INTRODUCTIONwsup, this is my guide to the t/v. Now, I am not going to come out and claim that t/v's are the best build and owns all PvP ez. As every other build in d2, they have their flaws and weaknesses. But I feel
strongly that the t/v has a very short list of such. If built correctly, the t/v has the ability to take over public games and be pretty effective in 1v1 GM duels. So why my guide? Who am i to make such claims? Well...i'm hardly known but I feel that I have been playing this game for..quite a long time lol..and have amassed a great deal of knowledge on the ins and outs of every character and the many revolutionary changes that have come across the PvP world as coming patches were instilled.
This is my 3rd vindicating templar or vice versa. I have made 2 v/t's prior to my current t/v and while i made them as close to perfection as possible, i feel that they did not meet my expectations in the pvp world. dont get me wrong, they fucking owned
, but due to their low foh dmg (2.5k with 9 pcombs...:/) i kept feeling that i was basically using a smiter who'd use foh merely to stun. Many v/ts will argue that foh's primary goal is to stun which opens up a lane for u to charge-smite, and id agree with em... but then why in hell would u put 15 pts into foh and 12 into holy shock when they could be better spent somewhere else? like in..hmm..CHARGE?
imo, i wanted to make a t/v because the foh dmg is EASILY enough to put a dent in chars forcing them to put on sorb.
remember, the aim of the t/v is to utilize FoH to hurt em enough to make em put on sorb, which opens up your charge/smite game to take over. And JUST B/C UR A T/V does not mean your smite is weaksided. fuck no! grief revolutionized smiting and made it ridiculously strong!
(and dont forget foh's stunning ability as well
)
I hope you enjoy this guide, but remember... its merely a guide. if you want to build a t/v exactly the same, feel free. Even if u take only one piece of knowledge from this guide, ill be happy knowing i helped somone ;]
WHAT YOU WILL ACHIEVE FROM THIS GUIDELife=3.7k-4k
Mana= Who gives a fuck? You'll rarely run outta mana as duels will end quickly..in your favor ;]
Smite DMG= 2.2k-2.5k
FoH DMG= 4.8k-5.1k
Physical DMG reduced= 49% (50% is MAX)
Resists= Maxed!
STATSstr=Enough for low str enigma...duh
dex=Enough for maxblock with an exile (You will be using up'd hoz,which requires less dex, most of time. but exile is for BM play)
vita=umm....rest?
energy=you're an idiot if ur thinking twice
SKILLSOne of the most crucial parts to the t/v.......
MAX FoH
MAX HolyShock
MAX HolyShield
MAX Fanact
1convic (we wont reach -150resists...but remember, we're a t/v NOT A FoHDIN. balance = win)
1vigor (controversial...imo helpful, but not necessary)
rest smite
GEAR the fun part...yet very expensive part... if you cant afford the wep+shield...then your t/v will be very insufficient..
HELM= ber'd/um'd shako [mods are undeniable...very sexy. CoA? Mmm... maybe if you plan on just smite dueling..:/ go build a smiter then!]
AMMY= godly dupe..or Maras.
ARMOR= low str Enigma (imo, dusk. high defence, just 77str req). FUCK btals. teleing is important in any t/v or v/t.
BELT= dungos [sexy...]. arachs if u need the 20fcr to catch casters...
GLOVES= 20ias/cb/str/dex/resists [only if u use a grief zerker] or DRACS or BLOODFISTS.
RINGS= Raven frost [20dex...avoids using a cham which would take away a valuable socket which could be a ber or um rune]
BK ring [+1skill...life...very sexy]
BOOTS=godly dupe..or TREKS or WATERWALKS.
WEAPON= Grief zerk or Grief PB. debatable. imo, id take a zerk...same smite speed as PB with ias gloves. Only time it is slower is when someone is BM and uses slow... But remember, the t/v is very good at BMing back ;].
SHIELD= Ber'd/um'd UP'D HoZ [*jizzes* awesome mods, insanely consistent DMG...what more could u want]
*note spirit sacred targe is nice as well (apparently Tylenols baby). But id take up'd HoZ any day in any matchup.
CTA+Spirit on switch DUH.
STASH=
Perfect Um'd Kiras
Sorb gear. [tgods,wisps,dwarfs,hotspurs,snowclash,ravens]
Exile. Great for BMing melee/smiters.
Treachery. Fade? For BMing as well.
Hmm...cant think of any more. I dont switch gear too often
Not like my BvC.
DUELING STRATEGIESOn to the funnest part...All the following advice is based on my experience...I have dueled many GREAT characters, but maybe not the best of the best. So dont expect TOO much from it. It's the best of my knowledge from the many private and public dueling games i have been in.
Generally, you want to keep your distance from your opponent. Just enough to lay a conviction aura on him and FoH away..Charging around while your FoH resets is key. Unpredictability is KEY. FoHing to stun and then charging in and smiting is very important as well.
The t/v is great for defensive play but BEST for offensive play. Be smart, use your auras wisely and LEARN THOSE HOTKEYS!
A t/v player who doesnt have his hotkeys as second nature is at a handicap...for sure.
MY current hotkeys are=
w-meditation
e-tele
r-fanact
t-holy freeze
a-vigor
s-smite
d-charge
f-convic
g-FoH
z-holyshield
x-BC
c-BO
v-switch weapons
VS. BOWZONS
wtf? easy as hell. dont even need to FoH. chargesmite is all you need. Holyfreeze em if they're annoying.
VS. FC ZONS
hey, you hack. you're BM. so i will "legitly" strap on my perfect um'd kiras and wisps and tgods and let you heal me :]. If you wanna stay GM vs a BM hacker, then charge smite is again all you need.
VS. CS ZONS
umm...keep your distance and FoH away? smite alone should kill em...tgods is GM so strap em on if they hurtz
VS. MELEE CHARS (zealots, conc barbs, jabazons..etc..)
you suck if you lose to these
. remember you have maxblock..and they have no block to your smite. Even then you can just FoH away if u want to annoy them.
VS. WW BARBS (BvC mainly)
normally easy. but CAN BE VERY TOUGH if barb clips wws and such. Shift smite is very useful...tele smiting is very useful as well. But Remember that FoH is a key component here as well. 5k foh can do quite a bit of dmg even if they have stacked res. always WALK. your block goes to shit if u run. if you feel like being BM, strap on a exile and its GG.
VS. WINDIES/BONE NECROS
tough matchup. Will really test your ability to namelock. FoH and smite attack single targets (obvious) so their summons/minions will give you problems if you cannot quickly namelock. FoHing and playign defensively can work against dumb windies/necros, but if they're even remotley smart they will tele away and resummon. Keep pressure on em and utilize your charge well. If you can seperate your opponent from his minions, then GG smite him to death. If he manages to pull away, quickly put on convic+foh and namelock FoH him. Quick +accurate fingers will win this.
VS. ORBERS/BLIZZ SORCS
orb+blizz are slow casting but can hurt ALOT. dont follow one of these sorcs as they can just orb/blizz in their wake. be unpredictable. switch between offensive and defensive play. charge helps alot seeing as non-maxblocking sorcs can die in 1-3 hits.
VS. FB SORCS/LITE SORCS
unpredictability + charge + smite wins this again. If they somehow tele away after u lock em, quickly FoH for the quick win.
VS.TRAPSINS
offensive/defensive play is crucial here. Do not be completely offensive and just charge straight at a sin unless you're an idiot or you have mad BM sorb
Timing is the most important part as it is when his traps unload which is your split second to go in for the kill. Try to memerize his recastng pattern and timing.
VS.WWSINS
can be hard if WWsin has a good blend of ww,MB and etc... keep on your toes, FoH away and shiftsmite when he gets close and starts wwing. if he starts to cast traps/MB, vigor+charge outta there!
VS.HAMMERDINS
possibly a hard matchup if hdin sorbs. you can tank 2-3 hits so be aware. stay south of him and be defensive..the only offense you can use in this matchup is your FoH,but if its negated by sorb, then defensive play is the only way to win this..never blindly charge at a hdin or even follow in its footsteps. invis hammers can own you.
VS. V/Ts
a hard matchup if they stack+sorb. most likley they will be charging straight at u as you cast FoH. try and be unpredictable as you charge around and FoH so they cannot namelock you too easily. if they get close, it'll be your smite vs theirs. again, theres a reason why i say this is a hard matchup. holyfreeze can help to subdue their smite/charge
VS. T/Vs
FoH away but be aware that if his convic aura is a higher lvl than urs, then your aura will be nullified. this is a duel of who can put on the most pressure so stay on your toes and be ready to charge in if your FoH lands and stuns.
CONCLUSIONalright..thats it. Thats as much as i can do for now
Feel free to criticize, but useless posts such as "ur build blows" are unappreciated
.
PEACE.
-Andrew aka PDPSi.SS