[3.10] Sovyn's Lazy Pally - Tanky Templar with Max Block

"

Kamina100 wrote:

I was afraid of that, after reading some of the threads about leech where people seemed to be panicking.

At earlier levels where I was using Blood Magic gem, it barely seemed to be damaging me, but I think that might have been because my life leech from gear was more than balancing it out. I'm guessing that since life leech has also been nerfed, Blood Magic will cause more noticeable dips in life (at least for bosses - it sounds as if life leech is supposed to still work well when there are a lot of targets at once).

I'm any event, it sounds as if it'll be even more important to get a 5-link.

We take enough life regen that the skill cost won't be very noticeable (even cyclone). Leech will be mostly useless but regen is still good. Note only the % life regen nodes on the tree are useful, I don't think the flat values on gear are worth pursuing. What's 5 or 6 when a 1% node gives me 50.

Some combo of clarity and mana flasks and mana on block/hit etc might work for some people but this is an easy to play build so I think Blood Magic support will definitely be the easy mode in 2.0. I'll experiment with my high level character when 2.0 goes live to make sure.

Yes a cheap white 5-link body armour is always money well spent.

I'm persevering with the Mana option in the beta, though it has been quite painful - first time I have ever used hybrid flasks for a start, and I only have enough unreserved mana for a few hits of ice crash (That's with some reduced mana nodes and an elreon ring).
What is helping though is the mana on block - wearing Anvil with a 23 mana on block roll plus the +8 from Tetsudo. No spell block atm , so no help there, but works great if I'm surrounded by attack speed mobs (Which I mainly am as I'm running Daresso's dream and Dried Lake currently).

I'm struggling with bosses in general though, Both in Mana and just in damage generally, Ice Crash just doesn't seem great single target, even with conc effect. Maybe I need to look at my links, currently using Ice Crash - Melee Physical - Fortify - Cold Pen -Inc AOE/Conc Effect (Inc for clearing, conc for bosses). Swapping Fortify for Weapon Elemental damage would obviously be a big boost, and will start doing so for running easier content but don't really want to lose it permanently.
Cold pen was added due to hitting a bit of a wall when facing any resistant mobs. Was running Hypothermia beforehand, not sure which is best for non resistant mobs, and I did like the bit of freeze chance it offered.
I've got a couple more DPS nodes to take, but not many so it feels like it is going to be as good as it gets. Unlikely to get much of a weapon upgrade in the beta (Got a 270 pdps mace - 4c bargain). Maybe could try and get a Doryani's. I'm currently running dps jewels in 2 of my jewel slots too that I will swap out for block eventually.

Block is fun though, do feel pretty tanky despite having a chunk less life than I would normally have (I'm going to go for some more life rather than the fortify nodes).
The various retaliation mechanics (the counter gems, anvil and tempest shield) are putting out enough damage to clear up any straggling white mobs too, and might play with a Thousand Teeth Temu to add to it.
I'm struggling on the shield front though, still using my Crest of Perandus, I missed out on a guy giving a Lioneye's for free by about 5 seconds, and the same for a Daressos Courage for sale for an alc. Haven't even seen either for sale since.

Will update once I get properly into maps (Ran a couple of 68s with no problem) and into lvl 70ish when the build will be mostly complete.

"

Carlovski wrote:

I'm persevering with the Mana option in the beta

Thanks so much for sharing your beta experiences as well Carlovski I appreciate the additional info. I was using faster attacks or added fire instead of cold pen along with clarity and mana leech rings and Unrelenting of course. Still hard to sustain on single targets as you mentioned. I suspect there will be some more balance tweaks before live.

In 2.0 Rime Gaze's Cold Damage Mod increases from 10% to 30%, making it a decent option for 5-link Ice Crash IMO.

Would it tend to be better to buy a yellow 5-link with desireable affixes, or a white 5-link, alch it, and then roll chaos orbs on it to try to get a good set of affixes?

"

Kamina100 wrote:

Would it tend to be better to buy a yellow 5-link with desireable affixes, or a white 5-link, alch it, and then roll chaos orbs on it to try to get a good set of affixes?

Either way but you can usually get the affixes you need yourself for under 10 chaos with any luck (I usually get life and resists in under 5). Don't forget master craft for the final mod (not life, too low). So don't pay more than 10 for the finished item if you go that way. :) Just depends if you want to gamble or have a sure thing.

I usually go with a cheap white 5l (or cheap yellow/blue and scour/chaos it) to get started. Get a decent ilvl one if possible, but the actual base isn't that important as long as it's the right base type (Although Astral Plates are always nice for the implicit). The Armour rolls of the item aren't that important compared to the mod rolls, plus you will be getting most of your defence from the shield. Don't forget to amour scrap it while white though!

Master crafting has made chaos spamming much more viable, Just need a good life roll and a decent resist. If you can get some good armour/strength rolls even better.

I normally then try and find/buy an unlinked GG armour (Normally fairly cheap as rare amour chests aren't popular) and try and socket and link on the side as I go. And you might just get lucky and get a 6l.

Thanks guys - sorry for the little derail, but is there a certain item level beneath which I should not consider buying? Like is 60+ stuff generally okay for getting satisfactory rolls?

"

Sovyn wrote:

"

Carlovski wrote:

I'm persevering with the Mana option in the beta

Thanks so much for sharing your beta experiences as well Carlovski I appreciate the additional info. I was using faster attacks or added fire instead of cold pen along with clarity and mana leech rings and Unrelenting of course. Still hard to sustain on single targets as you mentioned. I suspect there will be some more balance tweaks before live.

I was still using my blue elreon ring till lvl 70 - then got a regal so now wearing a 3 mod elreon ring (It's a nice one, -8 two stone ring with 2 resists, although low rolls). Waiting to level up elreon before crafting further though.

I'm still not sure on running cold pen, most of my damage is cold, but not all of it, and cold pen is a 140% modifier. I've been doing a bit of farming of daresso's and dried lake taking out cold pen and fortify for hypothermia and WED. Ups my clear speed considerably, and it's safe enough in those areas as it's mainly physical damage that the shield handles for me, and not much cold resistance.

Might have to bit the bullet and do some actual maths on the damage for various levels of cold resistance. Or just get a 6l so I can run both!
If I was crit, I would definitely go all out for maxing the cold damagae for the freezes though.

Picked up a Daresso's Courage yesterday, in some ways it is worse than the Perandus with no leach or life, and the defences are still low on it (Which is a waste with all the shield defence nodes). My twisted logic is that the low life spell block chance could save me a few deaths when I get caught in a spell barrage, as soon as I hit low life I'll be on 75% spell block (Or is it 78 with the Anvil?). Which should give me time to pop a potion/get out of there/kill them. Would really need a bigger life buffer though, low life puts me at about 1000, so would only take one big hit to get through.

Will probably switch to a Lioneyes or a rare when I can, and try and get a Saffel's for nasty spell cast areas/bosses on switch. Still want to play with a Thousand Teeth Temu too.

Hey, I'm also playing a mana version of this build on beta currently.

Was using 3 Elreon pieces until recently when i noticed that Warlord's mark is 2% mana and life leech at each level after the leech changes which allowed me to drop all three Elreon pieces. However, Whirling Blade mana ist hard to sustain now if there's much space between packs. (note: Poacher's Mark from merciless vendor also works) I'm playing Static Strike though, since i noticed the pretty lackluster bossdmg of Ice Crash relatively fast while testing.

For reference, I'm currently lvl 72, phys block capped using a 220 pds claw, Lioneye's Remorse(hurray for Coward's Trial Zana daily :D) a random 5L Ar/EV chest (Static, Multi, Faster, Fortify, WED),Lazhwar and otherwise random pieces with resistances and firring sockets.

Also, playing without rings, even if it's just for testing purposes, feels just strange.