Guide to Death Dealer the Overzealous Day-Dreamer v.1.0
I. Foreword
II. Skills
III. Stats
IV. Gear
V. Merc Gear
VI. Tactics
VII. The Numbers
I. Foreword
After trying various recommendations that just couldn’t cut it in a multiplayer PvM game this is what I came up with while trying to reconcile two problems:
1. Zealots’ problems with Iron Maiden and Physical Immunes.
2. Death Zealers' problems with AR.
I had tried all the suggestions I could find, but none of them were much affective in a 5+ player game. I'm sure anyone who has ever tried Gimmershred/Tiamat's can tell you that it really isn't all that effective in a multiplayer game. And then there are other options like Azurewrath, but you and your Merc will still end up dead once a Oblivion Knight sneaks in a IM.
I apologize if this idea is old but what I have here seems to be the most powerful and capable combination of Zealot gear and I do owe a bit of credit to the members of this forum, including, but not limited to Niner and his Whateverdin. And note that this is a PvM build and not a very original one at that.
It seems that most people can agree that Grief vs. Eth Death Zerker/Ettin/WS is a close match. The main determining factor seems to be Death's lack of ITD and its IAS from gear requirement, which is counter-balanced by its amazing DS and CB. In the end most people go for Grief for good reason, but let me show you a build that uses Death to the likes that Grief can’t compete.
Here are some other threads where I tried to show 1. the damage comparison of Grief & Death and 2. a quasi-quantification of the benefit of CB. Both were poorly done but are corrected if you read the whole thread. http://www.purediablo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531880 & http://www.purediablo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=539777 .
The basic idea is an Eth Death Zerker Zealer w/ Gimmer/Dream switch and an Infinity Might Merc. I always thought that the Gimmershred switch just didn't cut it for IM and PI's, but this build will cut down PI's and Oblivion Knight packs on 8 player games with relative ease. And your AR problems are nullified thanks to your beloved Infinity wielding Merc.
Things to Note:
1. This is a PvM build.
2. He’s a Zealot first, he’s just extremely capable of handling the usual Zealot weak points: IM and PI’s.
3. This is a freaking expensive build and it's very skill and gear intensive. But it doesn't necessarily rely on a billion items in your inventory to switch out for different situations: A build strong for all the crap the Three Prime Evils throw at you.
4. This build is benefited largely (but not dependent) on its Merc.
5. The Day-Dreamer part of the name has nothing to do with the FOH build.
6. Gear marked with a * is central to the build so if you don't have it, I forbid you to use the name.
II. Skills
Fanatascism-20
Zeal-20
Sacrifice-20
Resist Lightning-20
Holy Shield-The rest
Make sure you throw some points into one hit wonders like Salvation & Redemption.
III. Stats
Strength: You'll need about 140-160 or so after your gear to carry the shield.
Dexterity: Enough for max block.
Vitality: All the rest.
Magic: quiet you……
Plan out your gear selection and stats from you gear so you don't waste any stats. You won't need dexterity for AR because you're Merc's Conviction will reduce enemies’ defense by 83%.
IV. Gear
*Weapon:
Eth Death Zerker: Huge Damage, 50% CB, up to 49% DS!!!! I should have named him Death Zealer the Overzealous Wet-Dreamer.
Don't tell me to use the War Spike for less IAS-requirement, with less IAS you can't hit 4 frames per attack with the weapon switch, plus the damage is much lamer.
*Shield:
Exile w/ Resists: Huge defense for you, your merc, and your party. Resists, freezing attack (even better defense), life tap (path to indestructibility). Try to get an Ethereal one if you can.
Phoenix was an option for the Damage Junkies but then you'd have to come up with IAS to make up for the glove switch to Dracul's. Plus, Exile is practically the end all for all defense-supplying gear.
*Weapon Switch:
Gimmershred: Zeal it or throw it. You'll be doing 902 elemental damage on average before Conviction. Plus, with all the IAS gear you're gonna hit 4 frames per attack when Zealing. Wahoo!
The usual/lame weapon switch is of course CTA, this will grant you 62% bonus to life and mana for this build but despite the fact that he has 0% damage reduction, he doesn't take enough hits for it to matter because of his massive defense, life tap, freezing hit, and block rate.
*Shield Switch:
Dream Pally shield w/ Resists: I always thought Gimmershred just wasn't enough. With 20 Resist Lightning you'll be doing an extra 1-2203 damage before Conviction. Additionally, the CTC Confuse can get those pesky Oblivion Knights to shut up and then down they go. It has some other nice mods as well. I recommend a shield with 25-40 resists already.
Armor:
Fortitude: Provides resists, a great damage bonus, great defense and other goodies. This is my recommended choice.
Enigma: Good for the extra mobility and keeping your merc in line if you're doing rushing, key runs, and the like.
CoH: Good resists and some other stuff, but inferior to Fort. That's my opinion.
Helm:
Guillame's w/ a 15 IAS jewel: Preferably get a jewel with resists or enhanced damage, too. It gives you CB, DS, strength. It basically amounts to a huge damage boost that is undeniable. It will put your CB at 100 and your DS well over 100.
Dream: Not my choice, but it will boost your lightning damage from 1-2203 to 1-5671 on switch or just give you an extra 1-2203 regularly. Great defensively w/ the CTC Confuse, Resists, and other mods, but you don't really need more defenses and it comes at the sacrifice of technically turning you into Dreamadin. Plus, Guillame's does more for you in non-PI/IM situations and you'll need to recover that 15 IAS somewhere. But it can always be useful to have one nearby as it makes taking down Oblivion Knights much easier.
CoA w/ 2x15IAS: Great defenses, but you don't really need that. It can free up your belt for Dungo's or sumtin. It still just can't match the offensive benefits of the other two.
*Amulet:
Highlord's Wrath: If you have a Zealot and use anything else you should be slapped. The DS gives you a huge damage bonus and the 20 IAS is integral to this build.
*Boots:
GoreRiders: Same as above, I hope God strikes you down for your ignorance if you use anything but this on a Zealot.
Belt:
Nesferatu's Coil: You need the 10 IAS and the other mods are nice, too. If you come up with IAS somewhere else you can substitute it for Verdungo's or something, but that's totally unnecessary.
Gloves:
Rare Gloves: You’re going to need gloves with 20 IAS, which is the only strict requirement. This is also your chance to make up on some of the lacking resists. You can also get some Strength, Dexterity, and leeches.
Magnus Skin: 20 IAS, 15 Fire Resist
Lava Gout: 20 IAS, 24 Fire Resist.
Laying of the Hands: 20 IAS, 50 Fire Resist, +350% Enhanced Uber-Whoop-A**
Sander’s Taboo: 20 IAS, 40 Life, constant chastisement from the other kids on the playground for wearing purple mittens.
Ring 1:
Ravenfrost: Dexterity! Attack Rating! Mana! Cold Damage! Cold Absorb! Cannot be Frozen! What else could a girl want? They’re all good mods but you need it for the Cannot be Frozen.
Ring 2:
Rare ring: The mods available for rare rings can be amazing, you just need to shop around to find the best deals. Shoot for rings with Poison and Fire Resist (or whatever resist you need). Other stats that’ll really help are Strength, Dexterity, Life, and Leeches.
Ravenfrost: The benefits of the second RF is better AR when your Merc takes a dive, but that shouldn’t be a problem if your tactics are sound. Another RF also pretty much nullifies the need for Cold Resist because you’ll be absorbing 40% of what’s already cut down through resists. And effectively the +15-20 Dexterity will rope you another 45-60 life.
Bul Katho’s Wedding Band: 40+ more life, Life Leech (not that useful), +1 skills (this effectively gives you +23% more damage and +25% more defense, not that superbly useful).
Inventory:
Hellfire Torch: Choose resists over stats of course.
Annihilus: See Torch.
Resist charms: With all the other equipment you should have anywhere between 50 to 90 resists in hell. You want your Lightning to get up to 90%, Fire to 80%, Poison to 75%, and Ice to your liking.
Other charms: Don’t worry about skillers, stick to Life, Max Damage, and AR charms. You’ll have 30 FHR from Guillame’s which takes you above the 27 FHR 6 frame break point, but you can get 4 charms of balance to get the 48 FHR 5 frame break point, but that’s not going to help much.
The charms are an integral part of this build. With good gear you can do it with just a few, but without them you’ll be weak.
Back-ups for consideration:
CTA: If you are really lacking on the life.
Demonlimb: If your merc isn’t behaving, the enchant can help your AR.
Treachery: Proc this and use salvation and Mephisto will want to cry.
Dream Helm: If you are having a particular problem with Oblivion Knights or Physical Immunes.
Extra Gimmershred: It comes with 240, but you can keep an extra just in case.
Towel: Don’t forget to bring a towel.
These are just ideas and are all unnecessary but can be useful if you are struggling in one situation or another.
V. Merc Gear
*Weapon:
Eth Infinity Cryptic Axe: This will give him damage comparable to your own at 6 frames per attack.
This Merc serves three main functions: Supplies you with extra damage via Might, Chance to Hit via Conviction, and extra elemental damage for IM and PI’s via Conviction. His auxiliary purpose it to supply damage himself, which he can do quite effectively. However, if you really want his help against IM you could switch out Eth Cryptic Axe for a normal Cracked Voulge. His damage will be low enough that Iron Maiden won’t kill him immediately and you can do some house cleaning. But this is going to hurt how well he can tank since he won’t have much damage for leech.
Armor:
Eth Fortitude: You can go a high as Sacred Armor (up to 4k+ defense) with the right helm choice. This will make him a super tank as it will also max his resists.
Guardian Angel: If he’s a little baby when it comes to the elements.
Helm:
Andariel’s Visage: Strength, Life Leech, IAS, +Skills. It’s got it all, but you might wanna throw in a Ral to counteract the -30 Fire Resists. It doesn’t supply damage reduction but he won’t be hit that often anyway.
Vampire Gaze: Life Leech, Phys. & Magic Damage Reduction, Resists. Not too shabby, toss in another Ber and you can get it up to 28% Damage Reduction.
Giant Skull: 10% CB and 25-30 Strength. Knock-back can be good defensively. No life leech though. But you’ll have two sockets where you can give him some damage reduction, or more damage.
Crown of Ages: Don’t even think about it you elitist yuppies. Still, it would make a nice helm…
VI. Tactics
Step One: Cast Holy Shield.
Step Two: Go looking for a fight.
It’s simple really. Have HS, Fanat, Vigor, Redemption, Cleansing, and Salvation hot-keyed on your right and Zeal and Throw on your left. Vigor can help you get around a lot faster. Cleansing will help you get rid of your IM if you’re done with the OK’s. Stay with your merc. You’ll rely on his Conviction for good chance to hit. This build is fully capable of taking on any pack of monsters in an 8 players game, even Oblivion/Doom Knights.
PI’s: When you hit a pack of Physical Immunes switch to Gimmer/Dream and Zeal them back to the abyss. You’ll be surprised how fast they go down even the most venerable PI: Magnum, PI. Tom Selleck is a beast.
IM: When confronted with a pack of Oblivion Knights don’t be tempted to get a couple Zeals on them. I always kill myself when I do that. Instead, stay back and try to nail the mages. Your merc might die, which is okay, he helps a lot, but he’s not necessary. And don’t be afraid of taking a few hits; Dream gives you 10% CTC Confuse when struck. Once that gets casted on the mages, it’s all over. Switch back to your main weapon and destroy!!!! Notice also that Oblivion Knights are Immune to Cold and Doom Knights are Immune to Fire. Your main elemental damage will be Lightning and Conviction will take them down to -25 and -65 Resist Lightning. Use Redemption as you see fit, since you can’t cast Life Tap.
Uber-Tristram: Your Merc’s Conviction is going to be useless against Mephisto because Mephy’s got level 20 Conviction which will cancel it out. This isn’t a big deal; it’ll just change your Chance to Hit into Chance to Hit the Powerball. There are two ways you can go; you can smite him to death or you can use Enchant from Demonlimb to get your AR up. You can also use Treachery, stand on some burning body or something until your fade activates. Switch back to your other armor and use Salvation. This should give you about 148 resist all. Enter into the fight with Zeal until your Life Tap casts. Between the lifetap and your 90% Resist lightning, you’ll be able to get giggly when you see the revered Uber-Meph fruitlessly flailing about no matter which way you go (Smite or Zeal). No sweat. And, of course, you can use your merc for Diablo and Baal and they’ll be toast in no time flat.
VII. The Numbers (Stats/Bonuses on My Character)
This is for instructive purposes only; just to show you what this build is capable of with the gear listed above.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w168/Clervis/DeathDealerStats.jpghttp://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w168/Clervis/DeathDealerMercStats.jpg
Bonuses:
100% CB:::::100+% DS (116%, I believe)
Cannot Be Frozen:::::Freezes Target +3
40-80% Cold Absorb:::::10% OW
7+% LL & ML:::::Slows Target 10%
30% FR/W:::::6 Frames per Hit Recovery
+5 All Skills:::::+2 Offensive Auras
Stats:
Damage(Display): 2,994-9,946 @ 4 fpa
Average Damage after all modifiers: 23,125 @ 4 fpa
Damage per second: 130,649 average (before physical resistance, chance to hit, and block)
Elemental Damage on Switch: 440-3,659 (2,050 average)
…..after Conviction effectively: 968-8,050 (4,510 average)
Elemental Damage w/ Dream Helm: 440-7,217 (3,829 average)
…..after Conviction effectively: 968-17,710 (9,339 average)
Attack Rating(Display): 9,564
Defense(Display): 34,099
Life: 2,212
Mana: 262
Resist Fire: 80
Resist Cold: 80
Resist Lightning: 90
Resist Poison: 75
Merc Stats:
Damage(Display): 4,108-10,022 @ 6 fpa
Defense(Display): 26,635
Life: 2,434
Resist(F,C,L,P): 75, 75, 80, 85
Others: 40% CB
As you can see, these numbers are quite intimidating. If you try it out, I’m sure you’ll find that he is more than capable of taking on all those problems areas, even in an 8 player game.
I. Foreword
II. Skills
III. Stats
IV. Gear
V. Merc Gear
VI. Tactics
VII. The Numbers
I. Foreword
After trying various recommendations that just couldn’t cut it in a multiplayer PvM game this is what I came up with while trying to reconcile two problems:
1. Zealots’ problems with Iron Maiden and Physical Immunes.
2. Death Zealers' problems with AR.
I had tried all the suggestions I could find, but none of them were much affective in a 5+ player game. I'm sure anyone who has ever tried Gimmershred/Tiamat's can tell you that it really isn't all that effective in a multiplayer game. And then there are other options like Azurewrath, but you and your Merc will still end up dead once a Oblivion Knight sneaks in a IM.
I apologize if this idea is old but what I have here seems to be the most powerful and capable combination of Zealot gear and I do owe a bit of credit to the members of this forum, including, but not limited to Niner and his Whateverdin. And note that this is a PvM build and not a very original one at that.
It seems that most people can agree that Grief vs. Eth Death Zerker/Ettin/WS is a close match. The main determining factor seems to be Death's lack of ITD and its IAS from gear requirement, which is counter-balanced by its amazing DS and CB. In the end most people go for Grief for good reason, but let me show you a build that uses Death to the likes that Grief can’t compete.
Here are some other threads where I tried to show 1. the damage comparison of Grief & Death and 2. a quasi-quantification of the benefit of CB. Both were poorly done but are corrected if you read the whole thread. http://www.purediablo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531880 & http://www.purediablo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=539777 .
The basic idea is an Eth Death Zerker Zealer w/ Gimmer/Dream switch and an Infinity Might Merc. I always thought that the Gimmershred switch just didn't cut it for IM and PI's, but this build will cut down PI's and Oblivion Knight packs on 8 player games with relative ease. And your AR problems are nullified thanks to your beloved Infinity wielding Merc.
Things to Note:
1. This is a PvM build.
2. He’s a Zealot first, he’s just extremely capable of handling the usual Zealot weak points: IM and PI’s.
3. This is a freaking expensive build and it's very skill and gear intensive. But it doesn't necessarily rely on a billion items in your inventory to switch out for different situations: A build strong for all the crap the Three Prime Evils throw at you.
4. This build is benefited largely (but not dependent) on its Merc.
5. The Day-Dreamer part of the name has nothing to do with the FOH build.
6. Gear marked with a * is central to the build so if you don't have it, I forbid you to use the name.
II. Skills
Fanatascism-20
Zeal-20
Sacrifice-20
Resist Lightning-20
Holy Shield-The rest
Make sure you throw some points into one hit wonders like Salvation & Redemption.
III. Stats
Strength: You'll need about 140-160 or so after your gear to carry the shield.
Dexterity: Enough for max block.
Vitality: All the rest.
Magic: quiet you……
Plan out your gear selection and stats from you gear so you don't waste any stats. You won't need dexterity for AR because you're Merc's Conviction will reduce enemies’ defense by 83%.
IV. Gear
*Weapon:
Eth Death Zerker: Huge Damage, 50% CB, up to 49% DS!!!! I should have named him Death Zealer the Overzealous Wet-Dreamer.
Don't tell me to use the War Spike for less IAS-requirement, with less IAS you can't hit 4 frames per attack with the weapon switch, plus the damage is much lamer.
*Shield:
Exile w/ Resists: Huge defense for you, your merc, and your party. Resists, freezing attack (even better defense), life tap (path to indestructibility). Try to get an Ethereal one if you can.
Phoenix was an option for the Damage Junkies but then you'd have to come up with IAS to make up for the glove switch to Dracul's. Plus, Exile is practically the end all for all defense-supplying gear.
*Weapon Switch:
Gimmershred: Zeal it or throw it. You'll be doing 902 elemental damage on average before Conviction. Plus, with all the IAS gear you're gonna hit 4 frames per attack when Zealing. Wahoo!
The usual/lame weapon switch is of course CTA, this will grant you 62% bonus to life and mana for this build but despite the fact that he has 0% damage reduction, he doesn't take enough hits for it to matter because of his massive defense, life tap, freezing hit, and block rate.
*Shield Switch:
Dream Pally shield w/ Resists: I always thought Gimmershred just wasn't enough. With 20 Resist Lightning you'll be doing an extra 1-2203 damage before Conviction. Additionally, the CTC Confuse can get those pesky Oblivion Knights to shut up and then down they go. It has some other nice mods as well. I recommend a shield with 25-40 resists already.
Armor:
Fortitude: Provides resists, a great damage bonus, great defense and other goodies. This is my recommended choice.
Enigma: Good for the extra mobility and keeping your merc in line if you're doing rushing, key runs, and the like.
CoH: Good resists and some other stuff, but inferior to Fort. That's my opinion.
Helm:
Guillame's w/ a 15 IAS jewel: Preferably get a jewel with resists or enhanced damage, too. It gives you CB, DS, strength. It basically amounts to a huge damage boost that is undeniable. It will put your CB at 100 and your DS well over 100.
Dream: Not my choice, but it will boost your lightning damage from 1-2203 to 1-5671 on switch or just give you an extra 1-2203 regularly. Great defensively w/ the CTC Confuse, Resists, and other mods, but you don't really need more defenses and it comes at the sacrifice of technically turning you into Dreamadin. Plus, Guillame's does more for you in non-PI/IM situations and you'll need to recover that 15 IAS somewhere. But it can always be useful to have one nearby as it makes taking down Oblivion Knights much easier.
CoA w/ 2x15IAS: Great defenses, but you don't really need that. It can free up your belt for Dungo's or sumtin. It still just can't match the offensive benefits of the other two.
*Amulet:
Highlord's Wrath: If you have a Zealot and use anything else you should be slapped. The DS gives you a huge damage bonus and the 20 IAS is integral to this build.
*Boots:
GoreRiders: Same as above, I hope God strikes you down for your ignorance if you use anything but this on a Zealot.
Belt:
Nesferatu's Coil: You need the 10 IAS and the other mods are nice, too. If you come up with IAS somewhere else you can substitute it for Verdungo's or something, but that's totally unnecessary.
Gloves:
Rare Gloves: You’re going to need gloves with 20 IAS, which is the only strict requirement. This is also your chance to make up on some of the lacking resists. You can also get some Strength, Dexterity, and leeches.
Magnus Skin: 20 IAS, 15 Fire Resist
Lava Gout: 20 IAS, 24 Fire Resist.
Laying of the Hands: 20 IAS, 50 Fire Resist, +350% Enhanced Uber-Whoop-A**
Sander’s Taboo: 20 IAS, 40 Life, constant chastisement from the other kids on the playground for wearing purple mittens.
Ring 1:
Ravenfrost: Dexterity! Attack Rating! Mana! Cold Damage! Cold Absorb! Cannot be Frozen! What else could a girl want? They’re all good mods but you need it for the Cannot be Frozen.
Ring 2:
Rare ring: The mods available for rare rings can be amazing, you just need to shop around to find the best deals. Shoot for rings with Poison and Fire Resist (or whatever resist you need). Other stats that’ll really help are Strength, Dexterity, Life, and Leeches.
Ravenfrost: The benefits of the second RF is better AR when your Merc takes a dive, but that shouldn’t be a problem if your tactics are sound. Another RF also pretty much nullifies the need for Cold Resist because you’ll be absorbing 40% of what’s already cut down through resists. And effectively the +15-20 Dexterity will rope you another 45-60 life.
Bul Katho’s Wedding Band: 40+ more life, Life Leech (not that useful), +1 skills (this effectively gives you +23% more damage and +25% more defense, not that superbly useful).
Inventory:
Hellfire Torch: Choose resists over stats of course.
Annihilus: See Torch.
Resist charms: With all the other equipment you should have anywhere between 50 to 90 resists in hell. You want your Lightning to get up to 90%, Fire to 80%, Poison to 75%, and Ice to your liking.
Other charms: Don’t worry about skillers, stick to Life, Max Damage, and AR charms. You’ll have 30 FHR from Guillame’s which takes you above the 27 FHR 6 frame break point, but you can get 4 charms of balance to get the 48 FHR 5 frame break point, but that’s not going to help much.
The charms are an integral part of this build. With good gear you can do it with just a few, but without them you’ll be weak.
Back-ups for consideration:
CTA: If you are really lacking on the life.
Demonlimb: If your merc isn’t behaving, the enchant can help your AR.
Treachery: Proc this and use salvation and Mephisto will want to cry.
Dream Helm: If you are having a particular problem with Oblivion Knights or Physical Immunes.
Extra Gimmershred: It comes with 240, but you can keep an extra just in case.
Towel: Don’t forget to bring a towel.
These are just ideas and are all unnecessary but can be useful if you are struggling in one situation or another.
V. Merc Gear
*Weapon:
Eth Infinity Cryptic Axe: This will give him damage comparable to your own at 6 frames per attack.
This Merc serves three main functions: Supplies you with extra damage via Might, Chance to Hit via Conviction, and extra elemental damage for IM and PI’s via Conviction. His auxiliary purpose it to supply damage himself, which he can do quite effectively. However, if you really want his help against IM you could switch out Eth Cryptic Axe for a normal Cracked Voulge. His damage will be low enough that Iron Maiden won’t kill him immediately and you can do some house cleaning. But this is going to hurt how well he can tank since he won’t have much damage for leech.
Armor:
Eth Fortitude: You can go a high as Sacred Armor (up to 4k+ defense) with the right helm choice. This will make him a super tank as it will also max his resists.
Guardian Angel: If he’s a little baby when it comes to the elements.
Helm:
Andariel’s Visage: Strength, Life Leech, IAS, +Skills. It’s got it all, but you might wanna throw in a Ral to counteract the -30 Fire Resists. It doesn’t supply damage reduction but he won’t be hit that often anyway.
Vampire Gaze: Life Leech, Phys. & Magic Damage Reduction, Resists. Not too shabby, toss in another Ber and you can get it up to 28% Damage Reduction.
Giant Skull: 10% CB and 25-30 Strength. Knock-back can be good defensively. No life leech though. But you’ll have two sockets where you can give him some damage reduction, or more damage.
Crown of Ages: Don’t even think about it you elitist yuppies. Still, it would make a nice helm…
VI. Tactics
Step One: Cast Holy Shield.
Step Two: Go looking for a fight.
It’s simple really. Have HS, Fanat, Vigor, Redemption, Cleansing, and Salvation hot-keyed on your right and Zeal and Throw on your left. Vigor can help you get around a lot faster. Cleansing will help you get rid of your IM if you’re done with the OK’s. Stay with your merc. You’ll rely on his Conviction for good chance to hit. This build is fully capable of taking on any pack of monsters in an 8 players game, even Oblivion/Doom Knights.
PI’s: When you hit a pack of Physical Immunes switch to Gimmer/Dream and Zeal them back to the abyss. You’ll be surprised how fast they go down even the most venerable PI: Magnum, PI. Tom Selleck is a beast.
IM: When confronted with a pack of Oblivion Knights don’t be tempted to get a couple Zeals on them. I always kill myself when I do that. Instead, stay back and try to nail the mages. Your merc might die, which is okay, he helps a lot, but he’s not necessary. And don’t be afraid of taking a few hits; Dream gives you 10% CTC Confuse when struck. Once that gets casted on the mages, it’s all over. Switch back to your main weapon and destroy!!!! Notice also that Oblivion Knights are Immune to Cold and Doom Knights are Immune to Fire. Your main elemental damage will be Lightning and Conviction will take them down to -25 and -65 Resist Lightning. Use Redemption as you see fit, since you can’t cast Life Tap.
Uber-Tristram: Your Merc’s Conviction is going to be useless against Mephisto because Mephy’s got level 20 Conviction which will cancel it out. This isn’t a big deal; it’ll just change your Chance to Hit into Chance to Hit the Powerball. There are two ways you can go; you can smite him to death or you can use Enchant from Demonlimb to get your AR up. You can also use Treachery, stand on some burning body or something until your fade activates. Switch back to your other armor and use Salvation. This should give you about 148 resist all. Enter into the fight with Zeal until your Life Tap casts. Between the lifetap and your 90% Resist lightning, you’ll be able to get giggly when you see the revered Uber-Meph fruitlessly flailing about no matter which way you go (Smite or Zeal). No sweat. And, of course, you can use your merc for Diablo and Baal and they’ll be toast in no time flat.
VII. The Numbers (Stats/Bonuses on My Character)
This is for instructive purposes only; just to show you what this build is capable of with the gear listed above.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w168/Clervis/DeathDealerStats.jpghttp://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w168/Clervis/DeathDealerMercStats.jpg
Bonuses:
100% CB:::::100+% DS (116%, I believe)
Cannot Be Frozen:::::Freezes Target +3
40-80% Cold Absorb:::::10% OW
7+% LL & ML:::::Slows Target 10%
30% FR/W:::::6 Frames per Hit Recovery
+5 All Skills:::::+2 Offensive Auras
Stats:
Damage(Display): 2,994-9,946 @ 4 fpa
Average Damage after all modifiers: 23,125 @ 4 fpa
Damage per second: 130,649 average (before physical resistance, chance to hit, and block)
Elemental Damage on Switch: 440-3,659 (2,050 average)
…..after Conviction effectively: 968-8,050 (4,510 average)
Elemental Damage w/ Dream Helm: 440-7,217 (3,829 average)
…..after Conviction effectively: 968-17,710 (9,339 average)
Attack Rating(Display): 9,564
Defense(Display): 34,099
Life: 2,212
Mana: 262
Resist Fire: 80
Resist Cold: 80
Resist Lightning: 90
Resist Poison: 75
Merc Stats:
Damage(Display): 4,108-10,022 @ 6 fpa
Defense(Display): 26,635
Life: 2,434
Resist(F,C,L,P): 75, 75, 80, 85
Others: 40% CB
As you can see, these numbers are quite intimidating. If you try it out, I’m sure you’ll find that he is more than capable of taking on all those problems areas, even in an 8 player game.
