Can I get a little help with my hammerdin?

[Jezzwashere]

Can I get a little help with my hammerdin?

Im sure uve all heard that Ive started fresh. So I have no items, no characters to run with to get items. My hammerdin is now level 74, and is currently running eldritch and the other guy (shenk) for experience, he is in hell act 5 just finishing quest 1.

Now, he has just undder 5k hammer damage (poor but good for a poor man), and kills pretty much anything on players 1-4 very easily. The only problem, his defense. He just gets hammered by anything out of range of hammers (no pun intended). And I wont last through act 5 with that problem.

My question, how can I boost both skills and defense. Yes i can get good stuff.. HotO, enigma, shako, HoZ.. (i used to have them all). But unless someone is willing to take some crappy self found exceptional uniques, I wont have much luck.... He needs DEFENSE!

 

[aitrus]

About what numbers are we talking here?

My 'din has 8k def w/ HShield active (quite low) and is running the Pits @p8 atm without troubles - though his equipment is HoTo, shako, HoZ and the other usual suspects =)

May I also suggest this thread

 

[Jezzwashere]

I had a look at that. Im looking around 1.5k with holy shield (VERY LOW)

 

[aitrus]

Equipment and skill dump please

 

[Harrid]

Defense is nice, but so long as your hammers are killing and you do not mind the occational potion, it is more of a luxury than a necessity, in my opinion. Anyway, here was what my pat'ed hammerdin used with few problems (~6k hammer damage, IIRC):

Tarnhelm (35% MF)
Hawk Branded Amulet
'Smoke' Scarab Husk (cost me 1 frame of casting speed, but I needed the resists badly)
'Spirit' Long Sword (32% FCR, +102 mana, +4 magic absorb)
'Spirit' Protector Shield (25% FCR, +101 mana, +3 magic absorb)
rare plated belt (20% lightning res, 8% poison res, +9 life regen)
rare gauntlets (21% fire res, 13% poison res)
rare light plated boots (31% lightning res, 37% poison res, 30% FRW)
Scintillating Ring of Chance (12% res all, 11% MF)
Raven Frost (+19 dex)

on switch:
Battle Staff of Teleportation (37 charges)

Charms:
+17 life grand charm
2 +5 dex large charms
24% fire res grand charm
6% fire res small charm

If you have them, obviously things like Harly Crest and Skin of the Vipermagi would be better, but the point is that you hardly need the top line gear (on /p1, at least :laugh: ). In fact, even now that he has a few such items (still looking for that elusive HoZ <_<), this character is still using that lame +2 combat skills amulet :laugh: . (If you are one of those people who actually likes to have maxed resists, Wizardspike and a Ancient's Pledge/4 PDiamond/Sanctuary paladin shield would probably be better, which along with Stealth armor would already hit the 75 FCR breakpoint).