The Paladin build
Masteries: Storm and Defence
Weapon: Clubs
Pet: Wisp
Attribute points go: Strength & Intelligence (See also Cons and Leveling)
The end build:
TitanCalc by stonedonkey - A Titan Quest Calculator - Paladin Why play a Paladin:
First i would like to state the following: This build is focusing on the Paladin beign a caster, and not just a conqueror with Squall, lightning weapons buffs and without Onslaugth. My idea was that Defence beign one of the best mastery choices in the game, you soon workout a standard skillset for all your defence mixed masteries. This can make many of your characters much identical, and second i believe that defence is lacking more clerical based skills, beign more of an offensive mastery. Because of this i think that the paladin build makes up for this and gives the perfect chance to play a "Real" divine defender.
The main focus of the Paladin:
The Paladin is a divine defender, drawing his powers from his devoution to the god of thunder and lightning and his skilled trainning with the club and sheild. Dealing both in psycical, elemental and stun damage, the Paladin is using a wide variation of damagetypes and buffs. Defences Concussive Blow adds to Storms Thunderball and Storm Surge making these spells very powerfull as you'll have a great boosts to both stun length and damage. Squall is great against staffs and bows, since the 100% impaired aim, leaves these ranged attackers sitting ducks for your divine wrath. Beside this you'll get a wisp to boost elemental damage to +100% and your excellent standard Defence mastery skills. Basicly a paladin disables and damages enemies (Squall), Stuns and damages attacking groups (Thunderball and Concussive blows stun boost) and deal psycical and elemental weapon damage (Sheild passives, static charge and Storm Surge).
Skills: (Defence)
Concussive Blow:
This skill is essential for the Paladin. Many of your spells are dealing stun damage and this adds 40% to all stun damage and it's length. Max this skill. The only downside is that it only works when weilding a club, anyway this makes your build very much like the original rpg clerical builds.
Adrenaline line:
Normally this skill line is very essential to any defence build and in this case you need it aswell. Mostly for the -recharge that gives you the opportunity to cast spells without long coll down time. You will get a boost to damage from Defensive Reaction, but building a Paladin leaves you with a big problem: Skillpoints. On this matter i would say that if you want all great skill in the defence mastery, build a Conquror, Warden or Brigand. A meleecaster with just one spell is not a cool build IMO. Spend all leftover points in Defensive Reaction though.
Rally Line:
Gives bonuses to Health in a big scale, and Defiance gives you retaliation 60% and resistances at 50%. Again as explained above, your main problem with this build is all the great skills you want. You can't get'em all. So you have to make a choice if you want more figther or more caster. Since defence is for most players a mastery you almost include in every build, i say that trying something new will make this build more refreshing and exiting. That's why Rally it self only get 1 point, Inspiration also 1 point and Defiance gets maxed for the resistance and retalition bonus. You can survive without healing effect and energy regeneration from Rally and Inspiration by popping potions, but you can't pop a Squall or Thunderball potion.
Battle Awareness Line:
Battle Awareness itself dosen't give any significant bonus to armor, so just 1 point for it's synergies. Focus helps sheild blocking by 18% and Iron Will gives 80% resistances to stun, entrapment, freeze and skill disruption. These should be maxed, but Iron Will is first needed around lvl 35.
Sheild Passives:
Sheild Smash, Disable and Pulverize gives more shield damage and disruptions to enemies. Should all be maxed.
Collosus:
Just 1 point for the 50% damage and the 32% strength. This is your bosskiller skill.
Skills: (Storm)
Thunderball:
Along with Squall this is your primary offensive/defensive spell in the game. Dealing both lightning and stun damage, it will make your Paladin survive in the late game. Max it. When enemies enter the screen Squall'em and if they survive fire Thunderball which will stun them, and you simply take'em out with your club.
Squall Line:
My favorite skill in the game. Disabling archers abilities, dealing damage and weakens at the same time. Your secondary attack on the mouse. Get it, love it and max both Squall and Obscured Visibility.
Wisp Line:
Just 1 point in wisp since it's attack dosen't do much difference. What you want is Eye Of The Storm. Max it. Here you get 100% to elemental damage and 33% resistance to cold and lightning. Essential for the Paladin Build.
Storm Nimbus Line:
Storm Nimbus itself is useless. It dosen't deal damage in %, so just 1 point for Heart Of Frost and Static Charge synergi. Being dealing lightning damage max this. Heart Of Frost is for cold damage and freeze up nearby enemies, so though you don't mainly focus your elemental damage on cold, you should max it for close encounters and for the cold damage attched to Storm Surge and eventual cold damage from equipment.
Storm Surge:
Storm Surge delivers both Stun, Lightning and Cold damage. It only has a 15% chance of activation when hit, but when beign attacked by mobs it always triggers beign a powerful lifesaver and damage dealer.
Equipment:
Beign a Paladin means that you deal both in Psycical (Strength) and in elemental (Intelligence) damage. Furthermore you're a caster that means you should be aware of recharge time for your spells. All this means that your gear is important. Luckely there is a good portion of % to elemental damage and good -recharge equipment out there, and this is what you will need making this build very powerful. Usually i draw -reachrge, +damage and skills from armor, sheild and weapons and go for resistances on rings and necklaces. Highest concentration of Lightning and cold resistaned creatures are in Orient, so you might wanna swicth to some psycical +gear once in a while there. The perfect set for the Paladin is the Tempest set, that bolsters you Storm skills perfectly for this build. When completet it gives good elemental resistances, % to lightning and cold damage, +3 to storm skills, +2 to Thunderball, +2 to Squall and Obscured Visibility. Furthermore it looks awesome making your apperance much of a storm god himself. I've been farming alot and found the pieces in The Great Sphinx (Egypt) and at the Gargantuan Yeti in the Tsongmo ice caverns (Orient). Try to get this set, and your chances are biggest at the 2 locations above. Highest in the Great Sphinx. If you believe that the droprates make it impossible, you could use the
Hades Mod to make +5 chance to unique drops from all chests. Some call it cheating, you decide.
Leveling:
As how to spend your points, here's a few ideas. I always go for maxing masteries first. You get attibute points, health and meet requirement on gear and this is as important as skills. Usualy i only spend points in masteries in Greece (Normal), but you have to have some good equipment though. Spend only 1 point in each Sheild Passive in defence mastery. In Egypt (Normal) start placing 1 points in all skills except Thunderball and Squall. These skills are not essential before Epic difficulty. In Orient (Normal) start spending points in Spells and putting some more points in your other skills. Remeber to have your 1 point in colossus before killing Typhon. In normal difficulty all attributy points should go to strength. In Epic focus on all skills and start splitting atribute points between Strength and Intelligence. Continue this to end of game. You'll end up around 530 in strength and 280 in Intelligence without gear bonuses.
Pros: Well, the way i see it Storm and Defence are some of the best masteries in the game. Furthermore these work great together, as both have stunskills that are perfectly combined. Squall is IMO the best skill in the game and Defences Sheild passive are every melee characters dream. The Paladin have a wide variety of skills making it one of the most fun builds i ever played i TQ. There is lots of Melee equipment adding to Stormskills aswell, so you don't have a problem in having to find unique equipment for this class.
Cons: The major problem with this build is skillpoints and the Caster/melee attribute problem. Having too many good skills to choose from is a luxuryproblem, and really dosen't make this a bad classchoice. It makes it an obvious choice instead. Your main problem is the Attribute points. Dealing both psycical and elemental damage makes dependant on both strength and intelligence. Strength is important not only to psycical damage, but also for gear requirements. You need to land your Strength at about 500 to meet all possible requirements for melee armor. The way i do it is that until level 35 i only put points in strength, the after lvl 35 i put 1 point in both strength and intelligence per level. That way when maxing masteries in normal difficulty, i end up on about 400 in strength meaning that i unlock all requirements for blue armor and weapons needed by a Paladin.
Survivability: Very High
Fun: Very Fun
Damage Dealing: High (With Wisps Eye Of The Storm: Very High)
Difficulty to play: Easy