You don't need IAS in your helmet with a lot of viable gear choices, and you definitely don't need enhanced damage anywhere. If you're running a grief, or a heaven's light shaelshael, or many other options, you'll be ok there. I kill them with a zealer but the theory is similar for a smiter for your gear.

I like this for maximum survivability:
Grief (or shael shael Heaven's Light)
COA (cham um, or do 15 res/15 ias with the cham to unlock more weapon slots)
Draculs
Guardian Angel (protector's stone to proc fade)
Whatever shield you want to use
Gores
Tgods for absorb
Combo of double dwarf or dwarf wisp to cater to your absorb needs
Fill the inv with fire res/lightning res

Your goal is 300 fire and lightning resist after fade procs, which it will. If you're killing Talic first, don't worry about the fire res/absorb as much. If you're killing Madawc first, don't worry as much about lightning. If you have these stats, you'll have 95 fire and lightning resist during the late stages of the fight, plus absorb, and you'll never die.

10 hard points into resist lightning and resist fire
Max fanat
Max smite
Max holy shield
Profit

This post was edited by jimmycongo on Jun 1 2026 09:27am

Is a zealer build easier/need less gear?
I dont have COH or Enigma but almost all else
Have a low rolled grief.

Zealer definitely isn't easier and needs more gear, I just like having fun with it.

If you have a low rolled grief that's all you need. You don't need a COA, it's just nice to have, a Kira's does the same thing. You don't need COH or Enigma, just rock a GA with a protector's stone to make sure fade is proc'd by the time you kill the first ancient.

Single player nintendo switch 2, don't think I have a tgods, might not even have a dracs and will need to swap a lifetap wand, or wait til dracs drop....

super low rolled dungos, mid kiras, etc.

I think all the relevant gear I have is in this:
https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/vp7fkg06

necro torch lol
i also have a bunch of 8-10 res light/fire/cold/poison small charms i can use

This post was edited by ahyp on Jun 1 2026 09:51am

You might have to do some farming then because you should have a tgods or some form of lightning absorb and that isn't an impossible find for you. You don't need cold/poison really, just the fire/lightning. I would definitely use the kiras as BIS in your case, unless you have extra chams laying around. Double dwarf star to soak the fire (unless you have a wisp, in which case use one of those), run a GA and just prebuff with treachery until you can put a stone in it. Just know that if you can't get up to close to 300 lightning and fire resist, you'll likely eat it without any absorb with mishmash gear.

Yeah, I have 1 wisp and 2 dwarfs, the wisp is in that planner, I actually have 2 chams but probably using those for obsession for fire lock.
Sitting on 2 cham jah rn lol

i have a 38 all res sacred targe I could socket and 4x pdiamond if thats better than hoz

Can't see the planner at work, but if you have a um'd kira's, mara's, pdiamond hoz, a GA, and any torch/anni you're pretty close to where you need to be, probably just 100-120ish lightning and fire resist short of being invincible. 10 hard points into resist lightning and resist fire plus the GA gets you to 95% max resists for those elements, and then you just need charms to fill in the blanks. You'll need a source of lifetap, so dracs are ideal, but just use a dwarf/wisp and don't worry about the tgods then.

4x 5 all res jewel
1x 13 all res gc
3x 3 all res sc
wisp
dwarf
10 dr dungos
gore riders
dracs
6 bo cta / lidless
38 all res st with 4x pdiamond
hoz with pdiamond
highlords
duress
gface um
raven
32 ias grief
1/14/16 anni
12/18 necro torch
15% string if better than 10% dungos

This post was edited by ahyp on Jun 1 2026 10:18am

Again, I would just replace the duress with a GA and bump your resists up until your fire and lightning resists are 295 each. Looks like you have lots of room for charms in there. And 100% use the hoz.

This post was edited by jimmycongo on Jun 1 2026 10:23am

Smite the only Smite