Level 86 Tesladin
As Fluttershy generally has a quiet and shy disposition, with an affinity for small creatures and nature, Spark_Dancer is an elegant mover, with an affinity towards small electrical currents, and can create dazzling discharges of sparks that erupt around his body.
Or, for anypony who has missed it, I have watched (and enjoyed) some episodes of Friendship is Magic recently, and couldn't think of a good name for my first Tesladin.
That said, Spark_Dancer is my most expensive and powerful character so far, being in possession of three new (and relatively expensive) runewords, as well as a few valuable runewords previously made. Please read the items (including Merc items) to see why this guy was so awesome for me.
Stats
75% IAS resulting in a 4fpa zeal
Skills
20 to Zeal, Holy Shock, Resist Lightning and Salvation
4 to Sacrifice
1 to Prereqs and 1-point wonders: Holy Shield and Redemption
Items
Code:
Demon Circlet <-- Can it get much sweeter?
Coronet
Defense: 78
Durability: 86 of 90
Required Level: 65
Fingerprint: 0xcfe379b2
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
+30% Faster Run/Walk
+5 to Minimum Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
+91% Enhanced Defense
All Resistances +33
Damage Reduced by 7
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Scintillating Jewel of Bliss
Scintillating Jewel of Bliss
Jewel
Required Level: 37
Fingerprint: 0x1c5d0a6d
Item Level: 62
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+5 to Minimum Damage
Resist all: +13%
Crescent Moon
Phase Blade
ShaelUmTir
One Hand Damage: 98 - 111
Indestructible
Required Level: 54
Required Strength: 25
Required Dexterity: 136
Fingerprint: 0x365dc223
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
7% Chance to cast level 13 Static Field on striking
10% Chance to cast level 17 Chain Lightning on striking
+20% Increased Attack Speed
218% Enhanced Damage
Ignore Target's Defense
-35% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
25% Chance of Open Wounds
+11 Magic Absorb
+2 to Mana after each Kill
Level 18 Summon Spirit Wolf (30/30 Charges)
3 Sockets (3 used)
Treachery
Archon Plate
ShaelThulLem
Defense: 724
Durability: 30 of 31
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 93
Fingerprint: 0xdd323649
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
25% Chance to cast level 15 Venom on striking
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+45% Increased Attack Speed <-- Used for 4fpa Zeal
+20% Faster Hit Recovery
Cold Resist +30%
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
Ethereal
3 Sockets (3 used)
Drystan's Herald of Zakarum
Gilded Shield
Defense: 479
Chance to Block: 52
Durability: 50 of 50
Required Level: 42
Required Strength: 89
Fingerprint: 0x40a5a2dd
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to Combat Skills (Paladin Only)
+2 to Paladin Skill Levels
+30% Faster Block Rate
30% Increased Chance of Blocking
20% Bonus to Attack Rating
+184% Enhanced Defense
+20 to Strength
+20 to Vitality
All Resistances +69
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Mara's Kaleidoscope
Amulet
Required Level: 67
Fingerprint: 0x89823afa
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+2 to All Skills
All Stats +5
All Resistances +23
Tearhaunch
Greaves
Defense: 62
Durability: 24 of 24
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 70
Fingerprint: 0xe487edbc
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20% Faster Run/Walk
+2 to Vigor (Paladin Only)
+71% Enhanced Defense
+35 Defense
+5 to Strength
+5 to Dexterity
All Resistances +10
Immortal King's Forge
War Gauntlets
Defense: 110
Durability: 22 of 24
Required Level: 30
Required Strength: 110
Fingerprint: 0xd11f9a41
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
12% Chance to cast level 4 Charged Bolt when struck
+65 Defense
+20 to Strength
+20 to Dexterity
Nosferatu's Coil
Vampirefang Belt
Defense: 60
Durability: 12 of 14
Required Level: 51
Required Strength: 50
Fingerprint: 0xe917f5cb
Item Level: 94
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10% Increased Attack Speed
6% Life stolen per hit
Slows Target by 10%
+15 to Strength
+2 to Mana after each Kill
-3 to Light Radius
Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
Ring
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0x69a0cdeb
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
4% Life stolen per hit
+43 to Life (Based on Character Level)
+50 Maximum Stamina
Raven Frost
Ring
Required Level: 45
Fingerprint: 0xc368723
Item Level: 99
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+216 to Attack Rating
Adds 15 - 45 Cold Damage Over 4 Secs (100 Frames)
+19 to Dexterity
+40 to Mana
Cold Absorb 20%
Cannot Be Frozen
Switch
Code:
Call to Arms
Crystal Sword
AmnRalMalIstOhm
One Hand Damage: 17 - 53
Durability: 15 of 20
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 43
Fingerprint: 0x4cffdc63
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+40% Increased Attack Speed
257% Enhanced Damage
Adds 5 - 30 Fire Damage
7% Life stolen per hit
Prevent Monster Heal
+2 to Battle Cry
+3 to Battle Orders
+3 to Battle Command
Replenish Life +12
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
5 Sockets (5 used)
Lidless Wall
Grim Shield
Defense: 306
Chance to Block: 0
Durability: 70 of 70
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 58
Fingerprint: 0x8098e78e
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to All Skills
+20% Faster Cast Rate
+103% Enhanced Defense
+10 to Energy
Increase Maximum Mana 10%
All Resistances +19
+5 to Mana after each Kill
+1 to Light Radius
1 Sockets (1 used)
Socketed: Perfect Diamond
Charms
Code:
Captain's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x14facd6
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Captain's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0xcf06fabb
Item Level: 50
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Captain's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x68166aa
Item Level: 75
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Captain's Grand Charm of Maiming
Grand Charm
Required Level: 63
Fingerprint: 0xe70bcece
Item Level: 87
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
+4 to Maximum Damage
Captain's Grand Charm of Blight
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x3116cd8f
Item Level: 66
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Adds 6 Poison Damage Over 3 Secs (75 Frames)
Captain's Grand Charm of Greed
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x7f28c841
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
19% Extra Gold from Monsters
Captain's Grand Charm
Grand Charm
Required Level: 42
Fingerprint: 0x5ad45804
Item Level: 80
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+1 to Offensive Aura Skills (Paladin Only)
Burly Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 39
Fingerprint: 0x6bcc808d
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+20 Defense
+19 to Life
Boreal Small Charm of Vita
Small Charm
Required Level: 58
Fingerprint: 0xb45a7d3
Item Level: 82
Version: Expansion 1.10+
Adds 5 - 13 Cold Damage Over 1 Secs (25 Frames)
+18 to Life
Lucky Large Charm of Vita
Large Charm
Required Level: 66
Fingerprint: 0xe6ddfd2d
Item Level: 88
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+34 to Life
6% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Viridian Small Charm of Life
Small Charm
Required Level: 14
Fingerprint: 0x70bc059
Item Level: 13
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+10 to Life
Poison Resist +7%
Rugged Small Charm of Sustenance
Small Charm
Required Level: 17
Fingerprint: 0xb6c92dba
Item Level: 84
Version: Expansion 1.10+
+15 to Life
+16 Maximum Stamina
Mercenary
Razan (level 86) Desert Mercenary, enchanted with Might
Code:
Fortitude
Archon Plate
ElSolDolLo
Defense: 1401
Durability: 49 of 60
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 103
Fingerprint: 0xe041a854
Item Level: 86
Version: Expansion 1.10+
20% Chance to cast level 15 Chilling Armor when struck
+25% Faster Cast Rate
300% Enhanced Damage
+200% Enhanced Defense
+15 Defense
+86 to Life (Based on Character Level)
Replenish Life +7
+5% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +26
Damage Reduced by 7
12% Damage Taken Goes To Mana
+1 to Light Radius
4 Sockets (4 used)
Delirium
Bone Visage
LemIstIo
Defense: 478
Durability: 21 of 21
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 96
Fingerprint: 0x5e2eaecd
Item Level: 85
Version: Expansion 1.10+
14% Chance to cast level 13 Terror when struck
6% Chance to cast level 14 Mind Blast when struck
1% Chance to cast level 50 Delirium when struck
11% Chance to cast level 18 Confuse on striking
+2 to All Skills
+261 Defense
+10 to Vitality
50% Extra Gold from Monsters
25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 17 Attract (60/60 Charges)
Ethereal
3 Sockets (3 used)
Infinity
Thresher
BerMalBerIst
Two Hand Damage: 69 - 818
Durability: 33 of 33
Required Level: 63
Required Strength: 142
Required Dexterity: 108
Fingerprint: 0x18f3abfa
Item Level: 81
Version: Expansion 1.10+
50% Chance to cast level 20 Chain Lightning when you Kill an Enemy
Level 12 Conviction Aura When Equipped
+35% Faster Run/Walk
288% Enhanced Damage
-51% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
40% Chance of Crushing Blow
Prevent Monster Heal
+43 to Vitality (Based on Character Level)
30% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level 21 Cyclone Armor (30/30 Charges)
Ethereal
4 Sockets (4 used)
Spark_Dancer was a twinked, single pass character, who completed all quests except for Hell Nihlathak (are you crazy?) and Hell Cow King. I was initially going to take out the King, but thought that he may want to run the cows in the future.
Normal levelling was done with the standard Envy Jewel + Gull dagger, until Holy Shock and more powerful items became available. Normal was completed almost entirely on /players 8, including bosses and the Ancients. Countess was done on /players 1. Normal was finished around level 45.
Nightmare was completed entirely (except for the Countess,) on /players 8, and was where some more valuable items were equipped. The Crescent Moon PB, Infinity Thresher, Delirium, Fortitude, Call to Arms and Crescent Moon were all used late Nightmare. Nightmare was finished around level 72-74.
Hell was started at /players 8, but after running into a very heavy hitting unique pack of Quill Rats, I lowered it to /players 5, then later to /players 3 for safety. Hell was done entirely (except for the Countess) at /players 3 or above. Hell Baal, Minions of Destruction, Ancients, Diablo etc were all done at /players 3.
Playstyle and NDE's: Definitely a few scary moments, but this build kills. And kills fast! There were no really dangerous mobs, even though some Frenzytaur uniques had to be divided and taken on slowly and cautiously, but they still posed little true danger.
The CtA, Crescent Moon PB and Infinity are brand new, never used before, while the Delirium, Fortitude, and Treachery have had their uses previously.
He had Iceblink as an armour for much of Nightmare, and he froze pretty much everything that didn't shatter on contact. Even at /players 8 in Hell, he could kill. It's just that with such expensive, and NEW! toys, I did not want to put too much risk from an instadeeds.
The Delirium was an interesting addition. It lures a lot of mobs (even bosses!) with confuse from every direction, and lured almost more than could be dealt with. But, while it lures a lot, it forces a lot to attack randomly, and completely ignore you. With a fast killer like Spark, confused mobs melted before his blade. It also partly allies them to you, so that curses against you also affect their own!
The Call to Arms is definitely not the greatest addition. It adds safety, but I believe it to less reliable than the Druid's Oak Sage (my style puts Oak Sage as very reliable and safe.) Battle Orders runs out far too quickly, and unless you keep checking, you don't even notice it disappears. At least I only noticed it disappeared occasionally. I was usually too busy slaying demons.
Finds: Hell Hellforge was a Fal. Also found a Shako, and various decent uniques, but nothing spectacular.
For those who enjoy optimisation, what would be a better setup than a Treachery, while keeping 75% IAS and not losing on too many resists. I looked at part Immortal King setup, the Cat's Eye, and the belt slot, and found I lost a bit too much on safety for my liking. Can anyone think of what key items they would use?
Thanks for reading, and any tips for optimisation are greatly appreciated. And to anyone who hasn't made a Tesladin, I would definitely recommend it, especially if you have some gear to optimise him with. A very fun build.
Questions, comments, TL: DR's always welcome.
~Dryst
|||Nicely done! Infinity means not needing to have an LI solution- did you run into any unbreakable LIs? It should be no problem with such a strong merc anyway.Delirium is overkill on such a strong build, but in HC overkill is a good means of being safer!
Treachery is an excellent choice for a non-physical damage attacker. It gives a lot of options for other gear and still reaching 4fpa. Guardian Angel is also a choice I've used on zealots, sometimes switching back and forth with Treachery to get both the Fade and the +max resists benefits.|||Congrats on the Guardian!
very nice toys you gave him to play with, too...|||congratulations!
one tip for noticing cta running out that i've noticed on pallies is that when the Battle Command runs out, your aura temporarily disappears as it adjusts to the new level. once you see that you know it's time to re-bo. sometimes you wont notice it though if you're switching back and forth. it's easier to notice if you have sound on, the holy shock aura in particularly makes a loud noise when it comes on.
personally i love three pieces of IK for melle. belt, boots, gloves will give you good stats, good res, AR, life, some mf and 25% ias. put an ias jewel in your shield and you can keep your ammy where it's at. the only real problem is finding room for leech. i like these pieces so much, i've put them on casters for the res/life/stats, though usually a good set of rares work better.|||Alright! I love guardians!
Was in funner watching the mobs start attacking eachother? Or more of a scare and burden? You did say that you killed them easily enough either way, but, yeah.
How which will be your next?|||One minor remark regarding formatting: in the [code][/code] boxes, bold font is not well visible. Well, not on my forum skin in any case. [highlight][/highlight] works very nicely though, I think.
"Drystan's Herald of Zakarum" is neat. I gotta do that. Well for my name, obviously
Right, so I don't get why you went for Zeal instead of Sacrifice. The thing about 'Infinity' is the ridiculous -enemy Defense from Conviction. On top of that, there's a Battle Cry on CtA. For bosses and such things (superuniques), if you cast Battle Cry, combined with Conviction, it's a 95% CtH with 1k AR, for any monster. That's all on top of the ITD from CM... The really "out there" thing for this setup is that you're fine with like 1k AR. Tested and approved.
I guess I can see how in HC you want a fall-back plan for when the moron dies, so maybe I'm wrong.
Don't you just love 'Delirium' for crowd control? It's just great. The best thing for Paladins. I remember this crazy screenshot in CS, where a whole screen of Knights was Amped by an OK. I don't remember who made it and can't find it, darn it.
Your comments about CtA are surprising. With 1.13c CtA you need to get into a rhythm. After every fight, switch-BC-BO-switch. It takes a while to get "muscle memory" for it, but it'll happen.
As far as 72 IAS goes:
- 20 sword
- 20 amulet (I'd go HLW without a question, DS + LR, but also +1 skills)
- 20 gloves (I'd go LoH, but there's a multitude of choices here, including crafts; they can provide the leech you're missing from other places)
- 15 IAS jewel, somewhere. I mean, you can make up @15 with one GC, but there's no IAS on charms.
That's without a doubt what I'd do. I see no way that IK Set pieces can win with my setup. Plus they give 25 IAS, that's no better than 20 from LoH, and I'll take LoH alone over 3 pieces of IK Set. Again, perhaps my SC mind is seeing things that way.
That's a cool Pally, I love him. Great achievement in HC. Grats!
--Greebo|||@purplelocust - Nice to see you're hanging around here! A couple of Lightning Immunes in A5 Hell - I went down into the caves, and ran into two packs of unbreakable LI Frenzytaur uniques. One is in the picture above (LE, Extra Fast, Magic Resist.) They were dangerous, but I'd kill one, run immediately out of there up the stairs, pop back down after healing the merc, and look for another one to take down before retreating again.
@coju - At first, the Delirium attracting large packs was unsettling, but as they got closer, they got confused and started killing each other. Spark would run in, and cut them down from the edges. Once I got used to large packs coming my way, then change directions, it was ok, but the first time I saw them all approaching, I did think 'How am I going to get through all this!'
I don't really have any future plans. I've made so many characters that there aren't any builds I want to try out at the moment. I occasionally get a calling to do some LK runs, or an idea I want to try, and that keeps me coming back to D2, but for now, no plans.
@Greebo - Formatting: Thanks! I didn't realise it, but it is fairly difficult. Noted, and will change.
I'm not sure why I went for Zeal. I had points left over, and didn't know what to do with them. My main goal was to reach 10k damage, and after that, I don't think anything would make a significant difference in terms of survival/kill speed. It would more be optimisation/perfecting, something which I've never really done. I've never bothered with reaching the last attack speed breakpoints before, but I will admit, optimising a build is pretty fun!
I didn't bother with Battle Cry because my hotkeys are very messed up. I don't have enough room to use all of them with my layout (Holy Shield was not hotkeyed,) but it worked fine so I didn't change it. Also, I did not need any more AR, so I didn't mind. I should've considered it against Baal though, but the Static Field and damage dropped his health very quickly anyway.
The merc only died quickly to a few things. Frenzytaurs being the main one.
Delirium, delirium, delirium... I really thought it was a double edged blade when it lured everything around. But it really has some great properties. I was surprised when I saw the whole group of them get cursed, but truly an awesome helm! I'm definitely a fan now that I've used it on a mellee build.
Unfortunately, I don't have any IAS jewels. I saw a Scintillating Jewel of Fervor in the ITM that made me jealous.
But thanks for the suggestion. I was using LoH at one point, but 350% damage to demons when lightning damage is your main killer led me away from it a bit. At the end, I threw various options (IK Gloves/Boots, LoH,) and then Treachery and said: 'Good enough.'@All - thanks again!|||Nice guardian!
I just started up my first ever zealot, and its a lightning one. Of course he is untwinked, but yours still gives me some good ideas to go on. I also have never tried out delerium before, I will certainly try it out on my next melle character.|||Hey there, grats on the guardian! I don't really have much else to add to what everyone else has said, so yeah, there ya go!|||GIEB INFI!!1! (kidding)
Hardcore mode definitely adds some spice to an overpowered character on steroids )
Good job!
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