well heres an intro:
i know melee builds arent common for pvm only, but you will be a unique build among almost every game, and its actually quite fun to do overall i think.
with this guide, your Paladin should be solo-ing pvm or full gaming it easily, in a fun and unique way.
well heres the build layout::
Statistic goals:
FHR breakpoints-
either the 27% breakpoint (6 frame) or the 48% breakpoint (5 frame) is what this build will accomplish
the 27% breakpoint is recommended; see the note after helm for details regarding this
IAS breakpoint-
we will be aiming for the 5fpa zeal goal (thats 5 attacks per second)
General damage amount-
I would say expect to hit about 7k-8k zeal dmg, but do remember that your dooms -40/-60% enemy cold res will boost this count
also, in the mercenary section you will see more dmg boosting for this
Stats
str: as little as possible, we wont be using enigma but that's explained later.
dex: enough for max block with holy shield; at lvl 85 or w/e level you feel comfortable with.
vit: rest of points for this build.
energy: none at all; mana leech is great lol.
Skills
20 holy freeze
20 salvation
20 resist cold aura
20 zeal
rest into holy shield (OR sacrifice, do you want more defense or more physical damage? its all up to you)
if you do the sacrifice option, be sure to at least put 1 point into holy shield for better blocking+defense.
feel free to do those in any order, EXCEPT you should do holy shield last i believe.
Gear:::
Weapon
---doom berzerker is an obvious choice here; with it you hit 5 fpa zeal (5 attacks per second), and you get an additional -40/-60 enemy cold resistence, which is nice since your main dmg will be cold damage.
you must use 20% ias gloves to hit 5 fpa zeal with this.
Helm
---since our focus will be PvM, Dr and silly things like that arent needed as much such as for pvp, in which case DR is crucial.
so i say nightwings for your helm, with a cold facet inside of it.
if you must have a coa, go for one with 2x P cold facets inside.
if you feel you must hit the 5 frame FHR breakpoint though, i suggest a coa.
if not, 6 frame FHR is your goal ( NOTE the monsters wont be spamming attacks on you; they will be slowed 58% by your holy freeze aura, do keep that in mind)
Armor
---i would say an AP CoH here, or whatever low str one you can find; enigma's str bonus is nice and all, but mass vit cramming wont be as necessary for pvm only.
also, um'd hoz and anni+torch will be your only other res helpers, so the +65 extra res helps a lot.
Belt
----well verdungo's is a real winner here; lots of extra vit and some DR just to help.
other belt option::: arach-you get +1 skill, which will add dmg because holy freeze is whats giving us the massive dmg in this build, and it also gives 10% more slow, which means you will actually be slowing enemies by 68% instead of 58%.
this is your call here folks lol.
Gloves
if you are using a zerk doom, use some 20% ias gloves with mods that suit you
(mana leech on gloves opens up your ring///ammy options if you manage to get it on gloves)
shield
---no other then Um'd hoz here i would say; keep it non upped so you need less str points in the long run.
also, the um is necesary to keep your res high lol (+22 all res in shields).
the problem with using exile is the 33 res you would be losing lol from the um'd hoz (this is stat loss from a perf res exile).
if your res are fine tho, sure why not slap on exile for more % chance to cast lifetap, and more defense.
hoz still suggested though; it will add some damage as well.
rings
---i would say a raven frost, because being frozen sucks lol
and a mana leech ring with nice mods
otherwise you'll need mana leech from another source (ammy or belt for example)
if you get mana leech on your amulet, use 2x raven frosts with high dex and attack rating (Note: if you use any setup with ravens, only use enough dex points to get max block with the ravens; or even if you get to use the whole angelic rings+ammy combo, that gives +10 dex lol as a set bonus).
if you are receiving mana leech from a diffrent item (like your gloves i hope) use the angelic set for the massive attack rating bonus.
Amulet
-----If you can get a nice melee ammy with +2 pally skills,res, and mana leech, GG.
if not, go with maras, OR if you have mana leech from a non jewelery source, use angelic ammy with 2x angelic rings.
Boots
---I'd say treks are your best friend here; the str bonus and the FHR will be needed to reach our goals.
Weapon switch
---what ever BO cta you can afford, and a spirit for the extra +2 bo lvl (if you dont have the str nor want to spend that much str to use a monarch, use lidless on BO switch)
Charms
9x offensive lifers (or plain ones if you cant get lifers)
life///res sc's, or res charms with life sc's; you can mix it up if you cant afford life//res sc's.
for small charms, you can also do some life///ar sc's, for your ar wont be too high i dont think
torch
--get as high of a res torch as you can, then try to get a decent attribute roll as well
anni
---highest affordable is reccomended
Mercenary Gear (ACT 2 merc)
Eth vamp gaze with highest DR and life leech possible (Um this for your mercenary)
eth upped shaftstop(i would say this so your merc gets almost max DR for tanking ability
and a Eth CA or CV infinity runeword
---why? because your main dmg is cold dmg, and this will also lower their defense making them easier to hit.
Mercenary Aura-
---make sure you get a Blessed aim mercenary; might wont be necessary because your main dmg is cold dmg yet again
and your AR wont be too high with this build either
this would be the act 2 offensive mercenary
well i think this about covers it, i really cant think of any pvm tips lol, its pretty simple
were this pvp i'd have some suggestions tho, but im not sure this type of char can do pvp
post any suggestions or tips ASAP so i can edit them into my guide for future readers
That way they wont have to comb through all the posts to see errors and corrections and such
This post was edited by SoulReaverX on Nov 6 2006 10:06pm