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Smiter

The Smiter guide

Written by MrLlamaSC for Icy Veins, shown here with his permission. Read the original on Icy Veins· Skills and items link to their pages.

›Introduction

One of the best and cheapest Boss killers in the game, it takes very little gear to make a Smiter effective. Smite, the skill around which the build revolves, never misses its target and hits very quickly, allowing the Smiter to take advantage of on-hit effects such as Chance of Crushing Blow. The Smiter is rarely seen outside Uber Tristram due to its severe lack of area of effect damage, making it one of the most specialised

›Smiter Paladin Skill Build

  • 1 point to all prerequisites

  • 20 points to Smite — Main skill of the build

  • 20 points to Holy Shield — Synergy for Smite and powerful defensive buff

  • 20 points to Fanaticism — Main Aura, providing both attack speed and damage

  • Any number of points to Resist Lightning, Resist Fire, and/or Resist Cold — For every 2 points in Resist skills, you passively gain +1% Maximum Resist to the relevant element, optional

›Smiter Paladin Stats Discussion

The following section discusses how many attribute points should be allocated to each of the primary stats.

How much Strength Does a Smiter Need?

Enough Strength for gear — 138 if using a Vortex Shield. If choosing to use another shield with lower Strength requirements such as Herald of Zakarum, then 103 Strength for an Archon Plate is most likely necessary. This number always changes based on the gear you are using though so make sure to always double check the Strength requirements of each piece of gear you have as well as how much Strength each piece will provide once equipped.

How much Dexterity Does a Smiter Need?

Enough for max block — Between 130 and 170 Dexterity total is usually enough to reach the 75% maximum chance to block. For a typical Paladin wearing the Herald of Zakarum and using a fairly high level Holy Shield, 130 Dexterity should be enough. Always check your Character Sheet however, where you can track your current chance to block as you allocate Dexterity.

How much Vitality Does a Smiter Need?

Everything else into Vitality — 250+ Vitality. Every excess attribute point should be allocated to Vitality, as long as you can meet the Strength and Dexterity requirements of your items by the time you wish to equip them, as well as the 75% maximum chance to block.

How much Energy Does a Smiter Need?

Nothing — allocating stat points to Energy in a final build is universally considered sub-par for almost every character due to the widespread availability of Mana Potions.

›Smiter Paladin Mercenary

Since Mercenaries rarely make it out of Uber Tristram alive, dedicated Smiters rarely opt to even hire a Mercenary. For the rest of the game however, you can either hire a Defensive (Holy Freeze) or Offensive (Might) Desert Guard Mercenary in Act 2, Nightmare difficulty, depending on whether you want to slow monsters for added safety or improve your overall damage as well as that of your Mercenary.