aim. (You max
vigor before blessed aim
because you use vigor often, you dont use blessed aim at all, and they both
give the same bonuses)
As for holy shield, put 1 at level 24, another at level 25, maybe another at
26, another couple by 50 or so,
and then just pump it once all your 4 main skills are maxed.
Put 1 point in salvation right when you get level 30, 1 in meditation right
when you get to 24, etc.
Act by Act Leveling
Act 1- Like most builds, grab whatever you find and kill everything in sight.
You would be surprised
at how handful a cracked short sword can be.
Act 2- Things start to get a bit hard and a lot of poison. After you get to
arcane, do a few runs
until about level 20.
Act 3- Trav members are really hard for any new characters. Get rushed to act 4
and join trav runs
for exp. They give a crazy amount of exp. Do this until level 23. Cow runs are
your other option.
Act 4- Play through and you should hit level 24 with ease.
Act 5- Do ancients and you should be 25. From there on, baal until level 45 or
maybe even 50 where
then you should go into nightmare. Here is where start laying the hammers. By
now, you should do
enough damage to be able to take out act 5 by yourself. Get used to aiming your
hammers, which will
be explained later.
Comment: I suggest getting a Kuko right when you hit the level required. This
bow is a monster. It kills
anything in normal with ease. Use it to for leveling purposes. Of course this
is with concentration on.
--------------------------------6) Aiming them Hammers!-----------------------
Aiming hammers takes time to get used to. Hammers start on your left and moves
clockwise. After the hammer
is out, it spins outwards three times before it disappears. This of course can
let you kill multiple monsters
with one hammer. If you are against a large group of monster, make sure your
holy shield is on and stay an
inch away and spam hammers. With 60 energy you can spam hammers and kill most
of them before they get close to
you. When you are against a single monster, the best thing to do is go directly
below it. This is a guaranteed
hit unless you are enclosed in a space like the maggot lair. In the maggot
lair, you must let your left arm
face the monster and kill them one by one. This is really hard to get used to
and takes time and practice.
From Mario 64 Master
First of all, teach yourself how they come out, how far out they circle, when
they finally disappear, etc.
Just go to a wide open area with no monsters and cast a couple and watch them.
You will see that they circle
around 2 or 3 times and disappear on the third round at about 2 o clock from
you. And of course you know they
move clockwise. Now that you know how they move it will be easier to hit the
monsters. Like I said before,
if you are running through a wide open area, just run up to the nearest monster
(could be a little bit away)
and start to cast. Most likely the other monsters will start to run towards
you, and they will get hit, and
probably die, along the way. Also, move yourself slightly every few casts so
that your hammers do not only
cover 1 spiral shaped area, rather the entire screen, or as much as possible.
For wide open areas with some
physical boundaries in the middle through which hammers cannot pass, (Durance
of hate 2, with its large poles
in the middle, as well as the dead body piles, etc. come to mind) you cast the
same way, but keep in these
boundaries in mind. For example, if you start to cast and realize that your
hammers are smashing into a pole
above you after circling once or twice, move up or down a little bit so that
they pass it, essentially so you
can have more hammers circling the screen at the same time, and so they don't
disappear until their time runs
out. Of course, if you are standing right next to one of these and your hammer
can only make 1 half of a turn
before it hits into a physical boundary, you sure aren't going to hit many of
the monsters around you. Stay away
from walls when possible, since casting near these will kill your hammers after
they turn maybe once. If you're
trying to attack in a confined area, figure out how you can angle your attacks
to still hit monsters. In the maggot
lair, you may only be able to hit 1-2 monsters at a time, but it's still very
easy. For example, in a straight
path that goes at about a 2:30 from you angle, you need to move to the bottom
of it as you cast, so the hammers
can circle you once without hitting the top wall, then travel to your right and
hit the monsters there. When
one dies, the next will run right up to you again. If you have to, for example,
run around a turn that goes up
and to the right, and then down and to the right, but there are monsters in
your way, just stand at the inside
of the turn and cast a hammer. If you stand in the right place, it can circle
around without hitting any of the
walls and follow the path, hitting a monster on the other side. Basically you
just need to manipulate where you
are standing to get the hammers to go where you need them to.
If you're going for 1 monster at a time, (a boss, or maybe there is just 1
monster left that you did not hit)
then you want to run up right under them (literally touching them, or maybe
slightly below if they are very
skinny) and start to cast. The hammers will come out from around your left and
hit them. Of course it doesn't
matter if they hit a wall or obstacle after this, as the hammers would not hit
them again unless they moved anyway.
(Still not likely though.) If they run away, chase after them and start to do
the same thing. If they are really
finicky like those imps in act 5 or something, just start casting hammers all
over the place and then run towards
them and start to cast. If they don't move, they're dead, and if they do,
they're likely to teleport into one of
the hammers that you cast earlier.
--------------------------------7) End Game Equips----------------------------
This should be your end game equip:
Harlequin Crest/ Godly Circlet
Maras/ Godly Ammy
Enigma
Soj x2
Magefist Upped
HoTo/Wizspike
HoZ/Perfect Spirit
Sandstorm/Silkweave (boots doesn't really matter)
Arachnid
Anni
10 Combat GC's
UPDATE - Perfect P Torch :)
Socket with Um, Ist, PDiamond/PTopaz, whatever works for you. >15K damage with
only 1-2 monsters with resist = godly!
--------------------------------8) Mercenary Guide----------------------------
Everyone agrees that Act 2 Nightmare defensive merc are the best. They are the
Holy Freeze ones and it can really
help. At high level, the merc freezes the whole screen which lets you kill
everything without fear. Also, your
concentration serves as a huge boost to your merc. He gets more bonus then you
do! Only your merc will receive the
full bonus of concentration, you will only receive half of what the damage
bonus display. For example, if it says
300% damage bonus, your hammer is really receiving 150% bonus.
Added: From comments, a defiance Merc is really good as well, combined with the
Doom runeword, it will have Holy
Freeze AND Defiance. Credit to XxNeoxX
Merc Equip:
A Merc is always good to have with you. You are never lonely with them around.
When you feed them pots, they actually
talk to you! I would choose a merc over a party member any day. A well built
and equipped merc can tank anything.
Helm: Anything with life leech is good. Tal Mask, Vampire Gaze, or Andy's Visage is
great. If your rich, a Delirium is another option. Delirium let's out all sorts of
crazy effects when your merc is struck (not a very high % but still) so
he will barely die. (Not to mention the chance to turn into a Delirium ^_^)
Credit to DaemonJosh
Armor: Shaftstop is highly recommended or the highest defense armor you can
find as a2 merc tend to have A LOT of
strength in the high levels. A Stone ain't bad either, nor is a Chain's of
Honor. Duriel Shell was recommended
by many others because of the Cannot be Frozen mod and it's quite useful in the
beginning to give it a shot.
UPDATE - Fortitude with 300% ED is insane, plop it on an ethreal armor and you've
got some serious defense on your hand.
Weapon: A Breath of the Dying on an Ethreal spear of any sort is of course
godly, but if not, an Arioc Needle
or a high damaging spear/jav. would work. Prevent monster heal is really good
for bosses and life leech is a MUST!
As I use my merc more and more, I found that Reaper's Toll is AWESOME the
decrep slows everything combined with
the freeze and your holy shield, almost nothing will get close to you. Other
options are Bonehew(huge strength requirement) and the extemely expensive Tomb Reaver
(eth o/s).
UPDATE - Inspire, preferably on an expenive Eth Colossus Voluge! Good damage and the
aura will keep you from losing mana. Good stuff and cheap to make.
Right now I'm using an Eth bonehew socketed with 2 Amn for lifeleach. With 1.11, you can hire
Merc around your level so if you're high level, strength requirement isn't an issue.
(Keep in mind ethreal equipments doesn't lose durability on a merc! Use this to your
advantage.)
Let him join you in runs and revive him when he dies. They tank quite well and do a huge amount
of damage with your Concentration! The only problem is resist, with maxed
resist, his still has a bit of problems in trav and poison. You might even try G-Angel on him
to bring resist up. Feed him pots once in a while and watch him kill. You might actually learn
something!
--------------------------------9) Faster Cast Rate---------------------------
The Fast Cast Rate breakpoints are:
0% fcr - 15 frames
9% fcr - 14 frames
18% fcr - 13 frames
30% fcr - 12 frames
48% fcr - 11 frames
75% fcr - 10 frames
125% fcr - 9 frames
Heart of the Oak and Magefist should cover the FCR for going through the game.
Perfect Spirit, Arach, Wizspike and either Trang or Magefist glove to hit the last
breakpoint, good for MFing and Baal running.
--------------------------------10)Fast Block Rate----------------------------
Without Holy Shield:
0% fbr - 5 frames
13% fbr - 4 frames
32% fbr - 3 frames
86% fbr - 2 frames
600% fbr - 1 frame
With Holy Shield
0% fbr - 2 frames
86% fbr - 1 frame
--------------------------------11)Fast Hit Recovery--------------------------
0% fhr - 9 frames
7% fhr - 8 frames
15% fhr - 7 frames
27% fhr - 6 frames
48% fhr - 5 frames
86% fhr - 4 frames
200% fhr - 3 frames
If your not wielding spears or staves, else it'll be slower:
0% fhr - 13 frames
3% fhr - 12 frames
7% fhr - 11 frames
13% fhr - 10 frames
20% fhr - 9 frames
32% fhr - 8 frames
48% fhr - 7 frames
75% fhr - 6 frames
120% fhr - 5 frames
280% fhr - 4 frames
--------------------------------12) Conclusion--------------------------------
Hammerdins are good for new players as they do not require godly equipments to be
effective (although it will help). They can also be one of the best duelers too,
especially with Enigma. In PvP, its as easy as teleporting in and letting out
hammers.
A thing to watch out for is monsters right below you. Monsters who are directly
under you usually don't get hit and most duelers who use teleport teleports beneath
you.
From there, they can kill you if you don't watch your back :)
--------------------------------13) Credit------------------------------------
Credit goes to everyone who supported me in making this and those that left a
comment/suggestion.
Special Thanx goes to Mario 64 Master and his Hammerdin Guide for inspiring me
to build my first hammerdin, without it, this guide would have never been possible.
Arreat's Summit
Diabloii
GFAQs
Battle Net
Blizzard Entertainment
--------------------------------14) Disclaimer--------------------------------
This guide has been submitted to Gamefaqs and DiabloII.net only. No other place can use this
without my consent.
If you see anyone using my guide without permission, contact me at
Gigamaster89@yahoo.com.
You may use this for personal use only.
--------------------------------15) History-----------------------------------
5/3/04 - First Version of Guide Up.
4/12/05 - I quitted D2 at the end of Season 2, don't email me anymore!
My hammerdin has expired :P
12/17/07 - I'm back into the game for now :)
1/3/07 - Updated for 1.11. Now Guide 2.0
--------------------------------16) Contact-----------------------------------
Email: Gigamaster89@yahoo.com