Moderator: Sondan
My part of this edition may be small, but it is one that you may find very helpful.
There's a web-based program which allows you to see how synergies affect statistics between skills. I found this skill tree really helpful when I was designing my Trapper Assassin and my Elemental Druid. With my Assassin I was not going to even put one point into Death Sentry until I found out what 20 points in it would do to my other main skills.
I still have not figured out all of the new twists yet on using synergies but hopefully we all can keep helping each other out.
One other part of the Diablo world that has caused some confusion is the difference between a Mod and a Hack. This post will help explain the differences and maybe even give you modders out there a few new ideas.
Moderator: Stomper
This issue I will provide a brief Paladin strategy guide.
This is not to let you think that I haven't been paying attention
to the boards, so first I'll point out a few topics of interest.
Onto the guide...
Last issue, I had one of my better experiences on Battle.Net
in the Hardcore Ladder Realm. I had just created my first
HC Ladder character on USWest and I began to eek my way slowly
through Act One. So, what happened? Nothing terribly special
happened except that I found myself partied with a fantastic
group of strangers who happened to be friends of each other.
We adventured together and there wasn't an item grabber in
the group. We gave items to each other that were class specific
and generally had a good camaraderie. We completed all of
Act One, taking our time and doing all the quests. As we entered
Act Two, one of the other players asked if we wanted to be
"pseudo" rushed to Act Five. He brought in his 78th Level
Sorceress and proceeded to help us along down the path and
into Act Five. Of course, I'll have to go back and level up
some, but for a Hardcore character, getting by the Big Boys
with your first character ever is a lot of help.
I know this is not a truly unheard of situation, but it was
refreshing because it had been a long time since I had experienced
so much goodwill in the Hardcore Realms. Maybe it's the upcoming
holidays?
So with that, I'll delve a little into my newest favorite
character build: The Holy Shocker.
That's right, I have swerved from my ever indulgence of the
Necromancer and the Druid and have tried the over-hyped Paladin.
But I'm not one for taking the mainstream approach (i.e. Fanaticism
or Vengeance) so I've taken what I've read from our local
gurus on PDF and applied it en masse. These guys can be extremely
effective through the end of Nightmare even without good items.
Here is a short guide on the Holy Shocker (softcore) through
level 70.
Statistics:
Strength: 25
-> 125
Dexterity: 20 -> 100
Vitality: 25 -> 125
Energy: 15 -> 15
Never put points in Energy. Apply points to Strength and Dexterity with your first 15 levels until you hit 70/45. This will allow you to use good armor and most weapons early on.
Bring Dexterity up to a level even with Strength. Next, start dropping points into Vitality. Keep Dexterity up high enough to give you a minimum of 75% to hit the monsters you are encountering. However, do not go over the upper limit. Add Strength and Vitality in equal measures.
Skill Points:
(Assume 1 point in all prerequisites)
Zeal: 4
Holy Shock: 20
Resist Lightning: 20
This should leave you with a couple of spare points in Nightmare Difficulty (NM) assuming that you've completed the quest rewards.
My Holy Shocker is currently level 69. I deal 79-3891 Zeal damage. With Zeal at 5 hits per attack averaging Attack Rating of 70% to hit, that gives me about 3.5 hits out of 5. 4+ of 5 would be better, but I'm working on that.
On Mercenaries
Obviously there are a variety of mercenaries to choose from and there is no true "correct" choice. However, I would suggest that you choose an Act Two Mercenary because of the auras and combining their aura with yours. Personally, I prefer the Nightmare Act Two Defense Mercenary (Holy Freeze). Couple his ability to slow monsters down with Holy Freeze and your Zeal. You can get in many more attacks for every one of their attacks against you. This makes for a very effective mercenary.
If you look at Asmodeous' Guide (see link below), you can see that he has suggested gear for this mercenary as well. I have not been as lucky as that, but find that a decent weapon and some resist armor works well for this mercenary. The idea is to keep him alive more than worrying about his damage. You are the damage dealer; you just need him to be there to slow the fiends down.
Easy to find: Cheap Gear
Unless you are a Magic Find (MF) god or a very good trader, starting out in a realm's ladder can be a little disconcerting. However, there is good, cheap gear to be had to help move you through Nightmare.
Note: You will probably need better gear in Hell.
Gamble for rare items early. I find that I keep trading in armor that I find along with wands/staves and I am able to build up a decent amount of funds early. When I hit Act Two the first thing I do is go gamble for a decent belt or pair of gloves and boots. I'm looking specifically for elemental resistances in all of these and Increased Attack Speed (IAS) in the gloves if I can get it to spawn. Gamble, Gamble, Gamble. Do this earlier rather than later.
Armor: Rares
work well here. You just need to keep the defensive up.
Bonuses to resistances help.
What I'm using: RockFleece:
531 Defense with Damage Reduction of 5 and Damage Reduced
by 10%. I traded for this. Before I was using 238 defense
rare armor with Fire and Poison resistance bonuses.
Weapon: Of course, you should look for a good Paladin weapon. I opted for a Grand Scepter that had "+2 to Holy Shock" and did decent damage (19-43). I do plan on getting a better weapon down the road; I just have to find it! What I'd like is something with "+3 to Holy Shock" or better, maybe some bonuses to lightning resistance or the others as well as fastest attack (got to keep trying to lower the frame rate!)
Shields: This is a paladin's most important item. Look for a Paladin-specific shield with high defense if you can. Perfect Diamonds help in multiple socketed shields.
What I'm using: Tower
Shield socketed with three Perfect Diamonds.
I plan on upgrading this when I find a 4 socketed elite
or exceptional Paladin shield.
Helm: I usually go for
resistance bonuses on helms, but since I found Cathan's
Visage helm, I've used that in conjunction
with the ring (Cathan's Seal).
The result is good cold resistance with great armor. The
additional fire damage from equipping two set pieces helps
as well!
Boots: Rare
boots are easy to come by and to gamble for. If you find
them, you better use them. (If you have Sigon's
Gage gloves and boots, great!)
What I'm using: Magic
Boots with "+4 to Dexerity" and "Resist
Fire +38%".
Gloves: Increased Attack Speed (IAS) is important to have as a modifier on your gloves. All the better to help your frame rate out.
What I'm using: Rare
Gloves (gambled) with "10% IAS", "+15 to
Attack Rating", "Resist Cold +15%", "Resist Lightning +13%",
"+1 to Light Radius", and "12% Chance to Cast slvl 4 Charged
Bolt When Struck".
Belt: Once again gambling
works great until you find something else. I was using a
rare belt until I found Hwanin's
Blessing belt. Hwanin's
Blessing gives me the key mod of "Prevent
Monster Heal".
Rings: I always suggest
at least one Life steal ring. Cathan's
Seal is preferable and many people will
trade it to you. Other cheap rings of use are rares (i.e.
from Act Three quest reward) with multiple resists. If all
else fails, craft a resistance specific ring in your most
lacking area.
What I'm using: Cathan's
Seal and a rare
ring from the Act III Gidbinn quest (NM)
with "+120 to Attack Rating", "4% Life Stolen Per Hit",
"Resist Fire +29%", "+1 to Mana After Each Kill", and "13%
Better Chance of Getting Magic Items".
Amulet: The easiest thing to do early is gather gems to make a perfect of Sapphire, Emerald, Topaz, Diamond, Ruby, and Amethyst. Then take any amulet and craft yourself a Resist All amulet (usually ends up between 18-21 resist all). If you find better or manage to trade or craft better, good for you!
What I'm using: Amulet with "Resist All
+12" and "+73 Life".
Note: Normal Set combinations work great
during your low levels. For example, Sigon's
Complete Steel, Cathan's
Traps , Angelic
Raiment, and others are popular low-level
sets. Don't pass these up if you can acquire more than one
of the set. For this character, I ran with Angelic
Mantle (Body Armor) and Angelic
Wings (Amulet) all the way until level 30
before I traded out!
Granted there is a lot more than I could tell you, I'd rather you go to The V1.10 Zealot Guide and ask the true professionals on what they advise. I'm just a novice Paladin with a love for Lightning!
Thank you, Asmodeous, for your guide. I want to point out that the above information
is slightly different than what Asmodeous has proposed, but
it is essentially his work that produced this Holy Shocker.
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