Working on a Zealot (or other type of pally)

[Jeunemaitre]

The Avenger build is painfully mana-dependant for average Joes like you and me.  If you want to go that route anyway, keep Holy Shield and inflate Conviction up as high as you can get it.  Also, look to the synergies for added damage rather than the skill itself to keep the mana cost down.  I'd actually recommend leaving Vengeance at level 1 until you're certain your mana leeching can support more.  Don't worry too much about your chance to hit, because the character screen doesn't take into account the huge defense reduction from Conviction.

I've found that I can usually make it through most fights without much mana trouble using a vengeance/conviction build. The trick for me has been the one point in redemption (I think that's the name I'm looking for). After the baddies fall I take a moment to flash from conviction to redemption and get some of the mana back. I can't be sure that this will continue to work for me since this is the first pally I've played in a long time, and he just turned 30 in normal. I'm actually only using one point in vengeance (+2 from my mace) and spending more points for the synergies from resist fireghtning/cold.

I do have another question about the avenger build though: what merc should I consider? At the moment, my A2 normal defiance merc is doing well, but I'm not sure how much longer he'll be able to hang with me. Any suggestions on what makes a good merc for the 30+ avenger?

edit: clean grammar and spelling a bit