End game gear?

T

The big "T"

New member
End game gear?

I've had a difficult time getting any clear answers from the pally forum (seems heavily biased to sc and pickin up your body after getting killed).

I'm in the middle of building my first Paladin (a hammerdin to be exact). I'm using ragnarod's guide (pretty much following it to a tee). Everything is going well; still trying to get a handle on the aiming thing. I'm up to lvl 60 and pluggin away at NM.

The gear ?: Trying to balance the whole +skills to FCR thing with non-runeword items (just don't have the wealth to get them - HOTO, Enigma, etc). Looking for suggestions/thoughts on a final package for this guy.

End game gear contexts:

Solo Hell - Solo Hell MF: perhaps these are the same with something on switch?

Group Hell (8 people)

Just for fun - A wish list (cost is no option) i'm just curious what people think on this one.


Finally - I kind of look at my merc as living equipment. I'm working on a Act2 might. suggestions? Good idea? end game gear for him?


Thanks Much
 
For solo Baal/mf runs runs my hammerdin is wearing this set-up :-

Shako (pt)
Tals Armour (pt)
Nagel Ring (29 mf)
Ravefrost
Magic amulet 30 res's + teleport
Herold (pd)
Wizzy (ist)
Chancies (40 mf)
Thundergods
Rare boots with 30 frw/res's/19 mf
38 mf Gheeds
81 mf from sc's
Anni
1 combat skiller

My mf is 423, I have max res's (85 lr) and lighting absorb. If I do pit runs, or other areas without gloams, then I swap out the tgods for an upgraded goldwrap. Damage is around 6500. Plenty enough for solo/8 player killing.


If I was to get my wishlist of gear then I would go for this set-up (which my old sc hammerdin used) :-

Enigma
Shako
HotO
Arachnid Mesh
Perf Wisp Projector
Raven
WT's
Trangs gloves/magefist (for fcr)
Herold
Maras
Anni

He had over 10k damage, more than the 75 fcr break, max res's, teleport and decent mf.
 
scrap enigma. While the stats are usefull, its a bit over the top.

IMO:
shako or rare +2 pally/life/res/fcr circlet. Use Lore or soem other relatively cheap helm (peasant crown is decent) until you end up with one of those two. Circlets are cool imo.
+3 combat/life ammy. Hell, any ammy with +combat or just life are awsome.
wiz spike
HoZ
guardian angel
t-gods
frosts
raven
dwarfstar
any boots you want. nat's boots are always a nice option.

with this you should have at least +7 combat skills, enough fcr to be fine and maxed resistances in hell as well as tri-element absorb. Not to mention that your resistances should be about 90/90/95/90 because of the +maximum from guardian angel.

Nothing into energy, and make sure you max block and rest into vit. You should have around 1.5k life by level 75 with a few life charms.

Here's a little secret. You do not need many +skills to be able to solo hell games. Heck, when I was ladder running back at the start of the season I could solo 5+ player games with my hammerdins. And none of them had more than +5combat skills (or +5 skills for that matter). I cleared most areas solo faster than what groups of people could do.
 
I guess your question was mainly on gear, but maybe you can make use for this super generic advice when building a HC char: Use whatever SC guide you want, but make sure you only take your str/dex to an abolute nescessity (gear/block) and the rest in Vitality. This can be applied to most guides there are out there.
 
SonOfRah said:
scrap enigma. While the stats are usefull, its a bit over the top.
Click to expand...

Whilst I agree that you can certainly do without an enigma, I found it to be an absolutely invaluable aide. When you teleport to a creature and start spamming hammers, they will always hit. Sometimes when you run up to creatures it can take you a little while to get into the right position.

That is why my current pally is wearing the tele amulet. It sure helps when you meet a bosspack of archers/other scaries with a nasty aura under their feet (might/fana). Just tele to the boss and take him out with a couple of hammers.

And I only suggested it for the dream set-up. Not many people around that can expect to get one.
 
Oh, by the way "T", I suggest that you go with a Defiance Merc if you haven't already. Having 10k+ defence is very handy indeed. I guess a holy freeze merc would do too, but I prefer not to have the bodies of monsters shattering and therefore robbing me of the ability to use redemption on them.
 
Thanks folks! I have been contributing to strength and dex only as needed (lol, learned that lesson the hard way when I began building babas in HC. Dishing out a lot of dam didn't prevent me from reading deeds more then a couple times when I was getting started). It also looks like most end game weapons and armor have pretty low st and dex requirements.

HoZ = 89 st
Tal Armor = 84 st
Guardian Angel = 118
need to look up dex required for max block on a HoZ


Baroni said:
Oh, by the way "T", I suggest that you go with a Defiance Merc if you haven't already. Having 10k+ defence is very handy indeed. I guess a holy freeze merc would do too, but I prefer not to have the bodies of monsters shattering and therefore robbing me of the ability to use redemption on them.
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought of defiance. Good idea. Isn't holy freeze nerfed in hell? I'm guessing you use these guys more as a tank/distraction then for finishing off the bosses (I get a decent amount of added mf with my throw barb by letting his merc deliver the final blow). I'm finding I have much less control inthis area with the hammers. Thoughts?

The suggestions all seem achievable with a little trading. Fortunately, I have many of the items waiting on mules. Sounds like a I have a better place for my shako then one of my barbs (tend to lean towards stealskulls for the leach with them).

Do you guys even mess with items on switch (like a rhyme and a baba)?
 
A hammerdin's most treasured items are listed here, in descending order of importance:
HoZ (diamond)
Shako (topaz)
Guardian Angel (topaz)
Wizard Spike (resist jewel)

This way you have 98% mf and 59% resist in hell. The rest is more flexible:
Arachnid/Goldwrap/Tgod
Chance/TO Claw
WT/Waterwalk
SoJ/Nagel/Raven/Dwarf/Caaster rings

P.S. I think HF merc is better.
 
The big "T" said:
I hadn't thought of defiance. Good idea. Isn't holy freeze nerfed in hell? I'm guessing you use these guys more as a tank/distraction then for finishing off the bosses (I get a decent amount of added mf with my throw barb by letting his merc deliver the final blow). I'm finding I have much less control inthis area with the hammers. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

My merc is currently wearing a Blackthorns Face, Leviathan Armour and imho the daddy of all merc weapons a Reapers Toll. You have gotta love that decripify curse. I am going to upgrade his helm/armour to a Gaze and an 'Stone' Runeword Ethereal Dusk shroud as soon as I can be bothered.


Shadoway said:
P.S. I think HF merc is better.
Click to expand...

I disagree, but each to their own eh Shadow :lol:
 
Enough said about items.
If you use an annihilus, do as much str for the need of tgods (110?) - the +stats on the anni.
About 85 in dex, rest vita.
This is my build.

And i use def merc, having now 19XXX def.
 
My hammerdins always had 5 into holy shield before I maxed concentrate (hammers and 1 synergy was maxed).

Guardian angel + HoZ + 5 holy shield + a few +all/combat skills means that you really need a tiny amount of dex to get max block.

IMO a raven frost is quite nice. The dex bonus and CBF are both awsome stats, and it helps with achieving max block.

You also only need a minimum of 90 str, depending on other gear, or if you use the str item equiping method which is a bit cheesy imo. HoZ adds 20 str, and has a req of 89 str iirc. T-gods is 110 str req and GA is 118, so you are fine with 90 str after HoZ.
 
oh forgot to mention.

Merman's Sprocket is one of the best boots in the game for a caster. Also gives you the option of going without a raven frost (2 soj's perhaps).

Regen mana, +mana/char lvl, cbf, +cold/magic absorb. and the big one. 65% faster run. Nice stats on it.
 
SonOfRah said:
oh forgot to mention.

Merman's Sprocket is one of the best boots in the game for a caster. Also gives you the option of going without a raven frost (2 soj's perhaps).

Regen mana, +mana/char lvl, cbf, +cold/magic absorb. and the big one. 65% faster run. Nice stats on it.
Click to expand...

The whatnow? How come I have never heard/seen these boots in all my 4 years of D2 playing?
 
well......they are pretty rare. I've never seen one thats for sure :)

http://www.purediablo.com/items/uniques/armor-boots-elite.shtml

Merman's Sprocket
Wyrmhide Boots

clvl req = 69

+410-420 Defense
+310 Defense Vs. Missile
+65% Faster Run/Walk
Replenish Life +5
Regenerate Mana 8%
+60-75 Magic Absorb
+55 Cold Absorb
Cannot Be Frozen
+ (0.75 Per Character Level) +0.75-74.24 To Mana (Based On Character Level)
+ (0.75 Per Character Level) Poison Resist +0.75-74.24% (Based On Character Level)
 
SonOfRah said:
well......they are pretty rare. I've never seen one thats for sure :)

http://www.purediablo.com/items/uniques/armor-boots-elite.shtml

Merman's Sprocket
Wyrmhide Boots

clvl req = 69

+410-420 Defense
+310 Defense Vs. Missile
+65% Faster Run/Walk
Replenish Life +5
Regenerate Mana 8%
+60-75 Magic Absorb
+55 Cold Absorb
Cannot Be Frozen
+ (0.75 Per Character Level) +0.75-74.24 To Mana (Based On Character Level)
+ (0.75 Per Character Level) Poison Resist +0.75-74.24% (Based On Character Level)
Click to expand...

Ah, no wonder I have never seen em. Arreats doesn't even have em listed. Typical. You sure they were included in the final patch? I have never even seen them offered for trade...
 
no idea *shrugs*

They may have removed it server side. Pretty sure that they are activated though.

Edit: did a quick search. Appears that these boots were in the 1.10 beta but got left out for the final release.... I was just browing the item database here and saw them. *shrugs*
 
SonOfRah said:
no idea *shrugs*

They may have removed it server side. Pretty sure that they are activated though.

Edit: did a quick search. Appears that these boots were in the 1.10 beta but got left out for the final release.... I was just browing the item database here and saw them. *shrugs*
Click to expand...

I thought as much. Man, if they were in the final release I think they would have been darned popular.
 
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