IMO there aren't better places to put points. If one used salvation, they would prolly need rez from gear other than shield. You would prolly need to use a smoke or lionheart to make up for loss, and GAngel is the focal point in this build. Also, if one is poor and starting new ladder, they have more control over there skill points than they do their equipment. If you eventually find +rez charms, a nice rez ring/ammy, in the new ladder you could respec and max out smite. However, note that conviction also adds +90% defense than salvation, which is like a level 6 Defiance. Also, If you use Heavens Light and GAngel and you get +4 skills, that means you would only need a level 17 conviction. And aslo, using conviction is just bad ass.

I play HC, so I think that the poor_mans build is a little risky. Although its one thing to say that poor_mans cans can clear UT is decent time, its another thing to say that it can be done repeatedly without dying.

This post was edited by thana on Oct 1 2009 01:23pm

wat ?_?

Im sorry I was not clear in my post. If you were not using conviction and using salvation, you would loose 90% enchanted defense, because meph's conviction lowers you defense by 90%. Therefore, when comparing Salvation to Conviction, it can be said that overriding meph's conviction is like adding 90% enchanted defense. If you were to switch from salvation to a lvl 21 coonviction, your base defense would be increased by 90%. This is like having 6 hard points into defiance.

This post was edited by thana on Oct 1 2009 03:41pm

Holy Shield amounts to ~ +400% skill-ED, so that -90% Defense will hardly make a difference.

Defense doesn't even help staving off the danger: elemental attacks.

I agree a lot of elemental damage in UT, but there is still physical damage in UT (skele warriors, ghosts, pit lords, the ubers themselves meele attack). That really isn't my point however, its just besides maxing smite, you'd prolly put points into defiance because there really isn't much more you can improve in an uber smiter. I was merely saying that a lvl 21 conviction is like adding 6 hard points into defiance when compared to salvation.

Another point, is that it is nice to have a stormlash when fighting Uber Meph and switch to Heaven's Light for Diablo and Baal. Stormlash has +9 Variable Light Absorb, and when added to TGods, you get +29 Variable Lightning Absorb. And since Meph has a lot of lightning damage, these mods in conjunction with capped lightning resist make it so you are virtually immune to lightning damage, ii can actually heal you.

Why I am saying this is while you fight Meph and opt for this setup, you have to use cats eye to hit 7 frame BP, and therefore you will only have +1 skill. (Highlords is available aswell but costs considerably more.)

With only one point salvation and the +1 skill you only get 68 resistances. Which pales in comparison to a canceled conviction aura. You would need another +58 resistances to to equal a lvl 21 conviction.

This post was edited by thana on Oct 1 2009 05:06pm

What truly matters against physically delivered attacks is max block (75%), not a few k difference in Defense. I wouldn't skill Defiance beyond the "mandatory" 1 point.

Of course, it pales when you compare ~ max Conviction to level 1 Salvation, effectively disregarding 20-23 skill points.

Salvation (Resist Fire, Cold, Lightning +X%) obeys the diminishing returns formula,

X = [(120 - 50) * [110 * slvl / (slvl + 6)] / 100] + 50

Right, we cannot reach 125%, but the gap is nowhere near ~ 60, more like ~ 20-40, depending on the investment. Not that hard to patch up, using just a few charms.

5-10 point Salvation and some plain resistance charms.

This post was edited by Faelwen on Oct 1 2009 08:18pm

There is obviously more than one way to make a smiter. The extra points spent in conviction is like a safety net, just in case you don't have the items to get good resistances. The main goal of this build is capped resistances, while not spending a large investment. Of corse, if you have the charms to reach this goal while using a lvl 10 sanctuary by all means do it. The only point in using salvation or conviction is to get your max resistences, if you can do that with 10 fewer points, you should.

I was not saying that the extra defense you receive (when compared to using salvation) is a huge bonus to conviction. I was merely saying that there are not many more skills to max, and people tend to throw there points in defiance at higher levels anyway.

Even if you have all the GG equipment, lvl 21 conviction is still a valid consideration. If you use salvation with charms, obviously those charms take the place of a life sc. 20-40 in rez means 4-8 rez scs, which means 80-180 life you could of had with conviction.

As I said before, there is more than one way to do this, those extra points one would use in conviction would be spent on a maxed smite. It is one's opinion if that investment is worth it, or for that matter if lvl 21 conviction is worth it.

Thank you Faelwen for you input.

Putting one point in defiance is hardly mandatory, it increases at the same %def/lvl no matter if it is at lvl 1 or lvl 19. Seeing as you quoted mandatory ("mandatory"), you already know....

You mean Salvation. It is common to get those two confused.

yup