concentrate with hammerdin? how?

[chenw]

A problem with Pride is that it has no ED on the weapon whatsoever, so Merc survivability (due to lower leech) may become an issue.

Plus Grief zealots already kill at a very fast pace, so I am not sure if I'd want to go through the bother of keeping my merc alive just for the Concentration (I probably won't use Might merc due to how fragile mercs would become without freeze).

[Namtar]

In this case, Pride would actually not be on the merc at all. Or rather, it could be, but that would be rather pointless. The Concentration aura only actually enhances the damage of Blessed Hammer cast by the character that is the source of the aura. A paladin wielding Pride does get enhanced damage on his hammers (at least he does according to the LCS, but I've never actually tested it because it's a silly idea anyway). If he gives it to his merc, his hammers do no more damage than if there were no Pride involved.

[Krupa]

if two hammerdins party up, only one needs to run concentration and both benefit. if the merc would wield the pride, your blessed hammers damage would increase

i made a hammer/zeal hybrid not long ago with concentration as main aura. you only need 52 ias to reach the last break point with an phaseblade and i still had 7k hammers while wearing an forty (25 fcr ftw!)

[Namtar]

if two hammerdins party up, only one needs to run concentration and both benefit. if the merc would wield the pride, your blessed hammers damage would increase

I recall reading somewhere that this is NOT the case, but I can't remember where. However, before I wrote my previous post I did test what the LCS said for my hammerdin's Blessed Hammer damage with the paladin holding Pride, with the merc holding Pride, and with Pride in my inventory, all while Enigma's Teleport was selected for my right mouse button (so my native Concentration aura couldn't interfere). According to the LCS, there was no difference between Pride being on my merc and Pride being in my inventory (or on the ground), but there was an increase in damage when Pride was equipped by my hammerdin. That seems like a confirmation of what I read before, but it's possible that what I read before was erroneous and was based on LCS numbers (in one of the many cases of the LCS earning its name). I'll try to actually test the difference later, but that will require more effort. Are you sure that Concentration originating from a merc boosts the damage of the paladin's Blessed Hammer?

[Krupa]

if the mercenary is wielding pride the increase in damage will only take affect if you leave town. like the active might or meditation aura from your mercenary or any other aura from partied allies will only have an effect on you while your not in the rogue camp, lut gholein, kurast docks...my guess is that this causes the problem

[Namtar]

Alright, I just tested it and yeah, it really does work. The damage is still not as high as what I would get from my paladin's native Concentration aura. Actually, it's not even close, which I guess is just because of +skills from gear. So now it occurs to me to wonder, if one insists on this sort of hybrid (not to my taste, personally: I can hit "W" while playing my HotO/HoZ hammerdin and suddenly switch to a Grief/Exile Concentration Zealot that kills everything easily, so hybridizing doesn't seem worth it), why Pride? Why not use the paladin's Concentration aura and have a Faith merc? Blessed Hammer would do a whole lot more damage that way, and Zeal would still benefit from both Concentration and Fanaticism.

[hubb]

The hybrid was mainly a Zealot with hammers for AoE damage where it's most effective (big clumps in CS, for example). A Might merc with 20 Pride plus level 30 Fanat nets you 230 + 345 + 543 = 1118 ED, while the Beast setup gets you 144 + 495 = 639. If it's mainly a hammerdin (in which case, yes, a hybrid that deviates greatly from the standard build makes less sense) then native Conc is probably the way to go. The Fanat from Faith is kinda unnecessary as it's easy enough to reach the last BP with a PB (37 Grief + Highlord's + IAS jewel), plus you don't get much ED from it and give up an A2 merc aura.

*Yes, ED from Pride is applied all the same no matter the source. The highest level aura is always applied.

[Namtar]

The hybrid was mainly a Zealot with hammers for AoE damage where it's most effective (big clumps in CS, for example).

Eh, if you're dumping points into Sacrifice and Fanaticism for a powerful Zeal, you don't have enough for Blessed Hammer synergies and your Zeal will tear through big clumps faster than than your weakened Blessed Hammer. And if you do bother investing in powerful Hammers, you might as well go all the way and invest in Concentration, because yeah, Fanaticism is better, but it's not that much better. Well, I suppose I'm exaggerating. There's going to be some sweet spot where one skill starts being faster at killing than the other and I'm sure it's all doable. I guess if you want a physical damage Zealot and you really hate unbreakable physical immunities...

A Might merc with 20 Pride plus level 30 Fanat nets you 230 + 345 + 543 = 1118 ED, while the Beast setup gets you 93 + 495 = 588. If it's mainly a hammerdin (in which case, yes, a hybrid that deviates greatly from the standard build makes less sense) then native Conc is probably the way to go. The Fanat from Beast is kinda unnecessary as it's easy enough to reach the last BP with a PB (37 Grief + Highlord's + IAS jewel), plus you don't get much ED from it and give up an A2 merc aura.

If this part is directed at something else someone said earlier in the thread, then sorry, I missed it. But if it's because of what I was saying, uh, I didn't mention Beast. I mentioned Faith. Higher level aura and it could go on a mercenary, so it doesn't take up the paladin's weapon. The part about having to give up the Might aura from the merc is true, though.

[Krupa]

i used the following set-up 1 month back to guardian a paladin

grief/gris shield
dual spirit 35%
guilliaumes
forty
LoH
SoE
gores
raven
fcr ll ring
2 pala 20 fcr amu

might merc with insight

BH, vigor, BA, Conc maxed
remaining in sacrifice

the char tore through everything with ease

[hubb]

Ye, I meant to say (and was thinking of) Faith and not Beast.