Hey, looking for some input.

Playing sp hc p8 settings with a frost zealot, and trying to finish without respec to fanata. Damage output is pretty good, but life leech (11%) isn't enough to keep up with bigger mobs or bosses in hell and the merc (might) gets rekt fairly often, he's geared decently for a SP char.

Given a choice between decrepify (reaper/lawbringer) and life tap+defiance (exile), I'm curious to know what people here think would work out better for survival. Normally I'm not a fan of exile but this might be a situation where it's actually a reasonable option.

What is your current shield?

Upped HoZ w/pdia until I can find another Um or something like a 15@/15ias

That's already an endgame shield. I'd go for decrep. You do more damage, lower physical resists, and best of all, slow them down. The combination of those 3 things outweighs the exile since hoz is a thing. If they can't hit you, you don't need to leach.

Alright. Good thoughts. Appreciated.

Out of curiosity, what other shield criteria (other than not a HoZ) would you have considered in your answer?