 |
| oramin |
 |
|
| 1. The Freezadin.
| 7/4/2004 11:47:26 AM PDT |
|
|
THE FREEZADIN
There are multiple names in use for this particular build: Frostadin, Frost Zealot, Freezealot, Iceadin. I'm going to stick with the name Freezadin as it seems to be the most common. A Freezadin is a Paladin that uses Holy Freeze and Zeal to inflict massive Cold damage along with slowing the enemy. The particular build that I'm going to describe was suggested to me by the way Lazbear designed his Tesladin (the Holy Shock equivalent of the Freezadin). He was using Nord's Tenderizer (see here: http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/elite/umaces.shtml ) with his Tesladin and he was pretty much blowing through everything in the game. His ability to deal three types of damage (Lightning, Cold, Physical) meant that he could kill anything in the game. I decided that I would do a similar build but centered around Holy Freeze. What I ended up with is a build that can handle SP Hell on a Players 8 setting.
SKILLS:
Holy Freeze - Max
Zeal - Max (for the attack rating and bonus Physical damage)
Resist Cold - Max (for the synergistic effect on Holy Freeze)
Holy Shield - Max
Salvation - 1+ (for the synergistic effect on Holy Freeze, if desired)
Sacrifice - 1+ (for the synergistic effect on Zeal)
Redemption - 1 (every Paladin should have this)
Pre-reqs - 1
Other skills aren't necessary, but are convenient. For example, I have 1 point in Fanaticism; this helped at lower levels when dealing with Cold Immunes and before I got my final gear.
Here is the skill distribution on mine at level 88 with 1 point unused and *not including* bonuses from gear.
Combat Skills:
Sacrifice - 4
Zeal - 20
Smite - 1
Charge - 1
Holy Shield - 17
Offensive Auras:
Might - 1
Blessed Aim - 1
Concentration - 1
Fanaticism - 1
Holy Fire - 1
Holy Freeze - 20
Defensive Auras:
Prayer - 1
Cleansing - 1
Defiance - 1
Vigor - 1
Redemption - 1
Resist Cold - 20
Salvation - 3
STATS:
STR - Enough to use final gear
DEX - Enough to use final gear and have max blocking with Holy Shield
VIT - Everything else
NRG - Base
Here is the stat distribution on mine at level 88 with 5 points unused and *including* bonuses from gear.
STR - 185
DEX - 154
VIT - 267
NRG - 22
GEAR:
I will tell you the gear that mine is currently using, the reasons for using that gear along with alternatives, and some gear that was used earlier.
Weapon 1: "Crescent Moon" phase blade. The %chance to cast Static Field, the -35% to enemy Lightning Resistance (see Charms), the %chance to cast Chain Lightning, the phenomenal speed, and the ITD all combine to make this the ideal weapon for this build. Earlier I had been using "Crescent Moon" in a cryptic sword and it wasn't as effective due to the slower speed and higher repair costs. Lightsabre is also very effective. At early levels, I was living off the land and was using Hexfire and The Fetid Sprinkler.
Shield 1: Herald of Zakarum socketed with a perfect diamond. "Exile" would also be good but make sure that you aren't using anything else that casts a curse.
Weapon 2: Unused.
Shield 2: Unused.
Helm: Harlequin's Crest socketed with Um. The bonus life/mana, the +2 skills, and the Damage Reduction make this an excellent helm.
Amulet: Mara's Kaleidoscope. Resist all and +2 skills. Atma's would also be good but make sure that you aren't using Lifetap.
Armor: Guardian Angel socketed with Um. Mti suggested that people restarting on the Ladder would find "Duress" to be useful and I agree.
Belt: String of Ears.
Ring 1: Raven Frost. Earlier I had been using a 15% resist all, 5% life leech ring. I switched when I added the diamond to my shield.
Ring 2: Dwarf Star. The Fire Enchanted instant death issue still exists in SP, which is a good enough reason to wear it, but it also has useful mods for general play.
Boots: Gore Rider. Crushing Blow and Deadly Strike are very important to this build.
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp. I love these gloves as they have made my Freezadin and his Henchidiot virtually indestructible. Before that I was using Lavagouts.
Charms: +30% Resist All, 9-323 Lightning Damage, + to life. The Lightning Damage charms are an important part of this build as well.
The Freezadin is already doing massive Cold damage (over 1,300 per hit using the above gear) with his attack. This particular gear setup allows him to deal it very quickly. The Crushing Blow from the boots and high speed of the weapon compensate for the relatively low Physical damage. The Charms and the "Crescent Moon" allow him to deal significant Lightning damage. With three damage types (Cold, Physical, Lightning), this build is capable of killing any monster in the game.
A NOTE ON IGNORE TARGET DEFENSE:
Contrary to what many people say, ITD is incredibly useful. Admittedly, it doesn't work on Bosses or Champions, but then they aren't really the problem. Any single monster in the game is going to get his head handed to him if you and your Henchidiot are pounding on him - even an Extra Strong, Extra Fast, Fanaticized, Cursed Frenzytaur. Most builds should be able to kill this guy without too much problem. Dealing with this Boss *and* his minions is where the problem lies, and this is precisely where ITD shines. Let us say that normally you would hit a minion 70% of the time but that with ITD you hit 95% of the time. This means that you hit 36% more often, you do more 36% more *total* damage, and you have a 36% better chance of things like Lifetap triggering. The minions die faster allowing you to focus all of your attention on the boss.
MERCENARY:
I'm currently using an Act II Defiance merc hired in normal. He is using the following gear:
Helm: Guillaume's Face
Armor: High end "Smoke" armor
Weapon: Bonehew with 2 Amns
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Thanks to Lazbear for inspiring the concept for this build.
Thanks to Mti for the armor suggestion. Thanks to Deichsela
for agreeing to post this guide on his website. |
|
|
|
|
|
