May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

[Willriker]

May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Hello All,

I am having diffuculties with me PvM Zealot in Hell Difficulty. Ill go through all my gear and such in a moment, but first i wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful guides they have posted. Both the guides, and the feedback that follows them have been very informative.

A little bit about myself. I have always liked this game, but i have quit multiple times as i constantly hit this barrier. The barrier is when i get into hell difficulty. As i am sure you know, that is where this becomes a real game. The surge in difficulty is tremendous but every character i have made doesnt seem to cut it. I am in the relms and this is a ladder character. The characters name is Meleecombat if your interested in sending me a whisper.

I am not into the rush scene. Since i have never actually beaten the game I would like to first beat it on hell difficulty before rushing any character through most of the game.

Well ill get into this build now, truth be told i really didnt need the guides all that much, as for a Zealot, things are pretty much common sence as for as skill points go.

Clevel 78

Combat Skills (most points are here)
Sacrifice 12 +3 from gear on all 15 total
Zeal 20 +3
Vengance 7 +3
Holy Bolt 1 +3
Smite 1 +3
Blessed Hammer 1 +3
Charge 1 +3
Holy Shield 20 +3

Offensive Auras
Might 1 +3
Blessed Aim 1 +3
Concentration 1 +3
Fanaticism 20 +3

Defensive Auras
No points, spending all extra after maxing sacrifice in Defiance

Stat Points (gear included in the stat points)
STR 184 (25 from gear included in total)
DEX 165 (30 from gear included in total)
VIT 227 (35 from gear included in total)
HP with gear 885
Energy didnt add anything, w/e it is will be fine for zeal (bring pots for vengencing PI's.


Mercenary
After doing some research into something that will help my damage output i selected the Offensive Nightmare Act 2 merc. It has Might Aura and is the same level as my character (78).


As for the next part, its a gear list. I Compiled all the stats i am getting below the list. I am thinking that this is where i really need the help, but there might also be something fundimentally wrong with other aspects of my build. I wanted to see if you guys could take a look see, and point me back into the right direction.


Gear
Rockstopper Sallet (Unique)
Def 186
30% FHR
195% Enhanced Def
15 Vit
Cold Resist +27%
Lightning Resist +34%
Fire Resist 36%
Damage Reduced by 10%


HexFire Shamshir (Unique)
1h sword: very fast attack speed
59-99 damage
+145% Enhanced Damage
+35-40 Damage
Ignores Target Defense
+10% to Maximum Fire Resist
Fire Resist +25%

Que-Hegan's Wisdom Mage Plate (Unique)
Def 665
+1 to all skills
+20% FHR
+20% FCR
154% Enhanced Def
15 Energy
Magic Damage Reduced by 8
+3 mana/kill
Trying to put together a fortitude to replace this the Lo rune is being a pain in the butt. Also dont know what to put this into.

"Spirit" Guilded Shield (Runeword)
TalThulOrtAmn
Def 144
Block 52%
+2 All Skill
+33% FCR
+55% FHR
+40% Enhanced Damage
+78 Attack Rating
+250 Def vs Missile
+22 Vit
+107 Mana
Cold Resist +35%
Lightning Resist +35%
Poison Resist +35%
+3 Magic Absorb (dont know what that does, cant find info on this)
Attacker takes 14

Immortal Kings Forge War Gauntlets
Def 113
+65 Def
+20 STR
+20 DEX

Blade Buckle Plated Belt
D51
30% FHR
81% Enhanced Def
+30 Def
+5 STR
+10 DEX
Damage Reduced by 3
Attacker takes 8

Cruel Track Boots
Def 49
20%FRW
+24% Def
Cold Res +28%
Poison Resist +17%

Prismatic Ammulet of Defiance
+20 Res all
Poison Lenth reduced by 75%

Beast Spiral Ring
+1 DEX
+65 Mana
Cold Resistance +15%
Lightning Resistance +24%
Poison reduced by 25%

Ghoul Circle Ring
+1 Maximum Damage
+12 Attack Rating
+6% Life Stolen
Cold Resistance +10%
Lightning resistance +17%
Poison Resistance +10%

Charms
Sharp Large Charm
+4 Maximum Damage
+34 Attack Rating

Sharp large Charm
+6 Maximum Damage
+44 Attack Rating

Small Charm of Winter (just cold damage, trying to cube it for resistance or something)

Ruby Small Charm
Fire Resist +10%

Shimmering Small Charm of the Glacier
Resist All 4%
3-5 Cold Damage

Small Charm of Blight
Just some poison to prevent monster heal


To Talley Everything Up:
Defense w/o Holy Shield: 1248
Defense with Holy Shield: 5678
Base Attack: 1039
Attack with Zeal: 3316
Attack with Zeal and Fanatacism: 4801

Damage with Fanatacism: 607-1126
Damage with Fanatacism and Mercenary: 713-1324

Resistances in Hell:
Fire 32
Cold 44
Lightning 23
Poison 6

Goodies from gear:
+25 STR
+30 DEX
+37 VIT
+15 Energy
+172 Mana
135% FHR
53% FCR
+35-50 Damage
+168 Attack Rating
185% Enhanced Damage
6% Life Stolen Per Hit
+8-14 Cold Damage
Ignores Target Def
Some poison to kill monster regen
Damage Reduced by 10%
Damage Reduced by 3
Magic Damage reduced by 8
Attacker Takes 22
+250 Defense vs Missiles
+3 Magic Absorb
20% Faster Run Walk
+10% to maximum Fire Resist
+3 to all Skills
+3 Mana/kill
Pioson Length reduced by 75%
Poison Length reduced by 25%


Please keep in mind that i might as well be a new character. So, please provide me with a little bit more detail on who to execute any recommendations that you might have.

 

[Tidolwav]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

To Talley Everything Up:
Defense w/o Holy Shield: 1248
Defense with Holy Shield: 5678
Base Attack: 1039
Attack with Zeal: 3316
Attack with Zeal and Fanatacism: 4801

Damage with Fanatacism: 607-1126
Damage with Fanatacism and Mercenary: 713-1324

Resistances in Hell:
Fire 32
Cold 44
Lightning 23
Poison 6

What exactly are you having trouble with? Not being able to kill monsters?

From what I see now:
(O) Your defense is incredibly low, 5,000 is probably good enough for a sorceress.
(O) Your attack rating is... well... okay... if you were to get another 5,000 you would be set.
(O) Your damage is low as well, you'll need about 4-6 times more damage than what you have now to effectively kill anything in hell.
(O) Your resistances should all be 75+ if you're PvM only.

So what exactly are you wanting help with?

 

[oOmpie]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Ditch (or put it on switch) the Hexfire and make a "Strength" or a "Black" runeword weapon.

The Crushing Blow will work miracles for you until you find stuff that can kill by raw damage output... The knockback on the Black can be annoying at times, but it'll provide you with some safety making it (imho) the better choice for the moment.

Edit: and imho you spent way too much points in strength for your current setup.I'd respec if I were you, put more points into vit instead of strength, keeps you alive longer

Whenever you acquire uber quipment that requires or really benefits from a high strength investment you can always respec again when that time comes.

 

[JKS]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Your biggest issues are:
- very low damage
- low resists
- lack of DR and at the same time low life leech

- Depending on your runes, you should try to make a better runeword for a weapon.
- You should replace the shield with something with resists, not inherent damage
- try to get at least a second leech ring and some source of DR
- Maybe you should respec and get more life, 1200 is ok with a better weapon, though the more you have the better. At 1500 I feel comfortable.

 

[Willriker]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Thank you all for your help.

That "Black" Runeword is something I overlooked. I did not know that crushing blow was so good. And having 40% on a single slot is a significant amount. Thank you for the advice on that, I had not thought of bypassing the weapon damage with an added ability like that. As for Crushing Blow, How does this work versus PI's? I would assume that there would be no differance, and it would work fine.

I can see how Crushing Blow works on paper, but i didnt know how it was in practice. If so, what type of weapon do you recomend? I do not have a ton of IAS, so i was thinking of a weapon with very fast attack speed.

With the Crushing Blow, would i need those points in vengance, or can i take those points and sink them into Defiance? To help with the defense problem i was having.

I was worried about my damage output as i would have to hit a hell fallen like 3-4 times to kill it. It just wasnt working out. So, that is why I went for a shield that had damage rating on it, instead of one with resistances.

Someone mentioned that I have too much STR on the build. I have read many guides, but they do not mention how much is a good amount. They leave it at, "Enough for gear". I understand that, but i have an issue in that i do not know what they good gear requires for STR.

In addition, How much DEX am i looking at to keep that 75% block rate. through the end of the game? I dont want to pile too much in to that. either.

Once again thank you for the advice

 

[JKS]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Crushing blow doesn't work with PI.
You need sanctuary aura for this or vengeance. However with such low dmg weapon, I will just try to avoid PI until you get something better.
Even though on the low-end, an OATH in a ethereal elite will be plenty to help you finish the game - conquest sword, berserker axe, whatever 4 socked elite ethereal sword or axe one handed you can find.
Defence is a problem, but it is the least of your problems. You can't get it to a decent level with your gear anyway, so you will be hit.
Might merc is a good end game merc, but for now Holy freeze merc might help you survive. Once you get damage to at least 2K average and you start surviving, you can get Might merc to speed up your killing.

I would keep str and dex at 150 and rest go in vitality. When you find end game equip, just respec.

The inherent ED on the shield doesnt do much for your damage now, while 40 resist all will be helpfull.

 

[Shanksie1337]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Afaik CB doesn't work on PI's - but hopefully some will clarify

With "str for gear" and "dex for block"
In both cases obviously you don't know exactly what you will need for whatever end game gear you end up with, and the dex for max block will depend on your lvl and the shield you are using, and your level of Holy Shield.

You're just going to have to guesstimate, knowing that you can respec later on if things change drastically. There is always the option to leave points unspent incase you need them later.

Ballparking, i wouldn't go over 100 str, and i'd change my shield for one with ideally resists and increased chance to block. Rhyme runeword (Shael + Eth) is dirt cheap, and made in a pally shield with some +resists on it will give you a good boost in resists, require you to use less dex for max block, and add "cannot be frozen". Or make another spirit shield in a base item with some resists instead of edamage.

 

[oOmpie]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

CB does not work with PI's. For those you'll still be using Vengeance (at least that's why I think you put points into vengeance) or simply leave them be for the moment.

And yeah, tone the strength down to 100-110 until REALLY good items require you to respec. Make sure you create the Black in a fast weapon, since it does not have too much IAS. Rhyme or Spirit in a +all resistances shield is the better choice compared to +dmg shields. Dex around 150ish I guess, the extra AR won't hurt and the max blck sure as hell won't

 

[Willriker]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

Thank you all for the help. I put together the Black Runeword on a Devil Star Mace. I immideadtely noticed the slower attack speed (went from a very fast o a fast weapon) but you guys were absolutely right. The diferance in performance was extremely noticable.

I also found myself a Shaftstop Body piece. So i am up to 40% damage reduction. Its really helping with the damage taken side of things. I am also switching from focusing on Safrifice to bolster the Zeal to Defiance to bolster Holy Shield.

I am having trouble deciding what resistance shield i want to use the Spirit Runeword on though. Any suggestions? I had one but it had a 50% block rate listed on it. So, i sold that. I was operating under the assupmtion that you wanted a high listing on the Block % that the shield states.

Also, im at 940 HP now.

Once again, thank you all for assisting me with this. This is the first character i have had that is begining to cut the mustard in Hell dificulty. So, i am excited.

 

[JKS]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

I would suggest to make Rhyme instead of Spirit - it gives you Cannot be Frozen, and adds resistances on top of the inherent resistances. Any elite pal shield with inherent resistances will do - sacred targe, rondache, vortex shield - whatever is available.
With good resists, CBF and 40% DR you will be fine. Just try to get second LL ring (ideally with AR). Try to craft blood rings, or gamble for rares. Keep pumping vita and use all nice charms with resists, life and ar you can find.

 

[Mortent]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

This is just my 2 cents
If you manage to get the Lo rune for Forty, then you won't die. But your main problem right this moment is the weapon.
People have already mentioned some decent cheap runewords that might be of use. Personally i don't like the knockback on Black, especially on a zealot. Only useful in mobs, crippling and bothersome vs fewer monsters. The crushing blow is amazing though, and you simply NEED some of it. But i stress, there are many cheap runewords that would do way better than your Hexfire if made in an elite onehander.

Lawbringer would work because of decrepify, but might work better as a defensive switch weapon.

Honor (and to a lesser extent King's Grace) would give you more damage in an Elite wep while adding life steal. And life steal rocks.

Crescent Moon is slightly harder to get, but not at all impossible. Has very high damage and magic absorb. And the lightning effects look cool.

Strength would, with the crushing blow alone, be a great swap for bosses if you choose one of the above solutions. Taking a percentage of the humongous boss health is just too good to pass up.

Edit: oopslol you already got yourself some itamz. Sorry to spam, but i'll leave it here if someone else with similar problem reads the thread.

 

[Willriker]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

I am having difficulties understanding the shield mechanics. In the character information screen i see that i have 75% block rate with holy shield up. On the shield's i am finding (with resists) they state a ~50% block rate. Unless i am grossly missinterpreting these stats, one of these numbers has priority over the other. Which indicates the actual block rate my character recieves?

I ask this, because finding a 75% block shield with decent resists that is not magical (so can cube for sockets > runeword) is proving very difficult. Are there recipies to eventually upgrade normal items into thier exceptional/elite counterparts without losing the stats they have? I noticed that there are recipies to do this with Unique items but I havent seen anything for normal items.

Also, any suggestions on where to farm a good runewordable shield for resists that simply doesnt suck on both the defense rating/block value listed on the shield. As of yet i have been farming The Pit as i see that upto ~ilvl80 can drop there.

I am sorry to hassle everyone, the community has been fanastic here and with only 10 replies my character has improved by a whole lot thanks to all of the very solid advice.

 

[Shanksie1337]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

The chance to block on the character screen (when you hover the mouse of the defence value) is the one you need to be at 75%.

 

[SeCKSEgai]

Re: May i have some help with my 78 PvM Zealot?

To clarify, Holy Shield increases your chance to block as well as the speed at which you block - its standard on just about every pally build I can think of though some don't make much use of it.

So yes, while it may show 50 something percent, and jump to 75% when HS is activated.

You don't necessarily need a 75% block shield, just a high block shield.

White/grey (non magical) items can't be upgraded.