Defiany Paladin Build

[DarkPriest]

Hi all. Sup?

Been idle for a while.
Here is another unusual build. A defiant paladin. I figure why not try something new?
A defiant pally is basically a zealot, except that you use Defiance aura rather than fanaticism.
Basically you maximize the following:

- Defiance ( 20 pts)
- Holy Shield ( 20 pts )
- Zeal  ( 20 pts )
- Sacrifice ( 20 pts )
the remaining are wasted pre-requisites, a few in Smite , and a few in Salvation for resistance against casters.

Now here is the idea:
The synergy between Defiance and Holy Shield gives you very high defence. Much higher than a Fanat Zealer could hope to have. Further more, there is a bug with the Exile runeword shield. The lvl 15 Defiance aura that the shield gives you stacks with your own Defiance, giving you a base total of lvl 35 Defiance.( much in the same way that the Marrowalk bug stacks the bone armor totals ). An additional +5 from various items , and you will have lvl 40. Add this to Holy Shield , wear a high defence armor like  Stone Sacred armor, and your defence will border on the obscene. We're talking over 50 k here.

The gear i tried in single player is as follows ( lvl 80 paladin )

- armor :  Stone Shadowplate ( i think this is the highest defence armor in Diablo2)
- helmet : Giant Skull ( socketed with 2 max ed/as jewels of fervor )
- belt :     T-Gods
- boots:   Goreriders or 15/15 Sandstorm Treks
- shield:  Exile Vortex Shield ( Godly defence there, and the bug makes the Defiance stack for a higher total )
-ammy : Highlord's Wrath
-rings   : 2x Frostravens
-Weapon : ?????
- Gloves : 44% ed Steel Rend
Consider this: A Defiant Zealer will have to sacrifice high damage for high Defence. He cannot rely on Zeal alone to deliver the damage ( The fanat zealer is superior in this area ) For this reason, the Defiant must rely on Crushing Blow and Deadly Strike to deliver the damage. It is for this reason i chose :

-Giant Skull ( it gives 10 % Crushing Blow and excellent Strength boost needed to wear the Shadowplate or Sacred armor . I also socketed it with 2 ed/ias jewels )
-SteelRends (another 10 % crushing blow and good Str bonus - tho not quite as good as GSkull)
-Goreriders ( it gives 15 % Crushing Blow and 15 % deadly strike , but the downside is no Str and Vit. bonus . I may opt for Sandstorm treks instead )
-Highlord's Wrath ( potentially high deadly strike % )

Weapon: I am not sure. many options available and your suggestions are welcome. ( a few names are candidates, notably LAST WISH and DEATH runewords )

I plan to make a melee paladin capable of challenging Fanat Zealers and ww barbs .
Any ideas???
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