A lot of this guide got severely distorted in this post from its Microsoft word format. Most of the tables are unreadable and a few sections/chapters had to be deleted, however inspite of this I feel that the posted version of my guide is good enough for opinions... sort of :lol: . I'm hoping to understand how to post my word guide on a web site so people can just download the word file, but I'm really not understanding it. I think I need to use FTP or something... Oh well, at least I'm taking a web-page design class at my college next semester!
FROST CRUSADER
Contents
I. Methodology
i. Origin
ii. Purpose
II. Known useable Subclasses
i. Avenger
ii. Charger
iii. Defiant (a.k.a Missionary)
iv. Fervour (a.k.a Firedin)
v. Frost Crusader (a.k.a. Freezadin)
vi. Hammerdin
vii. Martyr
viii. Shockadin
ix. Smiter
x. Undead Slayer
xi. Zealot (a.k.a. Fanatic)
III. Starting Statistics
IV. Foresight; Prelude to Equipment
i. Build #1: Damage Premise
ii. Build #2: Speed Premise
iii. Build #3: Universal Premise
V. Equipment
i. Here and Now
1. Level 1-6
2. Level 7-12
3. Level 13-18
4. Level 19-24
5. Level 25-49
6. Level 50-74
7. Level 75-99
ii. Important
1. Block
2. Hit Recovery
3. Increased Attack Speed
4. Faster Run/Walk
5. Life Regeneration
6. Life and Mana Steal
7. Resists
VI. Attributes
i. Strength
ii. Dexterity
iii. Vitality
iv. Energy
VII. Skill Discussion
i. Combat Skills
ii. Offensive Auras
iii. Defensive Auras
VIII. Strategy
IX. Experience
i. Under Level 25
ii. Between Levels 25-99
iii. Above Level 70
iv. Party Experience
X. REFERENCE
i. Bestiary
1. Act I Bestiary
2. Act 2 Bestiary
3. Act 3 Bestiary
4. Act 4 bestiary
5. Act 5 bestiary
ii. Formulae
iii. Useful Paladin Prefixes
iv. Useful Paladin Affixes
v. Rune Chart
vi. Useful Paladin Recipes
vii. Useful Rune Words
XI. Acknowledgements
XII. Disclaimer
FROST CRUSADER âFrom arduous frozen wastelands they bring their god of frost!â
âFreeze n 1: An interruption or temporary suspension of progress or movement v 1: Stop moving or become immobilizedâ
Hello and welcome to the Frost Crusaderâs (Single and Multiplayer) Guide v1.0. This guide is meant to provide you with the tools that will help you develop your Frost Crusader Paladin to his fullest potential, and have fun doing it. For ease of use I have broken down my guide into several chapters (denoted by their large bold heading), each with an introduction and text bulk relating to the chapter.
Methodology
âMethodology n 1: The branch of philosophy that analyzes the principles and procedures of inquiry in a particular disciplineâ
In this section, I will attempt to explain the ideology of the Frost Crusader sub-class beginning with his possible origins and history, his purpose in the diablo world, and various reasons why the Frost Crusader is different from other paladin sub-classes.
About Paladins: âPaladins use holy magic as gifted by the High Heavens. They maintain strictly ordered lives, constantly upholding the cause of Virtue and Light. They must never succumb to worldly temptations lest they risk being deceived into following âfalse lightsâ - demons masquerading as Heavenly beings.â â Arreat Summit
Origin
From deep within the harshness of the freezing artic resides the champion of cold, the master of frost. Few have what it takes to survive an artic winter, but the Frost Crusader not only thrives on the cold, but also emanates its essence from deep within his will. Traveling from the artic reaches of the diablo world, far beyond Haragoth, Frost Crusaders have been around since the age of paladins, seeking to spread the will of their deity (which is to defeat Diablo and his kin, of course) by using the powers he provides; the power of cold. It is from here that your journey as a Frost Crusader begins.
It is rumored that the religion of the Frost Crusader came about when a young paladin marched his army up through a dangerous terrain of ice and sleet to defeat a powerful demon that had been plaguing the northlands. After defeating this monster, the paladin and his men became trapped in the demons lair for over a week. Frostbitten and near death, many of the small army were laying dead on the floor of the cavern, but the paladin continued to pray to his god. Eventually, the god of ice heard his call and saw his great deed and decided to give the young paladin the power over cold (thus the high Cold Resistance and Salvation). Climbing over the bodies of his comrades, the paladin eventually managed to break a hole in the lair and escape. After that, the religion spread quickly, eventually taking an entire sect of paladins.
Purpose
Frost Crusaders promote the will of their deity from which their powers ebb and flow. They believe they are here to further their powers in this world, showing their strength of will and determination to be true to their cause of using Holy Freeze and defeating evil. Through their works, they advance in levels in which their deity grants them more and more skill at what they do.
In Diabo 2: Lord of Destruction, the Frost Crusader is a great ally to have. His purpose is to slow down the enemy while dealing great damage to his foes, however he also relies heavily on his comrades at arms for support when dealing with cold immune monsters and their ilk.
What Makes the F.C. Different: The paladin is a very flexible class with many sub-classes in it. Each sub-class has its own benefits and drawbacks, but there is no âgeneralâ paladin class, or jack-of-all-trades. Eventually every paladin decides his destiny. The strength of the Frost Crusader is his ability to slow down and even freeze creatures not immune to cold. He deals cold damage with each aura pulse. The power to freeze is a very beneficial ability not only to the paladin, but to his party as well. Frost Crusaders receives additional cold damage to their attacks. Their drawback is a lack of major damage (such as with fanaticism) and cold immune monsters, and since most of their skill points will be used up, this class is slightly harder to play.
Known useable Subclasses
Here is a list of the possible subclasses I see as being useful from start to finish, meaning able to kill big D in normal, nightmare, and hell with little or no help. There are many other possible subclasses but they are mostly reserved for medics (teammates in PvP combat) or followers (a paladin who tags along with useful party auras, but none that really benefit himself). Also, I did not include item based subclasses, like the Ranger (uses bows), but did mention them where applicable; nor did I include PvP subclasses like the Reconciler (uses Fist of the Heavens with Conviction).
Below are listed the useable sub-classes. Each has a small description and two ratings of either BEGINNER, NOVICE, or ADVANCED. The first rating is for usefulness in solo playing and the second is for usefulness in party playing. The ratings will help differentiate the useable subclasses for those wanting a less, moderate, or hard challenge in the Diablo game.
Avenger
The avengers main skill focus is Conviction and Vengeance with corresponding synergies being Resist Fire, Resist Cold, Resist Lightening, and Salvation. The avenger is master of the elements and a proselytizer of the masses. His powerful conviction holds sway even over the armies of Diablo and his vengeful attacks can puncture even the most resilient believer. The avenger delivers powerful elemental attacks with a huge offensive radius that helps the entire party. His only downside would be his skills are all used up in the synergies of vengeance, leaving the avenger a one trick pony. He will have to rely on quick kills and a high defense to survive. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/BEGINER
Charger
The chargers main skill focus is Charge and Might with corresponding synergies of Might and Vigor. The charger is one without fear, often heading straight for a mob and bouncing like a pinball off each monster in the group until theyâre all dead. Chargers do a massive amount of damage and because they only use three skills to complete their subclass, they have plenty of left over points for Holy Shield and Redemption, making this class a solid build. The might will help a lot in parties where other auras are more common and has a huge radius. The chargers only weak point is his lack of a multiple attack. This could be made up for by his insane amount of damage, often felling foes in a single hit, thus killing just as fast as zeal. I give him the rating of: BEGINNER/BEGIN
Defiant (a.k.a Missionary)
The defiantâs main skill focus is Holy Shield, Defiance, Thorns, and Convert. Itâs best to get a Defiance mercenary and pump him up with plus skill items so you can use thorns. The defiant is a very headstrong crusader, marching into mobs without any fear. The defiant is the most item dependent subclass requiring a maximum blocking percentile, high defense, good resists, and a little damage reduction helps out a lot too. The defiant does a minimal amount of damage, relying on his thorns and converts to do the damage for him. His downside is of course his lack of damage and the amount of skills he needs to invest in. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/ADVANCED
Fervour (a.k.a Firedin)
The fervourâs main skill focus is Holy Fire with corresponding synergies of Resist Fire and Salvation. I recommend he invest in Zeal and synergy Sacrifice. The fervour is a holy man burning with the power of his deity and spreading the good news to others. His power lies in his ability to cause massive amounts of fire damage in each aura pulse and in every attack. He is not necessarily a great party player because his aura does not benefit anyone other than himself, but his damage is outstanding. Unfortunately his damage against fire immunes is lacking and with so many skill points already invested into his main skills and synergies, he has to make up for his lack of defense and normal damage with items. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Frost Crusader (a.k.a. Freezadin)
Description herein. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Hammerdin
The hammerdinâs main skill focus is Blessed Hammer and Concentration with corresponding synergies of Blessed Aim and Vigor. The hammerdin is a coy subclass, taking out monsters with precision and timing. His hammers are powerful forces to be reckoned with and deal half magic damage, thus beating out physical and elemental resists making this a powerful character. His downside is the amount of skills needed for his synergies leaving him needing zeal or redemption for life/mana recovery. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/NOVICE
Martyr
The martyrâs main skill focus is Sacrifice and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies of Redemption and Fanaticism. Through self-sacrifice and determination, the martyr gives a little of himself in each attack, really dealing a lot of damage on par with charge. With one of his synergies being redemption, he never has to worry too much about massive amounts of life steel, and has no need for mana steel. His downside is the amount of life leech heâll need just to break even with the amount of damage he is receiving, not to mention getting extra hit points back. Overall, the martyr is a good solid build. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/NOVICE
Shockadin
The shockadinâs main skill focus is Holy Shock with corresponding synergies of Resist Lightening and Salvation. Shockadins are used mostly with bows and when using such are known as Rangers. Personally, I recommend investment into Zeal and synergy Sacrifice. The Shockadin, like the fervour and frost crusader, has a powerful attack and does damage with each aura pulse. While not the best party paladin, his damage is sufficient to really help out. His downside is his lack of damage against lighting immune monsters and massive skill investment. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Smiter
The smiterâs main skill focus is Smite, Holy Shield, and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies of Defiance. Smiters use their shield to bash their opponents into ground beefä and receive a good portion of their damage from Holy Shield. Smiters are great at stun-locking monsters (and players) into submission and their fanaticism aura makes bowazons love them. They still have a few points to distribute also to become more versatile. On the downside, they are difficult in solo mode because of their lack of a multiple attack and lower damage, not to mention their lack of leech on a smite attack. I give smiters the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Undead Slayer
The undead slayerâs main skill focus is Fist of the Heavens and Sanctuary with corresponding synergies of Cleansing, Holy Bolt, and Holy Shock. The undead slayer is a powerful specialty subclass of undead hunter. Because of his ability to switch to holy shock and the magic damage dealt with Sanctuary, he is overall well suited anywhere in the battlefield and parties will enjoy his cleansing and possible one point redemption wonder powers. His downside is his heavy skill investment, leaving him with no secondary attack to deal damage, meaning heâll need lots of mana pots or a serious look at zeal with reduced potency to his other skills. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Zealot (a.k.a. Fanatic)
The zealotâs main skill focus is Zeal and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies being Sacrifice. The zealot is extremely fast and deadly, one of the most powerful paladin sub-classes by far. His only drawbacks are his lack of elemental damage and poor radius of offensive aura, but because he need only invest in zeal, fanaticism, and sacrifice, he has plenty of left over skill points to distribute. The zealots Fanaticism aura is great for himself, but the radius is often times too small to affect party members. Overall, the zealot is a solid build. I give him the rating of: BEGINNER/NOVICE
Starting Statistics
This section hosts all pertinent formulas needed to configure statistics for your paladin. Details on each subject is can be found in later chapters.
Starting Attributes Each Point
Strength: 25
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 25 +3 Life; +1 Stamina
Energy: 15 +1.5 Mana
Hit Points: 55
Stamina: 89
Mana: 15
Each Character Level
Life: +2
Stamina: +1
Mana: +1.5
Foresight; Prelude to Equipment
Quite possibly the most important thing to do before starting your Frost Crusader is to look towards the future and assume you will reach 99th level and have the best gear your looking for; this way, you are guaranteed to have the Strength and Dexterity you need, even if you never see these elite items.
With most melee characters, the general consensus is the more damage the weapon does, the better the character will do. With the frost crusader, there are three avenues to take on your road to equipping items. Your decision will irrevocably affect your build.
The following premises were established with elite uniques, not crafts or rune words . This is due to the requirements of the craft or rune words being based on the host items attribute requirements. Uniques have a higher attribute requirement, thus are what should really be aimed for when looking towards the future in case you do find these uniques. Crafts and rune words will be covered in the Here and Now section.
Build #1: Damage Premise
The first avenue of perspicacity is damage over all else. The reasoning is sound and the method proven effective. It will work well with a Frost Crusader because of his holy freeze which, unlike cold damage, will slow all normal monsters, uniques, and super uniques by >54%. When slowed, the monsters will hit you less allowing you ample time to do damage and leech back life, not to mention dodge powerful oncoming attacks. Combined with a good defense and block rate, you have the option of running into a mob and making short work out of them.
The damage build is best suited for bosses and small packs of powerful foes. A large mob of monsters can quickly overwhelm the damage build simply because he doesnât attack that fast.
Looking into the future, your damage premise will probably want the most detrimental weapon for the greatest amount of additional damage and the best defense. His elite selection is clear:
Weapon: There are few one-handed weapons that deal the kind of damage build #1 is looking for. For scepters, Heavens Light and The Redeemer both have +skill items and attractive modifiers. For swords, the Frostwind does an incredible amount of damage and has a great attack speed, not to mention very attractive modifiers. But the most destructive weapon in the group goes to the Mauls with the Stone Crusher doing around the same damage as the Frostwind (minus the cold damage), with a whopping 40% crushing blow, amongst various other modifiers. If damage is the path of your choice, the Stone Crusher should be the weapon to set your sights on.
Body Armor: With a high amount of life leech, 90-95% resists arenât as important as a high block and defense rate. While the Guardian Angel is the best armor for paladins all around, a paladin based on the damage premise should be looking for high defense and modifiers that suit him best. Arkaineâs Valor has a high defense and fantastic modifiers including â+â skill; Leviathan has a huge defense and physical resistance; finally Templarâs Might has the best defense and okay modifiers but â+â skill. Overall, Iâd recommend Arkaineâs Valor for build #1âs projection.
Shield: Your going to need a good block rate, but more importantly, the right modifiers on your shield. There are only two choices for shields; Stormshield which has a very nice defense at high level, damage reduction, and other very attractive modifiers; and Herald of Zarakum which has an equally impressive defense, extremely high block rate which means less dexterity and more vitality, â+â skill, and other truly magnificent modifiers. Neither is a bad choice, but for the damage build, the Herald of Zarakum is the obvious pick to set your sights on.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Build #2: Speed Premise
The second avenue of perspicacity is speed over all else. When you freeze monsters, they attack much slower then they normally would, thus effectively making you attack >54% faster. Combined with IAS gear and you have the makings of a dangerous foe, or a powerful ally. Because your gear is dedicated towards speed, however, you will not do as much damage per attack, but over a volley of attacks. While the monsters will die nearly as fast as with build #1, the speed premise build ends up receiving more damage because: they deal less damage thus it takes a second or two longer to kill foes; speed gear has lower defense.
The speed build is best suited for large mobs that deal less damage. While the rest of the party has trouble with large groups, the speed premise excels, taking out each and every foe in due time.
Looking into the future, your damage premise will probably want the best FHR, FBR, and IAS he can get to increase his speed and keep him from getting stun-locked! His equipment selection is clear:
Weapon: Scepters have a mid-range speed making them somewhat useful for attacking quickly, but the best bet amongst them is the Astreon's Iron Ward with a base speed of â10 (requiring 145 IAS to reach 4 FPS with zeal), +10% IAS, and some other great modifiers. For swords, both the Lightsabre and the Azurewrath have a base speed of â30 making them reach 4 FPS with zeal at 75 IAS, however the Azurewrath has a +30% IAS and fantastic damage modifiers too boot. For maces, both Horizonâs Tornado and Stormlash have a â10 base reaching 4 FPS zeal with 145 IAS, however the Horizonâs Tornado has a whooping +50% IAS, insane damage, and slows target also effectively increasing your speed against these monsters. If speed if the path of your choice, the Azurewrath should be the clear choice for you.
Armor: While defense is important, it is not as crucial to the speed premise as IAS. So long as you have enough life leech and hit recovery, defense should not be a problem for you. This being the case, Twitchthroe is absolutely fantastic armor boasting +20% IAS and hit recovery, +25% blocking, and other modifiers. Crow Caw is worth mentioning with +15% IAS and hit recovery, and other modifiers. If you can find your IAS in other places (such as Sigons gloves), then Iâd suggest that you use Guardian Angel for higher resists and â+â skill, otherwise Twitchthroe is the best choice for a speed premise build.
Shield: The best and only choice of shields for the speed premise is the Herald of Zarakum for its extremely high block rate and â+â skill.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Build #3: Universal Premise
The third and final avenue of perspicacity is a combination of damage and speed. This is a universally good solid build all around, but you wonât be ultra fast, nor will you be doing massive damage. The universal premise focuses on the need for overall balance in a paladin, thus reducing the dependency of high damage and IAS gear. Your damage will not be as high as the damage premise or the speed premise, nor will your speed match the speed premise, but what you lack in theses areas, you make up for in power as you will have the most â+â skill items, and thus the most powerful auras.
The universal build is the best party character because he has the most powerful auras. He will find his place amongst the monsters but may have a little trouble with large packs and wonât be able to take out bosses as easily as the first two builds. However, the strength of his slowing ability is legendary.
Looking into the future, your universal premise will probably want the most practical equipment with the most â+â skill items. His elite selection is clear:
Weapon: Of all the weapons mentioned in the first and second build, both scepters Heavens Light and The Redeemer are incredible weapons, but Heavens Light is slightly better with IAS, three sockets, and other useful modifiers.
Armor: As I said before, Guardian Angel is the best armor for the Paladin. It will raise your maximum resists to 90% and with other items (such as Waterwalk boots) can be raised as high as 95%! It also has a high block, block recovery, and â+â skill.
Shield: The universal build will want a Herald of Zakarum to support his conquest. This is without a doubt the best shield a paladin can get with an insanely high block, resists, strength and vitality, and â+â skills. A universal build truly couldnât ask for much more than this shield offers.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Equipment
Hopefully this section will help you get started with an idea of what type of gear you need to play your Frost Crusader paladin.
Attack Rate: Your goal attack rate should not be unrealistic in lieu of the equipment you have access to. You should have at least an 85% attack rate against monsters of your level to ensure a well-balanced amount of hits dealt to hits received ratio. Itâs easy enough to hit an 85% attack rate without any problems, but after this percent, you hit some serious diminishing returns and wonât be able to get a higher attack rate without some major equipment considerations. The highest attack rate attainable is 95%.
Defense: As with your attack rate, diminishing returns make it near impossible to attain a great percentage of defense. Your goal should be a 15% chance to be hit. 5% is the best defense attainable.
Here and Now
Having the foresight to see what items there are and the attributes scores you will need to equip these items is a great thing to do, however you must also focus on the here and now! You canât wield elite items at first level because of three things: Level restriction, Attribute restriction, you donât have the item; the first two are the easiest to overcome with time, but the last one takes a bit of persistence and maybe even a few characters before you ever complete your paladin. So we must focus on whatâs available (and best suited) to your level here and now!
On Recommendation Tables below are listed items in the left hand downward column. On the top row is the recommended uniques, set items, prefixes and suffixes. Each box has the item or magical modifier in question with parenthesis â( )ânext to it listing the character level required before you can equip the item. The items listed in red are secondary choices to a superior item listed next to them. If you desire the items statistics, including set item bonuses, I refer you to the AS.
Magic Finding: In each section below, you will find specific information on places you will want to treasure hunt, however not mentioned is to always kill super uniques and champions because of their increased chance to find magic items. You can find a list of them on the Arret Summit.
Crafts: Crafts are touched on lightly in my guide because of the randomness of the affix properties (making clvl determination impossible). I only recommend their known static attributes, however you can make some truly incredible crafts so donât let this guide stop you from trying your hand at crafts!
Level 1-6
The first 1-6 levels are spent running around picking up whatever you can find, equipping some items and selling the rest to vendors for repairs. Once you leave town, you will start off in the Blood Moor. The best place to get experience at these levels is Black Marsh, however you will most likly have trouble killing there for the first couple levels. I recommend taking your time through the first six levels, killing all the monsters you see and picking up everything to sell for gold.
Best place to level: Black Marsh; start in Dark Wood and continue through Tomahoe Highlands.
Good places to treasure hunt: Crypts inside Buriel Grounds, 2nd level of caves, Forgotten Tower.
Notes: The most damage youâll get at this level is from a 3-socket weapon with 3-chipped gems. There are no crafts or rune words at this level.
Recommendations: 1-6
Items Unique *Set
Amulet - -
Armor - Artic Furs (2)
Belt - Hsarusâ Iron Stay (2)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Hsarusâ Iron Steel (2)
Gloves Hand of Broc (5) Artic Mitts (2)
Headgear Bigginâs Bonnet (3) -
Ring #1 - -
Ring #2 - -
Shield Pelta Lunta (2) Hsarusâ Iron Fist (2)
Weapon* Knell Striker (5) -
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Craftsmanship (1) -
Armor Balance (5) Sturdy (4)
Belt - -
Boots Pacing (2) -
Gloves - -
Headgear Pacing (2) Jagged (1), Deadly (5)
Ring Craftsmanship (1) -
Shield Blocking (1) Shimmering (6)
Weapon* Worth (2), Quality (4), Readiness (5), Leech (6) Jagged (1), Deadly (5), Sharp (5)
Level 7-12
The first six levels go by faster than you can blink your eye. From levels 7-12, you need to start paying more attention to your skills, attribute distribution, and your equipment. You may find there is equipment you need, but lack the proper strength or dexterity, or perhaps your taking too much damage and cant do much of anything without more vitality. In any case, I recommend starting in Tomohoe Highlands and being pickier with your gear.
Best place to level: Catacmobs; start in Tomohoe Highlands and continue through Catacombs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Anderial.
Notes: No crafts or rune words at this level.
Recommendations: 7-12
Items Unique *Set
Amulet Nokozan Relic (10) Angelic Wings (12)
Armor Greyform (7) Angelic Mantle (12)
Belt - Deathâs Guard (6)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Sigonâs Sabot (6)
Gloves Bloodfist (9) Deathâs Hand (6)
Headgear Bigginâs Bonnet (3) Sigonâs Visor (6)
Ring #1 - Angeic Halo (12)
Ring #2 - Angeic Halo (12)
Shield Umbral Disk (9) Sigonâs Guard (6)
Weapon Knell Striker (5) Deathâs Touch (6)
Cont... Recommendations: 7-12
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Shimmering (8) Warmth (10)
Armor Strong (9) Equilibrium (9)
Belt - Equilibrium (9)
Boots - Warmth (10)
Gloves - Warmth (10)
Headgear Shimmering (8) Warmth (10)
Ring - Warmth (10)
Shield - Equilibrium (9), Warmth (10), Deflecting (11)
Weapon Viscious (8) Fine (12) Bat (7), Vileness (9), Slaying, Measure (11)
Level 13-18
Levels 13-18 are tricky because if you found adequate gear, you should be in act II by now, but if all youâve found is crap (happens quite often), then chances are youâll be in act I doing Black Marsh over and over until you get strong enough with your skills to overtake Anderial. If you can, try and make it to act 2.
Best place to level: Canyon of the Magi; First do sewers level 2-3, then Arcane, then Canyon.
Good places to treasure hunt: Stony Tomb in Rocky Waste, Ancient Tunnels in Lost City, Tal Rashaâs false tombs, Duriel.
Notes: Quite a few useful rune words become available with low-level runes; Malace, Steel, Stealth.
Recommendations: 13-18
Items Unique *Set
Amulet Eye of Etlich (15) Angelic Wings (12)
Armor Twitchthroe (16) Angelic Mantle (12)
Belt - Deathâs Guard (6)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Sigonâs Sabot (6)
Gloves Bloodfist (9) Deathâs Hand (6)
Headgear Tarnhelm (15) Sigonâs Visor (6)
Ring #1 Manald Heal (15) Angeic Halo (12)
Ring #2 - Angeic Halo (12)
Shield Steelclash (17) Sigonâs Guard (6)
Weapon Rusthandle (18) Deathâs Touch (6)
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet - Worth (15), Bat (15),Regrowth (17)
Armor Glorious (19) Stability (18)
Belt - Stability (18)
Boots - -
Gloves - -
Headgear - Leech (14), Worth (15), Bat (15), Regrowth (17)
Ring - Leech (14), Worth (15)
Shield Rainbow (18) -
Weapon Brutal (14) Gore (14), Regrowth (17)
Level 19-24
By levels 19-24, if you have nothing else to use and havenât found anything that great, make use of rune words, and the crafts with mana or life steal. While canyon runs will still provide a small amount of experience, you should really be in act 3 by now. So long as youâre balancing your attributes, you shouldnât have any trouble with gear selection yet.
Best place to level: Upper Kurast, Travincal.
Good places to treasure hunt: Temples, and the second level of Dungeons and Sewers throughout the act.
Notes: Rune Words Holy Thunder and Kings Grace become available on Scepters and the runes are pretty low level, but of the two Kings Grace makes a formidable weapon worthy of consideration. Ancients Pledge, combined with the effects of a paldin shields bonuses, can be extreemly nice.
Recommendations: 19-24
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Rainbow (21) Centaur (20),Leech (24)
Armor - Centaur (20)
Belt - -
Boots - Haste (22)
Gloves - Readiness (20)
Headgear Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Rainbow (21) Haste (22)
Ring - -
Shield Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20) -
Weapon Warriorâs (19), Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Massive (20) Carnage (19), Locust (20). Wraith (21), Excellence (24)
Level 25-49
Levels 25-49
Best place to level: Solo â Crystaline Passage & Arret Way (25-30); Nithalâs Temple (31-35); Worldstone (36-40); Multiplayer â Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Icy Celler below Arret Way, Mini-Hell hideaways, Baal.
Notes: Rune Words Passion and Crescent Moon become available on weapons, both very nice and both requiring mid-range runes whiche are harder to find! Lionheart, Gloom, and Stone â all amazing â become available on armors all requiring mid-range runes and some higher-ranged runes. Sanctuary becomes available on shields and requires two mid-range and one high-range runes.
Recommendations: 25-49
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Prismatic (42) Measure (37), Revivification (38), Maiming (42), Negation (42), Life Everlasting (45)
Armor Faithful (30), Godly (45) Life (41), Negation (51)
Belt Faithful (30)
Boots Faithful (30) Speed (37)
Gloves Faithful (30) Leech (34), Bat (35), Regeneration (40), Alacrity (43)
Headgear Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Prismatic (42) Elephant (37), Measure (37), Speed (37), Revivification (38), Life (41), Negation (51), Life Everlast (45), Locust (47)
Ring Shimmering (45) Bat (25), Measure (37), Maiming (42), Locust (47)
Shield Faithful (30), Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Chromatic (50), Priests (50) Regeneration (40), Life (41), Negation (51), Maiming (42)
Weapon Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Ferocious (41), Lords (47), Priests (50) Piercing (25), Swiftness (34), Revivification (38), Evisceration (45), Quickness (46), Performance (48)
Level 50-74
Levels 50-74
Best place to level: Solo â NM-Durance of Hate (50-55); NM-Chaos Sanctuary and Bloody Hills (56-60); NM-World Stone & Moo Moo Farm (61-75); Multiplayer â NM-Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Baal; NM-Countess; NM-Anderial; NM-Duriel; NM-Travincial; NM-Baal.
Notes: Rune Words Call to Arms, Hand of Justice, Breath of the Dying, Eternity, Fury, Beast, Famine, and Doom all become available on weapons and all require very high-ranged runes. Bramble, Chain of Honor, and Enigma become available on armors and all require very high-ranged runes. Exile becomes available on paladin shields and requires very high-ranged runes. Delirium becomes available on headgear and requires very high-ranged runes. I would recommend any of these runewords over their unique counterparts any day!
Recommendations: 50-74
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Chromatic (55), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60) Locust (57), Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Armor - Anima (51)
Belt - Regrowth (55)
Boots - Acceleration (51), Regrowth (55), Transportation (65)
Gloves - -
Headgear Chromatic (55), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60) Anima (51), Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Ring Rainbow (56), Scintillating (67) Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Shield Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60), Priests (60) Anima (51)
Weapon Cruel (51), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60), Priests (60), Grandmaster's (69) Lamprey (55), Vampire (56)
Level 75-99
Levels 75-99
Best place to level: Solo â HELL-Canyon of Magi and Tal Rashaâs Tombs (75-80); HELL-Lost City, Chaos Sanctuary, Claw Viper Temple, & Worldstone (81-85), HELL-Worldstone (86-99); Multiplayer â HELL-Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: NM-Baal; HELL-Countess; HELL-Anderial; HELL-Duriel; HELL-Travincial; HELL-Baal.
Notes: None.
Recommendations: 75-99
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Priestâs (90) Vampire (78), Performance (81), Lamprey (85)
Armor - -
Belt - -
Boots - -
Gloves - -
Headgear Priestâs (90) Lamprey (77), Performance (81)
Ring - Lamprey (77), Vampire (78), Performance (81), Vampire (86)
Shield - -
Weapon - Transcendence (76)
Important Considerations
Now that you have an idea of what type of build premise you want to base your Frost Crusader on, there are some important factors we must take into consideration! Below is included several tables that will help you make some critical decisions about the type of gear and modifiers you will want to use for the future.
Block
When a character succeeds at blocking an attack, the entire attack was thwarted and the character receives no damage. Melee, missile, and some skills and special monster attacks can be dodged.
All shields have a listed block%. This block is different with each character class, but more importantly, it is directly effected by ones dexterity score (see Attribute section for recommended dexterity or Formulae section for a working formula).
The first table is the Recommended Block%. It has a suggested amount of block based on the build premise you choose. Keep in mind that the more block% you have the less dexterity you require for an effective block of 75%, which means more points into vitality!
The second table listed is the Faster Block Rate%. A character will go into a block animation (during which time he can perform no other action but may still be hit) when he is struck and successfully blocks. Block animations lasts an amount of frames (1/25th of a second) equal to the Block Frame chart. If you use holy shield, your block recovery is so low, its really not worth worrying about, however if you donât use that skill, it is important to strive for at least a 3 frame faster block. You will experience block recovery often with 75% effective block.
Recommended Block%: *
Block Build Premise
#1 #2 #3
Holy Shield (lvl 5) (25) (25) (25)
Stormshield: (67) - - -
Herald of Zakarum 82 82 82
Twitchroe - 25 -
Arkaineâs Valor 0 - -
Guardian Angel - - 20
TOTAL: HS (107) (132) (127)
TOTAL: 82 107 102
* Listed above is the recommended block% for each build premise, but there are no wrong choices. You might rather use different armor then that listed. Also, you may want to invest points into Vigor or a secondary skill such as Fanaticism instead of Holy Shield. Finally, you may never find a Stormshield or a Herald of Zakarum, but I think itâs important to think long-term when creating your Paladin.
Faster Block Rate%: *
FBR Block Frames
No Holy Shield W/Holy Shield
0% 5 2
13% 4 2
32% 3 2
86% 2 1
600% 1 1
* A character goes into a block animation if the opponent succeeds in the hit check and the character succeeds in a block check.
Hit Recovery
The third table listed is the Paladin Hit Recovery FPS. Hit recovery is important for all melee characters because after taking a certain amount of damage, a character will go into a hit recovery animation which lasts an amount of frames (1/25th of a second) equal to the hit recovery chart. When surrounded by a mob of monsters, it is easy to get âstun-lockedâ (put into a perpetual hit recovery from being hit multiple times) which is why a low hit recovery is often a lifesaver! There are 25 frames of animation per second in the Diablo game. With zero Faster Hit Recovery, a paladin will have 13 frames of animation when he becomes stun-locked if using spears and staves or 9 frames when using any other weapons. I would recommend no less then a frame 6 faster hit recovery for any melee build, easy to achieve with charms (small-5, large-8, grand-12).
Paladin Hit Recovery FPS: *
HRFPS SpearsStaves OtherWeapons
13 0% -
12 3% -
11 7% -
10 13% -
9 20% 0%
8 32% 7%
7 48% 15%
6 75% 27%
5 120% 48%
4 280% 86%
3 - 200%
2 - -
* A character goes into a hit recovery only when they take enough damage from a single attack to do more than 1/12 of their total life.
Increased Attack Speed
All characters have a base speed at which they attack with weapons (weapons include melee and missile weapons, spells, skills, and monster special attacks). This base speed affects your effective attack speed, which in turn affects your overall frames. Your attack speed animation is based on a 25 frame per second rendering, but is a complex formula to figure out (see the formula section for a detailed formula on FPS). The table above matches required attack speed on the left hand column with a weapons base attack speed on the top row. Most IAS is on weapons, but you can also find it on gloves and the Shael rune.
Zeal FPS Table: *
Base Weapon Speed
IAS 20 10 0 -10 -30
0 - - 7 7 6
5 - - 7 6 6
10 - - 7 6 6
15 - - 7 6 5
20 8 - 6 6 5
25 7 - 6 6 5
30 7 7 6 6 5
35 7 6 6 6 5
40 7 6 6 6 5
45 7 6 6 5 5
50 7 6 6 5 5
60 7 6 6 5 5
65 7 6 5 5 5
70 7 6 5 5 5
75 6 6 5 5 4
80 6 6 5 5 4
85 6 6 - 5 -
90 6 5 - 5 -
100 6 5 - 5 -
110 6 5 - 5 -
120 6 5 - 5 -
125 5 - - 5 -
130 5 - - 5 -
135 - - - 5 -
140 - - - 5 -
145 - - - 4 -
* Nothing changed in IAS 55, 95, 105, or 115
Faster Run/Walk
Faster Run/Walk is subjective to a diminishing returns formula. You will run faster with more faster run/walk even if it does not appear you are. There are no break-points for faster run/walk.
Iâd recommend getting an amount of run/walk you feel comfortable with, which is usually enough to outrun berserking monsters. This is above 30% faster run/walk with heavy armor on.
Faster Run/Walk Table
Suffix Property Item
Pacing 10% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(2)
Haste 20% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(22)
Speed 30% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(37)
Acceleration 40% Faster Run/Walk Boots(51)
Transportation 30% Faster Run/Walk, Heal Sta. Plus 80-90% Boots(65)
Inertia 5% Faster Run/Walk SM Charm (36)
Inertia 7% Faster Run/Walk G Charm (36)
Life Regeneration
All the Diablo characters have zero life regeneration (Iâm not sure about mana). They can acquire skills (such as prayer) or magical items that will boost this.
Magical items that replenish life do it per second thus can be very useful in large amounts (see table below). The Prayer aura flashes once every four seconds in v1.09 healing 2-21 hit points depending on skill level. I donât recommend putting any points into prayer, nor do I recommend getting a Mercenary with Prayer. Instead I recommend carrying extra healing and rejuvenation pots.
Regeneration Table
Suffix Property Item
Revivification Replenish Life +11-15 Amulets(38), Scepters(38), Circlets(38)
Regeneration Replenish Life +3-5 Gloves(40), Shields(40),
Regrowth Replenish Life +6-9 Belts(55), Rings(55)
Regeneration Replenish Life +3-5 Body Armor(70), Weapons(70), Boots(70)
Replenish Life = (25 * â+Replenish Lifeâ) / 256 = Life Per Second
Life and Mana Steal
Other than weapons, circlets, amulets, rings, and even gloves can have life and mana steal. Life steal will dramatically help keep you alive by stealing life from monsters per hit you deal, thus allowing you more time to react to danger instead of having to hover your finger over the rejuvenation potion all the time. Mana steal is also very useful for recovering your mana spent from zealing, although not much is needed.
Recommended Steal
Steal Normal Nightmare Hell
Life Steal 7% 14% 21%
Mana Steal 3% 6% 9%
Resists
Your resists are extremely important for survival, especially in hell! The higher the better, but there is a normal maximum cap of 75% resistance for all difficulties. This cap can be raised with special magical uniques and set items that increase a resists maximum amount (such as with Guardian Angel). There is also a penalty too resistances in different difficulties.
Much like shield blocking, I recommend no less than 75% resistance in all difficulties except in the first 1-30 levels in normal. With Guardian Angel, you will be allowed up to 90% resistances in hell. Almost all items are capable of holding resistances affixes.
Resistance Table
Difficulty Normal Cap Magical Cap Resistance Penalty
Normal 75% 95% 0
Nightmare 75% 95% -40
Hell 75% 95% -100
Attributes
A characters attributes are arguably one of the most important features in the Diablo game, allowing you to wield more powerful weapons, wear more advanced armor, use items you didnât previously have the power or knowledge to use, and increase your overall performance in specific areas.
There are four attributes in the Diablo game: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Energy. There is a short section for each below.
2 str. 2 dex. 1 vit every level until x strength, x dexterity then the rest into vitality!
Recommended Attribute Totals: *
Build Premise
#1 #2 #3
Min Strength 189 89 125
Min Dexterity DN 136 DN
* Based on character build
DN = Dexterity Needed @ 99 Table
Dexterity needed @ 99:
Total Block: 100 107 127 132
Dexterity 164 154 132 128
Difference* 36 26 4 0
Missed Life 108 78 12 0
* From dexterity needed minus lowest dexterity needed
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Energy
Hammerdins need energy, and lots of it. Frost Crusaders on the other hand donât require a single point into energy. If you have any mana leech at all, it will be enough to sustain your mana drain from zeal, however if you lack mana steal, just keep a column in your belt filled with mana pots â you wonât use them very often!
Skill Discussion
Skill choice this and that⦠blahâ¦
Holy Freeze 20
Resist Cold 20
Salvation 20
Zeal 20
Sacrifice 20
Holy Shield 1
With +skill items will get you 20 block easily
Aura pulse times?
Time before it affects allies/enemies?
Time it lasts once it affected others?
Combat Skills
Combat skills this and that⦠blahâ¦
Holy Shield (clvl 24)
Prerequisites Blessed Hammers (clvl 18), Charge (clvl 12), Holy Bolt (clvl 6), Smite (clvl 1)
Synergy Defiance (clvl 6)
Synergy Prerequisites None
DETAILS HERE!
Zeal (level 12)
Prerequisites Sacrifice (level 1)
Synergy Sacrifice
Synergy Prerequisites None
DETAILS HERE!
Offensive Auras
Offensive auras this and that⦠blahâ¦
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Defensive Auras
Defensive auras this and that⦠blahâ¦
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Strategy (NOT FINISHED YET)
Open Wounds
Crushing Blow
Slow Target items
Skill use in specific areas; etc.
Experience
Under Level 25
If there is only a difference of 5 levels between the monster and yourself, you receive 100% of that monster's experience points. If the level difference is large (10 levels or more), you will only receive 5% of experience points for that monster. If the monster is between 6-10 levels above or below you, you will receive a percentage of experience based on the difference in levels between you and the monster:
Level Difference Above or Below Yours (Clvl 1-25)
=<5- 6 7 8 9 10 =>11
100% 84% 68% 52% 36% 20% 5%
What it boils down too: You get the most experience killing monsters five levels above yours from levels 1-24.
Between Levels 25-99
For any monster above your level, you get EXP*(Player Level / Monster Level). For monsters between 6-10 levels below you, you receive between 100% and 5% experience. If the monster is more than 10 levels below your level, you receive 5% of the monster's experience points.
Level Difference Below Yours (Clvl 25-99)
=<5- 6 7 8 9 10 =>11
100%* 84% 68% 52% 36% 20% 5%
* EXP*(Player Level / Monster Level)
What it boils down too: You get the most experience killing monsters above your level; the higher the monster level the more experience you receive.
Above Level 70
After experience is calculated, a diminishing returns formula is applied directly to your experience. I did not feel it necessary to include this information in my paladin guide but if youâre interested in specifics about the diminished experience, this information can be found on the Arret Summit.
Party Experience
An important part of playing a paladin is the power of your auras. If you play multiplayer, your auras have a direct effect on the game play experience for everyone, and that experience is almost always good!
When in a party, the total experience earned for killing a monster is increased by 35% when a party member of the killer is within 2 screens of the monster death. The total experience is then divided evenly among all party members; each memberâs share of the experience is equal to the memberâs level divided by the sum of all membersâ levels.
To sum it up, the highest leveled character gets most of the experience, so try joining parties that are the same level. Also, even if you join up with just one other person of the same level and kill monsters higher level than you to get 135% experience, when this is divided in half its still less than you would get soloing.
REFERENCE
Bestiary
The following acts are broken into appropriate sub-sections. Each section has a table listing the combined maximums for monster level, experience, attack rate, damage, and defense of the section. Champions and Super unique bonuses can be found on in the monster section of the Arret Summit.
* This sub-table assumes the attacker and defender are the same level. If they are different levels, the totals for attack and defense will vary. The listing for attack and defense is the amount of attack and defense for a 95% attack and 5% defend in the area. Champions and super uniques may have special properties that increase their attack rate, defense, damage, and/or hit points dramatically.
** This sub-table lists the hit points required to survive a successful attack at full damage from a berserking monster. Berserking monsters do 4x normal damage and have 4x the attack rate.
THIS SECTION WAS FILLED WITH TABLES THAT GOT DISTORTED SO I DELETED THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER!
Acknowledgements
In alphabetical order:
· Those who helped me at: Amazon Basin
· Arreat Summit; for their massive amounts of information
· D-Dave; for the use of various formulas he collected
· Diabloii.net; for their massive amounts of information
· Those who helped me at: Lurker Lounge
· Those who helped me at: Phrozen Keep
· Tommiâs Walking Paladin Guide; for the best paladin guide in existence
And all those on the various forums I posted on whom helped me
FROST CRUSADER
Contents
I. Methodology
i. Origin
ii. Purpose
II. Known useable Subclasses
i. Avenger
ii. Charger
iii. Defiant (a.k.a Missionary)
iv. Fervour (a.k.a Firedin)
v. Frost Crusader (a.k.a. Freezadin)
vi. Hammerdin
vii. Martyr
viii. Shockadin
ix. Smiter
x. Undead Slayer
xi. Zealot (a.k.a. Fanatic)
III. Starting Statistics
IV. Foresight; Prelude to Equipment
i. Build #1: Damage Premise
ii. Build #2: Speed Premise
iii. Build #3: Universal Premise
V. Equipment
i. Here and Now
1. Level 1-6
2. Level 7-12
3. Level 13-18
4. Level 19-24
5. Level 25-49
6. Level 50-74
7. Level 75-99
ii. Important
1. Block
2. Hit Recovery
3. Increased Attack Speed
4. Faster Run/Walk
5. Life Regeneration
6. Life and Mana Steal
7. Resists
VI. Attributes
i. Strength
ii. Dexterity
iii. Vitality
iv. Energy
VII. Skill Discussion
i. Combat Skills
ii. Offensive Auras
iii. Defensive Auras
VIII. Strategy
IX. Experience
i. Under Level 25
ii. Between Levels 25-99
iii. Above Level 70
iv. Party Experience
X. REFERENCE
i. Bestiary
1. Act I Bestiary
2. Act 2 Bestiary
3. Act 3 Bestiary
4. Act 4 bestiary
5. Act 5 bestiary
ii. Formulae
iii. Useful Paladin Prefixes
iv. Useful Paladin Affixes
v. Rune Chart
vi. Useful Paladin Recipes
vii. Useful Rune Words
XI. Acknowledgements
XII. Disclaimer
FROST CRUSADER âFrom arduous frozen wastelands they bring their god of frost!â
âFreeze n 1: An interruption or temporary suspension of progress or movement v 1: Stop moving or become immobilizedâ
Hello and welcome to the Frost Crusaderâs (Single and Multiplayer) Guide v1.0. This guide is meant to provide you with the tools that will help you develop your Frost Crusader Paladin to his fullest potential, and have fun doing it. For ease of use I have broken down my guide into several chapters (denoted by their large bold heading), each with an introduction and text bulk relating to the chapter.
Methodology
âMethodology n 1: The branch of philosophy that analyzes the principles and procedures of inquiry in a particular disciplineâ
In this section, I will attempt to explain the ideology of the Frost Crusader sub-class beginning with his possible origins and history, his purpose in the diablo world, and various reasons why the Frost Crusader is different from other paladin sub-classes.
About Paladins: âPaladins use holy magic as gifted by the High Heavens. They maintain strictly ordered lives, constantly upholding the cause of Virtue and Light. They must never succumb to worldly temptations lest they risk being deceived into following âfalse lightsâ - demons masquerading as Heavenly beings.â â Arreat Summit
Origin
From deep within the harshness of the freezing artic resides the champion of cold, the master of frost. Few have what it takes to survive an artic winter, but the Frost Crusader not only thrives on the cold, but also emanates its essence from deep within his will. Traveling from the artic reaches of the diablo world, far beyond Haragoth, Frost Crusaders have been around since the age of paladins, seeking to spread the will of their deity (which is to defeat Diablo and his kin, of course) by using the powers he provides; the power of cold. It is from here that your journey as a Frost Crusader begins.
It is rumored that the religion of the Frost Crusader came about when a young paladin marched his army up through a dangerous terrain of ice and sleet to defeat a powerful demon that had been plaguing the northlands. After defeating this monster, the paladin and his men became trapped in the demons lair for over a week. Frostbitten and near death, many of the small army were laying dead on the floor of the cavern, but the paladin continued to pray to his god. Eventually, the god of ice heard his call and saw his great deed and decided to give the young paladin the power over cold (thus the high Cold Resistance and Salvation). Climbing over the bodies of his comrades, the paladin eventually managed to break a hole in the lair and escape. After that, the religion spread quickly, eventually taking an entire sect of paladins.
Purpose
Frost Crusaders promote the will of their deity from which their powers ebb and flow. They believe they are here to further their powers in this world, showing their strength of will and determination to be true to their cause of using Holy Freeze and defeating evil. Through their works, they advance in levels in which their deity grants them more and more skill at what they do.
In Diabo 2: Lord of Destruction, the Frost Crusader is a great ally to have. His purpose is to slow down the enemy while dealing great damage to his foes, however he also relies heavily on his comrades at arms for support when dealing with cold immune monsters and their ilk.
What Makes the F.C. Different: The paladin is a very flexible class with many sub-classes in it. Each sub-class has its own benefits and drawbacks, but there is no âgeneralâ paladin class, or jack-of-all-trades. Eventually every paladin decides his destiny. The strength of the Frost Crusader is his ability to slow down and even freeze creatures not immune to cold. He deals cold damage with each aura pulse. The power to freeze is a very beneficial ability not only to the paladin, but to his party as well. Frost Crusaders receives additional cold damage to their attacks. Their drawback is a lack of major damage (such as with fanaticism) and cold immune monsters, and since most of their skill points will be used up, this class is slightly harder to play.
Known useable Subclasses
Here is a list of the possible subclasses I see as being useful from start to finish, meaning able to kill big D in normal, nightmare, and hell with little or no help. There are many other possible subclasses but they are mostly reserved for medics (teammates in PvP combat) or followers (a paladin who tags along with useful party auras, but none that really benefit himself). Also, I did not include item based subclasses, like the Ranger (uses bows), but did mention them where applicable; nor did I include PvP subclasses like the Reconciler (uses Fist of the Heavens with Conviction).
Below are listed the useable sub-classes. Each has a small description and two ratings of either BEGINNER, NOVICE, or ADVANCED. The first rating is for usefulness in solo playing and the second is for usefulness in party playing. The ratings will help differentiate the useable subclasses for those wanting a less, moderate, or hard challenge in the Diablo game.
Avenger
The avengers main skill focus is Conviction and Vengeance with corresponding synergies being Resist Fire, Resist Cold, Resist Lightening, and Salvation. The avenger is master of the elements and a proselytizer of the masses. His powerful conviction holds sway even over the armies of Diablo and his vengeful attacks can puncture even the most resilient believer. The avenger delivers powerful elemental attacks with a huge offensive radius that helps the entire party. His only downside would be his skills are all used up in the synergies of vengeance, leaving the avenger a one trick pony. He will have to rely on quick kills and a high defense to survive. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/BEGINER
Charger
The chargers main skill focus is Charge and Might with corresponding synergies of Might and Vigor. The charger is one without fear, often heading straight for a mob and bouncing like a pinball off each monster in the group until theyâre all dead. Chargers do a massive amount of damage and because they only use three skills to complete their subclass, they have plenty of left over points for Holy Shield and Redemption, making this class a solid build. The might will help a lot in parties where other auras are more common and has a huge radius. The chargers only weak point is his lack of a multiple attack. This could be made up for by his insane amount of damage, often felling foes in a single hit, thus killing just as fast as zeal. I give him the rating of: BEGINNER/BEGIN
Defiant (a.k.a Missionary)
The defiantâs main skill focus is Holy Shield, Defiance, Thorns, and Convert. Itâs best to get a Defiance mercenary and pump him up with plus skill items so you can use thorns. The defiant is a very headstrong crusader, marching into mobs without any fear. The defiant is the most item dependent subclass requiring a maximum blocking percentile, high defense, good resists, and a little damage reduction helps out a lot too. The defiant does a minimal amount of damage, relying on his thorns and converts to do the damage for him. His downside is of course his lack of damage and the amount of skills he needs to invest in. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/ADVANCED
Fervour (a.k.a Firedin)
The fervourâs main skill focus is Holy Fire with corresponding synergies of Resist Fire and Salvation. I recommend he invest in Zeal and synergy Sacrifice. The fervour is a holy man burning with the power of his deity and spreading the good news to others. His power lies in his ability to cause massive amounts of fire damage in each aura pulse and in every attack. He is not necessarily a great party player because his aura does not benefit anyone other than himself, but his damage is outstanding. Unfortunately his damage against fire immunes is lacking and with so many skill points already invested into his main skills and synergies, he has to make up for his lack of defense and normal damage with items. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Frost Crusader (a.k.a. Freezadin)
Description herein. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Hammerdin
The hammerdinâs main skill focus is Blessed Hammer and Concentration with corresponding synergies of Blessed Aim and Vigor. The hammerdin is a coy subclass, taking out monsters with precision and timing. His hammers are powerful forces to be reckoned with and deal half magic damage, thus beating out physical and elemental resists making this a powerful character. His downside is the amount of skills needed for his synergies leaving him needing zeal or redemption for life/mana recovery. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/NOVICE
Martyr
The martyrâs main skill focus is Sacrifice and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies of Redemption and Fanaticism. Through self-sacrifice and determination, the martyr gives a little of himself in each attack, really dealing a lot of damage on par with charge. With one of his synergies being redemption, he never has to worry too much about massive amounts of life steel, and has no need for mana steel. His downside is the amount of life leech heâll need just to break even with the amount of damage he is receiving, not to mention getting extra hit points back. Overall, the martyr is a good solid build. I give him the rating of: NOVICE/NOVICE
Shockadin
The shockadinâs main skill focus is Holy Shock with corresponding synergies of Resist Lightening and Salvation. Shockadins are used mostly with bows and when using such are known as Rangers. Personally, I recommend investment into Zeal and synergy Sacrifice. The Shockadin, like the fervour and frost crusader, has a powerful attack and does damage with each aura pulse. While not the best party paladin, his damage is sufficient to really help out. His downside is his lack of damage against lighting immune monsters and massive skill investment. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Smiter
The smiterâs main skill focus is Smite, Holy Shield, and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies of Defiance. Smiters use their shield to bash their opponents into ground beefä and receive a good portion of their damage from Holy Shield. Smiters are great at stun-locking monsters (and players) into submission and their fanaticism aura makes bowazons love them. They still have a few points to distribute also to become more versatile. On the downside, they are difficult in solo mode because of their lack of a multiple attack and lower damage, not to mention their lack of leech on a smite attack. I give smiters the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Undead Slayer
The undead slayerâs main skill focus is Fist of the Heavens and Sanctuary with corresponding synergies of Cleansing, Holy Bolt, and Holy Shock. The undead slayer is a powerful specialty subclass of undead hunter. Because of his ability to switch to holy shock and the magic damage dealt with Sanctuary, he is overall well suited anywhere in the battlefield and parties will enjoy his cleansing and possible one point redemption wonder powers. His downside is his heavy skill investment, leaving him with no secondary attack to deal damage, meaning heâll need lots of mana pots or a serious look at zeal with reduced potency to his other skills. I give him the rating of: ADVANCED/NOVICE
Zealot (a.k.a. Fanatic)
The zealotâs main skill focus is Zeal and Fanaticism with corresponding synergies being Sacrifice. The zealot is extremely fast and deadly, one of the most powerful paladin sub-classes by far. His only drawbacks are his lack of elemental damage and poor radius of offensive aura, but because he need only invest in zeal, fanaticism, and sacrifice, he has plenty of left over skill points to distribute. The zealots Fanaticism aura is great for himself, but the radius is often times too small to affect party members. Overall, the zealot is a solid build. I give him the rating of: BEGINNER/NOVICE
Starting Statistics
This section hosts all pertinent formulas needed to configure statistics for your paladin. Details on each subject is can be found in later chapters.
Starting Attributes Each Point
Strength: 25
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 25 +3 Life; +1 Stamina
Energy: 15 +1.5 Mana
Hit Points: 55
Stamina: 89
Mana: 15
Each Character Level
Life: +2
Stamina: +1
Mana: +1.5
Foresight; Prelude to Equipment
Quite possibly the most important thing to do before starting your Frost Crusader is to look towards the future and assume you will reach 99th level and have the best gear your looking for; this way, you are guaranteed to have the Strength and Dexterity you need, even if you never see these elite items.
With most melee characters, the general consensus is the more damage the weapon does, the better the character will do. With the frost crusader, there are three avenues to take on your road to equipping items. Your decision will irrevocably affect your build.
The following premises were established with elite uniques, not crafts or rune words . This is due to the requirements of the craft or rune words being based on the host items attribute requirements. Uniques have a higher attribute requirement, thus are what should really be aimed for when looking towards the future in case you do find these uniques. Crafts and rune words will be covered in the Here and Now section.
Build #1: Damage Premise
The first avenue of perspicacity is damage over all else. The reasoning is sound and the method proven effective. It will work well with a Frost Crusader because of his holy freeze which, unlike cold damage, will slow all normal monsters, uniques, and super uniques by >54%. When slowed, the monsters will hit you less allowing you ample time to do damage and leech back life, not to mention dodge powerful oncoming attacks. Combined with a good defense and block rate, you have the option of running into a mob and making short work out of them.
The damage build is best suited for bosses and small packs of powerful foes. A large mob of monsters can quickly overwhelm the damage build simply because he doesnât attack that fast.
Looking into the future, your damage premise will probably want the most detrimental weapon for the greatest amount of additional damage and the best defense. His elite selection is clear:
Weapon: There are few one-handed weapons that deal the kind of damage build #1 is looking for. For scepters, Heavens Light and The Redeemer both have +skill items and attractive modifiers. For swords, the Frostwind does an incredible amount of damage and has a great attack speed, not to mention very attractive modifiers. But the most destructive weapon in the group goes to the Mauls with the Stone Crusher doing around the same damage as the Frostwind (minus the cold damage), with a whopping 40% crushing blow, amongst various other modifiers. If damage is the path of your choice, the Stone Crusher should be the weapon to set your sights on.
Body Armor: With a high amount of life leech, 90-95% resists arenât as important as a high block and defense rate. While the Guardian Angel is the best armor for paladins all around, a paladin based on the damage premise should be looking for high defense and modifiers that suit him best. Arkaineâs Valor has a high defense and fantastic modifiers including â+â skill; Leviathan has a huge defense and physical resistance; finally Templarâs Might has the best defense and okay modifiers but â+â skill. Overall, Iâd recommend Arkaineâs Valor for build #1âs projection.
Shield: Your going to need a good block rate, but more importantly, the right modifiers on your shield. There are only two choices for shields; Stormshield which has a very nice defense at high level, damage reduction, and other very attractive modifiers; and Herald of Zarakum which has an equally impressive defense, extremely high block rate which means less dexterity and more vitality, â+â skill, and other truly magnificent modifiers. Neither is a bad choice, but for the damage build, the Herald of Zarakum is the obvious pick to set your sights on.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Build #2: Speed Premise
The second avenue of perspicacity is speed over all else. When you freeze monsters, they attack much slower then they normally would, thus effectively making you attack >54% faster. Combined with IAS gear and you have the makings of a dangerous foe, or a powerful ally. Because your gear is dedicated towards speed, however, you will not do as much damage per attack, but over a volley of attacks. While the monsters will die nearly as fast as with build #1, the speed premise build ends up receiving more damage because: they deal less damage thus it takes a second or two longer to kill foes; speed gear has lower defense.
The speed build is best suited for large mobs that deal less damage. While the rest of the party has trouble with large groups, the speed premise excels, taking out each and every foe in due time.
Looking into the future, your damage premise will probably want the best FHR, FBR, and IAS he can get to increase his speed and keep him from getting stun-locked! His equipment selection is clear:
Weapon: Scepters have a mid-range speed making them somewhat useful for attacking quickly, but the best bet amongst them is the Astreon's Iron Ward with a base speed of â10 (requiring 145 IAS to reach 4 FPS with zeal), +10% IAS, and some other great modifiers. For swords, both the Lightsabre and the Azurewrath have a base speed of â30 making them reach 4 FPS with zeal at 75 IAS, however the Azurewrath has a +30% IAS and fantastic damage modifiers too boot. For maces, both Horizonâs Tornado and Stormlash have a â10 base reaching 4 FPS zeal with 145 IAS, however the Horizonâs Tornado has a whooping +50% IAS, insane damage, and slows target also effectively increasing your speed against these monsters. If speed if the path of your choice, the Azurewrath should be the clear choice for you.
Armor: While defense is important, it is not as crucial to the speed premise as IAS. So long as you have enough life leech and hit recovery, defense should not be a problem for you. This being the case, Twitchthroe is absolutely fantastic armor boasting +20% IAS and hit recovery, +25% blocking, and other modifiers. Crow Caw is worth mentioning with +15% IAS and hit recovery, and other modifiers. If you can find your IAS in other places (such as Sigons gloves), then Iâd suggest that you use Guardian Angel for higher resists and â+â skill, otherwise Twitchthroe is the best choice for a speed premise build.
Shield: The best and only choice of shields for the speed premise is the Herald of Zarakum for its extremely high block rate and â+â skill.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Build #3: Universal Premise
The third and final avenue of perspicacity is a combination of damage and speed. This is a universally good solid build all around, but you wonât be ultra fast, nor will you be doing massive damage. The universal premise focuses on the need for overall balance in a paladin, thus reducing the dependency of high damage and IAS gear. Your damage will not be as high as the damage premise or the speed premise, nor will your speed match the speed premise, but what you lack in theses areas, you make up for in power as you will have the most â+â skill items, and thus the most powerful auras.
The universal build is the best party character because he has the most powerful auras. He will find his place amongst the monsters but may have a little trouble with large packs and wonât be able to take out bosses as easily as the first two builds. However, the strength of his slowing ability is legendary.
Looking into the future, your universal premise will probably want the most practical equipment with the most â+â skill items. His elite selection is clear:
Weapon: Of all the weapons mentioned in the first and second build, both scepters Heavens Light and The Redeemer are incredible weapons, but Heavens Light is slightly better with IAS, three sockets, and other useful modifiers.
Armor: As I said before, Guardian Angel is the best armor for the Paladin. It will raise your maximum resists to 90% and with other items (such as Waterwalk boots) can be raised as high as 95%! It also has a high block, block recovery, and â+â skill.
Shield: The universal build will want a Herald of Zakarum to support his conquest. This is without a doubt the best shield a paladin can get with an insanely high block, resists, strength and vitality, and â+â skills. A universal build truly couldnât ask for much more than this shield offers.
Other: As with all these builds, your choice of jewelry, belts, boots, helmets, socketed jewels, and charms are secondary to your Weapon, Body Armor, and Shield. Whatever you pick to fill these empty slots will not affect the general premise of the build much.
Equipment
Hopefully this section will help you get started with an idea of what type of gear you need to play your Frost Crusader paladin.
Attack Rate: Your goal attack rate should not be unrealistic in lieu of the equipment you have access to. You should have at least an 85% attack rate against monsters of your level to ensure a well-balanced amount of hits dealt to hits received ratio. Itâs easy enough to hit an 85% attack rate without any problems, but after this percent, you hit some serious diminishing returns and wonât be able to get a higher attack rate without some major equipment considerations. The highest attack rate attainable is 95%.
Defense: As with your attack rate, diminishing returns make it near impossible to attain a great percentage of defense. Your goal should be a 15% chance to be hit. 5% is the best defense attainable.
Here and Now
Having the foresight to see what items there are and the attributes scores you will need to equip these items is a great thing to do, however you must also focus on the here and now! You canât wield elite items at first level because of three things: Level restriction, Attribute restriction, you donât have the item; the first two are the easiest to overcome with time, but the last one takes a bit of persistence and maybe even a few characters before you ever complete your paladin. So we must focus on whatâs available (and best suited) to your level here and now!
On Recommendation Tables below are listed items in the left hand downward column. On the top row is the recommended uniques, set items, prefixes and suffixes. Each box has the item or magical modifier in question with parenthesis â( )ânext to it listing the character level required before you can equip the item. The items listed in red are secondary choices to a superior item listed next to them. If you desire the items statistics, including set item bonuses, I refer you to the AS.
Magic Finding: In each section below, you will find specific information on places you will want to treasure hunt, however not mentioned is to always kill super uniques and champions because of their increased chance to find magic items. You can find a list of them on the Arret Summit.
Crafts: Crafts are touched on lightly in my guide because of the randomness of the affix properties (making clvl determination impossible). I only recommend their known static attributes, however you can make some truly incredible crafts so donât let this guide stop you from trying your hand at crafts!
Level 1-6
The first 1-6 levels are spent running around picking up whatever you can find, equipping some items and selling the rest to vendors for repairs. Once you leave town, you will start off in the Blood Moor. The best place to get experience at these levels is Black Marsh, however you will most likly have trouble killing there for the first couple levels. I recommend taking your time through the first six levels, killing all the monsters you see and picking up everything to sell for gold.
Best place to level: Black Marsh; start in Dark Wood and continue through Tomahoe Highlands.
Good places to treasure hunt: Crypts inside Buriel Grounds, 2nd level of caves, Forgotten Tower.
Notes: The most damage youâll get at this level is from a 3-socket weapon with 3-chipped gems. There are no crafts or rune words at this level.
Recommendations: 1-6
Items Unique *Set
Amulet - -
Armor - Artic Furs (2)
Belt - Hsarusâ Iron Stay (2)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Hsarusâ Iron Steel (2)
Gloves Hand of Broc (5) Artic Mitts (2)
Headgear Bigginâs Bonnet (3) -
Ring #1 - -
Ring #2 - -
Shield Pelta Lunta (2) Hsarusâ Iron Fist (2)
Weapon* Knell Striker (5) -
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Craftsmanship (1) -
Armor Balance (5) Sturdy (4)
Belt - -
Boots Pacing (2) -
Gloves - -
Headgear Pacing (2) Jagged (1), Deadly (5)
Ring Craftsmanship (1) -
Shield Blocking (1) Shimmering (6)
Weapon* Worth (2), Quality (4), Readiness (5), Leech (6) Jagged (1), Deadly (5), Sharp (5)
Level 7-12
The first six levels go by faster than you can blink your eye. From levels 7-12, you need to start paying more attention to your skills, attribute distribution, and your equipment. You may find there is equipment you need, but lack the proper strength or dexterity, or perhaps your taking too much damage and cant do much of anything without more vitality. In any case, I recommend starting in Tomohoe Highlands and being pickier with your gear.
Best place to level: Catacmobs; start in Tomohoe Highlands and continue through Catacombs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Anderial.
Notes: No crafts or rune words at this level.
Recommendations: 7-12
Items Unique *Set
Amulet Nokozan Relic (10) Angelic Wings (12)
Armor Greyform (7) Angelic Mantle (12)
Belt - Deathâs Guard (6)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Sigonâs Sabot (6)
Gloves Bloodfist (9) Deathâs Hand (6)
Headgear Bigginâs Bonnet (3) Sigonâs Visor (6)
Ring #1 - Angeic Halo (12)
Ring #2 - Angeic Halo (12)
Shield Umbral Disk (9) Sigonâs Guard (6)
Weapon Knell Striker (5) Deathâs Touch (6)
Cont... Recommendations: 7-12
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Shimmering (8) Warmth (10)
Armor Strong (9) Equilibrium (9)
Belt - Equilibrium (9)
Boots - Warmth (10)
Gloves - Warmth (10)
Headgear Shimmering (8) Warmth (10)
Ring - Warmth (10)
Shield - Equilibrium (9), Warmth (10), Deflecting (11)
Weapon Viscious (8) Fine (12) Bat (7), Vileness (9), Slaying, Measure (11)
Level 13-18
Levels 13-18 are tricky because if you found adequate gear, you should be in act II by now, but if all youâve found is crap (happens quite often), then chances are youâll be in act I doing Black Marsh over and over until you get strong enough with your skills to overtake Anderial. If you can, try and make it to act 2.
Best place to level: Canyon of the Magi; First do sewers level 2-3, then Arcane, then Canyon.
Good places to treasure hunt: Stony Tomb in Rocky Waste, Ancient Tunnels in Lost City, Tal Rashaâs false tombs, Duriel.
Notes: Quite a few useful rune words become available with low-level runes; Malace, Steel, Stealth.
Recommendations: 13-18
Items Unique *Set
Amulet Eye of Etlich (15) Angelic Wings (12)
Armor Twitchthroe (16) Angelic Mantle (12)
Belt - Deathâs Guard (6)
Boots Hot Spur (5) Sigonâs Sabot (6)
Gloves Bloodfist (9) Deathâs Hand (6)
Headgear Tarnhelm (15) Sigonâs Visor (6)
Ring #1 Manald Heal (15) Angeic Halo (12)
Ring #2 - Angeic Halo (12)
Shield Steelclash (17) Sigonâs Guard (6)
Weapon Rusthandle (18) Deathâs Touch (6)
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet - Worth (15), Bat (15),Regrowth (17)
Armor Glorious (19) Stability (18)
Belt - Stability (18)
Boots - -
Gloves - -
Headgear - Leech (14), Worth (15), Bat (15), Regrowth (17)
Ring - Leech (14), Worth (15)
Shield Rainbow (18) -
Weapon Brutal (14) Gore (14), Regrowth (17)
Level 19-24
By levels 19-24, if you have nothing else to use and havenât found anything that great, make use of rune words, and the crafts with mana or life steal. While canyon runs will still provide a small amount of experience, you should really be in act 3 by now. So long as youâre balancing your attributes, you shouldnât have any trouble with gear selection yet.
Best place to level: Upper Kurast, Travincal.
Good places to treasure hunt: Temples, and the second level of Dungeons and Sewers throughout the act.
Notes: Rune Words Holy Thunder and Kings Grace become available on Scepters and the runes are pretty low level, but of the two Kings Grace makes a formidable weapon worthy of consideration. Ancients Pledge, combined with the effects of a paldin shields bonuses, can be extreemly nice.
Recommendations: 19-24
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Rainbow (21) Centaur (20),Leech (24)
Armor - Centaur (20)
Belt - -
Boots - Haste (22)
Gloves - Readiness (20)
Headgear Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Rainbow (21) Haste (22)
Ring - -
Shield Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20) -
Weapon Warriorâs (19), Lion Branded (20), Captianâs (20), Massive (20) Carnage (19), Locust (20). Wraith (21), Excellence (24)
Level 25-49
Levels 25-49
Best place to level: Solo â Crystaline Passage & Arret Way (25-30); Nithalâs Temple (31-35); Worldstone (36-40); Multiplayer â Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Icy Celler below Arret Way, Mini-Hell hideaways, Baal.
Notes: Rune Words Passion and Crescent Moon become available on weapons, both very nice and both requiring mid-range runes whiche are harder to find! Lionheart, Gloom, and Stone â all amazing â become available on armors all requiring mid-range runes and some higher-ranged runes. Sanctuary becomes available on shields and requires two mid-range and one high-range runes.
Recommendations: 25-49
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Prismatic (42) Measure (37), Revivification (38), Maiming (42), Negation (42), Life Everlasting (45)
Armor Faithful (30), Godly (45) Life (41), Negation (51)
Belt Faithful (30)
Boots Faithful (30) Speed (37)
Gloves Faithful (30) Leech (34), Bat (35), Regeneration (40), Alacrity (43)
Headgear Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Prismatic (42) Elephant (37), Measure (37), Speed (37), Revivification (38), Life (41), Negation (51), Life Everlast (45), Locust (47)
Ring Shimmering (45) Bat (25), Measure (37), Maiming (42), Locust (47)
Shield Faithful (30), Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Chromatic (50), Priests (50) Regeneration (40), Life (41), Negation (51), Maiming (42)
Weapon Hawk Branded (40), Commanderâs (40), Ferocious (41), Lords (47), Priests (50) Piercing (25), Swiftness (34), Revivification (38), Evisceration (45), Quickness (46), Performance (48)
Level 50-74
Levels 50-74
Best place to level: Solo â NM-Durance of Hate (50-55); NM-Chaos Sanctuary and Bloody Hills (56-60); NM-World Stone & Moo Moo Farm (61-75); Multiplayer â NM-Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: Baal; NM-Countess; NM-Anderial; NM-Duriel; NM-Travincial; NM-Baal.
Notes: Rune Words Call to Arms, Hand of Justice, Breath of the Dying, Eternity, Fury, Beast, Famine, and Doom all become available on weapons and all require very high-ranged runes. Bramble, Chain of Honor, and Enigma become available on armors and all require very high-ranged runes. Exile becomes available on paladin shields and requires very high-ranged runes. Delirium becomes available on headgear and requires very high-ranged runes. I would recommend any of these runewords over their unique counterparts any day!
Recommendations: 50-74
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Chromatic (55), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60) Locust (57), Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Armor - Anima (51)
Belt - Regrowth (55)
Boots - Acceleration (51), Regrowth (55), Transportation (65)
Gloves - -
Headgear Chromatic (55), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60) Anima (51), Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Ring Rainbow (56), Scintillating (67) Wraith (58), Excellence (59)
Shield Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60), Priests (60) Anima (51)
Weapon Cruel (51), Rose Branded (60), Marshalâs (60), Priests (60), Grandmaster's (69) Lamprey (55), Vampire (56)
Level 75-99
Levels 75-99
Best place to level: Solo â HELL-Canyon of Magi and Tal Rashaâs Tombs (75-80); HELL-Lost City, Chaos Sanctuary, Claw Viper Temple, & Worldstone (81-85), HELL-Worldstone (86-99); Multiplayer â HELL-Baal Runs.
Good places to treasure hunt: NM-Baal; HELL-Countess; HELL-Anderial; HELL-Duriel; HELL-Travincial; HELL-Baal.
Notes: None.
Recommendations: 75-99
Items Unique *Set
Amulet
Armor
Belt
Boots
Gloves
Headgear
Ring #1
Ring #2
Shield
Weapon
Items Prefix Suffix
Amulet Priestâs (90) Vampire (78), Performance (81), Lamprey (85)
Armor - -
Belt - -
Boots - -
Gloves - -
Headgear Priestâs (90) Lamprey (77), Performance (81)
Ring - Lamprey (77), Vampire (78), Performance (81), Vampire (86)
Shield - -
Weapon - Transcendence (76)
Important Considerations
Now that you have an idea of what type of build premise you want to base your Frost Crusader on, there are some important factors we must take into consideration! Below is included several tables that will help you make some critical decisions about the type of gear and modifiers you will want to use for the future.
Block
When a character succeeds at blocking an attack, the entire attack was thwarted and the character receives no damage. Melee, missile, and some skills and special monster attacks can be dodged.
All shields have a listed block%. This block is different with each character class, but more importantly, it is directly effected by ones dexterity score (see Attribute section for recommended dexterity or Formulae section for a working formula).
The first table is the Recommended Block%. It has a suggested amount of block based on the build premise you choose. Keep in mind that the more block% you have the less dexterity you require for an effective block of 75%, which means more points into vitality!
The second table listed is the Faster Block Rate%. A character will go into a block animation (during which time he can perform no other action but may still be hit) when he is struck and successfully blocks. Block animations lasts an amount of frames (1/25th of a second) equal to the Block Frame chart. If you use holy shield, your block recovery is so low, its really not worth worrying about, however if you donât use that skill, it is important to strive for at least a 3 frame faster block. You will experience block recovery often with 75% effective block.
Recommended Block%: *
Block Build Premise
#1 #2 #3
Holy Shield (lvl 5) (25) (25) (25)
Stormshield: (67) - - -
Herald of Zakarum 82 82 82
Twitchroe - 25 -
Arkaineâs Valor 0 - -
Guardian Angel - - 20
TOTAL: HS (107) (132) (127)
TOTAL: 82 107 102
* Listed above is the recommended block% for each build premise, but there are no wrong choices. You might rather use different armor then that listed. Also, you may want to invest points into Vigor or a secondary skill such as Fanaticism instead of Holy Shield. Finally, you may never find a Stormshield or a Herald of Zakarum, but I think itâs important to think long-term when creating your Paladin.
Faster Block Rate%: *
FBR Block Frames
No Holy Shield W/Holy Shield
0% 5 2
13% 4 2
32% 3 2
86% 2 1
600% 1 1
* A character goes into a block animation if the opponent succeeds in the hit check and the character succeeds in a block check.
Hit Recovery
The third table listed is the Paladin Hit Recovery FPS. Hit recovery is important for all melee characters because after taking a certain amount of damage, a character will go into a hit recovery animation which lasts an amount of frames (1/25th of a second) equal to the hit recovery chart. When surrounded by a mob of monsters, it is easy to get âstun-lockedâ (put into a perpetual hit recovery from being hit multiple times) which is why a low hit recovery is often a lifesaver! There are 25 frames of animation per second in the Diablo game. With zero Faster Hit Recovery, a paladin will have 13 frames of animation when he becomes stun-locked if using spears and staves or 9 frames when using any other weapons. I would recommend no less then a frame 6 faster hit recovery for any melee build, easy to achieve with charms (small-5, large-8, grand-12).
Paladin Hit Recovery FPS: *
HRFPS SpearsStaves OtherWeapons
13 0% -
12 3% -
11 7% -
10 13% -
9 20% 0%
8 32% 7%
7 48% 15%
6 75% 27%
5 120% 48%
4 280% 86%
3 - 200%
2 - -
* A character goes into a hit recovery only when they take enough damage from a single attack to do more than 1/12 of their total life.
Increased Attack Speed
All characters have a base speed at which they attack with weapons (weapons include melee and missile weapons, spells, skills, and monster special attacks). This base speed affects your effective attack speed, which in turn affects your overall frames. Your attack speed animation is based on a 25 frame per second rendering, but is a complex formula to figure out (see the formula section for a detailed formula on FPS). The table above matches required attack speed on the left hand column with a weapons base attack speed on the top row. Most IAS is on weapons, but you can also find it on gloves and the Shael rune.
Zeal FPS Table: *
Base Weapon Speed
IAS 20 10 0 -10 -30
0 - - 7 7 6
5 - - 7 6 6
10 - - 7 6 6
15 - - 7 6 5
20 8 - 6 6 5
25 7 - 6 6 5
30 7 7 6 6 5
35 7 6 6 6 5
40 7 6 6 6 5
45 7 6 6 5 5
50 7 6 6 5 5
60 7 6 6 5 5
65 7 6 5 5 5
70 7 6 5 5 5
75 6 6 5 5 4
80 6 6 5 5 4
85 6 6 - 5 -
90 6 5 - 5 -
100 6 5 - 5 -
110 6 5 - 5 -
120 6 5 - 5 -
125 5 - - 5 -
130 5 - - 5 -
135 - - - 5 -
140 - - - 5 -
145 - - - 4 -
* Nothing changed in IAS 55, 95, 105, or 115
Faster Run/Walk
Faster Run/Walk is subjective to a diminishing returns formula. You will run faster with more faster run/walk even if it does not appear you are. There are no break-points for faster run/walk.
Iâd recommend getting an amount of run/walk you feel comfortable with, which is usually enough to outrun berserking monsters. This is above 30% faster run/walk with heavy armor on.
Faster Run/Walk Table
Suffix Property Item
Pacing 10% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(2)
Haste 20% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(22)
Speed 30% Faster Run/Walk Boots, Circlets(37)
Acceleration 40% Faster Run/Walk Boots(51)
Transportation 30% Faster Run/Walk, Heal Sta. Plus 80-90% Boots(65)
Inertia 5% Faster Run/Walk SM Charm (36)
Inertia 7% Faster Run/Walk G Charm (36)
Life Regeneration
All the Diablo characters have zero life regeneration (Iâm not sure about mana). They can acquire skills (such as prayer) or magical items that will boost this.
Magical items that replenish life do it per second thus can be very useful in large amounts (see table below). The Prayer aura flashes once every four seconds in v1.09 healing 2-21 hit points depending on skill level. I donât recommend putting any points into prayer, nor do I recommend getting a Mercenary with Prayer. Instead I recommend carrying extra healing and rejuvenation pots.
Regeneration Table
Suffix Property Item
Revivification Replenish Life +11-15 Amulets(38), Scepters(38), Circlets(38)
Regeneration Replenish Life +3-5 Gloves(40), Shields(40),
Regrowth Replenish Life +6-9 Belts(55), Rings(55)
Regeneration Replenish Life +3-5 Body Armor(70), Weapons(70), Boots(70)
Replenish Life = (25 * â+Replenish Lifeâ) / 256 = Life Per Second
Life and Mana Steal
Other than weapons, circlets, amulets, rings, and even gloves can have life and mana steal. Life steal will dramatically help keep you alive by stealing life from monsters per hit you deal, thus allowing you more time to react to danger instead of having to hover your finger over the rejuvenation potion all the time. Mana steal is also very useful for recovering your mana spent from zealing, although not much is needed.
Recommended Steal
Steal Normal Nightmare Hell
Life Steal 7% 14% 21%
Mana Steal 3% 6% 9%
Resists
Your resists are extremely important for survival, especially in hell! The higher the better, but there is a normal maximum cap of 75% resistance for all difficulties. This cap can be raised with special magical uniques and set items that increase a resists maximum amount (such as with Guardian Angel). There is also a penalty too resistances in different difficulties.
Much like shield blocking, I recommend no less than 75% resistance in all difficulties except in the first 1-30 levels in normal. With Guardian Angel, you will be allowed up to 90% resistances in hell. Almost all items are capable of holding resistances affixes.
Resistance Table
Difficulty Normal Cap Magical Cap Resistance Penalty
Normal 75% 95% 0
Nightmare 75% 95% -40
Hell 75% 95% -100
Attributes
A characters attributes are arguably one of the most important features in the Diablo game, allowing you to wield more powerful weapons, wear more advanced armor, use items you didnât previously have the power or knowledge to use, and increase your overall performance in specific areas.
There are four attributes in the Diablo game: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Energy. There is a short section for each below.
2 str. 2 dex. 1 vit every level until x strength, x dexterity then the rest into vitality!
Recommended Attribute Totals: *
Build Premise
#1 #2 #3
Min Strength 189 89 125
Min Dexterity DN 136 DN
* Based on character build
DN = Dexterity Needed @ 99 Table
Dexterity needed @ 99:
Total Block: 100 107 127 132
Dexterity 164 154 132 128
Difference* 36 26 4 0
Missed Life 108 78 12 0
* From dexterity needed minus lowest dexterity needed
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Energy
Hammerdins need energy, and lots of it. Frost Crusaders on the other hand donât require a single point into energy. If you have any mana leech at all, it will be enough to sustain your mana drain from zeal, however if you lack mana steal, just keep a column in your belt filled with mana pots â you wonât use them very often!
Skill Discussion
Skill choice this and that⦠blahâ¦
Holy Freeze 20
Resist Cold 20
Salvation 20
Zeal 20
Sacrifice 20
Holy Shield 1
With +skill items will get you 20 block easily
Aura pulse times?
Time before it affects allies/enemies?
Time it lasts once it affected others?
Combat Skills
Combat skills this and that⦠blahâ¦
Holy Shield (clvl 24)
Prerequisites Blessed Hammers (clvl 18), Charge (clvl 12), Holy Bolt (clvl 6), Smite (clvl 1)
Synergy Defiance (clvl 6)
Synergy Prerequisites None
DETAILS HERE!
Zeal (level 12)
Prerequisites Sacrifice (level 1)
Synergy Sacrifice
Synergy Prerequisites None
DETAILS HERE!
Offensive Auras
Offensive auras this and that⦠blahâ¦
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Defensive Auras
Defensive auras this and that⦠blahâ¦
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Prerequisites
Synergy
Synergy Prerequisites
DETAILS HERE!
Strategy (NOT FINISHED YET)
Open Wounds
Crushing Blow
Slow Target items
Skill use in specific areas; etc.
Experience
Under Level 25
If there is only a difference of 5 levels between the monster and yourself, you receive 100% of that monster's experience points. If the level difference is large (10 levels or more), you will only receive 5% of experience points for that monster. If the monster is between 6-10 levels above or below you, you will receive a percentage of experience based on the difference in levels between you and the monster:
Level Difference Above or Below Yours (Clvl 1-25)
=<5- 6 7 8 9 10 =>11
100% 84% 68% 52% 36% 20% 5%
What it boils down too: You get the most experience killing monsters five levels above yours from levels 1-24.
Between Levels 25-99
For any monster above your level, you get EXP*(Player Level / Monster Level). For monsters between 6-10 levels below you, you receive between 100% and 5% experience. If the monster is more than 10 levels below your level, you receive 5% of the monster's experience points.
Level Difference Below Yours (Clvl 25-99)
=<5- 6 7 8 9 10 =>11
100%* 84% 68% 52% 36% 20% 5%
* EXP*(Player Level / Monster Level)
What it boils down too: You get the most experience killing monsters above your level; the higher the monster level the more experience you receive.
Above Level 70
After experience is calculated, a diminishing returns formula is applied directly to your experience. I did not feel it necessary to include this information in my paladin guide but if youâre interested in specifics about the diminished experience, this information can be found on the Arret Summit.
Party Experience
An important part of playing a paladin is the power of your auras. If you play multiplayer, your auras have a direct effect on the game play experience for everyone, and that experience is almost always good!
When in a party, the total experience earned for killing a monster is increased by 35% when a party member of the killer is within 2 screens of the monster death. The total experience is then divided evenly among all party members; each memberâs share of the experience is equal to the memberâs level divided by the sum of all membersâ levels.
To sum it up, the highest leveled character gets most of the experience, so try joining parties that are the same level. Also, even if you join up with just one other person of the same level and kill monsters higher level than you to get 135% experience, when this is divided in half its still less than you would get soloing.
REFERENCE
Bestiary
The following acts are broken into appropriate sub-sections. Each section has a table listing the combined maximums for monster level, experience, attack rate, damage, and defense of the section. Champions and Super unique bonuses can be found on in the monster section of the Arret Summit.
* This sub-table assumes the attacker and defender are the same level. If they are different levels, the totals for attack and defense will vary. The listing for attack and defense is the amount of attack and defense for a 95% attack and 5% defend in the area. Champions and super uniques may have special properties that increase their attack rate, defense, damage, and/or hit points dramatically.
** This sub-table lists the hit points required to survive a successful attack at full damage from a berserking monster. Berserking monsters do 4x normal damage and have 4x the attack rate.
THIS SECTION WAS FILLED WITH TABLES THAT GOT DISTORTED SO I DELETED THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER!
Acknowledgements
In alphabetical order:
· Those who helped me at: Amazon Basin
· Arreat Summit; for their massive amounts of information
· D-Dave; for the use of various formulas he collected
· Diabloii.net; for their massive amounts of information
· Those who helped me at: Lurker Lounge
· Those who helped me at: Phrozen Keep
· Tommiâs Walking Paladin Guide; for the best paladin guide in existence
And all those on the various forums I posted on whom helped me
"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." -Albert Einsetin