                        |\_______       _______/|
                        \__     /       \     __/
           _____           |   |         |   |              _____
          |  __ \     ___  |   |_      __|__ | _____       / ___ \
          | |  \ \   \   / |  /  \    | __  /| \   /      / /   \ \
          | |   | |   | |  | / /\ \   | |/ / |  | |      | |     | |
          | |__/ /    | |  ||  __  |  | |\ \ |  | |___/|  \ \___/ /
         /______/    /___\ ||/ |  \|  |_____\| /_______|   \_____/
                           |   |         |   |
                          /_____\       /_____\
                             
                           Lord Of Destruction
                              Version 1.09

                      Sword & Shield Barbarian FAQ
                              Version 1.2
                            December 4, 2001

                                   by
                                 Muadib
                           jdlee_sun@yahoo.com


Introduction:
-------------
This FAQ is a how to guide on building a formidable Sword & Shield Barbarian on
Diablo 2: LOD version 1.09.  This FAQ is specifically targeted for version 1.09
since character skills and abilities can change from one version to the next.
I hope that this FAQ will be informative and easy to read.


Legal:
------
The usual copyright stuff.  Contact me if you intend to publish or distribute
the information contained in this document.  You will need my permission to do
so.  All references to Diablo 2: LOD and related statistics and information are
current as of the date on this FAQ.  You should always be able to find the
latest revision of this FAQ at:  http://www.gamefaqs.com  This FAQ is also
available at:  http://www.diabloii.net/strategy/


Table of Contents:
------------------
  i. Revision History
  
  I. Why a Sword & Shield Barb
 
 II. Attribute Placement

III. Skills Selection & Advancement

 IV. Equipment Selection

  V. Gameplay Notes
 
 VI. Dueler's Section

VII. Credits


i. Revision History
-------------------
-1.2 Updated Credits section
-1.2 Added Duelers Section
-1.2 Minor corrections/additions
-1.1 Added Gameplay Tips in the Gameplay Notes section
-Finished version 1.0 11/30/2001
-Started 10/19/2001


I. Why a Sword & Shield Barb
----------------------------
My initial philosophy on the Barbarian was to be gung-ho and concentrate on
attack and don't mind the defense.  This meant going for high damage,
dual-wield, and high strength and dexterity.  As the saying goes, "A flame that
burns twice as bright, lasts half as long..." or something to that effect.  In
Diablo 2: LOD terms, "I may breeze through Normal and Nightmare, but I'm gonna
get f@%$ed in Hell."  Let's see why:

-In Hell all monsters have a certain degree of physical damage resistance.
-In many areas in Hell, there are physically immune (PI) monsters.
-Many of the super uniques in Hell are either stone skin, physically immune, or
 both (Nihlatak).
-In Hell the resistance penalty makes you very vulnerable to elemental attacks.
 Especially lightning enchanted uniques and the council members who like to
 cast Hydra.
-In Hell having a high defense only will get you killed.  Being able to block
 is a must!

Those are some of the major reasons how a poorly made Barbarian can turn from
Godly destroyer in Nightmare into Baal's b@tch in Hell.  The Sword & Shield
Barb that I propose have the following traits:

-Use of a sword.  Swords are the best weapon group and has the best variety
 and availability.  I recommend using two-handed swords for greater reach.
-Use of a shield to block.  Blocking becomes especially important in Hell when
 even a Fallen can beat you up over your high defense.  Blocking gives you a two
 layer defense system giving you a chance to block all physical attacks before
 it even calculates the attack against your defense rating.
-High concentration in vitality and nominal development in strength and
 dexterity.  Goal is to get as many life points as possible because in Hell,
 YOU will get hit.  Maxing out life allows you to control how hard that hit
 becomes.
-High concentration in sword mastery, whirlwind, and berserk.  Secondary
 concentration in battle orders.

The traits above help the Sword & Shield Barb do fairly well throughout the
game and even in Hell.  The goal is max life, max blocking, whirlwind, berserk,
and battle orders.  Attaining these 5 capabilities will make your Barb GODLY!


II. Attribute Placement:
------------------------
 Strength - Initially you want to spend your first few levels investing in
            strength to allow you to use and wear better gear.  Invest enough
            points in strength to allow you to use the gear you have on.  If
            you can, rely on items to boost your strength to meet strength
            requirements.  Later in the game you will want to have enough
            strength (with items) to be able to wield the godly sword/blade of
            your choice.  Investing more points in strength will net you
            negligible points in more damage.  More damage is best attained
            through better weapons and items.

Dexterity - Use the same policy as strength above.  Later in the game you
            should have enough dexterity (with items) to be able to wield the
            sword/blade of your choice.  General policy is to be stingy with
            strength and dexterity as much as possible.  More points in
            dexterity will net you negligible gains on your attack rating (AR)
            and defense.  At higher levels, your blocking may suffer from low
            dexterity, use dex charms to compensate or wear dex boosting items
            like the Raven Frost ring and the Cat's Eye amulet.

 Vitality - This will be your favorite attribute.  After attaining enough
            points in strength and dexterity to wear your gear, invest all
            future points in vitality while planning ahead to increase strength
            and dexterity as you plan to switch to better gear.  Each level
            increase will give you 2 life and 1 stamina.  Each point of
            vitality will give you 4 life and 1 stamina.  Try to get around
            1200 life at level 85.  With battle orders you will have a
            2300-2400 life Barb.  Crucial!
            
   Energy - This is the easy part.  NEVER put points into this attribute at
            all.  In the beginning it will be a bit rough when bash depletes
            your mana and you have no mana steal items, but later on you will
            depend heavily on mana steal and equip items with plus to mana
            attributes.


III. Skills Selection & Advancement:
------------------------------------
Here I will cover the skills that you will need to invest in.  Any skills not
mentioned here means that you should not invest ANY skill points in that skill.
In the beginning you will want to put a point in bash and save your skill
points up until better skills become available.  Here we go...


********************************************************************************
COMBAT SKILLS:
********************************************************************************

Bash
Req lvl: 1
Prerequisites: None
You will start out with this skill.  It provides some bonuses over the normal
attack.  This will be your default attack until concentrate becomes available.
Invest only 1 point in this skill.

Leap
Req lvl: 6
Prerequisites: None
This skill is useful when you need to manuever across a chasm/river, a crowd of
monsters, or to get out of sticky situations.  It wears out its usefulness
once leap attack becomes available.  Invest a single point in this skill.

Stun
Req lvl: 12
Prerequisites: Bash
I'm not fond of this skill because stun has no damage bonus and the stun length
pretty much sucks.  It is merely a necessary evil to allow you to learn
concentrate and berserk at later levels.  Put only 1 point in this skill.

Leap Attack
Req lvl: 18
Prerequisites: Leap
Very useful skill for manuevering into and out of trouble.  It's also great for
jumping across rivers and jumping up and down elevations a la Bloody Foothills.
The range is much better than leap as it is fixed at max range.  Invest only 1
point in this skill.  The AR and damage bonuses are awesome, but don't do it. 
You can't kill bosses with this skill in Hell since they regenerate health at a
faster rate than you can hurt them with this skill.  The leap is also very slow
and prone to miss against quicker enemies who can move out of range.

Concentrate
Req lvl: 18
Prerequisites: Bash, Stun
Set this skill as your new default attack.  You get better AR and damage
bonuses than bash and this attack is uninterruptible and doubles your defense
during the attack animation.  You will use this attack althroughout Normal and
Nightmare.  Invest 1 well earned point in this skill.  You won't be able to use
this as your default attack in Hell because of the default physical resistance
of all monsters and the existence of PI and stone skin monsters and uniques.

Whirlwind
Req lvl: 30
Prerequisites: Bash, Leap, Stun, Concentrate, Leap Attack
This will be your bread and butter attack for most encounters.  Great for
mowing down large crowds of monsters and laying the smack down on bosses.
Becareful when using whirlwind against monsters that cast iron maiden (IM). It
can mean instant death.  This is where your dedication to vitality and high
life come in.  You also need sufficient life and mana steal to use this attack
continuously.  Although you will attack 50% more if you dual wield, don't do
it.  Use a shield for added protection instead.  This is especially true in
Hell.  During the whirlwind animation you can't use any potions so becareful
not to whirlwind yourself to death.  Stop and potion up if you need to during
your whirlwind sessions.  Once this skill becomes available, max this skill out
ASAP.

Level     1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mana      25     25     26     27     27     27     28     28     29     29
Damage % -50    -42    -34    -26    -18    -10     -2      6     14     22
Attack %   0      5     10     15     20     25     30     35     40     45

Level     11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mana      30     30     31     31     32     32     33     33     34     34
Damage %  30     38     46     54     62     70     78     86     94    102
Attack %  50     55     60     65     70     75     80     85     90     95

Berserk
Req lvl: 30
Prerequisites: Bash, Stun, Concentrate
I use this as my default attack in Hell.  Berserk converts all physical damage
into magical damage.  Berserk also gives the best AR bonus and the damage bonus
is second only to leap attack!  There are drawbacks however.  Your defense
drops down to 0 for a short duration and you will not be able to life steal and
mana steal from this attack.  This skill frees you from having to look for a
godly item that does huge elemental damage to make up for the ineffectual
damage done to stone skin and PI monsters in Hell.  Do not use this skill in
the middle of a crowd of monsters.  Especially monsters with Ignore Target
Defense (ITD) i.e. Baal's Minions.  You will get hurt!  This is why the shield
is so important as it affords you a layer of protection from attack while using
berserk.  You can alternate between concentrate and berserk if you are on a 1
on 1 encounter to "leech" and attack.  Against, PI monsters however, life and
mana steal won't work.  You can recharge by attacking non PI monsters and
resuming attack or use potions.  Most encounters with berserk will end in a few
hits except for the super uniques and bosses.  Put in 1 point right after
putting a point in whirlwind. Leave this skill at level 1 until you finish
maxing out whirlwind in which case you should be in Hell by that time.  Start
maxing out this skill while alternating with some of the other skills covered
below.  When encountering magic immune monsters/bosses, use whirlwind or
concentrate.

Mana Cost 4
Level     1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attack %  100    115    130    145    160    175    190    205    220    235
Damage %  150    165    180    195    210    225    240    255    270    285
Duration  2.7    2.4    2.2    2.1    2.0    1.9    1.8    1.7    1.6    1.6

Level     11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attack %  250    265    280    295    310    325    340    355    370    385
Damage %  300    315    330    345    360    375    390    405    420    435
Duration  1.6    1.5    1.5    1.4    1.4    1.4    1.4    1.3    1.3    1.3

Notes:
-Mana cost is constant at 4.
-Damage % is magical damage.
-Duration is the amount of time in seconds that your barb will be vulnerable.


********************************************************************************
COMBAT MASTERIES:
********************************************************************************

Sword Mastery
Req lvl: 1
Prerequisites: None
Being a Sword & Shield Barb, this is the mastery you will need to max out.
Advance necessary Combat Skills first and allocate left over points into sword
mastery.

Level      1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damage %   28     33     38     43     48     53     58     63     68     73
Attack %   28     36     44     52     60     68     76     84     92    100
Critical %  3      6      9     11     12     13     14     15     16     17

Level      11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damage %   78     83     88     93     98    103    108    113    118    123
Attack %  108    116    124    132    140    148    156    164    172    180
Critical % 17     18     18     19     19     20     20     20     20     21

Increased Stamina
Req lvl: 12
Prerequisites: None
This skill is useless since you will have plenty of stamina from pumping up
your vitality, but it is a prerequisite for increased speed.  Put only 1 point
into this skill.

Increased Speed
Req lvl: 24
Prerequisites: Increased Stamina
This skill will increase your barb's run/walk speed.  Generally useful for
running circles around monsters, running through a maze of monsters during
magic find (MF) runs and running around during duels.  Put only 1 point into
this skill in the begining and eventually get up to level 5 and no more.
Putting more points into this skill will give diminishing returns that are not
worth the valuable skill points that could be invested elsewhere.

Level     1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speed %   13     18     22     25     28     30     32     33     35     36

Level     11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speed %   37     38     39     40     40     41     41     42     42     43

Iron Skin
Req lvl: 18
Prerequisites: None
Again, like increased stamina, this skill is not really essential, but needed
to get access to the very useful skill, natural resistance.  Invest only 1
point in this skill.

Natural Resistance
Req lvl: 30
Prerequisites: Iron Skin
This skill doesn't come into play until late Nightmare and all of Hell
difficulty levels.  You will need this to supplement the severe resistance
penalties in Nightmare and Hell, but more so in Hell.  I recommend a maximum
investment of 5 points into this skill.  There is a diminishing return as you
advance so do not waste any more points beyond level 5.  Use plus to skills
items to boost this skill higher instead.

Level     1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resist %  12     21     28     35     40     44     47     49     52     54

Level     11     12     13     14     15     16     17     18     19     20
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resist %  56     58     60     61     62     64     64     65     66     67


********************************************************************************
WARCRIES:
********************************************************************************

Howl
Req lvl: 1
Prerequisites: None
Not a particularly useful warcry.  It makes monsters run away from you, but I
don't see why that would be useful in most cases.  Having monsters follow you
will make it easier to herd them in a line for a whirlwind ho down.  You will
need this skill to have access to more useful warcries.  Invest only 1 point in
this skill.

Shout
Req lvl: 6
Prerequisites: Howl
I did not find this skill particularly useful.  Especially since I put only 1
point in this skill as should you.  It gives a decent defense bonus, but the
duration is too short to make it worth while.  There is a better warcry up
ahead so don't worry.

Battle Orders
Req lvl: 24
Prerequisites: Howl, Shout
Finally the warcry that is actually useful!  This skill temporarily increases
your barb's stamina, life, and mana.  Very useful in Hell where the added life
and mana come in handy for you and your merc.  Start to invest points in this
skill late in Nightmare and into Hell.  Make sure you put priority in whirlwind
and berserk before leveling up this skill.  The increase in duration and
stamina/life/mana bonus is constant so sky is the limit.  You can start to max
this skill out after you have maxed out sword mastery, whirlwind, and berserk. 
Don't forget to put a few points in increased speed and natural resistance as
well.  They will come in handy before battle orders will.  At level 20 you
should be able to almost double your life/mana/stamina.  I max this out last
hence my secondary concentration in this skill.  This skill is a must for
duels.


IV. Equipment Selection
-----------------------

Items are crucial to success in Diablo 2: LOD.  High level characters are
nothing without high level items.  The following discusses what to look for in
each item type and mentions some notable examples.

SWORDS:
Always go with a two-handed sword for added reach and damage.  When used with a
shield, it will do reduced damage, but the increased range make it better then
smaller one-handed swords.  Also consider looking for a Cruel (201% - 300% ED)
Colossus Blade or Balrog Blade with 3 open sockets.  These swords can be had
through trade or via the Horadric Cube transmute recipe.  Find a magical
Colossus/Balrog Blade and put it in the cube with 3 chipped gems.  Transmute
and you will get a magical sword with with random magical attributes and 3
sockets.  The trick is to get lucky somehow and get the Cruel (300% ED) and
some other useful suffix attribute.  You can adorn the sword with some useful
ED/IAS jewels or runes.
 
Some advanced swords to consider:
     -Swordguard Executioner Sword
     -Honor Colossus Sword
     -Silence Colossus Blade
     -Cruel Colossus blade of ????
     -Cruel Balrog blade of ????
     -The Grandfather Colossus Blade

SHIELDS:
Choose shields that will give you the highest blocking rate possible.  A good
practice is to socket the shield and put in a perfect diamond for a +19 or an
Um rune for +22 to all resistances bonus.  Better shields have higher chance to
block and faster blocking rate attributes.  Maximizing your ability to block is
crucial for berserk and whirlwind.  To check your current chance to block, put
your cursor over your defense rating number in the character stat screen.  You
will see a percentage number on the chance to block all physical attacks.
Another attribute to consider is the classification of the shield.  Medium
(Large) and Heavy (Tower) shields impose a run/walk penalty because of their
girth and heft.  Lighter shields impose no speed penalty and can provide the
same or even better protection than the heavier shields.

Some advanced shields to consider:
     -Whistan's Guard Round Shield
     -Moser's Blessed Circle Round Shield
     -Stormshield Monarch

ARMOR:
This is more of an open issue as there is a wide variety of armor to choose
from.  You will want high defense, but you will also want additional attributes
that will complement your style of play.  Being a melee character, you will
benefit from armor with damage reduction attributes and bonuses to life. 
Special attributes such as cannot be frozen and freezes target are also
desirable for melee characters.  Since you will use a shield consider armor
with good mods rather than just defense.

Some advanced armor to consider:
     -Shaftstop Mesh Armor
     -Gladiator's Bane Wire Fleece
     -Tal Rasha's Guardianship Lacquered Plate

HELMS:
For starters, I usually wear the Sigon's set in the beginning to get me through
until I can wear better equipment.  Many of the advanced headgear have leeching
and plus to skills modifiers.  Some will have resistance and stat bonuses.  It
will mostly depend on what you can get your hands on.

Some advanced helms to consider:
     -Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest Death Mask
     -Harlequin Crest Shako
     -Vampire Gaze Grim Helm
     -Arreat's Face Slayer Guard

GLOVES:
It is very important to get gloves with 20% Increased Attack Speed (IAS) to
speed up the rate of your attack as fast as possible.  Other favorable mods are
bonuses to AR, resist bonuses, and Enhanced Damage (ED) bonuses.  Another good
combination is to use the IK gloves in conjunction with the Boots for a +50 AR
set bonus and other useful item mods.  You will forego the IAS in exchange for
+20 strength and dexterity, but it may well be worth it.

Some gloves I recommend:
     -Laying of Hands Bramble Mitts
     -Magnus' Skin Sharkskin Gloves
     -Lava Gout Battle Gauntlets

BELTS:
I recommend using the string of ears for damage reduction and life leech. Other
attributes to consider are faster hit recovery, faster run/walk, mana leech,
and stat bonuses to str and dex.

Some advanced belts to consider:
     -String of Ears Demonhide Sash
     -Wilhelm's Pride Battle Belt
     -Mavina's Tenet Sharkskin Belt
     
BOOTS:
For boots, you want the highest run/walk bonus possible to be able to escape
danger and catch your prey.  Several boots have 40% faster run/walk mods, but
one pair of boots seems to stand out from the rest.  These are the Sander's
Riprap Heavy Boots.  Aside from the 40% faster run/walk, the +5 to strength,
+10 to dexterity, and +100 to AR makes it great for melee and ranged
characters.  An alternative would be to wear Gore Riders for the offensive
bonuses or the IK boots/glove combination mentioned above.

AMULETS:
There are alot to choose from.  Many rare amulets have great mods that will
meet your needs.  Usually, + to skills, resist bonuses, stat bonuses, and
offensive mods are desirable.  Some rare amulets have dual leech mods which is
always welcome in any item.  I have also heard about a duped rare amulet called
the Corruption Heart.  I have never seen it so I can't really say how it is or
even if it is legal to use in Battle.Net.  From what I hear it is one of the
best amulets in the game.

Some amulets I recommend:
     -The Eye of Elitch
     -Highlord's Wrath
     -The Cat's Eye

RINGS:
Like amulets, there are alot to choose from.  Dual leech rings with dex and AR
mods are my favorite.  I also highly recommend a good Raven Frost ring for the
AR and dex bonus, but most notably the cannot be frozen is crucial when
fighting cold based enemies.

Some advanced rings to consider:
     -Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
     -Raven Frost
     -Good dual leech ring

CHARMS:
I primarily carry faster run/walk and faster hit recovery charms.  I would also
recommend dex charms to increase your % to block.  High damage poison charms
also work well in conjunction with whirlwind.  Concentrate your resistance
charms in fire and lightning only.  Fire and lightning enchanted uniques are
quite dangerous.  If you have any remaining space, carry some good life charms
to boost life.


MY GEAR:
Here's what my level 85 Sword & Shield barb is quipped with.

SWORD:  Silence Colossus Blade
-The Blinds Target works great to take down large groups easily.  The other
 major mod is the +75 to all resistances.  Coupled with my Natural Resistance
 and some item/charm bonuses, I have maxed out resists in Hell.

SHIELD:  Stormshield Monarch
-Probably the best shield in the game.  It's classified as a light shield so it
 won't slow you down.  It also has +30 to str and good cold and lightning
 resist bonuses.  The best mod is the 35% damage reduction bonus.

ARMOR:  Shaftstop Mesh Armor
-Good +60 life bonus, but the main reason why I use this armor is the 30%
 damage reduction mod.  It is considered a medium armor and slows me down by
 5%.

HELM:  Tal-Rasha's Horadric Crest Death Mask
-Highest dual leech helm in the game.  Also +60 life and +15 all resistance
 bonus makes this helm one of the best.  A more ideal helm may be the Arreat's
 Face or the Vampire Gaze, but I haven't been able to come across them so far.

GLOVES:  Magnus' Skin Sharksin Gloves
-My main reason for using these gloves are the +100 attack rating bonus and the
 20% IAS.  I keep a pair of Laying of Hands as an alternative when I plan to go
 on boss runs.

BELT:  String of Ears Demonhide Sash
-I get 8% life leech and 15% damage reduction from this belt.  Added up with my
 stormshield and shaftstop, I get the maximum 75% damage reduction!

BOOTS:  Sander's Riprap Heavy Boots
-As I mentioned earlier, I need the +100 AR and stat bonuses.  I also have a
 pair of Gore Riders as a backup.

AMULET:  Highlord's Wrath
-The deadly strike and +1 to all skills make this amulet perfect for melee
 characters.  The lightning resist and damage mods are a bonus.

RINGS:  Raven Frost, Dual Leech Rare ring
-I have a 241AR/19dex Raven Frost and a Rare 7/6 dual leech ring with 146 AR,
 and 17 dex bonuses.

CHARMS:twiztedrage@hotmail.com
-I carry a bunch of faster hit recovery and faster run/walk small charms.  I
 have no need for resist charms as my sword and other items max out my resists.


V. Gameplay Notes
-----------------

General Tips:
-Hot key concentrate and berserk on the left mouse button and hot key town
 portal, battle orders, leap attack, and whirlwind on the right mouse button.
 
-Hire the Nightmare Act 2 defensive merc.  His holy freeze aura is very useful
 in slowing down mobs of monsters and slowing down their attacks.

-Use of maphack is very helpful to cut time and keep you safe from potentially
 dangerous super uniques.  Some people consider using maphack cheating, so it's
 a toss up.  Personally, I use it all the time.  :P

Gameplay Tips:
-Don't bother killing Nihlathak in Hell.  He is stone skin and PI and his
 Corpse Explosion attack is deadly.  By not killing him, you can take the red
 portal to Nihlatak's temple for Pindleskin runs.
 
-If you are getting "turboed" or "boosted" (A high level friend quests you to
 end of Hell) a safe place to be on the kill Diablo quest is to stand behind
 the corner buttresses right above where Diablo appears after activating the
 seals.  Diablo's attacks will be blocked by the buttress.  Make sure Diablo is
 in your screen when he dies.
 
-If you want to avoid fightning the council members in Durance of Hate 3, just
 run up on the platform to the end.  You should be able to see where the red
 portal appears after killing Mephisto.  Leap attack across to the other side
 and leave the council behind so you can kill Mephisto.
 
-In the River of Flame going towards the Chaos Sanctuary, simply rush across
 using Leap Attack to avoid the maze and monsters.  Use the same technique in
 the Arcane Sanctuary.
 
-In Act 2, you can cut alot of time by simply getting the staff and headpiece
 and taking a waypoint directly to Canyon of the Magi (Have a friend give you
 the waypoints.).  Use maphack and visit each of the tombs until you see a very
 complex tomb with a red circle (That's where the slot for the staff is.)  This
 is the real tomb of Tal Rasha.

Strategies:
-Use berserk against stone skin and PI uniques.

-Switch between concentrate and berserk if you need to leech on 1 on 1 battles.
 Against, groups, switch between Berserk and Whirlwind.
 
-Use a hit and run tactic against lightning enchanted uniques to minimize risk.
 If they also have the multi-shot attribute, run away.
 
-Use battle orders to boost life, stamina, and mana when getting into hairy
 situations.  Don't forget to renew it periodically.


VI. Dueler's Section
--------------------

So you think you got what it takes to take out anybody foolish enough to mess
with you?  First lesson is that you will get OWNED!  Now that I've brought you
back down to Earth.  Let's examine some strategies for the Sword & Shield
Barb...

Tips:
-Always use battle orders before a duel and heal up with potions or in town.

-Replenish life/mana items and gear will help you during prolonged duels.

-Do not use leap attack.  It is too slow and they will anticipate your landing
 and kill you with a counterattack.  This is especially dangerous when homing
 attacks such as guided arrow and bone spirit will hit you when you land.

-Make your barbarian as fast as possible.  Whirlwind is very slow so you will
 have to be fast so you can clip your enemies with whirlwind.

-Avoid whirlwind lock at all costs!  This happens when you click on the
 character and not a piece of ground for your whirlwind path.  Your barbarian
 will be locked in a whirlwind slowly moving towards your moving target!  You
 won't have control and you will be slow enough for ranged characters to kill
 you at their leisure.

-If you get killed, leave the game and come back in.  Some duelers/PKers will
 try to pop you if they can.  This happens when you don't pick up every thing
 when you retrieve your corpse and get killed again.  Sometimes they will drop
 a whole bunch of crap on your corpse in the hope that you will pick something
 up and auto equip it before picking up your corpse.  When you pick up your
 body, the auto equipped item (i.e. weapon, armor) will disallow you from
 picking up everything off your corpse.  If you get killed again, all the
 equipped items will "pop" out of your body for anyone to loot.

-During duels, never take a waypoint to an unsafe place (anywhere outside of
 towns).  An enemy can be waiting at the waypoint to kill you or they can
 pre-visit the waypoint, go back to town, and ask you to meet them there.  If
 you haven't visited the waypoint yet, there will be a delay as it loads the
 map data.  The other guy already has the map loaded in RAM and will teleport
 there instantly.  Your character will appear at the waypoint while the map
 data loads and will give your enemy a few crucial seconds and a free kill.

-If you need some life/mana try leeching some off monsters in the area by
 killing them.  I don't think there is any rule against this so take advantage!


Class Specific Strategies:

Amazon:
There isn't much you can do unless you get lucky.  Low level zons will be
easier to pick off, but at higher levels, they will most likely have a Buriza
Do Kyanon (Best PK crossbow in the game.) with guided arrow and perhaps
Cleglaw's Bracers. Guided arrow with Cleglaw's will kill you very quickly
because of the slow target and piercing bug associated with the Clegs and
Buriza.  Amazons employ a hit and run tactic and will maintain a safe
distance.  Expect zons to use multi-shot off screen and guided arrow in screen.
You can get lucky if you are very fast and clip them with whirlwind.  You can
kill them outright with one whirlwind or a couple if they are wearing damage
reduction gear.  The challenge is catching them as they are usually very fast. 
Do not hang around the town entrance as they can step out, fire a few arrows,
and step back in for a cheesy kill.  Try staying behind walls or other objects
that will block multi-shot and make guided arrow difficult from long range. If
a zon is foolish enough to get close for a guided arrow around a corner or
wall, burst out and try to clip his escape path with whirlwind.  My
recommendation is to avoid duels with zons altogether.

Sorceress:
You can fare better with a sorceress than a zon.  A sorceress will teleport
around and cast thunderstorm and frozen orb repeatedly.  The trick is to catch
them with a whirlwind for a quick kill.  If they are using mana shield and
damage reduction gear, it may take a couple to kill them.  Stay far away from
the orbs and try to predict their path so you can clip them efficiently.  Avoid
prolonged chases since you will end up taking damage from the orb and
thunderstorm.

Barbarian:
This will be a pissing contest of sorts since you will be using the same
strategies against each other.  Determining factors will be equipment, skills,
and level.  The shield will come in handy as it should block upto 75% of the
whirlwind blows.  If your opponent is a dual wielder, you should have the
advantage.  If your opponent also uses a shield, then make sure you are using
good damage reduction gear (Vampire Gaze, Shaftstop, Stormshield) to soften any
blows.  Popular dueling weapons will be the Cruel Colossus or Balrog blades
that will do godly amounts of damage.  Make sure you carry some powerful poison
charms that will do residual damage after your first hit.  After the first
pass it should be clear who is more powerful.

Paladin:
I have never had much problems with paladins at all.  They are fast and can do
alot of damage, but they are no match for whirlwind.  Just cuisinart their
asses into the ground!  With good gear, they probalby won't even get a hit
in.  :P

Assasin:
Martial assasins are pretty powerful if they hit you with a combo.  Avoid this
by using whirlwind.  They are also very fast with burst of speed and good
assasin gear.  Their downfall is the short range of their claws.  Use this to
your advantage by avoiding direct melee combat and just clip them with
whirlwind.  Be aware that dual wield assasins can block although less
effectively than using a good shield.  Trapassins will set up traps right in
front of town and invite you to come and kill them.  Or they will set up traps
and hang around them for protection.  You can charge in and go for the fast
kill or just wait it out.  The traps are weak compared to the sorceress frozen
orb and thunderstorm so I usually charge in and kill them.

Druid:
Werewolves are fast and they have a multi shot ability similar to paladins.
Werewolves will have high damage and AR so don't get caught off guard. 
Elemental druids are pretty weak and you can avoid direct hits from their
spells and just kill them.  Werebears have more life and can do more damage
than Werewolves.  They typically suffer from relatively low AR compared to
their Werewolf counterparts.  Watch out for maul and shockwave as they may use
this in combination to get you disoriented.  Attack with whirlwind and cut the
druid into pieces.  If you can, kill the spirits.  The orange spirit is used
mostly by Werewolves to boost their life.  The red spirit boosts AR.  Killing
them should make your job easier.  As you kill the druid, shapeshifters will
revert back to human form with 1 life.  Finish them off before they shapeshift
again.  Elemental druids will die on the spot.

Necromancer:
I haven't had first hand experience with necro duelers, but I've heard and read
that they will run around and attack you with bone spirit and IM.  You should
be able to outrun the bone spirits, but watch out for IM.  Try to catch the
necro and clip him with whirlwind while running away from the spirits.  If
anyone has better experience with necros, let me know.


VII. Credits
------------

-My girlfriend for putting up with my long Diablo II sessions.
-Twizted (twiztedrage@hotmail.com) for corrections and additional information
-Blizzard for making this great game.

