This guide is written for skillful warriors who use or are thinking of using a low AC setup. It is aimed at clvls 30 and up, who want to be effective in H/H. Its focus is on styles and on equipment. For tactics I would highly recommend Finnan Haddie's Guide to the Low AC Warrior (Swordsmen). 

"Sliding", Telekill, and positioning are vital...

Before equipment:

Lvl  Str   ToHit +dmg  maxHP maxMana
30   130   130   +39    278   79
35   180   135   +63    288   84
40   250   140   +100   298   89
45   250   145   +113   308   94
50   250   150   +125   316   98 
 

(Note: To Hit On Screen will be 80 for all these lvls)

Requirements for H/H maximum Effectiveness:

AC: vs. Blood Knights with 30% autohit, 370-2*clvl = 310 AC at 30
      Against Lava maws, with 15% autohit, 5lvls lower, and base tohit 65% less than BK's: 385-65-2*5-2*clvl = 250 AC

ToHit: To hit 95% (max) vs highest AC (Blood Knight, Soulies, 165) you need 260% to hit (real, not 'on screen'). Advocate AC is only 80 in Hell diff.

Dmg to Stun: mlvl+3+30 for Hell diff = 63pts for normal monsters, 93 for certain bosses.

Dex: 100+2*(mod.mlvl-clvl) = 220-2*clvl for autoblock vs all but Diablo: 160 Dex for 30th lvl Warrior

HP: 400-500 is nice, but base of near 300 is playable if careful.

Mana: 160 (four SC) is nice as a minimum (Mana costs: Teleport 15@7, S.C. 40@8, Fireball 10@7)

Requirements at clvl 30:

             AC  ToHit  Dmg   Dex  Magic
Optimal:     310  260    63   160  160
Useful:      235  210    60   110  110
Negigible:   165  160    58    60   60
Lvl above 30: -2   -1    +2    -2    0 
 

H/H Shortfall - How much must equipment give you?

To Hit Plus: 130 -2/lvl above 30  (=190-2clvl)
+Dex Needed: 100 -2/lvl above 30  (=160-2clvl)
+Mag Needed: 100 -2/lvl above 30  (=160-2clvl)
+dmg Needed: almost never a problem

HP: ok with base, but for 450hp, need plus ~150
Mana: at least +75 is helpful, more is better
Resists: +75% each

The perfect soldier hits 95% of the time, blocks 100%, has max resists, 160 dex and magic, and does over 90 pts per hit.

ToHit

• Even for a 45th lvl Warrior, a perfect King's +100% would be needed for optimal to hit. For those of a lesser level, Strange is better as you as you still stun.
• For CC or similar weapon with no to hit bonus, you'll need +130 from +tohit and/or +dex/2 for autohit levels. Given that dex will be +100 to block, +80% is needed from gold (for optimal, +50-60% from 2 items is good)

==> King's, Strange, or two gold items are needed

DMG

• For normal H/H monsters, 63 pts will stun anything, but...
• For advocates/lawyers, Haste is needed to stun, and...
• For several bosses, 93 pts is needed to stun.

==> Get strength to 180-200, and always carry a haste weapon

Blocking

• Blocking is extremely important for warriors, given the high autohit and high dmg of H/H blood knights
• Rather high dex is needed +100 at lvl 30, but this decreases with character lvl
• Good sources for +dex: armor (+15), helm (+20), and jewels of Stars(11), Heavens(15), Precision(20), Zod(20), perfection(30).
• A shield is less likely, but Blackoak (+10) or Jade Accuracy are options
• Tank warriors with FPM, mammal shield and helm can never block perfectly, unless lucky FPM-Precision and 3 Perfections.
• Medium AC warriors swap some shield AC for a resist, and would choose a moderate AC Precision Full or Gothic Plate, and would often like a Royal Circlet (+10). +70dex to go, meaning two perfection jewels or three prec or zods.
• Low AC warriors can choose a shirt with high precision, allowing for a CC option, or more +all, less +dex jewels.

==> Make sure block is 80-100%, even if you must forego some AC

AC

• "Standard" Value for optimal protection vs Blood Knights is 400-autohitvalue-2*clvl = 310 for a lvl 30 on dlvl 16
• In actuality, slow speed of Knights make them cake, and bigger problems caused by Azures and Lava Maws.
• For Azures, 3 lvls lower than BK's, so 6 AC less is needed
• For Maws, 5 lvls lower AND 65% less to hit, with only 15% autohit, so 60 less AC needed for optimal protection.
• clvl 30 vs Maws thus need 250 AC for maximal, with 215 AC giving 50% protection, and 165 AC utterly useless.
• For this reason, often a Gothic plate of Precision with a good AC suffix is more useful then a high AC FPM
• A good suit of FPM will give you 170 AC, or up to 187.
• Good shield gives at least 45, and helm at least 40.
• Dex bonus, if you're good enough to block, is +32 AC.
• Together these give AC of 170+45+40+32 = 287
• With a low AC resistance shield of 18, AC would be 260
• With a good base resistance FPM and shield, AC is 165. Useless.

==> 'Perfect' AC is 370-2*clvl, or 310 for clvl 30
==> Very good AC, 50% vs Azures and overkill for maws, is 319-2*clvl or only 259.
==> If AC goes below 170, a single maw can kill you.
==> A 'Medium AC' Warrior can get this 'very good' AC using a resistance shield and decent FPM.
==> With resistance armor, rags are as useful AC as Full Plate

Warrior Styles:

(Setups shown are merely typical, YMMV)

High AC

A) Traditional - High AC, high HP
    AFPLion, GGrHlmWhale, AweTiger Sh, KSOH, Obs/Zod x2, Drag/Lion - relies on AC, not blocking, HP and Resists are good, almost never uses magic.

B) Brainy Warrior - High AC, focus on Magic
    AFPSorc, RC, AweTiger, KSOV, Obs/Zod, Obs/Wiz, Drag/Wiz - relies on AC for defense, good at telekill, handles many ranged attackers with magic.

C) Turtle Mage - High AC, extreme use of magic
    AFPSorc, RC, AweTiger, DF, Obs/Zod, Drag/Wiz x2 - with 180 magic and about 400 mana and 400 hp, can cast and heal with abandon, and hi AC for defense. Enough mana to fireball and stone curse alot.

D) Agile Tank - Med-High AC, focus on dex
    AFP(or SFP)Prec, RC or whale, AweTiger, KSOHvns, Obs/Zod x2, Drag/Perf - good AC and autoblock dex, a true melee specialist

E) Bodybuilder - High AC, bonecrushing damage
    AFPGia, RC/Gotter, SS, KSOH, Obs/Tit x2, Gold/Tit - swaps in CC for mages or for NM, has a *bonus* of +150

Med AC
- Wants either a Helm of Sprits, or a resistance shield to free up a prefix for a jewel. The armor itself is still high AC, giving roughly 50% protection vs Knights/Drakes, and up to 100% protection vs Lava Maws.

A2) Traditional
The high lvl warrior, with less AC req'd and doing massive damage, often switches to the Helm of Sprits.

B2/C2) Mana Warriors
Swap an Emerald/Tiger shield, and wear an extra one or two Dragon's jewels, for a large boost in mana. Emerald + Dreamflange = max resist vs witches.

D2) Classic "Medium AC" Warrior
Wears Emerald/Tiger shield, and on less melee intense lvls, HoS. Allows for a broader choice of jewels, including some gold.

F) Axewielder
(See Executioner variant) Loves the look and damage of the axe, at a huge price in loss of blocking and AC. Not 'optimal' but fun. AFP-max AC, RC, KAOH, Obs/Zod x2, Gold/Hvns.

G) Warrior Archer (including the Ranger variant)
Less sane than the axeman, this warrior focuses on use of bow and magic. AFPStars, Obs/Stars Hat, Merciless Thunder Bow, Obs/Zod x2, Gold/Hvns - with 150 dex, 230% to hit with a bow, merciless is an option, as is Eaglehorn, or Savage/Hvns, or Emerald/Hvns and Drag jewels.

Low AC
Not just one playing style, but several, the key feature is the use of a resistance armor with good prefix, with resistance on shield or helm, allowing Dragon's or Gold prefix on jewels, and choice of 'hat'. The downside is virtualy zero AC in H/H, and a need to block well.

B3/C3) Micro mage
With half the mana and magic of a sorcerer, lower dex, and none of the warrior AC to protect him, the low AC micro mage is likely a variant, or just insane. However, there is alot of freedom for outfits:

• NLP/DF/TC/JadeBrilliance, Drag/Wiz x3. Totally Arty :)  slvl 19
• Obs/Stars, TC, Jade/Moon, Obs/Zod, Drag/Zod x2. Good blocking too. (see the Mage Knight Variant)

D) Berzerker - the usual 'low AC' warrior, blocking specialist
Obs/Prec shirt, RC, Emerald/Tiger shield, Drag/Perf, Drag/Zod x2. He skillfully engages monsters in smaller numbers, using magic to keep off or thin out mobs. Several good weapon choices. (see the Cavalier Variant)

E) Cudgelizer - CC+HOS Warrior.
Why low AC? With CC he'll need three gold jewels, no resists, so resists must come from elsewhere. HOS removes helm as an option, leaving shield and armor. Obs/Prec shirt, HOS, Emerald/Tiger, Gold/Perf x3. The jewel requirements are extreme, needing three golds for to hit and +80 or so dex from gems to autoblock. Add to this that the shirt, hat and shield are not easy to find either, makes this a difficult character to accessorize.

• Obs/Stars is an option instead of HOS
• At high lvls, Obs/Mammoth can replace the shirt or hat
• At higher lvls, Gold/Hvns can be swapped in and still block. The damage he does will, hoever, be enormous, as will his hit point recovery rate.
• Maws are his downfall... CC does 1/2 dmg vs animals, and a switch to KSOH sword is well advised.

F) Bloodslayer - BS+HOS Warrior
Why block when you can kill in one hit? For the Bloodslayer, above level 35 with suitable items, there is no regular monster in the game that does not have a chance of dying to one monstrous critical hit. ToHit is the main problem, so the setup is very similar to the CC. The difference: no blocking means dex is not so important, while +str for even more dmg is good.
Obs/Stars, HOS, Emerald/Tiger, Gold/Titans (or Hvns) x2, Gold/Perf.
With good golds and some +dex, you shouldn't miss more than 20%, allowing for over 300 str and avg. dmg of 450 (!) at 40th lvl. Everything dies in 1 or 2 hits on H/H. It's beautiful to see :) Obs/Harmony shirt is not a bad idea, given lack of shield and no AC.
(see the Viking Variant)

VARYING AC:  The SWAT Warrior (Switches Weapons and Tactics)

Closest to the CAT-rogue, the SWAT Warrior carries a lot of gear which is swapped depending highly on the situation.

• Melee only. No resists needed. Hat->Gotter, Jewels->Drag/Zod,  Armor->High AC, Stars or Precision.  160 dex good. CC and 3 Gold/Perf also work, but with high AC to back you up.
• Ranged only. AC is irrelevant, resists are crucial. 160 magic good. Block not needed either (key). Armor->Low AC. Mana and hp good.  eg: KSOH, Obs/Stars, RC, Emer/Tiger, Drag/Wiz x2, Drag/Zod.
  Slight problem with CC: lack of mana to port or magic to blast, and occasional misses would let witches run away. If most of ranged are lawyers, speed sword is nice to stun.
• Mixed attackers with dogs. Blocking is key, AC/magic helpful. Med AC is a good choice, offering protection vs dogs but resist shield allows Dragon jewel +1 Obs. Sword (not CC) a must.
• Mixed attackers, no dogs. Three good choices, high AC melee and telekill (2 Obs jewels), low AC CC setup using your own dmg to heal the ranged attacks, or a medium AC setup with fireball or chain (resist shield and 1 Obs jewel).
• EXP Runs: Turtle Mage mode, DF, Teleport, Chain...(See the Goth variant)

GEAR:
Armor: A) AFP/SFP Prec, B) Obs/Stars.
Shield: A) Awe/Tiger or Godly/Ages, B) Emer or Obs w/Tiger
Helm: A) Gotter or RC for AC and +all, B) Obs/Prec, Obs/Stars, or Obs/Mammoth for resists, C) Helm of Sprits. One is worn, two others carried.
Wpns: A) KSOH or Strange Haste, B) CC, C) DF.
Jewel sets: A) Drag/Zod (mana/all) x3, B) Gold/Perf x3, C) Drag/Wiz x2, Drag/Zod,  D) Drag/Zod, Obs/Zod; Obs-Drag/Perf

Clearly all won't be available, but +mana/+all, +mana/+mag, +toHit/+dex, and +resist/+all-or-dex are the categories. For recovery keep two items of the dark and some wiz jewels.

             Armor Shield  Helm  Wpn  Jewel Set
Melee only:     A,   A,    A,     A,    A
Ranged only:    B,   B,    C/B,   A     C
         OR:    B,   B,    C,     B,    B
Mixed, dogs:    A,   B,    B,     A,    D
Mixed, no dogs: A,   B,    A,     A,    D
            OR: A,   B,    B,     A,    D 
            OR: B,   B,    C,     B,    B 
 

With armor, shield, 2 weapons, 2 helms, 7 jewels and 5K in pack, there a full-sized six-slot open for other gear or cash jewels.

SPECIFIC EXAMPLE:
40th lvl Warrior, a 'Goth' Variant. "SWAT" by nature and training, he is restricted to the noblest of martial attire, the Gothic Plate and Shield. (Also Broad swords are favorite)

Armor:
 A. AGPStars 58/148/11
 B. Obs Goth Pl Sorc 54/37/20
Shield:
 A. Awe Tiger Gothic Sh  18/147/47
 B. Obs Tiger Gothic Sh  17/38/48
Helm:
 A. RC
 B. Obs Great Helm Prec, 15/31/17
 C. HOS
Wpn:
 A. KSOH Broad Sw 91
 B. CC
 C. DF
also
 A2. KSOV Broad 89
Jewels:
 Mana/all: Drag/Zod, Drag/Stars, Drake/Hvns
 Gold/dex: Gold/Perf, Gold/Hvns, Gold/Prec
 Mana/mag: Drag/Wiz, Drake/Wiz, Serp/Wiz
 Resist:   Obs/Perf, Obs/Hvns, Obs/Lion, Cob/Zod

Feedback is welcome!

-Charis
Realms Beyond