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Mebd's Guide to Little Shiny Blue Men (Level 18 Defiance/Smite Paladin)
Originally posted by Queen Mebd, Apr 29, 2007
Note: This guide was originally written for BNet. Please bear in mind it may recommend items not found or permitted in Single Player.
Guide to Little Shiny Blue Men: Level 18 Defiance/Smite Paladin
1st post
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Stat point allocation
3. Skill point allocation
4. Equipment
5. Strategies
6. Appendices
7. Notes
8. Thanks
1. Introduction
I've recently put together a level 18 defiance-based smite paladin. I can't claim any more motivation to do so other than having some of the gear lying around mules and though it'd be something new and interesting to try. This is my first foray into the world of low level dueling, yet I've been impressed by the little blue 'din, so I'd like to share it as a guide. What has been equally impressive has been how relatively inexpensive the gear has been (it has been gotten for a handfull of pgems). Since this is the first post of the guide, and as this is my first attempt at a Lld build, any feedback and critiques would be much appreciated. Now on to the good stuff.
2. Stat Point Allocation
Strength: Enough for gear has become like a mantra, heed it well. Your heaviest piece of equipment will most likely be ancient armour of one time or another. Socketed with a -15 requirement jewel or hel rune this becomes a more manageable 85 required strength. Another 25 strength may be achieved with the primary gear set.
Dexterity: Just enough to achieve maximum blocking. At level 18 this will translate to 60 for a Swordback Hold spiked shield, and slightly more for a crown shield. Blocking can be calculated via the following formula: Total Blocking = (Blocking * (Dexterity - 15)) / (Character Level * 2).
Vitality: The remainder goes here.
Energy: None.
3. Skill Point Allocation
Defensive Auras Tree:
Prayer - 1 point
Definace - effectively maxing, 13 points at level 18
Cleansing - 1 point
Combat Skills Tree:
Smite - all the rest, 6 points at level 18
Note on Skills
Defiance is your primary aura that is used vs. ar dependent opponents like zeaots, kickers, etc. Cleansing synergized with prayer is for use vs. other smiters to stem the health lost from open wounds. Should you decide to get rushed through hell for the additional skill quests, putting more points into smite would be advisable.
4. Equipment
There are two effective setups for this build; the defiant setup vs. ar dependent opponents & the reduction setup for other smiters:
4a. The Defiant Setup
Helm: Milabrega's Diadem Crown = 15 life and mana never hurt, nor does the 40% cold resistance when paired with another piece from the set. It's really used for the set bonus for the armor. Socket with a pruby for the life, pemerald for extra dexterity to put towards blocking, an ith for the damage taken goes to mana could be helpful as well.
Armor: Milabrega's Robe Ancient Armor = Damage reduced by 2 and attacker takes damage of 3 are neglible, however the 100% enhanced defense when paired with another piece of the set really makes this armor shine with defiance. My smiter achieves over 2k defense using this setup. Socket with a hel rune or -15 requirements jewel, a -req and damage taken goes to mana jewel would be ideal. This armor is also a nice shiny blue, hence the name of the guide.
for the patient and/or lucky: A nice alternative could be an ethereal self-repairing ancient armor with enhanced defense if Charsi is kind enough imbue one.
Belt: Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt = 20 life, 20 fire resistance, and 2 defense added per level as a set bonus. With three pieces of the Sigon's set there is an additional +100 defense bonus which is wonderful for a defiance build. Keep a Death's sash around if you opponent has a source of cold damage (you'll lose about 300 defense swapping out Sigon's Wrap here).
Boots: Sigon's Sabot Greaves = 20% faster run/walk and 40% percent cold resistance help, unfortunately there are no other useful set bonuses.
Gloves: Sigon's Gage Gauntlets = 10 strength saves a few more hard points, the 30 ias with another set piece is key.
Jewelry: Angelic Halo Rings & Wings Amulet = the 20% damage taken goes to mana on the amulet is key to keeping your mana reserves up. The 75 life on the amulet and 20 per ring make for a nice boost, as does the 6 replenish life on each ring. The 10 dexterity set bonus is icing on the cake. An alternative for one ring could possibly be a rare with stats or life and pdr.
Weapon: Crushflange Mace = Knockback, 50% fire resistance, 15 strength saves a lot of hard points, 33% crushing blow really shines with an auto-hit attack.
Shield: Swordback Hold Spiked Shield = 20% increased chance of blocking, enhanced defense, +10 defense, attacker takes damage of 10, but 50% open wounds is the best mod on this gem. A pamethyst would be the wise socketing option for the defiance setup. Another alternative that I would like to try would be using a crown shield socketed with four perfect amethysts for the 120 extra defense, yielding somewhere around 160 on the shield.
Charms = Stout Small Charms of Life would probably be best for this build. I believe they can spawn with 8 defense and 15 life at level 18. With really nice charms I'd bet this build could hit upwards of 3k defense (don't quote me on this). A few life/mana charms could also be used to supplement your mana reserves. These are the one part of the build that you probably won't be able to get for mere pgems.
4b. The Reduction Setup
Helm: Duskdeep Full Helm = the damage reduced by 7 would go a long way towards reducing your opponents smite damage. Socket with a perfect skull for the life replenishing. A crown or mask with three sockets full of perfect skulls might be an option if you want to go for sheer regeneration.
Armor: Twitchthroe Studded Leather = The 20ias could be useful to smite faster than your opponent. Again a perfect skull would make a good socket for the life replenishing.
Belt: Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt = as above.
Boots: Sigon's Sabot Greaves = as above.
Gloves: Sigon's Gage Gauntlets = as above.
Jewelry: Angelic Halo Rings & Wings Amulet = as above.
Weapon: Crushflange Mace = as above.
Shield: Swordback Hold Spiked Shield = as above.
Switch: War Scepter with + zeal = This could be useful to finish duels when crushing blow and open wounds are no longer effectively doing their full potential as your opponents life approaches zero. Larzuk will gladly punch five sockets in a white scepter and ith's would make for a cheap source of max damage. Max damage jewels would be another slightly more expensive option.
4c. Setup Examples
Defiant Setup:
Milabrega's Diadem Crown
Milabrega's Robe Ancient Armor, with a hel or -req jewel
Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt
Sigon's Sabot Greaves
Sigon's Gage Gauntlets
Angelic Rings & Amulet
Crushflange Mace
Swordback Hold Spike Sheild or crown shield with four amethysts
Reduction Setup:
Duskdeep Full Helm with perfect skull
Twitchthroe Studded Leather, with perfect skull
Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt
Sigon's Sabot Greaves
Sigon's Gage Gauntlets
Angelic Rings & Amulet
Crushflange Mace
Swordback Hold Spike Sheild
Plus zeal war sceptor on switch, with five ith's
5. Strategies
Bear with this section being a bit Spartan at the moment:
5a. Melee
This includes zealots, kickers, jabbers, and any others Use the defiant setup with defiance going. Walk, never run in melee duels. Use your auto-hit, knockback attack to your advantage - if open wounds triggers, maneuver a bit and let it drain some health. The zeal scepter on switch could also be useful here to add some quick and unsuspected damage when your opponent's health is low.
5b. Smiters
You needn't worry about using defiance as smite is an auto-hit attack. Grab the reduction setup and toggle on cleansing. This ought to give you a speed and slight damage negating edge over your opponent. Try to land the first hit and smite away. If they land the hit, move away and try to reposition to get the first in the next exchange. Once their life drops between half and a third, try zealing with the scepter on switch. This may be needed to overcome regeneration if they also have solid damage reduction, as cb will lose effectiveness as they lose life and open wounds won't kill.
5c. Ranged Opponents
Throwing barbs and bowazons are the few that come to mind here. Use the defiant setup here with defiance as your primary aura. Mix running and walking up as you approach. With guided arrows, run to the side of the amazon (not directly at) as to let the arrows fly past you and not acquire a lock immediately. With throwers, approach as best you can in random patterns. These are interesting duels (I've already encountered a few), as you can walk and tank the ar dependent attacks especially, but will never catch your opponent. If they play defensively and don't engage, toggle on cleansing for the regeneration when you get the chance. If you can catch them between yourself and an obstacle like a puddle or tree or wall, this will be a big help.
5d. Casters
The defiant setup will yield strong cold and lightning resistances. Using Death's gloves and belt also gives a resistance bonus. Run and do your best to catch them while avoiding spells. Catching them between obstacles like ranged attacks holds true here. You might as well turn on cleansing for the regeneration while chasing them.
6. Appendices
figure 1: Things That Work & Don't Work with Smite
(Source: Ragnarod, 1.10 Paladin FAQ)
figure 2: Smite Damage/Skill Level with Swordback
figure 3: Defense Rating/Defiance Skill Level*
*These were taken in single player with Death's Gloves & Belt + Cow Kings Boots, not the three Sigon's pieces, hence the disparity between the tables and the shown 2k defense.
figure 4: Open Wounds Calculations
(Source: Ragnarod, 1.10 Paladin FAQ)
7. Notes
Things that I'd like to include in the next post of the guide include but are not limited to (1) updated defense tables, (2) smite ias tables, (3) anything deemed necessary per suggestion or feedback.
8. Thanks
Crawlingdeadman, for the duels letting me test this guy out against some serious competition and for some of the gear suggestions
Ragnarod, the 1.10 Paladin FAQ is an excellent resource, especially for someone who has played maybe four paladins to date
Xombie, your pvp bone necro guide made for an excellent template for this guide
Anyone who spends the time to give this a read and leave any feedback
Originally posted by Queen Mebd, Apr 29, 2007
Note: This guide was originally written for BNet. Please bear in mind it may recommend items not found or permitted in Single Player.
Guide to Little Shiny Blue Men: Level 18 Defiance/Smite Paladin
1st post
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Stat point allocation
3. Skill point allocation
4. Equipment
5. Strategies
6. Appendices
7. Notes
8. Thanks
1. Introduction
I've recently put together a level 18 defiance-based smite paladin. I can't claim any more motivation to do so other than having some of the gear lying around mules and though it'd be something new and interesting to try. This is my first foray into the world of low level dueling, yet I've been impressed by the little blue 'din, so I'd like to share it as a guide. What has been equally impressive has been how relatively inexpensive the gear has been (it has been gotten for a handfull of pgems). Since this is the first post of the guide, and as this is my first attempt at a Lld build, any feedback and critiques would be much appreciated. Now on to the good stuff.
2. Stat Point Allocation
Strength: Enough for gear has become like a mantra, heed it well. Your heaviest piece of equipment will most likely be ancient armour of one time or another. Socketed with a -15 requirement jewel or hel rune this becomes a more manageable 85 required strength. Another 25 strength may be achieved with the primary gear set.
Dexterity: Just enough to achieve maximum blocking. At level 18 this will translate to 60 for a Swordback Hold spiked shield, and slightly more for a crown shield. Blocking can be calculated via the following formula: Total Blocking = (Blocking * (Dexterity - 15)) / (Character Level * 2).
Vitality: The remainder goes here.
Energy: None.
3. Skill Point Allocation
Defensive Auras Tree:
Prayer - 1 point
Definace - effectively maxing, 13 points at level 18
Cleansing - 1 point
Combat Skills Tree:
Smite - all the rest, 6 points at level 18
Note on Skills
Defiance is your primary aura that is used vs. ar dependent opponents like zeaots, kickers, etc. Cleansing synergized with prayer is for use vs. other smiters to stem the health lost from open wounds. Should you decide to get rushed through hell for the additional skill quests, putting more points into smite would be advisable.
4. Equipment
There are two effective setups for this build; the defiant setup vs. ar dependent opponents & the reduction setup for other smiters:
4a. The Defiant Setup
Helm: Milabrega's Diadem Crown = 15 life and mana never hurt, nor does the 40% cold resistance when paired with another piece from the set. It's really used for the set bonus for the armor. Socket with a pruby for the life, pemerald for extra dexterity to put towards blocking, an ith for the damage taken goes to mana could be helpful as well.
Armor: Milabrega's Robe Ancient Armor = Damage reduced by 2 and attacker takes damage of 3 are neglible, however the 100% enhanced defense when paired with another piece of the set really makes this armor shine with defiance. My smiter achieves over 2k defense using this setup. Socket with a hel rune or -15 requirements jewel, a -req and damage taken goes to mana jewel would be ideal. This armor is also a nice shiny blue, hence the name of the guide.
for the patient and/or lucky: A nice alternative could be an ethereal self-repairing ancient armor with enhanced defense if Charsi is kind enough imbue one.
Belt: Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt = 20 life, 20 fire resistance, and 2 defense added per level as a set bonus. With three pieces of the Sigon's set there is an additional +100 defense bonus which is wonderful for a defiance build. Keep a Death's sash around if you opponent has a source of cold damage (you'll lose about 300 defense swapping out Sigon's Wrap here).
Boots: Sigon's Sabot Greaves = 20% faster run/walk and 40% percent cold resistance help, unfortunately there are no other useful set bonuses.
Gloves: Sigon's Gage Gauntlets = 10 strength saves a few more hard points, the 30 ias with another set piece is key.
Jewelry: Angelic Halo Rings & Wings Amulet = the 20% damage taken goes to mana on the amulet is key to keeping your mana reserves up. The 75 life on the amulet and 20 per ring make for a nice boost, as does the 6 replenish life on each ring. The 10 dexterity set bonus is icing on the cake. An alternative for one ring could possibly be a rare with stats or life and pdr.
Weapon: Crushflange Mace = Knockback, 50% fire resistance, 15 strength saves a lot of hard points, 33% crushing blow really shines with an auto-hit attack.
Shield: Swordback Hold Spiked Shield = 20% increased chance of blocking, enhanced defense, +10 defense, attacker takes damage of 10, but 50% open wounds is the best mod on this gem. A pamethyst would be the wise socketing option for the defiance setup. Another alternative that I would like to try would be using a crown shield socketed with four perfect amethysts for the 120 extra defense, yielding somewhere around 160 on the shield.
Charms = Stout Small Charms of Life would probably be best for this build. I believe they can spawn with 8 defense and 15 life at level 18. With really nice charms I'd bet this build could hit upwards of 3k defense (don't quote me on this). A few life/mana charms could also be used to supplement your mana reserves. These are the one part of the build that you probably won't be able to get for mere pgems.
4b. The Reduction Setup
Helm: Duskdeep Full Helm = the damage reduced by 7 would go a long way towards reducing your opponents smite damage. Socket with a perfect skull for the life replenishing. A crown or mask with three sockets full of perfect skulls might be an option if you want to go for sheer regeneration.
Armor: Twitchthroe Studded Leather = The 20ias could be useful to smite faster than your opponent. Again a perfect skull would make a good socket for the life replenishing.
Belt: Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt = as above.
Boots: Sigon's Sabot Greaves = as above.
Gloves: Sigon's Gage Gauntlets = as above.
Jewelry: Angelic Halo Rings & Wings Amulet = as above.
Weapon: Crushflange Mace = as above.
Shield: Swordback Hold Spiked Shield = as above.
Switch: War Scepter with + zeal = This could be useful to finish duels when crushing blow and open wounds are no longer effectively doing their full potential as your opponents life approaches zero. Larzuk will gladly punch five sockets in a white scepter and ith's would make for a cheap source of max damage. Max damage jewels would be another slightly more expensive option.
4c. Setup Examples
Defiant Setup:
Milabrega's Diadem Crown
Milabrega's Robe Ancient Armor, with a hel or -req jewel
Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt
Sigon's Sabot Greaves
Sigon's Gage Gauntlets
Angelic Rings & Amulet
Crushflange Mace
Swordback Hold Spike Sheild or crown shield with four amethysts
Reduction Setup:
Duskdeep Full Helm with perfect skull
Twitchthroe Studded Leather, with perfect skull
Sigon's Wrap Plated Belt
Sigon's Sabot Greaves
Sigon's Gage Gauntlets
Angelic Rings & Amulet
Crushflange Mace
Swordback Hold Spike Sheild
Plus zeal war sceptor on switch, with five ith's
5. Strategies
Bear with this section being a bit Spartan at the moment:
5a. Melee
This includes zealots, kickers, jabbers, and any others Use the defiant setup with defiance going. Walk, never run in melee duels. Use your auto-hit, knockback attack to your advantage - if open wounds triggers, maneuver a bit and let it drain some health. The zeal scepter on switch could also be useful here to add some quick and unsuspected damage when your opponent's health is low.
5b. Smiters
You needn't worry about using defiance as smite is an auto-hit attack. Grab the reduction setup and toggle on cleansing. This ought to give you a speed and slight damage negating edge over your opponent. Try to land the first hit and smite away. If they land the hit, move away and try to reposition to get the first in the next exchange. Once their life drops between half and a third, try zealing with the scepter on switch. This may be needed to overcome regeneration if they also have solid damage reduction, as cb will lose effectiveness as they lose life and open wounds won't kill.
5c. Ranged Opponents
Throwing barbs and bowazons are the few that come to mind here. Use the defiant setup here with defiance as your primary aura. Mix running and walking up as you approach. With guided arrows, run to the side of the amazon (not directly at) as to let the arrows fly past you and not acquire a lock immediately. With throwers, approach as best you can in random patterns. These are interesting duels (I've already encountered a few), as you can walk and tank the ar dependent attacks especially, but will never catch your opponent. If they play defensively and don't engage, toggle on cleansing for the regeneration when you get the chance. If you can catch them between yourself and an obstacle like a puddle or tree or wall, this will be a big help.
5d. Casters
The defiant setup will yield strong cold and lightning resistances. Using Death's gloves and belt also gives a resistance bonus. Run and do your best to catch them while avoiding spells. Catching them between obstacles like ranged attacks holds true here. You might as well turn on cleansing for the regeneration while chasing them.
6. Appendices
figure 1: Things That Work & Don't Work with Smite
Code:
[B]Things that work with smite:[/B]
Crushing blow
Chance to cast something on striking
Hit blinds target
Hit freezes target
Open Wounds
Enhanced Damage
Prevent Monster Heal
+Damage modifier on the Redeemer and Astreon's Iron Ward
Curses such as Life Tap, Amplify Damage...
[B]Things that won’t work with smite:[/B]
Life or Mana leech
Deadly Strike
Elemental Damage
+Max/Min Damage
figure 2: Smite Damage/Skill Level with Swordback
Code:
Smite Damage
1 10-18
2 10-19
3 11-20
4 12-22
5 13-23
6 13-24
7 14-26
8 15-27
9 16-28
10 16-30
11 17-31
12 18-32
13 19-34
14 19-35
15 20-36
16 21-38
17 22-39
18 22-40
figure 3: Defense Rating/Defiance Skill Level*
Code:
Defiance Defense
1 1068
2 1162
3 1227
4 1292
5 1356
6 1421
7 1485
8 1550
9 1615
10 1744
11 1744
12 1808
13 1873
figure 4: Open Wounds Calculations
Code:
Open Wounds will drain a certain amount of life for 8 seconds...
Level=1-15: (9*Level+31)/256
Level=16-30: (18*Level-64)/256
Level=31-45: (27*Level-374)/256
Level=46-60: (36*Level-779)/256
Level=61-99: (45*Level-1319)/256
7. Notes
Things that I'd like to include in the next post of the guide include but are not limited to (1) updated defense tables, (2) smite ias tables, (3) anything deemed necessary per suggestion or feedback.
8. Thanks
Crawlingdeadman, for the duels letting me test this guy out against some serious competition and for some of the gear suggestions
Ragnarod, the 1.10 Paladin FAQ is an excellent resource, especially for someone who has played maybe four paladins to date
Xombie, your pvp bone necro guide made for an excellent template for this guide
Anyone who spends the time to give this a read and leave any feedback