No worries I look forward to any information you may find

I've been thinking about this some more. Have you tried a variation without using Valk and thus eliminating the fend bug? I'm thinking more along the lines of pure melee damage stats with some DR. EBOTD, Guillaume's ber, treachery, LoH/20ias 10 CB gloves, string, gores, highlords, raven, dual leech rare. Max fend, penetrate, critical strike, decoy, inner sight (done at level 92). Might merc with eth reapers 40/15, treachery, and guillaumes 40/15. I guess I'm just not used to playing a zon defensively, since javazon rips through everything with ease.

I'm going to make one of these when work slows down.

Each Jav skiller will add 10% enhanced dmg and 10% to attack rating. (well if it does not diminish after certain levels)

decent build but there's much better setup (able to clear hell sac/brs in 8p games with ease).

e botd wp (and only this one - no weapon gves better dmg)
fort is ok (obviously in light armor type)
string of ears
guillames 15ias/15res
laying of hands
highlord
gores
raven
dual leech/high ar ring

2x fhr sks (52fhr bp reached).

I personally went with maxed jab as this skill gives WAAAYY better dps vs 1-2 targets. Vs huge packs fend ofc is unbeatable.
when it comes to avoid/dodge/evade i've found even 1 pt to be too much... I stuck almost everytime so I reccomend goin with 1pt ONLY if u can controll that... I mean u attack monsters from distance and when they start to surround you
u have to retreat and let the merc/valky go ahead. For pure offensive style u have to skip them (and in the same time u loose valk:( ).

Btw why holy freeze merc is only 'LOGICAL'; choice for this zon?
To me the most logical is might merc which adds TONS of dmg.
Unless its hc... then MABY u would want to have holy freeze one, altho i still prefer 'what is dead cannot kill u' style which focuses on maxing dmg.
Leeching keeps u alive

This post was edited by mysz15 on Sep 16 2013 02:06am

You're running Tankzons with these, so with enough gear I suppose you're just playing a weak Zealot with a spear. Holy Freeze merc is 100% there for D/A/E alone. I probably should have worded it better. What happens when you get amped on those Tankzons? Generally I would just play the Zealot instead. I suppose I should have touched on the non D/A/E variant a little bit more to prepare these questions.

I was looking for a non-cookie cutter faceroll build to try for mid-season, so I went the Valk route and stuck with it. Went with the "if it's not broken, don't fix it approach.", as I played through the game. I personally wanted to prove that Fend was doable even with D/A/E affecting it. When I checked the stickies and found no Spearazon guides I decided to show this one to see if JSP would like something different. While I may or may not have portrayed this build to be the *only* viable Fend build, this does work - and well enough for me to keep playing it over my other characters.

Also, since you don't have to super-gear yourself to tank all those hits and mass LL it back, with Valkyrie I think you're allowed a little more freedom of gear.

This post was edited by Avelynn on Sep 16 2013 02:40am

I dont understand your point - your build in the matter of safety is basicly the same as mine - but I prefer might over holy freeze ANYTIME when we talk about softcore. When it comes to skipping D/A/E i've just gave an option... not saying that this guide is bad
becase of these skills lol... I personally use them as well along with maxed valk as well (maxed fend, maxed jab, maxed critic and %ar).
And no matter what you do zealot will still be better so the argument about zealot is meaningless.

My point is that the Holy freeze is there to cover for the D/A/E variant, not to compare both build's survivability with each other. It's a decent option, if you're just looking to just mindlessly Fend - but we do agree: if you're looking for max damage you may as well play the Zealot if you're going that route. I suppose it could be preference: did you walk hell with yours? How does it fare when the area is filled with tons of ranged attackers like Archers? In my eyes, Fend Bug proccing with Might active = still 0 damage.

Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the input, but I do have my opinions for everything And I have to defend my guide as well. Non D/A/E is definitely viable. And while I still think Holy Freeze is recommended for D/A/E Fending, especially for those wanting to try it out for the first time - as the safer option. You're definitely welcome to add Might / Fanaticism instead - but that's a preference.



Is what I thought as well when thinking about charms, which is why I never looked into Max/AR/Lifers that much. You do get the AR bonus as well which is sweet (which I forgot to mention).

This post was edited by Avelynn on Sep 16 2013 03:08am

I understand your point but holy freeze doesnt automaticly turn your opponents into piece of shit not able to attack...
yes their hit velocity is decreased so u get less hits but keep in mind that your merc follows you so u get into the combat few seconds before him
thus it's not that holy freeze makes u immortal.
As I said - for softcore nothing beats might IMO.
For hardcore holy freeze obviously.

Yep yep I respect that opinion. I probably could have possibly included a Might merc in there.

You're right - it doesn't make you immortal. I decoy ahead and use that time to get the Merc into area of effect - I'm hardly ever rushing in. Between the advantages (I feel) you get from being able to position yourself better while herding up slowed monsters and the attack speed reduction, I feel I'm the most comfortable with this.

Thanks!

cool mate.
I'm just a 8p games soloing type of guy thus I usually maximize my dps + when it comes to defense I rely solely on my playing skills,
but some people may find holy freeze better option obviously. Most of the monsters are 1 hit dead anyway.
But think about maxing jab - its much better skill vs bosses and 1-2 monsters