Hammerdin are ridiculously good, but not until they get strong gear. I have been running /players8. A holy freeze merc is much less reliable for slowing enemies, as running through areas ALWAYS leaves him far behind, even with him teleporting by your side now and then. You really shouldnt need much more than decent res for nightmare. Any tips for the Summonmancer gear/runewords before going into Hell? 34% holy shield. Ouch 5% block it hurt to see that on a paladin lol, Quote (catwithspots @ Dec 18 2016 03:02pm), capping your fire res and light res is like the most important thing in pvm, This post was edited by CpTJenJen on Dec 18 2016 04:21pm, This post was edited by Retrovirus on Dec 18 2016 04:41pm. It also has a ton of other powerful mods obviously. So Im in Act 4 NM now.

The dex will change with how much is needed to achieve 75% block, and if you are using an item that requires a specific amount of dexterity. Also, why don't you have any block, a hammerdin is way to close to monsters to not have block.

You got Stealth you can put in a 2os body armor. It has a huge defense boost as well as block chance increase, which should be maxed for a paladin. What are must haves before starting Nightmare for a Hammerdin. Heres a guide about Fishymancer(summoner) https://www.purediablo.com/strategy/fishymancer-version-2-1/#5a_Hireling_8211_Choice_Gear, being unable to run away or kill fast enough before they kill me really fast. Lore helm, stealth armor, and youll cruise through nightmare with ease. Im playing with a Summonmancer, Maggot Lair is really slow and painful, in fact Act II has been the hardest part of our NM run so far due to Maggot Lair taking so long and needing to run the resist aura more often due to all the lightning dudes. OH also, when we did Forge in Normal, it only cleared the quest for one of us, so we remade and did the quest again, got rewards both times. Otherwise, 3 is a good number, because the monsters will only be somewhat harder, but the number of drops will be increased significantly compared to 1. when we did Forge in Normal, it only cleared the quest for one of us.

Killed Andy Act 1 Nightmare, 4 deaths total through the act. I havent dumped any points into Dex. My poor Act 2 Nightmare mercenary is dying so often I've stopped resurrecting him. I'm getting frozen a lot. This is the furthest Ive ever made it without being rushed.

Hammer is maxed, Concentration is Maxed, Blessed Aim is at 18, and Vigor is at 16 (?). I am in the habit of running cows after beating the difficulty level; I should be more flexible, clearly. If its NM it probably doesnt matter as much to what monster dropped it, I think only champs/uniques/superuniques/bosses have fixed levels. I havent dumped any points into Dex. You will see games like rush 4 forge. I go through quite a bit of mana potions. If you are not aware, Spirit weapon / shield will not only increase your Faster Cast Rate (so you can kill faster), but also your hit recovery, so you will be much more tanky. You can easily run Baal and other bosses on NM with Frost Zealot. Every time Ive died in NM has been from being in a dungeon and running ahead, then enemies coming out of the darkness already surrounding me, being unable to run away or kill fast enough before they kill me really fast. I thought I wanted Insight on Merc for mana regen? I found some white crystal swords in NM, are they good to take the Larzuk, as in same ilvl as norm cow crystal swords? Str 80, Dex 81, Vit 300, Ene 40 (some item buffs there).

Youll be fine with 70 strength. I farmed hoz, shako, and hot on my sorc. Yeah, youre right, I forgot to mention that. Its preferred with most builds that are Paladin because of how easy it is to achieve with Holy Shield. Plus I farmed for items more in Nightmare Difficulty. Lore can get you through the game, Harlequin Crest Shako would be the next upgrade. But without some of the broken stuff in the game (such as Enigma, Annihilus and Hellfire Torch), it's okay to add some Strength if you need it to wear your gear, and of course, increase dexterity to have max (75%) block.

Also: when you are moving your defenses are 0, so you throw hammers while you move normally as to not get hit, but if you are surrounded do not try to move. Plus, being melee still, you can afford to wear the high defense items you find, as opposed to a build like a hammerdin, where you're trying to keep base str at least below 75. Not just that, but the fact paladin FBR frames are incredibly good with holy shield. Malice you can put in Merc 3os polearm. What matters is where you found it when you look at this site: https://diablo2.diablowiki.net/Area_Level. I know he has a couple right now but I forget what.

Gull is nice for Magic Find, but you absolutely want a 4 socket Crystal Sword with the Spirit runeword, once again, because it's overpowered. Press J to jump to the feed. You do, but you wont get the runes for Insight until you farm Nightmare. I didnt know there was an XP penalty for having a high level character help you. * Asking a higher level character to help clear areas may be better if their speed makes up for the level penalty.". Ideally

Just spam hammers, and switch to Redemption aura to turn dead bodies into health and mana. Even with my hammerdin, I use defiance merc over a chill one, mainly because I like to see my defense rise well into the thousands. Need higher res imo. Missing some stuff though, just have the runewords on chest and shield right now. Too many FEs running around in NM that can get up close and personal and own you almost regardless of gear. A defiance merc would be the best bet, as that will allow you much more defense. When your level 85-90 and you have a Sacred Targe Spirit or Herald of Zak (1pt Smiter) and the available points for Holy Shield that is when youll have achievable max block rating in the range of 130 dex.

NM can drop higher than ilvl 40 depending on the zone so you have to constantly check that site I linked. cows until you get a +45 res pala shield that can get 4 sock (for spirit). Oops, I skipped over this question. Im at 40% right now for a Wiz Spike and speed running / cow farming more than fine. Well best friend after the potential 15k kill-almost-anything hammers anyways. I think it is a Horodric Cube process, but maybe folks are talking about Charsi. All those can be bought from Fara in Act 2. Spirit on crystal sword for a hammerdin?

My hammerdin is destroying stuff now Resists and +skill items are key. Early on it doesnt matter at all.

Also is there somewhere that shows what level range is best for doing Cows, and what level range is best for doing Baal runs? I thought it wouldn't matter, but I'm getting crowd stomped.

If you had 100 points in energy, or 200 strength, something crazy like that then I would think that would call for a respec. Maybe I should be farming and leveling until I can get better gear. The reason people farm for them in Cows is because they always drop with 4 sockets when used at Larzuk. The problem with finding them is you need to know exactly what monster dropped it and what zone. My hammers aren't slaughtering everything as in previous acts. Defence is the hammerdin's best friend. You want your block rate to be 75%. Not just that, but the fact paladin FBR frames are incredibly good. Factor in just enough lag so that you've run to a spot, spammed hammers, and they're passing right through your target without doing any damage oh how I don't miss Hammerdins. And don't just run around enemies mindlessly since when you run, your defense is 0 and your block is reduced to a third. I've a lot of runes. I've a Superior Akaran Targe with four perfect diamonds, STEALTH chain mail, Peasant Crown War Hat, Bloodfist Heavy Gloves, Dire Slippers Light Plated Boots, Raven Harness Plated Belt, Gull, and a Grand Scepter with +3 to Hammers I never use.

Going to farm Fara for those items while I wait on my coop buddy, Also so I farm Countess for runes and Baal for XP until about 40? Personally I wouldn't MF nm with a paladin. 30% block on Shield (bringing it to 72%) farming.

Also, remember charms that have life and resistance (as well as other useful mods) will help, too. IM, be careful.

I'm quite new to the game. Yeah, max block will help out loads in hell. sin diablo skills tiger claw skill gamepedia I'd say make a sorc and farm hell meph to gear out your hammerdin. Just because you've seen streamers do it? Ah k, thanks. I socket it at Larzuk?

Trist>Tombs>Chaos and/or Baal. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Its preferred with most builds that are Paladin because of how easy it is to achieve with Holy Shield. Even then, your dumb merce needs max resistance, and will benefit from +life and if possible damage reduction, or he will die quite often if he is underleveled. The cold damage will allow him to finish normal without an awesome weapon, and you can run NM Countess to get shaels and other runes that you can trade for faster attack rate equipment. 1 drop for everyone in game. You probably need to look into maxing out your Holy Shield, and while it is active look at your stat screen and hover over defense. Put 1 point into redemption aura for some mana and health heals.

Also, wear a smoke yourself. lvl 25 cold aura with full synergies gives around 200-250 cold damage to your aura, which i'm sure would let you kill groups of cows in normal 1 player games, by just walking around. Also, if he isnt already, grab a holy freeze merc. This is how people usually level up. You can farm nm countess for the runes you need for spirit sword and shield. I'd get a smoke for resists, but try to get a heart of the oak, shako, magefist, war trav, and hoz. Finally, make sure to hire an act 2 merce from NIGHTMARE difficulty, and that it is a defensive merce. This doesn't happen if you are standing still (casting or not) and walking. Then you will have access to all content. I've heard if u max holy freeze and synergies, u can kill nm cows just running around true? /r/Diablo is the greatest source for Diablo-related news and discussion on the Internet. upgrade your base item to exceptional or elite and recreate runewords. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, World of Warcraft Arena World Championship.

The only things I personally believe you should strive for before progressing deep into Nightmare ( Act3 + ) is, Spirit Shield w/ Resistances [Aerin / Horadric are fine] its a cheap runeword so you dont need to worry about not having a 40 res Sacred Targe early on, Stealth Armor - Defense is not overly important but if you can snag a Mage Plate itll go a long way. Frustrating but why I dont do HC, at least not with such low knowledge of the game.

I've opened Nihlathak's portal. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Also is there somewhere that shows what level range is best for doing Cows, and what level range is best for doing Baal runs? This is how the game works. Any other changes I should make to be able to walk Act I - V Hell? It is unfair that we lose so much content in single player, while online is a cesspool. Also, make sure to give him the Insight runeword (4 socket Polearm only) so that you will basically have infinite mana. Ive gotta Str up to base 55 and have dumped the rest into Vit (currently level 62).

Llama said defense doesn't matter, but then he tends to run past a LOT of stuff. 30% block on Holy Shield, Me currently

If it's really difficult, set players to 1. I wonder. Max holy shield for sure. I think I will. nightmare andy, until you get vipers and magefist. but with the Hammerdin build, is it preferred to get to 75% block chance? I can make slow progress if I am extremely careful but archers are too much. If you re-star to MB, you should be able to progress through hell. Any tips for the Summonmancer gear/runewords before going into Hell? Shako is pretty much the only unique in the game where people call it by its item base, rather than name. Alternatively, if you have a Lum rune, Smoke Is a phenomenal armor with very high resistance. Here are some of the things you are doing wrong: If you're struggling, why do you set players 8? it has res too, the innate res from shield and runeword should give you a +80 to res and +2 skill) mephi and lower kurast chests/armor reckits (good for skill charms and armor bases for merc. Install Plugy and migrate your save files, just be sure to back them up! You can switch to Gull with weapon switch when you're about to kill a boss. I fight everything, except during boss runs. More drops only occur at players 3, 5 and 7. No point farming bosses for gear in Normal though correct? Def 397, Life 1103, Mana 321. But you absolutely need a 4 socket paladin shield (with resistance) and the Spirit runeword, which is overpowered. JavaScript is disabled. As you said put hammers on left click and conc on right. What are the standard runewords from normal? Everyone should be recommending faster cast rate. The base should have the highest block chance you can find, Sacred Targe being one of the best, but even a Crown Shield (55%) will be great. I thought I wanted Insight on Merc for mana regen? Other than that, I'm sure you got the hang of it by now, but the name of the game is to position yourself correctly to hit monsters with hammers. I have Sprit, Stealth and Ancient Pledge. 52% base block Any other changes I should make to be able to walk Act I - V Hell? Don't know if there is a respect I'm missing. When paladins start with something like 5 frames. IIRC Cows give less XP than Baal runs? My Defense is low, apparently. People use Forge as a payment, and can also get scammed by people stealing their forge. Stay awhile and listen.

A spirit Sacred Targe at 55% is going to be more difficult than that so until your high level its not really worth it and you probably wont be chasing max block on a Spirit Targe until you have + Combat skill items / Torch , etc. No, I really can't stand mine at all, but that doesn't change the fact that the one I made this season has been fairly successful ^^. This is the furthest Ive ever made it with a non-rush character, want to beat the game the proper way with my first one and then Ill just rush alts. IIRC Cows give less XP than Baal runs? When you reach 75% you usually need to put a point or two to get it back to 75% then the rest into Vitality. My poor Hammerdin is still wearing gear from Normal. Blizzard Sorc will destroy anything in nightmare far faster than any other build. What are vipers? Max Block imo is something you care about post Enigma when your teleporting on top of enemies and is by no means required for survivability for MF / Clearing CS.

There is little reason to set players 8 - it's just for max XP.

Crystal sword can only get 4 sockets if it is 26-40 ilvl.

I'm playing this right now actually. Piggybacking on this post, but with the Hammerdin build, is it preferred to get to 75% block chance? Will I still want Lore before Hell or should I be having something else in the slot? Heres a standard Hammerdin guide too: https://d2.maxroll.gg/guides/blessed-hammer-paladin.

Yeah, Crystal Sword from the Cow level. I can actually hear Pindleskin laughing when he sees me. I forgot to do the Andariel quest bug for Normal. Seems the things I was told to get (thanks, Llama) are reserved for ladder or PlugY, and I'm just on vanilla single player. Stealth, honestly, is "OK" to get through nightmare. I get killed there several times, every run. Someone did mention some higher-level runes I'm sure I do not have. Hammerdin + Holy Freeze was a win for me. Will I still want Lore before Hell or should I be having something else in the slot?

Ancients Pledge to put in 3os shield. you already use a akaran shield, if it has good +res you can use a hel rune to get that diamonds out there and use the runeword spirit. I've come across plenty of socketed armors, but have no idea what to do with them. more defense reduce monster chance to hit you. Other than shooting for fire/light resists and grabbing the standard runewords from normal, you want to try and aim to get to your 75% FCR breakpoint. " you may have toruble in NM a4 though. Vitality is obviously the best stat, and it's obvious you are aware of it. watch for def and str requirements. I can't help it. Cows drop ilvl 28 so youre good. Ive been following the maxroll guide but accidentally put 70 into strength (supposed to be 60), 130 in dex, rest is vit now. You can get 75% block rate on other chars it just isnt usually worth it without tons of FBR since blocking so much is essentially a stun lock if you take too many frames. Get a point in holy shield and put enough points in dex to max out your block chance (75%). 75% Chance of Blocking will stop 75% of physical attacks from hitting and makes Paladin very tanky along with the added bonus of also being able to use Auras. My problem is that I didn't know things could be upgraded until just yesterday. More people in the game increase the gems that drop I believe. invest points in holy shield and use it 100% time. I know he has a couple right now but I forget what.

Beyond any doubt, you're talking about a frost zealot. Once you reach the right break points your paladin will be extremely tanky and fast to recover from anything. Ive gotta Str up to base 55 and have dumped the rest into Vit (currently level 62). Is this how it always goes, or should one of us leave game just before other finishes forge so we can get rewards for each of us? These guys have the Holy Freeze aura which is an amazing defensive skill that will make everything easier. smoke is a good budget armor for him, treachery has nice bonuses to resists too) you might want to go for maxblock dexterity wise, 75% of blocking an attack would help you stay alive, They're on vanilla single player, so Spirit isn't available. Slows mobs, really usefull. I have a staggering Block of 13%. An armor upgrade (exceptional quality or elite) together with Holy Shield will give you a significant boost to defense. In NM, there are still very few cold immunes, and the holy freeze aura is the best in the game for running past enemies. No Lore yet. The problem I am having is a Hammerdin seems like a very powerful ranged attacker that gets hit You must log in or register to reply here. I think just activating Holy Shield turns your block animation into like 2 frames(Which normally requires 86 FBR)? I do a little better if I switch to the Scepter, but I love Gull and those magic drops. Dumping points into defiance is also a possibility. As has been posted, it's easy to run around enemies because of slowing effect, which also has big range - with decent +skills even more than screen. Or try and find a viper. 52% base block But ideally, you will want to upgrade to Skin of the Vipermagi (remember, if you find a high resist one, you can also socket it with UM for a really powerful armor). Maybe try and get a string of ears in nm. If you can't find one, there are some other nice exceptional unique armors if you're lucky enough to find, such as Que-Hegan's Wisdom and others.

Maybe I should upgrade my STEALTH armor. I feel like I'm cheating when I run past everything. Your shield is nice for resistance. You absolutely need a few points in Holy Shield, which is actually the best defensive skill in the game.