This strategy no longer applies to the latest version of Diablo II. It remains here for archival use only.
This guide is the culmination of all my experiences, as well as those of many other paladins that I have had the honor of playing with as well as learning from their accomplishments, pains, trials and losses. Of particular note, I would like extend my sincerest thanks to Knightscape whose guide was the starting foundation to my experiences with the paladin and contributed to my success with my very first one. My thanks to all the paladins alongside whom I have fought and played with as you have contributed to my overall, and still growing, knowledge of this most varied of D2 character classes.
It must be addressed beforehand that while this guide may contain 'fundamental' facts, it is not intended for true novices. Other resources are more suited to discussing and explaining D2 basics. Such information is used in this guide from time to time to clarify and emphasize certain points. Also, while the information in this guide applies mainly to normal 'softcore' players, it can be utilized by 'hardcore' players as well. Please approach this guide with such considerations in mind.
This guide is an outline to a paladin subclass, dubbed the Defiant. Unlike other classes that are so named due to their combat skill specialization, the Defiant is so named due to his particular specialization first and foremost in defense. This paladin playstyle was my first venture into the Diablo 2 character class known as the paladin and represents my first fully successful build of one as well. All paladin playstyles have their strengths and weaknesses. Whenever a comparison is made in this guide to particular skills, such as Zeal for example, they are made to address their strengths/limitations from the Defiant's standpoint/usage and not those of the playstyle that is so named (i.e. Zealot). So bear in mind that to generally compare one playstyle to another is to compare one's personal preference over another player's. There is simply no point. All are successful in their own way and all represent the richly dynamic versatility and screaming fun that is Diablo 2. Without further ado, I present the Defiant...
The Defiant is a playstyle to the paladin class that utilizes two of the most underused defensive skills that most paladins neglect. Defense as a whole regards the ability to withstand and/or protect oneself against all damage. This includes elemental as well as physical damage. Therefore, the Defiant's entire world is centered around this philosophy. During initial growth, offense takes a back seat to the Defiant (and for good reason), as the entire tactical spectrum changes for him due to his approach. This in turn allows him to deal differently to situations that most playstyles use an offensive approach to deal with. The Defiant's greatest advantage over most paladin playstyles is his ability to actually allow himself to get mobbed. His specialization allows this to be accomplished even on Hell difficulty. The only other character class capable of matching and even exceeding the Defiant in some areas after a certain point is the Barbarian. However, it once again falls more on a matter of play style and personal preference. The barbarian equivalent to the Defiant is an even more rare playstyle that so far has only been officially tried once. The 'Ironbarb' so named by Elvis, the player that officially announced and proceeded to document this type, is quite similar to the Defiant in every respect. Of course, the difference is that barbarian skills are used to achieve its defensive specialization. Unlike the barbarian, the paladin can master his defensive specialization before character level 46. Also the paladin can accomplish his goals without spreading skill points across a multitude of skills and restricting himself to a total of 4 attack skills (Bash, Leap Attack, Concentration and Berserk) that a pure non-WW Sword&Shield Barb can use. In fact, the paladin has but to concentrate on 2 skills to achieve defensive harmony whereas the barbarian must focus on 3 (Iron Skin, Natural Resistance, and Shout) with the last skill, Shout, having a duration. The end result is that the Defiant has, in fact, nearly twice as many utility skills, in addition to his defense and offense that are easily used and built upon since most are already prerequisites along the road to his specialization. Although, further study has as of yet to be completed as to whether or not an Ironbarb can survive hell difficulty at all, much less without WW, and remains to be documented. Let it be noted however, that if an Ironbarb should prove successful, it could be the Barbarian mirror of the Defiant. For now, however, the Defiant has endured the rigors of Hell difficulty and is a proven character playstyle. Final note...the Defiant is NOT recommended for those that are looking to finish the game in Hell Difficulty as quickly as possible. Only Hammerdin paladin playstyles have the ability to level quickly. It is interesting to note that all character classes in Diablo 2 have a particular variation that is easiest to use for level gain. I use the term 'easiest' loosely as even the best equipped & built character can crumble in the hands of a fledgling player that has no idea of what he/she is doing (i.e. your kid brother, sister, etc). Although, everyone gains fundamental and adequate knowledge through use of their character, only skilled players can delve into and CONTINUE to use all their skills rather then just fixating on that one skill that makes it all easy after a certain level . The paladin, in general, represents perhaps the most dynamically skilled character of all the Diablo 2 classes. It would be an injustice to ignore and forget that trait.
1) Strength(STR). In general, the ultimate goal is to eventually be able to don the exceptional Ancient Armor found only in Nightmare and Hell difficulties dubbed 'Ornate Plate'. This armor is by far the heaviest (strength wise) and most defensive armor in D2, requiring a hefty 170 STR to wear. The trick to wearing Ornate Plate is NOT to build your base STR to 170 but to find items that enhance this attribute to such a level. A good base of 140 is eventually recommended. Having more then 170 STR is completely unnecessary for the Defiant, even paladins in general, as no particular playstyle requires more then that; not to mention the fact that the damage bonuses garnered from such an investment are minute. So remember, by Act2/Hell you want to have already acquired some type of equipment to give you such a STR rating. In my experience, the easiest way to accomplish this is to get those bonuses on Amulets and Boots. A good majority of this type of equipment have such STR enhancements and their intrinsic purpose isn't sacrificed for just such a bonus (speed on boots, etc.) and are the easiest to trade for as well.
2) Dexterity(DEX). Depending on what combat skill you want to eventually master (due to the AR bonuses many give) you want to get your base DEX to 150, even if you should decide to use combat skills that give a one time only AR bonuses (such as Vengeance). A DEX of 150 combined with 100+ AR bonuses from two rings and a weapon, as well as additional DEX from other items, can provide a decent AR by Hell difficulty. However, aside from allowing you to use at least the high DEX requirement Ancient and Rune Swords (if you're a sword loving paladin...like me), DEX serves no purpose AFTER A POINT to those that choose to use scepters...and for good reason. Of all the weapons a melee paladin can effectively use, only scepters are capable of having the 'Ignore Target's Defense' attribute. This allows for incredible hit rates in Hell difficulty as well as completely negating 1 of the only 2 weaknesses a Defiant has by then....the ability to hit monsters frequently due to lack of augmenting offensive auras. With an ITD scepter a paladin has an effective 'to hit' rate of 95% against those monsters closest to his level. Bear in mind though, that it would behoove you to NOT neglect your DEX as finding an adequate 'good damage' ITD scepter is an extraordinarily difficult task in itself. So try to build your base DEX to at least 100 to hold you off while your hunting for that particular type of scepter. One final thing to keep in mind is that even with this type of weapon, a paladin fighting monster's 20+ levels above him will still have problems hitting. I call this a 'fail safe' to keep you from getting ahead of yourself. Others call this a bug or an imbalance. Regardless of opinion, the fact remains, if your getting your butt handed to you when you're character level 52 and attempting to tackle Act3/Hell, take the hint and go back a couple of Acts. Death is never something to laugh at...especially with the high experience and gold loss penalty imposed in Hell Difficulty.
3) Vitality(VIT). Vitality is the one attribute that you will always be building upon. Even after you have reached your recommended base STR and DEX, VIT will always need points poured into it. In Hell Difficulty you can never have too much life. If you're aspiring to be a Martyr, VIT plays an even greater role. So whenever possible, invest points into VIT. Though you won't get hit as much as the average 'Din' you need to be able to at least let your defense do its job - to allow you to survive mobs. By Act2 Hell difficulty, a well planned Defiant can be pushing at least 600+ life due to a good VIT rating and even more with +Life equipment. The greatest defense on Battle.net won't do you a world of good when that one single swing that slips through is enough to crack your melon like an egg. So never neglect this character attribute.
4) Energy. Aside from Hammerdins, putting points into energy is useless to all melee paladins. Even Avengers, who at max skill require 13 mana per swing, can compensate for this with mana leech equipment (mostly rings). Should you decide to take the road of the Avenger Aspirant (as I did) you will find that even with 5% total mana leech you are effective in combat. Since Zeal is a prerequisite, not to mention its mana cost never goes up regardless of how many points are invested, it can be used with mana leech items to great effect. A single skill level 4-5 Zeal 'cycle/flurry' can refill your mana orb halfway by Hell difficulty. For those Defiants that choose to go the path of the Martyrs, just remember that although your skill requires no mana, your Holy Shield skill always will. So unless you plan on using only mana potions to refill your orb, never underestimate the advantage of a good mana leech. This also frees up those precious attribute points for other things, such as VIT.
b. Skills - Combat, Offensive & Defensive auras
The Defiant isn't heavily dependant on developing a wide range of skills to deal with most situations (only 4 from defensive auras & at the most 8 from the combat skill tree), such as other melee playstyles, since those skills he does choose are often his primary skills and the prerequisites before them. Eventually, this evens out (4 defensive and at the most 6 heavily used combat skills) and allows you to keep most of your skills below the slv24 requirement marks - you won't really need to use higher level required skills. The most important thing to remember, however, is to never lose sight of your objective - to achieve defensive harmony. Resist the temptation to pour points into offensive auras at all costs should you find yourself in a particularly sticky point in the game, act, or quest you are on. That one single point can do wonders for your Defiant when he reaches his ultimate goal...such as max leveling your favorite combat skill or achieving defensive harmony sooner. Sure, a couple of points to get that Holy Freeze will work wonders for a particular point in the game, but it can be detrimental later on. Nearly all of proverbial 'walls' a Defiant encounters are due to lack of a particular type of equipment at some point (i.e. no life or mana leech rings, defensive armors, good damage weapons, etc.) These hurdles are short and quite temporary. Using up some points to get, for example Holy Freeze, just to deal with one situation when those points would have made several acts easier later on can be disastrous. So once again stay focused and visualize your final goal.
1) Defensive Auras. There are a 2 defensive auras of extreme usefulness aside from the main one for the Defiant.
a) Prayer. Aside from its need as a prerequisite it requires no additional points.
b) Cleansing. An incredibly useful aura, that even with the single required prerequisite point to use Vigor, is an extremely potent utility aura. Its ability to reduce the duration of Curse and poison makes this a keeper. With curses (mainly amplify damage) allowing for instant kills from the higher level hard hitting monsters in Hell Difficulty it is a must against the Nightmare and Hell difficulty versions of Hephasto and nearly all unique monsters which sport 'curse' attributes in Hell difficulty. With sledgehammer hitting monsters like Hephasto, 'curse' basically removes any advantage your defense gives you against him as the single blow that does slip through will lay you out. The same applies for nearly all 'cursed/extra strong' unique monsters in Hell Difficulty. Although they can be dealt with in a normal fashion, albeit carefully, practice caution. Defiance will keep you from getting chewed up, but once you see that haze over your head, activate Cleanse and either run or begin using some type of a fast hit&run attack such as Charge. When the curse is purged start the melee - cleanse - hit&run cycle all over again if need be.
c) Defiance. Your mainstay aura. Its use is what singles you out as a Defiant. At max skill this aura boosts your Defense by +260%; almost effectively quadrupling your current defensive rating. Defense means little in the minute amounts nearly all D2 character classes deal in. Even that 890 Rare Ornate isn't all that effective in Hell Difficulty unless boosted somehow, and it is for this reason that nearly all character classes deem defense worthless. Without specialization or some type of method to multiply your defensive rating, defense IS next to useless in minute amounts on later difficulty levels. Defiance changes this and provides the necessary means to boost defense to heights that even an Armor Shrine cannot provide to make a paladin nearly untouchable if not very difficult to hit. Providing the Defiant stays within the level range of the monsters he is facing, an average of 1 in 12 swings actually connect. This chance to get hit will lower when surrounded in mobs as their overall chance of hitting you is multiplied. However, you can still be mobbed and this ratio is reduced to an average of about 1 in 5 blows PER monster. Might not seem like much leeway but the resulting 'whiffing' spree is amazing and somewhat comical to watch in practice. Theories can only go so far after all and the Defiant proves this. Once again the only other class capable to pushing such a high defensive rating is the Barbarian, and nearly all of them won't compromise their combat effectiveness and other skills to specialize in defense. Final thing to note is that running does negate your defense to a point but it is hardly noticeable depending on your combat tactics. Having run on constantly is not as bad as most players make it. So run as often as you'd like since when you do Charge a lead monster or stop to attack a crowd you'll be standing still. Also remember that the Defiant doesn't need to run or shy away from mobs as some playstyles do. It is what you're built for, but don't get stupid and intentionally attract the whole area map just because you see Rambo do it in the movies. It's all about using your head. You're a Defiant, not a monster chew toy...
d) Vigor. Another highly versatile utility skill, it provides a running/walking, stamina and speed boost increase. Combined with fastest walk/run boots it can provide a paladin with breakneck speed to transverse large map areas quickly as well as allow a means to run from even very fast enhanced unique monsters. Not to mention it makes town visits faster. It is interesting to point out that the only normal monster that can actually keep pace and even out run the Defiant that uses this skill are the knife wielding fetishes (at least it's suppose to be a knife...I have no idea how that pint size munchkin can even lift that thing much less run with it). They can actually catch up to a slvl 10 vigor & fastest run/walk boots using paladin quite easily. Final thing to note is that passive speed skill of barbarians is superior in every way to vigor since it's a passive skill and combined with fastest walk/run boots makes them something to be respected should you ever duel or take up the gauntlet against a 'PK' that has taken care to develop it. So beware....vigor does not allow you to outrun everything and let's not even begin to talk about teleporting sorceresses.
2) Offensive Auras. Though it is debatable by many, the Defiant does not need offensive auras to excel. Another thing to point out is since only the Defiant's defensive specialization is rigid, it by no means prohibits new offensive approaches tried by other Defiants. The skills to be explained below point out the feasibility of skills already tried and not the only ones possible. Just like most playstyles need specific equipment to exceed in their chosen skill builds, so too does the Defiant. The mainstay of the Defiant's offense is a Very Fast attack weapon. They can effectively use Rune/Ancient swords, the usual scepters, and even one handed axes without needing an offensive aura. As I had mentioned earlier the Defiant takes a different path to combat tactics. Since most playstyles need to do as much damage as possible and kill off the enemy before they are dog-piled or overrun (Iceblink equipped Zealots are the only melee exception) the Defiant has his defense for crowd control. There is no need for Holy Freeze when you can be surrounded. No need to slow their attacks, either, as your ultra high defense allows them to swing away preventing you from taking hits repeatedly. Holy Freeze is indisputably a great tactical aura, but for the Defiant those 3 points (just to meet its base requirements) are best spent elsewhere. Concentration is another preached skill for other playstyles, but not the Defiant. It follows the same ideal that you don't have to worry bout killing off enemies as fast as possible before you're overwhelmed. Last thing to reiterate is that all tactical approaches are based on playing style and personal preference. Many enjoy Concentration, Blessed Aim, and Holy Freeze because they are fun and allow for quicker and more variable methods to do the one thing that D2 is all about in a nutshell... KILLING. Only thing to point out to this is once a Defiant achieves defensive harmony and maxes his combat skill of choice he can kill as fast as the other melee paladins before him. NEVER will a Defiant outshine a Hammerdin in terms of killing speed and power, though. As a matter of fact, by comparison, all paladin melee playstyles are this way, but it all falls back to the one thing I will always preach...personal preference. It could be said that the one quirky thing the Defiant offers is ease of aura use since you don't have as many to switch toggle all the time, and of course it is a solution and good play style for the lazy as well.
3) Combat Skills. Although a Defiant is a master of defense, this in no way restricts his choice of what combat skill(s) he can use. Early on most first time Defiants will find that utilizing several different attack types to deal with a variety of situations is ideal. Later on, however, you will need to pick a single combat skill to max by mid-hell difficulty and build a few others halfway to compliment it. The most important thing to note is that all skills are effective with nearly all high damage ratio one-handed weapons, though some moreso then others - but never to a fault. Choose your skill based on personal preference, NOT pure combat efficiency. If combat efficiency and mindlessly rigid cut and paste planning were the only concerns, then other characters are more viable for such a single-minded pursuit, like WW barbarians. Paladins are the most versatile characters for a reason; explore these traits based on your personal medieval tastes. The only difficulty involves your choice...swords, hammers, scepters or axes?
a) Sacrifice. This skill is perhaps one of the best stand alone damage dealers in a melee paladin's arsenal. Throw in the fact that it provides a nice and well-scaling AR bonus, is the very first skill on the combat skill tree, requires no prerequisites, and you would think that it is perfect. This skill has its flaws and its perks (those mentioned above). However, in order to get the most from SAC you need to capitalize on life leech items (rings, amulets, weapon, etc.). Although as a Defiant you won't be pounded on as much as a true Martyr, you will still need to exhibit caution. Overkill is not as much of a concern since you have no damage augmenting auras to push you over the edge as often. However, this can only be benefited from if you follow the Defiant's need to stay within 5 levels of the monsters you're facing, or you'll get clobbered while trying to SAC. A BARE minimum of 12% life leech is recommended here (more is ALWAYS better). SAC use goes hand in hand with ITD weapons as the points saved from increasing DEX in order to gain AR to augment weapons can be poured into VIT instead. ITD scepters, as well as scepters as a whole, require NO dexterity to use. Building your paladin around an ITD weapon does require very careful planning and possibly such a weapon already waiting for you or the law of variables will leave your butt hanging out the window with no DEX and AR but tons of life later on in the game. So, SAC is an ideal route for beginners with any weapon, as well as planned scepter-only users, should you be that lucky and have some ITD 'love' lined up and waiting. Lastly, show some sense and don't use an 80 damage weapon you had saved up and transferred over from another character on a low hit point monster such as a fetish in a normal game with svl5 SAC. You'll beat the crap out of yourself. Always test any new high damage weapons with SAC to get a good feel for the overkill threshold for the monster levels, number of players in the game, and the difficulty level you're facing before hanging up your old weapon. Better to be safe than sorry...
b) Zeal. Ah, one of the most widely used combat skills of every paladin. This skill slightly increases a paladin's attack speed and allows him to swing at all enemies within his weapon's adjacent range (around him). How many points invested determines how many swings. Once a Zeal 'cycle/flurry' begins it will not stop until all the swings are completed or the cycle is interrupted (when slapped around). This 'locking' in place is commonly referred to as 'Zeal lock'. Zeal is one of the most useful but tricky skills to properly use. A certain targeting bug that has stuck with the skill since D2's initial release days makes it miss every single swing after and whenever a monster enters or leaves his attack radius once the Zeal cycle begins. In multiplayer environments such as Battle.net, this disadvantage is further compounded by the fact that synchronization of a monster's updated location on the server and the location of where you began swinging on your computer frequently tend to be off. One of the best ways to partially negate this added disadvantage is to hold down the 'SHIFT' key and target your Zeal in the direction or in an area behind the monsters you plan to be attacking. The 'SHIFT' key is designed to make your character force swing. Since the Zeal animation only begins if a monster is actually within range you can hold the 'SHIFT' key, Zeal and let the server decide if the monster is close enough without being tricked as to the enemy's actual position due to lag. This targeting method also comes into play when surrounded (which happens often for the Defiant) as monsters always tend to get displaced by lag when in large groups. One final tactic that works fairly well with this is when wearing added fire, lightning, or cold damage enhancements. They provide an excellent way of 'tracing' monster movements in crowds when lag displacement occurs. Very useful. Ever wonder why you get surrounded by skeletons and at some point you start missing EVERY swing on the monster your targeting right in front of you? Ask the lag displacement gremlin....he knows. Anyways, getting back to discussion at hand... Zeal's other use comes into play with Avenger Aspirants. Since it is recommended that a character's Energy attribute not be built upon this, it leaves a Defiant with next to no mana growth for Vengeance use. This disadvantage moderately scales since Vengeance is a clvl 18 skill, and as one progresses in the game, its mana cost goes up in proportion to your character level and skill investment. So, a Defiant can never be truly 'assed out' when using this skill. Since Zeal has a mana cost of only 2, regardless of its level, it provides the simplest way, in conjunction with mana leech items, to refill a Defiant's mana orb when Vengeance comes close to draining it. If you're a Martyr, Zeal is not necessary. For Vengeance buffs, it is recommended that this skill eventually be built up to slvl 4-5. Although it is not recommended, should Zeal be chosen as your planned primary attack (10+ levels), one must take certain steps to ensure it pulls its weight but let it be known that in order to do this you will have to sacrifice some things that are ideal but not totally required to a Defiant's growth. First off, acquire some Goblin toes (unique light plated boots). Combined with Zeal's increased attack speed, a very fast attack weapon AND slightly increased attack speed items, this combination of equipment takes as much advantage of Zeal's fast hitting ability to land blows as fast as possible. It also enhances goblin toes' 25% 'crushing blow' ability to kick in more frequently as well. Crushing blow is the ability to instantly shave off half of a monster's current hit points in a single hit. Since Zeal provides poor damage and moderate AR bonuses, not to mention 'Zeal lock' at the higher levels, this ability can be boon when facing monsters in 8 player Hell Difficulty games whose hit points average 8000-12000. You get the picture. Once again I recommend not to use Zeal as your main attack. One can get the most out of this skill when it is used with auras that augment its potential such as Fanaticism. With a Defiant's primary use of Zeal, you will sacrifice the benefits of a good pair of war boots (exceptional greaves) because of goblin toes. The loss of possible high defense, fastest run/walk, +strength, +dexterity, fastest hit recovery, magic find, and high resistance mods are nothing to scoff at and the Defiant can make incredible use of such things. Then again, if you're going to be playing this underdog you might want to give it a shot....you never know. Just don't forget those Toes!
c) Vengeance. Of all the skills in a Paladin's arsenal, Vengeance could be one of the best skill ideas ever conceived. This skill at max level adds +130% fire, lightning, and cold damage to a paladin's base physical attack. The bonus is separate for each element, so in reality this skill dishes out +130% fire, +130% lightning, and +130% cold damage at skill level 20. Another thing to point out is that the cold damage aspect can also slow monsters like other items can (i.e. The Eye of Etlich, Frostburns, etc.). This ability to slow targets gives a Defiant an added edge since they value defensive armor over specialized ones, such as Iceblink, and could use such a lost perk. Every single monster in D2 can sport some type of elemental resistance. So one would think that this skill loses most of its punch in Hell difficulty where a good majority of monsters have such resistances, but remember that it adds to all THREE elements - not just a single one. So while your average Ghoul Lord is resistant to cold damage it won't be against the fire, lightning and/or physical damage. Unique monsters with the 'Stone skin' attribute and even the 'Magic Resistant' to a lesser extent also fall prey to this skill. The only disadvantage that can murder this skill's potential is the fact that it only provides a single 'One time' AR bonus of 20%. To alleviate this most heinous of crimes, follow the base 150 DEX recommendation, acquire +AR bonuses from rings and a weapons. Also, since no monster in an 8 player Hell difficulty game can be killed in a single hit, a -xx 'monster defense per hit' weapon helps immensely as every hit removes a portion of a monsters defense scaling to the point that you hit 95% of the time. This ability works with Act bosses and even the Diablo himself although the 'King' has TONS of armor so that tends to take awhile. The best tactic with such weapons is to use Zeal's quick hitting ability to destroy the monster's defense and then switch to Vengeance for the lay up. Lastly, ITD weapons are also another highly viable option, since Vengeance can enhance the damage of such a weapon considerably and benefit from its special ITD property.
d) Smite. Aside from it's need as a prerequisite, this skill doesn't really need to be built upon. This skill allows the paladin to shield bash his targets, knock them back and deliver a temporary stunning effect as well. It's effectiveness, however, falls upon the skill of the user. Smite can be considered to be a required tactical skill even at slvl 1 and has 3 well known uses. First off, it can be hotkeyed along with your favorite combat skill to lock teleporting unique monsters down and dangerously powerful ones with an alternating attack type combination. Against teleporting uniques, it allows you to keep a them from 'jumping' around and regenerating their hit points. Since Smite almost always hits its target, this Smite/attack/Smite/attack combo takes much practice but is perhaps the easiest way to dispose of such monsters - especially those with high hit points in the later levels. A very fast attack speed weapon along with other SIAS equipment makes this task a bit easier, but practice is key. For those individuals that get the 'pretzel finger' syndrome when toggling hotkeys a few added points into smite is recommended to increase its stun duration. However, this skill is best left at slvl 1 as you won't know whether or not you need to practice or increase it until NM and beyond, where such teleporting monsters have additional attributes such as 'stone skin' that make other means of disposal next to impossible. Against dangerously powerful hitting monsters who can kill you with one hit, the Smite combo CAN be used in same manner, although Charge is a skill more suited to such a task. Evaluating the situation to determine such a need and its relative safety is up to the player's discretion. Secondly, it's 'knockback' ability can allow you to break free from crowds by opening a hole (provided you're not 3 monsters deep of course). Lastly, be aware that this skill has the ability to 'unlock' an 'on the verge of death' monster that has become invincible due to lag and other flukes...very useful.
e) Charge. Although one of the prerequisite for Holy Shield, Charge is one of the 'supplemental' skills that you will want to develop to compliment your chosen primary attack. Its uses are mainly tactically oriented. When targeted with Charge, a normal monster (champion, unique, mini-boss and Act boss types don't count) is locked in place till either you connect or register the miss upon impact. This tactic is great on monsters that tend to flee when close to death, as you can lock em in place to prevent their escape, possibly finishing the job with the Charge. Also Charge has an almost barely perceptible stun duration of about 0.5 - 1 second. If SAC is your primary attack, then this skill is even easier to develop. Since a Defiant doesn't lose his defensive rating when Charging, it is a great skill to employ when rushing groups. Simply Charge the lead monster and upon missing or hitting begin your hack-a-ton. The single greatest advantage Charge has is its ability to knockback a target. In later difficulties, against super heavy hitters such as Hephasto and Multshot LEBs (to name a few) it provides the relatively safest means to tackle such monsters without having to embrace suicidal methods of attack. It can be the great equalizer...
f) Holy Bolt. Other then as prerequisite to Holy Shield this skill requires no point investment.
g) Blessed Hammer. Yes! The skill of skills! Uh, wait a minute, that's for Hammerdins. Nevermind... Aside from its initial point as a prerequisite it requires no investment either.
h) Holy Shield. Next to Defiance, this skill is the second most important to the Defiant. Its ability to augment a shield's blocking is invaluable as well as its ability to increase the shield's defensive rating which provides more of a benefit to the Defiant then any other paladin playstyle. At max level 20, it boosts a Shield's (and only the shield's) blocking by +21% and its defensive value by +310%. Defiance and Holy Shield both bestow a Paladin with incredibly high defense, but in Hell Difficulty that alone is not enough. Resistances play and are one of the three most important requirements to the Defiant's specialization. With max level Holy Shield a paladin can max his blocking on a 3D/Tower or 3D/Pavise, quadruple those shields' defensive values AND take advantage of the massive resistances they provide without sacrificing either advantage as just using a Grim Shield (exceptional bone shield) or the set shield 'Sigon's Guard' would. Granted, Grim Shields have the highest defense value of any shield and Sigon's Guard provides high blocking as well as a +1 skill bonus, but such a bonus is hardly noticed as one progresses into Act4/Nightmare or Hell difficulty Oblivion Knight/Mage territory. Holy Shield gives a total of 3 bonuses (3D/Shield blocking enhancement, smite damage increase and defense) with its use. Simply one of the best multi-enhancing skills a Defiant, and paladins in general, can ever use.
c. Equipment
Defiants, unlike most paladin types, tend to have an slightly easier run in terms of finding most of the necessary equipment since staying within monster level prevents most from getting ahead of themselves and losing the effective benefit of their current items. There are few items a Defiant can continue to use as they advance from the lower levels that never lose their value even long after all other equipment has been changed out. These will be described below. Last thing to point out is that all recommendations are as they would be if you started with NO equipment. Should you transfer items from higher level characters, be aware that you are way ahead of the planning curve but never forget the fundamentals of a Defiant and fill in those gaps with the information provided in this section.
a) Armor. During normal difficulty, a Defiant wants to keep his strength at a level that he can don the heaviest armors available for that specific act. After this, he can concentrate his points into whatever other attributes he sees fit. The only exception to this plan is when using certain unique armors that carry such incredibly effective abilities that can more then pull the weight that their low defensive values provide as opposed to just using plain armors. However, strength should NEVER be neglected, as such armors can only go so far towards a Defiant's ultimate goal. Below are the recommended defensive ranges to maintain for each Act at their respective difficulty; the armors that can temporarily take the place of others and the highest defensive armors available as they appear in their respective acts. Regardless of what armor you do wear, attempt to max your blocking rate as much as possible for whatever act you're in. Should you find rare armors or shields that sport exceptionally high enhancements which put you well ahead of the recommended values, consider yourself ahead of the game for a bit. As far as imbuing goes, I highly recommend NOT to imbue armor, even Ornate plate. At the later levels, with high quality trading material that is acquired, one can trade for a good rare ornate. At the lower levels and even till the end the secret lies in the use of gems...see 'Cube Gambling' in Chapter 6. The values listed below take into account proper Defiance skill levels and growth.
NORMAL
Act1: Act2: Act3: Act4:
200-300 300-600 (500+ recommended for Duriel) 500-700 600-1000
**Twitchthroe: Studded Leather Armor Type, 47-50 defense, SIAS, increased blocking (25%), +10 DEX, +10 STR, +15 defense. This armor can last through much if not all of Normal, but its best attribute for a paladin is its increased blocking ability as it temporarily takes much of the initial pressure from building the Holy Shield skill.
**Iceblink: Splint Mail Armor Type, 90-95 defense, Hit freezes target, +4 to light radius, magic damage reduced by 1, 30% cold resistance. Although the chances of a new player acquiring this armor in normal are incredibly small, the chance is there. Iceblink is easily one of the best armors available, due its ability to freeze a target solid. Its freezing ability allows killing blows to shatter monsters which adds further advantage against monsters that can be resurrected, since this negates such a possibility. This armor can easily carry a Defiant through normal difficulty and well into the start of Act1 and possibly Act2/NM, as by then the tactical drop off of the Defiant's offensive capability with such an armor can be seen. Regardless, it is an excellent armor to hold onto should one decide to ever play a pure Zealot.
NIGHTMARE
HELL
Act1: Act2: Act3: Act4:
900-1200 900-1200 1300-3085 3085+
3000-3700 3700-4500 4500-5200 5200-6000+
NORMAL
NIGHTMARE
HELL
Act1: Act 2: Act 3: Act 4:
Ringmail(36) Splintmail(51) Full Platemail(80) Ancient Armor(100)
b) Shields. In general, shields do not need high defensive values in the beginning. One should never forget that the intrinsic purpose of a shield is to provide blocking. Capitalizing on this trait first and THEN enhancing its defense and any other attributes afterwards allows you to take advantage of all the abilities it can provide while still squeezing defense out of it. Socketed shields are what the Defiant needs, as they allow the use of diamonds to enhance it with resistances. To reiterate, the Defiant is a combination of pure defense, blocking and resistances. In other words...a defensive juggernaut. He requires that all these abilities develop and nothing makes this goal simpler then a 3D socketed shield. With a maxed Holy Shield skill, a Defiant can maximize the blocking ability of a socketed tower or pavise (exceptional tower) shield, take advantage of its resistances, and achieve his defensive quota for the day. Granted, there are higher defense exceptional shields that can boost the defensive value further, but this is nearly always done at the expense these resistances and some blocking. The Grim shield (exceptional bone shield), for instance, has the highest defense value of ANY shield in D2. The problem here lies in the fact that Grim shields have no sockets. With the -50 resistance penalty imposed in Hell difficulty, this road can lead to an uphill battle. Even with 2 prismatic rings and amulet along with a 3D/Tower or Pavise, all resistances can be pushed to just over an average of 40%. So, just imagine how just using a plain or even a nice rare Grim shield can neuter your resistance potential. Other items can carry resistances but once again every item has an intrinsic purpose. Just saying that donning other resistance sporting equipment to make up for your higher defense shield alone is short sighted to say the least. It is very difficult to find items that give high defense, high resistance, and keep their original purpose all at once. Simplifying such resistances, decent defense and blocking in the use of but a single shield frees up the need to partially neuter your other items just to take up the slack for a Grim shield. So that is something to consider...3D/Tower shields will last you well into Act3/NM and possibly beyond. Upgrading that shield to its exceptional brother, the Pavise, is the next step. Since you'll have been increasing your strength to use heavier and more defensive armor, meeting the 133 STR requirements will come naturally. Shields are not recommended for Imbuing.
c) Belts. Belts as a whole provide adequate defense. The highest defense plain belt is the exceptional version of the plated belt dubbed the 'war belt'. As all exceptional belts go, it provides 4 rows of potion slots, making it ideal for carrying large amounts of life-saving juice. Although all belts are capable of carrying many useful mods, as a result of being rare, only one belt in D2 offers SIAS. That belt is 'Goldwrap'. Goldwrap is a unique heavy belt that provides 30% better chance to find magic item, SIAS, +2 light radius, and provides the defense equal to that of a warbelt WITHOUT the high strength requirements. This belt is one piece of equipment that can stay with you all the way through Hell Difficulty and is highly recommended. With the Defiant's limited offensive power, the ability to swing slightly faster due to this belt's SIAS mod is invaluable, not to mention that it sports one of the highest 'chance to find magical item' mods in the game. Very difficult to beat. However, should a fast attack weapon with GIAS be found, then Goldwrap can be substituted with a belt more suited to your needs. If Goldwrap is unattainable, a belt with as much defense and potion capacity as possible, fastest hit recovery, +Str/Dex, and/or additional cold damage is recommended. Belts are not recommended for imbuing, although next to weapons and boots they do turn out nice imbues. Just be sure to use the best type you out there....war belts.
d) Boots. Footwear is the only item next to one unique item that can sport an increased walk/run speed mod. Even though defense is important, a well decked out pair of rare boots can be of more value then a simple pair of magical Holy War Boots. Try to maintain equilibrium between the boots' defense, speed and other mods without totally lop-siding another. Good rare boots with at least 30 defense at the later levels are not that difficult to trade for. If you should manage to get a pair of 65+ defense boots with fastest run/walk, you'll be set, but this can be improved upon further with rare versions. Next to weapons, boots (war boots) are the next best imbuing item.
e) Helms. Protection for your melon, unlike other items, doesn't have an intrinsic purpose aside from just providing more enhancements to your gear. Helms are excellent items for 'taking up the slack' for most mods that are missing on your other items. The two highest defensive helmet types are Grand Crowns (exceptional crowns) and Grim Helms (exceptional bone helms). As with all 'bone' items, grim helms don't have sockets for gems. While this isn't a concern for higher level characters (since most use rares or uniques), at the lower levels where defense isn't as important, it is. Truth be told, Defiants don't take any real 'penalties' from the lack of sockets in a helm as some other classes would so this isn't a concern. Of the two types mentioned, Grim helms have the highest possible defensive value of ANY helmet with Grand Crowns trailing just a hair behind them. Because of this almost indiscernible defensive difference, choose your helm once again based on personal preference. The Deviant unholy look from a Grim? Or the royal snooty 'king on vacation' look from a crown? Regardless, of what type you choose the ideal mods to look for in a helm are enhanced defense, fastest hit recovery, poison length reduction, +life, +mana, and additional resistances (mainly lightning). Other mods are always nice but the ones listed are the most ideal. Helms are not recommended for imbuing.
f) Gloves. Next to weapons, no other item on your person can enhance your offensive capabilities better then gloves. Gloves are the only non-weapon items (not including uniques) that can carry SIAS mods. Add in additional AR and DEX enhancements and their purpose is clear. War Gauntlets (exceptional gauntlets) are the highest defensive type of glove available. A good defensive value of 70+ at the higher levels is your goal. The mods to look for are +DEX, SIAS, +AR, resistances (whatever is lacking), additional life and mana. 'Chance to find magical item' and 'extra gold from monsters' are luxury mods and are not necessary but nice to have nonetheless. Just don't sacrifice other mods just for them. Gloves are not recommended for imbuing.
g) Weapons. Of all the items on a Defiant's body, weapons rate perhaps the most important as they are the heart and soul of your offensive capabilities. Because of the lack of offensive auras, your weapon of choice is what will win the day in your offensive department. Defiants MUST use a shield to meet one of the three required attributes for their defensive specialization. Providing damage and combat efficiency are the only concerns here; the following types are recommended. For Martyrs there are 2 possible avenues...First a scepter with ITD, in order to free up DEX points that can go into VIT to power your bloodletting. Although SAC provides one of the best scaling AR bonuses of the paladin's combat skills next to Charge, special attention must be played by sword users in point distribution amongst both vitality and dexterity. Life leech is ALWAYS key. For Avengers, the normal everyday sought after high damage weapon with increased attack speed, +AR, mana leech and even '-xx to monster defense per hit' is your goal. ITD weapons can play an equally important role for Avengers as they do for Martyrs. Unlike SAC, however, you have only a 'one time' AR bonus of 20%. So ITD can be of even more importance here. Zealots will be using Goblin toes as even a high damage weapon will not pull Zeal alone nor its low AR bonuses. Therefore, Zealots are recommended to follow the same route as Avengers, since you both require basically the same thing. In a nutshell, regardless of your combat skill of choice, it all boils down to the same types of abilities in a weapon....one handed, high damage, very fast attack, mana or life leech, +AR, -xx to monster defense or ITD. The choice is yours. For some, simply selecting a weapon because of it's great combat variables is not enough since some players are adamant on using only swords, hammers, axes or scepters regardless of what goodness they're dealt with other weapons. It's eventually all about your 'style' and combat skill, otherwise we would all be playing WW barbs! Normal imbues are best spent on a long sword, war sword, or scepter, as you need some type of mediocre weapon to carry you through to as far as Act2/NM. Nightmare and Hell difficulty imbues are best spent on rune swords, ancient swords, battle hammers, nagas or divine scepters.
Defiants will always be surrounded at one time or another. This is not a concern. When taking on large groups, Charging the lead monster and following up with your favorite main attack is the norm. 8 player games are what truly bring out the glaring defects in your combat deficiencies and make your defensive advantages shine. In normal difficulty, expect hardly any problems. Nightmare difficulty is where your combat skills begin to slowly lose their punch. Since there are so many ways to deal with certain monsters I'll only hit the highlights. If you need more specifics as to how certain skills handle, then backtrack to the 'Combat Skills' section of the 'skills' chapter as most and some special uses are covered under each skill's description.
1) Smith. The meaty demon guarding the Horadric Malus in Act1 is fairly easy to deal with. He hardly connects and could be considered a freebie. The only time he becomes a possible problem is in Nightmare and Hell difficulty, where he can sport a 'curse' and/or extra strong attributes along with possibly a Fanaticism, Might, or Blessed Aim aura. If this is the case, remember to use a combination of Charge, Cleanse and your brain.
2) Andariel. The Maiden of Pain can be a terror against fledgling players and aspiring heroes alike. In normal, Andariel's greatest threat is her ability to blast you with an incredibly strong poison. To alleviate this, the set item gloves 'Death's Hand' are ideal as well as jewelry and items specifically for poison. With these types of wards against poison effects, Andariel is quite easy for a Defiant mano-a-mano. In Nightmare and beyond, the new threat is that she smacks you hard enough to make your head ring. In these later difficulties, the danger from her poison is next to none. If you've been prudent and not reckless with your character attribute point distribution, you can easily survive the dance with this maiden. Lastly, ALWAYS clear any immediate monster traffic BEFORE tackling ANY Act boss or mini-boss.
3) Radament. In nearly all occasions, this confused mummy isn't that much of a threat, but D2 is never happy to leave well enough alone. In NM and mostly in Hell difficulty, Rada can become a terror with the right attributes. As with Andy, be sure to clear the local monster traffic and lure away the ones in his immediate vicinity. With Rada's ability to resurrect any slain undead around him (ice shattered is the only exception) and the fact that even Avengers have about a 1 in 5 chance to shatter a monster with the cold portion of their attack, things can get really nasty in a hurry. Throw in possible combination of curse, extra strong, stone skin, magic resistant, teleportation, and even LEB, along with multishot attributes, and you could be totally screwed. Since Rada already has high resistances to physical and some elemental damage in later difficulties, these possible attributes can make him all the more deadly. Should he be LEB, use charge unless you feel your resists are adequate, but never engage him in melee if he is a combination of both LEB and Multishot. Charge along with a max lightning resistance is the relatively safest means. If he teleports, first reduce his life bar to half any which way you can and then proceed to open up on him with the Smite/attack/Smite combo, as he'll start his jumping around. Be smart and know how to apply what little offense you have and you'll win.
4) Duriel. Duriel can kill even clvl 60+ characters if they're not paying attention on normal difficulty. His main charge can instantly drop 700 hit points at the later difficulties. A problem that has been mostly fixed after 1.04 involved the load delay of his chamber. With enough lag he could get in 3 hits and then your death before you ever even saw him. This is not much a problem anymore, but caution should still be observed. In any difficulty, Duriel can be grappled with toe-to-toe with little if any problems, since he hardly connects providing you observe the recommended defense range for the Act you're in. The problem comes in the form of his occasional knockback that leaves enough room for him to lay the pipe with his main devastating charge. To prevent this, attempt to get your back against a wall as you're engaged in melee so his knockback advantage is nullified. Furthermore, in NM and HELL difficulty, always bring a hireling with you to take the initial charge as load delay is still there, just not as prevalent. With a '-xx monster defense per hit' weapon you can eventually destroy his defense and begin to land every hit, as this battle always tends to be a long one. Cold aspect items can help here since he can be slowed as well.
5) Mephisto. Normal difficulty 'Meph' tackled within the recommended defense range is a cake walk. As a general rule, be sure to clear out the surrounding rooms first and attempt to lure Meph out a bit as there are vampires in the room behind him. Be sure to max your cold resistance as much as possible as his most powerful attack is a ranged cold based orb of pure concentrated pain which can instantly kill you if you're not careful. In Normal and even Nightmare difficulty, Meph can at the most land about 3-4 blows with some power behind them, but not enough to be life threatening. Hell difficulty is the exception. Ensure that half your belt slots are filled with full rejuvs saved up just for this occasion. Once engaged in melee, his hard hits can bring down a 700+ life orb to just under 70 life. This is cause for concern, but you have defense on your side. In an 8 minute battle, because of your low offense, he can possibly land at the most 7-12 blows. Not bad.
6) Izual. The problem with the fallen angel on any difficulty are his godly hit points (in hell difficulty this can be more so then even Diablo!) and resistance to almost all forms of elemental damage. Clearly this battle is a long one. It is because of this that Avengers, as opposed to Martyrs, tend to have a harder time with Izzy because of these resistances. So to speed this up, the best tactic to employ if available is Zeal combined with a '-xx to monster defense' weapon to quickly destroy his armor and then continue with Vengeance. In terms of hitting power, Izzy is not a concern, as his average damage can kill you in 3-4 hits. The problems comes in the form of his hit points and the number of people in the game. Taking on Izzy solo in an 8 player game is never recommended as it always turns into 20-25 minute hack-a-thon. For questing purposes, attempt to take him down solo or with no more then 4 players in a game. In a Hell difficulty single or one person multiplayer game, Izzy packs close to 50,000 hit points. In an 8 player game that amount can rise to 400,000! So unless you're into sadomasochism beware...
7) Hephasto. Heph is bad news...period. Of all the quest monsters in D2, no other can spank a Defiant quicker. This guy is a Defiant's arch nemesis in every sense of the word. His normal attributes alone are 'curse', 'extra strong' and 'extra fast'. His 'curse' quickly negates any advantage your armor provides as his resulting lay up is all it takes to make you grab your ankles. In normal difficulty a Defiant can survive 2 blows while cursed and engaged in melee. In Nightmare and Hell you can forget it. Even a barbarian with 'Battle Orders' pushing 2000+ life can barely survive one swing from this guy while 'cursed'. Regardless of difficulty, the most important rule is to always attempt to clear the local monster traffic first before proceeding into the lion's den. For a Defiant, and nearly all paladin melee playstyles (vindicators are the exception), the relatively safest method of fighting Heph is with Charge. Be sure you have cleared a long straight stretch of map and as soon as you see him pounding his way towards you hit vigor and run back. Have him follow you to the beginning of your 'runway', align yourself and proceed to Charge his butt across the landscape when he's about half a screen away (just in case his actual location is displaced due to lag). When charging him, using either your Defiance or Vigor aura needs to be decided. Should you already be 'cursed,' switch to Cleanse, and once you're purged, switch back to your original aura quickly. This might seem tedious, but every little advantage is needed should a Charge be missed and he does manage a swing. Helps to have the Defiance going when you miss, huh? Once you reach the end of your runway, turn around, run back, and restart the cycle. Don't get cocky or lazy with this guy. He's the true meaning of the raw deal...
8) Diablo. Unlike Izzy, Big 'D' doesn't sport as many hit points, but the King has TONS of defense. No other monster can make you feel like your wasting your time then Diablo when it comes to connecting. For this reason, a Defiant's only saving grace is an ITD or -xx monster defense per hit weapon. Without offensive auras, and the need to keep your defensive up while engaging him in melee, you will always have a moderate to difficult time killing Diablo. It just takes awhile. In a 1 player battle.net game this isn't that bad, but in a 4 or more player game it is close to hopeless for newcomers. When tackling Diablo, be sure to have your lightning resistance at max even at the cost of other resistances. Cold damage items and skills are ideal as they can slow his melee speed considerably. In terms of hitting power, Diablo is much like Izzy, except that his red lightning spray can be deadly if you intentionally neglected your resistances and magic reduction items in lieu of more defense, as you were warned not to.
b. Defensive
Defense is a pretty straightforward issue. Stay within the recommended defense range and monster levels closest to yours (-5) listed below, or your defense will not do you much good as all you tend to be at this point is a 'nice soft chewy paladin with the hard candy shell'. Max your blocking as much as possible with the means available in whatever Act you're in. This practice is important in Normal difficulty, but not so much so in later difficulties, as your shield begins to be augmented by the Holy Shield skill. Obtain magic damage reduction items, as they are a boon against all duration type spells and Diablo's red lightning spray. Keeping with 3D/shields should be considered the norm. Fastest run/walk boots are key, since that is their purpose, but always look for more defense without sacrificing that ability. Never go stupid and intentionally attempt to attract as many monsters as possible. You're a tank, but even a tank can be derailed with the right means. That normal colored monster you just attracted could be an extra strong and cursed unique in disguise. You'll not understand why your life orb is dropping 3/4 instantly until you're completed surrounded and an orange haze comes up over your head - and by then it'll be too late....poor bastard. There are some extremely unlikely instant killers in the later difficulties that deceptively prove to be pushovers early on. Specifically, any type of undead fetish on Hell Difficulty. Their death causes them to explode (even with Iceblink) delivering a MASSIVE 800-1200 hit point loss, instantly killing you should you fail both your defense and blocking save. You have been forewarned.
NORMAL
NIGHTMARE
HELL
Act1: Act 2: Act 3: Act 4:
1-15 11-20 18-25 21-32
26-40 36-45 43-50 35-57
51-65 61-70 68-75 71-82
**These values do not represent bosses or mini-bosses.
For those that just want a simple laid out plan, and can't stand to read, here are the basics, although it is highly recommended that you pour over whole guide.
Always acquire/use some type of mana or life leech. Depending on your combat skill, prioritize one over the other but never go without the other.
Always max your block as much as possible for whatever Act you're in.
Always use 3D/shields vs grim shields. The potential for finding a perfectly modded magic&physical damage reduction, increased block and high resistance grim is next to none, but if found consider yourself blessed.
Beginners should experiment with one point in each of the main combat skills (i.e. Sacrifice, Zeal and Vengeance) to get a good feel for what is available, and then choose a path. It never hurts to build each skill up to 4 and then pick one to max in Hell Difficulty.
In NM difficulty, Unique Monsters tend to sport a Lightning Enchanted attribute quite often. In Hell difficulty, this tends to become the norm. If you have the choice, and it's one or the other, max out your Lightning resistance, since it is the most important and the biggest instant killer.
In NM difficulty and beyond, show respect to any group of monsters that are boosted by a Might, Fanaticism, or Blessed Aim Aura. Be especially wary of the unique monster himself as 'extra strong' and 'curse' combined with either of these auras make them as dangerous as Hephasto himself.
Fastest Hit recovery items are good to have, but not entirely necessary as you don't get hit as often. If you have the option use 1 in NM and 2 in HELL.
Jewelry and Shields are the items best suited to carry resistances.
Choose your combat skill and weapon on your personal preference and not on pure damage alone. If we all wanted just raw damage we would all be playing WW-Lance Barbs.
Character Attribute Point Distribution
- First priority is to build your STR and DEX to 55 and 39 respectively, to allow you to use both long swords and war scepters. One of these will be your primary weapon for a while after imbuing. This can easily be achieved by clvl 11 in Act1. After this, alternate points between vitality and strength to keep pace with heavy armor usage as you progress. Once you achieve 75 strength, pour all points into Vitality up to 100, then dexterity to at least 75. After this, further point distribution is up to you. Your ultimate goal is the recommended values listed earlier in this guide.
Possible Skill Point Distribution (Normal Difficulty)
**This path only covers Normal difficulty. In a nutshell, you want to max Defiance in Normal, Holy Shield in Nightmare, and your combat skill of choice in Hell Difficulty.
Overall the Defiant is the ultimate defensive tank a party can use. His embrace of defense, blocking, and resistances make him ideal to such a task. Proper planning to ensure he survives the rigors of Hell Difficulty are responsibilities of the player as even this guide can only go so far. After a point, style and skill are what will carry you to the end. Bear in mind the Defiant is still a relatively new, underused and unknown playstyle. While his defensive plan tends to remain rigid, his offensive approach is completely up to the player. The Offensive approaches described and recommended within encompass only methods tried thus far. This in no way should discourage new players from trying different offensive builds with the Defiant. Perhaps in the near future, other offensive types such as a pure vindicator, Zealot, or Hammerdin playstyles might emerge. To those players that choose such an undertaking, I wish them the best of luck. Paladins should never stop experimenting with possible combinations as all the current playstyles are the product of experimentation, skill, and planning of veterans that have come and gone. This versatility is something Paladins can be proud of and is what singles us out as the most dynamic character class in Diablo 2.
For players that are new to Diablo 2, cube gambling is perhaps the most viable option to successfully building a Defiant. Since most newbies don't have the trade capital or treasure hordes that veterans stockpile on mules, it can be their one ace in the hole. Cube Gambling involves the transmutation of any 3 types of perfect gems and any single magical item (rares and uniques don't count) in the Horadric Cube to randomly generate a new magical item of the same type but with different magical attributes (prefixes/suffixes). This practice is invaluable for Defiants, as it can be used to create the high defensive armors that are absolutely needed for survival. The best time to begin using this feature is during the later Acts in NM and beyond. It has the potential to upgrade low quality magical armors (i.e. Garnet Embossed Plate) to high defensive quality (Blessed, Saintly and Holy enhanced) suits. The recent 1.04 patch adds to this special ability as well. Requiring 6 perfect skulls, one can now cube gamble on rare items such as a poorly modded rare ornate plate. Be sure to check out other resources as to the limitations of this new 'recipe'.
b. Glossary and Abbreviations
Avenger - A paladin who specializes in the use of Vengeance as his primary attack mainly in conjunction with the Conviction Aura. Defensive Harmony - The level of defensive specialization a Defiant reaches when both the Defiance and Holy Shield are maxed. Cube Gambling - The usage of gems and the Horadric Cube to transmute items. Hammerdin - A paladin who specializes in the use of Blessed Hammer as his primary attack mainly in conjunction with the Concentration Aura. Martyr - A paladin who specializes in the use of Sacrifice regardless of what aura is used to compliment it. Zealot - A paladin who specializes in the use of Zeal as his primary attack mainly in conjunction with the Fanaticism or Concentration Aura. AR - Attack Rating barb - Barbarian clvl - Character level DEX - Dexterity DR - Defense Rating HC - Hardcore IAS - Increased Attack Speed ITD - Ignore Target's Defense GIAS - Greatly Increased Attack Speed LEB - Lightning Enchanted Boss PK - Player killer SAC - Sacrifice SC - Softcore SIAS - Slightly Increased Attack Speed slvl - Skill Level STR - Strength VIT - Vitality WW - Whirlwind skill.
c. Defensive Formulas (Paladins only)
The following formula is specific to paladins, as it includes the bonuses from Defiance and Holy Shield. A common misconception concerns Holy Shield and Defiance augmentation. When HS is cast, the display shown on a Shield only includes the bonuses from HS and NOT Defiance. Defiance only affects the final TOTAL DR in the character statistic screen, not any separate equipment displays (would be a nice quirky thing to implement in a future patch though). If Defiance doesn't change the displayed defense values on a suit of armor or a set of boots, how can it modify a shield's displayed defense? It doesn't. Only HS does that. All equipment (augmented shield included) and DEX bonuses must be added FIRST. Then, this base is multiplied by Defiance. Now take the initial base DR and the Defiance modified DR and add them. This gives you your total DR.
Holy Shield Shield + (shield * HS) = Final Shield DR
Defiance {Total Equipment + (Shield + ) + (DEX /4)} = Base DR Base DR * Defiance = Modified DR Base DR + Modified DR = Final DR
As one can see, the formula can be a bit confusing. Just remember that Defiance and HS give an ADDITIONAL BONUS to your base defense, not a simple given percentage, to multiply everything by.
Baron SHOCKGUARD clv79 (retired) Defiant (USEAST) Testing Duration: 14 Oct 00 - 10 Jan 01 Total Deaths prior to 'Baron' Status 16 (9 due to theory testing)
STR 173 (Base 155) DEX 206 (Base 170) VIT 150 (Base) ENERGY 15 (Base)
Defense 5943 /w HS (9% to be hit by monster level) Blocking MAX Life 692 Mana 188 -Resistances- Fire MAX Cold MAX Lightning MAX Poison 68
-Skills- Clvl 20 Defiance Clvl 20 Holy Shield Clvl 10 Vigor Clvl 20 Vengeance 200 - 840 Dam/1351 AR (78% to hit monster level) Clvl 5 Charge 143 - 603 Dam/2364 AR Clvl 4 Zeal 83-353 Dam/1407 AR Clvl 4 Sacrifice 148-623 Dam /1520 AR for testing/documenting Clvl 1 Conversion (Goofed and accidentally clicked on it) Clvl 1 Redemption for testing/documenting *All required prerequisites
-Equipment-
Rare Rune Sword (Armageddon Spike)(Very Fast Attack) 28-125 Dam -36 Monster Defense per hit +124 AR +13 Max Dam
Holy Ornate Plate of Regeneration (Cube Gambled) 892 Defense +3 Life Regen
Rare Grand Crown (Skull Visor) 206 Defense 27% Poison Resist 14% Cold Resist +6 Life +2 Min Dam +5 DEX
Rare War Gauntlets (Glyph Hold) 92 Defense 14% Cold Resist +28 Life +17 DEX SIAS
Rare War Boots (Bitter Trample) 49 Defense -25% Poison Length Reduction 25% Cold Resist 27% Fire Resist +12 Life Fastest Run/Walk
Unique Heavy Belt (Goldwrap)
3D/PAVISE 77 Defense (315 w/max HS) +57% All Resists
Rare Ring (Dread Master) 6% Life Leech -2 Magic Damage Reduction -2 Damage Reduction +143 AR
Rare Ring (Raven Finger) 5% Mana Leech 1-4 Fire Dam +63 AR +37% Lightning Resist
Rare Amulet (Blood Beads) 22% Poison Resist 24% Cold Resist 18% Lightning Resist 18% Fire Resist 1-8 Lightning Dam +18 STR +13 DEX 8. Special Thanks. Concillian AfflictedOne KoalaBear33 CastIronBallz Defiant_Knight Bolty Nightfist Linus_P Elvis Pimpy Baron Searing_Death Lord Sparhawk Zen
Diabloii.net Paladin Forums - for their just plain kickass help and suport of a newbie paladin not so long ago that wanted to try something new. Knightscape - Whose guide was the starting foundation and anchor for the successful kickoff of my experiences with my first paladin. The USEAST Paladin Leveling team. I have learned much of other paladin playstyles or camaraderie as we assaulted the gates of Hell together.
Chaos Sanctuary - Blizzard's consolidated source of information and news for Diablo II Diabloii.net - Unofficial Diablo II website. One of the best sources of information, news and trivia for Diablo II. Knightscape's Paladin Guide - One of the earliest and still one of the most encompassing guides for paladins available. Good source of information for descriptions of each paladin skill as well as strategies for the most prevalent and common paladin playstyles.
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