Introduction

This Player vs Player guide is written for public play at the non ladder mode and is a great introduction to PvP in general. The reason why we have deviced it for non ladder is simply because that is where most of the PvP takes place. That is where you find all the tournaments, prices and prestige. We will not occupy ourselves with whether items are legit or not in this article because that is irrelevant for public PvP. Chances are that the small number of people who are into legit PvP already know what they need to know.



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General Tips

Flexibility

Flexibility is everything in PvP. This is reflected in your choice of skills and items. Most builds you will see in this article are hybrids that use a very diverse set of skills. Flexibility between ranged and melee play is probably the single most important thing. Another flexibility issue is whether to boost the inherent power of your character or sacrificing some of that power for higher absorb and resistances, all depending on which kind of opponent you face. Seeing as you are guaranteed to face all kinds of opponents you will need a large selection of items at your disposal with emphasis on socketables, charms and rings/amulets. When you are up against opponents based on physical damage you should look at damage reduction (Ber) and faster block rate (Shael), while resistances (Um) and life (Jah) are preferable when figthing opponents based on elemental/poison damage. If your opponent does both kinds of damages you must compromise. There is also the matter of style and the most skilled players base their builds on dodging the opponents attacks and thus they can optimize their build for dealing as much damage as possible per time unit.

In this guide you will find general recommendations for equipments. Seeing as PvP is a very complex world, these recommendations will not fit every possible situation. You will have to push the margins yourself to whatever ends that you desire. To your help there are data tables for various break points included in a later chapter.


Stats

You want to maximize your Vitality because anything less than 'as much life as possible' is not good enough if you want to make a name for yourself. Strength is only for equipping items, putting stat points on energy is only for Sorceress with Energy Shield and putting points into dexterity normally only serves the purpose of maximum block 75% with shield. Seeing as you seek maximum life you must look for stats in items. You will need life from your skill charms and small charms if you are going to win a single duel and the more life the better. Maximum life for a skill charm is 45 and maximum for a small charm is 20. However, anything above 30 life for a skill charm and 18 for a small charm will do the job. Strength, Dexterity and Mana are also necessary to get from items because that means you can spend more stat points on vitality.


Maximum Chance To Block

The maximum chance to block with a shield is 75%. To reach this figure you need to spend stat points on dexterity. How much dexterity you need for maximum chance to block is decided by your character class, character level and the shield itself. The Paladin class requires the least dexerity, both due to its basic shield ability and the skill Holy Shield. To see your character's chance to block you need to open the character screen (c) and move the cursor unto the defense section. The screenshot below shows where you can see your character's chance to block with its current equipment:




Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, Call To Arms & Spirit

There are four basic components in this game that all builds need; namely the small unique charm Annihilus, the large unique charm Hellfire Torch and the runewords Call To Arms and Spirit. Annihilus and Hellfire Torch are extremely important sources of resistance, stats and skills while Call To Arms in combination with Spirit in a shield just about doubles your life/mana/stamina through Battle Command and Battle Orders. Seeing as this is such a basic part of playing Diablo 2 I will not mention it in the strategy section for each build. The procedure is very simple:

Before you engage your opponent you swap to Call To Arms and Spirit, then cast Battle Command followed by Battle Orders and finish by swapping back to your primary weapon/shield.


Mercenaries

Traditionally, mercenaries have not been considered essential in PvP. However, a number of new runewords from last Ladder season have changed the importance of mercenaries in PvP quite a bit. These new alternatives will be presented as well as their traditional counter parts.

Those who do physical damage should use:

Act 2 Might Merc (Offensive on Nightmare difficulty): Pride Cryptic Axe as weapon, Bramble Archon Plate as body armor and Crown of Ages as helm socketed with 2 x Ber rune

Alternatively,

Act 2 Might merc (Offensive on Nightmare difficulty): Breath of the Dying War Pike as weapon, Fortitude Archon Plate as body armor and Crown of Ages as helm socketed with 2 x 40/15ias jewels.

Those based on elemental or poison damage should use;



Act 2 Holy Freeze Merc (Defensive on Nightmare Difficulty): Infinity Cryptic Axe as weapon, Bramble Archon Plate as armor and Dream Bone Visage as helm.

Alternatively;

Act 1 Rogue: Windforce as weapon, 160/60ias gemmed armor and 120/45ias gemmed helm.



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Data Tables

Increased Attack Speed (IAS), Faster Block Rate (FBR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Faster Cast Rate (FCR) and Faster Run/Walk (FRW) are all very important in PvP and in order to optimize these values you must know the break points. There is no guarantee that an addition of 5 % will actually make your character recover faster/cast faster/block faster. The scales have very low resolution and you will need exponentially increasing amounts of % to reach the next point where your character is affected. The tables below will show how this works in detail. The data is to a large extent character class and item dependent.

General tables

Amazon tables

Assassin tables

Barbarian tables

Druid tables

Necromancer tables

Paladin tables

Sorceress tables



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Amazon

Bowazon

Energy: Nothing
Strength: To equip items only
Dexterity: Half the remaining stat points
Vitality: Half the remaining stat points

Minimum Character Level: 79 (with all 12 bonus skill points)

Bow And Crossbow Skills: Magic Arrow 1, Cold Arrow 1, Multiple Shot 10, Guided Arrow 20.
Javelin and Spear Skills: Jab 1, Poison Javelin 1, Power Strike 1, Lightning bolt 1, Charged Strike 1.
Passive and Magic Skill: Inner Sight 1, Slow Missiles 1, Decoy 1, Valkyrie 1, Dodge 12+, Avoid 7+, Evade 12+, Critical Strike 16+, Penetrate 1, Pierce 1
Additional skill points: Dodge, Avoid, Evade and Critical Strike

Weapon (1st choice): Faith Grand Matron Bow with lvl 13 or higher Fanaticism Aura
Helm (1st choice):Artisan's Tiara of Speed (3 sockets / +30%frw) with 3 x 40/15ias jewels
Helm (2nd choice): 120/45ias Bone Visage
Body Armor (Fanaticism 13-15): Fortitude Archon Plate
Swap (Against Melee): Titan's Revenge Ethereal and Whitstan's Guard socketed with Shael rune
Swap (Against Caster):Call To Arms Flail and Lidless Wall
Gloves: Athletic Gauntlets of Alacrity ( Magic gloves with +3 to Passive and magic Skills / 20%ias)
Boots: War Traveler
Belt (1st choice): Siggard's Stealth 1.08 *Bugged*
Belt (2nd choice): Nosferatu's Coil
Rings: Raven Frost 225+AR/20dex and Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, 20 x Fine Small Charm of Vita 3/xx/20, 5 x Shimmering Small Charm of Inertia 5res/5frw and the rest of inventory filled with poison charms, either Toxic Small Charm of Vita 100/20 or Toxic Small Charm of Anthrax 313.

Strategy: First cast Decoy and Valkyrie so that they take the hits instead of you. Then Shoot Guided Arrows at your opponent. Use Multiple Shot if he gets too far away or if you are dueling multiple opponents. If a melee opponent gets too close you should swap to Titan's Revenge and Whitstan's Guard in order to block and attack him with Jab or Charged Strike.


Lightning Javazon

Energy: Nothing
Strength: To equip items only.
Dexterity: For 75% Chance to Block with your shield unless you are using a 4 x 5 Monarch in which case you should not put any points into dexterity.
Vitality: All remaining points.

Minimum Character Level: 85 (with all 12 bonus skill points)

Bow and Crossbow Skills: Nothing
Javelin And Spears skills: Jab 1, Power Strike 8+, Poison Javelin 1, Lightning Bolt 20, Charged Strike 20, Lightning Strike 20, Plague Javelin 1, Lightning Fury 20.
Passive and Magic Skills: Critical Hit 1, Penetrate 1, Avoid 1, Dodge 1, Evade 1.
Additional skill points: Power Strike

Helm: Griffon's Eye socketed with a 5/5 Lightning Rainbow Facet Jewel
Body Armor (vs caster): Chains of Honor Dusk Shroud / Archon Plate
Body Armor (vs melee): Enigma Dusk Shroud
Weapon: Titan's Revenge Ethereal
Shield (1st choice if you use Chains of Honor): Artisan's Troll Nest of Deflecting (3 sockets / 20% Increased Chance of Blocking / 30% Faster Block Rate magic shield) socketed with 3 x 5/5 Lightning Rainbow Facet jewel.
Shield (1st choice if you use Enigma): Jeweler's Monarch of Deflecting (4 sockets / 20% Increased Chance of Blocking / 30% Faster Block Rate magic shield) socketed with 4 x 5/5 Lightning Rainbow Facet jewel.
Shield (2nd choice): Stormshield socketed with a 5/5 Lightning Rainbow Facet jewel.
Shield (3rd choice): Monarch socketed with 4 x 5/5 Lightning Rainbow Facet jewel
Swap: Call To Arms Flail and Spirit
Gloves: Lancer's Gauntlets of Alacrity (+3 Javelin and Spear skills / 20ias magic gloves)
Boots: Waterwalk
Belt: Verdungo's Hearty Cord
Rings: Raven Frost 20dex and Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band.
Amulet: Mara's Kaleidoscope
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, 9 x Javelin & Spear Skiller with 30+ life, 5 x Shimmering Small Charm of Inertia 5res/5frw and 5 x Shimmering Small Charm of Vita 20/5.

Strategy: Try to reach your opponent and hit him with Charged Strike and he will be finished in around 3 strikes. Use Lightning Fury for missile attacks. There is also a special trick known as Far Casting where you send out missile attacks with Charged Strike damage. To do this you must make a charged strike/ordinary throw/charged strike in rapid succesion (using hot keys) followed by right clicking your opponent. It takes some time to learn this trick.



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Assassin

Trapper

Energy: Nothing
Strength: Nothing
Dexterity: For 75% Chance To Block if you are using a shield
Vitality: All remaining points

Minimum Character Level: 75 (with all 12 bonus skill points)

Traps: Fire Blast 1, Shock Web 20, Charged Bolt Sentry 20, Lightning Sentry 20, Death Sentry 20.
Shadow Disciplines: Claw Mastery 1, Weapon Block 1, Burst of Speed 1, Fade 1+, Mind Blast 1.
Remaining Points: Fade

Helm: Harlequin Crest socketed with Cham rune
Body Armor: Enigma Mage Plate
Weapon (1st Choice): 2 x magic claw (preferably Greater Talons) with +3 to Traps / +3 Lightning Sentry/ 2 sockets with 2 x Scintillating Jewel of Fervor 15res/15ias
Weapon (2nd Choice): Heart of the Oak Flail
Shield (If you use Heart of the Oak): Whitstan's Guard socketed with Ber rune
Swap: Call To Arms and Spirit runeword
Boots: Waterwalk or Sandstorm Trek Ethereal
Gloves Magefist
Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Rings: 2 x Stone of Jordan
Amulet: Mara's Kaleidoscope
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, 9 x Traps Skiller with 30+ life, 10 x Shimmering Small Charm of Vita 20/5.

Strategy: A properly equipped and played Trapper is a very deadly character. Fill the territory close to your opponent with Lightning Sentry and cast Mind Blast to prevent him from running away. Use Shock Web for missile attacks. If your opponent has lightning absorb you can use Fire Blast instead.


Whirlwinder/Trapper

Energy: Nothing
Strength: To equip items only
Dexterity: For 75 % Chance to Block
Vitality: All remaining points

Minimum Character Level: 90 (with all 12 bonus skill points)

Martial Arts:Dragon Talon 1, Dragon Claw 1, Dragon Tail 1, Dragon Flight 1,
Shadow Disciplines: Claw Mastery 5, Weapon Block 1, Shadow Warrior 1, Burst of Speed 1, Fade 1, Venom 20, Psychic Hammer 1, Cloak of Shadows 1, Mind Blast 1.
Traps: Fire Blast 1, Shock Web 20, Charged Bolt Sentry 20, Lightning Sentry 20, Death Sentry 5+.
Additional skill points: Death Sentry

Helm: Harlequin Crest socketed with Ruby Jewel of Virility 40/9Strength
Body Armor: Bramble Dusk Shroud with high bonus to poison damage.
Weapon1: Chaos Suwayyah with Dragon Flight, Venom and Mind Blast.
Weapon2 (vs caster): Fury Suwayyah with Dragon Flight, Venom and Mind Blast.
Shield (vs melee): Whitstan's Guard socketed with Shael rune
Swap: Call To Arms Flail and Spirit runeword.
Belt (1st choice): Siggard's Stealth 1.08 bugged
Belt (2nd choice): Verdungo's Hearty Cord
Gloves: Trang Oul's Claws or Dracul's Grasp
Boots: Shadow Dancer
Rings: Angelic Halo and Raven Frost 225+AR/20dex
Amulet: Angelic Wings
Charms: Annihilus, Hellfire Torch, 9 x Shadow Discipline Skillers with 30+ life and 10 x Shimmering Small Charm of Vita 20/5.

Strategy: Just like with Trapper you begin by casting Lightning Sentry around your opponent and Mind Blast to prevent him from escaping. You then try to reach him with Dragon Flight and finish the attack with Whirlwind. Note that your Whirlwind damage is rather insignificant and that your true damage will come from open wounds and poison.