Looking for a swell PvP build

[Guest]

My magic finding sorc is pretty much done, and now that I have a steady trickle of decent items coming in, I figure it's time to start a pvp char.

I've never made a character built specifically for dueling. Anybody got some suggestions?

[Wyrm]

Bone Necro
Hammerdin
Orb/T-storm sorc (may be outdated)
TrapSin
Armageddon Druid
GA Zon
Maybe a Leap/War Cry Barb (probably not, but that's the only thing I can think of for a barb other than some serious running speed and Whirlwind/Concentrate/Leap Attack)

I haven't done PvP in a long time though, this is basically just going on what I've inferred. You could try the Amazon Basin's dueling section for more (and better) info.

[Assur]

There used to be some seriously evil ThrowBarbs around in 1.09!

[Guest]

Hammerdin

Are you serious? I've made a hammerdin, and it sucks at pvp! they just run away from the hammers; it's not like they're hard to dodge...

What bow would a GA zon use?

Orb and Tstorm is even more awesome in 1.10, with all the synergies and stuff by the way.

I'll think about the builds. I've never made a geddan druid before... Any more suggestions?

[adeyke]

Orb and Tstorm is even more awesome in 1.10, with all the synergies and stuff by the way.

Frozen orb only has a pitiful 2% synergy. Thunderstorm doesn't have any synergy at all. There are many skills that have become vastly more powerful due to synergies, but these aren't among them.

[Guest]

2% is better than no percent... *grumble grumble*

[Caaroid]

When discussing PVP builds, it is essential to know what do you mean by it. Even if we do not consider the evils of PK, we still have two general "lines" to go by: one is Open PVP, the other is Duel. In Open PVP, anything goes (temeport, slow, knockback, even marrowalk, sorry dear Forum), whereas Duels are more limited. Knowing where you'll play is essential, since most Open PVP characters are capable of killing a like-equipped Duelists.

With that behind us, let's talk about the various popular PVP builds, and about how they fare in Duels.
Amazons
While the bowazon remained somewhat useful, the javeliners are the real danger these days. Charged strikeghtning bolt is a favorite, although in Open they are seriously hampered by absorb. You don't have to worry about that in Duels, so the loss of the ability to teleport actually helps these.
Assassins
1.10's "Cheap burrito" PVP-ers, the mind blastghtning trap build is rather hard to defeat. Kills from range, has a tank and legitly stuns and knock backs her enemies, this is a killer build for the budget consumer. She is even deadlier in Open, with the ability to teleport out of harm's way.
Boner
Even without the marrowalk bug, these characters are nigh-unstoppable. Havng the ability to imprison the enemies, stop physical damage, build up walls against non-piercing attacks and a deadly, unresistable, seeking damage source, even your legit Duel-necromancers may have a chance against the cheesy Open PVP-ers. Open necromancers are moderatelly expensive (Enigma/HotO), but apart from against a few really good duelers, one has no problem with these.
Barbarian
The old king of PVP still shines through, although he is hard pressed against the casters in Duels. In Open, however, this is potentially THE deadliest build, but be prepared to spend 4-5 character's worth on him, as you'll need Doom and Beast weapons to complement your Enigma. WW is still the skill to use.
Sorceress
While the FireBall and Lightning builds are rather powerful one-hit-killers, the meanest PVP sorceress is the Blizzard sorc. Due to the immense power of cold mastery, most characters are hard pressed against blizzard sorceresses, since even if you invest heavily in resists (and in Open, absorb), you can die from a single hit.
Orb sorceresses are a thing of the past, at least in Open. If you play in duel games, where equipment is restricted, they might stand a chance, but with dual ravens and a luna their damage can be completelly negated.
Druids
Another power PVP-er, the wind druid is capable of dealing tremendous amount of damage while stopping incoming elemental attacks. Note, that while this character seems to be ranged, you actually need to be in your oponent's face to be effective, so this kind of play is better suited for Open (with Enigma).
You can find a rather thorough run-down of the melee druids by looking at ElectricBlue's guide, the summary is, that you need to be INSANELY rich to build one, and then you'll get a character that is shreddered by any mediocre boneomancer.
Paladins
Lots of builds, and arguably the strongest. While you had trouble with your hammerdin (do keep practicing your charge skills, will you?), they are actually rather strong, you just need to employ tactics against them.
Take into consideration, that smite is unblockable and it stuns. With the addition of the Exile runewords, smiters can be the deadliest melee builds. If you make him a FoH/Charger, you found THE single deadliest PVP character, however you need even more skill than for a Hammerdin to play him right.

Summary: if you're a very skilled player, go smiter/foh, if just rich, go Barbarian, if neither, pick Necro/Trappsin/Blizzard sorc.

Hope that helped.