This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:11:06
The video covers in-depth strategies and gear setups for optimizing the "Dragon Den" or high-end "Holy Fire Paladin" build in Diablo II, particularly highlighting changes in versions 2.4 and 2.5. Key improvements include the introduction of sunder charms, which allow the build to bypass resistances and match or surpass the Tesla Paladin's effectiveness. Despite these enhancements, the build's primary limitation remains the high Rune cost for essential gear, making budget substitutes less viable, especially in Hell difficulty.
Skill choices emphasize "Conviction" for reducing enemy resistances and defenses, along with maxing out synergies like Resist Fire and Salvation. Combat skills such as Zeal, Sacrifice, and Holy Shield are optimized differently based on whether the player is farming Ubers or focused on general gameplay. The gear strategy involves utilizing high-end Rune words and unique items like the "Oath" Rune word in an ethereal Scourge and comprehensive endgame setups including Dragon armor, Dragon shield, and Hand of Justice weapon. Ensuring increased attack speed and leveraging items like Raven Frost and dual leech rings are critical for survival and effectiveness.
The speaker also recommends various gear modifications such as mana leech rings, Gore Riders for their multiple benefits, and choosing between different mercenaries to complement the build, stressing the importance of customization to individual playstyles. The Holy Fire Paladin, despite its gear dependencies, is noted for its smooth and enjoyable gameplay, especially with the new sunder charms.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the focus is on the enhancements to the “Dragon Den” or high-end “Holy Fire Paladin” build in Diablo II following updates in versions 2.4 and 2.5. This build benefitted greatly from the introduction of sunder charms in version 2.5, making it more powerful by bypassing immunities and penetrating resistances, even outshining the popular Tesla Paladin in some respects. However, the main limitation for this build in all game versions, particularly offline, is the high Rune cost for the required gear, which involves multiple high runes for all four socketable pieces. While budget alternatives exist, they fall short in effectiveness due to differences in self-cast damage auras, especially in Hell difficulty.
The video explains that even with budget gear, the Holy Fire setup can easily navigate through Nightmare difficulty—with Act IV in Nightmare posing the most challenges compared to a standard melee Paladin. In Hell difficulty, without endgame gear, the build is less effective, often compared to a Zealot.
A detailed analysis of the Holy Fire skill reveals its two primary components: a plus fire damage to weapon effect and a tick-based radial damage effect. Interestingly, in Lord of Destruction, the radial damage applied separately for each piece of equipment, and self-cast Holy Fire auras did not stack these radial effects. However, in Diablo II: Resurrected, community-driven testing suggests that self-cast auras may be stacking with equipment-provided auras, as observed in kill rates of cows in players 8 mode, where self-cast Holy Fire boosts death speed from 21 to 17-19 ticks. This indicates a possible change in aura mechanics in the Resurrected version.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker explains why the skill choice “Conviction” is superior in the end-game build, primarily due to its ability to reduce enemy resistances and defense, which enhances both hit rate and damage. It is noted that using Conviction, the cows in Players 8 die in under 10 ticks with the end-game Dragon setup. The speaker also talks about maxing out synergies like Resist Fire and Salvation for a Dragon Paladin build to boost damage.
For combat skills, they suggest putting one point in Holy Shield and maxing out Zeal and Sacrifice for attack rating and physical damage if not farming Ubers. For Uber farming, minimum Zeal and focusing on Holy Shield and Smite is recommended. The Holy Fire Paladin is highlighted as an excellent starter character due to stacking free damage quickly in Normal difficulty, though it struggles more in Hell. Speed and efficient damage scaling with Holy Fire and Resist Fire are key for this build, with weapon choices evolving from fast, simple options in Normal to more powerful, unique, or rare weapons in Nightmare and Hell. Fire resistance of enemies poses a significant challenge in Hell difficulty.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the focus is primarily on gear recommendations and strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of a Zeal build, especially when dealing with fire-enchanted or magic-resistant enemies. The speaker suggests that better Rune words or unique items are crucial, highlighting the “Oath” Rune word in an ethereal Scourge as a top choice. They mention that progressing into Hell difficulty will be challenging without proper equipment, and experienced players might handle this better.
To tackle Hell difficulty, a skill reset is often required, and the speaker personally prefers transitioning to a Caster build during solo play because gearing a Melee character is quite challenging. For endgame gear, key items include Dragon armor, Dragon shield, and Hand of Justice weapon, which are hard to find but essential for the “Holy Fire” build. They note that Flickering Flame helmet is useful for its resist fire aura, which counters resistance penalties, while socketed helmets with Rainbow Facets can boost damage significantly.
For gear flexibility, increased attack speed is essential, which can be sourced from items like Laying of Hands and Highlord’s Wrath, the latter offering additional benefits like deadly strike and lightning resist. Standard melee setups include Raven Frost for its “cannot be frozen” attribute and other beneficial mods, as well as a dual leech ring for sustaining the character in prolonged battles.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses different gear choices and strategies for optimizing a particular character build. Key points include the preference for Mana Leech with attack rating and resist as secondary priorities, and the utility of Gore Riders boots due to their crushing blow, deadly strike, and bleed attributes. For belts, the “string of ears” is favored for its damage reduction and life leech, with “Dungos” being another viable option. The speaker also notes that magic find can be optimized through boots, leech rings, and charms, suggesting a balance to counter diminishing returns. Regarding mercenaries, there are three primary choices suggested: Act One mercenary with Faith for attack speed, Act Five dual plague mercenaries for lower resist procs, and Act Two mercenary with Reaper’s Toll customized according to player preference. The speaker shares that this build outshines the Tesla din in fun and smooth gameplay, especially with Sunder charms, and hints at future content comparisons with other builds.