Yesterday I dusted off my old mouse, fired up D2, and decided to finally tackle a Paladin playthrough. Heard hammers were the way, but man, the early levels sucked.
Starting Out: Pure Confusion
Rolled the Pally, slapped points into Sacrifice ’cause it sounded tough. Bad move. Ran around the Blood Moor smacking Fallen one by one, chugging red pots like crazy. Kept dying to stupid Rakanishu! Felt like grinding took ages.
Checked online guides, bombarded with “level as Holy Fire!” or “Zeal is OP!” Tried respec’ing to Holy Fire around level 12. Okay, the aura zapped nearby enemies, nice! Found a crappy scepter with +3 Holy Fire. Cleared Cold Plains way faster… until Act 2. Those pesky scarabs in the desert? Immune to fire. Stuck again.
The Hammerdin Switch
Got fed up around level 18. Said screw it, dumped my points into Blessed Hammer and Vigor. No Concentration aura yet. Hammers flew everywhere missing targets! Felt clumsy. Needed gear.
Grabbed any staff or wand with +skills I could find. Shopped Akara for +Energy items. Realized I needed to hug enemies weirdly close – the hammers spin out around you, not shoot forward. Weird positioning! Slowly, slowly cleared Catacombs Level 2.
Finally hit level 24! Bam! Concentration aura unlocked. This changed EVERYTHING. Slapped on Concentration, started spinning hammers near groups. Skeletons just melted. The damage jump was insane! Andariel went down faster than ever before.
Act 2 & Beyond: Hammers Go BRRR
Took my hammer show to Lut Gholein. Found a 2-socket breast plate, stuck two perfect Sapphires in it for mana. Lifesaver! Merc tanked while I stood slightly behind, hammers spinning nonstop.
-
The real secrets clicked:
- Positioning is King: Gotta get right next to mobs, almost inside them.
- Vigor is Your Friend: Run fast everywhere, regen stamina, reposition quick.
- Mana Problems? Shop Belts/Boots: Keep vendor-hopping for belts/boots with +mana per kill. Makes life so much easier.
- Insight on Merc: Oh my god, yes. Got lucky, found a 4-socket polearm early Act 2. Made an Insight runeword. Almost unlimited mana? Game changer!
Act 3 jungle felt kinda slow ’cause narrow paths, but hammers still crushed. Mephisto folded quick. Act 4 Chaos Sanctuary? Pure bliss. Tight packs? Hammer paradise! Diablo himself? Kept Vigor on, ran circles around him, dropped Concentration just to recast hammers, went back to Concentration. Took a few tries, but he died.
End of Normal: Proof in the Pudding
Sailed through Act 5. Baal? Hah! His minions fell apart. Smacked him silly with hammers. Cleared Normal at level 43, fastest I’ve ever done it. Didn’t have godly gear – just some +mana stuff, Insight merc, a Lore helm I made in a 2-socket cap (Ral + Ort), and a rhyme shield for resists.
So yeah, the rumors were true. Hammerdin leveling sucks until level 24 and Concentration. But stick with it, focus on positioning, get that Insight ASAP, and it becomes a wrecking ball. Smooth sailing to Hell? We’ll see, but Normal was surprisingly breezy after the initial pain!